Quote of the Day!!!

Happiness depends more on the internal frame of a person's mind than on the externals in the world.

-George Washington, 1787

Weird News of the Day

Martial Law Considered In Upstate New York Town. After a number of scandals have sent Schenectady officials scrambling to clean up the police department, there are now a number of options being discussed. They include disbanding the department, restarting with a new county-wide police force, or even bringing in the National Guard. Read Story Here.

Quote of the Day!!!

The great principles of right and wrong are legible to every reader; to persue them requires not the aid of many counselors.

- Thomas Jefferson

Can You Say Socialism?

The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document. Read Story Here.

Disposable Car?

Are you ready for a DISPOSABLE car?

The Tata Nano a $2000 car is about to hit the streets in India. If India can make a car that sells for $2000, why can’t Detroit? Read Story Here.

Quote of the Day!!!

Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.

- George Washington

Quote of the Day!!!

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.

- John Adams

My Way or the Highway!

President Obama may believe in health care for all, but he certainly doesn't support the freedom of all who provide it. Continuing its pattern of selective tolerance, the White House launched its first attack on the conscience protections that President Bush finalized before leaving office. Although the process to rescind the rules has just begun, the President has made no secret of his intent to strong-arm the medical field into a state of blind submission on issues like abortion. Under the rules issued by the Bush administration last year, health care employees have enjoyed stronger protections from these controversial practices that violate their personal or religious beliefs.

On March !0, a coalition of 36 U.S. senators expressed their "grave concern" about the administration's decision to coerce doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to provide "care" against their will. In the letter to President Obama, these senators agreed, "This regulation is not about whether or not abortion should or should not be allowed in America. This regulation is about whether we will respect the deeply held moral convictions of those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the life and health of others... To compromise their right to practice [reduces]... medical professionals to mere vending machines..."

As the senators point out, nothing in these regulations bars a patient from finding a doctor or pharmacist who shares their beliefs. The President, a constitutional law expert, ought to know that the mild inconvenience of finding a new doctor or pharmacist doesn't trump a caregiver's basic freedoms. Infringing on employees' rights may help advance political correctness, but it's certainly not compatible with the President's agenda which, I would remind him, includes a call to end workplace discrimination. These rules are pro-child, pro-woman, and pro-liberty. I applaud these 36 senators for asking President Obama to reinstate them. In the abortion debate, we cannot allow safety and ethics to take a backseat to politics.

Source:Kitchen Table Blog, FRC

Kudos to the OC

In Orange County, California, the only thing local leaders favor aborting is Planned Parenthood's current government contract. On March 11, behind a swell of area support, county supervisors voted unanimously to void the abortion merchant's $292,000 deal. Although the contracts were approved last year as part of a community health initiative, the county board only learned of Planned Parenthood's involvement after members voted in favor of it. According to various reports, none of the clinics receiving taxpayer money was named on the report that supervisors saw before voting.

A handful of concerned citizens, who were inspired by the undercover videos of UCLA student Lila Rose, followed the money trail directly to Planned Parenthood's door. Orange County bureaucrats had apparently buried the contract details in hopes of avoiding the controversy they now find themselves in.

Although the local clinics said the county's money wasn't funding abortion, Supervisor John Moorlach said, "Not to generalize, but when you contract a law firm that specializes in bankruptcies, they most likely will advise you to file for bankruptcy. If you go to Planned Parenthood, they are most likely to recommend their specialized surgical solution, which they provide and are compensated for, which appears to be a conflict of interest."

He called for a rare re-vote on the contracts, and it's encouraging to know that every commissioner in Orange County objected to the funding. Unfortunately, backdoor political deals like the one Orange County just overturned aren't unique to California.

Source: FRC

Buckling Under Pressure?

Five weeks into his tenure as Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman, Michael Steele finds himself in the familiar position of damage control. This time Steele is in hot water over comments he made to GQ magazine about abortion and same-sex "marriage."

Columnist Lisa DePaulo asked if he believed that women have the right to choose abortion. "Yeah. Absolutely," Michael replied. "Are you saying you don't want to overturn Roe v. Wade?" DePaulo pressed. "The states should make that choice," Steele responded. "That's what choice is. The individual choice rests with the states."

His comments were cavalier and flippant particularly as they relate to fundamental policy issues on which Republicans have staked out clear positions in their platform. Steele did release a statement clarifying his comments, but he didn't address his other troubling comments on same-sex "marriage."

Mr. Steele's comments only serve to reinforce the belief by many social conservatives that one major party (Democrats) is unfriendly to their values while the other (Republicans) gives only lip service to core moral issues. If such a visible Republican leader continues in this same vein, I'm sure many more will drop their affiliation with the GOP. The prospects of more social conservatives leaving may excite the "big tenters," but that will only last until they discover the Big Tent is empty.

Source: GQ Magazine, FRC

Economic Meltdown???

Did you know that, just since Barack Obama was elected, Americans have lost some $3 trillion in wealth, reports Investors' Business Daily, as the markets have plummeted some 30%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example, has collapsed from 9,625.28 on November 4, 2008 to 6,647.49 on March 4, 2009.

Naming Names!!!

Yesterday, while debating the Omnibus spending bill, the U.S. Senate took up Senator Roger Wicker's (R-Miss.) amendment to preserve what has become fairly commonplace in federal budgeting, the prohibition of U.S. taxpayer money being used through the United Nations to underwrite China's one-child policy in which women are coerced into having abortions and are forcibly sterilized. Unfortunately, the Senate defeated this amendment by a vote of 55-39, with three Democrats, Senators Robert Casey (Penn.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) supporting the pro-life amendment. The Omnibus is frozen in the Senate right now due to fiscal considerations coming from a surprising corner the Democrats' side.

These are the Democrat Senators who took a stance in supporting American taxpayers: Senators Evan Bayh (Ind.), Russ Feingold (Wis.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Mark Begich (Alaska), Mark Warner (Va.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Bob Casey (Penn.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.), and Joe Lieberman (Conn.)

Pro-Life=Terrorist? So Says Chris Matthews

On Tuesday, March 3, MSNBC host Chris Matthews called pro-life groups and individuals "terrorists" because they oppose the Kathleen Sebelius nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Is it Mr. Matthews' opinion that pro-lifers are terrorists because they oppose a nominee with views that are diametrically opposed to most of America? A nominee so radical it is difficult impossible to find an instance when she stood up as an elected official in support of life.

Does Mr. Matthews want pro-life groups to remain silent on a nominee who voted to weaken and eliminate measures like parental notification and waiting periods? A nominee who directed funds away from programs that support women and towards abortionists like Planned Parenthood.

Mr. Matthews should know better.

We have every right as citizens to object to a nominee who as governor hosted a private reception at the governor's mansion for the notorious late term abortionist George Tiller and his staff, and worked hard to block criminal charges against Tiller.

It is our duty to educate our fellow citizens about a nominee for an influential cabinet position whose views on abortion and health care reform are radically outside the mainstream.

Source:FRC

Dissention in the Ranks?

Not everyone in Obama's party is going merrily along with the new President's power surge. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, is openly criticizing Obama's growing circle of policy "czars." Senator Byrd has taken his leader to task for trying to bypass the system and empower a group of unelected and unaccountable advisors. In a letter he wrote to President Obama, excerpts of which were reprinted on Politico.com, he accuses the administration of an executive branch "power grab." This hierarchy "can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances," Byrd wrote.

"At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials... As presidential assistants and advisers, these White House staffers are not accountable for their actions to the Congress, to cabinet officials, and to virtually anyone but the president," he argued. "They rarely testify before congressional committees, and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege. In too many instances, White House staff have been allowed to inhibit openness and transparency, and reduce accountability."

Source: FRC

Clueless!!!

Exactly what kind of stimulus did Speaker Nancy Pelosi have in mind? That's a question more Americans are asking now that details are trickling in about the controversial $825 billion "economic recovery" package. As it stands, more than 10 percent of the proposal $87 billion would allow states to expand their "family planning" services through Medicaid. The country's recession is crippling families, and the Democrats' solution is spending billions of dollars on contraception? On yesterday's "This Week" program on ABC, George Stephanopoulos pressed Speaker Pelosi for an explanation.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?
PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost... The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health... [is] to help the states meet their financial needs... [O]ne of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?
PELOSI: No apologies. No. We have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

In other words, children are a burden to the economy, and Pelosi believes it's the government's responsibility to eliminate them. More than anything, her comments underscore the shortsightedness of these liberal policies. All reports indicate that the global family is on the decline. Although America's birth rate isn't plunging like that of European countries, it has slowed. The reason we don't find ourselves in a "demographic winter" is largely because of the fertility rates of our immigrants, many of whom come from cultures that value life. Overall, the U.S. is hovering at its replacement level, which is hardly enough to finance the Baby Boomers' retirement. If Pelosi and her Congress continue to deemphasize the family, America will travel even farther down the deadly path of our European friends.

In the meantime, Congress continues to spend outside of its means, proving that the nation will need more children not less to help pay the bills for Social Security, Medicaid, and other government entitlements that Democrats hope to expand. Obviously, there's a practical danger in suggesting that babies are problems or "punishments" (as President Obama called them) instead of blessings that build bridges to the future.

Source: FRC, ABC

A Man of Faith

I am a sports fan, and a fan of men of character. Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has been that for me and for countless Americans who admire him not just for his victories on the field but in life. Living in the public eye isn't always easy, but coach Dungy has inspired millions through his response to personal tragedy and professional success alike. A role model first and coach second, Dungy will have a legacy of service that outlasts any football record or championship. For seven years in Indiana, he used his celebrity platform to promote adoption, prison ministry, family values, outreach to the poor, and simple Christian decency.

As his own pastor said, Dungy came to Indianapolis with the understanding that "faith would come before football" and he managed to exceed expectations in both. In his retirement, coach Dungy said, "I remember... saying that our goal was to win... but that we needed to win the right way, we needed to win with the right kind of players that... our young men and women in this community could look up to and say, 'I want to be like him, or him, or him.'"

As Coach Dungy leaves a league that he made better simply for being in it, I thank him for his impact. May this new chapter for the Dungy family be the start of something even greater for the Kingdom he has so admirably served.

Source: FRC

Ignorance is not an Excuse

"I should have been more careful." In his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, that was how Secretary of Treasure-designate Timothy Geithner explained his failure to pay more than $34,000 in taxes. Geithner, one of the more controversial nominees to Obama's new Cabinet, apologized for the "unintentional" mistakes. Not surprisingly, several Republicans still have serious doubts about Geithner's ability to handle billions of our tax dollars. Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine) was not one of them. She brushed aside Geithner's personal scandal and said it shouldn't "preclude his nomination." I disagree. This isn't Geithner's money he would be mismanaging. It's ours.

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is also under investigation for tax fraud. If Geithner is successfully confirmed and Rangel refuses to step aside, it would mean the two people most responsible for crafting U.S. tax policy will be suspected tax cheats. Both have cited ignorance about our tax law as an excuse. Surely, it's not asking too much that the leaders in charge of writing and enforcing America's tax policy know what they are doing.

A World of Difference

Americans watched on television as President Bush's jumbo jet soared out of sight Tuesday, and with him, a long record of protecting the unborn. Although the Obama administration is not even a week old, the new President has already set to work undoing years of pro life and pro-family policy.

Minutes after Obama took the oath of office, the transfer of power was made complete on the White House website. The page, once home to a host of family values, now welcomes an extreme collection of anti-life, anti-woman, and anti-family agendas. Under the caption "civil rights," Obama pledges to fight for nationwide civil unions, repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, homosexual adoption, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, expanded "hate crimes," and over 1,100 costly same-sex benefits. He promises to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as well as block a federal amendment to preserve marriage. In exchange for the support of groups like Planned Parenthood, the abortion business is also due for a rich payoff from the 44th president, including his support of abortion-on-demand, more funding for "family planning" programs, embryonic stem cell experiments, and tax-funded abortion.

This city may have changed overnight, but our values are enduring. We will continue to advance faith, family, and freedom in the next four years.

Source: FRC

Keeping Promises

After granting a 24-hour stay on the execution of the unborn, President Obama delivered yesterday on his promise of taxpayer funded promotion of abortion. Yesterday afternoon, the new administration inked the order overturning the "Mexico City policy" and freeing millions of federal dollars to international abortion groups. Of course, it was no accident that the new president postponed the act until the last possible minute on Friday, knowing the repeal would be buried in the weekend headlines. Issuing it now means that even the presidential blackberry will get more media coverage than his international abortion bailout. The end of "Mexico City" is nothing less than a tragedy for the world's poor.

Let The Games Begin

So much for a spirit of bipartisanship. While President-elect Obama pledged to make the government "open" and "transparent," House Democrats are making it virtually impossible for him to keep that promise. Today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) kicked off the 111th Congress by stripping Republicans of any input in the legislative process. By a vote of 242 to 181, Democrats reversed a set of fairness rules that dated back to Newt Gingrich's Contract with America. As a result of the vote, House Republicans can no longer offer substantive alternatives, propose certain amendments to Democratic bills, or force a free and open debate.

This is a significant development given the big ticket items on Obama's agenda that will cost taxpayer's trillions of dollars and potentially chart a new cultural course for the country. By shutting down the opposition, Democrats will have a blank check to fast-track some of the most controversial policies of our day. Although minority leaders strongly protested the changes, they were powerless to stop them. As the GOP leadership wrote to Pelosi in an open letter yesterday, reverting to "undemocratic one-party rule" is especially dangerous now, as the government is experiencing an "unprecedented expansion of federal power and spending." Liberals may see this as reprisal for their unpleasant stint in the minority, but playing a game of political keep-away affects millions of Americans who deserve a voice in the legislative process.

Publicly, the Democrat's have tried to position themselves as uniters. This latest move by Speaker Pelosi would suggest their spirit of cooperation was nothing more than campaign rhetoric designed to dupe voters into handing over the keys to Congress to a party with no appetite for accountability. Contact Speaker Pelosi at (202) 225-4965 and remind her that Democrats were sent to Washington to represent popular interests not partisan ones.