Politics in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Barletta Leads Northeast in 4Q Fundraising

2012-01-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

Barletta raised $146,978.98 and had $269,498.39 on hand.

Vinsko raised $20,574.75 and had $52,786.21 on hand.

Marino raised $68,717.76 and Holden raised $99,885.68 during the same period.

Barletta has over five times as much available and raised over seven times as much in the same period as Vinsko. As a matter of fact, Vinsko was almost the worst performing Democratic candidate to file a fourth quarter report in the Commonwealth.

As Gort reported, POLITICO declared that Bill Vinsko was among the top Democratic challengers in the country in October. They might want to rethink that.

It appears the Democrats already have, since Vinsko failed to be included in their Red to Blue program of "top Democratic campaigns across the country" selected to receive support from the national party.

Congrats to Lou for dominating the Northeast this quarter.

The Real Margaret Thatcher

2012-01-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

On Labor, Taxation, and Nation:

On Socialism:

On Free Society:

On Globalization:

On Conservatism:

And a tribute:

Haggerty Swings and Misses

2012-01-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Kevin Haggerty has announced his intentions to challenge Ken Smith in the Democratic Primary to represent Pennsylvania’s 112^th Legislative District in the Commonwealth’s House of Representatives. Haggerty penned an attack on Smith, but in his zeal, demonstrated a lack of understating of the issues which he believes are “near and dear to Democrat families in the 112th district.”

His most breathless attack deals with redistricting. In it, Haggerty makes the wild statement that:

“When Mr. Smith talks about why the Governor won’t tax big oil and gas, just take a look at his recent vote of yes for Senate Bill (SB) 1249. This Republican bill is responsible for the most gerrymandered redistricting this state has ever seen, and Democratic leaders are taking this matter to court.”

Senate Bill 1249, deals with Congressional redistricting. And yes, Ken Smith along with many of his fellow Democrats did vote for it. That’s about where Haggerty’s redistricting accuracy ends.

Democratic Leaders are not in fact taking the matter of Senate Bill 1249 to court as Haggerty alleges. Actually, Pennsylvania Democratic Congressmen called for state Democrats to pass this legislation.

What Democrats are doing is fighting the decision of the Legislative Redistricting Commission which dealt exclusively with reapportioning the State House and State Senate districts. There are 11 such challenges which the Supreme Court will hear on January 23^rd.

Another relevant document to the discussion of redistricting is the Pennsylvania Constitution. Article II, Section 17 deals with redistricting and explains the process in terms anyone should be able to understand.

Before arguing against the current plan, Mr. Haggerty should also take a look at the alternative Democratic proposal for congressional redistricting. Here is the map, and here is the plan. Democrats deserve credit for proposing an alternative plan but their plan fails to address the primary argument against most redistricting which is that it unnecessarily carves up counties. By that measure, the Democratic plan would be far worse for Northeastern Pennsylvania than the Republican plan.

A review of the Democratic proposal shows that they wanted to carve up virtually every county in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Haggerty’s home county would have three members of Congress in the Democratic plan instead of two in the Republican plan.

What Smith and many Democrats actually voted for was a plan that better consolidated representation for Lackawanna County with these two congressmen instead of three. The Republican plan also largely gave the more Republican areas of Lackawanna County a Republican Congressman and the more Democratic areas a Democratic Congressman.

In short, this whole line of attack doesn’t appear to be well thought out.

There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of Smith. His vote on redistricting isn’t one of them. Haggerty would do well to put aside the hyper-partisan attacks and instead, focus on the issues that really matter most to all of the families in the 112^th Legislative District, regardless of their political affiliation.

Democratic Attorney General Race

2012-01-14T03:48:00.000-08:00

The Democratic field for Pennsylvania Attorney General currently consists of Ex-Congressman Patrick Murphy, former Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Kane, and former Assistant District Attorney Dan McCaffery.

Recently revealed facts prove that Congressman Murphy never took the Pennsylvania Bar Exam. Obviously, this hurt Murphy and created an opportunity for his opponents to attack him. On the heels of that revelation, Murphy released the results of an internal poll. No doubt, to keep supporters from hemorrhaging.

Republicans were quick to pounce. PA GOP Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement:

“The fact that Patrick Murphy has never taken the Pennsylvania bar exam and has never tried a case in Pennsylvania’s courts shows he has little respect for the Pennsylvania Constitution and should send a message to voters that he is not prepared to be Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer. If he could not take this small step, we cannot trust him to lock up child predators, elder abusers and drug dealers.

“Sadly, this is just another example of Patrick Murphy being a career politician but short on real experience and he obviously cannot be trusted when it comes to protecting Pennsylvanians. We need an Attorney General whose first thought is how protect our citizens and enforce the law not just try and get elected to a new office.“

The results of the poll demonstrated that Murphy was leading the pack of Democrats seeking the office – particularly in the must-have Philly area. The lineup was Murphy by a wide margin, Kane, and then McCaffery.

If the other campaigns had numbers to prove otherwise, they probably would have used them instead of just rhetoric.

Another vulnerability, and probably a more important one, for Murphy will be his voting record. Murphy was a member of Congress which, of course, means he has one. For instance, Patrick Murphy voted for Obama’s failed stimulus plan, Obamacare, and the Cap and Trade job-killer. Not the type of stuff that will come up in a Democratic Primary, but definitely what you can expect in a General Election. His liberal voting record in Washington is what made him a former congressman. No Democrat will be able to attack him on these items and not run afoul of both Casey and Obama.

Kane has also had some trouble recently. Under the headline, “Kane dumps Randol as Campaign Manager” the Scranton Times reported that candidate Kathleen Kane and campaign manager Liz Randol parted ways. Kane dismissed it as “no big deal” in the story but political observers will likely see it differently. Campaigns are expected to operate under high-stress situations. If the leadership in the campaign can’t keep it together before the race really starts, it’s tough to see how it can handle the race when it gets really hot. If it had to happen though, it is better to have happened when it did.

Kane also recently touted in a press release that she will report $2 million in her campaign coffers for the close of 2011. She does not however reveal the source of the funding.

Tactically, this was both a bold display of strength and a political miscalculation. If the Kane campaign was going to dump this release while her party is dishing about “the rich” she should have released the source of the funding in the release. By not doing that, her campaign allowed the focus to be on whether this demonstrates strength in personal finance, strength in developing relationships with special interest groups, or strength in building a real fundraising apparatus that can propel her campaign moving forward.

It would be interesting to know her position on the Occupy Movement. If she self-funded, does she consider herself in the 1% or the 99%? Considering how much the Occupy movement permeates both labor and the Democratic Party and the President’s proclivity for class warfare, she should probably figure that one out pretty quickly. If she wins the Primary, she could find herself pitted against her Party and her President’s rhetoric – again, if she self-funded.

As for Dan McCaffery, he has yet to really make his mark on the campaign. That might hurt his chances of an endorsement at the Democrat State Committee Meeting this weekend. Not much can be said about his campaign beyond that at this point.

Mayor McDowell?

2012-01-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

Remember when Scranton’s Democratic Tax Collector, Ken McDowell, “found” a few million in taxpayer dollars? It appears that Scranton’s Democratic Mayor, Chris Doherty, also “found” a few million.

Apparently, millions of dollars were accruing in an account over the last three years that no one in the Doherty Administration thought about checking. The Scranton Times reports Democrat Doherty claims $3 million “fell through the cracks.”

Those are some pretty big cracks Doherty must have in his financial management skills to lose $3 million. Also troubling, this money was unaccounted for when Doherty was proposing both a 29% tax increase on the city of Scranton as well as gutting its fire protection.

Had these millions been accounted for prior to the completion of the 2012 budget, perhaps firehouses would have been able to remain open. Instead, many of them are closed in Scranton. Maybe Scranton’s taxpayers could have evaded a tax increase.

Sadly, Doherty’s inability to manage Scranton’s finances was not uncovered in time to prevent either from occurring.

Scranton, like virtually every other city in the Commonwealth unable to escape distressed status, is run by Democrats. Doherty, like fellow Democrat McDowell, has demonstrated the inability to manage the trust of the taxpayers.

Since losing the Lackawanna County Controller’s race in 2011, Ken McDowell has been without an elected office. If Doherty is going to run the city like Ken McDowell ran the tax office, maybe Ken McDowell should run for Mayor of Scranton in 2013. Even better, maybe the Republicans should finally put up a good candidate to take on Doherty.

America’s GITMO Vacation

2012-01-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

While you were probably out grabbing last minutes items for Christmas, the Democrat-controlled Senate was passing the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA). It passed with bi-partisan support with 86 Senators (including both Casey and Toomey) voting for it, and 13 voting against it (one didn’t vote.) The Senate bill was largely coordinated by both Republican Senator John McCain and Democrat Senator Carl Levin.

The bill authorizes the appropriations for fiscal year 2012 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and may allow the Federal Government to detain American Citizens without trial in GITMO.

The last part is the controversial part.

President Obama said he wouldn’t sign it. Obama caved. He broke out the auto-pen and signed it on New Year’s Eve, also when you probably weren’t paying attention.

President Obama claims that the NDAA does not apply to US Citizens. Both the ACLU and Natural News debunk that myth. Natural News goes on to explain further why you should be concerned with the legislation. It’s worth the read.

By signing this bill, President Obama has attempted to legalize tyranny.

Republicans in Congress are fighting back with H.R. 3676. There are presently 31 co-sponsors. You can track the list of Congressmen that will protect your rights here.

Every member of the House of Representatives is up for election in this year. As is Democratic Senator and NDAA-supporter Bob Casey. Voters should thoughtfully consider both their representative's and their senator's stance on this bill before casting their vote in 2012. And really, is there a better time for tough questions than an election year?

Chuck Woolery on Democracy

2012-01-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

The Scranton Times Needs an Ombudsman

2011-12-22T12:07:00.000-08:00

Most newspapers have an editorial slant. In the old days, it was more apparent. Papers would proclaim their political ideology in their title. The valley of Scranton hosted papers such as The Daily Democrat, the Scranton Republican, Scranton Daily Republican, Tribune Republican, etc. They all wore their political persuasion on their sleeve.

Some papers still preserve that identity throughout the country but many of our area papers have moved away from it…that does not however prevent them from being blindingly partisan on occasion.

Today was one of those occasions.

Contained in the opinion page of today’s Scranton Times was an editorial about the current struggle in the legislature over how best to extend the tax cuts that expire at the close of 2011 in the Making Work Pay legislation passed previously. Also contained in the editorial, was an outright lie. The lie goes as follows:

“Those intrepid anti-tax men of the people, U.S. Reps. Tom Marino and Lou Barletta, voted Wednesday to impose a major tax increase on 160 million working Americans.”

Marino and Barletta did nothing of the sort.

What the House did was oppose the band-aid proposed by Democrats that will cut Social Security contributions for the first 60 days of 2012. And they didn’t just say no. They proposed and passed their own bill that would extend the tax cuts for one year instead of just 60 days as the Democrats proposed.

Republicans also called for the formation of a committee to continue negotiations with the Senate and reconcile the bills. Republicans recognize and are trying to avoid the predictable replay of this exact same fight, over the exact same tax issue, with the exact same people, just at a later date. Presumably round two would occur in February or whenever the Senate decides to return from its current vacation.

Republicans rightly wanted a full one year extension of the payroll tax cut to offer more stability, certainty, and ease of use of the tax code for employers – something sadly missing in today’s economy.

There is nothing stable about a tax code that has the potential to change every two months. Yet, that is exactly what the Democrats proposed. Employers should have at least the certainty of knowing what payroll calculations need to be for the year. They should also not have to undergo the added expense of reprogramming their accounting software every time the government decides to get in a fight with itself.

Common sense dictates that tax codes be uniform, consistent, fair, and workable. Upon careful examination of the Democratic proposal, the National Payroll Reporting Consortium found that the Democratic proposal is so bad that it cannot be implemented properly. And this is from an independent, non-partisan group.

In short, Republicans did not vote to increase taxes. The claim that they did by the Scranton Times editorial today is so far from accurate that it can only accurately be described as a lie.

Even a casual reader of the Scranton Times would come to the conclusion that it is a Democratic paper, even if their masthead doesn’t declare it to be a Democratic paper as was the tradition in years past. There is nothing wrong with a paper having an editorial slant. Most of them do. It becomes problematic when the pursuit of the truth becomes clouded by the pursuit of partisan politics as it was today.

It is even more problematic when there is only one daily paper in town, the offending paper, with no competition to keep them honest.

Given their propensity to veer from the truth into propaganda and the absence of any real competition in the market, perhaps it is time for the public to demand an ombudsman at the Scranton Times.

One can only dream.

In the interim, the editorial staff of the Scranton Times should at least apologize to their readers and these members of Congress for allowing their writing to be blinded by partisan politics as well as a correction of the record, which they carelessly allowed to be distorted to serve the aforementioned partisan political pursuits of their staff.

Bill Whittle: A Voters' Guide to Republicans

2011-12-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Andrew Klavan: Wall Street On Trial

2011-12-13T19:20:00.001-08:00

Senate State Government Committee to Consider PA Voter ID Bill

2011-12-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Pennsylvania Senate’s State Government Committee will meet today at 12:30 p.m. to consider House Bill 934. 934 is controversial to Democrats in that it changes Pennsylvania’s Election Code to require that voters show a valid form of identification before voting.

The bill requires an elector to produce a photo id issued by either the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the United States Government that contains their name as they are registered to vote, has an expiration date. For those that do not possess a valid ID, the bill further orders PENNDOT to issue one at no cost to the applicant. A new form would be created for these requests and disseminated to every county voter services department across the state.

Some of the IDs that would be accepted are:

Valid PA Driver’s License
Valid PA ID issued from another government agency
Valid US Government ID
Valid Passport
Valid Student ID Card
Valid Employee ID Card
Valid Armed Services ID Card

If someone does not have any of these, they can bring with them to the polls any of the following:

Valid non-photo identification issued by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof
A Non-photo identification issued by the United States Government, or agency thereof
A firearm permit
A current utility bill
A current bank statement
A paycheck
A government check

So, if you don’t have a valid form of ID, the Commonwealth will give you one for free and you can get the application for the same in your local county voter registration office. Assuming you cannot travel there, you can call and they would certainly mail one to you. If even that is too much for you, you can still bring another document that you should get weekly or monthly if you have a bank account, pay utilities, have a job, or are on some form of welfare or government assistance.

Still, the Democrats oppose this bill.

A supermajority of the Democrats in the House and Senate passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009. President Obama signed it. Among the many federal regulations it advanced, it allowed the Federal Government to “establish a minimum age of sale of tobacco products to any person older than 18 years of age.” That is accomplished by producing ID.

So, Democrats believe you should have to produce ID before you buy a pack of smokes but not before you vote. It is just bizarre.

You shouldn’t be selling tobacco to kids. The way you stop that is by asking for identification and refusing the sale if they cannot produce it. You shouldn’t be perpetuating voter fraud. The way you stop that is by asking for identification and refusing them the vote if they cannot produce it.

It seems simple enough.

Casey's Crusade Against Social Security

2011-12-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

Social Security, as a system, is funded by taxes collected from employees with an equal match paid above and beyond salaries paid by employers. It is tough to find, sometimes hiding with Medicare taxes under the designation FICA on your paystub.

That tax, which directly pays Social Security benefits, is what US Senator Bob Casey and President Obama are trying to cut.

Social Security is in serious trouble. The most recent downward spiral began in 2010 when the Social Security Trust Fund began collecting less than it was paying out. Obviously, if you pay out more than you bring in, it is unsustainable. In August of this year, it was widely reported that new projections could have the Social Security Trust Fund begin to be insolvent by 2017.

A big part of the problem is the ratio of workers to recipients of Social Security. If you look at the ratios maintained by the Social Security Administration, you see in 1940, there were 159.4 workers for every one recipient. In 1960, there were 5.1 workers to every one recipient. In 1980, 3.2 workers to every one recipient. And, in 2010, there were only 2.9 workers paying into the fund for every one recipient.

Again, it is unsustainable. It will completely collapse when the ratio approaches 1:1.

Unemployment is also wrecking Social Security. If Americans aren’t working, they aren’t paying into the system. If Americans aren’t paying into the system, the ratio falls lower.

But, to listen to the Democrats over the years, you would never believe this to be true. Al Gore famously spoke about the “lock box” for Social Security during his failed presidential run. Others have said there was a $2.6 trillion dollar surplus that can cover us. Well, it’s time for a reality check. Democratic assertions that the funds were in an inviolate “lock box” and that there was a multi-trillion-dollar surplus are a complete fraud.

There is no surplus. This was proven during the debt ceiling debate. As you should recall, President Obama would said that if the debt ceiling was not extended, he could not guarantee Social Security checks would be sent. But, how could that be if there is a $2.6 trillion surplus? Yes, Social Security alone eats up about 20% of the budget, but our federal budget is around $3.5 trillion. In FY 2010, we spent $707 billion on Social Security. For Obama to suggest that we couldn’t pay a $700 billion bill with $2.6 trillion in the account, something doesn’t add up. And that something is the surplus. There isn’t one.

For decades, Social Security collected more than what it paid out. It was easy for that to happen when the worker to recipient ratio was higher as demonstrated above. Congress, being Congress, would take the surplus money each year from the “lock box” and leave meaningless IOUs in their place. Now that the ratio is smaller and deficits are being produced, Congress has to pay the money back. That is why Bob Casey’s bill also transfers $185 billion from the general fund into Social Security – to pay back some of the money the politicians like him raided from it. Again, why would we have to transfer money from the General Fund into the Social Security Trust Fund if, in fact, there was a surplus?

The Social Security Trust Fund is broke. Casey’s bill will make it worse.

By lowering the contribution rate, Casey’s bill will give American workers more money in their paychecks. That much is true. But at the expense of driving the final nail in the coffin of Social Security.

Casey and the Washington crowd know that. It is the reason Casey and Obama are only talking about this Social Security tax rate reduction in terms of a payroll tax reduction. They want people to believe it is merely a tax cut. They fear the blue-haired furry it will stir up if people catch on to what Casey is taking money from.

So why go forward with killing social security? These guys love a crisis.

The crisis of Social Security’s collapse would allow them to do things they would not otherwise be able to do politically. Rahm just said as much above. For instance, a serious threat to Social Security’s solvency could cause Democrats to initiate a massive increase in taxes or impose an entirely new VAT-like tax. If Social Security was held in the balance, wouldn’t the largest voting demographic (elderly voters) support saving it?

If Casey is going to continue his crusade to defund Social Security, he should begin to describe it accurately and fairly so that the American people can make a fully informed decision on this bill. If the Democrats persist in inaccurately describing what they are cutting, the Republicans should do it for them.

Democrats have used the issue of Social Security as a wedge to drive normally conservative elderly voters to their side for decades. Democrats, year after year, claimed that Republicans would destroy the program. That Republicans would leave the elderly only enough money for a steady supply of cold cans of cat food to live on. Republicans would then recoil in fear at being labeled as anti-social security or pro-privatization and run from the issue.

No more. This is the perfect opportunity for Republicans to engage the American people in a serious conversation about Social Security and what can be done with it. Republicans finally have an opportunity to talk about Social Security in a way that won’t drive the elderly away because they can talk about it in terms of what can be done to make it healthy again and all within the context of the cuts the Democrats want to make to its funding.

Republicans need to man up, have the courage to take advantage of this opportunity, and start to lead on the issue. The alternative is to be complicit in the further erosion of the program by capitulating to Casey’s crusade against Social Security. The Republicans must go on the offense and lead.

Chuck Woolery: Un-Occupy Wall Street

2011-12-06T13:45:00.001-08:00

The Voice of Revisionist History

2011-12-06T07:06:00.000-08:00

Revisionist history has no place in a newspaper. Yet, that is exactly what was used to make a point about flooding and flood relief in their paper.

The premise is that Republicans have no problem entering into wars and funding them but won’t take care of people at home when they get flooded with the same vigor that they will enter war with.

Since the Voice seems to have forgotten, let’s remind them…in the House, 81 Democrats (including Paul Kanjorski) voted to send us to war with Iraq. In the Senate, 29 Democrats including Hillary Clinton, Vice-President Joe Biden, Harry Reid, and former presidential nominee John Kerry, voted to send us to war with Iraq.

There was bi-partisan support to send us to war with Iraq and the war continued to be funded with bi-partisan support. As a matter of fact, President Obama as a Senator, voted with Hillary Clinton for some $300 billion in war funding since entering the Senate in 2005. You might remember, it was a campaign issue.

The flood projects that Kanjorski actually put together took years to develop and secure funding for. Kanjorski started service in Congress in 1985 and it took until 2002 to get the flood control portion of the Wyoming Valley flood project completed. Solomon Creek flooded three times between 2004 and 2007, when Kanjorski finally got the legislation together to authorize the Army Corp to protect some 300 homes. It took Kanjorski years to get flood relief in Scranton.

In other areas, like Bloomsburg, he never substantially delivered. He got around to making a big push in the 2009 even though he acknowledged in his own statements that the area was prone to flooding for over sixty years.

Barletta and Marino have been in Congress for months, not years. And, by any fair measure, they have been working very hard to bring flood relief to the people hurt by this most recent disaster and to change the way the federal government deals with disasters such as these in the future.

Barletta brought the Speaker of the House to NEPA so that he could see first-hand the damage that was left in the wake of the flood. He led the fight to get low interest rate loans for businesses and homes damaged by the flooding. Barletta also fought to get farmers the help they need to recover from these natural disasters.

Marino led on the Hurricane Irene Coalition to have NEPA flooding added to the scope of its commission and to ensure that FEMA had necessary funding to participate in the recovery efforts. Marino is being proactive to make sure the federal response to flooding in the future is improved.

Both members of Congress distributed emergency disaster kits and made their staff available to the victims of the flood to help them navigate the ridiculous, circuitous process that flood victims have to go through to get federal help.

Both of these men have done an excellent job in responding to this disaster. They are fighting the good fight. Instead of attempting to score political points based on a false premise (which can only be described as ignorance of history, political bias, or perhaps a little of both) they deserve our thanks for their responsiveness and leadership in a time of crisis.

.700 WTF Rifle

2011-12-05T08:18:00.001-08:00

Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

Classical liberals versus modern progressives.

Citizen's Voice Editorial Board Wrong About UC Davis

2011-11-30T10:09:00.001-08:00

In an editorial today, the Citizen's Voice objected to a police officer's use of pepper spray on Occupy Wall Street protesters. The editorial has a glaring error. The editorial states, in part:

"Before the video went viral on the Internet, the campus police department had claimed that the officer had used the spray only after being surrounded and physically pressed by protesting students."

The editorial goes on to state that that was untrue. Here is a video interview with one of the protesters that were sprayed with pepper spray.

In her own words, the Occupy Wall Street protester claims when the police came at them they did so after the protesters encircled the police while they were trying to leave and said they would have to go through them to get by or to clear the path they were obstructing.

Her quote:

"at one point...we had encircled them and they were trying to leave and they were trying to clear a path and so we sat down and linked arms and said that if they wanted to clear the path they would have to go through us"

Apparently, the editorial staff at the Citizen's Voice thinks it is OK to encircle police officers or otherwise physically obstruct their path. They also think it is OK to obstruct public and private paths of traffic.

They have the right to express that opinion, flawed as it may be but they should not however mislead the public in order to advance their agenda.

The protesters failed to obey a police officer's order, physically obstructed their path so they couldn't leave, and encircled them - all by their own admission. The press should not be blaming the police for using pepper spray on protesters that place a police officer in jeopardy. They should recognize that the protesters were hostile to the police and put themselves in a situation where far worse than pepper spray could have been used if they choose to escalate their aggression towards the police.

If the Occupiers wish to continue peacefully, they should take some advice from Martin Luther King, Jr. :

"Another thing that we had to get over was the fact that the nonviolent resister does not seek to humiliate or defeat the opponent but to win his friendship and understanding. This was always a cry that we had to set before people that our aim is not to defeat the white community, not to humiliate the white community, but to win the friendship of all of the persons who had perpetrated this system in the past. The end of violence or the aftermath of violence is bitterness. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of a beloved community. A boycott is never an end within itself. It is merely a means to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor but the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption.

"Then we had to make it clear also that the nonviolent resister seeks to attack the evil system rather than individuals who happen to be caught up in the system. And this is why I say from time to time that the struggle in the South is not so much the tension between white people and Negro people. The struggle is rather between justice and injustice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. And if there is a victory it will not be a victory merely for fifty thousand Negroes. But it will be a victory for justice, a victory for good will, a victory for democracy.

"Another basic thing we had to get over is that nonviolent resistance is also an internal matter. It not only avoids external violence or external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. And so at the center of our movement stood the philosophy of love. The attitude that the only way to ultimately change humanity and make for the society that we all long for is to keep love at the center of our lives."

Obama's Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Stop Today

2011-11-30T03:37:00.001-08:00

Today, President Obama will use taxpayer dollars for what an expert stated could only be a campaign stop. Dr. Jean Harris, chairwoman of the University of Scranton political science department was quoted as saying "At this point, you know it's a campaign visit."

Obama is making his taxpayer-funded campaign trip because he is tanking in Pennsylvania. Bloomberg wrote about it, PPP Polling has consistently shown it, and the results of his October taxpayer-funded campaign stop really affirm it.

When President Obama was last in Scranton, he did an exclusive interview with Borys Krawczeniuk at the Scranton Times. In it, Obama said the one thing he would do to improve the economy was to “to invest in clean energy, to lower demand and lower gas prices and create millions of jobs in clean and renewable energies like wind and solar and biodiesel. I think that would make a huge improvement -- long term.”

As the Wall Street Journal reported, Obama’s “Green Jobs” were a failure. Not only did each job cost the taxpayers $157,000 to create, they were elusive. As it turns out, it appears most of the green jobs money was instead given to companies controlled or otherwise operated by Obama Donors. Some of it did however land locally. That is, a Kanjorski got some of it so that should count for something right?

Obama also promised to stabilize the housing market in his interview with Borys. Not so hot on that front either considering the industry is slated to have its weakest year on record. Don’t believe me? Ask someone trying to sell their house. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone selling their house in Scranton considering the twin Democrat tax increases coming out of Doherty and O’Brien.

Oh, and don’t forget Corey O’Brien, the Democrat that is raising Lackawanna County Taxes by 38% after repeatedly stating that he wouldn’t, was Obama’s campaign guy in Lackawanna County.

I guess breaking promises runs in the Obama Campaign operation as well as the Obama White House.

Bob Casey & Barack Obama, Separated at Birth?

2011-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Steve Welch, candidate for United States Senate, released the video above. It is a tongue-in-cheek comparison of Bob Casey and Barack Obama.

Another Look at Alexander Mitchell Palmer

2011-11-27T07:10:00.000-08:00

The Times Leader’s recent story, written by Tom Mooney, examines local history, particularly the influence of Democrat politician A. Mitchell Palmer.

The story runs through Palmer’s life. Palmer represented Pennsylvania’s 26^th Congressional District and was so involved in Democratic politics that he not only was vice-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) but also was later asked to help write the Democratic 1932 and 1936 Democratic Party platforms. The 1932 Platform is best to examine for policy since the 1936 platform, as most re-election platforms, was more a narrative in support of the President than a real policy statement.

Palmer was a progressive. He grew dissatisfied with the old guard establishment in the Democratic Party and assisted in a political coup to lead other like-minded politicians and the Democratic Party to the left. Dragging Palmer out at a time like this is particularly timely since that is exactly what has happened with today’s Democrats, but in a far more leftist direction.

The 1932 Democratic Party Platform was written at a bad time for America. Unemployment was high, foreign trade was wrecked, and poverty was wide-spread. Today, we face many of the same problems so it is particularly illustrative to look at what the progressive left, represented by Palmer, of 1932 and 1936 saw as viable solutions to our problems and compare them to what the average Democrat today believes.

The 1932 Democratic platform called for “drastic change in economic governmental policies.” That is a rather benign statement that could meet any party’s or any “wing’s” belief but it is poignant in so far as it shows that clearly, major change was necessary.

It demanded “an immediate and drastic reduction of governmental expenditures … to accomplish a saving of not less than twenty-five per cent in the cost of the Federal Government.” It also favored “maintenance of the national credit by a federal budget annually balanced…” The Cut Cap and Balance Act of 2011 is the only piece of legislation that comes close to these goals yet, it was widely opposed by both Congressional Democrats and the President. The Democrat-controlled Senate refused to even allow the bill to come to a vote.

It called for the “removal of government from all fields of private enterprise except where necessary to develop public works and natural resources in the common interest.” Today’s Democrats have forced the government takeover of our healthcare system, injected the federal government (with the support of President Bush) into the auto-industry with their bailouts of automotive companies, instituted auto bailout 2.0 with “cash for clunkers,” pushed a “too big to fail” system for our lending industry where the government steps in to save failing private banks and insurers, etc.

Today’s Democrats are in direct opposition to Palmer’s Democrats of 1932 and that says a lot since FDR was part of that group.

The one point of the 1936 Democratic Party Platform that we will touch on is its strong language against communism and fascism. It contains the statement “…we are determined to oppose equally, the despotism of Communism and the menace of concealed Fascism.”

Communism is viewed by Marxists as a developmental stage of Marxism. Communism is an ideology that sweeps across the spectrum of social, political, and economic ideology that seeks a government run economy that is moneyless, without personal property to speak of, and is fueled by revolutionary thought.

Today’s Democratic activists embrace communism. The most energetic wing of the Democratic Party is the Occupy Wall Street protesters. President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and others have voiced their public support of the movement even though it is outwardly Marxist. Even the DCCC, the organization Palmer acted as Vice-Chair of, supports this Marxist group.

What would Palmer think if he traveled to New York and saw Marxist flags adorning Zuccotti Park? As the Times Leader story describes, Palmer sought to either imprison or deport people that had these philosophies. What would Palmer think of Communists, that were also members of President Obama’s campaign organization, marching in Chicago? What would Palmer think of his Democratic Party’s leaders joining with the Communist Party USA, the Revolutionary Communist Party, Socialist Party USA, Communist Party of China, or the Marxist Student Union, to support an anarchist group like the folks at Occupy in the United States?

Looking to Palmer’s Democrats and comparing them to today’s Democrats is a great benchmark for how far left today’s Democratic Party has swung. Palmer’s Platform called for policies decried by today’s Democrats and advocated by today’s Republicans.

Not sure what that says about today’s Republicans, but we can save that one for later.

The point is, by all measures, Palmer was a man that was a “modern liberal” or “progressive” in Pennsylvania. He was the left-wing of his time. He was a man that challenged the party bosses to pull the Democrats to the left. He was a man that embraced FDR with all the trimmings. And he was nothing at all like today’s Democrats. In fact, if Palmer, a left-wing radical of his day, saw the direction his party went now he would be apoplectic. He would be hard-pressed to recognize any vestiges of his beloved Democratic Party when looking at today's Democratic Party.

Palmer led the charge against communism from what was the progressive left of his day. If he were here today, he would be leading the charge against the Occupiers and their Democratic cohorts from the center.

Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

2011-11-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

This is the text of George Washington's October 3, 1789 national Thanksgiving Proclamation as printed in the Providence Gazette and Country Journal on October 17, 1789. You can view a scan of the original on the Wallbuilder's website here.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

G. Washington.

Chuck Woolery: Budget Cuts

2011-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Obama Still without Many Friends in Pennsylvania

2011-11-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

According to Public Policy Polling, a firm with an affiliation with the democratic party, President Obama is still in big trouble in Pennsylvania.

On the important approval index, only 42% of Pennsylvanians approve of Obama, 53% disapprove.

In the “If the election were held today, who would you vote for department:

In a head-to-head with Republican Mitt Romney, Obama would lose Pennsylvania.

Congressman Ron Paul comes in second, only trailing Obama by 4% in an electoral matchup 46% to 42%. Santorum comes in third losing to Obama with a 47% to 42% spread. Fourth is Gingrich, losing to Obama 42% to 46%.

Make no mistake, the road to the White House for any Democrat runs through Pennsylvania. Without more friends in Pennsylvania, Obama becomes a one term president.

#Occupy Child & Elder Abuse

2011-11-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Occupation protesters are now using children as human shields. In one instance, they used children in a wagon to stop cars in traffic. In the second, to blockade doors.

Also, throwing the elderly down the stairs or hurling items at women and children is perfectly OK with them.

Crowder has a greatest hits video here:

Heritage Head Scratching

2011-11-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

In Conservative circles, the Heritage Foundation is a beloved institution. Because of legal limitations on what they can do, a sister group was created. That group is Heritage Action. Among other things, Heritage Action ranks members of Congress on their conservatism.

In their description of what this covers, Heritage Action states “With each vote cast in Congress, freedom either advances or recedes. Heritage Action’s new legislative scorecard allows Americans to see whether their Members of Congress are fighting for freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society. The scorecard is comprehensive, covering the full spectrum of conservatism, and includes legislative action on issues both large and small.

“Heritage Action's legislative scorecard isn't graded on a curve – it is tough and we don't apologize. After all, we are conservatives, not tenured university professors.”

The problem is that this description is inaccurate. More on that later.

Representative Jeffrey Duncan, Representing South Carolina’s 3^rd District, has the highest or most conservative rating of all members of Congress on the scale with a grade of 97%.

Pennsylvania’s delegation is rated much lower. Rep. Joe Pitts gets a score of 80%, Tim Murphy 64%, Tom Marino 56%, Glenn Thompson 54%, Mike Kelly 53%, Todd Platts 53%, Bill Shuster 53%, Lou Barletta 52%, Charlie Dent 49%, Michael Fitzpatrick 49%, Jim Gerlach 49%, and Pat Meehan 47%.

All of these members of Congress are Republicans.

The Democrats score much worse with Rep. Mark Critz getting 20%, Jason Altmire 17%, Tim Holden 16%, Allyson Schwartz 13%, Robert Brady 10%, Mike Doyle 10%, Chaka Fattah 10%.

It’s easy to dismiss the democrats getting such a bad score on a measure of conservatism but, if we were to say 70% were a passing grade, how does every Republican but one not pass a conservative test? It is even more perplexing when you examine how often members of congress vote together or, more illustrative to the point of this article, how often each member votes with Heritage Action’s most conservative member.

Using the most conservative member of Congress according to Heritage Action (Jeff Duncan) and comparing the actual votes cast by each member (thanks to opencongress.org for this tool) of the Pennsylvania delegation, we find that Joe Pitts voted with Jeff Duncan 92% of the time. Tim Murphy voted with Duncan 87% of the time, Tom Marino 88% of the time, Glenn Thompson 87% of the time, Mike Kelly 86% of the time, Todd Platts 82% of the time, Bill Shuster 87% of the time, Lou Barletta 84% of the time, Charlie Dent 80% of the time, Mike Fitzpatrick 76% of the time, Jim Gerlach 78% of the time, and Pat Meehan 81% of the time.

For the Democrats, Mark Critz voted with Duncan 39% of the time, Jason Altimire 56% of the time, Tim Holden 41% of the time, Allyson Schwartz 23% of the time, Robert Brady 17% of the time, Mike Doyle 20% of the time, and Chaka Fattah 19% of the time.

So this is how it breaks out:

Pitts votes with Duncan 92% of the time but only gets an 80% from Heritage Action.

Murphy votes with Duncan 87% of the time but only gets 64% from Heritage Action.

Marino votes with Duncan 88% of the time but only gets 56% from Heritage Action.

Thompson votes with Duncan 87% of the time but only gets 54% from Heritage Action.

Kelly votes with Duncan 86% of the time but only gets 53% from Heritage Action.

Platts votes with Duncan 82% of the time but only gets 53% from Heritage Action.

Shuster votes with Duncan 87% of the time but only gets 53% from Heritage Action.

Barletta votes with Duncan 84% of the time but only gets 52% from Heritage Action.

Dent votes with Duncan 80% of the time but only gets 49% from Heritage Action.

Fitzpatrick votes with Duncan 76% of the time but only gets 49% from Heritage Action.

Gerlach votes with Duncan 78% of the time but only gets 49% from Heritage Action.

Meehan votes with Duncan 81% of the time but only gets 47% from Heritage Action.

So, how do members of Congress that vote largely 80-90% of the time with Heritage Action’s most conservative member end up scoring in the 50 percentile?

Heritage Action picks and chooses what votes to look at.

That isn’t earth shattering. Most groups do that. The NRA looks largely at firearms bills when scoring someone. The Club for Growth looks largely at economic issues when scoring someone. The difference is these groups are very clear in what they are ranking. For instance, the NRA doesn’t say that a member of Congress gets an “A” rating as a conservative, they say they get an “A” rating on gun issues even though gun issues are probably part of any real litmus test that anyone would use to define if someone were a conservative or not.

So, what does Heritage Action look at in scoring the members of Congress? You can find their list here.

They pick and choose not only votes, but co-sponsorships of legislation. One can make an argument for or against using co-sponsorships. In favor of including it would be the argument that a co-sponsorship helps a bill move to the floor for a vote and that it is a pre-vote statement of uber support for a measure. The argument against it would be that legislators should be judged on how they legislate or more directly, how they vote, and that there is nothing preventing someone from co-sponsoring something and then voting against it (except maybe the political risk associated with it.)

Also worth noting is what they do not include. For instance, they do not score on the Balanced Budget Amendment, a bulwark of conservative policy. Even if they wanted absolute purity and scored against it in favor of the more conservative amendment, it should have been included.

The Heritage Foundation and their sister group Heritage Action are wonderful groups with dedicated conservatives that perform a very necessary function in helping to evaluate our government and deploy activists to the betterment of our country. That is why it is so disappointing that they play favorites with what they choose to include in their scoring. They are demonstrating a bias that is not simply an expected bias towards conservative ideals and principles. They are picking winners and losers based on what they deem a “Key Vote.”

This method of scoring would be acceptable and even encouraged by this writer if they accurately described what it truly was a measure of. Heritage will argue they do, if you read through the key votes page on their website. I argue that if that is the case, they should not describe their scoring as a “comprehensive” scoring that covers “the full spectrum of conservatism.” Their key vote test is neither “comprehensive” nor does it cover “the full spectrum of conservatism” as they claim.

RedState writer Daniel Horowitz more accurately describes what Heritage Action’s scorecard tests or doesn’t test.

The Heritage family has earned the reputation of being a fair, truthful arbiter of public policy. Conservatives trust the content they get from Heritage without question. That is now changing because of this test. They are tarnishing their reputation by representing this scorecard as they describe it. To claim someone that votes with the Heritage Action's most conservative member of the house around 90% of the time is actually only conservative around 50% of the time or less is ridiculous and diminishes Heritage’s credibility.

Need more proof? Tea Party luminary, Congressman Allen West, was only able to muster a score of 74% on Heritage's scorecard. Would Heritage Action support a primary fight against Allen West since he is not reliably conservative by their standard? If the answer is yes, Heritage needs to have their collective heads examined. If the answer is no, Heritage should re-examine their scoring criteria because, as this example further illustrates, it is clearly flawed as a "comprehensive," "full spectrum" measure of conservatism.

Heritage Action should either devise a test that actually is a comprehensive score on the full spectrum of conservatism or stop describing their present test as such if they wish to preserve their excellent reputation as a trusted source of conservative thought.

CFPE: 5 Lessons from the EU Financial Crisis for the US

2011-11-20T06:48:00.000-08:00

In this video, the Center for Freedom and Prosperity shares five key lessons that United States politicians should look at when determining its economic policy. The major points:

Higher taxes mean bigger government, not lower deficits.
Do not allow politicians to impose a VAT.
Big government slows growth, but also cripples human spirit.
Nations reach a dangerous tipping point.
Bailouts don't work.

Bob Casey and the BBA

2011-11-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

House Republicans are poised to vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the United States Constitution today. Virtually every state, including Pennsylvania has a balanced budget amendment.

Democrats are opposing the measure as it would rightly restrict their profligate spending.

The measure will require 2/3 of the House to pass today and then 2/3 of the Senate to pass. Assuming that happens, the BBA will be sent to the states for ratification. ¾ of the State Legislatures would have to pass the Amendment in order for it to change the law.

Many Democrats that voted for the BBA in 2005 are opposing it today, making it difficult to reach the 2/3 majority needed to pass. Assuming it does, it faces even bigger challenges in the Senate.

Most of the legislation that arose in the House, including 22 jobs bills, have gone to the Senate to die.

Senate Democrats either voted them down or just outright blocked the Republican bills using political gimmicks.

Democratic United States Senator Bob Casey was in favor of a Balanced Budget as a candidate as the video below demonstrates.

Will he stick to his word or again bow to the wishes of his party leadership and President Obama? The odds are that he will cave to Obama. Bob Casey has supported President Obama over 95% of the time. He is Obama’s man in PA.

The one ray of hope is that 2012 is on the horizon. Casey is on the ballot in 2012. He has a Democratic opponent and a truckload of Republicans fighting for the chance to take him on. If there was a time for him to put Pennsylvania above Obama and Washington, supporting the Balanced Budget Amendment would be it.

Casey should break with his party and the President and support the same balanced budget requirement that he operated under as a state elected official and that he advocated for as a candidate.

Democrats Largely Oppose Gun Rights

2011-11-16T17:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight the House of Representatives passed H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011. The bill would allow individuals with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits or licenses to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues concealed firearm permits or licenses, or in any other state that does not generally prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms.

No longer will your rights start and end at your state’s lines…IF the Senate takes up the bill.

The bill passed with 272 votes in favor, 154 against. 229 Republicans and 43 Democrats supported the legislation. 7 Republicans and 147 Democrats voted against it.

Barletta, Holden, and Marino all voted for it.

Occupy Wall Street Support Slipping

2011-11-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

A new PPP Poll shows that support for the Occupiers has dropped in the last month. The poll also finds that more American voters support the Tea Party than the Occupiers.

Only 33% of American voters support the Occupy Wall Street movement, 45% oppose. That is an 11% drop in just one month.

The Tea Party, on the other hand, has gone up in support to 42%.

Perhaps the general public may have finally tired of the crimes committed by occupiers.

Updated rap sheet courtesy of BigGovernment:

NY: 10/1/2011 — Police Arrest More Than 700 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge

Madison, WI: 10-27-2011 — Madison Occupiers Lose Permit Due to Public Masturbation

Phoenix: 10/28/2011 — Flier at Occupy Phoenix Asks, “When Should You Shoot a Cop?”

NY: 10/18/2011 — Thieves Preying on Fellow Protesters

NY: 10/9/2011 — Stinking up Wall Street: Protesters Accused of Living in Filth as Shocking Pictures Show One Demonstrator Defecating on a POLICE CAR

NY: 10/7/2011 — Occupiers Rush Police … More

Cleveland: 10/18/2011 — ‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped

NY: 10/10/2011 — ‘Increasingly Debauched’: Are Sex, Drugs & Poor Sanitation Eclipsing Occupy Wall Street?

Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Man Accused of Exposing Self to Children Arrested

10/12/2011 — Iran Supports ‘Occupy Wall Street’

Portland: 10/16/2011 –#OccupyPortland Protester Desecrates Memorial To U.S. War Dead

Portland: 10/15/2011 — #OccupyPortland Protesters Sing “F*** The USA”

Chicago: 10/17/2011 — COMMUNIST LEADER Cheered at Occupy Chicago

10/15/2011 — American Nazi Party Endorses Occupy Wall Street‘s ’Courage,‘ Tells Members to Support Protests and Fight ’Judeo-Capitalist Banksters’

Boston: 10/14/2011 — Coast Guard member spit on near Occupy Boston tents

Boston: 10/11/2011 — Boston Police Arrest Over 100 from Occupy Boston

New York: 10/11/2011 — “You Can Have Sex with Animals.”

New York: 10/15/2011 — Harassing Police with Accusations of Phony Injuries

New York: 10/9/2011 — ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ Protesters Steal from Local Businesses

New York: 10/25/2011 — Three Men Threatened to Kill 24-Year-Old Occupy Wall Street Protester for Reporting Rape

Baltimore: 10/18/2011 — #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims from Contacting Police

Portland: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Portland’s Attempt At Wealth Redistribution Ends In Theft

Los Angeles: 10/14/2011 – Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street

10/27/2011 — A Death Threat From an Occupy Wall Street Protester

10/27/2011 – Anti-Semitic Tweet From Occupier or Sympathizer

Boston: 10/20/2011 — Occupy Boston Doesn’t Want Police Involved in Rape

New York: 10/5/2011: Anti-Semitic Occupier Screams About Jews, Israel

New York: 10/4/2011 — Occupier Taunts Jewish Man

Boston: 10/2011 — Occupiers Block Street

New York: 10/2011 — Occupier Tries to Steal Police Officer’s Gun

New York: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Block Traffic, Get Arrested

Oakland: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Throw Garbage at Police

Oakland: 10/19/2011 — Abusive #OccupyOakland Protesters Ban Media from Tent City

Eugene, OR: 10/19/2011 — Occupiers Displace Farmers’ Market Threatening Hundreds of Jobs

Portland, OR: 10/18/2011 — Capitalist Offering Jobs at Occupy Portland Finds Few Takers

NY: 10/20/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Threatens Businesses, Patrons

NY: 10/14/2011 — Violence Breaks Out During #OccupyWallStreet March Toward Stock Exchange

NY: 10/14/2011 — Protesters March On Wall Street, Scuffle With Cops

Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Protesters Threaten Reporter

Oakland: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Scuffle with Police

Oakland: 10/24/2011 — Protesters Storm, Vandalize, Shut Down Chase Bank

Dayton, OH: 10/22/2011 — Protester: ‘F*ck The Military, F*ck Your Flag, And F*ck The Police’

Chicago: 10/14/2011 — Protesters’ Message At #OccupyChicago Rally: ‘Destroy Israel’

NY: 10/23/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Supporter Rants Against Israel, Jews

NY: 10/22/2011 — #Occupy Kid: ‘Burn Wall Street, Burn!’

NY: 10/21/2011 — New Yorkers Fed Up With Noisy, Defecating Protesters

Oakland: 10/21/2011 — Occupy Oakland Evicted After Reports Of Crime And Intimidation

Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Out of Control: Rats, Graffiti, Vandalism, Sexual Harassment, Public Sex and Urination

Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Under Investigation by FBI for Links to Terrorism

Cleveland: 10/29/2011 — Rape Reported at Occupy Cleveland

Dallas: 10/24/2011 — Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas

Bloomington, IN: 10/26/2011 — Man Claims Occupy Bloomington Protesters Drugged, Handcuffed Him

NY: 10/10/2011 — Sex, Drugs and Hiding from the Law at Wall Street Protests

Glasgow: 10/26/2011 — Woman Gang-Raped

Boston: 10/23/2011 — Occupy Boston Protesters Arrested For Dealing Heroin – With 6 Year-Old in Tent

Portland: 10/16/2011 — Sex Offender Registers Occupy Portland Camp as Address

Denver: 10/15/2011 — Occupy Denver Demonstrator Accused of Groping TV Photographer

Lawrence, KS: 10/25/2011 — Sexual Assault Reported at Occupy Camp

Minneapolis, MN: Bricks, Rocks, ‘Riot Supplies’ Discovered by Police

Phoenix, AZ: 10/27/2011 — Neo-Nazis Patrol “Occupy Phoenix” With AR-15′s

Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Chicago Invades City Hall

10/26/2011 — ACORN, Occupy Email Talks About Assault on Banks

10/26/2011 — OccupyWallStreet Strategy for Reports of Violence Against Cops

Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers Wows Occupiers

Chicago: 10/25/2011 — Ayers Coaches #OccupyChicago, Callsg for School ‘Occupations’

10/26/2011/ — Occupy Protests Have Jewish Leaders Concerned

Wash DC: 10/27/2011 — OccupyDC Leftists Provoke Police – Hang Flag on Top of DC Statue

Albuquerque, NM: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Squatters Riot With Police

San Diego: 10/25/2011 — Flag Used as Chew Toy by Occupier’s Dog

Oakland: 10/25/2011 — Occupiers Throw Bottles at Police

NY: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Rush Limbaugh Is Bigger Threat Than Al-Qaeda

10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Launching First Nationwide General Strike in America Since 1946

NY: 10/28/2011 — Fox 5 News Reporter Assaulted at OWS

10/28/2001 — Total Occupy Arrests Made Thus Far: 2750

Nashville: 10/28/2011 — 30 Arrests Made at Wall St. Protest

NY: 10/20/2011 — Former Marine Tries to Taunt Police into Violence

NY: 1023/2011 — Islamist Group Joins with Occupy Wall Street

Los Angeles: 10/13/2011 — Roundup of Overt Occupy anti-Semitism

NY: 10/12/2011 — There are No Anti-Semites at Occupy Wall Street. Except for This Guy

Missoula, MT: 10/20/2011 — Drunk 11-Year-Old At Occupy Missoula, Adult Arrested

Oakland: 10/28/2011 — Bounty Out On Police Officer?

Manchester, NH: 10/28/2011 — Woman charged with pimping teen recruited at Occupy NH rally

San Diego: 10/28/2011 — 40 Occupiers arrested

Boston: 10/24/2011 — Occupy Boston Vandalism of Banks

Boston: 10/25/2011 — Store Owner Suffers 4 Break Ins Since Occupy Boston Began

Portland: 10/28/2011 — Portland Police: Buckets of Excrement Scattered Around #OccupyPortland Camp

Seattle: 10/20/2011 — Two Possible Occupiers Charged With Assault

Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Armed Felon Arrested at Occupy Seattle

Seattle: 10/18/2011 — A Tent Fight and (At Least) One Arrest at Occupy Seattle

Seattle: 10/17/2011 — Over 50 Cops Clear Westlake Occupation, Make Eight Arrests

Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Cops Arrest Several Occupy Protesters

Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Chanting Protesters Surround Police After Officers Arrest Two

Denver: 10/29/2011 — Protesters Clash with Police at OWS Denver

Austin: 10/13/2011 — Occupy Austin protesters arrested for blocking cleaning Crews

Calgary, CN: 10/28/2011 — Occupiers do $40,000 in Property Damage

Cincinnati, OH: 10/21/2011 — 23 Arrested, Remains of protests fill two dumpsters

Sacramento: 10/19/2011 — 9 arrested in ‘Occupy Sacramento’ protest

Sacramento: 10/13/2011 — Four More Occupy Sacramento Demonstrators Arrested

Austin, TX: 10/22/2011 — Man Arrested After Knife Incident at Occupy Austin Camp

Nashville: 10/29/2011 — Tenn. Protesters Arrested For 2nd Straight Night

Austin, TX: 10/30/2011 — Austin Police arrest 38 Occupy Austin Protesters

NY: 10/30/2011 — Woman Assaulted in Her tent

Orlando, FL: 10/28/2011 — Occupy Orlando, police clash over use of downtown park

Orlando, FL: 10/26/2011 — 2 Occupy Orlando protesters arrested for trespass

Orlando, FL: 10/22/2011 — Police arrest 19 Orlando protesters on trespass charges

Asheville, NC: 10/30/2011 — Occupiers Clash with Homeless in Asheville

Nationwide: 10/27/2011 — Pro-Occupy Site claims 2511 Arrests Thus Far

Fort Worth, TX: 10/16/2011 — Arrests at Occupy Fort Worth Protest

NY: 10/29/2011 — Three Incidents of Anti-Semitism

San Francisco: 10/29/2011 — Anti-Semitic, Folsom Street Fair Types & Che Guevara Lovin

Oklahoma City: 10/30/2011 — Death of Street Poet at #OccupyOKC Treated as Homicide

Baltimore: 10/31/2011 — Woman Claims She was Raped at #OccupyBaltimore

Boston: 10/31/2001 — Alleged Heroin Dealer Joined Occupy Movement

Ottawa: 10/31/2011 — #OccupyOttawa Violent & Sexual Assaults Not Reported to Police

Santa Barbara, CA: 10/5/2011 — Occupiers Defy Police

Santa Barbara, CA: 10/6/2011 — 8 Occupiers Arrested

Denver, CO: 10/31/2011 — Occupiers Taunt Police, Knock Motorcycle Cop to Ground

Dallas, TX: 10/24/2011 — 23 Occupy Dallas Protesters Arrested After Bank Demonstration

Richmond, VA: 10/31/2011 — Arrests of Occupiers in Richmond

Dallas, TX: 1v1/1/2011: Man Arrested for Child Sex assault at Occupy Dallas Camp

NY: 11/1/2011 — Protesters Flock to STD-Test Clinics After Occupier ‘Free Love’

Iowa: 11/1/2011 — Occupiers Intend to Disrupt Iowa Caucus

NY: 11/1/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Costs Main Street Workers Their Jobs

San Diego: 10/29/2011 — Businesswoman Closes Shop After Threats By Occupiers

Palm Desert, CA: 11/1/2011 — Occupiers Arrested

Tampa, FL: 10/24/2011 — Six Occupiers Arrested

Tampa, FL: 10/27/2011 — Two More Arrested In Connection to Occupy Tampa Movement

Tampa, FL: 10/29/2011 — Occupy Tampa Protesters Arrested After Scuffle With Police

Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — Rallies Turn Violent

Seattle, WA: 11/2/2011 — Cops, Protesters Clash

Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — Protests Degenerate Into Chaos

Tulsa, OK: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Clash With Police

Sacramento, CA: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Smash County Vehicle Windows

Philadelphia: 11/2/2011 — Occupiers Arrested

Charlottesville, VA: 11/1/2011 — Underage Drinking at Occupy Charlottesville Site

Portland: 11/2/2011 — Occupier Shoves Police Officer into Moving Bus

Oakland: 11/2/2011 — Malkin’s Collection of Vandalism and Menacing Signs

NYC: 11/3/2011 — Occupier Busted In Tent Grope, Suspected In Rape

NYC: 11/4/2011 — 16 OWS Protesters Arrested at Goldman Sachs HQ

Oakland, CA: 11-3-2011 — Occupy-Friendly Business Vandalized

Asheville, NC: 11/3/2011 — 24 Occupiers Arrested

Raleigh, NC: 10/28/2011 — Eight at Occupy Raleigh Arrested After Standoff

NYC: 11/4/2011 — Deranged Homeless Man Goes on Violent Rampage In Zuccotti Park

Dallas, TX: CPS Seizes Baby From ‘Occupy Dallas’ Site

Wash DC: 11/4/2011 — Occupier Uses Child as Human Shield — Video

Wash DC: 11/4/2011 — Occupiers Try to Storm Americans for Prosperity Event — Video

Omaha, NE: 11/3/2011 — Three Occupiers Arrested

Atlanta: 11/3/2011 — Protester Turns On Fellow Protester With Knife

Los Angeles: 10/28/2011 — Drug Use and Property Damage

Boston, MA: 11/4/2011 — 3 Charged With Dealing Crack; Occupy Boston ‘Deteriorating’

Boston, MA: 11/4/2011 — Occupiers Storm Israeli Consulate; Anti-Israel Chants — Video

Vancouver, CN: 11/5/2011 — Occupy Vancouver Death Dooms Protest Camp

Fort Collins, CO: 11/4/2011 — Occupier Arrested for Setting Fire to Condo Complex … $10M Damage

Chula Vista, CA: 11/6/2011 — Underage Girl Missing From Occupy Protests

Los Angeles, CA: 11/5/2011 – Two Assaults Raise Concerns About Crime at Occupy L.A.

Dallas, TX: 11/5/2011 — Eight Arrests at Dallas Bank Protest

Olympia, WA: 11/5/2011 – Two Occupy Protesters Arrested

Seattle, WA: 11/3/2011 — Occupiers Cost City $426,000; Most of it Police Overtime

Olympia, WA: 11/2/2011 — 3 Occupiers Arrested for Suspected of Robbing Local Wine Merchant

Worcester, MA: 11/6/2011 — 25 Occupiers Arrested

Milwaukee, WI: 11/2/2011 — Photojournalist, Two others Arrested at Protest … Video

Milwaukee, WI: 10/20/2011 — Police Confront Occupier –Video … Arrested

Wash. DC: 11/5/2011 — Rampaging Occupiers Attack 78 Year-Old Woman — Video

Rochester, NY: 11/3/2011 — 161 Occupiers Arrested at Park

NYC: 11/5/2011 — Police Clash With Occupiers, 20 Arrested at Courthouse Protest

NYC: 11/5/2011 — Occupier Arrested for Vandalizing McDonald’s; Wanted Free Food

Asheville, NC: 11/5/2011 — Four Occupiers Arrested

Honolulu, HI: 11/6/2011 — Police Arrest Half-Dozen Occupiers

Waikiki, HI: 11/7/2011 — Two Dozen Occupiers Arrested

Portland, OR: 11/7/2011 — Occupiers Arrested for Threatening Restaurant Employees

Portland, OR: 11/7/2011 — Occupier Arrested for Threatening Security Staff with Hammer

Augusta, GA: 10/28/2011 — Occupier Arrested in Knife Threat

Portland OR: 11/9/2011 — Police Suspect Occupiers in Molotov Cocktail Attack

Sacramento, CA: 11/7/2011 — Homeless Clash With Occupy Protesters At Park

New Orleans: 11/8/2011 — Man Dead for Two Days Found in Occupy Encampment

San Diego: 11/7/2011 — Occupiers Splatter Vendor Food Carts with Blood, Urine

Los Angeles: 11/7/2011 — Occupiers Shut Down Burger King — Video

Atlanta, GA: 11/6/2011 — Occupiers Arrested After Attacking Police

St. Louis, MO: 11/9/2011 — Occupiers Hack Into Mayor’s Website

Oakland, CA: 11/8/2011 — “Dangerous” Occupiers Hurting Small Business Owners

Vancouver, CN: 11/8/2011 — Occupiers Bite Two Police Officers

Wash DC: 11/8/2011 — Occupiers Use Children to Block Traffic — Video

Portland, OR: 11/9/2011 — Occupiers Threaten Citizen-Journalist – Video

Wash DC: 11/8/2011 — Occupiers Use Racial Taunts Against Black Security Guard — Video

Eureka, CA: 11/9/2011 — Occupier Defecates in Bank – Video

Wash DC: 11/5/2011 – Occupiers Menace Children, Female Reporter – Video

Portland, OR: 11/8/2011 — Occupiers Menace News Crew – Video

NYC: 11/8/2011 — Occupier: ‘I Wouldn’t Give a F**k if 9/11 Happened 911 More Times’

NYC: 11/8/2011 — Small Business Owner Threatened, Terrorized By Occupiers

San Francisco, CA: 11/10/2011 — Occupier Threatens Park Ranger

Burlington, VT: 11/10/2011 — Veteran Shoots Self at Encampment

Oakland, CA: 11/3/2011 — ‘Occupy Oakland’ Goes After Cop

NYC: 11/10/2011 — EMT Assaulted at Occupy Wall Street

San Diego, CA: 11/10/2011 — Occupier Attacks Woman with Camera

Berekely, CA: 11/10/2011 — 39 Occupiers Arrested

Westwood, CA: 11/9/2011 — 11 Occupiers Arrested for Blocking Traffic

Fresno, CA: 11/9/2011 — 40 Occupiers Arrested

Toledo, OH: 11/1/2011 — 2 Occupiers Arrested

Houston, TX: 11/9/2011 — 10 Occupiers Arrested

NYC: 11/8/2011 — Hobbyist Photographer Describes Assault in Zuccotti Park

Oakland, CA: 11/10/2011: Fatal Shooting Over Drugs

Oakland: CA: 11/10/2011 — Protesters Attack News Crew Covering Fatal Shooting

Pasadena, CA: 11/10/2011 — Occupiers Announce Plans to Disrupt Rose Bowl Parade

Tampa, FL 11/10/2011 — Three Occupiers Arrested

Portland, OR: 11/10/2011 — Occupiers Billed for Police Car Vandalism

Olympia, WA: 11/11/2011 — Occupiers Asked to Pack Up After Assault, Drug Arrests

Denver, CO: 11/11/2011 — Occupiers Storm BlogCon 11 … One Arrest

Salt Lake City, UT: 11/12/2011 — Protest Shut Down After Body Discovered In Tent

San Francisco: 11/8/2011 — Shoplifting, Fights On The Rise Around Encampment

San Francisco: 11/10/2011 — Occupiers Accused of Ferry Building Thefts, Filth

San Francisco: 11/10/2011 — Protester Busted For Gun Violation Arrested Again

Mobile, AL: 11/9/2011 — 18 Occupy Protesters Arrested

New Orleans: 11/11/2011 — Death at Campsite Attributed To Alcohol Abuse

San Francisco: 11/12/2011 — Occupier Slashes Police Officer With Razor, Another Injured

Portland: 11/13/2011 — Three Arrested with Mortars, Fireworks

Chapel Hill, NC: 11/13/2011 — Eight Occupiers for Trespassing

Norfolk, VA: Six Occupiers Arrested

Philadelphia, PA: 11/13/2011 — Occupier Arrested for Rape

Portland, OR: 10/27/2011 — Sexual Assault: ‘nobody should contact the police’ — Video

NYC: 11/12/2011 — Occupiers Plan Mass Trespassing Campaign

Oakland, CA: 11/8/2011 — Occupiers Plan Mass Trespassing Campaign

Salt Lake City, UT: 11/12/2011 — 19 Occupiers Arrested

St. Louis, MO: 11/13/2011 — 27 Occupiers Arrested

St. Louis, MO: 11/12/2011 — Occupier Arrested

NYC: 11/13/2011 — Occupier Slugs Police Officer

Oakland, CA: 11/10/2011 — Occupiers Withdraw Resolution to Remain Peaceful

Portland, OR: 11/9/2011 — Occupier Requires Life-Saving CPR After Drug Overdose

Portland, OR: 11/9/2011 — 4 Reports of Substance Abuse

Olympia, WA: 11/12/2011: Growing Number of Drug, Violence Complaints

Atlanta, GA: 11/10/2011 — TB Breaks Out at Occupy Home Base

NYC: 11/13/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Costs Local Businesses $479,400

Nationwide: 11/11/2011 — Occupy Death Toll Hits 7

Seattle, WA: 11-14-2011 — Occupier Defecates on Public Sidewalk

Hartford, CT: 10/16/2011 — Occupier Charged After Pulling Knife

Dallas, TX: 11/14/2011 — 9-Month-Old Baby Removed From Camp Due to Health Concerns, Neglect

Albuquerque, NM: 10/27/2011 — 2 Occupiers Arrested

Albuquerque, NM: 10/26/2011 — More Than a Dozen Occupiers Arrested

Albuquerque, NM: 10/22/2011 — Knife Attack at Occupy Camp

Albuquerque, NM: 10/27/2011 — Police Forced to Remove Occupiers From Park Again, 37 Arrested

Albuquerque, NM: 10/8/2011 — Occupier Arrested

University of New Mexico: 11/8/2011 — Sordid Story of Lawlessness, Dozens of Arrests, Spitting on Walmart Customer

Albuquerque, NM: 10/16/2011 — Occupier Cited for Blocking Traffic

Portland, OR: 11/14/2011 — 51 Occupiers Arrested

Portland, OR: 11/14/2011 — Occupiers Smash Bank Windows

Albany, NY: 11/15/2011 — 20 Occupiers Arrested

Near Salem, OR: 11/13/2011 — Three Occupiers Arrested With Explosives

Wash DC: 11/11/2011 — Occupy’ Mom ‘Won’t Stop’ Putting Protest Above Her Kids’ Safety

NYC: 11/15/2011: — Hundreds of Occupiers Arrested, Chaos, Resisting Arrest, Object Thrown at Police

Houston, TX: 11/15/2011 — Occupier Arrested

Minnesota: 11/15/2011 — Occupy Minnesota Costs Taxpayers $10,000+ Each Day

Austin, TX: 11/15/2011 — Occupier Accused of Masturbating in Front of 16 Year-old Girl

San Francisco, CA: 11/15/2011 — Deadly Dog Disease Spreads at Occupy Camp

Philadelphia, PA: 11/15/2011 — Occupier Arrested for Assaulting Woman

Philadelphia, PA: 11/15/2011 — Occupiers Vandalize Dilworth Plaza With Graffiti and Feces – Video

Santa Cruz, CA: 11/15/2011 — Ringworm, Scabies Outbreak at Occupy Camp

Oakland, CA: 11/14/2011 — Occupiers Cost Taxpayers $2.4 Million

Or perhaps the general public has finally tired of the anti-semitic antics of the occupiers (language warning on video below.)

Left-Wing Occupier Violence Against the Elderly

2011-11-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hey, remember when the liberals made up a hyperbolic video claiming Republicans, Paul Ryan specifically, were tossing the elderly off a cliff?

Well, here is a video of liberal Occupiers actually tossing the elderly down a flight of stairs.

Apparently, the Occupiers have the same disdain for the elderly as they do for soap.

ProjectVeritas Exposes Liberal Bias in Media

2011-11-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Democrats Upset Taxes Aren’t High Enough

2011-11-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last night the bipartisan state senate panel charged with determining how to best collect monies from the shale industry voted on their recommendation for an impact fee. The panel also evaluated the best practices for dealing with zoning/community planning issues with the industry. The recommendations passed 17-9.

The result of their work was to create a beefed up drilling fee and to have the state Attorney General’s office evaluate zoning regulations for conformity.

The full senate is expected to vote on the proposal today.

The drilling fee will start at $50,000 per well which will decrease over 10 years until years 11-20 where it will plateau at $10,000. The previous proposal started at $40,000 and continually decreased without the plateau. 55% of the monies generated by the fee will go to the county/municipality that hosts the well, 45% will go to the state for environmental programs and infrastructure projects related to the industry.

The fee will generate $255 million by 2014. Democratic Governor Rendell and state Democrats wanted a 5% tax modeled after West Virginia’s severance tax. In the last 10 years, PA’s drilling has increased 400% while West Virginia’s drilling has only increased by 20%. Despite claims to the contrary, the Democrat proposal would have crippled the industry as it did in West Virginia. And, by doing that, it would have also thrown off Rendell’s revenue projections bringing in less revenue than promised.

The real reason for the opposition to the plan is money allocation. Under the Democratic proposal, 90% of the money collected from the tax would have been shoveled into the black hole known as the Pennsylvania General Fund. Only 10% would have gone to the host community or for environmental programs.

The Republican plan is more environmentally friendly since it allocates more money to environmental programs than the Democrats proposed. Additionally, the Republican plan gives far more money to the host communities that actually bear the burden of infrastructure degradation as a result of the industry’s activity.

Despite the fact that the Republican plan will dedicate more money to the environment and more money to host communities and more money to infrastructure than the Democrats proposed, they will oppose it on those same grounds betting on people’s ignorance. Read the newspapers tomorrow and you will see them crying about the environment and infrastructure even though their proposal only dedicated 10% of the money to those purposes.

Other Democrats will disingenuously claim the plan doesn’t tax enough but in truth, their opposition is rooted in the fact that the Republican plan walls off too much of the money from Harrisburg’s greedy politicians and instead, returns it to the host communities where it belongs.

Obama Caves, Delays 18,000 Jobs

2011-11-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, President Obama affirmed his decision to delay approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and the creation of 18,000 construction jobs as the national wrestles with month after month of high unemployment.

The House of Representatives took action requiring the administration to render a decision by November 1, 2011. The President balked at that and said the State Department will issue a decision at a later date (probably after the election.)

Even Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was disappointed by the delays. But perhaps most telling was his statement that he hoped the decision would be made on the projects merits and eventually approved. What Harper was likely acknowledging, without directly saying it, is that Obama’s political base is diametrically opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline project citing environmental concerns.

What is the Keystone XL Pipeline? It is a 1,700 mile, $13 billion pipeline project that will span the length of the continental United States. It is being paid for by TransCanada with private investment money (not tax dollars.) The Canadian Energy Research Institute says the project will support 600,000 new US Jobs by 2035 and billions in GDP from 2010 to 2035.

The Obama Administration states that there is need for more study – even though TransCanada has supplied 10,000 pages of environmental studies that took the pipeline over 14 different routes over the last three years.

This project is exactly the kind of infrastructure work the Obama Administration has called for in both of its Stimulus bills. It is “shovel ready.” And, even better, it won’t cost the taxpayers a red cent since private investment money will build it. Approving the pipeline will create jobs and make the United States less dependent on Middle-East sources of oil.

The Obama Administration is needlessly delaying a good project that will create American jobs with private dollars. Obama should put aside the re-election campaign and render a decision.

SCOTUS to Hear Obamacare Challenges

2011-11-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to hear several of the challenges posed to 2010's Obamacare legislation.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett (now Governor) joined the Commonwealth with 25 other states in filing an objection. That case is one of the cases that the SCOTUS has agreed to hear.

Arguments are expected to be heard after the start of the year with a decision issued in June of 2012.

Holden Quiet on Obama

2011-11-14T07:16:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that part of Northeastern Pennsylvania will be represented by Democratic Congressman Tim Holden. Parts of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Monroe counties may move into the 17^th Congressional District.

According to Politico, Democratic Congressman Tim Holden isn’t exactly feeling the hope-n-change.

Politico tried to get Holden on the record as to whether or not he will stump for or even support President Obama in 2012. His office apparently declined repeated attempts to gather a comment.

Pennsylvania went for Obama in 2008 in a big way. He gathered almost 55% of the vote against Republican John McCain. Since then however, Obama has continued to tank in the polls. In the most recent Susquehanna Polling & Research poll of Pennsylvania voters, 53% of voters disapproved of the job President Obama is doing. Only 41% approved.

What is remarkable is that even if Holden runs North and West picking up Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Monroe counties he will still have a very democratic district. If Democrats like Holden are afraid to even support Obama in Democratic circles, it doesn’t bode well for the President’s re-election campaign.

Crowder Occupies Wall Street

2011-11-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Lackawanna County Election 2011

2011-11-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

Lackawanna County is 26% Republican (38,561), 66% Democrat (96,117), and 8% something else (12,026.)

To recap the voter activity in the last 10 months:

Lackawanna County registered 2741 new voters. 24% were Republicans, 54% were Democrats, 21% registered as something else.

Far more experienced voters switched to Republican than switched to Democrat, particularly considering the ratio of Democrats to Republicans. This is no doubt due to the recent upsurge in Republican activity in Lackawanna County. In the last 10 months, 695 Voters changed from something else to Republican, 598 voters changed from something else to Democrat.

Despite only being 26% Republican, Tom Corbett received 45% of the vote in 2010. That marked a 19% increase above registration. 49% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans voted so all things were virtually equal.

In 2009, Frank Castellano received 43% of the vote or 17% above registration. 38% of Democrats and 32% of Republicans turnout out for this General Election.

In 2008, the flagship race was the presidency. In that year, John McCain received 37% which was only 11% above registration. 73% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans went to the polls to elect their president.

In 2007, 45% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans went to the polls and had the chance to vote for Commissioner. Around 70% went for Washo and O’Brien, leaving only around 30% for Munchak and Cordaro. Munchak and Cordaro didn’t win a single precinct in Lackawanna County.

While registration has consistently remained Democratic, Lackawanna County is increasingly trending more Republican since 2007. The question on everyone’s mind is if that will continue into 2011.

Based on past candidate recruitment, an outside observer could certainly come to the conclusion that the old guard feared waking the sleeping (Lackawanna County Democrat) giant. Instead, the old guard picked a race or two in the county to focus on and put all of their effort into that. They also neglected to run candidates in local races.

The young turks in charge of the Lackawanna County Republicans today have no such fear.

For the first time in a long time, Lackawanna County Republicans have put up candidates to challenge virtually all of the county offices and has challenged office holders in many cities, boroughs, and townships that haven’t been challenged traditionally. The last time a challenge like this was mounted for county government was in 1999.

In 1999, Cordaro received 24%, Harrison received 22%, Corcoran received 28%, and Castellani received 26% of the vote for county commissioner. Zitterman received 40% of the vote versus Mellow’s 60% for Controller. Talerico secured 35% versus Karpovich’s 65% for Treasurer. O’Boyle got 41% to Brennan’s 59% for Coroner.

The number for the Republicans to beat is 18. That is, 18%. That is the closest any head-to-head row office fight came to sending a Democrat packing in a similar election. If they cannot win a seat, 18% is the base number that the Republicans need to beat to show any kind of improvement.

Bill Whittle: Three and a Half Days

2011-11-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

#OccupyWallStreet Updated Rap Sheet

2011-10-31T13:26:00.000-07:00

h/t to BigGovernment.com

The list is in no particular order. Like the Occupiers themselves, it’s unruly, disorganized, messy and not focused solely on the nation’s media centers. The movement is spreading across America and bringing with it their outrageous and appalling behavior.

NY: 10/1/2011 — Police Arrest More Than 700 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge
Madison, WI: 10-27-2011 — Madison Occupiers Lose Permit Due to Public Masturbation
Phoenix: 10/28/2011 — Flier at Occupy Phoenix Asks, “When Should You Shoot a Cop?”
NY: 10/18/2011 — Thieves Preying on Fellow Protesters
NY: 10/9/2011 — Stinking up Wall Street: Protesters Accused of Living in Filth as Shocking Pictures Show One Demonstrator Defecating on a POLICE CAR
NY: 10/7/2011 — Occupiers Rush Police … More
Cleveland: 10/18/2011 — ‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped
NY: 10/10/2011 — ‘Increasingly Debauched’: Are Sex, Drugs & Poor Sanitation Eclipsing Occupy Wall Street?
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Man Accused of Exposing Self to Children Arrested
10/12/2011 — Iran Supports ‘Occupy Wall Street’
Portland: 10/16/2011 – #OccupyPortland Protester Desecrates Memorial To U.S. War Dead
Portland: 10/15/2011 — #OccupyPortland Protesters Sing “F*** The USA”
Chicago: 10/17/2011 — COMMUNIST LEADER Cheered at Occupy Chicago
10/15/2011 — American Nazi Party Endorses Occupy Wall Street‘s ’Courage,‘ Tells Members to Support Protests and Fight ’Judeo-Capitalist Banksters’
Boston: 10/14/2011 — Coast Guard member spit on near Occupy Boston tents
Boston: 10/11/2011 — Boston Police Arrest Over 100 from Occupy Boston
New York: 10/11/2011 — “You Can Have Sex with Animals.”
New York: 10/15/2011 — Harassing Police with Accusations of Phony Injuries
New York: 10/9/2011 – ‘Occupy Wallstreet’ Protesters Steal from Local Businesses
New York: 10/25/2011 — Three Men Threatened to Kill 24-Year-Old Occupy Wall Street Protester for Reporting Rape
Baltimore: 10/18/2011 — #OccupyBaltimore Discourages Sexual Assault Victims from Contacting Police
Portland: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Portland’s Attempt At Wealth Redistribution Ends In Theft
Los Angeles: 10/14/2011 – Anti-Semitic Protester at Occupy Wall Street
10/27/2011 — A Death Threat From an Occupy Wall Street Protester
10/27/2011 – Anti-Semitic Tweet From Occupier or Sympathizer
Boston: 10/20/2011 — Occupy Boston Doesn’t Want Police Involved in Rape
New York: 10/5/2011: Anti-Semitic Occupier Screams About Jews, Israel
New York: 10/4/2011 — Occupier Taunts Jewish Man
Boston: 10/2011 — Occupiers Block Street
New York: 10/2011 — Occupier Tries to Steal Police Officer’s Gun
New York: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Block Traffic, Get Arrested
Oakland: 10/27/2011 — Occupiers Throw Garbage at Police
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — Abusive #OccupyOakland Protesters Ban Media from Tent City
Eugene, OR: 10/19/2011 — Occupiers Displace Farmers’ Market Threatening Hundreds of Jobs
Portland, OR: 10/18/2011 — Capitalist Offering Jobs at Occupy Portland Finds Few Takers
NY: 10/20/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Threatens Businesses, Patrons
NY: 10/14/2011 — Violence Breaks Out During #OccupyWallStreet March Toward Stock Exchange
NY: 10/14/2011 — Protesters March On Wall Street, Scuffle With Cops
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Protesters Threaten Reporter
Oakland: 10/26/2011 — Occupiers Scuffle with Police
Oakland: 10/24/2011 — Protesters Storm, Vandalize, Shut Down Chase Bank
Dayton, OH: 10/22/2011 — Protester: ‘F*ck The Military, F*ck Your Flag, And F*ck The Police’
Chicago: 10/14/2011 – Protesters’ Message At #OccupyChicago Rally: ‘Destroy Israel’
NY: 10/23/2011 — #OccupyWallStreet Supporter Rants Against Israel, Jews
NY: 10/22/2011 — #Occupy Kid: ‘Burn Wall Street, Burn!’
NY: 10/21/2011 — New Yorkers Fed Up With Noisy, Defecating Protesters
Oakland: 10/21/2011 — Occupy Oakland Evicted After Reports Of Crime And Intimidation
Oakland: 10/19/2011 — #OccupyOakland Out of Control: Rats, Graffiti, Vandalism, Sexual Harassment, Public Sex and Urination
Chicago: 10/26/2011 – Occupiers Under Investigation by FBI for Links to Terrorism
Cleveland: 10/29/2011 — Rape Reported at Occupy Cleveland
Dallas: 10/24/2011 — Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas
Bloomington, IN: 10/26/2011 — Man Claims Occupy Bloomington Protesters Drugged, Handcuffed Him
NY: 10/10/2011 — Sex, Drugs and Hiding from the Law at Wall Street Protests
Glasgow: 10/26/2011 — Woman Gang-Raped
Boston: 10/23/2011 — Occupy Boston Protesters Arrested For Dealing Heroin – With 6 Year-Old in Tent
Portland: 10/16/2011 – Sex Offender Registers Occupy Portland Camp as Address
Denver: 10/15/2011 — Occupy Denver Demonstrator Accused of Groping TV Photographer
Lawrence, KS: 10/25/2011 — Sexual Assault Reported at Occupy Camp
Minneapolis, MN: Bricks, Rocks, ‘Riot Supplies’ Discovered by Police
Phoenix, AZ: 10/27/2011 — Neo-Nazis Patrol “Occupy Phoenix” With AR-15′s
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Chicago Invades City Hall
10/26/2011 — ACORN, Occupy Email Talks About Assault on Banks
10/26/2011 – OccupyWallStreet Strategy for Reports of Violence Against Cops
Chicago: 10/26/2011 — Unrepentant Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers Wows Occupiers
Chicago: 10/25/2011 — Ayers Coaches #OccupyChicago, Callsg for School ‘Occupations’
10/26/2011/ — Occupy Protests Have Jewish Leaders Concerned
Wash DC: 10/27/2011 – OccupyDC Leftists Provoke Police – Hang Flag on Top of DC Statue
Albuquerque, NM: 10/26/2011 — Occupy Squatters Riot With Police
San Diego: 10/25/2011 — Flag Used as Chew Toy by Occupier’s Dog
Oakland: 10/25/2011 — Occupiers Throw Bottles at Police
NY: 10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Protesters: Rush Limbaugh Is Bigger Threat Than Al-Qaeda
10/27/2011 — Occupy Wall Street Launching First Nationwide General Strike in America Since 1946
NY: 10/28/2011 — Fox 5 News Reporter Assaulted at OWS
10/28/2001 — Total Occupy Arrests Made Thus Far: 2750
Nashville: 10/28/2011 — 30 Arrests Made at Wall St. Protest
NY: 10/20/2011 — Former Marine Tries to Taunt Police into Violence
NY: 1023/2011 — Islamist Group Joins with Occupy Wall Street
Los Angeles: 10/13/2011 — Roundup of Overt Occupy anti-Semitism
NY: 10/12/2011 — There are No Anti-Semites at Occupy Wall Street. Except for This Guy
Missoula, MT: 10/20/2011 — Drunk 11-Year-Old At Occupy Missoula, Adult Arrested
Oakland: 10/28/2011 — Bounty Out On Police Officer?
Manchester, NH: 10/28/2011 – Woman charged with pimping teen recruited at Occupy NH rally
San Diego: 10/28/2011 – 40 Occupiers arrested
Boston: 10/24/2011 — Occupy Boston Vandalism of Banks
Boston: 10/25/2011 – Store Owner Suffers 4 Break Ins Since Occupy Boston Began
Portland: 10/28/2011 — Portland Police: Buckets of Excrement Scattered Around #OccupyPortland Camp
Seattle: 10/20/2011 — Two Possible Occupiers Charged With Assault
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — Armed Felon Arrested at Occupy Seattle
Seattle: 10/18/2011 — A Tent Fight and (At Least) One Arrest at Occupy Seattle
Seattle: 10/17/2011 — Over 50 Cops Clear Westlake Occupation, Make Eight Arrests
Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Cops Arrest Several Occupy Protesters
Seattle: 10/13/2011 — Chanting Protesters Surround Police After Officers Arrest Two
Denver: 10/29/2011 — Protesters Clash with Police at OWS Denver
Austin: 10/13/2011 – Occupy Austin protesters arrested for blocking cleaning Crews
Calgary, CN: 10/28/2011 — Occupiers do $40,000 in Property Damage
Cincinnati, OH: 10/21/2011 — 23 Arrested, Remains of protests fill two dumpsters
Sacramento: 10/19/2011 – 9 arrested in ‘Occupy Sacramento’ protest
Sacramento: 10/13/2011 – Four More Occupy Sacramento Demonstrators Arrested
Austin, TX: 10/22/2011 – Man Arrested After Knife Incident at Occupy Austin Camp
Nashville: 10/29/2011 — Tenn. Protesters Arrested For 2nd Straight Night
Austin, TX: 10/30/2011 – Austin Police arrest 38 Occupy Austin Protesters
NY: 10/30/2011 — Woman Assaulted in Her tent
Orlando, FL: 10/28/2011 – Occupy Orlando, police clash over use of downtown park
Orlando, FL: 10/26/2011 – 2 Occupy Orlando protesters arrested for trespass
Orlando, FL: 10/22/2011 – Police arrest 19 Orlando protesters on trespass charges
Asheville, NC: 10/30/2011 – Occupiers Clash with Homeless in Asheville
Nationwide: 10/27/2011 — Pro-Occupy Site claims 2511 Arrests Thus Far
Fort Worth, TX: 10/16/2011 — Arrests at Occupy Fort Worth Protest
NY: 10/29/2011 — Three Incidents of Anti-Semitism
San Francisco: 10-29-2011 — Anti-Semitic, Folsom Street Fair Types & Che Guevara Lovin

Recently, President Obama said that the Occupiers are just like the Tea Party.

That’s a lie.

David Duke Endorses Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

The media largely ignored the anti-semitic, anti-Israel sentiment expressed by the Occupy Wall Street protesters. But not David Duke...

David Duke has joined the ranks of Occupy Wall Street. In his video, he celebrates the Occupy Wall Street's disgusting attacks on Israel in particular and Jews generally. He also attacks Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Congressman Ron Paul.

David Duke joins both the American Nazi Party and the Communist Party USA in endorsing the Occupy Wall Street protests. The American Nazi Party and the Communist Party USA both made their endorsements about a week ago. Duke, a few days ago.

To our knowledge, the David Duke, American Nazi Party, and Communist Party USA endorsements have yet to be repudiated in any meaningful way by the occupiers or the politicians that support them.

As a matter of fact, there have been refusals to refute the anti-semitic, anti-Israel statements made by some of the occupiers. An example is below at 1:16.

Hate is not an American value.

Leighton Complaint Update

2011-10-25T11:48:00.001-07:00

Recently, a private criminal complaint against Democrat Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton was filed by Linda Urban. The complaint centers around alarm systems installed in both Mayor Leighton and former City Administrator J.J. Murpy’s private residences. Taxpayer funds were allegedly used to fund the alarms. The systems cost around $4,000 to install. The City taxpayers also paid over $6,000 to relocate Murphy’s system when he moved in 2006.

Because the individual expenses fell below $10,000, the City Controller approved the expenses, not City Council.

Urban’s complaint alleges theft by unlawful taking and misappropriation of taxpayer funds. The complaint was being handled by the Democrat District Attorney, Jackie Musto-Carroll.

Today, it has been reported that the Musto-Carroll has referred the case to the State Attorney General’s office. The reason being that there is a potential conflict of interest for the District Attorney’s office to handle the case. Two conflicts were listed. The first being that Linda Urban is married to Commissioner Steve Urban. The second being that the county’s Chief Detective, Mike Dessoye, is the brother of Wilkes-Barre police Chief Gerard Dessoye. Chief Dessoye apparently is the person that recommended that the alarm systems be installed in the residences.

More #Occupy Left-Wing Hate/Anti-Semitism in NYC

2011-10-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

h/t to MRCTV:

Occupy Dayton Protester: F THE MILITARY, F YOUR FLAG, AND F THE POLICE

2011-10-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

WARNING: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE

h/t to MRCTV

A citizen journalist was taking pictures of the destruction the "Occupy Dayton" protest caused to public property when he was approached by a group of demonstrators. A protester became very hostile, attacked a veteran for his service, and said that he was proud of his (white) race.

Stimulus, Solyndra, and Your Tax Dollars at Work

2011-10-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

ABC News broke the story that the Obama Administration is using U.S. Federal tax dollars to pay for foreign cars to be built in Finland. When pitching the deal, Joe Biden claimed hundreds of jobs would be created in the U.S. building these cars. Instead, they are being built in Finland. Like Solyndra, the Energy Department has loaned Fisker over $500 million in U.S. tax dollars to date.

The car, the Fisker Karma, has more bad news. Despite being a purported “green” car, it gets a measly 20 miles per gallon when using its gasoline powered engine. A Ford Explorer SUV gets better mileage than the latest Obama Administration boondoggle.

Will everyday Americans be able to pick up a Karma? Probably not considering the Fisker Karma MSRP is $95,900. But, good news, Leonardo DiCaprio picked one up. So, if we are lucky, we will get to see our tax dollars at work the next time Leo rolls up to the red carpet for the latest Hollywood event.

VP Biden, Facts are a Big F@#*$% Deal

2011-10-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Bloomberg recent did a story about VP Biden’s hometown, Scranton. In it, they discussed the uphill climb he and President Obama face in the heart of blue-collar America. The consensus…Barack Obama and Joe Biden are screwed in Scranton. And, as Terry Madonna says in the story, if they can’t win Scranton, they can’t win Pennsylvania.

That seems to be backed up with a very recent Susquehanna Polling and Research Poll. In it, Obama is losing Pennsylvania to any Republican and even hemorrhaging support in the Democrat-rich Philly area.

Can Joe Biden help the Obama-Biden ticket in Pennsylvania? Not if he keeps making unfounded, breathtaking rhetorical charges to try to get it done.

Take his recent claim that rapes and murders would go up if President Obama’s Jobs act didn’t pass. Reporters scratched their head at that one and even gave him a chance to clarify. He didn’t back down. Instead he doubled down saying “Don’t screw around with me. … Listen to me. … I said rape was up three times in Flint, there are the numbers, go look at the numbers. Murder’s up, rape is up, and burglary’s up. … Murder will continue to rise, rape will continue to rise, all crimes will continue to rise.”

You can view the exchange here:

Then, he travels to Philly and again ties the legislation to rapes stating that he wished Republicans knoew what it was like for a rape victim to have a gun pointed at their head. His direct quote was“I wish these guys that thought it was temporary, I wish they had some notion what it’s like on the other side of a gun or a 200 pound man standing over you telling you to submit. Folks, it matters. It matters!”

You can view that one here:

The Washington Post took him to the shed for making these claims calling them “absurd” and gave him four pinocchios for his over-the-top rhetoric.

FactCheck.org swung and VP Biden calling for him to “Get his facts straight to support his opinion,” pointing out that even his demagoguery about rapes skyrocketing in Flint, Michigan are not supported by the facts of FBI crime data.

Inspiring fear in people is the lowest form of persuasion available to a politician. Biden is up to his eyeballs in it. If he believes the American Jobs Act is a good bill, he should be able to argue its merits without lying and invoking the false threat of one of the most violent actions a human being can make on another human being short of killing them. It says a lot about the bill that lies and fear are the only argument the Vice-President of the United States can produce to sell the American people on it.

Campaigner in Chief

2011-10-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

Occupy LA Doubles Down on the Anti-Semitism

2011-10-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Patricia MacAllister's latest hit: "Jews have been run out of 109 countries throughout history and we need to run them out of this one."

Think that represents the fringe of the movement? Not so much, considering one of the organizers for Occupy LA refused to even so much as condemn these anti-jewish statements.

Occupy LA: Speaks for Itself

2011-10-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

New Ron Paul: Life

2011-10-20T18:41:00.001-07:00

The 99%

2011-10-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Emergency Committee for Israel Responds to Occupy Wall Street Anti-Semitism

2011-10-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hate is not an American value.

More Left-Wing Hate from the Occupiers

2011-10-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

A woman identifies herself as Patricia McAllister and as an employee of the Los Angeles Unified School District (Hopefully, not a teacher.)

In the video Ms. McAllister expresses some very troubling, anti-semitic sentiment.

She says "I think that the Zionist Jews, who are running these big banks and our Federal Reserve government...they need to be run out of this country."

Occupy LA Speaker Calls for Violence/Socialism

2011-10-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

Coming to a city near you.

From his speech:

“One of the speakers said the solution is nonviolent movement. No, my friend. I’ll give you two examples: French Revolution, and Indian so-called Revolution.

"Gandhi, Gandhi today is, with respect to all of you, Gandhi today is a tumor that the ruling class is using constantly to mislead us. French Revolution made fundamental transformation. But it was bloody.

"India, the result of Gandhi, is 600 million people living in maximum poverty.

"So, ultimately, the bourgeosie won’t go without violent means. Revolution! Yes, revolution that is led by the working class.

"Long live revolution! Long live socialism!”

The Democratic Party officially supports this movement.

As long as the protests remain peaceful, they have every right to share their views. But, as this speaker makes clear, there are legitimate concerns that these protests will turn violent.

Right now, their message is somewhat chaotic and disjointed. The class warfare rhetoric coming out of both the White House and the Democratic party is focusing their energy on those with wealth. The injection of organized labor into the movement will add support to their numbers.

The protests have already moved to people's private homes. Now they are coming to a city near you.

Bocephus Under Fire

2011-10-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

ESPN has sacked Hank Williams Jr. based on his comments during a Fox News interview. In them, he said John Boehner and Barack Hussein Obama playing golf is like “Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.”

Democratic member of Congress Gerry Connolly claimed racism as the left often does whenever anyone is critical of the President. Connolly tweeted: “Hank Williams Jr 's comparison of @BarackObama w/ Hitler reflects racist hatred that has no place in our polity. Glad @ESPN #MNF pulled him”

Williams apologized after his comments saying they were “dumb” and that he was sorry if anyone was offended. ESPN still pulled his intro to Monday night football.

Here is the interview:

Williams went into the studio and wrote a song, Keep the Change, about the experience. It is available for a limited time for free as a download on his website.

Obama Without a Friend in PA

2011-10-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

President Obama will be visiting Western Pennsylvania next week to try to sell his unpopular Stimulus 2.0 Jobs Bill. Not surprisingly, no one wants to share the stage with him.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune:

Democrat Congressman Mike Doyle agreed to meet the President at the airport, but is then ditching to head to Washington.

Democrat Congressmen Altmire and Critz, will not return to the Keystone State for the visit. Instead, they will stay in Washington.

Republican Congressmen Tim Murphy and Mike Kelly as well as Republican Senator Pat Toomey said they will not show up for the visit.

Recent polling suggests that Pennsylvania is no longer Obama country. The majority of Pennsylvania voters do not like the job President Obama is doing 54-43. That remains unchanged from August. Elsewhere, Democrats are encouraging candidates to avoid even appearing in pictures with the unpopular Obama.

Maybe that is why Democrat Senator Bob Casey isn’t a firm commitment for the visit. That is probably the biggest upset for Obama considering Casey was an early advocate for him in the 2008 Primaries and his biggest cheerleader in PA. As is often the case, Casey is indecisive. He hasn’t confirmed if he will attend.

Chuck Woolery: Let's Tax the Amish

2011-10-04T10:22:00.000-07:00

Democrats: Suspend Elections

2011-09-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Figure you’re pretty much toast in the next election? Cancel it! We can just start them up again in a few years if we feel like it.

That’s the gist of what Democratic Governor and Chair of the 2012 Democratic Convention Bev Perdue said.

The Democrat’s frustration is understandable. President Obama is polling very badly. Some Democratic officials are advising candidates not even to have their picture taken with him. The President’s cabinet is a mess, plagued with scandal, after scandal, after scandal.

Or, this might have been wishful thinking for Perdue, considering she is up for re-election in 2012. Like the President, she has been mired in scandal. Unconstitutional taxes, taxpayer-funded trips, abuse of power charges, and fines for election law violations have all punctuated her time in public office.

Regardless of the motivation, this is just plain wrong. Politicians need to be accountable to the people. The only method reserved to the people to hold them accountable is an election. If Democrats fear an election loss to Republicans, they should reexamine their policies…not cancel elections.

Ethics Probe of Democrat Leighton Advances

2011-09-30T11:16:00.000-07:00

In July, we wrote about Democrat Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton’s practice of giving jobs to family members. As a refresher, the State Ethics Committee position on conflicts of interest:

"No public official or public employee shall engage in conduct that constitutes a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest is defined as use by a public official or public employee of the authority of his office or employment or any confidential information received through his holding public office or employment for the private pecuniary benefit of himself, a member of his immediate family or a business with which he or a member of his immediate family is associated." – PA Ethics Commission

Based on local reporting, it appears the State Ethics Commission has found reasonable cause to move from a preliminary inquiry to a full-scale investigation. This investigation however, could take as long as a year to complete.

UPDATE: The Citizen's Voice now reports that the State Ethics Committee erred when it stated it was moving to a "full investigation." The truth appears to be that the investigation is still in the "preliminary inquiry" stage.

Democratic Senate: Screw NEPA, Let’s hit the Beach

2011-09-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Senate Democrats rejected the stop-gap measure passed by the House of Representatives to keep the government open beyond October 1 and to fund FEMA.

FEMA is slated to run out of money over the weekend.

Democratic Senator Harry Reid cited the need to “cool off” and decided to hold off voting on funding for disaster relief in until Monday…after Senate Democrats return from their beach retreat in Kiawah, South Carolina.

Where the hell is United States Senator Bob Casey on this?

Is this the type of leadership NEPA deserves from its native-son-turned-Senator? If Casey sits back and allows his colleagues to sip mai-tais on the beaches of South Carolina instead of fighting to fund disaster relief for NEPA, the voters of Pennsylvania should need no further demonstration of exactly how out of touch he and his fellow Democrats are with the needs of the Commonwealth.

Thank God for Lou Barletta. (Click here to watch his press conference today.) He knows what it means to fight for the people of Pennsylvania.

New RJC: Listen to Us!

2011-09-22T11:40:00.001-07:00

New Rick Perry: Proven Leadership

2011-09-22T11:31:00.001-07:00

New Ron Paul: He Served

2011-09-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

Bill Whittle: Debunking the Palestine Lie

2011-09-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Obama’s New Snitch Site

2011-09-20T07:54:00.001-07:00

President Obama has launched his newest snitch website – Attack Watch. It’s like his Fight the Smears or Flag.gov, just with crappier web design. It still preserves President Obama’s paranoid, oppressive request that you report your neighbor for speaking negatively about him.

Are we the only ones that find it creepy that the President of the United States has now for the third time asked us to snitch on our neighbors? And worse, that he is still attempting to collect intelligence on people that disagree with him?

Our President’s insecurity aside, asking the American people to again “Report an Attack” from your neighbor should be chilling to anyone concerned with civil rights and civil liberties. It also raises questions of his fitness to serve. Meaning, if he cannot handle people disagreeing with him politically, how does anyone maintain faith that he can handle the likes of someone like Ahmadinejad?

Sadly, the media is again silent. The fourth estate should be all over any attempt to stifle free speech and silence dissent. Yet their response is deafening silence.

Is it 2012 yet?

Is Social Security a Ponzi Scheme?

2011-09-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Steven Crowder takes a look. What do you think?

Liberals Attack Clinton's Disaster Response Policy

2011-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Republicans understand it is their responsibility to come together to support disaster relief for NEPA. What escapes the radical left is that they also realize that they have a responsibility to do so in a way that is consistent with the interests of the taxpayers that will foot the bill. Apparently, the new left finds fault with the Republican policy of finding a few billion dollars somewhere in our bloated $3.5 trillion budget so that the people in NEPA can get the help they need. The money has to come from somewhere. Maybe they would prefer we borrow money from China to finance our recovery.

Why invoke Clinton? President Clinton himself used offsets several times during his presidency for disaster relief:

May, 1999 - Clinton enacted legislation that included emergency spending for farm disasters and “unmet” disaster needs from prior natural disasters and $2 billion in offsets.
May, 1998 - Clinton enacted legislation that included disaster relief for tornadoes, flooding, and ice storms and $2.5 billion in offsets.
June, 1997 - Clinton offset disaster relief for the flooding in the Red River of the North, Minnesota River and tributaries.
July, 1995 - Clinton offset emergency funds for disaster assistance including the recovery from the Oklahoma City Federal building bombing.

I guess it says a lot if Bill Clinton's policies are now too far to the right for the modern left.

This doesn't represent a policy change on the part of Republicans, it represents a consistent, pay-as-you-go federal funding policy - something missing from Washington for far too long.

Chuck Woolery On Taxing The Rich

2011-09-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

Paul Ryan: 3 Steps to Pro-Growth Tax Reform

2011-09-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

King Samir Shabazz Update

2011-09-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember this guy?

He was the New Black Panther party leader that the Obama administration refused to prosecute for intimidating voters in Pennsylvania.

He now has a series of “Black Survival” videos for our youth. Some highlights below:

Honesty from Dems on Taxes

2011-09-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

In the video above, a scene from Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman's town hall meeting is caught. In it, Sherman admits that taxes are used, in the Democrat's view, to redistribute wealth.

Most notably, Congressman Sherman talks about the Estate Tax, A.K.A. the Death Tax. The Congressman admits that the Estate Tax is designed to have the "effect of preventing multi-generational, almost nobility levels of wealth."

Democrats believe taxes are designed to prevent wealth and, when it occurs, redistribute it as the politicians see fit.

Thank you, Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, for your candor. You have effectively and clearly communicated the Democratic view on taxes.

Flashback: PA Dems Attacked Corbett for Emergency Readiness Ads

2011-09-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Above is one of Governor Tom Corbett's emergency preparedness commercials which ran in August. It appears, in the face of the flooding that occurred, the Governor offered some sage advice.

At the time, PA Democrats took the opportunity to turn it into a political hit, taking Corbett to task for warning seniors to prepare for an emergency.

In light of the flooding disaster in NEPA, PA Democrats in general and their spokesman Mark Nicastre in particular, owe Governor Corbett an apology. It is likely that those that took Corbett's advice a month ago are in far better shape than those that did not. It should be similarly apparent that emergency preparedness and flood damage isn't a political football to play with as Nicastre and the PA Democrats have done in August.

Their attacks are, in a word, disgraceful.

Bill Whittle: The Truth is Out There

2011-09-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Enough with the Class Warfare and Race Baiting

2011-09-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

“When anybody preaches disunity, tries to pit one of us against the other through class warfare, race hatred or religious intolerance, you know that person seeks to rob us of our freedom and destroy our very lives.” – From a cartoon that kids 50 years ago could understand.

Without even trying, these Democrats seem to be able to cover all bases in the cartoon.

Thankfully, politicians like Representative Allen West (R-FL), aren't afraid to call out other politicians for engaging in this.

New Ron Paul Ad Attacks Rick Perry

2011-09-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Hostility

2011-09-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

So much for the new tone.

VP Biden to AFL-CIO:

"You are the only folks keeping the barbarians from the gates. You are the only non-governmental power, the only non-governmental power, the only one that has the power and the capacity to stop this onslaught."

Jimmy Hoffa Junior was President Obama's warm up act in Detroit. He shared the same thug-rhetoric many have come to expect from these guys.

Watch the video and then consider this - President Obama spoke after Mr. Hoffa and said that he was proud of his remarks.

Update:

White House spokesman Carney does the Kabuki dance.

Chris Carney Rumors

2011-09-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Rumors have been circulating about Democratic ex-Congressman Chris Carney re-entering public life and running for Congress. A map, circulated online, helped fuel speculation since it had Pennsylvania’s 11^th District changing to include Susquehanna County.

Without being too cynical, in politics, you should follow the money. Before seriously considering a Carney challenge to Barletta, reporters should look to his fundraising. According to the FEC, Chris Carney raised a whopping $4,000 in his most recent report. He spent $2,795 and still has $19,255 in debt and somehow ended with a negative cash on hand balance of -$6,749. During the same period, Barletta raised 95x’s more money than Carney and ended the cycle with a little more than a quarter-million dollars on hand.

In 2008, Carney spent $14.51 per vote to keep his seat. His $2.3 million grabbed him a 56% win against a bruised Chris Hackett in 2008.

In 2010, Carney only had $1.6 million to play with. In vain, Carney upped his spending to $18.45 per vote and still took a beating from Republican Tom Marino. Marino raised and spent less than half of what Carney did and won decisively.

It should be apparent that the wheels have fallen off of Chris Carney’s fundraising operation.

When you really get into the details of the map, you see that the following counties are part of the “new” district: Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Pike, Monroe, Montour, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming. Of those, Luzerne is shared between districts, Columbia and Monroe are Barletta’s, Montour, Pike, Montour, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming all used to be Carney’s.

In 2010, Barletta racked up 69% of the vote in Columbia, 57% of his portion of Luzerne County, and 54% of Monroe. Carney received 52% of the vote in his very small portion of Luzerne County, 43% of Montour, 39% in Pike County, 43% of Susquehanna, 40% in Wayne County, and 45% of Wyoming County.

If this new district were to be constructed, the majority of the counties would be from Carney’s district – the people that know him best and rejected him soundly in the last election. So, putting aside the money issue and considering his immediate past electoral performance, Carney is a non-starter.

Last to consider, what is he doing now? After the voters tossed Carney in 2010, Carney scored a job with BAE Systems, a big defense contractor. According to legistorm, BAE Systems was on the receiving end of $58,040,000 in earmarks during the 2008-2010 cycle – the majority of which were Democrat-sponsored earmarks.

That’s a pretty cushy position for a guy like Carney to land.

So, let’s recap. Speculation surrounds Carney entering a congressional race based on a map that includes, a large part of his old district – a district which gave him his pink slip in 2010. The counties to be added in particular all rejected him or, in the case of a shared county, rejected his neighboring Democrat. He has a good job in the defense sector that he would likely have to leave to enter into this new campaign which, he seems unable to fund considering so far he raised a little more than five times the amount your average girl scout troop makes selling cookies.

Sorry folks, but this seems to be a case of media-fueled speculation to try to sell newspapers. Nothing, absolutely nothing suggests that he will seek to run again for Congress. And, based on the information above, that is about the smartest call he can make. If 2010 election results and his present fundraising numbers are any indication, Carney isn’t prepared to run for Susquehanna County Commissioner, let alone Congress. And, considering he couldn’t even win his home county of Susquehanna in 2010, that’s probably a stretch as well.

This one appears to be a media fabrication or worse, wishful thinking on the part of a left-leaning press. Sorry guys, but your slip is showing on this one.

Crowder Has Gas!! (Union Munchkins)

2011-09-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

Shale Projection Dialed Back

2011-09-04T06:15:00.001-07:00

Generally, it is hard to argue against the benefits of Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania without entering into fantasy to make your point. That is why anti-drillers jumped on a new Penn State report as their latest bit of evidence against drilling in PA.

In 2010, Penn State released a study that indicated that, in 2009, the drillers created 44,000 jobs and boosted the economy by around $7.1 billion. A new study by Penn State released in August dials back earlier projections to 23,000 jobs and $3.1 billion.

News sources like the Scranton Times-Tribune were quick to point to the new study as part of their anti-drilling meme. They actually chide the state for using “false” information to develop policy while themselves allowing patently false information that is inflammatory to permeate their paper.

Take, for instance, this letter to the editor. It is relatively even tempered in comparison to some of the letters the editors allowed through. In this letter though, the writer makes the statement that Marcellus Shale drilling is destroying Pennsylvania’s forests. That is a very serious charge. Penn’s Woods are a great resource which Pennsylvanians are very serious about protecting. Did the writer substantiate that claim in some way? They don’t appear to.

The newspaper was right to say that policy decisions need to be made on facts, whatever the facts may be. But the paper should take its own advice and not fall victim to misinformation being advanced on their editorial page.

Pay to Play Obama

2011-09-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Questions surround Obama “Green Jobs” company after it takes half-billion dollar loan, files for bankruptcy.

Democrat Hazleton Mayoral Hopeful Loses It

2011-09-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

That’s the only way to describe Hazleton Democrat Grace Cuozzo’s rambling attack of Republican Mayor Joe Yanuzzi. Yanuzzi replaced Lou Barletta as Mayor of Hazleton after Barletta was elected to Congress.

The Standard Speaker reports that, in response to Yanuzzi’s questions as to Cuozzo’s ability to serve, Cuozzo popped off saying Yanuzzi is “dumber than they come.” She attacked Yanuzzi’s age, pointing out that he is 74 and that the average male life expectancy is 74.8. She also pointed out that Yanuzzi has diabetes and high blood pressure and that he was fat.

Worse, this was sent in an email to the paper. That means this wasn’t an off-the-cuff moment for Cuozzo.

Hazleton, like many small towns across Pennsylvania, faces very serious challenges. The city needs a steady, experienced hand directing its actions. Cuozzo’s bizarre, frantic attack suggests both instability and immaturity – neither of which are qualities Hazleton voters should look for in their next Mayor.

Franklin & Marshall: PA Voters Don’t Like Obama & Casey

2011-09-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

The latest Franklin & Marshall poll of Pennsylvania voters is out and it spells trouble for Democrats.

56% of Republicans, 48% of Democrats, and 68% of Independents think Bob Casey is doing a sub-par job as US Senator. Only 5% overall think Casey is doing an excellent job.

President Obama fares much worse. 88% of Republicans, 50% of Democrats, and 80% of Independents aren’t happy with Obama. Only 41% of Pennsylvania voters think he deserves re-election.

Additionally, no doubt to the chagrin of Big Labor, 56% of Pennsylvania voters support getting Pennsylvania out of the booze business by selling our liquor stores to balance the budget.

Lastly, 66% of Pennsylvanians support gas drilling/Marcellus Shale development in the commonwealth.

Van Jones, Dreamers Target Barletta

2011-08-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

It’s no secret that Congressman Lou Barletta is the Democratic Party’s top target in Pennsylvania. His brand of populist politics keeps Democratic strategists up late at night trying to figure out how to retake Barletta’s majority Democrat district.

Plan A was to just swing wildly at Barletta, hoping to land a punch. Democrats really wasted no time attacking Barletta, throwing everything from his refusal to increase taxes to his plan to save Medicare to his cuts to government overspending against the wall hoping something would stick. It didn't.

So, they went to Plan V.

Van Jones, in March of 2009, was hired by Democratic President Barack Obama to be his “Green Jobs Czar.” Curiously, Jones was allowed to bypass the famous “seven page, 63-question questionnaire” that other similar White House advisors were required to fill out. Had he completed it, the administration would have known that in the 90’s, Jones was thrown in jail for rioting where he converted to communism. It might have also uncovered that Jones is a supporter of convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal and has used his support of Mumia as a focus of protest against police officers. He might have also disclosed that he was a member of the Mao-sympathetic Marxist organization STORM. Or, that he was a “Truther” that believed that the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that claimed thousands of lives was ordered by our own government. Here is a video of Van Jones and his pals the day after 9/11:

Jones lasted until September of 2009 in the Obama White House when his radical, leftist leanings became too much for even the Obama Administration to handle. He quietly left over Labor Day weekend.

Perhaps, in the rear view mirror, it is easy to understand why Van Jones was allowed to bypass the questionnaire.

Jones’s parting with the White House elevated his status from Left-Wing Nut to Left-Wing Martyr. With his new left-wing hero status, particularly elevated by claims that Glenn Beck got him fired, he has parlayed his position into leading the American Dream Movement.

The Dreamers are a catch-all group that shares an umbrella with MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, Big Labor, CodePink and just about every other leftist organization out there. The Dreamers, under the leadership of Van Jones, are the spearhead of the recent attacks on Lou Barletta.

They started their attacks with a press release on August 14 touting their contrived, astroturf campaign against Lou Barletta. Why contrived? Had the MSM did so much as a simple internet search of the actors involved James Luby would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Luby is quoted as asking Barletta where the jobs are. But, Mr. Luby has been unemployed since at least May of 2010 when he appeared in a commercial for Democrat and ex-congressman Paul Kanjorski. The commercial and script:

Announcer: “Some in the nation’s capital said no to unemployment benefits, Paul Kanjorski said yes…voting to extend jobless aid. The bad economy cost James Luby his job, he and his family live on that money.”

James Luby: “Congressman Kanjorski helped me and thousands of others. And, although I am actively looking for work, I am also training to develop new career job skills.”

Announcer: Paul Kanjorski stands up for us.

It changes the story a bit when you find out that the guy complaining that he is unemployed has been unemployed since before Barletta was a member of Congress. He identifies himself as a resident of Scranton so one can probably make the jump that he didn’t live in Hazleton when Barletta was Mayor. So why blame Barletta? Instead of doing commercials for him, why didn't he blame his last Congressman Paul Kanjorski? Why not look to your United States Senator since 2007, Bob Casey? How about your Democratic State Representative or State Senator? Is Mr. Luby and his band of dreamers protesting them? Probably not.

So, is this then merely a thinly-veiled partisan attack from a bunch (and by bunch, we mean like, 6 or 7 people) of sore-loser Democrats that wish Paul Kanjorski was still their Congressman? No, that is an easy conclusion to arrive at and there is no doubt some element of that in this, but it’s probably not that either.

The truth of the matter is probably far more profound. This is not just a bunch of radical, disheveled miscreants crying in their cheerios about an election. The Van Jones brand of leftist thrives on chaos and crisis. They believe that through chaos, they can change our economic system. They are proponents of Saul Alinsky’s philosophy on activism. This is them injecting their little bit of chaos into the system. Don’t be distracted by the entrance of tired, retread activists into the argument. This is the start of a coordinated, leftist revolution in America and it is being led by one of the left’s brightest, most radical stars.

Real of Fake Part 2

2011-08-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Sturla: Protecting Womenfolk Since 1891...

2011-08-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry about that, meant 1991. That is the year Democrat State Representative P. Michael Sturla was elected to the State House of Representatives. He represents Pennsylvania’s 96^th Legislative District. It covers part of Lancaster County. Representative Sturla is also a part of the Democratic House leadership acting as Democratic Policy Chairman and he is a chauvinistic, misinformed, hate-speech spouting buffoon.

Sturla is an opponent to Marcellus Shale drilling in Pennsylvania. In an email conversation about drilling with a reporter, Sturla is quoted as saying:

"Aside from building roads so their trucks can get to drill sites and doing a little stream work to mitigate damage from their road building, exactly what are all those things the drillers are doing for the local communities?" Sturla wrote.

"Patronizing the bars at night? Driving up the cost of rental housing? Spreading sexually transmitted disease amongst the womenfolk? Really community oriented stuff."

House Republicans responded with a press release. Some of the highlights:

“Talk about wrong-headed, misinformed, archaic, and just shocking,” said Rep. Sandra Major (R-Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming), the House Republican Caucus Chair. “The House Democrat leadership attitude, after studying the impacts of the Marcellus Shale industry in Pennsylvania, is insulting.”

“Drunks and promiscuous ‘womenfolk’ – that is what the House Democrat leaders are calling the hard-working men and women living within the Marcellus Shale region,” Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland County) said. “Who can really support such notions from leaders who think so little of those working in a growing industry?”

“The people of this Commonwealth deserve better than hyperbole or fear mongering.” Rep. Matt Baker (Bradford/Tioga Counties) said. “The hate-speech, misinformation, stereotyping and sensationalism from the House Democrat Policy Committee chairman is deplorable.

“These comments show the lack of comprehension of what is going on in this region,” Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) said. “We are living and working in the real world of providing record levels of jobs, economic development and working toward energy independence.”

“These mischaracterizations and stereotypes of Marcellus workers, most of which are hard-working Pennsylvanians, does nothing productive,” Rep. Donna Oberlander (R- Armstrong and Clarion Counties) said. “These comments are absolutely inappropriate and cross the line of decency.”

Toomey Saves Millions

2011-08-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

The Federal Government never tires of foisting unfunded, probably unconstitutional mandates on state and local governments. The most recent variation to hit the news came out of the Department of Transportation.

Obama’s DOT required all communities to change their signs to meet new federal “reflectivity” standards. Oh, and if your signs don’t meet the standard, the community has to pay to replace them.

Republican US Senator Pat Toomey conducted a bit of a listening tour throughout NEPA to see how this would impact local communities. The consensus was that it would be devastating.

For instance, Democratic Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty estimated the cost to Scranton Taxpayers would be around $1,000,000.00. Considering how cash strapped Scranton is, they really can’t afford to spend an extra million dollars just to comply with a ridiculous federal mandate.

Heeding the call of his local leaders, Toomey is introducing legislation to repeal this mandate. No matter what separates communities across Pennsylvania, one thing that unites them is fiscal problems. All of our communities are having difficultly meeting their present budgets without raising taxes. Toomey is showing real leadership right out of the gate with this. Only a fool wouldn’t see that.

Iowa Straw Poll Coverage

2011-08-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show - Indecision 2012 - Corn Polled Edition - Ron Paul & the Top Tier
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The Iowa Straw Poll was held this Saturday. Iowa is not a scientific poll. It’s record of predicting the winner of the Republican Primary for president is mediocre at best. What it does accurately measure is a campaign’s organization skills. It takes a lot of field work, a lot of volunteer hours, and a logistical mastermind to pull it off. The results were as follows:

2011 Straw Poll Full Results (Votes, %)

1. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (4823, 28.55%)

2. Congressman Ron Paul (4671, 27.65%)

3. Governor Tim Pawlenty (2293, 13.57%)

4. Senator Rick Santorum (1657, 9.81%)

5. Herman Cain(1456, 8.62%)

6. Governor Rick Perry (718, 3.62%) write-in

7. Governor Mitt Romney (567, 3.36%)

8. Speaker Newt Gingrich (385, 2.28%)

9. Governor Jon Huntsman (69, 0.41%)

10. Congressman Thad McCotter (35, 0.21%)

Scattering (162, 0.96 %) Includes all those receiving votes at less than one-percent that were not on the ballot.

After his showing at Ames, Governor Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the race. That and the Perry announcement eclipsed much of the coverage of Ames. But, in watching the coverage, one has to wonder why the media is intentionally whitewashing Congressman Ron Paul from the race. Paul is in a statistical tie with Bachmann having come in second by only 152 votes yet, you would think it was him and not Pawlenty that withdrew from the race.

The Republican Party should demand fair and equal treatment of all of its candidates. The last time we allowed the media to pick a candidate for us as a country, we ended up with Barack Hussein Obama as our president. Don’t let it happen again.

Ames was a great achievement and the first real demonstration of strength from both the Bachmann and Paul campaigns. Give credit where credit is due.

Rick Perry for President

2011-08-15T20:23:00.001-07:00

Obama's Plan to Fix Economy

2011-08-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

President Obama's spokesman describes the President's plan to fix the economy in the video above.

As you can see, Obama's plan is characterized by the same level of specifics and strategy outlines we have all come to expect from BHO.

Forced Sharia in London

2011-08-08T18:20:00.001-07:00

New Afterburner with Bill Whittle

2011-08-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Breaking News! Politician Releases YouTube Video!

2011-08-08T06:55:00.001-07:00

Strangely, The Scranton Times ran a story about the video above. Maybe it was a slow news day but it certainly seems strange that a newspaper would run a story that a candidate for office put out a youtube video.

Maybe they can do a few followups. Headlines like "Politician hosts fundraiser" or "Politician sends junk mail to voters" or "Sun Rises" are sure to follow.

Also, it is only a presumption that this is in fact a Vinsko video. It does in fact contain footage of Bill Vinsko in what appears to be orange warpaint (fire the makeup guy Bill.) The video does not however contain any sort of disclosure as to who paid for the ad. No mention of that from the crack team of reporters at Times Shamrock either. Bareltta's guys have probably already captured the video for later use.

Here is another video, this one is about Bill Vinsko and his cousin Tom Leighton's now imploded deal to sell a controversial Wilkes-Barre property.

US Congresswoman In Iran Says US Assassinates Peace Leaders, US Most Violent On Planet

2011-08-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Former US Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney traveled to Iran for the United Nations supported Conference on the Global Fight Against Terrorism.

During the interview, the Democrat spoke about the peace movement in the 1960 and how they came close to achieving real peace.

Fine.

She then goes on to describe the United States as the most violent country on the planet, lead by "misguided men with guided missiles."

Not sure if she was referring to Obama's illegal war in Libya.

She also stated that it is well documented that our authorities assassinated Malcolm X, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, and everyone that stood in the way of the peace movement.

A former Democratic member of Congress in a foreign country that doesn't like us very much, telling an eager audience how bad the United States is. So bad, that we assassinate purveyors of peace in our own country.

One has to wonder what the average Iranian will think after watching this interview. They have no way of knowing if what she says is true. Iranian press is notoriously censored.

If nothing else, Ms. McKinney's left-wing lunacy will give the anti-American propagandists plenty of new material.