Defending and Preserving Liberty

Mark Levin Teams Up With Jeffrey Lord And They Start Swinging In Defense Of Newt Gingrich. Both of these gentlemen served in the Reagan Administration. Worth a listen.

Uploaded by MrTimotheus85 on Jan 26, 2012

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Long time Ramparts readers will know that I was a big supporter of Donna Campbell in her first bid against the incumbent Lloyd D-d-doggett for US Congress, Texas CD 25. After a tremendous effort on her part she lost. Not to be deterred, on January 19, 2012 she participated in the Republican Men’s Club and San Antonio Tea Party sponsored debate as one of three GOP candidates, this time for State Senate, District 25. The others included incumbent Senator Jeff Wentworth and Texas Railroad Commissioner and Elizabeth Ames Jones.

A subsequent opinion by Jon Kaplan was sent to me by a friend, wherein I noted the following:

Jon’s Editorial Opinion:

[...] Dr. Campbell was passionate, articulate, and surprisingly knowledgeable of legislation considering her newness to elective politics. I believe she won the debate on substance and passion, and exceeded expectations. While I respect her tremendously and think she would do a good job in the position, I regard her as unelectable due to limited financial backing and political inexperience. She could be a spoiler who gives the election to Wentworth. I suspect there will be a runoff. If so, I believe Dr. Campbell will not be in the runoff. I will support Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones because she has the talent and commitment, and can give the Senate a more conservative voice and vote than Senator Wentworth has provided. I urge others to vote for her. My only regret is that Dr. Campbell is not running in a different race. I would happily vote for her.

Jon Kaplan is a long time supporter of the San Antonio Tea Party. He is speaking herein only for himself and not in behalf of the San Antonio Tea Party.

Editors note: San Antonio Tea Party does not support or endorse any candidate or political party. As he notes, Jon Kaplan’s comments are his own.

Folks, that’s a lot of caveats for just a few paragraphs. My friend’s flustered comment was:

How dare he say that a Tea Party Candidate like Donna Campbell can’t win because she doesn’t have $$$!!!! Is that how we should decide how to cast our votes? Pick the candidate that has the best chance of winning and vote for that person? What about morals, values, principals? What was he thinking?!? 

I'm a lawyer. Show me da MONEY!!!

Well, since you ask me I’ll tell you that he was thinking like a lawyer. What does that mean? 1) Money, 2) Money, 3) MONEEEEEY. This is how a lawyer’s mind is calibrated to perceive everyday existence. So logically speaking, he follows the old Chinese adage, “With money a dragon, without money a worm.” Or with money electable, without money Donna Campbell.

I won’t pretend that I don’t have anything against lawyers. Quite the contrary. As I have written elsewhere, I am convinced that lawyers are a large part of what is wrong with America right now. Did I mention they vote predominately Democratic and always Ruling Class establishment? Did I mention trial lawyers milk the penal system for all it’s worth? But I digress.

Say, what do you call 1,000 lawyers tied up at the bottom of the sea? Answer: A good start. Okay, I’ll knock it off now.

One commenter gave his opposing view thus:

Mr. Kaplan,

I take great umbrage in your mentioning my name in your editor’s “note” below. You know, as well as I, that the San Antonio Tea Party (SATP) does not endorse candidates–period. In your “Opinion” (below), you hide behind a weak qualifier of “Jon Kaplan’s comments are his own.” This is false and disingenuous as you are, by your close ties to the SATP (past and current), a member of that non-partisan organization. As such, you speak for them by association even if you are not formally commissioned to do so. You have, therefore, violated the 501(C3) rules governing such organizations as the SATP and have damaged its reputation.

In one stoke of the pen, you have nullified the mission of the San Antonio Tea Party as being a fair and non-bias political forum for all candidates. You have damaged the SATP’s reputation as a leader in the Texas grassroots community. You owe an apology not only to Dr. Campbell, but Sen. Wentworth and Commissioner Ames-Jones as well.

You should be ashamed.

Another said this:

Can you imagine if every voter in Texas decided to cast their votes based on that strategy? I would hope that we the tea party/grassroots are doing our part to educate the populace about how important it is to vote our values! It is a shame this guy speaks for an aspect of the Tea Party.

From the looks of the caveats above I think the San Antonio Tea Party is trying to be as clear as possible that Kaplan DOES NOT speak for them. But the benefit of his telling us what he thinks is that each of us can discover what we think – and do not think.

Now if I were your Sifu (martial arts master) I would ask you, “Grasshopper, what did you learn from what you’ve just seen?”

You can make a difference. Be sure to visit:

http://donnacampbell.com/

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The title here is rather misleading. DeLay meant it in the sense that Newt can feel your pain, knows what you want to hear and will say it.

This interview is very good in a number of ways. First, Tom DeLay was there working with Gingrich every day and knows the inside scoop; second, DeLay was himself an effective conservative Republican who was targeted with frivolous ethics charges; third, he is very sincere and candid in his explanation. Lastly, Michael Berry begged him to come on the show – it wasn’t DeLay’s idea or intention. Listen.

Uploaded by themichaelberryshow on Jan 25, 2012

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Here is some footage from the Monday March for Life event that the statist media refused to cover.

Uploaded by CNSNews on Jan 25, 2012

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On camera, a Romney “supporter” at an early voting location says he was paid by the South Florida Romney campaign effort to wear a shirt and maintain a presence. Having a handful of Romney supporters at the site likely helped make the impression on potential voters who lack the capacity to think for themselves that they, because of Romney’s large “support”, they should vote for him. Makes perfect sense…

Via Alice Linahan. Perception is reality. Watch.

Uploaded by LifeLibertyNow on Jan 22, 2012

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While Iran is preparing the Islamic regime for upcoming events associated with the coming of the 12th Imam Mahdi, which they believe is already here on the earth and will announce publicly his presence after the needed environment is created, Israel is preparing to protect itself.

Will Israel Attack Iran?

“This is not about some abstract concept,” Barak said as he gazed out at the lights of Tel Aviv, “but a genuine concern. The Iranians are, after all, a nation whose leaders have set themselves a strategic goal of wiping Israel off the map… Barak underscored that if Israel or the rest of the world waits too long, the moment will arrive — sometime in the coming year, he says — beyond which it will no longer be possible to act”….Ehud Barak, Israeli Defense Minister

Read More.

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Iran preparing now for Armageddon

Select fighters being described as ‘Soldiers of Imam Mahdi’

WND EXCLUSIVE   By Reza Kahlili

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has held several secret meetings with his economic and military advisers in recent days to prepare for the possibility of war with the United States.

Sources report the preparations are to include the execution of those Iranians who oppose the regime.

Khamenei has been heard to say that the coming of the last Islamic Messiah, the Shiites’ 12th Imam Mahdi, is near and that specific actions need to be taken to protect the Islamic regime for upcoming events.

Mahdi, according to Shiite belief, will reappear at the time of Armageddon.

Selected forces within the Revolutionary Guards and Basij reportedly have been trained under a task force called “Soldiers of Imam Mahdi” and they will bear the responsibility of security and protecting the regime against uprisings. Many in the Guards and Basij have been told that the 12th Imam is on earth, facilitated the victory of Hezbollah over Israel in the 2006 war and soon will announce publicly his presence after the needed environment is created.

Read More

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Iran now working to undermine Hamas?

Terror duo having religious, tactical disputes

by Aaron Klein Email | January 23, 2012 | WND.com

TEL AVIV – Iran has been working around the leadership of Hamas to form independent Hamas militias capable of carrying out coordinated attacks against Israel, according to sources in Hamas.

Israeli security officials confirmed that information, saying Iranian Revolutionary Guard members inside Gaza have been assembling a team of Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen working outside the official Hamas infrastructure.

Read More:

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Iran oil sanctions spark war of words between Tehran and Washington

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Cowboy Byte

Tehran on Monday escalated its threats against the west after Europe struck at the Islamic republic’s lifeblood by agreeing to impose an oil embargo on it.

Tehran threatened to respond by closing the strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supplies pass, while a senior US official vowed that the west could use force to keep the route open.

The decision by EU foreign ministers in Brussels raised the stakes dramatically in the standoff between Iran and the west over Iran’s nuclear program.

Read More:

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Iran: EU Oil Ban Could Lead to Iranian Reprisals

January 24, 2012

The European Union’s decision yesterday to begin a phased ban on the import of Iranian oil is part of a dramatic increase in international pressure that will force Tehran to scramble to address the resulting damage to its economy and will raise regional tensions as well as the possibility of Iranian reprisals.

Read Full Analysis 

Read more:

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Gulf Monitors Leave Syria, League Seeks UN Support

January 25, 2012| Security | Middle East and North Africa

By Mariam Karouny

DAMASCUS, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Gulf Arab monitors headed out of Syria on Wednesday after their governments said they were “certain the bloodshed and killing of innocents would continue”, and the Arab League pursued U.N. support for a plan to end President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Read more:

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Russia to Keep Blocking UN Sanctions on Syria

January 25, 2012 | Security | Middle East and North Africa

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will stonewall any U.N. sanctions on Syria and will push for a quick start of talks between the Syrian government and the country’s opposition, the Russian foreign minister said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would block any attempts to get the U.N. approval for sanctions against Syria that have been imposed by other nations, saying that such a move would be “unfair and counterproductive.”

Read more: 

>> Be aware! <<

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“Newt Gingrich will NEVER be president.”

Tuesday night interview on CNN with John King: 

Pelosi: “He’s not going to be President of the United States. That’s not going to happen. Let me just make my prediction and stand by it, it isn’t going to happen…”

King: “Why are you so sure?”

Pelosi: “There is something I know…”

Wednesday afternoon:

Spokesman: What Pelosi knows is just that Newt Gingrich will never be president

Conclusion:

Botox has serious side effects. Ask your doctor before using this or any other cosmetic surgery procedures.

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by Bargain Citizen | January 24, 2012 | Opinion

It’s not that Republicans actually accomplish what we want, it’s that compared to the Democrats they do less of what we don’t want.

Last week, I attended a small luncheon event which featured a brief speech by Senator John Cornyn. If you did not have the opportunity to attend, consider yourself one of the fortunate ones.

As these things go, the typical cast of characters were on hand; a few GOP operatives and contributors, an aspiring candidate or two, consultants, lobbyists and the obligatory self-professed media types. You know the drill – people trying to be seen, a little networking, some money passed around, and there you have it.

As a “Tea Party” aficionado, over the last several years I’ve been determined to explore our political culture and understand how the average American can participate in it. Subsequently, I’ve attended many similar affairs, ultimately concluding they are generally uninformative, uninspiring and boring. Unfortunately, this particular event seemed to hit new benchmarks in all categories. As I pondered the value of the entire exercise, a few things occurred to me:

1) So much of the routine political minutiae that is built into our system is of little or no redeeming value whatsoever. Sure, people are scurrying about and organizing things, money is being spent and resources utilized but if you’re looking for productive results, good luck! Apparently it’s not necessary that anything actually be accomplished; what counts is that you go through the motions. Perception is everything.

2) Is it reasonable to consider that perhaps we should be doing something different? Given the dire circumstances the nation finds itself in and our accelerating rate of descent towards some economic Armageddon, perhaps something a little bolder is in order, some sort of disruption of the normal processes. How about stern demands for proper accountability, maybe some sort of defiance of the notion of federal supremacy? The age we live in demands a level of leadership that appears to have gone missing.

3) For the most part, people vote for Republicans only because Democrats are worse. When’s the last time government got smaller or spent less money? When have entire agencies or departments ever been dismantled? It’s not that Republicans actually accomplish what we want, it’s that compared to the Democrats they do less of what we don’t want. I’d say that Republican office holders understand this equation very well.

4) The fact that out of 25 million Texans, Mr. Cornyn is the best of the two people currently representing us in the U.S. Senate is not only alarming but very telling. No wonder we’re in the shape we’re in.

Indeed, the world of politics is a sad state of affairs, a surreal universe all its own. The more I am exposed to it, the more I am certain I do not belong.

At this particular time (during the presidential election cycle) it seems merely tolerating the incessant chatter that comes hand-in-hand is almost more than the reasoned mind can bear. Eight months through this torturous year and a half long process, I am convinced more than ever that election cycles are a gross misappropriation of both time and money. Surely, the collective energy can be better spent elsewhere. This seems particularly true for “conservatives”, as many of the hard-earned dollars donated to our candidate of choice end up in the hands of those who work against us.

How thrilling to realize that millions and millions of our dollars are on their way to bolster the balance sheets of television networks that spend their time attempting to convince the rest of the world that we’re stupid and evil.

Much of the rest of the money swirling around the giant political bubble goes to a cabal of consultants and handlers who do not give a hoot about the thoughts or concerns of the average American, much less their struggles.

The world outside may be on fire but nothing really changes in the political universe, which, as time passes by, appears all the more impenetrable by conventional means. Inside, all the usual players are insulated. They go on their merry way, doing exactly what it is they’ve always done.

Something has to give.

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Australian military on patrol in Afghanistan 2009, Flickr image

by David Robison | January 24, 2012 | Opinion-editorial

“Calculus of Peace” definition: Conflict only requires one participant to exist, actual peace requires all parties engaged.

It’s deep winter in the Hindu Kush and the Taliban hideaways in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Snows block the passes and mountain routes needed to carry out their insurgency against the National Government and NATO forces. Over the past 10 years, the Taliban has used winter to recruit, rebuild and re-arm, but this year there are some critical differences.  Entire Taliban units, sometimes as large as 12-15 men, have been surrendering. This has not occurred since the rapid collapse of the Taliban Control of Afghanistan in 2002.

The National Government forces are operating deep inside areas previouslyconsidered safe havens for the Taliban. Even the drug lords are finding it harder to bribe soldiers at check stops. The aggressive use of armed and unarmed drones keep eyes in the air 24/7 and that makes it difficult for insurgents to gather or move in decisive numbers to overun remote police or military garrisons. Even in light of some NATO members excelerating their exit strategy, significant US forces remain to continue the steady, intense pressure applied to Taliban forces.  The population as a whole is not enamored with the Taliban and the available fighters are spending more time working for the drugloards where the money is better.

So the Taliban are actually coming to peace tables in earnest. In addition, the high casualty rate experienced by Taliban upper management, as well as the instability in Pakistan, are forcing Taliban leadership to seek inroads with the government in order to survive. If these overtures are indeed sincere, we may be edging towards  the satisfying the calculus of peace requirement that both sides in conflict must desire peace in order for it to occur.

Whether Afghanistan can survive without conflict or not – well, that’s a different equation.

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Sultan Knish aka Daniel Greenfield has a fascinating – if that word can be used in relation to this particular specimen – analysis of Mitt Romney. In today’s piece There’s Something About Mitt Romney we find this:

“The biggest advantage that Romney brings to the ticket is the lack of a personality. That is what makes him electable in a general election. Not because he has any real depth of appeal, but because he will seem like a safe bet for a country that wants change, but is less eager to commit to radical change this time around. But that is also what makes him so unappealing in primary elections that appeal to voters who actually want a candidate to stand for something.”

Read it all at SultanKnish.blogspot.com

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Christie, advocate for northeastern RINO Mitt Romney’s candidacy for GOP nominee, went on national television calling his chief opponent Newt Gingrich “an embarrassment” and speaking as if he knew a thing or two about Gingrich’s past. Here is an audio clip of Monday’s Mark Levin show in response.

I once saw a little boy take a bug and pull its legs off one at a time. Each time he would put it down to see how it moved with only five, then four legs, etc. One might say that this is what it’s like listening to Mark Levin pick apart an object of his derision, but it’s not a fair analogy. Levin is purposeful and he uses facts, stubborn facts, to shine the dry white light of scrutiny for the benefit of his listeners.  This time he holds the governor of New Jersey under the magnifying glass. Let’s see what’s behind the smiley face, shall we?

Uploaded by MrTimotheus85 on Jan 23, 2012

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