Ramirez, you are a genius. But you KNOW that!

30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965

From the blog of Freeborn John, the following is a quotation from Sir Winston Churchill (The River War, 1899):

“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property – either as a child, a wife, or a concubine – must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

“Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die. But the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytising faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science – the science against which it had vainly struggled – the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.”

Rep. Van Taylor Announces Support for Ken Paxton for Speaker

November 30, 2010 | Press Release

AUSTIN – Representative Van Taylor (R-Plano) announced his support for his conservative colleague Rep. Ken Paxton for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

“After listening to the people in my district, it is clear they want new conservative leadership in the Texas House,” said Representative Taylor. “Representative Ken Paxton is that new leadership. He has displayed the depth of character and dedication to conservative values that Texans are demanding and that is why I support Ken Paxton for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.”

Representative Taylor was elected to represent House District 66 in a special election to replace retiring member Brian McCall. Van Taylor, 7th generation Texan, dedicated family man, successful businessman and decorated Marine Officer took the oath of office on April 20th, 2010 in Plano.

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Phillip Klein, spectator.org

Poor Richard: From today’s headlines -

Examiner Editorial: [Obama's] Federal Pay Freeze an empty gesture

Senate rejects earmark ban, 39-56

Senate advances food safety bill [outlawing home-grown vegetables]

Democrats and Republicans debated dueling amendments to strip from the health-care law a requirement that businesses report to the IRS any purchase of $600 or more. [Both versions were soundly defeated].

California counted more registered Republicans in 1988 than it does today, even though the state population has since grown by about 10 million.

“The Founders were keenly aware of the danger of a Congress divorced from the realities of the rest of the country. During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Roger Sherman of Connecticut wrote, “Representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. By remaining at the seat of government, they would acquire the habits of the place, which might differ from those of their constituents.”

“Would congressional term limits work? They seem to in states that have tried them, opening opportunities to people, including women, who might not otherwise have been able to challenge entrenched and well-funded incumbents. Opinion is clearly on the side of abbreviated terms. In September, a Fox News poll found that 78 percent of voters favored term limits for Congress.”

– Cal Thomas, Make Congress a Part-Time Job

HumanEvents | November 23, 2010 | 17 likes, 0 dislikes
HUMAN EVENTS Editor, Jason Mattera, sits with Governor Bobby Jindal in the first part of this exclusive interview.

Part 2 is here.

Hat tip Teaparty50.com

“This is why the people have thrown you out!” Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Indiana) demands recognition on the floor before a bill is improperly rammed through on Monday, November 29, 2010. The acting speaker drone – Laura Richardson (D-failed state of California), who obviously has her orders, attempts to ignore his existence in the chamber. Behold, the Age of Lawlessness!

From Freedoms Lighthouse via Mellie at Patriotic Resistance.

UPDATE: I knew Laura Richardson sounded familiar. Birds of a feather flock together….

Here, too.

Be sure to read Dan Mitchell’s comments at Big Government.

Serious Questions about the Obama Administration’s Incompetence in the Wikileaks Fiasco

by Sarah Palin | Monday, November 29, 2010 at 2:17pm | Facebook

We all applaud the successful thwarting of the Christmas-Tree Bomber and hope our government continues to do all it can to keep us safe. However, the latest round of publications of leaked classified U.S. documents through the shady organization called Wikileaks raises serious questions about the Obama administration’s incompetent handling of this whole fiasco.

First and foremost, what steps were taken to stop Wikileaks director Julian Assange from distributing this highly sensitive classified material especially after he had already published material not once but twice in the previous months? Assange is not a “journalist,” any more than the “editor” of al Qaeda’s new English-language magazine Inspire is a “journalist.” He is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands. His past posting of classified documents revealed the identity of more than 100 Afghan sources to the Taliban. Why was he not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al Qaeda and Taliban leaders?

More on Sarah’s Facebook page.

Poor Richard: No privacy, no electricity, no drilling, no coal, no home grown vegetables, no jobs, no home loans, no kidding.  Are you better off now than you were just two years ago?  The Obama Administration has had years to think up ways to game the system.

While the FCC seizes internet servers and attacks the net through the front door, the DOE restricts the power to get onto it via the back door.  If you can’t shut them up, shut them down.  Big Brother and the corrupt Police State are here.  Is it January yet?

Washington Set to Control Your Light Switch

by Tim Slagle

The next step in Green won’t even require Congressional approval. The Department of Energy recently decided they have authority over appliances in your home.

Smart Grid sounds harmless and modern, but it will be incredibly intrusive. Appliances in the future will have microchips installed; when you plug them in, they will handshake with the grid, and a central authority will determine whether that appliance deserves to get power or not. If a bureaucrat in Washington decides that it’s not hot enough for you to put on the air conditioner, your air conditioner will not work. If the Fed decides that Margaritas lead to too much trouble on Cinco de Mayo, all blenders can be disabled for the day.

They can also turn off radios, televisions and computers. In the era of electronic information, restricting the freedom of the press is as easy as turning off the light. The idea is to conserve power, but a Smart Government will be able to use the technology to retain power as well.

More at Big Government

East Texas Representatives-Elect Erwin Cain and James White Announce Support for Ken Paxton as Texas House Speaker

AUSTIN, TX-Representatives-Elect Erwin Cain (R-Como) and James White (R-Hillister) today joined other incoming and current legislators, and conservative organizations in announcing their support for Ken Paxton as Speaker of the Texas House.

White said, “In the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak at length with all three candidates for speaker and my decision is based on process rather than personality. My constituents voted decisively at the ballot box when they chose me to represent District 12by a margin of 58-42. The voters in my district have contacted me by phone, email, and mail urging me to make sure that my first vote, the selection of a speaker, reflects this new direction for which they voted. With this charge, I support Ken Paxton for Speaker because he represents the strong and uncompromising conservatism my constituents demand.”

In past legislative sessions, State Representative Ken Paxton has held firm to his fiscal and social conservatism. He is unapologetically pro-life. He has authored and supported legislation to rein in spending and promoted policies to enhance liberty in our free market system. Paxton has a long track record of fighting for conservative principles, and he will not have to move to the right to implement the agenda the voters said they want the Texas Legislature to deliver to citizens.

Cain stated, “After listening to my neighbors’ concerns, much consideration, and significant prayer, I am pleased to announce my support for Ken Paxton for Speaker of the House. East Texans elected me to champion conservative values that include fiscal responsibility, transparency, and efficiency; protection of life; preservation of gun rights; real solutions for the border; voter ID; repealing an overreaching federal government; economic development; and improving education. Those same voters now overwhelming urge me to support the most conservative and capable candidate for Speaker. The Speaker of the Texas House of Representative wields great control over House proceedings, and I am convinced that the person best suited for this post is Ken Paxton. Ken has a long history of defending conservative principles. His record reflects a fiscal discipline that is consistent with good governance, as well as an unwavering defense of life and our traditional values regarding social issues. Ken is the right captain to guide the Texas House through what will be an important and critical legislative session. He has my full confidence. I would encourage all other members and members-elect to likewise support Ken Paxton.”

Cain continued, “James White and I both represent conservative, rural East Texas districts, and I look forward to working with him on a range of important issues which effect both of our constituents.”

White added, ‘I am proud and honored to announce my support for speaker with my fellow colleague and friend Erwin Cain. Erwin and I share a common characteristic. We are both East Texans. East Texas is a unique region, with a set of unique challenges. And this requires bold and innovative leadership at all levels of government.”

State Representative-Elect James White (R) from Hillister, Texas will represent House District 12 which includes Angelina, San Jacinto, Trinity and Tyler Counties.

State Representative-Elect Erwin Cain from Como was elected to represent Texas House District 3, which includes Lamar, Hopkins, Delta, Titus, Red River and Franklin Counties.

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Hat tip The Patriot Post.

by Alice Linahan | November 29, 2010 | North Texas Navigator News

There is an “Army of Davids” banding together to put a true Conservative Republican in as Texas Speaker of the House.

In the book, Army of Davids; How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths, author Glenn Reynolds, the hugely popular Instapundit.com blogger, gives in detail the big picture of a world where “We the People” are beginning to matter more and more. This is a book worth buying and reading.

In Texas this Army of Davids are Christians, Jews and Agnostic. Some are Fiscal Conservatives, some are Social Conservatives, and many are both. They are the Tea Party Movement, and the Texas Republican Elite still do not understand their true power.  Old time politics using the media as a tool is no longer a successful strategy.  Putting out false advertising saying you are pro-life when in fact you are not, will not work. Many say the debate is not about abortion, so don’t lie about your position. They are tired of lying politicians; by lying you are drawing them together against you. These men and women seek Freedom and Limited Government, and are willing to do the hard work it takes to go around the liberal media and politician’s propaganda and hold both accountable. That is for this speaker election and the primaries to come.

As Glenn Reynolds’ states in his book “ordinary people have been able to self-organize, to take on big institutions who would rather not listen to them, and win.” These ordinary people are doing extraordinary things.

More…

The Monsanto bill — S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 is set for Senate vote today

Call Texas Senators Cornyn and Hutchison.  Let’s make sure they oppose this bill.  Texas foods home grown for Texas consumption is a state matter for Texans to regulate, not the federal government.

Poor Richard: Forget the cost.  This law is about one thing — expanding federal government overreach into your backyard garden and food you produce for yourself.  It effects small businesses and growers who cannot afford the extravagant expense of new federal government regulations, recalls, inspections and compliance in order to take their wares down the farm-to-market road and to the local Farmer’s Market for sale.

Once again, this is all about a Big Brother power grab by the federal left under the guise of “safety” and “concern” for the public welfare at the cost of state authority. It is another federal takeover, and it was primarily drafted by a Monsanto lawyer. Under S.510 homegrown food will become illegal and smuggling.  This is being done purportedly to regulate genetically-enhanced foods.

Here are a few of the things S-510 (federal control over all food production) purports to do:

• Preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes.
• It will more than likely make Michael Taylor (mentioned above) the Food Czar.
• End U.S. sovereignty over its own food supply by forcing compliance with WTO guidelines.
• Even direct sales of food between individuals could be defined as smuggling under the language of the bill.
• Codex Alimentarius, a global system of control over food and food supplements, would control all U.S. food and supplements. Access to natural food supplements would be removed under Codex rules.
• Control of all seeds would transfer to Monsanto and other global multinationals.
• The National Animal Identification System ( NAIS ) would be enacted, forcing bio-chipping and other identification and tracking methods for all animals, whether food or pets.

What is left of the American food system would be transferred into total control of Multinational Corporations under the guise of global governance.

American Thinker: The Federal Farming Power Grab Scheduled for Vote Today

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK): Detailed Concerns re S.510, published in September’s USA Today.

Eric Allie, www.townhall.com

Hat tip Poor Richard.

I am acquainted with a relative of Mr. Simpson and became aware of his recent illness. This article from the Statesman relating his exceptional contributions toward law enforcement in Texas during his lifetime is amazing and I wanted to bring his story forward to our readers.

We live in an age where following the law seems like the less intelligent option, where truth is hate speech and trouble making, where punishment for wrongdoers is equated with barbarism and is considered a dirty word. Mr. Simpson, being from a different age, seems not to have had the problem with authority with which my generation struggles. The fact that he died without seeing the country he loved and fought for vanquished is one of the many indications of God’s blessings upon him.

Our condolences are with his family during this time of mourning.

Lawyer helped close down Galveston gambling houses in 1950s

James Simpson: 1923-2010

James "Flak Bait" Simpson

James Simpson, an enterprising lawyer who in the late 1950s helped close the Galveston gambling houses that had operated openly but illegally for decades, died Saturday in Austin after a brief illness.

Simpson, 87, was a former FBI agent who moved to Galveston County and ran for district attorney in 1954 on a pledge of enforcing laws against gambling and prostitution. He lost.

Three years later, Texas Attorney General Will Wilson named Simpson a special assistant attorney general to tackle the gambling dens that built Galveston into a nationally recognized resort and tourist destination. One of the most opulent was the Balinese Room, which attracted top entertainers — including Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington and Bob Hope — to the ballroom, just a short walk through the swinging doors from the casino.

Local law enforcement turned a blind eye to the moneymaking enterprises in what became known as the “Free State of Galveston,” so Simpson employed a new weapon: civil injunctions for gambling, prostitution and liquor violations.

Simpson gathered evidence using two refinery workers acting as civilian undercover agents, and his wife, Connie, prepared search warrants and injunctions in their Texas City home to avoid courthouse informers allied with the gambling syndicates, said son-in-law Geoff Leavenworth.

Targeting the property owners, who could be jailed for contempt of court if they violated an injunction, proved more effective than seeking criminal convictions, said A.R. “Babe” Schwartz, a former state senator from Galveston who also practiced law with Simpson.

“More than anybody else, Jim was responsible for the excellence of the plan. It was the benefit of his integrity, intelligence, character — and don’t leave out courage,” said Schwartz, who now lives in Austin.

It was the end of an era as gambling enterprises, already smelling opportunity elsewhere, left for Las Vegas.

Be sure to read it all at Statesman.com

By Victor Davis Hanson | November 27, 2010 | Real Clear Politics

Excerpts from this article:

First, there is the larger effect on the sanctity of a legal system. If a guest ignores the law — and thereby often must keep breaking more laws — should citizens also have the right to similarly pick and choose which statutes they find worthy of honoring and which are too bothersome? Once it is deemed moral for the impoverished to cross a border without a passport, could not the same arguments of social justice be used for the poor of any status not to report earned income or even file a 1040 form?

Second, what is the effect of mass illegal immigration on impoverished U.S. citizens? Does anyone care? When 10 million to 15 million aliens are here illegally, where is the leverage for the American working poor to bargain with employers? If it is deemed ethical to grant in-state tuition discounts to illegal-immigrant students, is it equally ethical to charge three times as much for out-of-state, financially needy American students — whose federal government usually offers billions to subsidize state colleges and universities? If foreign nationals are afforded more entitlements, are there fewer for U.S. citizens?

Third, consider the moral ramifications on legal immigration — the traditional great strength of the American nation. What are we to tell the legal immigrant from Oaxaca who got a green card at some cost and trouble, or who, once legally in the United States, went through the lengthy and expensive process of acquiring citizenship? Was he a dupe to dutifully follow our laws?

And given the current precedent, if a million soon-to-be-impoverished Greeks, 2 million fleeing North Koreans, or 5 million starving Somalis were to enter the United States illegally and en masse, could anyone object to their unlawful entry and residence? If so, on what legal, practical or moral grounds?

Fourth, examine the morality of remittances. It is deemed noble to send billions of dollars back to families and friends struggling in Latin America. But how is such a considerable loss of income made up? Are American taxpayers supposed to step in to subsidize increased social services so that illegal immigrants can afford to send billions of dollars back across the border? What is the morality of that equation in times of recession? Shouldn’t illegal immigrants at least try to buy health insurance before sending cash back to Mexico?

The debate over illegal immigration is too often confined to costs and benefits. But ultimately it is a complicated moral issue — and one often ignored by all too many moralists.

Read it all at Real Clear Politics.

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author, most recently, of “A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War.” You can reach him by e-mailing author@victorhanson.com.

Roy Beck: We have designed this video to be shared with your relatives and friends whom you may not be sure how they will react to an appeal for lower immigration numbers.

But nearly every one of your friends and relatives is going to lose major things they love about life in the U.S. if immigration policies aren’t changed. They just may not know it yet. Will you give them a chance this weekend to see the threat we are all under?

Our latest professional video lays out in 10 minutes the practical necessity for the next Congress to start cutting legal and illegal immigration every place possible.

I really encourage you to take a few minutes to look at the video now because it will help you make sense of everything we do at NumbersUSA. And I think it will cause nearly all of you to move your immigration activism to an even higher priority.

The video was a collaborative effort of many. Even though it is my mug and voice all over it, the first viewers have been extremely enthusiastic.

Whether an American is a liberal, a conservative or a centrist, doesn’t really matter. What he/she likes most about America cannot survive the demographic tidal wave illustrated in this “Charts” video.

THANKS FOR VIEWING THE VIDEO & FORWARDING WIDELY,

Presented by author/journalist Roy Beck

Learn More http://www.NumbersUSA.org

The following dots are connected courtesy of Poor Richard. I would just like to make two points, if I may.

First, socialism is nothing but a mechanism for rogues and thieves in the guise of unqualified administrators to rob the treasury. What is being done in the name of “America” is a farce. The administrators in Washington are not America, the people of the country who follow the laws and pay their taxes are. It’s long past time to get off the sofa, turn off the TV or X-box and do our civic duty of “holding them accountable.”

Second, Ayn Rand defined these failures in social engineering thus:

There is no difference between communism and socialism, except in the means of achieving the same ultimate end: communism proposes to enslave men by force, socialism—by vote. It is merely the difference between murder and suicide.

“Foreign Policy Drains U.S. of Main Weapon,” Los Angeles Times, Sept. 9, 1962, G2

There is much more here and well worth your time.

Lessons for a socialist American president

“Germany cannot keep paying for bail-outs without going bankrupt itself,” said Professor Wilhelm Hankel, of Frankfurt University. “This is frightening people. You cannot find a bank safe deposit box in Germany because every single one has already been taken and stuffed with gold and silver. It is like an underground Switzerland within our borders. People have terrible memories of 1948 and 1923 when they lost their savings.”

Financial Crisis – The reality of austerity cutbacks pointedly illustrate socialism’s failed policies, and the dominos continue to fall…  Greece, France, Ireland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Italy –  Who’s next?

Dependency creates Fear.  “Anti-Austerity” protests started in Athens, Greece when the insolvent government announced it had no choice but to cut spending and entitlements.

Austerity cuts dominoed.  Labor protested raising the retirement age in France

Belgium and Italy faced their own cutbacks and more European labor unions protested.

Thousands protest against Irish bailout

More than 100,000 people gather in Dublin to demonstrate against four-year austerity plan to reduce debts. More…

It became a crisis in Ireland — Thousands of demonstrators march through Dublin to protest against budget cuts and an EU-IMF bailout. Photograph: Peter Morrison/AP

Portugal and Spain face their own cutbacks

Ireland bail-out: Portugal and Spain are braced for the debt storm

The sovereign debt crisis is once again gathering into a hurricane. Having devastated Ireland, the storm is now heading for Portugal and Spain.

EU rescue costs start to threaten Germany itself

The escalating debt crisis on the eurozone periphery is starting to contaminate the creditworthiness of Germany and the core states of monetary union.

Chancellor Angela Merkel would risk popular fury if she had to raise fresh funds for eurozone debtors at a time of welfare cuts in Germany.

History Lesson:

The Collapse of Communism: The Untold Story – NewZeal.blogspot.com