36 LIBERALISM HAS CAUSED FINANCIAL MORTGAGE CRISIS! BAILOUT BILL DETAILS! NANCY PELOSI, JOHN McCAIN, BARACK OBAMA

Hat Tip to Lonnie@ ConservativeVoiceUSAConservatism works every time it is tried. Liberalism fails every time its tried. 700 billion bailot bill. Democrat leadership tries to sneak in slush fund.

Let Sarah - Be Sarah: Warning to Joe Biden: McCain Has Released the Barracuda

September 29, 2008
OP-ED COLUMNIST
How McCain Wins

By WILLIAM KRISTOL
John McCain is on course to lose the presidential election to Barack Obama. Can he turn it around, and surge to victory?

He has a chance. But only if he overrules those of his aides who are trapped by conventional wisdom, huddled in a defensive crouch and overcome by ideological timidity.

The conventional wisdom is that it was a mistake for McCain to go back to Washington last week to engage in the attempt to craft the financial rescue legislation, and that McCain has to move on to a new topic as quickly as possible. As one McCain adviser told The Washington Post, “you’ve got to get it [the financial crisis] over with and start having a normal campaign.”

Wrong.

McCain’s impetuous decision to return to Washington was right. The agreement announced early Sunday morning is better than Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s original proposal, and better than the deal the Democrats claimed was close on Thursday. Assuming the legislation passes soon, and assuming it reassures financial markets, McCain will be able to take some credit.

But the goal shouldn’t be to return to “a normal campaign.” For these aren’t normal times.

We face a real financial crisis. Usually the candidate of the incumbent’s party minimizes the severity of the nation’s problems. McCain should break the mold and acknowledge, even emphasize the crisis. He can explain that dealing with it requires candor and leadership of the sort he’s shown in his career. McCain can tell voters we’re almost certainly in a recession, and things will likely get worse before they get better.

And McCain can note that the financial crisis isn’t going to be solved by any one piece of legislation. There are serious economists, for example, who think we could be on the verge of a huge bank run. Congress may have to act to authorize the F.D.I.C. to provide far greater deposit insurance, and the secretary of the Treasury to protect money market funds. McCain can call for Congress to stand ready to pass such legislation. He can say more generally that in the tough times ahead, we’ll need a tough president willing to make tough decisions.

With respect to his campaign, McCain needs to liberate his running mate from the former Bush aides brought in to handle her — aides who seem to have succeeded in importing to the Palin campaign the trademark defensive crouch of the Bush White House. McCain picked Sarah Palin in part because she’s a talented politician and communicator. He needs to free her to use her political talents and to communicate in her own voice.

I’m told McCain recently expressed unhappiness with his staff’s handling of Palin. On Sunday he dispatched his top aides Steve Schmidt and Rick Davis to join Palin in Philadelphia. They’re supposed to liberate Palin to go on the offensive as a combative conservative in the vice-presidential debate on Thursday.

That debate is important. McCain took a risk in choosing Palin. If she does poorly, it will reflect badly on his judgment. If she does well, it will be a shot in the arm for his campaign.

In the debate, Palin has to dispatch quickly any queries about herself, and confidently assert that of course she’s qualified to be vice president. She should spend her time making the case for McCain and, more important, the case against Obama. As one shrewd McCain supporter told me, “Every minute she spends not telling the American people something that makes them less well disposed to Obama is a minute wasted.”

The core case against Obama is pretty simple: he’s too liberal. A few months ago I asked one of McCain’s aides what aspect of Obama’s liberalism they thought they could most effectively exploit. He looked at me as if I were a simpleton, and patiently explained that talking about “conservatism” and “liberalism” was so old-fashioned.

Maybe. But the fact is the only Democrats to win the presidency in the past 40 years — Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton — distanced themselves from liberal orthodoxy. Obama is, by contrast, a garden-variety liberal. He also has radical associates in his past.

The most famous of these is the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and I wonder if Obama may have inadvertently set the stage for the McCain team to reintroduce him to the American public. On Saturday, Obama criticized McCain for never using in the debate Friday night the words “middle class.” The Obama campaign even released an advertisement trumpeting McCain’s omission.

The McCain campaign might consider responding by calling attention to Chapter 14 of Obama’s eloquent memoir, “Dreams From My Father.” There Obama quotes from the brochure of Reverend Wright’s church — a passage entitled “A Disavowal of the Pursuit of Middleclassness.”

So when Biden goes on about the middle class on Thursday, Palin might ask Biden when Obama flip-flopped on Middleclassness.

American Minute - Sept. 30 - Ben Franklin and preacher George Whitefield

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Seven times he preached in America to crowds of 25,000, spreading the Great Awakening Revival, which helped unite the Colonies prior to the Revolution.

Ben Franklin wrote in his Autobiography:

"He preached one evening from the top of the Court-house steps...Streets were filled with his hearers...I had the curiosity to learn how far he could be heard by retiring backwards down the street...and found his voice distinct till I came near Front-street."

Franklin was describing George Whitefield, who died SEPTEMBER 30, 1770.

Franklin wrote of George Whitefield:

"Multitudes of all denominations attended his sermons...It was wonderful to see."

Ben Franklin printed George Whitefield's sermons and financed construction of the largest building in Philadelphia for his meetings, which later became the first building of the University of Pennsylvania.

Franklin wrote to George Whitefield:

"I sometimes wish you and I were jointly employed by the Crown to settle a colony on the Ohio...a strong body of religious and industrious people!...

Might it not greatly facilitate the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly see in our Indian traders?"

No its NOT "Chicago Muslim Busted - Fake IDs, Passports, etc."

Story found at Homeland Security National Terror Alert website:

http://www.nationalterroralert.com/up...

Fake Passports, ID's, Social Security cards and Cash Seized from Illinois Muslim (Mohammed Afzal Sodagar) - Held On $3 Million Bail.

Barack's Bracelet Was Worn Against Family's Wishes & Obama Even Screws Up Patriots Name

For Background see Family Told Obama NOT To Wear Soldier Son’s Bracelet…

McCain Palin Rally Columbus, OH - 9/29/08

McCain Palin Rally Columbus, OH
9/29/08 - Part 1

McCain Palin Rally Columbus, OH
9/29/08 - Part 2

Colorado Democracy Alliance - Exposed Part 1

Hat Tip to Brad @ Face The State

DOCUMENTS PROVIDE WINDOW
INTO DEMOCRATS' POWERFUL
"DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE"
Face The State Staff Report

Documents obtained by Face The State provide new insight into the secretive organization behind Colorado Democrats' historic takeover of state government in 2006. The Colorado Democracy Alliance, a membership organization that steers millions of dollars toward "progressive" organizations, brings together the state's most influential liberal politicians, consultants and fundraisers under a single umbrella.

In a week-long series, FTS is making public for the first time internal documents outlining CoDA's structure, financing and deep connections with Colorado's top Democrats.

Today in the Face The State Reading Room:
A "confidential" CoDA document outlines the organization's financial structure (PDF), including a three-tiered membership dues schedule in which organizational members such as the Colorado Education Association commit a minimum of $400,000 annually toward far-left politics (PDF). CoDA's stated "core functions" include bringing together major liberal donors and shaping "short- and medium-term electoral and policy goals."

While CoDA is a "taxable non-profit organization and is not aligned with any political party," documents obtained by FTS show no sign of any support for non-Democrat politicians or candidates.

Alliance membership brings with it the expectation of major support for political organizations including "strategic C3's, C4's and non-federal 527's," the three most common tax classifications for political advocacy groups. Donations are also to be made directly to "targeted state legislative and statewide candidates" as well as "all Colorado federal races in the current cycle."

CoDA is also designed to oversee infrastructure supported by its members. A list of services provided by the Alliance includes "assist[ing] in the coordination of the activities of progressive organizations."

A list of funding recommendations for CoDA members (PDF) includes a number of entrenched liberal campaign organizations including MainStreet Colorado, state House Democrats' 527, as well as Moving Colorado Forward, a similar group for Senate Democrats. Donors were also encouraged to give directly to the gubernatorial campaign of then-Denver DA Bill Ritter and a variety of 527 organizations backing the his election.

Donors are also encouraged to give to including the Colorado Progressive Coalition, which "works in low-come (sic)" areas and the Voter Information and Registration Project targeting African-Americans.

An undated roster (PDF) includes well-known members of the "Gang of Four," a group of well-heeled multi-millionaires responsible for funding much of Colorado's liberal infrastructure. The list includes a relative newcomer to Colorado politics, Tom Congdon, who has directed much of his profits from oil and gas investments into "progressive" causes. Pat Stryker, the Fort Collins heiress to the Stryker medical devices fortune and a member of the "Gang of Four," is the signatory to a draft of a fundraising letter to Alliance members (PDF).

Barack Hussein Obama Exposed-More Lies, Gaffes & Backtracks

Obama Tied To Financial Meltdown

Blogs4Borders! 092908

Weekly vlog/podcast on illegal immigration and border security. In this weeks edition...

Vigilance Dispatch: Everyone is talking about the massive bailouts. How has illegal immigration fed into the financial crisis that Washington plans to fix using our taxpayer dollars?

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders, when will the madness end?

American Minute - Sept. 29 - Squanto, "a special instrument sent of God" for Pilgrims

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Governor William Bradford called him "a special instrument sent of God."

Of 102 Pilgrims that landed November 1620, only half survived till spring - then appeared Squanto.

William Bradford wrote:

"Squanto was a native of these parts...one of the few survivors of the plague...He was carried away with others by one Hunt, a captain of a ship, who intended to sell them for slaves in Spain; but he got away for England, and was received by a merchant in London, employed in Newfoundland...and lastly brought into these parts by a Captain Dermer."

Bradford continued

"Squanto stayed with them and was their interpreter...He showed them how to plant corn, where to take fish and other commodities, and guided them to unknown places...

Nor was there a man among them who had ever seen a beaver skin till they were instructed by Squanto."

Bradford wrote that in LATE SEPTEMBER 1622:

"Winds drove their boat in...they could not get round the shoals of Cape Cod...so they put into Manamoick Bay...Here Squanto fell ill of Indian fever, bleeding much at the nose, which the Indians take for a symptom of death...

He begged the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen's God in Heaven...His death was a great loss."

Could This Week Decide the Election?

Could This Week Decide the Election?

By Shane D'Aprile

Tuesday marks the start of early voting in Ohio-the state that held the key to the presidential election four years ago. In a place where voting issues have become the norm, some estimates have early voters comprising more than 35 percent of Ohio's total electorate this year. If so, it would be more than enough to swing the state to Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain.

"Truth is, it's a bit of a work in progress here," says Democrat and longtime Ohio political consultant Jerry Austin. This is the first presidential election for which the state will allow early voting, and Austin says there's just not enough history to provide candidates and campaigns with much of a game plan.

"The biggest thing it forces you to do," says Austin, "is to allocate a lot of resources now, as opposed to leaving it all for the last three weeks of the race."

Across the country the frequency of early voting has increased dramatically over the past three election cycles as more states have moved toward no-excuse absentee voting. That means that tens of thousands of voters no longer need a legitimate reason to cast an absentee ballot.

One wrinkle to the early voting process in Ohio this year is a rule that will allow new voters to register and actually cast an early vote on the same day. Early voting in Ohio is set to begin Tuesday, but the state's registration deadline isn't until Oct. 6. During that six-day period, Ohio's Democratic secretary of state has ruled that residents can register and immediately cast a vote. It has resulted in a lawsuit from the state GOP, which says the rule raises the specter of fraud.

Ohio's state Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether the early voting process can move forward as planned sometime Monday.

The Obama campaign, meanwhile, is preparing to take advantage of the 6-day window with younger voters, particularly those on college campuses. The primary focus is Ohio State University, which has more than 50,000 students. The campaign is also concentrating on urban areas and other parts of the state where the likelihood of securing early votes for Obama is high.

Rock the Vote has plans for an Ohio bus tour to raise awareness of the early voting window that runs mostly through the state's urban areas and major college towns.

"The fact that [Ohio] has this golden window is something [Democrats] are seeing as a great opportunity to encourage folks to get out and vote early," says Christine Pelosi, a Democratic organizer. "The other benefit is that if you can get your supporters out now, before the final blitz of negativity, you can counter some of the voter suppression that comes in the form of negative campaigning during the last few weeks."

From a grassroots perspective, one of the keys to early voting is voter education. Pelosi says the greatest early voting hurdle tends to be unawareness of the rules. That's particularly the case in a state like Ohio, where the 6-day window breeds uncertainty.

"It's confusing," she says. "It made my eyes pop and I do this for a living. So, I can imagine the reaction of the average voter."

The McCain campaign, too, is rounding up early voters in Ohio, and says it's not ceding the playing field to Obama. The McCain-Palin ticket will be in Columbus, Ohio for a Monday morning rally.

Republican Phillip Stutts says that while on paper the Obama campaign has the organizing advantage, the McCain campaign boasts an Ohio grassroots staff that has worked together for more than one election cycle, and has executed early voting plans in the form of absentee balloting in previous years.

Of course, Ohio is far from the only key state where early voting will exert a major impact on the final vote. Early voting estimates are just as high in states like Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Florida, where between 30 and 40 percent of the total electorate is expected to cast early or mail-in votes.

In 2004, says Stutts, the early voting focus in the Bush campaign was on reliable voters. Stutts was the national director of the Bush campaign's highly successful 72-hour plan.

"We had an early vote strategy for every state in 2004, because you had to deal with different rules and regulations in just about every state," he says. "We tried to turn out our reliable voters early, which allowed us to spend the last week or so getting the less reliable voters out."

As for exactly who votes early, it's hard to identify any real pattern, says John Fortier of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank. Based on past statistics, early voting doesn't appear to advantage one party over another, but Fortier says research does show that early voters are more partisan than the rest of the electorate.

In the end, says Stutts, early voting likely means that the next two weeks are just as important as Election Day for the GOTV operations of both campaigns.

"You could have a third of the entire electorate that has already voted by Election Day," he says. "So the best early vote strategy could really decide this entire election."

sdaprile@politicsmagazine.com

New Mexico Secretary of State on ACORN Fraud

LaRita Aragon Named Journal Record's 2008 Woman of the Year

Maj. Gen. LaRita A. Aragon (USAF Ret), director of advanced programs at the OU College of Continuing Education in Norman, was named winner of the Journal Record's 2008 Woman of the Year.

The announcement came at a black-tie banquet Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Aragon became the first female commander of the Oklahoma Air National Guard when she assumed command of the 137th Services Flight.

A former Oklahoma City school principal, she began work for the guard full-time in 1997.

She served as assistant to the commander of air education and training for the U.S. Air Force at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and then as assistant to the chief of staff of Staff Manpower and Personnel at the Pentagon. She is a native of Dale, OK., and is of Choctaw descent.

Chesapeake Execs Flood Roth With Cash

Anybody think its odd that
Denise Bode,
now work for a
Aubrey McClendon/Chesapeake Energy PUPPET ?

Funny how things work out. LOL

Chesapeake's employees
big givers in race
By MICK HINTON AND TOM LINDLEY World Capitol Bureau

OKLAHOMA CITY — Employees of Chesapeake Energy Corp., the state's largest natural gas producer, have sunk more than $100,000 into Jim Roth's bid to retain his seat on the state Corporation Commission, an analysis by the Tulsa World shows.

More than 80 Chesapeake employees have contributed at least $1,000 each to the campaign of Roth, a Democrat running against Republican Dana Murphy.

Roth sided with Chesapeake in a key vote last October involving construction of a coal-fired power plant.

"I've never had a contributor ask for anything in return and they must know that they would never get it,'' Roth said.

With five weeks to go before the Nov. 4 election, Roth's fundraising efforts already have set a record for a Corporation Commission race and could reach $1 million before it's over.

A former Oklahoma County commissioner, Roth was appointed to the three-member Corporation Commission by Gov. Brad Henry last year after Denise Bode resigned. Roth and Murphy, an Edmond lawyer and former administrative law judge for the commission, are vying to fill the remaining two years of Bode's term.

Through the Aug. 11 campaign reporting period, Roth had raised $884,143.18 and had $652,805.89 to spend. Murphy had raised $324,307.30 through the same period but only reported a balance of $60,965 after winning a Republican Party primary battle against Rob Johnson of Kingfisher.

Roth's campaign has received maximum $5,000 contributions from a number of prominent Democrats and Republicans, including Tulsa oilman George Kaiser; Clay Bennett, chairman of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise; Enid oilman Harold Hamm; Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor; former University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer; and oilman (T.) Boone Pickens.

Other Tulsans who have given $5,000 contributions to Roth's campaign are David Chernicky, George Krumme, Janet McGehee, Robert Price, Stuart Price, Joe Robson and Stacy Schusterman.

So far, 104 Chesapeake employees have contributed $100,675, including 82 who have given Roth $1,000 each, often on the same day, according to reports filed with the state Ethics Commission.

Aubrey McClendon, chairman and CEO of Chesapeake, gave a maximum contribution of $5,000, as did Energy for Oklahomans, a political action committee for the company.

Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Chesapeake is Oklahoma's largest natural gas producer and the third-largest overall producer of natural gas in the United States.

Last year, McClendon led a campaign against the proposed Red Rock coal-fired power plant. Two of the state's largest utilities, American Electric Power-Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., wanted to build the plant.

Roth and Commissioner Jeff Cloud voted to deny pre-approval of the plant, which effectively stopped the project.

Roth said the Red Rock debate was not about which fuel should be used to generate electricity. Rather, he said, it was about whether ratepayers should be asked to pay for the costs of the plant before it was put into operation.

"When I stood up to the utilities and said no to their $2 billion plan and advocated using Oklahoma fuel for Oklahomans, I'm sure that it did attract support of employees and businesses here in Oklahoma because they know I'm working for Oklahoma," Roth said.

State and federal law prohibits corporations from contributing to candidates, although individual employees can, as long as they are not coerced into giving and their giving is not carried out by the corporation itself.

Marilyn Hughes, executive director of the Ethics Commission, said that when employers start specifying amounts and to whom, it might appear that an employee's job is dependent on making a contribution.

"I do think that giving the exact amount, giving it on the same day to the same candidate would be facts that would have to be considered to determine whether there was coercion," she said.

Tom Price, Chesapeake's vice president of communications, said Thursday that his corporation is careful to follow the law regarding campaign giving.

"I am extraordinarily proud of the fact that our employees get involved in the political process," he said.

Price said it was the perspective of many Chesapeake employees that Murphy had not been fair in her rulings as an administrative law judge at the Corporation Commission.

In response, Murphy asked: "What do people from the financial department and human relations know about me?"

Price also said Chesapeake employees supported Cloud in his 2002 race against Murphy.

In 2002, Cloud received $37,800 from Chesapeake employees, campaign reports filed with the state Ethics Commission show. Cloud has received $12,500 from Chesapeake employees so far this year.

Price said he finds Roth to be "an analytical and sophisticated decision maker who works as hard as any public official that I have ever had engagement with."

Roth and Murphy are involved in a hard-fought race dominated by contributions from donors associated with the oil and gas industry, which is regulated by the commission along with public utilities, telephone companies and interstate transportation. The regulated industries are traditionally among the largest donors in previous commission races.

Roth said he has strong support from people all across Oklahoma in every type of job because he "has been working very hard for a year and a half to serve Oklahoma."

He said he is building a large campaign fund because "the work is important and a positive message always costs more in a tough political environment."

Murphy said her grassroots campaign features contributors chiefly from independent oil and gas producers who often have five or fewer employees.

"I think it is fascinating that my opponent says he is a consumer advocate when it appears the majority of his money comes from the wealthy," she said.

In the other commission race, Cloud, a Republican who was born in Tulsa and now lives in Oklahoma City, is competing against former state representative Charles Gray, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, in a race for a six-year term. Cloud raised $313,055.90 through Aug. 11, compared with $17,728 for Gray.

Oklahoma Cleta Deatherage Mitchell Battles "Cry Baby" Obama Over NRA Ads

Hat Tip to Mike @ The McCarville Report Online

Former Oklahoma House member Cleta (Deatherage) Mitchell is in the middle of a battle between Barack Obama and radio and television stations airing anti-Obama commercials placed by the National Rifle Association.

Mitchell, who as a Democrat in the State House (House Dist. 44, Norman)once chaired the powerful appropriations committee, moved to Washington to practice law years ago. She now represents the NRA and is on the organization's board of directors.

The Obama "Cry Baby" campaign has written radio and television stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio, pressing them to refuse to air the NRA commercial. "This advertisement knowingly misleads your viewing audience about Senator Obama's position on the Second Amendment," says the letter from Obama general counsel Bob Bauer. "For the sake of both FCC licensing requirements and the public interest, your station should refuse to continue to air this advertisement."

The ad, "Hunter," compares Obama's anti-gun stances of the 1990s with his current, more pro-gun, stand. NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam, who provided the letter, said it shows clear evidence that the ads are "hurting him," and stood by their substance. He also provided a copy of the NRA's own letter to the stations from Mitchell and a memo disputing The Post story. He also said the radio ad is running only in Pennsylvania at the moment.

Barack Obama - "bitter gun owners"

Obama says rural voters are bitter and cling to guns

Barack Obama Lies About Henry Kissinger At Debate

Hat Tip to George @ PascoGOPBarack Obama lies about Henry Kissinger during the first debate with John McCain Sept. 26, 2008 at "Ole' Miss." Obama is caught and reprimanded by Kissinger.

LA Times: Palin to boost GOP in California legislative and congressional races

Palin may give GOP a boost
in California legislative
and congressional contests

McCain's chances of a win in the state are low,
polls show, but his running mate could lift turnout in other races.

By Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Republicans who gathered in Anaheim on Saturday sought to translate their enthusiasm for the general election ticket -- specifically for vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin -- into gains in November.

In the hotel meeting rooms where the three-day state GOP convention was underway, talk bubbled about Palin. T-shirts bearing her likeness flew off the shelves -- including one with Palin's face imposed over the classic Rosie-the-Riveter pose. At least half a dozen delegates bought the $368 frame-less glasses popularized by the Alaska governor, who smiled down on them from the framed cover of Time magazine.

Late in the day, the silent auction of commemorative plaques featuring Republican notables offered loud testimony to her new place in the party: Ronald Reagan's was going for $90. John McCain's was going for $100.

And Sarah Palin's was at $200 and counting.

Shellie Whalen, a Yorba Linda mother and volunteer turned entrepreneur with her own "Palin Power" line of shirts, said that she hadn't felt a strong affinity for McCain until his selection of the Alaska governor as his running mate. In Palin, she said, she saw herself.

"She embraces her femininity, her motherhood," she said. "But she's got teeth. Just like the rest of us."

A statewide poll this week underscored the effect Palin has had on the Republican base. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, GOP satisfaction with their presidential choice has doubled since Palin joined the ticket.

Unfortunately for McCain, that has not translated into gains against Democrat Barack Obama in California, which has gone to the Democratic presidential candidate in the last four presidential elections.

Still, state Republicans were rejoicing at the possibilities. Thomas G. Del Beccaro, the state party vice chairman, said new volunteers were streaming in faster than at any time since the 2003 recall election.
Republicans, he said, were hopeful that a resulting increase in voters would help the party in legislative and congressional races where they might not have been as competitive otherwise.

"Two months ago it was slowly growing, and then it exploded" once Palin was named, he said. "Like throwing a match into a barn."

Former Gov. Pete Wilson, who spoke to delegates Saturday, praised Palin as "a woman of some considerable spunk."

"She's got guts," he said. "And she's also got intelligence."

At the same time he was praising Palin, who has been governor for less than two years, he was skewering Obama, a four-year senator, as too inexperienced to go toe-to-toe with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and other world leaders.

"This is not someone who is ready to deal with someone like Putin," Wilson said of Obama. Asked later how he squared his criticism of Obama and praise of Palin, Wilson cited her executive experience.

Wilson, no stranger to fierce political fights, accused Obama of underhanded campaign tactics.

He did not offer examples, but described the Illinois Democrat as "someone who has adhered to a time-honored Democratic philosophy -- too often a philosophy that translates into, I think, the most divisive and cynical class warfare."

Wilson came under the same criticism after leading battles against illegal immigration and affirmative action.

Obama spokesman Gabriel Sanchez dismissed Wilson's claims. "Pete Wilson is the grand-daddy of divisive politics in California, " he said.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Family Told Obama NOT To Wear Soldier Son’s Bracelet…

Hat Tip to Warner Todd Huston @ Voice of Liberty
Barack Obama played the “me too” game during the Friday debates on September 26 after Senator John McCain mentioned that he was wearing a bracelet with the name of Cpl. Matthew Stanley, a resident of New Hampshire and a soldier that lost his life in Iraq in 2006. Obama said that he too had a bracelet.

After fumbling and straining to remember the name, he revealed that his had the name of Sergeant Ryan David Jopek of Merrill, Wisconsin.

Shockingly, however, Madison resident Brian Jopek, the father of Ryan Jopek, the young soldier who tragically lost his life to a roadside bomb in 2006, recently said on a Wisconsin Public Radio show that his family had asked Barack Obama to stop wearing the bracelet with his son’s name on it. Yet Obama continues to do so despite the wishes of the family.

Radio host Glenn Moberg of the show “Route 51″ asked Mr. Jopek, a man who believes in the efforts in Iraq and is not in favor of Obama’s positions on the war, what he and his ex-wife think of Obama continually using their son’s name on the campaign trail.

Jopek began by saying that his ex-wife was taken aback, even upset, that Obama has made the death of her son a campaign issue. Jopek says his wife gave Obama the bracelet because “she just wanted Mr. Obama to know Ryan’s name.” Jopek went on to say that “she wasn’t looking to turn it into a big media event” and “just wanted it to be something between Barack Obama and herself.” Apparently, they were all shocked it became such a big deal.

But, he also said that his ex-wife has refused further interviews on the matter and that she wanted Obama to stop wearing the reminder of her son’s sacrifice that he keeps turning into a campaign soundbyte. This begins at about 10 minutes into the radio program. (Download radio show HERE)

TRANSCRIPT

Brian Jopek: Because of some of the negative feedback she’s gotten on the Internet, you know Internet blogs, you know people accusing her of… or accusing Obama of trying to get votes doing it… and that sort of thing.

Radio Host Moberg: Yeah

Jopek: She has turned down any subsequent interviews with the media because she just didn’t want it to get turned into something that it wasn’t. She had told me in an email that she had asked, actually asked Mr. Obama to not wear the bracelet any more at any of his public appearances. Which I don’t think he’s…

Moberg: It has been a while since he’s brought it up.

Jopek: Right. But, the other night I was watching the news and he was on, uh, speaking somewhere and he was still wearing it on his right wrist. I could see it on his right wrist. So, that’s his own choice. I mean that’s something Barack Obama, that’s a choice that he continues to wear it despite Tracy asking him not to… Because she is a Barack Obama supporter and she didn’t want to do anything to sabotage his campaign, so, if he’s still wearing the bracelet then, uh, that of course is entirely up to him.

Moberg: Maybe there’s a difference between wearing it and making a point to bring it up in your speeches?

Even the snow job that the radio host tried to pull off to cover for Barack’s refusing the wishes of the family of the KIA soldier who’s bracelet he wears doesn’t pass the smell test.

After all, now that Obama has made it a big point in the debates, I guess the silent observance of Sgt. Jopek is no longer so silent and Obama is back to exploiting the death of a soldier even when he was asked NOT to do so by that soldier’s parents.

To pile insult onto injury here, the Mother doesn’t even want to force the issue of telling Obama to stop exploiting her son. Obama is not only taking advantage of this brave soldier’s death, he is taking advantage of the good wishes of the man’s Mother.

This all makes Obama look pretty calculating and blood chillingly callous, doesn’t it?

And, why is the media not playing this story? The radio show on which this interview is heard happened all the way back in March. How is it the media missed this? Is it because they are also don’t want to hurt Obama’s campaign?

I can only say that if the parents of the soldier whose bracelet John McCain is wearing had said in public that they want him to stop wearing their son’s bracelet the news would have been coast to coast, and wall to wall, not just ignored in Madison, Wisconsin.

Obama’s use of this soldier that fell in the line of duty is tainted by his ambition and callousness. And the media is letting him get away with it.

38 FIRST DEBATE: JOHN McCAIN NAILS BARACK OBAMA ON PAKISTAN! HILLARY CLINTON & CHRIS DODD LECTURE OBAMA "YOU ARE WRONG"! OBAMA: PAKISTAN PREPARING FOR

hat Tip to my YouTube Buddy Lonnie @ ConservativeVoiceUSABarack Obama gets nailed hard by John McCain about his invade Pakistan comments. Obama tries to lie his way out of it. No way. Lonnie got the facts here in this video.

American Minute - Sept. 28 - Louis Pasteur

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

He developed vaccines for rabies and anthrax, revolutionized medicine with his germ theory of disease, and laid the foundation for the control of tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria and tetanus.

While Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at Lille University in France, he developed the process of "Pasteurization" of milk.

This was Louis Pasteur, who died SEPTEMBER 28, 1895.

President Eisenhower wrote January 8, 1954:

"Pasteurization of milk has prevented countless epidemics and saved thousands of lives."

President Johnson stated April 7, 1966:

"Years ago Louis Pasteur said, 'I hold the unconquerable belief that science and peace will triumph over ignorance and war; that nations will come together not to destroy, but to construct; and that the future belongs to those who accomplish most for humanity.'"

President George H.W. Bush stated February 13, 1989:

"You know, Louis Pasteur once said: 'Chance favors only the prepared mind.'...For America to be prepared for the future, our children must be educated."

Dr. Louis Pasteur wrote:

"The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator...

There is something in the depths of our souls which tells us that the world may be more than a mere combination of events."

Home Creations (aka Iran Creations) offers voter registration

For background see:
Radical Islamic backing HB1804 Author’s
Opponent in 2008 Primaries ?

Home Creations (aka Iran Creations) is offering voter registration at any of its metro show homes through Oct. 3.

The show homes in Edmond, Oklahoma City, Yukon, Moore, Norman, Midwest City and Del City are open daily until 6 p.m. A map with addresses and directions may be found at www.homecreations.com.

"We want to make the voter registration process as easy as possible for our homeowners who may not have had the chance to register with their new address, said Sales Director Anita Wagoner. "We also invite the general public to stop by our 18 locations and make sure their voice is heard on Election Day." ?

For more information, call 364-9999.

ICE Fugitive Operations Teams arrest 63 aliens in Oklahom

Hat Tip both to zTruth and Borderfi Rereport





U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Friday that its local teams of officers arrested 63 fugitive aliens and other immigration violators here and in surrounding communities as part of a five-day operation that ended Wednesday.

"Fugitive aliens" are illegal aliens who fail to appear for their immigration hearings, or who abscond after having been ordered to leave the country by a federal immigration judge.

Two local fugitive operations teams and other area officers began the Operation Sept. 20, and made the arrests in the following seven Oklahoma communities: Oklahoma City, Norman, Harrah, Mustang, Edmond, Chickasha, Jones and other surrounding areas.

Those arrested are from the following eight countries: El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Nicaragua, Cambodia, Ghana, Guatemala and Honduras. The fugitive operations teams and other officers that coordinated their efforts in this latest west Oklahoma operation are based in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla., and Lubbock, Texas.

"Our Fugitive Operations Teams are specially trained and solely dedicated to target fugitive aliens to help maintain the integrity of the immigration system," said Nuria T. Prendes, field office director of the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Dallas, Texas. "If you ignore a judge's order of removal, ICE will find you, arrest you, and you will be returned to your home country."

Forty five of those arrested had final orders of deportation; 18 were immigration violators encountered during the course of the targeted operation. Nine of those arrested had criminal convictions, which included: voluntary manslaughter, possessing and distributing controlled substances, grand larceny, extortion, assault, burglary, larceny and drunken driving. Two of those arrested are gang members. Two other gang members had nine outstanding state warrants; they were released to the Oklahoma City Police department to first resolve their pending charges. The Oklahoma City Police Department collaborated with arresting the violent criminal targets.

During the first 11 months of fiscal year 2008, which began Oct. 1, the local ICE Fugitive Operations Teams in the area covered by the Dallas ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations have made 1,493 arrests. Of this total, 1,203 were fugitive aliens who had failed to comply with their outstanding deportation orders; 290 - including 32 with criminal convictions - were encountered by the ICE Fugitive Operations Teams during their targeted arrests. This office oversees the State of Oklahoma, and 128 counties in north Texas.

ICE established its National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP) in 2003 to eliminate the nation's backlog of immigration fugitives and ensure that deportation orders handed down by immigration judges are enforced. Today, ICE has 95 Fugitive Operations Teams deployed across the country. Another Oklahoma Fugitive Operations Team is scheduled to open in Tulsa in October.

So far this year, ICE's NFOP has made more than 30,000 arrests nationwide, which included more than 23,000 fugitives. Additionally, in 2007 and for the first time in history, the nation's fugitive alien population declined and continues to do so, in large part because of the work of the NFOP. Estimates now place the number of immigration fugitives in the United States at about 570,000, a decrease of nearly 25,000 since October 2007.

ICE's Fugitive Operations Program is an integral part of the comprehensive multi-year plan launched by the Department of Homeland Security to secure America's borders and reduce illegal migration. That strategy seeks to gain operational control of both the northern and southern borders, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly and efficiently.

Hoo-ah: Army Honors John Warner & Duncan Hunter

Hat Tip to a
Great Oklahoma Blogger RED STATER

SecArmy hosts retirement for
Armed Services Committee chairmen

BY Alex McVeighARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, Sept. 25, 2008) -- Secretary of the Army Pete Geren hosted an Armed Forces retirement ceremony Wednesday afternoon for former chairmen of both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, Sen. John Warner of Virginia and Congressman Duncan Hunter of California.

The two men worked together on many defense bills, officials said, that contributed to strengthening America's armed forces into what they are today.

Ceremonial units from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard were present, along with the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own," who performed a brief pre-ceremony concert.

With the downtown Washington D.C. skyline behind them and a billowing American flag above them, the joint services color guard slowly marched onto the field just prior to the arrival of the official party.

Geren started off the ceremony by speaking volumes about what both men had accomplished in their years of service.

Between their military time and their legislative careers, their combined years of service was over three quarters of a century, Geren said.

"These leaders have served our nation over many decades, in and out of uniform, in times of war and times of peace," he said. "It is a privilege and a pleasure to honor them today, and to celebrate the partnership between our military and our congress, a partnership that has served our nation well."

Hunter served in the Army beginning in 1969, and served in Vietnam with the Army Rangers' 75th Regiment. He participated in 24 helicopter assaults, and was awarded the bronze star among other achievements.

Hunter has been in the House of Representatives since 1980, when he defeated an 18-year incumbent. He served as Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from 2003-2007.

Warner served in both the Navy and the Marines, enlisting in the Navy at 17. After his Naval service was complete, he attended college at Washington and Lee University. After graduation, he began to study law at the University of Virginia.

When the Korean War began in 1950, Warner took a hiatus from his law studies to serve as an officer in the Marine Corps, where he eventually reached the rank of Captain.

Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke after Geren, and he too extolled the virtues of the two men.

"Both men carried [their military service] not as challenges, but as opportunities," he said. "Opportunities to make a difference, to define service and to define quality of service in a way that marks them forever."

In their responses, both men began with a tribute to each other, saying that they made it possible together what they were able to accomplish.

Warner concluded his remarks by saying that his military experiences were what gave him the ability to serve as long as he had, and he is grateful for that.

"I stand here, filled with honor and a great sense of humility, only because of what I learned by way of training and discipline," he said.

The ceremony concluded with a joint service medley played by Pershing's Own, but more than their music, the closing words of Geren were what attendees took away.

"Senator Warner and Congressman Hunter will be missed by all who had the privilege to serve with them, and every Soldier Sailor, Marine and Airmen who may serve," he said.

A joint services color guard marches onto
Fort Myer’s Whipple field at the start of the ceremony.

American Minute - Sept. 27 -Sam Adams , Father of the American Revolution

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Crying "No taxation without representation," he instigated the Stamp Act riots and the Boston Tea Party.

After the "Boston Massacre," he spread Revolutionary sentiment with his Committees of Correspondence.

Known as "The Father of the American Revolution," Samuel Adams, who was born SEPTEMBER 27, 1722, called for the first Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.

A cousin of 2nd President John Adams, Samuel Adams wrote in The Rights of Colonists, 1772:

"Among the natural rights of Colonists are: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to defend them...The supreme power cannot justly take from any man any part of his property without his consent."

As Massachusetts' Governor, Samuel Adams wrote to James Warren, February 12, 1779:

"A general dissolution of the principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."

Samuel Adams ended:

"If we would enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people."

Red State Update: Washington Fights Over Bailout Plan

Russia may sell S-300s to Iran

Russia is likely to sell even more of its most modern anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems to Iran, according to the head of the nation's main arms export corporation.

The move looks certain to even further strain relations between Moscow and Washington that are already now as fraught as at any time since the darkest days of the Cold War.

"Contacts between our countries (on delivery of air defense systems) are continuing, and we do not see any reason to suspend them," Rosoboronexport General Director Anatoly Isaikin told a news conference at the Africa Aerospace & Defence-2008 exhibition near Cape Town, South Africa, on Sept. 18, RIA Novosti reported.

Isaikin was speaking not long after Russia sent to Iran Tor-M1 air defense missile systems worth $700 million that Tehran had ordered in late 2005, as previously reported in these columns.

RIA Novosti also confirmed that Russian advisers had prepared "Iranian Tor-M1 specialists, including radar operators and crew commanders," to operate the new systems.

The Tor-M1 will certainly upgrade Iran's air defenses against any future Israeli or U.S. pre-emptive air strikes to knock out Iran nuclear facilities.

Isaikin's comments indicated that Russia may go even further and also sell to Tehran its advanced S-300 missile system, the S-300PMU1 -- NATO designation SA-20 Gargoyle.

RIA Novosti described this system as having a range of more than 100 miles with the capability of destroying ballistic missiles and operating at both low and high altitudes.

Some analysts have even claimed that the S-300 could have an 80 percent interception rate capability against America's old, slow and in many respects obsolete subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The Russian report also noted that Iran had already carried out several air defense maneuvers this year, culminating in what it described as "a three-day series of Air Force and missile defense exercises on Sept. 15 to 18."

Russian Military displaying U.S. Military equipment from Georgia

Off a email, from a Buddy who is in Moscow, hope to have some pic soon

A Russian military museum in Moscow has been displaying American military equipment, taken from Georgia, and portraying military operations in Georgia as a victory over America.

The American gear was material provided to Georgia over the past few years as part of a training program for Georgian troops headed for peacekeeping duty in southern Iraq.

And this: Russia is cracking down on Western media appearing on Russian television. The government controls most of the mass broadcast media, and wants to remove "decadent" U.S. stuff like South Park and the Simpsons, and replace it with more patriotic shows.

Just like in the good old days of the Cold War, before the Soviet Union disappeared. The government has had some success in manipulating public opinion, usually by exploiting existing attitudes (anger at the loss of empire and hostility to the United States).

Air Force disciplines 15 officers in nuclear mishap

Air Force leaders on Thursday announced they had taken administrative action against 15 officers for their role in the shipment of four intercontinental ballistic missile nose-cone fuse assemblies to Taiwan in August 2006.

The mistaken shipment, which was only discovered earlier this year, was sent in response to an order for helicopter batteries, raising serious questions about how well the military is tracking and handling sensitive nuclear-related materiel.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates initiated an investigation into the matter, which led him to fire the top civilian and military Air Force leaders. He later named Michael Donley as acting secretary and Gen. Norton Schwartz as chief of staff, and in July ordered the two leaders to review the investigation to determine appropriate disciplinary actions against officers implicated in the report.

At a Pentagon briefing on Thursday afternoon, Donley and Schwartz said the punishments were necessary to restore accountability to the service's nuclear mission. Some officers have been removed from command or reassigned to other duties, essentially ending their careers. Air Force leaders asked other officers to remain in service to "be part of the solution," Donley said.

"These actions are administrative in nature but can carry with them substantial consequences for the careers of these officers, including their potential to command, to be promoted, or to retire in their current grade," he said. "We recognize the years of dedicated service that these officers have given, but we cannot ignore the breaches of trust that have occurred on their watch."

Among the generals sanctioned, Lt. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support, received the most serious punishment -- a letter of reprimand. The letter said he failed to adequately address logistics policy deficiencies and take action to correct previously identified systemic problems in ICBM logistics. Sullivan also was cited for poor oversight while serving as commander of Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

Letters of reprimand are typically career-ending events. According to the Air Force, Sullivan has requested retirement.

Five other generals received letters of admonishment:

Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, for failing to effectively exercise responsibility for ICBM system sustainment and for not correcting recurring deficiencies in engineering support of ICBM components while serving as commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center. Hamel had previously requested retirement.

Maj. Gen. Roger Burg, commander of 20th Air Force, for failing to exercise effective oversight of ICBM sustainment-related activities and for not identifying and correcting deficiencies in shipping and receiving sensitive components. Burg will remain in command to continue corrective actions he started.

Maj. Gen. Kathleen Close, commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center, for not exercising effective command oversight of depot maintenance, engineering activities and materiel control of sensitive components; for not recognizing systemic weaknesses in supply chain management; and for failing to correct previously identified deficiencies. She also will remain in command.

Brig. Gen. Francis Bruno, for failure to identify and correct weaknesses in logistics management and maintenance support for ICBM components and for not correcting previously identified problems at the service's air logistics centers when he served as director of logistics for Air Force Materiel Command. He will retire Oct. 1.

Brig. Gen. Arthur Cameron III was admonished for not identifying and correcting problems in depot maintenance operations involving sensitive components, and for failing to correct previously identified discrepancies in materiel control and maintenance when he served as commander of the 309th Maintenance Wing at Ogden Air Logistics Center. He received a routine reassignment before any personnel actions were initiated.

In addition, five colonels received letters of reprimand for poor command oversight. All were commanders of units that contributed to the improper shipment to Taiwan, or units with deficient performance. Two have been removed from command, one of whom is retiring. The three other officers, who left their commands earlier, will remain in their current positions.

Three colonels, all commanders, received letters of admonishment. One was removed from command. Another was allowed to continue in command. The third was reassigned in a normal tour rotation and will remain in his new assignment.

The final colonel to be disciplined received a letter of counseling for failing to exercise effective command oversight in a unit not involved in the Taiwan incident.

"In holding these officers accountable we considered the needs of the Air Force," said Donley. Because some had vital knowledge and because "their ability to serve has not been compromised," they were asked to stay on and help restore accountability in the nuclear mission, he said.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, "The disciplinary actions announced today are regrettable, but are necessary to address recent leadership failures. The Air Force must now focus on improving its security culture to ensure that such incidents do not happen again."

American Minute - Sept. 26 - Daniel Boone

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Daniel Boone served with George Washington in 1755 during the French and Indian War.

In 1765, Daniel Boone explored Florida. Virginia Governor Patrick Henry sent Daniel Boone to survey Kentucky and in 1775, the Pennsylvania Company had him erect a fort on the Kentucky River, which he named Boonesboro.

In 1778, during the Revolution, Daniel Boone went to Blue Licks to get salt for his settlement but was captured by Shawnee Indians and taken to Detroit.

He learned of British plans to incited Indians to attack his settlement, so he escaped and ran nearly 400 miles in 5 days to warn Boonseboro.

Daniel Boone became a Major in the militia and served in Virginia's legislature. He bought land in Kentucky but lost it due to poorly prepared titles.

Boone left Kentucky in 1799 and bought land from Spain in Missouri, west of the Mississippi River. Boone then lost this land in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase.

An act of Congress gave him back his land just six years before his death, which was SEPTEMBER 26, 1820.

On October 17, 1816, Daniel Boone wrote to his sister-in-law Sarah Boone:

"The religion I have is to love and fear God, believe in Jesus Christ, do all the good to my neighbor, and myself that I can, do as little harm as I can help, and trust on God's mercy for the rest."

Major "Earmark" in Democrat Bailout Agreement

Hat Tip to my friend and OU Grad Dr. Bill Smith @ ARRA

Breaking News - Bill Smith, ARRA Editor. I received a copy of "Agreement in Principle" relative to the $700 billion "bailout" being proposed and supported by Senate Democrats.

The one page agreement from the U.S. Senate Banking Committee details guidelines to be put in place relative to taxpayer protection, oversight and transparency, home ownership preservation and Funding Authority.

While on the surface the agreement looks generic and positive, However, the "devil is in the detail." There is one detail that Democrats are concerned that Republicans will not agree to in the bailout agreement. That is if the Republicans even see the item. It seems that this issue may be one reason that many Democrats have hounded Sen. John McCain and pushed for his speedy approval. Senate Majority Harry Reid (D-NV) has already identified that it is Sen. John McCain's approval, not Barack Obama approval, that is needed to secure the agreement of Senate Republicans. In fact, the questioned provision indirectly focus on some prior concern regarding Sen. Barack Obama involvement with various organizations. Maybe that is why Obama would prefer being at a debate in Mississippi than being in Washington D.C.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) cohorts are also hounding Sen. McCain to agree. They know that neither the House Republicans nor the House Blue Dog Democrats are going to sign on easily to an agreement extending $700 billion "bailout" if Sen. McCain disagrees. Pelosi does not have control of the fiscally conservative Blue Dogs who are not happy with committing $700 billion to the "bailout" effort.

In the "agreement in principle," there is the effect of a major "earmark" which commits money from future "profits" to be given to nonprofits organizations like ACORN, National Council of La Raza and potentially the National Urban League. This agreement clearly evidences that the Government expects to benefit in the future from the bailout when the values of property rises and mortgages or properties are then sold by the Federal government. The agreement --

"Directs a certain percentage of future profits to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund to meet America's housing needs."

In the proposed bailout agreement, Sen. Christopher Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee and other Democrats desire to pre-direct that future funds (profits) not be returned to the taxpayers via the treasury but that they be used to underwrite potential questionable (maybe even illegal activities) of certain nonprofits which have had a hand in promoting and expanding access to "no money down" loans for minorities, illegal voter registrations and extensive lobbying activities.

Let’s examine the connection of the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund with the various nonprofit groups mentioned above. In July, 2008, a Wall Street Journal article addressed the previous housing bill signed into law:

Provide[d] a stream of billions of dollars for distressed homeowners and communities and the nonprofit groups that serve them. One of the biggest likely beneficiaries, despite Republican objections is Acorn, a housing advocacy group that also helps lead ambitious voter-registration efforts benefiting Democrats. Acorn -- made up of several legally distinct groups under that name -- has become an important player in the Democrats' effort to win the White House. Its voter mobilization arm is co-managing a $15.9 million campaign with the group Project Vote to register 1.2 million low-income Hispanics and African-Americans, who are among those most likely to vote Democratic. Technically nonpartisan, the effort is one of the largest such voter-registration drives on record.

The organization's main advocacy group lobbied hard for passage of the housing bill, which provides nearly $5 billion for affordable housing, financial counseling and mortgage restructuring for people and neighborhoods affected by the housing meltdown. A third Acorn arm, its housing corporation, does a large share of that work on the ground. Acorn's multiple roles show how two fronts of activism -- housing for the poor and voter mobilization -- have converged closely in this election year. The fortunes of both parties will hinge in part on their plans for addressing the fall of the nation's housing market and the painful economic slowdown. . . .

Partly because of the role of Acorn and other housing advocacy groups, the White House and its allies in Congress resisted Democrats' plans to include money for a new affordable-housing trust fund and $4 billion in grants to restore housing in devastated neighborhoods. In the end, the money stayed in the bill; the White House saw little choice. What most riles Republicans about the bill is the symbiotic relationship between the Democratic Party and the housing advocacy groups, of which Acorn is among the biggest. Groups such as the National Council of La Raza and the National Urban League also lobby to secure government-funded services for their members and seek to move them to the voting booth. Acorn has been singled out for criticism because of its reach, its endorsements of Democrats, and past flaws in its bookkeeping and voter-registration efforts that its detractors in Congress have seized upon. . . .

Sen. Obama is especially reliant on registration drives, such as Acorn's with Project Vote, to help him win the White House. The Illinois Democrat draws his strongest support from blacks, Hispanics and young people, groups that are among the least likely to be registered. After law school, Sen. Obama was the director of Project Vote in Chicago. . . .

Democrats on Capitol Hill have helped to steer millions of dollars in housing and other grants from the federal government toward Acorn and groups like it. The groups must qualify and compete for the money, which is typically doled out from the federal government to states and municipalities. The housing package includes a new, permanent source of affordable-housing money that congressional Democrats and grassroots groups have sought for years. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund will be funded by a tax on mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage titans.

That tax eventually will channel upwards of $600 million annually in grants for developing and restoring housing, mostly as low-income rentals, available to Acorn and other groups. Democrats on Capitol Hill and housing groups say the housing-assistance money is vital to helping Americans hit hardest by what some call the largest drop in home values since the Great Depression. But they acknowledge the perception of political conflict in giving federal funds to an organization that does political work. "We are guarding against it," said Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank in an interview. He secured the Affordable Housing Trust from his seat as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. . . .

Acorn describes itself as the nation's largest grassroots community organization, with more than 400,000 families organized into 1,200 neighborhood chapters in 110 cities. Over four decades, Acorn has turned its broad membership into a powerful lobbying tool. Its representatives are well-known in the marble halls of the Capitol, and press local, state and federal governments . . .

ACORN is the agency where Sen. Barack Obama worked as a trainer for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN), whose affiliate, Project Vote, is known for voter fraud. It is this same organization from which a large part of the mortgage mess has grown.

After Harvard Law School, Obama provided legal representation for ACORN. Obama sat on the boards of the philanthropic Woods Foundation and the Joyce Foundation which both funneled millions of dollars to ACORN.

In 2006, the Wall Street Journal addressed Acorn Indictments. In a recent article, additional complaints, indictments and arrests and conviction of ACORN members for voter fraud have been detailed for Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State, and Wisconsin. Democrats on Capitol Hill have steered billions of the taxpayer monies to risky ventures and to nonprofits organizations like ACORN, National Council of La Raza through the government’s Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund. As a result groups like ACORN have developed powerful lobby groups to secure tax money for their organizations. Now the proposed "agreement in principle" for the $700 Billion "bailout" seeks to continue the protection of this process. In another article by James H. Walsh, a former federal prosecutor, it was noted that:

ACORN Housing Corporation (AHC) was instrumental in its passage of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) which has plagued the mortgage markets since 1977. The U.S. Congress through the CRA compelled banks and lending institutions to make loans to “communities of color” disregarding sound economic and risk guidelines. CRA encouraged the relaxing of “outdated” risk-management protocols and underwriting obligations by lending institutions. In the name of ending discrimination, no longer were “communities of color” required to provide verification of income, employment, credit history, ability to pay homeowner bills, or down payment. In response, many banks and mortgage groups bundled trillions of dollars of “subprime” loans and sold them to investors here and abroad. It is these bundled Community Reinvestment Act mortgages, doomed to fail, that are today causing financial strain in U.S. and global financial markets.

In short, a Democrat Congress and President demanded that banks change the rules of good bankinACORN, agreement earmark, bailout, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Democrats, Harry Reid, John Mccain, La Raza, Nancy Pelosi, profits, Republicans, US Congress, US House, US Senateg and open the Pandora’s Box of mortgage defaults and foreclosures now coming to a head. This home-parity concept of the radical left was mobilized by ACORN resulting in a purchase of a property without any credit, income, employment, and a zero down payment.

In 2003, Fannie Mae home-parity funding in Chicago reached $600 billion. When Franklin Raines, former chair and CEO of Fannie Mae, stepped down in 2004 but managed to take with him a multimillion-dollar parachute and a monthly pension of $114, 393 for life, and should he die, for his wife’s lifetime. Until recently, Raines was an advisor to Obama.

Open Secrets reveals the investment made by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Democrats and details the Top 25 Democrat Recipients of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributions in 1989-2008. The top three in order were Senators Christopher Dodd, John Kerry and Barack Obama.

When government tries to fix social issues through the use of the taxpayers’ money, there are consequences. Now the American taxpayers are being called upon again to underwrite the problems exacerbated by the prior actions of former and the current Congress and past administrations. It is hoped that Senators and Representatives will avoid this massive "earmark." All "future profits" from the resolution and disposition of the alleged current bad mortgages ("bad paper"), should accrue to the American taxpayers as a whole and be returned to the Treasury. Any determination as to the use of "future profits" should be determined by those elected and representing the people at that future point in time. No agreements should include an obligation on the potential "future profits." No agreements should support questionable programs that support organizations that contributed to the failures of mortgages or to the bad lending practices promoted by prior Congresses and administrations.