Broken Arrow School Payments Raise Questions

Thousands of dollars in illegal payments were apparently given to employees of the Broken Arrow school district in recent years, state Rep. Mike Reynolds, member of the House Government Oversight Committee, said today.

“It is my understanding that as much as $242,000 in illegal payments for unused sick leave has been given to employees of the Broken Arrow school district,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “That is an enormous sum of money diverted from the classroom.”

Reynolds said he has received information showing Broken Arrow school employees were paid for unused sick leave from 2000 to 2003 in violation of state law. That information was later independently confirmed by a school employee.

Reynolds said the information he received indicates that, among others, Interim Superintendent Gary Gerber and current school board candidate Cheryl Kelly are among those who allegedly received the improper payments.

“It is very disturbing to learn that school leaders may have personally benefited from this illegal activity,” Reynolds said. “The school board must publicly address this issue.”

Senator Brogdon Files Concurrent Resolution to Keep Gitmo Terrorists Out of Oklahoma

Sen. Randy Brogdon has authored a measure to block any efforts to relocate prisoners from the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay to Oklahoma.

That’s after President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the prison within a year. Brogdon said previous locations considered for inmates have included Fort Sill in southwestern Oklahoma. He said it is critical for the State Legislature to back efforts by Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation to stop that from happening.

“Oklahoma lives have already been lost as a result of terrorism with the 1995 bombing of the Murrah building. Bringing in these criminals who helped mastermind 9/11 could make us a target for future terrorist attacks,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso. “Under no circumstances should they be brought here.”

Brogdon’s measure, Senate Current Resolution 4, calls for Congress to block any efforts to bring Gitmo prisoners to Fort Sill or any other new or existing location within the State of Oklahoma.

“These are individuals who remain a threat to our nation and to the freedoms we enjoy. I am outraged that anyone would even consider bringing them to Oklahoma,” Brogdon said. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens.”

SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEM COFFEE RESPONSE TO SENATE DEMOCRAT LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

“The Republican majority looks forward to working with Senator Laster and his leadership team to move Oklahoma forward, even in this challenging fiscal environment in which will operate this session.

“As I experienced in the minority, good ideas are not the sole domain of the majority. As I pledged on Senate organizational day, we will give a fair hearing to those ideas and proposals that will help grow our state, keep it safe and educated, build a stronger business climate, protect our families, and empower Oklahomans to prosper.”

House Leaders Promise Oklahomans Will Get Tax Refunds, Unlike Californians

In light of California officials recently announcing the delay of state tax refunds, House Republican leaders assured Oklahomans today that they will get the money they are due from the state government.

California's latest budget woes stand in stark contrast to Oklahoma's situation and prove the wisdom of the fiscally conservative policies enacted by the Legislature in recent years, House Speaker Chris Benge said.

“Under no circumstance do Oklahomans need to worry about not getting their tax refunds. Even the suggestion of such an idea would be dead on arrival under Republican leadership in the Legislature,” said Benge, R-Tulsa. “California's fiscal policies have put it on the brink of financial disaster while Oklahoma's conservative policies have us better prepared to deal with tough economic times.”

According to reports, California's budget deficit will soon total $40 billion – a budget hole more than five times the size of Oklahoma's entire state budget.

Officials have warned that California could run out of cash as early as next week. The state has already imposed a delay on tax refunds, aid to students and the poor could soon cease, and some state offices may reduce hours.

To fill the budget hole, California officials are considering a wide range of tax increases, including a hike in the state sales tax, an increased beverage tax, and new taxes on some services and activities, such as car repairs.

“California has the world's eighth-largest economy, yet they can't even perform basic functions of government – and they plan to charge their citizens more for less,” said state Rep. Jeff Hickman, a Fairview Republican who chairs the House Revenue and Taxation Subcommittee.

“In comparison, we have enacted policy measures in Oklahoma that promote a favorable business climate, including income tax reductions that put more money into the pockets of working families and stimulate our economy.”

A common-sense approach to financial planning is a major reason Oklahoma is not in the same sad shape as California, said Benge.

“Oklahomans expect government to live within its means, just like working families do,” he said.

Benge said lawmakers will continue to pursue those common-sense strategies as they work on this year's state budget. The Oklahoma Legislature will convene on Monday, Feb. 2.

Reynolds Calls on McMahan to Name Names

State Rep. Mike Reynolds today urged former State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan to cooperate with federal investigators working to weed out corruption in Oklahoma government.

“When he was sentenced this week, Mister McMahan indicated he was simply a ‘naïve’ man caught up in a corrupt system,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “If that’s the case, Mister McMahan should specifically identify all the individuals engaged in corruption. There’s no reason to shield those people from prosecutors.”
McMahan was sentenced this week to eight years and one month in federal prison as the result of a public corruption case that involved illegal campaign contributions and the acceptance of bribes.
In court papers, McMahan claimed that he and his wife were “politically naive newcomers” who got caught up in an already corrupt system, according to the Tulsa World.

“I agree with Mister McMahan on one thing: He was involved in a corrupt system,” Reynolds said. “However, so far he has refused to identify that corruption and provide evidence to federal investigators. It’s time he backs with rhetoric with action. I agree with Mister McMahan on one thing: He was involved in a corrupt system,” Reynolds said. “However, so far he has refused to identify that corruption and provide evidence to federal investigators. Rather than looking for sympathy, I suggest he instead look for atonement by revealing the names of the people that corrupted him and help rid Oklahoma of this corruption.”

American Minute - Jan. 29 - Robert Frost

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

"I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by,

and that has made all the difference"

wrote Robert Frost in "The Road Not Taken."

He first published poems in his high school bulletin and graduated co-valedictorian with the woman he was to marry.

Farming in New Hampshire, Frost wrote poetry and taught at several schools.

After a brief time in England, he taught at Amherst College, the University of Michigan and Harvard.

Robert Frost won four Pulitzer prizes, the U.S. Senate honored him with a resolution, Eisenhower invited him to the White House and he read a poem at Kennedy's inauguration.

Frost was a consultant to the Library of Congress and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960.

In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," Frost wrote:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

Robert Frost died JANUARY 29, 1963.

In a 1956 interview on station WQED, Pittsburgh, Robert Frost stated

"Ultimately, this is what you go before God for:

You've had bad luck and good luck and all you really want in the end is mercy."

Congressman Bob Latta expresses opposition to the simulus package

Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) discusses his opposition to the stimulus package

Why I choose life By U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin

Americans have been debating abortion "often at fever pitch" for 36 years now without a clear resolution. It has become the litmus test of our times whenever a new Supreme Court justice is nominated.

In ten presidential campaigns since 1972, candidates have been required to take an abortion position, and a significant number of voters on both ends of the life-choice spectrum cast ballots based largely on this one issue.

Most of this four-decade debate has been carried on in abstract terms. But for a few of us, it is highly personal. At the very beginning of my political career, I chose a pro-life position for a most immediate reason.

In 1990, while running in my first campaign for elected office, I was instinctively pro-life, but abortion was not one of my centerpiece issues.

Having worked in both the private and public sector, I was running for a seat on the Oklahoma State Legislature to focus on matters like small business development, taxation and economic growth.

Legislative campaigns are retail in nature. You walk the blocks, knock doors, talk to voters, often in a cold drizzle or scorching heat. I was seeking an open seat representing Oklahoma City, with opponents in both the primary and general elections, and began campaigning in the beginning of the year.

Early in my campaign, I encountered a smug lobbyist at a reception for legislative candidates. He asked me what my position on abortion was. I had never been asked this before as a candidate, but I responded without much thought that I was prolife. The lobbyist asked, "What would happen if you got pregnant during your campaign? No one would vote for you, you'd be ineffective and you would lose."

His conclusion: "You would have to have an abortion."

I disagreed. I told him if I got pregnant, I'd continue to run for office and I'd have my baby, just like other working mothers do.

A few weeks passed, and I began to wake up in the morning feeling sick. I went to the doctor and explained to him that I had the flu and I needed to get better in a hurry so I could campaign. I was wrong. As I learned that day, I was pregnant with my second child. I was now living the dilemma posed to me by the lobbyist.

What he had suggested to me crystallized my previous thinking on this keystone issue. Abortion in modern America is rarely a matter of medical necessity. For a great many women, it is one of convenience. That's what the lobbyist was suggesting to me: do what is most convenient.

When I became pregnant, I saw the abortion issue more clearly. What Roe v. Wade did, no matter what the intentions of the Supreme Court, was to make some innocent lives disposable. Since 1973 we have experienced some 50 million abortions. This has coarsened our society in ways we will regret for centuries.

I took this outlook with me on the campaign trail, which wound through spring rains and Oklahomaís fierce summer heat. As my pregnancy progressed to the obvious, voters sometimes stood in their doorways and offered me water or a place to sit. I kept at it, ever aware of the growing life I was carrying, and ever more convinced it is morally wrong to sacrifice life on a whim.

I won the primary election in late August, delivered my son in September and won the general election when he was six weeks old. Some said I had proved the doubters wrong, but this was not an exercise in politics or even endurance.

It was about a basic human principle:
the dignity of all life.

In two terms as a state legislator, three terms as Oklahoma's first woman Lieutenant Governor and into two terms in Congress, I have remained steadfastly pro-life. I understand and respect the positions of those on both sides of this debate, but I also see a clear moral right and an equally clear moral wrong.

Does that make the pro-choice side evil? No. But they are mistaken when they view abortion as a matter of convenience, when they regard one life as somehow secondary to another. Had I lost that first election, I might never have enjoyed a rewarding and productive career in public service. But I would have been content with the outcome.

His name is Price. He's over six feet tall, handsome and smart. He graduates from high school in May, ready for a full and rewarding life that will undoubtedly span many more years of debate over an issue which continues to define our political landscape.

Ford Files Voter ID Bill - Legislation calls for clean and fair elections

Senator John Ford, R-Bartlesville, has introduced legislation that will help protect the integrity of the election system in Oklahoma.

Senate Bill 4 requires any individual that votes in person to show “proof of identity,” which can be a document that includes the voter’s name, a picture of the voter, and is issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized Indian Tribe or Nation. In instances where an individual does not have any of these methods of identification, the voter may show their county issued Voter ID card.

“Valid identification is required in our daily activities, such as writing a check, boarding a plane or even getting a library card in some states,” said Ford. “So when it comes to voters deciding who will run our state and our nation and what laws will govern our citizens, it is prudent to verify the identification of voters at the polls.”

“During the election season last fall, we heard of the many fraudulent registrations being conducted,” Ford continued. “It is critical that we prevent this from happening in our state.”

Although voter fraud has not been wide spread up to this point in Oklahoma, Ford believes it is important to take these steps to protect from future fraud. In a report published by pollster John Zogby, it was reported that 9% of Americans don’t believe their votes are counted accurately. This number increases to 13% among Hispanics and 18% among African Americans.

Holland Seeks Generators for Nursing Homes

State Rep. Corey Holland wants to ensure all nursing homes have portable power generators to help protect their vulnerable residents in emergencies.

Holland, R-Marlow, filed House Bill 1535 this month, which would require the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to use federal and state funding to retrofit nursing homes and other specialized facilities with portable generators and to submit a funding plan to the governor and state Legislature that would provide for the retrofitting of the nursing homes. The bill would also make nursing homes immune from liability for civil damages during any efforts to provide assistance to individuals seeking shelter during natural and man-made disasters.

“This is a badly needed measure considering the bad winter weather we’ve had in recent years,” Holland said. “There were a number of nursing homes throughout the state that would have benefitted from a portable generator but for one reason or another did not have one.

This bill would require the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to look for the best way to provide incentives for those nursing homes to attain portable generators and more properly ensure the welfare of our senior citizens.”

Holland said last year’s ice storms made him aware of the problem.

“There were cases of nursing homes that did have access to a generator that took in the elderly residents of nearby communities. This is one reason I included language granting immunity from civil damages for effort to provide assistance during disasters,” Holland said. “It also allows nursing homes to take whatever action is necessary to protect their residents without worrying about frivolous lawsuits.”

Holland added that in order to be immune, the nursing home staff would have to be operating in good faith and would still be liable if any harm was caused by willful or gross negligence.

Legislator Proposes Better Way for Schools to Make Up Snow Days

A proposal to change the way Oklahoma’s school year is calculated would give school districts much greater flexibility in the way they make up the days they missed this week because of the winter weather.

House Bill 1864, by Rep. Jeff Hickman (R-Fairview), converts Oklahoma’s current requirement of 180 six-hour school days each year to 1080 hours of instruction each school year.

“With the winter weather we’ve had this week, schools are left scrambling to find days they can add to the calendar to make up for what they missed by closing,” Hickman said. “Some schools didn’t close because it is so challenging to make up those days which resulted in students and parents, buses and teachers being out on very icy, dangerous roads when they had no business driving anywhere.”

Hickman’s plan allows school officials to simply extend their school day until they have made up the hours they missed. For example, one snow day could be made up by extending the school day by an hour for six days, regaining the lost instructional time. Each period of instruction would gain approximately 10 minutes of additional class time each of those six days to cover lessons missed when the school was closed for weather.

Extending existing school days would save money for school districts that would otherwise have to run buses, heat and clean buildings and incur other fixed costs when they must open school buildings for makeup days.

Perhaps the best option for schools if House Bill 1864 becomes law is to build in extra time at the start of the school year, banking hours that can then be used in the event of an unpredictable winter weather closing. If at the end of the school year the time wasn’t needed, then students and teachers benefit from a few extra minutes of instruction time each day.

“This bill gives schools greater flexibility to meet their individual needs,” said Hickman. “No two school districts are the same and this change gives local school officials the ability to determine what works best for their situation.”

In addition to helping take the pressure off of schools dealing with winter-weather related closings, schools could also choose to have longer four-day school weeks during months when temperatures warm to the opposite end of the thermometer making it expensive to cool school buildings. This change could save hundreds of thousands of dollars across the state that school districts now must spend on utilities.

“Besides helping schools control their costs in August and May when it can be very warm in Oklahoma and very expensive to keep the air conditioners running, this change also lets schools adjust their schedule to compensate for Fridays in the spring and toward the end of the school year when many activities take students out of the classroom,” Hickman said. “By extending the school day Monday through Thursday after Spring Break, schools could either not meet on Fridays or perhaps dismiss at noon, allowing students to participate in activities like music contests or track meets without missing classes and without leaving teachers with only a handful of students in the classroom as they try to cover lessons for which all of the students need to be present.”

House Bill 1864 is expected to be assigned to the House Education Appropriations & Budget Committee. The Oklahoma Legislature convenes on February 2.

American Minute - Jan. 28 - Space Shuttle Challenger

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Seventy-three seconds after lift-off, on JANUARY 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing its entire seven member crew, which included a high school teacher-the first private citizen to fly aboard the craft.

In his address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan stated:

"Today is a day for mourning...a national loss...The members of the Challenger crew were pioneers...

The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future."

President Reagan continued:

"There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama.

In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said,

'He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.'

Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete."

Reagan concluded:

"The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives.

We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"

New Senator from New York pro-gun, anti-bailout and anti-amnesty!

In Congress, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has been a firm opponent of any proposal that would give amnesty to illegal aliens.

The federal government must provide the necessary resources to secure our borders, which is critical for America’s economic and national security.

She strongly supports legislation that would significantly increase the number of border patrol agents and place sophisticated technology along the Southern border to catch human and drug smugglers.

In the House, Senator Gillibrand authored and passed an amendment that will prevent employers who have hired illegal aliens from receiving federal contracts.

Senator Gillibrand believes English should be made the official language of the United States and she opposes providing non-emergency taxpayer benefits to illegal aliens.

As a Member of the House Agriculture Committee, she has advocated for a review of the current H-2A visa system, so that farmers will have access to legal workers when they cannot find Americans to fill their labor needs.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee aims to clarify line-item veto

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said he and House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, will file the friendly suit within the next two weeks. They're asking for a legal interpretation from the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Coffee said it is his belief that the governor's line-item vetoes last year of budget-limitation bills dealing with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and Ethics Commission were in error.

He said the lawsuit is not an effort to pick a fight with the Governor's Office but to protect the powers and duties of the legislative branch.

The line-item vetoes allowed the agencies to spend money for purposes not prescribed by the Legislature, he said.

Coffee said the line-item veto in the bill dealing with the Ethics Commission had to do with computer software. As a result, the commission used the money instead to raise staff members' pay, he said.

Coffee said he believes that Gov. Brad Henry can use the line-item veto only on appropriations bills and not on budgetary-limitation bills.

Appropriations bills allocate funds; budgetary-limitation bills direct how the money is to be spent.

At the heart of the issue is whether both are appropriations bills.

Coffee said Henry's use of line-item vetoes was an expansion of executive branch power.

Coffee said he is seeking guidance from the Oklahoma Supreme Court on future appropriations processes, adding that he is not seeking retroactive relief.

The governor said he "strenuously" objects to the lawmakers' position.

Henry said he believes that the drafters of the state constitution intended for the governor to have the power to use a line-item veto to address earmarks and pork projects.

He said that if the legislative leaders' position is affirmed, it would take away a powerful tool.

"It would effectively render the line-item veto useless," he said.

Henry said he would be forced to consider vetoing entire agency budgets that contain spending provisions that he thinks are not a good use of public money.

Doing so could shut down an entire agency, something the governor said he would be reluctant to do.

Henry said the issue is legitimate and needs to be resolved.

Legislative leaders had discussed the suit with him, he said.

Hoo-ah: Soldiers to earn the coveted Berets during Jan. 30 graduation ceremony

Newly minted Special Forces Soldiers will join the Special Forces regiment as they graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course (241st SFQC) at the Crown Coliseum Jan. 30 in Fayetteville.

Soldiers from the 241st SFQC have spent the past year or more learning the skills required of apprentice Green Berets, including individual specialty skills, unconventional warfare methods, and language and cultural expertise.

The guest speaker at the graduation ceremony is scheduled to be the Honorable Michael Vickers, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities. Vickers is a notable member of the Special Forces regiment.

After graduation, the students will be assigned to the Army’s seven operational Special Forces Groups, including the two Army National Guard Groups, and will deploy in support of U.S. national security interests.

During a 4 p.m. Regimental First Formation Jan. 29 at JFK Memorial Plaza, the graduates will don their Green Berets for the first time; welcomed into the brotherhood of the Special Forces regiment. During the ceremony, three prominent members of the regiment will be inducted as Distinguished Members of the Regiment including one of the few living Medal of Honor recipients who have earned the Green Beret.

Retired Col. Ola L. Mize distinguished himself during a particularly fierce engagement with Communist Forces near Surang-ni, Korea, in June 1953. Then a sergeant, Mize rallied his men during the defense of “Outpost Harry”, defending against a determined enemy, actions which led to President Dwight D. Eisenhower awarding him the MOH in 1954. Mize later joined the ranks of the Green Berets and served in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), eventually commanding the 3rd Mobile Strike Force Command (Cambodian Troops).

The Special Forces Regiment will also honor Lt. Col. Charles A. Aycock and Command Sgt. Maj. Ronnie A. McCan, two stalwarts of the Green Beret community.

Aycock’s career in Army Special Operations spanned across five decades and included service in the Active Duty, National Guard, Army Reserve and Army Civilian corps. During the Vietnam War, he participated in numerous classified operations while assigned to units still shrouded in secrecy. He is also credited with developing the first military freefall training manual. Aycock capped his career with 15 years of civilian service supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

McCan’s thirty years of uniformed service is distinguished by leading Special Forces Soldiers in the 1st and 10th Special Forces Groups (Airborne) as well as the 112th Special Operations Signal Battalion (Airborne). He later leveraged his experience to help nurture future Special Operations Soldiers by serving as the command sergeant major for the 1st Special Warfare Training Group (Airborne) and the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. McCan currently serves as the president of the Special Forces Association

Limitless Potential

Hat Tip to my friend Wyatt McIntyre, Very happy to see him back!!
There are bounds to the cause of freedom and justice amidst our world.

Through the course of our history America has bore an heavy burden in the fight liberty, pushing forward for the dignity of human life, and to end the suffering of those who live under the reign of oppressive tyrants given to death and desolation. Some would never live to see the promised land of liberty and freedom extended within our own walls and throughout other nations, yet they would sacrifice all for it.

Ours must be, in that faith, to push the limits to extend equality, justice and freedom to all people who suffer needlessly under the dark veil of destruction that is waged against the body and the soul of humanity.

American Minute - Douglas MacArthur, Five-Star General

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Douglas MacArthur was born JANUARY 26, 1880.

He commanded in World War I, was superintendent of West Point, and the youngest Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

A four-star general, he retired in 1939, but returned in 1941 to defend the Philippines.

When Japan invaded, President Roosevelt ordered him to Australia, but not before he promised "I shall return."

In 1944, he returned with an American army and freed the Philippines. Promoted to Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific, he received Japan's surrender on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor.

Promoted to five-star general, he was Supreme U.N. Commander during the Korean War until he became at odds with President Truman over wanting to confront the Communists.

Truman made the unpopular decision to remove him.

Douglas MacArthur told West Point cadets, May 1962:

"The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training-sacrifice.

In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those Divine attributes which his Maker gave when He created man in His own image.

No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of Divine help which alone can sustain him."

Fallin files bill to keep Gitmo detainees out of Oklahoma

U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin (R OK-5) introduced a bill Tuesday designed to bar the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to Oklahoma.

Fallin filed her bill in response to President Obama’s order to shut down the detention center within a year.

A list put together two years ago of potential transfer sites for those now being held at Guantanamo included Fort Sill. Critics of Obama’s decision fear that 2007 list could be revived.

“Guantanamo Bay holds some of world’s most dangerous criminals, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks,’’ said Fallin, adding that holding such terrorists in a secure offshore location makes good sense.

“Granting mass murderers the kind of rights they would be afforded on American soil is as wrongheaded as it is dangerous, and I will continue to oppose any plans to move these men into the United States.”

She said her legislation would bar use of federal funds to transfer detainees to Oklahoma.

Her legislation is co-sponsored by the other four Oklahomans in the House: Republican Reps. John Sullivan, Frank Lucas and Tom Cole and Democratic Rep. Dan Boren.

American Minute - Jan. 27 - Persecuted Jews Flee to America

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

Ferdinand and Isabella sent Columbus on his voyage in 1492 after they liberated Spain from occupying Muslim forces.

Spain's policies then forced Jews to flee, first to Portugal, then to Amsterdam, where some sailed with Dutch merchants to South America.

When Spain attacked there, they fled again and 23 refugees, on the French ship Sainte Catherine, became the first Jews to arrive in New Amsterdam in 1654.

Governor Stuyvesant tried to evict them, not letting them worship outside their homes.

In 1664, New Amsterdam became New York, where the first synagogue was built in 1730.

Jewish population in colonial America grew to 2,000 in 7 synagogues from New York to Savannah.

Beginning in 1830, Ellis Island had 250,000 Jews immigrate from persecution in Bavaria.

Starting in 1881, over 2 million Jews fled Russia's pogroms to America.

By 2006, Jews comprised 2 percent of U.S. population.

President Woodrow Wilson wrote:

"Whereas in countries engaged in war there are 9 million Jews, the majority of whom are destitute of food, shelter, and clothing; driven from their homes without warning...causing starvation, disease and untold suffering-

Whereas the people of the U.S. have learned with sorrow of this terrible plight,

I proclaim JANUARY 27, 1916, a day to make contributions for the aid of the stricken Jewish people to the American Red Cross."

U.S. Air Force to deploy turboprop aircraft in Iraq and the Stan

Air Force leaders on Friday said they would deploy the first of 37 C-12 class aircraft configured with full-motion video and signals intelligence capabilities to U.S. Central Command this spring for use in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The deployment, scheduled for April, will come one year after Defense Secretary Robert Gates established a departmental task force to explore ways to improve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to support ground troops in those combat zones.

Gates has criticized the military services -- the Air Force in particular -- for not embracing the capabilities provided by unmanned aircraft quickly enough and for not exploring more options for using low-cost piloted aircraft to collect intelligence in places where U.S. air superiority isn't threatened.

The Air Force is adapting King Air 350 aircraft manufactured by Hawker Beechcraft for military needs with specialized electronics to supplement ongoing ISR operations on the battlefield. Many such operations use unmanned aerial vehicles.

"We always need to know more about [the battlefield], especially in the counterinsurgency environment," said Brig. Gen. Blair Hansen, director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for the Air Force. Hansen is also the service's leader on the Defense Department's ISR Task Force, established by Gates in April 2008.

The aircraft will have four-person crews -- two pilots and two sensor operators. During missions, the sensor operators will be in direct contact with ground forces and Air Force personnel involved in analyzing and disseminating information across the battlefield.

The Air Force estimates the overall program, including development and procurement, will cost about $950 million.

"This is a major weapons system, it's not just an add-on," Hansen told reporters during a Pentagon briefing. The Air Force plans to deploy three squadrons, or 37 aircraft, during the next two years. They will be organized under Air Combat Command.

John Pike, a defense expert and director of the Web site www.GlobalSecurity.org, is skeptical that the program will enhance ISR significantly. It is similar to the Army's decades-old Guardrail program, which uses C-12 class aircraft to conduct signals intelligence, he said. The Army is modernizing that program.

"It's puzzling that the Air Force is coming this late to the game," Pike said, noting that the Army and the Marine Corps have been using manned turboprop aircraft for years to gather intelligence to foil roadside bomb attacks in Iraq.

"This is significant in the sense that the Army's going to think that the Air Force is poaching on their turf," Pike said. "[The Air Force is] basically replicating, or would seem to be coming close to replicating, an existing Army capability."

Air Force officials were unable to respond to a request for information about how the program differs from or complements current programs in the Army and Marine Corps by Monday morning.

To signal the effort's urgency, the Air Force is calling it Project Liberty after the World War II Liberty ship program, under which more than 2,700 cargo ships were mass produced to meet wartime needs.

To Pike, the name indicates a level of hubris on the part of the Air Force. "Liberty is a really big name for the Air Force to be using for such a small program," he said. What's more, he added, the name suggests a misreading of history, since the Liberty ships did not have to be modified for military operations -- they simply carried military cargo.

"The Air Force should find another name," Pike said.

Sen. Newberry Authors Business Data Protection Bill

State Sen. Dan Newberry has filed legislation to strengthen the state’s laws on business data protection.

SB 1013 adds copying customer lists and business records without authorization to the state’s criminal statutes concerning larceny of trade secrets.

“We have examples every day of individuals stealing information that should be kept private, and using it for personal gain. Theft like this can have serious consequences for the companies that fall victim to it,” said Newberry, R-Tulsa. “We need to strengthen our laws to help protect the rights of our businesses and their owners.”

The bill also amends the definition of “copying” to include the transferring and emailing of trade secrets. Business customer lists and records stored in a computer format or otherwise would be considered trade secrets under the new legislation. Those found guilty of copying, transferring or emailing such articles without authorization with the intent to deprive or withhold control of those trade secrets from the business owner or to use them for personal use would be charged with larceny.

Newberry gave an example where an employee took the client database from the company’s server and emailed it to his personal email. He then attempted to delete the files from the company’s server. Since he was an employee at the time, he could only face civil charges. Newberry said his bill would change that.

“My bill will ensure that these criminals are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. “

Soldiers, Widows & Adoptive Families Top Senator’s Agenda

Senator Steve Russell has filed a trio of bills to help ease the burden of some of Oklahoma’s most deserving citizens including soldiers, widows and adoptive families.

“My bills deal with issues that promote good government rather than complicate the lives of Oklahomans,” said Russell. “As both a 21 year veteran of the U.S. Army and an adoptive father, I’m all too aware of the hardships faced by our military families, those trying to adopt children, and those trying to survive after loss.”

Two of the Oklahoma City Republican’s bills deal with tax relief. SB 881 would exempt military personnel from paying state income taxes on their military pay.

“It’s not a question of how the state will survive the impact of this very small loss in revenue, but rather how military families survive their multiple moves, deployments and hardships while defending our freedom. We often say that nothing is too good for our troops in Oklahoma, but nothing is often what they get.”

Oklahoma has the second highest military recruitment in the nation per capita, but Russell points out that a great many service men and women change their citizenship at the first opportunity because of the state’s tax rates.

“Surely we can do better than states like Nevada, Illinois and New York,” challenged Russell.

There are currently 16 states that exempt their military from paying income taxes.

“I know I’m going to face opposition given that it’s going to be a tight budget year, but from what I’ve seen so far, we waste far more than the impact of this relief for our troops. We can cut the waste and offer hope to our troops so that they can remain Oklahomans rather than switch their citizenship to other states, which they often do.”

Russell’s SB 540 would provide an income tax exemption for Oklahoma widows or widowers whose incomes are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

“If we cannot ease the burden of the widow and the orphan, then it seems to me we’ve lost our way as lawmakers.”

Russell also wants to help Oklahoma’s adoptive parents by updating the state’s adoption laws to make adoption an easier and more efficient process. SB 1029 calls for a uniform standard for adoptions within the state.

“Currently, adoption isn’t uniformly regulated in the state. Parents have three options when adopting and that’s through the state, a private organization or through an attorney. The problem is that each of these uses different rules and standards, which causes confusion and problems for many families,” said Russell. “Adoption is a wonderful gift for both the adoptive family and the child. Unfortunately, some have abused the system while capitalizing on the plight of families involved in the adoption process. I want to stop that.”

The freshman lawmaker is hopeful he can carry these bills through to the Governor’s desk.

Senate President Pro Tempore Coffee CUTS RED TAPE ON ORGAN DONATION

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee introduced his Uniform Anatomical Gift Act that will aid in making the process of organ donation more efficient and more accessible.

The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, Senate Bill 622, mirrors similar laws in various states that help families throughout the nation receive vital organs for their loved ones.

“So often, families are put through unnecessary waiting periods and paperwork from state to state in order to obtain an organ donation for a family member,” said Coffee. “The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act will help tear down the road blocks between states that prevent Oklahomans from having a life-saving transplant.”

Phil Van Stavern is the Director of Communications at LifeShare, an organization dedicated to helping save Oklahomans’ lives through transplant organ donation. Van Stavern is encouraged by the support Senate Bill 622 is receiving from Coffee and the Legislature and confirms how this legislation is imperative.

“Unfortunately, many Oklahomans die each year waiting for a transplant,” said Van Stavern. “Senate Bill 622 will create uniformity in laws among states that will be extremely helpful in providing organ donations across state lines,” said Van Stavern. “It helps if we are all reading from the same song sheet.”

Van Stavern went on to praise Oklahoma in that it has a unique honor in being one of the top states in the nation in donor registration with over 1.63 million adult Oklahomans registered to be organ, eye and tissue donors. Very few states have a higher percentage of licensed drivers registered to be donors.

“Having made the choice myself to be a registered organ donor, I encourage Oklahomans across the state to help save a life and become a registered donor themselves,” said Coffee.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee wants to make dues to the Oklahoma Bar Association voluntary

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee an attorney, has filed Senate Bill 997 to make dues voluntary to the Oklahoma Bar Association instead of mandatory.

Coffee said the Bar Association has lobbied on issues ranging from abortion to lawsuit reform and workers compensation judges.

"A lot of times, while there are legal aspects, there are also public policy issues that their members may or may not agree with them on," said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Bar Association was created by the Supreme Court. It has about 11,000 active attorneys in Oklahoma, according to its Web site.

Formed in 1904, the Bar Association is not a state agency. Its activities are funded through dues and other revenue.

It investigates complaints and makes recommendations for disciplinary action to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Jon K. Parsley, Bar Association president and a Guymon attorney, said the OBA is opposed to the bill but is willing to work with the Legislature to find an appropriate solution.

"In the past, the Oklahoma Bar Association has taken a position on tort reform," Parsley said. "That is an issue that directly affects the rights of the citizens of Oklahoma."

Coffee said he would like the OBA to come up with an alternative proposal.

American Minute - Jan. 25 - Ronald Reagan & School Prayer

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

In his State of the Union Address, JANUARY 25, 1984, President Reagan stated:

"Each day your members observe a 200-year-old tradition meant to signify America is one nation under God.

I must ask: If you can begin your day with a member of the clergy standing right here leading you in prayer, then why can't freedom to acknowledge God be enjoyed again by children in every school room across this land?"

A month later in a radio address, February 25, 1984, President Reagan stated:

"The First Amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people from religion; that amendment was written to protect religion from government tyranny...

But now we're told our children have no right to pray in school.

Nonsense. The pendulum has swung too far toward intolerance against genuine religious freedom. It is time to redress the balance."

President Reagan continued:

"Former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart noted if religious exercises are held to be impermissible activity in schools, religion is placed at an artificial and state-created disadvantage...

Refusal to permit religious exercises is seen not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism."

Oklahoma GOP Vice Chair to RUN for State Chair

Cheryl Williams, long-time Republican activist, and current vice chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party, announced today that she will seek to become chair of the Party when they meet this spring.

She states that with the 2010 elections quickly approaching, the Republican Party must begin now.

It will take a team that is energized and organized to elect Republicans to the office of Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, Treasurer, and State School Superintendent” She also stated that “we must re-elect Dana Murphy to the Corporation Commission as well as work with the State House and Senate leadership to retain the majority in both chambers of the legislature”.

Williams has been the “highest elected volunteer” for the Oklahoma Republican Party since her election as Vice Chair in April 2007.

During the 2008 election cycle, she traveled extensively across the state working to energize the Republican base while increasing voter registration and working side-by-side with candidates and volunteers.

One of her passions has been to educate citizens on the principles and beliefs of the Republican party and encouraging involvement in the political process.

She served as Oklahoma County Republican Chair during the 2000 elections and has served in various leadership positions within the party, including State Treasurer and Secretary to the State Committee.

She is a member of the Frontier Country Republican Women and has served on the Board of the Oklahoma Federation of Republican Women for more than 10 years.

Currently she is Literacy Chair for the OFRW and two unit clubs have won National Literacy Awards from the NFRW during her tenure.

She states that “if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader". (by John Quincy Adams, 5th president to the United States).

Her platform includes increased communication through innovation, technology, new media, and proven marketing techniques. “If we are to reach younger voters, we will need to improve how we communicate our message of pro-family, limited government, and constitutional freedoms”.

She has been a speaker at national training seminars and is well known for her ability to motivate and build a team of volunteers.

“I have always believed there is a place for every Republican who wants to be involved in campaigns and our party.”

Cheryl and her husband, John, have been married more than 30 years and live in Edmond, Oklahoma. They have two sons, 1 grandson and 2 granddaughters. She is a 3rd generation Oklahoman with family throughout the state. If you have questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact Cheryl Williams at 405-818-8481 or cherylgop@cox.net

American Minute - Jan. 24 - James Madison & Religious Freedom

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

James Madison's defense of religious freedom began when he stood with his father outside a jail in the village of Orange and heard Baptists preach from their cell windows.

He wrote of another incident to William Bradford, JANUARY 24, 1774:

"There are at this time in the adjacent Culpepper County not less than 5 or 6 well meaning men in jail for publishing their religious sentiments which in the main are very orthodox."

Madison helped pass the Virginia Bill of Rights, which stated:

"Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator, and the Manner of discharging it, can be directed only by Reason and Convictions, not by Force or Violence; and therefore all Men are equally entitled to the free exercise of Religion, according to the Dictates of Conscience; and that it is the mutual Duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love, and Charity towards each other."

As President, Madison wrote July 23, 1813:

"If the public homage of a people can ever be worthy of the favorable regard of the Holy and Omniscient Being to whom it is addressed, it must be...guided only by their free choice...as proving that religion, that gift of Heaven for the good of man, is freed from all coercive edicts."

NBC News make two new States: ColoUtah and New Arizona

NBC Nightly news (23 Jan 2009) map of the US showed Colorado-Utah (ColoUtah) as one state, and NM-AZ (New Arizona) as one state.

Must be those square states

LOL
Now what would a map with 57 state look like...

Army Special Forces Rolling With The Budget

The U.S. Army Special Forces is trying to get their spending authority expanded, to better reflect their responsibilities in a war zone.

For example, the CIA, not the Special Forces, has the authority to pay bribes to locals. The State Department, and other departments, but not the Special Forces, have the authority to dispense lots of money for construction projects.

In reality, the Special Forces operators will scrounge up money from other U.S. government agencies when they can, and cut corners if necessary.

What the Special Forces fears is that the new U.S. president will allow more prosecution of troops in general, and Special Forces operators in particular, for not following the rules to the letter.

As a solution for the problem, it's being suggested that Special Forces ODA, add members of the CIA, State Department, or others as needed, to take care of the legal niceties.

The Special Forces is not enthusiastic about this, even in situations where there is not a high risk of combat.

While CIA operatives sometimes go along with Special Forces teams, this is not as much of a problem. For one thing, many of the CIA field operatives are former Special Forces, marines or rangers.

This is much less the case with the State Department and other government organizations.

It would be a lot simpler if the government just trusted the Special Forces to do the right thing with the additional money. In the past, they usually have. Not a lot of financial scandals coming out of the Special Forces.

But the new U.S. government has to show what, if any, changes they will inflict on the troops, especially those who have the most complex and challenging jobs.

BUFFs Return To Their Roots

The U.S. Air Force is going back to the future, by creating a new B-52 squadron, so that it will be possible to give all squadrons time to train for nuclear bombing missions. With a max takeoff weight of 240-250 tons, the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) is basically a large aircraft designed to carry bombs cheaply and efficiently.

Currently, the B-52 force is limited, by law, to 76 aircraft. The current four squadrons each have 14 bombers and 17 crews. The remaining aircraft are assigned to a training squadron, or idle while awaiting upgrades. Twenty B-52s will get electronic and mechanical upgrades that will make all 76 of equal capability.

To obtain the aircraft for the fifth squadron, each unit will now have 13 aircraft and 15 crews. The active duty training squadron will become the fifth operational squadron, and the reserve training squadron will take over all the training duties it used to share with the active duty squadron.

The B-52 is the cheapest, to operate, heavy bomber in the air force, and one of them can cover all of Afghanistan. B-52s are based on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia when they are supporting operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. With five squadrons, there will be time available for squadrons to train each year for nuclear missions (using nuclear armed cruise missiles), while still covering overseas obligations.

During the Afghanistan war in late 2001, ten B-52s dropped a third of the bomb tonnage. That's a remarkable record for a fifty-year-old aircraft design. The B-52 carried that much of the load because it's the most cost-effective heavy bomber we have. The B-52 has a lower accident rate than the B-1 and B-2. Compared to the supersonic B-1 and high-tech B-2, the B-52 is a flying truck. Thus the B-52, despite its age, was the cheapest, safest and most reliable way to deliver smart bombs over Afghanistan.

Lacking the supersonic speed of the B-1, or the stealth and automation of the B-2, the B-52 can carry up to 150 tons of fuel, and normally carries 12-20 tons of bombs (max load of 35 tons). What made the B-52 so useful in the Afghanistan war is its ability to stay in the air for so long. The B-52s flying out of the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to Afghanistan typically stayed in the air for some 16 hours. Since it can refuel in the air, the B-52 can fly anywhere in the world with a load of bombs or missiles.

Over Afghanistan, carrying a dozen 2000-pound JDAM (GPS-guided bombs), or a larger number of smaller bombs, a B-52 could circle a combat area for hours, waiting for the special forces guys or Air Force controllers on the ground to send them the coordinates of a target. The JDAM landed (over 90 percent of the time) within 50 feet of the location the ground troopers wanted it. Better yet, most of the bombs arrived within ten minutes of the request.

Surviving enemy troops admitted that they were demoralized once they realized how this was working. At that point, the enemy fighters knew that if they saw Americans looking at them with binoculars (that included a laser range finder, to provide the B-52 with precise location data for the target), they had ten minutes to run away, or die. And often the enemy troops didn't know they were being set up for a JDAM. No place was safe from the one ton JDAMs. If you ran into a cave, it had better have another exit, because the JDAM would permanently close the one you just entered.

The B-52 can carry a large variety of weapons, including eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 20 cruise missiles. The B-52 has seen a lot of action in Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, in the Balkans and over Afghanistan. The B-52 prototype first flew in 1952. The last one built, a B-52H, was in late 1962.

It's a large aircraft, with a wingspan of 185 feet, a length of 159 feet and a height of 17.5 feet (to the top of the fuselage, 40.6 feet to the top of the tail). Empty weight is 86 tons. It has a crew of five (pilot, copilot, navigator, electronics warfare officer and radar navigator). There used to be a gunner for a rear-firing 20mm cannon, but this was eliminated in the 1990s. Automation can reduce this even more. The 1970s era B-1 has a crew of four, and the 1980s era B-2 has a crew of two. The only B-52s flying are the B-52H model, all built in the early 1960s.

A true replacement for the B-52 was never built because no one foresaw the development of such accurate smart bombs, and the ability of the U. S. Air Force to destroy most anti-aircraft defenses. Indeed, even when faced with heavy defenses, the B-52 was able to fight its way through.

During the twelve days of Linebacker II raids against North Vietnam in 1972, 15 B-52s were shot down by Soviet-built SAM-2 missiles. The 150 B-52s stationed in Guam flew 729 missions, for a loss rate of two percent. But because of the number of sorties flown, ten percent of the B-52s involved were brought down. Of the 92 airmen in the downed aircraft, 33 died.

After Vietnam, the B-52s received several generations of new electronic warfare equipment, learning much from the experience during Linebacker II. But there never was enough money to keep the B-52 completely up to date, especially with the equipment needed to use some of the newer bombs. Some B-52s got their JDAM equipment just before the 2001 war in Afghanistan. And this was mainly because the upgrade was cheap - wiring from the weapons officer's station to the bombs so GPS location data could be changed in flight. The 50-year-old B-52 became the weapon of choice over Afghanistan, able to hang around for hours and drop one-ton JDAM bombs on demand. The B-52 was upgraded to use JDAM before the B-1B because the B-52 is more reliable.

Currently, the Air Force has the capacity to shut down the high-altitude missiles systems of just about anyone, and then bring the B-52s in at high altitude to avoid low-altitude anti-aircraft guns and mobile antiaircraft missile systems.

The B-1 and B-2 were built to deal with even more intense antiaircraft defenses. But with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, no one else has such a system.

China is build another such formidable antiaircraft defense system.

For the moment, because of the lack of first rate air defenses to stop it, the B-52 can still hack it in the combat zone, even delivering nuclear weapons.

Waiting For Cybergeddon

In the United States, the FBI (which is responsible for detecting and investigating Internet based crime) is warning that America is becoming ever more vulnerable to "cybergeddon" (a massive attack via the Internet that would cripple the economy, government and military.)

The FBI admits that it has a hard time getting more money for their Internet security efforts. And reason is because the threat is largely invisible. A picture of a nuclear bomb going off, or of enemy tanks and warships ready to attack, makes a much more effective impression on the politicians who dole out the money.

The FBI also wants to get the Department of Defense Internet defense operations more involved in national level defense against network based attacks. But the four services have a hard time agreeing to coordinate their efforts to defend military use of the Internet when under massive hacker attack. Thus the FBI plea for help sort of falls on distracted ears.

There hasn't been a proper, all-out Cyber War yet. There have been lots of skirmishes, but nothing approaching what an all out battle, via the Internet, would be. What would the first Cyber War be like? Let's be blunt, no one really knows. But based on the cyber weapons that are known to exist, and the ones that are theoretically possible, one can come up with a rough idea.

First, there are three kinds of Cyber War possible. Right now, we have limited stealth operations (LSO), as Chinese, Russian, and others, use Cyber War techniques to support espionage efforts. China is the biggest practitioner, or at least they have been caught most often.

Next comes Cyber War only (CWO). This is open use of a full range of Cyber War weapons. No one has done this yet, but it's potentially less dangerous than firing missiles and unleashing tank divisions. It is believed that Russia indulged in this in 2007, when Estonia infuriated the Russians by moving a World War II statute memorializing the Soviet "liberation" of Estonia (which didn't want to be liberated by the Soviet Union.) Russia denied responsibility for the massive Cyber War assaults on Estonia, which nearly shut down the nations Internet infrastructure. Estonia accused Russia of being responsible, and tried to invoke the NATO mutual-defense pact. NATO Cyber War experts went to Estonia, and shortly thereafter the attacks stopped. Apparently Russia got the message that this sort of thing could escalate in something more conventional, and deadly.

Then we have Cyber War in support of a conventional war. Technically, we have had this sort of thing for decades. It has been called "electronic warfare" and has been around since World War II. But the development of the Internet into a major part of the planets commercial infrastructure, takes "electronic warfare" to a whole other level. Cyber War goes after strategic targets, not just the electronic weapons and communications of the combat forces.

A successful Cyber War depends on two things; means and vulnerability. The "means" are the people, tools and cyberweapons available to the attacker. The vulnerability is the extent to which the enemy economy and military use the Internet and networks in general. We don't know who has what Cyber War capabilities exactly, although China and the U.S. have openly organized Cyber War units, and both nations have lots of skilled Internet experts.

Vulnerability is another matter. The United States is the most exposed to Cyber War attack because, as a nation, we use the Internet more than any other country. That's the bad news. The good news is that if an attacker ever tried to launch a Cyber War by assaulting the U.S., it could backfire. This risk has to be kept in mind when considering what a Cyber War might do. Recall military history. The Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 actually backfired on the Japanese, by enraging Americans and unleashing a bloodthirsty response that left Japan in ruins. The lesson of the original Pearl Harbor is, if you're going to hit someone this way, better make it count. If your opponent is bigger than you, and gets back up, you could be in some serious trouble.

The big problem with Cyber War is that there has not been a lot of experience with it. Without that, no one is really sure what will happen when someone attempts to use it at maximum strength. But unlike nuclear weapons, there is far less inhibition about going all-out with Cyber War weapons. That is the biggest danger. Cyber War is a weapon of growing might, and little restraint by those who wield it. Things are going to get a lot worse.

American Minute - Jan. 23 - John Carroll, the Declaration's Longest Living Signer

American Minute
with
Bill Federer

JANUARY 23, 1789, John Carroll founded Georgetown University.

He was brother of Daniel Carroll, who signed the U.S. Constitution and gave the land where the Capitol is built.

He was cousin to Charles Carroll, the wealthiest man in America and the Declaration's longest living signer.

John's nephew Robert Brent, was Washington, DC's first mayor, reappointed by Jefferson and Madison.

John Carroll, America's first Catholic bishop, founded the nation's first Catholic seminary and parochial school system.

He persuaded Elizabeth Seton to start a girls school in Baltimore.

In 1776, the Congress asked him to go with Ben Franklin to try to enlist Canada's support of the Revolution.

His influence led several States to give Catholics equality.

Bishop John Carroll wrote:

"Freedom and independence, acquired by...the mingled blood of Protestant and Catholic fellow-citizens, should be equally enjoyed by all."

President Washington wrote to John Carroll, March 1790:

"Your fellow-citizens will not forget the patriotic part which you took in the accomplishment of their Revolution...

May the members of your society in America, animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity...enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity."

ACORN PAY OFF from Democrats' ?

U.S. House
Republican Leader
John Boehner
sends out this warning:

The House Democrats’ trillion dollar spending bill, approved on January 21 by the Appropriations Committee and headed to the House floor next week for a vote, could open billions of taxpayer dollars to left-wing groups like the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

ACORN has been accused of perpetrating voter registration fraud numerous times in the last several elections; is reportedly under federal investigation; and played a key role in the irresponsible schemes that caused a financial meltdown that has cost American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars since last fall.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and other Republicans are asking a simple question: what does this have to do with job creation? Are Congressional Democrats really going to borrow money from our children and grandchildren to give handouts to ACORN in the name of economic “stimulus?”

Incredibly, the Democrats’ bill makes groups like ACORN eligible for a $4.19 billion pot of money for “neighborhood stabilization activities.” Funds for this purpose were authorized in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, signed into law in 2008. However, these funds were limited to state and local governments. Now House Democrats are taking the unprecedented step of making ACORN and other groups eligible for these funds:

“For a further additional amount for ‘Community Development Fund,’ $4,190,000,000, to be used for neighborhood stabilization activities related to emergency assistance for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes as authorized under division B, title III of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–289), of which—

“(1) not less than $3,440,000,000 shall be allocated by a competition for which eligible entities shall be States, units of general local government, and nonprofit entities or consortia of nonprofit entities[.]”

“(2) up to $750,000,000 shall be awarded by competition to nonprofit entities or consortia of nonprofit entities to provide community stabilization assistance […]”

The House Democrats’ trillion dollar spending bill also includes $1 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. CDBG funds are given by the federal government to state and local governments which often contract with nonprofits for services related to the purpose of the grant.

ACORN knows how to secure CDBG funds. Audit reports filed by ACORN’s headquarters with the Office of Management and Budget show that ACORN spent $1,588,599 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program funds from FY 2003 through FY 2007. It is not clear from these records when or from what source the funds were awarded to ACORN. It is also not clear whether ACORN chapters or affiliates have received CDBG grants on their own.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) repeatedly urged President George W. Bush and other federal officials to withhold taxpayer funds from ACORN, including $17.2 million in federal grants awarded in December 2008 after numerous allegations of wrongdoing in connection with ACORN’s election activities were reported by the news media.

Leader Boehner also released a study of federal records in October 2008 listing tens of millions in federal grants received by ACORN. A new updated and more expansive study reveals that ACORN has actually received millions more than first thought. A review of the Federal Register and news releases issued by federal agencies showed that ACORN was awarded more than $53 million in taxpayer dollars. This amount does not reflect the millions more ACORN has received in federal block grant funds awarded to state and local agencies which passed them on to ACORN.