Jim sent this in:

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, a loyal Democrat and liberal-left ideologue, blamed the Fort Hood massacre –perpetrated last Thursday by a radical Muslim soldier –on firearms.

CNN’s Lou Dobbs, a lightning rod for criticism following his transition from a business journalist to an opinionated anchor on such issues as illegal immigration, told viewers on Wednesday that he was quitting his nightly show to pursue new opportunities. I can only hope that Fox News jumps on this opportunity.

Tribute to all veterans and all the fine men and women serving in the armed services.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said in a floor statement Monday that he will likely file a procedural motion to clear the nomination of David Hamilton, an Indiana native nominated to serve on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.   You may remember Hamilton as the Judge who ruled it’s illegal to pray “in Jesus name” but totally legal to pray to Allah on the floor of the Indiana Legislature.  His foolish ruling in Hinrichs v. Bosma was overturned (thanks in part to legal aid to the Indiana Attorney General).  He also ruled to hasten the abortion of unborn children, but that bad ruling was also overturned. Now Obama wants to reward Hamilton’s anti-life anti-Jesus prejudice with promotion to the same appeals court that overruled him.  

“Monday, a week from today, we’ll have votes in the morning. We have to do that,” Reid said. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) wrote a letter to all Republicans on 30 Oct, asking for help in opposing Hamilton, who the Seventh Circuit Court rebuked for repeatedly “abusing his discretion,” and for a speech Hamilton gave saying the judge’s primary job is ”write footnotes in the Constitution” for his own activist causes.  To support Sessions and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) who called for a filibuster, back in April & May 2009 we sent nearly 700,000 fax petitions to the full Senate against Hamilton, and we successfully persuaded all Republicans to unite against Hamilton, earning all 7 minority votes to block him in the Judiciary Committee.  But all 12 committee majority Democrats voted against Jesus-prayers, and so forwarded Hamilton to the full Senate, where his nomination sat quietly without action for seven months, until now.

On 4 June 09, the Judiciary committee voted 12-7 along strict party lines, to forward the nomination of Judge David Hamilton, the anti-Jesus Judge, the same judge who issued controversial rulings banning public prayers offered “in Jesus name,” (but allowing prayers to Allah), and hastening the abortion of unborn children.  This vote came after we’d already sent nearly 600,000 faxes to the entire Senate opposing Hamilton, proving some Republicans listen to the voice of the people, and some Democrats remain deaf to our petitions. Now this anti-Jesus Judge Hamilton will face the full Senate, and the threat of filibuster by the pro-faith, pro-family Senator James Inhofe (R-OK).  

To stop Hamilton, we need 40 strong Senate votes to stand with Senator Inhofe, to uphold his filibuster.  If we fail, Hamilton will be promoted to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the same court that overruled his aggressive, anti-life, anti-liberty decisions for years.

Judge Hamilton wrote: “The injunction orders the Speaker…that the prayers should not use Christ’s name or title or any other denominational appeal…If those offering prayers in the Indiana House of Representatives choose to use the Arabic ‘Allah’…the court sees little risk that the choice of language would advance a particular religion or disparage others.”

In other words, Judge Hamilton ruled the words “Jesus” or “Christ” or “Savior” are illegal words, prohibited for public speech, banned by the First Amendment, which somehow prohibits freedom of religious expression, and makes Christian prayers ILLEGAL, but prayers to Allah are TOTALLY LEGAL in a public forum. (What crazy version of the First Amendment is he reading?)

Judge Hamilton is the worst of Obama’s 15 new liberal appeals court appointees. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals covers Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.  Since most cases never reach the Supreme Court, the federal appellate circuits often provide the last word on cases affecting life and liberty.

READ THE FACTS:

The Judicial Confirmation Network quickly opposed Hamilton’s nomination, stating that “President Obama’s first nominee to the federal appeals courts — specifically the appeals court based in Chicago — is an ultra-liberal named David Hamilton who is a former fundraiser for ACORN and former leader of the Indiana chapter of the ACLU. He was nominated to the district court bench by President Clinton even though he had no judicial experience and was rated as ‘not qualified’ by the American Bar Association.”

Now newly promoted Judiciary Committee ranking minority Member Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), agrees with pro-faith Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), that we should oppose and filibuster Hamilton’s nomination to the 7th Circuit. Thanks in part to our public pressure, the Republicans and Sessions have twice succeeded in delaying Hamilton’s committee votes, saying “This a complex area of the law, I’ll admit, but it’s time for the federal court to get their heads straight on proper separation of church and state issues.”

ANTI-LIFE BUT PRO-ABORTION?

In 2003, Judge Hamilton struck down part of an Indiana law on abortion. The reasonable law had required abortion clinics to simply give women information about alternatives to abortion in the presence of a physician or nurse, 18 hours before the procedure, until Hamilton ruled to hasten abortions. But thank God, the 7th Circuit Court also reversed Hamilton’s bad decision in that case.

If confirmed now Hamilton will sit on that 7th Circuit Court (the same court that frequently overruled him) with tyrannical power to rule the heartland of Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin with his anti-life, anti-liberty, anti-Christian agenda.

On April 1st and again on April 29th, Senator Orrin Hatch led all Republicans to walk out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in protest against the Democrat “rush job” to confirm Judge Hamilton.  Senator Jeff Sessions said he was troubled by Hamilton’s ruling against a sectarian prayer to open the Indiana House of Representatives.  Even Senator Arlen Specter expressed concern about Hamilton while serving as a Republican, but after switching parties he broke his promise to not become a “rubber stamp” for the Obama Administration, and voted to confirm Hamilton anyway. But will any Democrats oppose the anti-Jesus Hamilton?

Here is your chance to make some impact. This jusgde comes up for a vote soon, and there are some undecided legislators. Below are the lawmakers’ names and phone numbers:

Ben Nelson, D-NE 202-224-6551                  y George Voinovich, R-OH 202-224-3353

x Bill Nelson, D-FL    202-224-5274              y Judd Gregg, R-NH 202-224-3324

x Kay Hagan, D-NC 202-224-6342               y Richard Lugar, R-IN  202-224-4814

x Mark Pryor, D-AR  202-224-2353                y Olympia Snowe, R-ME  202-224-5344

xz Blanche Lincoln, D-AR 202-224-4843      y Susan Collins, R-ME  202-224-2523

z Chris Dodd, D-CT  202-224-2823                xy Kit Bond, R-MO 202-224-5721

z Barbara Boxer, D-CA 202-224-3553            z Michael Bennet, D-CO  202-224-5852

z Roland Burris, D-IL 202-224-2854              z Byron Dorgan, D-ND 202-224-2551

z Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY 202-224-4451

 (x = Lives in the South. y = Voted for Sebelius. z = Facing re-election in 2010.) 
   

Another Obama Administration controversy brewing? This time, it is about the massacre at Fort Hood. Rep. Pete Hoekstra seems to think so.

Jim sent this in:

The United States is no longer fighting the Global War on Terrorism thanks to the denizens of the White House and Democrat Party.

The end of this war did not result in tickertape parades or community events celebrating victory and the return of our fighting men and women. In fact, the end of the GWOT coincided with — and was overshadowed by – the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009. And our troops continue to fight, kill and die in bloody battles in Afghanistan. 

One cannot help but wonder at what moment did the war on terrorism give way to our Overseas Contingency Operations. Or is this merely another example of what George Orwell termed “Newspeak?”

In a report released on September 25 by the Government Accountability Office, this latest euphemism — created by President Barack Obama and his national security team — is peppered throughout the documents submitted to the US Congress. Congress has provided the Department of Defense with $893 billion in supplemental and annual appropriations, as of June 2009, primarily for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO).

DOD’s reported annual obligations for OCO have shown a steady increase from about $0.2 billion in fiscal year 2001 to about $162.4 billion in fiscal year 2008. For fiscal year 2009, Congress appropriated $151 billion in war-related requests.

A total of $89.1 billion has been obligated through the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 through June 2009. The United States’ commitments to OCO will likely involve the continued investment of significant resources, requiring decision makers to consider difficult trade-offs as the nation faces an increasing long-range fiscal challenges such as the recession and projected increases in government health services.

The magnitude of future costs will depend on several direct and indirect costs and, in some cases, decisions that have not yet been made. DOD’s future costs will likely be affected by the pace and duration of operations, the types of facilities needed to support troops overseas, redeployment plans, and the amount of equipment to be repaired or replaced.

DOD compiles and reports monthly and cumulative incremental obligations incurred to support OCO in a monthly report commonly called the Contingency Operations Status of Funds Report. DOD leadership uses this report, along with other information, to advise Congress on the costs of the war and to formulate future OCO budget requests. DOD reports these obligations by appropriation, contingency operation, and military service or defense agency. DOD has prepared monthly reports on the obligations incurred for its involvement in OCO since fiscal year 2001.

As of June 2009, Congress has appropriated a total of about $893 billion primarily for OCO since 2001. Of that amount, $151 billion was appropriated for use in fiscal year 2009. DOD has reported obligations of about $744 billion for OCO from fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2008 and for fiscal year 2009 (October 2008 through June 2009).

The $149 billion difference between DOD’s appropriations and reported obligations can generally be attributed to the remaining fiscal year 2009 appropriations; multiyear funding for procurement; military construction; and research, development, test, and evaluation from previous OCO-related appropriations that have yet to be obligated; and obligations for classified and other items, which DOD considers to be non-OCO related, that are not reported in DOD’s cost-of-war reports.

Of DOD’s reported obligations for OCO through June 2009 (about $744 billion), about $570 billion is for operations in and around Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and about $146 billion is for operations in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines, and elsewhere as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The remainder of about $28 billion is for operations in defense of the homeland as part of Operation Noble Eagle. DOD’s reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom have consistently increased each fiscal year since operations began. The increases in reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom are in part due to continued costs for military personnel, such as military pay and allowances for mobilized reservists, and for rising operation and maintenance expenses, such as higher contract costs for housing, food, and services and higher fuel costs. 

In fiscal year 2009, through June 2009, DOD reported obligations of about $89.1 billion, which is more than one half of the total amount of obligation it reported for all of fiscal year 2008. Reported obligations for Operation Iraqi Freedom for the same period continue to account for the largest portion of total reported OCO obligations by operation–about $61.5 billion. In contrast, reported obligations associated with Operation Enduring Freedom total about $27.4 billion, and reported obligations associated with Operation Noble Eagle total about $138.2 million.

With the impending US troop surge in Afghanistan, it would be safe to assume there will be increases in DOD expenditures. Would it be unfair to surmise that Overseas Contingency Operations are more expensive than waging a global war on terrorism?

The Nov. 5 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, provides a special sense of poignancy to this year’s Veterans Day observance, Defense

Secretary Robert M. Gates said in his annual message commemorating the holiday.

Here is the text of the secretary’s message:

On this our ninth Veterans Day since the attacks on September 11th, let us take a moment to remember those, past and present, who have served our nation in uniform.

Today we remain a nation at war with hundreds of thousands of men and women deployed far from home. Those serving on the front lines face hardship, danger, and a ruthless and resourceful enemy. Their families keeping vigilant watch for their loved one’s return serve and sacrifice as well.

This Veterans Day is especially poignant given the atrocity that took place at Fort Hood, where those who stepped forward to serve were cut down as they were preparing to deploy. The thoughts and prayers of the entire country are with the wounded and the families of the fallen. Our hope is that time will eventually assuage the anguish that this terrible act has caused.

Our nation cannot fully repay the debt owed our veterans and their families, but we can use this opportunity to reflect and remember what these brave Americans have done. David Lloyd George, speaking during the opening months of World War I, the conflict that began this day of remembrance, said: “The stern hand of fate has scourged us to an elevation where we can see the everlasting things that matter for a nation – the great peaks we had forgotten, of Honor, Duty, Patriotism, and clad in glittering white, the towering pinnacle of sacrifice pointing like a rugged finger to Heaven.”

To America’s veterans: on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your towering pinnacle of sacrifice on behalf of your countrymen.

ROBERT M. GATES
Secretary of Defense

This week the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard announced an increase in activated reservists, while the Army and Marine Corps announced a decrease.  The net collective result is 468 fewer reservists activated than last week.

At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease.  The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 107,405; Navy Reserve, 6,432; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 13,500; Marine Corps Reserve, 7,931; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 765.  This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 136,033, including both units and individual augmentees.

A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found at:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Nov2009/d20091110ngr.pdf.

The United States of America was born as an independent, sovereign, nation in July of 1776, when our Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. The sovereign and independent status that America has cherished for over 200 years may come to an abrupt end in December, 2009, if Barack Obama signs the Copenhagen Climate Treaty.

What is the Copenhagen Climate Treaty?

The Copenhagen Treaty has two stated goals:

• Transfer wealth from Industrial Nations (The United States) to Developing Countries.
• Dictate energy use and consumption to Industrial Nations (The United States)

Now, just so we are clear…

• Goal Number One is Global Socialism
• Goal Number Two is a Global Dictatorship

Industrialized countries have a dual obligation under the Treaty, representing their overall responsibility for keeping the world within the limits of the global carbon budget and ensuring that adaptation to the impacts of climate change is possible for the most vulnerable. This dual binding obligation takes the form of emissions reductions as well as the provision of support to developing countries.

Lord Christopher Monckton, the former advisor for science policy to former British Prime Minister, and former President Ronald Reagan ally, Lady Margaret Thatcher, believes that if the U.S. signs any climate treaty coming out of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December, it could subject the United States to a global dictatorship.
“This treaty of Copenhagen, which is going to be negotiated by the states’ parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December, is going to…establish for the first time in human history a global government,” he warns.

The devastating immediate economic impact of the Copenhagen Climate Treaty:

• Limit manufacturing in the U.S. by cap and trade regulations = Loss of Jobs
• Limit personal consumption of energy by law and costs = Loss of Freedom
• Hyper Energy cost Inflation
• ALL goods and materials to become more expensive = Double Digit Inflation
• Transportation to become more expensive = $10 per gallon gas prices
• Halt the US Recovery = Prolonged Recession / Depression
• Assure and accelerate the shift of economic growth and profitability from the U.S to emerging markets = Loss of Opportunity
• Increase Imports for emerging countries who will not be subject to the same carbon emissions limits = Unfair Competition, Increased Trade Deficit
• Cause the U.S. to become an even greater debtor while China becomes an even bigger creditor = More Red Debt
• Add momentum to the movement away from the U.S. Dollar toward an alternate single or composite world reserve currency = One World Currency
• Increase the cost of Treasury borrowings = Ballooning Deficit
• Drive up federal and state taxes = Suffocating Taxes

During a visit to Germany in the midst of the Presidential Campaign last year, Barack Hussein Obama declared, “I am a citizen of the world.” In front of one million adoring Germans, Obama had announced to the world that he indeed prioritized globalism over patriotism.

The U. S. Constitution mandates that treaty ratification must be advised and consented to by a two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate. This would normally be a tall order for any President, if said President valued the Constitution.

An Obama advisor once said that he [Obama] regarded the U.S. Constitution as merely a piece of paper…and he saw it as a barrier to the things that the Left around the world want to do – and, therefore, they were going to find ways of circumventing it.

Let’s compare the Copenhagen Climate Treaty to Cap & Trade.

The Wall Street Journal called Cap & Trade “the biggest tax in American history” and The Washington Times reported that cap-and-trade legislation will levy a $3.6 trillion gas-tax increase that will impact every American and important segments of our economy.

Cap & Trade will cause massive inflation, record unemployment and entire industrial sectors will flee the country in search of profits.

As dreadful as Cap & Trade would be for the United States economy, if the Copenhagen Climate Treaty is signed and ratified, it will be far more dangerous to the economic and political future of this country.

The Copenhagen Climate Treaty will strip America of its Sovereignty, and subject us to laws, rules and huge taxes levied by a one-world, leftist, elitist governing body that wants to steal America’s wealth to punish us for our success as a nation. Worst of all, Americans will NOT have the power to vote these elitists out of office, impeach them, or hold them accountable in any way whatsoever.

THIS MAY BE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OF OUR LIFETIME. If we do not stand firm and united against this treasonous treaty, the greatest country in the world may be forever subservient to a One World Order and it will have happened on our watch.

Ever wonder what the significance is of the little red flowers that the Veterans of Foreign Wars hand out? What are they and what do they mean? The answer to the first question is simple. They are poppies. Red-flowered corn poppies.

So, what’s with the poppies?

Poppies have long been used as a symbol of both sleep and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of their blood-red color. In Greco-Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead. The bright scarlet color symbolized the promise of resurrection after death.

One of the most poignant symbols of the cost of World War I is the cemetery at Flanders Field in Ypres, Belgium. In the nearly 150 cemeteries in this area, row upon row of crosses and headstones mark the graves of the some of the one million U.S., European and Australian soldiers and civilians who gave their lives in almost four years of combat on the salient near Ypres. More than 54,000 crosses mark the graves of unknown dead.

Among the rows in the gardens of stone, life and resurrection spring forth in the form of the red-flowered corn poppy, a common plant in Europe. Canadian surgeon and soldier, Lt. Col. John McCrae wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields” May 3, 1915, after witnessing the death of his friend, Lt. Alexis Helmer.

In tribute to the opening lines of McCrae’s poem, Moina Michael vowed in her 1915 poem “We Shall Keep the Faith” to always wear a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in the war. Thus the plant became a symbol for the dead World War I soldiers.

Veterans groups in England, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States have adopted the red poppy as not only a symbol of remembrance of the sacrifice of veterans who have died but of the continued sacrifice that veterans make in service to their countries.

While serving a year in Iraq, days may seem to pass with little difference from one to the next. We try to mark important holidays through decorations, barbeques, picnics and concerts. These celebrations help to remind us of our loved ones and of our rituals and normalcy back at home. Still, the significance of holidays and celebrations may be lost in our separation from what makes them so dear.

Veterans Day is not one of those holidays. In fact, being in a combat zone reminds us of the sacrifice and service that make this holiday so significant. Strip away the barbeques. Get rid of the days off. Take down the red, white and blue bunting and the patriotic parades. What do you have left? You have the essence of this somber day. Remembrance.

What are we remembering? We remember that by the signing of the Armistice at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 marking the end of World War I, more than 20 million from over 26 countries were dead.

We are not alone in this remembrance. In many parts of the world people take a two-minute moment of silence at 11 a.m. as a sign of respect for people who died in the war.

When you see the simple and humble poppy, think about the sacrifice of the veterans who have come before you and the ones that will follow. Though poppies grow, we should not sleep. We should remain vigilant and remember.