If you care about the Constitution, personal liberties and individual freedom, and are bothered by the fact that your government thinks it is okay for them to spy on you, listen to your phone calls and catalog your electronic activities, you must watch this video.

The video is of Barry Richard.  Richard is an attorney in Florida, who has been named “One of the 100 Most Influential Attorneys in America” by the National Law Journal. 

Additionally, his capabilities in the area of government and election law are illustrated by the broad, non-partisan nature of his representation. Most notably, a registered Democrat, he represented President George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election litigation. In that capacity, he managed 46 lawsuits and personally argued several critical cases on behalf of President Bush. Under both Republican and Democrat administrations, he has been retained at various times as special counsel to the Governor, the Florida Senate, the Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Attorney General, the Florida Secretary of State, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the Florida Department of Insurance. In the 1998 election, Barry served simultaneously as campaign legal counsel to Republican Governor Jeb Bush and the Democratic incumbent candidate for Florida Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner (now U.S. Senator) Bill Nelson.

Last year I had the privilege and honor to speak at a conference as “the warm up” to Barry’s presentation titled “Security, Pseudo-Patriotism and the Erosion of American Liberties.”

Barry’s remarks left me, and an audience of several hundred people speechless. The attached link to the speech (given at a different time and location) will make your jaw drop. Draw your own conclusions after watching the video of his speech, but I imagine you will go away with grave concerns about our government and who it serves.

As the NSA and IRS scandals unfold, and as Obama-care makes the insurance companies richer, and the hard-working people who actually work and pay taxes poorer — so the Obama government can make more people dependent on government and thereby get Democrats reelected — I believe you will be as appalled as I am at the America we live in today.

But take your partisan stripes off. As Barry Richard shows, the attack on individual freedoms is not limited to one party or the other. Both parties seek greater power by oppressing the constitutional freedoms of every American regardless of race, creed, socioeconomic status, or religion.

Watch the video, and then share your outrage at what America is becoming with your friends, neighbors, and elected officials.

Friends and followers, I don’t forward videos and other people’s speeches/comments very often, I hope you recognize the importance of this issue and the message that Barry Edwards shares in this important video.

Chris Ingram

Chris Ingram is the president and founder of 411 Communications a corporate and political communications firm, and publisher of Irreverent View. Ingram is a frequent pundit on Fox News and CNN, and has written opinion columns for the Washington Times, UPI, and National Review online. He is the Republican political analyst for Bay News 9, the only 24 hour all news channel in Florida’s largest media market. The opinions expressed here are those of author and do not represent the views of Bay News 9. E-mail him at: Chris@IrreverentView.com.

Please feel free to submit a comment on our blogs. By posting a comment you acknowledge reading and following the terms and conditions of posting found here. You may also submit a comment by e-mail. If you e-mail a comment you consent to your comment and name being posted on the Irreverent View website. If you wish to remain completely anonymous, please state so in your e-mail.

John Wehrung is a conservative commentator and veteran Republican political operative who will soon be audited by the IRS. Email him your sympathies at: jtwehrung@gmail.com

After serving as mayor of Tampa for six years, Bob Martinez resigned to run for governor in 1986. The former Democrat became Florida’s first Republican governor in 16 years but lost his re-election bid four years later following the state’s controversial attempt at implementing a tax on services — a measure the Legislature passed but quickly repealed.

He later served for nearly two years as the nation’s “Drug Czar” under President George H.W. Bush. Since then, Martinez, who has always maintained residency in Tampa, has kept an active but mostly behind the scenes profile in Florida political circles.

I recently sat down with the former governor in the offices of the law firm where he works as a lobbyist to talk about his life in politics, his legacy and issues facing the Republican Party and the country.

We start out talking about the national political environment and the major issues facing our country — most notably the national debt and government spending.

“Since the federal government doesn’t have to balance the budget, they have the ability to just kick the can. Every time they kick the can, after a while voters stop listening,” he says.

Economic and budgetary issues are hard to explain, and are far removed from people’s lives — or so they think, Martinez says. Explaining them is “… complicated because there is no sound-bite answer.”

The “other side,” as Martinez refers to the Democrats, is very adept at playing politics with important issues. He points to the sequester as a prime example. Initiated by Democrats, they then turned around and pointed the finger at the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as being the villains for the forced spending cuts — which Martinez accurately points out are just cuts in the rate of growth, not really cuts in total spending, which continues to increase.

Our conversation turned to Florida and the performance of Gov. Rick Scott, and Martinez is careful with his words — as he always appears to be. In fact, he is so careful, if you didn’t know it, you would think he was a seasoned lawyer by profession. But he’s not. Before politics, Martinez owned a restaurant in Tampa that served the Spanish delicacies he had grown up on.

Of Scott, Martinez acknowledges the obvious — that the governor has (Click here to continue reading the full column in Sunday’s Tampa Tribune).

Former Governor Bob Martinez

If you would like to attend the lunch, please send an email to Chris@IrreverentView.com, prior to June 11. There is no charge to attend, just pay for your own lunch.

We’re proud to be back at Datz! With their recent acquisition of the property next door, there is now more parking. We will meet in the dining room on the second floor.

As Rotarians, we live a life of service every day. We serve our communities, our countries, our neighbors, our businesses and the world at large.

The Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” gives us extraordinary joy, lasting friendships, roots within the community and it solidifies the integrity and strength of our businesses and organizations.

For more information about the Rotary and the Downtown Tampa Rotary Club, visit the club’s website at: http://www.rotarycluboftampa.org/

If you are interested in attending a Rotary Club meeting, or learning more about Rotary click here: http://www.rotarycluboftampa.org/contact-us

TAMPA – The day after Memorial Day proved to be a fitting time to honor some of the area’s unsung heroes.

“Yesterday, we took a few moments to honor the brave men and women who served our country,” said Rolfe Arnhym, chairman of the award committee for the Rotary Club of Tampa. “Today is in a little different vein as we honor those who have served in our community.”

Frank Morsani received the Service Above Self award, while Tampa Police Department officer Ricky Wade, along with Steve and Emily Kundrat, received the first Unsung Heroes awards.

“We hadn’t given out the Service Above Self Award for a few years, so when I became chair about five years ago, we brought it back,” Arnhym said. “This is the first time we added the Unsung Heroes awards.”

The club, along with The Tampa Tribune, presented the prizes Tuesday during the rotary’s weekly meeting at the Glazer Children’s Museum.

“Our mission as human beings is not just to give, but to give back,” said an emotional Morsani during his acceptance speech. The Service Above Self award reflects the rotary club’s motto and is a fitting description for Morsani’s contributions, which include donating about $40 million to the University of South Florida.

“This was never in the script,” Morsani said after describing his humble beginnings in Oklahoma. “It’s been a great ride.”

Wade has put in nearly 20 years worth of work with the police department and the Police Athletic League, the non-profit group dedicated to providing affordable summer, after-school and athletic opportunities for youth in Tampa Bay.

The award was a surprise. Click here to see the full story and photos in today’s Tampa Tribune.

Having Sen. Marco Rubio as the champion of the immigration reform bill Congress is considering is akin to asking the Road Runner to be in charge of speed limits. Here’s why: Rubio is Cuban. Being Cuban means he is Hispanic. Republicans have a huge problem in appealing to Hispanics. Ergo, Rubio is the savior of the party who will help it win the Hispanic vote.

Problem is, although Rubio is Cuban and that makes him Hispanic, not all Hispanics are Cuban. There are Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Columbians, Peruvians, Costa Ricans and even Spaniards. The Census Bureau conveniently lumps all of them into the category of Hispanic. Among them, Mexicans make up 65 percent of Hispanics in the United States; just four percent are Cuban.

Let’s compare Cubans to Mexicans. The different concerns and interests of Cubans compared to Mexicans is as far and wide as the those of the French compared to the Congolese. Even though the official language of Congo is French, the people’s similarities with France end there.

Just how different the concerns and interests of Cubans compared to Mexicans are is evident in how differently they are treated by our government.

The so-called “wet-foot, dry-foot” immigration policy of the United States is a perfect example. It says any Cuban who illegally enters the country and sets their foot on dry land is automatically entitled to a fast track to permanent residency.

Click here to read the full column in today’s Tampa Tribune.

Chris Ingram is the president and founder of 411 Communications a corporate and political communications firm, and publisher of Irreverent View. Ingram is a frequent pundit on Fox News and CNN, and has written opinion columns for the Washington Times, UPI, and National Review online. He is the Republican political analyst for Bay News 9, the only 24 hour all news channel in Florida’s largest media market. The opinions expressed here are those of author and do not represent the views of Bay News 9. E-mail him at: Chris@IrreverentView.com.

Please feel free to submit a comment on our blogs. By posting a comment you acknowledge reading and following the terms and conditions of posting found here. You may also submit a comment by e-mail. If you e-mail a comment you consent to your comment and name being posted on the Irreverent View website. If you wish to remain completely anonymous, please state so in your e-mail.

Satire

Retail stores nationwide reported a run on pressure cookers and slow cookers (Crock-Pots), following plans by congressional Democrats and the White House to ban sales of the small appliances following Monday’s tragic bombing in Boston in which pressure cookers were the weapon of choice. The FBI found remnants of a cooker they believe was filled with nails and packed with explosives. The bombing killed three people.

Speaking from the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would introduce an immediate emergency ban of pressure cooker and slow cooker sales. Pelosi believes such a ban would be legal under Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution.

“The Commerce Clause provides wide latitude for the government to regulate dangerous weapons such as these. We are working with Senate Democrats and the president to ensure these weapons of civil destruction don’t end up in the wrong hands,” Pelosi said.

As he took a drag on a cigarette while walking into a tanning salon on Capitol Hill, House Speaker John Boehner mused, “Pressure cookers and Crock-Pots don’t kill people, people kill people.”

A senior Obama administration official said the president is prepared to go even further than Pelosi. Speaking on the condition of anonymity because if the proposal backfires the president wants to be able to say he didn’t support it, the spokesman said the administration will ask for registration of all pressure cookers and slow-cookers with the FBI.

The Democrats’ latest target: your kitchen appliances.

The spokesman also said the president would seek to restrict the purchase of nails to no more than one nail per person per day. On that measure, he said the administration may seek a special waiver for those who can prove they work in the construction industry so that they would be able to purchase three to five nails per day depending on the number of years of experience they had. Those workers would also be required to take a mandatory class on the history and purpose of nails, and instruction on their safe and proper use.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called for even more restrictions than the White House. Reid’s office said he would introduce legislation requiring owners of small cookers to take an advanced culinary class, as well as putting a limit on the pot size of cookers to a size not to exceed 7.5 ounces.

Upon hearing of the Democrats’ proposals, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The president’s plan shows how out of touch and in need of mental counseling everyone in the Democratic party is – it’s not just that crazy actress who needs a shrink.”

“And don’t they realize no one who uses a pressure cooker or a slow cooker has any interest in taking a culinary class? Don’t they understand that limiting the size of Crock-Pots to 7.5 ounces would mean you couldn’t slow-cook a single carrot?” McConnell asked incredulously.

The Small Appliance Manufacturer’s Society (SAMS) issued a press release attacking the Democrat’s plan.

“The government wants to ban pressure and slow cookers today, but what’s next? It’ll be your George Foreman Grill tomorrow and your popcorn maker next week. Before you know it, the government will ban your stove and your refrigerator,” said Anita Bath, president of SAMS.

White House press secretary, Igetcha Nau, responded to SAMS’ suggestions by saying they were, “…inappropriate in the wake of this week’s tragedy in which three people died at the hands of a loaded pressure cooker.”

Republicans believe the Democrat’s plan to ban cookers will be a winner for the GOP on Election Day.

“Go ahead. Make our day. If the Democrats ban Crock-Pots, we win NASCAR dads, soccer moms, and Wal-Mart shoppers by probably 70 percent in November 2014,” said Haywood U. Kuddleme, spokesperson for the Republican National Committee.

Chris Ingram is the president and founder of 411 Communications a corporate and political communications firm, and publisher of Irreverent View. Ingram is a frequent pundit on Fox News and CNN, and has written opinion columns for the Washington Times, UPI, and National Review online. He is the Republican political analyst for Bay News 9, the only 24 hour all news channel in Florida’s largest media market. The opinions expressed here are those of author and do not represent the views of Bay News 9. E-mail him at: Chris@IrreverentView.com.

Please feel free to submit a comment on our blogs. By posting a comment you acknowledge reading and following the terms and conditions of posting found here. You may also submit a comment by e-mail. If you e-mail a comment you consent to your comment and name being posted on the Irreverent View website. If you wish to remain completely anonymous, please state so in your e-mail.