Chesterfield Tea Party

Chesterfield Tea Party is not sponsoring these meetings.

2022-07-28T16:37:00.006-04:00

We, the Chesterfield Tea Party, are not

behind the meetings listed here.

* State Senator Amanda Chase and a group affiliated with her had attempted to use our name without our consent, and we have requested that she and the group not use our name. We are sorry for all the confusion.

Chesterfield Tea Party Members Choose a Tie Between Darrell Castle and Gary Johnson for 2016 Presidential Candidates

2016-11-04T15:29:00.002-04:00

The Chesterfield Tea Party Members have voted for their choices for president. The vote ended in a tie between Darrell Castle and Gary Johnson (Pictured and listed alphabetically) with 20% voting for 'None of the Above'.

There were no votes for Hillary Clinton, Evan McMullin, Jill Stein or Donald Trump (Listed Alphabetically).

Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party is an Official Write-in candidate in Virginia, so if you write him in it will count in the vote totals. (Website)

Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in Virginia. (Website)

Please vote Tuesday, November 8th 2016.

Public meeting TODAY November 18th, 2015 (Wednesday) on massive Chesterfield Bikeways Plan

2015-11-18T08:55:00.004-05:00

Originally Posted by Eric McGrane on the Richmond Tea Party Website on November 17th, 2015

Now’s your chance to have your voice be heard regarding the massive Chesterfield bikeways plan. (Plan details) The county has plans to build miles and miles of new bike/pedestrian paths, spider-webbing all over the county. Current estimates are around $300 million over the next several years. And we know how cost overruns occur…the county was just off by 9 MILLION dollars for a school.This is the same county government that just tried to pass a NEW meals tax on residents, because the county didn’t have enough money for critical services. But somehow we’ll have money for bike paths? This is sheer lunacy given the current economic conditions. Bookmark this page, because we’ll say now that this plan WILL be “funded” on debt.

You’ll hear that “this is just a plan…it doesn’t commit funds”…but that’s just word games. What the county will do is add the approved plan to an election ballot as a bond referendum, and because everyone will vote for bike paths (who doesn’t love bike paths??), voila, instant debt funding.

But we have no chance of slowing (or stopping) this plan without your help. To win the game,you have to be on the field.

Please join us tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:30 PM, Chesterfield Public Meeting Room, 10001 Iron Bridge Rd. Chesterfield VA. Get directions here: Directions

And bring a friend. Or two friends. Or heck…bring your entire family. Your children will thank you for not running up more debt.

GOOGLE MAP FROM YOUR LOCATION:

Kirby Harris Endorses Carl Loser for the 10th District State Senate Seat

2015-10-27T19:19:00.000-04:00

by Kirby Harris 10-27-2015

Glen Sturtevant cowers and sides with the gun grabbers like Michael Bloomberg and Dan Gecker. Sturtevant quote: "We must enforce our strong federal and state gun laws"

Dan Gecker, in addition to being a gun grabber, is tax raising leftist, who raised taxes in Chesterfield

My name is Kirby Harris, Chairman of the Chesterfield Tea Party, and I personally endorse Carl Loser for the 10th District Virginia State Senate Seat.

He is the only candidate in the Virginia 10th District State Senate Race that stands 100% for our Liberties and Freedoms so long enjoyed by Virginians and Americans.

Glen Sturtevant seemed like an OK candidate at first, but then Michael Bloomberg funded ads attacking Sturtevant as being backed by the Gun Lobby. Sturtevant fired back, in his own ad, saying quote, "We must enforce our strong federal and state gun laws". So he is attacked by gun grabbing Michael Bloomberg, and he cowers under pressure, and sells out gun owners Constitutional 2nd Amendment right to own guns. Most of the current VIrginia and Federal gun laws do nothing to prevent gun crime, and only punish and encroach on Americans Constitutional right to bear arms.

Dan Gecker is a tax and spend leftist, who wants to raise taxes on Virginians, like he did when he was a on the Board of Supervisors in Chesterfield. His tax hikes hurt my family, and I do not want him to do more damage to families like mine if he were to get into the Virginia State Senate.

Vote Carl Loser next Tuesday, November 3rd in Virginia's State Senate District 10.

If you are not sure if you are in the 10th district, then go to the Where is My Virginia State Legislator Website, then type in your address. Your State and National Legislators will pop up at the bottom. If your State Senate Section says John Watkins, 10th District, then you can vote for Carl.

See what Carl is all about:

Carl's Website Carl's Facebook Carl's Twitter

The Chesterfield Tea Party Membership endorses Libertarian Carl R. Loser for 10th District Virginia State Senate

2015-10-27T18:36:00.002-04:00

The Chesterfield Tea Party Membership has just finished voting for the candidate they want to be the 10th District Virginia State Senator in the general election on November 3rd, 2015.

Eighty percent (80%) of the membership voted for Carl Loser to be their choice for 10th District Virginia State Senator. Twenty percent (20%) voted for ‘None of the Above. And the other three candidates got zero percent (0%).

Libertarian Carl R. Loser 80%

None of the Above 20%

Democratic Daniel A. Gecker 0%

Republican Glen H. Sturtevant Jr 0%

Independent Marleen K. Durfee 0%

This vote is the member’s choice for the general election.

www.teapartychesterfield.com

Action Requested: Public meetings announced on massive Chesterfield bike path plans

2015-10-19T09:09:00.000-04:00

Originally Posted by Eric McGrane on the Richmond Tea Party Website on October 18th, 2015

Action Alert! More meetings for public commentary have been scheduled regarding the massive and irresponsible Chesterfield County bike path plans. This multi-million dollar, multi-year plan is a boondoggle for taxpayers, all to serve a very small percentage of the county population. We’re talking hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars.

We need your voice at these meetings.

We feel certain that a majority of county residents do not want to move forward with this astounding spending initiative, but your voices get drowned out by those who show up at the meetings, and in large numbers. There is a never-ending stream of people who want to reach into your wallets and purses, to directly transfer your wealth to the developers who “win” this county funding lottery.

Can we count on your support? Will you block off just a few hours of your time to protect your family’s finances? And don’t forget…you can join us this Thursday to ask candidate Cliff Bickford what is his position regarding the bike path plan.

Drop us a note if you can attend one of the meetings, and we’ll be sure to coordinate with you.

From the county:

This is a reminder that the Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing on the draft Bikeways and Trails Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan on October 20th starting at 6 pm. You can find the second draft and a synopsis of the public review of the second draft at www.chesterfield.gov/bikeplan.

Also, the Board of Supervisors will be holding a series of community meetings before their public hearing scheduled for November 18th starting at 6:30 pm.

Those meetings will be held:

Wednesday, October 21 – 6:30 p.m.
Manchester High School
12601 Bailey Bridge Road
Midlothian, VA 23112

Tuesday, October 27 – 6:30 p.m.
Matoaca Middle School – East Campus
6001 Hickory Road
South Chesterfield, VA 23803

Thursday, October 29 – 10:30 a. m.
Bensley Community Center
2900 Drewrys Bluff
Chesterfield, VA 23237

Thursday, October 29 – 6:30 p. m.
Thomas Dale High School – West/9th Grade Campus
3900 W. Hundred Rd
Chester, VA 23831

Thursday, November 12 – 6:30 p. m.
Swim RVA
5050 Ridgedale Parkway
Richmond, VA 23234

Post Office may strike home delivery in Chesterfield, VA to new subdivisions

2015-05-23T06:01:00.001-04:00

By Jim McConnell - Originally Posted on 5-20-2015

The U.S. Postal Service is considering the elimination of door-to-door mail delivery in new residential communities – a cost-saving measure that could have a significant impact on local development projects currently in the planning pipeline.

The Observer obtained a memo from Jeffrey Becker, the Postal Service’s Richmond District manager, alerting local government officials to the potential change.

“Each year, new delivery addresses are added to our city, rural and contract routes, which has a major impact on our delivery costs,” Becker wrote. “To control costs, we need to ensure new residential deliveries are being made via centralized delivery.”

The cash-strapped Postal Service continues to deal with plummeting mail volume as an increasing number of Americans embrace email and electronic billing.

As recently as 2012, the agency lost $16 billion and twice defaulted on obligations to prefund retiree health care benefits totaling $11 billion.

While the Postal Service’s cost of delivering mail to a central location is about half that of door-to-door service, it’s still not clear what such a delivery method would mean for future Chesterfield homeowners.

Becker’s memo offered few specifics, other than requiring developers to identify where each mail delivery point will be located so it can be included in the project’s landscaping plans.

“When these decisions are made early, such information can be made available to the salespeople, who can inform prospective house buyers,” the memo reads. “It is almost impossible to begin the process too early to establish centralized delivery.”

Susan Pollard, spokeswoman for the county government, said last week that county staff continues to “reach out to the postal service” and seek clarity on possible changes to mail delivery in Chesterfield.

“At this point in time, we are uncertain if the program will even be implemented,” she added. “It would be premature to speculate on this issue.”

U.S. Postal Service officials failed to return calls seeking comment for this story by press time Monday.

The Observer spoke to several local developers, but none agreed to comment on the record until they have more specifics about the proposed changes.

According to Craig Toalson, chief executive of the Home Building Association of Richmond, the postal service already has begun implementation of centralized mail delivery in new subdivisions in Northern Virginia.

“We definitely have some concerns,” acknowledged Toalson, whose organization lobbies on behalf of the Richmond region’s residential development community.

Read the Entire Article Here

The Chesterfield Tea Party Membership Has Decided Its Time for Steve Martin to Go and Have Voted for Amanda Chase for the State Senate of Virginia in the 11th District Republican Primary on June 9th, 2015

2015-05-21T23:51:00.000-04:00

The Chesterfield Tea Party Membership has just finished voting for who they want to be the 11th District Virginia State Senate Republican Nominee in Republican Primary on June 9th, 2015.

Fifty percent of the membership voted, and those members who voted unanimously chose Amanda Chase. They decided its way past time for Steve Martin to go.

This vote is the members choice for the republican primary, not the general election.

www.teapartychesterfield.com

Crisis, What Crisis?—The al-Qaeda Takeover of Syria

2015-04-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

written by neil clark - monday april 27, 2015

This weekend it was reported that al-Qaeda affiliated rebels were “almost completely in control” of the last major government held city in the Idlib province in northern Syria.

This is really big news as it means that the Syrian government’s coastal heartlands including the important port of Latakia, a Baathist stronghold are under direct threat. It’s a major advance for the cause of al-Qaeda, yet what is most revealing is the lack of reaction or any concern from Western leaders.

You‘d think that Western leaders would be alarmed at the al-Qaeda advances given how much they warn us of the “threat” from radical Islamists and how many Western troops were lost in the “war on terror” in Afghanistan.

In fact, the lack of concern regarding the militants’ gains in Syria exposes the fundamental deceit at the heart of Western foreign policy. The elites claim to be fighting radical Islamists, yet in Syria they’re doing everything they possibly can to ensure that the side that’s fighting radical Islamists, the secular Syrian government, is weakened and eventually defeated.

Last month, Syria’s President Assad drew attention to the West’s phony war against ISIS. He noted that there were only about 10 raids a day from the coalition of “rich and advanced” countries against the Islamic State. “The Syrian air force, which is very small in comparison with this coalition, conducts in a single day, many times the number of air strikes conducted by a coalition which includes sixty countries. This doesn‘t make sense. This shows the lack of seriousness…there is no serious effort to defeat terrorism,” Assad said.

Far from trying to defeat terrorism — the West and its regional allies have been supporting it.

Israel, the country which we’re repeatedly told by its cheerleaders in the West is in the “front line” of the “war on terror,” has been acting as al-Qaeda’s de facto ally in Syria. It’s made at least ten bombing raids on the country since 2012 — but tellingly, not a single one up to now has been directed at the radical Islamists fighting Assad‘s forces. All have been on Syrian government/army targets or on groups fighting with the Syrian army against the terrorists — such as January‘s attack, which killed a senior Iranian general and six Hezbollah fighters. (Today, news broke that another Israeli air strike had killed “four militants” on the Israel/Syria border, but we don’t know which groups the "militants" belong to.)

In March, it was reported that Israel had opened its borders with Syria to provide medical treatment to wounded al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front soldiers and after treating them, released them straight back over the Syrian border to continue their fight against a secular government which protects Christians and other religious minorities.

The help that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) has given to Syrian rebels at the Golan Heights has been documented in a series of UN reports.

Israel clearly doesn’t want its activities in Syria to be subject to too much scrutiny.

READ THE REST HERE

A CONVENTION of STATES could lead to SECESSION

2015-02-03T17:59:00.001-05:00

Posted by Elwood Sanders on February 1, 2015.

I had not intended to write on this question, partly because the issue seemed dead in Virginia and partly because I was told this might actually encourage others to embrace the Convention of States idea.

But I must say a few words. I was led by an email I got from Del. Lingamfelter. Now my respect and admiration for the Prince William delegate is great. But his email is in error. The Convention of States is a disastrous idea. It could break up the United States. Here’s how:

Suppose the Convention of States runs away from its call and seeks a new Constitution. It is not a chimerical fear: It happened before. In 1787. Thank the Lord of Hosts that the Founding Fathers were able to craft a beautiful document of liberty (yes it condoned slavery that is why my other hero – Garrison – the one that Maryland needs to pardon – burned a copy of the Original Constitution in

Boston in the 1850s. BUT that Original Constitution also had the seeds in it to abolish slavery, too through amendment.) that reflected in large part a libertarian document with separation of powers, federalism and limited government.

It is the politicians that refuse to follow the Constitution we have. Why should they obey a new one?

But here is the rub: the 1787 Convention did exceed its brief to strength the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce and maybe have taxing power. They wrote a whole new document! And they said it becomes effective when nine states adopt it.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Do you know what a false flag event is? Real or False?

2015-01-12T13:11:00.002-05:00

Before you decide that you know exactly what I am talking about, please allow me to make it clear, I am not addressing a specific incident, I am merely asking questions about history in general and reported incidences, both nationally and globally, some recent, some not so recent, and your perceptions/reactions to them.

Do you know what a false flag event is? No, seriously, have you ever bothered to look into it?

False flag (or black flag) describes covert operations designed to deceive in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by entities, groups, or nations other than those who actually planned and executed them.

Now then, that is a strict, textbook definition. Having read that, do you believe that there are/were governments throughout the course of history that have used false flag events to push an agenda or as a means to an end? Can you name any such incidences (Use scholarly/respected resources, not "Joe's Blog)? Can you think of any reasons that a government, or factions within a government, might use a false flag event? Do you believe that YOUR government, or factions within your government, are capable of creating a false flag event? Does your government, or factions within your government, have an agenda(s) that it wishes to push for which a false flag event might prove useful?

Continuing with the questions: Do you always or ever believe/trust your government and its appointed spokesmen? At any level? Do you always or ever believe/trust the mainstream media (MSM) when it reports on various incidences nationally or around the world? Do you think that a government and a media that knows all too well a people's propensity for believing anything they see on TV would use that medium to deceive those people?

Just a few more: Have you ever heard someone say something or try to make a point about something, only to call them crazy and deny that any such thing could/would/did happen, only to find out later that you were the one who was wrong? Did you apologize and acknowledge that you were mistaken? Are you willing to accept that as there are evil people around the globe, yes, even here in the good ol' U.S. of A., and that those evil people may even occupy positions of authority and power, and that those people care only for themselves and acquiring more wealth and power, and that those people have access to the means to deceive, that they may, in fact, use those means and, in fact, deceive?

Look, folks, I can handle the name-calling and being told I'm crazy, hell, people said I was crazy when I told them Eric Cantor was not a "conservative," but we know how that turned out. What I cannot abide is a stubborn, willful ignorance/unwillingness to even entertain the possibility that false flags can and have occurred. History is replete with them. You do yourself and others a grave disservice when you prefer to dismiss any and all information that you think is "too far out there," and meekly accept what the MSM and government, the same MSM and government that you don't trust on any other subject, say happened, just because they tell you it is so.

Have I been wrong about some of my assertions? As I am human I have been wrong more than a couple of times, but I was not wrong because of a lack of skepticism or a willingness to ask questions, even questions that might get me called names. I want the truth and I would hope that you do as well. That is why I am not afraid to be skeptical, ask questions, demand proof, and recognize the lessons that history teaches us.

Thanks, I had to get that off my chest.

Obama Does NOT Understand the Proper Roles of the Three Branches of Government

2014-11-05T16:03:00.001-05:00

Was watching President Obama's Live Press Conference today. He was talking about Immigration Reform. This showed me that this supposed US Constitutional Scholar has NO understanding of the US Constitution. He doesn't understand how the three branches work.

He said (paraphrasing) that immigration reform has to get done NOW, so Congress needs to get it done, BUT IF they don't get it done, then he will use his executive order power to do so.

Doesn't he understand that the Constitution gives ONLY the Congress the power to make laws, NOT the president? Yes, since George Washington the Executive Order was added through law, though it isn't in the Constitution.

BUT in the Spirit of the law, it was created so the President could make TEMPORARY Laws in EMERGENCIES when the Congress was not in session (since they weren't in session much back then). It was NOT meant to make permanent law if the the President didn't think the Congress made the right call and didn't pass a certain law.

Obama is breaking the Spirit f the Constitutional Division of Powers of the three branches and the Spirit of the law of the Executive Order.

Republicans Win Control of the Senate. Democrats Go Back to Hating War. Libertarians still Not Amused

2014-11-05T10:09:00.001-05:00

By Matt Bergman on November 5, 2014

Republicans Win Control of the Senate. Democrats Go Back to Hating War. Libertarians still Not Amused

Crazy is doing the same thing over and over again each time expecting different results.

Apparently the world has always been pretty full of crazy as history always seems to repeat itself.

All the ways in which the two parties are exactly the same are far more worse than any way in which they might actually differ. No surprises here, the new boss is the same as the old boss.

Read More Here (some light coarse language)

Liberty Activist Kirby Harris: I am Voting For a Cross Party Ticket

2014-11-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

I am truly voting for a cross party ticket. I am voting Libertarian Party Robert Sarvis for Senate, Republican Party Dave Brat for Congress in the 7th District and after researching the Chesterfield Clerk of Circuit Court candidates I have switched my vote from Republican Wendy Hughes to Independent Wayne Schneider for Clerk of Circuit Court. Schneider seems to be a more qualified independent voice, and Hughes is backed by mostly by the regular bad players of the Republican establishment.

The Virginia Liberty Party 2014 General Election Endorsements

2014-11-03T19:15:00.000-05:00

The Virginia Liberty Party Proudly Endorses These Most Excellent Liberty Candidates in the 2014 General Election taking place on November 4th, 2014. These men believe in the Constitution and Individual Liberty!

US Senate

Robert Sarvis - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives - 1st District

Xavian Draper - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives - 2nd district

Allen Knapp - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 3rd District

Justin Upshaw - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 4th District

Bo Brown - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 5th District

Paul Jones - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 6th District

Will Hammer - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 7th District

* Our Board evenly split endorses both:
Dave Brat - Republican Party
James Carr - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 8th District

Jeffrey Carson - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives 10th district

Bill Redpath - Libertarian Party

US House Of Representatives, 11th district

Marc Harrold - Libertarian Party

Harrisonburg City Council

Joshua Huffman - Libertarian Party

Statement from the Virginia Liberty Party Board

More Unlawful Presidential Killing

2014-09-18T09:43:00.002-04:00

By Judge Andrew Napolitano - Published on Sep 17, 2014

"On Monday of last week, the White House announced that in its pursuit of ISIS, the U.S. will go wherever it finds ISIS targets, and if ISIS hides in Syria and the government of Syria does not permit U.S. jets to use its airspace, the U.S. will attack Syria. That sounds like Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine.

Attacking Syria because its government denied the U.S. airspace would be an unprovoked and unlawful act of war that would probably provoke Putin. Congress rejected declaring war on Syria just a year ago. If it does so now, there would be no lawful or moral basis for such a declaration, as Syria is a sovereign country, lawfully entitled to control its airspace, that poses no present threat to American freedom or security. The U.S. can no more legally commandeer Syrian airspace than Syria can commandeer ours.

Something is amiss here. Last year the president wanted to help ISIS indirectly by degrading the Syrian military. Now he wants to help Syria indirectly by degrading ISIS, but only if Syria stays out of our way. And he is prepared to violate the Constitution, break the law and lie to the American people to achieve his purposes.

Why all the unlawfulness, when he could and should leave these disputants to their own devices and keep the American military at home for genuine defensive purposes?" ~ Judge Andrew Napolitano

Read the Entire Article "Unlawful Presidential Killing" by Judge Andrew Napolitano Here

911 – We Will Never Forget!

2014-09-11T07:28:00.001-04:00

Remember the Fallen.!

Truth, Justice, and the American Way?

2014-09-04T11:20:00.001-04:00

Each day brings the latest news story that captures the attention of Americans. Maybe it's the riots in Ferguson, MO, maybe it's another Justin Bieber arrest, or maybe Obama is taking another vacation. Whatever it is we just seem to lap it up like Pavlov's dog, without a thought or care for what our own government is doing to us and others around the world.

You see, there is much turmoil in the world we live in. Hatreds of all kinds are fomented, exacerbated, and used by a nefarious and behind the scenes "they." You know, "They did this" or "They are causing the problem." But who is this "they?" We, as Americans, want to, have to, assign blame in order for the world to make sense. When it comes to accidents that we encounter in our daily life we cannot accept that it might have been just that - an accident. Someone has to be at fault, someone will pay. On the political and international scene we do the same thing, however there is a difference - most Americans cannot, simply will not, entertain the possibility that their own country, their own government might be behind some of or even many of the problems that we witness on the evening news. Oh yes, someone is to blame and someone will pay, but it cannot, will not, be us, the United States of America.

I can feel the knees jerking as I type this. "But, Floyd, how can you be so un-American? Where is your patriotism? Don't you love your country? How dare you posit the possibility that our country/government is behind many of the international political problems we face today." Yep, if those knees jerk any harder they'll register on the Richter Scale. Please understand, it brings me no joy to point these things out. I am not gleefully pecking away at my keyboard in an attempt to make any of you feel hatred for our country. But we must be willing to look for, find, and accept the truth of things. As we move inexorably toward another war in the Middle East we must be willing to look at how we came to be here and who truly bears the bulk of the blame.

I want you to watch this video. I just know that some of you are going to think of the producer of the video, and by extension me, as a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy nut. That's OK, I can take the heat. But watch it anyway. After you've watched it I want you to think about what you have seen and learned. Maybe, and this would be a bonus for all of us, maybe you'll actually do some more research on your own and you'll begin to get the bigger picture. Now I know that there are people, groups of people, and even nation-states in this world, who do not like us, for a variety of reasons. But their ability to act on that hatred and the tools necessary to carry out those acts, in the past, were not sufficient to incur our concern. It is like the nerdy kid across the street calling you names, because he doesn't like how big or strong or successful you are. As long as he remains a skinny little nerd and stays on his side of the street he is just a noisy nuisance. But what if one of his neighbors helps him "bulk up" and gives him some tools (weapons) he can use to harm you? What if that neighbor provides the nerd with the means to cross the street and act on his noisy threats? What if you find out that this neighbor was someone you thought you could trust to mind their own business?

I have recently posted on my Facebook page about the involvement of our CIA in creating many of the terror groups that we now feel we need to go to war with. I have been called everything but my mother's child because of this. People who otherwise call themselves my friends have told me I am crazy, because I dare expose the fact that none of the upheaval that is currently going on in the Middle East is an accident or is merely ages old strife that continues in that region. There is an end game, a goal, a reason why these groups are created, trained, armed, and allowed to do what they do. And while we continue to express our righteous anger over beheadings and bombings and mass killings, we seldom, if ever, attempt to get to the root of the problem - the real root. Who keeps arming these terrorists? Who trains them? Are the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, the only governments which create and foment unrest for political ends?

Why do we, as Americans, continue to give our government and its agencies a pass when it comes to holding people accountable for the atrocities that continue to occur around the globe? Is your sense of "nationalism" so strong that you just refuse to admit/accept that your tax dollars are being used by your government's agencies to create these problems that must then be "solved" by the same government which created them? That is akin to a fire-fighter setting your house on fire and then telling you what a hero he was for coming to put it out for you. Would you be satisfied with the fire-fighter's explanation? If not then why are you so accepting of your own government's lies, denials, and obfuscations when it comes to the problems it creates?

And before you start telling me about the religious war that is being waged against us and how "those people" have been killing each other for centuries, save your breath. I know and I have heard it before. I am talking about why the current batch of terror groups exist and why, if at all, they may prove a threat to our national security. Those "10th century barbarians" did not make the weapons they are using today. Someone provided those weapons for them. Aren't you even a little curious about who and why? When the old Soviet Union was providing weapons and supplies to the North Koreans, the Chinese, and the North Vietnamese, Americans everywhere were fit to be tied about the USSR's blatant interference in the affairs of other countries. Why then is that same kind of interference OK when we do it? Is it because we are " the good guys?" Is our government and its agencies really the good guys when it arms and trains people who murder anyone who doesn't accept their religious or political views? How much longer will you tolerate this behavior by your government - Democrat administration or Republican?

Military Action ‘Before Our Men Die’

2014-08-21T20:36:00.000-04:00

By Ron Paul - August 9, 2014

The president has forewarned us that we must plan to be in Iraq for a long time. I guess our 24-year involvement hasn’t been enough time to bring unity and democracy to Iraq.

How many more years and how many more lives lost must we endure attempting to justify such a miserable failure in policy? I guess we’re supposed to be pleased because it’s certainly been a bipartisan effort. One of the sickest argument made for continuing our effort and even expanding it is to make sure the men and women who lost their lives did not do so in vain.

How will more losses justify what has already been lost?

The 24-year effort to remake the Middle East and, in particular, Iraq and Afghanistan, was doomed to fail from the start. Many informed Americans from the very beginning in 1990 argued the case for staying out of this effort. They were ignored by both Republican and Democratic leaders. The president suggested the problem is that the Iraqis are not united. They were once, under Saddam Hussein. Getting rid of him solved nothing since the right of self determination was denied.

Permitting the natural desire for smaller and separate government entities could have gone a long way in preventing the chaos which set the stage for the Islamic State invasion armed with American weapons coming from our ridiculous policy of arming the rebels in Syria.

We’re now hearing about the humanitarian concerns for the refugees in in northern Iraq. The real motivation may well be the danger to our military advisors trapped in Erbil—some boots on the ground that never left.
More people should listen to Ronald Reagan as he reflected in his memoirs on the tragic loss of 241 marines in a suicide attack in Beirut in 1983.

“Perhaps we didn’t appreciate fully enough the depth of the hatred and the complexity of the problems that made the Middle East such a jungle. The irrationality of Middle Eastern politics forced us to rethink our policy there. If there would be some rethinking of policy before our men die, we would be a lot better off. If that policy had been changed to a neutral position and neutrality, those 241 Marines would be alive today.”

STORY ORGINALLY POSTED HERE

What the Media Won’t Report About Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17

2014-07-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

written by ron paul - sunday july 20, 2014 - READ MORE STORIES LIKE THIS HERE

Just days after the tragic crash of a Malaysian Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine, Western politicians and media joined together to gain the maximum propaganda value from the disaster. It had to be Russia; it had to be Putin, they said. President Obama held a press conference to claim – even before an investigation – that it was pro-Russian rebels in the region who were responsible. His ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, did the same at the UN Security Council – just one day after the crash!

While western media outlets rush to repeat government propaganda on the event, there are a few things they will not report.

They will not report that the crisis in Ukraine started late last year, when EU and US-supported protesters plotted the overthrow of the elected Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych. Without US-sponsored “regime change,” it is unlikely that hundreds would have been killed in the unrest that followed. Nor would the Malaysian Airlines crash have happened.

The media has reported that the plane must have been shot down by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists, because the missile that reportedly brought down the plane was Russian made. But they will not report that the Ukrainian government also uses the exact same Russian-made weapons.

They will not report that the post-coup government in Kiev has, according to OSCE monitors, killed 250 people in the breakaway Lugansk region since June, including 20 killed as government forces bombed the city center the day after the plane crash! Most of these are civilians and together they roughly equal the number killed in the plane crash. By contrast, Russia has killed no one in Ukraine, and the separatists have struck largely military, not civilian, targets.

They will not report that the US has strongly backed the Ukrainian government in these attacks on civilians, which a State Department spokeswoman called “measured and moderate.”

They will not report that neither Russia nor the separatists in eastern Ukraine have anything to gain but everything to lose by shooting down a passenger liner full of civilians.

They will not report that the Ukrainian government has much to gain by pinning the attack on Russia, and that the Ukrainian prime minister has already expressed his pleasure that Russia is being blamed for the attack.

They will not report that the missile that apparently shot down the plane was from a sophisticated surface-to-air missile system that requires a good deal of training that the separatists do not have.

They will not report that the separatists in eastern Ukraine have inflicted considerable losses on the Ukrainian government in the week before the plane was downed.

They will not report how similar this is to last summer’s US claim that the Assad government in Syria had used poison gas against civilians in Ghouta. Assad was also gaining the upper hand in his struggle with US-backed rebels and the US claimed that the attack came from Syrian government positions. Then, US claims led us to the brink of another war in the Middle East. At the last minute public opposition forced Obama to back down – and we have learned since then that US claims about the gas attack were false.

Of course it is entirely possible that the Obama administration and the US media has it right this time, and Russia or the separatists in eastern Ukraine either purposely or inadvertently shot down this aircraft. The real point is, it's very difficult to get accurate information so everybody engages in propaganda. At this point it would be unwise to say the Russians did it, the Ukrainian government did it, or the rebels did it. Is it so hard to simply demand a real investigation?

ENTIRE STORY ORGINALLY POSTE HERE ON THE RON PAUL INSTITUTE <Live Link

Take Action Against NSA Mass Surveillance

2014-07-22T16:19:00.001-04:00

Updated: July 21, 2014 by Mike Maharrey
(Watch a similar video by Benn Swann Here)

Have you noticed people never hear about an NSA revelation and say, “Oh, that isn’t as bad as I thought?”

In fact, every leaked document proves the spy agency more invasive, more expansive and more insidious than we realized. And what we’ve seen likely represents just the tip of the iceberg. If what we know causes grave concern, the prospect of what remains hidden should send shivers up our spines.

Former NSA technical chief turned whistle blower William Binney numbered the constitutional violations committed by the NSA in the trillions.

Trillions.

Beyond the constitutional concerns, incessant snooping tramples basic privacy rights.

But what can we do about it?

After a more than a year of Edward Snowden revelations, Congress failed to pass one substantive reform. The president took no action. An “independent” government panel recently stamped the NSA’s most controversial program with its seal of approval. Clearly, we can’t count on the federal government to rein in an out of control federal agency.

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu advised this strategy: “Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”

The NSA expects opponents to “attack” from the same front: Washington D.C. It’s ready for that. But it does have an Achilles Heel. The spy agency needs resources like water and electricity. State and local governments often supply them. For instance, the NSA storage facility in Bluffdale, Utah, will reportedly use some 1.7 million gallons of water when fully operational. The city holds the contract to supply that water.

It doesn’t have to.

Nothing obligates state and local governments to help federal agencies violate your rights. In fact, state and local governments don’t have to provide money, manpower or resources for any federal purpose.

Under the anti-commandeering doctrine, the Supreme Court has consistently held the federal government cannot force states to help implement or enforce federal acts or programs. It rests primarily on four Supreme Court cases. Printz v. US serves the cornerstone.

“The Federal Government may neither issue directives requiring the States to address particular problems, nor command the States’ officers, or those of their political subdivisions, to administer or enforce a federal regulatory program…such commands are fundamentally incompatible with our constitutional system of dual sovereignty.”

So, when a state or city provides water or electricity to the NSA, we can turn it off!

Last summer, the Tenth Amendment Center partnered with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and drafted legislation to do just that, birthing the OffNow campaign.

The Fourth Amendment Protection Act addresses NSA spying in four ways. It prohibits state and local agencies from providing material support to the NSA within their jurisdiction. It makes information gathered without a warrant by the NSA and shared with law enforcement inadmissible in state court. It blocks public universities from serving as NSA research facilities or recruiting grounds. And it provides for sanctions against corporations cooperating with the spy agency.

Lawmakers introduced the bill in more than a dozen states last year. A version passed the state Senate in California and remains on track for passage in the Assembly. A Utah House committee considered the bill and referred it to interim study, meaning it will have a public hearing and lawmakers will take it up in the next session. We consider this a great start, but much work remains.

The OffNow strategy attacks the soft underbelly of the spy-state and seeks change from the bottom up. It bypasses the political class in D.C. and relies on state power animated by grassroots activists. Our goal is to hinder the operation of the NSA and force substantive changes. By denying the spy-state the material support and compliance it needs, we can preserve our basic civil liberties and privacy rights.

Your support could mean the difference in this epic struggle for our rights. Please join OffNow, and help us speak truth to power as we battle for our essential freedoms.

READ MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ON VOICES OF LIBERTY

Dirty dealing to pass the Internet Tax Mandate this week?

2014-07-22T15:10:00.001-04:00

by Norm Singleton on JULY 21, 2014

Unless you act NOW, the National Internet Tax Mandate could sail through the Senate this week!

You see, Campaign for Liberty members have been so successful in keeping the National Internet Tax Mandate from even being considered by the U.S. House that the powerful interests behind it are being forced to “get creative.”

Now, a “bipartisan” group of Senators — led by Big Government Republican Lamar Alexander and acting on behalf of pro-Mandate special interests — is working with Harry Reid to ram the Mandate into law by attaching it to legislation preventing governments from taxing you whenever you go online!

Senator Alexander has even gone as far as to threaten to block passage of the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, a bill that would prevent state and local governments from taxing Internet access, if Senator Reid doesn’t attach the Mandate to it!

And I have heard from Capitol Hill sources that House Republican leadership — desperate to please the pro-Mandate big corporate interests but terrified of being Cantor’d for publicly supporting imposing more regulations on the Internet — has quietly signed off on this deal!

Please call your senators and tell them to vote NO on all votes to attach the so-called “Marketplace Fairness Act” to the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act – including all procedural votes.

You can find your Senator's numbers here.

The first procedural votes could take place as early as today, so it is vital you call your senators right away!

Let me explain more about this secret deal.

In 1998, Congress passed legislation placing a moratorium on taxing Internet access.

Several weeks ago, the House passed a bill making the moratorium permanent, and the bill enjoys broad Senate support.

Lamar Alexander, Harry Reid, and the special interests behind the National Internet Tax Mandate appear to hope that attaching the Mandate to the moratorium bill will provide “cover” for politicians to say they had to support the Mandate in order to ensure you did not have to pay Internet access taxes.

We have come too far in our battle against the Mandate to be defeated by a sleazy deal like this!

The only way to stop this deal is to make sure the politicians clearly see that grassroots Americans are on to this scheme and will not let them get away with it.

Together, we can force Lamar Alexander, Harry Reid, and their silent partners in crime in the Republican House leadership to abandon this sneak attack meant to please big-spending special interests.

So please urge your senators to oppose any effort to include the National Internet Tax Mandate in the moratorium bill.

And make sure they understand you expect them to vote no on all procedural votes to advance this plan, as well.

You can find your senators’ numbers here.

Harry Reid is expected to launch this sneak attack any day now, so please contact your senators immediately!

The National Internet Tax Mandate’s incentive to raise sales taxes will lead to an explosion of already out-of-control state budgets, while raising prices on everything you buy online and freeing tax collectors in one state to pursue retailers across state lines.

In addition, the Mandate completely turns “No Taxation without Representation” on its head by allowing state legislatures to raise taxes on individuals and businesses located out of state with their having little, if any, recourse against those politicians who hike tax rates.

Even worse, the massive cost of complying with the National Internet Tax Mandate could drive many smaller Internet companies out of business — and discourage the creation of the next Amazon.com.

So please urge your senators to both oppose the National Internet Tax Mandate and also any efforts to include it in the moratorium bill.

And if you can, please help Campaign for Liberty mobilize grassroots Americans to stop the Mandate by chipping in $50, $25, or even just $10 today.

But most importantly, please contact your senators right away!

In Liberty,

Norm Singleton
Vice President of Policy

P.S. Harry Reid — at the behest of a “bipartisan” group of senators led by Lamar Alexander — is planning to ram through the National Internet Tax Mandate by attaching it to legislation prohibiting Internet access taxes.

This sleazy move is designed to provide cover for pro-Internet sales tax politicians to claim they “had” to vote for the Mandate in order to protect you from Internet access taxes.

So it is vital your senators hear from you TODAY.

This Call to Action was originally posted here

Freedom of choice!

2014-07-21T15:00:00.000-04:00

By Floyd Bayne

Freedom of choice! We hear it all the time from various segments of our society. I like it. It makes sense. We are supposed to live in a free country, a constitutional republic, so you should have the freedom to choose a lot of different things in your life.

However, it seems to me that all too often many people who espouse this "freedom of choice" only mean it when it applies to them and something they like/want. They forget that there are other people who may not share their views and their idea(s) of what is and is not a good choice. They forget that in many cases a demand to have a choice that you like for yourself implies that someone else has to, MUST, provide that choice for you. Let's take the notion, as many seem to believe, that you have a "right" to a job. That would then mean that any and EVERY employer has the obligation to provide you with that job, any job, any job that you want at that moment. They have to, because it is your "right!"

Is it really? We also hear that you have a right to a house. Everyone should have a house of their own, because some people do everyone must. If you have a "right" to a house then who has the obligation of providing that house for you? At what cost? Who pays for it? The same is said for healthcare. You have a "right" to health care. You have a "right" to birth control. OK, then that implies that someone must provide it. Who? How? Why? At what costs and who pays for it? What if business owners said "To hell with this" and just closed shop? What if the people who build homes decided they were not going to comply? What if doctors decided they were not going to treat people anymore? Should they be forced to? Should they go to jail if they don't?

When people start hollering about rights and "freedom of choice" they would do well to remember that their choices and their freedoms are not the only ones to be considered. They might also want to look into what is actually a "right" and what is not. Just my not so humble opinion. (Am I being opinionated again?)

Don’t forget to vote today for Liberty Candidate Justin Smith for Circuit Court Clerk on July 19th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

2014-07-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

We personally endorse and intend to vote for our friend and Liberty Candidate Justin Smith for Circuit Court Clerk on July 19th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

We ask you to do the same to help lead Chesterfield County into the future and the right direction.

~ Chesterfield Tea Party Membership

Here are the six voting locations:

Bermuda District (for all voters in Bermuda District)
Thomas Dale High School
3626 West Hundred Road
Chester, Virginia 23831

Clover Hill District (for all voters in Clover Hill District)
Swift Creek Middle School
3700 Old Hundred Road
Midlothian, Virginia 23112

Dale District (for all voters in Dale District)
Iron Bridge Baptist Church
10900 Iron Bridge Road
Chester, Virginia 23831

Matoaca District (two locations based on below list)
Matoaca District voters will vote at one of the following locations:

1) Voters who normally vote in the following Precincts: Ettrick, Matoaca, Winfrees Store, Beach and Winterpock shall vote at the following location in this Party Canvass:
Phillips Volunteer Fire Department
10630 River Road
Chesterfield, Virginia 23838

2) Voters who normally vote in the following Precincts: Bailey Bridge, Spring Run, Birkdale, South Manchester, Deer Run, Tomahawk, Woolridge, Cosby and Skinquarter shall vote at the following location in this Party Canvass:
Swift Creek Baptist Church
7511 North Spring Run Road
Midlothian, Virginia   23112

Midlothian District   (for all voters in Midlothian District)
Midlothian Middle School
13501 Midlothian Turnpike
Midlothian, Virginia    23113

What’s Missing in the Current Immigration ‘Crisis’ Debate

2014-07-18T14:51:00.000-04:00

by Ron Paul - July 13th, 2014

Over the past several weeks we have seen a significant increase in illegal immigration, as thousands of unaccompanied minors pour across what seems an invisible southern border into the United States. The mass immigration has, as to be expected, put an enormous strain on local resources, and it has heated up the immigration debate in the US.

Most liberals and conservatives miss the point, however, making the same old arguments we have all heard before. Liberals argue that we need to provide more welfare and assistance to these young immigrants, while conservatives would bus them to the other side of the border, drop them off, and deploy drones to keep them out.

Neither side seems interested in considering why is this happening in the first place. The truth is, this latest crisis is a consequence of mistaken government policies on both sides of the border.

In fact much of the problem can be directly traced to the US drug war, which creates unlivable conditions in countries that produce narcotics for export to the US. Many of those interviewed over the past several weeks have cited violent drug gangs back home as a main motivation for their departure. Because some Americans want to use drugs here in the US, governments to the south are bribed and bullied to crack down on local producers. The resulting violence has destroyed economies and lives from Mexico to Nicaragua and beyond. Addressing the failed war on drugs would go a long way to solving the immigration crisis.

I understand the argument of some libertarians that there should be no limits at all on who comes into the United States, but the reality is we do not live in a libertarian society. We live in a society where healthcare is provided -- often by over-burdened emergency rooms that cannot legally turn away the sick -- “free” education is provided, and other support via food stamp programs is also made available for “free” to illegal immigrants. Many even argue that they should be allowed to vote!

In a free society where the warfare-welfare state ceased to exist, immigration laws would be far less important. A free market would seek workers rather than immigrants to add to its welfare rolls. Voting itself would decline in significance. If 20 people lived on a privately-owned island, for example, one owner could decide to have a guest on his property without bothering the other 19. Were we to move in this direction in the US, the current immigration crisis would be a thing of the past.

Over many years while I was in Congress, I met with scores of employers in my district who faced terrible red tape just to be allowed to bring in temporary agricultural workers who would willingly return home once the work was finished. How ironic that Americans willing to provide jobs for immigrants seeking honest work were thwarted by the same government that has now opened the door to a flood of immigrants seeking welfare and other assistance.

One thing we can be sure about: as Republicans and Democrats tussle over “reform” bills, more money will be thrown at the symptoms produced by past bad policies instead of addressing the real causes of the current crisis. The president’s $4 billion supplemental request to address the issue is a costly mix of welfare and enforcement that will do very little to solve the problem because it treats the symptoms instead of the cause. Real reform means changing a failed approach, and until that happens we can count on more expensive mistakes.