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LANCE THOMPSON

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ROSE PEDENKO

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TANYA SIMON

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PAULINE BOREN

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THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36981179?GT1=43001

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Tuesday
Aug312010

Restoring Faith in Honor

 

By Rose Pedenko

The plan was to leave the hotel by 8 AM to beat the crowd ahead of the 10 AM start of the Glenn Beck rally on 8/28.  Even the best laid plans did not prepare me for the magnitude of underlying anger that would drive hundreds of thousands of Americans to descend on the Lincoln Memorial at the crack of dawn.  Earlier that morning, my husband clicked on Fox News to a stunning aerial shot of the event--the perimeter already packed with Beck fans--three hours before the scheduled start of the rally.

I bolted downstairs to catch a cab.  It was the cab driver’s 7th trip that morning.  He managed to get me within a block of the event and I quickly melted into a throng of humanity.

Suffering from claustrophobia and intolerance to heat, attending this rally became a testament to just how hungry I was for the reinforcement that comes from knowing one is not alone.  Standing shoulder to shoulder, sandwiched into barely enough room to turn around, it was hot, humid, and the perfect conditions for me to pass out.  But I fought the feeling hard because we were about to participate in what everyone was certain would be a historic event—to start the heart of America again.

What made me fly across the country to attend this three hour event?  The answer may be somewhat different than the majority of attendees (at least the majority surrounding me).  We were not necessarily like-minded, but clearly like-hearted.

I am not a religious person, but knew that my faith in America needed to be restored.  While I know that no man is an island, drowning in the sea of liberalism that is Los Angeles has a way of making one believe he or she is quite isolated and certainly godless.  It created a void that could only be filled by experiencing the kind of energy I had hoped to find here.

In the age of Twitter, Facebook and Crackberries, reportage of the event was instantaneous, particularly because those attending knew the MSM would not be covering the event fairly and Fox News had already decided only to “report” on the event (in an effort to remain fair and balanced).

This country and the values it was founded upon were slipping away and being replaced with apathy and the ever-increasing belief by many that government should take care of us.  This kind of oblique thinking has been fostered by the inculcation of progressive ideas in our schools; and the reshaping of the malleable minds that are America’s future.  Only reasonable, thoughtful human beings care about what happens to the generations that follow after we cease to exist.

Even though the rally was presented as a non-political event, it was clear that anger at our politicians was the driving force that rallied the masses to Washington, D.C.  But once there, Beck masterfully redirected that anger in a way that made sense, even if you are agnostic.

Beck was very clear about the content and meaning of the Restoring Honor event, and while it goes against my grain to participate in any large gathering, particularly one with religious overtones, it was important that I hear the message and find a way to synthesize it with my own conflicting ideas about religion.

There I stood, enveloped in shouts of “hallelujah” and “praise the Lord.”  Was I in the wrong place at the right time?

There are millions of non-church going conservatives, libertarians and moderate Republicans that might otherwise have attended this gathering.  It was not just about Beck’s religious fervor (a turn-off to many), but a way to redirect our political anger in this call for faith, hope and charity.  Faith is also about trusting others, and right now we all need to trust in one another to help restore this country to greatness.

Faith, hope and charity are not solely Christian values but they are also virtues learned through common sense and respect for others.  It occurred to me that mistakes are being made by excluding those that do not wholly share an acceptance of God through blind faith.  Many of us are good people that struggle with our beliefs.  We need to be a part of this movement, to stand side by side in our fight for freedom with people whose faith may be stronger than our own.

There is no other answer in this struggle to restore America because, as Beck stated, America is at a crossroads.  Who are we and what is it we believe?  He asked us to tell the truth in our own life and the truth in mine is that I am honorable and my honor is not defined by someone else’s arbitrary definition of spirituality.

Beck quoted his favorite verse from the Declaration of Independence: “…with a firm Reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”  Beck also often quotes Thomas Jefferson’s admonition that “if you haven’t questioned with boldness even the very existence of God, for if there be a God, He must surely rather honest questioning over blindfolded fear.”  And there, go I.

Tuesday
Aug172010

Oval Office Reversals

 

by Lance Thompson

President Obama must be frustrated. No matter what position he takes on the
13-story mega-mosque to be built next to the hallowed ground of the 9/11
terrorist attack (and he's taken as many positions as possible), none of
them seems to satisfy everyone.

Obama first came out four-square behind the mosque and the rights of the
radical imam who wishes to build a monument to radical islam at the site of
its greatest desecration. Later, Obama clarified that he was only defending
the constitutional right to freedom of religion, not the wisdom of building
the mosque. Then White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, in a
Saturday evening statement, said that this backpedaling should not be seen
as backpedaling. Now even Harry Reid, a man desperately in need of
political allies, has broken with the president's position (whatever it
currently is) to say that no mosque should be built at Ground Zero.

It prompts one to wonder what might have happened if all our presidents
possessed Obama's unwavering commitment to a principle.

Ronald Reagan hastened the end of Soviet domination of Europe with his
challenge, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Obama's version might have
added, "And we'll use American taxpayer money to help you build a better
wall."

John F. Kennedy challenged a generation with, "We shall pay any price, bear
any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order
to assure the survival and success of liberty." Obama's version might have
added, "unless that means irritating state sponsors of terrorism or radical
islamists, in which case we will roll over and abandon our long time
allies."

Franklin Roosevelt, to help Great Britain during the harrowing, early days
of World War II, established the Lend-Lease program to supply aid to the
Brits in their struggle against Nazi Germany. FDR said America must become
"the great arsenal of democracy." Obama might have added, "unless the Nazis
win another battle, in which case we'll plan a summit with Hitler and
discuss plans for redecorating Buckingham Palace."

Abraham Lincoln identified the purpose of the Civil War as ensuring that
"this government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not
perish from this earth." Obama's version would have added, "But we'd settle
for a socialist utopia that will plunge us into unsustainable debt and
worldwide ridicule."

These amendments to famous presidential pronouncements are unthinkable to
Americans who treasure their heritage and take pride in what this country
stands for. President Obama will never understand such feelings, for he
does not share them. He will never understand such people, for he is not
one of them. And he will not be re-elected by such people, because,
increasingly, they understand him all too well. 

Tuesday
Aug032010

Uniform Misconduct

by Lance Thompson

 
Lily Tomlin once said about Hollywood, “No matter how cynical you get, you never can keep up.”  The same sentiment applies to the Obama administration.  Few of its harshest detractors could even imagine the depths to which this government has stooped to remain in power.  Very few would have imagined that the President’s administration would encourage lawbreaking to disenfranchise Americans in uniform.  Yet, according to two Department of Justice officials, that is now official policy.
 
The Military Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act was passed last October to ensure that Americans serving abroad would have their votes counted.   Specifically, MOVE requires states to send absentee ballots to citizens serving overseas 45 days before any election.  But according to Eric Eversole and J. Christian Adams, two former attorneys for the DOJ’s voting section, Eric Holder’s justice officials are going to great lengths to subvert this law and prevent members of the American military from voting.
 
Rebecca Wertz, deputy chief of DOJ’s voting section, has met with various state attorneys general to let them know that litigation against states that violate MOVE regulations would be a “last resort” and to suggest that states take advantage of ambiguous language in the MOVE Act that allows “waivers” for requirements that produce “undue hardship.”  Basically, the DOJ is encouraging states to seek loopholes in the MOVE act and promising not to investigate states that avail themselves of such loopholes.
 
Additionally, the DOJ web site does not mention the MOVE Act, and in fact refers to the previous regulation, now superceded, of a non-binding recommendation to send out absentee ballots a month in advance.  This can only be a deliberate attempt to further subvert the new law.
 
Attorney General Eric Holder’s Department of Justice is very selective about the laws it enforces.  It does not prosecute New Black Panthers for voter intimidation.  And now it encourages states to prevent their citizens serving in the military from voting. 
 
There is only one reason for the DOJ to follow this course.  The Obama administration knows it cannot retain its grip on power if a free election is held in November.  Only by manipulating the outcome, suppressing the votes of some Americans, and subverting the law do the Democrats have a chance of winning.  It is easy to identify the votes Obama and Holder wish to suppress by observing which violators they protect.  New Black Panthers brandishing weapons at polling places suppress the white vote.  States that avoid, with the endorsement of the Justice Department, the regulations of the MOVE Act suppress military voters.  Thus, Obama and Holder obviously believe that white voters and military voters are a threat to their power.
 
Judging from the recent Real Clear Politics average of national polls showing Obama underwater by four points, white voters and military voters aren’t the only ones disenchanted with the Commander in Chief.   All citizens must not only assert their right to vote, but protect the rights of those the government seeks to intimidate or suppress.  No group deserves this protection more than the men and women who fight and die to give us those rights in the first place.

Tuesday
Jul202010

Protected Status

 

by Lance Thompson  

No government is supposed to play favorites, but in fact, they all do.  The reality of evolving government policy is that some entities are treated better than others.  One can determine the priorities and preferences of a government by which entities it favors and which it punishes.  The Obama administration, judging from the entities is favors, is clearly a champion of those who mean us harm.
 
One group that has enjoyed protected status is the New Black Panthers.  The Department of Justice has refused to prosecute well-documented voter intimidation by New Black Panther members King Samir Shabazz and Jerry Jackson at a Philadelphia polling place during the 2008 presidential election.  Both men were dressed in paramilitary uniforms.  Shabazz brandished a billy club, and vociferously advocated the murder of white people.  Several people, including a Democratic poll worker, testified that the behavior of the two men intimidated prospective voters.  These actions were in direct violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
 
The New Black Panther party endorsed Obama during the campaign, and that endorsement appeared on the Obama web site until the association was seen as detrimental.  Nonetheless, Attorney General Eric Holder (and Assistant AG Thomas Perrelli) dropped the case, overruling six career Justice Department lawyers who wanted to pursue prosecution.  The New Black Panthers, who openly violate federal law, deny voting rights to law-abiding Americans, and engage in what liberals would ordinarily define as “hate speech” if uttered by a conservative, enjoy protected status under Barack Obama.
 
Another group protected by the Obama administration is illegal aliens.  Not only has Obama continued the passive acquiescence to illegal immigration from the previous administration, but they have taken a more active role.  When the state of Arizona, heavily impacted by the unchecked invasion of illegal aliens, enacted state law to enforce federal laws already on the books, members of the Obama administration severely criticized the law even before reading it.  When it was clear that Arizona and most Americans supported Arizona’s law, the Obama administration filed lawsuits against the state.  One lawsuit questions the constitutionality of the law, and the other accuses Arizona with violating civil rights.  All of this federal action serves to shield illegal aliens–foreign criminals by definition–from the lawful consequences of their acts.  Illegal aliens enjoy protected status under Barack Obama.
 
The third group enjoying special favors from Obama is terrorists.  One of the earliest acts of the Obama administration was to grant terrorist prisoners–men captured on the battlefield waging war on forces of the United States–the Constitutional protections guaranteed to American citizens.  Instead of being tried by military tribunals, these terrorists would stand trial in American civilian courts, defended by highly-paid attorneys whose fees would be covered by American taxpayers, and granted access to the top secret information sued by this country to defend itself. 
 
The most prominent example is the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 11 September attacks, and responsible for the murders of over 2700 Americans.  Despite the years spent by military prosecutors preparing their cases against Mohammed, the man who already admitted to planning the deadly attacks will now be tried by civilian prosecutors, protected by the rights granted to American citizens who have yet to be proven guilty.  Terrorists enjoy protected status under Barack Obama.
 
All of these positions required active intervention by the Obama administration.  The New Black Panther case was proceeding with ample evidence, including eyewitness accounts and video recordings.  The Attorney General had to intervene to halt the investigation.  The Arizona immigration law had passed the state legislature and been signed by the governor, all lawfully.  The administration had to actively bring legal action against the state to contest it.  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists were being prosecuted under lawful military justice.  The administration had to actively intervene to halt those cases and transfer the terrorists to civilian courts.  These were deliberate, conscious policy decisions.
 
Favoritism toward one group often means discrimination against and persecution of opposing groups.  When the Obama administration protects New Black Panther members who violate our civil rights, disenfranchise honest citizens, and subvert our electoral process, it is guilty of nothing less than enabling an attack on law-abiding Americans.  When the Obama administration protects illegal aliens, it becomes an accomplice in the violation of our borders and sovereignty by foreign invaders.  When the Obama administration protects terrorists, it announces solidarity with those who murder Americans by the thousands.  These are the priorities of the Obama administration.
 
Our country will always be a target for outside enemies.  We have government and military entities to protect us from those enemies.  But when the government and military efforts are subverted by our own leaders, we are vulnerable to attack.  From the outside and from within.
Tuesday
Jul062010

Independence in November

 

by Lance Thompson

 
This is late for an Independence Day article, but Independence Day itself will be late this year.  In 2010, it will fall on 2 November, when Americans will have a chance–possibly their last–to declare independence from a government that doesn’t believe in it.
 
Since the Obama administration took office, Americans have seen their independence limited, abrogated, and curtailed at an alarming rate.  Americans have been told by their government how much they can be paid, what kind of health insurance they can buy, and whether or not they can collect debts legally owed to them.  The government has forced American taxpayers to bail out banks, buy controlling interest in automobile companies, and continue to invest in the demonstrably unstable Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac financial institutions which caused the housing bubble to burst in the first place. 
 
The Obama administration and the Democrats in Congress have spent almost two years making Americans dependent on government.  They believe they know better how to redistribute what we earn, apportion what we need, and determine what we want.  They do not trust individuals to make these decisions for themselves.  Independent Americans are a threat to the Democrat agenda of central planning and state control.
 
Since taking over the White House and enjoying a controlling majority in the Congress, Democrats have plunged us into an abyss of debt.  They have sentenced every American family to generations of service to that debt.  Increasingly, all of us will be working to support an irresponsible and profligate government that reduces our liberty and freedom.
 
We can reclaim our independence on 2 November by voting out the party that wants to make us all dependent on government.  Perhaps the Republicans don’t have all the answers, but it’s apparent that the Democrats don’t have any.  The Democrat answer to every new challenge is more spending, higher taxes, and restricted freedom. 
 
Yet there is no progress to be shown for all this spending.  Debt is higher, jobs are harder to find, and America’s credit rating is at an all-time low for the modern era.  Our corporations are taken over, our industries are shackled, and the value of our investments continues to fall.  Our enemies are stronger, our allies can’t trust us, and our influence in the world becomes more negligible with every passing day.  All we have to show for the deficit spending is a government whose effectiveness falls as its size grows.
 
Twenty months under Obama have demonstrated the fragility of freedom and the necessity to retain it.  We will have that opportunity on 2 November.  Republicans stood united against the health care takeover, the stimulus bill, and the meteorological sorcery of cap and trade.  Americans will have one last chance to vote for independence.  Let us not waste that chance.