Posted by Tina
A big Tea Party rally was held in Washington today outside the Capitol in protest of the IRS targeting of conservative organizations. The event was organized by Tea Party Patriots but was attended by people and groups from all over the country. Several speakers were on hand to express the outrage the attendees feel including Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. The Washington Times has the story.
Posted by Tina
I’m sure you have read about the IRS targeting and harassing conservatives and delaying tax status authorization. On FOX Business this morning David Asman indicated he has hard evidence that liberal groups were also targeted by the IRS…only their groups were given fast track approval for their tax exempt applications! Thanks to Senator Grassley we are informed that IRS employees will be rewarded for their efforts. Fox News has the story:
WASHINGTON – The IRS is set to pay roughly $70 million in employee-union bonuses, contrary to an Obama administration directive to halt such rewards amid the deep, government-wide budget cuts known as sequestration.
The apparent deal with the National Treasury Employees Union is scheduled for Wednesday and was made public by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Grassley’s office said the information came from a “person with knowledge of IRS budgetary procedures.”
Our government is dysfunctional…broken…just plain ugly!
Given the high unemployment (and underemployment) numbers and the massive debt that has accumulated under President Obama this type of big spending really grates…so do those multi-million dollar vacations!
By JON COUPAL
For millions of California homeowners, Saturday was a day that will live in infamy. Without a single public hearing, the California Assembly passed Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 8 (ACA 8), the most egregious attack on Prop. 13 ever to come out of the Legislature.
ACA 8 would repeal Prop. 13’s requirement that local “special taxes” (taxes intended for a specific purpose or purposes) be approved by a two-thirds vote. Instead, special taxes imposed for the repayment of local bonded indebtedness would be reduced to 55%. The ostensible justification for ACA 8 is to make it easier to finance local “infrastructure.”
There are several reasons why ACA 8 will inevitably inflict severe harm on California homeowners. First, while state bonds are repaid out of the state’s general fund—into which most Californians contribute through income or sales taxes—the same is not true for local bonds. Local bonds, usually referred to as “general obligation” bonds, are repaid exclusively by property owners. That means that voters who do not own property can vote to raise taxes on those who do.
Second, making it easier to pass local bonds will only add to California’s debt crisis. A recent study from the California Public Policy Center calculated total government debt in California as being $1.1 trillion. This figure dwarfs the $27.8 billion “wall of debt” Governor Brown himself has acknowledged as part of budgetary borrowing. Making it easier to incur local debt for “infrastructure financing” raises the obvious question: Does any sane person believe that California needs even more debt?
Third, while building local roads and libraries may be a worthy cause, the interests backing ACA 8 are hardly motivated by the goodness of their hearts. The usual cabal of unions, construction interests and the Wall Street bond industry all are chasing more tax dollars. The amount of money at stake—your money—is staggering. They care not a whit for the broader interests of California’s fiscal health or the interests of citizen taxpayers.
Is there any good news here? Yes. First, the passage of ACA 8 occurred in just one house of the Legislature. It must also pass in the Senate. There are a lot of reasons to believe that passage in the Senate is anything but automatic. The details of the politics here are too complex to go into at this time. But suffice it to say that liberal members of the California Senate might not be so quick to drink the anti-Prop. 13 KoolAid as did their colleagues in the Assembly.
Second, we are heartened by the fact that all Republican members of the California Assembly voted against repealing one of Prop. 13’s most important protections. We say this as non-partisans as more than a third of HJTA’s members are registered Democrats. However, it has usually been the Republicans who have stood up to defend Prop. 13.
Just three weeks ago, my weekly column was entitled “Will Republican Legislators Betray Taxpayers?” While Republican support for homeowners can’t be taken for granted, on Saturday the Republicans in the Assembly forcefully defended Prop. 13 on the floor of that chamber. We couldn’t be more pleased for their courage for standing up to the special interests.
Finally, because Prop 13. defenders—in this case, Republicans—spoke as one voice, this forced Democrats who portray themselves as “moderates” to either stand up to their ultra-liberal leadership and vote “no” on ACA 8 or cave to the pressure of Speaker Perez and the special interests and vote “yes.” This time, the so-called “moderate” Democrats failed—miserably. ACA 8 passed with zero votes to spare.
While passage of ACA 8 is a horrible insult and injury to homeowners, at least now we know who our friends are. Come election time, when some “moderate” Assembly Democrat tells you how much he or she represents citizen taxpayers and homeowners, you will now be armed with the truth. After all, legislative votes should have consequences. Especially, at the next election.
Posted by Tina
The year was 1996 and Bill Clinton was our nation’s president. A Boeing 747 took off from JFK Airport in New York on a flight to Paris. Within minutes the aircraft exploded off the coast of Long Island and all 230 people aboard lost their lives. The investigation became a source of controversy. Several people reported having seen something that looked like a missile (or missiles) traveling toward the plane just prior to the explosion. The investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into the cause of the crash resulted in a conclusion that a gas tank explosion was the cause of the crash.
This morning several whistleblowers, airline pilots and investigators who were part of the NTSB investigative team, announced the release of a documentary film exposing the gas tank theory as a lie:
“..This team of investigators who actually handled the wreckage and victims’ bodies, prove that the officially proposed fuel-air explosion did not cause the crash,” reads a statement by the producers of the film, which will debut on cable network EPIX next month. “They also provide radar and forensic evidence proving that one or more ordnance explosions outside the aircraft caused the crash.” However, the statement said they did not speculate about the source or sources of any ordnance explosions.
The whistle-blower team, which includes investigators — at the time — from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), TWA, and the Airline Pilots Association, have since retired from their positions. They claim that at the time, they were placed under a gag order by the NTSB, which they charged falsified the official conclusion of the cause of the crash. They indicated they would elaborate more in a Wednesday media briefing.
The FBI conducted an investigation. In perfect doublespeak they concluded they could find no indication of “criminal activity”.
Okay…how about an act of war?
I don’t know that we will ever know, definitively, what happened to flight 800. The answers to some of these confounding controversies are dependent on our representatives being honest. I do know that defenders of the Clinton administration will scream conspiracy nuts with that all too familiar progressive disdain. But I also know this…the American people are tired of lies and cover-ups, tired of underhanded shenanigans in government officials, and tired of the corruption that is rife in our representatives and in the various governmental departments.
As did the whistleblowers, I will leave it to you to speculate about the source of those “ordinance explosions”.
Submitted by Peggy
Ted Cruz asks ultimate gun control gotcha question:
“Anyone know if President Obama intends to perform background checks on the Syrian rebels before providing them weapons?”
Whooooeeee! I’m lovin that Ted Cruz.
For 5 long days it smelled like freedom, but the patriots of Budapest had to fight for every block.
They were fed up with the Communists and they were inspired by the idealism of America. Their insurrection surprised the Soviets and shook the great USSR to its very core. For a time they had the Russians on the run. There were countless acts of sacrifice and courage. They fought against great odds and a better armed enemy, sometimes they were forced to take Russian tanks head on. And estimated 30-35,000 of their best died in the insuing battles.
In the hours following the start of the revolution secret diplomatic communiques flashed between Moscow and Washington. The U.S., for reasons of diplomatic caution, assured the Soviets they would offer “no practical assistance” to the new Hungarian government. In other words, no arms or military assistance would be forth coming nor would any sanctions be imposed to keep the Soviets at bay. This was the [green light] the Russians needed to prepare for an invasion to crush the rebellion.
Hungarian resistance, although a significant crack in the Soviet Iron Curtain was not of the same strategic value as the Suez Canal where another war loomed. A military confrontation with Egypt one side, and Britian, France and Israel on the other, with the USA, the USSR and the United Nations playing major roles in forcing Britain, France and Israel to withdraw. This timing was bad for the Hungarians. They were left to bleed to death in the UN waiting room while the doctors of diplomacy focused on a more important patient….the Suez.
Back in Budapest and aware of the Suez crisis the Hungarians still held out hope for Western intervention. The street fighting raged on, but most of the battles were skirmishes, small hit and run clashes with the AHV (Hungarian State Police or State Protection Authority). Some Russian military units caught trying to escape the fighting.
In the first 48 hours it appeared most of the local Russian elements and the Hungarian police departed without too much resistance. Joseph believes this was because most of the Russians lived among them and they understood the hardships that brought on the fighting. These units sympathized with the revolutionaries.
A large military garrison the edge of Budapest fell on the third day of fighting. The victors claimed a few dated World War II era Russian T-34 tanks and a WWII era, Kartusha, rocket launcher. They also captured a Russian soldier who was wounded in the leg. To support the captured soldiers claim of having empathy for their cause, the slightly wounded soldier showed him and his friends how to operate the rocket launcher. He seemed most compliant and even helped fire it later.
A counter-attack came a few days after the capture of the military garrison. This time a Russian column of tanks and armored personnel carriers was advancing quickly toward their position. At once, Joseph and his friends wheeled the Kartusha into position. The column was just within range when the Kartusha loosed the rockets tipped with high explosives. It was a rapid series of deafening mechanical screams and blinding flashes, followed by smoke trails and then explosions that burst all around the head of the column. The awesome barrage took them by surprise and they stopped and starred in awe at it’s destructive power.
Unfortunately the rockets were mainly for use against ground troops, not armored vehicle. The actual damage to the heavily armored column was light, but the
pounding they took inside their steel shelters convinced them this was obviously not the right road into town. The Russians turned tail and made a hasty retreat.
That handful of Hungarians, a wounded Russian and the intimidating Kartusha turned back the probing Soviet column and them something to think about. The perception of a new and well armed Hungarian military presence had been established.
For two weeks this false perception was enough to keep the Russians back, save for a few minor incursions. In reality this was an improvised little army of citizens, lead by a former National Guard General and a Police Captain. They were untrained and armed with little more than bravado. But, for they had stalemated the mighty
Russian Army. More importantly, Budapest was becoming the Alamo for the Hungarians and others trapped behind the Communist wall. It was the last bastion of resistance in eastern Europe after the Polish revolt had been crushed. The people of Budapest were alone.
The two former government run radio stations of Budapest played new music, music that sounded like freedom! The ousted Prime Minister, Imre Nagy, returned and told the people to hold on! “Hold on at all costs, help will soon be on the way.”, was his frequent radio message. He also made desperate radio pleas for aid to the
free nations of Europe and to the United States in particular. They knew the United States would not let them down, they couldn’t it would be too awful to even contemplate.
Hungarians had declared themselves to be a free and independent nation, a neutral among the WARSAW Pact, but without intervention from the West they were doomed. They needed the U.S. to at least make overtures on their behalf to the Soviets, but nothing seemed to happen. Nothing was coming from America, the most admired and powerful friend to the oppressed people of the world!
By the 28th of October, the Russians had amassed huge numbers of armored and infantry forces around the City, mostly these units came from Soviet dominated Mongolia. The Mongolians were well known for their ruthlessness in war and had little or no understanding of what was happening inside Hungary.
They would have no empathy or mercy for the Hungarian revolutionaries. The Russians knew this… they counted on it!
November the 4th, they Soviets launched an all out assault. The block by block, house to house, hand to hand fighting would last about three more weeks before the revolt was put down.
When World War II ended Joseph had discovered an abandoned Russian tommy gun. He had hidden his booty safely away, despite a law that made ownership of any weapons an extremely serious offense. Joseph kept the machine gun stashed away in the basement of their apartment complex for nearly eleven years. When Joseph finally dug it up and unpacked the weapon he found that it was badly rusted. He carried it for awhile, but he could never get it to work right. Sadly, the prize that he risked imprisonment for was eventually tossed away as a piece of junk. The local police sub-station, (now abandoned) provided an old bolt action rifle of Russian origin. But, at least it worked. Such were the weapons of the Hungarian freedom fighters, WWII junk, bolt action rifles, a mix of automatic military weapons and very few heavy guns.
When the Soviet forces made their move on Nov. 4th, Joseph and his older brother Steven, and some local “kids” were patrolling an area several miles to the south of city center. This was not far from where the main Soviet force was forming. Their improvised squad of kids to men, carried only small arms, rifles and pistols. Ammo
was very scare. The Soviets made sure that all ammunition for sporting rifles was in short supply before this revolt ever took place.
Around 4 a.m. the patrol was working their way through the city flanked by railroad tracks of an industrial area on one side and a sprawling urban area on the other. They walked along knowing this was one of the more likely routes for Russians probing the defenses. They spread out over several blocks, but they kept close enough to watch each other. By 5 a.m. all was quiet, they had seen nothing worth reporting.
Outside the community, the Russians controlled everything. The city was like a small island in a sea of Soviet military might. An attack could come from any direction and at any time.
Joseph recalled that it seemed futile to try and construct fortified positions with so few troops and defensive weapons. So, they braced for an attack with plans to hit back as hard as they could, then fall back to the next position while reinforcements raced to get to them.
They patrolled and they waited. In was now 5:30 a.m. still quiet. The night air was still and very cold. It would soon be dawn and the Russians would be less likely to make a daylight assault. The sky was overcast and it blocked out most of the stars. A dusting of snow stuck to the corners of windows and to the edges of buildings. But, the Hungarian winter was yet to come. Of course the city power had been out since the very beginning and the total absence of any light and no movement, except for the patrol, made this night seem especially lonely and surreal. Except for occasional shot that always seemed far away, it was very tranquil. The darkness would be to their advantage Joseph thought if they had to fight and run, he tried imagine the fight that was sure to happen, to plan, but against what, planes, troops, tanks and from where? After all they were surrounded on all sides, attack could come from any direction!
It was now 5:32 a.m. he got his answers all too soon when the faint rumbling, clanking noise drifted across the still air from the main boulevard leading into the city!
The clanking of metal was growing louder and mixed with the roar of big diesel engines, there was no doubts now, tanks were coming. Someone yelled out but his words were so filled with panic Joseph wasn’t sure what he said? Perhaps it was a warning, but by now this was unnecessary as they knew the familiar sounds of metal tracked tanks… German tanks, Russian tanks, they all sounded the same, it was an ugly, threatening rumble mixed with a clanking sound as the steel tracks pounded down on the paving stones.
Joseph and the others scrambled for cover. Behind bushes, next to buildings, behind brick walls and few hid behind trees. They took aim from about 200 yards where the street disappeared into the night and where the Russians should soon be coming into view. The noise grew louder, the tanks were close now, any moment… there, there they were! Two main battle tanks emerged from the darkness and lumbered across the seemingly deserted intersection. They were barely 50 yards away when the night was suddenly illuminated by “Molotov Cocktails” ( glass bottles filled with petrol and corked with soaked rags ). Gunfire erupted from both sides. The two advanced scout tanks were charged by five or six young men who were hurling their deadly torches almost point blank at the enemy.
The bottles shattered against the tank turents and the hull. The gasoline burst into a fireball of flames. Some of the petrol leaked into the crew compartments as fire was seen flickering behind one of the firing ports. More deadly cocktails hit the tanks from all sides. The tanks were knocked out in less than a minute. The
screams of the burning tank crews were drowned out by the heaving weapons now firing from the rest of the armored column as it continued the advance. The tanks spun their turents around looking for targets, machine guns laid down a raking fire, clearing the way.
(Shown left – Soviet tanks enter Budapest) The Mongol troops followed close behind the tanks. Joseph and the others were retreating to better positions when one of the burning tanks suffered a series of devastating blasts from exploding ammo. Now tanks three, four and five advanced. Shadows of men with rifles right behind them. Joseph ran about a half blocked looked back at destroyed tanks and in that instant a bullet struck his leg in the flesh part of his right calf. Most of the bullet’s energy was spent and it barely penetrated his muscle. A friend later dug it out and cleaned up the wound with a shot of Vodka.
Joseph was still running, putting as much distance between them and the tanks the foot soldiers as they could. The tanks were firing wildly at anything that moved. Bullets zinged overhead and thumps and thuds rained down, but it was obvious they didn’t have any clear targets, the shots were often fired randomly. Just as they were about to be beyond the range of the tank gunners, Joseph looked around for his older brother Steven. Steven was about a half block behind. Joseph watched from behind a parked car as Steven dashed behind a wooden fence, trailed by machine gun bullets that blasted apart the pickets behind him as he ran. Much to Joseph’s surprise and delight his brother emerged at the end of a long line of shattered pickets totally unscathed. Steven looked toward Joseph and had a big grin on his face as he ducked behind a building and disappeared safely into their old neighborhood.
I was born in California. I am a Californian.
Yet, 20 years ago as a member of the California Assembly, I again started a movement intended to change our state into two brand new states. After all that time in the Legislature, I decided we needed new leadership. After all, we could never balance our state’s budget, we could never reform our state’s schools to our liking, etc. etc.
I was eventually able to place a question of division on 31 of California’s 58 counties. The result should have been predictable. Butte County approved the proposal 70 percent to 30 percent (35,698 to 16,301). The Great North State (Jefferson?) was in strong support. San Francisco turned it down 63 percent to 37 percent (89,992 to 54,941). Was that our minds over our emotions, or simply we in the north desiring to get away from “those people?” I believe it is both.
For the last year, I have been working on writing and publishing my first book at the ripe age of 74. It is fun. And, this time I think we should follow Mother Nature’s direction and roughly use her San Andres fault as the place to separate. What a serious game that is. Will we win or will she beat us to The Big One?
All those years ago, I decided that two golden states would be better than one. In my heart, I don’t want division, but in my mind, let’s git ‘er done. I would love any of your advice. Please contact me at StanStatham@gmail.com.
— Stan Statham, Oak Run
Posted by Tina
His Republican message is clearly stated and, I’m bragging here, aligned with my own.
I’d like to welcome the good Senator to the Republican Party. I hope his voice will become a strong influence in minority communities to bring the uplifting message of freedom and self-reliance both for the people and for the sake of our nation.
See transcript of his speech and video at Real Clear Politics:
Louisiana State Senator Elbert Guillory (R-Opelousas) explains why he recently switched from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party. He discusses the history of the Republican Party, founded as an Abolitionist Movement in 1854. Guillory talks about how the welfare state is only a mechanism for politicians to control the black community.
I sense a shift coming…
by Jack Lee
CONT- Victory came quickly….
Anna’s father was a member of bourgeois by virtue of his education, he was an art teacher at the University. Considered a reactionary and a member of the evil rich, the family was subjected to a great deal of humiliation and degradation. The “Commies” made sure they were always the last to be helped when it came to government handouts. In truth, the family was never wealthy, however, this class association enough and it was to affect her every time she sought to better herself. She was under constant discrimination and suspicion.
By now (late 1954-55) everything was controlled by the government. The medical system was one of the first institutions to be placed under the yoke. Anna recalled her first experience with socialized medicine. She had a DNC in a large government hospital while Joseph was to of town working. When he could ] return to her, he found her weak and filthy. He had to bribe a nurse just to bath her. She had not been cleaned for three days! The next day the doctor was about to discharge her. Her release was predetermined by the state and signing a release paper stating she was fit and must return to work was a mere formality. Never mind the fact Anna had a 104 temperature and could barely move!
The family pleaded with the doctor, but it was to no avail. The state deemed she was fit for work according to the doctor he had to release her. Anna collapsed on the subway train hours later and was rushed back to hospital. She was in and out the hospital three more times because of the complications due to her inadequate care. Anna said her new and improved medical care for all the people… nearly killed her! A few years back while living in Southern California, Anna’s neighbor suggested she apply for free immunizations shots, Anna let her know how she felt about free medicine from the government!
The rich, moderately rich and so on, were being targeted and taken down to the labor class. This was the Communist’s way of making a point to those who were considered to be part of the rich bourgeois and at the same time elevating the working class. Now everyone would now be equal! To this end, the food supply soon became an instrument of control. By 1949 food was dispersed through state run businesses as if they were wages in a scheme generally referred to as,
“receiving your calories.” Ironically, much of that food was actually humanitarian supplies from the West. But, all of it was carefully re-stamped as originating from the Soviet Union.
One day after work Joseph was taking a short cut home past the rail yard as a train pulled in. He witnessed refrigerator cars of meat being off loaded from western
humanitarian sources and now being re-labled to say, “CCCP” or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Joseph Stalin died in 1953 and a general thaw in east-west relations lead to a slight liberalizing of the Hungarian regime. In 1953 Rakosi’ Stalinist government was replaced by Prime Minister Imre Nagy. However, in 1955 Nagy was too liberal and Rakosi returned to power with a heavy handed policy toward the opposition.
By 1956 the situation was extremely desperate. The Hungarian people were all working, but the economy was going nowhere and food was in very short supply. “As far back as 1950 our money was worth nothing and if you don’t work you don’t get nothing, you don’t eat.”, Black market goods were available yes, but the penalties were very severe for anyone caught with too many goods. An extra bar of soap could land you a two year prison sentence at forced labor.” Joseph S.
The police state was becoming more abusive of it’s citizens, especially those of the rich bourgeois. And on 23rd of October, 1956, a brutal massacre of non-violent government protestors by the Hungarian Secret Police sparked the revolution. This was the final despicable act of terror and torment, the people revolted! That act
of senseless brutality on unarmed civilians was the turning point for the Hungarian people and would result in reforms long after the revolt was suppressed. The people had filled Freedom Square in support of their Polish brothers and sisters, it was a rare and defiant act. Everyone was excited, scared and there was much talk
of freedom and anger toward their oppressors. it began with a few patriotic speeches were made to the cheers of thousands of young Hungarians, but the cheers were to be interrupted by automatic weapons, firing nearly point blank into the crowd.
The students, the workers, the on-lookers, they were cut down in a hail of bullets. From several sides the an elite Hungarian secret police unit, known as the “AHV”
fired machine guns into the crowd, then the shooting stopped as quickly as it began, having done their worst the police realized the crowd’s fear was turning to an anger never seen before. The police retreated quickly, fearing the crowd would tear them to bits and they probably would have, if they could’ve caught them.
The news of the shootings spread like a wild fire across Budapest. People were outraged and demanded action. As Joseph recalls, “Some people still had guns, stashed away from the war. And we knew there were a lot of guns at the police station in our area. We took those guns by force and soon everybody had guns! They (police) did not resist much, couple of shots and they come out, but in the big police building, they fought hard there. That’s where the secret police was and many of them were killed.”
Angry mobs, mostly made up of young people and college students attacked the police stations all over the city. The stations were easily captured, most without firing a shot. The terrified police officers who had so cruelly treated their people were being routed and now sent on their way…minus their weapons of course.
There was an irony about the shootings by the Secret Police that sparked the revolution. The student leaders and others had arranged for a peaceful demonstration that day in support of Poles, who had revolted in June and against the Soviet presence in their country. The secret police had started the revolution they had hoped to stop in a place called, Freedom Square. Freedom Square, where the bodies of innocents now lay dying were bordered by statues of Hungarian heroes from an earlier revolution in 1848 against Austria. This was the year when a quick succession of revolts was triggered across Europe. The first beginning with France, then Hungary separated from Austrian domination and the Slavic Serbs decided to break from their Hungarian control.
The fighting in Budapest continued sporadically throughout the city for several more days as the key institutions that held the yoke of communism fell one by one. This time victory went to the people and Mr. Nagy was reinstated on October 24th, 1955. Nagy declared Hungary to be a neutral country and announced the end to the one-party Communist system! The timing of the revolt was not good since the attention of the U.S. and most of free Europe was now focused on the Suez crisis.
