It’s Time To Get Radical… With The Radicals

“True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism. They cut their hair, put on suits and infiltrate the system from within.”– Master Saul Alinsky/pupil Barack Hussein Obama

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”– 2 Corinthians 11:14, KJV

On the heels of the Benghazi exposé (on the crimes of this administration), I watched a press conference this morning by the families of three Navy SEAL Team 6 members who were killed along with 26 others when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. The information that came forth was nothing less than surreal, obvious, and very telling.

Telling, I say, that on a daily basis, this administration adds insult to injury when the American people have already seen, in the light of day, that its officials are willing to defend radical Muslims (America’s sworn enemy) at every turn:

Here are some points from the families’ press release:

  1. Obama and Biden disclosed that it was Navy SEAL Team 6 that carried out the successful raid on bin Laden’s compound, putting a target on the backs of our now-fallen heroes.
  2. High-level military officials sent the Navy SEAL Team 6 heroes into battle without special operations aviation and proper air support.
  3. There was a denial of pre-assault fire, possibly contributing to the shoot-down of the Navy SEAL Team 6 helicopter.
  4. Military brass, while prohibiting any mention of the Judeo-Christian God, invited a Muslim cleric to the funeral for the fallen Navy SEAL Team 6 heroes who disparaged in Arabic the memory of these servicemen by damning them as infidels to Allah.
  5. Obama went out of his way to ensure that Osama bin Laden had a proper Muslim burial.

America, you now have an administration that is clearly at war with our republic, our Mosaic institution, and our Christian heritage.

They are even willing to go the extra mile and desecrate the sacrifice of those who gave them the privilege to be in a representative, governmental position.

As seen by this press conference, the American people are now in a position where they are having to do what the government was put in place to do. This administration is now committing the crimes it has been put into position to prevent.

One more point …

America needs to quit talking to these politicians as if they do not know what they are doing; they know exactly what they are doing.

The best the conservatives have – who are responsible for the corner the American people have been painted into – have even gone so far as to sit back and play the fool by reasoning with this unreasonable administration.

This administration is filled with lying, scheming, immoral, treasonous radicals.

America attempts to be rational with the irrational; and all the while, these radicals attack America … and America loses.

No more.

This is nothing less than criminal, and criminals need to be lawfully dealt with. Simply put, it is time to get radical with criminal radicals in this most awesome God-given country of ours and bring forth justice.

The answer is found in Article II, Section 4, of the United States Constitution:

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

 

When the president attacks America’s military:

Who is Bradlee Dean?

Honoring The Office

“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”- Theodore Roosevelt

This last week, Attorney General Eric Holder pandered to illegal aliens, calling them “unauthorized immigrants.” Shortly thereafter, Obama went to Mexico, pandering to illegals while blaming the American people for the very crimes he and his administration contrived through “Fast and Furious”. I have got to believe that the people in Mexico realize that this man’s administration is personally responsible for the bloodshed of 300 Mexicans. Shortly after Obama’s speech – surprise, surprise – pro-amnesty protesters show up in Dallas, Texas, proclaiming “Listen, Obama! We’re at war!”

I have been exposing this administration on my radio show for years concerning their criminal conduct.

I once had a radio station manager approach me because I was calling out Obama’s corruption on the air (sonsoflibertyradio.com). He admitted that he knows that President Obama is “un-American, reckless, ignorant, dangerous, and even corrupt.” And, of course, I agreed with him.

But then he went on to say, “He is still the president of the United States, and we need to honor him and his office as such.”

I said, “Honor him as such? You’ve got to be out of your mind to think that I am going to honor any individual in any office that steps on the sacrifice of our veterans who ratified the Constitution of the United States with their blood.” (Which, by the way, is the same Constitution those in office swear to uphold.)

When America tolerates corruption in government, she dishonors the price veterans paid! I am in fact honoring the office of the president when I point out that which corrupts the office he holds. I will never honor any man or woman in office who disrespects the sacrifice of those who put him or her there. Never. And neither will anyone who is a true American patriot.

On the other hand, I will be the first one to stand behind those in office who do honor the veterans and the laws of our republic as put forth in our Constitution.

The following are the number of American casualties in each war listed:

  • World War I: 116,506
  • World War II: 405,399
  • Korea: 38,574
  • Vietnam: 58,209
  • Iraq: 4,484
  • Afghanistan: 8,000+

If anything, seeing their sacrifice should show you what not to tolerate in office rather than allowing their bloodshed to be trampled upon.

America, the way to honor the office of the president and his administration is to bring impeachment and civil charges for their crimes against the American people.

Below is what every American should do to honor our veterans. Please keep in mind that these two little men are 5 and 7 years old:

What does freedom cost America?

 

Who is Bradlee Dean?

Navy Seal Families Stand Up To Obama Administration

US Navy SEALs Navy Seal families Stand Up To Obama Administration
DATE: MAY 9, 2013
PLACE: NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (HOLEMAN LOUNGE)
529 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20045
TIME: 10 AM – 11 AM
(Washington, D.C.). Three families of Navy SEAL Team VI special forces servicemen, along with one family of an Army National Guardsman, will appear at a press conference on May 9, 2013, to disclose never before revealed information about how and why their sons along with 26 others died in a fatal helicopter crash in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011, just a few months after the successful raid on the compound of Osama Bin Laden that resulted in the master terrorist’s death.
Accompanying the families of these dead Navy SEAL Team VI special operations servicemen will be retired military experts verifying their accounts of how and why the government is as much responsible for the deaths of their sons as is the Taliban.
The areas of inquiry at the press conference will include but not be limited to:
  1. How President Obama and Vice President Biden, having disclosed on May 4, 2011, that Navy Seal Team VI carried out the successful raid on Bin Laden’s compound resulting in the master terrorist’s death, put a retaliatory target on the backs of the fallen heroes.
  2. How and why high-level military officials sent these Navy SEAL Team VI heroes into battle without special operations aviation and proper air support.
  3. How and why middle level military brass carries out too many ill-prepared missions to boost their standing with top-level military brass and the Commander-in-Chief in order that they can be promoted.
  4. How the military restricts special operations servicemen and others from engaging in timely return fire when fired upon by the Taliban and other terrorist groups and interests, thus jeopardizing the servicemen’s lives.
  5. How and why the denial of requested pre-assault fire may have contributed to the shoot down of the Navy SEAL Team VI helicopter and the death of these special operations servicemen.
  6. How Afghani forces accompanying the Navy SEAL Team VI servicemen on the helicopter were not properly vetted and how they possibly disclosed classified information to the Taliban about the mission, resulting in the shoot down of the helicopter.
  7. How military brass, while prohibiting any mention of a Judeo-Christian God, invited a Muslim cleric to the funeral for the fallen Navy SEAL Team VI heroes who disparaged in Arabic the memory of these servicemen by damning them as infidels to Allah. A video of the Muslim cleric’s “prayer” will be shown with a certified translation.
“This press conference takes on special significance given that our government has over the last twelve years since September 11 committed brave American servicemen to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan which, in large part as a result of politics, were poorly conceived of and implemented, resulting in the deaths of thousands and the maiming of tens of thousands of our brave heroes. To make matters even worse, America has effectively lost these wars,” stated Larry Klayman, legal counsel for the families.
For more information, contact Freedom Watch at daj142182@gmail.com or Tel: 424 274 2579.

Open Letter To German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Angela Merkel SC Open Letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Dear Madame Chancellor:

We strongly recommend that Germany reject the entrance of Croatia to the EU. However, if Germany determines it is willing to take on the financial and political risks of admitting Croatia into the EU, then we urge you to require conditions. Absent these conditions, it would be a mistake to admit Croatia into the EU and provide over €11 billion (2014-2020) in EU and German taxpayer funds to the country.  The recommended conditions are as follows:
1. Croatia agrees to accept foreign visiting judges and prosecutors from strong rule of law nations to be empowered with official duties. There are precedents for this in the Balkan region and in Commonwealth nations.
2. With the above assistance, the government of Croatia recovers illicit financial outflows of over €11.4 billion in crime, corruption and tax evasion (during 2001-2010) and confiscates the wealth illicitly amassed by Croatia’s politicians, government officials, and their private partners in crime and pays it back into Croatia’s treasury.
With a politically influenced judiciary, Croatia cannot effectively deal with rampant corruption. Foreign judges and prosecutors will be able to address the illicit outflows and illicit enrichment, and assist in establishing an independent judiciary with a proper foundation of the rule of law. Croatia’s corrupt politicians and their private partners in crime should be prosecuted; their assets in Europe and beyond should be frozen; and they should be barred from all EU offices and European parliamentary seats.
BackgroundThe EU is closing its eyes to organized crime and massive corruption in Croatia. By prematurely accepting Croatia as its 28th member, the EU would not only fail Croatia’s citizens, but also expose EU taxpayers to costly bailouts. In the meantime, an unreformed Croatian government is unlikely to use EU structural funds as intended.

Dr. Daniel Kaufmann’s study, completed at the Washington, DC-based Brookings Institution, with excerpts published in The Wall Street Journal, found that Greece’s crisis was due to rampant corruption and opaque public finances. Croatia is on the path to becoming the next Greece.

For the past two decades, Croatia’s two major political groupings have rotated power while politicians enriched themselves. While engaging in rampant corruption, politicians have blocked judicial reforms, interfered with the judiciary, failed to strengthen the rule of law, encouraged a dysfunctional economy, held fraudulent elections, and brought the government debt down to junk status. Under these circumstances, investors with honest intentions avoid the country.
Investors have no legal certainty and lack the fundamental protection of property rights. According to the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom for Croatia, published by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, “Judicial corruption continues to undermine the rule of law. The court system is cumbersome and inefficient, and backlogs cause business disputes to drag on for years.”
  
Twelve Reasons for Concern

1.  $15.2 Billion in Illicit Financial Outflows (2001-2010) Via Crime, Corruption, Tax Evasion and Illicit  Enrichment Since 1991

Based on the research by Washington, DC-based Global Financial Integrity, Croatia experienced an illicit outflow of $15.2 billion (€11.4b) during 2001-2010 via crime, corruption and tax evasion. Croatia’s government has not yet answered the questions of theOpen Letter of February 21, 2013 co-signed by members of the European Parliament Monica Macovei—Romania’s former justice minister—and Roger Helmer (UK) and Adriatic Institute’s leadership.
Moises Naim, a scholar at the Washington, DC-based Carnegie Endowment for International peace and the author of “Mafia States,” explains: “In mafia states, government officials enrich themselves and their families and friends while exploiting the money, muscle, political influence, and global connections of criminal syndicates to cement and expand their own power.” Croatia fits the description.

2.  Corruption and Money Laundering Related to Hypo Alpe Adria Group (HAAG)

While German taxpayers were bailing out Bayerische LB with €3.75 billion connected to the “losses” of the Hypo Bank in the Balkans, the accounts of corrupt Croatian politicians and criminals remained safe, protected by Liechtenstein’s banking secrecy and its new owner Prince Michael von Liechtenstein. Prior to Bayerische Landesbank’s purchase of the HAAG shell in 2007, Hypo Consultants Group, a lucrative real estate arm of the HAAG owning a portfolio of real estate in Croatia and Serbia, allegedlyestimated at €1.6 billion, was divested. The HAAG branch in Liechtenstein was excluded from the purchase. Germany’s Honorary Consul to Croatia, RobertJezic, who allegedly received HAAG’s loans, was also a lobbyist for HAAG in Croatia.

Over the last 22 years, illicit gains from bribes, phony privatization schemes, illegal trade, and arms and oil smuggling left Croatia and allegedly landed in secret HAAG bank accounts in Austria and Liechtenstein. Part of that money was laundered back to Croatia, and invested in the real estate. The only individual held responsible was Mr. Sanader, Croatia’s former prime minister, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the multiple bribery cases. One of the cases involved Austria’s HAAG. Mr. Sanader is currently appealing the court’s decision.
 
3.  Extradition of Ex-General Vladimir Zagorec, and Public Assassinations in Zagreb
Vladimir Zagorec, Croatia’s former defense assistant minister and ex-general indicted for embezzling diamonds worth $5 million during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, was extradited from Austria to Croatia on October 2, 2008. According to published media reports, during the war in Croatia, Mr. Zagorec transferred about $450 million to secret accounts in HAAG, which he used as a deposit for his construction projects. Jorg Haider, an Austrian politician who spearheaded Hypo’s foray in the Balkans, and whose wealth of EUR45 million was found in Liechtenstein foundations, was killed in a car accident on October 11, 2008.Prior to his extradition from Austria, Mr. Zagorec allegedly announced that he would reveal 77 secret accounts belonging to politicians in Austria and Liechtenstein. On October 6, 2008, Ivana Hodak, the 26-year-old daughter of a lawyer defending Mr. Zagorec, was executed in front of her apartment, shot twice in the head. On October 23, 2008, a bomb explosion in Croatia’s capital killed Ivo Pukanic, a publisher of an independent weekly Nacional, and another company executive, Niko Franjic. Mr. Pukanic was one of the key witnesses against Zagorec.

Vladimir Zagorec was sentenced to seven years in prison in Croatia. He has not yet publicly revealed the names of politicians withsecret foreign accounts in Liechtenstein and Austria.4.  Ministry of Interior’s Obstruction of Investigations

Tomislav Karamarko, a former intelligence head (currently party leader of HDZ political party, which is under investigation for corruption and for siphoning around €9.5m for HDZ party slush funds used by senior party officials) was hand-picked by Mr. Sanader to immediately replace the Minister of Interior after the assassinations of Ms. Hodak, Mr. Pukanic, and Mr. Franjic.  The only result of the investigations under Mr. Karamarko’s authority was that a homeless person was jailed for allegedly killing the lawyer’s daughter. Tomislav Karamarko eventually appointed his people to police departments.
Croatia’s current Minister of Interior, Ranko Ostojic, has an apparent conflict of interest, having worked for, and resided in a Zagreb apartment owned by, Nino Pavic, a media tycoon. Mr. Pavic is the  owner and founder of EPH, with 50% of the print media market share. As reported by Washington, DC-based Freedom House, Mr. Pavic has not yet been charged in the HGAA corruption scandal, which was allegedly discarded by Croatia’s main prosecutor, Mladen BajicMr. Pavic also has been mentioned as one of the alleged owners of Hypo Consultants Group.  German Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) is a 50% owner of EPH in Croatia.

5.  Persecution of  Journalists and Independent Voices
Just two weeks ago, the Croatian state-run broadcaster’s HRT executive editor Denis Latin and his colleagues were removed from their positions. OSCE expressed concern about the treatment of journalists “following criticism from the country’s Prime Minister Milanovic” and it called “the government and the HRT management to refrain any action that could lead to censorship and threaten editorial independence.”  OSCE also stated, “This action can undermine media freedom in the country…”  According to media reports, HRT’s director, Goran Radman serves on the supervisory board of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank in Croatia and is tied to alleged conflict of interest cases.
TomislavKaramarko, former head of Croatia’s intelligence and minister of interior, and currently HDZ party leader, was called out by journalists and anti-corruption activists for harassment.
Under the title, “Judicial Harassment of Zeljko Peratovic Must Stop,” Reporters Without Borders released this statement, “As he already tried to do last year, [Tomislav] Karamarko probably hopes to be able to convince the court to ban Peratovic from publishing information for an indefinite period, thereby preventing him from working as a journalist, whether writing for his blog or for other media.”
Police protection was denied to media publisher Ivo Pukanic, who was assassinated in a car bomb explosion in October 2008. Those who ordered Mr. Pukanic’s murder have not been found. The assassination attempts on Dusan Miljus, a journalist who has been covering corruption and its ties to organized crime, and Igor Rađenović, director of Zagreb Roads who allegedly unearthed corruption in a company owned by the city of Zagreb, have never been resolved. Journalists on the state-run television HTV have been exposed to constant harassment.

6.  Involvement In the The Balkan Route
Croatia lies on the “Balkan Route,” which originates in Afghanistan/Pakistan via Iran and is used by criminals and terrorist networks to smuggle heroin, weapons, and young women and children into Europe. In the arrest of several Balkan criminals in Spain in February 2012, all possessed official Croatian passports. Further investigations led directly to Croatia’s Ministry of Interior and a record of illegal sale of passports since 2006. This corruption has emboldened Balkan criminals to run an international criminal enterprise and the Balkan Cocaine Ring with direct access to the EU. No high-level official was held responsible in Croatia.
The Balkan Route’s heroin trade is estimated at $20 billion annual market value. The Western Balkans, which includes Croatia, is included in Europol’s organized crime threat assessment.
 
7.  Fraudulent Elections and Other Political Abuses:  One Million Illegal Voters for a Nation of Four Million
In spite of the reports on Croatia’s electoral fraud by Brussels-based The Parliament, a Written Question to the European Commission by Daniel Hannan, member of the European Parliament from UK, and in BBC’s live interview with Stefano Sannino, the European Commission’s director general for enlargement, in December 2011, the EU failed to include Croatia’s democratic deficiency in its monitoring reports. Croatia’s current Minister of Administration, Arsen Bauk, finally admitted in May 2012 that in his country of just 4.2 million people, “over 1 million surplus voters” were on the electoral list in 2011 December’s parliamentary elections.  These illegal votes had a potential to determine more than 70 seats in Croatia’s 151-seat parliamentary assembly.
Croatia’s 2011 parliamentary elections and the January 2012 EU referendum were decided on the basis of more than one million illegal votes. The upcoming elections for the European Parliament and Croatia’s local elections in May of 2013 will be decided through the same fraudulent electoral list.
Sasha Radović (72), retired colonel and anti-corruption activist, was arrested on November 17, 2011, the very day he announced his candidacy in the December 2011 elections. In his many books, Mr. Radovic had exposed political corruption and unexplained wealth of top state leaders, including cabinet ministers and a military general. Extortion charges against Mr. Radović were brought by Ivan Cermak, an ex-general and alleged war-profiteer whose wealth has been investigated by journalists and anti-corruption activists but ignored by Croatia’s authorities. Mr. Radovic is currently appealing the decision of two years of jail time through Croatia’s court system.
Croatia’s current foreign minister, Vesna Pusic, and the Croatian People’s Party (HNS) she heads, forged a coalition with HDSSB political party of Branimir Glavasconvicted of war crimes and serving jail time in Bosnia. Croatia’s electoral commission, presided by the president of Supreme Court Branko Hrvatin, approved Mr. Glavas’ leading the HDSSB list in the 2011 parliamentary elections despite his serving the sentence. Three members of HDSSB were reported for murder threats and a physical attack on a journalist. According to published reports, Mr. Glavas is alleged to have threatened a judge and journalists.

8. State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic’s Blocking of Corruption  Investigations
The current Prime Minister, Zoran Milanovic, investigative journalists, and whistleblowers have accused Croatia’s Chief State Prosecutor Mladen Bajic of blocking corruption investigations. The EU’s Comprehensive Monitoring Report on Croatia, released on October 10, 2012, urged that “further attention should be paid to the system for checking on dismissals of criminal cases by the prosecutor. The current system does not provide for independent checks on decisions by State prosecutors to dismiss reports of crime.”
9. Conflicts of Interest and Abuse of Office
The media have reported conflicts of interest and the abuse of public office. However, those allegedly involved generally have not been prosecuted. Allegations have been made against Croatia’s current Prime Minister Zoran MilanovicPresident Ivo Josipovic; deputy prime minister and minister of foreign and European affairsVesnaPusicfinance ministerSlavko Linic; former tourism minister of the current government Veljko Ostojic; former interior minister Tomislav  Karamarko; former finance minister Ivan Suker; former economy and defense minister BrankoVukelic; former transportation minister BozidarKalmeta; former minister of public works, construction and reconstruction Marina Matulović Dropulicformer minister of foreign affairs Miomir Zuzul; former speaker of the house and currently president of the anti-corruption parliamentary committee Vladimir Seks (who has not yet been charged for alleged war crimes); former minister of public works, construction and reconstruction RadimirCacicformer Prime Minister Jadranka Kosorformer minister of foreign affairs Mate Granic; Istria county prefect and IDS president IvanJakovcic; former foreign minister KolindaGrabar-Kitarovic; chairman of the state-owned oil company, Petrokemija, JosipJagust; and a host of other politicians in Croatia.
The EU’s comprehensive monitoring report from October 10, 2012 stated, “Croatia has not fully implemented the conflict of interest legislation and has overturned the previous provisions on the criteria for membership of supervisory and management boards of public companies.” Vesna Pusic’s attempt to appoint HNS party secretary-general Srecko Ferencak to the supervisory board of a state-run oil pipeline operator, after he was sentenced for embezzlement, would be considered highly problematic in rule of law nations.In sharp contrast to the record in Croatia, Monica Macovei, former Minister of Justice, Romania and member of the European Parliament stated through the EU’s post-accession monitoring mechanism, “1,000 [Romanian] public officials ended up behind bars for corruption.” Based on evidence, Ms. Macovei recently advocated for “the establishment in Croatia of a post-accession mechanism to evaluate the track record of conflict of interest, corruption and organized crime cases as well as the implementation of the judiciary reform action plan.”

10. Abuse of Private Property Rights 

Individual property rights are trampled on, and, according to the US State Department, the adjudication process in expropriation cases is an area of potential concern for investors. Croatia’s legislature ensured inherent conflicts of interest in the legislative framework for the restitution and compensation of the property confiscated during communism. According to the EU report from 2010, “This strategic move by the Croatian Government and legislature places the rule of law and the rights of people entitled to restitution or compensation in jeopardy.”
11.  Arms Sale to Syrian Groups, in Violation of EU’s Embargo
Croatia was recently reported to be selling arms to Syria. The unanswered questions remain: Where did these arms come from, how were they originally purchased, to whom were they sold, who is getting the proceeds from the sales, and why has the EU not reacted in light of the EU’s embargo?
12.  Depressed Economy
As a consequence of corruption and poor policies, including high taxes, Croatia’s government budget has been drained; business and consumer confidence has been lacking; the economy has been in recession since 2009; unemployment has been growing for years and is now at 22%; youth unemployment has been around 45% since October 2012; public debt and budget deficits are unsustainable; people are suffering from poverty; and people are leaving the country.
………
We look forward to your positive response and leadership in blocking Croatia’s EU accession or requiring the conditions described above.

Sincerely,

Natasha Srdoc
Co-Founder and Chairman, Adriatic Institute for Public Policy
Co-Founder and Co-Chair, International Leaders Summit
Honorable Maurice McTigue, QSO
Co-Chair, Executive Advisory Board, Adriatic Institute for Public Policy
Advisor to US Members of Congress, US Administrations, US State Governors
New Zealand’s Former Cabinet Member, Member of Parliament and Ambassador
Joel Anand Samy
Co-Founder and Trustee, Adriatic Institute for Public Policy
Co-Founder and Co-Chair, International Leaders Summit
Boris Divjak
Senior Fellow, Adriatic Institute for Public Policy
Founder and Board Member, Transparency International, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cc:
Norbert Lammert, The President of the German Bundestag
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister, The Netherlands
Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister, Belgium
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister, Denmark
Frederik Reinfedlt, Prime Minister, Sweden
Jyrki Katainen, Prime Minister, Finland
David Cameron, Prime Minister, United Kingdom
François Hollande, President, France
Jean-Marc Ayrault, Prime Minister, France
John Kerry, US Secretary of State
Chuck Hagel, US Secretary of Defense
Eric H. Holder, Jr., US Attorney General
Janet A. Napolitano, US Secretary of Homeland Security
Carl Levin, US Senator
John McCain, US Senator
Jeff Sessions, US Senator
Tom Coburn, US Senator
Bob Corker, US Senator
Ben Cardin, US Senator
Jeanne Shaheen, US Senator
Kelly Ayotte, US Senator
Mark Begich, US Senator
Susan Collins, US Senator
Jeff Flake, US Senator
Tim Kane, US Senator
Tedd Cruz, US Senator
Marco Rubio, US Senator
John Boehner, Speaker of the US House of Representatives
Ed Royce, US Congressman
Eliot L. Engel, US Congressman
Christopher H. Smith, US Congressman
Adam Smith, US Congressman
Howard P. McKeon, US Congressman
Frank Wolf, US Congressman
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, US Congresswoman
Joe Wilson, US Congressman
Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament
Monica Macovei, Member of the European Parliament, Romania
Roger Helmer, Member of the European Parliament, U.K.
Daniel Hannan, Member of the European Parliament, U.K.
Geoffrey Van Orden, Member of the European Parliament, U.K.
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council
Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
Catherine Ashton, Vice-President, European Commission
Viviane Reding, Vice-President, European Commission
Štefan Füle, EU Commissioner for Enlargement
Photo credit: arne.list (Creative Commons)

Why America Spends So Much On Foreign Aid

20 Dollar Bills SC Why America Spends So Much on Foreign Aid

When our bank accounts start to get low, we all find ways to cut back, right? We scour our budgets, look closely at our needs, and find a way to tighten our belts.

Well, that may happen in our houses, but it never happens in government. Congress continues spending, and our debt keeps growing. And the reason this happens is very simple.

You see, powerful special interests benefit immensely from the spending. And they pass some of the profits back to members of Congress in the form of campaign contributions. In a neighborhood, this might be called protection money. But in Washington, they call it a fundraiser; and it’s perfectly legal.

The Destructive Cycle

Everybody knows about the power of special interest groups at home. But it may come as a surprise that special interests have a huge stake in our foreign aid programs, too. In fact, the connection runs deeper than almost anyone knows. Let me explain.

American foreign aid is structured into two major programs. The first is food aid, and the second is called military aid.

In the U.S. food aid program, the government buys corn, soy, and other farm commodities from American farmers and then ships the foodstuffs to poor and starving villagers around the globe.

That sounds nice in theory. But the program is very damaging to poor farmers across the globe. You see, free food tends to destroy domestic markets. Why would you pay your local farmer to grow soybeans when Uncle Sam will ship them to you for free?

Because of that, the Obama administration is currently pushing a plan to reform foreign food aid. Obama wants to stop buying food from America’s farmers and start sending cash to the world’s poor instead.

But my sources on Capitol Hill tell me that Congress is going to block the reform.

You see, the sad truth is that Congress only supports food aid because farm group lobbyists occasionally drop by and hand out checks. Without the checks, why risk voting for an unpopular program (like foreign food aid) that’s going to send money away from America’s borders?

Ultimately, the power of special interests will completely stymie any efforts to revise our broken food aid program.

Putting Guns in the Wrong Hands

As I said before, the other part of America’s foreign aid is called military aid. Military aid money helps foreign governments buy weapons from America’s arms manufacturers. The money also sends American troops to teach foreign soldiers to use their new weapons.

Military aid allows the United States to get on both sides of many conflicts. For example, we supply advanced military equipment to both Israel and Egypt. The countries are fundamentally at odds, but we win either way.

Military aid occasionally gets us into a lot of trouble, too. Osama Bin Laden got his start with American guns and money. He received aid as part of a radical Islamic group in Afghanistan. Our common enemy was none other than the USSR.

With that in mind, consider our big aid push right now in Syria. We’re funding radical Islamic groups linked to Al Qaeda. Sound familiar?

Times change, and alliances come and go; but our misguided aid program continues unhindered. And why not – the military aid program works great for Congress. Military contractors are happy to deliver checks to congressmen as long as they can continue shipping guns, tanks, and aircraft abroad.

Unfortunately, we can’t expect foreign aid reform anytime soon. The aid programs are ultimately way too profitable to members of Congress, so the spending will go on unabated.

 

This article originally appeared at CapitolHillDaily.com and is reprinted here with permission. 

Barack Obama: George W. Bush Fan Or Foe?

Barack Obama Change sign SC Barack Obama: George W. Bush Fan or Foe?

Prior to being elected President, Barack Obama came across as a real outsider hoping to bring change to a failing system personified in one man: then-President of the United States George W. Bush. Indeed, much of the criticism leveled against Bush was valid. He and the Congress had started long and costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq at a time when America could ill afford to be spending such amounts, given the precarious state of its public finances. Bush had made compromises with treasured civil liberties by passing the invasive Patriot Act and indefinitely detaining suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Some of these suspects at Guantanamo Bay had been tortured by the American authorities. George W. Bush had been a combination of the worst traits of Republicans and Democrats; he had combined the aggressive militarism and nationalism of Republicans, hated by many people worldwide, with the free spending ways of the liberal Democrats, leading to the worst public finances this nation had ever seen (that is, before Barack Obama’s presidency). He gave Obama a mess that unfortunately has been further complicated by Obama instead of cleaned up. Indeed, while many admired George W. Bush’s personal decency, as far as policy was concerned, many began to see Bush’s policies for what they were: disasters.

Many of these things should be no mystery to anyone after Obama rightfully criticized Bush over and over again in the 2008 campaign. It has been noted by some writers that Obama’s policies have been very oddly a continuation of much of what Bush’s policies were while he was in office. Of course, there have been differences as one would hope to see between a “conservative” Republican and a far-left Democrat, but the similarities have been uncanny. Obama has continued Bush’s interventionist ways and has compiled a record of spending that matches his largess.

That is why it was no surprise to see Barack Obama get up and roundly praise the man whom he had routinely condemned to get elected. To see him chum around with the former Presidents both left and right showed what a sham his criticisms of Bush had been. Bush was transformed from the almost devilish figure he had been to Obama in his early days to a man of “compassion and generosity,” a real example (in Obama’s eyes) of what a leader should be. It is clear that Barack Obama has joined the “world’s most exclusive club” and has forgotten the very reasons why he wanted to be elected in the first place. It was also no surprise to see George W. Bush praised by Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in addition to Obama. Maybe this “conservative” President, this “Reaganite,” is a little more to the left than we had assumed. Maybe our current President is a little more of an insider and a statist than he appeared to be in order to get elected to the world’s most powerful office. Food for thought, at least.

 

F. Peter Brown is an Associate Editor at the Western Center for Journalism and Editor at the Sound Money Institute. Follow him on Twitter @FPBLibertarian .

 

Photo Credit: Dustin C. Oliver Creative Commons

An Open Letter To The U.S. Secret Service

President with Secret Service Detail SC An Open Letter To The U.S. Secret Service

Dear Sirs and Madams,

It must be getting tougher by the day to serve two masters. On one hand, you must serve the American people by upholding the U.S. Constitution; you have sworn to God that you would defend and protect it while serving in the capacity of protecting the office of the President of the United States. On the other hand, you must protect the Muslim/Communist plant who currently holds this office. It must be an extremely tough job, knowing that you may have to take a bullet for someone who is hell-bent on destroying America. You must not get very much sleep at night.

You are bound by your oath to protect a man who wouldn’t think twice about throwing you under the bus, such as he did with the Latin America hooker scandal. You are forced to go out and investigate average American citizens just because they have the GUTS to stand up and voice their opinions against this illegal regime. I believe that your efforts would be better served if you upheld your OATH to the Constitution and investigated the DOMESTIC ENEMY in the White house (a  job that Congress and the mainstream media couldn’t seem to find time to do.) You may be surprised.

Why don’t you start with Obama’s ties to the Weather Underground TERRORIST Bill Ayers. Or maybe the illegal gunrunning operation known as Fast and Furious. Or, if you get bored with that, try the illegal gunrunning operation through Turkey into Syria, during which our U.S. Ambassador and three other brave Americans were killed in Benghazi, Libya (the Obama regime continues to cover this up.) Or maybe you can look into the reasons why LTC. Terry Lakin, the chief surgeon for the joint chiefs of staff, refused to deploy to Afghanistan because he had reason to believe that Barack Hussein Obama is not a legal POTUS.

How about going back to basics and just starting the vetting process of Obama himself? I’m sure that Dr. Orly Taitz ESQ could help you out with that one. Much to investigate there, from a FORGED birth certificate to a stolen social security number and forged draft card. Or how about studying what the Constitution says about a President of the United States heading up the United Nations Security Council? No need to chase your tails around the U.S. to make sure that NATURAL BORN AMERICAN CITIZENS are not a threat to the office of the President. THE REAL THREAT TO AMERICA IS THE PRESIDENT, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA! Godspeed, my friends, if you do your jobs and investigate the man whom YOU are supposed to take a bullet for. As I always tell my readers, stay safe and be aware of your surroundings.

 

Respectfully Yours,

Tim Powers

Is Assimilation Possible?

US Flag 3 SC Is Assimilation Possible?

It is reasonably simple to find your way here in America: Follow the rules. Integrate. Drop labels. Assimilate. Be productive. Repeat. Before long, you begin to experience the freedom that comes with being an American.

It’s really that easy. After all, this is America, that “Shining City on a Hill” — a nation of immigrants, magnificently colored by a diversity of persons and cultures amalgamated into “one nation under God.” That’s who we are and how we roll. The beauty of it is…those who are uncomfortable with that… are free to leave. No harm, no foul. Something the Tsarnaev brothers should have done long ago. Lives would be saved, limbs would be intact, a little 8 year-old boy would still be smiling, and I’d have no need to write this column.

While we search for answers, it is human nature to cast blame. But it is unacceptable to blame the American way of life as some liberals are doing. Killing or maiming innocent people is not how we resolve personal conflict.

With that said, I also believe that left-wing knuckleheads in the media, schools, and universities need to accept their share of responsibility. Relentless anti-American diatribes will eventually work their way into the hearts and minds of those already struggling to assimilate.

A perfect example is former NBC anchor and author of “The Greatest Generation” Tom Brokaw, who recently suggested that America is partly to blame for the Boston bombings because the Tsarnaevs may have felt “alienated” and upset over U.S. drone strikes on “innocent civilians.” What an odd statement coming from a man who profited by praising a generation who fought wars to win, political correctness be damned. The difference then was that America was willing to do whatever it took to halt evil in its footsteps. And now he seems to find it politically correct to damn America. What’s up with that?

It also doesn’t help that terrorism sometimes pays off. If you wait long enough, you could end up like former homegrown terrorist, err, activist, Bill Ayers. Without repenting for his deeds, Ayers found a way to weasel into the American education system and was awarded the title of “Distinguished Professor.” Apparently so distinguished, he was granted the privilege of hosting a fundraiser for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008. Hold on little Tsarnaev, there’s still hope.

I am a conservative, so I have a heart; and because I am a Christian, I have a bleeding heart. And my bleeding heart breaks for those who don’t realize the gift they have and deliberately refuse to be woven into the fabric of this nation of immigrants.

Everyone seems relieved that the Tsarnaev brothers were most likely not connected to a large terror network somewhere else in the world. If this is true, this suggests this evil came from within themselves, despite all they had going for them. This battle they seemed to have going on between two very different worlds was powerful enough to convince them that even an innocent 8 year-old boy is fair game. How many more are there?

This seeming inability to assimilate came into clearer focus for me this week during a White House press conference when Muslim reporter Amina Ismail’s question seemed to liken an act of war in Afghanistan to an act of terror. “…President Obama said that what happened in Boston was an act of terrorism,” said Ismail, “I would like to ask, do you consider the U.S. bombing on civilians in Afghanistan…a form of terrorism?” Of course, the correct answer is “no”; but the obvious disconnect begs a more troubling question: Is assimilation even possible?

Democrat Storm Troopers Find Gadsden Flag “offensive”

Dont Tread on Me1 Democrat storm troopers find Gadsden flag “offensive”

Democrats love to flex their political muscles in the faces of anyone, but they take special pleasure in rubbing the noses of conservatives in the dirt. They are nasty lowlifes, after all.

Recently, the Democrats of the City Council of New Rochelle, New York, a Big Apple bedroom community, decided that the United Veterans Memorial & Patriotic Association could not fly a Gadsden flag (known more widely as the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag) in front of the town’s armory. One of the five skunks who voted to take this action cried that the flag, which is a symbol of pride to actual patriotic Americans, was “offensive” to him.

In a surprisingly hateful and stupid display, even for a liberal Democrat, Council member Barry Fertel likened the Gadsden flag to the Confederate “Stars and Bars” battle flag and a Gay pride flag.  When veterans at the Council’s public hearing  said American patriots died fighting under the Don’t Tread On Me flag during the Revolution (and more recently during battles in Iraq and Afghanistan), Fertel replied, “People died fighting under the Confederate flag too.”

When liberals are given power, laws they don’t like such as “theft under color of law” mean nothing.  Gleefully adding insult and illegality to their fiat, the Council not only ordered the flag be taken down; it ordered that it be confiscated.

Before voting to order the flag be taken down, each of the five liberal Democrats took a turn attacking the flag as a “symbol of the TEA Party.”

Drunk with the power of their 5 to 2 majority, the abuse of logic and patriotism continued with member Brian Sussman, a local Democrat Party District Leader who likened the flag to the Nazi’s swastika, a Mickey Mouse flag, and finally to simple graffiti.  Words cannot accurately describe the level of contempt people like this guy deserve. It is truly a disturbing example of what America has become under the psychopathic rule of the vicious Left.

If there is any good news in this story, it is that the Thomas More Law Center, which is representing the veterans, is confident it can beat these thugs in court and get this ruling overturned.

Photo Credit: marsmet 541 (Creative Commons)

Foreign Policy And Gun Control In Boston

Gun Control SC Foreign Policy and Gun Control in Boston

I wish to make two observations about the bombings in Boston, one relating to U.S. foreign policy and one relating to gun control.

Ever since the 9/11 attacks, many Americans simply have been unable to fathom that foreigners can get so angry over the U.S. government’s actions in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and elsewhere that they end up retaliating with terrorism against the United States.

I have never been able to understand that mindset.

The reaction to the Boston bombings provides a good way to analyze this phenomenon.

I’d venture to say that most Americans do not know any of the victims in the Boston bombings. Yet, there is an outpouring of sympathy for the victims. That’s not all. There is also deep anger and rage over the killings and maiming of the victims, including the children who were killed in the bombings.

Read more at The Future of Freedom Foundation. By Jacob G. Hornberger.

Photo credit: krazydad / jbum (Creative Commons)