Sunday, February 28, 2010

Happy Birthday to the Tea Party

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It was exactly one year ago yesterday - February 27th - that the first 'organized' round of tea parties took place across America. 

Last week, RNC Chairman Michael Steele sat down with a few dozen tea party activists and held a 4-hour long "summit" to hear the grievances of tea party supporters.

That event in itself should speak volumes about the power of this movement.  A movement born from citizen activism just one-year ago held court with a national party chair for 4-hours, because the voices of the people in this movement proved so powerful that they could not be ignored.

Both political parties are paying attention.
 
The San Francisco Chronicle (not exactly known as a bastion of right-wing political propaganda) published an article on January 19th of this year - yes exactly one year ago after Rick Santelli's historic 'tea party' rant on CNBC - that included a mea culpa from none other than liberal San Francisco Mayor, Gavin Newsom, calling for Democrats to take the tea party movement seriously:

Regardless of the outcome ... this should be a gigantic wake-up call to the Democratic Party - that we're not connecting with the needs, the aspirations and the desires of real people right now," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

"We better get our act together - and quickly," Newsom said. Voters "are so angry. They don't feel that we're paying attention to their needs, in terms of their jobs, and what's going on at the grassroots, in their neighborhoods."
And we must remember, it was that famous rant by CNBC's Rick Santelli that inspired those first rounds of organized tea parties.  Millions of Americans have now heard and seen the inspirational video of Santelli, on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, speaking plainly and forcefully for free market principles that reward hard work and success, and not government-mandated redistribution of wealth.

If you haven't seen it, here it is.




We are looking forward to another exciting year with our firedns in the Tea Party Movement.


Hattip: Tea Party Express

Saturday, February 27, 2010

2010 State of Ohio Report

Two decades of weak job growth and skyrocketing government costs present daunting challenges for Ohio, according to the Buckeye Institute's "2010 State of the State" report.
In 19 years, Ohio's job market only created a net 176,100 new jobs, or just over 9,000 jobs per year.  That weak job growth means limited opportunities for everyone, making it harder for them to get ahead and attain the American dream, says the Institute. 
Other findings: 
  • As the job market weakened, the taxes and fees paid to government at all levels rose making the state and local tax burden the 7th highest in the United States; meanwhile, the tax climate for businesses in Ohio is the 47th worst in America.
  • One of the drivers of the state's high tax burden is the ever-increasing gold-plated compensation of government workers in Ohio; in the same period of time that Ohio only added 176,100 private-sector jobs, it added 75,100 government jobs.
  • Today, federal workers in Ohio make significantly more than their private-sector neighbors in 87 out of 88 counties; state workers make much more than their private-sector neighbors in 85 out of 88 counties; and local workers make more than their private-sector neighbors in 57 out of 88 counties. 
The only way to spur robust job creation and lower taxes is to eliminate Ohio's anti-business job policies and to reduce the cost of government.  These actions will not be easy but failure to make fundamental reforms will render Ohio even less competitive with other states in both job creation and taxes, says the Institute. 

Failure to enact pro-growth reforms also will guarantee that more Ohioans and their businesses will vote with their feet by moving to states where prosperity is a priority, says the Institute. 

Source: Matt Mayer and Mary McCleary, "2010 State of the State Report," Buckeye Institute, February 19, 2010. 

For text:
For more on State and Local Issues:

Friday, February 26, 2010

As A Mom... on Health Care Reform

As only A Mom could put it...



If you agree with it, send the link to your Congressmen and women and to the White House with a personal message. Then send it to your friends and family and ask them to do the same. Thousands of emails should send a message to Congress and the White House that we don't like what we hear.

As A Mom, we know bad medicine when we see it.

Lori Parker
www.asamom.org

From Canada: A Thank You to U.S. Service Members
























U.S. Air Force Nurse, Lucy Lehker, comforts an 'unknown' Canadian soldier after he was badly wounded in Afghanistan. Photo by Michael Yon ©2010

This letter was recieved by Michael Yon regarding his photo above.

Dear Michael Yon,

Today we were sent your story of February 14, 2010. The “unknown” Canadian is our son Danny. He is a 23-year-old soldier from Vancouver, Canada.

Your photographs were extraordinary and have impacted so many people here in Canada. There has been an outpouring of affection for the Americans who helped Danny in his moment of need. For that, we thank you for recording these acts of kindness into history.

Danny's injuries were the result of an explosion on February 12, 2010. Four Canadian soldiers were injured and tragically one Canadian soldier was killed. Within 20 minutes of the explosion, Danny was airlifted by helicopter to Kandahar. Upon arrival he received emergency surgery that saved his life and prepared him for the flight to Bagram that you were on.

After landing in Bagram, Danny was again airlifted by a US transport aircraft to the US Army run Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. There he underwent additional surgery that closed up his wounds. Once stabilized, the Canadian government dispatched a Challenger jet to bring him home. This afternoon in Vancouver, the shrapnel that did all the damage to him was finally removed. Danny is now recovering in hospital.

This was Danny's second tour of duty in Afghanistan and his platoon on this tour has had heavy causalities and injuries. Physically, Danny will overcome his injuries. He also has the support of his family, his friends and his community to deal with the emotional side of this war. Our hearts go out to those families who have had the loss of a soldier or who have had to deal with greater injuries.

Danny and his whole family are very grateful, and are actually overwhelmed, by the support he received while in US care. The Canadian military have also been wonderful. It is our intention to personally thank everyone who worked so hard to save Danny's life. We have already made contact with Major Deborah "Lucy" Lehker to thank her.

Sincerely,

Jim & Holly

Michael Yon is a former Green Beret, native of Winter Haven, Fl. who has been reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan since December 2004. No other reporter has spent as much time with combat troops in these two wars. Michael’s dispatches from the frontlines have earned him the reputation as the premier independent combat journalist of his generation. His work has been featured on “Good Morning America,” The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, ABC, FOX, as well as hundreds of other major media outlets all around the world.

You can read Michael's report about how our troops in Afghanistan are preforming and see more of his amazing photos in this article - Whispers.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Dallas Tea Party Respods to Keith Olbermann

I don't watch Keith Olbermann. Never have, never will, but I hear he is always this smug and condescending towards conservatives.

The good folks with the Dallas Tea Party put this video response together.

Enjoy!




Hattip to Glenn Beck

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Stop the War on Oil and Gas


the administration’s budget raises taxes on oil and gas by $36.5 billion over 10 years.

With the release of its budget for the next fiscal year, the Obama administration is continuing its assault on the U.S. domestic oil and gas industry. Under cover of beginning to transition America to a cleaner, greener, more sustainable energy future, the administration in fact is hitting our top domestic energy producers hard - a hit that will hurt American consumers at the worst possible time. MORE

Hattip: Mackubin T. Owens (Editorial) The Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs


Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Battle of Iwo Jima: 65 Aears Ago
























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Today marks the 65th anniversary of the celebrated flag-raising atop Mt. Surabachi on the Pacific island of Iwo Jima, an image emblazoned in the psyche of the American people. As members of America’s Greatest Generation who forged that mental image dwindle from our ranks and leave us with only a fading legacy of their selfless sacrifice on that tiny island so long ago, we must commit ourselves to forever honoring their service and example.

The Battle of Iwo Jima was a turning point in the Pacific Campaign. It was the first time in Japan’s 5,000 year history that foreign invaders had prevailed on Japanese soil. Located midway between bomber bases on the Mariana Islands and mainland Japan, securing Iwo Jima was pivotal to the American war effort, providing the U.S. a strategic site from which it could launch smaller escort aircraft to support the long range bombing missions. The battle lasted just 36 days, but the fighting proved tenacious and unrelenting. Lieutenant General Holland “Howling Mad” Smith presciently predicted,

This will be the bloodiest fight in Marine Corps history. We’ll catch seven kinds of hell on the beaches, and that will just be the beginning. The fighting will be fierce and the casualties will be awful, but my Marines will take the damned island.

And he was right. American forces did capture the island, but not without cost. Nineteen thousand Marines were killed in 43 months of fighting during World War II. Nearly one-third of them died on Iwo Jima, making it the bloodiest battle of World War II. Among the casualties of this horrific conflict were three of the six flag raisers that captured worldwide attention. It was also the most heroic battle of the war. Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded in recognition of Conspicuous Gallantry Above and Beyond the Call of Duty prompting Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz to observe, “Among the Americans who served on Iwo Jima, Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue.”

The Battle of Iwo Jima was a strategic and psychological victory for America. Today, the iconic flag-raising during that epic battle is immortalized in a bronze statue situated atop Arlington Ridge overlooking the nation’s capital. It serves to remind all Americans of their precious inheritance of freedom and the noble men and women who sacrificed beyond measure to bequeath it to them. Perhaps Karal Ann Marling, Professor of Art History and co-author of Iwo Jima: Monuments, Memories and the American Hero described it best when she observed,

“…the Marine Corps Memorial stands proudly as the last great vestige of monumental realism in American sculpture - big, commanding, more real than reality.”

It is incumbent upon us as worthy successors to these great Americans to preserve the monument that stands as a testament to their fortitude.


Inscribed outside the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on the island of Iwo Jima were the simple words:

When you go home

Tell them for us and say

For your tomorrow

We gave our today.


Hattip to: James Donovan, Founder / Executive Director, Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation

The Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation is dedicated to honoring that simple, yet poignant request and preserving the monument that both honors the contributions of these great Americans and acknowledges their historic achievement.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Happy Birthday George Washington!

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Today we celebrate George Washington's 278th birthday.

It was General Henry “Lighthorse Harry” Lee of Virginia who wrote the famous phrase used by John Marshall in the address to Congress on the death of Washington—"first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Here are some good reads to remember our first president.

Remembering the Indispensable Man


George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of Nine Percent of his Countrymen


Happy Birthday, George Washington


Pass the birthday cake please.

Seigniorage

I just learned this word today. Do you know what it means?

"Seigniorage derived from specie - metal coins- arises from the difference between the face value of a coin and the cost of producing, distributing and retiring it from circulation." (1)

Why is this important? Have you heard of Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens in South Carolina? He's proposed state legislation that would ban the "unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin in South Carolina." (2)

He fears that the Federal Reserve Notes - our paper money - will lose value. Pitts said that if the federal government continues to spend money at its current rate, "our entire economic system is going to collapse."

That's some confidence in our monetary system.

He's given it a lot of thought, too. (2) Unfortunately, I'm not a monetary expert - I leave that to others to explain it to me so it makes sense. But whether his state will adopt the measure or not is unclear. But the dialog has gotten some attention.

Please see how he has considered this issue. (2)

sources
(1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seigniorage)
(2 - http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/22/24898.htm)

Call Me Corpsman, Call Me "Doc"

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Keith Pounds served as a hospital corpsman 2nd class (SW) during the Lebanon/Grenada-era. He is the author of “The Psychology of Management” and holds an MBA with a concentration in organizational psychology.

By KEITH POUNDS Saturday, February 13, 2010

Perhaps to the surprise of some, I won’t blast President Barack Obama on his inability to pronounce the word “corpsman” (which he pronounced “corpse man”). Instead, I’d like to take the opportunity to give much-needed praise to Navy/Fleet Marine corpsmen who are, as you will see, a special breed of warriors.

During my own service as a corpsman, I served at the Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune, N.C., as well as onboard the USS Joseph Hewes (FF-1078) home-ported in Charleston, and with the 4th Marine Division, New Orleans, La. My specialties included combat casualty care and nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. It’s fair to say I know what I’m talking about.

After initial basic training (boot camp), perspective corpsmen are sent for medical training at the Naval School of Health Sciences in San Diego, Calif. From there they can specialize in any number of medical ratings including X-ray technician or pharmacy technician.

Corpsmen act as health advisers and emergency first responders for the Navy and the Marine Corps. They treat a variety of illnesses from the common cold to decompression sickness requiring hyperbaric treatment.

Many attend Fleet Marine Service School, where they are trained in all aspects of Marine Corps operations. From there, they can further specialize as a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman or FMF Recon.

Corpsmen stationed with a Marine unit or far out at sea on a Navy warship often find themselves in volatile, life-threatening emergency situations. There are often no sterile operating rooms and equipment. Doctors and nurses are often miles, if not hours, away. As one author wrote, “Bunkers become operating rooms, shirts become tourniquets, and corpsmen become miracle workers.”

For a corpsman, being stationed with the Navy means serving in a Navy hospital or clinic or onboard a U.S Navy ship. We call this being “on the blue side.” For corpsmen stationed on “the green side,” it means serving as a specialist in emergency medicine and combat care with the Marine Corps.

Ask almost any Marine who has been in combat what the phrase “Corpsman up!” means and he’ll tell you it’s a cry for what the Marine Corps calls the “angels in green.” These are U.S. Navy hospital corpsman specially trained for combat medicine.

Combat corpsmen are trained in patrols, tactics and navigation and wear the same grungy, dirty, sweaty uniforms as Marines and serve as the front-line emergency medical response personnel, very often under enemy fire with little regard for their own safety.

As many corpsmen share a space on memorial walls with the Marines they tried to save, they have adopted as one of their mottoes, “Where angels and Marines fear to tread, there you’ll find a corpsman dead.”

In World War II 1,170 corpsmen lost their lives. In Korea it was 108. In Vietnam, 638. Fifteen died as a result of the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Seven corpsmen have been killed in Afghanistan and 31 have died in Iraq.

As further testimony to the bravery and commitment of our corpsmen on the battlefield, they have received 1,582 Bronze Stars, 946 Silver Stars, 31 Distinguished Service Crosses, 174 Navy Crosses and 22 Medals of Honor.

There have been 20 Navy ships named after corpsmen. Corpsman John “Doc” Bradley was one of the six men photographed by Joe Rosenthal raising the second United States flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.

As any corpsman will tell you, few honors sit on one’s heart as well as being called “Doc” by your Navy and Marine buddies.

Quoted in the Navy News Service article, “The Making of a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman,” Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Richard Lister said, “A doc is someone you can count on. He’s someone in your platoon that when something happens to one of our fellow Marines, you can call on him and not have to worry. He’s your buddy, a comrade in arms, a person who you count on to cover your back, to lay down fire, dig fighting holes or do whatever the hell Marines are doing. That’s who a doc is.”

As Herschel Smith wrote in “Captain’s Journal,” “they carry a rifle, they engage in combat, and they do all the things that Marine infantrymen do. When the Marines go on 20-mile humps with full body armor, backpacks and weapons, the corpsmen do all of that and more. The corpsmen take all of their medical gear in addition to their other load.”

In his 2005 book “Corpsman up,” Paul Baviello tells of the anguish that all corpsmen carry with them. He writes how corpsmen “journey into a living hell and experience the thrills and horror of combat, the agony of the wounded and dead and see foxhole relationships develop between blacks and whites, farm boys and city kids ... when friend after friend is wounded and he knows that their lives are in his hands and then wonder for the rest of his life if he did the right things.”

Yes! Our corpsmen are among the most respected, revered members serving in the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps. If you know a past or present corpsman, call him “Doc” and thank him for his service. He deserves it,

Sunday, February 21, 2010

2009 ACU Congressional Ratings Released

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The American Conservative Union (ACU) has released it's 2009 Ratings of Congress. (The ACU is the organization that puts on CPAC - Conservative Political Action Conference.)


It clearly shows that the Congress has moved farther to the left and is more Liberal than ever. Surprisingly, it also shows more Conservatives in Congress than one might suspect. Ten Senators and 56 Representatives scored a perfect 100% and were thus awarded the title Defenders of Liberty.

The ten Senators who scored 100% were: John Barrasso (WY), Richard Burr (NC), Tom Coburn (OK), John Cornyn (TX), John Ensign (NV), Mike Enzi (WY), Jim Inhofe (OK), John Thune (SD), and David Vitter (LA).

In 2009, 236 House Members earned an ACU conservatism score of 20 or less—the ACU definition of a liberal—up even from last year’s 220 liberal Congressmen, an increase from only 144 liberals as recently as 2006. No Republican rated a liberal designation.

In a year characterized by Democratic members uniting with President Barack Obama on a common agenda, the number of those earning a perfect liberalism score of zero totaled an impressive 143 members, increasing the number of pure liberal members by a striking 58 more members than the previous year.

The number of House Republicans scoring an ACU rating of 80% or higher—that is voting as conservatives— after falling precipitously last year, returned to the average of the final George Bush years, with 154 members rating conservative in 2009,

Those earning a perfect conservative rating of 100% increased to 56 members in 2009, up from an anemic 31 the previous year.

It is likely that 2009 will come to be recognized as the highpoint of liberal voting in Congress.
Democrats may well look back to 2008-09 as the golden years of liberalism.

Those House members who scored a perfect 100% rating are listed below. Three were from Ohio, but not from Northern Ohio.

Akin, Bachmann, Bilirakis, Bishop Rob, Blackburn, Brady, Broun, Burgess, Cantor, Chaffetz, Conaway, Culberson, Deal, Flake, Fleming, Foxx, Franks, Garrett, Gohmert, Goodlatte, Hensarling, Herger, Issa, Johnson Sam, Jordan (OH), Kline, Lamborn, Latta (OH), Linder, Lummis, Lungren, Mack, Marchant, McCarthy, McClintock, McHenry, Mica, Miller Jeff, Neugebauer, Olson, Pence, Posey, Price, Radanovich, Rohrabacher, Roskam, Royce, Scalise, Schmidt (OH), Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Smith Adrian, Sullivan, Thornberry, and Westmoreland.

You can view the entire 2009 ACU Rating for yourself.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Prouder, Stronger, Better


Prouder, Stronger, Better

That's the original title to President Reagan's 1984 campaign ad that is now better known as "It's Morning Again in America".

That was Glenn Beck's message today at CPAC. If you missed it, you missed the heart and soul of The 9-12 Project.

When it's available, we'll post his speech. Until then, enjoy this inspirational commercial from 26 years ago. It is generally considered one of the most effective political campaign ads ever made, mainly for its simple, optimistic message.




Watch Glenn Beck at CPAC Live!

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Glenn Beck will be giving the closing Keynote Address today at 6PM. It may be covered live on Foxnews, but if not, you can catch it here on our blog. You can not only see Glenn but all the speakers live.

Watch CPAC live here:

Live video by Ustream

Friday, February 19, 2010

Tea Party TV and Young People Involved

While we are not a "Tea Party" group, most of our members are very supportive of the Tea Party movement and attend Tea Parties.

Now you can follow them better and be encouraged by all the activity the main stream media is not showing you. Check out Tea Party TV from the good folks at PJTV.

PJTV has been bringing you news about the Tea Party Movement since it began in February 2009. We covered the April 15 tax day and July 4 protests. Last fall, we embedded a reporter on the Tea Party Express Bus Tour, covering events in 38 cities and uploading more than 100 videos from those events. Just last week, we webcast the National Tea Party Convention live from Nashville, including Sarah Palin's keynote.


To continue to be the leader in covering this movement, PJTV is proud to announce...

Tea Party TV

Tea Party TV is the go-to place for news on the Tea Party Movement. Dana Loesch, AlfonZo Rachel and Glenn Reynolds are the hosts, bringing you news and commentary on:
  • What tea party groups are forming, who is working together and who isn't.
  • How the tea party groups are working, or not, with the Republicans, Independents, Libertarians and Democrats.
  • Who the emerging leaders are and what they stand for.
  • What issues and challenges the tea parties are tackling.
  • What media outlets are covering the tea parties and which aren't.
  • What the polls are telling us about the impact of the tea parties.
So check out Tea Party TV and be sure to watch their first report. In it you will see a segment about young people getting involved in the movement. Everyone has been asking "Where are the young people?" Well, here they are. Check out their website also at Tea Party Youth.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Bill Clinton plotting tea party counterattack

You knew it had to happen sooner or later; the left seems to think that smearing a true grassroots movement - one that really wants to support free-market principles, support the US Constitution, and to get government to go on a money diet - would make the general public think less of the Tea Parties.

Personally, I'm amused. Certainly they can do better than bring in a former president who went through an impeachment trial to lead THAT movement.

Who do they think they're kidding?

I say - Bring It On.

And thanks for the free publicity.

Even the celebrities know - ANY publicity is better than NO publicity.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/02/bill_clinton_plotting_tea_part.html

Window into the White House

How exactly did a tiny window company get the adoring support of the administration above all of their competitors? It’s well worth the 3 minutes with John Stossel on Fox Business to find out.

Pay special attention to Rachael Maddow at the end. You’ll appreciate her fumbling into a coherent point. Yes, Rachael–that IS how it works. Ta da!!!

Hattip to Stu Blog

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tonight's Meeting

7 PM - Room A1044F - Lakeland Community College

Jim Bridgens from Oath Keepers will be our first speaker. He will talk about the Oath

Keepers Organization and Mission. http://oathkeepers.or...

Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of currently serving military, veterans, peace officers, and firefighters who will fulfill the oath we swore to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help us God.

Our oath is to the Constitution, not to the politicians, and we will not obey unconstitutional (and thus illegal) and immoral orders, such as orders to disarm the American people or to place them under martial law and deprive them of their ancient right to jury trial.

We Oath Keepers have drawn a line in the sand. We will not “just follow orders.”

Our motto is “Not on our watch!” Jim will also be conducting an Oath (to the Constitution) Ceremony.

Matthew Yucha of the Ohio Objectivist Society will will be giving a presentation following Jim Bridgens. Matt is a great speaker and will really make you think as he talks.

"Although political ideas are very abstract they can be validated objectively by linking them to reality. Objectivism accomplishes this by clearly linking together the major branches of philosophy; therefore to understand politics one
must understand the "lower" links in the chain as well."

Location: Lakeland Community College Room A1044F

The meeting is at Lakeland Community College in the A Building (behind the clocktower). There will be signs up. It will be on the first floor in Room A1044F. Going in the front of the A Building, go down the hall to the book store. Turn right at the book store. Go down the hall toward the cafeteria and turn left and go down the hall to the room at the end.

There will be a $2 Meeting Room Fee.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Welcome!

Welcome to the official blog of The 9-12 Project in Mentor, OH.

Visit our Meetup website at www.mentor9-12project.org to join or stay up to date of our meetings and other items of interest.


Thanks for stopping by.