“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was a very Bad idea

I kept hearing over and over that part of the military code of ethics includes honesty. Then our Congress stupidly passed a law that required homosexuals to publicly pretend that they are “straight.” Many have participated in this hoax for seventeen years. Those that felt compelled to announce their sexual orientation were dismissed even if their particular qualifications were unique (like being fluent in Arabic or another needed language skill).

Finally today this nonsense was brought to an end. By 65 to 31 the Senate voted the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Below is the alphabetical listing of how each senator voted. The link to this information is http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00281

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Akaka (D-HI), Yea
Alexander (R-TN), Nay
Barrasso (R-WY), Nay
Baucus (D-MT), Yea
Bayh (D-IN), Yea
Begich (D-AK), Yea
Bennet (D-CO), Yea
Bennett (R-UT), Nay
Bingaman (D-NM), Yea
Bond (R-MO), Nay
Boxer (D-CA), Yea
Brown (D-OH), Yea
Brown (R-MA), Yea
Brownback (R-KS), Nay
Bunning (R-KY), Not Voting
Burr (R-NC), Yea
Cantwell (D-WA), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Carper (D-DE), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Chambliss (R-GA), Nay
Coburn (R-OK), Nay
Cochran (R-MS), Nay
Collins (R-ME), Yea
Conrad (D-ND), Yea
Coons (D-DE), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Nay
Cornyn (R-TX), Nay
Crapo (R-ID), Nay
DeMint (R-SC), Nay
Dodd (D-CT), Yea
Dorgan (D-ND), Yea
Durbin (D-IL), Yea
Ensign (R-NV), Yea

Enzi (R-WY), Nay
Feingold (D-WI), Yea
Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Franken (D-MN), Yea
Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea
Graham (R-SC), Nay
Grassley (R-IA), Nay
Gregg (R-NH), Not
Hagan (D-NC), Yea
Harkin (D-IA), Yea
Hatch (R-UT), Not
Hutchison (R-TX), Nay
Inhofe (R-OK), Nay
Inouye (D-HI), Yea
Isakson (R-GA), Nay
Johanns (R-NE), Nay
Johnson (D-SD), Yea
Kerry (D-MA), Yea
Kirk (R-IL), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Kohl (D-WI), Yea
Kyl (R-AZ), Nay
Landrieu (D-LA), Yea
Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea
Leahy (D-VT), Yea
LeMieux (R-FL), Nay
Levin (D-MI), Yea
Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Lincoln (D-AR), Yea
Lugar (R-IN), Nay
Manchin (D-WV), Not McCain (R-AZ), Nay
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
McConnell (R-KY), Nay

Menendez (D-NJ), Yea
Merkley (D-OR), Yea
Mikulski (D-MD), Yea
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Murray (D-WA), Yea
Nelson (D-FL), Yea
Nelson (D-NE), Yea
Pryor (D-AR), Yea
Reed (D-RI), Yea
Reid (D-NV), Yea
Risch (R-ID), Nay
Roberts (R-KS), Nay
Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Sanders (I-VT), Yea
Schumer (D-NY), Yea
Sessions (R-AL), Nay
Shaheen (D-NH), Yea
Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Snowe (R-ME), Yea
Specter (D-PA), Yea
Stabenow (D-MI), Yea
Tester (D-MT), Yea
Thune (R-SD), Nay
Udall (D-CO), Yea
Udall (D-NM), Yea
Vitter (R-LA), Nay
Voinovich (R-OH), Yea
Warner (D-VA), Yea
Webb (D-VA), Yea
Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea
Wicker (R-MS), Nay
Wyden (D-OR), Yea

Separation of Church and State

The divide between church and state is historic. It started with the First Amendment to the Constitution that starts by saying “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…” That sentence has been understood by most people to mean that the government shall not be involved in religious affairs. Despite that understanding Christmas is a national holiday and the words “In God We Trust” appear on our currency.

The Associated Press reports that “Colorado Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck has questioned the separation of government and religion.” He is not the first candidate to question the separation. Christine O’Donnell, the Republican Senate candidate in Delaware made a similar statement in a debate just last week.

Both Buck and O’Donnell are referred to as Tea Party candidates. The Tea Party groups have been running on a theme of fiscal responsibility and have stayed away from social issues. This change in direction will put a new meaning to that group and may alienate many of its supporters.

Have the Know Nothings returned or is there another move afoot?

Do You Know the Bill of Rights?

The qualifications to hold a Senate or House of Representatives seat are very low. You must meet an age requirement and be a resident of the state you represent. There is no requirement for specific education or experience. You do not need to know the U.S. Constitution.

Thus we have the case of Christine O’Donnell who is running for Senator from Delaware. Her opponent, Chris Coons, gave an approximate yet accurate summation of the first part of the establishment clause, “Government shall make no establishment of religion,” O’Donnell responded by asking, “That’s in the First Amendment?” The exchange takes place at the 4:40 mark in the video below.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper recently took a deeper look at O’Donnell’s repeated claims of constitutional expertise and filed the following blistering report, noting that beyond the First Amendment, O’Donnell needed to be reminded of what the 14th and 16th said, despite claiming to have conducted “a deep analysis” of the founding document.

O’Donnell blanks on First Amendment

Should we ask our representatives about the Bill of Rights?

545 vs. 300,000,000

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be – read it!!

The article below is completely neutral, not anti republican or democrat.

Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.

It’s a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000

EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.545 PEOPLE–By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits….. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red….

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it’s because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power..

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees…

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it……… Is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren’t so darned true.

This might be funny if it weren’t so darned true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom…’
When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax..
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?’

What do the Polls Say Today?

Americans want a leader of conviction. That would be a president who has a clear vision of where he wants to take the nation. George W. Bush was such a man. I disagreed with him on so many things but I did know what his views were. He was “the decider.”

Unfortunately Barack Obama is wishy-washy. The war in Afghanistan is a “war of necessity” except we will begin to withdraw in July 2011.

The question of building a Muslim mosque near the World Trade Center site was answered on Friday, August 13, 2010 by the president when he said, “Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country.” This quote was taken from President Obama’s remarks for Friday night’s iftar dinner at the White House.

However, on Saturday, August 14, 2010 White House spokesman Bill Burton released the following statement on behalf of Obama’s stance on constructing the mosque. “Just to be clear, the president is not backing off in any way from the comments he made last night. It is not his role as president to pass judgment on every local project. But it is his responsibility to stand up for the constitutional principle of religious freedom and equal treatment for all Americans. What he said last night, and reaffirmed today, is that If a church, a synagogue or a Hindu temple can be built on a site, you simply cannot deny that right to those who want to build a mosque.”

The polls indicate that 64% of the nation oppose building a mosque near the WTC.

Having Your Baby in America

Illegal aliens and are invading this country by using our Constitution to gain citizenship.

ABC World News posed the question tonight: Are women sneaking into America to give birth? The question was promoted by Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina who said women are coming to this country to “drop babies.” The answer apparently is YES. There are hotels, ABC reported, that are actually soliciting people to come to the USA on visitor visas and bearing a baby. Those children become citizens of this country. The ABC item did not discuss those illegal aliens that are entering the country and bearing their children here. Instead they reported on a young man attending UCLA who entered the country illegally at the age of four and is still not a legal resident. He was not ashamed to take ABC to the cramped home of his parents that is still his home.

The source of their claims is the 14^th amendment. The wording in that amendment is “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

The ABC report confirms that Senator Lindsay Graham is correct. The 14^th amendment was not written to permit illegal entry in our nation.

Judge Overturns Calif. Gay Marriage Ban

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution about marriage. There are no federal regulations about marriage. No one in 1789 considered marriage an issue that should concern the government. Over the years individual states did pass laws pertaining to divorce and the federal government does recognize marriage in determining income tax payments and Social Security benefits.

Strict constitutional scholars will have a difficult time justifying regulations that define marriage. They could of course determine that just as legal marriage is authorized by local laws the definition of marriage can be defined by local law.

Proponents of gay marriage could argue that equal protection under the law also means the right of Americans to marry anyone they desire. After all marriage choice is personal and is in accord with the Declaration of Independence that reads in part: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I personally do not find any attraction to my own sex except as friends. However, it will not impact my life one iota if people of the same sex prefer to marry.