Friday, November 30, 2012

Obama Plan for Fiscal Cliff? More Spending!

The spending is the problem, not the solution!


Obama's opening "fiscal cliff" bid seeks debt limit hike, stimulus

The Obama administration's opening bid on Thursday in negotiations to avert a year-end fiscal crunch included a demand for new stimulus spending and authority to unilaterally raise the U.S. borrowing ceiling, a Republican congressional aide said.


-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

U.S. Birthrate Drops

The U.S. birth rate dropped to its lowest level since the beginning of the Great Depression, led by a drop among immigrants, according to a report data released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

In 2011, the overall birth rate was 63.2 per 1,000 women of childbearing age, the lowest since at least 1920, Pew reported, citing numbers from the National Center for Health Statistics. The birth rate reached 122.7 in 1957, the peak of the Baby Boom. After the mid-1970s, the birth rate stabilized at about 65 to 70 births per 1,000 women annually, until the beginning of the Great Recession.

Since 2007, both the U.S. birth rate (the number of live births per 1,000 women ages 15-44) and the number of births have dropped significantly, according to the report.

Overall, the birth rate declined 8 percent from 2007 to 2010. Among U.S.-born women, the birth rate dropped 6 percent. The decline among foreign-born women was 14 percent. Among Mexican women, the birth rate fell even more, to 23 percent. . . .


but I am willing to bet the birthrate among Muslim women is up!

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

U.N. Votes to Recognize Palestinian State

Remember, the Palestinians rejected statehood many times. They didn't want statehood as much as they wanted Israel destroyed. Now, they realize, using the international liberals, statehood is a road to destroying Israel.

U.N. votes to recognize Palestine as ‘non-member observer state’

UNITED NATIONS — The General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to grant Palestinians limited recognition of statehood, prompting exuberant celebrations across the West Bank and Gaza Strip and immediate condemnations from the United States and Israel.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Obama Plan Causes Laughter


McConnell 'Burst Into Laughter' as Geithner Outlined Obama's Plan

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, says he “burst into laughter” Thursday when Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner outlined the administration proposal for averting the fiscal cliff. He wasn’t trying to embarrass Geithner, McConnell says, only responding candidly to his one-sided plan, explicit on tax increases, vague on spending cuts.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Constitution Class in Temecula - Finish U.S. Senate

Two weeks ago we began our Study of Article I, Section 3, regarding the U.S. Senate.  After a break for Thanksgiving tonight we will complete our discussion regarding the Senate.  Join us at 6:00 pm at Faith Armory on Enterprise Circle West.


Rise Like Lions

by JASmius


Doug, I've heard that tiresome cliche from tighty-righties my (and your) entire life.  It was nonsense then, and it's nonsense now.  If the GOP didn't "go the way of the Whigs" after FDR's dozen-year New Deal reign of terror, it's not gonna happen now.

I will add this: If conservatives followed that advice, they'd be quitting on everything in which they claim to believe.  I can think of no more effective and comprehensive means of committing political AND ideological suicide than to walk away from the Republican Party.  Why?  It begs the question: Where would they - we - go?  And please don't go through the Libertarians, the Constitution Party, or any of the rest of the third party pipedream litany that tighty-righties invariable invoke.  Leaving the GOP would constitute running up the white flag.  It would be unconditional surrender to the Left, no matter how high the dudgeon worked up to lend the pyrrhic futility of it a shiny veneer of righteousness.

But all of the above, as well as the post to which it responds, misses the big picture point: the G.O.P. and the conservative movement are both already dead, along with the country and the Constitution that used to define it.  Why?  Because America is no longer a republic in any substantive sense.  Like Christ said of the Pharisees, it is a white sepulcher of representative democracy but filled within with radicalism, extremism, totalitarianism, tyranny, and corruption.  It's a flimsy facade that 51% of the electorate has no interest in seeing past.  And after four more years of Obamunist rule by the fist, even the facade will go away, and still fewer Americans will care.

And, with the existing electoral system rigged, with the Constitution reviewed, redefined, and "penumbra-d" into irrelevancy, and with a majority O SCOTUS sitting atop Olympus to rubber-stamp it, there is now no peaceful means of affecting the change that got robbed from us three weeks ago.

The country, in short, is doomed, short of a literal second American revolution.  If that's the post-Republican destination of the aforementioned conservatives, then they're not the fools they otherwise come across as.  But I'm not holding my breath.

Salmonella Outbreak Shuts Down Peanut Butter Plant

I wonder if the processing of the peanuts into peanut butter killed the Salmonella. . . just a thought:

-----

Farmers in a revered peanut-growing region along the New Mexico-Texas border should be celebrating one of the best harvests in recent memory.

Instead, millions of pounds of their prized sweet Valencia peanuts sit in barns at a peanut butter plant shuttered for two months amid a salmonella outbreak that sickened 41 people in 20 states.

Farmers are worried about getting paid for their peanuts, nearly a third the plant's 150 workers have been laid off, and residents wonder what toll an increasingly contentious showdown between the nation's largest organic peanut butter plant and federal regulators could ultimately have on the region's economy.

The tension boiled over when the Food and Drug Administration on Monday said it was suspendingSunland Inc.'s registration to operate because of repeated safety violations, meaning the plant will remain indefinitely shut down as the company appeals the decision. The company had planned to reopen some its operations this week after voluntarily recalling hundreds of products and closing its processing and peanut butter plants in late September and early October.


-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Conquest of America is their goal

"It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf." --Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 1, 1776

Liberalism does not compromise, nor quit. The battle rages on.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Voting is a Privilege

"If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thomas Cooper, 1802

By Douglas V. Gibbs

We have no right to vote.  Voting is a privilege.

During the early years of the United States the only people allowed to vote were property owners.

Property owners had skin in the game, so to speak.  They were concerned with the issues, since they were the ones paying property taxes, and they were often entrepreneurs.  Folks who were not property owners were poorly informed about the issues, and were not directly affected by the decisions made by their representatives.

Like success in a free market, the privilege to vote needed to be earned by reaching a level in life where you were a property owner.  Someone who was not a property owner would only give their vote, if they could vote, to whoever was willing to give them gifts from the treasury.  Gifts from the treasury would be offered under the pretense of taking care of them, and "entitlement" votes are bought votes; hence, the reason those people did not vote.

Voting was not a right, it was a privilege.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Egypt Protests Worsen

Protesters pack Tahrir Square, dispute Morsi

The same chants used against Hosni Mubarak are used against his successor as protesters amass in Egypt.

Vote Changing Machines to be Investigated


FBI ASKED TO PROBE OBAMA 'VOTE-CHANGING' MACHINES

State lawmaker says she has concerns over election tampering

A state lawmaker in Maryland has asked the FBI to impound two voting machines used in the 2012 election to determine whether there was a malfunction or something nefarious going on.

“I just feel it is my duty to try to get to the bottom of this,” state Delegate Kathryn Afzali told WND today.“We’re not making any accusations. The Board of Elections are good people. They have checks and balances … but we want to make sure everything is fair.”

She said a number of people contacted her after the Nov. 6 election to report that they pressed a touch-screen button for GOP candidate Mitt Romney, but the vote registered for Barack Obama.


-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

The Fight Continues

"Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free, and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves." --Joseph Warren, Boston Massacre Oration, 1775

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

A Soviet Mistake in America

Thanks Andrea

Though I don't necessarily agree with Mr. Lerma's claim that Putin is a conservative, his article is on target regarding the Obama presidency.  Here are some excerpts from Obama's Soviet Mistake by Xavier Lerma (Pravda). . . 

The Communists have won in America with Obama but failed miserably in Russia. . . America continues to repeat the Soviet mistake. . .

. . . Obama has been re-elected for a 2nd term by an illiterate society and he is ready to continue his lies of less taxes while he raises them. He gives speeches of peace and love in the world while he promotes wars as he did in Egypt, Libya and Syria. He plans his next war is with Iran as he fires or demotes his generals who get in the way. . .

. . . any normal individual understands that as true but liberalism is a psychosis. O'bomber even keeps the war going along the Mexican border with projects like "fast and furious" and there is still no sign of ending it. He is a Communist without question promoting the Communist Manifesto without calling it so. How shrewd he is in America. His cult of personality mesmerizes those who cannot go beyond their ignorance. They will continue to follow him like those fools who still praise Lenin and Stalin in Russia. Obama's fools and Stalin's fools share the same drink of illusion. . .

. . . The second possible mistake would be excessive interference into the economic life of the country and the absolute faith into the all-mightiness of the state. There are no grounds to suggest that by putting the responsibility over to the state, one can achieve better results. Unreasonable expansion of the budget deficit, accumulation of the national debt - are as destructive as an adventurous stock market game.

During the time of the Soviet Union the role of the state in economy was made absolute, which eventually lead to the total non-competitiveness of the economy. That lesson cost us very dearly. I am sure no one would want history to repeat itself.

. . . the schools in the U.S. were conquered by the Communists long ago and history was revised thus paving the way for their Communist presidents. Obama has bailed out those businesses that voted for him and increased the debt to over 16 trillion with an ever increasing unemployment rate especially among blacks and other minorities. All the while promoting his agenda. . .

. . . Christianity in the U.S. is under attack as it was during the early period of the Soviet Union when religious symbols were against the law. . .

. . . The question is how long will the once "Land of the Free" remain the United Socialist States of America? Their suffering has only begun. Bye bye Miss American Pie!. . .

Read the article in its entirety HERE

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Pat Condell on Israel's Gaza Problem

Yes, yes, I know that Condell is a person that is not too fond of religion on the whole, and neither am I. I am a Christian, but I am not religious.  Other Christians (well, some of them, anyway) know what I mean.

Anyway, Condell nails it on this one.  Listen, and learn. . .





-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Monday, November 26, 2012

Jame Foxx Calls Obama "Our Lord and Savior"

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx recently called Barack Obama "our lord and savior."

This occurred at the previously recorded Soul Train Awards broadcast on BET Sunday (video):



-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Republicans Willing to Raise Taxes

Top Republicans Prepare to Cave On Taxes

Today, multiple high-ranking Republicans announced that they were willing to raise taxes as part of a deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” breaking the pledges they had made to Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform. Said Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos:

"I agree with Grover, we shouldn’t raise rates, but I think Grover is wrong when it comes to we can’t cap deductions and buy down debt. What do you do with the money? I want to buy down debt and cut rates to create jobs, but I will violate the pledge, long story short, for the good of the country, only if Democrats will do entitlement reform."

MORE

Remember the backlash Bush 41 got for breaking his "No New Taxes" pledge?  He lost the election over it. That was nothing compared to what the GOP will receive if they cave on taxes now.

As I have said before, if the Republican Party continues to moderate, it will destroy the party.

The Conservative Base will leave the GOP, and the party will go the way of the Whigs.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Susan Rice Can't Outrun Benghazi

by Douglas V. Gibbs

The new narrative is that Susan Rice cannot be blamed for inaccuracies in her report regarding the violence in Benghazi that resulted in the death of Ambassador Stevens, and three SEALs.  The information she gave that indicated the violence was nothing more than spontaneous protests in response to an anti-Muslim film produced by an American filmmaker was all of the information she had, which she received from sources from the intelligence community.  She can't be blamed, for she knew no different.

Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain disagree, as do I.

The White House choreographed the cover-up, well knowing that the attack in Benghazi was being caused by terrorists, and quite probably, al-Qaeda (which later it was confirmed to be al-Qaeda).  Obama knew the truth, Hillary Clinton knew the truth, and Susan Rice knew the truth.

The intelligence assessment, confirmed by CIA Director Petraeus' testimony, was that the violence against the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya was driven by terrorism in a pre-planned attack.  The story about the video was a political smokescreen intended to cover-up the truth to protect the narrative by the White House that, as a result of the death of Osama bin-Laden, the War on Terror was over, and al-Qaeda was a thing of the past.

Like President Barack Obama, Susan Rice is a liar.

Evidence reveals that all of the intelligence reports contradicted Rice's claims.

The latest scrutiny of Susan Rice, and her claims regarding Benghazi, is rising because of the possibility that she is the next appointment for Secretary of State, to replace resigning Hillary Clinton.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Senator Lindsey Graham Rejects Susan Rice's Self-Defense - Yahoo! News

Graham, McCain keep pressure on Rice, hint only hearings will reveal truth - Fox News

Ronald Reagan himself could not win an election in today’s America

Excerpt from The Decline and Fall of the American Empire by Rabbi Pruzansky:

The simplest reason why Romney lost was because it is impossible to compete against free stuff. Every businessman knows this; that is why the “loss leader” or the giveaway is such a powerful marketing tool. Obama’s America is one in which free stuff is given away: the adults among the 47,000,000 on food stamps clearly recognized for whom they should vote, and so they did, by the tens of millions; those who – courtesy of Obama – receive two full years of unemployment benefits (which, of course, both disincentivizes looking for work and also motivates people to work off the books while collecting their windfall) surely know for whom to vote; so too those who anticipate “free” health care, who expect the government to pay their mortgages, who look for the government to give them jobs. The lure of free stuff is irresistible.

. . . or as Rush Limbaugh calls Obama, Santa Claus.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Jury Nullification, the Rule of Law, and the Limitations of Government

A friend by email recently ask me for a brief explanation of Jury Nullification.  I responded:

From my understanding, jury nullification finds its roots in the concept of the rule of law, a check and balance in the U.S. legal system against the rule of man presented by the judges. Sometimes, laws are unjust, and it takes the people to nullify unjust laws because the lawmakers, and judiciary, won't. Threatened by the idea of jury nullification, jurors are either not told they have the option, or they are instructed that jury nullification is not an option. Jury nullification, as a part of the rule of law, is a limitation on the authorities of government, and ultimately against governmental tyranny.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Obama administration Reduces Size of Marine Corps, Uses Money Saved for Green Energy in Muslim Countries

Obama fires 20,000 Marines, promises billions to Muslim green energy

. . . The current political winds in Washington, DC, have dictated that less will be spent on the various Branches of the Armed Forces of the Unites States.

The Commander-in-Chief has decided to fire 20,000 of our U.S. Marines. . . "despite no sign of an enemy collapse."

So What Will The Taxpayers Money Be Spent On?

Earlier this week, Breitbart.com covered the recent agreement Barack Obama has promised billions of Yankee dollars to the oil-rich and overwhelmingly Muslim nations of Indonesia and Brunei. . . to promote "green energy."

Many green energy companies in the United States, such as Solyndra and About Solar have been dismal failures despite the over $1,200,000,000 infusion of tax dollars from the Obama Administration.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Israel Spots Iranian Ship Stocked With Weapons Headed for Gaza

Israeli spy satellites have reportedly spotted an Iranian ship being stockpiled with weapons that is suspected to be headed toward the volatile Gaza region.

The shipment was prepared last week on the day that Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire, according to Haaretz, citing a report from the Sunday Times of London.

“We believe that Iranian warships anchored in Eritrea will accompany the weapons ship as soon as it enters the Red Sea,” an Israeli source told the newspaper.

The shipment may have Fajr-5 rockets, the type that Hamas fired at Israel, and other missiles that could be positioned in Sudan.

The ship is expected to travel through the Red Sea and alongside Sudan and Egypt, the newspaper said.

Read more at Fox News

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Israel Tests David's Sling

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Tests of Israel's newest missile defense system, crowned as "David's Sling," tested successfully today, moving Israel towards making its "multilayer missile defense" operational.

The missile defense system shot down a missile, of which it is designed to intercept with ranges of up to 300 kilometers (180 miles).

Israel has also deployed Arrow systems for longer-range threats from Iran. The Iron Dome protects against short-range rockets fired by militants in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Iron Dome shot down hundreds of rockets from Gaza in this month's round of fighting.

The Israeli military said the program, which is on schedule for to be fully functional and deployed in 2014, would "provide an additional layer of defense against ballistic missiles."

The next generation of the Arrow, now in the development stage, is set to be deployed in 2016. Called the Arrow 3, it is designed to strike its target outside the atmosphere, intercepting missiles closer to their launch sites. Together, the two Arrow systems would provide two chances to strike down incoming missiles.

Israel also uses U.S.-made Patriot missile defense batteries against mid-range missiles.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Israel Successfully Tests Missile Defense System - Associated Press

2 injured when small plane makes emergency landing at Cal State Northridge soccer field

By Douglas V. Gibbs

A single-engine plane had to make an emergency landing in Southern California near Los Angeles. The crash landing was at a soccer field at Cal State Northridge, injuring two people.  The crash resulted in a small fire.

The small plane's pilot radioed he was having engine trouble, and when he tried to land on the soccer field the plane went through a chain link fence and flipped.

The pilot and passenger received only minor injuries.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Deadly Violence in Egypt over Morsi's Power Grab

By Douglas V. Gibbs

A 15 year old has been killed in a deadly attack on the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.  In the attack 60 people were injured.

Since Morsi's decree of power, which places him above the courts, violent protests have erupted in Egypt.  As the situation in Egypt becomes less stable, violence in Syria continues as an air raid near Damascus claims the lives of ten children.

The violence in Egypt has been met by riot police, and if the turmoil worsens, the military may need to step in.  The opponents of President Morsi indicate that the violence will not stop until the Islamist president rescinds his near absolute powers, that made him immune to judicial oversight.

The Supreme Judical Council, Egypt's highest court, called Morsi's decrees an "unprecedented assault."

Outside the high court building in Cairo, several hundred demonstrators rallied against Morsi, chanting, "Leave! Leave!" echoing the slogan used against former leader Hosni Mubarak in last year's uprising that ousted him.

Critics accuse the Muslim Brotherhood, which dominated elections last year, of monopolizing power and doing little to bring real reform or address Egypt's mounting economic and security woes.  The edicts gave Morsi near dictatorial powers, creating a collusion of executive and legislative powers, thus rendering the courts powerless.

Overall, the protests have left more than 200 people wounded.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary




Quotes: Window of Opportunity for a New World Order, Whether by Conquest or Consent

Don't be fooled. Whether you believe there is a shadow government, or not; whether you believe the conspiracy theories, or not; there is a real desire by certain individuals for a global system of governance built on the principles of big government control.


"The real menace of our Republic is the invisible government which like a giant octopus sprawls
its slimy legs over our cities, states and nation." - Mayor (1918-1925) John F. Hylan of New York.



 "I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." - General Douglas MacArthur

"We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether
World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent." - Statement made before the
United States Senate on Feb. 7, 1950 by James Paul Warburg


"This present window of opportunity, during which a truly peaceful and interdependent world order might be built, will not be open for too long - We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order" - David Rockefeller, addressing the United Nations Ambassador Dinner, September 14, 1994

“Out of these troubled times, our objective—a new world order—can emerge. Today, that new world is struggling to be born, a world quite different from the one we have known.” - George Herbert Walker Bush: September 11, 1990

“What is at stake is more than one small country, it is a big idea—a new world order...to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind... based on shared principles and the rule of law... The illumination of a thousand points of light... The winds of change are with us now.” - George Herbert Walker Bush


 "The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise their power from behind the scenes." - Justice Felix Frankfurter, U.S. Supreme Court.



  "Fundamental Bible-believing people do not have the right to indoctrinate their children in their
religious beliefs because we, the state, are preparing them for the year 2000, when America will be
part of a one-world global society and their children will not fit in." - Nebraska State Senator Peter Hoagland, speaking on radio in 1983.

"When we got organized as a country and we wrote a fairly radical Constitution with a radical
Bill of Rights, giving a radical amount of freedom to Americans..."  "And so a lot of people say there's
too much personal freedom. When personal freedom's being abused, you have to move to limit it.
That's what we did in the announcement I made last weekend on the Housing Projects, about how
we're going to have weapon sweeps and more things like that to try to make the people feel safer
in their communities" - President Bill Clinton 3-22-94, MTV's "Enough is Enough"

"We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans.." - Bill Clinton USA Today--3-11-93, page 2a

"Gun registration is not enough" (Attorney General Janet Reno, 12-10-93) - Associated Press

"Waiting periods are only a step.  Registration is only a step.  The prohibition of private firearms
is the goal" - Janet Reno

"If a nation values anything more than freedom, then it will lose it's freedom; and the irony of it is
that if it is comfort and security that it values, it will lose that too.  Unknown Americans must decide: Are we to be governed by Americans or by an International organization ? I, for one, owe no
allegiance to the United Nations nor will I give it any. I obey only the U.S. Constitution. You had
better think about this issue, for if the U.N. can violate the Sovereignty of Haiti, Iraq and other
countries, it can violate ours...The United States may not be the top dog 15 years from now. U.N.
security council resolutions, backed by say Chinese soldiers, could be aimed at us." - Charley
Reese-Orlando Sentinel


 "I would support a Presidential candidate who pledged to take the following steps: ... At the end of the war in the Persian Gulf, press for a comprehensive Middle East settlement and for a 'new world order' based not on Pax Americana but on peace through law with a stronger U.N. and World Court." -- George McGovern, in the New York Times (February 1991)

"How I Learned to Love the New World Order" -article by Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in the Wall Street Journal (April 1992)

“Today, America would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order [referring to the 1991 riots in Los Angeles]. Tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there were an outside threat from beyond [i.e., an "extraterrestrial" invasion], whether real or promulgated [emphasis in original], that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the world government.” - Henry Kissinger, May 21, 1992, at a Bilderberg meeting held in Evian, France

The "new world order that is in the making must focus on the creation of a world of democracy, peace and prosperity for all." -- Nelson Mandela, in the Philadelphia Inquirer (October 1994)

The renewal of the nonproliferation treaty was described as important "for the welfare of the whole world and the new world order." -- President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, in the New York Times (April 1995)

"We are not going to achieve a new world order without paying for it in blood as well as in words and money." -- Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., in Foreign Affairs (July/August 1995)

“But it is the awareness itself that will drive the change and one of the ways it will drive the change is through global governance and global agreements.” - Al Gore, Oxford at the Smith School World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment (July 7, 2009) regarding Waxman-Markey climate bill.

“The president-elect is coming into office at a moment when there is upheaval in many parts of the world simultaneously. “You have India, Pakistan; you have the jihadist movement. So he can’t really say there is one problem, that it’s the most important one. But he can give new impetus to American foreign policy partly because the reception of him is so extraordinary around the world. His task will be to develop an overall strategy for America in this period when, really, a new world order can be created. It’s a great opportunity, it isn’t just a crisis.” - Henry Kissinger regarding incoming President Barack Obama, January 2009

 “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” - Barack Obama, October 30, 2008, at the University of Missouri at Columbia

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Constitution Study Radio: Myths 6, 7, & 8 - Commerce Clause, General Welfare Clause, Separation of Church and State


Douglas V Gibbs






Myth #6: The Commerce Clause allows the federal government to regulate all commerce between the States however it seems fit.
Myth #7: The General Welfare Clause enables the federal government to take any action it deems necessary.
Myth #8: The Constitution Guarantees the Separation of Church and State.
Through the Constitution with Douglas V. Gibbs

Saturday, November 24, 2012

The Panther and the Doberman

Robert Bush shared this one on Facebook, and I just had to share. Pretty funny.

Don't mess with us old dogs!

An old Doberman starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old Doberman thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep shit now!"
Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old Doberman exclaims loudly,

"Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?"
Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks
away into the trees.
"Whew!," says the panther, "That was close! That old Doberman nearly had me!"
Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes.
The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther.
The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!"
Now, the old Doberman sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?," but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old Doberman says .......
"Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!"
Moral of this story...
Don't mess with the old dogs... Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery!
Bull Shit and brilliance only come with age and experience.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Founding Truth: Hear What Loki, Doug, and Matt have to say about the issues, and how the Constitution applies to them

I am under the weather, and have decided to lay down and leave this show to Loki and Matt. Don't worry, you are in good hands.

HOV Radio

What is our government doing, to the American people, that is not following the Constitution? Listen here and find out!

Was the 16th Amendment, Which Created a Direct Tax, Constitutional?

By Douglas V. Gibbs

I agree that the idea of a direct tax goes against the original intent of the Founding Fathers. I am not arguing that point. But an Amendment cannot be unconstitutional because it is a change to the Constitution. Therefore, on the surface, it is legally constitutional. This is not to say it was ratified properly, or that it falls within the principles originally intended - because it wasn't, and it doesn't.

The income tax was never supposed to come into existence. The Founding Fathers prohibited direct taxes in Article I, Section 9, Clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution, and the proposed amendment was never expected to be ratified by the States.

Progressivism was on the rise in the United States around the turn of the 20th Century. Americans were concerned about the large national debt that remained with the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War, and the growing social inequality between the rich and the poor. The idea that there should be a tax that “soaks the rich” began to take root among progressives of both major parties. The Democrats took to progressivism more than the Republican Party, and the liberals of the Democrat Party were looking for a way to embarrass the conservative arm of the GOP so that they could gain some traction in the next election.

With social unrest rising among the population, a democrat proposed The Bailey Bill with the express hope the Republicans would reject it. The theory was that after the Republicans rejected the bill, the democrats could then point a finger at the Republicans, claiming for political purposes that the Republicans were in cahoots with the corrupt wealthy corporate types, and their rejection of the Bailey Bill, which would have imposed an income tax on the rich, was proof of such an alignment between the Republicans and the wealthy.

The conservative Republicans knew what the progressives of the Democrat Party were up to, and launched a counter move. They proposed a constitutional amendment that would impose an income tax on the rich, and when the States refused to ratify the amendment, the Republicans would use that failure to ratify the amendment as proof that the people, through their State legislatures, were against the idea of a new income tax. In turn, that would defeat the Bailey Bill, for how could Congress approve an income tax against the rich through the Bailey Bill after the people and States rejected a constitutional amendment that would have done the very same thing?

The proponents of the 16th Amendment promised that if it were to be ratified (and remember, it was fully expected not to be ratified) the income tax would only be imposed on the top 5% wage earners, it would be voluntary, and it would be temporary.

The progressives of the Republican Party, however, rallied behind the proposed amendment, and the Secretary of State announced the amendment was ratified on February 12, 1913.

Progressives, satisfied the 16th Amendment was ratified, hoped to use it to tax the rich. In the beginning, only 5% of the people were required to submit tax returns. Many of the rich, however, avoided the tax with charitable deductions, and other creative strategies.

During World War II Franklin Delano Roosevelt saw the income tax as a way to vastly increase revenue, and initiated a policy of withholding from “all” wages and salaries, not just the highest incomes enjoyed by the rich. Rather than the rich paying the tax at the end of the year, the tax was collected at the payroll window before it was even due to be paid by the taxpayer. This style of collection shifted the tax from its original design as a tax on the wealthy to a tax on the masses, mostly on the middle class.

In addition to violating the original intent of Article I, Section 9, the income tax also opposes the 4th Amendment which requires that a citizen’s privacy be protected. An income tax enforced by the Internal Revenue Service violates the privacy of the home, business, personal papers and personal affairs of the private citizen. Since the tax is based on income, the IRS has the task of making sure everyone pays his fair share. This task is physically impossible without prying into the private papers, private business and personal affairs of the individual citizens.

More amazing than the birth of the 16th Amendment in the sense of how it was simply a political ploy that was never expected to be ratified, is the fact that there is evidence that the amendment was not fully ratified.

According to some researchers, the 16th Amendment was never properly ratified by the requisite three-fourths of the states. However, despite the failure of the States to fully ratify the amendment, Secretary of State Philander Knox fraudulently declared ratification. Some may suggest that he did so under the urgings of wealthy bankers like J.P. Morgan.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Constitution Radio with Douglas V. Gibbs: Does Obama's Downward Spiral for America Include Killing the 2nd Amendment, and Selling Arms to Terrorists?

Today at 2:00 pm Pacific Time on KCAA 1050 AM (KCAAradio.com live, podcast on our podcast page shortly after the program) we have a special guest, known by some as the attorney and former prosecutor that was fired after teaching the Constitution to TEA Party groups.  KrisAnne Hall's principles were stronger than her paycheck. In a recent article on her website, KrisAnne Hall alleges that the Federal government may be aiding and abetting terrorists within the United States. In April ATF made some peculiar changes in their form required for over the counter purchase of firearms, Form 4473, Firearms Transaction Record Part I- Over-the Counter. ATF requires firearm dealers to use this form for over the counter gun purchases and cites the reason for these changes to be an order by the Attorney General’s Office. These changes are stunning as they actually make it easier for transient aliens to purchase firearms than for US Citizens. Transient aliens will no longer be required to show any proof of residency and are not required to undergo the same rigorous background checks as citizens. What is the purpose of these changes you may ask? ATF asserts that these changes are necessary to prevent STATES from creating more stringent residency requirements on aliens than those of citizens, but she believes the evidence shows much more than that.

A disabled veteran of the US Army, a Russian linguist, a mother, a pastor's wife and a patriot, KrisAnne travels the country and teaches the Constitution and the history that gave us our founding documents.  She claims to not only teach the Constitution, but she lays the foundations that show how reliable and relevant our founding documents are today. KrisAnne presents the “genealogy” of the Constitution – the 700 year history and five foundational documents that are the very roots of American Liberty. One cannot properly understand or interpret the Constitution without a firm grasp of its very foundation.

KrisAnne claims that she connects the dots for you like no one else can! Nobody is teaching this. Not the 5000 year leap, not David Barton, not Heritage, not Hillsdale.

Obviously, she has never met me, Douglas V. Gibbs.

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She received her undergraduate degree in Bio-Chemistry from Blackburn College in 1991 and her J.D. from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law and is a former Russian Linguist for the US Army. KrisAnne worked for several years as a state prosecutor and two years with a prominent law firm defending religious liberty and first amendment rights. KrisAnne now resides in North Florida with her husband Chris (a pastor and former foreign language instructor for the US Navy) and her adopted son Colton.

She is the author of Not a Living Breathing Document: Reclaiming Our Constitution, and the DVD series The Roots of Liberty: The Historic Foundations of The Bill of Rights and Bedtime Stories for Budding Patriots and Essential Stories for Junior Patriots. Two books that inspired KrisAnne's love for our history were Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis and 1776 by David McCollough.

Awarded the Freedom Fighter award by Americans for Prosperity, the Certificate of Achievement from the Sons of the Revolution for her defense of Liberty, and Congressman James Blair Award for Defending the Constitution.

KrisAnne is an incredibly passionate speaker - a true Patrick Henry of our time. She speaks to audiences all across the country on Constitutional History, American Exceptionalism, and the Fight for Liberty. Her passion and enthusiasm is contagious and she is able to inspire any group. A steadfast warrior in the Tea Party battle.

After the interview stay tuned for Prying1Book's Book of the Week, and the Constitution Quest Question of the Week.

The final segment will then tackle the 5 Big Stories of the Week, with JASmius of the Hard Starboard Radio Network:

5 Big Stories of the Week, November 24, 2012

Honorable Mention: Obama Administration Behind Schedule Implementing Health Care Law


Honorable Mention: Terrorism Stopped in California


5.  Geithner calls for no debt limit


4.  James Clapper targeted as the Guy who removed “terrorist” talking points from Benghazi narrative



3.  Gaza Strip Cease Fire - Kind of. . .




2. Morsi Power Grab in Egypt


1. Thanksgiving

Constitution Radio Begins with American Daily Review

At 2:00 pm Pacific Constitution Radio with Douglas V. Gibbs begins broadcasting on KCAA 1050 AM, and kcaaradio.com, every Saturday.  However, you are missing half the show if you don't also tune in Online to American Daily Review at noontime.  On ADR, Doug and JASmius break down the stories more thoroughly, and provide the best conservative commentary on the air.

ADR Radio

Welcome to the pre-game show for Constitution Radio on the Political Pistachio Radio Network

Larry Hagman Dies at 81


'Dallas' star Larry Hagman dead at 81

The actor was known for playing one of American television's most supreme villains.

Death of the Republican Party, through moderation

By Douglas V. Gibbs

I used to say that of the members of Congress, the only decent politicians in the Halls of Congress were Rand Paul, and Allen West.  Allen West barely lost re-election on November 6, and Rand Paul has turned against his constitutional roots.  Rand, like the Republican Establishment, has been convinced that the GOP lost the presidential election because they were too conservative.  As a result, the republicans are toying with the idea of amnesty, raising taxes, and the legalization of marijuana.

The GOP believes the way to beat the opposition is to become more like the opposition.  If the Republican Party moderates, they will lose their base, and the party will go the way of the Whigs.

I am a Constitutionalist.  I am not a registered republican because I love the GOP, but because of the two parties, I believe (or should I say "believed") the Republican Party is the one most likely to be turned around.  However, with what is going on now among the upper ranks of the party, even I have now decided that the Party of Reagan may be too far gone to save.

As the nation collapses under the destructive policies of liberalism, the GOP is doomed to collapse for being willing to become an accomplice.

But not all is lost.

When the Federalists, and the Whigs, became no more than a footnote in history, another party emerged to take their place.  Each time the new party rose up to become a major force in Washington that worked to turn things around, back to the Constitution.

We are in for a rough ride.  Liberalism unleashed at the federal level will begin sending our nation in the same failed direction as Detroit, California, Greece (and Europe for that matter), the Soviet Union, and every other failed system that let government control, and massive spending, reach unsustainable levels.

The liberal democrats don't care if they destroy this nation, no more than the unions cared that they destroyed Hostess.  The liberal left hates conservatism, and this nation as it was founded.  They see the U.S. Constitution as a threat.  They will continue to work at destroying the Republican Party, not realizing that the GOP is committing suicide.

Signs of their continued attempts to dismantle the Republican Party surface regularly.  Rubio was asked how old he thinks the Earth is.  The liberal left is trying to ridicule anyone who clings to Christianity, which they believe will get the GOP to abandon their Christian base.  When the Bush tax rates expire, and they will let them expire, the democrats will blame the GOP for it, claiming that the rates expired because the Republicans refused to make a deal, making the democrats look like the tax cutters, even though the opposite is true.  The mythical war on women will continue to escalate.  The goal is for the democrats to neutralize the pro-life movement, and get the Republicans to abandon the abortion issue.

Voids must always be filled.  When the Republican Party dies, which will happen if the GOP continues to moderate, a new conservative party will rise up in its place.

I do not believe in forcing it, however.  Trying to force a third party into place will be more damaging than helpful.  We have to let the GOP die, and then at its funeral, like a Phoenix, enable conservatism to regain footing in America, and rise up as a new party that holds as its platform the United States Constitution.

I hope I am wrong. I hope the Republican Party recognizes the dangers, learns from them, and this gets them to change direction back towards the Constitution.  However, if I were a betting man, my money would be on the GOP cutting its own wrist in an attempt to save itself.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Top Republican Senator Ditching Norquist Anti-Tax Pledge - New York Post

Rand Paul Pushes an End to Drug War, Laxer Immigration Policy as Agenda for New Congress - The Blaze

The Folly of a Republican Embrace of Amnesty - The American Conservative

Allen West Loses Seat to Democrat Murphy - NewsMax

Labor Unions Kill the Goose that Laid Golden Eggs for Hostess Brands - Investor's Business Daily

Rush Limbaugh: Marco Rubio is Being Romneyed - Real Clear Politics

The Mandate to Raise Taxes on the Rich - Creators

Fiscal Cliff: President Obama uses weekly address to double down on the plan to tax rich more - Daily Mail Online

Constitution Study Radio - Myth #5 Article V. Convention


Douglas V Gibbs

25 Myths of the Constitution: Myth #5: A Con-Con (Article V. Convention) Would Allow The Constitution To Be Re-Written

Friday, November 23, 2012

Understanding the Text of the Constitution is Similar to Understanding the Text of the Bible - Article I, Section 2, House of Representatives "Inhabitant of the State in Which he shall be chosen"

By Douglas V. Gibbs

A few Thursdays ago in the Temecula Constitution Class that I lead one of the attendees, after I finished speaking on Article I, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, asked about the language regarding the requirements for becoming a Representative in the House of Representatives.  He explained that the way a section of the Constitution was worded, it made it look like it was saying the opposite of what I claimed it said.

The portion he was pointing out was where it says, ". . . who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."

The gentleman said to me that it sounded like, to him, that the wording said that Representatives should actually not be inhabitants of the States they represent.

The first response to any kind of inquiry like that must always be, "Read the entire clause."

Over a year ago a liberal left reader left an interesting comment that kind of proves my point about the importance of reading the entire section, and making sure that all of the text is examined in context.

Neurotic Tom wrote:

I'm no expert on the bible, but I thought there was a lot of incest described in it as well. Who was the biblical character that fornicated with his daughters? Of course, you believe the story of Noah's ark is literally true, and so there had to be a whole lot of incest going on after they hit dry land as well. Right? How did the world get repopulated 4 thousand years ago after the flood if it weren't for some hot daddy on daughter humping? I've never burned a bible because I consider it a waste of money to buy one to burn. Once you burn a book, you give the ideas contained in it more power. It's much better to just ignore it.. whether it is the OT, the NT, the Torah, the Koran, or any looney toon mystical tomb of the Magical Sky Wizard. It's all exactly the same made up hooey.. a con job of epic proportions, which does nothing but divide and enslave humanity. So Barnhardt received "death threats"? It's just like you, right Doug? You took your brave stand against islam by on Koran Burner Ann Barnhardt 

In the comment Tom refers to two Biblical events without fully understanding the whole story.  In his case, however, I can't just tell him to read the whole story, or Bible, first, because he won't.

Regarding his comment about Noah, Noah was not alone on the ark.  Along with Noah was his wife, his sons, and their wives.  Therefore, despite Tom's sexual yearnings for disgusting sexual situations (he is gay, after all, and so his whole lifestyle is about sexuality - it's like an addiction that he can't control), there was no "daddy on daughter" anything going on.  Tom's error reveals his ignorance about the Bible.

Which brings us to the initial part of  his comment on the Bible.  He referred to a situation, after admitting he is no expert on the Bible, where a biblical character fornicated with his daughters.  The story he is referring to is regarding Lot, and his two daughters, after fleeing the destruction of Sodom and Gamorrah.  Both cities were were destroyed for the evil immorality of those cities, which included homosexuality, and Lot's family was the only group of people in the city that had not succumbed to the abomination of sexual perversion.

Unable to let go of the lifestyle she was leaving behind, as the family fled from the cities that were in the process of being torched by fire and brimstone, Lot's wife looked back longingly at the destruction, and for her unrighteousness was turned to a pillar of salt.  Lot and his daughters continued, hiding nearby in a cave.  Fully convinced that the destruction was worldwide, Lot's daughters, concerned about repopulating the Earth, but knowing that Lot would never willingly defile his daughters, got their father drunk so as to have intercourse with him.

That section of the Bible is merely history, and it not literal doctrine.  In other words, the story does not suggest that the Bible supports incestuous relations, as Tom is suggesting.  The majority of the Bible is recorded history, making the Bible more of a history book than anything, and those portions are not doctrinal in a way a piece of religious literature like the Koran is.

Those who do not understand the Bible cannot comprehend the historical nature of the Bible, or how to recognize what is historical text, what is doctrinal teachings, what is prophecy, and so on and so forth.  One has to read the Bible with the proper mindset, while understanding the context being presented, in order to properly recognize what the Bible is truly saying.

That gets us back to the Constitution.  In many ways, the text of the Constitution is the same.  One cannot take a small portion of the text and then interpret it to mean something. Doing that caused one of the attendees of my Constitution Class to think that Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution was saying the opposite of what it was.

The clause in question, which made him think it was saying that a person is expected not to be an inhabitant of the State in which they are to represent, is a part of a much larger clause, which begins with the words "No person."  The clause is designed to explain the exclusive qualifications that must be met to serve in the House of Representatives.  The words "No person" constitute the initial subject of the sentence, and applies to both parts of the clause.  So, eliminating the first part of the clause, the clause could very well read, "No Person. . . shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."

"No Person. . . who shall not," with the pair of negatives, could as easily read, "All Persons. . . shall, when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."

On a side note, notice that the Constitution does not require that the representative be a resident of the district in which he represents.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

The Tree of Liberty; Madison and Jefferson

"The eyes of the world being thus on our Country, it is put the more on its good behavior, and under the greater obligation also, to do justice to the Tree of Liberty by an exhibition of the fine fruits we gather from it." --James Madison, letter to James Monroe, 1824

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure." --Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, Paris, 13 Nov. 1787

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Obama's Federal Government Behind Schedule Implementing Health Care Law

By Douglas V. Gibbs

For a law of nearly 3,000 pages, the Affordable Care Act was poorly written.  Since the law was thrown together in a manner aimed at appeasing special interests, the Health Care law itself has been an obstacle in its own implementation. With the avalanche of new regulations on the horizon, conveniently hidden from the American People (remember, Pelosi said we had to pass it to know what was in it), the stifling impact of the regulations coming that will kill jobs, plunge our economy into turmoil, and turn this nation into a totalitarian state is eclipsed only by the absolute chaos that accompanies the attempt by the federal government to implement this monstrosity. As a result of the complexity of the bill, the inconsistencies of the bill, and the massive onslaught of mandates and regulations, the Obama administration is well behind their own self-imposed schedule of implementing the law.  This failure is yet another clear indicator that the federal government is willing to push through as quickly as possible, regardless of how inept, Obamacare, not because they believe in the law so much, but because it is their intention to destroy the private market health care system.

The regulations coming in January of 2013 will influence every single business in America. The destructive nature of these regulations has businesses scrambling for cover, to change their workforce from full-time to part-time to minimize the impact of Obamacare on their businesses.  In the law there is even 18-pages designated to define what a full-time employee is. What this tells us is that Obamacare is not so much about health care as it is about instituting a collective controlling mechanism that will enable the federal government to control individual decisions across the board.

The regulations and mandates are akin to similar big government plans in history in other governments, and each time they equaled totalitarianism once fully in place.

To move towards the golden calf of single-payer, a system where the government is the sole funding agent of health care, all competing payers must be eliminated.  Therefore, the first goal of Obamacare is to destroy the private sector, and then re-engineer the health care system.  The thousands of pages of regulations dictate to the private system rules that they can't possibly survive under.  The maze of new regulations forces the hand of the private sector, pushing companies to operate in a manner damaging to business.  One by one the insurance companies will fall, leaving alone, as the only option for health care, the Affordable Care Act.

The programs are set to begin in 2014, while the taxes and regulations go into effect this January.  The goal is to initiate the private industry's destruction for a year before the Obamacare programs actually go into action.  However, the complexity of Obamacare has the administration way behind schedule.

The delay was also largely affected by the election, because the administration wanted to wait until after the election before the early vestiges of the damaging onslaught of regulations went into play.  If launched too early, the rules that would surely be considered controversial, and possibly negatively influence the President's chances for re-election.

As employers scramble with a team of lawyers to survive the implementation of Obamacare, instituting plans to cut hours, and let a number of employees go, between the loss of employee hours and the cost of the fines imposed by the federal government, some companies will go out of business altogether with their profit margins wiped out by the intrusive law.

An obstacle to the federal government implementing the health care law is the creation of the exchanges that are required by Obamacare, which will be used to begin enrolling members on October 1, 2013.  The States are required to set up the exchanges, but if they don't, the responsibility falls upon the federal government in each of those States.  However, the way the law is written, there is no funding mechanism which enables the federal government to follow through with the creation of exchanges. Also, there is not enough information regarding the framework of these exchanges, so many States are hesitating simply due to the lack of information.  The Republican Governors Association even went so far as writing a letter to the Obama administration last July, which stated, “As the exchange issue is currently interpreted, states are essentially being tasked with shouldering all the responsibility without any authority.”  The letter posed a number of questions on how the exchanges were supposed to be designed, and the governors were hesitant in implementing exchanges in their States without having the "full and complete knowledge of all the implications of our decision.”

The governors, so far, have received no reply.

With the re-election of Barack Obama into the White House, however, there is no doubt that the implementation of the law, despite the failing time clock, and the obtrusive nature of the law, is forthcoming.  The republicans in the House of Representatives may be able to delay the move with defunding strategies, but we stand at the doorstep of the ultimate destruction of the private health care industry, and the creation of a single-payer system in America where the federal government is the sole funding agent for health care, and in turn the sole controlling entity over any and all actions and activities by individuals considered by the government an influence on their health.

Hope, however, is not lost.  Not only is it possible for Obamacare to collapse under the weight of its own complexity as it attempts to re-engineer one-sixth of our economy into a totalitarian system of health care, but also the States have not fired their final round.  Though Barack Obama won the presidential election, in local elections around the country the republicans were the landslide winners.  As these local governments continue to turn red, and the number of republican governors increases, the likelihood that the States will exercise their constitutional authority to nullify the unconstitutional Obamacare law increases.  And if more than half of the States refuse to fully implement the Affordable Care Act, it will neutralize the powers of the federal government through the health care law, while emboldening the States to continue to take charge, and take control, of their rightful place as sovereign States, and the final arbiters of the United States Constitution.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary




Medicaid and Exchange Letter - Republican Governors Public Policy Committee