Category Archives: Civil rights

Duty, MA Senate race, Scott Brown, Massachusetts National Guard, Lt. Colonel, Judge Advocate Generals, JAG, Army Commendation Medal, meritorious service in homeland security, MA state senator, Help elect Scott Brown

Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”…Robert E. Lee

I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty;
I woke, and found that life was Duty.
Was thy dream then a shadowy lie?
Toil on, sad heart, courageously,
And thou shalt find thy dream to be
A noonday light and truth to thee…Ellen Stugis Hooper

I was discussing politics, the internet and news reporting during the past several years with an older friend of mine yesterday. The word and concept of duty came up and I was instantly reminded of one of my favorte quotes spoken by Kathryn Hepburn in the movie “Rooster Cogburn”, one of my favorite movies.

Scott Brown is running for US Senator from MA. Scott Brown is a fine example of living a life of duty.
From the Scott Brown for US Senate website.
“Senator Brown is a proud member of the Massachusetts National Guard, where he has served for nearly three decades and currently holds the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. Brown was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service in homeland security following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. His career in public service began as selectman in Wrentham. He then went on to serve three terms as a State Representative and won his current State Senate seat in a special election in 2004. He is currently in his third Senate term.
 
In 2004, Senator Brown received the  Public Servant of the Year Award from the United Chamber of Commerce for his leadership in reforming the state’s sex offender laws and protecting the rights of victims. He has also been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) for his work in creating an environment that encourages job growth and expansion in Massachusetts.”

We all have important duties to fulfill. Certainly, voting is one of them. We must do more than simply voting ourselves. We must stay involved, stay informed and encourage others to do the same. We must help elect Scott Brown for the good of the country and the good of the citizens of MA.
Six degrees of separation

“Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. ”

Contact everyone you know, ask them to do the same and contact people in MA. Urge them to vote for Scott Brown. Let them know we are beside them.

Scott Brown, MA senate race poll, January 15, 2010, Suffolk University 7News poll, Poll shocker Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race, Opposition to Democratic health care reform

From the Boston herald, January 15, 2010.

“Poll shocker: Scott Brown surges ahead in Senate race”

“Riding a wave of opposition to Democratic health-care reform, GOP upstart Scott Brown is leading in the U.S. Senate race, raising the odds of a historic upset that would reverberate all the way to the White House, a new poll shows.

Although Brown’s 4-point lead over Democrat Martha Coakley is within the Suffolk University/7News survey’s margin of error, the underdog’s position at the top of the results stunned even pollster David Paleologos.

“It’s a Brown-out,” said Paleologos, director of Suffolk’s Political Research Center. “It’s a massive change in the political landscape.”

The poll shows Brown, a state senator from Wrentham, besting Coakley, the state’s attorney general, by 50 percent to 46 percent, the first major survey to show Brown in the lead. Unenrolled long-shot Joseph L. Kennedy, an information technology executive with no relation to the famous family, gets 3 percent of the vote. Only 1 percent of voters were undecided.

Paleologos said bellweather models show high numbers of independent voters turning out on election day, which benefits Brown, who has 65 percent of that bloc compared to Coakley’s 30 percent. Kennedy earns just 3 percent of the independent vote, and 1 percent are undecided.

Given the 4.4-point margin of error, the poll shows Coakley could win the race, Paleologos said. But if Brown’s momentum holds, he is poised to succeed the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy – and to halt health-care reform, the issue the late senator dubbed “the cause of my life.”

Yet even in the bluest state, it appears Kennedy’s quest for universal health care has fallen out of favor, with 51 percent of voters saying they oppose the “national near-universal health-care package” and 61 percent saying they believe the government cannot afford to pay for it.

The poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, surveyed 500 registered likely voters who knew the date of Tuesday’s election. It shows Brown leading all regions of the state except Suffolk County.

“Either Brown’s momentum accelerates and his lead widens, or this becomes a wake-up call for Coakley to become the ‘Comeback Kid’ this weekend,” Paleologos said.

And with 99 percent having made up their minds, voters may be hard to persuade.

The poll surveyed a carefully partitioned electorate meant to match voter turnout: 39 percent Democrat, 15 percent Republican and 45 percent unenrolled.”

Read more:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view.bg?articleid=1225720&format=text

 

Scott Brown ahead in Poll, January 15, 2010, Suffolk University Poll, News 7 Boston

Citizen Wells letter to citizens of MA, The shot heard round the world, Scott Brown, Big government tyranny, NC and MA common bond, thirteen original colonies, American Revolution, Lives Fortunes and Sacred Honor

To: The citizens of Massachusetts

From: Citizen Wells, citizens of NC and citizens of America.

Massachusetts and North Carolina were 2 of the thirteen original colonies. We share common ancestry, common roots in the formation of this country and common bonds that continue to this day. My ancestors, English, Scots/Irish and German were living in NC prior to the American Revolution. When word of “the shot heard round the world” from Concord, MA reached the good people of NC, they were outraged.

In August 14, 1775, they responded. My ancestor, John Wells, was one of the signers.
The Tryon Resolves
“The unprecedented, barbarous and bloody actions committed by British troops on our American brethren near Boston, on 19th April and 20th of May last, together with the hostile operations and treacherous designs now carrying on, by the tools of ministerial vengeance, for the subjugation of all British America, suggest to us the painful necessity of having recourse to arms in defense of our National freedom and constitutional rights, against all invasions; and at the same time do solemnly engage to take up arms and risk our lives and our fortunes in maintaining the freedom of our country whenever the wisdom and counsel of the Continental Congress or our Provincial Convention shall declare it necessary; and this engagement we will continue in for the preservation of those rights and liberties which the principals of our Constitution and the laws of God, nature and nations have made it our duty to defend. We therefore, the subscribers, freeholders and inhabitants of Tryon County, do here by faithfully unite ourselves under the most solemn ties of religion, honor and love to our county, firmly to resist force by force, and hold sacred till a reconciliation shall take place between Great Britain and America on Constitutional principals, which we most ardently desire, and do firmly agree to hold all such persons as inimical to the liberties of America who shall refuse to sign this association.”
On September 14, 1775 many of the signers formed the Tryon County Militia in preparation for British retaliation against the American colonists.
In the spirit of their Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor commitment of our ancestors, we are asking you to once again, fire “the shot heard round the world.” Stand up to big government and send a clear signal that once again we will no longer tolerate tyranny. Vote for Scott Brown.
This exceptional video explains our plea.

Thanks to commenter SueK

ALIPAC Endorses Scott Brown for US Senate, Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee, January 13, 2010,Illegal immigration, Martha Coakley supports for Amnesty for illegal aliens

From NewsWire.com, January 13, 2010.

“ALIPAC Endorses Scott Brown for US Senate”

“Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC) is endorsing Scott Brown for US Senate today due to his campaign’s focus on the issue of the illegal immigration and his opponent Martha Coakley’s support for Amnesty for illegal aliens.
ALIPAC is one of the nation’s largest multi-ethnic and non-partisan grassroots organizations dedicated to opposing illegal immigration and amnesty for illegals, while supporting the enforcement of America’s existing immigration laws and borders.
“Scott Brown has publicly stated he opposes Amnesty for illegal aliens while Coakley has state she supports Amnesty,” said William Gheen President of ALIPAC. “His vote in opposition to Amnesty will be needed in a few weeks as President Obama, with Democrats in the Senate and House, and a handful of misguided Republicans attempt to pass new Amnesty legislation.”
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty legislation was defeated in 2006 and 2007 due to massive public opposition, which collapsed the Washington, DC phone systems connected to the offices of lawmakers. Certified scientific polls continue to show that 66-80% of Americans support immigration enforcement, instead of a “path to citizenship” for illegal aliens.
Amnesty legislation was filed in the US House on December 12, with 91 Democrat cosponsors lead by Congressman Luis Gutierrez supporting the bill. The legislation would legalize over 12 million illegal aliens currently in the US, increase current hyper legal immigration levels, and turn immigration regulating efforts over to big business. Democrats in the US Senate are working with a few Republicans in an attempt to file similar legislation in the Senate this month.
Scott Brown’s Democratic opponent, Martha Coakley, has clearly stated she supports Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty.”

Read more:

http://www.mmdnewswire.com/scott-brown-6679.html

Scott Brown, Martha Coakley, Joseph Kennedy debate, January 11, 2010, MA Senate debate, Boston.com

From Boston.com, January 11, 2010.

Debate begins at 7:00PM EST 

 

“The US Senate debate

The US Senate candidates from Massachusetts: Democrat Martha Coakley, Republican Scott Brown, and Independent Joseph L. Kennedy, are facing off in a final debate tonight. Watch and discuss as the debate unfolds live.”

Thanks to Phil of the Right Side of Life.

http://www.therightsideoflife.com

Government control of our lives, Health Care Bill, Larry Sinclair, Social Security Administration, Obama, Biden, Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder, We pay, They control

“There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware” 

“Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line,
the man come and take you away”… “For what it’s worth”  Buffalo Springfield

 

Larry Sinclair is being controlled by the Social Security Administration again. Even if Sinclair was not a threat to the Obama Administration, he would still be at the mercy of government bureaucrats. I know about this first hand and will report on this in the near future. This is the spectre of Government run health care. We pay and they control.
The paperback version of Larry Sinclair’s book is now available. Get your copy of only 1000 Signed/Numbered copies of the Paperback edition of “Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder.”
http://www.larrysinclair.com/
Perhaps some of you were more skeptical of Larry Sinclair’s story a year ago. Anyone paying attention should find Sinclair’s story very plausible now.
Here is Larry Sinclair’s latest encounter with the Social Security Administration.

“Social Security Administration used again to Harass & Intimidate Larry Sinclair: Instant Replay of Joe Biden’s Abuse of  Office and mis-use of SSA in 2008.

I have been ill for the past few days and only today felt well enough to go check my mail. In my mail box was a letter from Alvin L. Crummell, District Manager for Social Security Administration.

I have been ordered to appear at the Social Security Office “before January 14, 2010…” for, “…We need to review your SSI record in order to determine that you continue to be eligible to receive benefits.”

I will appear at the office tomorrow, January 11, 2010 (the letter is dated January 8, 2010) with camera and digital voice recorder in hand. I will record the entire meeting which I have every right to do (and will do so for my own protection.)

I believe it is interesting that Social Security wants to now “review” the record when my physical condition has continued to worsen because Medicaid and University of Florida/Shands Jacksonville refuse to perform procedures requested by Doctors.

This “review” and letter is nothing more than an attempt to harass and intimidate me because I refuse to shut up and continue to push Barack Obama to come clean. This never ending harassment by the White House, DCCC and Obama idiots would have made a weaker person go postal already. Well the continued picking at this sore is only going to cause it to fester until the puss explodes. Keep picking!

These continued tactics for more than 2 years now should make people finally realize, I Larry Sinclair have been telling the TRUTH all along and the Obama administration and the DCCC know it.

I will be sending a fax to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Rahm Emmanuel and David Axelrod at the White House tomorrow making it clear  I will devote every minute of my life to destroying Barack Obama if these back door tactics are not stopped immediately and the gutless, lying coward does not man up and either admit or deny my claims against him.  I have already called Rahm Emmanuel’s office at 202-456-6798 and will do so when he is in tomorrow to make it clear to him I will not be threatened, harassed or intimidated any longer by the White House and its cowardly lions. Feel free to contact these Chicago Thugs and call them out.  Barack Obama and Michelle Obama know the contents of, “Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder” are true and that is the only reason Obama and his funky flunkies Axelrod, Emmanuel, Biden and others continue to illegally use the IRS, Social Security and other agencies to continue to come after me. They failed with their false claim of Blackmail during the campaign, they failed when then Senator Biden made false statements to SSA in June of 2008, and they will fail this time as well.”
Read more from Larry Sinclair:

 
http://www.larrysinclair.com/

Scott Brown election certification delayed for Health Care Bill vote?, Nancy Pelosi swore in Bill Owens early, Niki Tsongas precedent, William Francis Galvin, MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, State Ethics Committee, MA Election statutes

Scott Brown’s election certification will be delayed to allow temporary Senator Paul Kirk to vote for the Health Care Bill. Sound familiar? Nancy Pelosi did just the opposite in November 2009, to allow just elected Representative Bill Owens to vote for the House version of the Health Care Bill.

Reported here yesterday, January 9, 2010.
“From The Boston Herald, January 9, 2010.
“Scott Brown swearing-in would be stalled to pass health-care reform”
“It looks like the fix is in on national health-care reform – and it all may unfold on Beacon Hill.
The longtime aide and confidant of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was handpicked by Gov. Deval Patrick after a controversial legal change to hold Kennedy’s seat, vowed to vote for the bill even if Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, who opposes the health-care reform legislation, prevails in a Jan. 19 special election.”
MA Democrats will delay Scott Brown’s certification

Nancy Pelosi chicanery from November 12, 2009

“John Charlton of The Post & Email just brought a breaking story to our attention.

“It looks increasingly that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in her zeal to get the Health Care Federalization Bill passed, may have sworn in an unelected candidate for the NY-23 Congressional District, in violation of the U.S. Constitution and New York State laws.

As a matter of fact, the Secretary of State of New York has not certified the election, in which Dough Hoffman and Bill Owens vied in a special election, nearly head to head, after Scozzafava retired in humiliation, having lost the support of conservatives in her district.”
“It turns out that Pelosi’s swearing-in of Owens had the political effect of garnering the addition Republican vote, of Cao, in the vote for the Health Care Bill, which passed narrowly, 220-215.  The election fraud therefore puts in doubt the legitimacy of that vote also.””
Nancy Pelosi swears in Bill Owens before he is certified

On November 19, 2009 we learn of election night irregularities and voting machine viruses

“We already knew there were election night irregularities in the New York District 23 congressional race between Doug Hoffman and Bill Owens and that Nancy Pelosi prematurely certified Owens as the winner. Now we find out that some of the voting machines had computer viruses.

From The Gouverneur Times, November 19, 2009.

“VIRUS in the VOTING MACHINES: Tainted Results in NY-23″””
New York voting machines had viruses

The Democrats have a history of using the voting process not as it was intended, to echo the will of the people, but to further their own agenda.

From CBS News, October 17, 2007.
“Niki Tsongas Wins U.S. House Race”
“Tsongas said Wednesday that she expected to be sworn in on Thursday, and was eager to participate in the House vote scheduled for that day to override President Bush’s veto of expanded funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance program.”

Read more:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/17/politics/main3376886.shtml?source=related_story
From Fox News, October 18, 2007.
“Massachusetts Democrat Niki Tsongas Sworn In as Congresswoman”
“Shortly after being sworn in to the seat her late husband Paul Tsongas held in the 1970s, she joined her Massachusetts colleagues in voting to override President Bush’s veto of a bill that would have expanded the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. The effort failed by 13 votes.”

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303180,00.html

Here is a recent letter addressed to John Kerry, Niki Tsongas and Paul Kirk.

“Are Massachusetts Democrats planning to obstruct the voice of the people?

To:
Sen. John Kerry
Rep. Niki Tsongas
Sen. Paul Kirk

January 9, 2010

I read in today’s Boston Herald that the Massachusetts Democrat organization is now planning to delay the certification of the January 19th election to keep Scott Brown out of the Senate until a health reform bill can be rushed through Congress.

This is unacceptable and I hope that you will take a strong stand AGAINST it.

When Sen Brown wins the election, the people will have spoken, and their voice must be heard, not stifled underneath layers of obstruction.

Rep Tsongas was voting in Washington ONE DAY after winning her special election.

So why is Massachusetts Sec. of State Galvin’s office saying that they will not certify the Jan 19 election for 10 days because that is the rule for ALL special elections?

This is CLEARLY NOT TRUE.”

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?letter_id=4500181596

From the Massachusetts Election Statutes

“PART I. ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
TITLE VIII. ELECTIONS”

“CHAPTER 50. GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATIVE TO PRIMARIES, CAUCUSES AND ELECTIONS
DETERMINATION OF RESULTS
Chapter 50: Section 2. Results of election; determination
Section 2. In elections, the person receiving the highest number of votes for an office shall be deemed and declared to be elected to such office; and if two or more are to be elected to the same office, the several persons, to the number to be chosen to such office, receiving the highest number of votes, shall be deemed and declared to be elected; but persons receiving the same number of votes shall not be deemed to be elected if thereby a greater number would be elected than are to be chosen. Except as otherwise provided, this section shall apply to all nominations and elections by ballot at primaries or caucuses. Nothing herein shall derogate from the provisions of chapter fifty-four A.”

“CHAPTER 56. VIOLATIONS OF ELECTION LAWS
PENALTIES ON OFFICERS FOR OFFENCES IN THE CONDUCT OF PRIMARIES, CAUCUSES, CONVENTIONS AND ELECTIONS
Chapter 56: Section 12. Misconduct of officers; failure to perform duties
Section 12. An officer of a primary, caucus or convention who knowingly makes any false count of ballots or votes, or makes a false statement or declaration of the result of a ballot or vote, or knowingly refuses to receive any ballot offered by a person qualified to vote at such primary, caucus or convention, or wilfully alters, defaces or destroys any ballot cast, or voting list used thereat, before the requirements of law have been complied with, or refuses or wilfully fails to receive any written request made as thereby required, or refuses or wilfully fails to perform any duty or obligation imposed thereby shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months.”

Election Day Legal Summary by William Francis Galvin, MA Secretary of the Commonwealth

“Counting Votes
The process of counting the ballots differs depending on the type of voting equipment used. However, the basic requirements are the same. The clerk must record the final register number on the ballot box. G. L. c. 54, §§ 105, 105A (1998 ed.). A count must be made of the voters on both the check in and check out lists, and the voting lists must thereafter be sealed in an envelope. Id.; see also G. L. c. 54, § 107 (1998 ed.) (procedure for sealing voting lists and ballots; applicable to all of the materials required to be sealed as indicated below). The escrow ballots must be counted, placed in an envelope, the number placed on the outside of the envelope, and the envelope must then be sealed. G. L. c. 54, §§ 105, 105A (1998 ed.).
The election officers shall canvass and count the ballots if paper ballots are used, and otherwise, the election officers shall read the vote totals from the counting device after the polls close, either by a printer mechanism or otherwise. G. L. c. 54, §§ 105, 105A (1998 ed.). The ballots not able to be read by the machines must be hand counted. Id. Election officers may not hold a pen or any other kind of marking device during the counting of the ballots, except for the person actually recorded the votes. G. L. c. 54, § 80 (1998 ed.). Furthermore, such election officials may only use red pencils or red ink to record or tabulate votes. Id. For the purpose of ascertaining the results of a state election, city election, or a town election where official ballots are used, or of question submitted to the voters, the election officials must use the blank forms and apparatus provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. G. L. c. 54, § 104 (1998 ed.).
The unused and spoiled ballots must also be counted, placed in a container under seal, and the clerk must record the numbers. G. L. c. 54, §§ 105, 105A (1998 ed.). The counted ballots are placed into a designated container, which is then sealed a certificate is affixed thereto stating that only ballots cast and no other ballots are contained therein. Id. The total tally sheets are placed in an envelope, sealed, and the warden and clerk also sign the outside of the envelope. Id. In communities using a central tabulation facility, the ballots will then be transported thereto, and then transmitted to the city or town clerk who must retain them in a secure location. G. L. c. 54, § 105A (1998 ed.). In all other communities, the sealed envelopes and containers will be returned directly to the city or town clerk who must retain them in a secure location. G. L. c. 54, §§ 105, 105A (1998 ed.).”

http://www.medford.org/Pages/MedfordMA_BComm/ELECTIONSummary.pdf

From the MA State Ethics Committee

“Section 23 contains standards of conduct applicable to all public employees.” 
 
“Political Activity
Section 23(b)(2) provides that a public employee may not use his official position to secure unwarranted privileges or exemptions of substantial value for himself or others.  This prohibition has been applied by the Commission to restrict a number of political activities involving, for example, campaign use of public resources, campaigning on the job, and certain types of solicitation and fundraising.”

“Section 23(b)(3)  Appearances of a Conflict of Interest”
“Section 23(b)(3) prohibits a public employee from knowingly, or with reason to know, engaging in conduct which would cause a reasonable person to conclude that any person or entity can improperly influence the employee or unduly enjoy his favor in the performance of his official duties, or that he is likely to act or fail to act as a result of kinship, rank, or position of any person.
For example, issues may arise under this section if a matter involving a non-immediate family relative, a close friend or business associate, or a civic organization in which a public employee is a member comes before the public employee in his official capacity, even if the public employee is not otherwise required to abstain under G.L. c. 268A, sections 6, 13 or 19.  The public employee’s private relationship with such an individual or organization creates an impression that he could be biased in his official actions as a result of the private relationship.”

“Supplemental provisions; standards of conduct.”
“Section 23. (a) In addition to the other provisions of this chapter, and in supplement thereto, standards of conduct, as hereinafter set forth, are hereby established for all state, county and municipal employees.”
“(3) act in a manner which would cause a reasonable person, having knowledge of the relevant circumstances, to conclude that any person can improperly influence or unduly enjoy his favor in the performance of his official duties, or that he is likely to act or fail to act as a result of kinship, rank, position or undue influence of any party or person. It shall be unreasonable to so conclude if such officer or employee has disclosed in writing to his appointing authority or, if no appointing authority exists, discloses in a manner which is public in nature, the facts which would otherwise lead to such a conclusion;”

 http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=ethhomepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Ieth
William Francis Galvin, MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, is responsible for elections

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/Ele/elespeif/senatorincongressma.htm

Given the MA statutes, state ethics laws and the precedent of swearing in Representative Niki Tsongas one day after the election, the Democrats have a major problem trying to perpetrate another illegal act, especially after they have advertised it ahead of time. 

Scott Brown, election certification delayed, Paul Kirk, Deval Patrick, MA, Health care bill, Ted Kennedy, Sean Hannity, Fox, Senator, Senate election, Boston Herald, Democrat Party chicanery

The Scott Brown senate race against MA Attorney General Martha Coakley is tight and MA and national Democrats such as Harry Reid are beginning to sweat. Paul Kirk, the temporary senator who replaced Ted Kennedy, has stated he will vote for the Health Care Bill. I have stated on numerous occasions that I can not comprehend how any concerned, informed and patriotic American can support the modern day Democrat Party. The following report is one of many examples of why I hold this belief.
From The Boston Herald, January 9, 2010.
“Scott Brown swearing-in would be stalled to pass health-care reform”
“It looks like the fix is in on national health-care reform – and it all may unfold on Beacon Hill.

At a business forum in Boston Friday, interim Sen. Paul Kirk predicted that Congress would pass a health-care reform bill this month.

“We want to get this resolved before President Obama’s State of the Union address in early to mid-February,” Kirk told reporters at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast.

The longtime aide and confidant of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who was handpicked by Gov. Deval Patrick after a controversial legal change to hold Kennedy’s seat, vowed to vote for the bill even if Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, who opposes the health-care reform legislation, prevails in a Jan. 19 special election.”

“But if Brown wins, the entire national health-care reform debate may hinge on when he takes over as senator. Brown has vowed to be the crucial 41st vote in the Senate that would block the bill.

The U.S. Senate ultimately will schedule the swearing-in of Kirk’s successor, but not until the state certifies the election.”

“Friday, Brown, who has been closing the gap with Coakley in polls and fund raising, blasted the political double standard.

“This is a stunning admission by Paul Kirk and the Beacon Hill political machine,” said Brown in a statement. “Paul Kirk appears to be suggesting that he, Deval Patrick, and (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid intend to stall the election certification until the health care bill is rammed through Congress, even if that means defying the will of the people of Massachusetts. As we’ve already seen from the backroom deals and kickbacks cut by the Democrats in Washington, they intend to do anything and everything to pass their controversial health care plan. But threatening to ignore the results of a free election and steal this Senate vote from the people of Massachusetts takes their schemes to a whole new level. Martha Coakley should immediately disavow this threat from one of her campaign’s leading supporters.””

Read more:

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/view.bg?articleid=1224249
Scott Brown was interviewed by Sean Hannity on Fox, January 8, 2010.

Look for more articles about this Democrat Party chicanery and Scott Brown soon.

NPR insults Tea Party Movement, National Public Radio insults Americans, Learn to speak Tea Bag, Ellen Weiss, Cartoon is staying up, NPR values, civility and civil discourse, Alicia C. Shepard

Many years ago I listened to NPR and Rush Limbaugh. I considered that a balanced approach to getting information. There were many decent shows on NPR (National Public Radio), my favorite being “Car Talk.” In the early nineties some of the NPR shows would slip in what I considered elitist, condescending comments about politicians and those of differing political opinions, but it generally did not get out of hand. I began listening less and less to NPR because a trend developed of increasing elitist comments, “we know more than you do.”

Recently NPR crossed over the line with a wholesale attack on average, hard working, patriotic Americans. The following was posted here, January 5, 2010.

“NPR Shows Everyone How to Speak ‘Tea Bag’… with OUR Money”
“Prominently displayed on the National Public Radio (NPR) web site is a new cartoon titled, “Learn To Speak Tea Bag.” Of course, Tea Party activists don’t ever use the term “tea bag,” a phrase that refers to a sexual act and which has been used by the media to demean the entire tea party movement.”
NPR insults hard working, concerned, patriotic Americans

Apparently NPR, in lock step with their kindred spirits Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama, is so out of touch with reality that they believe the Tea Party Movement is composed of a bunch of Right Wing extremists. Nothing  could be further from the truth. And this attitude comes from an organization that claims to present the news.
To add insult to injury, NPR has come out with a response. This response is no apology. The first part is an attempt by
Alicia C. Shepard to diffuse the controversy. The last part reveals the attitude of NPR management.
From the NPR ombudsman, Alicia C. Shepard, January 8, 2010.
“Loud Protests on NPR’s ‘Tea Party’ Cartoon”
“When the “Learn to Speak Tea Bag” cartoon making fun of “Tea Party” activists was published on Nov.12, there were 5 comments. By 6 p.m. this past Monday, there were 258. By Wednesday night, over 1,100 people had commented and it was still the most-recommended link on NPR’s web site. On Monday and Tuesday, calls came in every 10 minutes. Over 300 wrote to me — most of them angry.

The 90-second animation, which creator Mark Fiore calls satire, rather summarily dismisses participants in the Tea Party movement as inarticulate, paranoid bumblers. The video “teaches” the viewer to speak conversational “tea bag.”
Moderator: Finally, learning a new language doesn’t have to be hard. You can be fluent in conversational tea bag in just a few short minutes. Lesson one: Don’t get distracted by the confusing words of other languages.
Character: I think the public option and the competition it would foster would really — socialist, socialist.
Moderator: Good, very good. Lesson two: If you’re having trouble understanding the words of others or being understood yourself, use teabag’s stronger, more descriptive words.

Character: “Nazi, Nazi, Nazi.”

It’s actually not that funny — especially to those on the right, including members of the Tea Party movement, which is populated by passionate Americans who don’t like the direction President Obama is taking the country.

“The cartoon is a perfect caricature of what NPR looks like to conservatives: liberals snidely imagining conservatives to be monosyllabic clods who can’t make an argument beyond name-calling,” said Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the conservative Media Research Center. “Conservatism is ‘satirized’ into a form of political retardation.””

“That said, there are problems with the Tea Bag animation. Chief among them is it doesn’t fit with NPR values, one of which is a belief in civility and civil discourse.

Fiore is talented, but this cartoon is just a mean-spirited attack on people who think differently than he does and doesn’t broaden the debate. It engages in the same kind of name-calling the cartoon supposedly mocks.”

“There will be no apology and Fiore’s cartoon is staying up, said Ellen Weiss, senior vice president for news. “Opinion and satire are going to sting some members of the audience and soothe others,” she said, noting NPR has received some positive feedback. “This one satire is not the only coverage on the topic and while it offends some members of the audience, I see no reason to remove it.””
Read more:

http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2010/01/loud_protests_on_nprs_tea_part_1.html
This goes way beyond opinion and satire. As Alicia C. Shepard stated,

“That said, there are problems with the Tea Bag animation. Chief among them is it doesn’t fit with NPR values, one of which is a belief in civility and civil discourse.

Fiore is talented, but this cartoon is just a mean-spirited attack on people who think differently than he does and doesn’t broaden the debate. It engages in the same kind of name-calling the cartoon supposedly mocks.”
Ellen Weiss, senior vice president of NPR stated “There will be no apology and Fiore’s cartoon is staying up.”
If you are currently contributing to NPR, perhaps you should contact Ellen Weiss and reevaluate your donation.

Al Franken, MN senate election, Minnesota judge declares uncounted absentee ballots open to public inspection, January 8, 2010, Norm Coleman Republican opponent, Recount and court battle 312 votes

The MN senate race between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman smelled from start to finish. Recounts and a court decision handed Al Franken the senate seat with a margin of 312 votes.

From the Star Tribune, January 6, 2010.

“Minn. judge grants access to rejected ’08 ballots”

“ST. PAUL, Minn. – Six months after Democrat Al Franken tardily joined the U.S. Senate, a Minnesota judge has declared that uncounted absentee ballots from the drawn-out 2008 election should be open to public inspection.
The New Year’s Eve ruling from Ramsey County Judge Dale Lindman granted a media outlet’s request to inspect absentee ballots rejected as flawed, potentially giving a new glimpse into a Senate race that stretched well into 2009. Franken outlasted Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in a recount and court battle and won by 312 votes.
The ruling has its limitations and could be appealed. And there doesn’t appear to be any legal avenue for Coleman to change the election’s outcome.
For now, the decision applies only to Ramsey County, Minnesota’s second most populous. KSTP-TV and other Hubbard Broadcasting Corp. affiliates sued for access to the ballots there and have begun the legal process in Douglas, Olmsted and St. Louis counties, said Mark Anfinson, an attorney for the stations. No political interest is a party to the lawsuit.
Anfinson said he hopes Minnesota’s other 86 counties voluntarily defer to Lindman’s ruling. The goal of the ballot examination is to fully understand what worked and what didn’t in Minnesota’s election so policymakers can consider law changes, he said.
But even if as many as 10,000 uncounted ballots are eventually opened, it won’t be as simple as adding to each candidate’s tally.
“There’s no doubt that under any scheme of absentee ballot regulation some of those would be rejected,” Anfinson said. “There’s considerable effort that’s going to have to be invested in understanding why certain ballots weren’t accepted and others were.”

Rejected absentee ballots were a point of contention in the protracted election. Franken’s lawyers fought to get them re-examined and have some included in the count. During an election trial, Coleman’s attorneys tried to get more added by arguing that standards were inconsistently applied, with some counties taking a tougher stand than others.
For absentee ballots to count in Minnesota, voters must be registered, have a qualified witness, mail their signed ballot envelopes back before to Election Day and not cast a replacement ballot at the polls.”

Read more:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/80791362.html?elr=KArks:DCiUocOaL_nDaycUiacyKUUr

We have so much on our plates already. However, this procedural catastrophe, which I consider to be chicanery, should be investigated further. 

Thanks to the great commenter and patriot Joyce.