Category Archives: video

Obama speech to Congress, September 9, 2009, Lies, Joe Wilson, SC representative, Sarah Palin, Health care speech, Obama lies, illegal aliens covered

Obama, in his speech to Congress last night, September 9, 2009, attempted to portray the many concerns about his health care plan as lies and misrepresentations. He spoke of bogus claims by talk radio hosts and by politicians that the health care plan would set up panels of bureucrats to kill off senior citizens. At one point in the speech, SC representative Joe Wilson yelled out and called Obama a liar. Wilson apologized.

“While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable,” ” I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”
 

Representative Wilson, there is no need to apologize. Obama is and always has been a liar. We applaud you for standing up. Stick to your principles. Joe Wilson was pressured to apologize by Republicans and Democrats. Let’s inform these jackasses that they work for us and not an illegal president.
Watch this Youtube video.

“An audience member yells “liar” at Obama during his speech to Congress.
Obama also took a personal swipe at Sarah Palin during his speech.”

 

The Charlotte Observer, a liberal newspaper that gave Obama a free ride during the election, has finally produced a snippet of journalism, and though not comprehensive, is a start:

“Fact Check”

From AP

Obama: “I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits either now or in the future. Period.”

THE FACTS: “House Democrats offered abill that the Congressional Budget Office said would add $ 220 billion to the deficit over 10 years.”

(Citizen Wells: This is a huge Obama lie!!!)

Obama: “Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or doctor you have.”

THE FACTS: “Employers sponsor coverage for most families, and they’d be free to change their health plans in ways that workers may not like, or drop insurance altogether.”

(Citizen Wells: Another Orwellian lie by Obama. Employers will begin dropping health plans and let employees sign up for government plans, thus achieving Obama’s goal of government run health care.)

Obama: “Don’t pay attention to these scary stories about how your benefits will be cut … That will never happen on my watch. I will protect Medicare.”

THE FACTS: “Obama and congressional Democrats want to pay for their health care plans in part by reducing medicare payments to providers by more than $ 500 billion over 10 years.”

(Citizen Wells: Straight out of Nazi Germany and “1984” by George Orwell. Tell a big lie and repeat it often.)

With the liberal Charlotte Observer reporting this much, you can bet that lies about the Obama Health care plan are much worse than this.

 

Thanks to commenter Army D.A.V. for the video info.

Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon switches to Republican Party, September 8, 2009, Citizen Wells interview, US Navy Reserve, Iraq, Salmon CPA, Tom Salmon announcement at Vermont State Capitol, Montpelier, VT, Video

I was fortunate to be at the Vermont State Capitol in Montpelier, VT, today, Tuesday, September 8, 2009, when State Auditor, Tom Salmon announced that he was switching from the Democrat to Republican party. The Citizen Wells blog has posted a longer video coverage of the event and here is an article from Vermontbiz.com that provides more background information on Tom Salmon.

“Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon switches to Republican Party”

“Vermont Auditor of Accounts Tom Salmon, who was rebuffed by the Democratic leadership last spring, announced today that he was switching parties and will join the Republican Party. Salmon won the position of state auditor as a Democrat in 2006 when he beat one-term incumbent Republican Randy Brock. That race saw Brock apparently win re-election in a very tight race, before a re-count gave the race to Salmon by 102 votes. Salmon cited the lack of fiscal responsibility among legislative leaders during the debate over the state budget. Salmon had offered to mediate discussions between Republican Governor James Douglas and the Democratically controlled Legislature, but was turned down by Speaker of the House Shap Smith. He said the Republicans are better able to manage the fiscal matters of the state, as represented by Governor Douglas.

Salmon further said he will likely run for re-election for Auditor, but there is “a 10 percent chance,” he will run for governor or lieutenant governor instead. Several Republicans are deferring their decisions on 2010 until Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie decides what, if any, position he will run for. Dubie has indicated he is considering a run for governor. Douglas has already stated he will not seek re-election and will not run for any office in 2010. Salmon made his announcement at the State House shortly after 11 am on Tuesday September 8, 2009.

Salmon, 46, has served in Iraq for long tours of duty in the US Navy Reserve while also holding the post of auditor. Thomas M Salmon is the son of the former Vermont Governor Thomas P Salmon, who served from 1973-1977 as a Democrat. The elder Salmon served as a surrogate during his son’s re-election campaign because serving military cannot also campaign for office. Salmon met little resistance in being re-elected last year.

“Vermont Business Magazine conducted a Q&A with Tom Salmon December 2007 with Robert Smith. In that interview he explained why he ran for auditor:

“I ran for state auditor, because as a Rockingham Selectman, I had moved from a simmer to a boil about how fiscal management was occurring in the state. I really didn’t think that anyone was taking responsibility for the fiscal management of the parts of the state. Prior to being a selectman, I go back to December 2005. I’m a Navy Reservist, a Seabee, construction battalion, dirt sailors – we’re never on a ship, so when people see us in our greens they say, ‘Look mommy, it’s an Army man!’ I was in Gulfport, Mississippi, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. That situation moved me to want to commit to public service. I decided when I came home that I was going to run for the select board in Rockingham. The finances were a mess, the morale was not good, the divisive situation over buying the dam – you were here so you know.””

Here is a copy of the letter Salmon sent to his supporters:

“September 5, 2009

Dear Friend,   

It is an honor to serve  as Auditor for the State of Vermont. In 2006, I was elected as a Democrat. In 2008, I was re-elected on the Democratic/Republican ticket. 2010 will be different.

I am changing my political affiliation to align myself with the party closest to my core beliefs. It is my belief that the VT Republican party is closest to accepting the realities of our times; and is therefore the party best equipped to manage the very real and troubling economic and social conditions which confront us not only today, but in the coming decade.

As many of you know, in the face of the enormous fiscal crisis, I have sounded the alarm for new thinking, responsible budgeting, meaningful long-term planning and painful prioritization.

When I returned home from Iraq, I witnessed first-hand a budget process rife with deficiencies and dysfunction.  There was little balance in the debate.

As a Certified Public Accountant, I recently completed my required Ethics course for re-licensing.  The Professional Code of Conduct demands that I act with integrity, objectivity and independence. As Auditor, I have preached that Vermont is on an unsustainable track we cannot tax ourselves out of. 

I believe the majority of Vermonters do not want to see tax increases as a consequence of poor planning.  However, without major restructuring of human services, corrections management and public education (which together account for some 75% of our expenditures) we are going to find that situation unavoidable. Removing even greater sums of capital out of our job-creating private sector and the budgets of Vermont families will only hasten the ill effects of the current crisis. 

We all watch a healthcare reform movement focused on increased access rather than A) addressing the root causes of the problem B) fixing Medicaid and Medicare or C) promoting incentives and personal responsibility.  The big losers are our young people, the vulnerable elderly population and the viability of Vermont’s 1778 motto of “Freedom and Unity.”

I am a believer in the America of hard work and “get oneself upstream” with a combination of personal commitment and external support.  

I’m not a believer that all of our future tax dollars should go to interest on debt or “education, medication and incarceration.”  In the current form of these primarily government-controlled expenditures, this is a path leading to a dangerous imbalance of our “Freedom and Unity.”  Economic freedom is an essential component in achieving and maintaining political freedom.  Over the more than 200 years of our nation’s founding, too many of our fine soldiers have died for the protection of these freedoms. 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you with full commitment and transparency. I promise to do my best to perform the job Vermonters have elected me to do.

Thomas M. Salmon CPA

Vermont State Auditor””

Read more:

http://vermontbiz.com/news/september/vermont-auditor-tom-salmon-switches-republican-party

 

Tom Salmon, Vermont State Auditor, Switches to GOP, Democratic State Auditor Salmon now Republican, September 8, 2009, Citizen Wells interview

Tom Salmon, Vermont State auditor, announced that he is switching parties and will now be a Republican. Citizen Wells was at the Vermont State Capitol building when the announcement was made. Here is an interview with Tom Salmon.

Senator Bernie Sanders Vermont Labor Day speech, September 7, 2009, Health care, Burlington, VT, Vermont Workers Center, Health care a right?, Video

The Citizen Wells blog covered the Senator Bernie Sanders Labor Day speech in Burlington, VT, today, Monday, September 7, 2009. The event was hosted by the Vermont Workers’ Center. Here is the announcement:

“Burlington Labor Day Celebration & Benefit Concert
September 7, 2009 – 12:00pm – 3:00pm
WHEN: 12 noon – 3pm, Monday, September 7
WHERE: Battery Park, Burlington
WHAT: Senator Bernie Sanders will join hundreds of working families for the 8th Annual Burlington Labor Day Celebration sharing in a community potluck, music, street theater and ice cream. This year’s celebration is being sponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center, a community-based workers’ rights organization who has been building a statewide grassroots organizing campaign called the “Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign” that over that past couple of years has been redefine healthcare as a public good. There will also be a special tribute to the contributions and struggles of working families from Jennifer Henry, the President of the Fletcher Allen nurses union and United Professions of Vermont/AFT. Music will be performed local Burlington busker John Holland and Rik & Bec, a new local duo of Rik Palieri and Rebecca Padula.
“Labor Day is a day to celebrate and remember both the work we all do day in and day out and the long struggles of working people who fought hard for the eight hour day, for Social Security, the end of child labor and even the weekend,” said James Haslam, Director of the Vermont Workers’ Center. “But more than ever, use should use Labor Day as a reminder that we need to be carrying on this tradition by organizing in our workplaces and our communities. This is a time re-commit to the current struggles for more livable wage jobs, fair retirement, strong and healthy communities, and re-defining quality healthcare as a fundamental human right for everyone.”
BACKGROUND: The Vermont Workers’ Center was started in 1998 as a workers’ rights and social justice organization, and have been involved in campaigns to improve working conditions and win livable wages in hundreds of Vermont workplaces across the state. In 2008, they launched the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign to build a statewide grassroots network of Vermonters committed to redefining healthcare policy to establish healthcare as a basic public good for all.
MORE INFO: www.workerscenter.org
www.workerscenter.org/healthcare
802-861-4892″

The speech is presented here unedited and without commentary. A followup article will be presented with commentary and analysis. The only comment I will make at this time is that they appeared a little surprised that I was there and that the event had the appearance of being staged. I will also state that I was treated with courtesy for the most part.

Burlington VT, Labor day celebration, September 7, 2009, Citizen Wells live coverage, Senator Bernie Sanders, Vermont, Health care a human right?, Vermont Workers’ Center

Today, Labor Day, September 7, 2009, the Citizen Wells blog will attempt to cover live, a Labor Day celebration in Burlington, Vermont. There are two major reasons that I chose to cover this event. First, Senator Bernie Sanders will be there and I hope to catch his comments on health care reform. Second, Vermont Workers’ Center, a community-based workers’ rights organization will be there to promote their stance regarding health care as a human right. I hope to clarify what they mean by human right.

To watch the Citizen Wells coverage, go to this link. When I am not broadcasting live, a video will play. Remember, this is my first attempt at this and I will be flying by the seat of my pants. A right click on the screen will allow you to zoom in for a larger viewing area.

http://www.livevideo.com/liveshow/citizenwells

Here is the announcement of the event:

“Burlington Labor Day Celebration & Benefit Concert
September 7, 2009 – 12:00pm – 3:00pm
WHEN: 12 noon – 3pm, Monday, September 7
WHERE: Battery Park, Burlington
WHAT: Senator Bernie Sanders will join hundreds of working families for the 8th Annual Burlington Labor Day Celebration sharing in a community potluck, music, street theater and ice cream. This year’s celebration is being sponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center, a community-based workers’ rights organization who has been building a statewide grassroots organizing campaign called the “Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign” that over that past couple of years has been redefine healthcare as a public good. There will also be a special tribute to the contributions and struggles of working families from Jennifer Henry, the President of the Fletcher Allen nurses union and United Professions of Vermont/AFT. Music will be performed local Burlington busker John Holland and Rik & Bec, a new local duo of Rik Palieri and Rebecca Padula.
“Labor Day is a day to celebrate and remember both the work we all do day in and day out and the long struggles of working people who fought hard for the eight hour day, for Social Security, the end of child labor and even the weekend,” said James Haslam, Director of the Vermont Workers’ Center. “But more than ever, use should use Labor Day as a reminder that we need to be carrying on this tradition by organizing in our workplaces and our communities. This is a time re-commit to the current struggles for more livable wage jobs, fair retirement, strong and healthy communities, and re-defining quality healthcare as a fundamental human right for everyone.”
BACKGROUND: The Vermont Workers’ Center was started in 1998 as a workers’ rights and social justice organization, and have been involved in campaigns to improve working conditions and win livable wages in hundreds of Vermont workplaces across the state. In 2008, they launched the Healthcare Is A Human Right Campaign to build a statewide grassroots network of Vermonters committed to redefining healthcare policy to establish healthcare as a basic public good for all.
MORE INFO: www.workerscenter.org
www.workerscenter.org/healthcare
802-861-4892″

From their website:

“Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign

The Healthcare Is a Human Right Campaign, a project of the Vermont Workers’ Center (VWC), aims to change what is “politically possible” in the healthcare debate through grassroots organizing and a strategic reframing of healthcare as a basic human right and the healthcare crisis as a human rights emergency.

Our Goals

Our long-term goal is a universal system in which health care is recognized as a public good and provided collectively, rather than as a commodity sold in a marketplace, and where the human right to health of all residents of the state is fully recognized, regardless of race, gender or gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, nationality or immigration status. Financing must be based on principles of universality, equity, and social solidarity, such as a single-payer system. The only legislation that has been introduced into the Vermont State Legislature for the 2009-2010 session that meets these standards are H.100 and S.88.

What It Will Take

This will not be an easy struggle. In order to win such fundamental reform, we need a strong, statewide grassroots network that will be able to put enough pressure on the legislature and governor to force them to stand up to the insurance industry, those employers who will oppose such a system on ideological grounds, and other powerful interests vested in the status quo. This effort requires:

  • strong organizing committees throughout the state
  • diverse leadership
  • a mass base

What We’ve Done

Since the launch of this campaign in April 2008, the Workers’ Center has conducted a Human Rights Healthcare Survey of over 1400 Vermonters, over 95% of whom recognized that healthcare is a human right. We have held seven Human Rights Hearings around the state, in which hundreds of Vermonters have told their healthcare stories to panels of community and faith leaders. Based on the surveys and hearings, we have put together a report and video Voices of the Vermont Healthcare Crisis: The Human Right to Healthcare. And we organized one of the largest rallies for fundamental healthcare reform in Vermont history in Montpelier on May 1st, 2009.

Where To Go

Since May 1st, we have been working to:

  • consolidate our local organizing committees in major population centers throughout the state
  • deepen the understanding of human rights principles for healthcare throughout our base
  • strategize with local organizing committees about the best way to hold elected officials accountable to human rights principles.

If you would like to learn more or get involved in this grassroots movement contact us at info@workerscenter.org, or (802) 861-2877.

View a list of organizations endorsing “Healthcare is a Human Right”.

This campaign is supported by the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative.”

     

Tea party express, Tea parties, Taxpayer revolts, Washington DC, September 12, 2009, CNN orwellian spin, grassroots tea party movement, Youtube video

I don’t do it very often, it is hard to stomach. However, it is necessary to know what the enemy is up to. This morning I watched CNN, Communist News Network, for a few minutes and sure enough they were crafting their usual Orwellian spin on Obama’s speach to students and resistance to Obama’s health care agenda. They briefly interviewed 2 people for their opinion of Obama’s speach to students. The first was affiliated with a law school and he thought it was a good idea. The second was just a normal lady in a car from KY or TN. The intent was obvious. The silly regular American can’t possibly know what they are talking about. Once again, the elitist Orwellian approach is used.

They also mentioned health care reform and radicals getting media attention. These pious, biased, in Obama’s pocket jackasses do not get it. Well as Bill O’Reilly said on Fox News last night, Fox’s viewership is skyrocketing despite the attempts of liberals like Dan Rather to stem the tide.

Resistance to big government and government health care is real. It is a non partisan grass roots effort. The following video bears this out.

“This video focuses on the continuing grassroots tea party movement against our out of control government which is continuing to destroy our Constitutional Republic at a rapid pace.

The Taxpayer March on Washington D.C. – September 12th, 2009.”

 

Thanks to commenter twe.

Obama speaks to students, September 8, 2009, Obama internet speech, Parents outraged, Hitler Youth, William Ayers, Annenberg, Obama radicals

Parents and citizens across the US are outraged that Obama will speak to many of the American students on September 8, 2009. The Citizen Wells blog is urging everyone to contact their state and local school officials to voice your concern about Obama imposing his agenda on our students. Adolf Hitler brainwashed the German students by indoctrinating them in the Hitler Youth. When you contact your school officials ask them 2 questions.

1. Do you plan to take part in the Obama speech presented to your students?

2. Are you going to allow opposing views?

Most citizens of the US that were not already aware of the real Obama and his past associations and agendas are awakening to the spectre of extremely radical appointments to Obama’s cabinet and especially as Obama Czars. Many are also shocked and incensed that Obama is trying to ramrod government health care down our throats in a non transparent, non partisan manner. So, why should parents be so concerned about their children listening to an Obama speech. Sounds innocent enough, right? Dead wrong.

If you are not awakening to how Obama conducts his agendas or what he is really about, consider the following. As you read below weigh rhetoric versus past performance and actions. Adolf Hitler used flowery words to seduce the German people, but his actions betrayed his motives.

Announcement of plans to speak to students

From ServiceWire.org, August 21, 2009:

“OBAMA TO DELIVER NATIONALLY BROADCAST ADDRESS TO STUDENTS ON SEPT. 8”

“The President will deliver a speech about the importance of persisting and succeeding in school on Sept. 8, the first day of school for many children across America. The Department of Education is encouraging educators, students and parents to use this opportunity to help students get focused and begin the school year strong. The speech will be broadcast live on www.whitehouse.gov at 1 p.m. EDT.”…Read more

Announcement from US Dept of Education August 26, 2009
“LEAD & MANAGE MY SCHOOL
Letter From Secretary Arne Duncan to School Principals
August 26, 2009

  
 
Please note that the time of this speech has changed to 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

Dear Principal:

In a recent interview with student reporter, Damon Weaver, President Obama announced that on September 8 — the first day of school for many children across America — he will deliver a national address directly to students on the importance of education. The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens.

Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.

This is the first time an American president has spoken directly to the nation’s school children about persisting and succeeding in school. We encourage you to use this historic moment to help your students get focused and begin the school year strong. I encourage you, your teachers, and students to join me in watching the President deliver this address on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. It will be broadcast live on the White House website www.whitehouse.gov 12:00 noon eastern standard time.

In advance of this address, we would like to share the following resources: a menu of classroom activities for students in grades preK-6 and for students in grades 7-12. These are ideas developed by and for teachers to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives. We are also staging a student video contest on education. Details of the video contest will be available on our website www.ed.gov in the coming weeks.

On behalf of all Americans, I want to thank our educators who do society’s most important work by preparing our children for work and for life. No other task is more critical to our economic future and our social progress. I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to continue improving the quality of public education we provide all of our children.

Sincerely,
Arne Duncan”

Read more

Sooner or later the real agenda emerges. Revisit the following paragraph. Notice the mention of health care and “Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.” This means, in everyday, non Orwellian doublespeak, that Obama and his radical associates know what is best for you and they will it explain it.
“Since taking office, the President has repeatedly focused on education, even as the country faces two wars, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and major challenges on issues like energy and health care. The President believes that education is a critical part of building a new foundation for the American economy. Educated people are more active civically and better informed on issues affecting their lives, their families and their futures.”

Obama and his radical associates’ actions speak far louder than their words.

Citizen Wells article of September 6, 2009:
“Michelle’s Boot Camps For Radicals
 INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY”
“Barack Obama was a founding member of the board of Public Allies in 1992, resigning before his wife became executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies in 1993. Obama plans to use the nonprofit group, which he features on his campaign Web site, as the model for a national service corps. He calls his Orwellian program, “Universal Voluntary Public Service.”

Big Brother had nothing on the Obamas. They plan to herd American youth into government-funded reeducation camps where they’ll be brainwashed into thinking America is a racist, oppressive place in need of “social change.””

“But its real mission is to radicalize American youth and use them to bring about “social change” through threats, pressure, tension and confrontation — the tactics used by the father of community organizing, Saul “The Red” Alinsky.”

“”It’s a lot of talk about race, a lot of talk about sexism, a lot of talk about homophobia, talk about -isms and phobias.”

One of those -isms is “heterosexism,” which a Public Allies training seminar in Chicago describes as a negative byproduct of “capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male-dominated privilege.””

“The gall of it: The Obamas want to create a boot camp for radicals who hate the military — and stick American taxpayers with the bill.””…Read more

Glenn Beck, “Obama’s radical followers”

“Obama said, quote: We have got to have a civilian national security force that is just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded as the military. Public Allies, Chicago chapter. Founding, founding member, Barack Obama. Executive director, Michelle Obama. Listen to the words in their speeches. It is all code language. It is all the language of the 1960s radicals. They have their they have their tentacles into an organization that does good things but also teaches that heterosexism is a byproduct of capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy and male dominated privilege. Heterosexism!”…Read more

Wall Street Journal Online – Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools

“Despite having authored two autobiographies, Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999, he led an education foundation called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), and remained on the board until 2001. The group poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists.

The CAC was the brainchild of Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground in the 1960s. Among other feats, Mr. Ayers and his cohorts bombed the Pentagon, and he has never expressed regret for his actions. Barack Obama’s first run for the Illinois State Senate was launched at a 1995 gathering at Mr. Ayers’s home.”

“The CAC’s basic functioning has long been known, because its annual reports, evaluations and some board minutes were public. But the Daley archive contains additional board minutes, the Collaborative minutes, and documentation on the groups that CAC funded and rejected. The Daley archives show that Mr. Obama and Mr. Ayers worked as a team to advance the CAC agenda.”

“The CAC’s agenda flowed from Mr. Ayers’s educational philosophy, which called for infusing students and their parents with a radical political commitment, and which downplayed achievement tests in favor of activism. In the mid-1960s, Mr. Ayers taught at a radical alternative school, and served as a community organizer in Cleveland’s ghetto.

In works like “City Kids, City Teachers” and “Teaching the Personal and the Political,” Mr. Ayers wrote that teachers should be community organizers dedicated to provoking resistance to American racism and oppression. His preferred alternative? “I’m a radical, Leftist, small ‘c’ communist,” Mr. Ayers said in an interview in Ron Chepesiuk’s, “Sixties Radicals,” at about the same time Mr. Ayers was forming CAC.

CAC translated Mr. Ayers’s radicalism into practice. Instead of funding schools directly, it required schools to affiliate with “external partners,” which actually got the money. Proposals from groups focused on math/science achievement were turned down. Instead CAC disbursed money through various far-left community organizers, such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (or Acorn).

Mr. Obama once conducted “leadership training” seminars with Acorn, and Acorn members also served as volunteers in Mr. Obama’s early campaigns. External partners like the South Shore African Village Collaborative and the Dual Language Exchange focused more on political consciousness, Afrocentricity and bilingualism than traditional education. CAC’s in-house evaluators comprehensively studied the effects of its grants on the test scores of Chicago public-school students. They found no evidence of educational improvement.”

“Mr. Ayers is the founder of the “small schools” movement (heavily funded by CAC), in which individual schools built around specific political themes push students to “confront issues of inequity, war, and violence.” He believes teacher education programs should serve as “sites of resistance” to an oppressive system. (His teacher-training programs were also CAC funded.) The point, says Mr. Ayers in his “Teaching Toward Freedom,” is to “teach against oppression,” against America’s history of evil and racism, thereby forcing social transformation.”…Read more

Obama, Ayers and Mike Klonsky

MikeKlonsky

 

Meet Michael Klonsky, Obama’s “social justice” education expert.

“With what little media oxygen there has been sucked out by the largely uninformative discussion of Ayers (and his wife and Weather Underground ally, Bernadine Dohrn) — in which the mantra “unrepentant terrorist” has been a pale substitute for the critical matter of the Ayers’s ideology that Obama plainly shares — much has been missed. Significantly, that includes another key Obama contact, Mike Klonsky.

Here’s what you need to know. Klonsky is an unabashed communist whose current mission is to spread Marxist ideology in the American classroom. Obama funded him to the tune of nearly $2 million. Obama, moreover, gave Klonsky a broad platform to broadcast his ideas: a “social justice” blog on the official Obama campaign website.

To be clear, as it seems always necessary to repeat when Obamaniacs, in their best Saul Alinsky tradition, shout down the opposition: This is not about guilt by association. The issue is not that Obama knows Klonsky … or Ayers … or Dohrn … or Wright … or Rashid Khalidi …

The issue is that Obama promoted and collaborated with these anti-American radicals. The issue is that he shared their ideology.

Klonsky’s communist pedigree could not be clearer. His father, Robert Klonsky, was an American communist who was convicted in the mid-Fifties for advocating the forcible overthrow of the United States government — a violation of the Smith Act, anti-communist legislation ultimately gutted by the Supreme Court. In the Sixties, Klonsky the younger teamed with Ayers, Dohrn, and other young radicals to form the Students for a Democratic Society. It was out of the SDS that Ayers and Dohrn helped found the Weatherman terrorist group.

Klonsky took a different path, albeit one that led inexorably to a new partnership with Ayers, which Obama mightily helped underwrite. Upon splitting off from the SDS, Klonsky formed a Maoist organization, first known as the “October League,” which ultimately became the “Communist Party (Marxist Leninist).”

Klonsky was CP(ML)’s chairman. He was so highly thought of by Mao’s regime that he was among the first Americans invited to visit Communist China. When he was feted there in 1977, a year after Mao’s death, the communist leadership hailed Klonsky’s party as “reflecting the aspirations of the proletariat and working people.””

“After getting his doctorate, Klonsky eventually made his way to Chicago and hooked up with his old SDS comrade (and self-professed “small ‘c’ communist”) Bill Ayers. Together, they co-founded the Small Schools Workshop in 1991. The goal — as Ayers has repeatedly made clear, most prominently in a 2006 speech before Hugo Chavez at an education forum in Caracas — is to bring the same Leftist revolution that has always galvanized them into the classroom.

The concept may be called small schools, but Klonsky and Ayers uniquely grasp the force-multiplier effect. In a small class, the teacher preaching the “social justice” gospel that American capitalism is a racist, materialist, imperialist cauldron of injustice can have greater impact on the students he seeks to mold into his conception of the “good citizen” — and on the teachers he is teaching to be preachers. Writing trenchantly about how this system of “critical pedagogy” short-changes the basic education needs of disadvantaged children, the City Journal’s Sol Stern observes that theorists like Klonsky and Ayers:

nurse a rancorous view of an America in which it is always two minutes to midnight and a knock on the door by the thought police is imminent. The education professors feel themselves anointed to use the nation’s K-12 classrooms to resist this oppressive system. Thus … teachers [are urged] not to mince words with children about the evils of the existing social order. They should portray “homelessness as a consequence of the private dealings of landlords, an arms buildup as a consequence of corporate decisions, racial exclusion as a consequence of a private property-holder’s choice.” In other words, they should turn the little ones into young socialists and critical theorists.”…Please read the entire article

Report from Fox News September 02, 2009

“Critics Decry Obama’s ‘Indoctrination’ Plan for Students”

“A suggested lesson plan that calls on school kids to write letters to themselves about what they can do to help President Obama is troubling some education experts, who say it establishes the president as a “superintendent in chief” and may indoctrinate children to support him politically.”

“Obama’s critics say the lesson plans and the president’s calls for a “supportive community” are troubling on many levels.

“In general, I don’t think there’s a problem if the president uses the bully pulpit to tell kids to work hard, study hard and things like that. But there are some troubling hints in this, both educationally and politically,” said Neal McCluskey, associate director of Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom.

Among the concerns, McCluskey said, is the notion that students who do not support Obama or his educational policies will begin the school year “behind the eight ball,” or somehow academically trailing their peers.

“It essentially tries to force kids to say the president and the presidency is inspiring, and that’s very problematic,” McCluskey said. “It’s very concerning that you would do that.””…Read more

Michelle Malkin on Obama’s speech to public school students

Once again, we are reminded by history, something our teachers should be aware of, of attempts to control the minds of our young people. Adolf Hitler created the Hitler youth, brainwashed them and encouraged them to turn in their parents for non doctrine behaviour. George Orwell watched Nazi Germany play out and incorporated the brainwashed Hitler youth into the children of “1984.” We cannot afford to let history repeat itself again. Speak up against this mind control attempt. The future of our children and this country is at stake.

Citizen Wells

Obama school speech, September 8, 2009, NC breaking news, Local school policy, NC counties decide, Contact your local school board

I just got off the phone with the NC Board of Education. I asked them 2 questions about the Obama speech to school students scheduled for September 8, 2009.

1. Will the state of NC participate in this?

2. Will opposing opinions be allowed?

The answer to both questions is that this will be handled at the local level. In NC this means the county school boards or other local governing body.

I am requesting that all NC citizens contact their local school boards, ask the above questions and voice your concern about allowing Obama to influence your children.

I am also requesting that citizens in other states contact your state board of education and find out what their policy is and likewise voice your concerns.

Exercise your First Amendment Rights and protect our children and our country.

Wells

Las Vegas Tea Party, August 31, 2009, Tea Party Express, First Amendment Rights, US Constitution, Citizen journalism, Video

I have never gotten so much satisfaction assembling an article as I did producing this one. This article is the culmination of efforts of concerned Americans across this country and certainly those that participate on this blog. A special thanks goes to commenter JoyceAZ, who cared enough about this country to travel to the Las Vegas Tea Party, take photos and write a report. Thank God that she did. The story was barely touched by the local media in Las Vegas and the Main Stream media nationwide.

“CW,  We arrived at the park 8:45am.  This area was large.  The parking lot filled up by 10:30.  People were coming and going for 2-3 hrs.  People were very warm and friendly.  WE WERE UNITED. The people were from Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho…… (licenses plates that we noticed).
All day long people gave each other the thumbs up.  We The People are UNITED IN OUR MARCH TO WAKE UP THE GOVERNMENT.
We just want to be heard.  Our Freedoms are being tread on.  OUR FLAGS SAY: Don’t Tread On Me.  We will not be UNHEARD.
 
We did not see any riots.  No screaming, yelling or fighting.  We did not see any opposition,….. ACORN, SEIU, or other pro-Obama voices.
Several cars stopped and ask us what was happening,…. as they had not heard of this project on the local tv channels.  I told them that it was 98% created thru the internet and twitter and such.  The NEWS MEDIA is DEAD!  Even those would stop and go sign up for information on OUR PROJECT. 
The Las Vegas Review-Journal quoted that the count was 800-900.  I truly feel is was much larger than that.  The parking lot was filled at all times….. people would be waiting for a parking spot.  People arriving faster than leaving.
I don’t think I would be exaggerating to say it was closer to 1500+.  I am sending a few articles from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  They have some interesting articles about dirty harry. He is not very popular at this time. 
 
JoyceAZ”

I hope that the actions of JoyceAZ were as inspiring to you as they are to me and will inspire more people to take action. We cannot depend on the modern day media to do so.

I sang the song that plays in the video when I was young.

It moved me deeply then and even more now.

Richard Burr, NC Senator, Health care reform, Town hall meetings, September 1, 2009, Charlotte NC, Levine Children’s Hospital, John McCain, questions from invited parties, Video

Several days ago I contacted NC Senator Richard Burr’s office via email and telephone message. I received no response. I was inquiring about a health care forum that was scheduled for today, Tuesday, September 1, 2009. I discovered today by an internet search, that Senator Burr is part of a forum with John McCain and other Republicans. What concerns me is that they are fielding questions from “invited parties.” Senator Burr is against the Obama backed public option and that is good. However, why is Senator Burr not hosting town hall meetings for the public?

From News 14 in the Carolinas:

“McCain brings health care forum to N.C. children’s hospital”

“Sen. John McCain will join a group of fellow republican senators in Charlotte on Tuesday for a discussion on health care reform.

McCain, along with Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., will take questions from invited parties involved in the health care debate and discuss ways to make health care more affordable, accessible and available for American families.

The stop at Levine Children’s Hospital is part of McCain and McConnell’s cross-country tour, where they have been discussing health care and taking questions in various cities from those involved in the issue. The GOP lawmakers have challenged the plan offered by President Obama that could create a government option for health care that would compete with private insurers.

Burr’s health care plan would raise money by taxing health benefits, then use the revenue to give people tax credits to buy their own care.”

Read more:

http://news14.com/content/local_news/triad/614058/mccain-brings-health-care-forum-to-n-c–children-s-hospital/

“This is a Constitutional Town Hall Meeting in Raleigh to which Senators Kay Hagan, Richard Burr, Representatives Brad Miller, Bob Etheridge, & David Price were invited but refused the invitation to…”

From Senator Richard Burr’s website:

“Issues
Reforming the Delivery of Health Care

Today, nearly 47 million people across America do not have health insurance, and this number is growing.  In North Carolina alone, there are more than 1.5 million uninsured individuals. 

Senator Burr believes we must make health insurance more accessible and affordable so that more families can have peace of mind that they can get quality medical care.  As we search for long-term solutions, however, we must make sure people have the ability to choose their own doctor. 

While some politicians support government-run health care, Senator Burr has a different approach. In order to give individuals and families choices in their health coverage and to avoid a one-size-fits-all program, we need to give people the means to purchase their own health insurance that fits their needs and the needs of their families.  To address the growing problem of employees having limited or no access to employer-provided coverage, Senator Burr believes we should foster a broad choice of health insurance plans that stay with you through job and life changes so that you can access care when you need it.  Americans should control their own insurance and not fear losing it with job changes.

As Congress works on proposals to reform health care system, Senator Burr firmly believes that any plan must:

Guarantee that every American can get affordable coverage
Demand we get more value for our health care dollar rather than imposing a new tax or passing on a new obligation to future generations
Transform the health care system so that we focus on keeping people healthy and well instead of only treating them when they are sick
Make health coverage affordable for those with pre-existing conditions
End the current discrimination in the tax code that benefits the wealthy and corporations but fails the poor and those who cannot get coverage through their employer
Guarantee that health care is accessible when people want it, where people want it
Be sustainable so that it will be there for future generations
With these goals in mind, Senator Burr recently joined with Senator Tom Coburn and Representatives Paul Ryan and Devin Nunes to introduce the Patients’ Choice Act, a bill that delivers on the shared principles of promoting universal access to quality, affordable health care, and does so without adding billions of dollars in new debt or taxes.

The Patients’ Choice Act would transform our health care system through the following key reforms:

Puts affordable coverage and choice within reach of all Americans. This is accomplished by first ending the discrimination in the tax code that rewards corporations and employers yet offers no benefit to the unemployed or those who do not have access to coverage through their job.  Specifically, the Patients’ Choice Act would shift health care tax benefits to individuals and families, regardless of employment status, in the form of a tax credit worth about $2,200 for individuals and $5,700 for families. Americans would receive this benefit upfront, so they would not have to wait until they file their tax returns to get it.  And Americans would be eligible for this benefit regardless of how much they pay in taxes.  What’s more, under this plan, if you like the health care you have, you can keep it – but you’ll have more money in your pocket because you will still receive the tax credit.
Prevents cherry picking by guaranteeing access to coverage. The Patients’ Choice Act prevents cherry picking – when insurance companies choose to cover only healthy patients – by adjusting risk across insurance companies through an innovative reform called State Based Health Exchanges, which would be a voluntary, one-stop marketplace of insurance plans. These state exchanges — which would be open to all Americans — would offer a broad range of plans but all would be required to have the same standard benefits as those enjoyed by Members of Congress.  Through this innovative reform, no individual could be turned down based on their age or health.  This is because insurers who do cherry pick healthy patients would be penalized, and those that cover patients with pre-existing conditions and emphasize prevention and wellness would be rewarded. 
Strengthens the health care safety net. Currently, about 40 percent of doctors and hospitals do not accept Medicaid patients because payments are so low. This means that needy moms and kids may have health coverage, but poor access to health care. The Patients’ Choice Act would remove the stigma from Medicaid recipients by giving them the ability to purchase the health coverage and care they need from any provider. We also provide simple new opportunities for automatic enrollment to help people who need coverage.
The United States currently spends twice as much on health care per person than other industrialized nations, yet we are not twice as healthy.  The solution is not for the federal government to spend and tax Americans more, the answer is to get more value for our health care dollar through more choices. And this is exactly what the Patients’ Choice Act would accomplish.

Senator Burr understands the growing cost of health insurance, and as a Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, he will continue to work on solutions to this problem.”

Read more:

http://burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=IssueStatements.View&Issue_id=a91c0b54-b9b6-33d2-acb9-4085dfc07a23&CFID=16458968&CFTOKEN=48821632