Freedom Quote Of The Day

“[The purpose of a written constitution is] to bind up the several branches of government by certain laws, which, when they transgress, their acts shall become nullities; to render unnecessary an appeal to the people, or in other words a rebellion, on every infraction of their rights, on the peril that their acquiescence shall be construed into an intention to surrender those rights.”

–Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782.

California’s Prop. 8 (Defense of Marriage) To Be Argued In Court This Week

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A year after the state Supreme Court entertained arguments on extending marriage to gay couples, many of the same lawyers will be back before the same justices this week arguing why California’s voter-appproved ban on same-sex marriage should stand or fall.

The left is a very angry bunch. You can't honestly believe in a different viewpoint than the left; because if you do, you are immediately branded a hater.

The passage of Proposition 8 last November changed the state constitution to prohibit gay marriage and trumped the high court’s decision as few months earlier to legalize it. But the ballot measure was appealed and the justices on Thursday are getting the final word on whether marriage is an institution that must accommodate two women or two men.

The debate will be framed by not only the gay and lesbian couples who see their struggle as the modern equivalent of prohibitions on interracial marriage, but the 7 million citizens who rejected that comparison in an $83 million election.

The stakes are high – for the 18,000 couples who married while same-sex weddings were legal, for gay marriage opponents who object on religious grounds and for others who are deeply divided on the issue. And whatever the court decides is likely to have ramifications not only for millions of Californians but also for other states grappling over gay marriage.

The question is whether a majority of the justices will defer to popular will or, having already declared that preventing gay people from marrying was unconstitutional, will do so again. Legal experts say it is a tough call and that the court’s decision, due within 90 days, will be debated for years to come.

“It’s very unusual for any kind of state court to do what the petitioners are asking the California Supreme Court to do,” said William Eskridge, a Yale University constitutional law professor.  (Read more.)

B.S. Report–In California, it’s not the will of the people that decides ballot initiatives, it’s the power of the judges.  If the left loses at the ballot-box, it is now standard procedure to use the liberal California Court to try and overturn election results.

The Attorney General, Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown even changed the wording of the ballot initiative to try and insure its defeat.

But it did not, and now the liberal left; the fair-minded liberals who claim to believe in the rule of law, are out; as usual, trying to overturn an election.  You never see this from the “supposed” haters of the right.

As to the issue, I understand the argument for gay marriage is based on compassion for gays.  I get it…but I’m sorry I don’t buy it.  Laws are made based on what is best for society, and in this case, what is also best for children.

For gays to argue that this is the same as interracial marriage shows their dishonesty and/or their intellectual lack of depth.  There is no difference between same-sex humans that happen to have different skin colors…banning interracial marriage was evil.  But there is enormous differences between men and women, and what is best for children.  At least be honest about your argument.

Does Obama know anyone who paid his taxes?

"Okay, you got me...I love my Mavs!"

WASHINGTON – Ron Kirk, nominated as U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama administration, owes an estimated $10,000 in back taxes from earlier in the decade and has agreed to make his payments, the Senate Finance Committee said Monday.

The committee said the taxes arise from Kirk’s handling of speaking fees that he donated to his alma mater, and for his deduction of the full cost of season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.

The disclosure made the former Dallas mayor the latest in a string of top-level Obama administration appointees found to have underpaid their taxes, following Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle, who withdrew as candidate for Health and Human Services secretary. secretary Nancy Killefer, Obama’s pick for chief performance officer, also bowed out amid tax problems.

White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said Kirk was working to clear up “a few minor issues” uncovered by the committee and expressed confidence he would be confirmed.

B.S.Report–They are always “minor issues” when it’s a government official.  Obviously, if you or I want to apply for a high-level government job or a cabinet office, the first thing we should do is disregard our tax bill.

President Obama doesn’t quite seem to have this nomination process down yet.  He has the most “ethical standards of any administration in history,” he’s always so quick to tell us, but those standards are obviously way out of reach for his administration to meet them.

The bigger picture is our tax structure is a silly, incomprehensible mess.  Even the IRS will come up with a different figure nearly half the time.  It’s nearly impossible to do them yourself and it’s a disastrous waste of time and manpower for the country.  The amount of money lost to unproductive time doing taxes is probably in the billions annually.

Taxes could be made as simple as filling out a postcard–but don’t look for that to happen in the near future.

Not The Greatest Criminal Mind…

“You’ll Never Get Me, Copper!”

DULUTH, Minn. – Police said a man who allegedly went on a crime spree and called to taunt them about it started out just needing a place to stay. Police say the 23-year-old man wanted help Friday night when he called 911.

His roommate had kicked him out and he had nowhere to go.  He said he had been drinking.  And he wondered if police had any suggestions for a place he could stay.

But when they suggested a homeless shelter, the man got mad and hung up. Then he allegedly stole a car and taunted officers chasing him by calling 911 to say they’d never catch him because he was smarter.

"Kid, take it from me, "The Riddler," don't give them clues." They'll catch you!

He was eventually arrested hiding in a shed. He allegedly kicked three officers and tore up the back seat of a squad car in the process.

Lt. Scott Jenkins said alcohol, drugs or mental health issues may have been a factor.

Obama Has Eastern Europe Worried That He’ll Backtrack On Bush’s Security Policies

“It’s Clear That Obama Is Skeptical On Missile Defense”

March 2 (Bloomberg) — Eastern European governments that ran political risks to support former President George W. Bush’s security policies are now concerned that his successor, Barack Obama, will backtrack on those regional commitments.

Leaders in the Czech Republic, Poland and other former communist nations face a backlash at home over their support of Bush-era initiatives, including the proposed U.S. missile- defense system and troop participation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Polish lawmaker Jaroslaw Walesa is skeptical about Obama's commitment to GW Bush's policies.

Meanwhile, concern is growing in eastern Europe that it will be put on “the back burner” as the Obama administration talks about working with Russia and western Europe on issues such as Iran, says Annette Heuser, executive director of the Bertelsmann Foundation, a policy group in Washington.

Obama, 47, will have a chance to personally assuage concerns next month. After ignoring pleas from the east on his trip to Berlin, Paris and London as candidate last year, he will make his first visit there as president on April 5, Czech Premier Mirek Topolanek said yesterday. The president will travel to Prague to meet with European Union leaders, Topolanek said; the Czech Republic currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

While it’s too early to say what the president’s overall foreign policy will be, “we can see that Obama wants better relations with Russia and that he’s skeptical about missile defense,” says Jaroslaw Walesa, a lawmaker in Poland’s ruling Citizens’ Platform party and the son of the country’s first post-communist president, Lech Walesa.  (Read more.)

B.S. Report–President Obama has Eastern Europe very nervous that he will attempt to cut some sort of deals with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.  This is a very realistic fear on their part because of Russia’s recent aggression.

Putin would obviously prefer that Obama abandon the U.S. plans for an anti-missile defense system based partly in the Czech Republic and Poland designed to defend Russia’s Eastern European rivals.

Big Brother Alive And Well In Scotland…Clamping Down On Low-Price Alcohol Sales

Scottish government steps in because you can't control yourselves.

Government To Raise Alcohol Prices To Discourage Drinking

The Scottish government announced plans Monday to clamp down on low price alcohol sales in a bid to tackle Scotland’s “shocking” drink problem.

Ministers are set to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol, though the level has yet to be determined.

Edinburgh said cut-price deals encouraging bulk buying, such as “three for the price of two” offers, would be banned, with the display and marketing of alcohol restricted to certain areas in stores.

The plans were launched at a Glasgow hospital to underline the 2.25-billion-pound (3.15-billion-dollar, 2.5-billion-euro) cost of alcohol misuse in Scotland.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the scale of Scotland’s alcohol problem was “shocking”.

“Plummeting prices and aggressive promotion have led to a surge in consumption, causing and adding to health problems ranging from liver and heart diseases to diabetes, obesity, dementia and cancers,” she said.

“It is no longer an option for anyone to simply talk about the problem of alcohol misuse but shy away from the action needed to tackle it.”

Figures out last week showed that the number of hospital treatments for alcohol-related conditions hit a record 42,430 in 2007-2008.

Sales figures showed nearly 50 million litres of pure alcohol were drunk in 2007 — 11.8 litres for every person aged over 16.

Guinness beer--the national nectar.

That is the equivalent of everyone over 16 drinking 570 pints of beer, or 125 bottles of wine, or 42 bottles of vodka.

Researchers found that almost 1,500 Scots were dying per year from alcohol-related problems.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: “Cheap, readily available alcohol is fuelling violent crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as taking its toll on our economy and health service.

“That’s why we are taking action to ban irresponsible promotions and make sure alcohol is sold at a sensible price that reflects the strength of the product.”  (Read more.)

B.S. Report–No one doubts that alcoholism is a terrible scourge on society.  But most people are not alcoholics and, in fact, drink responsibly.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to penalize the abusers more harshly, instead of taking over the industry while not allowing merchants to set their own prices.

Why step in the middle between a willing supplier and a willing consumer to disrupt the terms of their agreed-upon sale?  Individuals who can’t behave responsibly should suffer the consequences brought on by their own lack of self-control–not those who behave properly.

Scottish government can use the power of the law to discourage criminal behavior by passing stricter penalties on alcohol abusers.  That, in the long run, will change behavior.

St. Louis Riverfront Tea Party Against Obama ‘Stimulus’…Other Cities To Follow

Protesters in St. Louis dump "tea" (lady,that looks like sand...) in the river to protest President Obama's massive spending.

From The St. Louis Post Dispatch…

ST. LOUIS — Critics of President Barack Obama’s stimulus plan gathered beneath the Arch Friday to cheer speeches over a bullhorn and toss tea into the Mississippi River.

A few conservative activists organized and promoted the rally, with help from talk-radio hosts. Pleased with the turnout in 35-degree bluster, leaders said they had stolen a page from liberal tradition by taking to the streets with homemade signs.

“If I had known this many people would show up, I’d have charged admission,” said Bill Hennessy of Ballwin, the lead organizer. “We’ll do this every chance we get until Congress repeals the pork — or we retire them from public life.”

Hennessy estimated that more than 1,000 people showed up. There was no official count, but the crowd spilled across roughly one-fourth of the grand staircase from the Arch to Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard. Former state Sen. John Loudon, R-Chesterfield, said, “We conservatives are usually pretty pathetic at making crowds. But this one’s good.”

Hennessy said he got the idea after Rick Santelli, a CNBC market commentator in Chicago, last week called for a tea party to protest Obama’s anti-recession plan. Santelli’s comments became a YouTube hit, and similar “tea parties” were planned in other cities.

The original took place on Dec. 16, 1773, when American patriots dumped imported tea from merchant ships into Boston harbor to protest British colonial taxes.  (Read more.)

December 16, 1773, the "Sons of Liberty," disguised as Indians, dump 342 casks of tea.

B.S. Report–Similar “tea-party” displays are starting to take off around the country to protest Obama’s massive tax and spend program.  It would be great to see an organized “tea-party day” filled with hundreds of them.

Really ‘Dopey’ Guy Stuffs Kitten In His Homemade Bong…Arrested On Drug And Cruelty Charges

20-Year-Old “Genius” Calms Cat Down By Stuffing Her In Bong

Yep, you look pretty dopey.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)– A man who tried to cool out his hyper cat by stuffing her into a boxlike homemade bong faces cruelty charges — and catcalls from animal lovers. Lancaster County sheriff‘s deputies responding to a domestic disturbance call Sunday alleged they saw 20-year-old Acea Schomaker smoking marijuana through a piece of garden hose attached to a duct-taped, plastic glass box in which the cat had been stuffed.

“This cat was just dazed,” Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. “She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the humane society.”

Homemade bong and "cat-house."

Schomaker told deputies 6-month-old Shadow was hyper and he was trying to calm her down. The contraption she had been stuffed inside was 12 inches by 6 inches. Shadow was timid but in good condition Monday at the Capital Humane Society, executive director Bob Downey said.

“What the human mind doesn’t invent, huh?” Downey said.

"Wow dude, I'm like, starving...I can really use some kitty chow!"

Schomaker, who was released from jail after paying a $400 fine on the arrest warrant, faces drug and misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. He did not immediately respond to phone messages left Monday seeking comment.

Obama-nomics in full flight…down the tubes

Dow falls under 7,000

NEW YORK (AP) — A relentless sell-off in the stock market Monday blew through barriers that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago, and investors warned there was no reason to believe buyers will return anytime soon. The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted below 7,000 at the opening bell and kept driving lower all day, finishing at 6,763 — a loss of nearly 300 points. Each of the 30 stocks in the index lost value for the day.

And the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, a much broader measure of the market’s health, dipped below the psychologically important 700 level before closing just above it. It hadn’t traded below 700 since October 1996.

Investors were worried anew about the stability of the financial system after insurer American International Group posted a staggering $62 billion loss for the fourth quarter, the biggest in U.S. corporate history — and accepted an expanded bailout from the government.

But beyond daily headlines, Wall Street seems to have given up the search for a reason to believe that the worst is over and the time is ripe to buy again.

B.S. Report–This is not just happening because we’re in a recession.  This is happening because there is not one bit of confidence in our President.   This is a loud vote of “no-confidence” in Obama and his economic plan.

He is doing nothing to inspire people…instead he talks more and more about increasing taxes.  He is attacking every industry:  oil, financial markets, auto markets.  He is threatening to come after everyone.

All he is doing is creating fear and no one can confidently invest in this kind of environment.  He is killing pensions and other retirement and investment accounts.  It is impossible to spend, hire, or conduct normal business operations while this guy is threatening to kill your business each day.  It’s simple–he’s a nightmare.

Romney Wins CPAC 2012 Straw Poll…Who Cares?

ABC News’ Teddy Davis reports: The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has chosen former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the winner of the first Republican straw poll of the 2012 campaign.

Early front-runner.

With 20 percent of the vote, Romney finished ahead of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who received 14 percent, as well as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who each had 13 percent.

“For the hat trick, Mitt Romney takes his third straight straw poll,” said Tony Fabrizio, the Republican pollster who tabulates CPAC’s annual straw poll results.

Rounding out the rest of the results: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., received 10 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee received 7 percent, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford received 4 percent, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani received 3 percent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty received 2 percent and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist received 1 percent. Nine percent indicated that they are undecided. The rest of the straw poll participants wrote in someone else’s name.

B.S. Report–Six months is an eternity in politics, 4 years is beyond the bounds of even thinking about front-runners.  Romney, of course, would have been an infinitely better candidate than McCain was, but his conservatism was questionable.  Yes, he’s a successful businessman, and his economic knowledge is light-years ahead of a neophyte like Obama’s.

But Romney wasn’t was far from a right-winger on a whole array of key issues ranging from immigration to health care.  Lets just hope that next time we offer up a candidate that isn’t afraid to disagree with Democrats, and doesn’t choose to be a “Democrat-lite.”