Ethridge Concedes to Ellmers

As of Friday, Bob Ethridge conceded to Renee Ellmers. The story is at the National Journal here.

Sorry to be late getting that to you, but it has been busy around the PolyKahr house. We are having family and friends in this year for Thanksgiving. Today I finally have a chance to prepare my Grandmother's recipe for fruit cake. It makes a big recipe, and I'll be sending some along to my Dad and others.

Is Renee Ellmers being Al Frankened?

I've been out of pocket the last two days, while I've been earning some money.  But I've been following the events to our east, in the 2nd NC District, where Renee Ellmers, the Tea Party candidate beat incumbent Bob Ethridge for the Congressional seat.  It was a stunning victory, in a tight race.

Then, out of the blue, Samson County officials announced that they had "found" some ballots had not been counted, and surprise, surprise, Ethridge had picked up 453 votes, which put Ethridge within the required 1% of votes to enable him to call for a recount.  Naturally, Ethridge did call for that recount.  If, and I emphasize the "if,"  Bob Ethridge was planning to Al Franken his way to victory,  "finding" some mysteriously uncounted ballots that just happen to break his way and enable him to recount his way to victory would be the scenario he would desire.  And here it is.  What do ya know?

Samson County officials "explanation" is no explanation at all.  They claim that 3 of 4 early voting sites were not included in the tally released Tuesday night, but that the count is now correct.  Huh?  Whenever the polls close, polling officials must submit the counts to the County electronically, and then courier the tape from the counting machine to the County that night.  Along with that tape, they must also include all provisional ballots voted, an accounting of all the ballots originally sent to the polling place, spoiled ballots, etc.  The Chief Judge delivers each of these items, in sealed bags, the seals having been signed by all three judges prior to forwarding these to the County.  So, County officials had these results from all three early voting sites prior to election day.

Republican National Committee officials at first declined to help Ms. Ellmers in her recount battle, but seem to have relented after being put to shame by Rush Limbaugh on his radio program yesterday.  Of course, Ellmers could use a little help from anyone who can spare as little as $10 to help with the effort.

If, and again I emphasize the "if" it can be shown that Bob Ethridge is pursuing an Al Franken strategy, there are things you can do is to publicly shame him, Alinski style.  Take every opportunity to point out that Renee Ellmers is being Al Frankened.  When talk turns to the Ethridge-Ellmers recount, as it inevitably will around the water cooler, accuse him of trying to Al Franken Ellmers.  If you see him at a restaurant or shopping, make a show of not being where he is because he is trying to Al Frankened his way into another term in Congress. Make both Ethridge, and Franken's name a swear word, like being Borked.

As a voter, you should take this very personally, because Ethridge is trying to disenfranchise you.  If he wins, he will not be your legitimate representative, Renee Ellmers will be.  And remember this, when people say you are being unfair, or over the top...well...we learned it from the Left.

Thoughts on the Elections

I am still tired from election day.  Working for the Board of Elections, I got up at 4:30 am and worked until 9:00 pm reconciling ballots and packing away all the polling gear.  I was on my feet most of the day, and my legs felt like lead, my back was in spasms.  When I got home last night, I did not want to look at anything to do with elections.

I am amazed and elated to wake up and find that Republicans now control both the North Carolina House and the Senate, something that has not happened in 112 years.  This historic election provides several important opportunities for our State.

The most important, for the long term, is the opportunity to redraw Congressional district boundaries.  Currently, districts are heavily gerrymandered to provide safe seats for the likes of David Price and until recently Bob Ethridge.  Renee Ellmers seems to have taken out Ethridge, if she can survive the inevitable recount.  But we can do even more.  We can rationalize our district boundaries to ensure that the Congressional delegation we send to Congress truly represents the State.  You would be amazed to discover how many conservative working people there are in this State, but they are represented by closet Progressives.  If this were not so, do you think Jesse Helms would have survived all those years in the Senate?

We can finally get a Castle Doctrine bill, and a Restaurant Carry bill passed, as well as perhaps carry in public parks and theatres.  The Democratic House bottled up both the Castle Doctrine and Restaurant carry in committee, and never let them get a vote.  I suspect with when allowed to get voted on, both will pass handily.

We can whittle taxes back down to levels that encourage businesses to return to North Carolina.  NC got the big head during the boom years, and is now suffering because, like the monkey that grabs a big wad of food from a small mouthed jar, and doesn't want to give any of it up, our legislatures don't want to give up any of the gains made then.  But the State has to tighten it's belt like everyone else.  With high unemployment rates, the State must recognize that the people simply don't have the money to support the programs the politicians seem to want.

I'll have other thoughts later, after I'm fully recovered.  Interesting times...

Update:  Paul Valone, head of the Grass Roots North Carolina group has his thoughts as well here. Paul doesn't mention redistricting, but does mention improving the situation for legal carriers in the State. By the way, this would be a good time to mention that GRNC can use all the help we can get. If not a member, become one. If a member, but behind on your dues, catch up now. Lobbying the legislature is a numbers game as much as having effective people to speak to the issues.

Voters Beware

I would like to think that this sort of thing doesn't happen in our State, but then you hear of stuff like this. A hat tip to Paul Valone of the GRNC for bringing it to my attention.

A Craven County voter says he had a near miss at the polls on Thursday when an electronic voting machine completed his straight-party ticket for the opposite of what he intended.

Sam Laughinghouse of New Bern said he pushed the button to vote Republican in all races, but the voting machine screen displayed a ballot with all Democrats checked. He cleared the screen and tried again with the same result, he said. Then he asked for and received help from election staff.

This sounds hauntingly similar to what occurred in Texas earlier this week. There, a voter noticed that as soon as he voted for Governor Rick Perry, the machine would change the vote to the Green party candidate, then fill in all the Green party candidates down ballot.

He has become suspicious of voter fraud because of news reports he has heard. He would prefer voting machines to display an error message when they need to be calibrated, as opposed to completing ballots for the opposite party, he said.

“I’m all for our country and we know there has been voter fraud before and it continues even today,” Laughinghouse said. “So you get suspicious when something like this happens.”

Update:  More on the incident can be found at Investor's Business Daily. The article also refers to a case in Nevada where a voter who was going to vote for Sharon Angle found the ballot already checked for Harry Reid.

One wonders if all these machines are made by the same firm?

Update 2: The Liberty Sphere has good summation of the various reports of voter fraud around the country. As the Welshman points out, all of these vote machine "glitches" seem to redound to the benefit of...wait for it...Democrats. Does that sound "random" to you? Then we find out that the workers servicing the machines are...wait for it again...SEIU members. Well, golly gee. What can go wrong here. If candidates could be prosecuted for this stuff as well as the perpetrators, such fraud would die down in a hurry.

Beware as you go out to vote. Be alert, and don't cast you ballot until you are sure what you are getting.

Become a Poll Watcher

In the American Thinker yesterday, Ed Lasky had a piece entitled Democrat Dirty Tricks: The Next Round in which he described things the Democrats are doing, or attempting to do, to reduce voter turn out for TEA Party and Republican candidates, and to pump up votes for Democrat candidates. A quote:

The Democrats have also been peddling xenophobia when spreading conspiracy tales regarding Chamber of Commerce ads -- enough ink has been spilled on this topic to spare you any more exposure except to make a couple of points. The Democrats have their own history of taking foreign money (Google "Gore, Clinton, donations"), and I do find it rather hypocritical for Obama to be slamming foreigners. Maybe he is just a bitter Democratic clinging to agitprop and resorting to xenophobia to salve his wounded pride. In any case, the Democrats have been touting this malarkey in local races around the country -- to little success other than breeding cynicism.

But the tactic had a broader purpose. The idea has been to use it as a wedge to pry into names of donors from the groups spending money on political ads against Democrats and their policies. Once these names are made public, the real "fun" begins as the Democratic "dogs of war" are unleashed. Target had a target on its back when it donated to a group that, in turn, donated a small amount of their total funds to a candidate who had views that offended gay groups. Then the mobocracy went into action, threatening boycotts, protesting, and the like against Target -- all with the help of plenty of newspaper reporting.

Result? Target has pulled its support with its tail between its legs. All corporations are now on notice to obey or get a newspaper whack.

Pretty mild stuff, wouldn't you say? More serious have been ads that outright lie about the oppositions opinions. Case in point:

In one example cited, Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray ran an ad regarding a tanker competition between foreign-owned Airbus and local employer Boeing, featuring the question "Should Boeing workers have a level playing field?" The ad cut to a clip of Republican challenger Dino Rossi, answering, "No. Not as far as I am concerned."

What was the problem? Rossi was answering a different question, and Murray's machinations led to some creative cutting and pasting that constituted blatant dishonesty.

In the past, I have seen ads that mischaracterize the oppositions' positions. These ads walk the tightrope between out and out lying and just misunderstanding. This year, I have seen the ads become unscrupulous, and I have to seriously wonder about the character of the men and women who claim to stand behind the ads.

Today, in the American Thinker, J. R. Dunn has a article entitled The Democrats Will Steal The Election If We Let Them that is a must read. Dunn takes on a little trip through history, highlighting some of the more egregious examples of Democrat election theft.  He wonders why Republicans always let this theft slide.  I wonder too.  While I understand that they do not wish to engage in the same sort of underhanded tactics employed by the Democrats, they should have pursued election theft and voter fraud at every turn, and loudly and publicly prosecuted as many as they could.  It would be in their own best interest (one would think) and would be in the interests of their voters.

We have a clear picture of how vicious the Dems can be, how thorough their plans, and how far they will go. Stealing elections is no peccadillo, no charming piece of nostalgia from the days when men wore white gloves and top hats to check the mailbox. The Democratic Party is, in a real sense, built on electoral fraud, and not only in Chicago. The Dems have used the vilest criminal elements to carry out their electoral schemes. They have used fraud to control cities, regions, and entire states. Not even the presidency has been immune. Men have been killed for trying to vote in the United States of America, the same as in El Salvador, Lebanon, or Afghanistan. Those days could return at any time if we let them. (None of this is to suggest that Republicans never steal the vote. But the tenor is different. With Republicans, it's kind of an amateur effort, along the lines of a cottage industry. With Democrats, it's big business, like Big Steel or Google.)

The big question is, what to do about it. The Dems are not going to out themselves, and apparently the Repubs aren't going to do anything about it either. So, here is an idea:

Though on second thought, I may be wrong there. Because this year, a third force does exist: the Tea Parties. Protection of the vote is a perfect role for the TPs. Up until now, questions of voting irregularities have been treated as a matter between the candidates, or at best between the parties, with no public participation requested or expected. In truth, intrusion by the public is long overdue. At the least, it would serve to brace up a timid GOP. But there is much more scope for action here, in the traditional form of poll-watchers on one hand and on the other, the intense moral pressure that can exerted by community leaders by their simple presence.

As I understand it, anybody can be a poll watcher. Call the Board of Elections in your county, and register with them.  Inform the precinct Chief Judge when you arrive. He or she will tell you where to sit. Have a pad, and take notes. Observe the people working the polls, and make notes of any irregularities. Poll watchers are not allowed to interfere, but they can report these irregularities to their local TEA Party groups.  Poll watchers are also not allowed to speak to voters.

A Bloodless Revolution-Not

The Curmudgeon Emeritus over at the blog Eternity Road takes the wind out of the sails of some of the Republicans out there with his post Wishful Thinking Department: A Bloodless Revolution. The Curmudgeon throws some cold water on the faces of some who seem all too ebullient, but he is just stating the realities surrounding the November 2 elections.  The elections are anything but a slam-dunk.  ACORN is still out there, under whatever name they are going by today, and they are doing what they have already done.  In one case, in Houston, TEA partiers had to ferret out voter registration fraud themselves. When they did that, and the data was turned over to the DA, the voting machines in Houston were burned. Think there might be a connection?  In the case of the Houston fraud, the SEIU had it's fingerprints on the act, but SEIU and ACORN in many cases shared offices.  Meanwhile, in New York New Mexico, and Nevada, overseas military absentee ballots were not mailed out in time, and so these votes may not count. It is appalling that our men and women fighting on the front lines may be disenfranchised because one party fears they may vote for the other guy.

Yesterday, driving back from Washington, NC (the transmitter site of the Voice of America), I heard on the news that Christine O'Donnell was now only 11 points behind the bearded Marxist.  She had apparently beaten him in a debate, and had cut his lead in half.  I was shocked.  I would have thought it was a no brainer.  Here we have a common sense Christian woman, who has stated that she will read and make a determination of the Constitutionality of every piece of legislation she votes on.  She is for lower taxes and less spending.  Against her is the bearded Marxist.  Which one best represents how you feel?  Because in sending the bearded Marxist to the Senate, you are saying that he best represents the majority of voters in Delaware.  Or put another way, if I want to know what Delawareans are like, I should just look to who they elected to represent them.

Go and read the Curmudgeon's piece and ponder.  We need to redouble our efforts to get these TEA party candidates elected.  Our Republic is rapidly disappearing down the hole, unless we act now. 

Update: From Theo Sparks we the video featuring the bearded Marxist as "The Taxman."

Poretto Posts Powerful Series

Francis Porretto has a post up, one of three so far entitled The Professionals Part 2: Do Not Feed or Annoy. Go read, in order, of course. Part 1 is here, and part 3 is here. What the host of Eternity Road is talking about is the nature of Professional Politicians. Part 1 describes the general the nature of such people to seek positions where they have power over others. It is an unfortunate truth. Many people are capable of serving in the House of Representatives. It isn't rocket science, and we have seen in the past just how dumb these people can be and still get themselves elected. I leave you with this example. You can find many others.  No, the thing that keeps ordinary folks from seeking office is that they don't really want to control others.

Now go read part 1.  Done?  Porretto paints a none to flattering picture of our Professional Pols, but it is accurate.  It is the reason that when I vote, and if the guy I vote for wins, I plan to continue to watch him like a hawk.  He seems like a nice enough guy, but there is that nagging doubt about anybody who seeks high office.

With that out of the way, check out part 2.  Done?  Porretto takes us on a slight detour, but correct again.  A quote:

Before I proceed, allow me a word of caution, which I hope will also serve to energize. In a political struggle such as the one we face today, the side that first reaches for violence will lose. That's as true of the suggestion of violence as of overt violent acts. For example, if any prominent Democrat -- Obama, Reid, Pelosi, or any of the better known Cabinet secretaries -- were to hint that the Administration had made provisions for imposing martial law should the elections result in "disorder," public sentiment would turn so completely against the Democrats that they would be guaranteed to be swept from office.

This is why Mike Vanderboegh keeps insisting "No Fort Sumters." No matter the provocation, we can not be seen to throw the first punch, or fire the first shot. During the riots on the campus of Kent State University, the SDS and Weather Underground provocateurs had stirred up the anti-war students who were throwing rocks and taunts at the National Guardsmen. They had already burned the ROTC building, and cut the fire hoses of the firemen with machettes. They were clearly armed, and meant to cause harm.  Had this been a self defense situation, a jury would have seen that the Guard had ample reason to fear for their lives. No one can ever resolve to every one's satisfaction what happened next, but in any case, the Guard did fire, a teenage girl was killed, and the establishment lost the hearts and minds of the American people for the war in Vietnam.   In this war, and it is a war, our side must be seen as the victim of aggression, not as the aggressor.

Porretto is also correct about trolls to Internet sites.  I have wasted tons of time at the Smallest Minority watching Unix, JD and others take apart the laughable arguments of their pet troll Markadelphia.  Kevin Baker, the proprietor of the Smallest Minority presides over this because he thinks it is instructive to bring out arguments for our side to convince those who may be sitting on the fence.  Kevin pulls it off with aplomb, but everyone can not be a Kevin Baker.  In general, Porretto is correct-don't feed the trolls.  I was reminded of this when someone asked me what I thought Glenn Beck meant by "restoring honor."  The question surprised me, in that the gentleman was older than I was, and should have known.  But when I tried to explain what I thought it was, someone who styles himself a "liberal" kept interrupting.  This is the way trolls work.  I finally just ignored him and went on with my explanation.

In part 3, Porretto takes us back on track and uses Shakespeare to illustrate how Professional Politicians try to divide and conquer us, magnifying our petty differences, and spreading fear and suspicion.  Don't let them.  We have, in what I call the Liberty Brigade, a collection of Classical Liberals, Fiscal Conservatives, Religious Conservatives, Libertarians of all stripes, and probably some I can not think of right now.  What we all have in common is our desire to restore the Republic to its proper foundations working the way the Constitution originally intended.  We can argue later about specifics; now is not the time.  Don't let them divide and conquer the TEA parties.

I can't wait for part 4.

Update: Mr. Porretto informs me that part 4 is up here. Part 4 is a very good illustration of the "divide and conquer" idea in actual practice. Go read it, and see if you don't perhaps see yourself in there somewhere.

Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice...

Lee Cary has an article up at the American Thinker today entitled How A GOP November Victory Could Bring Its Death. The piece says what many Conservatives and Constitutionalists are feeling right now:

Still feeling betrayed by the GOP's failure to live up to its promises going back to soon after the Contract with America, conservative voters are preparing to march to the polls in decisive numbers, but not with wild-eyed enthusiasm for the GOP. As they vote to oust the current Democrat Congress, under their breath, they'll be muttering the warning, "This is your last chance, Republicans."

I am already thinking that if the Republican running for State Representative doesn't look sufficiently conservative, rather than vote for the lesser evil, I will not vote at all in that race. I am tired beyond tears at so called "conservatives" who want to get along with the left. Note to Conservatives and Constitutionalists: you can not get along with Leftists. It's not that these people are bad people in the traditional sense. But as Reagan said, "it's that they know so much that ain't so," and feel a huge need to impose it on the rest of us. While Leftists may be charming and personable, their policies can not be reconciled with ours. It is like oil and water. To continue the analogy, there is no emulsifier to bring them together. Either you are for big government, or for limited government. Either you believe in a fixed Constitution, whose meaning can be changed only through the amendment process, or you believe in a "living document." Either you believe in individual rights, or you believe in positive rights. There is no middle ground.

The other thing that the Republicans will have to realize going in, and steel themselves against.  The Left will whine and cry, and call them the vilest names over even the most innocuous proposals.  They will accuse you of hating children, of being racist, of hating poor people, or whatever.  It isn't true, so just get used to it.

I just hope the Republicans I am supporting get it.

What's ACORN Up To?

A recent FOX Opinion piece puts the blame on felons for the election of Al Franken to the Senate. Part of the problem is that Minnesota refuses to purge the voter roles of the felons. The FOX piece implies that since felons vote Democrat, the Democrats in power are loathe to take them off the list. True or not, the facts seem incontrovertible that had they not voted, Norm Coleman would be in the Senate instead. I will also leave aside, for the moment, what the association of Democrat politicians with felons says about Democrat politicians.

Now, having dead people show up at the polls, or felons, or any number of other dirty tricks is old time stuff. The Democrats have been at it for years, but to be fair, some Republicans have engaged in such shenanigans as well. The Republic has survived. What ACORN was up to, however, enrolling vast numbers of people who couldn't otherwise be bothered to become registered to vote, and who wouldn't have a clue who or what to vote for had not ACORN told them, seems a magnitude greater form of electioneering. And while ACORN disbanded, I don't for a minute believe that they have gone away, or changed their tactics. They have just buried themselves deeper, in some other false flag operation, and are setting up shop to do it all again.

Who is watching ACORN, or whatever name it goes by today?

Because here's the thing: the moment that the average American voter thinks that his vote doesn't count; that, like the Minnesota voters, someone has come in illegitimately and cancelled out his or her vote, the likelihood of civil war goes way up. Some people already believe that elections are rigged and refuse to participate. What do you think happens when the Tea Parties become convinced of the same thing? In rigged Iranian elections, the people rioted. It was unfocused, and so eventually put down. After all, the government had guns and the rioters only had rocks. Here, I think it may be a different story.

So, who is watching ACORN?

Update: Also check Western Rifle Shooters Association for a look at this topic of just how much we can expect to do with electoral politics.

Anticipating the October Surprise

Pamela Geller has a piece today at the American Thinker entitled The October Surprise is Coming. Ms. Geller doesn't pull any punches in calling the "democratic" leadership exactly what it is. Interestingly, Geller speculates that our October Surprise this time will probably be a full scale depression. The reasoning goes that a mere "economic emergency" worked the last time, but this time they are likely to be thrown out of office unless it's a bigger and better October Surprise.

Also, interestingly, Ms. Geller has a candidate for President that we had not considered before:

Yes. And there is some comfort to be found in the fact that decent, rational men, statesmen, exist and speak the truth. They represent our last hope, a vestige of reason and sanity in this era of the modern barbarian. These are the men who need to take the reins of their respective nations. Bolton 2012: The stakes couldn't be higher.

It does have a certain ring to it, no?

What Tea Partiers Want

In yesterday's Townhall.com, Jonah Goldberg had a good piece on the feelings that animate the Tea Parties in Tea Partiers A Delayed Bush Backlash. As Goldberg points out, with both Gore and Kerry, conservatives had no where else to go, so reluctantly voted for Bush. With McCain, they were again in a corner, with nowhere else to go. But neither Bush, nor McCain was, or is a conservative (except in the minds of far left radicals, that is.) Indeed, I often wondered about, and was amazed by, the evident Bush hatred on the left. Wasn't Bush accomplishing much of the Progressive/Marxist agenda? That it was a so-called Republican doing it would, I thought, make it that much more delicious.

According to last week's NYT/CBS poll of tea party supporters, 57 percent have a favorable view of Bush, but that hardly captures the nuance of tea party feelings. For instance, when Bush's face appeared on the Jumbotron in the arena, the Cincinnati audience applauded. When speakers criticized Bush and the GOP for "losing their way," the audience applauded even louder.

Going by what I saw in Cincinnati, second to a profound desire to rein in government, the chief attitude driving the 39 percent of tea partiers who describe themselves as "very conservative" isn't partisanship, racism or seizing the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. It's "we won't be fooled again." In the near term, that spells trouble for Obama and Democrats. In the long term, that lays down a serious gauntlet for Republicans.

We won't be fooled again. In my case, no more RINOs. If I don't have a good conservative candidate, who is solid on gun rights, I simply won't vote for that office. I will not acquiesce in the slow destruction of the Constitution that the last 100 years represents. No more.

Is This Election the Last?

Today I wanted to revisit a post from October 2008 entitled Is This Election the Last?.

While the TEA Parties are running rallies, and trying to round up candidates and support them, ACORN has quietly changed its name. But ACORN has not gone away, and they haven't changed their ways. But with a new name, they can operate more freely again. Is anybody watching ACORN?

I have been concerned all along that the progressives seem mighty sanguine about the midterm elections, and their prospects of losing. What do they know that the rest of us do not? Could it be that they already have this election "in the bag" so to speak? Could it be that they are not in the least bit worried about losing? In the recent past, various groups, such as military voters in the 2000 and 2004 elections have been disenfranchised by various groups looking to steal the election. In 2008, Senator Franken, in my opinion, stole the election through endless vote counting and "finding" additional ballots. Are they now prepared to go nationwide with these techniques?

Just wondering.

Update, courtesy of The Liberty Sphere comes this from Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership: An Open Letter to America. JPFO has good reason to try to encourage everyone, especially Jews, to maintain firearms ownership, and to keep up their firearm skills. They let Hitler take away firearms, and the Holocaust followed. Never again. The letter asks the same questions that have been going around in my head, and a few that I had not thought of. Go and read it.

In King, NC, You Are Only as Free as the State Says You Are

John Jacob H has a good commentary on the curfew and state of emergency passed in King, NC entitled Where The Hell is King, North Carolina?. Apparently, in response to David Codrea's question "By Whose Authority?" John Jacob H answers by the Mayor's own authority. So, a Mayor of a small town has the authority to declare a state of emergency and declare that people will not be allowed to have their weapons during a time when, by official proclamation, people might need their weapons. And this because of some snow? Hmmm. This sounds like Hurricane Katrina all over again.

During Hurricane Katrina, the police went door to door confiscating peoples legally owned firearms. Homeowners were disarmed at precisely the time when they might need to defend themselves from looters and other criminals because the police were admittedly not going to be there.

Why? Why is this happening in a supposedly "free State?"

Well, it could be because of her. "Representative" Deborah Ross has bottled up nearly every pro gun bill that has come before her committee. Right now she has the Castle Doctrine bill bottled up in Committee, and won't let it out for a vote of the House. It has already passed the Senate, by an overwhelming majority. North Carolinians need this bill to defend themselves after they are forced to defend themselves. After we get Castle Doctrine, we need to work on securing our weapons in times of emergency from being stolen by "authorities" acting under color of law. Oh, by the way, we also need eliminate bans on restaurant carry, theatre carry, park carry... But none of this will happen unless and until we vote out ACLU lawyer Deborah Ross.

Update, and correction: Apparently, NC had a bill, HB 257, which could have prevented this abuse of power. It was introduced by several pro-gun legislators, including Representative Bryan Holloway of the district that includes King. However, in this case, it was denied a hearing by House Majority leader, Hugh Holliman. So, "Representative" Ross was innocent in this case. However, in the case of the Castle Doctrine, she is still the one holding the bill in committee, and refusing to let it be voted on by the entire House. And the Mayor of King, NC still deserves all the opprobrium that can be heaped on him for being a petty tyrant.

Brown Won

I am speechless. I got home last night to hear that Coakley had conceded. I was shocked, but glad. Apparently, the progressives have finally realized the danger of holding sham elections and massive, obvious voting fraud. Or maybe I am reading too much into it. Brown won by a margin of 5%, which may have been to large to manufacture a win.

My understanding is that the new Senator from MA is not a conservative as you or I understand the word. But he will not vote for ObamaCare, and maybe for now, that is enough.

Update: This piece by C. Edmund Wright in the American Thinker. I hope he is right.

Congress Irrelevent?

Congress is making itself irrelevant if they don't watch out.

Congress is unlikely to pass Cap and Tax this year. Due, in part to Climategate, a binding agreement coming out of Hopenhagen appears also unlikely. In any case, the Senate would probably not ratify any such agreement. But still, the threat of massive regulation remains because of the Obama Doctrine: govern by decree. Henry P Wickham, Jr. has an article over at the American Thinker today that you must read about the EPA's finding that CO2 is a pollutant and must be regulated. Congress could still make itself relevant by putting a line in the EPA's appropriations bill to the effect that no funding could be used to regulate CO2 or carbon, but I doubt that will happen, considering that the House already passed Cap and Tax, and that all funding bills must originate in the House. The only way to reverse this is to get rid of those members of Congress who are not listening to the people in 2010.

If you want to know why all this is happening, please read On the brink by Victor Volsky at American Thinker today.

In fact, he had little choice. Obama came to power in no small measure thanks to an economic collapse. But it is this very recession that makes his window of opportunity extremely narrow, at most ‘til the beginning of the 2010 election campaign. Off-year elections nearly always deal a blow to the ruling party, most certainly during economic downturns. Come election time, Obama's honeymoon will be long since over and the electorate will be sure to take out its frustration and anger on his party, further undermining the president's clout. Just ask Bill Clinton after the 1994 electoral debacle of the Democrats.


Given the political landscape the left decided on a drastic approach: President Obama and his Congressional allies would take advantage of their temporary preponderance and go all in on their program to take control of three major sectors: health care, education and energy. Speed was of the essence; while the Republicans are in post-electoral disarray, attack, attack, attack, overwhelm the enemy's defenses, give him no time to regroup, and push through the coveted legislation. All the chips were placed on a blitzkrieg. Using a football analogy, the Democrats threw a Hail Mary pass into the enemy's end-zone, pinning all their hopes on one daring toss.

And the remedy?

The only hope of Obama and his allies is that the American people, unaccustomed as they are to prolonged activism, will soon get bored and go back to slumber. Will the enraged electorate have the stamina, the staying power to continue the fight to the bitter end, until the internal aggression is beaten back? If it does and the socialist conspiracy is decisively defeated, the radical left will be dealt a crushing blow from which it might take decades to recover. If not, America as we know it, in all likelihood will be finished.

Or, in simpler terms, the Democratic party has to go. Democratic Members of Congress must be replaced with people who are willing to follow the Constitution, and work to unburden government of the unconstitutional duties it has arrogated to itself.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton just announced that the Obama administration would be working hand in glove with the UN on the "Small Arms Treaty." John Bolton threw a monkey wrench into this treaty during the Bush administration, but with Obama now in office, the way seems clear for him to sign onto this abomination. Once again, the Senate is unlikely to ratify the treaty, but that won't prevent the administration from writing regulations in support of the treaty anyway, the Second Amendment be damned.

Election 2010!