"Very few hunters in the United States or sports people and law-abiding people really need to have semiautomatic weapons or long guns."

-- Lanny Breuer, 1 November 2011, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism Holds Hearing on Combating International Organized Crime.

========

What a nice, little "useful idiot" you are Breuer. Your statement is the most asinine I've heard in a long time and just for the moment, disregarding the fact that the reason we need such weapons is to protect us from Collectivists like you who would take away all means of a citizen's defense if able, do you suggest I go deer hunting with a .38? Blithering, blathering fool and remember what happens to useful idiots in the long run, courteous of the masters you lap up to now.

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Pelosi: Gov’t Should Shut Down Plant Where Workers Refuse to Unionize

Go back home and don't bother us anymore.
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Heritage finds a nice catch in this CNBC interview with Nancy Pelosi last week, as Maria Bartiromo queries Barack Obama’s favorite House Speaker on the role of government in business expansion. Should agencies like the NLRB have the authority to shut down private-sector plants simply for not being unionized? Pelosi barely waits for the question to conclude before blurting out her “yes”:

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Free Republic on Romney: 'Enemies of the constitution ... are not welcome here'

Free Republic founder Jim Robinson has a message for supporters of Mitt Romney: go away.

In an email to POLITICO this afternoon, Robinson admitted that the site routinely blocks Romney supporters from posting -- and offered no apologies for the practice:

Free Republic is a pro-life, pro-family, pro-gun, pro-small government, pro-constitution, pro-liberty site. Governor Romney is none of the above. His record is that of an abortionist, gay rights pushing, gun grabbing, global warming advocating, big government, mandate loving, constitution trampling, flip-flopping liberal progressive with no core values. That and the fact that he is the chief architect and advocate for ObamaCare disqualifies him for any consideration whatsoever on Free Republic as a potential nominee for the presidency. ...

Liberal progressives and other enemies of the constitution and or of Liberty itself are not welcome here. Accounts registered here by liberal progressives and other assorted trolls, malcontents and disruptors will be removed on sight or at the convenience of the site administrators.

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It's Been Three Years

Destroyed with his own words.
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OWC Supporters: "Nazis and Communists cooperating to bring down the government sounds like early thirties Berlin."

I've taken to calling the OWSers the "Donner Party", they'll start eating each other eventually.

Adobe Walls commenting on the piece Official list of Occupy Wall Street’s supporters, sponsors and sympathizers.

Calls Needed to Oppose the U.S. Senate’s Big-Government Education Bill

William A. Estrada, Esq.
HSLDA Federal Relations

Melanie P. Palazzo
Congressional Action Program Director

November 1, 2011

Introduction

The U.S. Senate Education Committee has decided to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). This massive federal education bill was last reauthorized in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

HSLDA’s federal relations staff have read this 868-page bill, and we believe that while it does not directly impact homeschool freedom, the bill will 1) increase the federal role in education at the expense of state, local, and parental control, and 2) will greatly increase the pressure on states to align their curriculum and standards, resulting in de facto national education standards.

Urgent Calls Needed to Senate Education Committee

The Senate Education Committee has already voted this ESEA bill out of committee, but at the urging of Senator Rand Paul (KY) the committee will hold a hearing on the bill Tuesday, November 8. If either of your senators are on the Education Committee, HSLDA urges you to call with the following message:

“I am concerned that the ESEA reauthorization bill scheduled for a committee hearing next Tuesday will greatly increase the federal government’s control over education. As a homeschooler, I understand that parents—not federal education officials—are best suited to make educational choices for their children. Please oppose attempts to increase national control over education.”

Senate Education Committee Members

Tom Harkin (IA) 202-224-3254 Barbara Mikulski (MD) 202-224-4654 Jeff Bingaman (NM) 202-224-5521 Patty Murray (WA) 202-224-2621 Bernard Sanders (VT) 202-224-5141 Robert Casey (PA) 202-224-6324 Kay Hagan (NC) 202-224-6342 Jeff Merkley (OR) 202-224-3753 Al Franken (MN) 202-224-5641 Michael Bennet (CO) 202-224-5852 Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) 202-224-2921 Richard Blumenthal (CT) 202-224-2823

Michael Enzi (WY) 202-224-3424 Lamar Alexander (TN) 202-224-4944 Richard Burr (NC) 202-224-3154 Johnny Isakson (GA) 202-224-3643 Rand Paul (KY) 202-224-4343 Orrin Hatch (Utah) 202-224-5251 John McCain (AZ) 202-224-2235 Pat Roberts (KS) 202-224-4774 Lisa Murkowski (AK) 202-224-6665 Mark Kirk (IL) 202-224-2854

You may identify and contact your two U.S. senators using HSLDA’s Legislative Toolbox.

Senators Paul, Richard Burr (NC), and Orrin Hatch (UT) share our concerns about this bill and should be thanked.

Background

In 2001, Congress passed NCLB. While HSLDA was neutral on this bill because it included strongly written protections for homeschoolers, and prohibitions on federal funding for national teacher certification, national standards, national testing, and national databases, NCLB also greatly increased the federal government’s role in education.

A decade later, nearly all education policy makers agree that NCLB is too inflexible. HSLDA believes this illustrates that the federal government should not be in the business of establishing education policy for the nation’s schoolchildren.

This past month, the U.S. Senate has been working on reauthorizing NCLB. HSLDA is concerned the Senate’s bill continues the failed “Washington-knows-best, one-size-fits-all” approach that was widely criticized in NCLB. In addition, one provision in the Senate’s bill mandates that any state taking federal funds must put in place “College and Career Ready Aligned Standards.” Mandating that each state have aligned standards with aligned coursework will guarantee the creation of national academic standards, national curriculum, and national testing. We believe this will result in the eventual requirement that homeschoolers use these national standards, curriculum, and testing.

For more about HSLDA’s concerns read “The Danger of National Standards” and “Nationalized Education Standards—an Update for Home Educators.”

You may also read HSLDA’s legislative summary.

It is still unclear at this point whether homeschool protections will stay in the Senate’s education bill, but even if they do, the trend of national standards could lead to homeschoolers losing the freedom to choose the curriculum for their children. For these reasons, HSLDA is urging opposition to the Senate’s ESEA reauthorization legislation.

Other Resources

Morning Bell: The Backdoor Attempt to Rewrite No Child Left Behind

With Waivers, National Standards Anything but Voluntary

State-Based Reform, Not National Standards, Key to Better Education

Senate No Child Left Behind Proposal: More Big Government for Schools

Splitting Hairs on the Cadaver

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis uses gay-baiting slur in public. (Anti Tea Party)

It’s not turning into a good year for the Obama administration – in fact, it’s not been a good administration for the Obama administration – but I think that this is hardly an excuse for a Cabinet level official to use low-rent sexual epithets in public:

At the Florida Democratic Party State Convention over the weekend, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis insulted members of the Tea Party, referring to the activists as “teab[*]ggers.” Teab[*]gger is a pejorative term used to refer to a certain sexual act. Liberal talk show hosts such as Rachel Maddow brought the phrase into the mainstream in 2009, using it as a tongue-in-cheek insult.

As reported by Tallahassee Democrat and Sunshine State News, after voicing her support for large federal programs, Solis warned, “I’ll be darned if I’m going to set that aside now because a few teab[*]ggers want to somehow muzzle my voice,” Solis said.

(Sanitizing mine.)

I’ve always been somewhat cynically amused at how liberal/Democrats/progressives could just somehow tell that when, say, the word ‘macaca’ was used it was clearly meant as a racial slur; but that the enthusiastic use of the term ‘teab*gger’ had no homophobic connotations at all.

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Coke Pushes "Global Warming" (Sic)

Moonbattery
VERBATIM POST
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You would think the absurd campaign to trick us into giving up our freedom and standard of living on behalf of polar bears would get old. After all, there is zero evidence that human activity affects polar bears by altering the climate. Even if there were, the lumbering bloodthirsty beasts, consisting mostly of blubber, aren’t as sympathetic in real life as in their cartoon representations, being nearly unique in their habit of hunting down humans and eating us. But even if anyone had good reason to care, polar bears are far from threatened; their numbers have increased by about four-fold over the past half century — constituting a serious problem. Nonetheless, they remain an iconic symbol of the environmental radicalism that has been threatening our way of life. Ever eager to pander to pernicious left-wing causes, Coca-Cola now lectures us with this:

Coca-Cola is ditching its iconic red cans next month as part of a fundraising campaign to protect the polar bear’s Arctic habitat. The Arctic Home campaign, a joint effort between Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund, will call upon Coca-Cola consumers to donate $1 via a simple text message.

While Coca-Cola has worked on conservation projects before, the company has never gone so far as to change its iconic red can to help draw awareness to a campaign.

If you lose your job because the local power plant has been shut down by environmental fanatics, thank operations like the World Wildlife Fund, the corporations that fund them, and the politicians they purchase with the money.

Maybe the suits at Coke think pandering to fads to advance ecofascism will help them sell soda-pop. With any luck they’re wrong.

Coke can

Unfortunately Pepsi is just as bad.

Mad Mullah vs. British Soldier

Gates of Vienna
VERBATIM POST
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Who gets the best deal? This graphic from Guido Fawkes says it all:

HERE

Rape, Gropes, and Assaults, Oh My: Mayor Bloomberg, Shut Down Zuccotti Park!

Q: You said a deaf guy was raped?

A: Yeah…

Q: Did the guy, I mean, do these, did that get reported to the police, or did that stay inside the camp?

A: Well, OK, I’m not sure for that particular incident. Yeah, no I–that might have stayed inside the camp.

It’s time for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pull the plug on the dangerous circus in crime zone Zuccotti Park.

People have the right to protest, to assemble peaceably, to raise their voices and petition their government. They do not have the right to break the law. And Mayor Bloomberg has the duty to uphold the law.

Today, Big Government is releasing the first of several videos filmed yesterday in Zuccotti Park, featuring an activist who has been at the Occupy Wall Street protest since it began.

The young woman, whom we believe to be an activist named Channing Kehoe, refers to part of Zuccotti Park as a “ghetto,” and discusses the prevalence of drug abuse, sexual assault, rape, and other violent crimes among the demonstrators:

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Surprise: Republicans Have No Character

Bad Eagle
VERBATIM POST
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The US Secret Service is investigating the Loudoun, Virginia Republicans for its Halloween cartoon depiction of Obama as a zombie with a bullet hole in his head. It was in a simple email ad for the Leesburg, Va. Halloween parade.

The political page is clearly playing on the Halloween monster theme, the new Walking Dead television series, and scary Democrat Communist policy which threatens to destroy America for ever.

“This is a disgusting and violent portrayal of the president of the United States,” said Democratic Party of Virginia spokesman Brian Coy.

But, it was okay for Hollywood (Gabriel Range) to make a movie about assassinating President George Bush. Death of a President (2006) was all about the wonders of freedom of speech and artistic expression. And the fact that the assassin was Syrian was no insult to Syrians, right? (Why, the movie has an Arabic version.) And who cares if a white man is shot and killed? (Jeff Jacoby wrote a fine assessment of this film phenomenon: “A New Low in Bush-Hatred.”

But the Negro–the Negro president, in a Halloween cartoon, now, that’s racism! That’s offensive. That’s an outrage.

The Negro in America confuses all issues. Granted, the content of his character is precisely what is in doubt. Do we consider him because of his achievements, or because he is black? One thing is evident: we are coerced into considering him at all. Disadvantage: the Negro. By law, no less.

The Loudoun County Republicans quickly and profusely apologized and condemned the evil cartoons. They fervent outrage appeared to compete with Muslim rage over the Mohammad cartoons in Denmark.

It is, by now, with the Herman Cain defense, abundantly clear that professional white Republicans, politicians or media stars, have but one fear: to be accused of racism. They fawn over opportunities to display their transcendence, Rush Limbaugh included. They luxuriate in praising any Negro for any reason. This is their evidence of superior character. Why, they couldn’t possibly have any race preferences or natural affinities. They couldn’t possibly have a streak of anything that could be remotely associated with racism. Just ask them. Give them a microphone.

This is the inevitable result of bringing the Negro into public life. This is what happens when the Negro is up on the block for professional success or public office–especially public elected office. Is he there because he is black, or because he is eminently qualified? Because the laws of the ’60′s are what they are today, we will never know the answer to that question. All we know is, we are coerced to pretend that we consider the Negro a white man, with special privileges because of his black skin.

Whatever happens to the Negro individual, there is always the question of race. Was it because he is black? If the question is about positive qualifications, why, no! He is above his skin. If the question is about culpability or fault, then he is accused because he is black.

This inevitable dilemma creates nothing but confusion of values and wasteful conversation. This race issue, epitomized by the Negro on public stage, is crippling, denigrating, and inevitably inefficient. Politics becomes a circus, and the private business sector a side show. Real life becomes frustrating and disgusting.

Again, none of this is the American Negro’s fault. He’s simply trying to make the best of the racial circumstance he finds himself in. It was none of his doing, in the beginning.

And so we all live with established hypocrisy, no one being able to express how they really feel about anything or anyone. We’ll be sued. If we may paraphrase Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is not conscience, but attorneys, which makes cowards of us all. Of course, their just working stiffs, trying to make a living themselves.

And so the whole ineviscerable impaction of society constipates itself in the bowels of the courts. Mercy on the judges, who abide in the stench day after day, year after year.

But, a political cartoon as a threat to “acting” president Barry? A comic strip disrespectful? What can an alien, lying, black African Communist Muslim traitor expect in the way of honor and obeisance from American patriots? Is a cartoon really that hurtful? I thought blacks had tough skin, no? Apparently not. Apparently that skin of theirs can be used to justify or condemn–anything. Tough isn’t the word. Powerfully manipulative–especially in the political hands of whites in power.

Republicans, politicians and media gurus, have proven themselves completely incompetent, dishonest, weak, and slavish. This is the lowest point in American political history.

Napolitano/Clinton ‘Gunwalker’ reactions not credible & Documents detail early knowledge

Napolitano and Clinton ‘Gunwalker’ reactions simply not credible

“Congressional Republicans are trying to expand the scope of questions over the disastrous ATF gun-sting operation ‘Fast and Furious’ to Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano, asking her why she never investigated even after suspected guns showed up at the scene of a dead U.S. Border Patrol agent,” The Washington Times reports.

“Napolitano responded that her immediate concern was finding the killers of Agent Brian Terry and that she didn't know until the spring of this year that there were indications his death involved weapons that were part of the federal gun trafficking probe,” Politico explains.

The first day of Spring was March 20. Napolitano had already testified on Gunwalker before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 9, but let’s give her the benefit of the doubt here—after all, Attorney General Eric Holder evidently doesn’t see much difference between weeks and months when it comes to recounting timelines under oath.

Take a moment and go through the list of publicized developments that took place before the Secretary’s epiphany of enlightenment, chronicled here by bloggers operating out of their homes, and ask yourself if it seems credible that the head of Homeland Security, with the awesome power and see-all surveillance of the federal government at her disposal, just did not have a clue about Gunwalker. If that’s truly the case, we are entrusting nothing less than the domestic safeguarding of the Republic to an incompetent.

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Documents detail early knowledge by Lanny Breuer and subordinates of "gunwalking."

Email correspondence and handwritten notes obtained today by
David Codrea of the National Gun Rights Examiner and this correspondent provide details on information and strategy being shared between top level officials of the Department of Justice and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, including between Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer and then-ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson.

These documents, in the possession of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, provide a much clearer picture than that given by Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer in his statement of yesterday of what the Justice Department knew of the tactic of "letting guns walk" and when they, and Breuer himself, knew about it.

Readers will recall that on 4 February 2011, Ronald Weich the Justice Department's Assistant Attorney General wrote a letter to Senator Charles Grassley, saying, "ATF makes every effort to interdict weapons that have been purchased illegally and prevent their transportation to Mexico."

Yet, in an email exchange during the 3rd and 4th of December 2009, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer approved a Gang Unit prosecutor being assigned to ATF gun trafficking cases at the request of ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson. These documents are labeled with the committee filing notation "HOGR ATF 2730."

SA@TheDC - "I Like Ron Paul Except on Foreign Policy"

Via The Bonnie Blue Blog

Democracy Versus Mob Rule

In various cities across the country, mobs of mostly young, mostly incoherent, often noisy and sometimes violent demonstrators are making themselves a major nuisance.

Meanwhile, many in the media are practically gushing over these "protesters," and giving them the free publicity they crave for themselves and their cause -- whatever that is, beyond venting their emotions on television.

Members of the mobs apparently believe that other people, who are working while they are out trashing the streets, should be forced to subsidize their college education -- and apparently the President of the United States thinks so too.

But if these loud mouths' inability to put together a coherent line of thought is any indication of their education, the taxpayers should demand their money back for having that money wasted on them for years in the public schools.

Sloppy words and sloppy thinking often go together, both in the mobs and in the media that are covering them. It is common, for example, to hear in the media how some "protesters" were arrested. But anyone who reads this column regularly knows that I protest against all sorts of things -- and don't get arrested.

The difference is that I don't block traffic, join mobs sleeping overnight in parks or urinate in the street. If the media cannot distinguish between protesting and disturbing the peace, then their education may also have wasted a lot of taxpayers' money.

Among the favorite sloppy words used by the shrill mobs in the streets is "Wall Street greed." But even if you think people in Wall Street, or anywhere else, are making more money than they deserve, "greed" is no explanation whatever.

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100 Round Glock Mag Fully Automatic - Fire Power Solutions, Inc.

Via Troublesome Times

OWS camp gets really commie-cal

Via Moonbattery

Some 50 Occupy Wall Street protesters saw red yesterday -- giving an enthusiastic welcome to a genuine communist.

Alex Callinicos, a professor of European Studies at Kings College in London, announced to his rapt audience, “I am a Marxist.’’

Asked if the upcoming revolution can be non-violent, he parroted the party line of the demonstrators, who call themselves the 99 percent of Americans lined up against the “1 percent’’ with power and money.

He said violence could be avoided only if the “1 percent accept the decisions of the 99 percent,’’ which he predicted would never happen.

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National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 10-31-11

Injustice Everywhere
VERBATIM POST

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• US Veterans Administration police officer arrested in connection with his wife’s murder [2] townta.lk/vyvAtZ

• Chillicothe OH cop who is also minister retired before arrested on 10 counts unlawful sex w/minor & soliciting minor[1] bit.ly/vexOEW

• Parkersburg WV cop indicted on battery charge for striking a suspect on video in holding area during booking [0] bit.ly/sdd1JV

• Eugene OR police loses appeal in court ruling in man’s arrest for recording traffic stop being recorded by dashcam [3] http://bit.ly/vYH1aq

• Ranger TX cop arrested for allegedly punching girlfriend in the face & sending threatening txt messages [0] bit.ly/stetzF

• East Washington PA chief allegedly bragged he was a killer & “best cop money could buy” to agent posing as dealer [0] bit.ly/tMUDaI

• San Juan Co UT now-former sheriff pleads guilty to misusing public funds involving $4,100 meant for search & rescue [0] bit.ly/s52eAF

• New York NY police union official’s claims that 20 cops hurt at #OWS questioned after NYPD refuses to validate it [4] bit.ly/vOIX5m

Oct. 31, 1972

Guns & Patriots

U.S. Navy SEAL Petty Officer (future lieutenant) Michael E. Thornton; his commanding officer, Lt. Thomas R. Norris; and three South Vietnamese Naval commandos are conducting an intelligence-collection and prisoner-snatch operation deep behind enemy lines when they are discovered by a force that outnumbers them at least 10 to one.

Fierce, close fighting ensues. Thornton and Norris are both wounded, Norris badly.

As the team begins a fighting withdrawal toward the beach, Thornton learns that Norris is down, perhaps dead.

Thornton races back through a hailstorm of enemy fire to find and retrieve his commander – dead or alive.

Thornton finds Norris, kills two enemy soldiers who are standing over his wounded commander, then hoists Norris onto his shoulders and sprints back toward the beach for several hundred yards under heavy enemy fire.

When he hits the surf, Thornton ties Norris to his own body and starts swimming. When he sees one of the South Vietnamese commandos shot in the hip and unable to swim, Thornton grabs him too; swimming both men out to sea for more than two hours before they are rescued.

For his actions, Thornton will receive the Medal of Honor.

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Oct. 31, 1972

Cain 38.3%, Gingrich 22.6% & Paul 16.4%

After previously peaking in May at 24.8%, Herman Cain found himself in a downward spiral. For a while, it seemed he wouldn't be able to get out of the doldrums of single digits in the Townhall.com Straw Poll and in his national numbers. That all changed this month as he surged to take in 38.3% of the vote, a net gain of 28.5 points since September. Herman Cain was far and away the big winner this month.

The next big winner was Newt Gingrich. He climbed 18.1 points to take second place with 22.6% of the vote. It was his best showing since MARCH when he took 11.75%. Gingrich bottomed out in July with 1.4% of the vote but has seen a steady increase in support since. As is true with Cain, Gingrich has also seen his national poll numbers rise. Both Cain and Gingrich have received excellent marks for their debate performances of late.

Ron Paul finally showed a chink in his armor, losing 3.5 points and finishing third. This is the first month he hasn't finished first or second since we started polling in January.

Paul's losses don't even compare to that of Rick Perry who lost an astounding 22.4 points this month to finish at 9.5%. It was far and away the biggest loss in support in the history of the Townhall.com Straw Poll. The next biggest slide was in July when Herman Cain lost an incomparable 7.6 points.

Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman all lost slight support this month as well. Undecided voters were slightly more decided this month as less votes were cast for "Someone else/Undecided."

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Silencer

Via Robert

Gunwalker

The Fourth Southern National Congress November 18-19, 2011

Via Cousin John

Dear Southern National Congress Delegate:

The Fourth Southern National Congress will convene Friday and Saturday, November 18-19, 2011 at Montgomery Bell State Park, near Dickson, TN, about 30-40 minutes southwest of Nashville, TN.

The Fourth Congress will be the most important yet. As our country continues to deteriorate right in front of eyes, we are reminded daily why we became delegate.

We chose Montgomery Bell State Park again for its more or less central location, in the hopes of making travel from the outlying States relatively easy. Nashville has excellent air connections with the rest of the country. The Tennessee SNC Delegation has kindly offered to arrange a shuttle service from the Nashville Airport for those in need of ground transportation after flight arrival. (Nashville Airport code is BNA)

We also chose the Park for its excellent meeting and banquet space, for its setting and ambiance, and for its affordable cost. The Park is lovely, and the Inn overlooks a picturesque lake. The guest rooms have all the usual amenities and a beautiful view from the individual room balconies. There are also villas a few minutes from the Inn that sleep about 7-9, for Delegations who wish to stay together. Meals in the on-site restaurant are quite good and reasonably priced.

This year there will be a $25.00 registration fee per delegate and $40.00 per couple if both are delegates.

Click here to download a pdf format registration form and here to download a Microsoft Word registration form. Please complete form, attach check and mail to the address on the form.

Each delegate will make their own lodging reservations. See list below for lodging information.

See more information on the Park at this link:

http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/MontgomeryBell/index.shtml#conference

The Southern National Congress provides Southerners a unique opportunity to take part in a representative assembly of the fourteen Southern States that speaks for our interests and voices our grievances as Southerners in a manner denied up by today's corrupt political system. I hope you'll reserve this date and plan to join us at the Third Southern National Congress on November 18-19, 2011.

May God bless the South.
Mark Thomey,
Vice Chairman

If you are not a Delegate, click the following for a Delegate Application

Someone Is Going To Jail For This: MF Global Caught Stealing Hundreds Of Millions From Customers?

Via Western Rifle Shooters Association

Say you are the head back office guy at MF Global, it is the close of trading on Thursday, the firm has already completely drawn down on its revolver, and all the resulting cash in addition to all the firm's cash at your disposal in affiliated bank accounts, up to and including petty cash, has been used to satisfy margin demands due to declining collateral value, yet the collateral calls just won't stop, and impatient voices on the other side of the phone line demand you transfer even more cash over immediately or else risk default proceedings commenced against you within minutes. What do you do? Do you go ahead and tell your superior that the firm is broke even though the co-opted media is trumpeting every 5 minutes that "MF Global is fine", knowing full well you will be immediately fired for being the bearer of bad news, or do you assume that courtesy of your uber-boss being the former head of the Vampire Squid, and thanks to infinite moral hazard which after Lehman made sure nobody would ever fail ever again, that there is simply no way that you will be left without some miraculous rescue, if only you can last one more day, and as a result proceed to "commingle" some client funds with the firm's cash. It turns out that at MF Global you do the latter... over and over... until you have literally stolen hundreds of millions from the firm's client accounts in hopes that the miracle rescue will come on Friday... then over the weekend... and then you realize no miracle is coming, partly because your actions have been exposed, partly because miracles only exist in fairy tales. The next thing you know, your firm is bankrupt and hundreds of clients are about to learn that all their money is gone. Poof. This is not a fictional tale. This is precisely what very likely happened at MF Global in the past 72 hours. And someone has to go to jail. That someone, if indeed this criminal act is proven to have taken place, should be none other than Jon Corzine himself.

The sad truth of just how low Wall Street has fallen comes to us courtesy of the New York Times:

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Only 22% favor Obama's new give away

President Obama is pushing Congress to pass his plan to give $35 billion to state and local governments to prevent layoffs of teachers and first responders such as firemen, policemen and rescue squad workers. But most Americans think state and local governments should tighten their financial belts instead.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 22% of Americans think the federal government should give states and localities $35 billion to prevent such layoffs. Nearly three times as many adults (64%) believe that the best way for state and local governments to avoid these layoffs is to cut back on other spending.

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