In his book The Family of Secrets, Russ Baker makes a very compelling argument that Dan Rather was set up by the Bush Administration.  Rather’s story about Bush’s questionable service in the Texas National Guard was later dismissed since Rather’s source wasn’t reliable.

Baker’s point is that the Rather’s story about Bush’s record is true, but having it reported and then having the chief source discredited.   The story will now be tarnish and the reputation of the person running with the story.

Also, reporters will not want to research the story themselves.  They will either believe it has no legs, or don’t want to suffer the same fate as Dan Rather.

I attended a couple of Anti-Bush/Anti-War rallies when Bush was still in office.  I do lean conservative on many issues, but I feel these wars are wrong.  I also had many problems with the Bush Administration.  The passing of the “War Commissions Act” spurred me on to start this podcast.

While attending these rallies, I noticed many signs that painted President Bush in a bad light.  Pictures of Bush wearing the infamous Hitler moustache.  Signs proclaiming Bush as a fascist.  As many problems I had with Bush, there were a few signs that were below the belt.  (Funny, but below the belt.)

However, members on the right called those who opposed these wars and/or Bush as being  “Unpatriotic.”  I don’t consider those I met at these events or myself as “Unpatriotic.”  I consider them as “Patriots.”

On November 22, 2008, Ragman and I attended the “End the Fed” rally in Houston, Texas.  Remember, Obama had just been elected President but has not been sworn in yet.

At this rally, I notice signs were more Anti-Pelosi than Obama.  I seem to recall two signs that even mentioned Obama.  However, this rally grew from two sources: Ron Paul’s campaign (He spoke at this event) and the “Banker Bailout” bill that just passed.

I have argued against the liberal claim that the Tea Party movement is strictly an “Anti-Obama” movement.  There is no doubt that President Obama’s polices have poured a lot of gasoline on the flame.  However, I feel history will show that it was the “Banker Bailout Bill” was the original match.  (A bill that both Obama and McCain supported)

Since Obama has taken office, Ragman and I have attended various Tea Party events .  Yes, we have seen many signs that do not place President Obama in a good light.  Not much unlike, the many signs I noticed at the Anti-Bush rallies mentioned earlier.

Some liberals have claimed the Obama as the infamous Joker picture was racist.  However, these same liberals had no issue with a picture of President Bush in the Joker makeup on a national magazine cover.  Could the better explanation be that these artists are not racists and thought that these Presidents are just clowns?

Again, the same liberals claiming the Obama signs portraying him as either a socialist or fascist are also racist.  Yet again, they had no issues with similar signs of Bush at their rallies.

As someone who has attended Tea Party events, I don’t consider these people (or myself) as racist.  I consider them Patriots.

Now for the heart of the story…

Recently, the NAACP chastised the Tea Parties for the “racist elements” within their fold.  The Tea Party has fired back saying they should get their own house in order.  Also,  why hasn’t the NAACP condemn the actions of the Black Panthers in Philadelphia back on election day of 2008? Or how the Obama Administration is handling the case?

Whites don’t have a monopoly on racism.  If you have a group of any size, you will have racists in their group.  I don’t care what race is the majority of the crowd.

The news has been a buzz ever since the edited version of Shirley Sherrod’s speech hit the conservative blogger’s website.  What was seen was part of the speech appeared very racist.  This coming right after the NAACP’s bashing of the Tea Parties.  So of course, conservatives went nuts. (The timing here is very interesting.)

We have learned since that the speech had been edited.  What was posted was taken out of context and her whole speech was about her mistake and reconciling her actions.  However, the White House and Dept. of Commerce quickly pulled the trigger on Ms. Sherrod without investigating the incident themselves.

Now both conservatives and liberals have egg on their faces.

As FDR once said, “There are no coincidents in politics.”  I think we have been “Dan Rathered” by someone.  There are some questions here that needs to be asked and I don’t see the national media are asking.

1) How did this conservative blog get this speech?  Not like conservative bloggers were hanging out at NAACP’s speeches from twenty years ago?

2) Who edited the speech?  The bloggers or the “person” who gave them the video?

3) Why was the White House and Dept. of Commerce so quickly to fire Ms. Sherrod without doing a full investigation or asking her about the speech?

The true nature of the speech now has been reveal and justly, the liberals are upset.

So you have this one “racial” event so closely after the NAACP’s attack on the Tea Party.    The conservatives go bananas followed up by the liberals.  The racial tension in the country raises…   Operation Successful!

I saw today on my Facebook; a widget with a picture of Sherrod asking me to “like” something: President Obama needs to say “NO” to Fox News.  I think this illustrates my point.

While we as individuals and the media are bickering amongst ourselves, Congress is pushing a very awful banking reform bill that will only benefit the major bankers.  It does nothing about the economic problems that started in 2008: Fannie and Freddie, derivatives, and the Federal Reserve.  It actually gives the Federal Reserve more power.  The Texas Bankers Association blasted the bill stating it only consolidates power among the largest banks while hurting state and local banks.

Also, this even pushes the BP story back. How well is the cap really working? Funny how Lindsey Lohan’s jailing manages to seep up to the top of the media stories.

If the national media isn’t going to be asking the necessary questions, then it comes to us. The bloggers/podcasters need to make sure the proper questions are asked and things are brought into context.  We can’t make the mistake as that conservative blogger website did regardless of who is at fault in this Sherrod story.

This whole event again is dividing us instead of bringing us together.  Recently, Ron Paul and Barney Frank appeared on CNN together pushing a bill they agree on.  This is what the establish fears: the left and right finding issues we agree on and doing something about it.

Again, we need to avoid these traps that will only divide us.

We can’t let Lady Liberty down…

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This is a public beach, and BP doesn’t have any right to keep anyone off the beach.  I am glad that the reporter did contact the Sheriff’s office and forced BP Security to stand down.

The video also suggests that the security had intimated the workers not to talk to the media.  I know from my own job that I am not suppose to talk to the media if an issue were to occur. I am to refer them to the our media office.

I can’t really speak about the workers in this case.  However, it would have been interesting to see what would happen if one of them did.  Personally, I feel the main security guard should be at least fined for denying the reporter his rights to the public beach.

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For Immediate Release
June 11, 2009

Audit the Fed Bill Reaches Crucial Benchmark

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ron Paul’s Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207, has reached and surpassed the level of 218 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, which means it is now cosponsored by a majority of the members.

The 218th cosponsor was Dennis Kucinich (OH-10), and the bill has since received its 222nd cosponsor.

“The tremendous grass-roots and bipartisan support in Congress for HR 1207 is an indicator of how mainstream America is fed up with Fed secrecy,” said Congressman Paul. “I look forward to this issue receiving greater public exposure.”

Hearings on Federal Reserve transparency are expected within the next month, as part of the Financial Services Committee’s series of hearings on regulatory reform.

We need to keep the pressure on.  “Some” members will try to cut the teeth of the bill out.  The Federal Reserve also has hired a “lobbyist” to help with their image on Capital Hill.  Also, two Republicans have crawled out from under the rocks from Dr. Paul’s district to challenge him in the upcoming Republican Primary next year.

I’m sure the Federal Reserve and the other Wall Street Bankers will do their best to kill this bill in committee and in the Senate.  If the Fed is audited, I’m sure the billions (trillions?) of dollars that Wall Street has stolen from us since last September will quickly dry up.

Seriously, only Bernie Madoff is the only person of note who has been indicted for all the money woes on Wall Street?  I believe there will be more indictments if HR 1207 becomes law. Perhaps some CEOs of Major Banks?  The current and former Fed Chairmen?

The fight has only begun.

Forward and onward!

No Retreat and No Surrender!

Lambo

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HCR50

Affirming that the State of Texas claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution, serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates, and providing that certain federal legislation be prohibited or repealed.

Unofficial Voting Totals: 99 Yeas, 36 Nays, 4 Present, not voting

Full details can be viewed here

- Ragman -

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Imagine that they operated outside of US law, and that the Constitution did not apply to them. Imagine that every now and then they made mistakes or acted on bad information and accidentally killed or terrorized innocent Americans, including women and children, most of the time with little to no repercussions or consequences. Imagine that they set up check points on our soil and routinely searched and ransacked entire neighborhoods of homes. Imagine if Americans were fearful of these foreign troops, and overwhelmingly thought America would be better off without their presence.

Imagine if some Americans were so angry about them being in Texas that they actually joined together to fight them off, in defense of our soil and sovereignty, because leadership in government refused or were unable to do so. Imagine that those Americans were labeled terrorists or insurgents for their defensive actions, and routinely killed, or captured and tortured by the foreign troops on our land. Imagine that the occupiers’ attitude was that if they just killed enough Americans, the resistance would stop, but instead, for every American killed, ten more would take up arms against them, resulting in perpetual bloodshed. Imagine if most of the citizens of the foreign land also wanted these troops to return home. Imagine if they elected a leader who promised to bring them home and put an end to this horror.

Imagine if that leader changed his mind once he took office.

The reality is that our military presence on foreign soil is as offensive to the people that live there as armed Chinese troops would be if they were stationed in Texas. We would not stand for it here, but we have had a globe straddling empire and a very intrusive foreign policy for decades that incites a lot of hatred and resentment towards us.

According to our own CIA, our meddling in the Middle East was the prime motivation for the horrific attacks on 9/11. But instead of re-evaluating our foreign policy, we have simply escalated it. We had a right to go after those responsible for 9/11, to be sure, but why do so many Americans feel as if we have a right to a military presence in some 160 countries when we wouldn’t stand for even one foreign base on our soil, for any reason? These are not embassies, mind you, these are military installations. The new administration is not materially changing anything about this. Shuffling troops around and playing with semantics does not accomplish the goals of the American people, who simply want our men and women to come home. 50,000 troops left behind in Iraq is not conducive to peace any more than 50,000 Russian soldiers would be in the United States.

Shutting down military bases and ceasing to deal with other nations with threats and violence is not isolationism. It is the opposite. Opening ourselves up to friendship, honest trade and diplomacy is the foreign policy of peace and prosperity. It is the only foreign policy that will not bankrupt us in short order, as our current actions most definitely will. I share the disappointment of the American people in the foreign policy rhetoric coming from the administration. The sad thing is, our foreign policy WILL change eventually, as Rome’s did, when all budgetary and monetary tricks to fund it are exhausted.

Imagine

by Ron Paul

(www.ronpaul.com)

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It is estimated that this tax will generate roughly 404 Million Dollars for the NY State Government.  Gov. Paterson is trying to off set an estimated 15 Billion Dollar deficit.

It should also be noted that New York City is also struggling.  Each resident of New York City owes an estimated $7,153 dollars.  (Philadelphia is second with $4,771 owed per resident.)

The States and Cities do not have the same luxury as the Federal Government.  They don’t have the Federal Reserve that can just print money out of nothing to pay for their debts.

I am sure the “analysts” will all give reasons to why this is happening.  The economy is bad…   Businesses are leaving the state or city….     The Moon is made out of cheese…   The simple truth is:  These Governments created budgets larger than their tax base revenue can compensate.

So now government institutions are finding “creative” ways to tax the public. I, personally, would not have a problem if this “fat tax” was going straight to health care programs.  However, I suspect it is not.  I believe it will just fall into the bureaucratic wasteland known as the New York State Treasury.

There is a debate whether or not these kind of taxes are good.  The Cigarette Taxes really opened the door on “Taxes that try to influence behavior.”  The Health Care professionals are loving this idea because they argue that this will encourage healthier behavior.  New York residents are opposed to this tax.

I have mixed feelings about these kind of taxes.  However, I do not approve any tax that will just be wasted by the government.  I do believe that governments should reduce their budgets instead of taxing more.

I first noticed this story on Fox News.  I could not help to notice as they did the reporting, there was a section of the segment where the camera just followed fat people around. Sad reporting, I think.

I predict over time we will continue to see other “creative” taxes that government of all levels.  Obama has promised to cut middle class taxes, and perhaps he will.  However, what “creative taxes” will be introduced to off set the amount of money the government will be spending under his administration.  Beware of the “Carbon Tax!”

You will be taxed by the amount of your “Carbon Footprint” you leave behind.  The model proposed by Al Gore just does not work.  CO2 is needed as much as Oxygen.  Plants need it to thrive.  We know that Climate Change is natural.  NASA has reported on their website that the polar caps on Mars and Pluto are shrinking as well.  I doubt a Soccer Mom in California driving a SUV is causing Mars’ polar ice cap to melt.

HOWEVER…   Before the comments come in and saying I am a big oil supporter.  Not true!  I have argued on the podcast we can and need to go to a Solar Power economy.   I am all for going more green.  However, we do not need a carbon tax to do it.

So the moral here…. Beware of “creative” taxes!

Lambo

New York State Fat Tax

New York City Budget Woes

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Obama has to deal with a troubling economy and our political standing in the world dwindling.  Even most countries world wide celebratred the Obama victory last November.  There also probably has been no other world leader has ever entered the job with such expectation.

Can anyone live up to those expectations?

Last November, I did not support Obama.  (I didn’t vote for the Republican either!)   I do question some of the cabinet choices he has made.  I also question some of the policy decisions he has already made.

I just have hope that we are getting a good President.

Lambo

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Are you angry yet?

- Ragman –

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As we all know the $700 Billion economic bailout bill failed to pass the House of Representatives, so the Senate took it’s turn in a similar bill and added $150 Billion worth of pork/earmarks to “sweeten” it. It passes in both the House and Senate and President Bush signed it into law (Public Law 110-343) within hours.

Both presidential candidates voted for the bill.

Here is Senate roll call (number 213, 74-25 passed)

Here is the HR roll call (Roll call 681, 263-171 passed), 58 Reps changed votes from Monday to Today.

There are six versions of the bill (HR 1424), version six actually dealing with the Economic bailout.  You can read all six Here or read the version directly affecting the bailout Here

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