Boehner on Meeting with POTUS and Congressional Leaders

Statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-OH) participated in a media availability today following a meeting at the White House of President Obama and congressional leaders. The meeting served as an opportunity to discuss the priorities of the American people, who want us to focus on creating jobs by stopping all the tax hikes and cutting spending. This is the approach Republicans laid out in the Pledge to America, a governing agenda built by listening to the people.

“It’s encouraging to see President Obama acknowledge that the American people want us to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, but now it’s time to act,” Boehner said in a statement after the meeting. “If President Obama and Democratic leaders come up with a plan in the lame-duck session to cut spending and stop all the tax hikes, they can expect a positive response from Republicans. If the lame-duck Congress is unable or unwilling to act, the new House majority will in January.”
Boehner also noted that President Obama has asked congressional leaders of both parties to select lawmakers to meet with Administration officials in the coming days regarding the looming tax hikes scheduled to take effect on January 1st. Boehner announced that Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) would be the House GOP designee in these discussions.
Boehner added, “We appreciate President Obama’s interest in having informal discussions on stopping all the tax hikes, and we hope these talks are productive. At the same time, this is no substitute for action. Republicans made a pledge to America to cut spending and permanently stop all the tax hikes, and that’s exactly what we’re fighting for.”

Ohio Senate GOP Elects Tax Hiker to President

Tom Niehaus, who with a few other traitorous "Republicans" voted to retroactively raise our taxes during a recession, has just been elected President of the Ohio Senate.

Well done, Ohio Senate Republicans, you still haven't learned a thing!

At least the Ohio House is looking better for us...but the Senate is still a vast wasteland of uselessness.

Food Police Act Passes Senate, Faces Reconciliation with House

Sadly, there was huge Republican support for this monstrosity. The “FDA Modernization Act” (aka The Food Police Bill) - Big Nanny/Big Gov/Big Chef is back with legislation to expand the FDA’s powers. From the Seattle Times:

A far-reaching food safety bill that could give the government more power to prevent foodborne illnesses has become a target of advocates for buying food produced locally. They worry the legislation’s safety requirements could force small farms out of business. The opposition of these “locavores” – advocates for buying food directly from the farm or closer to home – and owners of small farms has become a sticking point in the Senate, which was to vote Wednesday on whether to consider the bill. Supporters will need 60 votes to proceed on the bill because Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has objected, saying the legislation’s $1.4 billion cost isn’t paid for.

While the bill is designed to give the Food and Drug Administration greater authority over the nation’s food supply, opponents say it could bankrupt some small farms that don’t have the means to comply with new standards the bill would impose. Those standards could include registering food safety plans with the FDA and documenting efforts to show food is not contaminated as it is produced. “It’s going to put a nail in the coffin of our family food producers,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is planning an amendment to exempt some small farms who market food close to their operations. He says many small farms already comply with state and local regulations to keep food safe.

The 15 power-grabby Republicans who voted for it:

Alexander (R-TN)
Brown (R-MA)
Burr (R-NC)
Collins (R-ME)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kirk (R-IL)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Lugar (R-IN)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Snowe (R-ME)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Thanks George, again, for your power grabbing, statist, elitist, spending approach that has screwed Ohio and the nation over the past 20 or so years.

This is but yet another example of how the Dems are seeking to grab power from the states and increase the intrusion of the Federal government on more aspects of your life. And it is disgusting that these "moderate" republicans went along. Will there excuse be "when history calls, history calls?" UGH!

Check out this post from CATO about the whole mess.

We Will Never Call Him Shirley, but Surely Nielsen was Funny

Leslie Nielsen passed away Sunday due to complications from pneumonia at the age of 84. Mr. Nielsen was best known for his work in the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker productions of Airplane! as well as the Naked Gun Movies, playing office Frank Drebin of Police Squad. From the Seattle Times:

Despite decades spent playing sober commanders and serious captains, Leslie Nielsen insisted that he was always made for comedy. He proved it in his career's second act.

"Surely you can't be serious," an airline passenger says to Nielsen in "Airplane!" the 1980 hit that turned the actor from dramatic leading man to comic star.

"I am serious," Nielsen replies. "And don't call me Shirley."

The line was probably his most famous - and a perfect distillation of his career.

Nielsen, the dramatic lead in "Forbidden Planet" and "The Poseidon Adventure" and the bumbling detective Frank Drebin in "The Naked Gun" comedies, died on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 84.

The Canada native died from complications from pneumonia at a hospital near his home, surrounded by his wife, Barbaree, and friends, his agent John S. Kelly said in a statement.

Critics argued that when Nielsen went into comedy he was being cast against type, but Nielsen disagreed, saying comedy was what he intended to do all along.

"I've finally found my home - as Lt. Frank Drebin," he told The Associated Press in a 1988 interview.

I also thank Nielsen for his work in Forbidden Planet, a Sci-Fi classic, as well as one of his last "evil bad guy" roles in the film Creepshow. I also thank him for his generosity. He sent me a personalized signed picture after I sent him a letter thanking him for his humor during a dark time in my life.

Leslie Nielsen, Godspeed.

Wall Street Journal Favors DREAM Act Debacle

Usually solidly conservative, the Wall Street Journal has gone off the rails again. This time, it is regarding supporting the DREAM Act, a shadow amnesty bill that masquerades as education. It will cripple the economy even more with more entitlements for people who don't even respect our law:

Not only does the Wall Street Journal endorse a bill that would harm American citizens, they also mislead about the bill (WSJ assertions in Italics, refutations are not):

Restrictionists dismiss the Dream Act as an amnesty that rewards people who entered the country illegally. But the bill targets individuals brought here by their parents as children. What is to be gained by holding otherwise law-abiding young people, who had no say in coming to this country, responsible for the illegal actions of others? The Dream Act also makes legal status contingent on school achievement and military service, the type of behavior that ought to be encouraged and rewarded.1. Those covered have to be “younger than 16 years of age on the date the alien initially entered the United States”, but there’s nothing in the bill requiring them to prove that they were brought here by their parents; older children do occasionally cross the border alone.

2. The DREAM Act grants “conditional permanent resident status” – lasting six years – and the minimum requirements are to have “earned a high school diploma or obtained a general education development certificate in the United States”. Not to diminish those who have GEDs, but is that what most people have in mind when they hear the phrase “school achievement”?

3. Many things would be gained from not passing the DREAM Act. If we could encourage those illegal aliens to return home they could help their own countries. The alternative the WSJ wants would continue braindraining Mexico and other sending countries. We’d also free up education slots and possibly discounts for American citizens, something that’s vitally important due to cutbacks in community college budgets that cause many Americans not to be able to obtain retraining.

We’d prefer that border reform start by expanding legal channels of entry for people who come here to work. There would be little need for a Dream Act if more U.S. work visas had been available for the parents of these children. The U.S. focus on border security has, along with the economic downturn, had some effect on reducing illegal entries. But walls, fences and employer crackdowns mainly produce thriving markets in human smuggling and document fraud and make a mockery of the rule of law, especially in some border areas.1. If all the work visas in the world were available and everything else were the same, we’d still have a large illegal alien population, and it would probably be higher due to the network effect.

2. Those making “a mockery of the rule of law” include the WSJ and all the other sources that oppose immigration enforcement.

Supporting the Dream Act also makes political sense for Republicans, who will have a tough time winning national elections without more Hispanic support. Polls show that Hispanic-American priorities tend to match those of other voters—the economy, jobs, education and so forth. Nevertheless, immigration has symbolic importance among Hispanics as a sign of political recognition and respect.The DREAM Act is an openly anti-American bill that would help foreign citizens who are here illegally at the same time as it hurt some American citizens who won’t be able to go to college. Most GOP leaders are certainly corrupt enough to put their political interests well ahead of the interests of the U.S. To some extent many Hispanics are willing to put their ethnic solidarity interests ahead of the interests of the U.S. as a whole; if most GOP leaders weren’t corrupt they’d realize how serious a problem that is and take pro-American steps to counter it.

There is nothing to gain by passing this DREAM act except more debt and less respect for law. The WSJ is thinking purely in terms of cheap labor and political expediency. Shame on them for this.

Senate Votes Down Earmarks, McConnell Fails to Hold GOP Line

The Senate has announced that they are all for pork. They have voted down a ban on earmarks. From the Hill:

The Senate on Tuesday morning defeated a proposal from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to ban congressional earmarks.

In a 39-56 vote, members defeated a temporary ban on the appropriations procedure. The moratorium was offered as an amendment to a food-safety bill that is scheduled for a final vote Tuesday morning.

Senate Republicans have already passed a voluntary ban on earmarks in their caucus, but several GOP senators have objected to it. Democrats have so far declined to ban earmarks from their members.

The legislation would have established an earmark moratorium for fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and also would have covered the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Congress has yet to pass an appropriations bill for the current fiscal year, and in the lame-duck session lawmakers are likely to approve either an omnibus spending bill or a continuing resolution to keep the government operating.


In speeches on Monday, Coburn said the ban was the only way to rein in out-of-control spending. He did not speak on Tuesday morning, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who supports the ban, alluded to the issue in remarks about the current debate over tax cuts.

"Republicans have heard the voters loud and clear," McConnell said. "They want us to focus on preventing a tax hike on every taxpayer, on reining in Washington spending and on making it easier for employers to start hiring again."

Eight GOP Senators joined the piggies in the Democrat party in shooting down the ban on earmarks, showing that Mitch McConnell is not holding the line as the GOP leader in the Senate.

Here is the comedic front, from Senator Dick "the Turban" Durbin, Statist, Illinois, who loves terrorists and hates our troops:

"I believe I have an important responsibility to the state of Illinois and the people I represent to direct federal dollars into projects critically important for our state and our future," Durbin said.

"We have put in place the most dramatic reform of this appropriations process since I've served in Congress," said Majority Whip and Appropriations Committee member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). "There is full disclosure in my office of every single request for an appropriation. We then ask those who have made the requests to have a full disclaimer of their involvement in the appropriation, so it's there for the public record. This kind of transparency is virtually unprecedented."

Sure, Dick, (may I call you dick?), you have have put names to them, but you still allow earmarks to be put on non-germaine bills so they can be passed. You still allow pet projects to be put into defense spending bills and such so that the project has to pass or the whole bill fails. That is what we are talking about, you corrupt, appeasing gasbag!

Here are the traitorous Republicans who want more pork and earmarks:

Eight GOP senators voted to preserve earmark spending, including Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), James Inhofe (Okla.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Richard Shelby (Ala.). Retiring Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio) and defeated Sen. Bob Bennett (Utah) also voted against it.

Gosh, George, I thought you were like a deficit hawk and stuff. Guess not, you pork barrel earmark loving slug. Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out.

Obama Racist Administration Going After Small Business Meyer Tool

The attacks on small businesses have come home. A local machine tool company is facing charges from the U.S. Labor Department that they racially discriminated in hiring. Of note is that this company was visited by George W. Bush during his Presidency. Could this be a situation of political payback? Here is the latest from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

The U.S. Labor Department has filed an administrative complaint alleging racial discrimination against a Camp Washington-based airplane engine parts maker six years ago.

The complaint, filed in Washington on Nov. 18 against Meyer Tool Co., says that the company did not appropriately consider minority candidates in the early 2000s as part of the federal affirmative action program. Meyer Tool is considered a federal contractor by the department, and therefore is covered by the program’s regulations.

Why is the complaint only now being filed? Could it be that Meyer is not bowing to Team Obama? Could be. Or, could it be that disgruntled minority applicants are making hay about discrimination that does not exist? Could be.

This defendant has a contractual obligation to provide equal employment opportunity,” said Patricia A. Shiu, director of the department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. “The company failed to meet that obligation. So we will enforce the law and hold Meyer Tool accountable to the fair and reasonable standard that it not discriminate against any group of workers.”

The complaint says that 14 black applicants were denied for entry level positions based solely on their race during 2004. It also says that the company failed to keep all job applications for the previous two years as required, and failed to implement an appropriate audit system.

Company president Arlyn Easton said Wednesday that Meyer did not discriminate in his hiring practices, and that the complaint is only due to a bookkeeping error.

“We really don’t believe we did anything wrong other than not keeping appropriate records as a small company,” Easton said.

Meyer’s lawyer, Colleen Lewis, also said that the complaint is being brought based on statistical analyses on potential hiring patterns by the Labor Department.

“We feel strongly that those analyses are very flawed,” Lewis said. “And we are going to continue defending the company.”

The two sides had been negotiating a possible settlement for at least three years leading up to the filing, Easton said. It now goes before an administrative law judge to determine a finding.

If the judge finds in favor of the Labor Department, a potential class of affected potential workers could be created and the company could be forced to pay back wages or other penalties. But individuals would also have to prove they were in that potential affected class before becoming eligible.

The company also could lose its eligibility for federal contracts, if the ruling goes against it.

So, in order to be down with the struggle, Team Obama uses a flawed analytic tool and determines that this business is in breach of discrimination standards. Maybe Obama wants to award this company's contracts to other companies. Whatever the reason, the notion in this day and age of racial discrimination in a post riot Cincinnati is ridiculous. Meyer would have to be stupid to engage in such practices. And, the notion of affirmative action in itself is inherently discriminatory and racist. Of course, under normal circumstances, one may not question the Labor Department. However, given the racist policies of the Obama Justice (JUSTUS) Department regarding voter fraud and the Black Panthers, I think this too can be held up to scrutiny.

So for the sake of 14 workers 6 years ago, Team Obama is willing to destroy and bankrupt a company that is hanging on in an industry that continually seems to be leaving our shores. So much for keeping American jobs in America, Barry.

Eric Deters Muzzled Again

Once again, radio "entertainer" and ambulance chaser Eric Deters has been fined. This time the fine was 30k. Here is the story from the Enquirer:

Lawyer and radio personality Eric Deters has been fined nearly $30,000 for filing a lawsuit against the Kenton County jail that was not "well grounded in fact" or "warranted by existing law."

Hmmm...sounds an awful lot like the Meranda v. Gusweiler case, but I digress.

Kenton Circuit Judge Patricia Summe wrote in her order dated Nov. 22 that Deters "did not conduct a reasonable investigation or deliberately chose to ignore facts" when filing that suit that resulted in "more than two years of futile litigation."

This is the largest of at least six fines - totaling about $81,800 - levied against Deters during 25 years of practicing law in Kentucky and Ohio.

Deters is ordered to pay the latest fine by Dec. 18. It will be used to cover taxpayers' money fiscal court used to defend the jail. The suit claimed former county inmate James Chandler's appendicitis got worse because he was denied medical care in November 2006 while he was locked up at the facility.

The sanctioning of Deters was delayed as he fought for a year to have Summe disqualified from the jail case. The Kentucky Supreme Court refused to remove her in August.

Deters said he will appeal Summe's fine.

"This is outrageous," Deters said. "The appeal of this is going to take years, and I'm going to appeal it all the way to the end."

Eric Deters is an attention whore. He is a petulant brat who is so proud of his own accomplishments and intelligence he has to rattle off inane facts every segment of his radio show. He has no ethics, and he is the epitome of an unethical ambulance chasing lawyer:

Grant Circuit Judge Stephen Bates fined Deters $1,300 in October 2007 for subpoenaing Kenton County Coroner Dr. David Suetholz. Bates called the subpoena "an abuse of the legal process." Deters subpoenaed Suetholz for an autopsy report. The report was actually held by the Boone County Coroner's Office.

• Campbell Circuit Judge Fred Stine fined Deters about $22,000 in April 2006 for filing a frivolous suit in Campbell County. Stine wrote in an order that Deters' "pleadings were interposed only for the purposes of harassing the defendants and to cause unnecessary delay." It involved a legal dispute over alleged faulty home repairs.

• A Clermont County Court of Common Pleas fined Deters $13,000 in 2002. Deters brought a lawsuit against a home builder on behalf of 106 plaintiffs who had not purchased a home from the builder nor otherwise had any contract with it.

Do any of these instances sound like the legal eagle guardian of truth that the Chihuahua Deters makes himself out to be? I don't think so. Maybe he should give up the law practice and just concentrate on his entertainment venues, or harrassing football teams that play against his kids.

Bullying or Aggressive Coaching? Hearing May Decide....

In Lebanon, there are complaints being filed against a former Coach of the Year. It has to do with what complainants are calling abusive behavior and bullying. Here is the story from the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Tim Mersch, former Greater Western Ohio Conference Coach of the Year, is the target of a series of accusations.

Five girls tearfully complained last week during a meeting of the Lebanon Board of Education that Mersch is verbally and emotionally abusive and uses intimidation to pit players against one another, even allowing bullying among teammates.

They alleged incidents of name-calling, confrontational tactics, belittling some girls' physiques and fostering a team environment where some girls bully others.

So, has the school done anything about this, before the court hearings are due to take place?

Superintendent Mark North said he became aware of the complaints during the season and that the district's two investigations - one making use of the district's attorney - found the complaints lacked merit. Moreover, North says he intends to rehire Mersch - a retired teacher and veteran girls volleyball coach - for next fall's season.

Shortly after the girls complained publicly Monday night, the mother of one player was granted a Dec. 3 hearing before a magistrate in Warren County Common Pleas Court as she seeks a stalking protection order against the coach.

Maureen Painter alleged that during a September evening visit by Mersch at her home he verbally confronted both her and her daughter.

Painter also made allegations that during school Monday, Mersch - who is only contracted part time to coach - came to Lebanon High School and sought out her daughter who was working at the school office and glared at her more than a minute in response to complaints about him.

Mersch declined comment about the accusations. He has until Nov. 30 to file objections to the hearing.

Painter also filed a complaint Thursday with Lebanon police, but the officer who took the complaint was unavailable Friday to comment on whether police are investigating.

"He is verbally and emotionally abusive," Painter said. "He plays mind games and manipulates these girls. He is a nasty, vindictive man. This has been going on for years and I don't want these girls or any future girls to suffer from this."

Another parent, Chris Young, echoed Painter's claims, accusing Mersch of being psychologically and emotionally abusive to these kids.

So, the school district investigated and found so much evidence that they decided to rehire the guy. So, the school district A)is hiding something to protect a coach, B)didn't do due dilligence, or C)did an investigation and the charges are groundless. I don't know what is the truth here.

Is this aggressive coaching ala Bob Huggins or Bobby Knight, or is this abuse? Much of what is today called abusive was acceptable just a decade ago. What constitutes mind games and what constitutes honest critique? It seems now that the magistrate in Warren County will have to decide.

Northern Kentucky University's First President Passes Away

This may not seem like big news to some, but it is to Matt and me. Without Frank Steely's leadership, NKU may never have succeeded and he and I may never have ended up there. Frank Steely, though I never had him in class, was a mentor to me. I spoke with him several times during my time at NKU, and as a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the school's history honor society. Steely was an amazing man who will be missed but whose legacy will last forever. From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Frank Steely, the founding president of Northern Kentucky University, died Monday morning at Highland Spring in Fort Thomas of natural causes. He was 85.

Mr. Steely served as NKU’s president from December 1969 to September 1975 and taught history until 2001.

“He always said he never stepped in a classroom when he wasn’t glad to be there,” said his wife, Martha Pelfrey of Cold Spring.

He started as president when NKU was founded as Northern Kentucky State College and completed his tenure when the university featured 6,000 students, 150 professors and six buildings on the Highland Heights campus. It now has nearly 16,000 students.

In a statement, NKU President Jim Votruba called Mr. Steely “the human cornerstone of this university.”

“Frank Steely was given the Herculean task of building a university from the ground up – and he succeeded,” Votruba said in a statement.

A native of a small town in western Kentucky near Murray, Mr. Steely earned degrees from the University of South Carolina, the University of Kentucky and Rochester University.

He was dean of Clinch Valley College in Virginia when he was named president of Northern Kentucky State College in 1969. The school changed its name to Northern Kentucky University in 1976.

In the first year, classes at the college were located in houses and barns and the music practice room was held in a renovated dog kennel.

“We had no staff, no students, no budget and no buildings,” recalled Ken Lucas, the former congressman and a founding member of NKU’s Board of Regents. “We literally started from scratch.”

Milestones during Mr. Steely’s tenure included the merger with Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1972, the move to the Highland Heights campus, and the first conditional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Mr. Steely is survived by Pelfrey; his first wife, Isoetta Steely of Fort Thomas; son, William Steely of Clarksville, Tenn.; daughter, Lisa Steely of Jacksonville, Fla.; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday (12/2) at First Baptist Church, 4410 Alexandria Pike in Cold Spring, with services to follow.

Burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday (12/3) at Hazel Cemetery in Hazel, Ky.

Memorial gifts may be directed to the Northern Kentucky University Foundation, Suite 221, Lucas Administrative Center, Highland Heights, KY 41099.

UN Bans Skeptical Journalist From Cancun Global Warming Conference

Release:

Los Angeles, CA — A veteran journalist and documentary film maker, known for asking difficult questions of climate scientists and politicians, has been denied press accreditation for the Cancun Climate Change Conference in Cancun, New Mexico.

The UN has refused access to the Cancun Climate Change Conference to Phelim McAleer, who is well known for asking scientists and politicians difficult questions about Global Warming orthodoxy.
McAleer was notified of the UN's refusal to accredit him just days before the international conference opening today.
McAleer produced and directed Not Evil Just Wrong, a documentary on Global Warming, and his reports from Copenhagen Climate Change Conference went viral on Youtube.
During one encounter an armed UN security guard prevented McAleer from asking a scientist difficult questions about the climategate e-mails and warned that if he did not stop filming he would confiscate his equipment and expel him from the conference.
McAleer was also assaulted by environmentalists during a live TV interview.
McAleer says the refusal to allow him access to the Cancun Climate Change Conference is censorship.
"I sent them exactly the same documentation that was acceptable for Copenhagen last year, but it seems they did not like my coverage of Copenhagen and are now trying to silence me and the people who have questions about this process," said McAleer.
"The message is clear—ask UN scientists and politicians difficult questions and you will be banned from any UN sponsored events. No difficult questions allowed," he added.



McAleer is a 20 year veteran journalist who covered the Northern Ireland troubles. He has also worked for the UK Sunday Times and as a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times and The Economist. He has worked as a journalist and film maker in countries as diverse as Ireland, Romania, Uzbekistan , Indonesia, Madagascar, Chile, Indonesia, Vietnam, and many other countries.

Boehner on Federal Pay Freeze

Release:

House Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement today regarding President Obama’s announcement of a federal pay freeze:

“I welcome President Obama’s announcement, and hope he will build on it by embracing much-needed steps to reduce both the size and the cost of government, including the net federal hiring freeze Republicans propose in our Pledge to America. Without a hiring freeze, a pay freeze won’t do much to rein in a federal bureaucracy that added hundreds of thousands of employees to its payroll over the last two years while the private sector shed millions of jobs.
“Today’s action is a clear indication that the Pledge to America, which lays out concrete steps to cut spending and reduce the size of government, is the right plan to address the people’s priorities. Republicans and Democrats don’t have to wait until January to cut spending and stop all the tax hikes. We can – and should – start right now.”
NOTE: Boehner addressed the need for a federal pay freeze at a press conference earlier this month: “I believe strongly – and if you look at the Pledge to America – that there ought to be a freeze on the hiring of new federal employees, and frankly, we ought to freeze the pay.” In May, House Democrats rejected a YouCut proposal to freeze federal civilian pay.

I'd like to see a pay CUT on the table.  Freezes can be thawed...CUTS leave scars!

BUTLER COUNTY: Breakfast with Santa (MetroParks)

Breakfast With Santa Flyer 2010

Sheriff Jones Lost his "Fair Way"?

If this report from Michael Pitman stands up to the realities of time and politics, then Sheriff "Spotlight" Jones just lost his chance at what he called the "fair way" to raise revenue.  The rest of us call it raising taxes during a recession and there is nothing fair about it.

Let's continue to apply pressure on our office holders to hold the line on spending.  We need a leaner, more efficient government serving us until the county can get back on its feet.  Let's also hope that the Commission has learned its lesson on runaway spending when times appear to be good.  The self-sufficient community is the one that saves something back for when times are bad.  It works for families all over the country, so it can work for governments too.

TSA on Best Behavior Today?

#whereisthefreedom

Blogger Bob reports that there have been absolutely no sexual assaults in airports today by TSA Agents. How long can this streak (see what I did there?) continue?

My guess? Word came down to TSOs not to get their jollies today...  We'll see just how good TSA has been today when we hear from other sources not paid for by the government.

McCarthy: TSA is Terrible

#whereisthefreedom

Andrew McCarthy has some interesting thoughts on why TSA is Terrible. The gist of which is this bit:

Imagine, though, if the marshals had said: “Let’s just cavity-search everyone — after all, you never know.”

In essence, that is exactly what the Transportation Safety Administration is doing with its perverse — in every sense of the word — security procedures. At a number of the nation’s most heavily trafficked airports, in the midst of the Thanksgiving holiday, when people routinely fly in order to be with faraway loved ones, the TSA is saying: Let’s suspect everyone of being a terrorist, no matter how groundless the suspicion, and move immediately to the most intrusive search procedures in our toolkit.

This is a rank violation of the Fourth Amendment. In my long-ago trial, it would have been thought obscene to make violent drug traffickers the measure of every person’s privacy rights. There would have to be something more — some concrete basis for suspicion, particular to the person. Yet, the TSA is making the savage jihadist its lodestar for navigating the threat it audaciously presumes to be posed by every American.

Some people might be inclined to think that since I support the warrantless wiretaps from the Bush days, that I might be a-okay with this too. WRONG. And here is why: Under the FISA warrantless wiretaps, at least one side of the conversation had to be a foreign national. TSA is assuming that citizens are guilty until proven innocent which is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment. Furthermore, there had to be some reason of suspicion for the wiretap and there was some court oversight which is not the case here. My beef with TSA is that they have gone too far with absolutely no due process whatsoever.

McCarthy is right. TSA is doing us absolutely no good at the mission they were tasked with and are trampling the Constitution in order to do it.

HT: Jason of That Hero

UPDATE: I just saw this bit which is worth talking about too...

At its website, the TSA cheerily informs us that its unnerving electro-strip searches, and the alternative you get to choose — having TSA officials grope the breasts, buttocks, and genitalia of yourself, your spouse, your children, your elderly parents, etc. — pass constitutional muster as “administrative searches.” Under this line of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, the agency insists, a warrantless search “is valid . . . if it is ‘no more intrusive or intensive than necessary, in light of current technology, to detect weapons or explosives’” — a proposition for which it quotes a Ninth Circuit case from 37 years ago (United States v. Davis). If you don’t like it, the TSA concludes, you “may avoid the search by electing not to fly.” How very reasonable!

No...that's not right either. TSA doesn't give you the option to not fly. You have to choose to not fly LONG BEFORE TSA gets involved. In order to choose not to fly, you have to not purchase a ticket and show up at the airport. If you do buy a ticket, show up at the airport, and enter security the only way you get to choose not to fly is to be kicked out of the airport and possibly fined $11,000. This is a similar kind of "choice" we are presented with when we're told to choose the Porno-Scanner or the Sexual Assault. These aren't choices at all.

Where is the Freedom?

DHS: TSA Porno-Scanners and Sexual Assaults Coming to ALL Mass Transportation

#whereisthefreedom

Remember when fascists just asked for your papers?

“I think the tighter we get on aviation, we have to also be thinking now about going on to mass transit or to trains or maritime. So, what do we need to be doing to strengthen our protections there?”

Never let a crisis go to waste...

These people are about as transparent as Wonder Woman's jet...

Sheriff Jones: Raising YOUR Taxes During Recession is "Fair Way"

Sheriff "Spotlight" Jones is quoted as saying raising taxes is the "fair way to raise revenue" in this Michael Pitman piece.

Jones said Tuesday the sales tax “is a fair way” to raise revenue.

I sure hope that somebody with a law enforcement background is encouraged to run against this clown in the primary at the first available opportunity because this is the sort of nonsense that this county doesn't need.

Don't get me wrong, I think that there is plenty of blame to spread around, but Sheriff Jones has been nothing but an obstacle towards arriving at "fair" solutions throughout this entire financial crisis.

Personally, I think Commission should have kept a "rainy day fund" for usage when times weren't great linke they are right now, but if you take a look at where the bulk of the money this county has been spent, you'll find yourself looking at...wait for it...Sheriff Jones.

Counties in financial trouble don't fund a navy, air force, and horse cavalry. They don't pay property appraisers lavishly. And they don't have sheriffs who whine to the media every time he's asked to tighten his belt after every other county agency has done so.

Commission has served Sheriff Jones like the yes men that they are for FAR too long. Commissioners, Sheriff Jones is supposed to work for YOU, not the other way around.

Also notice, again, that the woman from the Tea Party is the only voice of reason. We have been taxed enough already. Taking more of our hard-earned money for more government failure is not going to bring us out of the trouble we are in no matter how many times Sheriff Jones says that it will.

UPDATE: Butler County Commission "Republicans" Raise Taxes During Recession

Way to go guys! (See the update at that link) Practically gift-wrapping the Democrats their next argument against us. Of course, they will lie to us too...

Here is hoping that the Tea Party folks start waking up to the con-man that is Sheriff Spotlight. We'll never get out of this hole we're in so long as that guy gets to continue his spending sprees unchecked.

EXIT QUESTION: Somebody ought to ask Cindy Carpenter how she would have voted. Would love to get her on the record...

TSA Agent Sexually Assaults Woman; Attempts Suicide

#whereisthefreedom

This story is just bizarre, but at least it didn't happen while the guy was on duty at the airport. Who is watching the watchers?

What It Takes to Avoid Having Your Rights Trampled by TSA

#whereisthefreedom

Now this is a very interesting story. Read the whole thing. But it is actually possible for the TSA to do the right thing. They hate it; but it appears that at least in this instance, this citizen's rights were respected even after he was selected for the Porno-Scanner and opted-out.

A prerequisite is a pair of police officers that actually understand your rights as an American citizen. That may require a bit of luck...

House Staffers Get Briefing on TSA Porno-Scanners and Sexual Assaults

#whereisthefreedom

So, yesterday staffers from both parties got together for a TSA brifing on the porno-scanners and the sexual assaults and I get the impression that it might have backfired (Politico):

[A House staffer who attended the briefing] said that several House staffers were so uncomfortable they averted their eyes when the TSA demonstrated an enhanced pat-down in the room of 200 people.

“The dumbest part: They did two pat-down demonstrations — male on male, and female on female,” the House staffer said. And they used a young female TSA volunteer “and in front of a room of 200 people, they touched her breasts and her buttocks. People were averting their eyes. The TSA was trying to demonstrate ‘this is not so bad,’ but it made people so uncomfortable to watch that people were averting their eyes.”

“They shot themselves in the foot,” the staffer continued.

Still waiting for Congress to at least stop exempting themselves from the nonsense that they put the American public through...

#whereisthefreedom -- Constitution Restored...to Pilots and Flight Attendants

...the rest of us are still screwed.

Members of Congress, Pilots and Flight Attendants will now be innocent until proven guilty.

Granny, the kids, and nuns are still suspects!

Where is the freedom?

AQ Laughs While TSA Gropes Granny and Porno-Scans Kids #whereisthefreedom

Don't take my word for it... The terrorists win when we surrender our freedom for security theater. We are being bled dry by a bureaucracy that has taken it's eye off the ball and a government unwilling to do what is actually necessary to keep air travel safe.

Of course, this is all about Tim McVeigh anyway, so...

TSA Not Planning Cavity Searches...For Now #whereisthefreedom

Congress.org reports that the TSA is not planning to have their agents add amateur proctologist to their resume which already includes sexual assault and distributing obscenity.

Of course, now that the terrorists know where the line is...

Still waiting for an explanation of how the porno-scanners and the sexual assaults are not a violation of the Fourth Amendment...but at least now we know where TSA is not willing to go.

TSA Spreading STD #whereisthefreedom

Here is a horrible thought:

(NaturalNews) There's a startling fact about the TSA pat-downs that most of us have not realized: TSA agents often do not change their latex gloves between pat-downs! With these pat-down reaching into your pants, feeling your genitals, and sweeping bare armpits and buttocks, those latex gloves being worn by the TSA agents are obviously teeming with germs.

And yet TSA agents often don't change gloves between patting down passengers. They're often using the same gloves on you and your crotch as they were using on the previous passenger's exploratory crotch feel.

This means, of course, that the TSA is now engaged in extremely risky behavior that could spread sexually-transmitted disease, cold viruses, skin fungi (such as ringworm), and even contribute to a pandemic outbreak.

So now, while the TSA claims to be protecting your safety, they could actually be infecting you with pandemic disease at the same time.

But remember, folks, this is all about Timothy McVeigh.....

CVG TSA Blames McVeigh for Porno-Scanners and Sexual Assaults

Here in Cincinnati, TSA is blaming Timothy McVeigh for their porno-scanners and sexual assaults... (Fox19)

"The last time the guy explained to me its because of Timothy McVeigh," said Hartinger. "That's the explanation that TSA gave me. Now, she doesn't look anything like Timothy McVeigh so I assume they're looking for his grandmother, but does that accomplish anything? It doesn't accomplish a thing."

BUTLER COUNTY: Sales Tax, Sheriff Spotlight, and the Tea Party

Michael Pitman has a story worth spending some time with...

Commissioners are considering a 0.25 percent sales tax increase, which was presented last week, to offset the county’s projected $7 million budget shortfall for 2011. They are meeting today with other officeholders to hash out a plan.

The idea of digging any deeper into the pockets of recession-weary taxpayers didn’t go over well in some sectors of the county. While Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones and the county’s Fraternal Order of Police gave conditional support to raising the sales tax, local tea party officials wanted to remind commissioners that government needs to cut spending before raising taxes.

“I think the commissioners would have to go a long way in convincing the community and lay out the facts and making sure people understand before they increase the sales tax,” said Susan McLaughlin, a Liberty Twp. Tea Party member. “We voted for them to manage the money they have. If that means saying no, then say no.”

Emphasis added. The local Tea Party folks should take notice of Sheriff Spotlight's position and act accordingly... Sheriff Jones is NOT a genuine ally of the Tea Party movement when it comes right down to it.

Lord help me, the DEMOCRAT in this story actually sounds reasonable:

Butler County Democratic Party spokesman Mark Hardig called it disgraceful to consider a sales tax increase.

“Our Republican commissioners promote themselves as fiscal conservatives, but then borrow, spend and tax ,” said Hardig . “After a decade of waste, fraud and abuse, they should not now expect a taxpayer bailout.”

Hardig said he found it ironic that commissioners would take a look at a sales tax hike just weeks after the general election.

“It would have been more honest to put the tax increase to the voters. Let them decide if it’s deserved,” he said.

Let the voters decide if they want a tax hike or not. My position remains the same: More cuts are required to balance this budget. Difficult times require tough measures and certain fiefdoms are going to have to be reigned in...

And Let's all take a moment to focus on newly elected Commissioner Cindy Carpenter...

Butler County GOP executive committee chairman Dave Kern declined to comment on the tax proposal, as did Commissioner-elect Cindy Carpenter because she did not attend Monday’s meeting and did not hear what was discussed.

Carpenter talked about her opposition to a sales tax increase several times on the campaign trail. Last week, when the sales tax was introduced, Carpenter said she preferred to “squeeze out every dollar that we can out of revenues and cut every dollar that we can in expenditures.”

Raising taxes -- particularly without the consent of the governed -- is a still a bad idea...

UPDATE: In a move that surprises absolutely nobody, the Butler County Commission voted unanimously to let Sheriff Spotlight have his way...again.

The voice of reason belongs to the woman from the Tea Party who said:

"I am not for the tax," said Adriana Inman, a member of the Fairfield Township Tea Party. "I believe the people have spoken," she said, referring to the recent election when voters elected many fiscally conservative candidates.

I know I will remember that none of these guys are fiscal conservatives from here on in...

Also note that this meeting took place in the middle of the day while the taxpayers were at work...very slick, guys! I'll remember that too...

The Fight Against TSA Porno-Scanners and Sexual Assaults Starts in Little Rock

Robert Dean files a lawsuit against TSA in Little Rock, AR. he is hoping to have a judge rule that the scanners and the excessive pat-downs are unconstitutional.

America is starting to fight back against a regime that has lost all sense of perspective.

Delta Airlines Requests a Pass on TSA Sexual Assaults and Porno-Scanners #whereisthefreedom

Apparently, Delta Airlines flight attendants think they are Members of Congress and deserve a pass on TSA's 4th Amendment crushing Porno-Scanners and/or Sexual Assaults.

Actually, I agree with Delta's CEO that the flight attendants are professionals just like the pilots. I just want to know what special circumstances set Congressmen apart from the rest of us.

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

White House Lies for TSA #whereisthefreedom

Either Gibbs is purposely ignorant or willingly is lying for TSA:

TAPPER: You're a parent, the president is -- is a father. There are a lot of parents out there whose children have been subjected to pat-downs and they've been very upset by it. There have been individuals of medical conditions who have been forced into humiliating situations. This is evolution?

GIBBS: No, no. I think it's important to understand that anybody that's under 12 goes through something much more modified.

I would say, first and foremost, and I think if the TSA administrator was here, he would say this to you is well, has all of this been done perfectly? No. Is -- if somebody feels as if they have been unduly subjected to something that they find to be far more invasive than the line of convenience and security, they should speak to a TSA representative at the airport.

Again, without leaning too far into this, I think it's important that it's not out of the realm of possibility to think that -- I'm trying to be somewhat careful here -- that those that wish to do people harm via an airplane haven't looked at some of the ways, through explosives and devices or luggage or on themselves, that that -- that -- that we know can get around and through security, and we have to be careful about that.

Again, I think we are trying and TSA is trying desperately to strike that balance. That will evolve.

And, again, if -- the evolution of the security will be done with the input of those that go through the security.

I do think it's important to understand since the more stepped-up pat-down process has taken place, approximately 34 million people have been through the TSA system. I think the figure that I've seen is that about a percent of those that have gone through the process -- have gone through the overall screening process, have gone through this more stepped-up procedure.

The lie is emphasized.

How many of these stories do we have to publicize before the administration stops lying for each other?

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

Yet Another TSA Blunder Involving a Disabled Kid

These stories still get to me. The stories about adults are bad enough, but surely the TSA can recognize that the four year old disabled kids don't present a clear and present danger to the airplane, the passaengers, or national security...but here we are.....again.....

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

Sen. Chambliss Asks #WhereIsTheFreedom?

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R, GA) asks: #whereisthefreedom? (Source)

[C]onstituents question the increasingly invasive nature of these procedures given the heavy burden the traveling public is already facing. What are the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and TSA doing to address these concerns? Has TSA undertaken any efforts to improve communication with the public on these more aggressive screening procedures? In addition, in light of recent news reports alleging inappropriate conduct by certain TSA employees when conducting pat-downs, what measures have TSA and DHS taken or plan to take to ensure the professionalism of its employees?

Furthermore, I seek clarification of TSA’s screening policy with respect to children. I understand from Administrator Pistole’s recent testimony that children under the age of 12 are exempt from many screening procedures. However, I have had numerous reports from families with children that have undergone very rigorous and potentially invasive screening in recent weeks. Can you please clarify the standard practice for screening young children?

Lastly, pilots and flight attendants have expressed concerns over the effects of these new procedures on members of their profession. Atlanta, GA, home to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, is also the home base of many flightcrew members who are directly impacted by TSA policies and procedures every single day. Therefore, I ask you to detail the measures TSA is pursuing to expedite and improve the efficiency of the screening process for flightcrew members.

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

#whereisthefreedom? Ask @gopleader

Hey John Boehner, where is the freedom? I ask, because while I see you can put out a short quote that sounds like you care about the Consitutional issues concerning the TSA assaults, it turns out the you are exempt yourself and that might be why you haven't taken a position on what should be done to make this right. The American people want to know "Where is the Freedom?"

I'm encouraging folks on Twitter to ask you #whereisthefreedom because American's shouldn't have to ask, but apparently do...

About That Deficit: Let's Cut the TSA

Coming on the heels of this Rasmussen poll showing that 66% of the American people favor slashing the federal payroll by 10% over the next decade, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I favor cutting the TSA's budget 100% as soon as possible.

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

Feel Sorry for the Junk Grabbers

I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for the molesters. Uhh, no. You don't like your job, creep? The answer is simple: Quit. Don't like feeling up passengers all day? Resign.

Sorry, I don't feel sorry for you...

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

TSA: "Put Your Clothes On...We Would Rather Feel Your Junk For Ourselves"

That TSA group in San Diego needs to get a grip on something other than junk. The latest story is simply incredible. Guy refuses the Porno-Scanner and told that he's going to the sexual assault line. He strips down to his skivies and the TSA still wants to touch his junk.

Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

TSA Will Cause Blood on the Highway

A side effect of the TSA's gross activities will be a significant increase in traffic on our nation's highways. This expert says that will lead to more accidents.

Nice job, TSA. Way to keep us safe!

John Boehner, where is the freedom?

TSA Abducts Child

You can now add kidnapping to the list of crimes that the government is willing to commit for security theater.

I'd love to see that idiot Blogger Bob defend this...  (That link goes to Blogger Bob's pathetic attempt to deflect a different case involving a child.)

Bob, kidnapping is a serious federal offense.

UPDATE:  Hey, John Boehner, where is the freedom?

No Porno Scanners or TSA Sexual Assaults for Boehner

Mr. Speaker-Designate,

It is no secret around these parts that I am a fan.

I was willing to let this weak response to my request for action go because you had other things going on pertaining to the changing of the guard in DC.  But then I discover that, once again, the elitist government cabal known as Congress gets yet another pass in dealing with reality.

It is not acceptable for a Member of Congress to express the bare minimum of concern for what the public is enduring while you breeze by shirking the opportunity to get the same treatment that ordinary Americans do at our airports.  Yeah, I get it, you'll be third in line for the Presidency, so what?  You might as well be flying in the Gulfstream that Pelosi jetted around in...

I thought you were a man of the people, John...  You need to step up and show me something.  So far, you've been a disappointment on this score.

SIDEBAR: I said I was going to name names...some people didn't believe me.  The rest of you still have a chance to do something...

UPDATE:  The longer I think about this, the angrier I get.  I read the other day, a TSA story about our troops, returning from overseas, having to go through these ridiculous procedures even though they are carrying their empty weapons on board.

The pilots and crew of all the aircraft have to go through this humiliating procedure too.

Is Congress saying that that they couldn't possibly be a terrorist but one of us could?  There is at least one Member of Congress who might fit the profile and for that alone Congress ought not be exempt.

The next time we hear those morons at the TSA Blog saying that everybody goes through security for the safety of everyone on board, we now know that is a lie.

UPDATE 2: Hey, John, where is the freedom?

A Case of TSA Kiddie Porn

You can't make this stuff up...  TSA is a bunch of sick puppies, that's for sure...

Batchelder Names House Committees for 129th General Assembly

Release:

COLUMBUS—Ohio House Speaker-elect William G. Batchelder (R-Medina) today announced the standing committees for the 129th General Assembly. In total, there will be 17 committees starting when the new session commences in January.

“It is important that we have committees that meet regularly and frequently in order to ensure that the public has every opportunity to participate in the legislative process,” Batchelder said. “With a smaller number of committees, it will allow each member of the House to concentrate on each piece of legislation put before them, which will promote higher efficiency in the drafting and amending the bills.”
The committees for next year’s session are:
v Agriculture and Natural Resources
v Commerce and Labor
v Criminal Justice
v Economic and Small Business Development
v Education
v Finance and Appropriations
o Primary and Secondary Education Subcommittee
o Higher Education Subcommittee
o Transportation Subcommittee
o Health and Human Services Subcommittee
o Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee
v Financial Institutions, Housing and Urban Development
v Health and Aging
v Insurance
v Judiciary and Ethics
v Local Government
v Public Utilities
v Rules and Reference
v State Government and Elections
v Transportation, Public Safety and Homeland Security
v Veteran’s Affairs
v Ways and Means

Batchelder has asked for members to return their committee preferences by Tuesday, November 30th. He further indicated that several committees would meet at night to accommodate Ohioans who would like to participate in the committee process without having to miss work to attend. Committee announcements will be made official on January 4th.

Rep. Latta Opposes Committee Jurisdiction Grab

Release:

WASHINGTON- Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement in light of recent reports that the House Natural Resources Committee is attempting to grab all Energy jurisdiction from the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Over the past four years, Congressional Democrats have used the Energy and Commerce Committee to pass reckless policies that have, and will continue to have, terrible consequences on our nation. With House Republicans taking the majority back for the 112th Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee will be the epicenter for dismantling these policies. Any power grab from other committees for jurisdiction will only hinder our efforts to pass responsible legislation, specifically when dealing with energy issues. As our nation continues to lack a definitive energy plan, it is imperative that the current Committee jurisdictions remain in place so that we can immediately begin to address the nation’s energy needs.”

NOTE: Yesterday, Congressman Latta joined 18 Republicans from the Energy and Commerce Committee to send a letter to House Speaker-Elect John Boehner (R-OH) and House Majority Leader-Elect Eric Cantor (R-VA) to express their opposition to the transfer of jurisdiction among committees in the 112th Congress. The letter can be found here (PDF).

Another Day, Another TSA Sexual Assault

Another media report on a sexual assault perpetrated by the felons at TSA.

Meanwhile, that tool over at the TSA Blog continues to lie like a dog...

My favorite "myth" so far from the TSA Blog is this one:

Myth: Complaints about the pat-downs are extremely high.

Fact: Only a small percentage of the traveling public receives a pat down as they travel through the security checkpoint. Approximately 2 million people fly in the United States every day. The number of complaints is extremely low.

Of course, this moron isn't taking in to account the number of people who get the pat-down who are complaining. That number is actually quite high and climbing.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. Gets 'em everytime.

Cancer Survivor/Flight Attendant Ordered to Remove Prosthetic During TSA Grab and Grope

These stories just keep getting more and more unbelievable...but the most important part of this story is what she says at the end:

"There are blowers and there are dogs out there that can sniff out bombs," she says. "There's no reason to have somebody's hands touching your body parts.

So...we have a government agency sanctioning sexual assault and there are technological solutions available that will actually do the job these perverts are supposed to be doing without all the kinky touchy feel-ups. Something tells me that this TSA business is more about keeping more employees on the federal payroll than actually keeping the public safe.

Another TSA Update: Sex Offenders and Lists

Say, uh, TSA, is it possible that y'all have some sex offenders among your ranks?  Survey says: YES! (Source: AirSafe.com)

TSA employees with faulty criminal background checks
The TSA serves a very important and vital role in airline security, and all of their employees are required to pass security and background checks. However, those checks in the past have been less than thorough. For example, in 2004, the Department of Homeland Security (which includes TSA) released a report that stated that TSA had allowed some screeners to perform their duties before their criminal background checks were complete, and allowed others to continue working while problems with their background checks were resolved. Even if this problem no longer exists for current applicants and employees, a more serious problem may be that the current system of background checks may have allowed those convicted of rape and other sexually based offenses to join TSA.

Are current TSA background checks too limited?
The 2004 DHS report stated that federal regulations (49 CFR. § 1542.209) specified were 28 kinds of felony convictions that would have disqualified an applicant for a TSA screener position, including rapes or crimes involving aggravated sexual abuse, but only if those convictions had occurred in the previous 10 years. It implies that a person convicted of rape, attempted, child molestation, or similar crimes may not be required to report such convictions during their background check and may be allowed to perform pat-down searches on passengers.

It is unclear if TSA has changed its background check requirements since 2004 to exclude any convicted sex offenders from working directly with passengers. However, the fact that in the past it may have been possible that someone with that kind of criminal past may be a TSA screener may concern most passengers.

Are convicted rapists performing pat-down searches?
The full details of the the TSA's process for reviewing current and potential employees is not available to the public. Whatever those procedures are, a reasonable passenger would agree that anyone who has been found guilty of any crime that involves rape or some similar criminal act should not be allowed to search passengers. If the TSA could publicly address the following questions, it may go a long way toward reducing the public's concern over the new pat-down procedures:

• Are there any current TSA employees who are convicted sex offenders (either for a felony or lesser crime, either as an adult of juvenile), even if the conviction occurred more than 10 years before joining TSA?
  
• If the answer to the first question is yes, are any of these employees acting as security screeners who have have to have direct physical contact with the flying public?
  
• If the answer to the first question is no, have all TSA employees, as part of their background check, been asked if they have been convicted of rape or some other sexually based crime, whether it were a felony or lesser crime, either as an adult or as a juvenile, even if the conviction occurred more than 10 years before joining TSA?
  
• If the first question can't be answered for a TSA employee because of inadequate information, would this employee be restricted from working in a position that involves direct physical contact with the flying public?
  
• Are TSA security screeners who are convicted of rape or another sexually based crime, no matter how minor, immediately removed from any position where they may have physical contact with the traveling public?

Unless the TSA is both willing and able to answer these and similar questions, the average traveler may be very reluctant to submit to invasive searches where TSA security officers have to physically touch them in sensitive areas, making it more difficult for the TSA to accomplish its security mission.

WAY too many unanswered questions here...and the very fact that we have to ask these questions ought to signal to these bureaucrats that they have a very serious public relations disaster of biblical proportions on their hands.

Speaking of too many questions, Big Government has something that will be keeping me up at night thinking...

On the other hand, one wonders whether their goal is less about security and more about information.  Don’t step willingly into the X-ray scanner?  You go on a list.  Opt-out of the groping?  You go on a list.  Protest?  You’re on the list.  The TSA may not be profiling terrorists, but are they creating a database about Americans who protest the TSA?

Naw, the Obama administration, which has promised to be the most open and transparent administration, would possibly do something like this...oh, wait...
We're all screwed...

Boehner on TSA

Quote:

"Everyone wants to keep the American people safe, but it seems like there is some questionable stuff going on out there."

So, Mr. Speaker, what are "we" going to do about it?

11/21/10 UPDATE: Boehner Revealed on TSA...he's exempt!  Imagine our surprise!

NYC City Council Taking Steps to Ban TSA's Porno-Scanners

No word on whether or not New York City's Council is willing to go along with TSA's sexual assault program, but the Porno-Scanners are on their way out!

It sure would be amazing if there were some political peeps here in Ohio willing to standup and fight this nonsense...

St. Rep. Terry Boose (OHD-58) on TSA

I've been trading some emails with State Representative Terry Boose's office and I am listing him as a "wait and see." It is clear from the conversation that Boose is concerned and wants to emphasize that he does not currently support the way they are conducting the searches and believes them to be unconstitutional. He also encourages people who plan on flying to have the phone number of each county sheriff’s office for each airport that the traveler plans on stopping at, in case a TSA agent commits a crime against them or observes a crime being committed against another.  Good advice all around if you ask me.

Kudos to Terry Boose for being the first member of the Ohio House of Representatives to reply to my email.

BUTLER COUNTY: Another "Expert" Says Raise Taxes

Well, we've heard from yet another expert who says we should raise taxes here in Butler County.  RUBBISH!  Mike Pitman's story includes two other recommendations from the so-called "expert":

One would be a “credit option” where departments that have had significant percentage cuts since 2008 would not be required to make significant budget cuts. The other is an across the board 8.8 percent cut.

That last one is the right move.  If nobody has the "stones" to step up and do what is right and tell Sheriff "Spotlight" Jones that we're still in a recession then everybody is going to have to take the hit...again.

Oh, and Mr. Pitman...feel free to ask Sheriff Spotlight what he would cut if he actually had to make the decisions.  Of course, I encourage Sheriff Spotlight to put on the Big Boy pants himself and run for County Commissioner if he thinks he knows best...

Tax hikes are NOT the answer.  I hope that incoming Commissioner Cindy Carpenter remembers that...  Moreimportantly, I hope she realizes that the is going to have to make the toughest of decisions and the outcome will effect the entire region.

SIDEBAR: By the way, that "credit option" is garbage too.  What that would do is put the county deeper in to debt by kicking the can down the road.  Congress has been doing that for decades, how's that working out for us?

Paging MontCo Sheriff Phil Plummer

The office of State Rep. Terry Boose gave me an idea that I hadn't thought of...  I just emailed Sheriff Phil Plummer to get his thoughts on TSA sexually assaulting a passenger at Dayton Internation Airport (in his jurisdiction).  We'll see how that turns out...

Prof. Reynolds Finally Posts on Something We Covered...

About 3 hours ago.....Earlier this morning, in a Post titled TSA More Madness, I posted the story regarding the poor woman who was forced to flash her breasts to an entire airport and was made fun of for it. Instapundit Glenn Reynolds finally gets around to talking about it a few hours later, and he gives credit to a gizmodo post. Thanks Glenn....not.

Disclosure: We at WMD have a bone to pick with Glenn. Despite our repeated invites and requests to bask in his presence when he is in town and the fact that I had his brother as a prof in college, Glenn refuses to acknowledge our existence.

TSA: Groping AND Stealing?

Yes, folks, the TSA agents, who aren't subject to psychological screening, apparently grope AND steal. From a Washington Examiner editorial:

If you've flown lately, the odds are good that you had a rubber-gloved Transportation Security Administration agent touch you in places that would otherwise result in the issuance of an arrest warrant for unwanted groping. Even so, despite years of imposing increasingly invasive new security procedures, the TSA has yet to catch one terrorist. By contrast, the Washington Post reported in May that "at least 23" TSA agents have been fired since 2007 for stealing from passengers. There were also "at least eight unrelated incidents involving practical jokes played on air passengers, drug use, leaving a security post and falling asleep on the job."

OUTRAGEOUS!

What the Obama Tax Increases (not extending Bush Tax Cuts, for those of you in the MSM) Will Do to US

Gary Wickert offered an excellent roundup of why we need to fight against the Obama/Pelosi/Reid Tax increases for 2011 (which has to do with not extending the Bush Tax Cuts). As WMD has noted, what we are talking about are not further tax cuts to the wealthy or anyone else, but an across the board tax increase. Wickert gives us the lowdown:

In less than three months, the largest tax increases in U.S. history will take effect, and most people don’t even realize it. These massive tax increases will take effect on January 1, 2011, and the same folks who can’t understand why spending a trillion dollars on pork-laden government projects, union dole-outs, and ACORN doesn’t create private sector jobs are clueless as to the devastating effect these historic tax increases will have on our economy in 2011. Despite the midterm victories we enjoyed, the tax tsunami is coming.
Thinking Americans will recall that the Bush tax cuts of 2001 were in response to the recession of 2001 and helped pull the country out of its morass in only eight short months. The cuts now being blamed by our president for our predicament were George Bush’s version of Barack Obama’s stimulus plan, with one important distinction. Instead of creating a handful of temporary government jobs and subsidizing the expansion of unions and government, Bush slashed tax rates, boosted the child tax credit, increased the standard deduction for married couples, and increased contribution caps for a variety of savings programs. Thinking Americans will also recall that it was Democrats who made these tax cuts possible.

The cause and effect phenomenon of tax cuts resulting in increased federal tax revenues is difficult to figure out only for those who have never run a business, met a payroll, or read a balance sheet. It was, in fact, one of the most famous Democrats in history who memorialized why this is. In the January 1963 Economic Report of the President, John F. Kennedy set into motion the “Soak-the-Rich Catch-22″ currently frustrating the Obama regime when he said:

Tax reduction thus sets off a process that can bring gains for everyone, gains won by marshalling resources that would otherwise stand idle — workers without jobs and farm and factory capacity without markets. Yet many taxpayers seemed prepared to deny the nation the fruits of tax reduction because they question the financial soundness of reducing taxes when the federal budget is already in deficit. Let me make clear why, in today’s economy, fiscal prudence and responsibility call for tax reduction even if it temporarily enlarged the federal deficit — why reducing taxes is the best way open to us to increase revenues.

Even a Kennedy knew that tax cuts would be good for fighting recession and creating jobs. Read the whole thing.
Americans for Tax Reform has broken down the tax tsunami into three ginormous waves:

First Wave
Bush Tax Cuts Expire. Congress didn’t even have the strength of character to stay and vote on extending the Bush tax cuts before running home to protect their professional political careers. These tax cuts all expire on January 1, 2011. Thereafter, the top income tax rate will rise from 35% to 39.6%, the same rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed. The lowest rate will rise from 10% to 15%. All the rates in between will also rise. Somewhere I seem to recall a promise about tax cuts for 95% of “working families.”

Higher Taxes on Marriage and Family. The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) starting with the first dollar of individual income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut.

Death Tax Returns. 2010 is a great year to die; there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1, 2011, however, there is a 55% top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind a home and a 401k could easily pass along a death tax bill to their family.

Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15% this year to 20% in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15% this year to 39.6% in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8% in 2013.

The second wave — summarized by Joan Pryde, senior tax editor for the Kiplinger letters — will follow closely on the heels of the first.

Second Wave
Obamacare will be the focus of congressional wrangling over the next two years, but it is unlikely to be repealed in that time. There are over 20 huge and completely new taxes contained within the new health care law which was hurried through Congress without being read and passed against the will of the American people. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011.

They include:

The “Medicine Cabinet Tax.” Under Obamacare, the ability to use pre-tax dollars from health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, or health reimbursement accounts to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicine will be a thing of the past.

The “Special Needs” Kids’ Tax. There will be a new cap on flexible spending accounts of $2500 where there currently is no limit. This will hit parents of special needs children particularly hard. Tens of thousands of parents with special needs kids currently use FSAs to pay for their kids’ educations — which can add up to tens of thousands of dollars per year.

The HAS Withdrawal Tax Hike. The health care bill Nancy Pelosi told us we’d have to pass to see what was in it increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from a health savings account from 10% to 20%, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10%.

The third wave will ensnare an additional 28 million Americans and countless small businesses.

Third Wave
The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes. The AMT, which was originally intended simply to make sure that wealthy taxpayers didn’t use tax shelters and other tactics to avoid having to pay any taxes at all (a good start for an argument for a flat tax), affected nearly 4 million families last year. Starting in 2011, it will affect over 28 million families. According to the leftist Tax Policy Center, Congress’ ineptitude and failure to index the AMT will result in an explosion of AMT taxpaying families, each of which will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level.

Small Business Expensing Is Slashed and 50% Expensing Disappears. Obama doesn’t understand that small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly deduct, or “depreciate”) equipment purchases up to $250,000. This will be cut down to $25,000. Larger businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. In January of 2011, all of it will have to be “depreciated.” The effect is a huge tax and an additional expense to the businesses which create jobs.

Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Slashed. The deduction for tuition and fees will no longer be available. Tax credits for education will be limited and teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut, as will employer-provided educational assistance. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

Charitable Contributions From IRAs Disappear. Under current law, an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity without penalty. This contribution also counts toward an annual “required minimum distribution.” Not any more, thanks to a compassionate and ultra-liberal Congress.

The Health Care Tax That Wasn’t. Remember when your president told you straight-faced that when Americans are required to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty it wasn’t a tax? He lied. In defending the Obamacare mandate in court, Obama and his army of lawyers are now defending the requirement as an exercise of the government’s “power to lay and collect taxes.” How’s that hope and change working out for everybody? I thought everybody making less that everybody making less than $250,000 per year wouldn’t see an increase in their taxes.

This president is a liar, a fraud, and an elitist who is destroying the fabric of our great nation. And, he will destroy the wealth of the US in an effort to punish the nation for what he views as its sins. YOU LIE, OBAMA, YOU LIE!

Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Eric Holder's Gotta Go!

At least, that is what Ed Morrissey says. And I agree with him:

The failure of Holder’s DoJ to win anything more than a single conspiracy count against Ghailani as a result of using a process designed for domestic criminals than wartime enemies shows that the critics had it right all along. It also shows that both Obama and Holder have been proven spectacularly wrong, since a man who confessed to the murder of over two hundred people will now face no more than 20 years, with a big chunk of whatever sentence Foopie receives being reduced by time already served. . . . There could be no greater failure by the DoJ in this war on terror than to get these decisions wrong, especially in light of the avalanche of criticism over those decisions and the administration’s reaction to it

Between having KSM being tried in NYC, wanting to house terrorists in Illinois, as well as the whole Black Panther Voting Case debacle, this statist leftist hack needs to go.

Even Joe Biden Gets a Bailout from Obama

It turns out even the Vice-President gets a bailout now. Could it be he is "too dumb" to fail? To wit:

In a flashback to the campaigns of yesterday, the Federal Election Commission released a draft opinion to allow President Barack Obama’s campaign committee to transfer money to pay for campaign finance penalties left over from Vice President Joseph Biden’s 2008 White House run.

While a majority vote by the six-person FEC will be required for passage, the agency’s single draft bodes well for the former six-term Democratic Senator from Delaware.

Biden’s presidential campaign was fined $133,000 earlier this year after an FEC audit found minor violations, including stale-dated checks.

But his campaign does not have enough money in reserve, reporting just $82,000 in available cash on hand as of the end of September and nearly $8,000 in other debts.

So the president’s 2008 campaign, which has nearly $3.2 million in the bank, formally asked the FEC whether Obama for America could pay the outstanding fees to the Treasury Department on behalf of the vice president. The FEC is slated to vote on the measure at this week’s regular Thursday meeting.

Senate Dems Endangering Children in Haiti for DREAM Amnesty

In other words, like Saddam and the terrorists, the Democrats are going to use poor children as human shields to get this shamnesty passed:

According to a letter written by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), House Democratic Leadership is thinking of attaching the DREAM Act Amnesty bill to an immigration-related bill he introduced. The Help HAITI Act would allow the Department of Homeland Security to offer permanent residency to orphaned children who came to the United States after the devastating earthquake earlier this year.

Rep. Fortenberry has earned an A-grade from NumbersUSA and is a cosponsor of four of our 5-Great Immigration Bills offered this Congress.

“I’m at a total loss. This is about helping the children in the wake of the earthquake,” Rep. Fortenberry wrote.

“After these families have opened their hearts and homes to some of the world’s most vulnerable children, this security is the least we can give them. The House of Representatives should affirm this by passing the Help HAITI Act, free of unrelated, controversial measures.”

According to Congressional Quarterly, a Capitol Hill publication, even though Rep. Fortenberry didn’t mention the DREAM Act in his letter, one of his aides said that was the controversial bill his letter referred to.

I thought Democrats were for helping people, not using them as human shields and political cover. Oh wait, this is reality, as opposed to the mainstream media smoke and mirrors. My bad. Here is a list of Dimocrap Senators who might be on the fence:

SEN. JIM WEBB OF VIRGINIA 202-224-4024; 703-573-7090. Staff says “he hasn’t made a public statement.”

SEN. KENT CONRAD OF NORTH DAKOTA 202-224-2043; 701-258-4648. Staff says “he hasn’t released a statement.” Conrad has voted against the DREAM Act in the past.

SEN. BYRON DORGAN OF NORTH DAKOTA 202 224-2551. He voted against the DREAM Act in the past. Staff says he “hasn’t taken a public position.”

SEN. MARK PRYOR OF ARKANSAS 202-224-2353; 501-324-6336. He voted no on the DREAM Act cloture vote in September. Staff says he is “likely” to vote no again, though he hasn’t made an official public statement yet.

SEN. JON TESTER OF MONTANA 202 224-2644. Staff says he has voted against the DREAM Act in the past and “he will probably vote against any bill that has amnesty in it.”

SEN. MAX BAUCUS OF MONTANA 202-224-2651. He has opposed the DREAM Act in the past and is a “likely no” again in this session.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL OF MISSOURI 202-224-6154. She opposed the DREAM Act in the past and staff says she has made no statement changing her position otherwise.

Melt those phonelines, people! Don't let this stand.
(h/t Michelle Malkin)

Sessions' Memo On Dangers of DREAM Act and How you Can Help Fight It

h/t to Michelle Malkin:

Ten Things You Need To Know About S.3827, The DREAM Act

1. The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children, And It Will Be Funded On the Backs Of Hard Working, Law-Abiding Americans

Proponents of the DREAM Act frequently claim the bill offers relief only to illegal alien “kids.” Incredibly, previous versions of the DREAM Act had no age limit at all, so illegal aliens of any age who satisfied the Act’s requirements—not just children—could obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. In response to this criticism, S.3827 includes a requirement that aliens be under the age of 35 on the date of enactment to be eligible for LPR status. Even with this cap, many aliens would be at least 41 years old before obtaining full LPR status under the Act—hardly the “kids” the Act’s advocates keep talking about.
The DREAM Act requires that DHS/USCIS process all DREAM Act applications (applications that would require complex, multi-step adjudication) without being able to increase fees to handle processing. This mandate would require either additional Congressional appropriations, or for USCIS, a primarily fee-funded agency, to raise fees on other types of immigration benefit applications. This would unfairly spread the cost of administering the DREAM Act legalization program among applicants and petitioners who have abided by U.S. laws and force taxpayers to pay for amnesty. Taxpayers would also be on the hook for all Federal benefits the DREAM Act seeks to offer illegal aliens, including student loans and grants.

2. The DREAM Act PROVIDES SAFE HARBOR FOR ANY ALIEN, Including Criminals, From Being Removed or Deported If They Simply Submit An Application

Although DREAM Act proponents claim it will benefit only those who meet certain age, presence, and educational requirements, amazingly the Act protects ANY alien who simply submits an application for status no matter how frivolous. The bill forbids the Secretary of Homeland Security from removing “any alien who has a pending application for conditional status” under the DREAM Act—regardless of age or criminal record—providing a safe harbor for all illegal aliens. This loophole will open the floodgates for applications that could stay pending for many years or be litigated as a delay tactic to prevent the illegal aliens’ removal from the United States. The provision will further erode any chances of ending the rampant illegality and fraud in the existing system.

3. Certain Criminal Aliens Will Be Eligible For Amnesty Under The DREAM Act

Certain categories of criminal aliens will be eligible for the DREAM Act amnesty, including alien gang members and aliens with misdemeanor convictions, even DUIs. The DREAM Act allows illegal aliens guilty of the following offenses to be eligible for amnesty: alien absconders (aliens who failed to attend their removal proceedings), aliens who have engaged in voter fraud or unlawfully voted, aliens who have falsely claimed U.S. citizenship, aliens who have abused their student visas, and aliens who have committed marriage fraud. Additionally, illegal aliens who pose a public health risk, aliens who have been permanently barred from obtaining U.S. citizenship, and aliens who are likely to become a public charge are also eligible.

4. Estimates Suggest That At Least 2.1 Million Illegal Aliens Will Be Eligible For the DREAM Act Amnesty. In Reality, We Have No Idea How Many Illegal Aliens Will Apply

Section 4(d) of the DREAM Act waives all numerical limitations on green cards, and prohibits any numerical limitation on the number of aliens eligible for amnesty under its provisions. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that the DREAM Act will make approximately 2.1 million illegal aliens eligible for amnesty. It is highly likely that the number of illegal aliens receiving amnesty under the DREAM Act will be much higher than the estimated 2.1 million due to fraud and our inherent inability to accurately estimate the illegal alien population. Clearly, the message sent by the DREAM Act will be that if any young person can enter the country illegally, within 5 years, they will be placed on a path to citizenship.

5. Illegal Aliens Will Get In-State Tuition Benefits

The DREAM Act will allow illegal aliens to qualify for in-state tuition, even when it is not being offered to U.S. citizens and legally present aliens living just across state lines. Section 3 of the DREAM Act repeals Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1623) which prohibits giving education benefits to an unlawfully present individual unless that same benefit is offered to all U.S. citizens.

6. The DREAM Act Does Not Require That An Illegal Alien Finish Any Type of Degree (Vocational, Two-Year, or Bachelor’s Degree) As A Condition of Amnesty

DREAM Act supporters would have you believe that the bill is intended to benefit illegal immigrants who have graduated from high school and are on their way to earning college degrees. However, the bill is careful to ensure that illegal alien high school drop-outs will also be put on a pathway to citizenship – they simply have to get a GED and be admitted to “an institution of higher education,” defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965.Under the Higher Education Act, an “institution of higher education” includes institutions that provide 2-year programs (community colleges) and any “school that provides not less than a 1-year program of training to prepare students for gainful employment” (a vocational school). Within 8 years of the initial grant of status, the alien must prove only that they finished 2 years of a bachelor’s degree program, not that they completed any program or earned any degree.

If the alien is unable to complete 2 years of college but can demonstrate that their removal would result in hardship to themselves or their U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, child, or parent, the education requirement can be waived altogether.

7. The DREAM Act does not require that an illegal alien serve in the military as a condition for amnesty, and There is ALREADY A Legal Process In Place For Illegal Aliens to Obtain U.S. Citizenship Through Military Service

DREAM Act supporters would have you believe that illegal aliens who don’t go to college will earn their citizenship through service in the U.S. Armed Forces. However, the bill does not require aliens to join the U.S. Armed Forces (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard); instead it requires enlistment in the “uniformed services.” This means that aliens need only go to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or Public Health Service for 2 years to get U.S. citizenship. If the alien is unable to complete 2 years in the “uniformed services,” and can demonstrate that their removal would result in hardship to themselves or their U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, child, or parent, the military service requirement can be waived altogether. Such claims will likely engender much litigation and place a huge burden on DHS.

Furthermore, under current law (10 USC § 504), the Secretary of Defense can authorize the enlistment of illegal aliens. Once enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, under 8 USC § 1440, these illegal aliens can become naturalized citizens through expedited processing, often obtaining U.S. citizenship in six months.

8. Despite Their Current Illegal Status, DREAM Act Aliens Will Be Given All The Rights That Legal Immigrants Receive—Including The Legal Right To Sponsor Their Parents and Extended Family Members For Immigration

Under current federal law, U.S. citizens have the right to immigrate their “immediate relatives” to the U.S. without regard to numerical caps. Similarly, lawful permanent residents can immigrate their spouses and children to the U.S. as long as they retain their status. This means illegal aliens who receive amnesty under the DREAM Act will have the right to immigrate their family members—including the parents who sent for or brought them to the U.S. illegally in the first place—in unlimited numbers as soon as they become U.S. citizens (6 to 8 years after enactment) and are 21 years of age.

Additionally, amnestied aliens who become U.S. citizens will be able to petition for their adult siblings living abroad to immigrate to the U.S., further incentivizing chain migration and potentially illegal entry into the United States (for those who don’t want to wait for the petition process overseas). When an adult brother or sister receives a green card, the family (spouse and children) of the adult sibling receive green cards as well.

9. Current Illegal Aliens Will Get Federal Student Loans, Federal Work Study Programs, and Other Forms of Federal Financial Aid

Section 10 of the DREAM Act allows illegal aliens amnestied under the bill’s provisions to qualify for federal student assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) in the form of federal student loans (Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans), federal work-study programs, and other federal education services such as tutoring and counseling.

10. DHS Is Prohibited From Using the Information Provided By Illegal Aliens Whose DREAM Act Amnesty Applications Are Denied To Initiate Their Removal Proceedings or Investigate or Prosecute Fraud in the Application Process

When an illegal alien’s DREAM Act amnesty application is denied, the bill states that the alien will revert to their “previous immigration status,” which is likely illegal or deportable. The bill, however, prohibits using any of the information contained in the amnesty application (name, address, length of illegal presence that the alien admits to, etc) to initiate a removal proceeding or investigate or prosecute fraud in the application process. Thus, it will be extremely hard for DHS to remove aliens who they now know are illegally present in the U.S., because illegal aliens will be able to claim that the legal action is a product of the amnesty application, and DHS will have the nearly impossible task of proving a negative.

What Can You do, especially since there is an upcoming stand alone vote on this travesty? Well, you can target call and email your Senators and especially those Republican fence sitters like:

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN 202-224-2235; 480-897-6289: Staff says he “hasn’t made a public statement” and “hasn’t made up his mind.” He talked a tough border security game to get re-elected, while promising illegal alien activists he would “resolve their issues.” (Refresh your memories here.)
Arizona, you chose to re-elect him. You get what you deserve.

SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE 202-224-5344; 207-874-0883: Staff says she “hasn’t released a statement.”

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS 202-224-2523; 207-945-0417: Staff says she “hasn’t released a public statement.”

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI 202-224-6665; 907-271-3735: Staff says she’s “still reviewing the bill.”

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK 202-224-6521; 785-233-2503 Staff says he “hasn’t had a chance to look at it” and remains non-committal.

SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON 202-224-5922; 214-361-3500: Staff says she “hasn’t released a statement,” but will probably do so later today.

SEN. GEORGE LEMIEUX 202-224-3041; 904-398-8586: Recorded message informs callers that he’s “in a meeting.” He has yet to publicly state his position as open-borders extremists step up pressure.

Thankfully, some fence sitting squishes have said they will vote against it. Let's hope these folks don't pull a Zack Space or Steve Driehaus:

SEN. SCOTT BROWN: Staff says he “does not support ANY taxpayer illegal alien amnesty bills,” including the DREAM Act.

SEN. MIKE JOHANNS: Opposed the DREAM Act. Period.

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH: Opposed.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH: A former DREAM Act champion, he is now opposed.

***

SEN. JUDD GREGG: Staff says he is a likely no vote.

Melt those phonelines, people. While the TSA stuff is going on, we can't lose sight of this travesty in the making.