John Boehner with Sean Hannity Talks Jobs, Debt Limit, & Balanced Budget Amendment VIDEO

Washington (Jun 28) House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) appeared with Sean Hannity on Fox News tonight to discuss jobs, the president’s request for an increase in the debt limit, and the Balanced Budget Amendment. Dealing with the president’s request for an increase in the debt limit by focusing on what’s best for jobs and our economy is “critically important,” Boehner said, “because it will bring confidence to business people within the United States; it will help create jobs, if we are willing to take on the big challenges that face us.” In addition to reiterating that job-crushing tax hikes are off the table, Boehner discussed his support for a balanced budget amendment, which Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has scheduled for a vote on the House floor during the week of July 25. Below are key excerpts from Boehner’s interview:

BOEHNER ON HOW DEBT LIMIT DEBATE IS ABOUT JOBS & OUR ECONOMY:

“Nobody believes that the United States is going to walk away from its obligations. But I’m going to tell you, Sean, when I said this is the moment, and this is the opportunity, it is exactly what I mean. … We cannot miss this opportunity. If we want jobs to come to America, we have got to give American business people the confidence to invest in our economy. Today they don’t have that confidence.”

BOEHNER: “I’VE MADE IT CLEAR TO THE PRESIDENT, WE’RE NOT GOING TO RAISE TAXES”:

“I’ve made it clear to the president, we’re not going to raise taxes. You can’t raise taxes on the very people that we expect to invest in our economy and create jobs. Secondly, there were no votes in the Congress, in the House or the Senate. There is not a majority to raise taxes on anyone. So tax increases are off the table. And I’m not sure that they’ve gotten the message yet, but they’re aren’t going to be any tax increases.“

BOEHNER ON THE NEED FOR THE PRESIDENT TO FOCUS ON JOBS & OUR ECONOMY:

“The president, I think, is spending too much time thinking about the next election as opposed to do what the country wants him to do right now, and that is to focus on the economy and jobs. And that is why dealing with this debt ceiling increase, in a responsible way, is critically important. Because it will bring confidence to business people within the United States; it will help create jobs, if we are willing to take on the big challenges that face us.”

BOEHNER ON HIS SUPPORT FOR A BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT:

“I do [support a balanced budget amendment.] And I think that it is important that we get real cuts and real changes in spending now. I’ve been a big supporter of the balanced budget amendment over my career. I have always voted for it and I’ll vote for it again. … But we’ve got a vote scheduled. I think Eric Cantor, our majority leader, scheduled a debate and a vote on the balanced budget amendment, with limitations on the ability to raise taxes, and limitations on the ability to increase spending. And I think that is coming the week of July 25.”

BOEHNER ON HOW WASHINGTON’S JOB-CRUSHING SPENDING BINGE IS UNSUSTAINABLE:

“We can't continue to spend money we don't have. We can't borrow $0.42 for every $1 the federal government is going to spend this year. A budget deficit of $1.5 trillion. And according to the budget -- the president's budget, trillion dollars deficits for as far as the eye can see. This is not sustainable. It has to be stopped.”

BOEHNER ON PRESIDENT’S FAILURE TO CONSULT WITH CONGRESS ON LIBYA:

“There was no consultation, there was no discussion, not with members of Congress, not with the American people. The next thing you know, we've got troops flying missions in Libya. And so there's a Constitutional battle that's taking place here between the Congress and the president over the fact that there was no consultation, there was no authorization. Secondly, we get into this whole issue of, what's the mission? What's our goal here? … But what's our strategic interest here? You know, the plan is to protect innocent civilians and hope that Colonel Gadhafi goes away. Well, guess what? I asked a question two days into this. ‘Mr. President, what if he doesn't go away?’ I didn't get an answer.”

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

VIDEO CREDIT: JohnBoehner

John Boehner Statement in Response to Remarks by President Obama on taxes and debt limit

Washington (Jun 29) House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released the following statement in response to comments made by President Obama at a press conference calling for higher taxes instead of larger spending cuts as part of his request for a debt limit increase.

“The President's remarks today ignore legislative and economic reality, and demonstrate remarkable irony. His administration has been burying our kids and grandkids in new debt and offered no plan to rein in spending. Republicans have been leading and offering solutions to put the brakes on this spending binge. The President has been AWOL from that debate.

“The President is sorely mistaken if he believes a bill to raise the debt ceiling and raise taxes would pass the House. The votes simply aren’t there – and they aren’t going to be there, because the American people know tax hikes destroy jobs. They also know Washington has been on a spending binge for many years, and they will only tolerate a debt limit increase if we stop it.

“The new majority in the House is going to stand with the American people. A debt limit increase can only pass the House if it includes spending cuts larger than the debt limit increase; includes reforms to hold down spending in the future; and is free from tax hikes. The longer the President denies these realities, the more difficult he makes this process. If the president embraces a measure that meets these tests, he has my word that the House will act on it. Anything less cannot pass the House.”

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

IMAGE CREDIT: JohnBoehner

Klout.com, [great service] and the new TNT show "Falling Skies" [great show]

Hello Republican National Convention Blog Subscribers sookietex here. As twitter's @sookietex, please follow. i'm taking part in a promotion by Klout.com, [great service] and the new TNT show "Falling Skies" [great show]. i was chosen, along with other tweeters, to receive swag, an ‘Alien Invasion Survival Kit’ and to be part of the Show's Army of Influence.

The goal for our Army of Tweeters is to inspire interest and watchers for Falling Skies using Social Media. Participants are listed on the "Army of Influence Leaderboard" and whomever is at the top of board at the end of the promotion wins a walk-on role in a upcoming episode of Falling Skies.

Now Gentle Readers here’s what I would like YOU TO DO:

During the promotion, i’ll be tweeting A LOT about alien invasion, Falling Skies and the Human resistance movement known as the 2nd Mass [because of their location in Boston, Mass.] using the #fsincentivized hashtag. Please Retweet [RT] those tweets. Or if that's not your thing, please tweet this for me:

I want @Sookietex to win a walk-on role in the new TNT show #FallingSkies #fsincentivized

Just click the above link and hit ‘Tweet’!

Thank You

Michele Bachmann Officially Announces Her Run for the Presidency of the United States in Waterloo, Iowa FULL TEXT VIDEO

Waterloo, Iowa - Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann officially announced her candidacy in front of a hometown crowd in Waterloo, Iowa. Hundreds gathered at the historic Snowden House to hear Bachmann convey that together we can secure the future of our country.

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT:

The following is text of the official announcement speech:

It's great to be in Iowa and even better to be in Waterloo where I was born. It's fitting to be here at the Snowden House, the place that once served as the home of the Waterloo Women's Club. I stand here today in front of many friends and family to formally announce my candidacy for President of the United States. I do so because I am grateful for the blessings God and this country have given to me, and not because of the position of the office, but because I am determined that every American deserves these blessings and that together we can once again strengthen America and restore the promise of the future. I want to bring a voice, your voice, to the White House, just as I have brought your voice to the halls of congress to secure the promise of the future for our generation and generations to come.

I often say that everything I needed to know I learned in Iowa. It was at Hawthorne and Valley Park Elementary Schools and my home, both a short distance from here, where those Iowan roots were firmly planted. It's those roots and my faith in God that guide me today. I'm a descendent of generations Iowans. I know what it means to be from Iowa—what we value and what's important. Those are the values that helped make Iowa the breadbasket of the world and those are the values, the best of all of us that we must recapture to secure the promise of the future.

Waterloo was different five decades ago when I grew up here. That elementary school building was a lot younger and for that matter so was I. Five decades ago when I went there to school the halls were teeming with young children who, like me, had dreams of their future. A future with promise and parents who wanted it to be filled with more opportunities than they had. Five decades ago America had less debt, in fact our national debt was less than 300 billion dollars. A gallon of gasoline was 31 cents, and owning a home was part of living the American dream. Today our debt is over 14 trillion dollars, a gallon of gas is still outrageously high, millions of homes are in foreclosure, and those dreams are distant for many Americans.

Times have changed here in Waterloo, but the people still have the same spirit we Iowans have come to exemplify. We work hard, we live within our means and we expect to pass on a better life to our children. But our government keeps getting bigger making it tougher for us to pass on that life, causing our jobs to go overseas and spending more of the money we make, while we keep less of it.

Don't mistake my happy memories of growing up in Waterloo as pining for the past. I recognize it's impossible to turn the clock back and go back to a different day. Instead, I want this moment to serve as a reminder about the best of who we are as a nation, what our values are, and what went in to making America great to capture its best for the promise of the future. I want my candidacy for the presidency to stand for the moment when "we the people" reclaimed our independence from a government that has gotten too big, spends too much and has taken away too much of our liberty.

Americans have always confronted challenges. Ours is a history marked by struggles as well as prosperity. My early days were difficult as they were for many Americans, especially during the time when my mother struggled to raise us after divorce. But we made our own way. We depended on our neighbors and ourselves and not our government for help. We trusted in God and our neighbors and not in Government. Americans still have that same spirit. But government keeps trying to erase it because government thinks it knows better—that government can create jobs, and make a better life for all of us, even make us healthier! But that's NOT the case. We have to recapture our founders' vision of a constitutionally conservative government if we are to secure the promise of the future.

I'm also here because Waterloo laid the foundation for my own roots in politics. I never thought that I would end up in public life. I grew up here in Iowa. My grandparents are buried here. I remember how sad I was leaving Iowa to go to Minnesota in the sixth grade, because this part of Iowa was all I knew—I remember telling my parents that we couldn't move to Minnesota because I hadn't even been to Des Moines to see the state capitol.

I grew up a democrat. My first involvement in politics was working for Jimmy Carter's election in 1976. But when I saw the direction President Carter took our country; how his big spending liberal majority grew government, weakened our standing in the world, and how they decreased our liberties, I became a Republican. I remember standing in the kitchen of my grandma's house on Lafayette Street in Waterloo listening to my dad, a Democrat debating the merits of the Great Society with my grandmother, a Republican. I remember her prophetic admonition to my father that the Great Society wouldn't work because it wouldn't be my father's generation who paid for it, but rather my brother, David and me. And now that prediction has come true and neither my democrat father nor my republican grandmother would have condoned this spending and debt.

I hadn't planned on getting into politics. I loved the law and went to law school. I went on to William and Mary to become a tax lawyer. Together with my husband we started a successful small business.

When I saw the problems with our local school district and how academic excellence was being eroded by federal government interference with the local schools, I decided to do more than just complain about it. One of those Iowa values instilled in me was to always leave whatever you were involved with better than when you found it, so I decided to seek public office to make our local school district better. I didn't seek public office for fortune or power, but simply to make life better in our community and education better for our children. And now I seek the presidency not for vanity, but because America is at a crucial moment and I believe that we must make a bold choice if we are to secure the promise of the future.

We cannot continue to kick the can of our problems down the road, because they are problems of today and not tomorrow.

We cannot continue to rack up debt on the backs of future generations.
We can't afford an unconstitutional health plan that costs too much and is worth so little.
And we can't afford four more years of failed leadership at home and abroad.
We can't afford four more years of millions of Americans out of work or in jobs that pay too little to support their families.
We can't afford four more years of a housing crisis that is devaluing our homes and making home ownership impossible for many Americans.
We can't afford four more years of a foreign policy that leads from behind and doesn't stand up for our friends and stand up to our enemies.
We can't afford four more years of Barack Obama.

As a constitutional conservative, I believe in the Founding Father's vision of a limited government that trusts in and preserves the unlimited potential of the American people. I don't believe that the solutions to our problems come from Washington: more than ever, Washington IS the problem, and the real solutions will come from our businesses, our communities, our schools and the most basic and powerful unit of all-our families.

We've started another campaign season, almost when it seemed like the last one just ended. Through all of the rancor of the campaign, let us always remember that there is much more that unites us than divides us. Our problems don't have an identity of party, they are problems created by both parties.

Americans agree that our country is in peril today and we must act with urgency to save it. And Americans aren't interested in affiliation; they are interested in solutions, and leadership that will tell the truth. And the truth is that Americans ARE the solution and not the government!

This election is about big issues, not petty ones. When all is said and done, we cannot be about big government as usual. Then America will lose.

In Washington I am bringing a voice to the halls of congress that has been missing for a long time. It is the voice of the people I love and learned from growing up in Waterloo. It is the voice of reasonable, fair-minded people who love this country, who are patriotic, and who see the United States as the indispensable nation of the world.

My voice is part of a movement to take back our country, and now I want to take that voice to the White House. It is the voice of constitutional conservatives who want our government to do its job and not ours and who want our government to live within its means and not our children's and grandchildren's.

I am here in Waterloo, Iowa to announce today: We can win in 2012 and we will. Our voice has been growing louder and stronger. And it is made up of Americans from all walks of life like a three-legged stool. It's the peace through strength Republicans, and I'm one of them, it's fiscal conservatives, and I'm one of them, and it's social conservatives, and I'm one of them. It's the Tea Party movement and I'm one of them.

The liberals, and to be clear I'm NOT one of them, want you to think the Tea Party is the Right Wing of the Republican Party. But it's not. It's made up of disaffected Democrats, independents, people who've never been political a day in their life, libertarians, Republicans. We're people who simply want America back on the right track again.

We're practical people who want the country to work again. This is a powerful coalition the left fears, and they should because, Make no mistake about it, President Obama is a one-term president!

In February 2009 President Obama was very confident that his economic policies would turn the country around within a year. He said, "A year from now, I think people are going to see that we're starting to make some progress. If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition." Well Mr. President, your policies haven't worked. Spending our way out of this recession hasn't worked. And so Mr. President We Take You at Your Word!

Waterloo holds a special place for me, but also holds a special place for our country. You sent and still do send your sons and daughters off to fight for America and to protect the freedoms that allow us to gather here today. I honor my dad who served in the United States Air Force. I honor my step dad who served in the United States Army. And I honor my stepbrother who retired full United States Navy. We will never forget those sacrifices; it is part of our past we must remember to secure the promise of the future. It is those values that make our country unique and make us the most powerful force for good on this planet. I believe the United States of America is THE indispensible nation. It is that spirit that separates us from those who would give their own life for others from those who sacrifice others, like terrorists who use little children as human shields.

Perhaps the valor of our American fighting heroes was never captured better than in the sacrifice made by the Sullivan brothers from right here in Waterloo. The Sullivan family was much like other families in America during the depression. They were fortunate to get by. Most of the family worked here in Waterloo at the local meat packing plant. When a close friend of the family died at Pearl Harbor, the five Sullivan brothers enlisted in the Navy, but under the condition that they be allowed to serve together. One of the brothers wrote, "We will make a team together that can't be beat." Born and raised here in Waterloo, the five Sullivan brothers had always stuck together. However, one fateful morning after a long night of intense battle, a Japanese torpedo struck the USS Juneau, the ship on which they served killing most of the crew and launching the rest into the water. The oldest of the Sullivans, George, searched tirelessly for his brothers, but they were not to be found. He had survived the attack, but later perished at sea. All but 10 of the 697 brave men of the Juneau, gave their lives for their country. In spite of the intense pain of losing their five sons all at once, the parents of the Sullivans became an inspiration to America speaking to millions on behalf of the war effort. To honor the Sullivans two ships were named for them. The motto of the last ship—We Stick Together!

Theirs was a demonstration of the Holy Scriptures that says: "Greater love hath no man than this, but that he lay down his life for his friend."

That is the kind of love we Americans have for our country. We Americans stick together. We triumph together. In the words of Daniel Webster, we are, "One cause, one country, one heart." That is the kind of commitment it will take to face the great challenges of today. The people of this great country have that level of courage and they are longing for a President who will listen to them, who will lead from the front, and not from behind.

I'm Michele Bachmann and I'm running for President of the United States.

Together, we can do this. Together we can reign in all the corruption and waste that has become Washington and instead leave a better America for future generations.

Together we can make a team that can't be beat!

Together we can secure the promise of the future.

Together we can - and together we will!

God bless you and God bless the United States of America!

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: PBSNewsHour

TEXT CREDIT: Bachmann for President || P.O. Box 251310 || Woodbury, MN 55125 || info@michelebachmann.com

Jon Kyl Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace 06/26/11 VIDEO

June 26, 2011 Sen. Jon Kyl on Debt Talks Key lawmaker on 'Fox News Sunday'

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace

Michele Bachmann Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace 06/26/11 VIDEO

June 26, 2011 Bachmann Talks Earmarks, Obamacare and Gay Marriage GOP presidential candidate on 'Fox News Sunday'

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT: Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace

Michele Bachmann Face the Nation 06/26/11 VIDEO

Michele Bachmann Face the Nation 06/26/11 VIDEO Michele Bachmann on her presidential qualifications

Bob Schieffer spoke with 2012 presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) on her qualifications to run against businessman Mitt Romney, health care, and how to handle the nation's growing deficit.

TEXT IMAGE and VIDEO CREDIT: "CBS NEWS' FACE THE NATION."

Chris Christie Meet the Press 06/26/11 FULL VIDEO

Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) on the national debt crisis, NJ's pension plan, the 2012 field and his personal style.

VIDEO TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Meet The Press: One-on-one with Gov. Christie (R-NJ):

Ron Paul "Investigating the Gold: H.R. 1495, the Gold Reserve Transparency Act and the Oversight of United States Gold Holdings VIDEO

Ron Paul "Investigating the Gold: H.R. 1495, the Gold Reserve Transparency Act and the Oversight of United States Gold Holdings VIDEO.

The hearing discusses recent audits of U.S. gold reserves; challenges to conducting a full audit; and impediments to an accurate assessment of the US gold position, including any leases, swaps or other encumbrances placed upon the gold reserves; and also examines changes to the legislative proposal that will ensure a full and accurate audit, assay, and inventory of U.S. gold reserves.

The hearing entitled "Investigating the Gold: H.R. 1495, the Gold Reserve Transparency Act and the Oversight of United States Gold Holdings," was held on Thursday, June 23 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Witnesses testifying:

Gary T. Engel, Director, Financial Management and Assurance, Government Accountability Office

Eric M. Thorson, Inspector General, Department of the Treasury

TEXT IMAGE and VIDEO CREDIT: CongressmanRonPaul

Michele Bachmann Today I voted against authorizing U.S. action in Libya

Washington, Jun 24 - Today, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (MN-06) released the following statement regarding her votes in the House of Representatives on Libya:

"Today I voted against authorizing U.S. action in Libya and against a measure that would merely limit funding, not cut off funding, for our involvement in the North African nation. For any conflict, there must be a clear U.S. interest and the goal of the mission must be laid out.

"President Obama has failed to articulate our goals and strategies or even provide a vital national interest in Libya. This is another example of the Obama Administration ‘leading from behind’ as demonstrated by the President consulting with the French, the UN, NATO, and others, but not once consulting with Congress.

"Our mission is so murky that we are still unsure of the factions we are supporting in Libya through our actions. If a new regime emerges and it support terrorists, the results will be devastating for the national security interests of the United States.

"There was an opportunity today to limit funding to a Libyan operation, but I could not support it because it does not go far enough. Funds must be fully cut off to the President’s involvement in Libya." ###

IMAGE CREDIT: RepMicheleBachmann

TEXT CREDIT: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Proudly Serving the 6th District of Minnesota Washington Office 103 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2331 Fax: (202) 225-6475

Renee Ellmers Weekly Republican Address TEXT PODCAST VIDEO 06/25/11

Washington (Jun 24) Delivering the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) highlights Republicans’ Plan for America’s Job Creators, which is designed to remove government barriers to private sector job growth – the kind of growth the ‘stimulus’ promised but failed to deliver. Speaking from the House Small Business Committee hearing room, Rep. Ellmers – a small business owner herself – talks about how Republicans are committed to getting government out of the way so our economy can get back to creating jobs. Rep. Ellmers is in her first term representing North Carolina’s Second Congressional District. Following is the full text and Audio of the address. Video will be available here for viewing and downloading once the embargo is lifted tomorrow 06/25/11 at 6:00 a.m.

Podcast of the address: Download MP3 for PODCAST || FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT BELOW. || Download Video MPEG Video || MP4 Video

“Hello, I’m Congresswoman Renee Ellmers from the great state of North Carolina.

“I’m speaking to you today from the House Small Business Committee, where just about every week we hear from America’s job creators. These are leaders and entrepreneurs who take time out and come to Washington to explain how tough things are right now. Their stories are different, but their message is the same: uncertainty, burdensome regulations, and the fear of higher taxes are making it harder to create jobs and stay afloat.

“You know, if I weren’t in Congress, I’d be sitting right next to them. My husband and I own a small medical practice in Dunn, a small town 40 miles south of Raleigh. We’ve seen how government overreach can hurt a family-owned small business. We’ve worked to overcome it by relying on the same values that helped get our practice off the ground: freedom, opportunity, and responsibility.

“The job creators we hear from… they don’t have their hand out. They don’t want a bailout. All they ask us to do is get government out of the way.

“Republicans have put forward a job creation plan that would do just that. ‘A Plan for America’s Job Creators’ lives up to its name.

“Our approach starts with reducing the regulatory burden small businesses face and making Washington bureaucrats factor jobs into their decision-making process.

“Instead of knee-jerk reactions to high gas prices, we propose expanding domestic energy production to help lower costs and create jobs.

“To make us more competitive, we want to open new markets to American-made goods.

“And we’re ready to build on the budget we’ve passed to pay down the debt and see that Washington lives within its means. Because kicking the can down the road will only destroy more jobs by rattling confidence and causing more uncertainty over our fiscal condition.

“These are just some of the solutions included in our jobs creation plan. You can check out all the details at jobs.GOP.gov.

“We’ve already made some headway. This week, the House approved a vital jobs bill on energy production. This legislation will make our domestic energy resources available while lowering gas prices and creating thousands of jobs. We hope the Senate will pass this important legislation and other jobs bills we’ve sent its way.

“Unfortunately, the Democrats who run Washington say we should stay the course, keep spending money we don’t have, and raise your taxes – all in the name of ‘stimulus.’ These Washington-knows-best policies haven’t worked. They have only made matters worse.

“All told, there are now 2.3 million more people looking for work than there were in the month when President Obama took office. Americans were promised the ‘stimulus’ would keep unemployment below eight percent, but it is now more than nine percent.

“You sent us here to focus on jobs, and we must show leadership worthy of your trust. That’s why we’re inviting President Obama to work with us and help enact our jobs creation plan. Washington is at its best when it’s listening to the American people. And our people are at their best when they’re working, prospering, and laying the foundation for those greatest days that still lie ahead.

“So I hope you’ll check out jobs.GOP.gov and let us know what you think. For now, thanks for listening.”

IMAGE CREDIT: RepReneeEllmers

VIDEO CREDIT: HouseConference

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

AUDIO / VIDEO FILES CREDIT: The House Republican Conference - Digital Communications visual.media@mail.house.gov 202-225-5439

Allen West released this statement regarding deadline for President Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. forces from Libya

Congressman West Statement on the War Powers Resolution Deadline for Withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces in Libya

(WASHINGTON)---- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today regarding the Sunday (06/19/11) deadline for President Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. forces from Libya:

"The War Powers Act is the law and the provisions are clear. At midnight on Sunday, it will be 90 days since President Obama informed the United States Congress of the introduction of American forces into Libya. Since the introduction of American forces, Congress has not declared war or enacted a specific authorization for the use of force. Without either of these actions, the 90 days have elapsed and troops need to be withdrawn.

Yesterday, the Obama Administration claimed our Armed Forces are not in 'harm's way.' Further, the conflict in Libya does not require the approval of the United States Congress because there is 'little risk' to our Armed Forces. The President should realize that every time our American men and women are committed to military action, they are in harm's way. It is an affront to the family members of the pilots flying in this conflict and supporting this mission to say that they have not been placed in harm's way.

Since the opening hours of military action on March 19th, President Barack Obama has had no clear direction in Libya. The President has not defined the mission nor the end state of this conflict. Further, the President has not identified who the so-called rebels are that continue to receive millions of dollars of American support in terms of weapons, ammunition, and resources.

As a 22-year Army combat veteran, I can tell you from experience that successful mission completion is obtained by properly defining the mission- something President Obama has failed to do. We cannot continue this 'mission creep' kind of warfare.

President Barack Obama is in violation of the law – plain and simple – and he must be held accountable. We do not need to give the President any more time. Many Americans, myself included, still do not understand how America is benefitting from having forces in Libya in the first place. The very foundation of our Republic lies on the system of checks and balances, and as a Member of the United States Congress, I have a Constitutional obligation to ensure this system is upheld.

I hope that on the eve of the 90-day deadline, the President will either seek Congressional approval or halt all military actions in Libya. If the President does not take these steps, the United States Congress should hold hearings on the President's violation of the War Powers Act. The Leadership should also move forward to eliminate funding for these military operations. Finally, the Leadership must hold the President accountable to the law in order to ensure the checks and balances that have been in place since the enactment of the War Powers Resolution are upheld. "

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Allen West Washington DC Office 1708 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 ph: 202-225-3026 • fx: 202-225-8398

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: AllenWestFL

Speaker John Boehner issued the following statement regarding the President’s announcement on Afghanistan:

Washington (Jun 22) House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) tonight issued the following statement regarding the President’s announcement on Afghanistan:

“Succeeding in Afghanistan – and preventing al Qaeda and the Taliban from using the country as a safe haven from which to launch attacks on the U.S. and our allies – is critically important to the safety and security of our country. While the conditions remain difficult, the counterinsurgency strategy implemented by General Petraeus has made significant improvements in security on the ground and allowed the Afghan government to start making progress in meeting the needs of the Afghan people. We all want to bring our troops home as quickly as possible, but we must ensure that the gains we’ve made are not jeopardized.

“I am pleased the President recognizes that success in Afghanistan is paramount. Continuing to degrade al Qaeda’s capabilities in Afghanistan and the surrounding region must take priority over any calendar dates. It’s important that we retain the flexibility necessary to reconsider troop levels and respond to changes in the security environment should circumstances on the ground warrant. It is my hope that the President will continue to listen to our commanders on the ground as we move forward. Congress will hold the Administration accountable for ensuring that the pace and scope of the drawdown does not undermine the progress we’ve made thus far.

“There is no doubt this conflict has tested the resolve of our nation, and I want to express gratitude to the American people for their faithful commitment to our troops and their mission. As this operation enters its next phase, it is imperative that our Commander-in-Chief continues to explain why seeing it through to a successful conclusion is vital to our national interests. Lastly, I want to reiterate how much we appreciate the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform, our diplomats, and their families are making every day. We can never forget their service to our country”

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

IMAGE CREDIT: JohnBoehner

John Fleming on turning the Economy around VIDEO

"Government growing beyond our consent had become a lumbering giant, slamming shut the gates of opportunity, threatening to crush the very roots of our freedom. What brought America back? The American people brought us back – with quiet courage and common sense; with undying faith that in this nation under God the future will be ours, for the future belongs to the free."

Ronald W. Reagan, February 4, 1986, State of the Union Address

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: larep04

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman John Fleming

Joe Walsh in the Championship round of Republican Conference New Media Challenge VIDEO

WASHINGTON – This year marks the second annual Republican Conference New Media Challenge, where Members of Congress compete in a March Madness style bracket competition. Each week, members compete via a different medium (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or all combined) and receive points for the number of likes, followers, or views they receive. To move on to the next rounds, Members of Congress must get more points than their opponents.

Today, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) advanced to the Championship round of the competition, and released the following statement:

“It is an honor to be a finalist in this year’s New Media Challenge. Part of my commitment to my constituents is to stay connected with them when I'm away from the District through as many creative means as possible. From Facebook conversations, to tweeting on Twitter, to recording videos for YouTube, and a world of other social media outlets – I’m doing all I can to keep Illinois’ Eighth informed and let them know I'm listening.”

“The New Media Challenge results have only highlighted what we have been doing in this office since day one. My team has worked to come up with creative new ways to reach my constituents and help spread our message of smaller government and lower taxes. But it’s important to note that while communicating via new media is a great way to keep in touch with my constituents, it is no substitute for meeting them back in the district. That’s why I host an informal Cup of Joe with Joe every Saturday, have hosted over 30 Town Hall meetings, and continue to tour businesses around the district.”

“I could not have made it to the final round of this challenge without the support of everyone back home in Illinois and the support of other conservatives across the country. This competition began with 106 participating House Republicans, and now that we’re down to the final two Members, I ask that everyone continue to do what they’ve done thus far – join the conversation and connect with me online.”

In this final round, Rep. Walsh will be competing on all three mediums: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

To help Rep. Walsh win the Championship online users can follow him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/RepJoeWalsh) , like his Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/RepJoeWalsh) , and watch his videos on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/RepJoeWalsh).

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Joe Walsh 432 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3711 Fax: (202) 225-7830 Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM Eastern time

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: RepJoeWalsh

Huntsman 'NEW AD' VIDEO

Huntsman 'NEW AD' VIDEO

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: MrPoppodopolis

TEXT RESOURCES:

• Freakazoid! From Wikipedia
• Steven Spielberg

Jon Huntsman Official Announcement Republican presidential candidacy at Liberty Park VIDEO

Jon Huntsman makes GOP presidential run official, Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman announced his Republican presidential candidacy at Liberty Park in New Jersey. Huntsman says of President Obama, "He and I have a difference of opinion on how to help the country we both love."

Just a few minutes ago at Liberty Park in New Jersey, with my family looking on, I declared my candidacy for President of the United States.

I enter this race with a different perspective than others. I’ve recently had the honor of serving as U.S. Ambassador to China. That view of America from 10,000 miles away is a picture of liberty, opportunity and justice; people secure in their rights and in love with their freedom, who’ve done more good for more people than any other nation in history.

Perhaps our strength at home has waned, but that perspective from afar has helped me see a path back to greatness.

This morning I spoke about that new direction. I discussed the tough choices we must make to restore fiscal discipline and reignite our economic engine.

We did these things in Utah when I was governor. We balanced budgets, maintained our AAA bond rating, and by many accounts became the best state for business and the best managed state in the nation. You will hear more about my record in Utah and my plan for America in the coming weeks and months.

I spoke today in the shadow of Lady Liberty, our nation's most famous symbol of freedom. It was in that same spot that Ronald Reagan, in a time of great crisis and worry, launched his campaign to restore the promise of America. Three decades later, this nation once again finds itself at a crossroads and in need of a new vision, a new path forward, and new leadership that knows we need more than hope – we need answers.

I hope you join our effort. Our campaign is different. Our ideas are different. Our results will bring America back to the top.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: CBSNewsOnline

TEXT CREDIT: Jon Huntsman for President 255 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 600 Orlando, FL 32801 (407) 674-2727

Greg Ball, tweet me, how would you vote on gay marriage? Yes or No? VIDEO

VIDEO of Greg Ball on Capital Tonight above and below from his twitter page

@ball4ny Greg Ball

Opening up the discussion! So, if you were me, how would you vote on gay marriage? Yes or No?

TEXT CREDIT: @ball4ny

VIDEO CREDIT: StateofPolitics

Michele Bachmann Republican Leadership Conference 06/17/11 FULL VIDEO

Michele Bachmann Republican Leadership Conference 06/17/11 FULL VIDEO

Elected in 2006, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is the first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota. From the beginning, Congresswoman Bachmann has put her constitutional conservative values to work as she represents the people of Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District, a district which contains parts of six counties, stretching from Stillwater past St. Cloud, including suburbs of the Twin Cities.

Congresswoman Bachmann is an advocate for tax reform, opponent of government spending, and a proponent of adherence to the Constitution, as intended by the Founding Fathers. She believes government has grown exponentially, with ObamaCare being the most recent example of its uninhibited growth. Congresswoman Bachmann wants government to make the kind of serious spending decisions that many families and small businesses have been forced to make. She is a champion of free markets and believes in the vitality of the family as the first unit of government. She is also a defender of the unborn and stands for religious liberties.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: rightalk

TEXT CREDIT: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Proudly Serving the 6th District of Minnesota Washington Office 103 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2331 Fax: (202) 225-6475

Reggie Brown 'Obama impersonation' at Republican Leadership Conference 06/18/11 FULL VIDEO

Reggie Brown 'Obama impersonation' at Republican Leadership Conference 06/18/11 FULL VIDEO

The 2011 Republican (GOP) Leadership Conference and Reagan Centennial Celebration began on the evening of Thursday, June 16, 2011, and concluded on Saturday night, June 18th. Most RLC events were held at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, located at 2 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130. Additional events, VIP receptions, and other hospitality events were scheduled venues around the hotel in the adjacent French Quarter and Warehouse District.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: BlackAndRight

TEXT RESOURCE: RLC 2011

Ron Paul at 2011 Republican Leadership Conference New Orleans 06/17/11 FULL VIDEO

Ron Paul at 2011 Republican Leadership Conference New Orleans 06/17/11 FULL VIDEO

Ron Paul Republican Leadership Conference. Dr. Paul addressed civil liberties, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. military involvement, the Federal Reserve, the housing crisis, the United Nations, and tax code.

VIDEO IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: ronpaul

IMAGE CREDIT and TEXT RESOURCE: C-SPAN Video Library:

Rick Perry Speaks to Republican Leadership Conference 06/18/11 FULL VIDEO

6/18/11 - Here is complete video of Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaking today at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. From the speech Perry delivered, it is clear he is not just preparing to launch a campaign - he sounded like a man launching a movement. When he finished, the crowd was on their feet chanting, "Run, Rick, Run!"

VIDEO IMAGE and TEXT CREDIT: FreedomsLighthouse

Ron Paul Wins Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll in New Orleans

Ron Paul Wins Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll in New Orleans.

If the primary election for president were held today, for whom would you vote? Please check the box by the candidate of your choice.

Bachmann 191 Cain 104 Gingrich 69 Huntsman 382 Johnson 10 McCotter 2 Palin 41 Paul 612 Pawlenty 18 Roemer 9 Romney 74 Santorum 30

TEXT CREDIT: RLC 2011 12232 Industriplex Blvd., Ste. 1 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809 p: (225) 300-4891 f: (225) 612-7099 info@rlc2011.com

VIDEO CREDIT: CongressmanRonPaul

John Hoeven Weekly Republican Address TEXT VIDEO 06/18/11

John Hoeven Weekly Republican Address TEXT VIDEO 06/18/11

U.S. Senator John Hoeven Delivers Weekly Republican Address
‘Free and fair trade agreements can help us create the kind of pro-jobs, pro-growth economy that will lift our nation up… Robust international trade can help us do it, and we can start by ratifying long-pending free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama.’

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) released the following weekly Republican address.

Full text transcript of Senator Hoeven’s Address:

“Hi, I’m Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, and I’d like to talk to you today about our nation’s fiscal challenges – in particular, about the vital role that international trade can play to help us create jobs and reduce our deficit.

“Almost exactly one hundred years ago, at the start of another century, President Theodore Roosevelt launched a U.S. Navy mission known as the Great White Fleet on a voyage around the world.

“It was a show of American strength, but it was also a show of American goodwill and prosperity. That voyage would open the doors of trade with the vast, untapped markets of Asia, and help usher in what became known as the ‘American Century’.

“President Roosevelt’s leadership put the world on notice that the United States of America – with the freest, most dynamic economy the world had ever seen – was open for business.

“It’s a legacy felt to this day - but a legacy now in jeopardy.

“We’re all keenly aware of just how serious our nation’s current fiscal situation is. No American family could spend 60 percent more than it’s taking in and survive – no less prosper – but that’s exactly what our country is doing.

“The result is a $1.5 trillion deficit, and a $14 trillion debt that is dragging down our economy and burdening us and our children.

“To put all that in human terms, nearly 14 million of our fellow Americans are without a paycheck, and they have been for some time.

“To turn that around, our country needs the kind of pro-jobs, pro-growth policies that will help us live up to our vision of a strong, peaceful, prosperous America.

“We have an opportunity right now to advance that vision and jumpstart the nation’s economy. Robust international trade can help us do it, and we can start by ratifying long-pending free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama.

“All of these agreements have been languishing for years, but with a 9.1 percent unemployment rate, and a spiraling deficit, the President can no longer hold these agreements back. Currently, he is holding them up in order to negotiate the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. TAA can be addressed separately in the context of Trade Promotion Authority, as it generally has been in the past since 1974.

“For the good of our economy – and our country – he needs to send these free agreements to the U.S. Senate for approval now, so that U.S. workers and businesses can begin to realize their benefits.

“You know, I recently had an opportunity to travel to South Korea with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a group of senators to meet with President Lee Myung-bak and prominent Korean business leaders about the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement.

“President Lee said he believes Korean lawmakers will approve the free trade agreement, but they’re waiting for America to lead the way.

“They want and expect us to lead the way because – to South Korea and nations around the world – America has always been a beacon of liberty and opportunity.

“Nearly everyone we spoke with in Korea – on the street or the meeting room – expressed their deep appreciation to the United States, and especially to our military and our veterans.

“They’re keenly aware that U.S. service members sacrificed so much to give them a free society and a free-market economy where they could pursue their dreams.

“South Korea is now a prosperous, modern nation, with a $1 trillion economy, and 49 million consumers, in large part because American service members won and now help preserve the peace. Korea is the 15th largest economy in the world, and our country’s 7th largest trading partner.

“Per capita income in South Korea today is more than $20,000 annually. In communist North Korea? Just over $1,000 annually. A free and open economy made the difference.

“Today, again, America needs to lead the way, starting with the President.

“The U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement will eliminate or reduce more than 85 percent of the tariffs between the United States and Korea, including the eventual elimination of a 40 percent Korean tariff on American beef.

“Just one project we’ve been working on in my home state, a new beef processing facility, could mean a $100 million investment in our economy and 500 new jobs. In North Dakota that’s a big deal.

“But these free trade agreements are an even bigger deal for America. The South Korean Free Trade Agreement alone will increase our nation’s exports to that country by more than $10 billion and create 280,000 American jobs. In fact, for every 4 percent increase in American exports, we can create one million new American jobs.

“The reality is that nearly 80 percent of the world’s purchasing power lies outside the United States, and if we don’t tap those markets, others will.

“Free and fair trade agreements can help us create the kind of pro-jobs, pro-growth economy that will lift our nation up. Good fiscal control and a legal tax, and regulatory environment that promotes private investment and business innovation, can help us to create jobs, grow our economy, and reduce our deficit.

“We need to build on the legacy of President Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet by ratifying these free trade agreements, so that instead of a debt, we can leave our children a bright, dynamic future.

“Thank you, and God bless.

TEXT CREDIT: United States Senator John Hoeven Washington, DC 120 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington DC, 20510 Phone: 202-224-2551 Fax: 202-224-7999

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: gopweeklyaddress

Jim DeMint Unionization Through Regulation: The NLRB’s Holding Pattern on Free Enterprise” VIDEO

DeMint Submits Statement for NLRB Hearing in South Carolina

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) submitted the following statement for the record for a hearing about the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Charleston, S.C. held by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Statement for the Record

Hearing on “Unionization Through Regulation: The NLRB’s Holding Pattern on Free Enterprise”
June 17, 2011

Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing today in Charleston. The NLRB’s unprecedented action against The Boeing Company is not only vitally important to South Carolina, but to businesses and workers in every state across America.

As an arm of the federal government, the NLRB has an obligation to not only protect union workers, but non-union workers as well. Americans must have the ability to choose whether to join a union or not join a union as a condition of employment. 22 states given employees that choice and the federal government must respect that. Companies also deserve the right to build and expand their businesses where they will have the best chance of economic success. Otherwise, there can be no such thing as free enterprise in this country.

This is why it is so shocking that the NLRB is pursuing a complaint against The Boeing Company for its decision to expand to South Carolina to build Dreamliner airplanes, a move that could create up to 3,800 new jobs in Charleston and allow them to export more of their high-quality American product.

Boeing is an American company creating American jobs. The government has no business dictating where it can build, or who it should employ. If the NLRB continues down this course, thriving American companies will have no choice but to go overseas, depriving Americans of future job opportunities. The government cannot be for jobs if it is actively working against job creators.

Boeing’s expansion should be celebrated, not the subject of a federal complaint. These new jobs in Charleston do not come at the expense of those at the first Dreamliner plant in Everett, Washington. In fact, the Everett factory has added more than 2,000 jobs since Boeing announced it would build the Charleston plant. But, because South Carolina is a right to work state, which does not force employees to join a union as a condition of employment, and Washington is a forced unionism state, which does, the NLRB is turning a commonsense business decision into a federal matter.

Acting on behalf of the International Machinists Union and Aerospace Workers, the NLRB’s General Counsel has made the baffling determination that what Boeing did is “illegal.” In reaching this conclusion, the taxpayer-funded NLRB spent a significant amount of time listening to the complaints of union members who have not lost their jobs and are not at risk of losing their jobs. The NLRB has not given that same consideration to non-union workers in Charleston, who will lose their jobs if the NLRB is successful.

Three of Charleston’s Boeing workers filed a request to participate in the lawsuit to make their concerns about job security heard. The NLRB lawyers denied their request, saying “their unnecessary participation…would merely delay and complicate these already complex proceedings.”

This denial stands in clear contrast of the NLRB’s mission to protect employees’ rights to act together, with or without a union, to improve working terms and conditions.

The federal government cannot treat non-union jobs as if they are less important than union jobs. All employees must have equal rights under the law and afforded the same protections by their government. The NLRB is not maintaining that balance.

I thank the U.S. House for taking its oversight duties seriously by holding this hearing to discuss the NLRB’s case against Boeing. Congress must have a role in making sure the NLRB is staying true to its mission.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate has not been given the opportunity to exercise its constitutional duty of “advice and consent” when it comes to political appointments made to the NLRB.

The NLRB’s Acting General Counsel, Lafe Solomon, was appointed to serve a full four-year term on January 2011. The Senate still has not been able to vet him. Mr. Solomon has not appeared for a Senate confirmation hearing, nor has he been subjected to a full Senate confirmation vote.

Craig Becker, a former lawyer for the Service Employees International Union and AFL-CIO, was given a recess appointment to become one of the five members of the NLRB’s powerful board over widespread, bipartisan objections in the Senate to his nomination. In fact, the Senate rejected his nomination in February 2010. Yet, a month later, he was recess appointed by the President.

Today’s hearing is necessary. I thank the Chairman again for his diligence and attention to this matter and hope the witnesses provide the public with more clarity about where the NLRB’s priorities lie and whether that is in the best interest of America’s workforce, union and non-union alike.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: SenJimDeMint

TEXT CREDIT: United States Senator Jim DeMint 167 Russell United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-6121 Fax: 202-228-5143 Office Hours: 9am - 6pm (M-F)

John Boehner marking anniversary of Obama’s ‘Recovery Summer,’ urges the president to enact Republicans' A Plan for America’s Job Creators VIDEO

John Boehner marking anniversary of Obama’s ‘Recovery Summer,’ urges the president to enact Republicans' A Plan for America’s Job Creators

Washington (Jun 16) At a press conference marking tomorrow’s anniversary of the Obama Administration’s ‘Recovery Summer,’ House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and other House Republicans urged the president to change course and help enact Republicans’ job creation plan. A Plan for America’s Job Creators is designed to remove government obstacles to private-sector job growth – the kind of growth the ‘stimulus’ promised but failed to deliver. Below is the video and text of Boehner’s remarks:

“Job creation has been our focus of our new majority from the beginning. It started with the Pledge to America, and now we’ve built on that pledge with our Plan for America’s Job Creators. You can check out all the details at Jobs.GOP.gov. Our plan is designed to promote private-sector growth – the kind of growth that the ‘stimulus’ promised but failed to deliver. In fact, it turns out that federal regulators have been hiring at a rate more than three times that of private sector employers. So taxpayers are footing the bill for more bureaucrats while small businesses are afraid to hire. Washington Democrats say they own the economy. This is what their economy looks like.

“We invited the president to work with us on jobs, but instead he downplayed 9.1 percent unemployment as ‘bumps on the road’ and laughed off the ‘stimulus’ failure. Now here we are on the anniversary of his administration’s ‘Recovery Summer’ that started a year ago and Americans are still asking the question, ‘where are the jobs?’ The American people deserve answers, but when it comes this Administration it’s clear they don’t have any.

“You’ve heard me say before, it’s time to get serious. I hope the president will change course, listen to the American people and work with us to help enact real job creation ideas.”

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: JohnBoehner

TEXT CREDIT: Speaker of the House John Boehner Contact: H-232 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-0600 F (202) 225-5117

John Hoeven will deliver the national Republican weekly address on Saturday, June 18

Hoeven to Deliver National Republican Weekly Radio Address Saturday. Will Stress Need to Ratify Pending Free Trade Agreements to Create Jobs, Grow Economy WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven will deliver the national Republican weekly radio address on Saturday, June 18. He will discuss the importance of three pending free-trade agreements and the need for the President to send them promptly to the U.S. Senate for approval. “Our country needs the kind of pro-jobs, pro-growth policies that will help us live up to our vision of a strong, peaceful, prosperous America,” Hoeven said. “We have an opportunity right now to advance that vision and jumpstart the nation’s economy. Robust international trade can help us do it, and we can start by ratifying long-pending free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.”

Hoeven serves on the U.S. Senate Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Indian Affairs committees.

A copy of Senator Hoeven’s address and links to audio and video will be available Friday afternoon, embargoed until 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

TEXT CREDIT: United States Senator John Hoeven Washington, DC 120 Russell Senate Office Bldg. Washington DC, 20510 Phone: 202-224-2551 Fax: 202-224-7999

IMAGE CREDIT: By US Senate ([1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. This United States Congress image is in the public domain. This may be because it is an official Congressional portrait, because it was taken by an official employee of the Congress, or because it has been released into the public domain and posted on the official websites of a member of Congress. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Mitch McConnell Send Them to Guantanamo VIDEO

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday in a Senate floor speech that the two foreign fighters held by law enforcement in Kentucky who admitted to conducting attacks against U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq should be sent to the secure detention facility at Guantanamo Bay rather than being tried in a federal courtroom in Kentucky:

“Since the attacks on 9/11 and the very beginning of the War on Terror in 2001, most Americans have understood that we could no longer passively wait for the next enemy attack.

“In order to defeat, dismantle, and disrupt Al Qaeda, our intelligence, military and law enforcement officials would have to work together to defeat terrorist cells whether they’re in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan or here in our own backyards.

“And if some had begun to think, after the killing of Osama bin Laden, that we could now sit back and relax a little, the recent arrest in Kentucky of two foreign fighters who have openly admitted to conducting attacks against U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq shows how mistaken a notion this is.

“The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency stated in an open hearing on Capitol Hill last week that about 1,000 members of Al Qaeda in Iraq continue to fight us in Iraq. And now we know that at least two of them have left the battlefield there to live right here in the United States.

“The case of Waad Ramadan Alwan and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi shows us that terrorists continue to pose an imminent threat. And we owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who made sure they couldn’t inflict more harm on Americans here or abroad once they arrived here.

“Anyone who has read about the investigation into their activities can only be impressed with the courage, skill, and professionalism of those who were involved in this effort. And specifically, I want to thank the men and women from the FBI’s Louisville Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, the Louisville Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Justice Department’s National Security Division. Everyone involved clearly did their jobs and did them well.

“That said, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of Kentuckians, including me, would like to know why two men who either killed or plotted to kill U.S. soldiers and Marines in Iraq aren’t sitting in a jail cell in Guantanamo right now. When it comes to enemy combatants, our top priority — as I have said repeatedly — should be to capture, detain, and interrogate. That wasn’t done here.

“These men are foreign fighters — unlawful enemy combatants who should be treated as such.

“Alwan is on tape admitting to have procured explosives and missiles in Iraq and to using them daily to conduct strikes. He said he had personally used Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, hundreds of times over a period of several years. He’s talked about using them against U.S. troops and the damage he’s done to U.S. military vehicles, like Humvees. He told undercover agents he was, `very good with a sniper rifle,’ and, in a reference to attacks on U.S. troops, he said his `lunch and dinner would be an American.’

“He admits that he `collected everything — TNT, electronic detonators, tank explosive detonators, IED detonators, mortar shells, and rocket propelled grenades.’ He also said that he `often placed IEDs after curfew, and that it was this activity that led to his being asked to formally join the Mujahidin’ He even tried to demonstrate his expertise as a foreign fighter by `drawing diagrams of four types of IEDs, explaining how to build them, and discussing various occasions in which he used these devices against U.S. troops in Iraq.’ In describing one particular type of IED, Alwan said, `that anything lethal could be stuffed in it, such as ball bearings, nails, gravel, and whatever item that kills.’ Alwan’s fingerprints have also allegedly been found on IED’s in Iraq in an area where he’s known to have lived.

“Once Alwan made his way to the U.S., he’s alleged to have recruited Hammadi to continue his fight against Americans in Iraq by burrowing himself in a community where he thought he would go undetected. Like Alwan, Hammadi was an experienced insurgent fighter in Iraq. He too had participated in IED attacks and was part of an insurgent group that had 11 surface-to-air missiles.

“Together, these two men organized shipments of money and weapons, including rocket grenade launchers, Stinger missiles, and C4 explosives that they thought they were sending back to the war zone in Iraq.

“Anyone who has taken up arms against U.S. forces in the field of battle is an enemy combatant pure and simple, and should be treated like one. They should be hunted and captured, detained and interrogated, and tried away from civilian populations according to the laws of war.

“Unfortunately, since the earliest days of this administration when the President signed a series of executive orders which directed the closing of the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, and limited the ability of the military and intelligence community to detain and interrogate prisoners, a higher priority has been placed upon prosecution than on executing the War on Terror.

“But I can say with certainty that Kentuckians don’t want foreign fighters who’ve bragged about killing and maiming U.S. soldiers in a combat theater treated like common criminals in their own backyards.

“They don’t want foreign fighters to be afforded all the legal rights and privileges of U.S. citizens.

“They don’t want foreign fighters to have their interrogations curtailed. And they don’t want their fellow citizens subjected to the risk of reprisal that is associated with these kinds of cases — reprisals against civilian judges, jurors, and the broader community in which civilian trials are held. That was one of the many reasons that residents and lawmakers in New York City rebelled against the administration’s equally foolhardy plan to try Khaleid Sheikh Mohammed in a courtroom in New York.

“And that’s to say nothing of the security costs and the disruption that civilian trials for terrorists create.

“We have first-hand experience of this from the 2006 murder trial of Zacarious Moussaoui in Alexandria, Virginia.

“Despite all this, however, the administration seems fixated on the idea that once we’ve caught terrorists, the goal isn’t to get as much intelligence out of them as quickly as possible to prevent further attacks on soldiers and citizens, but to prove that we can treat them the same way we treat everybody else.

“Well, my response is that maybe we can.

“But why in the world would we want to?

“The administration likes to tout its confidence in the U.S. legal system. Well, I don’t believe the American people need to try enemy combatants in our towns and cities to prove that our court system works.

“Prosecution is important. But let’s be clear: prosecution is not our ultimate goal in this war.

“Our goal is to capture or kill those who want to kill us here and abroad and who are plotting even now — as this case clearly proves — to wreak havoc on our troops overseas. This is very simple: those we capture should be interrogated and, if necessary, indefinitely detained and tried in a military setting. Through these interrogations additional intelligence can be derived that leads to additional targets thereby weakening Al Qaeda and other associated terror groups at a moment when they are vulnerable.

“The good news is, we already have the perfect solution for a case like this. These men don’t belong in a courtroom in Kentucky. They belong at the secure detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, far away from U.S. civilians.

“Sending them to Gitmo is the only way to ensure that they will not enjoy all the rights and privileges of U.S. citizens.

“Sending them to Gitmo is the only way we can be certain there won’t be retaliatory attacks in Kentucky.

“Sending them to Gitmo is the only way we can prevent Kentuckians from having to cover the cost and having to deal with the disturbances and disruptions that would come with a civilian trial.

“And sending them to Gitmo is the best way to ensure that they get what they deserve.

“So today I’m calling on the administration to change course — and get these men out of Kentucky.

“Send them to Guantanamo where they belong.

“Get these terrorists out of the civilian system — and out of our backyards.

“And give them the justice they deserve.”

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: RepublicanLeader

TEXT CREDIT: U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell: 317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2541 Fax: (202) 224-2499

Andrew Cuomo submits bill to bring marriage equality to New York state Marriage Equality Act FULL TEXT PDF VIDEO

Published on Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (http://www.governor.ny.gov)

Home > Printer-friendly. Governor Cuomo Proposes Marriage Equality Act [1], [1]

Albany, NY (June 14, 2011) Marriage Equality Act FULL TEXT in PDF FORMAT

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today submitted a program bill to bring marriage equality to New York state. The Marriage Equality Act permits all couples to enter into marriage in New York state, thereby removing the current barrier same-sex couples face in recognizing their relationships, protecting their families and obtaining essential benefits.

Specifically, the Act grants same-sex couples who seek to marry equal status under the law as well as hundreds of rights, benefits and protections that are currently limited to married couples of the opposite sex.

"From the fight for women's suffrage to the struggle for civil rights, New Yorkers have been on the right side of history. But on the issue of marriage equality, our state has fallen behind," Governor Cuomo said. "For too long, same-sex couples have been denied the freedom to marry, as well as hundreds of rights that other New Yorkers take for granted. Marriage Equality is a matter of fairness and legal security for thousands of families in this state – not of religion or culture. When it comes to fighting for what's right, New Yorkers wrote the book, and Marriage Equality is the next chapter of our civil rights story."

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the freedom to marry is "one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free people." Further, the state assigns hundreds of protections, benefits and mutual responsibilities in a variety of areas to couples who marry, including health care and hospital visitation rights, child custody issues and financial matters.

However, in New York, many individuals who currently seek to exercise the freedom to marry their partners may not do so solely because they are of the same sex.

The Marriage Equality Act would remove these barriers by amending New York's Domestic Relations Law to state:

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2 Republicans have announced support for the bill:

On Monday, Senator James S. Alesi of Monroe County became the first Republican senator to declare support for the bill,

Senator Alesi explains support for same-sex marriage: Sen. James Alesi, R-Perinton, said he would support the legalization of same-sex marriage if it comes to the Senate floor. Video by Joe Spector

On Tuesday a second Republican state senator Roy J. McDonald came forward to support the measure, Will NYS Senate pass gay marriage bill?

Republican senators who had previously voted against same-sex marriage are now undecided, including Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, Stephen M. Saland of the Hudson Valley and Andrew J. Lanza from Staten Island.

VIDEO and TEXT CREDIT:

• Sen. James Alesi backs same-sex marriage in final week of session | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com
• Roy J. McDonald Will NYS Senate pass gay marriage bill?

TEXT RESOURCES:

• Marriage Equality Act bill memo FULL TEXT in PDF FORMAT
• Marriage Equality Act FULL TEXT in PDF FORMAT
• Governor Cuomo Proposes Marriage Equality Act
• 2d G.O.P. Senator Backs Gay Marriage in New York - NYTimes.com: