My name is Keith C. Westbrook or to you in the start of your life poppa or grandpa. When your mom and dad told us that you were going to be our first grandchild everything in our lives, in my life changed from that moment on. We love your mom and dad, but there is something about knowing that a part of me and your grandmother will live on through you, not just the DNA but the essence of what our lives have been, has changed us forever. You are the embodiment of all our hopes and dreams f0r a brighter future than ours and our chance to live on, past what our mortal existence allows.But what will that future bring to you and those that will share it with you I cannot foresee, all I can do is tell you that I am fighting today so you can have the tomorrow I would want for myself. To be FREE to experience all that life has to offer, to love with all of your heart and to grow and become the best you, in the greatest most free nation on earth.It is a very tumultuous time in the history of this country, we have for many years let ourselves believe that the things we cherish the most: freedom, honor, family were sacred and could never be taken from us: WE WERE WRONG!When I was born many years ago in the middle of the last century in 1953 it was a very different time than the one you will experience. We were very naive about many things and happy to be so, there was an innocence and a belief that our great Republic with its foundation in the Constitution was always going to be the shining star of this little blue marble spinning in space.We had problems: I remember things that (if they write history as it really happened) we faced every day that were scary, we sat on the brink of technology that some were willing to use to destroy this planet. ( Mutually Assured Destruction) The people in charge of all of the countries could not then and still not today try to understand each other and if they cannot agree or get along, take from the other person what they have and don't want them to have. (like the bullies you will meet in the school yard one day).(kick their ass!)And it was not just the bullies from the other neighborhoods it was our own bullies here in our neighborhood who hid from everyone while they schemed and planned to take away what made this country and we the people great, because they feared it and us.Ella: bullies are more afraid of you that you are of them, ALL bullies are cowards deep inside and to keep you from seeing that fear they hide it by attacking what they fear the most!The most cherished and fought over of these things is FREEDOM! It frightens me to think that you may never get to live your life with this being the most cherished and fought over right endowed to us.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A letter to Ella Ann
From Keith Westbrook on Aug. 25:
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs,
defense secretary says
From Craig Whitlock of The Washington Post on Aug. 10:
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the Pentagon will cut thousands of jobs, including a substantial chunk of its private contractors and a major military command based in Norfolk, as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its operations and to stave off political pressure to slash defense spending in the years ahead.Gates said he will recommend that President Obama dismantle the U.S. Joint Forces Command, which employs about 2,800 military and civilian personnel as well as 3,300 contractors, most of them in southeastern Virginia. He also said he will terminate two other Pentagon agencies, impose a 10 percent cut in intelligence advisory contracts and slim down what he called a "top-heavy hierarchy" by thinning the ranks of admirals and generals by at least 50 positions.The reduction in funding for contract employees -- by 10 percent annually over three years -- excludes those in war zones.Although the moves will save an unspecified amount of money, defense officials characterized them as a political preemptive strike to fend off growing sentiment elsewhere in Washington to tackle the federal government's soaring deficits by making deep cuts in military spending. The Obama administration has exempted national security from its budget reductions, but Gates said he fears that Congress might not be able to resist for long."It is important that we not repeat the mistakes of the past, where tough economic times or the winding down of a military campaign leads to steep and unwise reductions in defense," Gates said. He cited threats from Iran, North Korea and other countries -- in an implicit reference to China -- as justification for continued overall growth in the Pentagon's budget.After a decade in which its budget has nearly doubled, the Defense Department confronts its most significant fiscal constraints since the end of the Cold War. These constraints are pressing the military to accept major changes in the way it operates, especially as it tries to end long-running wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Florida AG proposes tougher illegal immigrant curbs
From Barbara Liston of Reuters on Aug. 11:
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum on Wednesday proposed tougher curbs against illegal migrants in his melting-pot state which he said would go "one step further" than a similar contested Arizona law.The proposal by McCollum, who is lagging in a race to become the Republican candidate for governor, was certain to thrust Florida into the heated immigration debate that is a major issue ahead of November 2 midterm Congressional elections."This legislation will provide new enforcement tools for protecting our citizens and will help our state fight the ongoing problem created by illegal immigration," McCollum said, presenting the proposed measures at an event in Orlando."Florida will not be a sanctuary state for illegal aliens," added McCollum, accompanied by Representative Will Snyder.The legislation will require Florida law enforcement officials to check a suspected illegal immigrant's status in the course of a stop, or a violation of another law. This goes beyond the existing situation in the state where officers are allowed to check immigration status, but not required to.Florida, especially its southern portion, is a major U.S. migration destination for nationals from the Caribbean and Latin America, making it a cultural and racial melting-pot.Many migrants work in the Sunshine State's $9 billion citrus sector, or in other farm industries and tourism.In the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Democrats hold majorities. But public opinion polls show Republicans gaining ground with an agenda that includes calls for cracking down on illegal immigration.McCollum's office said the proposed Florida legislation goes "one step further" than a similar law introduced in Arizona, which has triggered protests and a constitutional challenge from President Barack Obama's administration."I think Arizona is going to want this law," McCollum said.Earlier this year, the Arizona legislature passed a law to try to drive illegal immigrants out of the state and stem the flow of human and drug smugglers over the border from Mexico.A federal judge has since blocked the Arizona law's most controversial provisions, handing a victory to the Obama administration, which argued the measure was unconstitutional.
New jobless claims near a six-month high
From Christopher S. Rugaber of the Associated Press on Aug. 12:
WASHINGTON — The employment picture in the United States is looking bleaker as applications for jobless benefits rose last week to the highest level in almost six months.It's a sign that hiring is weak and employers are still cutting their staffs.First-time claims for U.S. jobless benefits edged up by 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 484,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts had expected a drop. That's the highest total since February.Initial claims have now risen in three of the last four weeks and are close to their high point for the year of 490,000, reached in late January. The four-week average, which smooths volatility, soared by 14,250 to 473,500, also the highest since late February.Analysts said that the unexpected rise in claims suggests hiring in August won't be much better than July. The economy added a net 12,000 jobs last month after excluding the loss of temporary census positions. That's not nearly enough to reduce the unemployment rate, which is 9.5 percent.The jobless claims report "represents a very adverse turn in the labor market, threatening income growth and consumer spending," Pierre Ellis, an economist at Decision Economics, wrote in a note to clients.The prospect of more layoffs added to this week's grim outlook for the economy, which began Tuesday when the Federal Reserve lowered its assessment of the recovery.
Bush surprises troops arriving home
Former President Bush and First Lady Laura showed up at Dallas airport unexpectedly to welcome home troops:Click here to view more.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Free Florida forums focus on fiscal future
Three experts will discuss and debate solutions for the nation's budget challenges in two free forums in Florida next week.
Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla.; David M. Walker, former U.S. comptroller general; and Robert L. Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition, will serve as panelists on the Fiscal Solutions Forum on Aug. 11. The forum will take place at 11 a.m. in Orlando, Fla., and at 5 p.m. in Tampa, Fla.
The panelists "will outline the magnitude of the fiscal challenge, explain the consequences of doing nothing and describe a range of realistic solutions. They will also answer questions from the audience," according to a press release.
Seating is limited, and an RSVP is required to attend. See details below.
What: Fiscal Solutions Forum.
When: Aug. 11, at 11 a.m. in Orlando, Fla., and 5 p.m. in Tampa, Fla.
Where: At 11 a.m., in the auditorium of the Executive Development Center at the University of Central Florida's college of business administration, 36 West Pine St., Orlando; at 5 p.m., in the William Reece Smith Jr. Courtroom of Stetson University's Tampa Law Center, 1700 North Tampa St., Tampa.
Aid package aimed at saving state jobs
passes key hurdle in Senate
From Lori Montgomery and Jenna Johnson of The Washington Post on Aug. 5:
An emergency plan to save the jobs of tens of thousands of public school teachers and other government workers overcame a key Senate hurdle Wednesday, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would summon lawmakers back from their August break to finish work on the measure.Two Republicans crossed party lines to advance the $26 billion package, handing President Obama a victory in his campaign to bolster the shaky economy. With many governors struggling to close gaping budget deficits, administration officials feared a fresh round of state layoffs or tax increases could knock the nation's wobbly recovery off-course.The aid package would not entirely close those budget gaps. Hampered by election-year anxiety over the mounting national debt, congressional Democrats were forced to slash Obama's original request for state aid nearly in half and come up with a plan to pay for it. Meanwhile, lawmakers in both parties signaled that the measure probably marks the end for spending bills aimed at boosting economic activity."I think that this should be sort of the final down payment," said Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), a key swing vote who helped break the impasse Wednesday and overcome a Republican filibuster Sen. Susan Collins, also of Maine, provided the second Republican vote, allowing the package to clear its last major hurdle on a vote of 61 to 38.
What's up with Maine Republicans? Time to send Snowe and Collins packing.
Banning earmarks: a simple way
to cut spending, Rubio says
Marco Rubio says he's been campaigning across the state of Florida. Now, he's campaigning across the Internet.
Rubio is broadcasting via YouTube five ideas on how to get government spending under control. His first idea, banning earmarks, is explained in the video below, which was posted Aug. 2.
These projects are funded without any public oversight, without the attention they deserve. In fact, powerful legislators are able to secure millions and millions of dollars for their home districts at the expense of the rest country. It's wrong.
Justice Brennan's footnote gave us anchor babies
From Ann Coulter on Human Events on Aug. 4:
Democrats act as if the right to run across the border when you're 8 1/2 months pregnant, give birth in a U.S. hospital and then immediately start collecting welfare was exactly what our forebears had in mind, a sacred constitutional right, as old as the 14th Amendment itself.The louder liberals talk about some ancient constitutional right, the surer you should be that it was invented in the last few decades.In fact, this alleged right derives only from a footnote slyly slipped into a Supreme Court opinion by Justice Brennan in 1982. You might say it snuck in when no one was looking, and now we have to let it stay.The 14th Amendment was added after the Civil War in order to overrule the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which had held that black slaves were not citizens of the United States. The precise purpose of the amendment was to stop sleazy Southern states from denying citizenship rights to newly freed slaves -- many of whom had roots in this country longer than a lot of white people.The amendment guaranteed that freed slaves would have all the privileges of citizenship by providing: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."The drafters of the 14th amendment had no intention of conferring citizenship on the children of aliens who happened to be born in the U.S. (For my younger readers, back in those days, people cleaned their own houses and raised their own kids.)Inasmuch as America was not the massive welfare state operating as a magnet for malingerers, frauds and cheats that it is today, it's amazing the drafters even considered the amendment's effect on the children of aliens.But they did.
Democrats launch campaign
to help defend majority in House
From Philip Rucker of The Washington Post on Aug. 4:
Democrats are launching an aggressive organizing campaign Wednesday to defend their majority in the House, recruiting thousands of volunteers to work on behalf of the party's endangered House members in swing districts across the country.The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is rolling out a plan that would employ new voter-contact and data-analysis programs to help "frontline" members and candidates in the most hotly contested districts. The committee's plan, outlined by party strategists, also includes a series of house meetings Aug. 21 and a "Nationwide Day of Action" on Aug. 28, when Democratic volunteers will knock on some 200,000 doors.The plan, which party strategists called the committee's most ambitious organizing campaign in many years, comes after the DCCC said it had reserved more than $49 million in television advertising time in 60 House districts for the final weeks of the midterm campaign.Strategists said the DCCC's organizing campaign will target those districts, the vast majority of which are represented by Democrats, some of them senior lawmakers facing tough races. They include Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. (S.C.), chairman of the Budget Committee, and Rep. Ike Skelton (Mo.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee."The DCCC Fall Kickoff will energize volunteers and voters across the country so we can keep America moving forward, not go back to the failed Bush economic policies of the past," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the DCCC, said in a statement. "The DCCC is committed to reaching more people in districts across the country than ever before to talk to their neighbors at doors and by phone about this election and to highlight the choice voters have at the polls. Our Fall Kickoff will ensure we have a large and energized base of trained volunteers to communicate Democrats' message and get out the vote, which is critical to our success in November."
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Will Florida High Court return
anti-Obamacare proposal to ballot?
From Kevin Derby of Sunshine State News on Aug. 4:
Floridians opposed to new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama had two reasons to celebrate on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, more than 70 percent of voters in Missouri passed a measure opposing the new health-care laws. On Wednesday, the Florida Supreme Court announced it would review a lower court decision that had removed a similar measure to the one that passed in Missouri from the November ballot. Led by Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, and Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, the Legislature forwarded a proposed constitutional amendment to the voters before it was removed by a judge."Missouri is the first of many states that are stepping forward and rejecting Obama's individual mandate, and Floridians deserve the right to be heard on this important issue," said Plakon. "We are confident that the Florida Supreme Court will respect its own previous 2004 ruling when the court ordered the exact remedy the state is seeking. This remedy will satisfy the arguments of all parties, while upholding the constitutional right of the people of Florida to vote this amendment up or down."
GOP primary voters 'undecided'
in attorney general race
From Kenric Ward of Sunshine State News on Aug. 4:
The front-runner in the Republican race for attorney general is none of the three candidates in the contest, according to a Sunshine State News Poll released Wednesday. It is "Undecided."With less than three weeks left until the primary, 55 percent of respondents say they haven't yet selected a favorite from a field of two Tallahassee insiders and one outsider.Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp and former state prosecutor Pam Bondi are locked in a virtual dead heat at 17 percent and 16 percent respectively, according to the statewide Sunshine State News Poll by Voter Survey Service. Holly Benson, former secretary of the state Agency for Health Care Administration, runs third at 12 percent."It's up for grabs between Bondi and Kottkamp, but Bondi is the one to watch. She's the only candidate who isn't part of the (Charlie) Crist team, the only one who's not part of the Tallahassee crowd," said Jim Lee, president of VSS, which conducted the poll.The VSS survey, commissioned by Sunshine State News and taken July 26-30, is the largest poll of Florida voters this year. The sampling questioned 1,345 Republicans who say they will cast ballots in the Aug. 24 primary election.
Health reform's bureaucratic spawn
From Gloria Park and Fred Barbash of Politico on Aug. 3:
Don’t bother trying to count up the number of agencies, boards and commissions created under the new health care law. Estimating the number is “impossible,” a recent Congressional Research Service report says, and a true count “unknowable.”The reasons for the uncertainty are many, according to CRS’s Curtis W. Copeland, the author of the report “New Entities Created Pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”The provisions of the law that create the new entities vary dramatically in specificity.The law says a lot about some of them and a little about many, and merely mentions a few. Some have been authorized without any instructions on who is to appoint whom, when that might happen and who will pay.Those agencies created without specific appointment or appropriations procedures will have to wait indefinitely for staff and funding before they can function, according to Copeland’s report.And others could be just the opposite: One entity might not be enough and could spawn others, resulting in an “indeterminate number of new organizations.”The CRS report cites as an example a minority health provision that “requires the heads of six separate agencies within Health and Human Services to each establish their own offices of minority health.”Another section, by contrast, says that the Patient-Centered Research Institute “‘may appoint permanent or ad hoc expert advisory panels as determined appropriate.’ How many such panels will be ‘determined appropriate’ by the institute is currently unclear.”
Could the government create a backdoor stimulus?
From Ronald D. Orol of Marketwatch on Aug. 4:
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- An idea that could create a massive refinance wave -- and a back-door stimulus program to boost consumer spending -- is generating debate among investment bank analysts in New York and in Washington policy circles.Morgan Stanley & Co. released a report, entitled "Slam Dunk Stimulus," last week arguing that the Treasury Department could engineer a broad, streamlined refinance program for all government-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.Analysts at the investment bank contend that millions of mortgages backed by the U.S. government could be refinanced without the need for an analysis of a borrower's credit quality because the principal is already backed by the government. Many homeowners who are unemployed, have poor credit or who owe significantly more than their homes are worth currently can't refinance, but would be permitted to use such a program.Such a sweeping refinance program could boost the economy by injecting cash for spending into the hands of millions of consumers in the form of lower home-loan payments, they argue. It could also help some borrowers avoid foreclosure and help stabilize neighborhoods.However, critics of the idea argue that the Obama administration would never employ such a backdoor stimulus because the costs to the system are significant and outweigh the benefits.
Michelle Obama goes walkabout in Marbella
after 'racist' Spaniards gaff
From Britain's the Daily Mail on Aug. 5 (in England):
The Obama administration faced an embarrassing diplomatic blunder today after it was forced to pull a warning about racism in Spain -- just as the First Lady arrived in the country for a summer holiday.Soon after touching down in the Costa del Sol yesterday morning, Michelle Obama was pictured taking in the sights of Marbella with daughter Sasha, nine, surrounded by a throng of bodyguards.Staff at the U.S. State Department removed the contentious advice to travellers, which included the phrase 'racist prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain,' from its website on Monday.She is on a four-day visit and will be staying at the five-star Villa Padierna, rated as one of the world's top 30 hotels, with 40 friends. The party has reserved 60 rooms.But Mrs Obama's trip now risks being overshadowed by a row about institutionalised racism.
Please note the bolded text. Why is she spending so much money when the U.S. economy is terrible? And why wouldn't she spend that money on American businesses?
Sheriff Taylor's health pitch sparks cardiac arrest
From Charles Hurt of the New York Post on Aug. 4:
WASHINGTON -- Was it not enough for President Obama to saddle future Americans with billions of dollars in new health benefits and entitlements that they simply cannot afford?
He also had to go and corrupt one of America's most beloved figures of the last half-century. And stick you with the $700,000 bill.
Before Obama started pimping him out last week to sell the highly unpopular health-care law, actor Andy Griffith was about as all-American as you could get.
Grew up during the Great Depression.
Award-winning gospel singer.
As widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, he was thoughtful, big-hearted and always gently right.
As Matlock, he always won his cases.
Yet in a sick deal with the Obama administration, Griffith shatters his credibility, promising all roses with a health-care law that even Barney Fife could tell you is a disaster in the making.
This year, like always, we'll have our guaranteed benefits.
And with the new health care law, more good things are coming: free check-ups,
lower prescription costs, and better ways to protect us and Medicare from fraud.
Hurt adds:
And the most shocking thing about the fantasy ad?
You paid for it.
That's right. It is taxpayers who are coughing up the $700,000 to run the ad all over the country in a government campaign to sell its cockeyed health-care scheme.
BP spills, feds burn off American employers
From Dan Schiller of RedState on Aug. 3:
Just six months ago I felt extremely blessed to be employed as we emerged from what will hopefully be the worst recession we face in our lifetime. I was inspired when I heard the president say in his state of the union address that his number one priority for 2010 would be jobs. Now I am disappointed that Washington seems to think my job doesn't fit into their equation, and the extreme measures they seem to be taking to eliminate it. I work as manager of corporate affairs for Energy XXI, an independent oil and gas company with operations in the Gulf of Mexico, and I am going to Washington DC this week to tell our political leaders that my job matters.I have been with Energy XXI since its inception five years ago, and am proud of my job. We are one of the thousands of independent producers that provide energy to the entire country. The oil and gas industry directly and indirectly employs tens of thousands across the state of Texas, and millions nationally. Despite the president’s promises at the beginning of the year, and the fact that the production of our nation’s domestic energy resources provides millions of jobs, Washington has instituted a devastating moratorium and hopes to nearly double the tax burden on the sector, benefiting foreign companies such as BP while destroying jobs here at home. This move is extremely puzzling considering that this legislation is being pushed forward on a wave of anti-BP sentiment in the country as a result of their spill. Yet they will benefit greatly if the measures go into effect, squeezing our bigger domestic companies out of the market and shutting down independent companies like my employer.
Time to go after Democrats on repeal of Obamacare
From Ross Vought of RedState on Aug. 3:
170 Republicans have now signed the discharge petition to repeal Obamacare. The petition was submitted by Rep. Steve King and has been pushed heavily by the Heritage Action for America (my new employer, as it happens) and other conservative organizations. There are a few stragglers but for the most part, House Republicans are now solid in their commitment to repeal the bill.34 Democrats voted against Obamacare, but not one of them has been willing to buck Nancy Pelosi and work on a bipartisan basis to allow a vote on repeal. Not one.Focusing on these Democrats is the next wave of the legislative campaign to repeal Obamacare. The names and districts are below the fold — call them and demand to know why they support keeping Obamacare the permanent law of the land.
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