TLP Quik Hits: Obama - We Don't Need No Stinkin' Transparency

So much for "transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency."

Washington Examiner

It's not often that the liberal American Civil Liberties Union and conservative Judicial Watch agree on anything, but the Obama administration's lack of transparency has brought the two together. Obama's Justice Department has proposed a regulatory change that would weaken the Freedom of Information Act. Under the new rules, the government could falsely respond to those who file FOIA requests that a document does not exist if it pertains to an ongoing criminal investigation, concerns a terrorist organization, or a counterintelligence operation involving a foreign nation.

There are two problems with the Obama proposal to allow federal officials to affirmatively assert that a requested document doesn't exist when it does. First, by not citing a specific exemption allowed under the FOIA as grounds for denying a request, the proposal would cut off a requestor from appealing to the courts. By thus creating an area of federal activity that is completely exempt from judicial review, the proposal undercuts due process and other constitutional protections. Second, by creating a justification for government lying to FOIA requestors in one area, a legal precedent is created that sooner or later will be asserted by the government in other areas as well.

Chris Farrell, director of investigations and research for Judicial Watch, may have the answer for why the Obama administration wants the new liar's rule. Judicial Watch has been fighting the White House over a FOIA request for copies of its visitor logs. The White House insists, absurdly, that the documents are theirs, not the property of the Secret Service, and therefore withholdable. "Every day," Farrell notes, "the Obama administration misrepresents and conceals the true, complete record of who is going in and out of the White House -- all the while proclaiming themselves champions of transparency. It's truly Orwellian." The proposed new rule could add a patina of legality to the refusal to acknowledge the existence of the visitors logs as White House documents. Despite its flaws, FOIA is one of the few checks on excessive executive branch power. It should not be weakened by Obama's proposed "license to lie."

Now for a little refresher.

Remarks By The President Welcoming Senior Staff And Cabinet Secretaries - 1/21/09

The directives I am giving my administration today on how to interpret the Freedom of Information Act will do just that. For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city. The old rules said that if there was a defensible argument for not disclosing something to the American people, then it should not be disclosed. That era is now over. Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information but those who seek to make it known.

To be sure, issues like personal privacy and national security must be treated with the care they demand. But the mere fact that you have the legal power to keep something secret does not mean you should always use it. The Freedom of Information Act is perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent, and of holding it accountable. And I expect members of my administration not simply to live up to the letter but also the spirit of this law.

I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness. Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former President wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House Counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.

Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.

Via Drudge

We Are The 53%

H/T We Are The 53%

I've been employed since I was old enough to get my working papers; nearly 30 years ago. The same goes for my wife.

Before that I had 2 paper routes, mowed lawns in the summer, raked leaves in the fall and shoveled snow in the winter. Anything to make some extra money.

Our parents didn't give us wealth but they gave us a thing called work ethic. My wife and I work hard for everything we have and earn every bit of it.

We bought our house at the top of the bubble and are way below underwater, but that was our decision so we pay our mortgage and don't want or expect a bailout.

We also get up to go to work every day and pay our taxes.

We certainly don't give a rat's ass that the 99%ers and progressive bloggers who don't contribute anything mock us because we believe in hard work and personal responsibility. Sooner, rather than later, they'll get a cold slap of reality.

We are the 53%

Video: Former Soviet Citizen Schools Occupy Wall Street Protesters

A former Soviet citizen, Vladimir Jaffe, questions the Socialist wannabees at Occupy Wall Street and exposes their ignorance.

If the "Occupy" movement wasn't so dangerous, this would be comical.



Here's Mr Jaffe's appearance on Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano.

TLP Quik Hits: More Global Warming Alarmist Shenanigans

What do AGW alarmists and Keynesians have in common? Their "facts" are made up or fudged because they know that their "truths" do not pass the smell test.

The Daily Mail

It was hailed as the scientific study that ended the global warming debate once and for all – the research that, in the words of its director, ‘proved you should not be a sceptic, at least not any longer’.

Professor Richard Muller, of Berkeley University in California, and his colleagues from the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperatures project team (BEST) claimed to have shown that the planet has warmed by almost a degree centigrade since 1950 and is warming continually.

Published last week ahead of a major United Nations climate summit in Durban, South Africa, next month, their work was cited around the world as irrefutable evidence that only the most stringent measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions can save civilisation as we know it.

It was cited uncritically by, among others, reporters and commentators from the BBC, The Independent, The Guardian, The Economist and numerous media outlets in America.

The Washington Post said the BEST study had ‘settled the climate change debate’ and showed that anyone who remained a sceptic was committing a ‘cynical fraud’.

But today The Mail on Sunday can reveal that a leading member of Prof Muller’s team has accused him of trying to mislead the public by hiding the fact that BEST’s research shows global warming has stopped.

Prof Judith Curry, who chairs the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at America’s prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology, said that Prof Muller’s claim that he has proven global warming sceptics wrong was also a ‘huge mistake’, with no scientific basis.

Prof Curry is a distinguished climate researcher with more than 30 years experience and the second named co-author of the BEST project’s four research papers.

Her comments, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, seem certain to ignite a furious academic row. She said this affair had to be compared to the notorious ‘Climategate’ scandal two years ago.

Like the scientists exposed then by leaked emails from East Anglia University’s Climatic Research Unit, her colleagues from the BEST project seem to be trying to ‘hide the decline’ in rates of global warming.

In fact, Prof Curry said, the project’s research data show there has been no increase in world temperatures since the end of the Nineties – a fact confirmed by a new analysis that The Mail on Sunday has obtained.

‘There is no scientific basis for saying that warming hasn’t stopped,’ she said. ‘To say that there is detracts from the credibility of the data, which is very unfortunate.’

However, Prof Muller denied warming was at a standstill.

‘We see no evidence of it [global warming] having slowed down,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. There was, he added, ‘no levelling off’.

A graph issued by the BEST project also suggests a continuing steep increase.

But a report to be published today by the Global Warming Policy Foundation includes a graph of world average temperatures over the past ten years, drawn from the BEST project’s data and revealed on its website.

This graph shows that the trend of the last decade is absolutely flat, with no increase at all – though the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have carried on rising relentlessly.

‘This is nowhere near what the climate models were predicting,’ Prof Curry said. ‘Whatever it is that’s going on here, it doesn’t look like it’s being dominated by CO2.’

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson On The Ballot In NH

H/T Libertarian Republican

Great to hear that Gov Johnson is on the ballot in New Hampshire, although the process didn't go as smoothly as planned and there was a little hiccup in the filing.

Gary Johnson 2012
October 28, 2011, Manchester, NH — Presidential candidate Gary Johnson today filed for the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, arriving at 11:15am to formally add his name to the state’s ballot.

“As the first-in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire is an important focus for our campaign,” Governor Johnson said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in New Hampshire — even biking across it — and look forward to continuing to take my message to the voters of this great State.”

The Truth About Ron Paul’s Foreign Policy

Editor's Note - Ron Paul often gets beaten up by conservatives, interventionists, neocons and hawks on the subject of Foreign Policy, with their conventional attacks being that he is part of the "Blame America First" crowd, an isolationist, anti-Israel and/or racist.

None of this could be further from the truth as Dr Paul believes that a strong national defense does not include the need for our government to interfere in the affairs of other sovereign nations; just as the founders believed.

Also, not mentioned by the anti-Paul media and pundits, Ron Paul received twice as much in donations from from individuals who listed their employer as a branch of the military than the rest of the GOP field COMBINED, in second quarter fundraising.

This excellent analysis of his foreign policy was written by Kathleen Gee over at Hillbuzz today, which in Dr Paul's own words and writings should put to rest any of the questions and misinformation surrounding his Foreign Policy positions.

Thank you Kathleen for your great work.

Hillbuzz
This column was inspired by questions from Alert Reader JMC, who is looking for a GOPer to get behind since JMC’s first choice, Sarah Palin, is not running.

Honestly, and I would have never thought I would be saying this, but Ron Paul is the only one in the current field of GOPers that I agree with most. There are some issues that I have with him but the reality is that there will never be a 100% perfect candidate. So, I have to weigh out the good points and the bad points. Here are my questions:

• Where does RP stand on Islam and Muslims as a whole? Does he view them as a threat or does he think that they are good people who just want us to leave them alone?
• Is he or isn’t he a 9/11 Truther?
• Does he stand with Israel or does he want them to fend for themselves?

First of all, JMC, thanks for being a responsible participant in the American electoral process.

The best source of information about Ron Paul’s foreign policy is the man himself, in A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship, a compilation of 20 years of Ron Paul’s foreign policy statements from floor speeches in the House of Representatives. But since you asked me to answer your questions, I’ve put together some references for you, so you can make up your own mind.

I’ve never read any quotes from Ron Paul that indicate he thinks the 9/11 attacks were staged by anyone but Khalid Sheik Mohammad and the 19 hijackers, but he has said that decades of U.S. foreign policy mistakes, and bureaucratic intelligence failures, led up to them. I suspect that people who find this opinion offensive might want to put a pejorative label of “Truther” on Ron Paul because it. It’s a common Alinsky tactic.

Ron Paul’s live-and-let-live brand of libertarianism attracts a cornucopia of supporters, the most vocal of which are often the most controversial (but many, I suspect, are actually paid Mitt Romney operatives), which makes him a frequent target of criticism by the Cocktail Party GOP Establishment. Because Ron Paul believes everyone has a right to his or her opinion, he does not demand ideological purity among his supporters, and rarely comments on the antics of the more fringy among them. It is against everything Ron Paul stands for to tell other people what to do or how to think.

During the 2008 campaign, Ron Paul was asked about the handful of his followers who were 9/11 conspiracy theorists. “I can’t tell people what to do but I’ve abandoned those viewpoints and I don’t believe that,” he said during the a South Carolina presidential debate.

Ron Paul is profiled in the Christian publication World Magazine, in a great article titled “Father of the Tea Party.”

At the New Hampshire GOP presidential debate in June, Paul received cheers when the moderator asked him about bringing troops out of Afghanistan: “I’d bring them home as quickly as possible. And I would get them out of Iraq as well. And I wouldn’t start a war in Libya. I’d quit bombing Yemen. And I’d quit bombing Pakistan. I’d start taking care of people here at home because we could save hundreds of billions of dollars.” Military personnel contributed more to Paul in 2008 than to any other Republican candidate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Ron Paul’s Plan to Restore America calls for ending all foreign aid, which includes ending aid to Israel and all of Israel’s enemies, which currently get 7 times more money from the U.S. than Israel does.

GOP Frontrunner Ron Paul has gone on the record as saying that the jihad against the U.S. by Islamofascists has its roots in “blowback” from U.S.-orchestrated coups and assassinations in the Middle East dating back to the 1950s, when the CIA removed a democratically elected head of state in Iran and installed the Shah as a puppet–plus continual meddling in the internal affairs of Middle Eastern nations ever since, both official and covert. Many in the Cocktail Party GOP find this opinion offensive. I don’t know why–it’s exactly what the 9/11 Commission said in their report–that 9/11 was “blowback.”

This issue is covered in an excellent article in Esquire Magazine, Ron Paul: The Founding Father.

All this started because Ron Paul said something he wasn’t supposed to say. During the second Republican presidential debate in 2007, when they had him shunted off to the far side and gave him as little airtime as possible, the subject of Al Qaeda came up. “They attack us because we’ve been over there,” he said. “We’ve been bombing Iraq for ten years.”

The idea that terrorists attack the U. S. because “they hate freedom” was always more of a slogan than a serious position, but it had frozen into Republican orthodoxy. “That’s really an extraordinary statement,” said an outraged Rudy Giuliani. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before, and I’ve heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11.” Even the moderator got huffy. “Are you suggesting we invited the 9/11 attack, sir?” But Paul just continued in the same placid and rational way, oblivious to ordinary political calculations. “I believe very sincerely that the CIA is correct when they teach and talk about blowback. They don’t come here to attack us because we’re rich and free. They come and they attack us because we’re over there. I mean, what would we think if other foreign countries were doing that to us?”

Here’s a commentary on Fox News about blowback, from the 2008 presidential race: Straight Talk: Paul Has A Point:

The “blowback” theory isn’t some fringe idea common only to crazy Sept. 11 conspiracy theorists. It doesn’t suggest that we “deserved” the Sept. 11 attacks, nor does it suggest we shouldn’t have retaliated against the people who waged them.

What it does say is that actions have consequences. When the Arab and Muslim world continually sees U.S. troops marching through Arab and Muslim backyards, U.S. trade sanctions causing Arab and Muslim suffering and U.S. bombs landing on Arab and Muslim homes, it isn’t difficult to see how Arabs could begin to develop a deep contempt for the U.S.

Read Ron Paul’s statement on 9/11 here: 9/11: Ask the Right Questions and Face the Truth, in which he notes that

Sometimes it can be very uncomfortable to ask the right questions and face the truth. When a slick politician comes along and gives a much more soothing, self-congratulating version of events, it is very tempting to simply believe what we would like to hear. But listening to lies does not make us safer, even though it might make us feel better about ourselves. The truth is that ending these misguided wars and occupations will make us safer, more prosperous and more free.

Here’s a huge compilation of Ron Paul statements on terrorism, Iran, non-interventionism, blowback, 9/11 and other related issues, from a website called The Mossadegh Project. Dr. Mohammad Mossadegh was the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran who was ousted by the CIA’s “Project Ajax” in 1953.

As for Ron Paul’s stand on Islam…Ron Paul is an individualist, and believes individuals should be responsible for their actions. So I think he’d say that individual Islamic terrorists are a threat. Ron Paul suggested the use of Letters of Marque and Reprisal to combat the organizers of the 9/11 attacks. He suggested the same thing to go after individual Somali pirates who were responsible for shipping attacks off the coast of Somalia. He didn’t recommend bombing or invading the entire country of Somalia–he wanted to go after the individuals causing the problems.

I believe Ron Paul would say the same thing about Muslims in general as he would say about members of any group. In an interview with the Iowa State Daily, Dr. Paul said,

You know I just, I don’t think of people in little groups like that. I don’t think of people as ‘gay’ here and ‘black people’ there, or ‘women’ over here…Everybody is an individual person and everybody has the same rights as anyone else. The government has no business in your private life, you know, so if one person is allowed to do something so should everyone else.

As for Israel, the best way to characterize Ron Paul’s position is he wants The United States of America to fend for ourself, defend ourselves, and mind our own business except in instances of a confirmed national security threat.

One of the Left’s favorite canards is to accuse a conservative of being against something if that conservative is against Federal funding of it. In this case, Leftists and Cocktail Party GOP operatives try to paint Ron Paul as being “anti-Israel” because he’s pro-American Taxpayer. Whether or not you think it’s a good idea to send foreign aid to Israel, the fact of the matter is that The United States of America is bankrupt, so 40¢ of every dollar we send to Israel is borrowed from China.

Here’s an excerpt from “Israel and the Right,” from The American Conservative, May 23, 2011:

Congressman Ron Paul was also critical of Obama’s Israel policy, but from a different perspective: “While President Obama’s demand that Israel make hard concessions in her border conflicts may very well be in her long-term interest, only Israel can make that determination on her own, without pressure from the United States or coercion by the United Nations. Unlike this President, I do not believe it is our place to dictate how Israel runs her affairs.”

Paul added, “We should respect Israel’s sovereignty and not try to dictate her policy from Washington.”

This is not the first time Paul has taken this position.

When Israel attacked a nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981 almost the entire US Congress voted to condemn the act, but Congressman Paul was one of the few Republicans who stood up and said Israel should not have to answer to America for how she defends herself.

An excellent opinion piece was published a couple of days ago in The Daily Caller: Ron Paul vs. foreign policy partisanship

So what does saying, “I like Ron Paul, except on foreign policy” really mean?

A crass but not untrue answer would be that Republicans don’t mind Republican wars, despite the reasons, results or costs, and Democrats don’t mind Democrat wars, despite the reasons, results or costs. And the American people in general don’t mind wars as long as the results are good and the costs are low.

Paul believes that any war under any president will come with a significant cost, which is why our reasons for going to war should be ultra-strong and the desired results, ultra-clear. What threat does a country actually pose? If we go in, what is victory? What is our exit strategy?

[Sarah] Palin summed up Paul’s defense philosophy well when she pointed out that being extremely “careful” about “interjecting our country in other nations’ business” is precisely Paul’s foreign policy. For someone to say, “I like Ron Paul, except on foreign policy” is really to say that Paul’s consistent reluctance to go to war can be quite annoying when it clashes with partisan attachment or popular opinion.

JMC, thanks for giving me the opportunity to share this information with you and other open-minded Hillbuzz readers who, like me, are determined to nominate an actual conservative instead of Mittens “Obama Lite” Romneycare.

© 2011, Kathleen Gee. All rights reserved.

TLP Quik Hits: Eric Holder To Testify On 'Fast and Furious'

Coming to a theater near you; "Holder Lies, People Die: Part Deux"

CBS News

CBS News has learned Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee regarding "Fast and Furious." The hearing will take place Dec. 8th.

Judiciary Committee member and head of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) had requested that Holder appear, in part to dig deeper into when-he-knew-what about ATF's so-called "gunwalking" operation Fast and Furious.

In May, Holder testified that he only first heard about Fast and Furious a few weeks before. However, as CBS News reported, documents and memos indicate he had been sent multiple briefings mentioning Fast and Furious in 2010.

Holder later explained in a letter to Congress that he didn't read those memos, and that in any event, nobody at the Justice Department who knew of Fast and Furious was aware of the specific "gunwalking" tactics used.

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: Security Relaxed On Northern Border

Why bother with the northern border anyway? It's not like a GAO report in February 2011 noted "that the terrorist threat on the northern border is higher, given the large expanse of area with limited law enforcement coverage."

The irony is that we are led to believe that we are making our nation safer by fighting wars in far off places yet we leave the front door open for those who wish to do harm to us here at home.

AP

The U.S. Border Patrol has quietly stopped its controversial practice of routinely searching buses, trains and airports for illegal immigrants at transportation hubs along the northern border and in the nation's interior, preventing agents from using what had long been an effective tool for tracking down people here illegally, The Associated Press has learned.

Current and former Border Patrol agents said field offices around the country began receiving the order last month - soon after the Obama administration announced that to ease an overburdened immigration system, it would allow many illegal immigrants to remain in the country while it focuses on deporting those who have committed crimes.

The order has not been made public, but two agents described it to the AP on condition of because the government does not authorize them to speak to the media. The union that represents Border Patrol agents planned to issue a news release about the change Monday.

"Orders have been sent out from Border Patrol headquarters in Washington, D.C., to Border Patrol sectors nationwide that checks of transportation hubs and systems located away from the southwest border of the United States will only be conducted if there is intelligence indicating a threat," the release says.

Via Drudge

TLP Quik Hits: Occupy Wall Street Turning Into "Lord Of The Flies"

Who didn't see this coming?

USA Today

Fights are erupting among Occupy Wall Street protesters, so much so that one corner of Zuccotti Park has emerged where protesters say they won't go for fear of their safety, the New York Daily News is reporting.

Police officers also have been warned of "dangerous instruments" being concealed in cardboard tubing, the News says it has been told by unidentified police sources.

"There is a lot of infighting in the park," a police source told the news organization. "There is one part of the park where they won't even go at night."

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: Pelosi Defends Obamacare Waivers To 1,800 Firms - "They're Small Companies"

How do you know the Queen Bitch is lying? Her lips are moving.

RealClearPolitics

"They're small. I couldn't speak to all 1,800 of them, but some of the lists that I have seen have been very, very small companies. They will not have a big impact on the economy of our country," Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with CNBC.

McDonalds, one of the nation's largest employers in recent years, has received a waiver.

Via Drudge

VIDEO: Peter Schiff Debates Zucotti Park Occupy Wall Streeters

Crossposted at the Left Coast Rebel

This is simply just too cool. You can almost hear the collective "Occupy-I-am-entitled-to-everything-I-want-simply-because-I-have-a-pulse" synapses misfiring in the crowd as Peter Schiff engages them (poor saps have probably never even heard his viewpoint that he aptly expresses).

There are too many quotable moments from Schiff here, "WalMart doesn't hold a gun to their head" may just go down in interweb infamy:

I love how Allahpundit notes that Schiff pulls this thing off like an Austrian-school ninja.

Indeed.

More from Nick Gillespie at Reason.com:

"Did a corporation end slavery, or did the government end slavery?!?!"

That's the sort of question investment guru and radio show host Peter Schiff fielded as he debated Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters last week in New York's Zuccotti Park.

Schiff is no ordinary observer. As the prinicipal of the financial firm Euro Pacific Capital, he's a full-fledged and unapologetic member of "the 1 Percent." As an outspoken radio show host (listen online here) and commentator, he not only predicted the housing crash and financial crisis, he railed bank and auto-sector bailouts as they were happening. Schiff believes that capitalism offers is the only hope for young, frustrated people to have a vibrant and prosperous future (get information on his latest book, How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, here). So he went to Occupy Wall Street to engage and debate the protesters.

Touring the Occupy Wall Street scene in New York with a sign that read "I Am the 1%, Let's Talk," Schiff spent more than three hours on the scene, explaining the difference between cronyism and capitalism, bailouts and balance sheets, and more.

"The regulation we want is the market," said Schiff. "That's what works."

Via Memeorandum.

TLP Quik Hits: Michael Moore - 1%er Extraordinaire

Moore, like the rest of the entertainment elite, all talk a good game and hate capitalism, yet it lines their pockets, allowing them to live the good life.

Hypocrites.

NewsBusters

According to our friends at Celebrity Net Worth, Moore's fortune currently totals $50 million:

Fahrenheit 911 raked in $230 million in theaters and another $3 million in DVD sales. After the theaters take their traditional 50% cut, that leaves roughly $130 million. Take away marketing, production and distribution expenses and Moore is conservatively left with $80 million. Moore was able to secure a deal from Miramax which guaranteed him 27% of his film’s net revenues, or roughly $21.6 million. Michael also was entitled to 50% of the profits of Sicko which are estimated to be $17 million.

Moore wants to dress and act as if he's just a regular guy part of the 99 percenters, but he is every bit a multimillionaire doing everything in his power to make more money for himself.

He invests his fortune in stocks - including the Left's most-hated company Halliburton! - and isn't pro-union when it comes to managing his own business.

That folks in this movement hold this man up as an icon for what they stand for is an indictment of how clueless and hypocritical they are as well.

PIERS MORGAN: You're not in the 1 percent?

MICHAEL MOORE: Of course I'm not. How can I be in the 1 percent?

MORGAN: Because you're worth millions.

MOORE: No, that's not true. Listen, I do really well. I do well. But what's the point, though? Isn't that --

MORGAN: I do, because I find it more interesting if you're in the 1 percent because I think you probably are.

MOORE: That even -- that even though -- that even though I do well, that I don't associate myself with those who do well, I am devoting my life to those who have less and who have been crapped upon by the system. And that's how I spend my time, my energy, my money on trying to up-end this system that I think is a system of violence, it's a system that's unfair to the average working person of this country.

Via Memeorandum

Lies, Damned Lies And Polls

As a baseball fan, I'm a stat geek. Even before "Moneyball" became vogue I would often get in great discussions with other fans about players and always attempted to use statistics to back my point as did others to back theirs. What you see with your eyes is often deceiving and can skew your perspective, but the numbers don't lie.

Well the same goes with politics and polls. You can watch the debates and read the press but there is always a slanted perspective.

Case in point; this write-up by CNN on the polls of the first 4 states to have a say in the GOP nomination. If you believe what the pundits say or take a quick look at the numbers, either Mitt Romney or Herman Cain is the presumptive nominee. But if you look a little deeper that is far from a given; Undecided/NOTA is giving both lead horses a run for their money.

Take Florida for example. In the Sunshine state Romney has a double digit lead over Cain, 30-18%, which is pretty impressive but Undecided/Nota sits at number 2 with 24%.

More impressive is in the former Massachusetts Governor's back yard of New Hampshire where he has a huge lead, 40-13%, over the Pizza man. But that pesky Undecided/NOTA is again in second with 19%.

It's only until you get to Iowa, Romney 24%/Cain 21%, where Undecided/NOTA is in third at 14% and South Carolina, Romney 25%/Cain 23%, and Undecided/NOTA is third again at 15%.

What's even more amazing is that in all 4 states only roughly 30% of those polled stand firmly behind their chosen candidate.

[I'd also like to point out that in my home state of Arizona, which has scheduled it's primary for February 28, Undecided/NOTA is in a statistical dead heat with Romney and Cain. Undecided/NOTA 25%, Romney 25%, Cain 24%.]

My point is, this thing ain't far from a done deal yet and it's anyone's game. Even a complete dark horse like former NM Governor Gary Johnson is one or two good media cycles away from the nomination.

Stranger things have happened.

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: Obama - If I Lose In 2012 "You Are On Your Own"

Um, Mr. President, but that's want some of us want; get government out of the way and let people provide for themselves.

In a truly free market, the cream will rise to the top.

ABC News

At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses the 2012 election it could herald a new, painful era of self-reliance in America.

“The one thing that we absolutely know for sure is that if we don’t work even harder than we did in 2008, then we’re going to have a government that tells the American people, ‘you are on your own,’” Obama told a crowd of 200 donors over lunch at the W Hotel.

“If you get sick, you’re on your own. If you can’t afford college, you’re on your own. If you don’t like that some corporation is polluting your air or the air that your child breathes, then you’re on your own,” he said. “That’s not the America I believe in. It’s not the America you believe in.

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: Lobbyists Swarm Supercommittee

Who didn't see this coming?

It comes as no surprise to me that those with the deepest pockets are attempting to once again game the system for their own benefit.

Politico

In just six weeks, nearly 200 companies and special interests have reported that they’re lobbying the 12-member supercommittee.

It’s a stunning ratio of lobbyists to lawmakers but makes sense when you consider the high stakes faced by interests ranging from the health care industry to Native American tribes. The groups fear the supercommittee will find $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction before Thanksgiving by cutting their funding or raising their taxes.

Lobbyists have blitzed Washington, blanketing Capitol Hill with phone calls to lawmakers’ offices, launching multiplatform advertising campaigns and working to activate grass-roots bases.

For now, the health care industry is leading the charge on the lobbying front, according to the latest lobbying disclosure reports filed late last week. Nearly 200 trade associations, companies and lobby shops working for groups such as the hospital association, insurance company WellPoint and drug manufacturer AstraZeneca are publicly disclosing for the first time that they’ve actively sought to influence the panel.

It’s not just health care companies. Representatives from the defense, transportation, energy, telecom and education sectors are also weighing in.

The airline industry, in particular, is engaging in a full-on lobbying assault as it tries to ensure that two revenue raisers in President Barack Obama’s jobs plan that would cost the industry $36 billion over 10 years aren’t included.

TLP Quik Hits: Ron Paul Wins Ohio GOP Straw Poll; Mediots Yawn

It's only a matter of time before the mediots spin this as a win for Cain.

nbc4i.com

Republicans who participated in a straw poll conducted in Columbus Saturday gave a majority of support to Ron Paul, known for libertarian party leanings.

The event requires participants to pay $25 to participate giving Ohio Republicans a chance to have their voices heard in the early stage of the presidential primary nominating process.

Those who attended got to hear messages from all campaigns and then voted for their preference.

The results from the 428 participants are as follows:

Ron Paul 53.50%
Herman Cain 25.47%
Mitt Romney 8.88%
Newt Gingrich 5.37%
Rick Perry 2.80%
Jon Huntsman 2.10%
Rick Santorum .93%
Michele Bachmann .47%
Write-In .47%

Via Memeorandum

Occupy Wall Street Learns How The Real World Works

Oh the irony; OWS has their own 1%.

It appears that our collectivist friends in the Occupy Wall Street movement are learning a basic lesson in governance, causing a rift between the haves and the have-nots.

According to the NY Post, the movement's Finance Committee has built a war chest of $500,000 but is slow in distributing funds to those in the group who are needing money to provide basic services, while at the same time spending it on lavish, non-essential items meant to placate the masses.

Sound familiar? Is it only a matter of time before we hear that those holding the purse strings are using the funds for their own gains instead of what they were intended for?

NY Post

Even in Zuccotti Park, greed is good.

Occupy Wall Street’s Finance Committee has nearly $500,000 in the bank, and donations continue to pour in -- but its reluctance to share the wealth with other protesters is fraying tempers.

Some drummers -- incensed they got no money to replace or safeguard their drums after a midnight vandal destroyed their instruments Wednesday -- are threatening to splinter off.

“F--k Finance. I hope Mayor Bloomberg gets an injunction and demands to see the movement’s books. We need to know how much money we really have and where it’s going,” said a frustrated Bryan Smith, 45, who joined OWS in Lower Manhattan nearly three weeks ago from Los Angeles, where he works in TV production.

Smith is a member of the Comfort Working Group -- one of about 30 small collectives that have sprung up within OWS. The Comfort group is charged with finding out what basic necessities campers need, like thermal underwear, and then raising money by soliciting donations on the street.

“The other day, I took in $2,000. I kept $650 for my group, and gave the rest to Finance. Then I went to them with a request -- so many people need things, and they should not be going without basic comfort items -- and I was told to fill out paperwork. Paperwork! Are they the government now?” Smith fumed, even as he cajoled the passing crowd for more cash.

The Finance Committee dives on whatever dollars are raised by all the OWS working groups, said Smith, and doesn’t give it back.

The Comfort group has an allowance of $150 a day, while larger working groups, like the Kitchen group, get up to $2,000.

“What can I do with $150?” said Smith. “We have three tons of wet laundry here from the rainstorm -- how do I get that done? We need winter gear, shoes, socks. I could spend $10,000 alone for backpacks people need. We raise all this money. Where is it?”

Pete Dutro, 36, a Brooklyn tattoo artist who is getting a master’s in finance and sits on the Finance Committee, said big purchases like Smith’s can’t get immediate approval.

“We don’t have the power for that. They have to go to the General Assembly. If it’s approved, we pay out that amount and make sure everything is accounted for,” he said.

Within the next few days, the Financial Committee will release a detailed report, he said.

Yesterday, a huge flat-screen TV went up in Zuccotti Park for a movie night and pajama party with popcorn. Organizers hoped it would attract new recruits -- even as some long-timers complained that the movement was getting too diffuse after yesterday’s lackluster showing at a police-brutality event in Union Square that barely attracted 50 participants.

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: If Europe Should Fail

When you think about it, our economy just like that of Europe has been walking a tightrope in a hurricane for too long and something has got to give.

If the wise and learned politicians, along with their economist shills, had let market forces have their way in 2008 and allowed for the much needed correction, we would be well into the recovery by now instead of being trillions more in debt because the bad actors were bailed out instead of being allowed to fail.

LRC

If Europe should fail this is what we can expect to happen – European banks will crash and burn and take down major US banks, which are already walking wounded basket cases anyway. We are likely to see a lengthy unscheduled "bank holiday" – banks will slam their doors and if your money is still inside their vaults then you are out of luck. Major disruptions in supply and distribution of food and fuel in particular will trigger general panic, and riots and mob violence will spread rapidly – what we have seen on TV happening in Greece will suddenly happen on the streets of the US and many other countries. Stockmarkets will crash in a manner that will make 2008 seem like a "walk in the park". Virtually every asset class and investment will crater – especially commodities, stocks and Real Estate. The euro will be vaporized. The tidal wave of funds liberated by this mass panic are going to have to go somewhere and normally we would expect them to go into the US dollar and Treasuries, but with US banks failing even this cannot be relied upon.

TLP Quik Hits: Iraq By The Numbers - The World’s Costliest Cakewalk

One day we'll learn not to take what Leviathan says at face value and hold it accountable the lies it feeds us.

There was no justification for the invasion of Iraq and young Americans should not have been sent off to their death for purely political reasons.

Think Progress

The Obama administration’s announcement of a withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of the year offers the possibility of a definitive conclusion for the U.S. military’s involvement in Iraq. But while the return of all U.S. service men and women by Christmas is a cause for celebration, the costs of the war are only beginning to be fully understood. The “cakewalk” to Baghdad, as George W. Bush adviser Kenneth Adelman infamously wrote in February, 2002, has been anything but. The Iraq War, and the faulty premise that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction, has had a staggering humanitarian and economic cost.

Here are some relevant numbers:

8 years, 260 days since Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence of Saddam Hussein’s biological weapons program

8 years, 215 days since the March 20, 2003 invasion of Iraq

8 years, 175 days since President George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln

4,479 U.S. military fatalities

30,182 U.S. military injuries

468 contractor fatalities

103,142 – 112,708 documented civilian deaths

2.8 million internally displaced Iraqis

$806 billion in federal funding for the Iraq War through FY2011

$3 – $5 trillion in total economic cost to the United States of the Iraq war according to economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Blimes

$60 billion in U.S. expenditures lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001

0 weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: The Ugliness Started With Bork

I can't fully agree since DC was a cesspool of partisanship well before 1987, but this was the turning point that made the appointment process into the dog and pony show that we see today.

NY Times

I bring up Bork not only because Sunday is a convenient anniversary. His nomination battle is also a reminder that our poisoned politics is not just about Republicans behaving badly, as many Democrats and their liberal allies have convinced themselves. Democrats can be — and have been — every bit as obstructionist, mean-spirited and unfair.

I’ll take it one step further. The Bork fight, in some ways, was the beginning of the end of civil discourse in politics. For years afterward, conservatives seethed at the “systematic demonization” of Bork, recalls Clint Bolick, a longtime conservative legal activist. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution coined the angry verb “to bork,” which meant to destroy a nominee by whatever means necessary. When Republicans borked the Democratic House Speaker Jim Wright less than two years later, there wasn’t a trace of remorse, not after what the Democrats had done to Bork. The anger between Democrats and Republicans, the unwillingness to work together, the profound mistrust — the line from Bork to today’s ugly politics is a straight one.

Mostly, though, the point remains this: The next time a liberal asks why Republicans are so intransigent, you might suggest that the answer lies in the mirror.

Via Memeorandum

Gaddafi Assassinated And The World Cheers

Even if you take all the accusations against the former Libyan despot as truth, his miserable life should not have ended the way it did. At least Saddam Hussein was given a trail before he was hanged.

By most accounts, Muammar Gaddafi and his son Moatassem were taken alive, as various cell phone videos now up on the Telegraph UK website show. As you can see in this video, a visibly bloodied Gaddafi is being beaten and begging for his life as he is being assaulted by the rebels who captured him. Absent are the bullet holes to his head, chest and abdomen as later pictures of the dead leader show.

The same goes for this video of a very alive Moatassem, who is seen sitting up smoking a cigarette and later lying on a bed. Maotassem is said to have died from a bullet to the neck.

Of course the official line in all this is that the elder Gaddafi was killed by crossfire between the rebels and some of Gaddafi's remaining security forces (no word on how Moatassem bought it) but an anonymous member of the National Transitional Council admits ""They beat him very harshly and then they killed him. This is a war." as well as a bystander admitting "We get it in leader's places, we catch him there and we shot him, somebody shot him by [his] gun, 9mm.".

The UN says they'll look into this but does Gaddafi's murder really come as any surprise?

Think about it for a moment and you will begin to see that the rebels were only following our lead. With the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Special Forces and the sanctioning of the murder of US citizens by our government, it does not shock me that the Libyan rebels took justice into their own hands?

And what does this all do for the rule of law that the civilized world claims to hold so dear? Everyone claims that they want justice but there is no outrage over the events of the the past few days. A former head of a country is murdered in cold blood and the world yawns. Granted, not many wanted Gaddafi taken alive because dead men tell no tales and he would have had plenty to say, particularly about the dirty deeds of US and Britain along with the alleged secret deal related to the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and BP no doubt.

Taken one step further, does all this open the door for more politically motivated killings? What happens if some foreign government or even internal anti-government faction begins taking pot-shots at Western leaders? It is all well and good that this is all taking place in the Arab world right now, but how soon before the sentiment spreads to Europe or even the US where some lunatic or lunatics decide to take matters into their own hands?

We can all hold our noses while this happens elsewhere but as we see economies continue to slide and civil unrest in the West grows; the killings that we now cheer could be a peep hole into our future and bring about an end to civilization as we know it. Some conspiracy theorists claim that this is what the power elite are hoping for and these folks may not be as "out there" as we think.

TLP Quik Hits: More GOP Media Bias

Another chart confirming that Ron Paul is getting the short changed by the LSM. And where is Gary Johnson in this? Shouldn't a former two-term Governor who left his state in better shape than when he came in get some mentions?

The bottom line is that the power brokers have their preordained favorites and nothing is going to prevent their pawns from winning the day.

The Atlantic Wire

TLP Quik Hits: Ron Paul Unveils His "Restore America" Plan

Tea Partiers and other limited government advocates if you want real cuts in government spending, here you go.

Wall Street Journal

GOP presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul will unveil his economic plan Monday afternoon, calling for a lower corporate tax rate, cutting spending by $1 trillion during his first year in office and eliminating five cabinet-level agencies, including the Education Department, according to excerpts released to Washington Wire.

The Paul plan would also lower the corporate tax rate to 15% from 35%, though it is silent on personal income tax rates, which Mr. Paul would like to abolish. The congressman would end taxes on personal savings and extend “all Bush tax cuts.”

He would also allow U.S. firms to repatriate capital without additional taxes. Some lawmakers have recently proposed such legislation as a way to spur job growth. Its critics argue that a tax holiday for companies with money abroad has not historically led to domestic investment.

But the plan, at its heart, is libertarian. While promising to cut $1 trillion in spending during his first year, Mr. Paul would eliminate the Departments of Education, Commerce, Energy, Interior and Housing and Urban Development.

Click here for the full plan.

Via Memeorandum

TLP Quik Hits: Media Bias In The GOP Debates

The mediots wouldn't play favorites now, would they? That's just plain silly.

Via Gary Johnson Grassroots Forum

TLP Quik Hits: Obama Embraces Occupy Wall Street Movement

Talk about useful idiots. Don't these protesters realize that they're being used by the same people they are rallying against?

Washington Post

President Obama and his team have decided to turn public anger at Wall Street into a central tenet of their reelection strategy.

The move comes as the Occupy Wall Street protests gain momentum across the country and as polls show deep public distrust of the nation’s major financial institutions.

And it sets up what strategists see as a potent line of attack against Republican front-runner Mitt Romney, a former investment executive whom Obama aides plan to portray as a wealthy Wall Street sympathizer.

Many Democrats consider Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, the greatest threat to Obama when it comes to wooing centrist independents next year, and Romney this week has begun to present himself as a champion of middle-income Americans.

Obama aides point to recent surveys that show anger at Wall Street spanning ideologies, including a new Washington Post-ABC News poll in which 68 percent of independents and 60 percent of Republicans say they have unfavorable impressions of the big financial institutions.

But the strategy of channeling anti-Wall Street anger carries risks. Many of Obama’s senior advisers have ties to the financial industry — a point that makes Occupy protesters wary of the president and his party.

In recent days, Obama has ramped up his rhetoric. He took the unusual step of targeting an individual company when he attacked Bank of America for its new $5 monthly debit-card fee, calling it “exactly the sort of stuff that folks are frustrated by.” And his campaign and the White House have distributed messages blasting GOP candidates and lawmakers for wanting to repeal Wall Street regulations pushed by Obama and opposing the confirmation of a leader for the consumer protection bureau created as part of the overhaul.

“We intend to make it one of the central elements of the campaign next year,” Obama senior adviser David Plouffe said in an interview. “One of the main elements of the contrast will be that the president passed Wall Street reform and our opponent and the other party want to repeal it.”

“I’m pretty confident 12 months from now, as people make the decision about who to go vote for, the gut check is going to be about, ‘Who would make decisions more about helping my life than Wall Street?’ ” Plouffe added.

TLP Quik Hits: Issa - Holder Hiding Fast & Furious Facts

Holder lied and agents died; it's only a matter of time before the AG is asked to resign.

CBS News

Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Oversight & Government Reform Committee, suggested Sunday that Attorney General Eric Holder has been withholding facts regarding the so-called "Fast & Furious" gunwalking scandal, and indicated that law enforcement could be concealing possibly illuminating evidence.

Issa, in an appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," appeared skeptical that Holder had known as little about the "Fast & Furious" operation as he indicated in a May 3 Judiciary Committee hearing, when he said, "I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast & Furious for the first time over the last few weeks."

Issa disputed that timing, and said Holder "clearly knew more than he said when he said he only first heard of this program a few weeks before.

"His chief of staff had intimate details; we have notes in his handwriting that shows that the number two and Eric Holder's right hand had intimate details for long time," Issa told CBS' Bob Schieffer. "One of the questions is, why wouldn't you tell your boss about a program that had gotten so out-of-control that it had all kinds of people scurrying to try to stop it?"

CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson first reported on the case in February, when she learned that an operation called "Project Gunrunner" being run by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) had resulted in agents letting thousands of guns "walk" into the hands of suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels. While the operation aimed to take down a major cartel, two of those weapons turned up at the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry last December.

Documents obtained by CBS News earlier this month indicate, too, that Holder had been briefed on "Fast & Furious" as far back as July 2010.

TLP Quik Hits: CA Medical Association Calls For Legalization Of Marijuana

Good for them, it's well past the time that we ended marijuana prohibition.

Los Angeles Times

The state's largest doctor group is calling for legalization of marijuana, even as it pronounces cannabis to be of questionable medical value.

Trustees of the California Medical Assn., which represents more than 35,000 physicians statewide, adopted the position at their annual meeting in Anaheim late Friday. It is the first major medical association in the nation to urge legalization of the drug, according to a group spokeswoman, who said the larger membership was notified Saturday.

The CMA's new stance appears to have as much to do with politics as science. The group has rejected one of the main arguments of medical marijuana advocates, declaring that the substance has few proven health benefits and comparing it to a "folk remedy."

The group acknowledges some health risk associated with marijuana use and proposes that it be regulated along the lines of alcohol and tobacco. But it says the consequences of criminalization outweigh the hazards.

Via Memeorandum

There's No Place Like Home

As you have notice, there has been a lack of posting on The Libertarian Patriot for the last 2 month, but I have been on the road in 7 of the last 9 weeks (6 for business with a vacation mixed in).

In case you are wondering, I work for an aftermarket auto parts company whose primary clientele is salvage yards and we exhibit at the various state association conferences. Usually I'm gone on average of 1 weekend a month, but the schedule has been compressed due to the amount of events scheduled so close together recently.

I had a lot of fun, saw some great places and met with some great people. Our company has been in the industry for over 50 years and I have been doing this for 7 years, so I get to see a lot of familiar faces; both customers and fellow road warriors who are also at the shows plying their wares.

This gauntlet started in mid-August with an event in Albuquerque, NM where I had the privileged to see the Unser Racing Museum and get a personal tour by Al Unser himself of his private collection of vehicles along with his trophy room. Al is a great guy and along with his illustrious racing career, he is a former salvage yard owner. If you are ever in Albuquerque and enjoy racing, his museum is a must visit.

The next week was in Christiansburg, VA where we were greeted by Hurricane Irene. Unfortunately Irene brought an early end to the show and a power outage to our hotel, but over a hundred people still attended. Folks are hearty in the Commonwealth of Virginia and don't let weather deter them.

It was then a little time for R&R back east where we got to spend a week with our families and friends. My wife and I love living in AZ but it was nice to get back to MA even if it was cold and rainy. I didn't get time to rest when I got back as I had to fly out to Napa, CA the day after I came back, but at least I got to have a nice drive through the beautiful Napa wine country.

The next week I had a chance to recharge the batteries and then it was off to San Antonio, TX. Had a great time there and got a chance to visit the Alamo. I also did the Riverwalk, although it was too touristy for me. The following week it was off to Saratoga Springs, NY. Not much excitement there but I has a fine meal in a great little Italian restaurant called the Forno Bistro.

Got to get another weekend away from the TSA and spend time with my wife and kittahs before it was off to Charlotte, NC for the last week at the Automotive Recyclers Association annual convention. Whether you call them junkyards, salvage yards or automotive recycling centers, the automotive recycling industry is the oldest green industry in the world and does more for the environment than you can imagine. Please support your local automotive recycler as they are a great source of quality used parts.

So pardon the disappearance for the past 2 months and give me a few days to get my mind right before I get back onto the swing of things. We have a presidential campaign getting ready to go into overdrive with Ron Paul being marginalized again and my preferred candidate, Gary Johnson all but being ignored by the lame stream mediots. It is a sorry commentary that the less than neutral media gets to decide who the contenders are instead of the people.

Coming up, I'll delve into the socialist, astro-turf uprising known as Occupy Whatever along with the usual shenanigans from Leviathan. I'll also touch on our War President's latest foray into Uganda. More and more Obama is looking like a neocon in socialist clothes.

And finally, thank you to all for making The Libertarian Patriot one of the fastest growing libertarian blogs on the interwebz. I do my best to call Leviathan out at every turn because as the banner says, it is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.

What I Want In My Next Congressman (Or Woman)

With my current representative, Jeff Flake (R), trying to move up the ladder to Senator, it's time to give some thought on his replacement. Honestly I don't care if that person is a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or independent. I just want them to do what is right for this nation.

First and foremost, the person who will get my vote must take seriously their oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic". I'm tired of elected officials running roughshod over the Constitution, especially the "Constitutional Conservatives" who are anything but. They better know Article I Section 8 and only vote in favor of bills that meet that standard; no cheating by pulling out the Commerce or Necessary and Proper clauses. That won't fly.

My ideal candidate will firmly believe that the Ninth and Tenth Amendments are there for a reason and that the powers not delegated by the Constitution to the national government are left to the states and the people.

To get my vote, one must be willing to stand by their principals regardless pressure from their colleagues or from special interests or lobbyists. The man or woman I will support needs to have a sign outside their office that will read "Lobbyists Need Not Apply".

Any bill that they introduce would be easily read and comprehended by the average citizen; no 2000 page monstrosities that can't even be read by a team of lawyers. Same for bills they would vote for; none of this "you have to pass it to know what's in it" garbage. If they don't read it they don't vote for it.

Now for some specifics.

He or she will work toward fiscal responsibility by our government. They must be will to make across the board cuts in entitlements and defense to end the welfare/warfare state that we currently have. Along these lines they will work to end the culture of corporate welfare that permeates DC.

He or she will also support a full audit and ultimate end to the Federal Reserve. They will take steps to strengthen our currency and stand in opposition to the devaluation of it that we currently see.

He or she will support ending the current interventionist foreign policy of our government. Along with removing troops from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya they will also vote to remove troops from the 130+ countries where we have bases. There is no reason we should be subsidizing the economies of our allies by providing for their national defense. There is no justification to why our defense spending should be nearly equal to that of all other nations combined. This also means no more foreign aid for any nation.

He or she will see to it that national defense is a priority. This means securing our borders against those who wish to do harm to our country and using our intelligence agencies in their proper capacity. They will also be for dismantling the dog and pony show known as the TSA. Patting down granny and little Suzie at the airport does not make us any safer. Same for the PATRIOT Act; it has got to go. That said, if someone does attack us our vengeance will be swift and decisive. No winning the "hearts and mind" or nation building; you hit us, we will crush you.

He or she will be for taxation that is fair and work to end our complicated tax code. Everybody pays the same rate with no loopholes, write-offs or other shenanigans. This will prevent taxation that favors one group over another as everyone will be paying their fair share. At the same time they will support an end to corporate income tax. All this tax does is penalize small business and gives larger corporations the incentive to send jobs and profits to other countries at the expense of our economic well being.

He or she will work to dismantle the myriad of alphabet agencies and their regulations that stifle innovation and competitiveness. The Dept of Education, EPA, OSHA, FCC and all others need to be done away with. We need to let the market determine winners and losers not the federal government. Market forces will put the bad actors out of business quickly enough while at the same time rewarding innovation.

He or she will support an end to the War on Drugs. Prohibition does not work and creates a black market that strengthens organized crime and increases corruption. Alcohol prohibition was an abject failure in the 20's but we have repeated the same mistakes for 70+ years. You cannot legislate morality and all drug prohibition has done is create a strong criminal class while doing nothing to decrease drug use.

In the same vein, laws against victimless crimes like prostitution and gambling need to be done away with too. Again, you cannot legislate morality and criminalizing these acts only serves to send the activity underground and into the arms of organized crime.

Finally, he or she will work toward a sane and rational immigration policy. Just like with national defense, our borders need to be secure. We need to know who is coming into this country, reserve the right to reject anyone for any reason and have a mechanism for documenting those who we do let in and those who are already here illegally. Those who are here and those we do let in must work towards citizenship and pay into the system; no free rides, social safety net or privileges afforded to citizens.

As you can see, it is quite easy to get my vote; all a candidate needs to do hold firm on the ideals that this republic was founded on; poseurs need not apply. And if my ideal candidate or someone close does not present him or herself, I may just be tempted to throw my hat in the ring.

Adam Kokesh Educates Occupy DC "Radicals"

H/T Brad

These are some real "radicals" that Adam interviews; 1% wannabes, one from Harvard and one from Georgetown, protesting their enslavement to capitalism and espousing the virtues of big government and the Obama vision for a collectivist America by whatever means necessary.