Conservative Women Pushing Back on Phony Dem “War on Women” Narrative and Winning (Videos)

Via Smart Girl Politics:

We are NOT Julia.

Let the President know he doesn’t speak for us by purchasing an exclusive, limited edition “I’m not Julia” bumper sticker from Smart Girl Politics Action TODAY. With every donation of $25 or more to SGPA, you get five bumper stickers – one for yourself and four to share with the non-Julia’s in your life!

Ginger Tres Hall of Misfit Politics was even more blunt: Hey Julia, STFU!

I’m sick of being told that Republicans and conservatives are somehow waging a political jihad against women by treating us as sentient human beings. I’ve yet to have a conservative candidate tell me that because I’m a woman, I’m not capable of thinking for myself, making my own decisions and investing in my own future. Conservatives don’t tell me that I can’t live without them; they tell me I can live without big government breathing down my neck. And I believe them. So if this is “evidence” of the conservative “War on Women,” then by all means, Messieurs Ryan, West, Walker, et al, wage on. You’ll get no complaint from me for slashing a bloated deficit, reducing the corporate tax rate, solidifying our ties with our allies, and deregulating U.S. business. That’s my kind of war, gentlemen. And I’m happy to be a foot soldier. Regardless of my gender.

And House Republican Women pushing back the narrative by taking a stand against Obama’s failed big government policies.

Via The Shark Tank:

The Republican women in the U.S. House of Representatives are sending a strong message to President Obama and is Democratic party, that his phony ‘War on Women’ will not be taken lightly.

Twenty-four female Republican members of the House of Representatives, including Renee Ellmers(pictured), Michele Bachmann and Sandy Adams, just put out a video named, “Working for You”, in which they all give a quick snippet of insight about themselves, why they are serving, and what they plan to do for Americans, moving forward.

Here is a list of all of the female Republican members of Congress, who appeared in the video-

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Rep. Sandy Adams (R-Fla.), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.), Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.), Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.), Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), Rep. Jean Schmidit (R-OH), Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Rep. Diane Black (R-TN), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY), Kay Granger (R-TX), Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL)

El Sharko asks:

Where’s the video of the female Democratic members of Congress promoting their real agenda- abortion on demand, government intrusion, higher taxes and racial division?

Perhaps the feminists in Congress can have a  competition with the feminists at Planned Parenthood to see who can be the most offensive and brazen their fund-raising efforts. 

In the meantime, the whole “GOP War on Women” false narrative is flopping badly. Women just ain’t buying it.

In a new poll out, today, (even with the ridiculously skewed sample bias) we see Obama’s advantage among women voters shrinking:

Hot Air reports:

The latest Washington Post/ABC News poll shows Barack Obama only three points ahead of Mitt Romney, 49/46, within the margin of error.  The poll also shows Obama’s advantage among women dissipating, and the President falling further behind his challenger on the economy.  All of this is rather amazing, given the manner in which Republicans keep shrinking in the sample series.

This poll actually shows that Obama is flailing badly, Dinocrat points out:

…there’s real news in the poll if you’re up for some arithmetic. If you assume that 100% of D’s and R’s vote for their guy, and if you assume that the undecideds break against the incumbent as they virtually always do, and that D/R/I is the same as 2010, you get 53% Romney. The I’s in this most recent WaPo poll went 58.5% R, assuming they break against the incumbent. That’s a pretty high number.

Finally, assuming that 100% of D’s vote D in this election is a stretch. We’ve seen what’s going on with some Democratic voters in Ohio. And some Democrat politicians too. Captain Picard had it right: “The war is going very badly for the Federation, far worse than is generally known. Starfleet Command believes that defeat is inevitable. Within six months, we may have no choice but to surrender.”

Ouch!

Video: Congressman Gowdy Grills Secretary Sebelius on HHS Mandate

Seen this stunning video, yet?

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made yet another embarrassing admission about the lack of constitutional analysis that went into the HHS anti-conscience mandate on Thursday.

At a full committee hearing of the House Education and Workforce Committee Secretary Sebelius was repeatedly questioned by Representative Trey Gowdy (R-SC) on whether she had consulted Supreme Court precedent or any official legal memo before publishing a rule that burdens religious liberty of employers. Under the mandate, almost all employers are forced to provide and pay for coverage of abortion-inducing drugs and contraception — regardless of any moral or religious objections to such services.

Watch Rep Gowdy completely and utterly destroy Sebelius’ claim of ‘balance’ over her HHS mandate:

Gowdy proved that there was no legal basis for the mandate – it was purely political, and another sure loser for the Obama administration in the Supreme Court.

 

Random BlogConClt Pix and Memories

The Franklin Center and Freedomworks teamed up to put on BlogConClt in Charlotte, NC to help bloggers hone their skills and gear up for the 2012 election. The conference took place over the weekend, with the festivities actually beginning Thursday night with a Blog Bash at a local Irish Pub, which unfortunately, I missed because I didn’t get in until Friday.

The conference was very well attended, which you can’t really appreciate from the picture below because  bloggers were in and out – often congregating in the hall outside of the conference room.

After the first day of the conference, bloggers were treated to free drinks and h’orderves in the hotel.

Freedomworks’ Matt Kibbe speaks before a captive audience.

Lorie Byrd and Duane Lester, All American Blogger

Stephen Kruiser, Lady Liberty, and Tony Katz

Later on at the Karaoke bar, things got a little crazy…

April Gregory, and Pamela Geller

And later on at the Kruiser Kabana, things got crazier still….

Steven Kruiser and Pam Geller -– IN BED!

Things got a teensy bit loud in there, and the Kanbana was warned several times to keep it down. Finally, management had had enough and things – uh – escalated. Kruiser was evicted from his room.

But because Stephen Kruiser is a lover, not a fighter, he was able to sweet talk his way back into his room.

Kruiser and bloggers outside the hotel, Friday night.

All’s well that ends well!

The (very nice) Security Guy, Stephen Kruiser, MRCTV’s Joe Schoffstall

Tabatha Hale put on an awesome conference as usual. The snack table, Saturday afternoon featured candy-coated apples -  delicious!

Instapundit once told Little Miss Attila, “Blogging stars are like bowling stars. Outside our world, no one cares.” Saturday night at the blogger bowling bash, the lines between the two worlds blurred -  bloggers were bowlers  (and still no one cared.)

The rest of the pix are from my iphone, and it was dark – so not the best quality.

Left to right, Doug Ross, Marathon Pundit, Tony Katz, Kira Davis

Oklahoma blogger, Michael Bates of Batesline beat me by two points in the first game.

Michael Bates and Peter Ingemi, DaTechGuy

Then VodkaPundit, Jerome Hudson, and el Sharko showed up, and it was all over – they’re all bowling sharkos, these guys.

Javier Manjarres aka El Sharko, Steve Green aka VodkaPundit

Alexa Shrugged, Kristen Hawley, Teri Christoph, Kat McKinley aka TexasSparkle

Power Bloggers, John Hawkins, RWN and Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit.

Melody from Perfection Under a Red Umbrella, and Cheryl Prater

The next few pix are very dark – we were outside at Fitzgerald’s following the bowling bash. It was very nice outside, until the wind shifted and it suddenly got cold…

Kruiser Kabana was in the hotel lounge, which they kept open after hours, just for us.

Heading back to our rooms at around 3:00 a.m., DaTechGuy and I took pictures of each other in the elevator:

My plane to Kansas City left at 6:50 Sunday morning, so…..yeah — ouch.

Kudos again to Tabatha Hale for organizing yet another spectacularly successful blog  conference. I picked up some great tips from the panels, but the most valuable aspect of it for me  was the opportunity to touch bases with all of my precious blog buddies.

One person I always look forward to seeing at these things was sadly missing at BlogConClt…

But he was there in spirit…

Andrew Breitbart in his own words…was created by Anthropocon

We miss him so much.

SEE ALSO:

John Hawkins: BlogCon 2012: Charlotte (37 Pics)

Batesline: Live from BlogConCLT

Doug Ross: The Dirty Little Secret of #BlogConCLT (He deserved every punch he got.)

All American Blogger: #BlogConCLT is Underway (Video)

Lady Liberty 1885: #BlogConCLT – Back and Fired Up!

DaTechGuy’s Blog:

Blogcon Caption contest win a Breitbart is Here T-Shirt

Blogcon Pizza Bowl photo gallery

Katie Pavlich on her New Book: Fast and Furious Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and the Shameless Cover-Up

To those who think Bloggers of the right are getting rich on Koch money

DaTechGuy’s field guide to bloggers Lady Liberty 1885

Video: Allen West Spars With Soledad O’Brien on Commies in Congress – Doesn’t Back Down

Rep West went into hostile territory, last night, when he sparred with Soledad O’Brian on CNN, and he didn’t give an inch.  Soledad, as Greg Hengler of Townhall puts it, “is notorious for her more artificial than Katie Couric perky exterior while underneath it all she is seething disdain and contempt for her Republican guests.”

She started out by informing him that  the public doesn’t want him for Romney’s VP choice, and asked him to comment on that. From there, she wanted him to comment on whether of not the Romney campaign “went far enough” in condemning Ted Nugent’s recent controversial statements that got him in trouble with the Secret Service, as if it’s Allen West’s job to comment upon every move the Romney campaign does or doesn’t make. Finally she moved on to his own comments regarding the 78-81 members of Congress whom he recently stated were Communists, conveniently cutting off the part of the clip where he explained he was talking about the Progressive Caucus – a neat trick a lot of libs in the media have been playing.

Do you mean “card carrying Communists?” she asked, barely containing her seething disdain and contempt. Without contesting anything he said in his answer, she attempted to shame him by  challenging him to “name names”:

I wish his last answer had better addressed the laughable statement she cited from the Vice Chairman of the National Communist Party, who condemned West for using “guilt by association”. How sincere can he be when he calls association with his group, “guilt”. Yeah, that guy knows Communism! All Marxists know how to lie and obfuscate and cover for fellow travelers.

They know it’s not safe to come out of the closet, yet.

Hat tip: Weasel Zippers

Allen West at FL Tax Day Rally: The Craziest Person To Ever Set Foot on the House Floor? Obama Hussein Obama

And you can repeat that and put it on tape, he says, because Obama is an abject failure in everything that he has done.

Rep West, speaking  at a tax day rally in Wellington, Florida on April 15, 2012:

An Allen West speech is always a thing of beauty, isn’t it?

Hat tip: Brian B.

Linked by Doug Ross in Larwyn’s Links, thanks!

Announcing Victory Rock Concert /Battle of the Bands w/Madison Rising in KC, 4/27 (Video)

I ran into this young lady promoting an upcoming “Rock the Vote” type event at the Kansas City tea party, today. The event is slated for 4/27, and will feature the conservative rock band, Madison Rising:

More info about the event, via Political Chips:

Time: April 27, 2012 from 6pm to 10pm
Location: Tuilleries Plaza in KCMO
Street: NW 64th Street west of I29
City/Town: Kansas City, Missouri 64152

 VICTORY ROCK/BATTLE OF THE BANDS WE are going to have a huge ROCK THE VOTE EVENT in KC! We have 8 Bands from the Metro area that have signed to compete for the $10,000 Grand Prize of an Advertising Package with Blue Springs Harley Davidson and they will be featured band at their Summer Bike Event on June 16th! Free ADMISSION! This event will both entertain and enlighten with KC’s Talented artists and Young Leaders speaking. We have Alex Shriver from the College Republicans, Joshua Charles co- author of Glenn Beck’s best seller, Paul Curtman, Will Stewart Stark With AFP, Katherine Thonpson a young woman who has started a Conservative Group in her high school and many more impressive YOUNG ADULT Leaders in the community. PLUS  MADISON RISING A POPULAR CONSERVATIVE ROCK MESSAGE BAND IS COMING TO KC just to play for the event. So bring your families, lawn chairs and blankets and be prepared to have a great time and ROCK THE VOTE!!! It will take all of us working together to WIN IN 2012!!! Family Atmosphere and Free ADMISSION! Come cheer on your Favorite Bands! Let’s Bring the Young and Old Together and ROCK TO VICTORY!!For more info. please call Theresa Emerson or email blushma@gmail.com Rain or Shine WE ARE ON!

Rules and guidelines if you wish to participate, here.

Here’s your introduction to Madison Rising:

Video: Jacob Turk on Rep. Cleaver’s $1.35 Mil Bank Default – “Where Did Our Money Go?”

At today’s tea party rally on the Plaza in Kansas City, I had a chance to ask conservative Republican, Jacob Turk, who’s running for Congressman Emanuel Cleaver’s seat in District 5, MO about Cleaver’s bank default with the Bank of America.

As I reported, here and here, the Bank of America’s lawsuit against the Democratic congressman seeks $1.5 million in principal, interest and late fees for his loan for a car wash he bought in 2002.

Jacob Turk said Cleaver, who is the Leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a member of the Progressive Caucus,  turned the SBA loan into the “Cleaver Grant Program”. Turk is calling for an investigation because Cleaver has neglected to list the loan on his financial disclosure form, and further asked, where did our money go – $1.35 million dollars on a car wash that is only worth $250,000?

Kansas City Tea Party Pix and Video, April 14, 2012

A decent crowd turned out for a Tax Day Tea Party sponsored by the In God We Trust PAC  this morning on the Country Club Plaza, in Kansas City, MO.

Conservative state and federal candidates were on hand, including Republican Congressman from Iowa, Steve King, Republican candidate for US Senate in MO, Todd Akin, Republican candidate for MO Sec. of State, Shane Schoeller, and Republican candidate for US House, Dist.5, Jacob Turk to give speeches  and answer questions.

IA Congressman Steve King is in Kansas City this weekend for our two tea parties.

Jacob Turk gave a great speech, as he always does.

Todd Akin is running for the US Senate in Missouri.

Akin posed with supporters.

Republican candidate for MO Sec. of State, Shane Schoeller also gave a great speech.

Jacob Turk, Republican Candidate for US Congress in MO Dist-5 spoke before the tea party crowd on the Plaza, with the JC Nichols Fountain as a backdrop.

More videos soon to come…

UPDATE:

Shane Schoeller’s speech in two parts. He had a little trouble with the PA system, but plowed through his speech, undaunted. This hardcore conservative would make a great Sec. of State.

Part One:

Part Two:

Sunday, the 15th, Champion the Vote, FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity are sponsoring another tea party: Conservatives in Action Tax Day Rally:

It will be near the Country Club Plaza, at Theis Park.

Speakers will include Congressmen Steve King (R-IA), Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Pastor Stephen Broden, Joshua Charles, Mason Weaver, Bill Dallas, Jason Jones of Breitbart. com, Dr. Milton Wolf, Ignacio Riverosa, Rep. Paul Curtman, and Jeannie Burlsworth (founder of Secure Arkansas).  Gregg Knapp of KCMO 710 AM will be master of ceremonies.  Crossroads Revival Band will provide musical entertainment.

The organizers are making space available for local groups to set up tables and pass out literature for a nominal $25 fee.   If you belong to a group that would like a table, you can contact the organizers directly via the Facebook links below.
Facebook invitation:  http://www.facebook.com/events/137412766384268/ 
Facebook event page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conservatives-in-Action-Rally/285557804854017

More info on Sunday’s rally, here.

Allen West: “I believe there’s about 78-81 members of the Democrat Party that are members of the Communist Party” (Video)

Via Freedom’s Lighthouse:

At a town hall meeting in Jensen Beach, located in the district in which Congressman Allen West will be running for re-election in a new seat (FL-18), he was asked how many members of the Democratic Party are “card-carrying Marxist Socialists”.

West responded: “I believe there’s about 78-81 members of the Democrat Party that are members of the Communist Party.”

He was probably referring to the Progressive Caucus, which is widely understood to be Democrat Socialist.

The Socialist Party of America announced in their October 2009 newsletter that 70 Congressional democrats currently belong to their caucus.

According to KeyWiki that number has grown to more than 80 members of Congress:

The Congressional Progressive Caucus was founded in 1991 by Bernie Sanders-the openly socialist then Congressman from Vermont, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the radical Washington DC based “think tank” Institute for Policy Studies (IPS).

Many members were and continue to be linked to DSA and/or the Communist Party USA, IPS or other radical organizations.

From small beginnings the CPC has grown to embrace more than 80 members of Congress and three in the Senate – Roland Burris, Bernie Sanders and Tom Udall (NM).

Sounds like he was right in the ballpark.

MORE:

Washington Examiner: Black gossip site calls Rep. West a ‘house slave’:

Bossip, a black celebrity gossip website, called Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., a “house slave” and an “Uncle Tom” because of his opposition to President Obama and the Democratic Party.

“Someone get this man a chair, hammock and a loveseat!” the Bossip Staff wrote today. “Resident house-slave black Republican Allen West channeled his finest Joe McCarthy impression in a town-hall meeting in Florida this past weekend.” West is a freshman congressman and member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

Bossip attacked West apropos of his reported claim that “he’s heard” that up to 80 House Democrats are members of the Communist Party. West refused to provide any names.

The website defended Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ill., however, when he claimed that some House Republicans “would love to see [him] hanging from a tree,” and attacked Carson’s critics. “Tea Party wanksters want congressman to resign,” Bossip wrote, adding “leave it to a lynch mob to be up in arms over a black man speaking the damn truth.”

Wouldn’t the “house slaves” be the ones living on the government dependency plantation?

That’s actually the theme of the new motion picture, Runaway Slave:

From the creators of Tea Party: The Documentary Film comes a new documentary about freedom. Runaway Slave exposes the economic slavery of the black community to the Progressive, big government policies of the U.S. government.  The film’s heroes are black conservatives who are speaking out so that all Americans can truly be “free at last.”

The film’s central figure is Rev. C.L. Bryant, a self-professed “runaway slave. A former NAACP chapter president in Garland, TX, C.L. abandoned an organization he felt was more about political posturing, and less about civil rights. As a former Democratic Radical who escaped the bondage of Progressivism and denounced the shackles of entitlements, he has committed himself to helping others secure the blessings of liberty that are guaranteed by the Constitution with his new found conservative values.

Rev. Bryant takes viewers on an historic journey across America that traces the footsteps of runaway slaves who escaped along routes that became known as the Underground Railroad to freedom. But in the film, he travels a “new underground railroad” upon which Black Conservatives are speaking out against big government policies which have established a “new plantation” where “overseers” like the NAACP and so-called “civil rights” leaders keep the Black community 95 percent beholden to one political party.

Citing statistics that demonstrate increasingly high rates of abortion, crime, unemployment and single parent households in the black community, the film features interviews with politicians and everyday Americans including economist Thomas Sowell, Dr. Alveda King, U.S. Representative Allen West, GOP Presidential Candidate Herman Cain, activist Star Parker and many others. Images from national events in Washington, D.C. provide a shocking look into the mindset of the liberal left as they seek to oppress black Americans every day.Its underlying theme asks the questions: What does the black community have to show for its 95% support of the Democratic Party? Is it truly “free at last?”

UPDATE:

Weasel Zippers: Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairmen Accuse Allen West of “McCarthyism” Over Communist Remark…

Uh — Rep. Raul Grijalva and Rep. Keith Ellison are exhibits A. and B. that McCarthy was on to something.

Here’s the political spectrum of the House courtesy of Gov Track. Note the two Congressmen on the far far left:

Methinks they doth protest too much.

Hat tip Brian B.

Linked by Michelle Malkin, Daily Pundit, and Cold Fury, thanks!

Video: Paul Ryan Cracks Up At Reporter’s Question About Obama’s Latest Demagogic Attack

As the Washington Beacon aptly put it, The President fired up his base, (aka the MSM) today in a speech before the Associated Press luncheon at the American Society of Newspaper Editors convention in Washington, D.C.

He viciously attacked the GOP budget resolution proposed by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) to the delight of  the media toadies in attendance.

The president accused Republicans of promoting a failed theory of “trickle-down” economics driven by large tax cuts for the wealthy financed at the expense of federal spending on the middle class.

The GOP vision, as outlined in the Ryan budget, was “nothing but thinly veiled Social Darwinism” and “a Trojan horse designed as a deficit reduction plan,” the president said.

“I don’t think people fully appreciate the nature of [the GOP] budget,” he said.

History has proven “their theory” wrong, Obama argued, before chastising Republicans for refusing to “show some humility and moderate their views.”

“Instead of moderating their views even slightly, the Republicans running Congress right now have doubled down,” he said, describing Ryan’s budget as “so far to the right it makes the Contract with America look like the New Deal.”

Though he did not mention Ryan by name, Obama did call out GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney, who has praised Ryan’s budget as “marvelous.”

“He even called [the Ryan budget] marvelous,” the president said of Romney. “Which is a word you don’t often hear when it comes to describing the budget. It’s a word you don’t often hear generally.”

The crowd of reporters erupted in laughter.

Guy Benson at Townhall called it Obama’s Worst Speech Yet.

Today we witnessed something truly remarkable. Barack Obama managed to out-do himself by uncorking what very well may have been the most dishonest, demagogic, and bitterly partisan speech of his presidency.

In an interview with CBS News’ Chip Reid in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Rep. Paul Ryan was also laughing, but not with the President — at the President’s comically demagogic criticism of his budget proposals. He said, “unfortunately, we’re used to the President acting like this”, called him the “Campaigner in Chief”, and  went on to say instead of offering real  solutions to fix this country’s problems, Obama offers “these baseless, partisan attacks.”

“You know, I don’t think history is going to be kind to a President, that when confronted with one of country’s most pressing challenges – the debt crisis – chooses to do nothing about it, and then waits for those of us who offer solutions, to attack us in these baseless ways… I think what the President is trying to do is offer this big government populism and in an effort not to propose solutions, but in an effort to divide and distract this country for the purposes of his reelection, and I just don’t think people are going to buy this stuff.”

So annoying – embedding not allowed, watch on YouTube…

UPDATE:

Video of some of Obama’s outrageous remarks via Townhall:

I hadn’t realized he also made a “joke” telling reporters to feel free to transmit his speech to Vladamir…Wow…that wasn’t very funny at all, was it?

UPDATE II:

Newsbusters: Paul Ryan: ‘Three Certainties in My Life – Death, Taxes and Bitter Partisan Attacks From Obama’

Talking to Fox News after the President spoke at the Associated Press’s annual luncheon, Ryan said, “I seem to have three certainties in my life – death, taxes and bitter partisan attacks from President Barack Obama” (video follows with transcribed highlights and absolutely no need for additional commentary):

MORE:

Fire Andrea Mitchell: Bret Baier destroys whiny propaganda minister Jay Carney over Obama’s budget (Video)

An interesting discussion between lefty Thom Hartmann and Peter Ferrara, Senior Fellow at the Carleson Center for Public Policy / author-America’s Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb.
Website: http://theccpp.org/

Linked by Michelle Malkin, and Doug Ross, and Pundit and Pundette, thanks!

TSA Oversight Hearing Today at 130 PM EST: Effective Security or Security Theater? UPDATE: Video Added

Today, The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is holding a joint hearing with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the TSA. Live-stream, here.

The work of our two Committees has documented a recurring pattern of mismanagement and waste at the Transportation Security Administration.  Add to this an unending string of video clips, photographs and news reports about inappropriate, clumsy and even illogical searches and screenings by TSA agents.  Americans are right to demand answers from TSA about the return on investment of their tax dollars.

Monday’s joint Committee hearing represents yet another opportunity for TSA to try to explain why Americans are subjected to procedures that sometimes appear to defy logic and why the agency continues on a security system procurement binge.  The committee will be asking questions about the effectiveness of five major security initiatives that together represent billions dollars of government spending.  Understanding the cost for security programs as well as their benefits will help address the question: is it security theater or effective security.

I’ve been doing a slow burn since the invasive screening policies were enacted. I’m glad Republicans are finally looking at this, and asking Americans to tell their horror stories.

On Facebook, Oversight has been running a social media campaign for taxpayers to submit their “TSA Experiences” for Oversight members to ask the TSA bosses about.

Here are some of the submissions:

Michael Raymond Burns: Could you please explain TSA’s ridiculous policy in regard to this: As the Chalk Leader for my flight home from Afghanistan, I witnessed the following:

When we were on our way back from Afghanistan, we flew out of Baghram Air Field. We went through customs at BAF, full body scanners (no groping), had all of our bags searched, the whole nine yards. Our first stop was Shannon, Ireland to refuel. After that, we had to stop at Indianapolis, Indiana to drop off about 100 folks from the Indiana National Guard. That’s where the stupid started.
First, everyone was forced to get off the plane-even though the plane wasn’t refueling again. All 330 people got off that plane, rather than let the 100 people from the ING get off. We were filed from the plane to a holding area. No vending machines, no means of escape. Only a male/female latrine.

It’s probably important to mention that we were ALL carrying weapons. Everyone was carrying an M4 Carbine (rifle) and some, like me, were also carrying an M9 pistol. Oh, and our gunners had M-240B machine guns. Of course, the weapons weren’t loaded. And we had been cleared of all ammo well before we even got to customs at Baghram, then AGAIN at customs.

The TSA personnel at the airport seriously considered making us unload all of the baggage from the SECURE cargo hold to have it re-inspected. Keep in mind, this cargo had been unpacked, inspected piece by piece by U.S. Customs officials, resealed and had bomb-sniffing dogs give it a one-hour run through. After two hours of sitting in this holding area, the TSA decided not to re-inspect our Cargo-just to inspect us again: Soldiers on the way home from war, who had already been inspected, re-inspected and kept in a SECURE holding area for 2 hours. Ok, whatever. So we lined up to go through security AGAIN.

This is probably another good time to remind you all that all of us were carrying actual assault rifles, and some of us were also carrying pistols.

So we’re in line, going through one at a time. One of our Soldiers had his Gerber multi-tool. TSA confiscated it. Kind of ridiculous, but it gets better. A few minutes later, a guy empties his pockets and has a pair of nail clippers. Nail clippers. TSA informs the Soldier that they’re going to confiscate his nail clippers.

The conversation went something like this:
TSA Guy: You can’t take those on the plane.
Soldier: What? I’ve had them since we left country.
TSA Guy: You’re not suppose to have them.
Soldier: Why?
TSA Guy: They can be used as a weapon.
Soldier: [touches butt stock of the rifle] But this actually is a weapon. And I’m allowed to take it on.
TSA Guy: Yeah but you can’t use it to take over the plane. You don’t have bullets.
Soldier: And I can take over the plane with nail clippers?
TSA Guy: [awkward silence]
Me: Dude, just give him your F**K**G nail clippers so we can get the F**K out of here. I’ll buy you a new set.
Soldier: [hands nail clippers to TSA guy, makes it through security]

To top it off, the TSA demanded we all be swabbed for “explosive residue” detection. Everyone failed, [go figure, we just came home from a war zone], because we tested positive for “Gun Powder Residue”. Who the Hell is hiring these people?

This might be a good time to remind everyone that approximately 233 people re-boarded that plane with assault rifles, pistols, and machine guns-but nothing that could have been used as a weapon.

Can someone please tell me What the hell happened to OUR country while we were gone?
Sgt. Mad Dog Tracy

Maggi Cook ‎:‎#TSA – traveling from Dayton OH to Seattle TSA tried to direct my 3&5 yr old children to separate line, as I was selected for a more thorough screening; traveling from Seattle back to Dayton Sea-Tac TSA demanded that my son, active duty Sgt 3-days from depolyment, under go full screening – including confiscating a small piece of required equipment in his pocket – in order for him to accompany his children to gate. My son was in uniform at that time – I mean SERIOUSLY.

Lisa Carley Dale Nashville Airport BNA, a few months ago…I agreed to go thru the “nudey scan” as I like to call it, and they still groped my breasts and back area. I’m a size 4, so I cannot begin to fathom what they THOUGHT I was trying to conceal. Since I’m going to be groped either way, I’m no longer going through the “nudey scan” anymore.

Edward Gibson I no longer travel because of TSA intrusions.

Roland Murphy ‎2 years ago I had a 0530 flight out of Detroit coming back to Phoenix. I was detained for “enhanced screening”. My laptop, all my papers and every item on my person were reviewed by the two dimwits handling my “interrogation,” as they referred to it. They questioned the fact that I had my water bill in my bag and that the account was in my wife’s name, rather than mine, why I was carrying a passport if I wasn’t traveling out of the country, why I used a car service rather than renting a car, etc. etc. I have to say the review of everything in my laptop bag and question after question after question felt even more invasive than the overly enthusiastic pat down that preceded the grilling.

Bill C. Tudor I refuse to fly AT ALL as long as the corrupt TSA is in airports harrassing American citizens and wasting my hard earned tax dollars.

UPDATE:

During Oversight’s joint TSA hearing with the Transportation Committee, Chairman Darrell Issa highlighted four stories submitted to the committee on its Facebook page.

 There were close to 350 individual submissions and all will be placed into the record.

 

How I Missed The Jackson County MO Caucus, March 24, 2012: Update: Even Worse than Expected – Paul wins major­ity of del­e­gates: 80% to Romney 20%

The line to get in at approx 10:05 a.m.

Missouri Republicans are meeting in Jackson County and St. Louis, today in the state’s complicated GOP caucuses.

Most Missouri counties caucused last weekend, but Jackson County and St. Louis decided to move their caucuses to Saturday. One reason is both communities put on popular St. Patrick’s Day parades.

It turns out that I was supposed to be in that line, pictured above,  by 10:00 a.m. sharp, in order to get in. I was on schedule to get there on time, but a pick-up truck cut in front of me, and decided to just putter slowly along near an intersection on the way to the venue, and you guessed it – the green light I should have made turned red. So.

And then there was the unfortunate parking situation. (No spaces left!)  Diagonal lines in a parking lot mean no parking except in desperate circumstances, right? Coppers everywhere + me parking in a dicey spot + me with an upset stomach and no bathrooms  around = me not sticking around too long.

According to blogger Lorien Johnson, (a Paulite), there were approx 300 people in line by 8:10 a.m.

By 9:19 a.m. they were up to 640 atten­dees.

You know who gets there two hours early to wait in line that long for these things? Fanatics. The place was swarming with Ron Paul supporters. I mentioned to a couple of other Santorum supporters, who were also too late to get in, it looked to me like Ron Paul was being over-represented at this caucus. I don’t look forward to hearing the results of this thing, at all.

Anyway, for those who are interested, Johnson, ahem -  ” lib­er­tar­ian con­sti­tu­tion­al­ist influ­enced by Hayek and Burke” who  “thinks as an anar­chist guided by the bib­li­cal prin­ci­ples of lib­erty” is live-blogging the Caucus from inside.

The latest:

01:56 PM CST — @TracyWardForKC says: “Now vot­ing on pro­por­tional slates out win­ner take all. This crowd is get­ting antsy.”

01:55 PM CST — Sounds like all of the cam­paigns are angling at the moment. No sub­stan­tive news.

01:35 PM CST — Analysis from a Platte County res­i­dent and cau­cus orga­nizer, Darrel Drumright: Each dis­trict has it’s own con­ven­tion. If you live in the 5th dis­trict you would be nom­i­nated for del­e­gate to the 5th dis­trict con­ven­tion. If you lived in the 6th dis­trict you would vote for del­e­gates to the 6th dis­trict con­ven­tion. They should make a motion to vote on the stage con­ven­tion del­e­gates first and then divide by dis­trict. The cau­cus today votes for del­e­gates for three dif­fer­ent con­ven­tions. The 5th dis­trict con­ven­tion, the 6th dis­trict con­ven­tion and the MO state con­ven­tion. All three send del­e­gates to national.

01:29 PM CST — Some peo­ple are so angry that del­e­gates might be divided that they are leaving.

01:21 PM CST — Mark Seitman (sp?) motions to amend rules to divide into 5th and 6th dis­tricts instead of vot­ing as county.

01:15 PM CST — Rules Committee now reporting.

01:13 PM CST — All singing God Bless America while wait­ing for Rules Cmte.

01:08 PM CST — Motion made and passed to sus­pend the read­ing of the call to con­ven­tion to save time.

01:05 PM CST — Munyan elected Secretary, 587 to Finch’s 281. Munyan is a GOP Committeeman and local attor­ney. Very hon­or­able rep­u­ta­tion, and I have met him and heard him speak. Good choice.

UPDATE:

According to Lorien Johnson:

CONFIRMED:

Paul wins major­ity of del­e­gates in Jackson County, Missouri. Paul 80% Romney 20%!

I could tell that Paulbots had flooded the zone. It was a lost cause.

Who’s the genius who decided Missouri needed to go to a Caucus?

UPDATE II:

Ron Paul supporters dominated in St. Louis, as well.

Linked by Daily Pundit thanks!

Saturday Movie Matinee:The Best of the ‘Standing Up For Religious Freedom’ Rally Speeches

Yesterday, at nearly 200 rallies across the nation,  thousands of pro-life advocates  rallied for religious freedom  and against the Obama mandate that requires employers to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions.

The rally in Washington, D.C. was so large organizers had problems getting the entire crowd in one picture.

Every single one of these speeches is worth listening to.

Star Parker gave a rousing speech at Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally, Washington DC:

Star Parker, president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and speaker at today’s event in DC, explained the untenable choice the mandate forces non-exempt religious employers to make: “Bow your knee, pay a fine, or close your business.”

Congressman Joe Walsh was on fire at the Stand Up For Religious Freedom rally at the Federal Plaza in Chicago:

Walsh addressed an audience of 2500 individuals about preparing to go to jail while defending our religious freedom, which is clearly violated by Barack Hussein Obama’s heinously criminal, unconstitutional HHS Mandate!

At the Kansas City rally, a gentleman from Life Front, gave a rousing speech, quoting Patrick Henry: “237 years ago today – March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke these words”:

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally, Howell, MI – AFLC’s Robert Muise Speech:

AFLC Co-Founder & Senior Counsel Robert Muise was honored to give a speech at the Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally at the county courthouse in Howell, Michigan on March 23, 2012. He discussed Obama’s attack on religious freedom and the legal action AFLC is taking to stop it.

Fr. John Speech at Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally, Winston-Salem, NC:

Michele Wetteland Inspired Attendees Of The Fort Worth Religious Freedom Rally:

Orlando Stand Up for Religious Freedom – Liberty Counsel:

Pastor and lawyer for Liberty Counsel speaks at the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally March 23, 2012 outside the U.S. courthouse in downtown Orlando.

Religious Freedom Rally Phoenix-Dr. & Reverend C.T. Wright:

Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally – Flint, MI,  3/23/11:

Stand Up For Religious Freedom – Nashville Rally – Dr. Richard Land:

Stand Up For Religious Freedom, Buffalo:

About 1,000 people rallied in front of the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Buffalo on Mar. 23, 2012, supporting religious freedom and opposing the HHS mandate. In this video, Cheryl Calire, director of Pro-Life Activities for the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y., reads a statement on behalf of Bishop Edward U. Kmiec.

Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally In Pittsburgh, PA:

http://www.40daysforlife.com 40 Days for Life national director David Bereit speaks to the Stand Up For Religious Freedom rally in Pittsburgh, PA, challenging the large crowd to stand up against the Obama administration’s egregious HHS Mandate.

“Palin-Power”: Bristol’s Post Melts Down Server at Patheos, Over 100,000 Shares, Over 1,700 comments, Reported on by MSM and Hollywood …

Via Conservatives 4 Palin,   NRO’s David French, who is married to the editor of Patheos, describes the server melt-down there, yesterday.

Nancy tweeted it to her few hundred followers (she and I have a rather pathetic contest for twitter followers; right now I’m barely in the lead with a whopping 776), and Bristol facebooked it. Within hours, it had been shared 8,000 times. Already it was taking off.

Then Sarah Palin tweeted.

Patheos’s server promptly melted down. One of the most-trafficked religious sites on the web, its server still spontaneously combusted. A small mushroom cloud was spotted over the server farm. Eleven additional servers had to be brought online to handle the traffic flow, and by the end of the day, 8,000 shares had turned into more than 85,000 (update: 100,000), and the story of Bristol’s challenge to the president had been reported not just in the political and mainstream media but also in the Hollywood media as well. Thousands of tweets, and tens of thousands more Facebook shares from Fox to the Huffington Post to the Hollywood Reporter took the post well beyond the familiar and comfortable enclaves of the conservative blogosphere.

That, in essence, is Palin power. No other name in the conservative movement can instantly break through the wall of separation between conservative punditry and popular culture. Bristol powerfully and concisely told the truth — and reached an audience so large it resides only in most pundits’ wildest dreams.

Bristol Palin’s well thought out and well written post at Patheos struck a chord with people because they’re disgusted with the gross double standards they see in public discourse. As Bristol says in her latest blog post, Responding to the Viral Sensation, Loving my Brother:

The very people who call out for “civility” in our conversations ignore the hatred that spills out of their friends, allies, and million-dollar donors.

She gets it.

Of course she does. She’s a Palin, and has thus seen her family jerked around the center of an institutional left-fueled sh*t-storm on too many occasions to count.

Incidentally,  “Loving My Brother” is part of her latest headline as a response to the many vicious attacks on Trig that have been seen in the comment section of her viral post.

You can see that Bill Maher is not some lone comedian with a unique perspective on us. Rather, he taps into something evil and dark that resides in the hearts of many people who hate our family. Even after so many years, I’m still a little surprised when people make fun of my little brother. They, however, can’t silence me or my mom. In fact, they motivate us to keep speaking. Evil can’t win!

Responding to the “You’re comparing apples to oranges” argument, (” a comedian pretty much can say what they want. Limbaugh actually represents the Republican Party”), Palin says:

Bill Maher is much more than a comedian. He’s a big-time political player who hides behind the “comedian” label whenever he gets criticized. His guest list represents a huge chunk of the Washington establishment and sometimes even includes prominent Republicans. And as I said in my original post, he’s put himself straight in the middle of presidential politics by giving $1,000,000 to President Obama’s SuperPAC. Bill Maher isn’t just some guy behind a microphone in a seedy comedy club in the middle of nowhere. He’s a comedian and political commentator like Rush is an entertainer and political commentator. He’s a little bit less popular, but his professional failure compared to Rush doesn’t make him any less accountable for his vile speech.

See how neatly she stuck the shiv in Maher’s ribs, there, in ‘Cuda -like fashion? Clearly, Bristol Palin is more than just a pretty face.

A writer for Yahoo News, L. Vincent Poupard, applauded Palin for setting up the perfect “Catch 22″ for the President.

Due to Palin’s blog, the ball is in President Obama’s court. If he calls her, it will appear to be due to the pressure by the right to treat her the same way he treated Fluke. The former vice-presidential candidate’s daughter made a statement in her blog about the president being the president of all Americans and not just Democrats.

 If the president does not call her, it will solidify the thought he let Maher get away with the comments made due to the donation and the comedian’s political leanings. It will show a double standard of how it is OK for a public figure to say anything he or she wants as long as he or she is a liberal and makes contributions toward the Democrat reelection funds.

 We might see the buddings of a political career in the young Palin. She was able to send a challenge and set a trap at the same time for President Obama. While many politicians try to do this on a daily basis, few can be as successful as the young reality star could be. Bristol wins no matter what happens.

On the flip side, Obama loses no matter what happens.

Well played, Miss Palin.

I for one, look forward to many more blog-posts from the budding star.

Republicans Unveil New ‘Path to Prosperity’ Budget Plan For Fiscal Year 2012

At a House hearing, last month,  Paul Ryan, the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, skewered Obama’s Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for having no plan to control the debt.

Today, Ryan unveiled the sequel to last year’s, Path to Prosperity budget  plan on the House Budget Committee website:

The Path to Prosperity: Restoring America’s Promise

House Budget Committee – Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Resolution

Read Full Report

Key Facts & Summary

A Contrast in Budgets

Setting the Record Straight

The current path – which the President’s irresponsible budget commits us to – will result in a debt-fueled economic crisis, the shredding of the safety net, and a diminished future. Americans deserve better than empty promises from a government going broke. The budget advanced by the House Budget Committee ensures real security through real reform. The House Budget Committee’s FY2012 Budget Resolution helps spur job creation today, stops spending money the government doesn’t have, and lifts the crushing burden of debt. This plan puts the budget on the path to balance and the economy on the path to prosperity.

Forbes is liking  Paul Ryan’s “New-and-Improved Plan for Medicare and Medicaid Reform”:

The headline is that the new plan scraps Ryan’s old Medicare proposal, which involved full privatization of Medicare in the form of “premium support,” for a partial privatization which incorporates the option for seniors to stay on traditional Medicare, using a framework known as competitive bidding. The new Medicare proposal is lifted from Paul Ryan’s collaboration with Democratic senator Ron Wyden (Ore.), which I called a “game changer” when it was released in December.

Other health care-related provisions are basically the same: repeal Obamacare, and block-grant Medicaid. Ryan’s proposal seeks to move toward “patient-centered reform,” which he describes as including malpractice reform, purchasing insurance across state lines, and expanding consumer-driven insurance plans. Notably, he advocates allowing employees to opt out of employer-sponsored care, and giving workers the option to take their employer’s insurance contribution and devote it to buying plans for themselves.

Keep reading.

Paul Ryan’s ally in the Senate Budge Committee, Jeff Sessions on the Senate Floor, yesterday: Americans Have A Right to Be Angry Over Health Law’s Surging Costs:

Speaking on the Senate floor today, Sen. Sessions addressed the soaring cost projections for President Obama’s health care law, which have now reached nearly triple what he originally promised the American people. Sessions stated: “This is the kind of thing that [has] the American people are asking us, ‘Are you crazy? How can you borrow 40 cents of every dollar you spend? … What’s the matter with you people?’”

While House Republicans unveil a budget plan to repeal the president’s costly health law; Senate Democrats aren’t even bothering to produce a budget plan at all.

See Also:

ABC News: House Republicans Unveil New Budget Blueprint:

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan is unveiling his latest budget blueprint that proposes significant tax and entitlement reform for FY2013, but is likely to draw the disdain of congressional Democrats.

“We assumed there would be some who would distort for political gain our efforts to preserve programs like Medicare,” Ryan, R-Wis., wrote in the Wall Street Journal this morning.  “Having been featured in an attack ad literally throwing an elderly woman off a cliff, I can confirm that those assumptions were on the mark. But one year later, we can say with some confidence that the attacks have failed. Courageous Democrats have joined our efforts. And bipartisan opposition to the path of broken promises is growing.”

The organized left is not giving up, though:

The American Prospect gives Ryan’s budget plan a thumbs down:

The Wisconsin representative’s plan is filled with distortions and half-truths.

Later this morning, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan will unveil his latest budget plan, “The Path to Prosperity.” Like the “Roadmap” released last year—and passed by House Republicans—the Path to Prosperity fits neatly within Ryan’s self-described Randian ideology: It would slash social and entitlement spending and direct the savings to lower taxes on rich people and corporations. Despite this, as Matthew Yglesias points out, Ryan has a habit of portraying his policies as somehow beneficial to the broad majority of Americans.

RELATED:

For Missouri residents:

Hand Off My Health Care Rally – Missouri

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 11:30 AM (CT) Jefferson City, MO

March 23, 2012, marks an important and unfortunate anniversary. It will have been exactly two years since President Obama forced his unpopular health care takeover on the American people.

 As you are most likely aware, the Supreme Court will be considering the constitutionality of several elements of the President’s health care takeover. This may be our best chance to overturn this offense against our health care freedoms.

 That’s why Americans for Prosperity will be hosting a Hands Off My Health Care rally for free-market grassroots activists from across Missouri.

Linked by Michelle Malkin, thanks!