GORSUCH REPLACES SCALIA; BALANCES SCOTUS (CONGRATS)

GORSUCH REPLACES SCALIA; BALANCES SCOTUS:

FULL CONSERVATIVE POWER RETURNS TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.

CONGRATS


Sources: Los Angeles Times, The White House, YouTube


***** Gorsuch thanks Trump as he takes oath as Supreme Court justice


Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch went to the White House on Monday to take a second oath and to publicly thank President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, the lawyers in the White House counsel’s office, and Republican Senate leaders for helping put him on the nation’s highest court.

“This process has reminded me of how outrageously blessed I am,” Gorsuch said in the Rose Garden ceremony.

There has been some controversy in the past decade over whether it was appropriate for a newly confirmed justice to be sworn in at the White House. Retired Justice John Paul Stevens said such ceremonies give the appearance the new justice is going to the court as the president’s appointee rather than an independent justice.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan took their oaths at the Supreme Court and did not go the White House for a public ceremony. When they had a ceremonial investiture in the courtroom, President Obama attended. But in prior decades, the newly confirmed justices routinely went to the White House to take the oath alongside the president.

Rose Garden ceremony, the president said he was proud and pleased to have chosen an outstanding jurist to replace to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. “I got it done in the first 100 days!” he said.

“This is a very, very special moment,” Trump told Gorsuch as he was about take the oath. “I have no doubt you will go down as one of the truly great justices in the history of the United States Supreme Court.”

Gorsuch won his seat after an unusually partisan battle. Senate Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), refused to consider Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama's nominee, and they were forced to change the filibuster rule to confirm Trump's nominee after Democrats sought to block a vote on Gorsuch.

Earlier Monday morning, Gorsuch took the constitutional oath in a private ceremony at the Supreme Court. He then went to the White House to take a second “judicial oath” in a public ceremony.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts and the other seven associate justices were in attendance at the Rose Garden ceremony, and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy administered the oath to Gorsuch, who served as his law clerk in the 1993-94 term.

Gorsuch will soon be hearing and deciding cases involving the Trump administration, including possibly whether to uphold the president’s temporary travel ban on people from six majority-Muslim nations. Two federal judges decided to put the ban on hold, and lawyers for the administration are appealing.

Trump used the ceremony to tout the changes he has brought to Washington. “We are in a process of reviewing and renewing, and also rebuilding, our country. A new optimism is sweeping across our land, and a new faith in America is filling our hearts and lifting our sights,” he declared.

The president also praised Justice Kennedy as “a man of outstanding accomplishment. Throughout his nearly 30 years on the Supreme Court, [he] has been praised by all for his dedicated and dignified service. We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude, and I am honored that he is with us today.”

Kennedy, 80, is now the longest serving justice. And though a Republican appointee, he has been somewhat of a disappointment to conservatives. Last year, he joined with the court’s liberals to strike strict abortion clinic regulations from Texas, and the year before, he wrote the landmark decision making same-sex marriage a constitutional right.

If Kennedy were to retire in the next few years, it would give the president and Senate Republicans the opportunity to give conservatives firm control of the court. As if to reassure Kennedy, Trump’s lawyers have mentioned several of his former law clerks as strong candidates for the next Supreme Court nomination.

US POST OFFICE FOLLOWS IRS: TARGETS CITIZENS FOR POLITICS (EMPLOYEE THEFT)

USPS FOLLOWS IRS: TARGETS CITIZENS WHO OPPOSE OBAMA ADMIN POLICIES

USPS EMPLOYEES ARE ALSO STEALING CUSTOMER PACKAGES.

DOES ANYONE IN CONGRESS CARE?

Sources: Newsmax, Koin, St Louis Today, ConsumerAffairs.com, Youtube

From 2010 to 2012 the Obama Admin and key Democrat leaders allowed or ordered IRS employees to target Christians, Conservatives, Black-owned Businesses and Black Celebrities all for Politics as a means of silencing anyone who supported or considered supporting the GOP.

The GOP's only solution to stopping such harassment of US citizens was to Defund the IRS.

In 2016 it appears the Obama Admin and key Democrat leaders are now allowing or ordering US Postal employees to also target and harass Christians, Conservatives and anyone else who opposes Obama or Hillary.

Thousands of US citizens have submitted formal complaints to USPS Postmasters and USPS Inspector Generals with no resolution in sight.

Many people don't know that the US Postal Service actually falls under the Dept of Homeland Security.

So who chairs the Dept of Homeland Security?

Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson!

Is Senator Ron Johnson aware of such malfeasance at the hands of USPS employees against American citizens for the sake of Politics?

Does GOP leadership plan to hold a hearing of USPS brass on Capitol Hill as they did IRS brass?

Stay tuned.

***** Hazelwood US postal employees accused of stealing packages

Four current or former employees of a Hazelwood postal distribution center and the girlfriend of one of the men have been indicted in federal court here and accused of stealing electronics, drugs and other items from the mail.

The employees employed a process called “over-labeling,” where they created a new address label to replace the mail's existing label, then used that new label to direct the package to an address of their choosing, the indictment says. The ring targeted packages that they thought contained electronics, marijuana, clothing, pottery and “personal effects.”

In all, at least 33 packages were sent to seven addresses in St. Louis and St. Charles counties, the indictment claims.

Edward “Eddie” Lewis, 22, of Hazelwood; Sean West, 21, of the Florissant area; Quentin Cook, 22, of the Florissant area; Korey Howard, 23, of the Florissant area; and Che'yron Robinson, 22, of St. Charles, were all indicted Wednesday on a conspiracy charge. Their home addresses were not immediately available Tuesday.

Lewis and Howard also face charges of possession of stolen mail and West, Howard and Lewis face at least one charge of obstruction of correspondence.

Howard and West were so-called “Christmas casual” employees, and worked at the Hazelwood facility from November 2014 to January, the indictment says.

The investigation showed that a week after starting work, both opened mail that was on a delivery truck they were supposed to unload, according to the indictment.

Both are now unemployed.

Cook is a current employee, earning $2,000 per month, court documents say. Lewis worked for the postal service from May 2013 to March of 2014. Robinson is West's girlfriend.

West, Howard and Cook have been arrested and were scheduled to be in court Tuesday to plead not guilty. Their lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment.

Herman Cain Endorses Newt Gingrich! It Doesn't Mean Anything

Cain endorses Gingrich

Atlanta businessman and former presidential candidate Herman Cain endorsed Newt Gingrich Saturday night at a West Palm Beach Country Republican gathering after two months of wavering on whether he would offer his support to a fellow candidate.

The endorsement comes just three days before the crucial Florida primary, by far the largest state to vote so far in the GOP sweepstakes, and could help Gingrich energize tea party support. Gingrich campaign has flagged since his upstart, double-digit victory over front-runner Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary a week ago.

"I had it in my heart and mind a long time ago" to endorse Gingrich, Cain said in a surprise appearance at the dinner. "Speaker Gingrich is a patriot, Speaker Gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas, and I also know that Speaker Gingrich is ... going through this sausage grinder. I know what this sausage grinder is all about. I know that he's going through this sausage grinder because he cares about the future of the United States of America."

Cain's ended his presidential bid in early December amid claims of sexual harrassement by several women who worked for him over the years and amid a charge from an Atlanta woman that the two carried on a longstanding marital affair. Until the allegations surfaced, Cain had been steadily gaining ground as a serious primary contender, attracting hundreds of people to his campaign events and winning over tea party activists with his outsider's message and calls for a "9-9-9" flat tax plan.

Cain and Gingrich walked onto stage together to a huge round of applause from the audience, whose excitement continued throughout the former candidate's brief remarks. As Gingrich took the stage after him, he joked that when he accepted the invitation to speak at the West Palm Beach County GOP Lincoln Dinner, he "had no idea it would be this interesting."

Gingrich's campaign can only hope that the support of the once-popular candidate will give a shot of life to his campaign, which is beginning to falter in Florida after a series of rough debates and nonstop attacks from Romney and a super PAC supporting Romney. But Cain's support may have lost his luster after nearly two months out off the campaign trail.

Always unpredictable, Cain had suggested as recently as last week in South Carolina that he would not endorse one of the remaining Republicans in the field. "Here is my unconventional endorsement. Not a candidate seeking the nomination. Not someone that's not running. My unconventional endorsement is the people! We the people of this nation are still in charge," he said.


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Sources: AP, CBS News, Youtube, Google Maps

Michelle Bachmann Vs. Hillary Clinton: Hillary! (Better Communicator)

Michele Bachmann, evangelical feminist?

If Hillary Clinton, the woman who came closest to becoming a major party presidential nominee, is a feminist icon, could something similar be said of Michele Bachmann, who officially launched her presidential campaign on Monday?

Bachmann is seldom described in those terms; the conservative Minnesota congresswoman and Tea Party darling might cringe at the feminist label.

But some religion and politics experts say that she exemplifies an evangelical feminism that is producing more female leaders in Christian nonprofits, businesses, and education and politics, even as more traditional gender roles prevail in evangelical homes and churches.

“It’s not that evangelical feminism is entirely new,” says R. Marie Griffith, director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. “But this lack of fear going into top positions of power is new and astonishing and exciting for this segment of the population.”

Though evangelical women have long been involved in political activism, including helping to lead the temperance movement and campaigning for and against women's right to vote, seeking the White House is a more recent and dramatic step.

“It’s a trend that was started by Sarah Palin,” Griffith said, referring to the former Alaska governor, who was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008.

D. Michael Lindsay, a scholar who has studied evangelical leaders, says that evangelical feminism largely followed the trend in secular feminism, even if it was delayed by a decade or so.

“Evangelicals are not traditionally the innovators in gender roles, so they’re not going to be at the vanguard,” says Lindsay, who was recently appointed president at Gordon College and who wrote the book Faith in the Halls of Power. “But they also don’t trail too far behind.”

Lindsay says that evangelical feminism took off in the 1980s, pointing to Ronald Reagan tapping Elizabeth Dole, a Christian with strong connections in the evangelical world, to be his secretary of transportation as one example.

George W. Bush, meanwhile, appointed evangelical women to top roles in his presidential administration, including Karen Hughes as a top adviser and Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state.

At the same time, there are distinctions between evangelical and secular feminism. Many female evangelical leaders, for instance, talk of being called by God to pursue professional careers.

“This idea of women being out in the world when they’re doing God’s work – that’s the key,” says Griffith, who is author of God's Daughters: Evangelical Women and the Power of Submission. “You have to be called.”

Bachmann, an evangelical Lutheran, has talked of being called to run for president.

“When I pray, I pray believing that God will speak to me and give me an answer to that prayer, and so that’s what a calling is,” she told CBS News on Sunday, explaining that she had prayed about her decision to seek the presidency. “If I pray, a calling means that I have a sense from God which direction I’m supposed to go.”

Another difference between some evangelical and secular feminists is a public emphasis on motherhood. Bachmann’s political identity is constructed largely around her role as a mother of five kids and her experience of taking in 23 foster children.

Palin, who was raised in the Pentecostal tradition, has also emphasized her role as mother, frequently discussing her children and famously using the term “mama grizzlies” to describe female political candidates for whom she campaigns.

Lindsay says that the motherhood angle could be refreshing to evangelical voters, who constitute a majority of the Republican electorate in early states like Iowa and South Carolina.

“A lot of male evangelical politicians have trumpeted family values, but we’ve seen time after time how many break their marriage vows and have tense relationships with their kids,” he says.

“When you’re the mother of four or five kids up there talking about how their commitment to politics stems from your commitment to kids, which is true for both Palin and Bachmann, that resonates with people who are skeptical of American politics.”

The emphasis that some women evangelical leaders place on motherhood appears to be connected to women taking on more prominent roles in the antiabortion movement, which is closely tied to the evangelical subculture.

“There were a lot of women who were representing the old guard abortion center feminism and there were very few pro-life women who were credentialed in state legislatures and running at the federal level,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the antiabortion group Susan B. Anthony List, describing the organization’s founding 20 years ago.

Dannenfelser’s group works to elect women candidates who oppose abortion rights, raising roughly $11 million in the 2010 election cycle.

“The constant line from Jane Fonda and Barbara Boxer on abortion was ‘You can’t possibly know how a woman feels - how dare you speak on an issue you have no knowledge of,'” says Dannenfelser, referring to the pro-abortion rights actress and U.S. senator.

“Now we have women communicating the truth of the matter, which is that abortion is really destroying a lot of women,” she says.

Though Bachmann is widely considered to be a long shot for the GOP nomination, a weekend poll from The Des Moines Register had her running second only to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney among likely Republican caucus-goers, with 22% support.

Even as more evangelical women pursue top jobs in politics, there is little sign that they will be invited into similar roles in evangelical churches, which continue to be led by men, with some exceptions. Some evangelical denominations, including Southern Baptists, have recently moved to put more restrictions on women serving as pastors.

“It seems to me that most evangelical congregations make a sharp divide between the sacred and secular realms,” says Lindsay, “so that church is the last context where you’ll see women in ordained roles.”


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Sources: CNN, TMPTV, The Uptake, Youtube, Google Maps

Newt Gingrich Demands Congress Cut Funding NPR

In Wake Of Williams Firing, Republicans Want NPR Funding Examined


Three potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates chimed in Thursday on the firing of NPR news analyst Juan Williams, with two of them calling on Congress to scrutinize NPR's federal funding.

Williams was ousted Wednesday night for comments he made on Fox News about Muslims.



But former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) all called NPR's move an act of censorship and political correctness.

"While I have often enjoyed appearing on NPR programs and have been treated fairly and objectively, I will no longer accept interview requests from NPR as long as they are going to practice a form of censorship, and since NPR is funded with public funds, it IS a form of censorship," Huckabee said in a statement.

"It is time for the taxpayers to start making cuts to federal spending, and I encourage the new Congress to start with NPR."

Conservatives saw the Williams's firing as a chance to criticize media outlets, such as NPR, which they say are too sympathetic to left-wing points of view.

The long-time commentator told Fox News's Bill O'Reilly, "Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."



NPR explained Williams's firing in a statement saying his comments were "inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR."



NPR operates using both private and public money, though most of their revenue comes from non-public sources.

Gingrich, who was the top House lawmaker from 1994-1998, said that Congress should investigate NPR and consider cutting its funding.

"The U.S. Congress should investigate NPR and consider cutting off its money," he said on Fox News, calling the incident "a total act of censorship."

Palin put her response on her widely read Twitter account, saying "NPR defends 1st Amendment Right, but will fire u if u exercise it. Juan Williams: u got taste of Left's hypocrisy,they screwed up firing you."


Sources: Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, The Hill, Wikipedia, Youtube

Charlie Crist's Departure Proves Government Is Broken

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Crist Announces Independent Bid For U.S. Senate


Former GOP darling Gov. Charlie Crist defected from the Republican Party on Thursday to run as an independent for U.S. Senate after months of being ripped by Conservatives as too supportive of President Barack Obama.

"I don't have either party helping me. But I need you. I need you more than ever," the governor said, surrounded by cheering supporters carrying signs that included "Democrats for Crist."

Crist was the heavy favorite last year, and was even among the Republican names bandied about in the 2012 presidential race. But the primary campaign quickly became a lost cause as the tea party movement embraced another candidate, Marco Rubio, and held up the governor's literal embrace of Obama last year as evidence that Crist was too Liberal.

Crist said the election is "not one club's decision or another club's decision, or one club within that club. ... We give you the chance to make that decision."

His chances of winning as an independent appear slim. He's burned bridges with Republicans, and Democrats see his announcement as an opportunity for their own likely nominee, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek.

Meek said after Crist's announcement that he is now in a "commanding position" to win the seat.

The Senate has two independents — Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut — but neither had to fend off serious contenders from both parties in a general election.

Crist's outlook in the primary campaign, however, seemed even bleaker. One recent poll showed Crist more than 20 percentage points behind Rubio in the August primary, but Crist had a tiny lead when voters were asked who they would pick in a three-way race with Rubio and Meek.

"The odds are like a million percent better than if he were running as a Republican," said Brett Doster, a Republican political operative who managed Tom Gallagher's gubernatorial campaign against Crist in 2006. "Now he's free without any loyalty to any organization, party or ideology to just come out and be an absolute and total populist."

Crist said after the announcement in his hometown of St. Petersburg that he will change his voter registration from Republican to "no party affiliation." He claimed the middle ground during his short speech, saying politics had become too divisive.

"I haven't supported an idea because it's a Republican idea or a Democratic idea. I support ideas because I think they're good ideas for the people," he said.

Leaving the Republicans means it will be tougher for Crist to raise money, he'll lose nearly all his campaign staff and he won't have the advantage of a party infrastructure for resources like voter lists and volunteers. The party that helped propel him to power will now do anything to defeat him.

The main things Crist will be relying on are his charisma and likable personality. He has long had a reputation of trying to be all things to all people, and now he'll see if that's enough to put him ahead of Rubio and Meek.

Three confidants had said Wednesday that Crist told them he will run an independent campaign, but the governor denied that and did not reveal his plans until Thursday's announcement.

Just a year ago, it seemed Crist was the man to beat for the GOP nomination to run for the Senate seat Republican Mel Martinez was leaving early. But he has seen his poll numbers nose-dive as conservatives switched their support to Rubio, many driven away in part by Crist's support for Obama's $787 billion stimulus package. Rubio has frequently reminded voters that Crist hugged the president at a Florida appearance to support the bill.

Rubio grinned widely at a campaign stop in Coral Gables on Thursday when asked about Crist.

"When I got in this race I knew I was running against people that supported the Obama agenda," he said. "I just didn't realize I would have to run against both of them at the same time."

Other Republicans were making it clear that if Crist abandons the party, they will abandon him — for good.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Thursday that Crist's future political aspirations would be "irreparably damaged" by an independent run. The committee plans to reverse itself Thursday and back Rubio for the general election.

"Once we get by this drama today, it'll be a general election campaign," Cornyn said, predicting: "People will begin focusing on Kendrick Meek."

Cornyn said he expects GOP donors to ask to have their contributions refunded and added: "I will request the money that I've donated to his campaign from my leadership PAC back." Cornyn gave Crist $10,000 when he recruited the governor to run for the Senate in 2009.

Crist has spent the past several years working closely with Democrats and embracing other causes not popular among conservatives.

Just two weeks ago, he alienated many powerful Republican and business interests by vetoing a measure that would have made it easier to fire teachers and linked their pay to student test scores. At the same time, he scored points with the influential teachers union and other traditionally Democratic constituents who won't have a say in the GOP primary.

Even on Thursday Crist was talking about Obama, saying he spoke with him about a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that could threaten Florida coastline.

"He went ahead and volunteered any assistance the federal government can do," Crist said. "He was very sincere in what he had to say without a doubt, but we're all going to have to pitch in, not only government agencies — local, state and federal — but the people too."

Meek predicted Crist's independent candidacy will be good news for him.

"I feel that I'm running against two Republicans," he said. "There's very little difference between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist. They both agree on a number of issues and people are sick and tired of politicians flipping and flopping and changing with the wind."

Crist had $7 million in his campaign account at the end of last month and doesn't need to spend it introducing himself to voters because he is so well-known. Rubio had about half that amount, but his fundraising has increased tremendously and he can now ask Crist supporters for help.

Steve Schale, a Democratic strategist who ran Obama's Florida campaign, said he wouldn't count Crist out as an independent candidate.

"I think all three of them have a shot. I've been calling it a jump ball," Schale said.

Crist faces the problem of instantly losing his campaign structure in 67 counties, his turnout operation and his volunteers.

"He doesn't have any of that. It's working for somebody else — his opponent — and that's a tremendous obstacle," said David Johnson, a Tallahassee-based Republican strategist.

Still, he said it's uncertain who will benefit from the three-way race: "It's like trying to predict the winner of the World Series right now based on the first month of the season."


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Sources: MSNBC, Google Maps

James O'Keefe Busted By Feds For Another ACORN Trick...Sen. Mary Landrieu

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

James O'Keefe Charged With U.S. Senate Office Infiltration In New Orleans


Four men were charged Tuesday after attempting to illegally access and manipulate the phone system in a district office of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, a local U.S. attorney's office said.

Joseph Basel, 24, Robert Flanagan, 24, James O'Keefe, 25, and Stan Dai, 24, were charged with entering Landrieu's New Orleans office, which is federal property, under "false pretenses for the purpose of committing a Felony," according to the attorney's office.

Law enforcement officials say they believe O'Keefe is the conservative activist of the same name who dressed up as a pimp last summer and visited an office of ACORN, a liberal community organizing group, in order to solicit advice on setting up a brothel, among other scenarios.

He secretly recorded the visits on video and posted them on the Web, leading to a media firestorm.

Flanagan is the son of William Flanagan, the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, his office said.

Articles on conservative Web sites connect O'Keefe to a man named Joe Basel, describing them as conservative student activists and filmmakers.

According to the news release Tuesday and an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Steven Rayes, who is based in New Orleans, Basel and Flanagan attempted to gain access to Landrieu's office Monday while posing as telephone repairmen.

The two men were "each dressed in blue denim pants, a blue work shirt, a light green fluorescent vest, a tool belt and a construction-style hard hat when they entered the Hale Boggs Federal Building," the release said.

After they entered the building, the two men told a staffer in Landrieu's office they were telephone repairmen, according to the release and Rayes' affidavit. They then asked for, and were granted, access to the reception desk's phone system.

O'Keefe, who had been waiting in the office before the pair arrived, recorded their actions with a cell phone, Rayes' affidavit said.

Flanagan and Basel later requested access to a telephone closet, claiming they needed to perform work on the main phone system, the release and affidavit said.

According to Rayes' affidavit, the two men went to a U.S. General Services Administration office on another floor and requested access to the main phone system. A GSA employee then asked for their credentials, and the two men said they left them in their vehicle, the affidavit said.

All four men have admitted their roles in the operation to federal agents, Rayes' affidavit said.

If convicted, the four men would each face a fine of $250,000 and up to 10 years in prison, according to the news release.

"Because the details of yesterday's incident are part of an ongoing investigation by federal authorities, our office cannot comment at this time," Landrieu spokesman Aaron Saunders told CNN.

Articles posted January 14 on CampusReform.org and Political Vanguard, both conservative Web sites, quoted O'Keefe and a man identified as Joe Basel as conservative student activists and independent filmmakers.

"Don't just respond to news, but actually create your own headlines," O'Keefe is quoted as saying by CampusReform.org







ACORN Employee Sues Undercover Filmmakers



The civil lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia accuses the filmmakers of illegally recording their conversation with the worker.


An employee at a Philadelphia branch of ACORN, the national community organization under fire for allegations of wrongdoing, has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the two filmmakers who set off the controversy last fall with their undercover videos.

The civil lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia accuses the filmmakers, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, of illegally recording their conversation with the worker, Katherine Conway-Russell, and then publicizing the videos, which Conway-Russell says "caused emotional distress, harm and injury."

Conway-Russell is featured in one of several videos recorded by O'Keefe and Giles, who posed as a pimp and prostitute and visited ACORN offices around the country with a hidden camera. The videos, released initially through the conservative Web site BigGovernment.com, showed ACORN employees seeming to offer to help the couple skirt tax and housing laws while setting up a brothel.

Conway-Russell, an office director with ACORN Housing Corporation since March 2008, accuses O'Keefe and Giles of visiting the Philadelphia office July 24 to "entrap ... employees into engaging in inappropriate counseling," adding that she made clear to them that she could only offer assistance with "mortgage possibilities." The lawsuit doesn't go into details of the conversation.

It's hardly the first time ACORN or its employees have responded to the controversy over its operations by suing.

The organization filed a lawsuit in Baltimore in late September accusing the filmmakers and BigGovernment.com of illegally recording conversations at a Baltimore ACORN office and then posting them online.

And in November, representatives for ACORN sued the federal government in an attempt to regain the millions of dollars in funding the community organizing group lost after Congress responded to the undercover videos by voting to block the funding.

ACORN also has faced allegations of voter fraud during the 2008 presidential election.



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Sources: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Google Maps

Mike Huckabee Under Fire For Maurice Clemmons' Early Release

Conservatives hammer Mike Huckabee over shooting



The conservative blogosphere unleashed a torrent of criticism against Mike Huckabee Monday after a man whose sentence he commuted as Arkansas governor was suspected of gunning down four police officers in Washington state over the weekend.

Maurice Clemmons, whom Huckabee granted clemency to nine years ago, remained at large after local police in Lakewood, Wash. mistakenly thought they had him trapped in a house early Monday. Clemmons is reported to have shot the officers as they were sitting at a table in a local coffee shop.

While many details of the murders were still unclear Monday, leading online conservative voices were quick to pass judgment on Huckabee, whose 2008 presidential campaign was forced to respond to accusations that he was too lenient with violent criminals during his years as governor.

“The man being sought by police was granted clemency by former GOP Arkansas Mike Huckabee despite his violent history and vehement protestations from prosecutors and victims’ family members,” wrote conservative Michelle Malkin on her widely read blog. “This disaster is just one of Huckabee’s ill-considered clemency legacies.”

“This isn’t Huckabee’s first Horton moment,” Malkin continued, referring to the convicted murderer who raped a woman during a weekend furlough program supported by then-Massachusetts governor and later Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. Willie Horton was featured prominently in damaging ads from George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaign painting the Massachusetts Democrat as soft on crime.

On his conservative RedState blog, Erick Erickson wrote that the shooting “is going to be extremely problematic for Governor Huckabee.”

“Of course, a lot of folks said the last guy was Mike Huckabee’s ‘Willie Horton,’ Erickson continued. “How many Willie Hortons can one man have?”

Huckabee sought to distance himself from Clemmons in a statement posted on his political action committee’s website late Sunday, blaming “failures in the criminal justice system in both Arkansas and Washington State.”

“This is a horrible and tragic event and if found and convicted the offender should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Huckabee said. “Our thoughts and prayers are and should be with the families of those honorable, brave, and heroic police officers.”

At the age of 18, Clemmons was sentenced to 60 years in prison for burglary and theft – a sentence which he was slated to serve in addition to the 48 years he was already serving on five felony counts, including bringing a handgun on school grounds.

Citing Clemmons young age at the time he committed the crimes, Huckabee commuted Clemmons’ sentence after the convicted felon had served 11 years. Since getting released on parole, Clemmons has faced additional criminal charges—including at least eight felony charges in Washington, where he moved in 2004, according to local press accounts.

Few of Huckabee’s allies—including candidates he has endorsed for the 2010 campaign and his former campaign manager—responded to requests to speak to POLITICO about the fallout from the shooting. But on conservative blogs, Huckabee came under sustained attack.

Numerous bloggers used the incident to remind readers that the former Arkansas governor faced criticism during the 2008 presidential primary for granting a pardon to convicted rapist Wayne DuMond. Like Clemmons, DuMond returned to a life of crime, earning a second conviction before dying in prison in 2005.

Michael Goldfarb, a former aide to Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign and currently a blogger for the Weekly Standard, said Huckabee has suffered through a “brutal 24 hours” since the shooting, which came on the heels of his remarks to Fox News Sunday that he is “less likely,” rather than “more likely,” to run for president in 2012.

Goldfarb picked up Malkin’s criticism, telling POLITICO that the incident is Huckabee’s “second Willie Horton.”

“It was the worst week Huck’s had since he lost South Carolina in ’08,” Goldfarb said.

“Of course Huckabee couldn’t predict that the convict would shoot police officers, but the exercise of executive clemency goes right to judgment in a way that is very clearly understood by voters,” Ed Morrissey, a widely-read blogger on the conservative site Hot Air, wrote in an email. “His primary opponents will use it against him, and I'd guess that such an attack would be particularly effective with social conservatives.”

Former Huckabee press aide Joe Carter wrote on the blog for the Institute on Religion and Public Life that the story undercuts the former governor’s strengths as a candidate.

“Ironically, what makes Huckabee such an appealing Presidential candidate—his empathy for all people and genuine belief in the individual—is also the trait that will prevent him from ever reaching the White House,” Carter wrote. “His experiences and intuitions that served him well as a minister of the gospel were not always applicable in of governor of a state. The unfortunate reality is that for politicians, unlike pastors, there are limits to compassion.”

Conservative blogs were not the only corner of the Internet where Huckabee took a pounding. The popular Drudge Report website provided a prominent link to a Seattle Times story on Clemmons’s disturbing criminal history accompanied by the headline, “Huckabee granted clemency to man wanted for questioning.”

The former governor’s Wikipedia entry was altered midday to identify Huckabee in all caps as “THE IDIOT” who “RELEASED THE COP KILLER MAURICE CLEMMONS.”

Republican operatives and politicians contacted by POLITICO said the incident is already proving to be damaging.

One well-known GOP strategist with presidential campaign experience said the shooting is “pretty devastating” to Huckabee’s political future.

Mark Corallo, a veteran Republican communications consultant, added that since Republicans “are supposed to be the law and order, tough on crime party – it hurts [Huckabee] plenty.”

While former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney used the DuMond story to attack Huckabee during the bitterly fought presidential primary, none of Huckabee’s prospective 2012 opponents have singled out the former governor in the wake of the murders.

Spokesmen for Romney, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich did not respond to requests for comment on Clemmons.

Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin, meanwhile, posted a brief message about the shooting on her Twitter feed while stopped in Richland, Wash. as part of her ongoing book tour, but made no mention of the clemency granted to the suspected shooter.

“While in Washington state today my heart goes out to the WA police officers gunned down so tragically & senselessly,” Palin wrote. “God comfort the families.”



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Sources: Politico, MSNBC, Google Maps

Has The G.O.P. Lost Its Moral Compass For Good? Sinful Hypocrites!..Is A Revival Possible?

La Times, Politico, Huffington Post, Crooks and Liars, MSBNC----


Considering all the recent scandals about Infidelity within the G.O.P., I'm sure the late President Abraham Lincoln (first Republican Pres.) is probably rolling over in his grave right about now.

Perhaps I'm wrong in my analysis but aren't Republicans supposed to be the party of Family Values and Godly Morales?

Since when did God tell these powerful men that it was okay by him for them to cheat on their spouses? When????

Is there a new God in existence advising them that the rest of us don't know about?

Since "the apple doesn't usually fall far from its tree" I wonder where the origin of these G.O.P. Extramarital Affairs began.

I could blog about rumors I heard regarding some leaders from the previous Administration breathing "hot and heavy" with women who weren't their wives, but I won't. (Sorry I don't have enough evidence....yet!)

How does the G.O.P. expect to ever bounce back if they continue down this road?

To all Republican Political Leaders: Your running away the Young people, your running away Minorities, your running away Female voters and your ruining the future of what was once an extremely Effective, Relevant Political party.

This is an absolute shame!

In addition, trying to ignore these scandals or use Pres. Obama's policies as a smokescreen (hint, hint Eric Cantor, John Boehner) isn't helping either.

Someone be it male or female, within the Republican party who doesn't have any terrible hidden skeletons or past extramarital affairs history, needs to take control and start a Revival.

NOT a Conservative Movement Revival, a People Revival!

Invest in and Focus on the needs of the American People and STOP fighting with President Obama.

Now is not the time for Political Posturing or Separate Agendas!

In case you haven't noticed Voters (your Constituents) are suffering and hurting.

People need JOBS! Should it matter if its a Job created by Recovery Act Funds or if its a Green Job?

Get over yourself G.O.P.!

Whether you want to admit it or not, Pres. Obama walked into office on January 20, 2009 and discovered a multi-trillion dollar deficit.

This deficit was created over a period of eight years, however the G.O.P. miraculously expects this Mortal man (Pres. Obama) to eliminate it in 6 or 7 months!

None of you seemed to have a problem with Former President George W. Bush spending billions of dollars a month in Iraq, but your screaming your lungs out over Pres. Obama's efforts to stop the long term Fiscal bleeding.

When the Banks and Wall Street firms were robbing common everyday folks blind, none of you said anything then either.

Instead of attacking Pres. Obama's policies which are only being established to help heal our nation, why don't all G.O.P. leaders standing on the sidelines barking like vicious attacks dogs, just step up and admit they are angry we now have a BLACK President in the Oval office?

While we're on the subject of Racism let's be real shall we?

Sanford's rebellion (the Stimulus Funds issue) is due to him not wanting to submit to a Black President. (Secession)

Palin's resignation was due to similar reasons. (Another Secession)

Just go on ahead (like Pat Buchanan did) and get it out of your system so you can move on to re-branding the Republican Party.

Of course once G.O.P. leaders do stand up and admit they don't like the idea of our country having a Black President, in about a year or two everyone will be asking "whatever happened to the G.O.P.?"

Even though I'm a Democrat now (I've haven't always been) who is proud to help Pres. Obama straighten out this mess, I still believe in a two-party Political system.

However...if the Republicans are more interested in destroying our nation due to Racism, Selfishness, Polarizing Politics and Refusing to keep their pants zipped around women who are NOT their wives, then I will have no problem adjusting to a totally Democratic Party country.

For the record I do think that Rep. Eric Cantor would be an Excellent Republican Presidential contender for 2012 but only if his background is clean and only if he can sincerely demonstrate to the American people that his opposition to President Obama is not due to Racism.

Considering what he inherited, I firmly believe that Pres. Obama is doing a commendable job and deserves everyone's support. Including the Republican members of Congress.

In the mean time I will continue to pray for Pres. Obama's success.

HEALTH CARE REFORM CAN'T WAIT!


P.S.

(I said I was proud to be a National Democrat, not a NC Democrat because the NC Democratic party is Corrupt beyond normal Corruption. They know it and don't care to fix it. Thus I will remain proud and Loyal to the National Democratic Party.)



(During an interview last week on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace Rep. Eric Cantor, the second-ranking House Republican, said the recent scandals involving Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford were "not good" but said the party is "not just about personalities -- it's about ideas."

When pressed by Wallace as to whether the two adulterous Republicans should step down, the Virginian said "it is up to them.")




(A Capitol Hill townhouse serving as a dormitory and meeting place for conservative Christian lawmakers has been linked to a third extramarital affair. The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson discusses.)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(The wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is speaking out about her husband’s political future and says she’s keeping focused on her children. NBC’s Norah O’Donnell reports.)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

(Individual Commentary by Douglas MacKinnon)

I've found myself thinking lately about the tag-line for a 1974 horror movie: "If this doesn't make your skin crawl, it's on too tight."

What brought the saying to mind? Most recently, it was Nevada Sen. John Ensign. And before that it was South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana and former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig.

I am a former Republican and now an Independent Conservative, and what is going on with the GOP right now makes my skin crawl. What has happened to the party of morals, character and traditional beliefs?

Ensign, Sanford and Vitter should join Craig in the private sector and resign immediately. Not because they cheated on their wives but because of their hypocrisy and the sleazy things they've done in concert with their philandering.

Too many of my Republican friends offer excuses: "Democrats do the same thing," they say. But that won't play with the American people.

The Republican leadership -- especially any member of it who is thinking of running for president in 2012 -- needs to step back and acknowledge that the party is damaged, dysfunctional and coming across as hypocritical. There was a time when Republicans stood for something, but today it's no longer clear what the party's basic tenets are or who speaks for it.

The party doesn't even seem able to field a presidential candidate who understands why he or she is running. As one high-level Republican friend said to me of the 2008 race: "McCain was like an old dog chasing a car. He wasn't quite sure why he was chasing the car, and wouldn't know what to do with a car if he caught it, but at that stage of his life, he felt he had to chase the largest car going by."

Now that it's the party on the outside looking in, the GOP has to stop sending out the next candidate in line to chase the largest car going by and instead figure out what it stands for and how to connect with the changing complexion of our nation. That, or prepare for political extinction

So what can the party do? Two things. Reclaim the principles of honor, decency and morality, and connect with the extremely broad base of Americans who embrace those attributes.

Earlier this year, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush -- supported by Haley Barbour, John McCain and others -- gathered at a pizza parlor in Arlington, Va., to announce something called the "National Council for a New America." But the true "new America" isn't one inhabited by older, wealthy, white politicians.

I'm a conservative who grew up in abject poverty and was homeless a number of times as a child. More often than not, as a white child, I found myself living -- until the next eviction -- in predominantly black neighborhoods. That's where I caught my first glimpse of true American heroes: the single black moms who worked two or three jobs and did everything in their power to protect and advance their children. Today, I'm married to a Hispanic American woman and have witnessed up front the true "family values" that American Latinos embrace.

To make itself relevant again, the GOP needs to shed the morally bankrupt leaders who have violated the trust of their families and their constituents and embrace a broader base, a broader definition of what it is to be a conservative.

For what it's worth -- and as one who comes from the unwashed masses -- I'd tell the Republican leaders to go silent, get off the screen and get out among the American people for a few months and simply listen. Just listen. By doing so, they just might rediscover their lost convictions.


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Sources: La Times, MSNBC, Politico, Huffington Post, Fox News Sunday, Crooks & Liars, RNC, The Daily Reflector, Wikipedia, Google Maps