Dale Peterson Plans to Take the Hill and Make a Difference for Alabama

Posted on Mar 05, 2010

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There are only two people who hold positions within the state government of Alabama that allow those who hold those positions to leave Alabama and represent it, as well as obligate it for millions of dollars. Would anyone care to guess which two seats hold this power? If you guessed Governor, you’re right about one. The other one is the position of Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries. And, let this sink in; the Governor can’t do much without legislature approval, but the Agriculture Commissioner doesn’t have that problem. It is a very powerful job that isn’t generally recognized as such. Should the wrong person be in that job, abuse of power and the job could cause problems.

There are several candidates running for this job in Alabama. We interviewed one of them today and learned a great deal about the importance of this job. Dale Peterson of Shelby County, Alabama is running for this job because, as he said, “I’ve created and operated successful businesses and along the way gained a wealth of negotiation and marketing experience. My 40 years of successful experience, combined with my total lack of political experience, make me well suited to serve the people of Alabama as their Commissioner, especially understanding that Alabama is now a player in a global market. This state has been good to me, and I want to give back at a time when our state and nation need more and more business minded men and women to step up to the political plate.”

Mr. Peterson is dead serious about this job, and he knows exactly what needs to be done and how he plans to accomplish it. “I attended the greatest leadership institution in the world, Paris Island in South Carolina,” as he proudly points out that he served our country as a United States Marine during The Vietnam War.

“The status quo needs to change within politics here in Alabama, and that includes the Commissioner of Agriculture as well. In the past, we’ve had people holding that position who had no business experience and who didn’t realize the importance of principles of management. Had we, Alabama agriculture would not be in the mess it finds itself in today. Whether we like it or not, Alabama is now competing in a global economy, and old ways of doing business have to change.”

Peterson echoes feelings that are commonly heard these days about our state, country and the federal government. Said Peterson, “…over the years, we’ve let things go. It hasn’t been just one particular thing or situation but a combination, and we must get control and get government out of the way and out of our lives. When we do that, we can fix anything.” Mr. Peterson stated something that many people don’t often think of, which is, “John Q. Public needs to be made aware of the necessity for the Alabama family farms to remain strong and to be a buffer to imported foods. Without this farm buffer, food safety will be stretched to the breaking point, and the cost of food will skyrocket. Therefore, the more we import, the more it costs the citizens of our state and our country. We have enormous amounts of natural resources here in Alabama that are not being utilized effectively.”

We asked him what he planned to do in order to begin to implement change in Alabama’s Agriculture Industry, “My team and I will develop and implement a customized, cohesive agribusiness marketing program that will educate Alabamians about the importance of agriculture and will help Alabama farmers and ranchers.  For example, Alabama doesn’t have a large commercial meat processing plant.  Such a facility would bring jobs to our state as well as create an immediate market for our ranchers. The Commissioner of Agriculture should facilitate negotiations with local retail companies to buy locally processed meat produced by Alabama ranchers. That would have an immediate impact on agriculture, commerce, jobs and help rural communities.”

Mr. Peterson is down-to-earth and straight forward. “In 2005 Alabama became a net importer of food. We’re exporting the very same products we are importing, and that’s just stupid!  We so often see stickers on products that say ‘made in China,’ and I would love to see products in our grocery stores that show a product is Alabama-grown. Alabama must become more self-sufficient. In some cases, we may have to rethink what products we grow here in Alabama, but we certainly have some of the richest farmland in the United States. We can use it and at the same time not harm the environment.”

Peterson made a good point about crop subsidies when we discussed that subject, “Although crop subsidies are steadily diminishing, these programs implemented by the federal government are the only programs the federal government has ever been a part of that hane been successful. Some who do not understand may disagree, but when a farmer comes up short on profit in a bad year, which is more and more often these days, these subsidy programs help to keep the farmers viable. They help maintain level pricing for consumers as well.” He has a good point.

We asked Mr. Peterson how he planned to make the job more effective, “This is an important position to the people of Alabama and the United States of America. I would like to partner with Agriculture Commissioners in other states within our region. We could pool our resources to get more done and be cost effective in doing it. For example, it might be possible to facilitate a program with seed producers to sell at better pricing levels and immediately lower overhead for those who raise crops within our region. This is just one example of how this position can help commerce.”

He was quick to point out that in January, 2010, our state reached two milestones. One was another national championship for the Crimson Tide, and the other was the fact that Alabama had the worst rate of rural unemployment in the nation. “Large corporations are not going to move into a rural area without adequate infrastructure. Economic development in this industry is so very important and has largely been overlooked for many years.”

He went on, “Alabama’s Black Belt counties have some of the most fertile land in the nation. There’s a great water supply available. We need to use these resources and still maintain responsible environmental standards.” Certainly those counties are in dire need of more jobs.

“Someone must tackle these issues, and I’m willing to. We have to do it together, think outside the box and bring fresh ideas to the table that will help make a better life for our farmers, ranchers and all Alabamians. It is essential a communication path from the Commissioner’s office to the people is created. For instance, we might have a website that lists the top five priorities at the Agriculture and Industries Department. It would be updated weekly so people can see what this department does and how we’re developing and spending the people’s money. We might also add long-term goals as well. This communication is vital in order to inform our public not only of what we are doing but also of how their hard-earned money is working for them. Heretofore, progress has been impeded by career politicians and the good old boy network. People need to be informed. After all, it’s about the people.”

Peterson is a supporter of the idea of mentoring individuals and training in order to assure that jobs within the agriculture industry are filled with people who know exactly what they’re doing and what must be done. He believes in term limits. “Eight and out,” says Peterson.

“My country needed me in 1963 when I joined the Marine Corps, and in 2010 my state and my country need me again. Hopefully the people of Alabama will understand the business and leadership qualifications needed for this job and give me the nod. When I leave this earth, I’d like to leave behind something good for the next generation. That is what is important.”

After an informative talk with Dale Peterson, it is amazing at the innovative ideas he has that could help our economy. This man who has served his country, has built many successful businesses and who intimately knows agriculture through his own involvement with farming makes it evident that he loves our state and understands the issues we face today. So, when you vote, remember just how important the Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries is to your family and to our well-being.

Bamabelle

NOTE: Dale Peterson has put signs up all over the State of Alabama. Most of these are 4×8 signs and he has had the permission of the owner of each piece of property on which he placed these. He recently put many in Baldwin County, AL. On a trip to Baldwin County this week, he was shocked to find that these large signs had been CUT DOWN. Destroyed. I made a comment on this blog and it was subsequently removed. I am adding this addendum to my blog that this occurred and am personally adding the following comment. There is a candidate who is running against Dale who has a home in Baldwin County, and family in Baldwin County. He also has a home in Montgomery. This seems more than a coincidence. Could be one, but it’s worth pointing out that this HAPPENED to happen in that county and NO WHERE ELSE.

MAMA MIA! ¿Qué pensarán de la próxima?

Posted on Mar 02, 2010

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The lengths to which the Democratic Party will go in order to push their ever-growing Socialist agenda on the American people are boundless. Rigging an election is nice work if you can pull it off. With the help of ACORN and others, many believe they managed to do that in 2008. And Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives appears to be trying to do it again as it votes next week on the misleadingly named Puerto Rico Democracy Act, which is designed to confer statehood on the island commonwealth by sheer deception. The bill is wrongheaded on so many levels that opponents in the Senate ought to filibuster it to death if it passes the House, as expected.

Puerto Rico has enjoyed a special status with a degree of autonomy since it became a commonwealth of the United States of America in 1950.  Puerto Rico is under a self-drafted constitution.  It enjoys advantages such as offering tax-free profits to American companies that do business there. There have been a few “token” attempts to seem as if they are interested in becoming a state but voters there have always rejected this proposal. Personally, I’m certainly not against Puerto Rico becoming a state. I’m not against them choosing their form of government. What most of us are against is having something rammed down our throats or, in this case, outright deception.

Because Puerto Rico leans heavily toward the Democratic Party, our congressional Democrats are looking for two new senators and maybe six new House Members who would be added to their caucus if statehood were to pass. Oh my! The things that make us go hmmm, hmmmm, hmmmm.

Traditionally, Puerto Ricans have preferred being a commonwealth over statehood because of the independence they enjoy. So, the Democrats have come up with a BRILLIANT scheme to first hold a vote with just two options:

1. Commonweath of one side, anything else on the other.  If supporters of all three other options ban together, they might vote to rule out the commonwealth without knowing what would replace it.

2. IF and ONLY IF that first vote succeeds would a second vote be held to determine which of the other three options would apply – with commonwealth status off the table.

In order to further their agenda, the (Democrats) House bill would explicitly allow people to vote in this election who were born in Puerto Rico but no longer live there. Nothing appears to bar somebody from voting on statehood while being a registered voter of, say, New York or Rhode Island or even the District of Columbia. If Congress passes this bill and if Puerto Rican voters decide to choose the statehood option, Congress still controls the decision to make the island a state. But, it is thought that if Puerto Rico sends a full delegation claiming OFFICIAL STATUS and the (false) legitimacy of a (tainted) popular vote, a Democratic Majority would seat the delegation instantly.

This scenario (which is real) poses problems for American citizens. First, Puerto Rico does not consider English its first language. Most residents of Puerto Rico speak Spanish. No non-official-English state has ever joined the union. Canada’s experience with official bilingualism has proven to cause discord and balkanization. Don’t get me wrong here, there’s nothing wrong with allowing free people to decide or reanalyze their governing status. It is quite another thing to rig the very process that statehood is meant to celebrate.

As I write this and as you read it, Congress is planning a stealth move which would pass legislation THIS MONTH (remember to always watch what the other hand is doing….we have learned this!!!) that is rigged to allow Puerto Rico to become the nation’s 51st state. Oh, I forgot to mention that Artur Davis, Congressional Representative from Alabama is a Co-Sponsor of this legislation. You know, the one who is running for Governor. His office and his press secretary were contacted to give a statement regarding this bill and they didn’t bother to bother. What does that say? Volumes.  Congressman  Bobby Bright was not listed as a co-sponsor but this writer can find no evidence that he has taken a stance against it, either. His office was contacted for a statement as well as that of Parker Griffith. No one cared enough to make statements.

“H.R. 2499  Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009 is rigged to guarantee a vote in favor of statehood in Puerto Rico without much debate and without considering the impacts,” said CONLAMIC Chairman Rev. Miguel Rivera. “Every Member of Congress needs to sit up urgently and pay attention to this deceptive bill. There are massive costs and economic and social impacts of admitting Puerto Rico as our 51st State. These questions must be answered in a fair, open process before any this process goes forward.”

Here is an excerpt from the Bill:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the `Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009′.

SEC. 2. FEDERALLY SANCTIONED PROCESS FOR PUERTO RICO’S SELF-DETERMINATION.

    (a) First Plebiscite- The Government of Puerto Rico is authorized to conduct a plebiscite in Puerto Rico. The 2 options set forth on the ballot shall be preceded by the following statement: `Instructions: Mark one of the following 2 options:
    • `(1) Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of political status. If you agree, mark here XX.
    • `(2) Puerto Rico should have a different political status. If you agree, mark here XX.’.
    (b) Procedure if Majority in First Plebiscite Favors Option 1- If a majority of the ballots in the plebiscite are cast in favor of Option 1, the Government of Puerto Rico is authorized to conduct additional plebiscites under subsection (a) at intervals of every 8 years from the date that the results of the prior plebiscite are certified under section 3(d).
    (c) Procedure if Majority in First Plebiscite Favors Option 2- If a majority of the ballots in a plebiscite conducted pursuant to subsection (a) or (b) are cast in favor of Option 2, the Government of Puerto Rico is authorized to conduct a plebiscite on the following 3 options:
    • (1) Independence: Puerto Rico should become fully independent from the United States. If you agree, mark here XX.
    • (2) Sovereignty in Association with the United States: Puerto Rico and the United States should form a political association between sovereign nations that will not be subject to the Territorial Clause of the United States Constitution. If you agree, mark here XX.
    • (3) Statehood: Puerto Rico should be admitted as a State of the Union. If you agree, mark here XX.

SEC. 3. APPLICABLE LAWS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Applicable Laws- All Federal laws applicable to the election of the Resident Commissioner shall, as appropriate and consistent with this Act, also apply to any plebiscites held pursuant to this Act. Any reference in such Federal laws to elections shall be considered, as appropriate, to be a reference to the plebiscites, unless it would frustrate the purposes of this Act.
    (b) Rules and Regulations- The Puerto Rico State Elections Commission shall issue all rules and regulations necessary to carry out the plebiscites under this Act.
    (c) Eligibility To Vote- Each of the following shall be eligible to vote in any plebiscite held under this Act:
    • (1) All eligible voters under the electoral laws in effect in Puerto Rico at the time the plebiscite is held.
    • (2) All United States citizens born in Puerto Rico who comply, to the satisfaction of the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission, with all Commission requirements (other than the residency requirement) applicable to eligibility to vote in a general election in Puerto Rico. Persons eligible to vote under this subsection shall, upon timely request submitted to the Commission in compliance with any terms imposed by the Electoral Law of Puerto Rico, be entitled to receive an absentee ballot for the plebiscite.
    (d) Certification of Plebiscite Results- The Puerto Rico State Elections Commission shall certify the results of any plebiscite held under this Act to the President of the United States and to the Members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States.

In the 1990s, debate over Puerto Rico statehood, studies showed that the cost to the US Treasury of admitting Puerto Rico as a state would be more than $25.9 billion a year. “But those numbers were before unemployment hit 16% and Puerto Rico’s public debt reached almost $50 billion. The costs of extending all Federal benefits to Puerto Rico’s population today would be astronomical,” Rev. Rivera added. “How can congressional leaders be focusing on this when we have unmet needs, high unemployment and budget pressures right here in the 50 United States?”

The Washington Times said the bill would establish an “underhanded” process to achieve statehood “by hook or crook,” creating “major problems.”

An article addressing this issue from The Washington Examiner adds, “statehood has traditionally been granted only to territories whose residents show, in referendum or otherwise, overwhelming support for statehood. There is no such support in Puerto Rico. Status—whether Puerto Rico should become a state, should become independent or should retain in current terms or somewhat modified terms the current status which in English is called commonwealth but in Spanish the more descriptive estado liberado asociado—has been the single most important issue in Puerto Rican politics since the 1940s.”

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders (CONLAMIC) calls on Congress to put an end to closed-door deals that affect our future.

“This legislation is reportedly going to be voted on in just a few weeks, yet nobody has heard about it. It’s time to open the process and to have an honest debate about Puerto Rican statehood,” Rev. Rivera concluded.

CONLAMIC represents over 16,000 Churches across 34 states within the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Each of these churches represents hundreds of individuals who attend church services and related activities every week. They are the largest Latino Christian advocacy organization in the United States of America.

Hector J. Ferrer Rios, President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, in a letter to House Speaker Pelosi dated February 2, 2010 stated, “…HR2499, the so-called ‘Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009′…which provides for ’self-determination’ process for the people of Puerto Rico, is not only wrong, but is unfair and undemocratic.”

“I want to take this opportunity to explain why HR2499 is a filthy trick…HR2499 is actually a statehood bill. HR 2499’s aim is to set forth a twisted, predisposed and disturbing process designed to get rid of Commonwealth in order to steer the people of Puerto Rico towards a predetermined outcome…it stacks the deck against the Commonwealth option.”

“The bill is exclusionary and divisive…it endangers the principles that are the foundation of America and does not take into account the will of the majority of the people of Puerto Rico.”  Hmmm, sounds familiar.

I advise each Tea Party Member within our state to call your friends, family, neighbors and contact your Representative (and all of them if you have time) and express your  “displeasure” and further deception by this  majority who obviously will do ANYTHING to get their way and care nothing about the U.S. Constitution nor the American people.  It seems they are trying to also pull a fast one on the people of Puerto Rico, who may want statehood, but have historically voted against it. We seem irrelevant to Congress, they seem to only care about pushing their agenda.  It’s time to stop them.

We attempted to contact Congressman Parker Griffith, Congressman Bobby Bright, and Congressman Artur Davis for a statement on this.  No statements or comments from any were forthcoming. They were told if they did not give statements, this would be noted.

*Source Washington Times February 26, 2010, “The Deck is Stacked for statehood” (Editorial)

*Source The Washington Examiner, Beltway Confidential, “Puerto Statehood Bill”,February 2010
*Source National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders
Special thanks to Ed  for the heads up.

Bamabelle

And From the Statehouse Today…

Posted on Feb 22, 2010

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In the Statehouse Today…

The House of Representatives has again passed approved legislation to ban money transfers between political action committees that make campaign contributions hard to transfer money from one PAC to another PAC.The House approved the bill 101-0. Rep. Jeff McLaughlin, D-Guntersville, has been proposing the PAC transfer ban in every legislative session since 2002. The House usually approves the bill without dissent, but it has never passed the Alabama Senate.

Events dating back to 2009 when contributions to Givhan’s ($8,100) was traced back to a PAC run by Steve Raby (now a candidate for the 5th Congressional seat in North Alabama), the Senate Majority PAC, may have helped push this legislation forward.  The incident mentioned has proven to be non-lethal to some as it was reported on February 2, 2010 in the Daily Home of Sylcacauga that the grand jury indicted BOE member (misdeanor charges stemming from failure to file campaign forms). City Schools Board Member Troy “Skip” Smithwick was indicated on two counts relating to campaign contributions by a Talladega County Grand Jury.

A spokesperson for the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department said Smithwick was charged on the previous Friday and released on a $5k bond. The two charges were failure to file annual reports and improper reporting of contributions. Both charges are Class B Misdemeanors under state law. Under state law, all candidates are required to submit their annual contribution reports no later than Jan. 31 of the following year. Smithwick’s final report was dated as received October 6, 2009 by the Secretary of State. Said Smithwick, “I made an honest mistake. All of the other things were reported on time.” Donations totalling approximately $52k had not been reported until October 6, 2009. The previous report filed in May, 2008 by Smithwick showed donations totally $253k.

The second charge stated Smithwick failed to report a contribution from a group named The Real Democrat Political Action Committee. The group claimed a $100,000 contribution was made to “Smithwick for School Board” in their annual report received January 2009.

Jyles Machem, head of the Huntsville-based PAC, said in October that his group did not contribute any funds to Smithwick’s campaign. “I had my folks go back and talk to the staff of Smithwick,” he said. “They were puzzled as we were. It turns out that what happened was the accountant reported it improperly. He’s correct in saying that he didn’t get any money from The Real Democrat PAC.”

Smithwick also denied receiving any money from the PAC.“The $100,000 was a clerical error,” Smithwick said. “As far as I know, I’m the first one to be prosecuting for not filling out the papers on time.” Smithwick had claimed on his reports a $100,000 contribution from another Huntsville-based group, called the Tennessee Valley PAC.

Both groups reported contributing $100,000 to the Smithwick campaign in May 2008, according to their annual reports. But an amended 2008 annual report from The Real Democrat, received Oct. 19, 2009, did not report any contribution to Smithwick.

Another apparent error appeared as both PACs claimed an $85,000 contribution to them in May from a group called the Senate Majority PAC. Senate Majority’s annual report showed only one $85,000 contribution being made, to The Real Democrat. Both Tennessee Valley and Senate Majority PAC reports have the signature of Steve Raby as the “Chairperson or Treasurer of Political Committee.” Both groups are also listed at the same address.

Reports submitted by Tennessee Valley and Senate Majority had the signature of Wilma Henson as the notary public. Wilma Henson’s name also appeared on reports from The Real Democrat PAC, as the chairperson or treasurer.

Smithwick said he believed the investigation was a “witch hunt.” He said he had spoken with someone from the Attorney General’s office about the matter in November.“He had the bank statements, the receipts and disbursements, the contributions and they were all tallied up,” he said. “The only thing, the law says you have got to file by the end of the year that the election was. I forgot about it, didn’t realize it. I filed the 10-day report, the 45-day report, the other report and then [missed] the final one.”

Betty Peters, the District 2 representative for the state BOE, made the official complaint regarding Smithwick to Attorney General Troy King.“This should be an example for all future candidates that the law has teeth and it will be enforced,” Peters said. “If somebody is going to be on the state school board making decisions affecting children and teachers, everybody makes mistakes but this is beyond a mistake.”

Questions had also been raised about a recent purchase of Smithwick’s, a recreational vehicle. Smithwick said he had paperwork that proved the purchase was made using his own funds.“It was paid for with my money,” he said. “I have the cancelled checks and everything. It doesn’t have a thing to do with this, not one thing. The only thing I didn’t do right was not filing that last report.”

Steve Raby, Democratic candidate for Congress in the 5th District of Alabama, managed the Senate Majority PAC, a big-money Democrat PAC  in Huntsville. The latest Annual Report (dated 01-31-2009)  at the time this issue broke, showed contributions from A-VOTE ($50,000) and TN Valley Citizens PAC ($24,000).

It is interesting to note here that when the Don Siegelman administration’s handling of state contracts came under scrutiny by lawmakers and prosecutors questioning why firms with ties to his friends and supporters received millions from no-bid state projects, the investigation revealed that three firms were involved; Tech Providers Inc. and COLSA Corp., hired Siegelman’s political consultants. A third, Digital One Services Inc., owned by a former lobbying colleague of state Finance Director Henry Mabry, state records show. COLSA Corp. of Huntsville received contracts totaling more than $2 million from DHR, state records show. COLSA hired as a consultant Stephen Raby, who was a top aide to former U.S. Sen. Howell Heflin.

Raby traveled with Siegelman for public appearances and was considered a top prospect to have helped run Siegelman’s campaign. COLSA contributed $10,000 to the lottery campaign in April 1999, campaign finance records show.COLSA’s Pat Dixon, who handled the company’s contracts never discussed the project. Efforts to reach consultant Raby for comment by news reporters about his work for COLSA when the story broke failed.

The much-touted Gambling Legislation never came up last week in the State Legislature. As Tim James pointed out in an interview last week with us, he felt the issue only had so much momentum. Evidently there weren’t enough votes to push it through the Senate, so it was delayed. Some say this could come up again this week. We shall see. On the agenda for Tuesday, February 23, the House will take up the Sunset legislation sponsored by Sunset Committee Vice-Chairman Howard Sanderford (Huntsville) These 14 bills must be dealt with Tuesday, under state statute. The matter should be handled rather quickly and attention will be turned to a backup special order calendar that was approved by the House Rules Committee last week.

Dr. Obama and Nurse Ratchet: At It Again

Posted on Feb 12, 2010

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The Tea Party movement began a year ago. Look at how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved. There is no doubt that the months ahead are going to be brutal. We have to fight political battles and fight against Organizing for America. I received a message yesterday that indicates members of Organizing for America plan to infiltrate the Tea Party movement to try to destroy it/us. The organization, Organizing For America, was originally Obama for America and it continues to function as a political machine used by Obama and his socialist friends.

Push back, Patriots.

We just entered the most dangerous time in the entire healthcare debate. Here’s why….
While President Obama is inviting Republicans to a so-called “bi-partisan” discussion on health care reform, Democrats are meeting behind closed doors almost daily to finalize their strategy to ram through ObamaCare without even one Republican vote! Nancy Pelosi said earlier this week that they had already “set the stage” to use budget reconciliation procedures to bypass the impact of the Scott Brown election and force ObamaCare through the Senate.

Here’s what she said about the “reconciliation strategy” that requires only 51 Senate votes: “It’s up to us to make sure the public knows that this is not extraordinary…it would be a reflection on us if we could not convince people that this is not an unusual place to go.” Not an “unusual place to go”? It’s an arrogant abuse of the clear will of the American people! And it’s pretty apparent this is exactly the place the Democrat leaders plan to go.

Of course, all this is being planned while the President is inviting Republicans to a televised event to supposedly discuss health care reform ideas! Clearly, the televised event is nothing more than a presidential power play… a smokescreen to distract the media and grassroots Americans from their real plan. Obama has no intention of backing down from his government takeover of healthcare. Any free-market ideas Republicans try to present will be ‘dead on arrival” – just as they have been for the past year. And all the while, Pelosi and Reid are putting the finishing touches on their strategy to pass ObamaCare!

The President is trying to gain the advantage by putting the opponents of ObamaCare on the defensive. And if he succeeds, we will be facing a total takeover of our healthcare system.The socialist leaders in Washington are “out of touch.” They think they can stage a televised meeting about open discussions while they work the backrooms of Capitol Hill to ram their bill through!

We need to have a going all-out to protest ObamaCare’s special perks, backroom deals, bribery and the scandalous way in which the process is being handled.

Once again, the health care reform process has been about as transparent as the blizzards that hit the nation’s capitol! Next week could be crucial as the Obama summit nears and members of Congress face intense pressure from both the White House and the Pelosi-Reid team. Call your Senators and Representatives TODAY. Tell them NO to Government Healthcare! They must be reminded that there is no compromise that is acceptable.  While you’re at it, call those lap dogs in the House of Representative as well. Remind them that they are at the end of their “leash”.

There are many training events scheduled for the coming months and I would like to provide that information here. These are listed by date, description and links are provided. Alabama Tea Party Network is not endorsing these, we are providing information for anyone who is interested.

September 30-October 1, 2010 Smart Girl Politics Summit, Washington D.C.


Various Dates Grassroots Training – American Majority in conjunction with Red State and Smart Girl Politics


Various Dates: Tea Party Patriots Schedule of Events

Bamabelle

Time to Push Forward-Onward

Posted on Feb 10, 2010

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We have added a calendar to our website here, and want to call our reader’s attention to this. There are many events planned for Tea Party events here in Alabama over the next several months as well as national events. These will all be listed, provided information is given to us.

Our purpose is to help keep Americans informed, both in our state and those outside of events relating to Tea Parties, candidates, issues and anything else related to the fight to take back our freedom and preserve our Constitution.

I want to share with you a blog site I came across and a particular post located at that site. Credit will be given at the end of the post. This is from Lee Doren’s website. For those who may not be familiar with Doren, he is a conservative who has appeared on the Glen Beck Program, Hannity, Fox News and has been instrumental in getting information out regarding legislation and events.

Breaking: TheTeaPartyIsOver.org = SEIU (Check the Money Trail)

by Lee Doren on January 29, 2010

I just came across a new website titled: http://www.TheTeaPartyIsOver.org

It is paid for by the American Public Policy Committee. Well, according to opensecrets.org, the two donors for American Public Policy Committee this year are Patriot Majority and Patriot Majority West.

However, according to opensecrets.org, the 2nd largest contributor in 2008 to Patriot Majority was SEIU and other top Unions around America.  I imagine the diversion of Union money gets much deeper than this.  Please spread the word before they start getting their message out now.  Thanks.

This website is informative and gives more information than I can list here. Please take the time to visit to see just what our SEIU thugs and Soros’ friends are busy spending their money doing…a fool and his money are soon parted… 

We found the following website which mentions our website – LOL.  It’s a “push-back” effort against the organized labor and thugs that will be disseminating false information about the Tea Party movement over the next months. Please confirm all information you get to be sure it is correct. We will stay on top of this.   http://www.theteapartyisover.com/
Now is the time to re-energize and reload Patriots. We are fighting the revolution again and this time, like the last time, “the redcoats” will be defeated.  Talk to your neighbors, friends, and family and get all involved you can.
Fight on!

Bamabelle

The Future is Bright Says Obama or Read My Lips

Posted on Jan 27, 2010

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In a congress rife with people of privilege, Congressional Representative District 2, Bobby Bright is rare for having labored as a ditch digger, roofer, prison guard, cook, hotel porter, financial adviser and teacher before practicing law. Congressman Bright won’t talk bail-outs. He was never bailed-out. But, with all of that hard work and overcoming obstacles, being a Democrat these days puts a servant of the people in a hard spot. The Democratic Party is no longer the party of the “working people” as it was years ago. No, they talk about “rich people” but are some of the richest in the nation. They want to redistribute OUR wealth. Not theirs.

According to the Congressional Votes Database, Congressman Bobby Bright has voted with a majority of his Democratic colleagues 70.8% of the time during his tenure in Congress. He took office on January 3, 2009. This number does not include votes in which Bright did not vote. He missed 27 votes since taking office.

So, no matter how hard and what size “paintbrush” Bright uses, his efforts to say he is “conservative” can be deceptive, according to how much he votes along party lines. IF he were conservative, he should have a higher percentage, say…90%, 100%. THAT is conservative. He is a member of the “Blue Dog Caucus” in Congress but this last year has proven that those “blue dogs” are mostly “lap dogs.”

Currently, all Tea Party candidates are either leading or closing in the polls in races all across the nation. Congressman Bobby Bright has his work cut out for him. Hopefully, those people he represents in Troy, Eufala, Ozark, Enterprise, Dothan, Greenville and Prattville, Alabama are much wiser than in 2008 when Bright ran for office.

Tonight, President Obama gave his first State of the Union address to the nation. This date is the 65th anniversary of the release of prisoners from their Nazi captors at Auschwitz. It seems ironic that the speech comes on this date, when his socialist agenda has been rammed down American’s throats for a year.

Obama said, “By the time I’m finished tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Out deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Co-pays will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans. And neither should the people in this chamber.”

Clearly, although the majority of Americans are against government-run healthcare and do not want it, he intends to continue to attempt to push it on America. All independent sources that have examined each piece of legislation say this will leave almost the same number of Americans uninsured, weaken quality of care, cause rationing, and our country simply cannot afford it. This defiance clearly is unconstitutional and he and his buddies seem to be in denial over the real “state” of this union.

His efforts to achieve bipartisanship clearly are not what he intended because he said, “Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it’s time for something new. Let’s try common sense. Let’s invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let’s meet our responsibility to the people who sent us here.” In what nation is he living? Honestly, most Americans agree they are tired of the stunts they’ve seen the Democrats pull in the last year. The GOP has been shut out of negotiations and the writing (who IS writing those bills?) legislation all year. At one point, they changed the locks on the doors. No, we won’t forget that stunt, either. Leaving out the GOP senators also leaves millions of Americans without representation in the Senate. Is this the common sense to which he was referring? His policies have crippled an already staggering economy and this is HIS deficit, HIS budget and HIS problem now. Blame others all he wants, he sits in that oval office.

Obama’s talk of taking action related to lobbying activities, cutting spending and being bipartisan falls on deaf ears. He says one thing but does the complete opposite. He said he had excluded lobbyists when it is a fact that those working for many health-related companies paid for advertising that pushed government healthcare. If his past actions are any indication, they can expect a profitable return on their “investment” since we’ve already seen how Obama’s legislation and agenda takes care of ACORN and union groups such as SEIU.

Cutting deficits, cutting spending, being responsible to solve our economic faltering or failing are things we SHOULD BE doing. But it is a fact that Obama’s policies and legislation over the last year have increased our debt and are irresponsible. Clearly, he is out of touch with reality. He gave his speech on the heels of a stunning defeat just last week when the Democratic-ruled Senate lost a seat to a conservative in Massachusetts. If that wasn’t enough, it was Ted Kennedy’s seat, and had been a “Democratic” seat for more years than most can count.

WHEN YOU’RE IN A HOLE, QUIT DIGGING!

Defiantly, Obama continued, saying he would “freeze” discretionary spending.  The three year “freeze” on just what amounts of 17% of the discretionary budget is deceptive. After RAISING the budget by 12.5%, he now actually will only “freeze” 4.5% of discretionary spending.

Hmm, spending freeze. Where have we heard that before? Oh! The Presidential Debates! It’s all very clear. In at least one debate, he referred to a suggestion by Senator McCain to immediately implement a spending freeze as “using a hatchet when we need a scalpel.” What the freeze does achieve is that for three years, the GOP will be prevented from cutting the inflated budgets…sinister symbolic nonsense!

If you voted for Obama, did you KNOW what he really was? What he planned to do to our country? Next time, exactly 1,014 days from today, we will know who we vote for, where they stand on issues and those candidates will KNOW what the American people expect from them. We the People will accept no more lies, games or deception. He has raised the federal deficit to $1.35 Trillion in just one year. And he broadly stated in his speech new programs which will further put us in the hole. Why not let’s take the “stimulus” money that hasn’t been given to the unions and used as payola and give it back to the CHINESE government. Afterall, that IS where it came from. Some have suggested giving it “back” to the American people but we didn’t give it to the government. We are in financial trouble. Sometimes those closest to the problem are the last to see it. Perhaps the problem is what Obama and Co. are trying to achieve. If so, they are doing stunningly well.

Let us not forget the lengths he will go to in order to pass healthcare. Town halls, no town halls, SEIU, ACORN, the mugging of American citizens, fingers being bitten off, pitiful attempts to denigrate The Tea Party by calling those honest, concerned Americans vulgar names and “astroturf.” Real radicals, those who are standing up for America.

Having already admitted since taking office that he’d failed to explain his agenda and connect with the “voters” (not Americans?), Obama unapologetically defended pursuing the same agenda. This includes overhaul of the nation’s health care system, an aggressive approach to global warming, sweeping changes to address illegal immigration, radical reforms of the banking industry and how Wall Street is regulated, as well as how our children are educated. Ambition, that’s what he has. And we’re going to stop him.

The Obama team is reverting to techniques that galvanized his support during his campaign. Obama for America (Organizing for America), Obama’s political organization, has assumed a low profile since his election, texted watch-party information to supporters. The White House also solicited follow-up questions on YouTube.com/CitizenTube, saying Obama would answer them online next week.

We know what was said in the speech, and we know what it meant. This time last year, we were trying to figure out what was happening. Not this year. Let moveon.org, and all of the thugs try, nothing is going to stop the American People. That is a fact. We fight for our country in 2010. Clean sweep 2010!

Fight on, Patriots!

Bamabelle

One Year Later…

Posted on Jan 19, 2010

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January 19, 2010 was a busy day for Patriots. A trip to Montgomery, Alabama found hundreds of members of the Tea Party on the steps of the state house. The “Welcome Back” party also drew a few other attendees. These were Republicans who aspire to be the next Governor of the State of Alabama. The “Welcome Back” rally was organized by Tea Party Chapters. People from all over the state came to attend the event. This was intended to emphasize to state legislators the need for a state sovereignty amendment, as well as to address the issue of gun rights.

Candidates Kay Ivey, Tim James, Bill Johnson and state Representative Robert Bentley (who had to be in session) were in attendance at Tuesday’s rally. Several Republican legislators showed up including Greg Wren, Mac Gipson and David Grimes. They braved the comments of speakers during this rally. The message was well-put and notice was taken of the will of Alabamians in regard to our values.

The Republicans were taken to task for not standing up for conservative values. The GOP has shown the inclination recently with the NY23 race and a few others, in backing liberal candidates. The National GOP has given the “hands off” excuse and laid the blame solely at the feet of local GOP officials. This trend is not appreciated nor wanted by the majority of Americans, as could be seen at this rally as well as others in the past.

The State Sovereignty Resolution claiming sovereignty under the 10th Amendment has passed both the House and the Senate of Alabama. The resolution is now headed to Governor Riley’s desk. Earlier in 2009, this writer asked Governor Riley if he would sign such a resolution, if passed. His comment was, “if it gets to my desk, I will sign it.” So there. Governor? Let’s get the pen out, please.

It is also important to note that one year after Barack Obama won the state of Massachusetts by 70% or so, Republican challenger, Scott Brown, who was basically ignored by all but The Tea Party; the race assumed to be going to Democrat Martha Coakley, won the Senate seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy. This is a huge victory for the GOP, conservatives, The Tea Party and Patriots all across the nation. Donations were sent in from every state in the union to Brown’s campaign in order to help him win this election. This may be an indication of a proverbial bloodbath for Democrats in the House of Representatives as well as Democratic Senators in the fall, 2010. FLIP THE HOUSE! When Americans stand up together, this proves that “we” can fight for America. And, we are fighting for the soul of America.

Fight on Patriots. Enjoy the victory for a few hours; but we have a lot of work to do, a long road to take during 2010. And, congratulations to Senator-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts.

Bamabelle

State Sovereignty Resolution

Posted on Jan 14, 2010

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Today (Thursday, January 14, 2010) we learned that the State Sovereignty Resolution (SJR 27) has passed the Senate and is headed to the House. Unfortunately, chances are House Majority Leader Ken Guin will hold it up in committee (as this has happened before.) Please contact your State Representative to tell them how you want them to vote on the State Sovereignty Resolution; you can contact them by going to our home page and under “Alabama in Congress” there’s a link at the bottom where you can find your Representative, your Senator and how to contact them. There is also information on how to contact Ken Guin to let him know how you feel about this being passed

Also, there was an article in The Birmingham News today addressing the state budget and how it depends upon stimulus funds. It has been suggested by more than a few people that perhaps the State of Alabama (like the federal government, like we must do) should “live within its means.”

Please contact your Representative and Senator in Montgomery as well as Governor Riley to let them know to vote against accepting any stimulus money. Again, you can find contact information at our home page as instructed above.

The budget is in trouble; in a previous article, this writer interviewed Representative Paul DeMarco and he specifically mentioned the budget and how the unfunded mandates the federal government was putting on the states (health care and other) could cost Alabama much more than we have. I’m sure they are grappling with many issues. However, WE send our money to Washington, D.C. and THEY are going to LET US have it back with stipulations? Is this wise?

Please don’t forget the “Welcome Back Rally” scheduled for Tuesday at the Statehouse 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (more…)

A Magnificent Political Document

Posted on Jan 11, 2010

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declarationimageLooking back over modern history, it is clear that the United States Government (a/k/a the federal government) has clearly misused, misinterpreted and abused the U.S. Constitution. How did we let this happen? There are many explanations, probably all of them have truth. The biggest problem in regard to the Constitution we face today is ignorance. Ignorance of the document, what it means, and WHY it was written in the first place.

The Constitution of the United States of America, with its written limitations on government and written guarantees of human freedom, is the greatest political document ever written. It is the foundation of the American government. Everyone who serves in government takes an oath to defend it.

The creation of the American Republic with it’s written guarantees for personal freedom is the greatest development for freedom in the entire Western World. The reason the Constitution was written was the fear the founders had of an all-powerful central government. And the fear was real.

When the British government wanted to raise money, they thought of ingenious ways to do so. Colonists were subjected to legislation such as The Stamp Act. This required every document the colonists had in their home; a book, a bankdraft, a deed, a lease, a pamphlet, had to have a stamp depicting the image of the King of England. How did the British government know if this was done? Parliament enacted the “Writs of Assistance Act”. This law authorized British soldiers to knock on the door of any colonist’s home and write themselves permission to enter under the pretext of looking for the stamps. Of course, while there, they could help themselves to property, consume alcohol, take over the home and expel the owners to use the home as their own living quarters for as long as they wished.

This act was the last straw. We fought a revolution, we won a revolution, we wrote the Constitution. In writing the Constitution in that hot sticky summer of 1787 of Philadelphia, delegates were sent from each of the 13 colonies. They had a great debate. The debate was over the origin of our freedoms. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison argued that our freedoms came from our humanity, after all Jefferson had just written in The Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This understanding of the origin of our freedoms is called the Natural Law. And, it teaches that because we are created by God, in His image and likeness, and because God is perfectly free; He created Man perfectly free, thus freedom is our birthright. We are free to live, to think, to say what we think, to publish what we think, to worship or not to worship, we have a right to defend ourselves from anyone; even against a tyrannical government,  we have a right to own and enjoy property, a right to travel, and our right to be left alone. These rights are as natural to us as the fingers on the ends of our hands.

The opposing argument in Philadelphia, which was made by the big government crowd of the day, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams folks, was that our freedoms come from the government. And, they said, without government, there could be no freedom. The government that gives freedom, can also take it away. Because we have majority rule in this country, if the majority voted that we could have no freedom of speech; it could be removed. Under this theory, freedom of speech would be gone.

Fortunately for all of us, Thomas Jefferson’s views prevailed and Freedom of Speech prevailed. The concept of natural rights given us by virtue of our humanity, were instilled in the Constitution through the Bill of Rights. These two documents taken together, state the reasons the federal government came into existence. They established a President, Congress, and Judicial branch. Each with separate and distinct responsibilities and limited powers; retaining rights and powers to the States and individuals.

Remember, in Philadelphia it was the States that came together to create the federal government. They gave a little bit of power to the federal government and they stated just how little those powers were and how much they were given. They added a Bill of Rights because they were worried that the new government might someday do the same thing to them as the King of England and his Parliament did to the colonists and which caused the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence to be written; establishing the most magnificent document called the Constitution.

Has the system worked as intended? Has the government followed the wishes of the framers? Has it stayed within the confines of the Constitution? The Constitution was written for two purposes:

1. Establish and define the government 2. Keep the government off the backs of the people.

That is why everyone in government from the founding of our country takes an oath to this very day to uphold the Constitution and human freedom.

Now we find ourselves in a great struggle; the very struggle the framers feared might happen with a centralized, powerful government. Our rights, reserved by the Several States and Individuals when the Constitution was written, guarantee us freedom from a government out-of-control. The Tenth Amendment states: “Anything not expressly granted to the Federal government is reserved for the States or the People.” Although this amendment is very liberally interpreted, it is one of the tenets of the Constitution. This amendment is also known as the States’ Rights Amendment.

It is easy to see that many of the regulations and “laws” the federal government has passed and is contemplating are not only infringing upon the will of the people, they are unconstitutional. We must go back to the writings of Madison and Jefferson to get a complete view of the history of this document and the reason the powers of Congress were limited and the rest were reserved for the “Several States.”

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (or Resolves) were political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, respectively, in favor of States’ rights and Strict Constructionism. They were written secretly by Vice President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Kentucky Resolution which was passed on November 16, 1798 and December 3, 1799. James Madison wrote the Virginia Resolution which passed December 24, 1798.

The fact that our Republic is unique, that the framers of the Constitution took so much care to prevent tyranny and gave us ways to deal with it constitutionally are reasons why it is so very important that we PRESS, INSIST, IMPOSE our will on our State Legislatures the importance of taking action to reinforce the rights of “the Several States” and in this case, the State of Alabama and us, it’s citizens. The 10th Amendment was written for just the purpose we see today. It is to prevent abuse of government, of tyranny against the “Several States” and against us, as Americans. However, the federal government is thumbing it’s nose at “the Several States” and “We the People”. It will continue to do so until we take all necessary measures to stop the tyrannical government in Washington, D.C.  As the framers of the Constitution were rightly concerned and had the forethought to include in our Constitution balances against a centrally-controlled, toltarian government; we see that they were right in their concern that this power could or would be abused in the future. Let us not lose our country. Let all Americans who believe in freedom, in self-rule and in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights AS THE FRAMERS INTENDED it to be used, STAND together. Let’s find common ground; that common ground is The United States of America. Let your voices be heard.

Bamabelle

PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND THE WELCOME BACK WINTER RALLY

When: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 from Noon – 1 p.m. Where: Alabama State House South

Union Street Montgomery, AL

http://welcomebackrally.ning.com