6th Circuit Court of Appeals: First Amendment does not demand wall between church and state

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Written by Tundra Politics on June 5th, 2008 with no comments.
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Email from the Bob Barr Campaign

Subject: Memo: Political Assessment

MEMORANDUM

FROM: Russ Verney
Campaign Manager, Bob Barr ‘08
TO:  Friends and Associates
RE: Political Assessment
DATE: May 19, 2008

These days, politics seems to revolve around polling and predictions. I’m not convinced it’s the best use of anyone’s time — especially for someone like me who’s spent his whole life in full-time campaign activities — but consider this outline :

>early October: 7% in national surveys
>Mid October: wins televised Presidential debate
>late October: 12% in national surveys
>election day: captures 19% of national vote

That’s what happened in a previous election I was involved with: Ross Perot in 1992. That could have been the case with Ron Paul if he had opted to run on a third party ticket.

I believe former Congressman Bob Barr has the same potential. Maybe better. Don’t be mislead, however: I am no cheerleader by nature. But I do agree with our Senior Policy Advisor, Doug Bandow, in an e-mail I received from him yesterday:

“I’ve just read the early polling data and your election game plan — phenomenal. Congressman Barr is poised to have a huge impact on the public policy debates and political history. His will be no ordinary presidential campaign.”

That’s not going to happen without your involvement, but at this point I’m asking you to just to think about participating and to mull over the following … November 4th is light years away. In terms of laying the foundation for a dynamic and influential campaign, the pieces for Barr 2008 are already in place. Consider …

America is swamped in Libertarian information:

>Congressman Ron Paul’s new book is the number one best-seller in the nation according to the New York Times

>Neal Boortz has 4,000,000 radio listeners daily

>On TV, John Stossel broadcasts such opinions as: “I am a libertarian in that I believe in limited government and as much individual freedom as possible.”

>Finally, you may not have heard this from many media pundits, but nearly 130,000 people — 16% of the Republican primary turnout in Pennsylvania — got out of their easy chairs and voted for Ron Paul and against John McCain … that was after John McCain had won the nomination.

Politically and ideologically, Bob Barr is plowing fertile ground.

It will take an articulate candidate and a powerful message to build the meaning of the Libertarian messages voters are receiving. We have both in the Barr 2008 campaign.

That’s why we need your participation: your investment of time, talent, and financial resources is vital as the campaign builds, from the ground floor, the alternative to politics-as-usual.

Will you take a moment to go to our website and contribute $25, $50, $100 or even $500 today?

https://www.bobbarr2008.com/donate/?c=Facebook

I’d also like you to consider a pledge of support so we may plot out our post-convention strategy. Consider making a $25 contribution today — and a further investment of $25 or $50 on June 1st. Your gift of $50 or even $100 right away, with a pledge of another $25, $50 or perhaps $250 on June 1st, will allow us to set some ambitious campaign plans in place now.

https://www.bobbarr2008.com/donate/?c=Facebook

If you cannot donate today or tomorrow, please do make a pledge payable on June 1st. Our budget process is the first responsibility I have to deal with.

With just a few days before what I believe will be great news coming out of the Libertarian Party convention, please be sure to act on this memo today so we can further our momentum.

While you are at the website, look around (there are lots more news and information posted) and take time to volunteer. I’d like to count on your support of just one hour a week in June, two hours a week in July, three in August.

Will you help?

Please let me hear from you right away. Your investment in this campaign of $50, $25, $500, or $100 will really be of help right now. We will put the contributions into good use immediately, and if you can volunteer just an hour a week I assure you will be productively busy. Two more things …

Bob Schoen, in his book cited above, also stated, “I have a clear and unambiguous sense that the most important person in the 1996 election was Ross Perot, who in 1995 shaped and prefaced the outcome of the election the next year.” That’s regrdless of Perot earning some 9% of the vote in comparison to 19% in 1992.

There are more than 430 elected Libertarian Party officials in the U.S. How many more do you think a successful Bob Barr campaign will hep elect? I am convinced Bob Barr can match or beat the Perot votes of ‘92 and ‘96. Please be generous with a contribution, a pledge of further support, and your time.

Our fitting legacy of success — yours and Bob’s — would be the impact of a vibrant, effective Libertarian Party. You can make that happen, my friend.

https://www.bobbarr2008.com/donate/?c=Facebook

Paid for by Barr 2008 Presidential Committee.

Federal law requires us to report the name, address, and name of employer and occupation for any individual whose aggregate contributions total over $200 in a calendar year. Corporate contributions and gifts from foreign nationals are prohibited. Personal Credit Card gifts only. Contributions are not tax deductible for income tax purposes. Limit of $2,300 per person per election and $4,600 per couple if signed by both parties and drawn on a jointly held bank account.

Written by Tundra Politics on May 20th, 2008 with no comments.
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Minnesota Republican Traitors are Being Replaced by More Qualified Representatives

From the Capital Press Corp (Source: True North):

SEIFERT ANNOUNCES NEW REPUBLICAN LEADS

SAINT PAUL — (February 26, 2008) — State Representative Marty Seifert today announced the six Republicans who voted to override Governor Tim Pawlenty’s veto have been removed from their leadership positions.

I have spoken with all six members and received their resignations from their lead positions on House committees and in the Caucus,” said House Republican Leader Marty Seifert. “I respectfully ask the House Democrats to respect our decision on this internal caucus matter.”

Seifert announced the following members as the new Republican leads:

• Representative Dean Urdahl - Agriculture, Rural Economies & Vets Affairs
• Representative Larry Howes - Capital Investment
• Representative Matt Dean - Health Care and Human Services
• Representative Sondra Erickson - K-12 Finance
• Representative Morrie Lanning - Property Tax Relief & Local Sales Taxes
• Representative Pat Garofalo was named Assistant Minority Whip.

Written by Tundra Politics on February 26th, 2008 with 3 comments.
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Democrats Pass Largest Tax Increase in State History

February 21, 2007

Contact: Phil Krinkie

(651) 294-3590 ext 202

Democrats Pass Largest Tax Increase in State History

Six Republicans defect

St. Paul - DFLers are playing high-stakes poker at the Capitol these days, and the only thing certain is that taxpayers will be the losers.

The DFL leaders in both the House and the Senate have insisted that the transportation bill that was voted on and passed today would be the only opportunity legislators would have to pass funding for vital transportation projects.

That threat, along with cajoling by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and other lobbying groups, helped garner some Republican votes for the passage of the $6.6 billion tax increase. It is unclear, however, how many Republicans who voted for the bill will side with the Governor if he follows through on his threat to veto the bill.

“We always knew that a large tax increase would pass the legislature, just as one did last year,” said Phil Krinkie, President of the Taxpayers League. “We are counting on the legislators who voted to sustain the veto last year to do so again this year.”

“I’m shocked that the legislature is seriously considering a huge tax increase during these challenging economic times. This bill will cost the average Minnesota family of four over $500 a year in higher taxes,” Krinkie added.

“Poll after poll has shown that Minnesotans oppose gas and sales tax increases. It is the height of arrogance to simply ignore that fact,” Krinkie concluded.

Written by Tundra Politics on February 25th, 2008 with no comments.
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Declaration of Conservative Independence

Inspirational conservative speaker, and leader of the famous 1994 Republican Revolution, Newt Gingrich, gave a speech that will forever change the Conservative Movement.

While conservative progress was formerly made from within the Republican party, Gingrich advocated a Declaration of Independence for the Conservative Movement. Below is a transcript of his speech.

35th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference
Washington D.C.
February 9, 2008

Click here to view video of the full speech

Click here to listen to an audio-only version

PODCAST version here

(Transcript made from speech as delivered.)

Thank you all for that remarkable welcome. I’m deeply, deeply grateful, and Callista and I are delighted to be back here once again at the most important single meeting of the conservative movement in a historic time. Many of you know that my background includes being a teacher, and I am going to try in the next few minutes to offer a little bit of a lesson. My Dad was a career soldier, served 27 years in the infantry, and when I was very young, he convinced me that leadership and courage and a willingness to think deeply are vital to the survival of a free country.

Between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, when we were stationed first in Orleans, France, and then in Stuttgart, Germany, I concluded that what we are doing here today is really, really important. It’s part of the dialogue by which a free people govern themselves. My dad was reassigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, and in 1960, I was a volunteer as a high school student in the Nixon-Lodge campaign. So I want to talk to you this afternoon from having spent what will be this August, fifty years studying and thinking about what it takes for America to survive. In many ways, they’ve been remarkable years. The Georgia I arrived at in 1960, was legally segregated and a one-party Democratic state. Today it is legally integrated and a two-party state with a Republican governor, two Republican senators, and a Republican legislature.

(more…)

Written by Tundra Politics on February 12th, 2008 with no comments.
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On Tuesday, the Republican Party has a Rendez Vous with Destiny

I received this from the Romney Campaign today. It was extremely inspiring and eye opening. We have a duty to vote on Super Tuesday, it could change our nation forever.

Dear Conservative Friends – 

Saturday night in Edina, over 1,000 Minnesotans came out to give Governor Romney an amazing reception.  If you didn’t get a chance to come out in person, take a minute to check out these photos from the Star-Tribune – http://www.startribune.com/politics/15138316.html.

Like the 1,000 people who turned out Saturday night, conservatives are rallying behind Mitt Romney all across the country because they know that he is the best chance that we have to keep the Reagan coalition together.  For decades, social conservatives, economic conservatives, and national security conservatives have banded together to keep the White House in Republican hands for 20 of the last 28 years.  As conservative leaders from Judge Robert Bork to Sean Hannity have stated, Mitt Romney is the only candidate that can keep that coalition together and beat whichever left-wing candidate that the Democrats put up against us in November.

Mitt Romney has a record in the private sector that the other candidates cannot hold a candle to.  During his three decades working in the private sector, he built, managed, and turned around some of the best known companies in the country, from Staples to Brookstone to Dominos Pizza.  His years of experience as a businessman makes Mitt Romney far and away the most qualified candidate, Republican or Democrat, to turn our economy around. If the economy continues to decline, Republicans will need a candidate with economic expertise to win in November – and casting votes or holding hearings in Congress doesn’t qualify as “experience.” 

For national security conservatives, Mitt Romney has laid out a plan to add 100,000 troops to help relieve the strain on our armed forces.  He is committed to increasing military spending to a full 4% of GDP and maintaining that level of spending in order to ensure that our troops get the equipment and resources they need to fight the war on terror, as well as get the care that they deserve when they return home. 

As Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney sided with life every single time a decision came across his desk by vetoing embryonic stem cell research bills and embryo farming bills, among other victories for the pro-life movement.  Governor Romney’s strong efforts on behalf of the pro-life movement were recognized by Marie Sturgis, Executive Director of Massachusetts Right to Life when she said that, “Having Governor Romney in the corner office for the last four years has been one of the strongest assets the pro-life movement has had in Massachusetts.”  When the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court legalized same sex marriage, Governor Romney put forth an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution to prevent the practice, then found and enforced a 1913 law to prevent out-of-state same sex couples from coming to Massachusetts to wed.  When the legislature refused to vote on the amendment, Governor Romney sued and won. 

In short, those of us who believe that Ronald Reagan’s coalition of conservatives is still foundation of our party need to come together on Tuesday and caucus for Mitt Romney because he is the only candidate that can keep that coalition together.  Minnesota is a battleground for the GOP nomination fight, and what we do on Tuesday night will have a huge effect on who is the nominee of our party. 

Minnesota Volunteers for Romney

Ryan Griffin State Director, MinnesotansforRomney@gmail.com
7300 Hudson Blvd.
Suite 270A
St Paul MN 55110
651-556-1827 Office

 

 

Jack Meeks                                                   Brian Sullivan

Co-Chair, Minnesotans for Romney           Co-Chair, Minnesotans for Romney

 

Evie Axdahl                                                   Tony Sutton

Co-Chair, Minnesotans for Romney           Co-Chair, Minnesotans for Romney

Written by Tundra Politics on February 4th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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Mitt Romney is Visiting Minnesota!

Mitt Romney is coming to Minnesota, and you are invited. This is the last best hope for conservatives in Minnesota. Either we go to the caucuses and make a vote for Romney, or plunge the Republican party into years of liberalism.

Unite for a better America, and show Mitt that you too care about our nation’s future!

Rally for Romney!
Change Begins With Us

You’re invited to meet Mitt Romney…

When: Saturday, February 2, 2008
Where: 7700 France Ave S, Edina, MN
(Exit I-494 & France Ave)

5:30 PM - Phone Bank
(Join other Team Mitt members and call to Get Out the Vote for Mitt)
7:15 PM - Doors Open

Get Out To Vote! The Minnesota Caucuses are Tuesday, February 5th!

For more information email Sara or Crystal with the Romney Campaign at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or CBouziden@MittRomney.com

Written by Tundra Politics on February 2nd, 2008 with no comments.
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A Call to Conservative Action by Vin Weber

The Romney Campaign send out the following press release:

By VIN WEBER
February 1, 2008; Page A15

In February 2007, Gov. Mitt Romney stood at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., and announced his candidacy for President of the United States. As he did then and continued to do throughout this campaign, Mr. Romney spoke to a new vision for a stronger America.

It is a vision that calls for empowering the American people through conservative change in Washington. From Dearborn to DesMoines to Jacksonville, Mr. Romney has articulated the conservative vision and the conservative policies needed to make America strong again.

Mr. Romney is ready to meet the call for action. America is the greatest nation on Earth. We were the first nation on the moon; our technology is the envy of the world; and we are a beacon of freedom and opportunity. We are a leader in the world, but that leadership came with great sacrifice. It was won by those of the Greatest Generation who left their children a great nation.

Now, it is our turn to take the mantle of leadership and ask, what kind of nation will we leave our children and grandchildren? We can leave future generations a greater nation, but only if we are willing to take the action necessary today to overcome a new generation of challenges.

Overcoming this new generation of challenges is why we need change. Our world is under attack from violent, radical jihadists. Our jobs are being sought by new competitors from nations like China and India. Government has been on a spending binge. We’re using too much foreign oil. Health care is leaving too many behind. Schools are failing too many of our children. Our values are under attack. Too often we have looked to Washington for leadership, but Washington has failed time and again.

On each ofthe major challenges confronting our country, Washington has failed to act. Mr. Romney will not. Throughout his career in business and public service, he has never failed to meet a challenge. That is leadership we need today.

For far too long, Americans have watched as our borders remain unsecure, our tax burden grows, and long-term challenges are left unfixed. This is a call to action that Mr. Romney has spoken to throughout this campaign. He will build a stronger America and has laid out the conservative strategy to do so.

First, Mr. Romney will strengthen families in America. For too long, we have debated health care in America while watching as costs go up and the ranks of the uninsured increase. Mr. Romney will make sure every citizen in our country has access to affordable health insurance that is private and portable.

As he did in Massachusetts, he will make sure that our children have great schools and teaching is treated like a profession. To build strong families, Mr. Romney will also defend our traditional values. Washington talks about empowering families, but he will get the job done.

Second, Mr. Romney will strengthen our military. In April 2007, he laid out a bold plan to add at least 100,000 more troops to our military and commit to funding the Armed Forces with at least 4% of our GDP. Mr. Romney recognizes that our men and women in the military need a stronger commitment from Washington, especially when they come home and require the care we have promised to them.Washington talks about strengthening our military. Mr. Romney will get the job done.

Third, Mr. Romney will strengthen our economy. He knows what we must do today because he understands the economy and why jobs come and go. The best way to promote growth in both the short-term and long-term is to cut taxes. Mr. Romney has proposed a bold agenda that puts Washington on the side of taxpayers.

Among many things, he will make the president’s tax cuts permanent, eliminate taxes on middle-class savings and end the payroll tax on seniors who return to the workforce. These are elements of his tax plan that end inequities in our tax code. Washington talks about strengthening our economy. Mr. Romney will get the job done.

At a time like this, America needs a president in the White House who knows how America works. Democrats like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton believe that America’s greatness flows from our government. Mr. Romney believes they could not be more wrong.

The source of America’s greatness is the American people. That is why Washington needs to get the job done today. By taking action today, we can build a stronger America by strengthening each and every American. To do that, we need Mr. Romney’s leadership in Washington — leadership that understands that Washington is the obstacle not the solution.

In a few short months, the American people will head to the polls to vote for their vision for a stronger America. This is not an election about yesterday and yesterday’s fights. It is about winning the future for our children. Mr. Romney has laid out his vision to do that and it is a vision that brings change to a broken system.

As he has done throughout his career, Mitt Romney is ready to get the hard things done to strengthen America.

Mr. Weber, a former Republican congressman from Minnesota, is policy chairman of the Romney for President campaign.

Written by Tundra Politics on February 1st, 2008 with no comments.
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Berkeley City Council Bans Military Recruiters

Vets for Freedom just published a press release condemning the city of Berkley, CA for kicking Marine Recruiters off of public land. Furthermore, the city said that the United States Marine Corps were “uninvited, unwelcome intruders.”

In response, Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom responded “Clearly, the elected officials of Berkley, California see the Constitution as a mere roadblock in their radical left-wing agenda. What these fanatics fail to realize is that the fantasy world that they live in exists under the very cloak of freedom provided by the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces.”

Senator Jim DeMint is proposing a bill that would rescind all Federal money from the city of Berkley. It would send a clear message that going around our constitution to play political games will not be tolerated.

Written by Tundra Politics on February 1st, 2008 with no comments.
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Be an active pro-life citizen

The following is from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life:

Attend your precinct caucus Tuesday, Feb. 5!

The precinct caucus is the most important political event of every two years for pro-lifers. Why? Pro-life laws will not be enacted unless pro-lifers are active in grassroots politics. Only then will Minnesota’s pro-life majority win at the polls.

Precinct caucuses will be held Tuesday, Feb. 5, by Minnesota’s Republican and Democratic-Farmer-Labor parties. I urge you to attend your caucus to help elect pro-life delegates and to propose pro-life resolutions. Only a small percentage of citizens attend precinct caucuses, which means your single vote profoundly impacts public policy.

Electing pro-life delegates and alternates is your first priority at your precinct caucus. I urge you to support a pro-life platform for your party by becoming a delegate to your district or county convention.

Resolutions passed at the precinct level can become part of your party’s state platform. Any caucus participant may propose a resolution. Be sure to bring one or more written copies with you.

Sample resolutions

• Be it resolved that we urge the Minnesota Legislature to pass a ban on cruel saline abortions, in which a saline solution is used to poison and burn to death an unborn child in the womb.
• Be it resolved that we stand opposed to the Minnesota Supreme Court decision, Doe v. Gomez, which established an absolute “right” to abortion for any reason in the Minnesota Constitution.
• Be it resolved that we urge Congress and the Minnesota Legislature to oppose all human cloning, whether reproductive or so-called “therapeutic cloning.”
• Be it resolved that we oppose a government takeover of our health care, including government-mandated limitations on individuals paying for their own care and any move to a single-payer health care system.

To find out where your precinct caucus will be held, go to http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ or call your local county auditor’s office. All precinct caucuses begin at 7 p.m. Please dedicate an hour or two of your time to uphold the right to life by attending your caucus on Tuesday!

Leo F. LaLonde

MCCL President

Written by Tundra Politics on February 1st, 2008 with no comments.
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