Jim Holt DOES Exist

Media rediscovers Holt, but whose zoomin who?
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It appears that the media has re-discovered the existence of former State Senator Jim Holt. Holt is one of the many running for the GOP US Senate nomination. He is also the man who currently holds the record for receiving more votes in a single election than any living Arkansas Republican (nope, its not a Hutchinson, not a Huckabee, its Jim Holt). A few days ago I did a piece called "Jim Holt Does Not Exist" because of the repeated failure of the media to include Holt in Senate race polls. In the latest instance, they included a candidate who dropped out weeks ago (Tom Cox) but did not include Holt.

Holt and the establishment print media in this state have a history. They have tried to destroy him as a political figure, but so out of touch are they with the average primary voter that their attacks have often backfired. "That bigot Jim Holt wants to limit marriage to one man and one woman." "That bigot Jim Holt wants to deny public benefits to illegal aliens (undocumented immigrants)." The folks at the press club might be mortified, but Main street loves it.

I was working with Holt back then and it happened so often that we actually coined a term for it: "Briar patch negative publicity". It describes a news report where the out-of-touch lefty reporter thinks he is attacking you, but the actual effect of the "hit piece" is to rally people to your cause. I hope I am not giving away too many secrets when I say that by the end we actually angled for it. We tried to put out stuff that we knew would send them into a dither, which they would report as if they "had us" saying something outrageous. But what they considered outrageous, most of Main Street USA considered common sense. Hey, when you don't have a lot of corporate cash backing (and owning) you, you gotta get creative in finding ways to get the name out.

At any rate, though they were not the sharpest tools in the shed, I think the election results were enough to pound it into even the thickest of craniums that their tactics were not working. Since then the papers seemed to have reversed course. The apparent new tactic is simple. Jim Holt does not exist. Just have a blackout. Talk about the establishment picks and not the others, and hope the voters forget.

That's working better than their ham-fisted attack columns did, but not well enough. Two things tell me that. One is that only the two establishment picks in the race, Baker and Boozman, have the cash to poll. I am sure they have, and we have not heard a peep about it. If either of them had passed up Holt, we would have. Of course, the anti-establishment vote is split up six ways, not just two. If the grassroots and tea-party folks don't coalesce behind one of the outsiders, then Baker and Boozman MIGHT be able to squeeze into the runoff. The other thing that tells me that the print media's "Jim Holt does not exist" strategem is falling flat is the grapevine. For example I spoke with someone high up in the Saline County Tea Party two days ago. He said Holt impressed and that many who thought they had already made up their mind to back someone else were now taking another look. Following on the heels of that, Holt led a crowd of 100 protesters in asking Gov. Beebe to interpose against Obamacare.

Now the print media is returning to its form to misinform. Holt is back in the news. The reason? Har, they think they caught him making what to them is an elementary mistake. I think it is just as likely the old playbook got dusted off and the dam finally broke. The print media got tempted to go with a story they think will hurt Holt. I think they are wrong. It's Gilbert Baker that will be hurt by the story. And unlike the AP report that I linked to above, I am going to give you Holt's press release so you can make up your own mind rather than simply announce to you that the thing was accurate or inaccurate without ever letting you see it..

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Senator Gilbert Baker Co-Sponsors "Climate Change" Resolution

One year ago today, a global warming [unproven science] cap and trade Resolution was passed in the Arkansas legislature that would please Al Gore, President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. Senator Gilbert Baker, who repeatedly advocates the "conservative cause" in his campaign speeches, was a co-sponsor of that bill.

Three months after Gilbert Baker co-sponsored SCR12, "A Resolution Regarding Transitional Climate Change Policy," the US House passed its controversial, first "climate change" legislation, H.R. 2454. At the heart of the H.R.2454 legislation is a cap-and-trade system to address global warming and to transform the way the nation produces and uses energy." 1.

The climate change bill in the US House passed by 219 to 212, with even 44 Democrats voting against it. President Obama lauded the bill as "a bold and necessary step." Republican leaders called the bill a national energy tax. Even liberal Congressman John Dingell (D-MI), is on video saying, "Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax, and it's a great big one."

Jim Holt wants to know, "How is Senator Baker promoting the "conservative cause" by co-sponsoring this resolution on "climate change" in Arkansas, when only 8 out of 178 Washington Republicans in the nation voted for a "climate change" bill?" 2

Jim Holt added, "Does Senator Baker think Barbara Boxer and John Kerry are friends of the conservative cause.?" In the Senate, Barbara Boxer of California and John Kerry of Massachusetts have proposed another highly controversial climate change bill that Washington Republicans are heatedly fighting.

Boxer, the chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is quoted as saying about the Boxer-Kerry bill, "We know clean energy is the ticket to strong, sustainable economic growth." John Kerry also said, "This is really about America's security. It's about our economic security, our energy security and our national security." 3

The "climate change" language used by Boxer and Kerry is used in Baker's SCR12 Resolution in the following excerpts from the bill.

* [T]he issue of global climate change presents a challenge to the welfare and economy of current and future generations in Arkansas and around the world.
* [A]ny approach to address the issue of global climate change should encourage a transition toward a sustainable economy.
* [T]he United States consumes a disproportionate share of the world's energy supply mutual reductions in greenhouse gases.
* [M]utual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would be economically beneficial to all states and countries.
* [T]he Arkansas Governor's Commission on Global Warming has recognized the role of national legislation and coordination in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
* [T]he State of Arkansas and the Arkansas General Assembly should recognize and promote the foregoing policy objectives on a state level." 4

Contrary to Boxer and Kerry's "economic growth and security," Obama, himself said of his climate change, global warming agenda, "Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it…they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers." 5

According to CBS news, the cost of Obama's cap and trade will cost American households from $1,761 to $3,100 a year. Jim Holt asks, "How can Senator Baker defend this SCR 12 Resolution on climate change, based on unproven science, as a 'conservative cause', and how can skyrocketing electricity costs and a "national tax" on energy benefit Arkansans?" 6 & 7

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1.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/us/politics/27climate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
"House Passes Bill to Address Threat of Climate Change," June 27, 2009 Also see # 4 for link to the Resolution Baker co-sponsored.

2. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/us/politics/27climate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
"House Passes Bill to Address Threat of Climate Change"

3. http://dirt.asla.org/2009/09/30/senators-boxer-kerry-release-ambitious-climate-change-bill/ Connecting the Built and Natural Environments, Senators Boxer, Kerry Release Ambitious Climate Change Bill

4. http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/R/Bills/SCR12.pdf
Text of SCR12, 2009 co-sponsored by Gilbert Baker, passed March 30, 2009 and signed by Governor on March 31, 2009.

5. http://eddriscoll.com/archives/014260.php "Obama Tells SF Chronicle He Will Bankrupt Coal Industry"

6. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504383_162-5314040-504383.html "Obama Admin: Cap And Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 A Year" This article said the price would be equivalent to hiking income taxes by about 15%.

7. http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2009/11/21/hackers-leak-e-mails-stoke-climate-debate.html Hackers Leak E-mails, Stoke Climate Debate November 21, 2009 and http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9219169 UK Climate Scientists To Temporarily Step Down

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Senator Baker, you're busted. (continued on jump)

Message from CP: Plug Your Ears to Siren Song

By Mike Simmons
Franklin County Chairman
Constitution Party of Missouri

As the mythical character Odysseus passed by the island known to be inhabited by the Sirens he ordered his men to plug their ears with wax. Odysseus knew that if his sailors heard the beautiful Sirens’ call they would be lured to their deaths.
How fitting is that just last week the Republican National Committee met on a similar island in Hawaii and spoke of wooing and luring the votes of the tea party movement and patriot uprising?

The Constitution Party is putting out a call to all tea parties, patriots and America loving citizens to plug your ears! Do not be lured in by the Republican Party’s call for it will surely lead to the death of our country. Ignore the sweet sounding melody of moving back to the right and promises that if given just one more chance they will get it right.

Tea parties and patriot uprisings peppered the calendars last year and filled our nation’s capital on September 12, 2009, but just a few months later the GOP is delighted to have won the Ted Kennedy seat in Massachusetts despite the fact that they filled it with a pro-choice moderate who has admitted that he would support nationalized health care in a different form. The citizens of Massachusetts could not avoid the Sirens’ call.

A few months earlier in the NY 23 election the GOP chose to offer us Dede Scozzafava as their candidate and fought tooth and nail to stop the more conservative and better candidate Doug Hoffman from winning. It is clear that the GOP is more concerned with filling seats with warm bodies not quality constitutionalists. Why else would they refuse to consider requiring a “purity-test” for candidates in last weeks meeting?

The Republicans might have a conservative platform but what’s the point? They have clearly shown the propensity to ignore it and have yet to hold any of their leaders accountable to it. How have Olympia Snow and Arlen Specter been working out for the past few decades? Where was the accountability to the platform? When Bush and the GOP voted for “No Child Left Behind” the only thing that was left behind was their accountability to the platform.

I am asking and calling for all tea party patriots to ignore the call of the GOP and focus your efforts into a party that will hold candidates accountable. Not only do we have candidate accountability as a plank in our platform we actually deny candidates that do not support the platform. When you go to the polling booth and vote for a Constitution Party candidate you can rest assured that you will know exactly where he/she stands on the issues and that we will hold their feet to the fire.

The Changing of the Guard

I traveled to Texas this week to see my uncle laid to rest. He was born in San Antonio Texas, and he died in San Antonio Texas. In between, he lived a youthful life of adventure. He was 22 years old when the United States entered the Second World War. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and was sent to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese. Though he was too human to talk about it for forty years afterward, he met General George Patton’s idea of a hero. Patton once said that a hero is someone who “makes the other SOB die for THEIR country.” Uncle Roy made many Japanese die for the Empire of Japan, and when he got back he lived in a way that made his own country better.

A big, raw-boned man of German heritage, he played football for Baylor back when players went both ways and face masks were for sissies. He was center and middle linebacker for the Baylor Bears. When the Korean War started up, he was called into service again. He had gotten enough of war and did not want to go, but he went anyway.

In the middle of all this he married my aunt Doris, and they had a son and a daughter. My family on both sides for generations seems to be averaging two children each. I know that was the standard for a couple of generations there, but we really marched in lockstep on the number of children factor. I often admire people who have large families and raise them right, but it has been as an observer, not a fellow member of the club. On this trip Aunt Doris expressed regret several times that there were so few of us.

Roy made a good living as a building inspector for the city. He had a stereotypical German attitude about quality and workmanship. I have no doubt that he was the bane of shoddy construction crews for decades. I actually remember him complaining, long before anyone cared about illegal immigration, about how the Mexican construction crews would just throw up anything.

During the time Roy and Doris raised their children, the culture changed. The country changed. San Antonio changed. Their daughter went to a Lutheran college. San Antonio was founded by the Spanish, but the next bunch in were German settlers. The city has large historical influences from both, and that is how the Lutheran church got so big around there. Roy and Doris were faithful members of a Lutheran church that had been around for almost one hundred years.

The daughter became a school councilor and a great one. She was voted the best one on the Gulf Coast two years ago. Sadly, her husband died before his time. They have one daughter. The son was a young man during Vietnam. He did not sign up, and may very well have evaded the draft if necessary to avoid Nam. Like I said, the culture changed. An old football injury (he played tight end for UTEP for a year or two) was just enough to keep him out. Always more gently inclined, he became a jeweler. He made the rings that my wife and I exchanged when we got married. They are really well done. He has three sons.

The city changed too. German settlers had long quit coming to San Antonio, but Mexican settlers, legal and otherwise, were still streaming in. Mexican families were not like most Anglo-German families. They were much more comfortable with having lots of children. The city changed at an accelerating rate. Doris and Roy had moved to a very nice bedroom community within San Antonio years before. Membership in their old Lutheran Church continued to dwindle.

To some extent, times changed back. Ronald Reagan got elected President. It was cool to be in the military again. After college, I joined the Navy. My aunt was so happy. So was Roy, even though he faked outrage, “You messed up. You were supposed to join the Marine Corps, not the Navy!” Years went by and the circle winds back around. I wonder what we are doing with troops in all of these other countries. In other ways, times did not change back. Doris and Roy’s old Lutheran church closed its doors two weeks before Roy died. There was only a grave side service for Roy. The pastor retired when the church closed, but he came out of retirement to do Roy’s funeral.

San Antonio is a great city. It has lots of culture, energy, historical monuments, and corporate headquarters. It’s vibrant. It also has a large military presence, including a gigantic veteran’s cemetery. That was where I headed when I went to Texas for Uncle Roy’s funeral. When traveling in Texas, I like to stop for hotels in towns with German names and (unless its steak) stop to eat in towns with Mexican names. Am I a racist?

When I get to Fort Sam Military Park I see rows and rows of headstones. A staggering number of them. I finally find the pavilion where Roy’s remains lay in that coffin. A respectable crowd is on hand. Some, like me, have traveled a long way to be there. The pastor gives a fine traditional service. Roy’s oldest grandson reads a moving tribute. His son leads the other two grandsons in singing Amazing Grace. All signs of a life well-lived.

There were signs of a military life well-lived too. Seven old veterans under the Texas, not the Federal, flag fire a 21 gun salute to Roy. They are all Anglos. The salute is delivered in three volleys. The Hispanic guy who runs the cemetery for the VA is very smooth and professional in how he explains to the congregants what is about to occur. The guns are so loud, and they are so unused to the sound of gun shots, that many in the crowd flinch anyway. Then a three-man detachment of Marines assume positions over the coffin containing the remains of their aged comrade in arms. The lowest ranking member of the detachment is a tall athletic looking blond guy. In fact he looked to me strikingly like the old photos of Uncle Roy himself when he was a young Marine. The other two members of the team are both Hispanic. One is a bit overweight. The detachment leader is short but very fit. Much changed during the course of Uncle Roy’s life, but not everything. The young Marines carefully perform a ceremony exactly as it was done before Roy E. Simpson was ever born.

Slowly and reverently they fold the flag that was draped over the coffin into a tight triangle. The other two hand the folded flag over to the detachment leader and salute slowly and mournfully. He returns their salute. Then he expertly wheels about and kneels before the widow as he cradles the flag in his arms. He gently places the flag into her pale hands, then rises and gives her the same slow salute. And with that, the Changing of the Guard was complete.

Miss Me Yet?

Yes, Actually.

Placemarkers

One of the functions of this blog is as a place to put things that I want to refer back to.

One is this eye-opening Ron Paul interview on the Morning Joe.



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Another is John McCain's scary bill, the ‘‘Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010."

This legislative police-state atrocity would let the Executive Branch alone, with no judicial oversight, indefinitely detain anyone it deems to be, not an enemy "combatant", but simply a "belligerent." And it appears that the President alone gets to determine what makes one a "belligerent" towards the federal government.

At first I thought that there was some safeguard in that these vast powers only applied to "unprivileged" detainees. I thought that US citizens would be among the "privileged" persons referred to in McCain's legislation. I was wrong. The privilege it seems to be talking about is the Geneva Convention's protections on the uniformed soldiers of other nations! Silly me, I thought it might be the US Constitution that conferred privilege or protection. Not in this thing.

What a cozy club, the former GOP nominee wanting to hand all that power to the Democrat who beat him, because by golly, we know Obama can be trusted with it!

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What may be an important aspect of the Stupak betrayal is the role of Catholic Bishops in the ruse according to this article from Accuracy in Media. Bottom line, they want illegals covered more than they want to protect the unborn because they treat many of those illegals at Catholic hospitals. They want more access to the taxpayer feeding trough.

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Last but not least is what may be the final article from one of the great opinion writers of the last 20 years, Paul Craig Roberts. A couple of the many highlights....

"There was a time when the pen was mightier than the sword. That was a time when people believed in truth and regarded truth as an independent power and not as an auxiliary for government, class, race, ideological, personal, or financial interest.

Today Americans are ruled by propaganda. Americans have little regard for truth, little access to it, and little ability to recognize it.

Truth is an unwelcome entity. It is disturbing. It is off limits. Those who speak it run the risk of being branded “anti-American,” “anti-semite” or “conspiracy theorist.”

..........

I was associate editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal. I was Business Week’s first outside columnist, a position I held for 15 years. I was columnist for a decade for Scripps Howard News Service, carried in 300 newspapers. I was a columnist for the Washington Times and for newspapers in France and Italy and for a magazine in Germany. I was a contributor to the New York Times and a regular feature in the Los Angeles Times. Today I cannot publish in, or appear on, the American “mainstream media.”

............

"The American corporate media does not serve the truth. It serves the government and the interest groups that empower the government."

Troubling Contradictions from Gunner DeLay

There are eight Republican candidates for Congress in the 3rd Congressional district. All but a couple of them are trying to tap into the popular discontent that is so prevalent (and justified) these days. Former Sebastian County Prosecutor Gunner DeLay has actually launched a website calling for civil disobedience to over-reaching government action. “This Web site was established to give people the opportunity to join a historic movement across our country in protest of the socialist agenda that’s being pursued in Washington, including government takeover of health care,” DeLay says on the video.

Long time readers of this blog will know that I supported DeLay in his run for Attorney General against Dustin McDaniel. I still believe he would have made a better AG. But his entry into the Congressional race against so many good folks all claiming the mantle of conservatism has prompted me to examine his actual record. I and others are not too happy with the result. This story from the Ft. Smith paper talks about DeLay'a "pro-union" record. I don't have as much problem as some conservatives with a "pro-union" record, but I find DeLay's record is more pro-trial lawyer than pro-union.

Rather than go over each of the five bills in detail and explain why they are more pro-lawyer than pro-union let me just quote a telling synopsis from the article..."The bulk of DeLay’s potential problem with this issue revolves around at least five bills he filed or supported that were deemed pro-union by the business community, and were outside the agreement made between the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas AFL-CIO prior to the 83rd General Assembly in 2001."

In other words the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO were already on their way to an agreement and those bills were "outside the agreement" the two sides had come to before hand. The bills DeLay was pushing mostly concerned the workers compensation laws- and some had the potential to allow trial lawyers bigger payoffs. DeLay has spent much of his life as a paid officer of government. His lack of time in the private sector has concerned some conservatives. But the time he has not spent running for and occupying a public office has been spent as a trial lawyer. I find it highly disturbing that he attempted to use his platform while in public life to make his private life as a trial lawyer more lucrative.

It pains me to write these things. They don't take away from the good he did in, for example, opposing all tax increases. It does not mean that he is a crook. But it does make a reasonable conservative person wonder if DeLay is the right choice to send to a DC environment that already has many temptations for self-enrichment at the cost of doing the will of We the People.

But all that is just the overview. Everything above this point only sets the stage for what I write below. Gunner DeLay has waved the red flag and said that it is time for civil disobedience on health care, and offers his leadership on that disobedience. That begs two questions. One is whether or not the time has come for civil disobedience. I will leave that question for another time. The second question is, if it is time for civil disobedience, is DeLay the right man to lead it?

The answer can be found in another bill which DeLay sponsored during his time in the Senate, SB491 of 2001. The bill is short and I encourage everyone interested in this election to read it. The bill would have would have provided heavy fines or liquidation damage awards against employers that fail to comply with any statute or regulation pertaining to the health or safety of employees. It would have specifically have changed the state law so that not only violations of STATE statutes would be subject to a $10,000 fine per violation, but it would add violation of FEDERAL statutes to the hit list for state enforcement. It would have turned state government into an enforcement arm for federal health and safety statutes.

To me it is unconscionable that a man who sponsors a bill like that now attempts to step in front of the parade and promote himself as the champion of civil disobedience toward health care. He was the champion for PUNISHING disobedience to federal health regulations when it had the potential to profit him. How does he now claim the mantle of the champion of civil disobedience? And if you will read the bill, you will see that is not its only problem. It is so lawsuit-promoting that it makes my blood pressure go up just reading it.

We need a leader, not a poser. I am tired of getting let down by one politician after another. If their record does not withstand scrutiny, then it is better to vote for someone who has no record. Shame on us if we vote for someone based on what they SAY when a look at what they have DONE shows the opposite. I was voting for Kurt Maddox anyway, and have even done some very part-time consulting work for him, but even were I not, I'd have to scratch DeLay off the list.

Jim Holt Does Not Exist

The DC Establishment is "The Eraser".
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Again Jim Holt gets left out of a poll, this one sponsored by the left-wing Daily KOS. This seems to be a recurring theme with these polls. I reported earlier that the fix was in on the polling. In that one, they polled Boozman vs. Lincoln even before Bailout announced (along with the establishment's previous choice Baker) but did not include Holt. Rasmussen was also very slow to poll Holt. After Rasmussen was deluged with complaints, they did include Holt in one poll, but that was after initially telling the Holt campaign that they simply would skip polling that month.

Now it happens again. Holt, who polls as well or better against Lincoln than anyone else in the race, was left out of the KOS poll even though the poll did test Lincoln against TOM COX who dropped out of the race weeks ago! This is ridiculous. Its absurd. It feeds right into the hypothesis that both DC based political parties are funded by the same global interests. They tell America who the "acceptable" candidates are, and the American people will be chastised and ridiculed by their henchmen if they go outside the lines!

Conspiracies happen, but it does not have to be a conspiracy. They just have their own insulated group who talk among themselves. They ask each other in the Beltway "who should we poll against Lincoln?" And Holt is not on the Beltway's radar. These other folks seem to be. That in itself ought to tell you something.

Obama Imposing United Nations Curriculum On Schools With Stimulus Money

See Blue Font At End of This Article To See How
Our Candidates For Arkansas US Senate Voted on This Issue

(Summary: Through NCLB and with Stimulus money, Obama is implementing national/international curriculum (UN curriculum) in our schools. Janet Napolitano was chair of the international benchmarking advisory group over these standards before Obama appointed her as Director of Homeland Security. Imagine our school curriculum being written by Napolitano.

Napolitano is the one that sent out the DHS warning to law enforcement officials across the nation to be on alert for violent antigovernment groups like returning veterans, citizens opposing abortion, firearms restrictions, homosexuality, and out of control spending. Some of our candidates for US Senate voted for bills at the state and national level that laid the foundation and added the building blocks for such curriculum. See how they voted at end of this article.) See paragraph in red font below for description of this UN curriculum)

Article:
National history standards were proposed in 1994 that were so liberal and outlandish that the US Senate voted 99 to 1 to reject them.

Yet, "Without the slightest bit of legislative discussion in either chamber, the Obama administration quietly slipped $4.35 billion of education funding into the stimulus bill passed in 2009 for a program called Race to the Top (RTTT). The absolute requirement of RTTT is that states must adopt national standards." 1.

This so called improvement plan is to be paid for by Obama's Stimulus package through grants to states that compete for the largest pool of federal discretionary education money in U.S. history. But few citizens realize that these grants are the basis of implementing a federal and international curriculum. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is quoted as saying, “Race to the Top is a competition. Only the best proposals will win.” 2

And who wins the competition? Those states who get the most schools to implement the national and international standards. "The competitive application requires states to show the largest number of school districts agreeing to take on these national/international standards," and, "States adopting the new standards in their schools will receive extra points in their Race to the Top application and states rejecting the standards will be docked points." 3 & 4

According to Julie Johnson Thompson, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Education, "Some highlights of Arkansas’ existing plan (for the RTTT grant) included implementing a national common core of education standards and tests." 5

So the Obama administration is buying our schools systems. But this is nothing new. The government has been doing it with grants through Goals 2000, School To Work, and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for fifteen years now. But only a few people realized what they were doing because it was done more subtly.

This quote explains what national standards means: "Frank Waller, director of Jackson County’s middle and secondary schools explained that ultimately this competition [grants from Race to The Top] is part of a larger, national move [NCLB] toward unification of all state school systems. These standards will define for every school system the knowledge and skills students should have within their kindergarten through 12th grades." 6

So what are international standards? "As explained by Professor Allen Quist, the only comprehensive "internationally benchmarked" standards are those produced by the UN's educational and cultural arm UNESCO and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). These standards will promote the documents and principles of the United Nations over those of the United States." 7

About three years ago I wrote an article on the IBO. I described it this way in the first two paragraphs. 8

"IBO was slipped through the legislature in Arkansas with not one legislator voting against it. At one point it was in the process of being implemented in a Jonesboro, Arkansas elementary magnet school. It has already been implemented at Springdale, Hot Springs, and North Little Rock.

So What is IBO or United Nation Curriculum? IBO stands for International Baccalaureate Organization. "School board members in a Minnesota district call it anti-American and anti-Christian. In New Jersey, members of one school board argue it's a waste of money. Critics argue that IBM's multicultural themes promote values that conflict with traditional Judeo-Christian values. One teacher objects to the program because of IBO's endorsement of the Earth Charter that calls for sustainability of the Earth through, among other things, responsible reproduction and wealth distribution. Many opponents have called it Marxist. Another critic says IBO promotes socialism, disarmament, radical environmentalism and moral relativism, while attempting to undermine Christian religious values and national sovereignty."

In 1998 or 1999 I presented a paper to a national educational meeting in St. Louis entitled State Assessments - Precursor to Total Federal Control of Curriculum. I based my conclusion on the reforms I was seeing in Arkansas and research on what was going on around the nation. 9

In 2003 the Arkansas Omnibus bill (Act 1467) mandated that all schools in Arkansas implement the state government standards and be tested on them. This Omnibus bill, according to then Director of Arkansas Department of Education Ray Simon himself, "is where we begin to implement requirements of No Child Left Behind." Note also that consolidation was part of the plan to gain control over all aspects of the schools. The word consolidation is mentioned 36 times in the Omnibus bill. 10

Now in 2010 the federal standards are here just as I predicted, and not only national standards, but the national/international standards that the states have been marching toward since 1990's with Goals 2000, School to Work, and No Child Left Behind. The following letter to editor published in the Democrat Gazette describes where Arkansas stands on this issue of national and international standards (written even before the Race to the Top grants)

Let to Ed
"The Democrat-Gazette reported that Arkansas Education Commissioner Ken James testified at a U.S. House committee hearing on the need for national K-12 academic standards. The paper did not report that, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers, "The purpose of the hearing was to examine how states can better prepare their students to compete in a global economy by using internationally benchmarked common standards.

Either the paper or James evidently considered international standards beyond the digestive level of Arkansans. The news story referred only to a push for national standards. The Arkansas Education Department recently announced that it will delay plans to revise English/language arts standards pending the outcome of the national initiative. In other words, James can't wait to implement the national/international standards.

Neither did the paper mention that none other than Barack Obama's Department of Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano was chair of the international benchmarking advisory group overseeing the national and international curriculum standards. Remember Napolitano. She is responsible for the recent Homeland Security report warning law enforcement officials about a rise in so-called rightwing extremist activity, labeling returning veterans and other citizens opposed to abortion, firearms restrictions, homosexuality and high taxes, and associating them with violent antigovernment groups. Imagine the likes of Napolitano writing our state school curriculum. Debbie Pelley, Jonesboro, Arkansas. "11

So how have our candidates for US Senate (who have a voting record) voted on these issues leading to national/international United Nations standards? The other candidates have no voting record.

Jim Holt voted against every bill that had to do with consolidation, the Omnibus bill, and government control and spending related to No Child Left Behind.

Senator Gilbert Baker voted for all bills in the Legislature that promoted consolidation, the Omnibus bill, and government control and spending related to No Child Left Behind.

Senator Kim Hendren voted for all bills in the Legislature that promoted consolidation and government control related to No Child Left Behind except for the Omnibus bill.

Congressman John Boozman on his website praises No Child Left Behind, saying among many things, The "No Child Left Behind Act,” which was passed shortly after I entered Congress, is an important step toward true reform... Like many of my colleagues in Congress, I am eager for the reauthorization of NCLB. In the same article Boozman says "I learned that we need to take the decision-making power out of Washington and put it into the hands of officials back home." But local control and NCLB are diametrically opposite concepts. 12

US Congressman John Boozman voted for TARP bailout and on his website adamantly supports No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The Omnibus bill (3rd bill mentioned above) was the bill that implemented NCLB in Arkansas. The Omnibus bill combined a state mandated curriculum in Arkansas along with consolidation. So in essence Senator Baker, Senator Hendren, and Congressman John Boozman (knowingly or unknowingly) all supported consolidation and federal government controlled curriculum because national and international standards are now being implemented in our schools. NCLB has been working toward this now for years.

Senator Blanche Lincoln voted for and supports NCLB. ( NCLB was sponsored by Ted Kennedy.)

For the 13 footnotes of documentation, go to this link: http://www.wpaag.org/Ed%20-%20National%20&%20Intern

John Brummett: Character Assassin for the Establishment

Jeannie Burlsworth: Peasant Steps Out of Line, Becomes Brummett's Latest Target.

John Brummett serves the role of Character Assassin for the establishment (a fancy word for "the powers that be"). If a Jim Holt on the right suggests doing things outside the lines, we can count on Brummett to say ugly things about him. Should a Bill Halter on the left buck the establishment by running against Blanche Lincoln, we can count on Brummett to say ugly things about him. It does not matter what side of the political spectrum one is on. What matters is that if they are a challenge to the powers that be, Brummett will be there to use his bully pulpit to, well, bully them.

I have often said that the insiders of the Republican and Democratic parties get along with each other a lot better than they do with the outsiders in their own parties. Ultimately, as we saw with the bailouts, they are paid for and work for many of the same people. Its the outsiders, who suggest altering a corrupt system, that draw the ire of the powers that be. This is so whether the philosophy behind that alteration is inspired by leftist or rightist ideals.

So when the good 'ole boys who run things get irritated by someone challenging the status quo, they hire guys like Brummett to show the Rest of Us what can happen when one of the common folk gets too uppity. Your mental stability is questioned in print, where all your neighbors and clients and everybody can read it. And you get no opportunity to retaliate or present your side of it, because Brummett is the guy backed by the establishment who gets to send his bullets out in 200,000 newspapers a day. Its one of the reason things don't change around here even though many are dissatisfied.

Here is an audio where I talk with Burlsworth. Don't just take the Hit Man's word for it, or mine. Decide for yourself how she sounds.

(continued on the jump)

Marion Berry and Thinking About Eternity

Rep. Marion Berry is retiring this year. He does not have to worry about future political ramifications of his actions, either from re-election by his constituents or in terms of losing political plums from the party bosses. In other words, he is free to vote, assuming it has not atrophied away, his conscience.

It appears he is going to vote against the health care takeover unless it has clear language prohibiting public funding for abortion. This has the mavens in his political party, who seem to lust for innocent blood like some sort of psychopath out of a horror flick, extremely upset. He does not seem to care. What does he care about? Why is he taking this principled stand as one of his last official acts?

I can only speculate about motives, but I know what I would be thinking about. Like many in Congress, Berry is not only near the end of his political career, but he is not too many years away from the end of his time on this earth. If it were me, I'd be thinking about eternity. I'd be thinking about the eternal bliss of Heaven and the unquenchable fires of Hell.

I know many "successful" people in politics are too drunk with power to be rational, but a rational person should realize that as wonderful as this life can be, our hope must ultimately be in Someone greater than this life. While one is young and the glitz and excitement of the marbled halls of power are all about a person, it is too easy to forget that. But perhaps Berry is one of the lucky few who let all that humble him instead of bring him to unbearable arrogance. Maybe there was enough left of the Arkansas roots in him that he knew that he did not want to go out like that.

Marion Berry is not the only one who needs to factor in eternity to their present day course of actions. All politicians need to realize it. And not just politicians, but businessmen, bakers, and housewives. In other words, all of us. The purpose of this life, in the classical view, is to let the seeds in our soul blossom and reveal who we are. This is so that the angels will know if we are to be gathered into the harvest or cast into the fire to be burned. I like to think that Marion Berry has decided that he wants to be counted among that number "when the saints go marching in", rather than join the red-handed mavens as they are shown their eternal home.

Marginal Utility of Debt

Click on the image for a larger view.

This graph is from SwarmUSA, and it is one of the most critical graphs you may ever see. What it shows is the relationship that adding debt has to GDP. At first, adding debt (that is, borrowing from future economic activity in order to spend in present economic activity) produces a large gain in GDP- almost as large as the debt added. Over time though, adding that same amount of debt produces less return in immediate economic activity. People and businesses are leery of spending even though more credit has been injected into the economy because they are hindered by their debt load. Eventually, the madness of trying to "borrow our way to prosperity" because inescapable. The additional debt produces zero gain in GDP, and even goes to negative. That's where we are now.

Lincoln Commercial Star Gets Big Bucks from Farm Programs?

Now why would a good old salt of the earth type like Mr. Brantley put aside his no-doubt "conservative" convictions to vote for a duplicitous pol like Senator Blanche Lincoln? Well, an internet search reveals that Brantley Farming Co was the top recipient of farm subsidies in Lonoke Cnty for the years 1995-2006 at $6,838,192. SIX MILLION DOLLARS! Hey, Lincoln herself would sell out for a lot less.

John Boozman No Shoo-In for US Senate

"Rep. Boozman tops list of well-traveled in state delegation
Republican visited 14 nations in 2009"

Above Headline in Arkansas Democrat Gazette March 15

The media has already started, as I presumed they would, their drum beat on Republican Congressman John Boozman. I knew they would pick out every item they could find in his record and actions and publish it over and over. And as we seem to find in most instances, even with the Republicans, there are a number of areas that inflame conservatives when they discover the truth about the actions and votes of their representatives in Congress. Discovering the truth hurts conservative legislators so much because conservatives really care about ethics, honesty, wasteful spending, and freedom and hold their representative accountable. On the other hand, many Democrats dismiss almost anything as long as their Democratic legislators will push through their agenda for them and will keep doling out their benefits to them.

The conservative and liberal blogs have picked up this Boozman story with more derogatory language than the article in the paper with topics like this: " Boozman on the teat" and including such remarks as, " Globe-trotting U.S. Rep. John Boozman can find a way for taxpayers to send him and his wife to Germany with $900-a-day unitemized pocket money," A conservative blog reports, "Lincoln actually looks less corrupt than Boozman when one looks at issues like lavish spending on junkets. 'Boozman travels the globe at your expense while Arkansans are hurting.' How's that gonna resonate with the swing voters?"

And since Boozman is a Republican, this news story and other things the media bring to light just won't go away. Every aspect of his career and personal life will be inspected and broadcast throughout the papers and blogs again and again in the state. Watch for the media getting around to Boozman's long list of earmarks soon. And unfortunately on the state level, we have little or no conservative media, like Fox at the national level, to give the other side of the story.

As most of you know, I am not supporting Boozman in this race, and I do believe people have the right to know the truth about our candidates. But it really provokes me when I see the games the Democrats and media play in trying to destroy anyone who has the least bit of conservative bent and influence. We should all be on the watch for their tactics and not be sucked into their trap of seeing only one side. There are far, far more negative things that the Democrat Congressmen have done than what Boozman has done; and we need to keep focused on those things even when we are deeply disappointed in our conservative leaders.

I think this issue should be a lesson for all those who are supporting Boozman or another candidate because they think he has the best chance of winning. Since Boozman has a nine year record in Washington D.C., there will be a lot more to scrutinize than with the other Republican candidates running for US. Senate. Many conservatives are very angry with Boozman because he voted for the TARP bailout, the socialistic prescription drug plan, and supports No Child Left Behind (NCLB) that gives government control over all our schools.

The Rasmussen poll is also another indicator that Boozman could be one of the easiest candidates for the Democrats to beat in the US Senate race. A recent Rasmussen survey finds that 63% of likely voters believe, generally speaking, that it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November. In another recent Rasmussen poll, seventy-four percent (74%) of Republican voters say their party's representatives in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters nationwide over the past several years.

Isn't it time that conservatives begin to vote for the person they know will vote their values, be that Boozman or another candidate, rather than the candidate who they think has the best chance of winning or who can raise the most money? In the long run that may be the very best way of winning the battle in this 2010 campaign; and if not the battle, it is surely the way to win the war. Even if we should win the battle in 2010 by supporting a less conservative candidate, we will lose the war, just as we have been losing the war ever since Reagan's presidency. If we don't get truly conservative candidates in Congress this year that we know will stand and take the heat, we may not ever have another chance to turn our country back to freedom and conservative principles.

For Links to articles quoted above and Rasmussen Polls, see bottom of page at this this link:
http://www.wpaag.org/Boozman%20-%20No%20Shoo-In%20for%20US%20Senate.htm

Patriots on Watch Net Radio: The Best Defense

Tonight from 9-10PM (or catch it on archives later) I will expound on the best defense against big government. It won't be an easy answer, but it is a simple answer. It won't be an easy answer, but it will be the correct one.

Also, more on "American Exceptionalism" and my article pick of the week from Dennis Prager.

Arkansas Traveller (Boozman Junkets)

Travel bags not Tea bags.
*******************

Wow does this guy make me angry that I ever voted for him. It turns out that 3rd District Congressman John "Bailout" Boozman is quite the world traveler- when we are footing the bill. While the despised Senator Blanche Lincoln made no overseas trips last year (neither did Vic Synder) Boozman took trips to no less than 48 countries at taxpayer expense!

Destinations included a Valentines trip with his wife to Brussels, Belgium. They managed trips to France and Austria too. He ran up almost $3,000 just in unitemized expenses on that trip. And that does not include the $6,000 in spending for "incidentals". How do you have $3,000 in spending that is so vaguely documented that it does not even count as "incidentals?"

Republicans are idiots if they give this shockingly inarticulate man the nomination for US Senate. Should they be such mindless lemmings as to choose this dud they will again earn the designation of "the stupid party". Not only will nominating Boozman negate the bailout issue for them, but it also pits one Washington insider against another in a year when people are furious with Washington D.C. insiders. They forfeit the bailout card, they forfeit the anti-establishment card.

But the stupidity of nominating Boozman goes beyond that. Lincoln actually looks less corrupt than Boozman when one looks at issues like lavish spending on junkets. "Boozmans travel the globe at your expense while Arkansans are hurting." How's that gonna resonate with the swing voters?

American Exceptionalism

“Obama does not believe in the idea of American Exceptionalism” I heard talk show host Rush Limbaugh say accusingly. That got me thinking. What does the idea of “American Exceptionalism” mean? Do I believe in it myself? I suppose the path to answering the second question is to answer the first.

The United States is certainly an exceptional nation in the sense that Frenchman Alexis De Tocqueville noted over a century ago. We were the first republican government of modern times. We were among the first to be based on the idea that individual humans possess unalienable rights that are God-given. Many of our founders established this nation as an extension of their Christian Faith. We had a Constitution which emphasized that government should be limited in scope and power. We were a country of immigrants from other peoples the world over that were blended together as the result of what used to be called the “melting pot”. Because of the uniqueness of our origins, De Tocqueville argued that democracy in the United States cannot be compared to democracy elsewhere. “Let us cease, then, to view all democratic nations under the example of the American people”, he implored.

When communists and socialists of the last century discussed American Exceptionalism, they described it in terms of why socialism was such a dud in the United States when it was a major political movement in the other industrialized countries. They again went back to something De Tocqueville noted. We are much more a classless society than those other countries. We don’t have royalty or titles here. We don’t have a rigid class structure. In a place where opportunity to move up abounds, socialism is a tough sell. In a place where there is no class of nobles to which the average person is denied access regardless of merit, socialism is a tough sell. The vine of socialism takes root best in an economy of injustice, in a soil well-watered with the vice of envy.

Our tradition of equal status under the law helped protect those who acquired wealth through service to others from being robbed of that wealth through socialist policy. The privileged classes of Europe tried to hold onto their privilege by force of law. Any privilege Americans had was earned through the toil of themselves or their fathers. It was earned, and any man had a chance to do the same for themselves and their posterity. It was little wonder that their neighbors proved more resistant to socialism’s temptation to loot the wealthy.

I buy into those ideas of American Exceptionalism. I buy into it so much that I actually fear that what really made America exceptional is fading away. We are squandering the intellectual and spiritual heritage of our Founders which produced the exceptionalism that we enjoy. But there is another strain of thought calling itself American Exceptionalism, and I am leery of it. It is the idea that we are exceptional not because we held to those values which I described above, but simply because we are Americans. It is usually tied in with a sense of arrogance or entitlement, and those are dangerous attitudes at any place in history. It is the strain of thought that claims we have some sort of special right to impose by force our ideas or our systems on other peoples with or without their consent. What makes America great is virtue united with freedom, but neither quality can be imposed on others through the barrel of a gun. America forfeits its exceptionalism when it changes from friend to ruler.

Wyoming Nullifies Anti-Constitutional Federal Gun Laws

Wyoming has joined a growing list of states, including neighboring Tennessee, to pass legislation declaring that federal gun laws are null and void on the soil of their state so long as the gun is manufactured and sold within the boundaries of that state. The feds have long used the constitutional power of Congress to "regulate interstate commerce" as an end-run around the 2nd amendment's prohibition against infringement on the pre-existing right of the people to "keep and bear arms".

Wyoming's law goes further than the others, stating, "Any official, agent or employee of the United States government who enforces or attempts to enforce any act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation of the United States government upon a personal firearm, a firearm accessory or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in Wyoming and that remains exclusively within the borders of Wyoming shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be subject to imprisonment for not more than two (2) years, a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), or both."

The other states have used the American tradition of nullification and interposition to check and balance the federal government, but they simply say that those particular anti-constitutional laws don't have force. Wyoming law says that any federal agent who attempts to enforce such anti-constitutional laws are subject to arrest and jail time.

The states are arguing the same legal theory that Arkansas resident Hollis Wayne Fincher argued, or rather attempted to argue. Judge Hendren shamefully did not permit the man to make that defense in court, so he was, and is, imprisoned after making no defense at all.

Wyoming also passed a sovereignty resolution. Around here, we have lots of posers claiming they are "conservative Democrats". Popular Wyoming Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal is what a real "conservative Democrat" looks like. “For decades we have shared increased frustration dealing with the federal government and its agencies. What started out as a leak in the erosion of state prerogative and independence has today turned into a flood. From wolf and grizzly bear management, to gun control, to endless regulation and unfunded mandates – the federal government has become far too powerful and intrusive.” he said.

The resolution states in part that it claims “sovereignty on behalf of the State of Wyoming and for its citizens under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government or reserved to the people by the Constitution of the United States.”

Ten other states have served notice to the central government by passing similar resolutions.

Did Focus on the Family Force Dobson Out?

Dobson isn't saying, Focus on the Family isn't denying, and one friend says yes.

Cameras Swarm Jim Holt On Filing Day

Jim Holt, candidate for US Senate,
was met with a swarm of photographers and newspaper reporters when he walked into the Capitol rotunda to file on the last day of the filing period March 8, 2010.

It appears the papers are trying to ignore him (in fear they will help his campaign), but they certainly didn't ignore him the day he filed. They caught him off guard with their big cameras and just followed him from table to table as he filed.

He had no idea there would be that many cameras on him. He said there never had been cameras on him before when he filed. See this link for several more pictures with more cameras on him and pictures of reporters from Arkansas Democrt Gazette, Associated Press and Arkansas News Bureau. http://www.wpaag.org/Holt%20-%20pictures%20at%20filing.htm

3rd District Congressional Primary Race: Maddox Tours Wellness Center at Womack's Invitation

Rogers Mayor Steve Womack has touted the senior center he helped build in Rogers as one of the cornerstones of his campaign for Congress. Rival Gunner DeLay issued a press release saying what a horrible idea it would be to have the federal government build gyms for seniors across the country. Womack responded by inviting him, and the other candidates for the Republican nomination to 3rd district Congress, for a look-see.

This is the after-tour report by one of the candidates- Gravette City Councilman Kurt Maddox.....

I appreciated being a part of Mayor Womack's tour of the Rogers Wellness Center and can clearly see the positive impact of such a facility.I view this debate as not about the center's glowing reviews, but about the role of the federal government.The message I hear loud and clear from the vast majority of Arkansans is that our national government is trying to do too much.

I believe if we had followed the model set forth by our founding fathers, our country would not find itself so far in debt and mortgaged to the hilt. National defense originally was the primary role of our federal government. We need to work towards the original intent, and stop turning to Big Brother for every solution.

As the only citizen legislator and non politician in this race there today, I found the tour entertaining but off point. I chose to attend and insert myself because at the center of this debate is a challenge to a fundamental philosophy in my campaign: Our Federal Government needs to get smaller. As a small business owner, political outsider, and defender of the Constitution, I will use every opportunity to see that it does just that.

Tonight: Patriots on Watch Net Radio- Calling the Prophets Crazy

Tonight from 9-10PM Central (or catch it on archives later), Patriots on Watch Radio the topic is "Calling the Prophets Crazy".

How do we know when it is too late for a culture to avert judgment? Mark goes to the Bible for the answer. Surprisingly, even when the conventional wisdom is that those who speak God's truth are crazy, it still may not be too late. Mark discusses the stages of progression towards Divine judgment and what things will look like when it is too late to try to change the system.

Ready for Ten More Senate Candidates?

OK, so maybe it's five. Still..... I present to you below, for your viewing pleasure, the list of people who have announced that they intend to file for various offices as independents, once they get the required number of signatures. Note that we could have quite a few more senate candidates. Many people are filing as independents for state representative and smaller offices. They might actually have a chance to win, depending on if they are solid local people. For smaller offices, where half the district knows you or your family personally, having a party brand is a lot less critical.

*****************************
2010 Notices of Candidacy for Independent Candidates

The following is a list of individuals who filed notices of candidacy with the Secretary of State’s office. The filing serves as notice of an individual’s intention to file as an independent candidate without party affiliation for a particular office. Candidacy will be certified following the receipt of the requisite number of valid signatures by May 1, 2010.

Jasper A. Beede of Letona, AR for US Senate
Charles Neely of Little Rock, AR for US House of Representatives, Dist. 2
Trevor Drown of Russellville, AR for US Senate
Andy Riner of Hatfield, AR for Prosecuting Attorney, Dist. 18-W
Rick Daes of Little Rock, AR for State Representative, Dist. 35
Jerry E. Coon of Rogers, AR for US House of Representatives, Dist. 3
Thomas R. McLemore of Warren, AR for State Representative, Dist. 8
Larry J. Buffington of Benton, AR for US Senate
Mickey Vernon Higgins of Paragould, AR for US House of Representatives, Dist. 1
Ronnie Spence of Paragould, AR for State Representative, Dist. 78
Frank Wiser of Clarksville, AR for State Representative, Dist. 69
Bert Hone, Jr. of Little Rock, AR for US House of Representatives, Dist. 2
Adam Fire Cat of Fayetteville, AR for US Senate
Marc Rosson of Gillham, AR for US House of Representatives, Dist. 4
Jim Parsons of Bella Vista, AR for State Representative, Dist. 98
Weldon Wynn of Star City, AR for State Representative, Dist. 10
Richard Walden of Jonesboro, AR for US Representative, Dist. 1
Grant C. Rader of Batesville, AR for State Representative, Dist. 72
Roger Sumpter of West Memphis, AR for State Representative, Dist. 53
Lance Levi of Little Rock, AR for US Representative, Dist. 2
Phillip Martinez of Siloam Springs, AR for State Representative, Dist. 100
Christopher Nogy of Lowell, AR for US Senate
Willie Gammon of Marion, AR for State Representative, Dist. 54

Gold Money Equals Power to the People

If not gold then some other real commodity with intrinsic value. Former Arkansas resident Gary North explains why in this lengthy article, but I will excerpt the crux of his argument here......

That act of national theft (going off the gold standard) unshackled the bureaucrats. Before this, the bureaucracies had to be funded by governments. There were limits on this funding: tax revenues and the interest rates on borrowed funds. With the end of the various government-enforced gold standards, nation by nation, the governments reduced these restraints. Their central banks could always buy the governments' debt by creating fiat money.

The great winners have been the bureaucrats. They have escaped vetoes by governments, because governments have escaped the public's vetoes that were created by gold-redeemable currencies.

This is why all big-government politicians and their obedient, salaried intellectuals hate anything even remotely resembling the nineteenth-century gold standard. They resent the veto power of gold over the expansion of credit by the banking cartel. This is why they never challenge the central banks. They know who butters their bread: the central banks. They know what the butter is: borrowed fiat money used by governments to expand power.

The politicians and their many hired spokesmen – economics professors, newspaper columnists, think-tank intellectuals – dismiss the gold standard because they understand that this system placed a veto power in the hands of individual holders of IOU's from banks. This restrained the banks. This also limited the ability of governments to borrow money in order to defer tax increases.

The IOU-holding citizen had the power to say: "You're lying. I'm calling your bluff." He could walk into a bank and demand gold coins. That legal authority was the greatest single tool of decentralized power in the world – yes, even greater than the right to keep and bear arms. People rarely take up arms against their governments. They could impose a veto on their governments by walking into a bank and demanding their gold.

A gold-redeemable currency was to the economy what the jury system is to courts: a way to veto the lawmakers and law-enforcers. The lawmakers and law-enforcers deeply resent such decentralized authority.

Bisbee Drawing Opposition

With filing week almost over, I did not want to let it escape notice that Benton County Judge Dave Bisbee has drawn opposition in the GOP primary. Bisbee has often drawn the ire of this blog and the area newspapers for his shady ways. JP William Stephenson of Siloam Springs has already filed for the County Judge seat Bisbee now holds. I also have word that construction magnate Bob Clinard of Clinard Construction will announce "for some Benton County office" on the courthouse square at 10:00 AM Monday morning. My guess is that he is running for County Judge as well.

Bad Day for Womack: Supported Beebe Over Hutchinson in 06

The 3rd District Republican primary is heating up. This is turning into a rough day for Rogers Mayor Steve Womack. First he gets hit for his proposal to have the federal government build a nation-wide network of gyms for senior citizens to exercise in. That proposal was slammed by Gunner DeLay as being worthy of something Mike Beebe would propose. Now the liberal Arktimes reminds us that Womack actually did support Mike Beebe over Asa Hutchinson for Governor in 2006.

I may have forgotten that, but the Hutchinson clan has not. They are lining up behind Rogers rival State Sen. Cecil Bledsoe. The fiscally moderate, socially conservative Bledsoe holds the State Senate seat that falls in state Representative Donna Hutchinson's area. Were Bledsoe to win the seat for Congress, it would make room for Hutchinson to move up to state senate four years early.

If that is too cozy for you, there are other candidates in the race. Gen. Bernie Skoch has a devoted base of support and was in the race before Boozman decided he deserved a promotion to U.S. Senate. My personal choice is Gravette City Councilman and businessman Kurt Maddox, for whom I have done some work. Boone County Judge Mike Moore is also a good man in the race. Agent Steve Lowery is also running and seems to have some good ideas.

DeLay Goes After Womack for Big Spending Idea

The fireworks have started early in the 3rd District Primary. Read the details here. DeLay said what I know some of the other candidates were thinking about Womack's position. The Federal government is now supposed to be in the business of building health clubs for seniors?

Don't Donate to Your Candidate Via Email

In this election season all of the candidates are scratching for money. You may get an email claiming to be from one of your chosen candidates asking you for a donation. Don't donate via that email. Wait at least a day and a half and go directly to your candidate's website and give directly.

The reason for this advice is that there are all kinds of political consultants out there who build up email lists and then "rent" them to candidates for a cut of the take. In these hard times when a mass email for donations will generate little response, the cut of the consultant is often greater than the amount that the candidate gets.

If a consultant rents his list of 10,000 grassroots activists that he has ripped off from every campaign he ever worked for over the years, he may charge a flat fee of $2,000 plus 10% of the take. If one percent of the list gives $50 (and that would be a very strong effort) that is $5,000 raised. The consultant gets $2,000 plus the 20% which is $1,000. Your candidate gets 2K of the money, and the consultant gets 3K.

Candidates are scrambling for money right now, and they are getting pitched by some super salesmen. I just want you, whoever you back, to have your will properly expressed in the donations you give. Go straight to the candidate's website and donate from there.

The Deficit Enabling Media (Bunning Story)

Big media won't tell the full story. They are tied into too many other companies who are making too much money off the current fiscal insanity. Senator Bunning only wanted the programs to be paid for out of current spending, not additional debt on the next generation. Townhall article calls them on it.

Tonight: Patriots on Watch Net Radio- Free Traitors

Tonight from 9-10PM Central (or catch it on archives later), Patriots on Watch radio the topic is "Free Traitors". That's not to suggest that anyone who has bought into the FOX news version of "free trade" are traitors, but the people who are misleading them might be!

What is called "Free Trade" by most of the corporate media is not free at all. Even many conservatives have bought into the propaganda that we can have "free trade" with unfree societies. The only result can be to destroy the middle class and empower a ruling elite that does not mind profiting off of virtual slavery.

What's Baker Up To?

Jason Tolbert tweeted that Senator Gilbert Baker told him that he would file next Monday morning. That's at the last possible day. Most of the other big name candidates already filed on the first day.

Baker was the insider's choice until Congressman John "Bailout" Boozman jumped into the race. The outsider vote is already split among several candidates, denying any of the critical mass to get momentum and win this thing without a run off.

I speculate that Baker is trying to cut a deal. He knows that the tide has turned against him, both in terms of his actual record being exposed to conservative partisans and in terms of establishment support shifting to Boozman. What will the RNC do for him if he steps aside and endorses John Boozman for US Senate? The insiders can then be unified and push hard on the casual primary voter- the swing vote, to go for their champion rather than one of those unsavory reformers.

Perhaps Baker will go down to the Capitol next Monday and instead of filing for US Senate he will, with cameras rolling, endorse Bailout.

Polls: The Fix is Still In

*******UPDATE **** UPDATE *** UPDATE******
Looks like my source was mis-informed, or Rasmussen changed their mind. Holt is in the latest poll, which also polls against Halter. Boozman and Holt poll best against Lincoln, with a nine and seven point spread respectively. The others trail. Boozman polls strongest in the unlikely prospect that Halter wins.
****************************************
Subject: US Senate GOP Primary polling: I reported to you earlier about the strange series of odd coincidences concerning polls which had the effect of pumping up Congressman John "Bailout" Boozman and downplaying the strength of outsider former State Senator Jim Holt.

After Rasmussen left him off of their poll last time the firm was apparently deluged with complaints. Their last poll included Boozman even though he had not yet declared, and also included Tom Cox who has since dropped out of the race.

With all of those complaints, and the disproportionate treatment, and the opening up of a spot due to the loss of Cox, I thought we would finally get to see a poll which compared the relative strengths of Holt to the others. Nope. It seems the fix is still in. After doing a poll at least every month for the last four months, "the powers that be" at Rasmussen have decided to SKIP POLLING FOR MARCH according to a usually reliable source. This will "lock in" the perceptions of Bailout as the leading candidate, which was the template they seem to want to impose on the data.