Free Republic

Joan Didion wrote, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." I'd modify that slightly for this presidential election year and say, we tell ourselves stories in order to vote. Which is why Mitt Romney maintains a huge lead in the polls among blue-collar white men. The differential is staggering. Non-college-educated white men give Romney a 37-point advantage over President Barack Obama according to a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. Why would struggling wage earners support a candidate who would give tax cuts to the top 1 percent, a group that controls 43 percent of the wealth in the country,...

The Obama administration is launching a new space arms-control initiative that critics say will lead to restrictions on U.S. military activities in space, a key U.S. strategic war-fighting advantage. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to announce the initiative as early as Tuesday. The plan will be built on work contained in a European Union draft code of conduct for space that the Pentagon and State Department have criticized as too restrictive. “The United States has decided to enter into formal consultations and negotiations with the European Union

An unbylined item appearing at the Associated Press shortly after midnight (captured in full as a graphic here due to its brevity; for fair use and discussion purposes) crowed about how President Barack Obama "is looking to boost summer job prospects for kids," has "gotten commitments for nearly 180,000 youth employment opportunities for next summer," and only says that "Many of the positions would be unpaid training opportunities." How many? Well, most, according to the Hill's Eric Wasson: Obama to launch summer-jobs initiative President Obama on Thursday will unveil a summer-jobs initiative that the White House says is already on...

Today the Islamized State Department will be meeting with the Islamic supremacist Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss strategies and develop action plans in which to impose the restriction of free speech (or blasphemy, as truthful speech about Islam is considered in Islamic law) under the Sharia here in America. Photos accompanying news reports about the upcoming meeting shows Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at a meeting last summer in Istanbul. Such prominence is given to this totalitarian organization. That photo reminds me of Neville and Adolf.

Journal-Courier If a Pittsfield chiropractor gets his way, his neighbors will be allowed to be armed in public. Dan Mefford is spearheading a petition drive to have an initiative addressing the weapons issue placed on the March primary ballot. “The initiative essentially bypasses the Chicago Machine that is currently ruling Illinois,” Mefford said. “I recommend that each county in Illinois get on board and pass the same gutsy version for the constitutional carry of arms.” An initiative is a process that enables a specified number of voters by petition to propose a law and submit it to voters in a...

California’s initiative process has long been a thorn in the side of the state’s labor unions and their allies in the Democrat Party. While they have occasionally utilized ballot measure to coax more money out of taxpayers, overall progressives have viewed ballot initiatives as the one aspect of the state’s government that they cannot fully control. Their stranglehold on the legislature and deep pockets for election spending ensure their domination as California’s most powerful political influencer. For besieged conservatives and businesses, bypassing the union-controlled legislature and appealing directly to voters has been a saving grace and has slowed, if not...

“Entrepreneurs embody the promise of America: the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard and see it through, you can succeed in this country. And in fulfilling this promise, entrepreneurs also play a critical role in expanding our economy and creating jobs.” – President Barack Obama, January 31, 2011 The recent White House announcement of a new government program to promote entrepreneurship must signify that the Obama Administration finally “gets it” about job creation and economic recovery, right? Certainly free-market conservatives can agree with the President’s inspiring words. But … The problems, as...

Last fall, leftist ideological groups of socialists and communists teamed up with American labor unions to march together for “One Nation.� Now, as labor leaders struggle to maintain a stranglehold on collective bargaining privileges in Wisconsin, the same groups are once again marching together under a banner claiming unions are the heart of the American dream.As we’ve reported, former White House green jobs czar Van Jones this week issued a rallying call for the progressive movement to “renew itself and become again a national force with which to be reckoned.� On Saturday, progressive groups and labor unions are reportedly planning...

After stalling out several times, an initiative to create a commission in Denver to study extraterrestrials is once again looking to take off. Jeff Peckman kicked off his voter education campaign this week for Initiative 300, which would establish a seven-member panel that would be charged with collecting data and research to prepare Denverites in the event of a possible alien encounter. The initiative received enough valid signatures to be placed on the November ballot. Peckman yesterday was enthusiastic about raising awareness for his initiative. [....] The Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission would consist of a seven person panel that would have...

Enhancing the grassroot movement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The theme of The People's Initiative will enhance the effectiveness of the emerging grassroot movement against unrestrained government growth by offering a message that is focused, positive, concrete, and dramatic. Focused. The initiative theme is focused because it solves just one problem, namely, the fundamental problem that underlies the unrestrained growth of government. Positive. The initiative theme establishes a positive message, namely, power for the people — government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Concrete. The initiative theme transforms the idea of the cost of government into a concrete image, namely,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama sought Thursday to put some detail behind his lofty drive to double U.S. exports over the next five years, calling the effort imperative to putting people back to work. But doubts remain about how many net jobs his trade agenda will create—and how he will get it done. In a speech to the Export-Import Bank conference, Obama outlined steps to flesh out his trade initiative. Among them: creating a mini-Cabinet of officials to focus on exports, seeking more financing to support trade efforts, beefing up enforcement of existing trade deals and pushing for the...

Dear Friends, The State of California is too big to fail. Do these words cause concern? They very well should. The State of California is in a financial crisis and about to become a burden….Your burden. The elected leadership in California would just assume pass on our bills to all of you, whether you live in California or not. The current administration in Washington believes they have a strong constituency here and must bail us out with your money. How does that thought grab you? Most of you know that trends beginning in California quickly find their way across the...

http://www.waterforfighting.org http://www.petitiononline.com/CWPOSSE/ Media Release: This Saturday, February 27, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. California Watershed Posse Co-Founder and executive director Oscar Braun will be interviewed live on Santa Cruz KSCO AM radio by host and station owner Michael Zwerling on his Saturday Special show. The California Watershed Posse is proposing a controversial California statewide ballot initiative that would significantly change property taxes, present restrictions on air, land, and water resource use, and otherwise reset the economy of California. The proposed ballot initiative appears below. KSCO radio serves much of the Central Coast of California and can also be...

Date: February 18, 2010 To: Diane F. Boyer-Vine, Legislative Counsel of California From: Oscar Alejandro Braun, Co-founder of the California Watershed Posse Subject: Submission of text of proposed law (Government Code Section 10243) Total Electors Signatures Pages Attached: 6 We, the People of the Republic of California, hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the...

Mississippi is in the last three weeks of a Voter ID Ballot Initiative. If we get more signatures, it will get on the ballot. If passed, it will require people to show an ID before voting. Everywhere from Jackson down to the coast needs more signatures. We need people to sign this petition, we need people to go door to door, put them in stores, churches or at any event where people gather. We will never have this opportunity again. If you are against voter fraud and are from Mississippi please get on board this effort now. Go to this...

WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin says the U.S. has "lost the initiative" in the war against insurgents in Afghanistan. In a speech to the Senate Friday, Levin says he wants heightened training of Afghan armed forces before committing more American troops. Levin, D-Mich., urged the Obama administration to expand Afghan forces to 240,000 troops and Afghan police to 160,000 officers by 2013.

SACRAMENTO - Secretary of State Debra Bowen today announced that the proponent of a new initiative may begin collecting petition signatures for her measure. The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is comp lete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Attorney General's official title and summary for the measure is as follows: PART-TIME...

LONGMONT — Free Marijuana in Longmont is collecting signatures to ask voters in November to change city pot laws. But even some members of the group aren’t confident they’ll get the question on the ballot. The group wants to legalize possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana for adults and reduce city penalties for public consumption of marijuana and possession of some types of drug paraphernalia. Volunteers have been walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors and visiting local bars and hangouts as they try to collect the 3,485 signatures they need to put the question before voters. Free Marijuana volunteers...

Let’s cut to the chase: The Open Government Dialogue — the Obama administration’s much-ballyhooed initiative to engage with the public in an online forum — got slimed. The brainstorming forum, managed by the National Academy of Public Administration, was designed to allow the public to provide input on how to make government operations and information more transparent. Participants were invited to submit ideas and rate other people’s ideas with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The system would tally the votes and assign a score to each suggestion. This mechanism would make it possible for the public at large to...

AUSTIN, Texas (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton was in Austin, Texas, over the weekend to host the Clinton Global Initiative University, which encourages college students and administrators to come up with creative ways to address global issues. Former President Bill Clinton praises the Obama administration's handling of the stimulus bill. CNN's John Roberts sat down with Clinton to ask him about how the Obama administration is performing, how his wife, Hillary Clinton, is doing as secretary of state, and what responsibility he may have for the current financial crisis. John Roberts: Mr. President, in terms of the overall economic...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2009 – A new research and awareness program geared toward preventing motor vehicle fatalities among veterans who return from deployments was formally launched today during a news conference at the Veterans Affairs Department here. Veterans Affairs Secretary James B. Peake teamed up with the Defense and Transportation departments and NASCAR legend Richard Petty to announce the creation of the “Home Safe, Drive Safe, Stay Safe” initiative, which he told reporters is designed with one objective: to save the lives of veterans on the highways. “We’ve all come together to address something that is a recurring problem,”...

Case No. 8168047 IN THE Supreme Court of the State of California KAREN 1. STRAUSS et al., Petitioners, v. MARK B. HORTON, as State Registrar of Vital Statistics, etc., et al., Respondents; DENNIS HOLLINGSWORTH et al., Interveners. INTERVENERS' OPPOSITION BRIEF KENNETH W. STARR (Bar No. 58382) 24569 Via De Casa Malibu, CA 90265-3205 Telephone: (310) 506-4621 Facsimile: (310) 506-4266 ANDREW P. PUGNO (Bar No. 206587) LAW OFFICES OF ANDREW P. PUGNO 101 Parkshore Dr Ste 100 Folsom, CA 95630-4726 Telephone: (916) 608-3065 Facsimile: (916) 608-3066 Email: andrew@pugnolaw.com Attorneys for Interveners TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES iii ISSUES PRESENTED 1...

Is that laundry soap truly "environmentally friendly"? Was that mattress treated with toxic chemicals? Is that sweatsuit fashioned from organic cotton? Is that lipstick "natural"? California officials launched a sweeping green initiative on Tuesday to inform consumers exactly how hundreds of thousands of products sold in the state are manufactured and transported and how safe their ingredients are. The plan, which would require every product to reveal its "environmental footprint," envisions the most comprehensive regulations ever adopted for consumer goods. "These recommendations usher in a new era of how we look at household products -- from our children's toys to...

SACRAMENTO – When Hiram Johnson championed an initiative system for California nearly a century ago, he sold it as a grass-roots way to “arm the people to protect themselves.” California's 23rd governor foresaw citizen campaigns that would spring to life and put propositions on the ballot when the Legislature failed to address a pressing need. --snip-- But 97 years after Californians voted to allow themselves to put measures on the ballot, overturn laws adopted by the Legislature and oust elected officials in midterm, Johnson's experiment in direct democracy has changed dramatically. He couldn't have envisioned the multimillion-dollar campaigns for Proposition...

Rev. Geoffrey Farrow was removed from his post Thursday after making comments to members of his northeast Fresno parish at an Oct. 5 MassOfficials at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno said it will take six to eight weeks to name a new pastor at St. Paul Newman Center to replace the Rev. Geoffrey Farrow, who was removed from his post Thursday. Bishop John T. Steinbock relieved Farrow of his duties after the priest’s startling comments to members of his northeast Fresno parish at an Oct. 5 Mass. Farrow told worshippers that he opposed Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment on...

The former dean of the University of Washington School of Law said Friday that Nebraska universities must be ready to adjust if voters approve a measure to ban most types of affirmative action in the state. W.H. “Joe” Knight Jr.’s message to the Nebraska Legal Diversity Summit in Omaha: “Prepare yourselves.” In 1998, voters in Washington approved a similar measure. Knight said minority enrollment decreased immediately, and has just now started to catch up because of the university’s hard work — and more money spent — on recruitment. Schools have also sought more scholarships from private donors, who can designate...

Your daily routine -- switching on a light, cooking a meal, driving down the street -- would generate less greenhouse gases under a first-of-its-kind regional strategy to curb global warming unveiled Wednesday at the state Capitol in Salem. The strategy emerged from the Western Climate Initiative, an alliance of Western states -- including Oregon and Washington -- and Canadian provinces trying to jump ahead of any federal move to regulate greenhouse gases. Large utility companies and factory owners would feel the effects first, followed by fuel distributors, as they face limits on their greenhouse gas emissions. Individual Oregonians would not...

EVERY YEAR ABOUT THIS TIME, big-government liberals stand up in front of college commencement crowds across the country and urge the graduates to do the noblest thing possible -- become big-government liberals. That isn't how they phrase it, of course. Commencement speakers express great reverence for "public service," as distinguished from narrow private "greed." There is usually not the slightest sign of embarrassment at this self-serving celebration of the kinds of careers they have chosen -- over and above the careers of others who merely provide us with the food we eat, the homes we live in, the clothes we...

Recently I re-examined the September 1967 decision of the Arab League summit in Khartoum - the famous three no's - no recognition, no negotiations and no peace with Israel. Here we are 40 years later and instead of speaking about the Arab-Israeli conflict, we speak about Arab-Israeli relationships - complex and diverse. Peace, albeit cold, with Jordan and Egypt. The Saudis continue to speak about the Arab Peace Initiative (API) and even Hamas wants a cease-fire agreement with Israel. Syria is calling for direct negotiations with Israel. The Palestinians claim that Israelis are holding back on making progress toward peace...

Initiative Would Exempt Cigar Bars From Indoor Smoking Ban By Austin JenkinsOlympia, WA  March 19, 2008 3:28 p.m. Washington State’s two-year-old indoor smoking ban is facing a challenge. Cigar shop owners have filed a citizen initiative to roll-back part of the law.Dale Taylor is with the newly formed Cigar Association of Washington. He says the initiative would allow smoking in cigar shops, cigar bars, private clubs and service organizations like the Elks.Dale Taylor: “What we’re asking for here is a fair and reasonable exemption to the law that allows a cigar store, for instance like the one I work in,...

George Washington said the following: “The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.” "The National Initiative for Democracy is a proposed law developed by The Democracy Foundation, over the past decade, along with a plan to get it enacted by the people (not by the government) creating, for the first time, a government 'by you, the people.'"

NEW YORK - Across town from the United Nations General Assembly session, other world leaders, celebrities and scholars gathered Wednesday for the third annual Clinton Global Initiative conference to discuss subjects of global importance. Climate change — one of four main topics of the conference this year, along with poverty, health and education — took center stage Wednesday morning as the three-day conference began. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist joined Clinton to announce plans by Florida Power & Light to build a solar power plant as part of a $2.4 billion clean energy program. "This is a huge deal for America...

TRENTON, Sept. 24 — A state judge ruled on Monday that a $450 million bond proposal to finance stem cell research must stay on the November ballot, dealing a blow to abortion opponents. Judge Neil H. Shuster of Superior Court in Mercer County ruled that abortion opponents who challenged the initiative on the grounds that it would permit human cloning waited too long to file their case and did not made a convincing enough claim of imminent harm. Saying that an injunction was the “strongest weapon” available to the court and should be used sparingly, Judge Shuster declined to stop...

PHOENIX - Six western states and two Canadian provinces announced a regional goal Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. The Western Climate Initiative includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington and the provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba. The group wants emissions cut by 15 percent over 2005 levels within 13 years. Governors of the most of the states created the WCI in February, pledging to work together to significantly reduce emissions, partly by designing a market-based system such as a cap-and-trade program planned by California. "The regional goal reflects the combined impact of the individual...

Supporters amended a proposed term-limit initiative Friday, a day after it was unveiled, to ensure that it would allow the leader of the state Senate to run for re-election in 2008. The initiative's drafters made minor changes and filed the amended version with the attorney general's office to satisfy concerns raised by an attorney for Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. "We think it was clear from the beginning that Sen. Perata is entitled to another term under the initiative, but we wanted to be responsive to his lawyer's concerns," said Robin Johansen, a San Leandro attorney who helped...

If California's $3.4 billion solar initiative succeeds in promoting 1 million more rooftop, solar-electric systems, it could still be considered a failure. That's because the 10-year program, set to begin next month, aims to do more than just subsidize installations. It's also intended to make solar electricity's cost comparable to the power provided by utilities. Today it costs twice as much. If solar costs could be made competitive, the impact would be profound. Most conventional power is produced by burning coal or natural gas, making the electric-generation industry a leading source of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Cheap and...

SACRAMENTO — Expect surprises. It's no longer politics as usual. Want to overhaul the Legislature into a single nonpartisan house? How about creating universal health care or a bullet train? Voters may soon get the chance. Californians are so tired of Sacramento and Washington that they are creating a "unique hybrid democracy" to dissolve political gridlock on key issues — a trend that could spread across the nation. That's the conclusion reached by California's two foremost pollsters, looking back to the Nov. 7 election and ahead to coming sessions of the Legislature and Congress. Californians are backing away from the...

South Dakota voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have let people seek criminal charges or file lawsuits against judges and other government officials they believe have violated their rights. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, 279,338 people, or 89 percent of the voters, shot down Amendment E, and 33,455, or 11 percent, supported it....

Proposal 06-1 is a "Proposed constitutional amendment to require that money held in conservation and recreation funds can only be used for their intended purposes". If you agree with this logic, vote "Yes". It should be a no-brainer. Proposal 06-2 is a "Proposal to amend the state constitution to ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes". If you believe that all people were created equal and should be treated fairly, based on their qualifications and their abilities, then...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2006 -- Leaders of major veterans organizations joined Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson here today in launching an effort to “kindle a new spark of patriotism” by asking men and women who have served in the military to wear their medals on Veterans Day. Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson, along with leaders of major veterans organizations, announces the Veterans Pride Initiative at the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C., Oct. 18. VA photo   '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "We are announcing a ‘Veterans Pride Initiative’ to remind Americans of the...

October 11, 2006 Defend California: New Initiative Will Stop Government From Providing Benefits to Illegal AliensLegislative Analyst Says Initiative Will Save Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Annually Fed up with legislative action every year to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, former State Senator Dick Mountjoy has joined with the non-profit organization Defend California to craft an initiative to prohibit such efforts. “Our initiative will once and for all prohibit any government entity from giving tax-funded benefits to illegal aliens,” said Mountjoy, a candidate for the U.S. Senate. “Thankfully, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the driver’s license bill the past two years,...

SACRAMENTO In any other year, a $60 million opposition campaign fueled by a deep-pockets industry would spell nearly certain doom for a California ballot initiative. It still might. But the fight over Proposition 87, the oil-production tax, could be different. The infusion of $40 million by a Hollywood producer has given environmentalists pushing the initiative the financial firepower to respond punch-for-punch to the global petroleum companies that oppose it. The battle over the so-called oil tax has become the costliest initiative campaign in California history and has led to a flood of television advertising throughout the state. The campaigns for...

NEW YORK - Some of the participants at this week's Clinton Global Initiative conference should come as no surprise. Former president Bill Clinton will be there, of course, as will his senator wife, his former vice president, and a number of high-profile people with whom he has worked, including Bill and Melinda Gates. But there are also a few people one might not expect to see at an event with the Clinton name attached — including First Lady Laura Bush and publisher Rupert Murdoch. Bush is scheduled to be among the first speakers Wednesday at the conference, which aims to...

Show Us Your Dove Recipes and Prove Anti-Hunters Wrong- (08/28) Michigan Join our e-mail alert list In their quest to ban dove hunting in Michigan by ballot in November, anti-hunters have stated repeatedly that doves are not eaten by hunters, giving the impression that they are left in the field to rot. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance wants sportsmen across the country to prove the anti-hunters wrong by submitting their best dove recipe and perhaps winning a sportsmen’s prize package for doing so. Anti-hunting groups in Michigan have created a campaign of misinformation designed to win the votes of urban-dwellers and...

A group that wants Phoenix to enforce federal immigration policies has submitted its last batch of petitions in hopes of getting the proposed measure before voters as early as November. Randy Pullen, chairman of Protect Our City, said he dropped off petitions with 1,246 signatures at the Phoenix City Clerk's Office on Friday. The group initially submitted 21,797 signatures, but only 14,160 of those were valid. The requirement is 14,844 to qualify for the ballot. Protect Our City got a second shot at making up the difference because laws allow proponents an extra 10 days to do so. If the...

An initiative to create a statewide border police force failed in its second effort to get on the ballot and appears to be headed for California's political dustbin. The Border Police Initiative fell far short of the 373,816 signatures needed to make it on the November ballot, according to the California Secretary of State's Office -- short by 373,816 signatures. "The counties did not submit any petitions for verification," said Nghia Nguyen, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. The proposal was the brainchild of Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Temecula, who launched a signature-gathering effort last year. Haynes, who did...

DENVER - Moderate Democrats think they have the key to winning back power in Washington and across the country - a package of economic proposals aimed at giving every American a shot at reaching the middle class. "We thought it was important and necessary to rekindle the American dream," said Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, a potential 2008 presidential candidate and the chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist think tank. [snip] The centrist organization, best known for helping Bill Clinton secure the White House in 1992, was to unveil Monday its "American Dream Initiative," which lays out policies...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJuly 8, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      In Focus: Jobs & Economy      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I visited the city of Chicago. In that great city, and across America, our strong and growing economy is creating jobs and delivering prosperity to more of our people. In the Chicago area, businesses have added more than 74,000 new jobs over the past two years. And in Illinois, the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.6 percent, the lowest rate there in over 5-and-a-half years.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004 We have good...

Ready or not, the $37.2 billion infrastructure bond package on the November ballot just got a little bigger. About $5 billion bigger, to be exact. A coalition of California environmental groups has qualified an initiative that calls for $5.4 billion in bonds to pay for water quality improvements, protection of rivers, lakes and streams, shoreline protection and parkland purchases. Backers of the measure made it clear that they'll be hugging the governor's bipartisan bond package tight in an effort to get the conservation bonds passed. "This is the fifth prong of the infrastructure bonds," said Fiona Hutton, a spokeswoman for...

The California Assembly just passed a bill widely described in the press as “an end run around the Electoral College.” It now goes to the California Senate, which is likely to agree. There is only one slight problem with this proposal. It is thrice-times unconstitutional. The bill is an “interstate compact,” and has been introduced in the legislatures of most of the largest states, by do-gooders who are clueless about the Constitution and how it works. The theory is that if states possessing “a majority of the votes in the Electoral College” pass similar bills, those states would be committed...