Who We Are

The Washington Times reported that bitter sad person and political activist Janeane Garofalo, said that those that attended the tea parties are "racists with dysfunctional brains" She went on to say "Let's be very honest about what this is about. This is not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea party was about. They don't know their history at all. It's about hating a black man in the White House," she said on MSNBC's "The Countdown" with Keith Olbermann Thursday evening. "This is racism straight up and is nothing but a bunch of teabagging rednecks. There is no way around that."Olbermann did not once try to challenge her on those assertions.The actress went on to describe the brain size of typical "right-winger, Republican or conservative or your average white power activist."

One of our organizers of the Houston Tea party was Natalie Arceneaux , a black woman. The opening statements and prayer were given by Claver Kamau-Imani , a black man. One of speakers was Cuban. We had several Hispanic organizers as well. I guess they didn't get the "white power activist" memo.

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

Over half a million Americans attended the Tea Parties across this nation. I've been getting a lot of comments at my Houston blog about our lack of "diversity" in the crowd. So I decided to take look at images of the anti-war rallies of the past 8 years. The first photo above is our favorite anti war ladies, Code Pink. The second pic is an anti war rally in Washington D.C. and the third is a anti war rally in Manhattan. Since Code Pink is the most well known anti war organization, take a look through their photo stream here. Not exactly a wealth of diversity there either. Lots and lots of white faces. I suppose Garofalo would see them as a "white power activist" group as well.

Why don't we contrast and compare, not just diversity, but sanity. Check our protest pics here, and the left's protest pics here.

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

The only thing the left is diverse at is in the insanity that pervades it. Tons of different types of kooks there.

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

Yeah. So when idiots like Jeanean Garafolo talk about us on the right being the ones who are racists or ugly, just remember that these pictures say it all.

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

This administration can rush out DHS reports to try and make those of us who protest at Tea Parties look bad all they wish, but the proof is in the pudding (and the pictures) We are law abiding hardworking Americans who aren't going to let big government and out of control spending ruin this great nation. We are conservatives who believe in equality for all, no matter the skin color or religion, opinion or belief.

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

Those like Garafolo and even Obama can try to smear us and paint us in a bad way, but it isn't going to work. We know who are and what we believe in. Our lives speak for themselves. We know that we believe in honor, respect, integrity, and self responsibililty. And these things know no color, no religion, no ideology. It is simply who we are as Americans.

Caption Contest

Mine is simply..."ugh."

Doing The Right Thing Anyway

John Hawkins has this over at RWN and it was so beautiful I just stole the whole thing:


At a pro-life dinner last night, S Sarah Palin talked about her fleeting thoughts of abortion when she learned she was pregnant with Trig. It was beautiful, sincere, and humanizing because it comes across as so personal and real...


"(Realizing I was pregnant) blew me away, it rocked my world... It was a time I asked myself, was I going to walk the walk? (J)ust for a fleeting moment I thought, 'No one knows me here; no one would ever know.' ...My amniocentesis came back and then I understood why some people would think they could change their circumstances, just take care of it. Todd didn't even know. no one would know. Plus, I was old and I thought, 'Very funny, God. My name's Sarah, but my husband's not Abraham, he's Todd.' ...We went through some things a year ago that's helped me understand a woman and a girl's temptation to make this go away....Believe it or not, I didn't even know what a baby with Down syndrome was going to look like or feel like. I had to ask that my heart be filled up...That prayer was answered the minute he was born...My heart overflowed. I felt a love I had never felt before. He's brought amazing, surprising happiness; he's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Some people think that the courageous feel no fear or that the righteous never consider doing the wrong thing.

Not true.

Not everyone has the same challenges, fears, or temptations, but everybody has challenges, fears, and temptations. The best of us, just feel the pull and choose to do the right thing anyway.

Excellent ZoNation

via HotAir

You know I met this entertaining young man at CPAC and he comes across completely different in person. He is very humble and quiet. You gotta love him.

Dear Rightwing Extremists

I'm very disappointed in you. In the more than 800 Tea Party Protests across this country and the 250,000 of you that showed up, not ONE of you rolled a car, burned some flags, or broke bank windows.

Do you guys not know what the word "extremism" means?

All I saw were families and hardworking Americans enjoying themselves. If we are going to be extremists we have to GOT to step up our game.

Ok, seriously. The DHS report that sees people like me as extremists can be read here.

If you don't see the full implication of this, please read Judge Andrew Napolitano's article about this here.

The DHS has now apologized to the "disgruntled" veterans for their being in the report. They have not apologized to people like us, pro-lifers, gun right advocates, and opponents of illegal immigration.

Now we might not be the kind that rolls cars and mails bomb threats, but we do know how to pick up a phone and/or e-mail our disgust at this.

So call the Department of Homeland Security tell them how you feel about the government targeting innocent Americans and tell them to pull the report.

Here’s the DHS comment line: 202-282-8495.

If the comment line is full then call the operator number: 202-282-8000.

Email your Senators and Congressmen and demand that the entire document be declassified and discarded. In addition, there needs to be an official Congressional investigation into the document’s origin and those at the DHS responsible need to be fired. Contact info for all 100 Senators here.

Contact info for Congress here

It's fine to joke about this among ourselves because of how ridiculous it is, but as you read the Judge's report you understand how really serious it is. So pick up the phone. Now.

The classy leftwing media

Amanda Carpenter wrote about this at the Washinton Times (I'm quoted! So read it!)

The left never disappoint me in the level of depravity they will stoop to.

Houston Tea Party Pics!

Had to add this bird's eye view!

This was part the crowd outside that couldn't get in.

Walton from the Walton and Johnson radio show here in Houston

Johnson from the Walton and Johnson show.

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

I've got more pics below.

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

There were thousands there and the speakers were all normal Americans like you and me. Small business owners, immigrants, and veterans. It was very heartwarming to be with so many likeminded people. People who love this country and only want it to return to being a government of the people, by the people.

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

It was a wonderful experience and I feel blessed to be a part of it.

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

Wow. Just went on twitter with the #teaparty tag and it's amazing to see all these people twittering about the thousands of people at the tea party in each of their cities. I've just never seen anything like it. We were all so connected across this nation! Everyone is so fired up! I hope this is just the beginning.

Update: More great Houston Tea Party pics here!

Tea Party Pics!

The band playing.

My man Claver T. giving the opening prayer.

A shot of the crowd.

Felicia Cravens, the organizer and superwoman.

Melissa Clouthier and me!

Happy Tea Party Day!

Today is the day we stand up to an out of control government who recklessly spends our money and puts our children and their children into debt. Enough is enough.

Today is just the beginning.

The left is trying to denigrate us any way they can. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow just being one example of their disgusting displays. Amanda Carpenter has the details and a quote from yours truly in the Washington Times hot button issue here.

If you are reading this you better be planning on attending a Tea Party near you.

Here in Houston I'll see you TODAY at JONES PLAZA 601 Louisiana St. at 4pm till............

Gee, I guess I'm an enemy of the state...

I didn't blog on this yesterday because honestly I didn't think it was true. Sometimes things go around the net and they end up being bogus. This was just too ridiculous to be true.

But it is.

A Dept. of Homeland Security Intelligence and Analysis report titled:

Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.

On page 2 it describes these radical groups that are "hate oriented" and "It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

Truly laughable. The pro-life movement is mostly made up of grandmothers, mothers, and daughters that work in pregnancy crisis centers across the country helping women through an unplanned pregnancy. The absolute opposite of the word hate.

I may agree or disagree on immigration issues with many on the right, but I do know they come from a sincere desire to protect our borders and follow the rule of law.

I don't know which is more disturbing to me. The fact that this kind of report targets someone like me, a law abiding citizen who has always always tried to live a giving life with a great love for my country, or that it could possibly be a political tool tool to denigrate the people involved in the tea parties. Including"disgruntled" military veterans, I might add. Those who have chosen to serve this country in the most sacrificial way are now being "watched" by the government???

As one of my twitter friends said to me, I never thought in a million years I'd live to see the day when I would be seen as an enemy to our country.

Every day I tell myself not to overreact to what is happening to my country, and every day something like this tells me that maybe I have a good reason to be worried.

Update: Someone in the comments sent me the DHS report on "Leftwing Extremists." I suppose it was to make me feel better, but it only increased my concern. Take a look at it. It only says that leftwing "extremists" are interested in "cyber attacks" despite that " their no-harm doctrine includes claiming to ensure the safety of humans, animals, and the environment even as they attack businesses and associated operations." See? They don't mean any real harm. Just computer hacks. This report is not exactly targeting normal Americans like myself who believe in certain causes or military veterans like the DHS "rightwing" report. The drastic difference in the reports only troubles me more.

"let's Play Pirates"

Ted Nugent. Just good stuff. Read it.

h/t Mike

Texas Rocks...

It just does. And not only because we have a Governor who understands state's rights, but also because of this:

"...as late as October 2008 the Financial Times ranked Texas as the number one state in the U.S. for its economy in a state-by-state comparison of employment rates, gross state product grown, personal income growth and foreclosure rates. In November 2008, MSNBC in a partnership with Bizjournals, ranked five Texas metros in the top 25 as being positioned best to weather the current economic downturn as part of the 100 largest metropolitan areas experiencing strong steady growth while entering the recessionary period. Six Texas metros rank in the top 15 for the nation's biggest gains in private sector employment. Houston ranked number one followed by Dallas at number two, San Antonio at number four, McAllen-Edinburg at number nine, Austin at number 10, and El Paso at 13, according to January 2009 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the 12- month period ending in December 2008, Texas gained 153,700 jobs."

And if I may brag on Houston a bit:

Houston is the number one metropolitan area in the country for growth in private sector employment according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is also one of the top U.S. manufacturing cities according to a May 2008 report in the Manufacturer's News, and in the summer of 2008 it was named Best City to Live, Work and Play, Best U.S. City to Earn a Living, Best City to Buy a Home and Best City for Your Job by Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Forbes, and Business Week.

The Houston region is known worldwide as a major corporate center. There are twenty-six companies on the 2008 Fortune 500 list headquartered in Houston, and nineteen of the 2007 Fortune 100 fastest-growing companies are headquartered there. In addition, the region provides an excellent environment for startup and small- and mid-size companies.

Why do all these companies come to Texas? It's pretty simple. We don't over regulate, we give economic and tax incentives to business instead of punishing them, and there are plenty of able bodied educated hardworking Texans ready to work.

Gov. Perry Supports Resolution Affirming Texas' Sovereignty Under 10th Admendment

AUSTIN –" Gov. Rick Perry today joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”

A number of recent federal proposals are not within the scope of the federal government’s constitutionally designated powers and impede the states’ right to govern themselves. HCR 50 affirms that Texas claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment over all powers not otherwise granted to the federal government.

It also designates that all compulsory federal legislation that requires states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed.

HCR 50 is authored by Representatives Brandon Creighton, Leo Berman, Bryan Hughes, Dan Gattis and Ryan Guillen."

To view the full text of the resolution, please

visit:http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodo...l/HC00050I.htm.

You Tube Video of the Press Conference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LHrIxc-QyE

It is about time someone stood up for State's rights. The idea that the federal government continues to blackmail states into bending to their will with penalities or the threat of losing funding just boggles the mind.

What is the 10th Admendment?

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Pretty simple. Pretty straighforward.

cross posted at Texas Magazine

What's Fair?

I already knew this before I read Ari Fleisher's article in the WSJ, but it's still mind boggling to read it:

A very small number of taxpayers -- the 10% of the country that makes more than $92,400 a year -- pay 72.4% of the nation's income taxes. They're the tip of the triangle that's supporting virtually everyone and everything. Their burden keeps getting heavier.

10% pay over 72% of the nation's income taxes. Think about that for a minute.

But that isn't enough for the left. Punishing the successful is never enough for the left.

Fleisher talks about Obama saying the wealthy need to "pay their fair share." 72% of the nation's income taxes isn't fair enough???

For Fleisher's take on what should be a fairer tax code, read the whole thing.

He also dispells the lie of Bush's "tax cuts for the wealthy."

Contrary to the myth that Mr. Bush cut taxes only for the wealthy, the 2001 tax cut reduced taxes for every income-tax payer in the country. He reduced the bottom tax rate to 10% from 15% and increased the refundable child tax credit to $1,000 from $500 per child..

How not to get caught smoking pot

(Click on pic for bigger image)

I found this looking at this Dallas Lawyer's blog. He couldn't look more like a clean cut dweeb. But then again, rule #9 is "Don't look like a pothead." Heh.

Let's not forget N. Korea

Not that the adorable first dog isn't newsworthy, but there is this little thing called a missile launch last week by N. Korea.

You remember that right? Sec. of State Clinton warned N. Korea there would be "consequences." And afterward Pres. Obama declared N. Korea "must be punished."

Some are not impressed with our response:

Moreover, the Obama administration through the Pentagon imposed a news blackout despite having erected an elaborate system of missile tracking radars, computers, and communications in Japan, the Aleutians, Alaska, Hawai'i and California, U.S. and Japanese warships at sea, and satellites above the Pacific Ocean. That cost the taxpayers $56 billion over the past seven years.

The Pentagon's Northern Command, with headquarters in Colorado, which is responsible for the defense of the U.S. homeland, published a terse press release with few details, concluding: "This is all of the information that will be provided ... pertaining to the launch."

In contrast, after a missile defense test in December 2008, the Pentagon produced Lt. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, to open a press briefing: "What I would like to do is go over exactly what happened this afternoon." The Army general proceeded to do just that.

In the North Korean case, rather than inform the citizens the Pentagon is paid to defend, it withheld information evidently for one or both of two reasons:

1) Political: The Obama administration, having decided there would be no response or retaliation for the defiant missile shot, calculated that it would be best to divert public attention by ignoring it.

2) Technical: Something went wrong in tracking the North Korean missile in this first realistic test of missile defense; other tests have been staged. Rather than admit failure, the Pentagon ducked.

Remember the whole "transparency" thing?

The U.N.'s response is accurately referred to here as "tepid." But it's what we have come to expect from the U.N.

UNITED NATIONS, April 12 -- A week after North Korea shot its missile over Japan, the UN Security Council is poised to adopt a tepid Presidential Statement calling the "launch" a "contravention" -- and not violation -- of a 2006 Council resolution. Japan had said it could live with no less than a resolution, but it is not getting one,

Obama proclaimed in his major policy address in Prague just hours after the missle launch:

"Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something. The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons. Now is the time for a strong international response."

This is what I like to refer to as the "teleprompter Pres. Obama." He says what what he knows we all want to hear. But the "real" Pres. Obama does what he really believes:

The very next day, his defense secretary announced drastic cuts in missile defense, including halting further deployment of Alaska-based interceptors designed precisely to shoot down North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles. Such is the "realism" Obama promised to restore to U.S. foreign policy.

What Obama knows is the press, who loves him so dearly, will report his words much more readily than his actual deeds.

Tea Party! Tea Party! Tea Party!

Apparently some on the left are convinced that the tea parties are being organized and sponsored by conservative think tanks and marketing firms. I can only personally speak for the fourth largest city in the nation, but I can tell you that Houston's tea party was started, run, and organized by a mother of two with an economic degree. At the organizing party we passed the hat (literally, it was someone's cowboy hat) to pay for the deposit and permit for our protests. As I mentioned in another post, we roundly denied prominent politicians from speaking. I was part of the "media group" and we paid for the press release ourselves.

This is about as grassroots as it gets.

USA Today got it right:

Jenny Beth Martin remembers the day she became a protester.

Her husband's business had gone under, and the two were cleaning houses in Atlanta to stay afloat. That was when they heard about a tirade against President Obama's mortgage bailout scheme by a financial news analyst calling for a modern-day Boston Tea Party revolt.
...............................

What started out as a handful of people blogging about their anger over federal spending — the bailouts, the $787 billion stimulus package and Obama's budget — has grown into scores of so-called tea parties across the country.

Jenny and her husband had lost their house in the recession and were living in a rental, but they were doing what Americans were supposed to do, work hard to get back on their feet. Not expect the government to take care of them.

On Wednesday, tax day, there will be protests in over 500 cities across this country. We are protesting reckless spending that will damage this country for genertations to come.

Congress voted for the $787 billion stimulus package without even reading it-- Packed $7 billion in earmarks to special interests into the '09 Omnibus Spending Bill-- passed a budget expected to "double the publicly held national debt, to over $15 trillion"

If you want to be a part of this nationwide protest go here to find the time and place at a city near you.

Here in Houston I'll see you at JONES PLAZA 601 Louisiana St. April 15 Wednesday 4 p.m. lasting indefinitely.


Update: I wanted to add this. If you really want a clear picture of what our nation faces, as opposed to what we were promised, read here.

Dead Pirates

I knew once the Navy Seals were involved, all would be well. But you have to give credit where credit is due. This Captain escaped from his captors TWICE.

Navy SEAL snipers took out these scumbag pirates. Thank God Pres. Obama gave them standing authority to take action in the case of an imminent threat to the hostage's life. Obama did the right thing and we have to give him credit when it happens.

Don't mess with the good old U.S.A.