“What that?”
– Jeff Ward, afternoon radio host, Newsradio KLBJ, Austin, TX, on Friday, January 20, 2012, when asked about the NDAA.
We tend to think that everyone knows about the self-imposed destruction this country is going through. I know all the Obama scandals on blogs such as this one and many more. And then something like this happens, and you realize that the media, where most people get their information, is just so clueless and pathetic.
Jeff Ward works the afternoon drivetime show on Newsradio KLBJ in Austin, Texas. His job is to know the news. He knows a lot about “Pointy Boots” (Texas Governor Rick Perry). Alex Jones has a weekend show on KLBJ; a casual check of Infowars.com would have told Ward about the NDAA.
For Jeff Ward’s information, the NDAA was controversial because it allows indefinite detention of Americans on American soil without formal charges and without a trial. One would think that’s unconstitutional, but our legislators and our president (sworn to uphold the constitution) should have been our first line of protection, not the courts.
Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) said that the “indefinite detention” language came from the president. President Barack Obama–during an election year, no less–insisted on having indefinite detention of Americans in the bill!
When, in a rare case, the NDAA made the news, the public was usually told that this was not in the bill. But it was.
The bill was signed into law on December 31, 2011, when no one was looking. Obama issued a signing statement–essentially, a non-binding pinky swear–that the bill did contain the power to indefinitely detain Americans, but don’t worry, he wasn’t planning to use that absolute power. Pinky swear!
Both SOPA and PIPA very nearly passed. If it had been timed right over the holidays like the NDAA, both would be law by now. So, my fellow freedom-loving Americans, in addition to indefinite detention of any American without trial, the government would have had the power to control the Internet and to shut down any website at any time. Ever seen the Internet in China? This is what we want?
SUMMARY
The main topic of Jeff Ward’s Newsradio KLBJ show had not been the NDAA (that he had never heard of). It was Newt Gingrich’s ex-wives.
Yes, ABC News had made Newt Gingrich’s marriages an important topic. Sure, it’s common knowledge to everyone who follows politics, and anyone can find this out in a simple Internet search. But this information about Newt Gingrich’s ex-wives must be shoved in all our faces right now, and we must discuss every detail about it right now, because the media tells us to.
While the NDAA, SOPA and PIPA slide in through the back door, destroying our constitutional republic.
Our country cannot survive four more years of Barack Obama. All of our freedoms are at risk. Forget about liberal bias–the media has no idea how to do its job. There are conservative ideas vital to the safety and security of every American, and Newsweek and Saturday Night Live discuss stuff like Michele Bachmann’s eyes.
Jeff Ward is more of a libertarian and isn’t a typical Austin Democrat/liberal. The KLBJ shows before his are Rush Limbaugh and Neal Boortz. I just shake my head and cry.
Everyone this morning is talking about how good the Republican debate was last night. It was a good debate and had several memorable moments. Here is my take of what happened and who came out on top.
1) Newt Gingrich clearly won the debate. He probably has won all the debates though so that is not new. But he seemed to win this one by the largest margin yet. At one moment his answer even got a standing ovation from the audience. That was the first time we have seen that in all these events to date. Newt said he wants to teach young people how to get a job and then ultimately how to ‘own’ the job.
Gingrich stood strong on the work ethic and what makes America great. Probably the biggest positive thing that he did was make everyone realize what they like about Newt and how great it would be to have him taking it to Obama in the debates next fall. Newt is an idea guy. It would be nice to have a Republican in the White House that the Democrats can’t say is dumb for a change!
There is not an endorsement but there is no one else in the race who knows how Washington works and potentially has the ability to get things done there as well as he does. Some say that is a bad thing but if Newt truly does what he says in his 21st Century Contract With America we would be taking a big step towards restoring the country to what it should be. No one can speak as in depth about the issues as Newt can.
2) Mitt Romney did a ‘capable’ job which is what he always does. Did he inspire anyone? Not really. He never does for some reason. He seems to come off like a “Ken doll’ and that may be the problem. On the other hand his real problem with conservatives (not RINO’s) may be his record as MA Governor. Despite what you hear from some there was really nothing conservative about his MA record and that fact makes it hard for a true conservative to support him.
Romney got booed when he came out in full support last night of Obama’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). He stated that just as he is “sure” President Obama will not abuse the provisions in that bill about detaining American citizens without charging them with anything he would not abuse that power either. Hmmm, really? Romney stated that ‘the people’ elect people to represent them and then they ‘trust’ those people not to abuse the power they have been given. Really? We (the American people) don’t blindly trust anyone. We believe in what Reagan said, “Trust but Verify”. NDAA is a scary bill and should not be taken lightly. Does anyone know where Newt stands on this bill?
Romney also gave an answer about gun control that left many 2nd Amendment supporters yelling at their TV screens. He said that while he did not support any ‘new’ gun laws we should actively enforce the ones on the books now. His big claim to showing his support of gun rights was a bill he championed as the Governor of MA which according to Mitt was a good compromise between guns rights advocates and people who oppose gun rights. He highlighted that the bill actually had a provision that “allowed hunters to cross roads with a rifle”. Wow! Really? That is his idea of supporting gun rights? Geez, he sounds like he supports the UN position on this subject.
He also told us about how he likes to hunt every now and then, but he is not an active hunter. So Mitt showed his hand on the 2nd Amendment with his words that gun rights are a ‘compromise’ and not a certainty. This was a huge moment if you are a gun rights supporter. Mitt sounds like he is one of those that say it is OK to have a rifle for hunting but not much else. The 2nd Amendment is not a comprise with gun rights opponents. It is black and white with no gray. American citizens have the right to bear arms and that cannot be infringed upon. Period. Romney raised taxes on guns in MA by a huge amount while Governor.
Of course, the media folks say Romney did fine and nothing that took place last night will change his status as the front runner. I don’t fully agree with that spin.
3) Rick Santorum started out fast attacking Romney and actually getting him to fall into a trap about one of Romney’s SuperPac ads claiming Santorum thinks Felons (in jail) should be able to vote. Santorum says he thinks once you complete your sentence and are not on parole or probation anymore then you should be able to vote again. He flat out asked Romney to state his position on that and after a couple awkward moments Mitt said he did not support that idea. I tend to think that most conservatives do not support the right of former felons to vote again but would like to hear your thoughts on that subject. It seemed like Santorum’s trap may have ended up making Romney look better to conservatives on that topic.
Rick seemed to slow down some after that opening battle and it pretty much seemed like Newt stole the show after the first 30 minutes of the debate.
4) Governor Perry was sharp giving his best debate performance by far. The question is will it be too little too late to help him? He made some excellent points including that based on Freddie and Fannie the Federal Government should not be involved in housing at all. He got loud positive response from the audience several times but if he does not win SC (which he won’t) will he drop out of the race? Perry hinted around this week that he will decide after Saturday if he stays in or not. Well, that is not a good thing to say! How many people in South Carolina will vote for a guy if they are not sure he will be in the race next week?
Perry is too far behind in the polls to win SC. His best hope is 3rd but is that even realistic when you consider Ron Paul has a solid base of supporters? Probably the best he can hope for would be to beat out Santorum but that will even be tough. I hope he does well though.
5) Ron Paul really just needs to talk about the economy and his stances on that subject. He does great on economics issues but when it goes to foreign policy he loses a lot of people. In fact, he loses the majority of people! Sure, there are many that support his views but not enough to get him anywhere near winning the nomination. Yes, yes, despite what Ron Paul supporters say.
An excellent point he made was when he reminded people that up until 1913 there was no income tax and that he wants us to go back to “0%” on income tax which would be great. He did not give a real clear positive answer though when challenged by Rick Santorum about gun rights. Ron Paul has such a strong base of supporters he will probably do well in SC.
6) Glad to see Huntsman out of the race. The best part about Huntsman was he rides dirt bikes like I do!
The bottom line is if someone does not beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina it looks like there is no stopping him. Right now with Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry all doing well in the debate they will split the conservative vote which helps Mitt Romney win again. Ron Paul will get his share of votes and that helps Romney also. He won’t need that much to win just like in Iowa.
I think Newt did well enough to cement a second place showing in SC but he really needs a win. There is another debate Thursday evening on CNN. If any one is going to beat Romney in SC they need to score more hits on him then. It looks like Gingrich is the only one within range of stopping the Romney momentum at this point unless Perry pulls out some kind of miracle.
On Thursday, Congress gave the President sweeping new power to detain American citizens indefinitely, without charge or trial. A provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) empowers the President to detain anyone who “substantially supported” groups he determines are “associated forces” of terrorists.
The provision at issue, sec. 1021, was tucked into an 1800-page conference report that was shuttled through Congress in a matter of days. Given the complexity and weight of the issue, I was interested to read House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon’s post on RedState explaining the bill’s detention policy. Unfortunately, the post is almost useless because it muddles two separate provisions of the NDAA.
On Thursday, Congress gave the President sweeping new power to detain American citizens indefinitely, without charge or trial. A provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) empowers the President to detain anyone who “substantially supported” groups he determines are “associated forces” of terrorists.
The provision at issue, sec. 1021, was tucked into an 1800-page conference report that was shuttled through Congress in a matter of days. Given the complexity and weight of the issue, I was interested to read House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon’s post on RedState explaining the bill’s detention policy. Unfortunately, the post is almost useless because it muddles two separate provisions of the NDAA.
Dan Spencer: Scorned by GOP electorate Roemer to go all Nader and continue his Quixotic presidential quest as an Independent. http://t.co/ePvruHMB#RSRH
Moe Lane
Victoria Coates
Daniel Horowitz
Dan Spencer
