PoliticalAction.com Blog

Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 11:01AM
The Source

Doctor & patient groups say White House intended to shut up opponents

Washington DC — The Office of the President and other White House officials are defendants in a free speech lawsuit filed by a prominent physician group, and a non-profit advocate for inner-city poor.

The White House has “unlawfully collected information on political speech,” thereby illegally using the power of the White House to chill opposition to its plans for health care reform, according to the complaint filed in District Court for the District of Columbia, by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) and the Coalition for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)

The lawsuit was prompted by the White House solicitation for the public to report any “fishy” comments to ‘flag@whitehouse.gov.’ Although the White House slightly revised its data collection procedure last week, the email address still exists, the illegal activity continues, and is part of an “unlawful pattern and practice to collect and maintain information” on the exercise of free speech, which “continues in violation of the Privacy Act and First Amendment even if the Defendants terminate a particular information-collection component due to negative publicity.”

The lawsuit outlines how the White House has employed a form of “bait-and-switch” tactic of accusing the Plaintiffs and other opponents of spreading misinformation about the Administration’s goals for health care reform, and thereby refusing to ‘come clean’ about its real agenda.

The lawsuit outlines that the White House knew that the data collection would chill free speech, and in fact, intended to do just that:

“43. As part of their effort to advance the White House healthcare reform agenda, Defendants have accused opponents (including Plaintiffs) of spreading misinformation on issues such as whether (a) health reform would provide public funding for abortions, (b) put “death panels” in place to deny care to the elderly or infirm, (c) amount to a government takeover of healthcare, and (d) increase healthcare costs..the Defendants and the administration have spread misinformation, semantics, and disinformation on these topics…..

“45. By denying and continuing to deny that healthcare reform legislation includes “death panels” that make individual life-or-death decisions on the elderly or infirm, the Defendants and the current administration have ignored and implicitly denied and continue to ignore and implicitly to deny both that their healthcare reform agenda involves rationing healthcare…”

“My hate mail started shortly after the White House issued the ‘fishy’ request,” said Kathryn Serkes, Director of Policy and Public Affairs for AAPS. “We were quite visible and vocal before then, so it doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Who did they share their data with? With whom might they share it?”

AAPS and CURE demand that the White House remove all information already collected, and further, be prohibited from collecting any personal data in the future.

NOTE: AAPS is a non-partisan professional association of physicians dedicated since 1943 to protection of the patient-physician relationship. CURE, founded by Star Parker, serves poor and inner-city communities through church, individual, and market-based solutions to poverty.

The case number is Civil Action No. 09-1621-EGS.

By Barry Goldwater, Jr. on 8.26.09 @ 6:08AM

Nowhere in the debate regarding health care has anyone asked if the government is able and qualified to run such a system. Before we ask the government to manage universal health care, let’s check them out.

How successful has the federal government been in managing agencies, programs and businesses?

Let’s look at Medicare. The president and Congress propose to extend Medicare to cover the 47 million people who lack health care coverage. Did anyone remind Congress that Medicare is broke? It’s rampant with fraud and abuse. It is estimated that Medicare and Medicaid fraud cost taxpayers $60 billion per year.

Medicare is required by law to pay full retail prices for drugs that could be obtained for far less in a competitive-bidding system.

Health insurance companies are required by state regulators to maintain a reserve for future liabilities. Every working stiff in this country is required to pay premium taxes into Medicare, which has no reserve. The federal government has been running the largest Ponzi scheme ever created, and it is on the hook for $36 trillion in unfunded liabilities. And you, Mr. President, want the federal government to run health care?

On Aug. 4, 1977, Jimmy Carter declared war on energy dependence and created the U.S. Department of Energy. Every president since has done the same. Today, 31 years later, the Department of Energy’s budget is $26 billion. It employs 16,000 people and 100,000 contract employees. We are no closer to energy independence than we were in 1977. And you want the federal government to run health care?

The U.S. Postal Service lost $7 billion last year and is talking about closing hundreds of offices. And you want the federal government to run health care?

The Federal Reserve was created by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 to maintain a stable financial system. The Federal Reserve gets failing marks for its direct complicity in the economic meltdown and subsequent recession. The Federal Reserve has failed us. And you want the federal government to run health care?

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created by Congress as government-sponsored enterprises to provide low-interest funding for the mortgage industry. These government-run mortgage banks were created to provide competition and cheap loans to those who could not afford normal market rates.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own more than $5 trillion in mortgage paper. On Sept. 7, 2008, they were declared insolvent and were taken over by the Federal Housing Finance Agency and bailed out with more than $400 billion — another government-run mess. And you, Mr. President, want the federal government to run health care?

Amtrak was created by an act of Congress in October 1970 to run the nation’s railroad system. Amtrak was supposed to reverse over two decades of continuous operating deficits. With a congressional mandate to become profitable, it was given $40 million in initial funding, along with $100 million in loan guarantees. After 38 years, Amtrak has never made a profit and receives a federal subsidy, with no prospect in sight of breaking even. And you want the federal government to run health care?

The war on drugs was started by President Richard Nixon in 1969. The United States has been spending $69 billion a year worldwide for the past 40 years, for a total of $2.5 trillion, on drug prohibition — with little to show for it. Today, there are more drugs on our streets at cheaper prices than ever before. It is easier for young people to obtain illegal drugs than a six-pack of beer. Why? Because sellers of illegal drugs don’t ask kids for IDs. And you want the federal government to run health care?

The list of government failures is long and telling. I can’t wait for “Government Motors'” new car. Are you waiting anxiously? Are you holding your breath? That car will be on recall for many years. And you, Mr. President, want the federal government to run health care?

The government has failed for 30 years to achieve energy independence. The government has bankrupted the Medicare program. The Postal Service is broke. The Federal Reserve was the primary cause of this economic meltdown and recession. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been taken over and bailed out. We have lost the war on drugs.

Mr. President, our government can’t even run a railroad. How the hell do you think the government will ever manage a universal health care system?

Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

11 reasons why the elections in 2010 will be the most important in the history of the United States of America.

What would you say if I gave you 11 reasons why the elections in 2010 will be the most important in the history of the United States?

1. What if I had told you in October 2008, before the last presidential election, that before Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office, the federal government would be in control of both the mortgage and the banking industries? That 19 of America’s largest banks would be forced to undergo stress tests by the federal government which would determine if they were insufficiently capitalized, so they must be supervised by the government?

Would you have said, ” C’mon that will never happen in America.”

2. What if I had told you that within Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office the federal government would be the largest shareholder in two of the US Big-Three automakers: Ford, GM, and Chrysler? That the government would kick out the CEO’s of these companies and appoint hand-picked executives with zero experience in the auto industry and that executive compensation would be determined, not by a Board of Directors, but by the government?

Would you have said, “C’mon that will never happen in America.”

3. What if I had told you that Barack Obama would appoint 21 Czars, without congressional approval, accountable only to him, not to the voters, who would have control over a wide range of US policy decisions. That there would be a Stimulus Accountability Czar, an Urban Czar, a Compensation Czar, an Iran Czar, an Auto Industry Czar, a Cyber Security Czar, an Energy Czar, a Bank Bailout Czar, and more than a dozen other government bureaucrats with unchecked regulatory powers over US domestic and foreign policy.

Would you have said, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

4. What if I had told you that the federal deficit would be $915 billion in the first six months of the Obama presidency – with a projected annual deficit of $1.75 trillion – triple the $454.8 billion in 2008, for which the previous administration was highly criticized by Obama and his fellow Democrats. That congress would pass Obama’s $3.53 trillion federal budget for fiscal 2010. That the projected deficit over the next ten years would be greater than $10 trillion.

Would you have said, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

5. What if I had told you that the Obama Justice Department would order FBI agents to read Miranda rights to high-value detainees captured on the battlefield and held at US military detention facilities in Afghanistan. That Obama would order the closing of the Guantanamo detention facility with no plan for the disposition of the 200-plus individuals held there. That several of the suspected terrorists at Guantanamo would be sent to live in freedom in Bermuda at the expense of the US government. That some of our returning US veterans would be labeled terrorists and put on a watch list.

Would you have said, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

6. What if I had told you that the federal government would seek powers to seize key companies whose failures could jeopardize the financial system. That a new regulatory agency would be proposed by Obama to control loans, credit cards, mortgage-backed securities, and other financial products offered to the public.

Would you have said, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

7. What if I had told you that Obama would travel to the Middle East, bow before the Saudi king, and repeatedly apologize for America’s past actions. That he would travel to Latin America where he would warmly greet Venezuela’s strongman Hugo Chavez and sit passively in the audience while Nicaraguan Marxist thug Daniel Ortega charged America with terrorist aggression in Central America.

Would you have said, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

8. Okay, now what if I were to tell you that Obama wants to dismantle conservative talk radio through the imposition of a new “Fairness Doctrine.” That he wants to curtail the First Amendment rights of those who may disagree with his policies via internet blogs, cable news networks, or advocacy ads. That most major network television and most newspapers will only sing his phrases like state-run media in communist countries?

Would you say, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

9. What if I were to tell you that the Obama Justice Department is doing everything it can to limit your Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. That the federal government wants to reinstate the so-called assault weapons ban which would prohibit the sale of any type of firearm that does not require the shooter to pull the trigger every time a round is fired. That Obama’s Attorney General wants to eliminate the sale of virtually all handguns and ammunition, which most citizens choose for self-defense.

Would you say, “Cmon that will never happen in America.”

10. What if I were to tell you that the Obama plan is to eliminate states rights guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment and give the federal government sweeping new powers over policies currently under the province of local and state governments and voted on by the people. That Obama plans to control the schools, energy production, the environment, health care, and the wealth of every US citizen.

Would you say, “C’mon, that will never happen in America.”

11. What if I were to tell you that the president, the courts, and the federal government have ignored the US Constitution and have seized powers which the founders of our country fought to restrict. That our last presidential election may have been our last truly free election for some time to come. That our next presidential election may look similar to the one recently held in Iran. (And maybe under review by ACORN.)

I know – I know what you will say. That will never happen in America.

Hopefully you realize the significance of taking the census away from the Commerce Department and placing it under the White House, where Acorn has been given broad authority to manage it.
If we don’t do everything in our power to stop this madness in 2010 and 2012, may God have mercy on our souls. Pass this on to every freedom loving American you can.

by: Brent De Leo, Pennsylvania

I was never too involved in politics; never really thought political battles affected my life too much. I basically thought that the system of checks and balances that our government was based on would take care of things and that even if someone got into office that I didn’t agree with, it would all be corrected 4-8 years later as the country ping-ponged between democratic and republican leaders. What I didn’t realize until later is that the reason we ping-pong between parties is because neither party actually satisfies us and gives us what we want. They entice us with “good” and then we find that our liberties are taken in order to architect the “good” their way.

I had watched George W. Bush trample on the Constitution with the Patriot Act, spend far too much money on an endless war of occupation rather than defeat, and I watched him grow the size of government, the control of government, and our country’s debt by leaps and bounds. I, too, wanted change. But, I wasn’t sure what change I was looking for and during the 2008 election cycle, no one really ever talked about what the change was going to be, just that we needed some change.

I wanted a change in politics, but I didn’t want to fundamentally change America. This country is great – the only country with real freedom and a system of government that is based on the notion that the people are in charge. Any unhappiness I have about my country is about the leaders that overstep their bounds, not the governmental structure that our founders put into motion. In order to understand what a government “by the people” means, we must ask ourselves a question. Where do our freedoms come from? If the answer is that our government gives them to us by laws, then that means that our freedoms can be taken away by our government with new laws. Or, do we believe that our freedom comes from our Maker, whomever you believe your Maker is? Do we believe that humans were placed on this earth with a purpose and that the mere fact that we are human gives us the freedom of expression, the freedom of thought, and the right to be ourselves and control our own destinies? A set of laws cannot provide for our freedom – liberty is part of who we are, not who we are allowed to be.

So, America voted for change. Did we get it? If you are anything like me, the main grievances with George W. Bush were the unconstitutionality of the Patriot Act, the endless spending on an endless war “on terror”, the increasing power of the federal government, and an out of control debt. So, what has changed? President Obama has renewed the Patriot Act, has continued the war with no noticeable decrease in spending, has increased the size of the federal government, and has dramatically increased our debt. Somehow, amidst the cheering, balloons, and chants for change, we ended up with more of the same.

On the surface you might be tempted to say that we have voted in another George W. Bush and can expect 4 years of the same Bush-like policies. But, that is only true if those four things I mentioned are the things that “change” is being measured against. Obviously, those are not the things that Barrack Obama was speaking of when he promised us “change we could believe in”. Therefore, it should be no surprise that those four things didn’t change – the Patriot Act continues, the endless war continues, the federal government control is increasing (even faster now), and our national debt is spiraling out of control.

So, what was the change that our new president was speaking of? I’ll be honest, I’m not quite sure yet. We see glimpses of what he was talking about by watching the political moves that his administration makes, but we can’t quite see the whole picture of what he is trying to accomplish. I’m not going to speculate on where we are headed, for I am not qualified to make that assessment. But, I’m not sure that the destination is as important as what we can see in HOW we are getting there – the methods. Our forefathers recognized that the freedoms of the individual outweighed any goal of the government. Thomas Jefferson once said, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”. Go back and read it again – the Constitution and Bill of Rights spell out what the federal government cannot do to the citizens of this country and the small number of things that the federal government was established for. It was written this way on purpose so that it was clear that the government was not to control our lives, to take care of us, or to tell us how to live.

Some may disagree with me that the destination itself is less important than the methods, so let me explain. We all strive for peace and want people to get along, right? So, what if we placed armed militia in every neighborhood and public square and if anyone disagreed with the official sanctioned opinion adopted by the government (on any issue) they were immediately jailed? This would certainly create peace, would it not? There would be no disagreements, no passionate marches, and no arguments in the public square – so, yes, we’d have peace. Does the destination of peace justify the methods of obtaining the peace? No, it does not. Individual liberties are more precious than obtaining any end result – ever! My point? Even if President Obama’s destination is good – healthcare for all Americans, reduction of greenhouse gases, social justice for minorities and disadvantaged groups, bailouts to reduce layoffs, etc. – that doesn’t mean that the methods are always justified. The good of the “collective” does not outweigh the rights of the individual. If we accomplish these goals, but lose democracy, liberty, and individual rights, what have we gained? But, this isn’t about the difference between Democratic policies and Republican policies. Democrats want policies and laws that dictate their ideals. Republicans want policies and laws that dictate their ideals. I, and likely most of you, want policies and laws to be removed so that liberties are given back to the individual; so that we can once again be a nation of the people and for the people. Our federal government was formed to protect the people of this great Nation, not to implement laws that tell us how we should live. Have we forgotten about the 10th amendment? “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.”

My mother always told me to pick my friends carefully, that who I associate with says a lot about who I am. This isn’t a new or obscure notion. George Washington, our first President, once said, “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company”. So, while we might not be able to make concrete statements about President Obama based on who he associates with, certainly reason would tell us that it indeed tells us something about him, the type of company he enjoys, and something about his belief system. Let’s just look at some of his czar and advisor appointments. Some of them are very radical-thinking people that do not fall into the mainstream of America at all and certainly don’t agree with the core ideals that America was founded on. They are people that have clear socialists ties, want major government power, are admitted communists, think that putting sterilizing agents into the drinking water is a good way to control the population, believe in forced abortions for population control, believe that all capitalism is bad and have a desire to de-develop America, and are part of very radical groups that, under the disguise of “green jobs” want to shake up the American system of capitalism, turn it on its head, and re-shape America. I’ve heard some people explain that the czars and advisors don’t have any real power, so it is all harmless. While they don’t have a vote into legislation, what do we think they are managing and advising about? Do we realize that the Apollo Alliance, a “green job” radical organization, actually wrote the stimulus bill and that several in the White House are connected to them, including admitted communist and founding member of the Apollo Alliance, Van Jones. Have you ever wondered why all the stimulus dollars don’t seem to help you or put money into your pocket and unemployment rates continue to rise? If a radical “green jobs” group wrote it, I wonder where their allegiances are; it doesn’t seem like actually getting unemployment down is part of their plan. These examples are simply to show who President Obama is surrounding himself with. People naturally surround themselves with people they agree with – even if they don’t agree with everything. If the current administration is looking to restore American freedoms, economic position, and jobs, why would he hire people that have socialist, communist, and radical views that seem to directly conflict with what Americans is. It makes me wonder – What is his end game here?

But, we can’t simply blame politicians or the current administration; we’ve been heading down this path for quite some time. Sure, if we don’t agree with the current direction of the country, we have an obligation to stand up, voice our opinions, and change the leaders in Washington. But, we need to reexamine our own priorities. Do we want to be right? Or, do we want individual liberties? Do we want someone in office that will force the country down a path that we agree with? Or, do we want individual liberties so that we can all live our own lives the way we want? Are we satisfied with the ping-pong from left to right as we are continually disappointed with the leaders that we put in charge of our country?

Power, prestige, and ideology have clouded our judgement and perspective. We have long forgotten the sting of tyranny and have enjoyed the comforts of liberty to the point in which we can no longer see the beauty of our republic, yet only the stains. Denying the ability to lose the freedom that our forefathers were willing to die for, we have given in to the harlot’s enticement and allowed new pleasures to be more noble than freedom.

While we venture toward “social justice” in the name of equality, we’ve turned away from the liberty we thought we were in search of all along. While we so quickly embraced wanting what wasn’t ours, we’ve neglected to see that the same tyrant we fought against is the one that is now coordinating our demise and deciding how the people of this nation will divide our labors among us all. In our folly, we looked to our government to give us comfort, to give us meaning, to give us boundaries, and to tell us how to live – fear not, we have gotten for what we asked, with no request denied.

We have come to believe that our desire is not merely the pursuit of happiness, but rather happiness itself. Make no mistake, when we are no longer willing to pursue our own happiness, we have given in, let down our guard, shackled our own feet, and given this experiment of a republic back to the king from which we revolted. For the great and oppressive tyrants in Washington will more than oblige to give us happiness without the tiresome pursuit, yet it will not be a happiness that will easily be recognized and will certainly not satisfy. We have misunderstood the plight of our forefathers and have come to believe that they wanted financial equality for all, forgetting that they simply wanted freedom from oppressive rule and control so that they could be free.

We have turned a blind eye on liberty for the comforts of today, for a hand-out from our leaders, for the luxury of an unearned check, for not having to pay our own rent, for not having to save our own money for retirement, and even to not have to learn from our own mistakes and failures. We are even joyous when we receive a “tax credit” from our leaders; money that was ours in the first place and was taken from us. And, in these concerning economic times, we gladly toss liberty to the wind, hold out our hands, and thank our kind leaders for the job we now believe we deserve even without the pursuit. Yes, we have been given the choice between liberty and comfort – we unabashedly chose comfort. Some may exclaim that liberty was stolen from us!! But, history proves this theory to be but a mirage, one carefully crafted by politicians on both sides of the aisle as they entice us to follow them further down the rabbit hole of complete dependence.

It is now self-evident that liberty was ours! She had been given to us by our Maker, through the blood of our fathers, and we held her firmly in our hands. With eyes wide open, we followed other ideals other than liberty, we decided to rely on our government instead of ourselves, and we gave liberty away. All is not lost, however. She can be repurchased -yes, repurchased. It isn’t too late. But, it will cost us. Make no mistake, it will cost us. We cannot pretend that we didn’t give her away willingly, we cannot pretend that someone stole her from us while we weren’t watching, we cannot pretend that we hadn’t indeed forgotten the sting of tyranny and let down our guard. For, if we make way for new leaders and then beg them to find our liberty for us and bring her back to us, then our dependence on government will continue – have we not learned anything?

We, on our own, let liberty go – only we can get her back. We, on our own, held out our hands in complete dependence on our government and watched liberty disappear into the night. Once again, we must rise up like our forefathers. We, the people, must seek out liberty, fight for her with integrity and peace, and bring her back home safely.

In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”

Liberty – change I can believe in.

Montana Prevents Obama From Rigging Town Hall Audience

Friday, August 14, 2009 12:00 PM

By: Matthew Mosk, Washington Times

There is no guarantee that President Barack Obama will be able to avoid critics of his healthcare proposal when he hosts a town hall meeting in Belgrade, Mont., on Friday.

Local officials in Belgrade and neighboring Bozeman personally oversaw the handing out of passes Thursday in much the same fashion that a venue would dole out tickets to a rock concert. Hundreds of people seeking to attend the president’s event began lining up Wednesday afternoon, and camped out overnight in the parking lots of the two local municipal buildings.

Karen Semerau, the Bozeman official who helped oversee the distribution, said some people brought their dogs, others put up tents, and but for a brief rain shower, those in line appeared to be upbeat about the chance to hear from, and question, the president about his plan.

“I couldn’t tell by looking at people if they were for the president’s plan or against it,” Semerau said. “But I can say that the group was totally mixed – college kids, older folks, all walks of life.”

According to Politico.com, 70 percent of all tickets are reserved for the public, with the remainder reserved for local politicians and area VIPs. In all, Obama officials expect about 1,400 people to attend Friday’s town hall at Gallatin Field Airport hangar. Another 500 are expected to protest outside the venue.

Tickets for Friday’s event were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Politico. That’s a break from Obama’s past town halls, which required ticket requests to go through the White House Web site.

The White House has reacted strongly to questioning about whether the administration took steps to rig the audience at his last town hall, in Portsmouth, N.H., after those denied tickets complained that the audience seemed unusually friendly to his point of view.

Press secretary Robert Gibbs said repeatedly that the administration made no effort to exclude the sorts of vocal opponents who have inflamed congressional town hall events elsewhere in the country.

There is no evidence that the White House did anything to screen the crowd. But many of the protesters outside the New Hampshire event said they found it disturbing that, even when the president explicitly sought out skeptics in the audience, the majority of questions thrown his way were softballs.

Gibbs said he believes the media have been disappointed that there were no fireworks at the president’s town hall. He also made clear that, while the president does not welcome the sort of belligerent hecklers that have surfaced at numerous congressional town halls, he is holding his events to address what he says is misinformation that he thinks is fanning much of the opposition.

“I do think that people have questions,” Gibbs said Thursday. “I think that’s why – I mean, the president isn’t out doing town hall meetings just for his health. I mean, he wants to – I think he understands the need to address concerns or misconceptions out there.”

Both the White House and a number of labor and advocacy groups have been ramping up campaigns to correct those misconceptions, including a Web site and a chain e-mail written by the president’s top political adviser, David Axelrod, which began circulating this week.

Marilyn Foltz, a city official in Belgrade, said she believes the Montana residents who waited overnight for tickets in queues that she said snaked like the lines at Disney World, “just want to hear what the president had to say.”

“There was no effort,” Foltz said, to skew the audience for the president’s benefit. “It was very truly first-come, first-served. The tickets were dispensed until they were gone.”

© 2009

Copyright 2009 The Washington Times All Rights Reserved

News from the American College of Surgeons
Releases: August 12, 2009

CHICAGO—The American College of Surgeons is deeply disturbed over the uninformed public comments President Obama continues to make about the high-quality care provided by surgeons in the United States. When the President makes statements that are incorrect or not based in fact, we think he does a disservice to the American people at a time when they want clear, understandable facts about health care reform. We want to set the record straight.

Yesterday during a town hall meeting, President Obama got his facts completely wrong. He stated that a surgeon gets paid $50,000 for a leg amputation when, in fact, Medicare pays a surgeon between $740 and $1,140 for a leg amputation. This payment also includes the evaluation of the patient on the day of the operation plus patient follow-up care that is provided for 90 days after the operation. Private insurers pay some variation of the Medicare reimbursement for this service.

Three weeks ago, the President suggested that a surgeon’s decision to remove a child’s tonsils is based on the desire to make a lot of money. That remark was ill-informed and dangerous, and we were dismayed by this characterization of the work surgeons do. Surgeons make decisions about recommending operations based on what’s right for the patient.

We agree with the President that the best thing for patients with diabetes is to manage the disease proactively to avoid the bad consequences that can occur, including blindness, stroke, and amputation. But as is the case for a person who has been treated for cancer and still needs to have a tumor removed, or a person who is in a terrible car crash and needs access to a trauma surgeon, there are times when even a perfectly managed diabetic patient needs a surgeon. The President’s remarks are truly alarming and run the risk of damaging the all-important trust between surgeons and their patients.

We assume that the President made these mistakes unintentionally, but we would urge him to have his facts correct before making another inflammatory and incorrect statement about surgeons and surgical care.

About the American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 74,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

Web site: www.facs.org

The man that brought you Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone is now america’s food safety czar.

The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history has just been made the US food safety czar. This is no joke.

Here’s the back story.

When FDA scientists were asked to weigh in on what was to become the most radical and potentially dangerous change in our food supply — the introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods — secret documents now reveal that the experts were very concerned. Memo after memo described toxins, new diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and hard-to-detect allergens. They were adamant that the technology carried “serious health hazards,” and required careful, long-term research, including human studies, before any genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could be safely released into the food supply.

But the biotech industry had rigged the game so that neither science nor scientists would stand in their way. They had placed their own man in charge of FDA policy and he wasn’t going to be swayed by feeble arguments related to food safety. No, he was going to do what corporations had done for decades to get past these types of pesky concerns. He was going to lie.

Dangerous Food Safety Lies

When the FDA was constructing their GMO policy in 1991-2, their scientists were clear that gene-sliced foods were significantly different and could lead to “different risks” than conventional foods. But official policy declared the opposite, claiming that the FDA knew nothing of significant differences, and declared GMOs substantially equivalent.

This fiction became the rationale for allowing GM foods on the market without any required safety studies whatsoever! The determination of whether GM foods were safe to eat was placed entirely in the hands of the companies that made them — companies like Monsanto, which told us that the PCBs, DDT, and Agent Orange were safe.

GMOs were rushed onto our plates in 1996. Over the next nine years, multiple chronic illnesses in the US nearly doubled — from 7% to 13%. Allergy-related emergency room visits doubled between 1997 and 2002 while food allergies, especially among children, skyrocketed. We also witnessed a dramatic rise in asthma, autism, obesity, diabetes, digestive disorders, and certain cancers.

In January of this year, Dr. P. M. Bhargava, one of the world’s top biologists, told me that after reviewing 600 scientific journals, he concluded that the GM foods in the US are largely responsible for the increase in many serious diseases.

In May, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine concluded that animal studies have demonstrated a causal relationship between GM foods and infertility, accelerated aging, dysfunctional insulin regulation, changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system, and immune problems such as asthma, allergies, and inflammation

In July, a report by eight international experts determined that the flimsy and superficial evaluations of GMOs by both regulators and GM companies “systematically overlook the side effects” and significantly underestimate “the initial signs of diseases like cancer and diseases of the hormonal, immune, nervous and reproductive systems, among others.”

The Fox Guarding the Chickens

If GMOs are indeed responsible for massive sickness and death, then the individual who oversaw the FDA policy that facilitated their introduction holds a uniquely infamous role in human history. That person is Michael Taylor. He had been Monsanto’s attorney before becoming policy chief at the FDA. Soon after, he became Monsanto’s vice president and chief lobbyist.

This month Michael Taylor became the senior advisor to the commissioner of the FDA. He is now America’s food safety czar. What have we done?

The Milk Man Cometh

While Taylor was at the FDA in the early 90’s, he also oversaw the policy regarding Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH/rbST) — injected into cows to increase milk supply.

The milk from injected cows has more pus, more antibiotics, more bovine growth hormone, and most importantly, more insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is a huge risk factor for common cancers and its high levels in this drugged milk is why so many medical organizations and hospitals have taken stands against rbGH. A former Monsanto scientist told me that when three of his Monsanto colleagues evaluated rbGH safety and discovered the elevated IGF-1 levels, even they refused to drink any more milk — unless it was organic and therefore untreated.

Government scientists from Canada evaluated the FDA’s approval of rbGH and concluded that it was a dangerous facade. The drug was banned in Canada, as well as Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. But it was approved in the US while Michael Taylor was in charge. His drugged milk might have caused a significant rise in US cancer rates. Additional published evidence also implicates rbGH in the high rate of fraternal twins in the US.

Taylor also determined that milk from injected cows did not require any special labeling. And as a gift to his future employer Monsanto, he wrote a white paper suggesting that if companies ever had the audacity to label their products as not using rbGH, they should also include a disclaimer stating that according to the FDA, there is no difference between milk from treated and untreated cows.

Taylor’s disclaimer was also a lie. Monsanto’s own studies and FDA scientists officially acknowledged differences in the drugged milk. No matter. Monsanto used Taylor’s white paper as the basis to successfully sue dairies that labeled their products as rbGH-free.

Will Monsanto’s Wolff Also Guard the Chickens?

As consumers learned that rbGH was dangerous, they refused to buy the milk. To keep their customers, a tidal wave of companies has publicly committed to not use the drug and to label their products as such. Monsanto tried unsuccessfully to convince the FDA and FTC to make it illegal for dairies to make rbGH-free claims, so they went to their special friend in Pennsylvania — Dennis Wolff. As state secretary of agriculture, Wolff unilaterally declared that labeling products rbGH-free was illegal, and that all such labels must be removed from shelves statewide. This would, of course, eliminate the label from all national brands, as they couldn’t afford to create separate packaging for just one state.

Fortunately, consumer demand forced Pennsylvania’s Governor Ed Rendell to step in and stop Wolff’s madness. But Rendell allowed Wolff to take a compromised position that now requires rbGH-free claims to also be accompanied by Taylor’s FDA disclaimer on the package.

President Obama is considering Dennis Wolff for the top food safety post at the USDA. Yikes!

Rumor has it that the reason why Pennsylvania’s governor is supporting Wolff’s appointment is to get him out of the state — after he “screwed up so badly” with the rbGH decision. Oh great, governor. Thanks.

Ohio Governor Gets Taylor-itus

Ohio not only followed Pennsylvania’s lead by requiring Taylor’s FDA disclaimer on packaging, they went a step further. They declared that dairies must place that disclaimer on the same panel where rbGH-free claims are made, and even dictated the font size. This would force national brands to re-design their labels and may ultimately dissuade them from making rbGH-free claims at all. The Organic Trade Association and the International Dairy Foods Association filed a lawsuit against Ohio. Although they lost the first court battle, upon appeal, the judge ordered a mediation session that takes place today. Thousands of Ohio citizens have flooded Governor Strickland’s office with urgent requests to withdraw the states anti-consumer labeling requirements.

Perhaps the governor has an ulterior motive for pushing his new rules. If he goes ahead with his labeling plans, he might end up with a top appointment in the Obama administration.

To hear what America is saying about GMOs and to add your voice, go to our new non-GMO Facebook Group.

Jeffrey M. Smith is the author of Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods from Chelsea Green Publishing. Smith worked at a GMO detection laboratory, founded the Institute for Responsible Technology, and currently lives in Iowa-surrounded by genetically modified corn and soybeans. For more information, visit Chelsea Green.

By Vision America , Restoring Christian Values – 3 Hours Ago

Originally, the word “czar” referred to an autocratic ruler with despotic powers – the very antithesis of democracy.

That’s the way Obama’s czars operate,” said Vision America President Rick Scarborough. “His czars are unelected and unaccountable. They have too much money and power, and are remaking America in ways none of us could have imagined.”

Scarborough noted that whereas most of his predecessors had one or two “czars,” President Obama has 34 and counting. Each is paid over $172,000 annually plus benefits and has a staff of 10 or more.

“Pay Czar” Kenneth Feinberg (who’s 31-years-old, drives a foreign car and has no executive experience) can set the pay of executives at any company that receives bailout money.

“Science Czar” John Holdren once supported compulsory population-control, including forced-abortion, to fight what’s termed over-population.

“Obama is afflicted by Czar-mania, “Scarborough said. “By appointing these czars, often with powers exceeding those of cabinet-level officials, the president has avoided the Senate confirmation process, as set forth in Article II, Section 2.”

In this regard, Scarborough shares the concerns of ranking Senate Democrat Robert Byrd, who also questions the constitutionality of whole the czar-ist system.

Scarborough noted that Representative Jack Kingston (R-GA) has filed a bill requiring confirmation of Obama’s czars and withholding funding from their bureaucratic empires until that happens.

Vision America President Rick Scarborough is also the moderator of a growing STOP Obama Coalition, dedicated to maintaining Constitutional government.

-An Open Letter to the President-
July 3, 2009
Dear Friends,

In just another day, we will all observe Independence Day. Yet, like you, we all realize that our freedoms have never been so threatened both from within and without. We wonder what actions we should take. We wonder what happens if we wait too long? I know we all wish for some clarion call from some leader with a response commensurate to the challenges we are seeing. A recent news analysis from Rachel Maddow (MSNBC News) of a major policy speech made by our President in May prompted me to write this open letter to the President as my next step. As you watch this news clip, you will likely find that the President’s attitude toward the Rule of Law and the Constitution is even more alarming than what he is proposing. I hope that this video and my letter will further develop your thinking as we celebrate Independence Day. While I stop short of suggesting a specific collective action that American citizens can take, I believe that history lays out the pattern.

Please watch this video, and then read my “Open Letter to the President.”

Dear Mr. President,

I write to you as one elected official to another on behalf of average American citizens. We listen to your words and measure them carefully. With hope, we watch your actions. We then look to history and compare the events of our day with the events of yesterday. We look to our Founders and read carefully their intellectual discourses and their moral debate. They ultimately concluded that the actions of the king were best described as tyranny, because they could not be honestly described any other way. Having come to such a serious and reasoned conclusion, their path was charted-unknown as to its outcome-but certain as to its demand upon them. Mr. President, we are doing what Americans have done before.

Many of your words, at face value, inspire and offer some level of hope. This is why many Americans cast their vote for you. Yet, now that you are in office, your actions are inspiring fear and distrust. At nearly every level, Americans, regardless of political party, are being forced to walk down the same road our Founders were forced to walk – questioning, analyzing, and looking deep within their souls. The similarities between the past and the present are amazing. If you desire to test the American people’s resolve and challenge their patience, you are accomplishing your goal. You know what is happening within the hearts and minds of the average American. That is why state legislatures are offering and passing resolutions, re-affirming the 10th Amendment and state sovereignty issue. That is why the Tea Party movement is growing by the day and is attended by rich and poor alike. That is why you and Congress are hearing from the American public in record numbers on an increasing range of major issues including the bail-out, the stimulus plan, “cap and tax”, and government intrusion into health care.

Your speech sounds sensitive to the economic and emotional needs so heavy on our people. Yet, your continued references to being guided by the “Rule of Law” (our Founders knew this meant God’s Higher Law and the Highest Law of the Land – the Constitution) are hollow and disingenuous. Your recent speech in front of the original Constitution of the United States of America in the National Archives makes it all so clear that your words mean nothing. Your agenda and you yourself appear to be that “rule of law” – effectively setting aside all Constitutional constraints. It’s unfortunate that I must be so direct, but you are leaving the American people with very few options.

Mr. President, it is clear by your speech and actions that your oath to the Constitution is not binding to you and, therefore, is a broken oath. On many fronts, so much of significance has happened in such a short time. You (and the Congress) are overriding state sovereignty and encouraging the states into unsustainable programs through Stimulus Funds: this will force them to beg you and the elite in Washington for help when the funding runs out. Your policies are destroying the wealth of hard-working Americans by plunging this nation into inescapable debt to our enemies and by justifying the disastrous printing of trillions in fiat money. What you and the Federal Reserve do not destroy immediately by exploding our debt, will be completely devoured by the ensuing hyper-inflation. What an insidious way for you and Congress to spend what you do not have by robbing it from every hard-working American who has responsibly worked and saved!

You have violated historic contract law by choosing who wins and who loses, while Chrysler and General Motors is eviscerated and turned into ‘Government Motors’. You have thumbed your nose at the ‘Balance of Power’, so carefully conceived and implemented by our Founders, by appointing unaccountable “Czars” to function as your direct emissaries over fundamental areas of public policy, thereby blatantly by-passing the checks and balances of Congressional oversight. You pursue special interest agendas motivated by the faddish science of “Global Warming” or “Climate Change”, or whatever it will be called next. In the ‘cap and tax’ plan, you justify the biggest tax assault on the American people ever conceived. Yet, you boldly assure the American people that it will cost them nothing, since only the “polluters” will pay. But, in the process you will destroy thousands of truly sustainable jobs (in exchange for temporary “green” jobs – like insulating buildings and re-caulking windows). Bringing America to its knees in financial dependence, in energy dependence, and a gutted manufacturing sector is sadly what’s happening. It appears that in reality, the “Change” you promised is just your personal change-clearly not what the American people so desperately hoped for.

So Mr. President, these things that I and the American people have come to observe and conclude are bringing this nation to a point closer each day that resembles the circumstances that forced the hearts, the minds and then the hands of our Founders. As we quickly approach the remembering of Independence Day – July 4, 2009, please remember that as you make your choices, so must we. May you and all the American people reread the Declaration of Independence – very carefully. Identify the principles they clearly stated and then apply them to today. Feel the intensity of the letter sent to the King. Understand the careful steps they undertook to make the moral case for freedom and independence in the context of the history of mankind. Note in particular the foundational precepts woven into paragraph two, written as much for the benefit of Americans yet unknown and unborn as it was a message to King George. As the President who holds the highest elected position in both honor and responsibility in this Republic, place yourself in the position of the King, look in the mirror, and then look across this great land at the faces of our great people and listen to their pleas. The King didn’t know for sure all that Declaration Letter would mean for him, but I am certain that he knew he had ignited the will and passion of a freedom-loving people for which only time would prove the outcome.

So it is today. Now, we have the Constitution against which to compare the words and actions of those in public office. The people, Mr. President, are awaking. They are realigning their priorities, purifying their motivations, and galvanizing their wills. Their freedom and their families are what they love and, thankfully, what they will defend. As to what comes next, I cannot say. I do know that another Declaration Letter is not necessary since this country already belongs to us. Our freedom and this republic are already ours. It is the return of freedom they demand. It is nothing less than the adherence to the Constitution and to the oath we have both taken that they demand. We, continuing to carefully note and compare as our Founders did, are also coming to serious and reasoned conclusions. Our path is charted – unknown perhaps as to its ultimate outcome – but certain as to its demand upon us.

From all those who love their Freedom,
Samuel E. Rohrer
State Representative Sam Rohrer
District 128 – Berks County

Dear Fellow Conservative:

If it concerns you that America is sliding toward socialism, I hope you will join me in supporting a group I am leading to elect true conservatives to the U.S. Senate who will stand up and fight to save freedom.

Saving Freedom Fighting for freedom is the reason I ran for the Senate and it’s also why I wrote a new book called Saving Freedom that I would like to send you.

I’ll tell you more about that in a minute…

But first, I need you to CLICK HERE if you agree that we need to elect more true conservatives to U.S. Senate who will fight for liberty.

As you know, President Obama and congressional Democrats are ramming billions in bailouts, stimulus plans, and pork-barrel projects through Congress as fast as they can.

We desperately need principled leaders in the Senate to stop them, and we need those leaders now.

The tea parties have been great. They are a physical representation of the growing anger Americans have over the direction of our country. But now we need to channel our energy into positive action that makes a real difference.

That is why I formed the Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF). Its mission is to bring bold leadership to Washington by supporting only the most rock-solid, conservative Senate candidates nationwide — candidates who believe in limited government, a strong national defense, and traditional family values.

SCF does this by making financial contributions to candidates, educating voters on key issues, and building a grass roots army of like-minded conservatives across the country who will push our candidates on to victory.

And let me be absolutely clear about something. SCF does not support liberal Republicans and is not affiliated with the Republican Party or any of its campaign committees. SCF only supports conservatives and will support conservative challengers in Republican primaries when it’s necessary.

So if you like wishy-washy Republicans who talk out of both sides of their mouths and try to have it both ways, you won’t like SCF. I will tell you that up front.

But if you love America and you believe it is the world’s greatest bastion of freedom, then you should join our team and help us take back our country.

There are just under 500 days until the 2010 elections, and we have a lot of work to do. SCF has already made three important endorsements for three impressive candidates.

* In Oklahoma, we are supporting the re-election bid of conservative U.S. Senator Tom Coburn. As I’m sure you know, Senator Coburn is a one-man pork-busting machine who has done more to protect American taxpayers from wasteful Washington spending than anyone in Congress.
* In Pennsylvania, we are backing former Congressman Pat Toomey in his race to replace ultra-liberal Senator Arlen Specter, who helped President Obama pass the $1 trillion stimulus bill and recently switched parties to save his political hide.
* In Florida, we have endorsed former Speaker of the House Marco Rubio who is running for the GOP nomination against Governor Charlie Crist. Rubio is a bright, articulate, and principled leader who has what it takes to win this important seat for conservatives.

Right now SCF is working hard to build support across the country for our conservative candidates, but we need your help to succeed.

If you’re ready to take back your country and fight to save freedom, then I hope you will CLICK HERE to make your very best contribution of $25, $50, $100, or even $500 to the Senate Conservatives Fund.

In appreciation of your contribution of $25 or more to SCF, I will send you a copy of the book I mentioned earlier, Saving Freedom.

And for your contribution of $100 or more to SCF, I will send you a personally autographed copy of my book.

I wrote Saving Freedom to help explain the value of freedom in America and describe how it works. I also wanted to give Americans a road map for how we can save it.

I’m making this special offer because I believe we must win a few key Senate races in 2010 or we won’t be able to stop our nation’s slide into socialism.

Many Americans seem to have forgotten how important liberty is, but it’s not too late to save the land of the free.

So please CLICK HERE to help SCF and get your copy of Saving Freedom today.

The benefit from your contribution will go directly and exclusively to SCF so it can help elect true conservatives to the U.S. Senate.

Together, we can strengthening the U.S. Senate and take back our great country.

Your friend,

Jim DeMint

Jim DeMint
United States Senator
Chairman, Senate Conservatives Fund

P.S. When Newt Gingrich read my book, he called it “a new Declaration of Independence.” I hope it is the same for you and your family!