Alaska Republican Party Meltdown Continues

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Anchorage, AK – Saturday’s meeting of the Alaska Republican Party Central Committee at the Millennium Hotel was marked by more unrest as an elected officer from District 10 was escorted off the premises by police.

Unbeknownst to Daniel Palmer, who was elected at his last District Convention as a member of the Central Committee, Chairman Peter Goldberg reportedly dissolved his district by fiat on Friday before the meeting convened on Saturday.

Apparently the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary had vacated their positions.

In a subsequent email, Goldberg maintained that “the Rules give me the authority and mandate that the district should be declared unorganized.”

Palmer maintains he was never contacted, saying he only found out when he arrived. Party policy has always been that any registered Republican may attend as a guest if the requisite fee is paid.

The rub came in when Mr. Palmer decided to record the meeting. According to witnesses, the Central Committee subsequently voted through a temporary measure that would disallow the meeting to be taped.

One member compared the heavy-handed approach of the Central Committee Leadership to “Gestapo tactics.”

When Palmer refused to turn off his video camera, party officials called the APD and prevailed upon Hotel Security to trespass Mr. Palmer, who was subsequently escorted out by Anchorage Police.

Chairman Goldberg has warned Mr. Palmer, “If you come to another meeting with your recording equipment and the body of the membership does not want you to use it, and if you refuse to comply with that directive, you will again be removed.”

It’s hard to imagine what information is so sensitive as to warrant this level of secrecy. Palmer maintains that he is only trying to serve the people who elected him, and he feels recording the meetings is the most effective way to keep them informed.

The incident highlights the deep fissures within the party precipitated by the 2010 Write-In campaign of Senator Lisa Murkowski waged against the party nominee, and exacerbated by the Central Committee’s ouster of duly elected leadership after the Ron Paul contingent won the top leadership posts at the 2012 party convention.

Mr. Palmer says his district is mobilizing for an emergency meeting to redress the situation.

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Riot Police in Ukraine Move in Against Protest Camp

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Photo Credit: Fox News By Fox News.

Ukranian riot police armed with stun grenades and water cannons moved in against a protest camp in Kiev’s center Tuesday night as defiant crowds shouted “Glory to Ukraine” while their tents were engulfed in flames around them.

At least 18, including seven police officers and 11 protesters, were reported dead in the violence by early Wednesday morning, with hundreds more injured, the Associated Press reported.

Thousands of protesters had filled Independence Square just hours before, sensing that Ukraine’s political standoff was reaching a critical turning point after the deadliest violence yet in nearly three months of protests that have paralyzed the capital and the nation.

Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko urged the protesters to defend the camp.

“We will not go anywhere from here,” Klitschko told the crowd, speaking from a stage in the square as fires burned around him, releasing huge plumes of smoke into the night sky. “This is an island of freedom and we will defend it,” he said.

Read more this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: Reuters Ukraine crisis: Police storm main Kiev ‘Maidan’ protest camp

Police are storming the main protest camp in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, which has been occupied since November.

Explosions are taking place, fireworks are being thrown and large fires have broken out in Independence Square.

On Tuesday at least 18 people were killed, including seven policemen, in the worst violence seen in weeks.

President Viktor Yanukovych blamed the violence on opposition leaders, but said it was still “not too late to stop the conflict”.

He was speaking after a late-night meeting with opposition figures Vitaly Klitschko and Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

Read more this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: WNDReagan official: Obama should support Ukraine Protesters

By Greg Corombos.

Recent Ukrainian unrest reached its deadliest levels yet Tuesday, as protesters and police officers were killed, fires raged in Kiev and a nation divided moved closer to a national tipping point.

Ukraine is closely divided between Russian-speaking residents largely loyal to Moscow and native-speaking western Ukraine, which identified with Europe and largely despises Russia for its decades of control during the days of the USSR.

The latest volatility stems from Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych rejecting an opportunity to establish closer economic ties with the European Union and subsequently accepting bailout assistance from Russia. Protests that followed were met with new laws restricting protest rights and even a ban on citizens wearing helmets.

Former Reagan administration Pentagon official Frank Gaffney told Radio America the people have very good reasons to be in the streets.

“There’s obvious frustration on the part of the people of Ukraine with their government, with the policies it’s been pursuing, particularly to the degree to which it is acceding to what can only be described as domination by Russia. I think there’s also a growing restiveness about the growing repression at home and the corruption of their government,” Gaffney said.

Read more this story HERE.

Caddell Bombshell: GOP Establishment Wants the IRS to Go After the Tea Party

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Photo Credit: APBy Rush Limbaugh.

RUSH:…Pat Caddell said yesterday on Fox News that the reason Republican leadership has not pushed for a higher-level investigation of the IRS for targeting the Tea Party is because they want the IRS to go after the Tea Party. When you have 71% who want an investigation, 64% who believe it is a sign of corruption, including nearly a majority of Democrats, the reason is the establishment Republicans want the IRS to go after the Tea Party…

They want them to go after the Tea Party because the Tea Parties are an outside threat to their power hold. I’m telling you, the lobbying-consultant class of the Republican Party and Republican leadership, who have been attacking the Tea Party and alienating them, they want the IRS to do this. That’s why there hasn’t been any establishment Republican pushback on the IRS. It’s almost safe to say the Republican establishment might be willing to lose a couple of elections if it meant getting rid of the Tea Party; because it’s clear, folks, they don’t want to win any elections the Tea Party can claim any credit for.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: You gotta hear Pat Caddell. I mentioned this, but I want you to hear Pat Caddell say it. It was last night on the Fox report on the Fox News Channel, talking about the IRS targeting Tea Party groups.

CADDELL: The reason is, the establishment Republicans want the IRS to go after the Tea Parties. Got it? They want to go after the Tea Parties because the Tea Parties are an outside threat to their power hold, and I’m telling you, the lobbying, consulting class of the Republican Party and Republican leadership who have been attacking the Tea Parties and alienating them, they want the IRS to do this.

RUSH: That is a serious charge. That is a very, very serious charge, that the Republican establishment is aligned with Obama and is okay with Obama using the IRS to investigate the Tea Party. But it’s believable, because we know the Republican establishment, the political class in Washington, is spreading the word that they are not gonna criticize Hillary, it isn’t gonna happen, and we shouldn’t, either…

Read more from this story HERE.

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RINO’s Continue Suicidal March Against Tea Party:

Photo Credit: Greg NashRepublican leaders must keep Tea Party on the run

By Juan Williams.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.) are now in position to end the Tea Party’s death grip on the Republican Party’s political future.

Last week, Boehner and McConnell faced down the Tea Party’s threat to cripple the government when they supported raising the nation’s debt ceiling. That move prevented GOP political suicide.

If the nation’s credit rating, stocks and the recovery went down the sewer because of Republicans’ refusal to raise the debt ceiling, the GOP’s chances in the midterm elections would have been severely damaged.

Having successfully defied the Tea Party on the debt ceiling, now it is time for Boehner and McConnell to use that momentum to pass three bills: An extension of unemployment benefits for people suffering long-term joblessness; a minimum wage hike; and, most important of all, immigration reform.

The Tea Party caucus in the House and the Tea Party star in the Senate – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — are never going to love Boehner or McConnell. Both Congressional leaders have tried for years to accommodate Tea Party passions but they can never do enough.

Read more this story HERE.

Five-Year Anniversary of Obama’s Stimulus Renews Partisan Fight Over Jobs, Economy

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Photo Credit: REUTERSThe five-year anniversary Monday of President Obama’s stimulus package has prompted Democrats and Republicans to spar again over the economy and whether the roughly $800 billion in spending created the number of jobs promised.

The White House hailed the measure, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in a 70-page report released Monday stating it and other fiscal measures saved or created 1.6 million jobs through 2012 and eventually ended the country’s 18-month-long recession in June 2009.

“The recovery act … helped to avert a second Great Depression and made targeted investments that will pay dividends long after the act has fully phased out,” said Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which produced the report. “The U.S. economy is undoubtedly in a stronger position than when President Obama took office.”

However, Republicans were quick to criticize the spending — arguing that it was rammed through Congress by Democrats and created far fewer than the 3.3 million jobs touted.

“The ‘stimulus’ has turned out to be a classic case of big promises and big spending with little results,” said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. “Millions of families are still asking ‘where are the jobs?’

Read more this story HERE.

Remington Arms Moving 2,000+ Jobs From NY to Alabama

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Photo Credit: Yellow Hammer NewsHigh level sources have informed Yellowhammer News that Remington, one of the world’s largest gun manufacturers, will on Monday join Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in announcing that they are bringing over 2,000 jobs to Alabama.

The company is viewing the move into Alabama as an expansion, but it will likely impact their Ilion, NY plant as well. The New York facility currently employees around 1,200 people. It is expected to stay open, but with a reduced workforce.

“The company is making the move as an expansion of capacity, production and research,” a source told Yellowhammer on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “The demand for Remington products has skyrocketed recently, for obvious reasons, so they need to increase their production capacity. They will be expanding their research capabilities with the Alabama plant, too.”

The initial estimated impact on Alabama’s economy will be roughly $87 million.

According to Remington’s website, the company designs, produces and sells sporting goods products for the hunting and shooting sports markets, as well as military, government and law enforcement markets. Founded in 1816 in upstate New York, the Company is one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating manufacturers. Remington is the only U.S. manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition products and one of the largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles. The Company distributes its products throughout the U.S. and in over 55 foreign countries.

Read more this story HERE.

Obama: Signing Up for Obamacare Is ‘Just Part of Growing Up’ (+video)

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Photo Credit: YouTube An interview former NBA star Charles Barkley conducted with President Obama aired last night on TNT. In the interview, President Obama defended Obamacare and called signing up for the health care program “just part of growing up”:

Barkley asked, “What do you think of the term Obamacare?”

“I like it. I don’t mind. And I tell you, five years from now, when everybody’s saying, ‘Man, I’m sure glad we got healthcare,’ there are going to be a whole bunch of people who don’t call it Obamacare anymore because they don’t want me to get the credit. But you don’t know what life will throw at you. And sometimes people don’t recognize, particularly young people, how important it is to have coverage until you get sick and you realize you may lose everything you have, or your parents may lose everything they have, trying to make you well. So we’re encouraging people to sign up. They’ve got until March 31 to sign up for this year.”

Read more this story HERE.

The United States of Decline

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Photo Credit: National Review America is unraveling at a stunning speed and to a staggering degree. This decline is breathtaking, and the prognosis is dim.

For starters, Obama now rules by decree. Reportedly for the 27th time, he has changed the rules of Obamacare singlehandedly, with neither congressional approval nor even ceremonial resolutions to limit his actions. Obama needs no such frivolities.

“That’s the good thing about being president,” Obama joked on February 10. “I can do whatever I want.” In an especially bitter irony, Obama uttered these despicable words while guiding French president François Hollande through Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson — a key architect of America’s foundation of limited government.

That very day, Obama decreed that the Obamacare mandate for employers with 50 to 99 workers would be postponed until 2016 (beyond an earlier extension to 2015), well past the November 2014 midterm elections. This eases the pressure on Democrats, whose campaigns would suffer if voters saw their company health plans canceled due to Obamacare’s unnecessary, expensive, mandatory benefits — e.g. maternity coverage for men.

So, by fiat, Obama has postponed the employer mandate. When Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) effectively tried to do this through legislation last fall, Democrats virtually lassoed and branded him.

Read more from this story HERE.

Republicans: Obama Violating Constitution, But Little Can Be Done About It

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsWashington Republicans on Sunday restated their argument that President Obama has violated the Constitution by using executive orders to alter the Affordable Care Act but acknowledged they likely have no recourse or ability to stop another incident.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told “Fox News Sunday” that congressional Republicans think the president abused the government’s separation of powers by using the executive orders to sidestep Congress and delay the law’s employer mandate.

“The president knows this is wrong.” – Sen. Mike Lee

However, he said critics would be challenged to win in court because Congress lacks the so-called “legal standing” to present the case and they would have a “tough time” finding somebody hurt enough by the delays to be a good plaintiff.

“The president knows this is wrong,” said Lee, among the most outspoken ObamaCare critics. “What gives him the ability to rewrite the law?”

Read more this story HERE.

College Textbook Paints Reagan as Pessimist, Sexist…

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsThe authors of a textbook used at University of South Carolina earned an ‘F’ in Ronald Reagan 101, according to several conservative Gamecock students.

“Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare: Critical Thinking Perspectives” portrays the 40th president as a sexist who was insensitive to minorities and whose main accomplishments were cutting taxes, jacking up defense spending and “slashing” social programs. The book states that conservatives like Reagan “take a pessimistic view of human nature.”

“I was absolutely shocked and was tempted to throw the book away,” Anna Chapman, 19, a sophomore majoring in political science, told FoxNews.com. “I would even write comments in the actual textbook next to some of the offensive things that I read. I didn’t know that this is what I had signed up for.”

The sexist comments are particular difficult to square with The Gipper’s record. Although the book states that he “ascribed to woman ‘primarily domestic functions’ and failed to appoint many women to significant positions of power during his presidency,” history shows Reagan appointed the first woman, Sandra Day O’Connor, to the Supreme Court.

Reagan also appointed the first woman ambassador to the United Nations, Jeane Kirkpatrick. And among some 1,400 women Reagan appointed to policy-making positions during his two terms in office were Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole, Secretary of Health and Human Services Margaret Heckler and Secretary of Labor Ann Dore McLaughlin. The textbook makes no mention of any of these appointments, Chapman noted in a post for education blog Campus Reform.

Read more from this story HERE.

IRS ‘Trusted Partner’ On Hunt for Sex Workers

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Photo Credit: WNDCan you identify a “gay” hooker in New York City and try to understand his way of life?

If so, the federal government may have a half-million-dollar grant for you – if the federal payouts to a left-leaning government contractor are any indication.

The Urban Institute, the IRS’ “trusted partner” for small nonprofit organizations to publicly disclose their financial information, has been paid millions of taxpayer dollars to research various topics for the federal government – with subjects ranging from exploring the networking habits of Latino gangs and studying food distribution on Indian reservations to finding the best ways to stop girls in D.C. public housing from getting pregnant.

In fiscal year 2011, the left-leaning think tank was given a $499,925 Department of Justice grant for a project described as “Identifying and Understanding LGBTQ and YMSM [Young Men Who Have Sex with Men] Youth Engaged in the Commercial Sex Market in New York City.”

The organization was also awarded nearly $3 million in taxpayer funds to study “housing discrimination” against homosexuals.

Read more from this story HERE.