Category Archives: Senate

Happy Flag Day and Honor America Days

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NATIONAL — While listening to President Donald J. Trump speak on June 6, 2023 at North Carolina, he mentioned a few interesting things. One thing he said he would hold a year long celebration to honor America. I’m not sure, but I think I recall that he said he would start in on July 4th. I guess that is as good a day as any. Though I still cringe when people say “July 4th” instead of the appropriate “Independence Day,” July 4th was not the true Independence Day. It was the date the proclamation was issued for a vote that was taken on July 2nd. Thus, July 2nd was the date that Independence was actually declared.
36 United States Code §110 designates June 14th as Flag Day. The law “requests” that the President issue a proclamation calling on “…United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings…” The President is also supposed to urge “…the people of the United States to observe Flag Day as the anniversary of the adoption on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States.” That is the flag that has thirteen red and white stripes with stars on a blue background. That is the ONLY flag that is supposed to be displayed and honored. Whether it be the current flag with fifty stars or thirteen, it should not matter. The so-called Betsy Ross flag was, of course, the original honoring the thirteen colonies.

Most people do not know, however, that there is an actual “Pride” month celebration during this period. 36 USC §112 designates the 21-day from Flag Day to Independence day as “…a period to honor America.” 36 USC §112 (b) is a declaration in which “…Congress declares that there be public gatherings and activities during that period at which the people of the United States can celebrate and honor their country in an appropriate way.” It is not “appropriate” to loot and burn. That is not appropriate at anytime no matter what the current “administration” says. Likewise, drag queen hour and grooming of children.

What we suggest is that you take the time to review history. One thing you can do is watch the mini-series John Adams. The Patriot is another good selection (not the 1928 version). There are others; pick your favorite. You might be able to find these movies on line for free or they might be available through one of your streaming subscriptions, such as Prime or Sling.

How about doing a little study? Check out The Federalist Papers. These are the arguments by John Jay, James Madison and the first corrupt official in our government, Alexander Hamilton. Hilldale college has a free course on the Federalist Papers. I strongly recommend No. 29

You might find some interesting things on the Archive.org web site. It is packed with Public Domain videos, audio books, old magazines. Even donated video and audio from around the country; e.g. “home movies.” You might want to listen to this selection.

We hope that what ever you do to celebrate will bring you to the conclusion that you should never show your total ignorance by wishing some one a “Happy Fourth of July.” You should reply to that greeting with “Happy Independence Day” without slapping them in the face though you are very tempted to do. There is a reason that the current government wants you to celebrate the date on the calendar rather than what it represents. Be a rebel. Go ahead and say Happy Independence day.

The flag of my Country.

Texas congressmen submit bills to limit refugees

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640-1026617801Opinion

300px-Tulsi_GabbardCongress is in a rush to pass bills concerning the recent refugees of young, fighting age men from Syria. The bills are along party lines with the Democrats trying to take in as many as will fit in a boat.

Democrats are concerned about the Christians, all of the sudden. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii has submitted H.Res.435, “Recognizing the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, especially Christians and Yezidis, by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as Daesh, and calling for the immediate prioritization of accepting refugees from such communities.” (minus the Christians they throw overboard) It makes no mention of the Christians persecuted here in America, of course.

The web site, D.C. Clothesline, is reporting on one Texas Congressman from the other side of the aisle.

300-Brian-BabinTexas Republican Brian Babin, from the 36th district, has submitted H.R.3314, the Resettlement Accountability National Security Act of 2015, would prohibit the admission of refugees into the U.S. until Congress passes a joint resolution giving them authority. Section 2 of the bill specifies:

Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security may not admit into the United States an alien under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) until such time as Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Secretary authority to resume admitting aliens under such section.

The bill would also require a GAO study of:

  1. The average duration for which such an alien received benefits under a program described in section 4.
  2. The percentage of such aliens who received benefits under a program described in section 4.
  3. The cost, per year, to each program described in section 4 for such aliens.
  4. The number of such aliens who paid Federal income tax or Federal employment tax during the first year after being admitted to the United States.
  5. The cost, per year, to the program described in paragraph (5) of section 4 for such aliens.
  6. The number and percentage of such aliens who received benefits under a program described in section 4—
    (A) 2 years after being admitted to the United States;
    (B) 5 years after being admitted to the United States; and
    (C) 10 years after being admitted to the United States.
  7. The cost, per year, to the Federal Government, to State governments, and to units of local government of providing other benefits and services, directly or indirectly, to such aliens.

The benefits listed under Section 4 of the bill that must be reported are:

  1. The Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.).
  2. The Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).
  3. Disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402 et seq.).
  4. The supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
  5. Rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f).

So these “refugees” will be able to come here and and reap the “benefits” you pay for. We just want to know how much it costs. The benefits that elderly Americans have to wait for (while the U.S. Government hopes they die first), such as disability. They will be waived the fines (or taxes depending on which Supreme Court Justice you talk to) that Americans incur because they cannot afford Obamadoesntcare on their own because they are struggling to feed their families because they are not eligible to get food in a SNAP. The poor refugees will just have to wait until Congress says it’s okay.

300-Michael-McCaulAnother bill, sure to draw the ire of Senator John McCain of Arizona, is a little more stringent. Republican Representative Michael McCaul of the 10th district of Texas has submitted H.R. 3573, the Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act of 2015. This bill seeks to limit the number of refugees, somewhat.

Before the beginning of a fiscal year and after appropriate consultation, the President shall submit to Congress a recommendation on the number of refugees who may be admitted under this section in any fiscal year.

This bill requires the following reports from the GAO not later than one year after this bill passes (if it should pass):

  1. The number of refugees that the Secretary of Homeland Security determined were admissible under paragraph (3) of section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)), but who, subsequent to admission to the United States, became inadmissible under such paragraph.
  2. Federal agencies which are not, as of the date of the report, involved in making determinations of admissibility of refugees under such paragraph, which the Comptroller General determines should be so involved.
  3. Issues or gaps in the process for determining the admissibility of refugees under such paragraph.
  4. Recommendations for improving the process for determining the admissibility of refugees under such paragraph in order to better protect the security of the United States.

The one problem with this bill is that it expects the GAO to report refugees who have been admitted, but we realize should not have been admitted. Does he expect that the Department of Homeland Security would keep track of them once they are here? Once they are nestled in their little cell awaiting orders? They can’t even keep track of an illegal deported five-times who kills a woman in San Francisco. (Don’t worry. They will really deport him this time and he’ll stay deported!)

Section 5 of this legislation would give preference to Syrian and Iraqi refugees who are of a “religious minority.”

Beginning in fiscal year 2016 and ending in fiscal year 2020, when considering the admission of refugees who are nationals or citizens of Iraq or Syria, the President shall prioritize refugees who are members of a religious minority community, and have been identified by the Secretary of State, or the designee of the Secretary, as a persecuted group.

In Muslim States that would lead one to presume he is referring to Christians. We are, however, relying on the John Kerry State Department to make that determination.

One might think that it will take time to for these government reports to go through keeping the invasion at bay. When the government wants something, however, those reports will fly out faster than an appointment at a VA hospital. Okay, that is a bad comparison. Everything in the government happens faster than an appointment at a VA hospital.

None of them seem to readily admit that the U.S. government funded ISIS and now they are hoping that bombing the homes of these refugees will correct their mistakes. How about defunding terrorist organizations by using our own oil reserves instead of paying Saudi Arabia?

Bill to allow certain temporary government employees to be eligible to compete for permanent positions in Senate.

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WASHINGTON — H.R.1531, the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, would allow employees serving in the Department of the Interior on a lime-limited basis eligible to compete for permanent positions within the agency. The bill passed the House on July 7 and moved to the Senate on the 8th.

The House bill was submitted to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs without amendments or reports. It was placed on the Senate legislative calendar yesterday.

The measure would allow employees in certain positions of the Department of the Interior to compete for permanent positions if they have served in temporary competitive service in one or more time-limited appointment for more than 24-months without a break of two, or more, years and the employee performance has been acceptable.

Temporary employees who were separated not more than two years who otherwise meets the eligibility of this measure would be allowed to compete for permanent positions if their separation was not for misconduct or poor performance.

The bill would require the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) or other examining agency, in determining the eligibility of a time-limited employee to be examined for or appointed in the competitive service. The person would becomes a career-conditional employee and acquire competitive status upon appointment.

The bill would waive age requirements for appointees under this measure unless the age requirement is essential to the performance of the duties of a particular position.

US Senate votes against UN Small arms treaty

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Gun-and-GavelWASHINGTON — According to an article on The Hill,

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced an amendment that would prevent the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty in order to uphold the Second Amendment. His amendment passed on a 53-46 vote.

The vote was along party lines with Democrats voting against the Constitution and Republicans voting for Second Amendment rights.

The Hill did report:

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) offered an alternative amendment that clarified that under current U.S. law, treaties don’t trump the Constitution and that the United States should not agree to any arms treaty that violates the Second Amendment rights. His amendment passed by voice vote.

The Supreme Court has ruled in The Cherokee Tobacco Case (78 U.S. 616, 20 L.Ed. 227, 11 Wall. 616 in 1870) and United States v. Wong Km Ark, (169 U.S. 649, 18 S.Ct. 456, 42 L.Ed. 890, 1898) that treaties cannot supercede the Constitution of the United States of America.

Gosar submits bill for cull hunt of bison at Grand Canyon

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(Because of the deadline for this article, the office of Representative Gosar could not be reached for comment)

White Bison at Bearizona Wildlife Park.

White Bison at Bearizona Wildlife Park.

WASHINGTON — In 1906, Charles “Buffalo” Jones brought bison to northern Arizona in an unsuccessful attempt to breed them with cattle. The descendants of these bison have been managed since 1950 by the state of Arizona in the House Rock Wildlife Area (HRWA) on the Kaibab National Forest, through an inter-agency agreement with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In 1990 the 1990 the bison started moving to the top of the Kaibab Plateau and into the Grand Canyon National Park.

The Grand Canyon National Park began a request for input on a Bison Management Plan that ended in June of 2014. The effort was an attempt to balance their mission to secure natural vegetation, archeological sites and water resources while maintaining the bison as wildlife.

On March 18, Paul Gosar [R-AZ-4] submitted H.R. 1443 (S. 782 in the Senate by McCain) to permit a cull hunt for Bison at the Grand Canyon National Park.

The bill calls for the Secretary of the Interior to publish a management plan for Bison no later than 180 days after H.R. 1443 is enacted. The plan would be to reduce, through humane lethal culling by skilled public volunteers and other non-lethal means the population of Bison in the park.

Skilled public volunteers are defines as those with a valid hunting license issued by the State of Arizona and other qualifications the Secretary may require after consulting with the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Kirby Shedlowski, Acting Public Affairs Officer at Grand Canyon National Park, said, “In order have allowed cull, there’s usually a very large management planning process.”

She said, “There has never been a cull hunt for bison at the Grand Canyon. There has been a cull on the forest. On the Kaibab Forest on the north side.”

Kirby said she was not sure of cull hunts for Bison in other parks, such as Yellowstone. “There are different culling hunts in different parks for different animals. Rocky Mountain did it for elk. Rock Creek Park has done it for white-tail deer. Getteysburg has done it for white-tail deer. But, as far as Bison go—I’m not sure. But Grand Canyon National Park has never had a cull for Bison.”

Steve Stockman of Texas introduces bill to address border crisis

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House Photo

House Photo

WASHINGTON D.C. – A bill was introduced by Texas House Republican Steve Stockman on July 31 to address the border crisis. It includes dealing with MS-13 gang members who brag to Border Patrol agents about the murders they committed in Central America.

According to the Stockman House web site, the bill would, “…would end the current border crisis by building a full double fence along the US/Mexican border, deploying additional law enforcement to the border, detaining gang members, punishing countries that refuse to accept repatriated illegals and banning welfare benefits for amnestied illegals.”

The text and information about the bill—which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and other committees—is not yet posted on the Thomas.gov web site. H.R. 5316 is entitled The SECURITY Act (Safely Exacting Cautious Useful Rules for Immigration This Year).

The nine sections of the bill provide for several things including prohibiting criminal gang members from receiving asylum, National Guard deployment and fencing and punishing countries refusing to repatriate refugees. The President of Guatemala is attempting to extort $2 billion to stop the flow of illegal aliens.

The measures of the bill are:

Section 2. Metrics
• Establishes metrics to evaluate the security of the border by defining operational control.
• Penalizes the budget of the DHS Undersecretary for Management for failure to achieve operational control.

Section 3. Fencing
• Requires completion of double-layered fencing along the entire Southern border.
• Requires initial plan and periodic progress reports on status of construction.
• Penalizes the DHS Secretary’s budget for failure to submit plan and progress reports.

Section 4. Border Patrol
• Requires House and Senate Committees to be notified if there are closures of Border Patrol stations and the reasons for the closure and plans for redistribution of personnel.

Section 5. National Guard
• Deploys additional members of the National Guard to support Border Patrol.
• Provides federal assistance for state border control activities.

Section 6. Detention
• Allows detention of dangerous criminal aliens beyond 6 months.

Section 7. Gangs
• Prohibits foreign criminal gang members from receiving asylee or refugee status.

Section 8. Judges
• Requires the Attorney General to submit annual requests to Congress for immigration judges.

Section 9. Facilities
• Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit annual requests to Congress for detention facilities.

Section 10. Incentives
• Closes the additional child tax credit loophole.
• Prohibits an alien deemed to have lawful presence via executive order or policy directive from being defined as a qualified alien for purposes of public benefits.

Stockman complains that the border invasion of illegal aliens began as a result of Obama’s push for a DREAM act amnesty for illegal aliens. The problem is that the DREAM act is only supposed to apply to illegals already in America who grew up here and have no ties to foreign countries.

The gang members are a big problem.

“Gang members with face tattoos openly tell Border Patrol agents about the murders they committed in Central America. Immigration laws prevent agents from detaining these bragging killers,” said Stockman. “Under Obama’s amnesty scheme these killer gang members are set loose in the United States to later get amnesty. Obama doesn’t care. The SECURITY Act puts a stop to that by detaining gang members and stopping Obama’s plan to give them amnesty.”

“These illegals say they are coming because Obama promised them welfare benefits. The invasion stops once Congress passes this bill, which cuts off welfare benefits to these illegals even if Obama issues an Executive Order giving them amnesty,” said Stockman.

(Corrected 10:05 AM)

Current legislation of interest to veterans.

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Veterans and current military members are certainly aware of the reduction of retiree pay while blocking Republican efforts to close tax credits for illegal aliens.

The Air Force Sergeants Association Facebook page has compiled a list of current legislation of interest to the military and veterans.

Many of the efforts address the reduction in veteran retirement in one fashion or another. Democrat Daniel B. Maffei of New York, for example, would restore military pay while closing “corporate tax loopholes.”

The list from the Air Force Sergeants Association is as follows:

H.R. 3787, by Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla., would repeal of annual adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62. Note: This bill would restore $6 billion to replace the cuts in military retirement by combining DoD and VA drug-buying power, that Lankford contends would save an estimated $7 billion.

H.R. 3788, by Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., (and 45 cosponsors), would repeal the reductions in military retirement benefits made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013; and require inclusion of the taxpayer’s social security number to claim the refundable portion of the child tax credit.

H.R. 3789, by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., (and 120 cosponsors), would exempt the retired pay of certain disabled veterans from the reduced adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62; and prevent any adverse impact of the reduced adjustment on annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan based on retired or retainer pay.

H.R. 3790, by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., (and 87 cosponsors), would repeal of annual adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

H.R. 3792, by Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-Va., would bill to repeal the reduction in the annual percentage increases of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

H.R. 3793, by Rep. Daniel B. Maffei, D-N.Y., (and 36 cosponsors), would restore full military retirement benefits by closing corporate tax loopholes.

H.R. 3794, by Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., would repeal the annual adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

H.R. 3797, by Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., would repeal an annual adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

H.R. 3798, by Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., would repeal an annual adjustment of retired pay and retainer pay amounts for retired members of the Armed Forces under age 62.

H.R. 3801, by Rep. Darrell E. Issa, R-Calif., would repeal the reductions in military retirement benefits made by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013; and authorize the United States Postal Service to implement a modified Saturday delivery schedule.

S. 1869, by Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., would repeal section 403 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, relating to an annual adjustment of retired pay for members of the Armed Forces under the age of 62, and provide an offset.

S. 1872, by Sen. Mark L. Pryor, D-Ark., would provide that the annual adjustment of retired pay for members of the Armed Forces under the age of 62 under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 shall not apply to members retired for disability and to retired pay used to compute certain Survivor Benefit Plan annuities.

S. 1880, by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., would provide that the annual adjustment of retired pay for members of the Armed Forces under the age of 62 under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 shall not apply to members retired for disability and to retired pay used to compute certain Survivor Benefit Plan annuities.

Congress and the Justice Dept’s Dangerous Attempts to Define “Journalist” Threaten to Exclude Bloggers

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Lawmakers in Washington are again weighing in on who should and should not qualify as a journalist—and the outcome looks pretty grim for bloggers, freelancers, and other non-salaried journalists.

On July 12, the Justice Department released its new guidelines on investigations involving the news media in the wake of the fallout from the leak scandals involving the monitoring of AP and Fox News reporters. While the guidelines certainly provide much-needed protections for establishment journalists, as independent journalist Marcy Wheeler explained, the DOJ’s interpretation of who is a “member[] of the news media” is dramatically narrower than the definition provided in the Privacy Protection Act and effectively excludes bloggers and freelancers from protection. This limiting definition is causing alarm among bloggers like Glenn Reynolds on the right as well.

While the DOJ’s effort to limit the scope of who can be recognized as a journalist is problematic, it doesn’t have teeth. Guidelines are, well, guidelines. But the report is part of a broader legislative effort in Washington to simultaneously offer protection for the press while narrowing the scope of who is afforded it. Importantly, Congress introduced federal shield bills in May—both ironically named the “Free Flow of Information Act of 2013”—that arguably would exclude bloggers, freelancers, and other non-salaried journalists from protection because they are not included within the bills’ narrow definition of who qualifies as a journalist.

If these bills—support for which the White House reaffirmed in its DOJ report—pass without change, Congress effectively will create two tiers of journalists: the institutional press licensed by the government, and everyone else. That’s a pretty flimsy shield if what we are really trying to protect is the free flow of information.

Read more at the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Alert to Congress: Nuclear evacuation may bog down

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Regulators and congressional investigators clashed Wednesday over a new report warning that in the event of an accident at a nuclear plant, panicking residents from outside the official evacuation zone might jam the roads and prevent others from escaping.

The report by the Government Accountability Office, which acts as the investigative arm of Congress, challenges a three-decade-old fundamental of emergency planning around American nuclear power plants: that preparations for evacuation should focus on people who live within 10 miles of the site.

The GAO found that people living beyond the official 10-mile evacuation zone might be so frightened by the prospect of spreading radiation that they would flee of their own accord, clog roads, and delay the escape of others. The investigators said regulators have never properly studied how many people beyond 10 miles would make their own decisions to take flight, prompting what is called a “shadow evacuation.”

As a result, the GAO report says, “evacuation time estimates may not accurately consider the impact of shadow evacuations.”

Read more at FOX 10 News

Senate plan would give Napolitano the final say on border security

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Under a bipartisan Senate framework, Democrats say, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano would have final say over whether the border is secure enough to put 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.

If Napolitano does not provide the green light for putting illegal immigrants on a pathway to citizenship, the responsibility for judging whether the metrics for border security have been met will be given to her successor.

The early debate over immigration reform has yielded two thorny questions: What metrics will be used to determine whether the goals for border security and other safeguards against illegal immigration have been met? Who will decide whether the metrics have been achieved?

Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the lead Democratic sponsor of the bipartisan immigration reform framework unveiled this past week, said Napolitano should decide.

Read more at The Hill