Election cycle 2012 begins with SCOTUS ruling

The pundits will argue and parse the effects of the SCOTUS ruling today but to be frank, Obamacare has survived and the individual mandate is now to be considered a tax on Americans:

Our precedent demonstrates that Congress had the power to impose the exaction in Section 5000A under the taxing power, and that Section 5000A need not be read to do more than impose a tax. This is sufficient to sustain it.

Let the arguments and election spinning begin.  I feel this protected Republicans from having to deal with pre-existing conditions and those who can't get insured ... and gives them a chance to attack Democrats for yet another tax.   This protected Democrats from spins suggesting they accomplished nothing in four years.

Predictions basically remain at this point in my mind:  Romney will win in a close call which will probably involve once again having to help Americans see the difference between a popular vote and the electoral college process.   

Flag Day in Cedar Lake, Indiana. A Democrat showing a Freudian slip and a young Republican with a good story.

Members of the Cedar Lake American Legion Post #261 march down Lake Shore Drive during a parade honoring the 33rd annual National Flag Day on Thursday, June 14, 2012, in Cedar Lake. | Scott R. Brandush~Sun-Times Media

Photo above by Louise Roys
Flag Day June 14th in Cedar Lake!   No one documents events in Cedar Lake like Louise Roys!   She is the lady taking the picture of the marchers, below, in blue and took the photo above that includes, among others, Chris Retson (with Mourdock sign), my wife and a few of the youngest marchers.  There is a very good chance you will see Louise selling jewelry at Cedar Lake Summerfest this year.  Louise Roys is the owner/operator of Glimpses Photography and Aquarius Custom Jewelry.  

Photo by NWI Times photographer Tim Hunt

As I understand it, only two municipalities in the State of Indiana had an official Flag Day Parade and Celebration on June the 14th in the "Year of Our Lord 2012", as Mitch Daniels proclaimed.   One was Fort Wayne and the other?  Cedar Lake!   Over 100 people gathered to march up Lakeshore Drive and then gather around the Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center where we all recited the Pledge of Allegiance at 6 PM CST along with Americans all over the nation at the same time, giving honor to the flag that stands for an ideal and great ideas from which sprung the Republic we call the United States of America.  

From Cedar Lake website and apparently also from the Times

Bob Carnahan welcomes guests to a celebration in observance of the 33rd annual National Flag Day on Thursday, June 14, 2012, in Cedar Lake. | Scott R. Brandush~Sun-Times Media

Tom Alonso, with the American Legion Post #261 listens to speakers during the 33rd annual National Flag Day celebration on Thursday, June 14, 2012, in Cedar Lake. | Scott R. Brandush

Cedar Lake Town Council President Bob Carnahan was master of ceremonies for the event, calling upon various politicians to read messages from office-holders of both parties.   There is a full description of the events at the end of this post and also found at this website.

All was going according to plan.   Cedar Lake native Brenda Roberts sang like the opera singer she is, young Katie Jostes led us all in saying the Pledge of Allegiance in unison.  Then various politicians stepped up to read statements.  When Gerry Scheub (Lake County Councilman D-2) stepped up to read his portion of the various declarations, he read aloud that the flags would be flown until "Depencence Day"

Dependence Day?   One might see this as a Freudian slip?    We all heard him say it, no doubt a slip of the tongue and yet that is what the Democrats seem to represent.    Trying to form a society where most of the people look to the government to meet their needs?  Think I will vote for Jerry Tippy, myself!

Thanks to Richard Hackley for the image, below:

While we took part in the remainder of the ceremonies, we got to chat with Chris Retson.  Chris is Secretary of the Republican Party of Crown Point.   As members of the Cedar Lake/Hanover version of the Republicans who were all representing Richard Mourdock unofficially we naturally wound up standing together.    We were particularly interested in the following story he related, as my wife and I were members of a Republican Liberty Caucus group and are Tea Party members as well.    The Republican Party is attempting to bring conservatives, traditionalists, libertarians and long-time party members together under one banner.  Chris was a delegate to the Indiana Republican Convention.   Here is his story of building concensus and unity within the party at the latest convention.    The following picture was approved by his fiance:

Would you tell your story, Chris?

"It was a pleasure meeting you today!

Hopefully this answers the questions you had:

I had actually been vacationing in Greece up until the day before the convention, so I had no idea what to expect on Friday.  When I arrived at the convention, I found both the Republican Liberty Caucus (aka the Ron Paul crowd) and Tea Party Caucus energized and visible, but seemingly without any sort of plan for how their respective causes would fit into the GOP.  The establishment, it seemed, had prepared to quell the disruptions and hostile takeover attempts they anticipated from these groups.  Friday’s district meetings confirmed my perceptions, as the party’s pre-selected slates were quickly pushed through approval without allowing any sort of debate, followed by loud grumblings by the RLC and TEA caucuses. 

I went and sat alone at a nearby pub for some dinner, and while eating my burger, I overheard one table of TEA supporters and a larger table of RLC supporters discussing their displeasure about being shut-out of the party’s decisions.  I thought about the irony of how the RLC and TEA groups found common ground and compromise and had become allies - even though the differences between these groups is probably greater than the difference between the GOP establishment and either group – while the integration of the two groups into the GOP, on the other hand, has been at an impasse.

I woke up early the next morning (aided by jet-lag) and read through the party platform we would be ratifying that morning at the general session.  I was actually very pleased to see that the RLC’s influence was recognized in the platform, which (surprisingly) dropped the idea of regulating abortion, with a note calling for the respect of differing opinions within the party on this subject.  Perhaps they aren’t shutting the RLC out after all!  I read it all over one more time - to decide whether the platform reflected more of a focus on cleaning up and improving government, or on the sorts of causes the GOP took up in the 1970s that sent the libertarians packing.  It was on this second run that I realized there was no mention of transparency or accountability anywhere in the platform! 

For me, this is the key defining point of the GOP.  My mother’s parents and my father’s parents were all ex-Democrats, having switched sides after seeing first-hand the corruption, grift, and lies that define the Democratic Party.  To me, “good government” is more than pointing fingers and laughing derisively whenever (yet another) Democratic politician gets caught stealing from the taxpayers and gets hauled off to Club Fed.  It’s about recognizing that humans are imperfect, and that while we do like to believe (with complete sincerity) that our party’s bureaucrats and elected officials wouldn’t abuse their powers in such a way, it’s better to ensure through transparency and openness that they cannot do so.  Only through transparency can we achieve honest, efficient, and effective government; and this is the only way to earn the public’s trust.  And only through the public’s trust can we get the public’s blessing and cooperation to accomplish things that will make our lives better.  The Democrat way, by contrast, is to tell the public to shut up and allow their “betters” in the government to make their lives better - and then the public watches those “betters” steal their money and not accomplish what they promised. 

I drafted up an amendment to the platform, and added a line about auditing the Federal Reserve.  I did this for two reasons.  First, I hate mission statements, in both business and politics, that are just flowery words with no real weight – I find it much more meaningful to give specific examples of things that will be done.  Second, this is a cause that is shared by both the RLC and the TEA groups, and would help bring the party together if the establishment would compromise.  Unanimous approval was NOT something I expected when I went before the convention to plead my case for the amendment, but that was exactly what I got.  Furthermore, after the amendment was approved, the party platform was also unanimously approved – also something I didn’t expect, especially after the grumblings I’d heard the night before from the disenfranchised RLC and TEA caucuses - and a good sign that the party, perhaps, is finally coming together.

You can look up “Chris Retson Republican” on google to find a video of my motion on the floor of the convention, as well as news articles on it."

If you do the Google search, you will find articles and YouTubes to augment the report of the happenings at the Convention.

Chris Retson could have a very promising future and I do thank him for the convention report.  As I like to say, "We lick our wounds and join forces because the differences between conservatives are much less important that the difference between us and the liberals."

Below is what The Post-Tribune published concerning the event, authored by Carrie Napoleon:

Patriotic tribute            

By Carrie Napoleon Post-Tribune correspondent June 19, 2012 1:26PM

Updated: June 19, 2012 1:26PM

Members of the Cedar Lake American Legion Post #261 march down Lake Shore Drive during a parade honoring the 33rd annual National Flag Day on Thursday, June 14, 2012, in Cedar Lake. | Scott R. Brandush~Sun-Times Media

American flags lined Lake Shore Drive in Cedar Lake Thursday, June 14, as the patriotic paid tribute to Old Glory during the town’s 13th annual Flag Day parade.

More than 100 walkers dressed in red, white and blue followed the procession from the Dairy Queen to the Chamber of Commerce for the town’s annual Pause for the Pledge commemoration on the 33rd anniversary of Flag Day.

Larry Ponziano of Cedar Lake came to watch the event and his son, Robbie, 14, who was a member of Boy Scout Troop 105. The Troop was part of the parade of flags.

“I am very proud of our community,” Ponziano said. He said events such as the parade and Pause make him glad he moved to the town 17 years ago to raise his three sons.

“I really find there are some family values here,” he said.

The event featured a number of speakers including Town Councilman Robert Carnahan, Clerk-Treasurer Amy Sund, State Sen. Sue Landske, Lake County Councilman Gerry Schueb, D-2, and Mark Lopez from U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky’s office, along with a performance from opera singer and Cedar Lake native Brenda Roberts.

Boy Scout Troop 105 was joined by Cub Scout Pack 129, Girl Scout Troop 70 and four time state champion Hanover Central Pom Cats, along with American Legion Post 261, Amvets Post 15 and its Ladies Auxillary.

Youngster Katie Jostes was tapped to lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance

at exactly 6 p.m. as part of a nationally synchronized effort to get Americans to stop and say the pledge during the Pause for the Pledge effort.

Friends LouAnn Miller, Fran Holtz and Kim Porter, as well as Porter’s children Nicole 12 and Joey, 8, were among those who participated in the patriotic event.

Miller was bedecked in red, white and blue attire to mark the occasion.

“I come every year. I think it’s important to remember what the flag is a symbol of, where it came from and to bring everybody together,” Miller said.

The women said it is important to remember our heritage and make sure that it is passed along to the next generation.

“I like to come down here. We need to remember our culture and the people who keep us safe,” Nicole Porter said.

“And to remember our heritage,” Holtz said.

Madison Jecmen, 6, and her mom Tara Jean Brink-Jecman of Momence, Ill., decorated their bicycles with patriotic flair to participate in the parade. It was their first time at the event. Brink-Jecman said when her daughter heard about the parade from her grandparents, she could not wait to take part. The pair went out Wednesday and purchased streamers and flags to decorate their bikes and dressed from head to toe in red, white and blue attire.

“She woke up at eight today and asked if it was time for the parade,” Brink-Jecman said. “She was so excited.”

This election IS about WHAT America is and will be!!!

Christian charity is reaching out as an individual or even a church to help someone in need.   It has nothing at all with government taking from the productive to give to the unproductive!

"A common danger tends to concord. Communism is the exploitation of the strong by the weak. In Communism, inequality comes from placing mediocrity on a level with excellence." Pierre-Joseph Proudhon


"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money" - Margaret Thatcher

We need to remember that the current US Administration is a radical one.   If all politics are local, then we should not vote for anyone who we believe will support this kind of thinking...Christianity and Communism have almost nothing in common.  

Obama pastor: Wall Street occupiers ‘stand with Jesus.’ Asks church members to bring rioters pizza, coffee, casseroles

Posted on October 9, 2011 at 8:54 AM EST

by Aaron Klein

A member of President Obama’s controversial faith council has implied the Occupy Wall Street movement stands with Jesus, while asking church members to bring pizza and casseroles to the protesters.

“The Occupiers’ desire for change and willingness to take action to do something about it should be an inspiration to us all,” wrote Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, a ministry professing a devotion to the pursuit of “social justice.”

Wallis was appointed to in February 2009 to the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, a White House group replete with advocates for using religion to advance “social justice.”

Wallis reportedly is a spiritual adviser to Obama and has known the president for years.

Writing in the Huffington Post on Friday, Wallis compared the Wall Street protesters to Jesus.

Wrote Wallis: “Here are a few things I do know about the Occupy Wall Street protesters:

“When they stand with the poor, they stand with Jesus.

“When they stand with the hungry, they stand with Jesus.

“When they stand for those without a job or a home, they stand with Jesus.

“When they are peaceful, non-violent, and love their neighbors (even the ones they don’t agree with and who don’t agree with them), they are walking as Jesus walked.

“When they talk about holding banks and corporations accountable, they sound like Jesus and the biblical prophets before him who all spoke about holding the wealthy and powerful accountable.”

Wallis asked readers to “think of ways that you or your church can be Jesus to them.”

He recommended, “Bring them a covered casserole! Take your church potluck down to the occupations. Sit, eat, and talk with the protesters. Offer them the sacred gifts of hospitality, company, and friendship. Or a hot cup of coffee. Or send them a pizza. (Think of it as a peace-za.)”

Wallis wrote he was planning to visit the protesters at Wall Street.

He added it is okay to disagree with some of the protesters actions or ideology.

“We will likely see images and hear things from Occupy Wall Street demonstrators that will offend us and some that will inspire,” he wrote.

“We’ll hear demands that we agree with and some that we don’t. And that’s OK.”

Obama’s controversial pastor

Wallis is founder of the Sojourners minister as well as a progressive magazine also entited Sojourners.

He is a socialist activist who has championed communist causes and previously labeled the U.S. “the great captor and destroyer of human life.”

The Associated Baptist Press described Wallis as a “politically progressive evangelical and longtime advocate for the poor.” The Huffington Post identified Wallis as a “Christian author and social-justice advocate.”

Wallis, however, is a longtime socialist advocate whose Sojourners magazinehas championed communist causes.

Wallis began his activism as a protester and then later Michigan leader of the Students for a Democratic Society, the 1960s anti-war group from which Bill Ayers’ Weatherman domestic terrorist organization splintered.

Discover the Networks documented that as a theology student, Wallis founded an anticapitalism magazine called the Post-American, which identified wealth redistribution and government-managed economies as the keys to achieving “social justice.”

In 1971, Wallis renamed his magazine Sojourners. He has since served as editor of the publication.

Sojourners’ official “statement of faith” urges readers to “refuse to accept [capitalist] structures and assumptions that normalize poverty and segregate the world by class.”

Sojourners has published a slew of radicals, including socialist activist Cornel West and James Cone, considered the founder of Black Liberation Theology, which spawned the likes of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s pastor of nearly 20 years.

Wallis’ magazine actively lobbied for communist regimes that seized power in Latin America in the late 1970s, including the Sandinista dictatorship in Nicaragua. Sojourners in the 1980s was a fierce opponent of the U.S. nuclear buildup, claiming the policy was “an intolerable evil” irreconcilably at odds with Christianity.

Discover the Networks notes how Sojourners originally formed a socialist commune in Washington, D.C., where members shared finances and launched anticapitalist activism.

In his 1976 book, “Agenda for Biblical People,” Wallis called the U.S. “the great power, the great seducer, the great captor and destroyer of human life, the great master of humanity and history in its totalitarian claims and designs.”

Wallis continues to openly support socialism. Along with socialist activist West, Wallis in 1995 founded Call to Renewal, a coalition of religious groups demanding the spread of U.S. wealth to promote “social justice.”

White House pushing churches to be ‘green’?

Other members of Obama’s faith council write for Wallis’ Sojourners magazine.

In January, Obama named to his faith council Lynne Hybels, a leader of Willow Creek Church, an inter-denominational, multi-generational megachurch located in a Chicago suburb.

The church is led by Hybels’ husband, Bill, a social justice advocate who created the Global Leadership Summit, an international Christian group.

Lynne Hybels’ official title at Willow Creek Church is Advocate for Global Engagement. She is also a regular contributor to the progressive Sojourners magazine, the publication of a ministry by the same name professing a devotion to the pursuit of “social justice.”

KleinOnline was first to report Hybls writes for Wallis’s magazine. She has advocated for the “greenest” church on the planet, while discussing scripture as it relates to the Palestinians and calling for a fight against American “racial injustice”?

Also writing at Sojourners, as KleinOnline reported, is Eboo Patel, another member of the White House faith council.

Patel declared that everything he was taught about Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson and American “fairness” and “equality” was wrong.

KleinOnline also reported Patel, a Muslim activist from Chicago, compared al-Qaida to what he called Christian “totalitarians” in the U.S. and Jewish “totalitarians” in Israel.

Earlier, KleinOnline reported Patel is deeply tied to Weatherman terrorist group founder Bill Ayers. Also, Patel blasted what he called the “myths” of America – describing them as beliefs that the country is “a land of freedom and equality and justice.”

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Nancy Pelosi thinks that government provided and monitored healthcare is a "right!"  They think that murdering babies is a "right!"   I prefer Abraham Lincoln's concept:

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and
having the power, have the right to rise up,
and shake off the existing government,
... and form a new one that suits them better.
This is a most valuable - a most sacred right -
a right, which we hope and believe,
is to liberate the world."

Thankfully, we can rise up and VOTE the existing government out and get back to the concept of smaller Federal government and MORE local and State control of our own affairs.   Goodbye, Big Brother!!!

Hat tip to Monica Boyer and the Kosciusko County Silent NO More