FLOGGING THE FLAG WHERE THERE IS NONE

Singling out tiny Fort Bragg, California for alleged Confederate ties.

When South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed a bill to boot the Confederate flag from State House grounds earlier this month, it was a beautiful moment — if decades late. State lawmakers finally acted out of revulsion from images of a confessed shooter posing with the Civil War relic before he shot to death nine African-American church parishioners June 17. Flag apologists lost their stomach for defending the banner as an emblem of states’ rights.

The best part was that South Carolinians themselves had decided it was time for the bad flag to go.

The worst part is what is happening now as politicians in other states try to repeat that unique moment by passing their own anti-Confederate flag legislation. California lawmakers are poised to pass state Sen. Steve Glazer’s bill that would ban naming any school, park, building or other piece of public property after generals or leaders of the Confederacy. Observe: Sacramento politicians had so much trouble finding Confederate flags to ban — after they banned them from public buildings last year — that they had to broaden the net to schools and buildings.

State lawmakers even have targeted teensy Fort Bragg, population 7,000. Glazer amended SB 539 to exempt city names, but then he wrote a letter urging Fort Bragg’s mayor to change the city’s name.

The Confederate flag is a poke in the eye to African-Americans. But how many Californians ever have been to Fort Bragg?

The California Legislative Black Caucus also urged Fort Bragg to change its name: “It is time that we move forward as a state and as a nation and stop commemorating those who defended the Confederacy and its cause.” Problem: Fort Bragg was not named after Braxton Bragg to commemorate the Confederacy. Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor named a military outpost near Mendocino after his former commander before the Civil War even started. Later, to Bragg’s undying shame, he became a Confederate general and the owner of 105 slaves.

“Why would I change the name?” Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner told me. “You really can’t airbrush history. Or you shouldn’t airbrush history.” He added: If no city can be named after a former slaveholder, say goodbye to Washington, D.C.

Don’t bring up George Washington’s slaveholder history, Glazer told me. He advocates “a much more narrowly tailored” approach that focuses on men who engaged in “treasonous activities against the United States of America.” Though his bill would ban Confederate names for schools and other public buildings, he’s not forcing Fort Bragg or any other city to change.

He just wants to start a conversation — that ends with Fort Bragg’s changing a brand that until recently offended next to no one. It’s a headline in search of a problem.

It’s a crusade that ignores the sad lessons of history: 1) Politicians rarely say no to an opportunity to pick on lesser civil servants. 2) The more trivial the offense the easier it becomes for pandering politicians to rail against it. 3) Once they get rolling, purges are almost impossible to stop.

COPYRIGHT 2015 CREATORS.COM

Via: The American Spectator

Continue Reading....

[VIDEO] NEW CALIFORNIA: MASS IMMIGRATION TURNING VIRGINIA BLUE

A remarkable transformation is underway in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The birthplace and final resting place of George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson—and once one of the most reliably-red of red states—is being rapidly turned into a progressive stronghold.

These changes are not the result of an inside agency, or a natural evolution in political thinking, but rather the result of one of the most impactful yet least-discussed policies of the federal government.

Each year the federal government prints millions of visas and distributes these admission tickets to the poorest and least-developed nations in the world.

A middle-aged person living in parts of Virginia today will have witnessed more demographic change in the span of her life than many societies have experienced in millennia.

A census study entitled “Immigrants in Virginia,” released by University of Virginia (UVA) researchers, documented the phenomenon: “Until 1970, only 1 in 100 Virginians was born outside of the United States; by 2012, 1 in every 9 Virginians is foreign-born.”

Fairfax Connection, a community newspaper, offered more detail:

In the span of one generation, Fairfax County has seen an explosion in its immigrant population. In 1970, more than 93 percent of Fairfax County’s population was white and middle-class. In the fall of 1970, a white 6-year-old child beginning elementary school in one of the county’s developing towns… could look to his left, or look to his right, and see a classroom full of children who, at least 90 percent of the time, looked like him and who spoke English. By 2010, a child entering elementary school in Fairfax County would almost certainly encounter a classmate who did not speak English as a primary language, and whose parents or grandparents immigrated from places such as Vietnam, India, Korea or a country in Africa.

UVA’s report explains that more than three out of four of Virginia immigrants (77 percent) are coming from either Latin America or Asia—immigration from Europe, the report writes, “lag[s] far behind” representing only 10 percent of Virginia’s immigrant population. This is consistent with trends nationwide. According to the 2013 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Immigration Yearbook, only 8.7 percent of green cards issued by the federal government went to immigrants born in Europe, a product of immigration changes pushed through by Ted Kennedy in 1965.

Via: Breitbart

Continue Reading...

4th Of July Trivia Facts 2015: 15 Fun Things To Know About Independence Day

Happy birthday, America! Picnics, barbeques, cold drinks and fireworks: These are just some of the staples of the Fourth of July. But without America’s Founding Fathers -- George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe -- there wouldn’t be an Independence Day to celebrate.

While most Americans know that the U.S.’s birthday is celebrated on July 4, it’s a misconception that all the signers of the Declaration of Independence signed it on the Fourth of July. For more fun facts about America’s Independence Day, keep reading:

1. How many people signed the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth?

Two.

2. What day did most signers of the Declaration of Independence actually sign the document?

Aug. 2, 1776.

3. Did you know which president was born on July 4?

It was Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, in 1872.

4. Which three presidents died on the Fourth of July:

They were three of the first five presidents: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. The second president, Adams, and the third, Jefferson, both died in 1826, the 50th anniversary.

5. Most of the Founding Fathers agreed that July Fourth is the correct day to celebrate America’s independence from Great Britain -- except one. Who is it and why?

Adams thought July 2, the day the Second Continental Congress voted in Philadelphia to declare independence from Britain, would be the day patriots celebrated. “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” Adams wrote on July 3. “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

6. When did the Fourth of July become a legal federal holiday?

1870. Then, in 1938, Congress reaffirmed the holiday to make sure all workers received full pay.

7. Is there something written on the back of the Declaration of Independence?  

Yes! It’s said the following is written upside down and backwards:  “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” It’s not known who wrote it, or when. In Revolutionary War years, parchment was rolled up, so this probably served as a message.

8. The Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Contest has become an annual tradition. How did it start?

It’s a pretty cute story: Legend has it that four immigrants got into an argument over who was most patriotic. To prove themselves, they ate as many hot dogs as they could handle -- because nothing says America like excess.

9. America isn’t the only nation that celebrates the Fourth of July. Which other countries do, and why?

It might sound odd, but if you celebrate the Fourth of July outside the U.S., you still might see fireworks in Denmark, England, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. This is because thousands of people emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s. Some European celebrations on the Fourth take place near tourist destinations -- to attract U.S. travelers -- or near American military bases.

10. When were fireworks first used to celebrate July Fourth?

1777. Congress chose fireworks as a way to celebrate the first anniversary. They were ignited over Philadelphia. The celebration also included bonfires and bells.

11. How many people lived in the U.S. when the Declaration was signed?

2.5 million.

12. What baseball player threw a 4-0 no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox on July 4, 1983?

New York Yankees pitcher Dave Righetti. It was the first no-hitter in 27 years.

13. Which newspaper first printed the Declaration of Independence? 

The Pennsylvania Evening Post

14. Which president first held a Fourth of July celebration at the White House?

Thomas Jefferson

15. Which country gained independence from the United States on July Fourth?

The Philippines did in 1946.

Via: International Business Times

Continue Reading...

Callista Gingrich: Preserving the America We Love

In a world of incredible change, it’s vital that young Americans learn American history.

America is a large and diverse country, founded upon common principles and values that have drawn millions of people here from across the globe for over 200 years. It’s critical that each generation learns about the ideas and traditions upon which our country has been built, and understands the sacrifices of those who came before us. 

This means that each new generation must learn American history to understand what it means to be American.

Today, unfortunately, we are doing a poor job of passing on our history to the next generation. Many students are failing to learn the basics about American history, and are consequently failing to appreciate our rich heritage.

The Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress shows the enormity of this challenge. In a recent NAEP survey, just 20 percent of fourth-graders, 17 percent of eighth-graders and 12 percent of twelfth-graders were at grade-level proficiency in American history.

In the same survey, only one in three fourth graders could identify the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. Less than half understood why George Washington was an important leader in American history. And most fourth graders didn't know why the Pilgrims left England.

These results suggest that most students are failing to learn the fundamentals. Being born in a time of relative prosperity, safety, and freedom, we must look back to those who fought for and won our freedom. We can start by teaching our children about our founding fathers, including, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, as well as our founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. 

We must find creative ways to engage our children in learning American history. As the author of three children’s history books, I’ve visited classrooms and libraries across the country to share the adventures of Ellis the Elephant, my time-travelling pachyderm, with four to eight year olds. Most young people I meet are energetic and eager to learn. 

Via: Newsmax

Continue Reading.....

Thom Hartmann Blames Reagan for Starting Rightist 'Anti-American Crazies Who Hate Our Government'

The old Norm McDonald joke was “Germans love David Hasselhoff.” The liberal talk radio equivalent is “Thom Hartmann really hates Ronald Reagan.”

On Thursday afternoon’s show, Hartmann blamed Reagan for this whole Tea Party trend of “anti-American crazies who hate our government,” with that unpatriotic hatred somehow including veterans of every war, and George Washington, who “signed the first legislation that provided housing, food, medical care, and clothing to poor people.” Footnote, please?

THOM HARTMANN: Ronald Reagan came along and, in his first inaugural address, said the government is the problem, and ever since then there's been this small group of anti-American crazies who hate our government, our government that all these people over all these years, the people who fought in World War II; the people who fought in World War I; the people who fought in the Civil War, at least for the North; the people who fought in the Revolutionary War; the people who fought in the War of 1812; our government that they fought to keep, and many of them died.

Our government, according to these teabaggers, has become an evil thing, or was all along, actually. I mean, it was George Washington who signed the first legislation that provided housing, food, medical care, and clothing to poor people in Washington, D.C.

Hartmann summarized the shutdown as a Tea Party tantrum of hate: “They brought this government to its knees, and cost us $24 billion, for what? Because they don't want 46 million people who don't have health insurance to be able to get it? They brought this government to its knees because they object to the idea that people who have had, like my friend Tommy Christopher who had a heart attack and can't get health insurance, that they [say], 'Screw him, he shouldn't be able to get health insurance.' They really did this!”

Hartmann sounds just like one of my childhood friends, who tweaked me on Facebook: “What did the Republicans propose for health care? Other than to make people (like me) with chronic health problems feel they were being led to slaughter. Culling is the word. P.S. any organ donors out there?”

Via: Newsbusters

Continue Reading,,,,,

The Bunker-Barry mentality of today’s White House

Over the past 4 plus years, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. has been transformed to something other than George Washington’s historic White House

The White House is under siege, and has been so since the 2013 sequestration.  America’s top tourist draw continues to be held under siege by a malcontent community organizer who claimed the presidency in 2008, and his chip-on-the-shoulder wife.

Under sequestration even school children cannot get into their White House.  You can no longer get into the White House unless you’re a Hollywood star, a favored world leader, a union boss or activist, unless allowed entry at the express invitation of a covetous Barack and Michelle Obama.

As of yesterday you can’t panic when you come upon a new White House Security random checkpoint—without suffering the loss of your life.

Internet video clearly shows that Miriam Carey, a 34-year-old dental hygienist from Connecticut with her 1-year-old daughter, Erica a passenger in the car, panicked as she drove her Infiniti luxury sedan near the hallowed vicinity of the 2013 White House.

It was a total panic with the first mainstream media reports claiming that the young mother was shooting at cops.

Via: Canada Free Press

Continue Reading.....

A government looking for witches will find them

While the nation’s political class has been fixated on a potential government shutdown in Washington this week, the NSA has continued to spy on all Americans and by its ambiguity and shrewd silence seems to be acknowledging slowly that the scope of its spying is truly breathtaking.

The Obama administration is of the view that the NSA can spy on anyone anywhere. The president believes that federal statutes enable the secret FISA court to authorize the NSA to capture any information it desires about any persons without identifying the persons and without a showing of probable cause of criminal behavior on the part of the persons to be spied upon. This is the same mindset that the British government had with respect to the colonists. It, too, believed that British law permitted a judge in secret in Britain to issue general warrants to be executed in the colonies at the whim of British agents.

General warrants do not state the name of the place to be searched or the person or thing to be seized, and they do not have the necessity of individualized probable cause as their linchpin. They simply authorize the bearer to search wherever he wishes for whatever he wants. General warrants were universally condemned by colonial leaders across the ideological spectrum -- from those as radical as Sam Adams to those as establishment as George Washington, and from those as individualistic as Thomas Jefferson to those as big-government as Alexander Hamilton. We know from the literature of the times that the whole purpose of the Fourth Amendment -- with its requirements of individualized probable cause and specifically identifying the target -- is to prohibit general warrants.

And yet, the FISA court has been issuing general warrants and the NSA executing them since at least 2004.

Via: Fox News

Continue Reading.....

U.S. Piled Up More Debt Since Election Day ’08 Than Under All Presidents From Washington Through Clinton

(CNSNews.com) - The federal government has now piled up more debt since Election Day 2008 than it did under all presidents from George Washington through Bill Clinton, according to official debt numberspublished by the U.S. Treasury.

When the polls opened on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, the total debt of the U.S. government stood at $10,556,177,748,045.21 (the number it had reached by the close of business on Nov. 3, 2008). As of the close of business on Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, the most recent day reported by the Treasury, the total debt of the U.S. government stood at $16,206,129,028,709.29.

That is a four-year increase of $5,649,951,280,664.08.

According to the Treasury, the total debt of the U.S. government last surpassed $5,649,951,280,664.08 on June 21, 2001—five months after George W. Bush succeeded Bill Clinton as president. During the two years leading up to that date, the debt had periodically moved above and below that level, according to the Treasury, but since rising from 5,641,023,159,870.17 on June 20, 2001 to 5,650,400,532,764.38 on June 21, 2001, the debt has never again dropped below $5,649,951,280,664.08.

Thus, the $5,649,951,280,664.08 in new debt accumulated since Americans started voting on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008 exceeds the total debt accumulated in the first 224 years after the United States declared independence from England on July 4, 1776. That includes all the debt accumulated during the terms of all of America presidents, starting from George Washington, whose first term began in 1789, and running through Bill Clinton, whose second term ended on Jan. 20, 2001.

Via: CNS News

Continue Reading...