Funding Putin’s War

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

The mainstream media propaganda is once again on full display. In a CNN article headlined, “A remarkable Republican statement on the Ukraine invasion”, analyst Chris Cillizza vilifies Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the 3rd ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, as a Trump loyalist, implying that all Trump supporters are bigoted, hillbilly, “deplorables”, and any statements from such ilk should be discounted as illegitimate, unworthy among the morally superior intellectuals such as himself. 

Her quote that he calls “remarkable” follows:

“After just one year of a weak, feckless, and unfit President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief, the world is less safe. Rather than peace through strength, we are witnessing Joe Biden’s foreign policy of war through weakness. For the past year, our adversaries around the world have been assessing and measuring Joe Biden’s leadership on the world stage, and he has abysmally failed on every metric. From kinetic and deadly attacks on our allies and partners, to the catastrophic withdrawal and surrender in Afghanistan, to the cyber attacks impeding American industry and infrastructure, to today’s Russian invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden and his Administration have failed America and the world.” [1]

Every word of her statement is accurate.  It doesn’t matter to the so-called “experts” at CNN.  The message is clear; never question our opinion, shut up and conform to our ideology, or suffer our public ridicule.  For some reason you are supposed to ignore factual data and bend a knee to their authority.  Those are the prerequisites for political correctness and wokeness.  Where can I sign up?

Marisa Schultz of Yahoo Finance quoted Stefanik as saying:

“President Biden’s weakness on the world stage has emboldened our adversaries, look no further than Ukraine and Afghanistan.  The world is less safe because of his failed leadership.” [2]

Stefanik also said, “Putin is a deranged thug and authoritarian war criminal.”  Then followed with, “The liberal media, who pushed the Russia hoax, is now serving as Joe Biden’s stenographers and melting down over the truth that Biden’s weakness has caused the world to be less safe.  And the American people know it.”

Schultz wrote that Stefanik took shots at the media for coming to Biden’s defense, as if you are supposed to think that is despicable rather than a reasonable assessment. Two anointed “journalists” spewing the same propaganda, with the complete admiration of their editors. But Stefanik is absolutely spot on!

Just look at what has happened.  On Biden’s very first day in office he cancelled the Keystone pipeline and signed other executive orders that were designed to cripple the energy sector.  When Trump left office we were essentially energy independent and the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas.  Biden ruined that right out of the gate.  Today the national average of a gallon of regular gas at the pump is $3.59, compared to $2.38 (a $1.21 increase, or 50.8%) when he took office.

Then he announced we would be pulling all US troops out of Afghanistan and botched the withdrawal, leaving 13 dead American soldiers and hundreds of stranded civilians in the wake.  The world was watching and Putin took notes.

In the past few weeks, Biden sat helplessly on the sideline while warning us that Putin had amassed over 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and an invasion was imminent.  We sent them a few anti-tank missiles to help the Ukrainian military defend their sovereign country, but as the invasion unfolded, it was clear that was too little, too late.

As the Ukraine capitol of Kyiv falls under siege that could be catastrophic for millions of civilians, now surrounded and apparently ready to resist, we find out the “significant sanctions” imposed by Biden exclude the Russian energy exports, and in fact we are still buying oil today from Putin.

“Russia producers nearly tripled shipments of oil to the United States in 2021 – in 2020, the United States imported from Russia on average 76,000 barrels per day (bpd), while in 2021, that figure rose to 209,000 bpd, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy.” [3]

So, at $100 per barrel we are paying Russia nearly 21 million dollars per day while they are at war with the Ukraine.  American taxpayers funding Putin’s war.  I’m guessing CNN didn’t bring that to anyone’s attention.

• Does that sound like we are defending their sovereignty?

Please don’t try to make that argument. You can’t make chicken soup out of chicken shit.

• Could there be an underlying motive to allow this war to progress to its inevitable conclusion, a complete Russian takeover?

Well, all we see and hear 24/7 from the media, is Russia, Russia, Russia.  Notice how the domestic policies have disappeared from the social consciousness?  In Biden’s first year 2,000,000 illegal immigrants have stormed over our southern border, welcomed with open arms by every Democrat.  Now they are outraged about the Ukrainian border while showing no concern whatsoever for our own citizens.  Biden himself admitted that Americans will feel some “pain at the pump” from this war, but he assures us he will minimize the impact.  After crippling our own energy sector, and tripling our oil imports from Russia, he says he’ll release “strategic reserves” (SPR) to mitigate the skyrocketing gas prices.  Sure, Joe.  And then how will you replace them?

• Are we powerless in convincing Putin to curtail his ambitions?

Basically, yes.  He will not be deterred in his quest to overthrow the government of the Ukraine and install a puppet who pledges fealty to him.  His vision is to reinstate the former Soviet Union and its territories, establishing a dominate geopolitical power, similar to Hitler’s takeover of the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia at the outset of World War II. 

• Will Putin be satisfied with his conquest of the Ukraine, or does he plan to expand into the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia?

Those former Soviet republics are all NATO members, which would compel the other 27 NATO countries to invoke Article 5, whereby an armed attack against any member is considered an attack against them all, and they are to collectively defend the ally attacked.  The Ukraine is rich with natural resources and the former “bread- basket” of the Soviet Union.  The Baltic states are not that valuable economically, but it could get real very soon.   

Comments welcome

[1] Cillizza, C., CNN, dated Feb 24, 2022

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/24/politics/elise-stefanik-biden-putin-russia-ukraine-invasion/index.html

[2]  Schultz, M., Money, Yahoo, dated Feb 24, 2022

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-ukraine-stefanik-says-biden-234946925.html

[3] Global Energy, dated Feb 22, 2022

https://globalenergyprize.org/en/2022/02/22/u-s-nearly-tripled-imports-of-russian-oil-in-2021/

CDC Withholds COVID Data

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

Now we find out the CDC has been withholding critical data related to hospitalizations by age, race, and vaccination status.  Their official explanation is they feared the public would misinterpret the data.  Critics say that data may have worsened the pandemic as full knowledge may have helped direct resources to the most vulnerable. [1]

They have also been withholding information on cases of reinfection for fully vaccinated people unless they are hospitalized, or die; and the effectiveness of booster shots for those under age 65.

Here is an excerpt from the Gazette article with an unbelievable quote:

“Agency spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund, who spoke with the New York Times, said the CDC has been slow to put out the streams of data ‘because basically, at the end of the day, it’s not yet ready for prime time’ and the public could misconstrue it.” [2]

I’ll bet that quote was “pre-manufactured” and pre-approved.  Never mind the notion that the general public is too stupid to understand the data and might spread “disinformation”.  What about health professionals who could have used the data to formulate more effective plans?

The CDC also has a bureaucratic responsibility to alert the Department of Health and Human Services, the parent agency of the CDC, which must in turn notify the White House, about signing off on any decisions pursuant to the release of COVID data to the public.  So the White House controls the information and we can reasonably assume they have the ability to create whatever narrative they want to be made public.  For instance, if they want the mask mandates to be kept in place indefinitely, they can withhold any data that might contradict reasons for relaxing the restrictions.

Could there be a motive?

Absolutely! 

What if someone wanted to cripple our economy?

Have you noticed how easily they justified shutting businesses down?

Couldn’t that be a precursor to implementing a socialist agenda?

Oh, that’s just a “right-wing conspiracy theory”, right?

What if I told you the DNC was under the influence of a supreme leader, who has repeatedly demonstrated an unmistakable penchant for destroying the American culture and our traditional values?

I have said elsewhere, and “The Great One”, Mark Levin, has broadcast it; Democrats hate America.  They didn’t always hate America, but they do now.

Do you really think Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are running the country?  Neither one of them can barely string a coherent sentence together.  Biden has dementia and Harris is a blabbering idiot.  Do we have a “central committee”?  I don’t think so.  If not, then who is the man behind the curtain?  I could give you a lot of clues and I have a prime suspect who emerges from he shadows when the dots are connected.

Sometimes the theory isn’t conspiratorial at all.  Sometimes it’s just a theory that turns out to be true.

Comments welcome

[1] The Gazette, Feb 22, 2022

https://gazette.com/news/cdc-withholds-large-amounts-of-key-covid-19-data/article_1ee234e4-4de1-51ba-8c13-aaacff7ec981.html

[2] ibid

Clinton Criminality Proven in Durham Report

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

The extent and scope of DNC corruption is almost beyond belief. Just when you thought the evidence was gathered, more crimes come to light. Remember when Hillary admitted she deleted 33,000 emails about yoga classes and wedding plans by smashing hard drives and cell phones with hammers? (more on that below)

This past Friday, Special Counsel John Durham submitted a court filing that alleges criminality conducted by the Clinton campaign when they hired a tech firm to spy on former President Trump before and after he took office.

Durham’s filing claims an executive of “Internet Company 1”, used his access to nonpublic government DNS data to analyze purported links between Trump and a Russian financial institution, named as Alpha Bank.  Internet Company 1 had access and maintenance agreements to dedicated servers for the Executive Office of the President (EOP).  Durham found that Rodney Joffe, named only as “Tech Executive 1” in the court filing, exploited his company’s contract by “mining the EOP’s DNS traffic and other data for the purpose of gathering derogatory information” [1] about the former President.

Friday’s filing was a result of Durham’s prosecution of Michael Sussman, an Attorney for the Clinton presidential campaign, charged with lying to the FBI.  Sussman told an FBI Attorney that he did not represent any client, when in fact he was being paid by the Clinton campaign.  Sussman’s Attorneys deny that he billed the Clinton campaign for a meeting he had with the FBI in September 2016.  It should be relatively easy to determine who is lying on that.

Trump’s ties to Russia were investigated by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller for nearly two years before he announced they had found nothing to support the claims propagated by Hillary Clinton.  It is common knowledge that the Clinton campaign funded opposition research that enlisted false claims in the Christopher Steele dossier designed to sick the FBI on then presidential candidate Donald Trump.  All of the allegations against Trump were proven false.

Sussman’s lawyers filed a response to the Durham allegations on Monday [2],  stating the Special Counsel filing on Friday was intended to “politicize this case, inflame media coverage, and taint the jury pool.”  They further claim that Durham’s allegations regarding the DNS data mining post-dated the single charge of lying to the FBI in September 2016 and are therefore irrelevant to the case against their client.  Of course additional misconduct by Sussman may be relevant to proving he was indeed actively engaged in undermining the President of the United States before and after he took office.  Moreover, in Paragraph 5 of the filing, the Sussman lawyers insinuate that Trump was attempting to inflame other Republicans, calling this scandal “far greater in scope and magnitude than Watergate”, as if Trump had no right to comment on the matter.  Incidentally, he’s right!

The New York Times headline reads, “Court Filing Started a Furor in Right-Wing Outlets, but Their Narrative Is Off Track”.  Oh really, does the so-called “Right-Wing” media have a responsibility to bury such a huge story to protect the Democrats? And how exactly, is their narrative “off“?

By Tuesday the 15th, CNN had crafted their version of the story by saying, “the accusation – which Durham couched in vague, technical language in a court filing late Friday – has been seized upon by Trump and his supporters, who claim the former President was subjected to a smear campaign”, followed by “Durham says in the filing that Michael Sussman, the Democrat lawyer, spoke about internet data related to Trump in a meeting with a federal agency, which sources say was the CIA, more than five years ago.”  Notice how they added the phrase “more than five years ago”, to make the reader think this allegation is “ancient history” and not worth pursuing.  In calling the filing “vague”, the Times also implies that the man-on-the-street can’t possibly understand it.  I don’t know about their readers, but I followed it just fine.  It’s also noteworthy that the CIA was gathering intel from Sussman on domestic spying campaign.  The CIA is by law restricted to limited domestic relations.  A Commission appointed by President Gerald Ford [3] reported that certain activities performed by the CIA on behalf of President Nixon were beyond the scope of their authority.  Apparently, by 2020 CIA activities designed to entrap the sitting President were completely legitimate, especially when requested by a political opponent.  

A Daily Mail article says former Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, alerted Durham to a declassified CIA memo that asserts Clinton approved “looking into Trump’s Russia ties as a way of distracting from her email scandal”.  Furthermore claiming that “new bombshell reports now reveal Clinton paid people to hack servers at Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign and White House servers following the election.” [4]  Ratcliffe says former CIA Director John Brennan told then President Obama and his VP, Joe Biden, in 2016 about Clinton’s plan to fabricate Trump’s links to Russia in an effort to redirect the spotlight away from her 33,000 deleted emails, which were actual government property.

18 U.S.C § 2071 – Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally :

“Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, any record, paper, or document in any public office, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than three years, or both”.

I’m not Copernicus, but if my math is correct, that felony alone could sentence her to 99,000 years in prison.  But with time off for good behavior, she could be out in time to run for President again in 42,024.  Unfortunately, the statute prevents anyone convicted of said felony from “holding any office under the United States”.

If Brennan told Obama and Biden directly about the Clinton smear campaign, how much “plausible deniability” could they claim? It’s extremely obvious they both knew about it beforehand and quite possible they approved it, considering Obama’s expectation that his agenda would be continued under her administration.

Hillary Clinton, now 74, is also accused of hiring a tech firm to infiltrate servers at the Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign and the White House after he took office, aiming to smear Trump by linking him to Russia.  On October 31, 2016, just days before the election, she tweeted “Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump organization to a Russian-based bank”.  No links have ever been proven, but you can bet your last dollar the MSM blasted that bombshell over every possible outlet right up to the closing of the polls.  That tech firm, named only as “Internet Company 1” in Durham’s Friday filing, is reportedly Neustar, the firm from which Rodney Joffe retired in 2021.

In the end, the American people have a right to know what we have known all along.  The Clinton campaign fabricated a phony dossier intended to damage the reputation of presidential candidate Donald Trump.  The extent of that smear campaign was well planned and executed by highly-ranked Democrat operatives and officials in the federal bureaucracy. The Durham revelations extend the scope of her corruption. Mark Levin, the conservative host of “Life, Liberty, and Levin”, has called this the biggest scandal in American history and questions why Clinton and Obama have never been indicted for their criminality. They are common citizens, holding no office of protection. We certainly can’t expect the current Attorney General to pursue the case against either, but the truth never dies.

“But such is the irresistible nature of the truth, that all it asks, – and all it wants, – is the liberty of appearing.”

— Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, Part II: Introduction

Watergate was a church picnic in comparison to this particular Clinton scandal, which may have been linked to the effort to cover up her own secret private server scandal, the one that had her lawyers and aides smashing hard drives and cell phones with hammers to prevent authorities from discovering the despicable criminal acts of the DNC and the Clinton campaign.  When you know the very top of Democrat leadership is corrupt to the core and every party member lines up in total obedience, you probably should be considering other options with your vote.

Comments welcome.  Is anyone else outraged?

[1] The Hill, dateline Feb 14, 2022 ; Durham alleges cyber analysts ‘exploited’ access to Trump White House server

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/594126-durham-alleges-cyber-analysts-exploited-access-to-trump-white-house

[2] Thomson Reuters, dated Feb 14, 2022

https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/lbpgnwxdyvq/Sussmann-response-Durham-2022-02-14.pdf

[3] Report to the President by the Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States, June 1975

https://ourpresidents.tumblr.com/post/53864366507/the-commission-on-cia-activities-within-the-united

and by clicking on the link “Commission Report at the Ford Library” within that article, you can access Chapter 14, “Involvement of the CIA in Improper Activities for the White House”, p.172

https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/exhibits/intelligence/RockComm_Chap14_InvolveWH.pdf

[4] Caralle, K., Daily Mail, Ex-Director of National Intelligence ( John Ratcliffe) Claims Biden and Obama Knew About Hillary Campaign Plot to Hack Trump Servers, published Feb 14, 2022

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10511033/Ex-DNI-told-Durham-evidence-indict-MULTIPLE-people-Trump-Russia-probe.html

The Ideological War Has Begun: How Can We Save America?

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.

The ideological war has begun.  It is upon us now.  We did not ask for this confrontation.  It has been thrust upon us by the leadership of the Democrat party, their well-oiled Reich Ministry of Propaganda the mainstream media (MSM), and the ideologues who dutifully follow them.

A supercharged political atmosphere hovers over the entire country like a menacing smog.  Its presence is everywhere.  It cannot be ignored.  It has divided us more than any time since the Civil War, when brothers at arms opposed each other across bloody battlefields that claimed over 618,000 sacrificial lambs.

The foundations of America are under attack, from our Constitution, to our institutions, to our economic system, to our societal norms and values, literally every aspect of our way of life.  This is not a drill.

The Democrat Party (DNC) is the metaphoric siege machine, hurling giant boulders into the castle that is America.  We are holding on for now, but the walls are crumbling.  Having the media as their protectorate, they now push their socialist agenda to “fundamentally transform America” by forcing it down our collective throats, every single day.  They have no intentions of engaging in debate, or negotiation, on the merits of their proposals.  They march in lock-step with total unity, softening the language with deceptive phrases designed to fool the masses, expecting them to accept their authority.  Too often, their stated goals are completely disingenuous, and have nothing to do with the real objective.  Everyone who fails to fall into line is vilified, publicly scorned, and outcast from society in textbook fascist fashion.

To be fair, many lifelong Democrat voters are not engaged enough to have realized their beloved party has been hijacked by the extreme left-wing socialist faction that runs it today.  Indeed, most people are so busy in the routines of everyday life, they barely have time to think about anything else at all, let alone politics.  They simply tune in casually every four years and perform their civic duty as they always have, then walk away feeling good about themselves for supporting what they believed were genuine concerns expressed by their favorite partisans.  Hillary Clinton was caught by a hot mic saying, “voters are stupid”.  The DNC actually believes their own voters are “useful idiots”.  I can’t blame them for being loyal, but maybe some of them are ripe for enlightenment.  It is one of the missions of American Patriots to make them aware that their decisions were haphazard at best, and disastrous by the results of their choice.  

All American Patriots [1] are certainly disheartened by the direction this country is taking at the hands of the DNC and the MSM.  It is not enough to get riled up and vent to your like-minded friends on Facebook to see how many “Likes” you can get.  We must do more.  This is a call to action.  But even when you know you must act, it’s a matter of how.  We know we must do something.  But what exactly can we do,  without placing ourselves in legal jeopardy?  It’s one thing to be publicly ridiculed, perhaps even a “badge of honor”.  It’s another level to face federal prison, which I don’t recommend.  At American Patriots, as in all my posts, I suggest we exercise caution before acting, or even saying anything that could be deemed slanderous or libelous towards specific individuals.  For some legal definitions and pertinent statutes, check out my page on Statutes to Avoid

There are some things we can do to help fight the socialist agenda.  You will see that none of these suggestions advocate violence.  They are all peaceful and completely legal means that require some degree of activism.  Generally, I don’t care much for activists, but we must fight fire with fire and employ the same tactics they use rather effectively.

• Speak out

Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors.  In many cases, you may already know how they lean politically, and can avoid the ideologues.  If you are unsure, you can start with subtle hints of your position and watch closely how they react.  Obviously it’s better to do this face-to-face, not via text or phone.  I’m no psychiatrist, but any negative response or defensive body language probably indicates resistance and a sign to stop right there.  If they seem enthused to continue the discussion, it’s likely they are already in our “tent” and it won’t take long to confirm that.  It’s those who seem slightly caught off-guard, ask respectful questions, or seem willing to engage civilly that may be “on the fence” and are potential converts.  It might be best to proceed slowly in light doses, perhaps over several engagements, but you can probably get a few points across eventually that could make them think a little.  Try to keep it respectful, not mean, angry, or condescending.

• Debate them if necessary

I love this one.  I choose my debates wisely, but I’m undefeated.  Why? Because when I decide to engage in debate, it’s already over.  The opponent has no chance to prove his point because he is wrong, period!  Typically, I’ll allow him to present his case, and then destroy it in less than two minutes.  It’s so easy I have gotten bored with the exercise.  How can that be possible? Have you listened to the positions they hold?  Virtually every issue is nonsensical.  Almost everything they say can be easily exposed as hypocrisy, contradicting things they have said earlier about the same issue.  Case in point:

Have you noticed that practically every time they are confronted with anything they deem offensive, the other party is “racist”?  I don’t know what race has to do with anything in the 21st century, but Obama brought it into the social consciousness and now the entire “progressive” movement plays the race card at every opportunity.  They talk about reparations and use affirmative action as reverse discrimination, as if the black community is to receive preferential treatment from now on.  I don’t have any animosity whatsoever towards the black community.  They deserve every opportunity on an equal basis just like the Constitution says.  I’m happy they are included and part of making society a better place to live.  I didn’t even want to bring race into the conversation, but the left wants to go back to conditions before the Civil War as justification for their demands, they need to be reminded that it was the “party of Lincoln” (Republicans) who freed the slaves and fought for the post-Civil War constitutional amendments that acknowledged their rights.  Southern Democrats were responsible for suppressing the black vote.  Now they claim it’s Republicans who are suppressing the black vote.  Republicans aren’t suppressing any voters.  They just want to ensure that all votes are legitimate, cast by actual citizens, each one entitled to one vote.  Democrats, on the other hand, are pushing for nationwide mail-in ballots and voting for non-citizens, which happens to be unconstitutional.  Some major cities like New York and Los Angeles have already approved non-citizen voting.  You might “fact check” that and conclude that Illegal voting doesn’t happen, but be cognizant of the source.  Typically, a left-wing “journalist” will ignore factual data or just blatantly lie.  The current Democrat presidential administration even recruits people from across the globe to come here illegally, apply for free stuff, and vote Democrat to keep the free stuff flowing.  As ridiculous as all that sounds, it’s obvious the debate was over pretty quickly.

• Get involved

Examine the voting records of some of your district Representatives (U. S. House) and listen carefully to what they are saying.  Or listen to new candidates for clues on whether they seem to be patriots or socialists.  Then show your support for those candidates by promoting them on your social media, perhaps even volunteering for their campaign efforts if you have the time.  Don’t waste your time on local politicians, with a few exceptions.  For example, all the hoopla over the school board meetings in Virginia have made national news because they involve national issues, such as the rights of parents to be active in the curriculum of their children, against the school districts teaching Critical Race Theory.  Parental groups could be organized to attend all school board meetings and protest all efforts to teach our young minds socialist ideas.  The indoctrination of our children must be stopped.  But in general, it’s the federal level candidates we need to focus on.  Keep in mind, it’s not necessary to love the Republican party or their candidates.  We need to defeat every Democrat at every opportunity, no matter who the opponent is.

• Protest

The First Amendment guarantees “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  The DNC is actively working on destroying the First Amendment through excessive restrictions, but at this writing, no law has been passed that eliminates our right to peaceably protest.

By the way, the January 6th event at the U. S. Capitol the Democrats and the media are calling “Insurrection Day”, was in fact, mostly peaceful protestors.  Yes, there were some who carried out acts of violence and they are justly being held to account for their actions.  Those bad actors appear to have been extreme right-wing groups who descended upon the scene with ill intent, but by no stretch of the imagination did they represent the full body of protestors, nor was anything said by Trump at his rally that morning indicative of a call to storm the building by violence.  The media labelling all Republicans as “white supremacists” is no more accurate than us calling all Democrats morons.  Again, the media using propaganda to influence the perceived idiots that follow their “authority”.  The media essentially assumes their own viewers are idiots, expecting to retain credibility after bloviating such nonsense.

• BDS

Boycott, divest, and sanction corporations and even small companies that have expressed their socialist ideology.  Mark Levin talks about this in depth in his latest book American Marxism. [2]  Companies that can be identified supporting the DNC and their socialist agenda should be boycotted by true American patriots.  Simply take your business elsewhere.  Conversely, companies that have obviously stood up against these anti-American movements, should be supported by patriotic consumers.  If you have a stock portfolio, review the companies you have invested in and liquidate those assets for redirection to companies that share your American pride.  In other words, sanction goods and services that openly follow socialist movements, and call them directly to voice your concerns.  Media Research Center tracks corporate sponsors of major network news shows. [3]  How many times have you heard that left-wing activists have threatened to cease the sponsorship of prime time opinion shows hosted by Fox news personalities they don’t approve of?  Who says you can’t do the same thing to their favorite talking heads?

These are just a few actions that any citizen can perform to help save America, and we as American Patriots must be willing to step forward and be heard.  America depends on those willing to defend her.

Join the discussion. Comments welcome.

[1] Join my private Facebook group “American Patriots” by searching “Thomas Paine” on Facebook and requesting membership.  Look for the “Thomas Paine” that is listed as living in New Rochelle, New York, to select the right “Thomas”.  The group has been created to attract true American patriots to exchange ideas and discuss ways to save America from the forces that threaten The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and our American values. 

[2] Levin, Mark R. ; American Marxism, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, © 2021 ; Chapter 7, pp. 252-276.  I don’t have any financial interest or affiliation with any of Mark’s books.  This book is highly recommended.

[3] There is a lot of information on the website at:

https://www.mrc.org/conservatives-fight-back

Paine’s Common Sense Offers Constitutional Advice

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

Paine’s Common Sense laid the groundwork for portions of the Constitution. Long before the United States Constitution was created (September 17, 1787) and ratified (June 21, 1788), Paine offered some of his suggestions on the form of government that would equitably represent all of the citizens. 

“If there is any true cause of fear respecting independence, it is because no plan is yet laid down.  Men do not see their way out – Wherefore, as an opening into that business, I offer the following hints; at the same time modestly affirming, that I have no other opinion of them myself, than that they may be the means of giving rise to something better.  Could the straggling thoughts of individuals be collected, they would frequently form materials for wise and able men to improve into useful matter.

Let the assemblies be annual, with a President only.  The representation more equal.  Their business wholly domestic, and subject to the authority of a Continental Congress.

Let each colony be divided into six, eight, or ten, convenient districts, each district to send a proper number of delegates to Congress, so that each colony send at least thirty.  The whole number in Congress will be at least 390.  Each Congress to sit and to choose a president by the following method.  When the delegates are met, let a colony be taken from the whole thirteen colonies by lot, after which, let the whole Congress choose (by ballot) a president from out of the delegates of that province.  In the next Congress, a colony be taken by lot from twelve only, omitting that colony from which the president was taken in the former Congress, and so proceeding on till the whole thirteen shall have had their proper rotation.  And in order that nothing may pass into a law but what is satisfactorily just, not less than three fifths of the Congress to be called a majority.”

  —  Thomas Paine, Common Sense, under Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs, published at Philadelphia, February, 14 1776

Note that last sentence whereby Paine lays down the argument that all legislation should be widely supported by at least 60% of Congress, the threshold established later as the filibuster rule in the Senate.  The Democrats, operating on the slimmest margin possible, now want to eliminate the filibuster to pass their highly controversial “voting rights act”, which has little to do with securing voting rights, and could be more accurately described as a “right to cheat” act, while protecting the same election officials who kicked observers out of the room and boarded up windows in polling places to conceal their fraudulent activities. Democrats imply that a large segment of their voting base is not capable of voting in person, nor have the ability to obtain valid identification. They ignore the fact that virtually everything regarding identification must be proven by showing a government issued ID card, and insist that anyone should be able to cast a ballot without proving they are who they say they are, which opens the door for multiple votes and non-citizen ballots. Couple that with ballot harvesting practices that allow partisan operatives to collect ballots in large quantities that could be easily altered under cover of darkness, and you’re looking at a potentially massive scheme to rig elections.

The 19th Amendment (ratified August 18, 1920) says, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” As late as 1920, when women were given the right to vote, it was clear that only citizens were entitled to vote. Republicans seek to ensure that, while Democrats want to eliminate the requirement. Under their insane proposition, anyone in the world with obviously questionable loyalties, could vote in our elections.

Comments welcome

DNC Corruption

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

I could write about DNC corruption and the MSM every day.  They certainly provide plenty of material.  But this one isn’t about the latest news flash.  It’s straight from the heart.

Yesterday, I received my copy of Peter Schweizer’s new release Red Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win, and dove into it immediately.  The first chapter is basically a “set the stage” intro.  Chapter 2 is an exposé on the Biden family and their ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  Schweizer and his team of investigators have traced $31 million in payments to the Biden family from Chinese businessmen with close ties to highly ranked members of China’s intelligence service, through various “shady business” deals with Hunter Biden and his portfolio of entities.  Textbook influence peddling.  Does Joe Biden have “plausible deniability”?  Not if anyone cares to look.

Where is Hunter anyway?  Certainly not in federal prison where he belongs.  Does anyone really believe the “chip-on-his-shoulder” Attorney General, Merrick Garland, is going to prosecute Hunter Biden? Garland was denied Senate hearings on his appointment to the Supreme Court in Obama’s last year. That is why I have been advocating for the Attorney General to be appointed by the party NOT in the White House, even when occupied by a Republican. The AGs under Obama and Biden were, and are, essentially Kings Guards. Did Trumps AGs protect him. or do his bidding? Apparently not. Seems like one-sided corruption to me.

It’s notable that Schweizer’s last book was titled, Profiles in Corruption, which also had a chapter on the Biden family, among other prominent Democrats.  He dedicated an entire book to the Clinton cabal.  I can’t wait until he gets to Obama for the “grand slam” of the last four Democrat presidential candidates, Al Gore excluded.

The message here is that these high-profile Democrats are filthy to the core, and all American voters should be aware of the extent to which they have perfected the art of corruption.  That’s disgusting enough, but when you know the media protects them and you realize that none of them have ever been investigated, let alone prosecuted, you are reminded of the classic Vince Lombardi quote, “What the Hell’s goin’ on out here?”

I have no affiliation with Schweizer and don’t currently enjoy any financial gain from the sale of his books.  I’m just recommending that every American read his work.

Also yesterday, before getting the book in the mail, I watched a documentary on George Washington titled “The First American”, an IMDb production by Newt Gingrich.  It was an excellent profile on the greatest American of all time, and was special to me, having had the privilege of knowing him personally.  The movie puts the viewer in the spirit of ’76, a state of mind that is sorely needed today.  It’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend it.

This is a call to action.  If you want to call yourself an American, you should be outraged at the direction the DNC has taken this country.  It is not enough to silently accept their “political correctness”, ignore their corruption, and keep your mouth shut as the “woke mob” takes control of every aspect of your life.  True patriots don’t sit down and shut up.  We must stand up and be heard.  Not long ago, I was willing to consider loyal Democrat voters as a segment of the populace that could not be swayed to switch teams.  I have been trying to inform the independents and young voters who may be new to the political consciousness.  Now I’m convinced that anyone who opens their eyes and earnestly examines the truth, can be converted.  But it will take a tremendous effort to destroy the DNC and their media propaganda machine.  It will take true American patriots talking to their friends and family members, respectfully, but convincingly, that the DNC is rotten and should be defeated at every opportunity.  While they continue to divide the country by race and identity politics, we welcome anyone into our tent.  You have all heard the phrase “wake up America”.  It is our mission to enlighten the people with facts, to point out the deceptive agenda of the “fake news” media, and to become voices of reason.  I will admit that I have had thoughts of leaving the country and just going somewhere without all this turmoil.  But that is not feasible and it is a quitter’s attitude.  We can win hearts and minds.  We must not give up.   

“Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

  —  Thomas Paine, The Crisis I, December 23, 1776

Comments welcome

Democrats Acknowledge Border Crisis

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

All of a sudden the Biden administration and the Democrats in lock-step, are deeply concerned over developments at the border.  They have actually admitted we have a border crisis. The White House has repeatedly said there will be “serious consequences” [1] for anyone who threatens a sovereign nation. Oh wait, you mean the Ukraine?  I thought you were talking about our own border. What about America’s sovereignty?

The Democrats don’t give a rat’s ass about America, or our citizens. They completely ignore the human invasion taking place on our own southern border.  In December, CBP conducted over 178,000 encounters with illegal immigrants along our southern border, more than the previous 3 Decembers combined, and we have absorbed over 2 million immigrants in the past year. July and August each saw over 200,000 immigrant encounters, with the August total representing a 320% increase over August 2020.  [2]

What’s their plan? Advertise the open border that the American taxpayer is funding their lives so we can give them everything for free and turn them into loyal Democrat voters, while turning a few red (or purple) states blue in the process (Arizona, Nevada, Texas).  Overwhelm the welfare system and create a massive class of dependents they can control. Not to mention all the negative consequences of accepting all these “migrants”, like criminality, human trafficking, drug running, and the economic impact of so many unskilled laborers driving down wages, flooding our schools, and health care systems, and straining our infrastructure that is already obsolete. Oh, but don’t worry!  Biden will fix all that with his “Build Back Better” plan.

Drug Overdose Deaths in the U. S. Top 100,000 Annually  [3] That’s the headline of a CDC press release, which states that opioid overdose deaths rose to 75,673 by the year ended April 2021, up nearly 35% from the same period a year earlier.  These deaths are primarily from synthetic opioids, like fentanyl and methamphetamine, courtesy of the Mexican border.  

Biden talks about sending 8,500 troops to the Ukraine to defend their sovereignty against over 100,000 Russian troops massed on their border.  We have already sent armaments in the form of anti-tank missiles and “bunker busters” to Kyiv. 

Bunker busters?  Do they expect the Russians to build concrete bunkers on the border?  Or are they to be on hand for when we invade Moscow – in winter?

Is Joe Biden sure 8,500 American soldiers can repel 100,000 invading Russians?  Does he plan to send more?  A lot more?  It doesn’t matter to him.  He doesn’t care about the 100,000 Americans dying every year from opioids.  Why should he care about American soldiers fighting a purposeless war?

These Democrats are dumber than a bag of hammers, which could be better used to beat some sense into them.   

Maybe somebody in Congress should stand up and tell these idiots how stupid this notion is.  We don’t need to sacrifice precious American blood for the protection of a country of zero strategic importance, particularly against a super-power that can match our nuclear strength.  The left was insanely warning us of Trump having his hands on the nuclear codes.  Remember that time he threatened to use them?  Me either.  Now a deranged Biden, acting on the whims of his puppet-master, is actually talking about going to war – against Russia.  And the warmongers of the Military Industrial Complex are drooling at the prospect. 

Who exactly, stands to benefit from such a ridiculous engagement? Is Biden trying to boost the profits of corporate military hardware manufacturers? Is he trying to appease his Chinese controllers? Or is he mindlessly following the orders of an “advisor”, one who wants to destroy America and its military?  And who could that be?   

These are serious questions.

Nostradamus predicted a nuclear conflict that will destroy mankind – in June 2038.  I’m not sure we will make it that long.  

What do you think? COMMENT below.

[1]  Spiering, C.,Breitbart, dated 25 Jan 2022 Vice President Kamala Harris told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Monday, “If Russia and Vladimir Putin violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine there’s going to be serious consequences, and we’re very clear about that,” 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/01/25/kamala-harris-warns-vladimir-putin-of-serious-consequences-if-he-invades-ukraine/

[2]  Moore, M. , New York Post, dated 15 Sep 2021

https://nypost.com/2021/09/15/migrant-encounters-reportedly-exceed-200k-for-second-month-in-a-row/

[3]  CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, updated 17 Nov 2021

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2021/20211117.htm

GOP Electors Targeted by Jan 6 Committee

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

GOP Electors in seven battleground states have been targeted by the Jan 6 Committee for submitting false slates of electors in dispute of the certified slates presented to Congress.

The U. S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol began hearing testimony on July 27th 2021 and by the end of the year, had interviewed over 300 witnesses.  They now have a much broader criminal conspiracy in their sights.  They are alleging that the Trump team orchestrated a massive scheme to coerce all seven battleground states to submit alternate certificates, file lawsuits, and have Vice President Mike Pence not accept the Biden slates on January 6th, then follow that with a planned insurrection if all else failed.

Of course if all of that were true, there should be consequences and legislation should be introduced to amend the statutes in an effort to eliminate that possibility from happening again.  But are those allegations true, or was the Trump team simply following a completely legal precedent set by presidential candidate John F. Kennedy in 1960?

On December 14th 2020, as 20 “prominent Democrats” gathered in Harrisburg Pennsylvania with then Secretary of State, Kathy Boockvar, to certify that Joe Biden had defeated Trump by about 80,000 votes, 20 Republicans were meeting at another location to sign alternate certificates for submittal to the National Archives and Congress, as required by law.  The Republicans called their conditional maneuver a “procedural vote”, claiming they were cast just in case a court ruling overturned Biden’s victory.  GOP State Chairman Bernie Comfort stated, “We took this procedural vote to preserve any legal claims that may be presented going forward.  This was in no way an effort to usurp or contest the will of the Pennsylvania voters.” [1]

Is that maneuver legal, or does it represent fraud, or forgery, as the January 6th Committee alleges?

From the verbatim excerpt of a Politico article [2], it’s obvious that the Trump legal team felt confident in the legality of submitting what some states said were conditional slates of electors, to wit:

“Republicans at the time emphasized that their decision to hold unsanctioned elector votes had a precedent. In 1960, three Democratic electors from Hawaii met to cast votes for John F. Kennedy, even though the election results showed that Richard Nixon had narrowly prevailed in the state. With a recount underway, those pro-Kennedy electors met to cast their votes anyway and submitted those results to Congress and the National Archives, the clearinghouse for elector certificates.

Hawaii’s recount ultimately reversed the outcome, showing Kennedy had won by fewer than 200 votes, and the state’s governor then certified the Democratic slate as well. On Jan. 6, 1961, the Democratic electors were the ones counted by Congress, with Nixon, then vice president, presiding.”

In the Hawaii case, a recount had narrowly overturned the results in Kennedy’s favor in time for the Governor to certify the Democrat slate, but those differences are not relevant because there were limited recounts in 2020 and Trump had pending lawsuits.  The legal basis established in the Kennedy case, was similar in that the opposing party submitted alternate slates of electors pending some future decision.

Of the seven contested battleground states (AZ, GA, MI, NV, NC, PA, and WI), only Georgia performed a statewide recount, and Wisconsin recounted votes in two counties.  None of the recount efforts produced any significant results that would have overturned the electoral votes.  Trump filed six lawsuits in Pennsylvania, challenging the vote counting process, primarily due to election laws being unconstitutionally modified without going through the state legislature.  All those suits were dismissed, and all of which takes time.

From the same Politico article, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), member of the January 6th Committee, said, “We want to look at the fraudulent activity that was contained in the preparation of these fake Electoral College certificates.”  Apparently, he is either ignorant of the 1960 precedent, or he was misrepresenting the facts, and expects the public to take his word for it.

Referring back to the Philadelphia Inquirer article [3], the Pennsylvania officials having hedged their maneuver by attaching the caveat that those certificates should only be counted in the event of Trump’s legal victory, seems to have dodged the forgery charge.  It would be reasonable to afford the same leniency to the other five states (AZ, GA, MI, NV, and WI) that submitted the alternate certificates, in consideration of the Kennedy precedent. 

Food for thought:  If the entire legal challenge had been coordinated from the White House, don’t you think that each state would have submitted their alternate slates under the exact same advice?  Why was Pennsylvania the only state submitting with the aforementioned caveat?  Without any evidence that those states colluded to collectively overturn the election, the entire Democrat conspiracy theory is deflated.    

[1]  Philadelphia Inquirer article, dated 13 Jan 2022

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/fake-electoral-college-certificates-january-6-investigation-20220113.html

[2]  Politico article, dated 21 Jan 2022

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/21/january-6-committee-precedent-pro-trump-electors-527528

[3]  Philadelphia Inquirer article, dated 13 Jan 2022

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/fake-electoral-college-certificates-january-6-investigation-20220113.html

Republican vs. Democrat Platform

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

Yesterday, President Joe Biden conducted a solo press conference to close out his first year in office.

Despite all the delusion on display that he “has done as much in one year” as any President, and his frequent loss of thought train, the one thing he said that stuck out to me more than any other was his rhetorical question, “What are Republicans for?” “Name me one thing they’re for.”

I’m no Republican, but I’ll take that challenge.  Sorry, I can’t name just one

Republicans, in contrast to Democrats, are for:

• The Constitution

• The Bill of Rights

• Individualism and personal responsibility

• A free-market capitalist economy

• Secure borders that control legal immigration

• Law and order

• Lower taxes

• Energy independence

• Voter ID and election integrity

• Unification of all Americans

. . . and a few things Republicans are not for:

• Marxist socialism

• Centralized government in control of every aspect of life

• Collectivism, whereby the people are deemed too stupid to take care of themselves

• The “political paradise of communism”, per Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals

• Open borders advertising free stuff, courtesy of the American taxpayer

• Rampant crime sprees in major cities with “get out of jail free” cards

• Higher taxes

• Dependence on foreign energy due to restrictions on American producers

• Manufactured phony ballots that steal elections and disenfranchise actual citizens

• Division of Americans by race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and/or religion

That first list is essentially the Republican platform.  The second list is the Democrat platform.  Which one do you like?

Comments welcome

The Expansion of Voting Rights

Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary

From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. Please join my Facebook group American Patriots in a free and open discussion to further the cause of FREEDOM.  

Now the Democrats are desperately pushing passage of their proposed Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, hoping to ram those through Congress before this year’s mid-term election, just in case they lose control of the majority.  To facilitate that suddenly urgent agenda item, they claim it’s a great idea to eliminate the Senate filibuster in order to pass these voting reforms.

It’s a classic standoff between the Democrats who claim to be fighting for everyone to have easy access to voting rights, including non-citizens, with no proof of identity; and Republicans who hope to ensure that all votes are legitimate, cast by actual living citizens, and calling for Voter ID laws. Maybe we should send out mail-in ballots to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Why should they be excluded? Maybe we could include vouchers for taxpayer money if they vote Democrat. That sounds like something they might already have buried in their “pass it to see what’s in it” legislation. The unbelievable part is; they have no shame in promoting ideas like that. They actually think they are reasonable, or you are too stupid to question their motives.

President Biden was in Atlanta this past Tuesday lobbying for passage of both voting rights bills and a “carve out” of the filibuster.

Cedric Richmond, White House Senior Advisor, said Biden’s speech on January 6th was a “down payment” in building the case to the public that the foundations of the country’s democracy are under assault, in reference to the voting rights bills and elimination of the filibuster. 

The foundations are under assault alright, by Democrats lobbying for changes to Senate rules.  Although the founders did not establish the filibuster, it wasn’t long before it was adopted by the Senate.

Aaron Burr is often credited as the father of the American filibuster, when as Vice President in 1805, he suggested to the Senate that they should eliminate a rule that automatically cut off floor debate, then called the “previous question motion”.  The following year, the Senate dropped the motion from their rule book.  That opened the door for the filibuster as we know it.

The filibuster assures the American people that legislation adopted by Congress is well thought out and has garnered significant support.  It is designed to stop hair-brained ideas from being passed with a simple majority.  Any Senator can request the floor to speak without time limit, in an effort to convince other Senators that the proposed legislation should be further scrutinized. The Democrats portray that as stall tactics, and it is sometimes abused by speeches that have nothing to do with the issue at hand.  On this particular piece of legislation, Democrats are so desperate to enact their method of retaining power, they label Republicans as “obstructionists.” To prevent, or end a filibuster, a minimum of 60 Senators must agree, known as cloture, whereby the legislation can proceed to a vote. They know they can’t get 60 votes, so they claim the filibuster is blocking “progress” and push to “carve out” an exception to suit them.

To change the Senate rule Democrats need only a simple majority, a 50-50 tie that can be broken by the Vice President, a procedural maneuver known as the “nuclear option”.  Currently, Sen. Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Sinema (D-AZ) oppose the carve out or elimination of the filibuster, but will they hold firm?     

The House may operate under the “we have to pass it to see what’s in it” Pelosi doctrine, but the Senate was created specifically, to be the more deliberative body.

The Freedom to Vote Act expands access to the ballot and shields election officials. Apparently that means more mail-in voting which opens the door to more fraud and an easier way to cheat.  That other provision to “shield election officials” looks pretty shady to me; “shield them from what”?  They just pulled off the most massive voter fraud in history with complete impunity.  I know, we have all been “informed” by the media propaganda machine that Trump’s claims of voter fraud were all debunked. Are you positive the 2020 election was fair and totally legitimate? When you gather over 1,000 independent witnesses who sign sworn Affidavits under penalty of perjury, that they saw various “irregularities” in several states that were “coincidently” battleground states, and have video evidence of election officials scanning highly questionable stacks of ballots, after kicking observers out of the room and boarding up the windows, it seems to me that something secretive was going on. So secretive, that Democrats want to “shield election officials” from legal jeopardy by legislation. Maybe they should rebrand the name and call it what it is, the Freedom to Cheat Act.

Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution, a pro Bernie Sanders group, said, “If we don’t pass the Freedom to Vote legislation, Democrats are going to get slaughtered in 2022 and 2024.  If people can’t get to the polls and exercise their right to vote, our power is in jeopardy and that’s what this is about.”

(Paine):  I’ll be bound.  Some honesty from a Democrat; their power is in jeopardy.  On the other hand, he claims Democrat voters can’t get to the polls, inferring they need mail-in ballots.  I’d advise him that polling places are everywhere, probably within walking distance from nearly every urban Democrat where their power base is located.  It’s not that hard folks.  Or is he painting Democrat voters as too stupid to figure out how to vote in person? Every American is expected to do whatever it takes to get vaccinated. Why can’t Democrat voters get to polling places if they are expected to find a place to get vaccinated?

In an article, dated October 20th, 2021, NPR, National Public Radio states, “Democrats say federal voting legislation is needed to counteract a wave of new restrictions from Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country. Critics of those laws say they are making it more difficult to vote, particularly for people of color.  The Freedom to Vote Act would have, among other things, established Election Day as a national holiday, set national minimum standards for early voting and voting by mail, and created new requirements for groups not currently required to disclose their financial donors. It also included standards for states that require voter identification, “[1]

(Paine):  “national minimum standards for early voting and voting by mail”? That sounds like a good way to manufacture thousands of ballots as needed in critical precincts in order to win any election.  And why is it so difficult to vote if you’re not white?  What does skin color have to do with it in the 21st century? In 1888 it was skin color that made it difficult to vote because southern Democrats suppressed the Black vote, then supporting the “party of Lincoln”, and gave incumbent President Grover Cleveland a 90,000 popular vote margin. But karma prevailed, and in the first instance whereby the presidency was decided by the Electoral College, Benjamin Harrison secured victory by the electoral vote of 233 to 168, on the strength of him winning the north and the west. Yet today, the “progressive” left insists the Electoral College is flawed and must be eliminated. How conveniently they disregard history.

Now the media calls these “new restrictions” voter suppression, and has people believing that evil Republicans are trying to deny the right to vote to “people of color”, failing to mention is was actually Democrats who suppressed the Black vote earlier. When a movement suggests their opposition is doing something they did themselves and infers it’s only nefarious this time, that’s propaganda. They are either too stupid to know the history, or they are being deceptive, or both. That’s simple logic.

Biden is on record vowing to “fight like heck” against voting restrictions being passed by Republican state legislatures.  [2]

(Paine):  I guess when Biden says “fight like heck” he’s a knight in shining armor; when Trump says the exact same phrase, he’s inciting a riot. (see my post, Trump’s Incitement to Riot)

And what exactly are these “voting restrictions” enacted by state legislatures?  Does that mean Republicans are requiring voters to prove who they are by showing a voter registration card?  Does it mean voters are supposed to be U. S. citizens?  Oh my, the horror.

The United States Constitution, ratified 1789, did not originally define who was eligible to vote, allowing each state to determine who was eligible.  Throughout the 19th century, voting rights began to expand to non-whites and citizens who did not own property.  Four of the fifteen post- Civil War constitutional amendments were ratified to extend voting rights to different groups of citizens.  These extensions state that voting rights cannot be denied or abridged based on the following:

  • Race, color, or previous condition of servitude (15th Amendment)
  • On account of sex (19th Amendment)
  • By reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax (24th Amendment)
  • Who are 18 years of age or older (26th Amendment)

Many states require eligible citizens to register to vote a set number of days prior to the election in order to vote.

Notice all these qualifications refer to citizens.  In what country are non-citizens given voting rights? I have yet to see any statutory justification for allowing non-citizens the right to vote in any election.

On the 15th of March 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th U. S. President, gave a speech before Congress in support of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which he had signed into law the previous July. In the speech he said, “Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.” Notice he did not say “Every American must have the right to vote.” A Democrat President qualified the statement by restricting that right to citizens.

I agree, all citizens should be able to exercise their right to vote, after proving they are an American citizen. One verified citizen, one vote. I don’t mind mail-in ballots per se, as long as they are verified. But who is going to be in charge of the verification? Who is going to count the votes and who is going to oversee the counting? Maybe every citizen should be assigned a unique Voter ID Number, similar to a credit card number. The database could be sorted and scanned for duplicate entries very easily, managed by the Federal Election Commission. When voters relocate from one state to another, their new address would be revised in the database. The Voter ID Number could be attached to each Social Security Number. When a voter is deceased, that Voter ID Number would be eliminated upon notification from the Social Security Death Index. It’s not rocket science, just simple cooperation between the SSA and the FEC.

You don’t have to be a Republican to disagree with everything they stand for.  You just have to be sensible.

Comments welcome

[1]  National Public Radio, Oct 20th, 2021

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/20/1040238982/senate-democrats-are-pushing-a-voting-rights-bill-republicans-have-vowed-to-bloc

[2]  Politico, Jan 9th, 2022

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2022/01/09/joe-biden-takes-on-georgia-voting-526801