The Coffee Party website features a video with a young female spokesperson explaining the Party's origins as snow falls all around.Having failed to derail the various Tea Party groups around the land, ‘progressives’ have come up with a new tactic—start a Coffee Party as a response to those “obstructionists.” In the video explaining the group’s origins, the narrator said Party members “believe we are in the majority.” As snow falls all around—I have to wonder why it seemed a good idea to film this in the snow because the kid must’ve been freezing—she talks about diversity and being “completely comfortable with the changing demographics of our country.”

Ironically, the speaker also chastises those who would use those changing demographics for “political gain” by using “fear and anxiety.”

Hopefully the day will come when the speaker realizes both major parties have used the issue for political gain—the fact the government is importing 10 times the number of H-2B workers from a single country compared to other countries should be grounds enough for a thinking person to wonder why.

And that same thinking person could then take a look at the large corporations whose pursuit of cheap labor has had a dramatic impact on communities, education, healthcare and crime. The Center for Immigration Studies has an excellent backgrounder on the explosion in H-2B guestworkers, and the backgrounder reflects a federal government catering directly to large corporations at the US taxpayers' expense. The backgrounder isn't written from an advocacy position; the report primarily crunches numbers and data.

One example—a large landscaping company imported 3,872 workers in 2008. Wage range for those workers was $6.65-9.68. Out of that amount, the worker would have to reimburse the employer for housing.

Just for fun ask a Mom and Pop landscape company if they can afford all the legal fees to import what amounts to slave labor.

Or ask an American citizen who's unemployed if he might look for a job in the hotel, machining/welding or ski resort industry. Those industries are at the top of H-2B employers.

Companies seeking increases in H-2B workers have had dramatic impacts on federal policy under both Democrat and Republican administrations.

As our Coffee Party spokesperson shivered in the snow, it was obvious she is genuinely concerned about her country, as many of the rest of us are. On the flip side of her coin, more than 150 years ago, the political Party known as the Locofocos was born in backlash against the national bank, monopolies and federal cronyism. That Party dissolved but the name is so catchy it’s a wonder no one’s resurrected it in these troubled times.

In the US, the Republican and Democrat Parties prevail over the smaller Libertarian, Constitution and Green Party.

Speaking earnestly and looking directly at the camera, the Coffee Party spokesperson, who for some reason looks familiar to me,  talked about how divided Americans are—“Our process has broken down.”

I’d say it’s rather the opposite. For the first time, perhaps, Americans are intensely interested in process despite what some leading Democrats claim. Technology puts information readily available that our forebears didn’t have access to. Washington remains clueless about how informed Main Street really is.

The new Party did inspire a trivial question—will the likes of Keith Olbermann roll their eyes and call these people ‘coffee baggers?’

It remains to be seen whether the Coffee Party will have an impact on Main Street. The group strikes me as an organization of young idealists who sincerely believe ‘progressivism’ is the answer to society’s problems despite the fact progressivism, in the hands of both major Parties in the past, has created some of the biggest problems our country has faced in its short, remarkable history, rendering the US the largest charity in the world and creating a welfare state that may eventually be the largest in world history.

I’m looking to start a Wine Party. We may not get much done but we could surely have fun letting the good times roll. Besides, I like the sound of ‘Wine Baggers’ almost as much as I like the sound of Locofocos.

I'm still trying to figure out where I've seen that young woman.

This antique beauty snapped at a car show in Jacksonville was built at a time when a car was a car. [Photo by Kay B. Day]NUMMI seemed like a good idea. GM was about to close a plant and a partnership with Toyota seemed like a solution. In the 1980s, had Toyota not come along, the Fremont plant would’ve likely ceased to operate. Now Toyota wants out, and American workers will feel the bite.

Protests and petition drives by union members are underway after Toyota announced the closing of New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc., plant in Fremont, Calif. The Japanese car maker’s contract with NUMMI ends April 1.

 In the March/April 2010 issue of ‘Solidarity,’ the magazine for UAW members [The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America], a feature story described protests that included members who “took their message to the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Jan. 28.”

A study by California state officials found 25,000 jobs will be lost when the plant closes. Solidarity puts the figure higher, projecting losses of 4,500 Local 2244 members, and “up to 50,000 supplier and support workers, including hundreds of members of UAW Local 76.

 NUMMI was actually a partnership of sorts between General Motors before GM came under the wings of the US government and Toyota. Solidarity said NUMMI opened 25 years ago.

GM left NUMMI in 2009 as part of a bankruptcy plan.

Solidarity also said the closing would be the “first time in its 75-year history that Toyota has closed a plant.” The magazine points out NUMMI “is the only unionized Toyota assembly plant in the United States…”—this makes the case for a ripple effect on wages and benefits of all automobile plant workers in the country.

Ironically Toyota benefited tremendously from the federal Cash for Clunkers program. UAW vice president Bob King said, “California led the nation in ‘cash for clunkers’ sales in 2009, and Toyota sold more cars under this program than any other automaker.”

But the complete story on NUMMI reaches far past actions by Toyota.

In the 1980s when the US government approved the NUMMI partnership despite strong objections from other manufacturers like Chrysler, the government believed the new plant would bring car prices down and boost US manufacturing jobs. The project was described as “bullet-proof” and proponents assured the collaboration would bring no harm. Originally the agreement provided for building 250,000 cars a year for 12 years.

A Business Week story from Bloomberg noted that Toyota is setting money aside for displaced workers although GM has done nothing of the sort—“Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest carmaker said it’s providing $250 million for workers who will lose their jobs when a former joint-venture auto-assembly plant in California closes next month.”

Criticism and fury are being leveled at the Japanese automaker, with boycotts planned. GM appears to be escaping much of that fury. The Business Week story noted comments from Toyota: “‘The support we are providing to Nummi underscores our commitment to do our part,’ said Jim Wiseman, a group vice president for Toyota’s North American unit. ‘It is unfortunate that neither GM—NUMMI’s other 50 percent shareholder and customer for 25 years –nor Motors Liquidation Company, its current shareholder, has indicated that it will do the same.’”

NUMMI was an experiment of sorts following the first closure of the plant in the 80s when GM operated it alone.

Although Toyota is receiving the brunt of criticism for job losses, history suggests General Motors and the US government also played a significant role in the evolution of the California plant and circumstances that Toyota believes warrant its closing. The NUMMI breakdown is far more complex than setting up a foreign manufacturer as bogeyman, and is perhaps another casualty in an economy increasingly dominated by government rather than by the free market.

Solidarity said NUMMI “is the last vehicle assembly plant in the western United States.” NUMMI was the first time US and Japanese auto companies partnered to build autos in the US.

Criticizing established media brands like The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as long-time TV networks, is in full swing these days. So turnabout is fair play.  Chuck Todd, head White House correspondent for NBC News, had a few things to say about new media, with particular emphasis on Matt Drudge’s go-to website where many of us pop in throughout the day to see what’s interesting in the world around us.

Matt Drudge has carved a place for himself in media history whether old branded media likes it or not.In an interview with Tommy Christopher at Mediaite, Todd bemoaned ‘Drudge-driven’ journalism. He criticized stories based on “an opinion article allegation, not even a factually based story, that suddenly draws a question because Drudge linked to it.”

Drudge will certainly do the trick when a story runs around frantically looking for legs. For Todd, that is not a good thing. He said, “There’s no worse crime in journalism these days than simply deciding something’s a story because Drudge linked to it.”

In the interest of fairness to the man who is probably our favorite new media success story, Drudge links to content primarily run in old branded media (OBM). He services the reader by letting a story shine a little longer than it would if it sat on the NYT or WaPo site all by itself for a few days (wire services using those papers’ content aside.)

Dodd might ask himself and his colleagues why readers are turning to new media. Here are a few stories old branded media has failed to cover properly although the information is useful to American voters:

• The John Edwards scandal complete with sex, campaign titillations and DNA. The National Enquirer broke that story perhaps because old branded media was busy fawning over then Senator Barack Obama and integrity-promising Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)
• The global warming bubble. OBM has yet to conduct any real investigation of the claims that have enriched failed presidential candidate and former VP Al Gore. What OBM is best at is blaming all natural phenomena on global warming. If the birds don’t sing quite as cheerfully, it must be global warming. Let a bunch of fundamentalist Christians cry ‘Armageddon,’ and OBM calls them loons. Let Al Gore and his disciples cry ‘Armageddon’ and the federal government gives them billions in grants.
• The healthcare reform hoax. Based on content in HR 3200, we’re comfortable in our projection Americans will be shell shocked when they see what the final so-called ‘reform’ brings to Main Street. Do what the most of the representatives you pay to do didn’t do: go read the bill.
• The Democrat integrity hoax: That’s an easy one. Spitzer, Paterson, Rangel, Jefferson, Dodd, and Mahoney are just  a few whose stories speak to Pelosi’s promises of change and integrity after her Democrat Party took the house in 2006.
• The Cap and Raid (HR 2454) hoax. Wait ‘til you see what that one will cost us. See ‘global warming bubble’ above.
• The murderer’s always a rightwinger hoax. We direct you to Red State for perspective on why murderers must ALWAYS be rightwingers even if they aren’t: Murder as Politics: An Inconvenient Truth.

Todd’s claims about opinion articles becoming big stories is a summary of news since the industry began. Perhaps he was asleep at the laptop when Alaska governor Sarah Palin was assaulted by all those leftwing blogs whose rumors took on new life in the OBM Todd appears to still believe has integrity. For a final example, check out MSNBC and see what programs are listed as “News.”

Give me a drop of Drudge with my coffee every morning and with my afternoon tea. I can’t remember the last time I tuned into NBC for anything, much less the news. Apparently most of my fellow Main Streeters agree with my views about OBM; a Pew poll found only 29 percent of us believe news organizations get the facts straight.

Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.) switched to the GOP in December, 2009. He is an outspoken critic of fiscal policies current Democrat leaders endorse. [Photo from Rep. Griffith's US House website.]Dr. Parker Griffith represents Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District and the former Democrat legislator is no fan of Obama/Pelosi-care. As a matter of fact, the healthcare boondoggle Democrats are rumored to be so desperate to pass they may use reconciliation is a major reason Griffith crossed Party lines to become a Republican in December. Griffith’s comments as part of the weekly Republican address reflect the impossibility of being a fiscal conservative in today’s Democrat Party.

He said, [T] wo Januarys ago, I was sworn into office as an independent, conservative Democrat.  But like so many Americans, I became increasingly concerned that the policies being pushed by Democrats in Washington were dangerous for our country and out of step with our values… Instead of working across the aisle and focusing on creating jobs, Democratic leaders pressed ahead with their partisan, big-government agenda of taxing, spending, and borrowing from our children and grandchildren.  The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus,’ the ‘cap-and-trade’ national energy tax, I voted against them.”

Griffith believes whatever comes of the bills being touted as a “healthcare reform” platform will do Americans no favors.  “In the next 10 days,” he said,  “Democrats in Washington will try and jam through a massive government takeover of health care.  It would raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits and destroy American jobs.  It would put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors.  And it must be stopped.”

Griffith reminded the public Americans “have said loudly and clearly that they do not want this job-killing government takeover of care.” He believes voters want legislators to start anew—“with a clean sheet of paper and a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses.”

The Republican congressman realizes the disconnect between those at the top of the government and those on Main Street. He said, “[P]resident Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to listen to the American people.  For them, health care reform has become less about the best reforms and more about what best fits their ‘Washington knows best’ mentality – less about helping patients and more about scoring political points.”

Driving home his insider status as a former Democrat, Griffith confided, “This is no idle observation. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.”

And like many on Main Street, the doctor-legislator realizes special interests will benefit despite promises made by the president and top legislators.“Even as public opposition continued to rise,” he said, “Democrats refused to let up, stuffing these bills with sweetheart deals for lawmakers and giveaways to Washington special interests.”  

Griffith however does believe there is a route to true reform. He said, “Republicans understand that the right way to fix health care is with a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs.  Only Republicans have proposed the kind of health care reforms we can afford during this economic downturn, like allowing small businesses to group together to purchase health care plans at reasonable costs just as unions do…The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that the Republican bill would lower premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10 percent.”

Details on the plan are posted at HealthCare.GOP.gov.

Griffith spent 30 years practicing medicine in North Alabama.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, by necessity, survives because of the hatred the organization perceives in so called ‘radical right’ groups. Those groups are upset with government policy on taxes and immigration, among other things. SPLC said there are almost 1,000 hate groups in the U.S. What is the criteria for being listed as a hate group?

‘So-called patriot groups’ are one example included in the SPLC rant, defined as “militias and other organizations that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose ‘one-world government’ on liberty-loving Americans…”

Apparently the SPLC hasn’t been following the Al Gore global warming movement, various agreements with the United Nations and and the deliberate interlocking of global economies, in the interest of select hedge funds making themselves richer while enjoying privileged tax status. Considering what George Soros did to Great Britain and what he may want to do to Europe, it would appear the SPLC is clueless as to why Americans might just be a tad concerned.

The spring, 2010, report ‘Rage on the Right’ is filled with inflammatory writing—propaganda would be too kind a word. In the first two paragraphs, both verbs and adjectives carry the hot fire of statist rage: ignited, explosion, furious, anti-immigrant, vigilante, impose, roaring.

Note the use of the term ‘anti-immigrant’ and the omission of the word ‘illegal.’ And ask yourself why SPLC would endorse government policy that deliberately imports uneducated migrant workers and then yawns if they’re here illegally. The government and various advocacy groups are simply creating a vulnerable worker class, largely from one geographic area,  that asks for less and comes to the US to earn and to receive medical care because their home country is a failed state.

The report also quotes a “veteran analyst of the American radical right” who said, “We are in the midst of one of the most significant right-wing populist rebellions in United States history.” I’d probably agree with that. After all, as the report also points out, 61 percent of us believe the country is in decline. And only 25 percent believe the government can be trusted.”

The real cracker-upper comes in an acknowledgment, however: “The anti-tax tea party movement is viewed in much more positive terms than either the Democratic [sic] or Republican parties…”

Of course much of the reason for all this “patriotism” is because there is a black man in The White House as statists like to say. That is factually incorrect as TUSR has repeatedly pointed out. There is a black/white man in The White House. Why do statists zero out Obama’s white mother? Is there a story in that?

Beneath all the hyperbole of the SPLC report there seems to be a visceral fear. The report notes anger about Obama’s election but fails to mention the greatest breach of security in our president’s first term, and that security was breached by his own staff. The White House dinner crashers made for great content in November but few media realized what a remarkable lapse in security the president’s staff allowed. Some blame the Secret Service, and they do share some responsibility. But overall, whoever was in command within the White House staff selected by Obama bears the largest amount of blame, one reason the social secretary finally resigned.

The SPLC did lighten up in one regard. In the last SPLC report, all manner of alleged ‘right wing extremists’ were named, even respectable bloggers and columnists. In the spring report, only Glenn Beck and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) were named.

Another moment of irony manifests as Tenth Amendment resolutions are noted—37 states have either passed or introduced resolutions reminding the federal government there are limitations to its powers and Americans have a copy of the document that establishes those limitations.

In a nutshell, the report makes its own case for anger at the government—well more than half of us believe the US is on a downhill slide and only 1 in 4 of us trust the government. All but 13 states have signed onto the Tenth Amendment resolution cause. And the tea partiers are more respected by Main Street than by elitists who call them all sorts of silly derogatory names and point to select signs from hundreds of thousands of signs to make a case for hate group status.

No one worried much when black Republican appointees were targeted for ridicule and hatred.

The SPLC needs hate groups like Planet Earth needs sunshine. That in itself should give us great cause to question anything that comes forth from that once useful organization, a group now reduced to dinosaur status and identity politics. And money.

Conservative blogger Yid with Lid said the report is, “a progressive political report pretending to be a study on ‘hate.’ The Vigilance Project noted the SPLC must rely on such reports for fundraising.

And there you have it in a nutshell—dogma meets fundraising for purposes of profit. That’s one reason all those inflammatory words meet the reader right up front in the first couple of paragraphs even if the report does implode of its own accord with cherry-picked figures that were meant to prove a position but fail to do so. The report is basic propaganda, as all those adjectives signify.

During a phone conference with bloggers on Thursday, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) started his remarks with what at first glance might seem an acceptance of defeat. Hensarling briefed bloggers about the new Spending Limit Amendment he worked on with Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) The amendment would limit federal spending to levels equaling one-fifth of the US economy, the average for actual spending since World War II. Hensarling acknowledged the challenges in pushing the amendment through—historically more than 5,000 have been offered but only 27 have actually been enacted.

But the fiscal situation is critical. The Texas congressman said Congress was already headed towards the cliff on spending. “Now Pelosi and Obama are pressing on the accelerator.”

Graph shows spending as a percentage of GDP. The red line shows where our current course of federal spending will take us. [From backgrounder on Spending Limit Amendment.]

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama as well as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have set records for federal spending.

The challenge isn’t the language of the Spending Limit Amendment—it’s pretty straightforward and allows some flexibility for times of war or circumstances agreed to by a two-thirds vote in Congress.

The challenge lies in changing the mindset of Congress, but there’s an additional challenge in getting larger number of  Americans to realize the consequences of unbridled and often irresponsible federal spending. “As government expands, freedom contracts,” said Pence, who joined the phone conference after managing to juggle a meeting with the foreign affairs committee.

An example of that contraction might be expanding the powers of the Internal Revenue Service to enforce the mandate Democrats want in place for health insurance. Those who don’t purchase it would be penalized.

“Governments that grow spending see less economic growth,” Pence said. He also pointed out a result many overlook. The deeper in debt we are, the less ability we have to provide for the national security.

American voters have traditionally viewed congressmen who bring home the pork as savvy, responsible public servants. But few would disagree Congress has taken that attribute to foolish heights as government has become mired in the mortgage lending, banking and auto industry.

While most voters understand the need for federal subsidies on infrastructure and even Medicaid, most voters might not believe it’s a federal matter to fund institutes dedicated to Democrat senators as one of the earmarks President Obama sponsored as a senator does. Or, in the case of one Republican senator, building a ‘bridge to nowhere,’ as funding for a suspect Alaska bridge was dubbed. Another example: using Stimulus funds to build a skateboard park in Rhode Island.

Hensarling sees the Spending Limit Amendment in one regard as a means of starting “a national debate on whether there should be a limit to the size of the federal government.”

Pence sees the amendment as a means of building a “fence line around our national government.” He believes it’s important to establish the idea of “giving the national government boundary lines, as to what it can take from the American economy.”

After all, everyone has a budget or limits on what he or she can spend—“Everywhere but in Washington, D. C.,” Pence said.

Is the amendment a long shot—a theme for the 2010 elections? Pay-go hasn’t worked; nor have other caps on spending. The president’s pledge to go “line-by-line” through the federal budget to eliminate waste is a promise unkept.

Hensarling said it’s time to “change the culture of spending.” And while the amendment won’t likely be one the president will push for fast tracking, it’s a significant step towards changing the psyche of both Washington and Main Street with an end goal of protecting liberty for future generations.

“Regardless of what the probabilities of our success may be,” Hensarling said, “we feel a moral obligation to do this.”

Pence pointed out, “If we don’t bring the force of the American people through their national charter into this battle, by mid-century, we’ll be less free, less prosperous and less secure.”

SEALs Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe were on the team that captured Ahmed Hashim Abed who is the alleged mastermind behind the murder and mutilation of four American contractors in Fallujah in 2004.

In December, 2009 and January 2010, the SEALs were arraigned in military court on charges of giving false statements to investigators and abusing Abed after the detainee claimed he had been punched by one of his captors.

With the trials set to begin for Huertas and Keefe next month, Reps. Burton and Rohrabacher will again call for their exoneration and present signed petitions of support from more than 100,000 Americans calling for the same.  The petitions will then be delivered to Maj. Gen Cleveland and Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations.

The US Report has reported on this case extensively, with information about charges levied by the government and the Facebook Group advocating for the SEALs’ release. The Facebook Group Support the Navy SEALs who captured Ahmed Hashim Abed now has more than 113,000 members.

Fox and Friends on Thursday reported on the presser that will be held at 3 p.m. in The Capitol Visitors Center in Washington, D.C.

An overriding concern for many is the potential impact in the field on troops who take on the most dangerous jobs.

In an exclusive interview in January, an officer agreed to an interview with TUSR associate editor Chris Carter. The officer told Carter: “SEAL field commanders often write detailed reports that emphasize professional conduct. Months and years later, investigators find criminal acts even though sworn and appointed leaders swear they never happened. Enlisted men are given substandard representation and threatened with years of punishment. Many are told they are being debriefed and not investigated, many are not aware that they are afforded the rights of search and questioning of all American citizens. Seven-page shooter reports have to be filled out if a SEAL handles a militant. All of which can be used against the operator in open court.”

In February, TUSR reported remarks from Jack Lynch, President of the UDT-SEAL Association. Lynch said, “The charges or accusations against our Navy SEALs were not made from within our SEAL community. They came from outside our Naval Special Warfare community.”

Maritime Tactical Security, Inc., has established a defense fund for the SEAL3.

At the Washington meeting, Neal Puckett, attorney for Matthew McCabe, will also be on hand to provide an update on the case. [By Kay B. Day; based on text from announcement at Rep. Dan Burton’s House page.]

Tom Slade, former Republican Party of Florida chair, spoke to the Florida Federation of Republican Women in Tallahassee.Republican women gathered in Tallahassee on Sunday to spend several days strategizing about how best to support candidates in the 2010 elections. And giving them an earful as well as homespun advice was former Republican Party of Florida chairman Tom Slade. Chiding Washington for record deficits, Slade said, “This spending spree cannot be sustained.”

Florida Federation of Republican Women president Cindy Graves introduced Slade to a record crowd. Graves said attendance jumped 35 percent this year. Graves welcomed the women with characteristic good humor. She is perhaps the most charismatic Republican in the land if the truth be told.

Slade spoke on Sunday at dinner following the opening reception. He said the Republican Party failed on the principle of “less government.” And the GOP paid a price of sorts. “Had we not done that,” Slade said, “the Tea Partiers would be Republicans.”

Cindy Graves, president of the Florida Federation of Republican Women, welcomed a record crowd of members to the Doubletree Hotel in Tallahassee.Many Tea Partiers, belonging to a number of different grassroots groups functioning independently, are independent voters. The Tea Party groups have no unified umbrella—they each have their own platform. Federal spending does however seem to be a recurring theme.

Slade wants a return to less spending and less centralized government—after all, America’s debt is a wakeup call because we are borrowing 34 percent of what we spend. “There ain’t no education in the 2nd kick of a mule,” he said.

In a good-humored Southern accent, Slade reminisced about his early days in politics—he switched from Democrat to Republican after what he described as “a tussle.”

Slade said for Republicans to succeed, “We gotta’ start being Republicans.”

One way is for the federal government to “stop spending more than you’re taking in.” Slade said,  “When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging.”

Most of all he wants to see leaders apply the “principles of proper management of government.”

Slade kicked off a week of addresses by top Republicans like former House Speaker Marco Rubio who is running against Gov. Charlie Crist in the Republican Primary for Senate, and Sen. John Thrasher who is serving as RPOF chair until January, 2011. Sue Lynch, chair of National Republican Women was also scheduled.

Also on the agenda were workshops on fundraising, voter registration, a legislative briefing and tours of the capitol and grounds.

The mood among the women attending was upbeat and motivated. They believe Republicans have excellent chances for increasing party numbers in Washington. And to a woman they agreed with Slade that federal spending sprees “cannot be sustained.”

FFRW president Cindy Graves said this year attendance jumped 35 percent.[I had the pleasure of speaking at the dinner as well, and thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent there.--Kay B. Day]
 

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottcamp spoke to the Jacksonville Young Republican Club on Monday at popular tapas bar The Brass Monkey. As he spoke about the US constitution, he pulled no punches in commenting on a proposed federal mandate for health insurance. “If the federal government mandates health coverage,” he said, “I would file a lawsuit immediately.”

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottcamp (facing) spoke to the Jacksonville Young Republicans Club on Monday. Kottcamp is running for Florida Attorney General. [Photo by Kay B. Day]Kottcamp who is running for Attorney General in Florida spoke to a room filled with JYRC members who hail from real estate, legal, public service, the arts and other professions. He focused on the spirit of limiting centralized government in keeping with the Constitution and he also mentioned a new Task Force in Broward County that will focus on a driver of healthcare costs—overdoses by prescription drugs. Broward has the dubious honor of leading the state in prescription drug overdoses.

‘Pill Mills’ are often set up as pain clinics where a ‘patient’ can present himself as a person genuinely suffering from pain and then receive a prescription. The same ‘patient’ then visits other such clinics to receive more medication. Then the medication is sold to another person whose aim is to sell the drugs on the streets.

In December, Palm Beach County placed a stop on opening any new pain management clinics.

Florida has traditionally been one of a small number of states that doesn’t monitor prescription drugs issued by doctors and pharmacists. This effectively has turned the Sunshine State into a magnet for pill mills. In 2009, the Florida House passed legislation to create a statewide database.

Kottcamp cited the space industry as a significant part of Florida’s future economy, and he said there is “real potential for a commercial space port in North Florida.” He also said of the business climate, “Florida in many ways sells itself.” Kottcamp’s remarks were followed by brief addresses from other candidates in various races. The candidates introduced themselves and asked for support.

Among those introduced to The US Report was Chelsi P. Henry, running for Soil and Water Group 5. Henry works at Convergys Corporation in Jacksonville.

Another candidate who shared his ideas was small businessman Troy D. Stanley who is running for Florida’s 4th Congressional District. Stanley is opposing Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R) in the Republican Primary.

Distinguished guests were also present—Sam Newby, 2nd vice chair of the Duval GOP and past president of the Joseph E. Lee Republican Club was among them.

Peret Pass, vice-president of the group, told TUSR normally there would have been a larger crowd. But we counted approximately 60 people attending. A number of others were in Tallahassee for the Florida Federation of Republican Women gathering. JYRC has more than 700 members listed on the Facebook group page.

Kottcamp summed up the feelings of many conservatives and independents when he said, “The very foundation of the country is under attack.” Several times Kottcamp mentioned limited government, and when he talked about the health insurance mandate, he also noted, "There's nothing in the Constitution compelling you to buy anything."

On Thursday the Commandant of the Marine Corps voiced his opposition to repealing the law that prevents gays from serving openly in the Armed Forces.

General James Conway told the Senate Armed Services Committee that a repeal of ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ (DADT) would negatively affect the military.

“At this point, I think that the current policy works,” Conway said. “My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, and to the president would be to keep the law such as it is.”

The current law, which came into effect in 1993, states that there is “no constitutional right to serve in the armed forces,” and that Congress can “establish qualifications for and conditions of service.” It also states that persons who “engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability.”

Despite the military's regulations banning homosexual behavior, homosexual members are in fact allowed to serve - just not openly. While the military will discharge that member once they are discovered to be gay, the military is not allowed to ask about their lifestyle, and the individual doesn't have to tell. Essentially, it only becomes a problem when the member's lifestyle interferes with the execution of their duties.

“My personal opinion is that unless we can strip away the emotion, the agendas and the politics and ask, at least in my case, do we somehow enhance the war-fighting capabilities of the United States Marine Corps by allowing homosexuals to openly serve?” asked Conway. Indeed, with the military  engaged on two battlefields in a conflict that has lasted nearly nine years, now hardly seems to be the right time to put our troops in a position that has already been determined to be an ‘unacceptable risk.’”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have already expressed their support for a repeal of the policy, with Adm. Mullen even saying that it is “the right thing to do.”

Adm. Gary Roughead, the Chief of Naval Operations, told the committee that he would be in opposition as well if an upcoming military study found that the repeal would harm the Navy's readiness, according to Marine Corps Times.         

The military is planning a 10-month study on military members and their families on the impact of homosexuals serving in the military and will also ask the RAND Corporation – who has received funding from George Soros'  Open Society Institute – to update their 1993 study on the matter.