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M
odern
P
atriot
C
hronicles
An Eleventh Commandment Free Zone
Vol. 7, Issue 2
February 9, 2008
By Craig Dawkins
Ron Paul Presidential Aspirations Over
What’s Up with the AG and Robocalls?
Copyright@2008, All Rights Reserved
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POLLS! POLLS! POLLS! POLLS!
Should conservative Republicans swallow hard, support the party, and pull the lever in favor of McCain?
Yes or No….
Go to www.ModernPatriot.net and vote today!!!
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Ron Paul Presidential Aspirations Over
In an email communication sent last night at 9:48 PM, Ron Paul vowed to continue to fight for president. But he also communicated that he had reduced his presidential campaign staff making it "leaner and tighter." Paul also admitted, "With Romney gone, the chances of a brokered convention are nearly zero." In short, Paul is now focusing on retaining his 14 th district U.S. congressional seat. So the limited government, anti-war, pro-Constitution Republican has all but thrown in the towel. So what does this mean?
First, it is evident to me that the Republican Party is no longer a party whose financial supporters and activists can be trusted to defend the principles of limited government and the constitution. It means that the Republican Party has become the "Democrat-Lite" party moving ever leftward as necessary. Big government promotion is now a central part of Republican ideological push. Compassionate conservatism means that – government knows best.
Mainstream Republicans now want government funded social programs as much as Democrats. They just have "different" recipients in mind. Rather than favoring social welfare for the poor, Republicans prefer to give welfare to corporations who desire preferences for particular industries in return for campaign donations. Republicans no longer can be counted upon to defend civil liberties.
Republicans have secured the "borrow and spend" party label and I think we can officially declare the Reagan revolution dead in this election cycle. Anyone doubting such a declaration need only view the leaders of the Republican Party to see that it is true. Perhaps Reagan’s ideals can be resurrected in the future. Perhaps not.
However, one thing is certain – the Republican Party is unlikely to return to the concepts of limited government any time soon. The monied interests in the Republican Party will not have it. They will spend whatever it takes to maintain taxpayer funded corporate welfare. They will continue to push for trade restraints and protectionism. Increasingly, limited government ideologues find they are in conflict with chambers of commerce across the country.
Second, Republicans have officially become the party of preemptive war. Republicans are the face of the empire. If we have reason, we will attack you with bombs, propaganda, and xenophobic hatred. While Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall," the modern Republican Party is demanding to erect walls between the U.S. and Mexico. How ironic. But just more proof that the ideals of Reagan have been cast aside.
The current leader of the Republican Party presidential primary, U.S. Senator John McCain, has a record of attacking the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, against reducing the tax burden, embraces Al Gore’s global warming policy of hysteria, and supports pledging U.S. troops in Iraq for another "100 years."
Justice Antonin Scalia said the following about McCain’s successful attack on the First Amendment:
This litigation is about prevention criticism of government. I cannot say for certain that many, or some, or even any, of the Members of Congress who voted for this legislation did so not to produce "fairer" campaigns, but to mute criticism of their records or facilitated reelection. Indeed, I will stipulate that all those who voted for the Act believed they were acting for the good of the country. There remains the problem of the Charlie Wilson Phenomenon, named after Charles Wilson, former president of General Motors, who is supposed to have said during the Senate hearing on his nomination as Secretary of Defense that "what’s good for General Motors is good for the country." Those in power, even giving them the benefit of the greatest good will, are inclined to believe that what is good for them is good for the country. Whether in prescient recognition of the Charlie Wilson Phenomenon, or out of fear of good old-fashioned, malicious, self-interested manipulation, "the fundamental approach of the First Amendment…was to assume the worst, and to rule the regulation of political speech ‘for fairness’ sake’ simply out of bounds."
The first instinct of power is the retention of power, and, under a constitution that requires periodic elections, that is best achieved by the suppression of election-time speech. We have witnessed merely the second scene of Act I of what promises to be a lengthy tragedy. In scene 3 the Court, having abandoned most of the First Amendment weaponry that Buckley left intact, will be even less equipped to resist the incumbents’ writing of the rules of political debate. The federal election campaign laws, which are already so voluminous, so detailed, so complex, that no ordinary citizen dare run for office, or even contribute a significant sum, without hiring an expert advisor in the field, can be expected to grow more voluminous, more detailed, and more complex in the years to come – and always, always, with the object of reducing the excessive amount of speech.
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and Ron Paul were the only elected politicians who stood against the McCain/Feingold attack on the First Amendment.
McConnell, on behalf of the National Republican Committee.
Ron Paul, on behalf of the defense of liberty and the Constitution.
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What’s Up with the AG and Robocalls?
Speaking of attacks on the First Amendment, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson sued retired state house representative Tim Pope for $10 million. Why did he sue Pope? Because he was enforcing the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act that regulates commercial activities over phone lines. The law has certain identification requirements that Edmondson alleged were not observed by Pope.
The only problem was that Pope wasn’t selling anything. He was delivering a political message regarding then Oklahoma County Commissioner Jim Roth who recently replaced Denise Bode on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
While Edmondson exhausted tens of thousands of state resources to prosecute Pope’s political speech, the federal court forced Edmondson to settle for $4,500. Of course, this case is under appeal at the U.S. 10 th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Pope just released a media statement regarding an official complaint filed against Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain, who is accused of violating the exact same law and in the same exact manner proclaimed by Edmondson against Pope.
Pope’s media release states:
In the last couple days there was an official complaint filed with the State Attorney General’s office regarding "robocalls" made by the John McCain for President campaign that were, if you use the belief of the A.G., in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Edmondson’s response was a "brief investigation" and a warning to stop making calls that are in violation. I wonder what has happened in the last year and a half that has made this not such a high priority for Edmondson to prosecute?
Pope’s media release asks, "Where’s the beef?" Why is Edmondson only prosecuting and applying the law against his political enemies? I guess old habits are hard to break for Edmondson.
Forbes magazine publisher and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes asked in a recent column whether North Korea had annexed Oklahoma. Forbes pointed to the unjust prosecution being conducted by Edmondson. The Wall Street Journal also recently chimed in and compared Oklahoma’s justice system to that of Pakistan. Oklahoma’s attorney general is becoming a notorious figure and staining the reputation of all Oklahomans.
You might find it interesting to note that Edmondson is politically connected to Jim Roth, Jeff McMahan and Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel and utilize the exact same political consultant. (Let’s give one cheer for the good old boys!!!)
You also might find it interesting that one week after filing a $10 million lawsuit against Pope, Edmondson was a fundraising sponsor for Jim Roth. Roth is the politician Pope targeted in his robocalls.
Edmondson has a record of not only using his office to attach his political enemies, but also a record of not properly defending the laws created by the new state Republican majority in state government. Edmondson has been recently criticized for not properly defending the new immigration law passed by Oklahoma’s Republican Party dominated state legislature.
Republicans missed an opportunity to replace Edmondson in 2002 and 2006. How long will it take for Republicans to put forth a worthy opponent that a majority of Republicans will support? Must we have a new term limits law applicable to the attorney general in order to unseat Edmondson?
It is evident to me that the longer Edmondson serves as attorney general, the more Oklahoma’s reputation will be harmed in eyes of the nation.
See these links for information about Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson.
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/207579-edmondsons-lawyers-face-big-payout-in-big-chicken-suit
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/207021-jacob-ready-to-tour-against-edmondsons-re-indictment
http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/PaulJacob/2008/01/20/it_takes_a_politician
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/1126/023.html
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010882
http://www.okpns.com/labels/Drew Edmondson.html