From Eric Dondero:

Friday, April 15, Boston. Leftist counter protesters crash the party. Holding signs supporting Feminist, Gay causes, Socialized health care, and Unions.

Quoted from the Daily Caller:

“Who knows what’s going to happen,” West said when asked if he’d accept a veep invitation from Trump. “If the people think that I have an ability to continue my service of my country in a different capacity, first of all we gotta talk to God, we gotta talk to my family, we gotta talk to the constituents.”

From Eric Dondero:

Maryland Blogger Lori Calabrese reports at US4Palin.com:

Palin aide Rebecca Mansour confirmed on Twitter on Thursday that Palin is set to speak at the tea party’s annual tax day rally, which begins at noon Saturday in Madison.

Palin has consistently weighed in on the Wisconsin debate, calling on union bosses to turn down the rhetoric and arguing that Wisconsin has been “strategically picked” by Democrats and their labor allies as a must-win political battle. Palin also encouraged her followers in Wisconsin to vote for Republican-backed Justice David Prosser, the unofficial victor in this month’s state Supreme Court election.

Wisconsin Democrats are already on the attack.

Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate, who immediately sent out a statement criticizing both Palin and Walker.

“She was an early supporter of Scott Walker’s and so it makes sense that Sarah Palin would come to Wisconsin to celebrate Scott Walker’s war against its working families,” said Tate. “Equally divisive and equally hungry for attention, the two make a perfect pair of poster children for a bizarre social agenda, diminished Wisconsin standards, a hostility to education and lower wages and benefits for Wisconsin families.”

LR FOLLOW-UP!

From Eric Dondero:

We headlined the story yesterday of the New York Republican Senator who received a threatening Doll through the mail at his office. It came with a note with Anti-Jewish statements and a suspicious liquid.

Now, this new information. Local Fox News 23 buries this information in the 13th paragraph of an article on the admitted perpetrator Jameela Barnette of Mariette, Georgia:

She told FOX23 News that she is a Muslim and is upset with the hearings that Ball is conducting in his role as chairman of the State Senate's Homeland Security Committee.

FOX23 News asked her why she sent Ball the email and package and she responded "to let him know how I felt about his racist hearings."

Senator Ball has been holding hearings on New York's vulnerability to another 9/11 style attack.

Barnette calls herself a messenger... Barnette responds, "He's vulnerable! He keeps messing with Muslims. Muslims have not been harassing anyone."

Amazingly, according to Barnette herself, no New York law enforcement officials have yet been in contact with her. Only the media.

Fleeing high Taxes and oppressive Regulations

From Eric Dondero:

Donald Douglas of American Power blog has deemed it "California's wrecker economy."

Most shocking, the famed California burger joint Carl's Jr. is moving its corporate headquarters from Carpinteria, CA to Austin, Texas. Two other corporate giants - EBay and Dunn-Edwards Paints are leaving California. EBay will open an office and hire 1,000 workers in Austin. Other prime locations for firms leaving Cali: Houston, Dallas, Lexington, KY, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Cali's loss is Texas's gain

From the OCRegister "69 more firms move jobs, facilities out of California":

So far this year, 69 companies have moved all or part of their California work and jobs to other states or countries, reports Irvine relocation consultant Joe Vranich.

It's the fastest rate of departures since Vranich started tracking the exodus in 2009, he says. There have been an average of 4.7 moves per week from Jan. 1 through April 12, compared to 3.9 moves in all of 2010.

The bottom line:

Why do these and the other companies move out of California? Vranich has updated his top 10 reasons that California companies call the moving van.

Number 10 is: Energy costs soaring because of new laws and regulations. Commercial electrical rates are already 50% higher than the rest of the country, Vranich says, and Gov. Jerry Brown just signed a new law increasing the amount of power utilities must buy from renewable sources plus regulations for the California Global Warming Solutions Act will start soon. The other reasons, Vranich says, are: 9. High and unfair tax treatment 8. Regulatory burden 7. Unfriendly legal environment for business 6. Most expensive place to do business 5. Provable savings elsewhere 4. Public policies and taxes create unfriendly business climate 3. Uncontrollable public spending 2. More adversarial toward business than any other state 1. Poor rankings for California on lists ranging from taxes to crime rates to school dropout rates.

"There is little evidence that California’s business environment will improve considering that the legislature in 2011 has voted down litigation reform, tax-increase plans are underway, and a host of new regulations are to be implemented that will increase costs for literally every business," Vranich says.

Two Dozen PA legislators sign on Proof of Citizenship Bill for Ballot Status

From Eric Dondero:

While legislators in other states who have introduced similar legislation have tiptoed around the issue of Barack Obama's citizenship, Pennsylvania Republicans are hitting it head on.

24 Republican House members have signed on to co-sponsor a Bill to require full proof of citizenship before a candidate could qualify for the 2012 ballot.

The Bill's sponsor, who is a staunch activist against illegal immigration, is not mincing words on Obama's immigration status.

From Lancasteronline.com "Lancaster County legislator backs birther bill
Aimed at presidential hopefuls" April 13:

The bill's author, Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe of Butler County, said he drafted the measure in response to persistent questions about Obama's citizenship...

"I was shocked that somebody's running for president and there's this question," Metcalfe said. "Why doesn't our process thoroughly ensure we don't have that question?"

Metcalfe said Obama has not provided enough documentation to satisfy "most people" to put an end to the controversy. In a statement announcing his legislation, though, Metcalfe goes a step further and says he, too, doesn't believe the president has proved his was born in the country.

"It is beyond perplexing and greatly troubling that a political candidate can ascend to the highest levels of government without providing sufficient documentation verifying his or her place of birth or American citizenship," Metcalfe said.

Of course, Pennsylvania is a key battleground state in every presidential election. Obama not being qualified for the ballot in the Keystone State could seriously jeopardize his chances of winning the Electorial College.

Photo - Rep. Metcalfe in the center.

From Eric Dondero:

The Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC.org) endorsed Phil Moffett for Kentucky Governor on Wednesday. The endorsement was picked up in papers statewide in KY via the Associated Press.

From the AP (via The Republic):

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Republican Liberty Caucus, which claims Texas Congressman and former GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul among its advisers, has endorsed tea party gubernatorial candidate Phil Moffett in Kentucky.

Moffett is seeking the Republican nomination in the state's May 17 primary.

The Florida-based Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in his race last year in Kentucky. The group said in a statement that it favors Moffett because of his support for individual freedom and limited government.

Moffett faces Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw and state Senate President David Williams in the primary. The winner will face Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and independent candidate Gatewood Galbraith in the fall general election.

Slight correction: The RLC is actually Texas-based these days, though it was Florida-based for its first 15 years.

Christian-Objectivist convergence

Paul Strand, Christian Broadcasting Network, Washington Sr. Correspondent, at CBN.com "Tea Partiers Root for 'Atlas Shrugged' Movie":

Tea Party and libertarian groups are waging a grassroots campaign for a new movie that aligns with many of their ideals...

The main producer's son was raised as an atheist, but is now a Christian trying to bring other believers together with Rand where possible.

The "Atlas Shrugged" premiere was held this week in Washington.

Producer John Aglialoro, a lifelong disciple of Rand's philosophy of objectivism, believes those who want a strong, thriving free America must come together to save their nation as it slides toward socialism.

"Benjamin Franklin said, 'Hang separately or hang together,'" Aglialoro said. "We need Christians to join with the philosophy of objectivists, and let's together regain our country back again."

Bio on Aglialoro at AtlasSphere.

by Clifford F. Thies

You know you've won the debates when the opposition is saying there should be a series of debates, not just a pair. Stephan Harper, prime minister of Canada, and leading his party into the May 2nd snap election, scored a tremendous victory in the recent pair of debates, one in which of Canada's two official languages. A one-day poll conducted immediately after the English language debate showed Harper register a 20 point jump in his leadership rating, as against little or no advance for any of his opponents. Immediately after the debates, Harper was off to battleground ridings in Quebec and Toronto that may hold the key to a Conservative Party majority in the Canadian parliament. In Quebec, Harper argued that Canadians should avoid continued paralysis in Ottawa and give his party a majority. In contrast, the leader of the Bloc Quebecois was arguing that only his party could deny a majority to the Tories. Nationwide, polls show a continued drift of voters from the Grits to the New Democrats, perhaps indicating an unwillingness of left-wing voters to stick with the Liberals if it is clear they will be losers.

New Video from Dan Mitchell

From Eric Dondero

Just in time for Tax Day...

Our friend from the Cato Institute has a new video explaining new IRS regulations forcing US banks to put foreign tax laws above US laws.

Would that include foreign tax laws from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Turkey and Iran?

See related article from The New American "First, Shariah-Compliant Financing, Then, Shariah Law" April 7.

Threatening Letter signed by "Jameela"

From Eric Dondero:

State Senator Greg Ball has been a firebrand in the New York State Senate since his election in 2006. Ball was Tea Party anti-tax advocate, before there even was a Tea Party.

From his website:

More than a year before the nation first Tea Party, Greg Ball hosted a tax revolt that led to a reduction in the proposed increase of sales and property taxes for local taxpayers. Greg also led the charge against the unfair Condo Tax and has been a solid advocate fighting for the repeal of the horrific MTA Payroll tax.

He has hosted numerous Tax Protest and Pro-Gun Rights rallys ever since.

But he has received criticisms from liberal camps in New York for his tough-on-terrorism stance and support for Israel. Now those criticisms have taken a darker turn.

From the Poughkeepsie Journal "State Sen. Ball targeted with package 'full of hate'" April 13:

A suspicious package sent to Sen. Greg Ball containing a stuffed Curious George monkey pinned with Stars of David and a vicious, anti-Semitic and racially charged screed left the Republican undaunted, saying he will continue pushing forward with his agenda on national security.

"A threat like this I let law enforcement do their job," said Ball, R-Carmel, Tuesday night. "Letters that do keep me up at night are from rank-and-file law enforcement and personnel worried about weaknesses in security."

State police responded at 1:05 p.m. to Ball's office in Albany's Legislative Office Building Tuesday where they said they found the package that also contained a vial with an unknown substance. The Albany Fire Department Hazardous Materials team transported the contents to a Department of Health laboratory for analysis, according to police. An investigation is ongoing.

The letter signed by Jameela Barnette with kind regards accused Ball, a Catholic, of being a Jew-worshipping, Muslim hater.

Sen. Ball is an Air Force veteran. He was first elected in 2006, beating a 6-term Democrat incumbent. He is best known for having led the fight against then Gov. Eliot Spitzer's effort to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses. Ball received nationwide media attention and a huge number of YouTube hits for that effort.

I grew up in a household with 2 parents who are strong Democrats. I registered as a Democrat when I reached voting age as a result. I never gave this too much thought until college.  As I sat in my economics classes, I realized that the Democratic view of economics does not match up with [...]

Join us on April 30th for our Texas Hold’em Tournament! Find out the details and sign up at: http://lpin.org/poker/ Share this video on facebook to help promote the tournament! (Copy and Paste: http://youtu.be/jQNdSkzaCsA) Gaming License #123351

I noticed yesterday that the website RethinkingRedistricting.com was removed. I do not know what happened to it, and I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to compare the maps released by the Statehouse Republicans couldn’t be compared to the Rokita-drawn maps. Maybe removing the plan was the point, then? Rethinking Redistricting was a plan put [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the Libertarian Party of Steuben County Release date: March 31, 2011 Contact: Ken Bisson, Chairman (260) 833-6700 kbisson@usa.net On March 30, 2011 the Libertarian Party of Steuben County held their Annual Business Convention in Angola. Party officers were elected for the next two years. These are Chairman, Ken Bisson; Vice Chairman, [...]

(By Ron Paul, This is the Appendix to Ron Paul’s new book, Liberty Defined.) Rights belong to individuals, not groups; they derive from our nature and can neither be granted nor taken away by government. All peaceful, voluntary economic and social associations are permitted; consent is the basis of the social and economic order. Justly [...]

If the Constitutional Amendment to Ban Gay Marriage Moves to a Public Vote, what would you choose? I would not vote in favor of this amendent because government should have no role in marriage or it is discriminatory. – 80.77% (105 votes) I would vote in favor of putting traditional marriage in the Indiana Constitution. [...]

“As of today, both the Republicans and Democrats in the General Assembly have released potential redistricting maps for the next decade’s elections,” said Sam Goldstein, State Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Indiana. “The previous Secretary of State, Republican Todd Rokita, put forth a common sense approach that would keep communities together. It is unfortunate [...]