Charlie Crist Supporter Arrested for Election Fraud

/in , /by

Robert Waechter

In late June of 2010 a fundraiser was held for Charlie Crist. Crist had decided he would run as an Independent for the US Senate seat currently held by Marco Rubio. At that fundraiser was former Republican Party of Sarasota Chair Robert “Bob” Waechter.

Waechter was one of the “movers and shakers” of the Republican Party at the time. There was an outcry from party members that Waechter was there in violation of his sworn oath as a member of the Republican Executive Committee to only support party candidates. He broke his oath and resigned from the executive committee but not from the party.

Fast forward to recent events and we find Waechter running for the position of Treasurer of the Republican Party of Sarasota on Monday, December 10, 2012. Waechter was defeated by Roy Wells in his bid to re-enter the party executive board structure. So we have Waechter, a supporter of Crist, working his way back into the party favored and power network.

Waechter would have remained a power player if not for one thing – his attempt at election fraud.

On Friday, December 14, 2012, just days after his failed bid to become the party treasurer, he was according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, “[C]harged with a felony after authorities say he stole the identity of a political rival and made campaign donations in her name to a Democratic candidate for Congress to embarrass her.”

Here is the irony. This is not the first felony that Waechter has been charged with.

In 1979 Waechter was accused of felony burglary. This felony charge, of which he was never convicted, came to light when he was running for the Chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota. His plea to the members of the Executive Committee was this was a one-time mistake, which he would not repeat. So much for promises made by Waechter.

Some have accused Republicans of becoming more and more like Democrats. Conservative voters have begun to wonder who really represents them. The Republican Party of Sarasota has touted itself as a conservative organization; but it is leaders like Waechter who call into question the core values of the party structure. A structure that keeps embracing the Waechters over and over again.

The Republican Party of Sarasota’s website states, “The mission of the Republican Party of Sarasota County is to serve as the umbrella organization for all GOP activities leading to the election of qualified, loyal Republicans, through education, communication and the motivation of the electorate.”

Perhaps the Republican Party of Florida needs to define what a “qualified, loyal” member is first?

Gingrich vs. The Pope on Gay Marriage

/in , , , /by

Former Speaker of the House, architect of the Republican revolution, Presidential Candidate, social conservative and Catholic Newt Gingrich stated, “gay marriage is both inevitable and okay by him”. It appears that Newt’s dramatic change in attitude is politically based. “Legalization of same-sex marriage in three states in 2012’s election changed the landscape, and conservatives have to come to terms with it,” he said according to The Hollywood Gossip magazine.

The Pope in an end-of-year speech warned that the very future of mankind is at stake over gay marriage .

According to The Telegraph, “In the fight for the family, the very notion of being – of what being human really means – is being called into question,” the Pope stated in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

The Pope spoke of the “falseness” of gender theories and cited at length France’s chief Rabbi Gilles Bernheim, who has spoken out against gay marriage.

“Bernheim has shown in a very detailed and profoundly moving study that the attack we are currently experiencing on the true structure of the family, made up of father, mother, and child, goes much deeper,” Pope Benedict XVI said.

Reuters reports, “Bernheim, also a philosopher, argues that homosexual rights groups ‘will use gay marriage as a Trojan Horse’ in a wider campaign to ‘deny sexual identity and erase sexual differences’ and ‘undermine the heterosexual fundamentals of our society’. His study, ‘Gay Marriage, Parenthood and Adoption: What We Often Forget To Say’, argues that plans to legalize gay marriage are being made for ‘the exclusive profit of a tiny minority’ and are often supported because of political correctness.”

Is Gingrich being politically correct? Have Republicans caved on the most important social issue facing mankind? Does politics trump core human principles?

“The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man’s fundamental choice where he himself is concerned.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI

RELATED COLUMNS:

How the gay movement lobbies your state legislators

The Two Faces of Gunslinger Charlie Crist

/in , , /by

When Charlie Crist was a Republican and later an Independent, he always identified himself as a strong supporter of the rights of gun owners, but now as a Democrat, it’s clear that his past support for the Second Amendment was based on political expediency and not principled conviction.

“We need to have some restrictions, that’s pretty obvious to most people. What do you need a 30-clip magazine for? Not to go hunting deer. I can tell you that because I hunt deer.” – Charlie Crist

There are many instances where ”Chain-Gang” Charlie was as a staunch political gunslinger as there ever was one that would never waiver from his pro-gun positions. Is there a better example of a political opportunist in the country than Charlie Crist?

Charlie Crist with shotgun

Crist is ‘Pro-Gun:’

“I’m pro-gun. I strongly support the Second Amendment. It’s fundamental. It’s our Second Amendment for a reason; the Founding Fathers thought it was that important.” (Florida Times-Union, 8/20/06)

Crist Opposed Bans on Assault Weapons:

Crist Opposed Both the Assault Weapons Ban and the Brady Bill. “Graham voted for the ban on assault weapons and for the Brady Bill, which imposed a waiting period for handgun purchases. Crist opposes both. “I believe citizens do have the right to bear arms,” said Crist, who is a hunter.” (Orlando Sentinel, 10/11/98)

Crist Says We Need to Ban Criminals, Not Guns:

Crist: “Yes, I do, [own] a shotgun. I hunt pheasant, duck. I’m a very strong defender of the Second Amendment. What we need to do is ban criminals, not guns. As a member of the Senate select committee on juvenile justice reform I took testimony at a hearing from a young man involved in a life of crime as a youth, who had turned that life around. (He) explained how foolish it was to try to limit law-abiding citizens’ rights to have a handgun . . . Prior to a criminal’s illegal act involving a handgun, they don’t ordinarily take the time to look . . . to see if they’re violating the law.” (St. Petersburg Times, 11/5/94)

Charlie Crist Received A+ Rating from NRA for Never Taking a Position Adversarial to 2nd Amendment:

Former Florida NRA Chairman Marion Hammer: ‘You Can’t Get an A+ Unless You Have a Strong History on Our Issues.’ “Hammer said Crist earned an “A” rating as a political newcomer, the highest grade bestowed to a rookie candidate by the NRA, and subsequently received an “A+” in future years based on his voting record. “You can’t get an ‘A+’ unless you have a strong history on our issues,” Hammer said.” (Politifact, 7/14/10)

Crist advocated bringing guns to the work place:

Crist Supported the ‘Bring your Gun to Work Bill’ “I understand there are competing interests. There always are in this process. “But people being protected is most important to me.” (Orlando Sentinel, 4/15/08)

Crist denied it was “too easy” to get guns in FL

“I understand … there are some numbers that are disconcerting, particularly as it relates to murder and other violent crimes,” Crist said Tuesday. Despite the rise in gun crimes, Crist said it is not too easy to get a gun in Florida but didn’t elaborate on why gun crimes are going up so much. (AP, 6/26/07)

TRUE THE VOTE DEMANDS ACCESS TO ST. LUCIE COUNTY POLL BOOKS

/in , , /by

True the Vote (TTV), the nonpartisan election integrity organization, today submitted formal requests to review all voter registration records, including poll books, to St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections Gertrude Walker in the aftermath of the 18th Congressional District recount.

“Florida voters deserve a full, unfiltered explanation of the facts,” True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht said. “We cannot know whether all the votes add up unless all the relevant information is made available for public inspection,” adding that True the Vote is “committed to performing a county-wide audit of all registration records for the 2012 Election.”

True the Vote’s request follows a high-profile recount battle where St. Lucie County election officials admitted to hastily releasing vote tallies, failing to count half the precincts on election night, and double counting votes in others. Following the concession of Congressman Allen West, all investigations into the various irregularities ceased.

“Our goal is to fully deconstruct this episode so that this type of travesty won’t happen again,” Engelbrecht continued. “It’s unacceptable to allow flawed counting systems to remain in place because a candidate concedes a race. Faith in the American election system has been shaken enough in recent years – the people of Florida and our Republic deserve better.”

True the Vote’s request conforms to standing Florida open records and federal election laws, specifically 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-6(i)(1), stating that “all records concerning the implementation of programs and activities conducted for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy and currency of official lists of eligible voters” be made available for public inspection.

True The Vote (TTV) a nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots organization focused on preserving election integrity is operated by citizens for citizens, to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process. TTV empowers organizations and individuals across the nation to actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation. For more information, please visitwww.truethevote.org.

Voto Honesto (TTV) es una organización sin fines de lucro, no partidaria, enfocada en preservar la integridad en las elecciones y operada por ciudadanos para ciudadanos, ara inspirar y equipar a voluntarios para envolverse en cada una de las etapas del proceso electoral. TTT capacita a organizaciones e individuos a través de la nación para activamente proteger los derechos de los votantes legítimos, sin importar a que partido político perteneces. Para más información, por favor visite www.truethevote.org.

Florida Muslim planned jihad mass murder at New York landmark

/in , , /by

Jihad Watch reports, “He wanted to carry out a jihad attack in a crowded area in New York, so as to murder as many infidels as possible — perhaps a jihad-martyrdom suicide bombing, so that he could claim the Qur’an’s promise of Paradise to those who ‘kill and are killed’ for Allah (Qur’an 9:111).”

“Prosecutors: Fla. man planned NY terror bombing,” by Curt Anderson for the Associated Press, December 18 (thanks to Lookmann):

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Pakistani-born man wanted to avenge the deaths of U.S. drone attacks in Afghanistan by blowing up a New York City landmark but lacked the money and materials to carry out the plan, a federal prosecutor said Tuesday.Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Gilbert said at a bail hearing that Raees Alam Qazi, 20, researched bomb-making techniques on Internet sites affiliated with al-Qaida, including one using Christmas tree lights, and the FBI recorded phone calls and conversations linking Qazi to a purported “lone wolf” plot.

“He fully intended to do this, and thankfully he didn’t have enough money,” Gilbert said. Referring to casualties in U.S. drone attacks, she added: “He wants to avenge those deaths and kill people.”

Qazi traveled to New York last month in hopes of getting a job to fund his terrorist plans, Gilbert said, but wound up sleeping in public transportation, a mosque and in restaurants, and riding a bicycle around the city looking for potential targets. He then decided to return home on a Greyhound bus and was arrested after arriving back in South Florida, she said.

Qazi, a naturalized U.S. citizen who attended local Florida public schools, confirmed many elements of the plot in a statement to FBI agents after his arrest in late November, Gilbert said. Investigators also found bomb-making and related components at the Qazi family home in Oakland Park, as well as explosives research evidence on a computer used by Qazi.

Qazi is charged along with his brother, 30-year-old taxi driver Sheheryar Alam Qazi, with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the U.S. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a potential life sentence if the men are convicted of both counts….

Gilbert said Raees Qazi was the intended operative, using either a suicide attack or a remote-control device to kill people in a crowded place such as New York’s Times Square, a Broadway theater or perhaps on Wall Street. The elder Qazi supported his brother financially and logistically with the knowledge that Raees was planning a terror attack, the prosecutor said.

In one conversation recorded by the FBI, Sheheryar Qazi compared his brother to a “lone wolf, like the Times Square bomber.” Gilbert said Sheheryar Qazi was referring to Faisal Shahzad, who unsuccessfully attempted to detonate a bomb at the New York landmark in May 2010. In another recorded conversation, Sheheryar Qazi says that his brother “wasn’t going to be in this world long.”

Raees Qazi’s attorney, Daniel Ecarius, tried to persuade the judge to allow his release on bail, noting that Qazi had made money by selling bicycles on the Internet, had no criminal past and had already relinquished his passport. Ecarius suggested Qazi could be released on house arrest with electronic monitoring, but Gilbert urged the judge to keep him locked up.

“He wanted to carry out an attack. If he is released from custody, he will,” she said.

Read more at Jihad Watch.

Preventing Another Sandy Hook

/in , , /by

WDW received the following in an email from Dan Bongino. Dan served for over a decade in the United States Secret Service as a special agent and owns a number of small businesses in Maryland with his wife Paula.

There are simply no words appropriate to describe the tragedy at Sandy Hook.  As a father to two young daughters I can’t help but ask, “What if it were my daughters?” I am sending you this email because there are experiences and lessons I learned while working with the Secret Service that may help assist in preventing another tragedy.

In 2002, the Secret Service, in conjunction with the Department of Education, conducted a research study on school shooting incidents called the Safe School Initiative. The study sought information about the shooters’ pre-attack behaviors and communications. Their stated goal was to “identify information about a school shooting that may be identifiable or noticeable before the shooting occurs, to help inform efforts to prevent school-based attacks.” Although this email is not an appropriate forum for an exhaustive list of their conclusions I have highlighted a few of the study’s main conclusions below with a link to the complete report at the bottom.

According to the Secret Service website, the study highlights include the following:

  • School shootings are rarely impulsive acts. Rather, they are typically thought out and planned out in advance. In addition, prior to most shootings other children knew the shooting was to occur – but did not alert an adult.
  • Very few of the attackers, however, ever directed threats to their targets before the attack.
  • The study findings also revealed that there is no “profile” of a school shooter; instead, the students who carried out the attacks differed from one another in numerous ways.
  • Almost every attacker had engaged in behavior before the shooting that seriously concerned at least one adult – and for many, had concerned three or more different adults.

You can view the report at http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi_final_report.pdf.

Very Respectfully,

Dan Bongino

WDW thanks former Secret Service Agent Bongino for his insights and making us aware of the special report.

ABOUT DANIEL BONGINO

Daniel Bongino began his career with the NYPD in 1995 as a Police Cadet while attending The City University of New York full time. During his tenure in the Cadet program, Daniel was a member of the distinguished pattern identification unit which specialized in the identification and apprehension of serial criminals. 

Daniel proudly joined the ranks of the U.S. Secret Service in 1999 as a Special Agent where he graduated the Secret Service training academy with honors. Beginning his career in the New York Field Office, he was assigned to investigate federal crimes, including but not limited to, computer crimes, bank fraud, credit card fraud, protective intelligence and counterfeiting. His early career was marked by a number of investigative successes. Although the details of his signature investigation are still for official use only, it involved over 300 million dollars in potential financial fraud and a nexus to international terrorism. This joint investigation in cooperation with the FBI, IRS, SSA and a number of local police agencies, was responsible for collapsing a major international fraud ring. The investigation earned Daniel the Department of Justice recognition award, along with other agency specific awards, for excellence in federal investigations.

Daniel left the New York Field Office in 2002 to become an instructor at the Secret Service Training Academy in Beltsville, Maryland. He was the project manager for the re-design of the investigative tactics training program which he subsequently taught to incoming trainees. Daniel was awarded a number of commendations for his work in researching and re-designing the investigative curriculum to reflect current trends in federal crime.

In 2006, Daniel entered into duty on the elite Presidential Protection Division in the administration of President George W. Bush, graduating at the top of his class in the difficult detail training program. Daniel distinguished himself early by becoming one of the earliest tenured Special Agents to be given responsibility for an operational section of the protective detail. Daniel remained on protective duty during the change in administration to President Barack Obama and again distinguished himself by quickly becoming the highest ranking member of his operational shift of agents. With this distinction came greater responsibility and Daniel quickly rose to the challenge. He was designated as the lead agent responsible for the coordination of the President’s trip to Prague for the signing of the START treaty, his visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, among a myriad of terror threats, and finally as the lead agent responsible for the President’s visit to an active war zone in Afghanistan. With the successful coordination of these historic events, Daniel was awarded a series of commendations and left the protective detail as one of the most distinguished agents in their history.

Daniel transferred to the Baltimore Field Office in 2010 where he immediately made an impact on the community, breaking up one of the largest fraud rings in Maryland’s history. 

Florida based Earthquake Prediction Center Ends Successful Test Program Early

/in , , /by

The recently organized International Earthquake and Volcano Prediction Center (IEVPC)  announces today that it has stopped its internal earthquake test program early because of a near perfect record in its predictions and the vital need to begin saving lives immediately. The IEVPC has just achieved an almost flawless level in earthquake prediction as demonstrated in the first three tests of its Catastrophic Geophysical Event (CGE) Monitoring and Warning System (CMWS). As a result, the IEVPC has decided to stop further evaluations and immediately begin notification of governments around the world of its now verified ability to predict large destructive earthquakes with a high degree of certainty.

According to Chairman/CEO Mr. John L. Casey, “We can no longer hold back in letting the earthquake prone nations of the world know that a proven system for highly reliable prediction of large earthquakes now exists. These geophysical dangers routinely kill thousands of people around the world every year, while at the same time destroying homes, businesses, and infrastructure, thereby extending the damage and suffering for many thousands more. The need to cut short our internal test program, originally planned for almost twenty earthquakes, is obvious. We now have a process for earthquake prediction that is so reliable that it must immediately be put into place wherever lives are at risk. The decision we have made to stop evaluation of our CMWS is similar to important drug testing programs. It is not unusual for promising new drugs to have testing stopped abruptly if the initial results are so compelling and people are dying every day without the drug. Likewise, we have decided we must not wait any longer but must aggressively get out the word about our capabilities.”

“What we need now is for nations of the world to recognize that it is a myth that earthquakes cannot be predicted and to begin to establish communication networks and standardized monitoring systems in known high risk zones. Other international groups are also coming out with effective tools for earthquake prediction. They, like us, realize that CGE’s can be predicted because of recent advances in technology, especially satellite sensor technology, and because of the integration of many prediction techniques and precursor signals into a single predictive process. Once in place, we believe we can maximize the time people have to prepare for these destructive events by providing months, weeks, and days of advance notice. While we will doubtless continue to improve our process for quake detection, there is no longer a need to continue the test program. At the same time, there is an overwhelming humanitarian need to end it,” notes Casey.

Casey states, “In September of last year I was approached by some of the world’s best seismologists in earthquake prediction to create this new organization that would integrate their combined skills, techniques, and decades of experience. They came to me because of my success in climate change prediction and especially how it relates to variations in earthquake and volcanic activity. Under the leadership of Director of Research Dr. Dong Choi, we have been busy assembling the best and brightest in earthquake prediction under one roof. That effort has now paid off. Many people worldwide will ultimately benefit from this initiative.”

In the past two months, the IEVPC concluded three separate tests in different areas of the world included the following:

1. Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. This test resulted in the correct prediction of timing and location of a major earthquake event that resulted in an amazing ten earthquakes ranging from M4.6 to M5.8 over a short eight day period spread along a fault line to a distance of about 1,500 km. Eight of the quakes hit within the first two days. These temblors, in combination, replaced the IEVPC’s previously predicted single quake of M7.5-M8.8. Mercifully for the people of Kamchatka and the Pacific Rim, as the substantial energy of the quake being monitored by the IEVPC approached the surface, it dispersed among several faults lines off the east coast of Kamchatka during October 14-22, 2012. This quake in its final form of multiple powerful quakes produced no known loss of life. Had a single quake struck, thousands of lives might have been lost because of direct quake effects and the generation of a Pacific-wide tsunami. Several IEVPC Associate Scientists were involved with this prediction including Dr. Z. Shou, Dr. M. Hayakawa, Dr. A. Bapat and Mr. V. Straser under the leadership of IEVPC Director of Research, Dr. Dong Choi.

2. Celebes Sea of Northern Indonesia. As a result of IEVPC precursor analysis conducted by lead investigator and Director of Research, Dr. Choi, a large oceanic quake (M6.0) was correctly predicted and took place on October 17, 2012 at the location and within the time frame estimated. Because of the deep ocean nature of this isolated quake’s epicenter, no damage or loss of life was recorded.

3. Myanmar. On November 11, 2012 a M6.8 quake struck central Myanmar near the location predicted with the magnitude and in the time frame as internal IEVPC estimates had forecast. Twelve lives were lost based on initial figures released by the government. Leading the initial precursor signal analysis and early detection of the Myanmar quake was renowned Indian seismologist Dr. Arun Bapat. Dr. Choi was also involved in this quake’s analysis and used other signals to confirm Dr. Bapat’s preliminary conclusions. The final opinion arrived at was for a potentially catastrophic geophysical event (CGE) which would strike central Myanmar within two weeks after November 6, 2012 and would have a magnitude between M6.5 and M7.0.

In his assessment of the Myanmar test CEO Casey explained, “I am of course delighted at the success of Dr. Bapat and Dr. Choi in their trial prediction of the Myanmar quake. Dr. Bapat is one of the most distinguished leaders in this field and his history making prediction of the Myanmar quake is only one example of the talent that resides in the IEVPC.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to know whether the Myanmar quake would happen since the IEVPC process had not been evaluated for an inland quake before. Issuing a warning was out of the question for what was then an unproven method with such a short time-span to strike, in a country with little or no effective earthquake reaction training for its citizens. It would have been grossly irresponsible. Issuing a public alert ran the risk of possibly causing panic throughout the country, resulting in far more deaths than that seen in the remote areas where the quake epicenter was located.”

From Dr. Bapat we have, “The fact that the Myanmar quake struck as predicted, and that it did so along with the Celebes Sea quake and the Kamchatka quake event has given us enough justification to end the test program early. Mr. Casey and Dr. Choi have done a great service to all by asking those like myself with many years in the field of earthquake prediction to come together to end the myth that these destructive earthquakes cannot be predicted. I believe we are now at that point in human history.”

Dr. Choi added, “We have had a remarkable level of success in our very first three tests. Further, they included diverse geophysical situations. The Kamchatka event was a traditional off shore Pacific Rim oceanic trench fault type. The Celebes Sea quake was a central oceanic deep ocean event with no companion fault. The Myanmar event was an inland quake with an associated known fault line.

What is important to note is that our process worked correctly in three distinctly different geological areas. This gave us another reason for ending the test program quickly. If our process had worked only for one type of quake and not others we might have had to stop and reevaluate our process. That is no longer required. It’s time to put our program for earthquake prediction in the field and start saving lives.”

Mr. Casey echoes Dr. Choi’s comments with, “This level of success in our predictions for Kamchatka, the Celebes Sea and Myanmar carries even more significance when one realizes all our work has been done in a start-up phase on a shoestring budget. A greater level of prediction success and improved warning notification time can be achieved for a state, region, or nation with requisite funding of global and on-site monitoring teams from the IEVPC.

In the special case of Kamchatka where we issued warnings during much of 2012, we remain concerned for the potential of another major seismic event and all should remain vigilant in that unique region of the planet where there is a history of powerful earthquakes. Our Russian colleagues are, however, well versed in parametric precursor analysis similar to what we employ.

We have also provided them additional information to detect a new unexpected earthquake and quickly react should that highly unstable area produce another threat. In any case it was gratifying to see the positive level of reaction to our warnings demonstrated by Russian geologists, Ambassador Kislyak’s office in Washington, and by President Medvedev’s trip to Kamchatka in August. While there he checked on the status of earthquake preparedness. We will nonetheless continue to keep Kamchatka on an active but lower alert status over the next year until relative stability returns. We believe a major earthquake will remain a serious threat for Kamchatka residents for some time.

Beginning this week we will start a systematic program for raising the capital needed to expand our operations out of our start-up phase and notify every nation that has to deal with CGE’s that we are here and able to help protect their people. The IEVPC has demonstrated that a new era in reliable earthquake forecasting has arrived.”

ABOUT IEVPC

The International Earthquake and Volcano Prediction Center is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, USA. The primary research facility is in Canberra, Australia with branch offices of cooperating scientists and researchers planned for the USA, India, China, and Japan. The IEVPC is a non-profit science research organization dedicated to the mission of protection of people through early prediction of Catastrophic Geophysical Events (CGE) such as earthquakes, associated tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. The IEVPC web site is at www.ievpc.org.

Freedom Threatened By Plan To Federalize Local Government In Florida

/in , , /by

COURTESY OF THE WESTERN CENTER FOR JOURNALISM BY 

A new initiative by the federal government called Seven50, a cousin of Agenda 21, seeks to relieve local governments nationwide of direct representation by and for local citizens in matters of education, infrastructure, and population.

Indian River County Commissioner Bob Solari (772- 226-1442) is putting out an urgent call to attend a special Indian River County Commission meeting concerning this topic on Tuesday, December 18 at 9 a.m. in the Vero Beach County Chambers (1801 27th Street, Vero Beach, FL.)  Though Alabama already has passed legislation to curb the Seven50 agenda, seven southeastern counties along Florida’s coastline from Miami to Vero Beach threaten to place their citizens’ lives under control of HUD and other federal agencies by backing this “diversity” proposal.

Morphing the highly unpopular Security and Prosperity Partnership to Agenda 21 and finally into Seven50, our federal government  is hell-bent on removing any local control and input from average American citizens concerning what they can do with their own land, private property, local schools, and local infrastructures from bridges to meeting houses. “What we want to be when we grow up,” says  Marcelor Camblor-Cutsaimanis in a video interview with Nancy Ferre on PBS as she attempts to explain the benefits of Seven50.  Of course, the public TV host heaps praise upon this blatant attempt by the feds to exercise total control over the lives of Americans.

Whether you live near Southern Florida’s east coast or took part in Alabama’s efforts to rein in this dreadful plan, you must inform your neighbors about the dangers of Seven50.  The UN and the Obama administration have been relentless in their efforts to marginalize our freedoms. A puff piece about this fifty year, UN initiative to destroy local and county governance claims Seven50 is “good” for us given the ”…realization that local governments and civic groups can’t effectively tackle [their] problems and needs in isolation.” Well, just ask the still-suffering inhabitants of ocean front towns along the New Jersey and New York coastlines how they feel about the FEMA response to the destruction of their homes and businesses by Hurricane Sandy.

Counties across the nation are being REGIONALIZED to circumvent the structure and policies of local governance . It is an insidious program operating under the radar. Why didn’t the PBS interviewer ask activist Cutsaimanis about the FEMA performance in Staten Island, where residents are being drowned in federal red tape and frustrated by buck-passing and bureaucratic inefficiency?

If you live near the area, pleased attend the Vero Beach, FL county commission meeting on Dec. 18.  And wherever you live, find out if Seven50 threatens to supplant local governance, turning your town or county into a “protectorate” of the federal government.

New Army Manual Orders Soldiers Not To Criticize Taliban

/in , , , /by

Courtesy of Judicial Watch:

Here is a strong indicator that the Obama Administration’s crusade to appease Islam has gone too far; a  new U.S. military handbook for troops deployed to the Middle East orders soldiers not to make derogatory comments about the Taliban or criticize pedophilia, among other outrageous things.

It gets better; the new manual, which is around 75 pages, suggests that Western ignorance of Afghan culture— not Taliban infiltration—is responsible for the increase in deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against the coalition forces.

The soon-to-be-released Army handbook is still being drafted, but a mainstream newspaper got a sneak preview and published an article that should infuriate the American taxpayers funding the never-ending war on terror. The manual is being created because someone with authority bought the theory that cultural insensitivity is driving insider attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

More than three dozen insider attacks have killed 63 members of the U.S.-led coalition this year, according to the article, and some blame “American cultural ignorance.” The bottom line is that troops may experience social-cultural shock and/or discomfort when interacting with Afghan security forces, the new military handbook says. “Better situational awareness/understanding of Afghan culture will help better prepare [troops] to more effectively partner and to avoid cultural conflict that can lead toward green-on-blue violence.”

The draft leaked to the newspaper offers a list of “taboo conversation topics” that soldiers should avoid, including “making derogatory comments about the Taliban,” “advocating women’s rights,” “any criticism of pedophilia,” “directing any criticism towards Afghans,” “mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct” or “anything related to Islam.”

At least one high-ranking military official had the backbone to publicly criticize the new manual, albeit through a spokesperson. U.S. Marine General John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, doesn’t endorse it and rejected a proposed forward drafted by Army officials in his name. “He does not approve of its contents,” according to a military spokesman quoted in the story.

Earlier this year the Obama Administration changed the way federal agents are trained to combat terrorism and violent extremism by eliminating all materials that shed a negative light on Muslims. Under White House orders, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) destroyed instructional material that characterizes Muslims as prone to violence or terrorism in a government-wide call to end Islamophobia.

Under Obama practically every major federal agency has been ordered to participate in Muslim outreach initiatives, including the Justice Department with a special program to protect Islamic civil rights, Homeland Security meetings with extremist Muslim organizations and the nation’s space agency (NASA) with an unprecedented mission to focus on Muslim diplomacy.

Additionally, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a special order to allow the reentry of two radical Islamic academics whose terrorist ties long banned them from the U.S. and the administration sent an America-bashing mosque leader (Feisal Abdul Rauf) who blames U.S. foreign policy for the 9/11 attacks on a Middle Eastern outreach mission. The Obama Administration even ordered a government-funded meal program for home-bound seniors to offer halal cuisine prepared according to Islamic law.

Corruption index 2012: United States is 19th

/in , /by

Which country is most corrupt? North Korea is still officially considered the world’s most corrupt country, along with Somalia and Afghanistan. But why has the US gone up six places to 19th and the United Kingdoms score worsened to 18th? See how the annual corruption index has changed.

• Download the latest data
• Interactive map of this data
• Last year’s data

The Index, which is closely watched by investors, economists, and civil society campaigners, is based on expert assessments and data from 13 surveys from independent institutions, covering issues such as access to information, bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, and the enforcement of anti-corruption laws. While critics note that measuring perceptions of corruption is not the same as measuring corruption itself, the latter is almost impossible to do – as the corrupt are usually keen to cover up their tracks, hard data on graft and bribery is notoriously difficult to come by.

George Zimmerman Sues NBC for Defaming Him as a ‘Racist’ in Trayvon Martin Reporting

/in , /by

Courtesy of Erik Wemple

Lawyers for George Zimmerman filed suit today against NBC Universal Media over a well-publicized editing error that portrayed their client in racist terms in his pursuit of Trayvon Martin on a drizzly evening in February.

“NBC saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so to set about the myth that George Zimmerman was a racist and predatory villain,” states the civil complaint in its opening salvo against NBC.

NBC’s editing of the 911 audiotape in the Martin case became a public fixation after the media-monitoring Web site NewsBusters.org noted editing oddities on a “Today” show broadcast March 27. Here’s how NBC News portrayed the audiotape: Zimmerman, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He looks black.”

The full tape went like this: Zimmerman, “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. Or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.” Dispatcher, “OK, and this guy — is he black, white or Hispanic?” Zimmerman, “He looks black.”

Zimmerman thus didn’t volunteer a racial profile of Martin; he was asked to provide it, a point that the lawsuit makes in colorful fashion: “NBC created this false and defamatory misimpression using the oldest form of yellow journalism: manipulating Zimmerman’s own words, splicing together disparate parts of the recording to create illusions of statements that Zimmerman never actually made.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes set to be released into the Florida Keys

/in , , /by

Daily Mail Online reports:

“Hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes are awaiting federal approval for release into the Florida Keys as part of an experiment aimed at reducing the risk of dengue fever.

Mosquito control officials have requested the Food and Drug Administration’s sign off on the experiment that would be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Some residents of the tourist town of Key West worry though on how much research has been done to determine the risks of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes on the Keys’ fragile ecosystem.”

Read more by clicking here.

America The Loved

/in , /by

A great love for America still exists in the hearts of Eastern Europeans where pro-Americanism thrives. The proof may be found in Zohor, Slovakia. This passion for America takes the form of a B-24 from 464th Bomber Group, which crashed in Zohor in 1944.

The story about the airmen‘s secret funeral by partisans and the erecting and preservation of their monument decades later, deserves attention.

This telling story transcends today’s politics and anti-American rhetoric. While America faces new enemies and the impending doom of yet another war perhaps in the Middle East, this is one of the most beautiful stories to comes out of WWII. It is in the form of a memorial dedicated to the Slovak partisans’ who protected and honored our American pilots.

Florida based American sculptor Gregory Marra, who specializes in crafting war memorials, stumbled upon the memorial to Merton Haigh and John Fassnacht while studying in Europe. Seeing it in disrepair Marra cleaned it up upon its 65th anniversary, cut the grass and hung the American and Slovak banners on the Flag poles behind. “It was very emotional mostly because I knew that no one in the states knew about the memorial in the U.S. “ Marra said “The families hadn’t known of the care the Slovaks took to memorialize our Airmen. In fact the tombstone was kept hidden from the communists till 1995 when it was discovered. Whoever hid this tombstone was facing a firing squad if discovered,” notes Marra. There are several monuments in Slovakia to downed airmen.

Miraculously in November 2012 Ray Hadden, of North East Pennsylvania, the son of Ray Hadden Sr. the tail gunner of the Bomber “Old Brown Nose” researched and stumbled across articles of the memorial. Hadden found that former Pennsylvanian Marra had restored the memorial to his father’s plane. Ray Hadden called Mr. Marra to thank him and Marra was shocked and relieved, to finally discover that Hadden knew all about the geography and details of the monument. According to Marra, “They discussed  that the planes whereabouts have not been found and that a statue in return to thank the Slovaks must be raised.” Marra, a classically trained sculptor, explained to Hadden that, “We need to thank the Slovaks with a statue since they had done so much for us.” They agreed it is befitting to try and do so.

Hadden wants above all to find the rest of the Airmen’s families to let them know of the great offering of respect and care the Slovaks made to their father’s heroism. Above all he wants to thank the people of Slovakia for their actions and to remind the Slovaks that we take note of every kind act towards America and welcome a deep friendship based on mutual respect. Hadden would like to find the remnants of the plane and visit the Slovaks in the town of Zohor to personally shake their hands. He would like to see an effort by America to help clean and maintain these memorials.

The bomber “Old Brown Nose” was on a mission to bomb Vienna on October 17, 1944. The 464th Bomb Group/ 778 Bomb Squadron was on mission number 107 to raid a depot near Vienna B-24 J-15-FO 42-51964 Old Brown.

THE OLD BROWN NOSE CREW MEMBERS (PICTURED) WERE:

2nd Lt. John C. Fassnacht Pilot KIA
2nd Lt. John W. Lindsay CoPilot POW
2nd Lt. Richard J. Witt Navigator POW
2nd Lt. Robert F. Cunningham Bombardier KLD
T/Sgt. John R. Lonsdorf Engineer/Upper turret gunner POW
S/Sgt. John Krogstadt Left waist gunner POW
T/Sgt. Lyndle K. Clark Radio operator/Right waist gunner POW
S/Sgt. James T. Hutchinson Nose gunner POW
S/Sgt. Merton W. Haigh Ball turret gunner KIA
S/Sgt. Raymond L. Hadden Tail gunner POW

Frank Kliment who owned a soda factory in Zohor witnessed the crash of the bomber which was riddled with German shot. The plane crashed so close to his home he had to go seek shelter in the basement. Six parachutes blossomed nearby and the windows of his home were shattered by the explosion from the crash. Two Airmen’s bodies lay nearby lifeless. Kliment prepared the bodies for a solemn funeral with flowers in a nearby church. Kliment contacted his sister in America after the war in an effort to contact the airmen’s families. She was successful and the mothers softened by the news were so thankful to the people of Zohor for the burial and treatment of their sons.

The memorial in Zohor, which resembles a B-24’s rudder, was erected by air war enthusiasts in 1995 on the spot where the airmen were originally buried (their remains were later repatriated to the United States). However, the memorial had fallen into disrepair until Marra and his family decided to help restore it. Many have  chronicled by the “Slovak  Air War ” enthusiast which displays an utmost respect for our country as their own Slovakian history was being destroyed by the communists.

The Slovaks buried our dead knowing they could be executed for the act. The  Slovaks contacting the families soon after war and the hiding of the tombstones keeping them safe for till the day Communist control ended is extraordinary.

“It is time we recognize the efforts of the Slovak people and create a monument to thank them for their kindness, generosity, and bravery. Pro-Americanism exists deep in the heart of Europe because the Europeans know that America and her defenders stand for freedom,” says Marra.

Marra’s recent work has been devoted to commemorating American military heroes, including George Washington and his Crossing, Americas last Dough-boy, a  Special Operations National monument and many more. His works honor the gallantry and success of human kind through our armed forces, allies, partisans, and freedom lovers world-wide.

Marra states, “There are so many monuments and projects to build from the beginning of our history to now. Let us start with thanking the Slovaks and Slovak Americans by building them a memorial tribute here and across the pond.”

To learn more on how you can be a part of the monument process, restoration of existing memorials such as this one honoring our WWII American airmen please contact bronzepatriots@hotmail.com

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ETHICS REPORT RELEASED

/in , /by

On November 29, 2012, Florida State University’s LeRoy Collins Institute (LCI) and Integrity Florida released the latest Tough Choices report that analyzes Florida’s local governments’ ethics reforms and policies. While Florida’s statewide ethics laws have been essentially frozen in time since Governor Reubin O’D. Askew championed reform in the 1970s, the report finds ethics reforms at the county and city level are alive and growing.

Tough Choices – Florida Counties Bridge the Ethics Policy Gap Appendix

According to U.S. Department of Justice data, from 2000 – 2010, Florida led the nation in federal public corruption convictions.

While some of these convictions have been of state officials, many of these corruption scandals have involved local government officials. Florida Counties Bridge the Ethics Policy Gap analyzed survey results on ethical programs and reforms in 45 of Florida’s 67 counties focusing on the areas of ethics policy, ethics enforcement, lobbying, campaign financing and procurement.

In short, the results show that a majority of the counties surveyed provide ethics training for elected county officials, have adopted local ordinances regulating procurement practices, and put in place restrictions on gifts from lobbyists to the county. Close to half of the counties have designated a point person for ethics issues.

“Our analysis of Florida’s local government ethics policies discovered that counties all over Florida are acting as ethics reform laboratories, addressing their unique experience with public corruption through innovative reform solutions,” said Dan Krassner, Integrity Florida’s executive director and co-author of Florida Counties Bridge the Ethics Policy Gap. “It is our hope that by cataloging these positive changes that counties across Florida have implemented, we’ve developed a roadmap that other counties can follow to curb corruption.”

Florida Counties Bridge the Ethics Policy Gap also includes seven case studies of local governments who have undertaken ethics reform efforts in the wake of ethical charges or violations. The report finds that while initiated by scandal, the work done to create an ethical government in Broward, Duval/Jacksonville, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach and Sarasota Counties has made positive changes to curb public corruption.

“Our findings are encouraging in showing progress in the adoption of ethics laws across Florida counties,” said Dr. Carol Weissert, LCI director, political science professor at FSU and co-author of the report. “While there is always more to do, Florida counties are taking the initiative in creating an ethical culture and can serve as leaders for future state action in Florida and across the nation.”
The report’s 11-question survey was emailed at least twice to county administrators and county attorneys in all of Florida’s 67 counties in the fall of 2012. A link to the full report and an appendix containing the complete set of survey questions, responses and comments that often include website links to specific ordinances and codes can be found at www.collinsinstitute.fsu.edu and www.integrityflorida.org.

About the LeRoy Collins Institute: Established in 1988, the LeRoy Collins Institute is an independent, non-profit organization which studies and promotes creative solutions to key private and public issues facing the people of Florida and the nation. The Institute, located in Tallahassee at the Florida State University, is affiliated and works in collaboration with the State University System of Florida. Named in honor of former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, the Institute is governed by a distinguished board of directors, chaired by Allison DeFoor, D. Min. Other board members include executives, local elected officials and senior professionals from throughout the state.

About Integrity Florida: Integrity Florida is a nonpartisan research institute and government watchdog whose mission is to promote integrity in government and expose public corruption. The organization’s vision is government in Florida that is the most open, ethical, responsive and accountable in the world.

Press conference announcing release of the Tough Choices report:

Gov. Scott declares war on Citizens Property Insurance

/in , , , , /by

On November 30, 2012 Governor Rick Scott addressed Florida’s 6th Annual Insurance Summit in Lake Buena Vista. During his remarks he targets Citizens Property Insurance as a threat to Florida’s economic future. Below are his remarks addressing Citizens Property Insurance:

In order to decrease costs for Florida homeowners we must increase competition in the marketplace by addressing major concerns with Citizens Property Insurance.

Citizens was created to be the insurer of last resort. Today Citizens is now the largest insurer in the state.

Citizens poses three major concerns to our insurance market for Florida families who dream of owning a home:

First, the existence of Citizens Insurance increases the chance that Floridians will be hit with hurricane taxes;

Second, Citizens is grossly underfunded; and

Third, Citizens inhibits new companies from coming to Florida resulting in less competition.

First, all of Citizens policyholders are subject to a special hurricane tax. Florida families could be hit with a hurricane tax at a time when they can least afford it, right after a devastating storm. And 79% of Citizens’ policyholders have no idea that they are subject to a hurricane tax.

Think about this. The average Citizens insurance policyholder pays a premium of approximately $2,300. If a storm hits that depletes Citizens’ surplus, either one big storm or several smaller storms, Florida’s families will be assessed hurricane taxes to pay for Citizens losses. This means that the average family with a Citizens policy faces a hurricane tax of over $1000.

A family may be forced to pay this tax even though their home wasn’t hit by a storm. A family in Tampa could be insured with Citizens and face a hurricane tax to pay for losses to Citizens’ policyholders in Miami.

If Citizens can’t pay its claims, the families with Citizens policies are first up for hurricane taxes. Then, once Citizens taxes its own policyholders, they will then tax every Floridian with an insurance policy in order to get additional funds.

So, Citizens Property Insurance poses a threat to each and every Floridian with an insurance policy. If Citizens can’t pay its claims, we are all on the hook for its losses. And Floridians can be taxed multiple times. Your homeowner’s policy could be taxed; your auto policy could be taxed. Even the policy on your family pet could be taxed.

That means that the average Florida family who owns a home and two cars could be taxed three times to pay for a Citizens’ deficit.

Most families have no idea that they are liable for the potential losses of the state’s largest property insurer.

My second major concern is that Citizens is woefully underfunded. Today, Citizens has a little over $6 billion in surplus. But one storm the size of Hurricane Andrew could result in nearly $14 billion in losses to Citizens. That’s an unfunded liability of nearly $8 billion dollars. The only way to pay for those losses is by taxing Florida families.

Finally, Citizens hurts Florida families by crowding out competition in the insurance marketplace, which limits the ability to reduce costs for homeowners.

I’ve traveled the state and spoken to numerous leaders of insurance companies to ask them: “What’s preventing you from expanding your business in Florida?” Nearly every time I’ve been told that the domination of Citizens Insurance prevents new companies from coming to Florida while also preventing existing companies from expanding in Florida.

How can any private insurance company compete with a government-sponsored entity that doesn’t pay taxes and doesn’t need to charge fair market prices? It can’t.

Shrinking Citizens is the first step toward increasing competition in the marketplace and driving down prices for homeowners.

Shrinking Citizens will also protect Florida families from hurricane taxes.

And, shrinking Citizens will attract new capital to Florida and help to permanently reduce the cost of property insurance.

To make the dream of homeownership a reality for more Floridians, we must reduce the size of Citizens, which has grown from an insurer of last resort to an insurance giant in just a matter of years.

We began making some progress toward this goal by giving over 400,000 Citizens policyholders the opportunity to return to the private insurance market this year.

Of course, we must also ensure Citizens is not wasteful. I recently directed the Chief Inspector General to investigate travel expenses and firings at Citizens. This report will tell us what additional steps must be taken to enforce oversight and compliance within Citizens. A taxpayer organized entity must be held to the highest standards of integrity and good stewardship of the public trust.