CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

 

 

 

Bringing LIBERTY to Capitol Hill -- 2008
OZARKS VIRTUAL TOWN HALL
Saturday Morning, June 14, 2008, 10:30am



A Discussion of The President's Saturday Morning Radio Address

Click here to listen to a replay of the June 14, 2008 Ozarks Virtual Town Hall

Notes and Summary of the President's Address -- Entangling Alliances in Europe

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I'm traveling in Europe. In my meetings, I've discussed our shared efforts to advance peace and prosperity around the world. America has strong partners in leaders like Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, Germany's Angela Merkel, France's Nicolas Sarkozy, and Britain's Gordon Brown. And together we're pursuing an agenda that is broad and far-reaching.   (continued below)


How the President Differs from the American vision of "Liberty Under God":

  1. The United States government was founded on a policy of non-intervention in foreign affairs:
    "The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible."

    — Washington, Farewell Address (1796) [Washington’s emphasis]

    I deem [one of] the essential principles of our government, and consequently [one] which ought to shape its administration,…peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.

    — Jefferson, First Inaugural Address (1801)

  2. This policy would preclude "pursuing an agenda that is broad and far-reaching."
  3. The President has forgotten the limits placed on his authority by the Constitution. He does not have the Constitutional authority to spend the money he has spent and proposes to spend.
  4. The Democrats spoke of Fathers' Day; the President did not.
  5. Today is also "Flag Day."
  6. Independence Day is in two weeks.
  7. Los Angeles prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi says President Bush should be prosecuted for murder. Congressman Dennis Kucinich has filed articles of Impeachment against the President.

Kucinich and Bugliosi appear on Democracy NOW:

Kucinich story begins about 17:00. Pelosi at 21:00. Bugliosi begins at about 36:00.


Kucinich Appears on Bill O'Reilly

O'Reilly says Congress should not waste time on impeachment
when its time should be used to solve rising gas prices.
But Congress has no Constitutional authority to do anything about
gas prices, whereas it has no greater authority than to
impeach a President who is guilty of war crimes.

Mainstream Media pundits insist -- forcefully -- that "it's not going to happen"
with respect to impeachment or the election of Ron Paul.
They don't want it to happen.


President Bush's
Saturday Morning Radio Address

Another Perspective:
"Liberty Under God"

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I'm traveling in Europe. In the past few days, I have visited Slovenia, Germany, Italy, and the Vatican. I'm spending this Saturday in France. And I will conclude my trip in the United Kingdom.  
In my meetings, I've discussed our shared efforts to advance peace and prosperity around the world. America has strong partners in leaders like Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, Germany's Angela Merkel, France's Nicolas Sarkozy, and Britain's Gordon Brown. And together we're pursuing an agenda that is broad and far-reaching.

This agenda is completely beyond the powers given to the President by "We the People" in the Constitution.

America and Europe are cooperating to open new opportunities for trade and investment. We're working to tear down regulatory barriers that hurt our businesses and consumers. We're striving to make this the year that the world completes an ambitious Doha trade agreement -- which will open up new markets for American goods and services, and help alleviate poverty around the world. The United States should unilaterally eliminate all "regulatory barriers that hurt our businesses and consumers" which have been created by the federal government. Free trade is good; global government unchained by our Constitution is bad.

The benefits of freer trade were estimated in a paper presented by Professors Kym Anderson and Alan Winters. They found that a successful Doha Round could generate up to $113 trillion in new wealth during the 21st century, at a cost of $420 billion or less from inefficient industries going bust. If you like ratios, that's a return of $269 for every $1 of cost. A less conservative projection puts the gains three times higher. More than 80% of this global windfall would go to the world's poorest countries.
How Pressing a Problem is Global Warming?

America and Europe are cooperating to address the twin challenges of energy security and climate change while keeping our economies strong. We're working to diversify our energy supplies by developing and financing new clean energy technologies. And we're working toward an international agreement that commits every major economy to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases.

Did whale oil belong to the government or to the People. It was replaced by kerosene, which belonged to who: the government or the People? Kerosene was replaced by refined petroleum, which was refined by whom: government or Standard Oil? What gives Bush the authority to develop and finance whatever energy will replace refined oil? What gives Bush and European leaders the right to tell us how much oil we can consume, and how much "greenhouse gases" we can emit?

America and Europe are cooperating to widen the circle of development and prosperity. We're leading the world in providing food aid, improving education for boys and girls, and fighting disease. Through the historic commitments of the United States and other G8 countries, we're working to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa. And to achieve this noble goal, all nations must keep their promises to deliver this urgent aid.
The government bans DDT, which had virtually eliminated malaria, then imposes dictatorial controls on us to "turn the tide" against malaria.
Henry I. Miller on DDT & Schools on National Review Online
The Malaria Clock -- A Green Legacy Of Death
Misdirected Malaria Program Causes Disease to Spread
The Silent Pandemic
The Fruits of Eco-Extremism
Environmental Genocide | The New American
"Environmentalism" is Evil
America and Europe are cooperating on our most solemn duty: protecting our citizens. Our nations are applying the tools of intelligence, finance, law enforcement, diplomacy, and -- when necessary -- military power to break up terror networks and deny them safe havens. And to protect against the prospect of ballistic missile attacks emanating from the Middle East, we're developing a shared system of missile defense. The federal government created Islamic terrorists to fight the Soviet Union. The federal government gives terrorists a motivation to continue, by oppressive intervention in the Middle East.

Missile defense sounds good, but provides a cover for first strikes by the Bush Administration.

We're also working together to ensure that Iran is not allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. This week, America and our European allies sent a clear and unmistakable message to the regime in Tehran: It must verifiably suspend its enrichment activities -- or face further isolation and additional sanctions. Together, America and Europe are pursuing strong diplomacy with Iran, so that future generations can look back and say that we came together to stop this threat to our people. The U.S. also needs to destroy its own nuclear weapons.
In the long run, the most important way we can protect our people is to defeat the terrorists' hateful ideology by spreading the hope of freedom. So America and Europe are working together to advance the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in security and peace. We're working together to protect the sovereignty of Lebanon's young democracy. And we're working together to strengthen the democratically elected governments in Iraq and Afghanistan. How did America's Founders hope to spread freedom? Not the way the Bush Administration is doing it: by military force and martial law.

Why does giving political power to "Palestinians" (terrorists) create freedom and peace?

In all of these areas, the United States and Europe have agreed that we must take action -- and that we must go forward together. The level and breadth of the cooperation between America and our European allies today is unprecedented. And together we're making the world a safer and more hopeful place. And unconstitutional.
Thank you for listening.  

Kevin Craig's Platform:


Revolution Won't Come in a Day

John Adams once wrote that the American Revolution began in 1761, when Massachusetts attorney James Otis began legal challenges to the Writs of Assistance. He lost the case, but "American independence," Adams wrote, "was then and there born." Now do the math. That means it took 15 years to convince the rest of America to declare Independence (1776). Then another seven years of war was required before a Peace Treaty was signed (1783), and then six years before the Constitution was finally ratified (1789). That's almost 30 years. (And Jefferson said we shouldn't go 20 years without another rebellion!) How can we hope to convince Americans to fight for principles they were never taught in government schools? We need to be in this battle for the long term. "Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty."

The Internet Can Speed up the Revolution

Here are ways you can help.

Communicating with Government and Media

  • Contact Congress -- this is from the JBS website, powered by "CapWiz," from Capitol Advantage. Lots of organizations use capwiz. If you don't want to go through the JBS, search for capwiz on Google and find another organization that uses it.
    Notice that you can also contact media through this webpage.
  • Action E-List
    Sign up for the JBS Action E-List and be notified when you can make a critical difference on important issues.
Iraqis Vote  

Support an Iraq Referendum
Americans keep debating when, how, or if to leave Iraq. Maybe we should ask the Iraqi people what they want. After all, it's their country. Tell Congress to request that the Iraqi government hold a public referendum on the U.S. occupation. Learn more »

Make Congress read the laws it passes!
The 'No Legislation Without Representation' Conference

Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before they vote on it.
Urge your Representative and your Senators to sponsor DownsizeDC.org's “Read the Bills Act” (RTBA).

Stop Congress from delegating legislative power to the bureaucracy.

Unelected bureaucrats create tens-of-thousands of new dictates each year. Making rules is the job of Congress, not bureaucrats.
DownsizeDC.org has drafted the “Write the Laws Act” to end bureaucratic “legislation without representation.” Click here . . .

Cap and Trade  

"Cap and Trade" is not the way
The politicians seem to be unifying around "cap and trade" as a way to cut CO2 emissions. If they take this step it may be the largest increase in the size, scope, and intrusiveness of government since the creation of Medicare. Worse still, it may not even achieve its purpose. Please tell Congress to oppose "cap and trade." Learn more »

Iraq Waste

 

Iraq Waste
Big government prospers through failure. Each new failure is used to justify more spending and new powers. Wasteful spending in Iraq is the latest example. One way to change this is to hold government accountable. A new bill in Congress seeks to provide some of the needed accountability. Please support it. Learn more »

Support Ron Paul's “American Freedom Agenda Act”
The politicians have done great harm to this country in response to the 9-11 attack. A bill has been introduced that will undo much of that harm.
Learn More »

  Strike at the Root
The Accountability Project: 9-11 Accountability  

The Accountability Project: 9-11 Accountability
The federal government had all the power, information, and resources it needed to prevent the 9/11 attacks—it simply failed to do so. Government repeatedly fails because it never pays a price for poor performance. Instead, government rewards itself for its own incompetence—with new powers and greater resources. We want to hold the federal government accountable for its failure on 9/11. Please help us do so by sending a message to Congress demanding accountability. Learn More »

Repeal the Patriot Act
We said the government would abuse the Patriot Act, and it has. Now it's time to tell Congress to repeal it.

  Repeal the Patriot Act
Leave Iraq  

Stop experimenting with American lives
Congress and the President have spent four years experimenting with American lives, trying to find a way to bring peace to Iraq. It is time for the experiments to end. It is time for the Iraqi's to resolve their own problems. HR 413 would de-authorize the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Tell Congress to stop the experiments. Tell Congress to pass HR 413.

Stop the War for Terror
U.S. policy has inflamed the Middle East. It has made terrorism more likely rather than less. We seem to be fighting a war for terror, rather than on terror. This policy must stop. The place to start stopping is with Iran. We must not attack Iran. War with Iran would devastate our economy, disrupt world oil supplies, and recruit more terrorists. Click here to stop this war before it starts.

  Stop The War FOR Terror

The Democrat Party Radio Address:

The Democratic Radio Address was delivered by Jeff Alberici, an eight-grade teacher in New York, husband and father of three. Alberici discusses Democratic plans to tackle high energy and gas prices and the Republican efforts to block them without any solutions of their own

Alberici says drives a Taurus, and about 50% of the sticker price consisted of taxes passed on to him and other consumers. Direct taxes take a third of everything we earn, and then half of what's left is taxed indirectly. That means the government takes 2/3 of everything we earn. That is unparalleled tyranny.

Libertarian Response:

Alberici says "Democrats understand what families are going through, and are trying to make things better." Republicans don't know what families are going through, and aren't trying to make things better, or maybe Republicans want to make things worse. This is silly partisan thinking, which obstructs genuinely productive thinking based on the fundamental principles of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Democrats don't make things better, and Republicans don't make things worse. "Liberty Under God" makes things better, and tyranny makes things worse.


Click here for a replay of this edition of the Ozarks Virtual Town Hall


Would America's Founding Fathers salute the flag?