Bowing to the Japanese, Civilian Courts, and ACORN Investigations

The following was presented in the Los Angeles Times......

How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow

November 14, 2009 | 3:38 am

How low will the new American president go for the world's royalty? [First he bowed to the Saudi King. No other head of state felt compelled to do more than shake hands, by the way.....]

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior. [Meanwhile, he gave Queen Elizabeth a clap on the back......he isn't even attempting to hide who he really is.....]

John Steele Gordon writes: "President Obama goes abroad apologizing for the supposed sins of a country that defended and extended freedom around the world at a staggering cost in lives and treasure and then grovels before the man whose country has yet to apologize for the Rape of Nanking.

"Could someone in the Chief of Protocol’s Office at the State Department please tell Barack Obama that heads of state do not bow to other heads of state? And for the head of state of the country founded on the idea that “all men are created equal,” that goes double.

"As my mother used to say, “Pardon me while I throw up.”

In the words of a friend of mine: "All I'm saying is that, [regarding his failure to salute or put his hand over his heart at appropriate times, or this bowing down] you'd think he'd be emotionally intelligent enough to know the value of either gesture to the Americans who decide his approval rating and, by the way, his chances for reelection. I guess it's just SO distasteful to him that he can't bring himself to even ACT like a Patriot."

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The Worst Decision by a US President in History – by David Horowitz

Even one of the founders of the New Left in the 60's, David Horowitz, has declared that one decision by Barack Obama is the "Worst Decision Ever" by a US President.

He writes: The Obama administration has taken a giant step in its march to throw in the towel in the war against radical Islam. On FoxNews this morning, Peter King said of the decision to try the soldiers of al-Qaeda — who by their own account have no country but their cause — as civilians

“may be the worst decision by a U.S. president in history.”

It certainly is. It sends a signal to terrorists everywhere to attack civilians.

The administration is justifying its decisions on the grounds that because the 9/11 attackers targeted civilians they should be tried as civilians. This makes no sense unless you are a Democrat who believes that the “holy war” that Islamic jihadists have formally declared on us is no different from the acts of isolated individuals who have decided to break the law. This is the approach to the war on terror that John Kerry championed in 2004. Now that Americans have had the poor judgment — the suicidally poor judgment — to make a leftist their president, this is the strategy our nation is set to pursue.

The decision to try the jihadists in a civilian court is also a decision which will divulge America’s security secrets to the enemy since civilian courts afford defendants the right of discovery. It is also a propaganda gift to Islamic murderers who will turn the courtroom into a media circus to promote their hatred against the Great Satan — a hatred shared by their apologists at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the pro-Castro Center for Constitutional Rights who have pioneered the campaign against Guantanamo and whose influence in the Obama Administration is pervasive. (BTW, The newly appointed lawyer for the president is the husband of Obama’s recently departed Maoist communications director Anita Dunn.)

Dick Morris reports: As he flew to Asia on Saturday, President Obama told the media in Alaska that he opposes a congressional investigation into the Fort Hood massacre, saying that we must "resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into political theater." Yet, even as he was posturing against political theatrics, he had just decided that the prosecution of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would proceed on the greatest of public stages -- New York City.

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Army Chief of Staff, Gen. George Casey uttered the following twisted thought: “What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here.” [What has become a tragedy here, in my opinion, is that we are treating a terrorist act as a simple act of a confused, demented man. He was demented by the call of Jihad, and he and his ilk threaten the safety of all of us "infidels". Perhaps we should not bar Muslims from the privilege of joining our military, but we definitely should rid our services of those who, as Hasan did, actually have "soldier of Allah" on his business card.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Besides the fact that giving the Gitmo terrorists a civilian trial in NYC will force us to divulge our secrets to the world, allow the terrorists to shout out in court to the cameras more Jihad directions, and tie up the streets of NYC and the courts of the USA, the proceedings, as described by Kevin McCullough, are "an unnecessary move on the part of the administration to try these particular four terrorists at all. They have all confessed, and even bragged, on the record, of their exploits and parts played in the single worst moment in America's history. With on-the-record confessions, the seeking of the death penalty was insured through military tribunal. What New Yorkers are now left with after the administration's move are mere words that Holder will "seek" the death penalty. And President Obama added his "assurance" that they would receive "the most exacting form of justice" possible. Yet if that was a foregone conclusion, why must he give assurances? Congressman Peter King pledges to fight with all his might for the next 45 days to overturn this amazing mistake." Following is a video concerning President Obama's once held beliefs regarding a military trial for Mohammed. It's short, but telling. http://www.breitbart.tv/bombshell-uncovered-obama-statement-ksm-will-get-full-military-trial/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Allen reports: TOKYO — Trying to reassure allies and rivals, President Barack Obama billed himself Saturday as "America’s first Pacific president," promising the nations of Asia "a new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and mutual respect." Turning tough, Obama also said that the U.S. "will not be cowed by threats" from North Korea, which he said for decades "has chosen a path of confrontation and provocation." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Man-caused Disasters, the EPA, ACORN and Jobs

Looks as though the President forgot something, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day this time - from Lucianne.com In case the photo does not come through, President Obama has his hands clasped down low (with a Lie To Me kind of smile), while every other person is either saluting or putting their hands on their hearts...... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government. Isn't this about time?!!

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York. Parents lined up in their cars to pick up their children at the schools within the Islamic Education Center of Greater Houston and the Islamic Education Center in Rockville, Md. No notices of the forfeiture action were posted at either place as of late Thursday.

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Neil Braithwaite opines: "In her first testimony before Congress back in March of this year, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano laid the groundwork for the Obama administration's new "politically correct" Homeland Security doctrine. Without ever mentioning "terrorist" or "terrorism" during her testimony, Secretary Napolitano put forth the politically correct term for those two words: "man-caused disaster." Defining the term as "nuance" to the German news site Spiegel Online, Secretary Napolitano further stated, "...it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur." The "T"-word has been off limits by the Obama administration ever since.

President Obama is willfully surrendering America's safety for the sake of political correctness and tolerance. This comes on the back of his selfish ambition to become the savior of the world, the consequences of which are leaving America more vulnerable to attack at home and abroad on every front, be it financial or military.

Terrorist organizations are taking advantage of President Obama's perceived weakness and ignorance. But the truly ignorant are our political leaders -- and they should know better -- not to mention the left-wing media and the millions of duped Americans who have turned a blind eye and deaf ear to reality as they play in concert with President Obama's insidious plan to weaken and socialize America."

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Breitbart confirms: The World Council of Churches on Thursday called on churches around the world to ring their bells 350 times during the Copenhagen climate change summit on December 13 as a call to action on global warming.

The leading council of Christian and Orthodox churches also invited places of worship for other faiths to join a symbolic "chain of chimes and prayers" stretching around the world

Meanwhile Kim Strassel reports that Dr. Alan Carlin, "a 37-year agency veteran [in the EPA], was muzzled earlier this spring. Dr. Carlin offered a report poking holes in the science underlying the theory of manmade global warming. His superior, Al McGartland, complained the paper did "not help the legal or policy case" for Team Obama's decision to regulate carbon, told him to "move on to other issues," and forbade him from discussing it outside the office."

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Matthew Vadum writes that "activist group and organized crime syndicate ACORN has a constitutional right to defraud the people of the United States it claims in a federal lawsuit. Actually, the lawsuit, filed with the assistance of the allegedly terrorist-funded Center for Constitutional Rights, doesn't use the word fraud, but that's what it amounts to because ACORN argues in the document that it has a right to taxpayer dollars.

Legal scholar Hans A. von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation flatly rejects the argument that the Constitution prevents Congress from doing the right thing. "The bill of attainder clause has never been read to prevent Congress from defunding an organization or a corporation whose employees engage in criminal conduct, and it has rarely been invoked by the modern Supreme Court," he writes.

According to ACORN the cutoff happened not because hidden-camera videos showed Americans the corruption-plagued group's predilection for crime but because a vast right-wing conspiracy hoodwinked lawmakers.

With Congressman Nadler, conflicts abound. As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights, and civil liberties, he may have to investigate ACORN in the not-too-distant future, yet he came up with the novel bill of attainder argument within days of the undercover prostitution sting videos surfacing in September. He's listed as one of five co-counsel representing ACORN in the new action.

Needless to say, Nadler never explained how failing to appropriate funds for a notorious group involved in racketeering violates American liberties.

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Isn't it just great that our President, who despite pronouncements to the contrary has not been able to create or save jobs (except those in the government), has come up with a great plan? He, the college professor - oh, is he President now? - will hold a Jobs Forum to study how to create jobs. "We'll gather CEOs and small-business owners, economists and financial experts, as well as representatives from labor unions and nonprofit groups, to talk about how we can work together to create jobs and get this economy moving again." In other words, they will ... talk.

As the Washington Examiner points out: Obama's forum announcement came within days of something else -- an avalanche of media reports about the fraudulent data behind the claim that a million jobs were created or saved. As The Examiner's Mark Hemingway reported in a Beltway Confidential post headlined "The return of lies, damned lies and stimulus jobs," journalists across the country examined Obama stimulus job claims and found them full of what appeared to be purposeful misrepresentations in at least 13 states.

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Thank You For Your Service!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LuLvlp1Pao This video giving thanks is worth watching.

We give heartfelt thank yous to our amazing Veterans, who have given us so much throughout American history. We truly are the land of the free BECAUSE of the brave! Be sure to thank any veterans you know or see for their service to our country, on this our Veterans Day.

Health Care, Ft. Hood'

• News from NOAA: The average October temperature of 50.8°F was 4.0°F below the 20^th Century average and ranked as the 3^rd coolest based on preliminary data.
• For the nation as a whole, it was the third coolest October on record. The month was marked by an active weather pattern that reinforced unseasonably cold air behind a series of cold fronts. Temperatures were below normal in eight of the nation's nine climate regions, and of the nine, five were much below normal. Only the Southeast climate region had near normal temperatures for October.
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By Ryan J. Donmoyer and Kristin Jensen

Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Insurers such as WellPoint Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield and drugmakers are redoubling their efforts to fight proposals to overhaul the U.S health-care system, adding another obstacle as legislative hurdles mount.

The insurers oppose competition from a new government-run program that’s included in both the House and Senate plans. The trade group representing drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc. says a House provision to allow the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare would cost tens of thousands of jobs.

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From the American Family Association comes the low down on the AARP: The AARP claims to be all about representing the interests of seniors, but when it comes to health care reform, they are selling seniors down the river to line their own pockets.

The AARP has endorsed the gargantuan PelosiCare bill that just passed the House, despite the fact the bill proposes more than $400 billion in cuts to Medicare, which is certain to lead to rationing, inferior care and "death panels" for vulnerable senior citizens.

Why? As they say, follow the money. PelosiCare will also cut Medicare Advantage by $170 billion. Medicare Advantage allows seniors to purchase private insurance with their Medicare payments, but these cuts will drive many of these seniors into inferior Medigap plans.

AARP has a vested interest in seniors being driven out of Medicare Advantage into Medigap plans because AARP makes a fortune in royalty fees from Medigap plans. More than one-half of its $1.1 billion budget comes from such royalty fees, and Medigap plans make up the biggest share of this royalty revenue by far.

The more seniors are forced out of Medicare Advantage into Medigap plans, the more money AARP makes. In other words, under PelosiCare, seniors lose but AARP wins - big time.

Even the Washington Post noted the conflict of interest on Oct. 27, when it said, "Democratic proposals to slash reimbursements for...Medicare Advantage are widely expected to drive up demand for private Medigap policies like the ones offered by AARP."

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The December Copenhagen Treaty on Climate has two stated goals:

• Transfer wealth from Industrial Nations (The United States) to Developing Countries.
• Dictate energy use and consumption to Industrial Nations (The United States)

Now, just so we are clear...

• Goal Number One is Global Socialism
• Goal Number Two is a Global Dictatorship
• Lord Christopher Monckton, the former advisor for science policy to former British Prime Minister, and former President Ronald Reagan ally, Lady Margaret Thatcher, believes that if the U.S. signs any climate treaty coming out of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December, it could subject the United States to a global dictatorship.
  "This treaty of Copenhagen, which is going to be negotiated by the states' parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December, is going to...establish for the first time in human history a global government," he warns.

• Gary Kreep, Executive Director
  United States Justice Foundation

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• The Weekly Standard takes a look at Fort Hood's Hasan and his June 2007 50-slide presentation to senior Army doctors to see if we can unravel this mystery. According to the Washington Post, Hasan was “supposed to discuss a medical topic during” the presentation, but instead “he lectured on Islam, suicide bombers and threats the military could encounter from Muslims conflicted about fighting wars in Muslim countries.”
  

  On page 11, Hasan included this quote:

  “It’s getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims.”

• Interestingly, Hasan’s words were echoed by al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki in his post (now offline) praising Hasan’s shooting spree. Awlaki said Hasan “is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against its own people.”

• Many of the slides include quotes from the Koran, including those that justify both defensive and offensive jihad against the unbelievers. In fact, the slides are mostly standard jihadist fare.

  On slide 35, Hasan explained that earlier Koranic verses were peaceful and “Muslims were not permitted to defend themselves/fight. There (sic) only job was to deliver the message (peaceful verses).”

  But after the Muslim emigration to Mecca, “Self defense was allowed” and “Then offensive fighting was allowed.” As a result, “Later verses abrogated former ie: peaceful verses no longer apply.”

• [And yet many still cling to the mantra that his Food Hood "incident" had nothing to do with those who would believe it would honor Allah to kill us "infidels".]
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• From Big Hollywood comes news of a terrific new UTube Channel: Here’s a little mid-week scare courtesy of the 4thgraders4obama YouTube Channel. (Don’t waste your time — I searched high and low and no luck finding the 4thgraders4bush YouTube Channel.) Yes, you read that right, an entire portal filled with nearly a dozen videos devoted to nine and ten year-olds singing, speaking and in general, getting awfully excited over a politician on the brink of having us all long for the good old days.
  

Health Care Bill, Ft. Hood, and Peaceful Muslims

From: Mutiny in Scrutiny? [Jeffrey H. Anderson] - [Or - keep the faith! This isn't over yet.]
It was always clear that the real health-care battle would be in the Senate. But what would have been shocking eight months ago is to hear that it would take until November for the Democrats to pass a bill even in the House. It would have been even more shocking to have heard that, even after a full-court-press by the White House, the bill would pass by only five votes — meaning that if just three of the 435 members had changed their minds, it would have changed the bill's fate. And it would have been shocking to have heard that 39 Democrats would jump ship.

The House bill has passed — barely and belatedly — and it is now dead. Nothing like it will ever pass the Senate. The question now is whether anything will, now that the voters have spoken in New Jersey and Virginia — and now that the exceedingly narrow margin in the House will likely invite even greater scrutiny of that which is being proposed.

[We must keep up our good work through Tea Parties, blogs, emails and letters, and meet-ups at the Capitol such as that successful last-minute one last week which was initiated by Rep. Michele Bachmann of MN. Tens of thousands of Americans put aside their lives to make a last minute trip there.]

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The New York Post's Editorial states: World leaders past and present will be in Berlin today for the 20th anniversary of the fall of communist repression's most visible symbol: the 112-mile concrete wall that split the city for more than a quarter-century. Conspicuously absent: the president of the United States, Barack Obama. Obama's folks say he's too busy to accept German President Angela Merkel's invitation to attend today's festivities It's pathetic that Obama won't be there -- and telling, as well.......

The Cold War, in this view, is an irrelevant historical relic -- an example of American paranoia and fear-mongering prolonging a conflict that could have been resolved with warm-and-fuzzy speechmaking and the soft-pedaling of political differences.

Gone, it seems, are the days when America championed freedom, led by presidents whose oratory was matched by commitment and determined action.

It's not only shameful -- but dangerous.

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Does the name William Jefferson, of New Orleans, ring a bell with you? Authorities found about $80,000 in his freezer. The Times Picayunne is reporting that Jefferson was "found guilty on Aug. 6 of 11 of 16 corruption counts, including soliciting bribes, depriving citizens of honest service in their representative, money laundering and racketeering. The charges revolved around a series of schemes in which Jefferson, who took a keen interest in African affairs as a member of Congress and was on good terms with heads of state and other influential figures on the continent, sought to help American businesses secure business deals in West Africa in exchange for payments to shell companies held in the name of his wife, his daughters and his brother, Mose. Prosecutors on Friday night issued a memorandum recommending that former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson be sentenced to between 27 and 33 years in prison. The prosecution's sentencing memorandum suggests that Jefferson, who served 18 years in Congress, may have hidden resources and "poses a significant risk of flight,'' and ought to be immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after sentencing at the Alexandria, Va., courthouse.

"As to his flight risk, the government asserted that despite being in bankruptcy, Jefferson may have sufficient hidden resources and contacts in Africa to try to make his escape between sentencing and being remanded to prison if he has the opportunity.

"According to the memorandum, "law enforcement agents learned of several wire transfers from offshore territories into U.S. financial accounts that were either controlled by the defendant or whose proceeds were made available for his benefit.'' [And here I thought only Republicans can be rascals....]
NOW word comes that it is Jefferson's replacement in the House of Representatives who is the only [RHINO] Republican to vote for the health care bill which passed on Saturday night.
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We watched our President finally get to the business of the Fort Hood massacre, only after discussing his interface with Native American Indians, and giving a "shout out" [whatever that is - not honor, I would guess] to an incorrectly described Medal of Honor winner [it was a Medal of Freedom recipient, and it makes one wonder if he knows the difference.] In so doing, he looked devoid of emotion or indignation. Jennifer Rubin mused: "But let’s be blunt, the affected “cool” of the president is getting rather creepy as a style of governance. This was on display in an unfortunate and highly visible way this week. The president’s bizarrely inappropriate remarks after learning of the Foot Hood massacre left one puzzled, if not downright troubled. He not only didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation; he didn’t seem emotionally connected to the appalling events." I will add that in this case, with all the facts not yet known by him, he at least did not say that someone involved acted "stupidly". He did infer that we Americans must not think that being an Islamic-practicing Muslim bent on terrorism had anything to do with this act, for it is a religion of peace, don't we know. Just a reminder: our President has noted in a speech that " America is one of the largest Muslim nations on earth." (We are 80th on that list.)
NBC Commentators even wrote in shock at the President's "lack of protocol, sensitivity, or even awareness of the pain the nation was feeling at that moment roughly two hours after the drama began."
A report from Texas tells of a neighbor of this man who was visited one last time on the morning of the shootings. This is what he told her: "I'm going to do good work for God." A man yells, "Allah Akbar" before unloading his weapon, after posting repeatedly on pro-terrorist web-sites for months, and had been ranting about not being forced to serve in Iraq nor Afghanistan because he objected to the purposes of the U.S. Military in those regions, but his connections to terrorism were not to be "considered," said Kevin McCoullough.

Analogous to "acting stupidly", our President, in his Saturday radio address, discussed this man and his acts as fact, forgetting that in our country one is innocent until proven guilty. It seems to me that the President of the United States has prejudiced the jury..... isn't he a brilliant lawyer?
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From the L.A. Times: In response to Thursday's shooting, mosques around the U.S. denounced the violence and implemented a range of overt and subtle security measures. In the Los Angeles area, Islamic groups contacted law enforcement officials, who stepped up patrols of mosques and Muslim community centers. Awad's Washington-based group, known as CAIR, noted that it had launched an anti-terrorism petition drive and a TV ad campaign against religious extremism, and coordinated an anti-terrorism fatwa, or religious ruling, condemning extremism and terrorism. In Dearborn, Mich., home to a large Arab and Muslim community, Kassem Allie received a call Friday from a TV news reporter. Allie, a member of the board of trustees at the Islamic Center of America, called the shooting an act of "maniacal brutality."
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Investor's Business Daily weighed in on the War On Terror: The Fort Hood terrorist is being portrayed as an "anomaly," an "aberration," a "lone wolf." Sadly, he's just one of many examples of jihadist traitors in the ranks of the military.

Together they form a dangerous Fifth Column, and the Pentagon — thanks to institutionalized political correctness — is doing next to nothing to root them out .

Instead, brass are actively recruiting Muslim soldiers — whose ranks have swelled to more than 15,000 — and catering to their faith by erecting mosques even at Marine headquarters in Quantico, Va. More, they're hiring Muslim chaplains endorsed by radical Islamic front groups, who convert and radicalize soldiers.

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In the category of "you must see it for yourself in order to believe it" - From the House Committee on Ways and Means comes a letter from Dave Camp (R-MI) from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) confirming that the failure to comply with the individual mandate to buy health insurance contained in the Pelosi health care bill (H.R. 3962, as amended) could land people in jail. The JCT letter makes clear that Americans who do not maintain “acceptable health insurance coverage” and who choose not to pay the bill’s new individual mandate tax (generally 2.5% of income), are subject to numerous civil and criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

In response to the JCT letter, Camp said: “This is the ultimate example of the Democrats’ command-and-control style of governing – buy what we tell you or go to jail. It is outrageous and it should be stopped immediately.”

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]

- - - - - - - - - -

“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

- - - - - - - - - -

“Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses. Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

[Who knows by now just what was and wasn't in the final bill that was passed, for we had no time to read it all.......]
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Do you ever wonder about what the typical law-writing, important day in Congress looks like? Well, here's a clue: "Nothing else need to be said. This is one of their THREE DAY WORK WEEKS that we all pay for. I am ready to start from the beginning by voting out all elected officials and not letting any of them stay in office for more than two terms. No more lifelong healthcare, retirement, voting in their own pay raises, taking perks on our taxes, etc.

The AP distributed a terrific photo of our Congress in action, using their computers:

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, pictured standing, far right, speaks while colleagues Rep. Barbara Lambert, D-Milford and Rep. Jack F. Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, play solitaire Monday night as the House convened to vote on a new budget. (AP)

The guy sitting in the row in front of these two... he's on Facebook, and the guy behind Hennessy is checking out the baseball scores."