Monday, July 27, 2015

Taking Down Left-Leaning Judges

Who has the most power in the country over political issues? Everyone focuses on the president and Congress when they talk about reforming the system and taking control back from the left, but they overlook the real powerbroker. Federal courts have been deciding the most contentious issues for years now, taking the final say away from both the president and Congress. 

The final straw for many conservatives came recently with the Supreme Court’s decisions on Obamacare and same-sex marriage. In response to this massive judicial power grab, the Empower the States project was launched, which aims to have Congress use its power under Article III, section 2 of the Constitution to remove jurisdiction from the federal courts over these kinds of issues. Instead, serious, controversial political decisions would be left up to the states and people where they belong.

The effort has begun gaining momentum in Arizona, where conservatives remain frustrated over a federal district court judge gutting most of SB1070, the state’s tough anti-illegal immigration initiative that passed in 2010. Andrew Thomas, a former Maricopa County Attorney who was instrumental in getting SB1070 passed (who I worked for several years ago), is heading up the project with the Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research.

Over 100 conservative grassroots leaders in Arizona have already endorsed the project, including two past Arizona Republican Party chairmen, four past Maricopa County Republican Party chairmen, the state coordinator of Arizona’s Tea Parties, and numerous elected GOP leaders at the state, county, district and precinct levels.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Netroots Nation’s Group Identity Politics Disintegrates into Anarchy

For years, the right has been frustrated by the left’s ability to unite various interest groups successfully as a force. The right hasn’t had as much success, with factions calling each other RINOs and lecturing about Reagan’s 11th Commandment. Now, it looks like the left’s ability to work together is finally unraveling. It is happening because the left has become increasingly obsessed with identity politics, labeling everyone in groups and stereotypes instead of as individuals. As we all learned from history, grouping people by race resulted in terrible things like slavery. It is unsustainable, as it breeds resentment toward other groups.

Last week, Netroots Nation, the organization of progressive activists online, held its annual convention in Phoenix. With 3,000 attending, it is the largest regular gathering of the left. Speakers included Democrat presidential candidates Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders, an avowed socialist who was right at home among that crowd. But instead of listening to them speak, hecklers yelled and interrupted them until both were forced to leave the stage.

O’Malley began his speech talking about the need for ending private prisons and income inequality. Ironically, even though he was speaking about an issue President Obama and black leftists care about, prison reform, about 30 protesters streamed into the auditorium, chanting “Black Lives Matter” and yelling, “What are you doing to stop the killing of black men?” The protesters stopped his speech, and one took over the microphone for 15 minutes.

A typical tweet from a Netroots Nation attendee. Who is white.


Read the rest of the article at Townhall

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Dr. Kelli Ward: It’s official, I’m running against John McCain!


KelliWard
Fellow Conservative,
It’s official. As you read this, I am in Lake Havasu announcing my campaign for the U.S. Senate!I’m ready to retire John McCain and give voters a fresh, courageous choice for new conservative leadership, and I hope you’ll join my effort. Together, we can disrupt the status quo and begin a new era of lower taxes, less spending, secure borders, and respect for the Constitution.I made this video for those of you who couldn’t be here tonight. Please take a minute to watch it. Tomorrow, we begin the fight to shake up Washington!
YouTube Preview Image
This campaign is just beginning, but it’s the support and encouragement of tens of thousands of Arizonans like you over the last few months that have made it possible.We can defeat McCain and the Beltway establishment. We can secure the border, balance the budget, and fully repeal ObamaCare. If we retire the out-of-touch Washington politicians like John McCain, we can stop Congress from doing government business in secret, like the “ObamaTrade” deal.If you send me to Washington, I won’t bow to the big-government lobbyists. I won’t surrender on our Constitution when the liberal politicians and judges try to re-write it. I will fight for our values, our country, and our Constitution.
But I can’t do it without you. I hope you join me and help fight to RETIRE McCain!
Sincerely,
WardSignature
Dr. Kelli Ward

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Andrew Thomas launches 'Empower the States Act' project on judicial activism with Selous Foundation

Andy Thomas meets with Vera Anderson of the Daisy Mountain Tea Party Patriots in Anthem, Arizona, where a resolution was passed on Tuesday to endorse the Selous Foundation’s “Restore the States Act.”

Empower the States Act

Overruling the Courts: How We End the Reign of Liberal Judges in 2016
By Andrew Thomas July 2015
Executive Summary
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage confirms, once again, that conservative efforts to end liberal judicial activism on major issues have failed. On matters that determine our quality of life and culture—immigration, criminal justice, abortion, marriage—the left enjoys clear mastery of the courts, and has for the last fifty years. To end this tyranny, Congress must use its power under Article III, section 2 of the Constitution to remove jurisdiction from the federal courts over these issues. This will allow the states and the people to decide these matters, restoring self-government on the issues that matter most.
Introduction
For the past half century, conservative political leaders have vowed to combat liberal judicial activism. These efforts, quite simply, have failed. Unelected liberal judges now effectively run America, making every ultimate policy decision—often in defiance of the will of the people. Unchecked liberal court rulings have subverted the Constitution, wreaking havoc on our national sovereignty and such bedrock institutions as the family and religious freedom. On the issues that determine our quality of life and culture—immigration, criminal justice, abortion, marriage—the left enjoys clear mastery of the courts and is seeking to mop up and fully implement their social agenda. Except for occasional “crumbs from the master’s table,” conservatives no longer can win in court on the issues that matter most.
To reverse this destructive trend and restore self-government, two things must happen. First, Congress must use its power under Article III, section 2 of the Constitution to remove jurisdiction from the federal courts over these issues. Second, conservative leaders and organizations must work together and insist that candidates for president and Congress in 2016 take a clear position on whether they support stripping the federal courts of this jurisdiction. Otherwise, candidates will continue to mislead conservative voters with often self-serving promises and tactics that, for a half century, have failed to turn the tide.
These jurisdiction-stripping measures would ensure, at a minimum, certain states can become “Faith and Family Networks.” There, people of faith may live in relative freedom from harassment until the courts and other institutions can be properly reformed.

Monday, July 6, 2015

SCOTUS Turns Down Former Rep. Rick Renzi’s Appeal of Legal Assault

A week ago the Supreme Court turned down an appeal from former Republican Congressman Rick Renzi, who began serving a three-year prison term in February. In 2006, a left-leaning U.S. Attorney in Arizona saw an opportunity to take out the popular, charismatic conservative Congressman by going after him over a confusing and complicated land deal. Renzi was an easy target because the facts were so complex there was little chance the general public would figure out how the law was being manipulated to selectively target him. This type of targeting has become a common pattern by the left; similar tactics were used against former House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, former Congressman Bob MacDonnell and a district attorney in Texas. Representing a swing district, once Renzi’s credibility was destroyed, it became easy to turn the seat over to a Democrat.

Renzi was found guilty on 17 counts of using his office for personal financial gain and taking $400,000 in corporate money from his family insurance business to fund his campaign. He was convicted of proposing a land swap deal in Congress to benefit a man who owed him money, so the man could afford to pay him back. It is true that he suggested The Aries Group purchase an alfalfa farm near Sierra Vista owned by James Sandlin, and he proposed legislation swapping out the land for copper-rich land owned by the federal government. The sale went through at fair market value, shortly after Sandlin paid Renzi $733,000. Sandlin was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

However, the government never provided any evidence that The Aries Group’s purchase of the property provided Sandlin with the money to pay Renzi back. The land swap legislation never went into effect. In fact, Sandlin paid off the debt in September 2005 with a loan he had taken out for $900,000. He did not receive the money from The Aries Group until October 2005, a month after he had repaid the debt, which he put into escrow.  Additionally, he had multiple properties he could have sold to repay the debt. He had been making regular payments on the debt since it originated over a handshake in 2003, and there was no indication whatsoever that he was going to discontinue payments. Perhaps most importantly, Renzi would not have received any benefit from the land swap. The land swap was simply not related to the debt.