01/17/12

Recall Vote for Wisconsin Gov. Walker May Spell End for Public Unions Nationwide

By: Jeffrey Klein, Political Buzz Examiner
Examiner.com

True to their word, labor union backed volunteers flooded the state of Wisconsin over the past months, attempting to attract enough signatures on the re-call petition for Governor Scott Walker, who, along with fellow Republicans took over power in the November 2010 mid-term elections.

We all remember the mainstream media anointed “courageous 14,” the Democrat lawmakers who, not wanting to take their own political medicine in the now Republican-controlled legislative chamber in Madison, fled their home state [employer] for a motel across the border in Illinois.

The plan, which they borrowed from their cowardly liberal brethren in Texas, who were the original architects of such a proud and character-filled action–was to prevent a legal quorum from being formed, to prevent Gov. Walker’s collective bargaining limitation legislation to be passed into law.

Democrats attempted to recall six Republican lawmakers last fall, whose forces turned the recall election tables on three Democrat lawmakers at the same time.

National labor unions spent the majority of the $35 million on the recall races, which was nearly double the $19.3 million that was spent on all of the 115 original 2010 contests combined. Even after filling the airwaves with fraudulent and scurrilous attack ads and provide “rent-a-mob” protesters where ever they were needed, only two of their six targets were unseated–leaving Republicans in charge.

At the same time they also managed to help the three ‘shell-shocked’ Democrats under a recall attack retain their seats.

Since then, Gov. Walker’s plans have produced a huge, factual bounty that is resonating greatly with voters all across the state. According to the figures Walker provided, as a rare interview guest on the Rush Limbaugh Show today, his first, most daunting challenge was the $3.2 billion budget shortfall that he faced upon entering office one year ago, which is now projected to be a $300 million budget surplus–with no public worker or teacher layoffs, and no increase in taxes.

Additionally, Wisconsin enjoyed the addition of 17,329 new jobs, some from companies leaving the ‘deathbed’ of neighboring Illinois, whose economy was skewered by the skyrocketing tax increases passed by their Democrat-dominated lame duck Congress in December 2010, causing many businesses to flee.

The first hurtle for union-led recall drive will be to have enough ‘legitimate’ signatures on the recall petitions, boxes of which were delivered to the State Capitol by the liberal group “United Wisconsin,” to meet the estimated 540,208 necessary, according to Mike Tobin’s FOXNews article today.

Fraud is already suspected, as testimony by elections officials during hearings late last year revealed that Mickey Mouse and Adolf Hitler had signed the petitions, and some others were found to have signed multiple times.

Evidently, Wisconsin law provides that any eligible voter, with a ‘valid’ Wisconsin address, may sign a petition, whether they are registered or not. So, the petitions will no doubt be overstocked with “Occupy” wherever 18 year olds and students to reach the mark–because nearly every registered, working and taxpaying adult voter in the state is quite happy with Gov. Walker’s performance.

These re-callers cannot even find a challenger to run against Gov. Walker.

As a startling punctuation to that, even Wisconsin’s two long time, high-profile, heavy-hitter Democrats, Rep. Herb Kohl and Sen. Russ Feingold, have declined the invitation, according to Tobin’s article.

Have they read the hand-writing on the wall?

We can only hope that the unions expend even more of their treasure in this contest, because even though it is expected to be held in early summer, if at all, the brave liberal Democrat soul who takes up the gauntlet against Scott Walker, will face the cold hard facts that fly in the face of the union attack ads last fall, which foretold mass public employee firings, children going without educations and a bankrupt state treasury.

Even outspoken state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, one of the original 14 lawmakers who fled Wisconsin for Illinois during the battle last winter, was uneasy in his answer to the question of facing off against Gov. Scott Walker, by saying … “I think I’d be a good governor, I think I’d be a great governor. I definitely think I can do that job…Can I defeat Governor Scott Walker right now? Given what happened over the past year, I don’t know.”

If the three ‘top guns’ in Wisconsin won’t participate in this union-funded political adventure, then labor unions are likely headed to the national endangered species list, from which even their environmentalist friends will not be able to save them.

Copyright (c) 2012 by Jeffrey Klein

01/17/12

Iran vs. Democracy and Human Rights

By: Sara Akrami and Saeed Ghasseminejad

Democratic governments function as role models for authoritarian regimes and provide freedom and dignity in different aspects of life for those citizens living under authoritarian states.

As long as the priority of democratic governments is the establishment of freedom and democracy rather than financial gain, then the roots of authoritarianism will gradually dissolve throughout the world, and equality and justice will replace authoritarianism.

Democratic governments can help oppressed people achieve their goals for democracy by pressuring the authoritarian governments in the international arena, by supporting democratic elections and referendums, and by offering financial and political help to opposition groups and social movements who work for regime change against these governments.

One of the most significant examples of authoritarian governance is in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite its inhumane and terrorist nature, it has remained in power for 32 years. The wrong policies of western countries, including the United States of America, especially under the Obama administration, have helped the Government of Iran remain in power and continue to not only violate the process of peacemaking in the Middle East but to also endanger the safety of the entire world.

Although it is true that Iran does hold elections, generally these elections are not free. While elections are one of the key indicators of democracies, democratic states should promote them in Iran where free and democratic elections are restricted. In this way, Iranian citizens with different political ideologies would be able to express their ideas through their votes and representatives.

Although the danger of fraud exists during elections in Iran, democratic governments can prevent this by sending international organizations to supervise the elections. If democratic governments are vigilant about the promotion of democracy in Iran, then the eventual outcome will be greater rights and freedoms. After the 2009 election in Iran, when thousands of dissidents of the government were protesting on the streets of various cities of Iran, the West missed its best chance to overthrow the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, Obama was sending amicable message to the ruthless supreme leader of Iran.

Another way that democratically organized states may force Iran to change its behaviour is isolation in the international arena. Since the Islamic Republic of Iran has the worst human rights record, democratic governments can pressure this regime into admissions about its human rights violations and reveal embarrassing truths about its policies and attract the attention of international organizations, such as Amnesty International and the United Nations that work to promote justice and freedom.

Once altered, these organizations can monitor human rights practices and try to keep torture and execution to a minimum. Consequently, when Amnesty International and the United Nations send their representatives to Iran for inspection and publicize the cases of violations against human rights to the whole world and attract the attention of individuals, the Islamic Republic of Iran will receive extreme pressure from the world and will stop practicing inhuman treatments against the Iranian citizens.

Also, the judiciary is used throughout the democratic world to uphold justice and ensure that every individual receives a fair trial. An international court, such as the International Court of Justice in Hague is a useful way to keep the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for their policies and actions.

Economic sanctions can be used to persuade the Islamic Republic of Iran to alter its behaviours as long as the Iranian citizens are not suffering because of these. Western countries which have oil-rich trading partners like Iran can impose a trade embargo on the regime and thereby pressure its leaders into adopting more democratic practices. In fact, a common response from democratic nations and the international business community is to sever economic ties with Iran.

A further approach that democratic governments can take toward Iran is to offer tangible and intangible support to the growing social movements and opposition groups who work for regime change. Since the most certain way to spread democracy in Iran is eliminating the regime rather than trying to reform it, political opposition groups and social movements play an important role.

When democratic governments support labour movements, women’s movements, student movements, and different opposition groups who truly work to achieve democracy and freedom for their country, Iranian citizens will be persuaded to join these groups for government change.

Consequently, when the vast majority of people show their objection to the current government through their demonstrations and other political activities, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice except to step down from the position of power. In other words, it is more effective when government change in Iran is brought about by the Iranian citizens rather than by military invasion of foreign powers.

Since the Iranian people have been forced to live out their lives under the tyranny of the Islamic Republic of Iran for 32 years, democratic nations of the West, including the United States need to take seriously their responsibility to promote fair human rights practices.

Democracies are well-positioned to improve human rights condition in authoritarian nations like Iran since they are able to promote the democratic model by setting excellent example and by offering support to social movements and opposition groups within these countries. Strong democratic role model that will encourage political change from within authoritarian regimes is more likely to bring about lasting political change than external military forces.

01/17/12

Simpson: Bureaucracy Killing U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

By: James Simpson
Gulag Bound

Gulag Bulletin: Are neo-Marxists Barack Obama and Leon Panetta killing wounded American soldiers and marines, by neglect?

The Washington Times, Monday, January 16, 2012

Political correctness keep Army medevac helicopters grounded

The U.S. military has developed the best system in the world for dealing with combat casualties. As medical technology has advanced, new methods of treatment have been developed, and the speed and efficiency of transport from the battlefield to essential medical services has greatly increased chances for combat wounded to survive. So it is particularly galling that with all these improvements, the U.S. Army has not similarly adjusted its regulations regarding deployment of medical evacuation (medevac) helicopters in combat zones to reflect the realities of modern warfare. It is bad enough that the Obama administration has imposed deadly rules of engagement to hobble the military. The U.S. Army has been racking up its own body count.

continues at The Washington Times