Thank You

I just logged into my YouTube account, and I received this private message entitled “Thank You”:

“I was on patrol with my medic crews working with a local police unit that Friday night of the OWS protest and I want to personally thank you for making our jobs easier. The ignorance of these protesters was evident in your video, but I hope they didn’t try to pick a fight or harass you like they did to many others who attended the summit. Thank you as well as the rest of the conservatives at the event for not fighting back, and for arguing your case verbally. People like you give me hope that there are civilized people who care about the well being of this country.”

This medic, who I will keep anonymous, is the one who deserves a resounding “thank you”. We should all do a better job thanking people who are working to provide medical care and keep the peace in chaotic situations (such as Occupy DC’s disruption on November 4).

VIDEO: Will Net Neutrality Save the Internet?

From the good folks over at Reason.TV: A video that explains the inaccurately named “net neutrality” initiative, and why it would be bad news for internet freedom. Watch it. Share it. Get the truth out.

More ‘Occupy’ Mischief and Mayhem

From San Diego: “Coffee cart owner Linda Jenson and hot dog cart operators Letty and Pete Soto said they initially provided free food and drink to demonstrators, but when they stopped, the protesters became violent.”

More from DC (with video): “After the attack she [the elderly woman] was taken to hospital with multiple injuries, a bloody nose which developed after the fall, and a large knot on her head. After x-rays and a CAT scan, she was released the following morning with cuts and large bruises.”

Some have claimed that pushing this woman wasn’t intentional, and that’s a possibility, but the fact remains that whenever OWS shows up, people get hurt. The environment that these demonstrators create is chaotic. Commonsense tells me that this lady wouldn’t have fallen down the stairs had Occupiers not been there in the first place, as the mob was surrounding her, causing confusion and obvious missed steps.

Also, check out this video to further discover the real Occupy DC:

UPDATE: Sex attacks, thefts and vandalism in New York City, and Portland mayor gives ‘Occupy’ deadline to pack up tent city

From the New York Post: “The NYPD has moved three elite Manhattan homicide detectives and a deputy chief to the raucous Occupy Wall Street protest in response to a rash of sex attacks, thefts and vandalism — including graffiti scrawled on the nearby 9/11 Memorial …”

From The Daily News: “Portland’s mayor on Thursday ordered Occupy Portland to take down its tent city on two adjacent downtown parks by midnight Saturday, saying conditions at the camp have become dangerous, unhealthy and a refuge for criminals.”

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…

Tuberculosis breaks out at Occupy Atlanta HQ

Man arrested for breaking EMT’s leg in Zuccotti Park

Fatal shooting at Burlington, Vermont camp

OWS Creates General Havoc, Disturbs Peace Outside of AFP Event

You have to give Occupy Wall Street some credit: They sure know how to disrupt peaceful events and create general public chaos.

This time, their target was the 5th annual Defending the American Dream Summit in Washington, DC, hosted by Americans for Prosperity Foundation. While we were in the middle of a tribute dinner to the life and legacy of Ronald Reagan—a staple of the summit since its inception—a young man bolted to his feet and interrupted keynote speaker Judge Andrew Napolitano’s arrival on stage. It was difficult to make sense of his diatribe, as he was quickly drowned out by the booing of conference attendees and hauled off by security detail.

I’m working on getting a better video, however, this is what I’ve got:

With a gracious gesture, Napolitano declared, “God bless the First Amendment,” and quoted Voltaire, who once so famously said, “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” And then he began his speech.

Not a moment after Napolitano finished, I received a text from Scott Nauman, producer of The Dave Elswick Show—a popular conservative radio program in central Arkansas. OWS protesters had laid siege to the conference center, and they were attempting to force their entry through the lobby’s front doors. I pulled my handy-cam out of my shoulder bag and promptly left the room. I had to go see this for myself.

I arrived downstairs and made my way to the doors. Understandably, security guards and AFP staff weren’t letting anyone get close, and I noticed that police outside had stopped the protesters from acting like the protagonists from a George A. Romero flick.

Here are the zombies in action before I got there (Thanks to Stacy McCain for posting this video. Check out his website at: TheOtherMcCain.com):

At some point soon, I’ll provide a breakdown of my footage, but here it is:

You’ll notice that I get into a discussion with one of the Occupiers regarding the 2008 economic downturn, and the bursting of the housing bubble that set it off. I didn’t get the opportunity to explain my full position to him—he kept cutting me off and changing the subject—but check out “The House That Uncle Sam Built” by the Foundation for Economic Education for the truth about what happened by clicking here.

Notes: Critical Condition: Your Health Care After the Takeover

Panelists:
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (VA)
Congressman Andy Harris (MD)
Betsy McCaughey (former Lt. Governor of NY)

McCaughey is speaking first.

“This Obama health law shreds your constitutional rights,” said McCaughey. “It forces you into a one-size-fits all health plan whether you want it or not. It emboldens the IRS to penalize you for not having a particular plan. There is no authority in the Constitution for this.”

“Do not be bamboozled by this corruption of science. You saw in it global warming with Climategate. Now we’re seeing Grannygate–the denial of services to the elderly in the name of ‘science’”.

“There are many ways to help the uninsured, and we’re going to. But Congress should have put this 2,7000 page bill in the paper shredder.”

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is up next.

“As government has been asked to do more, all it’s asked in return is to take a little bit more of your liberty,” said Cuccinelli. ”One of the biggest and most egregious examples of this is the federal health care bill signed by the president.”

Cuccinelli put it simply and truthfully: “The federal government cannot use the Commerce Clause to dictate that you must buy health insurance.”

“This monster of a bill is about health care. This lawsuit is about liberty,” said Cuccinelli. “I expect a decision by June 2012 one way or another.”

“When we don’t have enough politicians limiting the power of the federal government, it is up to state attorneys general to push back.”

“The disdain for the rule of law exists across this administration.”

Congressman Andy Harris is now speaking.

“America has figured out that Obamacare is just a proxy for the Tea Party versus Socialism struggle in this country.”

“They want to tell you what you can eat. They want to tell you where you can live. They want to tell you where you can work. That’s what Solyndra was all about. And Obamacare strikes directly at one of your most precious rights–your right to life.”

“Obamacare forces me to treat a patient like a widget–like a diagnosis code.”

“We want the whole law to go down.”

Harris talked about what he thinks we should do to improve health care:
1) “We should allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines.”
2) “Health insurance should be deductible for the individual like it is for employers.”
3) “We have to promote transparency in health care costs.”
4) “We need medical liability reform.”

Notes: Protecting the Free-Market Internet

For the first breakout session of the day, I chose to attend Protecting the Free-Market Internet with Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

Blackburn says that, next week, the Senate is probably going to bring up the Senate resolution of disapproval regarding the FCC taking over the internet. House resolution has already passed.

“I do not think the federal government should be in the business of assigning priority and value to content,” said Blackburn. “That should be between you and your internet provider.”

She continued by talking about how she and her Republican colleagues are committed to protecting free speech, individual freedom, and voluntary exchange on the internet.

Phil Kerpen, Vice President of Policy for AFP Foundation, asked, “What do you think is the right approach to privacy protection?” Blackburn said, “The right approach is going to be for the industry to take the lead on this–to establish the best practices.”

A woman from the crowd asked, “Does there need to be any regulation of any kind of the internet?” Blackburn responded: “That’s a great question. We need to make sure that we put the parameters there to make sure it does stay free. What we are fighting now, the reason why we’re trying to fight net neutrality, is because the agencies have stepped in to take power that they don’t have. They have overstepped their boundaries. We need to step back in and reestablish those boundaries.”

A man asked, “What is neutral about the internet right now? Isn’t it neutral right now without the regulation?” Blackburn believes that the internet is currently working just fine, saying, “This is actually one of those situations where you can say the status quo has worked.”

Blackburn concluded her remarks by emphasizing just how important internet freedom is. “We know that when the federal government decides that they’re going to take control of something, you’re going to lose something in the future. We do not want to stifle innovation because we know that innovation leads to job creation.”

Congresswoman Blackburn had to leave early to cast some House votes.

Phil Kerpen, Seton Motley with Less Government, and David Quinalty with the Senate Commerce Committee, are continuing the conversation that Blackburn started.

“The leftists saw the Tea Party and didn’t know how to stop this,” said Motley. He drove home the point that ‘net neutrality’ is about suppression of dissenting opinions.

Later, Motley discussed the broader issue of protecting individual rights. “The Constitution protects our rights–the right to life, liberty and property. Leftists and Marxists want free access to your life, liberty and property.”

VIDEO: Rep. Linda Collins-Smith Switches Parties

Today at 10:45 a.m., the Republican Party of Arkansas held a press conference at the State Capitol Building and announced that Rep. Linda Collins-Smith, a Democrat representing House District 80, would be switching to the GOP. Check out a video of the press conference below, courtesy of my Droid.

Insurance Commissioner Supports Planned Parenthood

There has never been much doubt that Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford is pro-abortion. If questions  about his position lingered, they were answered—undeniably— during the last legislative session. Bradford  strongly opposed (and played a part in defeating) a bill by Sen. Cecile Bledsoe (R-Rogers), SB113, which  would have prevented taxpayers from subsidizing abortions in Arkansas’ state-run health insurance  exchanges. As you know, these exchanges are being mandated under Obamacare, and without a bill like  SB113, the likelihood of public funds paying for abortions in our state is almost a certainty.

Obama Vs. Obama

Back in 2007, Sen. Barack Obama said, “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” Oh, what a difference a few years and sitting in the Oval Office make.

On the Verge of Tears: Causey Concedes in AR-1

They said it could not be done. “Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District will always be Democrat,” they said. They were wrong. Tonight, retired Congressman Marion Berry’s former chief of staff, Chad Causey, has conceded to Tea Party-backed conservative candidate, Rick Crawford.

Amazing.