Pelosi Tells Illegal Immigrants That Work Site Raids are Un-American

The speaker of the House told a group of both legal and illegal immigrants recently that enforcement of immigration laws in the United States is "un-American."....

Army Investigating How and Why Troops Were Sent Into Alabama Town After Murder Spree

By Pete Winn

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Army has launched an inquiry into how and why active duty troops from Fort Rucker, Ala., came to be placed on the streets of Samson, Ala., during last week's murder spree in that tiny South Alabama community. The use of the troops was a possible violation of federal law.

“On March 10, after a report of an apparent mass murder in Samson, Ala., 22 military police soldiers from Fort Rucker, Ala., along with the provost marshal, were sent to the city of Samson,” Harvey Perritt, spokesman for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Va., told CNSNews.com on Monday.

“The purpose for sending the military police, the authority for doing so, and what duties they performed is the subject of an ongoing commander’s inquiry--directed by the commanding general of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Gen. Martin Dempsey.”

TRADOC is the headquarters command for Ft. Rucker.

“In addition to determining the facts, this inquiry will also determine whether law, regulation and policy were followed,” Perritt added. “Until those facts are determined, it would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further.”

Jim Stromenger, a dispatcher at the Samson Police Department, confirmed the MP’s presence in the town, telling CNSNews.com that the troops “came in to help with traffic control and to secure the crime scene”--and the department was glad for the help.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls,” Stromenger said. “They weren’t here to police, let me make that clear. They were here to help with traffic and to control the crime scene--so people wouldn’t trample all over (it).”

Stromenger said the town needed help--calls had gone out to all police departments in the area.

“We only have a five-man police department,” he told CNSNews.com. “We had officers from all surrounding areas helping out. There were a lot of streets to be blocked off and there had to be someone physically there to block them off. That’s what these MPs were doing. I don’t think they were even armed. The troops helped keep nosy people away.”

But Stromenger said it wasn’t the Samson Police Department that called for the troops.

“I don’t know who called Fort Rucker. But someone did. They wouldn’t have been able to come if someone hadn’t,” he added.

Under Whose Authority?

The troops were apparently not deployed by the request of Alabama Gov. Bob Riley -- or by the request of President Obama, as required by law.

When contacted by CNSNews.com, the governor’s office could not confirm that the governor had requested help from the Army, and Gov. Riley's spokesman, Todd Stacy, expressed surprise when he was told that troops had been sent to the town.

No request from President Obama, meanwhile, was issued by the White House--or the Defense Department.

Wrongful use of federal troops inside U.S. borders is a violation of several federal laws, including one known as the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, Title 18, Section 1385 of the U.S. Code.

“Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both,” the law states.

David Rittgers, legal policy analyst at the Cato Institute, said there are other laws barring use of federal troops outside of federal property, as well.

“Title 18, Section 375 of the U.S. Code is a direct restriction on military personnel, and it basically precludes any member of the army in participating in a ‘search, seizure, arrest or other similar activity, unless participation is otherwise authorized by law,’ “ Rittgers told CNSNews.com.

“The security of a crime scene is something I think that would roll up in the category of a ‘search, seizure or other activity,’” Rittgers added.

In addition, there is the Insurrection Act of 1808, as amended in 2007, (Title 10, Section 331 of the U.S. Code) under which the president can authorize troops “to restore order and enforce the laws of the United States” in an insurrection.

“Whenever there is an insurrection in any State against its government, the President may, upon the request of its legislature or of its governor if the legislature cannot be convened, call into federal service such of the militia of the other States, in the number requested by that State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary to suppress the insurrection,” the law states.

In 2007, Congress expanded the list to include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or other condition” as situations for which the president can authorize troops, provided that “domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that the constituted authorities of the state or possession are incapable of maintaining public order.”

Congress has been clear that the use of U.S. troops for civilian police purposes is forbidden.

“One of the statutes explicitly says that military brigs can’t even be used to detain domestic criminals,” Rittgers said. “It really is supposed to be a black and white line.”

The U.S. Department of Justice, meanwhile, would have prosecuting authority, if any violation is deemed to have occurred. The Justice Department did not comment for this story.

Ft. Rucker, located in Southern Alabama, is the home of Army Aviation.

Obama Wants to Disarm U.S. Pilots

By: David A. Patten

The Obama administration is taking steps quietly to shut down the program that qualifies commercial airline pilots to carry firearms in jetliner cockpits in order to ward off another 9/11-type attack.

The administration recently diverted $2 million from a program to train and certify pilots to carry firearms safely while on duty. Instead, it is using the money to hire additional field inspectors to help discipline pilots who step out of line, according to a report in Tuesday’s Washington Times.

A Times editorial condemned the Obama administration's action, calling it “completely unnecessary harassment of the pilots.”

Since Obama took office, the approval process for certifying pilots to carry firearms has ground to a halt, the newspaper reports. Pilots are afraid to speak out about the behind-the-scenes maneuverings, for fear of retaliation, according to the newspaper. No cases have been reported in which pilots have brandished a weapon inappropriately or otherwise abused their eligibility to carry firearms.

About 12,000 pilots have been authorized to carry handguns while flying aircraft as part of the Federal Flight Deck Officers Program. Congress authorized the program in a 310-to-113 vote following the 9/11 attacks to help prevent terrorists from turning jetliners into flying bombs that could be used to attack key sites like the White House, the Pentagon, or Capitol Hill.

Paul Valone, a Second Amendment advocate who directs Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC.org), is calling for citizens to contract their congressional representatives to protest the administration’s anti-gun priorities.

Pilots are already required to pay for their own room and board during training, and use paid leave for the time they’re off the job. Every six months, the program requires them to be requalified for firearm use.

Valone writes on Examiner.com: “While bureaucrats . . . may have attempted to hamstring the program with burdensome requirements, training instructors and the Federal Air Marshals who now oversee the program routinely thank the FFDOs for their professionalism and dedication in protecting the nation’s air commerce against terrorism.”

Valone says the Obama administration is “dismantling yet another layer of defense against terrorism and defying the will of the American people.”

Since coming to power, the Obama administration has undertaken a series of moves that signal a major de-emphasis of programs enacted to keep America’s homeland safe from terrorist attack:

Obama’s choice for U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, labeled enhanced interrogation techniques as outright “torture” during his Senate confirmation hearings. Obama banned waterboarding and ordered CIA interrogators to abide by U.S. Army Field Manual regulations. He selected Clinton-era political operative Leon Panetta to serve as his CIA director. Panetta’s qualifications to run the agency have been questioned widely. Obama announced that he would shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba within one year, raising the prospect of hardened terrorists entering the U.S. criminal justice system, or worse, being released to rejoin al-Qaida. He indicated the U.S. defense budget would be sharply reduced. He has sent a letter to Russian leaders, apparently offering to back off on the ballistic missile defense system that would protect Europe from Iran and North Korea. These and other Obama administration moves recently prompted former vice president Dick Cheney to charge that Obama is returning to the Clinton-era view of terrorism as a law enforcement issue. "Now he's made some choices that in my mind raise the risk to the American people of another attack," Cheney said of Obama on CNN's "State of the Union" program. The Washington Times points out that about 70 percent of airline pilots have military backgrounds. With airport screening less than 100 percent effective, it states, armed pilots provide a second layer of defense. “Only anti-gun extremists and terrorist recruits are worried about armed pilots,” the newspaper editorial says.

Focus on Individualism Creates MBA "Monsters"?

By Stacy Blackman

Business schools have created the crisis we’re in, says Dr. Peggy Cunningham, the new director of the School of Business Administration at Dalhousie University, Canada, in an interview published in Monday’s Globe and Mail. Having left a tenured position at Queen’s University, Cunningham wants to restructure the Dalhousie business school program around a core concept of responsible leadership.

In a Q&A with reporter Gordon Pitts, Cunningham lays out the problems as she sees them, and offers a new vision for future business leaders. Here are some nuggets from their conversation:

• Business school have created monsters.
  

Too much focus on individual success and competition between companies makes people forget that they’re part of a larger social system to which they are accountable. As Cunningham says:

Business schools have to take a very hard look at themselves to see the kind of people we are graduating and take our responsibility very much to heart in terms of the models we use to graduate these people.

• Wanting to get rich is fine, but it’s not sustainable as a sole motivation.

‘Greed is good’ may have been Gordon Gekko’s motto in the hit movie “Wall Street”, but Cunningham says, “If what it takes to make one person rich is to make two-thirds of the rest of the world poor, I don’t think that’s a sustainable model.”

• Turning out more public administration grads is not necessarily the answer.
  

Citing the eight-year lag between the entrenchment of the Internet and the first legislation to protect online privacy, Cunningham is skeptical about the government’s ability to take the lead in new technologies. “Even though I might be very critical of business, business is going to be the engine that drives new technologies that will make business itself more sustainable.”

MBA programs everywhere have begun an era of introspection. Last week, the Wharton School announced that the keynote speaker for MBA commencement will be Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. More and more, business school programs are eager to point out that entrepreneurship can be about more than merely making money.

Feds undercut ammo supply

But Defense policy reversed after intervention by 2 Montana senators
By Drew Zahn

Responding to two Democratic senators representing outraged private gun owners, the Department of Defense announced last night it has scrapped a new policy that would deplete the supply of ammunition by requiring destruction of fired military cartridge

brass.

The policy already had taken a bite out of the nation's stressed ammunition supply, leaving arms dealers scrambling to find ammo for private gun owners.

Mark Cunningham, a legislative affairs representative with the Defense Logistics Agency, explained in an e-mail last night to the office of Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., that the Department of Defense had placed small arms cartridge cases on its list of sensitive munitions items as part of an overall effort to ensure national security is not jeopardized in the sale of any Defense property.

The small arms cases were identified as a senstive item and were held pending review of policy, he said.

"Upon review, the Defense Logistics Agency has determined the cartridge cases could be appropriately placed in a category of government property allowing for their release for sale," Cunningham wrote.

The Defense Department liaison was responding to a letter yesterday to the Defense Logistic Agency's Vice Admiral Alan S. Thompson from Tester and fellow Montana Democrat Sen. Max Baucus. The senators argued "prohibiting the sale of fired military brass would reduce the supply of ammunition – preventing individual gun owners from fully exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. We urge you to address this situation promptly."

Learn here why it's your right -- and duty -- to be armed.

One of the companies that brought attention to the issue is Georgia Arms, which for the last 15 years has been purchasing fired brass casings from the Department of Defense and private government surplus liquidators. The military collects the discarded casings from fired rounds, then sells them through liquidators

to companies like Georgia Arms that remanufacture the casings into ammunition for the law enforcement and civilian gun owner communities.

But earlier this month, Georgia Arms received a canceled order, informed by its supplier that the government now requires fired brass casings be mutilated, in other words, destroyed to a scrap metal state.

The policy change, handed down from the Department of Defense through the Defense Logistics Agency, cut a supply leg out from underneath ammunition manufacturers.

The policy compelled Georgia Arms to cancel all sales of .223 and .308 ammunition, rounds used, respectively, in semi-automatic and deer hunting rifles, until further notice. Sharch Manufacturing, Inc. had announced the same cancellation of its .223 and .308 brass reloading components.

"They just reclassified brass to allow destruction of it, based on what?" Georgia Arms owner Larry Haynie asked WND. "We've been 'going green' for the last dozen years, and brass is one of the most recyclable materials out there. A cartridge case can be used over and over again. And now we're going to destroy it based on what? We don't want the civilian public to have it? It's a government injustice."

As WND reported, firearm sales have spiked since the election of a perceived anti-gun president, and Americans stockpiling bullets have produced a stressed ammunition market.

The Orlando Sentinel reports months of steady, heavy buying have left gun dealers in Florida facing shortages of ammunition.

"The survivalist in all of us comes out," John Ritz, manager of a Florida shooting range, told the Sentinel. "It's more about protecting what you have."

"People are just stockpiling," said a spokeswoman for Georgia Arms, which has seen bullet sales jump 100 percent since the election. "A gun is just like a car. If you can't get gas, you can't use it."

WND contacted the Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Defense's largest combat support agency, several times seeking comment or explanation for the policy change but received none.

The National Rifle Association confirmed to WND that the DLA had been instructed to require the scrapping of the brass casings but declined further comment.

Other gun advocates, however, sounded off on the issue, eyeing the change in government policy with suspicion and filling the blogosphere with speculation that the effects of the policy change may be deliberate.

"It is an end-run around Congress. They don't need to try to ban guns – they don't need to fight a massive battle to attempt gun registration, or limit 'assault' weapon sales," writes firearm instructor and author Gordon Hutchinson on his The Shootist blog. "Nope. All they have to do is limit the amount of ammunition available to the civilian market, and when bullets dry up, guns will be useless."

A writer named Owen at the Boots & Sabers blog suspected the policy change was an effort by an anti-gun administration to raise the cost of ammunition.

"This policy didn't come out of the blue," wrote Owen. "The Commander in Chief is clearly sending a message to gun owners that they should be paying more for ammunition. If he can't do it through regulatory action, he'll do it by forcing ammunition manufacturers to spend more on production."

Hutchinson reports Georgia Arms was manufacturing over 1 million rounds of .223 ammunition every month, but without the ability to purchase expended military ammunition, the company might have been forced to lay off up to half its workforce.

Fed to Buy Treasurys, Expand Balance Sheet

(Compiler's note: Must read -- If I understand this correctly in order to try and preclude a “depression” the Feds have implemented the “last line of defense” for our nation’s economic security. They are borrowing $$ from ourselves to pay ourselves. This is taking $$ from one pocket and putting it into the other pocket.

This solution has never before worked in the world’s history. Historically, it has lead to a complete collapse of a country’s financial system. In an effort to stop a depression, if not done exactly correct, it will lead to hyper-inflation. (trunk full of dollars to buy a loaf of bread).

If this bubble breaks there is no other workable solution. This decision will decide our economic future and that of out children --- and our elected officials fiddle.)

By JON HILSENRATH and BRIAN BLACKSTONE

The Federal Reserve ramped up its efforts to resuscitate the sagging economy, saying it would purchase up to $300 billion of long-term U.S. Treasury securities in the next few months and hundreds of billions of dollars more in mortgage-backed securities.

By buying long-term government bonds and mortgage-backed securities, officials hope to push up their prices and bring down their yields, and thereby energize the economy. Interest rates on many corporate bonds and consumer loans are benchmarked to U.S. Treasury debt. (Read the Fed's statement.)

The move was a bold statement of force from the central bank, which during months of internal debate on the issue had been hesitant to begin buying long-term government bonds as the Bank of England recently began to do.

The Fed action underscores the central bank's ability to move aggressively to combat the financial crisis without any action by Congress, an important attribute at a time when the political firestorm ignited by bonuses made to employees of American International Group Inc. Other rescue efforts have made Congress hostile to approved any more taxpayer money.

Prices on U.S. Treasury bonds soared on the news and the yield fell sharply. Yields on 10year treasury notes dropped. Stock prices also rose sharply and the dollar sank.

The Fed's steps came against a gloomy economic backdrop. "Job losses, declining equity and housing wealth, and tight credit conditions have weighed on consumer sentiment and spending," the Fed said in a statement after its two-day meeting. "Weaker sales prospects and difficulties in obtaining credit have led businesses to cut back on inventories and fixed investment. U.S. exports have slumped as a number of major trading partners have also fallen into recession"

The Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed's policy making arm, voted 10-0 to hold the target federal-funds rate for interbank lending in a range between zero and 0.25% and to continue using credit programs financed by an expansion of the Fed's balance sheet to stabilize markets. Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker, who dissented in January, went along this time. He had wanted the Fed to focus on buying Treasury purchases as opposed to targeting its lending on various corners of the credit markets. The discount rate that the Fed charges on direct loans to banks was unchanged at 0.5%.

With rates near zero, the Fed is now essentially printing money to increase the supply of credit in the economy.

The Fed said will buy up to $300 billion in long-term Treasurys over next six months. The purchases of mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will push the maximum to as $1.25 trillion, up from the previous $750 billion. The Fed also said it would increase the size of its potential purchases of the mortgage giants' debt to $200 billion from $100 billion.

The Fed's strategy appears to be to double down on the programs that it thinks work. In addition to commercial paper and money market mutual fund facilities, which appear to have stabilized those sectors, Mr. Bernanke has repeatedly highlighted the decline in mortgage rates in response to the agency and mortgage-backed securities facilities, calling it one of the "green shoots" evident in some markets.

By expanding its securities purchase programs, the Fed also is effectively ramping up efforts they can control. The commercial paper program and a new consumer lending program that commences Thursday are driven by how much demand there is in the markets.

Demand has waned for the commercial paper program in recent weeks, a sign that market is returning to health. Meantime, the new consumer lending program the Term Asset Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF, has gotten off to a slow start.

The U.S. economy is expected by economists to decline at an annual rate of 5% or more in the current quarter. It plunged at a 6.2% rate in the fourth quarter of 2008, the steepest in a quarter century. The economy is now shedding more than 650,000 jobs per month, pushing the unemployment rate to 25-year highs. One nugget of good news is that consumer spending figures signaled some stabilization since the start of the year.

Gitmo Detainees Morph from ‘Enemy Combatants’ to ‘Islamist Community Organizers’

by Pam Meister

The news released last Friday – Friday being a popular day to dump negative or unpopular news because most Americans are thinking ahead to the weekend – was that detainees at Guantanamo Bay are no longer to be referred to as “enemy combatants:”

The Obama administration stopped calling Guantanamo inmates "enemy combatants" on Friday and incorporated international law as its basis for holding the prisoners while it works to close the facility.

The U.S. Justice Department filed court

papers outlining a further legal and linguistic shift from the anti-terrorism policies of Republican President George W. Bush, which drew worldwide condemnation as violations of human rights and international law.

"As we work toward developing a new policy to govern detainees, it is essential that we operate in a manner that strengthens our national security, is consistent with our values, and is governed by law," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

Finally, a president who takes international law into account when considering the sovereignty and safety of American citizens! What’s good for, say, Germany, must be good for America, right? Especially when it comes to Germany’s milquetoastattempts to stem radical Islam in that nation. As Obama said in his official address to Berlin…er, speech by a private citizen during the campaign last July, “Ich bin ein Berliner!” I had no idea he would take his own rhetoric so seriously.

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum, however: European leaders may like the fact that Obama is planning on closing what Rush Limbaugh calls Club Gitmo, but they aren’t rushing to take the enemy combatants (since I don’t work for the government, I can get away with calling them by their rightful names) off of our hands, either. So much for the improved relations with European bureauweenies once The One™ replaced the cowboy.

I am curious to know what Attorney General Eric Holder meant, though, when he talked about how we should “govern detainees.” Since when are people suspected of killing or plotting to kill American citizens at home and abroad in the name of Islamic Jihad to be governed? Perhaps he meant to say “control detainees.” His boss must have been using the teleprompter that day.

But wait, there’s more:

The filing on Friday, in the cases of some 200 Guantanamo inmates seeking a court review of their detention, explains the standards of President Barack Obama's administration for holding terrorism suspects without court review.

It said those at Guantanamo will no longer be held on the exclusive basis of the president's authority as commander in chief.

On his radio show last Friday evening, Mark Levin wondered:

“If the commander in chief of the armed forces can’t use the phrase ‘enemy combatant’ because he needs Congress to tell him it’s okay, or he needs some international law from the Hague or somewhere to tell him it’s okay, what the hell is that? Now, the guy’s power hungry when it comes to controlling domestic affairs, and when it comes to foreign affairs he can’t wait to give the executive’s power away?”

That’s a good question. But as Andrew McCarthy points out, the administration had to be seen as doing something to appease the far-left base that helped sweep Obama into office:

Obama wants to have the advantage of — and take credit for the security provided by — the Bush post-9/11 policies. However, he has a rabid left-wing base that rejects the notion that there is a war and wants terrorism returned to the courts (and by the way, if/when that happens, that base will immediately go back to arguing that the court proceedings are inherently unfair, which is what it did for the eight years before 9/11). Throughout the campaign, Obama stirred this base — which consequently voted in droves for him — by trashing the policies he now wants to leave in place. So now he is in a quandary: "How do I keep these policies while preventing a revolt from these crazy people — er, I mean, my voters?"

[…]

Essentially, we're no longer going to call our captives "enemy combatants" ... but we're still going to detain people without trial, and Obama claims the unilateral authority to decide who gets detained.

In other words, having seen what’s actually at stake, Obama doesn’t want to act too rashly, but he has to keep stirring up batches of fresh Kool Aid for the faithful until he can figure out what the heck he’s doing. And whether he really knows what he’s doing is questionable at best, considering the success of the first 50 or so days in office.

We still don’t know what the Obama administration plans to call these detainees. Here are a few suggestions:

• Undocumented freedom fighters (shamelessly stolen from Andrew McCarthy)
• American citizens-in-waiting
• Members of Michael Moore’s fan club
• Islamist community organizers

Regardless of the real intention behind this change in wording, how is such public wishy washiness to be viewed by our enemies? Let’s look at some of the highlights thus far:

• Obama’s weak national security picks
• Obama wrote a mash note to the Russians begging for help with Iran. In exchange, he’ll throw Poland and the Czech Republic under the bus.
• Obama plans to decrease military spending by 25%

Somehow, I don’t think the Russians, the Iranians, the Chinese and other assorted terror entities are quaking in their boots. In fact, I think I hear champagne flutes clinking.

I saw a t-shirt with Obama’s face on it that said “Welcome Back Carter.” Slap on a cardigan and he’s just about there. Can our nation’s security afford what some are calling the second Carter administration? My guess is no. But I hope I’m wrong.

Research Center's Role Faces Scrutiny

By Carol D. Leonnig

Advice From Murtha Allies Guided Funding Requests, Documents Show

A Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) as it collected nearly $250 million in federal funding through the lawmaker, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and sources familiar with the funding requests. The center then channeled a significant portion of the funding to companies that were among Murtha's campaign supporters.

The two advisers included a lobbyist for PMA Group, a firm with close ties to Murtha that is the subject of a federal investigation into whether it made illegal contributions by reimbursing donors to the Pennsylvania lawmaker and other members of Congress. The Electro-Optics Center also relied on advice from a longtime Murtha friend who now works on the congressman's appropriations staff.

Federal agents are also exploring how the center obtained its funds after they received dozens of internal documents last year. It is unclear whether the records have become a central focus of the Justice Department's probe, but they open a window into a largely hidden process in which powerful lawmakers can direct funds to pet projects.

The Electro-Optics Center, created by Murtha a decade ago under the auspices of Pennsylvania State University, was envisioned as a way to spur a new high-tech industry and create jobs in economically depressed western Pennsylvania. Last year, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh received a packet of budget materials, memos and e-mails from inside the center documenting how closely its managers conferred with PMA about the best ways to get its projects funded in the federal budget, according to two sources familiar with the information.

The center was supposed to help contractors in researching laser and optics technology to improve products for the military, and center officials said contractors were supposed to benefit from some of the federal funds.

Unlike in traditional earmarks -- funding for specific projects publicly requested by members of Congress -- most of the money for the center came through a budget maneuver known as a "plus-up." The process for this kind of earmark allows lawmakers to add money to an existing program in the budget without public disclosure. The center sought $120 million in this type of money for itself and other companies in 2006 alone, according to the records.

Several of the center's partners hired PMA for lobbying. In the 2008 budget, PMA clients received $299 million in defense earmarks through Murtha and other lawmakers. PMA and its clients gave $775,000 in contributions to Murtha in the last election cycle.

A PMA lobbyist and a close associate of Murtha's helped make many key decisions about what research and which contractors would get the federal money flowing to the center, according to the documents.

Typically, the center's director, Karl Harris, worked with the lobbyist to prepare funding wish lists, which were described in some of the records as "requests for Mr. Murtha to carry." The requests were sent to the congressman's staff, according to the records. The lists detailed how much, and where in the budget, money should be added for projects desired by the center and the contractors.

According to center records and two sources, Harris consulted regularly on the center's overall funding requests with the two men he jokingly referred to in the office as his "handlers": the PMA lobbyist, Daniel Cunningham, and Murtha friend Charlie T. Horner. Cunningham, who golfed with Murtha and occasionally drove him home to Pennsylvania from Washington, was part of the lobbying firm formed by former Murtha aide Paul Magliocchetti. Horner, a former veteran and Defense Department official, was a paid consultant for Electro-Optics, as well as for Lockheed Martin.

Harris did not return calls, but his staff referred questions to Penn State. Edward Liszka, the university's head of defense-related research, said the university was very involved in reviewing the center's research work and doubts that a PMA lobbyist played any significant role. The university receives a percentage of the center's research funds for administration, and Liska said that is a routine arrangement for academic institutions.

Patrick Dorton, a PMA spokesman, said Cunningham occasionally consulted with Harris to provide correct information about PMA clients.

The records show how the center planned to distribute money it received for some research projects. For a $2.5 million optical sensor project, for example, $1.8 million would be split between Boeing-SVS and Kuchera Industries. Kuchera, a Windber, Pa., company that has received $50 million in earmarks from Murtha, is a focus of the ongoing federal investigation, according to sources familiar with the probe. Company representatives have said Kuchera will not comment on the investigation.

Thomas Spellissy, a former Defense Department budget official who once worked as a consultant for Optical Systems Technology Inc., one of the companies that received funding through Electro-Optics, said he regularly fielded Murtha's requests for "plus-ups" when he was at the Defense Department. The vast majority, he said, were good projects that helped U.S. troops in the field. In some cases, however, this type of earmark wastes money, he said, but it was not feasible for him to turn them down.

"A staffer for a congressman says, 'I need you to accept this money for sensors, a couple million,' " Spellissy said. "If I said no, he can turn around and say I won't support you on this other thing you really want. I could say no -- then his boss calls the general to complain about me."

"Mr. Cunningham's review of the requests compiled by the EO Center was intended to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information pertaining to the projects for which PMA clients were seeking funding consideration," Dorton said. Matt Mazonkey, a spokesman for Murtha's office, said the EOC has received no earmarks since Horner joined Murtha's staff last spring. He declined to comment on how the center received its funding but said the congressman is proud of its work.

"The Penn State Electro-Optics Center has created an alliance of over 350 companies and universities that the government can quickly tap to rapidly respond to emerging needs within electro-optics," he said. "This successful partnership has saved the Defense Department over $1 billion in just the past few years."

Liszka also cited the savings for the government and called the center "a leader in electro-optics technology."

Each year, Harris prepared long spreadsheets that included detailed descriptions of desired projects and how they should be funded in the budget -- which line item, through which federal department and the specific dollar amount, the records show. The documents also described whether the center or a defense company would receive the funding, and gave the name and number of the Defense Department budget official the center should contact to make sure the money was delivered.

The requests for funding for specific contractors often highlighted the company's lobbying firm. The names of PMA lobbyists and contact numbers, for example, are noted next to requests for three of the companies.

In addition to the $80 million the center requested for itself in 2006, it submitted $40 million in projects described as "company requests of Mr. Murtha via the EOC" -- corporate funds that were to come first to the center. Of that, $30 million was listed to benefit Northrop Grumman, mostly to support its work on aviator night-vision goggles.

Northrop Grumman spokesman Randy Belote said his company had partnered with the EOC in some night-vision research but had not asked any lawmakers for funding for the projects.

A Victory for Marine LtCol Chessani

ANN ARBOR, MI – Late this morning, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals sitting in Washington DC, released their unanimous decision upholding the dismissal of charges against Marine Lt. Col Jeffrey Chessani on the grounds of apparent Unlawful Command Influence. But the case may not be over yet.

For the last four years, LtCol Chessani has been investigated and prosecuted for his involvement in the so called “Haditha Massacre” – a massacre that never happened. A 22-year veteran, Chessani has served three tours of duty in Iraq. He served in the First Persian Gulf War and in Panama. At the time of the November 19, 2005 Haditha incident, he was the Battalion Commander of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (“The Thundering Third”) – one of the most decorated units in the history of the Marine Corps.

Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, observed, “LtCol Chessani, one of the most effective combat commanders we had in Iraq, was a made political scapegoat by the civilians in the Pentagon to appease the antiwar politicians and a liberal media. In fact, we now know that the story of the ‘massacre’ that prompted the Haditha prosecutions was a headline in a Time news article instigated by insurgent propaganda operatives.”

Continued Thompson, “This nation has come to the point where we can’t call terrorists captured on the battlefield ‘enemy combatants.’ We release the terrorists out of Guantanamo and prosecute the military our country placed in harms’ way to defend us.”
Robert Muise, an attorney with the Law Center, a national public interest law firm, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, argued the case on behalf of LtCol Chessani. The Law Center has been defending LtCol Chessani throughout his prosecution alongside his detailed Marine lawyers, LtCol John Shelburne and Captain Jeff King. Captain Kyle Kilian, a Marine appellate defense lawyer, also assisted in the appeal.

LtCol Chessani is the highest ranking officer facing criminal charges as a result of the much-publicized and ill-described “Haditha massacre.” The criminal charges against him stem from a legitimate combat action taken by four enlisted Marines in his command after they were ambushed by insurgents in Haditha, Iraq, on November 19, 2005. Their actions resulted in the deaths of several ambushing insurgents. Unfortunately and tragically, several civilians were also killed in the house-clearing operation.

Even though LtCol Chessani wasn’t present during the incident, he was criminally charged with failing to launch a full investigation into the incident. If convicted, he faces 2 ½ years imprisonment, dismissal from the Corps, and loss of all of his retirement pay.

The essential holding of the military appellate court was as follows: “We are convinced the Government failed to meet its burden of demonstrating, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the proceedings were untainted by the appearance of UCI (Unlawful Command Influence). We are similarly convinced that an objective, disinterested observer, fully informed of all the facts and circumstances, would harbor significant doubt about the fairness of this proceeding.”

This decision could be appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) and then even to the U.S. Supreme Court. The government has yet to announce whether it will pursue another appeal.

The Thomas More Law Center defends America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.

The American Legion Strongly Opposed to President's Plan to Charge Wounded Heroes for Treatment

Contact: Craig Roberts of The American Legion, +1-202-263-2982 Office, +1-202-406-0887 Cell

WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America's veterans!"

Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group's early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, " There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran's personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable."

Commander Rehbein reiterated points made last week in testimony to both House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees. It was stated then that The American Legion believes that the reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate that VA treat service-connected injuries and disabilities given that the United States government sends members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies. The proposed requirement for these companies to reimburse the VA would not only be unfair, says the Legion, but would have an adverse impact on service-connected disabled veterans and their families. The Legion argues that, depending on the severity of the medical conditions involved, maximum insurance coverage limits could be reached through treatment of the veteran's condition alone. That would leave the rest of the family without health care benefits. The Legion also points out that many health insurance companies require deductibles to be paid before any benefits are covered. Additionally, the Legion is concerned that private insurance premiums would be elevated to cover service-connected disabled veterans and their families, especially if the veterans are self-employed or employed in small businesses unable to negotiate more favorable across-the-board insurance policy pricing. The American Legion also believes that some employers, especially small businesses, would be reluctant to hire veterans with service-connected disabilities due to the negative impact their employment might have on obtaining and financing company health care benefits.

"I got the distinct impression that the only hope of this plan not being enacted," said Commander Rehbein, "is for an alternative plan to be developed that would generate the desired $540-million in revenue. The American Legion has long advocated for Medicare reimbursement to VA for the treatment of veterans. This, we believe, would more easily meet the President's financial goal. We will present that idea in an anticipated conference call with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel in the near future.

"I only hope the administration will really listen to us then. This matter has far more serious ramifications than the President is imagining," concluded the Commander.

SOURCE The American Legion

Click here for additional information

UK: Imam's daughter converted to Christianity, and her father came after her with an axe

from Jihad Watch

"Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him" -- Muhammad

"My imam father came after me with an axe," by Dominic Lawson in the Sunday Times, March 15 (thanks to all who sent this in): Sharia

We are all too familiar with the persecution of Christians in countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Yet sitting in front of me is a British woman whose life has been threatened in this country solely because she is a Christian. Indeed, so real is the threat that the book she has written about her experiences has had to appear under an assumed name.

The book is called The Imam’s Daughter because “Hannah Shah” is just that: the daughter of an imam in one of the tight-knit Deobandi Muslim Pakistani communities in the north of England. Her father emigrated to this country from rural Pakistan some time in the 1960s and is, apparently, a highly respected local figure.

He is also an incestuous child abuser, repeatedly raping his daughter from the age of five until she was 15, ostensibly as part of her punishment for being “disobedient”. At the age of 16 she fled her family to avoid the forced marriage they had planned for her in Pakistan. A much, much greater affront to “honour” in her family’s eyes, however, was the fact that she then became a Christian – an apostate. The Koran is explicit that apostasy is punishable by death; thus it was that her father the imam led a 40-strong gang – in the middle of a British city – to find and kill her.

"They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them.." -- Qur'an 4:89

Hannah Shah says her story is not unique – that there are many other girls in British Muslim families who are oppressed and married off against their will, or who have secretly become Christians but are too afraid to speak out. She wants their voices to be heard and for Britain, the land of her birth, to realise the hidden misery of these women....

Obama ignores madness of fighting politically correct terrorism war

As time passes and the events of September 11th become more distant, the voices of America's political-correctness orthodoxy have increased their volume and intensity. They now feel safe in questioning Homeland Security tactics to combat terrorism and are attempting to turn public opinion against law-enforcement leaders.

A major weapon in their arsenal is the accusation of racial profiling by US police and security forces. Another weapon in the war against the war on terrorism is the distortions made regarding the Patriot Act. When one considers the risks to lives and property posed by terrorists, political correctness has now become a weapon of mass destruction.

Most clear thinking Americans were shocked when 9-11 Commission member and former US Secretary of the Navy John Lehman revealed a disturbing fact: the Federal Aviation Administration will be hitting American airlines with stiff penalties for even the appearance of any racial profiling of Middle-Easterners. One airline paid out a huge sum of money to Arab males who filed law suits alleging racial profiling, as well. Yet none of this appeared in the commission's final report.

This leaves many law-enforcement officers incredulously asking: what kind of terrorism war is this? It seems national security and public safety are taking a back-seat to political correctness which in turn thwarts our efforts to detect terrorists and their accomplices.

The National Association of Chiefs of Police's annual survey of our nation's police commanders and security directors provides evidence of our insane infatuation with the politically-correct orthodoxy. The survey reveals that almost 60 percent of police departments enforce a written policy prohibiting so-called racial profiling. At the same time, the survey shows that 88 percent of American police and security executives believe our homeland will suffer a terrorist attack within the next year.

Many Americans even hoped that the 9-11 Commission Report would reveal how political correctness — in many cases, a euphemism for left-wing ideology — contributed to the worst terrorist attack in US history. It did not. Some of the same people complaining about the CIA and FBI deficiencies are the people responsible for handcuffing law enforcement and intelligence officers in the first place.

In fact, some in Congress and on the 2008 presidential campaign trail were guilty of having it both ways: they supported the heavily partisan 9-11 Commission and at the same time opposed the Patriot Act, in spite of the law's opponents' inability to provide evidence of even one case where the Patriot Act infringed on American citizens' civil liberties. Their favorite tool for putting law-enforcement leaders — and the politicos who support them — on the defensive is to make allegations of profiling.

Criminal Profiling is a law-enforcement tool with a history that began in the early 1980s. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Sciences Unit developed the first profile for a serial-killer (which by the way indicated a white male among its criteria). Then, according to former-FBI special agent Robert Ressler, the BSU created profiles for other categories of crime including terrorism. Through the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, local law-enforcement officers were provided instruction in profiling, which they brought back to their respective police agencies.

Any cop worth his salt will tell you that criminal profiling remains a work-in-progress. As law enforcement learns more about the criminal mind and criminal characteristics, these profiles will continue to be revised. But will there be any need for such research and development if cops are prohibited from using this tool?

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's the former blog editor for the House Conservatives Fund's weblog. Recently, the editors at Examiner.com appointed him as their Law Enforcement Examiner. Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for NewswithViews.com and PHXnews.com. He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 300 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. If you wish to receive Kouri's emailed law enforcement and intelligence reports, write to him at COPmagazine@aol.com. Simply write "Free Subscription" on the subject line.

Fed-up Americans mobilize: More than 150 tea parties

(Compiler's note: A must read & consider article.)

By Chelsea Schilling

A revolution is brewing as American patriots and advocates of the free-market system unite in protest against out-of-control government spending – with a wildfire movement of more than 150 nationwide tea parties.

John M. O'Hara of The Heartland Institute is a member of New American Tea Party, a coalition of citizens and organizations concerned about reckless government spending, is helping coordinate a number of national tea party events.

"Our message is simple: 'Bailing out' reckless businesses and individuals is neither the burden of responsible, hard-working American taxpayers nor the role of government," he told WND.

Here's a tea party everyone can join! Sign the petition calling for the Constitution and common sense to prevail when it comes to spending...

O'Hara said there is no question the United States is facing tough economic times, but he believes many politicians are not proposing serious solutions.

"The Congressional Budget Office and countless economists say that the recent 'stimulus' packages will likely hinder, not help, our economy," he said. "Tax cuts, not tax hikes and handouts, are the quickest, most efficient means of getting our economy back on track."

O'Hara said legislators must listen to citizens who are tired of irresponsible policies so the nation can recover.

"It is time politicians heed the will of the American people and the clear signals coming from the financial sector: stop the excessive spending, cut taxes, and get out of the way. Only then will we unleash the resilient, entrepreneurial spirit of American's that has made our nation great and which will propel us through this rough patch to more prosperous times ahead.

The New American Tea Party website states, "This isn't a conservative or liberal thing. This is about government forking over billions of dollars, our money, to businesses that should have failed. This is about taking money from responsible people and handing it over to CEOs who squandered their own."

Another organization, the Political Exploration and Awareness Committee, or PEACPAC, formed a website known as ReTeaParty and accepts tea party registrations from across the nation. It also provides detailed information on how to organize tea parties and posts photos of the events.

Tax Day Tea Party, a national collaborative grassroots effort organized by Smart Girl Politics, Top Conservatives on Twitter, the DontGo Movement and many other online groups, is also promoting the events.

WND has also launched its own tea party forum so citizens may exchange ideas, information and announcements about the "revolution." After reviewing various protest listings, WND found more than 150 tea parties scheduled for upcoming months. They include the following:

Birmingham, Ala. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Veteran Park on Highway 17 Valledale Road

Huntsville, Ala. – Wednesday, April 15, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., location to be announced

Decatur, Ala. – Saturday, March 28, at the Rhodes Ferry Park, (also known as River Park)

Mobile, Ala. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the USS Alabama battleship

Montgomery, Ala. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Alabama Statehouse located at 11 South Union Street

Phoenix, Ariz. – Wednesday, April 15, at 6 p.m. at capitol building

Tucson, Ariz. – Wednesday, April 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of Joel D. Valdez Main Library on 101 N. Stone Ave.

Mountain Home, Ark. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., location to be announced

Atascadero, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Sunken Gardens on El Camino Real

Hollister, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., corner of San Benito and 4th St.

Los Angeles, Calif. – Saturday, July 4, from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Santa Monica Pier

Modesto, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 1010 10th Street

Sacramento, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at state capitol building on L Street

San Bernadino, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. from Meadowbrook Park to Joe Baca’s Office, 201 N. "E" St.

San Diego, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at a post office near you

San Francisco, Calif. – April 15 at 1 p.m., location not yet chosen.

San Jose, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at IRS offices at 55 S. Market Street, across the street from Saint Joseph’s Cathedral

Santa Ana, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., tentative location at Santa Ana Civic Center

Temecula, Calif. – Wednesday, April 15, 11 a.m., Duck Pond

Hartford, Conn. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

New Haven, Conn. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Ridgefield, Conn. – Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m. at Ballard Park

Stamford, Conn. – Saturday, March 28, 10 a.m. at 96 Broad Street (Starbucks/library location), corner of Broad and Bedford

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Wednesday, April 15 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at city hall, 107 North Nevada

Denver, Colo. – Wednesday, April 15 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the west steps of the capitol, 200 East Colfax

Grand Junction, Colo. – Wednesday, April 15 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 12th Street and North Avenue

Dover, Del. – Wednesday, April 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., location to be announced

Jacksonville, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., either Jax Landing or Friendship Fountain

Miami, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., location to be announced

Naples, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Pine Ridge Road and U.S. 41

Orlando, Fla. – Saturday, March 21, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the amphitheater at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando

Orlando, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., location to be announced

Palm Beach, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., location to be announced

Panama City, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 3 p.m. to dark at Sherman Avenue Post Office

Pensacola, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at downtown courthouse, Palafox Street and E. Garden St.

Punta Gorda, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., location to be announced

Tampa, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Gaslight Park, downtown Tampa

West Palm Beach, Fla. – Wednesday, April 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., location to be announced

Tallahassee, Fla. – Thursday, March 19, at 5 p.m. at the Leon County Commission Chambers, 5th floor, Courthouse

Atlanta, Ga. – Wednesday, April 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.at the capitol building located at 206 Washington St.

Atlanta, Ga. – Saturday, July 4, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the capitol building located at 206 Washington St.

Augusta, Ga. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Savannah, Ga. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., location to be announced

Honolulu, Hawaii – Wednesday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the state capitol building

Urbana, Ill. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., location to be determined

Chicago, Ill. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Daley Plaza Civic Center at 50 Washington St.

Chicago, Ill. – From Saturday, July 4, at 7 p.m. to Sunday, July 5, at 5 a.m. at Belmont Harbor on Lake Shore Drive

Bloomington, Ind. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. outside the Shower’s building, corner of W 8th St. & N. Morton St.

Fort Wayne, Ind. – Saturday, April 18 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. downtown at Courthouse Square

Indianapolis, Ind. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Indianapolis, exact location to be announced

Davenport, Iowa – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at 4th and Main Street (in front of office of Rep. Bruce Braley D-Iowa)

Iowa City, Iowa – Wednesday, April 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Burlington Street Bridge

Overland Park, Kan. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Johnston Community College

Wichita, Kan. – Wednesday, April 15, at 4:15 p.m. airport post office

Louisville, Ky. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jefferson Square (tentative location), 10th and Jefferson St.

Lexington, Ky. – Saturday, March 21, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Robert Stevens Courthouse Complex, 150 North Limestone

Baton Rouge, La. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the steps of the capitol building

Lake Charles, La. – Wednesday, April 15, at 5 p.m. at Lake Charles Civic Center on Lakeshore Drive

Shreveport, La. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at downtown Shreveport Riverfront

Augusta, Maine – Wednesday, April 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Capital Park

Annapolis, Md. – Wednesday, April 15, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Campbell Park on the dock/boardwalk at Annapolis Harbor

Boston, Mass. – Wednesday, April 15, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at City Hall Plaza

Boston, Mass. – Wednesday, April 15, 12 p.m. at Ivy Restaurant at 49 Temple Place

Boston, Mass. – Saturday, July 4, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Griffin Harbor on Congress Street Bridge

Worcester, Mass. – Wednesday, April 15, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Lincoln Square (in front of the auditorium)

Bancroft. Mich. – April 11 from 9 a.m. to sundown at Camp Stasa, 7963 Cork Rd.

Lansing, Mich. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at Michigan State Capitol, 100 N Capitol Ave

St. Paul, Minn. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at capitol

Jackson, Miss. – Wednesday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Jackson, location to be determined

Kansas City, Mo. – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., location to be determined

St. Louis, Mo. – Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., location to be determined

Missoula, Mont. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., downtown Missoula, exact location to be announced

Lincoln, Neb. – Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., location to be announced

Omaha, Neb.– Wednesday, April 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Bob Kerrey Memorial Pedestrian Bridge

Carson City/Reno, Nev. – Wednesday, April 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 101 N. Carson Street in front of state capitol building and Supreme Court

Las Vegas, Nev. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., at sidewalk across from Sunset Post Office at 1001 E Sunset RD

Morristown, N.J. – Wednesday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., location to be announced

Newark, N.J. – Wednesday, April 15, 12 p.m., visiting Sens. Lautenberg and Menendez offices, Gateway Center One, 782 McCarter Highway

Trenton, N.J. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at New Jersey State House, 125 W. State St.

Albuquerque, N.M. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Las Cruces, N.M. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., location to be announced

Albany, N.Y. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Corning Preserve

Fishkill, N.Y. – Wednesday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Doug Phillips Park

Gardiner, N.Y. – Wednesday, April 15, from 64 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Rail Trail, Route 44/55

New York, N.Y. – Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., location to be announced

New York, N.Y. – Saturday, July 4, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at South Street Seaport and Pier 17

Rochester, N.Y. – Wednesday, April 15, at 11 a.m. at Genesee Crossroads Park

Staten Island, N.Y. – Wednesday, April 15, at 12 p.m., Rep. Michael McMahon's office, 265 New Dorp Lane at corner of Edison Street

Asheville, N.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Pritchard Park, intersection of Haywood and Patton

Charlotte, N.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., City Hall lawn at 600 E. Trade Street

Edenton, N.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., Edenton Courthouse Green, Court and Water Streets

Greensboro, N.C. – Wednesday, April 15, location and time to be announced

Raleigh, N.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the state capitol building on East Edenton Street

Canton, Ohio – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in downtown Canton, exact location to be announced

Cincinnati, Ohio – Saturday, March 15, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Fountain Square at the corner of Fifth and Vine Streets

Cleveland, Ohio – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Public Square, downtown Cleveland

Dayton, Ohio – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Dayton, exact location to be announced

Oklahoma City, Okla. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at state capitol step

Tulsa, Okla. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11:25 a.m. to 1:25 p.m. at Tulsa City Hall, 175 E. 2nd

Bend, Ore. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Grants Pass, Ore. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Medford, Ore. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Portland, Ore. – Wednesday, April 15, from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., location to be announced

Roseburg, Ore. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Salem, Ore. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at capitol building, in the park

Harrisburg, Pa. – Wednesday, April 15, at 12 p.m. west steps of capitol building

Philadelphia, Pa. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at downtown Philadelphia, exact location to be announced

Philadelphia, Pa. – Saturday, April 18, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Independence Hall

Pittsburgh, Pa. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at downtown Pittsburgh, exact location to be announced

Pittsburgh, Pa. – Saturday, April 11, at 12 p.m. at Allegheny Landing

Providence, R.I. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at state capitol steps (city side across from Providence Place Mall)

Charleston, S.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Old Customs House building, East Bay St. and Market St.

Columbia, S.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at state house, 1101 Gervals Street

Sioux Falls, S.D. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Terrace Park, Coval Lake

Memphis, Tenn. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., location to be announced

Nashville, Tenn. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., location to be announced

Austin, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on south steps of state capitol building

Burleson, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., across the street from Wal-Mart, 951 S. W. Wilshire Blvd.

Dallas, Texas – Saturday, July 4, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Victory Park

Dallas, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., location to be announced

Denton, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Courthouse on the Square, 110 W. Hickory

El Paso, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., location to be announced

Fort Worth, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., location to be announced

Fort Worth, Texas – Saturday, July 4 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Cowtown Bar & Grill

Houston, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. across street from downtown post office

Kerrville, Texas – Wednesday, April 15 at 11 a.m. at Kerrville County Courthouse at 700 Main Street

Longview, Texas – Wednesday, April 15 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gregg County courthouse lawn

McAllen, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Nacogdoches, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.at downtown square

New Braunfels, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m., gather around local plaza and down Main Street into town

San Antonio, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., location to be announced

Woodlands, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., location to be announced

Tyler, Texas – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., location to be announced

Salt Lake City, Utah – Wednesday, April 15, downtown Salt Lake City, time and location to be announced

Charlottesville, Va. – Wednesday, April 15, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., downtown mall by the pavilion

Richmond, Va. – Wednesday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Kanawha Plaza in downtown Richmond, 8th and Canal Street

Virginia Beach, Va. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Plaza, Towne Center (across from Sen. Webb’s Office)

Rutland, Vt. – Wednesday, April 15, downtown Rutland, exact time and location to be announced

Mt. Vernon, Wash. – Wednesday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on corner of College Way and Riverside Drive (1 block from freeway exit)

Olympia, Wash. – Wednesday, April 15, at 12 p.m. on the capitol steps

Seattle, Wash. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5:45 p.m. to 10:45 p.m., location to be announced

Spokane, Wash. – Wednesday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., location to be announced

Vancouver, Wash. – Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Clark County Courthouse lawn

Washington, D.C. – Wednesday, April 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lafayette Park

Washington, D.C. – Saturday, July 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Upper Senate Park adjacent to Capitol building on north side

Washington, D.C. – On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a teabag to Washington, D.C.

Beckley, W. Va. – Wednesday, April 15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at large fountain on Neville Street, across from university book store

Charleston, W. Va. – Wednesday, April 15, 12 p.m., at state capitol

Wheeling, W. Va. – Wednesday, April 15, time and location to be announced

Appleton, Wis. – Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Fox Banquets, 111 E. Kimball

Madison, Wis. – Wednesday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at state capitol

Cheyenne, Wyo. – July 4, at 12 p.m. at the state capitol building