Political Digest December 20, 2009

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.

Splitting the conservative vote?
Ran into Mike Niecestro at a Mensa Conservative SIG lunch. Mike is running for the US Senate as a conservative. He assumes that Congressman Mark Kirk will be the Republican candidate, and Kirk is not considered a conservative by many. I’m among those who have trouble with Kirk’s vote to cripple our economy by passing Cap and Trade, to fix the “global warming” problem predicated on cooked books and missing data. You can read about Mike at http://www.niecestroforsenate.com/.

But who does an independent or, as Mike says, a “Tea Party” candidate help? Will he pull any votes from the Democrat? Unlikely. Can he win? Also unlikely. But he can pull votes from the “RINO,” Kirk and if the election should be close, elect another Democrat to vote in lock step with Obama, Durbin and Reid. Right now, with the destruction of our healthcare system about to take place, I’d give a lot for another so called “RINO” (Republican in Name Only) in the senate!

What we really need is a requirement that to be elected to public office, you must get 50% of the votes plus one. If no candidate gets 50%, there’s be a run off. Expensive? Not if you use a system where people vote for their first choice with a “one” second with a “two” and so on. If no candidate gets 50%, the candidates with the fewest votes is eliminated and his/her votes distributed to the remaining candidates based on the their second choice. Eventually a candidate gets 50% and is elected. (Some folks have trouble understanding this system, but it’s pretty straightforward. I could explain at length, but trust me, it works.)

This would allow folks to vote their heart, conservatives for “Tea Party” candidates, socialists for the Green Party, etc., without knowing their vote for the outsider was helping the major party candidate they disliked most. It would also stop the political game of putting people into races based on their ethnic heritage to weaken the vote for your toughest opponent. But both the Democrat and the Republican establishment hate the idea, because it also would facilitate the growth of third parties. It would be the right thing for the people and for democracy, but like so many “right things” has zero chance of being enacted.

Petition Drive and Bumper Stickers
So many petitions. How about one where the signers pledge to vote against any senator or congressman who votes for ObamaCare? And how about bumper stickers saying “Defeat all ObamaCare Supporters”!

Is the European police state going global?
http://sppiblog.org/news/is-the-european-police-state-going-global
Excerpt: Today the gloves came off and the true purpose of the “global warming” scare became nakedly visible. Ugo Chavez, the Socialist president of Venezuela, blamed “global warming” on capitalism – and received a standing ovation from very nearly all of the delegates, lamentably including those from those of the capitalist nations of the West that are on the far Left – and that means too many of them. Previously Robert Mugabe, dictator of Rhodesia, who had refused to leave office when he had been soundly defeated in a recent election, had also won plaudits at the conference for saying that the West ought to pay him plenty of money in reparation of our supposed “climate debt”. Inside the conference center, “world leader” after “world leader” got up and postured about the need to Save The Planet, the imperative to do a deal, the necessity to save the small island nations from drowning, etc., etc., etc. Outside, in the real world, it was snowing, and a foretaste of the Brave New World being cooked up by “world leaders” in their fantasy-land was already evident. Some 20,000 observers from non-governmental organizations – nearly all of them true-believing Green groups funded by taxpayers – had been accredited to the conference. However, without warning the UN had capriciously decided that all but 300 of them were to be excluded from the conference today, and all but 90 would be excluded on the final day. Of course, this being the inept UN, no one had bothered to notify those of the NGOs that were not true-believers in the UN’s camp. So Senator Steve Fielding of Australia and I turned up with a few dozen other delegates, to be left standing in the cold for a couple of hours while the UN laboriously worked out what to do with us. In the end, they decided to turn us away, which they did with an ill grace and in a bad-tempered manner. As soon as the decision was final, the Danish police moved in. One of them began the now familiar technique of manhandling me, in the same fashion as one of his colleagues had done the previous day.

Judge Napolitano on the Difference Between Rights and Goods http://www.libertysarmy.com/2009/12/18/videos/judge-napolitano-on-the-difference-between-rights-and-goods/
Worth viewing

Israel's Iron Dome interceptor downs missile in first live fire test http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/me_israel0971_12_17.asp
This is an outrage. The Jews still intend to defend themselves instead of going quietly to the camps again! Europe won’t like this.

The Doctor Who Defied Tehran
https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/125a6cbfb50efcb6
Excerpt: At the height of Iran's bloody civil unrest this year, a young doctor named Ramin Pourandarjani defied his superiors. He refused to sign death certificates at a Tehran prison that he said were falsified to cover up murder. He testified to a parliamentary committee that jailers were torturing and raping protesters, his family says. He told friends and family he feared for his life. Dr. Ramin Pourandarjani refused to sign death certificates in Iran he said were falsified to cover up murder. In November, he was found dead.

British war memorial defaced with "Islam will dominate the world" http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/12/british-war-memorial-defaced-with-islam-will-dominate-the-world.html
Excerpt: A Royal British Legion boss says vandals have "dishonoured those who have given their lives for our country" by defacing Burton's war memorial. Roy Whenman, vice-chairman of the town's Legion branch, received calls from members saying an extremist message had been written on the statue.

Crew members stranded in Muslim holy city
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/transport-environment/crew-members-stranded-in-muslim-holy-city-1.993141
Excerpt: Flyglobespan captain Bob Lee revealed that the crew members have been confined to their hotel for at least four days because, as non-Muslims, they are not allowed to move around the city. (And if they did go out?)

Wish America’s First Family was as humble, sensible and frugal. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1236632/Your-commuter-carriage-awaits-The-Queen-catches-train-journey-Sandringham-Christmas.html

Flag-Waving Communists and Socialists March in Copenhagen to Stop Global Warming http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNQqUACJ_Kw
Smash economic freedom for global warming. Must see. Watermellons: green on the outside, red on the inside.

The 12 Days Of Global Warming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmPSUMBrJoI&feature=player_embedded#
Funny.

Copenhagen pact met with questions and mixed expectations http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/73095-senate-greets-copenhagen-pact-with-questions-mixed-expectations
Excerpt: The limited global warming deal that President Obama brokered at the Copenhagen climate summit Friday has raised eyebrows and expectations in the Senate, showing that it’s unclear if it will speed along slow-moving Democratic climate legislation in the upper chamber. Obama and top officials from a group of countries including China and India produced a scaled-back, nonbinding climate accord late Friday under which nations will commit to implementing their national pledges to control emissions.

Coburn: Nelson agreement with leaders 'threw unborn babies under the bus' http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/73081-coburn-nelson-agreement-with-leaders-threw-unborn-babies-under-the-bus
Excerpt: A number of Republican senators attacked an agreement reached between Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Senate Democratic leaders Saturday, saying it would lead to the eventual reversal of more than 30 years of federal law banning abortion funding. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oka.) said it is “absolutely fictitious” that there is an anti-abortion provision in the Senate Democrats’ reworked healthcare reform bill.

Increasing frivolous suits
This letter was sent to a Marine Vietnam vet I’m in touch with. Thought it wass of interest and that the Senator wouldn’t mind sharing it.

Dear Mr. McNeely:

Thank you for your recent letter regarding the Notice Pleading Restoration Act of 2009 (S. 1504). I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this important issue.

S. 1504, which I oppose, was introduced in the Senate on June 22, 2009. This legislation would overturn recent decisions by the Supreme Court that stated: to avoid a motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must plead a set of facts that, if proven, could establish a plausible claim to relief. S. 1504 was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

Congress should explore ways to reduce the frequency and costs of frivolous litigation. Instead, S. 1504 would make it easier for trial lawyers to file frivolous lawsuits without a factual basis, and easier for suspected terrorists to sue American military and law enforcement officials. At a time when the Obama Administration is pursuing an ill-conceived strategy of giving foreign terrorists access to domestic courts for their criminal trials, S. 1504 would compound this error by providing terrorists access to domestic courts to bring frivolous civil suits as well. I find this unfathomable and unjustifiable. As a former Texas District court judge and Supreme Court justice, I strongly believe that our courts exist to right wrongs, not to empower trial lawyers to conduct unfounded fishing expeditions or extract nuisance-value settlements. Lawsuits without a factual basis benefit nobody but the trial bar, and should be dismissed.

I appreciate the opportunity to represent Texans in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator