SEC. 1031. AFFIRMATION OF AUTHORITY OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES TO DETAIN COVERED PERSONS PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE. (a) In General- Congress affirms that the authority of the President to use all necessary and appropriate force pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40) includes the authority for the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons (as defined in subsection (b)) pending disposition under the law of war. (b) Covered Persons- A covered person under this section is any person as follows: (1) A person who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored those responsible for those attacks. (2) A person who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.

SEC. 1032. REQUIREMENT FOR MILITARY CUSTODY. (b) Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens- (1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.

Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Declaration Of Independence

What country ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure. Thomas Jefferson - Original Enemy "Belligerent"

On February 16th on the floor of the House of Representatives, Congressman Robert Hurt spoke our truth to power for nearly two and a half minutes for the urgent need to cut government spending and reduce the national debt. It was a masterful statement and a bravura performance. Congressman Hurt demonstrated a firm command of the devastating statistics which add up to our nation’s crisis, clearly laid out the impact on his constituents in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, and presented it all with statesman-like authority. Both a transcript of his comments and an accompanying link to a video recording of the C-SPAN broadcast (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9qw6YMJ4j0) are posted on his congressional web site.

After watching this impressive presentation, who would not feel assured that our congressman grasps the gravity of the ominous mess in which we find ourselves? In short, “he gets it.” However, any afterglow quickly dissipates with the rude awakening that followed less than three and a half hours later that day.

Incredibly, Congressman Hurt torpedoed the good ship he built and set afloat that morning by voting in opposition to the Rooney Amendment, designed to cut funding for the bottomless money pit known as the alternate engine for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This program is universally scorned as the poster child of unnecessary, wasteful government spending. A notorious and historic boondoggle, it is an orchestrated grudge match that pits the winning bidder of the original engine contract, United Technologies Corp. unit Pratt & Whitney, against the manufacturer of an alternate engine, General Electric and Rolls Royce-England. Taxpayers are annually robbed to underwrite an expensive competition for which we are promised production of the least expensive engine possible to ease our bottom line.

Along with the Pentagon, both President Obama and his predecessor have wanted to kill this project for years. Before we falsely laud this as an example of true bi-partisanship, we should note that President Bush had political reasons to support the original Pratt & Whitney engine as pork for Texas – and like all good Progressives, President Obama just wants to slash the military at every opportunity he gets. Yes, the whole debacle is a tangled web of special interests and pork barrel politics. Neither side has pure motives nor clean hands, and that must be taken into account.

There is one question that continues to loom large for the taxpayer and the lack of a satisfactory answer produces the appropriate gnawing in the gut. Of the 28 aircraft used by our military, why is the F-35 JSF the only one deemed by some to need a dual source engine? Don’t hold your breath waiting for a logical answer because there isn’t one.

There are pork-laden goodies up for grabs for several states involved, most notably for Ohio and Virginia who both benefit from production of the alternate engine. Speaker of the House John Boehner rallies support for G.E. and RR-E for the manufacturing the pork he can bring home to Ohio – and the same is true for Virginia, where every one of our eleven of congressmen joined in bi-partisanship to muster a unified vote for pork’s sake.

We taxpayers continue to get the hard sell from Congress in the form of the spend-money-to-save-money utopia. Even if we give our representatives the benefit of the doubt for their motives, it is a luxury we can perhaps afford only when our coffers are flush and the economy is good. But we certainly cannot afford it now when we must cut drastically today to save our tomorrow and our children’s future.

From Capitol Hill just minutes before the vote, Congressman Hurt thoughtfully returned my previous call inquiring his intended vote and the rationale behind it. He explained to me that it would be, in his words, “fiscally responsible” (and he misguidedly added “tea party compatible”) to fund the $450 million now in the Continuing Resolution in addition to the eventual $3 billion projected by the Pentagon, in exchange for the potential long term savings of $20 billion from the projected $100 billion final price tag.

There it was. The spend-money-to-save-money utopia reared its ugly head accompanied by the distinct odor of Washington business-as-usual wafting around it. I was disheartened to say the least.

So why should we place special significance on this single vote on this single issue? Wasted taxpayer dollars aside (and that’s no small aside), this is possibly an early indicator of the way Congressman Hurt may vote in the future when confronted with a choice between seriously cutting waste or siding with inside-the-Beltway delusional thinking. Frankly, if he’s not willing to cut wasteful spending for this monstrosity, isn’t it fair to ask how firm is his resolve?

Thankfully, the House voted 233 to 198 to pass the Rooney Amendment and cut funding on their part in a largely bi-partisan effort. Roughly half of the new wave of freshman representatives stepped up to the plate and smacked this no-brainer softball out of the park. Kudos to them, but sadly Congressman Hurt suited up for the wrong team and whiffed at the plate in THE most nationally visible game-of-the-day.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Congressman Hurt at the opening of his new district office in Charlottesville. While the media largely reported my presence, they predictably neglected to report that I shook his hand in their full view and thanked him for keeping his promise to vote to repeal Obamacare. Later, Congressman Hurt graciously granted me a few private minutes in his office. During our exchange of thoughts about the raising the national debt ceiling, he expressed a sincere desire to build a good relationship with the Jefferson Area Tea Party.

Despite his failure of leadership on the F-35 JSF vote, I remain optimistic that Congressman Hurt can be a responsive representative and an effective advocate of our core principles and agenda. He has demonstrated more positives than negatives so far, but I think we are wise to examine his ill-advised vote on this issue and pause with caution. I also believe it is important that both he and the public know early on that the JATP means business to praise our representatives when they act responsibly and admonish them when they do not.

We encourage and expect Congressman Hurt to cut wasteful spending while hoping his future votes will elicit words of praise rather than disappointment from our organization.

Helping you Decode the Presidents State of The Union Speech.

By Kurt Feigel

Lynchburg Tea Party Vice Chair

Most Americans couldn’t stomach the idea of listening to the state of the union speech. So I’ve undertaken the daunting task of decoding the speech from the written transcript found at NPR.

It’s understandable why most people would skip this staged absurdity.

When Joe Wilson 2 years ago yelled “you lie”! we had no idea how prophetic his words were.

The Nation:

“That’s what helps set us apart as a nation” The President said referring to the “differences over the past two years”. Ironic because this is the state of the “Union” and we couldn’t be more divided. Obama’s most annoying ploy during this speech is his frequent attempt to tout our national exceptionalism, something he doesn’t believe in and something he disdains!

“That, too, is what sets us apart as a nation.”

Unity:

A frequent trend in this speech was Obama’s use of terms expressing the desire for unity. He wants a “new era of cooperation” and is hoping we can “work together tomorrow” and “that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties” or “support from Democrats and Republicans”. This theme continued with “We will move forward together, or not at all “ and begs the question if “not at all” is the tone of the new “civility” we’ve heard so much about recently?

This little bit of baloney wasn’t all bad, “after all, we just had an election.” Yes, and Mr. President YOU LOST…but thanks for the reminder. It’s always good to revel in our victory over your forces of evil.

Why are we always told we need to “reach across the aisle”? The end result is that we end up capitulating to the demands of the enemies of Liberty.

Jobs:

“…whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. “ this fails to explain WHY businesses are leaving…that would be overburdensome policies coming out of D.C. For $500 Alex “…industry of our people is rewarded.” This is insulting on so many levels because BHO does not believe this. He and his crony friends in the White House HATE the industrious nature of the American worker.

Taxes:

Obama had the nerve to take credit for the tax cuts that Republicans forced the administration to pass in December, “Thanks to the tax cuts we passed, Americans’ paychecks are a little bigger today.”

Here he tells the biggest lie of the night, “the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. “ This is a lie because he doesn’t believe one word of it.

Sacrifice:

On to Obama’s favorite mantras; Sacrifice, “It has required each generation to sacrifice, and struggle, and meet the demands of a new age.” And thrill of thrills “And now it’s our turn.” followed by the next big lie of the night “out-build the rest of the world.” This is a lie because every day we are told what an evil nation we are for consuming so much. If we build, we consume.

Hey Mr. President, Are you sacrificing when you and your wife take +$1 Million dollar trips all over the world?

Free Markets:

“Our free enterprise system is what drives innovation.” Not a truer statement has been said and not a bigger lie for our President. He hates the free enterprise system. Hates innovation that didn’t originate with the government(none ever does). He starts off touting “free enterprise” but then goes on to attack it by stating we must“provide[d] cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need…an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our people.”

Next Obama shows how little he knows about supply and demand by declaring that America will “become the first country to have a million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” To accomplish this we are already hearing of stories of “incentives” for consumers to buy these electric vehicles.

He doesn’t understand that our national power grid is over taxed either. That monopolistic control at the local level has hindered the “innovation” he keeps talking about. “I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: By 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources.” We have a clean energy source…it’s called Nuclear power. Not one nuke plant has been built In over 20 years.

“We need to get behind this innovation. And to help pay for it, I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies…So instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy, let’s invest in tomorrow’s.”

I personally don’t have a problem taxing big oil. But for some reason Obama thinks that a “tax cut” is a “gift”

“By 2035, 80 percent of America’s electricity will come from clean energy sources. “ He can dream big, after all, he is single handedly making Oil cost more by restricting our ability to drill for it at every turn. “Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. “ Any guesses which ones will get the nod and which ones will get the axe?

But He doesn’t understand any of this. When was the last time BHO has had to write a check for his power? When has this Ruling Class Elitist been made to pay for the heat he enjoys? Come to think of it, when has Obama worked an honest day in his life?

Education:

After rambling about how the world has changed he touts China’s innovation and how they are “educating their children earlier and longer, with greater emphasis on math and science. “

“we also have to win the race to educate our kids…as many as a quarter of our students aren’t even finishing high school. “ Never mind, the FACT that we spend more than most rich nations on education and get little to nothing for it.

And what political party controls the education system in America? That would be the Democrats.

Talking of American students “We need to teach them that success is not a function of fame or PR, but of hard work and discipline.” Funny, coming from a guy who is standing where he is not because of “hard work and discipline” but from “fame” and “PR”.

He goes on to tout another idea from the treasure trove of new idiotic ideas “Race to the Top should be the approach we follow this year as we replace No Child Left Behind with a law that’s more flexible and focused on what’s best for our kids.” I remember when the disaster know as “No Child Left Behind” was passed by guys like Ted Kennedy. How it was supposed to do all these great things to bring standards into our education system…6 years later and full of failure we’ve got a new program that is supposed to save the day. New name…same trash.

Never one to let his Union thug friends miss out on the bennies, “ we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science and technology and engineering and math. “ and the laughable “We want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones.” I’d like to see you enforce that on the teachers unions.

Illegal Immigration:

“Today, there are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens…They grew up as Americans and pledge allegiance to our flag” Sorry Mr. President, I grew up in California, The only flag they are pledging allegiance to is the Mexican flag.

He pauses here to reiterate his unity plan “am prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats…let’s agree to make that effort. “ LETS NOT!

Infrastructure:

“Our infrastructure used to be the best, but our lead has slipped. South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do. “ This is the first time I agree with what he says. Our Internet infrastructure is slipping. However, I don’t think it is the roll of government to innovate here. It is the roll of government to get out of the way and let the industry fix this problem.

“So over the last two years, we’ve begun rebuilding for the 21st century, a project that has meant thousands of good jobs for the hard-hit construction industry. And tonight, I’m proposing that we redouble those efforts. “ It didn’t work for the last 2 years…but I’m sure it will work this time right?

“We’ll make sure this is fully paid for, attract private investment, and pick projects based [on] what’s best for the economy, not politicians.” And pigs can fly!

“Within the next five years, we’ll make it possible” No, if it happens, private companies will make this possible. “for businesses to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98 percent of all Americans. “ are you going to give everyone a phone? “ But to help our companies compete, we also have to knock down barriers that stand in the way of their success.” Like your administrations idiotic policies? Or is this more crony capitalism?

Health Care:

“We can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses. “ Referring to the 1099 requirements built into the new health care law…If the President and Congress had read the stupid law they would have known what was it.

We told them it was…they didn’t listen. So now “we” have to fix it.

“So I say to this chamber tonight, instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let’s fix what needs fixing and let’s move forward. “ Don’t touch my baby!

Debt:

I’m not sure if this was a joke or a serious statement, “We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government.”

“Now, the final critical step in winning the future is to make sure we aren’t buried under a mountain of debt.” Oh now you care about spending too much money? “…every day, families sacrifice to live within their means. They deserve a government that does the same.”

“So tonight, I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. Now, this would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, “ It is so sad that our educational system is so bad, and so many stupid people don’t see the lie that was just told to them in this statement $400 Billion dollars spread over 10 years is $40 Billion/yr. PEANUTS! From a government that is going to be spending $1.4 Trillion dollars MORE than it has this year alone.

Remember when a Billion was a lot of money?

“In fact, the best thing we could do on taxes for all Americans is to simplify the individual tax code.” The ONLY way to do this at this point would be to institute the Fair Tax. Thats not going to happen. We have a better chance of building a Nuclear power plant than in our government “simplifying the tax code” Charlie Rangel wrote the stupid code and then broke it for 17 straight years.

“The 21st century government that’s open and competent. A government that lives within its means. “

Take a moment and laugh…I did!

Foreign Policy:

About now he begins a long bit on touting his foreign policy accomplishments. Thanking our Troops. Talking about our “conflicts” overseas. Nothing spectacular. Though he did take a second and brag on how Gay people can now be openly gay and wreck our military.

He did touch on Iran, “ Because of a diplomatic effort to insist that Iran meet its obligations, “ I can with absolute certainty guarantee that Iran isn’t scared of you Mr. President. They are very scared of Israeli Hackers.

“This March, I will travel to Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador to forge new alliances across the Americas. Around the globe, we’re standing with those who take responsibility — helping farmers grow more food, supporting doctors who care for the sick, and combating the corruption that can rot a society and rob people of opportunity.”

Oh goodie another expensive vacation. Lets not have the leaders of these nations visit us…nope lets spend millions of dollars traveling to see them.

Closing:

“From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream.” Give me a break! He no more believes this than he thinks Ronald Reagan was a great President.

So if you guessed that the SOTU would be filled with lies and distortions then you were right. Sadly once again the American people are being deceived at the highest levels of government and the people are doing little to stop it.

Kurt Feigel is the Vice Chair of the Lynchburg Tea Party and Communications Director of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation.

View the debate live on Monday, January 3, 2011 at 1:00 PM EST at www.dailycaller.com.

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