My husband Tom is a Postal worker, and this is a letter left for him at work. Attached is a letter regarding a bill that was set to be voted upon today by Congress forcing retirement age Postal workers to retire. No one notified them of this bill, and they are simply trying to sneak this through without anyone knowing.

Update:

Fortunately, this bill was voted down:

A measure that would have required eligible postal service employees to retire without buyout incentives failed in the Senate on Tuesday. The amendment, introduced this week by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., would have reduced the cash-strapped agency’s expenses by reducing its large percentage of retirement-eligible workers. It failed in a 33-65 vote.

“There is a real risk that these buyouts will go to workers who would already be planning to retire anyway,” Coburn’s office said of the retirement provisions in the 21st Century Postal Service Act, (S. 1789), which was still being debated at publication time. “These buyouts may essentially be retirement gifts to already-retiring workers.”

The Senate was still debating other amendments to the sweeping postal reform legislation Tuesday evening, including measures prohibiting collective bargaining at USPS, to increase the amount workers contribute to their health benefits and life insurance, and to limit pay for USPS executives.

Read the entire story here

Technorati Tags: bill, forced retirment, McCain, postal service

The CNN panel agreed that he appears to be somebody who will do what he needs to get elected. This needs to be remembered in the general election.

March 26, 2012, on CNN

Click here to view the embedded video.

Having been a staunch opponent of racism since I was a young child, I want to make it clear that I do not believe Pat Buchanan is a racist. I have personally visited with him and know this to be true. Although I hate racism, I have learned how deeply reverse racism runs and it is dangerous to the stability of our nation. I have shared selections from an article below that I hope you will read and think about. Hopefully, this kind of crisis and courage from Pat Buchanan will give us more courage to refuse to be silenced in the national debate.

The New Blacklist

My days as a political analyst at MSNBC have come to an end.
After 10 enjoyable years, I am departing, after an incessant clamor from the left that to permit me continued access to the microphones of MSNBC would be an outrage against decency, and dangerous.

The calls for my firing began almost immediately with the Oct. 18 publication of “Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?”…

Let error be tolerated, said Thomas Jefferson, “so long as reason is left free to combat it.” What Foxman and ADL are about in demanding that my voice be silenced is, in the Jeffersonian sense, intrinsically un-American.
Consider what it is these people are saying.

They are saying that a respected publisher, St. Martin’s, colluded with me to produce a racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic book, and CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, Fox Business News and the 150 radio shows on which I appeared failed to detect its evil and helped to promote a moral atrocity…

In a 2009 cover story in the Atlantic, “The End of White America?” from which my chapter title was taken, professor Hua Hsu revels in the passing of America’s white majority.

At Portland State, President Clinton got a huge ovation when he told students that white Americans will be a minority in 2050.
Is this writer alone forbidden to broach the subject?
That homosexual acts are unnatural and immoral has been doctrine in the Catholic Church for 2,000 years.
Is it now hate speech to restate traditional Catholic beliefs?
Documented in the 488 pages and 1,500 footnotes of “Suicide of a Superpower” is my thesis that America is Balkanizing, breaking down along the lines of religion, race, ethnicity, culture and ideology, and that Western peoples are facing demographic death by century’s end.
Are such subjects taboo? Are they unfit for national debate?
So it would seem. MSNBC President Phil Griffin told reporters, “I don’t think the ideas that (Buchanan) put forth (in his book) are appropriate for the national dialogue, much less on MSNBC.”…

Buchanan explains that specific groups like “Color of Change” have attacked him and tried to silence his voice:

The modus operandi of these thought police at Color of Change and ADL is to brand as racists and anti-Semites any writer who dares to venture outside the narrow corral in which they seek to confine debate.
All the while prattling about their love of dissent and devotion to the First Amendment, they seek systematically to silence and censor dissent.
Without a hearing, they smear and stigmatize as racist, homophobic or anti-Semitic any who contradict what George Orwell once called their “smelly little orthodoxies.” They then demand that the heretic recant, grovel, apologize, and pledge to go forth and sin no more.

Defy them, and they will go after the network where you work, the newspapers that carry your column, the conventions that invite you to speak. If all else fails, they go after the advertisers.
I know these blacklisters. They operate behind closed doors, with phone calls, mailed threats and off-the-record meetings. They work in the dark because, as Al Smith said, nothing un-American can live in the sunlight.
http://www.creators.com/conservative/pat-buchanan.html

So many of the sentiments we have written about here on “In God We Trust” were eloquently shared by Pat Buchanan in this article. We wish him luck and success with his writing and in continuing to find a voice to try and help save our great country.

Can we detect manipulative rhetoric when it is smoothly and ‘innocently’ delivered to us by the media? Does subtle, shaded negativity give us a distaste for a candidate? Think about that as you read on.

Mitt Romney has no chance of becoming president of the United States if the public does not improve their truth detecting skills. I blogged about the across the board media push the week before South Carolina to subtly manipulate their listeners to turn against Romney. A shockingly dramatic turn around in the polls happened, not only in South Carolina but also in national polls.

Why is the media doing this? I believe there are two reasons and I want to ask you to spread this message so citizens can arm themselves against this kind of control. First, I heard a couple of reporters at different times the week of the South Carolina vote admit, in effect, that it would be better for the press if Romney lost that election so that their networks continued to have great ratings. Now if Gingrich had won Florida, it could have been over for Romney and the press did not want that either. So their coverage became a little less negative after South Carolina.

After the Nevada vote, I blogged again that the media would probably turn negative again to recapture interest and influence the voting states against Romney to again even out the election. It happened. Multiple articles and news interviews used those oh-so-subtle means to slip in negative words to influence the reader/listener. One specific tactic was to constantly repeat how badly Romney was attacking Santorum (without specifics) and then airing direct attacks on Romney by Santorum. They would conveniently forget to point out that Santorum was attacking Romney. And the listeners fail to note the uneven treatment.

The second reason I believe the media has been far more negative toward Romney compared with the other candidates is that the media moguls who are in positions of power do not believe Romney will be as easily controlled as some other candidates. One of the methods the media is using is to accuse Romney of being the establishment candidate. George Soros does not want Romney as president and he helps slant opinion against Mitt by saying there is no difference between Obama and Romney. Then the press and other candidates keep saying that Soros backs Romney, which turns millions against Mitt by association. It is all smoke and mirrors and most people fall for this kind of rhetoric.

My whole life, I have been able to identify patterns. Those who know me well have seen this many times. My abstract brain finds it easy to strip away bias or window dressing that regularly shapes people’s mind set and piece together the real story. Most of you do not know me, so I am asking you to trust that I am skilled in this area and believe that I am seeing a clear pattern in the presidential race. The plan of the media is to ignore Ron Paul to ruin his chances, and to pretend that Romney is being shoved down our throat by the establishment so we will rebel against his candidacy. Will it work? That remains to be seen.

I neither have the time nor desire right now to pull together the number of articles it would take to convince a skeptical reader to believe my assertions. It would take a lot, because most people would feel I was paranoid with only a few subtle examples. It would take a large body to show a definitive pattern, and frankly most people would not read such a long list. Instead, I challenge each of you to begin studying the art of rhetoric and then use those skills to identify the game plan of the press. Notice how often the different networks seem to spontaneously bring up the same ideas.

I will give only one small example right now since I just heard this on Fox News, Weds. Feb. 8th. Charles Hurt, a columnist from the Washington Times said, in an interview that was pretending to be nonpartisan and fair, spoke in a matter-of-fact voice that Mitt Romney has the best campaign you could possibly buy.  The Fox reporter agreed. This is extremely subtle but an effective media campaign against Romney.

In thousands of comments I have read, people say that they don’t know why but there is something creepy about Mitt and they don’t trust him. These people have been influenced by media tactics. There is no way to reason with those who are prejudiced against someone. Few people are able to catch the brilliant rhetorical tactics used by reporters to manipulate the public. Can you?

In a monarchy, the decisions of the king are not to be questioned. We have a Republic that is based on the rule of law. Benjamin Franklin made it clear that we must diligently work to keep this form of government. Personal responsibility is requisite and that means we must each do our part to vigilantly scrutinize our representatives to ensure that they adhere to the rule of law.

This new law places domestic terror investigations and interrogations into the hands of the military and this opens the door for trial-free, indefinite detention of any person, including American citizens, as long as the government decides to call them terrorists. The potential for misuse is tremendous.

“ It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one. ”

— Voltaire

Four years ago, police in Missouri were encouraged to stereotype drivers with certain bumper stickers. One they were told to look out for was “Ron Paul” stickers. Laws like the NDA tend to muzzle people and create fear that we could be considered domestic terrorists simply by excercising our freedom of speech. This sets a dangerous precedent and starts us down a slippery slope.

Mitt Romney needs to open his eyes and understand the crucial importance of following the Constitution. Many people, mostly liberals, say that the Constitution is a living, breathing document. That is code for; we live in a different world and therefore we can throw out our rule of law for modern situations. Wrong.

I have researched what our founders went through to give us the inspired Constitution. They spent years of in-depth study to identify eternal principles of freedom that apply to any people with a desire for free agency and personal growth, as well as national opportunity. These principles can be applied to any society, not just an old agrarian society that we had during the founding. Also, they build in a way to adapt for any needed changes without throwing out their document. No politician has the legal right to put his own wisdom above a God inspired Constitution. And we must not lay aside our responsibility to think and put a politician, even one we really like, above the Constitution. It is our duty to scrutinize their actions and not be sheep.

These words spoken by Abraham Lincoln are as true today as they were then.
“All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined… could not, by force, take a drink from the Ohio… At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us, it cannot come from abroad.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

With careful manipulation, in the early 20th century, the Bolsheviks turned the masses against anyone with wealth. Those who had a genius to create jobs and become successful were turned into enemies.

This is the same method being used today in the US which strongly implies; The common man is good, and anyone who becomes successful is evil and are incapable of understanding us.

What this country needs is a leader who knows how to trim the fat and put in motion a turn around in economics. The best person for the job is one who has a genius for doing this. Romney has the track record. Let’s not hate him because he is good at leading, at turning around failing businesses, Olympics, and soon a nation. Let’s not be Bolsheviks.

Grandpa Released from Jail After Black Friday Brawl

Witnesses: Officer shattered man’s face on floor

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Updated: Saturday, 26 Nov 2011, 3:29 PM MST

Published : Friday, 25 Nov 2011, 4:57 AM MST

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BUCKEYE, Ariz. – Police swarmed a Buckeye Walmart Thursday night after a man inside was tackled to the ground during a rush to grab video games — and there are differing stories about what led up to his arrest.

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Some witnesses told Fox 10 that the actions taken by a police officer during a fight at that Walmart were wrong, but Buckeye police have a different story.

Witnesses told Fox 10 Friday morning that a grandfather was with his grandson and wife looking at video games. They said that people were tearing the box of games apart, trying to get to the videos, and a woman ended up getting punched.

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“You literally would have thought there was a cure for cancer in this box, people were going insane,” said witness Skylar Stone, who saw the whole thing and called it ‘uncalled for.’

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The grandson was trampled on in all the mayhem — even cutting his lip. His grandpa put the game in his waistband so that he could lift the boy out of the crowd, according to some witnesses.

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Witnesses said that’s when a police officer grabbed the man and slammed him to the ground – possibly thinking he was stealing the game.

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On a cell phone video taken at the Walmart, blood can be seen streaming from the grandfather’s face. But witnesses said police didn’t believe anything was wrong until they turned the man over.

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“They grabbed the guy, body planted him into the ground — face shatters on concrete. That’s a hard concrete floor inside Walmart.

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“All of a sudden, you see this little boy run up and wailing and yelling, ‘Grandpa, Grandpa,’ and crying his eyes out,” Stone said.

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Witnesses said the man had about $600 worth of electronics that he was purchasing and wasn’t trying to steal anything. They said he was just trying to get his grandson out of harm’s way.

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But on Friday afternoon, Buckeye police told Fox 10 a vastly different story.

The Buckeye police chief said the officer’s actions were justified and that the cell phone video of the fight showed only the very end of it. They said the Walmart’s surveillance cameras did not capture the beginning of the fight.

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Police said when the officer asked Jerald Newman about the video game he put in his waistband, he began flailing his arms.

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“As the officer put handcuffs on the suspect, he resisted arrest, flailing his arms and pulling away from the officer backing up,” said Buckeye Police Asst. Chief Larry Hall.

A leg sweep was used on Newman, who hit his head when he fell and began bleeding, police said.

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“There’s nothing on the surface to indicate our officer did anything inappropriate. It’s difficult to arrest an individual because you don’t know how that individual is going to react.”

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/business/black-friday-brawl-at-buckeye-walmart-11252011

Government fines jailed Border Patrol agent’s family

After successfully winning a two-year prison sentence against U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jesus E. Diaz Jr., the Justice Department is now trying to collect a $6,870 fine from his wife, saying it should be paid “immediately” — even though the judge signaled she would have a grace period.

In a notice sent last week the Justice Department said the fines were imposed by the court that found Agent Diaz guilty and sentenced him to prison for improperly restraining a 15-year-old suspected of drug smuggling.

“We strongly urge you to pay this debt immediate,” said the notice, which was received by Diana Diaz, who is also a Border Patrol agent.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/8/govt-fines-jailed-border-patrol-agents-family/