Friday, March 28, 2014

Tweets of the Day


11h

: But libs would love to call him a racist. but can't.. Hah, libs!

 
”- Amen. And has 3 yrs left.







8h

Countries that supported Russia re Crimea:

Belarus
Cuba
N Korea
Sudan
Syria
Venezuela
Zimbabwe

"Show me your allies, I'll know who you are"





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Thursday, March 27, 2014

The President And The Pope


Gary L. Bauer
American Values

After leaving Brussels, President Obama flew to Rome, where he met with Pope Francis for nearly an hour. Politico writes that Obama was seeking a "halo effect:"

"President Barack Obama was once the biggest superstar on the international stage. On Thursday, he headed here to benefit from the popularity of his replacement: Pope Francis. The 50-minute meeting was a rare chance for Obama to associate himself with a world leader whose cool factor far outweighs his own…"


Politico is right about that. A new poll from the Associated Press finds that Obama's disapproval rating has just hit a record high of 59%.

When Ronald Reagan met with Pope John Paul II, they had a common goal -- to defeat godless communism. What do Obama and Pope Francis have in common? The meaning of marriage? The sanctity of life?

According to Politico: "Obama planned to use the closely watched meeting to show how aligned he is with the pope on income inequality, poverty and immigration…"

While the White House may want to talk about income inequality, poverty and immigration, the Vatican made it clear that Pope Francis raised other issues too.

In a statement released after their meeting, the Vatican said the pope and the president discussed "questions of particular relevance for the Church in [America], such as the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection…"

Those very questions were before the Supreme Court yesterday precisely because the Obama Administration is on the opposite side of each one.








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Trading Potholes for Progress




Trading Potholes for Progress
By Congressman Randy Forbes
March 26, 2014

As the snow thaws to warmer months, new potholes and signs of road deterioration are certain to appear on our daily commutes. Although this is the reality of a harsh winter, it also serves as a reminder of how quickly our transportation and infrastructure can wither. In a boiling frog-like scenario, without the budgets or attention necessary, the conditions of our roads and bridges can deteriorate mostly unnoticed until the problem becomes more than annoyance – it becomes a safety hazard and adds costly wear and tear to vehicles. Then, even if the funds exist to make repairs, plans get caught up in a process of red tape and burdensome regulations. While waiting for project approval, infrastructure issues can worsen to the point that they may be deadly.

Such was the case with the 2007 Minnesota I-35W bridge collapse. The bridge had been rated "structurally deficient." While it sat on a wait-list of sorts for reconstruction that could have taken years to complete, the bridge buckled under the weight of normal rush hour traffic. The collapse into the Mississippi River killed 13 and injured 145 others. 

In a country as forward thinking and innovative as ours, it is unfathomable that our infrastructure would come to a point where it is not only aging, but is actually unsafe. However, simply throwing taxpayer dollars into transportation projects will not solve the problem. This is because projects are being choked by bureaucratic red tape. Big transportation budgets are wasteful if the projects cannot come to completion in a timely manner. It's not just about dollars – it's about efficiency.

It's time we reduce red tape and present a bold, decisive strategy that will cut costs, put Americans back to work, and accelerate necessary construction and improvements to our nation's roads and bridges.

In his State of the Union address earlier this year, President Obama prioritized "slash[ing] bureaucracy and streamlin[ing] the permitting process." However, rather than investing money in stimulus-style projects, I believe we can take a different approach to meet the same goal.

This month, I introduced the 414 Plan Act of 2014 (H.R. 4153) to expedite the construction of roads and bridges in order to create jobs and provide needed improvements to our nation's aging infrastructure. The legislation draws inspiration from the expedited rebuilding of the Minnesota Bridge.

You see, in an era of notoriously long transportation project timelines, it took only 414 days from the time it fell to completely reconstruct the Minnesota I-35W replacement bridge. How? Reconstruction was made a top national priority and the project was not hindered by burdensome regulations and red tape that often slow down transportation projects. As a result, the bridge reconstruction project came to completion ahead of schedule. 

In a similar model, the 414 Plan suspends for five years all federal regulations that do not pertain to the safety or durability of highway facilities, or of public and workplace safety. The legislation gets rid of costly, outdated federal requirements, while continuing to give states and localities flexibility in utilizing federal funding for road and bridge projects.  It also expresses the sense of Congress on the need for greater interagency cooperation among project stakeholders to further expedite surface transportation projects.

We cannot allow our federal permitting process to hamstring us to the point of safety risk. It's time that something be done, and this bold approach will help get us there. Let's trade potholes for progress.




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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Staff Members from CongressmanRobert Hurt's Office to Hold Local Office Hours in Bedford County

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staff members from Congressman Robert Hurt's (R-Virginia) office will hold Local Office Hours in Bedford County on Friday, March 28 to meet with constituents who need assistance with federal agencies. For more information, please visit our Local Office Hours Interactive Map.

 

Friday, March 28, 2014

 

9:00 – 11:00 AM

Local Office Hours in Bedford

City of Bedford Municipal Office

Conference Room

215 East Main Street

Bedford, VA


Culpeper Remembrance Days April 11th-13th




Full Weekend of Events

Celebrating
Culpeper's History!

Mount Pony Trolley Tour * EAA Young Eagles FREE Flights * Colonial Dancers

Horse & Wagon Shuttles * Graffiti House Tours & Lecture * Living History Vignettes

 Vintage Aircraft * Civil War Encampment * Fife & Drum Corps 

 * Winter Encampment Bus Tour led by Clark B. Hall * 

 

Print the Schedule of Events to plan your Remembrance Days weekend 

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Government Mandated Contraception Vs. Religious Liberty


Gary L. Bauer
Campaign for Working Families

As Chief Justice John Roberts reminded us in upholding Obamacare two years ago, it is always risky to try to predict the outcome of a Supreme Court case based on oral arguments. But multiple reports suggest a clear majority of justices today were hostile to the Obama Administration's defense of Obamacare's contraception mandate, which would force religious business owners to pay for abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations.

From CNN came this headline: "Court Majority Harshly Critical Of Obamacare Contraception Mandate." And there was this headline from the Los Angeles Times: "Justices Sound Ready To Reject Contraceptives Mandate Under Obamacare."

Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the swing vote in major cases, seemed particularly critical. At one point, Kennedy said to Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, "Your reasoning would permit requiring profit-making corporations to pay for abortions."

There are reports that even liberal Justice Stephen Breyer seemed to be searching for a way to roll back the mandate, perhaps resulting in a 6-to-3 ruling. A decision is not expected until summer.

Please keep this decision and the justices in your prayers. And do not forget the Hobby Lobby case when discussing Obamacare with your friends and relatives. If they lose this case, Hobby Lobby's owners are facing fines in excess of $1 million a day if they refuse to violate their deeply held values.

The left is constantly assaulting our fundamental freedoms. Men and women of faith cannot remain on the sidelines in America's culture war. Religious liberty hangs in the balance.


Taxpayer-Funded Subsidies Challenged, Too

Meanwhile, there was another high-profile challenge to Obamacare heard today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. In that case, the plaintiffs were challenging the Obama Administration for refusing to follow the plain language of the law.

As written by the Democrat Congress in 2010, Obamacare does not allow subsidies for the federal exchange. The subsidies were offered as an incentive for states to set up their own exchanges. But since most states opted against doing so, the outcome of this case could have major ramifications. You can read more here.


FRC's Cathy Ruse Cautiously Optimistic SCOTUS Will Rule Against HHS Mandate


March 25, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Cathy Ruse, Family Research Council's Senior Fellow for Legal Studies, a member of the Supreme Court bar, attended today's Supreme Court oral arguments in two cases challenging the HHS mandate: Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialities v. Sebelius. Both of these family businesses face the choice of either violating their moral beliefs and providing coverage for their employees of drugs that can destroy human embryos or pay crippling fines of up to $100 per day, per employee.

Ruse released the following statement after the Supreme Court arguments:

"After listening to the oral arguments today, I am cautiously optimistic that a majority of the court understands that a family's choice to make a living shouldn't mean giving up your religious freedom.

"The justices showed strong concern for the devastating impact that the unfair HHS mandate would have on families who stand up for their consciences. The court appeared to understand the serious consequences for those who have moral or religious objections to the mandate. Families that stand up for their consciences will be forced to choose between paying crippling fines that could shut down their family businesses or dropping healthcare coverage for all their employees.

"The justices acknowledged that one terrible choice for family businesses is dropping health insurance for all of their employees. However, should the HHS mandate be upheld, businesses would face significant fines and employees would lose the plans and doctors they have come to know and trust. That's not good for families, kids or women.

"Respecting freedom of conscience is a long-held American tradition and the government should not impose mandates or laws that force individuals and family businesses to violate their faith. I hope the justices on the Supreme Court will recognize this long-held tradition, and grant relief to these family business owners from the unfair HHS mandate," Ruse concluded.


Rep. Robert Hurt Statement Following Financial Services Hearing: “Why Debt Matters”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert Hurt (R-Virginia) released the following statement after attending a Financial Services Committee hearing entitled, "Why Debt Matters," which focused on the risks of our spending-driven excessive debt:

 

"With our national debt exceeding an astounding $17 trillion, our nation is clearly on an unsustainable fiscal path that is driven by the excessive spending culture under this Administration.  While we have been able cut spending and enact policies to slow the increases in debt accumulation, we have failed to address entitlement programs, which are the key drivers of our long term debt.  Passing down a stronger and more prosperous America, the most sacred duty of each generation, depends on us coming together to address these critical issues.   

 

"Failure to deal with our rising national debt not only poses a threat to our economy and future generations' standard of living, but it also poses a very real threat to our national security.  The astounding amount of foreign-held debt we have increases our vulnerability and jeopardizes our leadership role in the global economy. 

 

"Simply put, we must stop the spending that has gotten us into this debt crisis and come together to address our debt before we are compelled by our creditors to do so.  We must free our job creators from the shackles of national debt holding them back from kick starting our economy and focus on fiscally conservative policies that will get us on track to economic growth.  The livelihood of our children and grandchildren depends on it."

 

Tweet of the Day


MT The original "assault rifle" ban. It ended well.

 


Saturday, March 22, 2014

Family Foundation Calls on AG Herring to Combat Sex Trafficking



Victoria Cobb, President

Friday, March 21, 2014

 

Family Foundation Calls on AG Herring to Combat Sex Trafficking

Under threat of The Family Foundation's filed court petition, the Virginia Department of Health yesterday finally responded to a Family Foundation FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request seeking documentation regarding whether the Department of Health fulfilled its legal obligation to report a possible incident of child sexual abuse. 

While we were pleased to finally receive a response to our request, we were again disappointed in the Department's response.  The Department replied, "VDH does not have any documents that are responsive to your request."  In layman's terms, that means that the Department of Health does not have documentation that they fulfilled their legal obligation to report a case of possible child sexual abuse. 

The potential case of child sexual abuse relates to February 2013 state inspection report that found that the Roanoke Medical Center for Women had performed abortions without parental consent on three minors (two of which were 14 years old).  You can read more details on our email from yesterday.

And while this potential crime remains unreported by the Department of Health, our efforts to bring light to this situation have paid off.  The Department of Health has asked Attorney General Mark Herring for a legal opinion on whether the Department is required to report cases of possible child sexual assault.  Throughout his 2013 campaign for attorney general, Herring made eliminating human trafficking part of his campaign platform and promised to crack down on crime and human trafficking once elected.  And now, as Attorney General, he states on his website, "As Attorney General, combating human trafficking will be a priority in my office and I will work with the General Assembly, law enforcement and prosecutors to eradicate it in Virginia."

Well, here is his chance.  The Family Foundation calls on Attorney General Herring to remain true to his promise and insist that cases of possible child sexual abuse be investigated thoroughly and reported to the proper authorities.  Attorney General Herring needs to de-politicize the issue and rule in favor of the safety of the Commonwealth's children.

In the Roanoke case, The Family Foundation is very concerned that without a proper investigation by law enforcement, someone could get away with sexual abuse or assault on 14-year-old children where abortions were performed with no parental consent in an area of Virginia where sex trafficking is a problem.  There are three instances in the inspection reports of the Roanoke Medical Center for Women failing to get proper parental consent in consecutive months involving underage minors.  We know that the I-81 corridor is used for human trafficking, so anyone who cares about kids should want to make sure that these girls weren't victims.  It is incredibly disturbing that, to this point, neither the abortion center nor the Department of Health has followed the law.  In fact, the abortion center claims that it is "unclear" as to its responsibilities!

Unfortunately, in an age of human trafficking, the medical personnel at an abortion center, or any medical facility, can't just assume that a girl isn't a victim of sexual abuse.  We have laws requiring that medical personnel report these cases to law enforcement because we want to protect our kids.  When our parental consent law was first passed, it was to ensure parental involvement in one of the most traumatic decisions a young girl can make, but with the proliferation of human sex trafficking, it is now a way we can ensure that these young girls are not victims.

The abortion industry isn't exempt from mandatory reporting laws.  They claim to be health care operations, so if they are, they have the same obligations and responsibilities as other health care organizations.  They shouldn't be exempt because abortion is controversial.  As such, we expect Attorney General Herring to protect Virginia's children and insist upon the thorough investigation and reporting of possible cases of child sexual abuse.


Michigan Ruling Is a Judicial Mockery, Undermines Self-Governance


March 21, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman, struck down the Michigan constitutional marriage amendment which had been approved by nearly 60 percent of the state's voters.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement:

"This judicial activist stampede to redefine marriage is making a mockery of the ideals that our Founding Fathers stood for. The Left continues to push their social agenda into the courtrooms to demand the change that voters won't give them. With their ballot box options very limited, these activists have focused their attention on the federal bench - raising the eyebrows and ire of the very Americans they hoped to persuade.

"One by one federal courts are vaporizing the right to self-governance. This is not just an attack on marriage, but an attack on the rule of law. It is not the role of judges to redefine our most fundamental societal institution which has such far-reaching implications for society at every level.

"Rather than repeat the disaster of Roe v. Wade and redefine marriage for all fifty states, we expect the Supreme Court to return to the people and their elected representatives the right to decide the future of marriage," concluded Perkins.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Family Foundation Files Suit Against McAuliffe Dept. of Health


Victoria Cobb, President

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

 

Family Foundation Files Suit Against McAuliffe Dept. of Health

 

This afternoon, The Family Foundation filed suit with the Richmond Circuit Court against Governor Terry McAuliffe's Department of Health and Interim State Health Commissioner, Dr. Marissa Levine, for their failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking documentation verifying that the Department of Health fulfilled its legal obligation to report a possible incident of child sexual abuse.  The case surrounds a possible violation of the Commonwealth's mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse law by the Roanoke Medical Center for Women.  The FOIA request to the Department of Health to determine follow up actions taken by state officials has not been answered in the time required by state law. 
 


President Victoria Cobb files petition today at Richmond Circuit Court

 

The Family Foundation will not sit silently in the face of potential child sexual abuse just because it involves the $1 billion abortion industry and the McAuliffe administration; therefore we have pursued this matter in court to require the Department of Health to turn over the related documents proving whether or not they have responded to the potential sexual abuse of a 14-year-old child.

 

The situation began when we received state inspection records through FOIA and learned that the Roanoke Medical Center for Women had performed abortions on at least three minors without evidence of parental consent.  One of the children was 14 years old at the time of the procedure.  According to Virginia Code §18.2-63, carnal knowledge of a 14-year-old child is statutorily either a felony or a Class 6 misdemeanor (depending on consent and age of the offender).  And sexual acts on a child is part of the definition of child abuse or neglect that must be reported by mandatory reporters to the police or Department of Social Services per Virginia Code § 63.2-100.

 

On January 31, 2014, The Family Foundation sent a FOIA request to the Department of Health to see if they reported this to the proper authorities as a case of potential child abuse or neglect among other things (the State Health Commissioner as a licensed doctor is a mandatory reporter as are all licensed doctors per Virginia Code § 63.2-1509).  The Department responded on February 18, 2014 and said they had no responsive documents.  So we waited 10 working days and sent a second FOIA request on March 4, 2013 that asked if the Department of Health had reported this to the authorities since we had notified them of the potential child abuse or neglect.  We have yet to hear back and it is 5 days past the required deadline for a response.

 

The fact is, until we receive evidence to the contrary, not receiving a response by the required deadline means that the McAuliffe Administration's Department of Health is in violation of FOIA law and potentially is still in violation of mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse.  Upon completion of the abortion center inspection report, Department of Health officials should have immediately recognized the possible case of abuse and reported it.  Even if they somehow missed it, after the situation was brought to its attention by The Family Foundation, the Department of Health has provided no documentation that it took legally required action and now is also stonewalling transparency requests.  A request to the Department of Health for documentation revealed that there's no record of any officials investigating whether or not the Roanoke Medical Center fulfilled state law by reporting at least one possible case of child sexual abuse.

 

We have parental consent and mandatory reporting laws to protect children from sexual abuse.  It's not up to the abortion center doctor or staff to make a determination of whether or not abuse took place.  That's up to law enforcement.  This case involves a girl fourteen years of age.  So regardless of the circumstances, state law was violated and law enforcement officials should have been notified.  If there is a reasonable explanation for not fulfilling state laws regarding mandatory reporting of child abuse, the citizens of Virginia deserve to know what that reason is.  If the law was followed, why not say so?

 

Regardless, this situation is further evidence that the abortion industry is completely incapable of policing itself and needs oversight by non-politicized government health officials.  The abortion doctor should have already faced fines for not fulfilling state law regarding parental consent, which hasn't happened.  Is the abortion industry so protected by the state that it is allowed to ignore mandatory reporting laws on child sexual abuse, too?  The Board of Health members have been made aware of this situation and we look forward to hearing a response from them and the Department of Health representatives at tomorrow's Board of Health meeting.

 

The center at the middle of this scandal, the Roanoke Medical Center for Women, is owed by W.K.G. And J., Incorporated which also owns the Richmond Medical Center for Women, the Charlottesville Medical Center for Women, and the Peninsula Medical Center for Women.  According to 2012 data, these centers performed 11% of the abortions in Virginia that year, making them the third largest abortion provider in Virginia after Planned Parenthood and centers owned by the infamous Dr. Steven Brigham.  Dr. William Fitzhugh is the only licensed doctor at the Roanoke facility that we can identify on the Board of Medicine website.  The secretary of W.K.G. and J., Incorporated is Marianne Fitzhugh.

Facebook Pics of the Day








Scam Alert









By Congressman Randy Forbes
March 19, 2014

Your phone rings. The caller ID reads "Internal Revenue Service."  It's the IRS calling to tell you that you owe taxes.  The agent on the phone provides their name and badge number, and the agent provides the last four digits of your Social Security number as verification. The agent tells you the amount of taxes that you owe, threatens consequences of the failure to pay back taxes, such as loss of business license or jail time, and takes any questions you may have. Next, they provide you with details on how to pay your back taxes through debit card or wire transfer.

Now the question ­– is the IRS agent real or fake?

The answer is: fake. This is the scenario of one of the latest consumer scams, which has many Americans sending thousands of dollars to the "IRS" only to find out that they have fallen victim to financial theft.

If you're like me, you like to think that you aren't likely to fall for a telephone or email scam – particularly those scams telling of a long-lost family member in a foreign country who has a large inheritance to give you… if only you'll provide your Social Security number, birth date, and checking account information.

However, the truth is, Internet and telephone consumer scams that result in identity theft or financial theft are becoming more sophisticated and they are often unidentifiable at first blush. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has said that the highest reported age group for identity theft is 20 to 29 year olds who are often considered to be some of our most tech savvy citizens. Overall in 2013, American consumers lost $1.6 billion to fraud, according to an FTC report on consumer complaints. Internet and telephone scams are successful in victimizing all kinds of individuals, no matter their age, background, or familiarity with technology.

Here are three recent scams to be aware of, according to the Better Business Bureau's Top Ten Scams of 2013 list.

The Affordable Care Act Scam
Scammers claim to be from the federal government and explain that the victim needs a new insurance card or Medicare card. They say they need to collect your personal information, including your Social Security number, in order to mail you a card. Often, the scammers already have your bank account number and may provide it to you for "verification."

Fake Facebook Friend Scam
Scammers create fake profiles that appear to be someone from your friends list on Facebook. After requesting to be your friend, these faux friends then post links to websites that download malware or ask for personal information in their communication with you.

Scam Texts
Scam texts often look like an alert from your banking institution. The text message may ask you to confirm or reactivate a debit card by following a link on your phone. When victims follow the link, scammers are often able to get banking information, ATM numbers or PINs, or place malicious software on phones.

So how can individuals protect themselves against scams such as these? In this day of technology, consumers must learn to be vigilant in sharing and protecting personal information no matter what the platform. The following steps may help in protecting you from a scam:

First, verify the person you are speaking with or the link you have received is who he, she, or it claims to be. In all of the instances above (and with most telephone and internet scams), the scammers request personal information over a non-secure site (your mobile device, a website, or over the phone). Often, institutions have policies that state they will never request personal information by email, text, or social media. When in doubt, hang up and call the institution or agency using a phone number listed on an old bank statement, from an official website, or other trusted document. If the request is legitimate, the person will be able to direct you to an agent for assistance.

Second, don't send money to someone you don't know. Agencies like the IRS usually first contact people by mail about unpaid taxes. Again, calling the agency using a phone number from a trusted source will help verify an appropriate method for any necessary payments. If you use online auction sites (like eBay), the FTC recommends using a payment option that provides protection, like a credit card. 

Third, learn how to keep your personal information secure online and offline. The FTC has tips for anything from securing your Social Security number to keeping your mobile devices secure: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure.

Finally, stay up to date on the latest scams. If you suspect you're the target of a scam, do a quick search through Google or another search engine to see if something similar has been reported in the news. The Federal Trade Commission regularly posts scam alerts on its website. You can sign up to receive scam alerts by email, too: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts.

If you think you may have fallen victim to a scam, report the incident to the FTC at http://www.ftc.gov/complaint. Also report scams to your state Attorney General. In Virginia, those complaints can be filed at http://www.ag.virginia.gov/Consumer%20Protection/.