Brownstone Institute: Where Free Speech Lives

N. Ireland's Totalitarian Public Health Bill By Hugh McCarthy. The N. Ireland Department of Health is seeking control of all of us by introducing totalitarian legislation governing your premises, your property, and your documents plus forced vaccinations and forced medical examinations.

China Enters the Economic Doom-Loop By Peter St Onge. China's ruling Politburo held an emergency economic meeting and decided to crank up the money printers to 11, pumping money to consumers, to banks, to property developers, basically to anybody who might spend it.

Don't Let the 'Infaux Thugs' Close Down Debate By Daniel Klein. Today's censors wield cudgels with the word 'information.' Content they don't like they call 'misinformation' or 'disinformation.' The justification is fake. Pretending to protect people from bad information by means of censorship may be called infaux thuggery.

Policy Imperatives for Health Freedom By Leslie Manookian. In order to create a society based on true health freedom, the following policy shifts should be implemented, as a first step. These proposals would address some of the most glaring, pernicious anti-liberty and anti-health aspects of our system.

The FOIA Lady Pleads the Fifth By Maryanne Demasi. A public records officer at the NIH is at the centre of a scandal involving FOIA requests. Subpoenaed emails belonging to a former advisor to Fauci revealed that someone had taught him to avoid emails being captured by FOIA requests.

John Kerry and the Circuitous Assault on Free Speech By Brownstone Institute. Mere words cannot restrain our aspiring censors from weaponizing their power to silence dissent. Enemies of the First Amendment vow to "hammer it out of existence," as John Kerry explained this week, and they are prepared to circumvent legal protections.

Western Civilization Declaration By Philipp Bagus and Michael Esfeld. With the following Western Civilization Declaration, our intention is to make a strong case in the public for the foundations of our civilization still being an appropriate guide for the future of humanity.

The "Financial Coup" That Seized America By Peter St Onge. In the wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis, former chief economist of the IMF Simon Johnson warned that the same dysfunctional policies he saw in his basketcase banana republics had taken hold in the United States.

Study Confirms the Truth about Masks and Children By Ian Miller. A new study co-authored by Tracy Beth Høeg delves into the side effects of masking, a subject ignored by experts and politicians desperate to exert control over individual behavior. It's obvious why their research will be ignored by the media.

Migration, Assimilation, and the Limits of Compassion By David Barnhizer. Neither Europe nor the United States can admit all who want to come or support those who manage to infiltrate the nations unlawfully. European and North American nations cannot absorb the large-scale and growing immigration numbers.

The Carbon Alarmists Are Silent about This By Eric Hussey. If carbon dioxide production by evil humans is the culprit, we should be hearing about new data showing 1) reduced CO2 during lockdown and 2) a flattening or direction change of "climate change" temperature curves.

Political Renewal, Intellectual Revival By Bert Olivier. Indications of a renewed political sense abound. What seems to have been a dormant political awareness is being revived. Not only the intellectual activities under the auspices of Brownstone Institute testify to this; the growth of 'patriotic' activities is significant.

Psychological Bioterrorism By Robert Malone. Psychological Bioterrorism is the use of fear about a disease by governments and other organizations, such as Big Pharma, to manipulate individuals, populations, and governments. Although fear of infectious disease is an obvious example, it is not the only one.

New Hate Speech Laws Scrapped in Ireland By David Thunder. The Irish Government announced that it is scrapping its plans to introduce significant updates to Ireland's existing hate speech laws, as there is not enough support for the proposed legislation. It gained notoriety when it came under fire from Elon Musk.

Congressman Good Update: Remembering the Atrocities of October 7th, 2023

Remembering the Atrocities of October 7th, 2023 Monday will mark one year since the terrorist group Hamas brutally attacked our important friend and ally, Israel. The violent October 7 attack against the innocent people of Israel was unprovoked, and its effects have been felt far beyond the Middle East. In total, 43 of our citizens were among the 1200 brutally killed, and 7 Americans are among the 97 hostages still being held. We have also experienced destructive anti-Semitism and pro-Hamas protests across the United States.    Israel is the sole democracy in the region, and they need our unequivocal support now more than ever, especially with Iran's recent missile attack. We must continue to stand with Israel's right to do whatever is necessary to defend themselves and eliminate the threats to their existence.

Dockworkers Union Strike  It is no secret that Democrats are deeply entrenched with Big Labor bosses around the country. In the recent short-lived port workers strike along the East Coast, union leaders were holding our economy hostage by demanding no automation, massively enhanced pension benefits, and an astonishing 77% pay raise.     Instead of working around the clock to avoid the threatened strike leading up to the October 1 "deadline," or managing the federal response to Hurricane Helene, President Biden was at the beach in Delaware and Vice President Harris was fundraising in California. This lack of leadership from the administration could have had devastating impacts on our economy during the upcoming Holiday season. In fact, it was only after Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida National Guard would take over operations of the ports in the state that the union quickly agreed to go back to work while the labor issues were resolved.

Response to Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the Southeast, including on our neighbors to our west here in Virginia. We have seen the images of countless properties that have been damaged beyond repair, while the death toll has tragically risen to 200 and will undoubtedly grow. The American citizens impacted by this storm urgently need relief funds for rescue, food, and shelter. I am grateful for all those who are giving generously of their time and resources to their neighbors in need.     Sadly, FEMA's priorities are being further revealed as the taxpayer-funded federal agency charged with responding to natural disasters. The White House announced it was making available a $750 one-time payment to those impacted by Hurricane Helene for food and supplies, while FEMA is running out of funds after spending $650 million last year to resettle illegal aliens across the United States.

Securing Our Elections  One of the privileges of being an American is our right to vote. If you are not a citizen, you do not have that right.     Sadly, untold thousands of non-citizens are registered to vote all across our country. House Republicans have been trying to put a real enforcement mechanism in place to prohibit noncitizens voting in federal elections. The SAVE Act passed the House and would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and force states to purge voter rolls of noncitizens. Sadly, the Biden-Harris Administration threatened a veto of the SAVE Act, and Democrat Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blocked its consideration in the Senate.  This week, my colleagues and I sent a letter to Attorney General Garland demanding the DOJ stop enabling this problem.

Holding the IRS Accountable  I led a letter with some of my colleagues to the IRS this week, addressing delays in processing the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims. The ERC was passed by Congress with the intent of supporting employers who maintained payroll during COVID-19 lockdowns.     On September 14, 2023, the IRS imposed a moratorium on new claims to supposedly address concerns over fraud in the program. Despite IRS promises to restart claims processing, many small business owners have faced long waits—over a year in some cases—without receiving so much as a status update on their claims, let alone payment. Although the IRS announced on August 8, 2024, that it would start paying out claims deemed "low-risk," there is little evidence of these payments being made, and over 1 million claims remain unprocessed, with some businesses being owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Kimberly Pinter & Callahan Burton, Thomas Jefferson Institute: The Jefferson Journal: It's Car Tax Day, Let's Move Forward on Governor Gilmore's "No Car Tax" Pledge

By Kimberly Pinter and Callahan Burton

10/7/2024 -- Governor Gilmore was right. His "No Car Tax" slogan resonated with all Virginia vehicle owners and catapulted him to the Virginia Governor's mansion in 1997 with 56% of the vote.   The tax is universally hated and perceived as unfair. You pay good money for a car (plus sales tax!), more to insure it and fill up the tank, and even more to maintain it (and perform mostly unnecessary annual inspections). And then you're hit with an annual tax for the pleasure of owning the vehicle. Worse, Virginians pay the highest car tax rate in the country, with an average effective rate of 4.05% and average annual bill of $1,011. No wonder young people are moving out of the Commonwealth.   Car Tax Day for Commonwealth residents has similar significance as April 15 does to all Americans nationwide. It is a day that every Virginia car owner dreads. It is the day when the locality where you live demands its pound of flesh simply because you own a car.   Why, in 2024, are we still paying this tax? What happened to Governor Gilmore's promise?   Governor Gilmore did his best to deliver on his "No Car Tax" promise. In 1998, The Personal Property Tax Relief Act (PPTR) was enacted. The goal was to phase out the car tax by 2002. However, the new law didn't really end the car tax, it just shifted the burden. It was also capped at the first $20,000 of the vehicle's assessed value. Because the localities that collect the tax were so heavily dependent on its revenue, the Virginia government tried to replace the revenue rather than trying to wean the local governments off the windfall it provided.   Starting in 1998 at 12.5% of taxpayers' car tax liability and steadily increasing to 70%, the strain on the Commonwealth's budget ballooned well beyond the projected cost. In 2002, the General Assembly froze the reimbursement at 70% rather than fully covering the tax, as was originally envisioned. The cap was not sufficient to address the continued rapid rise in the cost of the program, so the General Assembly further undermined relief to the taxpayer by capping the entire pool of relief paid to the localities to $950 million per year starting in 2006. And that is where it remains to this day.   As a result, as populations grow and the number of cars increases, relief rates have steadily decreased. In addition, inflation acts to further dilute any relief, as the $20,000 per vehicle cap and the $950 million cap on the available pool are not indexed for inflation and become worth less and less with every passing year.   Logically, population growth along with a higher number of cars that are increasingly more expensive would allow localities to rely more on volume for needed revenue than on high car tax rates. But the political pressure for increased spending for education, infrastructure, and other public services has limited the desire to forgo that additional revenue.  In fact, many jurisdictions have actually increased their car tax rates over the last 20 years.   As universal as the hatred of the car tax is, its application is equally diverse depending on where you live. In each locality, there are several moving parts that operate in conjunction to determine the ultimate tax liability.    The first is the tax rate, expressed as $x.xx per $100. This can range anywhere from $0.55 to $9 per $100.    The second is the valuation method. Typically, localities rely on JD Power and use one of three valuations: 1) retail value, 2) trade-in value, or 3) loan value. Each of these valuations are further categorized by vehicle conditions – clean, average, and rough.   Third is the relief rate. Relief rates vary widely, generally ranging between 14-58%, although relief may be up to 100% depending on the assessed value of your vehicle.   Fourth is the assessment ratio. This is the percentage of the assessed value on which the tax is levied. This seems to range anywhere from 30-100%, with many jurisdictions levying on the full 100%.   The final factor is the method of disbursement. Most localities simply apply the first four factors and distribute accordingly. However, the City of Alexandria is an outlier in that it employs a declining percentage method. The more expensive the vehicle, the less tax relief you will receive. Vehicles valued at $5,000 or less incur no car tax liability (100% relief). Vehicles worth $5,001-20,000 qualify for 52% relief. Once you hit $20,000, the difference really becomes apparent. Vehicles worth $20,001-25,000 get 26% relief, but only on the first $20,000. Once your vehicle surpasses the $25,000 mark, it qualifies for only 12% relief and only on the first $20,000.   The resulting interaction of all these factors produces a stunning lack of transparency in that the lowest or highest tax rate doesn't necessarily translate to the lowest or highest car tax liability in the final analysis. In fact, low-income communities in Virginia are disproportionately affected by the car tax. Vehicle owners in the City of Buena Vista, which has a median household income of $36,634, pay a 31% higher effective tax rate than Loudoun County, the richest county in the country by median household income. This is insane.   The real question is, is it worth it? While the car tax clearly brings in a significant amount of revenue, it is not without cost on the other side of the ledger. The most obvious, as indicated above, is the cost to the Commonwealth's finances to reimburse the localities for the relief provided. This mechanism ensures that there are administrative costs at the state level as well as all the administrative costs to collect the tax incurred at the local level. It doesn't appear that anyone has published an analysis of what those numbers are, but they certainly should be a significant consideration in any discussion of the car tax's effectiveness.   There are also clear behavioral incentives at either end of the income scale. On the lower end of the spectrum, blue collar workers who can't afford to live in urban centers with mass transit must rely on their cars to make a living. In cases where they don't have access to a car, the tax adds an additional hurdle to obtaining one and possibly being able to travel to a better, higher paying job, which would yield more income to the Commonwealth in terms of income taxes, etc. At the higher end of the spectrum, those who love and are inclined to purchase very high-end, expensive vehicles are going to do all they can to avoid registering and garaging these cars in Virginia. Go to any high-end car show and admire all the Montana plates. Wouldn't it be preferable to have them purchase (sales tax) and register those cars here rather than in another state?   Finally, the car tax provides a clear incentive for taxpayers to hold onto older, less efficient vehicles rather than buying newer, more fuel efficient or electric cars. This is in direct conflict with environmental concerns about reducing carbon emissions.   The car tax is not political; it is hated by more than 80% of Virginia voters. It is high time that Governor Gilmore's original vision became a reality.

Common Sense: Democrats and Noncitizen Voting — Paul Jacob answers a question about partisan positions.

Do Democrats support noncitizen voting? 

It depends. 

Which Democrats do you mean?

A clear majority of voters who identify as supporters of the Democratic Party oppose giving the vote to noncitizens. Specifically, they support the Citizen Only Voting Amendments (COVA) on the ballot this election in eight states — Idaho. Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.* 

For instance, polling shows Democratic voters in North Carolina favor the only citizen voting measure by an eight to one margin. Among Republicans the margin is a whopping 22 to one. Most Democratic legislators joined every Republican in voting to place the amendment on the ballot, but less enthusiastically: 42 yes votes, 16 no votes and ten abstentions.

In Georgia, 70 percent of Democrats supported passing a Citizen Only Voting Amendment. Republican support was 93 percent with 76 percent of independents in favor. But while every Republican in the Peach State's House of Representatives voted in the affirmative on HR780, not one single Democrat did so. 

Though not as lopsided as Republicans or independents, 83 percent of whom favor citizen only voting, 59 percent of Kentucky Democrats are supportive, a four to one margin. Yet, while every Republican legislator voted yes, less than one in five Democratic legislators were supportive. 

In Wisconsin, 76 percent of voters like the Citizen Only Voting Amendment, including 57 percent of Democrats residing outside the legislature. Inside the legislature, every single Democrat opposed the amendment. 

In this two-year legislative cycle, votes were cast in 21 chambers in eleven states. The partisan difference between elected Republicans and Democrats was stark. Not a single Republican voted against the COVA, compiling over a thousand yes votes. Conversely, more Democratic legislators voted against COVA than for it.

Do Democrats support noncitizen voting? Most elected Democrats, yes. 

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

---

Note: Additionally, all 19 of the cities where noncitizens are now legally voting, including noncitizens in the country illegally, are very progressive. All are sanctuary cities and governed (nearly) exclusively by Democrats.

* Voters have previously passed COVAs in six other states going back to 2018: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Ohio.

Derrick Max: Your October 6, 2024 Sunday Summary: Hurricane Helene, Virginia Polls, VP Debate, Strike, Eating Guts, Gambling, Expensive Pronouns and more....

Side note: I was fortunate to attend an event with Governor Youngkin and the first lady this week where they discussed their faith, marriage, and the role of non-profits in filling critical needs in the Commonwealth. It was a powerful talk, made more powerful when the Governor closed by getting the 300 attendees to hold hands as he prayed for the victims of Hurricane Helene.

Dear Friend of TJI, 1.) As with all weather events, climate change is being blamed for the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The Virginia Mercury even pressed Governor Youngkin to discuss climate's impact, to which the Governor rightly encouraged no one to "get distracted by that question." Unbelievably, Fairfax Senator and Democratic Majority Leader Scott Surovell argued that Virginia's exit from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) was somehow responsible for the the hurricane and its aftermath. Our Steve Haner pushed back on this climate narrative with data that shows no increased pattern of hurricane frequency or strength. Senator Surovell may want to read Steve Haner's article showing that under RGGI more carbon was released in Virginia, not less.   Do facts matter to climate extremists? 2.) In a sign that Virginia may be "in play," VPAP reports that in-person early ballots have increased in areas of Virginia that voted for Republicans or were competitive in 2020, but have decreased in areas that voted for Democrats. Interestingly, "mailed in ballots" have dropped by more than half, but by less in Republican voting areas. VPAP reports that new voter registrations in Virginia are well below registrations for the last three Presidential cycles.  3.) Most Presidential polls remain unchanged in Virginia, although former President Trump improved slightly in the new VCU Wilder School Commonwealth poll moving from being 10% down to just 6% down in Virginia.    4.) The first and likely only Vice Presidential debate between Senator J.D. Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was not only more informative than the Presidential debate, but also more civil. Vance appeared more polished and did a better job of explaining the Trump policies than Walz did for Harris' policies.  Democracy was the big winner in this refreshing debate.    5.) The first and likely only debate for the U.S. Senate in Virginia occurred this week -- and while this is clearly not challenger Hung Cao's strength (which may be why he has avoided debating until now), the debate gave voters a clear choice between governing philosophies. The greatest example of this contrast occurred in response to a question about the slow down in military recruiting, a topic Sen. Kaine (Armed Services Committee) and Hung Cao (Captain, U.S. Navy) share an expertise. Cao's attack on the Navy's use of drag queens in recruiting, followed by his description of the kind of recruits the Navy needs was brilliant and descriptive (video below). The fact that Sen. Kaine did not disavow this recruiting method is telling. Kaine is as much a devotee to the far left as Cao is to the far right. Pick your side!

6.) As I recently wrote, Virginia's ports are critical to our economy, so if the International Longshoremen's Association strike had continued, it would have been devastating to Virginia. After three days, the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance came to an agreement on wages, and pushed the issue of lost jobs due to automation back to January 15th. The relatively well paid dockworkers will reportedly see their wages increased by 62 percent. Sadly, very little reporting was done on the high dock worker wages or on the 7,136SF Tudor-style mansion, with a pool and a Bentley, owned by Harold Daggett, the ILA union boss who vowed to "cripple the economy."   7.) The ability of collective bargaining units to create havoc as was seen with the longshoremen should have Loudoun County Public School teachers rethinking their vote on a bargaining unit. LCPS teachers who want to maintain civility, not give up their voice, and allow for creative educational reforms should vote "NO" -- and need to remember, not voting is a "YES" vote. LCPS teachers can get more information on this LCPS bargaining vote from Americans for Fair Treatment.   8.) Skill Games operator Pace-O-Matic is promising to pay the legal costs and penalties for any owners using their machines that Attorney General Jason Miyares has ruled are illegal. The hubris of this industry continues…   9.) The Virginia Lottery showed a 30.6% increase in sports betting this year, with Virginians placing $416 million in bets in August alone -- bringing in $5.2 million in tax revenue. Sadly, males under 25 are most likely to become problem bettors according to Brendan Dwyer at the Center for Sport Leadership at VCU.   10.) Jason Miyares, who gave a powerful and inspirational talk at the SUVGOP breakfast this week, was praised for his defense of the Commonwealth's economy in the Virginian-Pilot. From his decisions on energy, EVs, ESG investing standards in Virginia's Retirement System, and his defense of property owners, AG Miyares has an amazing portfolio of accomplishments. Not even mentioned was AG Miyares' defense of parents rights and Title IX.   11.) Like all newspapers, Virginia's rural newspapers are struggling to survive. From online competition, and people's lack of trust -- our free press is in crisis. While I dont think either candidate is a "threat to democracy" -- I do think our biased and dying press is the real threat that needs to be addressed before it is too late.   12.) Virginia high school French teacher, Peter Vlaming, is to be paid $575,000 by the West Point School Board that fired him for failing to use a student's preferred pronouns because of his religious beliefs. The settlement came after the Virginia Supreme Court reinstated Mr. Vlaming's case.     13.) Dwayne Yancey at Cardinal News explored the impact of awarding electoral votes by Congressional District, with the final two votes going to the winner of the State -- as is done in Maine and Nebraska. The history and importance of the electoral college was the subject of our most recent Federal Policy Dinner.   14.) Due to rapidly growing demand for power and concerns over rising electricity rates, the State Corporation Commission has announced plans for a conference on "large-use" retail electrical customers (mostly meaning data centers). In related news, the Virginia Mercury ran a story on Virginia's struggling power grid and its impact on the Commonwealth's ability to transition to electric vehicles. Increased demand for power, and forced closure of hydrocarbon based producers of power, is leading to increased tensions between the SCC and the General Assembly. The war on hydrocarbon fuel needs to stop! 15.) In honor of former President Jimmy Carter turning 100 this week, I offer you Saturday Night Live's sketch highlighting Carter's attention to the smallest of details in running the Government, one of Dan Aykroyd's best performances. While Jimmy Carter was not the best of Presidents, he may be one of our greatest and most admired ex-Presidents -- a man of great faith, amazing volunteer service, and yes, humor...enjoy.

In Freedom,

Immigration Reform Law Institute: IRLI Impact: October 2024

U.S. Cities Under Siege as Migrant Crime Explodes As the corporate media gaslights Americans that illegal border crossing is a victimless crime, IRLI's podcast dives into recent incidents and the irrefutable facts that show illegal immigration is making America more dangerous and victimizing people daily.

Gary Bauer: End Of Day - 10-3-24

Emhoff Abuse Scandal

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is facing serious allegations of abusing women. It's being reported that Emhoff struck his then-girlfriend at the May 2012 Cannes Film Festival. He allegedly hit her in the face "so hard she spun around" from the blow.

Three of the woman's friends say she told them what happened. And the allegations have additional credibility because there is video of Emhoff at the film festival. There are reports that Emhoff's abuse of women in California was an open secret.

Ever since the palace coup that forced Joe Biden out of the race, Emhoff has been celebrated by the left and their media allies as the epitome of what manhood should be, instead of people like Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.

The Emhoff scandal erupting now is sadly ironic. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Thomas D. Klingenstein: The FBI Entraps Another Fake Assassin by Lee Smith

By Lee Smith Two attempts on the life of a former president, less than two months apart, is unprecedented in American history. And yet it's not entirely surprising given that the country's most powerful institutions and industries have spent the last eight years weaponizing the most suggestible and mentally ill of our citizenry to target Donald Trump and his supporters. Now it seems the FBI may be recruiting from abroad as well.   According to the Trump campaign, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently briefed the Republican candidate on "real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States." The Secret Service was alerted to the threat before the July 13 attempt on Trump's life and reportedly increased his security because of it. But that was not enough to stop Thomas Matthew Crooks from shooting Trump in the face, killing Corey Comperatore, and wounding two other attendees.    There's little doubt the Iranians are targeting Trump, say former intelligence officials with whom I spoke. "The Iranians are promiscuous assassins, and they hate Trump more than anyone else on earth," says Peter Theroux, a retired CIA officer who worked on Iran and related issues during his tenure at Langley. "Trump enforced sanctions against Iran. He moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. He was the most antithetical to everything Tehran wants, including the triumphal visit to Riyadh he made for his first presidential trip in 2017." The Islamic Republic definitely has it out for Trump, but it seems this most recent Iranian plot to kill the Republican candidate was hatched by the FBI.

Read More

The Dr. Rich Swier Report, October 3, 2024

Bishop E.W. Jackson: ATLANTA GOSPEL RADIO STATION

BISHOP E.W. JACKSON ACCUSES WPZE ATLANTA GOSPEL RADIO STATION OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS FOR REFUSING AD URGING CHRISTIANS TO VOTE THEIR CHRISTIAN VALUES

Atlanta GA. Bishop E.W. Jackson, prominent minister and conservative activist, has a long history of urging black Christians to vote Christian values rather than race, party, or personality. His organization, STAND - Staying True to America's National Destiny - submitted an advertisement to several Gospel radio stations in Georgia urging listeners to vote their Christian values.

One portion in the sixty second ad says "When it comes to standing for the word of God in culture and politics, Christians should be a united family. If you are a Christian, your first loyalty is not to race, party, or personality, but to Jesus Christ. On every issue, vote the principles of God's word above all else."

Three gospel radio stations accepted the ad without question. The largest gospel radio station in Georgia - WPZE FM 102.5 - declined the ad claiming their legal department rejected it. According to Jackson, "This is obvious bias. There can be no valid 'legal' objection to the ad. Since the ad doesn't endorse any candidate or party, it's nonpartisan. For supposedly Christian WPZE to reject an ad which encourages Christian civic engagement calls into question the real agenda of the station. It's clearly not advancing Christianity or even serving the Christian community."

The Bishop is urging the public to complain to the station. Unless the station changes its decision, he asks them to complain to the FCC.

Stations have no discretion to deny "candidate" ads, but they have some latitude when it comes to "issue" ads by "non-candidates." Jackson, as a retired attorney, argues that the decisions of the station cannot be arbitrary  and capricious or discriminatory, nor can they violate the purpose for which their FCC license was granted, or fail to serve the community to which they were licensed. In his view, denying a STAND ad specifically created for their demographic is a violation of the spirit and the letter of FCC regulations because it denies service to that community. For more information go to standamerica.us.

This Sunday: Greene County Republican Pig Roast

BBQ, on Dyke Rd, this coming Sunday. 

Guest Speakers:

Bryce Reeves 

Nick Freitas 

And our candidate for 7th district Congress, Derrick Anderson.