Al Franken: Mosque Opposition Disgraceful

Senator Al Franken, the former failed Air American host, says opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque is "one of the most disgraceful things I've ever heard." I remember clearly one of the most disgraceful things I've ever heard are the words "Senator" in front of Al Franken's name.  Once more I'll ask, what in the heck is going on the good people in Minnesota? Source: The Hill via Weasel Zippers.

Boys and Girls Club of America Closes Clubs but Pays CEO $1M: Roxanne Spillett Paid $1M from Boys and Girls Clubs

The Boys and Girls Clubs of America is closing local clubs for lack of funding but paid the president and CEO, Roxanne Spillett,  nearly $1M in 2008. The groups execs spent $4.3M on travel, $1.6M on conventions and meetings and $544,000 on lobbying. A bill is in the Senate now that, if passed, will funnel $425M in federal funds to the Boys and Girls Club.

Roxanne Spillett

Four Republican senators have asked the organization to provide detailed financial information. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) says the bill will go nowhere until an accounting is made. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says the organization might be "siphoning off federal dollars that should be going to help kids." Sen. Jon Kyle (R-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) also signed the request for further information.

Remember, when Air America Radio was failing and broke? Remember when they "borrowed" $875,000 from a New York City Boys and Girls Club charter organization. Now-senator, Al Franken (D-MN), eventually signed an agreement to repay the funds, although they tried to tell us that Air America did not borrow the money, the parent organization did. Funny thing, though, Al signed the repayment agreement. Most of us would not want to put our signature on an $875,000 loan unless we had no choice knowing we actually owed the money.

In April 2009, it was announced that four clubs in Washington, D.C. would close; others would be sold and the organization  "coped" with a $7M deficit.

In addition, the region's 22 Boys and Girls Clubs have experienced declines in membership as students abandoned civic organizations in favor of video games, competitive sports, music lessons and other activities.

The changes reflect a movement away from outdated gymnasiums toward more modern clubhouses with state-of-the-art game rooms and computer labs.

The East Side Branch of the Boys and Girls Club in the Tacoma area, will close in June 2010.The South End Club closed almost a year ago. There's a new plan underway to develop HOPE (Home of Opportunity, Possibility and Empowerment) centers. The Boys and Girls Club execs say they can serve more children with HOPE.

In December 2009, the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus, Ohio chose between paying utility bills and paying employees or letting them go. The Columbus community came to the rescue, not the Boys and Girls Club, while the national organization conferenced, convened and met.

After reading around the Internet about Boys and Girls Clubs, their main goal is to give children a place to go after school, but increasingly, more children are staying away, and finding more high-tech places to spend their time and energy.

Arlen Specter Michele Bachmann Video: Specter to Bachmann Act Like a Lady

In the video below Arlen Specter (D-PA) objects to Michele Bachmann (R-MN) talking about prosperity, so he turns on the Democrat charm, gets personal, and tells this U.S. Congresswoman to "act like a lady." Remember Senator Barbara Boxer excoriating Brigadier General Michael Walsh  for calling her ma'am rather than senator? Bachmann did nothing to deserve this. Arrogant - been in Washington far too long...Specter is running 9 points behind Republican Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania this minute.

Arlen Specter Michele Bachmann Act Like a Lady (video)

Al Franken is T. Boone Pickens Swift Boat Accuser

T. Boone Pickens helped fund an ad for Vietnam Veterans against John Kerry, and Senator Al Franken is taking him to task. Ooooohhhhh! Exciting, huh? The continuation of the Franken unraveling?

Al Franken and Mrs. Al Franken

Known as the Swift Boat ads, Vietnam War Veterans took umbrage at the stories spun by then-presidential candidate, John F. Kerry. Mr. Pickens didn't like it much either, and helped the Vets get their story out. It is considered absolute fact that Al Franken was not on that battlefield, but the Swift Boat Veterans were. See video below. T. Boone Pickens was invited to address the weekly Democrat Policy Committee at a luncheon. Pickens was there to discuss his wind energy plan. Senator John Kerry was a no-show. Lunch over, and Pickens walked up to Al Franken and tried to introduce himself.

Franken began to berate him about the billionaire’s financing of the Swift Boat ads in 2004.

According to a source, the confrontation grew heated.
Said Franken spokeswoman Jess McIntosh: “It was a lively conversation.”
Pickens’ camp appears unmoved by the drama. “If they have a problem, that’s their problem,” said Pickens spokesman Jay Rosser.

The very green Mr. Pickens - excoriated by Democrats. My, my! If Senator Franken thinks he can intimidate T. Boone Pickens, he should think again. Like a cow tail flickin' flies. Perhaps Franken is the saviour of the Democrat party? Perhaps the Democrats witnessing the lively and heated conversation were embarrassed for Franken...and the party? Can a Democrat be embarrassed? We'll see.

 Al Franken - Swift Boat Accuser

Al Frankens Committees: Repubs Send $95,000 to Franken

The Repubs sent $95,000 to Al Franken's Senate office. According to law, Republicans had to pay-up for partial costs of the lawsuit defending former Senator Norm Coleman's Minnesota senate seat.

Al Franken - Minnesota Senator

Al Franken's committees have been assigned: the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the Committee on Special Aging and the Indian Affairs Committee, will enjoy Franken's lively input.

Lady Justice

With Obama's devotion to the United Nations, Franken's swearing-in, Republican filibuster a fond memory, Franken on the Judiciary, and Sotomayor a sure bet, it's time to call things as they are and change the name of Lady Justice to Lady Social Justice. Can someone do a graphic of Lady Liberty without her blinders on, because they have just been rudely riped asunder?

The Republican Party is NOT too Conservative and Democrats are NOT Moderate

Cross Posted from The Lonely Conservative If I hear one more time that the Republican Party’s problems stem from being too conservative and that the Democrat Party is the moderate party I might scream, or throw up, or throw something. Who are these people trying to fool? Do they remember the tea parties that occurred two weeks ago? Imagine the turnout if conservatives didn’t have jobs? Good God! They’ve all lost their minds. Harry Reid, Shepard Smith, Arlen Specter, Lindsey Graham, Meghan McCain - They are all living in some other universe. Or at least another continent. Let’s see….hmmm….how about Europe?! If republicans are going to act like democrats - guess what? - we won’t need them. They won’t matter and unless a third party gains enough momentum - which I don’t see happening in the near term - our republic will be completely destroyed. Yet here we all are, arguing over whether the Republican Party threw Arlen Specter under the bus. How dare conservatives have the audacity to win primaries against republicans? I’ll tell them, we’ve had enough of the RINO’s who have destroyed the Republican Party. It’s time to weed them out. They haven’t stopped the democrats from ramming their agenda down our throats. Quite the contrary. Specter, Snowe and Collins stabbed their party in the back and voted for Porkulus. John McCain is partly responsible for his own loss in the presidential election thanks to McCain-Feingold. George Bush faced backlash from not only his base, but the majority of Americans, over amnesty. So tell me, please, how on earth is the republican party too conservative? Are they too adherent to the Constitution? Nope! Have they been fiscally responsible? Nope! Oh yeah, some of them actually gave a hoot about keeping us safe. Don’t worry, though, Barack Obama and his party will be sure to undo any strides they made in that arena. Were they against expanding the federal government? Hell no! They just expanded it less than democrats. The republicans took a drubbing in the last two elections because they are too liberal. Was President Bush exalted for his bipartisanship when he worked with Teddy Kennedy to pass No Child Left Behind? Nope. Did he receive praise from AARP for providing seniors with prescription coverage? Nope. He was treated like a leper by democrats and republicans alike. For those who say the Democrat Party is the party of moderates, I say you are uninformed. Nationalizing health care is not moderate. Robbing workers of the right to a secret ballot is not moderate. Publishing national security secrets for all of our enemies to see is not moderate. Taking over banks and auto companies is not moderate. Using taxpayer money to fund overseas abortions is not moderate. Taking away the right to have an attorney present during interrogations is not moderate. Calling those of us who oppose them “radical right wing extremists” is not moderate. Burdening American families and businesses with cap and trade taxes is not moderate. Yet, Barack Obama ran as a moderate! He still uses “conservative” language when he reads his little speeches off of TOTUS. News flash: Some people believe what they hear. And for some people, that’s all they need to hear and it won’t be until they begin to actually feel the effects of Obama’s disastrous policies until they begin to see the writing on the wall. The republicans need to oppose him and his party whenever possible. They need to speak up for what’s right. They need to point out, over and over again, that his actions do not match his rhetoric. It is not fiscally responsible to spend us into oblivion. It is criminal to rob our children of their future prosperity. Until members of the Republican Party can find a way to communicate a true conservative message to counter the fake conservative messages delivered by Barack Obama it doesn’t matter how many Arlen Specters desert the party to save their own political skin.