Labor Day 2012: Empty Chair Day

If you watched or listened to Clint Eastwood's speech at the RNC the other day, you will not be surprised that his "empty chair" interview with the President has gone viral. Michelle Malkin has posted two threads with lots of creative photographs of empty chairs on display today from all over the country. Links here and here. And here's Mark Steyn's take on the RNC speech.

Eastwood's 11-minute performance is getting zillions of views on YouTube. Yesterday, just two of the postings were over the 900,000 viewers mark. There are so many postings up there now that it is impossible to keep track.

Navy Week in Cleveland

Navy Week Cleveland to finish summer

with ships, sailors and the Blue Angels

Navy Week starts tomorrow (Monday, Aug. 27):

The War of 1812 was the first declared war in the history of the United States of America, and it established the U. S Navy as a force to be reckoned with. The Navy is commemorating the bicentennial of the war with Navy Week in Cleveland, August 27 through September 4.

It includes a US Navy Bicentennial of the War of 1812 Commemoration event, and of course The US Navy Blue Angels performing in the Cleveland Air Show. The full calendar of events is here. More details here.

"Why this Fat Cat Likes Obama's Tax Plan"

This letter appeared in a full-page ad in the New York Times the other day. It is making the rounds; the text below is from the Countervailing Truths blog:


(Full Page ad in the New York Times, August 20, 2012)

I certainly don't qualify for the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list, but it surely feels that way. With my income averaging close to eight figures annually for the past seven years and with personal expenditures comprising about 2% of such income (thereby qualifying me for a potential Forbes list of America's wealthiest tightwads), I have built a net worth far above anything to which I ever aspired. I simply don't know how to spend money (nor do I enjoy doing so), having purchased only one residence (a condo) in the past 40 years, one used car in 25 years, and detest wasting my time shopping. My one passion, travel, accounts for about half my expenditures.

I find my work as a sole, private equity investor challenging and intellectually stimulating and especially enjoy mentoring and interacting with my small staff of trusted employees. My father long ago taught me that individuals are nothing more than custodians of their funds, ultimately to be passed down to future generations, especially the less fortunate. I have taken this to heart and have aspired to a legacy goal of ultimately leaving $50 million to various charities. And with continued good fortune, perhaps higher.

My one significant regret (profoundly shared by my fiancee, Rachel Martin) is that my diligent and compulsive pursuit of my goals does not leave enough time to smell the rose. She wishes to travel more and she may very well achieve her wish! Assuming Barack Obama wins reelection and successfully achieves his redistributionist tax agenda ( with 39%+ marginal rates plus a 3.8% tax on investment income plus substantially high dividend and capital gains rates), I will find myself, when my high California taxes are added in, at a marginal rate of taxation well over 50%. This represents the crossing of an inviolate threshold to me and is entirely unacceptable. I realize paying taxes is a form of charitable giving in a sense, but if I'm the one that's doing the work and tendering the money, then I want to be the one who chooses the charity.

Consequently, should these tax laws go into effect, I probably will simply shutter my business and say my sweet farewells to half a dozen great employees (who are unlikely to equal their current remuneration elsewhere... if they are fortunate enough to get new jobs in this economy). I will then take my money and instead of productively employing it in venture capital, will stick it in short-term U.S. Treasuries, providing me with a moderately safe, extremely low-yielding investment on which the high tax rates are moot since there's virtually no income to tax.

And Rachel will get her dream come true, since I will finally be free of my compulsive financial pursuits, and health permitting we will live the luxurious lifestyle we both feel we deserve.

To the many charities which ultimately will have to settle for about half of what they could have received... my profound and deepest apologies. For the medical innovations which may be years delayed, the music which may never be performed, the shelter that might not be offered, I grieve. To Barack Obama, I say thank you... for freeing me from the yoke and bondage of my current endeavors and providing a new found freedom. I just hope, however, that there are not thousands and thousands of others in the same position as I am in... the multiplier effect on jobs, the economy and charitable giving could be devastating!

Norman Lizt
PO Box 1423
La Jolla, CA

Occupy the Truth Roundup

Hi Patriots, let me start off by saying thank you for your support yesterday, we had a great time and learned a lot. We wanted to thank all the speakers and the volunteers that helped out. This would have been impossible without you. What did we learn yesterday? We learned that not only has the national media turned a blind eye to this administrations failings and corruption, but our local media in Cleveland is just as complicit in allowing the left to run their narrative. Malpractice would be a good descriptor when discussing journalism in Cleveland.

We as citizens and patriots need to hold our media accountable. I watched in awe yesterday as Fox 8 reported on the theft of a candy jar by a drunk patron from a Cleveland restaurant. Yet, Occupy the Truth, with more than 1000 attendants did not even rate a ten second blurb. They interviewed the owner of the restaurant and showed video of the patron stealing the oversize jar of candy, etc. This is our media! Our politicians are robbing this country and this city blind. The bureaucrats are driving The United States, Ohio and Cleveland into the ground and they are reporting on candy theft! Emperor Obama fiddles while Rome burns and the lapdog media dances to the tune.

 So what can we do about it? If we learned anything from the speakers yesterday it is that we are all citizen journalists. We need to take control of the narrative, the narrative of the truth. I'm going to list some sources below to get you started. Keep hammering on our local news outlets, demand they cover the trial of the Occupy terrorists. Demand that they treat the Tea Parties fairly, let's have an honest dialogue about what this administration is doing to this country.

Contact and Follow your Media:

NBC Affiliate WKYC
WKYC on Twitter
WKYC on Facebook

ABC Affiliate WEWS
WEWS on Twitter
WEWS on Facebook

CBS Affiliate WOIO Channel 19
WOIO on Twitter
WOIO on Facebook

Fox Affiliate WJW Fox8
Fox8 on Twitter
Fox8 on Facebook


Why we marched in the first place: A document describing the reason we rallied for Occupy the Truth

Post by Dana Loesch about Occupy the Truth

Check out Jim Hoft's blog The gateway Pundit for a great selections of articles on  Occupy the Truth

It is very important that we as patriots stay informed. I have found one of the best ways of doing this is via Twitter and following other patriots. When news breaks it usually hits Twitter first then branches out from there. Facebook is good as well but we need to make sure we source our information. Make sure you have your facts correct and that you are on the side of truth. The truth always wins out in the end.

Follow us on twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Cleveland Tea Party Patriots on Flickr

Sonnie Johnson at Occupy The Truth

Sonnie Johnson wowed the crowd at the Occupy The Truth rally on Aug. 18.

Tony Katz on Fox : talks about Occupy The Truth

Tony Katz emceed the Occupy The Truth Rally at the Free Stamp Plaza / Willard Park on Aug. 18. He got up early that day to be interviewed live on Fox and Friends.

Dana Loesch Pumps up "Occupy The Truth Rally"

Video streaming by Ustream

Video streaming by Ustream

In case you missed it on Aug. 18 - or want to get pumped up again.