Dealing with the State of The Union speech tonight

For patriots who cannot imagine watching or listening to the SOTU this evening, here is an option from Stephen Green (Mr. Vodkapundit at PJ Media):

Drunkblogging tomorrow night’s State of the Union Address, you ask?

I’m readying my favorite martini pitcher in anticipation already.

Check back at the PJM home page Tuesday night at about 8:45PM Eastern for all the fun and cocktails and facepalms you can handle.

He watches it, so you don't have to.

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Passing a Resolution with an Unwilling School Board

Photo credit: myajc.com

Common Core: an update

Ohio Tea Party Patriots Co-cordinator Marianne Gasieki is sharing a Richland County success story and seeking participation in a statewide survey:

Passing a Resolution with an Unwilling School Board

Raising a Unified Voice

As some of you are aware, Marianne was elected to the Ontario School Board November 2013:

I was elected due to my vocal opposition to Common Core, as I had been attending meetings and questioning the board regarding Common Core for over a year.

Unfortunately, unlike the Garaway school district, the Ontario school district did not have a Board unified in their opposition to Common Core, so it was necessary to create a ground swell from concerned parents.

As a Board member, I couldn't be seen as actively involved in the movement, but was able to find a few key people who made it happen.

A petition was created, and within a matter of weeks, over 300 signatures were obtained.  These people took the petitions to soccer games, parent teacher conferences, anywhere there would be community gatherings. Click Here for a Copy of the Petition.

Copies of the petitions were sent to each Board member with a cover letter. Click Here to Read the Cover Letter.

At the December board meeting, our resolution opposing Common Core was passed.

It is important to note that although it looks like we were able to do this quickly, it took the action of parents coming to board meetings over multiple months, and clearly stating their issue with CC.  It took people working in the community, writing letters to the editor, posting yard signs around the school and educating their neighbors.  But it can be done!

If you would like to share your success story, please forward it to me and I will try to compile them so they accompany the survey results.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact Marianne at the Mansfield Tea Party at mansfieldteaparty@gmail.com. 

These resolutions and efforts are important, especially since Gov. John Kasich is opposing repeal of CC. Read the latest from The Blaze here. 

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Unity Rally in Paris: World Leaders lock arms

This report from Hot Air, in case you missed it over the weekend:

The President sent Eric Holder. I know he was there because he was doing all of the Sunday shows from Paris. Then cable news ground to a halt for one of the more impressive shots you will ever see; one of the biggest collections of world leaders to be found anywhere, and they were outside in the cold and the rain, locking arms and marching in unity with the people of France as they stood up to Islamic terrorism. Above is just one of the many media shots which captured the rather historic moment.

But wait… isn’t somebody missing from this picture? In what is possibly one of the worst games of Where’s Waldo in history, the fine folks at Weasel Zippers notice that Eric Holder doesn’t seem to be on the scene.

There’s a photo at the link of Holder with some of the leaders standing on the steps of a building for a photo op, but he was otherwise busy for the actual rally.

Attorney General Eric Holder is in Paris this week to attend a meeting on fighting terrorism, but did not participate in a march with world leaders Sunday to honor the 17 people killed last week in France.

More than 40 world leaders marched arm in arm through Paris to rally for unity and freedom of expression and to honor the victims of the three days of terrorist attacks.

Swinging back to WZ for the full list, here are the world leaders who actually showed up and walked the walk.

Left to right: Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Union President Donald Tusk, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Jordan’s Queen Rania, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenkoand other guests...

Oh, man. We didn’t even manage to qualify for … and other guests.

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Also in this report is a Tweet from Dana French:

CNN just reported Eric Holder did not attend #ParisMarch because he was attending high level meetings. With whom? Everyone was at rally.

Boehner's back in as Speaker

Photo credit: westernfreepress.com

Angry citizens melted the phones in DC, but he's back in as Speaker. From The Hill: 

Ohio Republican John Boehner beat back a conservative rebellion on the House floor Tuesday, winning a third and possibly final term as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

But on the opening day of the new Republican-controlled Congress, a bloc of Tea Party insurgents fired off a warning shot to GOP leadership.

In a public roll call, 25 House Republicans defected from Boehner in the Speaker vote, double the dozen who launched a failed coup attempt against him exactly two years ago.

The anti-Boehner crowd’s message was simple: Don’t expect any cooperation in the 114th Congress — even with Republicans in charge of the Senate and holding a historic majority in the House.

Boehner needed a simple majority of the 408 lawmakers present to secure another two years in the top job; he won 216. 

But a dozen Republicans backed GOP Rep. Daniel Webster, the former Florida state House Speaker. Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) received three votes, while Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) got two votes, including his own.

Former Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) also received two votes, while Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) received one vote apiece.

Since the Constitution allows lawmakers to vote for any U.S. citizen for Speaker, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Jeff Sessions received one vote each, as did former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) received 164 votes.

In recent history, no sitting Speaker has seen so many defections from his or her own party in the first vote of a new Congress. Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) saw nine defections in 1997, while Dennis Hastert watched five fellow Republicans cast votes against him in 2005, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

The Republicans who voted against Boehner were Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), Rod Blum (Iowa), Dave Brat (Va.), Jim Bridenstine (Okla.), Curt Clawson (Fla.), Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.), Jeff Duncan (S.C.), Chris Gibson (N.Y.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Scott Garrett (N.J.), Tim Huelskamp (Kan.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Steve King (Iowa), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Mark Meadows (N.C.), Richard Nugent (Fla.), Gary Palmer (Ala.), Bill Posey (Fla.), Scott Rigel (Va.), Marlin Stutzman (Ind.), Randy Weber (Texas), Daniel Webster (Fla.) and Ted Yoho (Fla.).

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) voted present.

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Tea Party Patriots - OH Action Alert

Art credit: buzzfeed.com

This just in from Tea Party Patriots:

A recent poll reflected 60% of voters who voted Republican in the last election either definitely or probably want someone other than John Boehner as Speaker of the House.

Two people have already thrown their hats in the ring, Louie Gohmert from Texas, and Ted Yoho from Florida.  Both men would be a welcome change as Speaker, and are joined by Reps Bridenstine and Massie in stating they will not be voting for Boehner.

The vote is Tuesday!  

So what are WE going to do about it?

Take Action and Be Heard!

Call, Tweet, FB

Call your Rep and let him/her know that you are part of that 60% that wants new leadership.  Tell your Rep that there was a reason for the election results in November, and it's because we want change, not the same old excuses.

Tweet "It's time for a change" #FireBoehner #TakeBoehnersGavel @RepLouieGohmert #GohmertforSpeaker @TedYoho #YohoforSpeaker  to your Rep.

Facebook all your friends and ask them to do the same.

Remember, the vote is Tuesday, so take action first thing Monday! 

Click Here for phone information Twitter and FB information: Rep. Steve Chabot, OH-1 Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/RepSteveChabot Twitter:   http://twitter.com/#!/repstevechabot Rep. Brad Wenstrup, OH -2 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RepBradWenstrup Twitter:  https://twitter.com/@RepBradWenstrup Rep. Jim Jordan, OH-4 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/repjimjordan Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jim_jordan Rep. Bob Latta, OH-5 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/boblatta Twitter:  https://twitter.com/boblatta Rep. Bill Johnson, OH-6 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RepBillJohnson Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/RepBillJohnson  Rep. Bob Gibbs, OH-7 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RepBobGibbs Twitter:  https://twitter.com/repbobgibbs Rep. Mike Turner, OH-10 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RepMikeTurner Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RepMikeTurner Rep. Pat Tiberi, OH-12 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RepPatTiberi Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiberipress Rep. Dave Joyce, OH-14 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepDaveJoyce Twitter: https://twitter.com/RepDaveJoyce Rep. Steve Stivers, OH-15 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rep-Steve-Stivers/116058275133542 Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RepSteveStivers Rep. Jim Renacci, OH-16 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/repjimrenacci Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/repjimrenacci

Let's start the New Year making some noise! # # #

An Ohio Patriot corrects the record

Art credit: ayurvedamagazine.org

Fellow Ohio patriot Nelson Hack of the Morrow County Tea Party, had his letter published in The Morrow County Sentinel on Dec. 30:

To the Editor:

Last week our representative to Congress answered critics who have been vocal about the recently passed government funding bill – the so-called Cromnibus.  I would guess he included me since I copied to him and his staff my Letter to the Editor of 12/17/14.  I also let him know that I sent it to all the Morrow County TEA Party members, the Morrow County TEA Party web page, Facebook, other Tea Parties, and newspapers throughout his district and state.  

Let me say I like Pat Tiberi as a person.  I believe he is a good man and has a wonderful family and seems to be honest until it comes to politics.  There is a war in the Republican establishment against Constitutional Conservatives within the party of which I am one.  For over a hundred years the progressives (liberals), both Republican and Democrat, have been doing their best to destroy the Constitution.  Did you ever wonder why, when a so-called conservative is elected, he/she never tries or manages to undo the legislation or programs the progressives and, most of the time they themselves, voted to have enacted?  Most of this legislation and these programs are unconstitutional and no one says a word!  After a long-enough silence it stands as law.    

Something Representative Tiberi did not tell is the political earmark in the Cromnibus bill that INCREASES the amount the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) can collect from individual donors from $32,400 per year to $324,000 – a tenfold increase! Since the NRSC takes sides in primaries, the new donation limit will help the DC establishment do more to support liberal incumbents. It's an earmark for RINOs (Republican In Name Only)!  This bill was so bad that Republican leaders had to rely on 57 Democrats to pass it.  President Obama even whipped up votes in support of the bill, and NOTE that Representative Jim Jordon did NOT vote for it. 

Let’s look at what Representative Tiberi calls “things in this bill that conservatives can be proud to have accomplished”:  

1. “The agency that handles immigration enforcement is only funded until February.”  But negotiators gave new money for immigration programs through OTHER federal agencies.  They gave $948 million to the Department of Health and Human Service for an unaccompanied children program -- an $80 million increase. That program provides health and education services to the young migrants (MIGRANTS!  I believe they mean illegals).  The department also gets an additional $14 million to help school districts absorb new illegal students. And the State Department gets an additional $260 million to assist Central American countries from which the illegal children are coming.   Current funding for Department of Homeland Security which oversees most immigration policy is scheduled to end in February.  If Congress fails to pass legislation to fund it for the remainder of the year before the deadline there will be no pay for the Border Guards.  Wow, wouldn’t that be a real poke in the eye to Obama - no Border Guards!  That would surely put a stop to Obama’s illegal executive overreach on immigration, wouldn’t it?   Because the Republican establishment in D.C. cannot figure out strategies that work they will be made to look foolish and will cave in again.  Once again they will say this is not the right time for a fight - we will fight in September.  As someone on radio said, they are just like Lucy; they will once again yank the football away just when Charlie Brown (the Constitutional Conservatives) is ready to kick it.

2. “It doesn’t provide new funding for Obamacare.” The key word is NEW.  It doesn’t stop any money that is already in place to fund whatever is already authorized in Obamacare until October.  Take that, Obamacare!

3. “Strengthens pro-life provisions.” REALLY?  Here is what this bill does: once again it bans using federal funding to perform most abortions; blocks the use of local and federal funding for abortions in the District of Columbia; and blocks the use of federal dollars for abortions for federal prisoners. Republicans say that there's also new language directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that consumers shopping for health-care coverage on the federal exchange can see whether or not a plan covers abortion services.

These are only a few examples of political speak our dear congressman learned from the years he has been in Washington.  I could go on but I think most will get the point.  Our Constitution does not guarantee anyone to be coddled and cared for from cradle to grave.  Socialism promises that, but it has failed everywhere it has been tried.  There have always been those who hate the freedoms our Constitution protects.  The only way our Republic will survive is to elect Constitutional Conservatives in both parties (or in another party) that may be on the ballot.  For those that say they are conservative but their voting record tells otherwise, hold their feet to the fire, let them know how they failed, and remember it at the next election.  Term limits, anyone?

Nelson Hack

Mount Gilead

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Cleveland Tea Party Patriots!