2/24/2009

ACORN: We Have A RIGHT To Invade Homes Because There Is A RIGHT To Housing

Bertha Lewis of ACORN DEFENDING ACORN's latest...encourage people that defaulted on their home loans and are being foreclosed on to break into the homes and squat...daring authorities to kick them out...

Here is the transcript of Stuart Varney, FOX Business network, interviewing Bertha Lewis, Executive Director of the New York branch of ACORN:


Stuart Varney: Do you think you got a right to these houses?
Bertha Lewis: I think the homeowners have a right to stay in those homes until the administrations plan can be implemented…yes I do.
Stuart Varney: They got a right to the house even though they haven’t paid their bills?
Bertha Lewis: They have been paying their bills…I think it’s a false thing to say that people haven’t been paying their bills.
Stuart Varney: No, their delinquent on their mortgages.
Bertha Lewis: Well, they maybe delinquent on their mortgages but there are people still do that.
Stuart Varney: They haven’t been paying their bills
Bertha Lewis: There are millions of millions of people who are…
Stuart Varney: Doesn’t matter, they haven’t been paying their bills.
Bertha Lewis: Being foreclosed on every day and so we have a plan in place and people need to stay there..
Stuart Varney: What right do you claim to stay in a house that you can’t afford and you cannot pay the bills and what right do you have to get my money to pay for you? I’ve read the constitution, I don’t see that right…
Bertha Lewis: Well, I don’t see the right that banks have to get 700 billion dollars to get bailed out
Stuart Varney: No, no, that’s a different thing…
Bertha Lewis: That’s all part of the same thing…
Stuart Varney: No it’s not…
Bertha Lewis: Every 13 seconds, Stuart, people are getting foreclosed on and they have the right to protect their homes and to protect their communities. It’s the most American thing you can do to protect your community.
Stuart Varney: ACORN is well known for looking at banks and saying “give us a loan,”….they don’t give you a loan so you scream racism you then invade their offices and demonstrate outside the private homes of bank executives, you embarrass the banks and you force them to give you loans on favorable terms, now…those loans cannot be repaid, you will not leave those homes and your claiming a right to stay in them and have a right to my money to make sure you stay in them, again…I come back to it Bertha, they may be be foreclosing every 13 seconds but you have absolutely no right to that house.
Bertha Lewis: Well banks don’t have a right to discriminate.
Stuart Varney: Again, your taking a parallel track you see….Where is the right?
Bertha Lewis: I wish we could force banks to our will but….
Stuart Varney: Where is the right? Where is the right to my money? You are demanding money from me.
Bertha Lewis: We’re not demanding money from you.
Stuart Varney: Yes you are.
Bertha Lewis: We’re demanding that the banks renegotiate these loans
Stuart Varney: It is taxpayer money in this plan, which you propose to bail out your people to stay in the homes they cannot afford. You are demanding my money and your saying you have a right to my money. It is no excuse to go on a parallel track and say “well the banks have no right to 700 billion dollars,” that’s not the point madam. You are demanding my money directly to your people. And that’s wrong.
Bertha Lewis: First of all these are not my people, these are millions and millions of hardworking homeowners who are paying their bills, paying….
Stuart Varney: They are not paying their bills….I can’t believe your getting away with this….they are not paying their bills.
Bertha Lewis: Well I know people who are.
Stuart Varney: They are delinquent on their mortgages that’s why they are being foreclosed on.
Bertha Lewis: They’re paying their bills, they’re paying their taxes.
Stuart Varney: They are not paying their mortgage bills and you know it.
Bertha Lewis: Yes they are.
Stuart Varney: No, if they were paying their mortgage bills they would not be foreclosed on, they would not be leaving the home….right?
Bertha Lewis: First of all, you are wrong because millions of millions of people are (ineligible), they are late on their mortgages
Stuart Varney: They are delinquent on their mortgages
Bertha Lewis: And that means late.
Stuart Varney: They have not paid their mortgage bills and you know it
Bertha Lewis: They have been foreclosed on and people need to be able to stay into their homes and so that they can take advantage of the President’s new plan.
Stuart Varney: So you invade these homes with a lot of guys. Your not going to leave, your gonna protect these people, we’re gonna stay in the home….Your a nice lady, your a gentle and a nice lady
Bertha Lewis: No I’m not…
Stuart Varney: But I put it to you….this is political thuggery.
Bertha Lewis: Well, I’m a very determined lady, I don’t think it’s political thuggery and I think it’s thuggery when you put out hard working members of home owners from their homes…..here’s the thing….
Stuart Varney: And it’s not when you invade a bank managers office so you shout racism? That’s not political thuggery?
Bertha Lewis: Well, it is true….
Stuart Varney: It is….that’s exactly what it is…
Bertha Lewis: Well you don’t want to tell a lie and a lie doesn’t make it the truth…
Stuart Varney: You are operating on taxpayer money. You’ve received…ACORN has received since 1998 thirty one million dollars of taxpayer money, three million dollars a year, you are doing this with my money.
Bertha Lewis: You want to know what we’ve done? We’ve counseled 2,300 people to stay in their homes, renegotiation their mortgages, and…here’s the thing. Every single penny we competed for and we can tell you this, if the industry had listened to us ten years ago when we said this was coming we wouldn’t be in this crisis. So now here’s what we’re gonna do.
Stuart Varney: Listened to you? You’ve invaded their offices
Bertha Lewis: No we didn’t
Stuart Varney: …you are political thugs, you embarrass banks to give them loans which they could not afford to repay and now they cannot afford to repay them and your claiming the right to my money to stay in those homes and you will have big burly guys who say “we’re not going to leave here no matter what!”
Bertha Lewis: No, we have homeowners who are protecting their homes.
Stuart Varney: Your a nice lady….come on!
Bertha Lewis: I’m a nice lady and I’m very determined lady to tell the truth and the truth is this…
Stuart Varney: You are not telling the truth…
Bertha Lewis: Here’s the thing…
Stuart Varney: Your telling me these homeowners have paid their bills and they have not…
Bertha Lewis: We cannot force anybody to do anything….here’s the thing, you know who are the thugs? The thugs are the banks, the thugs are the mortgage brokers who bilk people so they are delinquent and they deserve to be helped just like big banks and institutions are we intend to stay.
Stuart Varney: And they have not paid their mortgage bills and they have no right to those houses…that is my last word. Bertha Lewis….
Bertha Lewis: Housing is a right.
Stuart Varney: It is not a right.
Bertha Lewis: Yes it is
Stuart Varney: I’ve read the Bill of Rights, I’ve read the Constitution, no where does it say that housing is a right.
Bertha Lewis: Yes it is.
Stuart Varney: Can you show me? Which page? Which line?
Bertha Lewis: Well we have the right to the pursuit of happiness.
Stuart Varney: You have a right to a house? Where does it say that?
Bertha Lewis: If your a hard working American and you pay your taxes and you do the right thing you do have a right to protect your home.
Stuart Varney: I tell you what Bertha, we have a Constitutional lawyer in a few minutes, I’ll ask him if there is a line in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights that spells out a right to a house which you claim.
Bertha Lewis: That’s good….good.
Stuart Varney: But Bertha, we’ve run way over our allotted time..
Bertha Lewis: Have we, well you have to have me back and we will show you how many homes we have defended.
Stuart Varney: Defended? Invaded and stolen but that’s another story entirely. Thank’s Bertha.


And thanks to Stuart Varney for having the guts to tell it like it is...trouble is, is anyone listening? Let's hope so!!

DR
MAJOR H/T to Flopping Aces on this transcript

2/18/2009

REPARATION PROPOSALS FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS ACT HR 40 IH

Here we go folks...didn't take long to get this ball rolling now did it?...and where the hell is the MSM on this bill??!!

Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (Introduced in House) HR 40 IH
111th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. R. 40 To acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery, subsequently de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 6, 2009

Mr. CONYERS (for himself and Mr. SCOTT of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

——————————————————————————– A BILL To acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery, subsequently de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) Findings- The Congress finds that–

(1) approximately 4,000,000 Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the United States from 1619 to 1865;

(2) the institution of slavery was constitutionally and statutorily sanctioned by the Government of the United States from 1789 through 1865;

(3) the slavery that flourished in the United States constituted an immoral and inhumane deprivation of Africans’ life, liberty, African citizenship rights, and cultural heritage, and denied them the fruits of their own labor; and

(4) sufficient inquiry has not been made into the effects of the institution of slavery on living African-Americans and society in the United States.

(b) Purpose- The purpose of this Act is to establish a commission to–

(1) examine the institution of slavery which existed from 1619 through 1865 within the United States and the colonies that became the United States, including the extent to which the Federal and State Governments constitutionally and statutorily supported the institution of slavery;

(2) examine de jure and de facto discrimination against freed slaves and their descendants from the end of the Civil War to the present, including economic, political, and social discrimination;

(3) examine the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery and the discrimination described in paragraph (2) on living African-Americans and on society in the United States;

(4) recommend appropriate ways to educate the American public of the Commission’s findings;

(5) recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the Commission’s findings on the matters described in paragraphs (1) and (2); and

(6) submit to the Congress the results of such examination, together with such recommendations.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES. (a) Establishment- There is established the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the `Commission’).

(b) Duties- The Commission shall perform the following duties:

(1) Examine the institution of slavery which existed within the United States and the colonies that became the United States from 1619 through 1865. The Commission’s examination shall include an examination of–

(A) the capture and procurement of Africans;

(B) the transport of Africans to the United States and the colonies that became the United States for the purpose of enslavement, including their treatment during transport;

(C) the sale and acquisition of Africans as chattel property in interstate and instrastate commerce; and

(D) the treatment of African slaves in the colonies and the United States, including the deprivation of their freedom, exploitation of their labor, and destruction of their culture, language, religion, and families.

(2) Examine the extent to which the Federal and State governments of the United States supported the institution of slavery in constitutional and statutory provisions, including the extent to which such governments prevented, opposed, or restricted efforts of freed African slaves to repatriate to their homeland.

(3) Examine Federal and State laws that discriminated against freed African slaves and their descendants during the period between the end of the Civil War and the present.

(4) Examine other forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed African slaves and their descendants during the period between the end of the Civil War and the present.

(5) Examine the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery and the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) on living African-Americans and on society in the United States.

(6) Recommend appropriate ways to educate the American public of the Commission’s findings.

(7) Recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the Commission’s findings on the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4). In making such recommendations, the Commission shall address among other issues, the following questions:

(A) Whether the Government of the United States should offer a formal apology on behalf of the people of the United States for the perpetration of gross human rights violations on African slaves and their descendants.

(B) Whether African-Americans still suffer from the lingering effects of the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4).

(C) Whether, in consideration of the Commission’s findings, any form of compensation to the descendants of African slaves is warranted.

(D) If the Commission finds that such compensation is warranted, what should be the amount of compensation, what form of compensation should be awarded, and who should be eligible for such compensation.

(c) Report to Congress- The Commission shall submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Congress not later than the date which is one year after the date of the first meeting of the Commission held pursuant to section 4(c).

SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP. (a) Number and Appointment- (1) The Commission shall be composed of 7 members, who shall be appointed, within 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, as follows:

(A) Three members shall be appointed by the President.

(B) Three members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(C) One member shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate.

(2) All members of the Commission shall be persons who are especially qualified to serve on the Commission by virtue of their education, training, or experience, particularly in the field of African-American studies.

(b) Terms- The term of office for members shall be for the life of the Commission. A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers of the Commission, and shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.

(c) First Meeting- The President shall call the first meeting of the Commission within 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, or within 30 days after the date on which legislation is enacted making appropriations to carry out this Act, whichever date is later.

(d) Quorum- Four members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.

(e) Chair and Vice Chair- The Commission shall elect a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members. The term of office of each shall be for the life of the Commission.

(f) Compensation- (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), each member of the Commission shall receive compensation at the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for each day, including travel time, during which he or she is engaged in the actual performance of duties vested in the Commission.

(2) A member of the Commission who is a full-time officer or employee of the United States or a Member of Congress shall receive no additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of his or her service to the Commission.

(3) All members of the Commission shall be reimbursed for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties to the extent authorized by chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. (a) Hearings and Sessions- The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and at such places in the United States, and request the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the production of such books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, and documents, as the Commission considers appropriate. The Commission may request the Attorney General to invoke the aid of an appropriate United States district court to require, by subpoena or otherwise, such attendance, testimony, or production.

(b) Powers of Subcommittees and Members- Any subcommittee or member of the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action which the Commission is authorized to take by this section.

(c) Obtaining Official Data- The Commission may acquire directly from the head of any department, agency, or instrumentality of the executive branch of the Government, available information which the Commission considers useful in the discharge of its duties. All departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch of the Government shall cooperate with the Commission with respect to such information and shall furnish all information requested by the Commission to the extent permitted by law.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. (a) Staff- The Commission may, without regard to section 5311(b) of title 5, United States Code, appoint and fix the compensation of such personnel as the Commission considers appropriate.

(b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws- The staff of the Commission may be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that the compensation of any employee of the Commission may not exceed a rate equal to the annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code.

(c) Experts and Consultants- The Commission may procure the services of experts and consultants in accordance with the provisions of section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the highest rate payable under section 5332 of such title.

(d) Administrative Support Services- The Commission may enter into agreements with the Administrator of General Services for procurement of financial and administrative services necessary for the discharge of the duties of the Commission. Payment for such services shall be made by reimbursement from funds of the Commission in such amounts as may be agreed upon by the Chairman of the Commission and the Administrator.

(e) Contracts- The Commission may–

(1) procure supplies, services, and property by contract in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and to the extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriations Acts; and

(2) enter into contracts with departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Federal Government, State agencies, and private firms, institutions, and agencies, for the conduct of research or surveys, the preparation of reports, and other activities necessary for the discharge of the duties of the Commission, to the extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriations Acts.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION. The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the Commission submits its report to the Congress under section 3(c).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. To carry out the provisions of this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated $8,000,000.


DR
H/T: Old Glory Radio

2/14/2009

NANCY PELOSI BROKE HER PROMISE - NOT ONE MEMBER OF CONGRESS ABLE TO READ STIMULUS BILL PRIOR TO VOTING ON IT!

NANCY PELOSI PROMISED CONGRESS AND AMERICA THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THE 1,100+ PAGE STIMULUS BILL AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO CONGRESS VOTING ON IT....

AND WHAT DID PELOSI DO?

SHE BROKE HER PROMISE!

A SCANNED PICTURE OF THE BILL WAS PUT ONLINE LESS THAN 12 HOURS BEFORE THE VOTE...WHICH MEANS THAT EVEN IF SOMEONE STAYED UP ALL NIGHT, NOTHING COULD BE SEARCHED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT, SOMEONE HAD TO PRINT IT AND READ - OR TRY TO READ - THE BILL...

NANCY PELOSI AND HARRY REID NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM CONGRESS...NOW!

DR

2/12/2009

"WE'RE NOT RICH...YET"

A real call by a woman to a bank or finance company that was going to repossess their car...the reason?...for NON-PAYMENT

This is real audacity...not the kind that most people THOUGHT Barack Obama was talking about...

THIS apparently is what Barack Obama was talking about...

TAKING the money from the people that work hard and pay their bills AND taxes...and GIVING their money to the people that don't work and pay taxes...

Elections have consequences...and this is only the beginning...

DR

2/10/2009

OBAMA CLAIMS THAT NO ECONOMIST DISAGREES WITH HIS STIMULUS PLAN

Thanks to the Cato Institute for putting together a statement that disputes Obama's claim that "everyone agrees" with his (Obama's) stimulus plan...

The American Spectator reports: Obama and other Democrats have repeatedly invoked the idea of an expert consensus in favor of the Pelosi plan. In his Jan. 3 weekly radio address as president-elect, Obama said that "economists from across the political spectrum agree" in support of the plan, and in a Jan. 9 press conference, he declared: "There is no disagreement that we need action by our government -- a recovery plan that will help to jump-start the economy."

Tired of hearing this insipid "everybody agrees" argument, the libertarian
Cato Institute produced an open-letter response ad (pdf) featuring the bold headline: "With all due respect, Mr. President, that's not true." The open letter has now been signed by more than 200 economists, and I overheard a top Cato official last week tell a supporter that the institute plans to continue its ad campaign against the phony Keynesian consensus. (my emphasis)

Obama and his handlers are doing a good job of trying to brainwash the American public into buying his socialist, nanny-government programs...we need to keep digging and objecting...probably every day for the next four years...but I know we are up to it!

DR

SCHUMER: AMERICANS DON'T CARE ABOUT PORK

WHAAATT!!!????

OBAMA: THERE ARE THOSE THAT WANT TO DO NOTHING

WHO??

WHO "WANTS TO DO NOTHING"???

WE WANT NAMES, OBAMA, NOT INNUENDOS AND CLOAKED ACCUSATIONS!!!

"
As I said, the one concern I've got on the stimulus package, in terms of the debate and listening to some of what's been said in Congress, is that there seems to be a set of folks who -- I don't doubt their sincerity -- who just believe that we should do nothing."

I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYONE IN CONGRESS STATE THAT THEY WANT TO DO NOTHING!

REPUBLICANS ARE SIMPLY SAYING THAT THIS BILL IS NOT THE BILL TO GET US OUT OF THE "OBAMA CRISIS"...

DR

OBAMA'S BILL: SENIORS SHOULD BE MORE ACCEPTING OF THE CONDITIONS THAT COME WITH AGE INSTEAD OF TREATING THEM

BE AFRAID...BE VERY AFRAID!


Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.

Defenders of the system say that individuals benefit in younger years and sacrifice later.
The stimulus bill will affect every part of health care, from medical and nursing education, to how patients are treated and how much hospitals get paid. The bill allocates more funding for this bureaucracy than for the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force combined (90-92, 174-177, 181).


Hiding health legislation in a stimulus bill is intentional. Daschle supported the Clinton administration’s health-care overhaul in 1994, and attributed its failure to debate and delay. A year ago, Daschle wrote that the next president should act quickly before critics mount an opposition. “If that means attaching a health-care plan to the federal budget, so be it,” he said. “The issue is too important to be stalled by Senate protocol.”

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!

DR