http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cfr/ en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 08:54:13 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416139/posts Feingold, McCain, Lieberman Introduce Resolution to Reverse FEC’s Action to Gut Corporate Jets Provision. WASHINGTON, DC – A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to reject a Federal Election Commission regulation that would effectively gut Congress’ work to crack down on Senators accepting rides on corporate jets. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the FEC’s decision and require it to redraft the regulation. In the regulation published in the Federal Register on December 7, the FEC undermined Congress’ decision in 2007 to... U.S. Sen. John McCain, RINO-Ariz. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416139/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 08:54:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412435/posts It's Time: Read NDCIC. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2412435/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:01:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407241/posts How Barack Obama and Ben Bernanke are destroying the dollar — and perhaps ushering in the amero First under the Bush Administration and even more so under President Obama, the federal government has been seizing power and spending money as it hasn’t done since World War II. But as bold as the Executive Branch has been during this financial crisis, the innovations of Fed chairman Ben Bernanke have been literally unprecedented. Indeed, it is entirely plausible that before Obama leaves office, Americans will be using a new currency. Bush and Obama have engaged in record peacetime deficit spending; so too... The American Conservative http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407241/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380806/posts In recent months, at least three major newspapers have carried columns attempting to push Chief Justice John Roberts into voting to uphold a grossly unconstitutional federal law. But their cheap distortions and Chicken Little yammering will fail. The chief justice will do his job, and the country will be better off for it. On Sept. 9, the U.S. Supreme Court reheard arguments in the landmark campaign finance and free speech case, Citizens United v. FEC. At issue in this case is whether the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) could ban documentaries about candidates when Election Day is approaching. This... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380806/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 13:32:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373733/posts "But we shouldn’t be so entertained by this spectacle that we lose sight of why, at bottom, it is a disturbing one. It’s not just because, as many commentators have already observed, the president appears to be taking a page out of Nixon’s playbook. Fundamentally, it’s because the administration’s media war against Fox is but a minor display of the tremendous power the government has to stifle speech it views as illegitimate. Much of this power is the result of long-standing “campaign finance” laws. These laws impose all sorts of restrictions on political speech, and it’s no coincidence that the... Pajamasmedia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373733/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:23:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348128/posts Purported non Muslim Barack Hussein Obama made a presidential appointment of Muslim Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Arif Alikhan for a top job at the federal Department of Homeland Security. In his new job, Arif Alikhan will be Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security. Alikhan has been Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles--in charge of public safety for the city. Why Muslim Alikhan at the Department of Homeland Security you might ask? DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said Alikhan’s “broad and impressive array of experience in national security, emergency preparedness, and counterterrorism will make him... Chron Watch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2348128/posts#comment Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:35:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343830/posts For years, many of us in the blogosphere have argued that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, better known as McCain-Feingold, violates the fundamental Constitutional exercise of free speech, especially in politics, which the founders expressly intended to protect. The Supreme Court failed in its duty to protect the First Amendment when it had the chance, as did George W. Bush when he signed the legislation into law. Finally, a federal appellate court has recognized the insult to the Constitution that the BCRA represents: A federal appeals court overturned hard-fought campaign finance reform regulations in a ruling on Friday that will... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343830/posts#comment Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:52:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343149/posts WASHINGTON – Independent advocacy groups will be able to spend more money to try to influence federal elections under a decision Friday from a federal appeals court that overturned rules limiting nonprofits' campaign spending. Three judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington agreed with Emily's List, a nonprofit that backs women Democratic candidates who support abortion rights, that the regulations limited free speech rights. The Federal Election Commission enacted the rules in 2005, after concerns were raised about the amount of unlimited "soft money" contributions used to fund attacks in the 2004 election. The FEC said nonprofits would... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2343149/posts#comment Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:28:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2338829/posts The Trial of John Roberts By JEFFREY ROSEN September 12, 2009 FOUR years ago, when John Roberts became chief justice of the United States, he said that he hoped to emulate the modesty and unanimity of his greatest predecessor, John Marshall. But if Chief Justice Roberts presides over a broad, ideologically divided ruling in a campaign finance case the court heard last week, he risks being remembered instead as a conservative Earl Warren. For decades conservatives have attacked Warren, who was chief justice from 1953 to 1969, as the face of liberal judicial activism. They have criticized him for presiding... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2338829/posts#comment Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:54:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2338745/posts The First Amendment, as rewritten under the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, except if it is funded by a corporation, unless it is a media corporation, or if the speech occurs just prior to an election, unless it is in the form of a book, which, even though the law covers books, too, the Federal Election Commission would never apply that law to books because we say so, though we said something entirely different a couple of months ago." In an apoplexy of righteous indignation over... The Las Vegas Review-Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2338745/posts#comment Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:11:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2336185/posts Near the start of this year Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. As of this writing, H.R. 1207 has 282 cosponsors. A Senate equivalent, S.604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009, has been introduced by Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). It has 23 cosponsors. Both bills have received a tremendous groundswell of grass-roots support. Much of the support is coming from ordinary people who have become aware of the fact that the Federal Reserve has created trillions of dollars literally out of nothing... The New American http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/2336185/posts#comment Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:52:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2336028/posts The SCOTUS today appeared poised to strike down at least a portion of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of '02, after a majority of justices fiercely questioned Solicitor Gen. Elena Kagan and an atty for the legislation's sponsors, including Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI). The case -- Citizens United v. FEC -- was first heard by the court on 3/24, but, in an unusual move, the court held over the case and ordered a re-hearing before the start of its Oct. term. Citizens United, a nonprofit advocacy org, produced a 90-min. film titled "Hillary: The Movie" meant... National Journal's Hotline On Call http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2336028/posts#comment Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:43:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334275/posts Imagine power companies spending millions of dollars on ads in the run-up to the 2010 midterm elections accusing congressmen who supported climate change legislation of trying to increase electric rates and urging votes against them, or unions buying airtime to support primary challenges to conservative Democratic senators who opposed the labor-backed Employee Free Choice Act. Or even healthcare companies saturating the airwaves with messages urging voters to deny President Obama a second term. All those ads would be illegal under current election law. But the Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that challenges decades of restrictions on... politico.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334275/posts#comment Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:37:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334219/posts The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments from campaign finance reform advocates and opponents in a case many insiders say will be the most significant decision in more than 35 years. The case the court will hear, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, has the potential to overturn key elements of campaign finance law that prevent corporate spending on elections, a move that would open the door to millions of dollars that could not be spent previously. “This is the biggest case in campaign finance law, really, since Buckley v. Valeo in 1976,” said Rob Kelner, a partner at... The Hill, Washington, DC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334219/posts#comment Mon, 7 Sep 2009 22:47:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2333057/posts WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court appears poised to wipe away limits on campaign spending by corporations and labor unions in time for next year's congressional elections in a case that began as a dispute over a movie about Hillary Rodham Clinton. The justices return to the bench Wednesday — nearly a month early — to consider whether to overrule two earlier decisions that restrict how and when corporations and unions can take part in federal campaigns. Laws that impose similar limits in 24 states also are threatened. The court first heard arguments in March in the case of whether... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2333057/posts#comment Sat, 5 Sep 2009 22:21:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2332709/posts FRED BARBASH: "The continued failure to devise and implement a sound and sustainable immigration policy threatens to weaken America’s economy, to jeopardize its diplomacy, and to imperil its national security," concludes a new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force co-chaired by former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former White House chief of staff Thomas "Mack" McLarty. "The stakes are too high to fail," says the report. "If the United States continues to mishandle its immigration policy, it will damage one of the vital underpinnings of American prosperity and security, and could condemn the country to a long, slow... CFR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2332709/posts#comment Sat, 5 Sep 2009 06:37:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2330559/posts The super-elite are the world’s international bankers and industrialist who can achieve anything they want simply because they have so much wealth that they can corrupt anything that gets in their way. If government poses a problem, they buy the government off; such is their way in most Third World countries. However, operating in First World countries requires more sophistication and manipulation, for they are set-up as democracies, often with the separation of government powers so that no single branch can control everything; this sort of checks and balances in government requires more finesse to corrupt and manipulate, for there... Patriot society http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2330559/posts#comment Wed, 2 Sep 2009 18:20:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326860/posts ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Federal Elections Commission has found that former Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee gave excessive contributions to two well-known Republicans. The problem is highlighted in a letter sent to SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford. Crawford told The Anchorage Daily News that the problem has been fixed. He said SarahPAC has sorted out the $5,000 contributions to Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski, and the campaigns have already refunded $200 each. Crawford blamed the problems on election software used to deal with required disclosures. . . . . . Crawford said SarahPAC has redesignated the $5,000 going... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326860/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:00:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324734/posts London - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of a crucial round of diplomatic talks in Europe Tuesday that progress in the Middle East peace process would 'confound cynics and surprise the world.' Speaking in London after a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Netanyahu said he had outlined what he called the 'winning formula' for Middle East peace. 'We need a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel,' Netanyahu told reporters after the one-hour meeting. 'Recognition is the pillar of peace.' Brown said the talks had been 'as realistic as ever but more optimistic' than in the... Monsters and Critics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324734/posts#comment Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:32:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2316985/posts The Council on Foreign Relation's article on the Islamic terrorist organization, "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades" [a U.S. recognized foreign terrorist organization], is not entirely accurate. Under the heading of "What is the Brigade's relationship to the Palestinian Authority Government?", the CFR has this: "Whether Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has a direct relationship with the leadership of Fatah is debated."-CFR Not hardly. In a March 2007 article, Aaron Klein of WND wrote the following: "Many Fatah security members from Force 17 are also openly members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. All Brigades leaders are members of Fatah. " If there was any... Amerisrael http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2316985/posts#comment Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:59:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2310312/posts Brad Setser is ditching his Council on Foreign Relations blog for government access. He will now work for Larry Summers at the National Economic Council. Setser is part of the Summers/Roubini clique. Summers appars to have been a silent partner at Roubini's firm, before joinning this administration. Setser writes at his CFR blog that in addition to getting paid by CFR, Nouriel Roubini and RGE, at one point, also paid him to blog. Setser may be being groomed to takeover for Summers, if Summers replaces Ben Bernanke at the Fed. Economic Policy Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2310312/posts#comment Fri, 7 Aug 2009 06:45:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2307938/posts Following the 2009 G20 summit, plans were announced for implementing the creation of a new global currency to replace the US dollar’s role as the world reserve currency. Point 19 of the communiqué released by the G20 at the end of the Summit stated, “We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250 billion into the world economy and increase global liquidity.” SDRs, or Special Drawing Rights, are “a synthetic paper currency issued by the International Monetary Fund.” As the Telegraph reported, “the G20 leaders have activated the IMF’s power to create money and begin global... New Dawn Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2307938/posts#comment Tue, 4 Aug 2009 15:39:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305576/posts Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who drew criticism for not mentioning the word "terror" during her first appearance before Congress in February, used the term or its variants 23 times during a 30-minute speech before the Council of Foreign Relations on Wednesday. FOX http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305576/posts#comment Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:51:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2302942/posts Rather than holding their ground, the Obama administration has decided to revise the restriction that did not allow lobbyists to meet with government officials to discuss potential uses for the Federal stimulus money they have been allocated. Under the.. Political Lore http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2302942/posts#comment Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:20:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2299220/posts On July 15, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared before the Council on Foreign Relations, the much maligned organization often at the center of many global conspiracy theories. We won’t talk about the merits of the CFR itself, here, but what made me curious is the treatment that MSNBC gave the Clinton speech. It appears that MSNBC edited out Clinton’s opening statement thanking the CFR for having her. When reading what she said at the outset of the speech one might become suspicious that MSNBC was trying to provide cover for the Secretary of State whose comments opened her up... Publius Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2299220/posts#comment Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:33:50 GMT