Is It Time to Get Rid of the Constitution?

By Spartacus Thrace

As 2013 dawns across America, the Progressive Movement appears to be at the zenith of their power within the federal government and throughout major sectors of American society and culture.  Buttressed by decades-long control or domination of the academy, the theater, the press, labor, and the Democratic Party, the Progressives have fundamentally changed the state of the nation by creating a secular utopian statist path as an alternative to the religious individualistic minimalist government path set down by the Founders two centuries ago and expressed in the obligations of the government to the governed they enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The Declaration has long been treated by many in power as an irrelevant historical relic.  The radical notion that the Constitution is a “living document” has gained wide adherence across several parts of the societal spectrum, even among those who hold themselves out as experts on matters of constitutional law.  America is now governed by a semi-permanent ruling class, engaged in rampant self-entitlement, seeing itself as separate and apart from — and superior to — the governed.  The notions of the American melting pot of disparate peoples and American exceptionalism have been lost to Balkanization of the population along the classic imaginary socialist fault lines of race, ethnicity, gender, and class.  The fundamental concept of minimalism — where the power of government is a revocable grant from the governed and the government has only that power and authority necessary to perform the essential duties entrusted to it by the governed — has long been smothered by massive growth in the size, power, and reach of the federal government and the concomitant decrease in individual liberty.

Should Florida Supreme Court Justices Pariente, Quince, and Lewis Get the Boot?

Judicial Retention Sample Ballot

By Spartacus Thrace

An issue facing Florida’s voters in the November 2012 election is:  Should Barbara J. Pariente, Peggy A. Quince, and R. Fred Lewis each be allowed to keep their jobs as justices on the Florida Supreme Court?

Each is up for a merit retention vote this year, and each has generated considerable controversy with decisions that opponents describe as anti-democratic judicial activism in denigration of constitutional rule of law in Florida.  In particular, each has been accused of overstepping their authority in making law, as opposed to interpreting existing law, with far-reaching consequences for the people of the state.

Separation of Powers

As with all other states, Florida has organized its government upon the democratic premise that when a single person or group has too much power, that person or group can become dangerous to the citizens.  To prevent such concentration of power, Florida has embraced the trias politica principle espoused by John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu, which separates the government into distinct executive, legislative, and judicial divisions.  The Florida constitution also gives each branch certain defined powers not shared with the other branches, a concept knows as “separation of powers.”

Florida’s scheme of separation of powers is set forth in Article II of the state constitution which provides:

The powers of the state government shall be divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches. No person belonging to one branch shall exercise any powers appertaining to either of the other branches unless expressly provided herein.¹

The Obama Campaign Follows a Porn Feed on Twitter

By Spartacus Thrace

We rightfully expect political candidates and the people around them to be morally upright and of excellent character as a condition precedent to the ability to properly conduct themselves in the affairs of government if and when elected.  The fact that a candidate for public office has pornography on his or her computer or subscribes to a pornography feed should be big news in any election, as it says a lot about the morals and character of the candidate.  Presidential candidates and their committees are no exception.  That is why it is significant and relevant to the election of our next President that the Barack Obama campaign subscribes to the pornography feed, https://twitter.com/ILikeTitsDaily, which features a daily posting of (often gaudy) photographs of the exposed breasts of women. Sometimes the breasts are not completely exposed, often the breasts are framed without showing even the faces of the women, and the sexual organs are exposed in some of the photographs.

Screenshot from @ILikeTitsDaily, showing image dated September 25, 2012.

Obama’s Prophylactic

By Korso

Obama Condom. Source: Sayitwithacondom.com.

It’s actually rather fitting that the hot topic du jour has all the usual suspects in the media prattling on about what has become the Contraception Crisis, a state of affairs so dire than nobody even realized there was a problem accessing cheap and reliable birth control without the intervention of the Nanny State.  After all, it’s not like I can run down to the corner drug store and pick up a box of Jimmy Hatz for roughly the same price as a vendi mocha latte at Starbuck’s, or hit up the local Planned Parenthood for some federally-subsidized Plan B.  Oh, wait a second–I can.  Come to think of it, your average Joe or Jane can pick from a variety of contraceptive options that would make the number of flavors at a Baskin Robbins seem paltry by comparison, for prices ranging from nothing to next to nothing.  So why the sudden urgency in mandating that health care plans now provide that same stuff free of charge, even by religious organizations for which such things violate their most deeply-held beliefs?

Oh, yeah.  There’s an election this year.

Primary Colors

By Korso

There’s an old Rush song that says, “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.” Unfortunately, that’s not going to cut it for Republicans as we enter this, the winter of our discontent. It seems that we have finally reached the point where the battle lines have been drawn: Herman Cain is out, Rick Perry burned his sizzle even faster than his steak, and pretty much everyone else has settled to the bottom of the basket with the rest of the small fries–except for the two front runners, who are now preparing to duke it out for that most coveted prize, the GOP nomination for President of the United States.

Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed? Ah, if only.

Whoda thought when all of this started that the contest would come down to Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich? While the Romney part is no surprise (it seems like he’s been running for president since the Truman administration), I had sort of gotten used to the idea of Gingrich being the color commentator, keeping things interesting with his debate flair and historical acumen but not standing a chance at getting the actual nomination. Now, at this late hour, it seems as if the Newtster’s strategy of keeping his power dry (at least when it comes to attacking his fellow candidates) and going slow and steady has paid off with a serious surge, denting Romney’s inevitability and throwing the party establishment into a bit of a tizzy. I have to admit, for a party that has a history of nominating the next guy in line, this makes things pretty damn interesting; however, with all the polls saying this and the pundits saying that, and the endless debates over who has the best chance of beating Barry the Most Magnificent next year, we are left to ask ourselves the most basic question: Why?

There are actually a couple of reasons. First off, the GOP rank and file are simply not that enamored of Romney. It’s not that he’s a bad guy–Lord knows, he’d be hands-down better than Obama–but after running McCain in 2008, the poster child for moderates, Republicans are ready for someone who stirs the blood a little bit. Hence all the flirtation with Perry, Cain, Bachmann–flavors of the month to be sure, but again you have to ask yourself why voters so desperately sought them out. It isn’t just because they’re looking for something new. It’s because they want something to get excited about. Romney feels too much like an arranged marriage. Sure, he’s a solid guy and all that. It’s just a little tough to get all hot and bothered over him–and hot and bothered is what gets people to the polls.

Enter Newt. A flawed prospect, to be sure. That unfortunate first name. No such thing as an unexpressed thought. He may not even be that conservative. But passionate? That he is–and he inspires passion in others as well. Love him or hate him, he doesn’t leave you wanting. In fact, he leaves you wanting more. As so much of politics is show biz, that last part is critical–and it’s also why I think he’s not just the latest Johnny Come Lately.

There’s also another Newt X-Factor, related to the first, and that’s his willingness to engage in political combat. We’re all being warned in advance that this is going to be the low-down dirtiest, nastiest election this side of a Jersey Shore beauty pageant, and already the national GOP leadership has telegraphed its reluctance to go after Obama personally. Gingrich, meanwhile, tantalizes us with his direct challenge to the president to meet him on the battlefield for some Lincoln-Douglas style debate action–a prospect that no doubt terrifies Obama, given his record and aversion to all public speaking that doesn’t involve a TelePrompTer. Conversely, the very prospect has Republicans licking their chops in anticipation. Hell, I think most of them would pay real money to see something like that. Mitt Romney, however, just doesn’t conjure up the same image. He seems more like a retirement community production of West Side Story, with the Jets and the Sharks throwing down over who cut in front of whom in the buffet line at Ponderosa. The stuff of dreams it ain’t.

So who’s ultimately better against Barry? Who knows? If Hollywood could figure that out they’d never have a flop. Ultimately, though, I’ll always bet on passion over indifference. Win or lose, at least you come away thinking it was worth the fight.

Anita Perry: The Next First Lady?

By Allah Palooza

Anita Perry, wife of Texas Governor Rick Perry

Some of us have already started wondering (and even hoping) about who the next First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) will be. Most of us are thinking that Michelle Obama won’t be getting another four years, and that just about anyone else would be an immense improvement.

With the critical 2012 election still more than a year away and Texas Governor Rick Perry surging in popularity among Republicans, Governor Perry’s wife, Anita Thigpen Perry, came to Pinellas County Saturday night, September 17th, to be the keynote speaker at the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee (PCREC) Reagan Day Dinner.

According to her official biography, Anita Perry is a native Texan from Haskell. Mrs. Perry earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from West Texas State University, now West Texas A&M University, and a master’s degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She worked as a nurse for 17 years in surgery, pediatrics, intensive care, administration and teaching. She and Gov. Perry have been married for almost 30 years and have two grown children. She has been a strong partner with her husband, who presently is the longest-serving governor in the history of Texas, and she has been actively involved in supporting a variety of economic initiatives and innovations in her home state.

So, is Anita Perry ready for prime-time, in the sense of filling her place on the national and international stage, should her husband become the next President of the United States?

If her Reagan Day speech is an accurate measure of her talents and abilities, she has great promise but still has some work to do.

Anita Perry is a good person, and goes out of her way to make those around her feel comfortable. She is sincere, down-to earth (unlike the current FLOTUS), and very family-oriented. She devoutly believes in her husband and shares traditional American values. She is smart, and did an excellent job setting out her husband’s record as a jobs creator. She was, however, a bit too folksy, spoke about five minutes longer than she should have, told the audience too little about her husband, and had some difficulty wrapping up her speech. Yet, it was refreshing to listen to a  person speaking from the heart who connects with ordinary people, and who shows neither aloofness nor a desire to take on the trappings of elitist condescension. I, like many others in the room, went away from her speech hoping that she will be the one measuring the drapes in the White House in January 2013.

Mrs. Perry’s speech in its entirety may be viewed in the following video [Courtesy PCREC]:

Congressman Bill Young to Run Again in 2012

By Spartacus Thrace

(September 18, 2011) It looks like United States Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young (R-Fla.) will be running for re-election in 2012.

State Senator Jack Latvala (R-St. Petersburg) made the announcement as he was introducing Congressman Young before a crowd of hundreds of wildly enthusiastic Republican activists at last night’s Reagan Day Dinner at the Marriott St. Petersburg.  The dinner is an annual fundraising event put on by the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee (PCREC).

The money quote came at about the 4:23 mark in Latvala’s six-minute introduction of Young, when he made the somewhat oddly-worded statement:

And you know some of the best news that I’ve had in the past few weeks is when it became apparent to me that [Young is] preparing to run again.

Sen. Latvala’s remarks in their entirety can be seen in the following video [Courtesy PCREC]:

Young, for his part, appeared aged but unbowed and looked to be in remarkably better health than he did when he last addressed the PCREC at its Lincoln Day Dinner in February (another annual fundraiser put on by the PCREC).  Among other remarks, Young told his audience that he had undergone back surgery, spent almost three months in the hospital, and had lost 50 pounds in weight and four inches in height (he used to be about as tall as Ronald Reagan) as a result of parts of his spine being fused.  Although he walked slowly and with a thick cane, his mind appeared to be as sharp as ever.  His remarks, which perhaps comprise his first campaign speech of the 2012 election season, can be viewed in their entirety in the following video [Courtesy PCREC]:

Rep. Young has been in public service as an elected official for more than half a century.  He is considered by the pundits to be unbeatable in 2012, even at this early stage in the election season, barring a sudden decline in his health.  The backstory of this announcement of his plans to run for his twenty-second term in Congress is that the throng of those who have long hoped and planned to take Young’s place when he leaves the political scene (Sen. Latvala is among these) did not get the news they had hoped for and will have to bide their time a bit longer.  Some predict that if Young’s exit is not a “controlled crash” guided by political insiders, it will trigger one of the biggest political brawls in the history of Pinellas County politics.