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A Newsletter for Conservative Republicans

FLYING HIGH…AND DIGGING AND BORING TO KEEP BREVARD COUNTY RED AND GET CONSERVATIVES ELECTED

Editor and Publisher: Stuart Gorin Designer and Assistant Publisher: Frank Montelione

Number 64 January 2015

SCOTT INAUGURATED FOR SECOND TERM AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR

After taking the oath of office on January 6 for four more

years as Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott said he will “never

stop” in his quest to make the state No. 1 in job opportunities

and growth.

“Jobs for Florida families have been my focus every single

day for the last four years, and jobs will continue to be my

mission for the next four years,” he said in televised remarks

in front of the Old Capitol building in Tallahassee.

Promising four years ago to create 700,000 private sector

jobs in seven years, Scott said that with the help of Floridian

businesses, his goal was surpassed in less than four.

(Continued on page 2)

INSIDE:

Priebus Re-elected RNC Chair ......................... page 3

Ingoglia is new RPOF Chairman ...................... page 3

Ernst Delivers Republican Response ................ page 4

Brevard Elections Office .................................. page 5

Ted Cruz: Ten Ways to Make Life Better ........ page 5

Pertinent Political Cartoons and Photos ........... pages 13 to15

EDITOR’S NOTE

By Stuart Gorin

The liberal lame-stream media has

been reporting ad nauseam on same-

sex marriage in Florida. We are going

to ignore this topic, so readers

interested in it will have to go

elsewhere for any information.

There are more than 1,200 people on our ever-increasing

distribution list, and the newsletter goes to readers not only all

over the country, but also across our borders and beyond.

Designer Frank Montelione and I hope to see the numbers

continue to grow as we pass on information.

We continue to cover activities of the Brevard Republican

Executive Committee, Republican clubs in the county, and

conservative organizations, so both elected officials and the

typical “man-in-the-street” are kept abreast of what is

happening at the local, state and national levels.

Since Republicans as well as Conservatives will never agree

100 percent on all issues – for example, differences between

Tea Party members and establishment Republicans – we will

not necessarily support any writer’s positions, but will present

them so you, the reader, can make up your own mind – fair

and balanced.

There is a link to this issue at www.thetusk.org, and several

recent back issues are available in the archives on the same

website.

To sign up for your free subscription (or to unsubscribe, if you

are so inclined), or to send your comments, suggestions or

information to share, email: spacecoasttusk@gmail.com.

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Tying job creation to lower taxes, he said, “Florida must stay

committed to smaller government and lowering taxes to

become the top destination in the world for jobs.”

Scott has marketed Florida as the place to come for

businesses and has tried to sway companies in other states to

put down roots in the Sunshine State. In December, it was

announced that a daily influx of more than 800 new residents

has made Florida the nation’s third most populous state,

surpassing New York.

With First Lady Ann Scott, holding the Bible, the 45th

governor was given the oath of office by Florida Supreme

Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga.

A few minutes earlier, Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-

Cantera and Scott’s all-Republican Cabinet – Attorney

General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater,

and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam – took their

own oaths of office.

A large number of Florida political dignitaries attended the

outdoor ceremonies, as well as Texas Governor Rick Perry

and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Later in the afternoon, Ann Scott honored Gold Star and

military families at a ceremony in Tallahassee’s Goodwood

Museum.

Following are excerpts of Scott’s inaugural address:

“Let me start today by reiterating something I said on

election night – the campaign is over. Of course you all

know that already. But my point is this – it was a hard fought

campaign, but now we must all turn our focus toward

governing, and toward serving the people of Florida. And

that means all the people. Republicans, Democrats,

Independents, all of Florida's nearly 20 million citizens.

“Sure, there will be differences of opinion. There will be

robust debates on the best direction for Florida. That's not a

weakness in our system. That is our strength. But there are

many things that we can come together on, and we should

not let partisan politics, or any politics for that matter, get in

our way. Today, we embark on an incredible mission

together, for the benefit of Florida families.

“Four years ago, I stood here and we set our sights on the

ambitious goal of helping Florida create 700,000 jobs in

seven years. Today, it is just four years later and I am proud

to say that Florida businesses have in fact created more than

700,000 jobs! That is incredible!...

“If I can make Florida the worldwide location where families

who have struggled to make ends meet can get a job, then I

have fulfilled my goal as Governor because a job is the No. 1

way to change a life. A job helps families put food on the

table, pay the rent and buy a car. A job gives families hope

for the future. The importance of continual job creation is

something that we can all agree on. Jobs and opportunities

are good for all of us.

“You have heard me constantly talk about jobs since I ran in

2010. I want to promise you I will never stop. I will be

working to make Florida No. 1 in job opportunities and

growth right up to the last day I serve as your Governor. Jobs

for Florida families have been my focus every single day for

the last four years… and jobs will continue to be my mission

for the next four years….

While we are focused on growing jobs in Florida — we must

realize that positions our state as a fighter in a great

movement against the silent growth of government. Many

States, like Florida, are fighting to limit the growth of

government and grow opportunity instead. If you don't

believe Florida is right in the middle of this national battle

— I want to share some facts with you….

“Over the last 20 years, millions of people have escaped

from states with climbing tax rates to move to states with

lower taxes. Why does this matter? For starters, estimates

say individuals who escaped these high tax states have taken

with them around $2 trillion in adjusted gross income. They

are voting with their feet….

”When people move here, they spend their money here, they

bring their businesses here, they support our charities and

they create more jobs and opportunities for others in our

great state. In fact, this national battle against growing

government so intensely affects Florida that we just recently

surpassed New York as the third-largest state in the nation.

“In Florida we are proving that government can do better

without getting bigger. We have two choices: we can pretend

this migration would have happened regardless of our tax

burden or what government policies we enact, or we can

acknowledge Florida's very serious advantage over other

states in not just this last decade – but the next decade to

come.

“If there is one thing I hope you remember from this

message today, I hope it is this: Florida must stay committed

to smaller government and lowering taxes to become the top

destination in the world for jobs! I know there is a great

temptation in government to think that you can spend

people's money better than they can. But, if that were true,

more than one million people would not have left New York

and Illinois over the past 20 years for Florida and other

lower tax states….

“I have a message today to the people of New York, Illinois,

California, Pennsylvania and others: move to Florida! We

want you to keep more of the money you make because we

understand it's your money. We want your businesses to

grow and succeed. We want to compete globally and win.

Over the next four years, I will be traveling to your states

personally to recruit you here. In Florida, we are in the

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business of growing opportunity for families, not growing

government.

“In addition to cutting taxes, we have an ambitious agenda to

KEEP FLORIDA WORKING and become the global leader

for job creation by the year 2020. We know the workers of

tomorrow are in our classrooms today – and that is why this

year we will increase per-pupil K-12 education funding to

the highest level in Florida history. And as we do that, we

will be ever mindful of the fact that more money alone does

not guarantee success in education. Florida has led the nation

in education reforms, providing equal opportunity in

education for all, and we will continue to do that. We will

also compete globally for jobs by investing in workforce

training programs that focus on science, technology,

engineering and math….

Investments in our infrastructure must be partnered with

environmental improvements to ensure we keep Florida

beautiful. Over the next 10 years, we will work to invest $1

billion to restore our springs and help develop water

supplies. I realize that all candidates for public office talk

about how important the environment is to the health of our

people and our state. But talk is cheap. We have to make the

investments necessary to turn talk into reality. We have

made great environmental strides and we will continue to do

so….

“The No. 1 threat to our success is complacency. Don't let

anyone tell you government policies don't matter. Don't let

anyone convince you that jobs just create themselves.

Florida gets stronger each year because we are fighting

against a bloated federal government and their increased

regulations and higher taxes. Florida is getting stronger each

year because we are dreaming of more opportunities for our

families – not more roles for government red tape.

“Florida: we cannot give up this fight. We cannot let go of

this dream. We have more work to do. But, I know we can

do it together. Let's commit today that we will keep cutting

taxes so we can create more growth and opportunity. Let's

commit today to keep higher education affordable. Let's

commit today to invest in our growing infrastructure. And

let's commit today to work together to keep Florida working.

Thank you. God bless America and God bless Florida.”

PRIEBUS RE-ELECTED RNC CHAIRMAN

Republican National Committee

Chairman Reince Priebus and Co-

Chairwoman Sharon Day were re-

elected to their respective positions at

the RNC winter meeting in San Diego

on January 16.

Priebus, who said he was proud and blessed to gain his third

term in the post, added, “We will focus first and foremost on

the things only the RNC can do: laying the groundwork for

our presidential nominee, preparing a debate and primary

system that works for our candidates, and building the best

data file in history.”

He added that the RNC will continue to improve and expand

its field program; make unprecedented investments in state-

of-the-art digital, data and technology tools; and continue to

push back against the Democrats' destructive narratives, stop

Obama's reckless agenda and make the case against another

Clinton White House.

Sharon Day, who is from Ft.

Lauderdale, gained her second term

as the RNC Number 2. Previously

she served as the committee’s

national party secretary.

In a statement, Day said, "We have a

unique opportunity to capitalize on

the successes of the mid-terms while

laying the groundwork for selecting the next president of the

United States. It is our responsibility to listen to the

American people and bring Republican ideas and policies

into our government. Together, we can change the course of

history for the next generation."

In other party business, the RNC announced that nine

debates for Republican presidential candidates have been

sanctioned, starting in August in Ohio (where the

presidential nominating convention will take place in July

2016), and running until February 2016 in Florida. In

between, debates will take place in California, Colorado,

Wisconsin, Nevada, Iowa, New Hampshire and South

Carolina.

The party also announced that the presidential nominating

convention will take place in Cleveland, July 18-21, 2016,

and the earlier time frame will allow the Republican

standard-bearer to gain quicker access to general election

funds.

Potential presidential candidates who addressed the

gathering included Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker,

former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Texas

Governor Rick Perry and retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben

Carson.

INGOGLIA IS NEW RPOF CHAIRMAN

Republican Party of Florida (RPOF)

Vice Chairman Blaise Ingoglia is the

new party chairman after defeating

Chairman Leslie Dougher 132-90 on the

second ballot at the RPOF quarterly

meeting in Orlando on January 17.

Dougher, who was Governor Rick Scott’s hand-picked party

chairman, was challenged by State Committeemen Kurt

Kelly and Eric Miller, in addition to Ingoglia, and no one

had a majority of votes on the first ballot.

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Ingoglia, who also serves in the State Legislature

representing Hernando County, noted that President Obama

carried Florida the last two presidential elections and it's

important that Republicans are successful here next year if

they want to win the White House.

"We in the Republican Party do not need to change our

message, we need to change the way we deliver that

message. We do not have a message problem, we have a

marketing problem," he said. "The only thing holding this

party back is us."

Ingoglia added, “In 2016 Florida will be center stage. All

eyes will be on us. An open message to any Democrat who

wants to run for president in the state of Florida: You are not

going to come in here and you are not going to roll over our

Republican Party. This state will go to our Republican

nominee and we will take back the White House."

Dougher stepped into the position as chairman in mid-2014,

when Lenny Curry resigned the post to run for mayor of

Jacksonville this coming spring.

Sarasota County Chairman Joe Gruters was elected to serve

as RPOF Vice Chairman. Among other leaders elected were

Brevard County’s Carlie Rogers as Congressional District 8

Alternate Caucus Chair, and Barbara Davis as Vice

Chairman of the RPOF Chairman’s Caucus.

ERNST DELIVERS REPUBLICAN RESPONSE

TO STATE OF THE UNION

Newly elected Iowa Senator Joni Ernst

delivered the Republican response to

President Obama’s State of the Union

address on January 20, telling the

American people on national television

that, “We heard the message you sent in

November – loud and clear. And now

we’re getting to work to change the

direction Washington has been taking

our country.”

Ernst, a combat-veteran Lieutenant Colonel still in Iowa’s

Army National Guard, spoke from the Senate Armed

Services Committee room in the Capitol Building.

She stressed that the new Republican majority in both houses

of Congress will support the American military and its

mission; pass serious job-creation bills; keep fighting to

repeal and replace a health care law that’s hurt so many

hardworking families; propose ideas that aim to cut wasteful

spending and balance the budget; and defend life, because

protecting our most vulnerable is an important measure of

any society.

Following are excerpts of Ernst’s prepared remarks:

“Rather than respond to a speech, I’d like to talk about your

priorities. I’d like to have a conversation about the new

Republican Congress you just elected, and how we plan to

make Washington focus on your concerns again.

“We heard the message you sent in November – loud and

clear. And now we’re getting to work to change the direction

Washington has been taking our country.

“The new Republican Congress also understands how

difficult these past six years have been. For many of us, the

sting of the economy and the frustration with Washington’s

dysfunction weren’t things we had to read about. We felt

them every day….

“We see our neighbors agonize over stagnant wages and lost

jobs. We see the hurt caused by canceled healthcare plans

and higher monthly insurance bills. We see too many moms

and dads put their own dreams on hold while growing more

fearful about the kind of future they’ll be able to leave to

their children.

“Americans have been hurting, but when we demanded

solutions, too often Washington responded with the same

stale mindset that led to failed policies like Obamacare. It’s a

mindset that gave us political talking points, not serious

solutions.

“That’s why the new Republican majority you elected,

started by reforming Congress to make it function again.

And now, we’re working hard to pass the kind of serious

job-creation ideas you deserve.

“One you’ve probably heard about is the Keystone jobs bill.

President Obama has been delaying this bipartisan

infrastructure project for years, even though many members

of his party, unions, and a strong majority of Americans

support it….

“Let’s tear down trade barriers in places like Europe and the

Pacific. Let’s sell more of what we make and grow in

America over there so we can boost manufacturing, wages,

and jobs right here, at home.

“Let’s simplify America’s outdated and loophole-ridden tax

code. Republicans think tax filing should be easier for you,

not just the well-connected. So let’s iron out loopholes to

lower rates – and create jobs, not pay for more government

spending….

“You’ll see a lot of serious work in this new Congress.

“Some of it will occur where I stand tonight, in the Armed

Services Committee room. This is where I’ll join committee

colleagues – Republicans and Democrats – to discuss ways

to support our exceptional military and its mission. This is

where we’ll debate strategies to confront terrorism and the

threats posed by Al Qaeda, ISIL, and those radicalized by

them….

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“The forces of violence and oppression don’t care about the

innocent. We need a comprehensive plan to defeat them.

“We must also honor America’s veterans. These men and

women have sacrificed so much in defense of our freedoms,

and our way of life. They deserve nothing less than the

benefits they were promised and a quality of care we can all

be proud of.

“These are important issues the new Congress plans to

address.

“We’ll also keep fighting to repeal and replace a health care

law that’s hurt so many hardworking families.

“We’ll work to correct executive overreach.

“We’ll propose ideas that aim to cut wasteful spending and

balance the budget – with meaningful reforms, not higher

taxes like the President has proposed.

“We’ll advance solutions to prevent the kind of cyberattacks

we’ve seen recently.

“We’ll work to confront Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“And we’ll defend life, because protecting our most

vulnerable is an important measure of any society.

“Congress is back to work on your behalf, ready to make

Washington focus on your concerns again.”

2014 WAS GREAT YEAR

FOR BREVARD ELECTIONS OFFICE

Last year was “great” for the Brevard

County Elections Office thanks to high

voter turnout and the use of new

tabulation equipment, Supervisor of

Elections Lori Scott told the Brevard

Republican Executive Committee

(BREC) on January 14.

Brevard County has the ninth largest voting population in

Florida, and with absentee ballots, early voting and day of

election voting, it had the highest percentage turnout among

the state’s 16 largest counties – 59.47 percent of eligible

voters – which was nine percent higher than the state

average, Scott said.

Using new wireless modem tabulation equipment, she said,

voting precincts were able to report results to the Elections

Office much quicker than in the past, and her office was

updating the website constantly. Most of Brevard’s 123

polling locations reported race results in 45 minutes

following poll closings, she added. The earliest numbers

reported were for early and absentee voting.

Scott said a record 107,000 absentee ballots were sent to

Brevard voters, both at home and abroad, including to

military personnel. There was a 68 percent return rate, she

said.

There also was a 42 percent increase in early voting

compared to 2012, Scott said, attributing this not only to

more and larger polling sites, but also to candidates and

political parties pushing the effort.

Stressing the power that one single vote has in an election,

Scott referred to a ballot initiative in Malabar, in which

voters were asked to answer yes or no to an initiative for

town council members to serve three-year terms. A recount

after the vote had the same result as the original, she said –

664 to 664 – so the measure did not pass.

As of January 24, the Elections Office website shows more

than 158,000 registered Republicans; 120,000 Democrats;

83,000 no party affiliation voters; and 14,000 minor party

members. County-wide, there are 123 polling locations.

Now, Scott said, her office is planning for the 2016

presidential-year elections, which in Brevard County will

include – thanks to term limits – three open State House

seats and three open County Commission seats. Open seats

always bring out more candidates, and she said she also

expects a large number of petitions for ballot initiatives.

One initiative that is bound to be sought is another attempt to

pass medical marijuana, Scott added.

In other BREC news:

-- George Taylor, chairman and founder of National

Veterans Homeless Support (NVHS), thanked the BREC

members for their donations and continued support of

NVHS’ mission, which is to rescue veterans lost in America.

Veterans advocate Taylor said this past Christmas Eve and

Christmas, NVHS was able to place 100 homeless veterans

in a motel for two days, clean them up and feed and clothe

them.

-- Chairman Barbara Davis announced that the BREC

Board sent a letter to our Congressman Bill Posey thanking

him for his courageous vote for another candidate for

Speaker of the House. Although unsuccessful, the votes of

25 representatives – five of them from Florida – to replace

Speaker John Boehner showed a growing trend against the

establishment way of doing business in Congress.

-- It was announced that Brevard’s annual Lincoln-Reagan

Day Dinner will take place on June 5 this year, and the

theme will be the Second Amendment. Further details will

come later.

-- Three new committee members were sworn-in as precinct

chairs or alternates.

TED CRUZ’S TEN WAYS TO MAKE LIFE BETTER

Texas Senator Ted Cruz – speaking at the

HeritageFoundation’s 2015 Heritage Action Conservative

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Policy Summit in Washington on

January 12 – outlined ten policy

goals for the new Republican-

controlled Congress that he said

would make life better for

Americans.

Stressing the importance of fulfilling

the promises that Republicans made

in winning the last election cycle,

Cruz said it is time to embrace a

“big, bold positive agenda that says to the American people,

‘you had a referendum and you rejected the Obama

agenda.’”

He said he is ready to bring big change to Washington – one

bill at a time.

Here are the ten points mapped out in that conservative

agenda:

1) Embrace a big pro-jobs growth agenda.

2) Pursue all means possible to repeal Obamacare.

3) Secure the border and stop illegal amnesty.

4) Hold government accountable and rein in judicial

activism.

5) Stop the culture of corruption.

6) Pass fundamental tax reform making taxes flatter,

simpler and fairer.

7) Audit the Federal Reserve.

8) Pass a strong balanced budget amendment.

9) Champion school choice and repeal Common Core.

10) Deal seriously with the twin threats of ISIL and a

nuclear Iran.

THIS AND THAT

PARIS. When as many as 1.6 million people somberly

marched through the streets of Paris on January 11 – in a

massive show of unity and defiance in the face of terrorism

that killed 17 people in France's bleakest moment in half a

century – the marchers included more than 40 world leaders,

who linked arms at the head of the procession. Notably

absent from the group was President Obama. Even Attorney

General Eric Holder, who was in Paris for a pre-march

terrorism summit, skipped the historic event. Members of

the U.S. media, who usually give Obama a pass on his

actions, as well as pundits, expressed disappointment in

Obama’s failure to participate.

REPUBLICAN GAINS. 2014 was an historic year for the

Republican Party. So says RNC Chairman Reince Priebus,

who reported on the website www.gop.com that Republicans

now hold:

• 54 U.S. Senate seats, the most since 2006

• 246 House seats, the most since 1946

• 31 governorships, the second highest GOP total since the

1920s

• 4,100+ state legislative seats, the highest GOP total in

history

• 69 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers, the highest

total in history

• More than half of the nation's Lieutenant Governors,

Attorneys General, Secretaries of State, and State Treasurers.

FLORIDA JOBS. Surpassing his December 2010 goal to

create 700,000 private-sector jobs in seven years, Florida

Governor Rick Scott announced following his re-election in

November that the goal was far surpassed in less than four.

“Our goal was reached three years early, with 715,700 jobs

created,” Scott said. “Every job impacts a family and we

will keep working each day to make Florida the world’s

number one destination for jobs.”

SUPREME COURT. Obamacare oral arguments before

the U.S. Supreme Court will begin March 4 in a lawsuite that

could cripple the healthcare law. Challengers hope the court

will outlaw premium subsidies for states that did not set up

their own insurance exchanges. As most states use the

federal exchange, rather than their own, that means 80

percent of the people who have enrolled in lower-cost health

insurance plans and receive subsidies to help pay for their

policies could lose those payments. The High Court also

will tackle a laundry list of high-profile cases during the first

six months of the New Year, including arguments on a

Florida law prohibiting judicial candidates from personally

seeking contributions, rather than setting up a fundraising

committee. Critics say a ruling against the Florida law could

have broad national implications.

BOEHNER.

After 25 Congressional Republicans

unsuccessfully voted against John

Boehner remaining as House

Speaker, and he initially removed

two of the dissenters from the

powerful Rules Committee, a

coalition of 23 leaders in the

conservative movement urged him

not to be vindictive. In a letter from the Conservative Action

Project, that they all signed, the 23 leaders said: “It is

unacceptable and disappointing to see that some

conservatives are already being punished by you and your

leadership team for disagreements over policy and the

direction of the conference. This must end immediately.”

According to “Politico,” Boehner was said to be rethinking

the decision.

HUCKABEE. TV host and former

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

said “Goodnight and Goodbye” on his

Fox News talk show on January 3 –

after 6 ½ years – as he ponders

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whether or not to make another presidential run in 2016.

Huckabee said that while he has not yet made a decision,

continued chatter on the possibility has put Fox News into a

position that just isn't fair to them. “The honorable thing to

do at this point is to end my tenure here at Fox,” he said.

“Now, as much as I have loved doing the show, I cannot

bring myself to rule out another presidential run." A favorite

among social conservatives, Huckabee has published books,

appeared at conservative conferences around the country and

offered harsh criticism of President Obama's policies on the

air. In 2008, he won the Republican Iowa caucuses and

several early primaries, but ended his campaign once

Arizona Senator John McCain emerged as the party leader

in later primaries.

PERLE. In the aftermath of attacks

by Islamic extremists in France,

Richard Perle, a former assistant

defense secretary, said the world

seems clueless as to how to end the

scourge of terrorism. Speaking on

Newsmax TV, Perle said other acts of

terror will follow, “because we do not

have in place now, and are unlikely

any time to put in place, policies up to the task of dealing

with the scourge of terrorism, which appears in many

countries, in many forms.” For the United States, he added,

it requires constant attention, and President Obama “appears

reluctant to take a stronger stance on terror. He faces a

problem, and the problem is he's not prepared to do

anything.” Perle suggested that Obama “announce that the

government will place more scrutiny on areas where radical

Islamist propaganda is preached and where young and

vulnerable people are taught that it is the obligation of every

Muslim to destroy infidels.

SCHOOL CHOICE. The Arizona-based, non-profit

Goldwater Institute, whose mission is to protect freedom and

prosperity, announced on December 30 that for a second

time this year, Leon County Circuit Court Judge Charles

Francis has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Florida

State Legislature’s adoption of education savings accounts.

The lawsuit was brought by the Florida’s Education

Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, in an attempt

to block the savings accounts and stop the expansion of the

tuition tax credit program. The purpose of the program is to

empower parents of special needs children to use the funds

to address their unique and individualized needs. Earlier in

the year, Francis dismissed a first challenge, saying a teacher

named as the plaintiff did not have legal standing. An

amendment added three parents to the challenge, but the

judge said this complaint lacked “a legally sufficient basis to

sustain a finding of special injury.” Clint Bolick, Goldwater

Institute’s litigation director, said if the teachers union

chooses to appeal the latest decision, “We will vigorously

defend this important ruling for as long as it takes. But for

now, an estimated 300,000 children in Florida can safely

enroll for an education savings account, a school-choice

innovation by the Goldwater Institute to provide students

with greatest possible flexibility in pursuing a better

education.”

NO BIBLES FOR STUDENTS. Until this year, the

Christian World Changers of Florida, in conjunction with the

Florida Family Policy Council, had been distributing Bibles

to Orange County, Florida, high school students who wanted

them, on National Freedom of Religion Day. But after the

atheist Freedom From Religion Foundation announced plans

to distribute its own anti-religion literature, the Orange

County School Board proposed that “Materials of a

denominational, sectarian, religious, political and partisan

nature shall not be permitted to be distributed.” Florida

Family Policy Council President John Stemberger said he

believes the school board caved in to pressure after

concerned parents spoke out at board meetings against

Satanist materials being made available in schools. “This is

precisely what the Freedom From Religion people want,”

Stemberger added. “They want to get rid of religion, and

that’s their strategy. And everybody’s played into the

strategy. It’s unfortunate.” The Orange County School

Board will meet to discuss the proposed changes to the

policy on January 29, and Stemberger said his group will

remain active in the discussions surrounding any future

policy decisions.

KRAUTHAMMER. After President

Obama said he anticipates using his

“veto pen” more often since

Republicans will now control both

houses of Congress, political analyst

and syndicated columnist Charles

Krauthammer said, “There is no

better way for the GOP to position

itself for the 2016 election than to

show the country two things. One,

that now that it controls the House and the Senate...they are

able to enact agenda. They have an agenda. And they should

be willing to pass whatever they can and to dare the

president to go ahead and to veto." Referring to the

Keystone Pipeline, tax reform, repealing the medical device

tax, repealing the employer and individual mandates in

health care reform, he said, “Let the president show where

the party stands and let the country know that with a new

president, a Republican president, this stuff, which is very

popular, will be able to get through."

BARTON. WND.com reported in

December that this past August,

Christian historian and WallBuilders

founder David Barton won a million

dollar defamation judgment against

two left-leaning candidates for the

Texas State Board of Education, who

falsely claimed in a 2010 campaign

video that Barton, a consultant to the

[8]

Board, was “known for speaking at white-supremacist

rallies.” While noting that in 1991 he did give two speeches

to groups linked to a racist “Christian Identity” movement,

he did not know in advance about his hosts’ ideology, and

that in the two decades following those speeches he has

given some 8,000 speeches and not addressed similar

gatherings since. After nearly three years of pre-trial

wrangling, Rebecca Bell-Metereau and Judy Jennings settled

with Barton just before the case was to go to trial. The pair

also apologized to Barton and repudiated their 2010 claim.

SCALISE. It was more than 12 years

ago when Louisiana Congressman

Steve Scalise, the House Majority

Whip, reportedly spoke once to David

Duke’s white supremist group while

serving in the state legislature. On

December 30, his office released a

statement saying Scalise regrets the

action, calling it a mistake, but

acknowledging he was trying to build

support for a plan to cut spending and

tax hikes in the state. But “Human Events” said even though

Scalise apologized for the “incident,” the big story was

either dubiously sourced, a mistake, or an outright hoax. It

said Betsy Woodruff at Slate discovered that on that day,

Scalise actually spoke to an innocent civic association which

used the room before Duke’s group did. The story

reportedly was based on the shifting recollections of a Duke

associate and Scalise neighbor who is beginning to look like

the unreliable single source for a too-good-to-check “scoop”

the mainstream media’s “multiple layers of fact-checkers

and editors” didn’t bother to investigate thoroughly.

Meanwhile, a liberal firestorm called for Scalise to step

down from his post, but House Speaker John Boehner stood

by him, saying it was “an error in judgment, and he was right

to acknowledge it was wrong and inappropriate. Is there a

double standard here? Was there a similar call years ago for

Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, a Democrat, to do the

same after it was revealed he was once a member of the

KKK?

CHENEY. Following the

outrageous release of the classified

CIA terrorist document by Senate

Democrats, NBC’s Chuck Todd

challenged Dick Cheney for

supporting “enhanced interrogation,”

and asked the former vice president

for his definition of “torture.”

Cheney’s response was: “Torture, to

me, Chuck, is an American citizen on

a cell phone making a last call to his four young daughters

shortly before he burns to death in the upper levels of the

Trade Center in New York City on 9/11.”

RINO-CINO. “My Take” editor Tom Trimble says he

believes the term RINO (Republican in Name Only) should

no longer be thought of negatively because it now stands for

“main line Republican thinker.” He offers as a replacement

– CINO (Conservative in Name Only) – those who mouth

Conservative ideas to get elected, talk about how they will

enforce these issues in the future, and then are just ready to

go along to get along. Trimble says he believes every

Conservative representative and senator should be held to

Conservative standards or they should be primaried out of

office.

BOOTLEGGERS & BAPTISTS. As reported in “CATO

Publications & Events,” economists Adam Smith and

Bruce Yandle have written a new book titled “Bootleggers

& Baptists: How Economic Forces and Moral Persuasion

Interact to Shape Regulatory Politics.” In it, they say that

durable social regulation evolves when it is demanded by

both of two distinctly different groups, and refer to these

groups as “Bootleggers,” who have an economic interest in

the regulation, and “Baptists,” who have a moral stake.

Reading this brought back memories to your editor, who in

the late 1960s was a reporter for United Press International

in North Carolina, where it was not legal for anyone to

purchase liquor by the drink in a restaurant or a bar. Things

are much different now, but in those days, the battles in the

state legislature were ferocious between lobbyists for

restaurant and resort owners on one side, and their opponents

on the other side. The opponents were termed an alliance

between “Bootleggers and Baptist Preachers” – the former

because they sold full bottles of liquor illegally, and the

latter because they preached against the use of alcohol in any

case.

CONE. The Commodore John Barry Chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) presented its

Distinguished Citizen Award to Garren Cone, founder of

the all-volunteer non-profit organization AVET (American

Veterans Empowerment Team) Project on January 10. Cone

was presented a certificate and medal recognizing him as an

individual who fulfills the qualities of honor, service,

courage, leadership, and patriotism. DAR Regent Deb Plaag

said the medal was established by the national society “to

recognize worthy citizens for extraordinary service in the

defense, promotion and/or preservation of our American

Heritage of Freedom.” In other DAR news, the chapter is

conducting a membership drive to commemorate the 125th

anniversary of the National Society’s founding. All women

who can document descent from a Revolutionary War

Patriot are encouraged to consider the many benefits of

joining the service organization. Plaag said anyone

interested should visit www.dar.org or

www.commodorejohnbarrydar.com, call 321-543-0778 or

email dplaag@gmail.com.

BACHMANN. Minnesota Republican

Michele Bachmann, who served Congress

as a prolific conservative despite strong

resistance from establishment Republicans as

well as Democrats, retired from the

[9]

legislative body with an honor. WND named her the “2014

Lawmaker of the Year.” A four-term congresswoman,

Bachmann is a strong supporter of the Tea Party and briefly

was a presidential candidate in 2012.

HOMOSEXUAL VS. CHRISTIAN BAKERS. With

numerous lawsuits being filed throughout the country against

Christian bakers for declining to fill orders for homosexual

marriage wedding cakes, GOP.USA reported that when the

tables were switched, and pro-homosexual bakers were

asked to make cakes opposing their cause, ironically, a less-

than-tolerant response was received. The website reported

that when Theodore Shoebat asked 13 bakers who publicly

support same-sex marriage to bake a cake displaying the

message, "Gay marriage is wrong," all of the respondents

failed to meet their own standards of understanding,

tolerance and inclusion. "Each one denied us service, and

even used deviant insults and obscenities against us,"

Shoebat said, adding that he received “a ton of hate

messages” saying he was hateful “for simply giving them a

taste of their own medicine."

FERGUSON. Checking the money trail of the protest

movement in Ferguson, Missouri, the “Washington Times”

reported that a critical role was played by none other than

liberal billionaire George Soros. The newspaper said Soros

gave at least $33 million to groups that "emboldened" on-

the-ground activists there, giving rise to “a combustible

protest movement that transformed a one-day criminal event

in Missouri into a 24-hour-a-day cause celebré.” Using

Twitter and Facebook, the “Times” said, groups including

the Drug Policy Alliance, Make the Road New York, and the

Center for Community Change in Washington – all funded

in part by Soros – beginning last August sent busloads of

activists to Ferguson to organize gatherings and protests

there until late December.

ANOTHER SCAM ALERT. Brevard County, Florida,

Sheriff Wayne Ivey says county residents are being targeted

with a telephone scam in which the caller alleges to be a

member of his office’s Warrants Unit. The caller identifies

himself as “a lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office,” and says a

family member has an active arrest warrant that can be

resolved by paying the required bond amount on a pre-paid

credit card. Ivey stresses that law enforcement agencies do

not contact citizens to ask for money or to resolve a warrant

issue. Anyone who receives such a call is asked to hang up

immediately and not engage in conversation with the caller.

GOVERNMENT HYPOCRISY. The federal government,

which has “Tomahawk” cruise missiles and “Apache,”

“Blackhawk,” “Kiowa, “ “Iroquois” and “Lakota”

helicopters – and used the code name “Geronimo” in the

attack that killed Osama bin Laden – officially objects to the

name of the “Washington Redskins.” Really?

EDITORIAL EXCERPTS

“INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY” on the president’s

Muslim sympathies:

“Barack Obama skipped the greatest anti-terror rally ever,

the only Western leader to do so. Unlike France's prime

minister, he refused to condemn radical Islam, suggesting

disinterest in defeating its spawn. The president and his top

aides remain unusually deferential and accommodating to

the Muslim community — despite the spike in threats from

the Islamic State, al-Qaida and other Muslim terrorists.

“In a newly released video, IS has called on American

Muslims to seek out and kill New York City police and other

cops. At the same time, it has posted the names and

addresses of U.S. generals it obtained after hacking into a

Pentagon website….

“Attorney General Eric Holder claims such threats keep him

‘up at night.’ Yet Holder refuses to say the U.S. is at war

with radical Islam. And through his insomnia, he has gone

out of his way to make it harder, not easier, for law

enforcement to stop radical Islamists, including:

• Restricting the FBI's surveillance and infiltration of

mosques to ferret out jihadists before they can strike.

• Censoring language such as ‘radical Islam’ and other

Islamic references in thousands of pages of

counterterrorism training materials used by the FBI.

• Firing many of the trainers who wrote or used the

materials to teach agents to ID jihadists.

• Purging from the no-fly list the names of hundreds of

high-risk Islamists tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.

• Scuttling ongoing FBI and U.S. attorneys' investigations

of Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas front groups in the

U.S., including the Council on American-Islamic

Relations (CAIR) and Islamic Society of North America

— even though these groups have a long and well-

documented track record of supporting terrorism and

employing terrorists.

“Meanwhile, Holder's boss has had an open-door policy to

such radical Islamists at the White House.

“CAIR officials have logged more than 20 visits to the

Obama White House, though the FBI in 2008 ended all

contact with CAIR because of its Hamas ties. In 2013, the

White House met Sheik Abdullah bin Bayyah, during which

the jihadist cleric asked for more support for Hamas and

Syrian "rebels" — that is, IS terrorists.

“Obama has also appointed at least six Muslim Brotherhood

operatives in the administration, including Mohamed

Elibiary, a Homeland Security adviser who came under

congressional fire for improperly accessing a federal

database. He has helped shape the administration's

counterterror strategy….

[10]

“In his first speech, Obama went to Cairo, invited Muslim

Brotherhood leaders to sit front and center, and apologized

to the Muslim world for America's war on terror. Then in

2012, before the United Nations and the world, he declared

‘the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet

(Muhammad).’

“Remarks such as these, along with his pro-Islamist policies,

give a green light for jihadists to go ahead and kill in the

name of Islam. Incredibly, our Muslim-sympathizing

commander in chief is himself a big part of the terror

problem. If America is attacked again, he will have a lot of

explaining to do.”

“WASHINGTON TIMES” on troublemakers in the White

House:

“The term ‘man-caused disaster’ never passed the giggle test

as a euphemism for terrorism, but it fits as a description of

some of the tomfoolery of Washington. No longer content

with not letting a crisis go to waste, President Obama and his

legion busied themselves during 2014 manufacturing a

certain few. Life without change would soon get

monotonous, but keeping America on edge with orchestrated

turmoil is an abuse of power. There should be a New Year’s

resolution in the White House to knock it off.

“The most jarring crisis of the past 12 months was the

invasion of children at the southern border, which peaked (at

least for now) in August. More than 65,000 young people

from Latin American countries trekked, rode on the roofs of

northbound trains and gave themselves up to the dubious

mercies of human smugglers to sneak into the United States.

Such a mass migration of untended children would not have

occurred without the welcome signals sent by the president’s

immigration schemes of lax border enforcement and the

promise of eventual citizenship for Dreamers….

“In November, Mr. Obama announced plans to deal with the

illegal waves with an executive order enabling nearly 5

million illegals to stay in the United States without threat of

deportation. The president and his party paid dearly for their

failure to do their national security duty with a smackdown

on Election Day, and 17 states joined to sue the president

over his unilateral lawmaking. The Democrats’ long-range

goal was nevertheless accomplished: to use children to seed

an eventual harvest of millions of voters.

“Race relations have been an opportunity for troublemaking.

America’s first black president, breaking his early promise,

has spurned the role of conciliator to fan the flames of racial

resentment. After the deaths of black men at the hands of

white police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, and Staten

Island, New York, the president said nothing to refute the

liberal mantra that it’s open season on young black men for

law enforcers. “By establishing Al Sharpton as the official

oracle of black America, the president sent the clear message

that the Obama era is payback time….

“Americans who strongly disapprove of the president’s

performance are now double of those who strongly approve,

according to Gallup.”

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Florida Senator Marco Rubio,

writing on President Obama’s

Cuba decision in his weekly e-

mail to supporters:

“The president’s decision to

reward the Castro regime and

begin the path toward the

normalization of relations with

Cuba is inexplicable. Cuba’s record is clear. Just as when

President Eisenhower severed diplomatic relations with

Cuba, the Castro family still controls the country, the

economy and all levers of power. This administration’s

attempts to loosen restrictions on travel in recent years have

only served to benefit the regime. While business interests

seeking to line their pockets, aided by the editorial page of

The New York Times, have begun a significant campaign to

paper over the facts about the regime in Havana, the reality

is clear. Cuba, like Syria, Iran, and Sudan, remains a state

sponsor of terrorism. It continues to actively work with

regimes like North Korea to illegally traffic weapons in our

hemisphere in violation of several United Nations Security

Council Resolutions. It colludes with America’s enemies,

near and far, to threaten us and everything we hold dear. But

most importantly, the regime’s brutal treatment of the Cuban

people has continued unabated. Dissidents are harassed,

imprisoned and even killed. Access to information is

restricted and controlled by the regime. That is why even

more than just putting U.S. national security at risk,

President Obama is letting down the Cuban people, who still

yearn to be free….I intend to use my role as incoming

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s

Western Hemisphere Subcommittee to make every effort to

block this dangerous and desperate attempt by the president

to burnish his legacy at the Cuban people’s expense.

Appeasing the Castro brothers will only cause other tyrants

from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can

take advantage of President Obama’s naiveté during his final

two years in office. As a result, America will be less safe as

a result of the president’s change in policy. When America is

unwilling to advocate for individual liberty and freedom of

political expression 90 miles from our shores, it represents a

terrible setback for the hopes of all oppressed people around

the globe.”

Columnist Michael Reagan, writing on

streamlining 2016 primary debates on his

“Reagan Reports for America” blog:

“The Republican National Committee has

decided that limiting the number of

[11]

presidential primary debates is a top priority for 2016. This

is a good idea, but an incomplete idea. My memory of the

2012 series of Republican primary presidential debates is a

cross between the Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley

and running the gauntlet in Last of the Mohicans: battered,

bruised and exhausted candidates stagger across the finish

line after being roughed up by the media for months. So

limiting the total number of debates is an excellent first step.

Fewer debates will increase the importance of each

encounter and in turn should boost viewership. But two other

reforms need to be made if the 2016 campaign is not going

to simply be a repeat of 2012….Crowding detracts from the

amount of time individual candidates have to answer a

question. It rewards brief, snappy talking points at the

expense of reasoned answers. To avoid cries of censorship

and exclusion, the state party where the debate is to be held

should conduct a brief poll the week before. Any candidate

registering 10 percent or more support is invited. Less than

10 percent and the candidate is a spectator. The third reform

is composition. In the past the RNC sat idle while the panels

are packed with leftist reporters who try and make

Republican candidates look out of touch with mainstream

America. For these reporters access to birth control, mass

Mexican roundups and pistol–packing preschoolers are the

real issues facing voters. They either attempt to pin

Republican candidates down on issues emanating from

Democrat talking points or in the general election they side

with the Democrat against the Republican nominee….I want

to offer an alternative. Replace the library event with a

debate I’m willing to sponsor: The Ronald Reagan 11th

Commandment Presidential Debate. The RNC is free to

select all the moderators – and I strongly suggest they be

chosen from Newsmax, Fox News, conservative radio hosts

and influential bloggers and tweeters. The only other rule is

all candidates must observe my father’s 11th commandment:

Do not speak ill of another Republican on stage during the

event. Instead of petty sound bites fights, candidates will

concentrate on telling viewers what they think and what they

will do as president. No venue and certainly no panel should

overshadow the candidates during the presidential debates.

The RNC owes it to Republican and independent voters to

create a series of substantive debates that truly showcases

our candidates.”

Pensacola “News Journal” editorial

cartoonist Andy Marlette, writing on the

aftermath of the murders at the humor

magazine office in Paris in “USA Today”:

“We cartoonists hit the headlines. But how

do you draw a cartoon about the murder of

cartoonists? It's the horrifying news of the moment: 12

murdered in the name of Islam. Why? A satirical, cartoon-

driven Parisian weekly – Charlie Hebdo. Think MAD

magazine with simpler drawings and a mean streak for

lampooning religion and politics, irreverence in its most

blunt form. Google image search ‘Charlie Hebdo’ and

behold crude, craven cartoons of presidents, popes and

prophets. Yes, that prophet. The magazine's depictions of

the prophet Mohammed earned it a firebombing in

2011….How many times do the psychopaths have to warn

us? Didn't we learn from the Danish cartoon controversy in

2005? How about the death threats against Matt Stone and

Trey Parker for their attempt to bring Mohammed to South

Park in 2010?...It's 2015, for Allah's sake. Isn't it time for

cartoonists to wise up, bow down and face the fatwa? I pray

to the gods of cartooning that we do not. For the sake of our

freedom, we must hold one commandment sacred: Thou

shalt not apologize for opinions….To be candid, in some

cavernous corner of the mind where things not to be spoken

are stored, the question sits on a shelf: If a cartoonist is not

safe in a newsroom in Paris, then is he really safe in

Pensacola? Even in the very real face of this violence, the

question facing all journalists, thinkers and artists is this:

Shall the pen be mightier than radical Islam's blood-soaked

sword? I say, cartoonists, take care and take caution. But arm

thyself. Take your weapon in hand, and wield it well. This is

no time to stop drawing about radical Islam or any other

deranged and evil faction that threatens humanity. May our

faith in free speech overpower their devotion to bloodshed.

So Je Suis Charlie. May every cartoonist's pen from here to

Mecca be emblazoned with a time-tested American

inscription: ’This machine kills fascists.’"

Political analyst Karl Rove, writing on

his fearless political predictions for 2015

in “The Wall Street Journal”:

“Populist anger will grow more on the

left than on the right. Hillary Clinton

will run for the presidency; Senator

Elizabeth Warren, after flirting with the

notion, will not. Neither will Vice

President Joe Biden, but he will make more gaffes. A

surprising number of prospective Republican candidates will

not run or get off the launch pad because of money-raising

challenges. It will not take $88 million to win the nomination

like it took Mitt Romney in 2012, but it will take close to

that sum. Aware that a 2015 Ames Straw Poll would

undermine the credibility of the 2016 Iowa caucus, state

GOP officials will reluctantly forgo the expensive (for

candidates) ritual. By October, the GOP presidential front-

runner will still poll around 25 percent nationally among

Republicans. Given a choice between conciliation and

confrontation, Mr. Obama will liberally threaten to use his

veto. Democrats will eventually rebel against defending his

obstructionism. By year’s end, polls will show voters blame

him for gridlock. Republicans will send the president a

stream of measures on jobs, energy, spending restraint,

health care, border security and immigration that will pass

Congress with healthy Democratic support, producing the

first sustained period of bipartisan legislation during the

Obama presidency. Despite veto threats, GOP House and

Senate members will take tough votes on issues like

entitlement and tax reform, producing a governing

[12]

conservative vision for 2016. The House and Senate will

pass budget resolutions on time and almost all the

appropriations bills before the new fiscal year’s October 1

start. Mr. Obama will veto several appropriations bills for

spending too little. Republicans will slow discretionary

domestic spending and raise the military’s share of the

budget. There will be a Supreme Court vacancy in 2015.

The court will rule the Affordable Care Act does not allow

premium subsidies in states without their own insurance

exchanges. Appeals courts will hold the president lacked

authority for his executive memos on immigration….Mr.

Obama will play lots more golf.”

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away

from those who are willing to work and give to those who

would not.”

-- President Thomas Jefferson

-0-

“A ‘Liberal Paradise’ would be a place where everybody has

guaranteed employment, free comprehensive healthcare, free

education, free food, free housing, free clothing, free

utilities, and only law enforcement has guns. And believe it

or not, such a place does indeed exist...its called prison.”

-- Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio

-0-

“It is outrageous that the Obama administration spent nearly

$200 million of taxpayer funds to provide illegal-alien

children with the types of extravagant, high-tech equipment

and lavish benefits many American families can’t even

afford for their own children.”

-- Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton

-0-

“Coke was a cold drink, and pot was something you cooked

in.”

-- Author Don Gilleland, writing about America of a

different generation

UPCOMING BREVARD COUNTY EVENTS

February 2 – Republican Liberty Caucus of Central East Florida meeting, MeMaw’s Restaurant, Melbourne, 7 pm.

February 4 – Brevard Federated Republican Women meeting, Holiday Inn, Viera, 11 am.

February 5 – Heritage Isle Republican Club meeting, Viera, 10 am.

February 5 – Brevard 9/12 meeting, Kol Mashiach Synagogue, Melbourne, 6 pm.

February 9 – Space Coast Patriots meeting, Merritt Island Library, 6 pm.

February 10 – ACT! For America Space Coast Chapter meeting, Government Complex Building C, Viera, 6:30 pm.

February 11 – Brevard Republican Executive Committee meeting, Holiday Inn, Viera, 7 pm.

February 11 – Brevard Tea Party meeting, Melbourne Area Association of Realtors building, 7 pm.

February 16 – New Millennium Conservative Club meeting, Suntree-Viera Library, 6:30 pm.

February 17 – North Brevard Republican Club meeting, La Cita Country Club, Titusville, 7 pm.

February 18 – Republican Mentors’ Club of Brevard meeting, MeMaw’s Restaurant, Melbourne, 7 pm.

February 19 – Republican Women’s Network of South Brevard meeting, Eau Gallie Yacht Club, 11 am.

February 23 – Brevard Young Republicans meeting, Beef O’Brady’s, Satellite Beach, 6:30 pm.

February 25 – The Space Coast Republican Club meeting, Red Lobster, Merritt Island, 11 am.

February 26 – Ronald Reagan Clubs meeting, Jimmy’s Restaurant, Rockledge, 7 pm/

COMICAL CLOSERS

It was widely reported that outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid missed the opening day of Congress following his

hospitalization for broken ribs and facial injuries after suffering an accident while exercising at home. That’s not funny, and we

feel sorry for him – especially since Jodi Miller, host of the Media Research Center’s “Newsbusted” program pointed out that

“Sadly for Reid, he didn’t break enough bones to meet his Obamacare deductible.” On another matter, Miller said, “President

Obama’s latest proposal is drawing criticism. Apparently, he wants to turn Guantanamo Bay into a Community College.”

-0-

Asked what he has been doing in retirement, a man said he applied to the local government for a building permit for a new house.

It was going to be 100 feet tall and 400 feet wide, with 12 gun turrets at various heights, windows all over the place, and a loud

outside entertainment sound system. It would have parking for 200 cars, and I was going to paint it green with pink trim. The

City Council told him to “Forget it...AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!” So, he sent in the application again, but this time called it a

Mosque, and he said work starts next Monday. “I love this country,” he added, “but it’s the government that scares me.”

-0-

[13]

This is from comedian Argus Hamilton: "Joe Biden flew to Brazil last week to try to mend relations with Brazil's government

that's angry over NSA spying. He has a natural curiosity for the country. After Joe landed, he told reporters he was thrilled to be in

the Amazon, because he always wanted to see where books come from."

-0-

A neighbor has de-registered from the neighborhood watch program and disconnected his home alarm system. Instead, he has two

Islamic country flags raised in his front yard and the black flag of ISIS in the center. The local police, sheriff, FBI, CIA, NSA,

Homeland Security and Secret Service are all watching his home 24/7. He says he has never felt safer, AND he is saving $49.95 a

month.

SEVERAL PAGES OF PERTINENT POLITICAL CARTOONS AND PHOTOS FOLLOW

THIS ARRIVED TOO LATE FOR THE CHRISTMAS EDITION

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

[14]

[15]