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Rep. Flake Praises House Passage of Giffords Bill Targeting Ultralight Aircraft Used for Smuggling

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012
CONTACT: Genevieve Fry Rozansky

Legislation Allows Harsher Punishments for Ultralight Smugglers and Those who Conspire with Them

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today praised the House passage of H.R. 3801, the Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012, which was introduced by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The legislation targets the use of ultralight aircraft in smuggling operations specifically along the southern U.S. border by assigning harsher criminal penalties to those who are smuggling and those who conspire to engage in smuggling operations using ultralight aircraft.

“Ultralights have become a vehicle for smuggling drugs across our southern border, but local authorities haven’t had the tools to discourage and punish their operators and those working with their operators,” said Flake.

“In speaking with ranch owners near the border in Arizona and state officials, this has become a serious problem. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Giffords for introducing this legislation, which will allow law enforcement to hopefully significantly curtail smuggling via ultralights and strengthen the integrity of our southern border.”

H.R. 3801 adds “ultralights” to the definition of aircraft under aviation smuggling provisions of Tariff Act of 1930 and would add “conspiracy to commit” smuggling to the charges one can be charged with (in addition to actually committing smuggling crimes) when using ultralight aircraft. Finally, it would encourage interagency cooperation between DoD and DHS on technology to detect ultralights.

H.R. 3801 includes provisions approved by the House in H.R. 5307, introduced by Congresswoman Giffords in the 11th Congress (H.R. 5307) and details included in H.R. 1507, the Border Security Enhancement Plan which Congressman Flake introduced this Congress and Senators McCain and Kyl introduced in the Senate). H.R. 3801 is identical to S. 1974, which was introduced by Senators Udall and Heller and approved last December.

“This bill is a fitting tribute on Congresswoman Giffords’ last day in the House. She’s worked to pass it for years. While today may be her last day in the House, her public service will certainly continue. She’s passionate about improving Arizona and the country, and she’s going to continue to be an effective advocate for the issues that are important to her.”

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Filed Under: Border, Elected Officials, Federal Government, Legislation, National Security, Press Release Tagged With: , , ,

Senator Sylvia Allen’s Remarks on SB1070

January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012

Those who are promoting the repeal of SB1070 are upholding and empowering cartels and gangs who are committing cross border criminal activity.

We are in a State of Emergency here in Arizona. Our border is not secure. The crippling drug war in Mexico is seeping like a very bad wound into our state. Violent beheadings and body dismemberment, the signature of the drug cartel’s, have now come into the Valley of the Sun, and are even finding their ugly way into the heart of America: A young girl brutally killed in Oklahoma only a week ago!

Increased gun battles along the Arizona border and 75-miles into Arizona; dangerous vehicle pursuits with drug cartel members and those who are delivery agents of drugs occur most frequently; kidnappings too. Continued reports by U.S. Border Patrol Agents of military-grade weapons being used against them; reports of sophisticated communication systems, including professional-grade radio towers, satellite radios and encrypted phone systems; look-outs controlling mountain ranges in southern Arizona; and a cancer-like growth of pure vile and hatred toward any law enforcement, and the laws of the United States.

Drugs and human trafficking create billions of dollars for these evil violent Mexican drug gangs/cartels. Just the competition for bounty from human and sex trafficking generated an estimated $2 billion last year to Mexican gangs and cartels.

At a time when the Obama Administration is not only refusing to secure our borders but implementing policies that will embolden this criminal element we must stand firm in enforcing internal immigration laws for the protection of our state and citizens. SB1070 is all this state has to stop illegal immigration since our border is not secure.

The Tucson Sector is the busiest drug and alien smuggling corridor on the border.

Agents working the Tucson Sector estimate they are apprehending less than five percent of what they know is crossing the border on a monthly basis. That means over 95% of what they know is coming across the border is not being apprehended and therefore not counted. (April 2011)

Agents in the Tucson Sector estimate that they only work about 70% of their border area during any month. That means for 30% of the border they have no idea what is coming across. (April 2011)

More law enforcement is needed to help address this emergency created by our open borders. I will be introducing SB1083 – Organizing the AZ State Guard – to help state law enforcement with cross-border criminal activity.

Approximately 62% of the Arizona border with Mexico is federal public land. Significant drug and alien smuggling occurs on this land, especially where the Border Patrol does not have unfettered access to patrol the border. Federal agencies on the Arizona Border, citing environmental concerns, restrict and in some cases prevent effective border patrol access to the border area for the purposes of patrolling the border.

This is an insane policy that only protects and empowers the criminals but leaves Arizona citizens at risk. Our state has a right and a responsibility for the welfare, health and safety of the people to use our police powers to protect our state. I will be introducing SCR1008 – titled, “Declaration of emergency: state authority” – to address this issue.

In summary, nobody knows how many illegal drugs and alien smugglers are crossing the borders of the United States, and the numbers they are reporting are not accurate enough to even predict trends in illegal crossings. And friends, that is just the Tucson Sector. What about the rest of the land and sea borders of the United States? Our ranchers and farmers who live within 100 miles of the border are speaking out, and no one hears. Governor Brewer has written strong letters to President Obama asking for help with our border, and it all goes on deaf ears.

Those who are suggesting we weaken internal enforcement of our immigration laws by repealing SB1070 will only empower the drug cartels/human smugglers, and cross-border criminal activity. The Open Borders crowd does not care about the harm that is being caused to citizens. The open-borders crowd does not care about the rule of law or our Constitutional form of government. Arizona must stand firm in protecting our citizens, property and lives.

Until we can rid ourselves of the Obama Administration, the corrupt (Fast and Furious) Justice Department, and the do-nothing Homeland Security and their failure to protect our country, then the State of Arizona must do what we can to protect our citizens. No responsible elected official would suggest that we weaken SB1070 until our borders are secure.

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Filed Under: Border, Elected Officials, Guest Opinion, Illegal Immigration, National Security, Press Release, State Government Tagged With: ,

Wendy Rogers: Arizona Needs & Supports the F-35

January 19, 2012 By 15 Comments

Wendy RogersBack in November, the East Valley Tribune and Ahwatukee Foothill News published an op-ed that I wrote in support of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In that op-ed, I noted the critical importance the F-35 program plays to the national security of the United States. After meeting with Arizonians who are involved in the F-35’s development, I learned of their concern over program cuts and the unforeseen consequences that may result from debate over program reductions. For the sake of our national and economic security, these conversations need to stop.

The F-35 is America’s next fifth-generation, multi-role fighter that our military leaders have designated to replace our military’s current arsenal of ageing F-16 and F-18 fighters. The F-35 is a pragmatic approach to modernizing America’s air superiority by using the same platform to serve the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The highly advanced capabilities of the F-35 will provide out troops in the air, sea and land with the technology and situational awareness to get the job done and safely return home.

A recent program update proves that 2011 was a banner year for the program. Of the 872 test flights and 6,622 test points the F-35 was to endure in 2011, the program surpassed those goals by flying 972 test flights and completing 7,823 test points. These flights and test points ensure that the plane is strong and reliable through hundreds of challenging scenarios. The results prove that the F-35 program is maturing faster than anticipated – which is a good problem to have when working with advanced military technology.

Despite these overachievements, we have seen a lot of change in America’s political landscape. Most significantly, the deficit reducing “supercommittee” failed, forcing $600 billion in mandatory cuts from Department of Defense programs. During negotiations leading up to the supercommittee, there was a groundswell of support for full program funding and members of the committee were prepared to defend the F-35 because they recognized it’s importance to America.

Unfortunately, because the committee failed, the program is once again under debate. As evidence, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently confirmed that he aims to cut Defense Department spending on next generation weapons programs which could include the F-35. While no one believes that the F-35 will be cancelled, small businesses right here in Arizona are watching closely to see if the Pentagon will uphold their commitment to program funding, since the small business community has capitalized their production lines in anticipation of program growth.

The bottom-line is that we cannot allow political expedience to dampen the progress of the F-35. The program is deeply connected to our economy and cuts would send ripple effects across a nation. The programs suppliers, consisting of 1,300 independent companies across the United States and supporting 127,000 jobs, have the most to lose. If those parts are no longer needed in the quantities that were originally requested, then those suppliers will be unable to meet payroll and the rising jobless claim rates in the United States will see a significant uptick.

The security of our nation and the protection of our troops are important to all of us. It is our job to ensure that the men and women in the armed services are armed with globally superior technology and protection. America’s ingenuity and industrial infrastructure can deliver that superiority, and we Americans can make sure that the program and our troops are fully supported. The F-35 is not just a budget line item. It is a line item that represents real people and business, and we need to let our elected officials in Washington know that we support the F-35.

Lt. Col. Wendy Rogers, USAF (retired) was one of the first 100 women pilots in today’s Air Force. In 2010, she ran and narrowly lost a bid for the Arizona State Senate in Democrat-leaning Legislative District 17. She owns and operates a Tempe-based office complex as well as a home inspection business with 10 fulltime employees operating in four counties. Lt Col Rogers and her retired Air Force husband have two adult ASU-grad children and live in Arizona’s brand new Congressional District 9.

Filed Under: Guest Opinion, Military, National Security, State Economy Tagged With: ,

Brian Terry: When Justice Denies

December 15, 2011 By

The somber anniversary of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s death, murdered in the line of duty in Arizona, the weapon used to murder him was provided to the criminals through the illegal cross-border networks by the Obama Administration’s Department of Justice through their  heinous FAST and FURIOUS scheme.

Brian Terry: SEMPER FI:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0jTJq_VfS8

 

Filed Under: Border, Constitutional Law, Crime and Punishment, Ethics, Federal Government, Illegal Immigration, Judicial, Memorial, National Security, Public Safety

Rep. Quayle: Attorney General Holder Must Step Down

December 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2011
CONTACT: Richard Cullen

WASHINGTON (DC) Congressman Ben Quayle (R-AZ), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement Tuesday calling for the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

“Fast and Furious was a fundamentally flawed operation. Since its implementation, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and numerous Mexican citizens have been killed by criminals using weapons that were allowed to ‘walk’ during the program. These weapons continue to pose a grave threat to people living near the Southern border. These facts alone signify a lack of leadership and control within the Justice Department that warrant the removal of those people who authorized and failed to supervise this damaging operation.

“When the incredible failures of Fast and Furious came to light, Attorney General Holder and his subordinates chose the route of evasion over forthrightness. They provided documents to Congress only when compelled to produce them with subpoena. These documents revealed that on February 4, 2011, senior officials at the Justice Department, the ATF and the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office responded to an inquiry by Senator Charles Grassley with a letter that contained categorically false information. Ten months later, the Justice Department was forced to rescind that letter—a move the attorney general acknowledged is extremely rare. During last week’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, the attorney general refused to take responsibility or hold any of his subordinates accountable for their handling of Fast and Furious. Mr. Holder himself called the operation ‘wholly unacceptable’ and ‘fundamentally flawed.’

“The fact that he hasn’t fired a single person shows that Attorney General Holder is more concerned with protecting himself and his political appointees than holding individuals accountable for Fast and Furious. I have refrained from calling for his resignation until he had a chance to testify before the Judiciary Committee. Asking for a cabinet member to resign is a serious step and one I take very seriously. After reflecting on last week’s testimony, the operation, and Mr. Holder’s handling of the fallout, I have lost all confidence in his ability to lead the Justice Department. I call for his immediate resignation.”

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Filed Under: 2nd Amendment, Conspiracy Theories, Crime and Punishment, Elected Officials, Federal Government, Government Reform, Judicial, National Security, Press Release Tagged With: , , ,

Link to FAST AND FURIOUS Investigation

December 13, 2011 By

For Arizonans who want to follow the latest in the on-going investigation of the FAST and FURIOUS Obama Administration’s Justice Department’s appalling scheme to provide U.S. weapons to Mexican drug cartels.

Committee on Oversight & Government Reform

http://issues.oversight.house.gov/fastandfurious/

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Filed Under: 2nd Amendment, Border, Drugs, Ethics, Federal Government, Foreign Policy, Judicial, National Security, Public Safety

Congressman Flake Praises Senate Passage of Kirk-Menendez Amendment

December 1, 2011 By 3 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2011
CONTACT: Genevieve Frye Rozansky

Congressman Flake Praises Senate Passage of Kirk-Menendez Amendment Targeting Central Bank of Iran
Flake Has Introduced Similar Legislation in the House

Washington, D.C., Dec 1 – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today praised the passage of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (S.1867) offered by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons by prohibiting foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank of Iran – the financier primarily responsible for facilitating Iran’s illicit activities – from opening or maintaining correspondent operations in the United States.

The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report on November 8th that found Iran has developed technologies and conducted research to produce nuclear weapons and deliver them. In response, the United Kingdom and Canada levied economic sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank.

“Every day that Iran has access to Western capital brings them closer to making their nuclear aspirations a reality. The Kirk-Menendez amendment will severely limit funding sources for Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and is one of the few steps remaining at our disposal to stymie this dangerous threat to the U.S., Israel and the rest of the Middle East,” said Flake. 

Last week, Congressman Flake along with Congressman Mike McIntyre of North Carolina introduced H.R. 3508 which, like the Kirk-Menendez amendment, would levy economic sanctions on foreign financial institutions that conduct business with the Central Bank of Iran.

These sanctions would include a prohibition on the opening or maintenance in the U.S. of an account by a foreign institution that does business with the Central Bank of Iran and would freeze any assets in the U.S of those institutions. In an effort to avoid a dangerous spike in oil prices, transactions pertaining to petroleum would be subject to sanctions six months after the legislation takes effect. The legislation also contains a national security waiver and a provision to ensure efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Iran are not hampered by the sanctions law.

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Federal Government, Foreign Policy, Legislation, National Security, Press Release Tagged With: , ,

Seminar on Sharia Law: What We Need To Know, presented by Al Fadi

November 29, 2011 By 18 Comments

INVITES YOU TO ATTEND

Sharia Law:  What We Need To Know

PRESENTED BY AL FADI

Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: The Scottsdale Bible Church  Room E-210
Address: 7601 E. Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ

Al Fadi is a former Wahabbi Muslim from Saudi Arabia.  He is the researcher, editor, writer, and translator for numerous ministries, including “Answering Islam” and runs an outreach center called; the Center for Islamic Research & Awareness. The center focus is to bring awareness regarding Islam, to build bridges with Muslims, and to provide expert input on issues related to Sharia Law and Democracy.

Al is the editor, co-author and contributor of “The Qur’an Dilemma” (both English & Arabic versions) – a critical analysis book of the Qur’an. He is also the director of TheQuran.com Group (www.theQuran.com) which desires to assist both Muslims and non-Muslims who seek to learn more about the main source of Islamic teachings, the Qur’an, to research it, to critically analyze it, and to better comprehend its contents without the traditional religious and cultural barriers designed to indoctrinate and encapsulate the minds of many truth seekers.

Al has a Masters in Engineering and is currently working on completing his M.Div. in Biblical Communications. He is an invited teacher/lecturer on Islam and related Islamic study topics. He is an invited guest speaker and trainer at numerous churches and mission agencies on the topic of Islam & Evangelism to Muslims. As a former devout Muslim, he is an expert on the teaching and challenges of Islam. In addition, Al is an invited guest/expert on numerous Arabic evangelical Satellite TV and Radio shows on the topics of Islam and the Middle East.

Refreshments will be served

Cost: $10 per person

Go to www.arizonamainstreamproject.org to make payment by credit card.  If making payment at the door, please RSVP to Susan Leeper at 480-998-5022 or susan@arizonamainstreamproject.org

 

Filed Under: Advertising, Culture, Ethics, Family, Freedom of Speech, History, National Security, Political Correctness, Religion, State Government, States Rights, Terrorism, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

State Senator Sylvia Allen: Arizona In a State of Emergency

November 29, 2011 By 55 Comments

By Senator Sylvia Allen

Senator Sylvia Allen

The Arizona border remains under assault. This assault is not diminishing but increasing! Just south of Arizona, Mexico is in a state of civil war. The death toll in Mexico is more than 40,000 lives lost since 2006. Only the Mexican military is able to maintain any semblance of order, and many within Mexico are now even openly questioning “for how long?” In a recent exclusive interview with Newsmax, former Mexican President Vicente Fox said bluntly his nation was at “war” with drug cartels. “Everybody’s trying to deny that we’re going through a war but that’s what it is.”

Graphic photos of beheadings, kidnapping scenes, and mass graves are sent to me weekly in Border Briefing reports. The cartels/gangs have corrupted Mexican law enforcement at all levels, thereby protecting their illicit $12-billion-a-year criminal enterprise. You would think the United States government would be greatly concerned; you would think those in positions of public trust in Washington would spend at least as much time working on stabilizing Mexico as they do on Egypt and Libya. Yet hardly a word is said about the increasing problems and threats stemming from our immediate neighbor to the south other than the spin from Washington that “the border is safer now than ever.” But to those of us tasked with providing security to the citizens of Arizona and beyond, nothing of substance is said or enacted and, all the while, a war is headed this way. This war is real, and it is dangerous, and soon this war will be fought with increasing measures in America.

NewsMax devoted two months last Spring conducting more than 20 interviews during visits to border areas in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. They found overwhelming evidence that Mexico’s drug cartels have already penetrated deep into our nation’s heartland, and Americans are increasingly fearful.

As Chairman of the Arizona Senate Committee on Border Security, my committee heard testimony last year from many citizens who live in the border area. They reported home invasions, vandalism, stolen property, and a host of other criminal activities. An Intelligence Briefing to a Joint Session of Selected Legislators on November 10th, 2011, by Zack Taylor, retired Border Patrol Supervisory Agent, and Dr. Lyle Rapacki, a Threat Assessment and Intelligence Specialist, went even further than the NewsMax articles. These experts reported how “lookout posts” are positioned in key points throughout the desert, and as far north (65-miles from the border) as the City of Casa Grande, Arizona, the I-8 corridor and Apache Junction, and along the I-10 corridor approaching the bedroom community of Ahwatukee. This briefing further revealed that the cartels (and lookouts) are heavily armed with military-grade weapons, camouflage, sophisticated and expensive night-vision goggles, satellite communications, food and water, and organized logistical support. If you go to the Pinal County Sheriff’s website, you can read many reports of drug busts, fire fights, auto chases, and other serious encounters with the cartels/gangs/human smugglers occurring frequently in Pinal County, which is far inside the border of the United States of America.

Additionally, and with as much concern, Arizona has to deal with health issues and trash, mounds of trash left by illegals marching into America. Fifth-generation rancher Jim Chilton has seen his once-beautiful ranch, just a few miles from the border with Mexico, be destroyed with crushed trees and cactus, whole hillsides turned into charred eyesores, years worth of his award-winning conservation projects obliterated – and his ranch is littered with trash, tons of trash, and some of this trash is dead bodies. Mr. Chilton stated: “I’ve got 30,000 to 40,000 illegal aliens coming right through my ranch every year, and the Forest Service says each one leaves about eight pounds of trash. This means 100 tons of trash. Some of my cows eat the plastic bags that are thrown down, and about 10 head of cattle die per year, and their deaths are slow and painful. At $1,200 per cow lost, this means I lose $12,000 a year in cows to trash!”

Adding insult is the Bureau of Land Management with their insane proposal to shut down target shooting on 490,000 acres in the Sonoran Desert National Monument, and another 1.4 million acres of additional public lands in Pinal County. The Bureau claims shooters are leaving trash behind. It is NOT the shooters who are decimating the desert but drug and human smugglers! The BLM knows this but have developed this ploy to restrict Arizonans from entering this land. Arizona Game and Fish, on their maps, warn hunters that 35 miles north of the Border the land is impacted by illegal activity from illegals. Arizona is losing control of her sovereign land!

Tragedy upon tragedy, as we add the fires set by illegals that have destroyed our lands! Senator McCain was correct this past summer laying blame on the illegals for some of the horrific and terribly destructive fires that were purposefully set. It cost more than $70 million to fight these insidious fires, and the official U.S. Government response was to attempt to silence McCain. Why is the apparent official policy of the United States to ridicule and silence those who are trying to protect our state of Arizona? Why are the cartels protected? Why do official U.S. government departments, sworn to protect American citizens, extend protection to gangs working with the drug cartels, and even to terrorists entering our nation from various border entry points?

In 2007, speaking on the Larry King show, former Mexican President Vicente Fox confirmed the coming merger with Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Not only did Fox admit that he and George W. Bush had agreed to create a common currency, the Amero, he also contended that a North American Union is “inevitable.” There is, on the other hand, no will to secure our borders or to enforce our laws. There is a concerted, deliberate, and sophisticated program under way to erase our national boundaries and create a North American Union. Merging our country with Mexico and Canada would be a losing proposition for Americans. The governments of these three countries are not alike. The gift of sovereignty handed to us by our Forefathers would be extinguished, and we would become subjects, no longer free. I do not want this for myself or my grandchildren!

Progressive groups, radicals of many persuasions, and even anti-American groups are using the cry for “Open Borders” for their own purposes, and not for the concern of migrants. Those purposes include, but are not limited to, undermining our form of government and eroding our national sovereignty. Many of those entangled are innocent bystanders who become subject to blackmail and abuse by “coyotes,” cartels, human and slave traffickers, and radical political groups who have agendas that reach far beyond the safety and legal status of a vulnerable illegal family. With the recent recall of Senator Russell Pearce, the open borders crowd feels empowered, and they have no intention of stopping until they rid the political and governing scene of each and every individual who stands in the way of full and completely open borders, no national boundaries, and the complete remaking of America into the North American Union.

As an Arizona state legislator, I took an oath to uphold the Federal and State Constitutions and the laws of our land. If those laws need to be changed, we have a process by which people, through their elected representatives, can change them. In the meantime, elected representatives and residents are encouraged to live by the laws intended to provide order and safety for all. There is no higher calling for an elected official, state or federal, than to protect the freedom and public safety of the citizens they represent. Border Security ranks supreme. Without first securing the border, we will never be able to solve the myriad issues involving illegal immigration.

Arizona is in a State of Emergency. If we want to protect our national and state sovereignty, we must secure our border and enforce our laws. This is NOT a political move or call to action; this is a call to declare a State of Emergency in Arizona to preserve our land, our citizens and their property, and our state sovereignty, with all the means afforded to us by the Constitution of the United States of America.

We are still seeking donations to build the border fence. Please take a look at the “Build the Border Fence” website, and consider making a generous donation.

Best wishes to all of you during this holiday season. Despite the gloomy news on the border, we have much to be grateful for! God willing, we will make some progress on securing the border in the months ahead. The next Update will discuss some solutions to the border emergency.

Filed Under: Border, Elected Officials, Environment, Federal Government, Guest Opinion, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration, National Security, State Government Tagged With: ,

Veterans Day. Observing Valor, Sacrifice, and Diligence: A Celebration of Purpose

November 11, 2011 By 5 Comments

There are two very distinctive cultures which observe the end of World War I: those who celebrate Armistice Day and those who celebrate Veteran’s Day.

Veterans Day as observed in the United States is related to Armistice Day in Europe. Today on November 11, the date of the signing of the cease fire in 1918, signed at 5 am but in effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day, is recalled by the French as a remembrance of loss and the wanton destruction of war.

Igniting across the global, spread transcontinentally through the colonial holdings of the warring nations, World War I  was fought most brutally on French and Belgium soil, with battlefield casualties of a magnitude that human beings are almost incapable of comprehending. At the First Battle of the Marne in 1914, the French incurred 250,000 losses, with German losses estimated at the same magnitude, or close to 500,000 men at arms consumed during one major engagement, and that was only the beginning. (1)

It was the “War to End All Wars,” a stunning loss of 1.4 million French soldiers alone, 10.5% of the French male population, with overall combat-related deaths and crippling injury exceeding ten million.  Americans, with victory achieved, but appalled at the squalor and horror of the trenches and observing the scenes of years of destruction, brushed the dust and grime off their uniforms and went home, muttering “another European War.”

French schoolbooks teach the horror of the war, and focus on the massive mortality amongst the generation of men who fought it. They detail to each new generation of children the suffering and the severe hardships of the populations which fled their homes and towns, running to be clear of the bombardments and combat. The lingering spiritual toll has been a cynical dismissal of purpose: the Europeans and especially the French ask if there is anything worth fighting for to justify loss of human life.

That Europe, especially France, Belgium and Britain, was shell-shocked by this war cannot be understated in order to understand the mindset behind how they have conducted their national defense and foreign policy since. This cynicism was the base on which appeasement was embraced over standing firm for principles, and its folly was soon exposed.

But Armistice wasn’t peace. It was more promise than delivery, more hope than reality, as fighting and battlefield dying continued after the famous 11th hour declaration of secession of hostilities.

 “There followed in early 1919 the Paris Peace Conference of victorious nations and the resulting Treaty of Versailles. Germany was stripped of territories and ordered to pay huge war reparations. Its military forces were restricted and it was forced to admit full guilt for the war. An international League of Nations was established to resolve future conflicts. The exultant Allied leaders went home, satisfied that they had achieved a great diplomatic triumph. But had they?
When the fighting stopped, not one Allied soldier on the Western front stood on one square foot of German territory. The four years of fighting on the Western Front had occurred solely in Belgium and France (Holland was neutral in the First World War). Germany had surrendered while her troops were still occupying foreign territory. To most Germans, this seemed incredible.

A nondescript German corporal, recovering from poison gas wounds, was enraged. Civilians back home had obviously betrayed the country. That corporal’s name was Adolf Hitler. More would be heard from him in coming years.” (2)

Recovering from his wounds on the other side of the border in France, a young American officer, one of a handful of survivors of a deadly engagement, and hating the man-eating trenches and the death they represented, took back a different lesson as he stood on the abandoned battlefields, and sternly surveyed the desolate scene. When he was asked why he was still surveying the French countryside as everyone was packing to leave, he replied, with an uncanny sense of unfinished business,  “The next war is going to be right here and I am going to be in it.”

General George Patton summed up the national character which formed him: “America loves a winner. America will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise a coward; Americans play to win.”

The cultures of these two wounded veterans of World War I, the War to End All Wars, met square-on at that great battlefield of Europe, two decades later.

 Hitler was in reach of being the most powerful emperor ever to have breathed the air of Europe, but led by clear-eyed men of purpose like Patton, derided by Hitler as “soft, weak, lazy and fat,” Americans surged across North Africa, poured ashore in Italy and charged through the countryside of the beaten and capitulated French, relieved the cornered and isolated British and shattered the seemingly unstoppable war machines of the socialist Hitler, the fascist Mussolini, then crushed them all and then turned their grim resolve to the imperialistic Tojo, who stood astride the battered and conquered nations of Asia, his juggernaut poised to overwhelm Australia.  

After Hitler demanded he needed Czechsolvakia and Austria, the Europeans  gave up  entire nations in exchange  for signed documents of peace,  and got war anyway.  Emboldened by that example, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor,  expecting the same response, that the United States would also sign for peace.    Americans didn’t need President Roosevelt to tell them it was war, they already knew it and they knew what had to be done.   Imperial Japan had made a mortal mistake, thinking Americans were just like Europeans, lacking in a vision of eternal truths of right and wrong, good and evil.  The sleeping tiger had been awakened.   One nation infused with  sense of greater purpose, that this was evil and men were called to fight it, freely left security,  headed knowingly into danger and halted the onslaught.

American soldiers, farm boys, cabbies, waiters, sons of carpenters and bankers, brick layers and doctors, were the ones who threw open the gates of the smoke-shrouded death camps, and beheld a vision of hell, then set their jaws and gritted their teeth and showed the world the proof of the cruelty and depravity of the fascist state, and marched the people through so they could not claim they “didn’t know.”

In this case, the pen was not mightier than the sword.  And when the pens finally came out, the American sword made sure the aggreements would be honored.

In contrast to the anguished sorrow of an empty loss and faith in signatures on a paper that didn’t translate on the battlefield, our Veterans Day observances for the sacrifices of our fighting men are grave and solemn, but still retain a sense of a greater purpose to life than simply surviving. Our memorials and remembrances retain a pride, placing the sacrifices of every fallen soldier and veteran who carried his wounds through his life into the framework of a greater and eternal purpose.

America transported her soldiers to foreign lands, the best we had – the prime of our young men – to stand beside our allies, upended a brutal stalemate and ended two wars. War is everything the pacifists proclaim, even worse as they have not seen with their own eyes what soldiers have seen, but it is no peace to capitulate to evil. That’s just surrender; a bended knee to evil is the path to desolation, despair and destruction.

Was it worth it in human costs for Americans to leave their homes and fight on foreign fields?

No one can image without a shudder of horror what Europe and the world would be like today had Hitler and his counterpart Tojo triumphed.  And heeding the mistake made in 1919 of leaving too soon, Americans in 1945 stayed to provide security, stability, food, shelter and helped a devastated Europe and Asia develop democratic governance, holding firm for decades until the last of the empires collapsed, the Soviet Union.  

Yes, it was worth it.  By the Word of God, not a soul who should be saved is lost. There is a purpose; good is worth fighting for.  Peace is a curious thing. It has to be fought for and protected.

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.

Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”

 - General George S. Patton, Jr

As we remember those who served before you, for all our men and women in uniform today who worked hard while people slept, who took on challenges and accepted discipline and risk, deployed far from our life of ease, thank you and God bless you for your service to our nation. 

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 1) http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/ww1/11-11-11.htm
2) http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Armistice+left+unfinished/5684793/story.html#ixzz1dOVk1AQw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF5PBuPCd0A&feature=related

Inadequate Peace:
http://www.greatwar.nl/versailles/versail-summary.html  http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/treatyofversailles/p/overtofvers.htm  

http://www.military-quotes.com/Patton.htm

 

Filed Under: Culture, Guest Opinion, History, Memorial, Military, National Security

Where is the outrage over Fast and Furious?

October 20, 2011 By 59 Comments

By: Rep. David Schweikert

It seems that despite the magnitude of the Fast and Furious scandal, there isn’t much outrage.

Arizonans don’t need me to tell them that Fast and Furious is a big story. This scandal started in our backyard — in the ATF’s Phoenix office — and was administered by a U.S. attorney appointed by President Obama.

Every step of this operation seems riddled with incompetence and dishonesty.

High-ranking U.S. officials used taxpayer money — stimulus money no less — to buy guns and ship them to Mexico. The administration claims these firearms were shipped to Mexico in an attempt to destabilize Mexican drug cartels.

A further investigation will help us determine if, in fact, the administration’s real agenda was indeed promoting gun control.

Not only did this incompetence sink the operation, it strengthened the cartels and destabilized Mexican security forces on the border.

In other words, under this then-secret program, thousands of guns were shipped over our borders and placed directly into the hands of criminals. Sadly, these guns can be traced to over 200 murders, including that of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and high-ranking Mexican officials.

Some have tried to say that Fast and Furious is simply a case of an overreaching federal government dropping the ball or botching an operation — that it was planned to do something different, that weapons were lost and that officials miscommunicated or were ill-informed.

However, as more evidence has come to light, it has become clear that this operation was not botched. The administration fully intended for guns to end up in the hands of Mexican criminals.

As an Arizonan watching this unfold in my backyard, I can also assure you this is more than feds dropping the ball. People are dying. American tax dollars are arming criminals and it seems the administration is trying to cover it up.

This is egregious.

Almost as egregious, is the fact that the mainstream media has largely seemed to ignore this scandal. Where is the media’s understanding of the scale of this operation? Where is the outrage for not only the actions of President Obama and Eric Holder, but for their inconsistent stories? Where is the outrage for the use of American tax dollars for criminal activity? Where is the outrage for the more than 200 lives lost?

There is a growing voice in the House, mine one of the strongest among them, that believes we need a special prosecutor to hold Eric Holder and the Justice Department accountable. We must put the facts together and properly lay them out on a timeline.

Let’s face it. If it turns out that our attorney general misled the House Oversight Committee in May, the honorable thing for him to do is tender his resignation.

However, the honorable thing for President Obama to do right now is to stop playing politics and come clean on what his Justice Department knew and when they knew it. Incompetence and dishonesty that cost lives cannot and will not be tolerated.

The truth of this operation must come out just as fast and furiously as it was withheld from us.

The main duty of our government is to protect her citizens. However, here in my backyard, taxpayer-funded weapons have taken lives. I do not know what else needs to be said for America to start listening.

Congressman David Schweikert represents Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District.

Filed Under: 2nd Amendment, Crime and Punishment, Elected Officials, Federal Government, Guest Opinion, National Security Tagged With: , ,

Reminder: NW PAChyderm Coalition meeting tonight

October 19, 2011 By 3 Comments

 

We are honored to host Guest Speaker:

Dr. Carl Goldberg

“ISLAM — Religion of Peace?  From the Horse’s Mouth”

You will be given a conceptual framework and materials from the most sacred Islamic religious sources so that, in less than an hour, you will understand far more about Islam than the vast majority of our political leaders do. Those Islamic sources prove conclusively that Islam is both a totalitarian and imperialist ideology, in addition to being a religion.

Dr. Goldberg has a doctorate in history and is a former Russian-language instructor at Arizona State University

 Location: Denny‘s Restaurant Banquet Room

5161 W. Thunderbird Road, Glendale Arizona 85053  (Map)

Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 (3nd Wednesday of each month)

Time: 6:15 pm Dinner (order from menu) Program begins at 7:00 pm.

Filed Under: History, National Security, Religion, Terrorism Tagged With: , ,

Rep Franks: Obama Should Give Iran Ultimatum on Nukes; Military Action Should Be An Option

October 12, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 12, 2011
CONTACT: Ben Carnes

VIDEO: Franks Says Obama Should Give Iran Ultimatum on Nukes; Military Action Should Be An Option

Phoenix, AZ — Speaking on the House floor tonight, Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) addressed the foiled Iranian-backed plot to attack numerous locations on American soil. Franks noted the attack indicated in the clearest possible terms that Iran has the intent to attack America and is rapidly seeking a nuclear capability with which to do so, stating that the Obama Administration should at long last “make it unequivocally clear to Iran and to the entire world that we will do everything necessary, including direct military intervention, to prevent this rogue nation from gaining nuclear weapons with which to threaten either the United States or our allies.”

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Foreign Policy, National Security Tagged With: ,

Mexican-American “Raza” Expert Panel Discussion Open to the Public: Event will be Streaming LIVE!

September 6, 2011 By 2 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

A Panel Discussion: The Mexican-American “Raza” Controversial Ethnic Studies Program in the Tucson Unified School District

Phoenix, AZ – On Saturday, September 10, 2011, Arizona Mainstream Project (AMP) will bring to the public a panel discussion on the controversial Mexican-American or “Raza” ethnic studies program being taught in the Tucson United School District (TUSD). Speaking on this panel will be Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, Andy LaFevre (Public Relations Director for AZ State Superintendent John Huppenthal), Loretta Hunnicutt (founder TU4SD), John Ward (former ethnic studies teacher), Lisa Ruth (educator/activist), Rey Torres (President of Arizona Latino Republican Association), and Gabriela Saucedo Mercer (activist/CD 7 candidate). KFYI Talk Host Terry Gilberg will be moderating this panel discussion.

The panel will not only discuss events leading up to Superintendent John Huppenthal’s recent report that found TUSD in violation of A.R.S. 15-112, but will also discuss the real objectives of this controversial curriculum taught in the Tucson Unified School District; these include the overthrow of our government, ethnic resentment, and the redefining of “la familia.” The TUSD Mexican-American Ethnic Studies program is widely seen as a “militant” model to be spread throughout the country.

Each panel member will share their personal experience and direct involvement with uncovering the facts of this issue and how it has negatively impacted the Tucson community and how it affects all of America. You will gain an understanding of its history, the current legal battles, and needed citizen activism to stop this anti-American agenda.

This event will be held at the Phoenix Airport Marriott Hotel located at 1101 North 44th Street in Phoenix, Arizona, from 2 pm- 5 pm, MST.  Cost to attend is $15.00 per person. This panel discussion will be STREAMED LIVE from AMP’s website. Click on the “View Live Stream Now” button on our homepage www.ArizonaMainstreamProject.org and follow the instructions.

Go to www.ArizonaMainstreamProject.org for more information about this event and to purchase a ticket, or contact Honey Marques, Executive Director, at 808-283-3661 or email honey@arizonamainstreamproject.org.

Any press who plans to attend and cover this story, please contact Honey Marques to discuss arrangements and set up at 808-283-3661.

Arizona Mainstream Project is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit charitable grassroots organization whose mission is to attract, educate, and mobilize the people of Arizona around America’s founding principles and leadership. AMP believes in the principles of a constitutionally limited government, free markets, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberty to promote the common good and prosperity for the people of Arizona.

Filed Under: Arizona Politics, Conservatives, Culture, Ethics, Government Reform, Liberals, National Security, Press Release, Race Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Statement by McCain, Lieberman on Iranian Assault on the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

August 11, 2011 By 8 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 11, 2011

Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) today issued the following statement on the Iranian government’s ongoing bombardment of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region:

“We are deeply concerned by the Iranian government’s ongoing bombardment of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, which has killed and wounded innocent civilians and displaced dozens of families. The Iranian government should immediately cease its shelling of Iraqi territory and respect Iraq’s sovereignty, as Iraqi leaders in Baghdad and Erbil have repeatedly demanded.

“The shelling along the border region of northern Iraq fits a broader pattern of behavior by the Iranian government, which has sought to exercise malign and destabilizing influence over Iraq’s internal affairs. To this day, the Iranian government continues to train, fund, arm, and direct violent extremist groups that threaten the ability of the Iraqi state to control its own territory. These same groups are also attacking and killing U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq. In 2009, Iranian military units even crossed the Iraqi border and briefly seized an oil field on sovereign Iraqi territory. We urge the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the Administration in Washington to speak out in defense of Iraq’s sovereignty, to condemn the shelling of Iraqi territory, and to work with Iraqi authorities to help strengthen Iraq’s capabilities to defend its country.

“It is time to put Iranian leaders on notice that, if they continue on their current path—destabilizing Iraq, murdering Americans, pursuing nuclear weapons, and fostering terrorism, including a secret deal with al Qaeda—they will face increasingly severe consequences. In the past, authoritarian regimes and extremist groups have underestimated America’s resolve and determination. Iran’s leaders would be wise not to repeat this mistake.”

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Foreign Policy, Media, National Security, Press Release Tagged With: , , ,

Big First Day for Border Fence Donation Website

July 21, 2011 By 1 Comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 21, 2011
CONTACT: Mike Philipsen

People from all 50 states offer financial support 

(State Capitol, Phoenix) – The totals are in from the first day of donations to help build a fence along the Arizona-Mexico border. More than $58,000 poured in to www.buildtheborderfence.com from 1,265 donors in just the first 24 hours.

“The Federal Government has made it abundantly clear that it has no interest in addressing the invasion of drug cartels, violent gangs, illegal aliens and terrorists along the border. The U.S. wants this problem addressed, and this is one way we’re doing it,” says Sen. Steve Smith, a Republican from Maricopa. Smith sponsored SB 1406, legislation that established a website for the purpose of raising private money to help build a border fence.

The border remains porous, and Arizona is taking one step toward true border security. From California to Texas, the southern border is approximately 2,000 miles, and only roughly 685 miles is fenced. The remaining 1300+ miles of the border have no fencing at all.

All the funds raised at www.buildtheborderfence.com are held in a trust fund account in the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office. The Joint Border Security Advisory Committee, established in the bill, will oversee the project.

Every state in the union was represented on the first day of donations, and that does not surprise Sen. Smith.

“We have always said with illegal immigration, ‘what happens in Arizona doesn’t stay in Arizona’. This is a crisis for the nation, and it is gratifying to know that all 50 states agree,” says Sen. Smith.

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Filed Under: Border, Elected Officials, Illegal Aliens, Illegal Immigration, National Security, Press Release, State Government, Terrorism Tagged With: , , ,

Congressman Flake: U.S. Mission in Libya is Unclear

June 24, 2011 By 9 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2011
CONTACT: Genevieve Frye Rozansky

National Security Objectives Must be Defined

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today voted against two legislative measures regarding U.S. military involvement in Libya. The first (H.J. Res. 68) would authorize the limited use of the United States Armed Forces in support of the NATO mission in Libya. The second (H.R. 2278) would limit the use of funds appropriated to the Department of Defense for United States Armed Forces in support of NATO Operation Unified Protector with respect to Libya.

“The President still has not made clear what national security objectives are being met by U.S. participation in the NATO mission or how we can justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fund our efforts there,” said Flake. “The time for debate over whether to authorize U.S. armed forces to engage in Libya was months ago, before the U.S. entered into the NATO operation.”

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Filed Under: Elected Officials, Federal Budget, Federal Government, Foreign Policy, Legislation, Military, National Security, Press Release Tagged With: ,
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