Our Freedoms Under Attack…In Virginia and Across the Nation…
We met with groups across the commonwealth yesterday as we continue to look for partners and supporters for the Freedom For Virginians for Act. We are working together on several things.
One of the positive outcomes of the Beck Rally is the focus on honor and honesty. 
And nothing symbolizes that more than upholding the oaths we take. How do we honor that commitment going forward? We need to restore ourselves and to restore the honor of our leaders.
All of our political leaders swear an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Do they do that? We can’t find many…
Here are some examples. And why we need bold, brave actions. Lots of information below.
Our own Governor is violating this oath with his participation and acceptance of another Federal intrusion; the Council of Governors.
Caleb Coulter, from our board, gave a fabulous history lesson on the events leading up to the Council of Governors directly to the governor at the Governor’s townhall meeting in Roanoke a few weeks back.
Click here for much of that history. Long story short, the Governor is trying to work through the system to assure he maintains control of the militia in Virgina, which is his Constitutional duty. Our argument is simple: he already has this and the unconstitutional mandates of the Council of Governor should have NO IMPACT on our Governor’s Constitutional duty as commander of our state military forces.
By participating in the Council of Governors, our governor is legitamizing this process. That is unacceptable. Our advise. Pull out of the Council of Governors now and tell the Federal government to stay out of our Sovereign business. If you don’t we must demand that the Governor step down as he is in violation of his Constitutional Oath to uphold the Constitution of Virginia. If oaths mean nothing…why take them?
The Governor has been rightly criticized for accepting stimulus money from the Federal Government The problem is that the Federal mandates on stimulus have a provision that allows the Federal government to spend the stimulus money if the States refuse to spend it…and become dependant on that mandate funding.
From the Richmond Tea Party…
This is probably the best article I found to answer most of your questions about the education bailout: http://netrightdaily.com/2010/08/inside-that-10-billion-in-education-funding-are-some-mandatory-provisions/. It confirms that the bailout is a one-time shot (for now). It claims that the bill FORCES states to take the money. If a state’s governor doesn’t distribute the funds, the feds will simply distribute them at their own discretion within that state. Because of this, it looks like ALL governors (including Barbour) are going to apply for the funding (more on that here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/10/house-approves-billion-teacher-bailout/) . It also looks like it mandates how much states must spend on education, and Barbour claims he’ll have to rewrite his budget, spending more, to accommodate this. Here’s the SC governor’s blistering take: http://www.thegovmonitor.com/world_news/united_states/teachers-union-bailout-a-rotten-deal-for-south-carolina-37150.html. It appears that different rules apply to different states (Texas in particular), so I’m not sure how this affects Virginia specifically, but according to McDonnell this provides temporary relief without requires any budgetary changes (http://hamptonroads.com/2010/08/education-jobs-bill-will-mean-250-million-virginia).
The fact that the Federal government is directly assaulting the very sovereignty of Virginia is a direct violation of the 10th Amendment. And our Governor’s response. He just takes it…
McDonnell has a Constitutional duty to defend this commonwealth’s citizens. He must assert our sovereignty NOW. McDonnell needs to fight this publically instead of meekly submitting to the will of the Federal Regime.
At this critical time in history, we need a Governor who is willing to stand up to a Federal Regime hell bent on destruction of our nation. Nothing symbolizes our Federal Regime’s disdane for the Constitution than this…
On August 20, the United States, for the first time ever, submitted a 29-page “Universal Periodic Review” (UPR) to the UN Human Rights Council, which outlines a laundry list of human rights abuses allegedly committed by the United States.
Contained within that laundry list of so-called abuses is a direct condemnation of S.B. 1070, legislation enacted by the state of Arizona (and supported by an overwhelming majority of the American people), which seeks to do the job that the federal government has refused to do… secure the border.
Specifically, the Obama Administration wrote in the report: “A recent Arizona law, S.B. 1070, has generated significant attention and debate at home and around the world. The issue is being addressed in a court action that argues that the federal government has the authority to set and enforce immigration law. That action is ongoing; parts of the law are currently enjoined.”
The submission of this UPR is the first step in a United Nations review process which will culminate with the issuance of a plan of action, approximately 90 days from now, from a panel of UN bureaucrats from France, Japan and Cameroon.
At that point, the United States would be expected to “voluntarily” comply with the panel’s recommendations, but as the UN Human Rights Council states on its website: “The Human Rights Council will decide on the measures it would need to take in case of persistent non-cooperation by a State…”
In short, Barack Obama has upped the ante. Not content with simply filing a frivolous federal suit against the people of Arizona, Obama has transformed his amnesty feud with the American people into an international human rights cause and effectively placed the people of Arizona (and other states that are considering similar border security bills) under the jurisdiction of a gang of America-hating United Nations bureaucrats.
Yes, you read this right, we are subverting our Constitution to the UN. Sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it is absolutely correct.
The Federal Government has the Constitution and your rights under direct assault. And our Governor refuses to stand up for you and defend your rights. The Virginia Constitution states “whenever any government shall be found inadequate or contrary to these purposes, a majority of the community hath an indubitable, inalienable, and indefeasible right to reform, alter, or abolish it, in such manner as shall be judged most conducive to the public weal.”
The Constitution is under assault today All Federal officials swear and oath to uphold the Constitution. Our Governor has sworn an oath to defend the State and Federal Constitution.
They all FAIL.
We need action today. We are working on a variety of action plans but one thing is certain.
It will take bold courageous action to get our leaders to uphold their oaths.
Join The Resistance. Join The Roanoke Tea Party.
Chip Tarbutton
McDonnell Town Hall is tomorrow! And Glen Beck is on.
We will need to get there early – no tickets, open seating, you can sign up to speak just like at a regular Board meetings. It’s FREE!!!!
Let’s be there in force! The GOP faithful will be packing this so it’s all a lovefest so get there early to ensure you have a seat.
While McDonnell has done some good things….he also has some issues he needs to be asked tough questions on…
Why are you on the Council of Governors? Why did you take the stimulus money around this initiative?
Why did you approve $95 million in tax increases disguised as “fees”?
Why did you postpone a payment against the state pension account to “create” a surplus?
Why did you take use this mythical state surplus to fund a pay increase for state workers?
“Virginia Speaks: A Conversation about Jobs, Government Reform and Our Future”
****Town Hall Schedule****
August 4, 2010 — 7:00pm-8:30pm
- Roanoke
Roanoke County Administration Center
Board of Supervisors Board Room
5204 Bernard Drive
Roanoke
We are going to book a bus trip for the Glen Beck rally. The cost will be $35-$40 a person. Full details will be ready tomorrow.
McDonnell Town Hall Meeting
We will need to get there early – no tickets, open seating, you can sign up to speak just like at a regular Board meetings. It’s FREE!!!! Let’s be there in force!“Virginia Speaks: A Conversation about Jobs, Government Reform and Our Future”
****Town Hall Schedule****
August 4, 2010 — 7:00pm-8:30pm
· Roanoke
Roanoke County Administration Center
Board of Supervisors Board Room
5204 Bernard Drive
Roanoke
Why Electing Republican’s Isn’t Enough…
Now that Obama is shredding the Constitution before our eyes, it’s easy to forget that this isn’t a Democrat vs. Republican problem. A few facts…
“Republicans have proven every bit as fiscally liberal with the exception of the last year or so when political convenience has changed their rhetoric. But try to get one to admit that social security and medicare are socialist programs along the lines of Obamacare, and they’ll dance and dodge all day! It was Bush II who created medicare prescription drug coverage at the cost of $550 billion, and only nine Senate republicans opposed. In modern times, were it not for Obama, Bush II would reign as the spending and deficit king by quite a margin. The biggest spenders in recent decades were all the Republican presidents, including Reagan. Only Clinton in his first term rivaled them before Obama.” Joel McDurmon
The Contract For America promised to eliminate the unconstitutional Department of Education. While the GOP tried and failed in 1994, they abandonded this plank and have never tried again.
Governor McDonnell is the head of the Council of Governors, a creation of the Obama Administration that destroys the state’s ability to command their own state militia groups.
And the McDonnell administration has lied about how they created a state budget surplus, with trickery and deception worthy of Nancy Pelosi. Fees are not taxes. You don’t have to fund the pensions. Changing the rules for corporations to increase revenue. Very tricky and for some reason our press doesn’t seem to have a problem with it…
They then turned around and gave state employees a raise based on the non-existent surplus. Fiscal responsibility?!? Yeah Right!
Too much power is in the hand of the Federal Government, regardless of who is holding the reins. Only by constraining the Federal Government and bringing sanity back to our state and local politics, can we hope to truly change America back.
Republicans are not the answer. The Constitution is…
Please join us in Richmond on Oct. 8 and 9 for the State Tea Party Convention. We will be introducing our agenda to save the Commonwealth, and hopefully the nation. More information here for package deals. Or go straight to the convention site.
Go for the high profile speakers (Ron Paul, Ken Cuccinelli, Lou Dobbs). Stay and make history.
Be the Resistance! Join the Roanoke Tea Party
Can You Hear Us Now? Obvioulsy Not. An Open Rant
Many of us in the Tea Party movement were genuinely happy with the sound victory that Bob McDonnell won in Va. in the fall. I was pleased, but I have tried to take a wait and see attitude with the new governor. So far, we should not be pleased.
We have discussed on this site our concern with Governor McDonnell’s participation in President Obama’s Council of Governors. Other patriot groups have also questioned the governors office about his participation. The Governor has chosen not to respond to any of our inquiries. At least our worthless US Senators will at least send back a crummy form letter. We expect more from a Governor who was widely supported by the Tea Party movement.
We have a bi-weekly call with 20-30 Tea Party groups from across Virginia. Additional stories about McDonnell have come to light, including his endoresment of John McCain and his breaking of promises related to handling key budget issues. The sense of anger and betrayal on the call with state wide Tea Party groups was palpable.
We have to reject the notion that we have to walk lock step with GOP members. Many members of the GOP are too tied down by party loyalties to ever speak out against a member who is doing something wrong. One of our members attended a GOP function and had the gumption to ask questions about the Council. He received icy stares and disgusted head shaking. I’ve sat in on GOP meetings where I was told by an influential GOP member that the Tea Parties can’t just “take their toys and go home” when we don’t get our way.
In that they are wrong. As one of our GOP friends pointed out at our last busness meeting, the GOP has a Creed. It’s a good document. And it isn’t worth a warm bucket of spit. In some ways I actually respect the Democrats more. At least they have the courage of their convictions (even if they are wrong on every issue)
We, unlike many Republicans, actually believe in our principles. There are some GOP members that do have principles…but we need to judge them as individuals and not just because the have an R behind their name. Read more
News Review
Here is some local and national news that might shape our local Tea Party movement.
Old News: In Case you Missed it…
First no news….the McDonnell Administration has been completely mute about our governor’s role in Obama’s Council of Governors. Not a return call or email to be found from anyone that I know, other than to confirm he is participating. More on this issue here.
In case you missed it, a review of legislative successes in Richmond and our March Meeting is set for March 8.
New News
Looks like Pelosi/Reid/Obama Health Care Reform measures will be back up for a vote again soon. More information here. Get ready for action.
To McDonnel’s credit, he’s taking the difficult steps needed to reign in our budget. Tough decisions are absolutely going to have to be made.
However, this is a bad idea. This is touted as an “alternative to property tax increases.” If you believe that other taxes will be reduced if this goes through, you are a much more trusting soul then I.
And this is another bad idea. How about the governor get out of the way and not waste money on Obama inspired “jobs” legislation. Want to create jobs? Lower regulations and taxes and get the government out of the way.
Make sure you have these facts when your liberal friends try to link the idiot that flew his plane into the IRS building to the Tea Party movement.
Some information on the interesting race in the 5th Disctrict for their Congressional seat. Right now you have Tom Periello, who has voted in lock step with the Obama/Reid/Pelosi agenda and a dopey RINO named Robert Hurt. Virgil Goode….please come back!
Our role is to be a watchdog group for the principles that make the USA great. This article is exhibit one in why the GOP needs that oversight too. Hatch (and many other GOP members) just don’t get it.
As a follow up to John’s excellent post on Keith Olberman, here is more on MSNBC.
Lastly, if you don’t know Lisa Miller, she is the head of the DC Tea Party and an excellent advocate for our cause. She attended the Michael Steele Tea Party meeting and gave this excellent interview. She’s on Facebook and her posts are fantastic.
Opposition to McDonnell’s Role with the Council of Governors grows.
From the VirginiaTea Party Patriots site:
President Obama issued an executive order on January 11, 2009 to establish a Council of Governors. The councils purpose is to “to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect our Nation against all types of hazards.” Here is a great explanation and “dots” connected on why citizens should be concerned.
Just as concerning, is that our Virginia Governor, Bob McDonnell, has agreed to serve on this committee. Chip Tarbutton, President of the Roanoke Tea Party has send Gov. McDonnell the following letter and we urge all concerned citizens to do the same.
Governor McDonnell,
You have agreed to serve on President Obama’s Council of Governors. This Executive Order from the President is troubling and seems to be an attempt by the Federal government to gain even more control over states, in the guise of emergency management.
I voted for you sir, and I believe that you understand that the 10th Amendment is being trampled over by the Federal Government on a daily basis.
I, and the rest of the Roanoke Tea Party, need to understand why you are participating in this Council, given the grave Constitutional issues raised by this Executive Order. Unless, you can provide us with some justification for your participation, we would respectfully ask you to pull out of the Council of Governors as soon as possible.
We eagerly await your reply.
Chip Tarbutton
President
Roanoke Tea Party
You can contact Gov. McDonnell’s office at 804-786-2211 or you can send him an email
Here is a letter from the 2nd Tuesday Constitution Group which discusses some of the state and Federal Constitutional issues with McDonnell’s participation.
Honorable Robert F. McDonnell
Article 1, Section 2 of the Virginia Constitution states that all power is vested in and consequently derived from, the people, that magistrates are their trustees and servants and at all times amenable to them.
Our founding fathers would never have created a government whose purpose was to usurp the power of the sovereign people of the states. They never gave the Congress, or the Executive branch, of this federal United States direct rule over any citizen of any state, as our war of independence makes evident, and stated plainly in our 10th Amendment. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Article 5, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia states “The chief executive power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a Governor. He shall hold office for a term commencing upon his inauguration on the Saturday after the second Wednesday in January, next succeeding his election, and ending in the fourth year thereafter immediately upon the inauguration of his successor. He shall be ineligible to the same office for the next term succeeding that for which he was elected, AND TO ANY OTHER OFFICE DURING HIS TERM OF SERVICE.”
Governor, we have read the Executive Order written on January 11, 2010 by the President pertaining to the Council of Governors. This list of nominees for the Council includes you.
Under Article 1, Section 12 of the Virginia Constitution we are, as freeborn sovereign individuals, and citizens of this Commonwealth assembled together as the 2nd Tuesday Constitution Group. We now call upon you to adamantly refuse, and distance yourself and the Commonwealth of Virginia, from this executive ordered Council of Governors.
Under Article 7 of the Virginia Constitution, the sworn oath is to the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of Virginia. Within these constitutions we can find no authorization of any executive orders, or any authorization for any council of governors.
Perhaps we have somehow failed to see how your participation in this could be constitutional. We anticipate that you will respond with that explanation.
Sir, our loyal hand of cooperation to the restoration of Virginia’s greatness is extended to you always.
With Highest Regards,
2nd Tuesday Constitution Group
Victory! And more on our Governor and is participation in the Council of Governors.
SUCCESS! SB 417, SB 311, and SB 283 (Health Care Freedom Act) have passed the General Assembly and are now headed for the Governor’s desk. Governor McDonnell is expected to sign them into law. There was some last minute manuevering by Progressives in the GA to derail this, but their efforts failed. Again, none of this would have happened without Tea Party support.
While we are confident our new Governor will support Health Care Freedom, repeated calls and emails to the Governors office have yielded no real answers to why McDonnell has agreed to participate in President Obama’s Council of Governors. Read more about this dangerous idea here. Make sure you take the time to write and call the governor and ask him to pull out of the Council. All of that information can be found on the same link….as well as info on our upcoming March 8th business meeting.
Much more to come on McDonnell’s participation in the Council of Governors. We have alerted all of the Tea Party groups in the state and we hope concerted efforts will persuade McDonnell to pull out of this potentially disasterous Council.
Why is our Governor a part of this?!? Call today and ask!…plus other News…
Please make plans to attend our Business meeting on March 8 at 6:30 PM. We will be at Parker’s Seafood. We will be voting on at least 1 item, so if you are not a full member, you will not have a vote. Join up here.
The fight continues to stop tax increases in Botetourt County. If you live in “the BTOT,” please join this group and get involved. Botetourt County is proposing a historically large county budget.
Why is Governor McDonnell part of this!?!?
I received this email from Danny Goad yesterday about the Council of Governors. I share his concern about our governors participation in this Council.
I, like many, are concerned this could be used destroy our Constitutional rights. Here is a very detailed analysis of this Executive Order and what it likely means. The fact that our newly elected governor has agreed to this is very disturbing.
Here’s Danny’s Email. I urge you to call the governor and demand answers. Our new Governor needs to understand that his party affiliation means nothing to the Tea Party movement. We need answers NOW.
I have called the governor’s office to inquire about why he is participating in this and what legal justification is there. Also, since the 17th amendment changed so that states had have no representation in the federal legislature that he should work to have the 17th amendment repealed.
The Governor’s number is (804)786-2211.
When I called them they seemed totally unversed on the subject. I finally had to leave a message with a policy representative.
Thanks for your help.
Order
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/2010executive_order.pdf
Update: Here is the message I sent to the Governor today. You can send him a message too at this link.
Governor McDonnell,
You have agreed to serve on President Obama’s Council of Governors. This Executive Order from the President is troubling and seems to be an attempt by the Federal government to gain even more control over states, in the guise of emergency management.
I voted for you sir, and I believe that you understand that the 10th Amendment is being trampled over by the Federal Government on a daily basis.
I, and the rest of the Roanoke Tea Party, need to understand why you are participating in this Council, given the grave Constitutional issues raised by this Executive Order. Unless, you can provide us with some justification for your participation, we would respectfully ask you to pull out of the Council of Governors as soon as possible.
We eagerly await your reply.
Chip Tarbutton
President
Roanoke Tea Party
roanoketeaparty.com
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