After months of being largely dismissed in a race dominated by the state’s two Republican heavyweights, Debra Medina is making her presence felt with an anti-establishment message that has evidently struck a chord among a segment of Republican voters.
Buoyed by her performance against Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in last week’s televised debate, the conservative activist has climbed to 12 percent in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll, up from 4 percent in November, a showing that prompted organizers to include her in a second debate Jan. 29. Continue the article at Star-Telegram
According to Rasmussen Reports, voters in Massachusetts turned out largely due to the health care issue, but were split in their opposition of the current legislation, with half saying that passing no legislation at all would be better. These numbers are surprising considering how “blue” the state is. Here’s hoping some politicians start listening up in D.C., but its likely we’ll need to clean house of both Republicans and Democrats. Both have failed to offer any good policy.
Here are some of the statistics provided:
Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters in the state say health care was the most important factor in their voting decision. Brown made it clear in the closing days of the campaign that he intended to go to Washington to vote against the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.
Twenty-five percent (25%) of Massachusetts voters say the economy was most important.
Forty-seven percent (47%) favor the health care legislation before Congress while 51% oppose it. However, the intensity was clearly with those who are opposed. Just 25% of voters in Massachusetts Strongly Favor the plan while 41% Strongly Oppose it.
Fifty percent (50%) say it would be better to pass no health care legislation at all rather than passing the bill before Congress.
Fifty-three percent (53%) approve of the way that Barack Obama has handled his job as President. Thirty-nine percent (39%) approve of the way Deval Patrick has handled his job as governor of Massachusetts.
On Thursday, January the 14th, three candidates hoping to gain the Republican nomination for Texas governor took the stage to debate one another in front of a live audience, with it all being televised all around the state. These three candidates consisted of Texas governor Rick Perry, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and the outsider, Wharton County Republican Party chair Debra Medina.
It was a relatively “normal” debate for the establishment candidates, Perry and Hutchinson. They danced around the questions all night and fired back and forth at one another, wasting time and “bickering” as Medina rightly put it. Through all of their banter, they largely tried to marginalize Medina by ignoring her and talking through their allotted time. Perry couldn’t answer simple questions about jobs or the Texas economy, nor was he able to repent for his attempted landgrabs from Texas property owners. Hutchinson was also unable to answer simple questions about the Texas economy, floundered in her attempts to justify her support of the massive federal intervention and bailouts while trying to say that she was against them, and seemed like she might have a seizure if pressed any further about her stance on Roe v. Wade. At least Medina brought up the fact that by decreasing the size of our government, it will make the citizens more prosperous by not taking as much of their money, which will help stimulate the economy. (more…)
Barry Cooper is currently running for Attorney General of Texas on a “Pro-Gun, Pro-Pot, Pro-Family” platform, and when he gives a speech you can feel the excitement and energy he brings to the room. His bold, charismatic, “in your face” style is always balanced with good-natured humor as he speaks passionately to audiences about the injustices and prejudices of American society that he has witnessed first-hand, both as a former law enforcement officer and current political activist.
THE COOPER FAMILY
Barry lives with his wife and business partner Candi in Austin, Texas along with their four kids who are taught using a combination of public and home schooling. The result? Their 16-year-old daughter Kelsie just finished her first semester at Austin Community College, after completing only one year of high school. Barry believes in keeping a tight connection with his family because he has seen what happens to kids who grow up in torn families. “When I was young, I would always ask older people what they would change in their life if they could go back in time. The majority stated that they would have spent more time with their kids. Candi and I won’t have that regret.”
OFFICER COOPER
Barry is an eight-year veteran of Texas law enforcement, and began his career as a police dispatcher for the Gladewater Police Department. He was soon hired by the Big Sandy Police Department, where he trained his own narcotics detector dog and shortly thereafter became one of the top highway interdiction officers in East Texas.
Barry was eventually hired by the Permian Basin Drug Task Force in Odessa, Texas, where he received extensive training in all aspects of drug interdiction, and worked joint operations with the ATF, DEA, FBI, Border Patrol and U.S. military. Barry also served as a police academy instructor and field training officer.
CHANGE OF HEART
Barry now admits that during his “tour of duty” in the War on Drugs, his conscience often bothered him while seeing everyday, hard-working, non-violent citizens torn from their children and spouses and placed in jail for drug possession after a raid or traffic stop.
“I knew what I was doing was wrong, but my need for fame, adrenaline and peer acceptance overrode my good conscience.”
Barry now realizes that the War on Drugs is actually a War on People — and that is something he intends to change when elected Attorney General of Texas.
“This ‘War on People’ is a failed policy. We have more prisoners of this War in jail then ever before, yet even the DEA admits we have more potent drugs and a larger supply of drugs available at a cheaper price than ever before.”
CIVILIAN LIFE
After leaving law enforcement, Barry began building small businesses for a living. He is the former owner of three car dealerships, a tire shop, a nightclub, a limousine service and a cage fighting company. Barry continued his education by returning to college and joining the debate team where he learned skills that he uses to educate people about the enormous amount of propaganda and disinformation used by the government.
Barry also currently works as an expert witness in the field of police misconduct and he was recently a guest instructor for the Texas Criminal Defense Attorney’s Association.
NEVER GET BUSTED
It was clear to Barry that the courts were doing nothing to uphold the 4th amendment rights of citizens which protects them from unreasonable searches and arrests. This is when Barry decided to release the “Never Get Busted” series of DVDs, in order to teach otherwise law-abiding citizens how to stay out of jail for something as harmless as the possession and use of marijuana. That said, Barry is by no means soft on crime when there are actual victims. And as a former police officer, he knows all too well the strain the War on Drugs is placing on law enforcement.
“If we released all non-violent drug offenders from prison tomorrow, we would empty 55% of the federal prisons, save billions of taxpayer’s dollars, have room in our prisons for the people who really belong there – the sex offenders, violent criminals, murderers and thieves who cause harm against persons and property. If somebody abuses drugs and they harm persons or their property, then I have no problem with locking them up for the damage they have done. Place them in jail for the real crime, not the drug. Locking people away just for taking a substance causes far more harm to society than the drugs ever did.
Millions of citizens (mostly children) take methamphetamine safely every day in the form of Ritalin and Adderall. I don’t agree with giving our children these medications but the point is, they take it safely without committing crimes. I grew up when methamphetamine was legal and commonly prescribed for weight loss to millions of citizens. These citizens took the methamphetamine daily without committing crimes. Similarly, millions of citizens take heroin every day in the form of Hydrocodone and Oxycontin and never commit crimes.
Years ago my grandparents could legally purchase cocaine as a wonderful “pick me up” just like coffee. They never committed any crimes. Citizens have been terrified of this drug because of the insane propaganda that bombarded their televisions and newspapers during the crack wars of the 80’s.
Prohibition does not work and never will. Prohibition never changes the demand for anything, it only changes the supplier. My grandfather would much rather have kept buying his liquor from Jack Daniels but prohibition forced him to go to Al Capone for the alcohol. Americans would much rather purchase their pot cigarettes from Marlboro but they are forced to give their money to the cartels because of prohibition. Same for coke, heroin and meth. Can methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine be harmful? Yes they can and so can automobiles, swimming, alcohol, tobacco and prescription pills but these are not prohibited. Crimes against persons and property are the only acts that should be prohibited. Character imperfections such as selfishness and dishonor cause people to commit crimes, not the drugs. Drugs never cause people to do things against their will. Legalize, educate and control but don’t prohibit.”
MEDIA COVERAGE
Shortly after releasing the Never Get Busted DVDs, Barry’s story made the front page of the Dallas Observer and Houston Press and got picked up by over 300 other newspapers and magazines around the world, including Rolling Stone, High Times, Radar and Cannabis Culture.
Barry has also been a featured guest on many well-known radio and television talk shows, including Geraldo At Large on Fox, Tucker Carlson on MSNBC, The Adam Corolla Radio Show, Playboy Radio, the Mike and Juliet Morning Show and the syndicated Todd and Tyler Radio Show. He was also recently featured on two episodes of the hit Spike TV show, Manswers.
KOPBUSTERS
Coming off the success of Never Get Busted, Barry took his “War on the War on Drugs” to a whole new level with the Internet reality show KopBusters. After being asked for help by the father of a girl who had been framed for drug possession by a group of corrupt police officers in Odessa, Texas, Barry used his extensive law enforcement training to catch the officers conducting an illegal raid on a “grow house” containing two miniature Christmas trees.
Since Barry had rented the house and wired it with hidden cameras, he was able to capture the raid on video and prove the police lied to obtain the search warrant. The sting also exposed a judge’s willingness to sign a warrant without probable cause.
The first episode of KopBusters was so popular that it attracted over 2 million hits in just two days and the word “KopBusters” ranked number ten as the most searched for word on Google. The sting brought so much attention to the Odessa PD that the judge in the girl’s case was forced to re-examine the evidence against her. (The outcome of the appeal process has yet to be decided.)
Since KopBusters first appeared on the Internet in late 2008, Barry has signed a deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television to produce a scripted series based on his life. He has also signed a deal with a New York company to produce KopBusters as a reality show.
Barry’s campaign strategy is to win votes by traveling across Texas and stinging crooked police officers with his KopBusters film crew in tow. Along with this unique form of high-profile media campaign, Barry is also going grassroots by sending out campaign supporters to courthouses across Texas. Their mission is to teach jury members that they have the right to not convict people for laws they think are unfair.
CAMPAIGN PLATFORM
Within 30 days of being sworn in as Attorney General of Texas, Barry will order every Police Chief and Sheriff in the state to travel to Austin and attend my three-day conference outlining how the Texas Criminal “Injustice System” is going to change. Barry outlines the new policies:
“Just as police must be tazed to carry a tazer, all police will have to spend a night in jail (away from the population for safety) as part of their yearly sensitivity training. This certainly would have helped me be a more compassionate officer if I had had to smell the smells, hear the sounds, feel the staleness and eat the food in our Texas prisons.”
“Since all citizen lawsuits against police will go to my office, I will have a “Zero-Tolerance” policy regarding any officer who performs an illegal search and/or violates a citizen’s civil rights. I will pay the citizens a settlement and the officer will be fired immediately.”
“I will begin approving lawsuits from prisoners living in overcrowded and inhumane conditions. This will force the private and state prisons to release the non-violent citizens of Texas, because the prisons will not be able to afford the high cost of paying prisoners for legitimate civil rights violations.”
“I will invite the ATF out of Texas, allowing voters to decide what gun laws are to be enforced. Full protection of the Second Amendment is a key component of my campaign platform.”
“I will make the enforcement of any marijuana-related crimes the absolute lowest priority for Texas law enforcement. I will also be quick to consider any searches or arrests for marijuana “unreasonable.” This will not only discourage marijuana arrests in Texas but will also get cops to start going after the real criminals.”
“I may not be able to make the laws as your Attorney General, but I can approve any lawsuits from citizens who were arrested for using a harmless plant.”
“In closing, I’m not soft on crime — I’m just hard on unjust and unfair laws. And thanks in advance for your vote!”
All amendments have been passed, with the smallest margin between for and against being on proposition 4, with 140,364 votes. The largest margin was the vote on proposition 11 by a margin of 646,731 votes, followed closely by proposition 9.
Prop 1
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to a military installation for the prevention of encroachment or for the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation.”
577,384 For, 468,390 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 2
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property’s value as a residence homestead.”
719,135 For, 334,706 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 3
“The constitutional amendment providing for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.”
688,267 For, 361,442 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 4
“The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.”
591,183 For, 450,819 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 5
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to authorize a single board of equalization for two or more adjoining appraisal entities that elect to provide for consolidated equalizations.”
628,623 For, 387,728 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 6
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the Veterans’ Land Board to issue general obligation bonds in amounts equal to or less than amounts previously authorized.”
668,944 For, 349,093 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 7
“The constitutional amendment to allow an officer or enlisted member of the Texas State Guard or other state militia or military force to hold other civil offices.”
761,280 For, 280,272 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 8
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the state to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veterans hospitals in this state.”
785,775 For, 264,250 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 9
“The constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico.”
801,408 For, 240,218 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 10
“The constitutional amendment to provide that elected members of the governing boards of emergency services districts may serve terms not to exceed four years.”
755,321 For, 278,062 Against – Amendment passes
Prop 11
“The constitutional amendment to prohibit the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment of the property by the State, a political subdivision of the State, the public at large, or entities granted the power of eminent domain under law or for the elimination of urban blight on a particular parcel of property, but not for certain economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature’s authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity.”
844,444 For, 197,713 Against – Amendment passes
Out of 12,952,562 registered voters in Texas, roughly 1,053,000 voters turned out.
The United Nations cannot account for tens of millions of dollars provided to the troubled Afghan election commission, according to two confidential U.N. audits and interviews with current and former senior diplomats.
As Afghanistan prepares for a second round of national voting, the documents and interviews paint the fullest picture to date of the finances of the election commission, which has been accused of facilitating election fraud and operating ghost polling places. The new disclosures also deepen the questions about the U.N.’s oversight of money provided by the United States and other nations to ensure a fair election in Afghanistan. (more…)
Afghanistan’s election commission on Monday canceled a runoff presidential election scheduled for Saturday and declared president Hamid Karzai the reelected leader of the country, according to news reports from Kabul. The move came after Karzai’s main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from the second-round elections on Sunday, saying he did not think they would be fair.
It was unclear whether the new moves would bring calm or further chaos to Afghanistan’s jumbled election picture. Although Karzai was initially declared the winner of the first round of elections in August, those results were canceled because of allegations of widespread fraud, casting doubt about the legitimacy of Karzai’s government as the Obama administration considers sending as many as 40,000 additional troops to the country.
There were no immediate statements from Abdullah or Karzai about the election commission’s decision. Abdullah pulled out of the race in large part because he thought the top Afghan election commissioner favored Karzai, and there was no way the Nov. 7 runoff would be free and fair.
On Sunday, Abdullah announced to thousands of supporters at a rally that he would not participate in the Nov. 7 vote because, he said, a “transparent election is not possible.”
Black voters across the land should be offended by the Obama Justice Department. In a decision last month, the department effectively told black voters in the town of Kinston, N.C., that they are too stupid to choose their own elected officials unless the candidates are identified by party label. In doing so, the department overruled Kinston’s black voters themselves, who helped vote overwhelmingly to join most other North Carolina towns in holding nonpartisan local elections.
The arrogance of the Justice Department is staggering. Its violation of constitutional norms is astonishing. And its paternalism toward Kinston’s blacks is almost antebellum.
The issue at hand was a proposal last November to switch Kinston to a nonpartisan voting system for local elections. About 65 percent of Kinston’s 15,000 registered voters are black, meaning that blacks are registered at a higher proportion than their voting-age population of 59 percent. In last November’s elections, more than 11,000 of those 15,000 voted, with blacks voting in greater numbers than whites. By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Kinston voted to eliminate party affiliations from local candidates’ names on election ballots. The switch to nonpartisanship won a majority in seven of the city’s nine black-majority voting precincts. In sum, nothing could be clearer than that Kinston’s black voters themselves want nonpartisan elections. Continue the story
Don’t forget to get out and vote on November 3rd this year, with the ballot featuring 11 amendments to our state’s constitution, not to mention local elections and ballot initiatives. For a little more in depth view on the proposed constitutional changes, you can visit BallotPedia as well as Burnt Orange Report
You can find your county contact information on this page in order to find out where your vote will be held.
Prop 1
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to a military installation for the prevention of encroachment or for the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation.”
Prop 2
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property’s value as a residence homestead.”
Prop 3
“The constitutional amendment providing for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.”
Prop 4
“The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.”
Prop 5
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to authorize a single board of equalization for two or more adjoining appraisal entities that elect to provide for consolidated equalizations.”
Prop 6
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the Veterans’ Land Board to issue general obligation bonds in amounts equal to or less than amounts previously authorized.”
Prop 7
“The constitutional amendment to allow an officer or enlisted member of the Texas State Guard or other state militia or military force to hold other civil offices.”
Prop 8
“The constitutional amendment authorizing the state to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veterans hospitals in this state.”
Prop 9
“The constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico.”
Prop 10
“The constitutional amendment to provide that elected members of the governing boards of emergency services districts may serve terms not to exceed four years.”
Prop 11
“The constitutional amendment to prohibit the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment of the property by the State, a political subdivision of the State, the public at large, or entities granted the power of eminent domain under law or for the elimination of urban blight on a particular parcel of property, but not for certain economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature’s authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity.”
Get out, get your friends, get involved, and ALWAYS go vote. Its the only way to achieve the change we seek in our government and its involvement in our lives.
There’s nothing more traditional in American politics than the wholesome family portrait: a beaming candidate, beaming spouse, reluctantly beaming teenagers.
But when Bill de Blasio, a candidate for public office in New York City this fall, put his family in his campaign mailings and TV ads, there was nothing routine about it. De Blasio’s wife of 15 years, Chirlane McCray, is black, his children are of mixed race and, even in one of America’s most liberal cities, no one could remember anything like it.
De Blasio, 48, won the crucial Democratic primary in a runoff Sept. 29 and is in line to be the city’s next public advocate, a sort of high-profile ombudsman’s job that’s second in the line of succession to the mayor. The city councilman from liberal Park Slope, Brooklyn, had other things going for him — institutional support, newspaper endorsements — but in the view of his campaign, and of many of the city’s political observers, his interracial relationship was an almost unmitigated positive in a hotly contested election.
I very recently had a “discussion” with two conservatives concerning their support of Texas Governor, Rick Perry. I wouldn’t quite call it a discussion, as much as I would say that I made some very good points, and the other two guys largely rambled and managed to call me a Liberal. Hardly the case.
Before I get started with this little back and forth, I would like to say something about conservatives. I know full well you’re not all idiots and that there is just a large faction of you that seems to run loose and control the conservative agenda. I know many conservatives that are good respectable people that have much respect for the right of the individual, its just a shame that there aren’t more of them. (more…)
Marijuana advocates are gathering signatures to get as many as three pot-legalization measures on the ballot in 2010 in California, setting up what could be a groundbreaking clash with the federal government over U.S. drug policy.
At least one poll shows voters would support lifting the pot prohibition, which would make the state of more than 38 million the first in the nation to legalize marijuana.
Such action would also send the state into a headlong conflict with the U.S. government while raising questions about how federal law enforcement could enforce its drug laws in the face of a massive government-sanctioned pot industry. Yahoo News
Why do virtually all members of Congress get reelected despite the public’s disapproval of the legislative body they serve in? One answer frequently heard in Washington, D.C. is that “people hate Congress but love their own congressman.”
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 23% of voters really accept this answer. Those 23% believe members of Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents.
The group Downsize California Now is preparing a ballot initiative for a two-state solution that they hope to have on the ballot in 2010. According to their plans, 13 counties on the coast, ranging from Los Angeles to Marin, just north of San Francisco, would be split off and be named Coastal California, West California or whatever they please. The remaining 45 counties, including Orange County, would become the “real” California.
On Thursday, January the 14th, three candidates hoping to gain the Republican nomination for Texas governor took the stage to debate one another in front of a live audience, with it all being televised all around the state. These three candidates consisted of Texas governor Rick Perry, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and the outsider, Wharton County Republican Party chair Debra Medina.
All amendments have been passed, with the smallest margin between for and against being on proposition 4, with 140,364 votes. The largest margin was the vote on proposition 11 by a margin of 646,731 votes, followed closely by proposition 9.
Afghanistan’s election commission on Monday canceled a runoff presidential election scheduled for Saturday and declared president Hamid Karzai the reelected leader of the country, according to news reports from Kabul. The move came after Karzai’s main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from the second-round elections on Sunday, saying he did not think they would be fair.
Black voters across the land should be offended by the Obama Justice Department. In a decision last month, the department effectively told black voters in the town of Kinston, N.C., that they are too stupid to choose their own elected officials unless the candidates are identified by party label. In doing so, the department overruled Kinston’s black voters themselves, who helped vote overwhelmingly to join most other North Carolina towns in holding nonpartisan local elections.
ick Perry. I wouldn’t quite call it a discussion, as much as I would say that I made some very good points, and the other two guys largely rambled and managed to call me a Liberal. Hardly the