Video: Why Registration leads to Confiscation

The gun control advocates in the U.S. are seeking what Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calls the 'sweet spot' in the entire debate - a national gun registry database. On the surface, that may seem like an innocuous compromise but it's not at all. It would be a major leap for the gun control crowd. Canada went through it.

Check out this news report as it explains exactly what happens when a national gun registration process is implemented. Just like when Obama said Obamacare would not prevent people from keeping their own insurance is proving to be a lie, so is it a lie to say that registration will not lead to confiscation.

It will.

Via Sun News Network:



h/t Elizabeth

Video: Harry Reid in 2005 vs. Harry Reid in 2012

Why don't these dirtbags just admit they're liars?

For one thing, it would mean telling the truth.



h/t WZ

Harry Reid 'Proud' of Justice Judas Roberts

We'll probably never learn exactly what happened and why John Roberts changed his ruling on Obamacare but one thing is for certain. If he has a conscience at all, he's lying to himself in order to sleep at night. Considering the Democratic Party has been infiltrated by communists, it's going to be pretty hard for Roberts to rationalize this latest bit of news away.

Harry Reid is 'proud' of him.

Via the Hill:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he's proud of Chief Justice John Roberts for his ruling on the healthcare reform law and plans to call him soon.

Roberts joined the four liberal justices on the high court in upholding virtually the entire healthcare law. The 5-4 decision preserved the individual mandate to have insurance, which had been the primary target of conservatives who challenged the law in court.

"Roberts  — that was a very strong opinion, and frankly I'm going to call him when I have an opportunity because I'm very proud of what he did," Reid said in an interview Thursday with Nevada radio station KNPR.

When lawless Democrats are proud of you, it's a double negative and shame is what you should feel.

It's like a mob boss telling you, 'good job'.

Which should keep you up at night.

Seinfeld episode dedicated to Elizabeth Warren

Anyone think this would make Elizabeth Warren feel better about her Pow Wow Chow cookbook?

1984 Elizabeth Warren Cookbook: "Pow Wow Chow"

Elizabeth Warren, the self-beleaguered Democrat challenging Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, seems to be watching her American Indian claims coming back to bite her in a major way. Speaking of bites, the latest example comes in the form of her 1984 cookbook that has a rather insensitive (racist) title based on the standard set by the politically correct left wing.

Via the Boston Herald:

Elizabeth Warren was touting her claim of Cherokee heritage as early as 1984, according to a cookbook titled “Pow Wow Chow” edited by her cousin that includes Warren’s recipes for a savory crab omelet and spicy barbecued beans. 

The cookbook, edited by Warren’s cousin Candy Rowsey, is a compilation of “special recipes passed down through the Five Tribes families,” according to the introduction in a copy obtained by the Herald. 

Warren, who has been under fire for claiming Indian lineage despite a lack of documentation, is identified as “Elizabeth Warren, Cherokee” under each of five recipes she contributes in the cookbook, published in 1984 by the Five Civilized Tribes Museum located in Muskogee. Warren is not listed as an official member of the Cherokee tribe and she has been unable thus far to document her claim of any Native American heritage. 

She offered a recipe on herbed tomatoes, touting them as a “great accompaniment to a plain meat and potatoes meal!” She also included a crab with tomato mayonnaise dressing dish and a Mexican oatmeal soup that included oats, onions, tomatoes and chicken broth.

Let's see, using the standard of the left, Elizabeth Warren is now a racist American Indian impersonator who owes the Cherokees reparations for her great-great-great grandfather's role in rounding up Cherokees during the 'Trail of Tears' and she might now be on the hook for using her faux American Indian heritage to sell cookbooks under a the faulty premise that she is part Cherokee.

It might be time for her to quit while she's behind.

h/t WZ

Zimmerman 50% Hispanic, Warren "maybe" 3% Cherokee; who is the Minority?

Some photos just capture the very essence of hypocrisy. Instapundit has posted one (below) that does so exquisitely. Anyone with even a modicum of cognitive ability has known full well that when it comes to minority status, ideology always trumps race in the Democratic Party. The matter of race is simply a tool the left uses to exploit. One case in point is Fast and Furious. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is silent, despite hundreds of dead Mexicans (hispanics). They're silent because Eric Holder is a Democrat.

Another prime example is that of far left extremist and Senate candidate, Elizabeth Warren, who is taking a bath in shame right now for checking a box that said she was of American Indian descent.

Via the Boston.com:

Warren has been forced to respond to the story incrementally, as new details have emerged, including a genealogist’s finding that documents suggested she might have been 1/32 Cherokee but would not qualify for tribal membership.

She had her most awkward public response on Wednesday, when she said she had checked a box listing herself as Native American for the legal directory for nearly a decade in hopes that she would “meet others like me,’’ and mentioned that she heard her aunt admiring the “high cheekbones’’ of her grandfather.

Despite this, far left wing hack, Jemu Greene is defending Warren.

Here is a video of Warren imploding over the controversy.



It's recently been learned that George Zimmerman has black roots. In fact, he may actually have more African-American blood than Warren has American-Indian blood.

Via Reuters:

The 28-year-old insurance-fraud investigator comes from a deeply Catholic background and was taught in his early years to do right by those less fortunate. He was raised in a racially integrated household and himself has black roots through an Afro-Peruvian great-grandfather - the father of the maternal grandmother who helped raise him.

A criminal justice student who aspired to become a judge, Zimmerman also concerned himself with the safety of his neighbors after a series of break-ins committed by young African-American men.

Though civil rights demonstrators have argued Zimmerman should not have prejudged Martin, one black neighbor of the Zimmermans said recent history should be taken into account.

"Let's talk about the elephant in the room. I'm black, OK?" the woman said, declining to be identified because she anticipated backlash due to her race. She leaned in to look a reporter directly in the eyes. "There were black boys robbing houses in this neighborhood," she said. "That's why George was suspicious of Trayvon Martin."

You may quibble over whether Zimmerman is more black than Warren is Indian but one thing you cannot quibble over is Zimmerman being 50% Hispanic.

Instapundit may have the photo of the year. It requires no commentary:

Video: Virginia Atty General on Severability Clause not being in Obamacare

There seems to be prevailing sentiment that the Individual mandate in Obamacare is in serious trouble after three days of arguments in front of the Supreme Court. That may drive a stake in the heart of the Obamacare vampire but this thing is so ugly, it's likely to still become a zombie if the entire law isn't thrown out. That's what the Severability Clause is all about. Had it been in there - and according to Cuccinelli below - it was but the Senate took it out, the ability to take out the mandate and leave in the rest would be much easier to do.

In this exchange with Fox's Greta Van Susteren, Virginia's Attorney General - Ken Cuccinelli - argues just that. Early last year, one U.S. District Court actually ruled this way. Judge Roger Vinson first found the Individual mandate Unconstitutional and ruled that because there is no severability clause - which allows part of the law to go and part of it to stay - the entire law had to be thrown out.

This decision shouldn't rest on one person but because SCOTUS already has four left wing ideologues on the bench, including one - Elena Kagan - who helped craft the Obamacare monstrosity and refused to recuse herself, it probably will. If it's unconstitutional, it should be a 9-0 ruling but ideology trumps just about everything these days.

h/t GWP



If this law is struck down in its entirety, the election of Scott Brown - which was thought to be rendered irrelevant when this bill passed - could actually prove to be one of the greatest Tea Party victories in Obama's first term. His election after the passing of Ted Kennedy took away the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority and they couldn't take the bill up for another vote to make it more ironclad. Instead, they went for the reconciliation process, which required a vote of 51 instead of 60.

In short, it's quite possible that if Kennedy had not expired, the Supreme Court could have a much more difficult time ruling Obamacare unconstitutional.

Perhaps this video might help explain why...

Report: Cornhusker Kickback Senator Ben Nelson to Retire

The Senate's version of Bart Stupak appears to be heading for the exit prior to the 2012 shellacking he apparently sees coming. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), the man who brought us the 'Cornhusker Kickback' which guaranteed passage of Obamacare has announced he is going to retire.

Via USA Today:

Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska has told supporters he will not seek re-election. His decision was first reported by Politico.

In his statement, Nelson said: "Simply put: It is time to move on."

Nelson, 70, was facing a tough fight for a third term. His retirement improves the GOP's chances of picking up the Nebraska Senate seat the Democrat has held since 2000, and it enhances the odds of a Republican takeover of the Senate in 2012.

Yeah, right. Nelson is probably retiring because he disgraced himself during the Obamacare fight and is radioactive.

Ditto for Bart Stupak in Michigan.

Both men went to the wall for Obama and this is where it got them.

h/t Free Republic

Did Senator Diane Feinstein Implicate DOJ in Commission of Crime

Back on November 8th, when Attorney General Eric Holder was testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) referenced specific trace data about some guns. The problem is that she should not have had that information and if someone at DOJ leaked it to her, it is a serious violation of the law.

Via David Codrea at Gun Rights Examiner:

Persons within the Department of Justice whose identities are not yet publicly known apparently broke the law by leaking firearms trace data to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, which she introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee record in the hearing on Department of Justice oversight earlier this month. 

“If I may,” Senator Feinstein requested at the beginning of her questioning of Attorney General Eric Holder (see webcast, at the 69:45 mark), I'd like to put in the record the official firearms trace data from the Department of Justice from 12/1/2006 to 2000...excuse me, 9/30/2011...this is guns [unintelligible] Mexico.” 

Left unchallenged and unsaid is how Feinstein obtained the data, which is prohibited by the Tiahrt Amendment from being shared with anyone but law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, and only then in the course of a criminal investigation. That prohibition extends even to Senator Feinstein, as evidenced by the failed attempt earlier this year by Rep. Adam Schiff “to allow Congressional committees to be included on the list of entities to which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms can disclose part or all of the contents of the Firearms Trace System database.”

Holder will be in front of the House Oversight Committee on December 8th and this would be an excellent line of questioning for him to have to deal with.

Read it all.

Harry Reid Uses the Nuclear Option

You might have to read the specifics of what happened multiple times, before you understand exactly what happened here (I did) but suffice it to say that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided to go to the mat with a 'Nuclear Option' that serves to completely re-write the rules of the Senate. And guess what? Obama's jobs bill is at the root of it all. To sum up, Harry Reid so wants to avoid a vote on the latest Obama monstrosity, that he has pushed the button to prevent that vote from taking place. In reality, he should be mad at Obama but he seems to be so far off the rails that he's taking it out on the Republicans and shooting future Democratic Senators in the collective foot.

H/T to Hot Air for providing a link to perhaps the best, easiest to understand explanation for what happened, via Philip Klein at Beltway Confidential:

In a stunning turn of events this evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used an arcane legislative maneuver to effectively rewrite Senate rules to make it harder for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes on the majority.

The buildup to this point started on Tuesday, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., tried to force a vote on President Obama's jobs bill as well as other Republican priorities by offering them as amendments to the China currency bill. Reid blocked the move.

Tonight, McConnell made what's called a "motion to suspend the rules," to allow a vote on the amendments. Such motions are almost always defeated, because they require a two-thirds majority to pass. But they're another way for the minority party to force uncomfortable votes. Even though the minority party doesn't get a direct vote on the amendment, how somebody votes on the motion becomes a sort of proxy for such a vote. In this case, for instance, if Democrats had voted down a motion for a vote on Obama's jobs bill, it would have put them in an awkward spot.

Though it's been the standing practice of the Senate to allow such motions by the minority, tonight Reid broke with precedent and ruled McConnell's motion out of order, and was ultimately backed up by Democrats.

Klein closes by saying this isn't a 'nuclear option' because it doesn't deal with filibusters; it deals with the amendment process. Nonetheless, it's certainly in the same spirit and it certainly changes the Senate rules.

It is fascinating, however, that the reason Harry Reid has gone to such lengths is the result of his unwillingness to allow his party to vote on a Bill supported by the POTUS, who is a member OF that party. This is shocking on many levels. This is prideful anger on display. Reid is too blinded by that anger to even realize that Obama's the source of it. Nonetheless, he's directing it at the Republicans.

Tangentially speaking, I'm waiting with bated breath to hear what John McCain thinks about this. Back in 2005, he was the Republican who led the infamous 'gang of 14' to prevent a Republican nuclear option involving the filibustering of judicial appointments, which was far more warranted. Appointments are supposed to get the 'advice and consent' of congress, not death by filibuster.

Hot Air has more.

North Carolina Governor (D) Suggests Suspending Elections

There is a quote loosely attributed to FDR that says, 'In politics, nothing happens by accident.' The comments of North Carolina governor Bev Perdue at a Rotary luncheon this week may or may not apply but when she suggested that the 2012 elections be suspended, there was definitely a reaction. Almost immediately, there was a backlash to Perdue's suggestion that it might be better for the country if politicians were focused on getting the economy going instead of on their next election.

Via Daily Caller:

North Carolina Democratic Governor Bev Perdue’s recommendation that congressional elections be suspended may cause collateral damage to the Democratic Party, her Republican critics speculate.

On Tuesday Perdue recommended suspending elections until the economy recovers. “I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won’t hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover,” Perdue said at a rotary club event in Cary, N.C., according to the Raleigh News & Observer. “I really hope that someone can agree with me on that.”

The shocking statement is destined for a long shelf life ahead of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Additionally, Perdue is governor of the state slated to host the 2012 Democratic National Convention. It would seem that her comments certainly don't serve to benefit turnout.

When the backlash to her comments, which was both swift and forceful, became apparent, Perdue's team attempted to play down her comments:

When news broke about Perdue’s suggestion, the governor’s press team quickly asserted that she was joking.

“Come on … Gov. Perdue was obviously using hyperbole to highlight what we can all agree is a serious problem: Washington politicians who focus on their own election instead of what’s best for the people they serve,” Perdue spokesman Chris Mackey said in an email to TheDC.

Aside from the fact that the very politicians Perdue wants to leave in office to fix the economy are the same ones (Democrats, mainly) largely responsible for breaking it, there is likely a bigger reason for her floating this absurd idea.

In November of 2010, the Democratic Party suffered a political earthquake, the likes of which it hasn't seen in a century. A message was sent and, so far, Democrats have thumbed their collective noses at those who delivered it - the voters. Perdue is staring at the very real possibility that the tsunami that's likely in 2012 will make 2010 look like a ripple. It's an interesting coincidence that at about the same time Perdue was calling for a suspension of elections, Obama adviser David Axelrod expressed concern that those elections would be a 'titanic struggle' for the Democrats. Not only that but just two weeks ago, former Obama OMB Director Peter Orszag suggested that America could use a little less Democracy.

Moreover, in 2012, there are 21 Democratic Senators up for reelection and only 10 Republicans.

Perdue's words were not meant as a joke; they reflect an extreme level of desperation and fear. They are also likely to backfire by becoming the source of many a campaign ad. The fact that Perdue is governor of the state hosting the convention only adds fuel to the fire.

More at DC

Will Secret Service Agent Defeat Incumbent Liberal Democrat Ben Cardin in Senate Race?

His name is Daniel Bongino and he has retired from the Secret Service, where he worked for ten years protecting president George W. Bush and current President Obama. He resigned because he grew disgusted with bureaucrats and has a big problem with the policies of Obama. Bongino is running as a Republican in Maryland and hopes to dethrone Democrat Ben Cardin in 2012. Bongino is definitely on the side of the Tea Party tsunami whose initial waves crashed on the political landscape last November.

Via ABC:

After more than a decade protecting presidents with the Secret Service, Daniel Bongino is currently running against the policies that the most recent president he worked under – President Obama – has moved along.

Bongino, who quit his job with the Secret Service in May to run for the Senate as a Republican in Maryland, told us on ABC’s “Top Line” today that it’s nothing personal.

“I like the president a lot personally. We had a good relationship. He was a wonderful man to me, and this is not any kind of a personal gripe,” Bongino said.

“It’s strictly a political, ideological difference. His policies I think are just wrong. We’re headed down a path I don’t think we want to go down.”

Bongino would become the first former Secret Service agent to serve in Congress. And his reason for running sounds similar to the rationale given by dozens if not hundreds of first-time candidates over the last few years.

“I got tired of the establishment bureaucrats who frankly were leading us down a road that I wasn’t comfortable with,” he said. “I think this is the first generation where we’re going to turn over to our children a country that is less prosperous than ours. So I decided it was time for real people who have led real lives with real consequence to get off the couch and to do something, and giving up my job and running for office was my way of doing it.”

Watch the interview with Bongino; he's very, very sharp and he obviously has discipline. Before watching, ask yourself if you think this guy appears determined. After watching, you'll have your answer.



h/t Fox Nation

Amazing Video of Dick Durbin at Press Conference

At a hotel in Chicago, Senator and communist Dick Durbin (D-IL) was conducting a press conference when a reporter named William J. Kelly with the Washington Times began asking him a question about both his comments regarding the Tea Party and whether or not Durbin bears any of the responsibility for the S&P downgrade. Durbin's refusal to answer says everything but perhaps the best line in this video comes from a guy standing next to the reporter.

"You can stand and listen but you can't answer questions during a press conference." Only a liberal could come up with that one.



h/t Fox Nation

Video: Harry Reid Tables His Own Bill

Let's set the table here. First, the Democrat controlled Senate has violated its Constitutional mandate to pass an annual budget; it's been more than 800 days. In this debt ceiling debate, the House has passed two bills and sent both to the Senate. Harry Reid has refused to allow votes on those bills. Instead, he's led votes to 'table' them while not passing a bill of his own.

In fact, when Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called for a vote on Reid's bill, Reid objected.

The man is insane.



h/t Weasel Zippers

DSCC Responds to Letter from the Kochs About Request for Donations

You can put this one squarely in the 'doubling down' column. Earlier this week, Koch enterprises - the entity most demonized by left wing thugs during the Wisconsin protests - received a voicemail from Democratic Senatorial Committee Chair, Patty Murray (D-WA) in which Murray asked for a five figure donation. The Koch brothers then sent a letter to DSCC inquiring as to why it would be asking them for money in light of their obvious contempt for all things Koch. More on that HERE.

Instead of apologizing or even simply ignoring the letter, thereby giving the Kochs the last word over a faux pas of the DSCC's own doing, DSCC Executive Director Guy Cecil decided instead to double down by blaming the request on a 'staff error' (nothing like throwing your subordinates under the bus) while taking a few more cheap shots, even closing the letter with one via P.S. Here is the letter:

Dear Phil:

Thank you for your genuine, heartfelt concern about our recent solicitation and your request for clarification. Indeed, the form letter and follow-up solicitation you received was a staff error.

However, the bigger and more troubling mistake is the long political history of your employer, the Koch Brothers. As a (former?) Democrat, perhaps your time would be better spent looking into their efforts to privatize Social Security or their opposition to expanding the children’s health insurance program. Or maybe, you can post a list of all of the anonymous contributions they have made to right-wing smear campaigns across the country. If you’d like to share voicemails from all the shady groups asking you for millions of dollars, we’d happily listen to those as well.

So, I write to make it clear that your invitation was an error and has been rescinded.

Sincerely,

Guy Cecil
Executive Director
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

P.S.: I was impressed how quickly you responded, given how often you must be on the phone with Governor Walker of Wisconsin.

Can you believe this level of immaturity coming from the head of a major political party's campaign committee? I know, I know. We are talking Democrats but we're talking pre-pubescent behavior here.

h/t Weasel Zippers

Democrat Senator Leaves Message for Koch Brothers: Donate to Democrats

If anyone has been demonized by the Democrats' Alinsky-style tactics more than the Koch brothers this year, you'd be hard-pressed to find them. The word 'Koch' was used as a punchline in countless sound bites and on multiple protests signs during the Wisconsin protests. MSNBC has the word in its random rotation of entities to slander and malign. Imagine their surprise when they received a voicemail from Democrat Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) in her capacity as Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) chair, asking for a five-figure campaign contribution.

First up, the voicemail message. CLICK HERE to listen.

You knew the Koch brothers would respond to that. Here is the letter, taken from the Koch Industries website:

Dear Senator Murray:

For many months now, your colleagues in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee leadership have engaged in a series of disparagements and ad hominem attacks about us, apparently as part of a concerted political and fundraising strategy. Just recently, Senator Reid wrote in a DSCC fundraising letter that Republicans are trying to “force through their extreme agenda faster than you can say ‘Koch Brothers.’”

So you can imagine my chagrin when I got a letter from you on June 17 asking us to make five-figure contributions to the DSCC. You followed that up with a voicemail* indicating that, if we contributed heavily enough, we would garner an invitation to join you and other Democratic leaders at a retreat in Kiawah Island this September.

I’m hoping you can help me understand the intent of your request because it’s hard not to conclude that DSCC politics have become so cynical that you actually expect people whom you routinely denounce to give DSCC money.

It is troubling that private citizens taking part in the discourse have become the targets of White House and DSCC fundraising missives, and we would certainly encourage you to rethink that approach. Ultimately, I expect voters will see through that and will weigh the issues on the merits alone. But in the meantime, if you could provide me some insight on what exactly you are asking of us and why, I would be most grateful.

Sincerely,
Philip Ellender
President, Government & Public Affairs
Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC

Gotta say. That's one heckuva strategy. I urge and encourage you to give it a shot. Ingratiate yourself to someone by slandering them incessantly and then ask for their support.

A better example of liberal logic you will not find.

h/t Hot Air

Video: Harry Reid Leaves out 'Under God' when Citing Pledge of Allegiance

Barack Obama really has trouble with the part of the Declaration of Independence that says, 'endowed by our Creator.' Harry Reid, while on the Senate Floor made reference to the Pledge of Allegiance and cited the part that says, 'One Nation.... Indivisible' without quoting that little part in the middle about being 'under God.' In an ironic twist, at the end of this short clip, Reid then says those words recall a responsibility to 'our conscience.' Lost on him, obviously, is that the notion of 'conscience' is divinely inspired.

Not only that but if there's a scintilla of 'conscience' left inside Harry Reid, it may have been responsible for his omitting 'Under God' from his little speech here. Reid is one of the perpetrators of evil against this country. Are such people so repulsed by God that they can't even refer to Him?

And the mask slips some more...



h/t Free Republic

Harry Reid wants Boehner to Ditch the Tea Party

For Senate Majority leader Harry Reid to publicly request that House Speaker John Boehner ditch the Tea Party when the Current Continuing Resolution expires on April 8th, it's quite obvious that he's concerned about the force of the Tea Party Republicans. Reid wants Boehner to abandon them and join with the Democrats to either put forth another CR that will continue kicking the can down the road in the name of avoiding a government shutdown or agree to more, though still negligible cuts.

Here is Reid's expression of 'disappointment' with the Tea Party via The Hill:

“I am extremely disappointed that after weeks of productive negotiations with Speaker Boehner, Tea Party Republicans are scrapping all the progress we have made and threatening to shut down the government if they do not get all of their extreme demands," Reid said in a statement.

"The division between the Tea Party and mainstream Republicans is preventing us from reaching a responsible solution on a long-term budget that will make smart cuts while protecting American jobs, and prevented negotiations from taking place over the weekend even as the clock ticks toward a government shutdown," he added.

Considering the number of Republicans who vowed that there would be no more CR's, Boehner better pay attention to the contingency that put him in power last November. Siding with Reid would be the equivalent of using the nuclear option on himself.

To illustrate how absurd both the Republican and Democrat proposals are with respect to budget cuts, consider that interest on the current debt is $250 Billion. Yet, both party establishments want to cut spending by significantly less than that. The Democrats have been standing firm at $10 Billion while Reid is hinting that an olive branch of $20 Billion may be on the table. Meanwhile, the Republicans are playing around with the higher number of $60 Billion in cuts.

The Tea Party is the only group making any sense, saying that both are drops in the proverbial bucket. As if that wasn't enough, a lot has happened since the last CR. In particular, a little kinetic military operation in Libya that has already blown countless dollars in additional spending.



h/t Hapblog

Senator Dick Durbin's Move to Dhimmitude

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) has made quite the transformation from being very concerned about the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in 2003 to being a staunch defender of the group in 2011. In the movie Cool Hand Luke, it's called 'making your mind right.' Durbin is not only apologizing for CAIR in Chicago by saying the group advances multiculturalism and understanding but he's apparently decided to associate with some very nefarious individuals just last month, among them was Jamal Said, an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial.

He's now going to hold a hearing on the matter of alleged anti-Muslim bigotry.

Via the IPT:

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in an attempt to address what he claims is an increase in anti-Muslim bigotry, is relying on questionable statistics and a witness with a record of opposing virtually all law enforcement attempts to deal with Islamist-inspired terrorism.

In a statement, Durbin said his hearing Tuesday on the state of Muslim civil rights in America comes "in response to a spike in anti-Muslim bigotry in the last year including Quran burnings, restrictions on mosque construction, hate crimes, hate speech, and other forms of discrimination."

Contrast that with what Durbin said at a hearing in 2003 regarding CAIR:

"…apparently from what I have read (CAIR) is unusual in its extreme rhetoric and its association with groups that are suspect, there are many mainstream groups of Muslim Americans who fully support this war against terrorism and I would hope that they would be invited to speak to their heartfelt beliefs about this effort so that our characterization is fair across the board."

IPT goes on to quote from a letter Durbin wrote to CAIR's Chicago chapter just last week. In that letter, Durbin extolled the virtues of CAIR, saying the group:

"advances a greater understanding of the Muslim culture and serves as an essential thread in the multicultural fabric of our nation. Your efforts to advocate for tolerance promote the civil liberties of all communities."

So what's changed for Mr. Durbin?

Video: U.S. Senator Says Tea Party Republicans 'Don't Deserve the Freedoms in the Constitution.'

U.S. Senator from New Jersey Frank Lautenberg (D) spoke in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Englewood New Jersey on March 22nd to show opposition to Republican efforts to de-fund the abortion giant. Also joining him were several Democrat state senators. First up, he accused Republicans who say our nation is in dire economic straits of being liars. Lost on him apparently is the $14 Trillion debt we're facing. Our proposed budget cuts don't even pay the interest on existing debt.

He then says the Tea Party doesn't want his side to be able to express their opinions, which is a complete lie. The right encourages the left to express its opinions. It's the left who wants to squelch the right in the form of things like the Fairness Doctrine and Net Neutrality. The Pro-life crowd rightfully insists abortion is murder and doesn't want their tax dollars funding abortions. This stance is over and above the issue of deficit spending. Yet Lautenberg magically translates that into the Tea Party not wanting those on the left to express their opinions. Using his logic, someone on the left should be allowed to have an opinion that murdering an adult in cold blood should be legal and if anyone objects, they don't deserve the freedoms in the Constitution.

The most amazing statement from Lautenberg, however, was that Tea Party Republicans 'don't deserve the freedoms in the Constitution.'

The mask is off.

Via Hot Air: