WASHINGTON DC – In a late session last night, just one day before the 220th anniversary of the day the Bill of Rights were officially added to the Constitution, the U.S. House approved the Conference Report version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The NDAA includes provisions, contained in sections 1021 and 1022,  that would allow the President to use US Military forces to operate inside the United States, in violation of Posse Comitatus, to arrest US civilians and hold them in military detention without charges for an indefinite period of time; an act that will take away the right of Habeas Corpus, a fundamental legal protection guaranteed under the Bill of Rights.

According to the Roll Call Vote, which concluded with a 283-163 vote in favor of the conference report, the RLC-WI learned that Rep. Reid Ribble was the only Republican Congressional member from the State of Wisconsin to vote against HR 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.  All other Republican Congressman (Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Petri, and Duffy) voted in favor of this Bill of Rights killing legislation.

RLC-WI Chair, Michael S. Murphy, commented:

“I am literaly shocked to learn that only one lone Republican Congressman from Wisconsin had the courage to uphold and defend the US Constitution, a solemn oath he swore to keep upon taking office, while his colleagues simply negated the very same document that allows them to serve this great Nation.”

Murphy continued:

“I want to sincerely thank Congressman Reid Ribble for standing against his collegues and performing his Constitutional duties to uphold our civil liberties;  not only for his constituents, but for all American People. Rep. Ribble has shown that he can stand out on his own and do the job he was voted in to do for the people he serves.”

Sections 1021 and 1022 have been in heated debate during the course of this bill in Congress. Law enforcement -including the FBI, national security agencies and the military itself, all oppose this aspect of the NDAA. The RLC-WI believes if citizens commit crimes that they should not be held without being charged and should be prosecuted in civilian courts with their rights appropriately protected so that they receive a fair trial as defined in Amendments 4, 5, and 6 of the US Constitution.

The Senate is set to vote on this bill around 4 pm eastern today.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin was founded in 2009 to promote individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise within the Republican Party.

CONCORD, N.H.—Because the right to freely associate is fundamental to liberty in a free market economy, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire has decided to use the Right to Work override vote as a litmus test for candidates running for reelection in 2012.

To be clear: any representative or senator who votes to sustain the governor’s veto of the Right to Work bill, HB 474, will not receive an endorsement or assistance of any kind from the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire during the 2012 election cycle. In some cases, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will actively support these incumbents’ opponents in their primary elections, especially if those opponents pledge to support a Right to Work law. (UPDATE 11/30/11: A full list of the Republicans who voted against Right to Work, the Republican Platform and the People of New Hampshire on Nov. 30, 2011 follows this article).

“Right to Work is a watershed issue when it comes to a legislator’s commitment to limited government and individual liberty,” said Carolyn McKinney, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “People have a natural freedom to associate with whom they please, and in this country, the freedom of association is even protected by the constitution, but this right is being regularly denied by unions in the workplace.

“Especially in these hard economic times when so many families are struggling, people should never be forced to hand over their hard-earned money to a third party just so they can hold a job and provide for their families,” McKinney added. “Clearly, people will voluntarily choose to join a union if they believe the costs are worth the benefits. But unions given unchecked power—as they have had for so many decades—have shown they will not always support the best long-term interests of their members. Right to Work would fix this by ensuring that unions will have to compete for members by actually serving them.”

The Right to Work veto override vote may come up as soon as tomorrow, but the Speaker of the House has the authority to call the vote at any time prior to the beginning of the 2012 House Session. The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire supports any effort by the Speaker to call the vote when he knows it will be successful.

UPDATE 11/30/11: The following Republicans voted against Right to Work, the Republican Platform and the People of New Hampshire on Nov. 30, 2011, and will NOT receive an RLCNH endorsement. In addition, the RLCNH advises activists to do everything they can to recruit liberty-minded Republican candidates to defeat these Republicans in the primary election of 2012:

Bolster, Peter	Belknap	5
Brown, Julie	Strafford	1
Buxton, Michael	Hillsborough	24
Chirichiello, Brian	Rockingham	5
Copeland, Timothy	Rockingham	13
Day, Russell	Hillsborough	7
Devine, James	Rockingham	7
Dowling, Patricia	Rockingham	5
Dwinell, Richard	Cheshire	5
Emerson, Susan	Cheshire	7
Hopper, Gary	Hillsborough	7
Janvrin, Kevin	Rockingham	14
Katsakiores, Phyllis	Rockingham	5
Kidder, David	Merrimack	1
Knox, J. David	Carroll	4
Ladd, Rick	Grafton	5
Laware, Thomas	Sullivan	5
Lockwood, Priscilla	Merrimack	6
McCarthy, Michael	Hillsborough	21
McKinney, Betsy	Rockingham	3
Messier, Irene	Hillsborough	17
Millham, Alida	Belknap	5
Pepino, Leo	Hillsborough	11
Perkins, Amy	Rockingham	14
Perkins, Lawrence	Rockingham	14
Pilliod, James	Belknap	5
Proulx, Mark	Hillsborough	15
Quandt, Marshall	Rockingham	13
Quandt, Matt	Rockingham	13
Remick, William	Coos	2
Richardson, Herbert	Coos	2
Robbins, David	Hillsborough	26
Sapareto, Frank	Rockingham	5
St. Cyr, Jeffrey	Belknap	5
Stroud, Kathleen	Hillsborough	19
Terrio, Ross	Hillsborough	14
Tholl, John	Coos	2
Tremblay, Marc	Coos	4
Waddell, James	Rockingham	15
Webb, James	Rockingham	5
Welch, David	Rockingham	8

CONCORD, N.H.—Carolyn McKinney will serve as acting chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire and strengthen the organization’s focus on a common sense State House agenda as RLCNH Chairman Andrew Hemingway leaves his post to work on a presidential political campaign.

“While we wish Andrew Hemingway the best in his new job opportunity, it is important to note that the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will not endorse a candidate for president,” said Carolyn McKinney, acting chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “His decision to join a particular presidential campaign was his own and does not reflect the opinion of the organization. We at the RLCNH will remain highly focused on the issues affecting the citizens of New Hampshire as well as the important goal of advancing Common Sense within New Hampshire state government.

“The Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire will continue to support the positive changes the Republican majority has made in the State Legislature to reduce spending, reduce taxes, reduce business regulations and foster a job-creating environment by restoring individual liberty, personal responsibility and the state constitution,” McKinney added. “Right now, our main focus is on making sure the Legislature overrides the governor’s several vetoes and then continues to advance a responsible, liberty agenda in Concord. Next, we will turn to candidate recruitment and preparation for the 2012 state primary elections.”

McKinney, a resident of Amherst, has been intricately involved with the behind-the-scenes work of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire for several years as the organization’s executive secretary. Her promotion to acting chairman will be second nature to her. For instance, McKinney was instrumental in the organization’s success in getting 107 endorsed candidates elected to state offices in November 2010; that’s 70 percent of the candidates originally endorsed by the organization.

“The courage of these liberty-minded elected officials under the leadership of House Speaker Bill O’Brien advanced a 10 percent state budget reduction, a fiscally responsible move during hard economic times,” McKinney said. “And now we are seeing the fruits of principled Republican leadership as Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s recently decided to maintain the state’s high AA+ bond rating. Surely, the jobs will follow, particularly if these Republicans continue to push for strong regulatory reform and tax cuts.”

Before joining the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, McKinney worked for the Heritage Foundation as an outreach coordinator motivating groups of activists nationwide. She also served as a Witherspoon Fellow at the Family Research Council working in government affairs.

The Minnesota Chapter of the Republican Liberty Caucus is proud to host a Welcome Social for the Midwest Leadership Conference. Guests from near and far are invited to join us, regardless of attendance at the conference. We look forward to seeing you for fellowship and networking on the eve on the Leadership Conference.

When: Thursday October 6, 2011, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Where: Poor Richard's Commonhouse, 8301 Normandale Boulevard, Bloomington
Hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.  $10 suggested donation ($5 RLC members)

RSVP on Facebook.

Enjoy the entertainment from Chris Lomheim, Jason Peterson Delair, and Jana Anderson, who has toured extensively as a backing vocalist for some of the music industry's biggest names, including Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Fleetwood Mac, and Jewel. Jana has also performed on almost every major television variety show, such as the Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She has sung on recordings by Prince, Don Henley and the “Live in Boston” DVD/CD by Fleetwood Mac.

Shuttle service is available for out-of-town guests staying at the Double Tree.
Email info[at]rlcmn.org to arrange transportation.

 

MILWAUKEE – RLC-WI Chairman, Michael S. Murphy, publicly announced today that he will not seek another term as RLC-WI Chairman when his current term expires in January 2012.  In a statement issued by Murphy, he explains:

“Although I have had an exciting and knowledgeable experience acting as Chairman of the RLC-WI, I have made a personal decision not to seek re-election as the RLC-WI Chairman, come January 2012.  This is a decision that took quite sometime for me to consider, but now I must stand firm with my choice.”

Murphy further stated,

“Let it be known that my decision to step down as Chair has nothing to do with the RLC or its mission.  I shall always stand by the efforts of the RLC in trying to help foster the Liberty message within the Republican Party.”

Murphy did not elaborate extensively on why he is choosing to step down, but only briefly mentioned that he arrived at the decision because of “personal reasons”. 

Murphy, who held the office of Vice Chair at the time the Wisconsin Chapter was created in December 2009, assumed command of the RLC-WI when former State Chair, Ted Story, abruptly resigned from the organization in February 2010.  Since then, Murphy proceeded in growing the chapter, while also getting the RLC-WI active in the 2010 elections.

In the start of his term, Murphy assisted in making the first public appearance of the RLC-WI at the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s State Convention on May 22, 2010 in Milwaukee, WI. At the convention, Murphy and other RLC-WI board members conducted candidate outreach, promoted the RLC-WI chapter, and conducted general recruitment for the RLC-WI. 

For several months after the convention and leading up to the November 2010 elections, Murphy helped facilitate the endorsements of twenty Liberty-Minded Candidates for offices ranging from Senate to Sheriff in 2010, and an additional two in 2011 thus far.  From those endorsements, seven RLC-WI endorsed candidates went on to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

During the 2010 campaigns, with the help of the Dan Sebring For Congress Campaign, Murphy was instrumental in helping to publically expose the WI Congressional Delegation’s “Unwritten Rule” on endorsements.  The “Unwritten Rule” is a Ruling Class protectionist agreement between current WI Congressional Members, not to endorse any challenger who campaigns against another sitting Congressional incumbent regardless of partisanship. This agreement has been ongoing for several years amongst the entire Wisconsin Congressional Delegation. From the time the “Unwritten Rule” was publicly exposed, Murphy also saw to it that a resolution was crafted at his own County Republican Party in Milwaukee denouncing the “Unwritten Rule”, and ensured that the resolution made it all the way to a vote on the floor at the 2011 Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention in Wisconsin Dells, WI., on May 21, 2011.

When not focusing on endorsements and helping to be the “Conscience of the Republican Party”, Murphy assisted in efforts to help champion legislation regarding the legalization of raw milk, the passage of Constitutional Carry in Wisconsin, and promoting WI Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Reform Bill.  On a couple occasions, Murphy also gave statements on behalf of the RLC-WI to national news sources such as “Politico” and the “Wall Street Journal” relating to Wisconsin politics.

With all the activism Murphy helped create and assist with, his efforts led him to receive the award for “Outstanding Activist for 2010” presented by the Republican Liberty Caucus at their National Convention, which was held in Arlington, VA., on February 12, 2011.

Murphy’s term, as well as all other RLC-WI Board Member terms, will soon expire at the RLC-WI’s Regular Convention in January 2012.  The exact date, time and location have not been set as of yet. According to RLC-WI bylaws, candidates for Officer shall have been Regular members of the Charter for at least one year prior to their nomination. Candidates for Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall have been Regular members for at least two years and members of the Board of Directors for at least six months prior to their nomination.

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CONCORD, N.H.–To bolster Republicans’ progress toward responsible government in the House of Representatives, the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire is endorsing David Simpson for state representative in a Hillsborough District 3 special election on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Simpson, who is running for a vacant House seat representing the towns of Peterborough, New Ipswich, Sharon and Greenville, would bring important experience to reinforce the already impressive efforts of the Republican majority in restoring the common sense principles of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility, free enterprise and adherence to the state and federal constitutions.

“The Republican majority has demonstrated that they are dedicated to bringing prosperity back to New Hampshire, and David Simpson will be a valuable addition to that effort,” said Andrew Hemingway, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire. “David’s experience, primarily in the areas of finance, budgets and small businesses, will be important as we continue to undo the economic damage wrought by years of Democrat control and public mismanagement.”

On his Web site, www.davidlsimpson.org, Simpson makes clear his commitment to improving the business climate in New Hampshire, which will lead to economic and job growth. He says he wants to work to protect the New Hampshire Advantage by maintaining a reasonable regulatory balance, making business tax rates more competitive and protecting individuals right to work free from union coercion.

“David Simpson will strengthen Republican efforts to restore common sense government in Concord,” said Hemingway. “He is unwavering in his commitment to the welfare and prosperity of our state, and he understands that the only way to get the state back on the path to prosperity is by returning to our legacy of responsible, honest and limited government.”

In general, endorsed RLCNH candidates are strong proponents of limited government, individual liberty, personal responsibility and free enterprise. They have shown their dedication to these ideals with their score on RLCNH’s 20-question candidate survey and their reputation among liberty activists. Endorsed candidates must score 80 percent or higher on the survey and they must have a strong character recognized by their peers.

For more information about David Simpson’s candidacy, please visit www.davidlsimpson.org.

by Rebekah Sharp

The FHFA (Federal Housing Financial Authority) has instituted seventeen separate law suits in the state of New York on behalf of Fraudie Mac and Phoney Mae (that’s us, as both of these institutions are in receivership) against the seventeen major banks (trusts/securities) for the massive fraud that perpetrated the biggest ponzi scheme in the history of our nation that has flat lined our economy. Since the filing of these suits, the fifty attorney general investigations and settlements (ooops I mean forty-nine now, they ousted Sniederman from New York because he was too tough on the banks) has been halted with the major banks walking out of the settlement meetings. That has me very busy and quite frustrated on two counts. First, didn’t like the settlement terms as it would let the banks off the hook for their criminal and civil liability, leaving homeowners without legal recourse to pursue a remedy and a collective settlement amount of only twenty billion to be divided up among the fifty states leaving a mere four hundred million for each state in the hands of, in our case Pam Bondi. Once the fees and cost for this investigation, which has already taken over one year, are paid back, that doesn’t leave much for the folks and there is no specifics in the plan of how much or who will be the recipient of what is left. So maybe it’s a good thing the banks walked out of the settlement meetings. But is it? No, it is not because there have been no penalties imposed for their walking out and that clearly tells us all just exactly who is in charge, the banks and not the attorney generals. Pam Bondi either doesn’t have a clear understanding of the problem or she too is in bed with the banks as throughout this year-long investigation she has lead the disruption (along with four of her contemporaries) of the settlement stating boldly and loudly that the deadbeat homeowners should not be rewarded for their irresponsibility by not paying their mortgages. Part of the original deal was the majority of the attorney generals wanted to make the banks reduce the principal amount of the loans to current market value and reduce the interest rate to a fixed four percent on homesteaded property. Ms. Bondi was against that too and fired the two assistant attorneys’ general, June Clarkston and Teresa Edwards, because they were too aggressive when pursuing the banks and the companies aiding the fraud. This has lead to an investigation into their wrongful termination. More of your tax dollars at work.

You may remember HB1191 the Fair Foreclosure Bill that it was subsequently killed in the 2011 Florida legislative session. That’s the bill that would make the State of Florida a non-judical state leading to the abolition of our homestead exemption and leave homeowners without legal recourse to pursue the massive fraud and the threat of eviction in twenty-four hours, rather than the current seventy-two hour requirement. Passidomo (R), of Tampa, has reintroduced The Fair Foreclosure Act of 2012 to be taken up in January’s session. This is the third year she has presented this bill. We must stop it once again, however this time will be the most difficult as the bank lobbyists have been very busy bees stuffing our representative’s coffers with career bonuses and promises of more for their 2012 re-election campaigns . This is a non-partisan problem…surely you see if this bill passes it will strip Floridians of so many of their liberties. The elderly are already having a very difficult time making their property tax payments, as with the rest of the state with their unemployment rate is so high.

We, at RLCNEF are committed “restore” the peoples liberties, and take our country back. Conservatives stand for the rule of law, and as such we hold the position that no citizen shall be deprived of property except by that same rule of law. Accordingly, we also hold that sufficient laws already exist in the state of Florida. We must stay on careful watch and not allow any more of our liberties to be taken and I sincerely feel that is role is to combat the Unfair Foreclosure Act of 2012. I am working day and night on this ONE project. Please help me.

The seventeen lawsuits filed in New York on behalf of the people, is yet another smoke and mirrors game to allow the folks to think that finally something serious is being done to make the banks pay back the money they stole from this country. Surely it will end in yet another settlement with most of the language written in such legalese as to exonerate the banks of all their civil and criminal liabilities at a huge cost to taxpayers. Let’s consider the expense to file, maintain and bring to a conclusion seventeen lawsuits in New York. The J.P. Morgan complaint filed is two hundred, seventy-seven pages long. I know because I read it. Imagine how much that document alone cost us to prepare and file. It’s nice to see so many attorneys employed in this country while the remainders of the folks eke out a living day by day. Let’s not forget that Fraudie Mac and Phoney Mae engaged in the exact same illegal and fraudulent behavior as the folks they are suing (and continue to engage in as I write this) and that will certainly be raised during the course of these suits. There is already talk of banks filing suit against them. So it goes that Wall Street has begun the in-fighting between themselves, all pointing the finger at each other.

Now the trillion dollar question is: How is any of this helping the economy, the homeowners or the rest of the American people? This is just another attempt to divert the public from the simple and plain solution put all the bankers in handcuffs. All these suits filed to avoid the obvious conclusion that what they have done is immoral, illegal both criminally and civilly and arresting each and every one and freezing their assets, both on shore and off shore, would solve the problem. Then, require the principal reduction to all homestead property to five percent below the Net Market Value (NMV), leaving a five percent equity position in the home. This very simple solution would get the economy back on track as homeowners can make their payments, plus fix up the homes they are allowing to deteriorate due to fear of foreclosure. Lowes, Home Depot, all kinds of businesses would improve and so would the real estate sector. Home values would go up, or at least stop going down and would serve to get this country back on track again.

I am committed wholeheartedly to this cause and will stand with the millions of others who have been and continue to be affected by this tragedy. If you agree please sign the petition to kill this bill: http://signon.org/sign/do-not-support-the-florida?source=s.tw&r_by=26214

Rebekah Sharp is a member of the Executive Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida.

Today, the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota, a state affiliate of the Republican Liberty Caucus, announced endorsements for five members of the state Legislature who demonstrated their commitment to fiscal responsibility and smaller, more efficient government. "These freshmen members showed strength and poise as they faced unbelievable pressure to spend more money than the state would take in this biennium," said state RLC Chair Norann Dillon.  "It was not a popular position to take in the face of a state shutdown, but doing what's right and doing what's easy are not always the same thing." Founded in 1991, the Republican Liberty Caucus works to advance the principles of individual rights, limited government and free enterprise within the Republican Party.  The Minnesota Chapter was chartered in 2003. - 30 -

Los Angeles, September 12, 2011 - Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul will speak in Los Angeles on Saturday at the fall convention of the California Republican Party at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, 900 West Olympic Boulevard. Paul will deliver the keynote speech at the Freedom Speaks! event hosted by the Republican Liberty Caucus of California. The event begins at 10:00am. There is no charge for the event, however the RLCCA suggests a donation of $5 to $10. “The RLCCA’s Freedom Speaks! event, with a keynote speech by candidate Ron Paul, is a wonderful opportunity for Republicans and liberty activists in the greater Los Angeles area to hear Dr. Paul first hand, and to learn about opportunities to promote liberty inside the Republican Party with the RLCCA,” said RLCCA Chairman John Dennis. Also on Saturday at the Marriott, the CRP is conducting a presidential straw poll. Any registered Republican who has paid the 2011 Fall Convention registration fee is eligible to vote ($90 online, $100 on-site). Convention attendees must show their registration badge and photo identification in order to participate. The Ron Paul campaign may be able to provide financial assistance to Ron Paul supporters, see www.rlcca.org/notices for details. “Saturday’s straw poll is a huge opportunity for California Republicans to impact the presidential race, especially because the California primary has been pushed back to June,” said RLCCA Secretary Parke Bostrom. The RLCCA works to advance the ideals of individual rights, limited government, and free enterprise within the State of California and the Republican Party. The RLCCA supports candidates and policies that uphold these principles in order to secure a free and prosperous future for ourselves and our children. Learn more at www.rlcca.org.