As we get into the big budget battles, the big government types (including the RINOs) will push ever-harder for tax increases.  Shall we go out to the streets to protest this?

We have ALREADY done that!

Back in 2009, we saw the big $spending.  We saw that the calls for raising our taxes would come.  So we took to the streets.  The police supervisor on the scene later told the SATP chairman that there 16,000 in front of the Alamo.

Did they "D" and RINO crowd listen?   No.  They called us stupid.  "We're not raising your taxes," they said.  "You're just being paranoid!"  They also called us violent, dangerous, out-of-touch, and (of course!) racists!

But, of course, we were right.  They spent like drunken sailors who'd managed to steal the ship's treasure.  Now we are expected to pay the bill.

Uh, no.  We already gave you the answer:  TEA!  We are TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY!

No more raising of the debt ceiling!  Cut up the credit cards and do your real job:  Cut the spending! 

(This message brought to you by the tens of thousands who attended Tea Party protests nationwide and the millions that cleaned "House" in November.)

Powerline has a piece on a law firm abandoning a client because of pressure by thugs.

"Yeah, yeah," you might say, "serves the criminal right.  We're sick of lawyers getting the bad guys off on technicalities."

You'd be very wrong.  YOU are the client, in the end, although it was technically the House of Representatives that hired them:

One of the saddest stories in the news today is King & Spalding's withdrawal, after only a week, from its representation of the U.S. House of Representatives in connection with the Defense of Marriage Act. 

And who are the thugs in this?

After DOJ stopped defending the act, the House of Representatives retained former Solicitor General Paul Clement, a partner in King & Spalding, to represent it in upholding the constitutionality of DOMA. Predictably, this enraged certain homosexual activists:

Before the firm announced its withdrawal, Human Rights Campaign and Equality Georgia were planning a protest Tuesday morning at King & Spalding's offices in Atlanta. In addition, a full-page ad denouncing the firm was set to run Tuesday morning in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one person familiar with the plan said.

King & Spalding promptly folded....

 And here's to the one lawyer who actually stood up for his client (again--YOU) and his profession:  former Solicitor General Paul Clement, who us now also a former partner in King & Spalding.

"I resign out of the firmly held belief that a representation should not be abandoned because the client's legal position is extremely unpopular in certain quarters. Defending unpopular clients is what lawyers do," Clement wrote to Hays. "I recognized from the outset that this statute implicates very sensitive issues that prompt strong views on both sides. But having undertaken the representation, I believe there is no honorable course for me but to complete it.

"Efforts to delegitimize any representation for one side of a legal controversy are a profound threat to the rule of law. If there were problems with the firm's vetting process, we should fix the vetting process, not drop the representation."

Powerline also notes: 

Jennifer Rubin states the case succinctly: "The left decides who gets lawyers." 

Aye, and there's the rub.  Get accused of something heinous like murdering a cop?  You'll have left-wing lawyers falling all over each other to protect you.  But get accused of violating one of the left's core principles (like not supporting "gay marriage?")  Release the hounds!  Ensure this monster gets what he deserves, and he doesn't deserve a lawyer!

This is rule by thugs.  I do not want to live in such a world.  Neither should you.  But here we are.

I commented on Powerline that if the Tea Party did this sort of thuggery, we'd be crucified.  In response, Greg Waldoch from Wisconsin said "I hate to say it, but the Tea party had *better* start acting this way, or it's going to lose the country to the socialists."

Man, I really hate that idea.   Soon it comes down to the shooting.  Been there, done that--and it was our bloodiest war.

How do we keep the left from taking us further down that path?  You tell me. 

Webmaster@TheyThinkYouAreStupid.com

UPDATE:  Instapundit says:

Just remember: King & Spalding is now responsible for the views of any client it chooses to represent, now that it’s clear they’re being vetted for political correctness.  

We're about to bump our heads against the debt ceiling.  Maybe in the next week, even!

The good news is that public is waking up.  Even a CBS News Poll can't hide it:

Despite Obama administration warnings that failing to do so would devastate the economy, a clear majority of Americans say they oppose raising the debt limit, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows.

Just 27 percent of Americans support raising the debt limit, while 63 percent oppose raising it.

(And we all know that if CBS could manage to make it LOOK like the public supported it, they would have.)

SATP's president, George Rodriguez, is meeting with both Representative Lamar Smith and Representative "Cico" Canseco this week.  Let's hope they both carry his message forth to the"leadership" of both parties, before we totally bankrupt our grandchildren.

Donald Trump for president?  Uh, no.  Yeah, Mr. Trump is getting a lot of airtime over the birth certificate issue.  But that's a side show.  Trump approves of Kelo!

Trump on Kelo: I happen to agree with it 100 percent

Trump tried to USE Kelo!

But the reality is, Trump did try to use the power of eminent domain to seize private property. He did this in Altlantic City, and it wasn’t to build an elementy school or even a “tremendous economic development.” He wanted to knock down an old lady’s home so he could build a parking lot for limousines near his casino.

Full disclosure: I used to work for the Institute for Justice, which successfully defended Vera Coking against Trump’s land grab in Atlantic City. More details about that case can be found here.

JUST SAY NO TO DONALD TRUMP!

Governor Palin didn't just blast President Obama at the Tea Party in Madison.  She updated all of her SarahPAC pages.

Hmmm...wonder if she's interested in a small soiree in front of the Alamo for Tax Day 2012? I can see another 16,000+ close personal friends dropping by.

But what of Matt Perdue (gasp!  I named "He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named!") and that whole Tea Party Support debacle?   Matt is LONG GONE!  I hope that she doesn't hold that against us.  SATP was the victim, not the "perp"in that mess!

I'll mention it at the Board Meeting later this week and see what the others think.  I already dropped a note with the idea at the SarahPAC Request an Event page.

We'll see!

<Extreme-Snarc>

Michelle Obama said "I Want To Embrace The Country That I Love."

Awwwww!  Isn't that sweet!

Wonder which country she's referring to, though...because it sure as "Shinola" isn't America!

</Extreme-Snarc>

Oh, and don't come back at me with any of that "Lack of Civility" garbage because we all know you don't really believe in it!

Had a good meeting.  Took some admittedly so-so pictures. (Want a professional?  Go see Eric Adam....)

First up, a gent with a double-message sign:

My favorite TX Railroad Commissioner, Elizabeth Ames Jones, showed up.  Here she is with her friend, Nita Kaplan (Commisioner Ames Jones is on the left in the picture, but not in her politics): 

State Representative Lyle Larson showed up, too.  Here he is with Commissioner Ames Jones and friends: 

The KSAT-12 News crew was there!  Looking forward to their report. 

George Rodriguez was sworn in as SATP President by Judge Renee McElhaney.  Wish I got a picture of her!

OK, so it wasn't the 16,000 we had in 2009.  But after what SATP went through, we had to start over and it's been a long road back.   But we're off to a new year.  November of 2012 is coming and George has his work cut out for him. Get involved now for a bigger impact then!

UPDATE:  Wow--We were the lead story on KSAT's News broadcast!  w00t!

An interesting observation about Sarah Palin speaking in Madison, WI, made by James Pethokoukis:

Sarah Palin rides to the sound of the guns.

He then goes on to talk about how well she spoke.  Dan Riehl follows up with this:

It's ironic to watch so many so called establishment Republicans who seem to want to be leader of the free world dance their way around the more serious political battles of our time. They criticize, they pontificate, or editorialize, yet from ObamaCare to a budget deal, they're also careful to not too directly engage. The same can be said of them for what has played out in Madison, Wisconsin over the past month.

Whether it's talking about death panels, or blood libel, to now showing up in Madison - that's not former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. As I said to a friend and colleague tonight, wherever the current battle is, that's very often where you can find Palin. One of the first requirements for leadership is to show up out front. No one will ever accuse Palin of not doing that. Doing so also has an interesting side benefit for any would be leader. When you lead, people tend to follow and support you, even if not at first.

These points about the sound of the guns is telling because it is a war and the other side really is firing as many of its (for now) non-lethal "guns" as it can.  Ann Althouse noted them well in her posts, of which this is just one:

This video — shot by Meade and edited by me — begins with a little boy banging on a plastic bucket "drum." A man with a guitar is performing — amplified — on the stage, but we can barely hear him over the crowd noise. There is incessant ringing of cowbells. Then, we can hear that a young woman is speaking from the stage to the Tea Party crowd as the protesters do what they can to drown her out.

The anti-American (literally) knot-heads in Arizona tried the same thing, as Instapundit noted with the words Protesters and anarchists harass a peaceful Tea Party event; use sirens to drown out event.

Sarah herself said it in Madison:

"This is where the line has been drawn in the sand, and I am proud to stand with you today in solidarity.... The 2012 election begins here."

A line in the sand?  Always nice to see a reference to the Alamo.

All of these are appropriate metaphors.  We ARE at war.  We all must decide if we will just cower in our homes, meekly watching Dancing With the Stars, or if we well march to the front, to the sound of the guns.  The army is not yet formed, so we are the Minutemen, as it were.  But the sounds of the guns call.  Will you answer?  Then hie thee to a Tea Party and get "armed" with the facts for the rhetoric battle ahead.

I can see November 2012 from my house!

Now's a good time to let your representative know what you think.  Mine, Representative Canseco (Tx-24rd), be in town soon:

From http://canseco.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=65

·         North San Antonio Town Hall 1

4/25/11

6:30 PM-Fair Oaks Ranch City Hall

< Read more >

·         South San Antonio Town Hall 1

4/26/11

6:30p-Palo Alto Community College

< Read more >

·         South San Antonio Town Hall 2

4/27/11

10:00 AM-Elvira Cisneros Senior Center

< Read more >

·         Castroville Townhall

4/27/11

6:00 PM- Sammy's Restaurant

< Read more >

·         North San Antonio Town Hall 2

4/28/11

6:30 PM- UTSA Main Building, MB 0.224

< Read more >

·         Hondo Town Hall

4/29/11

6:00 PM- Hondo Community Center

< Read more >

·         Del Rio Town Hall

4/30/11

2:30 PM- Canseco Del Rio Office

< Read more >

·         Uvalde Town Hall

4/30/11

6:00 PM- Uvalde Civic Center Reading Room

Every citizen in TX-23rd should take advantage of this opportunity!

Why, exactly, am I so unhappy with Boehner?

Well before the election, we all knew the Republicans probably hold just one house (one of three, as they say now)--gaining just the House, but not the Senate.  They still "pledged" to cut "at least $100 billion in the first year alone." 

Then, after promising $100B, Boehner's 1st bid was just ~$32B! When the Tea Party and the freshman revolted, he decided to try the "prorated" angle at ~$60-$70B.  Finally, he got negotiated down by Reid & Obama to $38B.

Gee--how much more would we have gotten if he'd started negotiating with Reid & Obama from a $100B proposal?   More than $38B? 

We'll never know. But we do know he dropped from $100B even BEFORE negotiations started. I call that breaking the "pledge!"

. . . 

What to do?  What to do?  Why not come to the San Antonio Tea Party meeting on Sunday and maybe you can tell me!

So, in the Pledge to America, they promised "we will roll back government spending to prestimulus, pre-bailout levels, saving us at least $100 billion in the first year alone."

Result after the election?  38.5% of the pledge kept:

His colleagues stood and cheered at his announcement of a deal, knowing Boehner secured more than $38.5 billion in cuts, a far higher figure than many of them expected just days before.

The President, the Democratic Leadership, and the Republican Leadership all agree on one thing:

THEY THINK YOU ARE STUPID!

Do you agree? Go to the San Antonio Tea Party Poll on this issue.

Then, Join us on Sunday the 17th of April to talk about it.

Caveat:  This is a personal opinion, not to be construed as the policy of any organization.

When our Founding Fathers were putting together the Constitution, they weren't perfect and they knew it.  That's why the built in the amendment process.  Some things did need to be added:  Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, etc.  There were arguments about those, though.  Some didn't think they were needed.  

But some things they got right from the start.  Separation of powers, for instance.  The President cannot just declare a law.  Both houses of Congress must pass a bill for it to become law.  They also reserved to Congress the power of declaring war.

Back when President Bush was rumored to be considering starting a war with Iran, lots of people, including then-senator Obama and then-senator Biden gleefully pointed out it would be an impeachable offense to do so without an OK from the congress.  They were right.  That's why Obama should be impeached:  We went from the "Audacity of Hope" to the "Stupidity of O-Bomb-Ya."

But, of course, things are even worse.  Just whom are we supporting?  Sufyan Ben Qumu (who did a stint in "Club Gitmo"),  Abdel Hakim al-Hasadi (who was our prisoner in Afghanistan for a while), and Salah al-Bahran (another known Islamist exremist).  See this Hot Air post for details.

Enough.  Congress won't impeach the war-mongering Obama, but they can and should de-fund the Libyan effort.   No blood and treasure for al Qaeda oil!