Repeatedly during the February 2nd  ”Fast and Furious” hearings led by the Chairman of the House Oversight committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) , Democrats were coming out in force praising Holder for his excellent work. Democratic Congresswoman Maloney from California commended Holder for his favorable accomplishments as the acting Attorney General. Even if Holder is not found guilty of a crime, is he not guilty of incompetence over his ineptitude in running the Department of Justice?  But his party members continue to exalt him and one can only wonder for how long.

This was Eric Holder’s sixth time testifying with the investigation and in attendance offering words of support was Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee and Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio who informed Holder at the hearing “I prayed for you this morning.”

However, an investigative article recently released contains strong accusations of bribery and corruption in Holder’s Justice Department stating prosecutors for the Department of Justice have received ”cash bribes from allegedly corrupt finance executives who were indicted under court seal within the past 13 months, but never arrested or prosecuted”, as reported by Matthew Boyle. If the accusations prove to be valid, will the Democrats then join the growing number of Congressman and Senators calling for Holder’s resignation?

Unfortunately, a hearing that should be about justice and accountability for the deaths of over 300 people from the trafficking of guns to Mexican drug cartels is now reduced to a partisan stand off.

This past November, Congresswoman Maloney was already playing the partisan card in an op-ed piece she wrote for The New York Daily News.  She claims the Holder hearings are nothing more than a “Republican red herring” and that Eric Holder should not be blamed for a program that was not his creation as she refers to the investigation as a game of “gotcha“.

Even more bothersome than the claims that Republicans are simply creating a scandal for their own benefit, are the calls from the Left saying the bothched “Fast and Furious” operation is proof for the need of aggressive gun control.  In that same op-ed piece, Maloney wrote stricter gun laws are necessary and “We cannot continue allowing weapons to end up in the wrong hands”.  If Rep. Maloney truly believes this, then why would she stand by Eric Holder’s Department of Justice for graciously providing the “wrong hands” with the very weapons they need?

“I should not be held accountable for Fast and Furious”, said Holder at the Congressional Hearing.  If he is not accountable for Fast and Furious at the very least he should be held accountable for his incompetence and lack of  leadership and not just by Conservatives, but his compatriots as well.

The White House remains oddly quiet on the matter.  But as Holder is responsible for the Department of Justice, President Obama is responsible for Holder and his actions.  However, Obama has done nothing but offered continued support for Holder.  Even the very appearance of corruption should be investigated to the full lengths of the law regardless of party affiliation.  One would hope the Conservative Right would pursue one of their own just as fervently as they are with Holder.

It all leads to a question of integrity, and not just at the Department of Justice, but at the very steps of the White House as well.

“Shame” was the word of the day when the SEIU ran one of its Corporate Campaigns against EMS across the Midwest in 2005-2007. The Big Labor bosses never shirked from using the phrase to intimidate loyal EMS employees and customers as they attempted to cross SEIU picket lines. With banners in hand they would publicly attack EMS with incorrect statements and half-truths.

“Shame” was on display constantly last year when Big Labor bosses poured millions of dollars and thousands of foot soldiers into Madison, Wisconsin in an attempt to intimidate Governor Walker and the General Assembly into withdrawing the needed measures to restore fiscal responsibility to a state deeply in debt (see America at a Crossroads! As Wisconsin Goes, So Goes America!). Now, as we approach The Most Important Non-Presidential Election of the Decade, Big Labor bosses are at it again, attempting to “shame” the electorate into replacing Governor Walker via a recall election and then reversing the bills that have arguably put Wisconsin on a path to solvency.

Now “shame” has entered the RTW political arena. In January, 2012, Democratic House leader Patrick Bauer demonstrated his Big Labor allegiances when he incorporated  their very own intimidation tactics, as demonstrated in the last line of his rebuttal to the fact the Indiana Right-to-Work Bill Advances(see Bauer to Right-to-Work Supporters: “Shame on You”).

The true colors of “shame,” however, were displayed recently during an obnoxious Big Labor boss and his small crowd’s attempt to intimidate Indiana Associated Builders and Contractors President J.R. Gaylor and his assistant at the Indiana Statehouse. Click HERE to watch the video coverage! J.R. did a great job keeping his cool as the Big Labor boss displayed his arrogance and lack of civility. The fact is, this type behavior and the use of “shame” and other slogans is no more than a blatant attempt to not only intimidate, but to induce the target to react negatively or irrationally so they can escalate the situation and make the target look like the bad guy.

The ruthless attacks by Big Labor are not confined to the statehouse, the courtroom, public gathering spaces, or even private businesses.  Big Labor has shown that they, in fact, have NO SHAME, when they order their membership to the personal residences of state lawmakers for the purpose of intimidating them from voting for what they believe to be right and harassing them into giving up the fight. This is what recently happened at the homes of Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma and Senator Jim Banks.  Attacks like this were also seen throughout the SEIU’s Corporate Campaign against EMS, and included “house visits” to owners and employees alike.

Imagine your employees, friends, family, children or even yourself enduring this type attack from Big Labor bosses and their cronies.  As an employee, how would you not break down and sign a union card during a Card Check drive? This is what EMS employees, customers and family endured for 2 years during one of the SEIU’s most vicious Corporate Campaigns, in an attempt to force EMS to sign a Neutrality Agreement and put Card Check into effect! No human being should be subjected to this type treatment and this is why I believe Right to Work Is A Basic American Freedom, and why I wrote my new book The Devil At Our Doorstep.

“Shame” on Big Labor for misconstruing the facts and taking advantage of the small percentage of Americans buying into their misinformation and propaganda, leading them to believe that employers are the intimidators and destroyer of jobs and wages. The truth is quite the opposite!

In the graphic video above, which is typical of Big Labor coercion, the target did not react to the intimidation, and all that was accomplished by the big labor boss and his group was to make themselves look like radicals. The majority of the population understands who these people are.  This is the 1% minority trying to control the 99%.  In Wisconsin it was reported that approximately 30,000 protesters (many bused in from out of state) jammed downtown Madison during the height of the protest. AFL-CIO sources claim 10,000 protestors (again many brought in from out of state) filled the Indiana State Capital in Indianapolis to protest RTW. In both cases these were relatively low numbers, less than .5% in terms of percentages, when compared to the respective populations (5,654,744 in Wisconsin and 6,423,113 in Indiana). In either case 99.5% of the population did not buy into the lack of civility.

Interestingly enough neither did the majority of rank and file union members.  In the article UAW Member: Union Workers ‘Need to Embrace’ Right to Work Laws,Terry Bowman, a 14-year UAW member who supports the RTW initiative in Michigan, does an outstanding job during an interview exposing the coercion tactics of Big Labor’s Gasping Dinosaurs and their attempt to survive through inflicting forced unionism on employers and employees. Unfortunately, union membership feels as though they have little power to rein in the out-of-control Big Labor bosses (see When Will the Main Stream Media Wake Up?) When will Americans realize the abuse caused by Big Labor and pass Right-to-Work nationally?

Additionally, we need to Free Workers from Union Bosses by passing the Employees Rights Act! If Big Labor can’t compete openly and fairly, without pressure, intimidation and political cronyism to remain relevant, then maybe it is time for it to follow the lead of other businesses that have lost relevance and become obsolete. Shame on Big Labor for using intimidation to accomplish its forced unionization goals!

Put down the Ben & Jerry’s, it’s not over. As a matter of fact, it’s only just begun.

With the inundation of negativity abounding for conservatives over our depressing whimpers of lament, here are three reasons you should not give up hope for a big change in November of 2012.

1. “Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

It’s very easy to become convinced through main stream media that all hope should be abandoned.  However, you can always seek out evidence proving otherwise.

Rasmussen Reports produces Daily Presidential Tracking Polls.  Admittedly, this is similar to weighing yourself every day.  Certain circumstances on a day-to-day basis, like a late night left over pizza binge, can affect the numbers greatly.  As of Friday February 3^rd, current GOP front runner Mitt Romney was polling neck in neck with the President at 45% in a potential election match-up.  This is the first time Romney has polled this high against Obama since late in December.  The numbers are issued daily and you can have them delivered directly to your inbox each morning. Defeating an incumbent is never easy, but these numbers show it’s possible.

2. It’s about Obama

Up until now in the GOP race, the candidates have remained in a circular firing squad.  Admittedly, this was disturbing in the beginning until you realize it’s necessary to have great sparring partners if you want to be prepared to deliver a TKO in the main event.  There will be no new carpet bombs left to throw.  And in turn, it will allow the Republican nominee to stay on the offense focusing solely and heavily on Obama’s failed record.

According to Rasmussen in the same poll, only 26% of the nation’s voters “strongly approve” of the President’s performance whereas, 41% “strongly disapprove.”  The President’s new effort to promote an increasing number of people to apply for the food stamp program is only receiving an 11% favorable response.

And the positive job numbers that were just released, which I am pleased about and believe is a wonderful thing for our country, do not include the over one million job seekers who have essentially fallen out of the system because they have given up hope of finding employment.

3. Don’t Underestimate American Fortitude

Lastly, don’t underestimate Americans and their ability to protect the country they love.

The number of Americans who label themselves as “Democrats” have now reached an all-time low with 32.5%, whereas those who consider themselves Republicans stands at 35.9%.  Neither of which were reportedly held at gun-point.

It’s important to remember the fight for conservatism and the ideology of the framers of our constitution will always be a lifelong pursuit from one generation to the next.  We will never have “arrived”.

Like the great Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Difficult does not mean impossible. It just means a sweeter victory.

Carney supported the US Park Police’s (USPP) decision to continue balancing First Amendment concerns with public safety and health concerns.

The exchange was as follows:

Reporter: Occupy Wall Street protestors are making headlines again as you know over the weekend. Four hundred protestors were arrested in Oakland and now today the NPS are expected to clear out protestors potentially as we speak… here in DC. What is your reaction? Is the administration concerned that some of these protestors are taking things too far?

Carney: Well, in regard to Oakland, that’s obviously that’s a local law enforcement matter. Here in Washington uh, I would refer you for specifics to the US National Park Service and the US Park Police. And uh, our position has been and continues to be that we need balance First Amendment concerns of the right to demonstrate, the right to speak freely, and with public safety concerns and public health concerns and we understand that whether that… whether that… local law enforcement as well as in the case, in this case you have the National Park Service and the US Park Police are weighing those considerations and that’s appropriate.

The USPP’s decision to consider the Occupy movement’s First Amendment concerns came under fire by House Republicans last week when representatives drilled National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis in a Congressional hearing last Tuesday.

When Jarvis explained that the federal police considered it their job to uphold citizens’ First Amendment rights, Republican lawmaker Darrel Issa from California fired back that he thought it was the police’s job to uphold the law.

“Camping is not a First Amendment activity. It is a violation of the law. Sleeping (in a national park) is not a First Amendment activity, it is a violation of law,” he retorted to Jarvis. Issa then added, “I believe the National Park Service has allowed protestors to camp indefinitely for ideological reasons.”

The current position of the US Park Police has also come under fire by the District of Columbia Council and Mayor Vincent Gray who asked to have the McPherson Square and Freedom Park sites cleared for public health reasons.

Conflicts about governance and law enforcement between the District of Columbia government and federal government have been contentious ever since the Home Rule Act of 1973 was passed by the federal legislature. The act granted DC citizens some legislative power while also enabling the District to have more control over their own law enforcement agencies even though it still falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.

Federal law enforcement officials, however, still retain control over federal properties such as the White House perimeter, U.S. Capitol, other federal buildings such as the FBI and federal parks such as the ones Occupy protestors are currently camped out in.

The act provides that Congress can revoke the District’s home rule charter at any time or pass legislation that effects the District without the approval of DC government or residents.

The federal-municipal confrontation has sparked speculation that President Barack Obama is protecting the Occupy protestors from city administrators.

The Occupy activists, however, seem to believe otherwise.

Big Government headed into the heart of the snow-bound encampment for an exclusive on-site interview with an Occupy DC demonstrator who does not believe the USPP is acting on orders from the Obama administration.

The Occupy DC Encampment under Washington, D.C.'s first snowfall

The activists are familiar with the details of the political fight that began when the D.C. Mayor and the District Council wanted the Occupy sites finally shut down for health reasons, but USPP refused to do so in the name of the First Amendment.

The theory that the White House was pressuring USPP not to enforce District of Columbia statutes emerged Tuesday, January 24, during a Congressional hearing, when National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis fielded questions from Republican lawmakers.

U.S. Representatives were mystified as to why the USPP has not responded to District requests to finally shut down the encampment, and why the overnight sleeping ban in federal parks had not been enforced.

“Each of our First Amendment demonstrations (is) a little bit unique. And this one is, let’s say, unprecedented. The core of their First Amendment activity is that they occupy the site,” Jarvis told lawmakers. “We felt that going in right away and enforcing the regulations against camping could potentially incite a reaction on their part that would result in possible injury or property damage.”

USPP has asserted that demonstrators are allowed to participate in 24-hour vigil activities, but they cannot sleep there, and also added that from now on civil tickets will be issued to individual violators, but those violations will not result in the Occupy encampments in McPherson Square or Freedom Park being shut down.

Republican lawmakers were unsatisfied by that answer.

Darrell Issa, R-CA said he was concerned about selective enforcement of the sleepover ban and suggested that the USPP were acquiescing to the Obama administration by letting protestors stay overnight.

Jarvis disputed that assertion, and Big Government has learned that some inside the encampment also disagree. I interviewed an activist, who only identified himself as “James,” and who said that he travelled to the Occupy DC camp from the Occupy Orlando movement to participate in the Occupy Congress action on January 17.

A former U.S. Army infantryman who served from 1984-1986 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, James described his former job as a soldier as merely being a “bullet-catcher” for his country. Now an out of work software engineer, he says he’s devoted nearly all his time to “joining the 99 percent and fighting the good fight.”

James is a former Occupy Orlando activist who travelled to Washington to join the Occupy Congress and Occupy D.C. efforts

James said that he adamantly disagrees with the Republican assertion that Jarvis and the USPP are under orders from President Obama to let the Occupy DC movement remain in place, and instead believes the USPP are legitimately trying to uphold the First Amendment. Here’s what he told Big Government in an exclusive interview from within the Occupy encampment Thursday afternoon:

I first got to Washington on the 16th of January to be a part of the J17 action to Occupy Congress. I had a little bit of time and resources to make the trip and I felt it was my responsibility to be here. We had a couple thousand people, and so we shut down the streets, and we shut down the Rayburn Building. It was democracy in action.

DC government wants us out, but there was a recent House Congressional Oversight Committee hearing, and one of the witnesses was the Parks Director, (Jonathan) Jarvis and he was consistent in his defense of any groups expression of their First Amendment rights on U.S. Parks Service lands within Washington, D.C.

Despite being baited by the Majority by Tea Party (Congressional) Members Walsh and Moody–who insinuated the police were being duped or used as a tool for the Obama Administration, which I found disgusting–Jarvis consistently reiterated that the historical record shows that there’s a heightened sensitivity to First Amendment expression in the nation’s Capitol because where else does one go to petition the government a redress of grievances.

After all, if you have a problem with the government, the federal government that is, this is where you do it. And he was also consistently reminding the committee that he has this is part of broader plan of escalating enforcement–working with not just us, but any group who wanted to occupy space in DC–that they want to work with us, not fight against us and that part of this strategy of intelligent escalation was that they’re not going to send storm troopers in here, but they are moving toward a place where they are going to enforce the no sleeping rule.

I maintain there’s a difference in maintaining a 24-hour vigil for your First Amendment rights and going camping and singing songs over a campfire. Our speech is the act of occupying physical space. You sit here for an hour and you’ll see here how many people come through here that we can explain our position to and if we weren’t here we wouldn’t have the government’s attention.

It’s not what we’re saying it’s the act of occupying.

James says that he plans to participate in the Occupy movement as long as he can. “I couldn’t take it anymore,” he says about the state of America. “I couldn’t sit and watch this world disintegrate.”

He also added the following: “Just make sure to note that I’m not an official representative of Occupy DC. I’m just participating.”

When another Occupy DC activist was asked if there was a spokesperson or leader that could be reached for comment, he simply responded, “Come on man, seriously–it’s been three months. There’s no one in charge here anymore. People are just here to be here because they believe in something, but no man, there’s no one like that anymore.”

Calls were not returned from either the District of Columbia mayor’s office and the United States Park Police media relations department.

President Obama has taken steps to make us energy independent and create an economy that’s built to last. He’s been a strong supporter of domestic energy production, has made historic investments in clean energy technology, and has nearly doubled fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. Because of the progress we’ve made, our dependence on foreign oil is the lowest it’s been in 16 years.

The Washington Post gave the ad a rating of “three Pinocchios” for misleading viewers with a suggestion that Obama was responsible for creating 2.7 million clean energy jobs and for cherry-picking certain citations to back up its claims.  The resulting descriptions of the ad included such words as “slippery,” “slick,” and “misleading.”

The Obama administration in a nutshell.

But the irony that the first ad campaign of the season touts Obama’s strengths in making the United States more energy independent, while he is simultaneously thwarting further energy independence via the Keystone pipeline, can not be overlooked.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Presient and CEO Thomas J. Donohue called the decision to deny the Keystone XL pipeline permit “dumbfounding.”  He added, “the President’s decision will make us more dependent on oil from foreign nations that don’t share our interests.”

So why would the energy independence-touting President deny construction of a pipeline that has the potential to improve said independence, along with an added bonus of creating a minimum of 20,000 jobs?

Aside from kowtowing to environmental groups, Obama cites “the health and safety of the American people, as well as our environment”.

That smokescreen doesn’t hold up either.  A new report from Fox News indicates that the Keystone pipeline would actually pose less of an environmental danger than pipelines currently running in the U.S.

Several energy experts who represent the oil and gas industry say the controversial Keystone XL, a 1,700-mile pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas, poses less of a risk to the environment than the estimated 50,000 miles of crude oil pipelines already crisscrossing the U.S., a network they say is safe and efficient.

President Obama has decided to make “income inequality” — one of Occupy Wall Street’s central themes — the focus of both his State of the Union address and 2012 presidential election campaign, according to CNN.

In his last State of the Union speech before the 2012 election, President Barack Obama will pitch a series of proposals and will address the topics of economic inequality and a government that should ensure “a fair shake for all.”

And…

Given the treacherous state of the economy, the president’s campaign aides are attempting to make the theme of the upcoming election a choice about the role of government and the future of the middle class — not a referendum on the president’s handling of the economy.

They say this speech and its underlying theme — income inequality — go a long way to shaping that message.

The Obama Campaign has posted a video this morning that hits on this theme of “Income Equality”, which means the President is piggybacking the central theme of his re-election campaign on the framing that Occupy Wall Street created. That is the major reason to keep a close, critical eye on the #Occupy movement.

I put together the short video above by mashing up audio from the President’s new “Blueprint For America” film, footage of the results of #Occupy, and a video of a course taught at Occupy Wall Street in December called “Deconstructing Empire.” The course was taught by radical union-connected anarchist agitator Lisa Fithian and her friend Starhawk. In this section, you’ll see Starhawk pointing out that Occupy has changed the frame of the national dialogue from spending, deficits and other economic realities and switched it to (quoting Starhawk) “economic inequality.”