US SENATOR FEINSTEIN SEEKS TO FURTHER LIMIT FREEDOM OF PRESS

The majority of America now gets its news from online sources. This has opened the country up to a whole new variety of sources including blogs, vlogs, youtube and other alternative media sources. The term “Freedom of the Press” has certainly expanded to include multiple new-age venues of modern press. However, in a developing story, Senator Feinstein (D-CA) is seeking an amendment to restrict who gets protection under new media shield laws.

(Read More Here)

Lindsey Graham Isn't Sure If Bloggers Deserve 'First Amendment Protection'

Whether bloggers count as journalists has mostly been a matter of esoterics for reporter types. But as Congress weighs a media shield law in response to the Associated Press/Justice Department subpoena scandal, the question is gaining an urgency that lawmakers are finding hard to ignore as they turn to writing the bill.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., took on the issue—and stumbled.

"Who is a journalist is a question we need to ask ourselves," he said. "Is any blogger out there saying anything—do they deserve First Amendment protection? These are the issues of our times."

(read full article)

Chuck Hagel: The Libertarian Case For Obama's Pentagon Pick

With the recommendations of both President Obama and Colin Powell at his side, former Republican Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel should feel confident that he will be confirmed by the Senate as the next secretary of defense. While Hagel represents a welcomed foreign policy shift, there are multiple factors that suggest that both Hagel's supporters and opponents overstate the impact his confirmation would have.

In a recent post at the libertarian Cato blog, Christopher A. Preble gives his full endorsement of Hagel. Although Hagel voted for the Iraq war, argues Preble, he has admitted this error in judgement. Hagel would represent a restraint on Washington's interventionist tendencies, believes in engagement with the rest of the world, and supports free trade.

For the many of us — libertarians and non-libertarians alike — sick of perpetual war, open-ended military interventions, and increasing military budgets, Hagel would appear to be the foreign policy realist that Washington desperately needs. Hagel is "a decorated Vietnam war veteran, [who] understands war, and doesn’t take it lightly," concludes Preble.

But before libertarians and non-interventionists should cheer on a possible Secretary of Defense Hagel, the first rule of libertarianism and government should be applied — always be skeptical of politicians, especially the higher up the ladder you go.

While Hagel's resume and past words suggest that he is serious about restraining U.S. military power abroad, a closer look at Hagel's background reveals that he is very intimately intertwined in the establishment financial and military industries. While virtually unreported on by the media, Hagel serves on the Board of Directors of Chevron and Zurich's Holding Company, the Advisory Board of Deutsche Bank America, and is a Senior Advisor to Gallup. These are just a few of the mega-multinationals Hagel is connected to.

In other words, if confirmed, Hagel would have many, many conflicts of interests in restraining a Pentagon, policy of military interventionism, and levels of military spending that corporations like the many that Hagel represents benefit from. Call me a cynic, but it is nearly impossible to become Senator, earn prestige, and be nominated as Secretary of Defense without a willingness to sell your soul up the greasy totem pole of government power.

But then again, maybe I am too harsh on Hagel. No one would ever go broke underestimating the corruption of politicians and government officials, but perhaps it is my soft spot and desperation for restraining U.S. foreign policy that makes a possible Hagel nomination and confirmation so enticing. (READ THE FULL STORY HERE)

Kagan Confirmed for Supreme Court – Vote Count Breakdown 63-37

Five Republicans voted for unashamed socialist progressive Kagan. Certain so-called Conservative Republicans betrayed us: Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Richard Lugar (Indiana). Not sure rather New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg, who also voted for Kagan, is supposed to be a conservative on not (forgive me for not being up to date on his conservative status).

And it didn't surprise me at all that Liberal Progressive Democrats..er I mean Republicans from Maine Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins voted for Kagan.

ALL THE OFFICIAL SENATE STATS ARE BELOW.

Real Conservative Republicans in Indiana, New Hampshire, Maine (Good Luck) and especially in South Carolina need to fight hard to replace these Senators with real Conservatives.

You might say why especially in South Carolina? Isn't Lindsey Graham usually a pretty decent conservative?

The Answer is  a resounding 'NO'  Lindsey is one of the master minds, partnering with Liberal Progressive Chuck Schumer and the White House, to bring us a National ID, with an RFID chip in it, that can be tracked by anyone, including the government, identity thieves, corporations, ect.

After a similar law, the 'Real ID Act' was rejected by a large number of states, those who wish to track and control you have come out with a Lindsey Graham, Schumer and the White House re-branding of the 'Real ID'.

With US citizens so worried about illegal immigration they (Graham and co-horts) are going to stick this in the new Immigration Reform Bill and sell it as the only way to stop the influx of illegals; to make every citizen have one to get a job, board a train, get a bank account, get free government hand outs, get Health Insurance and on and on and on.

This goes against everything our country stands for, privacy, the right to be left alone

Republicans, Conservatives and even many Democrats, used to be against any kind of papers please kind of National ID.

Shame on you Lindsey Graham.

South Carolina Republicans, Conservatives, Democrats, Independents and Libertarians vote that bum out!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final count: 63-37. Five Republicans and one Democrat defected.

111th Congress: Senate Vote #229 (Aug 5, 2010)

Confirming Elena Kagan of Massachusetts, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S.

Number:	Senate Vote #229 in 2010 [primary source: senate.gov]
Date:	Aug 5, 2010 3:30PM
Result:	Nomination Confirmed

	Totals			Democrats	Republicans	Independents	All Votes
			Needed To Win
Yea:	63	(63%)		56	5	2
Nay:	37	(37%)		1	36	0
Present:	0	(0%)		0	0	0
Not Voting:	0	(0%)		0	0	0
Required:	Simple Majority of 100 votes (=51 votes) (Vacancies in Congress will affect vote totals.)

Vote Details

Standard Projection

Horizontal bars indicate the two senators from a state voted differently.

Vote	State	Representative
Alabama
Nay	AL	Sessions, Jefferson [R]
Nay	AL	Shelby, Richard [R]
Alaska
Yea	AK	Begich, Mark [D]
Nay	AK	Murkowski, Lisa [R]
Arizona
Nay	AZ	Kyl, Jon [R]
Nay	AZ	McCain, John [R]
Arkansas
Yea	AR	Lincoln, Blanche [D]
Yea	AR	Pryor, Mark [D]
California
Yea	CA	Boxer, Barbara [D]
Yea	CA	Feinstein, Dianne [D]
Colorado
Yea	CO	Bennet, Michael [D]
Yea	CO	Udall, Mark [D]
Connecticut
Yea	CT	Dodd, Christopher [D]
Yea	CT	Lieberman, Joseph [I]
Delaware
Yea	DE	Carper, Thomas [D]
Yea	DE	Kaufman, Edward [D]
Florida
Nay	FL	LeMieux, George [R]
Yea	FL	Nelson, Bill [D]
Georgia
Nay	GA	Chambliss, Saxby [R]
Nay	GA	Isakson, John [R]
Hawaii
Yea	HI	Akaka, Daniel [D]
Yea	HI	Inouye, Daniel [D]
Idaho
Nay	ID	Crapo, Michael [R]
Nay	ID	Risch, James [R]
Illinois
Yea	IL	Burris, Roland [D]
Yea	IL	Durbin, Richard [D]
Indiana
Yea	IN	Bayh, Evan [D]
Yea	IN	Lugar, Richard [R]
Iowa
Nay	IA	Grassley, Charles [R]
Yea	IA	Harkin, Thomas [D]
Kansas
Nay	KS	Brownback, Samuel [R]
Nay	KS	Roberts, Pat [R]
Kentucky
Nay	KY	Bunning, Jim [R]
Nay	KY	McConnell, Mitch [R]
Louisiana
Yea	LA	Landrieu, Mary [D]
Nay	LA	Vitter, David [R]
Maine
Yea	ME	Collins, Susan [R]
Yea	ME	Snowe, Olympia [R]
Maryland
Yea	MD	Cardin, Benjamin [D]
Yea	MD	Mikulski, Barbara [D]
Massachusetts
Nay	MA	Brown, Scott [R]
Yea	MA	Kerry, John [D]
Michigan
Yea	MI	Levin, Carl [D]
Yea	MI	Stabenow, Debbie Ann [D]
Minnesota
Yea	MN	Franken, Al [D]
Yea	MN	Klobuchar, Amy [D]
Mississippi
Nay	MS	Cochran, Thad [R]
Nay	MS	Wicker, Roger [R]
Missouri
Nay	MO	Bond, Christopher [R]
Yea	MO	McCaskill, Claire [D]
Montana
Yea	MT	Baucus, Max [D]
Yea	MT	Tester, Jon [D]
Nebraska
Nay	NE	Johanns, Mike [R]
Nay	NE	Nelson, Ben [D]
Nevada
Nay	NV	Ensign, John [R]
Yea	NV	Reid, Harry [D]
New Hampshire
Yea	NH	Gregg, Judd [R]
Yea	NH	Shaheen, Jeanne [D]
New Jersey
Yea	NJ	Lautenberg, Frank [D]
Yea	NJ	Menendez, Robert [D]
New Mexico
Yea	NM	Bingaman, Jeff [D]
Yea	NM	Udall, Tom [D]
New York
Yea	NY	Gillibrand, Kirsten [D]
Yea	NY	Schumer, Charles [D]
North Carolina
Nay	NC	Burr, Richard [R]
Yea	NC	Hagan, Kay [D]
North Dakota
Yea	ND	Conrad, Kent [D]
Yea	ND	Dorgan, Byron [D]
Ohio
Yea	OH	Brown, Sherrod [D]
Nay	OH	Voinovich, George [R]
Oklahoma
Nay	OK	Coburn, Thomas [R]
Nay	OK	Inhofe, James [R]
Oregon
Yea	OR	Merkley, Jeff [D]
Yea	OR	Wyden, Ron [D]
Pennsylvania
Yea	PA	Casey, Robert [D]
Yea	PA	Specter, Arlen [D]
Rhode Island
Yea	RI	Reed, John [D]
Yea	RI	Whitehouse, Sheldon [D]
South Carolina
Nay	SC	DeMint, Jim [R]
Yea	SC	Graham, Lindsey [R]
South Dakota
Yea	SD	Johnson, Tim [D]
Nay	SD	Thune, John [R]
Tennessee
Nay	TN	Alexander, Lamar [R]
Nay	TN	Corker, Bob [R]
Texas
Nay	TX	Cornyn, John [R]
Nay	TX	Hutchison, Kay [R]
Utah
Nay	UT	Bennett, Robert [R]
Nay	UT	Hatch, Orrin [R]
Vermont
Yea	VT	Leahy, Patrick [D]
Yea	VT	Sanders, Bernard [I]
Virginia
Yea	VA	Warner, Mark [D]
Yea	VA	Webb, Jim [D]
Washington
Yea	WA	Cantwell, Maria [D]
Yea	WA	Murray, Patty [D]
West Virginia
Yea	WV	Goodwin, Carte [D]
Yea	WV	Rockefeller, John [D]
Wisconsin
Yea	WI	Feingold, Russell [D]
Yea	WI	Kohl, Herbert [D]
Wyoming
Nay	WY	Barrasso, John [R]
Nay	WY	Enzi, Michael [R]

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2010-229