Crawford Chides State Democratic Party for Lurching to Change Subject from Healthcare

Rick Crawford today called Gabe Holmstrom’s PR stunt a blatant attempt to divert attention away from President Obama’s creation of a massive new entitlement program.  “Gabe is an incredibly clever political operative,” said Crawford.  “Changing the subject is something our politicians and their spinsters have been doing for far too long.  Instead of talking about the fact that every man, woman, and child in America each owes $184,000 as their share of the unfunded promises our politicians have made, Mr. Holmstrom wants to talk about the President’s birth certificate.”

“The sad fact is that Congressman Berry, who voted for and against this massive new entitlement program, wants to avoid addressing the long-term financial problem facing our country,” continued Crawford.  “While he talks about balancing the budget back home, he has enabled Speaker Pelosi and President Obama to push through a massive new entitlement program that will use taxpayer money to pay health insurance premiums for 32 million Americans.  We need elected officials who will stand up and say, ‘STOP!  Stop digging the hole deeper.’  We need an elected official who will stand up to say our government will not expand or create any new government programs until we restore fiscal soundness.  If we do not do this, our children and grandchildren will pay taxes that are double or triple what we pay today…and that is the best-case scenario.”

Members of Arkansas Delegation Complicit in Nationalized Healthcare

Congressmen Berry, Ross and Snyder, who all refused to support a measure to block the House of Representatives from “deeming” the Senate healthcare bill as passed, are guaranteeing passage of the healthcare bill this year.  “Even though Congressmen Berry and Ross have pledged to vote against the healthcare bill unless it has substantial changes, their refusal to block the “deeming” process will ensure its passage this year,” said Rick Crawford, candidate for the First Congressional District.

While the House will amend the Senate bill once it has been “deemed” to pass, which would require additional Senate action on the bill, if either effort fails, the President will still be able to sign the Senate bill.  In order for a bill to become law, it must pass each chamber in identical form.  Once the House “deems” the Senate bill as passed, it can be sent to President Obama for his signature.

“President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have really pulled a quick one over on the American people,” said Crawford.  “The media has yet to pick up on the fact that Pelosi’s move to deem the Senate bill as passed will mean that the Senate bill, in its current form, can immediately become law.  I call upon all candidates in the First Congressional District to condemn this move immediately and demand that Congressman Berry offer a privileged resolution calling on the House to take an “up or down” vote on the Senate bill instead of deeming it as passed without a vote.”

“Republicans and Democrats alike throughout Eastern Arkansas are appalled when I tell them about the games these folks are playing,” continued Crawford.  “Every man, woman and child in American currently owes $184,000 each to cover all of the unfunded promises our government has made.  Now is not the time to add a new massive government entitlement program.”

An Inconvenient Truth

Christmas Day of this year will go down as a day that defined this Administration’s position on national security and the war on terror.  Christmas Day will also be noted as the day that American’s realized that no matter who is in the White House, Al Qaeda and its surrogates are determined to kill Americans and to destroy all that we stand for.  All of this shows an inconvenient truth for Barack Obama — you can not be weak in the face of those who want to destroy America.

We have all witnessed the President’s apology tour earlier this year. The President demonstrated that he believed by simply being apologetic and not being George W. Bush he would win us friends and allies in the Islamic world.  It’s that naïve approach and complete disregard for what history has taught us that has put our national security in a position to where there is no security at all.

In an op-ed piece in USA Today, Janet Napolitano states, “The administration is determined to find and fix the vulnerabilities in our systems that allowed this breach to happen.”  I find this incredibly appalling.  The Department of Homeland Security was established “to secure the nation from the many threats we face.”  And with this comment, it would appear that since this incident has taken place, suddenly Homeland Security will begin to look for where the lapse occurred.  This is a reactive approach to securing our nation rather than a proactive approach.

Al Qaeda wants to see our nation fall.  They want to see our way of life — our governing model, our economy, and our religious freedoms — eliminated.  Our President seems to be naïve or conveniently, to him, oblivious to what history has taught us about this vicious enemy.  And even in the last few months, there have been other steps our President has taken that have further eroded our national security.  These are very worrisome to me and should be to every person in this country.

During his campaign, candidate Obama promised the closure of Guantanimo Bay.  Gitmo serves a very important role in how we detain those who play a critical role in their attempts to attack our nation and our nation’s interests.  While there have been numerous attempts this year to treat these enemy combatants the same way we do American citizens – the reading of their Miranda rights once captured – this leaves me stunned and amazed at how national security for many in this administration has become what appears as an afterthought.  Our enemies want to kill Americans and destroy our way of life.  The President’s decision to close Gitmo will not change that view no matter how much he tries to sell it as such or appease those who hate us.  The closing of Gitmo will not change the enemy’s resolve.

If these terrorists are allowed to be imprisoned in American jails and detention facilities, it would be naïve to think they would not convert other prisoners to the same extreme views.  Do we need another attack like the one in Little Rock where Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad, a prison convert to extremist Islamic beliefs, murdered Private William Long to realize how they can do even more damage?

Just last week President Obama signed an executive order giving Interpol all the same immunities of foreign powers.  What does this mean?  Since Interpol is governed by the United Nations, they can now investigate our law enforcement agencies (FBI, CIA, Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies) and subject our actions and efforts to the International Criminal Court system and other international efforts that would limit our abilities to secure and defend our nation.  Interpol will now not be subject to FOIA requests and its actions will now be concealed.  They will be able to investigate all that we do and we will never know about it.  Who does the ICC investigate?  Those who prosecute, investigate, and otherwise protect us from the likes of Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations.  American sovereignty just took a backseat to the United Nations and eventually the International Criminal Court.  And for what?  So the United States will look better in the world?  The only conclusion that can be drawn is that our President does not regard our sovereignty as an important issue to uphold and protect.

Non-citizens should be afforded no moral equivalent to rights of American citizens. This administration wants to equate the rights of American citizens to those of terrorists who want to destroy America and her people.  This administration is putting national security at significant risk, and putting the American people last and terrorists first. This administration is unwilling to do what is necessary to protect our country.  They are also subjecting our country to the international community in a way that has never been done before.  This administration is eroding our national security in the interests of reputation.  America, our national security, our interests, and our future come before anything else in this world.

As your next Congressman from the First District, I will do everything I can to ensure the security of every American citizen.  I will work diligently to ensure that we operate by the Constitution as well as all legal parameters that will protect us as much as possible from those who want to kill us and ruin our nation.  I will also work to ensure that this nation answers to no international court, agency, or government.  America answers to no one other than its people and the system of governance that we have in place.  That is my pledge to you as your next Congressman.

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