Tag: attorney general

"We'll bring in some Air Force folks right here in our district. We can have an oversight reform committee hearing right here and we'll investigate," said Bentivolio in response to an audience question. "I'd like to find out about it too."

Oh, Lord.  Please Kerry, don't play with your vegetables.  We here at RM didn't bust our asses in 2012, just to have a few PaulTards in the crowd grenade us in 2014.

But despite such embarrassing diversions the first-term Congressman, say political insiders, will be difficult to unseat in 2014 - even with last week's announcement that businessman [Foreclosure Lawyer] and Michigan Republican Party establishment favorite Dave Trott has thrown his hat into the ring. Such is the power of incumbency, and the deep pocketbooks of the GOP's insurgent Ron Paul/Libertarian wing that backs Bentiviolo.

In the redrawn CD-11, I wouldn't be so cocksure as to hang my hat on "the power of incumbency".  Not in Oakland, and Wayne County's den of vipers, anyway.

If this is a true and factual account, (there is no reason to suspect it is not) then there had best be some heads mounted on the Attorney General's trophy room wall before long. Scotty Boman, former US Senate candidate and current candidate for Detroit City Clerk underwent an assault on his person July 30, and his rights were violated by those who pledge to serve.  According to the Michigan Libertarian website:

Campaigning has become dangerous for Detroit City Clerk candidate Scotty Boman. According to Boman, a member of the WCCCD campus police attempted to intimidate him while he was taking pictures of his opponent's (Janice Winfrey) signage at the early voting location at the Northwest Campus of WCCCD on Tuesday July 30th. After he moved to where volunteers for other candidates were handing out literature, he was assaulted by the officer, then thrown to the ground by additional officers as he attempted to hand campaign literature to a passers-by. Boman said he was then held prisoner until a campaign forum, that the officers knew he was scheduled to attend, was nearly over.

"As soon as I took out my camera and pointed it at Janice Winfrey's banner (which was draped over the voting location's entrance) this one officer stormed out of the polling place and shouted, `What do you think your doing!' I responded that I was taking a picture of the banner." Boman went on to say, "I then went to take a picture of another nearby sign that read `Vote here Janice Winfrey City Clerk.' At this point a poll-worker, came out to where I was taking the picture. I started recording video of our conversation regarding Winfrey's signage when the Officer who previously shouted at me came out and told me to put away the camera. I asked if my photography was illegal, and which law it violated. I emphatically stated that I would follow her instructions immediately if she asserted I was breaking the law, but she could not cite any."

After he was detained in a closet by police.  

Trespassing?  On publicly owned property?

In the decision striking down Certain DOMA sections, the court implied much but fell short of 'legalizing' same sex couplings as 'marriage' nationwide.  They cannot, and even as twisted as the court has become, the 'Overton Window' of sorts is not yet aligned with the court bringing outright infringements upon the states. (though Roberts came close with O-Care) However, the court DID refuse to hear the case regarding prop 8 in California, a move that signals to activists nationwide that same-sex bans need only make it to the nearest capitulating federal judge.

That judge can then override the will of the people in a state, and force a perverse application of reality on that state's citizens. And the high court will look the other way.

Attorney General Bill Schuette sees the writing on the wall and has responded:

As you may know, the Michigan Constitution defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman (Article 1, Section 25). This was placed in the constitution after being passed by the voters with 58% of the vote. And this language still stands in Michigan, unaltered by the United States Supreme Court's rulings yesterday.

One of those rulings unfolded due to a very odd twist. In the California case, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case because of a lack of standing. The upshot is that the Supreme Court's ruling left undisturbed a lower court ruling that overturned California's ban on gay marriage.

This situation came about because the California Attorney General refused to defend the law, even though voters in California had approved a definition of marriage as one man and one woman. And so, because the state's attorney general refused to defend the law, the law fell.

That will not happen in Michigan. My pledge to you as your Attorney General is that I will defend Michigan's Constitution and the vote of the people. That is the oath I took on the day I was sworn in, and it's an oath I uphold every day.

And as an aside? The Supreme Court Of The United States can take their "standing" rule and shove it where the appendix begins.

No matter if targeting for liberal or conservative groups, protecting the people of the state of Michigan from the abuses of government is one of the AG's duties. Bill Schuette today announced he is calling for a real investigation:

" I do not believe that President Barack Obama's administration is capable of investigating itself. That is why I have called for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate the I.R.S.'s actions targeting certain non-profit groups simply because of their political beliefs.

Allowing the I.R.S. to act in this heavy-handed, un-American way will have a chilling effect on our very American principles of freedom of speech, assembly and participation in the public sphere.

A special prosecutor is necessary to ensure that an investigation is independent, and that it uncovers the full extent of I.R.S. activities.

If you know of an organization that believes it has been targeted by the I.R.S, please forward that information and all supporting material to my office in care of my Director of Public Affairs, Rusty Hills, at hillsr@michigan.gov so that we can provide this information to U.S. Representative Dave Camp, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, for his review.

But he's worried now, about us -- our state, our nation, and our future. Last week he sent a rather remarkable letter to a number of opinion leaders in this state. "I am writing to you now with a sense of dismay," he says. "During my time in office I truly tried to serve the people," he says, adding with pride that, "during my time in office, very few of my opinions were ever overturned."

Opinions issued by an attorney general, by the way, have the force of law, unless they are specifically overturned by a court.

So he is super bummed that he is being told he is wrong.  Big surprise.

Kelley complains that constitutional protections are being threatened.  Particularly where corporations and money going to elections would be concerned.  Strangely, I don't recall a Kelly 'decision' that said unions couldn't participate in the election process, and I really don't recall any kvetching about the McCain Feingold bill which convoluted the entire process even more.  No, Franky Kelley would like it one way and if the flavor doesn't have his stink, he isn't happy.

Go cry a river FORMER ag.

And while you are at it, consider this great representation of individual rights you fought for. Yeah, that one.  Right.  

Dear Michigan Republicans,

As we approach this weekend's Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference on historic Mackinac Island, I am writing to ask for your support and endorsement of Mitt Romney.

The Mackinac Conference is the traditional kick-off for Michigan's Republican political campaigns. I am thrilled that our team will be able to kick off the Michigan Romney campaign by welcoming Governor and Mrs. Ann Romney back home to Michigan for the conference!  

For release this weekend, we are assembling a list of supporters. I invite you to join Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, House Speaker Jase Bolger, Republican National Committeeman Saul Anuzis and Republican National Committeewoman Holly Hughes, myself and many other grassroots leaders from across the state in publicly endorsing Mitt!

I prefer a real primary where substance wins over who is next in line.  The "sender" being Bill Schuette, undoubtedly aware his name is being used, has likely not seen even seen this.

Nice machine you have there MI GOP.  You should note there are a number of better choices available for our selection in 2012. A number of folks who ACTUALLY have principles.

Bill, I know you watch this from time to time.  I would back off your endorsement, or just give in to the Obamacare mandate like a good party loyalist.  Hell, Snyder doesn't even have your back.  Mitt will likely do nothing to remove it from the books.  Modify? Yeah probably, but remove? Nah.  Ain't gonna happen.

"We need to stop being divisive and be inclusive. We have spent too much time fighting among ourselves, and have become our own worst enemy,"

Inclusive perhaps, if it is inclusive of the reality that leftist policies brought us here.  This "moment of opportunity" you mentioned at another point, is indeed that. Sir, If you go down the road of everybody gets their pet project saved, we won't be using that opportunity very well.  This is an opportunity to perhaps share a little of the reality the taxpayers who are NOT employed in state government, must endure.  De-certifying the unions would be a good start in helping the State employees KEEP their jobs.

I was the worst critic of the nerd before he won in the primary.  I must admit however, I have been pretty silent on Snyder's expected performance because I think we can make a lot of noise that doesn't much matter at this point.  When he screws up, we will be right there.

The event today had Snyder talking about his family's prior service in the capitol.  His maternal grandfather apparently was a custodian there.  kind of a neat story actually, demonstrating the level in which a family can grow in Michigan, and in this nation once revered as the basket of opportunity of the world.

Opportunity in Michigan and nationwide destroyed by the type of leftist Marxism exhibited by Snyder's predecessor and the wrecking crew known as our current federal administration.