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Attorney General Bondi’s Weekly Briefing

Florida, 43 other states, the District of Columbia and the Federal Trade Commission obtained $40 million in restitution for consumers as part of a settlement with Skechers USA, Inc., the maker of Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups, and the Skechers Resistance Runner athletic shoes. The settlement resolves allegations that without adequate support, Skechers claimed that the rocker-bottom shoe products caused consumers to lose weight, burn calories, improve circulation, fight cellulite, and firm, tone or strengthen thigh, buttock, and back muscles. In addition to restitution, the settlement prohibits Skechers from making these claims unless it has adequate substantiation to do so.

Companies are expected to do their due diligence before making claims about their products. This case is an excellent example of state and federal authorities working together to protect consumers.

In The News

Tampa Bay Times -Attorney General Pam Bondi talks to Dunedin students about Internet safety

Sunshine State News - Pam Bondi: Settlement Reached in Skechers ‘Toning’ Claims

Events

Preventing Crime in the Black Community
This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi hosted the 27^th Annual National Conference on Preventing Crime in the Black Community in Tampa. The conference, established by the Attorney General’s Office in 1986, is the perfect opportunity for law enforcement, local leaders, and members of the community to work together to share new ideas and strategies to prevent crime in our communities.

Special Olympics
On Friday, Attorney General Bondi helped kick-off the 29^th Year of the Special Olympics Games. The Special Olympics is an outstanding organization focused on enhancing the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.

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Some background about NDAA and the detention issue:

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is the bill passed by Congress each year to fund the Department of Defense. NDAA has unsurpassed record of bipartisan support – even in contentious Congresses, NDAA passes every year with bipartisan support. Over the last year, there has been significant debate about whether the detention provisions in place since the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), and affirmed by last year’s NDAA, would compromise the rights of American citizens. Congressman Rooney strongly believes that last year’s NDAA, which explicitly stated that the detention requirements did not apply to American citizens, did not impact the rights of American citizens. This year, he supported an amendment to NDAA to make even more clear that the provisions cannot supersede the rights of Americans. The amendment he supported, introduced by Reps. Landry of LA and Gohmert of TX, passed today. It firmly states that no constitutional right can be denied under the 2001 AUMF. Another amendment, offered by Rep. Amash of MI and Rep. Smith of WA, would have gone much further. It would have extended constitutional rights to foreign terrorists captured as enemy combatants in the United States. Never before has our country (or any other that I’m aware of) extended our constitutional rights to enemy combatants during a time of war. The Heritage Foundation came out in strong opposition to the Amash amendment, key-voting against it because of the perverse incentive it would give foreign terrorists to commit acts of terror here rather than abroad. Think about the message it sends – attack us abroad, you go to Gitmo. Sneak into the US illegally and attack us on our soil, then you get the same rights that American citizens receive. Remember the outrage when the underwear bomber was immediately read his Miranda rights when the plane landed, and the worry that we missed out on critical information about a possible attack by not being able to interrogate him? The Amash amendment would have codified that into law. Congressman Rooney believes that the true conservative position is to protect and defend the rights of American citizens, and to fight to keep our country safe. He could not disagree more strongly with claims that to be a conservative, you have to extend our rights to foreign terrorists and foreign enemy combatants who attack our homeland. He supports NDAA, with the Landry/Gohmert amendment, because it will keep our country safe without compromising the rights of American citizens. He opposed the Amash amendment because it would sacrifice our national security in a misguided effort to extend our constitutional rights to foreign terrorists. It’s also important to note that while much of the debate has been about the detention policies, NDAA funds our entire Department of Defense. It covers everything from troop pay and TRICARE benefits to missile defense to research and development. Among many other provisions, this year’s NDAA: increases troop pay; blocks the Obama Administration from increasing TRICARE fees; expands mental health services (an issue that Congressman Rooney has led); reduces waste, fraud and abuse; provides resources to combat sexual assault; and preserves tactical airlift critical to American power projection. If you have any questions, please let me know. Best, Michael Michael Mahaffey Communications Director Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) 202 225 5792

I am sorry folks but this points to one thing “failure in the classroom” and who is to fault for that?

This is just what Florida needs we already have one of the worst systems in the country and now they want to lower the standrds so those who cannot make the grade can, and then they have to go into remedial traingin in order to go to college.

The state of Florida spends $57 million annually on remediation – 45 percent more than the state spent seven years ago. Students’ tuition pays one-fourth of the cost and state tax dollars pay the rest.

By lowering the standards for passing writiten exam, the state is  adding to this cost. The solution is fixing the problem  local level in the classroom where it originates?  Quit teaching to this FCAT and start teaching they way the did before it came into existence.

A third of the students across the United States who say they’re ready for college are in for a shock. They simply are not academically prepared for the coursework, according to a study by the U.S. Department of Education. The study concluded that 30 percent of first-year students at four-year universities and 42 percent of students at community colleges must take at least one remedial class.

Only 17 percent of the students who take even one remedial reading class at college are likely to get their bachelor’s degree.

In Florida, in 2006, the most recent year for which state data is available, more Florida students passed the College Entry-Level Placement Test (CPT) in math, reading and writing than at any point since 2001.

But those 19,020 community college students were just over 43 percent of the total. Statewide, more than 26,000 of their peers were deemed unready for college work and placed in zero-credit remedial courses.

WHAT IS THIS COSTING YOU?
The price of providing remedial training is costly. The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates the nation loses $3.7 billion a year because students are not learning basic needed skills, including $1.4 billion to provide remedial education for students who have recently completed high school.

“From taxpayers’ standpoint, remediation is paying for the same education twice.”

30 years ago,

Students planning on going to college were STRONGLY URGED to take the following courses: 

Math (3 units) including Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra II/Trig
Science (2 to 3 units) including at least one lab science (Biology/Chem/Physics)
English (4 units) including composition and literature
History (3 units) World, US History and Government
Foreign Lang. (1 unit)

30 years ago,

You did not did not hear talk about”Remedial” trainging.

Rooney: Amash Amendment Rewards al Qaeda Attacks on U.S. Soil

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) today blasted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 offered by Representative Justin Amash (MI-03) to grant constitutional rights to foreign terrorists captured on U.S. soil.

“The Amash amendment sacrifices our national security in order to coddle foreign enemy combatants,” Rooney said.  “Never in our nation’s history have we granted enemy combatants who attack our homeland during a time of war the same rights and privileges of American citizens, but that’s exactly what the Amash amendment would do.”

“If the Amash amendment were to pass, it would send a message to al Qaeda that not only are we not serious about defeating them, but we’re even willing to reward them with the same constitutional rights that our citizens enjoy if they manage to sneak into our country and attack us on our own soil.

“I will fight like hell to protect the constitutional rights of American citizens, but I could not disagree more strongly with those who want to extend those rights to foreign terrorists.  If we catch a member of al Qaeda in the act of committing a terrorist attack on our soil, we should not treat them like a neighborhood burglar.  We should not advise them to stay silent when another attack could be imminent.  We should interrogate them and get as much information from them as we possibly can.”

Rooney served as a military prosecutor in the Army JAG Corps and taught constitutional and criminal law and West Point.  He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

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1529 Longworth House Office Building · Washington, D.C. · 20515

Phone: (202) 225-5792 · www.rooney.house.gov

Rooney Praises Amendment to Re-Affirm, Protect Americans’ Rights

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) today issued the following statement in support of the amendment offered by Representatives Jeff Landry (LA-03), Louie Gohmert (TX-01) and Scott Rigell (VA-02) to the National Defense Authorization Act:

 “I have listened to the concerns from my constituents, and I’m pleased that we can allay those concerns today.  The Landry/Gohmert/Rigell amendment explicitly re-affirms and protects the constitutional rights of American citizens, and states clearly that no citizens’ constitutional rights can be denied under the provisions of the defense bill.”

 The base bill debated by the House today already states that the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) and the FY 12 NDAA detainee provisions do not allow for the detention of any person in the United States without the right of redress, affirming that all Americans have access to the Writ of Habeas Corpus.  The Landry/Gohmert/Rigell Amendment further strengthens the protections on the law by stating that no citizens’s constitutional rights will be denied in an Article III court pursuant to the AUMF.

 “While it’s critical that we protect the rights of American citizens, we should absolutely not exploit legitimate concerns in a misguided effort to extend our rights and privileges to foreign terrorists who attack our homeland,” Rooney said.  “The Landry/Gohmert/Rigell amendment stands in sharp contrast to the Amash amendment, which would compromise our national security in order to coddle foreign terrorists and enemy combatants.”

Rooney served as a military prosecutor in the Army JAG Corps and taught constitutional and criminal law and West Point.  He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

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1529 Longworth House Office Building · Washington, D.C. · 20515

Phone: (202) 225-5792 · www.rooney.house.gov

Dear Friend,

In this video commentary, I discuss how The Cuban missile crisis is coming back! Iran is shipping missiles capable of hitting the United States to Venezuela. Chavez is setting up terror training camps in South America with Hezbollah. Dick explains the threat. Lifted from the pages of Screwed! Tune in!

(CNSNews.com) – The Green River Formation, a largely vacant area of mostly federal land that covers the territory where Colorado, Utah and Wyoming come together, contains about as much recoverable oil as all the rest the world’s proven reserves combined, an auditor from the Government Accountability Office told Congress on Thursday.

The GAO testimony stressed that the federal government was in “a unique position to influence the development of oil shale” because the Green River deposits were mostly beneath federal land.

It also noted that developing the oil would pose “socioeconomic challenges,” which included bringing “a sizable influx of workers who along with their families put additional stress on local infrastructure” and “making planning for growth difficult for local governments.”

“The Green River Formation–an assemblage of over 1,000 feet of sedimentary rocks that lie beneath parts of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming–contains the world’s largest deposits of oil shale,”Anu K. Mittal, the GAO’s director of natural resources and environment said in written testimony submitted to the House Science Subcommittee on Energy and Environment.

“USGS estimates that the Green River Formation contains about 3 trillion barrels of oil, and about half of this may be recoverable, depending on available technology and economic conditions,” Mittal testified.

AMERICAN THINKER

The overwhelming majority of Americans do not understand that Obama’s first term was dedicated to putting in place executive power to enable him and the administration to fulfill the campaign promise of “transforming America” in his second term regardless of which political party controls Congress.   That is why his re-election team is virtually ignoring the plight of incumbent or prospective Democratic Party office holders.

The most significant accomplishment of Obama’s first term is to make Congress irrelevant.  Under the myopic and blindly loyal leadership of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats have succeeded in creating an imperial and, in a second term, a potential dictatorial presidency.

During the first two years of the Obama administration when the Democrats overwhelming controlled both Houses of Congress and the media was in an Obama worshipping stupor, a myriad of laws were passed and actions taken which transferred virtually unlimited power to the executive branch.

The birth of multi-thousand page laws was not an aberration.  This tactic was adopted so the bureaucracy controlled by Obama appointees would have sole discretion in interpreting vaguely written laws and enforcing thousands of pages of regulations they and not Congress would subsequently write.  

For example, in the 2,700 pages of ObamaCare there are more than 2,500 references to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  There are more than 700 instances when he or she is instructed that they “shall” do something and more than 200 times when they “may” take at their sole discretion some form of regulatory action.  On 139 occasions, the law mentions that the “Secretary determines.”  In essence one person, appointed by and reporting to the president, will be in charge of the health care of 310 million Americans once ObamaCare is fully operational in 2014.

The same is true in the 2,319 pages of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act which confers nearly unlimited power on various agencies to control by fiat the nation’s financial, banking and investment sectors.  The bill also creates new agencies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, not subject to any oversight by Congress.   This overall process was repeated numerous times with other legislation all with the intent of granting unfettered power to the executive branch controlled Barack Obama and his radical associates.

Additionally, the Obama administration has, through its unilaterally determined rule making and regulatory powers, created laws out of whole cloth.  The Environmental Protection Agency on a near daily basis issues new regulations clearly out of their purview in order to modify and change environmental laws previously passed and to impose a radical green agenda never approved by Congress.  The same is true of the Energy and Interior Departments among many others. 

None of these extra-constitutional actions have been challenged by Congress.   The left in America knows this usurpation of power is nearly impossible to reverse unless stopped in its early stages.

It is clearly the mindset of this administration and its appointees that Congress is merely a nuisance and can be ignored after they were able to take full advantage of the useful idiots in the Democrat controlled House and Senate in 2009-2010 and the Democrat Senate in the current Congress.   

Additionally, Barack Obama knows after his re-election a Republican controlled House and Senate will not be able to enact any legislation to roll back the power previously granted to the Executive Branch or usurped by them.  His veto will not be overridden as there will always be at least 145 Democratic members of the House or 34 in the Senate in agreement with or intimidated by an administration more than willing to use Chicago style political tactics.

The stalemate between the Executive and Legislative Branches will inure to the benefit of Barack Obama and his fellow leftists.

The most significant power Congress has is the control of the purse-strings as all spending must be approved by them.  However, once re-elected, Barack Obama, as confirmed by his willingness to do or say anything and his unscrupulous re-election tactics, would not only threaten government shutdowns but would deliberately withhold payments to those dependent on government support as a means of intimidating and forcing a Republican controlled Congress to surrender to his demands, thus neutering their ability to control the administration through spending constraints.    

Further, this administration has shown contempt for the courts by ignoring various court orders, e.g.  the Gulf of Mexico oil drilling moratorium, as well as stonewalling subpoenas and requests issued by Congress.  The Eric Holder Justice Department has become the epitome of corruption as part of the most dishonest and deceitful administration in American history.   In a second term the arrogance of Barack Obama and his minions will become more blatant as he will not have to be concerned with re-election.  

Who will be there to enforce the rule of law, a Supreme Court ruling or the Constitution?  No one.  Barack Obama and his fellow-travelers will be unchallenged as they run roughshod over the American people.

Many Republicans and conservatives dissatisfied with the prospect of Mitt Romney as the nominee for president are instead focused on re-taking the House and Senate.   That goal, while worthy and necessary, is meaningless unless Barack Obama is defeated.  The nation is not dealing with a person of character and integrity but someone of single-minded purpose and overwhelming narcissism.   Judging by his actions, words and deeds during his first term, he does not intend to work with Congress either Republican or Democrat in his second term but rather to force his radical agenda on the American people through the power he has usurped or been granted.

The governmental structure of the United States was set up by the founders in the hope that over the years only those people of high moral character and integrity would assume the reins of power.   However, knowing that was not always possible, they dispersed power over three distinct and independent branches as a check on each other.

What they could not imagine is the surrender and abdication of its constitutional duty by the preeminent governmental branch, the Congress, to a chief executive devoid of any character or integrity coupled with a judiciary essentially powerless to enforce the law when the chief executive ignores them

Conservatives, Libertarians, the Republican Party and Mitt Romney must come to grips with this moment in time and their historical role in denying Barack Obama and his minions their ultimate goal.   All resources must be directed at that end-game and not merely controlling Congress and the various committee chairmanships. 

]]> http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?feed=rss2&p=5061 0 http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?p=4691 http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?p=4691#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:00:44 +0000 Jack Nelson http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?p=4691 Be sure to check out the informational / News videos under the sidebar
“info Videos”
Lots of great information. ]]> http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?feed=rss2&p=4691 0 http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?p=3811 http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?p=3811#comments Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:51:55 +0000 Jack Nelson http://thehighlandsteaparty.com/?p=3811 READ THE NEWS PATRIOTS SOME OF IT IS VERY SHOCKING

Below are links to current news releases and videos,
This page will  be updated Daily and refreshed every Sunday

Comments in black are mine. JEN.

CLICK ON THE LINK YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FOR 

THE LATEST NEWS

05/19/ -House approves East Coast missile shield site in $643 billion defense bill
http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/228335-house-approves-missile-defense-system-for-east-coast-in-sweeping-defense-bill

05/19/ – Obama’s Campaign about Nothing
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/05/19/obamas_campaign_about_nothing

05/18/ – Dr. Wafa Sultan exposes Islamic values with Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad
http://www.mrctv.org/videos/dr-wafa-sultan-exposes-islamic-values-sheikh-omar-bakri-muhammad

05/17/ – Smith-Amash Detainee Amendment Is Dangerous Policy (The Heritage Network)
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/05/16/smith-amash-detainee-amendment-is-dangerous-policy/

05/17/ – 6 IN 10 WANT TO KNOW CANDIDATES’ OBAMA’S ELIGIBILITY
http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/amazing-number-want-to-know-candidates-eligibility/

05/17/ – Starting to Save the American Dream -Strong Group of Senators Cast a Courageous Vote
http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=12038577980&ch=5BB3BA0EB71049B03E0A537553B51EE0&h=a5d166d089305607a0e4e1ec32a540dc&ei=sdR9t38

05/17/ – Feds clearing way for drones over your house
http://conservativebyte.com/2012/05/feds-clearing-way-for-drones-over-your-house/

05/17/ – Important open letter to friends of WND
http://alerts.worldnetdaily.com/HM?a=ENX7CqmtUrzj8SA9MKJYGF7nGHxKLpMegfcStGb5lw8W0bBhOG5mpqVsje_Hhe-ud1Jw

05/17/ – Presidents own Democratic controlled Senate  rejects Obama budget in 99-0 vote
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/227857-senate-rejects-obama-budget-in-99-0-vote

05/17/ – Obama, Boehner clash at White House meeting over raising debt ceiling
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/227793-obama-boehner-clash-at-white-house-over-debt-ceiling-hike

05/16/ – Representative Allen West Florida, Letter to President Obama
http://west.house.gov/images/stories/Letter_to_President_Obama_re_Daqduq_-_16_MAY_2012.pdf

05/16/- Arizona State Election Officials to Hawaii: Show the Birth Certificate
http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/arizona-official-to-hawaii-show-birth-verification/

05/14/ -Legislature approves bill to bar use of Islamic law, other foreign codes, in Kansas courts
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/legislature-approves-bill-to-bar-use-of-islamic-law-other-foreign-codes-in-kansas-courts/2012/05/11/gIQAjLUBJU_story.html

05/14/ – Obama Attacks Capitalism in New Ad
http://conservativebyte.com/2012/05/obama-camp-attacks-capitalism-in-new-ad/

05/14/ – Federal Lands Sit on Oil Deposit Bigger Than All Known Oil Reserves Combined
http://godfatherpolitics.com/5188/federal-lands-sit-on-oil-deposit-bigger-than-all-known-oil-reserves-combined/

05/14/ – As Mitt Romney drifts, Speaker Boehner stays focused on economic message
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/227033-as-romney-drifts-boehner-stays-on-message

05/14/ – FCC unlikely to revoke broadcasting licenses for Fox, say experts
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/227039-fcc-unlikely-to-revoke-broadcasting-licenses-for-fox-say-experts

05/14/ -Obama’s ‘bribe’ to silence Wright
http://conservativebyte.com/2012/05/obamas-bribe-to-silence-wright/

05/14/ -Obama Signed Another Executive Order?
http://patriotupdate.com/22867/obama-signed-another-executive-order

05/13/ -Attack of the Tea Party Zombies
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/05/attack_of_the_tea_party_zombies.html

05/13/ – Why Obama Challenged Arizona’s Immigration Law
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/05/why_obama_challenged_arizonas_immigration_law.html

ALERTS

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Numbers do make a difference.
The date of posting is  directly below the Alert Beacon.