It is no small thing that the Governor vetoed the bill that would put the Iraq deployment on the California ballot, and he is to be praised for the courage and conviction it took to take this action.

No one can deny that Iran is the biggest threat in the region.Fromtheir illegal nuclear weapons ambitions, their funding of terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihadto their open calls for the destruction of Israel and the United States, their aims could not be clearer and they cannot be ignored. We currently hold positions on their western and eastern fronts, and can pull carrier battle groups in to deal with their southern front. None of the countries in the region want to see Iran fill the vacuum we would leave by pulling out of Iraq, but they are afraid of them. We will continue to build allies in the region through a show of strength and determination; therefore, we must not pull out now. Mistakes have been made in every war throughout history, but the fact that we’ve made some in this war is no reason to retreat.Despite those who wish to deny the truth, it is not hyperbole to realize thatthis war will determine the fate of… Read More

We are done until January 7, notwithstanding any special session action on water and health. The process of going though bills at the end wasvery fast and furious, not a great way to debate or contemplate bills. Workingtill 3:30 AM, whether trying to disc a straight line in a rice field, or do legislation, can get marginal results. … Read More

A longand passionate discussion preceded a vote on the Assembly floor on ACA 8, with the vote going 45-30, a 2/3 vote of 54 required to place it on the ballot. The argument that it’s hard to define what property should be protected, when it’s OK to use your land for a given purpose, etc, is an arrogant view by land grabbers that trample a cornerstone issue for our Founders.

The Jarvis-Farm Bureau-CA Alliance initiative is the solution to restore that safety from wrongful takings. Signature gatherers, full speed ahead! And watch out for the phonyinitiative that will now be pushed by the losers of ACA 8.… Read More

We’re committed to presenting a spectrum of views (within reason) on the healthcare debate taking place in Sacramento. With the Governor’s promised veto of AB 8, we’re very pleased to share with you this column from long-time FR friend Ruben Barrales, who is President of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce… A couple of weeks ago, I met at a local Chinese restaurant with many fellow San Diego-area colleagues, including the North San Diego Chamber, Scripps Health System, Sharp Health Care and Bumble Bee Foods. We were not there to eat (although the place does have great food), but rather we were gathered to show our support for the Governor’s approach to health care reform. … Read More

Cal Grant financial aid, fee waivers,for illegal immigrants in a bill, SB 1, passes off of our floor tonight, 45-29.… Read More

IS PHIL ANGELES CRYING? I’m sure Phil Angelides is crying somewhere right now, depressed that he is not in Sacramento to sign the outrageous shift towards socialized medicine that has been passed by legislative Democrats and placed on the Governor’s desk. Much time has been spent on this page criticizing Governor Schwarzenegger for his own proposal to significantly increase the size of government and state government’s role in health care. That said, today is a good time to take a pause, and appreciate that the extreme agenda of Don Perata and Fabian Nunez is too far to the left, even for the port-side shift of Schwarzenegger. The Governor has vowed to veto AB 8 and he should be applauded for doing so. Perhaps if Mr. Angeles is bored, he can print out a copy of AB 8 on his computer, and sign the bottom of it. That’s about all of the relevance that he will have in this process — thank goodness! THE LINE IN THE SAND ON REDISTRICTING REFORM Lost… Read More

Just six years ago, our two oceans protection strategy crumbled.Radical Islam’s resurgence came swift and deadly.Central Europe faced the same resurgence just 324 years ago.

My family visited Vienna last summer. When we asked the hotel’s concierge where we would find Monuments of Vienna’s most important day, the Siege of Vienna by Muslim Jihadists in 1683, the otherwise bright guide didn’t understand my inquiry.

In Sept 11 and 12th of 1683, the Ottoman Turks, after years of planning, had Vienna under siegeby hundreds of thousands of soldiers. After hundreds of years and countless victims conquering Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania and most of eastern Europe, the Turks were determined to conquer Europe. The most effective soldiersfor the Turks armies were the legendary Janissary. Mostly composed of Greek and eastern European Christian boys seized from their families to create a "new soldier". Much like the modern day totalitarian armies, boys, as young as… Read More

I keep hearing persistent feedback that there are some legislative Republicans who think that the legislature granting a big pay raise (plus) to the CCPOA is a grand idea. Clearly the Governor does not, I and I have been critical.

This is the Governor’s statement: "I did not veto $700 million from the budget to give it all to CCPOA in a backroom deal. This bill makes an end run around negotiations and mediation, reverses an arbitration decision that saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars, kills any hope for management reform, and reinstates, in full, the contract signed by Governor Gray Davis. This is the same contract that Republicans and Democrats derided as the biggest sweetheart deal in California history." Please educate me on the CCPOA side of this equation…. Someone? I am truly open to hearing both sides of this issue. Drop me a line here.

Thanks in advance.… Read More