Reagan’s would-be assassin aided by top Obama adviser from WND reported on Barack Obama’s foreign policy adviser, Lawyer to the Left Greg Craig – who among his great legal achievements – made sure that John Hinckley got a cushy mental…

And His wife hates America

And his preacher hates America

And he won’t salute the flag

And his councel defends terrorist

And Hamas and Hezbolla love him,

And he is a Marxist.

That shouldn’t disqualify him

Red Pill on May 19, 2008 at 6:07 PM

What do you think “redress of Grievances” means? Pray?

This will undoubtedly surprise a few people, but the Constitution itself mentions the right for citizens “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Since people assemble and find representatives — lobbyists — to petition for redress of grievances, it seems as though that part of the system works.

Actually, the Supreme Court has never ruled on the meaning of the “petition the Government for a redress of grievances” clause.

In July 2004 almost 2000 Americans filed a landmark lawsuit against the U.S. Government seeking to have the federal Judiciary declare — for the first time in history — the constitutional meaning of the First Amendment Petition clause including the Right of the People to enforce the Right of Petition if Redress is denied.

If you want to see what’s going on with that lawsuit, which has reached the Supreme Court, click here.

Nail on head. It’s like regulation. The more there is, the more closely business involves itself in government. What is that type of economics called again, when Government controls business but business owns the means of production? Oh yeah.

The way to get money out of politics is to get politics out of money. As long as politicians are going to intervene in the markets and pick winners in business, businessmen have a responsibility to the shareholders to curry favor and bribe them.

It all works out very nicely for both sides, so don’t expect anything to change.

While some lobbyists have abused their influence and power to create corruption, it’s the politicians who are the actual corrupt agents. It’s not unlike blaming a mistress for a husband’s infidelity. She certainly has a portion of the moral guilt, but it was the husband who vowed to stay loyal to the wife, not the mistress to keep away from the husband.

Exactly. Lobbyists serve a legitimate function and it is ludicrous to demonize all lobbyists, and a fool’s errand to try to rid one’s campaign of every single one of them.

A history of Lobbyists.

Little lobbyists, on the hillside

Ah, man, you got that song stuck in my head. It’s been a while since I heard it…

wise_man on May 19, 2008 at 5:21 PM

Granted, within this lobbyist hunt, it’s very relevant, but I’m criticizing the entire meme.

Yeah, but getting mad at lobbyists is like getting mad at an ant infestation when you leave food out on the floor. They are a symptom, not a disease.

However, that only exists at the federal level to the extent that our Representatives and Senators expand the federal government to control more and more of the lives of its citizenry

Nail on head. It’s like regulation. The more there is, the more closely business involves itself in government. What is that type of economics called again, when Government controls business but business owns the means of production? Oh yeah.

Lobbyists have become, like corporations and Big (insert name of industry), a boogyman of the left, trotted out every 2-4 years to trick the more susceptible democrat voters that without the benevolent state, they would soon have to turn all Hansel and Gretel to survive (the Grimm version, not the Disney). Ugh.

All of this would be relevant if somehow it was illegal for attorneys to represent clients or lobbyists to petition Congress on behalf of citizens.

This seems to be a tit for tat for Moveon Org’s McCain: Fire Charlie Black

And if MoveOn PAC is going to do this to McCain, I see no reason to say that this is irrelevant.

This will undoubtedly surprise a few people, but the Constitution itself mentions the right for citizens “peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Since people assemble and find representatives — lobbyists — to petition for redress of grievances, it seems as though that part of the system works.

The best thing Clinton did in this campaign season was to defend lobbyists. I’m no fan of giving presents etc as part of lobbying, but the fundamental principle should not be abridged – regardless of the avenue. The fathers understood that – JQA’s work in the defense of this principle, is perhaps his career best.