Sorenson to Introduce Anti-TSA Legislation

Last week, Senator Rand Paul made headlines when he was detained by Transportation Security Agency thugs at a Nashville airport while returning to Washington.  Now, the Iowa Senate’s champion of liberty may be taking action close to home.  Senator Kent Sorenson said in an email to supporters that he plans to introduce legislation limiting the TSA’s reach into the pants of innocent Iowans.  Sorenson begins:

Nationally, we’ve got government gone wild with their “big
brother” mentality. Cyber monitoring. Attempts to regulate
the Internet. Automated traffic enforcement. Electronic
eavesdropping. Groping stations at airports. The list of
things we need to be “safe” in this country gets bigger and
bigger every day.

But it is not only Senator Paul, but his own constituents whom Sorenson seeks to protect.

A friend of mine told me just the other day that she and her
teenage daughter had gone through a nightmare when she
refused to be treated like a criminal and let the TSA thugs
run her and her daughter through their x-ray scanners.

You probably have heard about the scanners I’m talking about.

You know, the ones that provide naked pictures of the victims
to the TSA agents working the counter? The ones that clearly
violate the fourth amendment to the Constitution, which
states “The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall
issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Not only that, but a constituent of mine from Earlham, IA,
had the same experience where she was treated like a criminal
for refusing to be treated like one! Deciding to do a little
digging, I tragically found out that being groped and molested
isn’t a very uncommon thing anymore when it comes to traveling.

Action at the state level is great way to take a stand against the overreach of the police state, especially as Republicans and Democrats in Congress compete with one another to see who can take away rights the fastest.  While the specific piece of legislation is still being drafted, Sorenson promises to introduce it before the end of session.  You can be sure we at Iowa Freedom Report will keep you posted when the bill is filed so you can alert you local representatives that if they’d like your vote, this bill would be an important one to be on.

Taxpayers United Calls For Pension Reform

Taxpayers United of America toured the state last week calling on Governor Branstad and lawmakers to release pension data.  By releasing names and benefit amounts, they hope to trigger a debate that will eventually bring government benefits in line with those in the private sector.  Iowa, like most other states, has a two-tier retirement system with private sector workers primarily involved in defined-contribution plans such as a 401k and government employees receiving guaranteed pensions at taxpayer expense and minimal personal contribution.

“Releasing the specific names and pension amounts would show who’s really benefitting,” said Christina Tobin, TUA’s Vice-President. “But Iowa refuses to release actual individual pension payments.  There is no fair representation of taxpayers.”  This refusal is even more surprising as information on government salaries is readily available.

In the absence of transparency from the state government, TUA has released their own estimates of pension recipients, showing many state and local workers retiring as “pension millionaires.”  We’ve already seen how retirement plans grossly out of line with market forces have handicapped large corporations and contributed to the eroding of America’s industrial base.  With the looming retirements of a generations of government employees, tax-funded pensions are a ticking time bomb set to blow up in the face of younger Iowans just now building a life of their own.  We applaud Taxpayers United of America and urge our readers to use their resources when contacting their local legislators.

The Iowa Delegation on SOPA/PIPA

Many in our nation’s government have called out the authoritarian Chinese and Iranian governments for their censorship of the internet in the last year.  Others in Congress took the opportunity instead to learn from overseas and sought ways to implement such policies here.  Yesterday, however We The People fought back.  With the massive net-roots backlash and shutdown of many popular websites in protest of the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act and its Senate cousin the Protect Intellectual Property Act, we thought we’d update our readers on how the Iowans in Congress stand on the issue.  What their real feelings are, it is hard to say, but many of our representatives seem to be proving the old saying “politicians don’t see the light, they feel the heat.”  Many even took to suddenly-endangered social media sites to take a stand.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R) – Senator Grassley is a sponsor of PIPA.  While the freedom movement has no shortage of problems with Grassley, he does do a decent job of trying to represent his constituents and he has obviously heard from them.  Grassley now says that he is withdrawing his support for the bill “in its current form” but not his sponsorship.  Grassley is out on his 99-county tour this week, so keep up the pressure, folks!

Senator Tom Harkin (D) – Senator Harkin has not, to our knowledge, released a statement on PIPA.  A spokesperson told the Des Moines Register that he “continues to review the legislation.”  Iowa Freedom Report urges our readers in the Bahamas to contact our senator and voice their opinion.

Congressman (CD-1) Bruce Braley (D) – Congressman Braley, who alternately tantalizes and infuriates freedom voters heard the voice of the people on this one and opposes SOPA.  He even blacked out his mouth Ron Paul-style in his social media profile pictures and released a humorous YouTube video expressing his thoughts.  On twitter, Braley cited the thousands of emails he’d received for influencing his position.

Congressman (CD-2) Dave Loebsack (D) – Congressman Loebsack has sort of danced around the SOPA issue, not taking a clear stand.  As best we can translate the politician speak in a Daily Iowan interview, he might be leaning against.

Congressman (CD-3) Leonard Boswell (D) – Congressman Boswell came out clearly in opposition to SOPA with a statement yesterday:  “While I am supportive of protecting copyrighted content and preventing piracy, I will not back legislation that could unfarily hinder freedoms of speech and expression and possibly hurt our country’s online innovators, most of which are small businesses.  At this time, I do not believe SOPA strikes the appropriate balance.”

Congressman (CD-4) Tom Latham (R) – Congressman Latham tweeted his opposition yesterday stating:  “It is worthy to protect intellectual property – but not at the cost of free speech. I oppose SOPA or any bill abridging freedom of speech.”

Congressman (CD-5) Steve King (R) – Congressman King is working against SOPA in the House Judiciary Committee and brought the issue some early attention in December with his hilarious observation that “We are debating the Stop Online Piracy Act and Shiela Jackson has so bored me that I’m killing time by surfing the Internet.”

As it stands right now, Iowa has 4 clearly against, 2 possibly for if slight changes (ie, less public pressure) are made, and 1 undecided.

Freedom Movement Mourns the Loss of Richard Auwerda

A "driving force" for liberty - Richard Auwerda, always decked out in a cowboy hat and patriotic apparel, pulls the Ron Paul float at the 2011 4th of July parade in Ames.

The freedom movement in Iowa today mourns the loss of activist extraordinaire Richard Auwerda of rural Story County.  Auwerda was a veteran of the United States Navy and in his personal life continued to live out his faithfulness to his oath defending the Constitution.  He was active in various tea party organizations in central Iowa and was a strong advocate for pro-liberty Republicans such as Kent Sorenson, Kim Pearson, Glenn Massie and Tom Shaw.

For a Christian like Mr. Auwerda, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21) so the loss is ours to bear as he has gone home to his savior.  It is an especially great loss for us at Iowa Freedom Report, as we did not have the opportunity to know such a wonderful man in his life and can only reflect on his death.  Our peers in the blogosphere handled this challenge by reposting Mr. Auwerda’s own words, so we felt it an appropriate tribute to do likewise with writing relevant to our community.  So we leave you with an excerpt from his endorsement of Dr. Paul:

I personally see a need to get back to the Constitution (original intent) as being of primary importance. THIS MIGHT BE OUR LAST CHANCE!! If our Government can return to that…the other differences in politics, economics and even culture can more easily be addressed, as our elected leaders will then all start from the same premise. The drafters of our Constitution were able to put aside personal differences in order to write and establish the Constitution, so that it not only protected our liberties, but emphasized the Judeo/Christian morals and beliefs that are a part of our Constitution and therefore Government; and a well defined outline of powers, roles and premises all agreed on to address any issue during any crisis or period of time.

There are many “johnny-come-latelies” that have jumped on this Band Wagon and I hope they are sincere; But because of the consistency of Ron Paul’s votes in this area, and other important issues - such as auditing the Federal Reserve and balancing our budget, I know from the record Dr. Paul has seen this drift away from the Constitution, by both Parties, and is not just changing to win an election, but has always seen the problem and always goes back to the Constitution to make his decision. The individual legislature candidates Dr. Paul has assisted in State of Iowa races, speaks with the same volume as did Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Dr. Paul supported Kent Sorenson, Kim Pearson, Glen Massey, Tom Shaw, and Chad Steenhoek. The people in this state he has surrounded himself with, are also good friends of mine, and are known to all for their integrity, their knowledge and support to the constitution and “walking the talk” of their Christian Faith, Dr. Drew Ivers, A.J. Spiker and David Fisher, among others. Dr. Ron Paul is also a Statesman, something this Country is really lacking and I whole heartedly believe he is the man that we need at this moment in history.

Dr. Paul’s parallel from 1 Samuel 8 and our attitude towards our government or President as King should not be taken lightly.  While the rest of the field of candidates debates who’d be the best to “run the economy”, “run our military [empire]“, or “lead the free world”, Dr. Paul says “it takes more courage to limit one’s power” to it’s Constitutional role.  I think we can agree on the battles to fight, but we disagree on where we should fight them (i.e. State and Federal Responsibilities at the AZ border). Our Constitution defines where we should start, and therefore a vote for Ron Paul would allow us to begin these battles in earnest.

Funeral services will be held at Grace Evangelical Free Church in Huxley.  As a final tribute, mourners are asked to bring with them American flags mounted on hand-held poles with which to line to sidewalk leading out of the church..

Rest in peace, brother.

Tom Woods to Speak on Nullification Monday Night

Above: a flyer for Dr. Woods' presentation to Citizens for Nullification

For our readers in central Iowa, there is an event you won’t want to miss on Monday night.  Citizens for Nullification will present Dr. Tom Woods for a speech on the topic of “How to Stop Tyranny in the 21st Century.”  Not coincidentally, that is also the subtitle of Wood’s latest book, which explains how state governments can use the constitutional procedure known as nullification to blunt the effects of federal overreach.

The event will take place at Point of Grace Church at 305 NE Dartmoor Drive in Waukee.  Admission is free but donations will be accepted.  Woods’ previous visits to Iowa have included an appearance at Campaign for Liberty’s 2010 Des Moines regional conference and a speech to a Republican Party of Iowa fundraiser alongside Dr. Ron Paul.

Ron Paul’s Narrow Road to White House Starts Tonight

With the Iowa caucuses now just an hour away, we’re seeing the culmination of 5 years of work by the freedom movement coming to a peak with more battles yet to fight.  After nearly 40 years of promoting peace, limited government, and sound money, the American public is finally ready to listen to Ron Paul.  We in Iowa bear a special responsibility within the movement thanks to our position at the head of the Republican’s nominating calendar.  In 2008, Paul’s campaign was managed and staffed by committed ideologues long on policy bonafides but short on political experience.  On their advice, Paul mostly skipped Iowa and those of us on the ground scrapped for what we could get.

This year is different in both the environment and the campaign.  The public is tired of politics as usual and unending, pointless wars.  The campaign is led by serious politicos and the ideologues have posted a few scalps of their own on the wall after weathering some tough convention fights and elections elsewhere.  Paul’s investment in Iowa is paying major dividends, nearly winning the Ames Straw vote and polling in the top 3 all winter.  Freedom advocates are still a distinct minority to neoconservatives but our numbers are growing and theirs in decline.  Four years ago, they said Dr. Paul had no support and were shocked when we won 10%.  Then they said Paul could get 10% in any state, but he had a “ceiling” he would never exceed.  When that ceiling started to move up, they said he couldn’t win Iowa.  When Paul polled in first place in a few of polls, it changed to “well of course he’ll win Iowa everyone knows that,” but he couldn’t move on.  Now polling in 2nd in New Hampshire and moving up elsewhere one could imagine that in a few months we’ll be hearing on the news, “yes Ron Paul will be President, but they’ll never elect him Secretary General of the UN.”

In 2008, we polled between 5-10% the week before caucus and hit the high end of that.  Now, we are polling between 20-27%.  We may not come in first as Romney’s numbers have held steady and the neoconservatives are cranking up the hype machine for their latest flavor of the month, the former Senator from Pennsylvania whose name we don’t use on this site because as a family-friendly site we don’t repeat words like that (Murdoch himself endorsed the other night).  It is clear, however, that we will finish in the medals and get one of the traditional “three tickets out of Iowa” and set us up for a head to head with the only other viable candidate in the race, Mit Romney, in New Hampshire.  It’s still a long road to the White House, but a win here gives us the best chance.  The media and the party will go out of their way to ignore whatever result we get, so we must speak not with our voices, but with numbers large enough to be heard.

Wherever we finish tonight, win, lose, or draw, the Republican Party will wake up on Wednesday morning to a new reality.  There is a large and growing freedom movement that is going to be a force to be reckoned with.  And we are winning.  The median age of a Fox News viewer is 77 years old.  We draw from all ages.  There are a lot of us and with every obituary page that’s published, there are fewer and fewer of them.  Vote for Ron Paul tonight, and stay around to elect your fellow Paul supporters as convention delegates.  Not everyone who loves liberty can hold back their vomit enough to participate in the Republican Party so those who can’t should at least vote for those who will.

Find your caucus location here:  http://www.ronpaul2012.com/2012/01/02/iowa-caucus-information-guide/

We’ll see you at the caucuses!

Last Minute Endorsements Target Iowa

National figures in politics and foreign policy have weighed in with last minutes endorsements for Ron Paul over the past week, directing their remarks to Iowa voters.

CIA veteran Michael Scheuer, who headed the unit charged with tracking down Osama bin Laden under the Clinton and Bush administrations, posted his endorsement on his website on December 31.  Scheuer made clear what he called “Iowa’s Choice” between Ron Paul or more bankruptcy and more deaths:

“only the gentleman from Texas speaks for the Founder’s non-interventionist vision of America’s role in world affairs and for plain common sense. In the Founders’ non-interventionist design for U.S. foreign policy that is championed by Dr. Paul, Iowans will find a proven road to the maintenance of America’s sovereignty, independence, peace, and prosperity. In the realm of common sense, Dr. Paul beats his fellow candidates, the Obamaites, and the media hands down. Dr. Paul challenges the interventionists in both parties on their plans for spreading secular democracy — and causing wars thereby — on historical grounds that are irrefutable because they are just good commonsense.”

Former Republican and current Libertarian candidate for President Governor Gary Johnson also urged his remaining Iowa supporters to caucus for Paul.  We at IFR have covered Johnson’s efforts since 2010 and have been granted unprecedented access to his campaign.  Right on all the issues, unfortunately Johnson’s aborted GOP efforts proved that the party simply doesn’t have enough supporters of smaller government to sustain more than one candidate with that message.

Closer to home, Paul picked up two prominent crossover Democrats recently as well.  Francis Thicke, the organic farmer from libertarian hotbed Fairfield, posted on his facebook page that he will join the “Republican for a Day” movement in order to “keep Ron Paul’s voice for peace in the presidential debates as long as possible, so he can refute the warmongering rhetoric of the other Repbulican candidates.”  Thanks to Bleeding Heartland for the tip.  Plenty of small government supporters backed Thicke in 2010 for his vision of agriculture as a series of small, family owned enterprises in contrast to the taxpayer-subsidized corporate farming advocated by Secretary Northey, so its nice to see him return the favor.

Two former Democratic State Representatives also came out for Paul.  Joel Brown, who represented suburban Des Moines during the 1990’s spoke about his support for Paul on the Fallon Forum on December 22, citing the toll on the republic taken by years of war and overspending.  Fallon himself, who long has urged his followers to crossover in the caucuses offered a blanket endorsement for the “less extreme” candidates, whom he identifies as Dr. Paul, Jon Huntsman, Buddy Roemer, and Fred Karger.  Of those, only Paul and Karger have campaigned in Iowa.

That is independents, Libertarians, and Democrats coming together around one candidate.  Be sure to join us at the caucuses tonight, we’ll be a pretty big and diverse group!

Welcome Home! Kent Sorenson Backs Ron Paul

Wednesday night in Des Moines, Congressman Ron Paul held a “Rally for Veterans” but it was a veteran of the Iowa Legislature who provided the biggest shock and awe of the caucus season.  Freedom Senator Kent Sorenson (R-Indianola) announced at the rally that he is leaving Michele Bachmann’s floundering campaign to join frontrunner Ron Paul.  Iowa Freedom Report had heard rumors of an impending switch dating back to September, but Sorenson said he had made up his mind just this week.

For Sorenson, the endorsement of Ron Paul is both an ideological reunion and a recognition of political reality.  A statement released to the media read:

But the fact is, there is a clear top tier in the race for the Republican nomination for President, both here in Iowa and nationally. Ron Paul is easily the most conservative of this group. . .

Like all true conservatives, I wholeheartedly agree with Ron Paul that government is too big, and both parties share in the blame. We agree that it is immoral to print money and pass on mounds of debt to the next generation. We agree that life begins at conception and must be protected. We both believe that the Second Amendment must be defended unwaveringly, and that there are too many wars being fought with no end in sight and no obvious path to a defined victory.

Of course, as a state legislator, I recognize that Dr. Paul’s strong views on the 10th Amendment will enable me to fight for what I believe in right in my own backyard instead of having to constantly wait on one-size-fits-all “solutions” from Washington, D.C.

Sorenson’s endorsement should be a huge boost to Paul, perhaps not so much because of the man himself, but because it highlights how the race has now become between just 2 men – Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.  No other candidates have the combination of organizational structure, money, and the broad base of support needed to wage a national campaign.  Bachmann, Santorum, and Huntsman are all waging single state campaigns and praying for a miracle.  Newt Gingrich is popular on cable news, but as he found out in Virginia, Sean Hannity is not going to go out and collect ballot access signatures for you.  Rick Perry can’t overcome his missteps as a candidate no matter how much money his Super PACs throw into advertising.

Sorenson also realizes the scorched earth war on the freedom movement set to be unleashed should Paul come out victorious next week.  By supporting Bachmann, he kept one foot in the establishment and one in the freedom movement.  If the GOP could succeed in driving out the Paulites (a dubious proposition), no doubt they will come after Sorenson next.  Had he stayed with Bachmann, its possible that his freedom base wouldn’t be so enthusiastic about his upcoming re-election campaign.

As it is right now, its a great night in Iowa.  We’re killing to fatted calf and welcoming back our wayward son.  Viva la r3VOLution!

Ron Paul for President

At Iowa Freedom Report, we have an extremely conservative endorsement policy.  With two pro-freedom candidates running for the Republican Presidential nomination, we have maintained a strict neutrality giving favorable coverage to both Congressman Ron Paul and Governor Gary Johnson.  However, tomorrow, December 28 the “worst-kept secret” in politics will come true – Governor Gary Johnson will announce that he is ending his Republican bid to seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party.  With Johnson out of the running for now, we strongly support Dr. Ron Paul in next week’s Iowa caucuses.

In 30 years in Congress, Dr. Paul has compiled an unprecedented voting record.  With his strict adherence to his oath of office to defend the Constitution, Paul’s votes have set him apart from both Democrats and his fellow Republicans.  By standing alone for liberty, sometimes on the losing end of 434-1 votes, Paul has well earned his title as “the one exception to the gang of 535 on Capitol Hill.”  Not swayed by the silly machinations of party politics, Paul votes on principle whether it is “conservative” like opposing tax increases or “liberal” like opposing the drug war.  Perhaps this should not be so surprising as Paul is well versed in the philosophy of liberty, in particular the great Austrian economists like von Mises and Hayek.  In the long arc of Paul’s career, he learned from an aging Hayek while a young man, associated with Murray Rothbard as an adult, then introduced a new generation of students to these same great thinkers.

Of all the votes Paul has taken during his lonely watch as a sentry for freedom, perhaps none was more important than his “no” to the Iraq War.  With the Wilsonians and globalists in firm command of the Republican Party, all lofty conservative goals are now sacrificed to one aim – a constant state of global welfare and global warfare.  By daring to challenge the party orthodoxy, Paul re-opened the debate over the proper reach of American foreign policy and introduced truly republican (with a small “r”) ideas into the mainstream for the first time since Robert Taft’s bid was undone by the Rockefeller Republicans’ race-baiting chicanery at the 1952 GOP convention.  The pre-r3volution Republican Party had become so sick and twisted that one GOP contender would actually tell an Ames debate audience that the US should be proud of installing one of the 20th century’s worst dictators because it brought “40 years of freedom.”  The people who think this way are now flummoxed as Paul’s principled stance for life in the foreign policy realm has only served to catapult him to ever greater poll numbers, proving that our ideas and not their militarist bluster are the true soul of this great nation.

By operating above the banal traditions of blind partisanship, Ron Paul has united under the libertarian banner a coalition diverse in race, religion, age, sexual orientation, and prior allegiance.  Riding this wave of enthusiasm, victory for Paul in the nomination contest is no longer out of the question.  Many leading Iowa Republicans, citing Paul’s excellent organization helmed ably by Dr. Drew Ivers, have already conceded our caucuses to him and in the process are putting the word out to the national media that they would be wise to ignore our state.  We at IFR are far from overconfident and we urge you to make your best efforts for the good doctor between now and caucus night.  Even more important, attend a caucus training session near you to network with other local Paul supporters in order to elect each other as delegates to your county and later sate GOP conventions as we will need all the help we can get to beat back the onslaught of attacks our movement is likely to face from the Republican establishment.  For those who still prefer Governor Johnson, we urge you to at least donate one night and cast a ballot for Paul.  There will be ample time to support Johnson in the general election.  Should Ron Paul come up short in the Republican race, more votes for him now will only strengthen the case later that a significant voting bloc is unrepresented in an Obama-Romney race.

Dr. Paul has said many times that an idea whose time has come cannot be stopped.  January 3, 2012 is our time, the time for peace and liberty to be heard across the nation and it all starts right down your street.  We’ll see you on caucus night!

Jan Mickelson’s Plan – “Vote for Ron Paul”

It’s no secret to freedom loving Iowans that we have a friend in WHO morning host Jan Mickelson, but now the self-described “Christian Libertarian” will be joining us at the polls.  Ed Fallon today posted an exchange he had with Mickelson regarding the Occupy movement, specifically their plan to disrupt proceedings at various Presidential campaign offices.  Fallon, the former State Representative, challenged Mikelson to present his ideas for combating Wall Street greed, if the “occupation” was such a poor idea.  From the Fallon Forum:

Ed: [We should] Debate our respective plans to rid Wall Street and the halls of political power of “scumbags” (your term, not mine). You do have a plan, don’t you?

Jan: Yes, vote for Ron Paul. He’ll return us to honest money, constitutionally limited government, non-interventionist foreign policy, dismantled nanny state.

To which Fallon replies:

. . .you can put your faith in one guy, but mine lies with the American people. Ron Paul’s not going to fix America any more than Barrack Obama did. WE have got to save this country, and we do that through focused, broad-based, peaceful campaigns, employing ALL the tools at our disposal – everything from education to political action, from marches to civil disobedience.

The full exchange is worth reading, as both have some good points.  Fallon is correct that to fix America, we’ll need more than one Presidential campaign, we’ll need to use all available means – short of initiating force, of course.  Even “occupying” a campaign office as a form of civil disobedience is not the worst idea of all time.  Mikelson errs in his judgment of the campaign office as private property.  Technically, yes, but the candidates are public figures who wish to assume the most powerful office in the world and the public should have every opportunity to influence them.

Whether such an action would be effective – well, you’re not going to get Chairman Cain to back off his support for the Federal Reserve’s loose monetary policy any more than you’re going to get him off of an attractive female staffer.  Mitt Romney is the 1% candidate, so good luck with that.  Ron Paul’s staff would probably invite the Occupiers in for hot chocolate and a few economics lessons.

Fallon himself is a prominent Democrat, but he is an unconventional one.  With his opposition to militarism, corporate welfare, and the drug war he is the kind of honest top-left progressive that freedom activists can and should do business with.  It would be good to see that debate with Mikelson he proposes.  Let’s just hope that January will find Fallon joining Mickelson and lots of other “Blue Republicans” invading their local precincts to vote Ron Paul instead of invading his office.