Yes We Will
 

Local Residents are Mobilizing to Protest Dacus's Appearance


Brad Dacus has been selected as the keynote speaker for the Santa Clarita Valley’s 9th Annual Mayors Prayer Breakfast Thursday, May 2 at 7 A.M. at the Hyatt Valencia. Dacus, President and Founder of the Pacific Justice Institute, is a self-described defender of religious and parental rights, but uses that mission as a thinly veiled opportunity to spout hate speech regarding the LGBT community.  A flyer promoting the event notes that Congressman Buck P. McKeon is one of the invited guests.

Local residents are mobilizing to protest Dacus’s appearance on Thursday morning.

On CNN in 2007 Dacus proclaimed that marriage equality would “protect polygamy or adult incest.” On video he has also likened the rights of the LGBT community to the moral decay of Nazi Germany.

“Dacus has the right to purport ignorant ideas including gay conversion therapy, but not with the support of our City of Santa Clarita, and Mayor Bob Kellar,” said Malcolm Blue, a Santa Clarita activist.

Kellar is no stranger to controversy having been captured on video supporting the Minutemen opposition to immigration. Unbowed, he referred to himself as a “proud racist” and said he could speak his mind as a private citizen.

The Mayors Prayer Breakfast is a different matter since he’s appearing as the mayor of Santa Clarita.

“Although the Mayors Prayer Breakfast is not an officially sanctioned City of Santa Clarita event, it carries the de facto support of the city when it’s called the Mayors Prayer Breakfast and all the advertising touts Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar as giving the opening remarks,” said Blue.

Bob Kellar is bound by the City’s Philosophy which states “We believe that diversity among staff and in the community creates strength,” and “We treat our fellow employees and community members fairly and equally, without prejudice or bias.”

Kellar is not the only community leader intimately involved in the Mayors Prayer Breakfast. Joe Messina, president of the William S. Hart Union School District, is the main organizer of the event.

Messina, a talk show host on the local, low wattage conservative radio station KHTS, is operating in direct opposition to Hart District’s stated mission. In their guide to “Students and Parent Rights, Regulations and Responsibilities” the Hart District states:

The Governing Board is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination based on ethnic group identification, race, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, gender, color, physical or mental disability, or any other unlawful consideration. The Board shall promote programs that ensure that discriminatory practices are eliminated in all district activities.

The Hart District’s Diversity Web Page boasts numerous statewide “Valuing Diversity” awards received and a reduction in “Bias Motivated Incidents” over the last three years. ”Does School Board President Joe Messina want to reverse the progress we’ve made?” asks Patti Sulpizio, mother of three children educated in District schools. “I’ve taught my children to fix their mistakes. Mr. Messina should match his words with his deeds and set an example for our kids by uninviting Brad Dacus. It’s time we separate church and hate. ”

“What mixed message does it send our young students when Messina, the president of the board, supports discrimination especially in light of the tragic recent suicide of Nigel Hardy, a 13 year-old middle school student from the Antelope Valley which occurred after he had been subject of name-calling like ‘gay’ and ‘fag’.” said Sulpizio. “We are calling on the City of Santa Clarita and the Hart District to rein in Kellar and Messina and remind them of their responsibilities to the entire community not just their narrow minded political supporters.”

 

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Buck McKeon: ‘I Quit!’

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11-Term Congressman to Step Down


WASHINGTON — Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has decided to hang up his extremism at the end of his current term and not seek reelection in 2014, according to reports.

Sources close to McKeon cite his inability to get any of his own legislation passed in his over-twenty years serving in the House of Representatives as the main reason for his retirement.  But financial reasons might also be contributing to the end of a political career known mainly for its corruption and incompetence.

An aide to the 74-year-old lawmaker noted that the $174,000 salary McKeon is paid as a member of Congress and the $126,000 he funnels to his wife annually from his corporate campaign contributions are distressingly  insufficient to keep up with the interest he owes on his outstanding gambling debts.

“It’s sad that in the Obama economy,  even a public servant like McKeon, with decades of experience leveraging his position for personal gain, can’t earn a living wage,” said the aide.

What’s next for McKeon?

Speculation that the anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-immigration, anti-labor septuagenarian will accept a high-paying job as a lobbyist for the defense industry has been fueled by sightings of McKeon dropping off copies of his resume at various offices on K Street.  In addition, in an email leaked to the press and addressed to Boeing, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, McKeon indicates that his consulting services will be available in 2015 “to the highest bidder.”

When asked about the possibility of paying McKeon millions of dollars for consultation and advice, a spokesperson for the Boeing Company broke down in fits of uncontrollable laughter.

However, there are two possibilities that seem ideal for the aging legislator to peruse during his retirement:

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson said it’s “not out of the question” for McKeon to be offered a  job at his Sands Casino in Macau “selling cigarettes or something” to work off his gambling debts.

Not to be outdone, a spokesperson for the CEMEX corporation said that for all the support McKeon has shown for mining operations in his district — despite the pleas of his constituents — “there will always be a place for Buck in our company, and in our concrete-laden hearts.”

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Boxer to Re-Introduce Cemex Bill; McKeon Nowhere to Be Found

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City Officials Once Again Turn to Senator Boxer, Disregard Congressman McKeon. Can Brad Sherman Come to the Rescue?


An article posted on today’s KHTS website  reports that Senator Barbara Boxer is prepared reintroduce a bill in the Senate that would put a halt to the proposed McKeon-CEMEX gravel mine set to begin operations in Soledad Canyon.

Of particular note: the name “Buck McKeon” does not appear anywhere in the article  (and we’re curious how long it takes for the author, Perry Smith, to be fired for this nefarious transgression).

If the bill makes it way through the Senate, a similar bill in the House will have to be introduced.  Because McKeon has proven his ineffectiveness over the last twenty years, we suggest adopting a “shadow congressman” — perhaps Rep. Brad Sherman from the 27th  District — to help finally push this bill through Congress.

How about it, Representative Sherman: Will you please step in to help us put an end to the CEMEX mine — a threat looming ever so nearer because our own congressman has failed time and time again to take action — by introducing companion legislation to Barbara Boxer’s bill?

The 25th District is in desperate need of leadership and we appeal to Rep. Brad Sherman (whose own district is only two numbers away from ours) to fill the void created when McKeon, our incompetent incumbent, managed to get himself re-elected.

You can send a note to Congressman Sherman here, and ask him to be our adopted congressman.

The Buck Stops Now

Defeat Buck McKeon

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McKeon Wins Race, Loses Electorate

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The Power of Buck’s Incumbency in Decline


The 2012 elections are over, and Buck McKeon was re-elected to Congress for the 11th time. Although McKeon may be celebrating his victory over challenger Dr. Lee Rogers, the  underlying numbers should create significant consternation for McKeon and allow his opponents to take heart.

McKeon may have won the race, but he is clearly losing his support.

The percentage of votes he has received in each election has dropped significantly since 1998, from a high of 75% to the recent election, when he received only 55.2%.  That means that in 2014, if his vote count drops by 5.3 points, McKeon will finally be relieved of his job and our district freed from his scourge.

Our work continues.

A special thank you goes out to Dr. Lee Rogers, a smart, articulate candidate, who would make an excellent representative for the 25th District. He ran a wonderful campaign and helped expose Buck McKeon’s corruption, poor judgment and ineffectiveness. Through his upstanding character and integrity, Dr. Rogers has made a difference in our lives.

 

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Buck McKeon and His Countrywide Bribe Exposed

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Watch Buck stammer and try to lie his way out of it.


Juxtaposition of Rep. Buck McKeon’s lies and excuses from his debate against challenger Lee Rogers with a FOX News report on the Countrywide loan scandal.

Co-Starring: Darrell Issa.

Make sure you watch the video all the way to the end for the best part.

McKeon: GUILTY!

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McKeon Received Special Gift of Discounted Loan in Exchange for His Vote


Buck McKeon has never denied getting a preferential VIP “Friends of Angelo” Countrywide mortgage  (“Angelo” as in Angelo Mozilo, CEO of the fated lender) — a loan that gave him a preferential rate and closing costs far below what an average consumer would have received — in exchange for voting in favor of legislation beneficial to the lender.

The blog DownWithTyranny has an excellent account of the scandal.

On October 7, 1998, Countrywide sent an “opening package” of loan documents to the McKeon’s at their Stevenson Ranch home. The cover letter stated: “Thank you for allowing COUNTRYWIDE’s VIP TEAM to assist you with your financing needs on the above referenced property.”

 

The day before receiving the letter, McKeon voted in favor of raising the Federal Housing Administration’s maximum borrowing limit from 75% to 87% of the home value.  It passed largely because of the efforts of sleazy lobbyists– including Mike Farrell, the chief lobbyist and legislative strategist for the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA), who got McKeon his sweet deal with Countrywide. His job was to give lawmakers special deals to coax them into raising the FHA limit. And it worked, but who would have thought McKeon would do it the day before his VIP mortgage letter was mailed? Angelo Mozilo, apparently.

McKeon’s defense is that — despite receiving the above letter —  he never knew he was getting a special VIP loan. His feigned ignorance doesn’t hold much water, however, when you consider the fact that the loan was arranged by Mike Farrell, the chief lobbyist and legislative strategist for the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA) and when you look at the lengths McKeon went through to organize “damage control” once word ultimately broke of his crime.

In an internal McKeon memo, he instructs his staff on how to handle the scandal. This evidence is very damning against McKeon’s claim of innocence. If you’ve done nothing wrong, you have no reason to go into damage control — simply tell the truth. But if you want to manipulate an all-out lie so that it is perceived as the truth, then an organized, concerted effort to cover it up is the way to go.

That is what McKeon did. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t realize a disgruntled staff member would leak the memo to the Internet.

The internal McKeon memo suggested a time frame for going to local media outlets, recommended running through a practice question and answer session, and an offered an underhanded strategy to go after Scott Wilk, an opponent of McKeon’s wife, who was running for state assembly in the primaries at the time.

Clearly, McKeon recognized that his Countrywide “Bribe,” as Rep. Darrel Issa referred to it, was a violation of congressional rules against accepting gifts valued at $50 and over, and banning any gift from a registered lobbyist, no matter what the value.

It is estimated that McKeon’s discounted loan netted him $18,000.

“Representative McKeon’s claims that he received no special treatment are in fact false. He profited because he was a Member of Congress and Countrywide wanted to buy influence. In addition to waiving the fees, one percent interest savings on a home mortgage of $315,000 would have saved McKeon tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. McKeon should finally come clean and be honest with his constituents about the special perks he received. Additionally, I’m calling on McKeon to pay this money back, not to Countrywide, but to the US Treasury since it was the taxpayer who absorbed Countrywide’s losses through TARP, which McKeon also voted for.”

– Dr. Lee Rogers,
Candidate for Congress
Running Against Buck McKeon

We don’t know whether McKeon will ever get charged or convicted of this crime, but we are certain that he can no longer hide behind a veil of denial. He remains at large, as one of the most corrupt members of congress.

McKeon is guilty of accepting a bribe to influence his vote, and he must be voted out of office.

The Buck Stops Now
Defeat Buck McKeon
Vote for Lee Rogers

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