Volume 21, Edition 1  •  November 2, 2007

Illegal Immigration Efforts Enhanced by Governor

Gov. Matt Blunt this week said responsible police work and attention to detail is helping to fight illegal immigration and led to ten illegal immigrants being detained awaiting deportation over the weekend. This past weekend, a Highway Patrolman stopped a vehicle in Warren County for following too close to the vehicle in front of them. The driver attempted to produce a fictitious Mexican driver’s license and the trooper immediately recognized the identification as false. The nine other passengers in the vehicle either did not show ID or showed false ID. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was contacted and confirmed all ten individuals were illegally in the United States. Currently all individuals are being detained and awaiting deportation. The governor has directed state law enforcement agencies to verify the immigration status of every criminal presented for incarceration. The governor’s administration is also working with ICE for authority under Section 287g of the Immigration and Nationality Act that would deputize state law enforcement officers to enforce federal laws and protect Missourians against illegal immigration. The agreement will allow select troopers, Capitol Police, and water patrol officers to help enforce immigration laws. Governor Blunt sent a letter earlier this month asking Missouri’s Congressional Delegation to support and help expedite his request. “I am very pleased that we were once again able to assist in a law enforcement operation to enforce our laws against illegal immigration,” the governor said. “I have introduced tough new directives to curb illegal immigration, and I applaud the Highway Patrol and our local law enforcement community for their responsible police work that complements these ongoing efforts. As I have said, we will make every effort, implement every tool, and take every step to ensure the laws against illegal immigration are enforced.”

Governor Directs Campus Safety Panel into Action

Governor Blunt has directed Co-Chairs of the Campus Security Task Force Mark James, Director of Public Safety and Dr. Robert Stein, Commissioner of Higher Education, to provide him with an after-action report on the shooting that took place at Northwest Missouri State University early Sunday morning. In April, Governor Blunt established a 29-member Campus Security Task Force in response to the tragedy on the Virginia Tech Campus. The task force examined the safety and security at Missouri’s higher education institutions by drawing upon the knowledge and experience of its members and from other concerned individuals throughout the state. The task force provided their recommendations to the governor in August. Their report is available at http://www.dps.mo.gov. The after-action report on the shooting at Northwest Missouri State University is expected to be delivered soon to Governor Blunt, who issued the following statement immediately after the shooting: “I am deeply troubled by this incident on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University. I applaud the University for their quick decision to lockdown the University. Lockdown strategies were one of several security issues examined by my Campus Security Task Force. We are all relieved there were no fatalities, and I commend the efforts of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Northwest Missouri State University Campus Safety, the Maryville Department of Public Safety and the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Department for their response to this incident. We will continue to provide all necessary resources and assistance to help bring the suspects to justice as the investigation into this incident continues.”

Governor Praises Guard Efforts in Afghanistan

Governor Blunt praised the efforts of the Missouri National Guard for their work in developing a program to help rebuild Afghanistan’s agricultural climate. Beginning this fall, the Missouri National Guard will send part of an Agribusiness Development Team to Afghanistan to further develop the agriculture sector by working on critical projects including crop cultivation, improve irrigation systems and business plans to help market goods produced. The full 48-member team is expected to arrive in Afghanistan by early 2008. The Missouri National Guard partnered with the Missouri Farm Bureau, University of Missouri, Lincoln University, College of the Ozarks and the National Guard Bureau to implement this program giving Afghanistan an opportunity to see returns on agricultural investments. Missouri leaders have taken two trips to Afghanistan to help plan this emerging partnership. “I applaud the Missouri National Guard and their faithful partners who will be using their expertise in agriculture to help farmers in Afghanistan produce more and increase revenue from their crops,” the governor said. “We must continue to seek out innovative programs to help stabilize this country with so much growing potential. It is my hope that this initiative will become a trend for other states to follow.” The United States military has been active in helping rebuild Afghanistan through schools, bridges and clinics, but this is the first time the agriculture community has been specifically targeted.

New Radio Ads Expose Nixon Health Care Fraud, Abuses

Jay Nixon came out of hiding this week with a health care event that Missouri Republicans are exposing with a radio ad citing Nixon’s political abuses of a group that is supposed to help Missouri’s uninsured. The Missouri Republican Party is airing radio ads in select Missouri markets divulging Nixon’s use of his slush fund known as the Missouri Foundation for Health to fund pro-abortion groups, organizations that openly provide services to illegal immigrants and Democrat shell groups like the Missouri Budget Project. Nixon created the foundation and is supposed to oversee it – but instead he has used it as an influence peddling mechanism for his political campaign. Now that Nixon has decided to come out of hiding, the Missouri Republican Party plans to expose his political use of funding that is supposed to be going to uninsured Missourians but instead is being used as a slush fund for Nixon’s political campaign. Missourians deserve to know that Jay Nixon is an opportunist who is more interested in boosting his political fortunes than helping Missourians in need. While not included in the ad, it is important to note that in 2002 and 2003, Nixon defended Bob Holden’s deep cuts to dental and eye care for Medicaid recipients and Holden’s attempt to raise Medicaid’s income cutoff for the disabled, blind and elderly. Listen to the ad at: http://www.mogop.org/media/nixon_shoot_straight.mp3

 

We thought we'd share a fun extra this week: this picture of the Blunts enjoying some family time on Halloween.

Nixon Admits Guilt: Reimburses State for Illegal Use of Car

Jay Nixon this week admitted that he broke the law when he used a taxpayer financed state vehicle for political purposes by reimbursing the state for the arbitrary sum of $47,000. Nixon’s reimbursement, however, is based solely on his office’s calculations and was in no way subject to outside scrutiny from, say, Democrat State Auditor Susan Montee, who has so far refused to review Nixon’s use of the state vehicle and staff for political purposes. In fact, Nixon lied in a previous audit by claiming he only used the state vehicle for official purposes, which violates state law governing information provided to auditors. It is impossible to take Jay Nixon’s word for the amount of money he owes taxpayers for his illegal activity because it took him getting caught in the first place to return the money. And the fact that Democrat Susan Montee refuses to review Nixon’s arbitrary reimbursement clearly shows that Democrats believe politics is more important than accountability. Nixon’s ability to police himself in this very serious matter is like a thief who promises to pay back a victim only after he is caught and thrown in jail. Nixon’s self-calculated repayment comes after the attorney general’s office asked the Missouri Republican Party – for the first time -- to pay for Nixon’s travel records sought through a Sunshine Law request. Previously, Nixon’s office has waived fees for Sunshine Law requests made by the Republican Party. Despite his so-called commitment to the Sunshine Law, Jay Nixon has decided that when it comes to his taxpayer-financed campaigning, Missourians will have pay for the truth. It’s also not surprising that Nixon made this announcement on a Friday like he did when he acknowledged he broke the law in the first place hoping that most Missourians wouldn’t be paying attention. Newsflash: they are. Before Nixon breaks his arm patting himself on the back for making restitution to the state, someone needs to investigate his calculations to ensure that he hasn’t continued to bilk the state.

Montee’s Double Standard: Nixon Not Accountable

State Auditor Susan Montee’s refusal to audit fellow Democrat Jay Nixon’s payments for his misuse of a state vehicle and her requirement that the lieutenant governor provide such an accounting clearly illustrates the political double standard Montee has set up in her supposedly non-partisan state office. Montee launched a re-examination of Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder’s overpaid reimbursement to the state only after Nixon was exposed for secretly and illegally using a state vehicle for political purposes. Not surprisingly, Kinder was given a clean bill of health. Montee has the authority to open an audit at any time, but she refuses to do so in Nixon’s case despite the seriousness and timeliness of the issue. Montee’s decision to bury her politically-motivated head in the sand came despite an October 27 report by The Associated Press report noting that the Office of Administration has been forced to seek verification that the $47,000 repaid by Nixon was the "proper and adequate" amount of restitution. It’s sad that the Office of Administration is being forced to do the auditor’s job and it’s not surprising Montee conveniently looked to them to place blame. Montee’s failure to hold fellow Democrat Jay Nixon to the same standard as Republican Peter Kinder clearly illustrates that she has one set of standards for Republican state officials and another set of standards for Democrats like Jay Nixon. Missourians should be outraged that the so-called government watchdog of Missouri is willing to examine Republicans while intentionally allowing Democrats to conduct illegal activities without any independent scrutiny.

Nixon Sued Personally and as AG for Firing Quadriplegic

Jay Nixon is heading to federal court this week for firing a quadriplegic because Nixon made the arbitrary decision that she couldn’t do her job. Nixon officially joins the growing number of Democrats who find themselves in serious trouble with the law. The lawsuit against Nixon says that 15-year-veteran attorney Marla Grothoff was fired by Nixon after responsibility for staff attorneys within the Department of Social Service Enforcement Division were handed over to the attorney general’s office. Nixon is being sued both as the attorney general and as an individual. A settlement conference in the case was scheduled for today in the U.S. District Court for Western Missouri in Jefferson City. “In effectively discharging the Plaintiff and refusing to further employ her, Defendant failed to make reasonable employment accommodations for Plaintiff’s disability, and Defendant discriminated against Plaintiff in violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and Section 504, specifically because of Plaintiff’s disability,” the lawsuit filed in Boone County Circuit Court on November 23, 2004, said. Copies of the lawsuit and settlement conference documents can be found at: http://www.mogop.org/media/grothoff_complaint.pdf It is incredibly disturbing that Jay Nixon pays political lip service to the disabled when it’s convenient but in reality doesn’t believe that a longtime practicing attorney measures up to his office standards because of her disability. This is yet another sad example of a growing trend among Democrat state officials who have little regard for the laws they are sworn to uphold and it is particularly troubling that the attorney general is involved in this kind of discrimination. Among the other Democrat legal problems:

  • October 26: Nixon, titular head of the Democrat Party and the self-proclaimed chief law enforcement officer of the state, admits that he violated state law by using his taxpayer-financed vehicle to attend political fundraisers by reimbursing the state for close to $50,000, a figure Nixon came up with on his own.
  • Delayed: Assistant Senate Minority Floor Leader and Judiciary Committee member Chuck Graham is scheduled to appear in court on drunken driving charges.
  • November 6: State Sen. Jeff Smith, like Graham a member of the Judiciary Committee, and state Rep. Joe Aull, are scheduled to be in a Cooper County court for illegally presenting false identification to gain access to a gambling boat during the lobbyist-backed junket.
  • November 26: State Rep. John Bowman will appear in federal court on bank fraud and credit card fraud charges.
  • Underway: Former Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields and her husband are on trial on federal charges for taking part in a mortgage fraud scheme.

Click here for a full-page, color PDF highlighting the disgraced Democrats and their offenses.

McCaskill Stands with Liberals Against Mukasey

As most Missourians know, Claire McCaskill stands with Senate liberals like Hillary Clinton because they helped buy her election. A recent case in point is McCaskill’s opposition to the nomination of Judge Mukasey to the U.S. Attorney General’s post. Judge Mukasey is exceptionally qualified to be attorney general, as he clearly showed in his Senate Judiciary Committee hearings where he responded to all questions for the record. His answers to the questions were thorough, legally sound and as responsive as possible. Ironically, since the beginning of this Congress, Democratic Senators like McCaskill have repeatedly called for new leadership at the Department of Justice. They have said that the work of the department is too important to delay in putting in place a new attorney general. Now is the time for McCaskill and her Democrat friends to act. The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to move quickly to report Judge Mukasey’s nomination and schedule a floor vote. To let Claire McCaskill know how you feel, call her office at (202) 224-6154.

Waters Apologizes for Graham’s Dangerous Behavior

If Columbia Daily Tribune Publisher Hank Waters was a Columbia police officer, there’s little chance that Chuck Graham would have ever been arrested for drunken driving. In a stunning editorial, Waters pities Graham yet never bothers to discuss the obstruction of justice charges leveled at university officials who sought to cover up for Graham. Here is a sample of the most disturbing editorial penned in Missouri in quite some time: “Graham has issued an apology, including a bit of remorse. He believes the event will lead him to become a "better person," meaning, we can assume, he will cut back on his drinking from now on. The promise will be well accepted by most of us members of the public, who suffer from ordinary human frailties of our own. If Graham does make a successful effort, last weekend’s unfortunate event will be forgotten… Come next election cycle, a spirited debate about his re-election will be in order, but the main tipping points will not and should not include today’s unfortunate driving-and-drinking error. DWI is a serious offense, sure enough, but common enough to prompt an air of forgiveness for non-repeaters. Graham had better be a non-repeater, in which case his political future will remain viable.” To read the entire disgrace, go to http://www.columbiatribune.com. Waters, of course, didn’t stop there. A second editorial in defense of his pal Graham seems to imply that it was the police officer, not Graham or his attorney or University Hospital officials, that acted inappropriately when he took a sample of Graham’s urine for testing after the accident. To read the second disgrace, go to http://www.showmenews.com.

Nixon’s Frivolous Katy Trail Bridge Lawsuit Lambasted

Jay Nixon’s frivolous and politically-motivated actions in the Katy Bridge lawsuit recently rejected by a Missouri appeals court isn’t getting much support among Missouri newspapers. In essence, Nixon’s political charade has been exposed and the Jefferson City News-Tribune wasn’t shy about pointing that out in a recent editorial: “There's no question that the bridge is owned by the Union Pacific. That's spelled out quite clearly in the 1987 agreement that gave us the Katy Trail and the state permission to use the bridge. The attorney general doesn't see it that way. However, we suspect his judgment is clouded by his aspirations to the governor's office.” To read the entire editorial, go to http://www.newstribune.com.

MissouriPulse.com Post of the Week

Free To Do As He Pleases

In March 2001, Attorney General Jay Nixon pontificated on the need for disabled state employees to have the right to sue their employers. Nixon said, “State government should be a leader, not a shirker, on issues of discrimination and should not be allowed to treat its employees as second-class citizens.”

Three years later, a former state legal counsel accused Nixon of treating her like a second-class citizen when she filed a discrimination suit against him in which she claimed he refused to hire her because she was a quadriplegic. This Friday, a federal judge has ordered Nixon and his accuser to begin a settlement conference in that very case.

Despite the case against him, Nixon has shamelessly continued to pander to advocates of the disabled. In March 2007—in the midst of the lawsuit—Nixon spoke to advocates during Disabled Rights Legislative Day in Jefferson City. In a stunning case of cosmic hypocrisy, Nixon’s lawyers filed motions weeks later in an effort to weaken the discrimination suit against him.

From the Attorney General office press release, 3/28/2007:

Nixon 3-28-07.jpg

Nixon meets with, speaks to advocates for the disabled
March 28, 2007 Attorney General Nixon spoke to a rally of advocates for Missouri's disabled citizens on the steps of the state Capitol on March 28. Afterward, Nixon spoke with several of the advocates, who were there for Disabled Rights Legislative Day.

 

The Cornerstone - A Reminder for Candidates and Their Donors:

Often, donors would like to make contributions for the primary and general election at the same time or in the same check. Unfortunately, the Missouri Ethics Commission has opined that the date on which the candidate committee receives the contribution determines whether it counts against the primary or general election contribution limit. Contributions received by the candidate committee through the date of the primary election count against the primary election contribution limit. Contributions received from the day after the primary election through the date of the general election count against the general election contribution limit. If you have any questions about primary and general contributions or other Missouri campaign finance regulations, contact Emily Kliethermes at 573-636-3146 or ekliet@mogop.org.

Thoughts and Prayers

The Missouri Republican Party encourages Republicans across the state to keep these individuals in your thoughts and prayers:

Paul Busiek, husband of Mavis Busiek. Paul’s health concerns continue.

Mike Keathley, Commissioner of Administration, who has cancer.

Rosemary Kochner, 13th District State Committeewoman, who has continued health concerns.

State Rep. Scott Lipke and family, 157th House District, whose infant daughter is recovering from surgery to correct a faulty heart.

Mary Mallien, 14th District State Committeewoman, who has continued health concerns.

Bob Schwartz, 3rd District State Committeeman, who has cancer.

Dawn Sprick, daughter of 21st District State Committeeman Gary Harris, who has cancer.

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