According the U.S. Senate website…“Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming.

 

These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore.”   Interested parties can read the results for themselves at: http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.SenateReport

 

In light of this new evidence to the contrary, and understanding the gravity of the hyperbole that Al Gore has set in motion (in terms of unnecessary global panic, time and costs), I’d like to propose two immediate remedies:

 

1)    Either reissue Gore’s Nobel and movie awards under the designation of “best in class for science fiction”, or

2)    Convene a special prosecutor to investigate the extent of the known fraud, at the expense of the global community

 

Yelling “fire” in a crowded movie theatre is not protected speech under the 1st Amendment. The countless man-hours and diversion of global resources to address this faux crisis is not only unconscionable, but possibly criminal. At a minimum, the media exposition of this colossal “snow job” should receive the same level of fanfare that this ignoble hoax brought to these phonies.

 

 

Adulation, back patting and chest beating, over the 2006 mid-term elections results have been limited to Democrats, the liberal media, and the proxies of terror.

 

My Fellow Citizens:

Napoleon once said, "There are only two levers that have ever motivated mankind - either interest or fear." And when it comes to the 2006 Midterm Elections, these are the very dynamics at play with the nation's traditional "values" voters.

Now I know that conservatives are less than enthusiastic with the majority's performance in some key policy areas these last two years, but can you imagine what would happen if we were to hand the control of Congress to the minority party? Pick an issue: terror, taxes, tradition...and then ask yourself if you would really sleep better at night with the Democrats leading the nation?

Most of you know that the crystallizing moment in my decision to run as an independent for the U.S. Senate occurred in 2005, after McCain's "Gang of 14" joined to delay the appointment of conservative judicial nominees by acting to protect Senate's use of the filibuster. Many of you have also expressed outrage over: the way the War in Iraq has been waged, the failure to secure the border, and the federal government's out of control spending. But I'm pretty confident we've got Washington's attention.

And now that we've put our "career" politicians on notice that "we're mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore" it's time to join ranks. And with the most magnanimous gesture I can muster, I'm now asking my base to lend full support to Katherine Harris in her bid to unseat our liberal incumbent Senator, Bill Nelson. And this will require everyone's vote.

Yes, the Congress needs to be reformed. And yes, only a small number of independent public servants would be required to hold the two-party system accountable. But the security of the free world, the solvency of the nation, and sanctity of life issues will still turn on maintaining our slim majorities in both houses of Congress.

Unfortunately, short of additional campaign finance reform (e.g. Google "clean elections"), serious bids for higher office still require the money and machine that only major party candidates can count on. But if it's any consolation, American Citizen Alliance (ACA), the conservative advocacy group for volunteer mobilization that I've formed, will still be championing some of the very same objectives (through 2008) that my U.S. Senate candidacy stumped for.

Oh and that reminds me, the "Tanner For Senate" Committee is still looking to retire the sizable loans that my estate made to the campaign. So whether supporting us as we build nationwide chapters with ACA, or helping us retire campaign debt, I would encourage you to stay engaged with your time, talent and treasure, as we advance the nation's conservative renaissance for humanity's last best hope.

May God continue to bless these United States,

 

The announcement reply was brief and to the point, “If you’re planning to be a “career” politician, you’d better be prepared to sell your soul.” Of all the advice that I’d take to heart in my run for higher office, in retrospect, nothing could be more prudent than the admonition of maintaining your integrity.

According to media research, the FBI’s focus on public corruption includes over 2,000 cases that are currently under investigation. High profile scandals include everything from IL Governor George Ryan’s conviction for racketeering and fraud, to the Jack Abramoff lobbying inquiry, to the multi-pronged corruption probes associated with House Representative Randy Cunningham’s guilty plea.

To counter the corruption, I’m running for the U.S. Senate (FL). And while I have no interest in becoming a “whistle blower” and have pledged not to engage in the politics of personal attack, my campaign is devoted to reforming the political process as it now exists in Washington D.C. Aside from policing human nature though, how can the institutionalized practices (that lead to abuse) be improved?

Said differently, independent of demands for character and qualifications from those who represent us, how can the complex legislative phenomena that our founder’s set in motion – as the primary value-mediating institution in American society, perform at a higher standard? The stakes are huge when our answer will yield either better accountability from Congress, or settling for rule by thieves.

Iron triangles – What invites corruption most are closed, mutually supportive relationships that often prevail between government agencies, special interest lobbying organizations, and the legislative committees that have jurisdiction over a particular area of government policy. These triangles are said to be as “strong as iron” versus other interests, which are excluded from policy-making.

Career politicians - The common welfare of the citizenry is also sacrificed when incumbents engage the practice of “pork-barrel” legislation, which appropriates public funding for projects that narrowly benefit their constituency. To increase their likelihood of reelection, insiders who rely on this type of appropriation also encourage “logrolling” or vote trading, to bring home the bacon – at our expense.

Pocketbook Issues – Why be concerned? Legislative “earmarks” (now $27-billion annually) also generate economic distortions by diverting public investment to capital projects where bribes and kickbacks are more plentiful. And corruption lowers the bar of compliance with public regulation and reduces the quality of public services. All of which adds to budgetary pressure to raise our tax burden.

Why reform is needed – Historian Alexis de Tocqueville said it best by stating “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.” Conversely, Alexander Tytler suggested, “A democracy will continue to exist up until the time citizens discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.” As such, reform is overdue.

Principled leadership - To maintain the integrity that public service demands my campaign has accepted no special interest funding. And to mute the siren song of populist polls and career patronage, I pledge objective servant-leadership limited by a single term. Given the perils that threaten the American experiment, only someone who takes-on the tough issues, bearing the mantle of trustee, will do.

Platform independence – No one is debating the need of a vibrant two-party system, nor the senior statesmanship that aggregates subcommittee power. But given the rising levels of rancor and obstruction that pervade the capitol, only an independent, committed to leveraging non-partisan best practices, will be able to circumnavigate the factious environment that has slowed governance to a crawl.

Process improvement – Congress requires only a small percentage of non-partisan, public servants to hold our two-party system accountable. Only after sending independents to the Senate will “career” politicians finally understand that – it’s citizens that have granted you their power in order to serve the nation, and we are inclined to remove it from those who would rather serve themselves.

For more information on what you can do to keep "career" politicians accountable, visit us at www.TannerForSenate.com

While their agendas may be hidden, their affects are visible to us all,

Roy J. Tanner
U.S. Senate Candidate (FL)

 

“From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back into bondage.” Attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler, this passage always raises some introspection in me, as I trust it does in you as well. And with this continuum in mind, where would you say we are as a generation with respect to the time honored principles our nation was founded on?

By now you’ve surmised, mine is not a typical political campaign that panders to the electorate. As an independent candidate, I instead feel led to use a different tact by calling your attention to the perils we’ll face if the erosion of traditional values, which have protected and prospered this country, continues unabated.

Given the advances of medical science and the pace of change in our cultural mores, a brave new world is dawning that threatens to eclipse a foundational principle that sustains our humanity, namely the sanctity of life. Yet even angels fear to tread on existential issues that are in the purview of the Almighty, alone.

If life begins at conception, shouldn’t it follow that embryos are sacrosanct? If God claims to know us before He knit us together in the womb, who presumes to usurp this relationship? If marriage and its offspring are a reflection of the triune personhood of God, why would we attempt to sanction its counterfeit? And if the life Giver is also sovereign over death, dare we evoke it before its time?

Perhaps it’s the billions pending in matching government funds that animates lobbyists, who plead on behalf of experimentation that has yet to bear fruit. Or maybe it’s the hundreds of millions at stake, if the abortion industry were to lose its federal mandate, or the gay lobby was to persuade its constituents to shop elsewhere. Follow the money, and most moral conundrums become clear.

And rather than engage in voter referendum or majority legislation, lobbyists prefer instead to venue-shop for sympathetic courts that will overturn the will of the people. Taken together, it warrants question of judicial legitimacy when the U.S. Constitution is deemed a “living document,” and new precedent emerges from thin air to protect privacy rights that the ancients deemed reprobation.

When it comes to humanity’s moral imperatives, has the abundance that liberty set in motion – given way to the complacent apathy that Tytler warned of? If the Constitution’s framers acknowledged an inalienable right to life, bestowed by the immutable God over the caprice of government, will this generation relent in protecting those innocents bound to die from rights born of expedience?

When writing Democracy in America, historian Alexis de Tocqueville concluded that our national greatness is inextricably tied to its continued goodness. He gave voice then to what our conscience still attests today, that regardless of where society’s whims would lead us, God’s word is forever settled in heaven.

Said differently, the notion of American exceptionalism has never relied upon human nature, but rather ascendant ideals that call us to purposes bigger than self. Considering the accountability our citizenship assumes and the great cloud of witnesses that surround us – let it be said of this generation “they chose life.”

For more information on protecting the existential right that will either defend or discard the next generation, visit http://www.tannerforsenate.com/sanctity.htm

Let’s heed the advice of our better angels,

As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, I’m often invited to address various constituent forums on the issues of our day. And although debating with incumbents of renown can be a heady experience, I’ve noticed that regardless of the promises being made, politicians never address the impact (of planned legislation) to growing U.S. budget deficits and our huge national debt.

I don’t mean to bore you with the details, but according to the government’s General Accounting Office, total U. S. fiscal exposure from unfunded entitlements alone exceeds $46-trillion, and our interest payments on the national debt now comprise our fourth largest budget expenditure.

Now I admit that calling for fiscal restraint is unpopular, especially considering: the reconstruction efforts on the Gulf Coast, our two-front war, and the onset of “baby boomer” retirements. But frankly, if we cannot do a better job at belt tightening, our foreign creditors will do it for us.

No longer bound by the gold standard (since 1971), the U.S. dollar is a fiat currency that has no intrinsic value, other than the “full faith and credit” of America. But of late, with our public and private indebtedness now “J-curving,” it’s U.S. creditworthiness that’s being called into question.

Even anticipating currency weakness implies an economy in turmoil, characterized by: the decline of a national manufacturing base, growing asset bubbles, rising loan defaults, and serious balance-of-trade deficits. Does this list of symptoms remind you of any economy in particular?

At this time the U.S. economy is analogous to the “bumblebee”, which according to scientists, shouldn’t be able to stay air borne, based on its weight to wingspan ratio. So what’s keeping us aloft? Consumer spending (generating 70% of GDP growth), spurred by home-equity lines of credit (of $4.6 trillion since 2000) sustain our economic altitude.

Unfortunately, with new home sales slowing and existing inventory at 10-year highs, lower housing values coupled with second mortgages – will soon lead to negative equity for many families. And reminiscent of the boom-to-bust cycle seen in the 2000 stock-market collapse, this latest housing slump may not be headed for a soft landing either.

In other words, the days of using our homes like ATMs are numbered. When taken together, consumer and government debt will soon become such a burden that it can no longer be serviced. And when that happens, expect major economic contractions that result in a prolonged recession.

Long-wave theorists cite the Kondratieff cycle, the latest of which began in 1949, “that has built up with ever increasing levels of debt to income, as politicians deficit spend to win votes and bankers create money out of thin air to enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else.” But while a downturn is inevitable, its extent is still manageable.

Frankly, mild cycles of inflation and recession have always characterized free market economies, but the threat of dramatic and prolonged economic downturns are the bi-product of imbalances created by government intervention and manipulation of a money supply that is not backed by any commodity value.

So in addition to a return to the gold standard, I suggest we start practicing the “Golden Rule.” In economics, the Golden Rule represents an optimal savings rate that’s balanced by consumption. And via tax reform, introducing a flat-consumption tax would also motivate this savings objective.

From another fiscal policy standpoint, the Golden Rule also refers to keeping debt at a “prudent level.” And two ways to exercise better fiscal restraint involve making wider use of zero-based budgeting and slowing the growth of entitlements to the extent they are offset by tax receipts.

Last, from a moral perspective, the Golden Rule speaks to the ethic of reciprocity, or treating others, as we want to be treated. And if the prospect of leaving our children a nation that’s insolvent doesn’t motivate us enough to impose some fiscal restraint, I’m not sure what will.

On the back of the U.S. dollar the Great Seal is pictured with a 13-letter Latin motto that reads, “He has favored our undertaking.” And with God’s help, this generation can secure our nation’s heritage as the land of opportunity for posterity’s sake.

For more information on the challenges, risks, and remedies for national solvency, I invite you to visit http://www.tannerforsenate.com/solvency.htm . Together we can challenge business as usual in Washington by reining-in out of control federal spending.

Annuit Coeptis,

Roy J. Tanner
U.S. Senate Candidate (FL)

 
People in the know refer to this as the "new normal." In recent reports to Congress, it's been determined that the U.S. mainland is now susceptible to attack by terrorist regimes through use of weapons of mass destruction.

That said, the Bush administration's preemptive, post 9/11 posture has been highly effective at thwarting new homeland attacks. This feat is even more impressive when you consider the divisive, non-stop congressional infighting over whether the U.S. should repel future terror strikes as a matter of law enforcement or national security?

But when it comes to the former, apparently the only thing mankind has ever learned from history is that - mankind has never learned from history. It seems hope springs eternal within liberal Western cultures that the changing face of tyranny can somehow be deterred via jurist prudence or appeased if the right mix of diplomatic concessions are proffered. History though, begs to differ.

Empires - It's fashionable to refer to this era of U.S. history as "Pax Americana." Citing striking similarities, historians have compared the American enterprise to the former empires of Athens and Rome. Athens pursued security by installing democratic governments in hostile Greek nation-states. And the Roman republic established control of its empire's spread through commerce and taxation. But if American influence can be likened to an empire, surely it's of benevolent intent.

Multi-front wars - Draw first blood or lay siege to U.S. strategic interests though, and super-power justice will be prosecuted with dispatch. Attack two U.S. cities, and we topple two rogue governments. However, the weary business of nation building in Afghanistan and Iraq, or the anarchy we'd leave behind after retreat, are sobering realities of having to "carry the water" in defense of the free world. But if forced to wage war on terror, surely it's better to engage the fight abroad.

Tyranny - Consistent with history, the changing face of tyranny still looks to vanquish liberty. It's been suggested that World War II was about Nazis, using Germany to impose the reign of the perfect race, the Aryan race; the Cold War was about Marxists, using the Soviet Union to impose the reign of the perfect class, the working class; and 9/11 heralded the era of religious totalitarians, Muslims utilizing terror to impose the reign of the perfect faith, political Islam.

Proxies - President Bush has labeled terror's advance as the ideological struggle of the 21^st century. With increasing effectiveness, Islamic Salafist and jihadist movements have been attacking Western population centers for the last 30-years. Moribund, virulent strains of Islam's Sunni and Shia sects compete for terror notoriety by way of spectacular assaults through miscreant organs like al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad - to usher-in a caliphate or imamate reign.

Patrons - More troubling still are fascist nation-states that unleash these proxy attacks on the West. While Russia and China appear content to battle U.S dominance only for world markets, they're actively aiding and abetting the nuclear aspirations of the North Korean pariah and the terror masters in Iran. Consequently, the existential threats to U.S. interests today are unprecedented. Fortunately, the Bush doctrine treats terror and its sponsors as one and the same.

Secure the homeland - Clearly, the next chapter of our nation's manifest destiny requires we adopt a long view as it relates to protecting the mainland if we're to sustain the American experiment. And history suggests that security begins with fortifying our borders and ports. While America remains a magnet for émigrés worldwide, our existing immigration laws must also be strictly enforced.

Exhaust diplomacy - As history attests, the policy of "peace through strength" offers a compelling argument. But in addition to carrying a "big stick," we must continue to "walk softly" by exhausting diplomatic initiatives first. Even if it only exposes the excesses of tyranny and the impotence of the UN, multi-lateral negotiations lend more credence to Western ideals than does unilateral power.

Defend Liberty - But where diplomacy fails to check the spread of tyranny or the menace of terror, prosecuting a just war is imperative. That said, establishing a reason for hope is what secures the promise of future peace. In 1775 there were no democracies. Then came the American Revolution, which raised the number to one. Now, some 230-years later there are 117, accounting for 61% of the world's governments. Only governance by the governed ensures peace between nations.

According to historian Victor Davis Hanson, "we are in one of the rare periods of fundamental transformation in world history - as the U.S. pledges its blood and treasure in a dangerous and daring attempt to bring the Middle East, kicking and screaming, into the family of democratic nations and free societies." And since darker alternatives are unthinkable, we must summon the will to stay the course.

Because the lessons of history are clear, I challenge you to be steadfast in support of our Commander in Chief. Send me to Washington and I'll counter those who prize expedience over duty, in the mission critical engagements that advance global liberty. For additional information on securing peace through preemption of existential threats, visit http://www.tannerforsenate.com/security.htm .

As the 911 Commission concluded, "We are safer, but we're not safe." In the final analysis, the security of the free world is a journey, not a destination.

Let's walk together.

 

My Fellow Citizens:

With just over 70-days left until the 2006 general election, I sense you can hardly contain your excitement. Seriously though, low voter turn-out suggests that many take this noble and peaceful means of transferring power -- for granted.

But what's the source of this disenchantment? Is it complacency from living in the land of opportunity? Surely the war on terror, the health of the economy, or myriad social policy questions are compelling enough issues to raise voter interest.

So let's see, that leaves the choice of candidates or the two-party system as reasons for apathy, right? Why, for example, are congressional approval ratings at 12-year lows? Does it have more to do with the 2,000 cases of corruption under investigation by the FBI, or partisan infighting and legislative obstruction in the nation's capital?

Maybe it's the duration of campaigning or the huge sums of money required to consider public service that has you turned-off. Research indicates that the power of incumbency results in an average tenure of 5-terms in office. Of necessity these barriers to entry not only preclude our best and brightest, but they require today's politicians to either be aristocrats or the pawns of special interests.

And here are the questions that puzzle me the most...if conservatives control the majority of governorships, the White House and both houses of Congress, why are judicial nominees still being blocked, why can't we control our nation's borders, and why is federal spending still so out of control?

If these are the results, after 60-million "values voters" turned-out in 2004 to provide a conservative mandate, is it any wonder why some folks would rather just stay home on election day? Well if any of these reasons describe your source of disillusionment in the political process then take heart, there is a way to hold the two-party system more accountable.

Nothing gets the attention of "career" politicians like the mention of: non-partisan, independent, and term-limited public servants. If you'd like to learn more about how we can achieve platform independence, principled leadership, and process improvement in higher office, I invite you to visit www.tannerforsenate.com

There is a viable third alternative, for such a time as this.

Roy Tanner
for U.S. Senate

218 Velveteen Place
Oviedo, FL 32766-6002
phone: 407-620-7589
fax: 407-386-3028

http://www.tannerforsenate.com/