Jim Lembke

Orly Taitz, who represented Reps. Tim Jones and Cynthia Davis in their federal birther suit, has been ordered to pay $20,000 in sanctions for filing frivolous actions in a similar, but separate, lawsuit.

Jones has refused to comment publicly about his role in the lawsuit with Taitz, Davis and others, but Davis has proudly stood by her conspiracy theories.  Rep. Casey Guernsey signed on to help Taitz at one point as well. 

Former U.S. Sen. Jim Talent and Sen. Jim Lembke (R-Lemay) and Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) are all chillin' this weekend at the Constitutional Coalition's Educational Policy Conference in St. Louis.  As you can see from the list over at The Beacon, Talent, Lembke and Cunningham will be joined by a formidable "Who's Who of Right-Wing Lunatics" at the St. Louis Frontenac Hilton. 

What do you get when you mix local heroes like Sen. Jane Cunningham, Sen. Jim Lembke and former Sen. Jim Talent with Glenn Beck, World Net Daily publisher Joseph Farah, former Sen. Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann Michael Medved and more? 

The Constitutional Coalition's Educational Policy Conference in St. Louis, February 4-6. 

Workshops include:

• How to rid your TV of ALL Sexual programs and advertisements
• Science – “Not Evil, Just Wrong!”
• How and Why Biblical Sexuality
• What Research Shows about Sexual Diversity and Marriage
• The War on Children
• ONE LAW FOR ONE PEOPLE: Textbooks -Shariah and the U.S. Constitution

Sen. Jim Lembke (R-St. Louis County) opined at length today about the evils of the federal government at the "State Sovereignty" rally earlier today, making the rather incredible proclamation that "90% of what the federal government does is unconstitutional." He also stated that Democratic health care reform proposals will create a "new kind of slavery."

It could have been anything folks. Look at it -- ninety percent of what the federal government does is unconstitutional! 

Providentially, we have been given at this time and in this place, we have been given an administration that, in the history of our nation, we have never seen a government go so far, so fast...

If we don't stand together, there will be chains of bondage that will lead to a new kind of slavery. It's up to us to stand together and turn it around.  God bless you, and God bless America.

Pure lunacy.

A few hundred conservative activists filled the Capitol rotunda this morning for a "Sovereignty Rally" to hear House and Senate Republicans rail against the allegedly unconstitutional federal health care reform legislation.  Led by St. Louis area legislators Sen. Jane Cunningham, Sen. Jim Lembke, Rep. Tim Jones and Rep. Brian Nieves, the overwhelming majority of the House Republican Caucus was in attendance and on stage, along with a few other GOP Senators and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

The rhetoric of the rally was all about the allegedly unconstitutional nature of federal health care reform proposals and the tyranny of Democratic leadership in Washington. There was much talk of "patriots" and "sovereignty" -- but no talk, of course, of what they as elected leaders would do to make health care more affordable and accessible to struggling families. 

I'll have more posts and video about the later today -- here are a few photos of the event to whet your appetite.

Over at the conservative RiteOn blog, conservative activist and website founder Chuck MacNab writes about a meeting at the offices of Sen. Jim Lembke he says he attended on Saturday.  According to MacNab, Lembke was joined by Sen. Jane Cunningham and representatives of numerous other conservative organizations and campaigns to focus on three goals for the 2010 elections.

A dedicated group of experienced conservative leaders met for about 4 hours in State Senator Jim Lembke's office in St. Louis Saturday morning, January 9. RiteOn observed a common view and single mindedness among these area leaders that, if allowed to mature, could spell big trouble for RINOS and liberals and impact the status of many who currently believe they control the Republican Party.

Three objectives emerged from the meeting:

- To replace non-conservative candidates and office holders with conservatives in the August Primary elections.

- To make certain a conservative candidate wins in the General election in November.

- To support conservative sponsored ballot issues and to defeat those issues the group opposes.

Sharpen your pencils, Tenth Amendment scholars!

Sen. Jim Lembke is speaking next month to the Constitutional Conservative Alliance's "National Sovereignty Symposium" in Omaha.  The Constitutional Conservative Alliance says it "strive[s] to advance all constitutional rights and privileges ratified by our founding fathers in 1789," and appears to be almost entirely focused on advancing their extreme understanding of the Tenth Amendment (which was actually ratified in 1791). 

Sen. Jim Lembke, Sen. Scott Rupp and candidate Jack Jackson have all signed pledges for the Missouri Sovereignty Project, promising to protect Missourians from unspecified encroachment by the federal government.  The mission of the Sovereignty Project organization is:

To render ineffective (or nullify), by Missouri legislation or Missouri Constitutional Amendment, any law enacted by the United States Government that suppresses, violates, interferes with, or deters any Missourian’s “…unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness.”

Among other things, Lembke, Rupp and Jackson each pledged to "introduce, sponsor and/or support legislation that nullifies actions/decisions of all three branches of the federal government that exceed U.S. Constitutional authority."

I'm sure this is conservative code language for some list of alleged unconstitutional acts -- maybe Lembke, Rupp and Jackson can outline which federal policies and programs they believe should be nullified?

Via Talking Points Memo, it seems that a rival group of birther conspiracy theorists are turning on Orly Taitz. 

Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin says Orly Taitz has shown she is neither a "birther" nor a "doubter;" she is a nut case and an incompetent lawyer. Martin says he may be the "Godfather" of the "birther" movement but he disassociates himself from forged documents and delusional claims.

Read More »

Barb Shelly of The Star has a good response to today's announcement that conservative activists will be trying to gut the state's widely-praised judicial selection plan with a ballot initiative.

Conservatives, who claim the current system is liberal-leaning and favors trial lawyers, have been trying to change it for years. But they never seem to be able to cite even one decision by a statewide court which reflects a "liberal bias" or preference for the trial attorneys.

In fact, the one ruling opponents have named to argue for a change in Missouri was a school finance edict -- by the state Supreme Court in Kansas.

Read More »

This morning, KTRS radio host Charles Jaco and Tony Messenger of the Post-Dispatch talked about yesterday's events with Orly Taitz in Jefferson City and St. Louis. Listen:

Much of their discussion focused on the influence of Taitz' followers in the House and Senate.

The same day PolitFact.com released a brand new analysis of the already-thoroughly-debunked and discredited theories about Barack Obama's American citizenship, one of the nation's top "birther" crusaders came to Missouri to rally support for her cause. The PolitiFact.com article titled, "Obama's birth certificate: Final chapter. This time we mean it!" suggests that the case is settled. And in the world of facts and documents and reality where most of us reside, it is a done deal.  But I just sat through a two-hour meeting with chief birther conspiracist Orly Taitz in Jefferson City, and it's clear that she and her allies exist in an entirely different reality.

My tweets from the event are at www.twitter.com/firedupmissouri.

A dispatch from Tony Messenger of the Post-Dispatch:

Two Missouri state representatives today attended meetings conducted by Orly Taitz in which the California dentist questioned the validity of the presidency of Barack Obama.

Taitz alleges that Obama’s birth certificate is illegitimate, and even if it’s not, she says, he can’t be president because his father was Kenyan. She pushed her conspiracy theories and asked for money today at events in St. Charles and Jefferson City. Taitz said the Supreme Court is complicit in “illegal activity” for blocking her attempts to remove Obama from the presidency.

Rep. Cynthia Davis, R- O’Fallon, who has gotten a bit of national attention lately, was at the event in St. Charles, though she said she was just seeking information, according to a Jo Mannies blog post.

Read More »

Jo Mannies has the story:

St. Charles County Council chairman Joe Brazil says he may introduce a council resolution that asks for the county prosecutor or the state of Missouri to examine whether President Barack Obama is eligible to hold his office...

Brazil was among 40 people who showed up at the Vision Library in St. Charles to listen to Taitz, who spent almost two hours outlining her allegations that Obama was born in Kenya, the home country of his father. Taitz also questions the validity of the Hawaiian birth certificate that Obama's campaign posted on its website last year to refute such assertions...

Also in the audience was state Rep. Cynthia Davis, R-O'Fallon, and a representative for state Sen. Jim Lembke, R-Lemay. Davis and the Lembke aide, John Judd, said they were simply there to listen to Taitz's arguments.

Still, Davis said she found Taitz to be "fascinating. We need to get to the truth of what's going on."

The simple "information gathering" claims are just not credible.

We finally received a response to requests for information about the July 1 meetings with Orly Taitz in St. Louis and Jefferson City. Here's what local organizer Sarah Brooks had to say:

I am familiar with your SMEAR Journalism (sic). You are not welcome at either events (sic). If you do show up, we will be forced to call security.

Thanks,
Sarah B.

Taitz claimed on July 20 that five state representatives would be attending. She later announced the participation of Sen. Jim Lembke, but has now removed the post about Lembke from her website. We have confirmed that Rep. Mike McGhee will attend.