Wishing you a great Holy Week!

As Judeo-Christian believers are under attack.

It is amazing how the MSM has kept this out of the news!  Link

Christians celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday. This week we will celebrate Maundy Thursday where the Lord's Last Supper was instituted. Good Friday remembers the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and Easter Sunday His Resurrection. 

Jewish Passover festival is starting tonight at sundown and

Jews will be preparing to host Seders to mark the occasion.

  Religion is a very personal matter, but we perceive that those who believe are

different citizens, as they must answer to a higher authority. That fact changes people. 

You can be moral without a religion, but unknowingly perhaps, those mores are based on typically based upon faith values.         

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MCU's Southeast Michigan Chapter meets in Troy tomorrow night, April 11, 2017 @ 7PM American-Polish Cultural Center 2975 E Maple Rd, Troy, MI 48083 The Agenda will include presentations from Sen. Patrick Colbeck on Healthcare, and John Anthony of Sustainable Freedom Lab on freedoms being taken from us through regulations. Neighborhoods broken up by HUD, mud puddles controlled by EPA. TOST regulations in 10 Michigan counties put a lien on your property and makes you jump through government hoops (sometimes at great expense) before you  can sell your property. Misuse of "eminent domain", wind farm disaster.  Some of the program might be by Skype.

Optional: Come early and have dinner with friends and leadership!

We don't particularly like this government creep -
growing and taxing more each year!

I am going to call my Lobbyist immediately!
Oops, I don't have a Lobbyist!
We the people do not have a seat at the table!

Career Politicians are not carrying water for me, they are carrying water for the hospital lobby, big pharma, big banks, perverts who demand perverts be allowed to use

girl's locker rooms, anti-second amendment Lobbyists and anti-Christians.
Where do Veterans, Christians, traditional marriage and pro Second Amendment
citizens fit into the plan? When will we join the other states that didn't fall for the
Obamacare Scam? When will our residents be allowed to STAND OUR GROUND
when confronted by robbers, rapists and murderers?
If you have the fortitude to represent the Citizens and your integrity is not for sale,
I am begging you to get your name on the ballot next year.
I'm tired of our position at the bottom in perpetuity. I'm tired of Bill after Bill being

passed in the Legislature with 100% of the Democrats and a few Republican lap dogs.

Will politicians buy your vote with their GIF pork dollars?
Is your vote for sale? (Adapted from a Gene McVay post)

 This 86-Year-old man cut a big rock using a millennial technique.

This method shows that there is no need to believe in "Aliens"

just because you don't believe in human intelligence. - Video (Thanks Jacob)

Rocks as weapons at the Mexican Border - Video

An Obama-tied activist group training tens of thousands of agitators to protest President Trump's policies plans to hit Republican lawmakers supporting those policies even harder this week - Article  (Thanks Sarah)

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National and International Brief A synopsis of some of the most significant happenings effecting our freedoms!   ++ The Trump Administration reports 298,000 new jobs in first month! ++ President Trump and King Abdullah II Press Conference - Link    ++ Justice Gorsuch was confirmed Friday 54-45 - Liberals Decry 'Stolen Seat' as Gorsuch Officially Sworn in as Supreme Court Justice Article (Thanks, Frank) ++ President Donald Trump said Thursday night that the United States had carried out a missile strike in Syria in response to the Syrian government's chemical weapons attack this week that killed more than 80 civilians.     "Tonight, I ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in Syria from where the chemical attack was launched," Trump said in remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. "It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons." More  (Thanks, Colleen) ++ Tomahawk missiles: Explaining the weapons the US used to strike Syria - Link The United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from two ships in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, targeting an air base in Syria following a chemical attack allegedly ordered by Syrian President Bashar Assad that struck civilians in rebel-held areas of his country.   ++ The Russians claim the attacks had very little damage and were not effective - Video (Thanks, Amy and Larry) Comment: Social Media is abuzz today as hate Trump folks are coming unglued and different segments of the conservative movement are expressing sentiments from no involvement to invade. There are new sheriffs at WH, State and DOD. Don't assume the same weaknesses and arcane policies of the past. None of us have the intelligence briefings and information on this so we are all guessing. Every time the MSM has slammed Trump on statements he knows more about, they get egg on their faces. He knows stuff we don't. If Trump says Assad was involved, as much as we may appreciate Assad's (few) good qualities, who are we to second guess? This was likely a surgical strike to send a message and indicate a new policy. It was likely not the beginning of a war or a major military offensive. Trump campaigned on making the USA safe again, strengthening the military, and on very restrained military engagements. Using the missiles he did in the way they were used was a brilliant display of technology and limited strategic engagement. We don't think Trump wants war any more than Dennis Marburger or any of the rest of us do. Reagan had very few military engagements and showed that peace through strength in the best policy. It is likely that is well. Do we give him rope or throw it over a tree with a noose? We have lots of compatriots with differing views on this. We suggest you "keep the powder dry" and let this President show us. Question: Did diplomacy come from the barrel of a gun during the cold war with Russia having 30, 000 nukes pointed at us? (Thanks, Dave) Response: Having a president who rebuilt the military and intelligence and was not misunderstood in his resolve to make America and the World more secure brought about diplomacy that broke the USSR and freed millions of people across Europe and Asia while bringing relative peace to the USA. Yes, having a bigger gun and a Strategic Defense Initiative broke the economy and the back of the USSR. How many fewer nukes are pointed at us now? And how many fewer do we have pointed at others? Learn from History or be doomed to repeat it. ++ Optimism at records in Manufacturing - The National Association of Manufacturers has surveyed its 14,000 members quarterly for years. In January optimism was at 56%. The last survey - the first during the Trump Administration 93% of manufacturers are optimistic for their companies and futures.  Video Link   President Trump signs Executive Order ending abuse and leveling trading. Video Announcement   ++ The Trump administration's war against the House Freedom Caucus stepped up a notch Saturday with a senior aide calling for a primary challenge to Michigan Rep. Justin Amash.    "[Donald Trump] is bringing auto plants & jobs back to Michigan. [Justin Amash] is a big liability," White House senior adviser and director of social media Dan Scavino tweeted, adding, "defeat him in primary."    Amash, a libertarian, responded, " Trump admin & Establishment have merged into #Trumpstablishment. Same old agenda: Attack conservatives, libertarians & independent thinkers."   Article   Let's hope an improved plan and full repeal is agreed to! If the GOP is to win in 2018 and 2020 they need to quit alienating a conservative base. ++ Former US Attorney: Susan Rice Ordered Spy Agencies to Produce 'Detailed Spreadsheets' Involving Trump - Susan Rice, former President Barack Obama's national security adviser, ordered U.S. spy agencies to produce "detailed spreadsheets" of legal phone calls involving Donald Trump and his aides when he was running for president, according to former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova.   "What was produced by the intelligence community at the request of Ms. Rice were detailed spreadsheets of intercepted phone calls with unmasked Trump associates in perfectly legal conversations with individuals,"   "The overheard conversations involved no illegal activity by anybody of the Trump associates, or anyone they were speaking with," diGenova said. "In short, the only apparent illegal activity was the unmasking of the people in the calls."  More (H/T Tom) ++ White House Exposes Mainstream Media's Cover-Up of Susan Rice Scandal - Link

April 29, 2017 MiCPAC Conference in Holt, Michigan. This is Michigan's foremost annual gathering of conservative leaders from all branches of the movement. Cost $50 (MCU Members $40; Tables of 8 $ 350). Limited capacity. Book today! Please put in on your calendar.  Among confirmed speakers are authors Lee Edwards (Heritage); NRA Director, national security expert and former Gov. James S. Gilmore III; John Anthony, President at Sustainable Freedom Lab (Obama wraps HUD in climate change Link); and several Michigan conservative leaders: Richard Thompson, William Wagner, Rev. Dr. Richard Zeile, Dr. Robert Steele, Sen. Patrick Colbeck, Reps. Jim Runestad and Steve Johnson, Macomb Treasurer Larry Rocca, Lt. Col. David Agema, Dr. Jim Hines, Lori Green,  Melanie Kurdys, Linda Wildern, Norm Hughes, Jerry Allen, David Dudenhoefer, Mary Sears, Jason Gillman, Tom Norton, Christine Barns, and others.  Friday night's VIP Reception ($125) also includes entertainment by MCU member and Las Vegas entertainer Mike Carluccio. Please join HERE!

Legislative Accountability! It is OUR responsibility to know the issues and the players, and to inform others so that we Change Policies by changing public opinions!       Start HERE!

Here are some bills we are watching. Which are your highest priorities?    ++ DTS - Drain The Swamp, Michigan is running radio commercials holding legislators accountable - Sample   ++ Michigan Could Be The Next State To Adopt Constitutional Carry - Link ++ House Bill 4070: Revise government eminent domain takings detail. Passed 76 to 31 in the House on March 28, 2017  To require state agencies to pay attorney fees and court costs of private property owners if a "governmental action" results in a loss of value and the department or agency failed to consult guidelines on government takings promulgated by the Attorney General. Also, to apply these rules on "takings" to all state departments, not just the Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, and Transportation departments. How they voted!   ++ 2017 Senate Bill 168: Raise tax on auto insurers  - Introduced by Sen. Rick Jones (R) on February 15, 2017To pay for state theft authority to revise the basis on which auto insurers are assessed (taxed) to support a government auto theft prevention authority, by also applying the assessments to commercial vehicle policies.    Text    ++ HB 4220 To Stop Extra Fees RE: "Smart Meters."  Link to Bill ++ House Bill 4251: Repeal vehicle registration tax hike  - Introduced by Democrat Rep. Scott Dianda, one of the more conservative members of the Legislature.  H.B. 4251  to repeal GOP  2015 Law ++ House Bill 4264: Increase income tax personal exemption - Introduced by Democrat leader Rep. Tim Greimel (D) on February 23, 2017 To increase the state income tax personal exemption from $4,000 to $6,000. It is noted a Republican bill is pending that would increase the exemption to $ 4,400, a savings of about   ++ House Bill 4253: Accelerate vehicle trade-in "use tax on the difference" Introduced by Rep. Michael Webber (R)  To accelerate the 24-year phase-in of a 2013 law that exempted from use (and sales) tax the value of a trade-in when buying a motor vehicle, titled watercraft or recreational vehicle. ++ House Bill 4266: Exempt home use and de minimis farm sales - Introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly (R) on February 23, 2017 To exempt production of farm products on a family's homestead for consumption, trading or farm-stand sale in small quantities from licensure mandates or other state government restrictions. (Long overdue!). HB4266 We thank Mackinac Center for Public Policy for alerts on bills!   ++ New Bill That Could Repeal Common Core - Michigan would reject the Common Core State Standards, adopt Massachusetts' standards from the 2008-09 school year and give parents the right to opt their kids out of any testing if they see fit under legislation that faced mixed reviews during legislative hearings.    The bill, sponsored by Rep. Gary Glenn, R-Midland, and backed by 28 fellow House members, is the latest attempt to repeal the Common Core standards in Michigan. Previous efforts have faltered.  But this effort could have some momentum, given President Donald Trump is anti-Common Core and the two newly elected members of the State Board of Education - Tom McMillin, R-Rochester Hills, and Nikki Snyder, R-Pinckney - favor repealing Common Core. More ++ Less than half "pass": Why Michigan M-STEP results are cause for concern -  Link ++ Average SAT score for Michigan students: 1001 out of 1600  - In reading and writing, the average score statewide was 507.5; the math score was 493.7. The College Board, which produces the SAT, considers 480 in reading and writing and 530 in math to be the minimum necessary for a student to be considered college or career ready. Article ++ Find the scores in  Your School     ++ bill package (HB 4148 - 4157) will make the executive branch subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and create a similar records disclosure system for the state House and Senate called the Legislative Open Records Act (LORA). The package is similar to legislation that was put forth by House members in 2016 that did not have the opportunity to reach the Governor's desk before the conclusion of the 2015-16 legislative session. (Thanks, Martin)

See you at MiCPAC! Apply below or at MiCPAC 2017 or at Eventbrite (fees apply)  Return to POX 658, Oxford, Mi. 48371 There is a block of MiCPAC rooms at discount at Causeway Bay Hotel, 6820 South Cedar Street, Lansing, MI 48911, United States of America.  (517) 694-8123 COLLEGE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS    We are pleased to announce that MCU donors have made a major commitment to provide 70% of the fees for several college students.    Members of MFCR, YAF and TP-USA will pay only $15, and there will be a few internships with full scholarship.  Student can use the form below, designate chapter and mark $15 in the amount paid. Even better yet, we have a few full scholarships for some. Please send a note of interest to [email protected]    College student advisors for this adventure include Charlie Kolean, Mackenzie Flynn, Chris Pawsat and Grant Strobl. Among the donors are Jack and Susan Stone; Essel W. (Trey) Bailey, III; Bruce Barlond; Tom Norton; Janice Daniels; Norm & Sue Hughes. We thank all for their involvement in making this happen!