The Power Grab Continues: Control of the Internet

"...allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised federal government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network...But the bill is unclear about how broad the president's power is. And what's more troubling to some is the application of emergency responses used in other situations to an area that has never faced that kind of security test." [link]

I find it troubling that this type of legislation is floating around. It is just as troubling the vague language used. For example "critical infrastructure information system or network", couldn't that just as easily be read as "internet". Especially if you look at the internet as a tool for banking, purchasing, trading stocks, etc... Also, how many ISP providers are the local and/or regional telephone companies? Wouldn't the government consider those "critical infrastructure"? ISP service through satellite or cable providers "critical infrastructure" by saying these mediums need to be able to function in order to broadcast "news and information" in case of an actual emergency?

The case could very easily be made that this authority would indeed allow the president to order the shut down of the internet. Should we even consider the words of the new FCC czar, Mark Lloyd, "It should be clear by now that my focus here is not freedom of speech or the press,” he said. “This freedom is all too often an exaggeration. At the very least, blind references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a distraction from the critical examination of other communications policies.” [link]

I will let you draw your own conclusions.

"It Can't Happen Here!" (Part 2, Forced Internment)

Yesterday we looked at MKULTRA and Operation Paperclip, both of which were clandestine programs/experiments that were carried out on American civilians. Unfortunately these were not the first or the last examples of a the U.S. Government overstepping its bounds.

Today we are going to look at Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 was issued February 19, 1945 and eventually led to the internment of those with “foreign enemy ancestry”. This eventually lead to the internment of more than 120,00 Japanese of which roughly two thirds were American citizens. 11,000 Germans, and 3,000 Italians, along with some Jewish refugees fleeing from Europe.

Not only did this order lead to the internment of these people but many more were forced to relocate from their homes to other areas of the country. Mind you that none of these people at the time were ever proven to be a threat to the nation or the government. Amazingly this order was not rescinded until 1976.

So far we have seen how government entities and agencies have experimented on civilians, and forced civilians into internment camps. All along violating rights guaranteed to be protected by the Constitution of the United States. So tell me again how “It can't happen here!”

More sources: http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist9/evacorder.html

http://home.comcast.net/~chtongyu/internment/camps.html

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/89manzanar/89manzanar.htm

A True Oath Keeper!

I do not know if this fine Marine veteran is a member of the Oath Keepers or not. But he certainly has the same ideals and sentiments. America needs more like this one!

Guns ALLOWED in School!

"The superintendent of the isolated Harrold Independent School District, about 30 miles northwest of here, made history last August when he and his school board decided to allow select teachers and staff members at the 110-student school to carry guns on campus..."

When a London reporter asked Thweatt to explain why so many kooks go into schools looking for a body count, Thweatt said he couldn’t explain such a devolution of society, but he did know a simple way to stop it — the same solution he chose for Harrold ISD.

“Good guys with guns — good,” he said. “Bad guys with guns — bad.” [link]

Hallelujah! Logic wins and...surprise, not one single "wild west, blood in the streets" style shooting, or any other shooting, or even a brandishing of a weapon has taken place. I can't speak for the students and/or teachers that attend/work there, but I bet there is a feeling of security that is missing in a vast majority of school district or individual schools across the nation.

More Lies and Theft (SHOUT THEM DOWN)

"President Obama may have to break his campaign pledge and raise taxes on middle-class Americans to pay for public health care and the growing deficit, an eventuality that administration officials touched lightly on Sunday as they promoted an economy emerging from recession.

With an expected deficit next year of $1.8 trillion, and spending still being planned for a $1 trillion, 10-year health care reform, officials say something will have to be done to prevent further erosion of the economy." [link]

Did anyone really think that with the massive government spending he could keep a promise to not raise taxes? I am sure that there were millions that actually believed this? For some reason there seem to be millions of people in this country that believe you can get something for nothing. Wait a minute, in this country you actually can. You don't have to work, the government will take care of you. Just go down to the food stamp and welfare office. Don't mind that you really can work you're just too lazy to. That is your "right" not to work. Remember it is a free country after all.

First and foremost this is a relatively "easy" problem to fix. Men and women are doing it across the nation as we speak. As times get tougher, you quit spending as much as you used to (SHOCKER). The average American understands this and most do so without having to be told to. But the government has yet to understand this very simple concept.

Secondly something has to be done about the perceived "rights of entitlement". I have spoken briefly about this before, and have briefly discussed a fix for this as well in that short piece.

Lastly the government (elected officials) truly need to understand their place and their true duty. It is not that hard to pick up a small pocket Constitution, read it and understand it in roughly an hours time. In fact just to give an example of how much the government has overstepped its bounds do this small experiment. Go to a local bookstore and find a small pocket Constitution that includes the text of the Declaration of Independence. Two documents that our country was founded upon and set out how and what a government is allowed and is not allowed to do to the people. Now take that pocket Constitution and set it next to a recent copy of the U.S. tax code...enough said.

How do we put these elected officials in their place. SHOUT THEM DOWN! Go to your local fiscal court meetings, your congresscritters "town hall forums" and take along a copy of the Declaration and the Constitution. When they say anything contradictory to or in direct violation of the Constitution SHOUT THEM DOWN! Let them know that enough is enough. Demand they show you in the Constitution what clause gives them the authority to take your hard earned money. Demand they show you the clause that gives them the authority to make sweeping changes via procedural measures instead of voting on bills. SHOUT THEM DOWN! When they are looking after their own best interests and not the best interests of freedom and liberty. SHOUT THEM DOWN! When they refuse to listen to you, because in all reality we are their bosses not the other way around. They are put there to serve us and to protect the Constitution.

On Liberty Pt. 4 (What is a Right)

We are hearing a lot these days about rights. But what exactly is a right? In order to enjoy freedoms and liberties afforded by the Constitution of the United States one first needs to learn a little bit about the rights protected by the document. Moreover, one also needs to understand what exactly a right in and of itself is.

A right is very simply something "God given", "endowed at birth", "self evident", etc... However this has been mirked up for several generations now until the common layperson has no idea what a right is. If they did we would not have a multitude talking about the right to health care, the right to affordable housing, etc...

In simpler terms a right is something each and every human being is endowed with, upon being born, that does not require anything from anyone else. Namely the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness so long as I do not infringe on anyone else's right to seek and/or do the same.

In order to understand this better, ask yourself, "Can my belief in this "right" and my attaining it be done in such a manner so as not one other single person on earth has to give up something in order for me to gain said right?" If your answer is yes, I can gain this without any single person having to lose something then what you are seeking is a right. Anything else is something gained by force and/or coercion on some level or another.

Here a Czar, There a Czar, Everywhere You Look a Czar!

As the number of so-called "czars" keeps piling up, it's raising serious questions about how powerful these White House insiders are..."It underscores the inefficiency of government that you keep ... having people, hoping that maybe they will get something done that the massive government bureaucracy cannot," he said...Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., likens these officials to part of a parallel government, "one that is outside of the Constitution and the authority of Congress." [link]

I would like to bring these czar's to everyone's attention. America needs to keep a close eye on these czars. Especially since they do cross over cabinet boundaries, have sweeping influence and power, and do not have to be vetted, or approved by Congress.

A Supreme Court Judge Said What?!

"Q: Are you talking about the distances women have to travel because in parts of the country, abortion is essentially unavailable, because there are so few doctors and clinics that do the procedure? And also, the lack of Medicaid for abortions for poor women?
JUSTICE GINSBURG: Yes, the ruling about that surprised me. [Harris v. McRae — in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions.] Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of..." [link]

Yes, I had to read that several times to make sure that I was in fact reading it correctly. We just had a sitting supreme court judge say that there was concern about population growth and in particular in certain populations! Wonder what populations she was referring to?

It is exactly this type of lunatic thinking that the 2nd amendment was intended to protect all citizens of the United States against.

Here is a link to the official 1970 census report. You may extrapolate your own data and draw your own conclusions.

"The U.S. Federal Reserve, facing growing pressure as it tries to heal the ailing economy, dodged a bullet on Monday when the U.S. Senate cast aside a new effort to increase scrutiny of the central bank.

On procedural grounds, the Senate blocked a bid to permit the U.S. comptroller general, who heads the investigative arm of Congress known as the Government Accountability Office, to audit the Federal Reserve system and issue a report... Democrats who control the Senate blocked the South Carolina Republican's amendment on the grounds that it violated rules prohibiting legislation attached to spending bills." [link]

It's funny (not really) how both sides only use the rules and laws when it benefits them at that time. It also frustrates me that Congress "gave away" its Constitutional authority to coin the money, yet then has no form of oversight or monitoring in place, and for the most part does not seem to care.

Private banks must be audited per government regulations, but I keep forgetting the government bank does not have to follow the rules that everyone else does somehow they are "above the law".

Todays GRE Column

There for a while I was in the habit of linking to this from my blog. I apologize for not doing it more often, I will try to keep it up daily.

Range Time

Sorry for the lack of new and exciting posts today, but in a very rare instance of several family members being off (on the same day for once) a trip to the range was in order. Well not really a formal range, but we are lucky enough to own some property where a good bit of shooting can be done. And that will probably be how I spend the 4th as well.

Nothing like doing a little shooting to celebrate the anniversary of America's Independence!

What a Criminal Does When Confronted With Force

"A standoff with a gunman who barricaded himself in a room at a Detroit airport hotel ended peacefully after he turned himself in to police..." [link]

You see the vast majority of the time when confronted with force and other people (not just police) that are armed they will either give up peacefully or shoot themselves. This is especially true of mass shooters. Taking guns from the populace is not the answer.

Things That Happen When Liberty is Not Present

An Iranian couple who lost their only son amid violent protests in Tehran say they were told they would have to pay $3,000 to recover his body -- a "bullet fee," they were told, to cover the cost of the bullet that killed him...[link] I think even the Pentagon gets better deals than this on its small arms ammunition.

Iran's violent crackdown against demonstrators in Tehran is only the latest exploit from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps that has helped the country earn its U.S.-designated label as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. [link] I am about as certain as anyone that "voting" was handled in a fair manner. Don't you think so?

Iranian authorities have told four players on the nation's soccer team to turn in their cleats after they wore green wristbands in a show of solidarity with the country's opposition leader, the Guardian reported, citing opposition newspapers in Iran. [link] So much for being able to express your opinions, thoughts, and ideas.

Now just stop to think a moment...Iran was never a "free" country. How much harder would some of these hardships be to a people that had at least had some freedom in their daily lives. Now is the time to start standing up for our own freedoms, demand enforcement and adherence to the Constitution, and to truly start holding our elected officials responsible.

Newest Victim Disarmament Zone

Officials said Wednesday that starting July 17th, no guns will be allowed on Beale Street. All clubs and businesses will post signs notifying patrons of the ban.

Police officers and private security guards will use handheld metal detectors to search patrons before allowing them inside the famous street's barricades.

Merchants will have to cover the cost, but they say it's worth it to maintain Beale Street's reputation as one of the country's safest entertainment districts.

John Elkington of Performa Entertainment says he wants to offer tourists and other patrons the opportunity to visit Beale without the fear of encountering armed citizens. [link]

You can now count this place off my places in America to visit. It is a shame really, I visited Beale Street several years ago and it is truly a nice place. Good entertainment, good food, and a relatively family friendly atmosphere. However if you will no longer allow me to legally protect myself and my family then I will not be going. For those that request it though, will you provide an armed security guard or a police officer to escort people around?

How long do you think it will be before the criminal element realizes there is a massive victim disarmament zone full of tourists with cash?

But He Could Carry a Concealed Weapon Anywhere He Wanted

"U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of Texas pleaded guilty in February, admitting he lied to investigators about nonconsensual sexual contact with two employees in his courthouse. As part of a plea agreement, other counts alleging sexual misconduct were dropped." [link]

When "lines are drawn" that elevate certain people's rights over the exact same rights of others why would you not expect corruption from some of them? Federal Judges are one group that once they get that title are "legally" entitled to carry a concealed firearm pretty much anywhere within the United States. Does it bother anyone else that certain job classes are "privileged" to exercise their God given rights, while regular citizens must often times break a "law" in able to defend themselves and their family?

Truth be told, with all of the exceptions, extra privileges, differential treatment, are some of these job classes really any different from holding a title of nobility? Doesn't the United States Constitution strictly forbid this?

A "Good" Way to Get a Majority Labeled as Terrorists

"The written exam, given as part of Department of Defense employees’ routine training, includes a multiple-choice question that asks:

“Which of the following is an example of low-level terrorism?”

— Attacking the Pentagon

— IEDs

— Hate crimes against racial groups

— Protests

The correct answer, according to the exam, is "Protests." [link]

Very good backdoor way to start getting quite a few people to start thinking about things the way the government wants them to. This is also known as propaganda and it has been used for thousands of years to great effect by dictator and tyrant alike to sway the support of the masses one way or another.

Quote for the Day

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." -- Daniel Webster

Scary Enough for You Yet?

"The most sweeping overhaul of financial rules since the Great Depression also would grant the Federal Reserve broad new powers to oversee large firms, such as insurance companies, that it does not regulate directly. The Fed would have the authority to seize and dismantle these companies if they are in danger of failing." [link]

So Obama is proposing we allow an agency that in reality has no oversight over it whatsoever to be able to seize privately held companies and dismantle them as they see fit? Where is the uproar and the outrage over these tactics of government theft? Does no one care anymore that America is ceasing to be America? Or are there so many people out there that think this is OK so long as they still have their car, their Starbucks, their satellite, and it doesn't directly effect them?

Guess they'll learn soon enough.

On Liberty Pt. 2 (Entitlements)

Any more there are quite a few people that seem to think they deserve something for just being. Well in a since they are correct. They deserve to have their rights honored and the chance to work as hard as they want to achieve whatever they may. They also deserve the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

They do not however deserve a handout if they fall on hard times, they don't deserve a bailout because their 401K tanked, and they don't deserve "free" food because they don't make enough money.

Plenty of people would call this harsh and in a way it is, however it is not my job or yours to be forced to fend for those that either cannot or choose not to fend for themselves. To look at it another way. If not for the income tax, payroll tax, unemployment tax, social security tax, school tax, library tax, property tax, etc...a community could easily support those less fortunate via charity than is being done now via forced taxation.

Deep down a vast majority of human beings are very generous, we just don't always have the means to give what we would like. However if not for forced "entitlements" there is quite a bit of good that each and every one of us could share easily.

Keep watching for more short topics On Liberty.

On Liberty

Liberty, as myself and many others much wiser than myself have said, is not free, is not easy, and is not always comfortable. With true liberty comes great responsibility and the realization that you are ultimately responsible for you!

For some reason in this day and age this is not longer thought of as something to seek and acquire. No longer something that is held in high esteem and respect. But is rather looked on as being a rather radical, extremist view.

There are many factors that I feel are the cause of this and should allow me many posts in the future to discuss this issue. Today however I want to take a look at two types of people, those that love true liberty, and those that don't.

For those that love liberty they want to be left alone, they believe in pursuing whatever interest, job, hobby, path, etc... life takes them on. More often than not they are very self reliant, ingenious about devising ways to get the most out of what is available to them, and can make a dollar go a very long way. They are also usually very kind hearted and true humanitarians, give back to their community and do charitable work quite frequently. (This is just a general observation I have noticed from those that I know and have contact with).

In opposition to them are those that want someone else to have a majority control in their lives. It is never their fault that they maxed out their credit cards, overspend on their budget, didn't get that job promotion, or didn't get hired for that better job. They look at life bitterly, as though just because they are born in America they deserve something automatically. They usually seek to impose a system that tries to make everyone "equal" by taking from those that do well to make sure those that don't have something, regardless of why those that don't are that way (they don't care if it is due to lack of motivation, laziness, etc...). (Once again a general observation).

That will wrap up my brief discussion on liberty today. Look for more in the future.