America (United States) The Land of the Free

[Sassy]

Here's another article by Ron Paul...  living in a "free society"
Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk - A weekly Column

Political Power and the Rule of Law

February 5,  2007

With the elections over and the 110th Congress settling in, the media have been reporting ad nauseam about who has assumed new political power in Washington.  We're subjected to breathless reports about emerging power brokers in Congress; how so-and-so is now the powerful chair of an important committee; how certain candidates are amassing power for the 2008 elections, and so on.   Nobody questions this use of the word "power," or considers its connotations. It's simply assumed, in Washington and the mainstream media, that political power is proper and inevitable.

The problem is that politicians are not supposed to have power over us-- we're supposed to be free.   We seem to have forgotten that freedom means the absence of government coercion.  So when politicians and the media celebrate political power, they really are celebrating the power of certain individuals to use coercive state force.

Remember that one's relationship with the state is never voluntary.   Every government edict, policy, regulation, court decision, and law ultimately is backed up by force, in the form of police, guns, and jails.  That is why political power must be fiercely constrained by the American people.

The desire for power over other human beings is not something to celebrate, but something to condemn!   The 20th century's worst tyrants were political figures, men who fanatically sought power over others through the apparatus of the state.   They wielded that power absolutely, without regard for the rule of law.

Our constitutional system, by contrast, was designed to restrain political power and place limits on the size and scope of government.   It is this system, the rule of law, which we should celebrate--not political victories.

Political power is not like the power possessed by those who otherwise obtain fame and fortune.   After all, even the wealthiest individual cannot force anyone to buy a particular good or service; even the most famous celebrities cannot force anyone to pay attention to them.   It is only when elites become politically connected that they begin to impose their views on all of us.

In a free society, government is restrained--and therefore political power is less important.   I believe the proper role for government in America is to provide national defense, a court system for civil disputes, a criminal justice system for acts of force and fraud, and little else.   In other words, the state as referee rather than an active participant in our society.

Those who hold political power, however, would lose their status in a society with truly limited government.   It simply would not matter much who occupied various political posts, since their ability to tax, spend, and regulate would be severely curtailed.  This is why champions of political power promote an activist government that involves itself in every area of our lives from cradle to grave.  They gain popular support by promising voters that government will take care of everyone, while the media shower them with praise for their bold vision.  
Political power is inherently dangerous in a free society: it threatens the rule of law, and thus threatens our fundamental freedoms.   Those who understand this should object whenever political power is glorified.

Also, look up the difference between a "democracy" and a "republic." The United States Constitution originally set out to form a "republic" which protects the rights of the individual rather than "democracy" which allows the 51% majority to rule & dictate to the 49%...  that's ok if you like what the "majority" represents... then, when you think about our elections today, only a minority even vote - yeh, I know, there's not much to choose from...  

[MountainDon]

Okay, I know this comment is small potatoes, but it's typical of a bunch of meddlesome do-gooders and the ire they cause me... TV news is on while I'm working here. There's a news story about some NYC politician who wants to pass some kind of a law against iPods because some stupid people have been killed when crossing the street while listening to their iPods. Well, bully! If you're that stupid let's let it happen so we can strengthen the gene pool.  

[glenn-k]

Survival of the fittest - natural selection - I've got no problem with that.  Hope I'm not de-selected too soon.

[wilco]

Benevolance - check this out...

We The People

Quite an interesting topic. Thanks for your efforts.

Here's a site I follow: www.kunstler.com

IF he's more or less correct, in just a few years we won't worry much about the federal government.

Steve

[glenn-k]

Welcome to the forum, Steve.

[wilco]

Thanks, Glenn, I've been lurking, enjoying, and absorbing inspiration for quite awhile.

[Sassy]

Welcome, Steve, I read a bit of the website you posted... he seems to be one of the radical tinhat conspiracy theorists, too!    Glad you enjoy the forum!  Lots of great people here   - even tho there are a few of us out on the fringes  

[glenn-k]

Glad you came in from the cold.  Some of us have to face reality, eh?  

[Sassy]

Poisoning the Roots of Freedom so much for being able to build on your own property... especially with a helpful board of supervisors  :-/

[benevolance]

I would be in jail....if i owned 75 acres and they did not let me build a home...I would find the guys in charge and start calling them at night...Toilet papering their houses...Maybe the windows would get beat out of their cars... well okay I am not into violence much....So put that one on hold....

But I would plan out something truly great, like pay off the local septic tank pump guy to dump several thousand gallons of raw sewage on their lawn at 3 am....On their cars....In their pools...Whatever it took....

He has a nice website and all....He needs to be burning flags or whatever he can do to get on National TV

there are a lot of americans that would side with him when you consider this is the land of the free he owns the land and cannot get building permits to build houses for his family on said land...

If this was on the nightly news I predict the outpouring of support for the guy would be overwhelming...

He has been fighting for 30 years...I would have 1 life sentence just about over...

[glenn-k]

Feeling free yet?



http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2064157,00.html

[Amanda_931]

Yuck!

But I do kind of wonder if we could have made the same analysis in the 60's, the twenties, the thirties, and probably back sometime in the 1870's or so.

In other words, does every country teeter on the edge of fascism most of the tiime?

[glenn-k]

Probably but we didn't have the issues with as many of the rights going down the tubes at that time.

[fourx]

The main difference in those times to now is the degee of control in the top ranks of the last two administrations by a single group of persons of the same race, the same faith and the same Neo-Con philosophy- this is the thing that amazes most non US folk, yet the majority sector of the US public doesn't seem to be aware of this to any degree.

[glenn-k]

That is what worries me about them.  That many hypocrites together can't be good for us or the world.  The greed, the lust for power and the promotion of the fascist state.

I expect the rest of the world will one day have to join together to stop the runaway train.  There is talk of counter coalitions forming and partnerships of other countries being forged quite often now.  They even have alliances in South America.

[Sassy]

 Just read this on the "Homesteading Today" forum...  pretty scary
Let Me Tell You What Happened To US
We went to UAB (Birmingham) on Monday & Tuesday of this week for DH's medical checkups. He's a heart transplant recipient, five years out. We stayed in a Motel 6 overnight, just wanting an inexpensive place to lay our head for a few hours. We'd been out to eat, getting back to the room just about dark. We started making phone calls, checking our messages at home and calling our adult children. While on the phone, someone started banging on the door, talking in broken english and Spanish (I think). We figured it was someone drunk that had the wrong room, so we didn't open the door. A little while later, more banging on the door. This time a man's voice yelling to open the door or they were going to kick in the door. DH hung the phone up, went to the door asking who they were and what did they want. The voice said "Homewood, open the door right now or I'm kicking in the door". Both DH and I were repeatedly asking who they were and what did they want. Again he identified himself as "Homewood". He said "a 911 call was placed from this room to the front desk (?), and I mean, open the door right now". I got up my nerve to crack the curtain at this point and there stood one of the police officers, therefore, we immediately opened the door. They came barging in and yelling wanting to know what was going on in there. I told them evidently they had the wrong room. They asked if we'd been arguing (which we hadn't), still trying to make us criminals. I told them DH was a heart transplant recipient and we were just there overnight seeing his Drs. at UAB. They were still yelling about when they (police) say to open a door we'd better be opening the door. DH reminded them they never identified themselves as police officers, only said "Homewood". I told them that Homewood means nothing to me, maybe it does to locals, but we were from out of town. DH asked for their names and wanted to see their ID, which they ignored. They demanded seeing DH's ID. They ran a check. DH hasn't even had a speeding ticket since 1974. They finally realized they couldn't arrest us for anything and started to walk off. I told them an apology would be nice and they kept walking. Now remember, they never identified themselves other than "Homewood" (meaning Homewood Police Dept), and never apologized. Needless to say, we were so upset we didn't get any sleep. I couldn't wait to get back to my home in the woods. We plan to write letters to the Chief of Police of Homewood and the home office of Motel 6.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=232999

[glenn kangiser]

Ahhhh....Let Freedom Ring

http://dcist.com/2008/06/04/mpd_to_seal_off.php

These tactics have been used successfully in other places.

http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Editorial-Page.htm?InfoNo=023878

http://www.lewrockwell.com/shaffer/shaffer46.html

http://www.lookingglassnews.org/printerfriendly.php?storyid=674

[glenn kangiser]

Warrantless Cell Phone tracking contested.

There are already legal methods to do it.  It's just that this administration feels it is above the law.  The founding fathers already drew the line.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/DOJ-Sued-Over-Cell-Phone-Tracking-Practices/?kc=EWKNLNAV070308STR1

[glenn kangiser]

Bush wiretapping illegal.

http://www.truthout.org/article/judge-rejects-bushs-view-wiretaps

[ScottA]

That's why he wants to pass laws to make it unillegal. Why break the law when you can change it to suit your needs?

[glenn kangiser]

He's been trying that and succeeding most of the time with presidential signing orders -- now if he'd only been elected president to go along with all of  that power. hmm

[ScottA]

Here's the thing Glenn...he doesn't have any real power.

[glenn kangiser]

Seems he still has his hand on the tiller, steering the boat toward the rocks though.