America (United States) The Land of the Free

[Sassy]

A very disturbing vote towards dictatorship  :'(

http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20061002-102007-4005r.htm

Congress faced a choice last week between constitutional courage and cowardice. It chose cowardice, and renounced the Founding Fathers. Those who risked and gave that last full measure of devotion at Valley Forge, Gettysburg and Normandy would be ashamed. The Republic is withering in foolish imitation of Rome.

ps go to link for entire article

[glenn kangiser]

The small town in Oregon I lived in  -1970 - had lots of examples of crooked cops.  One good Oregon State Policeman was a friend of mine -- he couldn't take the corruption and quit.  That is part of the reason I chose to move from there.  CA is bad but not as bad as there.  I know, PEG --- too many freakin' liberals.  

Looks like the police state there is only getting worse when people can't stage a peaceful protest without getting shot at- pepper sprayed and attacked by the authorities they pay to protect their right to freedom of speech. Welcome to Police State America.

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/347085.shtml

http://to-the-dome.blogspot.com/2006/10/vicious-attacks-on-anti-bush.html

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/10/347062.shtml  

Same thing happened in Seattle a few years ago.

http://www.counterpunch.org/seattlediary.html


Photo copyright the above linked site.

[Amanda_931]

I guess it's not too surprising that the Washington Times got upset about that.  

(everybody should, but....)

I used to belong to a forum that some topic or other featured a photo of a Washington Times vending box that had been spray-painted "Moonie Rag."

[glenn kangiser]

I hadn't heard about the Washington times - was referred to the Indymedia site from Whatreaallyhappened I think -- I checked to see if it was Portland , Oregon or Portland, Maine since I was from near that area.

[Amanda_931]

Sassy's link was to the Washington Times.  And it is DC

[glenn kangiser]

Oh oh-- I didn't look far enough. :-/

[glenn kangiser]

Had another thought about this.

I guess people who participate in this sort of activity are just setting themselves up for abuse by these guys as it's hard to tell what they are going to do.  Not all of them will trample girls with horses.

This article probably should not have been posted under "Land of The Free" --- It should have been under "Home of The Brave."

[John Raabe]

There has been a great deal of erosion the last 30 years in the rights of the people. This has accelerated the last six. Using the power of fear (it used to be communism and is now terrorism), and the blind call to patriotism, great swaths of carefully divided powers have been moved over to the executive branch and invested in a protected and semi-secret inner circle.

This is more than troubling. It is eroding faith in the fairness of law and the support of police and enforcement of order. When that goes so goes the foundation of the entire country.

We must insure that the next administration and congress reverses this trend and goes back to the foundation to reinforce the powers and protections of private citizens.

(And we need to learn, as a society, to be less susceptible to manipulation by fear.)

[Amanda_931]

What John said.

(unless, of course, we want to petition to be part of Britain again.

but they may be doing a bit better than we are right now)

[John Raabe]

I'm here at a hotel in Ocean Shores, WA running my laptop on the WiFi and taking beach walks while my wife is at a school nurse conference nearby.

I had an idea... see what you think.

[highlight]Stand 4 Democracy[/highlight], a silent assertion in support of a return to a "government of the people, for the people and by the people".

Every Wednesday, at noon, supporters would stop whatever else they were doing and stand up and be silent for one minute.

The website stand4democracy.org (not yet registered) would have an on-line statement of principles and a pledge form that folks could sign. A running tally at the site would count members. To join, all one had to do was to affirm their support of basic democratic principals and be willing to stand quietly for one minute every Wednesday. There would be down-loadable templates for printing out standard fold and tear business card sized information cards that could be given to others. It would ask them to stand up for democracy too.

The hope would be that this becomes a viral thing. People see others standing, perhaps take a card and then do it themselves next Wednesday.

The future evolution of the site might include a forum where ideas about what a real democracy might look like could develop. However, I think the site should be very slow to take a specific political position, so as not to get mired in the divisive political rancor now surging back and forth.

Your thoughts?

[Amanda_931]

Sounds a little like the Women in Black protest.

When I was part of a long strike, I went to the road outside of the plant nearly every afternoon to join the protest.  There were a few organized signs, but I for one carried a large pad of paper and some marking pens.  Occasionally people borrowed them and wrote their own signs.

Might be a better to have suggestions from the members than having today's issue come from the top down.  Although if everything's up to the members, then nothing will ever get done.

[glenn kangiser]

Seems to me

the powers that be

will never stand

for democra-see.



Couldn't help myself-- I think fascism is here to stay for a while. :-/

[glenn kangiser]

There goes another one.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=15archive/&entry_id=9952

Bush signs torture bill; Americans lose essential freedom

The provisions of Bush's new torture law mean that Americans have lost the key, constitutional right on which Anglo-American criminal law (and criminal-law procedures in true democracies in general) is founded; that's the basic right of an individual to know why he or she is being apprehended and detained. Now, technically, as in Stalin's Soviet Union, Hitler's Germany, Mao's China or Pol Pot's Cambodia, anyone labeled an "enemy combatant" - again, by whom; by Bush? - can be whisked away and never heard from again. That kind of authority, in the hands of corrupt or untruthful politicians, may or may not be an effective tool in some kind of "war on terror," but it certainly can be a useful tool when it comes to silencing their opponents.

[John Raabe]

Amanda: Yes, like women in black - a powerful but quiet movement. And yes, the issues have to come up from below and the idea of self printed cards that are handed out could make the point you did with your site made signs... but this would be more on a one-to-one basis. What would you say on your card? My first one would state a personal committment to not being fooled, "I will not be controlled by fear of things I can not see."

Of local interest - the Langley movie theater, the Clyde, will be showing two movies for free this weekend. Sunday Oct. 22nd, "Uncovered: The War in Iraq" - at 12 noon, and at 1:15, "Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers". Might be of interest to any locals around the island.

Just a small example of a local business person taking an economic (and perhaps political) risk.

[highlight]If the people won't stand up, democracy can be pulled down.[/highlight]

[Sassy]

Our local Sixth Street Cinema will be playing "Iraq for Sale" on November 2 @7:30pm.  There's another good video that you can now watch on YouTube I think - by Aaron Russo (The Rose & Trading Places) titled:  "From Freedom to Facsism"  it has been playing around the nation at theaters & auditoriums but I guess he felt the message was so important that he's offering it for free to anyone who cares to watch it.

I'm with you, John, I will not be controlled by fear... that's why I try to examine all sides & why I probably sound like a broken record when I post on the Off Topic - Ideas, politics, rants thread.  

I have friends who just don't want to look at the whole picture or beneath the surface as they are still raising kids - I tell them that there won't be a "free republic/democracy" anymore for them to live in if we don't wake up & see what is happening to our nation.  

The laws are already in place for a dictatorship & police state whether we want to acknowledge that fact or not with the disposal of the Posse Commitatus (sp?) Act & HR6166 that Bush just signed into law which takes away our right to habeas corpus - a hearing before an "impartial" judge & jury - now I can be arrested for "domestic terrorism" for speaking out & would have no recourse.  It is a sad day for America.   :'(

Had never heard about the Women in Black until recently - hopefully they are able to reach people - it is a tragedy what is happening in Palestine & the middle East... I try to subtly   interject into conversations a little doubt & questioning of the status quo & hopefully the people I am speaking to will ask more questions & do a little searching on their own.  

I have not given up hope  

[John Raabe]

I have not given up hope  

I'm with you!

A working democracy is a statement of faith and hope - Faith that the governed (the People), given full information, can make better decisions than kings and presidents - and Hope that the people are wise enough to not be fooled too often.

If faith and hope cannot sustain democracy then a country will have increasing oppression (as elites most naturally move to take advantage of their positions). This builds until such time as the disenfranchised rise up and throw off the control of the elites. When they do this they do not normally replace the old government with a democracy, but instill a government composed of the winning fighters who want retribution. They are the ones with the guns and they hold the government offices. And, most importantly, are now responsible for order. This generally leads to a heavy handed new order of power elites and the cycle starts again.

Here is an earlier statement of the faith and hope that forms the fragile foundation of democracy:

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time" - A. Lincoln.

A lot of people have been fooled... and (I sense) many of them are starting to wake up. Most people are more motivated by anger than hope or faith in democracy. Fortunately for the U.S., this anger and retribution will most likely express itself at the ballot box and not overflow the banks of the democratic process and lead to real banana republic type revolt. However, the voting and electoral system has recently been manipulated to some extent and this is troubling. There can be no democracy if the people do not have faith in the electoral process.

This is the foundation and it needs work!

[Sassy]

Here is a little "police state" for you...

http://www.brasscheck.com/videos/cl/cl3.html

[Sassy]

Who Am I?

I have destroyed more men than all the wars of all nations combined.

I massacre millions of people each and every generation.

I have wrecked more homes than all other causes known to you.

I cause the downfall of the greatest civilizations in history.

I spare no one.

My victims are rich and poor, young and old, strong and weak.

I do not respect color or creed.

Children shall know me to their eternal sorrow.

I cast my shadow over every thought of man.

I hide in unseen places and I go about my work silently.

You have been warned of my presence, but you do not listen.

I never sleep and I am everywhere you are.

You cannot hide from me.

Illness, revulsion, disease and death follow me and are my friends.

I will give you nothing.

I will take everything you have and then seek more.

I will cause you to turn away from all you once believed in.

I will blind your eyes to the sins of your elected leaders.

I go where my master orders.

The Prince of Darkness alone sends me into your life.

Once allowed inside, seldom am I asked to leave.

America, allow me to give you rest.

I will remove all your worries and concerns.

I will take away any concern for individual responsibility.

I will bring you bliss.

I am your friend.

I am Apathy.

[Amanda_931]

I sent that out widely, but where did it come from?

[Sassy]

I saw it on the website of a candidate running on the Constitutionalist party platform in Utah.  I had read it before but don't know where it originated from.  It's thought provoking so decided to post it.

[Amanda_931]

A teacher friend of mine believes that Google is a nearly perfect way to detect student's plagiarism.

Use the most striking phrase in quotations ("Illness, revulsion, disease and death" in this case) and hit search!

that turned up this (in addition to an LDS site)--a ways down on the page:

http://arepublic.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_arepublic_archive.html

When Jerry Hughes spoke in Kansas City a few years ago he read one of his poems.

Jerry Hughes was a link, so....

http://www.jerryhughes.blogspot.com/

[Sassy]

real plans are being made to reinstate the draft... here's an article from Ron Paul - House Representative in Texas

Rethinking the Draft

November 27,  2006    

Once again the possibility of reinstating a military draft is being discussed in Washington, and while the idea seems remote it is not unthinkable.

Democratic Congressman Charles Rangel of New York, soon to be a powerful committee chair, has openly called for reinstating the Selective Service System. Retired Army General Barry McCaffrey claims that our ground forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq are stretched far too thin, and desperately need reinforcements. Meanwhile, other political and military leaders suggest that several hundred thousand additional troops might be needed simply to restore some semblance of order in Iraq. We are nearing the point where a choice will have to be made: either decrease our troop commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan significantly, or produce thousands of new military recruits quickly. So a discussion of military conscription is not purely academic.

Yet the Department of Defense remains steadfastly opposed to a draft. A Pentagon report stated that draft registration could be eliminated "with no effect on military mobilization and no measurable effect on military recruitment." Most military experts believe a draft would actually impair military readiness, despite the increase in raw manpower, because of training and morale problems.

So why is the idea of a draft even considered? One answer is that our military forces are spread far too thin, engaged in conflicts around the globe that are none of our business. With hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in literally hundreds of foreign nations, we simply don't have enough soldiers to invade and occupy every country labeled a threat or deemed ripe for regime change. Given the choice, many in Congress would rather draft more young bodies than rethink our role as world policeman and bring some of our troops home.

Military needs aside, some politicians simply love the thought of mandatory service to the federal government. The political right favors sending young people to fight in aggressive wars like Iraq. The political left longs to send young people into harm's way to save the world in places like Darfur. But both sides share the same belief that citizens should serve the needs of the state-- a belief our founders clearly rejected in the Declaration of Independence.

To many politicians, the American government is America. This is why, on a crude level, the draft appeals to patriotic fervor. Compulsory national service, whether in the form of military conscription or make-work programs like AmeriCorps, still sells on Capitol Hill. Conscription is wrongly associated with patriotism, when really it represents collectivism and involuntary servitude.

I believe wholeheartedly that an all-volunteer military is not only sufficient for national defense, but also preferable. It is time to abolish the Selective Service System and resign military conscription to the dustbin of American history. Five hundred million dollars have been wasted on Selective Service since 1979, money that could have been returned to taxpayers or spent to improve the lives of our nation's veterans.

Ronald Reagan said it best: "The most fundamental objection to draft registration is moral." The notion of involuntary servitude, in whatever form, is simply incompatible with a free society.

[Amanda_931]

I frequently agree with Ron Paul (and occasionally wonder if he is related to an uncle-by-marriage).

But he does not mention all the reasons involved.

Professional military people really hate the idea of having people drafted for only a couple of years.  Not time enough to really get them trained, especially in things like submarine maintenance and repair.  So that's one reason they're for the status quo.

On the other hand, military service is pretty class segregated right now.  Not many children of members of Congress are serving, for instance.  So a draft, even if it did include, (and I think Rangel's plan includes this) educational deferments, non-military service (e.g., peace corps, vista) etc. would put a larger cross-section of the country into some sort of service to one's country.  Which I don't think I dislike too much.

But the draft is why the middle class turned against the Vietnam war.  Fear of their boys being drafted into that dreadful conflict.  Right now they're not so much involved.  Only the lower classes count.

And that may be the biggest reason of all for the professional military to hate the idea of a draft.  More civilians would have a stake in what the war was about.  And if they--"we the people"--thought it was stupid, money would certainly be lacking for wars, and/or new pet projects, more to spend on Star Wars, Haliburton, etc..

[Sassy]

National Emergency
During the depths of the Depression, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a National Emergency under the Trading With the Enemy Act, which somehow remained in effect until 1977 when Congress came to its senses to revoke the Emergency. That said, other Emergencies declared since then have left America under a continuous declared state of national emergency for the last seventy years.

What that means, essentially, is that the president is legally empowered at any given moment to suspend the Constitution, enforce martial law and inter of hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens in detention camps without due process or criminal charge.

Congress made a further attempt to end the Emergencies with the National Emergencies Act back in 1978. All Emergencies were to end on September 14, 1978. Eminently sensible; in that year our biggest problem was disco.

What we have currently is a state of emergency inflation. Every little thing prompts a new Emergency, with all the unconstitutional powers ordinarily befitting a Major Emergency, allocated for Minor Emergencies. Bill Clinton declared no fewer than twelve National Emergencies. One of these was for Haiti. Yes, Haiti, an island of little strategic import to the United States. Somehow it was an emergency. Is this bad? A 1976 Senate report points out that there are no fewer than 470 extraordinary grants of power to the President, during times of Emergency. Some of them are alarming:

   In Time of war or national emergency, the President may appoint any qualified person whether or not already a member of the armed forces to any officer grade in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. [10 USC 603]

In conjunction with:

   The President may suspend the operation of [laws] relating to the promotion, involuntary retirement, or separation of officers... [10 USC 644]

He can stuff you into the military and not let you out. Now. Be afraid of what Congress has done. Be very afraid.  

(posted on Daily Rotten)

[Texan_lost_in_cali]

Anyone looked into the Free State Project yet? Might be a good start....