View Full Version : Was wondering what specific domestic freedoms have been lost while troops fought overseas....
Was thinking of a sort of meme theme based on overseas wars "fighting for our freedom" being a distraction while a specific freedom was lost at home. The idea is to hammer home the fact that the real fight for freedom is right here at home.
Two examples I've thought of offhand; I'm sure a creative person could do MUCH better, and think of a good pic to go with:
In 1968, politicians sent our boys overseas to fight for freedom
At home those same politicians were stealing our freedom to buy a gun from our friend back east
In 1971, while Nixon was supposedly waging a war to preserve our freedom
he was also taking us off the gold standard, depriving us of the freedom that comes from honest money
Origanalist
05-03-2014, 09:19 PM
Oh, lets get a little more current.
http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm
http://www.dhs.gov/creation-department-homeland-security
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance
That's a start, please continue..
the freedom to not have your pets shot for no reason?
this should be a sticky...exactly how are you fighting for me? and if you are it doesnt feel like you are winning...
this antiquated thingy
http://axiomamuse.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bill-of-rights.jpg
but they traded us this:
THE BILL OF WRONGS
11th Makes states immune from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders; lays the foundation for sovereign immunity. March 4, 1794 February 7, 1795
12th Revises presidential election procedures. December 9, 1803 June 15, 1804
13th Abolishes slavery, and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. January 31, 1865 December 6, 1865
14th Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues. June 13, 1866 July 9, 1868
15th Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude. February 26, 1869 F
16th Permits Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on the United States Census.
17th Establishes the direct election of United States Senators by popular vote.
18th Prohibited the manufacturing or sale of alcohol within the United States.
(Repealed December 5, 1933)
19th Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on sex.
20th Changes the date on which the terms of the President and Vice President (January 20) and Senators and Representatives (January 3) end and begin.
ClydeCoulter
05-03-2014, 09:33 PM
No Knocks. (fits in with @jkr's due process, but a specific problem).
Anti Federalist
05-03-2014, 09:46 PM
In 2001 the politicians sent troops overseas to "protect our freedom".
From terrorists who "hated us for our freedom".
But they soon found out, it was much easier to just take freedom away.
That way, the terrorists will no longer hate us.
Anti Federalist
05-03-2014, 09:50 PM
Not Freedom.
http://www.secretsofthefed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Police-Converge-Mass19.jpg
kcchiefs6465
05-03-2014, 09:51 PM
kcchiefs6465, without nitpicking things, you serve your position well when you articulate your points- and it can be effectively done without the use of ad hominems or collectivism. Better yet, your points really show the problems of bad policy, and what can result, rather than just saying cops are "brutal and murderous" (as per OP). I'm not saying I'm agreeing with everything, but at least there are discussable issues on the table.
I agree almost fully. Actually articulating the reasoning behind why the police are inherently immoral serves great purpose. A lot have gotten to the point where overt sarcasm is the only way they can actually justify what they see happening before their senses. I try not to simply leave a message but do feel that I drone on if I type pages on the underlying issues.
What I disagree with, somewhat, is that I even addressed policy. If I were to address the policy, and attempt to tie in all police officers, it would be quite another thing.
From no-knock raids, asset forfeiture, Fourth Amendment violations; the dogs walking around one's car for probable cause, the dogs walking around one's house for probable cause, the helicopter flying over with FLIR cameras for probable cause, the police officer himself saying he smelled something for probable cause, the judges being vetted as per how many times they deny a warrant, the judges being vetted for how strict they are with regards to adhering to aforementioned "probable cause"... I would discuss the issue stop and frisk "250s", the disproportionate targeting/selective pat downs, the molestation that occurs when said officer of the "law" gropes your testicles, the perhaps shattered testicle should you naturally flinch.. I would speak of the robberies occurring on the highways, funded through robbery under the auspices of preventing robberies no less! and I would do so trying not to grind my teeth to shards, the people being stopped, their children overtly threatened to be kidnapped unless they sign away their property, the exorbitant fees one is to be charged to challenge whether or not your property is "guilty", the absurd luxuries bought with said robbed property.. I would go on to discuss the acquisition of Mine Resistant Anti-Personnel Vehicles or the armored personnel carrier acquisition. The Edward Byrne Grants, COPS grants, and the 1033 DOD program. Grenade launchers, .50 caliber M2 Browning's, bayonets,... tanks. Where is the line drawn?
And this of course misses DUI checkpoints, seatbelt checkpoints, distracted driving checkpoints, random signs advertising false checkpoints to allege probable cause to search vehicles of those who avoid said checkpoint, "Constitution Free Zones" and the rest.
The cameras recording videos, stop sign, traffic light, overpass, and the ones now being implemented on police cars that take pictures and document every license plate they see.
The SWAT teams being used for minor "crimes" (that is, they are not crimes) and the dogs of said raided victims being shot routinely.
The flashbangs burning children, the entire homes demolished in searches of drugs, the tanks ramming people's living rooms.
The flagrant admissions. The video evidence. The screams for one's father. The no bills and evidence dismissals.
The promotion of said criminals, the PBA, the arbiters, the back pay, the robbery.
Your point on funding is a good issue, but it's also a difficult issues to get traction on. Since funding is done on a local level (generally) it can be counter-argued that you are choosing to live where you are, so you implicitly agreed to the terms.
With all due respect, to hell with the concept of "locally" if it means one can "legitimately" be stolen from to fund whatever the given majority wants.
This is certainly the case if you move into an area with a home owners association, which has home owner dues. Of course there are many choices of not living in an HOA.
Yes sir. An HOA agreement is another subject. It is on the contract signer to read and understand what they are signing.
The real problem isn't that some jurisdictions tax to pay for police protection, it's that there are basically no viable options to live in a jurisdiction where you aren't being taxed- that's the problem, but an argument often not easily retained. Still, we're getting way off topic on the original points.
I bet many would voluntary pay for the police. (This proves or legitimizes nothing) What I am concerned of is can I not pay for the police?
Anymore it is a foreign concept, but I wish to provide my own security. Economically I have no need for the police, during my only interactions with them, they've violated my rights, and frankly I'm capable of my own security.
You touch on this. Whether or not one is being taxed means little. I'd sooner feed the hungry than consent to robbers. I'd sooner throw my money into driving winds. And you know what I'd get? "tampering with evidence".. as they search for, pick up, and steal every last dollar I'd rather be burned than to fall into their hands.
I will contend your scientific claim however. Could you share your analysis of the over 3,000 counties in the USA showing how all police in each of these counties accept money? A quick search shows your proof is incorrect, a simple example: http://www.vice.com/read/unpaid-interns-with-guns
The minimum wage laws are a part of this. I don't wish to contend it. They take their community college classes, taking out five or ten thousand per semester to be "law men." The minimum wage allows only wages above set limit. Internships are legal with the mindset of, "why pay?" The person taking said internship is undoubtedly interested in becoming an officer of the "law".
I could paint that picture.
It surely isn't a picture of protecting natural rights.
ETA: I did not mean "sooner feed the hungry." I meant, "rather feed the hungry." To anyone who knows me in real life knows my charity. I only meant to illustrate that I will sooner burn 100 dollar bills, or throw them out the window, than to let the police take my money [again].
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?443279-Please-Vote-on-an-Important-Topic-Here-(Cops-VS-quot-Baby-Killers-quot-)/page5
I think it has a to do with the 2nd amendment. Gun control or regulations are not going to be the end of your stockpile of fire arms. I do have a gun I have to carry one for my job. I wish I didn't, I wish I lived in a world where such tools weren't needed.
They trample on most every Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment, journalists are spied upon, threatened with arrest. Peaceful protesters are shot with bean bags rounds, canine dogs released on innocent men, women, and children. "First Amendment Zones." Language that does not pose an extenuating threat to life or limb being prosecuted (threats without merit), inmates barred from speaking to the press, journalists imprisoned for reporting on information the court made public, jurors barred for life from ever speaking about their experience, rappers imprisoned for their lyrics, National Security Letters barring one from speaking about them. And more.
The Second Amendment, carry concealed weapons permits, felons being barred from owning guns, databases, background checks, felons being arrested because of what other people own, being barred from being armed on public grounds, the NFA. And more.
The Third Amendment, just recently tales have emerged of homes being commandeered by police officers to conduct surveillance operations with the homeowner having no say so in the matter.
The Fourth Amendment, this could be a long one if I really wished to spell out every flagrant abuse. Probable cause being issued by word of mutt whose accuracy is proven as low as 7%, TSA checkpoints and molestation, 'Constitution Free Zones', forced blood withdraws, DUI checkpoints, seat belt checkpoints, border checkpoints a hundred miles from the border, stop and frisk, National Security Letters (FBI agents writing their own 'search warrants'), blanket spying (PRISM, XKEYSCORE, Echelon), warrant shopping, mass collection of phone call contents using Stingray, warrantless UFED cellular extractions, no knock raids, FLIR flybys to detect heat signatures, drone surveillance, CALEA abuses, asset forfeiture, and not to mention they [attempt to] collect every piece of communication. And more.
The Fifth Amendment, compelled testimony, DUI laws not allowing one to not self-incriminate, absurd prison sentences (see:8th Amendment) unless one pleads guilty by and large eliminating the jury trial in America, property stolen for private interests, property squandered for bureaucratic interests, EPA (and many other agencies') fines absent Due Process, one's property being seized absent Due Process, people incarcerated indefinitely absent Due Process, American citizens assassinated absent Due Process. And more.
The Sixth Amendment, indefinite detention, the denial of Habeus Corpus, the inability to adequately confront accusers with regards to no fly lists, "Delayed" statuses on 4473 paperwork, secret courts. And more.
The Eighth Amendment, multiple millions of dollars for bail, cruel and unusual punishment meted out (cold showers, phones left ringing, blaring music, strobing lights), torture. And more.
The Ninth Amendment, the people being denied any semblance to a Sovereign. Being forever indebted simply by means of being birthed on a particular piece of rock. Collectivism. There really is no argument that as much as the lip service might claim otherwise, no rights are retained by the people. If anything, as is the case often, robed whores bastardize the wordage of the Constitution to such a point as to its reversal of original intent.
The Tenth Amendment, extortion of the States by way of withholding extracted funds, the Seventeenth Amendment, violating State sovereignty by ignoring its laws.
The short of this is that they violate the law on every occasion. They forcibly rob people as a means to fund their indulgences. After they are well fat and fed, the people may get back a portion. They destroy a forcibly mandated currency and cause death and destruction the world over. They are immoral. This can't last forever. People will not continue to take in printed paper or numbers on a computer screen in return for things of actual value. One day the governments of the world will want their gold, and they will reject the dollar as the world reserve currency. When that happens, you'd really rather be prepared.
Collectivism turns to fascism. Legal positivism breeds immorality and bureaucracy.
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?444742-Ban-the-Second-Amendment/page6
Anti Federalist
05-03-2014, 09:51 PM
Not Freedom.
http://shtfplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Boston-martial-law3.jpg
Origanalist
05-03-2014, 09:52 PM
In 2001 the politicians sent troops overseas to "protect our freedom".
From terrorists who "hated us for our freedom".
But they soon found out, it was much easier to just take freedom away.
That way, the terrorists will no longer hate us.
And that's not really why they hated us. (I know I'm not telling you anything)
Anti Federalist
05-03-2014, 09:54 PM
Not Freedom.
http://www.neoabolition.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2012-Keep-Telling-Yourself-You-are-Free.jpg
pcosmar
05-03-2014, 10:16 PM
http://static.prisonplanet.com/p/images/april2014/110414blm.jpg
http://iamnotanonymousblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/GMN-Photo-Bundy-Ranch-Standoff-11.jpg
http://www.thenationalpatriot.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/blm-4.jpg
Origanalist
05-03-2014, 10:21 PM
"Zero tolerance"
Origanalist
05-03-2014, 10:23 PM
http://www.girardatlarge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Pop-Tart-Gun.jpg
kcchiefs6465
05-03-2014, 10:35 PM
Punched, thrown head first onto the concrete causing a facial fracture.
Mouthed off, presumably (as in, if there is to be any justification to a caught on camera unjustifiable action), to the police.
http://i.imgur.com/s3r7wAb.png
This uppity criminal here had the audacity to mow his neighbors lawn.
http://i.imgur.com/Oz53wnh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qwDQ9Bg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JdhNbQG.jpg
Nothing but a little melted flesh of a child as a means to proclaim 'freedom.'
http://i.imgur.com/1Z3Io5V.jpg
I think this one was, "They're driving too fucking fast." A man crossing the road was run down by a speeding cop who had his headlights turned off.
http://i.imgur.com/MdpiqP5.png
This woman here, well she presumably (as there is no other 'justification' for the unjustifiable) mouthed off to the police. She was slammed, with her hands handcuffed behind her back into a couple of walls.
http://i.imgur.com/5ZJZhuF.jpg
Enough said.
http://i.imgur.com/FGFt5iz.jpg
kcchiefs6465
05-03-2014, 10:38 PM
I never realized there was a limit for images in a post.
In any case, add this one to the list.
http://i.imgur.com/Uo74fXi.png?1
oyarde
05-03-2014, 10:53 PM
Oh , I think we should start , about 1913 or so , then to current there will be no freedom left , except what you make for your own. Sadly , if you really want any , you have to just about create it the same way they took everyone else's , through fear. The locals fear me more than I do them , but they respect me and leave me to my own , which is good enough for me, I will respect them as well if that remains the same.
Oh boy...where do we start?
How Many Constitutional Freedoms Have We Lost?
This post explains the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights –
the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution – and provides
a scorecard on the extent of the loss of each right. (This is an
updated version of an essay we wrote in February. Since then, it has
become apparent that the few rights we thought we had left are largely
illusory.)
First Amendment
The 1st Amendment protects speech, religion, assembly and the press:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The Supreme Court has also interpreted the First Amendment as protecting freedom of association. However, the government is arresting those speaking out (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/08/keeping-our-heads-down-increases-the-danger.html) … and violently crushing peaceful assemblies which attempt to petition the government for redress (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/government-and-big-banks-joined-forces-to-violently-crush-peaceful-protests.html). A federal judge found that the law allowing indefinite detention of Americans without due process has a “chilling effect” on free speech (http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-permanently-blocked-2012-9). And see this (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/03/hedges-ndaa-is-chilling-the-practice-of-journalism/) and this (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/mar/28/helping-chris-hedges-lawsuit-ndaa). There are also enacted laws (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanine-molloff/trespass-bill_b_1328205.html) allowing the secret service to arrest anyone protesting near the president or other designated folks (http://reason.com/blog/2012/03/01/does-hr-347-the-trespass-bill-change-any) (that might explain incidents like this (http://www.progressive.org/mag_mc100406)). Mass spying by the NSA violates our freedom of association (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/09/nsas-spying-on-our-metadata-violates-our-freedom-of-association.html), chilling our willingness to associate with people who are not firmly in the mainstream. The threat of being labeled a terrorist for exercising our First Amendment rights (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/08/u-s-government-may-on-a-whim-label-any-american-a-terrorist.html) certainly violates the First Amendment. The government is using laws to crush dissent (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html), and it’s gotten so bad that even U.S. Supreme Court justices are saying (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/09/2-u-s-supreme-court-justices-and-numerous-other-top-government-officials-warn-of-dictatorship.html)that
we are descending into tyranny. For example, the following actions may
get an American citizen living on U.S. soil labeled as a “suspected
terrorist” today:
Having an almanac (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-12-30-fbi-almanacs_x.htm)
Complaining about the taste (http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/you-might-be-terrorist-if-you-complain-about-your-tap-water) of your tap water
Being young (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/insider-threat/) (if you live near a battle zone, you are fair game (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/06/u-s-labels-all-young-men-in-battle-zones-as-militants-and-american-soil-is-now-considered-a-battle-zone.html); and see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/no-child-left-behind.html))
Using social media (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/insider-threat/)
Reporting or doing journalism (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/09/in-america-journalists-are-considered-terrorists.html) (and here (http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/19/assange-high-tech-terrorist-biden) and here (http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/11/rep-peter-king-punish-journalists-who-report-classified-information/))
Having “strange odors” (http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/08/10/7769/) or “bright colored stains on clothes” (http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/08/10/7769/) (what if you eat mustard or ketchup?)
Speaking out against government policies (http://www.counterpunch.org/cohn09302006.html)
Protesting anything (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/in-modern-america-liking-peace-is-considered-terrorism.html) (such as participating in the “Occupy” (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/nyregion/occupy-movement-was-investigated-by-fbi-counterterrorism-agents-records-show.html?_r=0) or “Tea Party” (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60421.html) movements)
Questioning war (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/in-modern-america-liking-peace-is-considered-terrorism.html) (even though war reduces our national security (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/04/four-stories-this-week-prove-that-the-war-on-terror-is-a-farce.html); and see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/nobel-prize-winning-economist-war-is-widely-thought-to-be-linked-to-economic-good-times-nonsense.html))
Criticizing the government’s targeting of innocent civilians with drones (http://www.salon.com/2012/02/06/top_official_drone_critics_are_al_qaeda_enablers/singleton/) (although killing innocent civilians with drones is one of the main things which increases terrorism (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/01/nice-work-creating-new-terrorists-you.html). And see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/why-were-losing-the-war-on-terror.html))
Asking questions about pollution (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/in-modern-america-liking-peace-is-considered-terrorism.html) (even at a public Congressional hearing (http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/02/02/documentary-filmmaker-josh-fox-arrested-at-fracking-hearing)?)
Paying cash at an Internet cafe (http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2012/02/06/fbi-enlists-internet-cafe-owners-to-spy-on-customers-2/)
Asking questions about Wall Street shenanigans (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/in-modern-america-liking-peace-is-considered-terrorism.html)
Holding gold (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/in-modern-america-liking-peace-is-considered-terrorism.html)
Creating alternative currencies (http://www.nysun.com/editorials/a-unique-form-of-terrorism/87269/)
Stocking up on more than 7 days of food (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXKfEsgLLRU&feature=related) (even though all Mormons are taught to stockpile food (http://jenny-evans.suite101.com/why-do-mormons-store-food-a284336), and most Hawaiians store up on extra food (http://whatreallyhappened.com/node/156535))
Having bumper stickers saying things like “Know Your Rights Or Lose Them” (http://www.infowars.com/doj-funded-training-manual-lists-bumper-stickers-as-terrorism/)
Investigating factory farming (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/environment/la-me-gs-fbi-tracking-animal-videotapers-as-terrorists-20111229,0,5919114.story)
Infringing a copyright (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/08/counter-terror-gone-crazy-copyright-infringement-is-being-treated-as-terrorism.html)
Taking pictures or videos (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2008/09/in-a-fascist-state-cameras-equal-terrorism.html)
Talking to police officers (http://www.infowars.com/dhs-video-characterizes-white-americans-as-most-likely-terrorists/)
Wearing a hoodie (http://www.infowars.com/dhs-video-characterizes-white-americans-as-most-likely-terrorists/)
Driving a van (http://www.infowars.com/dhs-video-characterizes-white-americans-as-most-likely-terrorists/)
Writing on a piece of paper (http://www.infowars.com/dhs-video-characterizes-white-americans-as-most-likely-terrorists/)
(Not having a Facebook account (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2184658/Is-joining-Facebook-sign-youre-psychopath-Some-employers-psychologists-say-suspicious.html) may soon be added)
And holding the following beliefs may also be considered grounds for suspected terrorism:
Being frustrated with “mainstream ideologies” (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/insider-threat/)
Valuing online privacy (http://publicintelligence.net/do-you-like-online-privacy-you-may-be-a-terrorist/) (and see this (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/aug/06/nsa-director-cyber-terrorism-snowden?CMP=twt_gu))
Being a libertarian (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/in-modern-america-liking-peace-is-considered-terrorism.html)
Liking the Founding Fathers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oP1Ke70Mi8)
Being a Christian (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oP1Ke70Mi8)
Being anti-tax, anti-regulation or for the gold standard (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/07/us-usa-fbi-extremists-idUSTRE81600V20120207)
Being “reverent of individual liberty” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
Being “anti-nuclear” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Believe in conspiracy theories” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“A belief that one’s personal and/or national “way of life” is under attack” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Impose strict religious tenets or laws on society (fundamentalists)” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Insert religion into the political sphere” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Those who seek to politicize religion” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Supported political movements for autonomy” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
Being “anti-abortion” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
Being “anti-Catholic” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
Being “anti-global” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Suspicious of centralized federal authority” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“Fiercely nationalistic (as opposed to universal and international in orientation)” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
“A belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in … survivalism” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html)
Opposing genetically engineered food (http://www.infowars.com/doj-funded-training-manual-lists-bumper-stickers-as-terrorism/)
Opposing surveillance (http://www.infowars.com/dhs-video-characterizes-white-americans-as-most-likely-terrorists/)
Of course, Muslims (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/12/hsbc-prosecution-fine-money-laundering)
are more or less subject to a separate system of justice in America.
And 1st Amendment rights are especially chilled when power has become so
concentrated that the same agency (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/10/the-same-secret-government-agency-which-spies-on-all-americans-also-decides-who-gets-assassinated-by-drones.html) which spies on all Americans also decides who should be assassinated.
Second Amendment
The 2nd Amendment states:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security
of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall
not be infringed.
Gun control and gun rights advocates obviously have very different
views about whether guns are a force for violence or for good. But even a
top liberal Constitutional law expert reluctantly admits that the right
to own a gun is as important a Constitutional right as freedom of speech or religion (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/top-liberal-constitutional-law-expert-gun-ownership-is-an-individual-constitutional-right-as-important-as-freedom-of-speech-or-religion.html):
Like many academics, I was happy to blissfully
ignore the Second Amendment. It did not fit neatly into my socially
liberal agenda. *** It is hard to read the Second Amendment and
not honestly conclude that the Framers intended gun ownership to be an
individual right. It is true that the amendment begins with a reference
to militias: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security
of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall
not be infringed.” Accordingly, it is argued, this amendment protects
the right of the militia to bear arms, not the individual. Yet, if true,
the Second Amendment would be effectively declared a defunct provision.
The National Guard is not a true militia in the sense of the Second
Amendment and, since the District and others believe governments can ban
guns entirely, the Second Amendment would be read out of existence. ***
More important, the mere reference to a purpose of the Second
Amendment does not alter the fact that an individual right is created.
The right of the people to keep and bear arms is stated in the same way
as the right to free speech or free press. The statement of a
purpose was intended to reaffirm the power of the states and the people
against the central government. At the time, many feared the federal
government and its national army. Gun ownership was viewed as a
deterrent against abuse by the government, which would be less likely to
mess with a well-armed populace. Considering the Framers and their own traditions of hunting and self-defense, it
is clear that they would have viewed such ownership as an individual
right — consistent with the plain meaning of the amendment. None
of this is easy for someone raised to believe that the Second Amendment
was the dividing line between the enlightenment and the dark ages of
American culture. Yet, it is time to honestly reconsider this amendment
and admit that … here’s the really hard part … the NRA (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/top-liberal-constitutional-law-expert-gun-ownership-is-an-individual-constitutional-right-as-important-as-freedom-of-speech-or-religion.html#) may have been right.
This does not mean that Charlton Heston is the new Rosa Parks or that
no restrictions can be placed on gun ownership. But it does appear that gun ownership was made a protected right by the Framers and, while we might not celebrate it, it is time that we recognize it.
The gun control debate – including which weapons and magazines are banned – is still in flux …
Third Amendment
The 3rd Amendment prohibits the government forcing people to house soldiers:
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any
house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a
manner to be prescribed by law.
While a recent lawsuit by a Nevada family – covered by Mother Jones (http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/07/brief-history-third-amendment-cases), Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/08/family-booted-from-home-for-police-detail-suing-with-rare-use-third-amendment/) and Courthouse News (https://www.courthousenews.com/2013/07/03/59061.htm) – alleges bodily violation of the Third Amendment, such literal violation is rare today. However, the NSA is stationing
“digital troops” within our homes, taking over our computers and
phones, and interfering with the quiet use and enjoyment of our houses (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/01/nsa-quartering-digital-troops-within-homes.html). As such, the NSA is arguably violating our Third Amendment rights every single day.
And given that the Founding Fathers warned against standing armies (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/the-founding-fathers-warned-against-standing-armies.html) and foreign entanglements (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_Farewell_Address#Foreign_rel ations_and_free_trade), saying that overgrown military establishments destroy our liberty (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/01/all-in-all-it-appears-that-eisenhower%E2%80%99s-worst-fears-have-been-realized-and-his-remarkable-and-unique-warnings-given-for-naught.html), and given that economists such as Nobel prize winner Joe Stiglitz have demonstrated that large military budgets and war destroy our economy (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/nobel-prize-winning-economist-war-is-widely-thought-to-be-linked-to-economic-good-times-nonsense.html), and make the American people poor (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/war-is-great-for-the-1-but-makes-the-99-poorer.html),
being forced through taxes to pay for a bloated military-industrial
complex is at least analogous to being forced to quarter troops.
Fourth Amendment
The 4th Amendment prevents unlawful search and seizure:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the
place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
But the government is spying on everything we do (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/10/security-expert-the-details-matter-less-and-less-we-have-to-assume-that-the-nsa-has-everyone-who-uses-electronic-communications-under-constant-surveillance.html) … without any real benefit or justification (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/10/spies-can-now-for-the-first-time-monitor-everything-about-us-and-they-can-do-so-with-a-few-clicks-of-a-mouse-and-to-placate-the-lawyers-a-drop-down-menu-of-justifications.html). Indeed, experts say that the type of spying being carried out by the NSA and other agencies is exactly the kind of thing which King George imposed on the American colonists … which led to the Revolutionary War (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/nsa-spying-is-exactly-the-kind-of-thing-which-caused-the-revolutionary-war-against-king-george.html). And many Constitutional experts – such as Jonathan Turley (http://jonathanturley.org/2013/04/29/the-pavlovian-politics-of-terror/) – think that the police went too far in Boston with lockdowns and involuntary door-to-door searches (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/04/did-the-military-and-police-go-too-far-in-locking-down-boston-and-conducting-involuntary-door-to-door-searches.html).
Fifth Amendment
The 5th Amendment addresses due process of law, eminent domain, double jeopardy and grand jury:
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment
of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces,
or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public
danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice
put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal
case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
But the American government has shredded the 5th Amendment by subjecting us to indefinite detention (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/scandal-alert-congress-is-quietly-abandoning-the-5th-amendment/266498/) and taking away our due process rights (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/08/governments-indefinitely-detaining-citizens-in-psychiatric-wards-without-due-process-of-law.html). The government claims the right to assassinate or indefinitely detain any American citizen on U.S. citizen without any due process (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/constitutional-expert-president-obama-says-that-he-can-kill-you-on-his-own-discretion-he-can-jail-you-indefinitely-on-his-own-discretion.html). And see this (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/10/the-same-secret-government-agency-which-spies-on-all-americans-also-decides-who-gets-assassinated-by-drones.html).
As such, the government is certainly depriving people of life, liberty,
or property, without due process of law. There are additional
corruptions of 5th Amendment rights – such as property being taken for private purposes (http://www.ij.org/new-london-connecticut-release-7-12-2005). And the right to remain silent is gone (http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/06/salinas_v_texas_right_to_remain_silent_supreme_cou rt_right_to_remain_silent.html). The percentage of prosecutions in which a defendant is denied a grand jury is difficult to gauge, as there is so much secrecy (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/01/u-s-government-claims-that-the-situation-is-so-complicated-and-dangerous-that-it-must-act-on-secret-information-just-like-the-nazis.html) surrounding many terrorism trials (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/01/911-military-trial-judge-frustrated-by-government-censorship-like-the-911-commissioners.html).
Sixth Amendment
The 6th Amendment guarantees the right to hear the criminal charges
levied against us and to be able to confront the witnesses who have
testified against us, as well as speedy criminal trials, and a public
defender for those who cannot hire an attorney:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the
right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State
and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district
shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Subjecting people to indefinite detention (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/scandal-alert-congress-is-quietly-abandoning-the-5th-amendment/266498/) or assassination (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/constitutional-expert-president-obama-says-that-he-can-kill-you-on-his-own-discretion-he-can-jail-you-indefinitely-on-his-own-discretion.html)obviously
violates the 6th Amendment right to a jury trial. In both cases, the
defendants is “disposed of” without ever receiving a trial … and often
without ever hearing the charges against them. More and more commonly,
the government prosecutes cases based upon “secret evidence” (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/01/u-s-government-claims-that-the-situation-is-so-complicated-and-dangerous-that-it-must-act-on-secret-information-just-like-the-nazis.html) that they don’t show to the defendant … or sometimes even the judge hearing the case. The government uses “secret evidence” to spy on Americans (http://www.hofstralawreview.org/2012/05/15/secret-evidence-is-slowly-eroding-the-adversary-system-cipa-and-fisa-in-the-courts/), prosecute leaking (http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/1011/Judge_OKs_secret_evidence_for_CIA_leak_trial.html) or terrorism (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/08/judge-secret-evidence-ok-in-iraqi-in-terror-case/) charges (even against U.S. soldiers (http://news.antiwar.com/2011/12/19/manning-hearing-moves-into-secret-sessions/)) and even assassinate people (http://www.salon.com/2011/10/06/execution_by_secret_wh_committee/). And see this (http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=67898) and this (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/27/970634/-Wikileaks-Documents-Reveal-Hazards-of-Blindly-Relying-on-Secret-Evidence#). Secret witnesses (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/08/opinion/a-new-court-for-terrorism.html) are being used in some cases. And sometimes lawyers are not even allowed to read their own briefs (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/08/well-known-lawyer-discusses-justice-department-shenanigans.html). Indeed, even the laws themselves are now starting to be kept secret (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/05/weve-gone-from-nation-of-laws-to-nation.html). And it’s about to get a lot worse (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/12/bloomberg-trans-pacific-partnership-corporatist-power-grab-democratic-transparent-one-party-state-shrouded-big-brother-like-secrecy.html).
Seventh Amendment
The 7th Amendment guarantees trial by jury in federal court for civil cases:
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy
shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be
preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined
in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the
common law.
Technically, this right is still being respected. However,
financial sheninagins have made it very difficult for most Americans to
be able to enjoy this right. Specifically, the austerity caused (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/its-not-a-fiscal-cliff-its-the-descent-into-lawless-anarchy.html) by redistribution of wealth to the super-elite (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/09/the-stunning-truth-about-inequality-in-america.html) is causing severe budget cuts to the courts and legal assistance institutions. Moreover, there are two systems of justice in America (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/04/america-is-a-failed-state-with-a-dual-justice-system-one-for-ordinary-people-and-then-one-for-people-with-money-and-enormous-wealth-and-power.html) … one for the big banks and other fatcats, and one for everyone else (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/12/hsbc-prosecution-fine-money-laundering). The government made it official policy not to prosecute fraud (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/obama-prosecuting-fewer-financial-crimes-than-under-either-bush-presidency.html), even though fraud is the main business model (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/08/big-banks-worse-than-you-think.html) adopted by Wall Street. Indeed, the largest insider trading scandal of all time (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/09/%E2%80%9Cgreatest-financial-crime-in-history%E2%80%9D.html), illegal raiding of customer accounts (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/03/mf-global-personally-ordered-transfer-of-customer-funds.html) and blatant financing of drug cartels and terrorists (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/even-the-mainstream-media-finally-awakens-to-the-fact-that-big-banks-are-criminal-enterprises.html)
have all been committed recently without any real criminal prosecution
or jail time. On the other hand, government prosecutors are using the
legal system to crush dissent (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/02/government-uses-anti-terror-laws-to-crush-dissent-and-help-big-business.html) and to silence whistleblowers (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/04/obama-has-prosecuted-more-whistleblowers-than-all-other-presidents-combined.html). And some of the nation’s most powerful judges have lost their independence … and are in bed with the powers-that-be (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/11/does-the-justice-system-actually-dispense-justice-or-does-it-just-serve-the-powers-that-be-like-the-other-branches-of-government.html).
Eighth Amendment
The 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment:
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Indefinite detention (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/12/scandal-alert-congress-is-quietly-abandoning-the-5th-amendment/266498/) and assassination (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/12/constitutional-expert-president-obama-says-that-he-can-kill-you-on-his-own-discretion-he-can-jail-you-indefinitely-on-his-own-discretion.html) are obviously cruel and unusual punishment. The widespread system of torture carried out in the last 10 years – with the help of other countries (http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/cia-renditions-aided-54-countries-014932627.html) – violates the 8th Amendment (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/12/is-america-still-a-nation-of-laws.html). Many want to bring it back (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/05/bipartisan-congressional-bill-would-authorize-the-use-of-propaganda-on-americans-living-inside-america-because-banning-propaganda-ties-the-hands-of-americas-diplomatic-officials-mil.html) … or at least justify its past use (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/01/debating-torture-is-like-debating-whether-rape-is-good.html). While Justice Scalia disingenuously argues (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2008/04/scalia-tries-to-apologize-for-torture-fails-violating-the-war-crimes-act-of-1996-in-the-process.html) that torture does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment because it is meant to produce information – not punish – he’s wrong (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/04/9-torture-myths-debunked.html). It’s not only cruel and unusual … it is technically a form of terrorism (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/05/torture-is-a-form-of-terrorism.html). And government whistleblowers are being cruelly and unusually punished (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/government-protects-criminals-by-prosecuting-whistleblower-who-expose-wrongdoing.html) with unduly harsh sentences meant to intimidate anyone else from speaking out.
Ninth Amendment
The 9th Amendment provides that people have other rights, even if they aren’t specifically listed in the Constitution:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights,
shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the
people.
We can debate what our inherent rights as human beings are. I believe
they include the right to a level playing field, and access to
non-toxic food and water. You may disagree. But everyone agrees that the
government should not actively encourage fraud and manipulation. However, the government – through its malignant, symbiotic relation with big corporations (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/10/conservatives-and-liberals-agree-end-the-malignant-symbiotic-relationship-between-big-government-and-big-corporations.html) – is interfering with our aspirations for economic freedom (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/its-not-a-fiscal-cliff-its-the-descent-into-lawless-anarchy.html), safe food and water (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/11/we-can-fix-america-if-we-focus-on-what-all-americans-liberals-and-conservatives-want.html) (instead of arsenic-laden, genetically engineered junk (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/genetically-engineered-meat-skirts-testing-because-its-treated-as-an-animal-drug.html)), freedom from undue health hazards such as irradiation (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/04/nuclear-power-is-expensive-and-bad-for-the-environment-it-is-really-being-pushed-because-it-is-good-for-making-bombs.html) due to government support (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/01/how-can-we-reconcile-freedom-loving-libertarianism-versus-devotion-to-the-rule-of-law.html) of archaic nuclear power designs, and a level playing field (as opposed to our crony capitalist system in which the little guy has no shot (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/08/by-choosing-the-big-banks-over-the-little-guy-the-government-is-dooming-both.html) due to redistribution of wealth (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/more-rape-of-americans-by-elites-more-erosion-of-freedom.html) from the middle class to the super-elite, and government support of white (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/10/conservatives-and-liberals-agree-end-the-malignant-symbiotic-relationship-between-big-government-and-big-corporations.html) collar (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/regulators-sleep-with-industry-provided-prostitutes-while-they-pimp-out-the-american-people.html) criminals (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/07/corrupt-government-officials-should-be-in-jail-alongside-corrupt-banksters.html)).
By working hand-in-glove with giant corporations to defraud us into
paying for a lower quality of life, the government is trampling our
basic rights as human beings.
Tenth Amendment
The 10th Amendment provides that powers not specifically given to the Federal government are reserved to the states or individual:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the
States respectively, or to the people.
Two of the central principles of America’s Founding Fathers are:
(1) The government is created and empowered with the consent of the people and (2) Separation of powers
Today, most Americans believe (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/majority-of-americans-say-federal-government-threatens-freedom.html) that the government is threatening – rather than protecting – freedom. We’ve become more afraid of our government (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/04/multiple-polls-americans-are-more-afraid-of-the-government-than-terrorists.html) than of terrorists, and believe that the government is no longer acting with the “consent of the governed (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/02/only-21-say-u-s-government-has-consent-of-the-governed-those-with-the-lowest-incomes-are-the-most-skeptical.html)“.
And the federal government is trampling the separation of powers by
stepping on the toes of the states and the people. For example, former
head S&L; prosecutor Bill Black – now a professor of law and
economics – notes (http://www.economonitor.com/blog/2012/09/the-race-to-the-bottom-produces-regulators-who-are-invertebrates-and-epidemics-of-fraud/):
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the resident
examiners and regional staff of the Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency competed to weaken federal regulation and [B]aggressively
used the preemption doctrine to try to prevent state investigations of
and actions against fraudulent mortgage lenders.
Indeed, the federal government is doing everything it can to stick its nose into every aspect of our lives … and act like Big Brother (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/moores-law-cheap-electronics-and-homeland-security-money-combine-to-create-big-brother.html). Edward Snowden showed us that the NSA spying programs “were never about terrorism: They’re about economic spying, social control, and diplomatic manipulation. They’re about power (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/12/programs-never-terrorism-theyre-economic-spying-social-control-diplomatic-manipulation-theyre-power.html).”
Conclusion: While one or two of the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights still exist, the vast majority are under heavy assault.
Other Constitutional Provisions … and The Declaration of Independence
In addition to the trampling of the Bill of Rights, the government has also trashed the separation of powers (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/07/america-no-longer-has-a-functioning-judiciary.html) enshrined in the main body of the Constitution. For example, the NSA is spying on Congress (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/01/nsa-pretty-much-admits-spying-congress.html).
The government is also engaging in activities which the Founding
Fathers fought against, such as taxation without representation (here (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2009/03/bailouts-are-taxation-without-representation.html) and here (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/08/the-super-congress-taxation-without-representation.html)), cronyism (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/the-occupy-movement-is-protesting-the-same-thing-that-the-founding-fathers-protested-at-the-boston-tea-party.html), deference to central banks (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/stunning-facts-about-how-the-banking-system-really-works-and-how-it-is-destroying-america.html), etc. As the preamble to the Declaration of Independence (http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html) shows, the American government is still carrying out many of the acts the Founding Fathers found most offensive:
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the [B]Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. *** He has [B]combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: *** For [B]transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences *** He is at this time [B]transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries
to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun
with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the
most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized
nation. *** He has abdicated Government here, by [B]declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. [Background here (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/10/spies-can-now-for-the-first-time-monitor-everything-about-us-and-they-can-do-so-with-a-few-clicks-of-a-mouse-and-to-placate-the-lawyers-a-drop-down-menu-of-justifications.html), here (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/02/daniel-ellsberg-obama-bush-cheney-rumsfeld-and-senators-voting-for-indefinite-detention-are-enemies-of-the-constitution.html) and here (http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/03/did-the-department-of-justice-really-say-that-the-government-would-not-assassinate-americans.html)]
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.