Wandering in the Wilderness?
In February, 2009, Common Ground 13 went live, with the overarching goal of organizing a “grass-roots movement of the American people, without regard to political party affiliation, whose purpose is restoring the federal government to that commanded by the United States Constitution.” And none too soon. Whereas, for most of the last century, the federal government’s encroachment on the powers of the states, and the rights of the people thereof, has been a relatively slow, but steady, creep, recent years have seen not only an unprecedented explosion in the size of government but, more importantly, the exponential increase in its powers, as it daily seizes more and more of the powers reserved by the Constitution to the states. So, here we are, on the brink of what amounts to the dissolution of the states, ready to act. But, what are we doing? Are we having any effect, or are we simply wandering in the wilderness? (more…)
Michael Koter: Gun Control Through Punishment
“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.”
The second amendment. You can dissect it, interpret it, twist and shout. The facts are this. When it was written, a militia was made up of citizens. The revolutionary war was won because of those citizens. The founders recognized this fact and made sure that the people would always have the ability and means to protect their freedom, no matter from where the danger came. But this can be argued forever. SCOTUS can study this and render an opinion, but like Roe v Wade, there will always be opposition. President Obama himself is for gun control, and in the past has supported a gun ban.
Obama on gun control:
“Hale DeMar, a 52-year-old Wilmette resident, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor violations for shooting, in the shoulder and leg, a burglar who broke into his home not once, but twice. Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges against DeMar.
“In March 2004, the Illinois Senate passed Senate Bill 2165, a law introduced in response to DeMar’s case, with provisions designed to assert a right of citizens to protect themselves against home invasions, such that self-defense requirements would be viewed to take precedence over local ordinances against handgun possession. The measure passed the Illinois Senate by a vote of 38-20. Barack Obama was one of the 20 state senators voting against the measure.
“Governor Rod Blagojevich vetoed the bill. On Nov. 9, 2004, the Illinois Senate voted 40-18 to override Blagojevich’s veto. Again, Obama acted against the bill.
“On Nov. 17, the Illinois House voted overwhelmingly, 85-30, to override the governor’s veto and Senate Bill 2165 became law.”
Source: Obama Nation, by Jerome Corsi, p.241-242 Aug 1, 2008
How do our other representatives feel? Go here to find out.
Senator Lautenberg (D-NJ) proposes “Extraordinary Powers” be given to the U.S. Attorney General to limit gun sales. Lautenberg has now introduced a bill that would give the Attorney General the discretion to block gun sales to people on terror watch lists. Once passed, this bill will give unprecedented authority to limit gun sales exclusively to the U.S. Attorney General. Once this power has been granted, it will be easy to amend for more sweeping gun control.
So maybe, instead of laws to prevent the people from owning guns and legally carrying them, we should provide an incentive to obey laws that protect the citizens from criminals. Gun control laws do not decrease crime because criminals by definition do not care about the law. Go here for statistics supporting this. Perhaps we should approach the problem from a different angle. Only punish the criminals. Now there’s a novel idea. Instead of punishing everyone, just punish the lawbreakers.
Florida has a three strikes and you’re out law. The third time you commit a crime with a gun, you go to jail for life. There are also the three degrees of gun violence laws. Use a gun, shoot the gun, kill someone, each holding a different punishment. But how many criminals are released after only serving a portion of their sentence, only to kill again?
The best gun control is punishment. A person who kills during the commission of a crime should receive a mandatory life sentence with no opportunity for parole, or be executed within a mandatory period in death penalty states. Or perhaps the venue of punishment should be changed. Prisons are overcrowded and too expensive. Why not a more military-style prison, in a desert setting, much as Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County, Arizona has done. No air conditioners, no TV and a simple healthy diet. If our own military personnel can survive in those conditions, so certainly can our criminals. When the punishment becomes too uncomfortable, gun crimes will diminish. Incentives work. We don’t need more laws, just enforcement of the laws we have. Make sentences mandatory and prison conditions uncomfortable. Not cruel and unusual, just uncomfortable. Stop treating violent criminals better than our soldiers and veterans.
Gun control through better punishment.
Even the NRA can live with that.
Security Vs Freedom
Freedom VS Security
In writing my last piece I came to realize some thing. Sort of a re-epiphany. And that is the essential difference in thinking between a liberal and a conservative. I mean, it has always intrigued me that we can be so divided in our views and values. We are all Americans after all. Aren’t we all taught the same things? That our founders, and many other generations, fought, bled and died for our freedom? That they were willing to die for it should, at least, lead us to the conclusion that it was their top value. Their sacrifice is supposed to be our shining beacon, the reminder that freedom isn’t free.
So if freedom is supposed to be the top value of Americans, why are so many of us suddenly so smitten with the ideal of security? Helen Kellar said “Security is illusion, Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.”
So if it is illusion, why is it set forth as an ideal worthy of pursuit? Are the purveyors of security (the progressive movement) intentionally using illusion to usurp power? Then what of President Bush? I remember distinctly his using “the security of the American people” as a reason for expansion of government over and over. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the creation of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, The expansion of FEMA, etc. All done in the name of security by a so-called conservative. Does this make Bush an illusionist? Do you feel safer and more secure right now than you did in say early 2002? Have we achieved security?
Apparently not because now the effort to provide security has really ramped up. Bush provided the template and Obama seems to be greatly expanding it. Again, in the name of security, we are seeing another unprecedented expansion of federal government. Following on Bush’s unprecedented expansion. Kind of makes you wonder what’s next.
So that’s it. I write this to re-ask myself the question, what is it I seek, Freedom or security. And the answer is, I choose freedom. That is the question that I’m seeking an answer to from my fellow Americans as well as any person who asks for my vote.. And I will try to be understanding of those that seek security. But I think letting them take power in this country is a mistake. By seeking security, they will trample the freedom so many sacrificed for. To be free is to risk. And to be secure, it seems to me, is impossible.
Washington: Ban Texting–Or Else!
Eerily reminiscent of the 55 mile-per-hour speed limit legislation, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans today to announce new legislation aimed at forcing states to enact laws banning cell phone texting while driving (story here). States that fail to do so within a prescribed period of time stand to lose 25 percent of their federal highway funds. In describing the legislation, Schumer said, “The federal government ought to pass a law banning this dangerous and growing practice to protect the millions of Americans on our nation’s roads. It is a matter of public safety.”
While texting is known to increase the risk of accidents, the question is whether or not this legislation encroaches even further on the powers of the states. Is federal action necessary? Should states be free to legislate according to the will of their own citizens, or should they be forced, at federal gunpoint, simply to acquiesce to each and every demand that comes out of Washington? Is this yet another federal power grab, or can we clearly identify the specific article and section of the Constitution that vests such power in the federal government (that is, which of the oft-abused clauses–commerce, general welfare, or necessary and proper–will Congress claim as the authority)?
Sound off and make your opinion known!
LeftyBill: Voice of the Blue Dog
Many people these days seem to think there are only two schools of political thought in this nation, liberal and conservative viewpoints. So often, it seems that those of us who adhere to elements of both are relegated to the back bench, or labeled as fence sitters. On the contrary, I feel we are the true voice of America. If many are not hearing us, it is not because we are silent but because nobody LISTENS any longer.
What exactly are Blue Dog Democrats, and how do they differ from conservative Republicans? (more…)
Is America A Secular Nation?
A 42-year tradition at the Treasure Valley God and Country Festival in Nampa, Idaho ended this weekend when the Pentagon declined a request for a military flyover in honor of our veterans due to the event’s emphasis on Christianity. Prior to an address by President Obama at Georgetown University in April, the White House requested that all university signage and symbols behind the stage be covered, presumably to be consistent with what had been done for other policy speeches. And while he did issue a traditional Presidential proclamation marking the National Day of Prayer, President Obama chose not to continue the Bush administration tradition of holding a formal observance in the East Room of the White House, nor did he send an official executive branch representative to the capitol hill ceremony as has been done since 1952.
Our secular President has stated that “we are not a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation.” Some feel the actions and words of the President disrespect those of faith, while others who are fervent about the separation of church and state celebrate his emphasis of religious pluralism, including his acknowledgement of nonbelievers.
Amendment I to the United States Constitution says, in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” As strictly interpreted this prohibits our Federal government from promoting any one religion or faith over another, far from a complete separation of church and state. Have we now become a secular nation that no longer acknowledges the writings of our founding fathers, who felt it was important to allow recognition and celebration of our religious beliefs?
Is Now the Time to Increase the Federal Minimum Wage?
The Federal minimum wage was first enacted under Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 under the Fair Labor Standards Act. According to the US Department of Labor, on July 24 the Federal minimum wage is scheduled to increase 10% from $6.55/hour to $7.25/hour, which will impact 29 states that have state minimum wage rates below $7.25. This increase, as well as the 12% increase last year from $5.85 to $6.55, was mandated by a bill passed by Congress in 2007 after years at $5.15. This raises at least two issues:
1. Why is the Federal government involved in establishing minimum wage rates? This is but one example of Federal intrusion on states rights. (more…)
T. Lee Mac: Patriot and Freedom
Born ages ago on a far and distant shore, of lineage unknown, a young man’s spirit cried out, longing to become intimate with the most enticing of lovers. Though she nurtured him from his youth, he could not grasp her. Though she comforted him in his sorrow, he could not embrace her. Though he always felt her touch, he could not return the caress. Always present, but ever elusive, this phantom vixen gave him no rest. His desire for her grew deeper and deeper. The people of the village railed and ridiculed as he tried to describe her beauty and wonder. But like this stricken young man, they could not see her. And, content with the lot bestowed upon them by other men, neither could they hear her voice or feel her tug on their hearts.
The day came when the young man could no longer resist the wooing temptress. Choosing to leave his father’s home and his mother’s comfort, he bid them farewell. Though he didn’t know her name, though he could neither make out her form nor discern her face, he loved her as his own soul because she was lovely. He absolutely knew it. And, as he left the village, followed by the jeering crowd, he dedicated himself to the pursuit of his lover. She had changed his life forever and he pledged to cherish her until death should separate them. (more…)
As We Celebrate Our Independence
As we celebrate Independence Day here in the United States, we will repeat a variety of patriotic passages, songs and hymns which we have all shared throughout the relatively brief history of our nation. Below are two lesser-known writings which just might put a lump in your throat and bring tears in your eyes.
I Am The Flag
by Ruth Apperson Rous
I am the flag of the United States of America.
I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia.
There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag.
My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.
Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.
My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.
My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters.
My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.
My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.
I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.
I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.
I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers – the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth.
I am as old as my nation.
I am a living symbol of my nation’s law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.
I voice Abraham Lincoln’s philosophy: “A government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
I stand guard over my nation’s schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism.
I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display.
Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country.
I have my own law-Public Law 829, “The Flag Code” – which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations.
I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.
Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow.
I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity.
If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots.
Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom.
As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are – no more, no less.
Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.
Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty.
God grant that I may spend eternity in my “land of the free and the home of the brave” and that I shall ever be known as “Old Glory,” the flag of the United States of America.
________________________________
The American’s Creed
By William Tyler Page
“I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”
________________________________
As a nation, we would be well served to remember the principles that form the very foundation for this great country and that have served us well for 233 years. Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, theists and atheists can all agree that liberty and freedom are worth fighting for. God Bless America.
Gregg: A Return to Virtue
“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.”
Samuel Adams, letter to James Warren, February 12, 1779
While attempting to resolve myself to the actions of the current administration and the declining morality exhibited by leaders such as SC Governor Sanford, I reflect on how it is we find ourselves in the current situation. While it is evident that we have had erosions in our foundation over the years, I find myself increasingly returning to the era of the Vietnam War. With few exceptions, it was indeed one of the most turbulent times in this Republic’s history. There were violent anti-war protests and racial strife following the assassination of Dr. King. Significant as these actions were, there were other issues from that era which I believe helped set the stage for our current situation. (more…)
