New Republican Sponsored Bill For Enemies of the State

Photo: Michael Totten

While many Tea Party Patriots are busy pointing to Obama and his Reichstag in Washington DC, the Republicans are busy promoting their own special blend of tyranny. S3081 demonstrates you just can’t trust the Republican Party to defend liberty any more than you can Democrats.

Not surprisingly, the bill was sponsored by John McCain R-AZ. But incredibly, it was co-sponsored by Saxby Chambliss R-GA, Jeff Sessions R-AL, and James Inhofe R-OK. There are other Republicrat sponsors but how could this police state bill have been supported by Inhofe and Sessions? Just when you think you know an elected official, they put their true belief system on display for all to see.

Take a look at S3081 and ask yourself where the US is going unless we get rid of the parasites in 2010 and 2012.

Quoting from the text of the bill, its purpose is; “To provide for the interrogation and detention of enemy belligerents who commit hostile acts against the United States, to establish certain limitations on the prosecution of such belligerents for such acts, and for other purposes.” Of course anyone paying attention at all to the activities of the US federal government know that Ron Paul supporters qualify as enemies of the state. So do pro-life activists and 2nd amendment gun rights advocates.

The recent mouthpiece mainstream media attention devoted to the ‘dangerous 9 man militia’ in Michigan should make you think. Think about what you may ask? Think about how the Department of Homeland Security plans to handle people who do not conform to Official US Federal Government policies and programs. Your ‘Don’t tread on me’ bumper sticker is not in conformance, Comrade.

S3081 is rich with new unconstitutional powers for an already over powerful federal government. For example, the federal government is empowered to arrest individuals “outside the territorial limits of the United States” and “placed in military custody for purposes of initial interrogation and determination of status in accordance with the provisions of this Act.” So, you can be arrested on virtually any foreign soil and held by the US military.

The President is authorized to set up special Interrogation Teams to grill “unprivileged enemy belligerents”. This will be a cozy group of federal agents from all the secret security agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. Plus, federal, state, and local enforcement agencies are empowered to participate in the grilling of ‘terrorists’. Remember, ‘terrorists’ have already been identified as right wing extremists – in other words your family, friends, neighbors and fellow church members.

“A individual who is suspected of  being an unprivileged enemy belligerent shall not, during interrogation under this subsection, be provided the statement required by Miranda v. Arizona (384 U.S. 436 (1966)) or otherwise be informed of any rights that the individual may or may not have to counsel or to remain silent consistent with Miranda v. Arizona.” You do not have the right to remain silent. Especially if you’re under water for a few seconds – just to jog your memory.

It’s clear from the following text that anyone including US citizens can be held without charges and trial indefinitely under the bill’s provisions: “An individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent under section 3(c)(2) in a manner which satisfies Article 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War may be detained without criminal  charges and without trial for the duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners in which the individual has engaged, or which the individual has purposely and materially supported…”

Let’s repeat this together boys and girls: you can be arrested and held without charges or trial indefinitely. Was this taught in the government schools?

This new bill violates the Fifth and Sixth Amendments of the US Constitution but hey – don’t our elected officials violate their oath every day? There is only one Congressman who has a 100% Constitutional voting record on bills and that is Ron Paul. Many Congressthugs and Senators have a Zero rating. In other words, they always support bills that are unconstitutional.

So the next time you’re tempted to point fingers at the Obama Administration and the Democrats, don’t forget their allies in the Republican Party. They’re all in position, ready to serve the power elite in control of Washington DC.

S3081 is another example of your government at work.

America the ReThuglic

Charles Rangel Head Thug

At a meeting of southern locals recently, a southerner asked me, “Bob, don’t northerners think we southerners are backwards, ignorant, and redneck?”

I answered …

No. But if you really want to see stupid, backward, and ignorant, look no farther than New York. In a land where property taxes can easily be $10,000 per year on a pathetic little plot of land; where you have some of the highest utility and gas prices in the country; this same state has begged its socialist politicians for even more of that good stuff.

What good stuff is that you ask? Cap and trade, of course in the form of HR 2454. Every Congressthug in New York except 3 voted not only to saddle all New Yorkers with skyrocketing energy taxes, but their vote helps to enslave you and me and the rest of the nation as well. Cap and trade has already been predicted to raise electric rates by as much as 100%. Gas prices could reach $7 per gallon as they already are in Europe.

Fuel oil for heating homes could reach $7 per gallon. It touched $5 per gallon last winter. To help you understand what $7 per gallon for fuel oil means to a homeowner, you need to know that when I was a child, fuel oil was just 17 cents a gallon. We always had a nice toasty warm home. Fuel oil went to $1 per gallon when my wife and I were newly married. People laughed at us because we set our thermostat at 60º during the day and 55º at night. But we did that because heating costs were hard on our budget.

Imagine then the effect Cap and Trade (HR 2454) will have on everyone who actually has to pay for utilities. I’m not talking about those who live on the dole. They’ll have plenty of heat and A/C courtesy of the taxpayers. I’m talking about working people.

New Yorkers paying $7 per gallon fuel oil costs for heat and hot water are going to suffer tremendously. Either they’re going to freeze all winter or they’re going to pay $1500 per month heating bills. And that’s before they walk out the front door. Wait till Cap and Trade starts to drive up the costs for gasoline. All businesses will be burdened with this artificial government induced addition to the cost of energy in every form. So you’ll pay again every time you make a purchase. Many people will blame businesses for the increased costs. That’s just what your friends in the government want. They hope you’re like the rest of the New Yorkers – backwards and stupid.

Please New Yorkers – use your head and place the blame squarely where it belongs – on the thugs you elected for Congress and the Senate.

How they voted on HR 2454

Why did New Yorkers let their CongressThugs vote yes on a Cap and Trade bill? If you look at the map here on the left, you’ll quickly see that the majority of the US said no to Cap and Trade. The fringe areas of the country; New York, California, Michigan – those who can least afford this repressive and clearly unconstitutional bill were the very ones that carried this filthy piece of legislative trash.

You could understand support for a bill that actually helps the environment. But this bill will have very little effect on overall air and water quality. So what’s its purpose? Well let’s guess:

1.    Pay for Socialized Government Health Care; Cap and Trade will raise nearly all the money needed to fund the federal take over of the once private health care system. Of course, that’s until the government runs this program into the ground like the Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare programs. But let’s be optimistic! Cap and Trade is structured to permit quick new taxes when government health costs skyrocket. So there will be plenty of new tax revenues to pay those rising health costs.
2.    Support green businesses that couldn’t support themselves in the private free market. Cap and Trade will force investment in these businesses. Should be great for all the early investors like Al Gore who have been peddling green themes for years. If Cap and Trade had been defeated, these green businesses would end up permanently in the red.
3.    Place additional regulations and restrictions on all Americans. Cap and Trade will permit the federal government through its unconstitutional enforcement agency the EPA to enact virtually any regulation, take any action it pleases, and add fees wherever it wants – anytime it so desires.

When I looked at the voting records by state (see http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2454), I also noticed that Georgia had much smarter voting record on Cap and Trade (HR 2454). All Congresspersons with 4 exceptions, Sanford Bishop GA-2, Henry Johnson GA-4, John Lewis GA-5, and David Scott GA-13 voted against this lunatic attack on the  American economy. If I were living in the 2, 4, 5, or 13 district, I would call these pinheads and ask why they want to raise my natural gas costs 55%, or my electric bills, 100%, or my gasoline costs 50%.

So my southern friend, I must answer your question once again. No, I do not think southerners are backwards, stupid, and ignorant. In fact, the voting record of our elected officials prove that common sense and dedication to oath of office isn’t dead yet here in the south even though 4 in GA are trying real hard. And many elected officials in the south still honor the constitution, liberty, and the free pursuit of happiness.

Maybe that’s why so many in the south talk of secession.

Soda tax and the new government health bill

"We know what's good for you" - The Health Bill Police

Soda pop like cigarettes and alcohol, has been classified by the government as bad for your health. This is supported by ‘research’ sponsored by your always caring and compassionate federal government and their associates over at the Rand Corp. Why is it bad for you? It causes obesity in children.

Of course you didn’t know that sweets are fattening. You needed an official declaration from a source you can truly rely on. And that source is your government. You know, the same group of people that are now taxing CO2 emissions as if they were a toxic gas.

Thankfully, your government has come up with a novel way to help you with obesity: high soda taxes.

Some proposed taxes might be as much as 18% on a bottle. Of course, the purpose is not to separate you from your money. It’s not another government sponsored wealth redistribution program. It’s not another contrived crisis. Oh no. This is for your health – and the health of your children. Because you see, soda consumption leads to obesity.

And our collectivist society just can’t support that. Because obesity taxes the health care system.

One way to lower health care costs is by forcing people to either pay more for their health care (the way those evil medical insurance companies do now) or use the power of government to force them into new behavior patterns. Let’s face it: overweight people are really in for it with the new health care program. You will lose weight or be vilified as a burden on society. And the government will define obesity for you so you don’t have to wonder if you’re overweight. Folks who are classified as ‘overweight’ but do not ‘look’ overweight will pay extra as well.

Soda taxes are just the beginning. You see, the federal government now has a big interest in what you eat, drink, and even how your lifestyles affect your health. If drinking soda raises obesity levels, and that in turn raises health care costs – you can be sure that the government is going to step in with new regulations and taxes. (Hey, there’s CO2 in soda – does that mean soda has a dangerous carbon footprint?)

If the government can tax soda because they deem it bad for you, they can do the same with virtually any food product. Ask a group of people what foods they consider unhealthy, and you’ll receive a wide variety of answers. Salt, meat, eggs, dairy, processed food – the list goes on and on. NYC has passed regulations on trans-fats and salt. The use of these products is strictly regulated. Trans fats are banned outright in NYC restaurants and salt is regulated.

The day is coming when I walk into a fast food restaurant and order a ½ lb cheese burger. The clerk at the register eyeballs my sizable girth and says, “Sorry Sir, you’ve had too much … to eat.” And refuses to serve me a cheeseburger. Government regulations of course.

Look for much more of this to come in the future as the government explores innovative new ways to lower health care costs.

Chickens with guns

Chickens with guns

A predator attacked our chickens recently. It was early morning, around 3:30am. The sound woke us up. It was a horrible sound of death. 12 chickens making a desperate cry that screamed – “please come quickly we need help now!” I will never forget that sound as long as I live.

I rushed outside with my gun just in time to save every one of them. The predator, an opossum, was momentarily stunned by my flashlight and it gave me time to fire a few rounds at it. Amid the confusion and drama, the offending opossum ran off. Presumably to find an easier dinner at a less hostile place.

The chickens were scared nearly to death. Apparently, the electric fence surrounding the chicken house was turned off and the little door that locks them safely inside their home, was never closed. This allowed the opossum to enter under the electric fence and then walk into the chicken house. Once inside, pandemonium broke loose. The chickens ran for their lives, making as much noise as they could on the way out.

The drama kept me awake for hours afterward. I wondered as I lay in bed if people make the same desperate sound when they’re attacked by a human or animal predator. As they see their lives ending in the next few minutes. When they realize that it’s all over. As evil eyes paired with superior strength or the advantage of ambush fix on yours.

The chickens did something strange. After abandoning the chicken house, they lay down in the grass outside. It was as if they were preparing to die. They seemed to say, “in the face of death, we’re going to lay down and accept it.” Do people do the same thing?

Suppose however, these chickens had guns. Now stay with me here for a minute. The opossum walks into the chicken house for an easy dinner. While chickens are no physical match for an opossum, these chickens have guns. One chicken calmly pulls out a .22 and puts a bullet in the opossum. Now instead of 3,6, or 8 dead chickens, there is one dead opossum.

So what’s the point? Guns can be great equalizers when in the hands of someone faced against superior physical strength. We can’t provide 24 hour a day and 7 day a week security for our chickens. There are times when we are not there when predators visit. 14 chickens found this out over the past year. All that was left of them were bloody feathers.

What about people though? All too often we become victims of human predators. Police officers do a great job of solving violent crimes. Unfortunately, there are way too many times when the crime is solved after the victim is in a body bag or in the grave. Because like our chickens, they just couldn’t get there in time. The simple truth is, you’re vulnerable 99% of the time. Unless you live in solitary confinement in a jail cell somewhere.

But the US federal government is promoting a concept of a safer US when guns are banned. That’s why they in concert with their puff piece writers in the press, are in a desperate race to implement a complete gun ban on all citizens except US government officials. Another crisis solved. Of course, people in Mexico, Rwanda, and other countries won’t agree. In Rwanda, women and children were hacked to death with machetes in fighting between Hutus and Tutsis. They didn’t feel safer without guns – they were dead.

Disarming Americans is another opiate for the uneducated masses. No one will be safer. In fact, violent crime will go up along with injury and death. Women and senior citizens will continue to be targets and with greater frequency. But that’s of no concern to the US federal government. Because their real agenda is command and control of the masses. Not more safety.

So when you hear about gun bans, which are unconstitutional by the way, ask about crime statistics in other countries with gun bans. The shocking truth is more people are brutalized, more are assaulted, more are killed – after gun bans.

States breath new life into Cap & Trade

NY Governor David Paterson

Just when you thought it was safe to exhale – it’s back, bigger than ever. What’s back you ask? Why, cap and trade. And it’s coming to a state near you. Even though 30 thousand or so scientists say CO2 emissions aren’t really harmful and in fact are probably good for the environment; your government is not taking any chances with your health! So, they’re going to slap those evil businesses with cap and trade just to make sure you stay extra healthy!

And this is really cool: state governments are joining in with the federal government (EPA) to give companies the ole one-two punch. I can’t wait till we have nice CO2-less air to breath as we recline in government housing somewhere. Why government housing? Because we won’t have jobs anymore so we gotta live somewhere, don’t we? But who cares as long as we don’t have excess CO2. Psst, don’t tell anyone that plants absorb and thrive on CO2. That’s a secret!

From New York comes this heartwarming story of a bankrupt state with a truly caring group of government bureaucrats. Those evil power plants, the ones that deliver electricity to residents and businesses in NY have been ‘convinced’ by state thugs in the NYSDEC to purchase carbon credits in a cap and trade scheme.

This has raised $213 Million dollars to fight all that bad global warming in New York. And each year, these power plants must lower emissions or face penalties. Of course, they also must spend millions to update their equipment to lower emissions. And happy NY residents and businesses will gladly pay the extra $213 million dollars plus plant upgrade fees to lower CO2 emissions! Hey – we’re all in this together!

Now what will NY do with these new contributions from caring citizens and businesses? From the TimesUnion.com, “$112 million for Gov. David Paterson’s green jobs legislation adopted last fall, and $177 million for energy audits and energy-efficiency installation measures in homes and businesses. “

Hmm, let’s see. $112 Million dollars for green jobs legislation. We all know what that means. It’s your money funneled into green companies operating in the red ever since the American people figured out that global warming is a big hoax. So, the compassionate state of New York is using the power of government to grab from one group of profit making businesses and donate to green (uh red) losers. This should warm Al Gore’s heart and help his stock portfolio. He gets the dividend checks and NY residents get the shaft – uh I mean clean air! It’s a beautiful thing!

$177 million dollars for energy audits and other government meddling make work projects. Anyone with any brains should leave NY as fast as they can sell their house.

But hold on a minute, the TimesUnion goes on to report, “In October, the governor raided $90 million from RGGI to balance the state budget, a step that outraged the environmental community.” Oops…  turns out there was a better use for those cap and trade dollars after all. Will New Yorkers survive? Stay tuned, you’ll be asking them personally when you find them living next door.

Next installment: learn how the unconstitutional soviet style agency, EPA, does Obama’s dirty work for him. Coming up soon.