Government Terrorism During Prohibition

Deborah Blum at Slate.com has the story:

Frustrated that people continued to consume so much alcohol even after it was banned, federal officials had decided to try a different kind of enforcement. They ordered the poisoning of industrial alcohols manufactured in the United States, products regularly stolen by bootleggers and resold as drinkable spirits. The idea was to scare people into giving up illicit drinking. Instead, by the time Prohibition ended in 1933, the federal poisoning program, by some estimates, had killed at least 10,000 people.

Although mostly forgotten today, the "chemist's war of Prohibition" remains one of the strangest and most deadly decisions in American law-enforcement history. As one of its most outspoken opponents, Charles Norris, the chief medical examiner of New York City during the 1920s, liked to say, it was "our national experiment in extermination."

Read the full article here.

Get Vaccinated or Get Deported

As a libertarian and an adoptive parent, you can imagine how upset I was when I read this:

An adopted teen who has lived in Port St. Joe, Fla. since she was 3 faces possible deportation to England for refusing a vaccination, she and her mother say.

Simone Davis, 17, said she has no need for the vaccine Gardasil, which guards against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus virus, because she is not sexually active, ABC News reported.

But the U.S. government requires female immigrants between the ages of 11 and 26 to receive Gardasil shots before they can become citizens.

Whether you have adopted or not, just imagine the government threatening to take away your child unless you agree to have her injected with a controversial, unproven vaccine for a disease that isn't transmitted through casual contact.

Maker of the Liberty Dollar Indicted by the Feds

Read my latest Examiner.com entry here.

Obama Picks Up Where Bush Left Off

If you thought Bush's detention of suspected terrorists made a mockery of the rule of law, you ain't seen nothin' yet:

All Obama groupies knew as well as anyone that this is exactly the kind of thing that would happen. It was evident when they were willing to look the other way even when their "savior" showed his true colors by supporting Bush's presidential snooping powers.

They never gave a damn about freedom or the Constitution, but they knew that if their guy won, they would be the ones calling the shots. The lust for power is a potent aphrodisiac, which explains why they went along with the whole charade of "change."

"Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You..."

Obama has signed his national service bill into law:

President Obama this afternoon signed the $5.7 billion Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which triples the size of the AmeriCorps program.

Appearing at the SEED school in Washington, the president called the bill "the boldest expansion of opportunities to serve our communities and our country since the creation of AmeriCorps."

"What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs," he said. "It creates opportunities to serve for students, seniors and everyone in between. It supports innovation and strengthens the nonprofit sector. And it is just the beginning of a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to involve our greatest resource, our citizens, in the work of remaking this nation."

The bill will expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots to 250,000 over eight years. It will "focus that service on today's challenges, including clean energy, education, health care, veterans care, and economic opportunity," according to the White House, and "provide new service opportunities for millions of Americans at all stages of their lives." ...

... "We need your service, right now at this moment in history," the president said from the podium. "I'm not going to tell you what your role should be. That's for you to discover. But I'm asking you to stand up and play your part. I'm asking you to help change history's course, put your shoulder up against the wheel."

We've seen these kinds of "voluntary service" programs before...

"Reich Labor Service: We build body and soul."


"No one shall go hungry! No one shall be cold!"


"Health, child protection, fighting poverty, aiding travellers, community, helping mothers: These are the tasks of the National Socialist People's Charity. Become a member!"


"Don't give. Sacrifice."

Do we really want to go there again?

How Do We End Slavery in America?

According to Ron Paul, abolishing the Selective Service would be a good start.

Tyranny by Any Other Name...

William Grigg nails another one out of the park with his latest essay. He comments on Rush Limbaugh's infantile rant about using the power of the state against the Left once Republicans regain power.

But the Democrats are not the only ones guilty of expanding the size and scope of government. Grigg writes:

Unlike his lemur-browed, synapse-deprived imitator Sean Hannity, Limbaugh is intelligent enough to know that the Democrats inherited a central government that had been gorged on power during the eight years of Bush the Dimmer's reign. The fact that the final consequential act of the Bush Regime was to create an economic dictatorship headed by the Treasury Secretary has not evaded Limbaugh's notice. The creation of a huge apparatus of regimentation, surveillance, and detention under Bush took place with the active support of Limbaugh and his ilk. So he is lying when he imputes sole responsibility for all of this to the Democrats.

But rather than urging that this edifice of tyranny be demolished, Limbaugh counsels his followers to be patient in the expectation that they will soon occupy its commanding heights, from which they can proceed with the extermination of their political enemies. ...

... The Democrats are the party of the welfare/warfare state; the Republicans, on the other hand, are the party of the warfare/welfare state. And both of them are tools of an entrenched Power Elite that is delighted to cultivate the collectivist hatreds from which totalitarianism is sprouting even now.

Conscription = Slavery

Beware those who wish to draft you or your children to help fight the "war on terror." Writes William Grigg:

Conscription is never necessary to inspire men to defend their homes and families, and it is never used for that purpose. It is carried out for the sole purpose of compelling men to kill and die on behalf of the State and the degenerate clique running it.

He concludes:

No scimitar-wielding Mohammedan has materialized on my doorstep to demand that I surrender my children as a "blood tax" demanded by the state. I know what variety of greeting I would give such a personage were he to appear. The same is true for any functionary of any government who would presume to claim my children as the property of the official gang that employs him.

International Environmental Court Looming

Some sanctimonious judge is proposing a world court to go after those who violate arbitrary environmental regulations. From the Telegraph:

Stephen Hockman QC is proposing a body similar to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to be the supreme legal authority on issues regarding the environment.

The first role of the new body would be to enforce international agreements on cutting greenhouse gas emissions set to be agreed next year.

But the court would also fine countries or companies that fail to protect endangered species or degrade the natural environment and enforce the "right to a healthy environment".

The innovative idea is being presented to an audience of politicians, scientists and public figures for the first time at a symposium at the British Library.

Come on. You knew it was only a matter of time.

Obama Is Pro-Slavery?

Well, his new White House chief of staff certainly is -- except he prefers to call it "universal civilian service."

The Kind of Freedom We're Fighting for in Afghanistan

This is what religious freedom looks like in post-Taliban, U.S.-occupied Afghanistan:

In a case that has illustrated Afghanistan's drift toward a more radically conservative brand of Islam as well as the fragility of its legal system, an appeals court Tuesday overturned a death sentence for a student convicted of blasphemy but sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

The student, Parwez Kambakhsh, 24, ran afoul of Afghan authorities last year when he circulated an article about women's rights under Islam after downloading it from the Internet. He was studying at the time in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where he also worked as a part-time journalist for local newspapers.

Arrested by security police and initially held without charges, he was eventually tried on blasphemy charges, convicted and sentenced to death.

Tuesday's ruling by a three-judge appeals court panel was a blow to human rights groups and advocates of press freedom who have championed Kambakhsh's cause.

International organizations, including New York-based Human Rights Watch, said the case pointed to a troubling lack of respect for freedom of speech and individual liberties in Afghanistan, nearly seven years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban fundamentalist Islamic movement.

Statism Corrupting Sports

The uber patriots may disagree, but having cops throw out baseball fans who dare to make a trip to the bathroom during "God Bless America" doesn't really do much to help the image of professional sports.

Just Another Day in Police State, U.S.A.

Emily Feder writes, "I was recently stopped by Homeland Security as I was returning from a trip to Syria. What I saw in the hours that followed shocked and disturbed me." Read her entire account here.

You Don't Have Anything to Hide, Do You?

It's official. We finally got rid of that pesky Fourth Amendment that was hampering our war of...er, war on terror. Not only can the government monitor our e-mails and phone conversations, but they can enlist the help of private companies.

Thinking of suing? Forget about it. Those companies have been given legal immunity. As Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri) said, "It is not right to punish patriotic Americans who stepped forward to help our government by subjecting them to the harassment of lawsuits." Yes, it's all part of the domestic spying bill passed earlier today.

Senator Bond tried to console those who might be worried about having their liberties trampled, saying, "Unless you have Al Qaeda on speed dial, you're not going to be [monitored]." Straight from the horse's ass. Nothing to worry about.

What, not good enough? You don't have anything to hide, do you?

Electronically Tagging the Sheep

Coming soon to an airport near you, courtesy of Lamperd Less Lethal Inc.:

Just remember that one person's "small inconvenience" is another person's tyranny.

Selling Your Vote Is a Crime

If you're a politician, you can bribe voters with cash hand-outs, "free" education, "cheap" health care, and any number of other welfare programs at taxpayer expense. But offer to sell your vote as a private citizen and you'll be charged with a felony.

Max Sanders, a 19-year-old college student in Minneapolis who offered to sell his vote to the highest bidder on eBay, was charged under a 1893 Minnesota law that criminalizes the sale and purchase of votes. Sanders now faces the possibility of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Mike Freeman, a Hennepin County attorney with an ironic name, said, "We're not humorless in the county attorney's office and we're not in the horse-and-buggy age, but we decided it's something we just couldn't blow off. Sometimes in this business we need to make statements." The statement in this case: "You don't own your vote." Or, to put it in today's vernacular: "All your vote are belong to us."

What's sad is that those who are still coming down from their July 4th patriotic high cannot grasp the fact that this is a country in which the ruling elite play by a different set of rules. Land of the Free? Give me a break. Freedom in America is defined by hot dogs, beer, and fireworks.

Our New Declaration of Independence

(Originally drafted on July 3, 2002)

When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another; a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which compel them to make that separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations reduces them to despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patience of these fifty states; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their system of government. The history of the present federal government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all working toward the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world:

It has refused to abide by the strict guidelines of the United States Constitution, and has instead decided that it alone will decide what is necessary for the public good.

It has forbidden state legislatures to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, and has allowed the federal judiciary to strike down countless state laws as unconstitutional, in clear violation of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution.

It has refused all states the proper control of land within their respective borders and has instead used its power to confiscate even more property.

It has enacted legislation, on issues ranging from alcohol consumption to the ownership of firearms, for the sole purpose of forcing states and individual citizens into compliance with its wishes.

It has unlawfully persecuted, under various administrations, citizens and organizations for opposing its invasions on the rights of the people.

It has continued to pass laws affecting campaign financing and election procedures that have only served to exclude ordinary citizens from the political process.

It has endeavored to prevent states from taking steps to curb illegal immigration and has refused to protect the sovereign borders of this nation.

It has obstructed the administration of justice by refusing to equally apply the laws it passes to members of the federal government.

It has allowed judges to become dependent upon their own political ideology without any regard for the Constitution.

It has established a multitude of new bureaucracies, and has sent out swarms of officers to harass the people.

It has maintained, in times of peace, standing armies both here on our shores and overseas.

It has effectively rendered the military independent of and superior to the civil authority.

It has subjected us to things foreign to our Constitution, giving its assent to burdensome acts of legislation:

For forcing states to quarter illegal immigrants.

For protecting them and refusing to deport even those convicted of serious crimes.

For implementing protectionist measures that have limited our ability to engage in free trade with all parts of the world.

For imposing taxes, hidden or otherwise, without our consent.

For threatening to deprive us, in times of perceived crisis, of the benefits of trial by jury.

For federalizing offenses that should remain under the jurisdiction of the states.

For implementing a foreign policy that has this nation engaged in costly and unnecessary entanglements overseas.

For taking away state sovereignty, abolishing federalism, and altering fundamentally our entire system of government.

For superseding state legislatures, and investing in Congress the power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever; including areas such as employment, health care, education, and housing, among others.

It has waged war against citizens of the United States by using armed troops to enforce unconstitutional laws.

It has denied states the control over valuable natural resources within their own borders.

It is, at this time, engaged in armed conflict overseas without a formal and constitutional declaration of war.

It has turned businesses into government agencies, forcing workers to report the "suspicious" activities of their fellow citizens to authorities.

It has succeeded, through its interventionist policies, in funding and arming enemies of the United States of America.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A government, whose character is marked by every act which may define a tyranny, is unfit to be the government of a free people.

We have warned them from time to time of attempts by Congress, the president, and the judiciary to extend an unwarranted jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of the founding of our nation. We have appealed to their sense of justice and fair play, and we have appealed to the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They have been deaf to the voice of justice and of reason. We must, therefore, hold them as we hold the rest of mankind - enemies in war, friends in peace.

We, therefore, the people of the United States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions, do solemnly publish and declare, that these states are, and of right ought to be, free and independent; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the existing federal government, and that as free and independent states, they have full authority to reassume those powers guaranteed to the states and the people by the Constitution. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

Wake Up!

Paul Craig Roberts and Lawrence M. Stratton on the legislation of tyranny:

The assaults of the Bush regime on civil liberty, the Constitution, and the separation of powers are more determined and more successful than its military assaults on the Middle East, which provide the "war time" justification for the attack on civil liberty in the United States. The regime and its supporters are determined to raise the president to dictatorial powers, at least in times of war, the initiation of which is being turned into a presidential prerogative.

Charley Reese on the Second Amendment:

The Founding Fathers were not urban neurotics like so many of today's politicians. They were almost all outdoor people. Guns were to them just tools, like their axes or plows. You couldn't survive in the wilderness without firearms, and at the time of our Revolution, there were only about 3 million people from Maine to Georgia.

Nor were there any police forces. There was no Secret Service, FBI or any of the other alphabet law-enforcement agencies. If you decided to travel, you traveled at your own risk, and you can bet people traveled armed.

Why refer to these articles in the same post? Because they both remind us of what this country used to stand for: individual liberty.

The government used to exist to protect the rights of the individual. Now, with so much power concentrated in the hands of a few "urban neurotics," Americans no longer understand what it means to be free. As long as the trains run on time, they aren't worried about civil liberties. As long as they can still hunt, they don't concern themselves with the unconstitutional infringements on the right to keep and bear arms.

Our "representatives" in Washington have for decades been dismantling the Constitution and every other check on political power. I'm not talking about some secret Illuminati conspiracy to take over the world. I'm talking about human nature. As Lord Acton stated, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." Our freedoms are disappearing with every administration that assumes office. Republican, Democrat, it doesn't matter.

The only hope is for Americans to reclaim their country. Wake up and start paying attention before it's too late.

Dictatorial Powers for John McCain?

That's what Michael Goldfarb, McCain's new Deputy Communications Director, would like to see. Thanks to Glenn Greenwald for drawing our attention to it.

List of Ron Paul Candidates

There aren't as many as there should be, but here is a list of Ron Paul candidates seeking office this year.