Uploaded on Mar 5, 2011
” 1976. This song teaches about the opening to the United States Constitution, with its preamble set to music. When writing this song, they had to remove a small section of the preamble to make the song rhyme. This song was voted the 6th best song on the 30th anniversary edition. Sung by Essra Mohawk. Written by Bob Dorough, Tom Yohe.”
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” A federal judge today upheld a President Barack Obama administration policy allowing authorities along the U.S. border to seize and search laptops, smartphones and other electronic devices for any reason.
The decision (.pdf) by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in New York comes as laptops, and now smartphones, have become virtual extensions of ourselves, housing everything from email to instant-message chats to our papers and effects.
The American Civil Liberties Union brought the challenge nearly three years ago, claiming U.S. border officials should have reasonable suspicion to search gadgets along the border because of the data they store. But Judge Korman said the so-called “border exemption,” in which people can be searched for no reason at all along the border, continues to apply in the digital age.
Alarmingly, the government contends the Fourth-Amendment-Free Zone stretches 100 miles inland from the nation’s actual border.”
” 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. “
” The decision supports a conclusion 10 months ago from the Department of Homeland Security’s civil rights watchdog that said that travelers along the nation’s borders may have their electronics seized and the contents of those devices examined for any reason whatsoever — all in the name of national security.”
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
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” Imagine if all the secessionist movements in the history of the United States were successful.
Imagine if all the proposals put forward for states to withdraw from the union of the Unites States actually went ahead, how would America look today?
Those questions have been answered by a map that predicts the alternate universe of the USA based on all the threats or aspirations to secede from the United States.
The map, created by Mansfield University geography professor Andrew Shears, breaks the country up into 124 states. “
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Homeland Security Helps Smuggle Illegal Immigrant Children Into The U.S
” A federal judge in Texas late last week accused the Obama administration of aiding drug cartels, saying that instead of enforcing immigration laws, agents knowingly helped smuggle an illegal immigrant girl into the U.S. to live with her mother, also an illegal immigrant, in Virginia.
In a 10-page order, Judge Andrew S. Hanen said the case was the fourth such case he’s seen over the last month, and in each instance Customs and Border Protection agents have helped to locate and deliver the children to their illegal immigrant parents.
The judge said in each case, the taxpayers footed the bill for flights — including flights to multiple locations in different parts of the U.S. that it took to find one of the children’s parents.
“ The DHS is rewarding criminal conduct instead of enforcing the current laws. More troubling, the DHS is encouraging parents to seriously jeopardize the safety of their children,” the judge said, adding that some of the children have been made to swim the Rio Grande River or traverse remote areas as part of the smuggling.”
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$37,680,000,000: That’s How Much The U.S. Spent On Foreign Aid In 2012 — Here’s A Chart That Helps Explain It
” The United States spends billion of dollars each year on foreign aid .
In fact, the U.S. sent approximately $37,680,000,000 overseas in 2012 for foreign aid, according to Finance Degree Center, a website dedicated to finance education.”
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9 Things You Need To Know About Terrorism Before Agreeing To More Violations Of Your Individual Rights
1. Terrorist Attacks and Fatalities are Down Since 1970s
” There is a broad consensus in the U.S.’ two major political parties that in order to save Americans’ lives, individuals should sacrifice their civil liberties: such as their reasonable expectation of privacy, and their right to be secure in their personal belongings.
This appears like an unassailable premise. And if it followed that violating people’s rights actually protected all Americans from terrorism, then perhaps a reasonable expectation of sacrifice could be argued without pointed counter-argument.
As with many things dealing with government, there are questions of trade-offs and if the U.S. government is being extreme in assuming that it has a blank-check to fight the “war on terror.” “
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” Likewise, those of us who treasure America as the land of the free and the home of the brave, see contemporary statists, those who are actively engaged in expanding centralized governmental authority at the expense of personal liberty, as adulterates and enemies of freedom. They are “fundamentally transforming America” into a fiercely potent centralized government that was never intended for this republic; a fascist police state that, regulates, coerces, bullies, and spies on its citizens. And they have done it surreptitiously, clandestinely, and dishonestly. How any thinking person, who professes love for America, can accede to the destruction of American idealism perpetrated by those who have a stated objective of “fundamentally transforming” the nation is beyond my comprehension.
And for those on the left who are obsessed with race, obsequiously regurgitating racist epithets against we who love what America used to stand for, it makes no difference what color the skin is of the torchbearer leading the destruction of American values. He could be green, white, red, or purple, and we’d still object to the dismantling of the country, as we’ve observed the past few years. Stated more succinctly; you mess with what made America great, and you start simmering a pot of patriotic rage until it reaches a boiling point, and race has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Conservatives have allowed this transformation to occur, by acquiescent reticence. I think no one has stated it more perfectly than Albert Einstein who said, “The world is a dangerous place not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
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‘He Was Not An American’
But You Surely Are Sir … Well Done … Thank You
” Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark took to Facebook Friday to explain to seemingly supportive residents why he will not lower the flag at the Sheriff’s Office for Mandela, despite Obama’s Dec. 5 Presidential Proclamation:
I usually don’t post political items, but today is different. I received this notification today, “As a mark of respect for the memory of Nelson Mandela, the President orders that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff effective immediately until sunset, December 9, 2013″
Nelson Mandela did great things for his country and was a brave man but he was not an AMERICAN!!! The flag should be lowered at our Embassy in S. Africa, but not here. Our flag is at half staff today for a Deputy in the low country who died going to help his fellow Deputy. He deserves the honor. I have ordered that the flag here at my office back up after tomorrow’s mourning of Pearl Harbor Day!
On Thursday, Obama took the rare step of ordering all American flags on government buildings lowered to half-staff until Monday, Dec. 9 in honor of the death of a foreign leader.
According to NPR, Obama did not issue the same proclamation upon the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. “
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What if all of America were liberal … here is that scenario as envisioned by John Hawkins
” 1) America’s credit rating would get so low that it would force President Dennis Kucinich to petition the UN for donations to pay for Social Security, Medicare, and his newly implemented 350 weeks of unemployment plan.
2) There wouldn’t be a Pledge of Allegiance said in schools, no one would sing the Star Spangled Banner before any sporting event, and no one would celebrate the 4th of July.
3) Gas would cost $9 a gallon. Liberals would consider this a plus because it would cause more people to get tax credits to buy government subsidized $40,000 electric cars.
4) Seven year olds would be able to vote. Free candy and endorsements from cartoon characters would become a staple of campaigning.
5) The corporate tax rate would be 15 percent higher, most American workers would be unionized and tax rates would soar. As a result, our economy would be stagnant and our unemployment rate would permanently be in the 10-20% range.”
For the other 20 examples of an Progressive America go here .
” Also see,
25 Examples of What America Would Be Like if We Were All Christian Conservative Tea Partiers “
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Teenage Assassin Who Beheaded Four Men For Mexican Drug Cartel Freed In U.S.
” The release of Edgar Jimenez Lugo, also known as “El Ponchis,” from a Mexican detention center to the U.S. is a nightmare. He has beheaded multiple people. Lugo is a teenage serial killer. At only seventeen, he has committed more crimes than most people on death row put together; heinous, hideous crimes for the South Pacific drug cartel, including decapitation, kidnapping, and torture. In 2010, at the age of 14, he was captured by authorities and admitted to killing for the cartel. Under Mexican law, Lugo could only be held for three years. The teen is now in a San Antonio rehabilitation center, staying as a guest. Born in San Diego, Lugo could soon be free to walk the streets and kill again.”
” Edgar Jimenez Lugo is a monster. When he was first captured by Mexican authorities at the age of 14, he looked like a harmless schoolboy, but this teen is a cold blooded killer. The notorious “El Ponchis” is a U.S. citizen by birth, but this baby-faced killer started working for the South Pacific Cartel at age 11. That was when he made his first kill.”
This monster served three years in Mexico for numerous killings and now he is our problem . Thanks Mexico , that is typical of how your country deals with it’s problems … send them north over the border to the US . According to the law both here and in Mexico this vermin has paid his debt to society and upon turning 18 will be free to walk the streets of America unmolested and unmonitored .
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Nearly 1000 Record Low Temperatures Set As Another Round Of Arctic Air Forecast To Deep Freeze The U.S.
” Almost 1000 record low max temps vs 17 record high temps
Records in the last 7 days:
205 snowfall records.
969 Low Max. 203 Low temps.
17 High Temp.
61 High minimum. “
It’s not just the US either . See much more at the Climate Depot . Check it out . The cold is resulting in blizzards and ice records from Bulgaria and Italy to Alaska and Antarctica . It’s COLD ! Visit the site and check the links for extreme weather events world-wide .
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32 Privacy Destroying Technologies That Are Systematically Transforming America Into A Giant Prison
” If you live in the United States, you live in a high tech surveillance grid that is becoming more oppressive with each passing day. In America today, the control freaks that run things are completely obsessed with watching, tracking, monitoring and recording virtually everything that we do. If we continue on the path that we are currently on, we will be heading into a future where there will be absolutely no privacy of any kind. In fact, many would argue that we are essentially there already. Many people speak of this as being the “Information Age“, but most Americans don’t really stop and think about what that really means. Most of the information that is considered to be so “valuable” is actually about all of us. Businesses want to know as much about all of us as possible so that they can sell us stuff. Government officials want to know as much about all of us as possible so that they can make sure that we are not doing anything that they don’t like. There is a constant hunger for even more information, and so the surveillance technologies just continue to become even more advanced and the Big Brother control grid being constructed all around us just continues to become even more pervasive. Even though you may not be consciously aware of it, the truth is that it is surrounding you right now even as you read this. We live in a society where liberty and freedom are literally being strangled to death, but most Americans don’t seem to care.
Do you know who else gets watched, tracked and monitored 24 hours a day?
Prisoners do.
Surveillance is a form of control, and at this point we are little more than inmates inside a gigantic Big Brother surveillance grid.
Posted below is a list of 32 privacy destroying technologies that are systematically transforming America into a giant prison. Following each item, there is a short excerpt from a news report about that particular technology. If you want to read the entire article where the excerpt came from, just click the link to find the source. Individually, each of these technologies is deeply troubling. But when you step back and take a look at them all collectively, it is absolutely horrifying…
#1 Spying On Us Through Our Televisions: Put simply, our TVs have started spying on us.
Last week, there was a high-profile case in point. An IT consultant called Jason Huntley, who lives in a village near Hull, uncovered evidence that a flat-screen television, which had been sitting in his living room since the summer, was secretly invading his family’s privacy.
He began investigating the £400 LG device after noticing that its home screen appeared to be showing him ‘targeted’ adverts — for cars, and Knorr stock cubes — based on programmes he’d just been watching.
Huntley decided to monitor information that the so-called smart TV — which connects to the internet — was sending and receiving. He did this by using his laptop effectively as a bridge between his television and the internet receiver, so the laptop was able to show all the data being sucked out of his set.
He soon discovered that details of not just every show he watched but every button he pressed on his remote control were being sent back to LG’s corporate headquarters in South Korea.”
This is a very informative article that lists , with links , many many ways in which the technology revolution is being used by the State to turn America into a virtual gulag where nothing said or done passes un-noticed by our “betters” . If you are looking for a catalogue of present day surveillance technologies start here .
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It’s Thanksgiving So We Asked Brits To Label The United States
We’re So Sorry, America
The folks at Buzzfeed put forth a challenge to our British brethren across the pond to identify the fifty state of the US on a blank map . Since Americans are constantly being disparaged regarding their knowledge of geography this was an ideal chance for the Brits to demonstrate their superiority on the subject . The resulting answers are truly comical . below you can view a couple examples . The rest are here .
This one is priceless … Lobsters ? Potatoes ? Guns ? Not Canada ? … LOL
This person gets them nearly all correct and includes some illustrations worthy of Frommer’s travel guide …
The reader is invited to view the rest here and while you are at it you can explore a link that provides some proof of the stereotype that American’s are less than experts of Europe . Below is but one example of our contribution to the geographical conversation … Hilarious …
Be sure to check them both out . The resulting answers are certain to start your day with a smile .
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We trust this man for the security of the world ?
” The United States released $8 billion in frozen assets to Iran on Sunday in a move meant to ensure Tehran’s compliance with a nuclear pact signed over the weekend, according to top Iranian officials.
Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Baqher Nobakht confirmed on Monday morning that the U.S. government had unfrozen $8 billion in assets that had been previously blocked by the Obama administration.
Undoubtably nothing could have kept Bagher Nobakht from confirming in a most public way that the Obama/Kerry capitulation contingent had in fact engorged the Iranian terror coffers to the tune of $8 Billion dollars . The “smart diplomacy” of Barack “Peace Prize” Obama is paying off in spades … if you are a terrorist or jew hater … for the rest of us ? Not so much .
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Why Have 10 Major Volcanoes Along The Ring Of Fire Suddenly Roared To Life?
” Ten major volcanoes have erupted along the Ring of Fire during the past few months, and the mainstream media in the United States has been strangely silent about this. But this is a very big deal. We are seeing eruptions at some volcanoes that have been dormant for decades. Yes, it is certainly not unusual for two or three major volcanoes along the Ring of Fire to be active at the same time, but what we are witnessing right now is highly unusual. And if the U.S. media is not concerned about this yet, the truth is that they should be. Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes and approximately 80 percent of all volcanic eruptions occur along the Ring of Fire, and it runs directly up the west coast of the United States. Perhaps if Mt. Rainier in Washington state suddenly exploded or a massive earthquake flattened Los Angeles the mainstream media would wake up. Most Americans have grown very complacent about these things, but right now we are witnessing volcanic activity almost everywhere else along the Ring of Fire. It is only a matter of time before it happens here too.
Sadly, most Americans cannot even tell you what the Ring of Fire is. The following is how Wikipedia defines the “Ring of Fire”…
The Ring of Fire is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. It has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes.”
Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report we have links to the ongoing and in some cases newly active volcanic activity along the Pacific rim .
Activity for the week of 13 November-19 November 2013
| Name | Location | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Colima | Mexico | New |
| Etna | Sicily (Italy) | New |
| Merapi | Central Java (Indonesia) | New |
| Sinabung | Indonesia | New |
| Yasur | Vanuatu | New |
|
|
||
| Bagana | Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) | Ongoing |
| Chirinkotan | Kuril Islands (Russia) | Ongoing |
| Chirpoi | Kuril Islands (Russia) | Ongoing |
| Copahue | Central Chile-Argentina border | Ongoing |
| Fuego | Guatemala | Ongoing |
| Karymsky | Eastern Kamchatka (Russia) | Ongoing |
| Kilauea | Hawaiian Islands (USA) | Ongoing |
| Manam | Papua New Guinea | Ongoing |
| Rabaul | New Britian (Papua New Guinea) | Ongoing |
| Shiveluch | Central Kamchatka (Russia) | Ongoing |
| Ulawun | New Britian (Papua New Guinea) | Ongoing |
” The Weekly Volcanic Activity Report is a cooperative project between the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program and the US Geological Survey’s Volcano Hazards Program. Updated by 2300 UTC every Wednesday, notices of volcanic activity posted on these pages are preliminary and subject to change as events are studied in more detail. This is not a comprehensive list of all of Earth’s volcanoes erupting during the week, but rather a summary of activity at volcanoes that meet criteria discussed in detail in the “Criteria and Disclaimers” section. Carefully reviewed, detailed reports on various volcanoes are published monthly in the Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network.”
More information on global volcanic activity may be found at the USGS volcano site and while we are on the topic of unusual seismic activity let us consider the strange doings in the Yellowstone caldera of Wyoming and Montana . Seismic activity in the form of earthquakes and tremors are also increasing in frequency in recent months . See map below .
” This map shows the locations of earthquakes that registered at least M4.5 in the week of 5-11 September 2013. Image credit: USGS “
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Reid’s Rule Change Would Silence GOP
” As a number of Senate Republicans take a stand against Barack Obama’s nomination of far left judges, the chamber’s top Democrat wants to find a way to stop them. In an announcement Thursday, Majority Leader Harry Reid voiced his support of a rule change that would curtail the practice of filibustering.
For the minority party, filibusters are one of a handful of tactics available to make its position heard. Reid, on the other hand, said that such allowances have resulted in a “broken” Senate.
“It’s time to change the Senate before the institution becomes obsolete,” Reid said, noting that the chamber has “wasted hours and wasted days between filibusters.”
To think it was only one administration ago that the alleged “pederast” of the Senate was singing a different tune . Give a listen to Dingy’s explanation of why the filibuster rule is was an essential part of our republican , not democratic , form of government .
” Unfortunately, the Nevada senator seems to miss the point that debate on a particular issue is actually a congressional responsibility, not something that needs to be eradicated. Of course, leftist legislators rely on ramrodding laws and nominations that could not stand Republican scrutiny.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who many conservatives feel has been too moderate in his response to Reid regarding other issues, was emphatically opposed to his current proposal.”
Perhaps “Dingy Harry” could use a history lesson on the importance of the filibuster …
” While several leftist groups have joined in the push for this so-called “nuclear option,” McConnell explained that such support could backfire “a lot sooner than you think.”
Mr Reid needs to be reminded that the purpose of the filibuster is to prevent the tyranny of the majority that our forefathers were rightfully so concerned about , to allow the minority to be heard and that it is one of the very features of government that make ours a republic and not a simple democracy(mob rule) . He would also do well to recognize that he won’t be Senate Majority Leader forever , perhaps not past 2014 as a matter of fact and thus he should very carefully consider the precedent he is threatening to set . We all know what they say : ” payback is a b**ch” .
” Though Republicans are currently the minority party in the Senate, Democrat support of the unpopular ObamaCare law has caused the approval rates of many legislators to plummet. Should the GOP regain power of the chamber after next year’s midterm elections, that party would benefit from Reid’s rule change.
Predictions of a Republican-led Senate are certainly encouraging to millions of Americans fed up with the current direction of the nation; however, the fight to end Reid’s proposal has far more immediate implications.”
Why don’t we let Senator Reid himself explain to us the filibuster , it’s long history , it’s essential nature to the American form of governance and also regale us with a conversation that took place over two hundred years ago between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson on just why the filibuster is an absolute necessity for the protection of the republic .
The following is a speech delivered by Harry on the floor of the Senate and recorded into the record on May 18th , 2005 : We’ll let Mr Reid do the rest of the talking :
” Mr. President, yesterday morning I spoke here about a statement the Majority Leader issued calling the filibuster a “procedural gimmick.”
The Websters dictionary defines “gimmick” as – – “an ingenious new scheme or angle.” No Mr. President, the filibuster is not a scheme. And it is not new.
The filibuster is far from a “procedural gimmick.” It is part of the fabric of this institution. It was well known in colonial legislatures, and it is an integral part of our country’s 217 years of history.
The first filibuster in the U.S. Congress happened in 1790. It was used by lawmakers from Virginia and South Carolina who were trying to prevent Philadelphia from hosting the first Congress.
Since 1790, the filibuster has been employed hundreds and hundreds of times.
Senators have used it to stand up to popular presidents. To block legislation. And yes – even to stall executive nominees.
The roots of the filibuster can be found in the Constitution and in the Senate rules.
In establishing each House of Congress, Article I Section 5 of the Constitution states that “Each House may determine the rules.”
In crafting the rules of the Senate, Senators established the right to extended debate – and they formalized it with Rule XXII almost 100 years ago. This rule codified the practice that Senators could debate extensively.
Under Rule XXII, debate may be cut off under limited circumstances.
– 67 votes to end a filibuster of a motion to amend a Senate rule.
– 60 votes to end a filibuster against any other legislative business.
A conversation between Thomas Jefferson and George Washington describes the United States Senate and our Founders Fathers vision of it.
Jefferson asked Washington what is the purpose of the Senate?
Washington responded with a question of his own, “Why did you pour that coffee into your saucer?”
“To cool it,” Jefferson replied.
To which Washington said; “Even so, we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.”
And this is exactly what the filibuster does. It encourages moderation and consensus. It gives voice to the minority, so that cooler heads may prevail.
It also separates us from the House of Representatives – where the majority rules.
And it is very much in keeping with the spirit of the government established by the Framers of our Constitution: Limited Government…Separation of Powers…Checks and Balances.
Mr. President, the filibuster is a critical tool in keeping the majority in check. This central fact has been acknowledged and even praised by Senators from both parties.
In fact, my colleague from Georgia – Senator Isakson – recently shared a conversation he had with an official from the Iraqi government.
The Senator had asked this official if he was worried that the majority in Iraq would overrun the minority. But the official replied… “no….we have the secret weapon called the ‘filibuster.’”
In recalling that conversation, Senator Isakson remarked: “If there were ever a reason for optimism… it is one of [the Iraqi] minority leaders, proudly stating one of the pillars and principles of our government, as the way they would ensure that the majority never overran the minority.”
And he was right.
I spoke yesterday about Senator Holt and his 1939 filibuster to protect workers’ wages and hours.
There are also recent examples of the filibuster achieving good.
In 1985, Senators from rural states used the filibuster to force Congress to address a major crisis in which thousands of farmers were on the brink of bankruptcy.
In 1995, the filibuster was used by Senators to protect the rights of workers to a fair wage and a safe workplace.
Now Mr. President, I will not stand here and say the filibuster has always been used for positive purposes.
Just as it has been used to bring about social change, it was also used to stall progress that this country needed to make. It is often shown that the filibuster was used against Civil Right legislation. But Civil Rights legislation passed – – Civil Rights advocates met the burden.
And it is noteworthy that today the Congressional Black Caucus is opposed to the Nuclear Option.
For further analysis, let’s look at Robert Caro, a noted historian and Pulitzer Prize winner.
At a meeting I attended with other Senators, he spoke about the history of the filibuster. He made a point about its legacy that was important.
He noted that when legislation is supported by the majority of Americans, it eventually overcomes a filibuster’s delay – as public protest far outweighs any Senator’s appetite to filibuster.
But when legislation only has the support of the minority, the filibuster slows the legislation …prevents a Senator from ramming it through…and gives the American people enough time join the opposition.
Mr. President, the right to extended debate is never more important than when one party controls Congress and the White House.
In these cases, the filibuster serves as a check on power and preserves our limited government.
Right now, the only check on President Bush is the Democrats ability to voice their concern in the Senate.
If Republicans rollback our rights in this Chamber, there will be no check on their power. The radical, right wing will be free to pursue any agenda they want. And not just on judges. Their power will be unchecked on Supreme Court nominees…the President’s nominees in general…and legislation like Social Security privatization.
Of course the President would like the power to name anyone he wants to lifetime seats on the Supreme Court and other federal courts.
And that is why the White House has been aggressively lobbying Senate Republicans to change Senate rules in a way that would hand dangerous new powers to the President over two separate branches – the Congress and the Judiciary.
Unfortunately, this is part of a disturbing pattern of behavior by this White House and Republicans in Washington.
From Dick Cheney’s fight to slam the doors of the White House on the American people…
To the President’s refusal to cooperate with the 9-11 Commission…
To Senate Republicans attempt to destroy the last check in Washington on Republican power…
To the House Majority’s quest to silence the minority in the House…
Republicans have sought to destroy the balance of power in our government by grabbing power for the presidency, silencing the minority and weakening our democracy.
America does not work the way the radical right-wing dictates to President Bush and the Republican Senate Leaders. And Mr. President, that is not how the United States Senate works either.
For 200 years, we’ve had the right to extended debate. It’s not some “procedural gimmick.”
It’s within the vision of the Founding Fathers of our country. They established a government so that no one person – and no single party – could have total control.
Some in this Chamber want to throw out 217 years of Senate history in the quest for absolute power.
They want to do away with Mr. Smith coming to Washington.
They want to do away with the filibuster.
They think they are wiser than our Founding Fathers.
I doubt that’s true. ”
We would say those were words to live by Mr Majority Leader , but then again everything from the democrats comes with an expiration date doesn’t it sir ? Even principles .
What a difference an administration makes . To think that eight short years ago the filibuster was , according to the senator from Nevada , “part of the fabric of this institution” and that “the filibuster is a critical tool in keeping the majority in check” and anyone brazen enough to attempt to eliminate the people’s tool were on a “quest for absolute power” to this :
” Without the option of a filibuster, Republican senators have precious few options through which to protect America’s courts.”
They’ve done it . As we were putting this piece together the scalawags from the democratic caucus in the Senate broke the rules to change the rules and thereby have eliminated the one tool that a David representing the minority could use to great effect against the Goliath tyranny of the majority . Democrats … Party of the people ? Defender of the little guy ? Balderdash ! Oh yes , did we mention …. SQUIRREL !
Does anyone have any idea why the appointment of judicial nominees is of such importance now , just as we are gearing up for the holiday recesses ? One word comes to our mind , well two actually , one (squirrel) that is what Mr Reid and Co are shouting today and the second word is Obamacare , the one word Mr Reid would love to knock off of the airwaves and out of people’s minds.
Good luck with that Senator , although we think you have made a grave miscalculation . The people will never be able to forget about the S**t sandwich you and your cronies forced down their throats and now you’ve treated them to the ultimate display of hubris and hypocrisy with your invocation of your so-called “nuclear option” and along the way revealed yourself and your colleagues for the unprincipled mountebanks that you are .
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” The United States in August and September began considering in earnest whether or not to become militarily involved in Syria. There are many tough and contentious questions about that decision, but one fact is undeniable: It would be expensive.
In a 2010 paper, Stephen Daggett of the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service estimated the costs of all major U.S. wars expressed in contemporary dollars, from the American Revolution through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the caveat that comparing war costs over a 230-year period is “inherently problematic” because the definition of war has varied and official numbers have included and measured different things over time, and also “because of the difficulties in comparing prices from one vastly different era to another,” Daggett nonetheless concludes that the trend is clear: Wars aren’t cheap.
According to his estimates, the American Revolution cost $2.4 billion (all numbers are in constant FY2011 dollars), World War I cost $334 billion, World War II cost $4.1 trillion, and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined have cost around $1.1 trillion and growing.
The price tag on the proposed intervention in Syria is unclear. According to a Congressional Research Service report published in September, “the cost of any military intervention could range widely depending on the type and length of U.S. military actions, the participation of U.S. allies, and Syrian and Syrian-allied responses.” Estimates range from $500 million initially to train, advise, and assist opposition forces in a safe area outside Syria, to as much as $12 billion dollars a year to use military force to establish either a no-fly zone that would prevent the regime from using its aircraft or a buffer zone to protect border areas next to Turkey or Jordan.
If history is any guide we can expect that direct military spending will be grossly underestimated.”
Grossly underestimated indeed … as with the costs of any government action.
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Officials Hide Evidence: After 4 Years Of Common Core-Test Scores Plummet
” A Common Core School District, Gulfport, MS is covering up failing test scores. At a recent meeting by Superintendent Glen East, parents were told that the test scores of the district had improved dramatically under the implementation of the Common Core curriculum. The Superintendent made his claims regarding dramatic academic improvement of all students by using ONLY the scores of the top 150 student.
In his comments to parents, Mr. East stated,
This district already had national average ACT scores. We’ve now gone with our top students, our top 150 students, we’ve gone from a 23 average to almost a 25 in over four years. That is not a new ACT, that is the ACT we are currently working with. We’ve improved reading achievement for all students. When I look at that data about how we’ve grown over the past four years and the success we’ve had, if you are in my shoes, you have to celebrate what you are doing. Very Powerful!
However, a couple of weeks later at a subsequent event, it seems that parents had a chance to research the data that the Superintendent had reported. Upon closer inspection of the data, parents found that the Superintendent completely misrepresented the data, and that the results were worse, not better. They were not simply a little worse, but a lot worse.”
Lies , lies and more lies . That is all that we can expect from the State . Every initiative that originates from the State is based on one lie or another , and when the promised results , predictably don’t materialize , the State answer is lies and more lies .
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WikiLeaks Presents The Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)
” Today, 13 November 2013, WikiLeaks released the secret negotiated draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the largest-ever economic treaty, encompassing nations representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. The WikiLeaks release of the text comes ahead of the decisive TPP Chief Negotiators summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013. The chapter published by WikiLeaks is perhaps the most controversial chapter of the TPP due to its wide-ranging effects on medicines, publishers, internet services, civil liberties and biological patents. Significantly, the released text includes the negotiation positions and disagreements between all 12 prospective member states.
The TPP is the forerunner to the equally secret US-EU pact TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), for which President Obama initiated US-EU negotiations in January 2013. Together, the TPP and TTIP will cover more than 60 per cent of global GDP. Both pacts exclude China.
Since the beginning of the TPP negotiations, the process of drafting and negotiating the treaty’s chapters has been shrouded in an unprecedented level of secrecy. Access to drafts of the TPP chapters is shielded from the general public. Members of the US Congress are only able to view selected portions of treaty-related documents in highly restrictive conditions and under strict supervision. It has been previously revealed that only three individuals in each TPP nation have access to the full text of the agreement, while 600 ’trade advisers’ – lobbyists guarding the interests of large US corporations such as Chevron, Halliburton, Monsanto and Walmart – are granted privileged access to crucial sections of the treaty text.
The TPP negotiations are currently at a critical stage. The Obama administration is preparing to fast-track the TPP treaty in a manner that will prevent the US Congress from discussing or amending any parts of the treaty. Numerous TPP heads of state and senior government figures, including President Obama, have declared their intention to sign and ratify the TPP before the end of 2013.”
This has NWO/Statism written all over it . The fact that Obama is trying to skirt the necessary Congressional approval of trade agreements says all we need to know about his administration’s efforts “on our behalf” . It would appear after a very brief , cursory reading that many of the provisions in the latest piece of sovereign renunciation are blatantly unconstitutional , which helps to explain the imperative of secrecy and subterfuge from our “most open , honest and transparent” administration .
This whole treaty , conceived in the smoke-filled back rooms of some old boys network private club , far from the prying eyes of the peons people and their representatives by the Masters of Industry and State is nothing more than a two-fisted power grab enriching the global corporate entity and the transnationalist political figures they bankroll .
” The 95-page, 30,000-word IP Chapter lays out provisions for instituting a far-reaching, transnational legal and enforcement regime, modifying or replacing existing laws in TPP member states. The Chapter’s subsections include agreements relating to patents (who may produce goods or drugs), copyright (who may transmit information), trademarks (who may describe information or goods as authentic) and industrial design.
The longest section of the Chapter – ’Enforcement’ – is devoted to detailing new policing measures, with far-reaching implications for individual rights, civil liberties, publishers, internet service providers and internet privacy, as well as for the creative, intellectual, biological and environmental commons. Particular measures proposed include supranational litigation tribunals to which sovereign national courts are expected to defer, but which have no human rights safeguards. The TPP IP Chapter states that these courts can conduct hearings with secret evidence. The IP Chapter also replicates many of the surveillance and enforcement provisions from the shelved SOPA and ACTA treaties.”
In order for Obama to skirt the Constitutional requirement of senatorial “advise & consent” the proposed TPP and TTIP have to be Executive Agreements and not , strictly speaking , treaties . This ploy allows him to avoid the necessary 2/3 vote of approval from the full Senate . Executive agreements have a long and controversial history in the hands of US presidents .
Having been unfamiliar with the distinction between the agreement and treaty we thought we would educate ourselves a bit and pass along our research for the benefit of readers such as ourselves . Here is how the Oxford Companion To The Supreme Court describes the differences between the two types of agreements :
” Under the Constitution, treaties with other countries require consent of two‐thirds of the Senate. The framers clearly intended joint action of the national executive and the representatives of states in Congress to make binding international obligations.
Executive agreements, unmentioned in the text, are practical alternatives made under presidential authority. They are so ubiquitous in American foreign relations—and sometimes so controversial—that one should distinguish various forms. The vast bulk have some form of legislative approval by statute, treaty, or joint resolution of Congress. For example, the North American and general trade agreements of 1993–1994 were approved by joint resolution. If the subject is within Congress’s broad powers, the Supreme Court accepts the delegation of legislative power and the Senate bypass. “
Franklin Roosevelt , Obama’s presidential idol , was the undisputed master of usurpation through the use of executive agreements , which coming from the man who’s very reign inspired the need for presidential term limits , who attempted to change the very nature of the Supreme Court and who issued orders for nationwide gold confiscation should come as no surprise .
” President Franklin D. “Roosevelt converted executive agreements into primary instruments of foreign relations. He approved the Litvinov Agreement recognizing the Soviet Union in 1933, and the destroyer bases deal of 1940. During World War II, Roosevelt and Truman made secret agreements with allies at Cairo, Yalta, and Potsdam affecting most of the world.”
Some history on executive agreements …
” … presidents have had the power to enter into executive agreements with other nations since George Washington’s administration. Treaties are binding on future presidents unless modified with Senate consent; executive agreements are not.
The State Department explains:
As explained in greater detail in 11 FAM 721.2, there are two procedures under domestic law through which the United States becomes a party to an international agreement. First, international agreements (regardless of their title, designation, or form) whose entry into force with respect to the United States takes place only after two thirds of the U.S. Senate has given its advice and consent under Article II, section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution are “treaties.” Second, international agreements brought into force with respect to the United States on a constitutional basis other than with the advice and consent of the Senate are “international agreements other than treaties” and are often referred to as “executive agreements.”
Let’s look, then, at 11 FAM 721.2 to see on what “constitutional basis” a president might enter into such an agreement.
(3) Agreements Pursuant to the Constitutional Authority of the President
The President may conclude an international agreement on any subject within his constitutional authority so long as the agreement is not inconsistent with legislation enacted by the Congress in the exercise of its constitutional authority. The constitutional sources of authority for the President to conclude international agreements include:
(a) The President’s authority as Chief Executive to represent the nation in foreign affairs;
(b) The President’s authority to receive ambassadors and other public ministers;
(c) The President’s authority as “Commander-in-Chief”; and
(d) The President’s authority to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” “
Findlaw offers even more on the executive agreement , it’s limitations and it’s consequences :
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS WITHOUT SENATE APPROVAL
” The capacity of the United States to enter into agreements with other nations is not exhausted in the treaty-making power. The Constitution recognizes a distinction between ”treaties” and ”agreements” or ”compacts” but does not indicate what the difference is. 388 The differences, which once may have been clearer, have been seriously blurred in practice within recent decades. Once a stepchild in the family in which treaties were the preferred offspring, the executive agreement has surpassed in number and perhaps in international influence the treaty formally signed, submitted for ratification to the Senate, and proclaimed upon ratification.
During the first half-century of its independence, the United States was party to sixty treaties but to only twenty-seven published executive agreements. By the beginning of World War II, there had been concluded approximately 800 treaties and 1,200 executive agreements. In the period 1940-1989, the Nation entered into 759 treaties and into 13,016 published executive agreements. Cumulatively, in 1989, the United states was a party to 890 treaties and 5,117 executive agreements. To phrase it comparatively, in the first 50 years of its history, the United States concluded twice as many treaties as executive agreements. In the 50-year period from 1839 to 1889, a few more executive agreements than treaties were entered into. From 1889 to 1939, almost twice as many executive agreements as treaties were concluded. In the period since 1939, executive agreements have comprised more than 90% of the international agreements concluded. 389“
In the interests of “equal time” , sort of , you can view TPP “news” , what little there is at the Office of The US Trade Representative’s website . Good luck with that .
In closing , and admittedly not knowing as much as we should about this looming shadow of globalism , we are of the opinion that any agreement or treaty related to business and commerce promulgated by the most economically illiterate leader this country has ever had can only be intended to accomplish one , the other or both of two things … most likely both : 1) further pad the already bloated bank accounts of his corporate cronies through regulation and protectionism and 2) advance the Statist/NWO agenda that drives his trans-nationalist puppet masters through gaining control of the creative process … meaning control of the lines of communication ( internet freedom) and control of property rights (patents , trade marks , etc).
There is surely nothing in this secretive effort that can be described as advancing the cause of the individual and human rights and that is not acceptable from any US president .
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” A full-time professor on the faculty of the newly-minted Texas A&M University School of Law called for the repeal and replacement of the Second Amendment on Friday.
The professor, Mary Margaret “Meg” Penrose, made her controversial declaration during a day-long panel symposium on gun control and the Second Amendment at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford.
UConn’s main student-run journal, The Connecticut Law Review, organized the event, according to Connecticut Public Radio. It was well-attended, primarily by law students, law professors and local attorneys.”
As far as we are concerned any so-called “law professor” that advocates repealing ANY part of the Bill of Rights is unworthy of the title and the profession . The whole progressive notion that the Constitution is some sort of living , breathing , open to re-interpretation document is ridiculous on it’s face . God given rights don’t exist and reign supreme for centuries only to be suddenly determined obsolete by a more “enlightened” society .
The difference is not in the times that the rights are being applied , the difference lies in the mindset of the people that find themselves hamstrung by those rights . We don’t live in a more dangerous world that requires more State intervention , we live in a world where too much State intervention has rendered the populace helpless through generations of mindless indoctrination from the State school system and the State run media .
The difference between the time when all revered the 2nd amendment as they revered the others and today is not a matter of changing times and/or circumstances but of a changed attitude by our “betters” who would have us all as chattel , to think as we are told and to do as we are told and the 2nd amendment is a serious impediment to their Statist ambitions .
Remember too that the battle for individual liberty is not taking place solely on the 2nd amendment battlefield but rages on all fronts while Congress , NSA , DHS and others deprive us of our 1st and 4th amendment rights and president Obama and his drones are carpet bombing amendments 5 though 8 into oblivion .
Just so it’s fresh in everyone’s mind these are the bedrock principles of human dignity and self-governance that have , in two brief centuries , raised our country from an upstart colony to undisputed (for now) leader of the world . The Bill of Rights has enjoyed near universal respect throughout the vast majority of that time and only now as the progressive dream for America heads for the dustbin of history does a certain faction posit the notion the our historic charter is “out-dated” or in need of “revision” .
It’s merely a variation of the Left’s signature modus vivendi … moving the goalposts/changing the rules whenever they are exposed as the charlatans that they are … NONSENSE … The Document is as timeless as all freeman’s rights .
- Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion and Petition
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.
- Right to keep and bear arms
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.
- Conditions for quarters of 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.
- Right of search and seizure regulated
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.
- Provisons concerning prosecution
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.
- Right to a speedy trial, witnesses, etc.
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 defense.
- Right to a trial by jury
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 reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
- Excessive bail, cruel punishment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
- Rule of construction of Constitution
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
- Rights of the States under Constitution
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.
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” I don’t think we’re stupid” — John Kerry, November 10, 2013
It’s always a bad sign when your nation’s chief diplomat begins a process of tough negotiations with some brutal authoritarian adversaries by protesting his non-stupidity. Then again, we’ve reached the point where even Parisian socialists feel the need to remind the U.S. Secretary of State of certain undeniable geopolitical realities on the ground. So here we are, seriously entertaining what the French Foreign Minister rightly warned could be a “fool’s bargain” with Iran.
Attention last week was focused on the failure of the Western powers to reach an interim nuclear deal with Tehran. That was the potential deal that made the French nervous. The bigger picture, however, is the broader set of negotiations over the coming months and their implications for American national security.
If Iran actually were to agree to a complete and verifiable dismantling of its nuclear weapons program, stop enriching and reprocessing uranium, shut down key facilities, and ship out all related materials – in full cooperation with international inspectors – then, of course, this would be most welcome. But there is little prospect of this kind of cooperation, or of this kind of deal. Iran hasnever even admitted that it has a nuclear weapons program, and it has been regularly mendacious about the true extent of its uranium enrichment facilities. This is not the behavior of a country simply looking for the peaceful use of nuclear power … or of one willing to give up the bomb. “
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” In developed economies the quantity of food available to people is less of a differentiator than the quality of food that’s available. While low-income people have access to food, they have less access to quality, healthy foods than high-income people do.
However, obesity might not be as closely related to poverty as it is to other factors, like race and gender.
In fact, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that for black and Mexican-American men, obesity rates actually increased with income.
For women, the correlation between obesity and poverty seemed to bear out the theory. However, there is still a higher correlation between race and obesity than income and obesity.”
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Eric Allie’s Furious Diaper
Newsmax
YouViewed/Editorial 