Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Loss Of Your Rights
I feel sorry for Geert Wilders, but I also know how he feels having his country over run by a group with different ideals and motives than those that are ingrained in the fabric of a culture. Kinda like Progressives taking over America, and he gets the same treatment as anyone who speaks out against the current state of affairs in the USA. If progressives keep complete control of our government, we can expect new censorship laws to go into effect that will bring stiff penalties.We already have a government that makes no bones about walking all over your rights. We have 4th Amendment violations left and right with the new breed of militarized police who think they can do whatever they want.
So what is Mr. Wilders crime?
Geert Wilders the Dutch anti-Islam politician went on trial Monday for alleged hate speech, even as his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all time highs. Prosecutors say Wilders incited hatred against Muslims with remarks comparing Islam to Nazi ism and by calling for a ban on the Quran. Over the last 20 years or so, Muslims have taken over many seats in the Dutch Parliament, and are working in every facet of Dutch bureaucracy, which if you know anything about Holland - it's pretty extensive.
Wilders argues he has a right to freedom of speech and his remarks were within the bounds of the law. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.
What will become of our right to free speech, as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment if Progressives keep control?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Take away from the GPB Debates
Democrat Roy Barnes "I want government to control your business"
Republican Nathan Deal " I am in the politics business"
I urge you to support Libertarian candidate John Monds.
www.votemonds.com
Sunday, October 3, 2010
John Monds on Security of College Campuses
When asked directly how Mr. Monds would address the problems of increasing violent crimes on college campuses. Mr. Monds made note of the fact that college campuses, being "gun free zones" in Georgia, are a breeding ground for victims.
One of the best ways to deter violent crimes being committed against students and faculty, in Mr. Monds' opinion, would be to allow students and faculty who are legally eligible to carry concealed weapons to do so on college campuses.
Why should the Board of Regents in Georgia be allowed to make a rule that super cedes the Constitutions of both the United States of America and the State of Georgia?
Mr. Monds expressed his belief that the right to self defense should never be infringed upon by government. His commentary about the fact that campus police, much like their counterparts in the public, can't be everywhere, all of the time. That reminds me of an old joke, "why do you carry a gun? - Because a cop is too heavy" or "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away". The argument is made time and again about the maturity of college students and if it's smart to have them in possession of concealed weapons. First of all, they would have to be legally eligible to carry a concealed weapon. That means in Georgia, they would have to be at least 21 years of age, pass a GBI background check and be in possession of a permit issued by the state. You only have to be 18 to join the military, carry weapons and go to war and last I checked, most people believe that those young people are the finest military in the world. Kind of a double standard.
You will have to decide for yourself where you stand on this issue, but I can tell you where I stand on this question of Liberty. Right next to Mr. Monds.
S. 510 - The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act - And why it's a bad idea
I have been in contact with both of my senators, Sen Johnny Isakson and Sen Saxby Chambliss, both Republicans from the great state of Georgia. Both are not only in favor of S.510, but to my dismay, both are cosponsors of the bill.
I laid out a very thoughtful request for both of them not to support the bill. I received a reply a few weeks later and at best I will call both responses condescending and at worst dismissive of my concerns. Below, you will some information that the senate isn't making very public, some of those "gotta pass it to find out what's in it" tidbits. I urge you to contact your senators and ask them not to support this legislation.
There is a bill before the U.S. Senate that has the potential to change the U.S. food industry more than any other law ever passed by the U.S. Congress. In the name of "food safety", the U.S. government would be given an iron grip over the production, transportation and sale of all food in the United States. Hordes of small food producers and organic farmers could potentially be put out of business. If this bill becomes law, the freedom to grow what you want, eat what you want and to share food from your gardens with your neighbors could be greatly curtailed. It would give the FDA unprecedented discretion to regulate U.S. food production. A version of this bill was already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last summer, and now S. 510, also known as the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, is in front of the U.S. Senate and it is expected to pass easily.
Because of how vaguely it is written and because of how much discretion it gives to the FDA, it is potentially a very, very dangerous law.
So who is actually in favor of it?
Well, big food corporations and big agriculture are actually very much in favor of this bill.
Why?
Is it because they are so concerned about food safety?
No.
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In fact, virtually every major case of food contamination in recent U.S. history has come from large-scale industrial agriculture or large-scale industrial food production.
The real reason why they are backing S. 510 is because it will devastate their primary competition – small food producers and organic farmers.
In recent years, the demand for organic food has skyrocketed as the American people have learned the truth about how our food is actually made. Big agriculture and the giant food producers are losing profits as Americans increasingly vote with their wallets.
So now the food giants are using "food safety" as a way to get market share back. It is an open secret that many of those involved in drafting this bill and in pushing it through Congress have ties to food industry giants.
Thousands of small food producers and organic farmers will have their very existence threatened by this bill. It imposes a bureaucratic nightmare on all food producers that the big corporations will be able to handle easily but that will cripple much smaller operations.
Already, many farmers can see the writing on the wall. One small farmer recently described the mood among her fellow small farmers to the Wall Street Journal....
"I know people who have been small farmers for 25 to 30 years who are looking to get out of the business because food safety is becoming so alarmist."
But the bureaucratic nightmare is just the tip of the iceberg. To get an idea of just how dangerous S. 510 could potentially be to the already staggering U.S. economy, just check out the following quote from one opponent of this bill....
"If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes. It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one’s choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God."
~ Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada Health whistle blower
It would be hard to understate how dangerous this bill potentially could be. This bill gives the FDA the ability to exercise a ton of discretion. The FDA could end up exercising that discretion in a very reasonable way, or they could use it to shut down small food producers left and right.
When it comes to S. 510, the question that you need to ask yourself is this....
Do you trust the FDA?
If not, then there are some very real reasons for you to be concerned.
The following are 12 reasons why S. 510 could be absolutely disastrous for small food producers and for the U.S. economy....
#1 All food production facilities in the United States will be required to register with the U.S. government. No food will be allowed to be grown, distributed or sold outside this bureaucratic framework unless the FDA allows it.
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#2 Any food that is distributed or sold outside of U.S. government control will be considered illegal smuggling.
#3 The FDA will hire an army of new inspectors to enforce all of the new provisions in the bill.
#4 The FDA will be mandated to conduct much more frequent inspections of food processing facilities.
#5 The fees and paperwork requirements will be ruinously expensive for small food producers and organic farms.
#6 S. 510 would place all U.S. food and all U.S. farms under the Department of Homeland Security in the event of a major "contamination" or an "emergency". What exactly would constitute a "contamination" or an "emergency" is anyone's guess.
#7 S. 510 mandates that the FDA facilitate harmonization of American food laws with Codex Alimentarius.
#8 S. 510 imposes an annual registration fee on any facility that holds, processes, or manufactures food. It also includes draconian fines for paperwork infractions of up to $500,000 for a single offense. Just one penalty like that would drive a small food producer out of business.
#9 S. 510 would give the FDA tremendous discretion to regulate how crops are grown and how food is produced in the United States. Basically, small farmers and organic farmers will now be forced to farm exactly how the federal government tells them to. It is feared that the U.S. government would soon declare that many organic farming methods are "unsafe" and would outlaw them. In addition, there is the very real possibility that at some point the U.S. government could decide that the only "safe" seed for a particular crop is genetically modified seed and would require all farmers to use it.
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#10 S. 510 will give the FDA the power to impose a quarantine on a specific geographic area. Basically the FDA would have the power to stop the movement of all food in an area where a "contamination" has been identified. This would be very close to being able to declare martial law.
#11 S. 510 will give the FDA the power to conduct warrantless searches of the business records of small food producers and organic farmers, even if there has been no evidence at all that a law has been broken.
#12 Opponents of S. 510 believe that it would eliminate the right to clean and store seed. Therefore, control of the U.S. seed supply would be further centralized in the hands of Monsanto and other multinational corporations.
As mentioned above, this bill gives the FDA a ton of discretion. It is written very broadly and very vaguely. It opens the door for all kinds of abuses, but that doesn't mean that the FDA will behave unreasonably.
So should we trust the FDA?
Is there a viable future for small food producers and organic farmers in America?
Or is the handwriting already on the wall?
"If people let the government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny."
~ Thomas Jefferson
Union Led "OneNation" Rally Leaves DC Covered In Trash
Once again union thugs and the supposed environmentally conscious Democratic Party supporters have descended on Washington DC, and once again they left tons of trash in their wake. The ONE NATION rally yesterday, run by union leaders, who in turn bussed in thousands of their membership and likely paid them to be there as well, was a show of support for the policies enacted by the Democratically controlled Congress and our President. This total lack of respect for the city of DC and lack of respect for their environment is indicative of how they govern the country. They are consumed with greed, and will by any means necessary take what they want and expect others to pay for it. They are a hoard of locusts destroying everything in their path with no concern about who will clean up after them.By comparison, when the 9/12 rally was winding down, the mall looked like this:
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Obvious Wisdom
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. MapQuest really needs to start with step #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my driveway.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer their call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch three consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
22. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
America's Race to The Bottom
Peter Schiff ran an unsucessful campaign for the senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd (D-CT). I suppose he lost his bid because he is a believer in Sound Money, has expirience in finance, wants to reduce the deficit and runaway spending and because he ran as a Republican in a very Democratic state. But mostly because he's a Republican running in a very Democratic state.
Chuck Donovan, Libertarian Candidate for US Senate from GA answers survey, the other two, not so much.
1. Will you cosponsor and call for roll call votes on Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill, designed to bring transparency to the Federal Reserve (H.R. 1207/ S. 604 in the 111th Congress)?
2. Will you support legislation removing capital gains and sales taxes on gold and silver coinage?
3. Will you vote to oppose any legislation that allows the federal government to prohibit the sale, use, or carrying of firearms?
4. Will you support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution that includes hard spending limits and allows for no increase in taxes or other federal revenue enhancements?
5. Will you support legislation that forbids U.S. troops from serving under United Nations command?
6. Do you support and will you vote to protect states asserting their rights under the Tenth Amendment?
7. Will you oppose Big Labor's Card Check bill and any other legislation designed to empower union bosses?
8. Do you support U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations?
9. Will you support the American Sovereignty Act to restrict the Executive's ability to forge international agreements that lessen our sovereignty?
10. Will you oppose using U.S. forces to occupy a foreign nation without a declaration of war?
11. Will you oppose any attempt to nationalize our health care system, including any sort of public option for insurance?
12. Will you oppose so-called "Cap and Trade" legislation?
13. Will you vote to eliminate the IRS?
14. Will you vote against any budget that increases our debt?
15. Will you oppose federal power grabs like roving wiretaps and warrantless searches, and oppose Patriot Act renewal that includes such items?
16. Will you oppose any legislation that requires states and citizens to participate in a National Identification Card program?
17. Will you oppose the so-called "NAFTA Superhighway" and any move toward a North American Union?
18. Will you support legislation that ensures Members of Congress have at least 72 hours to read any bill before it is allowed to come to the House floor?
19. Will you oppose all tax increases?
20. Indicate the tax cuts you are willing to vote for:
Across the Board Income Tax Cut
Capital Gains Tax Cut
Business Tax Cut
Estate Tax Cut
Senate CandidatesQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5Q6Q7Q8Q9Q10Q11Q12Q13Q14Q15Q16Q17Q18Q19Q20
Johnny Isakson (R ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , - , - , -
Chuck Donovan (L )Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y, Y, Y, Y
Michael Thurmond (D )No response
McDonalds Not Exactly Dropping Healthcare, Yet.
Says the Wall Street Journal
"McDonald's didn't deny that the new rules will wipe out its existing plans. And that's precisely the point. The entire philosophical and policy architecture of ObamaCare is explicitly designed to standardize health benefits and how those benefits should be paid for."
"In other words, the choice is between relatively affordable coverage that isn't as generous as Democrats think it should be and dumping coverage entirely. McDonald's may eventually offer the high-cost plans that Ms. Sebelius favors, or get its waiver, but many of its less profitable or smaller competitors won't. While subsidized ObamaCare options will be available in 2014, those costs will merely be transferred to taxpayers"
Read More Here
Friday, October 1, 2010
Federalist No. 51
More of Police State USA
Who cares about the 4th Amendment any more anyway? How about backscatter radar in vans patroling the streets looking at what's in your pockets? Still happy about the Patriot Act?