The Legislation of Prosperity

"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

Dr. Adrian Rogers

The War On Christmas

The War on Christmas

I’ve written before about how upset I get at all the politically correct prissies who refuse to let their salespeople or employees wish their customers “Merry Christmas” this time of year.

Because they’re afraid they might upset someone who doesn’t celebrate the holiday they insist on such mind-numbing platitudes as “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays.” I hear it over and over again—and always respond with a loud and cheery “and Merry Christmas to you!” Most of time, I get a cheerful “Merry Christmas” right back.

Sadly, the war against Christmas continues to gain ground. Public-school officials at Marysville Elementary School in Wilmington, N.C., decided not to allow the kindergarten class to sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” at the school’s annual Christmas—oops, scratch that—the school’s annual holiday show. Seems the parent of one student objected to the song because it contained the word “Christmas.” She didn’t want her little tyke exposed to something with “religious overtones.” So the school officials buckled.

What do they do at the public schools in your area?

Meanwhile, the battle against public display of anything religious claimed another victim, this time in Washington, D.C. The new visitor’s center at the United States Capitol contains a replica of the Speaker’s rostrum in the House chamber. It’s an exact copy, except for this change: The actual chair has the words “In God We Trust” engraved across the top. The phrase is missing from the copy. I wonder which scaredy-cat bureaucrat decided on that?

We’ve become so afraid of offending a tiny (but vocal) minority that it’s perfectly all right to ignore the wishes and beliefs of a huge (but silent) majority. I’ve heard this sad situation referred to as the tyranny of the minority. But I think a more accurate phrase is the cowardice of the majority. What a bunch of spineless sissies our leaders have become.

What the Constitution Actually Says

Permit me to rant for a bit about one of the biggest lies the anti-religious zealots have used against us. It is that “the Constitution requires the separation of church and state.”

Baloney. The Constitution requires no such thing.

Let me begin today’s lesson by asking you, what is the most important sentence in the U.S. Constitution?

I would submit that it’s the very first one. Do you remember how this marvelous document begins? Our founding fathers set the tone for everything they believed, and everything that would follow, in Article I, Section 1, sentence one. It reads, “All legislative powers herein granted are vested in Congress….”

A friend of mine who has lectured widely on the Constitution likes to stop at this point and ask: “Are there any math students present? Okay, maybe you can help me out. If ‘all’ lawmaking power resides in Congress, how much is in the Supreme Court? Right, none! How about the Executive Branch? Right, none again. Thanks for your help.”

There’s a very important principle here—one that has been deliberately obfuscated over the past 50 years. A Supreme Court decision isn’t supposed to be “the law of the land.” The Court has no Constitutional right to make law. All it is supposed to do is to decide “the law of the case.” Their decision should be binding on the plaintiff and the defendant … and no one else.

Instead, for most of my lifetime, layer upon layer of additional government has been sanctioned, and even initiated, by the black-robed justices of the U.S. Supreme Court—men and women who regularly and repeatedly ignore the very first sentence of the document they have sworn to uphold.

And let me digress for a moment to note that the very same principle applies to the Executive Branch. What lawmaking powers does the Constitution bestow on the President and all of the cabinets, agencies and commissions he oversees? Again, the answer is none. Yet we get Executive Orders, Presidential decrees, all sorts of new rules and regulations, and now dozens of new “czars,” for crying out loud. Each and every one has assumed powers that are nowhere granted in the Constitution. And no one dares challenge them!

With that as background, let’s turn to the First Amendment (the one used to justify arguments for “the separation of church and state”) and see what it actually says.

Here is how it begins:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

That seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? “Congress shall make no law,” either promoting a religion or prohibiting one.

According to the Constitution, what are the states allowed to do, when it comes to religion (or just about anything else)? The answer is, pretty much whatever they want.

Could a state require that the Ten Commandments be posted in every courthouse? Sure it could.

Could a city or county government install a crèche on its lawn every Christmas? Absolutely.

Could a governor encourage the citizens of his state to call on the Almighty to alleviate drought or do other good works? Without a doubt.

The framers of our Constitution expected the citizens of each state to decide for themselves how state and local affairs would be conducted. Would every state decide the same thing? Absolutely not. Our founding fathers expected differences to emerge between states. Some would be minor, some major. If one state passed laws you felt were onerous, you could vote to change them—or move to another state.

The idea that every law and every rule in every state should be exactly the same as the ones in every other state would strike our founding fathers as the height of absurdity. They believed that differences were good; that competition would reward good policy and punish bad.

The system worked pretty well for more than 150 years. It could work even better today, thanks to the vastly improved flow of information and transportation. If we choose, we can learn a lot about policies and procedures in other states. And if we like what we find out, we can get there a lot easier than our forefathers did.

Instead, we’ve permitted the tyranny of the minority to trample the rights of the majority. Maybe it’s time for the rest of us to demand our rights back.

My hat is off to the Bill O’Reillys, the Glenn Becks and the others across America who are fighting the good fight to celebrate Christmas this Dec. 25, and not just a “happy holiday.”

But I wish they would do more. I wish they would help us take the offensive against the liberal loonies who have gotten their way for far too long. How about a national campaign to explain and then restore the U.S. Constitution? That would be a Christmas present that would benefit the entire country.

And to all the sorry appeasers and retreaters out there, I hope someone roasts your chestnuts in an open fire. Bah, humbug, indeed.

Until next time, keep some powder dry.

Chip Wood

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

The New York Times, New York City, New York 08/14/09


American Rifleman Issue: 8/17/2009

  In broad daylight, four men, one armed with a 9-millimeter pistol, entered the Kaplan Brothers Blue Flame Corporation kitchen supply store in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Once inside the criminals attempted to handcuff two store employees, and the owner of the store, 72-year-old Charles Augusto Jr. As one of the men was handcuffing an employee, the employee resisted, resulting in the criminal pistol-whipping the employee in the head. After witnessing the criminal’s brutality, Augusto retrieved his 12- gauge shotgun and fired at the robbers. The first round struck and killed the robber armed with the pistol. A second and third shot wounded the other three criminals, one of whom made his way across the street before collapsing and dying before he could reach the hospital. The two other wounded robbers were picked up by police and taken to a local hospital where they are in stable condition. This was not the first time that Augusto’s store has been the target of robbers, a robbery thirty years ago is what prompted him to arm himself. Local residents were supportive of Augusto’s actions, with one stating, “You have to protect your workers and your family. Case closed.” Unfortunately, Augusto may be punished for protecting himself and his employees. New York City’s draconian gun laws require a permit to possess a shotgun, and police are mulling the possibility of charging Augusto with a misdemeanor for failing to obtain one.

Here's What We Do Now!

Dear Fellow Patriots,

As you know, WeDaPeeps has been in existence for just a few months. It all started with a few collected signatures on a signup sheet at the July 4 Tea Party.

We've come a long way in such a short time.

Our Goal is to: Dismantle the Imperial State & Restore our Constitutional Republic

At our very first meeting, I identified the three most urgent and critical actions necessary to forward that agenda:

1) Defeat Cap & Trade
2) Defeat ObamaCare
3) "Throw the Bums Out!"

My reasoning:

ObamaCare and/or Cap and Trade would institute an Imperial State in control of every aspect of our lives. No matter what other issues we care about—and there are many—if we allowed either of these two comprehensive programs to be instituted, we would lose the power to affect any of the others. We would, for all intents and purposes, be servants of the government, no longer its masters.

The third goal "Throw the Bums Out" is as necessary as the first two because it is the current crop of "bums" that has brought us to this brink of transforming the United States of America into a dystopian Socialist nightmare. They are no longer "of the people". They have become almost permanent rulers who disdain "We the People". And it's time for them to go.

During the last 5 months there have been so many assaults on our Liberty, so may outrages coming at us from so many directions, I fear that we have, in the attempt to deal with them all, somewhat lost sight of those original three goals and why they are so important.

I'd like to take the opportunity today to refocus and re-commit to them:

1) Cap & Trade

This has taken a somewhat unexpected turn. While unlikely to have passed the Senate on its own, it has been given new life by the EPA’s declaring CO2 to be dangerous to human health, and therefore within their jurisdiction to regulate. There is no doubt that the Obama administration will use this determination as a gun to the heads of Senators to pass Cap & Trade.

The fact is, the reason the EPA has this power is through the Clean Air Act— passed by Congress—so Congress can amend the act to take CO2 out of the hands of the EPA. However, they won’t do it on their own.

This Progressive Congress will use the EPA threats as political cover to pass Cap & Trade as a more benign regulatory regime than that which Obama’s EPA would impose by fiat.

Rather than allow Congress to pretend that they have no choice but to pass Cap & Trade to avoid more draconian regulations from EPA…we must demand that they amend the the Clean Air Act to deprive the EPA of this power – and NOT pass ANY version of Cap & Trade!

Unfortunately, this jobs-economy-liberty-free market killer is still very much alive.

Indeed, there is no doubt that this Progressive Congress is thrilled that it will have what it believes to be political cover to pass this monstrosity.

And I believe it will do so in spite of our continued and vociferous objections and the havoc it will create in the economy and in our lives.

2) ObamaCare

Has been passed by the House (with "aye" votes by our Congresswomen Speier and Eshoo) and is working its way through the Senate. Of course, we must continue our faxing campaign against it to Boxer and Feinstein, the Blue Dog Democrats and the Wavering Republicans, and to Speier and Eschoo to vote against the post conference bill (or the Senate bill if it is introduced without conference in the House) , but honestly, I consider the chances of influencing any of our four Left-Wing representatives against it to be slim and none.

I believe that in the end we will get a version of Cap & Trade and ObamaCare. It will be the worst Government Power Grab in the history of our nation. We will be living in a land that our Founders would not recognize. And our representatives will have proven that even though the majority of citizens are against these two devastating bills…they were willing to sacrifice the will of the people and the good of the country on the alter of Party, Power, Greed and Left-Wing, Collectivist Ideology.

That means we have but one alternative:


3) "THROW THE BUMS OUT!"

It is now time to turn our full attention to replacing these recalcitrant politicians. Our last chance to save our country is the 2010 elections. With a significant change in Washington we will signal that we are awake, and taking back control of our country.

If we cannot stop Congress using the EPA as cover for passing Cap & Trade, we must replace the weasels with Americans who will repeal Cap & Trade, and amend the Clean Air Act to defang the EPA.

If we cannot stop ObamaCare from passing, at least we can, with a big enough electoral victory, work to repeal it before it can take full effect.

This is now the most important thing we can do to save our Country.

The vipers in Washington are openly defying the American People. They are pushing these monstrosities through in spite of the fact that huge majorities of Americans are against them! If we don't teach them a lesson in 2010, if we do not punish them for their defiance, they will know there is NOTHING THEY CAN'T GET AWAY WITH.

And that will be the end of Freedom and of our Constitutional Republic.

Until the 2010 Elections...I want our group to be focused like a laser beam on defeating our National Representatives.

When we have affected the change in Washington that will begin the restoration of our Constitutional Republic—or at the least halt our march to Socialism, we can begin working on those other issues that are so important in supporting that effort, like reforming education, and transforming the media, and restoring the free market.

I hope that you will join me in this effort. Our country's future depends on it! And we have less that a year to get it done!

We will be concentrating on three races:

Jackie Speier
Anna Eshoo
Barbara Boxer

So…rather than our original topic for our next meeting, I’d like to start preparing for our last chance at saving America: the 2010 elections.

Please think about the following, and bring your ideas to the meeting:

1) Identify principled LIBERTY candidates (If necessary, enter our own candidates in the GOP Primary)
2) Campaign organizing
3) Internet campaigning
4) Opposition research
5) YouTube
6) Guerilla tactics, creativity
7) Engage the entire LIBERTY community in the campaign
8) Reach out to all the angry, disappointed, disillusioned, fed up citizens and get their VOTES!
9) Use the Tea Party ground swell

To all who have not yet joined us, THIS IS YOUR TIME! We have got to organize and work together if we’re going to take our country back!

The 2010 elections may be the most important in our history. The Progressives have determined to make our country into one ruled by an elite oligarchy—themselves—ignoring the will of the people and the limits of the Constitution. If they are allowed to get away with it without repercussion in 2010, they will know that they can do anything they want without consequences. And our Constitutional Republic will have died.

Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Your children and grandchildren will thank you for saving their freedom—or blame you for surrendering it!

Check the Calendar of Events for date and location of our next meeting.

Carol Negro
MyLiberty
The 9.12 Project
"Organizing the Liberty Community in San Mateo County, California"

Throw the Bums Out!

Another Mad Hatter

Nice to know our governor has his ear on the pulse of the nation. And science.

Arnold Schwarzenegger unveils dramatic climate change map which shows flooded San Francisco of the future.

The map, named CalAdapt, which was revealed at a press conference on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay by Mr Schwarzenegger and Google CEO Eric Schmidt, was created as part of a plan for the state to adapt to global warming.

'Within a century, Treasure Island, this place where we are right now, could be totally under water,' the governor said. 'It is technology in the end that will save us.'

Yeah....okay.

Somebody, give that man access to the internet.

Letters, FAXES, email, phone calls. You know the drill.

wtp

A REAL Scientist's Opinion

From the Wall Street Journal:

In contemplating the purloined University of East Anglia emails (L. Gordon Crovitz's "The Web Discloses Inconvenient Climate Truths," Information Age, Nov. 30), an illuminating and contrasting backdrop is this description of scientific conduct, given in 1974 by that scientist's scientist, Nobel laureate physicist Richard P. Feynman:

"There is one feature I notice that is generally missing in "cargo cult science." . . . It's a kind of scientific integrity, a principle of scientific thought that corresponds to a kind of utter honesty—a kind of leaning over backwards.

For example, if you're doing an experiment, you should report everything that you think might make it invalid—not only what you think is right about it: other causes that could possibly explain your results; and things you thought of that you've eliminated by some other experiment, and how they worked . . . Details that could throw doubt on your interpretation must be given, if you know them. . . . If you make a theory, for example, and advertise it, or put it out, then you must also put down all the facts that disagree with it, as well as those that agree with it."

Turns out too many 21st Century "scientists" are nothing more than "high priests" of some sort of primitive Apocalyptic Nature Religion whose gods are bent on destroying the world unless they get sufficient human sacrifice.

Can't we just throw Al Gore into some heaving volcano and call it good?

wtp