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by The_Dylan from Portland, Maine

Last Post 234 days, 5 hours Ago


Judge Napolitano Gets it Right!!!
Nov 14, 2007 | 10:30 AM
Category: News
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Today on The FOX Morning News, hosts Ray and Ted were shocked to learn that PATRIOT Acts I & II might actually violate people's rights!  My thanks to Judge Andrew Napolitano, author of A Nation of Sheep, for bringing some light to the issue of domestic insecurity.  The Judge blasted our so-called leaders for expanding wiretapping, spying on citizens, and allowing federal agents to write their own warrants beyond the reach of our Constitution and without involving a judge, as prescribed by law.  Victims of these exploits are not even allowed to speak of it.  What part of "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech" don't we understand?

We have abandoned our precious liberties, little by little, in the name of national security and what do we have to show for it?  It has not made us stronger, more secure, or less fearful- it has only made us less free.  Congressman Ron Paul tried to warn us about the threat our own government might pose in the wake of 9/11 and he was absolutely right.  Many in Congress admit they didn't get the chance to read these "Patriot Acts".  Well, if I were to vote on titles alone, I might well have supported it myself.  We're all patriots, here.  Few Americans are out to cripple this country, but ignorance and apathy will soon deliver our unmaking if we don't wise up.

We have entered an era when state secrets are protected at the expense of basic human rights and our military and the government that controls it don't even offer an explanation to the people or the courts.  If not us, then to whom are they accountable?  A burgeoning central authority in Washington is beginning to take away our rights as a matter of course- for the preservation of this nation.  It's not just the terrorists from whom we stand to lose our freedom.  We must remain ever vigilant of domestic enemies as well.  To quote Ray Richardson, "History has shown that this country is following down a path that will lead to our demise."  This was a rare moment of clarity for our old-line conservative friend.  The Bush Administration, much like the Clinton Administration, has taken on the Constitution and won. 

Perhaps we have become a nation of sheep, willingly treading in shackles toward oblivion as we exchange our natural-born rights for a promise of comfortable conformity and serenity unfulfilled.  There is still time to restore the republic and recapture our strength in the American spirit of freedom and justice for all.  Who will stand with the real American patriots against a government of wealth and privilege to defend peace, freedom, and the rule of law? 
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Houndstooth view my photos
Nov 14, 2007 | 2:54 PM

What about all the folks who say only the Evil-Doers have to worry about all this domestic spying? They say that if you're not doing anything wrong, there's nothing to worry about.

They are fools of course but still, this is part of the sheeps argument for such ravings.

It's only until we lose everything that we will understand how beautiful, freedom really was.
Nonpartisan read my blog view my photos
Nov 15, 2007 | 3:24 AM

I admire judge Napolitano. He is one of the most brilliant constitutional scholars out there. The United States constitution was written centuries ago, and many of the rights were pertain to that time. When the FCC was established in 1934, it was only to regulate radio. It is now regulating television, the internet, and satellite radio. I am not a lawyer, but judge Napolitano is failed to point out the Schenck vs. United States case in 1919 [Clear and present danger] where Justice Oliver Mendall declared that your first amendment right in a time of war is inconclusive. Should someone wear a T-shirt that reads, “I have a bomb in my suitcase” at the airport without being interrogated? This is a different era where the enemy is no longer a sovereign nation, but a bunch of unknown individuals that requires the same intense of speediness to catch up with them. Should we allow terrorist to operate freely in the United States because it isn’t in the constitution? The patriot act is solemnly in place to fill in the gap that is missing in the constitution. When a judge impose a gag order, isn’t that a violation of free speech? The 14th amendment only focused on what congress should not do, but every the other branches can do whatever they please!
joefisherman read my blog
Nov 15, 2007 | 8:49 AM

I'd like to comment on the previous post:
there is a hell'va difference from wearing a tee shirt saying I have a bomb and using your cell phone or your computer to discuss your politics.
If you are breaking a law or thinking about breaking a law and acting weird there is laws on the books to handle this. once the agents were given rights to write their own warrant they broke with constitutional law. no one shall write a warrant but a judge.
and as far as it will be a criminal offense to tell anyone who wrote the warrant that is a direct attack on the constituion of this country and your personal frredom.
so your comment might sound logical to an idiot it definetley goes against what democracy is.
you should see how many warrants these people have written and how many have had no criminal findings but only added to our financial woes.
In fact i'm surprised a decent person be he or she an agent of this country would go to such a low method. What I see is a method to keep or attack decent people from complaining.
and that is what freedom of speech is all about.
The_Dylan read my blog view my photos
Nov 15, 2007 | 11:46 AM

Our rights do not come from government. They are inferred by the human condition, so no, I don't believe that our rights can properly be taken away from us as the times change. We establish government bodies to protect our natural-born rights. We can talk about sacrificing a few small rights to help fight terrorism, but in practice, we become our own worst enemy and potential terrorizers are emboldened by our weakness. Freedom is strength and we are more vulnerable when we bury our heads in the sand and choose to rely on the broad coercive powers of a police state to keep the peace.

The Constitution serves to limit governmental power over individuals and it does so for the express purpose that we the people be free to carry out our lives as we see fit and this includes guarding ourselves from any foreign invasion, turning to government- first local, then federal- only as a last resort. It must be the people who compel any government intervention. We are slipping rapidly into totalitarianism, the driving force of which is greed and lust for power, not some noble vision of a friendlier place where all may live and prosper. Without strict adherence to the Constitution, the mantra of all men of authority quickly becomes "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." This is simply not what a free country is all about.

The founders were right to mistrust concentrations of power and they well understood the danger of combining powers into the hands of one person, particularly the president with his command of the military. We have seen the Executive Branch

The_Dylan read my blog view my photos
Nov 15, 2007 | 11:58 AM

The founders were right to mistrust concentrations of power and they well understood the danger of combining powers into the hands of one person, particularly the president with his command of the military. We have seen the Executive Branch amass considerable power outside of the Constitution and the basic freedoms of citizens to trial by jury, due process, and protection from indefinite detention have been abridged. In the words of the mighty Thomas Paine, "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself." This precedent cannot be allowed to stand where the Constitution applies only to those whom our Executive Branch deems to be deserving of its protection, lest we all be damned.
JoeRedneck read my blog
Nov 25, 2007 | 5:50 PM

The greatest stealing of power has been by the SCOTUS. They make up their own Constitution as they go along.

Here in Maine our rights are stolen every year by voters. We have votes on issues that the people have absolutely no right to vote on. Smoking in privately owned businesses, wearing seatbelts in privately owned vehicles, drinking alcohol in private residences,stealing private property by voting to not allow the owners of property to develop their land as they see fit, stealing the fruits of our labors and giving them to complete strangers. And you morons worry about someone listening to overseas cellphone conversations of contact numbers gleaned from our military overseas as you walk around in public talking loud enough for the whole world to hear?? This is a joke, right???
The_Dylan read my blog view my photos
Nov 26, 2007 | 9:53 AM

This is the trouble with conservatives: you're inconsistent! You seem to value privacy and personal freedoms when it comes to your vices and the almighty dollar, but utter the words "terrorism" or "security" and you're ready to abandon the traditional American values that protect such irrational thinking!

And yes we do have a Supreme Court that has been derelict in it's duty to preserve and promote the highest laws of this land: the Constitution of the United States, which serves to protect each individual from an overbearing government.

The lesson all conservatives need to learn: winning an argument is not enough when you have to win it by conceding your opponent's false premises. Every year conservatives sound more like liberals because at base, both groups accept the moral superiority of collectivism. It's time to reject the very notion that any person or any number of men can appropriately exhume the rights of the individual to life, liberty, and property for any reason. Let's preserve our republic instead of building an empire.

'nuff said
JoeRedneck read my blog
Nov 26, 2007 | 7:58 PM

I don't accept the moral superiority of collectivism. There seems to me to be one side which consistently forces others to accept their versions of right and wrong and that would be the left. I am not saying the right never does, but when it comes to forcing others to accept a particular version of right or wrong, the Left wins, hands down.

The Constitution not only protects individuals from overbearing government, it is also supposed to protect us from overbearing fellow citizens. Unfortunately, many citizens believe that if you can force a vote on something, you can force others to abide by that vote, even if the citizens had no right to vote on a particular issue in the first place.

As for my inconsistency, I dare say we all suffer from that ailment.
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The_Dylan

Once thought to be a mythical creature, the Dylan belongs to a rare genus of nocturnal bipeds now nearing extinction. This arboreal primate is known to be department-store dwelling and nourishes itself on Doritos, lemon poppyseed muffins, and leafy underbrush. The Dylan cannot be toilet trained. It is easily startled and would not make a good pet.

Member Since: 6/4/2007


 

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