Like him or not, support his policies or not, don't you
feel a little sorry for President Obama?
Yes, he may want our country to 'transform' in ways
most Americans do not want, and yes he'll rig the
system to push "social justice" not American justice.
Yes, he flaunts the trappings of the office, and shows
indifference towards the plight of the very people he
campaigned to help.
But, what may stand larger and may emblazon his
'legacy' was one of his first, and perhaps worst
decisions will be questioned.
Of all the people he could have chosen from many
experienced and qualified individuals the president
chose Hillary Clinton to serve as the most powerful
and influential position in the Executive Branch, the
Secy of State.
How many times must the First Lady have asked,
"what were you thinking"? naming Hillary Clinton
as his Secy of State,
Imagine for a minute if Obama did not choose Hillary,
of Clinton, Inc., the 'Bonnie and Clyde' of pilfering
'contributions' in the name of doing good?
Qaddafi would still be alive and Libya stable.
Whomever was named Secy. of State would have
obeyed the law by only using a secure govt. server
to protect classified information.
The security of the highest level of communication
would not have been exposed to "hostile actors" as
FBI Director James Comey referred to whomever
else may have hacked into Clinton's system.
The tens of millions the State Dept. paid to donors to
the Clinton Foundation in a quid pro quo for business
directed their way would still be in govt. coffers.
And most importantly, four brave American patriots
would still be alive.
We should all join Michelle Obama and collectively
ask the president, "What were you thinking?"
At least for him the long nightmare she brought to
the Executive Branch will soon be over. In November
I only hope it ends for the American people too!
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I couldn't help from thinking back to Bill Clinton speaking at the 2012
Democrat convention, heaping praise on President Obama proclaiming,
" No president — no president, not me, not any of my predecessors, no one
could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four
years."
Bill Clinton's words came to mind when I heard President Obama heap
similar praise on Hillary Clinton in campaign stop in Charlotte, NC,
"Never been any man or woman more qualified than Hillary".
Both men reached into the grab bag of political hyperbole used with great
success to fawning partisans that unfortunately tip scales in most elections.
Such exaggerated claims are made to be taken literally, and near impossible
to refute which is the "intent", a word even FBI Director James Comey recently wrestled with.
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I wrote two earlier pieces about the need for a Declaration of Independence:
"A Twenty-first century Declaration of Independence"bit.ly/29dBGUr
"A NEW Declaration of Independence, the time is now!"bit.ly/29j6Qhl
I did this over the Independence Day holiday while pondering how our national
government transformed our country, making the American people subservient
and the authority of independent and sovereign states all but disappear.
I vaguely remember reading of an initiative that proposed a 'new' Declaration
of Independence, a thought which only came after I sent my opinions on the
times we are in, oppressiveness of governance and need for a new declaration
to end the repression of the American people.
I came across the following written in 1990s which cites the abuses by our
Constitutional government, which ironically was created to prevent the very
abuses the authors stated.
I found the following to be well thought out, and addresses much of what most
seem indifferent about, failing to realize the burden they present.
I firmly believe a citizens' effort to change American governance will not occur
unless it begins in political quarters. Good men need to take the lead as the
signers of the Declaration of Independence did, risking all for independence.
Any modern day assembly would only risk the 'trappings' they now have which
may be harder to give up than "their lives, fortunes and sacred honor".
This opening notation reminds us the concerns of its authors remain.Unlike the
original declaration this one offers demands that would restore the desires of
our Founders those of a political 'ruling class'.
Note added April 2015: This New Declaration
was copied from ISIL's website in the mid-1990s. Over twenty years have
gone by and it is still relevant to the social situation in the U.S.A.
Indeed, that situation has so deteriorated that the U.S. is now, all
but officially admitted, a fascist police state.
The need for such a
declaration remains, as shown by the 2015 article "Battlefield America: The War on the American People" by John W. Whitehead, excepts from
which are given following this New Declaration. It Begins.....
Two hundred years ago our ancestors signed a document which forever
changed the course of history. Colonial Americans severed the bonds to a
tyrannical king and parliament in England and established in America for
the first time a society based on the principle of the rule of law and
limited government. Benjamin Franklin stated at this time: "Gentlemen we give you a Republic — if you can keep it."
The result was a glorious and turbulent 200+ years which witnessed the
greatest achievements, the
highest standard of living, and the highest
levels of individual freedom ever experienced in human history. However,
we have allowed government to grow without bounds so that today the
golden prize of liberty
has been all but lost. Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, and the signers made the following observations about the nature of man
and government which are as valid today as the day they were written:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to
institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to
effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that
Governments long established should not be changed for light and
transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind
are more disposed to suffer, while evils are suffer-able, than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But
when a long train of abuses and usurpation, pursuing invariably the
same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it
is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to
provide new Guards for their future security.
The grievances: WE THE PEOPLE of these fifty States have patiently suffered mounting
government outrages against us — lies, corruption, legal plunder and
terror. We have waited in despair for reforms and redress, but the
outrages have only gotten worse.
We can now wait no longer. The
fundamental rights of the people must be restored now. Government's role
must be limited to protection of our lives, liberty and property.
These are the crimes of the State against its citizens:
They have erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms
of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their substance. The IRS,
Justice Department, police, State and local revenue authorities and a
growing list of other government agencies have engaged in an escalating
orgy of terror, looting, and wholesale seizure of private wealth to feed
the appetite of arrogant and rapacious bureaucracies.
They have subverted the electoral process through unjust and
exclusionary ballot-access laws. Vast sums of tax-extorted monies have
been used to create a Congressional Monopoly and Imperial Presidency,
which have crushed dissent and excluded any serious challenge to their
power.
They have multiplied laws beyond reason or humanity, subverting both
the words and intent of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. There is not a single American who could not be arrested, imprisoned and
impoverished for violating one of the millions of arbitrary and
incomprehensible government laws and edicts now in force.
They have instituted oppressive and destructive taxes; stolen over
half of our incomes year after year; compelled us to testify against
ourselves by filling out endless compulsory reports; made us into unpaid
government spies and tax collectors; and destroyed our peace, security,
and freedom in order to finance their oppressive bureaucracies, failed
social programs, and wars of aggression.
They have seized control of our economy and have dictated and
controlled every aspect of how our businesses must be operated. They
have issued edict upon edict, issued regulation on top of regulation,
instituted fine after fine, treated us as common criminals, imprisoned
us and seized our property.
They have destroyed our financial security. They have debauched the
currency, substituting worthless paper for gold and silver. They have
clandestinely seized our banking system, inflating the currency and
looting the economy. They have burdened us with enormous deficits and
waste which have brought our nation to the brink of bankruptcy. They
have destroyed jobs and stifled initiative with suffocating regulations
and oppressive bureaucracies.
They have hobbled and corrupted our system of justice by creating
endless numbers of technical crimes against the State, and crimes
without victims, making vices into crimes, dissent into treason, and
sensuality into perversion. They have seized billions of dollars worth
of property without due process of law, imprisoned countless thousands
without indictment or trial, and have made equal justice under law
impossible by manipulating courts and juries, terrorizing our attorneys,
and seizing their fees.
They have kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies. In
direct violation of the Constitution, U.S. troops have repeatedly
invaded and reduced to ruin foreign countries without declaration of war
by Congress. They have used force to compel our children to fight and
die in foreign wars far removed from their homes. In the name of the War
on Drugs they have declared open war on the people of the United States,
invading farm and field, village and home, and spreading terror across
the land.
They have perverted our relations with other nations, using their
power to support foreign despotisms. They have bribed other nations with
foreign aid, restricted foreign trade, and exported massive quantities
of weapons of death and destruction, fomenting discord, repression and
war throughout the world.
The demands:
WE SUBMIT that the government of the United States of America has
abrogated its sacred covenant to protect the life, liberty and property
of the people of this nation. With the collapse of major foreign
threats, our own government has emerged as the greatest menace to
freedom, prosperity and peace, both here and throughout the world.
WE FURTHER SUBMIT that we, the people, have all but lost control of our
political institutions and that government has ceased to be our servant
and instead has become a terrible and tyrannical master. To restore the
freedom, peace and prosperity of the people, we therefore demand:
That a new Constitutional Convention be called to restore and
strengthen the legal protection of each individual's inalienable right
to life, liberty and property.
That a new, and stronger Bill of Rights be drafted which will
guarantee the inalienable rights of the individual to life, liberty and
property. That all laws be abolished which restrict freedom of speech,
press, religion, assembly and enterprise; the right to keep and bear arms
and the right to own and dispose of property. That henceforth it shall
be a treasonable offense to pass any laws which violate the rights of
the individual.
That a "Citizen Veto" be created at federal, state and local
levels, whereby all citizens can veto any new legislation, including
revenue acts. We also call for the establishment of a universal citizen
power of Recall so that unscrupulous politicians may be removed from
power by citizen initiative.
That the Income Tax and the IRS be abolished and that all persons
jailed for tax evasion be freed.
That sufficient government property be sold to retire the national
debt. That all government agencies which are not engaged in the
protection of the life, liberty and property of the individual, be privatized.
To restore security to our banking system, we demand that the Federal
Reserve, FDIC, FSLIC and currency laws be abolished, and that banking
and insurance systems be left to the private sector.
That all laws creating franchise monopolies in education, medicine,
utilities, mail delivery and other public services be abolished.
That State and Economy be separated, and that federal control of
interstate commerce be confined to prohibition of tariffs and trade
restrictions between States. That freedom of association be restored to
enterprise, including freedom to hire, fire, contract and negotiate;
that all capitalist acts between consenting adults be legalized.
That all restrictions upon foreign trade be abolished, including
tariffs, quotas, import duties, license fees, content laws, and "dumping" laws.
That all federal laws restricting gun ownership be abolished, and
that a trained, well-armed citizenry be encouraged, as a defense against
domestic criminals, foreign aggression and domestic tyranny.
That due process of law and the presumption of innocence be restored.
That RICO statutes and other laws enabling the government to confiscate
property without the owners being convicted of any crime be abolished.
That the 7th Amendment to the Constitution, preserving the right to
trial by jury in civil disputes be strengthened to include disputes
between Citizens and the State.
That the Fully Informed Jury Amendment be passed, and all juries
henceforth be informed of their right to judge the propriety of laws as
well as the facts of cases.
That Sovereign Immunity, which makes government officers and agents
immune from prosecution for their crimes be abolished. That presumption
in trials in favor of government officials, police officers and other
agents of the state be ended. That government officials and agents, and
citizens be treated as equal before the law in all cases, both criminal
and civil.
That all victim-less crime laws be abolished, including laws
restricting the sale or possession of pornography and controlled
substances. That the War on Drugs be ended, Drug Peace be declared, and
all persons imprisoned for victim-less crimes be immediately freed and
their records cleared. That immigration laws and the INS be
abolished. Henceforth the only persons restricted from immigration to
the United States shall be known criminals or those carrying easily
communicable diseases. That imprisoned illegal aliens be freed.
That the function of the military be confined to defense of the
territory of the United States, and that all U.S. troops be removed from
foreign countries. Henceforth the sole purpose of the military shall be
protection of the lives and property of U.S. citizens at home.
WE SEEK to create an America in which the freedom and sovereignty of the
people are restored; in which the functions of government are limited to
protecting life, liberty and property; and in which each and every
individual is again the master of his or her own destiny.
WE SUPPORT this Declaration in the certainty that our rights are
inalienable and innate and not subject to the whims of government; that
the only rights which we will ultimately retain, are those which we are
willing to defend; and that rapid yet peaceful reform is now America's
only alternative to tyranny and mounting social violence.
TO CREATE a new dawn of liberty for America, and to secure a rebirth of
liberty, justice, peace and prosperity for all, we mutually pledge each
other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. We seek and will
settle for nothing less than freedom in our time.
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The blight on our nation today does not come from dictates of a single ruler,
a monarch who crossed over the boundaries of his authority infringing on the
desires of the people. The reign of King George bares little resemblance to
the 'reign' of Constitutional governance, nor may even seem comparable.
But, the parallel exists, 'rulers' still determine the limits of the people's rights,
no matter if authority comes through blood lines or voting booths!
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote the charges
against King George, informing him the American people have had enough.
Jefferson began citing the abuses of power as King George ignored the
people's interests, starting with contempt he showed the "Assent to Laws",
the agreement to uphold the law.
Jefferson's first criticism immediately went to the heart of the grievance, ignoring
laws meant for the public good. Is this any different than the current environment where 'selective' adherence has replaced justice for all.
The king created great and burdensome new agencies designed to harass the people,
perhaps the model for modern American governance today.
This parallel with federal agencies stopping a state from governing itself is clear.
Larger communities were prevented from expanding unless their right of representation in
the Legislature was forfeited, else the king would dissolve representative Houses.
We see this behavior in an Executive branch which rules without consent of legislators.
The list goes on citing corrupting the judicial process, sustaining a needless occupying force,
conditions of new appropriations of lands, cutting trade between states and other nations,
imposition of taxes without consent, suspending state legislatures, using force rather than
the law to govern and more.
Jefferson closed the Declaration of Independence stating,
"In every stage of this Oppression We have Petitioned for Redress in
the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only
by repeated injury.
A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act
which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people."
The task before the American people today is no less daunting, perhaps even harder. The
collusion and corruptibility the Founders faced was minor to the scale it is today. Our
adversaries are not King George's military, it is an embedded apparatus designed to destroy
any effort to purify the governing process.
When we hear the name "K" Street (perhaps the 'K' stands for king) remember it is more
than the name for a mile and half thoroughfare in Washington, DC. "K" Street is where much
of government power resides, one mile from Congress and walking distance to the White House.
This 'triad' of governing power is the greatest in the world, far removed from the people who
attend town hall meetings, write/email their members of Congress, or vote each November.
They are a 24/7 operation with their fingers on every element of our lives which benefits their
interests, no matter how what they do affects us.
If there is a better time for a new Declaration of Independence I do not know when it will be.
But, who would take up the task Thomas Jefferson reluctantly did?
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"When in the Course of human events" is the opening words of 'our' Declaration of Independence. Its the proclamation that we matter!
It pointedly states people have the right to end any bonds they feel obliges them to be subservient to powerful forces if they so wish.
This was the reason for the 'Declaration of Independence'. For without a formal declaration the people's lives would go on, unfulfilled as prohibited by a ruler!
The people's own self-determination said "no" to political bands as stated in the Declaration, defying the rule of man that crossed the heavenly line only God could create!
The 'Declaration of Independence' stated to America's rulers and more importantly reminded the people, all men are created equal by a Creator with certain rights that cannot be taken away. That was the bold declaration signed on July 4th, 1776 and is as true today as it was then. But, despite ridding America of a king 240 years ago the United States today is still "ruled" by a political class, stronger, more intrusive, and even more willful than a king could ever be. Through the use of political duplicity, our "elected" leaders govern with impunity, bolstered by claims they represent the us, all the while doing the bidding of self serving interests, including their own! Are the people we elect any different than the king's appointed governors in the original colonies?
In fact, it can be argued in some ways the lives of the American people is worse today than it was for our Colonial ancestors.
Some may not agree with this conclusion. Its hard to not appreciate advances in technology and the conveniences which came with them. But, all have masked the depth of the problem, the intrusion on our lives all deemed for "our best interests"!
In fact, to restore the dream of the signers of the 'Declaration of Independence' is much harder for us than it was for our Founders. Then we had several dozen men, from all walks of life who risked their lives, to secure the promise their king refused to keep. Today, we are ruled by an all encompassing central govt. that rules with little regard for the 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness Thomas Jefferson wrote eloquently about. It may be time a new'Declaration of Independence' is written, listing our grievances, passed along electronically, and 'signed' by the American people.
If you have not read 'Declaration of Independence' in a while, today may be the day you should, found on this link.
Those of us interested in such things await with anticipation of what decision
of Attorney General Loretta Lynch will make if the FBI determines Hillary Clinton
should be prosecuted.
But, no matter the decision of the FBI or determination of Ms. Lynch my attention
will be solely on the Dept. of Justice itself...and what it has become.
In the two terms of the Obama Admin. (pardon my bias) I have seen the Justice Dept.
'selectively' fulfill its obligation to be independent in its service to the American people.
Time and again we have seen the Justice Dept. either sue states which attempted to
enforce Federal immigration law as Arizona tried to do, or threaten states which 'dared'
to pass laws such as Voter Id, as North Carolina did.
My concern goes back deeper, to May 2009, in the first year the Dept. of Justice was
led by Eric Holder who flexed its enormous muscles to demonstrate what to expect
under his leadership.
Holder decided to drop the charges against the New Black Panther Party filed by the
Bush administration for violating voters' rights with coercion, threats and intimidation.
Story on link: http://fxn.ws/29dst2q
But dropping the charges did more than exonerate the accused, it demoralized the
entire Dept. of Justice, and sent the message of what this new "sheriff" expected.
Career investigators serving in two administrations soon learned the work they did
under one president, George Bush, was not acceptable under another, Barack Obama.
Not, surprisingly, President Bush refused to comment on the decision. Bush followed
an unwritten rule, once leaving office do not publicly criticize the new president.
This was a shame. Not so much for not criticizing the Obama Administration, but for
not defending the men and women who investigated the complaint.
Only one voice came out, that of J. Christian Adams,a Justice Dept. official who
resigned and testified before the US Commission on Civil Rights, story found here, http://fxn.ws/29BmxOa
This is not how the Dept. of Justice should be run, but has performed for over seven
years. Holder and Obama let the entire dept. know exactly the direction it would go.
No longer would the dept. seek justice, it would seek 'partisan justice', it would turn a
blind eye to cities flaunting federal immigration laws by establishing 'sanctuary cities'
and whatever other unlawful partisan coming before it.
Eric Holder would "cherry pick" what to pursue, demonstrating that even though 'Lady
Liberty' was blind....he definitely was not!
The single department which must "answer" to the law......has become lawless itself!
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