Quotation of the day

"Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the State becomes lawless or, which is the same thing, corrupt." – Mohandas Gandhi

As one commenter said, it's "a sacred duty precious few are willing to accept."

Virtual buckeye to Jason Rink.

The struggle for freedom is non-partisan

Many people have the misconception that the State sovereignty and secessionist movements are a partisan phenomenon -- Republicans sore about losing last year. I have previously noted that this not true -- there are Democrats who sponsor state sovereignty resolutions*; and the movement is truly broad-based.

As proof, I submit the following article, reprinted in its entirety from Vermont Commons. It's author, Dan Weintraub is a Democratic candidate for Congress in 2010. His list of issues certainly addresses traditional Democrat concerns.

So, let's hear no more about State sovereignty being a "right-wing" or "Republican" issue -- the cause of freedom is the cause of us all.

"We Fight This Battle For Our Kids

"Today I read a troubling tale. Seems the government has taken yet one more step toward destroying whatever vestige of sovereignty the American people currently retain in this failing nation of ours:

"From lvrj.com via ML Implode: '...There was no indication what they were looking for or what crime, if any, was being investigated, just a blanket subpoena for voluminous and detailed records on every private citizen who dared to speak about a federal tax case...'

"It is time to fight back. In fact, it is well past time that we fought back. We are late, and the clock is ticking. Below I will reprint a piece that I penned in prior months. But before I do so, let me add one quick thought.

"As you know, I am running for Congress in 2010 (http://weintraub2010.com/). I am running as a Democrat in Vermont, and I plan upon defeating Peter Welch in the fall of '10 and heading to Washington to do battle with an establishment that has utterly perverted our Constitutional Democracy and that has left the middle class
out to dry. And I will NOT be silenced. My kids are counting on me. And armed with the TRUTH, my voice is going to be heard.

"I promise you that.

"Friday, December 12, 2008
"March To The Sea And Make Salt

"Satya is the Sanskrit word for 'truth'; agraha means 'great enthusiasm and interest'. The two words combined may be rendered as 'the firmness of truth.' The term was popularized during the Indian Independence Movement, and is used in many Indian languages including Hindi. It can also mean 'the force of truth.' On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 male satyagrahis set out on foot for the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, 390 kilometres (240 mi) from their starting point at Sabarmati Ashram. At Aslali, and the other villages that the march passed through, volunteers collected donations, registered new satyagrahis, and received resignations from village officials who chose to end cooperation with British rule. As they entered each village, crowds greeted the marchers, beating drums and cymbals. Gandhi gave speeches attacking the salt tax as inhuman, and the salt satyagraha as a 'poor man's battle.' Each night they slept in the open, asking of the villagers nothing more than simple food and a place to rest and wash. Gandhi felt that this would bring the poor into the battle for independence, necessary for eventual victory. Thousands of satyagrahis and leaders like Sarojini Naidu joined him. Every day, more and more people joined the march. At Surat, they were greeted by 30,000 people. Near the end of the march, Gandhi declared, 'I want world sympathy in this battle of Right against Might.' (from Wikipedia)

"It is time that the power of truth be brought to bear on the 'powers-that-be' who, through their collective greed and criminality, have placed the entire world in great peril. The actions of the men of Wall Street and the Men of Capitol Hill have left an entire world on the brink of ruin. Hope for many is already gone. These men have chosen to sacrifice billions of us on the alter of avarice. Their mansions and yachts are testimonies to our poverty, their lavish homes a reminder of our homelessness, their Thanksgiving feasts a symbol of our hunger.

"And at the heart of it all, of all of the suffering heaped upon the backs of billions of people, are the lies. The power of truth has been beaten down by the forces of greed and gluttony. We rationalize the 30 million dollar salary of the CEO as being justly earned based upon the amount of wealth that his corporation creates, but now of course we know that it is all a lie. Wealth based upon 'growth' that is in fact debt (leverage) is not wealth at all, it is fraud. But the greedy nonetheless use this debt as the collateral they need to live in their mansions and drive their Mercedes and sail on their yachts, while the rest of us are left to repay these debts through taxes and cuts in services to the poor and our own debt-servitude. And all of the men in power are complicit in this lie, all of the governmental agencies that have facilitated the lies are guilty of damning the rest of us to nothing more than poverty. And as Gandhi said, poverty is the worst form of violence. And the list of lies is truly endless:

- Accounting Fraud
- Lending Fraud
- Asset Valuation Fraud (Mark-To-Fantasy)
- Ponzi Fraud
- Unemployment Reporting Fraud
- Tax Fraud - Insider Trading Fraud
- Derivatives Fraud
- TARP Fraud
- Securities Fraud
- WMD [Weapons of Mass Destruction] Fraud
- Fractional Reserve Banking Fraud
- Currency Fraud
- Keynesian Fraud
- Election Fraud

"Obviously an epic list, and all perpetrated by the wealthy and powerful in order to perpetuate the system, at any and all costs. And now we are the cost, and for the liars, that is an acceptable price to pay. Our lives, the lives of billions of people, our suffering, our hunger, are acceptable to the wealthy and powerful. When will enough be enough? Maybe it is time that we March To The Sea, And Make Salt."

* John Will Stacy is not only a Democrat, he is the Majority Whip in the Kentucky House.

Quotation of the Day

Found on Barracuda Babes, a Sarah Palin fan club site:

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."

– Mahatma Gandhi

Right now, judging from my comments and some blogger reaction to New Hampshire's resolution, we are beginning to transition from "ignore" to "ridicule".

Must secession be violent?

Recently, I encountered this reaction to the secession idea from a writer at the Ohio Freedom Alliance forum:

Since the topic of Secession was raised a few weeks ago. I can not understand why the secessionists members of the OFA desire to take extreme measures to Secede From the Union? When We the People still have the tools to bring our elected representatives to justice. And I do know some members have stepped up to the plate and even got in there Representatives face. Public accountability is a very good thing. I personally will support any Legislation or Law Suit brought forth to impeach members of Congress , the Senate and the Executive branch who have failed to uphold their oaths of office to Support and Defend the Constitution.

I totally agree, and support those efforts, including Rep. Kucinich's impeachment petition. I strongly agree that we need to hold our public officials to accountability, remove them from office when they fail to act in the public interest (and, contrary to most political scientists, I believe there is such a thing as the "public interest", but I grant that it is an abstract idea, and often a matter of opinion). I grant that we have the tools. Unfortunately, experience has shown that, with rare exceptions, they do not work.

My question to the Secessionists. Do you the Secessionists support secession though the legislative process? or by other means? The Libertarian party dose not support Violence in order to achieve political goals, Neither do i support violence.This issue just blows my mind.

I have stated unequivocally that I am opposed to the use of violence to secure Ohio's independence. The Ohio Republic's stated purpose is"... to advocate the peaceful, legal independence of Ohio from the United States of America. In it, I shall discuss the philosophy that will underlie the new political system; the emotional, legal, and practical issues involved in achieving independence; and highlight news of differences between the State of Ohio and the United States Government."

Violence defeats the purpose for two reasons: first, it merely begets greater violence against us from a régime that is all too eager to use it, and second, it destroys our moral authority -- consider the examples of Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. King.

However, the legislative process will not work, either; because it will not be seen as a sufficient expression of the will of the people on a matter of this magnitude. The method used by the Confederacy -- that of state conventions, was the standard method at the time for revising state constitutions, and was generally recognized at the beginning of the War for Southern Independence, even by the U.S. Congress, as being a lawful expression of the will of the people. Since that time, we have developed the initiative and referendum (added to the Ohio Constitution in 1913), which I believe would be even better, since it would constitute a direct mandate of the Ohio people.

Now, I am not delusional. If an ordinance of secession were to be put before the Ohio people today, I would expect a vote of approximately 87% in opposition (based on the results of a survey I shall post in The Ohio Republic shortly). However, with education and the crises I think are coming (loss of liberty and collapse of the dollar), the idea may gain popularity very rapidly.

Albert Einstein was quoted as saying that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. No third party in the United States has elected a President since Abraham Lincoln. No third party has ever gained a majority, or even a significant minority, in Congress. We have tried reform over and over again. There was an extensive reform movement in 1912-1913, which produced many excellent changes at the local and State levels -- and some horrible ones at the Federal. In my lifetime, we have had George Wallace trying to rise above his segregationist roots to provide an alternative to two parties between which there wasn't "a dime's worth of difference" -- this in 1972. John Anderson tried to take a more moderate tack in 1980. Ross Perot got 20% of the popular vote in 1992 and not one electoral vote! The Libertarian Party has run in every election since, when, 1976?

Reform clearly isn't working. We have allowed our Federal Government to become corrupt beyond all repair. If Ohioans are to regain our freedom, we must try a different approach.Understand that advocating secession is not the same as advocating sedition (advocating the overthrow of the government by violence or other unlawful means) -- or treason (giving aid and comfort to the enemy in time of war). We are not seditious, because if the other 49 states all want to remain in the Union, they are welcome to do so, or to paraphrase the rabbi's blessing in Fiddler on the Roof, "God bless and keep the President of the United States --- far away from us!" As to treason, we all agree that there is no legitimacy to the war in Iraq, so withdrawing our soldiers from that war would be a highly moral act showing that we really care that they risk their lives for a cause worth defending. I invite you to read more about my thinking in The Ohio Republic. I suggest you begin with my Basics label, then move about as you please.

License to steal

One of my favorite columnists is Froma Harrop, of the Providence Journal. Today, her column points out the hidden costs of purchasing cheap goods from China. Among other costs, she cites:

• High environmental costs, including air pollution that the Pacific sometimes takes as far as California;
• Use of toxic chemicals in products;
• Sweatshop conditions that even price the Mexicans out of business; and
• Wal-Mart's pressure on all suppliers to lower costs, regardless of the consequences.

Her conclusion:

"The solution, ultimately, is for Americans to vote with their credit cards against a production system that trolls the earth for the most downtrodden labor force and lowest environmental standards. Rather than zero in on one country or company, let’s zero in on ourselves. American consumers must understand that low prices come with a price."

Resources are abundant, but are not infinite; or as Mohandas Gandhi once said:

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."

A related issue in Ohio is the environmentalist concern over conditions suffered by chickens at egg farms. Now, I am not a vegan by any means; but, it stands to reason that the quality of our meat and poultry will be better if animals are treated with a small measure of respect, including a clean home, sufficient and appropriate feed; and with mammals such as cattle and horses, a measure of love.

The common denominator in both comments is respect for life. Not only life before birth, but after it. Respect for the lives and health of working people, respect for the lives and health of consumers, and respect for the lives and health of animals.

These goals can best be achieved in decentralized societies, based on local economies. They also require promoting an ethic that observes the truth that real prosperity lies, not in how much junk you own (or eat); but in the personal satisfaction and wise use of resources that comes from purchasing products for their quality and durability -- at a higher monetary price, to be sure; but at a much lower human one.