Resisting the Empire

Let there be no mistake about it. Resisting the mighty Empire in Washington will require all the civil courage we can muster, and more! If we act peacefully, we will in our demonstrations and discussions be doing what was once expected of ordinary citizens. Today, however, we risk being arrested for doing the same things, as Lisa Nash documents in a Vermont Commons post about a quiet little demonstration against a power project in Brattleboro.

She writes about her husband, who runs a small electrical cooperative, feeling an inner conflict between his desire for business-as-usual, and that of supporting the rights of the demonstrators who were arrested at the request of the speaker (the Governor of Vermont).

If we are to preserve liberty in these difficult times, we will need every ounce of character we can muster, and then need to pray for more.

Why people fear change

This is all too true...

“Because we fear the responsibility for our actions, we have allowed ourselves to develop the mentality of slaves. Contrary to the stirring sentiments of the Declaration of Independence, we now pledge “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” not to one another for our mutual protection, but to the state, whose actions continue to exploit, despoil, and destroy us.”

— Butler D. Shaffer

If the trend toward tyranny is not checked, all of the creativity that has marked progress in the United States and (historically) in the State of Ohio will be extinguished. That loss will impoverish all of us.

Virtual buckeye to Benja Sariwatta at the Ohio Freedom Alliance.

State Sovereignty Resolution Update - 3/28

Axxiom for Liberty reports that Maine's Legislative Council by a D-R party line vote recently blocked further consideration of LR 722, introduced by Rep. Richard M. Cebra (R) on Jan. 22. The text of the resolution appears not to be online.

The North Carolina House introduced on Mar. 27 an Oklahoma-style resolution H849, by Reps George Cleveland, Carolyn Justice, and Curtis Blackwood (all R).

After the State Sovereignty Resolution...

Walter Williams suggests that we should follow the example of Colorado and put some teeth into state sovereignty:

"In 1994, the Colorado Legislature passed a 10th Amendment resolution and later introduced a bill titled 'State Sovereignty Act.' Had the State Sovereignty Act passed both houses of the legislature, it would have required all people liable for any federal tax that's a component of the highway users fund, such as a gasoline tax, to remit those taxes directly to the Colorado Department of Revenue. The money would have been deposited in an escrow account called the 'Federal Tax Fund' and remitted monthly to the IRS, along with a list of payees and respective amounts paid. If Congress imposed sanctions on Colorado for failure to obey an unconstitutional mandate and penalized the state by withholding funds due, say $5 million for highway construction, the State Sovereignty Act would have prohibited the state treasurer from remitting any funds in the escrow account to the IRS. Instead, Colorado would have imposed a $5 million surcharge on the Federal Tax Fund account to continue the highway construction."

But we need to get HCR 11 and the other State Sovereignty resolutions passed first.

One step at a time...

Looking for State Sovereignty talking points?

Michael Boldin at the Tenth Amendment Center has come up with a great list of reasons that should satisfy the lawyer in any of us. Here is one that really leaped off the page, to use with those who believe in the myth of a "living" Constitution:

"We agree with historian Kevin Gutzman, who has said that those who would give us a 'living' Constitution are actually giving us a dead one, since such a thing is completely unable to protect us against the encroachments of government power."

But do check out the other nine!

Imagining Health Care

There is no reason we can't reform health care on the State level; but it will take imagination, and thinking outside the ER. It will have to leverage physicians, hospitals, insurers, educators, and the Departments of Health and Job & Family Services to make the best use of limited resources to promote healthy Ohioans through real prevention, as well as cure.

Lisa Nash is beginning a series of articles in Vermont Commons on imagineering a health care system for the future Republic of Vermont. I invite you to join her for the ride.

Quotation of the Day

From Mirek Topolanek, a Czech who is president of the European Union, on U.S. economic recovery plans, as reported by the Irish Times:

"All of these steps, their combination and their permanency, is a way to hell. We need to read the history books and read with it the lessons of history.”

The Europeans didn't take his "undiplomatic" remarks very well, but as I recall, the Czechs didn't find socialism to be such a good thing. But, of course, we Americans can ignore history and get away with it. Right?

Right???

"Secession isn't such a crazy idea any more"

In the forum Debate Politics 2.0, Erod is wondering whether the nation is reaching a tipping point on secession. The writer travels throughout the United States, and is finding he is not recognizing the east or west coasts anymore, in part because of the massive immigration. Erod wonders about a President described as "imprudent", a House Speaker "that has the same mental capacity as Elizabeth Taylor," and a California Governor that once played Conan the Barbarian.

Erod thinks the movie title Idiocracy aptly describes this kind of government.

"Liberals have dumbed down this country to the point that we'll eventually be electing porn stars [Linda Lovelace for President, an X-rated movie title from the 70s] and pro wrestlers [like former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura] to the leadership positions in our country. There's an ill wind coming. I smell civil unrest like we have seen in, oh, about 135 years. Secession isn't such a crazy idea any more."

If this isn't Communism, I don't know what is

The Washington Post reports that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is supporting a broad power for the Federal government to seize non-bank financial institutions:

"Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner today told Congress the administration will seek unprecedented power to seize non-bank financial companies whose collapse could jeopardize the economy, a move Geithner said would have allowed the government to bail out insurance giant American International Group at a far lower cost to taxpayers. "

The proposal appears to be getting the backing of Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House committee governing banking legislation.

As I recall, a good working definition of Communism (as it was practiced) was seizure and control of manufacturing and financial institutions by the government. Oh yes, I know, it's just the banks and the other financial companies. But manufacturers and service industries, watch out. Your turn is coming.

The slippery slope just keeps getting slipperier.

Virtual buckeye to Rebellion.

State Sovereignty Update - 3/24

Idaho's State Sovereignty Resolution, HJM 4, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 51-17, with 2 abstentions.

One State is conspicuous by its absence from this list. Why isn't Vermont introducing a resolution?