Here is a very interesting film from 1946 on how to tell a democracy from a despotism. It's scratchy, black and white and from Encyclopedia Britannica. Strange how a film made 65 years ago by our country warns us about the very thing we are becoming.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wisconsin and the Founding Fathers of America
" What do we mean by the Revolution? The war? That was no part of the revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected from 1760–1775, in the course of fifteen years, before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington." John Adams Letter to Thomas Jefferson (24 August 1815)
"If you tell the Legislatures they have violated the treaty of peace and invaded the prerogatives of the confederacy they will laugh in your face. What then is to be done? Things cannot go on in the same train forever. It is much to be feared, as you observe, that the better kind of people being disgusted with the circumstances will have their minds prepared for any revolution whatever." George Washington Letter to John Jay (15 August 1786)
The events at the capitol in Wisconsin has been going on for 25 days now. Time and again Governor Walker and his Republican led congress have broke the law while trying to push through legislation. They have ignored the voices of their constituents to pass into law something the people do not support.
I will forgo rehashing the events that everyone is aware of. I will however ask what's next? The protesters have been totally above reproach and have been splendid representatives of their fellow Wisconsin citizens. Not one fist raised in anger, not one act of violence against the government. As I type this, the legislature at the Capitol is arguing the bill.
Despite the best efforts of the protesters, the court and the Democratic legislators, the bill will pass into... illegally. How is it that our system is so broke that the laws an be ignored?
Democracy does matter. Destroying the rights of the people is a deadly serious business. The state of Wisconsin stands divided, people are no longer simply Americans, but on opposite sides of a line in the sand. All they have to do is look in the history books. This is NOT the first time in American history this has happened. There was another time when peaceful protests grew into something much larger, something that changed the course of this country. Their was a line in the sand then as well, citizens of the colonies on one side, the British govt on the other.
It first started in 1733 when the British Govt passed laws against citizens of the colonies and taxed them w/o representation. Take time to research the Navigation Acts, Molasses Act and Royal Proclamation of 1763 legislations. Follow that up with the Townsend act and the Tea Act. Then the Quebec act and the Intolerable Acts. Everyone of these acts was unfair to the citizens of the colonies. Their voice was not being heard...
The First Continental Congress in 1774 disbanded with the hope that within the appeal process of the British govt that a solution could be found. The founding fathers of America tried like the protesters in Wisconsin to be civil and open a dialog with the King. It failed, and we all know what happened next. 4000 souls between 117 and 1781 gave their lives to give us our rights. Those rights are defunct now, tossed out with the trash at the whim of our Representatives.
The Founding Fathers were strong advocates of republican values, which required men to put civic duty ahead of their personal desires. Men had a civic duty to be prepared and willing to fight for the rights and liberties of their countrymen and countrywomen. Have these values changed that much?
My question to you is ... Did the "founding fathers" do the right thing by starting the American Revolution? Your answer may surprise you.
"If you tell the Legislatures they have violated the treaty of peace and invaded the prerogatives of the confederacy they will laugh in your face. What then is to be done? Things cannot go on in the same train forever. It is much to be feared, as you observe, that the better kind of people being disgusted with the circumstances will have their minds prepared for any revolution whatever." George Washington Letter to John Jay (15 August 1786)
The events at the capitol in Wisconsin has been going on for 25 days now. Time and again Governor Walker and his Republican led congress have broke the law while trying to push through legislation. They have ignored the voices of their constituents to pass into law something the people do not support.
I will forgo rehashing the events that everyone is aware of. I will however ask what's next? The protesters have been totally above reproach and have been splendid representatives of their fellow Wisconsin citizens. Not one fist raised in anger, not one act of violence against the government. As I type this, the legislature at the Capitol is arguing the bill.
Despite the best efforts of the protesters, the court and the Democratic legislators, the bill will pass into... illegally. How is it that our system is so broke that the laws an be ignored?
Democracy does matter. Destroying the rights of the people is a deadly serious business. The state of Wisconsin stands divided, people are no longer simply Americans, but on opposite sides of a line in the sand. All they have to do is look in the history books. This is NOT the first time in American history this has happened. There was another time when peaceful protests grew into something much larger, something that changed the course of this country. Their was a line in the sand then as well, citizens of the colonies on one side, the British govt on the other.
It first started in 1733 when the British Govt passed laws against citizens of the colonies and taxed them w/o representation. Take time to research the Navigation Acts, Molasses Act and Royal Proclamation of 1763 legislations. Follow that up with the Townsend act and the Tea Act. Then the Quebec act and the Intolerable Acts. Everyone of these acts was unfair to the citizens of the colonies. Their voice was not being heard...
The First Continental Congress in 1774 disbanded with the hope that within the appeal process of the British govt that a solution could be found. The founding fathers of America tried like the protesters in Wisconsin to be civil and open a dialog with the King. It failed, and we all know what happened next. 4000 souls between 117 and 1781 gave their lives to give us our rights. Those rights are defunct now, tossed out with the trash at the whim of our Representatives.
The Founding Fathers were strong advocates of republican values, which required men to put civic duty ahead of their personal desires. Men had a civic duty to be prepared and willing to fight for the rights and liberties of their countrymen and countrywomen. Have these values changed that much?
My question to you is ... Did the "founding fathers" do the right thing by starting the American Revolution? Your answer may surprise you.
Free Speech does not give a license to lie
The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Commission's view, honest, equitable and balanced. In other words if you had a license to broadcast, you couldn't lie.
Restrictive? Perhaps. Oppressive? No. Necessary? Evidently yes. It was the check and balance system that kept news organizations from having private agendas. It was revoked in 1987 by the FCC deeming that the doctrine was unconstitutional. That it kept broadcasters from broadcasting their own opinions. They took it as a license to lie.
We have organizations that make a living on yellow journalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_journalism). Examples of which are @theonion and the National Enquirer. They should be considered more a source of entertainment than real news, and most Americans understand that. The problem lies with news sources that call themselves legitimate and honest when in fact they are not. The source has to be known so an informed story can be told. However if you are not required to have a legitimate source, then the news can be fabricated and repeated so many times that lies become truth. Media is the nervous system of a democracy. That is why mass media that once told the truth, whether it be good or ugly, is now encouraged to take sides and divide the nation.
Canada has laws against the manipulation of news in media. Canada's Radio Act requires that "a licenser may not broadcast....any false or misleading news." The provision has kept Fox News and right wing talk radio out of Canada and helped make Canada a model for liberal democracy and freedom.We as American's have to demand that our news sources are clean and free of manipulation. Why are we forced to swallow the spoon fed crap on our news networks when it's not good enough for Canada?
Watch the following videos that catch major newscasters in intentionally lies...
Friday, March 4, 2011
Cause and Effect in Wisconsin
"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution."
John Adams Letter to Jonathan Jackson (2 October 1789)
Washington's appointments, when President, were made with a view to destroy party and not to create it, his object being to gather all the talent of the country in support of the national government; and he bore many things which were personally disagreeable in an endeavor to do this.
---Citizens in Madison Wisconsin have been protesting for over two weeks now. The cause is just and the feelings are strong. Union workers are being picked on and singled out as being evil. All across the country people have pro and con opinions about the union protesters and whether or not they have the right to do what they are doing. It is a polarizing event, American citizens are pointing fingers at each other across a line in the sand. American citizens are pitted against one another instead of standing united. People are passionate of there views but the question is are they really addressing the issue. Is the person on the other side of the line in the sand my enemy? Or are both parties being manipulated.
---To be totally honest here America is dealing with a 'Cause and Effect' event. The effect is the union rallies and protests and the American citizens pitted against each other, however it's a consequence of the 'Cause'. What is the cause you ask? In a nut shell it's "Legislation without Representation". In other words elected officials ignoring the will of the people that voted them in to office and imposing their own will with their own agendas. These elected officials are flaunting their own power in the face of the constitution and the 1st Amendment and most of the time, they get away with it. Unions are under attack, the constitution and the 1st Amendment are under attack and the American people continue to be oppressed by elected officials that refuse to acknowledge their wishes.
---The long explanation is that we have a two party system in the United States and the two parties know they have cornered the market on political power in the US. As soon as they make it into office, they do what they want, what their party wants, in spite of the wishes of the citizens they represent. Members of both parties (yes both) will say ANYTHING to the public to get elected, then when they are, they cease being a 'Voice of the People' and become a power tool for their political party. We are tricked into thinking that we get to choose our elected officials, when in fact we are herded like sheep to the polls to pick between 2 choices, neither of which have proven to be worth a damn.
---Think about it for a minute, if JFK were to run for president today, and do so free of Democrat/Republican affiliation, what would his chances of winning be? ...ZERO. No matter how good a candidate may be, or how strong their qualifications are, no one can be elected in this country without being a member of the Democrat/Republican parties. Even if it's the best direction for the country to move towards, the two parties will not relinquish their iron grip on political power. And why should they? They keep running pathetic excuses for candidates and we the people keep electing them to office.
---We as American citizens no longer have any power or say in the policy making process of our government. Our elected officials represent the wants and desires of their own party and not of the people and have for some time now. IF this does not change, the American empire will very shortly suffer the same fate of the Roman empire and crumble to dust before our eyes. So how do we fix it? Is it to late to fix it? Possibly it is, but here are a cpl of thoughts...
Idea#1: Do away with political parties and make each candidate run on his/her own merits (What a novel idea). Do not allow candidates to accept donations or PAC money. Each candidate will be allowed equal air/print time designated by local/national media. ~ Love this idea, but it's not happening. It would require the two parties in power to vote and approve changes. Why would they do that when the resulting action would be power lost and power returned to the people?
Idea#2: Add a "None of the Above" choice on every ballot for every elected position. If the "None of the Above" choice receives more votes than does the Republican or Democratic candidate, then it's a do-over with brand new candidates. ~Again, why would the Republicans or Democrats vote to make this change happen? The American citizens continue to vote into office any candidate, no matter how unqualified they are, as long as they have the Republican or Democratic moniker in front of their name.
Last Idea: The only idea I have that we the citizens of the US can do to make our voices heard is to vote for change. So how do we do that with only 2 pathetic options? Easy... DON'T VOTE! Don't vote for any Republican or Democrat candidates, without our votes, their power ebbs away like the tide. ~Not only does 'Not Voting" publicly declare to the members of the 2 parties that we no longer have faith in them, it also allows much easier recalls of elected officials. The few people that vote, the fewer names you need on a petition to recall. Sadly the citizens only recourse in our current system is to recall and remove the idiots from office.
---So the next time you go in to a voting booth, remember the constitution, remember the 1st Amendment, and ask yourself is voting for either of these two parties the right thing for our country. Please look beyond your blind allegiance to one party or the other and realize that it took both parties to put our country in the death spiral we are in.
---We are not liberals or conservatives, or Republicans or Democrats. There is no line in the sand. There are but Americans being manipulated by media that has a license to lie and falsify facts that are the platforms for the political parties motives. WE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS first and foremost, help our voice be heard by not voting until there is change.
John Adams Letter to Jonathan Jackson (2 October 1789)
Washington's appointments, when President, were made with a view to destroy party and not to create it, his object being to gather all the talent of the country in support of the national government; and he bore many things which were personally disagreeable in an endeavor to do this.
- Paul Leicester Ford, as quoted in Manual Of Patriotism : For Use in the Public Schools of the State of New York (1900) By Charles Rufus SkinnerTake, p. 261
---Citizens in Madison Wisconsin have been protesting for over two weeks now. The cause is just and the feelings are strong. Union workers are being picked on and singled out as being evil. All across the country people have pro and con opinions about the union protesters and whether or not they have the right to do what they are doing. It is a polarizing event, American citizens are pointing fingers at each other across a line in the sand. American citizens are pitted against one another instead of standing united. People are passionate of there views but the question is are they really addressing the issue. Is the person on the other side of the line in the sand my enemy? Or are both parties being manipulated.
---To be totally honest here America is dealing with a 'Cause and Effect' event. The effect is the union rallies and protests and the American citizens pitted against each other, however it's a consequence of the 'Cause'. What is the cause you ask? In a nut shell it's "Legislation without Representation". In other words elected officials ignoring the will of the people that voted them in to office and imposing their own will with their own agendas. These elected officials are flaunting their own power in the face of the constitution and the 1st Amendment and most of the time, they get away with it. Unions are under attack, the constitution and the 1st Amendment are under attack and the American people continue to be oppressed by elected officials that refuse to acknowledge their wishes.
---The long explanation is that we have a two party system in the United States and the two parties know they have cornered the market on political power in the US. As soon as they make it into office, they do what they want, what their party wants, in spite of the wishes of the citizens they represent. Members of both parties (yes both) will say ANYTHING to the public to get elected, then when they are, they cease being a 'Voice of the People' and become a power tool for their political party. We are tricked into thinking that we get to choose our elected officials, when in fact we are herded like sheep to the polls to pick between 2 choices, neither of which have proven to be worth a damn.
---Think about it for a minute, if JFK were to run for president today, and do so free of Democrat/Republican affiliation, what would his chances of winning be? ...ZERO. No matter how good a candidate may be, or how strong their qualifications are, no one can be elected in this country without being a member of the Democrat/Republican parties. Even if it's the best direction for the country to move towards, the two parties will not relinquish their iron grip on political power. And why should they? They keep running pathetic excuses for candidates and we the people keep electing them to office.
---We as American citizens no longer have any power or say in the policy making process of our government. Our elected officials represent the wants and desires of their own party and not of the people and have for some time now. IF this does not change, the American empire will very shortly suffer the same fate of the Roman empire and crumble to dust before our eyes. So how do we fix it? Is it to late to fix it? Possibly it is, but here are a cpl of thoughts...
Idea#1: Do away with political parties and make each candidate run on his/her own merits (What a novel idea). Do not allow candidates to accept donations or PAC money. Each candidate will be allowed equal air/print time designated by local/national media. ~ Love this idea, but it's not happening. It would require the two parties in power to vote and approve changes. Why would they do that when the resulting action would be power lost and power returned to the people?
Idea#2: Add a "None of the Above" choice on every ballot for every elected position. If the "None of the Above" choice receives more votes than does the Republican or Democratic candidate, then it's a do-over with brand new candidates. ~Again, why would the Republicans or Democrats vote to make this change happen? The American citizens continue to vote into office any candidate, no matter how unqualified they are, as long as they have the Republican or Democratic moniker in front of their name.
Last Idea: The only idea I have that we the citizens of the US can do to make our voices heard is to vote for change. So how do we do that with only 2 pathetic options? Easy... DON'T VOTE! Don't vote for any Republican or Democrat candidates, without our votes, their power ebbs away like the tide. ~Not only does 'Not Voting" publicly declare to the members of the 2 parties that we no longer have faith in them, it also allows much easier recalls of elected officials. The few people that vote, the fewer names you need on a petition to recall. Sadly the citizens only recourse in our current system is to recall and remove the idiots from office.
---So the next time you go in to a voting booth, remember the constitution, remember the 1st Amendment, and ask yourself is voting for either of these two parties the right thing for our country. Please look beyond your blind allegiance to one party or the other and realize that it took both parties to put our country in the death spiral we are in.
---We are not liberals or conservatives, or Republicans or Democrats. There is no line in the sand. There are but Americans being manipulated by media that has a license to lie and falsify facts that are the platforms for the political parties motives. WE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS first and foremost, help our voice be heard by not voting until there is change.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Live ammunition in Wisconsin, free speech and a line in the sand
So here we are in the year 2011 and the world has never been smaller. There once was a time that we depended upon mainstream media sources for news because they had the infrastructure to bring it to your house. Times have changed, as has technology, we the people now have multiple sources of news and information. The power to send the written word, a picture or even a video lies in the hands of almost every citizen in every country on every continent on Earth. We no longer are hostage to 2 or 3 news sources, we have millions! The question is, who do we trust as our source of translucent information? Who do we trust to uphold our freedom of speech rights?
So we now live in a free speech utopia right? A place where information flows from person to person & everyone is in the loop? Never could that assessment be more wrong!! Mainstream media has never been so manipulated, so biased as it is now and the American public is to lazy, to distracted to turn the channel and find the truth. Never has there been a time in American history have more citizens turned their backs on their fundamental right to free speech as they have now. This apathy has enabled the 2 or 3 mainstream media sources to manipulate the news and lead the masses down the dark alleys of ignorance and bliss. This apathy has empowered those in power to grab even more power and enabled them to instill their will on their constituents.
A perfect example of this manipulation occurred a couple of days ago in Indiana. We all know about the protests in Wisconsin (although most of us don't understand the cause and effect of it) from the news stories on CNN and Foxnews. Everyone knows what a big pro/anti union issue this is (even though it's not). Regardless it has been on the news the truth of which being twisted and hidden from the common man.
What we need to know is that their is a line in the sand that was drawn by Governor Walker of Wisconsin. On one side of the line (whether you know it or not) is the American citizens and the 1st amendment. On the other side of the line is the elected officials and employees of the government. The officials stand on one side trying to bolster their position of power and in their arrogance tried to force a bill through legislation to become law regardless of what the people wanted.
IF this bill fails to pass, then the elected officials lose power and return some of it to the will of the people (where it should be). Those in power enjoy their privileged position and see themselves separate from the citizenry. They fell self entitled to be ABOVE the law, above the will of the people they represent. They stand together unwilling to concede one inch of power back to the wants and needs of the people. Free speech is the first tool used to remove tyrants from government, it is also the first tool put back in the shed by governments to keep their citizens in the dark. To what extent you ask? Well I'm glad you did...
Back to Indiana for the rest of the story. @motherjones was busy on twitter discussing the protests in #Wisconsin (remember twitter? One of the last mediums of free speech available to the world) when they got in a discussion with @jccentcom. This person tweeted the willingness to "use deadly force" to remove the protesters...
AdamWeinstein Adam Weinstein This guy @JCCentCom advocates use of deadly force vs. sit-in demonstrators in Wisconsin: http://bit.ly/fFSiIl #StayClassy@JCCentComJeff Cox@AdamWeinstein against thugs physically threatening legally-elected state legislators & governor? You're damn right I advocate deadly force
via Twitterrific Favorite Undo Retweet =============================================
And then followed that tweet up with this priceless doozie. "Use live ammunition" he said.
@JCCentComJeff CoxUse live ammunition RT @MotherJonesSources in Madison say riot police have been ordered to clear protesters from capitol at 2 am #wiunion via Twitterrific Favorite Undo Retweet ==================================================
So who is this person? Why is this tweet more noteworthy than another? Well this was tweeted by Jeff Cox, a Assistant Attorney General for the state of Indiana. The definition of that position? A legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.
How can a representative of our legal dept, a man that is supposed to protect the people and their rights, able to make such an atrocious remark, and it isn't front page news from coast to coast? Why? Well our primary news sources are manipulated and allowing this story to become widespread would undermine the power of those elected officials. Thankfully though the power of twitter and free speech, this did not go under the radar or without notice. This is what happened...
Nonetheless, a spokesman for the Indiana attorney general's office, Bryan Corbin, told Mother Jones that Cox's statements were "inflammatory," and he promised "an immediate review" of the matter. "We do not condone any comments that would threaten or imply violence or intimidation toward anyone," Corbin added.
later the next day, he was fired
Justice was served, but who really even knows it happened? How many more in a position of power hold true to the same thought process as Jeff Cox? How long until Governor Walker tires of his authority being undermined and calls the national guard out to clear the capital building? Which side of the line are you on? Embrace your right to free speech, so many died giving it to you...
(If you like my blog you will like my Twitter feed @XcommonsenseX I find translucent sources of information and news from around the world and put it al together in lists for you! )
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Legislation without representation
Wisconsin politicians showing their true colors
My goal is to help wake up the American populace that mainstream media is manipulated & biased and not true freedom of speech. To much blood has been spilled on US soil gaining our rights to free speech already. It does appear however that our country is again headed towards civil unrest. The following blog post is an effort to bring to light how/why the events that happened yesterday in Wisconsin occurred. I will allow you all predict where it goes from here in your comments.
"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution." John Adams (2nd president of the United States)
As world citizens we are traveling down paths not used since the days of World War II. Never have the events of so many countries been intertwined politically. All across northern Africa and the middle east civilians are protesting the atrocities and oppression that their governments are imposing on them. Those countries , unlike ours the governments are ran by dictators, individuals in power that have no inclination to remove themselves from power. So how do they stay in power? By controlling the mass media, intentionally keeping the masses in the dark and unable to organize. With examples like the following video, how can we ever be certain what we see on TV is true? Or even unbiased?
However times there have changed. Forces beyond the power of the dictators to control have empowered the people and provided them a forum of free speech. The outcome? 2 dictators removed (Egypt and Tunisia) and 2 more on the verge (Bahrain & Libya).
So how does this relate to me as an American and my government? You might be surprised how similar it is. Yesterday the Democrats fled the Wisconsin state capitol, fleeing the people that voted them into office. Shouldn't the representatives of the people be standing with the people? Why do they fear the people so much? Why did Governor Walker activate the National Guard BEFORE he attempted to push this bill through the Senate. Why is the Governor pushing legislation through the senate that he KNOWS will incite people to riot? Again I ask why aren't the Representatives elected by the people representing the wishes of the people? Obviously they have their own agenda, and it does not include the needs and wants of the people.
Most people will blame the Republicans for this atrocity. However that would be wrong. Blame the political parties as a whole. We are trained (brainwashed) from a very young age to be a Republican or a Democrat, and taught that they are always right. This thinking polarizes the American public, it puts us on two sides of the same line. First and foremost we are AMERICANS, all wanting the same set of rights. It's the political parties that divide the nation, that make us turn on each other.
The entire election process is designed NOT to put the choice of the people in a position of power but rather to put a Democrat or a Republican in power. Have you ever wondered how we could get a president elected that chose to run on his/her own merits instead of those of a political party? Wonder all you want because under the current format, it can't happen. Think about that for a moment, we as a country can not elect to office someone more deserving of the position unless they belong to one of the two political parties. We have 2 choices as to whom leads us, TWO! How is that a democracy? Because we get to choose between the lesser of two evils?
So what do we have currently? Well we have candidates that will say ANYTHING, kiss any ass, smile into any camera to get elected. Soon as they win the election, they stop representing the people that put them in power and start representing their political party. They might as well fly the finger in the camera at the victory speech because thats the extent of the sympathy you will get from them after they win. Mull that over for a moment, their loyalties are to their political parties not the people. Those parties provide power to their members. Power means money in their pockets and privileged status among the people. Of course they will bend to the will of their party and not the people that elected them to office. I don't have to go find examples of that privilege, they are there for anyone to go find. One instance after another of politicians lining their pockets with tax payers money.
Now these political parties are starting to wield the military to enforce their will. Governor walker has the Wisconsin National Guard ready to go. They have plans to replace the prison guards with the National Guard and the striking staff at intensive care facilities with more National Guard. I mean really? medical facilities being manned by the military? Does this really sound so different from the dictators in the middle east and Africa? They both spy on our phone calls, read our e-mails, strip our rights to free speech and freedom of expression. They both are prepared to use the military to enforce their will. How has it come to this? Simple... The American people are to fat and happy to notice or care about the rights they are losing on a daily basis. They are to busy burying their faces in their droid phones, or playing online games or buying Christmas presents to pay attention to their own country. Is our society that much different from Rome when Caeser kept the people busy with the gladiator games while he was busy disbanding the Senate and taking power for himself?
In Wisconsin the citizens were incited to voice their opinion which is their right. It's a small step, a first step in correcting the issues that political parties are causing the American populace. I beseech you all to raise your voice, state your opinions, and most of all learn the truth. See through the efforts to polarize us as a nation and remember first and foremost we are all Americans and that we will not be oppressed anymore. Take back America before we become another Egypt or Bahrain.
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