tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post4622835812018272718..comments2024-03-08T07:09:46.527-07:00Comments on Pro Libertate: Sentence First, Trial NeverWilliam N. Grigghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14368220509514750246noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-71724516171327801642009-03-12T10:39:00.000-06:002009-03-12T10:39:00.000-06:00It is funny when he calls or emails and says the r...<I>It is funny when he calls or emails and says the rest of the world wishes to be free while you in america want tyranny.</I><BR/><BR/>I could not help but comment on this. One of the things that makes me so cynical about issues of liberty and freedom is that, historically speaking, humans have shown an unquenchable thirst for being governed/oppressed. It seems that humans (across the globe and across time, not just here in Amerika and not just now) think that relinquishing dominion of their realm (family/home/farm/castle/what have you) relieves them of spiritual responsibility for the well-being of that realm. ("I'll let the gub'ment gimme food, and, if we go hungry, it's the gub'ment's fault.") We see this mentality in ancient Israel's shift from judges to kings, Rome's shift from Republic to Empire, etc., etc. (I'm no historian, so I'm sure there are many other examples to be cited). I believe that part of the 'solution' is educating responsible people (a 'no pearls before swine' warning clause is fully appropriate here, I believe) that, no matter who they grant dominion of their sphere of influence to, they are ultimately responsible for the spiritual and physical well-being of said sphere.<BR/><BR/><I>Lastly I would stress that without a major Christ centered spiritual renewal there is no hope for this country.</I><BR/><BR/>Oh my dear sweet Jesus... while I agree with this statement in principle especially if we were to stress <I>Christ-centered</I>, I would also comment that the church has not been truly Christ centered for thousands of years and the church has been used as just another tool of oppression for those thousands of years precisely because, in my opinion, the church has lost all touch with Jesus. When humans work towards a spiritual renewal, what happens is a show of said humans' best guess as to what that spiritual renewal would look like, and usually ends up in evil. I suspect that true spiritual renewal (of the massive type that is referred to here), looks nothing like any human expects and will be largely unnoticed by any of us... especially those who are looking for it expectantly. Careful what you wish for.jonpzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12595031165642772376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-65822479927472535842009-03-11T21:37:00.000-06:002009-03-11T21:37:00.000-06:00Congress cannot change the Constitution. Habeas c...Congress cannot change the Constitution. <I>Habeas corpus</I> was not repealed. The Constitution is unchanged, despite the widespread wailing and gnashing of teeth and the criminal intent of those who signed the Military Commissions Act.<BR/><BR/>Mark Yannone<BR/>yannone.blogspot.comMark Yannonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03948445181978746627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-91588398666269631162009-03-09T20:38:00.000-06:002009-03-09T20:38:00.000-06:00I've thought about it a bit. You two are probably...I've thought about it a bit. You two are probably right.<BR/><BR/>Gosh, I guess I'm just too stupid to realize that now is the best time to run. Darn.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-7346995085030610842009-03-09T15:51:00.000-06:002009-03-09T15:51:00.000-06:00From anonn @4:37Pat - The Free State Project is a ...From anonn @4:37<BR/>Pat - The Free State Project is a joke. I live in NH - having been born and raised there. and the creep to Socialism ( Mass. style) continues unabated - the Free State Joksters notwithstanding. <BR/>Asia actually hold more promise than you think. Men much more wiser than the two of us i.e. Jim Rogers would readily confirm. Lastly I would stress that without a major Christ centered spiritual renewal there is no hope for this country. In China in particular there has been and continues to be a major groundswell of Christianity taking place - one which the State cannot suppress. It will be a region of the world that will hold more hope for the future than the decaying darkening West.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-39763450787749222312009-03-09T15:48:00.000-06:002009-03-09T15:48:00.000-06:00Pat H said:"Alternatives:Individual states in Amer...<B>Pat H said:</B><BR/><I>"Alternatives:<BR/><BR/>Individual states in America. The various Free State projects around the country have a LOT going for them, both practically and theoretically."</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Reminds me of my favorite historical/political joke:<BR/><BR/>Q: Why does our republic have fifty sovereign states?<BR/><BR/>A: So a central government will issue diktats that they all must follow.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Ha ha!<BR/><BR/>Stupid citizens--two plus two is one. Sheesh, get with the program.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-78009083340079793132009-03-09T12:59:00.000-06:002009-03-09T12:59:00.000-06:00It just doesn't stop, things continue toward an IN...It just doesn't stop, things continue toward an INGSOC style ruling government. This suspension of habeus corpus is but another step toward the gulags, there is no other way to look at it. They are now admiting they want camps here in the US in HR 645...that just means they are going public with what they have already been doing.R.S. Ladwighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13487404072546513179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-5426752512409810782009-03-09T12:47:00.000-06:002009-03-09T12:47:00.000-06:00To Anon a 4:37:I'm assuming you're American-born, ...To Anon a 4:37:<BR/><BR/>I'm assuming you're American-born, right? So, Why, oh why, would you want to move to another country? For more liberty? Where? Europe? Good luck. Asia? I suppose if the ability to simply work and operate a business mostly free is your goal (and it's a good one), but their definition of "freedom" is very different than the Western view. Africa? Somalia is arguably the freest place on Earth, as they have no working central government, and all of the bloodshed has occurred because of efforts to install one by outside powers. But, again, good luck. The only places I can think of are:<BR/><BR/>Crete, Greece. They've always had a rebellious streak, and still do, somewhat, though that may fade. And they are quite distrustful of outsiders.<BR/><BR/>Asia - Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan. They have some very free economic systems, but will suffer under the coming collapse. The port of Singapore is the busiest in the world, and last I heard has experience a dramatic loss of business because of decreased imports/exports worldwide. This will only get worse.<BR/><BR/>Canada - haha, yes, I'm serious. With the violations of freedom from the last administration, and the promise of the same from the new one (same as the old one), Canada will eventually be ranked freer than the USA. Funny, but sad.<BR/><BR/>When the world economy does collapse, and it will, as whats going on right now is only the beginning, then political situations in other countries may not stay the same. Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, they may undergo drastic changes in leadership as socialists and other anti-free market types use this collapse to their advantage. This is probably going to happen here in the USA, as well, at least for a few years. You could probably count on it to happen in at least some places.<BR/><BR/>Some people say that this coming depression will magically change peoples minds about the market, and that the public will generally becoming much more supportive of a free-market. However, any cursory examination of major media outlets seems to suggest the exact opposite. The free market has been to blame! Deregulation, greedy capitalists, and people who don't care about the welfare of others have caused this! Down with this free-market crap!<BR/><BR/><I>That</I> is what's probably going to happen. Most people in this country, and in Europe and many other places around the world, don't really want freedom or liberty, because it requires to much <I>effort</I>. Moving to other countries that will soon follow the USA's self-destructive path doesn't require as much <I>work</I>.<BR/><BR/>Alternatives:<BR/><BR/>Individual states in America. The various Free State projects around the country have a LOT going for them, both practically and theoretically. If you haven't visited http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/ yet, then you should. The author of that blog says that small units, communities, tribes, whatever, will have the best chance of survival in the future. Do you think you'll be able to find those in another country? With the coming collapse of the world economy, there will be some bastions of freedoms left in this country. Small communities, such as ones Manchester or Keene, New Hampshire, or Newcastle, Wyoming, will have the best chance at survival, and keeping the most freedom.<BR/><BR/>States like Wyoming, New Hampshire, Montana, Idaho, etc., have the best chance at keeping their liberty <I>legal</I> in the future. We will always have our freedoms and our rights. They cannot take them away. But, like Will Grigg's blog shows, they can be made punishable. When this happens, liberty-loving people will become criminals and/or terrorists.<BR/><BR/>I don't mean to insult you, if that's happened. I'm not very good with words. There are others who are better than I. Read <I>Molon Labe!</I> and <I>Hologram of Liberty</I> and <I>Boston's Gun Bible</I> by Kenneth Royce (a.k.a. Boston T. Party), although there is evidence to suggest that those who buy his books will be put under surveillance (what a wonderful world, right?) Read <I>Unintended Consequences</I>, give a visit to http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com, and read that author's book <I>Absolved</I> when it comes out. Visit any other websites that you get linked to. Just, please, work at liberty here in America.<BR/><BR/>You're allegiance is to liberty, and not this country. But, in this country you'll find probably the best chances for liberty in the dismal future. At least spend as much time considering this option than the one you've already chosen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-1347224318302309052009-03-09T12:18:00.000-06:002009-03-09T12:18:00.000-06:00qnunc,Juries? What juries? They're just cardboard ...qnunc,<BR/>Juries? What juries? They're just cardboard cut-outs planted in jury boxes by the State (holy reverent music is now playing in the background) right before each and every "trial", that is, if the defendant/victim somehow manages to deflect all the prosecution's scare tactics of heaping piles upon piles of endless charges in order to convince the victim into accepting a plea bargain. And, Oh, what a bargain! How else can one explain their statist verdicts time after time, case after case. Hell, the Miami jury convicted Jose Padilla on bogus charges. The State had no evidence on Padilla, but the jury still read a guilty verdict anyway. Amazing. Have people gone completely mad? Is there any group of people in the world more statist and more adverse to liberty and limited government than Americans?<BR/> <BR/>And Dave mentioned HR 875. If that bill is introduced and passed, does that mean the State, the American people's favorite God substitute, will come after me for growing frickin' "unregistered" potatoes in my backyard garden? Who in the Hell thinks up this sh*t?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-52352420776420383732009-03-08T20:27:00.000-06:002009-03-08T20:27:00.000-06:00Hi Will,This comment is for you.HR 875 will destro...Hi Will,<BR/><BR/>This comment is for you.<BR/><BR/>HR 875 will destroy America's ability to produce food and will punish anyone who grows without being registered.<BR/><BR/>http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.875:<BR/><BR/>DaveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-45771970954981346522009-03-08T19:14:00.000-06:002009-03-08T19:14:00.000-06:00The worst part of the nightmare is yet to come -- ...The worst part of the nightmare is yet to come -- being tried before a, gulp, shiver, American jury. Monster, thy name is jury. Your honor, we find the defendant guilty of conspiring to think traitorous thoughts with intent to do other stuff that we probably would disapprove of.<BR/><BR/>I'm not quite sure what is so great about the jury system nor why I should love it because I hate it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03276241501396117972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-29668056462586133662009-03-08T11:21:00.000-06:002009-03-08T11:21:00.000-06:00From a Mar. 7th AP article -------------LAS VEGAS ...From a Mar. 7th AP article -<BR/><BR/>------------<BR/><BR/>LAS VEGAS (AP) - Four members of an anti-government group have been arrested on charges that include money laundering, tax evasion and weapons possession, federal prosecutors said Friday. Authorities said the four men are members of the Sovereign Movement, a group that attempts to overthrow the government and defy authority with "paper terrorism."<BR/><BR/>A grand jury indictment in federal court in Las Vegas names Samuel Davis, 54, of Council, Idaho; Shawn Rice, 46, of Seligman, Ariz.; Harold Call, 67, of Las Vegas; and Jan Lindsey, of Henderson.<BR/><BR/>Davis and Rice are accused of laundering roughly $1.3 million for undercover FBI agents, who described the money as loot from a bank fraud scheme. Davis and Rice are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 30 counts of money laundering. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on each count.<BR/><BR/>http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090307/D96P1UJ80.html<BR/><BR/>------------<BR/><BR/>If I'm reading it correctly, there was no actual bank fraud. No citizen actually lost a penny. Rather, simply because FBI agents claimed (that is, lied) that it was stolen money, their misled victims are now guilty of the thoughtcrime of 'conspiracy' becaise they believed -- incorrectly -- that they were handling the proceeds of crime.<BR/><BR/>This is reminiscent of people going to prison for discussing the trafficking of drugs on the phone, even though no actual drugs existed. Just believing or intending to get involved with a drug transaction brings savage punishment for conspiracy.<BR/><BR/>Needless to say, conspiracy and money laundering are non-crimes; crimes fraudulently manufactured out of thin air, just as surely as our fraudulent currency is manufactured out of thin air.<BR/><BR/>If the Founding Fathers issued the Declaration of Independence today, they would be facing conspiracy and terrorism charges. Frankly, I don't understand how Usgov can afford to keep that parchment Declaration on display. Anyone with the slightest capacity for inductive reasoning will note that it asserts a general right to armed rebellion against tyrants of any era, not just a specific, long-ago tyrant named King George. <BR/><BR/>Public-school edumacation is our best defense against an aroused populace taking that seditious declaration literally. The founding documents of this nation are now official anathema -- the deranged rantings of anti-government rebels and terrorists. As in the former Soviet Union, it would be more convenient if our past were simply erased. Because like the face of Dorian Gray, Usgov now sports the hideous visage of a ruthless, high-tech, nuclear-armed King George.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-38464732304231126752009-03-07T20:03:00.000-07:002009-03-07T20:03:00.000-07:00I really like your blog. I strongly encourage you...I really like your blog. I strongly encourage you to contact me, if you want to discuss strategies whereby we can make America freer. 907-250-5503. Some of my strategies involve electoral politics, others do not. If you are interested, call me before 10pm, Chicago time.<BR/><BR/>I have several projects that all intend to place either the Libertarian Party, or pro-freedom initiatives on the ballot. <BR/><BR/>The pro-freedom initiatives include legalized medical marijuana and legal hemp http://www.sodaknorml.org/sdsa.htm , judicial recall, and state spending limits http://www.citizensincharge.com ). With every day, the libertarian network grows stronger and better connected. Thanks for being a part of it! I love your writings, both here, and I believe, at the Reason "Hit and Run" blog.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the great work!<BR/><BR/>http://www.freedomballotaccess.org <BR/>-JakeJake Witmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770905367613837798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-55053654899782945372009-03-07T16:13:00.000-07:002009-03-07T16:13:00.000-07:00"Imagine being a Gulag inmate...no matter how badl..."Imagine being a Gulag inmate...no matter how badly you're treated, you do have one hope...end of sentence. You count down the years til freedom, then months, and finally the days and hours. Hope builds in you ncontrollably....and then, when your release date comes..." you, walking escorted toward the exit of the prison, walk past a corner in the hallway. It is dark in the adjoining room. A guard steps out quietly behind you, holds a .22 pistol near the top of your neck, and presses the trigger. It was the Soviet way of "mercy," letting the condemned be happy, believing he was going free, at the moment his brain was scrambled by the little .22 slug rattling around inside his skull. The American system does not know of this degree of mercy. The victim is condemned to a lifetime of not knowing when the next knock (or kick) on the door will come.<BR/>Just had the knock on the door after over 17 years of virtual inactivity on the prolife front. A state CID (state version of the FBI) investigator is interested in protecting the one remaining abortion mill in the state from unknown, imagined threats.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-71768647339980943052009-03-07T12:25:00.000-07:002009-03-07T12:25:00.000-07:00Robin said:"...the Soviets subjected their victims...<B>Robin said:</B><BR/><I>"...the Soviets subjected their victims to repeated arrests and rounds of torture, gradually wringing them like sponges. America's overlords prefer the more languid, bureaucratic expedient of indefinite incarceration."</I><BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I agree with the use of the word "prefer". The system we have now, and the people who demand it, are just as happy creating "prohibited persons", and repeatedly extending imprisonment when the mood suits them.<BR/><BR/>No matter--the practice is a violation of many natural rights and immunities of citizenship, barely concealed by a single, selective assertion of a legal state power.<BR/><BR/>I guess that if we cherry-pick from the list the power to arrest--and ignore the right to be brought before the court and hear the charges; to have our property protected from general seizure; to confront our accuser; to have a trial of facts before a jury; to not be subject to excessive bail; to have counsel; to move freely; or to have life, liberty and property until subject to due process, to name a few--I suppose then we would have the state's argument.<BR/><BR/>It is no mystery why this is the preferred system, since two trials for the same crime is the sort of conspicuous violation of liberty that will spark controversy. The absence of due process apparently doesn't make waves. Therefore, the state's solution is to put to trial once, and then repeatedly arrest, repeatedly incarcerate, but never again put to trial.<BR/><BR/>It's not merely the machinations of a malevolent state, but a symptom of the people's desire to appear moderate (or reasonable if you prefer) by fooling themselves into believing that all the privileges, rights and immunities named or implied in the founding documents are not equally valuable. From this patch of weeds spreads the runners which sprout the belief that the laws do not apply equally to everyone--then the people find themselves surrounded and unable to discern the impostors--until finally one of them suggests it is time to remove the invasive species. <BR/><BR/>However, this never produces the desired result, because no one can agree on which inhabitant of the garden does not belong; where starting a new garden would be the best solution, those who insist on working within the current one eventually destroy what's left of it in a hasty and clumsy attempt that is properly eliminationism.<BR/><BR/>We are where we are because the people have neglected to weed the garden for better than a century. My weeds are no worse than yours.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-85655261336221955942009-03-07T09:06:00.000-07:002009-03-07T09:06:00.000-07:00The judicial decision in Chadwick's case accus...The judicial decision in Chadwick's case accuses him of stashing several million dollars overseas, beyond the reach of his ex-wife. Martin Armstrong is jailed on a similar allegation, of hiding assets from the court.<BR/><BR/>These are very tough situations to deal with in a free society. Coercion is sometimes necessary when people seek to appropriate funds in which others have a legitimate interest. For instance, I've experienced the frustration of suing a cat-and-mouse deadbeat debtor, who continued to move his funds from bank to bank, one step ahead of the sheriff.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, indefinite detention for contempt, without trial, goes too far. Some limits need to be set, as the district court in Chadwick's case continues to remind the state Supreme Court.<BR/><BR/>Also, in the U.S. there is an ugly tendency to criminalize civil matters. Tax evasion, for instance. In many countries, it's a civil matter -- a question of owing money to the authorities. But in the U.S., even 'status offenses' such as failing to file are defined as felony crimes. <BR/><BR/>Owing money to the authorities not only can result in judgments and levies, but also in being sent to prison. By any civilized standard, this is barbaric -- one of the few remaining examples, along with criminalized child support enforcement, of 'debtors prison.'<BR/><BR/>Under the national security state, human rights in general have been rewound by several centuries. The apogee of individual rights in the U.S. was surely during the years 1776-1789. Unfortunately, the timeless doctrine of natural rights proved to be, in practice, no more than a passing intellectual fad. It exerts no sway whatsoever in contemporary lawmaking or judicial thought.<BR/><BR/>Chattel slavery was replaced with mass slavery, enforced by income confiscation. If the Freedom House map were based on absolute rather than relative standards, the entire globe would be colored 'not free.'<BR/><BR/>http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2008Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-52219306906186876092009-03-06T17:37:00.000-07:002009-03-06T17:37:00.000-07:00To Anon @ 303Truth be told I am preparing my Curri...To Anon @ 303<BR/>Truth be told I am preparing my Curriculum Vitae as we write so that I may find a job abroad and peacefully leave this country before the whole rotten stinkin ship goes down!! My allegiance is to liberty and freedom not this country and if my wife and I can find both abroad we will indeed be very blessed!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-51370005958801139862009-03-06T16:03:00.000-07:002009-03-06T16:03:00.000-07:00And what are you all doing or going to do about th...And what are you all doing or going to do about the further decay into a socialist hell-hole. East Germany was disassembled and is being reassembled here, and what's being done about it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-55800661165400309122009-03-06T14:47:00.000-07:002009-03-06T14:47:00.000-07:00...the rest of the world wishes to be free while y...<I>...the rest of the world wishes to be free while you in america want tyranny.</I><BR/><BR/>It certainly seems that way, and I think that is exactly what the founding fathers had in mind, the "masses of people" under the absolute tyranny of the "rich and well-born," the rich and well-born being, of course, themselves.<BR/><BR/>To bring about this tyranny, they used their own 9/11 (Shays' Rebellion) to create the fear, mostly among themselves, that if they didn't pass the Patriot Act (the Constitution) the masses would not feel compelled to give all their money to their superiors.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03276241501396117972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-58569625198494965892009-03-06T13:16:00.000-07:002009-03-06T13:16:00.000-07:00The new Soviets got alot of their ideas from that ...The new Soviets got alot of their ideas from that ape in a stovepipe Ape Lincoln. Bush the Shrub stole all the unitary executive ideas from the ape. My dad was in the army for 30+ years and lives overseas now. It is funny when he calls or emails and says the rest of the world wishes to be free while you in america want tyranny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-38730238709989853632009-03-06T12:47:00.000-07:002009-03-06T12:47:00.000-07:00Thanks for the tip-of-the-cap, Robin!Extension of ...Thanks for the tip-of-the-cap, Robin!<BR/><BR/>Extension of prison sentences when the prisoner is legally due for release...I'd almost forgotten about that. Nothing crushes a prisoner's spirit like false hope. Imagine being a Gulag inmate...no matter how badly you're treated, you do have one hope...end of sentence. You count down the years til freedom, then months, and finally the days and hours. Hope builds in you uncontrollably....and then, when your release date comes, the courts slap another "tenner" on you, and back to the camps you go!<BR/><BR/>The most horrifying thing about reading about the Soviet system, as an American, is that <I>now you know what's coming.</I><BR/><BR/>I feel like getting drunk, and staying there. Yes!!--they'll never find me hiding in this bottle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-16548236664416297822009-03-06T10:52:00.000-07:002009-03-06T10:52:00.000-07:00Walsh lost a son to violence like a gazillion year...<I>Walsh lost a son to violence like a gazillion years ago, and has dedicated his life to telling everyone else how to act and what to wear ever since.</I><BR/><BR/>More importantly, Walsh has been able to profit from his son's death by being the supreme beneficiary of the MSM's selective reporting. The MSM have, after all, completely ignored his wife Reve's direct culpability in Adam's kidnapping/murder. Were it not for Reve Walsh's parental negligence in leaving six-year-old Adam free to wander through the Sears store unattended and unsupervised, Adam would almost certainly be alive and well today. (A cynic could be excused from wondering if John Walsh might consider Adam's death to be the most fortunate thing ever to happen in his life; after all, Walsh would probably be nothing but another anonymous white-collar cog in the machine today were it not for Adam's death and the attendant brouhaha generated from it). That Reve Walsh hasn't been held legally accountable in any way for her parental neglect, the way thousands of ordinary parents guilty of far less egregious forms of "neglect" are today, is nothing short of sickening.liberranterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00555275410576294081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-3188724229191703952009-03-06T06:20:00.000-07:002009-03-06T06:20:00.000-07:00And I just realized that The Omega Man, in the ver...And I just realized that The Omega Man, in the very first comment on this thread, made the same point that I did, with fewer words.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-28952291139659195782009-03-06T06:15:00.000-07:002009-03-06T06:15:00.000-07:00The practice of jailing people to extort money or ...The practice of jailing people to extort money or other assets is an old Soviet tactic. Eugene Lyons, in his book "Assignment in Utopia", describes how the OGPU secret police did this during the 1920s, mainly targeting prosperous Jews. The slight difference here is that the Soviets subjected their victims to repeated arrests and rounds of torture, gradually wringing them like sponges. America's overlords prefer the more languid, bureaucratic expedient of indefinite incarceration.<BR/><BR/>Overall, America's judicial/penal system is morphing into a strikingly Soviet-type model. Punishment cells (too small for the prisoner to stand, sit, or lie for more than a brief time), sleep deprivation, the extension of prison sentences when the inmate is legally due for release, and the monomaniacal insistence on confession of guilt - all of these were very familiar to inhabitants of the Gulag.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-48935128243441533472009-03-05T23:43:00.000-07:002009-03-05T23:43:00.000-07:00Two of my least favorite people -- John Walsh and ...Two of my least favorite people -- John Walsh and Sam Alito. Walsh lost a son to violence like a gazillion years ago, and has dedicated his life to telling everyone else how to act and what to wear ever since. Stop Snitchin' t-shirts, he says, causes crime. "T-shirts don't kill people, guns. . . no, wait, they do."<BR/><BR/>Alito thinks the police should be able to shoot people in the back and frisk 10-year-old girls. <BR/><BR/>Tolstoy: <I>Men, oppressing others, assure them that the compulsion is necessary in the interest of the government, while the government is indispensable to the liberty and welfare of men: -- according to this, the oppressors force men for their own freedom and do them wrong for their own good.</I><BR/><BR/>Thomas Paine: <I>An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty.</I><BR/><BR/>Friedrich Nietzsche: <I>Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.</I><BR/><BR/>Thomas Jefferson: <I>And for as much as the experience of all ages and countries hath shown, that cruel and sanguinary laws defeat their own purpose . . .if the punishment were only proportioned to the injury, men would feel it their inclination, as well as their duty, to see the laws observed. . .</I>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03276241501396117972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32869165.post-15605909678899460882009-03-05T21:05:00.000-07:002009-03-05T21:05:00.000-07:00With an active, educated, state militia, these act...With an active, educated, state militia, these acts of tyranny would not stand. It is time to re-institute the state militia and take the country back, one state at a time. www.committeesofsafety.org<BR/>LouisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com