A Forest View police officer shot and wounded a man threatening him with a crutch outside a sports bar near the west suburb overnight, police said.
The shooting unfolded just after 1:30 a.m. when the unidentified patrol officer responded to a 911 call about a fight at 3rd Down bar, 4839 S. Central Ave. in unincorporated Cook County, said Larry Brouk, Forest View director of public safety.
After the officer pulled into the alley behind the bar, he got out of his squad and confronted a man brandishing a crutch and ordered him to drop it, Brouk said.
"He was using [the crutch] as a deadly weapon. You could kill somebody with that," Brouk said.
Monday, September 22, 2008
US MainStream Media Denounces Fed as non-Governmental
This was sent to me from RestoreTheRepublic, the network that the late Aaron Russo started before passing on. - Allan in Illinois
=========================================================
PLEASE FORWARD TO EVERY USER ON THE ENTIRE WORLD WIDE WEB
=========================================================
=======================================================
Mainstream Media Admits the Federal Reserve is Private!
=======================================================
You may have noticed a change in Glenn Beck lately. It
seems he has Peter Schiff and Ron Paul on regularly. Is
he coming around to our way of thinking? It appears so.
Listen to what he says here at 8:10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cLJVXuQttk
"The Federal Reserve Bank, which is not a government
institution. They have nothing to do with the federal
government. It's a separate global banking system."
That's the first time anyone in the MSM has announced to
the sleeping majority that the Fed is not governmental.
The reason this is so important is because, Glenn Beck
has essentially opened the door to the freedom movement -
the Ron Paul Revolution! Now is our chance to step through
that door and awaken the sleeping. The first person to
step through should be G. Edward Griffin; the man who
educated us all on the Federal Reserve.
Please send an email to Glenn and Stu asking them to bring
Ed Griffin into their TV studio for an interview? Here is
the email circulating:
====================================================
COPY AND PASTE THE EMAIL BELOW AND SEND TO GLEN BECK
====================================================
Hey Glenn,
I was amazed that you told your audience, the other day,
the truth about the Federal Reserve. Please check into
Ed Griffin's book, "The Creature from Jekyll Island".
It is the whole story about how the Federal Reserve came
into being, and right now is the perfect time in history
to blow the lid off the cover up of this banking cartel.
There is no one better than G. Edward Griffin for this.
The distinguished gentleman will surely make am impression
on your audience. He is the leading expert on the subject,
and his book was ahead of its time - considering it's been
out for years! Please invite him into your studio to
discuss his book and this subject - please???
You could be a part of changing history. I believe once
the people know the truth about who's been controlling our
economic system, (private bankers- UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!!)
they will finally have had enough! Let's do this!
Sincerely,
[INSERT YOUR NAME]
=============================
SEND TO EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW
=============================
Email to:
me@glennbeck.com
Stu@glennbeck.com
=========================================================
PLEASE FORWARD TO EVERY USER ON THE ENTIRE WORLD WIDE WEB
=========================================================
=================================================================
Special thanks to Deborah Robinet, RMF Director, Event Organizer
=================================================================
"It is well enough that the people of the nation do not
understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did,
I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."
~ Henry Ford
Sent from your friends at:
RestoreTheRepublic.com, 3149 Dundee Rd #176, Northbrook, Illinois 60062, USA
Monday, September 15, 2008
"Public Land Goes to Pot"
This is a ridiculous story. The photo of the officer burning the confiscated crops is just a ridiculous thought too. - Allan in Illinois
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1162703,CST-NWS-pot14.article
Forest preserves, parks go to pot
'LIKE CORN' | As border security intensifies, dope farmers cultivate public lands
Recommended (12)
Comments
September 14, 2008
BY ANDREW HERRMANN AND MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporters
With the U.S.-Mexico border being tightened, law enforcement is seeing more locally grown marijuana -- often with dope farmers using public lands such as parks and forest preserves.
Cook County Forest Preserve District Police Chief Richard Waszak says there has been an increase in marijuana farming operations in the Forest Preserve District's 64,000 acres in recent years.
» Click to enlarge image
Cook County Forest Preserve Police Officer Jim Bolek checks out a budding marijuana plant in July before tossing it into a burning pile.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIES
Tell us: What do you think should be done?
Last month, Forest Preserve police burned about 3,000 plants at Pioneer Woods near Palos Hills, gathered from half a dozen spots in the south suburbs.
And earlier this year, two men were sentenced to two years in prison in connection with tens of thousands of marijuana plants grown "in straight rows like corn" in a forest preserve near Barrington.
Mexican nationals Jose Verra and Bernardo Rangel, both 23, told investigators they were farmers paid to grow the crop. A college-age conservation intern found the "plantation" and told authorities.
Verra and Rangel tended about 20,000 marijuana plants valued at a total of $4 million, at the Crabtree Nature Preserve. During the bust, a tent was found along with food supplies, fertilizer bags and a cooking and showering area. About 30 yards away, the farmers had built a reinforced underground bunker.
Waszak said he suspects marijuana growers are using public land to avoid having their private property seized if their crop is spotted by investigators.
In August, police destroyed about 1,800 marijuana plants being cultivated on land owned by the McHenry County Conservation District -- one of the largest drug operations authorities there can recall finding on public land.
"It doesn't belong to anybody, like a farmer's field does," McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said. "A lot of it has to do with the land being set aside and remote. It's ideal for growers."
Large-scale marijuana farming, with a late September to mid-October harvest, isn't for your average Cheech and Chong.
"It's very labor-intensive. You have to clear the land, build berms to keep the deer out and fertilize,'' said one official. "You have to know what you're doing.''
Many times, the crops are watched by armed guards to protect against "patch pilots'' -- other dope dealers who steal crops.
And if "you've got a family hiking along and stumbling into this, that's not good,'' the official said.
John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, says 75 percent to 80 percent of marijuana grown outdoors in the United States is on state or federal land. The Drug Enforcement Administration says more than 4.8 million marijuana plants were seized at outdoor sites in 2006.
Tighter border controls make it harder to smuggle marijuana into the United States, so more Mexican drug networks are growing crops here, Walters says.
Drug organizations use the Chicago area as a base for distributing marijuana across the Midwest, says DEA special agent Joanna Zoltay. But the problem is being seen across the country.
For example, the number of marijuana plants confiscated on public land in California grew from 40 percent of total seizures in 2001 to 75 percent in 2007.
A site operated by a Mexican organization with 16,742 marijuana plants was raided last month in North Cascades National Park in Washington state. People living at the site cut trees, dammed creeks and left 1,000 pounds of trash.
Thousands of marijuana plants were seized last month in Utah's Dixie National Forest, with a man charged with drug and immigration offenses, the DEA said. And in July and August, officials seized more than 340,000 plants, some from Sequoia National Forest and Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks.
But groves are often well-hidden.
"They don't make it so anyone can see it," Waszak said.
Marijuana sometimes grows naturally -- so-called "ditch weed.'' Visitors to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore were warned this summer that thousands of plants have sprouted there. But Waszak said the weed in the Cook County preserves isn't growing wild.
"Fertilizer bags and milk jugs don't grow in the Forest Preserve," Waszak said. "We concentrate on finding cartels or people growing excess plants that certainly are not for personal consumption."
Forest Preserve police team with the DEA to investigate major growing operations. Their probes typically start during the spring planting season, keeping watch on the crop and making busts before the plants are harvested.
Contributing: Dan Rozek, Sun-Times wires
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1162703,CST-NWS-pot14.article
Forest preserves, parks go to pot
'LIKE CORN' | As border security intensifies, dope farmers cultivate public lands
Recommended (12)
Comments
September 14, 2008
BY ANDREW HERRMANN AND MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporters
With the U.S.-Mexico border being tightened, law enforcement is seeing more locally grown marijuana -- often with dope farmers using public lands such as parks and forest preserves.
Cook County Forest Preserve District Police Chief Richard Waszak says there has been an increase in marijuana farming operations in the Forest Preserve District's 64,000 acres in recent years.
» Click to enlarge image
Cook County Forest Preserve Police Officer Jim Bolek checks out a budding marijuana plant in July before tossing it into a burning pile.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIES
Tell us: What do you think should be done?
Last month, Forest Preserve police burned about 3,000 plants at Pioneer Woods near Palos Hills, gathered from half a dozen spots in the south suburbs.
And earlier this year, two men were sentenced to two years in prison in connection with tens of thousands of marijuana plants grown "in straight rows like corn" in a forest preserve near Barrington.
Mexican nationals Jose Verra and Bernardo Rangel, both 23, told investigators they were farmers paid to grow the crop. A college-age conservation intern found the "plantation" and told authorities.
Verra and Rangel tended about 20,000 marijuana plants valued at a total of $4 million, at the Crabtree Nature Preserve. During the bust, a tent was found along with food supplies, fertilizer bags and a cooking and showering area. About 30 yards away, the farmers had built a reinforced underground bunker.
Waszak said he suspects marijuana growers are using public land to avoid having their private property seized if their crop is spotted by investigators.
In August, police destroyed about 1,800 marijuana plants being cultivated on land owned by the McHenry County Conservation District -- one of the largest drug operations authorities there can recall finding on public land.
"It doesn't belong to anybody, like a farmer's field does," McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said. "A lot of it has to do with the land being set aside and remote. It's ideal for growers."
Large-scale marijuana farming, with a late September to mid-October harvest, isn't for your average Cheech and Chong.
"It's very labor-intensive. You have to clear the land, build berms to keep the deer out and fertilize,'' said one official. "You have to know what you're doing.''
Many times, the crops are watched by armed guards to protect against "patch pilots'' -- other dope dealers who steal crops.
And if "you've got a family hiking along and stumbling into this, that's not good,'' the official said.
John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, says 75 percent to 80 percent of marijuana grown outdoors in the United States is on state or federal land. The Drug Enforcement Administration says more than 4.8 million marijuana plants were seized at outdoor sites in 2006.
Tighter border controls make it harder to smuggle marijuana into the United States, so more Mexican drug networks are growing crops here, Walters says.
Drug organizations use the Chicago area as a base for distributing marijuana across the Midwest, says DEA special agent Joanna Zoltay. But the problem is being seen across the country.
For example, the number of marijuana plants confiscated on public land in California grew from 40 percent of total seizures in 2001 to 75 percent in 2007.
A site operated by a Mexican organization with 16,742 marijuana plants was raided last month in North Cascades National Park in Washington state. People living at the site cut trees, dammed creeks and left 1,000 pounds of trash.
Thousands of marijuana plants were seized last month in Utah's Dixie National Forest, with a man charged with drug and immigration offenses, the DEA said. And in July and August, officials seized more than 340,000 plants, some from Sequoia National Forest and Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks.
But groves are often well-hidden.
"They don't make it so anyone can see it," Waszak said.
Marijuana sometimes grows naturally -- so-called "ditch weed.'' Visitors to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore were warned this summer that thousands of plants have sprouted there. But Waszak said the weed in the Cook County preserves isn't growing wild.
"Fertilizer bags and milk jugs don't grow in the Forest Preserve," Waszak said. "We concentrate on finding cartels or people growing excess plants that certainly are not for personal consumption."
Forest Preserve police team with the DEA to investigate major growing operations. Their probes typically start during the spring planting season, keeping watch on the crop and making busts before the plants are harvested.
Contributing: Dan Rozek, Sun-Times wires
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Words The Used
This is a great chart sent in from Amy in Bratislava of the words used at the Democratic and Republican conventions by speakers. Democrats, for example invoked the name of Dick Cheney, but no Republican did. - Allan
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/04/us/politics/20080905_WORDS_GRAPHIC.html?ei=5070&emc=eta3
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/04/us/politics/20080905_WORDS_GRAPHIC.html?ei=5070&emc=eta3
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Keating 5 from Slate
The Keating 5 explanation from Slate. - Allan
http://www.slate.com/id/1004633/
Is John McCain a Crook?
Chris Suellentrop
Posted Friday, Feb. 18, 2000, at 2:35 PM ET
The controversial George W. Bush-sponsored poll in South Carolina mentioned John McCain's role in the so-called Keating Five scandal, and McCain says his involvement in the scandal "will probably be on my tombstone." What exactly did McCain do?
In early 1987, at the beginning of his first Senate term, McCain attended two meetings with federal banking regulators to discuss an investigation into Lincoln Savings and Loan, an Irvine, Calif., thrift owned by Arizona developer Charles Keating. Federal auditors were investigating Keating's banking practices, and Keating, fearful that the government would seize his S&L, sought intervention from a number of U.S. senators.
At Keating's behest, four senators--McCain and Democrats Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, Alan Cranston of California, and John Glenn of Ohio--met with Ed Gray, chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, on April 2. Those four senators and Sen. Don Riegle, D-Mich., attended a second meeting at Keating's behest on April 9 with bank regulators in San Francisco.
Regulators did not seize Lincoln Savings and Loan until two years later. The Lincoln bailout cost taxpayers $2.6 billion, making it the biggest of the S&L scandals. In addition, 17,000 Lincoln investors lost $190 million.
In November 1990, the Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the meetings between the senators and the regulators. McCain, Cranston, DeConcini, Glenn, and Riegle became known as the Keating Five.
(Keating himself was convicted in January 1993 of 73 counts of wire and bankruptcy fraud and served more than four years in prison before his conviction was overturned. Last year, he pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and was sentenced to time served.)
McCain defended his attendance at the meetings by saying Keating was a constituent and that Keating's development company, American Continental Corporation, was a major Arizona employer. McCain said he wanted to know only whether Keating was being treated fairly and that he had not tried to influence the regulators. At the second meeting, McCain told the regulators, "I wouldn't want any special favors for them," and "I don't want any part of our conversation to be improper."
But Keating was more than a constituent to McCain--he was a longtime friend and associate. McCain met Keating in 1981 at a Navy League dinner in Arizona where McCain was the speaker. Keating was a former naval aviator himself, and the two men became friends. Keating raised money for McCain's two congressional campaigns in 1982 and 1984, and for McCain's 1986 Senate bid. By 1987, McCain campaigns had received $112,000 from Keating, his relatives, and his employees--the most received by any of the Keating Five. (Keating raised a total of $300,000 for the five senators.)
After McCain's election to the House in 1982, he and his family made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, three of which were to Keating's Bahamas retreat. McCain did not disclose the trips (as he was required to under House rules) until the scandal broke in 1989. At that point, he paid Keating $13,433 for the flights.
And in April 1986, one year before the meeting with the regulators, McCain's wife, Cindy, and her father invested $359,100 in a Keating strip mall.
The Senate Ethics Committee probe of the Keating Five began in November 1990, and committee Special Counsel Robert Bennett recommended that McCain and Glenn be dropped from the investigation. They were not. McCain believes Democrats on the committee blocked Bennett's recommendation because he was the lone Keating Five Republican.
In February 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee found McCain and Glenn to be the least blameworthy of the five senators. (McCain and Glenn attended the meetings but did nothing else to influence the regulators.) McCain was guilty of nothing more than "poor judgment," the committee said, and declared his actions were not "improper nor attended with gross negligence." McCain considered the committee's judgment to be "full exoneration," and he contributed $112,000 (the amount raised for him by Keating) to the U.S. Treasury.
http://www.slate.com/id/1004633/
Is John McCain a Crook?
Chris Suellentrop
Posted Friday, Feb. 18, 2000, at 2:35 PM ET
The controversial George W. Bush-sponsored poll in South Carolina mentioned John McCain's role in the so-called Keating Five scandal, and McCain says his involvement in the scandal "will probably be on my tombstone." What exactly did McCain do?
In early 1987, at the beginning of his first Senate term, McCain attended two meetings with federal banking regulators to discuss an investigation into Lincoln Savings and Loan, an Irvine, Calif., thrift owned by Arizona developer Charles Keating. Federal auditors were investigating Keating's banking practices, and Keating, fearful that the government would seize his S&L, sought intervention from a number of U.S. senators.
At Keating's behest, four senators--McCain and Democrats Dennis DeConcini of Arizona, Alan Cranston of California, and John Glenn of Ohio--met with Ed Gray, chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, on April 2. Those four senators and Sen. Don Riegle, D-Mich., attended a second meeting at Keating's behest on April 9 with bank regulators in San Francisco.
Regulators did not seize Lincoln Savings and Loan until two years later. The Lincoln bailout cost taxpayers $2.6 billion, making it the biggest of the S&L scandals. In addition, 17,000 Lincoln investors lost $190 million.
In November 1990, the Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the meetings between the senators and the regulators. McCain, Cranston, DeConcini, Glenn, and Riegle became known as the Keating Five.
(Keating himself was convicted in January 1993 of 73 counts of wire and bankruptcy fraud and served more than four years in prison before his conviction was overturned. Last year, he pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud and was sentenced to time served.)
McCain defended his attendance at the meetings by saying Keating was a constituent and that Keating's development company, American Continental Corporation, was a major Arizona employer. McCain said he wanted to know only whether Keating was being treated fairly and that he had not tried to influence the regulators. At the second meeting, McCain told the regulators, "I wouldn't want any special favors for them," and "I don't want any part of our conversation to be improper."
But Keating was more than a constituent to McCain--he was a longtime friend and associate. McCain met Keating in 1981 at a Navy League dinner in Arizona where McCain was the speaker. Keating was a former naval aviator himself, and the two men became friends. Keating raised money for McCain's two congressional campaigns in 1982 and 1984, and for McCain's 1986 Senate bid. By 1987, McCain campaigns had received $112,000 from Keating, his relatives, and his employees--the most received by any of the Keating Five. (Keating raised a total of $300,000 for the five senators.)
After McCain's election to the House in 1982, he and his family made at least nine trips at Keating's expense, three of which were to Keating's Bahamas retreat. McCain did not disclose the trips (as he was required to under House rules) until the scandal broke in 1989. At that point, he paid Keating $13,433 for the flights.
And in April 1986, one year before the meeting with the regulators, McCain's wife, Cindy, and her father invested $359,100 in a Keating strip mall.
The Senate Ethics Committee probe of the Keating Five began in November 1990, and committee Special Counsel Robert Bennett recommended that McCain and Glenn be dropped from the investigation. They were not. McCain believes Democrats on the committee blocked Bennett's recommendation because he was the lone Keating Five Republican.
In February 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee found McCain and Glenn to be the least blameworthy of the five senators. (McCain and Glenn attended the meetings but did nothing else to influence the regulators.) McCain was guilty of nothing more than "poor judgment," the committee said, and declared his actions were not "improper nor attended with gross negligence." McCain considered the committee's judgment to be "full exoneration," and he contributed $112,000 (the amount raised for him by Keating) to the U.S. Treasury.
Keating Five From NRO
Keating 5 has not yet been talked about enough. John McCain was one of the 5 and deserves honourable mention. - Allan
Remember the Keating Five?
McCain’s own standards would have hung him.
by Mark Levin
For too long, McCain has been given a free pass by the media, which promotes campaign-finance reform to silence other voices, and by his Republican colleagues, who are concerned about alienating McCain given the GOP's tenuous majority in the Senate.
In John McCain's America, any politician who accepts a large contribution or gift from a donor, and then takes steps consistent with the donor's interests — even though there is no legal quid pro quo — is corrupt. Well, then, by his own standard, McCain is corrupt.
McCain was one of the so-called "Keating Five" senators. He was investigated by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics in 1991 regarding the acceptance of favors from Lincoln Savings & Loan Association (Lincoln) and its owner, Charles H. Keating, Jr. Simply put, the issue was whether McCain and the other senators used their official positions to attempt to pressure Federal Home Loan Bank Board officials to go easy on the troubled institution. Eventually Lincoln went bust, costing depositors and taxpayers millions.
In its final report (November 20, 1991), here is what the Senate Select Committee on Ethics concluded about McCain's conduct:
"Mr. Keating, his associates, and his friends contributed $56,000 for Senator McCain's two House races in 1982 and 1984, and $54,000 for his 1986 Senate race. Mr. Keating also provided his corporate plane and/or arranged for payment for the use of commercial or private aircraft on several occasions for travel by Senator McCain and his family, for which Senator McCain ultimately provided reimbursement when called upon to do so. Mr. Keating also allowed Senator McCain and his family to vacation with Mr. Keating and his family, at a home provided by Mr. Keating in the Bahamas, in each of the calendar years 1983 through 1986.
"…[F]rom 1984 to 1987, Senator McCain took actions on Mr. Keating's behalf or at his request. The Committee finds that Senator McCain had a basis for each of these actions independent of the contributions and benefits he received from Mr. Keating, his associates and friends.
"Based on the evidence available to it, the Committee has given consideration to Senator McCain's actions on behalf of Lincoln. The Committee concludes that, given the personal benefits and campaign contributions he had received from Mr. Keating, Senator McCain exercised poor judgment in intervening with the regulators without first inquiring as to the Bank Board's position in the case in a more routine manner. The Committee concludes that Senator McCain's actions were not improper nor attended with gross negligence and did not reach the level of requiring institutional action against him. The Committee finds that Senator McCain took no further action after the April 9, 1987 meeting when he learned of a criminal referral.
"The Committee reaffirms its prior decision that it does not have jurisdiction to determine the issues of disclosure or reimbursement pertaining to flights provided by American Continental Corporation while Senator McCain was a Member of the House of Representatives. The Committee did consider the effect of such on his state of mind and judgment in taking steps to assist Lincoln.
"Senator McCain has violated no law of the United States or specific Rule of the United States Senate; therefore, the Committee concludes that no further action is warranted with respect to Senator McCain on the matters investigated during the preliminary inquiry."
McCain was the only Republican implicated in the Keating Five scandal, yet today he lectures his party and his president about "the corrupting influence" of money in politics. He rails against the so-called "wealthy special interests" and their ability to buy access to elected officials, yet this is precisely what the Keating Five scandal was all about. And, of course, under McCain's current standard, a politician who takes a principled position that may benefit a donor is corrupt, even if no law has been violated.
The John McCain of old should be thankful that his political fate wasn't determined by John McCain the reformer.
http://www.nationalreview.com/contributors/levin040501.shtml
Remember the Keating Five?
McCain’s own standards would have hung him.
by Mark Levin
For too long, McCain has been given a free pass by the media, which promotes campaign-finance reform to silence other voices, and by his Republican colleagues, who are concerned about alienating McCain given the GOP's tenuous majority in the Senate.
In John McCain's America, any politician who accepts a large contribution or gift from a donor, and then takes steps consistent with the donor's interests — even though there is no legal quid pro quo — is corrupt. Well, then, by his own standard, McCain is corrupt.
McCain was one of the so-called "Keating Five" senators. He was investigated by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics in 1991 regarding the acceptance of favors from Lincoln Savings & Loan Association (Lincoln) and its owner, Charles H. Keating, Jr. Simply put, the issue was whether McCain and the other senators used their official positions to attempt to pressure Federal Home Loan Bank Board officials to go easy on the troubled institution. Eventually Lincoln went bust, costing depositors and taxpayers millions.
In its final report (November 20, 1991), here is what the Senate Select Committee on Ethics concluded about McCain's conduct:
"Mr. Keating, his associates, and his friends contributed $56,000 for Senator McCain's two House races in 1982 and 1984, and $54,000 for his 1986 Senate race. Mr. Keating also provided his corporate plane and/or arranged for payment for the use of commercial or private aircraft on several occasions for travel by Senator McCain and his family, for which Senator McCain ultimately provided reimbursement when called upon to do so. Mr. Keating also allowed Senator McCain and his family to vacation with Mr. Keating and his family, at a home provided by Mr. Keating in the Bahamas, in each of the calendar years 1983 through 1986.
"…[F]rom 1984 to 1987, Senator McCain took actions on Mr. Keating's behalf or at his request. The Committee finds that Senator McCain had a basis for each of these actions independent of the contributions and benefits he received from Mr. Keating, his associates and friends.
"Based on the evidence available to it, the Committee has given consideration to Senator McCain's actions on behalf of Lincoln. The Committee concludes that, given the personal benefits and campaign contributions he had received from Mr. Keating, Senator McCain exercised poor judgment in intervening with the regulators without first inquiring as to the Bank Board's position in the case in a more routine manner. The Committee concludes that Senator McCain's actions were not improper nor attended with gross negligence and did not reach the level of requiring institutional action against him. The Committee finds that Senator McCain took no further action after the April 9, 1987 meeting when he learned of a criminal referral.
"The Committee reaffirms its prior decision that it does not have jurisdiction to determine the issues of disclosure or reimbursement pertaining to flights provided by American Continental Corporation while Senator McCain was a Member of the House of Representatives. The Committee did consider the effect of such on his state of mind and judgment in taking steps to assist Lincoln.
"Senator McCain has violated no law of the United States or specific Rule of the United States Senate; therefore, the Committee concludes that no further action is warranted with respect to Senator McCain on the matters investigated during the preliminary inquiry."
McCain was the only Republican implicated in the Keating Five scandal, yet today he lectures his party and his president about "the corrupting influence" of money in politics. He rails against the so-called "wealthy special interests" and their ability to buy access to elected officials, yet this is precisely what the Keating Five scandal was all about. And, of course, under McCain's current standard, a politician who takes a principled position that may benefit a donor is corrupt, even if no law has been violated.
The John McCain of old should be thankful that his political fate wasn't determined by John McCain the reformer.
http://www.nationalreview.com/contributors/levin040501.shtml
Friday, August 29, 2008
It's Time For Some Campaigning
A good video. The song is refrained "It's time for some campaigning." As the email sent to me about this suggested - It can be appreciated no matter who a person supports for US President. It's funny. - Allan
http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm
http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/VoteHere/VoteHere.htm
Friday, August 15, 2008
Speed Cameras in Illinois
Speed cameras are being talked about as ways to further tax people. No one is talking about reducing government spending in response to this idea, instead of worrying about this BigBrotherish way of making extra revenue. - Allan
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2496.asp
Illinois Plans $50 Million in Statewide Speed Camera Profit
Illinois governor unveils proposal to line every freeway in the state with speed cameras, generating $50 million in annual revenue.
Governor Rod R. BlagojevichIllinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D) held a news conference yesterday announcing his plan to expand dramatically the state's existing freeway speed camera program. Since May 2006, photo ticketing vans operated by Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) have mailed photo tickets from highway construction zones. These tickets carry points, automatic license suspensions and fines of $375 and $1000 for the first and second offense, respectively. Blagojevich wants to start with at least one hundred new cameras spread out on every interstate highway outside the work zones so that the system can raise $50 million in annual profit.
"This initiative to have speed enforcement cameras is predicated on a two-prong reality," Blagojevich explained. "We want to make our highways safer and then from the revenue we generate from this to hire more police officers, more state troopers."
The state legislature would have to approve Blagojevich's proposal for $100 freeway photo ticket that do not carry points or require photographs of the driver. These changes would boost both the volume of citations issued and the net revenue, allowing the state to hire 500 new Illinois State Police troopers who, in turn, would issue even more speeding tickets. Ten new state police "elite tactical teams" would focus, among other things, on "traffic activity."
In the past few years, Illinois has steadily increased its dependence on photo enforcement revenue. Chicago, for example, has generated $72 million in revenue since 2003 from 69 red light cameras. The city recently announced a plan to boost the number to 290. Likewise, at least 83 local communities rushed to install or land a contract to install automated ticketing machines after the legislature granted permission to certain regions of the state.
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/24/2496.asp
Illinois Plans $50 Million in Statewide Speed Camera Profit
Illinois governor unveils proposal to line every freeway in the state with speed cameras, generating $50 million in annual revenue.
Governor Rod R. BlagojevichIllinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D) held a news conference yesterday announcing his plan to expand dramatically the state's existing freeway speed camera program. Since May 2006, photo ticketing vans operated by Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) have mailed photo tickets from highway construction zones. These tickets carry points, automatic license suspensions and fines of $375 and $1000 for the first and second offense, respectively. Blagojevich wants to start with at least one hundred new cameras spread out on every interstate highway outside the work zones so that the system can raise $50 million in annual profit.
"This initiative to have speed enforcement cameras is predicated on a two-prong reality," Blagojevich explained. "We want to make our highways safer and then from the revenue we generate from this to hire more police officers, more state troopers."
The state legislature would have to approve Blagojevich's proposal for $100 freeway photo ticket that do not carry points or require photographs of the driver. These changes would boost both the volume of citations issued and the net revenue, allowing the state to hire 500 new Illinois State Police troopers who, in turn, would issue even more speeding tickets. Ten new state police "elite tactical teams" would focus, among other things, on "traffic activity."
In the past few years, Illinois has steadily increased its dependence on photo enforcement revenue. Chicago, for example, has generated $72 million in revenue since 2003 from 69 red light cameras. The city recently announced a plan to boost the number to 290. Likewise, at least 83 local communities rushed to install or land a contract to install automated ticketing machines after the legislature granted permission to certain regions of the state.
Speed Cameras in Hungary
Speed cameras are becoming a popular way of further taxing people in Illinois, and evidently in Hungary too. - Allan
8/2/2008
Hungary: Speed Camera Trap Use Live Cops to Catch Foreigners
New speed camera system in Hungary uses live police to collect on-the-spot cash from tourists.
Hungary M1 cameraOfficials in Hungary are combining live police officers and automated speed camera traps in an unusual way. In most countries, speed cameras are used to minimize or eliminate entirely any human involvement in the process of collecting million in fine revenue. Motorists accused by machine are normally sent a photograph and bill in the mail and must pay or face a license suspension. In Hungary, however, that procedure fails to capture revenue from motorists who hold a license from another country, particularly tourists crossing over on the M1 Highway near the border with Austria.
Havaria Press reported that officials last month upgraded four speed cameras on the M1 Highway so that they would send automated alerts to a central command post with the identity of vehicles allegedly exceeding the speed limit. Real police officers would then be dispatched to pull over and demand on-the-spot cash payment from these tourists based on the license plate number and the machine's accusation.
8/2/2008
Hungary: Speed Camera Trap Use Live Cops to Catch Foreigners
New speed camera system in Hungary uses live police to collect on-the-spot cash from tourists.
Hungary M1 cameraOfficials in Hungary are combining live police officers and automated speed camera traps in an unusual way. In most countries, speed cameras are used to minimize or eliminate entirely any human involvement in the process of collecting million in fine revenue. Motorists accused by machine are normally sent a photograph and bill in the mail and must pay or face a license suspension. In Hungary, however, that procedure fails to capture revenue from motorists who hold a license from another country, particularly tourists crossing over on the M1 Highway near the border with Austria.
Havaria Press reported that officials last month upgraded four speed cameras on the M1 Highway so that they would send automated alerts to a central command post with the identity of vehicles allegedly exceeding the speed limit. Real police officers would then be dispatched to pull over and demand on-the-spot cash payment from these tourists based on the license plate number and the machine's accusation.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Revolution March in DC
Sent in from DC. It was an impressive event. - Allan
Photos Courtesy of J.
15-20,000 People Marched on Washington DC in a show of mass grass-root's support for Ron Paul's Message of Liberty and Dedication to the US Constitution! In his Speech Dr. Ron Paul encouraged everyone to march in St Paul , Minnesota on Sept 2nd in conjunction with the Republican Convention. He highlighted any plans to bomb Iran as complete Insanity and as un-constitutional and blatantly illegal. He also reminded everyone that throughout history revolutions have always been a success through the efforts of only 3-5% of the population. His speech drew many rounds of loud applause and excited calls of support from the crowd.
Brian, one of the main organizers of the Revolution March and of the North Virginia Patriots projects announced that plans for next year's Revolution March on DC are in the works!
America is obviously a lot more than what we see on TV! Thank you Fellow Patriots! Thank you America !
Monday, July 14, 2008
Mediterranean Union Announced
Sarkozy, the creep, dreams of one-world government when he sleeps at night.
- Allan
http://euobserver.com/9/26482/?rk=1
- Allan
http://euobserver.com/9/26482/?rk=1
Monday, July 7, 2008
Some Big-Brotherish Roadside Details
This has some pretty shady details in it. Additionally, there's an underlying idea of legislatures not living in reality. Laws that no one follows shouldn't be on the books. When there are construction workers around, people slow down, because that makes sense to do to not accidentally harm a worker. However, these barricades go up for construction and no one sees a worker for days at a time. In those situations, it makes no sense to follow the rule mentioned below. Another ridiculous rule was ridiculed all weekend long. Fireworks are effectively illegal in Illinois, however, all weekend long, any where you were, you could see and hear fireworks being set off by private individuals. - Allan in 60040
PS I wish I knew how to get rid of those ads.
PS I wish I knew how to get rid of those ads.
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-getting_around_07jul07,0,7480609.story
chicagotribune.com
Construction zone speed limits and tollway radar towers
GETTING AROUND WITH JON HILKEVITCH
10:48 PM CDT, July 6, 2008
Despite the threat of hefty fines, why do so many drivers think they can get away with ignoring the speed limit—even in highway construction zones—and are those new towers on the side of toll roads some sort of radar speed trap?
Q: I read in the Tribune that the 45-m.p.h. construction zone speed limit is in effect at all times, regardless of the presence of workers. I tried this out on the Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate Highway 88). Plain and simply, I was the only person driving 45 m.p.h. It was laughable watching the rear-view mirror as drivers were confounded by my rate of speed, and I felt I was contributing to a very dangerous situation while cars stacked up behind me. What is the truth, please, and is it your perception that the average driver has no understanding whatsoever about construction zone speed limits?
—Doug Snyder, Chicago
>A: There has been a whopping 34 percent decline this year in the number of speeding tickets that state troopers have issued on Chicago-area expressways, according to new data Getting Around obtained from the Illinois State Police.
The sharp drop-off in citations, prompted by fewer troopers working speed-enforcement details, has likely boosted the perception among lead-footed drivers that the chances of getting caught are slimmer than ever.
Even so, a fair amount of confusion probably exists over whether the 45-m.p.h. construction zone speed limit is in effect only when workers are present.
Illinois law clearly states that the 45-m.p.h. zone is for the duration of a project—24 hours a day, seven days a week. The reason is that in many cases, lanes have been temporarily narrowed, traffic configurations change and construction equipment is working or parked nearby, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.
State troopers issued 3,275 speeding tickets on the interstate highways in District Chicago in Cook County from the beginning of the construction season on March 1 through the end of May, state police records show.
During the same period last year, 4,938 speeding tickets were meted out.
"The reason for the higher number last year was due to 21 additional troopers working every day during the Dan Ryan Expressway and Kingery Expressway construction projects," said Lt. Luis Gutierrez, a state police spokesman.
The data from both years does not include speeding tickets issued on the Illinois tollway system or through the use of state police photo enforcement radar vans. They are used exclusively in roadwork zones, where speeding tickets are a minimum $375.
The most speeding tickets issued this year have been on the Edens Expressway, which is undergoing a resurfacing project, and on the Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford Freeway. The total for the three expressways is 935, Gutierrez said.
Next highest are the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate Highway 290), where 472 speeding tickets have been issued; Illinois Highway 53, 358 speeding tickets issued; the Stevenson Expressway (Interstate Highway 55), 341 speeding tickets issued; and the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate Highway 90), 268 speeding tickets issued, records show.
The photo-enforcement vans are being used in construction zones on the Edens, Illinois 53 and portions of three toll roads—the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate Highway 294) and the Northwest Tollway (I-90) in the Rockford area, officials said.
The registered owners of vehicles clocked by the radar vans exceeding the 45-m.p.h. work zone speed limit are mailed $375 tickets for the first offense.
In May, state troopers issued 502 speeding tickets in tollway work zones. Of that total, 269 were through the use of photo enforcement vans, said State Police Sgt. Jim Jenkner.
Q: I drive on I-294 every day from 127th Street to Ogden Avenue and I noticed in the construction zone they put up some type of solar towers spaced about a mile apart. Are they there to help catch speeding drivers?
—Tom Marx, Bensenville
>A: The towers are indeed radar devices, but they aren't being used to nab speeders, according to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.
Rather, the equipment is part of the tollway's remote traffic monitoring system, which is used to generate travel time information, said toll authority spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis.
The technology uses sensors to enhance the tollway's ability to detect accidents and clear disabled vehicles off the road quickly, she said.
Since the first solar-powered towers were erected in 2003 on toll roads east of the Fox River, there have been suspicions among some drivers that the equipment has been used for speed enforcement against I-PASS customers. According to this theory, I-PASS-equipped vehicles identified as arriving too quickly between various toll-collection sites are singled out for state troopers to issue speeding tickets.
"This technology is in no way related to speed enforcement on the tollway," McGinnis insisted, adding that information about the speed of individual vehicles is not shared with police.
Contact Getting Around at jhilkevitch@tribune.com or c/o the Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Read recent columns at www.chicagotribune.com/gettingaround
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Protecting your Rights
Police officers are not paid to protect your rights, the Constitution can be used in many ways by you to protect your rights, the government must not be relied on to protect your rights, only one person is responsible for protecting your rights, and that is you. This website runs through some excellent scenarios and how to be pro-active in protecting your rights. The video section listed below is an excellent place to start looking though the website. - Allan
http://www.flexyourrights.org/busted/movie_clips
http://www.flexyourrights.org/busted/movie_clips
Anit-Smoking Wakeup in England
Dear Friends:
You always hear me railing against anti-smoking laws, and now the British are waking up to what has hit them. Go to this site for a whole list of great articles, starting with the first one on the list:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/issues/C56/
Ben
You always hear me railing against anti-smoking laws, and now the British are waking up to what has hit them. Go to this site for a whole list of great articles, starting with the first one on the list:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/issues/C56/
Ben
Why an Innocent Person Should Never Speak to a Police Officer
A police officer talking about techniques that the police use, plenty of them being reasons that no one who considers himself or herself innocent should talk to the police. - Allan
Munich Freedom March - July 12
More info on Munich Freedom March can be found here. - Christoph
PS Even if you can't read German, you should be able to understand all of the important information in the posting. - Allan
PS Even if you can't read German, you should be able to understand all of the important information in the posting. - Allan
Friday, July 4, 2008
Freedom Slate '08
Trevor Lyman will be hosting a "money bomb" for me and 24 other pro-freedom candidates on July 4, 2008, from 12:01 am - 11:59 pm, (New York Time). Please give as generously as you can, as early as you can, in support of this event. Thank you. - Allan in 60040
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
They should really just redefine inflation to avoid this problem
Record high inflation sparks debate about interest rates - 01.07.2008 - 09:21
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumer prices in the eurozone countries climbed to four percent in June,
reaching twice the rate of the European Central Bank's inflation goal. The
surge has instantly sparked off a debate about whether the Frankfurt-based
bank should increase interest rates.
http://euobserver.com/9/26422/?rk=1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Consumer prices in the eurozone countries climbed to four percent in June,
reaching twice the rate of the European Central Bank's inflation goal. The
surge has instantly sparked off a debate about whether the Frankfurt-based
bank should increase interest rates.
http://euobserver.com/9/26422/?rk=1
HOORAY for Poland !!
Polish president declines to sign EU treaty - 01.07.2008 - 09:26
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polish president Lech Kaczynski has indicated he will not sign the Lisbon
treaty until Ireland gets over its No vote, dealing a strong blow to EU
attempts to revive the pact. German ratification also went on hold Monday,
pending a Constitutional Court decision in autumn.
http://euobserver.com/9/26424/?rk=1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Polish president Lech Kaczynski has indicated he will not sign the Lisbon
treaty until Ireland gets over its No vote, dealing a strong blow to EU
attempts to revive the pact. German ratification also went on hold Monday,
pending a Constitutional Court decision in autumn.
http://euobserver.com/9/26424/?rk=1
TSA approves this bag
Great - just buy this bag for easier travel. Yet another hoop to jump through on the way to becoming obedient Sheeple. TSA made things more difficult for us, now we are supposed to breathe a sigh of relief as they "allow" us to board a plane without having to entirely unpack our laptops (as 25% of American air travelers are forced to do according to this article. - Allan
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/business/01road.html?th&emc=th
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/business/01road.html?th&emc=th
The Wealthy Corporate Donors Supporting Obama
A quote from the article:
"Over the past few years, people from Goldman Sachs have assumed control over large parts of the federal government. Over the next few they might just take over the whole darn thing."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/opinion/01brooks.html?th&emc=th
- Allan in Highwood
"Over the past few years, people from Goldman Sachs have assumed control over large parts of the federal government. Over the next few they might just take over the whole darn thing."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/opinion/01brooks.html?th&emc=th
- Allan in Highwood
Big Oil Returns to Iraq
Another brief piece , this time from the New York Times about the return of American big oil to Iraq and the role that the White House played in paving the way for that re-entry. - Allan
Why are there so many plane crashes in Iran?
This article briefly goes into several possible causes for a large number of plane crashes in Iran, one of the links that it entertains is the role that US trade sanctions in Iran may play in this matter.
- Allan
- Allan
Attempts to Ban Menthol and Flavored Cigarettes in the US
The underlying message here seems bigoted. Legislation like this seems to say "Americans need to be taken care of" then goes on specifically to target Black Americans with "Black Americans need to be taken care of." This is ridiculous. Why can't we as individuals make our own decisions about cigarette use if we have a free country?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/business/01menthol.html?th&emc=th
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/business/01menthol.html?th&emc=th
Monday, June 30, 2008
Kent Snyder
Some very sad news. Kent Snyder, the chairman of Ron Paul's Presidential campaign, has passed away from pneumonia. Kent was the man that convinced Ron to run for President.
Ron Paul's blog on his memories of Kent Snyder
Ron Paul's blog on his memories of Kent Snyder
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Police Shooting Rubber Bullets at a Lawyer Protesting
This attorney was hit with rubber bullets during a protest and a second video came out about cops laughing about it. I encounter some very perturbed people on the campaign trail, each with their own stories about government not only failing them, but government actually doing them harm. It would be of interest to me to know if many people are today suing police departments. From what I hear on the campaign trail, the answer is "Yes." Many people have police department horror stories and many people are suing as a result. This is not a finger that I point at the police, this is a finger that I point at our elected leaders from the federal level on down, who do not show regard for our rights. This video is but an extension of that. - Allan
A Montage on the Evils of FEMA
Here is a montage of several videos, the most shocking of which to me is the hearing that Oliver North appears at. The editor of this piece juxtaposes several FEMA-related videos to successfully leave the viewer feeling claustrophobic at the end. - Allan
Police Abusing Power
This woman called the police for help and was treated like this.
This is horrific. It should not be surprising in a time where we
so blatantly disregard the idea that all Americans must have all
rights equally protected. There cannot be special bill of rights
for special groups of politically powerful people, there cannot
be special bill of rights for whites or blacks, there cannot be
selective readings of the bill of rights, every one of those rights
applies to every American. None of us can be free individually,
until we agree as a group to allow every other American to be
free, until we agree as a group that we will uphold each one of
those rights for every single American, regardless of what it
takes to do that. - Allan
This is horrific. It should not be surprising in a time where we
so blatantly disregard the idea that all Americans must have all
rights equally protected. There cannot be special bill of rights
for special groups of politically powerful people, there cannot
be special bill of rights for whites or blacks, there cannot be
selective readings of the bill of rights, every one of those rights
applies to every American. None of us can be free individually,
until we agree as a group to allow every other American to be
free, until we agree as a group that we will uphold each one of
those rights for every single American, regardless of what it
takes to do that. - Allan
Waiting for Police Permission to Return Home
People in Iowa waiting in line for permission from police before they may return home.
- Allan
- Allan
the 4th Amendment in Iowa
Police in Iowa entering people's homes. What has happened to our fourth amendment when this is acceptable? - Allan
US Empire
A reading and accompanying cartoon from a book by Howard Zinn, both historical and auto-biographical at once. Well done. - Allan
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m9T96ZU74R9W3
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m9T96ZU74R9W3
Why is oil up? What is HJ Res 362?
This is so good. Why is oil up? According to Hon. Ron Paul because the dollar is down with $4 Trillion of money creation over the last 3 years and aggressive foreign policy. HJ Res 362 - "a virtual war resolution," is what he goes on to talk about. Demands that the President impose stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, and cargo leaving Iran and prohibiting the movement of all Iranian officials. "Where do we get the authority for this?" he asks. - Allan
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Munich Freedom March
Announcing the Munich Freedom March, July 12 in Munich, Germany. A sister event to the Revolution March in DC. - Allan in Highwood, IL
Friday, June 27, 2008
$34 bil Black Budget
The Pentagon's "Black Budget" on the low end, is estimated, in this article to be about $34 billion. That same article goes on to talk about who's making money for doing what for the Pentagon.
- Allan in 60040
- Allan in 60040
Obama or McCain?
According to this article, from a usually pro-Obama publication, Iraqis do not trust either.
- Allan
- Allan
The Return of Big Oil to Iraq
According to this article, the four oil companies that Hussein booted from Iraq about 35 years ago are finally returning: Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil, and Total. - Allan
From where does the name of the dollar originate?
The following is an excerpt from Murray Rothbard's excellent "The Case for a 100% Gold Dollar"
- Allan
- Allan
Names, therefore, whatever they may be, “Rothbard,” “Jones,” or even “dollar,” could not have arisen as money on the free market. How, then did such names as “dollar” and “peso” originate and emerge in their own right as independent moneys? The answer is that these names invariably originated as names for units of weight of a money commodity, either gold or silver. In short, they began not as pure names, but as names of units of weight of particular money commodities. In the British pound sterling we have a particularly striking example of a weight derivative, for the British pound was originally just that: a pound of silver money.[10] “Dollar” began as the generally applied name of an ounce weight of silver coined in the sixteenth century by a Bohemian, Count Schlick, who lived in Joachimsthal, and the name of his highly reputed coins became “Joachimsthalers,” or simply “thalers” or “dollars.” And even after a lengthy process of debasement, alteration, and manipulation of these weights until they more and more became separated names, they still remained names of units of weight of specie until, in the United States, we went off the gold standard in 1933. In short, it is incorrect to say that, before 1933, the price of gold was fixed in terms of dollars.Also, do not forget about the academic endeavors of our friends in northern Europe at the Rothbard Institute.
Commodities Scoreboard for the Year
Posted by Jim Sinclair at www.JSMineSet.com. - Allan
Anyone else think that gold is long overdue for an upward correction?
Score Board -- percentage change for the year, so far, in various items:
- Crude oil up 42.5%
- Ethanol up 20.7%
- Heating oil up 43.9%
- Natural gas up 76.5%
- Unleaded gas up 39.5%
- Cattle up 1.0%
- Corn up 58.8%
- Soy beans up; 26.4%
- Coffee up 5.9%
- Aluminum up 32.7%
- Copper up 25.7%
- Platinum up 33.4%
- Gold up 6.0%
- Silver up 13.4%.
- S&P 500 down 10.24%
- Frankfurt DAX down 18.32%
- London FTSE down 12.23%
- Paris CAC down 19.64%
- Hong Kong Hang Sang down 18.33%.
- Tokyo Nikkei down 9.47%
- Singapore Straits down 14.04%.
- Seoul Composite down 9.57%
- Sydney All Ordinary down 15.76%
- Taipei Telex down 7.40%
The Concluding Paragraph of DC v. Heller
I took some time yesterday to read the DC v. Heller decision. It ended up being a very educational explanation of a variety of gun control laws over the last 600 years, as well as an explanation of the right to keep and bear arms over that time. Additionally, it talked about what the word "keep" and "bear" and "arms" means, as well as the grammar of the 2nd Amendment. I agree with this blogger when he stresses the concluding paragraph of the ruling, a paragraph that is included below. Scalia took many opportunities to explain why his colleagues authoring the dissenting opinions were entirely wrong. I appreciate Scalia's statement in the last sentence of that paragraph, which recognizes the limits placed on the Supreme Court. That sentence, may be the most important sentence in the entire brief. - Allan in 60040
“We are aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country, and we take seriously the concerns raised by the many amici who believe that prohibition of handgun ownership is a solution. The Constitution leaves the District of Columbia a variety of tools for combating that problem, including some measures regulating handguns, see supra, at 54–55, and n. 26. But the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certan policy choices off the table. These include the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home. Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.”
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Initially it sounds like a joke, but then it gets pretty sad
Officer shoots man wielding crutch, Forest View chief says
Brouk said the officer ordered the suspect to stop, but that he continued to approach the officer.
"After being told several times to drop the crutch, he failed to do so—at which point our officer had no other option but to use deadly force," he said.
The suspect was listed in critical condition at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Brouk said. The Cook County Public Integrity Unit will investigate the shooting, said Brouk, who referred further questions to county officials.
A Cook County sheriff's office spokeswoman could not immediately be reached. An employee at the bar declined to comment overnight.
Dan P. Blake, Tribune reporter
Bet you didn't know this
Shocking stuff, but I suppose it shouldn't be. Towards the end of the article Sam Brownback contributes an essentially meaningless quote? It sounds like his justification for this is something like "We must search all laptops because terrorists use laptops." - Allan in Highwood
Complaints from travelers and privacy advocates have spurred some lawmakers to fight the U.S. Customs policy and to consider sponsoring legislation that would sharply limit the practice.
As people store more and more information electronically, the debate hinges on whether searching a laptop is like looking in your luggage or more like a strip search.
"Customs agents must have the ability to conduct even highly intrusive searches when there is reason to suspect criminal or terrorist activity, but suspicion-less searches of Americans' laptops and similar devices go too far," said Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), who chairs a subcommittee that examined the searches at a hearing Wednesday. "Congress should not allow this gross violation of privacy."
Authorities need a search warrant to get at a computer in a person's home and reasonable suspicion of illegal activity to search a laptop in other places. But the rules change at border crossings.
Courts consistently have ruled that there's no need for warrants or suspicions when a person is seeking to enter the country -- agents can search belongings, including computer gear, for any reason.
The latest decision was from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which in April ruled that agents had acted properly when turning over information used to charge a traveler with possession of child pornography. His laptop had been searched in 2005 at Los Angeles International Airport.
Any routine search is considered "reasonable" under the 4th Amendment, legal scholars agree. But Feingold is worried that the law has not kept up with technology.
Said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "People keep their lives on these devices: diaries, personal mail, financial records, family photos. . . . The government should not be able to read this information."
In February, the group and the Asian Law Caucus sued authorities for more information about the program.
The issue is of particular concern for businesses, which risk the loss of proprietary data when executives travel abroad, said Susan K. Gurley, executive director of the Assn. of Corporate Travel Executives. After the California court ruling, the group warned its members to limit the business and personal information they carry on laptops taken out of the country.
Of the 100 people who responded to a survey the association did in February, seven said they had been subject to the seizure of a laptop or other electronic device.
Jayson P. Ahern, deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said in written testimony to the subcommittee that the agency would "protect information that may be discovered during the examination process, as well as private information of a personal nature that is not in violation of any law." The agency conducts "a regular review and purging of information that is no longer relevant."
Feingold said the testimony gave "little meaningful detail" about the program. He is considering legislation to prohibit such routine searches of electronic devices without reasonable suspicion.
But Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) said officials have to balance individual rights with protecting the nation.
"Terrorists take advantage of this kind of technology," he said.
Hogan, the freelance journalist, said there was no reason for customs agents to think he was a terrorist. He advised people to take precautions with their laptops when they leave the country.
"I certainly would never take it again," he said.
jim.puzzanghera @latimes.com
Laptop seizures at customs raise outcry
Complaints from travelers and privacy advocates have spurred lawmakers to challenge the policy of random inspections.
WASHINGTON - Bill Hogan was returning home to the U.S. from Germany in February when a customs agent at Dulles International Airport pulled him aside. He could reenter the country, she told him. But his laptop couldn't.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents said he had been chosen for "random inspection of electronic media," and kept his computer for about two weeks, recalled Hogan, 55, a freelance journalist from Falls Church, Va.
Fortunately, it was a spare computer that had little important information. But Hogan felt violated.
"It's not an inspection. It's a seizure," he said. "What do they do with it? I assume they just copy everything."
For several years, U.S. officials have been searching and seizing laptops, digital cameras, cellphones and other electronic devices at the border with few publicly released details.
Complaints from travelers and privacy advocates have spurred some lawmakers to fight the U.S. Customs policy and to consider sponsoring legislation that would sharply limit the practice.
As people store more and more information electronically, the debate hinges on whether searching a laptop is like looking in your luggage or more like a strip search.
"Customs agents must have the ability to conduct even highly intrusive searches when there is reason to suspect criminal or terrorist activity, but suspicion-less searches of Americans' laptops and similar devices go too far," said Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), who chairs a subcommittee that examined the searches at a hearing Wednesday. "Congress should not allow this gross violation of privacy."
Authorities need a search warrant to get at a computer in a person's home and reasonable suspicion of illegal activity to search a laptop in other places. But the rules change at border crossings.
Courts consistently have ruled that there's no need for warrants or suspicions when a person is seeking to enter the country -- agents can search belongings, including computer gear, for any reason.
The latest decision was from the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which in April ruled that agents had acted properly when turning over information used to charge a traveler with possession of child pornography. His laptop had been searched in 2005 at Los Angeles International Airport.
Any routine search is considered "reasonable" under the 4th Amendment, legal scholars agree. But Feingold is worried that the law has not kept up with technology.
Said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, "People keep their lives on these devices: diaries, personal mail, financial records, family photos. . . . The government should not be able to read this information."
In February, the group and the Asian Law Caucus sued authorities for more information about the program.
The issue is of particular concern for businesses, which risk the loss of proprietary data when executives travel abroad, said Susan K. Gurley, executive director of the Assn. of Corporate Travel Executives. After the California court ruling, the group warned its members to limit the business and personal information they carry on laptops taken out of the country.
Of the 100 people who responded to a survey the association did in February, seven said they had been subject to the seizure of a laptop or other electronic device.
Jayson P. Ahern, deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said in written testimony to the subcommittee that the agency would "protect information that may be discovered during the examination process, as well as private information of a personal nature that is not in violation of any law." The agency conducts "a regular review and purging of information that is no longer relevant."
Feingold said the testimony gave "little meaningful detail" about the program. He is considering legislation to prohibit such routine searches of electronic devices without reasonable suspicion.
But Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) said officials have to balance individual rights with protecting the nation.
"Terrorists take advantage of this kind of technology," he said.
Hogan, the freelance journalist, said there was no reason for customs agents to think he was a terrorist. He advised people to take precautions with their laptops when they leave the country.
"I certainly would never take it again," he said.
jim.puzzanghera @latimes.com
Let's get out of Iraq
This is very good. It is al-Jabeeri saying that the Iraq can defend itself, that our embassy, the largest in the world and the size of the Vatican, is a problem, and that the presence of our military bases is a problem as well. - Allan in 60040
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
It's just the Chicago Way
This is from one of my favorite journalists, John Kass, who advises people to not be frustrated that Obama has foresaken the ideals of public funding ($85 million) for the deep pockets campaign that he could have enough money to run ($5oo million). It's just the Chicago Way, Kass let's us know. Well written article with lots of little details: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kasswedobamajun25,0,6475840.column
For Obama tourism in Chicago, I welcome you to follow this link. You can see some of the places in which he learned the Chicago Way. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama-chicago-htmlstory,0,734093.htmlstory
- Allan in Highwood, IL
For Obama tourism in Chicago, I welcome you to follow this link. You can see some of the places in which he learned the Chicago Way. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama-chicago-htmlstory,0,734093.htmlstory
- Allan in Highwood, IL
A Major Victory for Texas
I am pleased to report that last week we received notice that the Texas Department of Transportation will recommend the I-69 Project be developed using existing highway facilities instead of the proposed massive new Trans Texas Corridor/NAFTA Superhighway. According to the Texas Transportation Commissioner, consideration is no longer being given to new corridors and other proposals for a new highway footprint for this project. A major looming threat to property rights and national sovereignty is removed with this encouraging announcement.
Public outcry was cited as the main reason for this decision. I was very impressed to learn that the TxDOT received nearly 28,000 public comments on this matter, and that some 12,000 Texans attended the 47 public hearings held earlier this year. They could not ignore this tsunami of strong public opinion against the proposed plans. I was especially proud of how informed my constituents became on the subject, and how eloquently and respectfully they spoke and conducted themselves, considering how upsetting the plans were for our communities in
This is a major victory for the people of
However, now is not the time to rest on our laurels. The bittersweet aspect of this victory is that we had to fight at all. We took time away from family and friends, doing other things, to attend these meetings, inform others, write letters, post signs and submit our complaints, and we should not have had to. Government should let us be, if we are peaceful citizens, harming no one. In a perfect world, government could be trusted to act in the best interests of the people without overwhelming pressure of this kind. This is not a perfect world. Constant pressure is needed to keep government in check, and we succeeded this time. But this will not be the last time citizen efforts and involvement will be required. We still face many unreasonable encroachments of big government today, from confiscatory, economy-strangling taxation to creeping disregard of the right of habeas corpus and other Constitutional rights, to thousands of nuisance bureaucratic regulations interfering with our every day lives. We have drifted far from what the founding fathers envisioned for this nation. Last week was just one victory towards getting back on the right path. We must continue to hold politicians’ feet to the Constitutional fire. If I had to guess, they will probably try to implement the NAFTA Superhighway again sometime in the future.
It is a never-ending battle, but it must be fought, and can be won. I am proud to stand with my constituents in this fight, and in the other fights we have ahead of us.
- Dr. Ron Paul, Lake Jackson, TX
Some Books at the Mises Institute
I've heard some good things about this series of books, the politically incorrect guides:
http://www.mises.org/store/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-to-American-History-The-P247.aspx
http://www.mises.org/store/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-to-Capitalism-The-P360C0.aspx
http://www.mises.org/store/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-to-the-Constitution-The-P409.aspx
To further understand his own platform, there are two books that Ron Paul has recommended to me:
http://www.mises.org/store/Freedom-Under-Siege-P429.aspx
http://www.mises.org/store/Pillars-of-Prosperity-P466.aspx
Finally, this will be my next step in economics study. It looks like a great packet. What I would like is some testing material to accompany it. I'm trying to twist Johannes's arm to take this course with me.
http://www.mises.org/store/Mises-Institute-Home-Study-Course-in-Austrian-Economics-P211.aspx
- Allan in Highwood, IL
http://www.mises.org/store/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-to-American-History-The-P247.aspx
http://www.mises.org/store/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-to-Capitalism-The-P360C0.aspx
http://www.mises.org/store/Politically-Incorrect-Guide-to-the-Constitution-The-P409.aspx
To further understand his own platform, there are two books that Ron Paul has recommended to me:
http://www.mises.org/store/Freedom-Under-Siege-P429.aspx
http://www.mises.org/store/Pillars-of-Prosperity-P466.aspx
Finally, this will be my next step in economics study. It looks like a great packet. What I would like is some testing material to accompany it. I'm trying to twist Johannes's arm to take this course with me.
http://www.mises.org/store/Mises-Institute-Home-Study-Course-in-Austrian-Economics-P211.aspx
- Allan in Highwood, IL
LvM in Vienna
Historically significant places in Vienna connected to our man Ludwig von Mises. Johannes will soon have his first von Mises tourist on his hands.
- Allan in Highwood, IL
http://www.mises.org/vienna.asp
- Allan in Highwood, IL
http://www.mises.org/vienna.asp
3 cheers for the Irish, Poles, and Czechs
My favorite part is the praise for Central Europe on the issue of due process. Good article on the stumbling blocks that have been put in the path of the pro-superstate faction.
- Allan in Highwood, IL
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/23/ccview123.xml
- Allan in Highwood, IL
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/23/ccview123.xml
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
South American Union
Representatives from South American countries formed a regional union set out to create a continental parliament this Friday. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYwXUkXjzVHgHX9w0W0_F9zJe_DwD90RJB3O0
This brings the total of continental unions up to three: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_union. It reminds me of my days playing great war board games like Risk and Axis and Allies with friends and pairing off as we realized we would be defeated otherwise.
How far away are we from a North American Union?
This brings the total of continental unions up to three: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_union. It reminds me of my days playing great war board games like Risk and Axis and Allies with friends and pairing off as we realized we would be defeated otherwise.
How far away are we from a North American Union?
U.A.E., Qatar May Drop Dollar Pegs Within Months, National Says
The Gulf Cooperation Council hoped to form a monetary union in 2010 when the Gulf states would drop the dollar peg; however, U.A.E and Qatar may drop the dollar peg as soon as a few months. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=a1Kmior169Jk&refer=africa
-Dan in BA
-Dan in BA
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Dollar to the Crown - Craptastic ! !
This was sent in by Josh in Bratislava. It's in proportion to the dollar. Quite a sad milestone for the dollar. I have had to start selling my book in the US for more than $17 in order to break even! I used to sell it for $10.
- Allan
"SKK Slovakia Koruny 0.0502762974 / 19.8900883912"
- Allan
"SKK Slovakia Koruny 0.0502762974 / 19.8900883912"
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
If you live in Bratislava, the IRS wants to help you pay lower taxes
As nice as this sounds, there's just something about it that I don't really trust. Why does the typically customer-unfriendly IRS want to come to Bratislava to help people with their taxes? I am curious if it is meant to be part of a larger series in a fact finding mission of sorts, a survey, or a census to see who is out there that is not filing properly with the IRS. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Of course, maybe I am just wrong, maybe the IRS just wants to be nice and to help taxpayers living in Bratislava to be able to have the largest possible tax breaks imaginable.
Skeptical in Highwood,
Allan
"Bratislava Consular Section (Public Inquiries)"
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 10:12:28 +0200
From: "Bratislava Consular Section (Public Inquiries)"
Memorandum
To: All American Taxpayers in Slovakia
From: Consular Section, American Embassy, Bratislava
Date: 5/20/2008
---------------------------------
American Community Messages
---------------------------------
Dear Compatriots!
A representative of the Internal Revenue Service is tentatively planning to be in Bratislava on June 11th and available to speak with any fellow citizens who may have U.S. tax issues, problems or questions at the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava.
If you are interested in attending, please let us know as soon as possible (but no later than June 6th)the following information:
* the visitor's full name
* contact telephone/mobile number and/or email address
* preferred time(s) between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm
The times and availability will be on a first-come-first served basis and will be confirmed to you by e-mail.
Sincerely,
Robin L. Haase
Consul
Skeptical in Highwood,
Allan
"Bratislava Consular Section (Public Inquiries)"
Date: Tue, 20 May 2008 10:12:28 +0200
From: "Bratislava Consular Section (Public Inquiries)"
Memorandum
To: All American Taxpayers in Slovakia
From: Consular Section, American Embassy, Bratislava
Date: 5/20/2008
---------------------------------
American Community Messages
---------------------------------
Dear Compatriots!
A representative of the Internal Revenue Service is tentatively planning to be in Bratislava on June 11th and available to speak with any fellow citizens who may have U.S. tax issues, problems or questions at the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava.
If you are interested in attending, please let us know as soon as possible (but no later than June 6th)the following information:
* the visitor's full name
* contact telephone/mobile number and/or email address
* preferred time(s) between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm
The times and availability will be on a first-come-first served basis and will be confirmed to you by e-mail.
Sincerely,
Robin L. Haase
Consul
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Information on the Upcoming July 12 March in DC - Allan
Announcement - Expanding the march!
Posted: 09 May 2008 06:29 PM CDT
Great news! Our plans are really coming along for the march and rally - we're lining up our speakers and entertainment right now. We have invited several Congressmen and authors (some best-selling) to speak about various subjects. Not only will you have the opportunity to stand up and show your representatives that you are paying attention, but you will have the opportunity to grow in your civic knowledge! Topics to be covered include the Federal Reserve, the economy, foreign policy, subversion of the Constitution, fascism and the impending North American Union, which, of course, includes the topics of illegal immigration, open borders, land confiscation in Texas for the NAFTA Superhighway, and more!
That's not all! We are expanding on the march/rally idea to include many educational and action oriented activities throughout the week! We want this march to be more than just a march. We want this event to aid in producing future candidates, campaign managers, activists, and citizen lobbyists! The only way to effect change is legislatively. Now is your chance to do that:
Wednesday-Thursday: Citizens Lobby Workshops for those who would like to lobby Congress on Friday the 11th
Friday: Lobbying your Congressman and Senators with your new found skills
Also Friday: Demonstrating in front of the Federal Reserve Building
And, Friday is the Marshal training for the special folks who signed up to help keep things humming along the march route as well as the rally.
Saturday: The march!!!!!
Saturday, post march: Book signing and opportunities to meet the speakers
One day or the whole week, there will be plenty of opportunity for you to have an impact, network, have fun, and learn along the way! So plan on taking some vacation time and join us!
Have you made your travel plans yet? Currently there are 4 cross-country convoys being planned - starting in California! We are also negotiating with Best Western to be our official Nationwide Revolution March Hotel chain. The enthusiasm is electric!
We'll have more details on the web site about the activities prior to the march as well as more info on the "Ronvoy" in a few days. We will have a special website with all the details posted on RonVoy.com soon!
Important: We are gearing up for a Memorial Day Money Bomb which will be on MarchBomb.com when it is ready. In the meantime, if people wish to donate, they can do it using the Chip-In widget on the RevolutionMarch.com home page. Without donations, this march can’t move forward, so please spread the word on this. Any donation, big or small, is needed and welcomed! Also, we will need your help finding sponsors for the event. Sponsors are organizations that will buy tables at the march to distribute their literature and will be given advertisement exposure on our web site, our radio program, and in our literature. We will have more info on that in a future email.
Please keep in mind when you are promoting that this is a family event, and that we encourage all people, regardless of age or political background to come and stand up for true freedom, and if you have any questions regarding the march, your job, fundraising, or any other aspect of this event, feel free to contact us at any time.
All we need now is the funding and sponsorship to ensure this event is a success! Please help us achieve our goals by donating here:
Thanks
Revolution March Team
http://www.revolutionmarch.com
http://www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
That's not all! We are expanding on the march/rally idea to include many educational and action oriented activities throughout the week! We want this march to be more than just a march. We want this event to aid in producing future candidates, campaign managers, activists, and citizen lobbyists! The only way to effect change is legislatively. Now is your chance to do that:
Wednesday-Thursday: Citizens Lobby Workshops for those who would like to lobby Congress on Friday the 11th
Friday: Lobbying your Congressman and Senators with your new found skills
Also Friday: Demonstrating in front of the Federal Reserve Building
And, Friday is the Marshal training for the special folks who signed up to help keep things humming along the march route as well as the rally.
Saturday: The march!!!!!
Saturday, post march: Book signing and opportunities to meet the speakers
One day or the whole week, there will be plenty of opportunity for you to have an impact, network, have fun, and learn along the way! So plan on taking some vacation time and join us!
Have you made your travel plans yet? Currently there are 4 cross-country convoys being planned - starting in California! We are also negotiating with Best Western to be our official Nationwide Revolution March Hotel chain. The enthusiasm is electric!
We'll have more details on the web site about the activities prior to the march as well as more info on the "Ronvoy" in a few days. We will have a special website with all the details posted on RonVoy.com soon!
Important: We are gearing up for a Memorial Day Money Bomb which will be on MarchBomb.com when it is ready. In the meantime, if people wish to donate, they can do it using the Chip-In widget on the RevolutionMarch.com home page. Without donations, this march can’t move forward, so please spread the word on this. Any donation, big or small, is needed and welcomed! Also, we will need your help finding sponsors for the event. Sponsors are organizations that will buy tables at the march to distribute their literature and will be given advertisement exposure on our web site, our radio program, and in our literature. We will have more info on that in a future email.
Please keep in mind when you are promoting that this is a family event, and that we encourage all people, regardless of age or political background to come and stand up for true freedom, and if you have any questions regarding the march, your job, fundraising, or any other aspect of this event, feel free to contact us at any time.
All we need now is the funding and sponsorship to ensure this event is a success! Please help us achieve our goals by donating here:
Thanks
Revolution March Team
http://www.revolutionmarch.com
http://www.revolutionbroadcasting.com
Friday, May 9, 2008
Peter James and His Campaign
This was sent in by Pamela in Orland Park, IL. It is about the candidate that Johannes interviewed last week. I am very impressed by this Peter James fellow.
- Allan in Highwood
"Peter James is our Republican candidate in Maryland's 4th
Congressional District. Peter faces a special election on
June 17, which provides a unique opportunity for us to pick
up this seat. There will likely be low voter turn out, so
it is absolutely essential that Republicans, and
liberty-loving independents and Democrats, go out to vote
for Peter. Time is short and this election is rapidly
approaching, please do what you can to help Peter today."
-- Ron Paul
Donate at peterjames08.com. Please pass this on to your meetup
members.
Winning a Congressional race takes lots of money. Or so they
say. We were told that
in order for Ron Paul to win he needed to raise millions. Well
he raised those millions but
his message went unheard by millions that might have voted for
him had they heard his message.
I believe that there is a very low cost credible method to win
Congressional campaigns across the country.
I have won my primary with efficient direct mail and must now
face two General elections in Maryland's 4th District. On June
17th I will have a very low turn out election and can take
office immediately thereafter.
First, we need our own deliver system as the media is not
cooperating. Here is what I am doing about
it. I am developing a direct mail program that I can share
costs with local merchants and national
and international Ron Paul supporters that have some product or
service they wish to promote.
By mailing a "card stack" of 10 to 20 envelope sized
advertisements, a 25 cent postage rate drops to
2.5 or 1.25 cents per advertiser. So a 100K piece mailer now
costs only $1250 to $2500 in postage
instead of $25,000. We are looking to have weekly mailers to
all households this is our news outlet.
Instead of raising large amounts of money, I am making my own.
I have begun issuing a local currency
called JUST MONEY. This is a supplemental currency to help
local businesses by adding to the total
money supply that has been shrinking. I exchange 5 Terrapin
Notes for $5 Federal reserve Notes.
For every $2000 in Federal Reserve Notes I am removing from
circulation, I give away to one of the
JUST MONEY note holders an ounce of gold(~$860). This achieves
several things. I brands my campaign
as my web site is on the notes. So instead of having a flyer
that is read and thrown away, the note continues
to circulate. Imprinting my name everyday in the minds of
voters. By offering other local merchants
the ability to brand their businesses on the notes, they can
also have permanent advertising.
I am also developing a automated phone system for about $1000
a month I can have 100 VOIP
lines continually calling. But surveying local voters, I can
identify who the swing voters are and
which voters to ignore as to not inspire them to go out and
vote for my opponent.
We are scrapping web sites for business owners, home owners,
doctors, real estate agents, etc. We are
matching these name with local voters, party affiliation and
other demographics. To present custom
messages that will resonate with their most compelling issues.
To win this election I need to communicate a message that
resonates with only those voters that are
going to be voting. That will be roughly 10% or less of the
registered voters in my June 17th election.
By sending out absentee ballots to Republicans to increase
turnout and identifying swing independent
and democratic voters, I believe the election can be won for a
fairly low cost. Say $30,000.
Help me build this prototype campaign system and I will share
it with other liberty candidates.
Please go to my web site to donate just $5 to this cause. www.
peterjames08.com.
Business owners please email me to purchase an ad for our
mailers to free market doctors,
Republicans that vote, business owners, and homeowners.
In liberty,
Peter James
just-money <> comcast
- Allan in Highwood
"Peter James is our Republican candidate in Maryland's 4th
Congressional District. Peter faces a special election on
June 17, which provides a unique opportunity for us to pick
up this seat. There will likely be low voter turn out, so
it is absolutely essential that Republicans, and
liberty-loving independents and Democrats, go out to vote
for Peter. Time is short and this election is rapidly
approaching, please do what you can to help Peter today."
-- Ron Paul
Donate at peterjames08.com. Please pass this on to your meetup
members.
Winning a Congressional race takes lots of money. Or so they
say. We were told that
in order for Ron Paul to win he needed to raise millions. Well
he raised those millions but
his message went unheard by millions that might have voted for
him had they heard his message.
I believe that there is a very low cost credible method to win
Congressional campaigns across the country.
I have won my primary with efficient direct mail and must now
face two General elections in Maryland's 4th District. On June
17th I will have a very low turn out election and can take
office immediately thereafter.
First, we need our own deliver system as the media is not
cooperating. Here is what I am doing about
it. I am developing a direct mail program that I can share
costs with local merchants and national
and international Ron Paul supporters that have some product or
service they wish to promote.
By mailing a "card stack" of 10 to 20 envelope sized
advertisements, a 25 cent postage rate drops to
2.5 or 1.25 cents per advertiser. So a 100K piece mailer now
costs only $1250 to $2500 in postage
instead of $25,000. We are looking to have weekly mailers to
all households this is our news outlet.
Instead of raising large amounts of money, I am making my own.
I have begun issuing a local currency
called JUST MONEY. This is a supplemental currency to help
local businesses by adding to the total
money supply that has been shrinking. I exchange 5 Terrapin
Notes for $5 Federal reserve Notes.
For every $2000 in Federal Reserve Notes I am removing from
circulation, I give away to one of the
JUST MONEY note holders an ounce of gold(~$860). This achieves
several things. I brands my campaign
as my web site is on the notes. So instead of having a flyer
that is read and thrown away, the note continues
to circulate. Imprinting my name everyday in the minds of
voters. By offering other local merchants
the ability to brand their businesses on the notes, they can
also have permanent advertising.
I am also developing a automated phone system for about $1000
a month I can have 100 VOIP
lines continually calling. But surveying local voters, I can
identify who the swing voters are and
which voters to ignore as to not inspire them to go out and
vote for my opponent.
We are scrapping web sites for business owners, home owners,
doctors, real estate agents, etc. We are
matching these name with local voters, party affiliation and
other demographics. To present custom
messages that will resonate with their most compelling issues.
To win this election I need to communicate a message that
resonates with only those voters that are
going to be voting. That will be roughly 10% or less of the
registered voters in my June 17th election.
By sending out absentee ballots to Republicans to increase
turnout and identifying swing independent
and democratic voters, I believe the election can be won for a
fairly low cost. Say $30,000.
Help me build this prototype campaign system and I will share
it with other liberty candidates.
Please go to my web site to donate just $5 to this cause. www.
peterjames08.com.
Business owners please email me to purchase an ad for our
mailers to free market doctors,
Republicans that vote, business owners, and homeowners.
In liberty,
Peter James
just-money <> comcast
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A Letter from Ben Novak, Founder of Americans in Europe for Ron Paul, to Paulites Everywhere
A Letter from Ben Novak,
Founder of Americans in Europe for Ron Paul,
to Paulites Everywhere
Dear Paulites:
For some time I have been pondering two questions: First, why is Ron Paul working so hard to collect delegates to the Republican convention when John McCain already has it all sewed up? Second, if Paul doesn’t have a chance at the nomination, why does he look so happy and confident? Then it occurred to me: perhaps he has a strategy to win it after all. So, I thought about it a long time, and realized that he could indeed win it. So I decided to buck up your spirits by telling you how he is going to do it.
How Ron Paul Is Going to Win
A. The Strategic Foundation
Much despair seems to have come over Ron Paul supporters because of the disappointing results of the primaries. But I suggest that this despair results from a mis-estimation of both the character and genius of our candidate. For, Ron Paul intends to win this campaign, and has brilliantly planned every move in it to arrive at this point: victory is only one short step away. All it requires is that the delegates to the Republican convention consider the dilemma facing their party as the September convention approaches.
Their thinking will begin with the polls, which show John M'cCain's support growing weaker day by day. Although McCain has the advantage of being the presumptive Republican candidate while the Democratic candidates are still tearing each other apart, both Clinton’s and Obama’s numbers have begun to rise above McCain’s. If this continues through the summer, delegates will begin to consider the following five reasons why:
First, McCain’s position on the war is gradually sinking in. Two-thirds of the voters oppose the war and want to get out. McCain not only wants to continue it, but to expand it into Iran, and not only expand it, but to have it go on endlessly. McCain has joked in public about changing the words of a popular hit song by the Beach Boys from “Bar Bar Bar Barbara Ann” to “bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran,”1 and speaks with approval of keeping American troops in Iraq for not only “a hundred years,” but “a thousand years” and even speaks of “a million years.”2
Delegates will soon begin to think about what this means for the fall campaign. As soon as they do, however, nightmares may replace their dreams of victory. They will have visions of Democrats playing the tape of McCain’s little jig on “bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran," to the tune of "Bar Bar Bar Barbara Ann" over and over again, until that tune together with McCain’s words are singing in the head of every voter in the country. They will then flood the country with ads featuring McCain’s comment about staying in Iraq for “a hundred, “a thousand,” and even “a million” years,” until McCain is not only identified as the “war candidate,” but the “candidate of endless war.” McCain has given the Democrats the opportunity to focus their whole campaign on his mad love of war. Every older Republican will remind every younger one of the “little-girl-picking-flowers-with-a-mushroom-cloud-rising-behind-her” television spot that the Democrats used to devastate the Barry Goldwater campaign in 1964.
Second, as America heads into recession voters rate their fears about the economy even higher than their concerns about war. But McCain will be unable to take advantage of this because he is weak on pocketbook issues. He has little knowledge or background in economics, fiscal policy, trade, job creation, etc. Anything he proposes now will sound political. Either Clinton or Obama will crush him in the debates on these issues. In the end, McCain has no other issue than war.
Third, to win this election, Republicans must overcome the unpopularity of President Bush, whose ratings are now the lowest of any president since polling began. Democrats are already painting McCain as “Bush’s third term,” and McCain has done nothing to dispel this. Rather, he has prominently sought and obtained Bush’s endorsement. Soon Republican delegates will have to face the question: What possible reason can be given to voters for extending for a third term the most unpopular presidency they have ever known? McCain offers nothing but a continuation and expansion of Bush’s war policies.
Fourth, instead of wooing the Republican conservative base, McCain has made his “maverick” reputation the hallmark of his campaign. But, how does one build a base of trust and consistent loyalty on a confessed maverick—except under threat of war? With McCain, there is no other basis for unity but war.
Finally, McCain has few charismatic qualities, He has few dedicated followers and personally excites little enthusiasm. His sole claims to leadership are his prisoner-of-war-hero-status and expertise at war. Thus he has no choice but to focus this election on his strongest points: war and more war. If Republican party workers intend to make up for their candidate’s enthusiasm deficiency, they will have to become very excited about war.
Considering these factors, it is very likely that before summer is out, every Republican delegate will be sick in the stomach at the very thought of what a McCain campaign will do to the Republican party. John McCain will be seen as the losing-est Republican candidate since Bob Dole or Barry Goldwater, maybe even Alf Landon. Judging by the results the Pennsylvania primary and the Minnesota, Missouri, and Nevada delegate selection meetings, such thinking appears to have already begun.
B. “But, Isn’t It a Done Deal?”
But so what? What does all this have to do with Ron Paul’s campaign strategy? Doesn’t McCain already have enough delegates pledged to win the nomination? Isn’t it too late to be thinking about all this? Isn’t the whole thing a “done deal”?
No, it is not a “done deal,” not by a long shot. By the time you finish reading this, I think you will agree that Ron Paul’s strategy is the most brilliant since Harry Truman whistle-stopped his way to the biggest political upset in American history. So, let me describe how it will play out.
C. The Convention
The most exciting event to look forward to is the Republican convention. There will be huge platform fights about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the proposed attack on Iran, reducing our commitments to defend other nations, and reducing our military presence overseas. Then there are the domestic issues: paring down the federal government, following the Constitution, ending deficit spending, rescuing the economy—all fought over conservative principles upon which the GOP was once based. In these initial skirmishes, the McCain forces will probably win, but the result will be that McCain will be perceived as less and less of a conservative, and less and less of a Republican. Fewer and fewer Red-State delegates will be looking forward to having him in their districts after the convention.
Then comes the chance they have been waiting for to show their displeasure. When Ron Paul's name is placed in nomination there will be one of the biggest floor demonstrations and outbreaks of spontaneous enthusiasm in the history of political conventions. When Ron Paul speaks pandemonium will break out. It will be far more exciting than the Republican convention of 1978 when Reagan almost won; more exciting for television viewers than the riots at 1968 Democratic convention; indeed, it will surpass the Democratic convention of 1948 with its fights over civil rights and the Dixiecrats walking out.
But the Ron Paul supporters will not walk out. Instead, Ron Paul will be asked to endorse McCain, which he will refuse as he has already refused because of the war. The party must then and there face the stark choice between nominating the “war candidate,” or choosing another nominee—all under the glare of the biggest television audience in history.
The key to all this is not the simply the war, but continuing war, expanding war, endless war. That will rivet television viewers around the world. For this will be the overriding issue at the convention. Cameras will focus on the faces of Republican delegates as they agonizingly come to realize that the image John McCain as the “Candidate of Endless War” will not only define the coming election, but will also define the image of the Republican party around the globe for a long time to come.
A Brief Glance at the Past
Such a future does not look rosy if one considers history. In the middle of the first half of the nineteenth century, the Whigs were one of the two major political parties in the United States, capturing the presidency several times. In 1852 the Whigs nominated General Winfield Scott, a war hero whose stance looked to the electorate as inevitably leading to war. Scott decisively lost election and the Whig party never recovered. Its next convention in 1856 was so small and dispirited the party simply disappeared. Abe Lincoln was a Whig, but he learned the lesson: never become a war candidate. He left the Whigs to join the nascent Republican party, but although he subsequently became a war president, his stance in the campaign was not “war, war, war,” but “save the Union.” John McCain looks destined to be the Republican party’s Winfield Scott.
Back to the Present
By the time the platform fights are over the choice before the delegates at the Republican convention will be stark: Either go ahead and nominate McCain—though this will mean electoral defeat and the disappearance of the party—or scuttle McCain.
But, can McCain be scuttled? It seems impossible, since he has more than enough pledged delegates to win the nomination. But it can be easily done. All that is necessary is for a few hundred of McCain’s pledged delegates simply to "call in sick" on the day of balloting. That will be enough to deny him the nomination on the first ballot and open the convention.
Is it likely? It depends on whether or not the delegates begin to sense the electoral and party disaster looming head. If, for example, Romney and Huckabee grasp what a McCain candidacy will mean to the party, their juices will flow. They will have to decide whether to continue supporting McCain, “call in sick,” or join the fray. Acting either idealistically to save the party (for each imagines himself a future candidate), or selfishly to win the nomination for themselves this time, they may not only hold onto their pledged delegates, but canvas for more, at the same time spreading the idea that McCain can be stopped by encouraging McCain delegates to stay in their rooms on balloting day. For, if McCain fails on the first ballot, all pledged delegates—even McCain’s—are released from their pledges and can vote for whomever they want.
If this scenario plays out, by the end of the first ballot the convention will suddenly be wide open. Whom then will it choose? There will be four hats in the ring. McCain’s of course will still be there, plus Romney, Huckabee, and Paul. After the first ballot the convention will deadlock, none of the candidates appearing strong enough to clinch the nomination. Delegates will be arguing among themselves: If McCain can’t win because of his war position, neither can Romney or Huckabee, because each of them is as committed to the war as McCain—Huckabee even more so. Neither can change his position without losing his last shred of credibility.
More importantly, however, if either Romney or Huckabee emerges from a convention that denies the nomination to the man who won most of the primaries, it will look like the worst case of political manipulation since, well…
Another Glance at the Past
…the Whigs denied the nomination to their own sitting president, Millard Fillmore (who had assumed the presidency upon the death of Whig president Zachary Taylor). in order to nominate Winfield Scott. Fillmore had wanted peace and continued negotiation between North and South in order to avoid war, while the convention wanted a stronger position. Thus they rejected the candidate with the best claim to the nomination: their own sitting president. This plus the fact that Scott was a Southerner whose election would likely bring war doomed the party.
Back to the Present Again
This will be what the Republicans want to avoid in 2008. But do they have any other choice? Fortunately, they do, for that is precisely what Ron Paul has all the while foreseen, carefully positioning himself to save the party and win the election. Is this possible? Would the party ever turn to Ron Paul to save it? Consider the following factors in relation to how Ron Paul is positioned, and decide for yourself.
D. How Ron Paul Has Positioned Himself to Save the Party and Win the Election
First, whether McCain, Romny, or Huckabee is the Republican nominees, the Democrat candidate will get the anti-war vote. Only Ron Paul can effectively counter this, for he is the only candidate who is genuinely opposed to the war. Both Clinton and Obama are beholden to the war lobbies and dare not offend them, though they are allowed to indulge in peace-sounding speeches—so long as their backers are confident that they will toe the line once in office. But when confronted by Paul, neither Clinton will be able to continue speaking out of both sides of their mouths. Only Ron Paul can effectively make this an issue, catch them both up, and win the anti-war vote of both Right and Left.
Second, neither Clinton nor Obama will be able to deal with Paul on the issues or in the debates. Compared to them, Paul is the only candidate of real change, and he will make both Clinton and Obama look like the biggest defenders of the status quo since Herbert Hoover. Paul will have all the initiative, and they will be completely flustered. Paul will raise issues of war and empire, economics and deficits, debt and trade, jobs and the Federal Reserve and currency devaluation, taxes and spending, and most of all the meaning of the Constitution—from a perspective that neither Clinton nor Obama is prepared in the least to deal with. Voters will get the drift—Paul is the only one talking about real change, which is what voters have been hollering for most! None of the slogans Clinton and Obama have used all their lives will work against Paul; he can make both of them look as shallow, mendacious, and uninformed as they really are.
Third, compared to any Democratic candidate, Ron Paul is trusted, with both a public and personal life that is morally untouchable and exemplary. Thus Paul, and only Paul, can truly energize the vast distrust felt toward Clinton and Obama—and politicians in general. Not since Abe Lincoln or Dwight Eisenhower have the voters seen such a candidate—and both of these amply demonstrate the powerful attraction of such integrity. Ron Paul will shine like the sun compared to the lunar mendaciousness of Clinton or Obama.
Fourth, besides the war and the economy, Paul has created a whole other set of other issues that will not only make his opponents cringe, but provide perfect sound bites. Voters will be asked, for example: "Will you vote for the Democrats—or for the Constitution?" “Are you for preserving your jobs—or NAFTA?” “Are you for manipulation of the currency—or against the Federal Reserve?” “Should America follow the advice of the Founders—or keep up our entangling alliances?” “Can Americans afford the cost of policing the world?” “Does invading other countries really make us safer?” These issues can energize almost the entire Republican base, and will put Paul’s Democrat opponent on the defensive from Day One. Imagine Clinton or Obama trying to defend the IRS or the Federal Reserve, or explaining the Constitution. They will become laughing stocks, and Republicans will not have had such a good time since Ronald Reagan asked “Where’s the beef?”
Finally, when Ron Paul emerges from the marginalization and obscurity to which the mainstream media have consigned him up until now, he will assume the mantle of an American hero—the little guy who was always put down, but kept fighting, and to whom his party finally turned in its direst need. He alone fits the classic American image of Valley Forge: George Washington emerging from two solid years of defeats to win a stunning victory over at British at Trenton, thereby saving the American Revolution. Even though, or because, Ron Paul lost all the primaries, he will be seen as the new “Honest Abe,” who rose from losing every election until he was finally called to the presidency. Ron Paul as “Benjy Engie”—or the “Little Engine that could.”
E. The Bottom Line
Eventually, the most sincere Republican delegates will realize that, on the one hand, if any one of their other candidates is nominated, the GOP will come out of this election—win or lose—united only on, and identified only with, one issue: war. This will spell not only electoral defeat, but the doom of the Republican party. On the other hand, the delegates can realize that this fate is not pre-ordained; they have a choice. And that choice is to nominate Ron Paul, the only candidate who can:
- save the Republican party;
- get the war issue off its back;
- take the wind out of his opponent’s sails;
- put both his opponents and the media on the defensive;.
- show up the shallowness and mendaciousness of his Democrat opponents;
- offer real change;
- take the initiative by presenting new and exciting issues for which his opponents are unprepared;
- surprise the media and leave the “talking heads” speechless;
- give the “Grand Old Party” both a principled and exciting base from which to face the future;
- bring a new dynamic to the 2008 election year; and
- make Republicans once again feel proud to be Republicans.
F. The Genius of Ron Paul’s Strategy
The true genius of Ron Paul will be seen in how this strategy works out, because Ron Paul is guaranteed to win either way. On the one hand, if the Republican party wakes up to the disaster it is facing, it will have no choice but to nominate him. On the other hand, if the GOP does not nominate Paul, the party will crack up after November, after which Paulites will easily take it over. Perhaps they will have to change its name, but in the end, there will only be two political forces in America: Ron Paul versus the Democrats.
And so, my fellow Americans in Europe for Ron Paul, and all other Paulites everywhere, fear not, and do not wallow in despair or dismay. Re-brighten your eyes, refill your hearts with confidence, and redouble your efforts. Thanks to Ron Paul’s strategy, the future is ours
1 To see a clip of the first speech in which McCain jokes about this song, see You Tube “John McCain Thinks War is a Joke” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAzBxFaio1I&feature=related; and for a second speech in which McCain sings the same song, see You Tube, “McCain laughs, sings bomb Iran” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rNqxn0ynO0&feature=related. To hear the tune of the song with McCain’s spin, and how the Democrats and media will see You Tube John McCain Thinks War is A Joke - "Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran" at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67ANtTZpCmE&feature=related.
2 To watch McCain speaking of staying in Iraq for a hundred years, see You Tube: McCain: 100 years in Iraq "would be fine with me" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFknKVjuyNk&feature=related; and then of speaking on ABC News of “a thousand” and even “a million years,” see You Tube: Breaking: McCain Ups the Ante to One Million at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eivkAjyN_tQ&feature=user.
Thank you for sending this in, Ben. - Allan in Highwood
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