Shots Fired...

Scores Killed, Hundreds Injured
As Para-Military Extremists Riot

Boston, April 19

National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed on April 19th by elements of a para-military extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw. Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices.

The governor, who described the group's organizers as criminals, issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law and order. The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed widespread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons. Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons and ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early April between government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily. Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily-armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans.

During a tense standoff in Lexington's town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists. Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange. Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel smith, finding his forces overmatched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor has also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as ringleaders of the extremist faction, remain at large.

Note: I last posted this back on September 17, 2003. Lyle Barkley was preparing to defend his property from an armed assault by the local standing army. The Michigan Militia and the Mutual Defense Militia were also standing by to assist. Luckily the sheriff decided to honor his oath and follow the constitution, rather than the unlawful orders of a local judge.

The situation has rekindled, and again, Lyle is preparing to defend his property. There have been no alerts issued for militia involvement at this time.

"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery." --Thomas Jefferson: Rights of British America, 1774. (*) ME 1:193, Papers 1:125

Unitarian Jihad Declared Against the United States...

Thanks to Claire Wolfe for the link...

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States. We are Unitarian Jihad. There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States! Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought. Too long have fundamentalist yahoos of all religions (except Buddhism -- 14-5 vote, no abstentions, fundamentalism subcommittee) made your head hurt. Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression!

People of the United States, why is everyone yelling at you??? Whatever happened to ... you know, everything? Why is the news dominated by nutballs saying that the Ten Commandments have to be tattooed inside the eyelids of every American, or that Allah has told them to kill Americans in order to rid the world of Satan, or that Yahweh has instructed them to go live wherever they feel like, or that Shiva thinks bombing mosques is a great idea? Sister Immaculate Dagger of Peace notes for the record that we mean no disrespect to Jews, Muslims, Christians or Hindus. Referred back to the committee of the whole for further discussion.

We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes.

More here...

Oh...Ye Suckers....

From The Mogambo Guru...

-Paul Hein has a nice essay entitled, "Give No Quarter" on the LewRockwell.com site. He must have been looking at how the metal in coins now cost more than the coins are worth, and he says to relax. "The mint says that the coins cost a nickel to produce. Americans will have to pay 25 cents apiece for them. This is a 'profit' of 20 cents per coin, and the mint, remember, is going to stamp out half a billion of them, for a net gain of 100 million bux. Nonsense! The actual cost of producing the coins is – nothing. If you can pay for money with money, how can it cost you anything?" The Mogambo is delighted with Mr. Hein, and I hop up and down and clap my hands together in childish glee! Exactly! Hahahaha! He goes on to give an example, "How much would a bunch of grapes cost if you could pay for it with a couple of grapes? Suppose you pick up a large bunch of juicy, delicious grapes at the supermarket. The checkout clerk says, 'Those will cost you three grapes.' So you pick off three grapes and give them to her. Were the grapes expensive? Can you continue to afford them, even if the cost doubles to six grapes?"

Then he gets very philosophical, but important, if you think that casting aspersions on fiat currency is important, and I do. "If a slave-owner in the 19th century printed up some nice chits bearing pictures of himself (using his slaves to do the work, and produce the paper and ink) and then distributed them to the slaves as 'payment,' they could exchange the chits among themselves as money. Of course, they would have no claim on any assets of the master, but that wouldn’t occur to them. That is precisely what defined their slavery, even if they thought of themselves as free: their chains were made of paper. So are ours."

-In his essay "The Decline of Paper Currency," Chris Mayer writes, "Inflation, as it is commonly known, has not always been the normal state of affairs." That is because the normal state of affairs is people trying as hard as they can NOT to let inflation get started. And I will tell you that a damned government letting a damned central bank actually try and create inflation ("to prevent deflation") is not normal for people who are not insane, either. But Mr. Mayer doesn't want to talk about that, and instead motions for me to sit back down and take a pill. With me safely out of the way, he quotes James Grant, who is the editor of Grant's Interest Rate Observer, who said, "From George Washington to the A-bomb, prices alternately rose and fell... As Alan Greenspan himself has pointed out, the American price level registered little net change between 1800 and 1929." Now Mr. Mayer extrapolates from that, "It took Rome four centuries to destroy its currency," he said. "Germany and Austria reached that point in just nine years, ending in the famous hyperinflations of the 1920s, and before that, Russia managed it in only five years."

Hahahaha! And if you think that is funny, then you will probably bust a gut to learn that Greenspan has devalued our money by 30% or so in the last few years alone, and the poor old dollar has lost about 98% of its value since 1913 when the filthy Federal Reserve was created! And if you think THAT is funny, then you are will probably fall down on the floor and die laughing to learn that the value of the dollar goes lower and lower every damn day, and will probably continue to do so for the rest of your life!

More here...

We Have Met The Enemy...And It Is U.S.

The Living Bill of Rights

by Edgar J. Steele

April 2, 2005

"Each measure is passed without great trouble or violent public opposition because the average man does not see at the time, how it can possibly affect his own existence - the only thing he is really interested in. Then, one day, he awakens suddenly to realize all his rights and liberties are gone."
--- Ayn Rand, in a letter to the New York Herald-Tribune (February 9, 1937)

"...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends (of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness), it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."
--- Declaration of Independence of the American Colonies, 1776

We keep hearing from our elected officials and so many media talking heads that the U.S. Constitution is a "living document," which changes with the times and adapts to situations not considered by America's founding fathers. In particular, I understand how innumerable statutes, legal rulings and widespread bureaucratic fiat work together to make our Constitution a "living document." Some might say subvert it, but I, of course, never would be one of those.

Endless confusion results from a written constitution which says one thing yet means another, as interpreted and applied today. Therefore, I consider it imperative that we rewrite our constitution to say exactly what it means and thereby clear up any confusion engendered today, particularly in the obviously-misguided minds of so-called patriots. I humbly offer the following rewrite of Amendments 1 through 10 to the U.S. Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, as a first step toward recasting our "living constitution" into a form that all can comprehend.

Starting with the Bill of Rights is a natural first step, as its adoption specifically was designed to prevent any misconstruction of the powers of government. Clarity being the objective of the founding fathers, it seems only natural that we start by establishing clarity with regard to the very portion of the document which itself was charged with ensuring clarity about the entire U.S. Constitution.

While I often jest or exaggerate to make a point in my writings, please understand that what follows is neither. The following reflects my understanding of the current state of the Bill of Rights, both personally and based upon my training, education and experience as a lawyer. I repeat: this is no joke.

For easy reference, I include the original wording of each amendment in parentheses, following each proposed new amendment.

Amendment I

Congress shall subjugate all forms of religious expression to the will of the State, particularly Christianity, and draw an absolute wall between personal religious beliefs and any and all public expressions thereof. All manner of speech is to be carefully monitored, filtered and censored to ensure that nothing offensive to the ruling class is communicated to or from any individual or form of media. The people will be allowed to assemble only when and where the State directs. Government at all levels will be immune to petitions and lawsuits of any sort brought by citizens.

(Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.)

Amendment II

Citizen militias are forbidden. The carrying of small arms, when permitted, will be closely regulated by the State, with licensing and registration of all firearms required. At no time shall any weapon of military significance be possessed by citizens except when citizens are pressed into the service of America's standing armed forces.

(A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.)

Amendment III

By Executive Order, soldiers may be quartered in any house, with or without consent of the owner and at any time following a declaration of martial law.

(No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.)

Amendment IV

Citizens may be stopped at any time and any place and be required to produce identification and a justification for their presence. Citizens and their possessions, including vehicles and houses, may be searched at any time and in any manner, including secretly, with or without justification and without warrants. A right to privacy is retained exclusively to the State and its agents and in no case possessed by any private citizen.

(The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.)

Amendment V

Citizens may be held indefinitely, with or without charges being made, upon the direction of government officials. Citizens may be tried repeatedly for the same offense, both by differing jurisdictions and by way of differing charges, both simultaneously and at different times and places. Citizens may be required to testify against themselves, save only in specified circumstances and during actual public trials. The property of any citizen may be seized upon the direction of government officials, with no review by any tribunal and with or without compensation.

(No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.)

Amendment VI

At no time shall any citizen accused of a criminal offense be entitled to a hearing or a trial, either public or private, except when government officials shall so determine. At trial, no citizen shall be entitled to a jury, except when allowed by the judge presiding. Citizens may be held indefinitely without charges and without being informed of the nature and charge, if any, of accusations against themselves. Citizens shall have no right to confront witnesses against themselves or to compel the attendance of witnesses in their favor. When allowed by government officials to retain counsel, citizens may hire only certain preapproved attorneys and, when allowed by the presiding judge, be appointed only attorneys beholden to the State.

(In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.)

Amendment VII

In no suits at common law, civil or otherwise, shall any party be entitled to a jury, except as allowed by the judge presiding. When allowed, juries may determine only those facts allowed them by the judge, who, in every case, shall be the sole arbiter of applicable law. All facts determined by juries may be rejected or affirmed, either by the judge presiding or upon appeal.

(In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.)

Amendment VIII

Bail of any amount may be prescribed and may be denied altogether. Fines may be imposed and punishments inflicted at the direction of government officials, legislatures and judges presiding over trials. No fine or punishment so imposed shall be deemed excessive, cruel or unusual. Certain citizens, designated by government officials and legislatures, may summarily be executed without formal proceeding, by way of either abortion or euthanasia. Citizens placed in prisons and jails may not be protected from other inmates.

(Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.)

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the government.

(The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.)

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the states by the Constitution, nor granted to citizens, are reserved to the Federal government.

(The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.)

I trust that this exercise has been instructive.

We all should encourage immediate adoption of The Living Bill of Rights as well as a completely rewritten Living Constitution so that we might well understand our limitations as they now exist in America.

Or, perhaps this would be a good time for you to reread that excerpt from the Declaration of Independence provided at the outset of this article. In fact, this would be a good time to reread all of the Declaration, not to mention the entirety of the U.S. Constitution.

New America. An idea whose time has come.

-ed
Copyright ©2005, Edgar J. Steele

Forward as you wish. Permission is granted to circulate

among private individuals and groups, post on all Internet

sites and publish in full in all not-for-profit publications.

Contact author for all other rights, which are reserved.

Thanks to Bill St. Clair and Claire Wolfe for the link...