““I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.””

— The American's Creed as quoted in Embracing the American's Creed

❝❝Regarding the creed.

No.❞❞

— NeoWayland, comments on Is #AOC-ward (aka Ocasio-Cortez) a mere puppet for sinister people?

So here is this marvelous piece of 1917 poetry, and I said no. Why?

It's the difference between the Dream and the actuality.

One topic I've been debating recently is the emergency powers of the President. If you accept that the President has the power to declare emergencies, it's not exactly “of the people, by the people, for the people.” It's literally what one man said, not subject to debate or dissent. Theoretically it can be revised by Congress, but in practice it never is.

It doesn't stop there. Some agencies have power to regulate the people and the states. While sometimes these powers are subject to Congressional review, usually these regulations have the power of law without actually being law. What's worse is that the agencies often have administrative courts with different requirements. It's outside the normal court system and not subject to the rules of law. These regulations do not come from the "consent of the governed."

America has not been “a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States” since at least the Civil War. Everything from education to Prohibition to the EPA has been forced on the states, often in direct violation of the wishes of the citizens of the states. There's very little way to opt out.

America was never meant to be a “a perfect Union, one and inseparable;”. The phrase comes from the preamble of the U.S. Constitution, but somehow the creed left out one word that changes the meaning. We're not meant to have a perfect union, we're supposed to have a more perfect union. As in we haven't done it yet, it's a work in progress. We're still arguing over what that means and how we can do it.

And yes, that means that if people don't like it, they can leave it. Even whole states.

Those ideals of “freedom, equality, justice, and humanity” are mutually incompatible. Specifically, freedom and justice aren't about equality or humanity. For most of the 20th Century, the idea of equality was used to rein in exceptional and unusual people. They couldn't be allowed to challenge the status quo. I don't know what the ideals of humanity are, but I am pretty sure we don't agree.

Speaking of justice, there are unjust American laws. Mandatory minimum sentencing, civil forfeiture, eminent domain, vice laws, laws and regulations preventing the use of precious metals as legal tender, mandatory union dues, "free speech" zones, zoning laws, the list goes on and on.

Nobody, no person, no institution, and certainly no nation deserves love without reservation. If you do not question what your nation does, you have failed as a citizen. The Constitution is not perfect and certainly the law is not perfect. And lest we forget, this nation was founded on the biggest and most polite "screw you" in human history. You can't choose liberty unless you embrace the right to walk away.

That's it. That's why my response is a simple word.

No.

Tags: American's Creed ∙ United States ∙ of the people ∙ by the people ∙ for the people ∙ just powers ∙ consent of the governed ∙ freedom ∙ equality ∙ justice ∙ humanity ∙ Constitution ∙ Dream ∙ emergencies ∙ President ∙ Congress ∙ regulation ∙ more perfect union ∙ unjust

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: guest content ∙ Abraham Lincoln ∙ 1863 ∙ William H. Seward ∙ President ∙ Thanksgiving ∙ United States

Maryland files federal court challenge asking judge to block Whitaker, install Rosenstein

Tags: Attorney General ∙ Maryland ∙ Federal court ∙ Matthew Whitaker ∙ Rod Rosenstein ∙ President ∙ Senate ∙ courts ∙ separation of powers

Poll – Dem Choice For 2020 POTUS Race: None Of The Above

Newly Unsealed Documents Show Top FDIC Officials Running Operation Choke Point

U.S. Secret Service Warns ID Thieves are Abusing USPS’s Mail Scanning Service

The DEA and ICE are hiding surveillance cameras in streetlights

Florida Sec. of State Orders Recount for Both Senate and Governor’s Races

Are We Becoming a Victimocracy?

Proof positive that these Dems were against Jeff Sessions before they were for him

Feinstein Urged Obama To Use Presidential Power To Limit Immigration: ‘No Legislation Necessary’

Tags: polls ∙ Democrats ∙ President ∙ Operation Choke Point ∙ Obama Administration ∙ financial system ∙ USPS ∙ Secret Service ∙ ID theft ∙ DEA ∙ ICE ∙ surveillance ∙ Florida ∙ election ∙ recount ∙ victimhood ∙ Dianne Feinstein ∙ Barack Obama ∙ immigration

““More DOJ norms being eroded. Trump-a SUBJECT of the investigation-wants access to material related to the inquiry. His Congressional supporters want evidence connected to an ongoing investigation. Time for DOJ/FBI to simply say no-protect the institutions and time tested norms."””
     — Eric Holder tweet reported at Holder urges DOJ/FBI to unconstitutionally defy President: 'Protect the institutions'

Federal agencies and Federal agents serve at the pleasure of the President and Congress. That is directly from the Constitution. No institution may trump the Constitution. Democrats wouldn't stand for it if it were happening to a Democrat president or a Democrat Congress. There's more than a little hypocrisy here.

Tags: Eric Holder ∙ FedGovs ∙ institutions ∙ President ∙ Congress ∙ Democrats

❝❝There were so many patting themselves on the back and proud that a black man had been elected President that no one bothered to ask if a good man had been elected President.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ Barack Obama ∙ President ∙ election

❝❝I'm not totally convinced that North Korea has anything left to work with. Something happened to that mountain. Most likely it's because of NK's own testing. Now they have the Chinese looking over their shoulder saying "Don't put radioactive stuff over our country!" Meanwhile, the NK leadership doesn't know how to deal with Trump and is looking for help where ever it can find it.

This isn't business as usual. It never is with Trump. The old diplomatic games won't work. He doesn't care about the shape of the table. Trump cares about getting things done.

ETA: Pardon, that was the wrong China article link. Here's the correct one.

---

Obviously I disagree.

I will say two more things. The people saying that Trump is going to bungle this are many of the same people who said the conference would never happen, that Trump couldn't bring the North Koreans to the table, that answering threats with threats couldn't possibly work, and most importantly, that Trump would never win the Presidency.

And I think it's too early to say how the table is set.

---

I think you are seriously underestimating Trump.

But more importantly, you are expecting Trump to act like a politician.

North Korea is treading new ground dealing with Trump.

---

I remind you how many times you have been wrong about Trump on this thread alone. You really should brush up on negotiating, not the diplomatic version but the commercial version.

I'm also amazed by how many are writing off this meeting before it happens. Many of them said there would never be a meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea, and that happened.

Kim Jong Un can't feed his people. After that happens for a while, even tyrants have to shift course.

---

I didn't say it would go well. I said you have been wrong about Trump. And so have a lot of "experts." Trump does things in his own way and he has accomplished quite a bit.

Quite frankly, the President (ANY President) should make his own decisions and not be bound by what the staff thinks is important. That's part of the institutional climate that needs to change. The staff serves at the pleasure of the President.

And if this were a Democrat President, you would be cheering his courage and independence.

---

Given that most of the news stories about Trump have been extremely negative, I think it's safe to assume there is a bias there. It's not that the news has been negative, it's been that is how it is written. Many of the "open sources" have long considered it their Duty to deliver the narrative, not the news. Stormy Daniels is a non-story, or rather it's a story in a way that no one wants to report. If she took money at the time to stay quiet (a voluntary act), then what kind of person is she to break her word and contract? And if she is that kind of person, how can she be trusted to tell the truth now?

The point is, the information that is being published about Trump isn't necessarily accurate. Career Washington politicos and lobbyists don't know what he is going to say from day to day, much less what he is going to do. And if they don't know and if the media regularly alters the news to fit the narrative, just how much good do those sources do for the North Koreans?❞❞

Tags: Donald Trump ∙ Kim Jong Un ∙ experts ∙ President ∙ Democrat ∙ North Korea ∙ business as usual ∙ diplomatic games ∙ China ∙ mountain collapse ∙ underestimating

❝❝Personally I don't think anyone should be displayed in state in the Capital unless 1) They were the President, and 2) They died in office. ANYTHING else is political opportunism.

But that's just me.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ Billy Graham ∙ Captial Building ∙ lying in state ∙ President ∙ died in office ∙ political opportunism

““Our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.””
     — President Clinton, State of the Union address, 1995
Source : Take The 'Racist Xenophobe' Quiz: Who Said This About Illegal Immigration?

Tags: Bill Clinton ∙ 1995 ∙ President ∙ illegal immigrants ∙ border guards ∙ wellfare ∙ Investors Business Daily

““All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public services they use impose burdens on our taxpayers.””
     — President Bill Clinton, State of the Union address, 1995
Source : Take The 'Racist Xenophobe' Quiz: Who Said This About Illegal Immigration?

Tags: Bill Clinton ∙ 1995 ∙ President ∙ illegal immigrants ∙ jobs ∙ legal immigrants ∙ citizen ∙ public services ∙ taxpayers ∙ Investors Business Daily

““We will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace””
     — President Bill Clinton, State of the Union address, 1995
Source : Take The 'Racist Xenophobe' Quiz: Who Said This About Illegal Immigration?

Tags: Bill Clinton ∙ President ∙ 1995 ∙ illegal immigrants ∙ deported ∙ Investors Business Daily

““We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.””
     — President Bill Clinton, State of the Union address, 1995
Source : Take The 'Racist Xenophobe' Quiz: Who Said This About Illegal Immigration?

Tags: Bill Clinton ∙ President ∙ 1995 ∙ immigrants ∙ abuse of laws ∙ illegal immigrants

““If only everyone (in the Middle East) could be like Scandinavians, (achieving peace) would all be easy.””
     — President Barack Obama, 2016
Source : Take The 'Racist Xenophobe' Quiz: Who Said This About Illegal Immigration?

Tags: Barack Obama ∙ President ∙ 2016 ∙ Scandinavians ∙ illegal immigrants ∙ Investors Business Daily

Tags: Uranium One ∙ Tom Fitton ∙ Barack Obama ∙ Judicial Watch ∙ Medicaid ∙ Obamacare ∙ Ben Cardin ∙ online gambling ∙ Institute For Justice ∙ New Jersey ∙ home bakers ∙ President ∙ regulations ∙ bioenhancement ∙ union ∙ Main Street ∙ Wall Street ∙ Hillary Clinton ∙ Bill Clinton ∙ Congress ∙ Canadian PM ∙ Sharia ∙ poverty ∙ wealth ∙ bubble

This is a page from the original version of Pagan Vigil. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.paganvigil.com/C127135145/E20100903114934

Rogert Ebert wants critics of Obama to "Put up or shut up"

Funny how that only works if there is a liberal President

Roger Ebert stepped over the line.

Here's the thing. Just because someone happens to be President doesn't mean that he shouldn't be criticized. He should be. Loudly. Publicly.

But for pity's sake pick the battles.

The fact is that there are those who lambast both Glenn Beck and Barak Obama (all hail the Imperious Leader, may his toenails never shrink!).

If it were a Republican President, Ebert would be at the head of the pack criticizing him. Oh wait, that already happened. Numerous times.

Sometimes I really hate being proven right again and again.

Now that it's "their guy," liberals like Ebert don't want anyone criticizing the President. And they will go out of their way to paint the most public opposition as "nuts."

Just like happened with conservatives and Bush.

Me, I say that the problems start because government tries to control too much of your life.

Yes, elected officials should be criticized. Loudly. Especially if they break their own rules and promises.

And if that doesn't work, just remember that the rule of law works both ways. If the "elite" won't abide by it, there is no reason you have to submit.

Posted: Fri - September 3, 2010 at 11:49 AM

Tags: Original Vigil ∙ Roger Ebert ∙ President ∙ criticism ∙ Barack Obama ∙ Glen Beck ∙ liberals ∙ elected officials

““I am an American and a Patriot. I am my country's keeper. The President and Congress report to me. And so - I will stay informed and involved. Ignorance, apathy, and complacency are my enemy. I will make my voice heard and not just at election time. Silence is the same as consent in the face of oppression. I can make a difference. I matter.I am an American and a Patriot.””

Tags: picture ∙ American ∙ patriot ∙ President ∙ Congress ∙ informed ∙ involved ∙ ignorance ∙ apathy ∙ complacency ∙ enemy ∙ voice ∙ election ∙ silence ∙ consent ∙ oppression ∙ memes

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: CFPB ∙ resistance ∙ Masterpiece Cakeshop ∙ marijuana ∙ pot ∙ taboo ∙ conservative ∙ Roy Moore ∙ Al Franken ∙ Trent Franks ∙ surrogacy ∙ First Amendment ∙ Phillip DeFranco ∙ Congress ∙ President ∙ Pam Anderson ∙ victimhood feminism ∙ Harvey Weinstein ∙ everybody knew ∙ black market ∙ Spain ∙ cheese ∙ Republicans ∙ tax cutting ∙ broadband ∙ internet ∙ Harvard ∙ drug prices ∙ big pharma ∙ monopoly ∙ August Ames ∙ gay porn ∙ exceptions ∙ adult film star ∙ QE

Older headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: Republicans ∙ Democrats ∙ Donald Trump ∙ Barack Obama ∙ Hillary Clinton ∙ looted ∙ Antifa ∙ Samantha Power ∙ unmasking ∙ Princeton ∙ campus newspaper ∙ editorial board ∙ dissent ∙ climate change ∙ Florida ∙ solar power ∙ crony capitalism ∙ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ∙ slush fund ∙ Congress ∙ President ∙ taxpayers ∙ Jeff Sessions ∙ fearmongering ∙ stingray ∙ warrant ∙ rental ∙ vacancy ∙ Elizabeth Warren

This is a page from the original version of Pagan Vigil. There are some formatting differences. Originally published at www.paganvigil.com/C1319896483/E20090831114244

Beacon Quick Links for 31Aug2009

Roundup of my link stack

Max Yasgur understood real American Values

Taking a stand even when you don't agree

The Artist Formerly Known as Dissident: Artists have a duty to dissent—even against Obama

How we tolerate dissent says a great deal about our character

Real unemployment rate at 16 pct: Fed official

You should ask who is juggling the figures and why

Bill would give president emergency control of Internet

Hey, let's take something that works because it's decentralized and no one person or group controls it and centralize control

Latest in Stimulus: 'Cash for Refrigerators

Because 'Cash for Clunkers' was such an unquestioned success

Chicago August Ends with Near-Record Cold

Because that global warming thing is getting blamed for everything else

That's it for today. I'm going to go find someplace that doesn't have a crew digging up the road or laying new asphalt outside.

Posted: Mon - August 31, 2009 at 11:42 AM

Tags: Original Vigil ∙ Max Yasgur ∙ American Values ∙ dissent ∙ Barack Obama ∙ unemployment rate ∙ President ∙ internet ∙ stimulus ∙ Chicago ∙ global warming

As I said, the tax exempt status is a "devil's trade" intended in large part to silence churches.

Tags: 2016 election ∙ Robert Mueller ∙ Donald Trump ∙ Loretta Lynch ∙ Bill Clinton ∙ Republican ∙ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ∙ President ∙ Congress ∙ simple vs complex ∙ Army ∙ Confederate general ∙ Brooklyn ∙ Paul Ryan ∙ crony capitalism

Tags: Syria ∙ covert program ∙ CIA ∙ Obama Administration ∙ jihadist ∙ Obamacare ∙ Donald Trump ∙ 2016 election ∙ CFPB ∙ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ∙ unmasking ∙ Clinton campaign ∙ President ∙ Robert Mueller ∙ regulations ∙ Clarence Thomas ∙ Jeff Sessions ∙ civil forfeiture

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: clipping ∙ Kurt Schlichter ∙ liberal ∙ President ∙ America ∙ Western Civilization ∙ immigrants ∙ refugee ∙ multicultural ∙ elites

”Deep State Leaks Highly Classified Info to Washington Post to Smear President Trump”

“Trump: I had ‘absolute right’ to share ‘facts’ with Russia”

Tags: fake news ∙ clipping ∙ picture ∙ Kristina Wong ∙ H.R. McMaster ∙ White House ∙ President ∙ Donald Trump ∙ Sergey Lavrov ∙ Sergei Kislyak ∙ Yaron Steinbuch ∙ Russia ∙ ISIS ∙ terrorism ∙ Harry S Truman

We need solutions that don't exile people politically.

Tags: progressive ∙ conservative ∙ environmental crusade ∙ President ∙ power of the state

‟Ignore the Mob—Long Live the Electoral College”

Tags: skimmed ∙ David Harsanyi ∙ electoral college ∙ President ∙ Vice President ∙ politicos ∙ scaremonger ∙ Senate ∙ Congress ∙ Barack Obama ∙ Donald Trump ∙ clipping

Memo To The Next President: We Can Grow A Lot Faster

❝❝The idea that there is some kind of inevitable decline in productivity, he says, is nonsense: "Experience and formal analysis tell us clearly that innovation and productivity happen where there is rule of law, simple and predictable regulation, property rights, reasonable taxation, an open and competitive economy, and decent public infrastructure," Cochrane wrote recently. "These politicians do have ample control over, and ample opportunity to screw up."

Presidents, working with Congress, can have an enormous impact on the things that matter.

So what matters? A kind of consensus is emerging among some economists that significant barriers to growth exist — and that they can be swept away. Doing so could push the long-term growth path back above 3% -- creating millions of new jobs and higher incomes at the same time.❞❞

Tags: skimmed ∙ decline ∙ productivity ∙ innovation ∙ productivity ∙ rule of law ∙ regulation ∙ property rights ∙ taxation ∙ President ∙ Congress ∙ clipping

2016 is when more Americans will vote against someone rather than for someone.

Tags: election ∙ 2016 ∙ American ∙ vote against ∙ CGP Grey ∙ first past the post ∙ two major parties ∙ electoral college ∙ President ∙ electors ∙ majority ∙ may or may not ∙ none of the above

We’re at the point where the American republic may fall.

At this point, I’m honestly not sure it can be saved.

I’m not sure it should be saved.

There are some ideas I have been playing with the last few years or so. I’ve tried to talk these out with people I trust. And now I am putting them here. All are Constitutional amendments.

Remember that the Constitution was designed to restrain the actions of government, not citizens. Remember too that many of the checks and balances have been removed over the years. And finally, the Federal government was never intended to run smoothly and efficiently. The checks and balances were designed to protect freedom.

Liberty is the goal, not democracy.

• Repeal the 16th Amendment

The income tax is one of the biggest threats to freedom ever enacted. With it, the Federal government assumes you are guilty unless you can prove that you are not. This is a complete reversal of the rule of law prior to the amendment.

With the 16th, the Federal government is not restrained by the need for a warrant. Your employer, your bank, any financial company that you do business with, all are required by law to report transactions over a specific amount or any “suspicious activity.” There are “rewards” if other citizens turn you in. Effectively, everyone around you is required to spy on you and penalized if they do not.

Tax cases are heard in an administrative court run by the Internal Revenue Service with it’s own rules of evidence. Your money and property can be seized and the only way you can get it back (less interest) is to prove that the IRS is wrong by it’s own regulations. Regulations that are so complex that it is literally beyond the ability of any one person to understand.

The “progressive” tax system is designed to foster envy and “class” disruption. The income tax is one of the most despised Federal laws in American history. The only thing that keeps Americans from hanging IRS agents is that citizens think the “system” hits someone else worse. It fosters scapegoats so it seems “fair.”

An income tax system inevitably leads to political corruption. Unpopular groups find themselves under extra scrutiny. Politicos use it to keep their enemies and rivals in line.

There are technicalities that I could spend pages and pages examining. For example, if there is a “standard deduction,” then by definition taxes are too high.

The income tax took away your freedom. You have to acknowledge this every year by signing a Federal form. Under penalty of law.

• Repeal the 17th Amendment

Brought to you by the same merry madcaps who gave us the 16th, the 17th Amendment reduces freedom in the name of popular democracy. The 17th has made Senators political bosses in their own states, with control of the Federal money spigot and a guaranteed spot high up in the political parties.

The popular election of Senators took away some of the oversight the state legislatures were supposed to have on Congress. But since Senators no longer answer to their state legislature, they have become tools of their party.

This does not serve freedom.

This part of popular democracy destroys freedom. It’s an illusion designed to expand the major political parties while fooling the voter into thinking that they have influence.

There’s a place for popular democracy, but not unrestrained popular democracy. The Bill of Rights is the best example.

• None of the Above and Alternative Voting

Every election should have a None of the Above choice. If NOTA won, then those candidates on the ballot would be barred from serving in that office for that term.

One choice that people should always have is the choice to walk away.

We should never assume that the default is to elect someone. Especially if the voters aren’t picking who gets to run.

Alternative voting just means ranking the candidates in order of your favorites. The biggest advantage is that the minority candidates have a better chance of being elected and major parties are forced to pay closer attention to all the voters. Instead of voting against a bad candidate, voters could choose someone closer to their beliefs and priorities.

• Laws and Regulations

As things stand now, there will always be more laws and regulations unless Congress takes direct action. Think about that carefully.

The default state of the American Federal government is more government.

That is not freedom.

I suggest a three pronged attack.

First, ALL government regulations would sunset within three years unless made law by Congress and the President.

Second, state legislatures would approve Federal regulation before it applies in that state. This approval could be withdrawn at any time. Congress has the power and authority to pass laws for the nation, but it can’t delegate that power. Every single Federal regulation that governs individuals and states is unconstitutional.

This would reduce Federal regulation to it’s proper scope and shift coercive power away from millions of unelected technocrats.

I know this seems excessive, but it is actually well within Constitutional principles. There’s nothing in the Constitution that provides for regulatory agencies except the much abused and overused commerce clause. Certainly there is nothing that provides for administrative court systems outside the Federal courts.

Third, each state legislature could choose one Federal law annually for referendum at the next Congressional election. Each Congressional election, there could be up to 100 Federal laws on the ballot. And if a law does not get a national majority voting to retain it, it would be gone.

Practically, this would effectively be automatic repeal. Unless it was a very good idea, I can’t see a majority voting to keep a law. But the possibility is there. The automatic repeal means that Congress would have to convince voters of the worth of each and every law. And if the state legislatures are canny, one carefully chosen law could defang dozens of others.

In other words, this proposal gives the states direct oversight of Congress.

There are other things that I would love to see done. But these four would do wonders. I welcome your comments and ideas.

Tags: American republic ∙ repeal ∙ amendment ∙ technocrats ∙ Constitution ∙ President ∙ amendment proposal ∙ referendum ∙ 16th Amendment ∙ income tax ∙ IRS ∙ 17th Amendment ∙ Senate ∙ none of the above ∙ alternative voting ∙ Congress ∙ more government ∙ Federal regulation ∙ default state ∙ sunset clause ∙ exempt ∙ automatic repeal ∙ commerce clause ∙ Republic ∙ classic ∙ favorites

The party system controls who runs for office & stops the public from interfering

Tags: Trump ∙ Hillary Clinton ∙ elites ∙ either/or ∙ CGP Grey ∙ Congress ∙ President ∙ video ∙ none of the above ∙ guest content

This is from an email exchange I had recently.

Tags: Ted Cruz ∙ President