Truth In Our Time

The "Logic" Of The War On Terror

2009-11-09T20:27:00.003-05:00

The Obama Deception

2009-11-09T20:16:00.001-05:00

Fall Of The Republic

2009-11-09T20:15:00.001-05:00

Dr. Ron and Rand Paul With Judge Napolitano On Fox News 11/6/2009

2009-11-09T20:08:00.001-05:00

Dr. Rand Paul Leads Neo Con Trey Greyson By 3%

2009-11-09T20:06:00.002-05:00

Help Me Grow Truth In Our Time

2009-11-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

Over the last 2 years I have posted an average of over 1 post per day. Each post takes probably an average of 10 minutes just to format correctly and insert the right html etc. This doesn't include the posts that I personally write which sometimes take hours. Nor does it include the countless hours that I spend searching the internet for stories and videos that I think are essential for people to see. I really can't put a figure on how many hours I spend working on this blog.

I have enjoyed the work so far and am pleased with the successes. The blog continues to grow daily and as we get more readers it should grow even faster. I appreciate everyone who emails stories to your friends and families or links to these articles on forums and other websites. Google has reduced my pagerank from 4 to 2 (out of 10) which has reduced the amount of traffic I get from Google searches and this hasn't slowed down the growth. It just means I get more from Bing and Yahoo and direct links such as email. I'm not sure how my pagerank was reduced or if it was malicious or not. I tend to think it is due to the nature of this blog, I would think that it is a first sign of things to come.

We will cross that bridge when we come to it but for now if the forces who like to shut down dissent are going to work against us, it is imperative that you step up your efforts to spread the word. If you like a story here link to it in your facebook or twitter, submit it to Digg, or email it to a friend. If you are a regular reader of this site you know how dire our condition is right now. I have had personal experiences in the last week that reaffirms this and it only makes me stand stronger and more resilient.

I can't express how grateful I am to those who spread the Truth, no matter the cost.

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke

New Additions To The Blogroll

2009-11-09T19:42:00.000-05:00

The blogroll is located along the right hand side of this page and is updated periodically. The websites that I link to are top notch and worth a visit.

Here is the current blogroll.

New Updates To Liberty Torrent

2009-11-09T19:40:00.000-05:00

Here is the original post that will be updated. Liberty Torrent

Here are the new additions.
Peace Propaganda And The Promised Land
Food Inc.
A River Of Waste

They are all exceptional documentaries and are well worth watching. If time permits I may start to review some of these films, but until then take my word for it they are crucial information that you need to understand.

Happy Birthday Pat Tillman

2009-11-09T19:20:00.000-05:00

Kevin Tillman joined the Army with Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. The government deceived his family—and the nation—about the circumstances of his death for five weeks. McChrystal, who led the Joint Special Operations Command, of which Pat was a member, was central to the top-level military deceit in Tillman’s death through his fast-tracking of a fraudulent Silver Star medal recommendation and later warning in a high-priority memo of possible “public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman’s death become public.” Not when, but “if.”

Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, wrote a powerful, must-read document on the occasion of Pat’s birthday anniversary in 2006.

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.

Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,

Kevin Tillman

YOU Are Being Sold Into Slavery

2009-11-09T16:41:00.002-05:00

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Think about it, you need the governments permission to.

Drill a well to provide water for your family
Make an addition to your home
Drive a car
Water your yard (in certain areas)
Own a firearm to protect your family
Do certain home improvements

This is just a short list of things that pop into my head. All the while you pay taxes and inflation erodes the purchasing power of what money you are able to keep after the government robs you.

Let's take Wal-Mart for example. Wal-Mart made it big because unlike the other retail stores at the time that charged 50-75% markup on their products Sam Walton charged maybe 5-10% and made up for it in volume. Now every time you purchase something the State collects a "sales tax" which is roughly 6-8%. Now this is on top of all the embedded tax that adds to the final price of your purchase (payroll tax, SS tax, medicare tax, property tax, corporate income tax, various fees etc.) So Wal-Mart might make 5% from your entire purchase even though they paid for the store, the employees, stocked the shelves, electricity, water etc. and the government who did absolutely nothing makes 7% right off the top.

It is a crime, it is theft and they are no different than the mafia. There is no logical way to explain that any different. It is stealing from the people who work and transferring it to government who uses deadly force if necessary to enforce laws that it creates. The government is made up of men, men who have over time banded together in a group and have the power to force you to do anything they want. Truth be told I would rather have the Mafia in control, they at least have some morals and their "protection money" is only 10%.

William Norman Grigg: Run Ins With The Police

2009-11-09T14:17:00.001-05:00

By William N Grigg

"The police are to the government as the edge is to the knife," insists sociologist David Bayley, who apparently couldn't explain why the typical tax-feeder isn't the sharpest blade in the cutlery drawer.

One suitable example is the specimen who ruined what was an otherwise pleasant drive to northern Idaho last Friday night (September 18) – a fellow whose finely honed sense of unearned privilege coexisted with an intellect whose acuity was roughly the same as that of a rusty butter knife.

I was part of a small group traveling to the tiny but beautiful village of Potlatch, where I was to give the keynote address at the Liberty Roundup, a forum featuring candidates for state and congressional offices.

My friend Scott Watson was behind the wheel, my wife Korrin and our seven-month-old son in the backseat. We had just passed through Lapwai when we caught the dreaded sight of running lights in our rear-view mirror.

Scott pulled to the side of the road onto a shoulder that proved too narrow to accommodate the donut-burner as he went through the familiar shakedown ritual. Thus instead of approaching the driver-side window, the officer – an officer of the Nez Perce Tribal Police – tapped insistently on the window next to me.

Yeah, I'll bet that this is going to go really well, I thought grimly to myself as I rolled down the window.

"What's your hurry?" began the officer, reciting directly from the big book of police clichés in a voice heavy with affected heartiness.

"I'm not in a hurry," Scott said in a composed but slightly annoyed voice, reflecting his commendable dislike of being patronized.

"Well, I have you going 72 in a 55," the officer continued in the same contrived tone. (This was untrue; we were in a 65 MPH zone, as the GPS on Scott's dashboard demonstrated.) He then asked where we were headed, then paused while Scott busied himself procuring the required documents. The officer then cast a glance around the interior.

"Oh, and I'll need to see ID for the passengers as well," he said casually.

Here we go, I thought.

"Why is that necessary?" I inquired in a level, formal tone.

"Because I told you so," the officer said with a slight edge to his voice, as if that settled the matter.

It didn't.

"I'm going to need a better reason than that," I explained in the same tone I had previously used.

During the pause that followed, I saw the officer's lips compress in frustration and color begin to flood the part of his face that was visible.

"The Idaho State Code requires that citizens present identification when ordered to by a law enforcement officer!" he hissed. "If you'd like, I'll bring the Code book and show you!"

"Yes, that would be nice," I said blithely, handing him Korrin's driver's license and my official state ID card (but not my license).

The officer (who made a point of keeping his badge, and thus his own identification, out of view) collected the paperwork.

"You just helped your friend get a ticket," he grunted in my direction as he turned toward his vehicle.

A few minutes later the officer's voice was heard behind Scott's car:

"Mr. Watson, would you step out of your vehicle? I want to speak with you for a minute."

Scott – an exceptionally level-headed fellow – shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh as he exited the car.

"What is he doing with Scott?" Korrin asked me.

"He's back there playing some kind of alpha-male game," I replied, predicting that he'd find some way to do Scott a "favor" in expectation of Scott's submissive gratitude.

To Scott's considerable credit, he remained utterly stolid in the face of the armed stranger's posturing. When he came back to the car, he was even more disgusted than he had been when he left – even though he brought the welcome news that he was not getting a ticket. As he handed our ID cards back to Korrin and me, Scott related the conversation to us.

"The first thing he asked me was, 'How do you know William Grigg?'" Scott reported. "I told him, 'Will is a friend of mine.' Then he said, 'Well, you tell him that next time he encounters law enforcement, he'd better cool it!' Then he said that I wasn't going to get a ticket because I had been 'cooperative,' but warned that there were two state troopers between here and Lewiston and that they'd stop me if I went as much as three miles over the speed limit, so I'd better be careful."

Of course, the officer lied when he promised to show me the section of the Idaho State Code supposedly requiring passengers to produce identification, as I expected him to.

I didn't press the matter as forcefully as I could have because, after all, I wasn't the driver; I was willing to push back hard enough to make a point, but didn't want to cause further trouble for Scott.

The officer also lied when he said that his demand was backed by statutory authority. There is no section of the Idaho State Code that authorizes law enforcement to demand identification from a passenger in a vehicle, or the typical citizen on the street.

"A peace officer can require a person to display ID in a bar, or from someone who is driving a motor vehicle," explained Sgt. Clarence Costner of the Payette County Sheriff's Office in reply to my inquiry. "Officers can also check ID when there is probable cause of some kind that leads to an investigation of a crime – for instance, there's been a burglary in a neighborhood, and someone might fit a suspect description. And of course, they can check ID on a consensual basis, the same way they can carry out a search."

However, Sgt. Costner emphasized, "there is no physical law that says people have to display ID on demand unless they're driving a vehicle."

"What about a passenger riding in an automobile?" I specified.

"No – you don't have to display ID as a passenger; only as a driver," repeated Sgt. Costner.

Locke defines tyranny as power exercised beyond right. The officer who demanded my ID was acting as a petty tyrant. Had he threatened me with arrest for refusing to produce it, he would have committed a crime specifically defined in the Idaho State Code: Title 18, section 703 provides that "Every public officer ... who, under the pretense or color of any process or other legal authority, arrests any person or detains him against his will ... without a regular process or other lawful authority therefor, is guilty of a misdemeanor."

The presumptuous intrusiveness of the officer who stopped us reflects a martial law mindset: Like most law enforcement officers, he sees himself as a caste apart from, and set above, the "civilian" population, and thus empowered to command submission from us.

More to the point: He sees himself as possessing innate authority, rather than authority derived from the law. He is the law, at least in the theater of his small and otherwise uncluttered mind. Note how his idea of a legal warrant is the phrase, "Because I told you to."

My polite but pointed rejoinder was based on the tacit but clearly understood question, quo warranto? – By what authority are you making this demand? This dispelled the officer's pretense that he is somebody to whom reflexive obedience is due, as opposed to someone whose authority – such as it is – must be considered derivative, limited, and conditional.

Sure, the officer succeeded in securing cooperation through a lie. But the frustration-inspired threat of collective punishment – "You just helped your friend get a ticket!" – and the impotent warning, delivered from a safe distance by way of my friend Scott ("tell your friend he'd better cool it!") give some indication, I suspect, of how deeply this encounter injured the officer's unearned sense of self-regard. Most acts of lawless police violence are committed in the service of that self-image, which is endlessly reinforced through training and peer socialization.

In 1992, amid a growing scandal provoked by a wave of criminal violence committed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, an investigation was conducted under the leadership of James G. Kolts, a conservative Republican retired L.A. County Superior Court Judge who had been appointed by Ronald Reagan.

The resulting 358-page "Kolts Report" described a department that behaved in a manner largely indistinguishable from the conduct of a Third World death squad: Beatings, extra-judicial killings, planting evidence, robberies, and other undisguised criminal actions were commonplace; they almost always went unpunished, and were often rewarded.

One particularly notorious officer, Paul Archambault, was a serial killer with a badge who twice gunned down unarmed, harmless people with extreme prejudice (in one case pausing to re-load before commenting, "He’s still moving" an unleashing a second volley).

On one occasion, as sheriff's deputies pumped round after round into a man named Hyong Po Lee following a pursuit, one San Jose police officer who witnessed the event commented to another: "We just observed the sheriffs execute someone." In the year prior to the formation of the Kolts Commission, there were several instances in which deputies back-shot unarmed people; none of the shooters was ever disciplined in any way, let alone prosecuted.

Summary execution was not the only distinguishing activity of the LASO's under Sheriff Sherman Block. In April 1989, a man named Demetrio Carillo was seized and beaten after he rebuked deputies for driving on the sidewalk near his home – one of many to face summary "street justice" for "mouthing off." Deputies were taught by Field Training Officers how to falsify official reports to justify an arrest after the fact when the real purpose of the arrest was to punish anyone who refused to display the required deference.

"This is the worst aspect of police culture, where the worst crime of all is 'contempt of cop,'" observed the Kolts Report. "The officer cannot let pass the slightest challenge or failure immediately to comply. It is here that excessive force starts and needs to be stopped."

The endless parade of abuses inflicted by police on citizens who fail to display the required docility testifies that this "aspect of police culture" has replicated itself nation-wide. In the company of my wife, our infant child, and a close friend, I encountered it just north of Lapwai, Idaho last Friday night. Things could have turned out much worse. Next time, they probably will.

NEVER Dial 911

2009-11-09T14:08:00.001-05:00

by William Norman Grigg

Anthony Arambula acted quickly on the evening of September 17, 2008 after an intruder broke into his house. After the invader crashed through a window in the family’s Phoenix home, Arambula grabbed his personal firearm and held him at gunpoint.

Then he made the nearly fatal mistake of dialing 911.

Three Phoenix PD officers were already in the neighborhood when the call went out. Outside the house, Arambula’s wife Lesley informed Sgt. Sean Coutts that her husband had already taken the intruder into custody and was holding him at gunpoint.

Either out of reflexive contempt for a mundane or criminal incompetence, Sgt. Coutts neglected — or refused — to pass along this vital information to his fellow tax-devourers. Before Mrs. Arambula could relay those important facts to the other officers, Officer Brian Lilly shot Anthony six times in the back — twice after he had hit the floor.

“You just killed the homeowner,” gasped Anthony as he bled into the floor of his house. “The bad guy is in there.”

“We f***d up,” Lilly reported to his dispatcher. Fear not, he and his fellow officers acted quickly to address the most pressing issue — no, not the threat to Anthony’s life, or that posed by the intruder, but rather the risk to the career of the police officer who shot the innocent man.

Displaying natural leadership ability, Sgt. Coutts quickly devised a cover story: In the official version, Anthony had pointed his gun at Officer Lilly, yet somehow managed to take six rounds in the back.

“That’s all right,” Coutts consoled Lilly as Anthony was bleeding to death in front of his children. “I got you back … we clear?”

The entire incident was captured on the 911 recording. The audiotape didn’t record what happened next, according to the family’s lawsuit:

“Tony made what he believed was a dying request to the officers; he did not want his young family to see him shot and bloodied. Officers callously ignored his request and painfully dragged Tony by his injured leg, through the home and out to his backyard patio, where they left him bloodied and shot right in front of Lesley, Matthew and Zachary.”

The officers later dragged the wounded man onto gravel, then shoved him on top of the hood of a cruiser and “drove the squad car down the street with Tony lying on top, writhing in pain.”

In order to preserve their cover story, the police insisted on treating Anthony like the suspect in a drug bust, forbidding family and friends to visit him in the hospital.

Not surprisingly, Anthony — who managed to survive being “protected and served” by Phoenix’s “Finest” — still suffers from chronic pain from his injuries, and most likely will for the rest of his life.

NEVER Seek “Help” from the State’s Armed Enforcers

2009-11-09T13:59:00.002-05:00

Posted by William Grigg on November 1, 2009 08:03 AM

Niles Leo Meservey, a 51-year-old resident of Stanwood, Washington, was drunk and belligerent when he slumped into the seat behind the steering wheel of his Corvette last June 10.

Meservey had been cut off by the bartender after he had inflicted his unwanted attention on a couple of women at a nearby club, briefly dragging one of them onto the dance floor.

Several people were worried about the prospect of the intoxicated man attempting to drive home when he clearly presented a risk to himself and others. One of them, Trisha Tribble, called 911.
“We’re really concerned about a guy leaving the parking lot of Chuckwagon [Inn] on Evergreen Way — in a white Corvette, he’s extremely intoxicated,” Tribble told the dispatcher.

Several officers from the Everett Police Department soon arrived; among them were Troy Meade, an 11-year-veteran, and Officer Steven Klocker. Meade arrived at about 11:39 PM; Klocker reached the scene a little less than five minutes later.

At the time Officer Meade arrived, Meservey was hedged in by cars on either side of his Corvette, and cut off by a parking lot fence in front of him. Meade pulled up behind Meservey’s car, effectively boxing him in.

Joanne Hancock, who was smoking outside the Chuckwagon Inn when the police arrived, went inside to tell others concerned about Meservey that “They’ve got him!” The news prompted a small group of people to go outside to watch the arrest.

By the time Klocker arrived to provide “backup,” Meade had spent perhaps five minutes trying to convince Meservey to get out of the car. Klocker would later report that Meade’s tone and attitude toward the intoxicated man were “belligerent,” and that he “used language which made him [Klocker] uncomfortable because of the nearby civilians.”

“I don’t know why the f**k I am trying to save your dumb ass,” Meade snarled at Meservey, according to Klocker’s account.

Both Meade and Klocker withdrew their portable electro-shock torture devices (more commonly called Tasers). Meade, who was closest to the driver, shot Meservey with his Taser through the open driver’s side window, inflicting two separate strikes — one five seconds long, the other six seconds’ duration.

“Why in the f**k did you do that?” muttered the drunken man, who — predictably enough — didn’t want to stick around for any more abuse. He reached for his keys and started the car, but he had nowhere to go: It lurched over a concrete curb and ran into an unyielding chain-link fence.

Bear in mind, once again, that Meservey was entirely boxed in. It was possible, albeit with some difficulty, for Officer Meade to reach through the window and seize the car keys, rather than escalating the situation by using potentially deadly force.

But Meade’s pointless escalation didn’t stop with the two Taser strikes.
After Meservey’s brief attempt to drive away, Meade — according to the official police account — took up a position near the left rear wheel of the Corvette, and pulled his gun.
“Time to end this,” bellowed Meade, according to Klocker. “Enough is enough.” From a distance of six to seven feet, Meade fired eight shots into the car, murdering Meservey.

When several other police officers arrived a few minutes later, Meade was seen pacing back and forth near the murder scene.

“I’m out of it,” he exclaimed to one of the new arrivals. “I want my Garrity.”
The “Garrity Rule” — adapted from the 1967 Supreme Court ruling Garrity v. New Jersey, which involved a ticket-fixing scandal — triggers an enhancement of the right against self-incrimination that only the government’s armed enforcers enjoy: Any statements made after the magical Garrity incantation is uttered can only be used for the purpose of a departmental investigation, not for criminal prosecution.

Klocker, who witnessed the entire incident, pointed out to investigators that when Meservey’s body was pulled from the car, the prongs of Officer Meade’s Taser were still firmly embedded in his shoulder.
“I’m thinking as I ‘m dragging him … why didn’t we [shock] him again?” Klocker told investigators. If escalation had been “necessary,” Klocker thought, Meade would have used the Taser again, or resorted to pepper spray. “I would never have shot [Meservey]… I don’t think we had reached that level of force yet,” Klocker concluded.

What seems obvious to someone not indoctrinated in the state’s view of discretionary killing is this: There was no reason to use force of any kind in this situation, beyond the minimal amount necessary to take the keys away from Meservey. Once that was accomplished, the intoxicated man had nowhere to go, and it would have been a matter of patiently waiting for him to leave his car, or fall asleep.

Rather that choosing an approach of that kind, Meade (who was involved in a prior lethal shooting a few years ago) went up the escalation ladder very quickly — vaulting from confrontational and abusive language to lethal violence within a matter of minutes.

Meade did provide an ironic service of sorts by offering such a compelling display of the fact that citizens face the risk of lethal violence in every encounter they have with law enforcement personnel. Making that point was obviously not worth the price of a man’s life.

Meservey’s daughter has filed a $15 million wrongful death claim against Everett. Meade has been charged with first-degree manslaughter and placed on paid vacation (aka “administrative leave”); unlike a private citizen charged with lethally shooting an unarmed man six times in the back, Meade is loose on his own recognizance.

Meade’s attorney defends the murder as the result of a “split-second decision” (it wasn’t, as we’ve seen) and predicts, with tragically justifiable confidence, that the officer will be acquitted in court. It’s entirely likely that Meade wouldn’t have been indicted if it weren’t for rising public concern over recent police shootings in Everett.

Trisha Tribble, who called 911, was mortified by the death of Meservey, whom she described as “this drunken guy, [who] was obviously out of his mind.”
“There was no reason for him to die,” she commented after the slaying.

And that was the trouble with Tribble’s actions the night of June 10: Any time we seek “help” from the state’s armed enforcers, we’re effectively inviting them to use lethal force.

Why Do Innocent People Flee From Police?

2009-11-08T20:52:00.001-05:00

"Why did he run?" This question thrusts itself upon us every time an unarmed or otherwise harmless person is gunned down while fleeing from police.

Often that inquiry takes the form that assumes the guilt of the victim: "If he did nothing wrong, why did he run?" It's also common for that second version to contort itself into a nicely circular argument: "Well, he ran, and resisting arrest is a crime, so obviously he got what was coming to him."

For reasons unclear to a mind not enthralled by statist assumptions, most people simply assume that both reason and morality dictate an unqualified duty to surrender without cavil or complaint whenever armed, violence-prone strangers in peculiar government-issued garb seek to restrain one of us.

This is why police are trained to interpret any hesitation, reluctance to cooperate, inhospitable body language, or verbal expression of resentment as "resisting arrest" and thus a justification for the use of "pain compliance" – or even lethal force. Police and their apologists likewise insist – contrary to both law and judicial precedent – that there is no right to resist even a clearly unwarranted or abusive arrest, or even for a citizen to take steps to protect himself when he's on the receiving end of unjustified physical violence from police.

Police are constantly catechized about the dangers they encounter when they conduct traffic stops or detain people on the street. Why, the random "civilian" they encounter might be armed, trained in the use of weapons, and prepared to use violence without warning! This is to say that this hypothetical "civilian" would be ... just like the typical police officer.

"Officer safety" must be paramount in such encounters, we are told. If a policeman is just a bit too quick to fire up the Taser or pull the trigger, it's because he has a dangerous and stressful job.

Are we therefore to assume that encounters between police and mere "mundanes" aren't particularly dangerous and stressful to the latter?

Given that police claim the supposed authority to pre-empt potential violence in the name of "officer safety," we're entitled to ask: Why isn't "citizen safety" a legally effective defense for preemptive violence by law-abiding people to protect themselves against unjustified violence by police?

At present, the only form of "preemption" considered legally and morally acceptable is unqualified submission. People wrongfully on the receiving end of police violence are given the same advice that used to be given to potential rape victims: Don't resist, don't fight back – it will only turn out much worse, and you may be killed.

Anyone who doesn't immediately submit to arrest, irrespective of the circumstances, is "going to lose and possibly hurt yourself and others in the process," insists retired Milwaukee Police Officer Mark Zupnik. "You do not have the right to resist."

"There are several more beneficial ways of pleading your case and challenging your arrest," Zupnik continues. "Get a lawyer, file a motion in court, go to pre-trial and plead your case. Make a formal complaint challenging your arrest to the proper authority, but don't resist or fight! It will add to your problems even if the arrest was a mistake. You don't have the right to resist a legal arrest and it's that simple. In most states, resisting arrest is an additional charge up to a felony, even for minor physical resistance."

Zupnik, like others of an authoritarian cast of mind, embrace a tautological view of what constitutes a "legal" arrest: It's any arrest carried out by a police officer, who supposedly embodies the law. This is why he warns that resistance in any situation will result in a criminal charge which will be filed before "a usually unsympathetic judge" who will perceive you as someone who "fought the law" – which is always on the side of the state's armed enforcers, from this perspective.

Except the rarest of cases, seeking redress for an unlawful arrest from the "proper authority" is a singularly useless exercise. In some jurisdictions – such as San Jose, California, a city in which, on average, three people are arrested for "resisting arrest" every single day – it is entirely pointless to file a complaint over unwarranted arrests, since they are never upheld.

An investigation by the San Jose Mercury News found that of the 117 cases in which a complaint was filed with the police department's internal review board, not a single one was "sustained." That includes incidents such as the arrest of Scott Wright, who was beaten, tased, and had his arm broken by police before being charged with resisting arrest.

At the time his valiant protectors arrived at his home, Wright was working on an old Cadillac; he provoked the gang assault by reaching into his van to wash off his greasy hands, a gesture that caused the Heroes in Blue (tm) – a timid, skittish lot, as easily frightened as a young doe – to think that he was reaching for a weapon.

As is almost always the case in such episodes, Wright was charged with resisting arrest even though no weapon was found, and no other criminal act was alleged.

Sure, that spurious charge was dismissed – after the victim had spent a great deal of money seeking treatment for the injuries inflicted on him, and another sum to pay the legal expenses incurred because the cops, in an effort to cover their tax-fattened asses, filed a "cover charge" against the innocent man. And of course, the police department cleared the assailants of any wrongdoing, because their criminal assault on Wright was in harmony with "department policy."

"What happened to Wright is no isolated event," the Mercury News relates. "Hundreds of times a year interactions between San Jose police and residents where no serious crime has occurred escalate into violence."

"Many times the reason for the encounter is as innocuous as jaywalking, missing bike headlamps, or failing to signal a turn," continues the report. "But often, as incidents develop, police determine the suspect is uncooperative and potentially violent and strike the first blow."

Joseph Ballard was a victim of preemptive violence: Officer Justin Holliday shot him with a Taser outside a nightclub while Ballard was running to catch a ride home. As he bled into the sidewalk, Holliday confected a story about Ballard threatening to shoot a bouncer and running to the parking lot to get his gun.

As it happens, the victim had neither a gun nor a car, and the bouncer said that Ballard had done nothing wrong – yet he was still charged with interfering with police and thrown in jail after he was released from the hospital.

After two police arrived at her home in August 2008, San Jose resident Ruth Mendiola earned an assault and a charge of "resisting arrest" when she asked to see a warrant the cops were supposedly there to deliver. She was on the phone with the police department trying to verify the identity of the officers when she was seized by one of them, who kneed her in the ribs and then threw her on a bed to handcuff her.

David Haflich – a Caucasian with light brown hair – was severely beaten by San Jose police when he was mistaken for a suspect in a child abduction – a Latino with black hair. Ordered to hit the ground, Haflich froze in his tracks, an act of insubordination serious enough, supposedly, to justify a gang-tackle and beating by police, who charged him with "resisting arrest" even though he wasn't a criminal suspect.

In 206 court cases in which the most serious charge against the defendant was "resisting arrest," the paper documented that "145 – 70 percent of the cases – involved the use of force by officers," observes the Mercury News. It's as if inoffensive pedestrians, motorists, and bicyclists were victimized by routine acts of criminal violence committed by an armed street gang ... which, come to think of it, is exactly what is going on.
This kind of officially sanctioned lawlessness is a general affliction.

In Ohio, police who showed up at a house fire to gawk and collect overtime tased and arrested a 19-year-old who had been helping friends and family escape the blaze. This happened after one of the torpid donut-devourers hurled profane invective at one of the residents of the burning house, a young woman, who had asked them why they were standing around in subsidized stupefaction while people were in danger.

Last May, Minneapolis resident Rolando Ruiz was stopped by a police officer, who instructed Ruiz to place his hands on the hood of the officer's car. Ruiz cooperated – and was shot in the neck with a Taser anyway.
The Minneapolis PD's "use of force" policy permits such gratuitous use of potentially lethal violence, and neither the policy nor any particular case is subject to civilian review or oversight.

Last June, in Everett, Washington, a 51-year-old man was gunned down in his Corvette by a police officer who had grown weary of trying to talk the intoxicated driver out of his car. At the time, the drunken driver was boxed in – parked cars on either side, a police cruiser blocking him from behind, a chain link fence in front.

The officer spent perhaps five minutes trying to reason with the driver before pulling out his Taser; the drunk reacted – understandably, if tragically – by trying, unsuccessfully, to pull out of the parking space. That provoked the officer to pull his firearm and murder the driver, firing eight shots into the car while exclaiming "Enough is enough – time to end this!"

Every death of a police officer "in the line of duty" is solemnly memorialized and carefully tabulated. However, there is no official record kept of civilians who are unjustly killed or otherwise brutalized by police.
Each encounter between the police and innocent civilians is a potentially deadly experience for the latter. Thus the real question is not "Why do innocent people flee from the police?" but rather, "What rational person would submit to the police if he had any reasonable hope of eluding or resisting them?"

November 7, 2009

William Norman Grigg [send him mail] publishes the Pro Libertate blog and hosts the Pro Libertate radio program.

Jew Sodomite Barney Frank Present During Drug Bust

2009-11-08T17:42:00.003-05:00

BOSTON (FOX25, myfoxboston) - FOX25 has learned that Congressman Barney Frank was present during a marijuana arrest at James Ready's home in Ogunquit, Maine. Ready is well-known for his relationship with Congressman Frank.

According to a police report, police charged Ready with marijuana possession, cultivation and use of drug paraphernalia in August of 2007. Ready admitted to civil possession and paid a fine. The remaining charges were dismissed in 2008.

Sources tell FOX25 that when Frank was questioned he told police that he did not live in the house and that he only smoked ~~cigars~~ dicks.

Congressman Frank tells FOX25 that he was surprised and disappointed with what police found. He also tells us that he wouldn't recognize a marijuana plant if he saw one because he is, "not a great outdoorsman," and ,"wouldn't recognize most plants." "was high as hell at the time"

The Recession Is Over My Ass

2009-11-07T16:18:00.002-05:00

If you listen to the propaganda spewed forth from the Mainstream Media you might be inclined to believe that this recession is like all the rest and the worst is behind us. I can assure you that nothing is further from the truth.

Take this chart for example.

That shows the Price To Earnings ratio for the S&P 500. For those that aren't familiar with investing P/E ratio can be found here. This chart shows that the historical average of the S&P companies P/E ratio is 16 meaning you will pay 16x annual earnings for a share of stock. So sit back and think about it, if a company say Apple makes 1 billion dollars a year you would be paying the equivalent of 16 billion dollars for ownership of Apple. Today however if Apple made 1 billion dollars it would cost you over 127 billion dollars to own the company. Of course what is driving up these absolutely ludicrous P/E ratios is the fact that the E (earnings) has dropped off of a cliff. The prices of the markets are so asininely, unsustainably high that it is laughable if it wasn't for the drones who buy into this green shoots BS.

Let's look at this from another angle. Let's look at the performance of the Dow Jones Industrial Average priced in real money. The DJIA has gone from a low of 6500 in early 2009 to hovering around the 10000 dollar mark. That is just over 50% increase from March 06 2009 to November 06 2009. Impressive right? The media would sure like you to think so yet the reality is quite a bit more sobering. Take this chart for example.

The current Dow To Gold ratio is around 9:1 yet in 1999 when the Dow was again around 10,000 the ratio was nearly 45:1. Does this mean Gold has outperformed the DJIA? No because Gold is money, it is not an investment. Gold throughout history has had an incredibly predictable and stable purchasing power. This video does a good job of explaining the concept although it is a few years old and the markets have done many things since then.

The final point that needs to be understood by Americans is this, I have little doubt (and nor does anyone who has an understanding of economics) that the US stock market will go up when priced in US dollars which are nothing more than paper. Like Peter Schiff says, "priced in Zimbabwe dollars Zimbabwe's stock market is the best performing in the world." But who would want to live there? Sure their stock market is up 3500% year over year but inflation at last check was 231 MILLION percent. Now I highly doubt the US will experience anything this radical but the example is a sound one.

We are an empire at the end of it's rope. I will expand more on these economic ideas at a later date, for now I would encourage people to look at this post from February of this year. I have many more and updated charts that I will post in the coming weeks and months.

Are Modern Christians Men?

2009-11-05T18:21:00.001-05:00

I don't know much about the author of this article, but it sure scratches me right where I itch.

By Coach Dave Daubenmire
November 5, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

Is it ok if I vent a little today? I’ve built up a little frustration over the past couple of months and I just need a pressure release. Will you let me do it?

As you may be aware I have started a varsity football program at a local Christian High School. Although I vowed to myself that I would never return to prowling the sidelines when I walked away from public education in 2000, the opportunity to train young males to be men was something I could not, in good conscience, run from.

Not all males are men. I hope you understand that. Especially convincing is the evidence I have garnered recently that Christian males in particular are the least manly.

It is cultural, I guess. Someone, somewhere, determined that trading the old man for the new man meant losing your backbone. Heck, you can’t even pass gas at a “men’s fellowship” without being looked at as if you had just pee-peed on the Decalogue. Pastors are the worst. Any whiff of “Christian testosterone” sends them to their Joyce Meyer collection of sermons in an attempt to “soften” your rough edges.

Well, not for me. My new birth made me more manly, more courageous, and more willing to live life on the edge. I like guys with rough edges. In fact, I’d rather hang out with some of my “lost” buddies than some of the sissified males I meet in Christian circles. I even said “damn it” once when I was golfing. And that was after I was saved. It’s like one acquaintance opined after playing a round of golf with me. He knew my “reputation” but had never had the opportunity to spend any time with me.

“I gotta tell you Coach, I really enjoyed playing with you. I hope you don’t take this wrong, but you are not like most Christian guys I know. You’re more…normal…I guess is the word. So many guys I know who go to church seem phony…too sweet for me, if you know what I mean. I could see myself hangin’ out with you more often.”

“Come on, Tim,” I barked back. “I’m just like Jesus. Jesus was studly. I got something to die for now. How many guys do you know who can say that?”

His look of bewilderment spoke volumes. “So Dude…Coach…where do you go to church?”

Back to my venting. Our football team is driving me nuts. They are great young men, obedient and mannerly, the kind of kid you could trust with your daughter. But as my own high school football coach often said they need a little “piss and vinegar.” They take the “turn the other cheek” attitude with them onto the field. Our Christian-culture has taught them that being “gracious in defeat” is Christ-like. I tell them being “gracious in victory” is more fun.

Maybe it is just me. I want them to be MEN. Our Christian-culture teaches them to be doormats. In Sunday school they are taught to be kind. I want them to be valiant!

Needless to say, I am swimming upstream on this one. All day long they are taught in school to “act like Christians.” That is the problem, I tell them. Stop ACTING like a Christian and start BEING one.

But we don’t even know what that means. WWJL…What Was Jesus Like? I promise you this. He was all MAN. He confronted evil, challenged the status quo, upset some apple-carts, and spoke what was on His mind. He was the original “Braveheart.”

Come on now. Look around at the Christian role models our young men have to look up to. Most don’t even look like men. What is the word that pop culture has given us…metrosexuals…? Modern Christian men are the ultimate metrosexuals.

What is a metrosexual? According to the Urban Dictionary it is a guy who uses mousse on his hair, cream on his skin, wears jewelry, and designer clothes? (Hey Honey…where are my boots and bibs?) Look at the Pastor your son sees every Sunday. Does he ooze testosterone or progesterone? Is he someone who appears to be steadfast and unmovable or someone who is more compromising and nice?

It matters, you know. What a young man thinks a Christian man looks like, matters. I was raising-Cain with our players last week and I told them “You guys make me want to cuss! The Bible says to be angry and sin not. I want you to know that I am angry enough to cuss…but I’m not going to. You guys would do well to get a little ticked off yourselves.”

But, I suppose Christian men aren’t permitted to get mad anymore. It’s not very Christ-like.

(I’m gonna keep riding this stallion a bit farther.) Look at the “Christian-school your child attends. How many women are doing the teaching? How many women know how it feels to be a man…especially a young one? Who do the young men answer to? You got it…women. Who teaches them about Christianity? Bingo…women. Just where is it our young guys go to learn how to be a man?

Can I use myself as an example? I have always been the aggressive type. Arriving fourth out of five children, being small (5’7”) in stature (I was called Baby Dave by my cousins until I was 10), and a natural whipping boy for my older brothers and their friends, I learned early to stand up and fight back. It was that “spunky” attitude that enabled me to be a three sport star in high school, earn varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball at Otterbein College, and lead the fraternity in weekend drinking binges. “Daubie” was the life of the party…the original “wild and crazy guy.”

In 1987, at the age of 35, I met Jesus. Raised in church as a child, forced by my mother to watch Billy Graham crusades on television, I was religious enough to know right from wrong. Nothing more than a religious pagan, I ran to the altar with fear and trembling when the Gospel was clearly, and uncompromisingly, articulated to me. From that day forward my life has never been the same. Jesus did for me what a phone booth did for Clark Kent; changed me into a brand new man.

Overnight, I had gone from serving the King of Beers to serving the King of Kings and for the next 10 years “men of God” tried to turn me into a sissy… to domesticate me…to conform me to their image of what a “Christian man” should be. Until the ACLU came knocking at my door.

I thank God for the ACLU…they dynamited my sissy hind-end out of the pew. I’ve been on a devil-hunt ever since.

I grew up on John Wayne and Combat, Have-Gun Will-Travel and Paladin. Who can ever forget Matt Dillon and Gunsmoke, Hoss Cartwright and Bonanza, Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, and Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels in The Lone Ranger?

Has there ever been a greater line than the one uttered by Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke, “Calling it your job don’t make it right.”

Today our sons get weenies like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Clay Aiken, and Zac Efron. Our churches get Joel Osteen, Ed Young, and Ted Haggard.

When I was a young boy the good guys were men, they loved women, and they defended the weak. Today, our leaders “come to consensus,” “reach across the aisle,” and are “open-minded.” Well, not me. I’m closed minded and proud of it. I know what I believe and not afraid to defend it. The prissy-pastors don’t know what to do with me.

I wonder, was Jesus open-minded? Did He preach a message of “consensus building?” Did He use mousse, face cream, and wear designer jeans?”

I was reading this week (Matt 16) where folks had trouble differentiating between Jesus and John the Baptist…they were cousins, you know. The establishment wanted nothing to do with The Baptist…he wasn’t polished enough….locusts, camel hair, wild honey…wasn’t in vogue, if you know what I mean.

Jesus flipped over tables, John’s mouth cost him his head. Their paths took them down the same road.

Jesus wasn’t relevant to the world; He overcame it. “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.”

Keep your mousse and jewelry and pass me the locusts and the wild-honey.

Jesus was no sissy. It’s time we stopped representing him as one.

Planned Parenthood Director Quits After Seeing Ultrasound Of Abortion

2009-11-02T21:40:00.002-05:00

The former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Texas says she had a "change of heart" after watching an abortion last month — and she quit her job and joined a pro-life group in praying outside the facility.

Abby Johnson, 29, used to escort women from their cars to the clinic in the eight years she volunteered and worked for Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas. But she says she knew it was time to leave after she watched a fetus "crumple" as it was vacuumed out of a patient's uterus in September.

'When I was working at Planned Parenthood I was extremely pro-choice," Johnson told FoxNews.com. But after seeing the internal workings of the procedure for the first time on an ultrasound monitor, "I would say there was a definite conversion in my heart ... a spiritual conversion."

Johnson said she became disillusioned with her job after her bosses pressured her for months to increase profits by performing more and more abortions, which cost patients between $505 and $695.

"Every meeting that we had was, 'We don't have enough money, we don't have enough money — we've got to keep these abortions coming,'" Johnson told FoxNews.com. "It's a very lucrative business and that's why they want to increase numbers."

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood told FoxNews.com that it offers a range of services at it 850 health centers nationwide, providing pregnancy tests, vaccinations and women's health services, "including wellness exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings, contraception, and STD testing and treatment."

"Planned Parenthood's focus is on prevention," wrote Diane Quest, the group's National Media Director. "Nationwide, more than 90% of the health care Planned Parenthood affiliates provide is preventive in nature," explaining that a "core component the organization's mission is to help women plan healthy pregnancies and prevent unintended pregnancies."

But Johnson said her bosses told her to change her "priorities" and focus on abortions, which she said made money for the office at a time when the recession has left them hurting.

"For them there's not a lot of money in education," she said. "There's as not as much money in family planning as there is abortion."

Without a doctor in residence, she said, her clinic offered abortions only two days a month, but the doctor could perform 30 to 40 procedures on each day he was there. Johnson estimated that each abortion could net the branch about $350, adding up to more than $10,000 a month.

"The majority of the money was going to the facility," she said.

Johnson said she never got any orders to increase profits in e-mails or letters, and had no way to prove her allegations about practices at the Bryan branch. She told FoxNews.com that pressure came in personal interactions with her regional manager from the larger Houston office.

But she said she got involved with the clinic "to help women and ... [do] the right thing," and the idea of raking in cash seemed to go against what she felt was the mission of the 93-year-old organization.

"Ideally my goal as the facility's director is that your abortion numbers don't increase," because "you're providing so much family planning and so much education that there is not a demand for abortion services.

"But that was not their goal," she said.

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood refused to answer questions about Johnson's accusations, but released a statement noting that a district court had issued a temporary restraining order against the former branch director and against the Coalition for Life, an anti-abortion group with which Johnson is now affiliated.

"We regret being forced to turn to the courts to protect the safety and confidentiality of our clients and staff, however, in this instance it is absolutely necessary," said spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla.

It is unclear what made Planned Parenthood seek the restraining order. Johnson said she did not intend to release any sensitive information about her former patients at the clinic.

A hearing is set for Nov. 10 to determine whether a judge will order an injunction against Johnson and the Coalition for Life, which has led protests outside the clinic and joined her in a prayer vigil there last month.

Johnson hasn't found a job since she quit on Oct. 6, but she said she's enjoying the time off to be with her 3-year-old daughter.

"It's been great just to spend some time at home and get a break," she said.

Libertarian Candidate Running Against Harry Reid Shot In The Back By Police

2009-11-02T21:14:00.001-05:00

How convenient for Harry Reid.

Here is Jim Duensing's campaign website.

On October 30, Jim Duensing, former chairman of the Nevada Libertarian Party and currently the LP candidate for US Senate against Harry Reid, was shot in the back by a Las Vegas policeman after the police had stopped Duensing for making an illegal turn and some illegal lane changes.

Initial reports said that Duensing ran from the police and that a policeman shot him in the back after “he tried to pull a handgun from his pocket.” An eyewitness reported that he was not going for a gun, but was merely trying to keep his pants up while fleeing.

Duensing is recovering and reports (see comment #73 here) that he started running after the officer used a taser on him:

With my hands raised above my head, the cop shot me with a taser in the chest. As I have had heart problems since my premature birth, I believe a Taser to be a lethal weapon. Several people without heart conditions have been killed by this weapon.

When the taser began electrocuting me, instinct took over….

I immediately turned to my left and began moving away from the source of the electrocution. By the time I got to the back of the vehicle, I had reached up with both hands, grabbed the electrodes, and pulled them away from my chest. The juice then flowed through my arms – not my heart. As I lay here in my hospital bed, I firmly believe this instinct saved my life.

I continued running away from the taser. I heard the cop fire it again, but did not feel an additional shock. I was running down the sidewalk with empty hands. I heard three pops from behind me.

(Read the rest of Duensing’s detailed narrative here.)

Before talking to Duensing or trying to verify any information, the local Libertarian Party issued the following in a press release:

The Libertarian Party of Clark County has no information, other than what the local media has reported, regarding the officer involved shooting of Raymond “Jim” Duensing. Until the events surrounding this incident are fully investigated, we will refrain from making any further statements.

The Libertarian Party of Clark County does not advocate fleeing the police as a means of peaceful conflict resolution. Raymond “Jim” Duensing, although a past officer of the party, holds no official standing within our party as an elected officer. Our thoughts go out to Jim Duensing, his family, and the officer involved in this incident (emphasis added).

Nathan Santucci, Chair, Clark County Libertarian Party

According to Duensing, “the CCLP had not issued a press release in years. I’m not sure why it felt compelled to issue one in this instance which contained misstatements of fact and which clearly tried to distance the CCLP from one of its members. Although, not an officer, I am a voting member of the CCLP excomm. Needless to say, my editing advice was not sought on the press release before it was issued.”

Duensing asks that, instead of flowers, please send contributions to his campaign at HellForHarry.com.

Urgent Action Needed To Save Audit The Fed

2009-11-02T18:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Friend of Liberty,

We have all worked so hard to make an Audit of the Federal Reserve a reality. Together, we have led the fight to get congressional hearings, 308 cosponsors, and unprecedented attention around the country.

Now, you and I face our biggest challenge yet. And Ron Paul needs your help!

Mel Watt (D-NC), Chairman of the Monetary Policy Subcommittee, has sided with banking interests and is working to gut substantial audit provisions from H.R. 1207. The bill Congressman Watt has sent to the full Financial Services Committee contains no audit of the Fed’s monetary policy-making authority or transparency of the Fed’s secret agreements with foreign central banks.

Without these provisions, a so-called “audit” of the Fed would be worthless.

The full Financial Services Committee is likely to vote on this bill either later this week or early next.

Congressman Paul will offer an amendment to restore the provisions contained in H.R. 1207 to audit monetary policy and activity with foreign central banks. Thirteen of the 41 Democrats and all 29 Republicans on the Committee have cosponsored H.R. 1207, and if they hold the line, we will have the votes to win and restore our audit.

Dr. Paul has shot a YouTube video for Campaign for Liberty explaining the situation in more detail. Click here to watch the video.

Pressure on the Democrat House Financial Services Committee members is critical! Below is a list of Democrats who have cosponsored. Please call them and urge them to vote “Yes” on the Paul Amendment. Click on their names to get their web contact information.

1. Rep. John Adler, NJ (202) 225-4765

2. Rep. Travis Childers, MS (202) 225-4306

3. Rep. Steve Driehaus, OH (202) 225-2216

4. Rep. Alan Grayson, FL (202) 225-2176

5. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, TX (202) 225-2531

6. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, FL Toll Free: 1-877-956-7627

7. Rep. Dan Maffei, NY (202) 225-3701

8. Rep. Brad Miller, NC (202) 225-3032

9. Rep. Walt Minnick, ID (202) 225-6611

10. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, CO (202)-225-2645

11. Rep. David Scott, GA (202) 225-2939

12. Rep. Brad Sherman, CA (202) 225-5911

13. Rep. Jackie Speier, CA (202) 225-3531

When contacting these members, remember that up to this point, these members have been allies on this issue. A civil yet firm tone should be kept during these calls. They should be thanked for their cosponsorship, told that Mel Watt’s changes to the bill are unacceptable, and urged to hold the line and honor their promise to support transparency at the Fed by voting “Yes” for the Paul amendment.

It is also important that we contact Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and urge them to schedule a standalone, up or down vote on the real Audit the Fed bill.

Rep. Barney Frank: (202) 225-5931

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: (202) 225-0100

Now is a crucial time for Audit the Fed. If these 13 Democrats hold the line, Ron Paul and C4L can win this battle. But, they must vote “Yes” on the Paul amendment when the full committee votes.

Together, you and I can win this fight.

In Liberty,

John Tate
President

Rand Paul Leads The Fundraising In Kentucky

2009-11-01T16:52:00.000-05:00

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the GOP establishment favorite in the state’s Senate race, lagged well behind his primary opponent Rand Paul in third quarter fundraising.

Grayson announced he raised only $642,800, despite getting fundraising support from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and NRSC chairman John Cornyn during the quarter. Grayson ended September with $1.18 million cash-on-hand.

His third quarter total was dwarfed by Paul, who raised over $1 million, much of it coming from online donors supportive of his father’s libertarian presidential campaign. Paul has banked $912,000 in his campaign account.

Paul’s significant fundraising advantage – combined with polling showing him within striking distance of Grayson – indicates that the Republican nomination is truly up for grabs, even though national Republicans are behind Grayson’s campaign.

The Jew Controlled Media Monopoly

2009-11-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

I have reported on this before here, but the following taken from this website gives a new face to showing off the media monopoly. When a handful of companies control everything that you see on TV, read in the papers, and hear on the radio it is no wonder why citizens of America are so ignorant of the Truth. Luckily we have the internet.

Media Monopolies

General Electric is a true behemoth: the conglomerate is the world’s third largest company with market capitalization of nearly $370 billion and annual revenue of $173 billion (2007). The company produces practically everything - from aircraft engine to locomotives to medical devices.

GE’s media holding includes television networks NBC and Telemundo, 27 television stations in the United States and many cable TV networks, including the History Channel, A&E, and Sci Fi Channel. It also owns the popular web-based TV website Hulu.

Update: A&E is now co-owned by The Hearst Corporation and ABC, which in turn is owned by Disney.

Time Warner is the world’s largest media and entertainment company - it owns major operations in film, TV, print, Internet, and telecommunications. Time Warner has an annual revenue of $50.5 billion (2008) - the equivalent of the entire GDP of Luxembourg.

Like cartoons? Time Warner’s got you covered with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Classic movies? Check (Turner Classic Movies). And who can forget CNN and Headline News? Both are Time Warner properties. (Please note: CW is co-owned by Time Warner and CBS).

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is a behemoth likewise: it is the largest media company in the world by market capitalization ($38 billion). For most people, the conservative news channel Fox comes foremost to mind when asked what they think of Murdoch’s media empire - but the company’s holding is far larger: it includes Asia’s Star TV Network, the National Geographic Channel and even the iconic TV Guide network.

Don’t watch TV? Even if you prefer to browse the Internet, most likely you’ve visited News Corp’s property, which include Hulu (owned in partnership with GE through its subsidiary NBC Universal) and the social networking giant MySpace.

When you think Disney you may think amusemnet parks, but The Walt Disney Company has grown to be one of the world’s largest media and entertainment corporation since its founding as an animation studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney in 1923.

The Walt Disney Company owns the ABC television network, with more 200 affiliated stations reaching nearly 100% of all U.S. television market, as well as dozens of niche cable networks. True to its cartoon animation origin, Disney captures its viewers early - it counts millions of young children as its audience with kids channels like the Disney Channel.

CBS (which used to stand for the Columbia Broadcasting System) is not sometimes called the Tiffany Network for nothing: the company is known for its high programming quality. It is currently the most watched television network in the United States, and reached more than 103 million homes in the country.

Both CBS and Viacom (see below) are owned by multi-billionaire Sumner "content is king" Redstone, through his holding company National Amusements.

Viacom stands for "Video and Audio Communication" - and true to that name, the company owns a large number of cable and satellite television networks (the company was split from CBS Corporation in 2005, though both have the same majority owner).

In 2007, Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google and YouTube for copyright infringement and recently a federal judge granted Viacom’s request for data of all YouTube users. The blogosphere has since called for a boycott of all Viacom properties - so that means no MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon or - gasp - Comedy Central for you!

Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications owns Outdoor Advertising, Katz Media Group, Premiere Radio Network, New Music Network, and SFX Sports Group.
Clear Channel owns and operates 39 television stations in the United States with more than one television station in Eugene, OR, Harrisburg, PA, Jacksonville, FL, Little Rock, AR, Memphis, TN, Mobile, AL, Monterey, CA, San Antonio, TX, Tulsa, OK, Wichita, KS.

Clear Channel leads in radio broadcast station ownership with 1,207 stations reaching 201 out of 287 markets in the United States.

Cox Communications

Cox Communications is best known for its cable, internet services, and telephony services. Cox also owns Val-Pak, 74 radio stations, 9 Television stations, and 43 newspapers in the United States.
Cumulus Media Inc.
At present, Cumulus Media Inc. is only invested in radio stations, reaching nearly 70 of 287 possible markets on 250 stations in the United States.

Disney

Disney is an example of media expansion. Founded first as movie production and theme park company, Disney now publishes books, magazines, and financial and medical services information. Disney owns ABC network with 10 television stations and 66 radio stations in the United States.
Partnering with Hearst Corporation and General Electric (GE,) Disney invests in 12 cable stations, 13 broadcast channels outside the USA, and Disney is part owner of German, French, Spanish, Scandinavian, and Japanese television stations.

Disney owns film companies; Buena Vista, Touchstone, Walt Disney, Hollywood Pictures, Caravan Pictures, Miramax Films.

Disney is a financial partner with Sid R. Bass in crude petroleum and natural gas production.

Along with its own internet portal, Disney owns ABC.com, Oscar.com, Mr. Showbiz, all Disney related sites, Family.com, ESPN.com, NBA.com, NASCAR.com, and toysmart.com.

Interactive games and music for Disney come through Buena Vista Music Group, Hollywood Records, Lyric Street Records, Mammoth Records, and Walt Disney Records.

Disney also owns Anaheim Sports Inc. and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim; 15 resorts and theme parks, and is a partial investor with TiVo.

Emmis Communications Group

Emmis Communications Group currently owns and operates 23 radio stations in the United States and owns monthly magazines including the Atlanta, and Texas Monthly publications.
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications currently own and operate 91 radio stations in the United States.

Gannett

Gannett owns USA Today, USA Weekend, USA Today Sports Weekly, and the USA Today Information Network.
Gannett owns 100 daily newspapers in the USA; the Army Times, Navy Times, Navy Times Marine Corps, Air Force Times, Federal Times, Defense Times, and Military Market.

Gannett also owns:

16 newspapers in the United Kingdom
16 television stations in the USA
Partial interests in the Cincinnati Reds, Classified Ventures Com LLC, (with competitors Knight Ridder, the New York Times Company, Times Mirror, Washington Post Co., and Tribune Co.)
Quarter share in BrassRing Inc. (Human Resources services and software)
Gannett partners with General Electric (GE) on Space.com and with Kight Ridder and Tribune Media on CareerBuilder.com

GE -- General Electric

General Electric holds 80 pecent share of NBC Universal with 14 televsion centers (9 of which are in the top 10 market share) and 14 Spanish language television stations, (8 of which are in the top 10 market share)
In Broadcast:
GE owns CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo, Mun2TV, Sci-Fi channel, Trio, and USA network.
In Film:
Universal Pictures
In Retail:
Universal Studios -- parks and resorts
In Partnership:
Paxson Communications (1/3 interest)
In Commerce:
GE builds aircraft engines, finances commercial investments, manufactures consumer products and industrial systems, as well as sells insurance, medical systems, plastics, power supplies, and transportation monitoring systems.

News Corp.

News Corp. owns FOX Broadcasting Company, 34 television stations (8 cover the USA's most populous cities) 29 alternative broadcast channels, mostly under the name of "FOX Sports."
In Film:
20th Century FOX Stuidos, FOX Searchlight Pictures, FOX Television Studios
In Print:
One newspaper in the USA, 5 newspapers in the United Kingdom, 20 newspapers in Australia, all of HarperCollins Publishing companies (23 in all) HarperCollins Children's Book Group (6 in all)
In Sports:
Los Angeles Dodgers, National Rugby League, (partial owners) of New York Rangers and New York Knicks, Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Lakers
In Music and Media:
News America New Media, Broadsystem, Festival Records, Mushroom Records, NDS, News Interactive, News Outdoor, Nursery World, Staples Center
Online: Myspace, the largest social network on the internet

Time Warner Inc.

Time Warner Inc. owns all Time Life Book companies (27 in all)
On Cable:
HBO, CNN (8 CNN networks), Court TV, Time Warner Cable services, Road Runner interactive services, New York 1, Kablevision (Hungary)
On Film and Television:
Warner Bros. (studios, film production and distrbution,) WB Television Network, Hanna Barbera Cartoons, Telepictures Production, Witt - Thomas Productions, Castle Rock Entertainment, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros pay TV, Warner Bros Theaters, TBS Superstation, Turner Network Television, Turner South, Cartoon Network (3 channels), Turner Classic Movies, TNT, New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features, Turner Original Productions
In Print:
Time Magazine (8 publications,) Fortune, Life, Sports Illustrated (3 magazines,) People (4 publications,) Entertainment Weekly (2 publications,) and 58 additional monthly or weekly publications.
In Music:
Time Warner Music, Atlantic Records, Rhino, Elektra, and 49 other music production companies.
In Partnership:
Joint ventures with Sony on Columbia House marketing, Music Sound Exchange, Viva, Channel V, Heartland Music,
Online:
CompuServe Interactive, AOL and subsidiaries, The Knot Inc, MapQuest.com, Spinner.com, Winamp, DrKoop.com, Legend.
In Sports:
Atlanta Braves
In Retail:
MovieFone, iAmaze, (partial) Amazon.com, Quack.com

Viacom
Viacom owns:
CBS -- and 16 television stations (6 of which in top 10 marketshare)
UPN 18 television stations,
5 additional television stations
On Cable: MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, Nick at Night, TV Land, VH1, Spike TV, Comedy Central, CMT, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix, Sundance Channel Owns King World Productions
On Radio: Infinity Broadcasting, with 176 radio stations and Westwood One
On Film: Paramount Pictures
In Print: Simon & Schuster (8 publishing companies)
In Retail: Owns Blockbuster video, Paramount Parks, Famous Players Theater, United Cinemas International, Famous Music
Sony
Film
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Columbia TriStar
Sony Pictures Classics
Phoenix Pictures (partial)
Jim Henson Productions (partial)
Mandalay Entertainment (partial)
Television
Sony Pictures Television
Cinemax Latin America
Animax Japan
SoapCity
GAME SHOW NETWORK (50% with Liberty Media)
Movielink (jointly owned with Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. Studios)

Music
Sony BMG Music Entertainment (50% with Bertelsmann)
Labels include: Arista Records, BNA Records, Burgundy Records, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, RCA Records, RCA Victor Group, RLG - Nashville, Sony Classical, Sony Music International, Sony Music Nashville, Sony Wonder, So So Def Records, Sony BMG Masterworks, Sony BMG US Latin, Verity Records
Sony/ATV Music Publishing (joint venture with Michael Jackson)
Music Choice (venture with Time Warner, EMI, Motorola, Microsoft, and several cable companies: Cox, Comcast, Time Warner Cable)

Other
Sony Electronics
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Sony Corporation of America
Sony DADC Americas
Sony Plaza Public Arcade and Sony Wonder Technology Lab (NYC)
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
PlayStation
Sony Connect Inc.
Metreon
Sony Signatures (clothing, accessories, apparel)
Sony Financial Holdings, Inc. (65%)
Psygnosis Limited (Video game developer)
TheStation@sony.com (Online entertainment network)
Jeopardy Online
Wheel of Fortune Online

Shots Fired Into Home Of Lou Dobbs

2009-11-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

I realize this story is a few days old now but it will be interesting to find out more details.

A gunshot was fired at the New Jersey home of CNN's Lou Dobbs after a series of threatening phone calls earlier this month, the host told listeners on his nationally syndicated radio show.

Dobbs, a fervent proponent of U.S. border enforcement, told listeners of "The Lou Dobbs Show" on Monday that the incident is part of an ongoing assault against anyone who opposes amnesty or leniency toward illegal immigrants.

"They've created an atmosphere and they've been unrelenting in their propaganda," Dobbs said in reference to pro-immigration groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Council of La Raza and America's Voice. "Three weeks ago this morning, a shot was fired at my house where I live. My wife was standing out and that followed weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls."

Dobbs continued, "But this shot was fired with my wife not, I don't know, 15 feet away, and we had threatening phone calls that I decided not to report because I get threatening phone calls."

Reached early Thursday at her home, Dobbs' wife, Debi Lee Segura, told Foxnews.com that she was outside the house when the shot was fired in her direction. She declined to elaborate, referring calls to Dobbs, who could not be immediately reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for CNN declined to comment Thursday.

New Jersey State Police Sgt. Steve Jones said troopers were called to the Dobbs' estate in rural Wantage, N.J., at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 5. The investigators who responded to the call were told that Dobbs and his wife were outside their home when they heard a gunshot, and a bullet struck their attic.

"It struck the siding and then fell to the ground," Jones said.

A search of the vicinity was unsuccessful; the bullet was taken for analysis.

"It's a shot fired that struck the house," Jones continued. "We're not sure what the intended target was. It's still under investigation."

No injuries were reported.

William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration (ALIPAC), said it's very likely Dobbs' outspokenness on illegal immigration led to the shooting.

"That shot, that attack on the Dobbs family is an attack on every American that values First Amendment rights," Gheen told Foxnews.com. "The chances are greatest that it was political, because pro-amnesty groups have tried to dehumanize Lou Dobbs and lie about him."

Dobbs, who claimed the "national liberal media" has in part created a hostile environment regarding immigration, said enduring such incidents has become a "way of life" for him.

"It's become a way of life — the anger, the hate, the vitriol — but it's taken a different tone where they've threatened my wife," he said Monday. "They've now fired a shot at my house while my wife was standing next to the car.

"It's become something else. And if anybody thinks we're not engaged in a battle for the soul of this country right now, you're sorely mistaken."

Morons At CNBC Still Don't Get It

2009-11-01T13:44:00.001-05:00

Why anyone would still listen to these fool on the Mainstream Media?

Let's recap all these assholes who were singing the praises of Bernanke and Greenspan all the way until the DJIA lost 50% of it's value, they still laughed in Peter's face and mocked him like he was some kind of lunatic. Of course history has already vindicated Peter on the housing and stock market crash, and the complete morons who think we are past this depression will look just as stupid as the ones in the following video do today.

Lemaricus Davidson Sentenced To Death

2009-10-30T23:46:00.000-04:00

The sooner this damn nigger goes to hell the better.

KNOXVILLE - The gates of Tennessee's only death row prison opened wide for Lemaricus Davidson tonight, hours after a Knox County jury sentenced him to die for his role as the ringleader in the January 2007 carjacking, torture and killings of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom.

Davidson arrived at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution's Unit 2 in Nashville around 6 p.m. local time, said Dorinda Carter, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Correction. He'll spend 23 hours per day alone in his cell every day, with just one hour of daylight in a caged yard.

That status won't change for at least 18 months, Carter said. Depending on his behavior, Davidson could eventually be upgraded to allow occasional phone calls or the chance to apply for inmate jobs such as cleaning, she said.

"Regardless of their status, they don't ever leave that building," she said.

The jury of five women and seven men deliberated about four hours before returning its decision this afternoon to a packed courtroom.

"The punishment is death," the jury foreman said.

The victims' families gasped at the verdict, but Davidson showed no reaction. Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner admonished those in the courtroom to control any outburst.

"The murder was especially heinous, atrocious and cruel," the foreman said, reading from the verdict form.

Davidson, 28, most likely will be taken to Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville where death row is housed. Some male inmates, however, are incarcerated at Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg for security reasons. Two inmates with the death penalty are currently housed at that prison.

The jurors this morning heard closing arguments in the penalty phase of this 11-day trial before getting a final round of legal instructions from Baumgartner.

Prosecutor Takisha Fitzgerald told jurors Davidson killed Christian, 21, a University of Tennessee student and her boyfriend Newsom, 23, to save his own neck.

"The only thing Chris had left was the knowledge of who his attacker was," Fitzgerald said. "(Davidson) took everything else. The only thing (Channon) had left was the knowledge of who her attacker was."

Defense attorney Doug Trant asked jurors to spare Davidson's life, noting the abuse he suffered and the foster parents who still love him.

"I'm going to ask you to spare Lemaricus Davidson's life," he said. "I'm going to ask you to do it for that little boy who was sexually abused ... I'm going to ask you to do it for that little boy who was whipped by extension cords and paperweights."

The jury, chosen from Knox County at Davidson's insistence, considered death by lethal injection, life without parole or life, a mandatory 51-year sentence.

Davidson's brother, Letalvis Cobbins, 26, was convicted in August and is serving life without parole. He is in a protective safety unit away from the general population at a West Tennessee prison after expressing fears for his safety.

Pending trial are suspects George Thomas, 26, who will face a Hamilton County jury Dec. 1, and Vanessa Coleman, 21, whose case is on hold pending a pre-trial appeal.

A fifth suspect, Eric Boyd, 37, remains uncharged in the killings but is serving an 18-year federal prison term for hiding out Davidson after the slayings.

Davidson is the first defendant from Knox County to be sent to death row since 1997. Executions in Tennessee are carried out by lethal injection.

Dennis Suttles, 57, was convicted of first-degree murder for cutting the throat of a woman in a fast-food parking lot in 1996.

Death row currently has 89 inmates, six from Knox County. All but two of the inmates are men.

The female inmates are housed at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville. One of those is Christa Gail Pike, 33, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for the torture-slaying of Colleen Slemmer, then a fellow 19-year-old Job Corps student.

On Thursday, two women who offered Davidson a better life as a teenager asked the jury to spare his life.

Foster mother Flo Rudd and group home mother Alice Rhea told jurors Davidson was worth saving despite the fact that he turned to robbery and, ultimately, murder despite their efforts to rescue him from a troubled upbringing.

"He's my son," Rhea said. "I love him. He has such potential. If you put him in a structured environment, he does everything he should. I think he can be an influence to young men for years to come."

The defense called 11 witnesses on Thursday on Davidson's behalf in the wake of his convictions.

Jurors on Wednesday deemed him guilty of the top count in 35 of 38 charges, ranging from the murder of both Christian and Newsom to kidnapping to robbery. They also found Davidson guilty of multiple counts of raping Christian.

Davidson's only reprieve - and it was largely irrelevant because of the murder convictions - came in the rape of Newsom. With no DNA evidence to directly link him to a rape that forensic evidence suggested was committed with an object, jurors opted for convictions of the lesser charge of facilitation of aggravated rape.

He will be sentenced at a later date on those charges.

Davidson chose not to testify in his own behalf either during the trial or sentencing phase.

The victims were white and all four defendants are black, and that raised some racial tension, including a protest in Knoxville.

A lot was made of race on the Internet, but prosecutors and police have said race was not a factor, contending the carjacking that led to their deaths was random.