San Diego Mayor Calls for Jury Nullification | Tenth Amendment Center Blog

http://blog.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2013/05/san-diego-mayor-calls-for-jury-nullification/#.UaQC65G3OSw

Freedom in a Democracy v. Liberty in a Republic

The word democracy is used to describe and identify our country all too often by politicians from both the left and the right and everyone in between. Democracy is not even mentioned in our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. Our founding fathers made it very clear that they thought a democracy was not the right form of government for our country. Politicians truly show their ignorance when they refer to our country as a “great democracy”.

The fact is that we use democratic principles to administer our “Republic”. Article IV Sec. 4 of the Constitution states that “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government….”.

So what is a republic and how does it differ from a democracy? Both forms of government can utilize a representative elected body but the difference is that a republic recognizes the rule of law is supreme. A system that protects the rights of the individual. A democracy is by majority rule, where the laws can change with the emotions of elected officials and pressures by the people who elected them, regardless of written laws because the laws can be changed to suit the majority, while ignoring the rights of the individual.

A Democracy produces a society where standards, morals, and the rights of the individual are overlooked to appease a majority that seeks to cure the ills that plague the people from the intrinsic characteristics that make them who they are in the first place. This is not to say that republicanism is a cure-all, but it provides a standard that stands the test of time by protecting the individual from the one thing that has never changed and will never change which is; human nature.

Human nature seeks righteousness, respect, happiness, justice, kindness and other fine attributes while it also creates  power, greed, sloth that tear apart a society. Our Constitution provides a stable foundation that protects life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

In a society where the people are ruled by a democracy and the majority always gets their way, how would your individual rights and property be protected? Could you enjoy a sugar saturated drink of any size you desire without harassment or penalty? They can’t in New York City. Could you own a weapon to protect yourself and family against harm, that has far more power and capacity than a would-be assailant? In New York State they cannot. What goes around comes around, and the Ohio State Legislature is considering this type of bill now.

Do not confuse liberty with freedom. They are not the same thing. True freedom is the ability to do whatever you please regardless of the consequences. Liberty is freedom coupled with morality. It is the conscious awareness that you are free to conduct your lives as you see fit, so long as all others can do the same without infringement on the rights of other people.

Our elected officials currently serving us at the state and federal levels (regardless of party), are not concerned with Article IV Sec. 4 of the Constitution. The passage of all legislation is based on the effect it will have on re-election and which party will retain power while under the guise of giving the people what they desire and need.

 

Some wanted me to let it out…. « Foundersfreedom Blog

Some wanted me to let it out…. « Foundersfreedom Blog

via Some wanted me to let it out…. « Foundersfreedom Blog.

Jan Morgan Media » America: Land of Opportunity or Sanctuary of Security?

http://janmorganmedia.com/2012/11/america-land-of-opportunity-or-sanctuary-of-security/

August 21st Meeting

During a July 14, 2009, address in Warren, Mich., Obama said, “Now, my administration has a job to do, as well, and that job is to get this economy back on its feet. That’s my job. And it’s a job I gladly accept. I love these folks who helped get us in this mess and then suddenly say, ‘Well, this is Obama’s economy.’ That’s fine. Give it to me. My job is to solve problems, not to stand on the sidelines and carp and gripe.

All too often we have heard the current administration point the finger of blame at their predecessors. Obama asked for this economy. He campaigned for this economy. He spent millions to get it and was chosen to fix it just as he had promised. Promises like cutting the deficit in half, cutting wasteful programs and closing Guantanamo Bay to name a few. We are all still waiting. Pundits on the left have ignored these promises and now gladly perpetuate the class war and demonization of their opponents. Clearly the main-stream media has a leftist agenda.
At the 2008 DNC in Denver, Barack Obama said “If you don’t have a record to run on then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.” This has been the strategy of the left for the last several months and will only get worse as we approach election day.
The selection of Paul Ryan by Mitt Romney may shift the mudslinging back to the real problems facing our country today. Paul Ryan serves on the House Committee on the Budget, and Ways and Means Committee. He understands the fiscal problems we face, but his voting record speaks for itself about how he views the role of the federal government. The bills he has voted for listed below have significantly added to our debt or grown the size of government.
FOR the No Child Left Behind Act (2001)
FOR the Iraq war (2002)
FOR the Medicare prescription drug entitlement (2003)
FOR Head Start reauthorization (2007)
FOR Economic Stimulus Act (January 2008)
FOR extending unemployment benefits (2008)
FOR TARP (2008)
FOR GM/Chrysler bailout (2008)
FOR $192 billion anti-recession spending bill (2009)

That is the record that could “blur his image as deficit hawk.”

The notion that either party is dedicated to solving our fiscal crisis is absurd. They have proven time and again that the policies and bills presented for a vote are purely political posturing that looks no further than the next election cycle. This is a symptom that only term limits will cure. This You Tube video explains the sinking ship we are all on (at least for now).

This is why the answer to our country’s problems will not come from central government, but from the people.

Alexis De Tocqueville was a French philosopher who lived from 1805 to 1859. He wrote Democracy in America, based on his travels around the country. He made very insightful observations about democracy and the American Republic.

Tocqueville stated that the sovereignty of the people is deep-rooted and widespread. By this he meant that Americans have a say in, and are actively involved in, all aspects of their society. The sovereignty of the people includes their influence over their government, but it is bigger than that. It resonates throughout the culture. It is a mind-set. “Whenever the political laws of the United States are to be discussed, it is with the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people that we must begin….In America the principle of the sovereignty of the people is neither barren or concealed, as it is with some other nations; it is recognized by the customs and proclaimed by the laws; it spreads freely, and arrives without impediment at its most remote consequences. If there is a country in the world where the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people can be fairly appreciated, where it can be studied in its application to the affairs of the society, and where its dangers and advantages may be judged, that country assuredly is America”.

Tocqueville observed, the American government is nothing like the government in Europe, where the latter governments are central to European societies and lord over them, where their societies are formed and directed by their governments, and where their histories and experiences are far different in that they include life under tyrannies. In America, the government is innocuous and dispersed – that is, society does not evolve around the government. “Nothing is more striking to a European traveler in the Unites States than the absence of what we term the government, or the administration. Written laws exist in America, and one sees the daily execution of them; but although everything moves regularly, the mover can nowhere be discovered. The hand that directs the social machine is invisible”.

Alexis de Tocqueville’s observation of our society was the type of country our founding fathers envisioned. The sovereignty of the states and the people was the goal of a limited government with enumerated powers.

The behemoth government that has grown while we have been asleep at the wheel of the republic is in essence our own fault. The question remains as to what you will do about securing your liberties and freedoms as an ever increasing federal government seizes your pursuit of happiness right from under your nose.

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.

 Alexis de Tocqueville

House Passes Bill Eliminating Senate Approval of Presidential Appointments

House Passes Bill Eliminating Senate Approval of Presidential Appointments.

How Do We Maintain American Exceptionalism?

American exceptionalism refers to the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on morals, ideals and personal liberty. These ideals are defined in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. In order for these ideals to remain a constant guiding light, they must be taught to others and passed from generation to generation.

Imagine your favorite restaurant, with all its special character and flair. Think of the things that this particular establishment does best. It may be the welcome you receive at the door or the decor of the dining room and its lighting, the quality of food and the experience of the staff. All of these combined create an atmosphere to your liking.

But how could this restaurant maintain a quality experience if the chef was just hired moments before she cooked your dinner and received no instruction on how it was to be prepared? If the wait staff had no knowledge of how to welcome you and ignored your calls for service, would it be an exceptional restaurant?

What makes the restaurant and America exceptional is the ever yearning passion that bonds us in a common goal combined with the people who are willing to make the effort to keep the best thing that mankind has ever known, personal liberty and a good steak.

How can we expect the visions of our Founding Fathers to last into perpetuity unless we undertake this role?  Just as important, is the education of those already here to teach those visions.

If we, are as a country, willing to let anyone cross our borders to remain here illegally, we will surely dilute the vision of this nation just as a restaurant cannot survive with a revolving door staff.

Can we then truly exist as a nation? One of ever-changing values, morals, laws that are decided by people with no skin in the game? No real ties that bind us in a common vision of personal liberty?

Our current administration believes we can. On June 15, 2012 the Obama administration issued an executive order halting the deportation of illegal immigrants brought here as children.

Did Obama always believe he had the authority to end-run Congress and grant administrative amnesty?

Here’s what Obama had to say in March 2011 in front of a Hispanic audience at Bell Multicultural High School.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, temporary protective status historically has been used for special circumstances where you have immigrants to this country who are fleeing persecution in their countries, or there is some emergency situation in their native land that required them to come to the United States. So it would not be appropriate to use that just for a particular group that came here primarily, for example, because they were looking for economic opportunity.

With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed — and I know that everybody here at Bell is studying hard so you know that we’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the law. The executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement those laws. And then the judiciary has to interpret the laws.

There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President.

Barack Obama has clearly flipped on his previous opinion of his powers through executive order. This is a move of political expediency, nothing more.

Does America mean the same thing to the people who come here illegally as it does to those who arrive through legitimate methods? Are they interested in preserving the vision of our Founding Fathers?

How do we maintain American Exceptionalism?

Please visit the following link about Nullification  What If The States Refuse To Comply?

May 15 Meeting

You probably remember the family car your parents had when you were a child. That car was your freedom and ticket to the world. It may not have had all the amenities that you would have liked, but, it got you where you needed to go so that you could live your life to the best you and your family could.

But what if your parents had decided to buy a car that far exceeded their needs and ability to pay for it?

What if they bought a Bentley or a Rolls Royce? And they named the car Freedom because it got them anywhere they wanted to go. And why would they have wanted to do this? Because they could. They could because they placed the car in the family trust. It would be passed down from generation to generation. Your parents could do this because they only paid the interest on the loan. Each generation was responsible for the payments and maintenance of the car, thereby ensuring the standard of living for the family.

Now the car is getting old. It still performs just as it ever did, but it needs more and more work to keep old Freedom going. You’re still paying the interest on it so that someday your children will enjoy the freedom it brings them.

What if Freedom is not worth the same things to your children as it was to your parents? How does the next generation learn the importance of Freedom and what life would be like if it was lost? They might want some shiny new security instead of good old Freedom.

Ronald Regan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

Look at what we as a society have attached to our freedom. There is something to be said for American exceptionalism and the ability to have the highest standard of living in the world, but at what cost. Is it right to burden our children and grandchildren with the debt of our excesses?

Liberty and freedom are not synonymous. True freedom is being able to do whatever you wish without having to deal with the consequences of your actions. You could steal from, hurt or kill others. This is not the type of society we desire.

Liberty is freedom plus morality. Morality guides us to do right by ourselves as well as others.

Here is a good article from the Tenth Amendment Center about the separation of power.

A little humor on the subtle differences between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

 

The New Democracy

“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president.”

Here is a link to an excellent speech by Dennis Prager about our current situation and how we have done a great dis-service to our youth. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=XNUc8nuo7HI

This is the reason for the 912 Project. Educating ourselves about the visions of our founding fathers can help us maintain the republic they created 236 years ago.

The recent events in Florida should awaken all Americans about the direction our country has turned in the past few years. Welcome to the newest democracy on the planet. Say goodbye to the republic which we have tried to retain for the last two centuries. The arrest of George Zimmerman has proven that the rule of law cannot stand unless a citizenry with a spine and the power of knowledge is there to back it up. This case has been tried in the court of public opinion and he has already been found guilty. Never mind the evidence or due process. Just throw the 6th Amendment out the window. In the six weeks between the shooting and the arrest, what new evidence could the prosecutor have come across that wasn’t there before now, that warranted the arrest of George Zimmerman?

Where is the attorney general of Florida or the US while the New Black Panther Party has put a bounty on the head of George Zimmerman?

As all of this transpired near the Easter and Passover holidays, I couldn’t help but think about the democratic decision that Pontius Pilate let the people decide for themselves. Whether to save Jesus or Barabbas? Not that I’m equating George Zimmerman to Jesus, it’s just the same as the outcry for justice 2012 years ago. This is justice by mob rule. A democracy in action. The whims of man, not rule of law.

Laws that protect the rights we were born with as human beings are what our Constitution protects. The Constitution protects us from the one thing that has never changed and never will change, human nature.

In cases such as this, it is so important to know the difference between a democracy and a republic. Here’s a link to help you understand.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday May 15, 2012 in the Groesbeck Library 2994 W Galbraith Rd. 7:00 pm

Obama Is Making the Case For His Own Impeachment – Tony Katz – Townhall Conservative Columnists

http://townhall.com/columnists/tonykatz/2012/04/04/obama_is_making_the_case_for_his_own_impeachment/page/full/