Archive for February, 2010
European Union Moves to Defend Persecuted Christians
Posted by: | CommentsIs America Becoming A Police State?
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There is a classic story about how no one had been able to capture a herd of wild hogs that was rooting up crops from numerous farms. It got so bad that rewards had been posted for anyone clever enough to corral the critters. But even this resulted in only limited success.
One day a stranger (who was a wily old trapper) came into town and—entering the general store–ordered a truckload of fence posts and fencing, along with some feed. When asked what he was going to use it for, he said, “I’m going to get those wild hogs y’all are having trouble with.” Of course, everyone in the store laughed at the overconfident stranger. A few weeks later, however, the stranger rode into town with the back of his truck tightly packed with the smelly swine.
When asked how he was able to accomplish what no one else had been able to do, the old trapper replied, “Simple. I started putting the feed out in a small clearing and the hogs began freely eating the feed. It didn’t take long and they were there every day. Then I put up the fence posts, but with no fencing. At first the hogs were a little skittish, but it wasn’t long and they ignored the posts. Then I began putting the fence up, but I left the gate off. Again, the hogs were skittish at first, but soon realized they could come and go freely, and before long, they were devouring the free food with a vengeance. Then, one day when the hogs were aggressively consuming the vittles, I slammed the gate closed.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that what the old trapper did to the wild hogs is exactly what our soon-to-be oppressors are doing to us! What is worse, most Americans seem about as oblivious to the whole thing as that bunch of pigs. For anyone who is paying attention, however, the signs of growing enslavement are everywhere.
Inside my web site is a link page that is constantly updated with pertinent information relating to how America is quickly being turned into Huxley’s Brave New World. I invite readers to regularly visit this page. It is entitled “The Emerging Police State.”
See the web page at: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/patriotact.html
Here is a sampling of just this year’s relevant headlines to date:
“Police Push For Warrantless Searches Of Cell Phones” (CNET News)
“During The Olympics, The Feds Will Be Reading Your Tweets–And The Blotter” (ABC News)
“Feds Push For Tracking Cell Phones” (CNET News)
“Troops Randomly Patrol Streets In Pittsburgh, Respond To ‘Domestic Disputes’” (PrisonPlanet.com)
“Residents Fumed Over Weekend Alcohol, Firearm Ban” (WXII-12 TV News, Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
“Ron Paul Warns Of Social Unrest And Martial Law” (Texas Congressman Ron Paul)
“FBI Broke Law For Years In Phone Record Searches” (The Washington Post)
“Top Obama Czar: Infiltrate All ‘Conspiracy Theorists’” (World Net Daily)
“President Gives Foreign Cops Power Over Americans” (Retired lawman Jim Kouri)
Those are just some of the headlines from 2010 so far. Check out the headlines from 2009 and backward to discover that the list of relevant news stories is extensive. And as you peruse those news stories, keep reminding yourself about what you are actually seeing: you are watching the old trapper put the fence around the hog feed.
Again, the web page address is: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/patriotact.html
Only a blind or deliberately naïve man cannot see that America—the once-proud “land of the free”–is being systematically turned into a twenty-first century police state. Good grief! The Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom notes that America is not even listed among the “free” countries of the earth. We are ranked in the second tier, of “mostly free” countries. Beyond that, the Heritage index ranks the US as only the 8th freest nation on the planet.
And both the Republican and Democrat parties in Washington, D.C., are equally culpable for America’s slide into socialism and oppression. And so are many local and State leaders–including political, business, and law enforcement leaders. Suffice it to say that most big city governments have become almost totalitarian. Government buildings–even local ones—are sealed fortresses, not unlike the old palace-forts of antiquity. In big and not-so-big cities, cameras monitor virtually everything we do. Even here in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida, a nearby city (Gulf Breeze) has recently installed traffic cameras, which issue automated tickets for red light runners. (How unconstitutional can one get? Surely someone will aggressively challenge the legality of these cameras in court!) What is worse is that many residents and local authorities see nothing wrong with it. These people are behaving just like those wild hogs that nonchalantly ate their food while the fence was being built all around them.
In the name of “security” or “safety” or “protection,” Americans are surrendering their liberties. Ladies and gentlemen, face it: freedom is risky business! If our Founding Fathers had wanted security or safety, they would have stayed in Europe–or at least remained a compliant colony of the Crown. So, if one wants government enslavement in twenty-first century America, one should move back to Europe–or better yet, to Red China or North Korea!
Instead of demanding that government take care of us, we should be demanding that government get out of our wallets and off our backs, and let us live free, as our Creator intended we live! But how can we do that when we constantly clamor for more and more government handouts and benefits? By demanding welfare checks, food stamps, government-assisted housing and medicine, etc., Americans are putting the shackles around their own throats. Even churches and religious institutions are gorging themselves at the government teat. America doesn’t need to worry about terrorist attacks from Baghdad or Tehran as much as we should worry about the terrorism from Big Brother–brought about with our own approbation–right here at home.
When will we say, “That’s enough”? When will we truly rise up against this out-of-control federal monstrosity? When will we demand that government once again be our servant and not our master? When will we begin to see through these Big Government politicians from both major parties that are selling our posterity into tyranny for their own selfish pursuits? When will we wake up to what both Big Business and Big Religion are doing to us? Why do we have to shop at the “Super Center”? Why do we have to worship at the “Mega-Church”? Why do we have to believe everything ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN—and yes, FOX News–tell us? Why do we have to keep reelecting these career politicians? And when we do replace them, why do we have to replace one dirty, rotten scoundrel with another dirty, rotten scoundrel?
When will we recognize that the Department of Homeland Security would be more properly named the Department of Homeland Enslavement? When are we going to wake up to the fact that the Patriot Act is nothing but a tool of the federal government to usurp constitutionally protected liberties? When are we going to realize that the federal “war on drugs” inflicts more damage on the Bill of Rights than it does any major drug dealer? When will we get fed up with these random police checkpoints (manned by agents from virtually any and every police agency, including federal agents) going up everywhere? When will we tire of our local policemen and sheriff’s deputies more resembling military commandos than peace officers? When will we demand that our State and local officials stop begging the federal government for “stimulus” money? In other words, when are we going to decide that we want to live in FREEDOM?
Until we Americans get serious about answering the questions above, we are only fooling ourselves when we talk about the United States being a free country. We are not free, and we are getting less free by the day. We are as those wild hogs that were first fed by–and then enslaved by–a wily trapper. When will we see it?
For more by Chuck Baldwin, go to http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/
Case Of NY Gov’s Aide Highlights Protection-Order Problems
Posted by: | CommentsOrders of protection in domestic-violence cases can forestall harm, but 87 percent of the victims of family-related killings last year in New York City did not have one, says the New York Times. An a piece of paper, even one bearing the imprimatur of a court, is no guarantee of safety. This is especially true if the paper in question is delayed, ignored or never served. That is what seems to have happened to a woman who obtained a temporary order of protection from a judge Bronx against David Johnson, a top aide to Gov. David Paterson.
When the woman tried to serve Johnson, he initially refused the order, as did his lawyer a few weeks later. A police spokesman said officers did deliver papers to Johnson, but he never appeared in court to answer them. The case has focused new attention on protective orders, and particularly the business of serving them. Orders are not considered in effect until they have been served on the person accused of the offense. “We come across problems with service all the time,” said Betsy Tsai of the Courtroom Advocates Project at a group called Sanctuary for Families. Police are not authorized to enter a home or business. An alleged abuser might simply refuse to come to the door.
Sheriff’s Offices Using Eye Scanners To Stop Release Mistakes
Posted by: | CommentsA Baltimore inmate who bluffed his way out of prison probably wouldn’t have tricked guards if they had eye-scanners like those being installed at many jails, the Associated Press reports. The federal government is paying for the scanners to help build a nearly foolproof identification system to stop to such escapes. Raymond Taylor was serving three life sentences for shooting his ex-girlfriend and her two teenage daughters. He impersonated a cellmate last week and was released. He was arrested the next day in West Virginia.
The U.S. Justice Department has given a $500,000 grant to the National Sheriff’s Association, which is giving $10,000 grants to about 45 agencies that will create a national database that better identifies, registers, and tracks inmates. ”While this technology has been around generally for 10 to 15 years, it just hasn’t gotten into the mainstream yet,” said the sheriff group’s Fred Wilson. “You have to remember that the average law enforcement agency is very small and they can’t afford this stuff.” The sheriff’s association teamed with Plymouth, Mass.-based Biometric Intelligence and Identification Technologies and picked agencies from more than 400 that applied. The chosen agencies ranged from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department and Las Vegas police to small departments like Story County, Ia., and Rutland County, Vt.
Should Police Pose As Homeless People To Nab Motorists?
Posted by: | CommentsMaplewood, Mn., police officer Paul Bartz posed as a “Homeless Harry” holding up a sign — “Will work for food” — as he approached and looked inside a line of waiting vehicles. Bartz, as well as “Homeless Harriet,” his unidentified female North St. Paul police counterpart, helped fellow officers issue 122 citations, most for not wearing a seat belt, during a 3 1/2-hour operation, says St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist Ruben Rosario.
“I’ve never heard of this before, and I believe it’s highly inappropriate and making a mockery of the homeless,” says Liz Kuoppala of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. Maplewood Deputy Police Chief Dave Kvam makes no apologies for the crackdown. ”We’re in a can’t-win situation,” he said. “We’re like umpires in a game. No matter what you do, at least half the crowd will be against you.” Motorists gave Bartz $93 in donations before some got nabbed. The money was given to a food bank.
Skilling Case Issue: Is Fair Trial Possible In Internet Age?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Supreme Court hears arguments today on whether Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling’s conviction should be overturned because the prejudice against him in Houston was so strong and pervasive that he could not receive a fair trial, says the New York Times. It has been two decades since the Supreme Court has considered a major change of venue case. Its jurisprudence is rooted in cases based on small communities dominated by a single local newspaper and perhaps a few local television news outlets. “The law has been slow to adapt to a more general, more intense and yet more atomized media environment,” the Times says.
How potential jurors become informed in the Internet era cuts in two directions. It may now be harder than ever for defendants to find wholly untainted jurors in their own communities. Still, a venue change in a high-profile case is less likely than ever to solve the problem. In a Supreme Court brief in the Skilling case, the federal government urged the court not to adopt an approach prompted by the proliferation of new media that would mean “no trial will be possible in the most nationally significant cases.”
Worker Theft Robs Firms Of Far More Than Shoplifters Do
Posted by: | CommentsA national survey last year showed that companies lost $18.7 billion in the 12 months ending in June because of worker theft — the largest single cause of retail “shrinkage,” the Kansas City Star reports. A 2008 survey found that employees stole far more than shoplifters and that among 22 large retailers, one in 30 employees was caught stealing. “It happens from the top down to the bottom up,” said Terrence Shulman, an expert.
Experts say that with hard times, more employees are stealing, but many have always done it anyway. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has long said that 75 percent of employees steal from their employers at least once. They start small, get bolder and often get caught, said Casey Chroust of the Retail Industry Leaders Association. Allan Bachman, the education manager for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, last week called the situation “almost a perfect storm” as companies that are trying to weather the recession eliminate protective measures. Two years ago, the association estimated that American businesses lost 7 percent of annual revenue to fraud, but the group now suspects that figure has grown. “There is a possibility that schemes are being created right now that won’t be discovered for years,” Bachman said.
Some Key Liberals Join Gun-Rights Side In Supreme Court Case
Posted by: | CommentsIn the Chicago gun-rights case pending at the Supreme Court, the liberal Constitutional Accountability Center has joined forces with conservatives, including Steven Calabresi, cofounder of the Federalist Society, to support expanding individual rights, including gun rights, in the states—inviting the possibility that Chicago’s virtual ban on handguns might be overturned, Newsweek reports. “There is a deeply progressive historical basis for some individual right to bear arms,” says Douglas Kendall, the CAC’s founder.
Some sharp liberal legal minds are part of a campaign to reverse and embrace the right to gun ownership. “I believe in an individual right to bear arms, consistent with a living Constitution,” says UCLA law Prof. Adam Winkler, a frequent participant in the American Constitution Society, the liberal answer to the Federalist Society. Winkler was one of eight scholars, including other prominent liberals, who signed the CAC’s brief in the Chicago case, which will be argued Tuesday.
S.F. Chief Seeks “Powerful Policy” Vs. Quality-Of-Life Crime
Posted by: | CommentsIn San Francisco’s Tenderloin area, the city’s incoming police chief was shocked to see open drug dealing, reports the Associated Press. In the swank Union Square shopping area, Sacramento’s mayor had his luggage stolen from outside a hotel. In the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, residents and storekeepers complaining about overbearing transients blocking pedestrians and panhandling with their pit bulls by their sides. The city is grappling with quality-of-life crimes.
Last year, the city’s overall crime rate was the lowest in decades, with homicides down more than 50 percent. But a groundswell of gripes about “nuisance crimes” has made combatting them a priority for Police Chief George Gascon since he arrived last summer. The chief has proposed a citywide “sit-lie” ordinance that would give police the authority to move and cite those who block sidewalks or otherwise intimidate pedestrians. “There are a substantial number of people who want to see this happen. They’re very frustrated,” Gascon said. “It’s beyond the tipping point. The anger is very real. I’m hoping we can come up with a powerful policy that makes sense for everybody.”
Some Legislators, Justices Rethink Teen Life Without Parole
Posted by: | CommentsMichigan has 352 prisoners serving mandatory life sentences for crimes committed while they were juveniles — the second-highest number in the world, behind Pennsylvania at 444, says the Detroit Free Press. Legislators and the U.S. Supreme Court are rethinking the idea of sending teens away to prison forever. Michigan is among 12 states where legislation has been introduced that would ban the practice, or at least give judges some discretion. Texas and Colorado have banned mandatory life for juveniles.
Oakland County, Mi., Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, whose office tried two of them, Dontez Tillman and Thomas, McCloud, said the boys are exactly where they belong. “These are gut-wrenching, soul-searching determinations,” she said. Tillman and McCloud are among Michigan’s 45,000 inmates. Their days are spent doing chores, watching television or walking in the exercise yard. They will likely never walk free. Their story paints a terrible irony, some defense experts argue. They are boys old enough to be charged as adults under Michigan’s stringent get-tough-on-juveniles laws. Yet they deferred to their mothers for the most important decision in their young lives — a decision that put them behind bars for life.
