A museum in Colorado has an exhibit that shows the Son of God in a pornographic pose. What are your thoughts with regard to free speech? I believe this does fall under free speech, my question is, what happened to decency and respect? Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Via The Blaze:
A Loveland, Co., public art museum has sparked a heated debate among the town’s residents after highlighting an exhibit which seems to feature Jesus Christ in a tawdry sex act.
The controversial piece is part of a 10-artist exhibit called, “The Legend of Bud Shark and His Indelible Ink.” The lithograph showing the son of God engaged in a sexual act is called, “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals,” and was created by Stanford University professor Enrique Chagoya.
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
5 Students Sent Home for Wearing American Flag T-Shirts
Five Live Oak High School students' First Amendment rights were challenged Wednesday morning when they were asked to leave school because they donned American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Officials at the school chose not to comment on the situation, but one student said an official called the T-shirts "incendiary.""They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said sophomore Matt Dariano.
The Morgan Hill Unified School District issued this statement: "In an attempt to foster a spirit of cultural awareness and maintain a safe and supportive school environment, the Live Oak High School administration took certain actions earlier today. The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions."
The five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break about 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas. The boys said they complied. In the same conversation, sophomore Dominic Maciel said, Rodriguez told the group to "walk with him to the office."
Dariano called his mother Diana, who spread the word to the other parents, who all arrived soon after to have a conference with Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden. The group said they were not instigating anything and did what they always do at break - sit and talk and eat.
The boys were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home - and that it would not be considered a suspension - but that Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican-American students and those wearing American flags. Dariano said other students were wearing American flags but since they were a group of five "we were the easiest target to cause trouble" according to Rodriguez, he said.
Photo by: Lora Schraft, Staff Photographer
Via
Obama Breaks Promise - Signs Bill 36 Hours Later
On the campaign trail President Obama said the "public will have five days to look at every bill that lands on my desk" before he signs it into law. Yet, as with so many promises, this one will be broken today, a mere day and a half later, as he gathers in the East Room to sign the bill into law.
It seems like a good idea, right? Health reform is needed, there is no denying that. Supporters of the bill say it's a step in the right direction. I say BS, it's a step in the wrong direction and a violation of personal liberties.
IBD was kind enough to provide a list of 20 ways Obamacare takes away our freedom. I'll summarize here.
1. You don't want health insurance? Tough, pay up or face fines. (Section 1501)
2. Do you take care of yourself and think your insurance premiums should reflect that? Tough. You have to pay for premiums that cover not only you, but also the guy who smokes, drinks and eats chicken fat off the floor. That’s because insurance companies will no longer be able to underwrite on the basis of a person’s health status. (Section 2701).
3. You would like to pay less in premiums by buying insurance with lifetime or annual limits on coverage? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer such policies. (Section 2711).
4. Think you’d like a policy that is cheaper because it doesn’t cover preventive care or requires cost-sharing for such care? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer policies that do not cover preventive services or offer them with cost-sharing. (Section 2712).
5. You are an employer and you would like to offer coverage that doesn’t allow your employers’ slacker children to stay on the policy until age 26? Tough, you are paying for them too. (Section 2714).
6. You must buy a policy that covers ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services; chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care. You’re a single guy without children? Tough, your policy must cover pediatric services. You’re a woman who can’t have children? Tough, your policy must cover maternity services. You’re a teetotaler? Tough, your policy must cover substance abuse treatment. (Section 1302).
7. Do you want a plan with lots of cost-sharing and low premiums? Well, the best you can do is a “Bronze plan,” which has benefits that provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 60% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Anything lower than that, tough. (Section 1302 (d) (1) (A))
8. You are an small employer and you’d like to offer policies with deductibles higher than $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families? Tough. (Section 1302 (c) (2) (A).
9. If you are a large employer (101+) and you do not want to provide health insurance to your employee, then you will pay a $750 fine per employee. Tough. (Section 1513).
10. You are an employer who offers health flexible spending arrangements and your employees want to deduct more than $2,500 from their salaries for it? Tough. (Section 9005 (i)).
11. If you are a physician and you don’t want the government looking over your shoulder? Tough. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to use your claims data to issue you reports that measure the resources you use, provide information on the quality of care you provide, and compare the resources you use to those used by other physicians. (Section 3003 (i))
12. If you are a physician and you want to own your own hospital, you must be an owner and have a “Medicare provider agreement” by Feb. 1, 2010. (Section 6001 (i) (1) (A))
13. If you are a physician owner and you want to expand your hospital? Well, you can’t (Section 6001 (i) (1) (B). Unless, it is located in a country where, over the last five years, population growth has been 150% of what it has been in the state (Section 6601 (i) (3) ( E)). And then you cannot increase your capacity by more than 200% (Section 6001 (i) (3) (C)).
14. You are a health insurer and you want to raise premiums to meet costs? Well, if that increase is deemed “unreasonable” by the Secretary of Health and Human Services it will be subject to review and can be denied. If that forces you out of business, tough. (Section 1003)
15. The government will extract a fee of $2.3 billion annually from the pharmaceutical industry. If you are a pharmaceutical company what you will pay depends on the ratio of the number of brand-name drugs you sell to the total number of brand-name drugs sold in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the brand-name drugs in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2.3 billion, or $230,000,000. (Section 1404) This gigantic over head cripples your company? Tough. (Section 9008 (b)
16. The government will extract a fee of $2 billion annually from medical device makers. If you are a medical device maker what you will pay depends on your share of medical device sales in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the medical devices in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2 billion, or $200,000,000. Forced to ship your manufacturing jobs over seas putting thousands out of work? Tough. (Section 9009 (b)).
The reconciliation package turns that into a 2.9% excise tax for medical device makers. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 1405).
17. The government will extract a fee of $6.7 billion annually from insurance companies. If you are an insurer, what you will pay depends on your share of net premiums plus 200% of your administrative costs. So, if your net premiums and administrative costs are equal to 10% of the total, you will pay 10% of $6.7 billion, or $670,000,000. In the reconciliation bill, the fee will start at $8 billion in 2014, $11.3 billion in 2015, $1.9 billion in 2017, and $14.3 billion in 2018 (Section 1406). Fees destroy your profit margin, forcing you out of business? Tough. (Section 9010 (b) (1) (A and B).)
18. If an insurance company board or its stockholders think the CEO is worth more than $500,000 in deferred compensation? Tough. (Section 9014).
19. You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. Don't want the government taking more of your hard earned money? Tough, eat it bourgeoisie. (Section 9015). That amount will rise to a 3.8% tax if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts. (Section 1402).
20. If you go for cosmetic surgery, you will pay an additional 5% tax on the cost of the procedure. Don't want Uncle Sam double dipping in your pockets? Tough. (Section 9017).
It seems like a good idea, right? Health reform is needed, there is no denying that. Supporters of the bill say it's a step in the right direction. I say BS, it's a step in the wrong direction and a violation of personal liberties.
IBD was kind enough to provide a list of 20 ways Obamacare takes away our freedom. I'll summarize here.
1. You don't want health insurance? Tough, pay up or face fines. (Section 1501)
2. Do you take care of yourself and think your insurance premiums should reflect that? Tough. You have to pay for premiums that cover not only you, but also the guy who smokes, drinks and eats chicken fat off the floor. That’s because insurance companies will no longer be able to underwrite on the basis of a person’s health status. (Section 2701).
3. You would like to pay less in premiums by buying insurance with lifetime or annual limits on coverage? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer such policies. (Section 2711).
4. Think you’d like a policy that is cheaper because it doesn’t cover preventive care or requires cost-sharing for such care? Tough. Health insurers will no longer be able to offer policies that do not cover preventive services or offer them with cost-sharing. (Section 2712).
5. You are an employer and you would like to offer coverage that doesn’t allow your employers’ slacker children to stay on the policy until age 26? Tough, you are paying for them too. (Section 2714).
6. You must buy a policy that covers ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services; chronic disease management; and pediatric services, including oral and vision care. You’re a single guy without children? Tough, your policy must cover pediatric services. You’re a woman who can’t have children? Tough, your policy must cover maternity services. You’re a teetotaler? Tough, your policy must cover substance abuse treatment. (Section 1302).
7. Do you want a plan with lots of cost-sharing and low premiums? Well, the best you can do is a “Bronze plan,” which has benefits that provide benefits that are actuarially equivalent to 60% of the full actuarial value of the benefits provided under the plan. Anything lower than that, tough. (Section 1302 (d) (1) (A))
8. You are an small employer and you’d like to offer policies with deductibles higher than $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families? Tough. (Section 1302 (c) (2) (A).
9. If you are a large employer (101+) and you do not want to provide health insurance to your employee, then you will pay a $750 fine per employee. Tough. (Section 1513).
10. You are an employer who offers health flexible spending arrangements and your employees want to deduct more than $2,500 from their salaries for it? Tough. (Section 9005 (i)).
11. If you are a physician and you don’t want the government looking over your shoulder? Tough. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to use your claims data to issue you reports that measure the resources you use, provide information on the quality of care you provide, and compare the resources you use to those used by other physicians. (Section 3003 (i))
12. If you are a physician and you want to own your own hospital, you must be an owner and have a “Medicare provider agreement” by Feb. 1, 2010. (Section 6001 (i) (1) (A))
13. If you are a physician owner and you want to expand your hospital? Well, you can’t (Section 6001 (i) (1) (B). Unless, it is located in a country where, over the last five years, population growth has been 150% of what it has been in the state (Section 6601 (i) (3) ( E)). And then you cannot increase your capacity by more than 200% (Section 6001 (i) (3) (C)).
14. You are a health insurer and you want to raise premiums to meet costs? Well, if that increase is deemed “unreasonable” by the Secretary of Health and Human Services it will be subject to review and can be denied. If that forces you out of business, tough. (Section 1003)
15. The government will extract a fee of $2.3 billion annually from the pharmaceutical industry. If you are a pharmaceutical company what you will pay depends on the ratio of the number of brand-name drugs you sell to the total number of brand-name drugs sold in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the brand-name drugs in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2.3 billion, or $230,000,000. (Section 1404) This gigantic over head cripples your company? Tough. (Section 9008 (b)
16. The government will extract a fee of $2 billion annually from medical device makers. If you are a medical device maker what you will pay depends on your share of medical device sales in the U.S. So, if you sell 10% of the medical devices in the U.S., what you pay will be 10% multiplied by $2 billion, or $200,000,000. Forced to ship your manufacturing jobs over seas putting thousands out of work? Tough. (Section 9009 (b)).
The reconciliation package turns that into a 2.9% excise tax for medical device makers. Think you, as a medical device maker, know how to better use that money, say for research and development? Tough. (Section 1405).
17. The government will extract a fee of $6.7 billion annually from insurance companies. If you are an insurer, what you will pay depends on your share of net premiums plus 200% of your administrative costs. So, if your net premiums and administrative costs are equal to 10% of the total, you will pay 10% of $6.7 billion, or $670,000,000. In the reconciliation bill, the fee will start at $8 billion in 2014, $11.3 billion in 2015, $1.9 billion in 2017, and $14.3 billion in 2018 (Section 1406). Fees destroy your profit margin, forcing you out of business? Tough. (Section 9010 (b) (1) (A and B).)
18. If an insurance company board or its stockholders think the CEO is worth more than $500,000 in deferred compensation? Tough. (Section 9014).
19. You will have to pay an additional 0.5% payroll tax on any dollar you make over $250,000 if you file a joint return and $200,000 if you file an individual return. Don't want the government taking more of your hard earned money? Tough, eat it bourgeoisie. (Section 9015). That amount will rise to a 3.8% tax if reconciliation passes. It will also apply to investment income, estates, and trusts. (Section 1402).
20. If you go for cosmetic surgery, you will pay an additional 5% tax on the cost of the procedure. Don't want Uncle Sam double dipping in your pockets? Tough. (Section 9017).
Stand Up and Defend America
From our good friend Steph:Recently, I have been thinking about my grandparents, recalling the days when Americans were UNAFRAID and PROUD to stand up for all that is right, pure and just, a time when every America flew the flag, not just on Independence Day, but everyday. A time when trashing the American flag sent a person to jail. My grandparents were God-fearing Christians who believed in the integrity and goodness of the individual. Big government and political correctness are our biggest enemies. We are being led down a path that will become our demise, the end of the greatest nation in the world, if we continue allowing evil to have the upper hand.
I ask you to prayerfully consider what only your heart knows. We are busy with the holidays, but the enemies of the Constitution are busy tearing apart our country. Will we look back on this moment in time, filled with regret that we didn't do enough to stop this very real evil or will we stand up, UNAFRAID and PROUD, knowing all that America represents, and fight like never before, as though our lives depend upon it? For they do.
Every email, phone call, fax and forum posting is imperative. Today. Tomorrow. Each and every day. Never relenting. Never assuming someone else will shoulder that responsibility.
The future of America is in our hands. It is up to us.
Thank you for all you do.
Steph
The Value of Freedom
Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom.When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.
'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'
She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'
They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'
'No,' she said.
'Maybe it's our behavior.'
She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'
And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.
By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the fl oor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell
me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'
At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.
Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'
By the way, this is a true story. I hate snopes, but here it is.
Obama, and the UN's Free Speech Treaty
I received an interesting read in my e-mail. It makes some interesting observations, even if it is a little inflammatory. Ok, it's a lot inflammatory. I thought about cutting some parts out, but then I thought, eh, our readers are big boys and girls, and can take it how they please.
President Barack Hussein Obama, head of the UN Security Council and traitor to the United States of America signed a UN Treaty and actually co-sponsored an anti-free speech treaty. Shocking? Not really, given his hatred of America. This is an impeachable act. Obama has violated the Constitution of the united States of America. Obama has violated his oath of office, you know that troublesome little thing that says he will ‘defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic’. It is said, and well documented in the October 8th, 2009, online issue of Jihadwatch.org, that this path is a path of doom for America:
Legal expert Eugene Volokh, in an excellent analysis of the resolution, explains why it isn’t that easy to dismiss this. “If the U.S. backs a resolution that urges the suppression of some speech,” he explains, “presumably we are taking the view that all countries -- including the U.S. -- should adhere to this resolution. If we are constitutionally barred from adhering to it by our domestic constitution, then we’re implicitly criticizing that constitution, and committing ourselves to do what we can to change it.” He adds that in order to be consistent, “the Administration would presumably have to take what steps it can to ensure that supposed ‘hate speech’ that incites hostility will indeed be punished. It would presumably be committed to filing amicus briefs supporting changes in First Amendment law to allow such punishment, and in principle perhaps the appointment of Justices who would endorse such changes (or even the proposal of express constitutional amendments that would work such changes).”
December, 2009, in Copenhagen, the man who won the Nobel Prize for nothing, the first US President to chair the UN Security Council will cede America’s sovereignty to a new world order, governed by the United Nations, and it will be based on the faulty science of climate change. Lord Christopher Monckton, former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher came to America and like Paul Revere, issued the warning to America. The state run media hasn’t reported this, and probably never will.
Lord Monckton is credible and beyond reproach when it comes to his work and his ethics. Lord Monckton is simply seeking to help America save its sovereignty. Although a British Nobleman, Lord Monckton’s personal ethics demand that he do all he can to help us save America. There are ties, deep within the Democratic National Committee (DNC), a global law firm that works in climate change, and the White House. In fact, the mole in the White House is an admitted Maoist and has been tasked with ‘getting’ Glenn Beck. Yes, Anita Dunn is in on this.
Perkins Coie is a global law firm. They represent numerous clients in the climate change theater. One of their partners, Robert Bauer, is the main counsel to the DNC, as well as, general counsel to Obama for America. Mr. Bauer and his wife Anita Dunn are recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s top “Power Couples”. One does not have to make a leap of faith to see that there are several issues of corruption and ethics issues here:
* Obama co-sponsored a treaty in direct violation of the Constitution, in impeachable offense and act of treason. It is also a violation of his oath of office, one more act of treason.
* Obama has telegraphed his belief in climate change, a faulty science at best, and something that needs more research, but through Cap and Trade, Dear Leader has made it clear that he feels America is responsible for this.
* Obama, in becoming the head of the UN Security Council, has put America’s defenses second to those of the UN, another violation of his oath of office and the Constitution. An act of sedition and treason.
* Obama is scheduled to attend the meeting in Copenhagen and the only reason for attending would be to cede our sovereignty to the UN. At this stage, conspiracy to commit treason.
* Obama is using Anita Dunn as an attack dog, against Glenn Beck and Fox News. Legal? Questionable at best. Ethical? Not even close.
* Mr. Bauer and Dunn stand to gain tremendously financially from the climate change treaty, legislation (Cap and Trade), and trading/monitoring of the carbon offset markets in the future. Remember, Mr. Bauer is a partner in the firm, so he gets a piece of the entire pie.
It is clear that the words of Lord Monckton are true. It is clear that B. Hussein Obama has violated his oath of office and committed acts of treason against America, the country he was elected to lead. It is apparent that B. Hussein Obama sees Fox News, the only national media source that will not lay down and become a tool of the White House, as a threat, so he calls them out and declares war upon them. He uses the DNC’s Chief Counsels wife, the legal counsel for Obama for America’s wife, Anita Dunn, as that attack dog. Why? Well, Anita has much to gain from this, what with her husband being a partner in the law firm that will represent the majority of , carbon offset sales and other litigation surrounding climate change legislation. Let it be climate change litigation noted that Mr. Bauers firm is a global firm, that can and will operate in the globalization of a one world government. Anita Dunn, for her part in this, should be tried for treason. Mr. Bauer, should it be shown that he has made any stock transactions that would show inside information was used, should be indicted on those charges.
America, it is time to clean house. It is indeed hammer time. File the charges. Let the guilty verdicts come. And, for the sake of all of America, do not let B. Hussein Obama sign the treaty in Copenhagen, lest we all be slaves to a one world government and the country our families, ancestors and friends have built, will be washed away with the stroke of a pen.
Bill Turner
US Western Regional Coordinator
The Patriotic Resistance
http://www.resistnet.com/
Twitter: Czarhunter
Co-Founder/Senior Advisor
The American Patriot Commission
http://www.americanpatriotcommission.com/
Blog: http://www.americanpatriots.commission.com/
Albany Apartment Flag Ban is Over
KVAL.com:
Flags are OK again at an Albany apartment complex after the property manager reviewed the policy and decided she didn't have the legal standing to ban flags from the exteriors of apartments and vehicles parked at the complex.
"If people want to fly any flag of any nationality, it's their right," said Barb Holcomb with Oaks Apartments.
KVAL News also contacted the American Civil Liberties Union to ask whether the policy banning flags from the apartment complex violated any laws. The answer from the ACLU: No.
But Holcomb said she received different legal counsel that led her to believe she is wrong to ban the flags.
"When a tenant rents the unit, the inside of the unit belongs to the tenant," Holcomb said Wednesday. "All automobiles and things attached to the automobiles are the personal property of the tenant."
Holcomb said the flag ban was based on interpretation of two sections of the rental agreement all tenants sign.
"What we were trying to do was to keep the peace," she said, declining to say whether a specific incident sparked enforcement of the ban. "Obviously, we were wrong. If the peace needs to be kept, it belongs to the police department."
She said her boss has stood by her -- both when she enforced the policy and when she lifted it.
"I made a policy. I was wrong," she said. "My boss is a wonderful man. He backed me 100 percent -- even when I was wrong."
The story garnered national attention because of the ban on American flags, although the policy did not specifically single out the U.S. flag and allow the flags of other nations.
The result for Holcomb: Numerous phone calls from the media.
"If they want to speak to me, they speak to me," she said of the calls. "If they want to yell at me, they yell at me."
KVAL News asked whether she had talked to the resident who originally went to the media with the story. Holcomb said no, although she said she would talk to him -- and would have talked to him before he went to the media. Holcomb said he did not approach her before talking to KVAL News partner KATU.
"He's just a romping, stomping patriot," Holcomb said.
Albany (OR) Apartment Complex Bans American Flags
Jim Clausen flies the American flag from the back of his motorcycle. He has a son in the military heading back to Iraq, and the flag - he said - is his way of showing support.
"This flag stands for all those people," said Clausen, an Oaks Apartment resident. "It stands for the people that can no longer stand - who died in wars. That's why I fly this flag."
But to Oaks Apartment management, Clausen said, the American flag symbolizes problems.
At the Oaks Apartments in Albany, the management can fly their own flag advertising one and two bedroom apartments - but residents have been told they can't fly any flags at all.
Clausen was told to remove the red, white and blue from both of his rides, or face eviction.
"It floored me," he said. "I can't believe she was saying what she was saying."
The American flag "symbolizes problems?" What in the hell are you talking about? Banning the flag symbolizes problems my friend. That man's son is serving his country, protecting our flag from threats abroad. If anyone deserves to fly the colors, it's that man.Even long-time residents like Sharron White, who has flown a flag on her car for eight years, has been told to take it down.Amen sister.
White said management told her that "someone might get offended."
"I just said to her 'They'll just have to get over it,'" White said.
Resident we talked to who had been approached to take down their flags all told us the same thing: that management told them the flags could be offensive because they live in a diverse community.Coward. How can you do something that so clearly infringes upon personal liberties, and then refuse to talk about it? Can't fly the flag, because it might be offensive, since it is a diverse community? Sounds like a personal problem lady.
Attempts to find out for ourselves why management would ban flags were unsuccessful. KATU News wanted to talk to management at Oaks Apartments, but no one has returned any calls. The woman we were told had made the decision said she was "not going to answer any questions."
The mother of one soldier fighting in Iraq put up a poster in her son's apartment window when she learned of the ban. Her son's roommate said he'll risk eviction to make sure it stays.Here is a nice little example of the bigger political agenda, one world, under godlessness, forcibly indivisible, with liberty and justice for the ruling few.
Another Oaks Apartment resident, Judith Sherer, doesn't have a car. Instead she carries an American flag around the complex to protest the ban, and wonders if the flag pin she wears is next to be "singled out."
"If I put it on and I walk outside, what's going to happen?" Sherer muses. "Am I going to be confronted by a manager about this?"
The ban also includes sports flags and even flag stickers on cars.
(Source)
Alexander Fraser Tytler on Democracy
From an e-mail I recieved:
What stage are we in now?
About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Fraser Tytler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:
'A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.'
'A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.'
'From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.'
'The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.'
'During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage'
What stage are we in now?
How hard is this to understand???
OK, it's been WAY too long since I have posted here, so thanks to Valerie and her comments on my comments on this post to inspire me to drag myself in....
Apparently I struck a nerve when I called hussein the Obamoron. But I figure after having to endure 8 years of the radical left wing moonbat lunatics hurling insult after insult at Dubya, well, if it's OK for them then it would be OK for us too. But apparently not so, the vile hypocrisy so prevalent in the current Communist administration seems to extend itself to the supporters of the worst president the country has ever seen. And what amazes me is that while day by day, the Democrats continue their onslaught to dismantle this great country the moonbats continue their march toward Utopia, blindly unaware of the consequences of the actions of the *expletive deleted*s they were not only stupid enough to believe, but managed to elect.
Anyway, on to the point of today's post.... With the shambles of the economy he has managed to create, Obamoron really has substantially better things to be doing with his time than trying to take over the jobs of parents. It is NOT the presidents job to tell kids to stay in school. Keep in mind, Valerie, I am using "you" and "your" in the plural sense.... It is YOUR job, as a parent, to raise your children and teach them to go to school, assume responsibility for their actions and become productive members of society. So by thinking that hussein needs to be in charge of raising your kids, you showing not only your children but the rest of the world that you have not managed to learn how to be responsible for yourself, you are reinforcing that fact to your children. It is the very definition of the welfare nanny state the communists in congress would so love to create that there is some super-entity somewhere that will handle all these unpleasant tasks for you, like being a parent, having a job, getting health insurance, paying your bills, and lust generally being a responsible adult.
I will go so far as to say that I find it incomprehensible how any self-respecting American would even WANT this level of someone else's involvement in their life. It disgusts me that there are so many people who are either unable or unwilling to accept any responsibility whatsoever for their own condition and are perfectly content to let others do everything for them.
I guess it comes down to the "equality of opportunity" vs. "equality of condition". What Obama-lama-ding-dong's supporters want is some sort of bleary-eyed Utopia where everyone is the same, everyone is equal and we all stroll blindly along hand-in-hand singing "We Are the World". Everyone living in a carbon-neutral urban highrise, driving a Prius, recycling and composting with our thermostats on 85 in the summer and 65 in the winter, growing organic gardens on green roofs and gazing lovingly in doe-eyed adoration at The Anointed One as He in his all-knowing power caters to their existence from cradle to grave. I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
I prefer plan B- where the federal government actually follows the principles and ideals of our founding fathers, as laid out in the Constitution. There aren't many in Washington who act like they are even aware that precious document exists, but I assure you it does. The federal government exists to protect national security and uphold our bill of rights- period. Here's a link, in case any of you have forgotten what they are.... It really is that simple, folks.
I want the government out of my refrigerator. I do not want their hand on my thermostat. I do not want them in my car. I absolutely do not want them in my children's school. I do not want them in my gun cabinet. I do not want them in my doctor's office. I sure as hell do not want them in my checkbook, nor do I want them in my 401k. I do not want them in my computer. I do not want them in my bedroom.
I want them at the borders of this country. I want them ZEALOUSLY defending the rights of every single US citizen to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I want them protecting and furthering the hopes and dreams of our founding fathers that this may be a nation limited by nothing. Where an individual's success is bounded by nothing other than their God-given talents and a drive to make the absolute best possible outcome for themselves.
Apparently I struck a nerve when I called hussein the Obamoron. But I figure after having to endure 8 years of the radical left wing moonbat lunatics hurling insult after insult at Dubya, well, if it's OK for them then it would be OK for us too. But apparently not so, the vile hypocrisy so prevalent in the current Communist administration seems to extend itself to the supporters of the worst president the country has ever seen. And what amazes me is that while day by day, the Democrats continue their onslaught to dismantle this great country the moonbats continue their march toward Utopia, blindly unaware of the consequences of the actions of the *expletive deleted*s they were not only stupid enough to believe, but managed to elect.
Anyway, on to the point of today's post.... With the shambles of the economy he has managed to create, Obamoron really has substantially better things to be doing with his time than trying to take over the jobs of parents. It is NOT the presidents job to tell kids to stay in school. Keep in mind, Valerie, I am using "you" and "your" in the plural sense.... It is YOUR job, as a parent, to raise your children and teach them to go to school, assume responsibility for their actions and become productive members of society. So by thinking that hussein needs to be in charge of raising your kids, you showing not only your children but the rest of the world that you have not managed to learn how to be responsible for yourself, you are reinforcing that fact to your children. It is the very definition of the welfare nanny state the communists in congress would so love to create that there is some super-entity somewhere that will handle all these unpleasant tasks for you, like being a parent, having a job, getting health insurance, paying your bills, and lust generally being a responsible adult.
I will go so far as to say that I find it incomprehensible how any self-respecting American would even WANT this level of someone else's involvement in their life. It disgusts me that there are so many people who are either unable or unwilling to accept any responsibility whatsoever for their own condition and are perfectly content to let others do everything for them.
I guess it comes down to the "equality of opportunity" vs. "equality of condition". What Obama-lama-ding-dong's supporters want is some sort of bleary-eyed Utopia where everyone is the same, everyone is equal and we all stroll blindly along hand-in-hand singing "We Are the World". Everyone living in a carbon-neutral urban highrise, driving a Prius, recycling and composting with our thermostats on 85 in the summer and 65 in the winter, growing organic gardens on green roofs and gazing lovingly in doe-eyed adoration at The Anointed One as He in his all-knowing power caters to their existence from cradle to grave. I DON'T THINK SO!!!!
I prefer plan B- where the federal government actually follows the principles and ideals of our founding fathers, as laid out in the Constitution. There aren't many in Washington who act like they are even aware that precious document exists, but I assure you it does. The federal government exists to protect national security and uphold our bill of rights- period. Here's a link, in case any of you have forgotten what they are.... It really is that simple, folks.
I want the government out of my refrigerator. I do not want their hand on my thermostat. I do not want them in my car. I absolutely do not want them in my children's school. I do not want them in my gun cabinet. I do not want them in my doctor's office. I sure as hell do not want them in my checkbook, nor do I want them in my 401k. I do not want them in my computer. I do not want them in my bedroom.
I want them at the borders of this country. I want them ZEALOUSLY defending the rights of every single US citizen to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I want them protecting and furthering the hopes and dreams of our founding fathers that this may be a nation limited by nothing. Where an individual's success is bounded by nothing other than their God-given talents and a drive to make the absolute best possible outcome for themselves.
July 4th parade + constitution = banned for life?
It seems that patriotism extremism is now on the list of items banned in some of our more liberal progressive states. The organizers of the Rhode Island Tea Party found this out when they graciously maliciously and with good intentions malice of forethought handed out copies of The United States Constitution subversive leaflets at a 4th of July parade.
How could they have been so reckless in their actions and so archaic in their suppositions to assume that Americans would be receptive to such an overt act ofpatriotism extremism?
Well no good deed shall go unpunished In Rhode Island or anywhere else liberals hold the seats of power.
The following article is from Helen Glovers webpage (find it here: http://www.whjjam.com/pages/helen.html):
Tea Party Banned From the 4th of July Parade
Thursday 07-09-2009 8:17am ET
As we informed you this week, the RI Tea Party float in the Bristol Fourth of July Parade was a HUGE success, with people in the crowd showing overwhelming support and enthusiasm for our cause. Although we expected a positive reception, the response of the parade watchers was beyond our wildest imaginations. We were proud to represent the freedom loving people of Rhode Island to celebrate our country's Independence!
Today, we received news from the Bristol Parade Committee that the RI Tea Party is to NEVER apply to appear in the Bristol Parade again. We were told unequivocally that our group was "horrible", "not to waste the stamp to send in an application in the future", and that the Committee never wanted "those people" of the RI Tea Party to participate in the parade in the first place.
Why would the Bristol Parade Committee have such a negative response to our float when the crowd was so overwhelmingly positive? We are told it is because some members of the RI Tea Party passed out US Constitutions to the crowd. Apparently passing out the US Constitution on Independence Day is an egregious violation of parade rules. This is despite the fact that other floats passed out solicitations for their businesses, which is against the Parade guidelines, and these businesses have NOT been told that they are banned from participating in the future.
This clear discrimination by the Parade Committee was also evident as the RI Tea Party was rejected for sound on the float and was told the morning of the Parade by one of the parade committee inspectors that she "never heard of someone being rejected for sound" before and they were "probably afraid you would say something politically incorrect."
We encourage you to contact the Bristol Parade Committee at 401 480-1608 (Jim Tavares) or by mail to the Bristol Fourth of July Committee, P.O. Box 561, Bristol, RI 02809, and let them know how you feel about their discriminatory behavior towards a group which represents Liberty, particularly in celebration of an event dedicated to our country's freedom. Letters to the editor of the Bristol Phoenix can be written to Scott Pickering, at spickering@eastbaynewspapers.com . Letters to the editor of the Providence Journal can be sent to letters@projo.com.
They will not squelch our voices! We have only just begun!
Yours in Liberty,
Marina Peterson
RI Tea Party
Glenn beck did a follow-up interview with Helen and below is the transcript found on his website: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/27838/?ck=1
GLENN: Helen Glover is with us from our affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island, 920 WHJJ. Helen, tell me about the tea party that happened this July 4th?
CALLER: Good morning, Glenn. Well, you know, the tea party movement's growing across the country and certainly here in Rhode Island, one of the most liberal states in the union, there's really been a real grassroots effort to get this tea party going. One April 15th and another one in June and then we put together a float for the Bristol Fourth of July parade which by the way is the oldest parade in the country. And it was pretty much made clear to the Rhode Island tea party association that they weren't wanted in the parade to begin with and
GLENN: Why?
CALLER: Well, because apparently we're a subversive group, Glenn. We're on the terror watch list.
GLENN: Hang on, I'm looking at the picture. I'm looking at the picture. This is from the HJJ website. Is that the picture of everybody dressed in colonial clothes that looks like a giant boat?
CALLER: Yeah, it's actually the British slip the beaver that was ransacked by the colonists they Boston tea party in 1773. Now, we were told that we could not dress as Indians. I don't know why because the original colonists dressed as Indians. They said we could not do that. So we said, fine, we'll dress as patriots.
GLENN: Hold it, hold it. Is there a possibility that I mean, let's take a wild guess here on why you couldn't because it would be offensive to Native Americans?
CALLER: Well, I'm sure that was the reason. However, there were other floats with other people in the parade that were dressed as Indians. Some of them are legitimate Native Americans but others were not. But that, you know, the stipulation was only put on our float.
GLENN: Huh.
CALLER: Oh, it gets better.
GLENN: Okay.
CALLER: I asked for a PA system. I said, you know, because let's face it, they are looking for a reason to kick is out of the parade. So let's just have a PA system on the boat and play on the float and pay patriotic music because you can't go wrong with that, right? I thought.
GLENN: Right.
CALLER: Then we were told we couldn't have a PA system on the boat.
GLENN: Why?
CALLER: No reason given, but
GLENN: I'm sure all of the other floats, none of them had a PA system.
CALLER: All of the other floats if they wanted them had them.
GLENN: That's a different parade. I'm sure you are thinking of a different parade.
CALLER: That's right. Well, of course, we were also told we couldn't throw tea bags off the float because that's dangerous. It could put an eye out.
GLENN: Well, if they had knives in the tea bags. They don't know. Maybe you had some of those Chinese death stars.
CALLER: Exactly.
GLENN: They were and you were throwing the tea bags out like that. They didn't know.
CALLER: Even wet a tea bag's not going to cause bodily harm.
GLENN: Hang on just a second because I know that I have been in parades before where you are not supposed to throw out candy because it's dangerous because people run to the street and then they, you know, get hit by a, you know, a giant float.
CALLER: Completely understandable. Completely understandable and that is in the regulation that the tea party, the application that they signed and agreed to those rules, that's fine. We adhere to those rules.
GLENN: Okay. So did anybody else throw things at them?
CALLER: Of course they did. Of course they did. Lollipops off one float, flyers announcing a roller derby schedule. There were flyers to and again I can understand if they don't want somebody soliciting during a parade but there was one dairy that was allowed to hand out information if you want to sign up for home delivery of milk, eggs and the like. Apparently that was okay.
GLENN: What wasn't okay? Did you throw the tea bags at people?
CALLER: No. We didn't know.
GLENN: What was the problem?
CALLER: Glenn, I'm a rule follower and I made that very clear when I got involved with the parade and the float. I said, I don't want to be the reason you are thrown out. I obey the rules. That's just one of those quirks I have. So I said I'm not going to do anything that's against the rules. So we didn't throw anything off that float.
GLENN: And you didn't dress as Indians.
CALLER: I didn't dress as an Indian
GLENN: And you didn't have a sound system.
CALLER: But they gave us a bullhorn. And that was my other fear, Glenn, because I tend to be, kind of like you, I sometimes am not politically correct, especially on my show.
GLENN: Sure.
CALLER: So I said, you know what, maybe the safest thing is for me not to use that bullhorn. So I gave it to a few other people but they really
GLENN: That was a mistake.
CALLER: Well, they thought maybe reading some quotes from the founding fathers. But, you know, you are going along a parade route with a bullhorn. That's not the same as a PA system. You are not going to be able to understand, you know, something that Ben Franklin said that's maybe a couple of sentences long. So I thought, okay, maybe simply reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" keeping out the subversive line one nation under God. And I thought, you know what, I'm just going to stick to real quick bullet points. You are going by in a parade, people only have a couple of seconds to absorb something. So I said something that came from the house of parliament when one of the British politicians said, "Quite frankly, sir, you've run out of our money." I thought that's a good one, no more taxes, we've been taxed enough, hold your elected officials to a higher standard, make them accountable. That was the kind of stuff I said.
GLENN: This is crazy. Stu, crazy. I mean, Helen is crazy.
CALLER: Radical stuff.
PAT: Crazy talk.
GLENN: How are you not in handcuffs?
CALLER: Well, strange as it seems when I found out we were kicked out of the parade the first thing I said was oh, no. And Marina Peterson who was the first one who got the call on this was told it wasn't because of something I said which I'm relieved at although, you know, I can stand behind anything I said. I made sure it was not political. We were thrown out of the parade because a gentleman who was not on the float, by the way, had been walking up and down the parade route for about an hour and a half with his 10 year old, 11 year old son handing out little pocket you've probably seen them, little pocket guide of the Constitution Bill of Rights.
GLENN: Oh, my gosh!
CALLER: Yes.
GLENN: What, are you crazy? That thing is so ancient and distorted. I mean, it was an updated version of the Constitution, wasn't it? It wasn't like I didn't include, like, the preamble and all the other stuff.
CALLER: No, unfortunately it was the whole shebang, the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
GLENN: Oh, jeez.
STU: That's extremism. Do we have a warrantless wiretap?
GLENN: Hold on just a second. Are we tracing the call? We are tracing the call? Just stay on the line with me. Just talk to me. So what else is happening?
CALLER: I think the Secret Service are at the door right now.
GLENN: So they kicked you out because you were handing out the Constitution.
CALLER: I believe, Glenn, the words were, "Don't even bother wasting the stamp for an application next year. You are..." and not just kicked out, Glenn. We are banned for life. It's like double secret probation in Animal House. We are banned.
GLENN: The oldest parade in the country.
CALLER: You got it.
GLENN: For the Fourth of July.
CALLER: Banned for life.
GLENN: You are banned for life.
CALLER: Yep.
GLENN: For handing out... the Fourth of July parade... the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
CALLER: Yeah. They said
GLENN: What is the name of the organization that does this little parade?
CALLER: It is the Bristol Fourth of July parade committee. And believe me, that is a group that you know what, that is ironclad. Apparently they can make law, enforce it and you have no recourse.
GLENN: Stu, could you get a hold of the I tell you what
CALLER: Good luck.
GLENN: Have one of the producers at Fox get a hold of them and let them know that we would love to hear the explanation of this.
CALLER: Yeah, good luck. Good luck.
GLENN: Oh, no, no, no. Make sure they know if they don't appear on the show, somebody will appear for them.
CALLER: (Laughing).
GLENN: Can you do that?
STU: Yeah.
GLENN: And report back to me tomorrow. Hopefully they can find it in their schedule in the next couple of days. Helen, thank you for bringing this to our attention. You stay in touch with me and I'll let you know. I'll let you know because we'll open up the show at any time they can be on to tell us because they must have had a good excuse.
CALLER: Oh, absolutely, yes.
GLENN: And I'm sure America would love to hear it and I sure would because I can't trust you, Helen.
CALLER: Oh, no.
GLENN: You are a crazy woman.
CALLER: Absolutely.
GLENN: You were dressed up in colonial garb on a big boat in a Fourth of July parade, you know. Next thing you know, you'll be dressing up like an Indian. We can't trust you. So we'll get a hold of the parade people and we'll keep you up to speed on this.
How could they have been so reckless in their actions and so archaic in their suppositions to assume that Americans would be receptive to such an overt act of
Well no good deed shall go unpunished In Rhode Island or anywhere else liberals hold the seats of power.
The following article is from Helen Glovers webpage (find it here: http://www.whjjam.com/pages/helen.html):
Tea Party Banned From the 4th of July Parade
Thursday 07-09-2009 8:17am ET
As we informed you this week, the RI Tea Party float in the Bristol Fourth of July Parade was a HUGE success, with people in the crowd showing overwhelming support and enthusiasm for our cause. Although we expected a positive reception, the response of the parade watchers was beyond our wildest imaginations. We were proud to represent the freedom loving people of Rhode Island to celebrate our country's Independence!
Today, we received news from the Bristol Parade Committee that the RI Tea Party is to NEVER apply to appear in the Bristol Parade again. We were told unequivocally that our group was "horrible", "not to waste the stamp to send in an application in the future", and that the Committee never wanted "those people" of the RI Tea Party to participate in the parade in the first place.
Why would the Bristol Parade Committee have such a negative response to our float when the crowd was so overwhelmingly positive? We are told it is because some members of the RI Tea Party passed out US Constitutions to the crowd. Apparently passing out the US Constitution on Independence Day is an egregious violation of parade rules. This is despite the fact that other floats passed out solicitations for their businesses, which is against the Parade guidelines, and these businesses have NOT been told that they are banned from participating in the future.
This clear discrimination by the Parade Committee was also evident as the RI Tea Party was rejected for sound on the float and was told the morning of the Parade by one of the parade committee inspectors that she "never heard of someone being rejected for sound" before and they were "probably afraid you would say something politically incorrect."
We encourage you to contact the Bristol Parade Committee at 401 480-1608 (Jim Tavares) or by mail to the Bristol Fourth of July Committee, P.O. Box 561, Bristol, RI 02809, and let them know how you feel about their discriminatory behavior towards a group which represents Liberty, particularly in celebration of an event dedicated to our country's freedom. Letters to the editor of the Bristol Phoenix can be written to Scott Pickering, at spickering@eastbaynewspapers.com . Letters to the editor of the Providence Journal can be sent to letters@projo.com.
They will not squelch our voices! We have only just begun!
Yours in Liberty,
Marina Peterson
RI Tea Party
Glenn beck did a follow-up interview with Helen and below is the transcript found on his website: http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/196/27838/?ck=1
GLENN: Helen Glover is with us from our affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island, 920 WHJJ. Helen, tell me about the tea party that happened this July 4th?
CALLER: Good morning, Glenn. Well, you know, the tea party movement's growing across the country and certainly here in Rhode Island, one of the most liberal states in the union, there's really been a real grassroots effort to get this tea party going. One April 15th and another one in June and then we put together a float for the Bristol Fourth of July parade which by the way is the oldest parade in the country. And it was pretty much made clear to the Rhode Island tea party association that they weren't wanted in the parade to begin with and
GLENN: Why?
CALLER: Well, because apparently we're a subversive group, Glenn. We're on the terror watch list.
GLENN: Hang on, I'm looking at the picture. I'm looking at the picture. This is from the HJJ website. Is that the picture of everybody dressed in colonial clothes that looks like a giant boat?
CALLER: Yeah, it's actually the British slip the beaver that was ransacked by the colonists they Boston tea party in 1773. Now, we were told that we could not dress as Indians. I don't know why because the original colonists dressed as Indians. They said we could not do that. So we said, fine, we'll dress as patriots.
GLENN: Hold it, hold it. Is there a possibility that I mean, let's take a wild guess here on why you couldn't because it would be offensive to Native Americans?
CALLER: Well, I'm sure that was the reason. However, there were other floats with other people in the parade that were dressed as Indians. Some of them are legitimate Native Americans but others were not. But that, you know, the stipulation was only put on our float.
GLENN: Huh.
CALLER: Oh, it gets better.
GLENN: Okay.
CALLER: I asked for a PA system. I said, you know, because let's face it, they are looking for a reason to kick is out of the parade. So let's just have a PA system on the boat and play on the float and pay patriotic music because you can't go wrong with that, right? I thought.
GLENN: Right.
CALLER: Then we were told we couldn't have a PA system on the boat.
GLENN: Why?
CALLER: No reason given, but
GLENN: I'm sure all of the other floats, none of them had a PA system.
CALLER: All of the other floats if they wanted them had them.
GLENN: That's a different parade. I'm sure you are thinking of a different parade.
CALLER: That's right. Well, of course, we were also told we couldn't throw tea bags off the float because that's dangerous. It could put an eye out.
GLENN: Well, if they had knives in the tea bags. They don't know. Maybe you had some of those Chinese death stars.
CALLER: Exactly.
GLENN: They were and you were throwing the tea bags out like that. They didn't know.
CALLER: Even wet a tea bag's not going to cause bodily harm.
GLENN: Hang on just a second because I know that I have been in parades before where you are not supposed to throw out candy because it's dangerous because people run to the street and then they, you know, get hit by a, you know, a giant float.
CALLER: Completely understandable. Completely understandable and that is in the regulation that the tea party, the application that they signed and agreed to those rules, that's fine. We adhere to those rules.
GLENN: Okay. So did anybody else throw things at them?
CALLER: Of course they did. Of course they did. Lollipops off one float, flyers announcing a roller derby schedule. There were flyers to and again I can understand if they don't want somebody soliciting during a parade but there was one dairy that was allowed to hand out information if you want to sign up for home delivery of milk, eggs and the like. Apparently that was okay.
GLENN: What wasn't okay? Did you throw the tea bags at people?
CALLER: No. We didn't know.
GLENN: What was the problem?
CALLER: Glenn, I'm a rule follower and I made that very clear when I got involved with the parade and the float. I said, I don't want to be the reason you are thrown out. I obey the rules. That's just one of those quirks I have. So I said I'm not going to do anything that's against the rules. So we didn't throw anything off that float.
GLENN: And you didn't dress as Indians.
CALLER: I didn't dress as an Indian
GLENN: And you didn't have a sound system.
CALLER: But they gave us a bullhorn. And that was my other fear, Glenn, because I tend to be, kind of like you, I sometimes am not politically correct, especially on my show.
GLENN: Sure.
CALLER: So I said, you know what, maybe the safest thing is for me not to use that bullhorn. So I gave it to a few other people but they really
GLENN: That was a mistake.
CALLER: Well, they thought maybe reading some quotes from the founding fathers. But, you know, you are going along a parade route with a bullhorn. That's not the same as a PA system. You are not going to be able to understand, you know, something that Ben Franklin said that's maybe a couple of sentences long. So I thought, okay, maybe simply reciting the "Pledge of Allegiance" keeping out the subversive line one nation under God. And I thought, you know what, I'm just going to stick to real quick bullet points. You are going by in a parade, people only have a couple of seconds to absorb something. So I said something that came from the house of parliament when one of the British politicians said, "Quite frankly, sir, you've run out of our money." I thought that's a good one, no more taxes, we've been taxed enough, hold your elected officials to a higher standard, make them accountable. That was the kind of stuff I said.
GLENN: This is crazy. Stu, crazy. I mean, Helen is crazy.
CALLER: Radical stuff.
PAT: Crazy talk.
GLENN: How are you not in handcuffs?
CALLER: Well, strange as it seems when I found out we were kicked out of the parade the first thing I said was oh, no. And Marina Peterson who was the first one who got the call on this was told it wasn't because of something I said which I'm relieved at although, you know, I can stand behind anything I said. I made sure it was not political. We were thrown out of the parade because a gentleman who was not on the float, by the way, had been walking up and down the parade route for about an hour and a half with his 10 year old, 11 year old son handing out little pocket you've probably seen them, little pocket guide of the Constitution Bill of Rights.
GLENN: Oh, my gosh!
CALLER: Yes.
GLENN: What, are you crazy? That thing is so ancient and distorted. I mean, it was an updated version of the Constitution, wasn't it? It wasn't like I didn't include, like, the preamble and all the other stuff.
CALLER: No, unfortunately it was the whole shebang, the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
GLENN: Oh, jeez.
STU: That's extremism. Do we have a warrantless wiretap?
GLENN: Hold on just a second. Are we tracing the call? We are tracing the call? Just stay on the line with me. Just talk to me. So what else is happening?
CALLER: I think the Secret Service are at the door right now.
GLENN: So they kicked you out because you were handing out the Constitution.
CALLER: I believe, Glenn, the words were, "Don't even bother wasting the stamp for an application next year. You are..." and not just kicked out, Glenn. We are banned for life. It's like double secret probation in Animal House. We are banned.
GLENN: The oldest parade in the country.
CALLER: You got it.
GLENN: For the Fourth of July.
CALLER: Banned for life.
GLENN: You are banned for life.
CALLER: Yep.
GLENN: For handing out... the Fourth of July parade... the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
CALLER: Yeah. They said
GLENN: What is the name of the organization that does this little parade?
CALLER: It is the Bristol Fourth of July parade committee. And believe me, that is a group that you know what, that is ironclad. Apparently they can make law, enforce it and you have no recourse.
GLENN: Stu, could you get a hold of the I tell you what
CALLER: Good luck.
GLENN: Have one of the producers at Fox get a hold of them and let them know that we would love to hear the explanation of this.
CALLER: Yeah, good luck. Good luck.
GLENN: Oh, no, no, no. Make sure they know if they don't appear on the show, somebody will appear for them.
CALLER: (Laughing).
GLENN: Can you do that?
STU: Yeah.
GLENN: And report back to me tomorrow. Hopefully they can find it in their schedule in the next couple of days. Helen, thank you for bringing this to our attention. You stay in touch with me and I'll let you know. I'll let you know because we'll open up the show at any time they can be on to tell us because they must have had a good excuse.
CALLER: Oh, absolutely, yes.
GLENN: And I'm sure America would love to hear it and I sure would because I can't trust you, Helen.
CALLER: Oh, no.
GLENN: You are a crazy woman.
CALLER: Absolutely.
GLENN: You were dressed up in colonial garb on a big boat in a Fourth of July parade, you know. Next thing you know, you'll be dressing up like an Indian. We can't trust you. So we'll get a hold of the parade people and we'll keep you up to speed on this.
The Least Free Places on Earth
North KoreaNorth Koreans enjoy the lowest level of freedom in the world, according to Freedom House. All power is held by Kim Jong Il, who assumed power in 1994 upon the death of his father, North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung, whose statue in Pyongyang is shown above. The regime maintains a network of prison camps in which thousands of political prisoners are subjected to brutal conditions. All facets of a person's life -- including employment, education, place of residence, access to medical facilities, and access to stores -- are determined by a semihereditary system of social discrimination that classifies citizens into 53 subgroups under broad security ratings (from "core" to "wavering" to "hostile") based on their family's perceived loyalty to the regime.
Also listed:
Burma
Equatorial Guinea
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Chechnya (Russia)
Tibet (China)
Belarus
Chad
China
Cuba
Eritrea
Laos
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Zimbabwe
Western Sahara (Morocco)
South Ossetia (Georgia)
I find it interesting that the magazine did not mention Iran. Talk about no freedom. To read more, check out foreignpolicy.com.
Freedom is a Gift from God
I firmly believe that freedom is a gift from God. I believe it is every mans given right to enjoy this gift. Unfortunately evil men often get in the way of this right.
Yesterday at church we sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and I was struck particularly hard by the last sentence: “As he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free.” America is a blessed land; blessed with freedom and opportunity from God. We are not grateful, profitable servants if we do not, as a country, do everything we can to help spread freedom across the globe. Men were not meant to live under the oppressive thumb of government. Men were not created to live in slavery, persecution, fascism, totalitarianism, communism or otherwise.
There are many evil men and leaders in the world that would do anything to keep the masses subservient to them. These same people claim America is a bully, that we force our morals and values on others. I would argue just the opposite is true. America frees people to choose for themselves how to live, how to worship, how to learn. We free them from forced labor, forced religion, forced behavior.
I believe that if the USA is to keep it’s freedom, it’s prominence as the world power, we must remain close to God. We must have leaders that love and respect God. We must as a people strive for personal righteousness. And we must share the gift of freedom with those that can not obtain it for themselves.
To quote John Adams: “If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave.”
Is American freedom perfect? No, because men are not perfect. But America is a chosen land, a blessed land, a giving and caring land. Long may it live in freedom.
