When the Supreme Court is wrong…

What do you do? When the United States Supreme Court makes a ruling that is blatantly unConsitutional, what do you do? Thomas Jefferson gave us some answers…

"The Constitution . . . meant that its coordinate branches should be checks on each other. But the opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action but for the Legislature and Executive also in their spheres, would make the Judiciary a despotic branch."

—Thomas Jefferson to Abigail Adams, 1804. ME 11:51

And so that is what we have today, despotic judges. These judges no longer serve in good standing as required by the Consitution, for they have forsaken the very document they are meant to protect and the very citizens who depend on them. In addition, the Legislative and Executive branches have repeatedly demitted to the Supreme Court on the Constitutionality of their own actions. This has the doubled edged effect of futher re-enforcing a Star Chamber tribunal and denying their own duty to uphold and defend the Constitution of the united States.

"To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions [is] a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so. They have with others the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps. Their maxim is boni judicis est ampliare jurisdictionem [good justice is broad jurisdiction], and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time and party, its members would become despots. It has more wisely made all the departments co-equal and co-sovereign within themselves."
—Thomas Jefferson to William C. Jarvis, 1820. ME 15:277

And we also have despotic congresscritters and presidents. They have abrogated their responsibilities and should be removed from office. Recently, in Kentucky, the repugnican governor Fletcher pulled such a flim-flam, by authorizing funding that was clearly in violation of the Kentucky Constitution and passing the 'test' off to the Kentucky Supreme court. Such a avoidance of official duty is downright treasonous against the people of the state. Again, there are steps to be taken for removal. Will the Congress of the state of Kentucky also abrogate their duty? Probably. Will the people of the state continue to support such despots? Let us hope not.

Of course the governor is embroiled in other crimes,…this being the key trait of tyrants…

So the point of all this is that we all can read and understand what the plain language of our laws says, especially the Constituion. Indeed, it was designed to work just that way, and when a member of the government tries to manipulate or otherwise violate that sacred language, it is encumbant on all of us to remove that official from office.

"Tree, rope, tyrant…some assembly required. " — Unattributed

"The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
– Thomas Jefferson

The End Times???

No, not the biblical end times, though Christianity is heavily woven into the American fabric, but internal symtoms of the breakdown of the system. As the snake eats it tail, it consumes itself, even as it thinks it is winning. The two wings of the main political party, the republicans and the democrats, no longer bash each other for media attention, but instead have turned to internal attacks, feeding on their own and greatly affecting faith in the system. And faith is really what it comes down to, for the system would collapse completely without faith that it was moral and just. But, that faith is waning as the main faith of the American public, Christianity, also continues feeding on its own. The mere fact that there are about 50 different versions of Christianity confirms that someone has got it all wrong. In fact, if there is only one true God, then there is only one true religion in support of that God. And I think it quite likely that not only are 49 out of the 50 wrong about their interpretations of Christ and his teachings, but that all 50 are wrong.

At the top of the first page of WorldNetDaily today, you find an article describing an attack, from one Christian to another, that took place this weekend on the Fox News Network, between Julie Banderas and a Chrisitian Minister from the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. Here is an excerpt from the story…

Banderas engaged in a heated, rapid-fire, name-calling exchange with Phelps-Roper, which included:

Banderas: "The Bible says 'the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil,' [from the Book of] Proverbs. 'Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.' Perverted speech like yours: 'God hates fags.' You are preaching absolute B.-., and you know the final letter."

Phelps-Roper: "If you don't tell them that this nation is full of idolatry, full of adulteries …

Banderas: "Full of insane people like yourself, ma'am."

Phelps-Roper: "You're proud. You're proud of your sins. You can't do enough sinning. You think 'gay' pride, bimbo. You have sinned away your day of grace."

Banderas: "OK, you are an abomination."

Phelps-Roper: "America is doomed. America is doomed. … Before your eyes, missy, you're gonna see the destruction of America."

Banderas: "If America is doomed, then why don't you get out? Why are you in this country? Why are you an American? Are you an American?"

Phelps-Roper: "I am exactly where my God put me to tell you plainly, that you are going to hell, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Banderas: "Why don't you take your church to another country, then, ma'am? Thank you so much. You should not be proud to be an American, and thank you. Good-bye."

More here…

Interestingly, Joseph "Murder a Muslim for the Messiah" Farah, a rabid faux Christian in his own right, and who seems to think that Christ carries an M-16 and is a general in the US Army, put this article at the top of the Monday morning page. I am not sure what he is trying to say to us, other than approach all Christians with the caution reserved for vipers.

AS the system further degrades and people become more desperate to impose their values on everyone else, expect to see more fireworks. Pop some corn and enjoy the show!!!

"Recently I was reading somewhere or other about an Italian curio-dealer who attempted to sell a 17th century crucifix to J.P. Morgan. Inside it was concealed a stiletto. What a perfect symbol of the Christian religion." — George Orwell

"It is remarkable that among all the preachers there are so few moral teachers. The prophets are employed in excusing the ways of men." — Henry David Thoreau

More Government Fraud Exposed…

This is the second time, that I am aware of, that the Department of Justice has had to tuck its tail between its legs and run for the hills on the issue of the validity of the Form 1040.

DOJ & IRS Petitioned To Explain

On May 12, 2006 in Peoria, Illinois, the attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) begged the court to dismiss all charges against IRS victim Robert Lawrence in federal District Court.

The motion for dismissal came on the heels of a surprise tactic by Lawrence’s defense attorney Oscar Stilley.

The tactic threatened exposure of IRS’s on-going efforts to defraud the public. The move put DOJ attorneys in a state of panic that left them with only one alternative: beg for dismissal, with prejudice.

Stilley’s tactic paid off. Sixty days earlier, the DOJ had indicted Lawrence on three counts of willful failure to file a 1040 form, and three felony counts of income tax evasion. The federal Judge dismissed all charges with prejudice, meaning the DOJ cannot charge Lawrence with those crimes again.

The trial was to have started on Monday morning, May 15th.

On Wednesday, May 10, Stilley mailed a set of documents to the DOJ in response to DOJ’s discovery demands. The documents revealed to DOJ for the first time that Lawrence was basing his entire defense on an act of Congress, 44 U.S.C. 3500 – 3520, also known as the "Paperwork Reduction Act" (PRA).

In Section 3512 of the Act, titled "Public Protection," it says that no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with an agency’s collection of information request (such as a 1040 form), if the request does not display a valid control number assigned by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the requirements of the Act, or if the agency fails to inform the person who is to respond to the collection of information that he is not required to respond to the collection of information request unless it displays a valid control number.

In Section 3512 Congress went on to authorize that the protection provided by Section 3512 may be raised in the form of a complete defense at any time during an agency’s administrative process (such as an IRS Tax Court or Collection and Due Process Hearing) or during a judicial proceeding (such as Lawrence’s criminal trial).

In sum, the PRA requires that all government agencies display valid OMB control numbers and certain disclosures directly on all information collection forms that the public is requested to file. Lawrence's sole defense was he was not required to file an IRS Form 1040 because it displays an invalid OMB control number.

Government officials knew that if the case went to trial, it would expose the fraudulent, counterfeit 1040. They also must have known that a trial would expose the ongoing conspiracy between OMB and IRS to publish 1040 forms each year that those agencies knew were in violation of the PRA. That would raise the issue that the Form 1040, with its invalid control number, is being used by the Government to cover up the underlying constitutional tort — that is, the enforcement of a direct, unapportioned tax on the labor of every working man, women and child in America.

More here…

You may recall an earlier "cut and run" by the DoJ in the case of Bill Lear, involving the Form 1040, just a year ago…

On April 12th 2005, William Wallace Lear of Muskegon Michigan appeared in federal District Court in Grand Rapids to face IRS charges claiming Lear had violated the terms of his probation. William Lear had served one year in a federal detention facility in Minnesota following his conviction in 2002 for Willful Failure to File income tax returns (a misdemeanor). His probation began in March, 2004.

The basis for the probation violation hearing was an IRS claim that Lear failed to abide by the strict terms of his probation which included the requirement that he file all his delinquent tax returns and pay all back taxes and penalties owed.

Just as the hearing before Judge Gordon Quist began, the DOJ attorneys moved to dismiss the IRS's probation violation claim against Lear that would have sent him back to prison.

Although Lear had filed his missing returns signing them “under duress” (which IRS does not allow) and failed to pay the taxes owing on those returns, Judge Quist signed an order, completely releasing Lear from federal custody. As of April 12th, Lear has been a free man.

An important question remains: Why? Why would the IRS and DOJ walk away from a golden opportunity to make headlines and send a convicted tax protester back to prison?

More about this case, here…

It has become somewhat humorous for me to follow the antics of the government agencies, none of whom have any clue about the Constitution or law or morality. Even more hilarious are the games that republicans and democrats play, while completely selling the country down the river.

Ah, but I don't want to spoil the ending…

"It is no accident that the symbol of a bishop is a crook, and the sign of an archbishop is a double-cross." — Gregory Dix (1901-1952), British Benedictine monk

ZarQawi…

Thankfully, River has been posting lately. I get worried about her when there are long stints of no posts. I guess electric power is at a premium in Baghdad. She tells us of the importance of the latest US success…

"A new day for Iraqis" is the current theme of the Iraqi puppet government and the Americans. Like it was "A New Day for Iraqis" on April 9, 2003 . And it was "A New Day for Iraqis" when they killed Oday and Qusay. Another "New Day for Iraqis" when they caught Saddam. More "New Day" when they drafted the constitution… I'm beginning to think it's like one of those questions they give you on IQ tests: If 'New' is equal to 'More' and 'Day' is equal to 'Suffering', what does "New Day for Iraqis" mean?

How do I feel? To hell with Zarqawi (or Zayrkawi as Bush calls him). He was an American creation- he came along with them- they don't need him anymore, apparently. His influence was greatly exaggerated but he was the justification for every single family they killed through military strikes and troops. It was WMD at first, then it was Saddam, then it was Zarqawi. Who will it be now? Who will be the new excuse for killing and detaining Iraqis? Or is it that an excuse is no longer needed- they have freedom to do what they want. The slaughter in Haditha months ago proved that. "They don't need him anymore," our elderly neighbor waved the news away like he was shooing flies, "They have fifty Zarqawis in government."

So now that Zarqawi is dead, and because according to Bush and our Iraqi puppets he was behind so much of Iraq's misery- things should get better, right? The car bombs should lessen, the ethnic cleansing will come to a halt, military strikes and sieges will die down… That's what we were promised, wasn't it? That sounds good to me. Now- who do they have to kill to stop the Ministry of Interior death squads, and trigger-happy foreign troops?

More here…

"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?" — John Adams

Greed Works!!!

In yet another example of how greed works to keep market prices down, the State of Alaska had to let a new bill for oil taxes die in committee…not because someone thought the bill was an egregious theft of property, but because the house and the senate had a difference of opinion on how much to steal…

Alaska Leaders Fail to Reach Oil Tax Deal

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — State lawmakers have failed to agree on terms of an oil-tax bill, a key component to bringing a proposed 3,600-mile natural gas pipeline closer to reality.

The source of contention between the House and Senate was a single percentage point in the base rate of the tax on profits and how fast that rate would escalate as oil prices rise.

You just can't make this stuff up! Reality is a hell of a lot funnier than fiction!

An interesting side note is that all Alaskans own all of the underground resources, per state fiat. So they have been conned into the idea that as long as it is community owned, they all benefit. It matters not to them that they are simply taking the money from their right pocket and putting it in their left pocket (after droppin some of their change to the state) and calling it a gain. Too funny!

I am reminded of the view of statists, most of whom are Christians, that they only support the parts of the state that they agree with. They don't support the things that the state does that they don't fancy. Sorry folks, it doesn't work that way. It is an all or none kind of thing. As soon as you allow immorality in the state functions, it becomes a part of it whether you support it or not. Your choice is to refuse to support the state until it becomes moral again, or support immorality and further feed it.

I have posted before on Faux Christians, which most Christians are, in that they have a moral relativism that outflanks any other philosophy. They can pick and choose the commandments which they will honor and the ones which they will break, as long as it is in support of the State. Indeed, it seems they place the State above God.

Samuel had something to say on this…

This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day. — 1 Samuel, chapter 8:11–18:

"I see little divinity about them or you. You talk to me of Christianity when you are in the act of hanging your enemies. Was there ever such blasphemous nonsense!" — George Bernard Shaw

Oh MY God!!! … It’s 6-7-06!!!

There must be some significance to this date/number combination…

God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. -Voltaire

A Taste of Tyranny…(It’s the Real Thing, Baby…)

Claire Wolfe visits a(n) concentration camp training facility…airport…

So there we were — in a place that made Theriesenstadt look homey by comparison. That made Cold War propaganda films look like reality TV.

Hundreds of people shuffled along like Stalinist peasants queuing up for loaves of sawdusty bread. But these weren’t peasants. These were America’s formerly best and brightest. They inched along with their heads down, faces blank, their manner servile and subdued. A few couples, families, or small groups talked with each other to pass the endless waits. But smiles seemed forced, conversations stilted. Like the conversations of East Berliners, always knowing “the authorities” are listening.

Heavily armed guards scanned the crowd of disarmed peasants passengers. The cowed crowd (which the Department of Homeland (Achtung!) Security insists are its “customers”) — shuffled toward portals to be serviced (I use the word advisedly) by TSA agents.

I hardly need describe it. You know the drill. But you can’t imagine how alien and unreal it looks to somebody just arrived from the free city of Hardyville.

More here…

…Nothing to see here…move along…move along…

“All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” — Thomas Paine