The Enumerated Powers Act: HR450

U.S. Constitution, Amendment IX:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

U.S. Constitution, Amendment X:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, not prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Representative John Shadegg has introduced Act HR450, the "Enumerated Powers Act" every year since 1994. Act HR450 reads as follows:

Each Act of Congress shall contain a concise and definite statement of the Constitutional authority relied upon for the enactment of each portion of that Act.

This proposed Act would require that every Bill be authorized under the 9th and 10th Amendments. Is it any wonder that Congress kills this bill in committee each and every year? Congress knows that it is out of bounds, usurping powers not delegated to it. The dishonesty is blatant.

If this were to be made retroactive, most of the legislation of the past 100 years would be scrapped, including much of the executive branch bureaucracy such as education, financial and economic oversight, environmental, taxation, in fact all governmental activity not related to either defense or foreign relations.

But the federal meddlers have not been restrained by a court system overrun with statist Leftist traitors to the Constitution. Would HR450 have much of an impact? Practically speaking it is hard to tell, because the Left changes the meanings of words to suit themselves on a regular basis. But it would be worth shaking up every Congressman by jerking his chain with this issue.

Liberty or Socialism, part 2.

Mark Levin's new book, "Liberty and Tyranny" remains #1 in sales at Amazon.com. Levin outlines the actual properties of the threats to Liberty that are present and persistent in the U.S. government, and he culminates his work with a manifesto for lovers of liberty. I won't repeat that manifesto here, because I absolutely encourage the sale and distribution of his book. Read it and pass it on.

There are certain fundamentals that I think Levin didn't reach down to, not that this is a criticism, just an observation. There are fundamental character issues that have been systematically destroyed by the infiltration of Leftist, socialist, totalitarian thought over the past century, character attributes that were initially American traits, but which fit into liberty, not into egalitarianism and socialism.

The individualistic, self-reliant, drive for personal accomplishment and private ownership of home and estate has been replaced by a constant droning about victimhood… a consistent stripping of personal responsibility and placing it on evil victimizers: big business; corporate greed; Wall Street; white euro-males; straights; Christians; Israel. The Leftist in charge of “homeland security”(1), Janet Napolitano, has now published a document listing possible enemies of the state: returning veterans; Right to Lifers; constitutionalists who support the 2nd, 9th and 10th amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These are juxtaposed with Timothy McVeigh to support the charges by false comparison. The obvious intent is to demonize those who are not in lock-step with the present Leftist power mongers and elitists.

Victimhood and entitlement have replaced individualism and reward for accomplishment with cultural parasitism. Entire minorities have been systematically destroyed by their own bleating, parasitic leadership. Now these minorities have reached majority, and the escalation of personal character degradation is exponential.

The control of the economy is the piece d’resistance of power grabs. And what better chance to encourage parasitism than to dole out hundreds of billions of tax dollars with no accompanying responsibilities, indeed with total secrecy as to the recipient, much less the use to which the recipient makes of the free cash? What better reward for failure and victimhood?

The entire governmental culture has drifted into one of omni-beneficence as a disguise for tentacles into every aspect of personal life, from control of public maleducation, to control of water use, control of food sources, control of all economic and financial systems including poverty of the elderly, and the coming rationing of medical care for all Americans.

The Left hopes that the educational disconnect that leaves the populace ignorant of the actual American roots in freedom and liberty will lead to popular support for a permanent parasitism, and Leftist governmental control of pretty much everything. There are so many power grabs being introduced in Congress that one despairs of keeping up with them: silencing talk radio; silencing the internet; grabbing guns; government financing for Leftist newspapers; government financing of abortion; government financing of Leftist activists such as ACORN, and its hundreds of sub-organizations; government control of the boards of manufacturers.

If there is an antidote to this, it seems that it must come from outside the existing political embedded structures, meaning outside the failed Republican party, which is continuing its Leftward movement, even in its weakened, and useless current position. If the tea party movements continue to grow, perhaps they will produce a constitution based, liberty-based, anti-parasite-based, personal integrity-based political force to replace the current governing elite class.

The official declaration of allegiance of both the governing class and the governed has always been to the U.S. Constitution, not to the government. In fact the Pledge of Allegiance itself ignores that in favor pledging allegiance to the FLAG, not the constitution. This is a surreptitious pledge to the government, not to the constitution, and serves as a dodge.

When Supreme Court Justices defend the use of foreign law in making proclamations that amount to new laws, when the president believes that the constitution is just a suggestion to be altered as he sees fit, when congress repeatedly violates the constitutional restriction of the 9th and 10th amendments and declares the supporters of those amendments to be enemies of the state, the situation is actually pretty desperate. To reverse or rectify this governmental abuse by the Left will require unusual, abnormal force to be exerted from the position of Liberty over Egalitarianism. Originally it required the pledge of one’s life and fortune to the cause of liberty – a position almost unthinkable in today’s parasitic, entitled, victimhood mental state.

Below is a substitute pledge that has been suggested by Libertarian James Ostrowski. This pledge represents a dedication not to a flag, nor a government, not even to a specific document. It is a pledge to the concept behind the document, behind the revolution that produced the document and the republic that we are losing.

"I pledge allegiance to the principles of the American Revolution, stated by Jefferson, and for which the Minutemen and Washington's Army fought: that government's only purpose is to protect our natural rights to life, liberty and property; that any government that does "more" than protect our natural rights must thereby violate those same rights and become a tyranny that the people have the right to alter or abolish. I pledge to resist that tyranny by peaceful means if at all possible."
James Ostrowski

(1) I quote this use of homeland security because the purpose of HSD has been subverted to mean preservation of the imperial government, not the security of the populace.

CHAINS we can believe in.....

The "tea parties" around the nation are now thought to have had over a million demonstrators. Completely ignored by the mainstream Obamamedia hacks, there have been over 2,000 separate demonstrations held. When acknowledged by Left, it is by ad Hominem: rednecks; racists; dysfunctional brains; corporate stooges. The Left cannot abide any criticism, much less displays of protest; they seem to feel that that is their property, for their use only. After all the Democrats are the People's Party, busily crafting the People's Republic. How can the people not worship them?

The title above is one my favorite quotes from the protests. The focus was several-fold. First, the Drunken-sailor spending of Congress; second, the spinelessness of the Republicans; third, the fast-track to socialism and equal poverty for all Americans.

This summer should be interesting. If there is a nice party in D.C., maybe I can go to it.

Hillary Unhinged

Margaret Sanger was a virulent racist and eugenist. Her goal was to eliminate the growth of minorities, specifically blacks, by the use of contraception, sterilization, and abortion. She was part of the export of eugenics from the U.S. to the National Socialists in Germany, who took it to the logical ends. She was the founder of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion mill in the world (possibly outside China). Not only is abortion focused successfully on blacks, it is being iconized by Hillary Clinton as patriotic, while opposition to abortion is anti-democratic.

Anti-abortion is also one of the "radical Right Wing Agendas" that the Homeland Security has just issued a warning about. If you believe in Right-to-Life, you are suspected of being a threat to the government. This is along with belief in the U.S. Constitution's 10th amendment, 1st amendment, 2nd amendment, and so on.

Hillary Clinton was awarded the Margaret Sanger Award by Planned Parenthood on March 27, 2009. Clinton gave unabashed adulation for Sanger, and went on to declare that the salvation to the world's issues lies somewhere in the woman's right to abort her child. The full speech is located here, and the following is exerpted:

Now, I have to tell you that it was a great privilege when I was told that I would receive this award. I admire Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision. Another of my great friends, Ellen Chesler, is here, who wrote a magnificent biography of Margaret Sanger called "Woman of Valor". And when I think about what she did all those years ago in Brooklyn, taking on archetypes, taking on attitudes and accusations flowing from all directions, I am really in awe of her.

And there are a lot of lessons that we can learn from her life and from the cause she launched and fought for and sacrificed so bravely. One in particular, though, has always stood out for me almost a hundred years later. It's the lesson that women's empowerment is always, always about more than bettering the lives of individual women. It is part of a movement. It's about economic and political progress for all women and girls. It's about making sure that every woman and girl everywhere has the opportunities that she deserves to fulfill her potential, a potential as a mother, as a worker, as a human being.

The overarching mission of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the cause of reproductive freedom that you continue to advance today is as relevant in our world now as it was a hundred years ago. (Applause.) So I thank you.

The 20th century reproductive rights movement, really embodied in the life and leadership of Margaret Sanger, was one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race. It has changed the lives of tens of millions of women. It has changed attitudes and perceptions about women and our roles in society. It ushered in demographic and social changes that have brought us closer to gender equality than at any time.

Yet we know that Margaret Sanger's work here in the United States and certainly across our globe is not done. Here at home, there are still too many women who are denied their rights because of income, because of opposition, because of attitudes that they harbor. But around the world, too many women are denied even the opportunity to know about how to plan and space their families. They're denied the power to do anything about the most intimate of decisions.

And the derivative inequities that result from all of that are evident in the fact that women and girls are still the majority of the world's poor, unschooled, unhealthy, and underfed. This is and has been for many years a matter of personal and professional importance to me, and I want to assure you that reproductive rights and the umbrella issue of women's rights and empowerment will be a key to the foreign policy of this Administration. (Applause.)

You see, I believe that women's rights and empowerment is an indispensible ingredient of smart power and therefore is integrated into our renewed emphasis on diplomacy and development. This is especially important today, when poverty and the lack of healthcare and education, hunger and job loss, are amplified by the current economic crisis. And I was very proud when President Obama repealed the Mexico City policy. (Applause.)

As a result, nongovernmental organizations overseas can once again use U.S. funding to provide the full range of family planning services so that women and their families can get access to the healthcare that they need. President Obama's decision on Mexico City and his signing shortly thereafter of the Lilly Ledbetter legislation - (applause) - reflects a deep personal commitment to expanding opportunities for women. And the announcement about a week ago of the establishment once again of an Office for Women and Girls in the White House will give voice and action behind that commitment. (Applause.)

Speaking obliquely is no problem for Clinton. When she says "reproductive rights" she means Sanger's vision of eugenics: abortion. The exporting of abortion to the third world would make Sanger weep for joy. It is the limiting of racial growth that she wished for, now becoming true at the U.S. taxpayer's expense.

But Hillary and Barack were unusually slient about the recent conversion of Afganistan to Sharia law, which prohibits and condemns abortion. In fact, as one wag says, how do the Hillary/Barack's intend to be cozy with the Muslims while simultaneously funding abortion for their women? Or maybe abortion is just for third world blacks?

At any rate, Hillary is fully in the Sanger abortion and eugenic corner. She left no doubt about that.

Van Jones: Obama Communist Du Jour

Obama's newest communist advisor is Van Jones. Jones' career as a radical communist activist is not a secret; in fact it is outlined in this article by Aaron Klein.

"Speaking to the East Bay Express, Jones said he first became radicalized in the wake of the 1992 Rodney King riots, during which time he was arrested.

"I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th," he said. "By August, I was a communist.

"I met all these young radical people of color – I mean really radical: communists and anarchists. And it was, like, 'This is what I need to be a part of.' I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary," he said"

Jones uses environmental issues as a lever for what he calls "eco-equity", a term for class equality. He came to environmentalism via a failed communist organization he started, called STORM.

Klein:

"Jones was a founder and leader of the communist revolutionary organization Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement, or STORM. That organization had its roots in a grouping of black people organizing to protest the first Gulf War. STORM was formally founded in 1994, becoming one of the most influential and active radical groups in the San Francisco Bay area.

STORM worked with known communist leaders. It led the charge in black protests against various issues, including a local attempt to pass Proposition 21, a ballot initiative that sought to increase the penalties for violent crimes and require more juvenile offenders to be tried as adults.

The leftist blog Machete 48 identifies STORM's influences as "third-worldist Marxism (and an often vulgar Maoism)."

Tea Party Day

The following graphics speak for themselves.