War Against Liberty

A Radical Whig in Chattanooga, Tennessee

War Against Liberty

Patrick Henry warned us that the greatest threat to our liberties and freedom does not come from other countries or foreign lands, but rather that it comes from our own government! "You are not to inquire how your trade may be increased, nor how you are to become a great and powerful people, but how your liberties can be secured; for liberty ought to be the direct end of your government." ... "Is the relinquishment of the trial by jury and the liberty of the press necessary for your liberty? Will the abandonment of your most sacred rights tend to the security of your liberty? Liberty, the greatest of all earthly blessing — give us that precious jewel, and you may take every thing else!" ... "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined." ... "I am answered by gentlemen, that, though I might speak of terrors, yet the fact was, that we were surrounded by none of the dangers I apprehended. I conceive this new government to be one of those dangers: it has produced those horrors which distress many of our best citizens." ... "Whither is the spirit of America gone? Whither is the genius of America fled? It was but yesterday, when our enemies marched in triumph through our country. Yet the people of this country could not be appalled by their pompous armaments: they stopped their carer, and victoriously captured them. Where is the peril, now, compared to that? Some minds are agitated by foreign alarms. Happily for us, there is no real danger from Europe; that country is engaged in more arduous business: from that quarter there is no cause of fear: you may sleep in safety forever for them." ... "Where is the danger? If, sir, there was any, I would recur to the American spirit to defend us; that spirit which has enabled us to surmount the greatest difficulties: to that illustrious spirit I address my most fervent prayer to prevent our adopting a system destructive to liberty."

Why should we be concerned over threats to our liberty today? Where are these threats coming from? Why is our Bill of Rights under attack?

Amendment V: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI: In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VIII: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

(My Remarks - The President now claims the power to declare anybody an "illegal combatant" and to lock that person up forever, without access to counsel or trial by jury. He claims the power to ship you off to foreign lands where you may be tortured. Today, it's confined to "Islamic Terrorists". The stage is being set, however, for the next administration to extend it to "Domestic Terrorists", such as antiabortion protestors or virtually anybody who irritates them.

(My Remarks - Judge John G. Roberts Jr. is an absolute disaster. He has been an accomplace to "Thumbscrews Gonzalez" in aiding and abetting the President in violating the Bill of Rights. You have no right to counsel or to trial by Jury. The President can form a military kangaroo court to lock you away forever!)

Thomas Jefferson wrote the following on "Emergency Powers" and their abuse:

"Why suspend the habeas corpus in insurrections and rebellions? The parties who may be arrested may be charged instantly with a well defined crime; of course, the judge will remand them. If the public safety requires that the government should have a man imprisoned on less probable testimony in those than in other emergencies, let him be taken and tried, retaken and retried, while the necessity continues, only giving him redress against the government for damages. Examine the history of England. See how few of the cases of the suspension of the habeas corpus law have been worthy of that suspension. They have been either real treasons, wherein the parties might as well have been charged at once, or sham plots, where it was shameful they should ever have been suspected. Yet for the few cases wherein the suspension of the habeas corpus has done real good, that operation is now become habitual and the minds of the nation almost prepared to live under its constant suspension." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1788

The Patriot Act (and other acts of tyranny!)

Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

"Iraq and Domestic Freedom"

11 January 2007

Dear Reader,

After so many of the other "reasons" for the invasion of Iraq
proved to be false, the claim was made that the invasion of Iraq was
to give "freedom" to the people of that nation ("Operation Iraqui
Freedom"). Yet, the video of the execution of Saddam shows that what was accomplished was that one set of tyrannical crazies have been swapped for another set of tyrannical crazies at the expense of over 3,000 American lives and the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

It is informative that the announcement that additional troops will
be going to Iraq occured at approximately the same time that the
President made his "signing statement" to the effect that his
administration no longer needs a warrant to open our mail. This is
necessary, of course, for the "War on Terror", which is necessary, in
turn, because our government has turned from the foreign policy
advocated by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, & Madison in favor of a
foreign policy more appropriate to the British Empire, Napolean, or
Rome.

In our efforts to fight the "War on Terror", our government now claims the necessity of grabbing virtually anybody and sending them off to foreign countries to be tortured ("aggressive interogation"). They claim the powers for warrantless "sneak and peak" invasions of our homes and properties. They claim the powers to monitor our E-Mails (and now our "snail mails") without warrants. They claim the power to imprison us forever without trial or access to counsel simply by designating us as "unlawful combatants". While only seemingly vile
foreigners, rather than American citizens, are subject to Military
(Kangaroo Court) Tribunals rather than trial by jury, one suspects
that the inclusions of American Citizens for the "Star Chamber"
Military Tribunals are only a "signing statement" or an "Executive
Order" away.

Thomas Jefferson warned us that "We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home."

James Madison also reminded us that "It is a universal truth that the
loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against
danger, real or pretended, from abroad."

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who suffered greatly under his government,
told us that "A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic
tyranny."

The best way to protect our domestic freedoms is to bring the troops home.


				*A Radical Whig in Chattanooga, Tennessee* *War Against Liberty*



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