I had a lot of fun last night watching the Republican presidential debate on Faux News. Nine candidates who think the war in Iraq should go on and torture is OK if you call it enhanced interrogation techniques vs. one lone sane man named Ron Paul.
The moderators surely did their best to marginalize him and try to make him a laughing stock. He held his ground and kept on message. What we are doing in Iraq is very wrong and it must end, ASAP.
After the debate was over, the commentators went out of their way to tell us he was nuts and should not be allowed in future debates. Then came the high point of the evening. They announced that Ron Paul was leading in their text message poll with 30% of the vote. Romney was a close second and Guliani a distant third. The others were in the mud.
Hannitty was only speechless for a moment and then everyone accused Paul of having his people stuff the ballot box. It could not possibly be right.
Later in the evening, more votes pushed Romney ahead and left Paul in second place with Guliani still a distant third. The rest, including McCain and our favorite son, Brownback, remained in the mud. I would like to formally accuse Romney's people of stuffing the ballot box at the end to achieve that first place finish. I have as much evidence as Hannity does.
Can someone tell me how the Republicans expect to win a general election with candidates who openly profess that they want to continue the slaughter in Iraq, torture folks and institute a police state including 'tamperproof identity cards", no habeus corpus and enemy combatants.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Twenty Questions
What follows is a list of questions to be asked of our current Federal representatives and Senators and any future candidates. I see it as kind of a litmus test. If they can't answer these questions in a satisfactory manner, they are clearly unfit for office in a constitutional republic.
For the record, this is not entirely original. I took the idea from a posting on a Yahoo group, where it was 17 questions and edited it to include some of my personal hot buttons.
1. Do you still support our United States Constitution, as written, and all of the Amendments to our Constitution, as you swore (or will swear, if you are a candidate) to do in your Oath of Office?
2. Do you believe that American citizens have a right to expect that every elected official obey and support our United States Constitution in its entirety?
3. What recourse do you believe American citizens should have when a public official acts, or proposes a law, contrary to the American Rule of Law, as set down in our United States Constitution? Please explain!
4. Do you believe that all branches of government, including regulatory and tax collection agencies, should support and obey our United States Constitution?
5. Please explain under what authority you may feel that government agency could be immune from the rules set down for government by our Constitution.
6. Do you support the right of an American citizen to protect life, family and home against all intruders, with the exception of officials who have a duly sworn warrant and have given proper notice of that warrant as required by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution?
7. If not, please describe any situations where you believe the Fourth Amendment no longer applies, and why.
8. Do you support the right of an American citizen to move around and function in society as they please, unimpeded by any government agent, so long as they do not interfere with other citizens with their activities?
9. What restrictions to personal liberty do you support, and why?
10. Do you support the right of American citizens to acquire, keep and if necessary to defend, real and personal property free from restriction by the federal government?
11. If not, please explain under what Constitutional authority the federal government may restrict the use of personal and private property.
12. What exceptions do you support to the Bill of Rights, and how may these exceptions be justified under the law without amending the Constitution?
13. Are there any areas of human behavior or activities that cannot be regulated by the federal Government? If so, please list any ten that come to mind.
14. Will you certify that you will reject any bill coming before you that does not conform, strictly, to the United States Constitution as written?
15. Furthermore, will you work to repeal all laws, rules, regulations and executive orders not conforming to the written words and intent of the Constitution?
16. Can you name any situation where it is appropriate for the executive branch to imprison any person on US soil and hold him without charge or trial and deny Habeus Corpus process to that person?
17. Is there any situation where you would advocate torture of prisoners?
18. Is there an upper limit to how much of a person’s earnings can be taken by the
government in taxation? Is 50% the upper limit? Is 75% OK? Is it permissible to take it all?
19. If a person is ill, is it within the power of government to deny him the right, under
threat of prison, to use any substance, process or equipment to deal with his illness, even if the government thinks that it will not work?
20. Is it permissible for government to prevent private individuals, spending their own money, from advocating for or against any candidate for office?
For the record, this is not entirely original. I took the idea from a posting on a Yahoo group, where it was 17 questions and edited it to include some of my personal hot buttons.
1. Do you still support our United States Constitution, as written, and all of the Amendments to our Constitution, as you swore (or will swear, if you are a candidate) to do in your Oath of Office?
2. Do you believe that American citizens have a right to expect that every elected official obey and support our United States Constitution in its entirety?
3. What recourse do you believe American citizens should have when a public official acts, or proposes a law, contrary to the American Rule of Law, as set down in our United States Constitution? Please explain!
4. Do you believe that all branches of government, including regulatory and tax collection agencies, should support and obey our United States Constitution?
5. Please explain under what authority you may feel that government agency could be immune from the rules set down for government by our Constitution.
6. Do you support the right of an American citizen to protect life, family and home against all intruders, with the exception of officials who have a duly sworn warrant and have given proper notice of that warrant as required by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution?
7. If not, please describe any situations where you believe the Fourth Amendment no longer applies, and why.
8. Do you support the right of an American citizen to move around and function in society as they please, unimpeded by any government agent, so long as they do not interfere with other citizens with their activities?
9. What restrictions to personal liberty do you support, and why?
10. Do you support the right of American citizens to acquire, keep and if necessary to defend, real and personal property free from restriction by the federal government?
11. If not, please explain under what Constitutional authority the federal government may restrict the use of personal and private property.
12. What exceptions do you support to the Bill of Rights, and how may these exceptions be justified under the law without amending the Constitution?
13. Are there any areas of human behavior or activities that cannot be regulated by the federal Government? If so, please list any ten that come to mind.
14. Will you certify that you will reject any bill coming before you that does not conform, strictly, to the United States Constitution as written?
15. Furthermore, will you work to repeal all laws, rules, regulations and executive orders not conforming to the written words and intent of the Constitution?
16. Can you name any situation where it is appropriate for the executive branch to imprison any person on US soil and hold him without charge or trial and deny Habeus Corpus process to that person?
17. Is there any situation where you would advocate torture of prisoners?
18. Is there an upper limit to how much of a person’s earnings can be taken by the
government in taxation? Is 50% the upper limit? Is 75% OK? Is it permissible to take it all?
19. If a person is ill, is it within the power of government to deny him the right, under
threat of prison, to use any substance, process or equipment to deal with his illness, even if the government thinks that it will not work?
20. Is it permissible for government to prevent private individuals, spending their own money, from advocating for or against any candidate for office?
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