You don't need me to tell you that the federal government was originally designed to be much smaller and much less powerful than it is today.  (Well... maybe some of you do.)  Certainly the founding fathers intended it to be far less intrusive and costly.  But today we have arrived at a point where the federal government micro-manages numerous little details, including a law — the Comprehensive Energy Policy Act of 1994 — requiring that new toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush.  (As long as swimming pools are legal and golf courses are irrigated with drinking water, 1.6 gallon toilets should not be mandatory.)  Very gradually, more and more laws and regulatory agencies are being created, and one day even the most gullible citizen will wake up and realize that he is ruled by tyrants.

Subtopics on this or other pages:

Abuse of Power by Ordinary Cops
USA Patriot Act
Operation Choke Point and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Obamacare opens the door to tyranny
The Invasion of the Food Police
Domestic surveillance
Obama's use of HUD to forcibly integrate wealthy neighborhoods
Operation Jade Helm 15
Operation Choke Point and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act
Obama vs Gibson Guitar

Natural Rights Versus Political Rights.  A headline I read this weekend proclaimed that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, the Klan-hood-wearing gent formerly known at VMI as "Coonman," was "working on" possible gun confiscation in Virginia now that money on the Left has successfully buried his racism and bought the legislature for their party.  Aside from the obvious commentary about what happens when Democrats obtain power, the headline suggests a far deeper problem confronting our country.  It is only a matter of time before anti-constitutional forces seize control of the Senate, or perhaps the White House, and when they do, what historically American citizens consider to be unalienable rights will suddenly disappear.  The coming purge of natural rights is inevitable.

Who Can Stop Trump Now?  [Scroll down]  The rules of the impeachment process legalized by the House of Representatives turned out to be even worse than all assumptions.  Firstly, this is the first investigation of the current president in U.S. history, sanctioned by members of only one party:  the opposition.  Secondly, the new rules of impeachment legalize the de facto dictatorship of one person: chairman of the Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff.  Schiff gained almost unlimited power.  Now it is Schiff alone who decides who will be called in as a witness, what questions can be asked to the witness, and who exactly will get the right to ask questions.  Schiff obtained the right to terminate the hearing if his version of the events is disputed by some intractable witness.  Republicans were [...] given the right to be able to ask Schiff to call a defense witness, and then only Schiff would be able to decide to admit such a witness.  Only Schiff decides whether the hearing will be open or closed and whether a transcript of the committee's meetings will be made public.

The USA PATRIOT Act:  The Story of an Impulsive Bill that Eviscerated America's Civil Liberties.  The USA PATRIOT Act provides a textbook example of how the United States federal government expands its power.  An emergency happens, legitimate or otherwise.  The media, playing its dutiful role as goad for greater government oversight, demands "something must be done."  Government power is massively expanded, with little regard for whether or not what is being done is efficacious, to say nothing of the overall impact on our nation's civil liberties.  No goals are posted, because if targets are hit, this would necessitate the ending or scaling back of the program.  Instead, the program becomes normalized.  There are no questions asked about whether the program is accomplishing what it set out to do.  It is now simply a part of American life and there is no going back.  The American public largely accepts the USA PATRIOT Act as a part of civic life as immutable, perhaps even more so than the Bill of Rights.  However, this act — passed in the dead of night, with little to no oversight, in a panic after the biggest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor — is not only novel, it is also fundamentally opposed to virtually every principle on which the United States of America was founded.

Democrats' Election Bill Allows The Government To Define 'Legitimate News'.  The House will vote today [10/23/2019] on the SHIELD Act, a Democrat-led and misguided effort to deter foreign interference in American elections.  While both parties agree that foreign interference, especially online, was a serious issue in the 2016 election, in fact, the GOP has its own bill, this Democratic effort fails in two major ways.  First, it threatens First Amendment protections on free political speech, and second, it fails to address the major issue in 2016 interference.  One of the major problems with the SHEILD Act regarding free speech is a provision that allows the federal government to determine what is and is not "legitimate journalistic activities" for the purposes of protecting them from the provisions of the act.  The obvious problem with this is that should the federal government decide a journalistic activity is not legitimate, it will have broad powers to silence it.

O'Rourke's America.  [Scroll down]  Democrats, no longer content to impose confiscatory taxes on income, now propose — here again, Sanders and Warren stand together — to seize Americans' savings, confiscating their property rather than merely levying their income.  If you don't like that, you can organize a political campaign against it — maybe, if the Democrats will let you.  But keep in mind that Democrats today also hold as an article of faith that the federal government should have the power to prohibit the distribution of videos critical of Democratic presidential candidates, which is what the Citizens United case was all about.

Now the Police Are Telling You What Pronouns You Can Use.  Today is International Pronouns Day.  Just in case you weren't aware of it, here's a senior British police officer explaining its significance.  [Video clip]

Political correctness versus common sense.  Not long ago, everyone understood the unchanging commonsense reality that human beings are either male or female.  Today in New York City, the rules have been changed — and failure to keep up can have dire consequences.  New York City's special 31 genders are surrounded by special legal protections.  Businesses can now be fined as much as $250,000 for refusing to address someone by his preferred pronoun.  As we have seen in the news, even in cities that have not yet have caught up with New York City in terms of imposing legal penalties, failing a test of political correctness about genders can result in public shaming or the loss of a job. [...] The important thing to understand is that the masters of political correctness are not done yet.  They have given us a glimpse of the future they have planned for us.  If they continue to have their way, more and more will be required of us, and the penalties will eventually go beyond mere fines and public humiliation.

In NYC the Term 'Illegal Alien' Can Cost You $250,000.  Before we consider the attack on the First Amendment that protects our freedoms of expression to guarantee freedom of thought by the increasingly radicalized Democrats of New York City, we must consider how we have come to this point where our political "leaders" and the mainstream media have, in essence, become the "Ministry of Truth" that is found in Orwell's novel, "1984."  In that novel of a terrifying dystopia future, the Ministry of Truth formulated propaganda and administered the expansion of Newspeak, and was backed up by the Thought Police.  The misuse language to confound understanding, at least where immigration is concerned, can be traced back decades to the administration of Jimmy Carter, who began process of expunging the term "illegal alien" and even the term alien from the official lexicon that pertains to immigration.

Rep. Tlaib: 'No Joke': Democrats Want To Arrest Trump Officials, 'Take Care Of Them'.  Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib says House Democrats are "trying to figure out" how to arrest Trump officials who resist subpoenas during the impeachment process, promising to "take care of them." [...] Tlaib suggested people like Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross could be jailed in Detroit.  "So I just want you to know I will relay your message, I will tell them they can hold all those people right here in Detroit, we'll take care of them, and make sure they show up to the committee hearings.  We won't hurt them.  We'll make sure they come and show, right?  I'll make sure that you're in charge."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib approves of coup, kidnapping.  At a recent town hall meeting with constituents in Michigan, Democratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib ran with a suggestion from an attendee that Democrats "hunt down" and forcibly remove Trump administration officials from office if they don't comply with their wishes.  Tlaib quickly stated that her fellow Democrats have already been involved in discussions pertaining to who could arrest administration officials, Trump presumably included, if they refuse to leave power in a timely manner. [...] Maybe they will "hold all those people" they've captured at Ford Field.  Sounds like there will be a lot of them.  Whoever "goes and gets them" will have to figure out where to detain the hostages.  Presumption of innocence?  Rule of law?  Due process?  Trial?  Don't be quaint.  Look what they did to Brett Kavanaugh, Roger Stone, Michael Cohen, and Paul Manafort, for example.  Today's Democrats are fond of wee-hour raids and drive-by lynchings, aided and abetted by their accomplices in the mainstream media.

This may work in Somalia, but it doesn't fly here.
Rashida Tlaib:  Democrats Exploring Ways to Arrest Trump Cabinet Members.  Far-left "Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) told constituents on Tuesday [10/1/2019] that her Democrat colleagues are looking into how to arrest White House officials who refuse to comply with subpoenas as part of an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.  Speaking to her constituents at a town hall in her hometown of Detriot, Tlaib said Democrats are puzzled about how to arrest Cabinet secretaries, telling voters in a video captured by America Rising PAC that they could be taken into custody if Congress votes to hold them in contempt.

Unhinged: Rashida Tlaib Agrees US Marshals Should Hunt Down White House Officials.  During a town hall meeting with constituents in Michigan this week, Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib agreed that U.S. Marshals should "hunt down" White House officials and remove them from office if they "refuse to leave power."  This includes President Trump.  The idea was suggested by a man questioning Tlaib, who nodded in agreement, and then admitted Democrats on Capitol Hill have been having a discussion about who can arrest administration officials and where they could be held.

The government can now activate your phone camera to stream live video of whatever you are seeing.  A New Jersey police department recently implemented new technology that allows 911 operators in the area to stream live video from callers' smartphones with the touch of a button.  While callers will still have to give their consent to such monitoring, some media outlets have dubbed the technology a slippery slope towards automatic surveillance, whereby Big Brother will one day have immediate access to people's smartphones without their consent.  In the meantime, some police departments plan to utilize 911eye, as it's called, a product of Capita Secure Solutions and Services, for permission-based surveillance during emergencies, which will allow first responders to see exactly what callers are seeing before they arrive.

30 of The Biggest Lies & Hoaxes Perpetrated on The American People.  [#7] Child Protective Services & Foster Care:  Child Protective Services (CPS), and the foster care system are two of the most deceitful programs on this list.  Though there may be some wonderful people working in these systems or fostering children, those at the top have created these structures for purposes of kidnapping and trafficking children.  Yes, this is the reality.  A simple search will provide story after story, nightmare after nightmare, and report after report of the negligence, abuse, and criminality of these systems.

He'll have more flexibility after 2020 — and he's going to need it.  The swamp is bottomless.  Truly undrainable.  Unlike blood-sucking vampires that can be tamed with garlic necklaces, holy water and a stake driven through the heart, this THING cannot be stopped.  The Leviathan has become a glioblastomic tumor with roots so deep beneath the Potomac that they can never be wrenched out.  Its gnarly fingers of government intrusion slither into every thin cranny of American life.

D.C. Rally:  Tea Party Patriots Warn Against Growing Socialism in America.  Several hundred Tea Party activists gathered Thursday morning on the steps of the Capitol for a "Stop Socialism, Chose Freedom" rally hosted by the Tea Party Patriots and featuring members of the House and Senate and conservative activists, who called on fellow Americans to reject the resurgent socialism among the left.  Speakers pointed to positions of the 2020 Democrat presidential candidates, arguing that they have been skewing further left to meet the demands of progressives on everything from wealth distribution, gun control, health care, and abortion.

A California Court Dealt a Blow to Religious Liberty.  It's Time for SCOTUS to Act.  Several hundred Tea Party activists gathered Thursday morning on the steps of the Capitol for a "Stop Socialism, Chose Freedom" rally hosted by the Tea Party Patriots and featuring members of the House and Senate and conservative activists, who called on fellow Americans to reject the resurgent socialism among the left.  Speakers pointed to positions of the 2020 Democrat presidential candidates, arguing that they have been skewing further left to meet the demands of progressives on everything from wealth distribution, gun control, health care, and abortion.

Don't Smile for the Camera.  Our federal government's 60,000-person strong domestic spying apparatus already captures every keystroke — even those which we think we have deleted — on every device used to transmit digital data on fiber optic cable in the United States.  That covers every mobile, desktop and mainframe device.  The government, of course, will not acknowledge this publicly.  Yet some of its officials have told as much to me privately.  They have also told me that they believe that they can get away with this so long as the data captured is not used in criminal prosecutions.  Why is that?  The last thing the feds and rogue police want is for government agents to be compelled to answer under oath how they acquired the evidence they are attempting to introduce.  Yet the admission of spying assumes that the right to privacy, which is guaranteed in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, is protected from governmental invasion only for criminal prosecution purposes.

The Bill of Rights Turns 230, and What Do We Have to Show for It?  We can pretend that the Constitution, which was written to hold the government accountable, is still our governing document, but the reality of life in the American police state tells a different story.  "We the people" have been terrorized, traumatized, and tricked into a semi-permanent state of compliance by a government that cares nothing for our lives or our liberties.  The bogeyman's names and faces have changed over time (terrorism, the war on drugs, illegal immigration, etc.), but the end result remains the same: in the so-called named of national security, the Constitution has been steadily chipped away at, undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded to such an extent that what we are left with today is but a shadow of the robust document adopted more than two centuries ago.  Most of the damage has been inflicted upon the Bill of Rights.

Red flag laws to fight mass shootings?  Fine for an ideal world, but we don't live in one.  In the world we actually inhabit, state-level experiments with "red flag" laws should give all Americans pause before handing over this kind of power to Washington.  First of all, the bedrock of America's legal system is all citizens' guarantee to "due process" before the government infringes on any of their legal rights.  Red flag laws around the country skirt or even trample due process.

The enforcement problems with gun-grabbing 'red flag' laws are even worse than you think.  Everyone is debating "red flag" laws like they're some new thing, but California has had variations of them for decades.  We call them domestic violence restraining orders, civil harassment restraining orders, workplace restraining orders, elder abuse restraining orders, mental health seizures and prohibition orders, and, more recently, gun violence restraining orders.  They're all meant to disarm dangerous people — but they're all fundamentally flawed.  None of these red flag laws would have prevented recent mass shootings.  And in my 23 years practicing law in the heart of Silicon Valley, I have litigated dozens of these cases.  I've seen firsthand the practical enforcement problems that emerge in real-life cases.

Democrat Congressman Reminds You What Life Would Be Like Under Left-Wing Rule.  While there has been some pushback the problem is not one Democrat "doxxing" more Republican donors.  It is much deeper.  The Obama years demonstrated that this is how the Left does its business.  When street thugs like the Black Panthers, BLM, or Antifa can't get it done, find and publish any information you can on anyone.  Send the message.  You could be next.  This is speech suppression, plain and simple. [...] Obama's IRS released Tax information to third parties who then protested and intimidated individuals and companies.  His administration raided and terrorized private business owners.  His FBI and CIA spied on everyone including private citizens, the press, and political opponents.  For one purpose:  to destroy them if the need arose.  It's the sort of thing you'd expect from another Castro family.  The one in Cuba.

Red Flag Laws in the Age of Political Psychiatry.  As a general matter, a goal of every healthy community is to prevent all violent crime.  But there is no way to accomplish this goal in practice without a draconian police state.  Crime has a cost, but so do infringements on civil liberties, such as detentions, convictions, institutionalization, and other lesser measures like injunctions and protection orders.  We know that our ability to detect criminal intent in the absence of a completed crime is a difficult matter.  If everyone who had threatened harm on the internet meant it, for example, our society would be awash in blood.

The Racist History of Red Flag Laws.  The idea that mass shootings are based on mental health issues seems sensible, as we would like to think nobody in his right mind can commit these atrocities, but that line of thought is as wrong as those who choose to blame the gun.  Psychologists understand there is a perfect storm of strain and stress that can cause anybody to go on a rampage when certain factors are culminated and met.  Academic circles know that mental health is often wrongly blamed for these tragedies, mostly by the mass media, who like to diagnose mass shooters themselves postmortem.  However, statistical research shows that less than 5% of those suffering from any sort of mental illness ever become violent.

There is No Actual Law or Justice in the B.E.A.S.T. System.  In the aftermath of the Sandyhook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama issued 23 executive actions and proposed 19 legislative actions on guns.  After the Virginia Tech shooting, new rules were passed that allowed the Social Security Administration to provide information to the gun background check system of people with "mental disabilities". After Vegas and Parkland, it was bump-stocks.  Now, in the wake of the recent Gilroy Garlic Festival, El Paso, and Dayton mass shootings — all committed by crazed individuals and right on schedule, the politicians have announced bipartisan support for Red Flag Laws.  Do you see a pattern?  Unfortunately, the proposed "Red Flag" legislation has the support of President Trump according to his previous comments, and would allow just one of your neighbors to see something before saying something that would enable law enforcement to confiscate all of your guns and with no legal hearing whatsoever.

Skeptical of the government?  You're a potential terrorist.
The White Supremacy Hoax.  The Wall Street Journal on Saturday [8/10/2019] featured an essay by one Clint Watts, formerly of the FBI and West Point's Counter Terrorism Center.  Watts makes those proposals using the word "white" 16 times in 18 paragraphs.  The sociopolitical ideas rife among white people are the main matrix of terrorism in America, Watts contends.  Racial profiling, anyone? [...] Watts proposes legislation that would permit designating persons associated with what the government may identify as "white supremacist ideology" as subject to surveillance to "preemptively assess whether these white supremacists are taking a radical turn toward violence."  Watts also proposes "red flag" laws, that would allow the government to take away weapons from someone so designated.  Loss of weapons would be the least of burdens imposed on anyone so "red-flagged."  Career, reputation, possibly family, would be gone because someone in the notoriously impartial FBI so decided, perhaps with the agreement of the highly scrupulous FISA court, subsequent to ex parte, secret proceedings.

Liberty, If Not Already Annihilated, Is On The Brink Of Destruction.  The road to victory in the next election is narrow.  But it's like that when you have no principles and undercut the very base you used to put you in office.  We are where we are because enough people didn't ask Trump the hard questions on his core belief in gun rights (or enough people didn't listen when I asked the hard questions on core beliefs).  It appears he doesn't have any.

We're All Enemies of the State:  Draconian Laws, Precrime & the Surveillance State.  We've been down this road many times before.  If the government is consistent about any one thing, it is this:  it has an unnerving tendency to exploit crises and use them as opportunities for power grabs under the guise of national security. [...] It's all part of the grand plan for total control.  The government's proposed response to the latest round of mass shootings — red flag gun laws, precrime surveillance, fusion centers, threat assessments, mental health assessments, involuntary confinement — is just more of the same.  These tactics have been employed before, here in the U.S. and elsewhere, by other totalitarian regimes, with devastating results.  It's a simple enough formula:  first, you create fear, then you capitalize on it by seizing power.

Everything They're Telling You About Mass Shootings Is Wrong.  Democrats have complained about police brutality for years.  The police, they assure us, are out of control.  And, the story goes, they have it in for anyone whose skin is not lily white.  You can't trust the racist cops, they tell us.  Remember Ferguson, Missouri, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, and others.  But these same Democrats also tell us that the police are the only ones who should have guns, which is to say that the police we're not supposed to trust, who are guilty — in their view — of unspeakable crimes against Americans, should be given a monopoly on physical force and that private citizens should be deprived of their most effective means of defending themselves.

CO2 and the Supreme Power of sovereignty.  Sir William Blackstone defines sovereignty as "supreme power."  This power is unitary.  It cannot be shared or limited in any way.  Thus, "quasi sovereignty" cannot exist.  The Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (2007) that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant under the Clean Air Act.  The result of that 5-4 ruling was that the EPA could be sued by the states for not controlling CO2 emissions.  The states, according to the court, have "quasi-sovereignty." [...] "Quasi" means "pseudo", "mock", "wannabe" or "virtual".  The states thus have the quasi sovereignty to accept the rules set down by the fully sovereign national government.  These rules are set by the nine lawyers collectively referred to as SCOTUS.

In case you haven't heard, carbon dioxide is not a pollutant.

Schumer Calls for Amending First Amendment to Limit Political Speech.  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D.-N.Y., has determined there is too much political speech in the United States coming from sources he cannot abide.  So, he stood in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, along with Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D.-Ill., to announce he is backing Democratic New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall's proposal to amend the First Amendment.  The First Amendment, as it now stands, includes 10 unambiguous words about freedom of speech.  "Congress," it says, "shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech."  Schumer and Udall do not like this sweeping restraint on government power.  There are speakers whose speech they want to abridge.  The Bill of Rights — as correctly interpreted by the Supreme Court — stands in their way.  So, they are seeking to change it.

School district warns parents:  Pay lunch bill or kids may go into foster care.  A Pennsylvania school district received backlash after warning parents their children could be removed from their homes and placed into foster care if overdue lunch bills are not paid.  The Wyoming Valley West School District in Luzerne County, Pa., said about 1,000 student accounts owe a total amount of more than $20,000 in school lunch debt.  Four parents owe at least $450 each.

PA School District To Parents:  Pay Your Kids' Lunch Bill Or We'll Seize Them.  What happens when a school district needs to collect $20,000 in unpaid lunch fees from parents?  In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, they, um ... repossess your kids.  A letter from the director of federal programs at the Wyoming Valley West School District warns delinquent parents that the district will force their kids into foster care if they don't pay up.

More about school lunches.

This Man Did Nothing Wrong, But He Faces 49 Years In Prison.  The weaklings and fools in the California state legislature decided that guns are bad, bad, bad, so they passed some stupid 'gun control' laws to fight crime.  But Mr [Girard Damian] Saenz was never charged with any crime other than having weapons the state didn't think he should have.  He didn't rob anyone, he committed no crimes using the firearms in his possession.  This is the natural result of the left's insanity when it comes to our Second Amendment rights:  the state legislature made simple possession of firearms it didn't like a crime in itself, but the crime they said that they were preventing never occurred; Mr Saenz was not even suspected of using the firearms illegally.  The Pyrite State created a crime where no crime existed, infringed a man's rights when he had infringed on no one else's.

Renting Your House On Airbnb Should Not Trigger Felony Charges.  A felony is often thought of as reserved for the worst types of criminals — those who commit violent offenses, harming individuals or their property.  But that's not reality.  Aaron Elinoff, a 34-year-old Colorado man, found this out the hard way.  Last week, the city of Denver filed criminal felony charges against Elinoff for allegedly violating the city's short-term rental laws.  The city and others across the country have deemed that people may not freely rent out their property on a short-term basis for extra income (commonly done through the website Airbnb), and sometimes have deemed this transaction worthy of criminal penalties.

FBI, ICE using state driver's license photos without consent for facial recognition searches: report.  The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have reportedly been using driver's license photos for facial recognition searches without license holders' knowledge or consent.  The Washington Post reports the two agencies have used millions of Americans' photos, largely from driver's licenses, for the purpose of facial recognition searches, citing internal documents and emails from the two agencies that were obtained by Georgetown Law researchers over the past five years and shared with the news outlet.  The photos give the agencies a new layer of information on Americans and a new tool to potentially track both criminals and those who have never committed a crime, according to the Post, which adds that Congress has not authorized any such development of a facial recognition system.

Democrat Proposes 5 years in Prison For "Parody" Videos Of Politicians Before Elections.  Democrat Representative Yvette Clarke from New York is beside herself over something called deep fakes.  These are "photoshopped" or digitally altered videos or images.  And if her bill passes, anyone who fails to mark their production properly could face up to five years in jail.

Democrat Rep. Frederica Wilson:  People Who Mock Members of Congress 'Should Be Prosecuted'.  Democrat Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson stated Tuesday that those who mock members of Congress online should be prosecuted.  "Those people who are online making fun of members of Congress are a disgrace, and there is no need for anyone to think that is unacceptable," Wilson stated as she stood outside of the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children in Homestead, Florida.

The Editor says...
Yes, I agree that "there is no need for anyone to think that is unacceptable."  Wait -- is that mockery?  Are you gonna have me arrested?

Rep. Frederica Wilson calls for online pranksters to be 'prosecuted' if jokes target lawmakers.  Rep. Frederica Wilson has no love for social media's meme-makers and pranksters — she literally wants them prosecuted.  The Florida Democrat weighed in on free speech issues this week and told an audience that it should be illegal to mock lawmakers.  "Those people who are online making fun of members of Congress are a disgrace," she said while speaking in Homestead.  "We're gonna shut them down and work with whoever it is to shut them down, and they should be prosecuted.  You cannot intimidate members of Congress, frighten members of Congress.  It is against the law, and it's a shame in this United States of America."

The Editor says...
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Rep. Frederica Wilson demands prosecution for those who mock Congress online.  Democratic Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson asserted that people who mock members of Congress online should face prosecution.  "Those people who are online making fun of members of Congress are a disgrace, and there is no need for anyone to think that is unacceptable [sic]," Wilson said during comments made Tuesday [7/2/2019] outside of the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children in Homestead, Florida.  "We're gonna shut them down and work with whoever it is to shut them down, and they should be prosecuted," she continued.  "You cannot intimidate members of Congress, frighten members of Congress.  It is against the law, and it's a shame in this United States of America."

Funny how death threats against mini-Ocasio-Cortez came just as Frederica Wilson called for prosecuting congressional ridicule.  [Scroll down]  Last December, [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez started something with General John Kelly in defense of her friend [Fredericka] Wilson.  She had nothing to gain from it, she just wanted committee seat assignments at the time and Wilson had ties to all the right people.  I wrote about it here.  At the time, Ocasio-Cortez was trying to demonstrate her loyalty to the touchy, egotistic Wilson, who by the way, wears ridiculous hats.  Since then, Wilson has owed her one.  Wilson loudly called for censorship in prosecution form for making fun of congressional members, in an astonishing call to nullify the First Amendment.  It was weird at the time and people assumed it was because people made fun of her hats.  But now we see a little child targeted, first with threats, second with doxxing, all of which serve to silence in a far more brutal manner.  So the timing here is really very strange.

Democrats are Officially the Party of Derangement.  If any of the 20 Democrats win in 2020, we can officially say goodbye to our democracy as we know it.  College campuses have already been destroyed.  The two left coasts are a disaster and demographic changes are leading to several purple states turning blue as the Democrats' refusal to address the immigration crisis proves successful in their quest for power.  More ignorant, arrogant, and bigoted representatives will be elected to Congress in the manner of AOC, Omar and Tlaib and Republicans will find themselves more and more marginalized.  We can only hope that the majority of Americans watching this disaster unfold wake up and realize that intolerance for thee ultimately leads to intolerance for me.  Democrats do not care about Americans' rights — they seek totalitarian power.  They need to be stopped.

Supreme Court:  Police Can Forcibly & Warrantlessly Carry Out Blood Draws On Unconscious Drivers.  In a ruling that gives police greater leeway to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of anyone driving on a public road, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that police may forcibly and warrantlessly carry out blood draws on unconscious drivers suspected of drunk driving.  The Court's 5-4 decision in Mitchell v. State of Wisconsin found that an unconscious driver suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol constitutes an emergency situation that allows police to ignore the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement and draw blood from that suspect without consent or a warrant, regardless of whether there is an opportunity to obtain a warrant.

The Left is accumulating hellish power over us.  Project Veritas's latest work of investigative journalism has captured video of Google executive Jen Gennai expressing the company's effort to "prevent the next Trump situation."  She goes on to talk about her job, in drafting fairness algorithms to serve a community of people, "not those who voted for our current president."  Jen Gennai then decries Elizabeth Warren as being "misguided" in suggesting that the industry might be better served by breaking up large "monopolistic" companies like Google.

State GOP Learns to Love Big Brother.  In Great Britain, officials are arresting people who refuse to submit to a random face scan.  Their facial-scan system has proved wildly inaccurate, often leading to aggressive police actions against people misidentified as suspects.  You can't walk around any British city without being monitored by police cameras somewhere — something that has turned once-free citizens into the kind of sheep who have to be careful about anything they say or do lest it trigger a police visit.  American cities are trying to follow this police-state model, emboldened by tech companies that will earn a fortune by opening up this taxpayer-funded marketplace.  California agencies want body cameras not only to record police encounters — something that protects the public from abusive officers and officers from unfounded abuse allegations — but to alert the authorities if the person's face matches that of a suspect on some growing database.  The problems are obvious.

Spokane Pastor Arrested After Reminding Police of Free Speech Rights at Drag Queen Library Event.  A Spokane, Washington pastor was arrested for obstruction and taken to jail for a few hours on Saturday after refusing to move across the street from the Spokane Public Library while trying to protest a "Drag Queen Story Hour" event held at the library.  Pastor Afhsin Yaghtin of New Covenant Baptist Church was arrested after speaking with police officers, telling them the library is public property and that he should be able to protest next to the building rather than across the street, according to ChristianNews.net.

Pastor Jailed During 'Drag Queen Story Hour,' SWAT Team Snipers Positioned Atop Library Roof.  A Baptist pastor was arrested and jailed on Saturday [6/15/2019] after refusing to move across the street from the Spokane, Washington Public Library while exercising his free speech against a "Drag Queen Story Hour."  The event had a significant militaristic police presence, including camouflaged snipers positioned atop the roof to oversee the large crowd that stood both for and against the men dressed like women reading stories to children.  Afhsin Yaghtin of New Covenant Baptist Church was arrested for obstructing an officer as he contended with police that the South Hill Library is public property and that he should be able to speak adjacent to the facility instead of being required to stand across the street.

New York Bans Choice:  Public Health More Important Than 'Freedom Of Religion'.  The state of New York has eliminated the public's right to claim religious exemptions for vaccination.  The move, which was signed into law minutes after the measure passed, infuriated parents and defenders of individual liberty.  Now, in New York, parents do not have any say-so whether their children will be vaccinated or not... if they want to send their kids to public schools.

The Editor says...
In case you attended public schools, let me inform you that the Constitution says little or nothing about public health, vaccinations, or medicine, but it specifically protects freedom of religion.

The Omnipresent Surveillance State:  Orwell's 1984 Is No Longer Fiction.  1984 portrays a global society of total control in which people are not allowed to have thoughts that in any way disagree with the corporate state.  There is no personal freedom, and advanced technology has become the driving force behind a surveillance-driven society.  Snitches and cameras are everywhere.  People are subject to the Thought Police, who deal with anyone guilty of thought crimes. [...] Incredibly, as the various nascent technologies employed and shared by the government and corporations alike — facial recognition, iris scanners, massive databases, behavior prediction software, and so on — are incorporated into a complex, interwoven cyber network aimed at tracking our movements, predicting our thoughts and controlling our behavior, the dystopian visions of past writers is fast becoming our reality.

Rights Abridged: The Flawed Model for Red Flag Laws.  In fifteen states and the District of Columbia, new Red Flag laws allow judges to take licensed firearms away from individuals even if they have not committed or even threatened to commit a crime.  A simple petition from a third party triggers a court proceeding that could eliminate a person's Second Amendment rights and cause a cascade of consequences.  Florida is a good example of one of those states.  Some civil rights organizations have expressed concern about constitutional principles being violated by such laws, such as the right to due process and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.  Red Flag laws seem intended to bypass processes that already exist to have someone adjudicated as mentally ill or guilty of a crime.  Initial Red Flag hearings, like other restraining order hearings, often do not allow the accused time to retain an attorney or present a full defense before having their rights abridged.

Heavy-hitter lefty actor warns what they have in mind for us when they win power.  If I have to choose between sneaky radical leftists who pretend to be small-d democratic activists and honest ones who admit they would stop at nothing in punishing people like me should they gain power, I would always choose the honest ones.  Like radical jihadists, they believe that their cause is so righteous that opposition is immoral, and the evil people who oppose them deserve no constitutional protections once they are in power.  In fact, the Constitution itself is an obsolete document, written by evil white slave-owners, and a hindrance to the utopia they believe is in reach if only we submit to their command.

California threatens to upend Catholic 'seal of confession'.  Catholic priests in California would be legally obligated to report to police sexual abuse confessions brought to them by fellow priests and other church employees if a bill quickly moving through the state legislature becomes law.  Religious liberty advocates, including representatives of Catholic dioceses in California, challenge the legislation, saying it would invade a sacred space and direct priests to violate the "seal of confession."

House Democrats' 'Equality Act' Is Both Unnecessary And Unacceptable For Religious Liberty.  House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has proclaimed H.R. 5, the "Equality Act," as a top legislative priority for the current Congress.  This putatively anodyne but actually harrowing piece of legislation would not only add sexual orientation and "gender identity" protections to our nation's civil rights laws, but would browbeat religious dissenters into submission without any remotely resembling proper dispensations.

Democrats Are All About Restricting Ballot Access If It Helps Stop Trump.  Earlier this month, California began to join the growing chorus of Democrat-run states that are restricting which candidates may be listed on the presidential ballot.  Normally, Democrats decry any limits on ballot access, be they for candidates or voters, but this bill is different.  Why?  Because it is an undisguised attempt to keep Donald Trump off the ballot, and when Trump enters the equation, his opponents throw all other calculations out the window.  The bill is dressed up as a law to compel the president to release his tax returns, but it is really a form of nullification of federal law, the act of Resistance enragés who care for nothing so much as the idea that Donald Trump should not be allowed to occupy the White House.  They will allow no law or Constitution to stand in the way of that goal.

D Is for a Dictatorship Disguised as a Democracy.  [Scroll down]  Indeed, while mainstream America has been fixated on the drama-filled reality show being televised from the White House, the American Police State has moved steadily forward.  Set against a backdrop of government surveillance, militarized police, SWAT team raids, asset forfeiture, eminent domain, overcriminalization, armed surveillance drones, whole body scanners, stop and frisk searches, roving VIPR raids and the like — all of which have been sanctioned by Congress, the White House and the courts — our constitutional freedoms have been steadily chipped away at, undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded.  Our losses are mounting with every passing day.  Free speech, the right to protest, the right to challenge government wrongdoing, due process, a presumption of innocence, the right to self-defense, accountability and transparency in government, privacy, press, sovereignty, assembly, bodily integrity, representative government:  all of these and more have become casualties in the government's war on the American people.  The American people have been treated like enemy combatants, to be spied on, tracked, scanned, frisked, searched, subjected to all manner of intrusions, intimidated, invaded, raided, manhandled, censored, silenced, shot at, locked up, and denied due process.

Couple must pay nearly $600G for removing oak tree from their property, judge rules.  A judge ordered a Northern California couple this week to pay nearly $600,000 for uprooting an almost 200-year-old oak tree from their property that was protected under a conservation easement.  Peter and Toni Thompson removed the 180-year-old heritage oak tree to move it to another home they built adjacent to the property.  More than 3,000 cubic yards of dirt was also removed in the process.

California bill targets Catholic priests first, but the rights of all religions are at risk.  California is considering a proposed law that is nothing less than an attempt to jail innocent priests.  California Senate Bill 360 seeks to change its law to force a priest, when he hears of sins in the confessional regarding sexual abuse, to make a choice.  He must choose to either maintain the confidentiality of the sacrament and face possible imprisonment or to betray that confidentiality and violate his deepest conscience and the laws of God and the Roman Catholic Church.  No priest I know would choose the latter.

The So-Called Equality Act:  Making Some Americans More Equal than Others.  Every totalitarian system has used the tactic of coercing people to affirm the regime's agenda, even when they disagree.  Forcing people to mouth politically correct dogmas that they know are false is designed to break their spirit and their resistance.  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said the worst aspect of Communist totalitarianism was not the economic poverty or the lack of political rights; it was being forced to repeat the regime's lies:  "The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie."  Just a few years ago, few imagined that the greatest threat to liberty would come via the sexual revolution.  Its promise of liberation for some has turned into repression for everyone else.  Homosexual and transgender people are not a "vulnerable and marginalized population," as their propaganda puts it; they are now the favored few.

Parents Can't Monitor Autistic Son with GPS Tracker at School, Nevada Ruling Says.  The parents of an autistic child in Nevada who fought to have his school let him wear a GPS tracker with the ability to listen in on his surroundings lost their battle in a case that could resonate in school districts across the U.S.

23 reasons not to reveal your DNA.  DNA testing is a booming global business enabled by the internet.  Millions of people have sent samples of their saliva to commercial labs in hopes of learning something new about their personal health or heritage, primarily in the United States and Europe.  In some places, commercial tests are banned.  In France, you could face a fine of around $4,000 USD for taking one.  Industry giants Ancestry.com, 23andMe, MyHeritage and FamilyTreeDNA market their services online, share test results on websites, and even offer tutorials on how to search for relatives in phone directories, or share results in social media.  They often also claim rights to your genetic data and sell access to their databases to big pharmaceutical and medtech companies.

Elijah Cummings won't let witness have lawyer.  Democrats on the House Oversight Committee want to depose John Gore about his role in the Trump administration's decision to add a question to the 2020 Census about citizenship.  Gore was acting as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights when the decision was made.  Gore is prepared to testify and the administration is fine with him doing so.  Attorney General Barr insists only that Gore be accompanied by an attorney.  Barr is right to attach this condition, one that, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson, is consistent with longstanding DOJ policy.  The lawyer accompanying Gore would be be able to assert any privileges the executive branch may possess, including executive privilege.

Rep. Cummings Throws a Tantrum After Trump DOJ Official Refuses to Give Deposition Without DOJ Lawyer Present, 'Massive Obstruction'.  The Democrat Chairman of the House Oversight Committee accused President Trump and AG Barr of 'massive obstruction' on Wednesday [4/24/2019] for ordering federal employees to ignore congressional subpoenas.  "Both President Trump and Attorney General Barr are now openly ordering federal employees to ignore congressional subpoenas and simply not show up — without any assertion of a valid legal privilege," Dem Congressman Elijah Cummings said in a statement.  Reuters reported that the Justice Department on Wednesday refused to allow John Gore, a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division to provide a deposition scheduled for Thursday if the committee would not allow a DOJ lawyer by his side.

Democrats Can't Win Based on Their Ideas, So They Want to Change the Rules of the Game.  One of the biggest criticisms of President Trump is that he violates so-called "democratic norms."  Leading Democrats, think tank officials, and newspaper columnists have continuously wrung their hands over how everything from Trump's tweets to his legitimate criticisms of the mainstream media somehow threatens American governing institutions. [...] Yet these same groups are conspicuously silent on Democrats' blatant and unapologetic attempts to subvert U.S. founding institutions in their lust for power that they cannot achieve through the existing governing framework.  In recent weeks, Democrats have called for abolishing the country's constitutional voting system, allowing children to vote, and packing the Supreme Court.

Brooklyn parents sue to stop mandatory measles vaccinations.  A group of parents in Brooklyn are seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent mandatory measles vaccinations from taking effect.  The parents' lawsuit against the New York City Department of Health called the emergency order "arbitrary and capricious" and the measures it necessitates "drastic."  The order, issued by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio last week, demands that all persons, starting at the age of 6 months old, who live, work or attend school within the specified zip codes of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, be vaccinated.

Mom Catches CBS Using Image of Her Vaccine-Injured Child, Falsely Claiming Measles Caused It.  For months now, the Free Thought Project has been reporting on the hype and utter hysteria being pushed by the government and the media alike in regards to the 2019 measles situation.  It started in January as mainstream media and social media giants began begging for the government to silence those who advocate for vaccine safety and it came to a head on Tuesday as New York began force vaccinating citizens and charging those who resisted it with a crime.

De Blasio Declares Health Emergency, Orders Measles Vaccinations In Williamsburg.  Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency on Tuesday and has ordered mandatory vaccinations for people who may have been exposed to the virus in parts of Williamsburg amid a growing measles outbreak.  Since September, the city said more than 250 measles cases have been confirmed in the Brooklyn neighborhood.  "We have a situation now where children are in danger.  We have to take this seriously.  Every one of us has to feel responsibility for the situation because measles is so contagious, can spread so quickly," de Blasio said at news conference at a Williamsburg library on Tuesday morning [4/9/2019].

Health Freedom Is Being Destroyed All Over The Western World.  They tell us that we are "free", but it is just a lie.  In every country in the western world, there is layer after layer of rules and regulations that strictly govern just about every area of our lives.  But until just recently, there were certain lines that still had not been crossed.  One of those lines has to do with bodily integrity.  We have a fundamental right to say what goes into our bodies and what doesn't go into our bodies.  When any government violates that fundamental right, no matter how good the intentions are, they have entered the realm of tyranny.  And let there be no doubt — what is taking place in New York City right now is tyranny.  On Tuesday [4/9/2019], New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio used the pretense of "a public health emergency" to order mandatory vaccinations for all of the Orthodox Jews living in Williamsburg.

Media Goes Full Commie:  Christiane Amanpour Asks James Comey Why He Didn't Shut Down "Lock Her Up" Chants at Trump Rallies.  Christiane Amanpour asks James Comey if he is responsible for President Trump's victory in 2016 because HE ALLOWED Trump supporters to chant "Locker her up!" at Trump rallies.  Chistriane says this is "hate speech" and believes these people should have been silenced.

CNN Host Asks If FBI Should Have 'Shut Down' Trump Supporters Chanting 'Lock Her Up'.  CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour called "lock her up" chants by Donald Trump supporters "hate speech" in a new interview and asked James Comey if he wished he had "shut down that language" in his capacity as FBI Director at the time.  Amanpour recounted the frequent chants at Trump 2016 campaign rallies about imprisoning Hillary Clinton for her perceived crimes and wondered if they should have been legal, but Comey responded it was not the role of government officials to censor that speech.

House Democrats attack freedom of the press.  What part of "Congress shall make no law" does House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings not understand?  The Maryland Democrat, suddenly handed the investigative and subpoena powers of the House, must think there isn't enough executive branch misconduct to investigate.  That would explain why, when finally given the power to hold the Trump administration accountable, he is instead recklessly undermining the First Amendment's freedom of the press by questioning whether news organizations went and made editorial decisions he doesn't like.  Yes, it is every bit as dumb as it sounds.

Social media bosses face jail under 'world first' Australian laws.  Social media executives risk jail for failing to take down violent extremist content quickly, under controversial laws passed in Australia on Thursday — a "world first" in the wake of the Christchurch mosques massacre.  Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favour of the laws, which hold firms like Facebook and YouTube — and their executives — responsible for removing "abhorrent material" quickly.  The companies face fines approaching billions of dollars — or 10% of global annual turnover — for failing to enact the "expeditious removal" of footage of terrorism, murder and other serious crimes, while executives could face up to three years in jail.

House Democrats Want 'Oversight' over Fox News' Editorial Decisions.  Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are demanding to know why Fox News did not publish a story prior to the 2016 election about an alleged affair years before between porn star Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump.  House Committee on Oversight and Reform chair Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) wrote to former Fox News reporter Diana Falzone last month demanding that she turn over any documents relating to Trump's alleged extramarital affairs.  An article in the New Yorker last month alleged that Fox News executive Ken LaCorte spiked the story to protect Trump — a claim LaCorte has vehemently denied, saying the story lacked corroborating evidence and that the network was merely practicing responsible journalism, as were other outlets who declined the story.

In New Zealand, a Democracy Turns Against Itself.  One of the oldest criticisms of democracy is that it's prone to degenerating into little more than mob rule, driven by the latest panic, hatred, or revulsion to consume people's attention.  When it comes to stoking such strong emotions, it's difficult to top the effect of the brutal mass murders committed at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  In the wake of that crime, the country's government has succumbed to blind reaction by restricting speech, depriving innocent people of arms, and heightening domestic surveillance — intrusions into individual rights that are inherent whether or not governments and majorities formally respect them.  It's a grim illustration of just how vulnerable the "liberal" element of liberal democracy can be — as our own country has itself demonstrated in the past.

The Tsunami Approaches.  The European Union has decreed — fatwa'd — that beginning with the 2022 model year, all new cars shall be electronically gelded, forced by software to hew to every speed limit, all the time.  The same software — and hardware — that probably two-thirds of all new cars sold here already have — merely awaiting activation.  Helpful, convenient GPS mapping — so much easier than having to read and handle a paper map, as people used to.  Helpful, convenient "driver assists" — such as the little cameras that enable your car to automatically brake itself when those electronic eyes see another car up ahead, moving more slowly than your car.  These cameras also see — and know, via the GPS mapping data, updated regularly — what the speed limit is on every road you drive.  And the car knows exactly how fast you are driving, in real time — all the time.

The Democrat Leninist Revolution Is Here.  The parallels between the Bolshevik takeover, which begat the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the über-leftward turn of the Democratic Party are impossible to ignore.  Lenin and the Bolsheviks did not significantly differ ideologically from the Romanov monarchical dynasty they ended with their takeover, or from the Mensheviks, from whom the Bolsheviks spilt in 1903, just as the new Democrats don't differ much from the old Democrats.  In the lead-up to Lenin's hijacking, the various Russian factions all sold iterations of socialism, democratic socialism, and communism.  These -isms, at their core, are mostly the same.  Lenin sold a revolutionary narrative of a proletariat revolt, in which the political power rests with the peasants and workers, which would evolve into socialism — equal social ownership of all produced by the workers.

Child Protective Services Has Created A Gestapo Police State.  The Gestapo power that the state now wields over parents is a creation of "child advocates" who believe that it is the function of government to protect children from parents.  One consequence has been to erode parental control and to effectively end it in the case of rebellious children who respond to punishment by calling CPS and reporting their parents.  CPS has powerful incentives to seize children as it justifies the agency's existance and brings a federal payment for each child seized.  There are reports that many of the seized children end up in the hands of pedophiles, but governments seldom want to hear that they are doing harm rather than good.  Why has child safety changed so much over my lifetime that children need a police agency to protect them?  Why could I and my 5 year old classmates walk alone to our neighborhood schools, for example, but such a thing is unthinkable today.  Could the destruction of homogenuous neighborhoods by "diversity" have anything to do with it?  Could the redefinition of the parental control of my day as child abuse have anything to do with it?  Could all the forces that have broken up the family have anything to do with it?

Judge rules against Rockland County's state of emergency over measles outbreak.  A judge has ruled on behalf of several dozen parents who challenged Rockland County's emergency order banning children from public places unless they've been vaccinated against measles.  A state Supreme Court judge made the ruling Friday [4/5/2019] on the legality of Rockland County Executive Ed Day's order, which is part of efforts to stop a measles outbreak that has infected more than 160 people since October.  The 30-day order enacted on March 26 banned unvaccinated people under 18 years old from gathering places including schools, stores, churches and public transportation.

The Editor says...
Obviously the government cannot prohibit anyone from going to church.  That is, it's obvious to anyone who has read the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but apparently it's not obvious to the reporter at WABC-TV, or the officials who run Rockland County.

Swat Team Takes Children from Home because of Political Liability.  On 26 February, 2019, the Chandler Police SWAT team raided a home where the children were sick.  The parents had not committed any crime, nor was any child in any substantial danger.  The raid itself created far more danger than the danger it was supposed to mitigate.  It was a perfect storm of the conflict of rights and the Nanny State, parental responsibility and bureaucratic fear of liability.  In short, it resulted from the basic conflict in our society between those who insist on perfection, and reality.  It shows how creeping tyranny is advancing in society.

Mom Ignores Doctor When Her Sick 2-Year-Old Starts Feeling Better, Child Services Send a SWAT Team.  It was dinnertime on February 25 when the pregnant mother took her 2-year-old to the doctor with a fever of over 100.  The doctor told her to take him to the emergency room, fearing that because the boy was unvaccinated, perhaps he had meningitis — a life-threatening disease.  The doctor called the hospital to alert them.  But by the time the mother and child left his office, the boy was "laughing and playing with his siblings," according to this excellent piece by Dianna M. Nanez in The Arizona Republic.  Mom took his temperature again, and it was almost normal.  So instead of going to the emergency room, the family went home.  The mom called the doctor to say her boy's fever had broken and she wasn't going to the emergency room.  The doctor told her she should go anyway, so she agreed she would — but then she didn't.  That's when the madness began.

Arizona SWAT busts down door to take 2-yr-old unvaccinated boy with 105° fever away from home for help.  After the parents of a sick 2-year-old child refused a doctor's recommendation late last month that they take their unvaccinated son to the emergency room for treatment for the boy's 105 degree fever, he reportedly sicced a police swat team on them via the Arizona Department of Child Safety.  Shocking police surveillance footage released by the media this week shows Chandler Police Department officers busting down the parents' front door and storming into their home as if they were taking down drug dealers or trying to apprehend armed fugitives.  Except they were, in reality, looking for the 2-year-old because they incorrectly believed he was in danger.

Police knock down family's door, take their kids in overnight raid because mom didn't follow doctor's orders for child with fever.  The Arizona Department of Child Safety and the Chandler Police Department in Chandler, Arizona, have fallen under scrutiny, after officers conducted an overnight SWAT-team-style raid on a family's home and took the children because an unvaccinated toddler had a fever.

The Editor says...
We are rapidly approaching the day when your children will no longer be your own.  The state wants total control.  The "local news" on television is an infomercial for big government:  The police are universally depicted as "heroes" and anyone who defies the police is portrayed as a dangerous extremist.  The story above is about a parent who chose not to vaccinate her child, and the child got sick — quite possibly with some illness unrelated to the vaccine she declined.  But that's no reason to withhold treatment, and it does not justify the confiscation of children by the state.   There is apparently no middle ground on the vaccination issue:  On one side, the people who watch too much television say the government is the final authority, and doctors are always right.  On the other side, skeptics have the right to live life without vaccinations, preferring to depend on God's healing power and every normal kid's immune system.  (I had the measles and chicken pox when I was a kid, and so did most of the other kids in my elementary school.  It was no big deal.)  Additionally, you don't know what's in those vaccines.  Consider how many children now have asthma, peanut allergies, ADHD, various degrees of autism, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, previously unknown mysterious diseases, and other problems that were extremely rare or completely unknown until recently.  At this point, one has the right to make informed decisions and proceed accordingly.

N.Y. Suburb Declares Measles Emergency, Bars Unvaccinated Minors From Public Places.  In a move aimed at getting the public's attention, officials in New York's Rockland County have declared a state of emergency in response to an ongoing measles outbreak.  Among the measures: a 30-day ban on any unvaccinated people under the age of 18 from being in public places.  Of course, there's no practical way to enforce the measure.  But that's not exactly the point, anyway, says Rockland County Executive Ed Day.  Officials just want to make sure parents know how serious things are in Rockland.  There have been more than 150 confirmed cases of measles in the county since the fall, officials say.

Michigan's Big Brother Attorney General Will Crack Down Hard on Free Speech.  "Know this: we are watching."  Who makes this kind of threat?  Reinhard Heydrich, the notorious SS general and chief of the Gestapo?  KGB head Vladimir Alexandrovich Kryuchkov?  Big Brother?  They all talked that way.  Last Friday, it was Michigan Department of Civil Rights director Agustin Arbulu's turn to say it.  He and Dana Nessel, the new state attorney general, announced plans "to increase the documentation and prosecution of hate crimes and incidents" in the state.  Not just hate crimes.  Hate incidents.  What's a hate incident? you may ask.  The MDCR press release says, "Hate and bias incidents are those instances where an action does not rise to the level of a crime or a civil infraction."

Court Rules Father Cannot Halt Daughter's Transgender Hormones, or Even Call Her a Girl.  Last Wednesday [2/27/2019], the Supreme Court of British Columbia (B.C.) ruled that a 14-year-old girl may undergo transgender hormone "treatments" to support her transgender identity as a boy — without her father's consent.  The court went so far as to threaten to penalize the father's speech.  If he calls his daughter a girl, that would constitute "family violence," which would be punishable by law.  The B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the girl (referred to as A.B.) "is exclusively entitled to consent to medical treatment for gender dysphoria and to take any necessary legal proceedings in relation to such medical treatment," and that "attempting to persuade A.B. to abandon treatment for gender dysphoria; addressing A.B. by his birth name; referring to A.B. as a girl or with female pronouns whether to him directly or to third parties; shall be considered to be family violence under s. 38 of the Family Law Act."

Chicago Dem Candidate Says Socialism Should 'Control Every Facet of Our Life'.  A Democratic candidate for alderman in Chicago believes that socialism should have "control over every facet of our life." Ugo Okere, running against 35-year incumbent Patrick O'Connor, told the radical left publication Jacobin that socialism was "about Democratic control" of both politics and people's personal lives. [...] Of course, the "progressive left," who want to make our lives "easier," are just as clueless as Okere.  They're just not quite as honest.  In truth, the "transformation" that both the progressive left and radical socialists want would destroy America as we know it and bury human progress and freedom perhaps forever.

Incrementalism:
Cuomo Wants 7-Year Sentences for New Yorkers Who Lose Cool, Attack Transportation Workers.  Currently, some Metropolitan Transportation Authority workers such as bus drivers and station agents are covered under the Class D felony provision that levies a mandatory term of seven years in prison and a fine up to $5,000 for attacks on these workers.  Cuomo's FY 2020 budget would expand protected employees to include highway workers, contractors with the state Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority, municipal highway workers and contractors, and airport staff.  Other covered professions would include fare collectors, station maintenance workers, custodial staff, baggage handlers, ticket counter staff, and more.

A Citizen Suing the Department of Justice Needs More than Just a Winning Legal Argument.  As I fight on with my computer intrusion lawsuit against the U.S. government, it seems to intersect more clearly with current events every day.  And it points to an even larger story.  How widespread is improper government surveillance of journalists, politicians and other U.S. citizens in the name of the fight against terrorism?  A few of us found out we were targeted only because we were lucky enough to be alerted by inside sources or other unique ways.  How many others were targeted, monitored and watched by government officials but still have no idea it happened?

U. Minnesota Backs Off Plan to Punish People for Not Using Preferred Pronouns.  It's amazing that they thought this would fly in the first place.  That's how far we've drifted.

You may soon have to give your DNA to the state and pay $250 for the privilege.  Arizona could soon be one of the first states to maintain a massive statewide DNA database.  And if the proposed legislation passes, many people — from parent school volunteers and teachers to real estate agents and foster parents — will have no choice but to give up their DNA.  Under Senate Bill 1475, which Sen. David Livingston, R-Peoria, introduced, DNA must be collected from anyone who has to be fingerprinted by the state for a job, to volunteer in certain positions or for a myriad of other reasons.

Ten Thousand Commandments 2018.  Ten Thousand Commandments is the Competitive Enterprise Institute's annual survey of the size, scope, and cost of federal regulations, and how they affect American consumers, businesses, and the U.S. economy at large.  Written by CEI Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews, it shines a light on the large and under-appreciated "hidden tax" of America's regulatory state.  The current edition marks 25 years since the first report was published as part of the Journal of Regulation and Social Costs in 1993.  Federal government spending, deficits, and the national debt are staggering, but so is the impact of federal regulations.  Unfortunately, the financial impact of these rules gets little attention in policy debates because, unlike spending and taxes, they are unbudgeted and difficult to quantify.

Minnesota:  Christian Pastor Arrested at Mall of America Faces Hearing and Trial After Talking to Muslims.  Ramin Parsa, an ex-Muslim Christian pastor who was stabbed in Iran, imprisoned in Turkey, and then arrested in the Mall of America for sharing his testimony with interested Muslim women, faces a settlement conference in March and likely a trial in April.  The state of Minnesota has continued to prosecute his case, even though the Mall of America was wrong to accuse him of trespassing in the first place.  In late August 2018, Parsa was visiting the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minn.  Two Somali-American women spoke with him and asked him if he was still a Muslim.  When he said he was not, they asked him to explain.  At this point, another lady complained to mall security.  Security took Parsa into custody, holding him handcuffed to a metal chair for four hours without water, and then turning him over to the police.

What if the Deep State wins?  Survival in a Post-Trump Heavily Centralized Socialist Police State.  Put aside your personal feelings, good or bad, about President Trump for a moment.  The undeniable fact is, he won't be President forever.  At some point Trump's Presidency will end — by impeachment, coup, death, defeat in 2020, or when his second term expires in 2024.  Regardless of when or how Trump leaves office, the deep state, the political class, the DC insiders, the collectivists, the socialists, the political & social activists, and the anti-Western elites in business, academia & the media will still be there. [...] Its not hard to predict where the Elites are wanting to take us.  Just look at where Obama was pushing us.  And where Hillary was going to push us had she won in 2016.  And where the Dems are openly saying they will push us.  Just look at where recent social, political, business, and technological trends are taking us.  Just look at the open hostility towards traditional values and beliefs.

Hundreds protest in Washington state for right not to vaccinate children amid measles outbreak.  Hundreds of anti-vaccination supporters demonstrated outside a public hearing in Washington state on Friday [2/8/2019] to protest a bill that would make it harder for families to opt out of mandatory vaccinations for children, the Associated Press reported.  The protest took place amid the state's worse measles outbreak in more than two decades.  Health officials have reported at least 56 cases in Washington and Oregon.  An estimated 700 people demonstrated in Olympia, Washington, most of whom opposed stricter requirements, The Washington Post reported.

Journalist Arrested at Press Conference for Not Being Mainstream.  A rather disturbing situation unfolded in Las Vegas on Wednesday [1/30/2019] as two independent journalists — attempting to exercise their First Amendment right of the press — were arrested and cited for trespassing.  Joey Lankowski, Kelly Patterson, and Ronald Mecklosky were at the Las Vegas police station attempting to cover a press conference about one of their officers shooting at a man for holding a cane.  Lankowski tells the Free Thought Project that he'd been in contact with the Metropolitan Police Department so he could get the details of another press conference over police shooting another man and attend it.  However, according to Lankowski, officials from the department lied to him and refused to tell him when the actual press conference would take place and held it in secret on Monday.

One of the largest at-home DNA testing companies is giving the FBI access to its records.  DNA home testing kits that can trace ancestry and find missing relatives are a dream come true for genealogists.  But as conspiracy theorists have long suspected, the tests are being used for other purposes, too.  BuzzFeed News reported that Family Tree DNA, one of the largest home DNA testing companies, is allowing FBI agents to search its databases in their quest to "solve violent crime cases."  The company's database has about 1,021,774 records, Jezebel.com reported.  Public genealogy databases are often used by police to solve cold cases.  One of the most notable ones that used DNA from a public database was the Golden State Killer case.

Is Big Tech Merging With Big Brother?  Kinda Looks Like It.  China's social rating system, which was announced by the ruling Communist Party in 2014, will soon be a fact of life for many more Chinese.  By 2020, if the Party's plan holds, every footstep, keystroke, like, dislike, social media contact, and posting tracked by the state will affect one's social rating.  Personal "creditworthiness" or "trustworthiness" points will be used to reward and punish individuals and companies by granting or denying them access to public services like health care, travel, and employment, according to a plan released last year by the municipal government of Beijing.  High-scoring individuals will find themselves in a "green channel," where they can more easily access social opportunities, while those who take actions that are disapproved of by the state will be "unable to move a step."

Texas transgender bills to 'ban Christianity' in Texas?  While LGBTQ activists across the Lone Star State are confident that the upcoming state bills will enhance the so-called "gay rights" of Texans, many conservative pastors in the state are fearful that the proposed laws, that would add gender identity and sexual orientation to Texas discrimination laws, will diminish their right to express their faith.

IRS Becoming Big Brother With $99-Million Supercomputer.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is building a $99-million supercomputer that will give the agency the "unprecedented ability to track the lives and transactions of tens of millions of American citizens," tax expert Daniel Pilla reports.  The IRS is already dangerous enough, notes Pilla.  "The IRS lays claim to your data without court authority more so than any other government agency.  And to make matters worse, they share the data with any other federal, state or local government agency claiming an interest, including foreign governments."  The IRS already receives billions of tax documents annually, and the amount of information the agency receives continues to grow.

Uncle Sam Wants Your DNA: The FBI's Diabolical Plan To Create A Nation Of Suspects.  Actually, if the government gets its hands on your DNA, they as good as have you in their clutches.  Get ready, folks, because the government — helped along by Congress (which adopted legislation allowing police to collect and test DNA immediately following arrests), President Trump (who signed the Rapid DNA Act into law), the courts (which have ruled that police can routinely take DNA samples from people who are arrested but not yet convicted of a crime), and local police agencies (which are chomping at the bit to acquire this new crime-fighting gadget) — is embarking on a diabolical campaign to create a nation of suspects predicated on a massive national DNA database.

New IRS Spy Software.  The IRS lays claim to your data without court authority more so than any other government agency.  And to make matters worse, they share the data with any other federal, state or local government agency claiming an interest, including foreign governments.  In 2019, there will be about 152 million individual tax returns filed with the IRS.  There will be roughly another 100 million business tax returns filed.  There will be millions more miscellaneous tax returns, including trust, estate and gift tax returns.  On top of that, over 3.6 BILLION information returns (Forms W-2, 1099, etc.) will be filed.  There is quite literally a river of data flowing into the agency.  The flow cannot be stopped, and as far as the IRS is concerned, they need even more.

Oregon Could Become the First State to Require In-Home Surveillance of Newborn Babies.  If Oregon Governor Kate Brown has her way, the Beaver State will become the first to require universal home visits for newborn children in the care of their own parents.  Senate Bill 526, introduced this month in the Oregon Legislative Assembly as part of Brown's budget, orders the Oregon Health Authority to "study home visiting by licensed health care providers."  Lawmakers went so far as to declare that SB 526 is an "emergency" measure — one that requires a resolution by the end of the year.

Twenty Things You Probably Didn't Know about Kamala Harris.  [#2] Harris strongly supports "familial DNA searching,ˮ in which police take DNA samples from crime scenes and compare them to existing databases to look for not just any direct matches in criminal databases, but any familial matches.  Police have gradually expanded the practice's reach, from checking DNA collected against existing samples of convicted criminals to checking them against samples in the databases of genealogy web sites and genetic-testing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com.  California allows the collection and preservation of DNA samples from anyone who is arrested, even if they're not charged with a crime.

On January 1, I became a criminal in my hometown of Boulder.  It's not the intolerance of progressives that is so insulting.  It is the denial of their intolerance that is so abusive.  When I was growing up it was the liberals who more often held the moral high-ground.  Those of us raised in the 1970's heard it all the time — "the end doesn't justify the means." [...] Progressives have not just rejected that proud tradition, they have remade it into the ugly opposite — the end justifies all:  Coercing speech with speech codes and forcing cake bakers to create statements against their core religious beliefs; social justice warfare and identity politics; the nanny state banning everything from plastic straws to tobacco products; and forcing private health insurance products at gun-point.

If you love free speech, get acquainted with the Lindsay Shepherd case.  A great many people — including many strong advocates of free speech — have only a passing acquaintance with the Lindsay Shepherd matter.  This lack of awareness is unfortunate, because nothing more chillingly reveals the way in which universities are violating the free speech principle.

Boston Mayor's Office to Force Doctors to Identify and Document Patients Who Own Guns.  Joseph Stalin's firearms registration and confiscation was a tremendous success for the Socialist state.  Under the Tsar, Russia was one of the most heavily armed societies on earth.  That all changed when Stalin and the communists took control.  Stalin was able to control, starve, punish and imprison a defenseless people, after he took their guns. [...] It's no secret that Democrats are hoping to repeat this history here in the United States.

GAO: IRS Had 4,487 Guns; 5,062,006 Rounds of Ammunition.  The Internal Revenue Service had in its weapons inventory 4,487 guns and 5,062,006 rounds of ammunition as of late 2017, according to a report published this month by the Government Accountability Office.  Included in this arsenal, according to the GAO, were 15 "fully automatic firearms" and 56,000 rounds of ammunition for those fully automatic firearms.  The same report — "Federal Law Enforcement:  Purchases and Inventory Controls of Firearms, Ammuntion, and Tactical Equipment" — says that the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services had 194 fully automatic firearms and 386,952 rounds of ammunition for those fully automatic firearms.

Government Shutdown Or Not, The Police State Will Continue To Flourish.  [N]othing about this government shutdown will diminish the immediate and very real dangers of the American Police State with its roadside strip searches, government surveillance, biometric databases, citizens being treated like terrorists, imprisonments for criticizing the government, national ID cards, SWAT team raids, censorship, forcible blood draws and DNA extractions, private prisons, weaponized drones, red light cameras, tasers, active shooter drills, police misconduct and government corruption.  Shutdown or not, war will continue.  Drone killings will continue.  Surveillance will continue.  Censorship and persecution of anyone who criticizes the government will continue.  The government's efforts to label dissidents as extremists and terrorists will continue.  Police shootings will continue.  Highway robbery meted out by government officials will continue.  Corrupt government will continue.  Profit-driven prisons will continue.  And the militarization of the police will continue.  Indeed, take a look at the programs and policies that are not affected by a government shutdown, and you'll get a clearer sense of the government's priorities, which have little to do with serving taxpayers and everything to do with amassing money, power and control.

Incoming House Democrats Ready Bill to Criminalize Private Gun Sales.  The incoming Democrat House majority is readying legislation to criminalize private gun sales.  Ironically, the push comes nearly 227 years to the day after private gun ownership was hedged in by the Founding Fathers via the Second Amendment, which was ratified on December 15, 1791.  Politico reports that Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) is spearheading the current gun control push through "universal background" legislation.  Such checks criminalize private gun sales, making it illegal for a neighbor to sell a firearm to his neighbor, a friend to his lifelong friend, and even a father to his son.

That Giant Liberty-Sucking Sound From the Tolerant Left.  Various leftist grievance groups have insisted for years that they just want equal treatment and equal rights, that they only want to end discrimination and that they come with an attitude of "live and let live."  Nope. [...] There is no semblance of tolerance in their bones.  They are militantly aggressive and spoiling for any opportunity to pressure and intimidate people into submission.  This suppression of our liberties doesn't just emanate from the government; the long arm of the private sector often enforces uniformity of thought with the same coercive power.

California Dem Ted Lieu say he would 'love to regulate' speech, bemoans US Constitution that prohibits him.  California Democrat Ted Lieu bemoaned on Wednesday that though he would "love to be able to regulate the content of speech," including that on Fox News, he can't do it because of the U.S. Constitution.  Lieu made the comments during an interview about the testimony of Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, where he dismissed the allegations that the tech giant amplifies negative stories about Republican lawmakers, saying "if you want positive search results, do positive things."  CNN host Brianna Keilar praised Lieu for his performance but asked whether other Democrats should have used the committee to press Google on conspiracy theories that spread on their platforms.

Congressman:  "I Would Love To ... Regulate The Content Of Speech".  You know, often we react to things emotionally and would love to "regulate" others on things we disagree with, and the representatives of the people are human.  Fortunately, our forefathers put in plain English the First Amendment that specifically states "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech."  Yet, they have done it on so many occasions in violation of their oaths of office and criminal acts against the people.  Now, California Democrat Congressman Ted Lieu says he would love to regulate speech too.  "I would love to be able to regulate the content of speech.  The First Amendment prevents me from doing so..."  Lieu told CNN concerning the testimony of Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.

Virginia teacher fired for refusing to use new pronouns for transgender student.  "You will be made to care," wrote Eric Erickson in RedState back in 2013.  He was referring to a court case in Colorado of a Christian baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple and was fined for it.  Today, we are being threatened, intimidated, and bullied into caring about people who believe they are trapped in the wrong body — that their biological gender is incorrect and that they are actually someone of the opposite gender — or some other gender created out of whole cloth.  A Virginia French teacher found out the consequences of trying to balance his religious beliefs with the new paradigm of "transitioning" to another gender.

The Editor says...
The people who say they believe in science (above all else) are willing to say that biology is sometimes incorrect.

Mastercard and Microsoft have a frightening plan to create universal "digital identities".  Sometimes a business inadvertently drops the pretense and just tells the world its real intentions.  We saw this yesterday, when Amazon bragged about how it "allowed" an employee to lose 100 pounds by endlessly delivering boxes.  Amazon saw this as a heartwarming tale about how great it is to work for the e-commerce juggernaut.  It completely missed the subtext:  Who needs a gym when someone can physically labor for their corporate overlord and lose weight?  Now we have another, possibly darker example.  Mastercard announced a new partnership with Microsoft that is tackling "digital identities."

Indiana Solicitor General:  It's Constitutional to Seize a Car for Driving 5 MPH Over the Speed Limit.  Civil asset forfeiture is such a farce that it took Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer only about 100 words to twist Indiana's solicitor general into admitting that his state could have the power to seize cars over something as insubstantial as driving 5 miles-per-hour over the speed limit.  Yes, really.

Democrat Congressman:  We Should Confiscate Guns and If You Fight Back, the Government Has Nukes to Deal With It.  California Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell is calling for government confiscation of all semi-automatic rifles.  In other words, every rifle in America.  [Tweets]  Further, he's warning citizens of nuclear annihilation should people refuse to comply.  [More tweets]  When he was confronted, Swalwell tried to backtrack with some context and further explanation.

Dem Rep. Eric Swalwell:  If We Confiscate Your Guns And You Fight Back, We Will Nuke You.  I know he's running for president in a [very] crowded field and has to strain to get noticed.  But between this and shrugging off death threats aimed at Susan Collins, it seems like there must be a better way. [...] "Find common ground with us or risk incineration by your own government" is a top-ten all-time tweet by a federal elected official.

Dem congressman:  Government can always nuke resistant gun-owners.  [Scroll down]  It's worth noting just how radical [House Democrat Eric] Swalwell's suggestion is.  He isn't arguing for a "ban" of sales or imports, in the vein of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994, for example.  He is arguing for federal confiscation of millions of weapons that the federal government may arbitrarily deem too deadly for individual Americans to own.  As should be clear to anyone, the prospect of such legislation implies two distinct outcomes.  Federal agents would be forced to physically visit Americans' homes to seize their weapons if they choose not to surrender or "sell" them to the government, and there will be a penalty of violence for a failure to comply.

Kansas Governor-Elect Wants to Block Law Protecting Religious Adoption Agencies.  The governor-elect of Kansas, Laura Kelly, said in a news conference on Thursday, Nov. 8 that she will try to block enforcement of a new law that protects religious adoption agencies from being forced to place children in homes that violate their beliefs.  The Adoption Protection Act, which took effect in July, allows adoption agencies with "sincerely held" religious beliefs to refuse to place children in LGBTQ homes.  According to the Associated Press, Kelly, who has called the law the "adoption discrimination" measure, "said she will have her staff review how far the state can go to avoid enforcing the law."  "If there is way to direct the agency to not implement that, then I will do that," said Kelly, a liberal Democrat.

New York coffee shop fined $300 by Sanitation Department for sign announcing how many cups they've kept out of landfill.  A coffee shop in New York was allegedly fined $300 by the Department of Sanitation for a misplaced sandwich board on the sidewalk, which announced that the business had kept over 2,000 cups out of the landfill in 2018.  Smith Canteen's owner, Kerry Diamond, posted about the ironic incident on Facebook, claiming the sign has been in the same spot for the past seven years.  "I've been spending a lot of money and time trying to figure out waste reduction, composting, and single-use plastic alternatives at the Canteen, so this really burns me," she wrote.

It Doesn't Matter If You Love The Constitution If Your Neighbors Don't Know What It Says.  A study conducted last year by the Annenberg Center of Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania showed that only 26 percent of Americans could name all three branches of government, while more than a third (37 percent) surveyed couldn't name even one of the five freedoms or rights guaranteed by the First Amendment — religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.  Former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once lamented Americans' ignorance of the Federalist Papers:  "It is such a profound exposition of political science that it is studied in political science courses in Europe.  And yet we have raised a generation of Americans who are not familiar with it."  Indeed, most states' history and civics classes today are "mediocre to awful," according to a 2011 study published by the American Bar Association.  When states' standards for history classes were graded for "content and rigor" and "clarity and specificity" on scales from A to F, a whopping 28 states earned grades of D or F, while only 9 earned an A- or B.  This self-destruction of our popular constitutional culture has gone hand-in-hand with another dangerous trend.  With civic awareness at dismal lows, the people's unique relationship to the Constitution has also been systematically usurped by lawyers and legal elites.

Leftists Expand Their War Into All Corners of Society.  The simple reality is that from judicial appointments to pop culture, from schools to restaurants, from sports to internet searches, to nearly everything in contemporary life, the political left is waging an ideological war.  So conservatives and libertarians may not be interested in the politicization of all things, but the left's politicization of all things is interested in them. [...] One can't even watch a football game or select shoes anymore without descending into the politicized swamps.  More ominously, that same expanding leftism has entered social realms of greater consequence to everyday Americans, including internet searches and banking.

FBI makes suspect unlock iPhone X in first confirmed instance of forced Face ID.  The incident occurred on Aug. 10, when the FBI searched the house of Grant Michalski in Columbus, Ohio during a child abuse investigation, Forbes reported on Sunday, citing court documents.  Special agent David Knight ordered Michalski to face the iPhone, triggering Face ID.  Michalski was ultimately charged with receiving and possessing child pornography.  The search uncovered related Kik conversations, including a chat with someone who was really an undercover officer.  Only some data was obtained from the iPhone however as the FBI didn't have Michalski's passcode, which put up roadblocks for forensic tools after the device had been locked for more than an hour.

Mom investigated for letting 8-year-old walk dog around the block.  Just after returning home from a walk around the block with her dog, Marshmallow, an 8-year-old Wilmette girl expected a visit from a playmate.  Instead, police officers arrived at the family's door.  An anonymous caller had contacted police after seeing the girl walking the dog alone, said her mother, Corey Widen.  While police never pursued charges, the seemingly common activity launched an Illinois Department of Children and Family Services investigation to see if Widen was neglecting her children, she said.

Las Vegas Hotel "Security" Enters The Big Brother Age After The Vegas Shooting.  What would you do if you owned a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip after the Vegas shooting to increase security?  Why, of course... you'd perform surprise security checks on the most paranoid group that visits there — DEF CON.  Caesar's Palace in their stupidity has allegedly implemented a practice where hotel security, using keys to the rooms there, are doing random security checks where they enter the rooms without knocking and seize items from the rooms.  And if Caesar's Palace is doing it, the rest of the hotels on the Strip won't be far behind.  Any highrise hotel will fall in line.  You probably don't have to worry about Best Westerns or Holiday Inns... yet.

Democrats attempt to stifle dissent:
'Survival of our democracy' depends on banning sites like InfoWars, Dem senator says.  Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is calling on other tech companies to ban more sites like InfoWars, and says the survival of American democracy depends on it.  "Infowars is the tip of a giant iceberg of hate and lies that uses sites like Facebook and YouTube to tear our nation apart.  These companies must do more than take down one website.  The survival of our democracy depends on it," Murphy tweeted Monday [8/6/2018].

The Mask Slips In Santa Barbara.  A little noticed detail in Santa Barbara's recent drive to criminalize plastic straws, which culminated in the Santa Barbara city council taking testimony from a nine-year-old about the planetary menace, has come to light in recent days.  During that council session, councilman Jesse Dominguez said the following in response to citizens who asked "what's next?":  "Unfortunately, common sense is just not common.  We have to regulate every aspect of people's lives."  Take that one in for a moment, for it expresses the core impulse of liberalism today.

'We Have to Regulate Every Aspect of People's Lives'.  A Santa Barbara city councilman inadvertently let slip the primary purpose of progressivism in 21st century America.  The city recently criminalized the use of plastic straws.  Speaking to that issue, Councilman Jesse Dominguez said, "Unfortunately, common sense is just not common.  We have to regulate every aspect of people's lives."  Got that?  "We" are smarter than you and know what's best for you better than you do.  Perhaps realizing that his comment revealed a fundamental truth of progressive thought, Dominguez tried to walk back his gaffe: [...]

Drive to Regulate Speech On the Internet Is Gaining Steam.  Last week the House of Commons' Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport released an interim report on fake news and disinformation.  While couched in the usual do-good language, it illustrates the seriousness of the threat to free speech, most of which takes place, nowadays, on the internet.  The report is worth reading in its entirety.

Shock Survey: 40% Of Americans Cannot Name A Single Right Guaranteed By The First Amendment.  The survey of 1,009 American adults was conducted in May and June of 2018 by the Fors Marsh Group in partnership with Lata Nott and Gene Policinski of FFI.  The survey has a margin of error of 3.7%.  When asked to name the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment, only one person was able to name all five.  2% of respondents were able to name the right to petition the government for redress of grievances; 12% were able to name the right of peaceful assembly; 13% were able to name freedom of the press; 15% were able to name freedom of religion; and 56% were able to name freedom of speech.

Sen. Mark Warner's Memo Calls for the Government to Regulate Internet.  Axios obtained a memo written by the office of Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, that plans for the government to takeover the internet and regulate digital platforms.

Town Orders Family to Stop Hosting Bible Studies on Farm.  The owners of a Pennsylvania farm have been ordered by the Sewickley Heights Borough to cease and desist holding Bible studies on their private property.  Borough leaders accused Scott and Terri Fetterolf of improperly using their 35-acre farm as a place of worship, a place of assembly and as a commercial venue.  They were served a cease-and-desist order in October 2017, the Post-Gazette reported.

Air Force veteran sells home after being fined $100 a week for displaying US flag in flower pot.  A Florida man had to sell his house after his homeowners association told him to remove a 17-inch American flag he had placed in a flower pot on his front porch.  Larry Murphree, who spent half a dozen years as an Air Force air traffic controller according to the Washington Post, received a letter in the mail from the Tides Condominium in Sweetwater seven years ago telling him to remove the "unauthorized object" or be fined $100 a day.  He refused to remove it and took up the issue with his lawyer after reaching $1,000 in fines.

Democrats Endorse Judicial Tyranny.  For example, legalizing pornography, coddling criminals, declaring abortion to be a fundamental right, redefining libel/slander, and redefining marriage have all been the result of the Supreme Court defining policy, not interpreting the Constitution and the law.  In most cases the Court went directly against the expressed will of the people and imposed laws on Americans that were only supported by the tiny elite who run the Democratic party. [...] 55,000,000 Americans had voted against redefining marriage — even uberliberal California resoundingly passed Prop 8, which declared that marriage was between a man and a woman, but the Supreme Court decided that the people didn't know what was best for them and imposed what Democrats wanted on the people.

UK Doctor Sacked For Blasphemy.  In the UK, the National Health Service has thrown out a doctor:  ["]A doctor has been 'sacked' as a medical assessor for a government department after refusing to renounce his Christian belief that gender is determined at birth, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal. [...] The 55-year-old father of four believes sex is genetic and biological, so established at birth.["]  Wait a minute.  Holding the view that people are born male or female is now a theological belief?  Do you see how radical this is?  Here's the theology angle:  this doctor was fired because he blasphemed against the militant new religion.

Mob Violence and Gun Ownership.  The future votes of illegals who will someday attain amnesty is the singular objective of the present version of the Democratic Party.  They have made clear that they will ignore MS-13, drug-trafficking, human-trafficking, rampant violence, and crime across the country by illegals, if that means that one day these future Democrats will control the outcomes of elections in every state the Democrats cannot presently rig, and will provide cheap labor for the Republicans who seem fine with never wielding political power again.

The judicial war on God and the Declaration of Independence.  Poor North Carolina just can't get a break.  It appears that the state's original concerns about joining the federal union in 1788 have been proven correct.  Over the past year, the Fourth Circuit has nullified the state's voter integrity laws; federal, state, and even county-level political maps; and gender sanity laws.  Now the court has banished God from county government prayers.  On July 14, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Rowan County, North Carolina, commissioners can't begin their session with a public prayer delivered by an elected official.  And the vote wasn't even close.  This once conservative panel voted 10-5 to banish God from the public square.

Border patrol agents are stopping people on highways in New England to check their citizenship.  Far from ground zero in the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration along the southern border, US Customs and Border Protection checkpoints on highways in Maine and New Hampshire are catching the eye of civil liberties groups.  On Interstate 95 near the remote northern Maine town of Lincoln this week, the Border Patrol said it made nine drug seizures and two arrests for immigration violations during an 11-hour checkpoint operation in which agents asked motorists about their place of birth and citizenship status.

Florida Candidate Promises To Ban 'Assault Rifles' By Decree.  While I really try not to focus on political parties here at Bearing Arms, sometimes, it's difficult.  The thing is, there are Democrats who support the Second Amendment, and as a writer covering the Second Amendment, I don't want to alienate those readers.  We all agree that candidates who oppose our right to keep and bear arms are a problem, and their party really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.  Their lack of respect for our civil rights, however, does.  However, I can't help but think of how many Democrats are screaming about "fascism" ever since the election of President Donald Trump, but remain completely silent when a political candidate for governor announces that they've figured out a way to ban a certain type of gun by decree, completely circumventing anything resembling democratic process.

California Man Has Home Raided, Guns Confiscated After Trying to Register Firearm.  A California man had his home raided, guns seized, and will appear in court this week to face a dozen state felony charges after attempting to register a rifle in accordance with state law.  Jeffrey Scott Kirschenmann attempted to register an AR-15 with the California Department of Justice last month but instead found himself in significant legal trouble.  The California DOJ accused Kirschenmann of illegally modifying the rifle he attempted to register.  Law enforcement officials raided his home in Bakersfield before ultimately confiscating a dozen firearms and a few hundred rounds of ammunition, then charging him with a dozen felonies, KGET reports.  Kirschenmann was accused of possession of assault weapons, two silencers, and something referred to as a "multi-burst trigger activator."  He does not appear to have been charged with any violent crimes.

Seattle cracks down on renters, free speech — and common sense.  Good luck trying to rent an apartment.  The Seattle City Council seems to think the right to speak is a privilege it can grant or withhold at its pleasure.  It has slapped a year-long ban on the use of certain housing websites that allow renters to place bids on advertised rental housing, while it reviews the sites.  Officials say they fear the sites might violate local housing laws or inflate housing costs, so the City Council wants to study the sites while forbidding their use in the meantime.  While city leaders try to figure things out, landlords are barred from posting ads on the sites, and renters can't even do a simple search for Seattle housing on the sites.  This is a clear restriction of speech protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Today's Two Main Political Camps Are Pro-Thought Versus Anti-Thought.  Let's remember that all of the other First Amendment rights follow in logical order from the first freedom of religion/belief/conscience/thought.  Freedom of speech is the right to express what you think and believe.  Freedom of press means the right to record those expressed thoughts in writing or other media.  In this vein, freedom of association would mean being able to deliver your ideas to anyone willing to listen.  It means the right to peaceably assemble and have open conversation with other people.  The heavy hand of the state has no right to cut off or interfere in our ability to spark thoughtful conversations.  If the state violates our First Amendment rights, the First Amendment also gives us the right to petition as a means of fighting back against that abuse of power.

Clapper: We Need Regulation for Social Media — 'Something Akin' to the FCC.  Thursday [6/7/2018] on Hugh Hewitt's radio show, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper argued for more regulation of social media.  The embattled critic of President Donald Trump suggested an agency akin to the Federal Communications Commission could be suitable for such a regulatory role.

The Department Of Homeland Security Plans To Compile A List Of All Bloggers, Journalists And "Social Media Influencers".  Many were hoping that once Barack Obama was out of office we would see less of this Big Brother surveillance nonsense, but instead it seems to be getting even worse.  In fact, the Department of Homeland Security has just announced that it intends to compile a comprehensive list of hundreds of thousands of "journalists, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers etc.", and collect any "information that could be relevant" about them.  So if you have a website, an important blog or you are just very active on social media, the Department of Homeland Security is going to put you on a list and will start collecting information about you. [...] And if I was just a name on a list in some database somewhere, that would be bad enough, but instead it sounds like the DHS will be collecting any "information that could be relevant" about all of us.

The Editor says...
Note to Homeland Security:  Please let me know when I'm on The List, and be sure to spell my name right.

Secret Courts Guarantee Abuse.  I testified against the Patriot Act because I feared the abuse of secret tribunals.  I'm usually far off in my predictions, but it was obvious from the get-go that the FISA courts would be abused by the Intelligence Community, and indeed those secret courts have almost always done what the FBI and CIA asked, even when — as in the case of General Michael Flynn — the IC had to ask several times, and even when the "evidence" consisted of an unverified "dossier" produced by a political campaign.  The Intelligence Community has long considered itself a state within the American state, dating from its creation just after World War II.  Most of the time, the IC has used its power to support presidential policies — the CIA snooped on the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2014, and on the McGovern campaign, and the FBI spied on the Goldwater campaign — but when a president acted against the IC's convictions, the spooks advanced their own interests and beliefs.

Progressives on the Brink.  The left now demands the right to govern permanently and without opposition, regardless of the outcome of elections.  This is evidence that the left today has lost respect for democratic institutions and that, if they were ever to find themselves firmly in control of government, leftists would not willingly relinquish power, even if voted out in a fair election.

New Technologies Nurturing Big Brother.  Our governmental bureaucracy has been growing increasingly out of control over the past few decades, grasping ever more deeply at most aspects of our social interactions.  The government has decided that it knows better than the rest of us what we should think on various social issues, what politically correct language we should use, what views we should have of different racial or religious groups (for example:  Muslims are nice and peaceful, white males are suspect, American patriots are the neo-Nazis, Israel is an apartheid state, and most Christians are bigoted).  The overreaching government has exerted ever growing control over public school curricula, and it even tells us what we should eat (NYC has banned sodas over 16 ounces).  Some of these government initiatives are well meaning, like forcing restaurants to post calorie counts of meals, but teaching students what to think instead of how to think is a scary tendency.  In medical services, the government is already playing a major role and wants to expand it into single-payer, total government control.

Amarillo Man Arrested for Clapping.  Let it be known that clapping is not allowed at Amarillo City Council meetings.  Just ask Kip Billups, who was arrested Tuesday [4/3/2018] at the request of Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson after applauding a speaker during open forum.  Ironically, the arrest was made in an attempt to create a "less intimidating" environment during city council meetings.  "We are not going to clap," Nelson said at the beginning of the meeting.  "I want to make sure that we create an environment that's not intimidating for folks ... If that's not something you can abide by that's fine, you can leave now."  Billups, along with other attendees, applauded in response to public comments made by resident Michael Greene, who expressed grievances with the city council's conduct.  Of those grievances, Greene noted city council's repeated violations of the Open Meetings Act as well as Nelson's "clapping ban" infringing on First Amendment rights.

Amarillo man involved in the "clapping controversy" explains his applause.  Applause is used to express approval, but clapping got one Amarillo man in trouble with the law.  He spoke exclusively with ABC 7 News about the incident at Amarillo city council Tuesday night [4/3/2018].  "You can all clap if you want," said Mayor Ginger Nelson.  It was a statement followed by applause after the Amarillo city council issued a proclamation on child abuse awareness.  Minutes later that changed during public comment.  "We are not going to clap," said Nelson.  She followed that statement with a loud bang of her gavel.

'We are not going to clap' at council meetings, mayor said.  One guy even got arrested.  Clapping may be commonplace at council meetings when officials give out keys to the city or other grip-and-grin awards, but let it be known, there is to be no applause during the public comment portion of City Council meetings in Amarillo, Texas.  You might even be arrested for it, as was Kip Billups, a local homeless advocate, according to the Amarillo Globe-News.

No, Being A Christian Does Not Require You Meekly Submit To Leftist Tyranny.  Maybe you didn't notice, but they do not accept the concept that we have any legitimate interests or rights.  They hate us.  And, if we are weak and stupid enough to allow them to take power, they will act on their bigotry and prejudices.  Baking cakes is only the start.  Resistance is not merely an option.  It is a duty.

California Demands That Christians 'Evolve'.  There's a new legislative proposal banning all conversion therapy as a fraudulent business practice — by not just mental health providers but anyone.  Since the "independent fact-checkers" are quick to swarm around conservative "misinformation," FactCheck.org, PolitiFact and Snopes have all cried "False" at the idea that this bill is a threat to the sale of the Bible.  They declared that a threat against Bible sales is nowhere in the text of California Assembly Bill 2943, offered by gay assembly member Evan Low.  That is correct ... on its face.  It doesn't mention the Bible.  However, the bill would amend the state Consumer Legal Remedies Act, adding the ability to sue for damages for "advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual."  Any efforts to change someone's sexual orientation "in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to any consumer are unlawful."  That's more than therapy.  It's any kind of an argument.

Christians' Munich Moment in California.  Scarcely any moment in American history is as important for America's Christians as the developing crises over religious freedom now happening in California.  The legislature of Sacramento not only is underhandedly banning books opposed to the doctrines of the transgender religion (including the Bible), but also has threatened Christians' rights to free assembly and freedom of speech.  According to its website, Summit Ministries, an organization devoted to advising Christian youths on how to live out a Christian worldview, has canceled its scheduled appearances at Biola University in Los Angeles "due to concerns that California will forbid some of what it teaches."  Summit's concern is real.

Here are 1,366 well sourced examples of Barack Obama's lies, lawbreaking, corruption, cronyism, hypocrisy, waste, etc..  [#362] In October 2013, the Obama administration announced the following on loudspeakers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas:  "Inappropriate remarks or jokes concerning security may result in your arrest."

An Imminent Counterattack Begins the Fight of Our Lives.  Unparalleled government abuses of power are about to become public.  The question is what we, the people, will do in response to this overt attempt by deep state players to strip us of our freedom. [...] The Left's ongoing refusal to accept the results of the 2016 election and live according to the rule of law, along with their willingness to destroy people's lives, are irreconcilable with a constitutional republic of self-governing people.  There can be no negotiated settlement over such fundamental differences.  We must boldly reclaim the righteousness of liberty and equal justice under the law on behalf of all Americans.

They Keep Telling Us Who They Are.  The California legislature is processing a bill to ban and criminalize all speech, all writing, that goes against "LGBTQ priorities".  Assembly Bill 2943, which has already sailed through two committees, would criminalize "efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions."  It seems to be aimed at practicing psychologists, psychiatrists, or counselors whose clients ask them to help them get rid of unwanted sexual attractions; but the bill is so vaguely written that it could be used against virtually anybody — commentators who dissent from the agenda of Organized Sodomy, parents who teach their children that there are only two "genders," and Biblically orthodox churches where homosexual acting-out is presented as a sin.

Socialism's Gateway Drug.  There's open talk of a divorce between individualists and collectivists; i.e., a separation of the US into at least two separate countries.  Can chaos be far behind when so many see the corruption from top to bottom, and are giving up belief in The Great Experiment? [...] The corruption in government is not just for enrichment or power.  It's to sow the seeds of WHY BOTHER? among the population. [...] The flood of third-world immigrants is not just for "diversity".  It's to sow the seeds of violent civil unrest as the natives of America and Europe finally resist at the 11th hour. [...] The deficit spending of every Western government is not just to buy votes.  It's second-level intent is to sow the seeds of an inevitable financial collapse, leading to societal chaos. [...] Look around you at what's happening.  Look at everything — every single thing — the Left does, in the context of trying to precipitate chaos.

A deputy sheriff came to inventory family's property — over a $160 trash bill.  Joe Kirby was at work in Maryland when he got the phone call.  He drove back to his Pennsylvania home, texting his boss that there was an emergency.  His wife, Christina, was hysterical.  There was a member of the York County Sheriff's Office going through every room of their house, taking inventory of their property to eventually put up for sale.  The deputy sheriff told her he'd already done it with the cars in the driveway:  a 2002 BMW 3 Series and 2007 Volkswagen GTI.  It was over their unpaid trash bill to Penn Waste.

Yes, California Is on the Verge of Banning Some Christian Books, Here's How.  Late last week, I wrote an article that caused a bit of a furious reaction in social-justice Twitter.  Activists claimed I was lying, arguing in bad faith, and/or exaggerating the effect of California's AB 2943, a bill that purports to declare "sexual orientation change efforts" to be an "unlawful business practice."  I claimed the bill was so broad that it could even ban books.  And I'm right.  It can and would.

California Bill Would Criminalize Speech, Books Opposing LGBT Agenda.  In a direct assault on the freedoms of speech and religion, the California Assembly on Thursday [4/19/2018] overwhelmingly approved a bill that would, in effect, prohibit the dissemination of traditional Christian teaching on homosexuality and transgenderism.  The Assembly voted 50-14 to criminalize "a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to any consumer" that consists of "advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual."  The bill defines "sexual orientation change efforts" as "any practices that seek to change an individual's sexual orientation.  This includes efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex."

Arizona residents will soon need 'travel ID' to board planes.  The Arizona Department of Transportation has announced that state residents will require a new form of identification to pass through Transportation Security Administration screeners in the near future.  As of Oct. 1, 2020, Grand Canyon state residents traveling out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix Mesa-Gateway, Flagstaff, Tucson International and Yuma International airports will need to carry "Voluntary Travel IDs" or be grounded, AZ Family is reporting.  The new ID will also be requisite to access restricted federal buildings and military bases, as standard credentials will no longer suffice.

The Editor says...
That doesn't sound voluntary to me.

American Greatness and its Enemies.  President Trump's railing against political correctness, and his disparaging of the deep state, show that he has a visceral understanding of these two core fissures in American culture and society.  It is that understanding that resonated with the Americans who voted for Mr. Trump, a group that was enough to hand him a victory in the electoral college.  So committed are his enemies, so unyielding are their beliefs, and so dangerous is the Kafka-esque legislative structure that we have created, that the American understanding of sovereignty and experiment in popular government is now at grave risk.

Homeland Security to Compile Database of Journalists, Bloggers.  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to monitor hundreds of thousands of news sources around the world and compile a database of journalists, editors, foreign correspondents, and bloggers to identify top "media influencers."  It's seeking a contractor that can help it monitor traditional news sources as well as social media and identify "any and all" coverage related to the agency or a particular event, according to a request for information released April 3.  The data to be collected includes a publication's "sentiment" as well as geographical spread, top posters, languages, momentum, and circulation.  No value for the contract was disclosed.

Making the government less larcenous.  On Sept. 21, 2015, [Gerardo] Serrano drove up to the Eagle Pass, Texas, border crossing, intending to try to interest a Mexican cousin in expanding his solar panel installation business in the United States.  To have mementos of his trip, he took some pictures of the border with his cellphone camera, which annoyed two U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents, who demanded the password to his phone.  Serrano, who is what an American ought to be regarding his rights, prickly, refused to submit to such an unwarranted invasion of his privacy.  One agent said he was "sick of hearing about your rights" and "you have no rights here."

They Take the Second Amendment First and the First Amendment Second.  We have talked a lot about the liberal assault on our right as American citizens to keep and bear arms for the defense of ourselves, our families, our communities, and our Constitution, but it is a mistake to think of a disarmed population as their desired end-state.  No, that's merely the first step toward the subjugation of the Normals.  What they want is not only for us to be disarmed, but to be silenced.  They are not going to stop with the Second Amendment.  Next, they are going to move to finish off the First Amendment.  They don't want you to speak freely.  They don't want you to have access to a free press.  They don't want you to practice your religion as you see fit.  And when you are disarmed and silenced, and you are stripped of any god but government — the government they control absolutely and forever — then they will have achieved their dream.  You will no longer be a citizen; you will be a serf.

California Democrat Introduces Bill to Force Websites to Use 'Fact-Checkers'.  California State Senator Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) has proposed a bill, the "Online False Information Act," that would require anyone who posts news on the Internet to verify their information through "fact-checkers."  The bill, filed quietly in late February as SB 1424, requires all California-based websites to develop a plan to fight "fake news," to use "fact-checkers," and to warn readers — including via social media — of "false information."

The Editor says...
Why stop at social media?  Why not require the same of broadcasters and newspapers?  Is CNN always 100% accurate?  Is MSNBC never misleading?  Is The New York Times not biased?

How Federal Surveillance and "Parallel Construction" Undermine the Rule of Law.  When we talk about NSA spying, most people's eyes glaze over.  They just don't think it will have any impact on them.  After all, the surveillance agency only spies on foreigners and terrorists, right?  And if some Americans' data ends up in NSA databases in the process, well, that doesn't really matter.  It's the price we pay for security.  But in fact, federal surveillance and the investigative practices it fosters undermines and subverts the fundamental rule of law in the United States.  State and local law enforcement agencies use the reams of data the NSA collects to prosecute Americans.  Most of these cases have nothing to do with terrorism or national security.  In fact, the vast majority relate to the so-called "war on drugs."  In the process, these state and local cops shred due process, obliterate the Fourth Amendment and make a mockery out of the "rule of law."

Yes, They Are Coming for Your Guns.  Today we have a multitude of reasons to have a high concern about a government that has become far too large, too invasive in too many issues and operated by people who are almost impervious to being fired for normal matters that citizens have to face in their own lives.  When I have discussions with people wanting to shrink the rights of gun owners, they discount this essential aspect of why citizens should be allowed to own guns.  When I ask them to explain the explosion of armed representatives of the government in non-military agencies, they are universally ignorant of that fact.  Here are just a few:
    [#1] The IRS has 2,300 Special Agents armed with AR-15s, P90 tactical rifles and other heavy weaponry.  The IRS recently spent $12 million on ammo and weapons.
    [#2] The Small Business Administration (SBA) spent tens of thousands on Glock hand guns.
    [#3] In 1996 the Veterans Administration had no armed employees.  Today they have 3,700 officers armed with millions of dollars worth of guns.
The list goes on.  As a Jew, I have a problem with any government having all the guns.  The last time we allowed that to happen, it ended with millions of dead Jews.  I believe any Jew who denies that reality puts their own political naiveté above the survival of the Jewish people.

Rep. Debbie Dingell to Introduce Gun Confiscation Legislation.  Debbie Dingell (D-MI) used an April 2 Fox News Live appearance to announce that she is preparing to introduce legislation to create a federal law allowing firearm confiscation orders.  Such laws, generally referred to as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, are already in place in California, Indiana, Oregon, and other states, and Dingell believes the ability to seize firearms is crucial for pubic safety.  During [the] live broadcast Dingell said, "Fred Upton (R) and I are looking at introducing ... legislation ... at the national level."

Boss Hogg and His Ingraham Angle.  There is plenty to criticize about David Hogg's actions and statements, yet that is not permitted.  Hogg is permitted to slander and slime anybody from the president on down.  If you disagree with him, blood is on your hands.  But don't dare mock one of his tweets, as Fox News host Laura Ingraham did.  The tragedy at Parkland has somehow transformed Hogg into an oracle we must honor and worship even as he ironically seeks to transform America into a gun-free zone.  In a rhetorical sense, he has become bullet-proof.

If the Second Amendment falls, our entire Bill of Rights falls.  The startling new proposal by 97-year-old former Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment to our Constitution's Bill of Rights is unwise, dangerous and totally unrealistic.  For 227 years, the amendment has guaranteed that "the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."  We should not abandon it.  The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights.  These amendments are the foundation of our liberty and the lasting legacy of the Founding Fathers who so wisely created a Constitution designed to protect the freedom of generations far into the future.  These rights are a major factor in what makes America an exceptional nation and a beacon for freedom that attracts people from the world over.

Do Not Give An Inch On The Second Amendment.  [A]s liberals line up behind a shield made of children to march on the Second Amendment, it's important to remember what happens when you attempt to compromise with people whose ultimate goal is your obliteration and why no amount of compromise will ever be enough. [...] There is no compromise with someone who doesn't want you to exist, there is only incrementally losing ground until you no longer exist.  A right diminished will never return, government does not cede back power once seized.  The NRA is right to hold its ground, it's why the organization exists in the first place.  Liberals are not honest brokers when it comes to the issue of guns, and neither is the media.  Trying to appease leftists never works because nothing short of everything they want is ever enough for them.

Bad science puts innocent people in jail — and keeps them there.  Since the onset in the 1990s of DNA testing — which, unlike most fields of forensics, was born in the scientific community — we've learned that many forensic specialities aren't nearly as accurate as their practitioners have claimed.  Studies from the National Academy of Sciences and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology have concluded that there's insufficient research to support the claims of the broad field of "pattern matching" forensics, which includes analyses of such things as hair fiber, bite marks, "tool marks" and tire tread.  These forensic specialties were never subjected to the rigors of scientific inquiry — double-blind testing, peer review — before they were accepted in courtrooms.  Most are entirely subjective:  An analyst will look at two marks or patterns and determine whether they're a "match."  Most of these disciplines can't even calculate a margin of error.

'Something Smells Like a Rat': Mark Levin Calls for 'Abolishing' the FISA Court.  "Life, Liberty and Levin" host Mark Levin sounded off on alleged abuses committed before the FISA court in relation to the obtaining of a surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.  Levin said Congress must look into whether representatives of the Department of Justice and FBI committed acts of "misconduct" before the court — in part by using an unverified dossier linked to an opposition research firm and former British spy as evidence.  He added that the judges on the FISA court deserve scrutiny too.

Arm The Teachers Or Disband The Schools.  It's hard to understand the future from the present. [...] Right now it is impossible to envision a return to liberty where every law is first judged by the impact to personal liberty and whether the government has the right to impose such a law.  It is so distant, this idea of a society based around liberty (the way it was supposed to be before the progressive movement over a hundred years ago got ahold of our government and turned it against liberty) that many can no longer even see it.

The First Amendment Is In Far Greater Danger Than The Second.  On the gender ideology issue, elites have been wildly successful in completely removing debate over transgenderism from the public square and even politics.  On abortion, they have largely failed as pro-life sentiment among the people has proven too strong for elites to overcome.  And on guns, the jury is still out, but elites are engaging in perhaps their most brazenly outrageous effort to silence opposing views to date. [...] We are instead operating in a country now where elites demonize the populist position with such ferocity that many are afraid to voice their opinion at all, which is, of course, the entire point of their strategy.  Our fight is no longer just over political issues — it is a battle against the very tactics being used by elites to stifle debate and destroy the essence of what makes America great.

Counterattack Hard Against Liberal Attacks on Our Gun Rights and Other Civil Liberties.  We're now supposed to give up our guns because it's the 21st Century, people, and the cops will totally protect us and oh, you can't dare criticize the FBI for failing to disarm yet another ticking time bomb and what kind of crazy nut would expect a police officer to actually confront a gunman?  Show of hands:  Who thinks this stops, even slows down, once those mean old not-actually-assault weapons get banned?  That liberals have taken a hard stand in favor of cowardice does not exactly fill one with confidence that once we give up our Second Amendment rights that we'll be safer or freer.

Busybodies battle outbreaks of freedom.  The majority leader of California's state Assembly has introduced legislation that would impose a fine of up to $1,000 on any waiter or waitress who offers a plastic drinking straw to a customer without being asked.  The Washington Post notes that this is part of a growing anti-straw movement, which is driven by alarm over the 500 million straws that are used every single day — which is almost certainly a fake number, seeing as how it is based on an unconfirmed phone survey by a 9-year-old boy.  (Yes, really.)

Parents Lose Custody of Daughter for Opposing Transgender Medical Treatments.  Parents of a 17-year-old girl lost custody of their daughter for opposing her wish for transgender medical treatments.  Judge Sylvia Sieve Hendon of Hamilton County, Ohio has allowed the girl to be taken into the custody of her grandparents — who support her medical transition — allowing them to make decisions that will further along her physical transition to the opposite sex.  According to CNN, Hendon ordered that the family's names not be released.  The parents reportedly continued to call their daughter by her given name, rather than a male name, and refused to consent to hormone treatments that were recommended by her medical team.  The girl claimed she became suicidal as a result of her parents' refusal to accept that she wanted to transition to a male.

The Transgender Totalitarians Can Now Legally Take Your Kids.  An Ohio court has removed a teenaged girl from the custody of her parents because they refused to consent to dangerous and experimental medical treatment.  The teenager wants to undergo irreversible treatment (hormones and probably sex-reassignment surgery) that she hopes will alleviate the depression associated with her gender dysphoria.  Based on 1) the scientific facts that such treatment will convert her into a lifelong medical patient and probably fail to alleviate her suicidal tendencies, 2) their religious belief that created reality is unalterable, and 3) their fundamental right to direct the upbringing of their minor child, the parents said no.  But the court concluded they have no right to make that decision.  If they reject the radical new orthodoxy that replaces science with ideology, their authority to act for the good of their child is simply extinguished.

North Carolina mom begins serving jail sentence for baptizing daughter.  A North Carolina mom started serving a week-long jail sentence for having her daughter baptized, according to reports.  The 2016 baptism at St. Peter's Catholic Church when the girl was 2 years old defied a judge's order in a custody battle between unmarried couple, Kendra Stocks and Paul Schaaf, who are no longer together.

The IRS Is Coming for Your Passports.  Beginning this month, the Internal Revenue Service will begin denying passports to some American citizens with unpaid taxes and, in some cases, revoking the passports of Americans with tax delinquencies.  The government will in effect place those with unpaid taxes under arrest, effectively denying them their right to travel.  To be clear:  We are not talking about Americans who have been convicted of tax evasion or tax fraud, or who are awaiting a criminal trial on charges related to tax matters.  These Americans have not been charged with a crime, must less convicted of one.  They simply have unpaid taxes amounting to $50,000 or more.  More precisely:  They have an unpaid IRS liability amounting to $50,000 or more.  The IRS's aggressive schedule of interest and penalties for unpaid taxes ensures that a relatively small amount of unpaid taxes can turn into a $50,000-plus liability with remarkable speed.

Driver's licenses could soon be replaced by cell phone apps.  Your driver's license could be replaced by a cellphone app if a pilot program involving four states and the District of Columbia works out.  "We see great utility in the future with mobile driver's licenses that don't exist today with the physical plastic cards," said Paul Grassi with the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology.  "With innovation occurring on mobile platforms it almost makes too much sense to add this as an option."  NIST provided a $2 million grant to a cybersecurity company called Gemalto to design and test a digital license in a two-year pilot program.

The Editor says...
Interesting.  The government doesn't want you to talk on your phone while driving, but in this case, they would insist that you have your phone handy while you drive.  That's a case of mixed signals, at best.  But the thing about cell phone apps is, they can be turned off at any moment, and at that point, you don't have a license any more.

When Federal Prosecutors Go Bad.  [Sidney] Powell and [Harvey] Silverglate write about the horror faced by regular, even prominent citizens whom the FBI and DOJ destroyed, or tried to destroy, using their unlimited resources and the trust of the courts and the public.  From the very beginning of the prosecution when the affidavits for charges are submitted to the court, the honesty and fairness of the prosecutors is tested, and all too often, ambitious and aggressive prosecutors betray that trust.  Most of all, these books warn that the character and virtue of prosecutors are the critical factor in the proper conduct of a prosecution, the choice of target, the charge made, and the conduct of the discovery and the trial.  Prosecutors have all the cards, and if they don't conduct an honest and fair prosecution, innocent people are harmed, destroyed by their striving for conviction at any cost, even by cheating or by abuse of the process.

Driverless Cars and GPS: The Fearful Master.  Driverless cars contain innovations far too numerous to describe in this article, but the key piece is the GPS connection that allows the car to navigate to its destination. [...] Once your car becomes beholden to a central data center for its destination, you lose control not only of the car's operation from moment to moment, but of your own ability to travel freely on a daily basis.  Remember that GM's Cruise AV has no steering wheel.  You cannot take control of the car yourself.  You must give a destination to the GPS device so that your car can deliver you to that destination.  Programming your car before each trip will be the equivalent of an airplane pilot filing a "flight plan" before taking off.  As fun as this idea might seem, there is a 900-pound elephant in the room that few people are discussing.  Automobiles and transportation are among the most heavily regulated aspects of 21st century life.  If you think that the regulators are simply going to allow you to plug any destination into a GPS and ride off without a care in the world, you are fooling yourself.  The government has policy interests in your travel plans that are too numerous to mention.

The Russia 'Fake News' Scare Is All about Chilling Speech.  [Scroll down]  Democrats have manufactured panic over amateurish Russian propaganda not only to claim that Russian president Vladimir Putin was "meddling" in the election but also to argue that his purported interference had the power to turn the election to Trump.  With this risible idea in hand, they have created paranoia about social-media interactions and rationalized infringements on expression.  Not long before she demanded forensic investigations into hashtags, Feinstein was demanding that Twitter, Facebook, and Google restrict their content more tightly, threatening, "Do something about it — or we will."  Democrats have attempted to control interactions through the Fairness Doctrine or the IRS, and now through the Russia scare.

How a Civil War Happens.  Right now, Federal judges are declaring that President Trump isn't allowed to govern because his Tweets show he's a racist.  How long until they say that a president isn't even allowed to take office because they don't like his views?  That's where we're headed.

Sending Waiters to Jail for Offering Plastic Straws.  It makes absolutely no sense to me that a state that's worked so hard to lower its prison population would even consider passing a law that might clog its jail population full of people whose only crime was asking "Would you like a straw?"

Big Brother on America's Fishing Boats.  The plague on the commercial fishing industry isn't "overfishing," as environmental extremists and government officials claim.  The real threats to Northeastern groundfishermen are self-perpetuating bureaucrats, armed with outdated junk science, who've manufactured a crisis that endangers a way of life older than the colonies themselves.  Hardworking crews and captains have the deepest stake in responsible fisheries management — it's their past, present, and future — but federal paper-pushers monitor them ruthlessly like registered sex offenders.  Generations of schoolchildren have been brainwashed into believing that our seas have been depleted by greedy commercial fishermen.

Trump Needs to Transfer All Federal Land Back to the States.  [Scroll down]  However, most readers will remember the Cliven Bundy incident, the Nevada rancher who refused to pay $1.2 million in grazing fees to the BLM on grounds the land belonged to Nevada, not to the feds.  When the Bureau threatened to seize the ranch in 2014, hundreds of cowboys and militia members poured in from all over the country to defend the property.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the feds backed down.  Many Americans were shocked at the appearance of armed citizens, but the reality is that our founding fathers argued in favor of gun ownership precisely for the purpose of resisting government tyranny.  The Bureau of Land Management's police-state actions at the ranch were recently exposed, thanks to former BLM Special Agent and whistleblower Larry Wooten, whose shocking report details the agency's complete disregard for the rights of the Bundy family.

Hate-speech Laws USA? California Prosecutes Man for Anti-Muslim Posts.  California is already flouting federal immigration law with its "sanctuary" status.  Now it's also ignoring the most American of laws — the First Amendment — prosecuting a man simply for posting five anti-Muslim messages to Facebook.  The hapless defendant is 41-year-old Mark Feigin, who expressed his opinions at the Islamic Center of Southern California's (ICSC) Facebook page in 2016.  Feigin is certainly an acerbic, acid-tongued, foul-mouthed fellow, and he admits to sending the messages.  But while many may not like their substance and/or style, they're clearly an example of constitutionally protected speech.

In 'Caliphornia' you can be unconstitutionally prosecuted for exercising your First Amendment right to criticize Islam on Facebook.  California has leveled misdemeanor charges against 41-year-old Mark Feigin after he sent five anti-Muslim posts to the Islamic Center of Southern California's (ICSC) Facebook page in 2016. [...] The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Feigin Oct. 19 and interviewed him.  Feigin is now arguing that his charges should be dismissed because they are based on an unconstitutional application of the law.

California Parents Barred from Opting Kids Out of Mandatory LGBT-Inclusive Textbooks.  California has become the first state in the union to mandate the use of LGBT-inclusive textbooks in elementary schools and have given parents no way to opt out.  The choice has been made for them.  It's the law.  That law requires a "fair, accurate, inclusive, and respectful" treatment of homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and lesbian Americans despite the historical insignificance.

Lawmakers Seek Investigation After Whistleblower Exposes Federal Thugs.  Outraged by new whistleblower revelations of horrifying wrongdoing by federal officials in the Bundy case — one official kept a "kill list," others withheld evidence from the defense — prominent lawmakers in Western states are asking Congress and the Trump administration to investigate.  The government's case, which gained national attention after a 2014 armed standoff in Nevada between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Bundy family and its supporters, appears to be crumbling.  But even as it appears increasingly likely that the defendants will soon walk free, officials say the alleged crimes perpetrated by government officials must not be allowed to go unpunished.  As The New American reported on December 19, a memo by whistleblower Larry "Clint" Wooten, who served as the lead BLM investigator on the case, revealed an incredible array of misconduct by heavily armed bureaucrats.  Among the most alarming revelations:  Special-agent-in-charge Dan Love, already under investigation by Congress, kept a "kill list" as a "trophy" commemorating ranchers whose deaths he contributed to.  Apparently the bureaucrat was proud of his role in driving three Utah ranchers to commit suicide. [...] Throughout the explosive memo, aside from the unethical conduct and the bigotry against Mormons expressed by officials, there is also evidence that some BLM officials wanted to instigate a conflict and even kill some of the defendants and their supporters.  On top of that, there are several allegations that officials withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense.

Whistleblower: Federal Thug Behind Bundy Fiasco Had "Kill Book".  The government is in big trouble.  At least it will be, if there is justice.  The now-infamous standoffs in Nevada and Oregon could have ended in disaster for liberty and ranchers.  And for some, such as rancher LaVoy Finicum, who was shot dead by government officials while traveling on a public highway, it did end in tragedy.  But after years of terror and pain felt by the embattled Bundy family and those close to them, there may finally be a very happy ending visible on the horizon for the Nevada ranchers and for justice.  It seems the tables have turned, dramatically against the out-of-control Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other elements of the federal bureaucracy.  In fact, rather than putting the liberty-loving ranchers and their staunchest supporters behind bars for life — or even six feet under, as some Obama administration officials apparently hoped — there is now explosive evidence from a whistleblower that could put some of the rogue bureaucrats on the case in prison for extremely serious crimes.

The FBI's Secret State Police.  The FBI's current stonewalling bears more than a passing resemblance to the Geheime Staatspolizei, the National Socialists' secret state police.  The people's representatives have been seeking answers on the probe of Russian influence in the 2016 election.  Former FBI boss Robert Mueller has failed to turn up any evidence of "collusion" in more than a year, but other matters have come to light.  FBI man Peter Strzok has been Hillary Clinton's Odd Job, changing gross negligence to extremely careless, failing to keep records of the interview with the former First Lady, and allowing her aides Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills to tell more than 300 lies about the unsecured server Clinton used to send classified material.  Representatives such as Trey Gowdy and Jim Jordan want to know if Strzok played a role in the compiling the fake dossier with Russian content.  They also seek to know whether Strzok was the one who deployed the dossier to gain a FISA warrant to enable spying on the Trump campaign and unmask U.S. citizens.

American Gestapo.  Any government agency with law enforcement and surveillance authority that uses those powers for political purposes is the definition of a secret police, no better than the Nazi Gestapo or the Soviet KGB.  There is indeed probable cause to conclude, meaning indictable offenses, that employees of the Department of Justice and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), sympathetic to the Democrat Party, used the power of their offices and with the assistance of foreign nationals to influence the 2016 election in favor of Hillary Clinton, first to exonerate her and then obtain information to prevent the election of Donald Trump or to provide a basis for his impeachment should he win.  It is also abundantly clear from the Congressional investigations involving the Department of Justice and the FBI that those institutions of government are protecting themselves at the expense of transparency and accountability to the American people.  In other words, the government employees involved consider the survival of the Deep State more important than the survival of the Constitution.  That is the definition of tyranny.

Jail Time for Too Much Meat on a Sandwich?  Time and time again, the federal government has encroached into a sector of the economy and imposed a one-size-fits-all regulation that stifles competition, hurts small businesses, and creates troubling criminal penalties for lack of compliance.  This is epitomized in federal involvement in menu labeling — regulations and requirements for private businesses to disclose caloric information on physical menus.  Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) is leading the charge on rolling back this overreach through the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, H.R.772, to provide relief for convenience stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and pizza chains alike.

Ohio demands Christian parents provide gender reassignment for daughter.  In the state of Ohio, social workers are asking a court to side with a teenage girl who is asking for gender reassignment treatment at a hospital instead of the counseling desired by her parents.  Filed in Hamilton County Juvenile Court, the complaint is petitioning Judge Sylvia Hendon to order Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to provide treatment for the girl against her parent's wishes.  Documents filed with the court indicate that the parents do not acknowledge their daughter's desire to transition to a male persona.  The parents are seeking counseling consonant with their Christian beliefs, while they have not approved of her change in appearance to resemble a male.

Nothing About Collusion.  There is a basic lesson here for anyone who enters government service:  do not ever talk to the FBI unless your lawyer is present.  Just ask Scooter Libby, who was punished for making allegedly false statements to FBI investigators.  In the Flynn affair, there was no need for the FBI to ask any questions about the telephone chats, since the transcripts were available from the get-go.  It is said that a skilled prosecutor can indict a ham sandwich, and a special counsel has even greater powers.  Furthermore, prosecutors' motives are not limited to the pursuit of the truth.  The "accomplishments" of aggressive prosecutors often have very little to do with the facts, but rather with the number of scalps they can hang on their war belts.  Rare is the person who can insist on his innocence — of anything — if a special prosecutor is out to get him.  The prosecutor can catch you giving an incorrect or confused answer to questions ... about anything.

Gates Pushes InBloom's Massive Data Tracking System for Everyone in America.  InBloom, which has already been caught selling student information, would store student's scores, attendance, needs, disabilities, disciplinary record.  If you were suspended in third grade, it would follow you for life.  InBloom is working with nine states:  Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina.  InBloom goes hand-in-hand with Common Core and standardized testing and they all mesh together to form a nationalized education program run by the federal government.  It is unconstitutional but this approach does an end-run around the constitution.  Many on both the left and right of the political spectrum are opposed.

Obama's Trans Fat Ban May Force Iconic Cookie Company To Close.  The makers of Berger Cookies in Baltimore, Md., are concerned that that new rules will force them to discontinue their iconic cookie due to federal rules.  Under current proposed rules, companies will no longer be allowed to sell food containing partially hydrogenated oils, which contain trans fats, after June 18, 2018.  That rule will make it difficult for Charlie DeBaufre, president of DeBaufre Bakeries, to continue making the chocolate covered soft German-inspired cookies because the recipe contains trans fats.  DeBaufre has not been able to create the Berger cookie taste without the using trans-fat-free ingredients.

Judicial Tyranny:  William Orrick, a Name That Will Live in Infamy.  The Constitution and the laws passed by Congress define one person who determines and executes U.S. immigration policy and U.S. District Judge William Orrick is not it.  Yet there is Judge Orrick once again imposing his will on the expressed will of the American people through their elected representatives by issuing a permanent ban on President Trump's executive order defunding sanctuary ciies:  A federal judge in California has blocked President Trump's executive order to cut funding from sanctuary cities that don't cooperate with U.S. immigration officials.  U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick issued the ruling Monday in lawsuits brought by San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.  According to the judge, Trump can't set new conditions on spending approved by Congress.

FBI Raids on Homes of Anti-Government Activists.  Repeatedly, the FBI has raided homes on the flimsiest of evidence.  In 2014, it raided the home of prepper Martin Winters, claiming he was some kind of domestic terrorist.  But nothing was found aside from food stocks and other survivalist gear.  Then there's Terry Porter, also a prepper, whose house the FBI raided in 2012 using twice as many agents as in the Branch Davidian raid.  Again, nothing alarming found there.  Since when did anti-government preppers become terrorists?  The FBI raids group meetings as well, such as when it raided a Republic of Texas secessionist movement meeting in 2015.  No one was arrested because no one did anything illegal.  But once again, the FBI treated a handful of elderly men discussing constitutional issues as a terrorist plot.

Media Silent as Fed Committee Quietly Passes Act Allowing Warrantless Searches.  It has been over one month since the latest dangerous piece of legislation meant to infringe on Americans' constitutional rights was introduced, and Congress is now moving forward with the bill that will have serious ramifications for all Americans by blatantly violating the freedoms guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment if it becomes law.  The USA Liberty Act has passed the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 27-8, and as Congressman Justin Amash noted, all privacy advocates should be concerned about the overwhelming support the bill is receiving from Congress.

Doctor who refuses to use computers loses medical license.  Holding manila folders filled with pages of her handwritten reports, Dr. Anna Konopka insisted her system for keeping track of her patients' medical conditions and various prescriptions works fine.  But the New Hampshire Board of Medicine disagrees.

Post-Constitutional America and the Second Amendment.  In a series of articles I wrote last week about post-Constitutional America, I mentioned how everyday Americans have grown complacent with their God-given rights and how this has led to a growing acceptance of the idea that Constitutional rights are negotiable if the government gives them something in return.  The consequences of this mindset has been devastating.  Freedom of speech is silenced on college campuses in the name of political correctness.  Freedom of the press is threatened by the White House and Congress.  Freedom of religion is under attack by politicians and pro-LGBT radicals.  Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure is compromised at the hands of a growing police state.  Now, with incidents of mass shootings dominating the headlines, a new threat has risen — the willingness to surrender the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in exchange for a little bit of safety.

School District Orders Coaches to Stop Bowing Heads in Prayer.  Heaven help the coach who bows his head to pray in Coweta County, Georgia.  The Coweta County School District issued an edict banning all coaches and other employees from participating in student-initiated or student-led prayer or other forms of worship while acting in their official capacity.

Europe: Climate Dictatorship Proposed To Solve Global Warming.  [T]he current Paris promises will cost each American $500 per year, each European $600 and each Chinese $170.  Of course, most Americans and Europeans are unlikely to elect leaders that will actually incur a much larger cost than most people are willing to pay.  Moreover, these promises will not solve global warming — indeed, they will together achieve almost nothing:  By the UN's own estimate, the Paris Treaty will reduce emissions by less than 1% of what would be needed to keep temperature rises under 2°C and yet cost $1-2 trillion per year by 2030, mostly in reduced GDP growth.  So Paris will deliver far less than what most people expect, yet will cost much more than most people are willing to pay.  Of course, most smart people would be against paying lots for achieving little or nothing.  If anything, this suggests that democracy works just fine.  But [Professor Jørgen] Randers instead takes this unwillingness to spend fortunes on little benefits as an argument for ending democracy.

What is the deal with those FEMA/DHS AM backup transmitters?  In the light of current government trends where the FBI engages in a one year sting operation on a Amish farmer selling raw milk, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms is running guns to Mexican drug cartels, the US Department of Education employing its own SWAT team to serve warrants for delinquent student loans (they say no but offer no other explanation), Gibson Guitars being repeatedly raided for improperly labeled wood products, and so forth, makes me wonder what the government is doing.

REAL ID Allows Feds to Suspend Driver's Licenses for "Cause".  Thanks to Real-ID, DHS has created a national ID system right under everyone's noses.  [Video clip]

Why Are Federal Bureaucrats Buying Guns And Ammo? $158 Million Spent By Non-Military Agencies.  [Scroll down]  Federal agencies spent $44 million on guns, including an "urgent" order for 20 M-16 Rifles with extra magazines at the Department of Energy ($49,559); shotguns and Glock pistols at the General Services Administration ($16,568); and a bulk order of pistols, sights, and accessories by the Bureau of Reclamation whose main job is to build dams, power plants, and canals ($697,182). [...] The government spent $114 million on ammunition, including bulk purchases by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ($66,927); the Smithsonian ($42,687); and the Railroad Retirement Board ($6,941).  The Social Security Administration spent $61,129 on bullets including 50,000 rounds of ammunition plus 12-gauge buckshot and slug ammo.  The EPA special agents purchased ammunition for their .357 and 9mm revolvers and buckshot for their shotguns.  While Bernie Sanders claimed that the biggest adversary to the United States was climate change, the EPA stood ready to fight in ways we couldn't have imagined.

New California law allows jail time for using wrong gender pronoun, sponsor denies that would happen.  California health care workers who "willfully and repeatedly" decline to use a senior transgender patient's "preferred name or pronouns" could face punishments ranging from a fine to jail time under a newly signed law. [...] The bill itself is aimed at protecting transgender and other LGBT individuals in hospitals, retirement homes and assisted living facilities.  The bill would ensure those facilities accommodate transgender people and their needs, including letting them decide which gender-specific bathroom they prefer to use.  "It shall be unlawful for a long-term care facility or facility staff to take any of the following actions wholly or partially on the basis of a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status," the bill reads.

Florida Threatens Woman with Fines, Jail for Giving Diet Tips.  The State of Florida is threatening a woman with jail unless she stops telling people what to eat.  To clarify:  Heather Kokesch Del Castillo of Fort Walton Beach is not wandering around the supermarket in giving unsolicited advice.  People have been asking her — and paying her — for dietary and nutritional advice.  Though all she is doing is talking to people as a health coach, the state has declared her an unlicensed dietitian and fined her more than $750.  She faces misdemeanor charges if she doesn't shut her mouth, with further fines of up to $1,000 for each incident and possibly even a year in prison.

Detroit-area mom jailed for not vaccinating 9-year-old son.  A suburban Detroit woman was handcuffed Wednesday and sent to a jail for seven days for failing to follow an agreement to have her 9-year-old son vaccinated.

Mother Faces Tough Decision:  Vaccinate Your Child Or Go To Jail -- This Is Bad For Everyone.  Do you think that a government has the right to force your child to get vaccinated or go to jail — well that's what one Oakland County mother now has to deal with, and the consequences of not doing it will be rough.  [Video clip]

Are you ready for airport security checks — Just to enter a hotel?  It didn't take long after Sunday's [10/1/2017] mass shooting in Las Vegas for resort hotels there to begin implementing new, far more strict security screenings simply to enter the building.  Hotel guests at Wynn's resort stood in line with a 10-minute wait to be screened.  That's likely to become a new normal as the country's worst mass shooting forces major tourist meccas to radically re-imagine potential threats and expand their thinking about security against a new range of threats.  As they did at any airport before boarding their flights to Vegas this week, patrons of Wynn's now have their bags searched before entering and their bodies scanned by metal-detecting wands wielded by uniformed security guards.

8 Really Bad Laws That Went Into Effect Today.  [#1] Touching your phone in Oregon:  From this day [10/1/2017] forward, Oregon drivers are prohibited from touching their cellphones while operating their vehicles, except to make a single swipe intended to turn a phone off.  While lawmakers passed the prohibition to make it easier for cops to enforce cellphone while driving laws, the "single swipe" exception is sure to muddy that.  The law will apply to cellphones, tablets, and GPS devices, but not for police officers, of course.

The FTC Raided My Office, Found Nothing, And Is Destroying My Business Anyway.  In early May, federal investigators raided my small tech-support company, Vylah Tec LLC, d/b/a "V-Tec," on suspicion of "deceptive" sales practices.  The raid was part of a politically hyped campaign by the Federal Trade Commission with the Florida Attorney General's office, dubbed Operation Tech Trap, to "crack down on tech-support scams."  The problem:  My business is not a scam.

What ARE the mysterious $100M metal towers popping up at tunnels and bridges all over New York and why won't the MTA say?  New York's public transportation system has come under fire for spending a whopping $100 million on mysterious metal towers that have popped up at the entrances of tunnel as many New Yorkers remain baffled over how they work.  The 30-feet-tall MTA Gateway Towers are a part of Gov Andrew Cuomo's $100 million vision to redesign the MTA's bridges and tunnels in the city.  Some people are still unsure about the purpose of these towers, including folks on the MTA board, but according to some officials, the towers will host equipment related to homeland security, such as anti-terror technology.

Tire Tyranny.  You visit the tire shop to buy a new set.  Used to be that you'd either tell the guy behind the counter which tires you wanted or discuss options with him.  Then you'd buy them and he'd install them.  Now the guy behind the counter will scan your car's VIN — which is tied to the DMV — and first find out all kinds of things about you and your car.  Then he will tell you which tires you're allowed to buy.  Yes, really.

Food Truck Giving Free Food to Hurricane Workers, Kicked Out of Town for Not Having a Permit.  After Irma devastated Florida, most restaurants and stores were shut down in certain areas.  Green Cove Springs was one of those places.  So, when Jack Roundtree, owner of the Triple J BBQ food truck, arrived in town, not only was he welcomed with open arms — he was desperately needed.  As he sold BBQ to paying customers, Roundtree used the extra money to feed utility workers for free for all their hard work.  However, once officials saw a man who'd dare sell food in their town without paying them first, police were called in to make quick work of this entrepreneurial good samaritan.

Mystery Surrounds Metal Towers Popping Up In Tunnels & Bridges.  Mysterious metal towers are popping up at local tunnels, and soon they'll start appearing at bridges, too.  But even people on the MTA board in charge of the towers can't say why they're being used or what's in them, CBS2's Dave Carlin reports.  Jose Lugo said the tall metal towers quickly appeared up after the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel tolls booths came down.  "We don't really know what's the purpose of this," he told Carlin.  It's a $100 million MTA project shrouded in secrecy, with 18 of them for tunnels and bridges.  So what are they exactly?

The Editor says...
It doesn't matter if these devices are lights, riot control machines, automatic license plate readers, or surveillance cameras.  If the project costs $100 million and they won't tell anybody what it's for, it's not going to be good.

Governments Turn Tables by Suing Public Records Requesters.  Government bodies are increasingly turning the tables on citizens who seek public records that might be embarrassing or legally sensitive.  Instead of granting or denying their requests, a growing number of school districts, municipalities and state agencies have filed lawsuits against people making the requests — taxpayers, government watchdogs and journalists who must then pursue the records in court at their own expense.

How Obama's EPA Nearly Bankrupted John Duarte's Farm.  EPA Chief Scott Pruitt has set out to transform the agency he leads to a greater extent than any of Trump's other cabinet appointees, pledging to end what he dubbed the agency's "anti-energy agenda" by loosening requirements on carbon emissions and eliminating land use restrictions.

Can You Get Fired for Missing Work During a Hurricane Due to Mandatory Evacuation?  What happens to your job if you flee the path of a hurricane due to a mandatory evacuation order?  What if you would simply rather be safe than sorry?  Many Floridians who have evacuated are currently considering this very question and concerned about the status of their employment upon returning home.

Mayor de Bolshevik.  In a wide-ranging and candid interview with New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio casually noted that the "way our legal system is structured to favor private property" provokes his "anger, which is visceral."  The mayor elaborated on this point, insisting that "people all over this city, of every background, would like to have the city government be able to determine which building goes where, how high it will be, who gets to live in it, what the rent will be."  The mayor begs the question of who would build anything under these strict conditions.

What Country Is This?  Forced Blood Draws, Cavity Searches and Colonoscopies.  Forced cavity searches, forced colonoscopies, forced blood draws, forced breath-alcohol tests, forced DNA extractions, forced eye scans, forced inclusion in biometric databases:  these are just a few ways in which Americans are being forced to accept that we have no control over our bodies, our lives and our property, especially when it comes to interactions with the government.  Worse, on a daily basis, Americans are being made to relinquish the most intimate details of who we are — our biological makeup, our genetic blueprints, and our biometrics (facial characteristics and structure, fingerprints, iris scans, etc.) — in order to clear the nearly insurmountable hurdle that increasingly defines life in the United States:  we are now guilty until proven innocent.

U.S. Governor Orders Seizure of Privately Owned Guns, Ammo Ahead of Hurricane.  Gov. Kenneth E. Mapp there has activated the National Guard and has now ordered all guns, ammo and property needed by the National Guard seized.  Silly me... I thought that was unconstitutional and illegal.  The wording of the order is tricky as it allows the seizure in the performance of the National Guard's duties.  Mapp issued this emergency order and signed it on Monday [9/4/2017] in preparation for the storm.  It smacks of martial law.

Justice Department Forces Christian Pastor to Testify on Islam Views.  The United State Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to force a Christian pastor in Virginia to disclose under oath his views on Islam.  Pastor Steve Harrelson of the Mt.  Lebanon Baptist Church in Boston, Virginia, has been served with a wide-ranging subpoena by lawyers for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.  The subpoena demands his presence to testify under oath in response to questions from Justice Department lawyers about his views on Islam as well as several other issues.

Is Your Dog 'Contraband'?  An awful ruling for pet owners has come from a federal court, in a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge George Caram Steeh.  But the threat is not just to Fido and Fluffy, because, as anyone familiar with how precedent becomes corrupted knows, the ruling will be cited and abused far beyond its original, flawed bases. [...] In deciding an unlicensed dog is "contraband" not protected by the Fourth Amendment, the ruling confuses government "licenses" with "title," i.e., private ownership and possession.  The ruling will eventually be cited in cases involving property other than dogs and other unlicensed activity in our overly license-happy statist society.

Federal Court Rules That Officials Can't Block Trolls On Social Media.  I first wrote about a lawsuit brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University a couple of months ago.  As you may recall, it involves a group of people who had been blocked on Twitter by President Trump after some of their "constructive criticism" (read: trolling) apparently generated enough spam in his mentions column to be noticed.  This was somehow interpreted as a First Amendment violation, leading to the pending lawsuit.  While the entire premise sounds like some sort of parody stolen from the pages of The Onion, we may have an early indication of how the courts will be treating such questions.  This case doesn't deal with the President, but instead an obscure fight involving the Board of Supervisors in Loudoun County, Virginia.  The board's chair apparently blocked a constituent, Brian C. Davidson, on Facebook (for a period of 12 hours before unblocking him) and deleted a post of her own which contained a comment from Davidson.  The results from the initial hearing at the federal district court are disappointing to say the least.

Betrayal: Republicans Push Anti-Free Speech Bill Written By Islamic Terror-Linked Groups.  The United States already has strict laws on the books that protect against hate crimes, so one reasonably asks, "why do we need this new resolution?"  Yes, this particular legislation is merely a "resolution" or a formal statement by a legislative body, but might the continued discussion of this matter really seek to prepare us to slowly move toward the next step in the process and expand the concept of what actually constitutes a "hate crime," — perhaps to include speech that some may find offensive?  In fact, its bent is quite the opposite and could end up landing you in federal court for espousing a politically incorrect opinion.

Washington's DUI-E Law Now Makes It Illegal to Text, Smoke and Even Eat While Driving.  The charge of "driving under the influence" used to only apply to drivers who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol — but it will now apply to drivers who text, eat, smoke, read or groom while driving in the state of Washington.  The implementation of the Driving Under the Influence of Electronics Act was expedited from January 2019 to July 23 after Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a partial-veto, and insisted that "public safety is better served by implementing this bill this year."

Judge to Marine vet:  Give up Second Amendment gun rights to foster grandson.  On Wednesday [7/19/2017], Fox News reported that William Johnson of Ontonagon, Michigan, was told that he would have to give up his Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms if he wanted to foster his grandson.  Not only was he told this by caseworkers with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), he was instructed by a county judge that, "if you want to care for your grandson you will have to give up some of your constitutional rights."  As a result, Fox said, a lawsuit was filed in federal court on Monday [7/17/2017].

State officials fume after leak shows how feds planned to use armed troops.  An organization representing top state election officials is complaining it's being kept in the dark by the federal government after a new report showed the Obama administration was quietly making extensive plans — including the possibility of deploying armed troops — in the case of an election day cyberattack or last-minute propaganda efforts from Russia.  Time Magazine reported on a document it obtained showing the administration's plans, which noted that state and local governments would have the primary jurisdiction, but called for the deployment of armed troops to counter a "significant incident."

Amish Man Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Improper FDA Labeling.  Samuel Girod is a farmer who belongs to the "Old Order Amish community" and a father to twelve in Bath County, Kentucky.  According to Ricochet, the 57-year-old Girod got in trouble with the government after selling homemade herbal remedies, [...] Girod, who said the FDA had no right to oversight since he made herbal remedies, wouldn't let them in.  His deeply-held beliefs require he "avoid the modern world as much as possible, including modern pharmaceuticals."  Unsurprisingly, the FDA disagreed with his assessment of their level of possible involvement, so the federal behemoth came down on him for the "vague medical claims" on his labels.

FBI Agent Indicted for Lying About Shooting in Oregon Refuge Standoff.  An FBI agent has been indicted for lying to state and federal investigators about firing at Robert "LaVoy" Finicum during a showdown between law enforcement and protesters last year in Oregon. [...] Oregon state police shot and killed Finicum on January 26, 2016.  He was fleeing a surprise traffic stop on a rural highway near the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where he was holed up with other protesters.  He crashed his truck into a snow bank and jumped out.  An autopsy determined that three rounds shot by state police killed him.  The U.S. Attorney for Oregon said the shots were "necessary and justified," since Finicum appeared to be reaching for his gun.  Investigators discovered that someone else fired as well before Finicum left his truck.  One round went into the roof of the truck.  Astarita failed to tell Oregon police officers that he shot two rounds at Finicum.  He also failed to tell the FBI's Shooting Incident Response Team.  Suspicions were aroused when two shell casings disappeared from the scene.

The Charlie Gard Case and Its Obvious Implications.  Most of the people following the macabre case of Charlie Gard were relieved when the British hospital holding the child hostage decided to let the 11-month old live until it has conferred with Perfidious Albion's High Court.  In a statement issued Friday [7/7/2017], Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) added that it had condescended to inform Charlie's parents of the decision, "and will continue to keep them fully appraised of the situation."  In a sane world most observers would shout, "What [if anything] does the court system have to do with this kid's care and why are his parents treated as mere bystanders?"

Worst media moments of the week.  The case of 11-month-old Charlie Gard is every parent's nightmare.  The child has "a rare genetic condition that has damaged his brain and left him unable to breathe without assistance," according to Fox News.  British authorities have refused to follow the parents' wishes to let them transport him to the United States for experimental treatments.  They didn't just give him a death sentence.  They said they get to decide what happens, not his parents.  ABC, CBS and NBC didn't care about the story, though American conservatives were up in arms about it.  None of the three networks mentioned the case.

Court Rules To Kill Baby, Denying Parents the Right To Pay for Surgery.  Charlie Gard is a ten-month-old baby who suffers from a rare, crippling disorder called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome.  Baby Charlie is condemned to die.  But not because of his condition.  No, Charlie will die because a judge ordered that he should.

Court Rules Hospital Can Overrule Parents and Yank Their Disabled Son's Life Support.  Charlie Gard, a little baby on life-support with a debilitating genetic disease, has lost his last court battle.  His parents' heroic battle to bring 10-month-old Charlie to the United States for an experimental medication has lost out to a London hospital evaluation that he deserves "death with dignity."  A majority of seven judges in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Tuesday rejected, as "inadmissible" the plea by Charlie's parents to overturn three rulings in the UK court system against their son.  The ECHR had agreed to intervene June 19th to maintain Charlie's life-support in the interest of preventing "imminent risk of irreparable harm."

State Tyranny Exposed.  The bureaucracy decided that the parents had no rights in [the Charlie Gard] case.  They had raised the money to seek experimental treatment in the United States, and the British courts decided that, even though there was no cost to the British taxpayer, the parents had no rights.  They couldn't even take their child home to die in peace with his family.  I'm sure the experimental treatment was a long shot.  It probably wouldn't have worked anyway.  But God knows, if this were my child, I'd fight to the last, to the most extreme chance possible.  The public largely agreed with them, that's how they were able to raise the donation money in the first place.  But the primacy of the State cannot be questioned by us mere peasants.

Lynching Free Speech:  The Intolerant State of America.  Here's the thing:  if Americans don't learn how to get along — at the very least, agreeing to disagree and respecting each other's right to subscribe to beliefs and opinions that may be offensive, hateful, intolerant or merely different — then we're going to soon find that we have no rights whatsoever (to speak, assemble, agree, disagree, protest, opt in, opt out, or forge our own paths as individuals).  The government will lock down the nation at the slightest provocation.  It is ready, willing and able to impose martial law within 24 hours.  Indeed, the government has been anticipating and preparing for civil unrest for years now, as evidenced by the build-up of guns and tanks and militarized police and military training drills and threat assessments and extremism reports and surveillance systems and private prisons.  Connect the dots, people.

Government bureaucrats now have the power to take children away from their parents if they oppose non-biological 'gender identity'.  It seems like something out of a dystopian novel written by a conservative Christian, but it is actually happening.  A child decides to play at being the opposite sex, but the parents object, perhaps on religious grounds.  In the Canadian province of Ontario (which contains nearly 40% of Canada's population), "child protection" bureaucrats may now remove that child from the parents' care, in order to permit the child to express its chosen identity at variance from the dictates of biology.  Presumably, this could extend to allowing genital mutilation of the child as a so-called "sex change" operation despite the parents' strong objections.

Ontario Makes Disapproval Of Children's Gender Confusion Child Abuse.  American Lens goes on to note (using an article from Gender Trender) that Canada is looking to legalize gender confusion nationally with Bill C-16, which "would establish a government recognized class of people based on their personal feeling that sex stereotypes form an integral and desired component of their legal identity."  This would be a part of the criminal code, so, it should turn out great, right?  Perhaps it is time to stop tolerating this insanity and ruining kids' lives by allowing them to perpetuate fantasies that they're the other sex, which is encouraged by insane leftists with political agendas.

In Canada, Big Brother Is Ready to Raid Your Home and Steal Your Child.  We have not been crying wolf.  We have not been exaggerating the danger.  The unthinkable is now reality in Canada.  And it could be coming to America next.  In 2012, headlines announced, "Homeschooling families can't teach homosexual acts sinful in class says Alberta government."  As the article explained, "Under Alberta's new Education Act, homeschoolers and faith-based schools will not be permitted to teach that homosexual acts are sinful as part of their academic program, says the spokesperson for Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk."

Canada's New Law Lets Government Take Children Away If Parents Don't Accept Their Gender Identity.  A Canadian province has passed a law that gives rights to the government to take away children from families that don't accept their kid's chosen "gender identity" or "gender expression".  The Supporting Children, Youth and Families Act of 2017, also know as Bill 89, was passed in Ontario by a vote of 63 to 23, The Christian Times reported. [...] Minister of Child and Family Services Michael Coteau, who introduced the bill, said "I would consider that a form of abuse, when a child identifies one way and a caregiver is saying no, you need to do this differently."  "If it's abuse, and if it's within the definition, a child can be removed from that environment and placed into protection where the abuse stops."

City: You can't sell blueberries unless you affirm gay marriage.  The Tennes family has been farming in Michigan for generations.  They grow all sorts of crops at the Country Mill Farm — organic apples, blueberries, pumpkins, sweet corn.  And for the past seven years, Steve Tennes and his family have sold their produce at the farmer's market owned by the city of East Lansing.  But this year — city officials told the devout Catholic family that their blueberries and sweet corn were not welcome at the farmer's market — and neither were they.

Farmer Fined $2.8 Million for Plowing His Own Land.  It's a case that involves property rights, due process of law, constitutionally protected rights, and rule by bureaucratic fiat.  A farmer in California's Tehama County will undergo a trial this August in an attempt by the federal government and the state of California to fine him $2.8 million for failing to get a permit to plow his own field and plant wheat.  John Duarte, owner of Duarte Nursery, purchased 450 acres near Modesto in 2012 with the intention of growing wheat.  But the property included land designated "wetlands" by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Because of this, Duarte employed a consulting firm to determine which areas provided drainage for some creeks, making them "waters of the United States."  This information would enable him to avoid plowing areas that could cause conflict with governmental authorities.

Illinois Purges Social Workers And Foster Families Who Don't 'Facilitate' Transgenderism.  The science-deniers are running the LGBTQ show over at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), and dissenters will not be tolerated.  The department's new "enhanced" policies promoting the "well-being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) children and youth in the Department's care" ratchet in one direction only: encouraging children towards LGBTQ identities.  DCFS has drawn a rainbow-colored line in the sand, announcing it "will not tolerate exposing LGBTQ children and youth to staff/providers who are not supportive of children and youths' right to self-determination of sexual/gender identity."

The Editor says...
When did "self-determination of gender identity" become a right?

Farmer Faces $2.8 Million Fine For Plowing His Own Field.  A California farmer is facing a $2.8 million fine for failing to get a permit to plow his own field.  John Duarte bought 450 acres of land near Modesto in 2012 and is now being sued by the federal government for plowing near areas the government considers to be "waters of the United States."

He plowed his field; now he faces a $2.8 million fine.  A farmer faces trial in federal court this summer and a $2.8 million fine for failing to get a permit to plow his field and plant wheat in Tehama County.  A lawyer for Duarte Nursery said the case is important because it could set a precedent requiring other farmers to obtain costly, time-consuming permits just to plow.  "The case is the first time that we're aware of that says you need to get a (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) permit to plow to grow crops," said Anthony Francois, a lawyer for the Pacific Legal Foundation.  The libertarian-leaning nonprofit fights for private property rights and limited government.

A new GOP bill would make it virtually impossible to sue the police.  The bill would create new federal crimes, impose federal police over the will of local officials and voters and shield police officers from virtually any civil liability, even in cases of egregious misconduct.  Let's look first at the new federal crimes.  The bill would create new federal crimes for killing, attempting to kill or conspiring to kill a state or local law enforcement officer who works for a police agency that receives federal funding.  Because nearly all police agencies receive some sort of federal funding, including most local sheriff's departments and town police, the bill basically makes it a federal crime to kill, attempt to kill or conspire to kill any police officer (as well as any judge or first responder).  The bill would also allow for the federal death penalty in such cases, and it would impose limits on the ability of defendants to file habeas petitions in federal court after they've exhausted their appeals.

Vermont DMV Caught Using Illegal Facial Recognition Program.  The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles has been caught using facial recognition software — despite a state law preventing it.  Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont describe such a program, which uses software to compare the DMV's database of names and driver's license photos with information with state and federal law enforcement.  Vermont state law, however, specifically states that "The Department of Motor Vehicles shall not implement any procedures or processes... that involve the use of biometric identifiers."

How Reality Is Being Manufactured.  Reality is being manufactured to manipulate your emotions and actions!  In this video, Melissa Dykes of Truthstream Media brilliantly breaks down how our reality is created in the Information Age using very interesting Google Trend charts.  It used to be if you controlled the oil, you controlled the world.  Now it's if you control the information, you control the world.  That is why they are cracking down so aggressively on independent media.  [Video clip]

Former FEC Chairwoman Calls for 'Regulations' of Political Speech on the Internet.  The former Federal Election Commission chairwoman Ann M. Ravel says that political speech must be controlled on social media.  She presented her remarks in a speech at UC Berkeley, calling for regulations against "fake news."  Speaking at an event called "Future of Democracy," Ravel argued the proliferation of "fake news" and political advertising on platforms like Facebook influenced elections.  She warned that the lack of disclosure by the creators of these campaigns was becoming a huge problem.  "We know that there's a lot of campaigning that's moved to the internet, whether it's through fake news or just outright advertising and there is almost no regulation of this, very little," she said.  "And so that the disclosure that we expect as to who is behind campaigns is not going to exist soon"

Government Burglars.  The legitimate purpose of government?  It is to protect citizens from force and fraud, to defend individuals against violent and criminal attacks on their persons and property, and, beyond that, to leave them at liberty to pursue their own happiness.  Tyranny, conversely, is what we call governments that engage in force and fraud, committing violent and criminal acts against innocent people — even when those crimes are cloaked in the costume of legality.  In these United States, at this modern moment in time, which is it?  Do we live in a legitimately governed country or an abject tyranny?  Or is it somewhere in between?

The Government Doesn't Care About You.  We have reached a point in our nation's history where we have put far too much power in, trust in, and dependence on government.  Shortly after the nation was founded, government began to encroach on our freedom, making us more reliant on the federal government for our daily needs.  In recent decades, that government creep has accelerated exponentially, to the point where every single thing in our lives has some form of regulation touching it.  The more government intrudes through regulation, the fewer rights we have as individuals.

Appeals Court Says Right To Bear Arms Isn't A Right If Cops Are Banging On Your Door In The Middle Of The Night.  Qualified immunity — a legal doctrine that originates from court decisions rather than statute — received another boost from the federal court system last week.  Qualified immunity is the concept that allows overreaching and abusive government employees and officials to stay one step ahead of accountability.  If their actions don't "clearly violate" established law and/or precedent, police officers, etc. can walk away unscathed from deprivations of other people's life and liberty.

How California police are tracking your biometric data in the field.  [Scroll down]  Nine of the agencies have responded to our requests with documents, while many more claimed they didn't have any records.  Of those that did respond, most employed a digital fingerprinting device.  Facial recognition has also been widely embraced among agencies in San Diego County, with Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies close behind.  In addition, In addition, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's biometrics system includes tattoo recognition, while the Orange County Sheriff's Department is also investigating iris recognition.

Cops Given Pass For Shooting Innocent Man In His Own Home.  At issue in this case isn't whether these shootings by cop will continue in the future.  They will, and this case just makes that more likely, but judges should not be deciding cases based on their social import.  In other words, there is an objective standard against which their actions should be judged in this particular case, and that doesn't change one iota based on what may or may not happen in the future.  Judges aren't social workers, soothsayers or witchdoctors — or at least, they shouldn't be.

Cops given pass for shooting innocent man in his own apartment.  There was no warrant and no reason to suspect the apartment resident in Lake County, Florida, of a crime.  But police officers who said they were investigating a speeding motorcyclist, to which the man had no links, pounded on the door at 1:30 in the morning.  When Andrew Scott, 26, answered the door, carrying a weapon for defense because of the vigorous knocking at an unlikely hour, an officer shot and killed him.  Now, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given the officer a pass for the killing, prompting an outraged dissent from four justices on the panel.

Oregon Man Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail — for Collecting Rainwater on His Property.  A rural Oregon man was sentenced Wednesday [3/29/2017] to 30 days in jail and over $1,500 in fines because he had three reservoirs on his property to collect and use rainwater.  Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Ore., says he plans to appeal his conviction in Jackson County (Ore.) Circuit Court on nine misdemeanor charges under a 1925 law for having what state water managers called "three illegal reservoirs" on his property — and for filling the reservoirs with rainwater and snow runoff.

N.Y. bill would require people to remove 'inaccurate,' 'irrelevant,' 'inadequate' or 'excessive' statements about others.  [U]nder this bill, newspapers, scholarly works, copies of books on Google Books and Amazon, online encyclopedias (Wikipedia and others) — all would have to be censored whenever a judge and jury found (or the author expected them to find) that the speech was "no longer material to current public debate or discourse" (except when it was "related to convicted felonies" or "legal matters relating to violence" in which the subject played a "central and substantial" role).  And of course the bill contains no exception even for material of genuine historical interest; after all, such speech would have to be removed if it was "no longer material to current public debate."  [...] But the deeper problem with the bill is simply that it aims to censor what people say, under a broad, vague test based on what the government thinks the public should or shouldn't be discussing.

Today's Riot-Prone Mobs Are A Product Of America's Cult-Like Education System.  Today's street theater is the culmination of decades of radical education revision.  The radical Left's systematic attack on the study of Western Civilization has essentially been an attack against the study of any and all civil societies.  It is an attack on the features that make a society civil and free.  Those features include freedom of expression, civil discourse, the Socratic method of figuring out truth, value of the individual, and a common knowledge of the classics of history and literature that help us understand what's universal in the human experience.  All of that had to go.  Now, as we see students marching to demonize as "fascists" proponents of free speech, their ignorance is in full view.  This is really a full frontal attack on the rule of law, the Constitution, and a system of checks and balances that guards against the consolidation of centralized power.  That's the whole point of the education these students have been fed.

USDA Threatens To Shut Down Farm For Conservative Article In Break Room.  For hundreds of years, the meat-packing industry bore the responsibility for transforming Bessie the Cow into carnivores' favorite source of protein, and more recently the Food Safety and Inspection Service inspectors of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ensured that the finished product was "safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged."  Not so anymore.  Due to agency rules issued during the Obama era, FSIS inspectors enjoy expanded duties, including monitoring facilities for any "disrespectful" or "insult[ing]" communication (no, not among the animals).

Rubber stamp court:
9,400 to Zero:  For 6 Years, Spy Court Denied No Electronic Surveillance Applications.  In the last six years on record (2010-2015), the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court did not deny a single application out of the 9,400 the government submitted seeking authority "to conduct electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes" under the terms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to reports filed by the U.S. Justice Department.  The last time the court denied an electronic surveillance application under FISA was 2009.  That year, the court denied one application outright and denied another in part.

FISA Court: Whatever Obama Wanted Obama Got.  FISA became a rubber stamp for the Obama administration.  Between 2010 and 2015, FISA did not deny even one of the 9,400 applications submitted by the federal government.  These applications sought "to conduct electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes," according to reports filed by the U.S. Justice Department.  FISA Court, executive overreachWithout any real checks and balances, Obama could say, "I saw Trump drinking a Black Russian one night, ergo let's put him under investigation."  The Justice Department's annual report provides the status of their 2015 FISA requests.  The court denied a grand total of zero government FISA applications from 2010 through 2015.  However, the court did modify some applications that it approved.  And the government withdrew some of those it submitted.

U.S. Marshals Scan Passenger Retinas to Board Flight.  During the war on terrorism, Americans compromised their liberties to fight for freedom.  Now, during the war on immigration, Americans will again be compelled to sacrifice liberties for American sovereignty.  In the name of security, anywhere, anytime.  All measures will be justified, everyone will be authorized and the population will be controlled.

This Is How Free Speech Slowly Dies.  [Scroll down]  The result is a world like many Americans live in today, where they keep their mouths shut at work, they keep a tight rein on their social-media feeds, and they confine their true opinions to the most private forms of communication.  This culture isn't everywhere, of course, but ask conservative employees in entire areas of public- and private-sector employment if they're as free to speak as their progressive colleagues, and the answer is a resounding "No."  How free are they to disagree with their diversity trainer?  Can they argue against same-sex marriage with the same vehemence that their colleagues ask for "marriage equality"?  Are they as free to discuss, say, the border wall or Trump's executive order on immigration as their progressive friends?  One thing I can say for certain, I have conservative friends who are afraid to test the proposition.  They have mortgages to pay.

The Illusion of Freedom:  The Police State Is Alive and Well.  Anytime you have an entire nation so mesmerized by the antics of the political ruling class that they are oblivious to all else, you'd better beware.  Anytime you have a government that operates in the shadows, speaks in a language of force, and rules by fiat, you'd better beware.  And anytime you have a government so far removed from its people as to ensure that they are never seen, heard or heeded by those elected to represent them, you'd better beware. [...] The gravest threat facing us as a nation is not extremism — delivered by way of sovereign citizens or radicalized Muslims — but despotism, exercised by a ruling class whose only allegiance is to power and money.

Texas bill seeks to label attacks against first responders as a hate crime.  The father of a Dallas police officer murdered in the July ambush says he fully supports a sweeping new hate crime bill.  The father of Patrick Zamarripa says he wants his son's murder to have a purpose and hope a Texas bill, designed to protect first responders, does that.  Rick Zamarripa knows nothing he does will bring his son back.  But he hopes by pushing new legislation to make attacking police officers a hate crime will give his son's death meaning.

The Editor says...
I'm very sorry that Officer Zamarripa was amushed and killed, along with four other officers, but legislation of this sort means that "first responders" will be first-class citizens and everyone else will be something less.

The Real Force Chipping Away at Your Right to Speak Your Mind.  As odious as they are, campus speech codes and angry rioting leftists are not the biggest threat to most Americans' free speech.  No, the much more common and insidious threat to the average American is their employer's human resources department freaking out about a social-media post done off the clock.  Alexandria Brown suggested the actual threat to an American's free speech rights is someone else reporting their off-the-clock private social media posts to the employer's HR department. [...] We're creeping closer to a society and an economy where holding a sufficiently controversial opinion or making a sufficiently controversial remark makes you unemployable or barely employable.

A legal analysis of the Ninth Circuit's dangerous usurpation of presidential power.  What we have here is a creeping constitutional coup.  As long as President Obama was in charge and had a massive open-door policy at our borders and at our airports, in violation of statutory law, the judiciary was content to be silent.  But when Donald Trump became president and tried to use the powers of the presidency to put some national security safeguards into place, the judiciary sprang into action.  The judiciary has usurped the executive branch's powers and has created a parallel constitution — one that bears no relation to the founding document of our nation.

Trump Is Right.  Churches Should Be Free To Express Themselves Politically.  In 1954, Sen. Lyndon Johnson, worried about opposition at home, came up with an amendment to the Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) that prohibited campaign speech by nonprofits and tax-exempt churches.  There was no floor debate on the law, and one assumes, those voting for it saw little downside in quashing church criticism in their own states.  One also imagines that the folks writing the First Amendment didn't expect their pastors would be monitored by a central government agency and forced to watch what they say in the pulpit.  Yet, ignoring our rich tradition of religious activism, which includes the abolitionist movement, we've normalized the idea that pastors, priests, and rabbis should avoid talking about candidates, even when those candidates attack foundational ideas of faith.  We now task the IRS with monitoring every utterance in every church by every religious organization in the United States, and then deciding which of those thoughts constitute acceptable speech or "issue advocacy."

Hate Crime Laws Codify Inequality.  Because hate crime laws elevate some victims above others, their scope tends to expand over time.  If race and religion are covered, doesn't fairness demand that disability, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity be included as well?  A Louisiana law that took effect last summer classifies attacks on police officers, firefighters, or paramedics as hate crimes too.  Similar "Blue Lives Matter" bills have been introduced in several other states.  This unseemly competition, in which interest groups vie for recognition and status, has very little to do with justice, which requires equal treatment under the law.

Oregon Couple Told They Have No Water Rights, Forced to Destroy Their Own Pond.  Remember the Oregon 'Rain Man' or Gary Harrington — who was sent to 30 days in Jackson County Jail and slapped with a $1,500 fine for collecting rainwater on his 170-acre property?  He was ordered to breach his dams and drain his ponds that held more than 13 million gallons of water, enough to fill 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools.  Now, an Oregon couple faces a similar fate as Gary Harrington because the rain belongs to the overbearing government, because corporate greed claims water is not a human right, and because Americans are not entitled to do what they please on their private property.

Army, Navy, Air Force, EPA.  During the period covered by the Open the Books report, EPA spent over $3 million on military equipment, including guns and ammo, tanks, drones, helicopters, camouflage, night-vision goggles, and other military hardware. [...] Other agencies with military-style equipment and cops include the Department of Commerce, Internal Revenue Service, Food and Drug Administration, and the Smithsonian Institution (guards to protect museum artifacts are one thing, but drones, helicopters, and SWAT teams?).  The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland has its own cops with a fleet of Crown Victoria police cars, as do the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Library of Congress, National Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Fisheries Service, and even the Government Printing Office.  Do all these agencies really need police with guns, badges, arresting authority, and military equipment?

EPA May Crack Down on Wood Stoves in Alaska.  Many Alaskans rely on wood-burning stoves, which left-wing bureaucrats regard as offensive to environment. [...] A few weeks ago, it got down to -37°F in Fairbanks.  The high for the day was -27°F.  But never mind keeping warm.  According to liberal theory, global warming will see to that.  The important thing is to comply with the dictates of the regulatory bureaucracy.

EPA To Alaskans In Sub-Zero Temps:  Stop Burning Wood To Keep Warm.  [Scroll down]  But alas, now comes the federal government to tell the inhabitants of Alaska's interior that, really, they should not be building fires to keep themselves warm during the winter.  The New York Times reports the Environmental Protection Agency could soon declare the Alaskan cities of Fairbanks and North Pole, which have a combined population of about 100,000, in "serious" noncompliance of the Clean Air Act early next year.  Like most people in Alaska, the residents of those frozen cities are burning wood to keep themselves warm this winter.  Smoke from wood-burning stoves increases small-particle pollution, which settles in low-lying areas and can be breathed in.  The EPA thinks this is a big problem.  Eight years ago, the agency ruled that wide swaths of the most densely populated parts of the region were in "non-attainment" of federal air quality standards.

EPA To Alaskans:  We Might Fine You For Burning Wood To Stay Warm.  Well, in the Alaskan interior, winters can be brutal.  With temperatures dropping below zero, burning wood is the only viable way for Alaskans in these rather desolate areas to stay warm.  Yet, government thinks this is a problem concerning small-particle pollution.  In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency is so concerned that they're mulling fining people who burn wood to stay warm.

Obama Administration Yanks Second Amendment Rights from SSI Recipients.  Last week, the Obama administration put the finishing touches on a new policy that would deprive recipients of disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) of their Second Amendment rights.  The administration will now characterize those citizens as "mental defectives," thereby having their ability to own a firearm subject to the federal Gun Control Act.  Supplemental Security Income helps blind, disabled, and elderly people with little to no income.  Previously, it was understood that "mentally defective" referred to one's mental health.  Citizens who have been institutionalized against their will are restricted from owning a firearm.  The new definition of "mentally defective" has nothing to do with being mentally ill.

Obama Quietly Signs Bill Declaring War On Independent Media.  The human wrecking ball that is Barack Obama is refusing to be a good lame duck and just go away.  In a flurry of blows to America and a key Middle East ally, Obama stabbed Israel in the back at the United Nations and set the conditions for a total war on independent media.  The fiendish Obama waited until the Christmas weekend to quietly sign off on the creation of a new federal entity to combat "Russian" propaganda and target websites deemed to be sources of fake news.  Snuggled warmly within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to fund the military was a nasty and secretive provision that thanks to Congress, creates an Orwellian Ministry of Truth.

Obama Quietly Signs the "Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act" Into Law.  Late on Friday [12/23/2016], with the US population embracing the upcoming holidays and oblivious of most news emerging from the administration, Obama quietly signed into law the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which authorizes $611 billion for the military in 2017. [...] But while the passage of the NDAA — and the funding of the US military — was hardly a surprise, the biggest news is what was buried deep inside the provisions of the Defense Authortization Act.  Recall that as we reported in early June, "a bill to implement the U.S.' very own de facto Ministry of Truth had been quietly introduced in Congress.  As with any legislation attempting to dodge the public spotlight the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016 marks a further curtailment of press freedom and another avenue to stultify avenues of accurate information.

A Hostile Environment For Truth.  [Scroll down]  There is no way for the owner of a website to know the absolute validity of any information found on the Internet then transmitted to the public.  In fact, without being able to go back and look at H.R. 6480, I would not know for sure that what I had heard was true.  What is known is that any website might fall under the clause (H.R. 6480, Sec 501(a)(1)(A-F)) without knowledge and be held legally culpable.  The thing I find odd about this clause is that it singles out Russia, rather than the more common "by foreign nations."  This has political intent and is not designed to enhance national security, rather it is designed to enhance political security.  It is not just the Democrat leftists who seek protection from the truth, the Republican globalists are shocked, scared and desperate.  If the media establishment cannot control the narrative for globalism, they are in trouble, so they agree with this Title and clause to intimidate websites that call them out for their distortions and extortions.  Trump and his election signals a victory for the unwashed and the globalists are already fighting back in every way they can.  The war has begun and the first battlefield is the Internet.

Very Stupid Idea Arises From Florida.  A government lawyer in Florida would like courts to impose community service and forced speech on you if you're unpleasant, and a prominent Florida newspaper is taking it seriously. [...] I'm not a fan of lunatics shouting at barristas about Donald Trump.  But honestly, I am far more offended by lawyers — especially government lawyers — promoting civic illiteracy by proposing patently unconstitutional policies.

Senate Quietly Passes The "Countering Disinformation And Propaganda Act".  While we wait to see if and when the Senate will pass (and president will sign) Bill "H.R. 6393, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017", which was passed by the House at the end of November with an overwhelming majority and which seeks to crack down on websites suspected of conducting Russian propaganda and calling for the US government to "counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence ... carried out in coordination with, or at the behest of, political leaders or the security services of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Federation has been hidden or not acknowledged publicly," another, perhaps even more dangerous and limiting to civil rights and freedom of speech bill passed on December 8.  Recall that as we reported in early June, "a bill to implement the U.S.' very own de facto Ministry of Truth has been quietly introduced in Congress.  As with any legislation attempting to dodge the public spotlight the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act of 2016 marks a further curtailment of press freedom and another avenue to stultify avenues of accurate information.

Trump will get power to text all Americans.  President-elect Donald Trump will have access to a system that can send unblockable texts to every phone in the US once he takes the oath of office.  Wireless Emergency Alerts are part of a program created by a 2006 act of Congress.  WEAs can be targeted messages sent to all mobile phones in a particular area, like Amber alerts, or to all phones nationally, like an alert issued by the president, according to a report by New York Magazine's Select/All blog.  The Trump office didn't immediately return a request seeking comment as to how the incoming president might use the system.  The FCC, which provides a guide to the WEA program, also didn't respond to a request for comment.

The State Wants to Raise Your Child.  The state's intervention into everyday life can be worrisome, whether it's a new tax policy, a new environmental regulation, or more government surveillance.  But it's something people can usually live with.  But in her new book, No Child Left Alone, Abby W. Schachter delves into how the federal government has been meddling in the bedrock of human society:  the family.  Whether it's letting your child stay home, packing your child's lunch, or sending your child to daycare, the federal government wants control.  Schachter discusses how the state's involvement has impacted the mental and physical development of children as well as how it strips away the rights of the parents to raise their children as they see fit.

Bureaucratic Tyranny in Trump's Crosshairs.  We have a VA that purposely lets vets die without medical care.  We have an EPA at war with the energy industry.  The Department of Education threatens public schools with loss of federal funds and mandates progressive lies about American history, teaching generations of schoolchildren to be ashamed of America and ignorant of our Constitution and our forefathers.  Universities are forced by the DOJ to hire feminist and racialist thought police under an Obama bureaucrat's interpretation of the Civil Rights Act.  We have an IRS that has a political enemies list its employees punish at the behest of Democrats.  Homeland Security and FBI are under a gag order that forbids them to use the term jihad or Islamic extremism.  Everywhere we look, regulations are strangling business, intruding into the personal lives and property rights of ordinary citizens.

People's Cube Artist Faces 5 Years in Prison for Hanging Up Anti-Terror Posters at GMU.  The artistic genius behind the highly acclaimed conservative satirical site The People's Cube has been arrested and released on $8,000 bail for putting up pro-Israel posters to combat a pro-Islamist conference at George Mason University.  He now faces the prospect of five years in prison for allegedly committing a "class 6 felony."  Beloved satirist Oleg Atbashian (who has contributed to PJ Media) has gotten in trouble for defying authorities before:  "Back in my Soviet dissident days, when I was collecting signatures in defense of Andrei Sakharov, I was screamed at, threatened, and lectured by the KGB and Communist functionaries," Oleg says.  "What I never imagined was that in the United States, the land of the free, I would not only be subjected to similar treatment, but go to jail."

Who Knew It Was A Crime To Hang Anti-Terrorism Posters?  My friend and compatriot Oleg Atbashian found that out the hard way.  Imagine my surprise this morning to find out he had been roughed up and arrested in Fairfax, Virginia.  His crime was hanging anti-terrorism posters on the university campus.  Oh, and bonus... he wasn't even read his rights.  He is now out on $8,000 bail for putting up pro-Israel posters to combat a pro-Islamist conference at George Mason University.  He faces the very real prospect of five years in prison for allegedly committing a "class 6 felony."  Oleg is an artistic genius.  His satirical site, The People's Cube, is one of the very best out there.  Oleg did the graphics for NoisyRoom and has done work for Trevor Loudon and Cliff Kincaid as well.  He is a member of a small circle of commie hunters out there.  We all have very long memories and we take it very personally when one of our own is treated like this.

Obama Quietly Signs Executive Order To Advance Global Vaccination Agenda.  So basically, the agenda is to push vaccines and normalize quarantine procedures across nations during outbreaks. [...] Bill Gates provided the CDC with a surveillance tool that helps identify "district-level measles risk" based on immunization records.  What's more, the HHS recently proposed giving the CDC the power to detain and quarantine people without due Process.

Single Mom Faces Jail Time After Participating in Facebook Food Group.  A Stockton woman faces an impending trial and potential jail time after she joined a social media community food group, and sold some of the meals she cooked, which county San Joaquin County officials say is against the law.  Mariza Reulas was cited by San Joaquin County for selling an illegal substance, but it wasn't a powder, a pill or a plant.  It was her bowl of homemade ceviche.  "It was just like unreal that they were saying you could face up to a year in jail," said Reulas.

State demands pastor turn over sermons, notes.  The state of Georgia is demanding copies of the sermons and related notes of a lay pastor who was fired by the Department of Public Health after it investigated what he said in his church.  But Dr. Eric Walsh is resisting, issuing a statement via his legal team that he will not comply with the demand from state lawyers.  The state's demand is in response to a lawsuit filed by Walsh against the Department of Health charging discrimination based on his religion and other civil rights violations.

Hillary Clinton Is The Greatest Threat to the Second Amendment Ever.  Law-abiding gun owners are preparing for what the Founding Fathers warned us about:  a tyrannical government that is out to limit our Constitutional rights.  We're stocking up on our guns and ammo, and not without good reason.

How The Cloward-Piven Strategy Is Driving The United States To Collapse.  Since Obama took office in 2008, the political elite has tried everything from smuggling illegal guns to Mexican drug cartels, attempting to make ammunition expensive through regulation to convincing banks to refuse to extend credit or loans to gun store owners.  Schemes like these are intended to make gun ownership such an impossible venture, that eventually no one will own any, thereby making any attempts to establish a hard tyranny slightly easier.  Although disarming law abiding Americans is an important step in implementing the Cloward-Piven strategy, the political elite must also establish an enforcement mechanism for the new government they intend to create.  Coincidentally, over the past five years, reports of numerous and excessively large transactions have occurred between federal agencies and ammunition manufacturers.  While some agencies need ammunition for training purposes and to do their jobs, why do agencies such as the EPA or the Department of Education ammunition and weapons as well, especially in an era where there isn't even enough for the military?  One possible answer to this vexing question is that even if the political elite succeeds in gutting the military completely, they likely don't trust the average soldier or Marine to carry out orders for a hard tyranny.  Therefore, the political elite likely intends to use federal agencies to carry out tyrannical orders, all in the name of "law enforcement".  If this is the case, it would likely explain the comments made by President Obama during a speech he made in Colorado, where he argued for a domestic force that was equally as well-equipped and funded as the military.

Obama Calls for 'Truthiness Tests' for Media Companies.  President Barack Obama floated the notion of a test for media organizations, griping about the wide-spread existence of alternative media available in America.  He was critical of the current Wild West online environment where people could say anything on social media or on news websites.  "We are going to have to rebuild within this wild-wild-west-of-information flow some sort of curating function that people agree to," he said.

Eric Holder named to lead effort to destroy GOP after Hillary wins the presidency.  This election is for keeps:  plans are being implemented, with President Obama already signed on, staff hired, and money being raised.  Perhaps lulled into complacency by the MSM polls, the Democrats have already constructed and staffed their strategy to permanently disable the Republican Party.  Eric Holder is the perfect henchman, a man above nothing in his quest for political dominance, unbound by old-fashioned concepts of justice.  The GOP will remain in existence as the token opposition, useful for legitimizing the actual one-party regime, the essential element of the election rituals reminding us of the Republic we once enjoyed.

Podesta Pal:  We 'Conspire to Produce an Unaware and Compliant Citizenry'.  One of John Podesta's emails released by WikiLeaks this week exposes how progressive elites seek to exploit the unwashed masses.  The email features one of Podesta's colleagues from the Center for American Progress admitting that the institutional left "conspires to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry," ostensibly to impose their radical agenda on us without much resistance.  The correspondent is Bill Ivey of Global Cultural Strategies, "the online representation of the ideas, writings, and affiliations of author/consultant Bill Ivey."  He is an author trained in folklore and history, a trustee of the Center for American Progress, a former team leader in the Barack Obama presidential transition in 2008, and the former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts in the Clinton administration.

The All-Out Assault on the First Amendment.  From the IRS targeting conservative groups to those trying to limit the ability of Americans to freely practice their religious beliefs, to membership organizations being forced to disclose their donors, the First Amendment is being assaulted on all sides.  Americans are familiar with the recent attacks on religious liberty, present in everything from forcing religious business owners to oyer abortion-inducing drugs and perform same-sex wedding services that violate their fundamental beliefs to the exclusion of churches from secular public projects.  Cases questioning the government's encroachment on religious liberty continue to come before the U.S. Supreme Court, [...]

Pentagon joins Homeland, FBI in eyeing oversight, control of elections.  Concerns about Russian hacking into the November 8 election have now reached the Pentagon where the military's top cyber official has outlined a plan to help the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to track an election altering attack.  What's more, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, has added his voice to that of Homeland Secretary Jeh Johnson who is considering whether the election system is critical infrastructure, like the power grid and financial sector, and subject to federal oversight.

Clinton Camp "Demands" "Compliant Citizenry" for Her Master Plan.  An email released in the recent Wikileaks dump laid out Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's real plan for the future — and it didn't include justice, equality or fairness.  Instead, Clinton's plan for the future revolved around maintaining political power while working to create an "unaware" and "compliant" citizenry.  The email came from Bill Ivey, who was appointed Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts during President Bill Clinton's second term.  It was sent to Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta on March 13, 2016.

Kansas woman who claimed police told her to stop praying in her home fights court ruling.  [Mary Anne] Sause, a retired Catholic nurse on disability and rape survivor, was at home on the night of Nov. 22, 2013, when two police officers approached her door and demanded to be allowed in.  Sause said the officers did not identify themselves, and she could not see them through her broken peephole, so she did not open her door.  The officers left, but returned later and demanded that Sause let them in.  When Sause came to the door and the officers asked why she didn't answer the first time, she showed them a copy of a pocket Constitution given to her by her congressman.  One officer laughed and said, "That's just a piece of paper" that "doesn't work here," while still not explaining the reason for their presence at her home.

Federal Agents Can Secretly Read Every E-mail of Every American.  Not only is the federal government able to read every e-mail ever sent by every American regardless of any reasonable belief that the target has committed any crime, they have these decisions upheld by secret courts where the owner of the e-mails has no right to question the accusers.  How did the federal government get this power?  They were given it by federal judges who allowed the government to define "premises" in a clever, crafty, and contemptuous way.

A Banana Republic, If We Choose to Keep It.  ## In court documents made public in 2002, an IRS official admitted that legal opponents of former President Bill Clinton were singled out for tax audits, including 10 more than 20 conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and American Spectator magazine, as well as a number of individual Clinton accusers, like Paula Jones and Gennifer Flowers.  If Hillary wins, she brings Bill with her to the White House.

Global Bureaucrats Invited By Obama To Inspect US Elections.  Hundreds of foreigners are expected to enter America within the next month in order to observe the American electoral process.  The United States sends representatives to other nations with dubious democratic processes to survey the voting systems and look for fraudulent practices.  But now it seems that America is the one being inspected and scrutinized.  With the help of President Barack Obama, the Organization of American States (OAS) will send roughly 30 to 40 spectators to polling locations across the country for the first time ever, according to The Washington Post.  The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been consigning a small contingent of bystanders to U.S. elections since 2002, but this time it plans to send extra reinforcements.

FEC war:  Dems reject call to protect Internet news, talk radio from regs.  In the latest partisan escalation on the Federal Election Commission, a top Democratic commissioner has ripped a Republican commissioner's bid to protect books, radio and Internet media from regulation as "pitiful."  Ann Ravel, a former FEC chairwoman, joined other Democrats at a meeting this month to block Republican Lee Goodman's proposal to explicitly expand the "press exemption" from regulations to books, satellite radio and Internet-based news media.

No More Accidental Criminals.  Consider the retiree on a snowmobile outing in Colorado who got lost in a blizzard and unwittingly crossed into a National Forest Wilderness Area; the Native Alaskan trapper who sold 10 sea otters to a buyer he mistakenly believed was also a Native Alaskan; and the 11-year-old Virginia girl who rescued a baby woodpecker from her cat.  The first two incidents resulted in misdemeanor and felony convictions, respectively, while the third led to a fine (later rescinded) and threats of prosecution.  All three qualify as federal crimes, even though the perpetrators had no idea they were breaking the law.  The federal code contains something like 5,000 criminal statutes and describes an estimated 30,000 regulatory violations that can be treated as crimes.

Legislation Without Representation — A 2016 Perspective.  [Scroll down]  The analogy is a critical frame of reference because the time for wondering about "what if" has passed.  We have already destroyed the tea.  There is no retreat from this moment, and more importantly, we have nothing left to lose.  There are many who use a frame of reference about 'saving a constitutional republic'; while I do not mean to be dismissive of this benevolent sensibility — in case you have not been paying attention we've long since passed the threshold of that possibility.  The architecture of our own U.S. government is now operating independent of the electorate (Obamacare, Omnibus etc.).  Congress is consistently passing legislation without appropriate representation (PR Bailout, Ominbus, Corker/Cardin amendment, Fast-Track Trade Authorization etc.), and the various operational constructs, divisions, and agencies within the DC UniParty are now fully weaponized against us (IRS targeting, FBI Comey/email non-finding, etc.).

Hillary's Talk of 'Implicit Bias' Should Scare Every American.  You're guilty and you don't know it.  Sure, you think you're a decent person who treats people fairly, judging them on the content of their character and not the color of the skin.  But let's face it:  You're deluded.  Especially if you happen to be white, you're biased and you don't even know it.  You're unaware of your own privilege, and of the extent to which your beliefs, speech, and even mannerisms oppress people of color.  It's time to confess.  It's time to be re-educated.  It's time to rid yourself of your false consciousness.  This is the message of the modern campus radical, of the diversity trainer, and, increasingly, of the Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton.

Police use TEN different types of checkpoints, with more on the way.  Police and the Border Patrol are using 'general crime control checkpoints' to harass and detain motorists across the country. [...] Sixteen years ago, the Supreme Court held that checkpoints established for general crime control purposes are unconstitutional.  So why are police and the Border Patrol stopping innocent motorists?  DHS admits DUI checkpoints are REALLY about checking a person's immigration status.

Pulling the Plug on America.  When the president, the attorney general, the director of the FBI, et al. have conspired to not merely shield a crook from prosecution, but elect her to the highest office in the land, they resemble mobsters who use bribes, threats, and murder to expand their criminal syndicate.  What the Founding Fathers put together is now on life support, and the grasping fingers of criminal collusion and left-wing dogma are about to pull the plug.

Obama's America — transformed indeed.  More Americans than ever now mistrust government.  And although such skepticism can be good, it is not healthy that citizens feel they are neither listened to nor represented by those in power.  Our divided country's rare consensus that Washington can't be trusted has much to do with President Obama.  His failures have taken the hammer to several quaint 20th-century assumptions.  The public no longer believes politicians understand how economies work, or that government has practical solutions to ordinary people's problems.

Nationalizing U.S. Elections — Obama's Most Dangerous Idea?  Not content with taking over health care and virtually nationalizing the financial markets, the Obama administration has another in a long line of great ideas:  Let's put our election system under federal control, too.  It's a terrible idea for which there are vastly better alternatives.

Why Democrats aren't serious about overcriminalization.  Among other things the Democrats want to change policing policy, reform the prisons, reduce sentences, and eliminate the death penalty.  All that is typical fare for Democrats.  But the Democrats don't care a bit about the more foundational issue of who is labeled a "criminal" in the first place.  Their platform says nothing about the average American who accidentally stumbles over an arcane regulatory tripwire, makes a simple mistake of fact, or commits the "crime" of holding an unlicensed croquet game in a national park.  They totally ignore the rapidly-growing tangle of federal criminal laws and the maze of criminally-enforceable administrative regulations, which are estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands.

'Pre-Search' Is Coming to U.S. Policing.  News that the city of Baltimore has been under surreptitious, mass-scale camera surveillance will have ramifications across the criminal justice world.  When it comes to constitutional criminal procedure, privacy, and the Fourth Amendment, it's time to get ready for the concept of "pre-search." [...] Since January, police in Baltimore have been testing an aerial surveillance system developed for military use in Iraq.  The system records visible activity across an area as wide as thirty square miles for as much as ten hours at a time.  Police can use it to work backward from an event, watching the comings and goings of people and cars to develop leads about who was involved. [...] But the technology collects images of everyone and everything.  From people in their backyards to anyone going from home to work, to the psychologist's or marriage counselor's office, to meetings with lawyers or advocacy groups, and to public protests.

Homeland Security to Take Over Elections.  The Washington Examiner reported that the Department of Homeland Security is considering taking control of elections by declaring them "critical infrastructure." [...] The federal government never wastes a good crisis to gain more power, and this is no exception.  Officials are already talking about speeding up the process in the wake of election cyber attacks:  Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said, "We should carefully consider whether our election system, our election process, is critical infrastructure like the financial sector, like the power grid."

Homeland eyes special declaration to take charge of elections.  Even before the FBI identified new cyber attacks on two separate state election boards, the Department of Homeland Security began considering declaring the election a "critical infrastructure," giving it the same control over security it has over Wall Street and and the electric power grid.  The latest admissions of attacks could speed up that effort possibly including the upcoming presidential election, according to officials.  "We should carefully consider whether our election system, our election process, is critical infrastructure like the financial sector, like the power grid," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said.

Regulators Are Running Amok.  Late last week, the Transportation Department issued a proposed rule that would require new commercial trucks and buses to have speed-limiting devices installed in them.  The government says the move is about increasing safety and reducing emissions, but what it's really about is showing how federal regulators can pretty much do whatever they want these days.

The Enemy Is Us.  Your government is on red alert:  between 2006 and 2014, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), an agency of the Department of Agriculture, spent nearly $4.8 million to purchase shotguns, propane cannons, liquid explosives, pyro supplies, drones, thermal imaging cameras, and more. [...] This is one of many revelations found in a new investigative report titled "The Militarization of America:  Non-Military Federal Agencies Purchases of Guns, Ammo, and Military-style Equipment" published by American Transparency, a nonpartisan watchdog group.  Former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), chairman of the organization, points out that, "In the nine years until 2014, we found 67 agencies unaffiliated with the Defense Department bought $1.48 billion in weapons and ammunition.  Of this total, $335.1 million was spent by agencies traditionally viewed as regulatory or administrative, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the US Mint."

Voting machines should be seen as critical democracy infrastructure.  At the Open Source Election Technology Foundation (OSET), a 10-year old Silicon Valley based nonprofit election technology research institute, we are encouraged by valuable dialog underway about how to protect America's aging and vulnerable voting machinery and evolve our systems with technology for ease and confidence.  Setting aside some misunderstanding about the challenges elections officials face in administering a nationwide patchwork quilt of election technology, there is a critical mass on the left and the right discussing how to protect our "critical democracy infrastructure."

Obama Administration Plotting to Usurp Control Over Elections.  Under the guise of providing increased "security" for "critical infrastructure," the Obama administration is plotting to insert itself and the federal government into the American elections process.  While voting is constitutionally the responsibility of state and local officials, Obama's Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson, pointed to the alleged threat of cyberattacks to justify the latest proposed usurpation of power.  The controversial scheme was floated amid growing national concerns, fueled in part by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's warnings of a "rigged" election, that America's electoral system might be vulnerable to major manipulation.  Critics and experts, though, warned that the White House scheming may be a first step toward illegally nationalizing the electoral process — with all the dangers that would entail.

Having solved all other energy problems...
DOE Imposes Efficiency Regulations on Wine Chillers.  The Department of Energy (DOE) has now developed an energy efficiency regulation specific to wine coolers.  On July 15, DOE released a final rule requiring manufacturers to test the energy efficiency of refrigerators used for wine.  It estimated the rule would cost the average small business $12,500 to test whether their equipment meets specifications.  While DOE said the $12,500 testing cost is "unlikely to represent a significant economic impact for small businesses," it did not address the costs to or impact on individual consumers who have or might purchase wine chillers for their homes.  The regulation set standards for temperature settings and energy use for 'coolers' with one or more doors, capable of maintaining compartment temperatures either no lower than 39°F, or in a range that extends no lower than 37°F but at least as high as 60°F," according to the final rule.  The temperature for wine chillers should be 55 degrees under the new rules, the DOE said.

NY bill would make assaulting a cop a hate crime.  Violence against police officers prompted a New York state lawmaker to draft a bill that would make it a hate crime to assault a police officer anywhere in New York.  It comes after recent murders of cops in Dallas and Baton Rouge.  Those who support it say the measure is needed to further deter people from attacking men and women in blue.

Martial Law Coming?  How much violence against authority would it take for President Obama to declare martial law and stay in power?  Less than you think.  Television coverage will make every act of violence seem a hundred times worse than it is.  I don't predict that we will see martial law in this country.  But all of the ingredients are in place.

We Thought We Were Free.  The America we live in, our nation, our people, our society, is not the America most of us were born in at all. [...] The transformation has occurred through the slowly creeping separation of not only the government from the people, but the people themselves from their country.  It has taken place so gradually and so insensibly that the majority of Americans, preoccupied with the latest crisis happening in their own lives, have failed to see the slow motion underneath of the whole process of our government and the spirit of our country growing more and more remote.

There Will Be No Second American Revolution:  The Futility Of An Armed Revolt.  We are poised at what seems to be the pinnacle of a manufactured breakdown, with police shooting unarmed citizens, snipers shooting police, global and domestic violence rising, and a political showdown between two presidential candidates equally matched in unpopularity. [...] For instance, anticipating civil unrest and mass demonstrations in connection with the Republican Party convention, Cleveland officials set up makeshift prisons, extra courtrooms to handle protesters, and shut down a local university in order to house 1,700 riot police and their weapons.  The city's courts are preparing to process up to 1,000 people a day.  Additionally, the FBI has also been conducting "interviews" with activists in advance of the conventions to discourage them from engaging in protests.  Make no mistake, the government is ready for a civil uprising.

Is government preparing for a new war?  [Scroll down]  Perhaps it's propaganda, maybe simple rumors, so take it with a grain of salt.  However, I have gained information on this matter from several sources, a few very hard to question.  This is about rather small military vehicles, apparently a bit smaller than a three-quarter ton, but containing armor on the sides.  According to reports, a rather long train carrying nothing other than such vehicles was observed in the West.

Federal Government Says a Farmer Broke the Law by Plowing His Land.  Earlier this month a federal court in California ruled that a farmer plowing his land without a permit from the federal government is breaking the law.  In 2013, the Army Corps of Engineers, without any notice or due process, ordered the owners of Duarte Nursery to cease use of their land for allegedly violating the Clean Water Act (CWA).  The violation:  plowing.  The California court agreed with the federal government's action, despite the fact the CWA specifically exempts normal agricultural activities like plowing from regulation.  This overreaching assertion of federal power is not an isolated incident.  For decades, the EPA and the Army Corps have aggressively sought to stretch the bounds of the CWA.  When Congress passed the CWA, the federal government was given regulatory authority over "navigable waters," which the statute additionally defines as "waters of the United States."  While the word navigable may seem to have an obvious meaning to most Americans as bodies of water that can be navigated by watercraft, federal bureaucrats have identified these terms as a license for a massive regulatory land grab.

These three FEC commissioners must be removed from office.  Democratic senators are now trying to weaken Second, Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights in their push for new gun laws.  They also controversially voted in 2014 to weaken the First Amendment, specifically to let both Congress and state legislators regulate political speech.  Yet even they have not yet dared to launch an attack on the freedom of the press.  But their fellow partisans on the Federal Election Commission do not scruple to take such a step.  They are completely out of control; they voted, it was revealed Wednesday [6/29/2016], to regulate the press and the editorial judgment of its members.  After years of chomping at the bit to go after conservative bloggers and aggregators on the internet, the three Democratic commissioners on the FEC went even further with an unprecedented effort to insert themselves into a cable news network's editorial judgment.

Cafe told to remove 'God Bless America' banner.  [Scroll down]  You would think most folks would appreciate the sentiment behind "God Bless America."  Lord knows we need it.  But rules are rules and the town board does not seem interested in accommodating Jennifer [Aquino]'s patriotic banner.  "The fact that I'm being asked to take it down is wrong," she said.  "It's against my First Amendment rights.  People need to open up their eyes.  If we start letting them tell us we can't do this — it's going to get worse."  Lots of folks seem to agree with Jennifer's sentiment.  Hundreds and hundreds of supporters have posted messages on the café's Facebook page and several customers have dropped off money — to help pay for any fines.  Jennifer tells me she never imagined there would be a day like this in America.

What Is The Government Preparing For?  You may not be getting prepared for a major national disaster, but the government sure is.  I have been informed that in recent months numerous emergency food companies have been contacted by the government, and they have been told that their inventories could potentially be seized in the event of a significant emergency.  And as you will see below, the government recently participated in an exercise that simulated "an unprecedented global food crisis lasting as long as a decade".  In addition, NPR has just revealed details about the very secretive Strategic National Stockpile program that is storing billions of dollars worth of medical supplies in warehouses around the nation.  This is a program that most Americans do not even know exists.  On top of everything else, strange reports of military vehicles with UN markings have been coming in from all over the nation.  So what in the world is the government up to?  Why are they working so feverishly hard to get prepared?

FEMA Contractor:  Unrest After 395% Food Price Spike Coming Soon.  Preparations by various cogs of the national security complex, including FEMA, indicate a coming worldwide food shortage — and a resulting crisis marked by extreme civil unrest around the globe.  As Motherboard noted of two reports published previously by CNA Corporation, but which largely escaped attention, the world's food supply could be insufficient to maintain even current populations much further into the future.  And the crisis — which several factors indicate may already be underway — may begin to worsen considerably as early as 2020.

Why Our Leaders Won't Name The Enemy.  [Scroll down]  The real reason that our leaders won't name the enemy is that they don't like us and they don't trust us.  Running through their heads are nightmare scenarios like Brexit and Trump.  They see their job as shepherding us away from our "worst impulses" toward a proper role within the global community.  They are quite capable of recognizing Islamic terrorism for what it is.  They may not be terribly bright, but people in their positions have more than enough access to information for the conclusions to be inescapable.  But they are determined not to allow Islamic terrorism to disrupt their larger plans for us.  It isn't another 9/11 or 7/7 that worries them, but a resurgence of nationalism in response to it.  That is why they will lie, mislead and even criminalize any dissent.  Their response to every Islamic terrorist attack is to make us feel responsible, ashamed and helpless by transforming Muslims into the victims.  For these same reasons they will push mass Muslim migration no matter what the terror risks are.  They will champion the hijab, even though they know it harms Muslim women.  Why?  Because these policies undermine our values and transform our countries.  And that is their overriding agenda above all else.  That is what we are up against.

America's Constitutional System is Hanging By a Thread.  [Scroll down]  What today means is separation of powers is hanging by a thread.  That is, our constitutional system is hanging by a thread, and the greatest fear that the Framers had:  this concentrated power in a centralized government is here.  You're staring at it.

After Trying to Kill 1st, Democrats Move on to 2nd and 5th Amendments.  In September of 2014, Senate Democrats voted to repeal the First Amendment.  They were enraged by a Supreme Court decision holding that ordinary constitutional protections for free speech prohibited the government from punishing political activists who had shown a film critical of Hillary Rodham Clinton in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.  This was a straightforward case of classical political speech — critics of Mrs. Clinton arguing that she'd make a poor president and distributing a film making that case — and Democrats, including every single Democrat in the Senate, insisted that that isn't what the First Amendment is intended to protect.  They started at the beginning, and are making their way down the Bill of Rights, with the Second Amendment and the Fifth Amendment.

Supreme Court OKs warrant-less breathalyzer tests in drunk driving arrests.  The Supreme Court on Thursday [6/23/2016] issued a split ruling on a trio of drunk driving cases, deciding that while law enforcement may require a breathalyzer for suspected drunk drivers without a warrant after an arrest, a warrant is required for a blood test in the same circumstances.  The consolidated cases, referred to as Birchfield v.  North Dakota, came from three separate drunk driving arrests where the men arrested were prosecuted or threatened with prosecution for refusing a blood or breath test.

The Editor says...
The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that "No person [...] shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself."

Militarized USDA and EPA using SWAT teams to terrorize innocent people including lemon growers and small farmers.  The federal government is becoming increasingly militarized, with numerous agencies now employing their own SWAT teams to conduct raids on raw milk producers, beekeepers, lemon growers — or anyone else who runs afoul of agency policies.  The trend has increased during Obama's presidency and is not only costing taxpayers enormous amounts of money, but also terrorizing citizens who could hardly be considered dangerous criminals by any sane estimation.  The USDA is just one example.

New rule lets feds hack your computer anywhere, anytime.  A proposal that Washington bureaucrats be given nearly unfettered permission to hack into private computers, which WND reported earlier was being described as the ultimate "Big Brother" move, is drawing strong opposition from privacy activists and members of Congress.  "We're in the midst right now of one of the biggest battles in the privacy world that we have faced," said U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, on a website mobilizing opposition.  "If we keep down this path, we're going to wake up in a few years in George Orwell's 1984.  This is why, as we fight for security, any intrusion on privacy needs to be narrowly tailored and aggressively overseen."

There Are Now More Bureaucrats With Guns Than U.S. Marines.  There are now more non-military government employees who carry guns than there are U.S. Marines, according to a new report.  Open the Books, a taxpayer watchdog group, released a study Wednesday that finds domestic government agencies continue to grow their stockpiles of military-style weapons, as Democrats sat on the House floor calling for more restrictions on what guns American citizens can buy.  The "Militarization of America" report found civilian agencies spent $1.48 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment between 2006 and 2014.  Examples include IRS agents with AR-15s, and EPA bureaucrats wearing camouflage.

Armed Federal Officers Now Outnumber the US Marines?  Titled "The Militarization of America", the report also confirms the IRS spent nearly $11 million on guns, ammunition and "military-style equipment" between 2006 and 2014, but they're not alone.  It seems other non-law enforcement related agencies are following suit, buying up heavy firearms, ammunition and tactical equipment in a pattern of militarization repeated throughout the executive branch of the government.  The other primarily administrative federal agencies militarizing their departments include the Environmental Protection Agency, The Department of Veterans Affairs, The Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Inspection Service.

The Militarization Of America.  We quantified $1.4 billion in non-military federal agencies purchase of guns, ammunition and military-style equipment during the last nine years.  We estimate that federal non-military agencies now employ more officers with arrest and firearm authorization than there are U.S. Marines. [...] Sixty-seven non-military federal agencies spent $1.48 billion on guns, ammunition, and military-style equipment.  Of that total amount, 'Traditional Law Enforcement' Agencies spent 77 percent ($1.14 billion) while 'Administrative' or 'General' Agencies spent 23 percent ($335.1 million).  Non-military federal spending on guns and ammunition jumped 104 percent from $55 million (FY2006) to $112 million (FY2011).  Nearly 6 percent ($42 million) of all federal guns and ammunition purchase transactions were wrongly coded.  Some purchases were actually for ping-pong balls, gym equipment, bread, copiers, cotton balls, or cable television including a line item from the Coast Guard entered as "Cable Dude".  Administrative agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Small Business Administration (SBA), Smithsonian Institution, Social Security Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Mint, Department of Education, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and many other agencies purchased guns, ammo, and military-style equipment.  Since 2004, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased 1.7 billion bullets including 453 million hollow-point bullets.  As of 1/1/2014, DHS estimated its bullet inventory-reserve at 22-months, or 160 million rounds.

U.S. Air Force assaults veteran for mentioning God.  On April 3, 2016, at the retirement celebration of a colleague at Travis Air Force Base in California, retired Senior Master Sergeant Oscar Rodriguez, a 33-year veteran of the Air Force who had been invited to deliver the flag-folding speech, was assaulted and dragged out of the room by four uniformed airmen for mentioning God.

Exclusive Video:  Veteran Forcibly Dragged from Air Force Ceremony for Mentioning God.  When a veteran started offering traditional remarks at a military flag-folding ceremony, several uniformed airmen assaulted him, dragging him out of the room because his remarks mentioned God.  Now First Liberty Institute lawyers representing retired Senior Master Sergeant Oscar Rodriguez are demanding that the U.S. Air Force apologize and punish those responsible or face a federal civil-rights lawsuit.

Five Ways an Innocent American Could End Up on Obama's Secret Gun Control List.  [#3] The government made a mistake.  The federal government is not perfect, and can often make mistakes.  Sometimes, those mistakes have resulted in lawsuits.  In 2004, an FBI agent erroneously marked California resident Rahinah Ibrahim as a potential terrorist, barring him from boarding a plane in the United States.  Years later, Ibrahim, a doctoral student at Stanford University, ultimately sued the federal government.  But it didn't stop there.  The Obama administration cited "state secrets privilege," according to Wired, which served as an attempted coverup of the clerical error.  In 2014, she won the case after a judge ruled the federal government violated her due process rights.

Judge Rules Seattle's Warrantless Garbage Search Unconstitutional.  King County Judge Beth Andrus ruled Seattle's warrantless searches of garbage violates Washington State's constitution, banning Seattle sanitation workers from looking for possible violations of the city's composting law in residents' trash.  The April 27, 2016, ruling in Bonesteel, et al. v. City of Seattle shows states are able to grant rights beyond those guaranteed in the U.S. constitution.  According to the Washington State Constitution, "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law."

Why Does the IRS Need Guns?  Special agents at the IRS equipped with AR-15 military-style rifles?  Health and Human Services "Special Office of Inspector General Agents" being trained by the Army's Special Forces contractors?  The Department of Veterans Affairs arming 3,700 employees?  The number of non-Defense Department federal officers authorized to make arrests and carry firearms (200,000) now exceeds the number of U.S. Marines (182,000).  In its escalating arms and ammo stockpiling, this federal arms race is unlike anything in history.

Report: IRS Spent $11 Million On Guns, Ammo In The Past 10 Years.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) seems to be building an army.  The IRS spent nearly $11 million on guns, ammunition and "military-style equipment" between 2006 and 2014, according to a new report.  IRS investment in heavy firearms and tactical gear is a new trend for the agency, but it follows a pattern of militarization repeated throughout the executive branch of the government.

6 Things To Know About Tying Gun Sales To A Watch List.  [#6] It is no vice to want to respond forcefully to terrorist attacks.  But in this case the response looks exactly like the Democrats' last call for gun control.  In the months since they last pushed this legislation, the Democrats have not granted even for a second that the due process concerns that defeated it last time are reasonable.  This strongly suggests that the Democrats do not have the due process rights of Americans in mind in this legislation.  One can reasonably wonder why the Democrats' response to terrorism seems to set its sights on something other than terrorism.

NYTimes Editorial:  Congress Should Secretly Suspend Second Amendment Rights.  A New York Times editorial advocates for a new law allowing a secret court to take away citizens' right to own a gun at the discretion of the federal government.  Citing the Orlando terror attack that left 50 dead including the shooter and 53 wounded at a gay nightclub, the piece advocates for a "no-buy" list similar to "no-fly" lists.  Under the law, suspected terrorists would not be able to buy a gun.  In an attempt to ensure the integrity of the lists and preserve due process, the author proposes people only be added to this no-buy list after a secret court rules they are ineligible, similar to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court hearings where the federal government obtains permission to wiretap.  Under this proposal, an American who has never been convicted of a crime could be denied their right to buy a gun simply because a secret court decided it should be that way.

The Editor says...
If the Bill of Rights is secretly suspended, you could be secretly arrested, tried and imprisoned. That's the kind of country the New York Times wants us to live in.

He Flew a Drone to Take Photos for a Friend.  Now Faces $55K in Government Fines.  Mical Caterina is addicted. [...] But what Caterina has considered a hobby — and an "addictive" one at that — has landed him in trouble with the Federal Aviation Administration, which has levied $55,000 in fines against him for violating five aviation regulations, all of which he disputes.  Caterina's monthslong battle with the government underscores the frustrations drone hobbyists and commercial users have with the FAA as the agency has slowly debated how to keep the rapidly growing drone population under control.

Obama DEA Wants Access to Prescription Drug Records Without a Warrant.  Of course they do.  And with the advent of ObamaCare, it's natural the federal government aparatchiks feel they have every right to snoop into our medical records because, well, they're our boss now.

DEA Wants Inside Your Medical Records to Fight the War on Drugs.  Marlon Jones was arrested for taking legal painkillers, prescribed to him by a doctor, after a double knee replacement. [...] "There were three police officers pounding on the door.  They said they had a warrant for my arrest and they were going to take me in," he said.  "It was the middle of the day, on my front doorstep, in front of my wife and daughter.  I'm handcuffed and stuffed into a police car and they haul me to jail."  Jones was hit with 14 felony counts but all of them were later dropped.  Now the Drug Enforcement Administration wants that same kind of power, starting with access to an Oregon database containing the private medical data of more than a million people.

Crafty plan to give FBI warrantless access to browser histories axed.  A sly attempt to grant the FBI warrantless access to people's browser histories in the US has been shot down by politicians.  Unfortunately, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) Amendments Act of 2015, which would have brought in some privacy safeguards for Americans, was cut down in the crossfire.  The ECPA Amendments Act is very simple:  it amends the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which gives cops and agents warrantless access to any email that has been read or is more than 180 days old.  That 30-year-old act made sense back in the day of 20MB hard drives and when we stored own emails on our own computers:  if we deleted something to save space or to simply destroy it, it was gone.  But in today's cloudy world, where we have no real control over our information, it has proven a privacy nightmare.

Judge Nap Slams Congress Over Web Browsing Access That Promotes 'a Police State'.  The FBI may soon enjoy the authority to access the internet activity of any citizen without a warrant — a continuation of what Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano described as a decades-old "assault" on the Fourth Amendment.  Lawmakers are considering proposed legislation this week that would grant the FBI that uninhibited access.  Critics, including Google and Facebook, have argued such changes would be a violation of Americans' privacy.  But, in Napolitano's view, elected officials will argue under the "facade" that it is necessary for the population's safety.  [Video clip]

FBI wants access to Internet browser history without a warrant in terrorism and spy cases.  The Obama administration is seeking to amend surveillance law to give the FBI explicit authority to access a person's Internet browser history and other electronic data without a warrant in terrorism and spy cases.  The administration made a similar effort six years ago but dropped it after concerns were raised by privacy advocates and the tech industry.  FBI Director James B. Comey has characterized the legislation as a fix to "a typo" in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which he says has led some tech firms to refuse to provide data that Congress intended them to provide.

The Editor says...
If they get this passed, you can be sure that the warrantless access won't stop with terrorism cases.

School sends sheriff to order child to stop sharing Bible verses.  A public school in California ordered a 7-year-old boy to stop handing out Bible verses during lunch — and they dispatched a deputy sheriff to the child's home to enforce the directive.  "This is a clear, gross violation of the rights of a child," said Horatio Mihet, a Liberty Counsel attorney representing the first-grader who attends Desert Rose Elementary School in Palmdale.  They are also representing his parents, Christina and Jaime Zavala.

Obama Regulators Lose Case to Apply Future Laws to the Past.  In a little-watched case in the Midwest, the Obama administration's Medicare regulators were dealt an embarrassing blow this week by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Judges ruled that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) improperly pursued an $800,000 fraud fine against "homebound" therapy provider Caring Hearts, which services Medicare patients, by applying new regulations after-the-fact.  The court wrote that CMS was "unfamiliar with its own regulations" and is "struggling to keep up with the furious pace of its own rule making."

Thanks to EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, American farmers are a newly endangered species.  It is getting harder and harder, and in legal terms more dangerous, to be an American farmer these days, thanks to the aggressive behavior of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  I know, because I'm paid as a consultant to advise farmers in California on how best to comply with federal regulations under the Clean Water Act (CWA).  Increasingly, those regulations are changing at the arbitrary say-so of the Corps regulators who implement the EPA's regulations on the ground, even though most practices followed by American farmers have been exempted from CWA prohibitions since it was written in 1977.  In the past few years, those regulators — many of whom admit that they know very little about farming or agricultural practices — are radically reinterpreting the rules to limit what farmers do, even on land where they have done similar things for decades.

This Is Not The America My Parents Immigrated To In 1957.  This country is ruled by force, not law.  Governmental assassinations of US citizens.  A highly militarized police with almost unlimited powers to harass, intimidate, and brutalize with impunity.  TSA groping whereby in any other setting would be considered sexual harassment.  Overseas detention, torture and assassinations carried out against anyone, including American citizens, without due process — and without recourse if later cleared.  Warrantless GPS tracking by the FBI. The IRS targeting religious groups.  Some people now actually be charged with pre-crimes.  Checkpoints up to one hundred miles inland from all our borders (including the two oceans and Gulf of Mexico) in an area stunningly known as a "Constitution Free Zone".  No Ride / No Fly lists which are extrajudicial, secret, and form a guilty-until-proven innocent framework that subverts freedom instead of protecting it.  A See Something/Say Something program which goes beyond the already high-tech surveillance apparatus of the NSA and turns each of us into an unpaid employee of the police state similar to what the East German Stasi did to their citizens.  Web cameras and surveillance proliferating like a wildfire, data mining, recording all your phone conversations, all your web searches, all your emails, and all without your consent.  An FDA, which has near-total food control and usually renders anything healthy as toxic, and all that is toxic as healthy, and does insane [things] like jailing folks who buy raw milk.  Literally tens of thousands of regulations which literally invade every facet of society, whereby it has been said that almost all of us commit three felonies per day, and every violation of these laws will be met with the full force and fury of the State which promises fines, penalties, forfeiture of properties, or imprisonment.  Does any of this even remotely resemble a representative democracy, or does it sound more like a dictatorship?

Louisiana Passes 'Blue Lives Matter' Law To Make Attacking Cops A Hate Crime.  Louisiana enacted a new law Thursday [5/26/2016] to make it a hate crime to attack police officers.  Democratic Gov.  John Bel Edwards signed the "Blue Lives Matter" bill Thursday afternoon, adding police to the list of protected categories under hate crime law such as race and religion.  Louisiana law adds an additional five years in prison and $5,000 in fines for an offense against one of the listed groups, which now includes cops, firefighters, and EMS personnel.  "The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana," Edwards said.

Louisiana Makes it a "Hate Crime" to Target Police Officers!  State Rep. Lance Harris introduced the bill after Darren Goforth, a Texas sheriff's deputy who was in uniform, was killed in 2015, while getting gas for his patrol vehicle.  "It looked like it was strictly done because someone didn't like police officers, like a hate crime," Harris told CNN.  "In the news, you see a lot of people terrorizing and threatening police officers on social media just due to the fact that they are policemen," he added.  "Now, this protects police and first responders under the hate-crime law."  A similar bill was introduced at the federal level in March.

Blue Lives Matter bill makes targeting police a hate crime in Louisiana.  Thursday [5/26/2016] the Democratic Governor of Lousiana, John Bel Edwards, signed a bill making it a hate crime to target police officers or other first responders.  The bill is known as blue lives matter, a take off on the Black Lives Matter movement that has been critical of police in the past year.

Louisiana governor signs 'Blue Lives Matter' bill.  Louisiana's governor signed a first-of-its-kind bill Thursday afternoon [5/26/2016] that makes it a hate crime to target police officers and first responders.  Called the "Blue Lives Matter" bill, the measure expands the state's hate crime law to include law enforcement officers, firefighters and other emergency medical services personnel.  "The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana," Democratic Gov.  John Bel Edwards told FoxNews.com in a written statement.  He added that he has "great respect" for the work that law enforcement officers do and the daily risks they take.

The Editor says...
Criminal justice is supposed to be administered without regard to the class or status of the parties involved.  For example, one does not (ostensibly) receive a lighter sentence for a violent crime if one is caucasian.  Hate crimes introduce variable punishment based on the perpetrator's thoughts.  That idea is bad enough, but this proposed new law features increased punishment based on the status of the victim, regardless of the perpetrators thoughts or intentions.  It puts cops, firemen and paramedics into a new category of better-than-first-class citizens.  Once we get accustomed to it, the law will probably be modified to include all government workers.  This proposed law is nothing more or less than a means of putting more people in prison with longer sentences.

Louisiana governor signs 'Blue Lives Matter' bill.  Louisiana's governor signed a first-of-its-kind bill Thursday afternoon that makes it a hate crime to target police officers and first responders.  Called the "Blue Lives Matter" bill, the measure expands the state's hate crime law to include law enforcement officers, firefighters and other emergency medical services personnel.  "The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana," Democratic Gov.  John Bel Edwards told FoxNews.com in a written statement.  He added that he has "great respect" for the work that law enforcement officers do and the daily risks they take.

The Editor says...
Hate crime laws will always exhibit "mission creep" — incrementally expanding in one direction only, to include various new features that would never have been approved at the outset.

The FBI Wants To Keep The National Biometric Database A Secret.  In early May the U.S. Department of Justice released a proposal which would exempt the FBI's biometric database from public disclosure. [...] Although the database does contain biometric data on convicted criminals, it also contains information on individuals who were only suspected or temporarily detained under the suspicion of a crime.  The system also features data from people fingerprinted for jobs, licenses, military or volunteer service, background checks, security clearances, and other government processes.  Essentially the FBI is arguing that it will prevent individuals from knowing if their information is in the massive database if the release of information would "compromise" a law enforcement investigation.

Hawaii could be first to put gun owners in federal database.  Hawaii could become the first state in the United States to enter gun owners into an FBI database that will automatically notify police if an island resident is arrested anywhere else in the country.

'Do No Harm Act' Would Forbid Religious Objection to 'Any Healthcare' Service.  Reps.  Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) introduced the Do No Harm Act Wednesday, which would amend the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to specify that religious exceptions should not apply to "protections against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity" and "access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service."  The legislation is intended to "clarify that no one can seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and legal rights."

NYC Mayor de Blasio to fine businesses that fail to use correct gender pronouns.  Greeting customers as "Mr." or "Mrs." could be costly for New York City businesses under Mayor Bill de Blasio.  The Gotham mayor's Commission on Human Rights says businesses that fail to address customers by their preferred gender pronouns are in violation of the law and could be subject to penalties.  The Commission issued a "legal enforcement guidance" for the New York City Human Rights Law, which apparently "requires employers and converted entities to use an individual's preferred name, pronoun and title (e.g., Ms./Mrs.) regardless of the individual's sex assigned at birth, anatomy, gender, medical history, appearance, or the sex indicated on the individual's identification."

Resisting Obama's Transgender Directive:  A Hill to Die On.  [Scroll down]  Specifically, the administration's directive last week requires every public school in the nation to provide transgender students access to all activities and facilities consistent with their gender identity, at the risk of losing federal funds.  The Framers are rolling over in their graves, not just because of this inversion of moral standards but also because of the lawless manner in which this is being forced down the throats of the states, the American people and the public schools.  President Obama knows he doesn't have the legal authority to issue such an order, but he is determined to create as much chaos as he can and to unilaterally impose his iron will to the fullest extent before his term expires.  No one will convince me that this has anything to do with the rights of transgender people.  Rather, Obama and his fellow leftist tyrants are seeing how far they can push the envelope — how much they can fundamentally transform America against the people's will and against the protections guaranteed by the federal and state constitutions.

Indiana High Court Rules People Cannot Resist Illegal Entry by Police Into Homes.  People have no right to resist if police officers illegally enter their home, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a decision that overturns centuries of common law.

Dems on FEC shift from regulating Drudge to conservative cellphone texts.  The Democrats on the Federal Election Commission, following efforts to muzzle conservative news sites and even an anti-Obama movie maker, voted in secret to regulate conservative text messages despite a staff recommendation that the agency drop the case.  The three Democrats, in dismissing the advice from the FEC's own legal staff, voted to punish a Virginia firm that issued anti-Obama texts days before the 2012 presidential election, a move that would have set a sweeping precedent in advance of the upcoming election.

Obama's Lawsuit Against North Carolina Isn't About Civil Rights.  It's About Crushing Dissent.  Some of us care little about the debate over public bathrooms.  We do, however, care about the ongoing destruction of federalism, individual choice, and good-faith debate.  One reliable way to quash dissent and force moral codes on others is to liken your cause to that of the civil rights fight.  Every liberal issue is situated somewhere on the great historical arc of "equality" and "justice."  If a person stands against even one of these causes — which were once great but are increasingly trivial — they have, according to the cultural imperialists of the Obama administration, aligned themselves with the Klan.  Literally.

DOJ's Lawsuit Against North Carolina Is Abuse of Power.  North Carolina has sustained unrelenting and coordinated attacks from big business, the entertainment industry, the American Civil Liberties Union, and now the federal government over its commonsense bathroom policies.  Gov.  Pat McCrory and the North Carolina Legislature have had enough of this bullying and filed separate lawsuits against the Department of Justice Monday in the reasonable expectation that a federal judge will order the ideologues at the Department of Justice to back off.

Wyoming welder, facing $16M in fines, beats EPA in battle over stock pond.  A Wyoming man threatened with $16 million in fines over the building of a stock pond reached a settlement with the Environment Protection Agency, allowing him to keep the pond without a federal permit or hefty fine.  Andy Johnson, of Fort Bridger, Wyoming obtained a state permit before building the stock pond in 2012 on his sprawling nine-acre farm for a small herd of livestock.  Not long after contruction [sic], the EPA threatened Johnson with civil and criminal penalties — including the threat of a $37,500-a-day fine — claiming he needed the agency's permission before building the 40-by-300 foot pond, which is filled by a natural stream.

The Editor says...
This sounds like an Eighth Amendment issue:  Does the act of building a stock pond justify fines of $37,500 per day?  Does the pond do that much damage?  For that matter, can anyone beyond Mr. Johnson's fence tell if he has stock pond or not>

Judge tosses Seattle ordinance requiring garbage-can searches for food waste.  A state judge threw out a portion of a Seattle ordinance requiring garbage collectors to snoop through residents' trash in search of food waste, calling the provision unconstitutional.  King County Superior Court Judge Beth M. Andrus issued an injunction against the garbage inspections but not Seattle's residential food-waste ban, which forbids throwing away food scraps and compostable paper.  "This ruling does not prohibit the city from banning food waste and compostable paper in SPU-provided garbage cans," the 14-page decision said, referring to the Seattle Public Utilities.  "It merely renders invalid the provisions of the ordinance and rule that authorize a warrantless search of residents' garbage cans when there is no applicable exception to the warrant requirement, such as the existence of prohibited items in plain view."

Fired for preaching:  Georgia dumps doctor over church sermons.  Bi-vocational pastors be warned — what you say from the pulpit on Sunday could get you fired from your public sector job on Monday [4/18/2016].  Dr.  Eric Walsh, a renowned public health expert who also serves as a lay minister, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Public Health alleging he was terminated for delivering sermons on issues ranging from homosexuality to evolution.  "No one in this country should be fired from their job for something that was said in a church or from a pulpit during a sermon," said First Liberty attorney Jeremy Dys.

Licensing Arizona.  [Scroll down]  For decades, states have been putting ever more jobs off-limits to anyone who doesn't have special government permission.  In the years right after World War II, "less than 5 percent of U.S. workers were required to have a license from a state government in order to perform their jobs legally," according to Morris Kleiner, professor of public affairs at the University of Minnesota.  Now it's estimated at nearly 30 percent.  Every now and then, and with great effort, a state will remove the license requirement for a job:  Kentucky, for instance, just eliminated a requirement that hair-braiders be licensed by the Kentucky Board of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists.  But the longstanding trend runs the opposite direction.  Though licenses put up hurdles, if not roadblocks, to people looking for work, states keep adding new occupations to the lists.

Michigan Family Arrested for Overdue Library Book.  After receiving four notices from the library asking them to return the books and pay the resulting late fees, the Duren family did indeed return The Rome Prophecy.  However, they did not return A Hatful of Seuss, as their son had lost it.  Because the Durens did not return the Dr.  Seuss book, the library contacted the Economic Crimes Unit (ECU) of the Lenawee County Prosecutor's Office.  A detective by the name of Robert Kellogg became involved, demanding the family pay the library late fees; the amount owed has not been disclosed.  However, local reporting by The Tecumseh Herald found that between 2013 and 2014, library patrons had a total of 248 overdue items, and those overdue items generated $3,061 in late fees.  That equals, on average, around $12 in fees per item.  The actual amount the Durens owed to the library remains unknown, but the Dr.  Seuss book can be acquired on Amazon for as little as 63 cents.

Michigan couple faces jail time over lost Dr.  Seuss library book.  A Michigan judge told a couple Thursday [4/14/2016] they could get up to 93 days in jail and face a maximum $500 fine for failing to return a Dr.  Seuss book and a novel borrowed from a public library.  Cathy and Melvin Duren, of Tecumseh, appeared in Lenawee County court to each face a misdemeanor charge of failure to return rental property.  The pair owes about $35 in late fees for "The Rome Prophecy," borrowed in April 2015.  They lost a Dr.  Seuss book their son borrowed for their granddaughter in July 2014.  "I can't image [sic] going to jail over it, but I certainly will fight these charges because I'm not guilty," Cathy Duren said.

Microsoft Sues U.S. Over Orders Barring It From Revealing Surveillance.  The software giant is suing the Justice Department, challenging its frequent use of secrecy orders that prevent Microsoft from telling people when the government obtains a warrant to read their emails.  In its suit, filed Thursday morning [4/14/2016] in Federal District Court in Seattle, Microsoft's home turf, the company asserts that the gag order statute in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 — as employed today by federal prosecutors and the courts — is unconstitutional.  The statute, according to Microsoft, violates the Fourth Amendment right of its customers to know if the government searches or seizes their property, and it breaches the company's First Amendment right to speak to its customers.

Lawyers in GWB scandal case argue creating a traffic jam is not a crime.  Lawyers for two former associates of Gov.  Christie accused of engineering massive traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge to exact political revenge have hit back at government prosecutors, insisting that their clients violated no laws.

Obama just gave cops the OK to simply take your stuff.  When Attorney General Loretta Lynch decided late last year that the Justice Department would end the federal civil-asset forfeiture program, criminal-justice reform advocates proclaimed it a "significant deal.  But late last month, less than four months later, the Obama administration reversed itself and reinstated the Asset Forfeiture Fund's Orwellian "equitable sharing" program.  That's a shame, particularly when the only supporters of the policy are the law-enforcement agencies that directly benefit from it.  Indeed, the federal program's combined annual revenue has grown more than 1,000 percent in the last 15 years, filling the coffers of federal, state and local police departments.

Parents to face charges if they approach school to pick up child under new policy.  Texas parents have had enough of an elementary school's new pick up policy that reportedly could have them face trespassing charges if they try to get their child after the school day is over.  Bear Branch Elementary in Magnolia implemented the policy at the beginning of the school year.  Under the new rules, if a student does not take the bus, parents must wait in the mile-long car pick up line to get their child, according to Fox 26 Houston.  Now, some parents have pulled their kids from the school.  "She's threatening to arrest people," Wendy Jarman said about Principal Holly Ray to the Fox station.

School's new policy bans parents from walking children to school.  Pick your child up from school and you could be charged with trespassing.  That's the threat against parents at Bear Branch Elementary School in Magnolia ISD.  This is the school's tactic to keep parents who live close to the school from walking on school grounds.  Bear Branch is losing students over this pick up policy, that's been in place since the beginning of this school year.  The principal has decided that no matter how close the student lives to the school, the student must either take the bus, or the parent must wait in a long car pickup line.  Try to walk your student off the campus and you could face criminal charges.

The Editor says...
No matter how close you live, you can't walk to that school.  Is the school not on public property?  Can pedestrians with no connection to the school walk by?  Why are the schools centrally located in neighborhoods if the kids can't go there on foot?  And aren't these the same nanny-state bureaucrats who preach about childhood obesity?  Maybe walking to school would be good for them.

Texas School Threatens to Punish Parents Who Walk Children Home.  In September, Houston's KPRC 2 News (NBC) reported the new rule prohibited parents from walking to the Magnolia Independent School District campus to retrieve their own children.  Parents cannot drive to the school, park their cars at the school, or go inside to get their children early.  Their options are to send their children home by school bus or drive to the school and wait for their children in a very long pickup car line assembling for the 3:25 p.m. dismissal.

Magnolia ISD threatens to arrest parents for walking kids home from school.  It's a bad time to be a kid at Bear Branch Elementary.  The new principal this year, Holly Ray, may look as sweet as sunshine, but parents says she's got some wicked ways!  For one, she won't let parents walk up to the Magnolia elementary school to get their kids after school.  They have to be in a car.  And she's serious!

The Editor asks...
What if you don't own a car, or your car is in the repair shop?

Texas School Bans Parents From Walking Children Onto and From School Property.  One Texas elementary school is coming under fire after the principal banned parents from walking their children to and from school, and who is threatening parents with arrest.  The trouble began in September when the principal at Bear Branch Elementary School in Magnolia, Texas, decided to implement a policy that not just discourages but prohibits parents from walking their children home from school or walking inside the school to retrieve their children after parents had parked their cars, according to KPRC-TV.

Texas Principal Wants to Arrest Parents Who Let Kids Walk to School.  'They have been threatened, if they step one foot on school property, they will be arrested and charged with who knows what.'

5 Indicators The Left [Doesn't Care] About Freedom.  [#4] Pursuing Legislation To Crack Down On Religious People.  The left wants to mandate that religious people be slapped with a legal duty to serve people whom they feel are engaging in sin.  And they claim that anyone who fights for their right to practice their religion in their daily life is a bad guy.

The Government Wants to Regulate Your Portable Air Conditioner.  The Department of Energy (DOE) recently determined that portable air conditioners meet the criteria set under the Energy Policy Conservation Act (as amended) for efficiency mandates.  Like all other efficiency regulations, mandated appliance standards remove choices from individuals and empower Washington to override personal preferences.  DOE concluded that the average household use of electricity for portable air conditioners exceeds the limit to trigger consideration for regulation.  The energy use threshold for DOE bureaucrats to begin inspecting and testing an appliance is low.

Chase Bank Decides ATM Withdrawals Over $1000 Are Shady.  Not kidding.  Regular Americans must be stopped from taking out $1001 at a cash machine because it's probably shady, but Iran getting $150B is just fine.  The new ATM rule, f[o]r the moment, applies to non-Chase account holders.  Give it a little while and I bet it'll apply to Chase accounts sooner than later.

If You Don't Rent to Criminals, Are You a Racist?  You're a private landlord, renting apartments in a building you bought with your savings from years of hard work and modest living.  You take pride in maintaining your property, keeping it clean, comfortable, and attractive.  You charge a fair rent and treat your tenants with courtesy and respect.  Your tenants, in turn, appreciate the care you put into the building.  And they trust you to screen prospective tenants wisely, accepting only residents who won't jeopardize the building's safe and neighborly character.  That's why you only consider applications from individuals who are employed or in school, whose credit scores are strong, and who have no criminal record.  Most Americans would look at you and likely see a prudent, levelheaded property owner.  Not the Obama administration.

Say goodbye to freedom of association.
Obama Admin Tells Landlords They Can't Refuse To House Criminals.  The Obama administration released a warning Monday [4/4/2016] telling the nation's landlords that it may be discriminatory for them to refuse to rent to those with criminal records.  The Fair Housing Act doesn't include criminals as a protected class, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says refusing to rent based on a criminal record is a form of racial discrimination, due to racial imbalances in the U.S.  justice system.

Obama: Not Renting to Criminals is Racist.  Disparate Impact has been the crazed monster living chained up in the civil rights basement.  No administration dared to completely unleash it because of the madness it would entail.  But Obama is releasing the beast.  Recently, Obama's Lynch declared that fines were racist because they had a larger impact on minorities.  Now we move on to renting to criminals.

The Green Witch Hunt.  Led by agenda-setting New York State and radical left-winger Al Gore the progressive persecution of climate change skeptics by the states is underway.  Top law enforcement officers in several states are joining with the Chicken Littles of green activism to weaponize the scientifically dubious argument that human activity is not only changing the earth's climate but that unprecedented world catastrophe awaits unless draconian, economy-killing carbon emission controls are imposed more or less immediately.  The litigation offensive has nothing to do with justice.  It is aimed at forcing those few remaining holdouts in the business community who stubbornly cling to science to confess their thought crimes and submit to the know-nothing Left's climate superstitions.  It is part of modern-day environmentalism's ongoing assault on knowledge, human progress, markets, and the rule of law.

Killing Knowledge in K-12.  John Dewey and his socialist brotherhood, a hundred years ago, decided they would use the public schools to transform the entire society.  They first had to seize control of what is taught in K-12 classrooms.  Dewey and his successors settled on two major strategies for controlling what educators call "content."  First, they discarded as much of the traditional curriculum as possible — i.e., knowledge was thrown out the window by the boxload.  Secondly, they invented many techniques for scrambling classroom instruction so that knowledge was no longer taught efficiently.  So we have here, across a wide front, a well organized war against knowledge and the transmission of knowledge.  Dumbed down schools were created intentionally in order to create dumbed down students.  That, my research suggests, is the horrible reality.[...] Where does all this go?  The American people are increasingly like a big blob of jelly.  They can't think critically because they don't know much.  If leaders lie to them, who is going to realize this?  If the media tell them only half of what's going on, how could they know the difference?

Elizabeth Warren Wants The SEC To Help Her Ban Free Speech.  Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to prohibit organizations from "saying whatever they want about Washington policy debates," according to a letter she sent to the agency on Thursday [3/31/2016].  Warren sent a letter to SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White calling for an investigation into alleged discrepancies between statements insurance executives made to their investors and complaints these same individuals made about the impact new government regulations would have on their businesses, The Wall Street Journal reports.  The new regulations stem from a Department of Labor rule change that will make it tougher for investment firms that handle retirement funds to operate.

It may soon be a crime to walk and text in New Jersey.  The US state of New Jersey may keep the inattentive amongst us from walking into brick walls or plunging into manholes, [...] even if it has to throw us in jail or fine us to get the point across.  The Associated Press reports that it's going to do this — in theory, at least — by banning walking while texting.  A new measure recently introduced by New Jersey Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt would ban distracted walking, forbidding pedestrians on public roads from using electronic communication devices unless those devices are hands-free.

The Editor says...
Who will enforce this?  The local cops, of course, who frequently talk on their radios while walking — and occasionally while running as fast as they can.  Hands-free devices free up the hands, but not necessarily the brain.  This is sort of law opens the door to numerous other restrictions on what we may or may not do while walking, or while talking on the phone.  Please don't protect me from myself.

EPA Fines Wyoming Man $16 Million for Building a Pond on His Property.  Farmers and ranchers call the EPA's new water rule the biggest land grab in the history of the world.  It is a massive land grab, especially in a country that has been built on the right to own property.  The administration is changing all that.  A new oppressive water rule gives the EPA jurisdiction over all public and private streams in the United States that are "intermittent, seasonal and rain-dependent."  It will regulate what are normal daily ranching and farming practices and take control of their land.  According to congressional budget testimony, waters of the United States would give the EPA authority over streams on private property even when the water beds have been dry, in some cases, for hundreds of years.

EPA Spends $295,507 to Track Energy and Water Use of Office Workers.  The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly $300,000 to develop technology that will track the energy and water use of office buildings, with a colored light bulb system that will send "visual messages" to employees when they are using too much.  Lucid Design Group, a California-based software company, received the funding from the agency with the goal to "change the habits" of Americans at work.  "Through this project, Lucid is focused on reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings by influencing people's behavior," the EPA said in a press release announcing the project.  "With this award, it will further develop, test and commercialize low-cost high-tech approaches that can reduce electricity use in commercial buildings by providing real-time feedback to office workers."

The Age of Mafia Government.  When black-helmeted men circle your home, break down your door, throw your children from their sleeping beds onto the dew-ridden lawn, and shoot you 22 times because some meathead mistook your house for a drug dealer's, it's clear government has gone from protecting you from threats to becoming a threat itself.  More directly, however, thanks to "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos," everyone knows that the mafia's presence means frequent, mysterious deaths.  That's also a hallmark of this administration.  Fast and Furious and the Benghazi massacre are the two most obvious examples.  It's been years, in both cases, and it's still an utter mystery as to why Americans died in foreign lands, where all those guns went, who used what money, where it all came from, and why.  That may have something to do with the Justice Department's utter lack of curiosity about massive crimes being committed on its watch, but remember:  where there are mafia, there are corrupt police, district attorneys, and courts.  The mystery isn't who did it, but proving it.  Part of the reason it's impossible to find evidence to prove what everyone knows is that no one will talk.

Protesting Donald Trump is Now a Federal Crime.  The Orwellian-named "free speech zones" Protected by the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act on college campus and political rallies are nothing new to regular readers of Reason, and suppressing political dissent with the brute force of government has been a feature of the American system since shortly after 9/11/01, when the Secret Service and local law enforcement entities began confining demonstrators to "protest zones."  What might be a surprise is the fact that quietly and right under our noses in 2012, Congress nearly unanimously passed H.R. 347 (a.k.a. the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act) which makes it a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison to "willfully and knowingly" enter a restricted area or to engage in "disorderly or disruptive conduct" that in any way impedes "government business or official functions." [...] Dahlia Lithwick and Raymond Vasvari wrote in Slate that "the law makes it easier for the government to criminalize protest.  Period."  They also assert the words "disorderly" or "disruptive" could be defined down to mean almost anything with regards to "impeding government business."

Charleston's storied history is off-limits to the unlicensed.  [Scroll down]  And of course there's more antebellum mansions than you can shake a stick at.  And if I were telling you all of this while standing on a street in Charleston, there's at least a small chance I'd be arrested for doing it.  That's because anyone who wants to talk about Charleston's history must first obtain a license from the city.  Getting that license means passing a 200-question written exam — a passing grade is 80 percent or higher — and then passing an oral exam conducted by taxpayer-funded city officials.  To pass both exams, would-be tour guides have to memorize pretty much the entire history of Charleston.

Minnesota men facing felony charges for selling beer.  Two men in Maple Grove, Minnesota, were arrested this week and slapped with felony charges of transporting alcohol for resale without a license.  They were nabbed as part of what the Star-Tribune called an "unusual bust" involving undercover state investigators.  Unusual, yes.  Anachronistic too.  The illegal beer was a keg of Spotted Cow, a popular brew made in Wisconsin by the New Glarus Brewing Company.

Wisconsin Farmers Fight Tough Bakery Regulations.  Three Wisconsin farmers are fighting the state government over an obscure safety regulation requiring baked goods made for sale to be cooked in a government-approved "food processing plant" or other commercial-grade kitchen, subject to annual government inspections and licensing fees.  Represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), a nonprofit public-interest law firm, the farmers filed a lawsuit in the Lafayette County Circuit Court, in January, asking the court to overturn the state law.  Currently, violations of the "cookie ban" are punishable by six months of jail or fines of up to $1,000.

How Fiduciary Rule May Censor Financial Broadcasters Like Dave Ramsey.  Popular financial radio show host Dave Ramsey caused a firestorm on Twitter last week when he weighed in against the "fiduciary rule" — the controversial pending Department of Labor regulation that would impose new restrictions on a vast swath of financial professionals who handle IRAs and 401(k) accounts.  Yet, Ramsey was only echoing concerns about the costs of the rule already expressed by Members of Congress from both parties.  Ramsey Tweeted, "this Obama rule will kill the Middle Class and below ability to access personal advice."

Donald Trump Is The Next Barack Obama.  Today, nearly all the rules under which we live are made, executed, and adjudicated by agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and countless boards and commissions.  Congress no longer passes real laws.  Instead, it passes broad grants of authority, the substance of the president's bureaucracy decides in cooperation with interest groups.

Trump wants to weaken libel laws amid feuds with reporters.  Feeling maligned by the media, Donald Trump is threatening to weaken First Amendment protections for reporters if he were president and make it easier for him to sue them.

Trump Wants to 'Open Up' Libel Laws to Easily Sue Media.  A freshman senator whose endorsements included Sarah Palin is going after Donald Trump for talking about changing libel laws so he can more easily sue news organizations.  At a rally today in Fort Worth, Texas, Trump railed against major newspapers and said if he wins the presidency he'll "open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money."

Donald Trump: We're going to 'open up' libel laws.  Donald Trump said on Friday [2/26/2016] he plans to change libel laws in the United States so that he can have an easier time suing news organizations.  During a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, Trump began his usual tirade against newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, saying they're "losing money" and are "dishonest."  The Republican presidential candidate then took a different turn, suggesting that when he's president they'll "have problems."

A scheme to say how land is used.  It sounds like a bad dream — a really bad dream — but in a matter of days or at most weeks the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could become our national zoning board.  Some say that, with the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia, the chances just became much bigger.  The reason is that the Supreme Court is about to decide whether to give the environmental agency the authority to make land use decisions throughout the nation.  The court will not even have to hear arguments in American Farm Bureau Federation v. EPA to do this.  It will only have to decide not to hear the appeal of a Third Circuit decision.

Turning back the leviathan of the administrative state.  There are two stacks of papers in Utah Senator Mike Lee's office that should cause all Americans to pause.  One stack is 400 pages; the other is over 80,000 pages.  The short stack is all of the laws Congress passed in 2014.  The 11-foot tall tower is all federal regulations.  Senator Lee and other members of Congress see this disparity as indicative of not just a growing government, but an erosion of the separation of powers.  They are correct.  When James Madison authored Federalist 47, he gave voice to a sentiment shared widely by the Founders:  consolidating executive, legislative, and judicial power into one entity is "the very definition of tyranny."  To preserve self-government, the Constitution separated those powers into three branches.  As new laws may restrict liberty, separated power ensures that one faction of society cannot run roughshod over another.  Debate, compromise and consensus should ensure that any new regulations are enacted with wide public agreement.

Drone owners are warned that their aircraft will be SHOT DOWN if they fly within 32 miles of the Super Bowl.  Drone owners have been warned to leave their aircraft at home during the Super Bowl.  The FAA has released a statement insisting any unmanned planes flying within 32 miles of Levis Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday [2/7/2016] will be shot down.  The government agency produced a 20-second video that tells people to bring their lucky jerseys, face paint and team spirit to the game — but leave the gadgets as it is a 'No Drone Zone'.

The Editor says...
I suppose they've got to draw the line somewhere, but... 36 miles?  Why not 136 miles?  Most battery-powered drones are barely able to lift a TV camera.  How much damage could such a device possibly do?  If the cops shoot down a drone someplace just inside the 36-mile radius, isn't that (falling debris) a threat to public safety?  Does that not deprive the drone's owner of his property without due process?

The FAA says it will shoot down your drone if you fly within 36 miles of the Super Bowl.  The Federal Aviation Administration is taking a tough stance on drones at the Super Bowl this year:  bring them, and we'll shoot them down.  The "no-drone-zone" spans much further than just the stadium itself too, extending out 36 miles from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.  The no-fly zone encompasses nearly all of San Francisco to the north and west, Santa Cruz, Morgan Hill and Gilroy to the south, and San Jose and Pleasanton to the north and east.

The new way police are surveilling you: Calculating your threat 'score'.  As a national debate has played out over mass surveillance by the National Security Agency, a new generation of technology such as the Beware software being used in Fresno has given local law enforcement officers unprecedented power to peer into the lives of citizens.  Police officials say such tools can provide critical information that can help uncover terrorists or thwart mass shootings, ensure the safety of officers and the public, find suspects, and crack open cases. [...] But the powerful systems also have become flash points for civil libertarians and activists, who say they represent a troubling intrusion on privacy, have been deployed with little public oversight and have potential for abuse or error.

EPA, FDA stocking up on body armor during President Obama's watch.  As the U.S. engages in a national debate over the militarization of the police, federal data shows that government agencies charged with largely administrative roles are spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to purchase SWAT and military-style equipment.  Since FY 2006, 44 traditionally administrative agencies have spent over $71 million on items like body armor, riot helmets and shields, cannon launchers and police firearms and ammunition, according to federal spending data from watchdog group OpenTheBooks.com.

The Editor says...
What is a cannon launcher?

House Democrats Move to Criminalize Criticism of Islam.  December 17, 2015 ought henceforth to be a date which will live in infamy, as that was the day that some of the leading Democrats in the House of Representatives came out in favor of the destruction of the First Amendment.  Sponsored by among others, Muslim Congressmen Keith Ellison and Andre Carson, as well as Eleanor Holmes Norton, Loretta Sanchez, Charles Rangel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Joe Kennedy, Al Green, Judy Chu, Debbie Dingell, Niki Tsongas, John Conyers, José Serrano, Hank Johnson, and many others, House Resolution 569 condemns "violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the United States."  The Resolution has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Muslim Student Association demands all 'Islamophobic speech' be punished.  The Muslim Student Association at San Diego State University is demanding that administrators combat Islamophobia by developing a "zero tolerance policy explicitly for Islamophobic speech and actions."  The demands, modeled after similar ones issued by black student associations at campuses across the nation, were lodged after a female Muslim student was allegedly attacked by a white man in a campus parking lot on the afternoon of Nov. 19, about a week after the Paris terrorist attacks, which killed 130 people. [...] Several comments on the article expressed incredulity over the attack, questioning whether it is a hate-crime hoax.

Democrats Pass Resolution Condemning Anyone Who Speaks Against Islam.  Stephen Coughlin alerted me to a House Resolution introduced on December 17th, H.Res. 569, "Condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the United States.114th Congress (2015-2016)."  As of this writing, the country remains clueless about this development.  The resolution was introduced by Virginia Democrat Donald S. Beyer, and sponsored by Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, and endorsed by seventy-one other Representatives, most of them Democrats, and possibly a sprinkling of Republicans.  The resolution has gone into committee, but one can predict with confidence that it will emerge virtually unscathed and unaltered.  After all, the "victims" are Muslims, and the House wishes to put it in the record that certain of its members are against hurting anyone's feelings.

The Omnibus and the Left's Merry Statemas.  The list of victories in the spending package for the Left is so great that Nancy Pelosi had to preemptively warn her caucus not to gloat before it was passed for fear of scaring off any Republicans not fully aware of what the bill contained.  Harry Reid also tweeted that Democrats met all their omnibus goals, including "roll[ing] back sequester."  The forces of big government, in other words, are quite pleased with the outcome.  They have every reason to feel that way.  The omnibus rightly ended the crude oil export ban, a pointless and destructive anti-trade provision.  But that victory was paid for not only by extending wasteful and distortionary handouts to renewable energy, but also by establishing a slush fund to pay for the Paris climate deal, a global redistribution scheme beyond even the wildest dreams of Karl Marx.

Report: Facing Investigations, DOJ Claims Right To Avoid Investigations.  Beset by several investigations, the Department of Justice is claiming the right to avoid being investigated.  As reported by PJMedia, the Office of the Inspector General's job is to combat problems of waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government.  But Attorney General Loretta Lynch has no intention of allowing any investigation.  She told the House Judiciary Committee that her office will simply ignore any request from the OIG at will.

The Democrats' Theme for 2016 Is Totalitarianism.  Donald Trump may talk like a brownshirt, but the Democrats mean business.  For those of you keeping track, the Democrats and their allies on the left have now:  voted in the Senate to repeal the First Amendment, proposed imprisoning people for holding the wrong views on global warming, sought to prohibit the showing of a film critical of Hillary Rodham Clinton, proposed banning politically unpopular academic research, demanded that funding politically unpopular organizations and causes be made a crime and that the RICO organized-crime statute be used as a weapon against targeted political groups.  They have filed felony charges against a Republican governor for vetoing a piece of legislation, engaged in naked political persecutions of members of Congress, and used the IRS and the ATF as weapons against political critics.

FEC chair who sought to regulate Drudge slams colleagues as 'dysfunctional'.  Since assuming the chair's position in January, [Ann] Ravel has pursued an ambitious regulatory agenda that includes stricter regulation of campaign spending, eliminating some of the commission's members, and, as noted by the Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard, new controls over online political content on outlets like the Drudge Report, Google and Facebook.

The Democrats' War on Due Process.  [Y]ou don't actually have to be a terrorist to be "suspected" of being a terrorist.  You don't have to be a terrorist to have been "identified" as one by the FBI.  You don't have to be a terrorist to be arrested as a terrorist or indicted as a terrorist — any more than you have to be guilty of murder to be charged and tried for murder.  Some people who are accused of murder are innocent.  That's why we have trials, instead of sending every "person of interest" straight to the gallows.  Likewise, some people on the no-fly list are not terrorists.  But unlike people accused of murder, most on the no-fly list have never been charged, judged by their peers, or given the chance to prove they're not terrorists.

Gun Control: An Incipient Tyranny's Desperate Last Stand.  The governing establishment sees it coming, is terrified of the people, and desperately wants them disarmed.  It really isn't hard to understand why that would be the case.  After all, if your power and wealth depended upon lying to the people, abolishing their freedom, destroying their livelihoods, and sending their sons and daughters off to die in pointless wars, would you want them to have weapons?  The American people are buying guns and ammunition in record numbers in absolute defiance of a massive and coordinated gun control propaganda campaign.

The Man Who Can't Stop Lying.  As predicted, Barack Obama attempted to misdirect the American people during his prime-time Oval Office address last night.  The absentee President's relatively brief addressed seemed more concerned with protecting his view of the nature of Islam than the lives of American citizens, and he quickly pivoted towards asserting that American gun owners were the real threat.  Toward this end, Obama pushed his call to weaponize his enemies list.  He wants to be able to arbitrarily put American citizens that he doesn't like on one of several list, and then strip them of their constitutional rights by executive fiat.

Agents performing warrantless searches are the hallmark of totalitarianism.  In an effort to draw attention away from the intelligence failures that permitted the attacks of 9/11 and create the impression that it was doing something — anything — to avoid a repeat, the federal government tampered seriously with freedoms expressly guaranteed in the Constitution.  Its principal target was the right to privacy, which is protected in the Fourth Amendment.  At President George W. Bush's urging, Congress passed the Patriot Act in October 2001.  This 315-page statute passed the House of Representatives with no debate, and there was very limited debate in the Senate.  I have asked many members of Congress over the years whether they read this bill before they voted upon it, and I have yet to find a member who did.  In the House, that would have been impossible; the bill was made available to representatives only 15 minutes prior to their vote.

Man charged with felony for passing out jury rights fliers in front of courthouse.  A Mecosta man is charged with a felony for obstruction of justice and misdemeanor of tampering with a jury for passing out fliers about jury nullification rights on the sidewalk of the Mecosta County courthouse.  Keith Wood, 39, faces these charges after handing out about 50 fliers on Nov. 24, which the Fully Informed Jury Association wrote, that describe juror rights that are typically not given by judges during jury instructions before a trial.

Using the Terrorist Watchlist Against Gun Owners.  If you want to keep your right to keep and bear arms, you need to contact your congressman and U.S. senators now.  Amid the horror and outrage over last week's Paris terrorist attacks, on the pretext of stopping terrorism, New York Democrat Congressman Pete King is pushing a scheme to deny your Second Amendment rights — and deny your right to due process in the bargain — by banning firearm sales to anyone on the FBI's so-called Terrorist Watch List.

Three Liberties Being Threatened After the Paris Attacks.  In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris recently, statists and power-hungry bureaucrats have seized the opportunity to try and expand governmental power.  In the spirit of never letting a crisis go to waste, they hope to capitalize on fear to place new restrictions on individual liberties.  Here are three ways in which the forces of ever bigger government are seeking to exploit the Paris attacks to erode personal freedoms.

It's official: 'Homophobia' now a mental disorder!  If you think there might be something wrong with homosexuality, you most likely have a mental disorder, according to a recent study by a team of Italian researchers.  Discussing the study, lead researcher Emmanuele A. Jannini, M.D., stated:  "After discussing for centuries if homosexuality is to be considered a disease, for the first time we demonstrated that the real disease to be cured is homophobia, associated with potentially severe psychopathologies."  That's right.  The research team specifically found that "psychoticism," "immature defense mechanisms" and a "fearful attachment style" were associated with a greater "homophobic" attitude in individuals.

Hackers Catch Prison Phone Company Securus Recording Attorney Calls.  In an example of Aaron Swartz's SecureDrop technology working as intended, the Intercept received a trove of dumped Securus phone records recently.  Securus, for those who have never been jailed in the United States virtually anywhere, is a phone services leader in the justice industry.  That particular part of the prison industrial complex, communication, is worth about $1.2 billion annually.

Obamatrade Isn't Free Trade — It's A 5,544 Page Statist Monstrosity.  Read the TPP's Preamble.  The United States Constitution has a Preamble.  ObamaTrade's Preamble negates the Constitution's.  Note:  the spelling is British, not American.  This pretty well says it all.  The American lawyers and bureaucrats who negotiated this deal know who is on top.  It is not the United States of America.  This deal is the handwork of the New World Order and the multinational corporations that run it.  With this deal, the NWO will get inside the national governments as never before.  This is a massive surrender of national sovereignty.

TPP Trade Deal Hits 5,544 Pages, Longer Than Obamacare PLUS Rubio's 'Gang Of Eight' Cheap-Labor Amnesty Bill.  Rubio's immigration bill — which never cleared Congress — was just under 1,200 pages long, weighed roughly 24 pounds and was criticized for its large size and complexity.

Jeff Sessions: Kill The "Anti-Democratic" Trans-Pacific Partnership In The Crib, Repeal Fast Track Authority Now.  Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, is calling for the immediate destruction of the 5,554-page Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trans-global trade deal introduced on Thursday [11/5/2015].

Why Did the Environmental Protection Agency Spend $1.4 Million on Guns?  "We were shocked ourselves to find these kinds of pervasive expenditures at an agency that is supposed to be involved in clean air and clean water," said Open the Books founder Adam Andrzejewski.  "Some of these weapons are for full-scale military operations."  Among the EPA's purchases:
  •   $1.4 million for "guns up to 300mm."
  •   $380,000 for "ammunition."
  •   $210,000 for "camouflage and other deceptive equipment."
  •   $208,000 for "radar and night-vision equipment."
  •   $31,000 for "armament training devices."
The list goes on.  It's filled with the kind of equipment you'd expect to be purchased by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, not an agency ostensibly designed to protect the environment.  But as it turns out, armed, commando-style raids by the EPA are not unheard of. One such raid occurred in 2013, in a small Alaskan town where armed agents in full body armor reportedly confronted local miners accused of polluting local waters.  Perhaps the agency is gearing up for more operations like that one?

What did the EPA need with $1.4M worth of guns?  This comes on the heels of previous revelations, such as the discovery that the EPA had run up a $92M tab for designer furniture recently.  But this one is even more curious.  Rather than blowing moderately big dollars on designer roll away desks, the EPA has apparently been dumping more than a million dollars into equipping a small army.

Mic Cut, Police Chopper Sicced on Breitbart Event.  We are reaching the point where patriots are no longer able to meet in public.  A Breitbart meetup in the Phoenix suburb Scottsdale Wednesday night was aggressively silenced.

Millions of Americans might need passports to fly domestic.  A decade ago, the U.S. government issued stricter standards for state-issued IDs, including drivers licenses.  But four states have refused to comply:  Louisiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York.  The deadline for upgrading is coming up in 2016. If those four states don't upgrade their ID systems by the deadline, the TSA will demand that residents of those four states use passports rather than drivers licenses to board flights next year.  About 9.5 million drivers licenses have been issued in those states, according to government licensing records.

Also posted under the proposed National ID Card.

Google, the NSA & DHS are creating a global DNA database.  According to the Verge, Ancestry.com, is seeking permission from the FDA to create a national DNA database.  Ancestry.com claims they'll use your DNA to assess your families disease risk.  Would it shock you to know that Google, the NSA and DHS are using "front companies" to create a GLOBAL DNA database?

Wow! Just What We Need! Fully Armed EPA Agents!  The Washington Times and The American Spectator have picked up an article by Open the Books, a watchdog group, that has found evidence the EPA has spent millions of dollars on guns, ammo, body armor, camouflage equipment, and even night-vision goggles to arm its agents in the war on polluters.  Why do they need this and where are we going with this?  I'll tell you where.  CBS News has an article every day on the alleged impending climate change catastrophe.  Today, for example, they reported that Miami and New Orleans could be washed away by rising seas at the end of this century.  This is according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  They can't predict the weather two hours from now, but they can predict what will happen in 85 years.

DHS Goes Alarmist... Brings Back Terrorism Alert System for Domestic Threats.  Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced earlier this month at the UN that she would be working in several American cities to form what she called the Strong Cities Network (SCN), a law enforcement initiative that would encompass the globe.  Now Jeh Johnson has decided what is really needed is an alert system to warn everyone of pending terrorist attacks on US soil.  I'm detecting a very unpleasant trend here.  The old one that these morons came up with was never used.  It went unused.  At least Bush's made sense — this one is only two levels.  'Elevated' and 'We're all about to die.'

What Does The EPA Buy With The Millions Of Dollars They Spend On Weaponry?  The EPA isn't content to trash river systems and destroy the American economy in an effort to prevent the emission of carbon dioxide, which is plant food and a net positive to ecology as its concentrations in the atmosphere increase.  No, the EPA must have a military wing complete with military equipment.

Armed EPA Agents? The Truth Is Way Out There.  According to a report released last week by a watchdog group called Open the Books, the EPA has spent millions of dollars recently on guns, ammo, body armor, camouflage equipment, and even night-vision goggles to arm its agents in the war on polluters.  The Illinois-based investigative group examined thousands of checks totaling more than $93 billion from 2000 to 2014 by the EPA, and its auditors indicate that about $75 million is authorized each year for "criminal enforcement" of America's clean air and water laws.  This includes cash for a cadre of 200 "special agents" that engage in SWAT-style ops.

EPA spends millions on military-style weapons, watchdog group reports.  The Environmental Protection Agency has spent millions of dollars over the last decade on military-style weapons to arm its 200 "special agents" to fight environmental crime.  Among the weapons purchased are guns, body armor, camouflage equipment, unmanned aircraft, amphibious assault ships, radar and night-vision gear and other military-style weaponry and surveillance activities, according to a new report by the watchdog group Open the Books.

Braiding without a license: A crime in Texas.  Isis Brantley, an African-American entrepreneur, told a small, but rapt audience Tuesday [10/6/2015] about her two-decade legal battle to operate a braiding business and school in Texas.  Brantley's problem was that for most of her career she operated without the state's approval.  It demanded that she have a cosmetology license even though braiding and cosmetology are two different things.  It wasn't for public safety reasons, either.  It is legal in Texas for anyone to braid hair for free.  But charging a fee made her a criminal.  Brantley's home was eventually raided by seven police officers.

Washington DC may regulate personal trainers.  [Andrew] Killion oversees one of the largest Crossfit gyms in Washington D.C. with six full-time employees — called "coaches" in the Crossfit lingo — who help more than 400 members sweat their way through daily workouts in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse near the booming Navy Yard waterfront.  Now he worries city officials will take it all away.  Killion and other gym owners in the nation's capital could soon be subject to the first set of occupational licensing laws targeting personal trainers.

Obama issues executive order for government use of behavioral data.  A new executive order from President Obama directs all government agencies to use psychological science and data to help connect more Americans to government programs.  The order instructs government agencies to use "behavioral science" — a tactic used by Obama's political campaigns to harness data from their supporters to target them effectively.  The program has already existed in an experimental form, but now Obama has formally established the federal "Social and Behavioral Sciences Team," ordering them to to use psychology and experimental behavior data to make government more user-friendly.

Recycling is now mandatory.
Seattle sued over recycling inspectors keeping tabs on residents' trash.  When it comes to garbage, the city of Seattle has launched a waste war.  Nine full-time solid waste inspectors have been hired as part of a controversial program to check city trash to make sure people are recycling.  Additionally, contracted waste haulers have been effectively deputized as trash police, given the authority to tag bins when people fail to recycle and compost enough.  The program is now the subject of a lawsuit, as residents fume over what some call an intrusive government program.

Men's Barber Shop Fined $750 for Not Cutting Women's Hair.  Our rulers' authoritarian obsession with stamping out "inequality" and "discrimination" is not making it easy to do business in Pennsylvania. [...] Once this was a free country in which business owners decided for themselves who their clients would be.  But then came "civil rights."

Pennsylvania Barber Fined For Not Cutting Women's Hair.  A Pennsylvania barber got slapped with a fine for refusing to give a woman a haircut.  The owner John Interval says his shop is a place for men to relax with a cocktail or a beer.  But now, he's facing legal action from the state's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs.  Interval says he didn't know he has to service both genders.

The Terrifying Tentacles of One World Governance.  Citizens do not understand U.N. Agenda 21's damaging ramifications to their private property, to their ability to make a living, to use their land, grow food in their gardens, sell their fresh produce freely, engage in agriculture, sell their land, and pass it on to future generations.  Local land owners do not have the opportunity to provide their input into the decision-making process; they are at the mercy of "visioning committees" and the board of supervisors, often plants or paid subscribers to the one world government idea.

Who are the Lawbreakers?  We're told that if we don't pay our taxes we will go to jail but we're also told that illegals can break the law and live off our tax dollars with no consequences.  In fact, we're told that we're racists if we don't believe that criminals should have at least as nice a lifestyle as taxpayers.  We're told we can't steal from our children but by spending mountains of money we don't have the DC elites steal from our children with impunity.  We're told we can't steal from our neighbor but the elites steal money from taxpayers to support the lazy and the illegal.  The reality is that that Kentucky clerk is not the lawbreaker.  The real lawbreakers are the Supreme Court Justices who simply dictated that the votes of 55,000,000 Americans don't matter and that the clear intent of the Constitution doesn't matter.  The Constitution says nothing about marriage.  Only by ignoring it could the Supreme Court decide that Americans must submit to the whims of the ruling elite disguised as a "Constitutional" mandate.

Can a Christian Be a County Clerk in America?  This is a question it now appears may ultimately be decided by five Supreme Court justices.  With it, too, will ride such questions as:  Can a Christian be a doctor?  A nurse?  A public-school teacher?  In June, when five justices declared that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment creates a right to "same-sex marriage," Justice Clarence Thomas issued a warning.  "In our society, marriage is not simply a governmental institution, it is a religious institution as well," Thomas wrote in his dissent.  "Today's decision might change the former, but it cannot change the latter.  It appears all but inevitable that the two will come into conflict, particularly as individuals and churches are confronted with demands to participate in and endorse civil marriages between same-sex couples.  "The majority," said Thomas, "appears unmoved by that inevitability."

Nine Signs of the Impending American Collapse.  Race relations in the U.S. have markedly deteriorated under the suzerainty of the present administration, in some places resembling guerilla warfare as black-on-white violence proliferates and race riots are becoming an almost regular occurrence. [...] Civil disorder is radical community organizer Saul Alinsky's formula for revolutionary triumph, and his handbook Rules for Radicals is the Democratic Party's bible.  Alinsky was the subject of Hillary Clinton's senior thesis at Wellesley College and Obama's teaching at Chicago University Law School.

Religious liberty: The Kentucky county clerk and the Muslim flight attendant.  The New York Times and the rest of the national media are giving front page treatment to Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples on religious grounds. [...] A Muslim-American group plans Tuesday [9/1/2015] to file a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against ExpressJet Airlines for allegedly failing to accommodate a Metro Detroit-area Muslim flight attendant who objects to serving alcohol based on her religious beliefs.

Inhofe: EPA's Trying To Regulate Sewers.  A top Senate Republican is worried the EPA's new Clean Water Rule gives the agency the power to regulate sewers and stormwater systems — giving EPA a much more expansive reach than the agency had previously claimed.  Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe sent a letter to Jo-Ellen Darcy, the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Ken Kopocis, who heads up the EPA's Office of Water, asking them to clarify how the Clean Water Rule would impact city sewage systems.

Supreme Court rules against Kentucky clerk in gay marriage case.  The Supreme Court on Monday ruled against the Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, and the clerk will arrive at work Tuesday morning [9/1/2015] to face her moment of truth.

Call Cease-Fire in the War on Cash.  Last summer, London buses stopped accepting money.  To pay your fare, you now have to wave either a prepaid Transport for London Oyster card or a contactless payment bank card at a receiver.  For some, not having to dig out a handful of coins is a welcome relief.  For others, though, the disappearance of cash represents a dangerous threat to our liberty.

EPA Politburo Takes Control of Ditches in 37 States.  U.S. District Court of North Dakota Chief Judge Ralph Erickson put a temporary hold on the EPA's new water regulations on Thursday [8/27/2015], but the EPA, an unelected and unelectable body of bureaucrats, has decided to defy the judge and move ahead on states that did not sue.  Except for the 13 states that filed the North Dakota lawsuit, The Clean Water Rule aka Waters of the U.S. rule is in effect as of August 28.  The EPA has assumed jurisdiction over ditches — ditches that flow from streams — tributaries, streams, and other small waterways.  Every farmer, rancher, land developer and land owner is now subject to federal enrichment actions under the Clean Water Act if they have small waterways on their property.  More taxes, more regulations, more bureaucracy heaped on farmers, ranchers and land developers by an enormous, incompetent government agency.  The EPA says it does not interfere with or change private property rights but that's all they do.

Kentucky clerk asks Supreme Court to intervene in marriage case.  Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, who opposes to gay marriage for religious reasons, asked the nation's highest court on Friday [8/28/2015] to grant her "asylum for her conscience."  The Supreme Court ruled in June that the Constitution guarantees gay people the right to marry.  However, Davis contends the First Amendment guarantees her the right of religious freedom.  She stopped issuing all marriage licenses in the days after the landmark decision.  Two gay couples and two straight couples sued her, arguing that she must fulfill her duties as an elected official despite her religious conviction.  A federal court judge ordered Davis to issue licenses and an appeals court upheld the decision.

Appeals court upholds order that holdout Kentucky clerk issue marriage licences to gay couples.  A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling ordering a Kentucky county clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.

What First Amendment? Virginia State Police Forced BBC Journalists to Delete Video.  So I assume you have all heard that a homosexual African American shot and murdered to straight whites on live TV.  This was, of course, not a hate crime and never will be labeled as one.  This story from PRI caught my eye and makes me wonder why we even claim to have a First Amendment:  "Virginia police order BBC journalists to delete footage of suspected shooter's crash." [...] What I find especially insulting about this is that it happened to BBC journalists.  I don't know if they are British themselves, but it is galling to have a British media outlet learn just how flimsy our Bill of Rights really is.  What is the point of having a First Amendment if the police can simply order censorship?

More about Vester Lee Flanagan II a/k/a Bryce Williams.

Colorado Baker Case Latest Defeat for Religious Liberty.  The Colorado Court of Appeals has handed the concept of religious liberty for individuals yet another defeat, with its August 13 ruling against suburban Denver baker Jack Phillips.  The appellate court upheld a lower court ruling that the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop had illegally discriminated against two homosexual men by refusing to bake a cake to celebrate their "marriage."  The two men, Charlie Craig and David Mullins, had filed a complaint with the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), citing Colorado's anti-discrimination law.  Phillips told them that to accede to their wishes would violate his religious beliefs.  When the two men ordered the cake in 2012, Colorado did not recognize same-sex marriage; however, the court held that the refusal by Phillips to bake the cake ran afoul of the state's law which prohibits discrimination based upon "sexual orientation."

Judge opens door for cops to storm your home.  The Third Amendment, which guards against the quartering of soldiers in citizens' homes — and which came into being because of the abuse of British troops against American patriots — has just been dinged by a judge who ruled the provision doesn't apply to police.  In essence, that means police on official business could claim the legal right to bust into a private citizen's home and occupy it.  The determination from federal district court Judge Andrew Gordon was rendered when he dismissed a Third Amendment claim from a Henderson, Nevada, family who suffered that very fate.

"There is no area of our lives the leftists won't invade."
Progressives Want to Ban Barbecue Aromas And So Much More.  The city council in Austin, Tex. took up "the smell of barbecue and a proposal to control it," the New York Times reported in April, "in response to some citizen complaints."  They plan to order the restaurants to control the odors because it is a "public nuisance."  Austin is known for its barbecue restaurants and food trucks.  Most would close, perhaps all.  "A public nuisance is an activity that threatens the public health, safety or welfare, or does damage to community resources."  The city of Austin wants to take a handful of citizen complaints and make them into a public health hazard.  We won't ban illegal immigration but we will ban the aromas from restaurant barbecues.

The Editor says...
This problem is easily solved.  Let the left-wing liberal authoritarians shut down all the barbecue joints in Austin.  Better yet, all the restaurants that emit any discernable aroma.  Then sit back and wait for the outcry from the low-information voters who haven't been paying attention.  The restaurants will be back open in a few days, and the experience may make Libertarians out of a lot of hungry citizens.

Florida council official caught on camera telling resident the smoke from his barbecue 'cannot leave the property'.  A bizarre video has emerged out of Florida showing a man who says he is a council official telling a resident that the smoke from their barbecue is not allowed to leave the property.  The video, which went viral over the weekend, shows the male resident arguing with the apparent official and not believing what he is being told.  'I'm only here because of the odor, I'm only here because of the smoke,' the official says the clip.  [Video clip]

Bruce Jenner, Brett Favre, and the cultural totalitarians.  In a truly surreal display, NFL great Brett Favre is being denounced by the left's new cultural commissars for not clapping long and hard enough at ESPN's ESPY awards, as Bruce/"Caitlyn" Jenner received a "Courage" award for his efforts to become a woman.  Oddly, Favre did applaud — not doing so would have been a grave heresy to America's new church of progressive inquisitors.  His sin was not applauding enthusiastically enough.  The New York Post placed a video of Favre's blasphemous insufficient clapping, juxtaposed with Jenner's celebratory ascent to the stage. [...] No, I'm not making this up.  In the New America, not only must we accept transgenderism, but we must literally applaud it — and literally applaud it long, loud, and hard.  And remember, Big Brother is watching you.

The Editor says...
The same thing happens in North Korea:  If you don't applaud the Supreme Leader vigorously enough, you're taken away and re-educated -- or worse.

It looks like Lois Lerner may have also been behind conservative targeting in Wisconsin.  Remember those horrifying police raids in Wisconsin a while back?  With no hyperbole, it was modern-day tyranny that should have incensed the entire nation, regardless of political affiliation or viewpoint.  Instead, very few ever even heard about it.  Why?  Because progressives were the perpetrators and conservatives were the targets.  The raids were part of a so-called "investigation" of conservatives who were supporting Scott Walker.  Well new email evidence suggests that Lois Lerner may have been in cahoots with a Wisconsin official regarding the investigation.

H8 Wins: Oregon Threatens Home Of Christian Bakers.  Fox News is reporting that the fascist state of Oregon is ramping up its persecution campaign against Christian bakers who declined to bake a wedding cake for a same sex lesbian couple.  Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, have been told that if they don't pay the $135,000 awarded to the lesbian couple who sued them, a lien will be placed against their home next week.

The Gay Lifestyle Fallacy.  The United States is sinking into the moral decay of tribal warfare.  No longer can Christians state their case without a torrent of hatred coming from both atheists and those in the gay rights cabal.  Any opinion that does not toe the progressive line will not be tolerated.  This comes from the party of tolerance.  Your identity, your lifestyle, even you very dignity will be trashed if you do not comply.  This way of thinking will soon be a coercive force in every citizens life.  Much of it starts with those who speak out from within the gay community, or those who have been raised inside the gay community and have felt its corrosive way of thinking first hand.

We 'refuse to comply': Christian bakers won't be bullied by gag order.  It's going to take more than a gag order from a state bureaucrat to shut up two Christian bakers under assault for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in Oregon.  As reported by Bizpac Review on Saturday, Aaron and Melissa Klein were not only hit with a $135,000 fine for refusing to bake the cake, but they were also ordered by Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian to stop speaking out about the case.  The Kleins, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, told Fox News' Todd Starnes they have no intention of obeying what they see as a clear violation of their First Amendment rights.

Wasserman-Schultz on Bakers Fined $135K Over Wedding Cake: 'You Shouldn't Be Able to Turn People Away'.  Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said the marriage debate is over.  "The marriage equality decision is settled.  Love is love and now everyone in America enjoys the protection of the United States Constitution when it comes to who they choose to marry legally," Wasserman-Schultz told The Daily Signal.  She also weighed in on the religious liberty debate.  "That doesn't mean that churches and religious institutions have to conduct same-sex marriages and it doesn't mean that religious institutions aren't able to practice their own values.  But, in this country, we do not allow people to discriminate."

Democrat Senator: 1st Amendment Doesn't Apply To Individuals.  Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) says the 1st Amendment's religious liberty protections don't apply to individuals. [...] Democrat Senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein already believe that 'freedom of speech' only applies to the mainstream media.  They're both on record claiming that bloggers don't deserve 1st Amendment protections because in their eyes, we aren't genuine journalists.  To them, to be a real journalist you have to work for a nationally recognized media conglomerate, have a degree from an accredited school of journalism, collect a paycheck and be answerable to an editor for what you say.  In other words, they (the government) want the power to threaten to have you fired if you dare speak out of line.  Bloggers, being self employed, in their opinion, are renegades because they have no way to intimidate us into silence.

Cultural aggression, destructive policies, and ceaseless smearing are wearing out a great people.  [Scroll down]  Ask Aaron and Melissa Klein what they think of the state of our civil liberties, after an Oregon judge not only sanctioned the destruction of their wedding cake business but denied them the freedom to discuss their plight.  Ask Brendan Eich, the former Mozilla CEO who committed the crime of writing a check to support organizations opposed to gay marriage.  Ask any conservative attempting to ply a trade in Hollywood or academia.  The Left's cultural fascists have perfected the ability to silence their opposition without the use of jackboots and truncheons as in the past, though as we've seen an angry mob or a riot squad here and there is hardly out of the question.  Next up will be the forfeiting of tax exemptions by churches — unless the Left is willing to make exceptions for those it deems "helpful" to the cause.

United We Stood, Divided We'll Fall.  [Scroll down]  Oh the gay community and their supporters will argue it was a huge win, an in-your-face slam-dunk.  But beneath all the hoopla, behind the well-designed scenes, the gays lost.  We all lost because the real victor, the hands-down big winner is government.  You see, the dirty little secret is that gays, like blacks and Hispanics, are being used to declaw the silent majority.  Politicians have tried over and over again to stop those constitutional nuts who keep waving the American flag and quoting the Constitution.  It hasn't been easy, these conservatives have been the majority since colonial days.  They still are the majority, the silent majority; too silent.  But they're an obstacle to power nonetheless so they must be put down.

Surrender to judicial tyranny? I will protect religious liberty, not retreat.  America didn't fight a revolution against the tyranny of one unelected monarch so we could surrender our religious liberty to the tyranny of five unelected lawyers.  The Supreme Court is not the Supreme Being, and the Court can no more repeal the laws of nature and nature's God on marriage than they can the laws of gravity.  Last Friday's same-sex marriage decision by the Court, which rejected the will of people in over 30 states, is an out-of-control act of unconstitutional judicial tyranny.  While some cowardly politicians will wave the white flag and surrender to the false god of judicial supremacy, I refuse to light a match to our Constitution.  We must resist and reject judicial tyranny, not retreat.

No Truce With the Left.  Republicans are still trying to figure out a truce on gay marriage.  They retreated to civil unions, then accepted a full defeat on gay marriage and then acted baffled when Christian bakery owners were dragged into court for refusing to participate in gay weddings.  When the left insisted that gay marriage was a civil rights issue, they refused to take them at their word.  Now they're wondering how an accommodation can be made with tranny rights.  A brief look back at gay rights will show that the only possible accommodation is one in which men in dresses have a legal right to use the ladies room and every single closed female space and event.  And yes, that means your business will be shut down if you object to Steve using the female locker room.

Same-sex marriage is only the beginning.  That the majority threw a bone to religious people, their churches and institutions, saying they could continue to preach and teach that homosexual marriage is wrong, will almost certainly be challenged by gay activists and secularists whose goal is to drive religious people, and especially Christians, out of the public square.  What might be a preview of things to come occurred last week when the Fairfax County (Va.) School Board voted 10-2 to approve a "gender identity" curriculum for children starting in seventh grade.  News reports said the crowd that showed up for the vote overwhelmingly opposed the decision, but majorities no longer matter.

'Disparate Impact' Ruling Emboldens Obama's Diversity Cops.  Armed with a Supreme Court-licensed shakedown weapon, President Obama's race cops will wage an even bigger war against lenders, insurers, employers and whoever else fails their "disparate impact" test.  Attorney Gen. Loretta Lynch said she and her civil-rights goons are "bolstered by this important ruling" by the high bench, which by a narrow 5-4 vote upheld bogus disparate-impact theory as a tool to enforce laws against housing, lending and insurance discrimination.

15 Reasons 'Marriage Equality' Is About Neither Marriage Nor Equality.  Same-sex marriage is a notion that contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction.  I doubt many have thought this through, with the ironic exception of the elites who have been pushing the agenda the hardest.  Most people are weary of it all and going along to get along, especially since dissent has become such a socially expensive proposition, almost overnight.  That in itself should deeply concern anyone who values freedom of expression. [...] The same-sex marriage agenda is more like a magic bullet with a trajectory that will abolish civil marriage for everyone, and in doing so, will embed central planning into American life.  And that, my friends, is the whole point of it.  Along with Obamacare, net neutrality, and Common Core, genderless marriage is a blueprint for regulating life, particularly family life.

The Day the Constitution Died.  I have sadly come to the conclusion that many of my colleagues are correct...  our Constitutional form of government is now dead and Obama's transformative 'change' is all but complete.  Things are now snowballing and it is more than most Americans can take or bear.  From gay marriage and the ensuing infringement on free speech and our religious rights, to enforced Obamacare, to forced wealth redistibution in our neighborhoods, to the EPA run amok... our freedoms are being absolutely nullified.  States are now saying they won't comply with the EPA on coal and who can blame them?  Americans will get very dangerous when they are hungry and cold.

[The] Moral Life of [the] Nation Could be Decided by One Judge.  [Quoting Robert Bork:]  There's no end to the gall of some of these folks.  But amending the constitution is the clearest route.  Beyond that, the cures are longer term.  They would involve replacing these judges with other judges.  If it's an elective system, when they come up for reelection, vote them out and get new judges.  If it's not, wait until they retire or die, and then get new judges.  But as long as we insist upon treating judges as the final word no matter what they say, we're in trouble.

Democracy Is Dying; Persecution Is Coming.  You will not be surprised that the majority opinion in Obergefell, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, is full of gaseous eructations from the judicial pyloric, e.g., "the right to marry is fundamental because it supports a two-person union unlike any other in its importance to the committed individuals."  And who says a two-person union is unlike any other in its importance?  This is groundless assertion.  You really must read the four dissenting opinions in the case.  Even I am shocked by the bracing quality of the rhetoric and the analysis.  If these justices are correct, this is a dark day for American democracy, and for the practice of traditional religion in America.

SCOTUS invents new right to same-sex "marriage," outlawing Christianity.  Let me tell you how this is going to play out.  See what the progressive fascists are doing with the Confederate flag?  See how they're erasing it from every nook and cranny of America?  See the defacement of Confederate monuments?  Hear the calls for censorship of classics like Gone With The Wind?  You ain't seen nothin' yet.  Because the rainbow-shirts are coming.  And they're coming for us.  I figure the first church burning is only hours away.  Within days it'll be impossible to say the words "homosexual" and "sin" in the same sentence anywhere in America.

Scalia: 'This Court' is a 'Threat to American Democracy'.  In his dissent from the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision [6/26/2015] in Obergefell v. Hodges, which declared that same-sex marriage was a right, Justice Antonin Scalia declared that this Supreme Court has become a "threat to American democracy.  "I write separately to call attention to this Court's threat to American democracy," Scalia said.  "This practice of constitutional revision by an unelected committee of nine, always accompanied (as it is today) by extravagant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776:  the freedom to govern themselves."

EPA to Monitor Family's Water Use in Colorado.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking to monitor how much water families use in Boulder, Colorado.  The agency submitted a solicitation Thursday [6/18/2015], announcing its plans to hire a contractor for the purpose of "Water Monitoring Equipment and Collection of Data" of apartments in the city.

A Thirsty Colorado Is Battling Over Who Owns Raindrops.  When Jason Story bought an old soy sauce barrel to collect the rain dripping from his downspout, he figured he had found an environmentally friendly way to water his garden's beets and spinach.  But under the quirks of Western water rules, where raindrops are claimed even as they tumble from the sky, he became a water outlaw.

The Government Wants You to Get Its Permission Before Discussing Gunmaking Information on the Internet (or Anywhere).  The NRA notes with alarm last week something that, if it were paying attention, it would realize is not a fear on the horizon but a nightmare certain people are already living: [...] As readers of Reason know well, Cody Wilson is living proof the government has already been acting on the belief they have this power to prevent certain technical details about gun making from spreading to the Internet without their approval — in Wilson's case, CAD files to for a 3D printed plastic handgun.

NRA: Gun blogs, videos, web forums threatened by new Obama regulation.  Commonly used and unregulated internet discussions and videos about guns and ammo could be closed down under rules proposed by the State Department, amounting to a "gag order on firearm-related speech," the National Rifle Association is warning.  In updating regulations governing international arms sales, State is demanding that anyone who puts technical details about arms and ammo on the web first get the OK from the federal government — or face a fine of up to $1 million and 20 years in jail.

Obama Plans To Muzzle Gun-Related Speech.  The foreign-raised President of the United States — who never set foot on the U.S. mainland until he was an adult — has proven throughout his rogue administration that he has no respect at all for the Constitution.  He's proving it yet again with a dual attack on both the First and Second Amendments, with an attempt to twist ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) regulations to ban online speech about firearms, claiming that information posted online is "exporting" data.

Don't be fooled, America, your government is still lying to you.  Last week, we learned that the FBI is operating low-flying planes over 100 American cities to monitor folks on the streets and intercept their cellphone use — without any search warrants.  Earlier this week, we learned that the Drug Enforcement Administration has intercepted the telephone calls of more than 11,000 people in three years — without any search warrants.  We already know that local police have been using government surplus cell towers to intercept the cellphone signals of innocent automobile drivers for about a year — without search warrants.  How dangerous this is.  The Constitution is the supreme law of the land.  It applies in good times and in bad, in war and in peace.  It regulates the governed and the governors.  Yet if the government that it regulates can change it by ordinary legislation, then it is not a constitution but a charade.

NRA: Gun blogs, videos, web forums threatened by new Obama regulation.  Commonly used and unregulated internet discussions and videos about guns and ammo could be closed down under rules proposed by the State Department, amounting to a "gag order on firearm-related speech," the National Rifle Association is warning.  In updating regulations governing international arms sales, State is demanding that anyone who puts technical details about arms and ammo on the web first get the OK from the federal government — or face a fine of up to $1 million and 20 years in jail.

Isn't this what Fort Hood, White Sands and the eastern half of Nevada are for?
City says loud explosions were Army training exercise.  It was a peaceful afternoon, and then residents said it seemingly turned hostile.  "I was standing there, and all of a sudden, boom!" Jean Glenn said.  "I mean it was loud, it blew up the whole sky or whatever, it was like four or five big bangs," Annette Humphrey said.  Explosions you'd expect in a war zone echoed through Flint.  People's homes shook and those inside were caught off-guard.  It all went down Tuesday [6/2/2015] at the shuttered Lowell Junior High on the city's east side.  The blasts are just an Army exercise.

EPA boss threatens to come knocking on doors.  Next time there is a knock at the front door, it just might be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency waiting to deliver a message.  EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy dealt a warning Wednesday to Americans who do not place environmental stewardship above everything else.

America's Own FIFA: the EPA.  An unprecedented power grab.  That's the only accurate way to describe the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which was made final on Wednesday [5/27/2015].  It twists the plain language of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the "navigable waters" of the United States, out of all recognition, to give the Obama administration powers over any land that might at any time be occupied by water, such as seasonal pools or drainage channels.  Your use of your own property could become subject to veto by the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers — and you might not even know it until they stick you with $75,000 a day in fines.  And if the rule itself is an abuse of power, the way in which it was finalized is just as outrageous.

When They Come for the Smaller Groups....  The Nazis, obviously, used the principle successfully.  One by one, different groups were marginalized and demonized in the public opinion, until it was clear no one would come to their defense, because "we are not them."  Jews.  Socialists.  Trade Unions.  Military personnel.  Gypsies.  Mentally ill people.  Roman Catholic Priests.  Protestant pastors.  Step by step, the general population was divided in groups and subjugated through repressions and terror.  By the time many people realized the murderous nature of the Nazi regime, no one was in a position to unite the remaining groups in opposition to the government.  The Soviet Communists did the same.  They also started with a broad appeal to all the "classes," marginalizing and demonizing only small groups.  The "capitalists."  Then the priests.  Then the "intellectuals." [...] It was Solzhenitsyn who later realized that if the people didn't remain passive but united to shoot at government agents when they came to do arrests, millions of lives would have been spared.

The case for conservative civil disobedience.  [Scroll down]  In parallel, the legal system has become a vehicle for progressive social aims, growing arbitrary and subjective.  Murray points to lower bars for bringing lawsuits, broader rules of discovery and the rise of strict liability that doesn't require specific negligence to find guilt.  All this has conspired to create a system in which defending yourself is prohibitively costly, laws are so complex as to be unintelligible and prosecutors enjoy corrupting discretionary power.  Instead of a world where acts are criminalized because they are malum in se (wrong in themselves), Murray argues that a large proportion of crimes in the federal code are "malum prohibitum — not things that are bad in themselves but things that warrant criminal penalties because the government has said they do."

DOE Secretary Backs Public Boarding Schools: 'Certain Kids We Should Have 24/7'.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Tuesday proposed the idea of public boarding schools, saying there are "just certain kids we should have 24/7."  "One idea that I threw out ... is the idea of public boarding schools," Duncan said at the National Summit on Youth Violence Prevention in Crystal City, Va.  "That's a little bit of a different idea — a controversial idea — but the question is do we have some children where there's not a mom, there's not a dad, there's not a grandma, there's just nobody at home?"

The Editor says...
In what rent-free "home" would an orphaned minor live without adults?  I assert that no such example exists, and this boarding school idea is simply an incremental step toward the federal takeover of all children.

This took place on an Amtrak train.
DEA to traveler: Thanks, I'll take that cash.  [Joseph] Rivers, 22, wasn't detained and has not been charged with any crime since his money was taken last month.  That doesn't matter.  Under a federal law enforcement tool called civil asset forfeiture, he need never be arrested or convicted of a crime for the government to take away his cash, cars or property — and keep it.  Agencies like the DEA can confiscate money or property if they have a hunch, a suspicion, a notion that maybe, possibly, perhaps the items are connected with narcotics.  Or something else illegal. [...] A Washington Post investigation last year found that local, state and federal agents nationwide have seized $2.5 billion in cash from almost 62,000 people since 2001 — without warrants or indictments.

Also posted under The police state on wheels.

'We Will Not Obey': Christian Leaders Threaten Civil Disobedience if Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage.  "We respectfully warn the Supreme Court not to cross that line," read a document titled, Pledge in Solidarity to Defend Marriage.  "We stand united together in defense of marriage.  Make no mistake about our resolve."  "While there are many things we can endure, redefining marriage is so fundamental to the natural order and the common good that this is the line we must draw and one we cannot and will not cross," the pledge states.

Obama's Lawyer Basically Tells SCOTUS That Religious Schools Are Toast.  During oral arguments made in the same-sex marriage case heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday [4/28/2015] (Obergefell v. Hodges), Justices Roberts and Alito questioned Solicitor General Donald Verrilli about the rights of religious schools if the Court decides to impose same-sex marriage on the states.  Justice Roberts asked if religious schools that provide housing to married students would be required to offer such housing to same-sex couples.  Verrilli demurred, saying there is currently no federal law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation.  "Those issues are going to have to be worked out," he said.

Idaho city's ordinance tells pastors to marry gays or go to jail.  Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, city officials have laid down the law to Christian pastors within their community, telling them bluntly via an ordinance that if they refuse to marry homosexuals, they will face jail time and fines.  The dictate comes on the heels of a legal battle with Donald and Evelyn Knapp, ordained ministers who own the Hitching Post wedding chapel in the city, but who oppose gay marriage, The Daily Caller reported.  A federal judge recently ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, while the city of Coeur d'Alene has an ordinance that prevents discrimination based on sexual preference.

Largest Bank In America Joins War On Cash.  Just a week ago, the infamous Willem Buiter, along with Ken Rogoff, voiced their support for a restriction (or ban altogether) on the use of cash (something that was already been implemented in Louisiana in 2011 for used goods).  Today, as Mises' Jo Salerno reports, the war has acquired a powerful new ally in Chase, the largest bank in the U.S., which has enacted a policy restricting the use of cash in selected markets; bans cash payments for credit cards, mortgages, and auto loans; and disallows the storage of "any cash or coins" in safe deposit boxes.

Gov. Walker Supporters Claim Police Raided Their Homes Over Politics.  Megyn Kelly shared new information tonight [4/23/2015] about a series of terrifying raids which were reportedly a form of political retribution against supporters of Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI).  She explained that a few of the people who were raided came forward and spoke to the National Review about what they experienced.  Kelly reported that Cindy Archer had a raid conducted on her home when she was sound asleep one night.  Archer claims that more than a dozen police officers were yelling and pounding on her door.  She said that police would not tell her why they were there as they ransacked her home, Kelly reported.

America's Soft Police State.  Today Americans live in a soft police state.  We may not sense its severity and doom like runaway slaves or Anne Frank, but the freedoms of the greatest number of Americans have never been more threatened and violated institutionally — both openly and secretively — by our own government.

Involuntary Servitude Returns to America.  Given that America no longer allows involuntary servitude, why do florists, photographers, bakers or printers have to work for anyone who requests his services?  Why are they not protected by the Thirteenth Amendment?

'Free-Range' Parents Will Sue CPS for Grabbing Their Kids.  The Meitivs are lawyering up, and will file some kind of lawsuit against Montgomery County, Maryland, officials who took their children while the youngsters were walking outside by themselves. [...] Aren't prisoners allowed one phone call, or is that just on TV?  Because the Meitiv kids weren't able to contact their parents in the six hours they were held by the authorities.

Green Terrorists are Sabotaging the U.S. Economy.  Environmentalist extremists are controlling our policies at all levels of local, state and federal government.  The environmental terrorists are consuming land in the name of frogs and assorted creatures and putting cost prohibitive regulations on farmers and ranchers, raising the price of essential services and goods such as food and transportation.  They are lowering our standard of living in the name of non-essential wildflowers and prairie chickens.  They have infiltrated the government at every level so that you now see the DOD tweeting their latest green initiative as ISIS, Al-Qaida, and Iran compete for hegemony in the Middle East and do so without resistance.  Americans are afraid to resist the lies on which they build their power.  The majority have been silenced into blindness though truth is hiding in plain sight.  The EPA is a group of unelected bureaucrats — tyrants — who now act as an arm of extremists, pushing regulations on individuals, on every household, and every business without our permission.

The state presumes to own your children.
Maryland Parents Panic When Their Kids Are Once Again Confiscated By CPS.  Danielle Meitiv, the Maryland Mom who lets her children play outside by themselves — despite the government's ridiculous demands — just called me.  She and her husband were on their way to the Child Protective Services Emergency Crisis Center.  Why?  The police picked up the kids while they were outside again sometime Saturday afternoon [4/11/2015], and this time the cops took them without telling their parents.

NYT Writer: Christians 'Must Be Made' to Embrace Gay Lifestyle.  In the wake of the Indiana donnybrook over religious liberty, which somehow was transformed overnight into a question of gay rights, it couldn't be long before the New York Times weighed in against Christians.  Yet who could have expected the draconian measures the Times would propose?  Either Christians fully embrace the gay lifestyle, or you will be coerced into doing so.

No More 'Speeding' for You!  Someday — and that day might be closer than you want to know — we'll look back fondly on speed traps. [...] Tomorrow, you may not be able to "speed" even if you wanted to.  Because your car will not allow you to.

FBI Admits All Registered Motorcycle Owners Are On Classified Gang List.  MSNBC correspondent Jeremy Lancaster sat down with government official Darrin Cornia to discuss recent rumors that have been in circulation in regard to registered motorcycle owners being placed on a classified FBI gang list.

A List Of Things Potential Senate Minority Leader Schumer Has Tried To Ban.  It's long been said that the most dangerous place in Washington is between Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and a TV camera. [...] So what kind of leader is Chuck Schumer?  He is among the very most trivial politicians to serve in that crucible of triviality, mediocrity, and dead weight we call the U.S. Senate.  Here's a list of quickly ginned-up headlines of what our next illustrious Senate leader has been up to over his time in Washington.

Dem Suggests Kids Should Be Drug-Tested Before They Can Inherit From Their Parents.  Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez offered a baffling defense of the death tax Wednesday [3/18/2015] during a hearing examining the sometimes unbearable burden it places on family farms and businesses.  People receiving food stamps have to pass drug tests or meet work requirements to receive taxpayer dollars, Sanchez reasoned, so it's only fair that those "lucky" enough to inherit wealth should have to do something to earn it or, in this case, pay a tax.  "What work requirements are there to inherit up to $10 million tax free?" she asked a witness, rhetorically.

The EPA wants to watch you in the shower.  [Scroll down]  You can bet that before too long, there will be a move by the EPA to place one of those gizmos in every single home in America.  It will eventually be connected to the home's water system, with an auto-shutdown valve to enforce their idea of how much water you should be using to get clean.  You may be washing your hair when the water is suddenly turned off, leaving you with a headfull of suds and anger management issues.

EPA wants to monitor how long hotel guests spend in the shower.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants hotels to monitor how much time its guests spend in the shower.  The agency is spending $15,000 to create a wireless system that will track how much water a hotel guest uses to get them to "modify their behavior."  "Hotels consume a significant amount of water in the U.S. and around the world," an EPA grant to the University of Tulsa reads.  "Most hotels do not monitor individual guest water usage and as a result, millions of gallons of potable water are wasted every year by hotel guests."

The Editor says...
No sane person spends any more time in a hotel shower than is absolutely necessary.  But the EPA is to blame for low-volume shower heads in hotel rooms, which cause the guests to spend more time in the shower.  This results in near-zero water savings.  The amount of water "wasted" by hotel customers cannot be determined without a gross invasion of privacy.  In any event, the hotel guest pays in advance for the privilege of a long hot shower.

The Sasquatch carbon footprints of the sanctimonious environmentalists.  While the stars of former and present-day politics and religion get to burp carbon into the environment, the little guy is about to be spied upon by EPA when in the shower.  Not only does the EPA want to monitor how long hotel guests are spending in the shower, they have a $15,000 grant to create a device to "modify" guests behavior.

Obama's EPA Now Wants to Prevent You From Showering Too Long in Hotels.  On vacation?  Want to relax with a nice long shower in your expensive hotel room?  Well, if Obama's EPA has its way, the President's scolds will be there to harass you if your shower lasts longer than Obama has decreed that you are allowed to.

Obama's EPA Prepares a Crackdown on Long Hotel Showers.  The Obama administration's Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to crack down on shower sneaks.  You know who you are.  You're the type of selfish person who steps into a hotel shower and lingers too long.  Maybe you're trying to get clean.  Maybe you're shaving.  Maybe you enjoy the sensory blast of instant hot water on your skin that isn't going on a home water-heater bill.  The EPA doesn't care about such frivolous things.  Its concern is the amount of water you are "wasting."  Whatever it is, it's too much.

Reclaiming Legislative Power.  The power to make laws rests wholly in Congress — at least that is what the Constitution says.  Yet who makes the "laws" in our federal system today?  Vast amounts of legislative power have been "delegated" to independent federal regulatory agencies like the Federal Communications Commission or to the president or his cabinet secretaries.  The sheer volume of these rules is mind-numbing.  Consider that in 2014, the year that just ended, 75,000 pages of new regulations were adopted by the Executive Branch, either by the Obama administration directly or through independent regulatory agencies.  This is in addition to the myriad executive orders the president gives to his various departments regarding how to administrate federal laws.

Backyard burger and wiener roasts targeted by EPA.  The Environmental Protection Agency has its eyes on pollution from backyard barbecues.  The agency announced that it is funding a University of California project to limit emissions resulting in grease drippings with a special tray to catch them and a "catalytic" filtration system.  The $15,000 project has the "potential for global application," said the school.  The school said that the technology they will study with the EPA grant is intended to reduce air pollution and cut the health hazards to BBQ "pit masters" from propane-fueled cookers.

Couple denied role as foster parents over permits to carry guns.  A Nevada couple were denied their request to serve as foster parents because they have permits to carry guns.  Brian and Valerie Wilson, of Las Vegas, told "Fox & Friends" Sunday that they have always planned to become foster parents and eventually adopt, but have been denied permission to do so because of a state regulation that prohibits the carrying of loaded weapons with foster children.

Obama is Looking into Raising Taxes by Executive Order.  We already knew that President Obama was happy to continue waging war in Libya even after his lawyers told him he needed Congressional approval.  We already knew that he was willing to alter and delay major portions of Obamacare, regardless of the statutory language.  And we already knew that he was eager to indefinitely suspend deportations for millions of illegal immigrant adults — and proactively give them legal work papers, making them eligible for billions in tax credits — despite years of explicitly arguing that he didn't have the authority to do so.

Atlanta-area garbage collector jailed for going to work too early: 7 Online.  A sanitation worker in an Atlanta suburb is behind bars for getting to work too early.  Kevin McGill was sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating a Sandy Springs ordinance that says workers can only haul trash between the hours of 7am and 7pm.  McGill was cited for picking up the trash just after 5am one morning.

Elijah Cummings is Knee Deep in IRS Scandal.  Cleta Mitchell, who is representing True the Vote, has filed an ethics probe against Elijah Cummings on February 6th (2014) with the Office of Congressional Ethics.  Last fall, True the Vote started receiving 8 and 9 page letters from Cummings, claiming he was conducting an investigation of their organization as part of the House Oversight Committee.  One problem.  The House Oversight Committee is only allowed to investigate government agencies.  Going after a private citizen is illegal.  Mitchell wants to find out if Cummings is responsible in part or completely for the harassment of Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote.  After Cummings launched his "investigation", Engelbrecht had her business audited twice, her personal taxes once, two visits from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, a surprise visit from OSHA, seven visits from the FBI.

King v. Burwell Is Much Bigger Than Obamacare.  John Adams, in a 1775 essay referencing the Roman historian Livy and other sources, wrote that a republic was "a nation of laws, not of men."  As recently as fifty years ago, most Americans would have intuitively understood his point and why it was relevant to their lives.  Today, it isn't clear that the President of the United States, the leaders of the Democratic Party, or the members of our "news" media would grasp the meaning of Adams' words, much less that they still matter today.  We will soon discover if the same can be said of the Supreme Court.

Bozell to CPAC: 'Cultural Fascism Has Arrived in America'.  "Cultural fascism has arrived in America," Media Research Center President Brent Bozell said Friday [2/27/2015] in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference.  "Tyranny is knocking at our door," Bozell said.  "Webster defines fascism as 'a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control,'" he said.  "Cultural fascism has arrived in America."

Feds Seeking 'Wearable Alcohol Biosensors' to Track How Much Americans Drink.  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering up to $300,000 for the creation of bracelets that can track how much Americans drink.  The federal agency issued a challenge on Monday for individuals and businesses to invent a "wearable alcohol biosensor" that shows a person's blood alcohol level in real time.  The government envisions a device that can be worn by Americans "in the course of their daily lives."  "Current technologies for real time monitoring of alcohol consumption, used in criminal justice applications, have performed adequately, but have disadvantages for broader use," the NIH said in a notice announcing the challenge in the Federal Register.  The NIH's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) said it wants a device that can store data on how much a person drinks.

The Editor says...
Oh, I see.  The government wants to monitor our alcohol consumption "in the course of [our] daily lives," using a sensor that we will (all) have to wear, presumably 24/7.  For our own good, of course.

Exposed: The Planned Subjugation of America's Population.  Citizens about to be cast into the shadows is only courtesy of the natural order when the current administration in D.C. operates not on the way its own unsuspecting citizens presume, but on a long term in place, carefully mounted 'Shadow Government'.  It was the 'Shadow Government' that built its own "civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded as the military"; a Shadow Government that gives us a false image as Barack Obama as president when 'Shadow Woman' Valerie Jarrett, for whom not a single vote was cast, is running the show.

Bozell: Left Using IRS, FEC and FCC to End Free Speech.  President of the Media Research Center, Brent Bozell told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday [2/27/2015] the "radical left" is using government agencies in "a relentless campaign to destroy the last vestiges of freedom in America."

"Caveman" blogger wins right to blog advice about food and fitness without a state license.  North Carolinian Steve Cooksey had gone through an intense personal journey he wanted to share with the world.  He had been obese, diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, and almost keeled over, but emerged from his near-death experience to adopt a simple, "Caveman" or paleo diet of meat, nuts, and veggies along with exercise.  He lost a lot of weight, felt great and healthy, and wanted to share with the world, so he started a blog, wherein he dispensed advice about food and fitness.  Recipes, grocery lists, general advice.  The state of North Carolina declared this illegal "counseling and assessing" without a license provided by the state.  For three years, he has been fighting for the right to blog without a license.

State Says 70-Year-Old Flower Shop Owner Discriminated Against Gay Couple. Here's How She Responded.  In a phone interview with The Daily Signal, Barronelle Stutzman said the decision — and its accompanying fines — will put her flower shop out of business, or worse.  After the fines and legal fees, "There won't be anything left," Stutzman said.  "They want my home, they want my business, they want my personal finances as an example for other people to be quiet."

Judge Rules Against Grandma Florist For Refusing To Service Gay Wedding.  A Washington grandmother and florist of 40 years who refused to service gay weddings because of her faith will now be forced to arrange flowers for gay ceremonies, a judge ruled Wednesday [2/18/2015].  On top of that, the woman, Barronelle Stutzman, will have to pay the legal penalties imposed by the judge as well as attorney's fees.  Benton County Superior Court Judge Alex Ekstrom ruled in a summary judgement that Stutzman violated anti-discrimination and consumer protection laws.

The Editor says...
This serves as a warning:  Democrats can and will use any legislation — even something as innocent as "consumer protection" or "voting rights" or "clean air" laws — against us in the future.  That's why it is important to oppose every plank in the Democrat platform:  There's always something rotten under the candy coating.

The Reckoning.  What is terrifying about government now is not just that Obama has made it a tool of fundamental political transformation, by ignoring the enforcement of laws, overriding statutes through executive orders, and expanding entitlements to create new Democratic dependent constituencies.  Scarier is the new 1984 state.  The IRS is a rogue, but politicized organization that considers your politics in choosing audits.  What exactly is NASA doing?  The Justice Department sees the law as a hindrance to social justice.

When letting your kids out of your sight becomes a crime.  One recent Saturday afternoon, six police officers and five patrol cars came to my home in Silver Spring.  They demanded identification from my husband and entered our home despite not having a warrant to do so.  The reason for this show of force?  We had allowed our children to walk home from a neighborhood park by themselves.  A few hours later, a Montgomery County Child Protective Services (CPS) social worker coerced my husband into signing a "temporary safety plan" for our children by threatening to take the children "right now" — a threat she backed up with a call to the police.

President Barack Obama's Complete List of Historic Firsts.  [For example,]
  •   First President to Triple the Number of Warrantless Wiretaps of U.S. Citizens  (Source: ACLU)
  •   First President to Sign into Law a Bill That Permits the Government to "Hold Anyone Suspected of Being Associated With Terrorism Indefinitely, Without Any Form of Due Process.  No Indictment.  No Judge or Jury.  No Evidence.  No Trial.  Just an Indefinite Jail Sentence"  (NDAA Bill)  (Source: Business Insider)

Dems on FEC accused of taking partisan turn.  Democrats on the federal agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance law are being accused of taking a partisan turn, by voting to give liberal-leaning groups and campaigns a pass for alleged violations — though the agency was tough on conservatives when they were under the microscope.  The claims come as the Federal Election Commission prepares for a hearing on Wednesday [2/11/2015] that will examine, among other matters, the hot-button issue of whether it should regulate election-themed Internet videos — an area that for years has been largely hands-off for the government.

How about banning political discussions over the telephone?  Is there any difference?
Federal Election Commission to Consider Regulating Online Political Speech.  The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is holding a hearing today to receive public feedback on whether it should create new rules regulating political speech, including political speech on the Internet that one commissioner warned could affect blogs, YouTube videos and even websites like the Drudge Report.  The hearing is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC last year, which struck down the FEC's previous cap on aggregate campaign contributions from a single donor in an election cycle.

Seattle's Garbage Police Ticketing Those Who Throw Away Food.  Seattle residents, beware:  The garbage police are on the prowl.  If you put too much food — as defined by the Seattle City Council — into your trash, you will be publicly shamed.  And if you keep doing it, you will be fined.  Last September, the city council, in a move the Seattle Times said did not require a public hearing, made formerly voluntary composting and recycling guidelines mandatory for all Seattle residents.  As of January 1, anyone caught with a trash can containing more than 10 percent food or recyclables gets a big red tag stuck on his can and, beginning in July, an extra dollar added to his garbage bill.

Seattle to Fine Residents for Throwing Food in the Garbage.  In an attempt to shame residents of their city, a new Seattle law will levy a fine on homes that do not properly sort food out of their garbage.  Emblazoned with a red citation tag, violators will start to be fined anywhere from $1-$50 in July.  For now, Seattle residents will be publicly shamed by the 'Scarlet Letter'-like tags.

Is The Global War On Terror Being Used To Bring In A Global Government Of Terror?  We see these officials act rather strangely after these supposed "terror attacks."  They seem to conglomerate on cue and ally themselves to condemn the acts — yet not the actors.  In the end, they ask the people to give up their rights while attempting to disarm them for the "global good."  Additionally, they attempt to forge new powers against the very people they are supposed to represent.  Concerning the current Obama administration, terror is nothing more than a created battering ram to upend government sovereignty in order to implement a new totalitarian government and establish a global government.

Are You Too Shy, Very Sad, Have Senior Moments? You Might Be Crazy!.  Pretty much everyone in the country is crazy and needs medication.  There is another advantage beyond supplying Big Pharma with customers.  The left wants doctors to report patients who might be mentally ill and who have gun permits.  This could provide a pathway to gun confiscation though saying that makes me a conspiracy theorist and possibly crazy.  None of these have a scientific basis but they will do a lot of harm unless you're a drug company which stands to benefit.

The overcriminalization of America.  It is surprisingly easy for otherwise law-abiding citizens to run afoul of the overwhelming number of federal and state criminal laws.  This proliferation is sometimes referred to as "overcriminalization," which affects us all but most profoundly harms our disadvantaged citizens. [...] Congress creates, on average, more than 50 new criminal laws each year.  This has translated into more than 4,500 federal criminal laws spread across 27,000 pages of the United States federal code.

Domino's to Obama Admin: Calorie Rule is 'Unworkable'.  The final Obamacare regulation forcing restaurant chains to display calorie information is causing headaches for companies who say it is "impossible to comply" with the new rule.  Domino's Pizza, one of the regulation's most outspoken critics, said the rule from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is vaguely written and carries the possibility of jail time.

Obama Tells States They Can't Block His Immigration Order.  Obama claims his unconstitutional immigration order is unreviewable.  He has also banned public input.  While we are watching the events in Paris, twenty-five states, that have sued to block Barack Obama's executive order allowing millions of illegals to stay in the U.S., have been told by the federal government that it is above judicial review.  The Dictator is not only ignoring Congress, he is ignoring the courts and he is trampling states' rights.  His goal is to destroy the co-equal branches of government and the constitutional protections against a rogue president.  It is not hyperbole to call him a dictator.  He is dictating.

Lamenting Liberty Lost.  The Framers believed in the presumption of liberty, which declares that we are free to make personal choices, and the government cannot interfere with our liberties unless we violate the rights of others.  Stated differently, the federal government cannot interfere with our personal choices by writing any law it wants; it can only regulate behavior or spend money when the Constitution authorizes it to do so.  But for the past 100 years, the federal government has rejected the Madisonian concept that it is limited to the 16 discrete powers the Constitution delegates to it, and has claimed its powers are unlimited, subject only to the express prohibitions in the Constitution.

Ferguson grand juror sues over gag order.  A member of the grand jury that declined to indict the Ferguson police officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown asked a federal court Monday [1/5/2015] to remove a lifetime gag order preventing jurors from discussing the case.

The Editor says...
Never before have I heard of a lifetime gag order imposed upon a juror.

Guns Confiscated after Man Seeks Insomnia Treatment.  In the old Soviet and East German police states of the Cold War, police kept secret files on scores of common people.  Information was fed to the police by thousands of clandestine sources — and a seemingly banal or routine interaction with nearly anyone could lead to a surprise "knock on the door" by authorities.  During the late Soviet era, communist leadership moved away from the executions and purges of the Stalin years and began to increasingly rely upon medical professionals to diagnose "enemies of the state" as insane — thus, a routine trip to your doctor could lead to a visit from police.

FBI Agents Pose as Repairmen to Bypass Warrant Process.  This is a creepy story.  The FBI wanted access to a hotel guest's room without a warrant. So agents broke his Internet connection, and then posed as Internet technicians to gain access to his hotel room without a warrant. [...] Basically, the agents snooped around the hotel room, and gathered evidence that they submitted to a magistrate to get a warrant.  Of course, they never told the judge that they had engineered the whole outage and planted the fake technicians.

Supreme Court Erodes Key Check On Government Power.  Briefly, the facts in Heien v. North Carolina are that a North Carolina police officer pulled over Nicholas Heien because one of his car's brake lights was out.  The state's law requires only one light to be working, so the stop was based on a mistake of law.  After Heien was pulled over, he gave consent for the officer to search his car.  The officer found cocaine in the car, then placed Heien under arrest.  Heien later claimed the initial stop was not legal under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  The Supreme Court ruled that the mistake for the initial stop, which was a seizure under the Fourth Amendment, was reasonable and therefore lawful.

The Obama administration and race-baiting pundits are paving the way for national policing.  Well America, the "change" you voted for is here.  Six years ago, you voted into office a community organizer who vowed to change America.  That same community organizer, while campaigning, argued for a "civilian national security force."  But how can you create a national force when we already have local agencies?  Easy, you sow distrust in the local cops until the divide is so great, people start clamoring for the feds to come to the rescue.

CPS Threatens Dad: Let Your Kids Play Outside and We'll Take Them Away.  I received an update from the Maryland mom of two who was contacted by Montgomery Country Child Welfare Service in November after she let her kids, ages 6 and 10, play at the park two blocks from home by themselves.  She was cited for allowing a child under age 8 "to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent."  The CPS worker decided "confined in a dwelling" was the same thing as "outside in a park."  The higher ups at child services agreed that this was insane, and the case was closed — until this week.

Wisconsin Police Ask Residents To Volunteer For House Gun Search.  In an effort to reduce gun violence, police in Beloit, Wisconsin, have kicked off a new initiative asking residents to volunteer to allow police to search their homes for guns.  "Gun violence is as serious as the Ebola virus is being represented in the media, and we should fight it using the tools that we've learned from our health providers," said Police Chief Norm Jacobs.  Skeptical that people will actually call, Jacobs' hope is that the ones who do will allow the cops to find guns that residents did not even know were there.

Obama Says His Job Is Assuring Equal Protection Under the Law — Really?  When it comes to the great constitutional principle of equal protection under the law in the age of Obama, it is not that there is a black America and a white America.  It is that there are political supporters of the president who get one quality of justice, and political opponents and convenient political scapegoats for whom "justice" is a weapon their government has turned against them.

Fishing without a license in NJ? The game warden has a machine gun, aimed at you.  Why does a New Jersey game warden need an M-14?  Because, shut up.

Should Tour Guides Be Licensed?  When Dan Leger applied for his tour guide's license in Savannah, Georgia, six years ago, he had to strip, give blood and urine samples, detail his sexual history and submit to the dreaded "cough test."  Leger has also had to undergo additional physicals to renew his credentials, per Savannah's ordinance on tour guide licensing.  The city's regulations also require tour guides to pass a background check and a 100-question history test, as well as pay multiple fees.  "This is all simply so you can walk around and tell a story," Leger, who goes by the moniker Savannah Dan, says.  "The city of Savannah shouldn't have the authority to license my free speech."

Crypto Wars II.  There is absolutely no evidence, either statistically or even anecdotally, that criminals are going free because of encryption.  So why are we even discussing the possibility to forcing companies to provide insecure encryption to their users and customers?

How Long Must A Long Train Of Abuses Be?  I say we have been disposed to suffer long enough.  The Founders rose up over less than we are experiencing now.  The Constitution has been overturned in a Stealth Coup that took slightly over a century to achieve.  The current Leftists in Power And Control are merely firing the final shots into it's critically wounded corpse.  How long is long?  You say a century is not long enough a train.  Many of us say it is too long, that it is so long we stand a very good chance of not being able to derail it.  I say the situation is insufferable, intolerable, that it is time to act.

SWAT Team Tasers, Pepper-Sprays Homeschoolers.  A Missouri homeschooling family is suing a sheriff and another officer who forcibly entered their home without a warrant, Tasered the father, pepper-sprayed the mother and put their children in the custody of social service workers.  A court already has ruled that the actions of Sheriff Darren White and Capt. David Glidden of Nodaway County, Missouri, violated the U.S. Constitution, resulting in the dismissal of charges of child endangerment and resisting arrest against the couple, Jason and Laura Hagan, of New Hampton.

This is what a police state looks like:
More Federal Agencies Are Using Undercover Operations.  The federal government has significantly expanded undercover operations in recent years, with officers from at least 40 agencies posing as business people, welfare recipients, political protesters and even doctors or ministers to ferret out wrongdoing, records and interviews show.  At the Supreme Court, small teams of undercover officers dress as students at large demonstrations outside the courthouse and join the protests to look for suspicious activity, according to officials familiar with the practice.  At the Internal Revenue Service, dozens of undercover agents chase suspected tax evaders worldwide, by posing as tax preparers, accountants drug dealers or yacht buyers and more, court records show.

Navy veteran fired for posting Homeland Security vehicles on Facebook.  A Facebooking employee of Chesterfield's Drury Plaza Hotel is out of a job after curiosity over dozens of Homeland Security vehicles in the hotel garage got the best of him.  His photos on social media got him fired.  Mark Paffrath saw the collection of vehicles last Thursday [11/13/2014], and it certainly got his attention.  "It was very odd that there was a bunch of Homeland Security cars there and I was shocked and took a picture and a short video and posted them to Facebook with the status update, 'What are these vehicles doing here?  I wonder if it has anything to do with Ferguson?'"

Redskins War Continues as Bill Introduced to Revoke Team's Tax-Exempt Status.  Congress coming back into session after the long campaign break means quick legislative action — against the Washington Redskins.  D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) introduced on Wednesday [11/12/2014] a bill to amend section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code to "prohibit tax-exempt status for professional sports leagues that promote or allow a member club or franchise connected to that league to benefit from the Washington football team name, a derogatory term that has officially been found offensive."  It's companion legislation to a bill filed in the upper chamber by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

The Editor says...
It's a sad and dangerous day when the government can declare specific terms to be "officially" offensive.

House Committee Demands Answers on Truthy Project.  The Truthy project, being conducted by researchers at Indiana University, is under investigation for targeting political commentary on Twitter.  The project monitors "suspicious memes," "false and misleading ideas," and "hate speech," with a goal of one day being able to automatically detect false rumors on the social media platform.  The web service has been used to track tweets using hashtags such as #tcot (Top Conservatives on Twitter), and was successful in getting accounts associated with conservatives suspended, according to a 2012 book co-authored by the project's lead researcher, Filippo Menczer, a professor of Informatics and Computer Science at Indiana University.

Obama's FEC Wants to Criminalize Political YouTube Videos.  What is it with this administration and YouTube videos anyway?  Obama and Hillary blamed Al Qaeda terrorism on a YouTube video and sent a guy to jail over it.  Now Obama wants to ban political YouTube videos.

Dems on FEC move to regulate Internet campaigns, blogs, Drudge.  In a surprise move late Friday, a key Democrat on the Federal Election Commission called for burdensome new rules on Internet-based campaigning, prompting the Republican chairman to warn that Democrats want to regulate online political sites and even news media like the Drudge Report.  Democratic FEC Vice Chair Ann M. Ravel announced plans to begin the process to win regulations on Internet-based campaigns and videos, currently free from most of the FEC's rules.  "A reexamination of the commission's approach to the internet and other emerging technologies is long over due," she said.

FEC Democrat pushes for controls on Internet political speech.  The FEC deadlocked in a crucial Internet campaign speech vote announced Friday, leaving online political blogging and videos free of many of the reporting requirements attached to broadcast ads — for now.  While all three GOP-backed members voted against restrictions, they were opposed by the three Democratic-backed members, including FEC Vice Chair Ann M. Ravel, who said she will lead a push next year to try to come up with new rules government political speech on the Internet.

Democrats Push for New Heavy Regulations on Internet Postings, Drudge, and Blogs.  As the media prepared to vacate newsrooms for the weekend, Democrats snuck in a last minute proposal that the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) be allowed to heavily regulate political content on internet sites such as Youtube, blogs, and the Drudge Report.  Obama FEC Vice Chairperson Ann M. Ravel announced late on Friday that the FEC was preparing new regulations to give itself control over videos, Internet-based political campaigns, and other content on the web.  She insisted that, "A reexamination of the commission's approach to the internet and other emerging technologies is long overdue."

A Government Bureau Is The Nearest Thing To Eternal Life We Will Ever See On This Earth.  It is no secret that government today is far overreaching and intrusive.  This past year alone we have seen privacy breaches by the NSA, the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS, and the disastrous consequences of Obamacare on small businesses and families.  Obama has even said, "I can take steps without legislation."  This self-righteous statement underscores that he has no respect for the Constitution — a document meant to protect the rights of all Americans and prevent our government and our leaders from trampling on those rights.  Unfortunately, today we have a President and federal officials who are no longer accountable to the American people because they consider themselves to be above the law.

The feds' 'truthy' new chill on free speech.  Earlier this week, the federal government's National Science Foundation (NSF), an entity created to encourage the study of science — encouragement that it achieves by awarding grants to scholars and universities — announced that it had awarded a grant to study what people say about themselves and others in social media.  The NSF dubbed the project "Truthy," a reference to comedian Stephen Colbert's invention and hilarious use of the word "truthiness."  The reference to Mr. Colbert is cute, and he is a very funny guy, but when the feds get into the business of monitoring speech, it is surely no joke; it is a nightmare.  It is part of the Obama administration's persistent efforts to monitor communication and scrutinize the expressions of opinions it hates and fears.

Houston's 'sermon-gate' and the abuse of subpoenas.  Friday [10/17/2014], the City of Houston filed a revised subpoena removing the word "sermons" among the documents being demanded, but leaving the word "speeches."  Legally, this changes nothing.  It is a distinction without a difference.  City Attorney Feldman apparently didn't bother to check a dictionary (any dictionary will do) which describes "sermons" as "religious discourse or speech."  Pastors are therefore still required to turn over to the city their sermons.  Feldman is fooling no one.

California forces Churches to pay for abortions, immediately.  How soon will Leftists take the next step and force doctors and nurses to participate in abortions or face losing their license?

Houston to pastors: Forget your sermons, now we want your speeches.  Five Christian pastors will no longer have to turn their sermons over to attorneys for the city of Houston.  Instead, they will be forced to turn over their speeches related to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).  I don't mean to point out the obvious here — but what do those attorneys think a sermon is?  It's a speech.

The Houston Mayor Who Tried Harassing Pastors Says She's the Real Victim.  [I]t's tough being Houston mayor Annise Parker:  "One word in a very long legal document which I know nothing about and would never have read," Parker said on Thursday /10z16z2014=, "and I'm vilified coast-to-coast."  That's Parker's crack defense of the subpoenas, issued to five local pastors, that demand "all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to [Houston Equal Rights Ordinance], the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession."  Among other demands:  communications between the pastors and their congregants (including Facebook messages and text messages) and between the pastors and their attorneys.  First Amendment protections, attorney-client privilege — Parker's legal team has run roughshod over all sorts of rights.

Bozell: Network Censorship of Houston Mayor's Subpoenas Part of Left's 'Relentless Assault on Free Speech'.  According to a new analysis by MRC Culture, over the past two days the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have completely censored liberal Houston Mayor Annise Parker's attempt to subpoena sermons of five pastors critical of the mayor, homosexuality, gender identity, or the city's new "equal rights" ordinance.  MRC President Brent Bozell released a statement in response to the networks' refusal to cover Parker's brazen attack on religious freedom and free speech:  "When the government mandates what a pastor can or cannot say, and criminalizes preaching the Bible, we're no different than Red China. [...]"

Texas Attorney General tells Houston city hall: Stop bullying Christians.  Stop bullying people of faith.  That's the bottom line of a harshly-worded letter written by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to Houston City Attorney David Feldman.  Feldman's office sent subpoenas to five Houston pastors last month demanding that they turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality and gender identity issues.  They also wanted sermons or correspondence that referenced Annise Parker, the city's first openly lesbian mayor.

Houston Mayor Backs Off From Subpoenas to Pastors.  Houston Mayor Annise Parker has backed down from the subpoenas the City of Houston issued to several area pastors, Breitbart Texas has learned.  Breitbart Texas reported earlier about the controversy, stemming from litigation challenging the city's anti-discrimination ordinance and subpoenas asking the pastors for the content of their sermons, speeches and communications with church members.  Texas Senator Ted Cruz weighed in, firmly supporting the pastors in their efforts to fight the subpoenas, while Mayor Parker initially remained adamant that the city had the right to request those records.  Despite posting comments on Twitter just hours before that seemed to indicate she would continue to fight this issue, she told a Houston radio station that she had changed her mind.

City officials try to distance themselves from sermon subpoenas.  Amid outrage from religious groups, Mayor Annise Parker and City Attorney David Feldman on Wednesday [10/15/2014] appeared to back off a subpoena request for the sermons of certain ministers opposed to the city's equal rights ordinance, with Parker calling the request "overly broad."  The subpoena, handed down to five pastors and religious leaders last month, came to light this week when attorneys for the group of pastors filed a motion to quash the request.  The pastors are closely tied to Christian conservative activists who sued the Parker administration this summer when the city announced the group had failed to gather enough valid signatures to force a repeal referendum.  The subpoenas were issued as part of the discovery phase in that case, which will be heard in district court in January.

Pastors to mayor: Don't mess with Texas pulpits.  Christians across the nation are mobilizing to defend a group of Houston pastors who were ordered by the city to turn over any sermons dealing with homosexuality, gender identity issues or Houston mayor.  Their message is simple — Don't Mess with Texas Preachers.  Dave Welch, the executive director of the Texas Pastor Council, is one of the five ministers who received a subpoena.  He said he will not be intimidated by Annise Parker, who is the city's first openly lesbian mayor, nor will he comply with the city's demands.  "My answer to that is — bring it on," he said.

Twitter Blocks Campaign To Protect Pastors From Having To Hand Over Their Sermons and Emails To The Government.  Twitter blocked a petition campaign Wednesday to protect Houston pastors from having to hand over to the city government all of their sermons and personal emails dealing with the issue of homosexuality.  The Christian organization Faith Driven Consumer's Twitter hashtag campaign #HoustonWeHaveAProblem was censored by Twitter minutes after launching so that users could not Tweet the petition and a warning was placed on Twitter-based links to the petition website.  The group's previous campaign #iStandWithPhil defending Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson was also blocked by Twitter at one time.

Houston's Mayor Throws Out Citizens' Petition, Goes after Local Pastors.  'Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  Unless you're in Houston, Texas, in which case you had best render everything to Mayor Annise Parker — or else.  Earlier this year Parker, a Democrat, spearheaded the passage of an "Equal Rights Ordinance" (ERO) that added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the city's non-discrimination provision, which includes, among other things, "public accommodations" — for example, restrooms.  Citizens, among them church leaders, balked.  They launched a referendum petition that, with the requisite 17,269 signatures, would require the city council to repeal the ERO, or to put the measure up for a vote.  They obtained 55,000 signatures.  The city secretary, who has sole responsibility for certifying such petitions, signed off.

Houston's Mayor Backtracks on Church Subpoenas, Tosses Her Own Lawyers Under the Bus.  Houston's power-mad Mayor Annise Parker has backtracked on those subpoenas that she had the city issue to five city pastors, at taxpayer expense.  The mayor made the move as Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sent a letter to Parker asking that she withdraw the subpoenas "immediately."

Houston Demands Oversight Of Sermons.  Officials with the city of Houston, Texas, who are defending a controversial ordinance that would allow men to use women's restrooms now have demanded to see the sermons preached by several area pastors.  The recent move came in a subpoena from the city to pastors for copies of their sermons and other communications in the city's legal defense of a "non-discrimination" measure that allows "gender-confused" people to use public restrooms designated for the opposite sex.  A lawsuit challenging Houston's move alleges the city violated its own charter in its adoption of the Equal Rights Ordinance, which in May designated homosexuals and transgender persons as a protected class.

Even in Houston, Texas, You Will Be Made to Care.  Houston, TX is not thought of as a bastion of liberalism, but it has gone quite rapidly off the deep end.  Earlier this year, Houston's City Council voted on non-discrimination legislation that provides equal protection to the entire swath of the BLTGCZQDLMAO alphabet silliness.  In short, if a guy decides he's a girl and wants to go hang out in the girl's bathroom, it is a-okay in Houston, or it would be except the law will not be enforced pending a court challenge.

Big Brother in Texas: Houston Demands Pastors Turn Over Sermon Notes, Private Communications.  After decades of warnings on the right about liberal politicians threatening religious liberty, a Democratic mayor in Texas is now subpoenaing pastors to turn over their sermons.  Houston city officials are demanding that city pastors opposed to Houston's "Bathroom Bill" — "a law that allows members of the opposite sex into each other's restrooms" — turn over sermon notes and "communications with church members" to ascertain which pastors have (or haven't) "opposed or criticized the city."

Commission says Christian business owners should leave religion at home.  The Human Rights Commission in Lexington, Kentucky has a chilling message for Christian business owners who refuse service to LGBT organizations:  leave your religion at home.  "It would be safe to do so, yes," Executive Director Raymond Sexton told me.  "Or in this case you can find yourself two years down the road and you're still involved in a legal battle because you did not do so."  On Tuesday [10/7/2014], a Lexington Human Rights Commission hearing examiner issued a recommended ruling that the owner of a T-shirt company violated a local ordinance against sexual-orientation discrimination.

Judge Wants To Force A Printer To Make Pro-Gay T-Shirts.  An administrative law judge has ruled that a Kentucky printer's refusal to print gay pride t-shirts "constitutes unlawful discrimination," and, by extension, that printers cannot refuse to print materials promoting ideas they disagree with.

The Empire of Progressive Poverty.  Western resources are not innately centralized, which makes seizing control of them and routing them through a central point more difficult.  This has to be done legislatively and has to be justified by a universal benefit or a crisis.  One example of this is FDR's Agricultural Adjustment Act which allowed the government to control wheat grown on a farm for private consumption.  Another is nationalizing health care by routing the commercial activity of medicine through government organs.  Both services and commodities can be controlled in this manner.  But the larger challenge is that the West is rich and a water empire depends on scarcity.  Central control is much less potent if there is plenty of the commodity or service available.  It's only when shortages are created in bread or health care that the system really wields power by rationing a scarce commodity or service.

Ebola Patient's Family Ordered To Stay Inside After Trying to Leave.  "There were violations of the request to not leave their premises," Dallas judge Clay Jenkins said of the breach that prompted the Texas Department of State Health Services to order the quarantine.  [Thomas Eric ] Duncan was staying with family members in Dallas when he became ill and is now confined to an isolation unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.  His family members, including five school age children, were told to remain at home.

The Editor says...
If it's just a "request," what is the "violation" if one ignores the request?

Forest Service says media needs photography permit in wilderness areas, alarming First Amendment advocates.  The U.S. Forest Service has tightened restrictions on media coverage in vast swaths of the country's wild lands, requiring reporters to pay for a permit and get permission before shooting a photo or video in federally designated wilderness areas.  Under rules being finalized in November, a reporter who met a biologist, wildlife advocate or whistleblower alleging neglect in 36 million acres of wilderness would first need special approval to shoot photos or videos even on an iPhone.  Permits cost up to $1,500, says Forest Service spokesman Larry Chambers, and reporters who don't get a permit could face fines up to $1,000.

The Editor says...
When the government prohibits photography in a large but specific area, it is reasonable to infer that the government is currently working on something, or is about to do something they don't want to publicize.  Like building a FEMA camp, or a missile silo, or something more sinister than just blocking the production of oil — although oil drilling is also out of the question if the area is locked down as tight as they seem to prefer.

"What do you call a man who claims voters' choices have no place in government?"
Brown's Final Nail In Prop. 187 Is Really A Blow To California's Voters.  [I]n 1994, millions of California's voters, by a margin of 59% to 41%, voted in favor of denying "free" welfare, education and other benefits to illegal immigrants on the clear logic that a burglar who breaks into someone else's home doesn't have the right to eat the owner's food.  It was a legitimate decision for a people to make, given that in any democratic system, the participants have the right to control the purse.  But [Governor] Brown's statements and those of his political allies, including those in the press, suggest an imperial contempt for the will of California's voters.

White House May Check Tourists Blocks Away.  As part of the screening, the Secret Service would establish several checkpoints a few blocks from the White House, the officials said. The screening would likely be limited to bag checks and not include measures taken at airports by the Transportation Security Administration, which include metal detectors and body scans. Along with giving Secret Service agents and uniformed Secret Service officers a chance to check for explosives and weapons in bags, the screening would allow them to interact with the visitors and try to identify those who may pose a problem, the officials said.

The Editor says...
The Washington DC version of Checkpoint Charlie won't be anything like the airport screening process — at first!  No, these things have to be done in small increments — small enough so that anyone who objects to such tiny changes can be labeled a paranoid bitter-clinger tea-party bigot.

Silent Coup.  [Scroll down]  Two levels of government would be permitted "to criminalize and censor all issue advocacy that mentions or refers to a candidate under the argument that it supports or opposes that candidate."  Recall that Citizens United, which the Udall amendment is supposed to address, was not about Tea Party Astroturf.  It was about the FEC's attempt to censor a film critical of her royal highness [Hillary Clinton]. The mandarins at the FEC and IRS, as well as their counterparts at the state level, would be responsible for distinguishing political communications that "support or oppose" a candidate from those that do not.  They would penalize the individuals and groups they subjectively deem violators of administrative diktat.  If this is not about "limiting free speech," what is?

An Open Letter To My Friends In Law Enforcement.  Let me just be blunt: ever since Ronald Reagan left office, both Republican and Democrat presidential administrations — along with both Republican and Democrat congresses — in Washington, D.C. are turning the United States of America into a giant Police State. [...] The totalitarian regimes of history could not have succeeded in implementing their enslavements over the people without the submission and cooperation of the citizen-policemen within their countries.  Nor can a Police State be constructed in America without your submission and cooperation.  My concern is, the Police State is already being constructed in this country; and most of you don't seem to even realize it — or don't want to realize it.  In fact, some of you become angry with people like me when we try to warn the American people about it.  This shows that you have already become acclimated and accepting of it.  Here is the problem:  in today's America, virtually every police agency and sheriff's office is being dictated to, intimidated by, and bribed by the federal government.  Much of the policies you operate under — and training you receive — comes straight out of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Justice Department.

Government to Track 'False, Misleading' Ideas on Twitter.  One G-man's "social pollution" is another free man's First Amendment right.  The very term sounds like something out of a 1920s Italian fascist tract.  And why is the federal government even deciding which ideas are "false and misleading," let alone tracking them?  According to the project's grant, the service "could mitigate the diffusion of false and misleading ideas, detect hate speech and subversive propaganda, and assist in the preservation of open debate."  In 2004, dissent was "the highest form of patriotism."  A decade later, it's called "subversive propaganda" and categorized as the lowest form of treason.

Feds Creating Database to Track 'Hate Speech' on Twitter.  The federal government is spending nearly $1 million to create an online database that will track "misinformation" and hate speech on Twitter.  The National Science Foundation is financing the creation of a web service that will monitor "suspicious memes" and what it considers "false and misleading ideas," with a major focus on political activity online.  The "Truthy" database, created by researchers at Indiana University, is designed to "detect political smears, astroturfing, misinformation, and other social pollution."  The university has received $919,917 so far for the project.

Anything You Don't Say Will Be Used Against You.  In People v. Tom, California's Supreme Court justices upheld the prosecution of a man based on the district attorney's argument that the defendant's silence was evidence of guilt.  The cop shows make these matters seem simple.  A person is arrested.  The officer reads the suspect the Miranda wording.  Suspects can then clam up and wait for an attorney.  In real life, though, these matters can become more complicated and legalistic.

The Wane of Government by Consent.  From local politicians legally looting their communities to federal government that uses the IRS as a weapon of politics, there are real objections to be made.  In practical terms, we have a government that interferes with our lives and livelihoods far more than did the one our Founders threw off.  Which is not a call for revolution — it's a call for rebalancing, for reestablishing exactly who works for whom.

Liberty vs. License.  As unions decline, occupational-licensing requirements are on the rise, facilitated by back-scratching among industries and legislators both state and federal.  In 2012, the Institute for Justice (IJ) released a study identifying 102 occupations that require licensing somewhere in the nation and in which practitioners made less than the national average income:  EMT and cosmetologist are on the list, as are preschool teacher, vegetation-pesticide handler, florist, and a host of others.  According to economists Morris Kleiner and Alan Krueger, just over one-third of jobs in the United States today require some sort of licensing.

Who rules America?  A shattering new study by two political science professors has found that ordinary Americans have virtually no impact whatsoever on the making of national policy in our country.  The analysts found that rich individuals and business-controlled interest groups largely shape policy outcomes in the United States.  This study should be a loud wake-up call to the vast majority of Americans who are bypassed by their government.  To reclaim the promise of American democracy, ordinary citizens must act positively to change the relationship between the people and our government[.]

Connecticut Supreme Court Says State Cops Can Detain You Simply For Being In The Vicinity Of Someone They're Arresting.  Gideon, the pseudonymous public defender who blogs at A Public Defender, has a thorough rundown of a very disturbing ruling recently issued by the Connecticut Supreme Court. It involves every Connecticut citizens' civil liberties, which have now been thrown under a bus bearing the name "officer safety."  The court's decision basically makes everyone a suspect, even if they're suspected of nothing else than being in the relative proximity of someone a police officer suspects of committing a crime, or someone simply "matching the description."

Obama's FBI to hire firm to rate 'positive and 'negative' stories about the agency.  The FBI is hiring a contractor to grade news stories about the agency as "positive" "neutral" or "negative," but the agency won't say why officials need the information or what they plan to do with it.  FBI officials wouldn't even reveal how they will go about assigning the grades, which were laid out in a recent contract solicitation.  The contract tells potential bidders to "use their judgment" in scoring news coverage as part of a new "daily news briefing" service the agency is seeking as part of a contract that could last up to five years.

The IRS's God Complex.  Is the Internal Revenue Service a threat to religious liberty?  As the IRS continues to come under well-aimed fire for harassing conservative groups, on Friday [8/1/2014] it secured a final court order formalizing what amounts to a secret agreement to monitor the pulpits of ill-favored churches.  The serious danger, as former Justice Department attorney J. Christian Adams told Fox News, is that the IRS will start treating "theology as politics," and regulate it accordingly.  Lovers of liberty should be very concerned.

Obama's Rogue IRS Strikes Deal With Atheists To Monitor Churches — But Not Mosques.  Government's assault on religious liberty has hit a new low as the IRS settles with atheists by promising to monitor sermons for mentions of the right to life and traditional marriage.  A lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) asserted that the Internal Revenue Service ignored complaints about churches' violating their tax-exempt status by routinely promoting political issues, legislation and candidates from the pulpit.  The FFRF has temporarily withdrawn its suit in return for the IRS's agreement to monitor sermons and homilies for proscribed speech that the foundation believes includes things like condemnation of gay marriage and criticism of ObamaCare for its contraceptive mandate.

IRS Strikes Deal With Atheists To Monitor Churches.  Government's assault on religious liberty has hit a new low as the IRS settles with atheists by promising to monitor sermons for mentions of the right to life and traditional marriage.

Feds raid S.C. home to seize Land Rover in EPA emission-control crackdown.  When it comes to environmental regulation compliance, the Department of Homeland Security isn't playing — as evidenced by a recent federal raid of a South Carolinian's home to confiscate a Land Rover that violated EPA emission rules.  Jennifer Brinkley said she saw a line of law enforcement vehicles approaching her home and wondered what was wrong, the local WBTV reported.  Homeland Security agents then went to her 1985 Land Rover Defender and lifted the hood.  "They popped up the hood and looked at the Vehicle Identification Number and compared it with a piece of paper and then took the car with them," she said, WBTV reported.

Homeland Security Seizing Cars That Violate EPA Standards.  Jennifer Brinkley of North Carolina says when saw a line of law enforcement vehicles coming up her driveway earlier this month she didn't know what to think.  "I haven't done anything wrong."  According to WBTV, the Homeland Security agents were not there to take her away, they were looking for illegally imported Land Rover Defenders.

IRS Strikes Deal with Militant Atheists to Monitor What Your Pastor Says In Your Church.  Democrats routinely campaign from the very pulpit of majority black churches.  It happens every single election cycle.  Pastors in those churches regularly push parishioners to support the Democratic Party, to support specific government social policy, and even specific candidates for office.  The Freedom From Religion Foundation has not sued to get the IRS to investigate any of that.  Its targets are churches that align with the more conservative Pulpit Freedom Sunday movement.  That tells us what the foundation and the IRS will really be investigating.  The IRS will be monitoring churches to listen for pastors supporting the right to life, the sanctity and traditional definition of marriage, traditional values in general, perhaps even patriotism.  Those are the churches, based on the angle that the foundation lawsuit takes, that will potentially find themselves under IRS investigation.

IRS Strikes Deal With Atheist Group to Monitor Content of Sermons.  Alliance Defending Freedom asked the Internal Revenue Service Tuesday [7/29/2014] to release all documents related to its recent decision to settle a lawsuit with an atheist group that claims the IRS has adopted new protocols and procedures for the investigation of churches.  Pastor Holding Bible ca. 2000 [A.D.] submitted the Freedom of Information Act request after learning of the IRS's agreement with Freedom From Religion Foundation in a press release the group issued on July 17 concerning its lawsuit Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Koskinen, which accused the agency of failing to investigate churches the way the atheist group would like.

A Government Feared and Distrusted.  [Scroll down]  The proposed regulations are so onerous, they could literally make farming of some areas impossible.  But if you don't comply, the EPA could label you a "polluter" whose wages should be garnished.  Case example:  the agency has threatened fines of up to $75,000 per day on Wyoming homeowner Andy Johnson.  He built a pond on his rural property.  Think twice before you build that koi pond in your own backyard — or collect rain water on your property, like Gary Harrington, an Oregonian now serving a 30-day sentence for violating water regulations.  An encyclopedia would be required to list all the examples of executive and governmental agency overreach.  But note the theme:  the examples above are violations of Americans trust by non-elected governmental agencies.  You, Joe Average, have no say in what is decreed.  You are not represented when thousands of regulations are enacted.

Terror watchlist can include dead, acquitted suspects.  Federal rules for adding someone to the government's terrorist watchlist are broad enough to include people who are dead or have been acquitted in court of terrorism charges, according to a government document that emerged on Wednesday [7/23/2014].  A 166-page guidance for the government database that includes the "no-fly list" and other lists declared that agents do not require "concrete facts" or "irrefutable evidence" that someone is a terrorist.  Instead, the system requires officials have a "reasonable suspicion" that someone could be connected to terrorist activity, which can include "violent acts" that could harm people or property and "intimidation or coercion" that affects the government or public.

Passionate Farmer Takes On Her Government Harassers.  With her life's dream of being a small family farmer in Virginia, Martha Boneta obtained 64 acres in Fauquier County, Va in 2006 to raise vegetables, herbs, raw honey, eggs, and host small animals.  Little did she know that a birthday party with eight ten-year old girls would trigger zealous county regulators who saw the party as an event needing special exception permits and required a hearing that would impose fees.  Thinking she had all the right commercial permits and licenses, Boneta was still threatened with $5,000 per day fines despite Virginia being a right to farm state, where local governments are considered unable to use zoning laws to bring nuisance suits for customary farm operations.

The Police State we've all feared is already here.  It would make complete sense if one was attempting to create a police state, first disarm the civilian population through crushing legislation and regulations and during that same time, proceed to arm as many different government agencies that were not previously armed before, using "false flag" operations to create public outrage against privately owned weapons and the immediate need to control them, or even outlaw private weapon ownership completely with an executive order.  What lies in store for us in the near future, if the EPA catches you polluting dear mother earth, or contributing to global warming, will they whip-out their sub-machine guns and blow you away for that?  Why on earth would the USDA or the EPA need to be armed at all?  What's really funny, is the fact that so-called "liberals" are leading the charge to curtail as much of our personal freedoms as possible by "Big- government" intervention.  I'd say that the "police state" we've all feared, but never thought would happen in America, is already here!

Federal agents swarm Livingston, Ill..  Homeland security, the US Customs and Border Patrol and other police agencies swarmed Livingston, Illinois.  They all parked in the field of a grade school.  The peacefulness of the town of 850 was broken by all the excitement.  The law officers would not comment about their operation, even to the school superintendent and they were using the school district's land.

Rep. Campbell: Government, IRS, EPA Are 'The Police State'.  Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) called the government, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "the police state" at a Financial Services Committee hearing at the Capitol on Thursday [7/10/2014].  At the July 10 hearing, Legislation to Reform the Federal Reserve on Its 100-year Anniversary, the Federal Reserve Accountability and Transparency Act (HR 5018) was discussed, legislation which would require "the Federal Reserve to provide the Congress with a clear rule to describe the course of monetary policy."  The act would also require the Fed to conduct cost-benefit analysis, require transparency on bank stress tests and international financial regulatory negotiations, and would order the Fed to disclose the salaries of highly paid employees.

Advisor: Obama, NSA use internet to silence critics like Tea Party.  The Obama administration is expanding its online data search of Americans to find potential civil unrest — like the 2010 Tea Party movement — and squash it before they take root, a prominent financial advisor has warned clients.  David John Marotta compared the administration's efforts to those used by former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover against his critics and 1960s activists.  Targeting activists isn't anything new.  J. Edgar Hoover made it his life's work.  What has changed is the vigor with which the government has assumed its own activism against certain groups, he said.

The Age of Mafia Government: People Wind Up Mysteriously Dead.  The ultimate way to earn power over other people is to threaten not just their livelihood, but also their lives, and the lives of those they love.  On that note, perhaps it's appropriate to mention that the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Education each have their own SWAT teams. [...] When black-helmeted men circle your home, break down your door, throw your children from their sleeping beds onto the dew-ridden lawn, and shoot you 22 times because some meathead mistook your house for a drug dealer's, it's clear government has gone from protecting you from threats to becoming a threat itself.

House Leaders Question $461 Million Training Center.  The Foreign Affairs Security Training Center, years in the making, would consolidate similar training operations in one place.  To be built on 1,500 acres of public land that was home to the Fort Pickett Army National Guard in Blackstone, Va., the security training center will look and feel like a real U.S. embassy surrounded by urban-style streets, buildings, and facades, State Department officials announced in April.  Some 10,000 students per year will practice shooting on firing ranges, driving at high speeds on race tracks, and detecting improvised explosive devices.

The Editor says...
I suspect they're training for house-to-house urban combat against us!

America's expanding police state.  Spying is one thing, but control is, in fact, key.  During the Obama administration, most of us have grown concerned about the massive buy-up of ammunition of various federal agencies.  The U.S. Postal Service, the Department of Agriculture, the Commerce Department and even the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among so many other agencies, have acquired billions of rounds of ammunition.  In an article for Newsmax, Mrs. Chumley spoke with Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, who asked a telling question:  "Why exactly does a weather service need ammunition?

The Federal Octopus.  [Scroll down]  In pre-Obama times, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had a necessary and narrowly defined mission:  to protect individual achievement from improper infringement.  But under Obama it too is now not a disinterested government agency but an arm of the White House, which can be enlisted in the furtherance of a larger social agenda.  Most recently it waded into the controversy over the name of the Washington Redskins by rescinding the football franchise's trademark rights to its name — on the basis, apparently, that the president finds that name hurtful to Native Americans.

Has the Dept. of Homeland Security become America's standing army?  VIPR task forces, comprised of federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detection officers and explosive detection canine teams have laid the groundwork for the government's effort to secure so-called "soft" targets such as malls, stadiums, bridges, etc.  Some security experts predict that checkpoints and screening stations will eventually be established at all soft targets, such as department stores, restaurants, and schools.  DHS' Operation Shield, a program which seeks to check up on security protocols around the country with unannounced visits, conducted a surprise security exercise at the Social Security Administration building in Leesburg, Fla., when they subjected people who went to pick up their checks to random ID checks by federal agents armed with semi-automatic weapons.

Panel: Baker must make cakes for gay weddings.  Colorado's Civil Rights Commission on Friday ordered a baker to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples, finding his religious objections to the practice did not trump the state's anti-discrimination statutes.

Make Them Bake Cake!.  The Colorado's Civil Rights Commission has ordered a suburban Denver baker named Jack Phillips to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples, finding that his religious objections do not supersede the state's anti-discrimination statutes.  Because if the Constitution should be subordinate to anything it's the local thought police and nuptial pastries.

Inside the Ring: Directive outlines Obama's plan to use the military against citizens.  A 2010 Pentagon directive on military support to civilian authorities details what critics say is a troubling policy that envisions the Obama administration's potential use of military force against Americans.  The directive contains noncontroversial provisions on support to civilian fire and emergency services, special events and the domestic use of the Army Corps of Engineers.  The troubling aspect of the directive outlines presidential authority for the use of military arms and forces, including unarmed drones, in operations against domestic unrest.  "This appears to be the latest step in the administration's decision to use force within the United States against its citizens," said a defense official opposed to the directive.

Police Militarization, Abuses of Power, and the Road to Impeachment.  Never in the history of this country have we been so weakened and polarized by what many view as deliberate government policy. Now anti-gunners in the U.S. Congress, the Obama administration, and legislatures across the country are seeking to exploit the Newtown tragedy to promote their "gun control" agenda that envisions federal, universal background checks on gun purchases, and that could lead to gun registration and confiscation.  At the same time, the increasing militarization of law enforcement, most visibly demonstrated by the growing use of massive, SWAT-type raids on businesses and individuals, sometimes with federal involvement or authorization, is heightening concerns that this country is moving toward a police state.

What's behind the national ammo shortage?  It's a question many hunters and gun enthusiasts across the country have been asking for months:  Where's the ammo?  Subsistence hunters in Alaska usually spend this time of year preparing for the return of seals and migratory birds to the Bering Straits region.  But this year many are preoccupied by the state-wide shortage of .22-caliber shells, one of the most popular and common types of ammunition in the world.

ObamaCare vs. religion: Why Media Research Center has filed suit against the government.  In its attempt to broaden the notion of a "right to health care," the Obama administration has shrunk our rights to practice our religion.  In requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives, the government has trampled on people who believe artificial contraception to be wrong as a matter of morality and ethics.  The Media Research Center has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, challenging the HHS mandate.  This lawsuit is about religious freedom and the conscience rights of individuals to operate their enterprises free from government coercion, reprisal, or punishment.

When baloney inspections go bad, you've got to be prepared!
Dept of Agriculture Orders Submachine Guns with 30 Round Magazines.  A May 7th solicitation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeks "the commercial acquisition of submachine guns [in] .40 Cal. S&W."  According to the solicitation, the Dept. of Agriculture wants the guns to have an "ambidextrous safety, semiautomatic or 2 round [bursts] trigger group, Tritium night sights front and rear, rails for attachment of flashlight (front under fore group) and scope (top rear), stock collapsible or folding," and a "30 rd. capacity" magazine.

The Fine Print Everyone is Missing on the New USDA Ballistic Vests Order....  The 6 pouch and tactical vest requirement description on this USDA quote confirm that these are ASSAULT vests.  They're what troops wear in an attack evolution.  This is a full military-styled kit, not designed for typical defensive security work.

Update:
DOJ to Release Federal Weapon Count for First Time in 6 Years.  For the first time in six years, the Justice Department is taking inventory of the guns owned by the various federal agencies and will report that number, as well as the number of agents who "carry guns and have the authority to make arrests."  According to The Hill, this move is in response to "conservative and libertarian complaints about an excessively gun-happy government."  This announcement comes less than two weeks after a Breitbart News report about the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) order of submachine guns with 30-round magazines.

How am I to know what's "technically secret?"
Obama Policy Bans Employee Use of Leaked Material.  The Obama administration is clamping down on a technique that government officials have long used to join in public discussions of well-known but technically still-secret information:  citing news reports based on unauthorized disclosures.  A new pre-publication review policy for the Office of Director of National Intelligence says the agency's current and former employees and contractors may not cite news reports based on leaks in their speeches, opinion articles, books, term papers or other unofficial writings.

First Amendment's worst enemies are in nation's capital.  [Scroll down]  The Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard reported Federal Election Commission Chairman Lee Goodman's warning that "there are impulses in the government every day to second-guess and look into the editorial decisions of conservative publishers."  There have already been several proposals before the FEC to regulate conservative media outlets, Goodman said.  The proposals were defeated, but only because the FEC is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.  The Democrats voted for the proposals.

FEC chairman warns agency's desire to regulate media 'alive and well'.  The chairman of the Federal Election Commission warned Wednesday that officials at the agency want to start regulating the media, despite a longstanding congressional ban on doing so.  "The impulse to regulate the media within the FEC is alive and well," Chairman Lee E. Goodman told FoxNews.com in an interview.  Goodman pointed to several recent decisions and developments that stoke concerns about the commission — which is supposed to regulate money in federal elections — sticking its nose in the affairs of the press.

FEC chair warns that conservative media like Drudge Report and Sean Hannity face regulation — like PACs.  Government officials, reacting to the growing voice of conservative news outlets, especially on the internet, are angling to curtail the media's exemption from federal election laws governing political organizations, a potentially chilling intervention that the chairman of the Federal Election Commission is vowing to fight.  "I think that there are impulses in the government every day to second guess and look into the editorial decisions of conservative publishers," warned Federal Election Commission Chairman Lee E. Goodman in an interview.  "The right has begun to break the left's media monopoly, particularly through new media outlets like the internet, and I sense that some on the left are starting to rethink the breadth of the media exemption and internet communications," he added.

FEC Chairman Warns Conservative Media Could Be Regulated Like PACs.  As conservative media grows, the head of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is warning that he thinks liberals will look for ways to regulate conservative news outlets just like they do political PACs.  Federal Election Commission Chairman Lee E. Goodman is vowing to fight back against such regulations by putting a stop to efforts to undermine the media's exemptions from federal election laws.

FEC chair warns that conservative media like Drudge Report and Sean Hannity face regulation — like PACs.  Government officials, reacting to the growing voice of conservative news outlets, especially on the internet, are angling to curtail the media's exemption from federal election laws governing political organizations, a potentially chilling intervention that the chairman of the Federal Election Commission is vowing to fight.

Virginia proposal would limit size of gatherings at private homes.  A plan to ban "frequent and large gatherings at neighborhood homes" is a lawsuit waiting to happen, a Fairfax County supervisor predicts.  Officials will get an idea Wednesday when public-comment hearings begin in Virginia's most populous county.  "I believe the county is risking a lawsuit and/or a Constitution challenge by interfering with peoples' right to assemble," Supervisor Pat Herrity said in a statement.

Can Your County Shut Down Home Bible Studies? Mine Is.  I never imagined when I agreed to host a Bible study in my home that such an action may one day be a violation of law.  Yet that's exactly what my very own Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is prepared to do right here in Virginia.

Federal Regulators Could Be Empowered To Enter Your Property To Inspect Your Cars.  President Barack Obama's $302 billion transportation bill gives federal regulators the power to enter the premises of car dealerships to determine if their vehicles are in compliance with federal fuel-economy mandates.  The Department of Transportation (DOT) could see its vehicle inspection authority expanded if Congress passes Obama's Grow America Act.  Currently, DOT officials are only allowed to inspect records and information from companies that must comply with federal fuel economy standards.  But Obama's bill would allow federal bureaucrats to enter the premises of car dealerships to physically inspect to see if vehicles are in compliance with federal fuel economy standards.

Calif. moves to ban judges affiliated with Boy Scouts.  California is proposing to ban members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) from serving as judges because the Boy Scouts do not allow gay troop leaders, The Daily Caller has learned.  In a move with major legal implications, The California Supreme Court Advisory Committee on The Code of Judicial Ethics has proposed to classify the Boy Scouts as practicing "invidious discrimination" against gays, which would end the group's exemption to anti-discriminatory ethics rules and would prohibit judges from being affiliated with the group.

The United States of SWAT?  Regardless of how people feel about Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's standoff with the federal Bureau of Land Management over his cattle's grazing rights, a lot of Americans were surprised to see TV images of an armed-to-the-teeth paramilitary wing of the BLM deployed around Bundy's ranch.  They shouldn't have been.  Dozens of federal agencies now have Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams to further an expanding definition of their missions.  It's not controversial that the Secret Service and the Bureau of Prisons have them.  But what about the Department of Agriculture, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Office of Personnel Management, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?  All of these have their own SWAT units and are part of a worrying trend towards the militarization of federal agencies — not to mention local police forces.

37% of Voters Fear the Federal Government.  Thirty-seven percent (37%) of Likely U.S. Voters now fear the federal government, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  Forty-seven percent (47%) do not, but another 17% are not sure.  Perhaps in part that's because 54% consider the federal government today a threat to individual liberty rather than a protector.

Governor Sandoval: Send in the Guard.  The fact that this situation could have been pulled from the script of the 1974 movie Chinatown or any of the Godfather movies is well known and must be exposed, but not before immediate action is taken to assure the preservation of life and liberty.  The current critical nature of the crisis cannot be understated.  In alleged response to a 20-year-old battle over "illegal cattle grazing," along with a more recent claim related to ostensibly protecting the allegedly endangered desert tortoise, the federal Bureau of Land Management has been dispatched to the Bundy ranch.  Do not be fooled by the innocuous sounding name of this federal agency, however, as the deployment now consists of some 200 heavily armed federal troops, transported by military troop carriers and equipped with sniper rifles and other military armaments.  It is an army by any other name.

More about the Bundy Ranch and the Nevada Bureau of Land Management.

What Does the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Need with 96 Armed Agents?  The proliferation of federal agencies with armed agents is one of the most worrisome aspects of the growth in government.  Just last summer the EPA carried out an armed raid on a mine in Alaska to enforce the Clean Water Act — a bit of government intimidation that residents say was totally unnecessary. [...] And who can forget the Gibson Guitar raid by armed agents of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  The EPA, the USFWS ...the Department of Education?  It's getting ridiculous — and frightening.

Fox News Special Report: Enemies of the State.  Fox News aired a special, Saturday night [4/5/2014] called "Enemies of the State" which focused on everyday Americans who somehow found themselves in the crosshairs of their own government.  Fox News reporter John Roberts talked to Wayne Hage, a rancher battling the Bureau of Land Management over his cattle farm.  Roberts pointed out that in one 105 day grazing season, the family was visited by government employees 70 times and received an additional 40 certified letters containing various citations and notices.

Suit Against SAFE Act Claims it Allows 'Warrantless' Police Searches.  The registry process of New York's SAFE Act allows for warrantless police searches into gun owners' homes, a violation of the Fourth Amendment, according to plaintiffs of a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Eastern District.  The law firm representing plaintiff Gabriel Razzano argues the registry process is "essentially secret and results in a mandatory, warrantless Penal Law 400 gun removal visit from police."  "The entire purpose of the registry is a sham to permit intrusions into a person's home on consent without a warrant for a 'gun removal,'" La Reddola, Lester and Associates said in a release.  "The entire registry and database seek to justify warrantless police searches, which my client and I now believe to be the real purpose of the SAFE Act."

NLRB Wants to Stop Businesses From Moving.  Richard Griffin, the new general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, wants to give unions a veto over a unionized employer's decision to relocate.  If Griffin has his way, and he most assuredly will, some unionized businesses will be pinned in place at the discretion of their unions.  The change Griffin is contemplating is unnecessary and inconsistent with both the law and the dynamics of our free-enterprise system.  It will upset the balance mandated by the Supreme Court and should send a chill up the spine of unionized companies contemplating relocating an operation.

Insanity: NLRB Wants Power To Prevent Businesses From Relocating.  In the Leftist dream world, Big Labor would have the most financial influence in politics and be in complete control of the companies they plague (and will eventually bankrupt).  These aren't the unions of old, which genuinely protected the rights of workers.  These are power-hungry madmen who don't [care] about any rights other than theirs to power.

Limbaugh is right about Obama's war on suburbs.  [Scroll down]  Under the regulation, in October the Obama administration will be empowered to condition eligibility for community development block grants on redrawing zoning maps to create evenly distributed neighborhoods based on racial composition and income.  In 2012, HUD dispersed about $3.8 billion of these grants to almost 1,200 municipalities.  And, apparently, if the National Council of La Raza is to be believed, the new rule will help millions of illegal immigrants resettle in communities across the U.S.

Progressivism Unbound at HUD.  [Scroll down]  Why the push to move into traditionally white communities?  It's about power, not what's best for minorities.  President Obama and Shaun Donovan have an ambitious plan to integrate Afro-Americans and other minorities into traditionally white middle and upper-class communities.  HUD is forcing Westchester, N.Y. and affluent areas in Los Angeles and across the country to integrate. [...] HUD calls it de facto segregation.  Not enough blacks and Hispanics live on every block and neighborhood within the county.

The Editor says...
Moving minorities into white neighborhoods is a roundabout means of gerrymandering.

Update:
Obama's Assault on Suburbs Stymied.  Earlier today [6/10/2014] the House of Representatives approved an amendment offered by Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar prohibiting the Department of Housing and Urban Development from implementing President Obama's rule on "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing" (AFFH).  This is an important setback for Obama's plans to transform the way Americans live.  The Obama administration has consistently downplayed its "regionalist" policies, delaying the release of successive versions of AFFH until after the 2012 and 2014 elections.  Obama understands how politically unpopular these policies would be if widely known.

Shock verdict — Mark Witaschek guilty of possessing muzzleloader bullets in D.C.  In a surprising twist at the end of a long trial, a District of Columbia judge found Mark Witaschek guilty of "attempted possession of unlawful ammunition" for antique replica muzzleloader bullets.  Judge Robert Morin sentenced Mr. Witaschek to time served, a $50 fine and required him to enroll with the Metropolitan Police Department's firearm offenders' registry within 48 hours.

Witaschek surrenders to D.C. police 'Gun Offenders Registry'.  Mark Witaschek never had a firearm in the District of Columbia, but he is now on the city's Gun Offenders Registry.  This bizarre case has drawn national attention because an upstanding citizen was tried and convicted of possessing unregistered ammunition for muzzleloader bullets, which are simply pieces of lead and copper.

Supreme Court says regulatory law means whatever EPA says it means, today.  On Monday, the [U.S. Supreme] Court declined to accept an appeal from Arch Coal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's reversal of its 2007 issuance of a 2011 Clean Water Act permit for the company's Spruce Mine operation in West Virginia.  By refusing to hear the appeal, the court upheld EPA's authority to change its mind on a regulatory permit decision, even though doing so inflicts substantial financial and other losses on appellants.  The court's denial also creates a damaging new regulatory uncertainty because it casts potential doubt on the legitimacy on any federal permitting decision, not just those by EPA under the Clean Water Act.

Replica bullets, dud shell earn weapons conviction for former Washington man.  Replica bullets and a dud shotgun shell got a man convicted of weapons charges in the nation's capital, in a case gun rights activists say shows how overzealous authorities are trampling the Second Amendment.  On Friday, just two days after his conviction of attempted possession of unlawful ammunition, Mark Witaschek went to a Washington, D.C., police station to register in the city's Gun Offenders Registry.  The act was part of a sentence meted out after Witaschek lost his two-year legal battle that began when police searched his home and found an inert shotgun shell, a spent shell casing and a box of muzzle-loader bullets.

Political correctness and the slavery of Obamacare.  Some well-known radicals have very publicly written and stated that in order for their idea of a utopian, egalitarian society to emerge in the United States, the government must control health care, which ensures the dependency of the populace on government.  Historical analysis of many countries that have gone this route demonstrates obliteration of the middle class and massive expansion of the poor, dependent class with a relatively small number of elites in control.  This is sobering information, and those who want to fundamentally change America would much rather demonize someone who is exposing this agenda than engage in a conversation that they cannot win.

Ben Carson: America's now 'very much like Nazi Germany'.  Noted conservative speaker and nationally recognized neurosurgeon Ben Carson took his blunt talk about the state of the nation in a direction that deviated from his usual references to God and faith — remarking on America's resemblance to Nazi Germany days.  In a recent public event in New York, Dr. Carson spoke of living "in a Gestapo age," Mediaite reported.  Following, Fox News contributor Mallory Factor asked him to explain.

Wyoming welder faces $75,000 a day in EPA fines for building pond on his property.  All Andy Johnson wanted to do was build a stock pond on his sprawling eight-acre Wyoming farm.  He and his wife Katie spent hours constructing it, filling it with crystal-clear water, and bringing in brook and brown trout, ducks and geese.  It was a place where his horses could drink and graze, and a private playground for his three children.  But instead of enjoying the fruits of his labor, the Wyoming welder says he was harangued by the federal government, stuck in what he calls a petty power play by the Environmental Protection Agency.  He claims the agency is now threatening him with civil and criminal penalties — including the threat of a $75,000-a-day fine.

EPA Wants to Slap $75K a Day Fine on Landowner Who Built Stock Pond on Own Property.  Senators are trying to intervene on behalf of a Wyoming landowner facing $75,000 a day in Environmental Protection Agency fines for building a stock pond on his own property.  The EPA compliance order against Andrew Johnson of Unita County claims that he violated the Clean Water Act by building a dam on a creek without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.  Johnson says it was a stock pond, which would make it exempt from CWA permitting requirements.  The EPA is telling him to restore the creek as it was or face penalties.

Feds to Alaskans: No road for humans, lots of land for animals.  In one of Alaska's most remote outposts, where a thousand hardy souls make their homes, the Obama administration has put the fate of birds and bears above the lives of people, blocking construction of an 11-mile gravel trail connecting a tiny fishing hamlet to a life-saving airport.  For more than three decades the predominantly Aleut fishing community of King Cove has been fighting to build a one-lane, gravel track connecting the Cove to the nearby hamlet of Cold Bay.  What they have gotten is 30 years of flat-out federal refusals or stall tactics.

Obama's Trifecta.  In its violations of the First Amendment, the Obama administration has consistently relied upon self-serving definitions of press, religion, and political speech.  Holder justified violating Rosen's press freedom on the grounds that he somehow wasn't acting as a legitimate member of the press.  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has arrogated to herself the right to determine what is and what is not a "religion."  She claims the HHS mandate doesn't violate religious freedom since groups that serve the public aren't religious according to her criteria.  She declared at the time of the mandate's release that only purely sectarian groups are deemed religious under Obamacare and thus worthy of an exemption.  The Federal Election Commission plays the same game on what constitutes political speech, defining the concept ever more narrowly to justify restrictions on ordinary participation.

DHS Contracted To Purchase 704 Million Rounds of Ammo Over Next 4 Years: 2,500 Rounds Per Officer.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is contracted to purchase 704,390,250 rounds of ammunition over the next four years, which is equal to a total of about 2,500 rounds per DHS agent per year, according to a January 2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled Ammunition Purchases Have Declined Since 2009.  "If DHS were to purchase all 704 million rounds over the next four years, and if they were used by 70,000 DHS agents and officers, it would be roughly 2,500 rounds per agent per year," David Maurer, author of the GAO report, told CNSNews.com.

Pardon My Paranoia.  In a February 5, 2014 article on Infowars.com, Kit Daniels reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is currently seeking companies that can provide "assorted small arms ammunition in the new future.  The U.S. Postal Service joins the long list of non-military federal agencies purchasing large amounts of ammunition."  What has a growing number of Americans concerned is this arming of government agencies we do not associate with the need to be heavily armed.  "Since 2001, the U.S. Department of Education has been building a massive arsenal through purchases orchestrated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms" reported Daniels.  "Back in July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also purchased 72,000 rounds of [.]40[-caliber] Smith and Wesson, following a 2012 purchase for 46,000 rounds of .40 S&W jacketed hollow point by the National Weather Service."

Despite setback, the FCC's snout is under the tent.  After a week of mockery, derision, and disdain, the Federal Communications Commission has announced that it won't put observers in newsrooms after all.  FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 10 had alerted the public to the dangers of having government representatives querying news bosses about how they decide what stories to cover — and which ones not to cover.  The implicit threat of such heavy-handed research is that the government could be on the verge of announcing that IT will decide what stories are important to cover, just as it has decided what kind of cars you should buy (no "clunkers"!), what kind of health insurance you should have (Obamacare!) and what kind of dust is the right kind (whatever kind the EPA says!).

Mark Levin: Obama Admin Using The Law Against Us Is The Definition Of Tyranny.  The FCC, call it whatever you want, Barack Obama's henchman, Barack Obama's comrades, there, that's right, all over the federal government have hijacked the institutions of government and are now turning them on the people.  Whether it's the EPA, or the Department of Justice, the Interior Department, NOAA, this, that or the other, they're using the government, they are using a law against us.  Which is the definition of tyranny.

Is Obama trying to kill a free press?  The FCC is launching a new study, taking upon itself the task of deciding what news the public "needs" to hear, versus the news the public wants to hear.  The agency will conduct a "General Population Survey" that will "measure community members' actual and perceived critical information needs."  Got that?  What you think (perceive) you need to know is different from what the government says you need to know.  Next, the FCC will send monitors to newsrooms across the country who will ask questions regarding the "philosophy" of the newsroom, inquire about possible conflicts between reporters and their bosses, and even determine how much influence each individual has in deciding what to report.

More about the FCC.

US Army Builds Fake American Town to Practice War on Americans.  In Virginia, the U.S. Army has built an American city, replete with a church, a mosque, an embassy building, a bank and a working subway system, in order to practice assaulting American cities.  Welcome to Obama's America, folks.  The town took six years to complete, is built on a 300-acre plot of government-owned land in Virginia and cost taxpayers $96 million.  It is designed to, "replicate complex operational environments and develop solutions."  The "training" facility was completed and opened in January of this year and is operated by the U.S. Army's Asymmetric Warfare Group.

Government's insane hallucinations.  Once upon a time, people could start businesses in America and run them as they saw fit.  People can no longer do that.  Instead, businesses must conform to insanely expensive one-size-fits-all health insurance requirements imposed by a group of people who have never run a business, never met a payroll and never had to worry about making a profit.

USDA Gave $303,890 in Wool Loans to Couple Who 'Owned No Sheep'.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave $303,890 in wool loans to an Iowa couple that "owned no sheep."  Howard "Jack" Aleff and Reena Slominski, of Knoxville, scammed the federal government for six years and were ordered to pay the United States $1,376,670 in a civil judgment announced on Jan. 29.  The married couple filed 132 fraudulent applications for "sheep that were never sheared" to receive loans awarded by the Farm Services Agency intended to encourage wool production.  The program spent $7 million in fiscal year 2012.

Failing Liberals Turn To Oppression To Hold On To Power.  The Federal Communications Commission just floated a trial balloon about going out to radio and television stations to evaluate reporters on how they cover the news.  There was a time when journalists' response to a government inquiry into how they did their job would be "Go to hell, you goose-stepping bureaucratic flunky."  Not anymore.  Now, their response is slavish submission to their progressive governmental dominatrix.  When supposedly independent, iconoclastic liberal journalists let themselves to be dominated by the feds, their safeword is "Hillary."  Liberalism has to muzzle the truth because it operates on lies.  It is built on lies, fueled by lies, and creates an empire of lies.

Man-given rights and government gone wild.  Our formerly constitutional government, in the form of the Federal Communications Commission, has developed a plan to put observers in the nation's newsrooms in order to better understand "the process by which stories are selected."  Of course, they won't just "understand" the process; they will most assuredly and dangerously alter it, merely by the implied threat of their presence in the formerly sacrosanct newsroom.  Just ask anyone who ever worked for a newspaper in Soviet Russia or Hitler's Germany or even Chavez's Venezuela.

The FCC Plan To Police The Newsrooms.  The FCC has cooked up a plan to place "researchers" in U.S. newsrooms, supposedly to learn all about how editorial decisions are made.  Any questions as to why the U.S. is falling in the free press rankings?

DC Man Set for Hearing After Arrest Over Inoperable Shotgun Shell.  A Washington, D.C. man is facing a large fine and possible jail time after he was arrested for having an inoperable shotgun shell in his home.  The shell was a souvenir that Mark Witaschek decided to keep from a hunting trip years earlier.

Another strange Obama admininstration arms purchase.  On July 29, 2013, the Department of the Army in a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation, Solicitation Number W15QKN13T8513, asked the General Services Administration to procure "592,825 (approx) AK Rifle Magazines: 7.62x39mm Caliber, New Production, Steel, 30 Round Capacity".  That many magazines would require 17.8 million rounds just fill each magazine once.  What nation or even what moderate Syrian rebel group needs that kind of firepower?  That request is far beyond what is needed by any nation that issues AK's to its soldiers except Russia and China.  Of course, the US armed forces do not use AK rifles as standard issue.

Obama's Weaponization of Government.  For all the folks — primarily on the left — who screamed and yelled that the Patriot Act was shredding the Constitution, far more intrusive tactics that have nothing to do with the NSA or Homeland Security are being deployed right under our noses during this Administration.  Those tactics reduce every Americans' personal and economic freedom.  There is a dangerous arrogance of power among the President and senior-level Democrats that should concern every American.  Last week a senior United States Senator gave a speech stating that the IRS should be used to target and punish groups that disagree with the Democratic Party's political agenda.

A sorry state of the union — what if Obama believes he answers to no one?  What if the government spies on all of us all of the time and recognizes no limits to its spying?  What if its appetite for acquiring personal knowledge about all Americans is insatiable?  What if the government uses the microchips in our cellphones to follow us and listen to us as we move about?  What if the Constitution expressly prohibits the government from doing this?

TSA Harasses Police Chief.  Traveling by commercial airlines from Albuquerque, NM to Las Vegas, NV, [Police Chief Shane] Harger was asked by TSA to show his credentials.  Minutes later a man flashed a badge claiming to be a federal agent (agency unknown) also demanding to see Harger's credentials.  Harger was told that he was a person of interest, and the federal agent wanted to know where he was going and why.  Bear in mind, no one is required to provide this information under these circumstances.  Harger said that the federal agent told him that the he, the federal agent, was paid to be suspicious of everyone.

Aggressive SWAT Team in Full Body Armor Raids Home, Confiscates ONE Dud Shell Casing, Federal Charges Laid.  At 8:20 p.m. on July 7, 2012, SWAT agents showed up at Mark Witaschek's D.C. home to execute a search warrant for "firearms and ammunition ... gun cleaning equipment, holsters, bullet holders and ammunition receipts."  Witaschek's 14-year-old daughter answered the door and let about 30 officers, who were in full tactical gear, inside.  The officers immediately charged upstairs and demanded that Witaschek and his girlfriend, Bonnie Harris, surrender, face-down.  Both were handcuffed.

More about SWAT teams.

Oregon: Christian Businesses Must Follow Demands of Gay Customers.  The owners of a Christian bakery who refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple are facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after they were found guilty of violating the couple's civil rights.  The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries said they found "substantial evidence" that Sweet Cakes by Melissa discriminated against the lesbian couple and violated the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, a law that protects the rights of the LGBT community.

Supreme Court Will Review Ohio Law Criminalizing 'Lies' About Politicians.  The U.S. Supreme Court announced on January 10th that it will consider a First Amendment challenge to an Ohio law that makes it a crime to "lie" about political candidates, which a pro-life PAC says was used to censor its political speech during the 2010 mid-term congressional election.

Pennsylvania town's $1,000-a-day fine is for the birds, residents say.  A retired Pennsylvania couple is facing a $1,000-a-day fine for feeding birds at their Bethlehem Township home, The Morning Call reported.  The couple has been feeding the birds for 25 years at their home, which is north of Philadelphia, but their bird feeder has been deemed out of compliance with town code.

EPA Decree Shrinks Size of Wyoming by a Million Acres.  Why is the EPA altering state boundaries in Wyoming — and reversing over 100 years of established law?  Well, apparently the city of Riverton now falls under the jurisdiction of the Wind River Indian Reservation.  This, obviously, isn't sitting well with the governor's office — which is urging the EPA to reconsider its ruling and respect the rule of law. [...] "This should be a concern to all citizens because, if the EPA can unilaterally take land away from a state, where will it stop?" Governor Matt Mead said in a press release on January 6.

Court Rules No Suspicion Needed for Laptop Searches at Border.  A federal court today [12/31/2013] dismissed a lawsuit arguing that the government should not be able to search and copy people's laptops, cell phones, and other devices at border checkpoints without reasonable suspicion.  An appeal is being considered.  Government documents show that thousands of innocent American citizens are searched when they return from trips abroad.

Interior border guard checks spur ACLU complaint.  Border Patrol agents routinely violate the constitutional rights of southern Arizona residents when they stop drivers at interior checkpoints on major highways and state routes near the border, according to an official complaint filed Wednesday [1/15/2014].  The complaint sent to Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties alleges that checkpoint agents conduct searches and detain people without justification and use immigration enforcement as a pretext for "fishing expeditions" for potential criminal activity.

The Real Purpose of Oakland's Surveillance Center.  City leaders have argued that Oakland needs a massive surveillance system to combat violent crime, but internal documents reveal that city staffers are also focused on tracking political protesters.

DOE Plugs Energy Rating For Homes Similar To MPG Rating For Cars.  The Energy Department on Tuesday [1/14/2014] is rolling out new, improved software to help Americans measure the energy efficiency of their homes.  DOE says its energy-scoring software — called the Home Energy Scoring Tool — is like a vehicle's mile-per-gallon rating because it allows homeowners to compare the energy performance of their homes to other homes nationwide.  It also provides homeowners with suggestions for improving their homes' efficiency.

The Editor says...
First of all, it's never a good idea to compare your house to someone else's house.  It only leads to pride and arrogance, or jealousy and envy.  All that aside, this is apparently the government's way of being "helpful" to home buyers that are too stupid to ask the right questions when shopping for a house.  It sounds harmless enough, but that's the way automobile gas mileage ratings got started, and now fuel efficiency standards are mandatory — and constantly tightening.

Does the Constitution Force Bakers to Bake?  Several recent court cases have resulted in small business owners, who create the wares and services that they sell, being ordered by a judge to sell their custom-made products (e.g., wedding cakes and floral arrangements) or services (e.g., wedding photography) to gay couples despite the small business owners' refusal to do so based on their religious principles.

Free Exercise Thereof.  We are in a post-republic America.  There is no rule of law, there is only a rule of judges.  Legislation is equal to a dictate from the king.  That we elect the barons and the lords to rule over us does not lessen tyranny, but it makes us feel better; it gives us faith in the "system" and that is all the government really needs.  Through several supreme court decisions, largely where they have ruled on Obamacare, the message as been sent:  Whatever the government chooses to do is within its power. [...] The laws against privacy and guns are passed by legislators.  The laws against religion are passed by judges.

Labor Department tells Arkansas businesswoman she can't have volunteers.  Ladies and gentlemen, be careful who you volunteer for — you could be doing them a lot more harm than good.  The federal government sometimes takes dim view of such generosity.  Just ask Rhea Lana Riner.  She owns a small Arkansas-based business that organizes consignment sales.  Since August, the Labor Department has been threatening her with stiff financial penalties, saying her business practices are illegal.  It has even been contacting donors to her events and encouraging them to instigate legal action against her.

EPA overrides Congress, hands over town to Indian tribes.  Have you heard the story of the residents of Riverton, Wyo.? One day they were Wyomingans, the next they were members of the Wind River tribes — after the Environmental Protection Agency declared the town part of the Wind River Indian Reservation, undoing a 1905 law passed by Congress and angering state officials.  The surprise decision was made by officials of the EPA, the Department of Interior, and Department of Justice early last month, and has invoked the ire of Gov. Matt Mead, who has vowed not to honor the agency's decision and is preparing to fight in court.

Obama Regime Issued Record 3,659 Economy-Crushing Regulations In 2013.  And they've picked up where they left off, issuing 141 new regs during the first three days of 2014.

Portion control — how the government plans to dictate what's on your dinner table in 2014.  Would you rather sip on unpasteurized milk or a cold glass of soda? Do you prefer Saturday lunch at a fast food joint or a farmers market?  Regardless of your choices, your food freedom — your right to grow, raise, produce, buy, sell, share, cook, eat, and drink the foods you want — is under attack.

Former NSA Head: Americans Have No Reasonable Expectation of Privacy.  Former NSA Director Michael Hayden says that collecting billions of phone records in no way violates the Fourth Amendment and that Americans should have no reasonable expectation of privacy.  Major Garrett was guest-hosting CBS's Face the Nation Sunday discussing Judge Richard Leon's recent ruling that collection of telephony metadata is unconstitutional.  For Hayden, though, it is "inherently constitutional."  Still, he said, our history "demands that we be alarmed."

Team Obama Refuses To Allow Small, Critical Road Through Wildlife Refuge.  I'm all for wildlife refuges, protecting the majesty and beauty of nature.  One road won't hurt.

Local courts reviving 'debtors' prison' for overdue fines, fees.  As if out of a Charles Dickens novel, people struggling to pay overdue fines and fees associated with court costs for even the simplest traffic infractions are being thrown in jail across the United States.  Critics are calling the practice the new "debtors' prison" — referring to the jails that flourished in the U.S. and Western Europe over 150 years ago.  Before the time of bankruptcy laws and social safety nets, poor folks and ruined business owners were locked up until their debts were paid off.

Now Hear This: Big Brother Wants to Talk to You. Right Now!.  Apparently, the world has become so dangerous — and Americans, to put it bluntly, so stupid — that the federal government has concluded that it is vital that the president or other "authenticated public safety officials" be able to tell you what to do right now.  Kind of like the loudspeakers the North Korean government has wired into every home.  Only wireless, too.

Also posted under Liberals think you're stupid.

Red flags raised after local drivers asked for DNA samples at police checkpoint.  Drivers in St. Charles County were asked to take part in a government survey that involved the odd request of blood and saliva samples.  One driver who emailed News 4 said a deputy and others dressed in safety vests directed drivers to take part and answer questions about alcohol and driving.  The study is being conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and is supposed to be voluntary.  Constitutional Law attorney Bob Herman said the study does raise some red flags.

Judge Orders Colo. Cake-Maker to Serve Gay Couples.  A baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony must serve gay couples despite his religious beliefs or face fines, a judge said Friday [12/6/2013].

Washington Times sues Homeland over seizure of reporter's notes.  The Washington Times and one of its former journalists on Thursday [11/21/2013] sued the Department of Homeland Security, accusing federal agents of illegally seizing the newspaper's reporting materials during the execution of a search warrant in an unrelated case.  In a motion filed in federal court in Greenbelt, The Times and reporter Audrey Hudson asked a judge to force the federal agency to return all reporting files and documents it seized from Ms. Hudson's home office during a raid in early August.

Photographer sued for refusing to take pictures at lesbian couple's ceremony goes to the Supreme Court.  A photographer sued by a lesbian couple after she refused to take pictures at their commitment ceremony is taking her fight for religious freedom to the Supreme Court.  Elaine Huguenin, who runs a photography business in Albuquerque, New Mexico, refused to take the snaps for the happy day of Vanessa Willock and Misti Collinsworth in 2006.  The women then filed a discrimination lawsuit again Ms Huguenin.  New Mexico law prohibits businesses from discriminating against people based on their sexuality.

Harry Reid's Nuclear Hypocrisy.  On Monday [11/18/2013], for the third time in less than a month, Senate Republicans filibustered an Obama nominee to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.  That's the court that's checked the president more than once, as when it said he couldn't make "recess appointments" when the Senate wasn't in recess.  So in a Tuesday closed-door lunch, Reid moved closer to ending the practice, [...]

52 Democrats Change Two-Century-Old Senate Rule: Abolish Filibuster of Nominees.  Sweeping aside a century of precedent, Democrats took a chunk out of the Senate's hallowed filibuster tradition on Thursday [11/21/2013] and cleared the way for speedy confirmation of controversial appointments made by President Barack Obama and chief executives in the future.

Our Kids: Victims of the Rough Grasp of the State.  Wake up, Mom and Dad:  your government has its paws all over your children during school hours — always figuratively, and too often literally.  If parents are taken out of the education equation completely, something will fill the vacuum.  And that something is bound to be the police state.

War on the Little Guy.  Marty the Magician performed magic tricks for kids, including the traditional rabbit-out-of-a-hat.  Then one day:  "I was signing autographs and taking pictures with children and their parents," he told me.  "Suddenly, a badge was thrown into the mix, and an inspector said, 'Let me see your license.'" [...] Marty's torment didn't end with a demand for his license.  "She said, from now on, you cannot use your rabbit until you fill out paperwork, pay the $40 license fee.  We'll have to inspect your home."  Ten times since, regulators showed up unannounced at Marty's house.

Big Government is a Clear & Present Danger to our Liberty.  Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) has been a steadfast supporter and ally within Congress of the Tea Party movement.  Unlike many of his Republican counterparts who attempt to distance themselves from the Tea Party brand, many who actually attack it, Huelskamp embraces it.

Will Government Be Able to Remotely Control Your Car?  In May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published its "Preliminary Statement of Policy Concerning Automated Vehicles."  It pointed to a "continuum" of automobile development that "runs from vehicles with no active control systems all the way to full automation and self-driving." [...] But, if the driver does not control the vehicle, who does?

Wisconsin Political Speech Raid.  Americans learned in the IRS political targeting scandal that government enforcement power can be used to stifle political speech.  Something similar may be unfolding in Wisconsin, where a special prosecutor is targeting conservative groups that participated in the battle over Governor Scott Walker's union reforms.  In recent weeks, special prosecutor Francis Schmitz has hit dozens of conservative groups with subpoenas demanding documents related to the 2011 and 2012 campaigns to recall Governor Walker and state legislative leaders.

Political terrorism in Wisconsin: The American Police state begins.  Cops are bursting into homes, seizing computers and other "evidence" while groups are being hit with subpoenas that require them to turn over voluminous and sensitive information — including the names of political donors. [...] In Wisconsin, special prosecutor Francis Schmitz is going after conservative groups that were involved in the fight over the recall of Governor Scott Walker and Walker's union reforms.  Subpoenas are requesting "all records of income received, including fundraising information and the identity of persons contributing to the corporation."  They are seeking lists of conservative donors.

America's descent from rule of law to jungle law via Obamacare.  The Obamacare debacle and the president's attempts to fix it have created yet another notable episode in our political history.  This one will long live in infamy.  The federal government has been directed by President Obama to ignore the Constitution, to which the president and members of Congress have sworn an oath.  Obama has unilaterally delayed implementation of the provisions of Obamacare that have shattered his frequently repeated "If you like your insurance, you can keep it" promise.  The one-year delay is not really the issue here.  The more fundamental issue is that American Citizens have meekly and timidly accepted a blasphemy against our constitutional freedoms.

Americans' personal data shared with CIA, IRS, others in security probe.  U.S. agencies collected and shared the personal information of thousands of Americans in an attempt to root out untrustworthy federal workers that ended up scrutinizing people who had no direct ties to the U.S. government and simply had purchased certain books.  Federal officials gathered the information from the customer records of two men who were under criminal investigation for purportedly teaching people how to pass lie detector tests.  The officials then distributed a list of 4,904 people — along with many of their Social Security numbers, addresses and professions — to nearly 30 federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the CIA, the National Security Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

MA Politician Wants Unannounced Home Searches by Police to Enforce Gun Law.  Swampscott, Massachusetts Selectman Barry Greenfield is pushing a measure to give police the authority to conduct home searches to check proper storage of firearms.  Greenfield said "state law requires Massachusetts gun owners to keep their firearms locked away or rendered inoperable."  There are "600 registered gun owners in [Swampscott]," and the selectman wants police to be able to drop in unannounced, enter the homes of each gun owner, and verify compliance.

The Editor says...
The 4th Amendment very clearly prohibits blanket searches of every house in town, looking for guns, drugs, cash, or whatever the cops can find.  If an idea like this were to be met with no resistance, those unannounced searches would become a daily routine, and the 4th Amendment would be an archaic technicality.  Even the mere proposal of such a law (by the state of Massachusetts) is what one would expect to see only in Cuba, North Korea or East Germany.

Minneapolis School Bus Driver Fired for Praying With Students.  A Minneapolis school bus driver was fired from his job after someone complained about his practice of praying with students on his route.  The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that George Nathaniel, who is also a Minneapolis area pastor, was in his second year of service with Durham School Services, the bus company under contract with the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district.  After receiving a previous complaint about Nathaniel's prayers with students, the company gave him a warning and assigned him a new route.

Seattle [is the] Latest City to Install DHS Surveillance Equipment.  Add Seattle to the list of local governments taking money from the Department of Homeland Security to put their citizens under federal surveillance. [...] Perhaps wiring the city with high-tech, federally funded surveillance equipment is what Seattle mayor meant when he described the city's budget as "a moral document.  It puts resources behind our vision of the city we want to see."  Apparently, part of those resources are coming from the federal government and they are earmarked for use to putting the city under the vision of the Department of Homeland Security.

Senior Navy civilians investigated in alleged scheme to defraud military for $1.6 million.  Federal authorities are investigating three senior Navy intelligence officials as part of a probe into an alleged contracting scheme that charged the military $1.6 million for homemade firearm silencers that cost only $8,000 to manufacture, court records show.  The three civilian officials, who oversee highly classified programs, arranged for a hot-rod auto mechanic in California to build a specially ordered batch of unmarked and untraceable rifle silencers and sell them to the Navy at more than 200 times what they cost to manufacture, according to court documents filed by federal prosecutors.  The purpose of the silencers remains a mystery.

The Editor says...
I can see why the Mafia might need such a product, but why is the Navy ordering "unmarked and untraceable rifle silencers"?

Lawsuit: Chaplains Banned From Saying "Jesus".  Two Baptist chaplains said they were forced out of a Veterans Affairs chaplain training program after they refused orders to stop quoting the Bible and to stop praying in the name of Jesus.  When the men objected to those demands they were subjected to ridicule and harassment that led to one of the chaplains leaving the program and the other being ejected, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday [11/8/2013].

The Editor says...
Are there similar restrictions against Islamic, Hindu, Wiccan, or earth-worshiping eco-fruitcake prayers?  What if one of the chaplains prays directly to Barack H. Obama?  Would there be a reprimand or a promotion?

The unspoken success of ObamaCare.  Despite what you are being told, the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA), commonly known as ObamaCare, is already proving to be a resounding success. [...] First, it is vital to understand that the ACA is not now, nor never was, about providing affordable health care.  It is merely disguised as such.  Rather, it is the vehicle that is being covertly used to conduct the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that this nation has ever experienced.  It is being done methodically and for a specific purpose.  It is the vehicle that will ultimately disassemble and destroy significant parts of the United States Constitution and further enslave United States citizens.

Now is the time to support Jana Winter.  [Scroll down]  While Ms. Winter's report was a world class scoop, defense attorneys complained that her law enforcement sources had denied Holmes a fair trial by violating the judge's gag order and leaking her potentially incriminating information.  After 14 law enforcement officials denied having been her source, the Colorado judge in the case ordered her to turn over her notes and testify about who gave her the information.  The court also demanded that New York enforce its certificate, then subpoena Ms. Winter and require her to return to Colorado on January 3, 2014 and testify about her sources, which she has refused to do.

Update:
New York's top court rules Fox reporter cannot be forced to reveal sources in Colorado.  New York's top court today [12/10/2013] spared FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter from jail for refusing to reveal confidential sources for a bombshell story following the Aurora movie massacre.  In a 4-3 ruling based on New York's shield law, the state Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's decision that could have resulted in Winter being forced to appear in the Colorado murder trial of James Holmes.

Court Rules Fox's Jana Winter Doesn't Have to Reveal Sources in James Holmes Case.  On Tuesday morning, New York's top court ruled that FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter cannot be forced by a Colorado court to reveal her sources regarding a major story about the Aurora movie theater shooter.  Voting 4-3 in favor of Winter, the New York State Court of Appeals reversed a lower court order and effectively prevented Winter from having to be subpoenaed by the Colorado court.

The tyranny of bureaucracy.  [Scroll down]  Do not millions of people owe their allegiance to the government for the privilege of receiving food stamps, unemployment insurance, welfare, business or individual tax credits, college loans, agricultural subsidies, and now even health insurance?  Is there any branch or even twig of life through which the sap of federal subsidies does not run?  No wonder the Tea Party, with its insistence on turning off the federal spigot, is being painted by progressives as a danger to the national well-being.  The national well-being, after all, is a state of stuporific addiction to entitlements and congressionally approved benefits spooned out by thousands of federal bureaus and agencies that prove their worth by keeping the populace in what de Tocqueville called "perpetual childhood."

The Progressive Degradation of Freedom.  Socialized medicine teaches that you must not value your life above that of other men.  Not only should no doctor care about your personal survival, but you yourself should stop thinking your survival is any kind of priority.  You should wait your turn in the only line in town, and be grateful if you do eventually get what you need from central command.  After all, what choice do you have?

The Drift toward Despotism.  [Scroll down]  But one notes that the Supreme Court has dramatically circumscribed Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure when it occurs at America's border, and post-9/11 the "border" has been redefined to mean anywhere within 100 miles of the actual frontier.  Many European countries are not 100 miles wide in their entirety.  A hundred-mile buffer zone from Belgium's northern border, for example, would be well south of the southern border and deep into France.

Fox Reporter Faces Jail Time for Protecting Sources.  In July 2012, Fox reporter Jana Winter reported that James Holmes, the shooter in the Aurora, Colorado theater massacre who murdered 12 people during a showing of The Dark Knight Rises, had sent a University of Colorado psychiatrist a notebook "full of details about how he was going to kill people."  The notebook had pictures of a stick-figure shooting other stick figures.  She got the information, she reported, from "law enforcement sources."  Now, Winter may lose her journalistic freedom.

Our Cash For Obama's Clunkers.  [Scroll down]  Seventy years in advance, [Henry] Hazlitt gave us the job descriptions of Health & Human Services head Katherine Sebelius, Obama's former Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and his master of deception Jay Carney.  If all that is not enough to upset your wallet, despite the dismal failures of their efforts, keep in mind that no matter how bad the results, no one gets dismissed from the Obama administration. [...] That's right, you can waste over $600 million on a website, spend more than Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn combined, have it fail and keep your job.  That's good enough for government work.

Dissent must be crushed — just like in East Germany.
Feds Threaten to Prosecute Merchant for Selling 'Department of Homeland Stupidity' Coffee Mugs.  The Department of Justice, on behalf of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has threatened to criminally prosecute a novelty store owner for selling mugs and t-shirts that say, among other things, "Department of Homeland Stupidity" and "The NSA: The only part of government that actually listens." [...] The NSA and DHS sent "cease and desist" letters to Zazzle stating that the parody products violate statutes that protect their official seals from misuse.

Commentary on the incident described above:
Troubling sign of incipient national security tyranny.  Now that we know the National Security Agency is collecting every telephone call and email we make, and that the Department of Homeland Security is free to grope us and inspect our nude images when flying, we have every reason to fear abuse.  Knowing that the potential abusers will not be mocked is seriously scary.

FCC to police news media, question reporters in wide-ranging content survey.  The Federal Communications Commission is planning a broad probe of political speech across media platforms, an unprecedented move that raises serious First Amendment concerns.  The FCC's proposed "Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs," which is set to begin a field test in a single market with an eye toward a comprehensive study in 2014, would collect a remarkably wide range of information on demographics, point of view, news topic selection, management style and other factors in news organizations both in and out of the FCC's traditional purview.  The airwaves regulator would also subject news producers in all media to invasive questioning about their work and content.

Is Obama a Dupe or a Totalitarian, Megalomaniacal Liar?  [Scroll down]  In the progressive era 100 years ago, that presidential attitude brought us the Federal Reserve, the federal income tax, Prohibition, World War I, prosecutions for speech critical of the government and the beginnings of official modern government racial segregation.  That same attitude in our era has brought us the Patriot Act, which allows federal agents to write their own search warrants, government borrowing that knows no end — including the $2 trillion Bush borrowed for the war in Iraq, a country which is now less stable than before Bush invaded, and the $7 trillion Obama borrowed to redistribute — and an NSA that monitors all Americans all the time.

More hot water for Sebelius and the ObamaCare crew.  One of the reasons that allowing Sebelius to keep her job is ridiculous is that under ObamaCare, the HHS Secretary becomes the single most powerful bureaucrat on the planet.  The Affordable Care Act's huge stack of regulations include hundreds of matters left to the discretion of the Secretary.  Another example is the hangman's noose of regulations that have been strangling so many insurance plans over the past few weeks.

Federal agents' pre-dawn raid on reporter's home raises questions.  Audrey Hudson's husband had just left for work on August 6 when suddenly, her dog began barking.  The nationally-known journalist walked over to the curtains and peeked outside to discover her Chesapeake Bay home was surrounded by law enforcement officers wearing full body armor.  The phone rang.  It was her husband.  "I'm in the driveway," he said.  "The police are here.  Open the door."  And so began Hudson's nightmare — held captive by armed agents of the U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland State Police and the Department of Homeland Security as they staged a pre-dawn raid in search of unregistered firearms and a "potato gun."

Exclusive: Feds confiscate investigative reporter's confidential files during raid.  A veteran Washington D.C. investigative journalist says the Department of Homeland Security confiscated a stack of her confidential files during a raid of her home in August — leading her to fear that a number of her sources inside the federal government have now been exposed.

Silencing dissent by SWATing messengers of truth.  [Scroll down]  Ms. Hudson is now speaking out because of what the agents of this Gestapo-like tactic took from her home.  While the search warrant was limited to any alleged guns on the premises — again — stemming from a quarter-century old incident reportedly involving her husband, their reach well exceeded their authority.  What was taken from the home of Audrey Hudson was more valuable than any gun.  What was taken from Audrey Hudson, in addition to her freedoms as an American citizen and a Pulitzer Prize nominee for her journalistic prowess, were her pages of notes and names of sources inside and outside of government who had confidentially provided her information over the years.

Armed agents seize records of reporter, Washington Times prepares legal action.  Maryland state police and federal agents used a search warrant in an unrelated criminal investigation to seize the private reporting files of an award-winning former investigative journalist for The Washington Times who had exposed problems in the Homeland Security Department's Federal Air Marshal Service.  Reporter Audrey Hudson said the investigators, who included an agent for Homeland's Coast Guard service, took her private notes and government documents that she had obtained under the Freedom of Information Act during a predawn raid of her family home on Aug. 6.

'Clearly Intimidation': Feds Seize Reporter's Files During Pre-Dawn Raid.  A conservative reporter alleges that in a pre-dawn raid, the Feds took her files while searching her home for a toy potato gun.  Audrey Hudson, Washington correspondent for the Colorado Observer, thinks the government may have an ulterior motive for conducting the search.  In her first television interview, Hudson told Gretchen Carlson on The Real Story that the raid stems from her husband purchasing a potato launcher online five years ago.  The search warrant presented said they came to recover the gun.  However, she said, "Once they were in the house, the first thing that the Homeland Security officer asked me was 'Are you the same Audrey Hudson who wrote all of the Federal Air Marshal stories for The Washington Times?'"

Ten Thousand Commandments 2013: An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State.  Total costs for Americans to comply with federal regulations reached $1.806 trillion in 2012.  For the first time, this amounts to more than half of total federal spending.  It is more than the GDPs of Canada or Mexico.  This is the 20th anniversary of Ten Thousand Commandments.  In the 20 years of publication, 81,883 final rules have been issued.  That's more than 3,500 per year or about nine per day.

When Frogs Jump.  [Scroll down]  How far would today's American ruling elite go to stamp out real and concerted resistance to their brazen violations of individual liberty?  What steps would they not take to force submission to, and compliance with, their socialized medicine, their compulsory schooling, their EPA violations of private property, and so on?  In short, is there a point of coercive incivility beyond which you are certain they would never step to enforce their anti-constitutional, anti-natural rights, anti-rational plans?

Mission Creep: EPA Agents Enter Drug War.  A large-scale narcotics investigation and sentencing in Montana has revealed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entered the enforcement of U.S. war on drugs.  The EPA has full federal law enforcement capabilities, and their charter allows them to participate in the investigation and prosecution of "criminal conduct that threatens people's health," according to the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division (EPA CID).

The EPA's regulatory authority, coming to a stream or estuary near you?  You may recall the egregiously costly saga of the Sacketts, the Idaho couple personally persecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency for developing their half-acre of lakeside private property that the EPA belatedly and arbitrarily deemed a "protected wetland."  The Sacketts fought the EPA's demand that they either stop development and "restore" the property (with non-native plants!) or else face fines of up to $75,000 per day, but the EPA claimed that the Sacketts didn't even have the right to seek judicial review against the EPA's administrative compliance order, because the compliance order wasn't their "final enforcement action" — which is basically made-up hogwash that roughly translates as, "We're the EPA, we do what we want."

D.C. businessman faces two years in jail for unregistered ammunition, brass casing.  Mark Witaschek, a successful financial adviser with no criminal record, is facing two years in prison for possession of unregistered ammunition after D.C. police raided his house looking for guns.  Mr. Witaschek has never had a firearm in the city, but he is being prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  The trial starts on Nov. 4.  The police banged on the front door of Mr. Witaschek's Georgetown home at 8:20 p.m. on July 7, 2012, to execute a search warrant for "firearms and ammunition ... gun cleaning equipment, holsters, bullet holders and ammunition receipts."

Who Will Tell Obama He has no Clothes?  Before this phony government "shutdown," if you had asked whether I believed that American military and law enforcement personnel would follow an order from Barack Obama, or any other president, to turn their guns on their own countrymen, I would have said no.  However, after witnessing the behavior of armed National Park Service officers unnecessarily closing our national monuments, parks, and even our military cemeteries in Europe, while simultaneously allowing a protest demonstration by illegal aliens on the National Mall, I am no longer confident in that belief.  It's as though Obama is using every weapon in his arsenal to create civil division among the people.  Why?

The International Monetary Fund Lays The Groundwork For Global Wealth Confiscation.  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) quietly dropped a bomb in its October Fiscal Monitor Report.  Titled "Taxing Times," the report paints a dire picture for advanced economies with high debts that fail to aggressively "mobilize domestic revenue."  It goes on to build a case for drastic measures and recommends a series of escalating income and consumption tax increases culminating in the direct confiscation of assets.

ATF's prescription for leaking secrets: A firing squad?  After months of anguished debate over mass shootings, gun control and Second Amendment rights, the Justice Department finds itself on the defensive after a training manual surfaced that suggests federal agents could face a firing squad for leaking government secrets.  A photo in the online manual for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — complete with a photo of a turn-of-the-century firing squad — was obtained by The Washington Times from a concerned federal law enforcement official, and it immediately drew protests from watchdogs who said it showed a lack of sensitivity to gun violence and the continuing hostile environment toward whistleblowers.

I'm From the Government and I'm Here to Spy on You.  The big portals showing the masses what the government is really up to all came last April, and until Obama's gone from the White House, civilian life will never be the same.  It was last April when a judge in Texas denied a request by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for what he described as a warrant to remotely "hack a computer suspected of criminal use", raising questions about the legal requirement for the government to use computer hacking techniques in investigations.  (Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2013).  "By "surreptitiously installing software" — a technique typically associated with computer hackers — investigators are able to infiltrate computers and gather extensive information, according to a document in the case.

A Step Toward Facebook.gov?  Get ready for the government to determine what bullying online is (and therefore, what free speech isn't).

An obvious affront to the First Amendment:
TSA introduces loudspeaker warnings threatening travelers with arrest for cracking a joke about airport security.  Travelers who attempt to make a joke about strict security procedures at airports have been warned they face arrest.  A loudspeaker announcement made by the Transport Security Administration warns the public:  'Any inappropriate remarks or jokes concerning security may result in your arrest.'  Concerned passenger Matt Miller recorded the loudspeaker message while passing through George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.

Is Obama Creating a Martial-law-ready Military?  Let's start with a hypothetical.  Let's say you were a hard-left-wing commander in chief who wanted the military firmly in your corner.  You'd certainly note that our armed forces have been a bastion of conservatism and Christian faith, and you'd know that its members generally weren't very fond of you.  So how would you go about changing this?

The Slippery slope of Obama's constitutional contempt.  From where we stand today, it is merely a matter of degree before we are ruled by decree.
  ·   America's Bill of Rights is under assault.
  ·   Federal authority bullies 50 States and over 300 million Americans into unconstitutional compliance.
  ·   Common Core in schools indoctrinates communism and ignores America's founding values.
  ·   Christian belief and speech in the military are unlawfully restricted; Islam and atheism are favored.
  ·   The People's right to keep and bear arms is abrogated by Executive edict and UN treaty.
  ·   SWAT teams swoop in on Americans accused of crimes not criminal, written by nameless bureaucrats.
  ·   IRS is used to target and punish Americans who speak out against Obama and his cronies.
  ·   NSA and a host of other agencies scoop up and log every tidbit of personal communication for review.
  ·   NDAA allows arrest and indefinite detention without warrant, trial or writ of habeas corpus.
Yet this litany of abuses barely skims the surface of the foul stew Progressives have boiled up.

Also filed under The Clamor for Obama's Impeachment.

Faculty: Sexual Harassment Policy Approved by Feds 'Orwellian'.  Of special concern is a requirement that those professors who fail to complete training are being reported to the federal government.  Faculty members questioned exactly what information the university felt obliged to report to the DOJ and asked how the agency plans to use the information in a letter to University of Montana President Royce Engstrom, the Missoulian reported last week.

The Face of Tyranny.  It is beginning to dawn on a lot of people that Barack Obama is the face of tryanny, a man for whom the Constitution, the democratic process and its need for compromise, exist only to be spurned.  Any President who is happy to preside over closing the White House to public tours, who authorizes placing barricades around Washington War Memorial that is normally open 24 hours a day as well as the Normandy, France D-Day cemetery where our soldiers are buried, is more than merely heartless, but represents a level of evil intent never before seen in anyone who has held that office.

Are these the people you want running your health care?  [Scroll down]  The federal government is using its police power to punish the public!  Has this ever happened before?  Not to my knowledge.  We all understand the police blocking a road when there has been an accident or a washout or some other event.  Ditto for closing public spaces for good reason, perhaps unsafe construction or a terrorist threat.  But to close them simply to inconvenience the public or damage it in some other way?  Never!  Think of that!  Never before!

The Audacity of Bureaucrats.  To wit, to be a successful government bureaucrat this past week, you would have had to play your part in closing down parks, lakes, monuments and sporting events that are frankly none of your [...] business.  Whether your job was ordering Barry-Cades, procuring orange warning paint, police tape, or stapling notices to fences, trees and so on, you had to choose between being a good bureaucrat or a good citizen.  This is not an exaggeration. [...] On a positive note, these turbo charged Barney Fifes are finding out that their Park Service badges and yellow tape garnered absolutely no respect.

ATF tries to block Fast and Furious whistle-blower from publishing book.  The ATF agent who blew the whistle on Operation Fast and Furious has been denied permission to write a book on the botched anti-gun trafficking sting "because it would have a negative impact on morale," according to the very agency responsible for the scandal.  After first trying to stop the operation internally, ATF Agent John Dodson went to Congress and eventually the media following the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010.

ATF tries to block whistleblowing agent's 'Fast and Furious' book.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is blocking the main whistleblower in the Fast and Furious case from publishing a book, claiming his retelling of the Mexico "gun-walking" scandal will hurt morale inside the embattled law enforcement agency, according to documents obtained by The Washington Times.  ATF's dispute with Special Agent John Dodson is setting up a First Amendment showdown that is poised to bring together liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and conservatives in Congress who have championed Mr. Dodson's protection as a whistleblower.

Two D.C. Attacks and a Series of Unfortunate "Coincidences".  No one would have ever believed beforehand that the President might conspire with his Department of Justice and other agencies to funnel weapons to Mexican drug lords in order to precipitate a panic over America's rampant "gun culture" — but indeed, this occurred.  Nor would Americans have thought that the President would clandestinely provide arms to the same Muslim fanatics who attacked us in 2001, then order an attack on the compound facilitating such action when it became a liability.  No one would have believed that Obama would allow American personnel to perish at that compound in order to preserve his power. [...] If that is not definitive of a tyrant — and one who would employ any means necessary in order to attain his objectives — then what is?

I Will Not Comply.  Like most members of the Congress that passed it and, undoubtedly, the president of the United States who signed it, I have not read the entirety of the ill-named Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Yet there is one aspect concerning that legislation of which I am certain:  I will not comply.  I will not comply because I am a free citizen of the United States, not a subject of its government.

Bullied by the IRS.  I've always paid my taxes and have never been arrested or charged with any crime in my life.  I am a successful small-business man.  But in January of this year, I woke up to find that my business' entire bank account — more than $35,000 — had been wrongly seized. [...] Adding insult to injury, federal civil forfeiture law does not even grant me a hearing before or soon after they snatched my account.  They've had my money for 10 months.  I've been forced to spend thousands of dollars on lawyers just to get a hearing before a judge.  Even more bizarre, under civil forfeiture, the government's case is not against me, but against my property.  This is why the official case has the ridiculous name, United States of America v. $35,651.11 in U.S. Currency.  This is not just absurd; it's unconstitutional.

Connecticut judge declares 'No one should have guns'.  A Superior Court judge in Bristol "expressed his contempt for the right to keep and bear arms' in a closed door meeting in his chambers, the state gun rights group Connecticut Carry reported last Thursday in a media advisory.  Judge Robert C. Brunetti "exposed his bigotry for fundamental civil rights in front of at least three defense attorneys," the group explained.  "No one in this country should have guns," the judge reportedly stated, adding "I never return guns."

'Elephant in the Room' Ignored by Prosecutor After Conviction of 'Beat the Polygraph' Instructor.  As someone who spent much of the past four years conducting an exhaustive investigation of the U.S. Government's use of credibility assessment technologies, including the polygraph, I didn't expect MacBride to mention the proverbial "elephant in the room" — that is, the fact so many countermeasures exist to make it possible for any individual to "beat" or pass a polygraph exam.  And he didn't.

Indiana Man Sentenced to Prison for Teaching People How to Beat Polygraph Exams.  Eight months in prison.  That was the sentence handed down to Chad Dixon today by a federal court judge in Alexandria, Va.  His crime?  Teaching people — in particular, government job applicants — how to beat polygraph exams.

The Editor says...
Sounds to me like a violation of the defendant's rights to free speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.  He is apparently being silenced because the government does not want the general public (jury pool) to know that it is possible to spoof a polygraph exam.

Another 250 Million Rounds Of Ammunition For An Agency.  In the middle of December 2012, the Customs and Border Protection Agency presented a pre-solicitation for 50,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W caliber ammunition, ostensibly for training.  The contract would provide a total of 250,000,000 rounds over the life of the 5 year contract.  The contract was to be issued on 20 January 2013.  CPB, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has included the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency with this solicitation.

Now The Gov't Wants to Regulate ... Dinner Parties?  I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Bloombergians of the world decided to extend their regulatory impulses to ... dinner parties.  The local CBS affiliate in New York reports on the crackdown on "illegal" dinner parties.

Left With Nothing.  On the day Bennie Coleman lost his house, the day armed U.S. marshals came to his door and ordered him off the property, he slumped in a folding chair across the street and watched the vestiges of his 76 years hauled to the curb. [...] The duplex in Northeast Washington that Coleman bought with cash two decades earlier was emptied and shuttered.  By sundown, he had nowhere to go.  All because he didn't pay a $134 property tax bill.

A Journalist-Agitator Facing Prison Over a Link.  A Dallas-based journalist obsessed with the government's ties to private security firms, [Barrett] Brown has been in jail for a year, facing charges that carry a combined penalty of more than 100 years in prison. [...] By trying to criminalize linking, the federal authorities in the Northern District of Texas — Mr. Brown lives in Dallas — are suggesting that to share information online is the same as possessing it or even stealing it.

The Editor says...
If you have confidential information that you'd like to keep to yourself, don't put it on the internet.  If you put it on the internet, protect it with a password.  If your sensitive information is available just by clicking on a link, you are giving it away.  Aside from copyright infringement or or other intellectual property issues, you cannot accuse anyone of stealing your stuff if you leave it out in the open.

Warning: D.C. cops under orders to arrest tourists with empty bullet casings.  Washington police are operating under orders to arrest tourists and other non-residents traveling with spent bullet or shotgun casings, a crime that carries a $1,000 fine, a year in jail and a criminal record, according to a new book about the city's confusing gun laws.  "Empty shell casings are considered ammunition in Washington, D.C., so they are illegal to possess unless you are a resident and have a gun registration certificate," pens Emily Miller in her investigative book, "Emily Gets Her Gun: ... But Obama Wants to Take Yours."

The Editor says...
How is an empty shell casing considered ammunition?  It's useless as a weapon.  It's just a piece of brass!

Armed EPA raid in Alaska sheds light on 70 fed agencies with armed divisions.  The recent uproar over armed EPA agents descending on a tiny Alaska mining town is shedding light on the fact that 40 federal agencies — including nearly a dozen typically not associated with law enforcement — have armed divisions.  The agencies employ about 120,000 full-time officers authorized to carry guns and make arrests, according to a June 2012 Justice Department report.  Though most Americans know agents within the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Prisons carry guns, agencies such as the Library of Congress and Federal Reserve Board employing armed officers might come as a surprise.

E.P.A. is the New Gestapo.  Just recently, a task force including members of 10 state and federal law enforcement agencies descended on a gold mine in the tiny town of Chicken[,] Alaska[,] with a population of 17 last month, in what locals described as a raid.  "Imagine coming up to your diggings, only to see agents swarming over it like ants, wearing full body armor, with jackets that say "POLICE" emblazoned on them, and all packing side arms," gold miner C.R. Hammond told the Alaska Dispatch. [...] According to the EPA The investigation was into possible violations of the Clean Water Act.  The officers were part of the Alaska Environmental Crimes Task Force and visited the outpost near the Canadian border during the third week of August to investigate water discharges into rivers, streams, lakes and oceans.  This is how the EPA handles an investigation, with rifles, handguns and bullet proof vests?

Parnell orders investigation of mining raids.  Enforcement officers with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Land Management were armed and wore body armor, according to Parnell.  He said an investigator with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation joined the agents, who said they were looking for violations of the Clean Water Act.

The Editor says...
I suspect this investigation could have been carried out by two little old ladies with a smart phone and a laptop.  Instead they sent a SWAT team.

Where is the Rule of Law?  Maybe the new Rule of Law is now the plain clothes police everywhere, who no longer serve and protect since we don't know who they are to ask for help in an emergency, they just ticket us to death for speeding, or the drones hovering over quiet residential neighborhoods, or the EPA police surprising a few law-abiding miners in Alaska, or the fully geared and assault ready police in the metro, the TSA molesting and irradiating us at airports, or the IRS making sure that we pay all of our taxes, including the Affordable Care Act tax?

Christian bakery closes after LGBT threats, protests.  A family-owned Christian bakery, under investigation for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, has been forced to close its doors after a vicious boycott by militant homosexual activists.  Sweet Cakes By Melissa posted a message on its Facebook page alerting customers that their Gresham, Ore. retail store would be shut down after months of harassment from pro-gay marriage forces.

Every action requires a permit.
Police Stop Effort to Feed the Homeless.  In Raleigh, North Carolina the non-profit religious group, Love Wins Ministries, makes an effort to feed and help the homeless every Saturday and Sunday.  But this weekend was different.  The group was attempting to hand out coffee and sausage biscuits when the police officers arrived.

Airmen Punished for Objecting to Gay Marriage.  A 19-year veteran of the Air Force said he was relieved of his duties after he disagreed with his openly gay commander when she wanted to severely punish an instructor who had expressed religious objections to homosexuality.  "I was relieved of my position because I don't agree with my commander's position on gay marriage," Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk told Fox News.  "We've been told that if you publicly say that homosexuality is wrong, you are in violation of Air Force policy."

New Mexico Takes a Stab at Nullifying the Constitution.  Given that a person exercises his religion by living his life in harmony with his beliefs, any attempt by government to force people to commit sins is a clear and direct repudiation of the targeted individual's First Amendment rights.  Nonetheless, the New Mexico Supreme Court has found that a photographer who declined to photograph a gay "wedding" was at fault.

NM Supreme Court Finds Refusing to Photograph Gay Wedding Illegal.  The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that, by refusing to photograph a gay wedding, a photography studio violated the New Mexico Human Rights Act (NMHRA).  The court found that Elane Photography's refusal to serve Vanessa Willock violated the act, which "prohibits a public accommodation from refusing to offer its services to a person based on that person's sexual orientation," according to the ruling.

New Mexico photographer loses gay marriage case.  A commercial photography business owned by opponents of same-sex marriage violated New Mexico's anti-discrimination law by refusing to take pictures of a gay couple's commitment ceremony, the state's highest court ruled unanimously Thursday [8/22/2013].

Reserving the right to refuse service.  In yet another topic sure to enrage, Sterling Beard — writing at The Corner — catches up with the latest news on a strange case coming to us from New Mexico.  It's now gone all the way to the state Supreme Court, and the story may be at an end.  In case you hadn't heard, wedding photographers can't refuse to take pictures at a gay wedding or they have violated the New Mexico Human Rights Act.

The Editor says...
Notice if you will that the homosexuals have "human rights" but the rest of us don't.

Tolerance, Health and Fascism.  Last week, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that an event photographer's refusal on religious grounds to shoot the commitment ceremony of a same-sex couple amounted to illegal discrimination.  The photographer had never objected to photographing gays.  She did not, however, wish to be part of a ceremony to which she religiously objected.  In America today, thanks to myriad laws and progressive justices, people can go to prison for refusing to participate in an event to which they object.  This is what happened to a florist in Washington state who had always sold flowers to gay customers but refused to be the florist for a gay wedding:  sued and fined.

Judge: Clerks must issue marriage licenses to gay couples.  On Monday, Judge Alan Malott ruled it unconstitutional to ban same-sex couples from getting married in Bernalillo County.  Malott ruled that the Bernalillo and Santa Fe county clerks must grant marriage licenses to gay couples who apply for them.

TSA plans to procure nearly 3.5 million rounds of ammo.  The exact quantity of .357 SIG caliber training rounds sought in the RFP is 3,450,000, which means the TSA could fire off more than 9,400 rounds per day, every day of the year, to consume that entire quantity annually.  However, TSA insists that the manufacturer warrant that the "usable storage life" of the ammunition without degradation is a minimum of three years.

Why Did a Tennessee Grade School Ban Pork?  A Tennessee elementary school banned students from eating ham sandwiches, BLT's and anything else made with pork, but eventually lifted the ban after parents complained. [...] "No meats containing pork," read the memorandum.  "Starting Monday, August 12, 2013 your child must provide their own snack from the above approved snack list." Kids could nosh on raw vegetables without dips or sauces, fresh fruit, crackers, pretzels, and popcorn — but no ribs or pork rinds.

The Editor says...
The ban was quickly lifted, but don't ever forget that they tried to impose Islamic (halal) restrictions on food that the kids were bringing from their homes!  Even the Food Police have never been so brazen, but the Muslims are, and I suspect that's who is at the root of this ill-conceived order.

"They Kidnapped our Child": Why CPS Needs Transparency Now.  In April 2013, police officers and a social worker from Sacramento County's Child Protective Services entered the home of Anna and Alex Nikolayev and took their baby, Sammy, away from them.  They had no warrant.  "What they'd done was, basically, kidnapped our child with the help of police," says Alex Nikolayev.  The young, first-time parents were not notified of where Sammy was being taken and wouldn't find out for a full 24 hours.

Mark Levin's New Book Could Help Americans Regain Their Liberty.  Only those happily trampling on the last vestiges of freedom will deny that our federal government as a constitutional republic has ceased to function.  The president can no longer control (nor does this one want to control) the enormous and ever-expanding bureaucracy functioning as a government by fiat.  The legislative branch, so corrupted, so drunk by the allure of power, so disdainful of its constituents, is unable to stop its bankrupting ways.  The judiciary is perhaps worst.  The Supreme Court is openly rejecting the authority of the Constitution itself.

Capsizing the Republic — Cloward and Piven on the Southern Border.  Glenn Beck pointed out last week that we, as a nation, are being ruled by 535 people in the Congress — 535 politicians are forcing 350 million into accepting Amnesty and the majority don't want it.  Why are we letting this happen? [...] It's an invasion that is being invited in by treasonous individuals on both sides of the political aisle who stand to gain from the destruction of America, the plundering and redistribution of our resources, and the subjugation of the freest society the world has ever known.

Is Obama 'Insuring' Softball Questions?  [Scroll down]  With 80,000 pages of federal laws, rules, and regulations, there is an endless array of charges that can be brought against anyone.  Even frivolous charges, even with charges of prosecutorial misconduct being leveled for bringing a case in the first place, the defendants would be forced to spend enormous amounts of money to defend themselves, plus having to know that part of their taxes are being used to prosecute them in the first place.

Are we a modern-day Gomorrah?  In Florida, the building of a new nuclear-power plant has been canceled, but the residents of the county are still going to be forced to pay the bill for the $250 million facility that will never be built.  Most Americans are now too scared that voicing an opinion will earn them an IRS audit or a visit from Homeland Security, the Secret Service or some other goon squad.  We are buying our own Treasury bonds with money being printed on worthless paper to give the illusion that the economy is doing well, when that is a lie as well.  We have the city of Detroit in bankruptcy, with others to follow.

President Obama is turning up the heat on the melting pot.
HUD Proposes Plan to Racially, Economically Integrate Neighborhoods.  The Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed a new plan to change U.S. neighborhoods it says are racially imbalanced or are too tilted toward rich or poor, arguing the country's housing policies have not been effective at creating the kind of integrated communities the agency had hoped for.  The proposed federal rule, called "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing," is currently under a 60-day public comment period.

Does White House Want To Say Who Lives Where In America?  If any question remained about the Obama White House's appetite for running everyone's life from Washington, it should be settled now.  This administration even wants to dictate neighborhood makeup.

Time For Third Party.  [Scroll down]  What in the world gives the bureaucrats at HUD the unmitigated chutzpa to think that they have a right to determine who lives where?  Or perhaps even worse, that they are the arbiters of neighborhood "balance?"  In keeping with the true nature of progressivism, this is nothing less than the attempt to regulate society irrespective of talent, ambition and, above all else, liberty.  Once again, it illuminates the left's lust for control and their pathetic misunderstanding of human nature.

The Editor says...
That alone is not a justification for a third party.  The problem is that the second party isn't counteracting the first party.  Unfortunately, everyone with an inclination to get involved in politics is already active in one of those two parties.  If a third party were to organize overnight, where would all if its candidates come from?

Exclusive: FBI allowed informants to commit 5,600 crimes.  The FBI gave its informants permission to break the law at least 5,658 times in a single year, according to newly disclosed documents that show just how often the nation's top law enforcement agency enlists criminals to help it battle crime.

Government Police Raise Issues on Liberty.  Earlier this year, agents from the Department of Homeland Security, presenting themselves as national "police," were deployed across the country to "monitor" Tea Party activists who were peacefully protesting the Obama administration regarding the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS.  From California to Florida, armed DHS functionaries, according to protesters in attendance, were turned out to intimidate and spy on them.  These DHS agents arrived in large Homeland Security vehicles that were emblazoned with large letters reading "police" and were dressed in "police" uniforms.  Exactly who are these DHS "police?"  They are part of the Federal Protection Service (FPS), a division of the National Protection and Programs Directorate of the DHS.

We're living '1984' today.  It appears that the police now have a device that can read license plates and check if a car is unregistered, uninsured or stolen.  We already know that the National Security Agency can dip into your Facebook page and Google searches.  And it seems that almost every store we go into these days wants your home phone number and ZIP code as part of any transaction.  So when Edward Snowden — now cooling his heels in Russia — revealed the extent to which the NSA is spying on Americans, collecting data on phone calls we make, it's not as if we should have been surprised.

A "Nudge" To Tyranny.  In a bid to make Americans do "what's good for them," Obama administration social engineers have come up with a "Nudge" program to manipulate public choices.  This won't end well. [...] First, the government hasn't a clue as to what's good for the public.  To take one example, take a look at the food pyramid still promoted by the Agriculture Department — a high-carbohydrate recipe that claims to offer a healthy diet.  Studies show that carbs cause obesity, but the government still pushes its old message — which is a guaranteed way to gain weight.  Second, it's doubtful this plan will remain just about heathy diet choices.

Turning public schools into forts.  As surveillance cameras, metal detectors, police patrols, zero-tolerance policies, lockdowns, drug-sniffing dogs and strip searches become the norm in elementary, middle and high schools across the nation, America is on a fast track to raising up an Orwellian generation — one populated by compliant citizens accustomed to living in a police state and who march in lockstep to the dictates of the government.

San Antonio proposal could set the stage for barring Christians from city council.  The San Antonio City Council is proposing an updated non-discrimination policy that effectively bans any city council member from being elected if he or she has ever "demonstrated a bias."  "No person shall be appointed to a position if the city council finds that such person has, prior to such proposed appointment, engaged in discrimination or demonstrated a bias, by word or deed, against any person, group or organization on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, age, or disability," the ordinance reads.

Dallas suburb cannot bar housing to illegal immigrants, court rules.  A federal appeals court on Monday [7/22/2013] rejected a Dallas suburb's controversial law that would have prevented illegal immigrants from renting housing.

HUD's New 'Fair Housing' Rule Establishes Diversity Data for Every Neighborhood in U.S..  To ensure that "every American is able to choose to live in a community they feel proud of," HUD has published a new fair-housing regulation intended to give people access to better neighborhoods than the ones they currently live in.  The goal is to help communities understand "fair housing barriers" and "establish clear goals" for "improving integrated living patterns and overcoming historic patterns of segregation."

HUD Launches Scheme To Racially Diversify Suburbs.  Now even ZIP codes are racist, and according to this race-obsessed administration, you're racist for living in a suburban area with little public housing.  And it plans to change that.

Team Obama Steps Up Racial Standards for Neighborhoods.  The federal government is getting serious about pushing racial and ethnic diversity into America's neighborhoods — and is using big data and big money to achieve its aims.  A new interactive database will help regulators, local housing officials and individuals take action on a newly proposed regulation that would require agencies to "affirmatively further" the inclusion of minority residents in white neighborhoods.

Should 3rd Amendment prevent government spying?  If the government places a surveillance device in your home, is that sufficiently like quartering troops there to trigger Third Amendment scrutiny?  What if it installs spyware on your computer or your cable modem?  What if it requires "smart meters" that allow moment-to-moment monitoring of your thermostat settings or toilet flushes?

Defending American Principles Is Now a Revolutionary Act.  Progressives want to limit the freedom of the press to only those designated media outlets they know will back the status quo, calling their censorship "campaign finance reform."  The government, defending the McCain-Feingold Act, once even told the Supreme Court that it was perfectly constitutional to charge an American citizen with a crime for writing a book critical of a politician.  Think about that.  Our government actually argued that it was A-OK for the feds to stick you in jail for writing a book.  Fortunately, the conservatives on the High Court rejected that insanity.

In a police state, everything is either mandated, prohibited or tightly regulated.
Watch him pull a USDA-mandated rabbit disaster plan out of his hat.  Marty Hahne, 54, does magic shows for kids in southern Missouri.  For his big finale, he pulls a rabbit out of a hat.  Or out of a picnic basket.  Or out of a tiny library, if he's doing his routine about reading being magical.  To do that, Hahne has an official U.S. government license.  Not for the magic.  For the rabbit.  The Agriculture Department requires it, citing a decades-old law that was intended to regulate zoos and circuses.

Homes, Businesses to Pay 'Rain Fees' In Nine Maryland Counties.  Despite a Republican filibuster attempt in the Senate, the Maryland General Assembly has passed legislation that would implement a stormwater pollution fee to raise revenue to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.  Approved by the Senate and House of Delegates minutes before the end of the legislative session, HB 987 requires nine counties and Baltimore City to establish a watershed protection and restoration program.  Senate Republican Leader E. J. Pipkin proposed 12 amendments, none of which were adopted.  Pipkin said the bill was essentially an attempt to tax rain water.

Court Mandates EPA Crack Down on New Emissions.  Should the federal government regulate emissions produced by dead trees?  A federal appeals court said yes, striking down the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to delay regulation of biogenic carbon dioxide emissions from non-fossil fuel sources on Friday [7/12/2013].  The court affirmed the need for such emissions to be regulated under the Clean Air Act, negating the exemption made by the EPA for "biogenic carbon dioxide."

The Editor says...
When citizens are taxed for activities over which they have no control, that is tyranny.

U.S. Repeals Propaganda Ban, Spreads Government-Made News to Americans.  For decades, a so-called anti-propaganda law prevented the U.S. government's mammoth broadcasting arm from delivering programming to American audiences.  But on July 2, that came silently to an end with the implementation of a new reform passed in January.  The result:  an unleashing of thousands of hours per week of government-funded radio and TV programs for domestic U.S. consumption in a reform initially criticized as a green light for U.S. domestic propaganda efforts.

Leaking Distrust.  We understand that the FISC has to operate in secret.  But we know, from various sources, that the court almost never denies the government's applications for orders or even limits them.  Perhaps this is the result of the fact that the court operates unique among American courts in non-adversarial proceedings.  Only the government's side of the case is heard.  There is no "defense" side in any case.

Army apologizes for buzzing helicopters above city in Washington state.  An Army official apologized Friday for conducting an unannounced training mission around the small city of Port Angeles, Wash., using special operations helicopters that the mayor said "terrorized" his city.  Dozens of alarmed residents called police to ask what was going on and said the noise and light from the mystery helicopters buzzing around the city panicked horses and other livestock, The Peninsula Daily News reported.  The Army said the helicopters involved included both twin-engine Chinooks and Blackhawk attack helicopters.

The Editor says...
The Army has plenty of other places to conduct operations like this; for example, Fort Hood.  There is no reason to carry out a drill of this sort in a city, unless (1) they're softening up the populace for some future operation, or (2) they're just trying to see what they can get away with.

Is FISA Out of Line?  The American surveillance apparatus has come under more scrutiny than ever before in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations.  On Saturday [7/6/2013], the New York Times expanded on this theme with a new piece arguing that the FISA courts, which review the constitutionality of the government's data collection programs, have effectively become a "parallel Supreme Court" with little oversight from the public or the rest of the legal system.

EPA Wants Gov't To Control How Cold Your Beer Can Be.  In a seemingly innocuous revision of its Energy Star efficiency requirements announced June 27, the Environmental Protection Agency included an "optional" requirement for a "smart-grid" connection for customers to electronically connect their refrigerators or freezers with a utility provider.  The feature lets the utility provider regulate the appliances' power consumption, "including curtailing operations during more expensive peak-demand times."  So far, manufacturers are not required to include the feature, only "encouraged," and consumers must still give permission to turn it on.

More about the so-called smart grid.

Who is a Journalist?  Sen. Dick Durbin thinks it's time for Congress to decide who's a real reporter.  In The Chicago Sun-Times last week, he wrote:  "Everyone, regardless of the mode of expression, has a constitutionally protected right to free speech.  But when it comes to freedom of the press, I believe we must define a journalist and the constitutional and statutory protections those journalists should receive."  How do you decide who is a journalist?

Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin Wants Government to Decide Who Qualifies as a Real Journalist.  What qualifies as "legitimate journalism" or a "news website" in Durbin's mind?  Anyone can tweet something that constitutes news and the broadcast of which can be deemed journalism.  Tweets of ordinary citizens molested by the TSA have become news stories.  As we've seen repeatedly over the past several decades, so-called journalists can bury stories harmful to powerful politicians or pet causes.

Memo To Dick Durbin: All Americans Are Journalists.  Congress, when controlled by Democrats, already has the mainstream media under its thumb.  So it's not ABC, NBC, CBS, the New York Times and the Washington Post that Durbin is worried about.  It's the bloggers, tweeters and Facebook users that he wants to control. [...] With the mainstream press in their pockets, what Durbin and others truly fear are citizen journalists and the free and open dissemination of ideas that threaten the political class' agenda.

A tip of the hat to Armed and Safe.
Carolyn McCarthy, barrel shrouds and 'assault slings'.  McCarthy, though, apparently thought a ten year prison sentence for a strap would be appropriate — that it would be both desirable and Constitutionally permissible to mandate that rifles be more difficult to carry and to shoot accurately, on pain of a decade in prison.  The intent here is not to claim that gun slings are in danger of being banned, but to illustrate the mindset of fanatics like McCarthy, who has nevertheless managed to be elected to Congress nine times.  McCarthy and her noxious ilk don't care about the specifics of how they attack gun rights — in their twisted minds, any infringement on that which shall not be infringed is a step in the right direction.

Obama's Fundamental Transformation of a Nation He Despises.  [Scroll down]  From the flow per second of your morning shower to the temperature at which you set your thermometer at night, from the car you drive to what you eat, from where and how your children are educated to how you fund your retirement, Obama wants government to control every moment of your existence.  Long ago, in a glorious revolution, Americans rejected this sort of tyranny when it was imposed on them by the British Crown.

Free Justin Carter Now.  In the state of Texas, a 19-year-old man named Justin Carter sits in prison, ruthlessly stripped of his freedom for making an offensive joke. [...] For this he was arrested by Austin police, charged with making a "terroristic threat," and thrown into prison. He may languish there until the start of the next decade. [...] He's been incarcerated since March without trial.

Immoral decision stifles legitimate disagreement.  So now the wrong has been declared right, not by a consensus of Americans, but rather by government fiat, the way they do it in nations where people live under the thumbs of tyrants, having no voice in their own affairs.  We once pitied them.  Now we're beginning to resemble them.  What happened yesterday was an abomination, not only in the way the Supreme Court trashed the institution of marriage, but also in the way its liberal branch slapped a muzzle onto the populace, in effect ruling the will of the people is of no consequence in an issue that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we believe.

Reining in religious freedom.  Think now about the world of big government.  Dallas has an ordinance requiring people who feed the homeless to register and be certified.  Dallas would like to keep Big Heart Ministries from feeding people on the streets.  The city of Alhambra, Calif., has accused the First Baptist Church of violating its zoning and fire codes by hosting homeless families. [...] The state of Montana recently ordered the Hutterite Big Sky Colony to purchase workers' compensation insurance over their religious objection.  The Hutterites take a vow of poverty, hold their possessions in common and self-insure.

Worse Than It Sounds, and It Cannot Be Cabined.  These decisions, handed down by the Court today, [...] lay down the predicates for litigation that will clearly unfold now, and with short steps sure to come, virtually all of the barriers to same-sex marriage in this country can be swept away.  Even constitutional amendments, passed by so many of the states, can be overridden now.

Homeland Security: Stop Complaining or Face Arrest.  [Scroll down]  That's when the trouble began.  A Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation deputy director warned the group that "unfounded complaints about water quality could be considered an 'act of terrorism.'  We take water quality very seriously.  Very, very seriously."  Attendees stared dumbfounded as the speaker continued, "You need to make sure that when you make water quality complaints you have a basis, because federally, if there's no water quality issues, that can be considered under Homeland Security an act of terrorism."  After a brief moment of stunned silence, one audience member asked if the speaker could "say that again, please."

The microwave tax.  The Energy Department is once more deciding what kind of appliances are good for you.  Like the "standards" the federal government imposed on light bulbs, toilets, washing machines and other essentials, the rules are all about taking choices from consumers and requiring them to buy machines that don't work or don't work as well as they once did.  On Monday, the Obama administration published new rules that will make microwave ovens less efficient and more expensive.  It's in the service of the global-warming scam.

No right to silence.  Monday's decision scales back the Miranda decision.  Not only can your words be used against you, but the Supreme Court says your silence can be, as well.  Genovevo Salinas found this out after he was questioned by Houston police regarding the 1992 murder of two brothers.

Big Brother is Listening: Granting DHS Domestic Spying Capabilities Will Open Citizens to Arrest.  [F]ar from apologizing for the betrayals of the public's trust, the Obama Administration has thrown another log onto the fire of public outrage.  According to a Reuters report, the Obama Administration is considering granting the Department of Homeland Security the same kind of powers the NSA has used to monitor the phone usage of millions of Americans who have done nothing more to arouse suspicion than use a cell phone.

Guns, public education, and stupidity.  [Scroll down]  But wait, there's more.  In Calvert County Maryland, the son of Bruce Henkelman, of Huntingtown (an appropriate name) was suspended for talking about guns on a school bus.  "He said, I wish I had a gun to protect everyone.  He wanted to defeat the bad guys.  That's the context of what he said," Henkelman said.  "He wanted to be the hero."  The bus driver took the 11-year-old back to school, where the principal and a sheriff's deputy questioned him.  It gets worse.  The deputy wanted to search the Henkelman residence for firearms without a warrant.

Goodbye 5th Amendment? Supremes rule silence can be used in court.  In a 5-4 decision regarding Salinas v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a potential defendant's silence can be used against them during police interviews prior to arrest and reading of Miranda rights.  In 1992, Genovevo Salinas voluntarily entered a Houston police station to discuss the murder of two brothers, Juan and Hector Garza.  He complied with officer's questions, but when asked whether shotgun casings would match his firearm, he fell silent.  Texas prosecutors convinced jurors that his silence was an admission of guilt.

Big Sister: Homeland Security hopes to get same cyber-spying powers as NSA.  Domestic spying capabilities used by the National Security Agency to collect massive amounts of data on American citizens could soon be available to the Department of Homeland Security — a bureaucracy with the power to arrest citizens that is not subject to limitations imposed on the NSA.  Unlike the DHS, the NSA is an intelligence agency, not a domestic law enforcement agency.  It cannot arrest those suspected of wrongdoing.  That power of the federal government lies with agencies under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department, the Treasury, Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies.

The False Excuse of National Security.  Does the Obama Administration actually want to fight terrorism all that much?  Or are they primarily interested in gathering vast amounts of information about American citizens?  Do their actions tell us where their attention is focused?  The proof, they say, is in the notorious pudding.  The government is being highly successful in invading the privacy of Americans and increasing control and surveillance.  The government is not doing so well fighting terrorism.  The actual behavior of the government points to development of a 'Big Brother" surveillance state and exposes national security as a phony excuse.

Our Enemy, the Bureaucrat.  The emerging grassroots movement for smaller government presents an existential peril to bureaucrats — of which they are sharply aware.  Public sector unions have been Democrat bastions for years, of course.  What the Obama presidency has done is embolden federal worker bees to coordinate directly or indirectly with a president who wants hypergovernment.  Barack Obama is a pro-growth president — for Uncle Sam's bureaucrats.  Through the IRS scandal and the NSA phone records sweeps, federal bureaucrats are revealing themselves as enemies of the people [...]

Spying on Americans: the Legal Status of Emails.  This topic has several main issues.  At the top of the list is President Obama's outrageous statement that Americans may need to give up some freedom for security from terrorism.  The president has no right to decide what degree of freedom Americans can have.  The freedom Americans have is defined not by any one elected official but by the Constitution.  The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution has very precise language that directly applies to the NSA's seizure of personal information.

When government can't be trusted.  What has led to this distrust?  The Benghazi cover-up, the IRS fiasco, the Justice Department's monitoring of reporters, the commandeering of phone records of private citizens in the name of national security, "data mining," the so-called "kill list," drones with the power to spy and kill, the proliferation of surveillance cameras, DNA swabs after arrests, ObamaCare, unrestrained spending and unending debt.  This is the federal government encroaching on our civil liberties.  The federal government long ago exceeded its constitutional boundaries.

Mark Levin: The Constitution's Churchill.  Suddenly, awash in headlines about the abuses of the IRS, the Justice Department seizing the phone records of the Associated Press, monitoring the calls and emails of Fox correspondent James Rosen and now the "metadata" gathering activities of the National Security Agency — Levin's constant warnings of the dangers in ignoring the Constitution are gaining considerable traction with Americans well beyond his already huge radio audience.

How much more will Americans take?  The "fundamental transformation" of America proceeds apace.  The erosion of our freedoms and traditions, once incremental and barely perceptible, accelerates daily.  Armies of bureaucrats commanded by political ideologues remarkable mainly for their galactic incompetence intrude on ever more aspects of our lives — aspects both large and small.  They tell us what light bulbs we're allowed to use and how much water we may flush.  They stick swabs in our mouths to collect our DNA and order us to buy health insurance we don't want.  They can seize our land if they think they know how to use it better, or stop us from using our land because a favored amphibian might live there too.

A Little Wisdom from Benjamin Franklin.  [Scroll down]  Just like those unpleasant chaps in Orwell's 1984, the fact that we are now and apparently ever shall be on a war footing means that we are living in a state of perpetual emergency, which in turn means that he, the man in charge, can do pretty much whatever he wants to whomever he wants, and so can his minions. [...] Few people, I think, would deny that extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures. [...] But what we have here is the fabrication of perpetual emergency in order to justify the unlimited and permanent expansion of of government power.  The other word for that process is tyranny.  It doesn't happen all at once.  But it's happening pretty fast.

"Justice is supposed to be blind, not stupid."
US snooping is slippery slope to abuse of civil liberties.  A Top Israeli security official zeroed in on the American system of airline security:  "You worry about what people are carrying.  In Israel we worry about who the people are." [...] The sweeping collection of data on private behavior is every bit as indiscriminate and flawed as the airport-screening system.  In both, everybody is guilty until proven innocent.  Because one terrorist hid a bomb in his shoe, we all must remove our shoes before flying.  Because one terrorist hid a bomb in his underwear, we all are subject to X-ray- like screenings.

Two times the government used its anti-terrorism powers to target Americans not engaged in terrorism.  The revelations detailing the extent of the National Security Agency's espionage capabilities raises the specter that their powers could be misused to target Americans who have nothing to do with terrorism.  In fact, allegations of such misconduct already exist.  Here are two examples where anti-terrorism powers granted to law enforcement were allegedly used to target American citizens not engaged in terrorism.

Mark Levin On NSA Tracking: "We Have The Elements Of A Police State Here".  On Thursday's broadcast of Fox News Channel's "Your World with Neil Cavuto," conservative talk show host Mark Levin reacted to recent revelations that the National Security Agency had been collecting the phone records of millions of Verizon customers.  He said that the NSA news in addition to other openings for intrusion by the federal government are the makings of a "police state."

Good news: Government's recording your conversations on the bus too.  A timely video from Reason TV on the surveillance state's newest venture: Cameras and microphones on city buses, just in case Al Qaeda decides to plan its next attack on municipal transportation within earshot of other passengers.  Not every city does this, but the practice is spreading — early adapters include San Francisco, Baltimore, and Hartford with funding from, you guessed it, DHS.

We should be shocked at the American tapping scandal, and shocked that Obama doesn't seem to care.  You know all those bearded survivalist types holed up in places like Idaho with their paranoid anti-government conspiracy theories?  Suddenly they're looking rather less paranoid.  The rest of us, by contrast, are rushing to adjust our world view.  The revelation that the U.S. Government systematically taps online communications challenges the way we think about freedom, the way we think about privacy, the way we think about the Internet and, not least, the way we think about America.

What is the difference between a hunch and a profile?
Dept. of Homeland Security: Laptops, Phones Can Be Searched Based on Hunches.  U.S. border agents should continue to be allowed to search a traveler's laptop, cellphone or other electronic device and keep copies of any data on them based on no more than a hunch, according to an internal Homeland Security Department study.

Fascism In America.  Ours has become a system of virtually limitless central governmental power.  Whatever one thinks of the IRS and Justice Department scandals — targeting conservatives and evangelical Christian and orthodox Jewish organizations, spying on AP reporters, and labeling a Fox News journalist a felon — their common theme is that the federal government can do anything it wishes.

From Verizon's 'Can you hear me now' to NSA's "Yes, every eavesdropped word".  When "Big Brother is Watching You" was the cold war mantra of the day, there were no cellphones, no iPads, no satellite communications of any kind in the hands of the unwashed masses.  Today Big Brother is not watching you, he's stalking and harassing you — right in the place you call home.  There's nowhere to hide; nowhere to run to and no one to turn to in a world where a government that has learned how to slip being held accountable has all the tools on its side.

Law enforcement applaud ruling on DNA swabbing.  The Supreme Court has ruled that is now legal for law enforcement to take the DNA of people arrested, even though they have not yet been convicted of a crime.  The decision was a big victory to police and victim rights groups in the fight over how and when your DNA can be used, with the justices being nearly split down the middle.

Court: Police can take DNA swabs from arrestees.  A sharply divided Supreme Court on Monday [6/3/2013] cleared the way for police to take a DNA swab from anyone they arrest for a serious crime, endorsing a practice now followed by more than half the states as well as the federal government.

Court's DNA Ruling Brings U.S. a Step Closer to 'Gattaca'.  The day that DNA cheek swabs officially became the new fingerprints deserves to be marked and remembered — and not just because of the inevitable march of technology.  No, the Supreme Court's 5-4 holding today [6/3/2013] in Maryland v. King, that anyone arrested for a "serious crime" can have his or her DNA taken without any suspicion, is a landmark because it represents a major step toward a "Gattaca" world.  This means that evidence of a crime can be collected without any particular suspicion, avoiding the pesky requirement of a warrant that the Founding Fathers thought would give us liberty and privacy.

"The Justice Department is trying to curtail free speech by promising increased scrutiny of any Internet posts which mention Islam."
People Power Against the Department of Justice.  The Department of Justice (DOJ) and its allies, the Council on American Islamic Relations and the Southern Poverty Law Center, are on the defensive after thousands of people turned out in Tennessee on Tuesday night [6/4/2013] to protest a scheme to censor criticism of Islam.  The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a key component of a network of Muslim Brotherhood organizations in the U.S., called the turnout a "mob" and praised the Obama/Holder Justice Department for standing up to local residents.

Free Speech and Islamic Sensibilities.  Apparently a United States attorney in Tennessee is seeking to use civil rights statutes to criminalize criticism of Islam or inflammatory statements that offend Muslims.  According to the Tullahoma News, Bill Killian, the U.S. attorney for Eastern Tennessee, believes "Internet postings that violate civil rights are subject to federal jurisdiction."  Though the newspaper makes clear that Killian's intent is to promote better community relations and to prevent discrimination against Muslims that is based on the false notion that all are terrorists, his willingness to dump the First Amendment rights of some in order to protect the sensibility of others ought to scare all Americans.

Another Obama Assault on Free Speech.  The Obama Administration's latest assault on the freedom of speech is so audacious that it leaves me speechless — and that's the idea.  According to Politico, Bill Killian, the Obama-appointed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, "is reportedly vowing to use federal civil rights statutes to clamp down on offensive and inflammatory speech about Islam."  Said Killian:  "We need to educate people about Muslims and their civil rights, and as long as we're here, they're going to be protected."

US Attorney Bill Killian: Posting Something Mean About Muslims on Social Media Might Be a Criminal Action Under Federal Civil Rights Laws.  The First Amendment served us well for a time, but now it's outdated.  Remember reading that England had arrested a guy for anti-Muslim Twitter postings in the aftermath of the Woolrich slaughter?  And remember thinking, "Well, this is America, that can't happen here"?  Oh yes it can.  Obama's Attorney for the Eastern district of Tennessee wants you to know that if you say something untoward about Muslims, the Federal government may imprison you.

DOJ: Watch what you say about Muslims on social media.  How many civil-rights prosecutions are currently in progress against Muslims who say inflammatory things on social media? [...] This is also the same government that flagrantly abused the power of the Internal Revenue Service, and other agencies, to oppress political dissidents.  There are a lot of Tea Party groups who wish the only thing they had to fear from Democrat politicians is offensive Facebook chatter.  No one in this government seems terribly concerned about protecting their hurt feelings, or encouraging the rest of the American public to treat them with dignity and respect.

DoJ places a chill on criticism of Islam.  By "spreading information considered inflammatory against Muslims" — even if it's true — you could violate the civil rights act and be subject to prosecution.  We all know that this new ruling will target those considered to be "blasphemers" against Islam.  Muslims here and around the world have been after western governments to enforce their idea of blasphemy and to punish those who speak out against Islam.

More about President Obama's undeniable favoritism toward the Muslims.

Washington state and the ACLU sue florist for refusing to sell flowers for gay wedding because of Christian beliefs.  The American Civil Liberties Union joined the state of Washington by filing its own lawsuit on Thursday [5/30/2013] against Arlene's Flowers and its proprietor, Barronelle Stutzman, over the woman's refusal to sell flowers for a same-sex wedding.

DOJ Tells Employees to Verbally Affirm Homosexuality.  The Department of Justice has been accused of religious intolerance and viewpoint discrimination after workers were sent an email directing them to verbally affirm homosexuality, according to a law firm specializing in religious liberty and now representing a DOJ whistleblower.  Liberty Counsel said DOJ employees were emailed a brochure called "LGBT Inclusion at Work: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers."  The brochure was created as a resource from DOJ Pride, an association of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of the DOJ.

Durbin wonders: Does [the] First Amendment apply to bloggers, Twitter?  Thanks to the Obama administration's attacks on the Associated Press and its representation in federal court that Fox News' James Rosen is a spy for asking questions, one has to wonder whether the First Amendment applies to anyone in the Age of Hope and Change.

The VanderSlooting of America.  [Scroll down]  But what the massive abuse of the IRS illustrates is a tyranny of a different sort.  A bloodless yet still quite decided tyranny.  A tyranny of the American Left designed not just to chill free speech — although that is a primary goal.  What has evidenced itself in the Obama era is a tyranny designed not just to silence dissent, but to deliberately, willfully damage if not ruin outright the reputations and businesses of Americans across the land.

More about the use of the IRS as a weapon.

America's cry for help lost in the White Noise.  Tyranny, the same kind that kept the people of the former Soviet Union and environs in the stranglehold of communism for 70 years, is making its way — unhampered — through the USA.  The Obama administration started off by identifying Tea Partiers, returning war vets and Christians as terrorists — and got away with it.  Now news reporters like James Rosen, a Fox News correspondent has been openly branded a "possible criminal co-conspirator" for his alleged role in publishing sensitive security information.  The only difference between soft tyranny and hard tyrannies is that in the latter, those deemed enemies of the state are jailed and killed.  But a cursory read through history teaches that hard tyrannies usually got their start as soft ones.

Congressman: IRS asked pro-life group about 'the content of their prayers'.  During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing today, Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., grilled outgoing IRS commissioner Steven Miller about the IRS targeting a pro-life group in Iowa.  "Their question, specifically asked from the IRS to the Coalition for Life of Iowa:  'Please detail the content of the members of your organization's prayers,'" Schock declared.  "Would that be an inappropriate question to a 501 c3 applicant?" asked Schock.  "The content of one's prayers?"

Abolish the IRS (and the Income Tax With It).  The Internal Revenue Service has been caught engaging in political profiling while processing applications for tax-exempt status.  In this case it was against organizations with "tea-party" or "patriot" in their names and other right-wing groups.  Next time it could be libertarian or left-wing antiwar and pro-civil-liberties groups.  No dissenter can ever rest assured he is safe from the arbitrary power of the IRS.

Washington bureaucrats use force to suffocate liberty.  Remember Armand Armendariz, the Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator who resigned after regaling an audience of Big Green activists with a history lesson to illustrate his agency's approach to critics of the EPA's harshest policies?  When the Romans conquered a new province, he said, they would "... find the first five guys they saw and they'd crucify them ..." to make the province "really easy to manage for the next few years."  The EPA, he continued, also makes "examples of people who are not complying with the law, you make examples out of them, use it as a deterrent method ... Find people who are not complying with the law and you hit them as hard as you can and make examples of them."

Keene sues six parking meter 'Robin Hoods' who put money in expired meters.  The city has filed a lawsuit against six citizens, part of a group dubbed Robin Hood of Keene that patrols downtown armed with video cameras and pockets full of change to fill expired parking meters.  Also known as Robin Hooders, the six are associated with the Free Keene group.

The Editor says...
Note that the city is filing a civil suit, not a criminal complaint, because the "Robin Hood" people didn't do anything illegal.  The issue has nothing to do with orderly parking.  It's all about money and control.

Small Business Struggles to Survive, All Because of Gun-Shaped Lighter.  The owner of a small business in New York City is facing a $60,000 fine, thousands in legal fees, and the potential loss of his business — all because he carried a dozen three-inch, gun-shaped lighters which caught the eye of a city inspector.  "When you hear something like this, you're going to have a couple of nightmares," Fred Shayes tells me, leaning across the counter of his midtown Manhattan shop, US Camera & Computer Inc.  Nervous, he won't let me photograph him or tape-record the interview.

New York City Shop Fined $60,000 For Selling Gun-Shaped Lighters.  Not sure what Mayor Bloomberg finds upsetting about a gun-shaped lighter.  Does it have a bayonet attachment making it an "assault" lighter?  Does it ignite 10 times instead of 7?

Biometric Database of All Adult Americans Hidden in Immigration Reform.  The immigration reform measure the Senate began debating yesterday would create a national biometric database of virtually every adult in the U.S., in what privacy groups fear could be the first step to a ubiquitous national identification system.  Buried in the more than 800 pages of the bipartisan legislation is language mandating the creation of the innocuously-named "photo tool," a massive federal database administered by the Department of Homeland Security and containing names, ages, Social Security numbers and photographs of everyone in the country with a driver's license or other state-issued photo ID.

Bill Gives DHS Sec. 'Virtually Unlimited Discretion to Waive Any Manner of Crimes,' ICE Council Warns Congress.  [Scroll down]  The letter concludes that ICE officers would continue to be "powerless" to protect the public and do their jobs if the bill becomes law:  "If this legislation were enacted tomorrow, ICE officers would continue to be powerless to effectively enforce our nation's laws and provide for public safety as S. 744 does nothing to end these dangerous agency- and department-level directives."

DOJ Won't Require Warrants for Email, Chat Seizures.  In blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure, the Department of Justice has apparently declared that they do not require warrants for grabbing Americans' emails and Facebook chats.  The ACLU has gotten hold of the documents from the FBI and DOJ that show that a subpoena, which comes from a prosecutor, is all that is necessary to seize emails and chats.

A Federal Takeover of Elections?  On March 28, President Obama issued Executive Order 13639, establishing a Presidential Commission on Election Administration "in order to promote the efficient administration of Federal elections and to improve the experience of all voters."  The ostensible premise behind this effort is the idea that some voters were forced to wait too long in line to cast their ballots.  Yet a growing number of critics see something entirely different:  they see this as an attempt to initiate a federal takeover of elections.

Leave your vuvuzula in the car.
Liquids banned from Obama's Ohio State speech despite past heat-related medical emergencies.  President Barack Obama's speech at the Ohio State University graduation ceremony Sunday will be on tight security lockdown, with graduating students subject to "airport-like security screening" and a strict list of prohibited items for graduates and their relatives attending the event at Ohio Stadium (capacity: 102,329).  Attendees are prohibited from bringing liquids into the stadium, despite high temperatures.

Floridians Encouraged to Report Neighbors Who "Hate Government".  That we actually have a County Sheriff, here in the great Sunshine State of Florida, a man sworn to protect and defend ALL of the Constitution, against every enemy, foreign and domestic, plus each and every word, that would want to even initiate a program like this shows that distrust for the Government is growing and that dissention has been noticed and it will not and cannot be allowed by the Progressive enemies of the Constitution.  This hot line for reporting on Patriots, Conservatives, Christians, Gun Owners, Tea Party members and yes, even probably members of this Foundation, will go into place unless Governor Scott says no and puts a veto in place.

Achtung, Baby: Are People Being Encouraged to Rat On 'Anti-Government' Neighbors?  [Scroll down]  The teams will respond to citizen phone calls to a 24-hour hotline with a knock on the door and a referral to services, if needed reports the Palm Beach Post.  Bradshaw makes it clear that the kind of behavior which could prompt a visit from the authorities includes anti-government political statements that may be deemed a prelude to violent action.  The program will also include "public service announcements to encourage local citizens to report their neighbors", reports the newspaper.

Ron Paul: Police manhunt for Boston Marathon bombing suspect scarier than attack.  Former Rep. Ron Paul said the law enforcement that swarmed around Boston in the days following the marathon bombings was scarier than the actual terrorist attack. [...] Mr. Paul, a former libertarian political candidate who served in Congress as a member of the Republican Party, said the door-to-door searches police conducted in Watertown for the bombing suspects were particularly alarming.  They reminded [him] of a "military coup in a far off banana republic," he said, Politico reported.  "Force lockdown of a city.  Militarized police riding tanks in the streets.  Door-to-door armed searches without warrant.  Families thrown out of their homes at gunpoint to be searched without probable cause.  Businesses forced to close.  Transport shut down."

An Unbearable Aroma of Self-Righteousness in SWAT Nation.  [Scroll down]  The so-called "voluntary lock-down" in Watertown — a more appropriate phrase might be "martial law" — offered a chilling spectacle for anyone who cherishes his personal freedom.  Remember the Fourth Amendment?  That guaranteed that "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated."  Yet in Watertown, platoons of heavily armed police in combat gear went from house to house, guns drawn, banging down doors, screaming at people to come out of their own houses with their hands on their head.  There were "a lot of big guns pointed at us," said one Watertown resident.  Several news outlets used the word "surreal" to describe this concentrated display of the coercive power of the state.  What worries me is not that it is "surreal" but that it is, increasingly, all too real.

Inconvenient Truths of the Boston Bombings.  It is understandable that a lot of people were relieved when the government was quickly able to identify and locate the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombings.  And it is also understandable why some people might want to treat the surviving attacker as an "enemy combatant," given his ostensible beliefs in — and potential ties to — militant Islam.  But that doesn't make any of it right or just — or permissible under our Constitution.

Is this an excuse to get a sample of everyone's DNA?
Federal panel says everyone 15 to 65 should have HIV test.  Citing recent evidence that HIV infections are best managed when treated early, an influential panel of medical experts has finalized its recommendation that all people ages 15 to 65 be screened for the virus that causes AIDS.  The recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force seeks to address one of the key challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS:  The window during which patients respond best to treatment is also the time when symptoms of the disease are least noticeable.

Surveillance's dark downside.  Cameras follow us like gum stuck to a shoe.  But while official Washington is fixated on law enforcement efficiency in the wake of Boston, you might wonder about the precautions taken by those protecting us.  That's especially true given the rise of facial recognition, zoom technology, biometrics and the overall ability to track us from one camera to another, right across town.

The Pressure is Building!  [Scroll down]  Two of the more dangerous issues, aside from gun CONTROL, amnesty, EPA dictates, Fast & Furious, the Benghazi Massacre, NDAA, drones being used against U. S. citizens within our borders, Dodd-Frank, the Sequester, etc., are U. N. Agenda 21 and Common Core.  The low information voter is blissfully ignorant of these assaults, thanks to the media.  The media will not discuss these issues because if people/parents knew about these assaults, they would get involved.  If people were to become involved, the layers on the onions of lies, fraud and malfeasance may be unwound.

Why Does DHS Need More Bullets Per Officer Than [the] Army?  Homeland Security's procurement officer is grilled in Congress on why federal agents who rarely fire weapons need several times more bullets annually than an Army officer.  Who or what are they shooting at?

Mayor Bloomberg's Personal Reading Of Constitution.  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that in light of the Boston Marathon bombing, our interpretation of the Constitution will "have to change."  Americans should be appalled at such a statement.

Big Sis: Obama Admin Can Pick Which Laws to Enforce.  During her testimony on the "Gang of Eight" immigration bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday [4/23/2013], Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared that she, President Barack Obama and other political officials at the top of this administration have the authority to decide which laws to enforce, and which ones to ignore.

Napolitano: Obama Regime can decide which laws to enforce.  In a startling and candid admission, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano argued to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday [4/23/2013] that regardless of oaths to uphold the law, the President and the executive branch can choose what laws are to be enforced.  Tensions rose as the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Napolitano over the enforcement, or lack thereof, of current U.S. immigration policies.

Big Government Mind-Readers.  Like Big Brother, Big Government cannot read minds.  But he can read your emails (at least, the IRS can, and apparently without a warrant) and your social media.  He can obtain your Google history and data.  He knows which candidates you voted for and how much you contributed to political campaigns.  Big Government can calculate how much you're worth, what you earn, spend, and owe, whether you pay bills on time, and how much you dropped in the offering plate at church.  He knows what kind of car you drive, where you drive it, and how quickly it guzzles gas.  If you use public transportation, he can see what you packed for the trip and then pat you down.

Trick Language In Senate Gun Bill Turns All Gun Owners Into Felons.  While President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg talk about "gun sales," the actual legislation moving through Congress aims to regulate far more than sales.  It would turn almost every gun owner into a felon.  The trick is that the language under consideration applies not only to sales but also to "transfers," which are defined to include innocent activities such as letting your spouse borrow your gun for a few hours.

Why Are the Feds Trying to Identify All Gun Owners in Missouri?  They keep telling you they have noting but good intentions, that to worry about the feds coming for your guns makes you part of "the black helicopter crowd."  But then things like this happen:  In Missouri, federal investigators have demanded and obtained from the state government — apparently twice — the entire list of Missouri concealed weapon permit holders.

The IRS is reading your email, and doesn't care a court said they can't.  If you aren't encrypting your email, the IRS is probably reading it right now.

It Wouldn't Take Long for Martial Law to be Imposed.  This is how Obama will impose martial law, if he chooses. [...] It will be done by presidential order, as has been the pattern of most of his illegality.

The Militarized DHS: 5 Shocking Purchases.  The Department of Homeland Security has alarmed people, including members of Congress like Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) and Doug LaMalfa (R-Kan.), with the truly massive amounts of militaristic gear that it's buying.  Why does the DHS need enough gear to equip an army on the move?  Is there an ominous reason behind it or is DHS merely stockpiling gear for training purposes?  While we're waiting for Republicans in D.C. to fully investigate the matter, it's worth taking a look at the sort of purchases that have caused so much concern.

Fight for the right to grow raisins.  Since the 1930s, the Agriculture Department has turned California raisin growers into pawns of its Raisin Administrative Committee, which can commandeer up to half of the farmer's crop and then pay them little or nothing for the product.  Marvin Horne, a 67-year-old raisin farmer in Fresno, Calif., was fined almost $700,000 for refusing to surrender control of much of his harvest to the government committee in 2002.  Horne, who has been growing raisins for more than 40 years, has battled the raisin committee for more than a decade and describes its regime as "involuntary servitude."

"You don't know what freedom is, because you've never lost it."
Gun-rights testimony from a communism survivor.  I am always amazed — amazed — when anyone has the gall to dismiss, even laugh off, the suggestion that the right to keep and bear arms is a smart and necessary provision for a free society.  Human history (not to mention current events!) is too chock-full of examples of nefarious regimes violently abusing and controlling their people, and the freedoms enjoyed by American citizens are the exception, not the rule.

U.S. Army lists Evangelical Christianity, Catholicism, and "Islamophobia" as forms of "Religious Extremism".  This is the politically manipulative and ridiculous nonsense that has replaced truthful information about Islam and jihad.  And the implications of it are quite ominous.  Evangelical Christianity, Catholicism and "Islamophobia" are forms of "Religion Extremism" on par with al-Qaeda and Hamas?  Then how long will it be before the Obama Administration goes to war against them, as it has repeatedly declared that it is at war with al-Qaeda?

The Editor says...
That's the handiest part of the "war on terror" — the list of designated enemies can be flexed and expanded at any time.

Army lists Christians, Catholics and Jews as Religious Extremists.  How nice of them to include the Ku Klux Klan on the list of Religious Extremism.  Who knew political ideologies were a religion.

Don't Fire Until You See The Whites of Their Cassocks.  When I first saw the headline, I assumed it must all be a little less obviously bone-crushingly stupid or at any rate more nuanced once you got into the story.  But I invite you to look at the accompanying poster for the Equal Opportunity training brief issued by the Army Reserve in Pennsylvania.  It lists "extremist" groups, starting with "Evangelical Christianity" at Number One, "Al Quaeda" (misspelled under any Roman rendering of Arabic) at Number Five, "Hamas" at Six, and "Catholicism" rounding out the Top Ten.

Has U.S. Army Declared War On Christianity?  It has been said that there are no atheists in foxholes, but like so many things askew in our politically correct modern-day universe, there are apparently some.  An atheist U.S. soldier made a formal complaint about the steeple and crosses on a chapel located at Forward Operation Base Orgun-E.  "We can confirm that those items were removed from the chapel," said a spokesman for the ISAF Joint Command.  "These items were removed out of respect for the beliefs of other faiths."

The Editor says...
Obviously this is just another means of appeasing the Muslims, while diminishing all religious beliefs through homogenization.  There is nothing wrong with standing up for your faith, if it means a lot to you.  The problem with expressing "respect for the beliefs of other faiths" is that some other faiths do not have beliefs that are worthy of respect.

Police Militarization, Abuses of Power, and the Road to Impeachment.  The Internet is abuzz with news that the Department of Homeland Security is purchasing over 1.6 billion rounds of pistol and rifle ammunition, 2,700 Mine Resistant Armored Vehicles (MRAP), and 7,000 fully-automatic "personal defense weapons." [...] Instead of asking why DHS needs 1.6 billion rounds of ammo, the real question we should be asking is, "Why does DHS need 55,000 law enforcement officers?"

Hundreds Of DHS Armored Trucks Are On The Move. Should You Be Freaking Out?  At first glance, it does seem more than a bit strange that the government is buying truly massive amounts of ammunition, body armor and military style vehicles.  That's why even members of Congress like Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) and Doug LaMalfa (R-Kan.) have become concerned enough to publicly request that the DHS explain itself.

A declaration of war against the American public?  Retired U.S. Army Captain Terry M. Hestilow has written his U.S. senator, Senator John Cornyn, Texas, stating that he believes the Department of Homeland Security is preparing for war against, well, us.  He advances in his letter the proposition that the Dept. of Homeland Security is without legal or constitutional authority to have acquired the war powers it has.
No capitalization in original.  (Must be a public school student.)  Corrected by The Editor.

Technologies of Surveillance.  The NYPD is testing a new type of security apparatus that uses terahertz radiation to detect guns under clothing from a distance.  As Police Commissioner Ray Kelly explained to the "Daily News" back in January, If something is obstructing the flow of that radiation — a weapon, for example — the device will highlight that object.  Ignore, for a moment, the glaring constitutional concerns, which make the stop-and-frisk debate pale in comparison:  virtual strip-searching, evasion of probable cause, potential racial profiling. [...] We're scared of both terrorism and crime, even as the risks decrease; and when we're scared, we're willing to give up all sorts of freedoms to assuage our fears.  Often, the courts go along.

NYPD Commissioner says department will begin testing a new high-tech device that scans for concealed weapons.  The department just received a machine that reads terahertz [sic] — the natural energy emitted by people and inanimate objects — and allows police to view concealed weapons from a distance.  "If something is obstructing the flow of that radiation, for example a weapon, the device will highlight that object," Kelly said.  A video image aired at a Police Foundation breakfast Wednesday [1/23/2013] showed an officer, clad in a New York Jets jersey and jeans, with the shape of a hidden gun clearly visible under his clothing when viewed through the device.

The Editor says...
No doubt the system is being fine-tuned to search for marijuana.  Overlapping objects could easily appear to be a gun, which could lead to an unfortunate misunderstanding.

DHS Buys Another 360,000 More Rounds of Hollow Point Ammunition.  While you were sleeping — DHS bought another 360,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition.

Is it time to ask: What's Homeland Security up to?  Following the statement by presidential candidate Barack Obama about his Civilian National Security Force, Rep. Paul Broun, in an Associated Press interview, said he feared that then President-elect Obama would establish a security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship.  He said, "It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this National Security Force." [...] The lack of transparency and explanation about the need for such acquisitions certainly has contributed to conspiracy theories similar to that expressed by the congressman.  With all this ammunition, it is useless without a means to discharge it.  The DHS has also attempted concealment of the purchase of 7,000 assault weapons, and has again censored information about its $1.5 million no-bid contract with Remington.  Normally this would be required to be done in an open, full, and competitive bidding process.  What is the emergency that compels them to avoid this legal bidding process?

DHS Won't Answer Congress On Billion Bullet Purchase.  As we have noted, DHS has been buying lots of ammo, enough by one calculation to fight the equivalent of a 24-year Iraqi War.  Peggy Dixon, spokeswoman for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga., told the Associated Press that the training center and others like it run by the Homeland Security Department use as many as 15 million rounds every year, mostly on shooting ranges and in training exercises.  The massive purchases are said to be spread out over five years and due simply to the best practice of saving money by buying in bulk what comes down to five rounds of ammo for every man, woman and child on the U.S.  That's a lot of practice and training.

DHS Has Declared War On the USA.  DHS is not your friend.  They are not combating foreign terrorists.  Their mission is not to protect you from Al Qaeda.  Their mission is to protect the global elite from you and your anticipated failure to submit to the tyranny being rolled out across the country in the form of an administratively imposed martial law.  I am not going to mix words in this report, DHS is an enemy of the state, the legitimate state, not the state that has been hijacked by foreign bankers on behalf of the globalists.  Janet Napolitano is a domestic enemy of the state and she serves under a foreign enemy of the state, "President Obama."

The Great DHS Ammunition Stockpile Myth.  There are dozens of articles hyping government purchases of ammunition over the last nine months.  After spending weeks researching this topic, this is a collection of commonly held myths that are based more on panic than fact.

DHS Denies Massive Ammunition Purchase.  The Department of Homeland Security responded Friday [3/22/2013] to questions from Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., about why the agency was allegedly planning to buy some 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition over the next five years.  DHS told Whispers it regularly fills all of its goods and services requirements at one time because it's cheaper for the agency, and that the 1.6 billion number was misleading because the language of DHS's purchase said it would need "up to" a certain amount.

The Editor says...
Still, the central question remains:  Why does the "Homeland Security" department need that many bullets?  All 1.6 billion rounds are intended for use on the "homeland."  If DHS is expecting an invasion of the "homeland," isn't that what the Army is for?  The U.S. mainland has never been invaded because every foreign country knows we all have our own guns, even if the entire Army is defeated — or told to stand down by a traitorous commander in chief.

DHS buys 1.6 billion rounds "for practice"? But they're hollow-points.  Are hollow points used for target practice?  A former Marine says no.  A former Army Major says 'no.'  Here's the thing, hollow points are safer for everyone but the bad guy you're aiming at.  A hollow point will not exit your target and hit the person behind him/her.  Here's the other thing, hollow points are twice as expensive as the full metal bullet.  So why would they be used for target practice, especially when the taxpayer is paying for it, and practicing with either ... aiming with either, doesn't impact for accuracy of the person 'practicing?'

Retired Army Officer: DHS Must Surrender Their War Weapons to Dept. of Defense.  On Saturday March 23, Terry M. Hestilow, a retired Army officer with nearly 30 years of service under his belt, posted this letter he sent to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) this week.  Hestilow wants DHS to hand over their war weapons to the Department of Defense.

First bullets, now assault rifles bought by Feds.  The federal government's grab for bullets is now being matched with a buy of assault-style rifles that would be banned for civilians under President Obama's gun control law.  The Drug Enforcement Agency has just issued a solicitation for AR-15-styled rifles that include other elements that the president and his Democratic allies in the Senate would ban:  30-bullet magazines and a pistol grip.

Police Departments Beg And Barter For Ammo.  The nationwide shortage of ammunition has left many police departments scrambling to get their hands on the necessary rounds — with some even bartering among each other.  Meanwhile, Rep. Timothy Huelskamp (R-Kansas) says the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has failed to respond to multiple members of Congress asking why DHS bought more than 1.6 billion rounds in the past year.

Family's Home Raided over Facebook Photo of Child's Rifle.  New Jersey police and Dept. of Children and Families officials raided the home of a firearms instructor and demanded to see his guns after he posted a Facebook photo of his 11-year-old son holding a rifle.  "Someone called family services about the photo," said Evan Nappen, an attorney representing Shawn Moore.  "It led to an incredible, heavy-handed raid on his house.  They wanted to see his gun safe, his guns and search his house.  They even threatened to take his kids."  Moore was not arrested or charged.

Family says NJ overreacted to boy's gun photo.  The ruddy-cheeked, camouflage-clad boy in the photo smiles out from behind a pair of glasses, proudly holding a gun his father gave him as a present for his upcoming 11th birthday.  The weapon in the photo, posted by his dad on Facebook, resembles a military-style assault rifle but, his father says, is actually just a .22-caliber copy.  And that, the family believes, is why child welfare case workers and police officers visited the home in Carneys Point last Friday [3/15/2013] and asked to see his guns.

The Other Drone Question: Is Obama Building A Federal Police Force?  [Scroll down]  Put it all together, and it sure looks like Obama is building the backbone for that national police force he wanted the first time he ran for office.  Worse yet, both Democrats and Republicans are now openly discussing a plan to put all the drones flown in America's skies, including those owned and operated by local police departments, under the ultimate supervision of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, consolidating the country's surveillance and law enforcement powers under one powerful federal police jurisdiction.

DHS deploying in Homeland with 'weapons of war'.  Compounded by the administration's now "on the radar" push to further restrict civilian firearm ownership, the recent controversy over the potential use of drones over American soil to kill citizens without due process, and a longstanding and documented train of abuses tied to the militarization of law enforcement activities, those who keep an eye on such things are noticeably distressed.

U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans' finances.  The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters.

DHS Approves Two $4.5 Million No Bid Contracts For More Weapons and Ammo.  According to one estimate, since last year the Department of Homeland Security has stockpiled more than 1.6 billion bullets, mainly .40 caliber and 9mm.  DHS also reportedly purchased 2,700 Mine Resistant Armor Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) to go with their bullet stockpile.  ATK is one company that won a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to provide 450 million rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in 2012.  Now this...

1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security?  The Denver Post, on February 15th, ran an Associated Press article entitled Homeland Security aims to buy 1.6b rounds of ammo, so far to little notice.  It confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security has issued an open purchase order for 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition.  As reported elsewhere, some of this purchase order is for hollow-point rounds, forbidden by international law for use in war, along with a frightening amount specialized for snipers.

What does DHS need with 2,700 armored vehicles?  You see a story like this — and the one about a billion bullets bought by the government — and you wonder why no one in Congress has bothered to look into it.  I am totally unconvinced there are any dark designs by DHS on American citizens or our democracy.  But this seems a colossal waste of money — if true — and isn't ferreting out waste like this what we are paying those jamokes on Capitol Hill for?

Isn't this what Fort Hood is for?
Special Forces axe their plan to infiltrate Utah and tame the indigenous population.  The U.S. Army chose a quiet community in central Utah as the training ground for Special Forces soldiers needing to develop Jason Bourne-like skills and to learn how to build a resistance movement by infiltrating the town leadership.  With the deeply religious culture present in Manti, Utah and the desert landscape of the area, residents were deemed ideal candidates by the Defense Department to role play with soldiers in the 10th Special Forces as part of a two week training exercise in July on unconventional warfare tactics.

DOJ: Children Do Not Need — and Have No Right to — Mothers.  The Obama Justice Department is arguing in the United States Supreme Court that children do not need mothers.  The Justice Department's argument on the superfluity of motherhood is presented in a brief the Obama administration filed in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that amended California's Constitution to say that marriage involves only one man and one woman.

Why Is Obama's Growing DHS Army Buying Armored Vehicles?  The sequestration question du jour is why the Department of Homeland Security, busy releasing hundreds, if not thousands, of deportable and detained illegal aliens due to budget constraints, is buying several thousand Mine Resistant Armored Protection (MRAP) vehicles?  And just who are they intended to be used against?

The Tyranny of ObamaCare Continues to Unfold .  According to a lawyer for the Obama Regime, the federal government has the authority to compel you to commit the most appalling crimes against your conscience — even to murder children — regardless of how grievously this would betray your religious beliefs.

The Growing Tyranny of the Political Elite.  So much power has now been concentrated in the hands of a handful of appointees, most of them reporting directly to the president, that it is now doubtful whether America can still be considered a democratic nation.  Government has become the enemy of the people, because it is now in the hands of left-wing elitists who are opposed to traditional American values and who have only contempt for the democratic process.

DOJ to Federal Judge: We Can Force Your Wife to Violate Her Religion.  While presenting an oral argument in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last fall, a lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department told a federal judge that the Obama administration believed it could force the judge's own wife — a physician — to act against her religious faith in the conduct of her medical practice.  The assertion came in the case of Tyndale House Publishers v. Sebelius, a challenge to the Obama administration's regulation requiring health-care plans to cover sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs.

Clearing Away the Rubble...with Black Hawks, Tanks, and Loads of Ammo.  I've lived in this country my entire life and never heard of government agencies stockpiling millions of rounds of the hollow-point "training ammo" listed in its solicitations or shooting blanks from military aircraft over our neighborhoods and cities.  Not until now.  None of this makes sense if things are as peachy as the president claims, and I think these circumstances raise enough questions to warrant a congressional hearing.

Veterans Receive Letters From VA Prohibiting Ownership or Purchase of Firearms.  This must be Barack Obama's way of thanking our veterans for serving.  US veterans are receiving letters from the government informing them that they are disabled and not allowed to own, purchase or possess a firearm.  If the veteran does decide to purchase a firearm he will by fined, imprisoned or both.

Clearing Away the Rubble...with Black Hawks, Tanks, and Loads of Ammo.  What's with the Black Hawk helicopters and urban warfare drills?  The Army took over an empty high school in southeast Houston without warning last month in a Department of Defense drill.  Terrified residents mistook blank fire for live rounds.  At a City Council meeting the next day, Mayor Annise Parker decried "a shocking lack of sensitivity to community concerns" that caught even some in the police department by surprise.  About the same time council members were meeting in Houston, "federal law enforcement" agents were rappelling down ropes from military helicopters hovering over the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Warrantless Searches Proposed — for the Third Time — by WA Democrats.  In this case, liberal Democrats in the legislature have introduced an assault weapon ban that includes annual inspections of the homes of people that already own assault weapons to make sure that they are being safely stored.  There is no need for a warrant; there is no probable cause requirement; and the Seattle Times columnist writing about this clearly unconstitutional law observes that the sponsors include "Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, a lawyer who typically is hyper-attuned to civil-liberties issues."  After a stream of criticism, the author withdrew the warrantless search section of the bill, calling it a "mistake."

That Could NEVER Happen Here...  On February 19th, 1942 FDR willfully and intentionally violated The Constitution, an act for which he should have been impeached.  I am speaking of the Japanese internment — the rounding up of over 100,000 people who were frog-marched into Concentration Camps on American soil.  Far more than half were American Citizens with a full and complete set of alleged Constitutional Rights.

Feds Buy 2 Billion Rounds of Ammunition.  Something strange is going on.  Federal non-military agencies have bought two billion rounds of ammunition in the last 10 months.  The Obama Administration says that federal law enforcement agents need the ammunition for "mandatory quarterly firearms qualifications and other training sessions."

Mark Levin: US preparing for societal collapse by buying up billions of rounds of ammo.  On Friday's [2/15/2013] night broadcast of his radio show, Mark Levin speculated that the federal government is stockpiling ammunition to ensure the rule of law in the event of a total societal and economic collapse.  On Feb. 8, Investor's Business Daily editorial writer Andrew Malcolm penned a piece about the Department of Homeland Security amassing what he called "sufficient firepower to shoot every American about five times — including illegal immigrants," or more than 1.6 billion bullets.

Homeland Security Now Armed With Enough Ammo for 24 Year-Long Iraq War.  The government reportedly repositioned several of their Homeland Security ammunition containers recently. [...] Mark Levin told his audience the government is buying the vast amounts of ammo to prepare for the collapse of our financial system and our society.

An ominous warning from Canada.  Sun News Network news anchor Brian Lilley warns Americans that if we allow our government to create a national firearms registry, it WILL lead to gun confiscation.  He explains how registration led to confiscation in Canada and how a man who recently defended himself with a gun is now being prosecuted by the government.

Would New Gun Laws Spark Widespread Civil Disobedience?  In his State of the Union address, President Obama doubled down on his gun-control proposals, again demanding that Congress ban so-called "assault weapons" and "high capacity magazines."  This is not a surprise.  What has been a surprise are the increasingly open calls for defiance from gun owners, state legislatures, and local law enforcement.  If the president's proposals become law, he may move the country into turbulent waters we haven't seen in many years.

Utah Resident Forced to Forfeit Gun Used to Stop Home Invasion.  In late January, 64-year old Clare Niederhauser was arrested for shooting at burglars fleeing from his property.  At a plea deal hearing, he apologized for firing the shots, agreed to pay a $700 fine, take a weapons class, and forfeit the weapon he used.  Fellow residents of Layton, UT are coming to the aid of the elderly man, who was arrested after firing a shot at a burglar's vehicle and a fleeing accomplice after they attempted to break in to his property with a crowbar.

Obama's license to snoop.  Uncle Sam is downloading the contents of laptops, cellphones and digital cameras belonging to international travelers.  The widespread snooping may help agents discover whether someone illegally downloaded music before boarding a long flight, but it also has chilling implications for personal privacy.  A report released Jan. 29 by the Department of Homeland Security's internal civil liberties watchdog saw nothing wrong with the searches.

A Property Rights Revolution for 2013.  Martha Boneta had a business license for her tiny farm store in scenic Paris, Virginia, yet she was threatened with fines of up to $5,000 per violation per day for selling organic tea and wool products crafted from her rescued animals, and for hosting a birthday party for eight 10-year-old girls.  Officials from Fauquier County using zoning ordinances to bully Mrs. Boneta never obtained a warrant nor set foot on her property to gather actual evidence.  Instead a county bureaucrat relied on unscrupulous, unlawful methods to make these charges against Mrs. Boneta.  Her store remains closed out of fear of further uncertain charges carrying even criminal penalties.

Yes, he is a tyrant, just like the Founders warned us against.  [Scroll down]  PDWs of the kind desired by DHS are very fascinating short-range firearms, with a very specific mission profile.  The question is, what sort of mission profile would benefit from extremely short rifles for DHS?  There are only two that I can easily think of.  One is for the security details of high-value individuals, which isn't a publicly-known mission of DHS, and would appear to beyond the scope of their mandate.  The other use for such weapon in the DHS's hands is "door-kicking;" close quarters combat inside structures.  Why does the Department of Homeland Security need to outfit so many agents for close quarters combat within the United States?

Mold? Leaky Roof? Clutter? Obama Administration Says All Americans Must Have 'Healthy Housing'.  Under the broad banner of "health," the federal government not only is telling Americans what to eat, it's also telling us to make our homes safer.  This week, the Obama administration released a "bold new vision for addressing the nation's health and economic burdens caused by preventable hazards associated with the home."

The Editor says...
The maintenance of my house is my business, not the government's — especially if I'm the one paying for repairs and upkeep.

DHS Ammo Purchases: Gun Control by Another Name?  According to reports, the Department of Homeland Security has stockpiled over 1.6 billion rounds of ammo for its various agencies, and one of the worst side effects of this appears to be a shortage of ammo for private gun owners.  The question is — what if the shortage is intentional?

Why are the feds loading up on so much ammo?  In a puzzling, unexplained development, the Obama administration has been buying and storing vast amounts of ammunition in recent months, with the Department of Homeland Security just placing another order for an additional 21.6 million rounds.  Several other agencies of the federal government also began buying large quantities of bullets last year.  The Social Security Administration, for instance, not normally considered on the frontlines of anything but dealing with seniors, explained that its purchase of millions of rounds was for special agents' required quarterly weapons qualifications.  They must be pretty poor shots.

Is DHS Ammo For Obama's "National Security Force"?  As Andrew Malcolm has noted on these pages, the Department of Homeland Security has been buying lots of ammo, enough by one calculation to fight the equivalent of a 24-year Iraqi War.  Some have speculated about a link between the stockpiling between candidate Obama's off-prompter campaign remarks about a national security force and the stockpiling by DHS of more than 1.6 billion (with a 'b') bullets.  DHS has been buying more than bullets.  As [IBD] noted in a recent editorial, DHS is seeking to acquire 7,000 5.56x45mm NATO "personal defense weapons" (PDW) — also known as "assault weapons" when owned by civilians.

Why is the Department of Homeland Security buying so many bullets?  Online rumors about a big government munitions purchase are true, sort of.  The Homeland Security Department wants to buy more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition in the next four or five years.  It says it needs them — roughly the equivalent of five bullets for every person in the United States — for law enforcement agents in training and on duty.

Mark Levin: Obama Administration is Preparing for Economic and Social Collapse.  This topic has been right-wing blog-fodder for many months, but when the well respected Andrew Malcolm of Investor's Business Daily finally asked, Why are the feds loading up on so much ammo?  on Feb 8, syndicated radio talk show host, Mark Levin took notice. [...] When the welfare checks stop coming, when those EBT cards stop working, when the ObamaPhones turn off — what are those people going to do?  They are going to do what they always do.  Loot and riot in the streets.

Waters: We Have 'Database That Has 'Everything On Everyone'.  "The President has put in place an organization with the kind of database that no one has ever seen before in life," Representative Maxine Waters told Roland Martin on Monday.  "That's going to be very, very powerful," Waters said.  "That database will have information about everything on every individual on ways that it's never been done before and whoever runs for President on the Democratic ticket has to deal with that. [..."]

This Dog Can Send You to Jail.  [Scroll down]  He said that he was going to write me a warning, and I said, 'OK, that's fine.'  He asked me if I had any drugs in the car.  I said, 'No, sir, I don't do drugs, and I don't associate with people who do.'  He asked me would I mind if he searched my vehicle, and I said, 'Well, yes, I would mind if you searched my vehicle.'"  But thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, the deputy did not have to take no for an answer.  In the 2005 case Illinois v. Caballes, the Court declared that "the use of a well-trained narcotics-detection dog... during a lawful traffic stop generally does not implicate legitimate privacy interests."

The Canary in the Culture.  It may seem that asking Catholics and others who believe that abortion-inducing chemicals are tools of murder and as such something they cannot directly pay for is not that big of a deal.  That's precisely why the HHS mandate is the canary.  It's true that the HHS mandate is not on the same level as China's forced abortion policy.  But the core philosophical assumption that powers the HHS mandate, even in its latest revision, would allow the government to institute a forced abortion policy or reinstitute slavery.

Court Silences Man Who Painted Protest Sign on His House.  William Bowden painted "Screwed by the Town of Cary" on his house after a road-widening project (allegedly) directed runoff onto his property, damaging his North Carolina home.  Within hours, zoning officials paid him a visit, ordering him to remove the sign or pay fines of up to $500 for each day of noncompliance.  When Bowden sued, the town argued the sign was a safety hazard for passing motorists.  Officials presented no evidence for this assertion — no studies or experts.  An estimated 15,000 drivers passed the sign every day for months and, according to court testimony, had precisely zero accidents.

The Tyranny Before Us.  Adolph Hitler was not always a tyrant.  As he rose to political power his vision for a better Germany lifted his nation from the depths of a severe depression and the humiliation of defeat.  But more importantly, he gave his countrymen hope for better future while he returned to them their pride in their homeland, the pride they so passionately desired.  Tyrants are not uniformly evil.  They are capable of great good and small kindnesses.  They smile, they laugh and they love their children.  But eventually they embrace the evil which defines their tyranny, and then those who gave them their power begin to pay a terrible price.  First a tyrant tells you he cares for you, then he presumes to think for you, then he simply tells you what to do.  This is the essence of tyranny.

Cuomo: Gun Control Would Have Never Happened If Public Was Allowed to Review It.  In order to pass the New York SAFE Act, which substantially erodes a citizens Constitutionally granted Second Amendment right to bear arms, Governor Cuomo had to circumvent his own state Constitution.  That document has an amendment requiring a three-day public review of all laws.  By issuing a "Message of Necessity", Cuomo was able to pass the law without public scrutiny, with the Senate actually voting on the bill a mere 30 minutes after receiving it.  The process led to State Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin to say that, "Moscow would be proud of our state Legislature and Executive Chamber, but every New Yorker should be outraged."

Trusting Your Own Government (or Not).  Many in the media and academia who largely reject American Exceptionalism want us to believe instead that our government is exceptional in light of the history of governments.  In how easily they dismiss the Second Amendment as being obsolete, they are telling us that there are no circumstances whatsoever in which some future American government would ever turn feral.  They are willing to stake the lives of their children and grandchildren on that assertion.

Obama Administration: We Will Still Force Christians to Act Against Their Faith.  The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday [2/1/2013] set the stage for a massive showdown between the federal government of the United States and American Christians who believe the government has no right to force them to act against their faith by mandating that they buy, provide or facilitate health-care coverage that includes sterilizations, contraception, or abortion-inducing drugs.

Web of environmental rules threatens Gulf Coast businesses with jail, steep fines.  According to a new report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, thousands of people are being prosecuted for environmental crimes every day they didn't know were even on the books.  They've been threatened, fined and thrown in jail.  The trend is especially prominent along the Gulf Coast, but is becoming a national issue.

Army drill scares residents on Houston's south side.  The sight of Army helicopters and the sound of gunfire created a lot of concern Monday afternoon [1/28/2013] in one Houston neighborhood. [...] The U.S. Army along with other agencies took over the old Carnegie Vanguard High School near Scott and Airport.  There were armed men in fatigues, plenty of weapons and what many thought were real live rounds.

Feinstein Gun Control Bill to Exempt Government Officials.  Not everyone will have to abide by Senator Dianne Feinstein's gun control bill.  If the proposed legislation becomes law, government officials and others will be exempt.  "Mrs. Feinstein's measure would exempt more than 2,200 types of hunting and sporting rifles; guns manually operated by bolt, pump, lever or slide action; and weapons used by government officials, law enforcement and retired law enforcement personnel," the Washington Times reports.

Emphasis in original.

New York Gun Owners [Defy] "Assault Weapons" Registration Law.  New York Governor Cuomo the Junior may have rushed through his new gun control law with such speed that police will avoid its restrictions only through the blessed miracle of selective enforcement, but he may have a little trouble getting the state's firearms owners to attend his party.  The new law requires owners of those scary-looking rifles known as "assault weapons" to register their property (amidst assurances that, oh no, the registration lists will never be used for confiscation), but gun rights activists are actively urging gun owners to defy the new mandate.

Empty gun stores shelves, empty words and memories of ObamaCare.  There is a run on firearms and ammunition and its scope is beyond what the world has ever witnessed.  In the last two months, American citizens have purchased enough guns to outfit the entire Chinese and Indian armies, combined.  Membership in the NRA grew by a quarter million in one month.

Gun stores running low on popular ammunition.  People who have managed to buy a gun despite the high demand and empty shelves at many area gun stores may now be facing a new problem.  Gun stores around Nashville are running out of ammunition.

Gun Owners Must Contact Schools In Proposed Legislation.  Missouri state Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal wants parents to notify schools if they own a gun.  Anyone enrolling in a private or charter school will need to notify the school district or governing body if they own a firearm.  The state senator also wants to make failing to prevent guns getting into the wrong hands a class A misdemeanor.  If someone kills or injures another person with the weapon then it would be a class D felony.  That means spending 2-7 years in prison if someone is injured or killed with your gun if it is stolen or unsecured.

Litmus Test for Top Officers: Willingness to Fire on Americans?  [Jim] Garrow is a respected activist who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work rescuing baby girls from one-child China.  His source is "one of America's foremost military heroes."  This certainly gives the urgent drive to disarm law-abiding citizens some perspective.  It could also help us make sense of massive ammunition purchases by the increasingly frightening Department of Homeland Security.

NJ town proposes flag ban.  The Hudson County town of West New York is considering a widespread sign regulation that could include banning American flags from being flown.  The Board of Commissioners have a draft ordinance for "General Sign Regulations".  Among the prohibited signs under the proposal would be "Flags, banners and pennants."

Gov't: Food allergies may be disability under law.  The Justice Department said in a recent settlement with a Massachusetts college that severe food allergies can be considered a disability under the law.

No Guns, No Freedom, No Country.  Will the gun rights issue be the tipping point for the American public, (over half of which voted for the alien traitor in the White House)?  One major issue after another, robbing Americans of Constitutional rights, has passed before the treacherous Congress of the United States, and no successful effort has been made.  Will the gun control laws be the straw that breaks the camel's back?

Guns and the Government.  The Supreme Court has ruled consistently and countless times that the "police power," that is, the power to regulate for health, safety, welfare and morality, continues to be reposed in the states, and that there is no federal police power.

Study: Environmental regulations turning outdoorsmen into eco-felons.  Five Gulf Coast states have over 1,000 laws that allow prosecutors to target people with criminal sanctions over rather minor infractions related to the environment and outdoor living, a new study shows, even in cases where the accused did not cause any harm or knowingly break the law.

Plead Guilty or Go to Prison for Life.  Chris Williams, a Montana medical marijuana grower, faces at least five years in federal prison when he is sentenced on February 1.  The penalty seems unduly severe, especially because his business openly supplied marijuana to patients who were allowed to use it under state law.  Yet five years is a cakewalk compared to the sentence Williams originally faced, which would have kept the 38-year-old father behind bars for the rest of his life.

This Metamorphosis Will Require a Permit.  [Scroll down]  Yet it wasn't until the workmen we hired had ripped apart most of the first floor that the phrase "building permit" first wafted past us.  Turns out we needed one.  "What, to repair our own house we need a building permit?"  Of course.  Before you could get a building permit, however, you had to be approved by the Zoning Authority.  And Zoning — citing FEMA regulations — would force you to bring the house "up to code," which in many cases meant elevating the house by several feet.  Now, elevating your house is very expensive and time consuming — not because of the actual raising, which takes just a day or two, but because of the required permits.

Obama's Panicked Gun Control Won't Solve Gun Violence.  House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, in an interview last week, very tellingly said regarding new gun-control laws, "the safety of our country cannot go as slow as the slowest ship in the House of Representatives or even the United States Senate."  Translation:  Democrats are determined to bypass the normal, orderly process of congressional hearings and votes by the elected representatives of the American people.  And how coincidental that the House of Representatives has a Republican majority.

Biden: Obama May Use 'Executive Orders' to Crack Down on Guns.  Earlier today [1/9/2013], Vice President Joe Biden addressed the ongoing discussion and debate surrounding gun control.  Rather than relying strictly upon the legislative process, he said that Obama "is going to act" — and potentially without Congress' blessing.  Before meeting with gun safety and victims' groups, the vice president told reporters that "executive orders" may be an avenue that the administration will use to take swift action on firearms.

When the government tells you how to pray, or what to exclude from your prayers, you live in tyranny.
Politically Correct Checklist for Those Praying at Inauguration?  Once again, liberal activists have demanded a theological litmus test for the pastor who will pray at President Obama's Inauguration ceremony.  Pastor Louie Giglio of Passion City Church in Atlanta has been forced to withdraw his acceptance to pray at the inauguration because activists found a sermon from the mid-1990s where he preached the Biblical doctrine defining marriage as one man and one woman.  Because Giglio applied that doctrine to homosexual behavior, activists howled that he must not pray at the inauguration.

Obama Power Grabs on the Horizon.  Almost a dozen new gun control bills were introduced on the first day of the new congressional session.  Joe Biden's task force continues its frenzied pace of activity, even as it broadens its scope far beyond the reinstatement of the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, moving into such arenas as universal background checks for gun buyers, a national database tracking the movement and sale of weapons and measures that Obama could enact by executive order.  Yet such an imperious manner of governance will not be limited to gun control.

Biden: Obama Will Bypass Congress for Gun Control.  Vice President Joe Biden, who has been charged by President Obama with running the task force to prevent situations like the Sandy Hook massacre, announced that he wouldn't be raising legislative solutions at all.  Instead, he said that President Obama might simply declare his preferred gun policy the law of the nation.

Krauthammer: 'Unconstitutional' gun confiscation 'would cause insurrection in the country'.  On Wednesday's "Special Report," Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer acknowledged a link between gun ownership and gun violence, but said Americans would revolt if Congress implemented sweeping, unprecedented gun control legislation.  "I think we are going to end up exactly where we started," Krauthammer said.

Let it begin here.  Word has come down in recent days that the President of the United States may attempt to gut the Second Amendment via an executive order, reclassifying popular self-loading firearms as Title II weapons the same as hand grenades, rocket launchers, and crew-served machine guns.  In doing so, he would force you to register your firearms with the Federal government, pay a draconian tax for merely keeping what you already own, and shred your right to privacy, allowing the federal government into your home unannounced to "check up" on or confiscate your guns at any moment they see fit.

What To Expect On Gun Control In The Coming Months.  If new gun control measures pass to the President's desk (in which case he will surely sign the measures into law), it means more than just new background checks.  All semi-automatic firearms will be taxed, required to be submitted to the ATF for approval, controlled from crossing state lines, and prohibited from being bequeathed to your children or grandchildren in your wills.  Violation of any of these rules will turn you into an instant felon.  Of course, this would mean a resistance for which America isn't prepared.

Politicized, Militarized Homeland Security Department Unveils New Panzer Division.  To the list of recent unsettling developments at DHS and other federal agencies — such as FEMA camp expansions, massive DHS ammo buys, a creepy new biometric surveillance system just being rolled-out by the FBI, and drones buzzing our backyards with cameras — we can now add the appearance across the country of not just heavily-armored military grade Humvees, but 'GLS' armored personnel carriers (APC's) such as in the picture [here] — 2500 of them to be exact.

Nobody needs an assault weapon!  We are told that it is a small thing to give up semi-automatic rifles, which the political and cooperating media elites will dutifully call "assault weapons," even though nobody can quite define the term.  In any case, we are told, nobody needs an "assault weapon" with a thirty-round magazine.  Well, actually, almost nobody needs them.  Apparently, Mr. Security Agent and his comrades need them, lots of them.  Tens of thousands of new "assault weapons," enough to shoot all of the billions (with a "b") of .223 and .40 caliber hollow-point bullets recently purchased by our federal law enforcement agencies in unprecedented new acquisitions.  Are we suddenly expecting a foreign invasion I missed reading about?  Wouldn't that be the job of the military?  Why do our federal law enforcement agencies suddenly need tens of thousands of "assault weapons" and billions of new hollow-point (not training) bullets, many times more than in previous years?

Who (or What) Are They Looking For?  TSA is omnipresent.  Trains, planes and automobiles.  Now railroads and buses.  Next it will be dog walkers and model airplanes.  Homeland Security peers through every remote camera and surveillance platform.  The federal decision to see and record everything is approaching total coverage.  You're even recorded and surveilled in many national parks.  Who, or what, are they looking for?

State Rep's anti-Free Stater post draws local, national criticism.  A Democratic state lawmaker's recent web post critical of the libertarian-leaning Free State Project has gone virtually viral in the past few days and, as one might expect, has drawn criticism.

New Hampshire Legislator: We Need to 'Restrict Freedoms' of Conservatives.  A New Hampshire legislator wants her constituents to know that she feels conservatives are the "single biggest threat" her state faces today, and she wants to use her powers to legislate to "pass measures that will restrict" the freedoms of Granite State conservatives.

Gov't Posts 61 New Federal Regulations, Including 500-Page Rule to Protect 'Critical Habitat' of Flycatcher.  The federal government posted 61 new regulations in the Federal Register on Friday [1/4/2013], including the Department of Interior's 500-page document outlining a new rule to protect the southwestern willow flycatcher's "critical habitat" in six states. [...] "The effect of this regulation is to conserve the flycatcher's habitat under the Endangered Species Act," the summary of the regulation states.

Something funny happened on the way to tyranny.  [Scroll down]  There were no less than six clerks working feverishly with the dozen or so customers, so I simply stepped to the side and walked the aisles.  The cases of ammunition that typically lined the far wall were picked to pieces. [...] Every weapon of military utility designed within the past 100+ years was gone.  This isn't a society stocking up on certain guns because they fear they may be banned.  This is a society preparing for war.

What you'll see in the rebellion.  Let me explain, gun grabbers, how your confiscatory fantasy plays out.  Let us imagine for a moment that a sweeping gun control bill similar to the one currently suggested is passed by the House and Senate, and signed into law by a contemptuous President.  Perhaps 50-100 million firearms currently owned by law-abiding citizens will become contraband with the stroke of a pen.  Citizens will either register their firearms, or turn them in to agents of the federal government, or risk becoming criminals themselves.  Faced with this choice, millions will indeed register their arms. [...] Tens of millions of Americans will refuse to comply with an order that is clearly a violation of the explicit intent of the Second Amendment.

Feinstein: More Power, More Money to ATF to Register All Guns.  As the day on which Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) "assault weapon" ban will be introduced draws closer, another troubling aspect of it has come to light — namely, that it will give new funding and expanded powers to the ATF for the purpose of registering all guns and gun owners in the country.  In other words, in addition to banning "assault weapons" and handguns like Glocks, Sig Sauers, Smith & Wesson M&Ps, and H&Ks, the legislation will also empower the ATF to be sure every gun is placed on a government registry.

Rand Paul Condemns Indefinite Detention.  Referring to indefinite detention as "an abomination," Senator Paul urged his colleagues to vote against the FY 2013 NDAA Conference Report.

Gun Control and the Long Night of Tyranny: a Cuban Exile Speaks.  One of the first steps historically taken by would-be totalitarians is to disarm the population to be ruled:  the Bolsheviks did this in Russia, the Nazis in Germany and the occupied countries, the Maoists in China, the Castroites in Cuba, and on and on.  In some cases, as in Cuba, weapons of limited military value, like single- or double-barrelled shotguns, are allowed — as a privilege and under permit — to be possessed by the well-behaved ... though permitted ammunition is generally limited to birdshot.

Oliver Stone to RT: 'US has become an Orwellian state'.  "He has taken all the Bush changes he basically put them into the establishment, he has codified them," Stone told RT.  "It is an Orwellian state.  It might not be oppressive on the surface, but there is no place to hide.  Some part of you is going to end up in the database somewhere."  According to [historian Peter] Kuznick, American citizens live in a fish tank where their government intercepts more than 1.7 billion messages a day.  "That is email, telephone calls, other forms of communication."

Welcome to the Salazar Wilderness.  [Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar] seems to think that turning a tiny portion of the lovely coastline of California's Marin County (part of the National Seashore) into the first marine wilderness in the continental United States also requires destroying a family-run oyster operation that has conducted business in the same spot for eight decades.  So Mr. Salazar recently ordered the business to close within 90 days — a decision that will spell ruin for the Lunny family, owners of Drake's Bay Oyster Farm, which supplies 40% of California's oysters.

Oliver Stone: Obama-era America is 'Orwellian'.  In an interview with the English language Russian news website RT on Friday [12/28/2012], the oft-controversial filmmaker said the Obama administration was as guilty of violating the Constitution and the rule of law as the previous Bush administration.  "He has taken all the Bush changes.  He basically put them into the establishment.  He has codified them," Mr. Stone said.

Too Much Bipartisanship.  The 112th Congress has not been a bright one for our civil liberties.  While new champions have emerged like Rand Paul and Mike Lee in the Senate and House freshmen like Justin Amash, in national security state matters, the majority of both parties are in agreement.  First, there was the so-called "Patriot" Act reauthorization.  After a drawn out fight over 2011, the statists extended three controversial provisions until 2015.  Then came the FY 2012 NDAA and Section 1021 authorizing indefinite detention of American citizens, effectively turning America into a "battlefield" where anyone captured may be considered an enemy combatant.

Feinstein unveils sweeping gun-control agenda.  Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., plans to introduce sweeping gun-control legislation at the beginning of the congressional session in January. [...] The senator describes the proposal as a version of the assault-weapons ban that expired in 2004.  Feinstein's legislation ban scores of firearms, including military-style "assault" weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices.  It also calls for the creation of a federal register that would require millions of gun owners to be fingerprinted and photographed.

The 10 Worst Regulations of 2012.  Most of these rules increase the cost of living, others hinder job creation, and many erode freedom.  Not all regulations are unwarranted, of course, but increasingly, the rules imposed by the government have less to do with health and safety and more to do with whether government or individuals get to make basic pocketbook and lifestyle decisions that affect them.  And it is not just the regulators who are to blame.  Congress writes laws that give unelected bureaucrats the broad powers they wield.

The latest from "DHS Insider".  As Fred states here and I have to agree with his thoughts, make of this what you will.  There are too many incidents, reports, things that just do not 'add up' and when one looks at massive ammo purchases by numerous government agencies, the 'facts' about Newton NOT adding up as reported by the LSM, one had better be thinking about the coming collapse and worse.

The Day The War Began.  If you were a farmer without a radio during Pearl Harbor, you would not have known that the world had just gone to war and it would not end without the deaths of millions and millions.  If you don't know that the American Civil War Deux just started, I pity you for you have no radio. [...] You do not see what is coming your way.  You are going to be drafted into a war you have not even heard of, yet.  You have experienced Pearl Harbor without knowing it.

Presumed Guilty in the Name of Fighting Terrorism.  [Scroll down]  The change in the standards by which the NCTC now is able to troll data means every action a person takes that is logged into a government database, is subject to scrutiny for criminal behavior.  Probable cause or reasonable suspicion — constitutional standards for invading a person's privacy by government snooping — are irrelevant in such a scenario.  We are all presumed guilty of engaging in potential terrorist acts.

Hey Senator Feinstein, You Say You Want A Revolution?  Senator Feinstein and her statist friends want to make America safer by taking guns away from honest people who don't commit gun crimes.  Such is liberal logic.  Feinstein, who knows as much about guns as she does fiscal responsibility, is going to introduce a bill that will "stop the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition feeding devices."  Her bill will also affect handguns and require registration of firearms with photos, fingerprints, makes and models, and serial numbers.  I know you'll all be lining up to comply!

Feinstein's Gun Control Bill Will Trigger The Next American Revolution.  Over the past two years alone, multiple draconian policies have been enacted through executive order by the Obama Administration which build upon the civil liberty crushing actions of George W. Bush and press far beyond.  The Patriot Acts, the FISA domestic spy bill, the bailouts of corrupt international banks, attempts at CISPA and SOPA, actions like the NDAA authorizing the treatment of U.S. citizens as "enemy combatants" without rights to due process; all paint a picture so clear only a one-celled amoeba (or your average suburban yuppie) would not see it.

Feinstein: All Gun Owners Should Be Registered, Fingerprinted.  Even as news that Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) "Assault Weapon" ban is really a ban on some of the most popular civilian-owned handguns in the U.S., details of her promised legislation also show that it will require gun owners to register their guns with the government. [...] This will require not simply the registration of the specific gun's serial number but also a photograph and fingerprints of the owner as well.  This would necessarily take away the ability of people to sell guns in private sales to friends or family members too.

Democrats Seek the Holy Grail of Gun Control.  Dianne Feinstein has announced that she will introduce sweeping gun control legislation in the Senate.  Under her bill, countless standard handguns apparently would now be banned, and for the first time a federal register that may include many millions of gun owners, fingerprinted and photographed, would be created.

December 27, 2012: The Day Freedom Died in America.  Just two days after Christmas, the American Senate is coming for your guns, in a move that will toss the Founding Fathers' cherished Second Amendment into the dustbin of history.

Softening up the public for the end of the Second Amendment:
Arne Duncan: 'We Have Common Values That Go Far Beyond the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms'.  Americans value their children, their safety, and the right to pursue their dreams without fear — and those "common values" trump the rights set forth in the U.S. Constitution, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said last Friday [12/21/2012] in a speech at a Washington, D.C., elementary school.

Just Freeze! EPA Says Burning Wood Is Bad, but so Is Natural Gas, Coal, Oil.  So, you're living in Fairbanks, Alaska, and it's 45 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit.  The high today will be -39 degrees below zero.  The weather services all project lots more double-digit minus numbers in the coming days and weeks, with dips into the minus 50s and 60s.  Heating oil prices are killing your family budget, so you crank up the wood stove and start burning some of the firewood you collected last summer.  Uh-oh!  Now you're in trouble!

What about bubble-gum cigars?
Old fashioned candy store threatened with fine for selling sugar cigarettes.  Owners of an old-school soda shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, have been warned to kick the habit and stop stocking novelty candy cigarettes.  City inspectors threatened a misdemeanor citation and $500 fine if Lynden's soda fountain is caught selling the fake smokes again.

The coming drone attack on America.  Drones on domestic surveillance duties are already deployed by police and corporations.  In time, they will likely be weaponised.

Did someone mention drones?

Beware! Regulations Incoming!  The problem, of course, is not simply the number and cost of new regulations.  The larger concern is about the way these regulations are actually being made and enforced.  The process is often unconstitutional and empowers bureaucrats instead of American citizens.

The government already controls too much.  Last week, a lengthy article in the Wall Street Journal detailed how the federal government's "little-known National Counterterrorism Center" can now, under new authority, examine "the government files of U.S. citizens for possible criminal behavior, even if there is no reason to suspect them."  It "can copy entire government databases — flight records, casino-employee lists, the names of Americans hosting foreign-exchange students and many others," keeping "data about innocent U.S. citizens for up to five years ... to analyze it for suspicious patterns of behavior."

Mandatory Voting: Is This The Obama Administration's Goal?  [Scroll down]  Remember this as the Obama administration mounts a drive to federalize voter registration, a step toward making voting mandatory.  Attorney General Eric Holder considers it self-evidently alarming that 60 million adult citizens were not registered in 2008.  He wants Washington to register everyone automatically.

IRS rule threatens to shut down the small businesses that prepare tax returns.  Small business owners who prepare tax returns for a living every year must either seek additional training or close their doors due to a new Internal Revenue Service regulation set to take effect at the end of this year.

Marxist EPA Wants to Regulate Water As a Pollutant in Virginia.  Ken Cuccinelli likes to call the EPA the "Employment Prevention Agency."  In addition to preventing job creation, the EPA wants other peoples' private property and their money for non-existant or minor problems.

More information — none of it favorable — about the EPA.

U.S. Can't Afford Obama's No-Debt-Limit Credit Card.  The president tells business leaders he wants to do away with Congress when it comes to raising the country's legal debt limit and be able to do it all by himself.

Man sits in jail while unable to pay alimony that exceeds his income.  For nearly seven weeks, John Waldorf has been in the county jail on a "non-support" charge for allegedly failing to pay alimony.  He claims he is a victim of New Jersey's "antiquated" alimony system and many people agree with him.  In late October a small protest was held outside the courthouse.

Regulators R Us: Feds Crank Up Regulations — on Everything.  Get set for the Obama administration's post-election tsunami of business-killing, job-killing, economy-killing federal regulations.  It's already begun.  Take a look at www.regulations.gov, the administration's regulatory website.  The home page informs us that in the last 90 days, the administration has posted 5,934 new regulations. [...] A cost analysis by the Small Business Administration in 2008 found that the cost to our national economy of compliance with federal regulations was an astronomical $1.75 trillion!

New federal law may make replacing your furnace much costlier.  Replacing an aging furnace could cost homeowners thousands of dollars more after May 1, when new federal energy efficiency standards take effect for northern states, including New Jersey.  The new energy-efficient natural gas furnaces aren't that much more expensive themselves, but they must be vented directly to an outside wall rather than through the chimney, which can increase installation costs dramatically, home heating contractors say.

Your Future in Obama World.  Right now, you can wander the USA all day without running into a person in military uniform or a government office more threatening than the Post Office.  That may change.  Recently, the federal government has been issuing regulations at the rate of 68 per day, controlling healthcare, food, energy, education, law enforcement, travel and transportation, commerce, communications, the environment et cetera.  Don't expect its attention to detail to stop anytime soon.  ObamaCare calls for creation of 159 new agencies or programs.

State Dept. Official to Attend OIC Meeting Today on Banning 'Defamation of Islam'.  After the disaster of trying to blame an obscure YouTube video for the attack on the CIA operation in Benghazi and Obama's prophecy at the UN that "the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam," Hillary Clinton's State Department appears to be taking another run at the First Amendment free speech rights of American citizens.

The $4,000 Trash Can.  [Martha] Boneta, a Fauquier County farmer, hosted a birthday party for eight 10-year-old girls — an occasion for which she lacked the proper "events permit."  For this, the county slammed her with a $5,000 fine.  She also got in hot water for selling items, such as yarn and birdhouses, that she had not made herself.

California vs. Texas.  Certainly, many government workers are working in legitimate government functions: police, courts, and prisons.  But what are the others doing? They are creating regulations, checking paperwork, inspecting businesses, and generally putting obstacles in the path of citizens living their lives and operating their businesses.  California has substantially more people erecting these arbitrary barriers than Texas.  In short, California has more people snooping and prying into the lives of its citizens than Texas does.

6,125 Proposed Regulations and Notifications Posted in Last 90 Days — Average 68 per Day.  It's Friday morning, and so far today, the Obama administration has posted 165 new regulations and notifications on its reguations.gov website.  In the past 90 days, it has posted 6,125 regulations and notices — an average of 68 a day.

Obama Administration Makes A Mockery Of The Rule Of Law.  Arbitrary ObamaCare waivers are bad enough by themselves.  They are truly ominous as part of a more general practice of this administration to create arbitrary powers that permit them to walk roughshod over the basic rights of the American people.  The checks and balances of the Constitution have been evaded time and time again by the Obama administration, undermining the fundamental right of the people to determine the laws that govern them, through their elected representatives.  You do not have a self-governing people when huge laws are passed too fast for the public to even know what is in them.

Federal Judge OKs Installation of Surveillance Cameras Without a Warrant.  On October 29, a federal district court judge ruled that police can enter onto privately owned property and install secret surveillance cameras without a warrant.  The judge did set forth a few guidelines that must be followed before such activity would be permissible, but the fact that such a scenario is accepted as constitutional by a federal judge is a serious setback for privacy and for the Fourth Amendment.

A National Security Hybrid.  B.H. Obama has issued 139 executive orders since becoming president.  Some are fairly benign; many are deeply troubling, specifically as to the wholesale consolidation of emergency powers into the office of the presidency.  The newest executive order is a breathtaking assault on entire sections of Constitution and the rights, freedoms, and liberties of all Americans, carefully hidden within the stultifying and banal language of bureaucratic doublespeak.

Video: Truck Driver Stands Up To Unconstitutional Checkpoint.  A truck driver who passed through an unconstitutional checkpoint 30 miles from the Mexican border stood up for his 4th Amendment rights by refusing to answer questions in another example of how Americans are re-asserting their liberties. [...] This is just the latest in a series of confrontations caught on video showing Americans standing up to 4th Amendment-violating checkpoints that are creeping further and further inside America, in some cases as much as 100 miles from the border.

The food police inhibit freedom of speech:
Bad Rules.  Steve Cooksey started a blog about low-carb nutrition, which included "Dear Abby"-style advice.  The state told him that giving such advice without a license is illegal!  Cooksey stopped, but enlisted help from the Institute for Justice, the libertarian public-interest law group.  Together they sued the state for the free-speech violation.  Unfortunately, a federal court dismissed the suit, saying that since the state took no formal action, Cooksey was not harmed.  IJ will appeal.

Good news: Interior Department creating their very own climate-change committee.  I'd bet big money that this is not going to be a dispassionate, balanced committee looking for ways to keep bureaucrats noses out of Americans' private property and businesses; rather, it's going to 'inform' the Interior Department's already-made-up collective mind with contrived reasons to further regulate, control, and acquire land.

Interior Dept. creates climate change committee.  The Obama administration is creating an advisory committee on climate change to advise the federal government on future operations.  The Interior Department announced the new bureaucracy in a recent federal registry notice along with a call for nominations by Nov. 19 to seat the 25-member board.  The notice specifically states membership will be comprised of state and local government employees, non-governmental organizations, Native American tribes, academia, individual landowners and business interests.

The Mayor of East St. Louis is the New Baby Sitter.  A new restriction passed by Mayor Alvin Parks of East St. Louis has enacted a new curfew and dress code for the city's youth.  Anyone under 18 that is caught out of class during school hours, outside after 10pm or out of the house or school anytime without a parent or guardian, they will be arrested.  Additionally, the mayor decided that youth should also be prohibited from wearing any blue or red.

Why Sebelius Campaigns So Hard for Her Boss — and Why He Won't Fire Her.  In fact, if the president makes no appointments, or the Senate rejects the president's appointees, then all of IPAB's considerable powers fall to one person: the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  The HHS secretary would effectively become an economic dictator, with more power over the health care sector than any chamber of Congress.  If Obama wins in November, he would have zero incentive to appoint any IPAB members.

Another Obama Executive Order Allows Seizure of Americans' Bank Accounts.  The latest executive order (EO) emanating from the White House October 9 now claims the power to freeze all bank accounts and stop any related financial transactions that a "sanctioned person" may own or try to perform — all in the name of "Iran Sanctions." [...] And if the individual so "sanctioned" decides that the ruling is unfair, he isn't allowed to sue. In two words, the individual has successfully been robbed blind.  But it's all very legal.  The EO says the president has his "vested authority" to issue it, and then references endless previous EOs, including one dating back to 1995 which declared a "state of emergency" (which hasn't been lifted):  Executive Order 12957.

Read This While You Can.  Read this column by Diana West while you can — while we still have journalists brave enough to write the truth, and before the truth is censored.  West, a syndicated columnist and author, noted an astonishing statement within Obama's speech to the UN General Assembly, and dissected and explored its meaning and terrifying implications.

'Overcriminalization' Making Us a Nation of Felons?  Capitol Hill is probably the best place to start if you want more information on overcriminalization — the United States Code — Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure.  There are about a thousand different pages that cover material considered to be a federal crime.  The problem is not all of the estimated 4,500 federal crimes are listed in the code.  There are about 50 volumes that cover all the different federal agencies that have the jurisdiction to enforce and interpret rules and regulations.  When you add all of that up you're somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 to 400,000 rules that could be considered a federal offense.

The TSA is flexing its muscles, just to see how much the public will tolerate.
TSA Lies About Bizarre "Freeze" Drill.  The footage shows travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona being caught up in what the TSA calls "Code Bravo," a suddenly announced drill whereby passengers who have already passed through security are required to "freeze" on command.  The You Tube user who uploaded the video commented, "I suddenly found myself in a bunch of travelers who were being sharply told to "STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!  DON'T MOVE!".  A TSA employee was pointing his blue-gloved hand at anyone who moved a muscle (including airport workers) and barking these orders. [...] TSA spokeswoman Kristin Lee admitted to the New York Times that travelers are not mandated to obey the order to "freeze".

Euthanasia for Obama-care.  [Scroll down]  For example, Obama-care is making it illegal for anyone in America (with the narrow exception of houses of worship) to freely sell or buy an insurance plan that fails to offer free birth control and sterilization.  But this ban is nowhere to be found in the 2,700 pages of the law itself.  Rather, it came as a decree from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, exercising her newfound power.  If Obama-care isn't repealed, examples of such rule by fiat will proliferate.

Constitution Day: 225 Years in Passage of Time; Light Years in Loss of Liberty.  In increasingly sophisticated and insidious ways, today's national government weaves a web of monitoring that allows the national intelligence apparatus to keep most citizens under some form of surveillance nearly 24 hours a day.  Add to that the passage by Congress and the signing by the president of the National Defense Authorization Act — legislation that grants the president the unprecedented and unconstitutional power to deploy members of the U.S. military to apprehend and indefinitely detain anyone he suspects of posing a threat to national security.  Finally, with the Supreme Court's decision to deem ObamaCare a constitutional exercise of Congress' taxing power, all three branches of the federal government established in the document drafted in Philadelphia 225 years ago have colluded in the creation of a government whose power is nearly immeasurable.

So much for freedom of expression.
New Jersey tells drivers:  You can't smile too much in license photos.  With its infamous long lines, going to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get your license is usually nothing to smile about.  These days, it's a mandatory no-big-smiles policy in New Jersey, one of a growing list of states that tell drivers drivers to keep a poker face in their license photos.

Shame.  The people who booed the God of love, now rush to the defense of a hateful Allah.  The people who p***ed on the Christ of redemption, now bewail the hurt feelings of a damnable Islam.  The people who denounced the death of civil liberties under the Patriot Act, now make rationalizations as brown-shirted cops drag a man from his home at midnight for the crime of posting a video on YouTube.

Push to call blasphemy a crime.  Muslim leaders have vowed to discuss the offensive video from their UN platforms, sowing concern among free-speech activists of a fresh push toward an international law that would criminalise blasphemy.  Human rights groups and Western democracies resisted such a law for years and thought they had finally quashed the matter after convincing enough nations that repressive regimes used blasphemy laws to imprison or execute dissidents.

Obama's DOJ Can't Say Criticizing Religion Will Remain Legal.  [A recent exchange], between Representative Trent Franks and Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, occurred in late July, but is particularly relevant today.  Representatvie Franks tries to extract an assurance from Perez that the Obama administration will not push a proposal to criminalize speech "against any religion."  He has a tough time doing so.

DoJ Civil Rights Division chief can't commit to protecting free speech.  Via Eliana Johnson and Michael Totten, the question that Rep. Trent Franks asked Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez in July shouldn't be very difficult to answer — especially for the man who heads up the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and who swore to uphold the Constitution when taking that job. [...] If you read the First Amendment, the answer is simple.  Perez, however, does a two-minute dodge while Franks asks it four times.

ATF's latest gun grab.  The Obama administration is making it easier for bureaucrats to take away guns without offering the accused any realistic due process. [...] That means government can grab firearms and other property from someone who has never been convicted or even charged with any crime.  It's a dangerous extension of the civil-forfeiture doctrine, a surreal legal fiction in which the seized property — not a person — is put on trial.  This allows prosecutors to dispense with pesky constitutional rights, which conveniently don't apply to inanimate objects.  In this looking-glass world, the owner is effectively guilty until proved innocent and has the burden of proving otherwise.  Anyone falsely accused will never see his property again unless he succeeds in an expensive uphill legal battle.

Obama Expands ATF's Right to Seize Guns Without Due Process.  Obama has expanded civil-forfeiture rules making it permissible for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to seize weapons from citizens without the hassle of due process.  This effectively gives Attorney General Eric Holder, of Fast and Furious fame, extended power over guns and gun-related property.  The rules were broadened under the guise of giving the ATF authority "to seize and administatively forfeit property involved in controlled substance abuses."  And if that doesn't strike you as extreme on first glance, consider the fact that this expansion of civil-forfeiture allows the ATF to forego almost all "due process" in making their seizures — in effect, placing the burden of proof on the citizen instead of federal agents.

The FBI's Nationwide Facial Recognition System Ends Anonymity As We Know It.  The FBI has begun installing state-of-the-art facial recognition technology across the country as part of an update to the national fingerprint database, Sara Reardon of the New Scientist reports.  The agency's $1 billion Next Generation Identification (NGI) program will also include iris scans, DNA analysis and voice identification by 2014.  RT reports that as of July 18, 2012, the FBI said the NGI program "is on scope, on schedule, on cost, and 60 percent deployed."

FBI to roll out $1 billion public facial recognition system in 2014.  They're watching you — or at least will be in a couple of years.  That's when the FBI is gearing up for a nationwide launch of a $1 billion project designed to identify people of interest, according to the New Scientist.  Dubbed the Next Generation Identification (NGI) program, the high-tech endeavor uses biometric data such as DNA analysis, iris scans and voice identification to track down folks with a criminal history.

The Editor says...
That sounds harmless enough, but with a large enough database, the government could track anybody's movements — not just criminals.

Activist Forced to Show Papers to DHS or be Detained for 72 Hrs.  Alex talks with Derrick Broze, a founding member of The Houston Free Thinkers.  Broze has covered TSA agents working in the Metro rail is Houston.  [Video clip].

Update on NDAA and drones flying over the US.  Let me challenge readers, the next time you go to church, ask your pastor what he is doing or what he would do to prevent military personnel from taking you off to a military prison without an arrest warrant, without issuing Miranda, without telling you why you are being seized, without allowing you access to an attorney, without recognizing that you have any constitutional rights, without any requirement to release you, or even without any requirement to keep you in the United States of America for a trial or judicial proceeding.  I challenge you:  ask him!

A blogger was dragged off to a mental ward because of his Facebook posts.  Exactly what you'd expect in North Korea, China, or Cuba.
'Outraged' judge frees veteran Raub from Virginia psych ward.  [Scroll down]  His saga began Aug. 16.  That's when [Brandon] Raub was taken into custody at his Richmond home by FBI and Secret Service agents and Chesterfield County Police.  He was not charged with a crime, yet he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police vehicle.  From there, Mr. Raub was taken to a police station and then to the John Randolph Medical Facility in Hopewell, Va., for a psychiatric evaluation.  He was never formally arrested or charged with a crime, Mr. Whitehead said.  "He was in his underwear, in his living room, he sees a group of police, FBI agents walking up, he talks with them, he's asked about some Facebook postings, they handcuff him," Mr. Whitehead said.

Brandon Raub: Persecuted for Telling the Truth About the Federal Reserve .  Corporate media news reports state that former Marine Brandon Raub was arrested by the FBI and the Secret Service and detained in a psychiatric hospital for anti-government posts on Facebook.  A large part of Raub's post, however, was not directed at the government.  It was directed at the Federal Reserve.  The Fed is not the government.  It is a privately owned financial institution run by a cartel of banksters.

Thought police victim Brandon Raub ordered released from psychiatric prison.  The thought police are hard at work in America, crushing anyone who expresses ideas of liberty and freedom.  The latest case involves U.S. veteran Brandon Raub, who posted text on Facebook saying, among other things, that 9/11 was an inside job, that the country is being run by an evil cabal of insiders, and that the global elite are pedophiles who rape children.  Pointing to these opinion statements, the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement authorities in Virginia raided his home, kidnapped the 26-year-old, and stuffed him into a psychiatric hospital where he was to be detained for any number of weeks, months or even years.  Raub was not charged with a crime, was never read any Miranda rights, and was never given a hearing in front of a judge.  No judge, no jury, no rights, no nothing.  He was simply targeted, kidnapped, stuffed and cuffed because of his free speech posted on Facebook.

Attorney of Former Marine: Psychiatrist Threatened to 'Brainwash' My Client With Meds.  Earlier today [8/23/2012], 26-year-old former U.S. Marine Brandon Raub was released from a psychiatric facility via a judge's order, who ruled that the government had no legal grounds to hold him.  Tonight on Glenn Beck's show on GBTV, soon-to-become TheBlazeTV, John Whitehead, Raub's lead attorney and president of the Rutherford Institute, gave his first interview following his client's release to discuss the case.

Lawyer Says 20,000 'Civil Commitments' in Virginia Each Year Part of Bigger Problem.  Brandon Raub was scooped up in Richmond, Va. by federal and local law enforcement officials on Aug. 16 for making anti-government Facebook posts referring to "revolution" and statements that questioned the official story behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said John Whitehead, Raub's lead attorney and president of the Rutherford Institute.  He was then sentenced to up to 30 days in a psychiatric facility on Aug. 20 — no trial, no arrest warrant, no charges filed.  He was finally released on Thursday [8/23/2012].

Brandon Raub is hauled in for a mental health examination because he's not too keen on the current administration,
while Joshua Scott Albert gets a pass for his unabashed hatred of Romney and cops.
Government Clamp Down on Free Speech: Marine vs. Occupier.  In mid-August, government and law enforcement officials went to former Marine Brandon Raub's door with no warrant.  They questioned Raub about what they considered ominous Facebook postings, handcuffed him, and forced him to undergo a psych evaluation at a local hospital.  The 26-year-old North Chesterfield, Virginia man was taken into custody by FBI and Secret Service agents as well as Chesterfield police for posting anti-government messages on his private Facebook page.  Raub was released on August 23, but not before he was transferred to a veterans' hospital psychiatric unit 188 miles away from his home.

"If you do not have the right to speak freely about food, what do you have a right to speak freely about?"
From Licensing to Censorship.  Every day, millions of Americans dispense advice to friends, relatives, and complete strangers through blogs, websites, and a variety of online publications.  And each time they do so, many of these Americans could be risking substantial fines and perhaps even imprisonment. [...] Across the nation, more than eight hundred different professions require a state license.  Among those professions are:  manure spreaders in Iowa, upholsterers in Utah, and florists in Louisiana.

I'll bet they wouldn't have stopped a Muslim from doing the same thing.
City tells woman she can't pass out free water in 112-degree heat.  The city of Phoenix is facing a possible lawsuit after a woman claimed a city worker told her she could not pass out free water in the Arizona heat without a permit.  Dana Crow-Smith tells ABC 15 she was passing out water bottles in the 112-degree heat along with others in an attempt to share their Christian beliefs with people attending a festival downtown last month, when a city worker ordered them to stop.  She said the worker told the group they would be cited if they continued passing out the water because they did not have a permit.

Presidential race boils down to one issue.  There's really only one issue in the 2012 presidential race; all the rest is trivia.  That one issue is:  Do you want to be in control of your life, or do you want government to control your life?  If you want to keep control over your life, then do not re-elect Barack Obama to a second term in the White House.  Hold tight to your liberty.  If, however, you want your life defined, channeled and limited by Obama's "we can't wait" executive orders and the bureaucratic rules of government agencies, then Obama is your guy.

Why does Homeland Security need 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition?  The Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.4 billion rounds of ammunition — that is not a typo — during the last six months.  This includes 450 million rounds of .40 hollow point, 200 million rounds of .223 rifle ammunition, and 176,000 rounds of .308 168-grain hollow point boat tail (HPBT) that is used almost exclusively as ammo for sniper rifles. [...] We must never forget that tyrants throughout modern history (Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and Mao) always disarmed their opponents before rounding them up and sending them to the killing fields.

Social Security Administration Explains Plan to Buy 174,000 Hollow-Point Bullets.  The Social Security Administration posted a blog on Thursday [8/16/2012] to explain why it was planning to purchase 174,000 hollow point bullets.  SSA posted a "Request for Quote for Ammunition" on the FedBizOps.gov website on Aug. 7.  The request listed the commodity that SSA desired as ".357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition."  The quantity listed was "174 TH."

Who Does The Government Intend To Shoot?  The Social Security Administration (SSA) confirms that it is purchasing 174 thousand rounds of hollow point bullets to be delivered to 41 locations in major cities across the U.S.  No one has yet said what the purpose of these purchases is, though we are led to believe that they will be used only in an emergency to counteract and control civil unrest.  Those against whom the hollow point bullets are to be used — those causing the civil unrest — must be American citizens; since the SSA has never been used overseas to help foreign countries maintain control of their citizens. [...] If this were only a one time order of ammunition, it could easily be dismissed.  But there is a pattern here.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has ordered 46,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition.

US Homeland Security officials get the okay to amass a vast ammo cache.  According to a report on infowars.com: 'Back in March, Homeland Security purchased 450 million rounds of .40-calibre hollow point bullets that are designed to expand upon entry and cause maximum organ damage, prompting questions as to why the DHS needed such a large amount of powerful bullets merely for training purposes.'  This phenomenal cache of ammunition must be intended for use against Americans, because I understand that hollow point bullets have been illegal in international warfare since 1899.

Agencies tamp down speculation over hollow-point ammo purchases.  Obscure federal agencies triggered a firestorm of conspiracy theories this week after they put out orders for thousands of rounds of deadly hollow-point bullets.  But the agencies, most recently the Social Security Administration, are trying to put a damper on the speculation — noting the ammunition is "standard issue" and simply used for mandatory federal training sessions.

Obama Government On Ammunition Purchases — Move Along Now, Nothing To See Here...  Hundreds of thousands of rounds of hollow-point ammunition is being ordered up by various Obama government agencies, including the National Weather Service, leading for a growing number to question why?  The answer to that question from the Obama administration appears to simply "don't worry about it."

DHS Redacts Quantity of Ammo Order — Issues "Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition".  In a date-redacted document, DHS claimed "Unusual and Compelling Urgency" NOT to inform the public of quantities of ammo purchased with tax money ($4.6 Million) for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Protective Service (FPS).

Why are Gun Ownership Numbers in U.S. Highest since 1993?  Why does the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration need to purchase ammunition?  NOAA is devoted to studying the weather and providing notice of events such as hurricanes.  Why would meteorologists need to be armed?  Why does the Social Security Administration need to purchase ammunition?  A spokesman for the SSA compared its investigators to state or local police officers who are armed while on "official duty."  Why would the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) specifically purchase 750 million rounds of hollow-point ammunition in March and follow up with an additional 750 million?

The Ammo Controversy.  Several facets of the government have recently purchased a variety of ammunition in large quantities.  In total, more than 1.2 billion rounds of ammunition was ordered between April and August of 2012.  This ammunition primarily consisted of .223 ammunition, which is used in military style weapons such as AR-15s or M16s.  The largest purchase of ammunition was placed by the Department of Homeland Security.  However, the amounts of ammunition were redacted in a later version of the purchase order.  Additional purchases were made by the Social Security Administration and the National Weather Service.

Bullets, False Flags and Biological Warfare: What Is the US Government Planning?  The Pacific Southwest Region of the US Forest Service has solicited ammunition that is supposedly needed for target practice.  In this instance, the amounts of hollow point bullets, 12 gauge rifle slugs, and other accessories are smaller than the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested through other federal agencies.  DHS previously ordered more than 63,000,000 rounds of .40 S&W jacketed hollow point bullets (JHP).  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a solicitation for 16,000 rounds of .40 S&W JHP.  The Social Security Office has also made a solicitation for 174,000 rounds of .357 hollow point bullets.  Earlier this month, DHS requested 700 pounds of high density ammonium nitrate and 700 pounds of A-5 Flake RDX explosives.  These ingredients are known to be very high powered explosives.

Christianity & gun owners in the crosshairs: Chilling tactic exposed.  If you are an outspoken Christian in America, you need to be concerned.  If you are an outspoken Christian in America who happens to be a gun owner, you need to be very concerned.  And if you are a Christian gun owner who disagrees with the Progressive anti-Christian agenda in America and have a platform to inform others, you better believe that you are under intense scrutiny. [...] It appears the war against freedom of opinion, freedom of speech, openly professing one's belief in God and the right to bear arms is now sufficient to earn you a medical diagnosis of "psychosis."

Man Sentenced to 30 Days for Catching Rain Water on Own Property Enters Jail.  Gary Harrington, the Oregon man convicted of collecting rainwater and snow runoff on his rural property surrendered Wednesday morning [8/8/2012] to begin serving his 30-day jail sentence in Medford, Ore.  "I'm sacrificing my liberty so we can stand up as a country and stand for our liberty," Harrington told a small crowd of people gathered outside of the Jackson County (Oregon) Jail.  Several people held signs that showed support for Harrington as he was taken inside the jail.

Warrantless searches without probable cause:
Local Government Stupidity Contest.  [Scroll down]  Contestant Number Two is the Metro Police in Washington, DC, which has decided to harass random travelers by searching their bags before they board the subway.  This is akin to the TSA's mindless bureaucracy — but even worse. [...] Good intelligence by the CIA and FBI is the way to stop these crackpots, not empty security theater that makes life more difficult for law-abiding people.

At-Home Bible Study Lands Man in Jail.  Gang-member-turned-pastor Michael Salman found himself behind bars after holding a Bible study at his home, reports Fox News.  Authorities say Salman violated zoning laws, and thus his probation, when he gathered some 80 people at his four-acre home, but the Phoenix man and his family are crying foul, saying his constitutional rights have been violated.  "Christians deserve the right to gather at their homes privately just like every other American has the right to gather for their reasons," says his wife.

EPA Moving to Control All Water in the United States.  There is a story in Net Right Daily about landowner, Dexter Lutter of Noble County, who thought he was cleaning up the water supply and creating a healthier environment for years to come.  Instead, he is facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines from the EPA, whose main goal is complete control over all land, air and water.

Landowner engages in clean water act; receives EPA fine.  Dexter Lutter was expecting an award; instead he got a $20,000 fine.  He made environmental improvements on his land — his farm — by taking steps to clean up the water supply and better preserve the soil, but the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fined him for his efforts.  "That's how out of touch I am," Lutter says.  "I feel like we should have won a medal for what we did, but the EPA tells us we were wrong."

DOJ Official Won't Say Whether Justice Department Would 'Criminalize Speech against Any Religion'.  Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas Perez refused to say Thursday whether the Justice Department would ever "entertain or advance a proposal that criminalizes speech against any religion."  During a House subcommittee hearing examining fairness in voting rights enforcement, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, referenced an article detailing a meeting between top Justice Department officials and Islamist advocates, where the advocates reportedly lobbied officials for "a legal declaration that U.S. citizens' criticism of Islam constitutes racial discrimination."

Oregon Man Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail — for Collecting Rainwater on His Property.  Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Oregon, says he plans to appeal his conviction in Jackson County Circuit Court on nine misdemeanor charges under a 1925 law for having what state water managers called "three illegal reservoirs" on his property — and for filling the reservoirs with rainwater and snow runoff.

Federal court rules Wisconsin schools' graduations in church were unconstitutional.  A federal appeals court ruled Monday [7/23/2012] that two Wisconsin high schools violated the U.S. Constitution by holding graduations in a church — among the most recent decisions in a long-running debate about the separation of church and state.  A three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in September the schools did nothing wrong by hold graduation in Elmbrook Church, in the southeastern part of the state.

Choose your Poison, Communism or Other Dictatorship?  I thought we had choices in a free country but I was wrong.  We moved as far away from the metro area as possible to escape [Home Owner Associations].  We could have bought a parcel of land in the woods somewhere, but I am sure, EPA regulations would have made it impossible since everything is close to marshland.  In Maryland, you can no longer build in an area without an established sewer system.  Governor O'Malley, through executive order, has forbidden septic tanks.  Houses can only be built along an approved corridor, thanks to UN Agenda 21's Smart Growth, which requires that a very large portion of our lands be given back to the wilderness.  We must move into high rises, five minutes' walk or bike from work, school, and play.  We no longer live in a free country; we just have an illusion of freedom.

The Drone Zone.  It took a few seconds to figure out exactly what we were looking at.  A white S.U.V. traveling along a highway adjacent to the base came into the cross hairs in the center of the screen and was tracked as it headed south along the desert road.  When the S.U.V. drove out of the picture, the drone began following another car.  "Wait, you guys practice tracking enemies by using civilian cars?" a reporter asked.  One Air Force officer responded that this was only a training mission, and then the group was quickly hustled out of the room.

DHS Labels Liberty-Lovers as Potential Terrorists.  By the Department of Homeland Security's standards, anyone who just celebrated the Fourth of July can be capable of terrorism.  A new study by the DHS states that "those who are reverent of individual liberty" may promote terrorism. [...] But while the report identifies seemingly average Americans as potential terrorists, it completely ignores any references to Islamic terrorism.  In fact, its table displaying the "hot spots" for religious terrorism indicates that there was no such terrorism in New York City in the 1990s — totally disregarding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in that city.

Man Facing Jail For Hosting Home Bible Study.  A Phoenix man has been sentenced to 60 days in jail after he refused to stop hosting Bible studies in the privacy of his home — in violation of the city's building code laws.  However, the Phoenix city prosecutor's office said the violations have nothing to do with religious freedom — and everything to do with public safety.

The Editor says...
I'll bet they don't check for overcrowding at the neighborhood mosques.

Homeowner Jailed for Hosting Bible Study.  A Phoenix man who violated city zoning laws by hosting a Bible study in the privacy of his home has started serving a 60-day jail sentence for his crimes.  Michael Salman was found guilty in the City of Phoenix Court of 67 code violations.  He was sentenced to 60 days in jail along with three years of probation and a $12,180 fine.  A spokesperson for the city attorney confirmed that Salman reported to a county jail Monday afternoon [7/9/2012].

Government's total control.  How much power does the federal government have to control the lives of Americans and dictate our individual behaviors in any and all ways it chooses?  The answer, according to the Court, is that the federal government has complete and total control over all of us — it has the power to regulate everything we do and everything we choose not to do — provided Congress taxes the income of anyone who fails to comply with the government's dictates.

Gulf Coast States Chafe at Feds' Fishing Seasons.  Louisiana and Florida are considering joining Texas in allowing longer fishing seasons in state waters than federal wildlife officials allow in federally controlled waters further offshore.  Federal wildlife officials completely banned red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico during 2010 and 2011, and they are allowing red snapper fishing for only 40 days in 2012.  Scientists and state wildlife officials say the federal restrictions are too stringent and that longer fishing seasons are warranted in states where red snappers are abundant.

4 Foods the Government Should Ban.  New York Mayor Bloomberg has decided that New Yorkers can't be trusted to have access to soda served in anything larger than a 16 ounce cup.  It's clear that New Yorkers can't be trusted in general, so this ban on soda is not so surprising.  The New York City Council is now eyeing popcorn and coffee drinks for a possible ban, because if you can ban one thing you can ban everything.

Pastors plan to defy IRS ban on political speech.  Setting the stage for a collision of religion and politics, Christian ministers from California and 21 other states will use their pulpits Sunday to deliver political sermons or endorse presidential candidates — defying a federal ban on campaigning by nonprofit groups.  The pastors' advocacy could violate the Internal Revenue Service's rules against political speech with the purpose of triggering IRS investigations.

Human Rights: A Governmental Power Grab.  [Scroll down]  This brings us to a dangerous scenario associated with human rights.  Namely, the way governments can use them as a justification for reaching deeper and deeper into the daily lives of their citizens.  A great example of this can be seen in the way President Obama and his surrogates couched many of their arguments for the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. ObamaCare, in the language of human rights.  According to them, health care is a human right which, in turn, justifies putting a system into place whereby every American has health care coverage.

Some laws are on the books just in case the cops can't think of anything else you've done wrong.
Use a Computer, Go to Jail.  If you are reading this column online at work, you may be committing a federal crime.  Or so says the Justice Department, which reads the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) broadly enough to encompass personal use of company computers as well as violations of website rules that people routinely ignore.  In April the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit rightly rejected this view of the CFAA, which Chief Judge Alex Kozinski noted could conceivably make a criminal out of "everyone who uses a computer."

This sounds like an idea you'd expect to hear in a communist dictatorship.
Desperation: Obama Surrogate Calls to Make Voting Mandatory.  Peter Orszag, former head of the Obama Office of Management and Budget, is desperate.  With even Roll Call recognizing that President Obama is fighting an uphill battle for re-election, Orszag is floating a trial balloon:  mandatory voting.

Voter Apathy Isn't a Crime.  It's a sure sign someone is losing when he demands that the rules be changed.  That might explain the renewed interest in forcing people to vote against their will.  Peter Orszag, President Obama's former budget director and now a vice chairman at Citigroup, recently wrote a column for Bloomberg View arguing for making voting mandatory.

McConnell: 'Radical, Dangerous' Obama Admin Seeks to 'Shut Up' Opponents.  [Scroll down]  McConnell is incensed over the administration's use of government and nongovernmental resources to target its political enemies.  "They've used the IRS, the FEC, the FCC, the SEC, their allies in the Obama campaign to go after people who disagree with them.  The Obama campaign has rifled through the divorce records of a major donor to an opposing super PAC.  The government itself is intimidating donors.  Appointees at the IRS and other agencies are pursuing similar efforts to ferret out who is contributing to outside groups critical of the administration so that they can scare them off the playing field and shut them up."

Federal Judge Reaffirms Her Order Blocking Indefinite Detention by Obama Administration.  Lest there was any lingering doubt, the federal judge who enjoined enforcement of the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) told the Obama Administration that it may not legally detain an American indefinitely based on a suspicion of support of terrorism unless the government can demonstrate a connection to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Rhode Island House Defends Constitution, Passes Anti-NDAA Resolution.  After overcoming an attempted sandbagging by members of the Republican leadership, at about nine o'clock Tuesday night [6/12/2012], the House of Representatives of Rhode Island overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for the repeal of the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012. [...] The text of the resolution pulls no punches in its recrimination of the Congress and President for their role in pushing our Republic closer to the precipice of tyranny.

Meet John Brennan, Obama's Assassination Czar.  A relatively unnoticed article by Associated Press reporter Kimberly Dozier two weeks ago outlined new Obama administration policy changes which consolidated power for authorizing drone attacks and assassinations under political appointees within the White House.  The article identifies White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan as the official assuming the role of Obama's de facto assassination czar, raising concerns even within the Obama administration that the White House is increasingly turning into "a pseudo-military headquarters" under the direction of just a few senior Obama administration officials.  Adding to these concerns are serious questions about Brennan's qualifications for this role.

"Never in the history of the CWA has federal regulation defined ditches and other upland features as 'waters of the United States.'"
EPA power grab to regulate ditches, gullies on private property.  Lawmakers are working to block an unprecedented power grab by the Environmental Protection Agency to use the Clean Water Act (CWA) and control land alongside ditches, gullies and other ephemeral spots by claiming the sources are part of navigable waterways.  These temporary water sources are often created by rain or snowmelt, and would make it harder for private property owners to build in their own backyards, grow crops, raise livestock and conduct other activities on their own land, lawmakers say.

Wisc. Pastor Gets Two-Year Sentence for Preaching Spanking.  Black Earth, Wisconsin, pastor Philip Caminiti, 55, has been sentenced to two years in prison for preaching a message that was not well-received by some members of the community.  The message that landed Caminiti in prison is that parents should be spanking their children when they misbehave, even those as young as two months old, with wooden spoons and rods.

This Memorial Day, Freedom Is Dying Before Our Very Eyes.  What if Memorial Day reminds us of times when we had more freedom?  What if freedom is dying right under our eyes?  What if the memory of the past is more fulfilling than the reality of the present?  What if the federal government could write any law, regulate any behavior and tax any event, no matter what the Constitution authorized?

Not buckling up your pet in the car can mean big fines.  Judging from the alarming number of summonses issued so far for failing to buckle up in the back seat, motorists don't seem overly concerned about the current Click It or Ticket crackdown.  After all, most unrestrained drivers and passengers can afford a measly $46 fine.  But if you drive with an unrestrained pet, don't expect a slap on the wrist.  Penalties range from $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail.

The Editor says...
Just imagine if they catch you with a box of kittens in the back of your truck!

43 Catholic institutions file suits over HHS mandate.  This is a critical moment for religious freedom in the US.  If the federal government can define religious expression, then it can control or even outlaw it.

Propaganda that was supposed to target foreigners could now be aimed at Americans, reversing a longstanding policy.
Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban.  The new law would give sweeping powers to the State Department and Pentagon to push television, radio, newspaper, and social media onto the U.S. public.  "It removes the protection for Americans," says a Pentagon official who is concerned about the law.  "It removes oversight from the people who want to put out this information.  There are no checks and balances.  No one knows if the information is accurate, partially accurate, or entirely false."  According to this official, "senior public affairs" officers within the Department of Defense want to "get rid" of Smith-Mundt and other restrictions because it prevents information activities designed to prop up unpopular policies — like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

21 Unanswered Questions That They Don't Want You To Look Into.  [#1]  Why is the TSA being allowed to conduct warrantless searches at bus stations and train stations all over America?  According to an article in the Guardian, the following motto is displayed at the TSA's air marshal training center:  "Dominate. Intimidate. Control."  Why is there no outrage over this?  [#2]  Why does the TSA believe that it is necessary to pat-down a 7-year-old girl with cerebral palsy?  Does touching the private areas of disabled little girls really improve our national security?

Kentucky Supreme Court Rules Highway Checkpoints Illegal.  Kentucky's Supreme Court has ruled that highway checkpoints of drivers who refused to display a $10 city sticker in their window are in fact unconstitutional and therefore, illegal.  The city of Liberty required all 1,850 residents and anyone working within the city limits to purchase and display the sticker, but teachers at a local school had failed to do so, prompting local police to take action.  Those individuals who refused to purchase a $10 sticker and place it in their vehicle windows were targeted by city officials, who mandated that police set up roadblocks.

The Editor says...
This won't be the last case of its kind, as long as there are local politicians willing to implement such a scheme (for as long as they can get away with it), and as long as the local police do whatever they're told, without ever questioning the legality of their orders.  Unfortunately, I think several areas of the U.S. have those ingredients in place.

Federal Government is Keeping Tombstone, Arizona from Accessing Drinking Water.  Tombstone, Arizona, once dubbed "The Town Too Tough To Die," may finally have met its match in the Obama Administration.  According to a lawsuit filed against the United States Department of Agriculture, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and the USDA Forest Service by the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute, the Forest Service is endangering the town's supply of safe drinking water and ability to fight fires by cutting off the famous city's access to the mountain springs that has provided the desert town with water since the 1880s.

Y2Kyoto: Rise Of The Green Reich.  Not a minute too soon, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that it is creating "environmental justice" units that will be empowered to oversee regulations in conjunction with local governments throughout the country.  The framework for the Environmental Justice Working Group includes eleven federal government agencies, including the TSA, the Secret Service and FEMA.

The Department Of Homeland Security Is Buying 450 Million New Bullets.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office is getting an "indefinite delivery" of an "indefinite quantity" of .40 caliber ammunition from defense contractor ATK.  U.S. agents will receive a maximum of 450 million rounds over five years, according to a press release on the deal.  The high performance HST bullets are designed for law enforcement and ATK says they offer "optimum penetration for terminal performance."

The Editor says...
If the Immigration and Customs people need that many bullets, I'd say it's time to put the U.S. Army on the Mexican border.

21 Unanswered Questions That They Don't Want You To Look Into.  [#19]  Why are federal government agencies stockpiling massive amounts of food and ammunition?  Do they know something that we don't?

Why Does The Department Of Homeland Security Need 450 Million Hollow Point Bullets?  Somebody out there has decided that the Department of Homeland Security needs a whole lot of ammunition.  Recently it was announced that ATK was awarded a contract to provide up to 450 million hollow point bullets to the Department of Homeland Security over the next five years.  Is it just me, or does that sound incredibly excessive?  What in the world is the DHS going to do with 450 million rounds?  What possible event would ever require that much ammunition?  If the United States was ever invaded, it would be the job of the U.S. military to defend the country, so that can't be it.  So what are all of those bullets for?

Homeland Security seeking assault and sniper rifles.  The Department of Homeland Security issued a bid for 36 Colt LE901 rifle systems, which will accept and function any military specification (Mil-Spec) .223 caliber upper receiver, and is thus backwards compatible with all CBP/U.S. Border Patrol M4 upper receivers.  Not surprisingly in this matter is the recent award by DHS, but no solicitation can be found for, .223 caliber Remington Enhanced Performance ammunition.

CISPA Assumes Too Much Trust in Government.  In a surprise move the White House issued a statement on Wednesday [4/25/2012] threatening to veto CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) because of privacy concerns. [...] This is the first time in recent memory that the White House has expressed any such concerns.  When signing into law the controversial National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA] the White House blithely ignored its trampling of those same civil liberties through its "indefinite detention" provisions.

Rural kids, parents angry about Labor Dept. rule banning farm chores.  A proposal from the Obama administration to prevent children from doing farm chores has drawn plenty of criticism from rural-district members of Congress.  But now it's attracting barbs from farm kids themselves.  The Department of Labor is poised to put the finishing touches on a rule that would apply child-labor laws to children working on family farms, prohibiting them from performing a list of jobs on their own families' land.  Under the rules, children under 18 could no longer work "in the storing, marketing and transporting of farm product raw materials."

Is there a drone in your neighbourhood?  There are at least 63 active drone sites around the U.S, federal authorities have been forced to reveal following a landmark Freedom of Information lawsuit.  The unmanned planes — some of which may have been designed to kill terror suspects — are being launched from locations in 20 states.

Krauthammer On Drones Flying In US: "Stop It Here, Stop It Now".  "I'm going to go hard left on you here, I'm going ACLU," syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said in opposition to the use of drones on the U.S. homeland.  "I don't want regulations, I don't want restrictions, I want a ban on this.  Drones are instruments of war.  The Founders had a great aversion to any instruments of war, the use of the military inside even the United States.  It didn't like standing armies, it has all kinds of statutes of using the army in the country."  "A drone is a high-tech version of an old army and a musket.  It ought to be used in Somalia to hunt bad guys but not in America.  I don't want to see it hovering over anybody's home. [...]"

Democrats And Republicans Together Assault Our Liberty.  Both Romney and Obama are enthusiastic advocates of America's bipartisan statist consensus.  More government, all the time and in most every way.  The United States government was created as an institution of limited, enumerated powers with a duty to preserve individual liberty.  Those who wrote the Constitution and the citizens who ratified that document vigorously debated what authority was to be placed into whose hands.  However, the Leviathan which now exercises its power around the globe has far outstripped its intended role.

Where Are the Rolling Heads from NOAA?  NOAA law enforcement collected close to $100,000,000 in fines and seized goods from fishermen over the past several years.  The Department of Commerce IG investigated and found that only about $60M could be accounted for, while some $40M is just plain gone.  This is not taxpayer money, but money taken in huge chunks from fishermen for infractions, some very minor.  Claims by the fishermen of coercion and extortion were validated by the IG.

Is Big Brother's black box coming to your car?  MAP-21 clearly bears the fingerprints of our nanny-in-chief, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, but it passed the Senate last month by a strong bipartisan vote, 74 to 22.  The massive bill federalizes everything within sight of the feds' roving eye. [...] Perhaps most troubling, at least for anyone who harbors even the remotest interest in privacy, MAP-21 mandates that within three years every single passenger vehicle in the country must be outfitted with a "vehicle event data recorder" — the proverbial "black box."

Big Brother's Next Target: Your Car.  Many are quite concerned about Senate Bill 1813, a massive piece of legislation supposedly devoted to transportation issues.  Besides including a provision allowing the IRS the power to revoke passports belonging to those who are delinquent with tax debt in excess of $50,000, it appears that the potential law may be used to measure the size of your carbon footprint each time you get behind the wheel.

Senate-Passed Bill Would Mandate Black Boxes in Cars, Plus More.  [Scroll down]  Approximately 85 percent of vehicles already come equipped with black boxes, notes the NHTSA, whose own guidelines for vehicles include the devices, even though they are not currently mandatory.  According to those guidelines, the boxes must measure such things as speed, position of the gas pedal, whether or not the brakes were pressed, seat belt usage, and the amount of time it took for airbags to deploy.  In fact, it was a black box that landed Massachusetts Lt. Governor Timothy Murray with a hefty fine following the 2011 accident that totaled his vehicle, because the device recorded that he was speeding and was not wearing a seat belt prior to the accident.  However, critics contend that the data box is part of the slippery slope to total surveillance of the transportation habits and whereabouts of Americans.

The Editor says...
The current generation of "black boxes" may only record what happened right before a crash, but there is no way to predict (the limits of) what future software "upgrades" might include.  The black box might be used to show that a vehicle spends a lot of time idling, or that the driver has a habit of excessive acceleration.  The box might also keep track of your movements and whereabouts.  One thing is fairly certain:  The evidence in the "black box" will only be available to the government.  You would have a hard time extracting the data if you needed it for a legal defense.

'Your' Car Won't Be After 2015.  First, the EDRs [Event Data Recorders] could be — and almost certainly will be — tied into your vehicle's GPS.  (Most new and late model cars, conveniently, already have this, too.)  Then data about your driving can be transmitted — as well as recorded.  To whom?  Your insurance company, of course.  Progressive Insurance already has such a system in place — voluntary, for the moment.  When EDRs are mandated, you will no longer have a choice.  We'll be told it's all for the sake of (groan) "safety" — just like the old 55 MPH highway speed limit and every radar trap in the country.  Of course, it's really for the sake of revenue — the government's and the insurance company's.

New federal agency OFR stirs 'Orwellian' fears.  Starting in July, the OFR [Office of Financial Research] Fiscal Year 2013 budget, estimated at $158 million, will be funded entirely through assessments — also known as taxes — on bank-holding firms with consolidated assets worth at least $50 billion.  But as became clear at Thursday's [4/19/2012] hearing by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, a close reading of the law the president signed provides no limit on the growth of OFR's budget, nor on the taxes the agency can impose on big banks to fund it.

A Government of Waste.  The same Congress that professes outrage over the GSA and the Secret Service escapades does whatever it can get away with every day.  It writes whatever laws it wants; it regulates whatever behavior it chooses; it taxes whatever events it thinks will keep it in power.  And it does so with utter disregard to whether its work is permitted by the Constitution.  The president bombs whatever countries he wants and spies on whatever Americans he chooses and kills whatever persons he fears and lends tax dollars to whatever friends he wishes, as if the Constitution didn't exist.  And the courts look the other way.

TSA harassing and searching a 9 year old.  The only bad thing on our trip was TSA was at the Savannah train station.  There were about 14 agents pulling people inside the building and coralling everyone in a roped area AFTER you got OFF THE TRAIN!  This made no sense!

Sheila Jackson Lee partners with DHS, brings TSA to Houston Metro.  Originally only at the airports, the TSA has since began to expand across America in the form of Visible Intermodal Preparedness and Response or VIPR Teams.  Most recently cropping up in Amtrack stations in Florida and other cities, and setting up illegal checkpoints on state highways in Tennessee.  Now, Houston will be taking part in a national pilot program known as Bus Safe involving the DHS, TSA, Metro Police, Harris County Constables, and Congress woman Sheila Jackson Lee.

TSA expands power, VIPR Squads Roam Florida Train Stations.  Squads of TSA agents conducted random searches and patrols at a train station in West Palm Beach, Florida yesterday [4/21/2011] in yet another example of the expansion of TSA Tyranny beyond the nation's airports.

A Government of Waste.  The same Congress that professes outrage over the GSA and the Secret Service escapades does whatever it can get away with every day.  It writes whatever laws it wants; it regulates whatever behavior it chooses; it taxes whatever events it thinks will keep it in power.  And it does so with utter disregard to whether its work is permitted by the Constitution.  The president bombs whatever countries he wants and spies on whatever Americans he chooses and kills whatever persons he fears and lends tax dollars to whatever friends he wishes, as if the Constitution didn't exist.  And the courts look the other way.

Shredding the Constitution.  The Obama administration has expanded its executive branch powers under a comprehensive czar system and myriad executive orders.  Meanwhile, Congress quietly passes questionable legislation with the potential to limit personal freedoms — and U.S. agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), engage in activities that raise serious concerns about constitutional violations.  Even local law enforcement officials have become increasingly intrusive and hostile to civil liberties.

Michigan government unleashes armed raids on small pig farmers.  NaturalNews can now confirm that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has, in total violation of the Fourth Amendment, conducted two armed raids on pig farmers in that state, one in Kalkaska County at Fife Lake and another in Cheboygan County.  Staging raids involving six vehicles and ten armed men, DNA conducted unconstitutional, illegal and arguably criminal armed raids on these two farms with the intent of shooting all the farmers' pigs under a bizarre new "Invasive Species Order" (ISO) that has suddenly declared traditional livestock to be an invasive species.

Why America is Devolving Towards Absolute Government Control.  The relentless encroachment of socialism upon America's economic, cultural and governmental landscape is like a bad dream to most red-blooded Americans.  When society changes it can seem like the ineluctable drift of evolution or chance.  But in the case of America's ongoing continued expansion of government powers, spiking taxes, and shrinking military, it's all part of a planned elitist push into socialism.  And one need not believe in secret conspiracies when contemplating this shift.

Zoning the ocean.  President Barack Obama has an ambitious plan for Washington bureaucrats to take command of the oceans — and with it control over much of the nation's energy, fisheries, even recreation in a move described by lawmakers as the ultimate power grab to zone the seas.  The massive undertaking also includes control over key inland waterways and rivers that reach hundreds of miles upstream, and began with little fanfare when Obama signed an executive order in 2010 to protect the aquatic environment.

AG Beau Biden, Mandates That Sheriffs No Longer Have Arrest Powers.  Sheriff Jeff Christopher of Sussex County, Delaware, when he was elected to the office in 2010, thought he was handpicked by the people to represent them as the highest-ranking law officer in the county.  Instead, he has found himself in the middle of a fight for the future of American law enforcement as a result of a nationwide effort to abolish the sheriff's office altogether.

The Editor says...
Any time there is a power struggle like this, it's not good — for us.

IRS may be given the authority to restrict travel.  Imagine someday in the not too distant future having to apply for a government permit to sell your home and move somewhere else.  Imagine that you apply for and are denied a permit to visit your grandchildren in another state. ... Americans best sit up and take note of this new encroachment on our rights.

5 New Ways the IRS Is [Harshly and Unfairly Treating] America.  [#2]  The United States Senate on March 14th passed a transportation funding bill that contained a slipped-in section authorizing the "denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport" for anyone with "a seriously delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000."  The "revocation" bit is especially heinous:  Even the outrageous and barely-known State Department provision denying passports to those who owe $2,500 in back child support only deals with issuances and renewals.  Now the feds are apparently willing to actively hunt you down and take away your getaway card.

Freedom Is a Smoky Burnout.  How long before it becomes a crime to drive a pre-computer vehicle?

Five Ways that Barack Obama has Decimated the American Economy.  American businesses were vastly over-regulated before Obama got into office, but he has kicked things into high gear.  Hundreds of new regulations are being added each month.  There are different ways to estimate the staggering compliance cost for all of these regulations, but the numbers go as high as 84 billion dollars.  That's 84 billion dollars A YEAR that could be used to expand businesses, buy new equipment, and hire workers to increase production instead of doing paperwork for the federal government.

Supreme Court Ruling Allows Strip-Searches for Any Offense.  The Supreme Court on Monday ruled by a 5-to-4 vote that officials may strip-search people arrested for any offense, however minor, before admitting them to jails even if the officials have no reason to suspect the presence of contraband.  Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, joined by the court's conservative wing, wrote that courts are in no position to second-guess the judgments of correctional officials who must consider not only the possibility of smuggled weapons and drugs but also public health and information about gang affiliations.

Obama's power grab.  In short, the order gives Mr. Obama the ability to impose martial law.  He now possesses the potential powers of a dictator.  The order is a direct assault on individual liberties, private property rights and the rule of law.  It is blatantly unconstitutional.  The executive branch is arrogating responsibilities precluded by the Constitution without even asking the permission of Congress.  The order gives Mr. Obama a blank check to erect a centralized authoritarian state.  This is a law one would expect to find in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela or Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Martial Law Executive Order: History Should Cause Concern, Not Comfort.  This executive order is but the latest document in President Obama's ever-expanding dossier of dictatorship.  The National Defense Authorization Act permits the President to deploy the military to arrest and indefinitely detain American citizens without charge and without due process.  The Federal Restricted Buildings and Ground Improvement Act revokes the rights of speech and assembly protected by the First Amendment. ... Readers are encouraged to study the history of tyranny.  Demagogues are always crowned by the people with autocratic authority in response to the need for safety, particularly when faced with the exigencies of national emergencies.  Although its mention is nearly cliché, consider the example of Germany in the 1930s.

The Fear of Martial Law.  The President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, has generated so much fear that the most common theme of posted comments and private communications is that he will refuse to relinquish power if defeated in November or that, under some pretext, he will declare a state of martial law.  Many, myself included, did not like the Patriot Act that was enacted following 9/11 but there is little evidence that this law has been abused to deprive Americans of their fundamental rights and freedom, though surely some suspected of being terrorists were detained.  An Executive Order posted on the White House website on Friday, March 16, 2012, has generated a wave of fear.

The states recognize a threat on the horizon.
Virginia's Anti-NDAA Bill Set to Become Law; Ariz. Joins the Fight.  After agreeing to changes suggested by Governor Bob McDonnell, both houses of the state legislature of Virginia passed HB 1160, the bill sponsored (and shepherded) by Delegate Bob Marshall (left) that prohibits state officers and agents from participating in the unconstitutional detention of citizens of the Old Dominion.

Is the CIA in your kitchen?  The war on drugs has regrettably weakened the intended protections of the Fourth Amendment, and the Patriot Act — which permits federal agents to write their own search warrants — has dealt it a serious blow.  That act, which has not yet been ruled upon by the Supreme Court, fortunately has not yet animated the Supreme Court's privacy jurisprudence.  Last year, the court invalidated the police use of warrantless heat-seeking devices aimed at the home, and it will probably soon invalidate the warrantless use of GPS devices secretly planted by cops in cars. ... Relying on the Patriot Act, federal agents have written their own search warrants just like the British soldiers did [in the 18th century].  They have done this more than 250,000 times since 2001.

If our government can do this, what can they not do?  It's always fascinating when people on either side of a partisan divide give each other gifts.  Case in point:  President Obama's approval of a rule ordering Catholic institutions to offer insurance policies covering birth control, sterilization procedures and the morning after pill — all contrary to church teachings.  No one has fully explained why Obama took this step.

The CIA wants to spy on you through your TV.  When people download a film from Netflix to a flatscreen, or turn on web radio, they could be alerting unwanted watchers to exactly what they are doing and where they are.  Spies will no longer have to plant bugs in your home — the rise of 'connected' gadgets controlled by apps will mean that people 'bug' their own homes, says CIA director David Petraeus.  The CIA claims it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet — and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home.

CIA Chief: We'll Spy on You Through Your Dishwasher.  More and more personal and household devices are connecting to the internet, from your television to your car navigation systems to your light switches.  CIA Director David Petraeus cannot wait to spy on you through them.  Earlier this month, Petraeus mused about the emergence of an "Internet of Things" — that is, wired devices — at a summit for In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital firm.  "'Transformational' is an overused word, but I do believe it properly applies to these technologies," Petraeus enthused, "particularly to their effect on clandestine tradecraft."

US Secret Service Says No Anti-Obama Rallies Allowed!  When the US Secret Service discovered that the enterprising group of our Southeast New Mexico Patriots had, also, switched their plans and would drive to Roswell to engage in peaceful and Constitutionally allowed dissent against the Obama policies of the destruction of the United States of America, the SS began to put their respective feet down.  First, the SS made a strong request that the anti-Obama rally not occur... at all.  When the TEA Party members advised them that they still planned to do so, it was announced that the main road (Earl Cummings Loop) into and out of the Roswell airport would be closed.  In other words, ONLY the planned Obama sycophants, adherents and Adoration Groups will be allowed in... all others no longer have any free speech.

End The Tyranny — No Regulation Without Representation.  By 1760, our forefathers had popularized the slogan "no taxation without representation."  That was shorthand for their biggest complaint, that the government of Britain was imposing taxes on the colonists even though the colonists had no voice in the British Parliament.  They described it as a tyranny and our nation was born in the war fought over it.  Today, with Obama openly ruling through regulatory bureaucracies and without regard to Congress, justifying his acts by stating that "we can't wait" for Congress to act, our nation faces essentially the same problem of our 1750 colonialist forebearers — a tyranny.

Fifth Amendment Protects Suspects from Having to Decrypt Hard Drives.  Over time, whether one chooses to like it or not, governments may be forced to accept the reality that increasing amounts of data will remain beyond their abilities to successfully demand, regardless of sanctions and pressures applied to defendants or other interested parties.

Can the Secret Service Tell You To Shut Up?  When the Framers of the Constitution wrote the First Amendment, they lived in a society in which anyone could walk up to George Washington or John Adams or Thomas Jefferson on a public street and say directly to them whatever one wished.  They never dreamed of a regal-like force of armed agents keeping public officials away from the public, as we have today.  And they never imagined that it could be a felony for anyone to congregate in public within earshot or eyesight of certain government officials.  And yet, today in America, it is.

Another Brick Removed.  HR 347 was recently signed into law by President Obama.  This statute had wide support amongst both parties of Congress.  In essence, it criminalizes disruptive behavior upon government grounds, at specially designated national events (Super Bowl, nominating conventions, etc.) and anywhere that Secret Service is protecting "any" person.  Obviously, the goal of this law is to enhance the ability of the Secret Service to protect those persons it is charged to do so; but in extending this power, this law eviscerates the citizens' rights to assemble and petition under the First Amendment.

Business Owner Threatened with Jail Time for Flying American Flag.  A Georgia man was slapped with a ticket and threatened with jail time after he refused to remove an American flag that's been flying outside his business for more than thirty years.  An Albany code enforcement officer alleged that Tom Gieryic's flag was in violation of the city's sign ordinance.  The standard size American flag was posted on a pole outside Gieryic's automotive repair shop.

Justice Department to Force Public Pools to Install Elevators.  A new regulation from the Justice Department will require "public-access swimming pools across the country to install handicapped-accessible ramps and lifts or face a fine of up to $100,000," the Hill reports.  This regulation could cost "hotels and other organizations ...to spend up to $9,000 to stay in compliance with the rule."

Poolmageddon.  Today [3/14/2012] is "Poolmageddon" — the day when sweeping new regulations governing the provision of handicapped lifts for public swimming pools go into effect.  The rule, which Eric Holder's Justice Department somehow found time to promulgate in between gun-running excursions to Mexico, says that "all public access swimming pools must provide a lift capable of moving disabled patrons from their wheelchairs into the water," according to the Washington Examiner.

"Poolmageddon" postponed 60 days by our merciful Justice Department.  CNN brings us the joyous news that our wise and compassionate masters have realized their latest hyper-regulations might be just a wee bit difficult to comply with — by which I mean, "physically impossible" — and have generously allowed us an extra 60 whole days to get with the program.

Thanks again, Obama voters.
ObamaCare Subjects Nearly Every Phone and Computer to Government Control.  On July 19, 2011, the Obama Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff on Mobile Medical Applications[, i.e.,] our smartphone, tablet and computer apps.  The Obama Administration — the most unilateral-power-grab Presidency in our nation's history — is asserting that these mobile medical apps may pose "risks."  And thusly should be regulated as medical devices.

Those 'Rogue' Prosecutors.  North Carolina has no Speedy Trial law; a suspect may literally be jailed for years before trial.  Grand juries keep no transcripts, and a defendant indicted by a grand jury has no right to a probable cause hearing where he may contest the jury's conclusions.  In practice, a district attorney may accuse anyone before a grand jury, falsify evidence to get an indictment, and then hold his targeted suspect for years before releasing him.  This gives a prosecutor almost unlimited power to pressure defendants into accepting plea deals and inculcates in them a sense of invincibility.

Congress Passes Bill Severely Curtailing First Amendment Liberties.  A bill has just passed the House and the Senate that criminalizes protests anywhere near the presence of a designated government official.  On Monday [2/27/2012], the U.S. House of Representatives voted nearly unanimously (388-3) in favor of H.R. 347, the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011.  As part of this legislation, Congress expressly forbids trespass onto the grounds of the White House.  Many likely believe that such a law already existed and they are right.  The controversial aspect of this bill's restatement of that statute is that it expands the scope of the federal government's authority to bring charges against those deemed trespassers at any location placed provisionally under the jurisdiction of the Secret Service.  The present state of the law prosecutes White House trespassers under a local Washington, D.C. ordinance.  Prior to this latest federal action, violation of this ordinance was a misdemeanor.

Protests Near Secret Service Protected Folk Effectively Outlawed.  In case you question the value of having a Justin Amash or a Ron Paul in the House of Representatives, they were two of only three votes against H.R. 347, the "Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011." ... Although [Secret Service] protection isn't extended to just everybody, making it a federal offense to even accidently disrupt an event attended by a person with such status essentially crushes whatever currently remains of the right to assemble and peacefully protest.

Obama is judge, jury and executioner.  In a speech to students at the Northwestern School of Law, Holder asserted that Barack Obama had the lawful power to order "the killing of American citizens overseas" if the president believes, based on secret information, that the American citizen is an "operational leader of al-Qaeda."  Holder went on to state that the presidential power to declare an American citizen an enemy of the state based on secret information and order the death of that person was sufficient "due process."  He declared that the "Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process" overturning 200 years of settled case law in one sentence.

Surveillance without proper authority is illegal.  On June 2, 2009, a janitor in an office building in New Brunswick, N.J., noticed what he thought was terrorist-related literature and sophisticated surveillance equipment in an office he had been assigned to clean.  He told his boss, who called the local police, who notified the FBI.  Later in the day, the FBI and the New Brunswick police broke into the office and discovered five men busily operating the equipment.  Four of the men were officers from the New York City Police Department, and the fifth was a CIA agent.  The conundrum faced by all of these public servants soon became apparent.  Who should arrest whom?

Paying Cash for that Latte? It May Land You on FBI's Terrorist List.  Really?  Yes, crazy as it sounds, in our post-9/11 snitch/spy/surveillance society, if you "always pay cash," you may be marked as a potential terrorist.  That's according to an FBI flyer that appears to be aimed at proprietors and employees of Internet cafés.

Church Ordered to Stop Giving Away Free Water.  A Louisiana church was ordered to stop giving away free water along Mardi Gras parade routes because they did not have the proper permits.  "We were given a cease and desist order," said Matt Tipton, pastor of Hope Church in Metairie, LA.  "We had no idea we were breaking the law."

Death of a nation.  It was bad enough when the Congress told all citizens of this country that we did not control our own health destiny — that we either accepted the dictates of the government or would be fined accordingly.  But now, to be told that the state controls not only our medical choices but also our moral choices — that is really too much to bear.

The Rising Fever of Despotism.  Nowhere in the Constitution do we find that Executive branch appointees, such as those comfortably ensconced at HHS, EPA, or Treasury may write laws that the people are expected to obey.  Congress and her law-writing committees were once responsible for actually writing all the Federal laws and regulations, down to the smallest detail.  Now Congress passes two thousand pages of overview legislation that specifically permits the unelected, unappointed, and unconfirmed bureaucrats to add cauldrons full of the devil brew to the details of new legislation.  The Founders of this country would be aghast at the powers so easily forfeited by Congress and hoarded by the Executive branch.

Impeach Them All.  The government has now grown to Leviathan proportions.  It is into everything from light bulbs to toilets and every other aspect of our lives.  No business is immune from inane and arbitrary bureaucratic regulations, most of which make no economic, environmental or occupational sense.  Faceless bureaucrats now run your life and your business, believing they are more knowledgeable and trustworthy than you.  Via force they have slowly crippled the productivity of American workers and companies.  In doing so, they raise the cost of living for all citizens.

California's New Frisbee Law Just Latest Attempt to Raise Cash.  This week, Los Angeles County okayed a new regulation banning the throwing of Frisbees or footballs on the beaches — which, of course, destroys the purpose of living in Southern California in the first place.  The first offense will earn you a hefty $100 fine; the second, $200; the third and beyond, $500.  You can, of course, apply for a permit.  For parents with industrious children, holes deeper than 18 inches are also banned — so get your kids the cheap plastic shovels or pay a fine.

LA County OKs $1,000 Fine For Throwing Football, Frisbee On Beaches.  When you head down to the beach for a little fun this summer, county officials want you to know about some updated rules.  The Board of Supervisors this week agreed to lift an all-out ban on playing with footballs, other balls and Frisbees on the beach, according to a media statement released by the L.A. County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Los Angeles County Bans Frisbees on Beaches.  The moonbat micromanagers ruling La-La Land must finally be running out of things to ban.  Now they're suppressing fun on the beach.

Mark Levin: We're Living In A Post-Constitutional America.  We are not a representative republic really in the true sense anymore.  We have this massive administrative state with, you know, hundreds of thousands if not several million bureaucrats who are making laws and issuing them every day, 80,000 pages last year.  So that's not a representative republic.

On the Church, the Military, and the Descent into Tyranny.  If a chaplain can be commanded to change his archbishop's letter calling a government policy unjust; if he can be called seditious for reading the letter; if he can be commanded to change or expurgate the words of his spiritual superior, the archbishop; if the archbishop himself can be commanded to censor statements about Church doctrines and practices, then religious freedom and free speech in this country are dead, and no American is safe from attack by his own government.

Homeland Security: You're All 'Militia Extremists' Now.  A recently published "lexicon" distributed to thousands of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) targets citizens concerned about their Second Amendment rights and the steady encroachment of the federal government, categorizing such as "militia extremists." ... So what drives militia extremism according to DHS now is "belief that the government deliberately is stripping Americans of their freedoms."  It is demonstrated by opposing "many federal and state authorities' laws and regulations, (particularly those related to firearms ownership)."  Would writing about those topics (as I am now) fall under "facilitation"?

The Military Is Now Telling Catholic Chaplains What They Can And Can't Say About The Obama Administration.  All the bishops in the country sent out a letter to be read in their parishes promising that the Church "cannot — and will not — comply with this unjust law."  Even Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is in charge of Catholic military chaplains sent out the same letter.  But after he did, the Army's Office of the Chief of Chaplains sent out another communication forbidding Catholic priests to read the letter, in part because it seemed to encourage civil disobedience, and could be read as seditious against the Commander-in-Chief.

How states are restricting political speech.  Dina Galassini does not seem to pose a threat to Arizona's civic integrity.  But the government of this desert community believes that you cannot be too careful.  And state law empowers local governments to be vigilant against the lurking danger that political speech might occur before the speakers notify the government and comply with all the speech rules.

Obey the feds or else.  We have a socialist President and an aggressive Administration where disobedience to its new rules will be severly punished.  And, shockingly, such disobedience is already being punished in a park near you.  A single event can beautifully illuminate the darkness ahead.

Labor Dept. Targets the Family Farm.  Yes, sometimes the work is dangerous and accidents do happen.  They can be serious, even fatal.  But the rewards of the culture of the family farm have long been believed to far outweigh the risks, and government historically left parenting and farm family life alone.  That's about to change.  The Obama Administration is proposing to use the force of federal law to usurp the judgment of farm parents and replace it with government regulations.  Led by big labor, union advocate Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor, the Administration is proposing a sweeping set of new rules ... Solis believes that some farm work is "too hazardous for children to be engaged in."  How she knows this is anyone's guess since she apparently has never lived or worked on a farm, nor do we find any evidence that she has children of her own.

Neither liberty nor safety.  Obama's FBI has obtained a court order against an American woman accused of mortgage fraud to force her to decrypt her PGP-scrambled hard drive so that the FBI can fish around without a warrant in her personal computer for incriminating evidence.  The judge said the Fifth Amendment did not apply.  For Obama, the Constitution (that "list of negative rights") does not apply whenever it acts to restrain his objectives.

Neither liberty nor safety.  "No Child Left Behind" has been expanded to collect not only student test scores and grades, but the government now keeps permanent records on students' disciplinary actions, economic status, and even pregnancies.  Worse, the feds discourage the states from allowing parents to access these "permanent records."  What police state has ever done without such record keeping?

Religious intolerance, California-style.  The Obama administration proved Friday that California laws continue to have national influence.  But this time, the pattern has wrought a serious violation of the First Amendment protection for religious liberty.

Do President Obama and his fellow Democrats seriously believe that "government should not intrude on private family matters?"  Let us count the ways!
Obama's Government vs. Your Family:  [Scroll down]  The idea that liberal Democrats like Barack Obama regard anything as a "private family matter" is ludicrous.  As far as they are concerned, every single thing that you and your family do is a proper subject for government regulation.  The doctrine of "choice" ends once your child is born.  If you think that there is some other aspect of your life, or your family's that is so personal and so private that the Democrats couldn't possibly want to regulate and control it — well, then, you are a fool.

Why is it necessary to conduct military exercises in a big city?
LA Military Exercises.  The training, which a department official said would involve helicopters, has been coordinated with local authorities and owners of the training sites, police said.  Police said safety precautions have been taken to prevent risk to the general public and military personnel involved.  The exercises are closed to the public, police said.

Obama and his Syndicate.  [Scroll down]  Now the extremely bad news for US citizens.  First, on 19 January 2012, multiple videos were made of a shipment — via rail — of hundreds of Bradley armored vehicles and related equipment moving from Northern California Southward. ... The US military, Department of Homeland Security and LOCAL Police are conducting "urban warfare exercises" in recent and unprecedented "showings of force" under the now undeniable (by any intelligent beings) Dictator-in-Chief Barack Hussein Obama.  These military forces are inhabiting the streets and air of and over Los Angeles, Boston, Little Rock, Miami and Colorado amongst others.

The Case Against Driver's Licenses:  Even a person merely walking down the street, having committed no crime, can be compelled to produce his ID.  And if that person lacks an ID, that person will very likely be arrested on the spot and held until his identity is ascertained.  This is the reality of Homeland America.  You must have permission to move.  You do not move freely.  Even if you are walking.

Moisturizing the EPA.  The Sacketts had purchased a small lot in Priest Lake, Idaho, to build their home.  The lot was in a residential area and they obtained all the necessary permits, graded the lot, and dumped gravel for the foundation.  Then the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suddenly declared their lot a federally protected wetland under the Clean Water Act, and told the Sacketts they must restore it to pristine condition or face a fine of $37,500 per day.  They were told they could not appeal until they had exhausted all administrative remedies.

FEMA lives at your house.  FEMA is stocking barbed wire camps with food and water as if they are expecting lots of company.  The government does not need to round up people via FEMA.  They already have the ability to control you in your own home.  Government now knows through Smart Meters when you're home or away; how much power you use and effectively curtails your ability to choose certain products, like Mr. Edison's incandescent light bulb.  The Big Government noose around the neck of its citizens has been tightening all along.  The government made a FEMA prison camp out of your home a long time ago.

A Fine for Not Using a Biofuel That Doesn't Exist.  When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law.  But there was none to be had.  Outside a handful of laboratories and workshops, the ingredient, cellulosic biofuel, does not exist.

EPA Fines Companies Because They Didn't Use A Fuel That Doesn't Exist.  The Orwellian nightmare of running a business in the shadow of the Obama Administration is nicely captured in this story from the New York Times, which explains why motor fuel companies are about to be fined $6.8 million for failure to use a biofuel that does not exist.

More about the EPA.

Obama's Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps.  [#4]  Set up an internal surveillance system.  Obama has set up and is setting up a heavy internet surveillance.  DHS has special spy technology capable of seeing through walls and has vans cruising city streets, spying on Americans indiscriminately.  And don't forget Obama's "Truth Squad" in Missouri, where elected Democrats were cruising the internet looking for examples of "misrepresentations" and threatening to use legal means to suppress opponent's "Lies."

Feds Want Judge to Force Suspect to Give Up Laptop Password.  Federal prosecutors want a judge to order a Colorado woman to provide the password to decrypt her laptop, which the government seized with a search warrant.  With backup from digital rights groups, the woman is fighting the feds, arguing that being forced to provide her password violates the Fifth Amendment's protection against forced self-incrimination.

Judge Orders Defendant to Decrypt Laptop.  A judge on Monday [1/23/2012] ordered a Colorado woman to decrypt her laptop computer so prosecutors can use the files against her in a criminal case.  The defendant, accused of bank fraud, had unsuccessfully argued that being forced to do so violates the Fifth Amendment's protection against compelled self-incrimination.  "I conclude that the Fifth Amendment is not implicated by requiring production of the unencrypted contents of the Toshiba Satellite M305 laptop computer," Colorado U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn ruled Monday [1/23/2012].

'Disappearing' dissenters in Obama's new Amerika.  Patriots, who long clung to the hope that in the end the US military would be on the side of the people, will now live in the real fear of being nabbed off their streets by the military and packed off to Gitmo.  The effects of this bill on American society are truly monstrous and were birthed by someone with a never-ending evil hatred of America and its people.

Connecting the dots on the National Defense Authorization Act.  While much of the bill deals with the mundane, sections 1031 and 1032 are raising the concerns of many, including some unlikely allies.  In plain speak, those sections of the bill broadly classifies certain U.S. citizens as terrorists, and allow for military intervention against such citizens on U.S. soil.  The language of the bill is cumbersome and difficult to assess, thus creating some plausible deniability for those who support this piece of draconian legislation.  Representative Justin Amash (D-MI) apparently agrees.  According to Rep. Amash, the language of the bill is "carefully crafted to mislead the public."

The NDAA and Suspension of Habeas Corpus: Not Just for "Enemy Combatants" Anymore.  Remember all those neocons and Republicans who cheered George W. Bush's "indefinite detainment" of "enemy combatants"?  Many of them — though, amazingly, not all — have lost their enthusiasm for trampling the Constitution now that Obama's administration has suspended habeas corpus for American citizens, too, with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA).

Obama on Guns:  [Scroll down]  In fact, there is an undercurrent of Americans who are sick and tired of politicians turning their backs on the Constitution in their attempts to manage our lives and money, and are calling, no screaming, for a return of Constitutional principles of governing.  Now if those same politicians who turn a blind eye to the constraints placed upon them in the Constitution are successful in taking our guns away, we will find an America vulnerable to tyrannical government; a situation that will mark the beginning of the end of our Republic.

Tweeting the word 'drill' could mean your Twitter account is read by U.S. government spies.  The Department of Homeland Security makes fake Twitter and Facebook profiles for the specific purpose of scanning the networks for 'sensitive' words — and tracking people who use them.  Simply using a word or phrase from the DHS's 'watch' list could mean that spies from the government read your posts, investigate your account, and attempt to identify you from it, acccording to an online privacy group.

The Editor says...
In many other countries, you might be in big trouble if you merely mentioned a word like "dynamite" in your e-mail or telephone conversations.  We in the United States should have the freedom to communicate with almost any combination of words and phrases, especially if those words and sentences are not used in a manner which is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, or defamatory, and as long as these words and sentences do not encourage conduct that would constitute a criminal offense.  Of course, if you're writing to a soldier overseas during a war, naturally your mail will be opened and read before it gets to its destination.  Just in the last 20 years or so, some governments around the world have begun to sift through every email and phone call, especially the ones travelling across international borders.  In the United States, there are fairly well-known systems in place to do this 24 hours a days and report suspicious words and phrases if any are detected.

Obama's Freeloader Economy.  Whether it is bullying people to buy mercury-filled light bulbs, or bullying Boeing to sign up for more union labor, or bullying people into government health care, or forcing the American people to pay good money to crony solar and wind capitalists, or jacking up the price of energy to save the planet, or bullying millionaires and billionaires into coughing up more taxes, it's the new dance at the predator's ball.

The Hitman Cometh.  When the first citizen was felled by President Obama's new citizen assassination program, the act was lauded by members of both parties as a tough and needed measure to successfully prosecute the war on terror.  I counseled that this new and self-declared power would quickly morph into something dangerous to both democratic dialogue and the expression of ideas, potentially putting anyone with the temerity to criticize the President at risk.  Since no one has seen the names of the persons supposedly on the classified "hit list," there is no accountability in the way the new program is leveraged or organized.

DC Resident Fined Thousands For Not Recycling Cat Litter.  Dupont Circle resident Patricia White says she has been fined eight times for throwing homemade cat litter in her trash.  The fines total $2,000.  White says she shreds old newspaper and junk mail to use as cat litter.  She believes she is helping the environment by reusing the paper and avoiding cat litter you will find in stores.  After being fined several times, White says she called the Department of Public Works inspector who issued the tickets.  According to White, the inspector admitted to digging through trash looking for violations.

Obama's Standing Army of Regulators among Us.  The Third Amendment, prohibiting the quartering of government troops in peacetime in private homes, seems irrelevant in modern times.  Yet how is the intrusion of government regulators into every corner of our lives substantively different from quartering troops in our homes without our consent?  While Americans have clashed in sharp debate over taxation from the very beginning, government regulation has, oddly enough, escaped scrutiny.  Yet regulators' destruction of a vibrant economy by strangling industry and commerce while depriving owners of their private property rights is as toxic and pervasive as taxation.

Washington doesn't need to regulate rain.  If the Supreme Court declines to review it, a recent ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco will put federal courts into the business of managing every acre of privately owned timberland in America.  Farmers beware.  You could be next.  In May, the 9th Circuit determined that rainwater draining from forest roads into local streams, rivers and lakes is "point source pollution."  As such, it must be regulated in the same way effluent from sewage-treatment plants is regulated.  To make a long story short, rainwater that accumulates alongside logging roads has become a new target of environmental litigators.  Several lawsuits were filed within days of the 9th Circuit's decision.

Indefinite Detention and American Citizens.  I, like most Americans, want to ensure that we punish and prevent terrorism.  However, we must do so in a way that protects the rights of American citizens.  In his recent column, Andrew C. McCarthy simply has his facts wrong when he claims that last week's Senate debate on the 2012 defense-authorization bill was not about American citizens.  It was.

Top 10 Most Needed Government Reforms.  [#5]  Reduce regulations:  America is drowning in red tape, which is choking the entrepreneurial spirit of small businesses and hampering job creation.  The best way to get the economy moving again is to relieve the regulatory burden dumped on the private sector by overbearing federal bureaucrats.

Justice Dept. Targets Freedom of Information Act.  With the U.S. Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder continually under fire these days, it was something of a surprise, even to Capitol Hill insiders, that the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, is now in the crosshairs, and that new rules are being advanced not only to deny the public access to documents, but to lie outright, telling requesters that either the documents never existed or don't exist now.

Secret Bill To Be Voted On Today Would Allow The Military To Sweep Up US Citizens At Home Or Abroad.  Either Monday or Tuesday [November 28/29, 2011] the Senate will vote on a bill that allows the US military to imprison civilians with no formal charges and hold them with no trial.  The ACLU reports even US citizens wouldn't be immune as the legislation aims to declare national territory part of the "battlefield" in the War on Terror.

The Declaration of Independence Defines Our Principles.  Is it not sad that the most fundamental aspects of our ability to live as a free people boil down these days to how nine Supreme Court justices choose to read and interpret a word or phrase?  Is it not sad that most basic violations of individual liberty are not intuitively obvious to so many citizens and members of Congress?  Or perhaps even sadder, that liberty may no longer be the objective?

Hydrophophia.  Americans retain control over their government, throwing the bums out from time to time.  But do we?  80,000 pages of regulations were published last year at the Federal level, alone.  That's just over 220 pages per day.  An unknown number of these federal regulations specify penalties for non-compliance, up to and including jail time.  Do any of them affect you?  Are you sure?  In reality, it is very likely you've already committed a federal crime or punishable infraction, and the day is young.

DOJ: Lying on Match.com needs to be a crime.  The U.S. Department of Justice is defending computer hacking laws that make it a crime to use a fake name on Facebook or lie about your weight in an online dating profile at a site like Match.com.

Members of Congress get away with activities that would send you or me to prison.
The Wonk Who Slays Washington.  [Peter] Schweizer had been struck by the fact that members of Congress are free to buy and sell stocks in companies whose fate can be profoundly influenced, or even determined, by Washington policy, and he wondered, do these ultimate insiders act on what they know?  Yes, Schweizer found, they certainly seem to.  Schweizer's research revealed that some of Congress's most prominent members are in a position to routinely engage in what amounts to a legal form of insider trading, profiting from investment activity that, he says, "would send the rest of us to prison."

Justice Breyer warns of Orwellian government.  A Supreme Court justice on Tuesday [11/8/2011] expressed major concerns that the government would engage in round-the-clock surveillance reminiscent of the totalitarian world of the George Orwell novel 1984 if the court ruled in the government's favor.  The court heard oral arguments in the Jones case, in which the outcome will determine whether warrantless GPS tracking by law enforcement is an invasion of Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

Why the Supreme Court GPS Decision Won't Stop Warrantless Digital Surveillance:  On January 23 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that law enforcement authorities do not generally have a right to affix a GPS tracking device to a suspect's car without first obtaining a valid warrant.  Of the many things that can be said about the case, which has been called the most important Fourth Amendment test in a decade, perhaps the most sobering in the long run will be this:  the decision is based on technology assumptions that are rapidly becoming irrelevant.

Levin: U.S. Has Become A 'Post-Constitutional Gov't' Heading For 'Utopian Tyranny'.  Speaking at the Americans For Prosperity (AFP) event at the DC Convention Center on Nov. 5, [Mark] Levin said the U.S. has become "a Post-Constitutional government transitioning into an increasingly Utopian tyranny."

Supreme Court justice: Warrantless GPS tracking 'sounds like 1984'.  The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in United States v. Jones, a case that will determine whether the government has the right to use GPS devices to track the locations of criminal suspects without a warrant.  Several justices reportedly expressed concern over the government's argument, but Justice Stephen Breyer seemed particularly unnerved, bringing George Orwell into the legal debate.

When Did It Become Legal to Spy on Americans?  It just got easier for the federal government to collect information about innocent Americans — and those Americans have had surprisingly little say in the matter.  On October 15, the FBI reportedly implemented new rules that relax restrictions on, and oversight of, the FBI's intelligence collection activities.  Although they are not available to the public, reports indicate the changes permit FBI agents to search an individual's trash with the goal of finding material that might pressure him into becoming a government informant, grant agents the authority to search commercial or law enforcement databases without first opening an investigation, and reduce the type of investigations subjected to heightened oversight because of their relationship to protected First Amendment expression, association, or religious practice.

When Government Knows No Limitation: New DOJ Rules Allow More Intrusive Searches.  Shouldn't law-abiding citizens be able to live their lives free from the fear that our own government would underhandedly manipulate our rights in their pursuit of an investigation?  After all, the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution enumerates a limitation on the federal government, one that prevents "unreasonable search and seizure."  Today, this enumerated protection is being ignored by — of all institutions — the U.S. Justice Department, under the darkened shadow of Attorney General Eric Holder.

TSA's power grope.  As part of a "statewide safety operation," TSA employees fondled travelers at bus terminals in Nashville and Knoxville, hunting for "security threats."  Truckers were harassed at four Volunteer State highway locations between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. — prime time for terrorism, apparently.  Brian Gamble, a Florida firefighter, caught one of these intrusive VIPR operations on video after he got off a train in Savannah, Ga., earlier this year.  "They had the scanners and everything there," Mr. Gamble told The Washington Times.  "They had them pull up their shirts, patted them down, wanded them.  There were a couple ladies in our group getting searched. ... It's kinda ridiculous when you're coming off a train — it doesn't make any sense."

The FBI's latest assault on our privacy.  The FBI wants to track us using its new facial recognition system.  No, really.  The bureau is set to roll it out as early as January.  It's part of the FBI's "Next Generation Identification" program.  And according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), FBI officials explained at a biometric conference last year that one of the agency's goals is "for the program to be able to track people as they move from one location to another."  The FBI's fingerprint database now includes records on nearly one-third of Americans.  But it's now being expanded to include all sorts of biometric information, such as palm prints, iris scans, even voice information.

Bill Approved To Create Massive Surveillance Database Of Internet Users.  Legislation that will force Internet providers to store information on all their customers and share it with the federal government and law enforcement agencies was significantly beefed at the last minute yesterday and approved by a U.S. House of Representatives committee.  Under the guise of protecting children from internet pornographers, the House Judiciary committee voted 19-10 to approve a bill that will require Internet Service Providers to store temporarily assigned IP addresses for future government use.

OSHA is another Obama agency gone rogue.  [Scroll down]  OSHA has issued this directive under the assumption that a vague clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act gives OSHA the power to cite employers for something as specific and unpredictable as workplace violence.  Known as the "General Duty Clause," this provision requires employers to keep their workplaces "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm" to employees.  Congress intended for this clause to be used only as a temporary measure, until OSHA could draft rules regarding specific hazards that had the agency had not yet addressed.  It was not intended to be used as a means for OSHA to issue citations for anything under the sun.

Why not $100?
Arizona prisons charge visitors $25 to see inmates.  Visitors to Arizona prison are being charged $25 to see inmates in a move believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S., it has emerged.  Relatives and friends of prisoners arriving at the jail have to pay the one-off 'background check fee' on their first visit.

Judge OKs warrantless tracking of suspect's cellphone.  Investigators seeking the location history of an armed robbery suspect's cellphone aren't required to obtain a search warrant before compelling the carrier to turn over the information, a federal judge has ruled.  The decision, issued by US District Judge Royce C. Lamberth of the District of Columbia, said the Stored Communications Act doesn't require investigators to get a warrant based on probable cause to access the suspect's location history pulled from cellphone towers.

More about the police using your cell phone to collect evidence against you.

Phoenix Cops Raid Blogger Critical of Police.  In what should send a frightening chill down the spine of every blogger, writer, journalist and First Amendment advocate in the United States, Phoenix police raided the home of a blogger who has been highly critical of the department.  Jeff Pataky, who runs Bad Phoenix Cops, said the officers confiscated three computers, routers, modems, hard drives, memory cards and everything necessary to continue blogging.  The 41-year-old software engineer said they also confiscated numerous personal files and documents relating to a pending lawsuit he has against the department alleging harassment — which he says makes it obvious the raid was an act of retaliation.

Jackson, Jr: Obama should 'declare a national emergency,' add jobs with 'extra-constitutional' action.  Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. told The Daily Caller on Wednesday that congressional opposition to the American Jobs Act is akin to the Confederate "states in rebellion."  Jackson called for full government employment of the 15 million unemployed and said that Obama should "declare a national emergency" and take "extra-constitutional" action "administratively" — without the approval of Congress — to tackle unemployment.  "I hope the president continues to exercise extraordinary constitutional means, based on the history of Congresses that have been in rebellion in the past," Jackson said.

Rivals from both sides slam Jackson's call to bypass the Constitution.  Political firebrands hit Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. from both his left and his right Thursday afternoon [10/13/2011], reacting to the Illinois congressman's call for the president to bypass the Constitution to deal with the jobs crisis.  During a Wednesday interview with The Daily Caller, Jackson said President Obama should "declare a national emergency" and use "extra-constitutional" measures to create jobs.

Gov't cameras in your car? E-toll patent hints at Big Brotherish future.  Imagine that you couldn't drive on major highways without agreeing to put a camera in your car — one that could film either the occupants or the vehicle's surroundings and transmit the images back to a central office for inspection.  You don't have to read George Orwell to conjure up such an ominous surveillance state.  You just have to skim through filings at the U.S. Patent Office.  It's hard to imagine Americans would tolerate such a direct, Big-Brotherish intrusion.  But they might not notice if the all-seeing cameras were tucked inside another kind of government tracking technology that millions of Americans have already invited into their cars.

DOJ: Feds Can Tell Church Who Its Ministers Will Be.  In yet another stunning attack on freedom of religion, President Barack Obama's Justice Department asked the Supreme Court last week to give the federal government the power to tell a church who its ministers will be.  The case involves a former teacher at Lutheran school, who along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is pushing a claim that a Lutheran congregation should be forced to restore her ministry position.

CA couple ordered by city not to hold home Bible study.  Snooping around garage sales, regulating kids' lemonade stands — anything the government wants to do, can do, it will do.  Who's going to stop it?

State V. Church At High Court.  When government can make the rules for communities of faith, there's little else that stands in its way.  One such threat comes from an Obama administration that is trying to limit the hiring and firing powers of religious institutions.  It has taken up the cause of a teacher, Cheryl Perich, who was fired by a church-run Lutheran school in Michigan after filing a suit under federal disability law.

White House Won't Comment on Reuters Story About Secret 'Kill List' Panel.  Reuters' Mark Hosenball today [10/6/2011] reported that:  "American militants like Anwar al-Awlaki are placed on a kill or capture list by a secretive panel of senior government officials, which then informs the president of its decisions, according to officials.  There is no public record of the operations or decisions of the panel, which is a subset of the White House's National Security Council, several current and former officials said.  Neither is there any law establishing its existence or setting out the rules by which it is supposed to operate."

Senate Dems strip Republicans of power.  Senate Republicans tried to embarrass Democrats who don't support President Obama's job bill by forcing a vote on the measure Thursday [10/6/2011], but Democrats responded by stripping Republicans of legislative power.  The GOP tried to force Democrats to vote on Obama's $447 billion jobs-creation bill to prove that even the president's own party doesn't support the proposal.

Reid triggers 'nuclear option' to change Senate rules, end repeat filibusters.  In a shocking development Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered a rarely used procedural option informally called the "nuclear option" to change the Senate rules.  Reid and 50 members of his caucus voted to change Senate rules unilaterally to prevent Republicans from forcing votes on uncomfortable amendments after the chamber has voted to move to final passage of a bill.  Reid's coup passed by a vote of 51-48, leaving Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) fuming.

Obama: Banks Don't Have 'Inherent Right' to 'Certain Amount of Profit'.  President Obama suggested on Monday [10/3/2011] that the nation's banks should "take a little bit less of a profit" rather than raise fees on customers.  In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Obama was asked if the government can stop banks from imposing a new debit card fee on their customers.

This quote is being posted from multiple sources just so nobody can deny its authenticity.
Perdue suggests suspending Congressional elections for two years — was she serious?  Speaking to a Cary Rotary Club today [9/27/2011], N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue suggested suspending Congressional elections for two years so that Congress can focus on economic recovery and not the next election.  "I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover.  I really hope that someone can agree with me on that," Perdue said.  "You want people who don't worry about the next election."

Democrat Governor Bev Perdue of NC Wasn't Joking.  We have the audio of Bev Perdue suggesting the elections be canceled and she's not joking, as you will hear, and it's quite interesting.  The Democrats, the more they get in trouble, and the more that things unravel, the more they show us who they really are.  She's not the first one suggesting we cancel the elections.  Peter Orszag, the former budget director of the White House, suggested pretty much the same thing in the New Republic last week.

Democrats Emerge From Closet, Oppose Democracy.  How many Democrats are National Socialists at heart?  Quite a few, I suspect, and every now and then the Democrats' totalitarian urges break through to the surface.  Thus, we have the Governor of North Carolina, Bev Perdue, suggesting that we "ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years."  The press assures us that she was just kidding.  I would modestly submit that suspending elections is not something an elected executive should kid about.

Dem Governor suggests suspending elections.  During the Civil War elections were not suspended.  During the worst of the "Long Depression" (the Panic of 1873 until 1879) no elections were suspended.  And during the Great Depression, (1929 to 1939) no elections were suspended.  Why now?  What event has occurred that even warrants such obscene speculation?  ObamaCare.  The far left cannot have a new, and hopefully more conservative, Congress (House and Senate) repeal ObamaCare, as it is their not-so stealthy vehicle on which the far-left bases its hopes of destroying our Constitutional Republic.

(Un)Democratic.  Peter Orszag, formerly Obama's budget director and now a vice chairman at Citigroup, recently penned a column in the New Republic titled:  "Too Much of a Good Thing: Why We Need Less Democracy."  No joke, folks.  "To counter gridlock," he wrote, we may need to make our political institutions "a little less democratic."  "A little less democratic"?  As in you no longer have the right to object to what the government does?  Seems Hitler, Stalin and Mao tried that, but it didn't work out.  That's bad enough.  But North Carolina's Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue stuck her foot in it too, suggesting "we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years" so it can run up trillions more debt.

What was Bev Perdue thinking?  On Tuesday [9/27/2011], during a Q & A at a rotary club meeting, North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue (D) made a very odd suggestion.  Asked what she could do to turn around the economy, Perdue gave a rambling, two-minute answer that included this tidbit:  "I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover.  I really hope that someone can agree with me on that.  You want people who don't worry about the next election."

Warning: The threat of suspended elections is real.  It is crucial to not let this day go down without remembering what Perdue said.  Don't let the state-controlled mainstream media lure you back to sleep by saying if there is no election, then why is Obama so diligently campaigning.  Obama is not campaigning.  He is preparing for Stage Two of the Total Transformation of America, using taxpayer money to prepare his Internet-identified "troops" for the coming Marxist Revolution.  He must not be allowed to get away with it.

Democrat Strategies Right Out Of V.I. Lenin Playbook.  Vladimir Lenin, leader of the socialist revolution in Russia, published multiple tutorials for like-minded revolutionaries around the world.  Someone in the Obama administration must be familiar with his writings. ... The theme of "broken government" is popular among liberals — so much so that the governor of North Carolina, Bev Perdue, recently said:  "I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover."  Peter Orszag, former director of President Obama's Office of Management & Budget, wrote an article titled "Too Much of a Good Thing — Why We Need Less Democracy."  Top mainstream Democrats such as Purdue and Orszag are in alignment with Lenin's teachings.

As Federal Crime List Grows, Threshold of Guilt Declines.  For centuries, a bedrock principle of criminal law has held that people must know they are doing something wrong before they can be found guilty.  The concept is known as mens rea, Latin for a "guilty mind."  This legal protection is now being eroded as the U.S. federal criminal code dramatically swells.  In recent decades, Congress has repeatedly crafted laws that weaken or disregard the notion of criminal intent.  Today not only are there thousands more criminal laws than before, but it is easier to fall afoul of them.

If Obamacare prevails, then what's to prevent Obamajobs?  Liberals assure us that we need not fear the Obamacare individual mandate.  It's simply a way to ensure that individuals behave responsibly, they say.  Fine, if it's such a great idea, then let's mandate that every individual be responsible and get a job.  Unemployment problem solved.

Serfs in Warrenville.  Elizabeth Warren is unsurprisingly a lawyer, even less surprisingly, a Harvard Law professor, still less surprisingly, she had a string of government appointments on influential committees.  Her resume is representative of how unrepresentative Harvard lawyers with government connections are to the people on whose behalf they claim to have abolished private property.

Manufacturers sue NLRB over union poster rule.  The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has sued the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to stop a new regulation by the board that would require employers to post notices informing their workers of their right to organize a union.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Sets an Unusual Standard.  In response to attacks on researchers by animal-rights activists, Congress in 2006 passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act.  The bill made a critical change to the legislation it replaced:  Demonstrators could now earn a sentence in federal prison if the target of their attention felt threatened, regardless of the protesters' actual intention.

Farmers Worry Over Crop of New Rules.  Farmers are concerned that some new, tighter federal regulations on agriculture are stunting the growth of their businesses and say regulatory uncertainty makes it difficult for them to plan for the future.

More about the EPA.

It Strikes Me As Odd.  How did the federal government come to control the national economy?  The Constitution has only one provision giving Congress some influence over economic matters, the "interstate commerce" clause.  And yet, clinging to this weak reed, Washington manages to wield near-total power over the entire economy on the thinnest, purely legalistic, and often patently risible grounds.

EPA: Fundamental Transformation through Regulation.  What happens when the information our government's "specialists" provide becomes driven by agenda rather than fact? ... The EPA, finding organized resistance to its regulating machine, has turned to offering "guidance," which it then enforces as if said "guidance" were the product of regulatory channels.  The big difference, of course, is that "guidance" is not subject to the same rigors of accountability and oversight that regulations must meet.  These crone-tended kettles at the EPA are really just an end-run around the law.

Obama is using every federal agency to choke the life out of the country.
DOT targets farm tractors.  One of the rites of passage in rural life comes when parents decide a child is old enough to help out by driving the tractor.  If the Obama administration has its way that will be a thing of the past.  The Federal government now proposes to require that motorized farm equipment carry DOT ID numbers and that all users have a commercial drivers license.  Most of these vehicle never travel on public roads unless it is a short trip to another field or a neighbor's farm.

Fertilizer Control:  Another liberty lost.
DHS Creates 'Ammonium Nitrate Security Program'.  The Homeland Security Department on Tuesday [8/2/2011] announced the creation of an Ammonium Nitrate Security Program, which is intended to prevent terror attacks like the ones perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma City in 1995; and more recently, by a Norwegian man in Oslo.

The Editor says...
First of all, the actions of a single psycho in Norway should not affect U.S. laws or diminish our freedom.  Secondly, there is considerable doubt that a fertilizer bomb in a truck could have done the damage inflicted in the Oklahoma City bombing.

Team Obama Regulates Goat Herders' Workplaces.  The Obama administration is setting new workplace regulations to assist foreign workers who fill goat herding positions in the U.S., including employee-paid cell phones and comfy beds.  These new special procedures issued by the Labor Department must be followed by employers who want to hire temporary agricultural foreign workers to perform sheep herding or goat herding activities.

What is Liberty, That We May Defend It?  Is American Liberty under attack?  Perhaps more so than any time since the Revolution. ... The Constitution is displayed as an elaborate, ancient joke.  Politicians present themselves as gods, above error, who dismiss dissent as if it were the babble of infants.  Between irrational new laws, and the government's refusal to enforce common sense rules, Americans feel trapped and betrayed by increasingly tyrannical leaders.

DOJ: We can force you to decrypt that laptop.  The Colorado prosecution of a woman accused of a mortgage scam will test whether the government can punish you for refusing to disclose your encryption passphrase.  The Obama administration has asked a federal judge to order the defendant, Ramona Fricosu, to decrypt an encrypted laptop that police found in her bedroom during a raid of her home.  Because Fricosu has opposed the proposal, this could turn into a precedent-setting case.

Dude, Where's My Freedom?  Obama administration officials recently let slip that they are working on new gun control measures "under the radar."  Gun control is the classic example of foolishly exchanging an essential liberty for an illusion of security.  The U.S. states that respect the honest citizen's right to carry firearms in self-defense have consistently lower rates of violent crimes than states with strict gun control laws.

Homeowners' Associations Becoming Unavoidable and Quasi-Governmental.  Homeowners' Associations ("HOAs") are losing money due to the high numbers of foreclosures and are scrambling to make up for it by assessing additional fees on the remaining homeowners. ... To compensate, HOAs are acting like private investigators, even peering into homeowners' yards daily until one weed pops its head up, then nailing homeowners with fines.

These incremental changes only move in one direction.
F.B.I. Agents Get Leeway to Push Privacy Bounds.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention.

FBI's New Rules to Give Agents More Leeway on Surveillance.  The changes are expected to be outlined in a new edition of the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, a lengthy 2008 document detailing how far agents can go in tracking suspects.  They will expand the use of techniques ranging from dispatching surveillance teams to digging through trash cans.

High court urged to rethink ruling on resisting police.  A group of 71 state lawmakers is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to reconsider a ruling that says people don't have the right to resist police officers who enter their homes illegally.

Center for American Progress Finally Comes Out in Favor of Tyranny.  Buried deep within the Obamacare bill is the Democrats' plan for lowering Medicare costs — something called the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). ... The Center for American Progress is more or less in favor handing off the whole of America's budget issues to a likely unconstitutional panel of democratically unaccountable bureaucrats with no meaningful oversight.  Or to put it more bluntly, this is basically a recipe for tyranny.

One law for us, another for you.  The California state Senate voted 28-8 Wednesday [6/1/2011] to exempt itself from the pointless gun-control laws that apply to the rest of the populace.  Legislators apparently think they alone are worthy to pack heat on the streets for personal protection, and the masses ought to wait until the police arrive.

California Bill Could Protect Cross-Dressing in the Work Force.  A California bill working its way through the state legislature providing more protection for transgender individuals in the workplace could allow for cross-dressing employees to wear whatever they want to work, despite workplace dress codes.

The Editor says...
Apparently the government's position is that employers do not have the freedom to associate — or refrain from associating — with whomever they choose.

Homeland Security system knows when you're even thinking about committing a crime.  The Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST) security programme is designed to spot people who are planning to commit a terrorist act.  The U.S. government system can 'sense' when you are planning and measures physiological factors such as heart rates and eye movements.

The Editor says...
You might exhibit the same symptoms if you're just looking for the nearest restroom.

Albemarle Road church fined $100 per branch for excessive tree pruning.  The church was fined $100 per branch cut for excessive pruning, bringing the violation to $4,000.

Grand theft education.  Two cases of what might be called "grand theft education" raise serious questions for many states, especially California.  Tonya McDowell, a single mother from Bridgeport, Conn., was arrested and charged with first-degree larceny for "stealing education" by using the address of a baby sitter to register her 6-year-old son in a Norwalk school district where she didn't live.  Ms. McDowell, 33, could face repayment of more than $15,000 and 20 years in prison.

A Federal No-Fly Zone Over Texas?  Proving that the extortionist tendencies of the Obama administration aren't limited to the NLRB's suit against Boeing, the Department of Justice threatened the state of Texas with a complete suspension of air travel in and out of that state if its Senate approved HB 1937, a bill which would have banned "intrusive touching of persons seeking access to public buildings and transportation."  The penalty for doing so would have been a $4,000 fine and one year in jail.

TSA Threatens To Cancel All Flights Out Of Texas If 'Groping Bill' Passed.  Upset about invasive screening techniques at the airport, the Lone Star State was considering a bill that would make a TSA patdown that involves touching "the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person including through the clothing" a misdemeanor, allowing Texas law enforcement to arrest TSA officials and charge them with sexual harassment.  It would have meant that TSA officials could be fined $4,000 and spend up to a year in jail for doing their jobs of feeling up prospective fliers.

Emergency manager's autocratic power puts Benton Harbor in national spotlight.  For more than a generation, this city on the shores of southern Lake Michigan has been the state's poster child for poverty, racial division and dysfunctional government.  Now, it's starring on a national stage.

The Indiana Supreme Court Guts the Fourth Amendment.  A ruling by the state of Indiana's Supreme Court last Thursday [5/12/2011] in Barnes vs. Indiana has seemingly vacated the Constitution's Fourth Amendment provision against unreasonable search and seizure.  The case involved a domestic dispute and the Court ruled 3-2 that police can force their way into a person's home without a warrant if they deem such entry is necessary.

Court: No right to resist illegal cop entry into home.  Overturning a common law dating back to the English Magna Carta of 1215, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday [5/12/2011] that Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their homes.  In a 3-2 decision, Justice Steven David writing for the court said if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer's entry.

Supreme Court gives police a new entryway into homes.  The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision in a Kentucky case, says police officers who loudly knock on a door in search of illegal drugs and then hear sounds suggesting evidence is being destroyed may break down the door and enter without a search warrant.

Department of Pre-Crime.  Moral of this story:  If you hear the cops at the door, quietly get off the john, and whatever you do, don't flush.  Read the whole account of the case, which ought to get your blood boiling.

Indiana Sheriff: If We Need to Conduct Random House to House Searches We Will.  According to Newton County Sheriff, Don Hartman Sr., random house to house searches are now possible and could be helpful following the Barnes v. State of Indiana Supreme Court ruling issued on May 12th, 2011.  When asked three separate times due to the astounding callousness as it relates to trampling the inherent natural rights of Americans, he emphatically indicated that he would use random house to house checks, adding he felt people will welcome random searches if it means capturing a criminal.

Giving too much license to cops.  A series of recent court rulings, including one this week from the US Supreme Court, appear to erode one of our bedrock defenses against the arbitrary, abusive power of the state.  At risk:  the Fourth Amendment guarantee to all American citizens of the right to be "secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures."

Home Insecurity.  While the U.S. Supreme Court said police may force their way into a home to prevent the destruction of evidence, the Indiana Supreme Court, in a less noticed decision issued the week before, said police may force their way into a home for any reason or no reason at all.  Although the victim of an illegal search can challenge it in court after the fact, three of the five justices agreed, "there is no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers."  They thereby nullified a principle of common law that is centuries old, arguably dating back to the Magna Carta.

US Police State Begins Exponential Expansion.  The recent Indiana Supreme Court ruling against the US Constitution, rendering the Fourth Amendment null and void in that State by patently leftist activist judges, is only the latest unconscionable step in a series of actions designed to unravel each and every portion of the Bill of Rights.  It is also one of the latest actions designed to compliment and enhance the already jack-booted Obama police State march into our States, our cities and homes.

Rally held in protest of 'unlawful police entry' ruling by Indiana Supreme Court.  Protesters showed up on the south steps of the Indiana Statehouse Wednesday [5/25/2011], to rally against a controversial ruling by the Indiana Supreme Court.  The ruling, which allows police to enter your home without a warrant, sparked threatening emails and phone calls from those angry with the court's decision.

Puddle Power Grab.  Barack Obama's EPA means to implement the major provisions of failed legislation by regulatory means, a massive power grab with frightening implications.  But with the American media preoccupied with a royal wedding and the assassination of Osama bin Laden, almost nobody seems to have noticed when late last month an important announcement was made by the Environmental Protection Agency. ... The administration would have us believe it to be concerned about water quality, but the real issues are land, power and control.  If implemented, EPA guidelines will allow the agency to decide the extent of their jurisdiction over every body of water of any size and eventually result in binding regulations that will affect us all.

'Eat your broccoli': Moms demand it. Can government?  About 20 minutes into Tuesday's [5/10/2011] hearings, Appeals Court Judge Diana Gribbon Motz told Liberty University lawyer Mathew Staver that she was surprised a certain topic had yet to come up:  "the broccoli question."  "There is a lot of talk in the papers about if Congress can do this, it can require people to buy broccoli," Motz said.

Sen. Schumer: Create 'Do Not Ride' list for railways.  Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for a "Do Not Ride" list for Amtrak following reports that terrorist Osama bin Laden was plotting attacks on U.S. railways before his death.  The list would be similar to the "Do Not Fly" registry that is checked before passengers board flights at airports.  Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that it's a lot easier for would-be terrorists to get on trains that it has been for them to board airplanes.

The Editor says...
I'm sure Osama bin Laden wanted to do all kinds of things.  But we should not constrict our society to protect ourselves from suicide bombers on trains, because if they're not on the train, they could be on a bus, or in a supermarket or taxi.

The Education plantation.  We are now approaching the end game with respect to sanity and the public school system.  A homeless woman who registered her 6-year-old son at a Norwalk, Conn. elementary school has been charged with first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny for ostensibly "stealing" over $15,000 worth of education.  Tonya McDowell, 33, was released after posting a $25,000 bond.  She faces a fine of up to $15,000 and as many as 20 years in jail.

The Best-ever Symbol of Government Incompetence?  America's largest coal mine fire is the marquee for government ineffectiveness and environmental activism's false pretense.  Centralia, PA is home to America's largest coal mine fire — still burning today since May of 1962.  Forty-nine years of government folly, environmentalist demonization, and media sensationalism have managed to fan the flames under Centralia, escalating the costs to end this ecological disaster from under $100,000 in the early sixties to over $600 million today.

Uncle Sam is slow.  As Ronald Reagan once said, "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem."  Government fails miserably at virtually everything it does, year after year, day after day, hour after hour.  Government is brutal.  Government violates our rights.  Government steals your money and property.  Government steals your liberty.  Government tries its best to control your thinking and your life.  Government wastes billions every day, trillions over time.  But most of all, government loves to use sleight of hand to distract you.  It manages to do one thing right and then tries to use it to make us forget all the incompetence and the misery it has inflicted on us.

Out-of-control government, unaccountable president.  Rejection of dictatorships and corrupt governments by citizens across the globe is the signature news story of the year.  People are rising up, roaring to demand their rights, defying decades of iron-fisted leadership in Libya, Syria, Egypt and beyond.  By sad contrast, here in the United States — "land of the free" — a huge segment of citizens go about their daily business oblivious to, or apathetic about, the assault on our Constitutional freedoms by the Obama Administration and its congressional supporters.  Unless more Americans wake up, our steady slide will continue into a soft tyranny of unconstitutional, intrusive laws such has Obamacare health reform.

Who is running Boeing?  Imagine you own a company and a five unelected appointees of a government board, among them two unconfirmed appointees, tell you where must open your new manufacturing plant.  Would you ever consider opening another manufacturing facility in the United States?  Is this the tyranny that Thomas Jefferson warned us of?

Can Boeing Really Fight The US Government?  When Boeing announced that it would be moving part of its 787 manufacturing capability from Washington State to South Carolina, it was only a matter of time before the Obama Administration would retaliate.  It wasn't a long wait.  The National Labor Relations Board last week filed a complaint against Boeing, saying that its decision to build a manufacturing facility in South Carolina amounted to unfair bargaining with its labor unions.  Everyone denied that politics were involved, an assertion believed by exactly no one.

Ex-Labor Board Chairman: Union-Backed Case Against Boeing 'Unprecedented'.  The former chairman of the National Labor Relations Board told FoxNews.com that a board attorney's bid to stop Boeing from opening a production line at a non-union site in South Carolina is "unprecedented" and could have serious implications for companies looking to expand.

Pulling Labor Law Out of Thin Air.  Last week, the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel — acting at the behest of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union — filed a complaint against Boeing.  According to the complaint, the company decided to locate a new production line for the Dreamliner 787 airplane in South Carolina (a right-to-work state) instead of Washington (a state in which unions are powerful and strikes have cost Boeing billions of dollars) out of anti-union bias.  Should the general counsel convince the board that Boeing violated the law, the company could be forced to operate the line in Washington.

Justice Dept. to Congress: Don't Saddle 4th Amendment on Us.  The Obama administration is urging Congress not to adopt legislation that would impose constitutional safeguards on Americans' e-mail stored in the cloud.  As the law stands now, the authorities may obtain cloud e-mail without a warrant if it is older than 180 days, thanks to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act adopted in 1986.

What Do Light Bulbs Have to do with the Commerce Clause?  We don't consume power from an interstate enterprise.  We buy power from a local utility.  And how about the homeowner who relies on a propane generator, solar panels, or a wind generator?  What's interstate about that?  Thus the feds cannot regulate residential appliances at least as far as electricity usage is concerned.

Trying to Avoid Regulations? The Department of Energy is Not Amused.  Last month, the Department of Energy issued a "Showerhead Enforcement Guidance" related to flow standards through consumer showerheads.  You see, it turns out that "efficiency standards" tend to upset people, as it usually leads to products being outlawed that people really like.  What happened was that certain showerhead manufacturers were taking a bit of creative license in interpreting the definition of a "showerhead," and selling showerheads that (by the DOE's standards) exceeded the maximum allowable 2.5 gallons per minute.

Tales of the red tape.  For years, there have been rules that restrict the flow of water to a shower head.  That was bad enough but now those rules have been tweaked.  The flow restriction no longer applies to each individual shower head, but to the whole shower.  The Energy Policy Conservation Act of 1992 set the restriction for each shower head at only 2.5 gallons per minute (half what Americans could have before then).  Now, if you install a shower fixture with two nozzles, it's down to 1.25 gallons per minute per shower head — and so on, for those who want to have more than two.

The worst homeland-security menace.  How much of your freedom are you willing to give up in the name of your personal safety?  That question is prompted by the latest news about the Transportation Security Administration, which has reportedly been contemplating expanding its controversial X-ray body-scanning program from airports to public events, mass transit and possibly even the streets where you live.  According to documents obtained by the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center, the TSA in 2006 began planning pilot programs that, if ever fully implemented, would expand its reach into the everyday lives of American citizens.

No need to vote on this — the mayor knows what's best for you.
Menino Bans Sugary Drink Sales On Boston City Property.  Mayor Tom Menino issued an executive order to ban the sale of sugary drinks on Boston city property on Thursday.  "I want to make this a healthier choice, the easier choice in people's daily lives, whether it's the schools, the work sites or other places in the community," Menino said.

Menino expands sugary drink ban.  Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday [4/7/2011] that he is expanding his ban on sugar-sweetened drinks in schools to include all city properties and functions, a sweeping restriction that means that calorie-laden soft drinks, juices with added sugar, and sports drinks like Gatorade will no longer be offered in vending machines, concession stands, and city-run meetings, programs and events.

Fed Judge: Now the Commerce Clause covers 'mental activity'.  According to federal Judge Gladys Kessler of the DC US District Court, the powers granted to the federal government on the Commerce Clause extend to regulating "mental activity."  Ruling on an ObamaCare challenge brought by two individuals, the good Judge made the leap from "physical activity" to "mental activity" in extending the reach of the federal government.  This is not a joke.

Federal Judge Rules Congress Can Regulate "Mental Activity" Under Commerce Clause.  In something right out of Harrison Bergeron, [U.S. District Court Judge Gladys] Kessler notes that Washington has the authority to regulate "mental activity":  ["]As previous Commerce Clause cases have all involved physical activity, as opposed to mental activity, i.e. decision-making, there is little judicial guidance on whether the latter falls within Congress's power...["]

Hands off My Mental Activity.  In the sense that so irked [Warren] Harding, Judge Gladys Kessler is a great good friend of Obamacare.  The U.S. district-court judge in Washington, D.C., delivered a more telling blow against the law in the course of ruling it constitutional than critics have in assailing it as a travesty.

It's illegal to recite the Gettysburg Address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  It is illegal to deliver the Gettysburg Address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial without permission from the U.S. National Park Service.  On President's Day — standing where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech" — Phillip Howell, 25, recited Lincoln's famous address and was quickly stopped by a Park Police officer.  He told Howell that he could not give speeches on the steps of the memorial without a permit.

Congress Must Derail President Obama's Backdoor EPA Power Grab.  In last year's budget, President Obama called for Congress to enact cap-and-trade legislation, using a slush fund to disguise the cost of the program.  But cap-and-trade was decisively rejected in the 2010 election, so this year President Obama's budget simply funds the EPA to move forward with regulating greenhouse gases on its own — against the clear wishes of voters and without any legitimate legislative basis.  Congress must take responsibility, step in, and stop this power grab.

In the opinion of The Editor, the EPA is one of the greatest threats to freedom in America today.

Florida Bar vs. Free Press.  According to Mark A. Adams, writing for The Daily Censored, a news blog affiliated with Project Censored, "The Florida Bar has proposed a new rule to eliminate coverage of court proceedings by citizen journalists."  Outstanding investigative journalism by Adams has uncovered this proposed rule which would allow only an employee of a "traditional media outlet" or an official court reporter to bring audio or video recording equipment into a court room.  Not even a laptop computer would escape this infringement of free speech.

Spilled Milk.  Despite the old saying, "Don't cry over spilled milk," the Environmental Protection Agency is doing just that. ... The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has expanded its definition of "discrimination" to include things that no one thought was discrimination when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.  The Federal Communications Commission is trying to expand its jurisdiction to cover things that were never included in its jurisdiction, and that have no relationship to the reason why the FCC was created in the first place.

GOP All Set To Wimp Out On EPA?  Since the new Congress will not rubber-stamp Obama's socialist legislative agenda, the President will seek to socialize us via regulation — regardless of legality.  The EPA's climate regulation plan is unconstitutional on its face (only Congress, not federal agencies, can change laws).  Another example of the coming socialization-by-regulation is the Federal Communications Commission's recent party-line vote to implement net neutrality rules despite the a federal appellate court ruling that it lacks the statutory authority to do so.

Sisyphus in Boulder City.  Public officials cannot simply throw dissenters into a gulag and govern by decree.  But the city governors in Boulder City, Nevada, have found the next best thing.  Sue the people.  Regularly and repeatedly.  As a method of effectuating an oligarchy, what could be more American?

Your Papers, Please!  I recently received an e-mail from the St. Louis Association of Realtors detailing a new policy being implemented by the Missouri Real Estate Commission (the official governmental board regulating real estate practices).  In the next licensing period anyone licensed to sell or rent real estate will have to be fingerprinted and their fingerprints — along with a tougher background check — kept on file with both the state police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Of course, I will have to pony up $52.20 for this singular honor.  Granted, other states have had this provision, but why implement it in Missouri now?

Fingerprint Registry in Housing Bill.  Fingerprints are considered to be among the most personal of information, and fingerprint databases created and proposed in the name of national security have generated much debate.  Recently, "Server in the Sky" — a proposed international database of the fingerprints of suspected criminals and terrorists to be shared among the U.S., U.K. and Canada — has ignited a firestorm of controversy.  As have cavalier comments by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that fingerprints aren't "personal data."

Are Borrowers Next?  [Scroll down]  I have still not been able to find any debate or justification for it, but it seems now that fingerprint requirements are a simplistic way for polticians to argue that they are getting tough about a particular problem, even if it's questionable how much fingerprinting will contibute to solving the problem.  Some commenters were right to note that this is an issue concerning federalism as well as privacy.  Through the CNET story, comments on the blog, and e-mails I have received, I learned about other state fingerprint registries of questionable justification for various professions.

More about the proposed National ID Card.

Labor Dept: If You Let Girl Scouts Sell Cookies, You Have to Let Unions Come in Too.  Obama's NLRB is trying to push a new rule that would force any business that allows Girl Scouts or any other local groups like baseball or football teams, school bands, charity groups etc. to sell their fundraiser items or solicit donations in front of or inside of their businesses to also allow unions into their businesses to cajole employees to organize.  Even when the purpose of many union actions are meant to drive customers away from the business in order to force the employer to accede to union demands, this rule would prevent a business owner from turning disruptive union activists away from their businesses.

The Perils of a Siege Mentality.  What bothers me endlessly about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is that they operate on the policy that defeat by our enemies is implicitly conceded. ... What bothers me just as much is also the willingness of Americans to tolerate and endure the airport terminal as a police state. ... Obey, or suffer the consequences.  So, let us suggest here that, for example, the omnipotent IRS, as one controlling agency, has conditioned Americans to that kind of treatment, to sanction the hostage-taking of their values and to concede that they are but the wards of a guardian government.

The government usurps the role of churches and private charities:
City puts a stop to homeless outreach.  Bobby and Amanda Herring spent more than a year providing food to homeless people in downtown Houston every day.  They fed them, left behind no trash and doled out warm meals peacefully without a single crime being committed, Bobby Herring said.  That ended two weeks ago when the city shut down their "Feed a Friend" effort for lack of a permit.  And city officials say the couple most likely will not be able to obtain one. ... Anyone serving food for public consumption, whether for the homeless or for sale, must have a permit, said Kathy Barton, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Department.

When cops knock, can they barge in?  Police came to Maria Huff's Burbank home in 2007 after hearing that her son had written a letter threatening to shoot up his high school.  They asked Huff if they could come in and she said no, not without a warrant.  When they asked if there were any guns in the house, Huff said she would get her husband, then headed inside, followed by her son, who was also at the doorway, and four officers.  After remaining for five to 10 minutes and finding no evidence of a crime, the officers left.  In short order they were hit with a civil suit by Huff, her husband and son — who had written no such threatening letter — for entering the home without any legal justification.

New Jersey may soon require teens and adults to register bikes.  New Jersey residents older than 15 may soon be required to register their bicycles — and attach license plates to prove compliance — if a recently proposed law passes the state assembly.  On Jan. 6, assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker of Newark introduced Bill A3657, requiring registration of all bicycles ridden on public roads.

Texas school police ticketing students as young as six.  School police officers in Texas are doling out more tickets to children as young as 6, who under past disciplinary practices would have been sent to the principal's office instead, according to a report by a Texas nonprofit.