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With proceedings at the international court of justice (ICJ) now firmly under way, the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence is once again under the spotlight. With an advisory opinion expected within the next six months, the outcome of the case will have an important impact on Kosovo's status. Should the judgment favour Serbia, the impetus for further negotiations will continue to grow. Should it affirm the legality of Kosovo's declaration, however, the currently stalled process of recognition will be revitalised.....

...if and when Texas makes the move to secede, after a majority vote by its people, the federal government will send troops in and keep us from following through. Does anyone else find this a little strange; that those opposed to secession are opposed because they fear the federal government? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am for secession because I fear the federal government. I don’t necessarily fear them because I think they will march into Texas and impose martial law, but because if we don’t do something to stop what they are doing to...

(Too bad nobody’s using it any more) “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Article one section eight of the Constitution lists the specific powers that are delegated to the United States, meaning the central authority in Washington DC, and the tenth amendment quoted above leaves all other powers to the respective states and their people.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

A textbook publisher known for painting a sunny, non-violent picture of Islamic jihad in its history books has rewritten part of the Declaration of Independence. The Lone Star Report revealed that a fifth grader in Ector County Independent School District in Odessa, Texas, was told to memorize the Declaration of Independence as printed in "History Alive! America's Past," published by the Teachers' Curriculum Institute, or TCI. But there was one hitch – an essential word had been altered. The true text of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, as written by principal author Thomas Jefferson, states: We hold...

(Eph 6:12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Treasury Department has decided not to challenge the independence of the government watchdog agency that Congress created to oversee spending of the $700 billion rescue package for the financial sector. The confrontation between Treasury and the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, SIGTARP, had prompted congressional complaints that the Obama administration was seeking to restrain the work of inspector general Neil Barofsky. This week, Barofsky declared in a letter to lawmakers that Treasury had, in effect, acknowledged that he is not subject to Treasury's supervision.

THE RECLAMATION OF INDEPENDENCE Cour­tesy of Black­iswhite, Impe­r­ial Con­sigliere. Pass it on. WHEN IN THE GENERATIONS SUCCEEDING the one that pledged their lives, their for­tunes, and their sacred honor to usher in the birth of the world’s only truly free nation, Liberty’s Prog­eny incre­men­tally ceded their birthright to the gov­ern­ment con­ceived and designed to serve a free peo­ple, and not be its ser­vant, this gen­er­a­tion is awak­en­ing to the ter­ri­ble mis­take that we, and our ances­tors allowed to hap­pen. Charged with the ter­ri­ble knowl­edge that comes with opened eyes, we now take up the long abdi­cated duty to rouse our...

ON the 10th anniversary of the vote that led to East Timorese independence, President Jose Ramos Horta yesterday invited the fathers of Indonesian soldiers killed in the territory's 25-year civil war to visit their son's graves. This act of reconciliation came as official ceremonies in Dili were delayed by the late arrival of Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, underlining the continuing importance of the former occupier to the new state. A decade ago the East Timorese people voted in a UN-administered ballot to achieve independence from Indonesia, ending 24 years of occupation by Indonesian forces and giving birth to Asia's...

What happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but...

The 29th of August promises to be the turning point in Texas and in the United States. A crowd of texans plan to descend on the state capitol and demand that Governor Perry and our elected officials either enforce the 10th amendment on the federal government or secede from the union. The big question is if the governor will show up or if the pressing other business he has that day is more important. As of this writing he will not be there to receive the petition being put forth by Gerry Donaldson of drawaline.org. This is going to be...

(snip) ...there is a national security interest in energy, and it will behoove us to eliminate our current practice of handing over our energy security and hard-earned money to dictators and thugs worldwide for oil and gas. Most of us in the real world, however, see that the alternative does not have to destroy our economy further, as the ill-advised American Clean Energy and Security Act would do. The United States has the largest reserves of oil, gas and coal in the world, and more expertise in creating clean energy out of those fuels than any other country. We could...

Anchorage, AK - On Friday, July 10th, Alaska Governor Palin signed House Joint Resolution 27 (HJR27), sponsored by State Rep. Mike Kelly. The resolution “claims sovereignty for the state under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States.”

A new blog discussing energy independence and security and how Kentucky will play an integral part in the coming domestic energy revolution. Join the discussion. Generate ideas.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is helping the nation celebrate its birthday and his daughter Malia celebrate hers. The president on Friday morning flew to Camp David, Md., for the first part of the first family's Fourth of July celebration, including daughter Malia's 11th birthday on Saturday. He set off with friend Martin Nesbitt to meet first lady Michelle Obama, who was already at Camp David.

What's the single BEST way to achieve energy independence? A Weekly Poll.

The Meeting by David Dempster Freedom@DempsterConsulting.com Dedicated To Ron Paul, Defender of the Constitution 4th of July 2009 He was suddenly alert, listening for a sound that might have awakened him. Outside a storm raged, and as a fresh thunderclap burst he relaxed and settled to go back to sleep. Then he heard the knocking. It was most unusual for his man Antonio to disturb him during the night hours. He quickly threw back the bed sheets, wondering what emergency might await him. When he opened the door it was not Antonio who stood there, but a stranger. He was...

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over...

2009 marks the end of an era in which the United States of America led the world in prosperity, power, individual liberty and freedom. The US Constitution no longer stands as the cornerstone of freedom. The average American is no longer well suited for self-governance. The federal government no longer serves at the pleasure of the people and the states and the future of the greatest nation ever known to mankind, is beyond bleak.

July 4, 2009, finds people all over the world seeking freedom, often at great personal risk. In Honduras, the courts, national legislature and the military took an enormous risk by grabbing President Manuel Zelaya and hustling him off to Costa Rica in what has been called, incorrectly, a coup. It turns out Mr. Zelaya has powerful friends, including President Obama and Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez, a Zelaya mentor. But Mr. Obama got it wrong. It was Mr. Zelaya who was orchestrating a coup by attempting to force an illegal referendum that would have started him on a path to president-for-life...

Denver Capitol Tea Party

WASHINGTON (AP) - Just in time for the document’s 233rd anniversary, President Barack Obama has issued an executive order apologizing to Great Britain for America’s Declaration of Independence in 1776.

"Tea-ed off" and ready to speak their mind. That's the way hundreds of Michiganders chose to spend their 4th of July. "As we celebrate our independence, we're re-declaring our independence from big government," Joan Fabiano, organizer of the event, says. In fact, folks say they're looking to follow in the footsteps of our founding fathers by throwing off the reins of what they say is an oppressive government. "We need to have our state represent us the most with the government handling things such as security," Supporter, Raedeane Middleton explains. "They're taking tax dollars and spending them the way we...

Goodbye, Gringo America By Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.thelastcrusade.org It’s payback time for white America. "America's Palestinians" are on the march, chanting "Ahora es la tiempo por audacia"! Thousands of Latinos are gathering this Independence Day to celebrate the Farce of July. This annual all-day concert and street fair is held on Cesar Chavez Avenue in East Los Angeles - - the heart of the barrio. The event is sponsored by the Aztlan Underground to uphold the claim that the Southwest portion of the United States had been stolen from Mexicans and Mexican Americans by Yankee colonialists under the leadership of...

On this Independence Day, I am so very proud of all those who have chosen to serve our great nation and I honor their selflessness and the sacrifices of their families, too. If I may, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the last 24 hours and share my thoughts with you. First, I want to thank you for your support and hard work on the values we share. Those values led me to the decision my family and I made. Yesterday, my family and I announced a decision that is in Alaska’s best interest and it...

Happy Birthday, America!! I wonder if this is the last Independence Day we’ll see America in any way like she used to be. Melodramatic though it may be, such a thought is frighteningly possible. Barack Obama and the statists in Congress and the judiciary are forming an intrusive government that is several orders of magnitude beyond anything we have yet known. How many Americans know that in the name of Al Gore’s lucrative (to him) folly, they won’t be able to sell their house without the government’s environmental stamp of approval? How many know that Obama’s Deathcare will eventually decide...

A Declaration By the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled. When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for a people to advance from that subordination in which they have hitherto remained, and to assume among powers of the earth the equal and independent station to which the laws of nature and of nature's god entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the change. We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal and independent;...

The video is an abridged history of war in the 20th century, told through the use of food. The key to the battles represented and the foods used to represent each nation is found below. 1. The World 2. WWII – Holocaust/French surrender/London Bombing/Pearl Harbor/Battle of Midway/D-day /fall of Berlin /Hiroshima 3. Arab-Israeli War – Brits leave Israel/Israel expands territory 4. Korean War – China and Russia back the North/The US back the South 5. Cuban Missile Crisis 6. Viet Nam – China and Russia back the North/The US back the South 7. Cold War/Arms race 8. Intifada 9. Gulf...

For 232 years, Americans have celebrated our freedom and independence from oppressive rule and restrictive control over our lives on the 4th of July. I now fear that this may be coming to an end, and the last time we will be celebrating our freedom and independence without feeling like hypocrites. Oh, the Independence Day holiday will still remain but it won’t mean much anymore other than a day to set off fireworks and enjoy barbecues. The media will talk a lot about how we established our freedom from British rule and founded our own country, but don’t look for...

We all know that the signers of the Declaration of Independence put their lives and property at risk by their act of courage. The question is: who among politicians of the past 60 years would have done the same. I can think of only two. Ronald Reagan would have signed, no doubt, on grounds of principle above personal ambitions. Harry Truman might have done, but I think that it would depend upon when in his career he was asked to do it. Are there any others? Nominations, please.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,...

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,...

“At what point then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer that if it ever reach us, it must spring from amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be the authors and finishers. As a nation of free men, we must live through our times or die by suicide.” – Abraham Lincoln The tattered flag that flew over Fort McHenry near Baltimore Harbor is now enshrined in a museum. Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, had boarded a British warship on Sept. 13, 1814 to petition the British for...

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” – The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 These are powerful and truthful words; words that officially launched a war; words that birthed a nation. These words, written by...

Whig Out: Obama won't meddle in American revolutionCiting a new era in wishy-Washington foreign policy, the Obama Administration will not choose sides during this July 4th celebration.President Barack Obama said he neither favors the English, nor the would-be Americans in the War of Independence."He essentially sees this as a battle between colonial powers," said Obama spokesperson Roberto "Glib" Gibbs."Obviously, one is a nascent imperial power, but the difference is negligible."Normally, during July 4th celebrations, the President is expected to back the democratically-minded American side against a monarchy with speeches and press announcements, but feels this insertion into the fracas may...

Caption This... July 4 Tea Party Preparation————————————————–Following on the heels of the highly successful Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Parties, conservatives are again gearing up for a larger national set of Tea Party demonstrations set for July 4.   CBS and CNN are of course preparing to ignore it. After working so hard to extort more income from working Americans, Democrats will be on vacation that holiday weekend resting up for the next round of spending.   The effort to spend trillions of dollars to ruin American health care will be front and center over the next two weeks which should give CNN...

Independence Day 2009: We still hold these truths... "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" --Patrick Henry As we celebrate the 233rd year of our Declaration of Independence, let us look at the common parlance associated with the polar spectrum of current political ideology (while such a review is still permitted by the state), and explore what is meant by "Left versus Right," "Liberal versus...

Independence... For You! "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD...Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that FEAR HIM, upon them that hope in His Mercy" (Psalm 33:12,18). "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10 as inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia) INDEPENDENCE One of America's greatest historic foundational documents, The Declaration of Independence, was approved on July 4, 1776 by the Continental Congress and signed by John Hancock in the city of Philadelphia. George Washington said that The Declaration marked “an experiment on the practicability of republican government,...

John Dickinson, A Speech Against Independence, 1776 I know the name of liberty id dear to each one of us; but have we not enjoyed liberty even under the English monarchy? Shall we this day renounce that to go and seek it in I know not what form of republic, which will soon change into a licentious anarchy and popular tyranny? In the human body the head only sustains and governs all the members, directing them, with admirable harmony, to the same object, which is self-preservation and happiness; so the head of the body politic, that is the king, in...

It all began on July 4, 1776 in the city of Philadelphia when a small group of men, suffering under the restraints of a European power 3000 miles away, and acting as the Second Continental Congress, declared their 13 colonies to be free and independent of Great Britain. Knowing their proclamation would bring difficulties, they committed themselves and their constituents to what they believed was their “unalienable right” — freedom from tyranny. The Revolutionary War resulted from their declaration. It was a time of tremendous hardship for the new nation, but it ushered in a new era for the world....

What will probably be the highlight of your 4th of July celebration this year? A Weekly Poll.

House to continue Energy Bill Debate with Possible Vote Today Later today, the House will continue general debate on the American Clean Energy & Security Act, Pres. Obama's climate change legislation. The bill centers on a renewable electicity standard, encouraging the use of renewable energy and a cap-and-trade policy.

The Houston Tea Party Society is coming off some great successes in the past few months. First was their incredibly well attended, lively rally, held in Downtown Houston on Tax Day, then they held a successful protest when Nancy Pelosi came to town, and now they’re gearing up for their biggest event ever.

The Obama administration’s disputes with government watchdogs do not end with fired Inspector General Gerald Walpin. Behind the scenes, the Treasury Department is embroiled in a disagreement with Neil Barofsky, the watchdog for the $700 billion government bailout Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. The dispute was revealed in a letter that Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent on Wednesday to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, first reported by the Los Angeles Times’ Peter Wallsten.

In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that...

The US bond with Israel is "as unshakeable as ever" as both nations pursue peace, US President Obama said on Israel's 61st birthday. "On behalf of the people of the United States, President Obama congratulates the people and government of Israel on the 61st anniversary of Israel's independence," said the statement issued Tuesday by the White House. "The United States was the first country to recognize Israel in 1948, minutes after its declaration of independence, and the deep bonds of friendship between the US and Israel remain as strong and unshakable as ever. "The President looks forward to working with...

CITIZENS UNITED for CONGRESSIONAL REFORM Tea Parties were an excellent start. But then what? Back to business as usual with more restrictions on our Free Enterprise System, Free Speech, Personal Protection and National Sovereignty, more erosion of the Constitution and our personal rights? Hasn’t the Congress of the United States already proven that it needs to be restrained? That we can’t depend on them to represent us and abide by the U.S. Constitution? Haven’t they proven that they need oversight by the voters? We elect Representatives to the House of Representatives and Senate to represent our views. Then they arrive...

The governor of Texas has suggested that his state could secede from the Union after accusing the federal government of strangling Americans with taxation and debt. Governor Rick Perry whipped his 'patriotic' supporters into a frenzy during tax protests yesterday, with many waving flags and shouting 'Secede!' He later backtracked, telling reporters later that there was 'absolutely no reason to dissolve [the Union]'. Despite his pullback, Mr Perry's star was rising in conservative America yesterday as right-wing supporters struggling for a voice under Mr Obama found a new icon. Under Mr Perry, Texas has become the point of origin for...

...when the second annual Record Store Day arrives Saturday, artists and labels will be out in force: More than 1,000 stores worldwide... will offer in-store events or performances by dozens of artists... ...A resurgence in interest in vinyl records (with sales climbing 89 percent last year to 1.8 million) has helped these independent operators stay in business... "The reality is we were over-retailed," says Michael Kurtz, president of Record Store Day and the marketing company Music Monitor Network. "We had about four times as many stores as the market could bear... But there are new ones still coming, and it's...

Barack Obama's New World Order The United States is still the same country it was a year ago, give or take about 6 million jobs. But its international branding campaign, as led by the new President, Barack Obama, is so different that the rest of the world might be forgiven if it has to do a double take. Most of the hallmarks of the foreign policy of George W. Bush are gone. The old conservative idea of "American exceptionalism," which placed the U.S. on a plane above the rest of the world as a unique beacon of democracy and financial...