Posted on 08/12/2007 4:45:55 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
By Sterling H. Saunders
A week ago Jim posted information from our web page pertinent to our plan to Repeal the 17th Amendment. In it we had stated our reasons to be centered on a government run amuck. The following examples are just the tip of the iceberg. For every one you see here there are hundreds more in the same category. In some instances, thousands. Therefore, we believe we have a sound basis for doing what we're doing. Some of the examples are simply stupid or ridiculous. At the other end of the spectrum some are teeth-gritting-pound-the-table-in-anger outrageous.
1. During renovation of a building at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona removal of old carpeting raised some old tile. Believing the tile probably contained asbestos, officials immediately halted the operation, sealed the building and notified the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality. Tests confirmed the presence of asbestos and a certified contractor cleaned it up so that Pima County, one year later, certified the hazard abated and forwarded it's findings to the EPA. Two years later, the EPA imposed a fine of $81.020 on Davis-Monthan, which took it to court. So, even though the exposure could not be anticipated, was inadvertent and Davis-Monthan followed prescribed procedures to the letter. two crews of attorney's and the courts were involved for more than three years to decide whether the United States Government (Air Force) should pay an $81,020 fine to the United States Government (EPA) Davis-Monthan lost.
2. An armed DEA agent followed all the procedures necessary to carry his loaded, concealed weapon aboard a domestic commercial airline flight. At the security check point, TSA agents dutifully honored his right to proceed with a loaded, concealed handgun, but took his fingernail clippers away from him.
3. At dusk, inside the house, a sheep rancher noticed a grizzly bear angling towards sheep he had penned up near the house. He grabbed his rifle, went outside and yelled at the bear, which changed course and charged him. He shot it. It turned and fled. In the morning, finding blood spots on the ground, he decided he better track the bear and dispose of it. Having a wounded grizzly in the neighborhood is not a comfortable situation. He wasn't even out of sight of the house when the bear charged him. He fired once, twice, three times. On the fourth shot the bear went down, just a few yards from him. He reported the incident to Fish & Wildlife. They came out, recovered the carcass and later confirmed this was a bear they had trapped and transplanted locally because it had been killing sheep in another area. Autopsy revealed sheep remains in its stomach. Fish & Wildlife fined him $10,000 for killing an animal on the endangered species list. He appealed. Fish & Wildlife reduced it to $4,000 but would not eliminate it, because "if you had not been where you were it would not have been necessary to kill the bear."
4. Having noticed yellow holes in the snow at the top of the chairlift, the new owner of Donner Ski Resort installed restrooms. But, because these are "Public" restrooms, as required by regulations written in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act, there are wheelchair access toilets in the restrooms at the top of the chairlift at Donner Ski Resort.
5. "Second hand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer," so said a report issued by the EPA, designating it as a Class A Carcinogen. This report has been used by anti-smoking activists to persuade and even bully City Councils, County Commissions and even State Legislatures to enact draconian smoking bans. Following a wave of statisticians and medical authorities protesting the report for faulty statistical analysis, it went to court, where a Judge, after examining the evidence, promptly saw how the EPA, instead of making policy dictated by the data, altered the data to fit policy. Eleven separate studies had been conducted to measure the incidence of lung cancer in spouses of patients. Ten of the studies showed no difference. One of them showed a 20% increase. The EPA combined them all and averaged. Based on that average, announced 3,000 annual deaths from lung cancer attributable to second hand smoke. Back-checking the sources, showed a higher incidence of exposure to asbestos in the one study
6. Sick and tired of the EPA's punitive policy of levying fines and bringing criminal charges, one by one, States started enacting laws allowing businesses to self audit emissions and make corrections without suffering Penalties. After all, the purpose of the clean water and clean air acts was to clean up the environment. Right. Not according to EPA actions. They went ballistic with bullying and threats of retaliation. A few Legislatures, rather than incur the wrath of the EPA caved to the pressure and did not pass the proposed legislation. After one Legislature caved in to the threats, one of the members said, "It always disturbs me when state law is dictated to us by the feds." Always?
7. In Massachusetts, the Salvation Army gave two Spanish Speaking employees one year to learn English or be fired. They didn't and were fired. EEOC filed suit against the Salvation Army claiming the employees had suffered "emotional pain, humiliation and embarrassment" as a result of the English-only policy.
8. How do you like the "Gun Free Zones" and "Zero Tolerance" in the public schools? An armed security guard at a nearby housing complex chased a burglar who ran into and through a school. When apprehended, the burglar was charged with misdemeanor possession of a knife. The Security Guard was charged with a felony, possession of a firearm on school property.
9. In 1993 the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers produced a record flood, inundating thousand of acres of fertile farmland. It just kept coming and then the rains came. There were no crops that year. When the floodwater finally receded the ground was so saturated that the low spots in the fields became ponds. Migrating waterfowl in the fall made good use of them. They froze over in the winter. When spring came the aquatic plants brought in by either the floodwaters or the waterfowl grew profusely in these ponds. The farmers were not allowed to plow or plant in the 40 and 80 acre fields containing those ponds because, now, they were protected wetlands.
10. William Pierce owned an Engineering Consulting firm with 40 employees billing an average of $1.7 million annually. Now, he has lost his home, is in debt for $100,000 worth of legal bills and his business is gone. What was his "crime"? He allowed his salaried employees to take time off to play golf, go fishing, go shopping, whatever they wanted to do providing they made up the time before payday. If they didn't and had not called the deficiency vacation time, he would deduct an hourly rate based on their salary. Department of Labor informed him that he had violated federal labor regulations, owed $3,100 reimbursement to employees and was being fned $50,000, because flextime was illegal. Made no difference that DOL had not notified employers of that critical fact.
11. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized a 4,346-acre ranch owned by the Jones family in Glades County, Florida for allegedly allowing their property to be used as an aircraft-landing site by cocaine smugglers. What was the evidence. An aircraft crashed a short distance from the ranch, killing both occupants. There were no drugs in the airplane, but DEA figured it had been headed for a landing at the Jones Ranch. The Ranch was seized and held for six years. Jones finally won and was awarded attorney fees, but no one is going to be required to pay for the deterioration damage done by six years of neglect. They were never charged with a crime, but it took that long to get their property back.
12. A $300,000 home was part of the estate left by George Gerhardt. As soon as the will was probated, the heir called the executor of the estate and informed her that U.S. Marshals had seized the house and rented it to a tenant. When the executor made an inquiry, she was told that a "confidential informant" who was in prison had said Gerhardt had taken a $10,000 payment to allow drugs to be unloaded on his property, but that's all they would tell her. Even at the trial, the government refused to offer any evidence other than the accusation made by the informant and continued to do so until the judge threatened some pretty severe sanctions unless they did. They couldn't. It took the judge about an hour to order the property returned to the heir, the rightful owner.
13. Billy Munnerlyn and his wife owned a prosperous Air Charter Service in Las Vegas. He had hauled movie stars, dignitaries and even U.S. Marshals transporting convicted terrorists to prison and was well thought of in Las Vegas for his willingness to donate his services for worthy, charitable causes. On a seemingly routine flight to Ontario, CA he was met by DEA agents who seized his Lear Jet and arrested him and his passenger who happened to be a drug dealer carrying $2.7 million in his luggage. It took him nearly three years to get his airplane back, but it was in such a state of disrepair that it would take $140,000 to refurbish it, money he no longer had. But his troubles didn't end there. The DEA had put him on a list of possible drug runners and money launderers which prevents him from getting a flying job. Now he's a truck driver.
14. Waco, Ruby Ridge, Richard Jewell, Steven Hatfill, Elian Gonzales, Joe Salvati
15. Scene, home of retired millionaire Donald Scott, Malibu, CA. at dawn. DEA agents cut a security chain, ran up the driveway with their dogs and burst into the Scott household with drawn guns, terrifying Mrs. Scott in her kitchen as she made her morning coffee. Mr Scott, awakened by his wife's screams of terror came rushing down the stairs only to be shot and killed by our civil servants. Why had they done this? They claimed to have seen "marijuana plants growing under the trees" while flying over in a helicopter. No marijuana plants or sign of any other drugs were found. Park Rangers who had tried to purchase the Scott property so it could be annexed to an adjoining park, only to be rebuffed, were also there.
ROAR (Restoring Our American Republic, Inc)
2975 Elizabeth Lane
Snellville, GA 30078
Voice: 770-978-1913
FAX: 770-978-1064
RepealThe17th@aol.com
http://hometown.aol.com/repealthe17th/ROAR.html
Saudi Arabia has a Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. We have our out-of-control federal bureaucracy. We’re not as in bad shape as the Saudi’s are, yet. But we’re getting there.
Why don’t you just ask him about his efforts? He’s posting here under his real name.
I'm sure you must realize that I'm probably not the only one that did not know that Mr. Saunders was posting on Free Republic under his real name. I had never heard about ROAR nor Saunders. Am I to assume that Sterling H. Saunders IS his real name?
That’s his real name.
I searched his name and after two unsuccessful versions I came upon a “Sterling”. I assume that is the person you are referring to? I see that this person (Sterling) has only been a member since yesterday. None of this person’s posts has anything to do with repealing the 17th.
Do you know this person “in person”? I ask because you have posted a supposed “e-mail” you received but have linked it to ROAR and yet nothing at their site relates to what you have posted at the top of this thread.
This is the same case, right?
No, this one definitely was DEA and Park Rangers.
http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/scott_20010731.html
I take that back....
According to the FR User Search, Sterling only posted thirteen comments between 10/11/06 and 11/03/06. Sterling didn’t even last a month. Hmmmmm. ??
Haven’t met him personally. Talked to him online and by telephone a couple of times. He was invited to our VetsCor meeting by our Chairman, Neil E. Wright (that’s Neil’s screen name on FR and his real name, btw). He does have some interesting ideas on how to go about repealing the 17th and I’m hoping he will be able to develop them further on FR or with people he may meet on FR.
You must be looking at the wrong Sterling. He’s posting on this thread.
Yes, it must have been the wrong Sterling. I wonder if it’s the same “Sterling” from the 2006 posting history?
Anyhow, I suppose it would be far too much of a coincidence for this particular Sterling to be involved with the “Sterling Software Federal Systems Group”. I found a link to that when I was searching the Internet for ROAR and Sterling.
Should be an interesting thread. I’ll certainly be reading and learning, as always. :)
Sorry Jim .... I've had a few beers before I posted this .... If I'm out of line ... pull it
Sorry Jim .... I've had a few beers before I posted this .... If I'm out of line ... pull it
Excuse me, Mr. Neil E. Wright (who "has had a few beers" and decided to post a comment calling someone he does not know, an "IDIOT"), but who the heck are you and why should I know who you are?
You haven't posted on this thread until you decided to call someone an "IDIOT...let me repeat...IDIOT" so what brought you ought of your bottle and onto this thread in the first place? Sooooo, you know this fella, "Sterling"? Good for you. I never heard of him, nor "ROAR", but I have now and I will learn more. BTW, I thought it was JR who posted this thread.
BTW, when you’re sober perhaps you could share with me exactly what your problem is with my questions. I do hope you weren’t offended that I didn’t know who Sterling nor ROAR was. If those names were mentioned elsewhere, or perhaps written on a bathroom wall somewhere, I sure didn’t see them.
We need a whole lot more of that attitude, in this country.
Are you affiliated with ROAR?
Yes, I’m the founder and moving force behind it.
Even scarier still, is to recognize politics and corruption is dynamic.
Those who were corrupt and performed, allowed, or were involved in these incidents, in many situations are so scarred and numb in their conscience, that they will migrate to even more perverse thinking in the future. Others learning around them in an associated school for scandal, also have options of being just or unjust. Those around them who also are unjust and are learning, will take it up a notch. The next stanza is likely to be even more bewildering.
Since this current post is examples of the Imperial, Abusive Bureaucracy and the material on the web page is specifically directed to that subject as the primary reason why we must get the 17th repealed, I fail to see how you can say this is not related to that.
Thank you for your kind and informative response, Mr. Saunders. I don’t know why anyone would feel that I was an “idiot” for wanting to know more about ROAR and yourself. One can hardly decide to support such a group and their efforts if one does not know anything about it. :)
Yes, I realize that the examples posted are related to why some people want to repeal the 17th. In my experience here on FR, when a link is offered it usually leads to a website that contains the information posted on the thread. I was merely pointing out that the information on this thread was not found at the link.
Whether or not repealing the 17th Amendment is advisable, I am interested in hearing both sides of the debate. One concern that I have is that if one group succeeds in getting the 17th Amendment repealed, is it not possible that another group of people could find a way to have another Amendment repealed? Is this a slippery slope?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.