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Freedom and the Structure of Government

Posted on 02/15/2014 6:09:31 AM PST by Jacquerie

In North Korea, an untouchable dictator and tiny cadre of supporters rule every aspect of the lives of tens of millions.

In the United States, an untouchable president, and a tiny cadre of cabinet secretaries and federal judges write illegitimate laws that increasingly rule more and more aspects of the lives of hundreds of millions.

What happened?

Our framing generation knew that undivided power inevitably lead to undivided tyranny. Set aside all the theories of government, and one thing pops out as an historical certainty. The fewer the number of men ruling from one locality, the more oppressive that government will be. To prevent the accumulation of power in few hands, the Framers divided authority vertically between smaller republics and an umbrella government limited by enumerated powers. Those little republics, the states, when combined in a senate, were the muscle behind enforcement of the constitution. As long as the states participated, there was little chance that power could collect in a cloistered, tight and clubby Washington, DC. Compare 19th century America freedoms to the trend beginning in 1913. In the aggregate, which century better served to protect our unalienable rights?

Americans do not deserve the pity extended to poor North Koreans. Unlike Americans, they aren’t slaves because they ignored their history and casually allowed incredible authority to creep into the hands of a declining number of men.

Why do we look everyday toward DC and whatever Obama happens to be doing? We turn our attention there because it is where almost all effective power resides. The daily news is rarely more than the latest Obama utterance, or more likely, Obama outrage presented as benevolence. Conservatives wail and b!tch and moan, yet few take constructive measures. It is flat out silly to assume future voting alone will reverse what past voting did not.

The Left has successfully reduced modern American political science to the level of a sporting event. Are you on team GOP or team Democrat? Which team is ahead/behind, on offense/defense and how next year’s player draft is shaping up is the limit of most political discourse. Political science has devolved from a high level of public debate over how to best secure our unalienable rights, and into defending the Leftist jihad to muzzle criticism of the first half black guy president. Why do so many conservatives agree to play by heads-I-win-tails-you-lose rules?

As long as we accept such limitations, as long as we agree to fight on the Left’s field of battle, on their terms, we are certain to lose what little remains of our freedom. The Left avoids America’s first principles, the maxims of our founding, the wisdom of our framing generation, because if they didn’t, they know they would lose. They know their Marx is a wimp against our Madison, and that in an equal fight, Marx would lose. Yet, we allow nearly all combat to occur on the field of Marx.

Time is running out. It is no secret America is headed for an evil place. Gun and ammo sales reflect the widespread fear we are headed for some form of societal collapse. We have the means to peacefully restore freedom, yet many conservatives not only refuse to support necessary measures, they ridicule those who do. Whereas North Koreans deserve pity, Americans presently deserve contempt. Not only have countless Americans given up their sovereignty, many conservatives refuse to consider the peaceful actions necessary to reclaim it.

A few nights ago, Mark Levin said our state legislators have the positive duty as political leaders, to stand up on our behalf and once again reclaim the right power their predecessors of a hundred year ago foolishly gave away. Levin is right. We must outflank the Left, rake them and force them to deal with founding principles, with freedom’s restoration on our terms.

Article V.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; FReeper Editorial; Government; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: 17th; articlev; constitution
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Obama has set executive precedents that no election can erase.
1 posted on 02/15/2014 6:09:32 AM PST by Jacquerie
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To: Resolute Conservative; VerySadAmerican; Nuc 1.1; MamaTexan; Political Junkie Too; jeffc; 1010RD; ...

Article V ping!


2 posted on 02/15/2014 6:12:27 AM PST by Jacquerie (An Article V state amendment convention is our only hope.)
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To: Jacquerie

Our problem is clearly one of Government Lock.


3 posted on 02/15/2014 6:20:12 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: Jacquerie

Let’s get ‘er done.


4 posted on 02/15/2014 6:29:15 AM PST by Repeal The 17th (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
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To: Paladin2

We need to release some politicians from their job lock.


5 posted on 02/15/2014 6:30:16 AM PST by Repeal The 17th (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
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To: Jacquerie

a convention for proposing amendments is a federal convention; it is a creature of the states or, more specifically, of the state legislatures. And it is a limited-purpose convention. It is not designed to set up an entirely new constitution or a new form of government. It is designed to operate within the confines of our existing Constitution.


6 posted on 02/15/2014 6:33:20 AM PST by dontreadthis
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To: Jacquerie

bump


7 posted on 02/15/2014 6:45:48 AM PST by VRW Conspirator ( 2+2 = V)
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To: Jacquerie
Our Founders set up our Republic in such a way as to protect our core individual freedoms. The township/city government provides its first and essential protection, and layered on top of that is the county, state and then federal government whose sole purpose is to protect us from foreign attack.

If you think of a diagram where an individual is pictured in the center and surrounding him are the layers of government as a structure designed to insulate him from tyranny, that is how our Founders designed our structure of freedom.

The structure has been invaded and weakened. Obamacare is the tool by which Obama plans to smash our Founder's carefully constructed and insulated nest by denying us our ability to live freely, to work freely and express our spirituality freely.

Obama and his crew, by using the false front of healthcare, are preparing to jackhammer our core freedoms out of the edifice.

8 posted on 02/15/2014 6:47:29 AM PST by Slyfox (We want our pre-existing HEALTH INSURANCE back!)
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To: VRW Conspirator

To say the Parliament is absolute and arbitrary is a contradiction. Parliament cannot make 2+2 equal 5. Omnipotence cannot do it.


9 posted on 02/15/2014 6:51:11 AM PST by Jacquerie (An Article V state amendment convention is our only hope.)
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To: Slyfox
Yep. Power was thoroughly divided such that no man or group could possibly exercise despotic power. Obamacare is for certain the final dagger thrust at the heart of America. To accept Obamacare is to accept slavery. It has never remotely polled a majority, yet the uniparty defends it.
10 posted on 02/15/2014 6:55:49 AM PST by Jacquerie (An Article V state amendment convention is our only hope.)
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To: Jacquerie
To say the Parliament is absolute and arbitrary is a contradiction. Parliament cannot make 2+2 equal 5. Omnipotence cannot do it.

I am not quite following you. However, the reason for the slogan "2+2=V" comes from the protest slogans of the Polish during the communist reign. The protestors stated "2+2=4" to confound the communist who would have thrown people in jail for any other slogan. It was the math/logic of the statement 2+2=4 that was inescapable. Everyone knows 2+2=4. To state such is to say that "it is obvious".

I just modified the slogan to fit with the Article V (convention of the States) of the constitution. "2+2=V" means that there is only one logical direction for patriots to proceed, and that is to an Article V convention - it is obvious.

11 posted on 02/15/2014 7:15:53 AM PST by VRW Conspirator ( 2+2 = V)
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To: Jacquerie

soebarkha says, “Stuff it”.


12 posted on 02/15/2014 7:24:08 AM PST by onedoug
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To: Jacquerie; SandRat; Liz; sickoflibs; MrB
Americans do not deserve the pity extended to poor North Koreans. Unlike Americans, they aren’t slaves because they ignored their history ...

Our history is rule of law. We shun mindless mob revolts. Senseless slaughter's NOT the American way.

Liberal elites want us to stand in violence against them so they can mow us down. IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

Homeland can buy another 50 billion bullets if they want - and they'll all go to waste. Americans are going to take on the corrupt left with the tools our History has given us.

Corrupt criminals in the IRS, FBI, Homeland, and EPA will be taking the 5th, but we'll get them... The wheels of justice turn slowly, but grind exceedingly fine.

13 posted on 02/15/2014 7:27:50 AM PST by GOPJ ( America's drifting into totalitarianism because of left's exploitation of social failures.Greenfie)
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To: Jacquerie

Twas always thus and always will be,
it is only a matter of degree.

There will never be an Article V convention that leads to anything good. Mark. My. Words.


14 posted on 02/15/2014 7:56:25 AM PST by tonyinv (I no longer care enough to even say 'I told you so')
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To: Jacquerie

“To be GOVERNED is to be kept in sight, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right, nor the wisdom, nor the virtue to do so.

To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction, noted, registered, enrolled, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished.

It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, trained, ransomed, exploited, monopolized, extorted, squeezed, mystified, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, despised, harassed, tracked, abused, clubbed, disarmed, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and, to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, outraged, dishonored.

That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.”

P.J. Proudhon, General Idea of the Revolution in the Nineteenth Century, trans. John Beverley Robinson. London: Freedom Press, 1923, p. 294


15 posted on 02/15/2014 7:56:44 AM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: VRW Conspirator

Roger that. My oops.


16 posted on 02/15/2014 8:04:34 AM PST by Jacquerie (An Article V state amendment convention is our only hope.)
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To: Windflier

Every pubbie should be should be speaking this or parts thereof every chance they get. Well done Windflier!


17 posted on 02/15/2014 8:04:52 AM PST by Nuc 1.1 (Nuc 1 Liberals aren't Patriots. Remember 1789!)
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To: GOPJ
Liberal elites want us to stand in violence against them so they can mow us down.

Armed U.S. troops: 1,600,000

Armed U.S. citizens: 100,000,000

What's this about mowing down?

18 posted on 02/15/2014 8:07:03 AM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: GOPJ

I hope you are right. Most of Obo’s team belong in prison jumpsuits and trials in 2017 will be in order. My bigger point is to lean on our state legislators to take legitimate control once again over Washington. Elections alone, even a Ted Cruz presidency which I doubt the uniparty will allow, will not set us free.


19 posted on 02/15/2014 8:09:33 AM PST by Jacquerie (An Article V state amendment convention is our only hope.)
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To: Nuc 1.1
Every pubbie should be should be speaking this or parts thereof every chance they get.

Yep. It's time for our people and our political leaders to begin looking to the Declaration for guidance and inspiration.

We're fast exiting the post-constitutional phase of America's decline, and are entering a state of bondage. If we don't soon come to grips with this reality, new and unbreakable chains will be permanently riveted upon our necks.

20 posted on 02/15/2014 8:16:11 AM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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