Our Government is Worse Than Anthrax

I’ve already been accused by some of my newspaper readers of being a coward and a traitor because I can’t get too excited about the Endless War on Terrorism. So I might as well go for the gusto and say what I really think.

First, despite the truly grievous attacks on innocent people in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, I still fear my own government far more than I fear Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaida network, and whatever foreign governments may have aided and abetted his terrorist plots. In my mind, the FBI is far more frightening than anthrax, and John Ashcroft isn’t much better than the Ebola virus.

Second, while America’s foreign policy – i.e., starving Iraqi children for 11 years because Washington no longer supports the dictator it helped prop up – doesn’t condone terrorism, it explains why some people are supportive of it.

Third, Americans have more to fear from the ideas expressed in a recent neoconservative tirade in The Weekly Standard than they do from the frothing U.S. flag-burners in Pakistan. Last week’s cover story, written by Max Boot of the Wall Street Journal, was titled, The Case for American Empire, and is something well beyond satire. Read it yourself for final proof that the neocons are insane.

Fourth, if I have to hear one more commentator prattle about America being targeted by bin Laden because of our nation’s freedoms, I am going to run into the streets of Santa Ana (where I work) yelling nasty things about our government. Don’t worry, no one will bother me given that English isn’t widely spoken around these parts.

As part of my quiet protest against the jingoism and war-mongering, most of my columns since the Sept. 11 attacks are dedicated to this proposition: America ain’t nearly as free as everyone seems to think it is.

On Sunday, I wrote about how the local children’s services agency has taken a young girl out of the care of her loving grandmother and placed her with a foster parent who, according to court records, owed $31,000 in back child support to his own kids, had a restraining order placed on him so he couldn’t see them, and was accused in a sworn statement of swimming nude with his foster children.

I was reminded that government bureaucrats can take anyone’s kids at any time for any reason, and they needn’t even tell the parent where the kid has been placed for 72 hours. Proceedings take place in a special kangaroo court where what the bureaucrats say is taken for gospel, and what parents and responsible adults say often is ignored. After my column ran, I’ve been inundated with calls from readers relaying similar tragic dealings with these agencies.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about eminent domain abuses. In California, most cities have what are called redevelopment agencies, whose officials can declare any residential or retail area as blighted, and then exert broad powers of eminent domain to take properties from owners and hand them over to big developers. The real goal isn’t blight removal, but the creation of new shopping centers and hotel complexes that bring in more tax revenues than the current residents or business owners bring in.

Cities are supposed to pay fair-market value for the properties they take, but they try to outright steal them by making lowball offers, backed by intimidating tactics worthy of the mafia. I wrote about how the city of Garden Grove took a thriving multimillion-dollar car rental business run by Korean immigrants, and offered them the whopping sum of $16,000 for the enterprise. Small entrepreneurs are routinely forced out of business by the government, and deprived of their livelihoods – making it difficult to find the resources needed to fight back in court. These aren’t anomalies, but everyday occurrences in California and other states.

In another column, I wrote about Catholic school boosters who raised funds and started building a privately funded school on one of the few sites zoned specifically for schools in San Juan Capistrano. Although the local public school district can legally build on most any piece of property zoned in most any way, the public school officials didn’t like the idea of competition. So once they saw the private school effort, they decided to try to use eminent domain to take the site for their own school.

These are just a handful of stories from one small, albeit rather loony, corner of America over the last few weeks. After each article was published, I received calls from other people telling about even more egregious incidents of government abuse. These include developers who have the total value of their property stolen from them after officials discover some endangered bug on the land, property owners who are forced to make their homes conform to bogus historical standards, a city that is forcing some privately owned motels to shut down because they cater to poor long-term residents rather than tourists, and lots and lots of unfair takings examples. Sometimes people are protected in the courts, but only after years of fighting.

We live in a land where the government taxes more than half your income, where officials can take your children or your property on a whim and leave you little recourse, where government agencies have complete power over what you can do on your own private property and when you can do it. Yet we’re supposed to be so proud of our free country that we go around the world liberating other people with our Tomahawk missiles. God bless America, my eye. God save it, is more like it.

You are a known disruptor here you little bootlicker, now get back in line with your fellow sheople.

Our government operates UN-Constitutionally which in my book makes it a terrorist organization and an enemy to the people of this Country.

Oh yeah. Suppose that dedicated person wanted the income tax eliminated, or at least reduced to a reasonable level - say no rates over 10%. Suppose he wanted participation in Social Security made voluntary. Suppose he wanted to see the massive infringements on the "right of the people to keep and bear arms" rolled back. Do you think any amount of dedication would get him anywhere with that? Or with any other goal whose achievement would result in less revenue or less power for the government?

If your group cannot get 51% support for some of these issues, well, that's just the facts of life. You have to make one heck of a case to cut rates to 10% because we all know we can't get something for nothing. Hey, I'll listen to the argument, and if I can still get roads, and defense and the things we need as a society for less, God Bless Ya'!

But don't be so sure you've got better answers than 200 years of development by our elected representatives. Don't be so sure you have evil people in high places trying to screw things up. These issues aren't solved as easily as one might think.

This guy sounds like Louis Farrakhan, a left-wing peacenik or a Christian Identity/Aryan Nation kooks. At a time when 90% of the country has come together -- justifiably -- in an effort to protect our nation from a legitimate threat, it's disgusting to see someone so bitter. If one hates the country that much, than get out.

"Known disruptor" is the best you can do? Is that like a "known commie"? Classic coming from you…

Known to who? Disrupting who?

You are the one disrupting and are unwelcome here. You even spend a dime supporting this place?

"Disruptors" don't last long here. I've been here far longer than you.

"While I have No DOUBT that poor decisions are sometimes made in property and custody issues. But for you to believe that there is a SYSTEMATIC and PERVASIVE campaign to unfairly take property and children away from the citizens of this country is just plain ignorance."

Really? Ever heard of the drug war? Even heard of warrentless searches and seizures? When you can square what our "beloved" omnipotent state does, with the US Constitution, then we'll talk. Other than that, your head is just buried in the sand.

Move along people. There's nothing to see here!

This is the greatest nation on earth. No improvements needed. Anyone who dares say anything bad about the US should leave -- or be shot -- or be put in prison -- or... (Sarcasm)

Geez, these blind "patriots" need to LEAVE THIS COUNTRY. They are the real traitors!

Our government operates UN-Constitutionally which in my book makes it a terrorist organization and an enemy to the people of this Country.

No offense, but you need to look at the possibility that you are way out there with this stuff. Your mindset no longer allows you to see things as they really are.

Anyone that hates our government and country more than terrorists that threaten millions with potential nuclear or chemical weapons is a fool. Once again, libertarians are proving to be free-market liberals. From legalizing drugs to failing to support the nation's right to defend itself. It's digusting.

If you don't like or can't rally around the country, move to Afghanistan. It does have the one thing that most libertarians really want -- the legalization and distribution of drugs. The free market flow of heroin has to give Afghanistan the advantage to a libertarian over the US.

You know, it's really easy to be critical of the country. It's a sitting duck. It has to be large and unwieldly and all that stuff. But you are overboard here. You must tell me - what in God's name is it that you want to do today that you cannot do?

What is eating you up today about this country? What makes you so angry? I really have a hard time understanding why you are not grateful for what we have. If you got the changes you wanted, what significant difference would it make in your everyday life? I just don't get it.

"Anyone that hates our government and country more than terrorists that threaten millions with potential nuclear or chemical weapons is a fool."

The terrorist wouldn't be targeting the US if it were not for the policies of its government. To fix a problem, you MUST go to its source. The terrorists are just a symptom of failed policies of the socialists and communists busy-bodies in the US Government.

Now that the US Government has created this problem, they are using it as an EXCUSE to FURTHER destroy the Bill of Rights! That's a FACT.

..until North Korea starts terror bombing Americans (the Korean War was some time ago - I mean recent violence), that can be seen as a lower priority.

Youve got to be kidding me. N.Korea is a terror State with many weapons of mass destruction. Just yesterday Bush warned them aginst making any incursions, given our current "distractions"

We've got 30,000 troops there! We're on the front line, if NK and China decide to play games.

So where are the cautionary articles? And where is Raimondo and the rest of the "Lew" crowd? Hundreds of articles on Israel and the Mideast (even before 911), and virtually nothing on the rest of the World, except for the occasional re-stating of "general principles" . Give us a break; most of us can see right through these "Jew Haters".

"If you don't like or can't rally around the country, move to Afghanistan. If you don't like or can't rally around the country, move to Afghanistan."

Screw you ass hole! You move to Afghanistan.

Typical UNPATRIOTIC, REDNECK, ILLITERATE RESPONSE!

This here's 'merica boy. If'n yew don't like it, then git out.

"I still fear my own government far more than I fear Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaida network,
and whatever foreign governments may have aided and abetted his terrorist plots."

My government is far more dangerous and far more likely to cause me harm than a bunch of terrorists.
I can defend myself against a terrorist.
Defending myself against the government is normally -at best- a quick way to poverty.
At worst, it is a quick way to death or jail.
Keeping the fed on a VERY short leash is the only real way to protect ourselves from it.
That's exactly how our government is supposed to be organized.
Those restrictions are what the fed specializes in working it's way around.

No, the people that can't support a war of self-defense and have to bitch about our government when facing terrorists that want to destroy us that should LEAVE the country. It's amazing. You're not better than the bitter anti-Americna, left-wing losers that hate the country and do nothing but gripe.

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