Posted on 03/08/2003 9:29:27 AM PST by forest
[NOTE: This text was first published in the March 7, 1997 newsletter. It was an important message in 1997, but seems even more important today.]
Last week we gave Rep. Ron Paul's toll-free Legislative Update number (1-888-322-1414) and suggested that readers listen to his message "The Coming Police State." We were told by a lot of people that they missed it.
Originally, that message was part of a one hour speech Rep. Paul made on the floor of the House. And, thanks to Jeff in Michigan, we have the complete text. Below is the shortened version of Rep. Paul's speech recorded as the "Legislative Update:"
Centralizing power and consistently expanding the role of the Government requires an army of bureaucrats and a taxing authority upon which a police state thrives. There are over 100 laws on the books permitting private property seizure without due process of law. We have made it easy to seize any property by absurdly claiming the property itself committed the crime. The RICO mentality relating to law enforcement permits even the casual bystander to suffer severely from the police state mentality.
The drug war hysteria and the war on gun ownership started by Roosevelt in 1934 have expanded Federal police power to the point that more than 10 percent of all of our police are Federal. The Constitution names but three Federal crimes, so where is the justification? Talk about swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. We have hovering over us daily the Federal police from the EPA, OSHA, FBI, CIA, DEA, EEOC, ADA, F&WL, INS, BATF, and worst of all, the IRS. Even criticizing the IRS makes me cringe that it might precipitate an audit. It seems that all administrations, to some degree, used the power of the agencies to reward or punish financial backers or political enemies.
So much [of] that had its origin in the 1930's, it was then that the FBI's role changed from friendly investigator helping local authorities to that of national police force.
We live in an age where the fear of an IRS registered letter bearing news of an audit surpasses the fear of a street mugging. The police are supposed to be our friend and the Federal Government the guarantor of our liberties. Ask the blacks in the inner city of Los Angeles if they trust the police and revere the FBI and the CIA. We should not have to cringe when a Federal agent appears at the door of our business. We should not even see them there.
A Congress sworn to uphold the Constitution ought to be protecting our right to our property, not confiscating it. Congress ought to protect our right to own a weapon of self-defense, not systematically and viciously attacking that right.
Congress ought to guarantee all voluntary association, not regulate and dictate every economic transaction. We should not allow Congress to give credence to inane politically correct rules generated by egalitarian misfits. Setting quotas ought to insult each of us.
We need no more centralized police efforts. We need no more wiretaps that have become epidemic in this last decade. We have had enough Wacos and Ruby Ridges.
Your post vindicates my sentiments.
Translation: Nada.
Try thinking instead of sentimenting.
Yep."The voluntary support of laws, formed by persons of their own choice, distinguishes peculiarly the minds capable of self-government. The contrary spirit is anarchy, which of necessity produces despotism." -- Thomas Jefferson
If they weren't running candidates like Harry Browne and Howard Stern, the Libertarian party might be less of a laughing stock with the voting public.
Not a single example, naturally.
(from what has been characterized on this board as: shallow teenybopper crap TV show geared to kids and has no depth.)
Nonsense. If a robber buys a car with stolen money, he should get to keep it?
How much more unjust is it to take "home, car or anything" because the Police State thinks that he *could* have broken a law? (Which is how Civil Forfeiture has been applied)
Or Even that his property broke the law. Thinking of the Florida? case where while the owner was absent, his holiday home became subject to confiscation because it (without his knowledge or approval) allowed drug dealers to tie their boat to the wharf of the property.
Yes, as a matter of fact I would and can, dear. Abortion, legalized dope, going EASY on criminals, and on and on and on are the same as GREEN and LIBERAL DEM and COMMIE positions. There's much more ; however, do your own homework. I'm weary of having to constantly repeat FACTS to FR Libertarians, who don't know what their party stands for , its TRUE history,what other parties stand for, and have NO grasp of history nor facts. :-)
No, FR Libertarians disagree with EVERY SINGLE Libertarian ( except about dope ), except Ron Paul, who is a RINO, because he can't get elected anyother way. If he REALLY had " principles, he would run as a Libertarian and lose. :-)
As to disagreeing with the current president, any / all GOP elected officials, I have and so have most others here. You just choose to ignore this fact.
You have absolutely NO idea what life and government was / is like under Communist/ Socialst rule. If you had, then you couldn't say the completely moronic things you have.
It is NOT a crime to run LP candidates. They have and DO run; not that most would notice. They do NOT " represent " what this country is all about, what it was founded on, and they are a bunch of loose cannons / nut jobs. The more people learn what it is, that they truely stand for, the less appealing they and the LP becomes to anyone with more than three working brain cells and any maturity !
Hint, hint ... this nation is a REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLIC ; IT ISN'T A DEMOCRACY. The FFs wanted ONLY those who had an education ( read land owner; most people did NOT own land ! )to vote and the Electoral College was set up ( not to mention the fact that they set it up so POLITICAL HACKS chose Senators ; not " the people ! ) so that " the people " didn't really have all that much power, vis-a-vis electing anyone.
If Libertarians EVER were able to grasp ower, " LORD OF THE FLIES " , or worse, would be what ensued. You may yearn to live that way; most don't.
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