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This was brought up in the whirlwind thread of a few days ago, so I thought that maybe we ought to talk about it a little. I'm pulling a Clinton (or a Hastert) and dropping this late on a Friday in hopes that some of the hardcore people will see and comment early and often.(Actually, it just dawned on me that I meant to post this earlier today but I got called in to work and didn't have the chance.) Here's what I envision: Someone will bring up an area of importance to them (abortion, taxes, gun control, education, you ...

Many thoughts erupted during the discussion on the earlier thread I posted. This deserves, no demands, further debate. What is the proper role of government, as defined by the Constitution? This ought to be THE fundamental question in the arena of politics, in my opinion. That very few people have any desire at all to speak on the matter says much about where we are as a nation, and even more about where we are headed. So, then, let us reason on these matters together. Article 1 Section. 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, ...

Let me start by giving my credentials to comment on this matter. I live in a city of about 100,000 people in SE Virginia. I served two years on the executive committee of the local GOP committee, followed by 18 months as its chairman. I have been party to many of the "backroom" deals that many people here comment on without having any firsthand knowledge of them. I have seen the party "leadership" at work in ways that would totally shock some of you. I have seen people absolutely destroyed because of their refusal to give up their principles. It ...

PRESIDENT CLINTON has presented his survival of impeachment as a personal triumph in which the American people stood at his side in a patriotic fight against enemies of the Constitution. Evoking an almost heroic view of his ordeal at the hands of the Republican-controlled Congress, Bill Clinton said historians of the future would salute his defence of the Constitution. His words seemed part of an effort to shape his own political legacy. This process includes reaching out to a population which has always warmed to his personal touch, not least by his first question and answer session on an internet ...

The U.S. Army has rated two of its 10 divisions as unprepared for war in a classified evaluation that reflects the strain of open-ended troop commitments in Bosnia, Kosovo and elsewhere, Pentagon officials disclosed yesterday. This is the first time in at least seven years that any of the Army's divisions has received the lowest of four possible readiness grades, the officials said. The "C-4" rating means that the units in question – the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y., and the 1st Infantry Division headquartered in Germany – are considered to need additional manpower, equipment or training ...

Looking for any and all D.C. area FReepers for a little get together Friday evening, or possibly early Saturday morning. Just wanna grab some coffee or other drink and chew the fat a little. I'll be up that way to catch a plane out of Dulles on Saturday around noon, so I thought I'd toss out a line to see who up there might be interested. If you are, post here and/or send me an e-mail, and then bump this thread to anyone you know who might be interested in the D.C. area who I miss. Thanks.

October 26, 1999 Presidential Power Grab by U.S. Representative Ron Paul (Texas) Do you want our military to be moved under the United Nations’ command without congressional approval? Do you know that a change in policy now requires our military to absorb a nuclear first strike and only retaliate afterward? Representative Jack Metcalf served in the U.S. Army, and I was an Air Force flight surgeon, and as members of the U.S. House of Representatives we think these are terrible policies. Unfortunately, Presidential Decision Directive 25 (PDD 25) takes the matter of U.S. troops in U.N. operations completely out of ...

I don't know about the rest of you but personally I'm tired of being forced to play the role of "victim." Two recent mass shootings -- one in Hawaii Tuesday and one in Seattle Wednesday -- have forced me to dramatically change my views on guns and gun rights. Which is to say, I would like to see all prohibitions against guns repealed and repealed now. All of them -- against handguns, "assault" guns, shotguns, cheap guns, expensive guns, long guns, short guns, and guns with funny names. All of them. Before this week, I could see the logic in ...

The ten planks of the Communist Manifesto are as follows: 1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes. 2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. 3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance. 4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly. 6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state. 7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the ...

There has been a lot of "attack this guy, slam that guy" discourse going on over the last several months. I have been as guilty as the next person in propagating it. What I'd really like to see is a serious debate, with substantianted statements, to make the case for each candidate who has supporters here on FR. Let's not slam individual candidates, but, if you disagree with a particular position he or she has taken, then take aim at the position and not the person. And "defenders" ought to do the same. State why your candidate's position is solid ...

I just read a post on my local newspaper's TalkNet section by a guy with whom I have been having a 2nd amendment argument for close to a year now. He's an American citizen who lives in England now because he married a Brit. You can guess which side of the argument he is on. Anyway, he's in D.C. right now, and was amazed that he could walk the streets without getting accosted, mugged, or shot at. Then he said "The scariest thing that I have seen thus far is a group of protestors at the White House." I can ...

If you could own up to 10 firearms of varying makes, models, and calibers, what would you select? Let's say you have a spending limit of $5,000 to assemble this collection of firearms, not to include extra magazines or ammunition. I think that this may be a very helpful exercise for many of us out here in FReeperLand!

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the White House: NATIONAL CHARACTER COUNTS WEEK, 1999 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The character of our citizens has enriched every aspect of our national life and has set an example of civic respon-sibility for people around the world. The diligence and determination that are part of our Nation's work ethic have strengthened our economy, and the firm convictions of our spiritual leaders have helped guide our communities, fostering unity, compassion, and humility. In this dynamic time of unparalleled opportunity and possibility, ...

Looking for some comments from the FR crowd with respect to the John Birch Society. Any members out there who can offer some insight? Any non-members who have a negative point of view? I went to hear William Norman Grigg give a speech last night about the state of the military police state in America. He's the editor of The New American magazine, which is published by the John Birch Society. I was very impressed by what he had to say, and by the conversation that I had with him and JBS's regional coordinator.

A violent blow to the window of a home suddenly breaks the silence of the night. A woman gasps as she reaches for the phone near her bed to dial 9-1-1. As the intruder enters the window, splintering even more glass underfoot, the woman's voice quivers, pleading for operators to answer her emergency call. Instead of an operator, however, she is greeted with a recorded message telling her, "All lines are busy -- please hold for the next available 9-1-1 operator." She panics. The intruder is moving towards her now, knife in hand. She begs for the operator to answer ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- More than 160 years after Sam Colt invented the revolver, the company that bears his name is getting out of the consumer handgun business in order to dodge the liability bullet that could result from gun-related lawsuits, Newsweek reported Sunday. The magazine reported that by the end of October, Colt's Manufacturing Company Inc. would virtually withdraw from the consumer handgun business, lay off 300 of the 700 union workers at its Hartford, Connecticut-area plant and focus on manufacturing military and collectible guns. "We have to focus on what we know we can make money on, without ...

WASHINGTON –– Former Vice President Dan Quayle, unable to keep pace with George W. Bush's fund-raising juggernaut, has decided to drop out of the 2000 presidential race, The Associated Press learned Sunday. Quayle will announce his intentions at a news conference Monday in Phoenix, Arizona, said a senior campaign official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said Quayle decided to drop out this weekend, after consulting with his wife, Marilyn, and campaign manager Kyle McSlarrow. Entire article For purposes of discussion only.

Say goodbye to the 1 percent across-the-board tax cut. Goodbye to the elimination of the marriage penalty. Goodbye to the end of estate taxes and the alternate minimum. Goodbye to the reduction in capital gains taxes. Goodbye to the expanded pension and 401K. The Republican leaders of Congress say that when Mr. Clinton vetoes the tax bill they put on his desk Tuesday, they will not negotiate another one that will result in some throw-away tax fixes in return for a massive hike in spending for all his pet projects. In the GOP's weekly radio address, Senate Majority Leader Trent ...

I don't get it. I really don't get it. It is apparent to me that for many of Dubya's supporters, this nation's defense capabilities matter very little. Let me explain. The primary problem facing the military today has very little to do with the age or quality of its ships, planes, and tanks. It has everything to do with the mass exodus of quality people from the ranks. After all, you can have all the gadgets and toys that you want, but if no one is there to man them, then they are but so much scrap metal. And the ...

Republican congressional leaders returned to the Capitol this week with foreboding, wishing their August recess could have lasted at least one more month. As another session-ending logjam of appropriations bills looms, they lack a coherent strategy or real hope of outwitting a lame-duck President Clinton. The Republicans have given up on a meaningful tax cut and play defense against the Democratic minority's agenda. GOP leaders are determined to avoid the kind of summit with Clinton that usually demolishes the Republicans. Whether or not they formally negotiate, look for another wholesale surrender to the president, duplicating what happened in 1998. (Bold ...