Heads Up
A Weekly edition of News from around our country
January 3, 1997 #16
by: Doug Fiedor fiedor19@eos.net
----------------------------------------------------------
Previous Editions at: http://mmc.cns.net/headsup.html
----------------------------------------------------------
IT BEGINS ANEW
Voltaire once said that "Tyrants have always
some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before
destroying them." And so it is with those supposedly
supporting our Constitution.
Everyone in government publicly says they
support our Constitution. That's what they "say,"
anyway. When we look at what they actually "do,"
however, we often see something greatly different.
For instance, the last Congress imposed on us
hundreds of pages of oppression under the guise of anti-
terrorist laws. We don't have any terrorists in this
country. But we have plenty of anti-terrorist laws, just
in case.
One major reason our Founding fathers went to
war with England was the host of indiscriminate search
and seizure laws imposed on the Colonists. Yet Congress,
with a little help from the courts, did its best to mimic
those very same laws these past two years.
Rather than working on those duties delegated to
the central government by the Constitution, the federal
government involved itself in a whole host of activities
for which it has no authority. Among these were
television programing, censorship of communications via
the Internet, telephone rates, telephone bugging, airbags
in cars, environmental issues, gun control in the states,
wage laws, agriculture, and even commercial advertising.
And what of those duties delegated to the central
government? Hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and
tons of illegal drugs manage to get into this country
annually. So, we know they have failed at guarding our
borders.
The District of Columbia is clearly the worst run
city in the country. But the Constitution gives complete
control of that city to the federal government.
Gold and silver backed money has not been
seen in this country for over 60 years. Monitory control
is a function of Congress, but Congress abdicated its
authority to the Federal Reserve, an unelected agency.
One would think that those in Washington
would at least have time to read the very first paragraph
of our Constitution. But, contrary to the very first
sentence of the Constitution, the president and every one
of his little administrative agencies in Washington make
law almost whenever they wish..
And so it goes. The elected ones in Washington
have no time to do those things which they were tasked to
do by the Constitution because they are so busy doing so
many things for which they have no authority.
There's a reason for this, too. The reason is that
many of those duties tasked to Congress and the president
are difficult. To be accomplished correctly, they would
take up a lot of the lawmaker's time -- time they do not
wish to spend. So, they farm these inconvenient duties
out to unelected (and unaccountable) members of boards,
commissions or agencies.
That is also a "cover your butt" move for
Congress. When an unelected commission, board or agency
makes an unpopular decision, rule or regulation, the
elected ones can publicly jump up and down and claim to
be as indignant about the action as their constituents.
Few of their constituents know that 100% of the
responsibility for the government action belongs to the
lawmaker. So, lawmakers regularly get away with this ploy.
And we citizens? We pay higher taxes, give up
more of our rights, and we quietly cower in fear as the
controlling agencies close that vise of control on us
tighter and tighter every year.
What will the new year bring? Stay tuned. . . .
EPA's DEVIOUS PLAN
"Denver has adopted a ban of resale of older
vehicles that have been impounded or abandoned. We
considered, of course, a general impoundment if you will,
or removal from the road of those older cars, but that is
not politically feasible at this time.
"Unfortunately, the fleet turnover doesn't
happen fast enough. If it were going to make a real
difference, it isn't going to be tomorrow, unless we get
fairly aggressive about what we do. But cleaning up the
cars and the roads is only half the solution, the other
half, and in fact the much more difficult half, involves
getting people out of their cars.
"Somehow you people, and all people, have
to figure out a way to convince the public that mass
transportation is the way to go."
The above quotes were excerpted from a
Sept. 29, 1994 speech to 500 regulatory and EPA employees
by Denver Regional EPA Administrator William Yellowtail.
Is Yellowtail just a rogue EPA bureaucrat with his
own personal environmentally extreme viewpoint? Is he
the lone wolf in the EPA who is paid a handsome salary, a
nifty benefits package and retirement plan to fantasize
about a long-range plan to take our trucks and cars and
motorcycles and recreational vehicles away?
Or, did Yellowtail publicly announce the diabolical
intentions of a joint venture between the EPA, militant
environmentalists and their politically correct lapdog
media mouthpieces in which your ability to travel will be
limited to bus schedules?
You can hope that Yellowtail is a rogue -- a
lone wolf -- if you want to. As for me, I am going to
yell and scream until American ingenuity and the free
marketplace are allowed to build us a car that doesn't
pollute so militant environmentalists have to invent some
other excuse to control our lives.
-- For "Heads Up" by Don Harkins of "The
Idaho Observer"
Note: Don Harkins writes extensively on
environmental issues and the mischief of the EPA. He
will contribute to "Heads Up" from time to time. (-Ed.)
THE LOUD BLUE LINE
As predicted by many, the new Domestic
Confiscation gun law is developing into the largest gun
grab in American history. Some are estimating the new
law will affect 3 to 4 million Americans. And, the
number could be even greater if it includes military
personnel.
Normal citizens, as usual, have no real
mechanism for complaint. We must lodge our complaints
to Congress one at a time. Groups, however, do have the
means of lodging their complaints loud and clear. And
one organized group is doing just that.
The police unions and organizations are readying
an extensive lobbying campaign to browbeat Congress into
giving the men and women in blue a free pass on this one.
Some police (a small percent) already think of their badge
as a passport for all kinds of antisocial behavior. Now
they want a pass on this too? Well folks, we should
respectfully, but firmly, campaign against any such
amendments to the law.
First, the police officer who beats his or her
spouse is probably the very same police officer using
various types of excessive force on the street. We do
not need that type of person carrying a badge and a gun.
But second -- and this is a much more important
issue -- police officers are citizens too. There is
absolutely no reason they should not be affected by each
and every law, just the same as all other citizens.
Sure, a lot of people, including peace officers,
can get caught up in some really stupid situations --
situations usually brought about by the liberals in
society flexing their power. For that reason, we need
these police on our side.
For instance, in today's political environment,
you can be accused of domestic abuse for something as
silly as spanking your child. And, if you so much as
yell at the social worker when you refuse her demands to
search your home without benefit of a warrant, she's
liable as not to return with a whole SWAT team.
So, peace officers must feel the complete affect
of this gun grab law just as other citizens will. And
the law should be enforced vigorously. Because, as
Abraham Lincoln instructed: "The best way to get a bad
law repealed is to enforce it strictly."
Many of us will be working to have these stupid
laws, rules and regulations changed. Peace officers must
come join us in this task. They will not, however, if
they are continually excused from inconvenient laws.
TREASURY CANNOT COUNT
Crane & Co., an American paper mill, has
been the sole producer of the paper used for our American
money for over a century. Treasury admits that the
company has all the necessary equipment, does excellent
work, always delivers on time, and has never been a
problem.
Yet, Treasury is taking bids from other
companies to produce the currency paper. In fact,
Treasury is actively soliciting bids from foreign
companies to produce the paper used for our American
money.
That's bad enough, but there's more: Treasury
is offering $100-million in subsidies for start-up and
equipment costs to foreign companies to produce the paper
for our currency. Stupid, you say? Yeah. But it gets even
better yet.
It seems that a law passed in 1988 states that
currency paper must be produced by a company that is no
more than 10 percent foreign owned. However, those great
mathematicians at the Department of Treasury interpret
the language to mean that the company must only be
50 percent American owned.
Who gets the missing 40 percent? Who knows.
Maybe Indonesia, or even China, the way things are going
with this administration nowadays. Is something else
going on here we should know about?
Oh sure, Treasury says that Crane & Co. can bid
on the new contract, too. And they should. Because, if
Crane gets the contract, 200 American jobs will be saved.
Then there's the matter of that $100-million taxpayer
subsidy. Crane already acquired the necessary equipment
the old fashioned American way. They bought it themselves.
FROM THE EDITOR
One joy of being an editor is that -- well, you
get to edit. For instance: Below, Lance Crowe presents
a case for forming a national campaign organization.
The message does not yet describe the organization's
framework, but it most certainly makes a good case for
why such an organization is necessary. We thought that
message to be important to most "Heads Up" readers, so
it is included.
This presents a problem in the length of "Heads
Up," though. How much is too much? As editor, I cut two
very excellent pieces on EPA tyranny and another on the
investigation of federal prosecutors. Should I have
included them? You tell me.
Of course, that is not to say that these pieces will
not be used later. The problem is that there is always
so much good material available every week that it is
sometimes difficult to judge what, and how much of it, to
use.
Next week, when Congress gets back in session,
it will even be worse. The new bills will start coming
out.
So, you tell me. Would you prefer "Heads Up"
stick to the stories not normally found in the
establishment press? Should we stick to the short article
format as much as possible?
And, then there's the word count. What is
comfortable for you? Currently, we intentionally stay
between two and five-thousand words. This edition is just
over 3,000 words.
-- Doug
MILITIA NEWS
There are many thousands of Citizen's Militia
members throughout the country. And generally, they all
have some of the same core beliefs. The most prevalent
belief being that the federal government should follow the
Constitution.
Another few million Americans -- none of whom
are part of a militia -- also hold these same beliefs.
This group includes most of the Patriot community, the
membership of many of the smaller political parties, and
at least one-quarter of the Republican Party.
Therefore, we immediately have something to
put on the table with which many millions of Americans
can agree: We want a Constitutional form of government --
the one intended by the Founding Fathers. Along with
that, we want all of those rights, liberties and freedoms
intended American citizens by the authors of our
Constitution reinstated.
In today's political climate, that's a big order.
Bureaucrats are not about to give up their fiefdoms and
leave quietly. And, as anyone watching the last election
cycle knows, liberal bureaucrats have the backing of big
labor money and the establishment press. Therefore,
reaching our goal of a Constitutional form of government
could become a major project.
However, collectively we are very powerful.
Collectively, we number a few million strong -- and we
are political activists, one and all. Activists are
also already in place throughout the country and organized
into small working groups.
How can all these Americans be organized into
a coordinated national organization? How can these many
millions of political activists be interested in
participating under the umbrella of one group?
One way is with leadership that stays on target.
We all want the government intended by the Founding
Fathers. Therefore, we should only talk about that, and
not get sidetracked with anything else. Everything the
new organization does should lead directly to reaching
that one specific goal.
Another way is to keep it strictly a citizen's
group. Politicians will take great interest in an
organization that size, but they must not become involved
in the group's planning and leadership. Every time a
politician becomes involved, thousands of people who do
not care for that person will leave the organization.
Still another way to increase participation is for
the organization to create its own news service and
communications network. The national press cannot be
relied on to accurately relate information they do not
agree with.
The Citizen's Militia, and other groups, already
have the beginning of reliable communication's networks
in place. These can easily be expanded and coordinated.
In conjunction with newsletters and talk-radio, the means
is now available to quickly blanket the country with the
organization's current events and news briefs.
One of the new group's goals must be to
actively correct, publicly, anything proposed by
politicians, or the media, that deviates from the
government intended by the Founding Fathers. It is time
that "We the People" began attacking their socialist
agenda head on. There are many very effective ways to do
this. And, ultimately, all are also fine ways of
simultaneously stimulating the interest of the general
public in the good works of the new organization.
Some groups dislike giving up their autonomy.
And, the new umbrella organization may not really require
that. However, clear, concise standards concerning public
perception, function and reliability will be necessary for
all involved. These points must be addressed in the new
organization's founding documents.
But first, if our goal is to be reached, we must
all realize one rather self-evident fact: That whatever
it is we are doing individually, or in small groups, has
not produced any measurable results! Unfortunately, just
the opposite is true. Things are getting worse.
Each and every day that big, overreaching hand
of the federal government grows a little larger and
reaches a little farther. Almost every law, rule and
regulation passed in Washington takes away another right,
or another liberty.
What do we do about it? We talk, we complain,
we publish some articles and letters. Some of us even
outwardly threaten. But it's almost as if these activities
add more energy to the federal leviathan. Because, that
overbearing federal hand just keeps growing larger and
larger.
Sure, we can all continue doing the same things
we have always been doing. We can do them over and over
again, each time hoping for results. That's exactly what
we're collectively doing, you know. We're taking the
schizophrenic approach -- doing the same things over and
over, and hoping for different results each time.
But, we are not getting any meaningful results.
Isn't it time for some measurable return on our
efforts? Well then, how are we going to get it? Maybe,
just maybe, we should change our approach to the problem.
You know; try something different!
But first we have to decide what it's worth to us to
get these desired results. Is it worth putting forth some
effort? Is it worth any type of sacrifice? Is it worth
making a few changes in the way our present group
functions?
Each individual group, and each individual
person, will have to answer these questions for
themselves. Most will find that there is some level of
involvement, some level of sacrifice, and some amount of
change, they would be willing to make, were the goal the
restoration of personal freedom and liberty.
And, the restoration of our own personal freedom
and liberty is exactly what our goal is, after all. Isn't
it? I think it was Thomas Paine who said: "Those who
expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men,
undergo the fatigue of supporting it." I write this
because I am ready. Are you?
Of course, this is all just supposing. There is really
no actual group in existence yet. Today, it only exists
in the hearts and minds of a few men, and as a few notes
on paper and in computers around the country.
But such a nationwide campaign is exactly what
is necessary. And, I do mean "campaign." Because, what
is needed to pull this off is a full-blown political
campaign. Our "candidate" is the Constitution. Our
platform is the writings of the Founders -- like The
Federalist Papers. Our constituency is the court of
public opinion. Our election results will be changes in
the function of the federal government.
Why must there be a national organization?
Because, making this correction to the federal government
is a function of the people of the United States All of the
people. And, as in any effective and well run national
campaign, you want all of the people you can get involved.
Based on our results to date, it looks like the
organization may begin operation by next spring. For now,
occasional up-dates will be placed in selected publications
like "Heads Up," as warranted.
-- Lance R Crowe psico1@bgn.mindspring.com
SEND A MESSAGE
In Washington, all bets are off as to how long
President Clinton will remain in office. After our
Christmas Eve encounter with him in National Cathedral,
an Exegesis reader has started a campaign to mail him a
million postcards with the now-famous words of Revd.
Robert Schenck: "God will hold you to account, Mr.
President", to arrive on January 18, just before his
inauguration. Feel free to join in and send one to
President Bill Clinton, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue, Washington DC 20500.
-- from the 1-2-97 edition of Exegesis (with permission)
For further information about the "Exegesis" newsletter,
visit their web page at: http://www.vais.net/~exegesis
And, for those of you who may not know of
Slick Willie's outrageous shenanigans at Christmas Eve
services, be sure to visit the "Exegesis" Update Page at:
http://www.vais.net/~exegesis/Update.html
-- End --