Liberty Maven

Ron Paul talks about the supplemental budget bill up for a vote this week. The bill authorizes billions of tax payer money for the Iraq War and some other items of compromise the Democrats put in to the bill. Ron Paul, perhaps obviously, says he will vote “no”.

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EMERGENCY ACTION NEEDED!

Friends,

We had another message planned for this morning, but now we need URGENT ACTION on another issue.

The House is about to vote on a so-called FISA and telecom immunity compromise. The news is not good for the Fourth Amendment.

Oh, if only we had the Read the Bills Act. We haven’t seen the compromise bill yet (it was just  filed and we just learned about it at 11:45 AM Eastern — while I’m writing this message). So I can’t give you the details of this bill because it could be rushed to a vote by tomorrow (not the seven days Congress should wait after reading a bill).

We don’t even have a bill number yet. But here’s why we must act now. If this compromise bill …

• Budges even a bit off of the House version of the bill (which was already a barely acceptable compromise)…
• Is something the Bush Administration thinks it can live with
• Is being promoted because certain Democratic members are afraid of looking “soft on terrorism,” with elections just months away
• Then it’s not a compromise we can live with.

And, from what we know, this new bill is all of the above things.

We’ve been writing about this issue for months. Let’s not lose at the last moment. Action is needed NOW!

First, please, right now, send a message to your members of Congress.

• Tell them you know that, in addition to the terrible grant of immunity, this bill will eviscerate constitutional privacy protections found in the Fourth Amendment.
• And let them know that you are aware that Republican and Democratic administrations will be able to SPY ON AMERICANS’ international telephone calls and emails, without a warrant.
• And set them straight on the fact that this new bill will punch the tissue-paper thin FISA Court protections full of holes, like Swiss cheese.

Read More »

Today’s edition of the Downsizer Dispatch from DownsizeDC.org discusses the good news that the U.S. Supreme Court has restored Habeas Corpus.  Naturally, the powers that be are fighting it through fearmongering.  Read on…

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Quotes of the Day:

“The test for determining the scope of this provision must not be subject to manipulation by those whose power it is designed to restrain.”
– from the Supreme Court’s decision restoring the writ of habeas corpus

“Ours is not a system designed to unleash the power of the government. It’s a system designed to control it.”
– Steve Chapman

Subject: Good news sparks more fear mongering

On Thursday, June 12, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling restoring the writ of habeas corpus. Those being held as suspected terrorists should now be able to challenge their detentions in a court of law, as our Constitution requires.

This is good news! The Judicial Branch has moved to block the overreaching power of the Executive Branch. This means America’s system of “checks and balances” still has some life! But more must be done to restore and preserve the rule of law. We must . . .

• Continue to use our right to “petition Congress for a redress of grievances”
• Compel the Legislative Branch to deny the Executive Branch the power to spy on Americans without a warrant
• Ensure that both the Executive and Judicial branches execute the laws of the land

Read More »

Ron Paul’s new campaign for liberty has released a video message from Ron Paul himself. He has some harsh words for the status quo and preaches real change for America. Watch the video below.

This is a great article showing a comparison of Ron Paul and Bob Barr on the issues over at Third Party Watch. It clearly shows that since Bob Barr’s transformation to libertarianism he and Ron Paul are twins on the major issues of the day.

Non-interventionism

Ron Paul: “Non-interventionism is not isolationism. Non-intervention simply means America does not interfere militarily, financially, or covertly in the internal affairs of other nations. It does not we that we isolate ourselves; on the contrary, our founders advocated open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.” – source

Bob Barr: “Our National Defense policy must renew a commitment to non-intervention. We are not the world’s police force and our long, yet recently tarnished, tradition of respecting the sovereignty of other nations is necessary, not from only a moral standpoint, but to regain the respect of the world as a principled and peaceful nation.” – source

Iraq

Ron Paul: “The sooner we withdraw the better. The invasion and continued US occupation has strengthened both Iran and Al-Qaeda in the region. Continuing down the road of a failed policy will only cost more money we do not have and more lives that should not be sacrificed. Interventionism has produced one disaster after another. It is time we return to a non-interventionist foreign policy that emphasizes peaceful trade and travel and no entangling alliances. We can begin by withdrawing from Iraq immediately.” – source

Bob Barr: “I believe the occupation of Iraq—where we have a presence in a foreign country that effectively manages that country and provides the fundamental basis on which that country and government exists and operates—is not something that is sound policy and is not consistent with the historical norms of a national defense policy. So I think that we need to—and I would as president—begin immediately and significantly drawing down our military and economic presence in Iraq for two reasons: One, because it is not in our interest to nation-build or to occupy foreign lands and, secondly, if we would ever wish to have the Iraqi government take responsibility for its own affairs, we necessarily have to remove the security blanket that right now makes it very easy for them not to do so. In other words, they are never going to assume responsibility for their own affairs as long as we are there propping them up.” – source

Taxes and spending

Ron Paul: “A pure consumption tax like the Fair Tax would be better than the current system only if we truly did away with the income tax by repealing the 16th amendment. Otherwise, we could end up with both the income tax and a national sales tax. A consumption tax also provides more transparency and less complexity. But the real issue is total spending by government, not tax reform.” – source

Bob Barr: “Cutting spending would allow America to implement real tax reform. Our goal should be to reduce both the tax burden on Americans and the intrusion in their lives resulting from IRS enforcement of the income tax. One of the best approaches would be to adopt some form of a consumption tax, like a national sales tax, replacing the Internal Revenue Service and all federal income taxes as well as payroll taxes.

“It is not enough to eliminate the income tax. We also must repeal the 16th amendment, which authorizes Congress to levy an income tax. Without doing so, there would be an ever-present danger that a future Congress would attempt to bring back the income tax on top of the Fair Tax or any other alternative to the income tax. ” – source

Federal Reserve

Ron Paul: “The greatest threat facing America today is not terrorism, or foreign economic competition, or illegal immigration. The greatest threat facing America today is the disastrous fiscal policies of our own government, marked by shameless deficit spending and Federal Reserve currency devaluation. It is this one-two punch—Congress spending more than it can tax or borrow, and the Fed printing money to make up the difference—that threatens to impoverish us by further destroying the value of our dollars.” – source

Bob Barr: “If I could wave a magic wand and the Federal Reserve Bank would disappear tomorrow, I would do so. It’s a group of unelected governors that are not answerable to or accountable to the people of this country and yet they wield considerable influence over the economy by basically setting rates at which banks and other financial institutions can loan money. And they have built up, you know, huge reserves themselves that they can then dole out as they’re doing – as they did recently with Bear Stearns to prop up as failing, what they see as failing investment houses, for example.” – source

Read the full article for more.

Ron Paul is in the process of planning a “rally” to coincide both in time and geography to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. All of the major news outlets have picked up the story and are labeling it as a “McCain Alternative”. Here is the story from AP.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is planning a daylong rally in Minnesota during the Republican National Convention that could draw attention from the presumed nominee John McCain.

The Texas congressman with a devoted following has tentatively reserved the Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota on Sept. 2, the second day of the GOP convention.

“We plan on having a large rally,” said Paul spokesman Jesse Benton. “We want it to be a celebration of Republican values and what the Republican Party has traditionally stood for.”

Benton also said Paul wants to send a message to the GOP “that we need to return to our roots” of limited government and personal responsibility.

Ron Paul appeared on Neil Cavuto’s FOX News Channel show today to discuss the event. See the video below.

Here is another good interview with Bob Barr on the Bloomberg Channel’s “Night Talk” show. The interviewer, Mike Schneider has interviewed Ron Paul and Judge Andrew Napolitano in the past few months. He always asks insightful questions and allows ample time for his guests to answer, which is unfortunately rare in the media these days.

Barr’s drug warrior past is discussed along with the Defense of Marriage Act, the Libertarian Party, the Iraq War, Iran policy, role of religion, white supremacist supporters, and big government spending. Ron Paul even makes an appearance in a clip from his previous interview. Watch the interview in 3 parts below.

Part 2 | Part 3

Here is the 6 part (full hour) interview of Glenn Beck interviewing Bob Barr from tonight (06/06/2008). Good stuff. Note that without the commercials it is not a full hour.

[8:54]

[8:05]

Part 3 (3:39) | Part 4 (8:00) | Part 5 (8:34) | Part 6 (2:43)

In the most recent issue of Liberator Online (published by The Advocates for Self-Government), James W. Harris writes:

President John McCain: A Military “Near-Dictator”?

John McCain proudly announced the newest member of his staff this week. Michael Goldfarb, online editor for the neocon magazine The Weekly Standard, is his new Deputy Communications Director.

Last April, Goldfarb wrote the following about the powers he thinks the U.S. president possesses:

“The framers… sought an energetic executive with near dictatorial power in pursuing foreign policy and war.”

Oh, really? The Founders wanted a president with “near dictatorial” power? Responds liberal journalist Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com:

“Until the Bill Kristols and John Yoos and other authoritarians of that strainentered the political mainstream, I never heard of prominent Americans who describe the power that they want to vest in our political leaders as ‘near dictatorial.’ Anyone with an even passing belief in American political values would consider the word ‘dictatorial’ — at least rhetorically, if not substantively — to define that which we avoid at all costs, not something which we seek, embrace and celebrate.

“And the very idea that the Founders — whose principal concern was how to avoid consolidated power in any one person — sought to vest ‘near dictatorial power’ in the president is too perverse for words. But that’s been the core ‘principle’ driving the destructive radicalism of the last seven years, and it’s an extremist view that is obviously welcomed at the highest levels of the McCain campaign.”

Goldfarb has also endorsed torture techniques such as beatings and waterboarding, and has called for amnesty for corporations which assist the government in knowingly and illegally spying upon Americans without warrants.

But of course, that’s what you’d expect from the spokesman for a “near dictator,” right?

(Source: Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/02/goldfarb/index.html )

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Quote of the Day:I love to go to Washington, if only to be near my money.
~Bob HopeSubject: Urgent danger from “cap and trade” bill in the Senate

The U.S. Senate is debating a bill to impose a “cap and trade” system on the U.S. economy. This bill, S. 3036, the “Climate Security Act” would . . .

• Place a cap on the level of CO2 emissions
• Sell permits to businesses that would allow them to emit CO2 in amounts equal to the cap
• Allow businesses to trade and/or sell these permits to each other — allegedly creating a market to encourage innovations that would reduce CO2 emissions
• Use the proceeds from the sale of these permits to create a vast new research bureaucracy designed to help corporations cope with the cap

As a practical matter, S. 3036 will . . .

• Raise your electricity and gasoline bills
• Provide politicians with new tools to control the economy, hand out favors, and punish enemies
• Be as ineffective in doing “research” as the Energy Department has been
• Probably (if the example of Europe is a reliable guide) have little impact on the over-all level of CO2 emissions

Even if you accept that human CO2 emissions are causing problematic global warming, a government run “cap and trade” system is not the way to deal with this problem. There is a better way. Here are some points to consider . . .

• Fossil fuels create massive amounts of air pollution, quite apart from CO2.
• This pollution causes massive health problems, none of which are reflected in the price of fossil fuels.
• Fossil fuels enjoy a “free ride” in terms of pollution costs that make it hard for alternative sources of energy to compete.
• Air pollution is a form of trespass, and a case can certainly be made that dealing with such trespasses is a legitimate function of government.

The federal government could do this by . . .

• Taxing fossil fuels
• Cutting other taxes so that your overall financial burden would remain unchanged

Your energy costs would rise, but your taxes would fall by an equal amount. Doing this would . . .

• Eliminate the justification for a “cap and trade” boondoggle
• Make fossil fuels reflect more of their true costs
• Provide an incentive for everyone to reduce their use of fossil fuels
• Make other sources of energy cost competitive
• Limit the financial impact on you and the economy
• Help reduce air pollution, including CO2 emissions

We know that most Americans are concerned about pollution and the environment, and for those who feel this way, a carbon tax combined with tax cuts in other areas would be a better approach. But THIS CAMPAIGN is about stopping the “cap and trade” boondoggle, because if you really care about the environment, this proposal has only symbolic value.

Please send Congress a message opposing the so-called “Climate Security Act,” and all other “cap and trade” schemes.

Thank you for being a part of our growing Downsize DC army.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.