Liberty For All

by Ivan Eland

Barack Obama entered the presidency as one of the most rhetorically pro-civil liberties politicians in recent memory. And shortly after taking office, he drew applause from friends of liberty for promulgating executive orders closing Guantanamo and CIA secret prisons, ending CIA torture, suspending kangaroo proceedings at military tribunals, and pledging more openness than the secretive Bush administration. Unfortunately, instead of prosecuting Bush administration officials, including George W. Bush, for violating criminal statutes against torture, illegal wiretapping of Americans, and other misdeeds-thus avoiding the bad precedent of giving a president a free pass on illegal acts-Obama appears ready to vindicate the prior administration’s anti-terrorism program by adopting Bush Lite.

Warning signs that Obama was softer on civil liberties than advertised came even before he took office, when as a Senator, he voted for blatantly unconstitutional legislation that allowed federal snooping into some e-mail messages and phone calls without a warrant. The Constitution implies that all government searches and seizures of private property require a judicially-approved warrant based on probable cause that a crime has been committed-with no exceptions mentioned, including for national security.

Politicians love symbolic acts and Obama’s rapid pledge to shutter the high profile prison at Guantanamo and secret CIA prisons was widely praised. But if civil liberties continue to be violated elsewhere, have we made much progress?

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by Richard C. Evey

It has been written all over the World Wide Web, it has been talked about on non-MSM, it has been ignored by MSM but the true facts must be revealed. WE THE PEOPLE must be told the truth and shown the real evidence.

Is the messiah, aka Barack Hussein Obama, aka Berry Seotoro, aka Barry Dunham, aka Barry Obama, etc, etc, a natural born citizen, as required by the United States Constitution??

The US Constitution states in Article II, Section I (paragraph 6), “No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President;”

AKA official birth certificate will not be released by the state of Hawaii. AKA will not spend $12.50 for an official copy of his so-called birth certificate and have it made public but he will spend over $1,000,000.00 in legal fees keeping anyone from trying to obtain an official copy of his birth certificate.

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by LP staff

Libertarian Party Says Obama Plan Based on Failed Economics

America’s largest third party says that President-elect Barack Obama’s spending plans are based on flawed economics. “If you think Obama’s economic plans don’t make sense, it’s because they don’t,” says Libertarian Party National Chairman William Redpath.

“Americans are taking a look at Obama’s economic plans and scratching their heads,” says Redpath. “And, there is good reason to do so.  The theory behind his plan, Keynesian economics, has been unsuccessfully tried by multiple presidential administrations in the past.  It didn’t work for President Hoover in the early 1930s.  It didn’t work for President Roosevelt in the Great Depression.  It didn’t work for President Ford in 1970s.  Why does Obama think it will work for him now?”

“Just look at the last eight years,” says Redpath. “President George Bush did more to increase government spending during his administration than any president in American history. Yet, this is the same period in which we entered into economic decline.  Is there any reason then to believe that more government spending will pull us out of this decline?”

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by author unknown

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You’ve seen my big home at last year’s Christmas party. I’m sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don’t see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

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by Ivan Eland

Although we thought that the signature moment of George W. Bush’s presidency would have been his standing in a flight suit before the “Mission Accomplished” banner on an aircraft carrier after the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, this episode may well have been booted to the side by the scene of the president being insultingly pelted with an Iraqi journalist’s footwear.

This embarrassing saga illustrates that the Bush presidency has trod from tragedy to farce. The president’s well-heeled upbringing has led to the “rich boy” syndrome, in which throughout Bush’s life his wealthy father bailed out this footloose and fancy-free loafer. Thus, Bush began to believe that his “bold” (read: reckless) actions would always turn out OK. Also, Bush can be labeled a “sneaker” for his post-9/11 fabrication of a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda or 9/11, in order to invade a second, unrelated Muslim nation. Meanwhile, he merely temporarily shooed away Osama bin Laden-allowing a worldwide radical Islamist movement, strengthened by non-Muslim footsteps in Iraq, to possibly threaten the United States another day.

Of course, the invasion of Muslim lands by non-Muslim armies was far more insulting to the Islamic world than failing to remove your shoes when entering a mosque. Hence the ultimate symbolic rejoinder of wing tips flying through the air at the Baghdad news conference-a slight that has proved wildly popular throughout the Muslim world.

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by Richard C. Evey

“Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.”

- Lord Acton

Two hundred and seventeen years ago on December 15, 1791 the Bill of Rights was ratified by the states of a new country, the Unites States of America.

The United States of America might never have existed without the Bill of Rights.  It is so important that several states of the original 13 states would not ratify the Constitution without the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights limits the power of the government and protects the rights of the people.

Nearly everything that makes an American proud to be an American comes from the Bill of Rights. Freedom to speak, print, read, assemble, pray, petition the government, keep and bear arms. Protection from unreasonable arrests and searches, excessive bail, double jeopardy, coerced confessions, cruel and unusual punishment. Rights to due process, jury trials, counsel, and to present defense witnesses. These are the freedoms and rights that define America. The Bill of Rights is uniquely American. We the people have rights as individuals, it says, and government must respect these rights.

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by Fran Tully

Something about the New Orleans disaster has been disturbing me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until I read Robert Tracinski’s article at The Intellectual Activist. The news coverage and the violation of rights in the aftermath of the flood were not only sensational, but downright disturbing. As I considered it, I shared with my wife that this did not seem to me a situation that would be unique to New Orleans or a black community, but rather something that we could expect to see in any major metropolitan urban setting. The entitlement mentality and the senseless violence are both symptoms that have been making themselves known for decades.

I found it interesting that not a single newscaster or talk show host dared to state the obvious. Instead, they begged for our compassion, our donations, and our understanding. Now, no doubt, in addition to the hundreds of millions in private donations, the government will take even more of our money (taxes) and give more handouts to those who are demanding that we do something. There are folks from New Orleans in Salt Lake City now who have been assured that FEMA will pay for the next six months of their rent. Frankly, it irritates me considerably to hear these flood victims saying, “what I want to know is whose gonna pay my bills?!” or whining about getting free debit cards with ONLY $2000 in cash attached to them.

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by Ivan Eland

In the twilight of his eight-year term, George W. Bush is the loneliest guy in town these days. Remember him? With the economy in the tank, the Iraq War dragging on with casualties at 2004 levels (which we were all horrified about back then), Bush’s popularity is in the cellar and holding. Republican presidential candidate John McCain is running away from him faster than an Alaskan snow machine. The media has all but forgotten him, as it covers what the two aspirants to replace him have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day.

But historians will not forget him and the few journalists who are still paying attention to him are asking if he is the worst president in history. Although hard to believe, the answer is probably no.

True, Bush has failed to catch or kill Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al Qaeda leaders who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, because he got diverted into occupying two Muslim countries in which they are unlikely to be hanging out. Although such occupations (”nation-building” if a Democratic president were doing it) are billed as a necessary part of the “War on Terror,” they have merely inflamed Islamic radicals around the world and increased their terrorist attacks. Maybe even more important, Bush’s War on Terror has also undermined the cherished American system of government by unconstitutionally suspending habeas corpus; enhancing government surveillance of the American public, including unconstitutional spying without court-reviewed warrants; practicing torture; and distorting the constitutional checks and balances by expanding the authority of the already imperial presidency. Yet it could be argued that several other presidents have done worse things.

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by Sean Gangol 

I don’t know if anyone else remembers the exact moment they lost all faith in the government, but I remember losing mine three years ago during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Not that my faith was all that strong to begin with. By then I had already considered myself a cynical Libertarian. I guess there was still a part of me that wanted to believe that the government would rise to the occasion, when needed.

When Katrina smashed in the coast, the government once again disappointed me. I know there are a many Bush haters who want to blame the president for everything that went wrong during Katrina. Even though I personally dislike George W. Bush, I can’t blame him for all the short comings of the government. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that he deserves his share of the blame. I remember the People who were starving on their roofs for a week before any federal relief came. Hell, it took a long time for the National Guard to come and restore order, since Bush had most of the troops in Iraq.

Yes, George deserves his share of the blame. However people seemed to forget that the local governments didn’t handle the emergences any better. The mayor of New Orleans is the one I blame the most. The man acted surprised when his city ended up underwater. Gee, who would ever think that a city that was built below sea level would be prone to flooding? I remember going to New Orleans ten years ago and hearing the locals dread the day that the big one would hit. Apparently the locals have known for a long time that New Orleans was destined to be hit with a catastrophic hurricane. So why is it that a city official never thought to plan ahead for a disaster like Katrina?

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by Author unknown

I’ve finally made up my mind on this November’s election.  I don’t know why it has taken this long.  It was right in front of me!

I’m voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I’m voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I’m voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius.

I’m voting Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

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