The "V" Man Cometh

Movies and novels are often prescient in their content and I must say that the movie and comic where apparently quite so where not-so-Great Britain is concerned. The BBC is reporting that Home Secretary John Reid has gone on the record as stating that Brits may well have to surrender what few freedoms they still retain in order to combat terrorism. Amazing how much British politicians and pundits can learn from Americans, eh?

How soon will it be before we start to hear the neo-conservative cry that "the Magna Charta isn't a suicide pact!"? With the advent of a surveillance society in Britain just around the corner, this is just one more rhetorical nail in the coffin of British liberties. The British politicians will now take on immigration in the name of the War On Terror according to Reid. It never ceases to amaze me that politicians are willing to destroy liberty and freedom in order to protect it and that so many drones are willing to go along with it.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said Mr Reid was right not to under estimate "the grave threat" the UK faces from terrorism, which was why the Tories had helped implement effective measures against it.

He said the government should now answer Tory calls for a UK border police force and appoint a dedicated minister for counter-terrorism.

The solution, in the minds of politicians is to grow the size of government to even greater proportions. George Bush is one hell of a teacher, it seems. Apparently Great Britain's already Brobdignagian government needs to be grown even more to combat the scourge of terrorism. Somehow, I doubt that's the answer.

Mr Reid said politicians, the judiciary and the public sector needed to "understand the depth and magnitude" of the terrorist threat facing the UK.

He said he was frustrated by the number of people who should be better informed, but "who just don't get it".

That's just it, tho, isn't it Mr. Reid? We, and our compatriots across the pond DO get it. Government is already more than large enough to tackle things. You're police just proved that this past week by arresting some alleged terrorists, didn't they? Existing levels were apparently up to the task at hand, eh? And yet, like Mr. Bush you somehow feel the need to further expand the beast? How stupid you must think people are, Mr. Reid that they cannot follow the simple logic that shows you for what you are. A politician seeking permanence and power in an expanded bureaucracy based upon less freedom and more security forces. Time's up, Mr. Reid. People know you for what you are....now we have to find out if the British people have the courage to resist you and turn back the clock to a better time.

A tip of the hat to Kevin for the original lead on this!

Technorati Tags:
Great Britain, Terrorism, Liberty, Libertarian

Happy Birthday!

Today marks the 5th Anniversary of the founding of Strike The Root, A Journal Of Liberty! Happy Birthday, folks and many, many Happy Returns!! I must admit that I don't stop in on a daily basis but I never fail to find something which I have missed elsewhere when I do. The ceaseless dedication to the cause of liberty and getting that message out is amazing!

Many of my favourite political bloggers and writers are either guest editors or contributors to Strike The Root and that, along with their enthusiasm keeps me coming back! I must admit that I was heartened to see Rex Bell among the front page supporters for Strike The Root. Rex is another person who does his fair share to promote liberty on the political front, he's even running for office this go around...again. Outstanding!

Here's wishing the good folks over at Strike The Root many more years of success! Carpe Libertatum!


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Strike The Root, Libertarian, Politics, News

Disarming The Innocent And Taxing Strangers

The supposed crossroads of America, Indianapolis is currently in the grips of a summer of violence that has their mayor, Bart Peterson-D and his city council all in a tizzy. As the numbers of murders in their city continues to climb the politicians in the state capitol are all looking for ways to not only curb the violence, they are also looking for ways to spend more money on the problem. Along with that spending comes the inevitable question of how to pay for their problem.

Mayor Bart Peterson has some suggestions. One of those ideas flitting about inside his skull is disarming innocent people in a bid to stem the tide of shootings. Now, if mayor Peterson were anything other than a Democrat I would say that he need look no further than the Democratic Party bastions of Chicago, Washington, DC and New York for examples of how this particular approach works in real life. Ya see, Mr. Peterson ignores the fact that bad guys do not obey laws. The only people inconvenienced by nonsense such as disarming people would be those of us who usually obey the law, (when it doesn't conflict with our rights).

The mayor also suggested it was time to look at the issue of guns, alcohol and late hours, which figured into several of the shootings. He wants to study the possibility of a city ordinance or state law to penalize people who bring guns into places that serve alcohol.

Here's a message for Mr. Peterson. If you do this you will force any number of law abiding people into the role of criminals. Why? Because many of us will not go into your Indianapolis restaurants (which serve alcohol in most cases) without our weapons....regardless of your law. Our safety and that of our families is more important than your feel good measures- which would have no effect on criminals. You see...many of us go to places which serve alcohol to eat and we do not drink. Any proposed regulation that would disarm us puts us in danger from the criminals roaming your streets due to your failure to run a decent city. Why don't you try seeing if you can get more people to carry weapons, instead? That would truly give your criminals something to consider. Cops don't scare them.
The only other choice you'll leave us is to vote with our wallets and refuse to spend money in your cesspool.

The Mayor of Indianapolis also wants an additional $54 million. How sweet! Their public safety budget would soar to $532 Million. It's already at almost HALF A BILLION DOLLARS and they want more. Give them this money and I can guarantee one thing. There will be no change other than more cops, more taxation, more crime and less freedom. One politician in Indianapolis has even suggested that yet another regional sales tax be enacted on behalf of Indianapolis, as if taking money from places that don't have their crime problem will help. It won't and we refuse to help you clean your own mess up. Here's a clue...it's not our problem. You and your city have already imposed one tax on us to pay for your stadium you can't have any more!

Indianapolis already has a "public safety" budget of almost HALF A BILLION DOLLARS and they cannot manage on that. What makes Mr. Peterson and his buddies on their city council think that more money will solve their problems? It's past time that the people of Indianapolis woke up and realised that their government and police agencies are incapable of "serving" or "protecting" them. Not only are they incapable they are not even legally obligated to render aid or protection to you. This latest "crime wave" is just another in an endless series of events that will result in more money for an already inept "public safety" program and will not have any major impact on the current "crime wave".

It is past time that the people in Indianapolis realised that their continual election of the usual suspects is having a negative impact upon their city. Next time the elections roll around they'd do well to vote for the Libertarians on the ballot. You folks need free market politics in the worst way.

Technorati Tags:
Indianapolis, Politics, Crime, Libertarian, Democrats

Completing Lincoln's Nightmare

Or dream, as the case may be.

The Bush and Republicrat led government seems intent on solidifying the power of the Federal government and taking away what little control the governors of the States had over their Guard units. What this would lead to is nightmarish, to say the least. For all intents and purposes every state would have within its borders a federal military force, under the control of the government in D.C. Governors needing to use the Guard would have to apply to D.C. for permission in times of emergency and wait until that was granted and they got their collective crap together. Got a flood in progress? We'll contact FEMA and co-ordinate with them and the DoD.

While the federal takeover would ostensibly be during a national security emergency or natural disaster, we all know that government "emergencies" can last for years. Just look at Iraq and the War on Terror. The last thing any state needs is the Feds taking control of the guard in a natural disaster. They are too distant to know what is what on the ground, just ask the people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. It's bad enough when the state has incompetent people involved, add in distance and the federal bureaucracy and the situation gets exponentially worse. This is a bad idea whose time should never come.

While this has the governors worried at their conference in South Carolina they have me worried by many of the things they're proposing and talking about at their soiree'. For folks who are seemingly worried about the sovereignty of their states they seem to hold little respect for the sovereignty of the individuals in those states. They seem inordinately fond of putting their cattle citizens on diets and fitness programs.

He said governors must start diet and exercise programs in their states and take other steps to reduce the cost of chronic disease, because "Congress will not do it."

Huckabee, who shed 110 pounds two years ago out of health concerns, has made that issue his theme for his year as chairman of the organization.

Why is this I wonder? What business is it of the state if someone takes the decision to be overweight or lazy? So what if they live a few years less than some bureaucrat would like? Anything to maintain their grip on their taxpaying subjects, eh? Are we going to see mandatory exercise programs as a result of these people "caring"? Perhaps they already have a model in mind?

The State has the duty to help raise the standard of national health by providing maternity welfare centers, by prohibiting juvenile labor, by increasing physical fitness through the introduction of compulsory games and gymnastics, and by the greatest possible encouragement of associations concerned with the physical education of the young.

The health, diet and welfare of the individual is best left to the individual, for good or ill and not the State. The facts seem to lead us to the conclusion that these governors look upon "we the people" as subjects or, perhaps more accurately as slaves. In their eyes we are no more than assets and liabilities. Our health is their concern only if we serve them in some way and, as "taxpayers" we do indeed serve them.

But some of the effects of an unhealthy population are less readily apparent - absenteeism, loss of productivity, and higher health care costs negatively impact job creation by making us a riskier place to do business.

Can't have taxpayers missing work and being unproductive, eh? Are we looking at health related absenteeism becoming a tax crime in the near future? Will being a few pound overweight result in charges of tax evasion? If you're a fat ass and miss work because of it, then will it no longer be between you and your boss? It'll be your boss and the government vs. you. Is the day coming when sitting down with a burger and a shake to watch a movie will be considered an act of resistance? Looks like it, huh?

Combine their "fitness plans" with continued talk about healthcare and the stage will be set. Look for an increased consensus from all of these parties for a national healthcare plan before their conference is out. When politicians get together no-one is safe, especially free men women and children.


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Politics, Bush, Governors Conference, Libertarian, Health