Another loss for Berlin

Comments

[warren]

Say it aint so!

You will be Missed, Dennis! Good Luck in Your Future.

[Antonio Andolini]

We'll miss you.
Too bad it's not the BDS...just kidding!

[Rocky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k5kHACjrdEY

[warren]

Beware of what you ask for from Govt. Your Life and Property may very well be next on the Guillotine! When the Wolves are done eating the "Fall Guy", they will surely turn on YOU next.

DEMOCRACY OR A REPUBLIC?

By Al Duncan

May 27, 2011
NewsWithViews.com

In 2001, Dr. Stanley Monteith and I co-authored an article that was published in the Lake County Record Bee entitled, America: Democracy or Republic, and what does it matter? Today, most Americans mistakenly believe that our form of government is a democracy. In the above referenced article, I examine that belief. I have herein included excerpts from that article that substantiate the original intent of America’s founding fathers.

Dr. Stan and I wrote, “If you asked 100 people whether we are a democracy or a republic, the overwhelming majority would say that we are a democracy. What is more disheartening, the overwhelming majority would not have a clue as to what a republic is.”

Ancient Athens was a prosperous city-state until it became a democracy in 508 B.C. Then the will of the majority became the law of the land, and the minority had no rights. The ruling oligarchy manipulated the populace and plunged Athens into a series of disastrous wars. Class warfare broke out when the poor sought to steal the wealth of the rich. Modern pundits claim that Athenian democracy was different from the democracy being imposed on us today, but that isn't true.

If you study the history of civilization, you will find that all civil governments have eventually enslaved their citizens. There have only been two instances when men have been free, and on both occasions the populace lost their freedom because they allowed evil men to corrupt their courts. The first instance was three thousand years ago when the children of Israel lived under God's law, and there was no formal government. In those days people could do whatever they wished as long as they obeyed the Ten Commandments.

If there’s one thing that we have learned from history, it is that we never learn from history. And those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Our republic lasted 160 years and provided more freedom to more people than any other government in the history of the world. During the fourth decade of the last century things began to change. Most Americans weren’t aware of these drastic changes, they were being sidetracked by events such as the great depression, World War II, the rebellious 60s, and the constant barrage of financial, psychological, and physical pressures, mostly due to the invasion and expansion of the federal government into our lives.

Both William Blackstone and John Locke promoted the belief that civil laws should be based on God's law. Those ideas were incorporated into the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence, and John Locke's phrase life, liberty, and (or) property was used twice in the Constitution.

If you read our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, The Federalist Papers, and the Constitution of any state up to 1950 you’ll never find the word democracy used other than to condemn that form of government and declare that our nation is a republic.

The Bill of Rights was designed to limit the authority of the federal government. The first eight amendments limited acts of Congress in respect to our personal freedom. Amendments nine and ten limited acts of Congress to the issues cited in Article One, Section 8 of the Constitution.

So why is America being repeatedly referred to as a democracy when we are a republic? Is there an intentional effort to deceive the American people into believing we are a democracy in order to change it from a republic? Who benefits from a democracy and who benefits from a republic?

Permanent law rules a republic. Ever-changing impulses of men rule a democracy. In a democracy, elected officials can pass any sort of legislation they desire as long as they persuade the majority to agree. In a republic, the law restricts elected officials as to what they can or cannot do.

In a democracy, the majority rules, and the rest have no unalienable rights. In a democracy, the government can take wealth from one group (the working class) and give it to others as long as they persuade the majority to agree. If individuals did that it would be considered stealing, but when done with government authority it is considered lawful. This form of rule leads to dishonesty, corruption, a breakdown in law, and eventually chaos and anarchy.

Over 200 hundred years ago Professor Alexander Tyler explained why democracies fail: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until [a majority of] the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse (freebees/welfare) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy (taxing and spending), and is always followed by a dictatorship.”

Plato lived in Athens during the tumultuous years that preceded the end of that society, and he wrote about what he witnessed in Chapter VIII of his book, Plato stated, “A lynch mob is an example of a democracy. The majority decides who will be executed; the only negative vote comes from the man with a rope around his neck.”

Democracy has been likened to three wolves and a sheep voting on what they will eat for dinner. On the other hand, a republic would be a society with laws that prohibit eating sheep, and every animal would be armed to protect themselves against wolves.

Lord Acton noted, "The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections."

In a democracy, laws can be changed at any time by the vote of the majority, and the majority can always be compromised or bribed with promises from the public treasury.

John Adams, the second President of the United States, warned: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy that didn’t commit suicide.”

Oscar Wilde wrote: “Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people.”

When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

So why do so many people believe we are a democracy? Because they have not been educated correctly, they have been intentionally deceived and, there has been a well- financed and well- orchestrated effort to convince them that our elected officials can do whatever they wish as long as a majority of them agree on a course of action. The exact opposite is true. Our Founding Fathers believed in the rule of law and hoped to prevent future generations from voting themselves into slavery, which is why they created a republic, and not a democracy.

Men have always established governments for protection. Our founders knew that laws to protect the lives, liberty, and property of citizens were necessary, but once those rights were secured, additional laws only restrict men’s freedom. They knew that liberty and limited government were synonymous, and that tyranny and total government were synonymous, so they constructed a system to limit our government. They also knew that there was no effective way to limit the misuse of power in a democracy, so they established a republic, where men would be ruled by law rather than by the will of the majority.

Thomas Jefferson warned, “In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”

Over 200 hundred years ago, Professor Alexander Tyler explained why democracies fail: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until [a majority of] the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse (freebees/welfare) from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy (taxing and spending), and is always followed by a dictatorship.”

James Madison, wrote, ". . . democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security, or the rights of property; and have, in general, been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths."

"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. What has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world." Daniel Webster

Thomas Jefferson anticipated the destruction of our republic. He wrote: “It has long been my opinion that the germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the Constitution of our Federal Judiciary; an irresponsible body, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the states, and the government of all be consolidated into one. To this I’m opposed; because, when all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks of one government on another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated. It will be as in Europe, where every man must be either pike (on the top) or gudgeon (on the bottom).

The opening phrase of the First Amendment to our Constitution proclaims: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…"

Astonishingly, this has been rendered to be a “separation of church and state.” Thus, the Federal Judiciary is now deciphering the law to its advantage rather than assert what the law clearly affirms.

Benjamin Franklin warns, "Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants."

"It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains." Patrick Henry

As the Bible specifically addresses humanity’s behavioral-traits and provides agape/love as the solution, which is to safeguard the spiritual betterment of others and includes a selfless giving without expecting anything in return, the Constitution also addresses human behavioral-traits by restricting transgressions with laws.

If we are honest, the Bible and the constitution have been obsolete in America for more than 40 years.

© 2011 Al Duncan - All Rights Reserved

The Bill of Rights was designed to limit the authority of the federal government. The first eight amendments limited acts of Congress in respect to our personal freedom. Amendments nine and ten limited acts of Congress to the issues cited in Article One, Section 8 of the Constitution.

[Antonio Andolini]

Ah yes,Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, the case that held that individuals acting through corporations and labor unions have a First Amendment right to participate in the political process. "Premised on mistrust of governmental power, the First Amendment stands against attempts to disfavor certain subjects or viewpoints or to distinguish among different speakers, which may be a means to control content."
At the heart of the matter is the concept that when the government "command(s) where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought."
No question the amount of money spent on political campaigns is outrageous. But, until voters stop paying attention to ads and form their opinions based on principles and facts, it will not change. When large amount of money are spent without the desired results, the tide turns. Witness Wisconsin's recent recall elections. You can bet that all the various organizations, from across the political spectrum, won't be pouring in that amount of money again anytime soon.
For all the rhetoric about corporations hijacking the process, it is still individuals who vote. The campaigns may be funded by all sorts of special interests, but it is still "we, the people" who cast the ballot.
Now, back to watching the rest of that video.
Thanks, Rocky!

[Antonio Andolini]

Can you pass the Civics test?
http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Office%20of%20Citizenship/Citizenship%20Resource%20Center%20Site/Publications/PDFs/M-685.pdf

http://usgovinfo.about.com/blinstst.htm

[Antonio Andolini]

So, who are the top 10 corporations?
Wal-Mart Stores
Exxon Mobil
Chevron
ConocoPhillips
Fannie Mae
General Electric
Berkshire Hathaway
General Motors
Bank of America
Ford Motor
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/full_list/index.html
Yes, thank you, Rocky, what a wonderful video. With the stick figure cartoons, you don't even have to be able to read or write to get the message. Those bad men on the Supreme Court gave it all away. Corporations, bad; labor unions, well, we don't need to mention them. Shame on those shareholders for investing money and expecting the (evil, wicked, mean and nasty) corporations to make a profit. Let's just ignore the fact that for as long as there has been commerce, there has been (dare I say it) capital in use to fund it. How do you achieve a retirement account, a college fund, a roof over your head, a motor vehicle? Oh, right, the government is supposed to do that.

[Antonio Andolini]

Federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.
Republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation.
Socialism - a government in which the means of planning, producing, and distributing goods is controlled by a central government that theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor; in actuality, most socialist governments have ended up being no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite.

United States Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2128.html

[Antonio Andolini]

Something for everyone up North:
Canada a parliamentary democracy, a federation, and a constitutional monarchy

[Antonio Andolini]

http://www.georgescoville.com/2011/07/26/what-citizens-united-didnt-say/

[warren]

The American Republic of the Constitution is Totally Antithetical to Democracy, Tony.

Republic, Latin: Res Publica or Public Thing = Rule of Law
The Minorities are protected by Law from the Greed, Envy & Spite of the Lawless Mob. Stability is Ensured.

Democracy, Greek: Demos Kratia = People ( or Majority ) Rule
Wherin Demogogue's arise who Promise the Masses "Everything including the Kitchen Sink .... For FREE!!!! "A Chicken in Every Pot!", "Free Beer Tommorrow!"
Resulting Govt. Largess leads to the Debauching of The Currency by Inflation, Chaos, Instability and eventual Sundown into Dictatorship.

http://lexrex.com/enlightened/AmericanIdeal/aspects/demrep.html

[warren]

Speaking of Debauching the Currency...

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20110903/OPINION02/709029993

[warren]

Then again, Telling ANY of this to R.D.D.B. Rocky is Pointless, There is Ignorance... and then there is Stupidity. How's the Saying go? "If You're not a Liberal at 18, you do not have a Heart, and if You're Still a Liberal at 40, you do not have a Brain. I've heard a much closer to the wick addage that says "Emotions will get You K.I.A. / Instincts will Keep You alive every time.

[Antonio Andolini]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/2/the-lefts-refrain-whats-yours-is-mine/

[Antonio Andolini]

Budget, to god-damned hell with budgets! We have no budget. In fact, we don't need budgets. (with apologies to B. Traven.)
We, the government, just resolve to keep on spending.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/2/needed-budget-reforms-to-save-money-into-the-futur/

[warren]

Yes Tony, We've probably both met a few too many "Good Liberals" over the Years. The Ones who can Drink OUR Beer and Eat OUR BBQ so much faster than We can. And then they always try to tell us How too Spend OUR money and live OUR lives...
There is good reason to wear waders when going into certain waters! It's time to put a sign on the door declaring "Uncle Sams Bar & Grill" is Closed!

[Antonio Andolini]

Rocky, I'm hearing some familiar themes:

"There is so much waste. And there is a name for this: It’s called corporate crony capitalism. This is not the capitalism of free men and free markets, of innovation and hard work and ethics, of sacrifice and of risk. No, this is the capitalism of connections and government bailouts and handouts, of waste and influence peddling and corporate welfare. This is the crony capitalism that destroyed Europe’s economies. It’s the collusion of big government and big business and big finance to the detriment of all the rest – to the little guys. It’s a slap in the face to our small business owners – the true entrepreneurs, the job creators accounting for 70% of the jobs in America, it’s you who own these small businesses, you’re the economic engine, but you don’t grease the wheels of government power."

You'll never guess who said it(?)

[warren]

Sarah Palin.... So, Why Exactly did She Resign as Gov. of Alaska?

[warren]

She peaked as Side kick to the 'Hero of the Hilton' , Tony.

http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/m/J/2/bullwinkle-assassination.jpg

Now She is just Comic Relief. Or a Tangent if She will not now "Put the Best Interests of this Country First", and just go away.

[Antonio Andolini]

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20110905/OPINION01/709059999

[Antonio Andolini]

"Better the devil you know than the devil you don't"
You're welcome, jihadists.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/4/jihadists-plot-to-take-over-libya/

[warren]

Speaking of Punishing Employers, Here is a News Item that should interest you, Tony.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/08/31/140090116/why-gibson-guitar-was-raided-by-the-justice-department

[warren]

Why do Liberals Love to Dance with Death/ Have Sympathy for the Devil and Celebrate Risky Behavior?

Obama is Helping to create a Muslim Caliphate throughout the Middle East. Building on the foundation laid by James Earl Carter, who gave us the Ayatollah. At precisely the moment that Iran is developing a bomb. Liberalism ( in its extreem ) certainly IS a Mental Disorder.

[Antonio Andolini]

How does the government create jobs? Simple, spend another $1 TRILLION dollars! Thank you, Maxine Waters.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608#44391623
How do WE pay for it? Simple, print more money! Thank you Ben Bernanke.
When you're broke and in debt, spend more money??? Don't try this at home, kids.
Heaven help us all.

[Antonio Andolini]

"But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized – at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do – it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."
President Barack Obama January 13, 2011

"We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They’ve got a war, they got a war with us and there’s only going to be one winner. It’s going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We’re going to win that war.
President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let’s take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong.”
Jimmy Hoffa, Jr. 09-05-2011 introducing President Barack Obama