Posted by Jesse Benton on 11/07/09 3:35 PM [Older: Judge Napolitano hosting Glenn Beck tonight]

This is really scary - it appears that under the current version of the House healthcare bill, Americans who choose not to buy health insurance could be charged with a felony and sent to prison for five years. Has our country gone mad?

Posted 11/07/09 4:42 PM Champion Of Liberty Pembroke Pines, FL

"Showtime" LOL Did anyone else catch that?

Posted 11/07/09 4:47 PM Champion Of Liberty Pembroke Pines, FL

"Showtime" LOL Did anyone else catch that?

Posted 11/07/09 9:23 PM MountainDoc Lewisburg, WV

Jesse, I saw this too. It's indeed scary if not outright tyranny. If it ever came to independence (Hopefully never), this would be one of the grievances listed on the new Declaration.

Posted 11/07/09 9:45 PM CTLovesNathanHale Atlanta, GA

I can tell you now that I will never pay this tax and I don't plan on going to prison, either. They have us backed into a corner, and we need to come out fighting -- this trash can be reversed by a liberty congress!

Posted 11/07/09 10:19 PM Mike in Virginia Fredericksburg, VA

I have health insurance now because my employer provides it. But in less than 7 years, I will be required by law to sign up for Medicare. I will most emphatically not do so. Nor will I sign up for social security. Both programs are theft, pure and simple. The fact that the government has been stealing from me for decades does not justify me in stealing from future generations. If they prosecute me, my defense will be four simple words that our ruling class seems to have forgotten: Thou shalt not steal. If a government brainwashed jury disagrees with those words, I guess my future lies in a jail cell. So be it. Or I might escape this country, which is so quickly becoming the Fourth Reich.

Posted 11/07/09 11:19 PM jeremy esposito Bellflower, CA

I hear jail food is pretty good. I might have to get used to it.

Posted 11/07/09 11:55 PM BillNM Carlsbad, NM

Ever hear of citizen nullification? Let's begin right now to recruit one million citizens to refuse to sign up for the criminal health insurance scam. Let's see; how many prisons do they have?

Posted 11/08/09 12:25 AM turnip28 West New York, NJ

Jury Nullification!!! It is our only defense against an un-constitutional law. If any C4L member is on a jury and someone is charged with not having health insurance just return not guility. Either you will get a Hung trial or you convince the rest of the jury to return a not guility verdict.

Posted 11/08/09 2:53 PM Break your chains Byron, GA

We need state legislatures to enact tough legislation against offering any assistance what-so-ever leading to the conviction of persons charged with being in violation to this clause of the Federal healthcare mandate. I'm going to contact my state rep. Tony Sellier and demand that we get an option to opt-out of this crap. I agree with the jury nullification idea, as well.

Posted 11/08/09 4:18 PM RhysW ann arbor, MI

I hope you guys are good bakers cause I'll need a cake. See ya in the clink.

Posted 11/08/09 9:11 PM Break your chains Byron, GA

I was getting ready to write a letter to my state representative about this portion of the bill specifically but I looked and cannot find the "Criminal Penalties" section in the bill's text as posted on THOMAS. For clarificaton: Sections 7201 and 7203 (dealing with criminal punishment) are found in the tax code. These changes came about in H.R. 3200 here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:2:./temp/~c1111DIyEX:e306551 : As far as I can tell, it is not a part of H.R. 3962. Still, I think it would be prudent to ensure that the states enact legislation as I mentioned earlier.

Posted 11/08/09 10:55 PM Isomies Mechanicsville, VA

I'll be seeing you in cell block H.

Posted 11/09/09 08:09 AM HiFi West Palm Beach, FL

just my 2 cents worth, but seems to me this law is a perfect definition of an act of terrorism.

Posted 11/09/09 11:12 AM Rossco Des Moines, IA

This law is in violation of you personal liberties.

Posted 11/09/09 7:27 PM usapatriot Milton, VT

We need to be ready and willing to engage in peaceful civil disobedience should this monstrosity ever become "law". WHERE oh WHERE in the U.S. Constitution does the Federal government have the power to FORCE its citizens to patronize private businesses? I'll be damned if I'm going to keep my mouth shut if one of my friends or neighbors is arrested for the crime of "Not buying health insurance". I think we should also work on a legal defense fund for anyone arrested on this charge. Should the law make it through the legislature and executive, it needs to get to The Supreme Court ASAP so that some of these provisions can be struck down.

Posted 11/10/09 12:02 AM casimirp Laurel, MD

I agree with USAPATRIOT. Let's get one martyr for this cause so it can be taken to the supreme court and defeated. I just hope we still have our current form of gov't in three years. Wouldn't be surprised if there were a coup under Obama's administration. His failed policies can only continue if they are forced on the people through poverty and violence.