Posted by jsigman on 03/17/09

Dear Mr Middleton,

I am not a neo nazi or a racist. I am a citizen of the great state of Missouri. I support the constitution, Ron Paul, Bob Barr, and Chuck Baldwin. I am not in a militia. I am not a terrorist and I would never harm a law enforcement officer. To target me for increased police harassment is wrong headed, dangerous, and a violation of my first amendment rights to freedom of speech. Please apologize to the men and women you have targeted both directly and indirectly with your slander. I am as concerned as ever other red blooded American over the future of our Republic but what I fear most is the type of fascism that your document is helping to bring about in this country.

"They came first for the communists, and I did not speak up-
because I was not a communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak up - because I was not a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew;
And then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak up."

Sincerly,

Jonathon David Sigman

Posted 03/17/09 Laura Hausladen Bourbon, MO

Hey, I enjoyed your blog--especially the way you ended it with the "They came first for..." That really gets to the heart of the issue.

Posted 04/04/09 ShiekYerbooty Stephenville , TX

Good Stuff

Posted by jsigman on 03/11/09
Last updated 03/11/09

Dear America,

A inconvenient truth is always preferable to a comfortable delusion and the truth is that we are all slaves. If this sounds like right-wing propaganda then I must insist that you do not know me yet. Some might say that I write these words out of anger over a lost election or to insight fear of political change but that is not true because I am neither a Republican or a Democrat. It would not even be accurate to describe what I feel as anger. It is something deeper. In retrospect I believe I have felt this my entire life but I have never been able to put direction to it: until now. As for what feeling this is, I cannot rightly say. Anger is a part of this feeling but much greater is a horrible sadness mixed with purpose. It is a burning hole in my gut.

I do not desire to tell others what they can and cannot do, I simply wish that others would not place such limitations on me...but that is not quite it because I do not want others to be able to rule you either. How do you quantify such a desire? I wish to be a king and to rule only myself. I would have a small piece of forested land and upon it I would build a small house made of logs where I would raise a family and when my allotted time was up I would be buried in soft southern earth. Who among you would take that from me?

This is my comfortable delusion.

It has been said that when you become a man you put away childish things. In this horrible moment of realization I become a man. The inconvenient truth is that I will probably never see my dreams realized and it is childish of me to even hope otherwise but I still do.

We could waste time discussing our own comfortable delusions of America but the time has come to face reality. Each of us knows, perhaps in our own unique way, where we are headed. We feel it in our guts but every day at dawn we start marching and nobody ever asks where we are headed. Today I will ask one question to everyone I meet: Is war really the only way to settle our differences?

My mother is a great woman, wise in a way that I may never achieve, and I have been blessed to have her friendship and advice. However, on the issue of inconvenient and uncomfortable truths we part ways. When we have talked about such issues she has always asserted that my view was too frightening for people and that it contained no hope. I am not exactly sure how to address this concern but I will try.

America: If we are driving our car into oncoming traffic, what good does it do to have our eyes closed? None at all. I understand all too well the desire for hope but the truth of the matter is that our only hope is to realistically address our situation and to make corrections if possible. Unfortunately we have no more time to indulge ourselves in comforting delusions, like all the great generations before us we must be willing to set them aside for a time and see the world as it really is. Make no mistake about it, there have been others throughout history who have been asked to make the same sacrifices. Our greatest hope must be this: That our children, and their children may live to see better days.

As much as I love you America, I resign myself to the fact that I will never be able to achieve my dream because of this feeling. You have wronged me. I hate what you have become.

The fact of the matter is that there is absolutely nothing in which you cannot take from me. Some of you may say that there are laws which prevent these kinds of injustices but our laws are worthless. The uncomfortable truth is that when we ignore laws which we find to be inconvenient we invalidate them all. Anyone who has actually read the constitution or the bill of rights would see that our government does not even resemble the one outlined in that document. It has unfortunately become obsolete. If the President can accuse me of being a terrorist and take away my rights guaranteed under the first 10 amendments to the constitution then he is not a President, he is a King, even if we elect a new one every 4 years.

This might seem petty to some people but it is my life, not yours, and it goes deeper. When I allow you tax my labor, and take my property to kill innocent people around the world you make me liable. Remember that evil is not just done by evil people but also by good people who, knowing the truth, do nothing. I will not place my soul as forfeit for your war lust.

Make no mistake about it, we are brothers, you and I. We share the greatest of national heritages, not one of race or nationality but one of ideology. We stood together as free men when those shots heard 'round the world were fired and together we overthrew the chains of oppression. We have repulsed invasion and made war on one another. We have freed the slaves and, though we are not there yet, progressed towards the goal that all men and women are created equal. We have built statues and monuments to great leaders of men and we have paid our respects to those who freely gave of their own blood to give us our liberty. We have known tragedy and hope, depression and war but always our Union has endured.

How, knowing these things to be true, can we continue down this road? America is at her heart, beyond all the bureaucracy and propaganda, an idea. The idea that free men can live together.

For too long now we have fought to rule our neighbors here at home. In doing so we have become slaves to each other and to the ever changing whims of the majority. Once there were safeguards which provided us protection from our neighbors but we allowed them to deteriorate. We have sought to regulate and control both ourselves and others and look at what it has brought us: depression, debt, and the looming figure of civil unrest. We have sold our birthrights for houses and cars, fancy gadgets and new suits and whats worse is that we have asked our children to pay for it. We have betrayed everything we profess to believe in. We have lived beyond our means and now we have no choice but to live beneath our means.

This being said, I believe that we can live together as free men but it will take courage. It will take the courage to talk and debate with those who disagree with you. It will take the courage to sift through the lies and deceit we are bombarded with in search of every granule of truth because they are worth their weight in gold. It will take the courage to learn about how free societies operate but do not fear I assure you that it is all there. It will take the courage to disobey laws contrary to your natural rights but you will not be alone because I will stand with you. Together we can stand against anything and that is the very essence of our Union. E Pluribus Unum.(Out of Many, One)

We face a difficult road ahead. For years now the powers that be have tried their best to convince us that words have no meaning. We all remember how endlessly we have debated in recent years the word “is” or the word “torture”. Words do have meaning but it is a closely guarded secret. The written or spoken word is perhaps man's greatest achievement because with it comes the means to convey ideas and ideas are the most powerful substance in the universe. Words have the power to liberate us from our slavery if we will only let them.

There will come a certain point at which we will be unable to change our course, we will collide headlong into oncoming traffic and there will be blood. It is my greatest fear that we have already passed this point but I do not yet believe it is so. If such a day comes I implore you to allow truth, reason, and the written word to guide you. Whether you find truth in scripture, the words of our founders, or even in the words of your mother we must follow them where ever they lead us and if we do so then, when it is all over, we will once again be able to live in peace as brothers.

Come good days or bad, I have tried to convey to you the truth as I know it and on this tiny granule of truth I make my stand. Today I am no longer your slave. I have drawn a line in the sand and you have my word that I will never cross it but before you do just remember that little log house in the woods and the sound of children playing.

Sincerely,

Jonathon David Sigman, 24

P.S. I encourage everyone who reads this to write their own and to share it with as many people as they can. I wasn't sure what this was going to be when I started writing it but as I wrote it became clear to me. I have had a very difficult time spreading the message of liberty to my friends and family due to the fact that I am not very quick on my feet when it comes to words. I believe that in a written format this message conveys much more of the anger, sadness, and purpose that I feel. For me change has always started by somebody pulling on my heart-strings. My own journey began with inspirational Ron Paul videos on youtube. I realize that this does not contain very much of the cold reason which constitutes our philosophical backing but it is my sincerest hope that it moves one person a little closer our way, reason can take over from there.

Posted 03/12/09 roserty Orem, UT

An excellent essay. I also find it difficult to express myself without a great deal of time to think about what I will say. I wrote an essay entitled "Freedom of America" and posted it online (http://www.newsflavor.com/Opinions/Freedom-in-America.98821), which was my least popular work for a long time. People preferred to learn how to clean their bathrooms with vinegar. It is now gaining popularity. Perhaps others are finally beginning to wake up to our situation. It's about time to clean house.

Posted 03/12/09 sunshine Washington, NH

Thank you for sharing. While I do live in a little house and raise some of my own food, I share your concerns. How much longer before they decide I'm not worthy to produce food for myself? Or that it's child abuse to give this fresh food to children unless it's inspected by the FDA? I had a conversation with my son (a poli sci major) who said: you have good ideas and I could get you elected, but you'd have to get rid of the gloom; it's too depressing and people wouldn't go for it. Lucky for me I'm not ready to run for anything except the meager position I already hold. It's important to note that everyone is slave and free simultaneously. You are a slave to that which you are committed. Your commitments are what makes you free to be you. Maybe difficult to understand, but it is a truth that cannot be refuted. Our king may be free to enact every kind of unconstitutional injustice, but it will be a snare to him in the end. This truth is at once discouraging and encouraging. We must choose to be slaves to the things that are important, knowing that it will truly make us free. There are some innate freedoms that no one can steal. We have free will. They can do what they want to the body; they have no jurisdiction over the soul.

Posted by jsigman on 11/24/08

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government is prepared to lend more than $7.4 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers, or half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, to rescue the financial system since the credit markets seized up 15 months ago.

No. I don't know how else to say this. No. This is outrageous. I will not pay this. My family already owes $400,000 in foreign debt and future entitlement shortages. It's time for people to ask themselves how far they are willing to go to defend freedom. I will not be a slave. Furthermore, I will not be aparty to the terrible things my government does in my name through the use of my tax dollars.

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." - Declaration of Independence

If our government and the federal reserve does this, then I will have no choice but to withdraw my consent. I don't want to put myself in this situation but at this point I see no other peaceful solution.  This money I save will be spent far wiser and more efficently by the private charities I will make donations to than the way in which our government would use it. Given the choice in between economic slavery and jail, ill take my day in court.

Adam Kokesh said it best when he said, "If you pay taxes...the federal income tax and you realize that you are funding torture, unjust warfare, domestic surveilance, unconstitutional government then you have a moral obligation to stop paying federal income taxes.".

Posted by jsigman on 11/18/08
Last updated 11/18/08

http://www.iousathemovie.com/

I was talking to my mother the other day who works as a physical therapist doing home health care.  She was asking me if I thought that medicare/medicade would go bankrupt in the next few years.  Anyone who has not seen the 30 minute version of the movie I.O.U.S.A. I would suggest that you watch it asap. I don't know how any of these entitlement programs will be able to survive the coming depression AND the entitlements shortage.

The movie was produced with the help of the Controller General of the United States in hopes that they could educate enough americans into pressure their elected representatives to addressing the situatuion seriously. It seems that we are living in very scary times.

I urge everyone to hope for the best and to prepare for the worst by getting ready to help care for aging and sick loved ones who are dependant on a system which is inherantly flawed. There is nothing more important than family and I fear that Dr. Paul's message of individual responsibility will be placed squarly on the shoulders of my gerneration in a much more personal way than many yet realize.

Posted by jsigman on 11/06/08

Mr. Obama wants to know my vision of America!  I did not vote for Obama but I tried to keep this "Vision of America" upbeat and polite on the extremly small chance that someone who matter might actually read this.

Democracy, as the founding fathers thought of it, is tyranny of the majority.  This is why the United States was founded as a Constitutional Republic.  The difference in these two forms of government is that in a Constitutional Republic the majority cannot infringe on the natural rights of the minority.  While this is obviously set in terms of a perfect world, I truly believe that it is this protection of the rights of the minority  that has allowed America to change, mostly for the better, over the last 200 plus years.  When our actions contradict our belief in the American Spirit we are compelled to bring our actions into line with our beliefs.  This being said, the Constitution has taken some hard hits over the last eight years.  With the Military Commissions Act, destruction of checks and balances, our diminishing civil liberties, the expansion of the executive office, and the growth of the police state we are poised to fall into fascism.  This fascist vision of America is not the America that elected you President and I am sure that it is not the America that you want to leave to your daughters.  This mindset must change and the advances in fascist power must be repealed if this country is to last another 20 years, much less 200. Please restore the rule of law.  The retroactive immunity provided by the recent FISA changes is inconsistent with the rule of law.  If one man commits a crime then it is a crime and should be punished.  This is true even if changes are made to the law before the man is prosecuted.  This is but one example in thousands of how the rule of law has been subverted. Stop our government from ignoring the constitution because it is all that separates our Republic from Democracy.  In America, we elect leaders, not kings. I urge you Mr. Obama to give America back her true spirit.

If anybody here actually reads this tell me what you think.

Posted 11/06/08 LTChance Monterey, CA

Very nice. This is just the sort of thing that might make it past the screeners. It's an appeal that they can listen to without closing up. I'm not sure how much good it does to appeal to Obama, as I don't think he has a very high opinion of the Constitution, but hey, it's worth a shot.

Posted 11/06/08 Talbert Black Jr Lexington, SC

Very thoughtful and direct. I hope it gets read! Its great to see so many of the "educated electorate". It really give me hope!

Posted 11/07/08 JSchwartz St. Louis, MO

Very well said. I couldn't agree more. This is why the constitution is so important, because it keeps the government in check and respects the rights of everyone involved. It allows prosperity and freedom to persevere.