Posted by usapatriot on 11/13/09

Unbelievable!

The Center for Constitutional Rights has unfortunately decided to take action in support of ACORN.

http://ccrjustice.org/acorn-v-usa

The case alleges that the government's decision to terminate funding to ACORN amounts to a violation of the Constitution under Article I, Section 9, the "Bill of Attainder clause".

I've been a past financial supporter of the CCR because they have taken up "unpopular" cases which the ACLU would not touch. I can't express how disappointed I am at their decision to pursue this case. The following is my letter to them:

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Dear Sir or Madam,

As a past financial supporter of the CCR and a strong believer in the U.S. Constitution and civil liberties, I am writing to express my outrage and disappointment at your decision to take up the case in defense of ACORN.

I do not consider myself "Republican" or "Right Wing", and I am well aware of the U.S. Constitution's "Bill of Attainder" clause. However, I do not consider the termination of government funding to an organization as "punishment" in the Constitutional sense of the term.

In this case, we have video evidence of multiple representatives of ACORN in multiple locations advising people on how to break the law . . . even to the extent that they were willing to aid and abet a child prostitution ring! This is simply outrageous. Can you imagine what would happen if a "Left Wing" activist obtained video evidence of NRA representatives providing advice on how to circumvent Federal and State firearms laws?

I do not want my tax dollars going to people who would willingly facilitate prostitution or the child sex trade. Furthermore, I do not want my donations to an organization that presents itself as a champion of Constitutional Rights defending such people. I'm sorry that you chose such a course of action. I've planned a donation to the CCR as part of my employer's annual charitable contribution campaign. I will be doing all that I can to make sure that this donation is canceled. You may no longer count on my moral or financial support.

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With all of the recent assaults on civil liberties, one would think that the CCR could be more selective in the battles it's trying to fight.

Posted 11/14/09 Marc Tancer Montville, NJ

How can termination of funding POSSIBLY be considered a bill of attainder??? They evidently have no concept of what this means. If Congress voted to take back the bonuses, or tax them at 90%, which were given to the bank execs after Congress bailed them out, that would have been a bill of attainder (and an ex post facto law, also prohibited by the Constitution). But merely passing a law to STOP funding an organization, regardless of the reasons, is not a bill of attainder.

Posted by usapatriot on 11/09/09

Fom the online Wall Street Journal:

"Ludwig von Mises was snubbed by economists world-wide as he warned of a credit crisis in the 1920s. We ignore the great Austrian at our peril today."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704471504574443600711779692.html

Luwig von Who??? I was both surprised and pleased to see someone in the mainstream press even MENTIONING Austrian economics, and in a generally POSITIVE light no less!

When I see things like this, and the links posted here to many video clips and articles representing the viewpoints of liberty-minded people, it makes me believe that the effors of The Campaign for Liberty are having an impact.

Keep up the good work everyone.

Posted by usapatriot on 09/28/09

Dear Congressman Welch,

The Federal government will soon be discussing the issue of "financial reform" in the wake of the current crisis.

The most fundamental reform that I would like to see is for Congress, or one of the numerous Federal regulatory and law enforcement agencies to begin following the existing law and fulfilling their responsibilities.

It is impossible to believe that we could have gotten into this mess without massive fraud on the part of the financial institutions and gross negligence on the part of the various regulators. This cannot and should not be ignored in favor of passing some new legislation. What possible good can come from a new set of laws when government fails to enforce the existing ones?

Perhaps we need to start small, so I'll provide one example. In May 2009, a memorandum from Timothy Ward, Deputy Director of the OTS stated that a review of several thrifts, discovered:

"...practices that may not be in accordance with supervisory guidance and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)."

As you know fraudulent accounting practices are what destroyed Enron and Worldcom, and led to the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley act. Among other things, this legislation requires that senior executives in publicly traded companies take personal responsibility for the accuracy of corporate financial statements.

The aforementioned OTS report was filed in May. Therefore, any publicly traded companies should have filed one or more quarterly earnings reports and published their balance sheets since that time. If these statements were compiled using data based on false accounting methods, would it not be a clear violation of Sarbanes-Oxley? Furthermore, individual investors rely on these statements to evaluate the earnings potential and financial health of the companies. Deliberately providing false information which affects investment decisions is also a clear example of securities fraud.

The conclusions in Mr. Ward's report are CLEARLY grounds for criminal investigation of these thrifts by both the SEC and the FBI. If those agencies refuse to act, it is within the power of Congress to conduct investigations and hold hearings on these matters.

This financial crisis has affected millions upon millions of United States citizens and has placed huge financial burdens on this, and future generations of taxpayers. I therefore demand that the Federal government begin investigating and prosecuting the widespread fraud and regulatory failures that led to this crisis.

Posted by usapatriot on 09/24/09

Considering the core issues of the Campaign for Liberty, namely sound money, individual freedom, noninterventionist foreign policy, and free market capitalism, I'm left to wonder why our fellow citizens who consider themselves "liberal" or "left leaning" have such bitter opposition to Ron Paul and The Campaign for Liberty.

Forgive the generalizations inherent in the whole "left" vs. "right" paradigm, but was it not the left who organized such vocal opposition to the war in Iraq?  Aren't they opposed to our imperialistic and uneven foreign policy and the massive military budgets required for its maintenance? Didn't the left consistently decry the many abuses of civil liberties that occurred under the Bush administration? Apart from one economics professor that I met briefly, I don't personally know anyone of any political affiliation that was in favor of the banker bailouts. Nor is there much support for the blatant corruption and cronyism in Washington, and the policies and secrecy of The Fed.

With so much common ground, what is at the heart of this bitter enmity and how do we overcome it? Has the mainstream media's slanderous treatment of Dr. Paul, especially during the presidential primaries, been so successful that he's simply dismissed as a "kook"? Do people instead dismiss him as just another "Libertarian" or "Republican" and refuse to hear the message? Are folks so caught up in the Democrat vs. Republican or Liberal vs. Conservative world view that they are focused on "sides" and blind to "issues"? Is the message of "free market capitalism" associated with the abuses of the industrial revolution, or seen as support for the crony capitalism, corporate welfare, and bailout policies of the current government?

Is my experience isolated, or is this what others perceive or have experienced?

Familiarizing people of all political persuasions with our message is certainly important. I also believe that it's necessary to actively distance ourselves from the neocon wing of the Republican Party. In the "two sides" mentality, opposition to current Democratic policies is misconstrued as support for the Republican platform, and that perception must be overcome. Dissociating ourselves with the so called "conservative" (but completely disingenuous) figureheads such as Michelle Malkin and Sean Hannity also seems important.

Posted by usapatriot on 09/16/09

For at least a year, many of my friends and fellow patriots have attempted to convince me about the sinister nature and deplorable behavior of ACORN.  I didn't doubt them, but with so many other issues to focus on, I never really dug in to the information for myself.  I thank them for bringing it to my attention, and regret my lack of awareness.

After four separate incidents in four separate ACORN locations, I think we can rule out the theory that we're dealing with a fundamentally "good" organization and that the FOUR videos we've all seen depict "isolated incidents".  I find it hard to believe that people are still defending this group.  I find it harder to believe, that there haven't been immediate criminal investigations, subpoenas, and (if warranted) arrests.  How can law enforcement possibly shrug off an incident where an ACORN employee is providing advice on how to set up a child prostitution ring!

It's also disturbing, but not at all surprising, that this story has been virtually ignored by most of the mainstream media.  However, thanks to the Internet and the real journalists in the independent media, the MSM no longer has a monopoly on information.  Nor do they have the ability to manipulate the truth with spin, or by selectively highlighting or ignoring stories to suit their agenda.  This story, and their lack of coverage on it will be another severe blow to their already dwindling credibility!  One can only hope that it might be a death blow.

Just IMAGINE the media coverage if there was even ONE incident similar to those depicted in the ACORN tapes involving a representative of the National Rifle Association.  How would the MSM cover a story where an NRA rep advises a person on how to circumvent federal firearms laws, and how to knowingly falsify documents to mask this illegal activity?  Such an incident would generate a firestorm in the mainstream media.  The whole "bad apple" theory would be completely dismissed, and the entire organization would be under a hail of criticism.  The BATF doesn't sit on their hands when it comes to even the slightest infraction of federal firearms laws, so one could rest assured that arrests and investigations would be immediately forthcoming.

The verdict is in on ACORN, and it's clear that our government, and anyone else should immediately sever any and all ties with them.  The verdict in the case of the mainstream media is likewise clear, and any citizen who wishes to be informed would do well to seek their information elsewhere.