Voters here passed a referendum last weekend to enshrine in the city charter the right of residents to refuse the installation of smart meters on their property. Sheila Hemphill, an organizer of the effort, called the victory her “San Jacinto.”

The reaction in Brady could signal a shift in the debate over smart meters, which collect detailed data on electricity use and transmit it to the utility using radio frequencies. A raft of bills were introduced during the legislative session that would allow individuals to keep their old meters for free, but all have faltered. Local resistance to smart meters, however, appears to be rising.

Advocates say smart meters, which are being installed statewide at the urging of the Texas Public Utility Commission, improve a utility’s efficiency.

Critics have raised concerns about health and privacy. They say they fear the cumulative effect of the meters’ radiation emissions. The Public Utility Commission found no health risks in a 2012 study that blamed social media for spreading inaccurate information.

Some critics have concerns about sovereignty; Texas, unlike other states, controls its own electricity interconnection. Thelma Taormina, founder of the We the People Are the 912 Association, a Houston-based Tea Party group that advocates for smart meter opt-out options, gained notoriety over a news report that when a meter installer arrived at her home, she met him carrying a gun. She said she was concerned about the role smart meters might play in the future.

“The ultimate goal of the smart grid, of which smart meters are a part, is to connect us internationally to share the power we generate with the world,” she said. Having its own grid provides the state with autonomy it would not have otherwise, she said. “We’ve survived all these years without being connected to another grid,” she said.“Why should we change that?”

John Fainter, the president of the Association of Electric Companies of Texas, which represents electricity distribution companies, expressed bewilderment.

“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “All our companies are interested in is selling electricity, accounting for it and getting paid for it.”

But resistance remains lively. Brady joins the Hill Country town Camp Wood, which placed a moratorium on smart meter installation in March. And Hemphill said residents of 23 counties have contacted her about replicating her efforts in Brady.

Utilities say a patchwork of old and new meter systems could lead to more cost and less efficiency. But the strength of the opposition leaves Fainter with a sense of resignation.

“It’s hard for me to be surprised about much these days,” he said.

he U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI believe they don’t need a search warrant to review Americans’ e-mails, Facebook chats, Twitter direct messages, and other private files, internal documents reveal.

Government documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and provided to CNET show a split over electronic privacy rights within the Obama administration, with Justice Department prosecutors and investigators privately insisting they’re not legally required to obtain search warrants for e-mail. The IRS, on the other hand, publicly said last month that it would abandon a controversial policy that claimed it could get warrantless access to e-mail correspondence.

The U.S. attorney for Manhattan circulated internal instructions, for instance, saying a subpoena — a piece of paper signed by a prosecutor, not a judge — is sufficient to obtain nearly “all records from an ISP.” And the U.S. attorney in Houston recently obtained the “contents of stored communications” from an unnamed Internet service provider without securing a warrant signed by a judge first.

“We really can’t have this patchwork system anymore, where agencies get to decide on an ad hoc basis how privacy-protective they’re going to be,” says Nathan Wessler, an ACLU staff attorney specializing in privacy topics who obtained the documents through open government laws. “Courts and Congress need to step in.”

The Justice Department’s disinclination to seek warrants for private files stored on the servers of companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft continued even after a federal appeals court in 2010 ruled that warrantless access to e-mail violates the Fourth Amendment. A previously unreleased version of an FBI manual (PDF), last updated two-and-a-half years after the appellate ruling, says field agents “may subpoena” e-mail records from companies “without running afoul of” the Fourth Amendment.

The department did not respond to queries from CNET Tuesday. The FBI said in a statement that:

In all investigations, the FBI obtains evidence in accordance with the laws and Constitution of the United States, and consistent with Attorney General guidelines. Our field offices work closely with U.S. Attorney’s Office to adhere to the legal requirements of their particular districts as set forth in case law or court decisions/precedent.

Not all U.S. attorneys have attempted to obtain Americans’ stored e-mail correspondence without a warrant. The ACLU persuaded a judge to ask whether warrantless e-mail access has taken place in six of the 93 U.S. Attorneys’ offices — including the northern California office that’s prosecuted an outsize share of Internet cases. The answer, according to assistant U.S. attorney Christopher Hardwood, was “no.”

Still, the position taken by other officials — including the authors of the FBI’s official surveillance manual — puts the department at odds with a growing sentiment among legislators who insist that Americans’ private files should be protected from warrantless search and seizure. They say the same Fourth Amendment privacy standards that require police to obtain search warrants before examining hard drives in someone’s living room, or a physical letter stored in a filing cabinet, should apply.

After the IRS’s warrantless e-mail access policy came to light last month, a dozen Republican and Democratic senators rebuked the agency. Their letter (PDF) opposing warrantless searches by the IRS and signed by senators including Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said: “We believe these actions are a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures.”

Steven Miller, the IRS’ acting commissioner, said during a Senate hearing that the policy would be changed for e-mail. But he left open the possibility that non-email data — Google Drive and Dropbox files, private Facebook and Twitter messages, and so on — could be accessed without a warrant.

Albert Gidari, a partner at the Perkins Coie law firm who represents technology companies, said since the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ 2010 ruling in U.S. v. Warshak, the Justice Department has generally sought court warrants for the content of e-mail messages, but is far less inclined to take that step for non-email files.

While his son, Senator Rand Paul, has taken most of the national spotlight away from his father, Ron Paul has not stopped advancing his “Campaign for Liberty.” Ron Paul and his supporters have built up a massive database of “liberty loving” supporters since the organization launched in 2008, following his second unsuccessful campaign for the Presidency. And today, he is robo-calling his supporters to sign a petition against the inclusion of a National ID card in immigration reform negotiations. From the petition:

Right now, freedom-stealing Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), banding together with other statists from both parties, are scheming to sneak a massive power grab into a new “immigration reform” bill.

If passed, it would require every American to obtain a National ID card to work legally in the U.S. – and you can bet it will be only a matter of time until they’re required even for simple purchases.

Ron Paul calls the current proposals “by far the worst national ID card the statists have come up with yet.” And he blames the “Gang of 8,” which includes Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and Chuck Schumer, for working with Obama to “sneak a national ID” into an immigration reform bill.  ”A statist’s dream,” Paul decries.

According to Paul, the national ID would create a new federal database with biometric information on all citizens and those who work within the United States. He claims that, in short time, it would be illegal for anyone to have a job without an ID card. “Every time any citizen applies for a job, the government will know…[and] once the government bureaucrats know exactly how we run our lives, they will try and control them.”

He warns that “the government will know what you eat, drink, and read. Once they know this information, they will regulate everything” from your food to your education, depriving us of our freedom. Issues like amnesty are just being used as cover. The National ID is what the “statists” really want.

As the story goes, Alice enters a world that initially baffles her and reduces her to tears. Bizarre “logic” runs rampant in Wonderland. Every creature Alice meets justifies the most absurd behavior. The creatures’ arguments are complex, which creates great confusion for Alice. Though their strange reasoning initially perplexes Alice, she eventually learns to discern their illogic and, more importantly, the utter nonsense it promotes.

Carroll, I suspect, wrote his story not only to entertain adults and children, but to perhaps rebuke what he considered Victorian England’s hypocrisy. Though Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland may never been intended for America or the year 2013, its confused world coincides fairly well with our present condition. It could, without much difficulty, be considered an allegory for America.

Carroll was ordained a deacon in the Church of England. If the Word of God ever happened to make its way into Carroll’s story, no better passage would describe the world Alice found by following a rabbit into a hole then that of Isaiah 5:20, 21. God’s Word states, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Strangely, America has concocted our own version of Alice and wouldn’t you know it, she has fallen into a hole as well, a very deep one. Our Alice did not follow a rabbit, however, but a series of lies, deceptions, and falsehoods. Tragically, she has followed this “creature” of absurdity for several decades. In our rendition, however, Alice in American Wonderland did not meet up with Caterpillar, Duchess, Cheshire Cat, March Hare, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, Mock Turtle, Gryphon and a host of other minor characters. If she did, Alice in America would be in much better state today. No, she met a horde of left-wing God-haters, judicial activists, liberal policy groups, baby-killers, perversion peddlers, communists, socialists, international banksters, and corrupt politicians. As Alice believed their propaganda (as taught in the public schools) and drank from the media laced Kool-Aid bottle marked “Drink Me,” she shrank. Alice’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness contracted, while a host of political caricatures increased in size, scope, and power.

As the American Wonderland expanded, criminals like the Queen of Hearts came into positions of power. They became the norm, while those who played by the rules became suspect. Lawbreakers secured rewards, while law keepers suffered punishment and paid “legal” extortions through excessive taxation.

Alice in American Wonderland has created quite a chaotic nation. In the name of the courts, law is discarded. In the name of freedom, tyranny is multiplied. In the name of choice, babies are murdered. In the name of fairness, injustices proliferate. In the name of “gay” marriage, the covenant is defiled. In the name of education, faith and morality is expunged. In the name of hate crimes, hatred against Christians flourish. In the name of tolerance, intolerance spreads. In the name of America, our nation’s heritage is revised.

Like the previous Alice adventure, our Alice in American Wonderland has also changed the conventional rules of language. Logic need not apply. The Obama administration saying the Benghazi terrorist attack was a result of an online video, is much like the Duchess telling Alice, “Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.” On hearing the obfuscation of our government, many shook their head and responded as Alice, “I can’t quite follow it as you say it.”

To believe the Saudi national originally identified as a “person of interest” in the Boston Marathon bombing (who incidentally was set to be deported under section 212 3B, a terrorist qualification) is not related to the terrorism that took place is much like the intercourse between the giant caterpillar and Alice. “’Who are YOU?’ said the Caterpillar. This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I–I hardly know, sir, just at present– at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’” The Saudi national’s “status” has changed many times since the government’s first investigation of the bombing.

The average American stands in awkward amazement as the American dream turns into a nightmare under this administration’s watch. In times like these, I recall lyrics written by Bob Dylan. He once sang, “We have gangsters in power and law breakers making the rules.” President Obama’s cabinet is filled with disreputable, unqualified individuals. Yet, these are the “chosen ones” leading our nation. As far as I am concerned, the inmates are indeed running the asylum. Surely, it is time for Alice in American Wonderland to grow up and awaken from her twisted dream.

The list of these present day tragedies and absurdities could go on and on, but I think by now you get the point. Tragically, this is not a mere fairy tale gone awry, however. No, a great nation stands in serious jeopardy. Either our national leaders are ignorant, incompetent, or with extreme prejudice they are purposely steering the great ship of state, America, right into the proverbial iceberg. The current administration and the willing accomplices in the media seem hell bent on sinking us into a third world status or worse as they seek to create their Marxist utopia.

John A. Stormer, author and pastor, wrote a book in 1964 called None Dare Call It Treason. The purpose of the book was to expose communist infiltration in America. Since then, how have the mighty fallen. Enemies within our own American household are making our nation vulnerable to her enemies. The Roman Statesman, Marcus Tullius Cicero, succinctly sums up our situation:

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.

How long will this insanity last? Nobody knows, but if America survives the onslaught, there will be no greater tribute to our Founding Fathers. God’s Word, however, warns, “Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous (persecute the church, expunge the influence of Christianity), and condemn the innocent blood (murder babies in the womb). But the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge.  And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off (Psalm 94:20-23).”

As the “throne of iniquity” defends the indefensible, our historic American freedoms hang in the balance. As with everything else associated with Alice in American Wonderland, those who seek to escape this godless tyranny will be guilty as heaven and those who propagate it will be innocent as hell! Fortunately, as the many Queens of Hearts in Washington scream “Off with Freedom’s Head,” we can rest in the promise that the Lord Almighty will eventually cut them off. The only question that remains is will our nation be cut off with them?

Howard Phillips went to Heaven this past Saturday, April 20, 2013. I am so blessed to have gotten to know this remarkable man, and, more than that, to be able to call him my friend.

I first met Howard some thirty years ago in the Bahamas. I attended a national meeting of conservative leaders and Howard was one of the principal speakers. I suppose the first thing that struck me about Howard was his remarkable intellect and deep conviction. It is no hyperbole to say that Howard Phillips was one of the most brilliant men I have ever met. A graduate of Harvard, Howard’s grasp of government, history, and law was unequalled. Howard Phillips forgot more about those subjects than the vast majority of us will ever learn. He was literally a walking history encyclopedia. He might have been the keenest, sharpest mind that I have ever been exposed to. Howard Phillips was an intellectual giant.

But as awesome as his mind was, Howard’s commitment to the principles of liberty was equally awesome. Liberty has never had a more ardent defender than Howard Phillips. And communism never had a more formidable adversary.

Howard Phillips was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and became a dynamic conservative leader from his youth. At Harvard, he was twice elected president of the Student Council. He was a GOP precinct worker, election warden, campaign manager, congressional aide, Boston municipal Republican chairman, and assistant to the Chairman of the National Republican Committee. He later became president of Policy Analysis, Inc., chairman of the Conservative Caucus, and founder of the U.S. Taxpayer’s Party, now named the Constitution Party. This is the third largest political party in the United States. The Constitution Party nominated Howard three times as its Presidential candidate.

Howard (“Howie” as he was known to his friends) served in President Richard Nixon’s cabinet and headed two federal agencies in the Nixon administration. He voluntarily resigned his post in the Nixon White House after Nixon reneged on his promise to defund the giant Welfare State, known as “The Great Society,” which had been created by President Lyndon Johnson.

What many people do not realize is that Howard Phillips was the principal founder of what became known as the “Religious Right.” Howard was also the man who most influenced Jerry Falwell to start the Moral Majority. Howard Phillips is as important to the rise of the modern conservative movement as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were to the rise of the independence movement in Colonial America. As a conservative and constitutionalist leader, Howard Phillips had no peer.

One of the great honors of my life came when Howard asked me to seek the Constitution Party’s nomination for President in 2008. At his behest, and after much prayer and contemplation, I did this and was honored to have received that party’s nomination by an overwhelming vote from the party’s national delegates. It was during that campaign that I received the endorsement of Congressman Ron Paul. During and after the 2008 campaign, Howard and I became very close. I found him to be among my dearest of friends and closest of confidants.

Howard Phillips was raised as a Jew but became a staunch believer in Jesus Christ as an adult.

Howard and his wife Peggy have six children and many grandchildren, all of whom are among the finest people that anyone would ever meet. The entire Phillips family is an outstanding reflection of the character and commitment of both Howard and Peggy. Please pray for this wonderful family.

Now, I have one more honor that has been bestowed upon me: Peggy asked me to conduct Howard’s funeral service and preach the funeral message. To say that I am overwhelmed at being asked to perform such a task is an understatement. Nothing anyone could say is sufficient to honor a man the caliber of Howard Phillips. I covet your prayers.

Howard’s viewing will take place at the Money and King Funeral Home in Vienna, Virginia, this Saturday, April 27, from 3:00-5:00pm, and Sunday, April 28, from 3:00-7:00pm local time. The funeral service will take place Monday, April 29, at 11:00am local time at the McLean Bible Church in Vienna.

As King David said of Abner, I say of Howard Phillips, “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day?”

The Phillips’ family has lost their patriarch, their loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. The Conservative Caucus has lost their beloved chairman. The Constitution Party has lost their courageous founder. Modern conservatives and constitutionalists nationwide have lost a Founding Father. Freedom fighters around the world have lost one of their truest allies. America has lost one of its greatest patriots. Liberty has lost one of its most ardent defenders. And I have lost one of my dearest friends.

Since there seems to be some confusion about the meaning of the term these days, it is important to define “conservative.” A true conservative, like Howard Phillips, one of the founders of the modern conservative movement, believed and affirmed traditional moral and religious values, a strong national defense and economic freedom.

He was one of the early leaders of Young Americans for Freedom, the same group that attracted my political interest when I was in high school. Over the years you never found Howard getting “trendy” by signing on to liberal causes like the “gay rights” agenda. In fact, his newsletter, the Howard Phillips “Issues and Strategy Bulletin,” was quite blunt, referring to homosexual activists as “sodomites,” or “perverts.”

He gave government service a try and attempted to reform the government from within. As his bio notes, Howard resigned from the Nixon Administration when it failed to defund many of Lyndon Johnson’s so-called Great Society programs. He popularized the notion of defunding the left by drying up their sources of government support.

He was “right” in more ways than one.

As I went over my articles about his views and pronouncements over the years, I was struck by how right he was.

Howard opposed the first President Bush’s nomination of David Souter for a seat on the Supreme Court. He opposed Souter from the start, and is one of the few who had correctly analyzed his record and predicted how he would turn out. Staunchly pro-life, Howard discovered that Souter had voted to permit abortion at a hospital in New Hampshire on whose board of trustees he served. On that basis, Phillips opposed him. Souter’s pro-abortion record was an indication that he was liberal on other social issues. Howard was proven correct.

Phillips also predicted that Sandra Day O’Connor, a Reagan nominee, would turn out to be pro-abortion on the court. He noted that she was a pro-abortion member of the Arizona State Senate and a liberal judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals. “She was chosen because of her gender and a desire to attract to the GOP the support of feminists,” he said. Again, Howard stood with principle.

When O’Connor gave a speech declaring that the court would increasingly make its decisions in deference to international law and foreign opinion, Phillips said she had violated her oath of office—swearing allegiance to the U.S. Constitution—and that she should be removed from office.

Howard didn’t make excuses for conservatives—even if it was Ronald Reagan—when they bowed to liberal pressure. And he held Republicans accountable when they voted for President Obama’s agenda. One of the regular sections of his newsletter was “GOP betrayals.”

When Republican Senators Susan Collins, Judd Gregg, Richard Lugar, Lindsey Graham, and Olympia Snowe voted with liberals to confirm Elena Kagan as President Obama’s second nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Howard’s newsletter proclaimed, “Kagan will be Supreme Court’s first lesbian.” The headline was based on an article that appeared briefly on the CBS website that cited Kagan’s open homosexuality and “well known” female partner. White House pressure forced CBS to take the item down.

On foreign policy issues, he never trusted Communist Russia, China, or the United Nations. He supported Reagan’s policy of aid for anti-communist freedom fighters, known as the Reagan Doctrine, but denounced the George W. Bush Administration when it abandoned one of those freedom fighters, Jonas Savimbi, the legendary guerrilla leader of UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola).

A strategic thinker who understood the international communist threat, one of Howard’s books was Moscow’s Challenge to U.S. Vital Interests in Sub-Saharan Africa, written in 1987.

It was a highlight of my life when I was honored to receive the Andrew Jackson “Champion of Liberty” Award from Howard and the U.S. Taxpayers Alliance on September 17, 2008. The award was given on the Conservative Caucus 8th annual commemoration of Constitution Day.

Howard’s campaign to restore our Constitutional Republic continues.

Read Howard’s treatment of the homo problem here

AAPS applauds the six Texas senators who opposed this bill: Larry Taylor, Glenn Hegar, Kelly Hanock, Tommy Williams, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton.

The Texas Hospital Association, which has opposed every bill supported by AAPS this session, pushed this death panel bill through the Texas Senate Wednesday.  But the THA is less powerful in the Texas House, which is more responsive to patients.

AAPS is joining with many other groups to “score” how House members vote on this dreadful bill, for inclusion in a scorecard to educate patients and voters.

Please contact your Representative and ask him to oppose this power grab by hospitals. HB 1444 is the House companion bill to SB 303.  Patients and their families should not be victimized by DNAR orders without their consent and even their knowledge.

You can read more information about SB 303 in our alert sent last month, copied below for your convenience.

STOP Texas Bill SB 303

March 22, 2013

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) is supporting this bad bill:  Texas SB 303.  

It should be renamed the “Right for Hospitals to Deny Care Act,” or the “Legalizing Death Panels Act.”  Texas attorney Jerri Lynn Ward, an award-winning expert in this field and AAPS member, calls this bill “HORRIBLE”.  Jerri testified against it on Tuesday.

Beware of how “organized” medical societies have become pawns for the billion-dollar hospital industry, to the detriment of patients and the medical profession.  Another state medical society recently refused to allow a good resolution by an AAPS member because it said a big hospital system would not like it.

Texas SB 303, being pushed by the TMA, would:

1.  Grant hospitals the power to impose denial-of-care directives, such as “do not attempt resuscitation” (DNAR), against patients without their consent and without even giving them written notice.  This bill shifts the burden to the patient or family member to find out if the hospital plans to deny care, and a verbal objection by the patient or family member is not sufficient.  The patient or family member must object in writing, and even then a hospital death panel can reject the objection.

2.  Grant hospitals the power to withhold medical records from patients for five (5) days as time-sensitive life-or-death decisions are being made.

3.  Grant hospitals the right to deny the ability of independent patient advocates to speak on behalf of a patient and defend the patient’s interests, and instead limit patients to hospital-chosen patient advocates.

4.  Grant hospitals the power to create their own death panels, stacked with their own employees, to make “ethics” decisions to deny care to patients.

5.  Grant hospitals the power to transform physicians from being advocates of patient care into becoming adversaries of patients in implementing denial-of-care decisions based on hospital policies.

6.  Limit patient options to a request for transfer of the patient to another hospital, at the patient’s own expense and without any guarantee that the other hospital would not also use this law against the patient.  This ignores that tax-exempt hospitals have a duty to act in the best interests of patients rather than the self-enrichment of multi-million-dollar compensated hospital administrators.

7.  Grant hospitals complete immunity from legal accountability for denying care under most circumstances.

SB 303 pretends to create a right of a second opinion for a patient, but only if the patient is aware of the denial-of-care directive and only if the patient requests a second opinion in time before care is denied with a result of death.  This bill does not establish a right to a second independent opinion; the second opinion under this bill will typically be to another hospital employee controlled by hospital policy.

Please contact your Texas state Senator today and ask your Senator to oppose SB 303.  You can find your Senator’s contact information at: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Members.htm.

Many have experienced this painful emotional turmoil in their lives. For the purposes of this article, I would like to expand the concept of unrequited love to the important virtue of justice. America once had a keen sense of justice. In fact, it was enshrined in our national pledge, which concludes, “with liberty and justice for all.” The Supreme Court building in Washington, DC prominently displays this historic view of justice with inscriptions like, “Equal Justice under law” and “Justice, the Guardian of Liberty.”

Where did America discover justice as one of the necessary foundation stones to support our liberties? Look no further than our Judeo/Christian heritage. In 1215, the Magna Carta was first presented on a field at Runnymede, England. It was framed by a group of 13th century barons to protect their rights and property against a tyrannical monarch, King John. It penned many concerns. Most of them dealt with practical matters and explicit grievances pertinent to the feudal system under which they lived.

However, there are two significant principles expressed in Magna Carta that resonate to this day, “No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, disseised, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will We proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers and by the law of the land.” And the second, “To no one will We sell, to no one will We deny or delay, right or justice.” Our Fifth Amendment to the Constitution (“no person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”) comes directly from the Magna Carta’s guarantee of proceedings based upon the “law of the land.”

The Bible reveals, “The Lord loves justice” (Psalm 37:28). He is just. He will always do what is right (Genesis 18:25). His judgments are true and righteous altogether (Psalms 19:9b). Justice is a major theme that weaves its way through the “warp and woof” of the Old and New Testaments. In fact, the book of Psalms reveals to us that God’s throne of grace is built upon the foundations of righteousness (judgment) and justice (Psalm 89:14). He expects justice to be administered “for the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 10:18). Deuteronomy 16:19 commands, “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” In fact, God threatened a curse upon those who persisted in perverting justice (Deuteronomy 27:19).

Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, received a wonderful gift of God (wisdom) by virtue of this truth; he desired a wise and understanding heart that would discern justice (1 Kings 3:11). The famous example of Solomon settling the dispute between two mothers spread his wisdom abroad. In this thorny situation, two harlots had sons about the same time in the same household. One of the babies died in the night due to suffocation (the mother laid on him). The guilty mother switched babies in the night and replaced her dead son with the live son of the other mother. When the innocent mother awoke to find the dead baby next to her, she became aware of this despicable act. Eventually, this misdeed was brought to Solomon’s attention. He examined both women and then rendered his verdict. He declared, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.” He knew only the true mother would be willing to let her baby live (1 Kings 3:16-28). The dramatic episode ends with these words, “And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice” (1 Kings 3:28).

Heads of state traveled for miles bearing gifts just to observe the wisdom and justice of Solomon’s court. One such dignitary, the Queen of Sheba observed:

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her (1 Kings 10:4, 5).

Solomon understood, by God’s wisdom, that a nation would be blessed if they laid a foundation stone of justice to support their national life. A people willing to live out the Micah Mandate would secure a future and a hope. Micah 6:8 teaches, “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you? But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

It was this admonishment from Micah that our Lord employed to rebuke the Pharisees of his day. They were guilty of straining at gnats and swallowing camels (Matthew 23:24). They carefully watched over their tithes, but neglected weightier matters. What were these weightier matters exposed by Christ? Jesus declared, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).

At this juncture, it is important that we define the term justice. What exactly is biblical justice? In the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, the word justice was closely related to the word righteousness. Justice as it relates to our fellow man is a demand to safeguard their rights, especially, the weak, the poor, and the vulnerable of society. Hubert Humphrey, former United States Senator from Minnesota, stated, “It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” This statement is inscribed on the Health and Human Resource building in Washington, DC. Tragically, our national government abandoned this “life ethic” decades ago. Children at the dawn of life and the elderly are unjustly put to death through the evil practices of abortion and euthanasia.

A wise maxim states, “No justice, no peace.” This rings true biblically. Crimes and injustice broke the “shalom” or the peace of the community. Only justice could restore it. If the injustice was allowed to continue, if the perpetrators were not penalized, the peace of the community would become a faded memory. Violence and perversion always replaces peace and harmony, wherever and whenever injustice became normative.

Unfortunately, this is the current state of our beleaguered nation. Our “city on the hill” has become a cesspool of immorality that codifies into law the bloodlust of men. Injustice runs rampant while Americans stand in awkward amazement as violence, perversion, and tyranny stalks our bloodstained land.

Notice as well, the frequent rampages that leave a wake of carnage in their destructive paths. Headline after headline chronicles the bloody massacres as America’s homegrown terrorists commit the unspeakable against our fellow citizens. In typical fashion, the political pundits and media talking heads chant their customary mantras calling for more gun control, money, government programs, and education, ad nauseam.

What is even more disconcerting is the reality that these crazed killers consistently take their own lives after their murderous sprees. It is this aspect of the carnage that inspired this article, Unrequited Justice. By committing suicide, the perpetrators not only take away the life of the innocent, but they also take away any chance for justice to bring closure for the loved ones left devastated by their brutal acts.

During the injustice of slavery, Abraham Lincoln heralded this principle, “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.” He also stated, “Nothing stamped with the divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on.” Does America deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as we destroy one third of an entire generation through the sin and crime of abortion? Have we not trodden to the ground babies “stamped with the divine image” and shed their innocent blood, which has polluted and defiled our land? The lessons from our bloodstained land are clear. No justice for the preborn, no justice for us. No mercy for the preborn, no mercy for us.

In light of this condition which has produced the syndrome, unrequited justice, how can justice be led to victory in our day (Matthew 12:20)? In the Old Testament, we read that Israel committed child sacrifice. God called for his people living in that era to:

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil,learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:16-18).

In the New Testament, one of the corresponding fruits of true repentance was the “readiness to see justice done.” The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 7 was making a distinction between worldly sorrow, which leads to death and godly sorrow, which leads to repentance and salvation. He states:

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it-I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while-yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter (2 Corinthians 7:8-11).

If America is ever to secure a future and hope to end the bloody massacres savaging our nation, the unrequited justice of abortion must end in Jesus’ mighty name!

In saying all that it leads me to this.  The foundation of our Nation is under attack and if we do not rise up from our slumber our Nation will fall to evil men.  Good must rise up and put a stop to the destruction of our moral fabric which holds our society together.  Defenders of the Constitution must draw a line in the sand and hold our ground and press the front.  Our financial system is diminishing daily.  Unrest is becoming more noticeable. Our way of self defense is under attack. Good moral character is becoming a thing of the past.  Why? We have been distracted by easy living and slowly been lulled to sleep by our enemy complacency and real live enemies are lurking, waiting to strike.

Many have a mindset of an entitlement mentality, not a rights mentality.  What is the difference between a right and an entitlement?  A right, we fight to defend, a God given way of life, where we get our “Bill of Rights”.  An entitlement has become something believed to be owed and has not have earned.  A true entitlement is something earned.  Lawlessness is committed by those who feel they deserve to be given something, when they have received without earning it, over time and then you try to take it away.  This is creating a people who no longer can take care of themselves.  When disaster strikes civil unrest erupts.  We can no longer continue to have a mindset of depending on Government to take care of us.  We must return to learning to depend on God and working with our hands to provide for ourselves.  We must, without infringement, not lose our right to be able to set up defenses of communities, militias for self defense.

What does all this have to do with founding religious beliefs?  All these principles come from the mind of God and were given in His Holy Scriptures.  There is no other book on Earth we can trust in.  It is the only religious book that has predictive prophecy and it all came true.  It can be trusted.  It is the only book which does not contradict itself.  It can be trusted.  It is from God.  I do not find it ironic we have a God who provides for Christians a way to have peace, not just in mind but a place on Earth.  Our Founding Fathers trusted in the wisdom found in the scriptures to give us a Nation where we can worship freely.  I can see God’s plan in the raising up of this Nation to allow Christianity to thrive and spread.  I can see His hand of providence.  The Founding Fathers understood for our Nation to continue under this form of Government, those who are good must continue to be good.  If we allow ourselves to turn from the paths of righteousness evil will take hold.  There has always been an unseen battle raging and its effects on the minds of men cause a choice, one of two sides.

Our Nation is in the middle of this battle whether you know it or not, those who know, understand the Word of God in the scriptures.  God did not create us and then leave us with no direction. We have a guide, all we need do is open it, follow it and do it.  If we remove God from Government we remove our Government.  Simply said we truly cannot separate God and Government.  What we cannot do is force the unbeliever to submit as some religions do (John 18:36).  We have a Nation where many come from all over the planet.  They bring many religions. Our Nation is filled with polytheistic religion.  We have a Constitution based upon Christian beliefs.  Immigration is allowed and has laws.  Those who immigrate, pledge to keep our Constitution not change it.  Generations have passed and second, third and forth generations of immigrants have blended in.  Our Nation only remains as strong as we let it be.  The way of life so many have defended and sought from many lands must be preserved.  This is where Constitutional defenders who believe in our way of life must act and act now.  Seekers of truth find truth.  The saying “seek and you shall find” not only applies to God’s word it applies to the Constitution.  “Seek the Kingdom” can apply as well.  The kingdom represents a people.  Unity is powerful.  A unity of people has numbers, strength and finances.  All of which are needed to wage “war”.  Not a war of the physical but of the intellect in this case.  Where can you find this people who are like you?  Seek, investigate.  I offer you a vehicle, a platform where defenders of the Constitution and morals can thrive, the Constitution Party.

Efforts to nullify the Second Amendment have been stepped up with the usual cast of clowns releasing more flatulence than a massive herd of cattle:

• Rev. Jackson: Some ‘Anti-American People’ Arming Themselves in U.S.Have ‘Confederate Ideology’
• Michael Moore: ‘Calm Down, White People, and Put Away Your Guns’
• Politico Reporter: LaPierre Is ‘Tired, Old White Guy That Is Clinging on to Something of the Past’ (Another empty-headed female)
• Belafonte blasts ‘white America’ for black gun crimes -NAACP forum used to attack 2nd Amendment ‘carnage’ in cities

Al Sharpton: “People Do Not Have The Right To Unregulated Rights In This Country”

“Sharpton and other black leaders were meeting and then held a press conference. In that press conference, Sharpton said, “Absolutely, I mean if you look at the Second Amendment it was that you would have militia to protect yourself in case the government came and attacked citizens. First of all, if the government were to come to disarm you, you would not be able to use an automatic weapon to defend yourself. Let’s be serious. We’re in a world of drones now so the Second Amendment would not help you in that area. It is absurd to try to cite that.”

What’s absurd is that buffoon speaking on an issue he knows nothing about.

Then, we have victims of mind melt; their brain has been washed by the relentless propaganda dished out to Americans on a daily basis for decades:

Des Moines Register publishes gun-ban column advocating deadly violence against NRA, GOP leaders

“In a column that appeared after the shooting with the headline “Kaul: Nation needs a new agenda on guns,” he proposed a new liberal agenda: repeal the Second Amendment, declare the NRA a terrorist organization and make membership illegal, and well, make violent threats to Republican leaders and NRA members. The Des Moines Register published this junk on December 29.

“I would tie Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, our esteemed Republican leaders, to the back of a Chevy pickup truck and drag them around a parking lot until they saw the light on gun control,” he wrote. Is that a threatening James Byrd reference? “And if that didn’t work, I’d adopt radical measures,” he continued. This was how he spelled out the other agenda items, which included killing NRA members who wouldn’t surrender their arms:” (Rest at link above)

Naturally, Butch Napolitano’s thugs from the Department of Fatherland Security ignored promoting the murder of NRA members.

Over the past few years, great effort has been made to reach out to sheriffs across the country as the tyranny coming out of the Outlaw Congress and various unconstitutional agencies continue to terrorize Americans over things like raw milk. Actually, Jack McLamb’s association, Police & Military Against The New World Order, has been at it for more than a decade. Jack is a former police officer himself; a real gentleman. Former sheriff, Richard Mack, has been out there working hard, reaching out to sheriffs around the country.

They have been very successful. So successful, in fact, the carnival barker WH press secretary, Jay Carney, spewed this vomit with a straight face:

“CNSNews.com asked, “There have been 381 sheriffs that have signed on saying they would not enforce gun laws they believed were unconstitutional. Would the administration have a problem if local law enforcement did not enforce whatever gun package were to pass?”

“Carney responded that he had not seen the list of sheriffs. “I think as a general proposition we think that people ought to follow the law,” Carney told CNSNews.com. “As an absolute matter of fact in my view, and I think many other constitutional experts, there’s not a single measure in this package of proposals the president has put forward that in anyway violates the Constitution. In fact, they reflect the president’s commitment to our Second Amendment rights.”

I sincerely appreciate the work of Jack, Richard and all the sheriffs in this country who have stepped forward to show their support for the Second Amendment. However, the word sheriff appears no where in the U.S. Constitution making that office vulnerable to politicians who react with hysterical emotion instead of reason and logic.

Delaware leads nationwide move to strip county sheriffs of power

Law would fire sheriffs for defying gun control measures – Texas:

“The first effort emerged in Texas. Legislation proposed by Dallas Democratic Rep. Yvonne Davis would remove any sheriff or law enforcement officer who refuses to enforce state or federal laws. What’s more, it would remove any elected or appointed law enforcement officer for simply stating or signing any document stating that they will not obey federal orders. A gun lobbyist told Secrets, “Beware because once something like this is introduced in one state, it will be followed very quickly in several other states.”

The bill is H.B. 2127. Pray tell, Ms. Davis – just how do you intend to remove any sheriff in this state? They are elected by the people. One can hope that since our state legislature is controlled by Republicans, both houses, with a Republican governor, that bill won’t stand a chance. Texans might want to call their state rep and tell him/her you’re outraged Ms. Davis has introduced such a bill.

It’s not just a nationwide effort to limit their power, but to abolish the office of sheriff altogether. Mark my words, it’s coming.

Then, there are the imbeciles who have zero understanding of the meaning of the Second Amendment:

Utah Governor: “Utah Will Adhere to the Law” and Obey Federal Gun Laws

“As courageous state legislators enlist in the fight to repel the federal government’s assault on the Second Amendment, the governor of one western state is telling a liberty-minded state representative to stand down. Governor Gary Herbert of Utah recently called a pro-gun rights bill sponsored by a Utah state representative “an exaggeration” and encouraged the lawmaker to “adhere to the law.” This is not the level of support citizens of the Beehive State would expect from the man they elected to lead their state.”

Since 2005, Dr. Edwin Vieira has been trying to educate gun onwers and lawmakers about the constitutional militia. I’ve been trying, but running into a brick wall from individuals who simply ignore the history of the militia and the true meaning of the Second Amendment. Responses I get from private militia members here and in other states is “we don’t need the stinking state”. Such geniuses. I hate to break it to you fellas, but as “private” militias, you have zero legal authority to do anything other than target practice.

Last summer I wrote four working papers and one bill for our state legislature. One of the working papers is to reconstitute the constitutional militia. They were given to members of the legislature. Did I get any support from the militia groups in Texas? Not one that I’m aware of; after all, “We don’t need the state.”

Our legislature is going to do nothing about a constitutional sound money bill, Agenda 21, revitalizing the constitutional militia or the Seventeenth Amendment. I sent every Republican (they control both houses) a letter directing them to those working papers and the one bill I wrote .I included Dr. Vieria’s nine page presentation to the Montana banking committee on a constitutional sound money bill. It cost me about $350.00 for the printing and postage. I might as well have burned the money and not wasted my time. Despite efforts to get the word out to active groups here in Texas, few did anything in contacting state legislators and senators to get three bills written; I wrote one with the working paper. Because there was no pressure, those four issues will not be addressed by our legislature this session. Our legislature goes out of session May 27, 2013, until January 6, 2015. By then it will be too late. Don’t Mess With Texas is nothing but empty words.

I’ll say it again: militias around the country are doing great work in planning and preparing for disasters to help first responders. They are responsible, patriotic folks. But, there is a difference between the constitutional militia and private ones:

Are you doing your constitutional duty for “homeland security”?

“All this is no merely quaint story-telling about men attired in knee-britches and three-cornered hats, or the anachronistic and academic stuff of Colonial re-enactors and museums at Lexington and Concord. This is what “the Militia of the several States” actually were, codified in every relevant statute of every Colony and independent State throughout a period of almost 150 years prior to ratification of the Constitution. And therefore this is what “the Militia of the several States” still are, because that term incorporated in the Constitution must be interpreted in light of its historical antecedents as known to the Founding Fathers, and continue to be given the selfsame construction until the Constitution is amended (which, with the assistance of Providence, in this particular it never will be). See Eisner v. Macomber, 252 U.S. 189, 206 (1920). The only possible difference to be countenanced today actually amounts to an expansion: Now, with the legal emancipation of women, “the Militia of the several States” arguably includes all able-bodied females, who might be called to serve in some capacities in the most critical, last-ditch situations of State and National defense, freeing men for more arduous duties.

“So, constitutionally YOU very likely–indeed, almost surely–are a member of “the Militia of the several States” in the State in which you live. And, if so, the Constitution imposes a duty on YOU to keep and bear arms in the Militia for the defense of your State and Nation, because that is the meaning of the Militia: the people in arms, and therefore the people with arms. And, most importantly, their own arms: their own private property in their own personal possession.

“Moreover, because the duty to keep and bear arms is of constitutional stature, each individual enjoys an absolute constitutional right as against every level, department, or branch of government–National, State, and local–to fulfill that duty. Inasmuch as the Constitution requires all of We the People eligible for the Militia to possess their own private arms in their capacity as a governmental institution, then on no account, for no reason, and by the application of no power can any level of government disarm any of them. Indeed, to argue that any other branch of government may disarm the one branch of government that the Constitution specifically requires to be armed is so illogical as to verge on insanity.”

Private militia have no power despite the nasty, patronizing emails I get from men:

“Although some of these private “militias” claim “common law” as their basis, they cannot stand on such a foundation. For “common law” had nothing whatsoever to do with the formation and operation of the Militia in any of the Colonies or independent States prior to ratification of the Constitution. All of those Militia were the products of charters or statutes. And in none of them did judges or sheriffs play any directing role. Under the Constitution, therefore, the same pattern must obtain today. As wholly private organizations with no legal authority peculiar to themselves—for certainly not a single one of them has been empowered by a State statute to participate in the activities they have taken upon themselves—these “militias” are necessarily not parts of the government of any State or Locality.”

“The Militia of the Several States” Guarantee the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

“Although the Constitution recognizes “the Militia of the several States” as State institutions, the States themselves cannot dispense with the Militia, in whole or material part, because the Constitution presupposes the permanence of the Militia, and the Constitution is “the supreme Law of the Land”, which all State officials “shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support”. Article VI, Clauses 2 and 3…..

“The Constitution reserves to the States “the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress”. Article I, Section 8, Clause 16. If Congress fails to “prescribe[ ]” such “discipline”, and in all cases where any Congressionally mandated “discipline” does not apply, the States do not need Congress’s permission to administer their Militia as they may judge to be necessary and proper. Prior to ratification of the Constitution, the States’ powers over their Militia were plenary. The Constitution delegated to Congress certain limited powers with respect to the Militia–which powers, if Congress properly exercises them, are “the supreme Law of the Land” that supersede conflicting State laws. Article VI, Clause 2. Otherwise, the States retain a concurrent power to enact laws to govern their Militia. Amendment X.”

Sadly, even state lawmakers don’t understand the true militia:

South Carolina Unorganized Militia And Assault Weapons to Repel Federal Tyranny

“As a warning shot over the bow, South Carolina is poised to take action to protect the rights of its citizens. Congratulations, you are a member of South Carolina’s “unorganized militia.” Now that you know that, state Sen. Tom Corbin, R-Greenville, wants to make sure you have access to guns in case the governor ever calls on you to defend the state. Corbin has proposed a new state law — unanimously approved Wednesday by a Senate subcommittee — that would guarantee all members of the unorganized militia “shall have the right, at his own expense, to acquire, possess, keep, and bear all firearms that could be legally acquired or possessed by a citizen of South Carolina as of December 31, 2012.”

“Translated that means — barring an almost certain constitutional challenge if the proposal becomes law — you can buy an assault weapon, regardless of whether the federal government bans them, as President Barack Obama and others have proposed. The proposed law is based on a state law, dating back to 1881, that refers to an “unorganized militia” made up of “all able bodied persons over 17 years of age.”

Would Sen. Corbin please tell me where in the Second Amendment it says unorganized militia? “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” While I appreciate Sen. Corbin’s effort, it doesn’t solve the problem of the current push to ban certain weapons. This latest is just another incremental step.

Ted Nugent took some actor named Jim Carrey to the woodshed over an anti-Second Amendment video he apparently made. But, why hasn’t Ted Nugent stepped up to the plate to support revitalizing the constitutional militia? His voice would activate a whole lot of gun owners.

Keep sending your money to the NRA. But remember this: Wayne LaPierre talks the big talk, but without the NRA’s big money, Harry Reid can’t keep getting reelected. Wayne LaPierre is a friend of Comrade Reid: Video: NRA’s Wayne Lapierre Praises Anti-Gun Harry Reid. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas. Harry Reid has treaded carefully regarding the so-called assault weapons ban. Like any hooker on a street corner, he knows where his next buck comes from – your membership dues.

Getting Gun Owners’ Information Is the NRA’s Business. “It kind of makes you wonder if there isn’t someone in the NRA’s membership department who fantasizes about how much easier their job would be if there really was a national gun registry.”

Oath Keepers are doing a bang up job in trying to educate Americans, gun owners or not, about the constitutional militia: Oath Keepers group issues nationwide call to support militia documentary. I don’t know how many of their members have been working as some of us tried here in Texas to revitalize the militia in their respective states.

For the life of me, I still cannot fathom why a fine organization like Gun Owners of America hasn’t mobilized their millions of members to work towards the only real solution to stopping gun control. GOA has a full page of all of Dr. Edwin Vieira’s militia columns here. If they put out a special mailing to their millions of members outlining a game plan for the state houses, just think of what could happen!

 I say this to the gun owners in this country who continue to ignore the only real solution: You keep fighting this war with an unloaded gun and you’re going to continue to lose.

 If gun owners think for one minute this push to disarm us is going away, you’re in denial. Throwing money at “conservatives” in the Outlaw Congress or signing petitions to get some bill passed in the Outlaw Congress to “protect our Second Amendment rights” has done NOTHING to stop what’s going on. Throwing more money at the NRA or other gun groups to stop the never ending legislation in state houses and the Outlaw Congress has done NOTHING to stop what’s going on. Remember the old saying: Doing the same thing over and over again is a form of insanity.

 If gun owners in this country don’t stand up as a whole and go after their state legislatures, we will continue to see this: Court deals blow to NRA, Second Amendment in gun case

 If gun owners in this country really wanted to stop the constant attack on the Second Amendment, they would have rallies at their state capitol with thousands demanding their legislature revitalize the constitutional militia. If you don’t think that will do the trick, let me remind folks about how the patriots of Tennessee defeated the effort to enact a state income tax:

 Tennesseans stage tax revolt – Massive revolt at state Capitol stops new income-tax plan (June 2000)

 “As protesters began to gather outside the legislative chambers Monday evening, several legislators were taken away by ambulance and hospitalized for blood pressure and heart problems as tensions rose and tempers flared. By Tuesday morning, tax protesters were brandishing signs reading, “Let’s send them all to the ER!”

Trouble began brewing Friday evening as the state income tax proposal emerged from a legislative conference committee considering the state budget after local news shows had already aired. Legislators supporting the income tax had hoped that a vote would be taken on the proposal Saturday morning to avoid giving anti-tax groups time to mount a repeat of the tax revolt that occurred last November, when an earlier income-tax measure died as taxpayers besieged legislative offices with tens of thousands of calls and e-mails every hour. But the hopes of income-tax supporters were dashed when two of Nashville’s competing talk radio stations, WLAC and WTN, joined forces and served as the catalyst for opposition to the legislative proposal.”

I hope you read the full article. It’s also how we, led by Jodi Waters out in California, beat the biggest oil companies in the world over the MTBE gasoline additive disaster. It is no longer in any gasoline in the country. We took our angry voices to the state house and we won.

 The patriots of Tennessee won. How about gun owners in this country? More donations, petitions, endless lawsuits or raising hell at your state capitol until your legislators “get it”? Put up or shut up as they say.

 Links:

 City looks to make gun ownership mandatory
Several columns by Dr. Edwin Vieira on the constitutional militia free on audio.
President George Washington Structured The Militia
System To Prevent Treason And Tyranny By Public Officials.
Gun Control, the Dick Act of 1902, Bills of Attainder and Ex Post Facto Laws
‘Our civilian-military face-off’ (Sacramento Bee, November 30, 1997).
“Bill of Rights No Obstacle for the [Marine] Corps.