The Outsider: January 2014

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Article V The Scary Alternative

1/19/14

We all have had our share of consternation about what the Federal Government has and is doing to our country. I have heard many different options ranging from an attitude of “oh well” to civil war. Neither of the extremes have much appeal to me. I don’t want to succumb to the slavery that comes from a central government owning everything and telling me what I can and can’t do, nor do I want to see our land soaked in the blood of patriots and federalists either.

One thing that has been tried unsuccessfully in the past, due to the lack of sufficient numbers of states supporting it, that can be pursued again is the only remedy that the Founders placed in the Constitution. It is an Article V convention of states. The reason people are scared of it is that opponents of this method of amending the Constitution have falsely insinuated that it would lead to another “Constitutional Convention” in which the Constitution would be totally discarded and a new form of government instituted. Many say that the Progressives would turn it into a free-for-all to eliminate the freedoms that the original Constitution guarantees to the citizens of this country.

It is time to look at the option realistically. First, Congress shall call a convention of states only when 2/3 of the States apply for the convention using the same, or virtually the same, wording in the application. Many think that Congress will find ways to discredit the applications if the exact same verbiage is not supplied in each. The first hurdle that has to be crossed is getting 34 of the 50 States to apply using the identical wording in their applications.

Second, even though the convention of states is called I’m sure that Congress, who sets the date and place for the convention, will set it at the most inconvenient place and time they can.

You see, it isn’t to their advantage for amendments to be written that would limit their power and return it back to the States and the people. The convention might do things like call for a balanced budget, term limits for both Representatives and Senators, revamp the tax system to make it equitable and fair for all citizens without Congressional interference, return the original intent of the Commerce Clause back to regulating interstate and international commerce only, and the list goes on.

Third, after the convention decides on the exact verbiage and proposal for each amendment, then the proposed amendments have to go to either the state legislatures or state conventions of all 50 States to be ratified by ¾ of the them before they become part of the Constitution. It is very unlikely that 38 States would ratify amendments that would injure either their ability to function as states or to their citizens. Therefore, if the worst fears of opponents to an Article V Convention of States were realized and that the convention became a runaway convention, they can still stop it by making their voice heard during the ratification process.

After having said all that, it becomes pretty clear to me that it would be nigh to impossible for an Article V Convention of States to produce anything that the people would not support and that would not be to their benefit. I’m also thinking that, because of the progressive tendencies of the Media that they would be all over the proposed amendments like ugly on an ape (sorry PETA) and they would possibly be brought to the attention of more people than even a terrorist attack would be. To those who have, as I have, come to the conclusion that this might be our only avenue for correcting a renegade government, without tearing this country apart in civil war, what I have presented probably sounds like an idea whose time has come.

An Article V Convention of States Project is already out there and working hard to produce the results I have described. If you want to check it out and become a part of the solution instead of the problem, contact http://convention.movements.us/# . It will take as much help as can be mustered to get 3,000 or the 4,000 legislative districts on the states to propose the application as discussed. People need to become involved to ensure that the state legislators know that we have their backs and support them in their call for a convention.

Monday, January 6, 2014

A Nation Unwittingly Enslaved

In the 1950s, it was fun to participate on Independence Day. Fireworks were of different sizes and children of all ages could fire off firecrackers, swing sparklers, and shoot roman candles up into the air. Parents were responsible for their children and they and their children paid the consequences of misusing any of the fireworks that they played with.

By the time the 70s rolled around, if a child got sunburned and had to have treatment for blisters on their back (second degree sunburn) and either of their parents was in the military, the parent was given an Article 15 (non-judicial punishment). This could be as severe as a loss in pay or demotion in rank, for not having taken proper care of their children.

You see, in the military, you signed a contract that made you responsible to the government 24/7/365, so your life wasn’t your own. You became property of the government and because your family was covered for medical care under that contract, they also became property of the government. So if anything happened to any member of your family that was considered to be because of carelessness or neglect on your part, you were held accountable. For instance, if your child was playing with fireworks and burnt his/her fingers and was taken to the emergency room, then the parent could be held accountable through the non-judicial punishment of the armed services. In a civilian setting, the parent would have to pay for the visit to the emergency room and that would be the end of it.

With the advent of the “War on Poverty” started by President Johnson, this type of intrusion into private lives was spread throughout our society. It happens this way. When the government begins to pay for peoples housing and food, without any work/service being required of the individual to receive it, no matter how old they are, they become wards of the state. As such, any offspring, they have also become property of the state.

In order to make sure that the “state’s property” is protected Child Protective Services was invented. From that time on, man’s home, which was his “castle”, became a looking glass for the government to take care of its assets. Parents were no longer able to govern in their homes as they saw fit, they had to make sure that they were governing in accordance with the way the state wanted them to or their offspring (the state’s property) would be taken from them to be raised by a state approved surrogate parent (foster care). In stating this, this writer does not express any sympathy for any abusive parent that never learned that those given to him/her through procreation are the future of the nation and will treat others the way they have been treated.

This avenue of progress has opened the door for an abusive government to set forth a welfare system of medical care by law. The Affordable Care Act is the government’s response to provide “free health care” to the growing numbers of people in this country who are willing to allow the government to maintain their very existence. By default, those who are working for a living become the “bank” that pays for this “freeloader” health care system through the taxes exacted from them to support it.

How unwittingly have we become slaves to the government. Those who are willingly receiving welfare benefits from the government unwittingly become slaves. Those of us who, allow the government to extract from the just compensation we receive for our labors the payment for such, are enslaved because we are forced to comply with mandates of both what health care we can receive as well as how much we must pay. Neither group is happy with the system because of the loss of freedom to choose. The government decides who is a viable asset to the government. Those who are not born with some sort of government defined “defect” or who are not past the age of viability will receive prime care because they are the ones who produce the most for the government. Those who cannot produce enough to qualify as viable members of society are denied care based on the debilitating extent of their condition. Therefore, the government gets to decide who lives or dies, something that up to now, in our country, was left up to the Creator to decide.

It is up to us, the members of this great land to decide whether we will remain slaves to an overreaching government or will return to the freedom of choice we once had as free men in a free country. It has become very apparent that special interests have taken control of those who govern so that the voice of the people is being stifled and is not being heard at the seat of government. The constitutional remedy for this, that is electing statesmen and not politicians to public office at all levels, is quickly being altered by those who wish to stay in power making it more difficult to seek a remedy by following the Constitution. Nevertheless, we must endeavor to prevail through that means rather than the alternative.

The Tapestry

The Tapestry
By William L. Pressgrove
Written in 1992, edited Nov 2009

Once upon a time, there was a land far, far away full of beauty. There was lush vegetation like tall trees, colorful flowers, winding rivers, snowy mountains, and grassy plains. The land was exceedingly rich in natural resources because the ruler of the land had blessed it with all things he had the power with which to bless it. The ruler of the land was a jealous ruler so anyone who came to live on this land had to make a covenant to worship him only. If the people ever forgot, or would not worship the ruler of the land, they would be swept off of the land because the ruler of the land would not be mocked.

As the story begins, there is evidence that the land had been peopled several times. Artifacts found in the land indicated that each group had broken their covenant with the ruler of the land and had been destroyed or they had destroyed themselves.

Another people in a distant land heard about this strange and beautiful land and desired to move to it. They made arrangements to move, many having to take great losses as they sold their goods and possessions, but to them the promise of the new land and freedom were worth all their sacrifices. These people became known as "Freemen" because of their love for freedom.

When the Freemen arrived in the new land, they found people already living there. These people were called "Landers" because they were a people who lived off the land and used it to their benefit, somewhat wisely, but the Landers had forgotten the ruler who had blessed the land, thus they had fallen out of favor with him. Therefore, the Landers lived without his protection. The Freemen learned of the ruler of the land and made a covenant with him to worship him and him alone. So, whenever there was a problem between the Freemen and the Landers, the ruler would favor the Freemen. There were several wars between the two groups because the Landers didn’t want the Freemen taking their land and gaining a foot hold in it. The Freemen prevailed and became established in the land. They prospered and began to fill the land, because they remembered their covenant with the ruler of the land.

The Freemen continued honoring the covenant they had made with the ruler, but the mother country from which the Freemen had come didn’t want them to become independent. The Freemen had to break away from the mother country’s hold on them before they could fully live the covenant they had made with the ruler of the land. They knew if they would break with the old country, the ruler of the land would assist them to become secure in the covenant they made with him.

The old country didn’t want to lose control of their colony in the new land because of its exceeding riches, so it began to exercise more control over the colony and make unreasonable demands on the Freemen. The Freemen had to pay more and more taxes for the goods they received from the mother land. The mother country taxed the Freemen without allowing them to be represented in government.

Even with the help of the ruler of the land, there was a great war between the old country and the colonists in which many of the Freemen paid the ultimate price for freedom. The greatest men of that generation spilt their blood to gain the independence they were seeking.

The people, having won their freedom began to live all the terms of the covenant they had made with the ruler of the land. They set about to fix laws by which they could remain free in this new land. They hadn’t forgotten the help they received from the ruler of the land, so they incorporated rules and regulations that allowed the people to have the freedom of choice in their new nation. This freedom of choice was a right they fought so valiantly to gain, and they recognized that it was the only way they could truly worship the ruler of the land.

The leaders of the country of Freemen made a tapestry into which was woven the rules of the government they had formed. This tapestry displayed to all the world the freedom the new nation of Freemen stood for. The tapestry was held high and was revered by all who had taken part in obtaining freedom for the new nation and had worked so hard to set up a sound government.

As time went on the Freemen, who had made the covenant with the ruler of the land and had fought beside those who died for it, passed away. Their children remembered the covenant and the tremendous sacrifice their fathers had made by holding the tapestry high and reverencing those who had made their freedom possible as well as the ruler who had help secure it.

Several generations passed away reverencing the tapestry and enjoying the freedom it represented. Eventually, those who were placed into government positions decided that they could improve the laws that the tapestry represented. They began to make these changes and told the people they were for the betterment of the country. As a symbol of each change they removed one thread from the fabric of the tapestry, one thread for every change.

All the changes made the Freemen feel that the government was caring for them and that the changes were making the country better. The tapestry didn’t appear to have suffered from the changes either. The threads that were removed were hardly, if at all noticeable.

As the years passed the Freemen became less self-sufficient and more dependent on the government to sustain them. Politicians began to realize that by making promises of more aid to special interest groups they could garner more votes from the people in exchange for more money from the government coffers. Sadly, the people began to expect more and more support from the government without ever thinking about where the government was getting money.

Before they were aware of it, the people had become so dependent of the government that they began to forget about the covenant their fathers had made with the ruler of the land. The government became more important to them than the ruler of the land. Historians began removing all references to the ruler of the land from the history books used to teach the children about the Founding Fathers of the country. Those in power also began passing laws that prohibited the mention of the ruler of the land in public places. As these changes were being made, the politicians and now even the historians took more threads from the tapestry to make it conform to their new way of thinking.

Even though so many changes were being made to the tapestry, the people still revered it and considered it to be the fabric of the country and said that it was so strong that no one or nothing could ever tear it apart. They held it high on every Independence Day to display to the world how proud they were of it. They would boast of being the greatest nation in the world. They were proud of the strength of their military. They would occasionally show their strength by defending "freedom" by supporting international causes supposedly to keep the peace.

One day, a dispute began among the leaders of the country as to whether the laws the tapestry represented were still valid because times had changed and technology had become so advanced. Some thought that the laws the tapestry contained were outdated and needed to be scrapped and a new one drafted. Others thought that with just a few more changes, that the old tapestry would be just fine. As a graphic representation of this argument, a verbal tug-of-war ensued each side being on opposite sides of the tapestry. As they began the tug-of-war it was plain to see that the tapestry would be torn apart by the argument. Those who wanted the Constitution to remain quickly made some serious concessions to the opposing party with the understanding that they would keep the "old" tapestry as the countries symbols of freedom.

The tapestry was changed so much that it was just a shell of what it had been and so many threads had been removed from the tapestry that it began to look like an old shredded cloth. As the government was discussing more changes to the tapestry, an enemy came into the land and began to take possession of it, killing and enslaving the people as they went. The mighty army was sent out to fight this intruder, but found that it was so weakened by the lack of discipline that it was no match for the invasion. You see, they had become weak because of the lasciviousness that had been allowed by their leaders, that they didn’t have the moral fiber to hold them together as a fighting unit.

Finally citizens, who had been weary of the actions of the politicians, took up their arms and the tapestry as a banner in defense of their country. They were seriously hampered in their efforts because some of the new laws that were passed made it difficult for them to retain their firearms, so they were fighting with whatever they could get their hands on. These citizens were those who had believed in and kept the covenant with the ruler of the land and were sustained by their faith that he would help them to rid their country of the invaders. Joined by those of the military who had recognized the lasciviousness that had overtaken their forces and had maintained themselves apart from those activities, these citizens prevailed and began to repel the invaders.

After much bloodshed this new army prevailed and defeated the invaders, but not before the capital city and those who were in it was destroyed. When peace was restored, the original tapestry was found almost totally shredded into pieces. It was held together by one brittle thread. It was taken to a laboratory to be restored.

The threads that had been removed were found in the archives and were brought out and laid down side by side so they could be restored to the tapestry. As this process began, the workers noticed that the threads had tiny strands of gold woven in them at various places. When they were all laid down together they discovered a word had been woven into the threads, a word that when embedded in the cloth held the tapestry together tightly but was imperceptible to the naked eye. A word that when removed bit by bit over time had allowed not only the tapestry, but the fabric of the nation to fall apart as well. That word?–God.

The Outsider

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Article V The Scary Alternative

Monday, January 6, 2014

A Nation Unwittingly Enslaved

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