by Steve Palmer
In a video this week from the Center for Freedom & Prosperity Foundation, Dan Mitchell highlights the stealthy class war that is going on in our country.รย We are generally trained to think ofรย class war in terms of rich and poor, black and white, republican and democrat.รย But as you’ll see in this video, those competitions pale in comparison to the relentless stealth assaults that are being waged for our freedoms and our prosperity.
“Official data show that federal workers are making twice as much, on average, as the tax payers who pay their salaries.”
Similarly,รย Jennifer III writes that we are in a Cold Civil War, saying,
“…It starts with what happened in the 20th century. The progressives in both political parties neutered the Constitution because they assumed it had no meaning.รย They preferred the rule of men over the rule of law.รย Now people who want the rule of law are labeled as รขโฌหextremistsรขโฌโข…”
Ourรย class war is no different from other class wars throughout history.รย The contest which matters is the contest betweenรย the ruling classรย and the citizens who desire to live in freedom.
The political elite and the legacy media conveniently cover up this reality.รย รย Distracting us byรย fanning the flames of other divisive issues… Israel and Palestine, Illegal immigration, racial tensions, partisan politics, unions vs. bankers, legalizing marijuana… anything to keep us from focusing on the main systematic threat to our freedom and prosperity.รย Intentionally or not,รย the Overton Window has been moved.รย Political Correctness now provides cover for people who are open law breakers, imposing the rule of men over the words in the Constitution of the United States.รย If you oppose the 1964 Civil Rights Act because you believe it violates the Constitution, you are branded as a racist!
Folks…. Issues are forรย the states, not for Washington.รย As soon as we allow the federal government toรย skip over the question, “Should we do something?” directly to the question, “What should we do?”, on an issue for whichรย there is no Constitutional authority, we have lost important ground, even if we think we have won the debate over what to do.รย In Washington, *the issue* is the Constitution.รย They shouldn’tรย start talking about “what to do” until after they have first demonstrated that the Constitution authorizes them to do something.รย รย For too long, we’ve been allowing our politicians to skip over this vital first step!
In the name of oh so many diversionaryรย issues, a stealthy Cold War is being waged by the power brokersรย against people who areรย so busy trying to make ends meet that theyรย barelyรย even notice.
In California, the federal government disregards the Constitution in the name of “the environment“, cutting off water and creating a dust bowl, unemployment and povertyรย out of what used to be fertile farming land; ostensibly to save an endangered fish.รย Then, even worse, they turn a trickle of water back on, but only in exchange for the “correct” health care votes.รย In Arizona, the federal government threatens to sue the state for having the temerity to enforce a federal law.รย In Louisiana, the same federal government who created a California dust bowl in order to save some fish, can’t be bothered to approve the state’sรย plans for barrier sand dunes to protect the marshes in Louisiana from the oil leak in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
In the wake ofรย 9/11, Washington passed the Patriot Act to take awayรย some of our freedoms and RealID to take awayรย others.รย Amazingly, the states actually resisted RealID, effectively rendering it null.รย This apparently did not sit well with the overlords in Washington, D.C.,รย because they are now attempting to respond by requiring a biometric national ID.
As a presidential candidate, Senator Obama spoke ofรย the need for aรย civilian national security force, saying,
“We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”
And shortly after his inauguration, a document was leaked fromรย the Missouri Fusion Center of the Department of Homeland Security, classifying Ron Paul supporters, people with Gadsden Flag bumper stickers and other politicalรย outliers as possible members of domestic paramilitary groups.รย Presumably adding them to the class of people who might be subject to Patriot Act intrusions.รย Later,รย burried in the pages of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we find funding for a “Ready Reserve” corps, similar to the national security force which candidate Obama had described.
Nationalization of banks, automotive manufacturers and soon, health insurance…รย We could go on and on, but this is more thanรย enough to discern a pattern.รย These are not isolated actions.รย Washington is engaged in a constant, and acclearating effort to take over powers from the states and rights from the people.รย It is plain to see for anyone who does not choose to be willfully blind.
This is not the first time we’ve been here.รย Thomas Jefferson wrote,
“Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period, and pursuedรย unalterably through every change of ministers too plainly proves a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing us to slavery.”
And Patrick Henry, in his “Give me Liberty or give me death” oration, said,
“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. รย I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. รย And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House.รย Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received?รย Trust it not, sir; รย it will prove a snare to your feet.รย Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss.รย Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land.รย Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation?รย Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love?รย Let us not deceive ourselves, sir.รย These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. รย I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission?”
We have been far more patient than Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry.รย Our chain of evidence leads back much further than just ten years.รย Our founders knew of thisรย threat and they gave us the tools to overcome it.รย Fortunately, we are better positioned to resolve our problems without armed conflict, but we have forgotten how to use the tools.รย In broad sweeps, here are some things thatรย we need to beรย doing if we want to avoid being taken by stealth.
- Learn and understand the Constitution.
- Move the Overton Window back, so thatรย supporting theรย Constitution is no longer considered an act of extremism, and so that breaking the law of the land is.
- Learn about the tools of resistance which are available to the People and the States: civil disobedience, jury nullification and nullification.
- Educate our friends, families and neighbors on the Constitution and the tools of resistance.
- Demand that our state legislators nullify all federal laws which violate the Constitution, not just those laws which are alsoรย inconvenient.
- Support states like California, Arizona and Louisiana.รย Any state whichรย findsรย itself in the Federal cross hairs.
- Be prepared to use civil disobedience and jury nullification (and to face the consequences) when appropriate and necessary.
- We must not allow people to be marginalized for promoting a constitutional view point… even when we disagree with them on the underlying issue!
Steve Palmer is the State Chapter Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Tenth Amendment Center.
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