Your Wake Up Call – Gun Control is an Assault on God Given Rights

After every mass shooting, the Left’s (I use this term to cover ALL of those who seek to destroy America) knee jerk reaction is to attempt to pass gun control legislation, even though most rational people realize that no laws will EVER prevent evil people from getting firearms or anything else and doing evil deeds. Needless to say, just as soon as the Left begin their assault, Patriotic Americans come back fighting (I proudly stand with these Patriots). Our prime weapon against this attack is the Constitution and the particularly the Second Amendment. We will reinforcement our arguments with quotes from the Founding Fathers and others.

As the gun control debate rages, some of those Patriots who oppose gun control fail to look back at the Declaration of Independence and when they do, many, if not all, will remember and can quote those immoral words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable (inalienable) Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”. However, it is the words that proceed these, “…the separate and equal station to which theLaws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them….”, that I feel many fail to remember and I feel this is the fundamental reason that ANY argument for Gun Control is fundamentally flawed.

The Laws of Nature or more specifically Natural Law is that “body of law or a specific principle held to be derived from nature and binding upon human society in the absence of or in addition to positive law” or as Emmerich de Vattel would explain in The Law of Nations (French: Le droit des gens) 1758, “that liberty and independence that belongs to man by his very nature, and that they cannot be taken from him without his consent.” What are these principles that are derived from nature and binds to human society in general, America in particular?

In order to avoid a long drawn out discussion of the various works of Gentilis, Grotius, Pufen, and Burlamaqui concerning Natural Law or the Natural Rights of Man, I will refer to what John Locke wrote in his Two Treaties (1690), “the right to life, liberty and property” or as Thomas Jefferson brilliantly wrote in America’s Declaration of Independence, “..unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (good fortune : prosperity) …” Let’s take a look at these three basic God or if you prefer Nature’s God given Natural Rights, as defined by Locke and Jefferson, are the reasons that any attempt for any type of gun control is not only a violation of our Constitutional rights but our GOD given rights.

The Right to Life

This basic right is / maybe self explanatory, but we must/should also include personal security. All human beings (including those still in the womb) have the God given right NOT to be killed, NOT to be injured or NOT to be abused. This is the MAIN reason most, if not all, of us own and carry a gun.

As many gun control advocates are fond of saying, “No one needs an “assault weapon” or a multi round magazine for self defense (or hunting).” The first response from anyone who is against gun control, should be, “How do YOU know exactly what type of weapon I need to defend myself, my family or if necessary my neighbor?” Someone also needs to remind those on the Left that every state and even the federal government have self defense laws and these laws provide for using any and all means necessary to protect one’s self and family. The Left also needs to be reminded that most, if not all, LEGAL gun owner is very familiar with the laws of self defense in their home state. Isn’t it strange that none of these self defense laws specify what type of weapon a person should use to defend themselves, i.e. none of them say, “if you are being attacked by a person with a knife, you have to defend yourself with a knife.”

The Right to Liberty

This right is/was explained by James Madison when he presented the first thirteen amendments to the Constitution during the meeting of the first Congress, ten of which is now known as the Bill of Rights. Maybe they should be referred to as the Bill of God given rights or the Bill of Natural Rights. (Please pay attention to the wording in “Fourthly. That in article 2st, section 9, between clauses 3 and 4″)


Among these Natural rights is the right to worship God and practice one’s religion or not practice or worship.

Man also has the right to move freely, without government permission, to go where one chooses provided they do not violate another person’s rights.

Man has the right to assemble peaceably and the right to express or publish his opinions, and if possible to communicate those opinions to the world.

Man has the right be secure in his home which includes his effects and personal papers, this liberty also includes freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. This is another Constitutional and Natural right that the Left is attempting to “backdoor” with legislation for insurance requirements for gun owners, gun registrations and any other “laws” that will require the government to know who owns a gun or how many are owned.

Man has the right to enjoy privacy in all matters, which includes the privacy of a person’s medical records. This does include what is said to one’s doctor in the course of medical treatment, INCLUDING any treatment which may involve discussions concerning mental problems. If a person does have a problem, the idea that what is said in confidential to a doctor would be relayed to the government could prevent that person from seeking help for even a minor problem. This is something that the “Dear Leader” forgot when he issued his Executive Actions on gun violence, the Doctor – Patient privilege.

In order for Man to protect and defend the above list of Natural and Constitutional right to liberty, Man has the right to purchase, keep and bear arms. Once again the Left needs to be reminded that it is the person’s RIGHT, not the government’s, to decide what type of weapon or the number of rounds they need to defend this RIGHT.

The Right to Property [Jefferson’s “Happiness” (good fortune: prosperity)

Man has the right to a private home and personal property within that home. The idea that a man’s home (residence) is his castle dates back to 1644, therefore, a Man’s residence may not be entered or his processions taken or used without his permission.

Man has the right to buy and own the tools required to earn a livelihood. He has the right to use those tools to achieve happiness (good fortune: prosperity).

Once again, in order for Man to defend and protect his home, his processions and his tools, Man has the right to purchase any gun he feels is suitable for his personal and if required his community’s defense. Once again, I will remind the Left that all states have laws that allow a home owner to defend his “castle” and none of those laws say how he can defend or protect his property.

The Left needs to be reminded that Natural Laws is not just some philosophy thought up and written about by John Locke and Thomas Jefferson many years ago, but is a potent and valuable set of laws that will and should be forcibly used to restrain the lawless and arrogant over reaching government, of course this is what the Left is afraid of. Yet, Natural Law is in existence today thanks to their favorite organization, the United Nations.

Before the LEFT even begins to argue against the concept of Natural Rights, they better read what the U.N. said in its, “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” (10 December 1948) and pay particular attention to The Preamble and special attention to Article 3 “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” Is this not directly from John Locke?

I realize that the Left’s assault on guns will continue on and they will attack in every way they can, BUT we Patriots have to remind them that we have the God given right to own any weapon we are capable of owning and NO government has any right to tell a free people by what method we should defend our Natural Rights.

The Hour of the Wolf - Is Freedom Dying

As I quietly open the door, I glance at my watch. It’s the hour of the wolf. As I walk quietly in the room, the only sound I hear is the sound of my own heart punctuated by the steady beep of the medical monitor. As I slowly walk across the floor, I glance down and see a torn and twisted small stack of papers; I bend down to pick it up.

As I read it I catch my breath, I remember first reading this many years ago as a child. I remember being told how important this small stack of papers was to many people. Maybe at one time it was, but now as I look at the crumbled papers I notice the outline of a dirty footprint on the top page as if someone purposely stepped on it. I sigh and put them on the bookcase along with the other now considered outdated papers and books. As I slowly move closer to the side of the bed, I see another piece of paper in her hands; I lean over and slowly, ever so gently move her hands. I remove it and as I looked over to find a place to put it, I glance down and realize that it’s the announcement of her birth, a document that was once celebrated, but now it has, like other papers and books of hers, been consigned to the dustbin of history. I see a chair against the wall and ever so quietly bring it over to the side of the bed and sit down.

I sit and glance around the room. I see the various books, the computer screens and as much as I don't want to, my eyes once again return to the bed and the faint form lying there. As the deep labored breaths slowly make the covers move up and down, I finally realize why I can’t sleep. I realize that I may be seeing the final days, perhaps hours, of a great lady.

As I sit there, realizing that no matter how hard I try tears begin welling up in my eyes and as I reach up to wipe them away, even though I'm alone, I briefly look around to see if anyone saw them, but there was no one there.

“Thank God”, I think to myself, “No one is here to see the tears, after all a Marine isn't supposed to cry. But Marines do cry! Not from pain or frustration but they cry at the loss of a comrade in arms. They cry at the loss of family and close friends and I am losing one of the few people I have held very near and dear for so many years, so maybe it's okay to cry.

I hear sound behind me, once again wipe my hands across my eyes and turn towards the door to see some of my Brothers and Sisters standing there. They come in, look at the look at the form on the bed, pay their respects and after a while we start chatting and telling “war stories” some funny, some heart breaking. Some good memories, some not so good. They even share some photos and for a few minutes the cares and problems slide away but as enjoyable as this is, my eyes turn back to the bed and form lying there. Once again I feel the tears welling up in my eyes. So, not to be embarrassed I turn and walk towards the window.

I look out and think, “Damn they were right, it IS darkest before the dawn.”

My thoughts were interrupted once again by the door slowly opening and various friends quietly enter the room.

As they look uncomfortably at the form on the bed, the “blanket” of silent uneasiness vanishes like a fog being burnt off by a raising sun. The small talk begins and one of them says, “This illness must have come on fairly suddenly?”

As I look at the bed, I shake my head saying, “Not really, the infection set in many years ago. Outside of a few remissions, the disease continued to spread. BUT the doctors and those who could control it didn’t pay attention, they were too busy with other things or maybe should I say they got complacent. The infection was still there, just below the surface, slowly growing and quietly spreading.”

“But I was told it only started a few years ago” another said, “One doctor told me that it was well under control until recently.”

I shook my head and said, “There's the chart,” pointing to the clipboard hanging on the bed. “Read it for yourself.”

My friend made no attempt to move towards the chart, mumbling, “I'll read it later.”

We continued to quietly chat. We talked about how some of us remembered the birth and the death of “Rock 'n Roll”, when the music was simpler. The songs of young love both won and lost. Songs of love, marriage and family. Songs that didn't make sense, made us laugh but “had a good beat and we could dance to it.” We talked of when movies were fun and everyone in the family could enjoy a night out. We talked about how we were taught respect for our elders, how we would run and play, not worrying about anything more important than behaving ourselves and being home when we were told and how we were afraid that if we did something wrong we would be grounded. Maybe spanked, confined to our own yard, or maybe no T.V. for the night or God forbid, a week.

I chuckled and said, “Yep, I sure got a lot of reading done.” Everybody nodded their heads in agreement. As we continued to chat, we talked about going to the birthday celebrations, where everyone celebrated with games, good food, talked with our friends and neighbors, most them were war veterans. There were even some active duty military, though they were far from their home, they were welcomed and made to feel right at home. We had fun and if we were lucky there would be some fireworks to mark the birthday and end the party.

We talked about going to school in our neighborhoods, where the parents knew the teachers and the teachers knew the children. We remembered how we started our school day with a prayer and the Pledge of Alliance. Then we began our classes and God help us if we misbehaved, it was off to Principal’s office and the embarrassing introduction to the board of education firmly applied to the seat of knowledge. That we could tolerate. We could even tolerate being kidded about it by our classmates; it was facing our parents when we got home that really worried us! They had already been called by the either the principal or the teacher. Talk about double jeopardy!

We talked about the Christmas holidays, when the school had the Christmas story performed by the students. We talked about how every year the Christmas decorations on the city square would change. Someone said they remembered when they had a “living” Nativity scene with live people and animals.

We talked of honoring our veterans, both living and particularly those that had fallen in the defense of Freedom. Some of us remember attending a “celebration” at the cemetery where the American flag, at half staffed, waved in the breeze and you looked out across the grassy rolling hills punctuated with the white headstones decorated with with small American flags or Red, White and Blue wreaths. Afterward there may have been family or community gatherings.

Even though it had been fairly dormant, the disease began slowly attacking the brain and began to spread more rapidly. The lady began to change; she didn't seem to want to go to the celebrations any more. She seemed to be too busy or disinterested to attend the PTA meetings. But to me, the scariest thing was when she didn't feel like getting up on Sunday to attend church. It was as if her spirit was being sucked out of her.

As the disease continued to spread, it began moving down through her muscles and eventually to her back. Soon it became harder for her to work; she seemed not willing to do anything. Yet, there was a slight spark where part of her was determined to continue, hoping that maybe that spark would fight off the infection. But, try as she could the disease kept slowly spreading.

Just then the door opened and in walked the doctors, looking very professional in their crisp white coats. They looked over at the form on the bed and began giving advice, a couple even said there would be a cure soon, all we had to do is keep holding on to what hope there is left. I listened nodding my head, then asked, “Can you guarantee that the new treatment will cure the infection? Can you guarantee that the body and mind will completely heal?” The doctors and other visitors turned and looked at me like I suddenly sprouted a third eye.

Finally, one of the doctors looked at me and speaking quietly said, “How dare you question us, we know more than you. Look how important we are and how many people listen to us. We've even written books on the disease and what caused it. Look how hard we’ve worked to get where we are. Look at the sacrifices we’ve made.” I just looked over towards my Brothers and Sisters. He continued, “Just look at us, we’ve been studying this and we know that there will be cure.” I glanced back at the form on the bed and around the room. Some friends were nodding in agreement and finally one of my friends looked at me with a trace of anger in the eyes and with a trace of anger in the voice said, “You should listen to them, they know the cure will work after all, they are the experts.” Then turned and left the room.

I just looked around the room and said, “I realize I’m not as important or all knowing as you and the other experts are, but I have to ask, can you or the others guarantee that the cure will work? And for how long? Where is the inoculation to build up immunity to it so that others don't catch it? Or will it spread and like in the past regress only to flare up again and we'll be back here in a few years? Shouldn’t we be working on a cure instead of chasing every rumor or article that tells us how bad the disease is?” I paused and caught my breathe, glancing around the room. I continued, “I fully realize that the feeling of helplessness can lead to people turning to anyone or anything that may suggest a cure, but shouldn't we call the disease for what it is instead of calling it something that may not be as frightening?"

I was holding back my temper but continued, "While we are looking for a cure, shouldn't we also learn as much about it as we can. Where it really comes from and how it is spread? Shouldn't we be working to cut it off at the source or since it’s all ready in the general population, try to keep the younger generation from being infected? Shouldn’t we learn as much as we can about it, maybe learning how to stop it by seeing how it began?” As I caught my breathe, I looked around and saw that those who came to visit began drift over only to gather around the various doctors, some them were mooning over them like they were guided by God’s own hand, hanging on every word they uttered.

Soon they all began to file out, giving the usual platitudes and I politely acknowledge them, telling them that I'll talk to them later, knowing full well that because I question their "idols", I would be an outcast.

I was once again left alone and I looked at the bed, I felt the tears welling up and finally it was as if a dam burst, my tears fell like the rain of a summer thunder storm.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder; I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and turned around to see a Marine in Dress Blues standing there. As I looked at him not recognizing him, he quietly said, “Remember your oath. Remember your training, and most importantly remember you never give up, sometimes you have to sacrifice everything for the good of the many and that can mean losing those who you thought were friends or comrades. Do what you feel is the right thing, to hell with what someone else thinks BUT remember the laws and why you are fighting. If people want to desert you, let them go, they may not be up to the fight no matter what they say, but for everyone that deserts you, there maybe one or two who will listen and learn. It's not about fame or glory; its not about being remembered when the history is written.” Then his voice raised just a little bit, “It’s for her,” as he gestured to the bed.

I turned to look at the bed and as I turned back to look at him and he was gone as quietly as he had arrived; there was no sign of the door closing. I thought to myself, “I'm must be seeing things, its going to be a long day,” I turned back to look at the bed, and though I am not considered the most religious person in the world, I dropped to my knees, something I haven’t done in many years and began to pray:

“God, I know we haven’t been perfect, I know that the mind and the heart may have shut You out, but God please forgive us and remember that deep down the spark of Freedom still flickers in most of us. Please God, give us the strength, the knowledge, and the patience to rekindle that spark into a bonfire of Freedom that will never be put out and by Your Will that fire will never grow dim again. Amen.”

I got up, bushed the dust off my knees, wiped the tears from my eyes and walked over to the bed, gently leaned over and to adjust the covers.

Her lips began to move as if attempting to say something and her hand slid out from under the blanket and pointed and quietly, almost a whisper, said, “Take them; hold them close, no matter what happens to me, don't let them be forgotten.”. I nodded and gently placed her arm back under the blanket. I adjusted her covers, bent over, wiped the tear that ran down her cheek, gently kissed her fore head and whispered, “Rest well Lady Liberty, I may not have the answers, but I have the spirit of Freedom that was instilled in me as a young boy and I will continue to fight, perhaps gather more like me. I pray that before I pass on to my final muster, I will see you standing tall again, holding the flame of Freedom high for the world to see.”

I picked up the papers, look at them and noticed that they were the same papers I had put on the shelf earlier.

I looked down and read the words that changed the world,”When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands...” I sighed.

The other was the one that had picked up off the floor with the dirty footprint. I look down and read,“We the people....”, as I attempted to bush off the dirty footprint and straighten it out, tears once again came to my eyes. I turned to leave, halted and shook my head. I looked again. There standing in front of me, like little wisps of fog were men and women dressed in various uniforms of America’s military, some modern, some vintage. They just stood there and all I could think to do was salute and say, “As long as I possibility can, I will fight for the Freedom that you died for and your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Semper Fidelis.”

I would like Igor and Riceman, my friends and colleague for their time and editing.

The War Nobody Saw Coming – The First Attack

 In “The War Nobody Saw Coming – The Plan”, I introduced you to Antonio Gramsci and his theory of Cultural Hegemony and how by changing the culture, a group of could subvert a capitalist society by changing it’s tradition and thus the culture instead of using forceful revolution as proposed by Lenin. I could spend more time and countless words on attempting to explain, “How 'small' groups of socialists could change the traditions and thus change the culture and eventually push America further towards Socialism” Instead of me writing a number of words, let's let a number of pictures take the place of a thousand words. Afterward we will take a closer look at opening skirmishes AND what would be the foundation for the attack on our culture, our religious traditions and as we know it, the War on Christmas.

Welcome back, now we're ready to look at the what has happened since Gramsci's theory of 'cultural hegemony' was published in his Prison Notebooks, particularly when it comes to the war on religion in general and Christmas in particular.

Most Patriots and some sheeple know that the first amendment of the Constitution guarantees that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of....” (The Establishment Clause) and the fourteenth amendment, "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States (springing from National citizenship [sic.]); nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law (of the State [sic.]); nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws (of the State [sic])” (Due Process).

It was the twisting of these two amendments plus a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists that would give and continues to give those wanting to change America the ammunition for the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to destroy one of the primary principles and traditions behind the founding of America.

When asked when the war on religion began, many will say, “1963, when the SCOTUS ruled in Abington Township School District v. Schempp (Reading of the Bible in public schools) which was joined by Murray v. Curlett (School prayer) were unconstitutional. Very few people know of or even want to mention the first two major skirmishes, the opening shots if you will, of the war on American culture that occurred earlier in 1947, when Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township. et. al was argued before SCOTUS. This was followed a year later in 1948 with McColhum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71.

Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township. et. Al (1947)

Background: A state of New Jersey statute authorized the various school districts to make rules and contracts for the transportation of students to and from schools. This state statute allowed the township of Ewing to reimburse parents for public transportation of their children to both public and private schools (most private schools at this time were Parochial...OM). Arch R. Everson, executive vice president of a group called the State Taxpayers Association of New Jersey brought suit in state court because he believed that the money collected for public education was being used to support students attending schools which provide religious education on behalf of a particular religion and thus violated the Establishment clause. The state court ruled that the reimbursement plan WAS unconstitutional, but the verdict was overturned by the state Court of Errors and Appeals, thus it ended up at the SCOTUS.

The Arguments The ACLU joined Everson's side as “Friend of the court” (amicus curiae) argued that the Establishment Clause prohibited a STATE from establishing an official religion and the use of tax money to transport students to parochial schools was a tacit endorsement of religious education. The attorneys for the Board of Education argued that in addition to prohibiting the establishment of a State religion, the First Amendment also prohibits actions which prevent the free exercise of religion, thus by withholding the assistance to the parents would discriminate against the parents of parochial school students and thereby violate the Free Exercise Clause.

The Decision and Rationale The SCOTUS upheld the New Jersey's State Court of Errors and Appeals by a five to four majority. Justice Black writing for the majority that the expenditure of tax funds to pay for the busing of parochial school students does not violate The Establishment Clause, because it does not unduly assist any school, whether public or parochial. Neither does it violate Due Process no more then the concept of using tax funds for the payment of police and fire who are paid from tax funds to protect both public and parochial students. Basically, “... state cannot tax A to reimburse B for the cost of transporting his children to church schools. This is said to violate the due process clause because the children are sent to these church schools to satisfy the personal desires of their parents, rather than the public's interest in the general education of all children. This argument, if valid, would apply equally to prohibit state payment for the transportation of children to any nonpublic school, whether operated by a church or any other non government individual or group.”

McCollum v. Board of Education (1948)

Background This case revolved around the fact that board of education allowed public school buildings to to be used by various religious groups to give religious instruction once each week. The children who didn't participate were forced to go elsewhere in the school for secular studies, but they were not actually given any regular academic instruction because this would have put them ahead of their religious counterparts. Attendance in religious classes was recorded and reported to teachers, as was the non-participation of non-religious students. The mother of one student, Vashti McCollum, an atheist who would write about the case in 1953 and would later in 1962 became the president of the American Humanist Association, complained that the program of providing religious instruction in schools violated the Establishment Clause. McCollum also complained that the school district's religious education classes violated the Fourteenth amendment, specifically the Equal Protection Clause.

The Arguments Once again the ACLU joined the case as amicus curiae along with the American Unitarian Association, Synagogue Council ofAmerica, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the BaptistJoint Committee of Religious Liberty also filed briefs that argued McCollum's position. The Board of Education argued that the Champaign Council on Religious Education, a group of Jewish, Roman Catholic, and a few of the Protestant faiths, had obtained permission from the Board of Education to offer classes in religious instruction to public school pupils in grades four to nine, inclusive. The parents had signed printed cards that gave permission for their children requesting that their children be permitted to attend. These classes were held weekly, thirty minutes for the lower grades, forty-five minutes for the higher. The council employed the religious teachers at no expenseto the school authorities, but the instructors were subject to the approval and supervision of the superintendent of schools. The classes were taught in three separate religious groups by Protestant teachers, Catholic priests, and a Jewish rabbi, although at the time there had apparently been no classes instructed in the Jewish religion. The classes were conducted in the regular classrooms of the school building.

The Decision and Rationale

In an 8 to 1 majority ruled in favor of McCollum and the ACLU. The court ruled that by allowing:

(1) the use of taxed – established and tax supported public schools to teach religion to students, the government aided these groups in the spreading their faith.

(2) As Justice Black wrote in his majority opinion, “Pupils compelled by law to go to school for secular education are released in part from their legal duty upon the condition that they attend the religious classes. This is beyond all question a utilization of the tax-established and tax-supported public school system to aid religious groups to spread their faith. ...Here not only are the State's tax supported public school buildings used for the dissemination of religious doctrines. The State also affords sectarian groups an invaluable aid in that it helps to provide pupils for their religious classes through use of the State's compulsory public school machinery. This is not separation of Church and State”

With this decision the skirmish that began with Everson in 1947 would eventually become a war on religion beginning in the public schools and expanding to any tax supported property. This case not only held that the Establishment Clause (1^st Amend.) applied to the states through Due Process (14^th Amend.) but would further entrench the “...building a wall of separation between Church and State.”

I fully realize that these cases may not mean much to some nor will they make the connection to what is happening today, but I will ask you to consider the following.

No matter how hard the Socialists/Left tries to deny or try to rewrite history, America was founded on one simple principle (tradition if you will), FREEDOM OF RELIGION, not freedom from religion.

It is this FREEDOM that has been the cornerstone that has guided families, as well as the majority of Americans throughout our history. Yes, there were times that some used religion for dubious ambitions, but as a people, we learn, and in most cases when discovered it got and still gets corrected by the people and in some cases, unfortunately, the Federal Government.

Just as religion is the cornerstone of American society, education is the foundation.

As Attilito Monasta wrote in his biography of Antonio Gramsci, “Education is a field where theory and practice, culture and politics inevitably merge together, and where intellectual research and achievement combine with social and political action. However, a distinction, if not an opposition, between these two aspects of education is not uncommon and the ideological use of culture and science often pushes toward both the ‘neutralization’ of the educational and political effects of cultural development and the ‘justification’ of the political power by domesticated theories, which, therefore, can be defined as ‘ideologies’. It is difficult, within the traditional division and separation of disciplines and fields of cultural research, to define all of that ‘education’, since education is consistently related to the growth of children and the schooling of pupils, no matter whether from  nursery school or university.[1]

Now,as people listen to the talking heads, out to make a buck on the “culture war” and the War on Christmas, I will ask people to look back over “recent” history and remember that as Antonio Gramsci wrote and the film clip explained, “that by infiltrating and destroying or corrupting the traditions of a society, in this case, America, one can successfully destroy the greatest country in the world.

As Rand Paul said, "Just because a majority of the Supreme Court declares something to be ' Constitutional' does not make it so."

Continued in,YOU guessed it, "Just Because the SCOTUS Declares Something to be 'Constitutional' Does Not Make It So"

[1] Prospects: the quarterly review of comparative education (Paris, UNESCO: International Bureau of Education), vol. XXIII, no. ©UNESCO: International Bureau of Education, 2000

American Communism by Any Other Name Still Means Destruction of America

Elizabeth Warren's 11 Commandments of Progressivism [1]

"Watching Elizabeth Warren give a speech to her fold, you realize she's one of the rare Democrats who can excite her base in the same way Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders can excite their own." As Politico's Katie Glueck wrote on Friday, July 17th, 2014, liberals' minds may be with Hillary Clinton, but their hearts lie with Warren.

Speaking on Friday at Netroots Nation, a convention for liberal bloggers and activists, Warren got the crowd more fired up than Vice President Joe Biden was able to do the day before. (To be fair, the crowd was in a solemn mood at the time in reaction to the news of the Malaysian passenger plane crash). In her speech, Warren outlined more clearly than other Democrats the social issues that galvanize progressives. Her performance was reminiscent of a certain other young senator in 2008.

"What are our values?" Warren asked the audience, some of whom held up "Run Liz Run" signs. "What does it mean to be a progressive?" [Glenn Beck would say "Progressives are Communists with patience."  BUT history shows and tells us that Progressives are Revisionist Socialists. Some would say its semantics BOTH means the destruction way of the American way of life and Freedom. I feel based of on research of the writings Karl Marx as well as that of Socialists and Communists from early ca. 1880's - 1890's; Progressivism is a a hybrid of both or as I have come to believe and called American Communism]

She went on to outline 11 tenets of progressivism:

- "We believe that Wall Street needs stronger rules and tougher enforcement, and we're willing to fight for it." [Does she REALLY mean, "Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank, [we are ready have one] with State capital and an exclusive monopoly" (Karl Marx, The Manifesto of the Communist Party, 1848, page 26) or is she implying that "The government shall also loan money to States and municipalities without interest for the purpose of carrying on public works." (Morris Hillquit, History of Socialism in America, 1910 Pages 369-377)?...OM] 

- "We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth." [Does she REALLY mean, "...the bringing into cultivation of wasteland, and improvement of soil generally in accordance with a common plan." (ibid) or maybe she means "The extension of the public lands to include mines, quarries, oil wells, forests and water power." (ibid page 376) or perhaps, "The scientific reforestation of timber lands, and the reclamation of swap lands. The land so reforested or reclaimed to be permanently retained as a part of the pubic domain."(ibid)...OM]

- "We believe that the Internet shouldn't be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality." [Could she mean, "Centralization of the means COMMUNICATION and transport in the hands of the State (ibid Page 26) or maybe she meant, "The collective ownership of railroads, TELEGRAPHS, TELEPHONES, steam lines and all other means of SOCIAL transportation and COMMUNICATION (ie. Internet...OM)" (ibid Page 376)...OM]

- "We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage."[Or in other words, "The capitalist class, in its mad race for profits, is bound to exploit the workers to the very limit of their endurance and to sacrifice their physical, moral and mental welfare to its own insatiable greed. Capitalism keeps the masses of workingmen in poverty, destitution, physical exhaustion and ignorance." (ibid page 370)...OM]

- "We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them." [Is this the same as "The Organization of the working class into a political party  to conquer the public powers now controlled by capitalist"? Or maybe she is hinting that "The struggle between wage workers and capitalists grows ever fiercer, and has now become the only vital issue before the American people. The wageworking class, therefore, has the most direct interest in abolishing the capitalist system."(ibid Page 371)...OM]

- "We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt." [Maybe she should have just said, "Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production,..."(ibid Page 26) ...OM]

- "We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions." [Maybe she should have first reminded everyone that, "In early 1968 President Lyndon Johnson (Democrat) made a change in the budget presentation by including Social Security and all other trust funds in a"unified budget." This is likewise sometimes described by saying that Social Security was placed "on-budget."" Thus taking the Social Security TRUST fund and putting it in the General budget so that it could be "borrowed from". Or that the "National insurance of the working people against accidents, lack of employment, and want in old age", (ibid Page 376) or maybe she wants, "The protection of home life against the hazards of sickness, irregular employment and old age through the adoption of a system of social insurance adapted for American use." Didn't FDR take these socialist/progressive ideas and put them into law ca.1935?...OM]

- "We believe—I can't believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work." [Maybe she should tell her fearless leader, President Obama after all "Women paid significantly less in Obama White House than their male counterparts" Can we say "woman speak with forked tongue" or is it just hypocrisy?...OM] 

- "We believe that equal means equal, and that's true in marriage, it's true in the workplace, it's true in all of America." [Change traditions, you change the culture, change the culture you change the nation....OM]

- "We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform." [So do the majority of the American people, except we believe that it should be done legally, not by flooding the borders an attempting to "tug on the heart strings" because they are children, thus using Cloward & Piven [3] to flood the system....OM]

- "And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!" [Warren better re-read the 14th Amendment and the definition of citizen, "a person who legally belongs to a country and has the rights and protection of that country or a person who lives in a particular place." Thus, "While a corporation is a "person" within this Amendment, it is not a "citizen" of the United States whose "privileges or immunities" a State is forbidden to abridge. A State may therefore impose upon a corporation created by another State restrictive conditions respecting its doing business (but not interstate commerce) within the first named State. (Corporation is citizen of State creating it. Bank of United States v. Deveaux (1809), 5 Cranch. 61, ref Amend.,Art.14,Sect.1,Cl.2 but is not citizen of United States, therefore liberty may be abridged by State. Western Turf Assoc.v. Greenberg (1907), 204 U. S. 359, ref Amend.,Art.14,Sect.1,Cl.2)[4] and of course there is always Citizens United.]

And the main tenet of conservatives' philosophy, according to Warren? "I got mine. The rest of you are on your own." [Actually we work for what we earn and the government has no right to redistribute our or anyone else's wealth...OM]

Sources:
[1] http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/elizabeth-warrens-11-commandments-of-progressivism/455955/
[2] Berger, Victor L., Social Democratic Herald, whole no. 1, July 9, 1898.
Platform of the Social Democratic Party of America, 1900; published in Appeal to Reason, Sept 15, 1900, page 3
[3] Piven, Frances Fox and Cloward, Richard, "The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty", The Nation, May 2, 1966.
[4] *Norton, Thomas James, The Constitution For The United States, Its Sources and Its Application, Devin-Adair Co., 1940.

*Thomas James Norton was a Member of the Bars of the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals for the 7th, 8th, and 9th Circuits, and the Supreme Courts of Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

The Hour of the Wolf - Introduction

Coming soon to A Scream In The Wilderness, will be a “new” and semi regular feature called The Hour of the Wolf. This feature will be a little different from my other posts which usually deals with history or current news commentary. This new column will deal mainly with my personal observations and opinions and will cover a number of topics.

These topics can and will be everything from political to social events (past and present), maybe debunking some conspiracy theories or some things that just interests me. Yes, as in most of my posts there will be some links to references, but most of the time it will be just my musings, things I feel very strongly about and may be use for extended answers/comments from twitter.

As with any “opinion page”, I WANT to hear your thoughts, your opinions and your comments. These can be expressed in the comment section below each post and I will respond to all INTELLIGENT and THOUGHTFUL posts.

Now, to give credit where credit is due.

I chose the title of the section out of respect for J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), the cast and crew of the T.V. series, Babylon 5 because as those who follow me on twitter (@OldMarine1), I am up early and do most of my writing and thinking during what JMS describes as the “hour of the wolf”.

Just what is the “hour of the wolf”?

“The hour of the wolf is that hour around 3 a.m. when you can't sleep because you're worried about one thing or another.”

Or as Susan Ivanova played by Claudia Christian explains in the title episode.

"Have you ever heard of the hour of the wolf? My father told me about it. It's the time between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. You can't sleep, and all you can see is the troubles and the problems and the ways that your life should've gone but didn't. All you can hear is the sound of your own heart. I've been living in the hour of the wolf for seven days, Lyta. Seven days. The wolf and I are now on a first-name basis. In times like this, my father used to take one large glass of vodka before bed. To keep the wolf away, he said. And then he would take three very small drinks of vodka, just in case she had cubs while she was waiting outside. It doesn't work."

Since I don't drink, I use that time to write and research in order to keep the wolf of Socialism and her cubs from destroying the FREEDOM and the greatness of America. And like Susan, I sometimes feel it doesn't/isn't working, but I refuse to give up.

I will ask all to check back periodically to see what's new although I will tweet new posts for your consideration, but until then here are a couple of samples.

http://screaminthewilderness.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-hour-of-wolf.html

http://screaminthewilderness.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-hour-of-wolf-america-and-its.html

The Hour of The Wolf - America and its Freedoms Are Being Destroyed

I jerked awake, reached down and grab the pistol I keep beside the bed, slipped on my robe and slowly but quietly walked out of the bedroom. I stopped, looked around and listened. Hearing or seeing no sign movement, I proceeded into the living room again seeing or hearing nothing unusual, I glanced at the clock.

“My God” I thought, “Its almost 3:00 A.M." What I have come to refer to as the hour of the wolf.

I walked into the kitchen, turned the coffee pot on, checked the back door, saw that it was still locked.

I turned back to the coffee pot, saw that it was about a third full, picked it up and poured my first cup of what will be many cups consumed this day.

As I returned to the living room, I stopped short, brought my weapon up and using my free hand aimed it at the figure sitting in the chair.

I soon came to realize that I my eyes and maybe mind were playing tricks on me, lower the weapon and sat down on the sofa.

Just as I sat down and started thinking about the upcoming day, I was startled by the voice from the direction of the chair and once again saw a figure is sitting there.

I reached over for my weapon, when the voice said, “Stand down, you know you don't need that.”

Again I shook my head, rubbed my eyes and looked at the chair again and the figure was still there. Looking more closely, there was something strangely familiar about him.

As I took a sip of coffee and lit a cigarette, the figure began to speak.

“Don't worry about who I am, BUT we do need to talk.”

“About what?” I asked.

“America and its Freedoms are being destroyed.”

I looked at him and quietly said, “What more can I do? I served fourteen years in the Corps. I blog, I speak out on twitter. Frankly, I feel that I am doing everything I can, short of calling for armed insurrection, to wake people up, but I feel that people just aren't listening or even paying attention. Frankly, I'm getting tired or as the 'talking heads' say, 'war weary'. Frankly, I'm getting down right discouraged.”

“DISCOURAGED? TIRED? WAR WEARY? BULLCHIT!”

He lower his voice and continued, “Yes, the people of America have changed. Face it, most have the attention spans of earthworms. BUT, the real problem is that most have developed an its all about 'ME' attitude, how hard I work, how much I should get, what's in it for me.”

I nodded my head, “Yes and I have to admit sometimes I have that attitude.”

“Yes you do,” he said with a stare that sent a chill through me. He continued, “But you DO realize that it isn't about you, its about America. Now, you have to show others that there are more important things then themselves. You have to show them that without God and America's freedom, there IS NO ME. There will be only the 'collective'.”

I glanced down and said, “How do you fight the lack of intellectual curiosity? How do you fight greed and envy? How you fight the media “talking heads” on both sides of this war? How do you fight the "lemmings" who will not accept facts that counter dict their favorite "personality"? How do you get people to stand up for Freedom and not just seek that fifteen minutes of fame”

He looked at me as only another warrior could and said, “You really can't, its up to each and every one to look deep into their hearts and ask, 'Is it better to fight for America and the its freedoms or is it better to look for that fame and fortune that 15 minutes in the spotlight might give?'”

“BUT,” he continued, “You must keep at it, NEVER give up. Continue to show the history. Show the tactics. Continue to point out the hypocrisy on both sides, no matter the insults, the sling and arrows thrown at you." 

"There are a few out there, very few unfortunately, that feel the same as you do, realizing that America is in the swirl of the toilet and fast going down the tubes and don't realize that SOCIALISM IS HERE AND THEY DON'T REALIZE IT." 

"There are some who have quit and taken the easier way of chasing every popular trend just to get numbers for their Twitter account or their blogs." 

"And then there are some who have just given up, being content to just claim how patriotic they are. While others, unfortunately, have just plain given up.”

I stared back at him and replied, “I have tried! I have researched, written and shown that this destruction of America has been on going for over a century, but to no avail. I constantly hear,'its Obama's fault'. I hear, 'that its the government's fault'. I constantly hear, 'Well, Glenn Beck, Hannity, Rush or some other 'talking head' said...' even though HISTORY shows they are wrong. How do you combat that?”

“Again, you may not be able to combat the idol worship, but if you keep pressing the points, REMEMBERING that the future of America depends on people waking up and having the facts. Just think that if you continue to put the information out there and one person reads and tells one or two others and they tell two others, etc."

"Remember an avalanche begins with just one stone rolling down a hill”

I just nodded my head, glancing down a feeling a little ashamed.

He continued, “There are a few others out there that are like you, going about life but, fighting the best way they can. REMEMBER in all wars, the generals or political leaders are always remembered, BUT it is the grunts; those in the trenches, those in the mud, blood and guts, shedding the tears over fallen comrades that are the ones that make it possible for victory and for the leaders to be glorified, to be 'worshiped'. Remember a leader is only as good as those he leads.”

“But,” I began.

“BUT HELL!” he interrupted, “There is no BUT, there is just doing."

"There are people; even some young people, out there who do want to learn. They really thirst for the knowledge that you and others put out there. It may not seem that way, but there you are. Some may use it in their own arguments, some may use it in their writings, but you know that the information is out there.”

He continued, “I know you and others get pi$$ed when your material is stolen by “celebrities” and others. Remember, there are a great number out there that wouldn't know what ethics are, even if it bit them on the @$$. People have become users, they'll use anything or anyone they can to to gain their moments of fame and fortune. All you and others can do is hold true to yourselves, hold true to your beliefs. If it costs you, so be it, at least you know in your heart of hearts that you held faithful to your ethics.”

I looked at him, still wondering who he was and finally asked him, “Just who the hell are you? Why are you lecturing me?”

He looked at me with a smile on his face and said very quietly, “I am the spirit of those who came before you. I'm the spirit of those out there in America who are tired, wondering if anything they do really means anything. I am the spirit that made America great. BUT most importantly, I am you.”

As he disappeared and I glanced at the clock, it was 3:00 A.M. and the coffee pot beeped to let me know it was ready. I poured a cup of coffee and walked into living room sat down, lit a cigarette and turned on the television.

As I took my first sip of coffee, I thought to myself, “Another day in the fight to save America. Is anybody really listening? Oh well, what the hell, let's keep going.”

Let me know what you think, No sign in or joining needed.

Semper Fi!

As usual a special thanks to my friends and colleagues, Igor and the Riceman for their editing and suggestions.

A Modern American Crisis (With Apology to Thomas Paine)

These are indeed the times that try Americans’ souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot have avoided the fundamental obligations of being an American, to defend freedom and liberty. But, there are those who continue to stand and fight for these principles; these Patriots will deserve the love and thanks of the future generations. These Patriots stand not for fame or glory, they may not be remembered when the history of this time is written, but they do it because they love Freedom.

The current attempt to transform America, like hell, will not be easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. Whether people want to admit it or not, the current generations of the American people have not valued their Freedoms or Liberty, they have received these blessings too easily and unfortunately they have taken these blessings for granted. It is this preciousness that gives everything its value, whether that value is material or a principle, such as Freedom. God only knows how to set a proper price for these goods; and it would be strange indeed, if our GOD GIVEN RIGHTS, such as FREEDOM and LIBERTY should not be highly valued and protected. This current administration, with its cadre of minions, the lame stream media, unions, courts (including the Supreme Court)  and a Congress that itself violated the Constitution by abdicating its duty and thus has become completely irrelevant, have put in place a form of government that I pray most Americans would not desire but have quietly embraced.

This administration has basically declared that they have THE right not only to tax and spend but to issue edicts in the form of Executive Orders, ignoring laws passed by current and former congresses and have even shirked the duties of protecting this great country; all of these actions will bind us and future generations.

IF being bound by these edicts and laws “for our own good” against our will in this manner, is not a form of slavery, then there no such a thing as slavery. Any attempt for unlimited power, any attempt to destroy our basic Rights and Liberty, is a total disregard of the fundamental principles of America. This unlimited a power belongs only to GOD, from which all NATURAL Rights and Liberties have come.

I will not now enter into as an argument as to whether the American people have been asleep or have waited too long to get involved in the fight to save our Liberty and Freedoms; my not so humble opinion is that this takeover and fundamental transformation of America has been in process for generations, and if the American people would have realized that this was happening earlier, it would have been so much better.

Unfortunately, the people have not made proper use of the information, the technology or even the education that has become so much a part of our lives. Instead, some have allowed themselves to become a dependent state. They have become dependent on the “talking heads”, the Lame Stream Media or a T.V. or radio personalities to set their opinions and ideas. However, the fault, if there is to be one, is all their own; they have no one to blame but themselves. But all is not lost yet; with everything that this administration and an irrelevant congress have been doing or not doing, at the speed or a slowness they have been doing it is not only to transform America, but to demoralize and in turn, conquer the American people.  Unfortunately for those in power, the spirit of some American citizens has begun to surface, IT is being noticed, the enemy is now aware and is afraid of this growing spirit and they know that with time and resolution, America may recover.

I may not be the most religious person, but my feelings has always been and still are, that GOD Almighty will not give up on a people, who have maintained a belief in Him and the Rights that he has generously granted our nation, to the destruction by those who have chosen to ignore His will. Nor do I believe that He will leave us to perish under the burden of a big government, a socialist agenda, we who have so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to be the beacon of Freedom for the rest of the world. Neither do I believe that HE has relinquished the government of the greatest nation in the world, and given us up to the care of devils; I cannot see on what grounds this President, his administration, or an irrelevant congress can look up to heaven for help against us: A common murderer, a bank robber, or a housebreaker, has as good a chance as they.

I do not find it surprising to see how rapidly a panic and despair runs through the people of America. All peoples of the nations of the world, though the ages have been subject to them. Yet panic and despair, in some cases, have their use; they can produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer commitment than ever before. But their peculiar advantage is that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, things which might have otherwise lain forever undiscovered. In fact, they have the same effect on secret traitors, the same way an imaginary apparition would upon a private murderer. Panic and despair sift out the hidden thoughts and feelings of man, and hold them up in public for the world to see. Many a disguised progressive and people with agendas have been and are slowly being exposed.

I know that there are a number of us who have worn the uniform of our great country and fought against an outside enemy. During that fight, we too have experienced despair and low morale. We have seen the things that are going on in America and may wondered, has it been worth it? We have seen that America was slowly (now rapidly) changing, but we held to our cause, the cause of Freedom and Liberty. Now, a number of us are fighting again, this time against an internal enemy. An enemy that wants to completely change the country we love. The one big difference is, the people of America may be waking up and they are joining in the fight. Some realize that this is an ongoing battle and we will face some defeats, which we already have; I will not elaborate on them. I have seen that with each of these “defeats”, a form of panic and despair has slowly infiltrated the movement. Some may completely stop trying. Some have halfheartedly continued to fight. Others have even said privately, “Why bother, they (Congress) are not listening?” So, what do you do? What do you say in those quiet moments?

I will ask you to think about this: from January 1776, to December, 1776, George Washington’s army faced defeat upon defeat, and the future American people were facing panic and despair. YET they persisted and with the aid of Thomas Paine and his American Crisis 1 in December 1776 (from which I borrowed words and thoughts for this commentary), the American people rallied as did Washington’s troops. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, are you going to be a summer soldier and a sunshine patriot who will avoid the fundamental obligations of an American, to defend Freedom and Liberty; because we have faced some defeats, like the SCOTUS decision on Arizona and Obamacare? Or will you continue to stand and fight for the principles that have made this country great? Will you take a stand and be willing to sacrifice, thus deserving the love and thanks of future generations or will you submit to the despair of a few defeats. Will you allow those defeats to determine the worth of the fight or will you pick yourself up, brush yourself off and continue to fight? That is between you and your God.

I stand with Patrick Henry when he said. “I know not what others may choose but, as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Will you?

Semper Fi

As with this and many other posts, I wish to thank Igor, my “partner in crime”, colleague and friend for his suggestions and editing his editing skills.

Just Because the SCOTUS Declares Something to be 'Constitutional' Does Not Make It So*

In “The War No One Saw Coming- The Plan”, I introduced people to Antonio Gramsci and his theory of Cultural Hegemony and how according to him, the culture (traditions) of a society are determined by the “ruling” Bourgeois (the “one percent”) and if the Proletarians (the “ninety-nine percent”) can infiltrate and change those tradition, thus changing the culture, it will be bring down a capitalist society.

 In “The War Nobody Saw Coming- The First Attacks” I attempted to showed that the opening salvos of the “culture” wars were two cases that were argued before the Supreme Court (SCOTUS). The first, Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing Township (1947), could be considered a victory for the American way of life. However, we all know that one victory does not win a war and unfortunately a year later (1948), McCollum v. Board of Education, the SCOTUS handed the enemies of the American traditions and religion a victory by expanding the “...Constitution beyond its letter and spirit through judicial legislation...”[1]

In both of these opening skirmishes in the war of Religion and which in turn would lead to a full assault on the war on Christmas and now traditional marriage. The SCOTUS and lower courts have basically held that the word “liberty” (“The power of doing that which is permitted by the law”) in the 14^th amendment, written for the STATES, was/is the same as the word “freedom” (The power to live as one wishes) written in the 1^st amendment for the NATIONAL government.

In making this interpretation SCOTUS basically ignored two cardinal rules: (1) that plain language must be followed, without addition or subtraction; and (2) that it must be kept in mind the evil which the writing was being made to cure.[2]

To begin with, the 14^th makes absolutely NO MENTION of the freedom. Therefore, those guaranteed rights laid out in the 1^st amendment should not have been be drawn into or be construed as part of the 14^th by expanding the meaning of the word liberty.

Second, when the 14^th was written the authors were dealing only with the citizenship of newly freed slaves and the protection of their liberty and their prospective rights. Once again, freedom of religion, speech and Press were far from their thoughts.[3]. This amendment not only made them a citizen of the United States but also made them a citizen of the State of their residence. It also struck the word "white" from the constitutions of northern States which had limited citizenship to white males, thus in both the North and South the Negro gained all the rights of citizenship [4].

The First Amendment on Religion

Let's remember EXACTLY why the Bill of Rights was purposed by looking at the Preamble of the resolutions that were sent to the states, “The Conventions of a number of the States having, at the Time of their Adopting the Constitution, expressed a Desire, in Order to prevent Misconstruction or Abuse of its Powers, that further declaratory and restrictive Clauses should be added (emphasis added...OM): And as exceeding the Ground of public Confidence in the Government will best insure the beneficent Ends of its Institution.”

"Congress shall make no Law respecting the Establishment of Religion, or prohibiting the free Exercise thereof;..." This is one phase that EVERYONE should read very carefully for it contradicts the phase that is commonly accepted, “...no law respecting an Establishment of Religion..” and the key word in the original wording, “the”, which is a more declaratory and restrictive word than “an” as commonly read in the reprinting of the Bill of Rights today.

The 1^st amendment says that CONGRESS, therefore the Federal Government, shall make NO laws that will establish a national religion (church) nor could it levy taxes for said established church or religion. It safeguarded the STATES and the PEOPLE from the Federal government denying or interfering with the freedoms of Religion, speech and Press. 

Since the Bill of Rights was written and passed by the STATES to guarantee their rights as INDIVIDUAL states, why should SCOTUS take authority to use the 1^st Amendment of the STATES' Bill of Rights against them?

The Fourteenth Amendment on Religion

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” This amendment set aside the idea that a citizen of a state was not in contact with the national government under the theory of States rights because it was supposed that he owed his allegiance to the state and the state dealt with the Nation.

The first SCOTUS case didn't deal with the newly freed slaves, but from rival businesses where the challenge was that the 14^th supplanted former State citizenship which would mean that the National Government was to be the source of all the rights which belong to the citizens of all free governments by virtue of their manhood, and for the protection (not creation) of which all just governments are formed. The Supreme Court rejected (1873) this contention and said that the Amendment did not disclose "any purpose to destroy the main features of the general system." It held that the command that "no State shall . . . abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States" and does not prevent a State from abridging privileges of State citizenship as distinguished from privileges of National citizenship. This momentous decision preserved State citizenship and State rights.

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;...” The SCOTUS held that this meant, just as the language says, “the privileges and immunities of National citizenship and not to include those belonging to the citizen of the State. It is a prohibition, not respecting action by an individual or by a group of individuals, but only action by the legislative, the executive, or the judicial department of a State government.” Basically, fundamental state rights which are protected by the Bill of Rights is to prevent the Federal Government from “invading” a state.

Basically, this amendment prevented the NATIONAL (FEDERAL) government from entering a STATE except to enforce a right of NATIONAL citizenship.

 “...nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law;” This is an oft cited statement in the SCOTUS and other courts in the war of religion.

Just as the 5^th amendment in the Bill of Rights was written as a guard against a tyrannical Federal Government. The 14^th was written to guard against a tyrannical STATE and the writers copied the language from the 5^th and as previously stated, “that plain language must be followed, without addition or subtraction”, so if the language is borrowed, it must mean exactly the same thing. Therefore, IF the “liberty” in the 5^th did not mean the same as “freedom” of the 1^st , then how could (can) the courts embrace the idea that “liberty” as written in the 5^th and was borrowed and inserted in the 14^th be the same as “freedom” written in the 1^st ? Therefore, “liberty” in this amendment safeguards a person from unjust or unlawful imprisonment by the STATE, just as the 5^th amendment curtails the FEDERAL government.

As the SCOTUS said in 1908, due process of law means "no change in ancient procedure can be made which disregards those fundamental principles... which... protect the citizen in his private right and guard him against the arbitrary action of the government." 

Again, this amendment prevents the FEDERAL government from entering a STATE in order to protect, “life, liberty, or property” UNLESS the STATE denies its due process in protection of rights springing from NATIONAL (not State) citizenship.

 “...nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"

Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution states, "the citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States." In other words, a citizen of one State doing business in another State cannot be denied the privileges and immunities of the citizens of that State.

This clause in 14^th was designed to prevent a State from discriminating between its own citizens and those of another state. As with the writing/ratification of this amendment, it was written primarily for the liberated slaves (although not mentioned specifically in this Amendment) and the language was without limitation, extending to "any person". Unfortunately this has been applied in upwards of a thousands cases in State and National courts to every perceived form of inequality alleged to arise out of the laws of States.

For example when Congress passed a law that fixed a punishment for three or more persons conspiring to deprive another of the equal protection of the laws was held invalid by the Supreme Court (1883) because the 14^th is a limitation upon the State and not upon persons. The word "persons" also includes a resident alien or a corporation. (Thus according to this case much to the left's dismay, CORPORATIONS are PERSONS, therefore a Corporation is a person = people...OM)

The language and design of this clause was "to prevent any person or class of persons from being singled out as a special subject for discriminating and hostile legislation." It also means that the FEDERAL government cannot enter a STATE to secure “the equal protection of the laws” of that STATE unless the laws being enforced are to deny the rights of NATIONAL (not State) citizenship.

 As shown there is nothing in the language of the 14^th Amendment written in 1866 that gives any indication or intention of the authors to rewrite or change the meaning of the 1^st amendment written in 1789 to read, "Congress shall make no law [nor shall any State] respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.". Therefore, NOTHING in the 14^th that should make the word “liberty” written after Emancipation to mean “free” exercise of religion, or the “freedom of speech, or of the Press,” dealt with by the writers of the 1^st amendment seventy-seven years earlier.

Where in the Constitution do the courts have the authority to blend the 14^th Amendment into the 1^st Amendment? If there is be a mingling of the two amendments, shouldn't it be done by the people exerting sovereign power as the constitution makers and not by the assertions of SCOTUS or the authority of Congress? Why is it that in all the years of litigation and arguments concerning this mingling no one has dared to propose to the States an amendment for their ratification which would emasculate them as has been done by decisions handed down by the SCOTUS?

Why does it seem that there no constitutional concern to the STATES and the people that the SCOTUS, as well as the lower courts, have been very busy over the years, causing great confusion when it comes to our Fundamental Law, the Constitution? Or have the STATES become slaves to the NATIONAL government?

Concluded in "Just Because the SCOTUS Declares Something to be 'Constitutional' Does Not Make It So* - Part 2"

* Senator Rand Paul, Kentucky

[1] Norton, Thomas James, Undermining the Constitution - A History of Lawless Government, Devin-Adair Co., New York, New York, 1951. (Thomas James Norton was a member of the Bars of the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals for the 7th, 8th, and 9th Circuits, and the Supreme Courts of Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.)
[2] Ibid Page 208
[3] Ibid Page 208
[4] Norton, Thomas James, The Constitution of the United States of America, Its Sources and Its Applications. The World Publishing Co., New York, New York. (1940)