Archive for the ‘Civil Liberties’ Category
by Nicholas Testaccio
“I have proved, sir, that not only some power is given in the constitution to restrain, and even to subject the press, but that it is a power totally unlimited; and may certainly annihilate the freedom of the press, and convert it from being the palladium of liberty to become an engine of imposition and tyranny. It is an easy step from restraining the press to making it place the worst actions of government in so favorable a light, that we may groan under tyranny and oppression without knowing from whence it comes.” - Cincinnatus, no. 2, TO James Wilson, November 8, 1787
Arthur Lee, using the pseudonym Cincinnatus, wrote what he feared might become of the press if it did not hold some guarantee of a right to be free from government intervention. He was, like many of our Founders, an astute observer of history and what the record held. Government, that is to say men and women jealous of power, are apt to strike at every measure of liberty and the institutions that are held as safeguards against the designs of the tyrant.
The Bill of Rights begins “Congress shall make no law respecting *** the freedom of speech, or of the press”. Despite his fear of a corruption made of the press without some protection, and contrary to Mr. Wilson’s assurance that congress lacked any power to influence or control the press, we are now subject to an institution void of conscience, and a willing conspirator to the worst of men. Those, sometimes faceless bureaucrats or worse still, those we elect to represent our interests in the halls of the legislatures.
Lee wanted, as did many others, a written assurance against the reaches of government to perform as so many others had in the past. Wilson noted that the law written as it was, gave no power to the state to make any encroachments on the press. Regardless of the lessons of history and the protection sought against the contrivances of power seekers, we have been witness to a press willing to collude with those in such positions that they may lend a hand in the subjugation of the people.
“Fake news” is a term to which we were introduced by former president Donald Trump in his run-up to the White House, and then again during his presidency. There would be a long list, far too long for this column, to enumerate. The corporate media made a display of lies and propaganda that would make German propagandist Joseph Goebbels proud. Obvious lies, distortion, and failure to correct mistakes and disinformation are legion. Today they continue along the path of either thinking they are legitimate, or they are an instrument for the destruction of this Republic.
The common man neither has the time, nor the resources to investigate and corroborate what comes from the corporate press. Instead, for the most part, the average citizen takes as fact the distortions that come out of institutions that were meant to be a check on government. I must wonder why it is that the continuation of lies spewed out from the corporate media, still a majority of the population takes for granted that what they read in the New York Times, or regurgitated from CNN to MSMBC is taken as trusted sources of information.
Repeatedly, false claims, such as Russian interference in the 2016 election, the corporate media played along with the lies that were common out of the mouths of people such as Adam Schiff, and Hilary Clinton. In the face of the Mueller report, the corporate media played along by failing to admit that they promoted propaganda in order to assist in the aversion to revealing the truth. A twist here, a coverup there, a lie designed to obfuscate, and the truth vanishes into the ether.
Accuse your opponent of the crimes you’ve committed, and the falsehoods become part of the mindset that distorts reality. The “free press” is quite adept at concealing the truth if they believe it will help their side.
What we should do is examine the facts around Georgia, and Michigan for some insight as to the corruption that is rampant throughout the corporate media.
Let’s start with the false narrative that Trump brought Sixty suits to the courts that were dismissed. Trump brought one election contest, and that case revolved around the Georgia election. All the other cases were ancillary and brought by others attempting to find the truth. Trump’s election contest was never heard.
Georgia law is, that if you file an election contest, a court must be assigned, and within five days set a hearing, and within ten days hold that hearing. Georgia violated its own law by not setting a hearing, and then negating a chance for a hearing to be held. It set the hearing date after January 6th, which made it moot at that point. The claim was therefore dismissed.
Trump filed an appeal stating that Fulton County would not abide by the rules for an election contest. The Georgia supreme court essentially avoided the issue by referring it to the court of appeals that never did anything about taking up the claims. A brief summary of the election contest asked what amounted to constitutional questions, such as were there only constitutionally qualified people who voted; were there only constitutionally qualified ballots that were correctly cast; and were the ballots canvassed in a constitutionally qualified manner? I should point out that the state legislature is the authority in creating the law surrounding the presidential election, and the questions posed in the Trump election contest were based on what Georgia law required.
Trump lawyers presented over Four-Hundred sworn affidavits in support of that election contest. It was backed up by details, data, and documents. For instance, there were some Ten-Thousand people who were dead before their ballots were sent in. To put a frightening point on this, Mark Meadows is now under indictment for requesting that Georgia show and publish the data that was sought in the complaint.
Simply remember ...
No Comments »
by Nicholas Testaccio
On this day of national celebration, the day the greatest political experiment in the world began, I ask myself these questions.
Why is it that a Nation that fought from the very beginning to achieve that which no other had accomplished is mired in division and strife?
Why is it that a Nation “conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” faces turmoil from the convulsions of those who are blinded by false allegations?
Why is it that a Nation that struggled to live up to the ideals of its Founding documents must suffer the antagonistic accusations of the ignorant and foolish?
Why is it that a Nation of, by, and for the People is the one so singularly attacked as the monster that every other country in the World must admit is a part of, and still is a measure of their existence?
The United States is unique in every aspect of its journey from colonies, to states, to Super Power. Those colonies fought for Independence from a monarchy, a form distrusting of, and brutal to its people. Those colonies became independent states that embraced the sovereignty of its people. Till this day, it is unique in the fact that “We the People” are sovereign with the right and the duty to “alter or to abolish” its government when it abuses its mandate to insure the rights of the people. Not to create, nor grant, but rather to hold as sacred, rights given to us by our Creator.
For this moment in time, this Nation must fight each day against those who would tear apart its foundation to bring about systems that have repeatedly failed to achieve supposed benefits. Those systems preaching equality of outcome have instead brought heartache and hardship to millions of those who will suffer from the illusion. In a time when knowledge rests on the simple act of pushing a key, or a button, the ignorant and the foolish subscribe to their own demise.
There are none so foolish who will not see the truth or recognize the lie. In these United States we have a Free Press engaged in the most insidious behavior aimed at the dissemination of falsehoods and deception. Its only goal appears to be the enslavement of the people by the direction of subversives and tyrants in the dark halls of government.
There are none so foolish than those who refuse to learn from the lessons of history. “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” Yet, there are many amongst us who would wrest the power of the Sword from the people, to place it solely in the grasp of that evil.
There are none so evil as to place their hand on a bible, and then violate that oath without a second’s delay. We trust and hope for men and women who will abide that oath, but instead we continually elect those who have no regret in their destruction of the freedoms that we once cherished.
There are none so blind as to ignore the manipulations, deceit, and conspiracies of an education system designed to destroy the fabric of our Nation. From the earliest ages our children are subjected to the whims, fancies, and sometimes perversions of those who believe they know better. Reaching into higher education those still fertile minds are subject to indoctrination by those given to twists and deceit aimed at villainizing the foundations of this once great enterprise.
We are engaged in a great struggle, for which we have relinquished our powers, our tools, and sadly our willingness to recognize the truth. We go from day to day reticent in learning from the lessons of history. We foolishly disavow our sovereignty for some measure of safety. An idea that can never be secure when we abdicate our powers to those whose goal is the enslavement of those they are supposed to serve.
This Fourth of July, I wonder what it is that I must celebrate. What any of us with eyes to see, and ears to ear must acknowledge is a concerted effort by dark and nefarious forces in the “deep state,” with the aid of their myrmidons in media, and education in a long and devious plan for our demise.
I can rejoice momentarily for family and friends, but I must focus on the fact that a Nation, once conceived in liberty is under attack at every level. From the halls of government to the streets filled with looters, murderers, scoundrels, and deviants, we are bombarded by the perversions of those whose goal is the destruction of these once free United States of America.
No Comments »
by Nicholas Testaccio
The fear that a nation cannot survive the traitor has been in the back of the mind of many for centuries. Someone, at some time made the point because the traitor looks like us, talks like us, and lives among us. They may be a friend or relative. They may be someone we elect to represent us, or uphold the law. They could be the perceived do-gooder who uses a political, or social position to build an organization based on some need. That need to correct whatever the issue might come with flowers, tears, and is presented with all the fanfare of a greater good. It has never, to my knowledge, achieved anything more than wealth for the promoters, and hardship for the intended beneficiaries. The far greater harm is to those of us who seek to maintain liberty.
Perhaps I am wrong about those organizations, or even government programs, but I do not see where I have missed the outcome. We need only look at “The War on Poverty”, “The War on Drugs” as two of our most malicious governmental programs. A war on something is nothing more than an attack on freedom. Most conspicuously, with open borders, cartels running amok, and over One Hundred Thousand deaths this year alone from fentanyl, we are either failing, or the traitor is succeeding.
We can look all around us and find agenda’s that are foisted upon the unsuspecting so-called beneficiary pleas for more assistance. I, myself, was fooled for years by supposed pro-2nd organizations fighting for my right to keep and bear arms. They took my money, and here it is over Forty years since I was first introduced to the NRA, and I am now looking at the possibility that this government will pass a total ban on all semi-automatic weapons. This even though the U.S. Constitution was designed to prevent such a blatant attack on the ability to deter and prosecute “public officials” much the same as we would common criminals. More importantly to the preservation of liberty, the protection of life, and the means, by which this nation cannot be turned from a Republic to a democracy.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, the famous Roman statesman is credited with saying “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”
Our history has been under attack for some time now. While there are skeletons in just about everyone’s closet, the accomplishments of our Founders so far outweigh their faults that the linking of the two can in no way deter what was past to posterity. A form of government, so unique that it is lost in today’s political landscape. It is not only a tragedy that most Americans are ignorant of this nation’s laws, but also a crime of immense proportions.
The general public is so ignorant of our rule of Law that they are jeopardizing the future to a point of no return. By that I mean to say there is a reading comprehension level, and a planned destruction of our founding documents.
I am often completely puzzled by those who are prolific readers, those who abhor racism, and bigotry, yet they will make perplexing statements such as “a great democracy.” I know what a democracy is, and what our Constitution commands, Article IV, Section 4 – “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government…”
Why the Framers placed that command in the Constitution could best be explained by the man who has been labeled the father of that document. James Madison stated "Democracies have been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their death."
I have spent considerable time studying our rule of Law. I label the Constitution as such because that is exactly what it is. It does not mention women. It does not mention any races, ethnicities, nor religions. It certainly does not mention men of any race, creed, or color. What it does contain are rules of delegated authorities, powers, and disabilities. It does “not mean to leave room for the play and action of purely personal and arbitrary power.” Not my words but that of Justice Stanley Mathews who delivered the opinion of the court in a case regarding “A municipal ordinance to regulate…”
I have chosen those few words from that case for a specific reason. This is a nation of laws, but the Laws, the foundation, and the principles of the Republic are being torn apart by the foolish, the evil, and the traitor.
Alex Jones is among other things, a purveyor of truth. While he has been demonized as a sensationalist and “conspiracy theorist,” he is none-the-less one who has brought forth facts that were dismissed, and then shown to be true. His record is long, and because he has a following who know his record he must be silenced.
For his record, Jones must be silenced so that others who might speak the truth and challenge the current descent into tyranny, will fear to voice their concerns. Much the same as the political prisoners of January 6th, a cruel and unusual punishment must be made the norm. It must be obvious to anyone who is willing to see and hear that speaking out against the agenda will not be tolerated.
In the latest show of force, the Alex Jones trials, in both Connecticut and Texas are a harbinger of what is to come unless we start regaining our sovereignty.
I am going to take a turn here, to which most will disagree. So be it if I’ve crossed the line. Throughout history, treason has come for numerous reasons. Some for gain, some for power, and some for vengeance. General Benedict Arnold turned on the Colonists because he was passed over though his actions in the field ...
No Comments »
by Nicholas Testaccio
There are times when I become maudlin over the affairs of the Nation and the World. At those points in my life, I feel the need to lash out with a rant. I see, what to me is an obvious lack of spirit, desire, the absolute soul crunching failure to protect that, which is most precious to the human spirit. I want to run through the streets yelling at the top of my lungs – DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR AMBIVALENCE AND IGNORANCE?
I am very fortunate in that my grandparents saw fit to take that journey from Italy to a country over Three-Thousand miles away. I did not know my paternal grandfather as he passed away when my father was still a boy. He came with a skill and used it to set-up his business as a barber. I wish that I could have spent time with him as I did with my maternal grandfather Vincent. Unfortunately, I was just Ten years old when Grandpa Vincent passed away. In the short period of time I had to spend with him I learned about tools. I learned about the soil as he had quite a large garden in the middle of Brooklyn, New York. There was an apricot tree some thirty feet high that produced hundreds of its sweet fruit. Three peach trees from which we would snack. Strawberry’s, blackberry’s, figs, and nuts that often made breakfast a delight when I’d spend the summer days with my grandparents.
Grandpa was a veteran of WWI. He came to America, walked from the ship to the local recruiting station, and joined the army. Several years later he would warn the young men in the family that “War is a terrible thing.”. As far as I know all the men in my family served in WWII if they were able. I had the privilege of hearing about some of the events that took place at Pearl Harbor on that dark day from one of those men. He laughed as he noted “We didn’t know what was going on.”.
History is replete with stories from the men and women who survived the turmoil and the vicissitudes of turbulent, dark, and dangerous times. For some of those who survived it was a scar that would not heal. For others, the realization that they made it through made them stronger. They could laugh at the past, taking note of the actions they took, and be thankful for another day.
In Henry V, William Shakespeare wrote what would become a battle cry throughout the ages as commanders often took the time to read Henry’s speech. Generals read the words to rouse the spirits of their own men, some of whom would lay down their lives. As I think ahead to what might befall this nation, in the midst of strife, I would like to call together those who see that our country is under siege. We are facing an enemy unlike that, which Henry and his tired, hungry troops faced.
On October 25, 1415, Henry’s depleted force of some Five Thousand Men, were blocked from their return to England by an army of Twenty Thousand French. At Agincourt, Henry used everything he had in front of him to his advantage. The English Men-At-Arms slaughtered about one-third of the French army, while Henry suffered the loss of but a few hundred. Against tremendous odds King Henry V was able to defeat the French in what is marked as one of the great military victories throughout history.
In Shakespeare’s soliloquy of what Henry V might have spoken to his men, he calls forth that spirit that stirs all to victory. The battle was in front of a tired group of soldiers, stressed by the campaign they had fought. This battle was for all that was left within them, and the pages of history that would place the appropriate label upon their victory or loss.
“That he which hath no stomach to this fight,Let him depart. His passport shall be made,And crowns for convoy put into his purse.We would not die in that man’s companyThat fears his fellowship to die with us.”
As you scroll through the pages of history, you may have a glimpse of what was, but more importantly, what may come. Patrick Henry tells us “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past.”. Yet, we are allowing our history to be destroyed by factions that I am convinced are part of a plan influenced by communist agitators and their promotors.
Henry went on to shout “Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!”. And now we come to the point of my rant, as I see a downfall aided by those who have no inkling of their complicity in our demise.
Let me repeat. “As a citizen, I know the government *** to be republican; and my short definition of such a government is one constructed on this principle -- that the supreme power resides in the body of the people.”.– Chisholm v Georgia 2 U.S. 419, 457. If this be the case of a nation “of, by, and for the people”, then a method of retaining that sovereignty over a servant government should be enumerated in our founding documents. And if that means be so stated, then it must be employed for the purposes of which it was made law.
A Declaration made on July 4th, 1776 explains the principles of this nation where that foundation created government “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it”.
Fifteen years later The United States Constitution was ratified as the “Supreme Law of the Land”, defining the delegated authorities, and restrictions for the operation of such a country, wherein the People ...
No Comments »
by Nicholas Testaccio
On August 27th of 2020, the online site Revolver wrote the following; “In a surprising turn of events, the New York Times has done some actual, real investigative reporting and confirmed Revolver’s conclusion that the Kyle Rittenhouse shooting is an open-and-shut case of self-defense. Shockingly, the evidence turned up by the New York Times actually strengthens the case for self-defense.”
Despite the protests, the propaganda, deceit, and the outright lies, a jury of his peers agreed that Kyle Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. I am sure that there were many thoughts as to the ramifications of a not guilty verdict that played heavy on the minds of the jurors, but they delivered a verdict that should never have been in question. Instead, the propagandist in the media and government doubled-down on their lust for more blood and suffering. The congressman from New York, Jerald Nadler, has called for the DOJ to investigate the matter.
This is what our future will look like, a nation torn apart by those whose goal is to bring America to its knees. We have already seen the DOJ unleashed on parents concerned about the quality of education their children are receiving. In fact, Attorney General Merrick Garland has lied before congress on this matter, but the AG is part of the internal threat to American’s so he will not suffer any consequences. Hopefully, I am wrong with that assessment.
As I go about the business of learning what others think of such matters, I am constrained to conclude that because of the factors of ambivalence, ignorance of our law, and naivety we may fall to a civil war, or devolve into a tyrannical state. I have heard enough people, who perceive themselves as intelligent, make the outlandish statement that they do not believe in conspiracies. You need only read the words of our Founders and examine the Constitution to recognize that conspiracy is the norm, but not the aberration. The Constitution is clear, it is an instruction manual for limited delegated authority, with the power of the Sword placed firmly in the hands of the people. There are no hidden meanings as professed by self-proclaimed scholars, nor is it open to interpretations made by black robed administrators, and their lackeys, commonly known as lawyers.
As I have attempted to convey, on so many occasions, this is a nation of sovereigns. “We the People” set down the Law, and “We the People,” in order to preserve our sovereignty established that it is our Right and our Duty to protect and defend our freedom, and especially our lives above the protestations of the oligarch and ignorant alike. The rule is “innocent until proven guilty” and “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer..”
Bear in mind that in the Rittenhouse case, without any evidence that the young man was a racist or bigot he was labeled as such, and after the fact that he did not shoot anyone of African descent, the media is still playing the race card. More so disturbing is that there is still a large number of people who believe that young Rittenhouse killed Black men in his defense of himself, and therefore a murderer regardless of the facts.
Consider the fact that our government, I say “our” with a smirk because it no longer acts as our servant, has, for decades worked to disarm the public, and destroy the right of self-defense against this most pernicious enemy; the institution itself.
“We inquire, therefore, what, at the time the Constitution was framed and adopted, [was] recognized” as self-defense? The Constitution is not a difficult document to read, as are the unconstitutional, verbose, and often ambiguous acts of contemporary legislators. It came with a set of detailed instructions from the delegates and observers of the constitutional convention. The history of political and legal doctrine was no secret to the Framers, and they were religious in their reliance on the brilliant minds of politics and law that had gone before them, and fortunately, lived at that moment.
John Locke is referred to as the Father of Liberalism, a political and moral philosophy that underlines our form of government; “Consent of the governed.” His writings and principles helped guide our Founders to establish a government of, by, and for the people. It is no easy task to maintain that mindset when we have a legal system that has bastardized the law and usurped the authority of the people in order to centralize it to the ever growing threat that is government. Let us reflect on Locke’s explanation as it plays an important role with regard to the Kenosha affair and the push to disarm the American people.
John Locke described self-defense in this manner; "The defence of one's self, or the mutual and reciprocal defence of such as stand in the relations of husband and wife, parent and child, master and servant. In these cases, if the party himself, or any of these his relations, be forcibly attacked in his person or property.” Let’s pause here a moment. If you recall, during the Rittenhouse trial the prosecutor asserted that there is no right to protect property. In general, that is, of course, contrary to the instinct of man, and a violation of a natural right.
Locke goes on in his description to say, “it is lawful for him to repel force by force; and the breach of the peace, is chargeable upon him of the human mind; and (when external violence is offered to a man himself, or those to whom he bears a near connection) makes only who began the affray. For the law, in this case, respects the passions it lawful in him to do himself that immediate justice, to which he is prompted by nature, and which no prudential motives are strong enough to restrain. It considers that the future process of law is by no means an adequate remedy for injuries accompanied with force; since it is impossible to say, to what wanton lengths of rapine or cruelty outrages of ...
No Comments »
Recent Form Posts