I just read this article on www.prisonplanet.tv. It’s unbelieveable to know that a Nazi nightmare society is nearly here. It’s probably time to pack up the family and get the heck out of Texas!
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008
The Texas Department of Public Safety Commission wants to set up statewide driver’s license checkpoints and has requested a ruling on their legality.
The agency wants the checkpoints to enable authorities to stop motorists and ask them to prove they are legal U.S. residents.
The checkpoints would be staffed by state troopers or local police who would have the power to review drivers’ licenses, vehicle registrations and proof of insurance.
AP reports that State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) and 14 other Texas lawmakers have penned a letter to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott demanding that he ignore the Department of Public Safety Commission’s request claiming it is irrelevant because no DPS checkpoint program has been authorized by the state, a regulation that has been in place since 1994.
The lawmakers also say such a move would constitute unauthorized immigration policymaking.
Following a 1979 Supreme Court ruling, it is considered unconstitutional to conduct random traffic stops to check driver’s licenses without reasonable suspicion. However, road blocks and spot checks have increasingly been used by police.
Regular driver checkpoints have increasingly come under scrutiny elsewhere across the country with some judges ruling them unconstitutional and illegal. Lawmakers have also challenged checkpoints and introduced bills to outlaw them. Rep. Charlene Lima, of Cranston, who sponsored a 2005 bill, said the checkpoints violate people’s civil rights, and “smack of a police state.” The American Civil Liberties Union also opposes checkpoints.
The U.S. Constitution states that police cannot stop someone and conduct an investigation unless there are “articulable facts”. Within the language of the 4th Amendment driver checkpoints constitute a “seizure”.
A more sinister aspect of driver checkpoints has been the move by police in recent years toward taking blood and saliva samples rather than employing breath tests, which can be challenged. As this report from the Wall Street journal explains:
“In the past, police routinely asked suspected drunk drivers to blow into devices that extrapolated their blood’s alcohol content from their breath. Now, authorities in most states are taking blood, by force if necessary.
Laws in at least seven states allow police to take blood without the driver’s consent, without explicitly authorizing force. In most other states, court rulings have authorized reasonable force to obtain blood. Many such rulings cite a little-known fact about driving laws in the U.S.: All motorists are considered to have consented to a search of their blood, breath or urine. Such “implied consent” laws were introduced in New York in 1953, and today all 50 states and the District of Columbia have them.”
In other instances police have been caught putting signs up warning drivers of upcoming checkpoints where in fact there are none and then detaining and searching drivers who make illegal u-turns or desperately fling contraband from their vehicles.
Now Texas officials, including the Governor Rick Perry, who also supports the checkpoints, want to have the legal right to force motorists to prove they are U.S. residents.
It is now the norm to consider everybody equally likely to be guilty of something than innocent. This is proactive policing, not preventative or reactive policing. And the worrying thing is that this kind of policing is more widely indicative of a society that is NOT free.
The 4th amendment was specifically created to protect the American people against this type of arbitrary enforcement activity by over-reaching agencies. It would seem however that a modern day ‘writ of assistance’ is being operated by law enforcement officials.
Far from increasing the security of the country, these checkpoints serve as little more than obedience training for the burgeoning American police state.
If you encounter a checkpoint you should ask the personnel there if they are officers of the law, whether you are being detained or not and if they have probable cause. If the answer to one of these questions is no then there is no lawful right to stop you.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I have been doing a lot of thinking since the election. For the past two years we sure have been hearing a whole lot about “change”. The local and state election results have me wondering what kind of change if any do people want.
The voters in Austin Texas voted down a proposition that would PREVENT the City from giving Simon Malls (one of the largest real estate developers in the world) 65 million dollars in tax breaks. Are you kidding me? Why on earth would anyone vote to give a high end luxury mall 65 million dollars? We also approved a property tax increase that is supposedly going to be to increase teacher’s salaries. Do the people here actually think that the average American can afford to pay any more taxes?
On the state level John Cornyn was re-elected as Senator. This was after he voted in favor of the unpopular Bailout bill. My Congressman Michael Mc Caul somehow managed to win his race even though he is a die hard Iraq war supporter.
It was no surprise that Barrack Obama defeated John McCain in the Presidential race. We all saw that one coming? Will President elect Barrack Obama be able to deliver the “Change” he has been promising? So far I have seen him back off on establishing a time table to withdraw our troops from Iraq. He’s now saying that we need to be careful bringing them out and he wants to send even more troops to Afghanistan. This should not come as a surprise to anyone. Especially since he voted in favor of the FISA bill he claimed that he was against. He was meeting with the heads of Google and Time Warner over the weekend to discuss financial matters. More control by big corporate interests? There have also been several news reports about increased gun sales. Apparently many people are worried that our 2nd Amendment will be totally destroyed shortly after Inauguration Day.
I think we are going to get change. Unfortunately it appears to be change in the wrong direction. It appears that both on the local and national level the majority of the people are still asleep.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I can’t believe that I haven’t written a blog in well over a month! Now that the election has come and gone I find myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. I am relieved but bored at the same time. My original plan was to pretty much take a break from grassroots activism till after the New Year. My house is a mess and my family definitely needs some attention. We recently decided to start homeschooling our oldest child and intend to home school all three of the kids next school year. I have so many things at home that I could be doing but I just can’t seem to get motivated.
Maybe I am still just so bummed about last weeks local election results. Many of us worked so hard to win Proposition 2 (a ballot measure that would have prevented the city of Austin from giving Simon Malls 65 million dollars in tax breaks) and we ended up losing by only four percent. That was so disappointing! If only we had worked just a little harder those last few weeks we might have won. Not to mention all of the local races we worked on and lost. I can’t think of one single race or issue our group of activists here in Travis County has won. Part of me is ready to just throw in the towel and go back to reading books and enjoying my life. Another part of me knows that isn’t even close to being an option.
So how do I find a happy medium? I had fooled myself into thinking that I was doing a good job balancing a full time job, three kids, and being a grassroots leader but lately I am having second thoughts. My husband has really stepped up and helps out a lot. He is the greatest! He works third shift, does about 85 percent of the homeschooling, he cleans, does laundry, takes care of our youngest child all day. All on about three to five hours of sleep a day. He rarely complains but I can tell he is getting worn out.
I guess I need to choose my battles a lot more carefully. There is no sense in fighting un-winnable battles i.e. donating time and money on campaigns that have zero chances of winning. Hopefully the community of activists I am involved with will pull together and work one or two local issues and we’ll win one soon!
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I went on vacation last week so I finally had time to read an entire book. I love to read but have been too busy to read more than a page or two at time.
This book was amazing. It was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down. This book helped me understand a lot questions I had about Christianity i.e. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God allow suffering in the world? Why doesn’t God put an end to all evil? It is written in very interesting and unconvential way. The book shatters the ideas most people have about religion, christianity, human nature, and life in general. I thought it was very deep.
Here’s the summary from the back of the book:
Mackenzie Allen Philips’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.
I highly recommend reading this book!
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The city of Pflugerville, Texas had it’s second and final tax revenue increase hearing last night. Two people including myself spoke before the council asking them to lower our tax percentage. I did not give the same long speech again. Instead I tried a different and nicer approach. I emphasized how over taxed the American people are, encouraged them to contact our current tax assessor, and expressed concern over the sluggish economy. Sadly it appears no one really cared. There was one council member who was shaking his head in agreement. Maybe he is sympathetic?
What was really alarming was the award given to our police chief for his success in fighting crime. Our town is not that big and there is not a lot of crime to begin with. You literally almost see a police officer every time you turn around in Pflugerville. It’s not a joke! There is always an officer lurking around the subdivisions pulling people over for minor infractions i.e. no seat belt, forgotten turn signal, etc. It’s ridiculous!
After Katie and I made our statements we left the meeting. The editor of our Community Impact news paper approached us and wanted to trade contact information. She was also concerned about the tax situation. We stood and talked for a short while on the steps in front of the council chambers. After a few minutes a police officer came outside and just hovered over us with out saying anything. Katie made a comment “well when and officer stands over you I guess that’s a sign to shut up and get out of here” he said “thank you ma’am” . He stood there staring until we left. It was unbelievable!
That’s my next city council project. Dealing with the Police State.
Filed under: Uncategorized
My family and I decided to take a summer road trip last week and go visit our family in Wisconsin. I bought tickets for the rally the day they went on sale just in case we could go. We drove from Necedah Wisconsin to Minneapolis Minnesota last Tuesday to attend the big rally. I am so happy we decided to go. It was so much fun.
Speakers included Lew Rockwell, Doug Wead, Tom Woods, Gov. Gary Johnson, Barry Goldwater Jr., Jessie Ventura, Ron Paul and many more. It was a long day of speeches and just when it started getting a little boring Jesse Ventura came on stage and gave a very energizing speech! He got everyone fired up about 2nd Amendment rights, bringing the troops home, & 9/11 truth.
Ron Paul gave an amazing speech at the end of night. It was the best Ron Paul speech I have ever heard!
Aimee Allen’s performance was awesome! She’s an incredible singer and songwriter.
Over all I think the rally was a huge success. I can’t even begin to describe how great it felt to be surrounded by 10,000+ patriots. It felt so good to around so many like minded people. There were also so many great booths. I was able to get a really nice Chuck Baldwin for President T-shirt, some books, more pocket constitutions, and tons of free literature.
It was nice to take a little break from work, chores, and a busy schedule of local activism to do something fun. I came home feeling excited and energized. The revolution is alive and well!
Filed under: Uncategorized
I went to a public hearing in my hometown today to share my thoughts about our tax revenue increase. I made the following comments. I did not get to read the part about the police but I left it in for the blog.
The American People are already over taxed. We pay taxes on our wages, property, automobiles, gasoline, sales taxes, fishing license taxes, medicare taxes, social security taxes, toll road taxes, school taxes, vehicle sales tax, telephone usage taxes, service charge taxes, etc. etc. This is just a partial list!!!
We have a sluggish economy, we pay outrageous gasoline and energy prices, the inflation becomes more and more evident every time I go to the grocery store. Many Americans can no longer bare the burden of their current taxes and can certainly not afford to add any more to it. It is very sad that this is supposed to be the freest country in the world and you NEVER really own your property. We also have more laws than any other country and more people in prison per capita than any other country in the world.
Texas is ranked 42nd in the nation for the amount of people who own their homes. We pay some of the highest property taxes in the country. This is preventing many hard working families from realizing the American Dream.
I understand that the City Council members are not responsible for assessing our property values. The Chief appraisers in Travis County are appointed officials. They are not elected by the taxpayer. However we do elect our City Council Members and I was very disappointed when I attended a city council work session last month and councilman Victor Gonzales made the comment that “he was so tired of local residents approaching him and complaining about higher taxes” or something similar to that effect.
I firmly believe that Tax Payers have the right to determine how much government we want and are willing to pay for.
I am very concerned about the growing number of police officers in the Pflugerville and Austin area. Is there really a need to see a police officer almost every time I turn around? My brother-in-law a two time Iraq Veteran was pulled over and given a ticket for putting on his seatbelt as he was pulling out of CVS. Is this the kind of treatment our veterans deserve? I am also horrified to see that Pflugerville ISD has formed its own police department! I don’t appreciate my tax money being used to fund a “Police State”.
In closing, I am asking you the city council to amend the budget and lower our tax rate enough to compensate us for the higher property appraisals in Pflugerville. I am also asking you to get involved and see what you can do to ensure that these un- elected officials are giving us the fair appraisals we deserve. I urge you to study the United States Constitution and get an idea of what the purpose of Government is and figure out if the programs you support are truly in the best interest of the residents of Pflugerville. We need you to work for us to ensure that we keep more of our hard earned money in our pockets. The more money the local citizens have the more they can afford to spend locally to help our economy.
Filed under: Chuck Baldwin, Election 2008, Iraq, The Constitution Party, current events, politics | Tags: Chuck Baldwin, Election 2008, The Constitution Party
Why settle for the lesser of two Evils when you can vote for Chuck Baldwin? Go to www.baldwin2008.com to learn more about a Presidential Candidate that is really for change. It’s sad that restoring the United States Constitution is considered a radical idea. Chuck Baldwin and Ron Paul were the only true liberty candidates in the 2008 Presidential election. It’s been exciting to support anti-war, pro-life, pro-constitution, fiscal conservatives. Do you know how hard it is to find someone who is not a total hypocrite on the life issue? Many Republicans who claim to be pro-life support preemptive war. They claim to care about life and the unborn while condoning the murder of innocent women and children in Iraq. They call for sanctions to be put on countries. Sanctions that cause innocent children to starve to death. Many Democrats oppose the war in Iraq and value the soldiers lives but support murdering millions of unborn babies here in the United States. It’s total hypocrisy.
Most Republicans and many Democrats supported the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions act putting our Constitutional rights in jeopardy. The two parties have so much in common now I can hardly tell the difference. They both want to spend us into oblivion increasing our national debt. They have no intention of aboloshing the income tax and federal reserve system. One party wants more war. One wants more welfare and higher taxes. How about no more wars, phasing out entitlements, restoring our Constitutional rights, letting the American people keep more of their own money, and getting the Federal Goverment out of every aspect of our lives? That sounds like a good plan to me.
Filed under: Election 2008, politics | Tags: Election 2008, John McCain, politics, Ron Paul
This is a hilarious little montage of John Mc Cain on the campaign trail. Ordinarily I would assume that he is just tired from the vigorous campaing schedule. After watching the second video I’m not so sure. He constantly contradicts himself. His lack of knowledge about history is clearly illustrated in the third clip where he tries to explain WWII to Ron Paul. John McCain a conservative Republican who worked with Democrat Senator Russ Feigngold to pass the campaign finance reform act. He voted against one of few decent things Bush has done during his Presidency his tax cuts. He supported the amnesty bill last year even when the majority of the American people were against it. Is this really the kind of person we want for our Commander In Chief?
