It has occurred to me that conservatives are always the last ones who will change their point of view. They would rather be dead right. Most will not listen to another point of view, let alone consider it. I consider myself a liberal to moderate, and find the most hostile and rigid opinions from conservatives. One good reason not to be one as it is not my value to be "right all of the time".

Isn't that what has happened to the drug war? A good ideal but the fanatic zeal shown by law enforcement breaking into homes, innocent people shot, people serving long sentences for possession (victimless crime), family units broken, and on and on. The cost is enormous and the laws in place now violating everyone's rights, like the bankers "know your customer" rules, reporting deposits and withdrawals, safety deposit boxes accessible by law enforcement without notice to the holder, etc., etc. So many naive people going along with the drug war having no idea the consequences to them. Seizures profitable business. Why is it that the fanatics cannot be brought to task by the majority of normal minds? Why didn't the Germans stop Hitler?

I agree, I fear our own governments, federal, state and city, more than any entity in the world. We have more nuclear weapons than all the other countries combined. Other countries don't need nuclear weapons as long as they know where to drop their bombs, on our nuclear bunkers. We have made so many enemies because of our terrorism on other countries it is no wonder they want to kill us. As for 9-11, I believe it was an inside job, and sure an advantage for Israel. Who had access to incendiary bombs that imploded the buildings? Not the Muslims blamed. How do you find a passport intact on the grounds when everything else is dust? The empty prisons built around the country, many on closed military bases, with rail road tracks coming to the entrances, turnstiles inside the door, and barbed wire surrounding the buildings, gas supplied room, gives me chills and I wonder who they plan to put in there. Remembering the drills when I was a child in the hallways of the schools when we tucked our head inside our folded arms, and considering the dangers now, yes there are real reasons to worry now. What will happen when the sleeping populace wakes up?

Mike, That makes for a time of lip biting. They can say anything they want and fix any evidence necessary. Not sure we dare oppose support for Israel, since it isn't clear who really runs our politics. About time we found out. The financial aid, $30B/yr should have stopped w/Obama. Oh, and the weapons we finance like the new $205M for their short range defense. Oops, hope no one here is offended, but if so then we have nothing in common.

The quote is more representative of George Bush who signed numerous Executive Orders which would allow the government to seize your property if you expressed an attitude that was not in line with his war plans. It could be called terrorist activity. Not sure which of his Executive Orders have been abolished. You can write your opinion to Obama through the White House email, which I do often, and start it with, "My Dear Most Respected President", thinking that should make my proposed suggestions more acceptable. So far I have not been arrested. The Patriot Act will never be voided if it has not been now. Obama misled the voters. Change, my ass.

Good thing Rand did it before the elections so his constituents will know how he thinks. He has destroyed his image and his father's, in my opinion. After all the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree. I was all for Ron's push to get rid the Federal Reserve and fiat money. Also, he believed all laws should pass the Constitutional test.

Honest, I knew Copernicus was spelled with an "o". Need to take more time to proof before saving. Sorry.

Ever hear of the 12 Monkey theory? Maybe the kid in the quote had discovered it but just too late. At least he had the knowledge to discover something that had to be discovered before without the advantage of the earlier knowledge. One must be patient with youth and encourage them to continue their investigations and discoveries. Nothing is more joyous than discovering something for yourself. And sometimes discoveries are not acceptable at certain times due to the resistance of the so-called learned ones, but then are accepted later when introduced by another as their minds have had the opportunity to adjust to it. Such as the discoveries of Capernicus.

It depends on what you are placing on the scales, doesn't it. Let the smallest pup in the litter starve when the largest hogs all the milk. It is survival of the strongest, biggest, loudest, etc. Right.

Do you think this is why we have so few news networks now owned by Corporations of America? Looks to me like a plot for mind control. Hooray for the internet and independent bloggers, multiple news sources, and the search engines. May Net Neutrality be everlasting.

The thought that "all delegated power is trust" sounds really good. Wonder if we will ever reach that level of trust in government again. Didn't the Supreme Court just vote for "assumed power", i.e., corporations get wide breach in affecting campaigns. Sounds like the peoples vote has been usurped, or am I complaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m87l2mmZ6tY&feature=PlayList&p=FC193781EC57C44F&playnext_from=PL&index=0&playnext=1 This link is an example of what needs to be said and shared. Consider the Civilized Society or civilization. Are they not the same?

It takes more than knowledge and information. One must use that information to assert their will that the nation remains free. Free to all individuals, not corporations who are not individuals but are running the policies of this countries. The EPA cannot do it job under certain administrations, and the Global Environmental policies this country wants to adopt are a scam. We can be "informed", but we must write our congress person when we become aware of threats to our liberty, or our right to "general Welfare", become active and sign petitions and to peacefully protest, then along the course of events do what is needed to protect our "freedom in a state of civilization". We cannot tolerate chaos, fraud and illegal behavior by our representatives. We must talk to others, share what we have learned, and encourage others to be informed and to care. We must also support those individuals and groups who are trying to make a difference, including our students. One thing that we must guard against is using the medias attempt to use terms like "right" and "left", "liberal" and "conservative" to divide us. There is no pure form of any of those and it is the issues which are important. Be vigil and aware for distractive information, attempts to trick you with inaccurate and incomplete information, and blatant lies that can ultimately lead to your loss of freedom. A side note here is that legal immigrants are never given a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights during the process of becoming a legal citizen. I believe an intentional attempt to keep people ignorant. There are pocket book copies of these documents that should be given to them when they first apply for citizenship. With more than a million legal immigrants every year, we have a large mass of people that need to be informed, not just grateful.

OOOps, forgot to give you the website my first sentence mentioned. It is http://cafr1.com/ It will tell you how to access your state's second book of investment monies. This is not a joke.

Regarding YOUR tax dollars, you might want to review this web site. You can see this mans video free on www.brasschecktv.org under "two sets of books". It would be interesting to see if you are aware of this vast amount of money that should once exposed stop taxation for once and for all. In New Mexico, they removed the food about eight years ago but claim they are short again, even though their is 'oil in them hills', for which the government get paid. Because of their claimed shortage, one state legislator tried to pass a law that white food could be taxed, because nothing white would be healthy and actually fattening, to include white bread, pasta, tortillas, etc. Thankfully it failed, but barely. They are running out of ideas to tax, except now the state of New Mexico will pass on a 2.48% tax if you use a credit card to pay any state bills with a credit card, such as I did for the first time this year for convenience. Guess that is fair, but it is a new one now.

Religion comments interesting and profound. That aside, it seems that the statement would be a good one to put against all the laws that we now have the obligation to know abide. So many are only actions that someone else may find deplorable but are not in fact harmful to another person. Taxation deprives the individual of pursing their enjoyment of life and liberty or have our possessions taken from us. The difference from the haves and have nots, which will get more divisive, will increase incidence of theft either by someone who has not worked, or/and wants or needs something decides to take something from you as well. And considering public health and communicable diseases we would prefer to live in a community where there are people who know how to live healthy and able to resolve conditions life threatening. If only we were all born equal, and had limited government, and didn't need to live in such close quarters. The quote is outdated and seems to me to be impossible to achieve or live by in this century unless you go off the grid. Have I diverted too much?

That is why we have a "free press", and propagandized television to stifle the mind and keep it from knowing realizing the "pattern to destroy the free mind". Too bad so few people refuse to look and see critically, else they would learn what is going on. Analytical minds are scary cause people might call one an anarchist, or "belligerent" or "conspiracy nut".

Unfortunately, Mike, I am not terribly informed on the new health care plan, but it was my understanding that it would actually be a boom to the insurance business and save government in the long run. I regret to hear of the difficulties of your business and do not know of the insurance costs now or in the bill. I had a small business and two part-time employees and would have paid for their insurance except they didn't qualify as part-timers. At one time I did have a full-time woman and we both could get affordable rates but she preferred her subsidy plan with a University here. Dental and vision plans are cheap, at least in my opinion. I did not require a lot of profit, but should have in retrospect. You said you may move out of the country but not because of wages or benefits. Then why? I do tend to diverge at times especially when up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. Am trying to stay on subject and not diverge so much. Perhaps you can find some benefits now under the new "green move" to stay I know more and more people are looking for products made in the U.S.A. Thanks for the feedback.

Well, Archer, they are trying to write into the health code that circumcisions be required as necessary for public health. You may or may not be glad that you were ahead of this scheme. It is outrageous to me, as a female and a nurse, that the health department should go beyond recommendations of hygiene. What people choose for their own son, or better would be for that son to decide for himself at a later point is not the governments business!! Hitler was not sanctioned by the Pope or the Catholic Church at any level from what I understand and that is what was soo wrong about the church, whether Hitler was a so-called Christian or not. The Church should have spoken out against the violations of human rights and the culling of Jews, homosexuals, mentally retarded, Catholics, Jehovahs Witnesses, etc. Instead, I think the Church got some of the wealth that was stolen from these unfortunate people. Hope I was not too late to add my comment.

It was not the fault of the individual that the social security was spent that was to be there when they retired. It was because of the irresponsible administrators and congresspeople in WA and so blaming the program is unjustified. Please look up this information at: www.cafr1.com about the Second Set of Books, and you will find that there is plently of money on all levels of gvmt that are screaming they need to cut programs. There should be a free viewing of the video under www.brasschecktv.com and search under Second Set of Books. This information is published, required by U.S. Gvmt., but not printed nor exposed on national news media. Would be great to hear from you think of this info.

Anon, to me the "they" in your last lines to me represent corporations. Again, all this fuss over health care but the enemy of of economic, health, and ethics of this country are bound to corporations who earn profits and as you all well know plan the direction our country takes. More than religion I sometimes believe. The owners of the news media plan the propaganda we hear each and every day, and cut out from the news that which they do not want us to know. It is the greed of corporations that is destroying us not health care. Over 1,000 corporations in U.S. have moved to Mexico where the workers have very low wages and fewer rights. Maybe you think it is alright to squeeze every bit of sweat for as cheap as you can get it, but I think that is ethically corrupt. Americans who want to work, and did work are now without jobs due to this greed for profits, and prices keep going up. The fraud and violence of AIG and the other corrupt money markets while getting bail outs have further crushed our economy. And yet you all complain constantly about social security, medicare, and health care reform. The work is "reform", and yet the profits of war mean nothing, the loss of lives nothing. You all remind me of my ex-husbands crowed at Ernst and Ernst when the big salaried CPA's wanted to drop the Bomb on Vietnam. That's when I decided to leave. The value system of the have's is a planet away from the folks who have to go to war or die because our war machine owners demand more money to keep their standard of living. For God's sake let us open our eyes. It really has little to do with religion, or if at all, the lack of it.

Wonder if "Belligerence" will be diagnosed as a mental disorder? Still no legal definition but it can land you in a federal prison under McCain and Liberman's plan. If there was a psychiatric diagnosis it could be a get out of jail free card, but then they will put all protesters on Haldol.

One other link with some astounding information which is kept hush by the press and news medias is the second set of books most of our government levels and retirement programs keep. They own more on the market than the public all put together. Enough to collectively pay off the national debt, and/or end taxes. Check it out at: http://cafr1.com/

Anyone read Des Griffin books, Descent into Slavery, and Fourth Reich of the Rich, published by obscure published Emissary Publications, available on Amazon. Highly regarded books, which were before their time? Wonder what you thought of them. Believe you might agree with him.

Good argument Mike. Makes sense to me. If we took away Federal power and left most issues up to the states as it was intended to be we would have much more power in influencing the representation of our representative. Is that the actual issue at hand, is the Federal government and created agencies like the IRS and Fed Reserve have crushed the states and the people so we are so drained by debt most cannot provide for their basic means, and have had their money stolen, i.e. slavery. Maybe I am too late for you to respond now as things have moved on with new quotes.