There will be no change until we rid ourselves of the income tax and the other social engineering taxes. It is the major source of incumbent political power. The IRS has always been, and will remain, the prime violater of the 4th Amendment, and American freedoms, despite the incessant whining of the Bush hating moonbats. Democrats would not know liberty if it clubbed them over the head.

...except for the IRS.

Archer your posts are incredibly vacuous, the Barbary wars were prosecuted by Jefferson without a declaration. There is no where in the Constitution that say you must declare war to engage in it. The President needs no permission from anyone to deploy US Forces in combat. Enemy combatants have never received nor deserved the right of citizens or visitors in any country in history including this one (until these days of the AntiChristianLawyersUnion America destroyers). Your opening sentence is ludicrous at best. I am so sick of this idiotic illegal war BS! You are a fool and an AH if you believe that. If you believe the war is illegal then you must also believe all the military are criminals (there is no rquirement to accept an illegal order) (it is not btw, the first violation by Saddam of the Gulf War I cease fire agreement 3 months after it was signed, not to mention the 163 subsequent ones, was adequate to resume hostilities). Americans want the oil (you too, our economy runs on it), protecting trade is the most common reason for war (go back to those Barbary Wars again). And stop with that religious wars have killed more people then all wars put together. It is incredibly stupid and ignorant. WWII, WWI, US Civil War, Franco Prussian war, Napoleonic wars, Wars of Genghis Khan and subsequent Mongols/Tartars, most Chinese wars, Roman Wars through 4th cenurty AD, Alexandrian and Successor wars...that is an easy off the cuff list,none religious, do some math and get your head where is can get some sunshine.

The Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay has absolutely NOTHING to do with "private criminal" behavior. They deal with National Security and National Defense. This quote has NOTHING to do with the prosecution of Islamic terrorists, they are engaged in a truly illegal war, and NOT criminal behavior. Archer and Mike you are complete out of the realm of reality (tin foil hat material actually) with your posts, as was the former first philanderer who treated the 1993 WTC bombing in this manner, and thus gave a 911.

Such law enforcers are too rare to count in the big picture of the law. I seem to remember torture being around as an acceptable form of information extraction just a bit before our current President. The "torture" the Bush administration has "implemented" would not have gotten the Abu Ghraib worms into my fraternity in college, and anything else that is credible is nothing worse then what was done to me at SEAR School. According to the Geneva Conventions (which rely on execution for non-compliant illegal combatants as a prime means of enforcement) they deserve nothing better then summary execution, and if we choose to keep them alive for their intelligence value, I do not care what we do to them if it saves one American life. Why don't you whine about people being beheaded, or the execution of Christian humanitarian workers. I see some very aberentlyskewed values in your post Mike

It is almost as if he was writing about the tax code and the IRS. No greater infringement on liberty and privacy exists in hthis country. Both must abolished if we are ever to be free again. FairTax.org

Mike your race car experience is as irrelevant as my 7000 flight hours to the issue. If I live in a quiet neighborhood with limited sight distance and my neighbors and I can convince the county or town to have a 15 mph speed limit because we feel it is in the best interest of our families, and their safety the Constitution does not have squat to do with it, and you and anyone from Conn or the PRC of MA or where ever have no dog in the fight. The states are representative republics too, as guaranteed by the Constitution. Remember the 10th Amendment, and remember the wording difference between the First and Second Amendments; the Founders clearly recognized that certain rights needed to be protected from federal encroachment only (1A) and some required universal protection (2A). State roads, state laws apply, county roads, county law applies, he who pays sets the rules. No like the rules no drive on roads. I despise the TSA and airport security laws, so I do not fly. I have no Constitutional right to a commercial flight that is being infringed upon. If the sheep who fly are happy with it, more power to them. I would prefer a plane load of real Americans with all of them packing more then luggage. But as ardent a believe in the Second Amendment as I am, I do not believe there is a Constitutional issue in probiting me from carrying my personal firearm into a courtroom or jail, as long as they provide me a place to check it on the way in and give it back on the way out.. If you would say most victimless crimes are un-Constitutional, you might be right, but that all thing just does not cut it, there are many more examples. Some crimes appear victimless to the casual observer, but really are not, like 300 lb people in thong bathing suits in public and Hillary showing clevage, those are victimless only if you are blind. As to the idiocy of universal health care (talk about a moonbat non sequitar for this quote, whew!), if you want your health cared for, take care of it yourself. If you want a health maintenance plan, plan to pay for it based on how well you perform that self health care. If you want health insurance to pay for unexpected "catastrophies" do the same. There is a difference between a maintenance plan and insurance, and the price difference should be vast. Regardless where is the authority in the Constitution to steal money from me to pay for the health care of someone who does not care about their health. It does not exist. Ask the guy who wrote it: In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison stood on the floor of the House to object saying, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." -- James Madison, 4 Annals of congress 179 (1794)

No, elective despotism is democracy. That is what the founders said and believed. The more democratic we become the less free we are. This "Imperial presidency" stuff is a crock of bull. The Congress does far more infringing on our rights with the tax code, pork (vote buying) and their incredibly complex several hundred page multi-issue bills then the president could ever hope to. Simon, I think you are just another Bush hater.

Very true! Just like our tax code the criminal code has lost it's primary purpose and taken on the purpose of social engineering. The notion of a "hate crime " is idiotic, among other things. Unfortunately Mike, your comment that "victimless crimes are un-Constitutional" is ludicrous. All societies have mala prohibita laws which are used to regulate their societies. Most such laws are not federal issues and the federal government should not have many such, but some are necessary. But as much as I dislike and disregard speed limit laws, they are not un-Constitution. Mala prohibita laws should be mininmized in a free society, but endless ligigation results in more and more of them in an attempt to to protect the stupid and irresponsible, and because the immorally greedy want to use the courts to steal via the courts.

Actually it sounds like what happened to Tom Delay. Sounds like our typical legal system. Just what were these vague charges? I assume you live in Conn, is that where this happened?

Archer get a dose of reality, there is no requirement to declare war to engage in war (see the Barbary wars under Jefferson [when he got that koran Ellis took his oath on in order to understand the enemy, not to be enlightenten]). The First Gulf War was sanctioned by every authority outside North Korea and Cuba and ended in a cease fire which was violated by within 90 days and in total not less then 160 times. All adequate reasons under international law to resume hostilities. And now we may not leave according to the Geneva conventions until the country is stable. You have become an aid and comfort to the enemy.

A great man, who has it exactly right.

Clueless fool or vile propagandist, your choice. Wish he would take his friends from CAIR back to canada with him.

Each state was to be an individual experiment in libery. Unfortunately between the Civil War and the 16th and 17th Amendments, we have virtually shut down those "lines of reaearch" thus reducing the chances of the positive results Ken so rightly mentions.

Mike, you have an anecdote, not proof of anything. The Clinton administration instituted many more programs that are threats to individual freedom than Bush by far. The IRS and it's powers are ten times the threat to liberty then the Patriot act ever will be. The Bush administration is firearms ownership friendly. I fear the government that fears my guns. Archer, our government has beeen assuming more powers then it legitimately has since TR unConstitutionally bought the first National Park. Heck, Jefferson admitted he did not have the authority to make the Louisiana Purchase. Get some perspective guys!

Unfortunately "general Welfare" also appears in the first paragraph of Article 1 section 8 also. However, it is ludicrous to think you would start a list of specific powers, of a limited government, with a clause saying "the government can do anything it wants." What would be the purpose of a list of specific powers. The Constitution is very clear when read in context; only self-agrandizing bureaucrats and politicians could make the twisted interpretations they have. TR drew first blood and FDR gave the Constitution a mortal wound. It has been dying of democrats and democracy ever since.

Freedom of speech (not "expression") is certainly important, although some confuse this with a non-existent right to be heard, but the most important right is to self defense, and the means to carry it out.

Great quote. Unfortunately the Libertarian party has no desire to protect our country or its borders.

From threat from the outside, I have loyalty to my country. From within, I have loyalty to the concepts on which this country was founded. This country was founded on the principle of maintaining the rights of the "I" and the "I's" personal property rights in the face of government or an overbearing majority. It was not built on groupism, or forcible unity under the government. The government is an entity of brute force, and is incapble of charity or benevolence, only theft and forcible redistribution of wealth (which is utterly un Constitutional), and is the same as bank robbery. Unfortunately the character of the country is changing or has changed to the point of believing the government, not the "I" is responsible for the "I". I have no loyalty to that concept, or that country. I have loyalty to that concept of individual rights and freedom (the concept of the founders) and the people who promote it. And the war in Iraq is not about "loyalty to Bush" it is about recognition that there is evil in the world and the only way to deal with it is to kill it where ever it rears it's head, or it will kill us. War is ugly I know this personally, but losing a war is uglier, and the only real war crime. Our country may not be tattered but it has become fat and lazy. This quote is dated in that I do not believe Twain would have have believed how dependent on government, to do and think for them, the citizens of this country could become. And a country is really just the some of its people.

He certainly captured the essence the problem. I might also add, it is so easy for politicians to buy their constituents votes with our money, and the only thing better is when they buy it with manipulations of our tax system which is so arcane yet accepted no one can find the effect of the changes, and everyone wants to keep it because they think it lines their pockets some how. fairtax.org

Phil, she is a judge, she is supposed to be somewhat familiar with the english language and its usage. She said what she said and it is BS. Just because you want to twist her words to make them more palatable to yourself does not mean that is what she said or meant any more then the contortions of interpretation the Supreme Dictators have done to our Constituion makes them right. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Choose your words carefully. If you make a mistake admit it and correct it. But don't try to say the words don't mean what they mean.

A third to E Archer, well said.

Concur with Mike, and emphasize his point of the second sentence being pure BS and destroying the sum of the whole. His modification would make it completely true. If we were continually recreating liberty, all our laws would sunset in some short fixed period of time, perhaps 5-20 years, and then need to be re-passed which would be wonderful; or we would be having a revolution and destroying our country every 20 years, and letting the external dictator of the hour come in and dominate us, very bad.

Silence is consent. If you are too lazy, stupid or ignorant to care, then you need and deserve to be led. That is life. That is history. That is reality. Democracy is evil. It is dictatorship legitimized by a vote. The opportunity for self-determination in a constitutional republic demands intelligent, educated and involved citizens. There are not many left who fit that qualification. The problem is we have safetynetted the rest to the point of giving them a hammock, and they and others still expect them to act and be treated like citzens instead of the slugs and leeches they really are. There is no place in the world that gives people more opportunity to be competent involved citizens. Few have the courage, or drive to take advantage of it. They prefer to be taken care of and whine they have no voice, when what they really lack is usually found running internally down the back and hanging between the legs of men.

The only true inalienable right is to make a fool of yourself. No one can stop us from doing that!