Heads Up A Weekly edition of News from around our country January 3, 1997 #16 by: Doug Fiedor fiedor19@eos.net ---------------------------------------------------------- Previous Editions at: http://mmc.cns.net/headsup.html ---------------------------------------------------------- IT BEGINS ANEW Voltaire once said that "Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws before destroying them." And so it is with those supposedly supporting our Constitution. Everyone in government publicly says they support our Constitution. That's what they "say," anyway. When we look at what they actually "do," however, we often see something greatly different. For instance, the last Congress imposed on us hundreds of pages of oppression under the guise of anti- terrorist laws. We don't have any terrorists in this country. But we have plenty of anti-terrorist laws, just in case. One major reason our Founding fathers went to war with England was the host of indiscriminate search and seizure laws imposed on the Colonists. Yet Congress, with a little help from the courts, did its best to mimic those very same laws these past two years. Rather than working on those duties delegated to the central government by the Constitution, the federal government involved itself in a whole host of activities for which it has no authority. Among these were television programing, censorship of communications via the Internet, telephone rates, telephone bugging, airbags in cars, environmental issues, gun control in the states, wage laws, agriculture, and even commercial advertising. And what of those duties delegated to the central government? Hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and tons of illegal drugs manage to get into this country annually. So, we know they have failed at guarding our borders. The District of Columbia is clearly the worst run city in the country. But the Constitution gives complete control of that city to the federal government. Gold and silver backed money has not been seen in this country for over 60 years. Monitory control is a function of Congress, but Congress abdicated its authority to the Federal Reserve, an unelected agency. One would think that those in Washington would at least have time to read the very first paragraph of our Constitution. But, contrary to the very first sentence of the Constitution, the president and every one of his little administrative agencies in Washington make law almost whenever they wish.. And so it goes. The elected ones in Washington have no time to do those things which they were tasked to do by the Constitution because they are so busy doing so many things for which they have no authority. There's a reason for this, too. The reason is that many of those duties tasked to Congress and the president are difficult. To be accomplished correctly, they would take up a lot of the lawmaker's time -- time they do not wish to spend. So, they farm these inconvenient duties out to unelected (and unaccountable) members of boards, commissions or agencies. That is also a "cover your butt" move for Congress. When an unelected commission, board or agency makes an unpopular decision, rule or regulation, the elected ones can publicly jump up and down and claim to be as indignant about the action as their constituents. Few of their constituents know that 100% of the responsibility for the government action belongs to the lawmaker. So, lawmakers regularly get away with this ploy. And we citizens? We pay higher taxes, give up more of our rights, and we quietly cower in fear as the controlling agencies close that vise of control on us tighter and tighter every year. What will the new year bring? Stay tuned. . . . EPA's DEVIOUS PLAN "Denver has adopted a ban of resale of older vehicles that have been impounded or abandoned. We considered, of course, a general impoundment if you will, or removal from the road of those older cars, but that is not politically feasible at this time. "Unfortunately, the fleet turnover doesn't happen fast enough. If it were going to make a real difference, it isn't going to be tomorrow, unless we get fairly aggressive about what we do. But cleaning up the cars and the roads is only half the solution, the other half, and in fact the much more difficult half, involves getting people out of their cars. "Somehow you people, and all people, have to figure out a way to convince the public that mass transportation is the way to go." The above quotes were excerpted from a Sept. 29, 1994 speech to 500 regulatory and EPA employees by Denver Regional EPA Administrator William Yellowtail. Is Yellowtail just a rogue EPA bureaucrat with his own personal environmentally extreme viewpoint? Is he the lone wolf in the EPA who is paid a handsome salary, a nifty benefits package and retirement plan to fantasize about a long-range plan to take our trucks and cars and motorcycles and recreational vehicles away? Or, did Yellowtail publicly announce the diabolical intentions of a joint venture between the EPA, militant environmentalists and their politically correct lapdog media mouthpieces in which your ability to travel will be limited to bus schedules? You can hope that Yellowtail is a rogue -- a lone wolf -- if you want to. As for me, I am going to yell and scream until American ingenuity and the free marketplace are allowed to build us a car that doesn't pollute so militant environmentalists have to invent some other excuse to control our lives. -- For "Heads Up" by Don Harkins of "The Idaho Observer" Note: Don Harkins writes extensively on environmental issues and the mischief of the EPA. He will contribute to "Heads Up" from time to time. (-Ed.) THE LOUD BLUE LINE As predicted by many, the new Domestic Confiscation gun law is developing into the largest gun grab in American history. Some are estimating the new law will affect 3 to 4 million Americans. And, the number could be even greater if it includes military personnel. Normal citizens, as usual, have no real mechanism for complaint. We must lodge our complaints to Congress one at a time. Groups, however, do have the means of lodging their complaints loud and clear. And one organized group is doing just that. The police unions and organizations are readying an extensive lobbying campaign to browbeat Congress into giving the men and women in blue a free pass on this one. Some police (a small percent) already think of their badge as a passport for all kinds of antisocial behavior. Now they want a pass on this too? Well folks, we should respectfully, but firmly, campaign against any such amendments to the law. First, the police officer who beats his or her spouse is probably the very same police officer using various types of excessive force on the street. We do not need that type of person carrying a badge and a gun. But second -- and this is a much more important issue -- police officers are citizens too. There is absolutely no reason they should not be affected by each and every law, just the same as all other citizens. Sure, a lot of people, including peace officers, can get caught up in some really stupid situations -- situations usually brought about by the liberals in society flexing their power. For that reason, we need these police on our side. For instance, in today's political environment, you can be accused of domestic abuse for something as silly as spanking your child. And, if you so much as yell at the social worker when you refuse her demands to search your home without benefit of a warrant, she's liable as not to return with a whole SWAT team. So, peace officers must feel the complete affect of this gun grab law just as other citizens will. And the law should be enforced vigorously. Because, as Abraham Lincoln instructed: "The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly." Many of us will be working to have these stupid laws, rules and regulations changed. Peace officers must come join us in this task. They will not, however, if they are continually excused from inconvenient laws. TREASURY CANNOT COUNT Crane & Co., an American paper mill, has been the sole producer of the paper used for our American money for over a century. Treasury admits that the company has all the necessary equipment, does excellent work, always delivers on time, and has never been a problem. Yet, Treasury is taking bids from other companies to produce the currency paper. In fact, Treasury is actively soliciting bids from foreign companies to produce the paper used for our American money. That's bad enough, but there's more: Treasury is offering $100-million in subsidies for start-up and equipment costs to foreign companies to produce the paper for our currency. Stupid, you say? Yeah. But it gets even better yet. It seems that a law passed in 1988 states that currency paper must be produced by a company that is no more than 10 percent foreign owned. However, those great mathematicians at the Department of Treasury interpret the language to mean that the company must only be 50 percent American owned. Who gets the missing 40 percent? Who knows. Maybe Indonesia, or even China, the way things are going with this administration nowadays. Is something else going on here we should know about? Oh sure, Treasury says that Crane & Co. can bid on the new contract, too. And they should. Because, if Crane gets the contract, 200 American jobs will be saved. Then there's the matter of that $100-million taxpayer subsidy. Crane already acquired the necessary equipment the old fashioned American way. They bought it themselves. FROM THE EDITOR One joy of being an editor is that -- well, you get to edit. For instance: Below, Lance Crowe presents a case for forming a national campaign organization. The message does not yet describe the organization's framework, but it most certainly makes a good case for why such an organization is necessary. We thought that message to be important to most "Heads Up" readers, so it is included. This presents a problem in the length of "Heads Up," though. How much is too much? As editor, I cut two very excellent pieces on EPA tyranny and another on the investigation of federal prosecutors. Should I have included them? You tell me. Of course, that is not to say that these pieces will not be used later. The problem is that there is always so much good material available every week that it is sometimes difficult to judge what, and how much of it, to use. Next week, when Congress gets back in session, it will even be worse. The new bills will start coming out. So, you tell me. Would you prefer "Heads Up" stick to the stories not normally found in the establishment press? Should we stick to the short article format as much as possible? And, then there's the word count. What is comfortable for you? Currently, we intentionally stay between two and five-thousand words. This edition is just over 3,000 words. -- Doug MILITIA NEWS There are many thousands of Citizen's Militia members throughout the country. And generally, they all have some of the same core beliefs. The most prevalent belief being that the federal government should follow the Constitution. Another few million Americans -- none of whom are part of a militia -- also hold these same beliefs. This group includes most of the Patriot community, the membership of many of the smaller political parties, and at least one-quarter of the Republican Party. Therefore, we immediately have something to put on the table with which many millions of Americans can agree: We want a Constitutional form of government -- the one intended by the Founding Fathers. Along with that, we want all of those rights, liberties and freedoms intended American citizens by the authors of our Constitution reinstated. In today's political climate, that's a big order. Bureaucrats are not about to give up their fiefdoms and leave quietly. And, as anyone watching the last election cycle knows, liberal bureaucrats have the backing of big labor money and the establishment press. Therefore, reaching our goal of a Constitutional form of government could become a major project. However, collectively we are very powerful. Collectively, we number a few million strong -- and we are political activists, one and all. Activists are also already in place throughout the country and organized into small working groups. How can all these Americans be organized into a coordinated national organization? How can these many millions of political activists be interested in participating under the umbrella of one group? One way is with leadership that stays on target. We all want the government intended by the Founding Fathers. Therefore, we should only talk about that, and not get sidetracked with anything else. Everything the new organization does should lead directly to reaching that one specific goal. Another way is to keep it strictly a citizen's group. Politicians will take great interest in an organization that size, but they must not become involved in the group's planning and leadership. Every time a politician becomes involved, thousands of people who do not care for that person will leave the organization. Still another way to increase participation is for the organization to create its own news service and communications network. The national press cannot be relied on to accurately relate information they do not agree with. The Citizen's Militia, and other groups, already have the beginning of reliable communication's networks in place. These can easily be expanded and coordinated. In conjunction with newsletters and talk-radio, the means is now available to quickly blanket the country with the organization's current events and news briefs. One of the new group's goals must be to actively correct, publicly, anything proposed by politicians, or the media, that deviates from the government intended by the Founding Fathers. It is time that "We the People" began attacking their socialist agenda head on. There are many very effective ways to do this. And, ultimately, all are also fine ways of simultaneously stimulating the interest of the general public in the good works of the new organization. Some groups dislike giving up their autonomy. And, the new umbrella organization may not really require that. However, clear, concise standards concerning public perception, function and reliability will be necessary for all involved. These points must be addressed in the new organization's founding documents. But first, if our goal is to be reached, we must all realize one rather self-evident fact: That whatever it is we are doing individually, or in small groups, has not produced any measurable results! Unfortunately, just the opposite is true. Things are getting worse. Each and every day that big, overreaching hand of the federal government grows a little larger and reaches a little farther. Almost every law, rule and regulation passed in Washington takes away another right, or another liberty. What do we do about it? We talk, we complain, we publish some articles and letters. Some of us even outwardly threaten. But it's almost as if these activities add more energy to the federal leviathan. Because, that overbearing federal hand just keeps growing larger and larger. Sure, we can all continue doing the same things we have always been doing. We can do them over and over again, each time hoping for results. That's exactly what we're collectively doing, you know. We're taking the schizophrenic approach -- doing the same things over and over, and hoping for different results each time. But, we are not getting any meaningful results. Isn't it time for some measurable return on our efforts? Well then, how are we going to get it? Maybe, just maybe, we should change our approach to the problem. You know; try something different! But first we have to decide what it's worth to us to get these desired results. Is it worth putting forth some effort? Is it worth any type of sacrifice? Is it worth making a few changes in the way our present group functions? Each individual group, and each individual person, will have to answer these questions for themselves. Most will find that there is some level of involvement, some level of sacrifice, and some amount of change, they would be willing to make, were the goal the restoration of personal freedom and liberty. And, the restoration of our own personal freedom and liberty is exactly what our goal is, after all. Isn't it? I think it was Thomas Paine who said: "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." I write this because I am ready. Are you? Of course, this is all just supposing. There is really no actual group in existence yet. Today, it only exists in the hearts and minds of a few men, and as a few notes on paper and in computers around the country. But such a nationwide campaign is exactly what is necessary. And, I do mean "campaign." Because, what is needed to pull this off is a full-blown political campaign. Our "candidate" is the Constitution. Our platform is the writings of the Founders -- like The Federalist Papers. Our constituency is the court of public opinion. Our election results will be changes in the function of the federal government. Why must there be a national organization? Because, making this correction to the federal government is a function of the people of the United States All of the people. And, as in any effective and well run national campaign, you want all of the people you can get involved. Based on our results to date, it looks like the organization may begin operation by next spring. For now, occasional up-dates will be placed in selected publications like "Heads Up," as warranted. -- Lance R Crowe psico1@bgn.mindspring.com SEND A MESSAGE In Washington, all bets are off as to how long President Clinton will remain in office. After our Christmas Eve encounter with him in National Cathedral, an Exegesis reader has started a campaign to mail him a million postcards with the now-famous words of Revd. Robert Schenck: "God will hold you to account, Mr. President", to arrive on January 18, just before his inauguration. Feel free to join in and send one to President Bill Clinton, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20500. -- from the 1-2-97 edition of Exegesis (with permission) For further information about the "Exegesis" newsletter, visit their web page at: http://www.vais.net/~exegesis And, for those of you who may not know of Slick Willie's outrageous shenanigans at Christmas Eve services, be sure to visit the "Exegesis" Update Page at: http://www.vais.net/~exegesis/Update.html -- End --