05 December 2012

ANOTHER YEAR ALL SHOT TO HELL


My God! 2012 is just about gone.
      I've been thinking for weeks about what to pontificate on this month. Nothing came to mind. Nada, zip, goose egg, snake eyes. Got me a case of writers block.
      Actually, I think it's more like sensory overload. We've had a really screwed up – and very long - election season. FEMA did it's usual too-little-too-late after Sandy. Syria is a total mess. Iran is (still) thumbing it's nose at the whole world. No one knows what the hell Israel is doing.
      Obama wants to bankrupt the country. Congress just wants to get re-elected. The courts are getting more liberal with every passing day and now some sports caster has decided to get political and expound on gun control during a football game.
      2012 hasn't been all bad though. I finally found my long-lost daughter (see A GLORIOUS DAY ;1 Aug) and found out that I have 10 more grandchildren. I got to spend time with my brother and sister. My oldest son started law school and my youngest daughter started college. And I'm still married to my childhood sweetheart. A lot of things to be thankful for.

      So, this December, I'm simply going to spend time with family and God and forget all about those pesky conspiracies that are lurking around every corner. I'll tackle some more of the world's insanity next year.

     I wish from the bottom of my heart that all of you spend some time in prayer and with your family this Christmas season. Tell them and God how much you love them and what they mean to you.

Until 2013, this is N. Richard Peterson signing off.
God bless us; one and all.


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04 November 2012

THE NEW REVOLUTION


When a government is big enough to give you everything you need,
it is powerful enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson.


      One of the most influential people in my early life was my 8th grade social studies teacher. Every time I watch the news or study some historical fact or happening, I remember something that he said and he ultimately helped me understand the political and historical concepts of our country.
      A major concept that he spoke at length about is spending a lot of time in the news lately. That concept is State's Rights and with it; secession.
      Lots of people have talked about leaving the United States since we officially became a country. Every time the federal government does something that someone doesn't like they rumble about seceding. Rarely though does the talk get any further than the barroom door. 


        The first major rift of the 20th century between states rights and the federal government came over medical marijuana. In several states. people in both the political and medical arenas began to realize that the feds were sticking to old and antiquated notions that flew in the face of science and reason. The state's law makers began to rely on facts instead of propaganda and decided to enforce the 10th amendment 1 of our constitution and reclaim their individual state's rights.

      There is international president for their opinions and actions.
      Although marijuana is technically illegal in Israel, “...but medical use has been permitted since the early 1990s for cancer patients...2”. In 2001, the Canadian government came to it's senses and legalized it3.
      Now, the legislatures of 17 states*- Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington - as well as the District of Columbia have come to their senses and approved its medical use4. Several others have decriminalized it and/or are considering legalizing it. Although the feds still say it's illegal and would like people to believe that it (marijuana) has no legitimate use, all of these states have decided to claim their rights.
      Medical marijuana is one of, but not by any means the only issue that has fostered a battle between the states and the federal government.

Montana recently threw down the gauntlet over a supreme court case.
      With the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States to hear District of Columbia v. Heller in late 2007, an early 2008 movement began in Montana involving at least 60 elected officials addressing potential secession5 if the Second Amendment were interpreted not to grant an individual right, citing its compact with the United States of America.
"In a joint resolution, the Montana politicians argue that when Washington approved the state constitution, including a clause granting “any person” the right to bear arms, upon the Treasure State’s entry into the Union in 1889, the federal government recognized that clause as consistent with the Second Amendment. If the Court comes down on the side of a collective right, they argue, it would breach the compact for statehood between Montana and the federal government.


      Then Governor Schweitzer went one giant-step further and drew a hard, black line. “If guns and ammunition are manufactured inside the State of Montana for sale and use inside that state then the federal firearms laws have no applicability since the federal government only has the power to control commerce across state lines. Montana has the law on their side. Since when did the USA start following their own laws especially the constitution of the USA, the very document that empowers the USA.6In effect, he has told the feds that they do not control what happens within the borders of each individual states, only what crosses those borders.

 Next came Texas.

      There has been a lot of talk about Texas not even being a real state and having the right to secede from the moment they became a state. Although those claims are legally doubtful at best, even their governor has chimed in saying: “We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot.7"
      To set their foot down, the Texas legislature passed H.C.R. No. 508 that stated in part “That this serve as notice and demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers...”. The complete text almost reads like a call to arms, telling the feds to get off their back and out of Texas.

      An interesting note: 
Should Texas one day secede, one man may already be vying to be its president. Actor Chuck Norris said last month he may be interested in the post.”
      Then there's Arizona and the whole immigration debacle. The feds actually sued a state and told them (AZ) that the state couldn't do the feds job even if the feds weren't going to do it. That one is still playing out; in court, both sides claimed partial victory.

And let's not forget the National ID act9.
      Led by Maine in early 2007, 25 states over the past 2 years have passed resolutions and binding laws denouncing and refusing to implement the Bush-era law which many expressed concerned about privacy, funding and more. While the law is still on the books in D.C., its implementation has been delayed numerous times in response to this massive state resistance, and in practice, is virtually null and void.
      About two thirds of the states have got their hackles up about something involving state's rights and the sovereignty of the individual state governments. During the War Between the States, 11 states seceded from a total of 34. I'm sure you know the results. If, however, over half of the states we have today decided to dissolve the union, the outcome is by no means a given. One thing is almost guaranteed though. With all the money and egos involved it would be a bloody mess.
      Between national ID, medical marijuana, guns, taxes, immigration, and a whole slew of other laws, law suits and actions the individual states have had just about enough. Something is going to tip a lot of states to the point where they may decide join together and either declare the US Federal Government to be invalid, make serious movements towards nullification10, mass secession or; and people, this is a very real very dangerous possibility, we could be headed for a revolution. Not a handful of nut-cases running around shouting about a new world order, but an armed uprising with the governors of several states calling out their individual militias and national guard units to battle the federal government.


"But the simple truth--born of experience--is that tyranny thrives best where government need not fear the wrath of an armed people."
Judge Alex Kozinski - United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit


     It has been said that the tree of liberty must, from time to time be watered with the blood of patriots. I hope that time, at least for our country, is a long way off.


At least that's my opinion. Let's hear yours.


On Nullification:
But once citizens understand that they can circumvent a power-hungry Congress and its enablers on the court by demanding their state governments step up and nullify unconstitutional laws, entrenched abuses of every sort could come crashing down.

[AZ] Senate Bill 1433 would create a 12-person “Joint Legislative Committee on Nullification of Federal Laws,” which would “recommend, propose and call for a vote by simple majority to nullify in its entirety a specific federal law or regulation that is outside the scope of the powers delegated by the People to the federal government in the United States Constitution.”

*Post election note: Last week's election added more states to the list of clear thinkers. Massachusetts became the 18th state to legalize medical marijuana. And there's another interesting little battle brewing; the good people of Washington state and Colorado voted to legalize recreational marijuana for the over-21 crowd. Not sure how the feds are going to handle that one but at least the people there have stood up for themselves and said enough is enough. We'll watch the confrontations over the coming months. If anything real interesting happens, you'll be able to read all about it right here.
N. Richard Peterson

Citations
1 U.S. Constitution - Amendment 10
   Complete text and explaination of 10th amendment
2 Isreal and marijuana
3 Canada and marijuana
4 Medical Marijuana by state
Map of Medical Marijuana states
6 Text of Montana Law
7 Rick Perry interview & Secession
8 H.C.R. No. 50
9 National ID Act summary
10 The Nuclear Option - Nillification



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04 October 2012

THE SOCIAL MEDIA CONSPIRACY


      In 1949, a British gentleman named George Arthur Orwell1 wrote an apocalyptic and dystopian novel titled 19842. In it, he predicted that we 

would eventually give all personal power over to the government. One of the 

things he predicted, which has become a common  cliché today is the 

“Thought Police”; ie. a  bunch of bureaucrats watching over our every word 

and deed in an effort to keep us in the “Party line”.

      So powerful and accurate were his writings that we regularly use terms like “Orwellian”, “doublethink” thoughtcrime” and “newspeak”3.
 
     Many years before personal computers, digital recorders, closed-circuit TV 

and the internet, Orwell foresaw a society where the government – through 

it's placement and use technology like ubiquitous video surveillance 

cameras– tracked our every move. With all the cameras in places like New 

York City and London and tracking equipment like OnStar , many people 

believe that we are almost there.

      I disagree on both points.


      First, we're not ALMOST there. Folks, we have arrived. Unless you live 

completely on the fringe of society paying for everything with cash, riding a bicycle and living in the forest or in a 3rd world country, the government (or 

anybody else with a computer and some spare time) can track your every 

move from the time you get get up 'till you go to bed. Cradle to grave. The 

ability to track us may not be absolute yet, but its existence is not in question.
 

      The second place I disagree is the actual point of this article. The 

government isn't putting tons of technology in place all over the country to 

keep track of us. They don't have to.

      Wake up, people. We're doing it to ourselves.

       Big Brother (another term coined by Orwell) doesn't have to track us 

down. They just have to read our Facebook page. Want to know what

someone  is doing right now and who they're with? Check out their tweets. 

Need to know someone's political and social leanings? Just read our(my?)  

blogs. Many people even put their most personal thoughts and schemes into 

on-line diaries. Now that's a good way to protect your privacy. Even our 

business plans and dealings are getting out of offices and homes and onto the 

internet. Supposedly protected by strong encryption, yes. But who wrote the 

encryption? Beware of The Cloud!
 
     No! No one has have to work very hard to find out any information they 

want about just about any one in the country. We are lining up to give it to 

them.

       The government already has more tools than it knows how to – or is 

willing to use. According to Larry M. Elkin: Business Insider, Oct 9, 2012:  

“...I think the risk of large-scale government abuse of enhanced surveillance 

tools is pretty low. If the rules are implemented, law enforcement will 

probably be criticized more frequently for not making use of the tools at its 
 disposal than it will be for using those tools too broadly.4
 
     Just think of the times every day that you use plastic money, sign your 

name on something, show your driver's license and drive by or walk under a 

surveillance camera. Then pay attention to all the very personal information 

you put on the internet for anyone and everyone to see. Forever. We ought to 

be on the FBI's payroll. If they want to keep tabs on us, we're doing all 

their work for them.
 

At least that's what I think. What about you?


I recommend that everyone who is concerned about where our freedoms are going read 1984. It's available in print or on video from Amazon.com and most major book and video outlets. Also watch the very compelling George Lucas movie: THX1138 with Robert DuVall.




Citations




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09 September 2012

SEPT - PART 1: THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE; OR SOMEONE ELSE'S


It was brought to my attention that this post was too long, so I decided to split it into 2 parts. The post remains unchanged; just a little easier to read. Part 2 follows.


      So! Here we go again. Late posting and off message. Again!


       This month was going to be about The Social Media Conspiracy (it ain't 

what it sounds like. Think: “we are our own Big Brother”).  


     I was just tidying it up a bit when my wife turned on a true-crime show 

about Marty Tankleff1.

       In 1990; with no evidence other than a falsified - and un-signed confession 

coerced from him by an unscrupulous detective, Marty Tankleff was charged 

with the 1988 murder of his mother and father. At trial he was convicted and 

sentenced to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison. 

     In 2003 after hearing from 20 new witnesses, an appellate court finally 

overturned his conviction. He was 34 years old and 17 of those years; exactly 

one half of his life were spent rotting in a New York prison for a crime he 

didn't commit. 

 
     First his parents are murdered and then, before this 17 year old kid has 

time to grieve and process his tragic loss, he is charged with and convicted of 

double homicide. 

     Marty was sure that the police would quickly realize their mistake and go 

get the real killer. 

     He was wrong.

     If you think that this is an isolated or even an infrequent situation, think 

again.

      We've all seen the cop movies where the bad guy talks too much and the 

completely upstanding detective takes down the confession, the bad guy signs 

it, goes away for 20 or so years and justice is served.

      What we see almost as often is some cynical, bitter, tired old cop who 

wants to get a conviction at any cost. To this end he will lie to, trick, 

threaten, manipulate and intimidate some green young kid or mentally 

unstable person and get them to sign a confession that they (the suspect) 

probably hasn't even had a chance to read and maybe doesn't know what they 

confessed to.

      I wanted to know if any of these “Innocent but Convicted” stories had even 

the slightest grain of truth or if they were just a lot of bull concocted by 

ratings-hungry TV drama writers or spun by the convicts themselves. 

      Here's what I found. Look at the facts and decide for yourself.


     From 1973 through Jan, 20122, 140 inmates from around the country were 

released from death row after having been acquitted at a re-trial, having all 

charges dropped or been given an absolute pardon because new evidence 

proved they were innocent. 

     That's almost 4 per year. Every year. For at least the last 40 years. Note 

that these were just the people on death row AND only the ones that 

were able to get exonerated and released. 

     Hundreds; maybe thousands more have served 20 plus years for crimes 

they didn't commit3. How many innocent people have been murdered by the 

justice system we will never know. 

      Don't think it could ever happen to you? Listen to me very carefully. 

Every day, people in this country are sent to prison...or worse... for crimes 

they never committed. Many of them have never committed any crime. It 

absolutely can happen to you!

      I don't care if you are 15, 25 or 75. Men or women; it doesn't matter. You 

may be white, black, red or purple. If you are arrested or even just 

questioned:

KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

Then memorize and repeat these words.

 I have done nothing wrong, but I believe that it is in my best interest to consult with an attorney before I speak to you.” 

     This is all you should say unless and until your lawyer tells you different.
     Once you ask for a lawyer, the questioning is supposed to stop4. If they 

continue to question you they are breaking the law. Don't expect to get them 

thrown in jail, though. It doesn't work that way.

      If you are being questioned, interviewed, interrogated or whatever they 

choose to call it the police are NOT your friends. They are NOT there to help 

you. They WILL lie to you5. They WILL try every trick in their very large 

book6 to trip you up and get you to confess to a crime whether you have 

commited  a crime or not. I can't stress this enough.

      If you are a witness to or a victim of a crime, you must tell the police 

what you saw and/or heard. Stick to the facts and don't talk about anything 

BUT the crime you saw or suffered. If you are questioned about anything else:

ASK FOR A LAWYER AND DO NOT TALK TO THE POLICE 

UNTIL HE OR SHE IS THERE

 
Don't volunteer anything. 

Don't try to sound like a hero. 

Don't offer an alibi. 

Don't talk. Period!!! 

That's why you have a lawyer.




At least that's my opinion. What's yours?

PS: Look for "The Social Media Conspiracy" in October


Citations


Have a conspiracy you'd like me to research? Got a question about 

crypto? Post a comment HERE and I'll do my best to post the answer.

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