Tweet
1.12.2013
1.09.2013
2nd Amendment, 4th Amendment, and the Freedom of Hypocrisy
"Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it."-Thomas Paine
If it's one thing I cannot abide, it is hypocrisy. We see a lot of it in America though, particularly in politics. From top political leaders, to beltway pundits and radio jockeys, right on down to your dear old Uncle Frank. People claiming to hold certain values as inviolable, yet who will turn right around and toss those values on the garbage-heap when it suits an agenda. And more often than not, it is an agenda that the supporters themselves cannot really explain when pressed. They squirm and get angry when confronted with logical debate, but never reverse themselves even when they are exposed as total hypocrites.
It is truly frightening to see these partisan sheeple get that glazed look over their eyes as they begin to chant their party's rhetoric, when you expose the lie for which they stand. Even when you prove to them that they are flat out wrong, they still will not give up that position. No matter what evidence you provide, no matter what logical flaw in their argument you expose. Why? Are Americans truly so indoctrinated and brainwashed that they can no longer think for themselves? Right or wrong no longer applies, red or blue is all that matters. Elections are more like football games today, the issues mere cheerleaders on the sidelines or ignored altogether, while spin, rhetoric, media manipulation and big dollars have become the game. Or worse, the real game all happens now behind the scenes, in secret meetings, where Presidents and party leaders are SE-lected long before they are e-lected, while Americans are fed a steady does of politi-tainment propping up an illusion of choice.
As a Constitutionalist, and a centrist libertarian, I don't have much use for political rhetoric. I am no partisan. I stand by my beliefs, based on facts and sound logic, rather than political affiliations and propaganda. On some issues I may be accused of being a "liberal Commie" while on other issues I get flamed and labeled a "right-wing Fascist." So many folks simply cannot fathom how I might agree with a Democrat on one issue while agreeing with a Republican on another. Always though, the Constitution is there as a basis for all of my values as an American.
So let's take a closer look at two topics which have been hot-button issues in the past year or so. Specifically, the 2nd and 4th Amendments of the Constitution.
With the debate still raging regarding our Right to Bear Arms, in the wake of several deadly mass-shootings, Republicans and the political Right have taken up the mantle of a very strict interpretation of the Constitution. While liberals have made an open and direct assault against the Second Amendment, conservatives have fired back with demands for even less gun regulations.
"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free
state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed." -2nd Amendment, Constitution of the United States
On this issue, I believe in an unconditional right of every citizen to keep and use any man-portable small-arm that is manufactured. Any weapon which might be carried by an infantry soldier, should also be a weapon that can be owned and carried by a citizen. Simple as that, end of story.
Yes, that includes pistols, rifles, assault rifles, high capacity magazines for small arms, knives, swords, spears, hand-grenades, and even rocket launchers. The only restrictions I might place on owning any of these weapons would go along the lines of proficiency, and safe storage. In other words, I would agree to a permit requirement to show that you know how to use something like a grenade launcher, or even a semi-auto pistol as examples, before you can own one. I might also agree to certain permitting requirements for the safe keeping of weapons. That in order to purchase a pistol you also have to purchase a gun lock for it, an assault rifle, a proper gun safe, a truckload of hand grenades, a proper explosive retardant bunker.
Short of that, I really don't see any reason why a person who might just as easily use and have access to these weapons while in military service, should not also be allowed to own these weapons themselves personally. Soldiers are no more "trustworthy" than you or I. In fact, history shows that soldiers are just as often the oppressors of the people, as they are the liberators of the oppressed. History also shows that a people who can resist by force, may defeat a would-be oppressor. The very basis of the Second Amendment was never to protect your right to hunt, or to protect your home from burglars. It was, and always has been to protect you from your own government.
![]() | |
| Chuck Schumer |
A liberal media outlet has suddenly turned to hiring private guards armed with machine guns, after shooting themselves in the foot so to speak, in a shameful ploy to sell newspapers by printing the names and addresses of legally permitted gun-owners in New York State. Thus, in just a few quick examples, we see the hypocrisy of the anti-gun-liberals in this country.
Republican-conservatives are often thought of as, and even fancy themselves as, the protectors of the Constitution. The good-sense traditionalists who stand as the rock which progressives must slowly chisel away at in order to advance their leftist agenda. Sadly though, this is not really the truth, and the political Right are at least as much the hypocrites that the Left are. So while I stand with the conservatives on the Second Amendment and our right to bear arms, I suddenly find myself at odds with my Right-wing friends when it comes to the Fourth Amendment.
You see, as I already stated, I am a Constitutionalist. A strict and true Constitutionalist who will not be swayed by social agendas, party politics and propaganda. Even if it means I must suffer the betrayal of my Right-wing friends who stood with me to defend the Second Amendment, I will remain true to the Constitution, and stay the course to defend the Fourth Amendment as well.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers,
and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." -4th Amendment, Constitution of the United States
One cannot pick and choose which rights and which portions of the Constitution they will support at any given moment, simply to support one's own personal political agenda or biased beliefs. You either believe in the Constitution, or you don't. Even when it comes to seemingly more difficult interpretations, there really isn't as much ambiguity as we are taught to think. Not so much room for interpretation, as shady political leaders and the Supreme Court have led us to believe.
In the 2nd Amendment we are left with "...shall not be infringed" being interpreted as "so long as you abide by police-state codes dictating who can carry what where and when." The 4th Amendment's "no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause" has now been distorted to mean that so-called "probable cause" is the warrant, and that the actual warrant, often with little or no basis, is a mere afterthought or simply does not exist at all. The consequences have been catastrophic for freedom-loving people, as the 4th Amendment is torn asunder in the guise of national security, crime fighting, public safety...
Submit to Sexual Degradation at the Hands of Overlords
Police State of Mind
Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Fear?
After two tours in Iraq, Marine murdered at home by SWAT in front of family
Indiana Governor Signs Law Allowing Residents to Resist Illegal Police Searches
Checkpoint Gringo
Papers Please
... and of course, in the name of attacking the poor. Brazen class warfare has begun, where poor folks are to be openly denied liberty.
While many of my conservative friends may be open to discussion on some issues, there are two which I find they support universally, and without discussion. The first is, of course, the right to bear arms. The second, in completely hypocritical fashion, is drug testing of welfare recipients.
In one breath they support the Constitution unconditionally, in the next, they support the destruction of the Constitution, without question, based entirely on an irrational bias against the poor. This, I cannot abide. I am no hypocrite. And so, just as I stand to support the 2nd Amendment, I will also stand to defend the 4th Amendment.
For the government to demand a search of your bodily fluids, it is far more personal and serious than a search of even your home or your papers. It is also a direct violation of the 4th Amendment, when there is no warrant or reasonable suspicion that the person is guilty of any crime.
One might argue that welfare is socialism, that people on welfare abuse the system, that there are millions of jobs out there waiting for each and every person on welfare if they would just get off their lazy asses. One might even argue that drug abuse is the whole reason we have a welfare class in the first place, that everyone on welfare are drug addicted scum. Even if all the stereotypes were true, it still would not change the fact mandatory drug testing is a violation of the 4th Amendment.
Why Drug Testing of Welfare Recipients is a Bad Idea
Welfare Drug Testing, Give Me One Good Reason
It makes no difference if you choose to submit to a drug test at work. Welfare is not a job for one thing, it is a government service. So in that sense, saying that people on welfare should be drug tested is like saying that anyone who calls for a fire engine should be drug tested. Or that anyone with municipal garbage collection is also subject to random drug screenings. So you really can't compare the two. Secondly, just because you choose to work for some fascist company who demeans you and demands that you piss in a cup every month, doesn't mean that you can force your choice on other people. That twisted logic would be the same as saying that just because my job requires $500 in state licensing fees each year, that everyone should be forced to pay or the same license whether they need it or not.
No matter what reason you can come up with for drug testing, not one supersedes the Constitution. So, if you support the Second Amendment, while at the same time supporting drug testing on welfare recipients, you are a hypocrite, a tyrant, and a danger to Constitutional liberty.
For every reason that you can come up with why the 4th Amendment should not apply to the poor, those same excuses could be made to take away your guns, not to mention your own 4th Amendment rights. Because, make no mistake, once they start drug testing on welfare unchallenged, and the last vestiges of the 4th Amendment are swept aside, the floodgates will be opened to mandatory drug testing and then even DNA sampling of every last person in this country.
"He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." -Thomas Paine
People on welfare should give up their 4th Amendment rights and submit to a drug test, because they might be drug addicts.
Gun owners should give up their 2nd Amendment rights because they might use a gun to go out and kill a lot of innocent people.
If I am going to be drug tested at work, people on welfare need to be drug tested too.
If I am not going to carry a gun, you can't either.
People on welfare are druggies.
Gun-owners are violent people.
People on welfare should just go out and get a job.
People should just call the police if they need help.
People on welfare abuse the system.
People who own guns put us all in danger.
Welfare drug testing will force people to stop using drugs.
Banning guns will stop people from killing eachother.
There are ways to get help other than welfare.
There are better alternatives than owning a gun.
I was an addict, I never asked for help.
I have been robbed before, I didn't nee a gun.
People should be forced to go to rehab if they are on drugs.
Gun owners should have to undergo extensive psych exams.
If you want welfare, prove you are clean.
Prove that you need a gun.
Etcetera. I will add more one-liners there as I see them come up in discussions.
"All
these things have followed from the want of a constitution; for it is
the nature and intention of a constitution to prevent governing by
party, by establishing a common principle that shall limit and control
the power and impulse
of party, and that says to all parties, thus far shalt thou go and no
further. But in the absence of a constitution, men look entirely to
party; and instead of principle governing party, party governs
principle. An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads
men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws.
He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy
from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent
that will reach to himself." ~Thomas Paine
Tweet
1.08.2013
PhD's On Foodstamps (Infographic)
All too often, when I try to have a sensible discussion with my friends and debate opponents regarding poverty in this country, they try to punt the issue to a "work harder" sort of logic. As if the issues of poverty are caused by the victims of terminally flawed economic policy. The facts, however, do not stand up to blame-shift logic. Blaming the victims will not solve the problem, or hold the responsible accountable.
It's all too easy to put out a video of an ignorant black woman with 15 kids, and make her the poster child of public assistance. But that's like saying that some Ku Klux Klan skinhead is the spokesperson for all sensible gun-owners in America.
Usually when I get into a discussion about public assistance programs, the argument goes something like this.
Also check out these infographics:
Breadlines and Foodstamps
Wal-Mart: Lower Prices, Higher Taxes
Also see:
Analyzing a Practical Minimum Wage
U.S. Workers Most Exploited in Developed World
Tweet
It's all too easy to put out a video of an ignorant black woman with 15 kids, and make her the poster child of public assistance. But that's like saying that some Ku Klux Klan skinhead is the spokesperson for all sensible gun-owners in America.
Usually when I get into a discussion about public assistance programs, the argument goes something like this.
Opponent: People on welfare just need to get a job.
Six: There are no jobs for 3 out of 4 Americans who apply. (Nevermind the millions who are not counted as unemployed because their insurance has expired.)
Opponent: So then they need to go back to school.
Six: Why? So we can have better educated people on food-stamps?
- Please visit graphic SOURCE
“People who dismiss the unemployed and dependent as ‘parasites’ fail to understand economics and parasitism. A successful parasite is one that is not recognized by its host, one that can make its host work for it without appearing as a burden. Such is the ruling class in a capitalist society.” -Professor Jason Read, University of Southern Maine
Also check out these infographics:
Breadlines and Foodstamps
Wal-Mart: Lower Prices, Higher Taxes
Also see:
Analyzing a Practical Minimum Wage
U.S. Workers Most Exploited in Developed World
Tweet
Did 'Seinfeld' Predict O.J. Murder Case?
From Seinfeld, Season 5 - "The
Masseuse" (original airdate November 1993): Elaine wants her boyfriend
Joel Rifkin to change his name because it's the same as a famous
murderer.
This episode aired 7 months before the infamous Bronco chase, where football star OJ Simpson was pursued by police wanted for the alleged murder of his estranged wife.
Tweet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Latest Headlines
-
-
Palace handed Andrew's controversial envoy emails six years ago - Thousands of emails containing information about the former prince's financial dealings were given to the Royal Household in 2020.5 hours ago
-
"Not My Cup Of Tea": 33 Actors Who Criticized The Writing, Directing, And Production Of Their Own Movies - "It was the most irresponsible bit of filmmaking — if you can even call it that — that I've ever seen." ------------------------------ View Entire Post ›7 hours ago
-
DOJ Moves To Disqualify Judge Ross In Election Interference Case - The Eleventh Circuit's decision to identify a conflict of interest, but not identify the conflicted judge, leaves litigants guessing.9 hours ago
-
Painting the growing season in the Maize Triangle - Radar data from an agricultural area in South Africa, shown in a vivid color palette, reveal crop types and how they changed during the Southern Hemisphere...11 hours ago
-
Wis. sheriff: Live video from 911 caller helped speed response to ladder fall - A person who called 911 to assist a man who was severely injured after falling from a ladder was able to share video from the scene with dispatchers, aidin...14 hours ago
-
Massive Scottish wrens demonstrate island gigantism in action - Scientists have identified species of wren that have almost doubled in size due to a unique evolutionary phenomenon. When a small animal species becom...16 hours ago
-
The Most Difficult And Dangerous “Grid” To Escape - Why Off-Grid Thinking Has To Begin With This Hidden Truth I’ve been writing about the grid as primarily conceptual and not electrical. That’s because most ...16 hours ago
-
Nicola Sturgeon claims she knew nothing, saw nothing and will apologise for nothing. Yet can this detail-obsessed career politician, who prided herself on being such a great judge of character, REALLY not admit she actually got so many things wrong? - It has been another one of those difficult weeks for Nicola Sturgeon . Another man she thought she knew well turns out to have been beyond the pale.18 hours ago
-
Romania drone uproar a diversion from Zelensky’s ‘bloody terrorist attack’ in Starobelsk – Moscow - [image: Preview] Hype over a drone incident in Romania is meant to distract from Ukraine’s attack on Starobelsk, Maria Zakharova has told RT Read Full Arti...19 hours ago
-
Trumpâs 5,000 troop surge to Poland sparks Russian warning of âmilitary-technicalâ response - (NaturalNews) The United States is once again deepening its military footprint on Russiaâs doorstep, this time with a promise from President Donald Trum...1 day ago
-
Uganda Closes Borders To DRC As Suspected Ebola Cases Are Now Over 1000 - In response to a rapidly spreading Ebola outbreak, Uganda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. This news comes as the suspected cas...1 day ago
-
Shortages And Rationing Loom As Global Oil Reserves Fall At The Fastest Rate In History - No matter what happens now, the world is facing a very painful energy crisis. Let’s be as wildly optimistic as we possibly can and assume that Iran agree...1 day ago
-
The Shocking and Revealing Moments of Britney Spears’ Bizarre DUI Arrest Footage - In newly released dashcam footage of Britney Spears' DUI arrest, the singer was described as "erratic" and "nonsensical." A close look at her interaction...1 day ago
-
Event with David Icke, Cathy O’Brien and a stream of global speakers in the UK this September - THE GREATEST DISCLOSURE EVENT ON EARTH For three unforgettable days, some of the most talked-about voices in consciousness, hidden history, spirituality, U...1 day ago
-
Cosplay Models Shock Internet by Selling “Feet Juice” at California Anime Festival - One of the highlights of this year's Fanime Con in San Jose was the female cosplayers selling glasses of fruit juice steeped in their own feet. The post C...2 days ago
-
Bob Lazar Documentary Director Claims Key Parts of the S4 Story May Still Be Missing - Director Luigi Vendittelli’s investigation into Bob Lazar’s alleged work at S4 near Area 51 adds new intrigue to the decades-old controversy. While he be...3 weeks ago
-
How to launch your own HR consulting business for corporate clients - Corporate leaders face constant pressure to comply with shifting labor laws while maintaining a high-performance culture. That tension creates a steady dem...4 weeks ago
-
Most Transparent Admin in History? 2026 Begins with EPA Axing FOIA Provision, Secret Climate Working Group Documents, and More Disappearing Data - Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency published in the Federal Register its plan to stop expedited Freedom of Information Act request processing f...3 months ago
-
'Wheel of Fortune' Began as 'Hangman: The Game Show' - By Amanda Mannen Published: December 25th, 20255 months ago
-
Donald Trump Cancels Second Mainstream Interview in Days - Marco Bello/Reuters Donald Trump pulled out of another mainstream interview Thursday–this time nixing a sit-down with NBC News. The interview, CNN reporte...1 year ago
-
-
-
This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now. - The publisher is using a new address for their RSS feed. Please update your feed reader to use this new URL: *http://www.alternet.org/home/feed*3 years ago
-
John Stamos’ Friend Says He’s “Devastated’ Full House Family Is Now Mired in Scandal - A friend of John Stamos stated that the 'Full House' star is "devastated" by Bob Saget's death, co-star scandals.3 years ago
-
Joe Scarborough: Every single conspiracy is easily disproven in about two or three minutes - Intellihub | "I walk through it--every single conspiracy theory is disproven in about two or three minutes." The post Joe Scarborough: Every single consp...5 years ago
-
Building demolition goes wrong - Building collapses on excavator, fortunately no-one was reported injured5 years ago
-
New French coronavirus deaths steady, infections creep up - The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 28 to 29,603 on Thursday, the same increase as Wednesday, but the number of new ...5 years ago
-
U.S. prison riot teams faulted for injuring staff during exercises - U.S. Bureau of Prisons riot teams that helped protect the White House during protests earlier this month injured employees by deploying flash bang grenades...5 years ago
-
The Hemp Industry / Staying Positive - Air Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2020 Doug Fine discussed the many amazing properties of hemp. Followed by Eldon Taylor on staying positive in the COVID-19 era.6 years ago
-
“City of Manchester” Gives Cop Blocker $15,000 After Illegal Arrest by Lying Cop at DUI Checkpoint - National talk show host, Linux entrepreneur, and Cop Block activist Christopher Waid knew there was a chance he could be “City of Manchester” Gives Cop B...6 years ago
-
Burials begin in quake- and tsunami-hit Indonesian region - A mass burial of earthquake and tsunami victims was being prepared in a hard-hit city Monday as the need for heavy equipment to dig for survivors of the di...7 years ago
-
Yet another federal judge tears into qualified immunity, citing Cato Institute & Will Baude - The legal blogosphere has been abuzz with Judge Willett’s recent “dubitante” concurrence in Zadeh v. Robinson, in which the Twitter superstar and Supreme...7 years ago
-
The Alzheimer’s Drug that Might Unlock Your Dreams - As excited as I get about the potentiality of psychedelic drugs, I get far more amped about pushing the boundaries of dreams as I’m not sure there are an...7 years ago
-
AP Investigation: Sustainable seafood dealer sold fishy tale - MONTAUK, New York (AP) — Even after winter storms left East Coast harbors thick with ice, some of the country's top chefs and trendy restaurants were offer...7 years ago
-
AP Investigation: Sustainable seafood dealer sold fishy tale - MONTAUK, New York (AP) — Even after winter storms left East Coast harbors thick with ice, some of the country's top chefs and trendy restaurants were offer...7 years ago
-
St. Paul raccoon reaches roof after scaling downtown tower - ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A raccoon that became an internet sensation by scaling a 25-story office tower in downtown St. Paul was safely trapped early Wednesd...7 years ago
-
DOJ Stumbles at Hearing on Detaining Immigrants - Criticizing an attorney for the government for arguing issues he never raised in briefing, the First Circuit seemed likely at a hearing Wednesday to u...9 years ago
-
Breaking Down Barriers in Sexual and Reproductive Health Reporting in Africa - *This is a guest post by Humphrey Nabimanya, founder of Reach a Hand Uganda. * [image: 2016-04-15-1460736651-1435623-huffpo1.jpg]*Journalists and bloggers...10 years ago
-
Mom Has Stacked Dinner Party Roster - GOLDEN, CO—Their eyes widening in amazement as the 43-year-old rattled off the names of heavy hitter after heavy hitter, impressed members of the Dreesh...10 years ago
-
Goodnight, and good luck - A valedictory note from Al Jazeera America on what we tried to bring to the online news landscape10 years ago
-
-
-


