CitizenK
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I'm Back Guys!!! I've missed you so much!!!
Posts: 562
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Post by CitizenK on Jan 6, 2013 21:59:21 GMT -6
Kitty Werthermann survived Hitler's terror and wants to warn America and tell her story.... December 22, 2012 - “What I am about to tell you is something you’ve probably never heard or read in history books,” she likes to tell audiences. “I am a witness to history. “I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. If you remember the plot of the Sound of Music, the Von Trapp family escaped over the Alps rather than submit to the Nazis. Kitty wasn’t so lucky. Her family chose to stay in her native Austria. She was 10 years old, but bright and aware. And she was watching. “We elected him by a landslide – 98 percent of the vote,” she recalls. She wasn’t old enough to vote in 1938 – approaching her 11th birthday. But she remembers. “Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.” No so. Hitler is welcomed to Austria “In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unem- ployed. We had 25 percent inflation and 25 percent bank loan interest rates. Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were go- ing from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs. “My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.’ “We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.” she recalls. “We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living. Austrian girls welcome Hitler “Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group – Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone in Germany was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back. “Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler. “We were overjoyed,” remembers Kitty, “and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed. Austrians saluting “After the election, German officials were appointed, and like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service. “Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teach- ing profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been re- quired to give up for marriage. “Then we lost religious education for kids Poster promoting "Hitler Youth" “Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,’ and had physical education. “Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail.” And then things got worse. “The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free. “We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had. “My mother was very unhappy,” remembers Kitty. “When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination. “I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing. A pro-Hitler rally “Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler. “It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of hu- manistic philosophy. “In 1939, the war started and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death. “Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men. “Soon after this, the draft was implemented. Young Austrians “It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps,” remembers Kitty. “During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys. “They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines. “When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat. “Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service. “When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately es- tablished child care centers. “You could take your children ages four weeks old to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, seven days a week, under the total care of the government. “The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had. “Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna.. “After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything. “When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full. “If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the med- ical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries. “As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families. “All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing. “We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. “ Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because peo- ple might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands. “Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control. “We had consumer protection, too Austrian kids loyal to Hitler “We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it. “In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated. “So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good man- ual work. “I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van. “I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months. “They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness. “As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia. “Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily. “No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up. “Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.” “This is my eye-witness account. “It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity. “America is truly is the greatest country in the world. “Don’t let freedom slip away. “After America, there is no place to go.” Kitty Werthmann Attachments:
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Post by skywalker on Jan 6, 2013 22:57:49 GMT -6
Doesn't that sound like exactly what is happening right now in the US?
"The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service."
The government now is spending trillions of dollars building roads and bridges to provide jobs to people.
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“Then we lost religious education for kids."
“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore."
The government doesn't want there to be any prayer or religion in the schools. They won't let the schools display nativity scenes at Christmas. They won't allow and religious groups to use any school property for anything.
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“Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler."
Our society is now embracing a "loose lifestyle" where people are obsessed with drugs and sex and women are constantly get pregnant out of wedlock. They are even starting to teach kids in schools how to use contraceptives and get abortions without letting their parents find out.
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“Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna.. “After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything.
“When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.
“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the med- ical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries."
This is what is in the process of happening to our health care system. And that is the way it is going to turn out when the government finishes taking control of it.
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“As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income."
Our taxes were just raised up to 39% and some politicians are already talking about raising them even higher...up to 70%.
------------------------------------------------------------
“We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. “ Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because peo- ple might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands.
“Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control."
Our government is also increasing regulations on businesses and making it harder for them to stay in business. There are over 1500 new regulations that come out of Washington every single day. Many businesses are going bankrupt because of the increasing costs of compliance.
---------------------------------------------------------
“We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it."
Our government is now telling people what they can and can't buy. You can't buy the old style lightbulbs anymore. You can't buy high-flush toilets anymore. They are trying to ban sugary drinks and salty foods and cars that don't get a million miles to the gallon.
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“Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily."
Gun control is what the government is pushing for right now. They will start off small with increased background checks and required registration but a total ban on all guns is their ultimate goal.
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“No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up."
We are heading in this direction too. The government is beginning to impose censorship on the internet and some politicians are calling for the removal of the Constitution. It won't be long before there is no freedom of speech anymore.
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It amazes me how every time I look at what the Nazis did in the 1930s I see the United States doing the exact same things right now. I keep trying to warn people but people keep getting mad at me for doing it. I sometimes wonder why I even waste my breath anymore. Nobody listens. The people in this country seem intent on embracing socialism just the same as the Austrians and Germans did. We are going to end up with the same results.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 23:42:44 GMT -6
In the state of Alaska alcohol is heavily taxed now.
When a person gets too many DUIs/DWIs they get an alcohol restricted state of Alaska driver's license... that means they get a red bar on their driver's license. They are not legally permitted to purchase alcohol.
When they first started this a lot of customers would yell at me while I was at work because I would ask a 60 year old man to see his driver's license. I had to explain to every single customer the reason why I needed to check their ID.
One day while I was at work, this old lady came into the store. She asked me where the cheap rum was because she was making holiday goodies for her family and needed rum to make her recipes. I showed her where they were and she brought it up to my cash register.
I noticed she had a slight German accent.
When she set the rum up on the counter I asked her if I could see her ID. She asked me why. I explained the new law to her. She said, and I quote, "Oh. I understand now. We are now living in a police state."
I nodded. I said, "Yes. Like in NAZI Germany."
"No!" she exclaimed, "It is NOT THAT BAD here... yet!" She said, "A man at the bus station said he didn't like the Fuerher and he disappeared! Whenever anyone spoke against the Fuehrer he disappeared! It is NOT THAT BAD HERE YET!"
"It's heading that way though." I said.
She nodded and said, "Let us hope it doesn't go that far again. I have seen it happen before. I do not want to see it again. This is why I came to America- to get away from that!"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2013 2:52:34 GMT -6
Doesn't that sound like exactly what is happening right now in the US? "The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service."The government now is spending trillions of dollars building roads and bridges to provide jobs to people. ----------------------------------------------- “Then we lost religious education for kids."
“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore."The government doesn't want there to be any prayer or religion in the schools. They won't let the schools display nativity scenes at Christmas. They won't allow and religious groups to use any school property for anything. --------------------------------------------------- “Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler."Our society is now embracing a "loose lifestyle" where people are obsessed with drugs and sex and women are constantly get pregnant out of wedlock. They are even starting to teach kids in schools how to use contraceptives and get abortions without letting their parents find out. ------------------------------------------------------ “Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna.. “After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything.
“When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.
“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the med- ical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries."This is what is in the process of happening to our health care system. And that is the way it is going to turn out when the government finishes taking control of it. ----------------------------------------------------------- “As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income."Our taxes were just raised up to 39% and some politicians are already talking about raising them even higher...up to 70%. ------------------------------------------------------------ “We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables. “ Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because peo- ple might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands.
“Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control."Our government is also increasing regulations on businesses and making it harder for them to stay in business. There are over 1500 new regulations that come out of Washington every single day. Many businesses are going bankrupt because of the increasing costs of compliance. --------------------------------------------------------- “We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the live-stock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it."Our government is now telling people what they can and can't buy. You can't buy the old style lightbulbs anymore. You can't buy high-flush toilets anymore. They are trying to ban sugary drinks and salty foods and cars that don't get a million miles to the gallon. ---------------------------------------------------------- “Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily."Gun control is what the government is pushing for right now. They will start off small with increased background checks and required registration but a total ban on all guns is their ultimate goal. -------------------------------------------------------------- “No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up."We are heading in this direction too. The government is beginning to impose censorship on the internet and some politicians are calling for the removal of the Constitution. It won't be long before there is no freedom of speech anymore. ------------------------------------------------- It amazes me how every time I look at what the Nazis did in the 1930s I see the United States doing the exact same things right now. I keep trying to warn people but people keep getting mad at me for doing it. I sometimes wonder why I even waste my breath anymore. Nobody listens. The people in this country seem intent on embracing socialism just the same as the Austrians and Germans did. We are going to end up with the same results. While reading this article Ck posted I was thinking along the same lines with each reply. You saved me a lot of writing Skywalker.
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CitizenK
Full Member
I'm Back Guys!!! I've missed you so much!!!
Posts: 562
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Post by CitizenK on Jan 7, 2013 21:48:38 GMT -6
Yep, me too Cliff...that's why I posted it. I think this is the reason she has decided to speak out too. We have to stop being arm chair citizens and come back to our duties of being active citizens instead.
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Post by paulette on Jan 7, 2013 22:02:56 GMT -6
Very very scary. I've read various versions of what was going on and how uncurious the people were about the starving slave laborers that were supplied to work on their farms. It just wasn't safe to be curious. When you read a report of these times it seems inhumane and terrible. But most people were totally caught in the web of surveyance (which included their own children).
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2013 23:59:17 GMT -6
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Post by paulette on Jan 8, 2013 17:06:58 GMT -6
Wow! I wonder what happened to her! This is the backstory behind cheap Dollar Store (and Walmart and K Mart and just about every other store in North America).
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Post by skywalker on Jan 8, 2013 19:29:09 GMT -6
China is a communist country. Communist countries look at their people as expendable assets to be used however the government leaders see fit. All the more reason for us to not become like them.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2013 0:33:56 GMT -6
Terrifying. And to think- the current administration keeps borrowing more and more money from China... ...such a great idea. Keep spending ourselves into slavery... soon we will all be in forced labor camps after China decides they own our country... if they keep giving us money we never pay back eventually that is what will happen...
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Post by paulette on Jan 9, 2013 12:31:31 GMT -6
I hope the arithmetic of competing with slave labor is clear to all. It might go something like this:
Profits on goods produced by slave labor in China > Profits on goods produced by Western workers with adequate job compension (> means greater than)
therefore: Goods produced by China swamp and relace that of Western business UNLESS
Number of slave labor jobs in China = or< Number of working prisoners (non or barely paid) in USA and Canada.
We're working on that here - we have less crime (statistically) but the government is scrambling to build privatized prisons. We're also eliminating legal aide so more people will be available. Enhanced security ensures that more people will be caught doing SOMETHING wrong at some point. Edgar Rice Burrows wrote a book, The Naked Lunch. It was semi-lucid and went in several directions but in one scene the police run into someone's house, ramsack it and find a pen. "Aha! a pen." The owner says something like "So what?". He is hauled off saying that...its not required in that alternate reality to tell him why or even if there is a why.
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Post by randy on Jan 10, 2013 22:23:53 GMT -6
Part of the group advising Biden and Obama on gun control is a UN advisor. How would George Washington and Jefferson view them consulting with a foreign power in how best to disarm the citizens of America. I think the word treason comes to mind. Some may not view things through the same lense that I do but no point in pussy footing about it.
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CitizenK
Full Member
I'm Back Guys!!! I've missed you so much!!!
Posts: 562
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Post by CitizenK on Jan 11, 2013 0:03:27 GMT -6
I agree Randy, seems folks have forgotten that the 2nd amendment was actually put in place "to protect the citizens from a usurping government". Not just to defend ourselves against a "bad" guy, but from all threats, foreign and domestic. Our forefathers saw the potential for the government to take control, which is what they fought for in this country to begin with. Many of our great leaders since them have seen the same potential and some even boldly warned the public of such. (Eisenhower, for example) We should heed this warning from this lady and from our past great leaders to be wary, alert, and prepared for the attempts to crumble our amendments and constitution. Not just the 2nd amendment but any of them. It's time to take a stand and take back our country. How does it read ... "Of the People,By the People, For the People, shall not perish from the Earth"...
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CitizenK
Full Member
I'm Back Guys!!! I've missed you so much!!!
Posts: 562
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Post by CitizenK on Jan 11, 2013 0:05:50 GMT -6
The 4th amendment has already been jeopardized under the guise of the attacks on our country, we can't afford to take another hit on our rights because of others in this country who are determined to undermined and intentionally bring harm to others ;
Amendment IV
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.
I put this here so that you can read over what constitutes for a stand against the people in position of government
Annotated text of the Declaration
The declaration is not divided into formal sections; but it is often discussed as consisting of five parts: Introduction, the Preamble, the Indictment of George III, the Denunciation of the British people, and the Conclusion.[74] Introduction
Asserts as a matter of Natural Law the ability of a people to assume political independence; acknowledges that the grounds for such independence must be reasonable, and therefore explicable, and ought to be explained. In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. Preamble;
*Outlines a general philosophy of government that justifies revolution when government harms natural rights.[74]
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Indictment;
A bill of particulars documenting the king's "repeated injuries and usurpations" of the Americans' rights and liberties.[74]
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness of his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Denunciation
This section essentially finished the case for independence. The conditions that justified revolution have been shown.[74] Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. Conclusion
The signers assert that there exist conditions under which people must change their government, that the British have produced such conditions, and by necessity the colonies must throw off political ties with the British Crown and become independent states. The conclusion contains, at its core, the Lee Resolution that had been passed on July 2. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. Signatures
The first and most famous signature on the engrossed copy was that of John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress. Two future presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, were among the signatories. Edward Rutledge (age 26), was the youngest signer, and Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest signer. The fifty-six signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows (from north to south):[75]
New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton Massachusetts: Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross Delaware: George Read, Caesar Rodney, Thomas McKean Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
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Post by randy on Jan 12, 2013 23:41:32 GMT -6
Read Patrick Henrys give me liberty or give me death speech. It is very timely especially the part that the next breeze may bring the noise of battle against tyranny. Great speech. I have it on film done in WWII as short for the movies. they did a John Ford movie on Pearl Harbor at the start of WWII but it was banned by the Navy. I have the full version but a much edited version is around with about half the film gone. Not PC is the excuse now. Some new history books say that the movie victory of faith a German propaganda movie never existed yet I have seen it It is what it is and nothing more Yet the powers that be are going to great lengths to deny that it ever existed Why is the question at least for me
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Post by skywalker on Jan 13, 2013 21:00:54 GMT -6
Victory of Faith is for sale on DVD. They said one copy of it was found in England even though Hitler tried to have them all destroyed. ihffilm.com/vicoffaitsie.html
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niki
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Post by niki on Aug 13, 2013 10:54:05 GMT -6
My, my, how things have changed since the beginning of this thread. We now know that the NSA is monitoring our internet usage, emails, web searches, and online activity. Our kids now need permits to operate lemonade stands. Our government has approved a health care system that many deem unconstitutional, a health care system that, for all intents and purposes, our own government has exempted itself from. We can be told what sized Slurpee to buy, whether or not we can own pressure cookers, we can be harassed by the IRS if our political message does not match the message of those in office. Our President once referred to whistleblowers as protectors of the American people....he now refers to them as traitors. It's a sad, sad time for America.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 11:42:17 GMT -6
Amen to that Niki...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2013 15:41:37 GMT -6
My, my, how things have changed since the beginning of this thread. We now know that the NSA is monitoring our internet usage, emails, web searches, and online activity. Our kids now need permits to operate lemonade stands. Our government has approved a health care system that many deem unconstitutional, a health care system that, for all intents and purposes, our own government has exempted itself from. We can be told what sized Slurpee to buy, whether or not we can own pressure cookers, we can be harassed by the IRS if our political message does not match the message of those in office. Our President once referred to whistleblowers as protectors of the American people....he now refers to them as traitors. It's a sad, sad time for America. Yep. So true !
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Post by bewildered on Aug 14, 2013 15:25:05 GMT -6
I tend to be someone that isn't well-received by my fellow Americans as it pertains to discussions like this one, partially because I spent the formative years of my life living outside of the continental United States. Because of that, I generally don't hold to the same popular beliefs that others often subscribe to. I experienced life in a different way exposed to a variety of influences, so it's little surprise that this is so. I was very critical of ideas and concepts that I encountered when I was young, running them rigorously through a process of falsification until I was satisfied one way or the other. Sometimes I was right, other times I was wrong; regardless of that, I still think that questioning everything is the best way for me to approach things that I encounter.
I found myself increasingly at odds with what I started to think of as the "American Mythos." Through my travels and diverse work experience (I've dug holes, wore a uniform, built houses, and worked for years in the public sector), I started noticing inconsistencies with what I would observe in human behavior, living conditions, work environments, and what many Americans popularly believed (or, as I would learn later, what many of us were taught to believe). I'm not received very well because my observations don't agree with the overwhelming majority of what my fellow Americans hold as unassailable truths. People who work hard to conform to stereotypes from one side of the spectrum to the other object to my lack of an identifying group...but I won't apologize for that. I prefer to arrive at my own conclusions through observation and an analysis of evidence. I've been opposed by everyone from "flag-waving patriots" to self-styled "student activists," and the reason why I refuse to remain silent is simple: the truth is its own majority, and I feel an obligation to speak up.
A perusal of American history from one key event to another will reveal the notion of America as a "free country" to be a glaring falsehood. It was only ever "free" for those of the "right" gender, skin color/ancestry, religious affiliation, and economic status. That was how America began, which in truth was nothing more than a continuation of the way things "always were" in the Colonies. America's transformation from a rural backwater to a developing industrial powerhouse was conducted on the backs of droves of ethnic Chinese, Irish, African-Americans, and Native Americans who were treated and used like slaves. The romantic vision of the early American railroad wouldn't be complete without a vision of the grim reality that made it possible: men who were lured by the promise of steady wages to fill work crews that weren't actually paid at all. Instead of a supervisor, they faced armed foremen who would kill deserters and those who caused trouble. This was not concealed from either the public nor the government. It's yet another tragic chapter in the real history of America, one that American kids aren't exposed to in schools across the country.
Imagine what would happen if Americans were to learn about their actual history, not the flights of fancy they were programmed to believe in. They might eventually discover that the Affordable Health Care Act was written and adjusted by the Insurance Industry as it navigated the precarious path from one Committee to the other, and that "Obama Care" doesn't actually change a single thing except the following: exponentially increased profits for the insurance providers. They would discover that Congress possesses the sovereign right to tax and regulate interstate commerce thanks to Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution. They can levy taxes and borrow money despite the noise made by people who fancy themselves "defenders of the Constitution." This means that not only is the Internal Revenue Service legally entitled to exist, but also that Congress may utilize "Obama Care" as an extension of its Constitutional right to levy taxes. That's why it survived scrutiny by the Supreme Court.
America doesn't spend "trillions" to provide infrastructure-improving jobs. It spend trillions on military hardware and global surveillance instead. The sad fact of the matter is, our infrastructure is quite literally falling apart. The same people who picket abortion clinics will turn around, wave their flags, and shout "bomb them Islams!" America is a mosaic of an overwhelming national hypocrisy, a culture that believes in things that only exist in the fairy tales of their youth. Now more than ever, it's time that people wake up to the truth: we don't understand what "freedom" means because we've never actually experienced it from sea to shining sea. While some of us receive preferential treatment because of our skin color and sexual orientation, countless others are harassed by the police, demonized by preachers in their pulpits, and are treated like human refuse.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2013 23:20:30 GMT -6
Don't get me wrong. I'm a very patriotic American, but not as much as I use to be. I love my country and, for the most part,what it stands for. I was one of the last to stand behind George W., and still do. I have had a majority whip Congressman (now Senator (Rep.)Roy Blunt)help me twice, he, and his staff. For that, I am deeply appreciative. There are still good people in office who care. There may be reasons we, the lower people on the totem pole, do not understand for many of the actions taken by certain branches of our Govt.. I too, try to look at both sides of the equation. I have lost my trust however, in many things pertaining to various decisions and certain elected officials. The media also. I honestly didn't even vote this last time around. One reason being because I didn't have a birth certificate (lost during an IRS audit). The other being because one of the final candidates running during that time didn't seem qualified with enough experience to vote for. The other guy just plain worried me with his hot headedness (not a word, but I'll use it anyway). That, Imo, is not someone that I would want to see holding "the football". I, along with many others, am frustrated with several topics concerning what has been happening. Many of those being what several of us have addressed in this thread, and others. I don't feel the freedom I once had when I was younger. I would like to once again have that strong feeling of patriotism but it is diminishing more and more. I wont go into all of the reasons why. Most have already been addressed by several others throughout this forum in many places and it would just take too long of a post. In addition to that, it may cause conflict among other members with differing beliefs and for that reason I would rather just avoid addressing them. I can wholeheartedly understand why so many others feel the same. I try to not even discuss politics in my own home because I am a Republican and Kelly is a Democrat. Cliff
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Post by bewildered on Aug 15, 2013 0:22:40 GMT -6
Diversity is a good thing, Cliff. Accepting diversity is actually the cornerstone of what would truly qualify as a "free" society. Civilized people can and do get along, and they do it by identifying common ground and goals, and working together to achieve and preserve them. Intolerance is indicative of the inability to change and adapt - the refusal to grow is antithetical to actually living this life. What troubles me is the effort to paint nationalism as patriotism, intolerance as pride, and a lack of understanding as the "American Way."
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niki
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Post by niki on Aug 15, 2013 6:32:59 GMT -6
To me the problem is not a Republican problem nor a Democrat problem. It is a government problem, and more importantly, it’s a people problem. Government has simply gotten too big and we‘ve allowed it. We are living, in many ways, under a police state, while our civil liberties and rights are slowly being modified, removed, and adjusted, all under the guise of terrorism or some other scare. Watch the news, and every time a whistleblower appears or serious questions are posed to government we’ll quickly see a diversionary tactic in response --a new terror threat appears which quickly pivots our attention. Fear is what motivates everything now. Fear of sequesters, fear of terrorist attacks, fear of war, fear of our neighbors cooking up bombs in pressure cookers. Its all to divert our attention from what is really happening. The whole thing reminds me of the line in Star Wars: “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for….” Our military funding could wipe out world hunger and yet we continue to spend trillions on wars that, let’s face it, have nothing to do with us anymore. Our middle class is being squeezed to the point of poverty. Our graduates are working at McDonald’s to pay student loans which will take them a lifetime to pay. People with Masters Degrees are working at Walmart while we continue to send jobs overseas. And yet, we’re to blame. We’re allowing these things to happen for fear of what will happen if we put our proverbial feet down. Call someone out and you might be labeled a terrorist or traitor yourself. It’s a corrupt and broken system that just keeps chugging along, getting more and more broken in the process. You are right, Cliff…there are a few good ones still trying to preserve the Constitution. Our own Michigan Rep, Justin Amash, pushed forth a bill to amend the Patriot Act and reduce the spying of Americans. I’m proud to say that he is my State Rep. But, to no one’s surprise, the bill was shot down and here we are…giving up a little piece of our American dream each time we take a hit. The biggest problem, as I see it, is that the percentage of Americans who care and are aware to the problems are shouting to deaf ears. Here is where the infrastructure is most broken. The other percent will happily give up their right to protest or complain as long as they feel safe in their homes. They are more concerned with who is in the lead on American Idol than with what is happening in Washington. I do see some good happening, though. I see more and more people trading services, walking or biking to work, helping their neighbors, growing their own food or buying locally --all things which promote growth in our own communities while hitting the big guys where it counts --their pocketbooks. I see more and more people contacting their Congress or signing petitions. More and more little revolutions and protests are springing up in other countries. I see more and more people getting frustrated and taking an interest. I think the only thing that can save us now is to practice more awareness and accountability while getting back to basics and simplifying things. Maybe that is our next step in evolution. One can hope
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Post by bewildered on Aug 15, 2013 15:01:21 GMT -6
Great post, niki. To me the problem is not a Republican problem nor a Democrat problem. It is a government problem, and more importantly, it’s a people problem. Government has simply gotten too big and we‘ve allowed it. We are living, in many ways, under a police state, while our civil liberties and rights are slowly being modified, removed, and adjusted, all under the guise of terrorism or some other scare. Watch the news, and every time a whistleblower appears or serious questions are posed to government we’ll quickly see a diversionary tactic in response --a new terror threat appears which quickly pivots our attention. Fear is what motivates everything now. Fear of sequesters, fear of terrorist attacks, fear of war, fear of our neighbors cooking up bombs in pressure cookers. Its all to divert our attention from what is really happening. The whole thing reminds me of the line in Star Wars: “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for….” Civil liberties and rights, due process, speedy trials, transparency and accountability - we've never experienced the latter two in America, and the first three can be suspended temporarily by the president, and indefinitely by Congress. Such an exercise wouldn't be "unconstitutional" either...the federal government is imbued with sovereign power by the articles of the Constitution, which means there is no higher authority in the land. The first three I mentioned have been suspended in the past, starting with Abraham Lincoln (he suspended habeas corpus). That was an "emergency power," however, unlike the present day where you find the removal of all Constitutional protections and guarantees enacted by Congress justified by a perpetual state of emergency, or endless war. Reading House Resolutions and Senate Bills can lead to a headache - 85% of the language is actually worthless filler designed to distract and confuse - but all you have to do is read a few of them to receive an eye-opening experience. The United States has effectively declared war against the entire world, including its own citizenry. Every human being alive is a potential "enemy combatant." I'm what you might call "anti-war, pro peace," but even I know that once in a great while, people possessed of conscience must gather together to stop megalomaniacs from slaughtering millions. We faced a situation like that in the 1930s and the 1940s...but that was the last time such a cause was clear or even justified. World War II also happens to be the last declared war America was involved in. Everything else that happened afterward has been nothing more than war by presidential decree. You'll find references to the "Korean War" in popular press articles, but trying finding that term in government archives. You can't, because what we did in Korea was an undeclared military action. In government-ese, it's called the "Korean Conflict." The same applies to Vietnam, Persian Gulf I, etc. Our educational "system" is partially to blame for the inability of Americans to compete globally, niki. It's as broken and corrupt as our so-called health care system. Over the decades education has devolved into a "product" to be consumed by consumers. Old-fashioned concepts like standards, a solid foundation in reading and writing, and enriching yourself through higher education has been replaced with a institution designed to produce obedient worker drones for Wal-Mart or Cracker Barrel. We aren't exactly "losing" our jobs overseas...the wealthy elite have invested their money overseas in order to squeeze more profit out of their capital. They do that to avoid taxation, worker laws and protections, and employee unions. It's a "loophole" that has existed for quite some time now.
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Post by bewildered on Aug 15, 2013 15:17:32 GMT -6
There is no stronger sign that we live in a sick society when the very laws that arose to prevent child labor and worker exploitation are blamed for our dismal wages and lack of benefits. That was the argument the business tycoons used at the turn of the 20th century to justify the horrid conditions in their factories: if you stop us from doing this, we'll make less money! Children actually lived at their stations on the first assembly lines...workers would often toil for hours without pay and were regularly subjected to conditions that could maim them or lead to the loss of their life. That's the stark reality of business in America, and despite laws that protect the workforce, they still find ways to skirt around such protections. It's obscene.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2013 14:05:33 GMT -6
A perusal of American history from one key event to another will reveal the notion of America as a "free country" to be a glaring falsehood. It was only ever "free" for those of the "right" gender, skin color/ancestry, religious affiliation, and economic status. That was how America began, which in truth was nothing more than a continuation of the way things "always were" in the Colonies. America's transformation from a rural backwater to a developing industrial powerhouse was conducted on the backs of droves of ethnic Chinese, Irish, African-Americans, and Native Americans who were treated and used like slaves. The romantic vision of the early American railroad wouldn't be complete without a vision of the grim reality that made it possible: men who were lured by the promise of steady wages to fill work crews that weren't actually paid at all. Instead of a supervisor, they faced armed foremen who would kill deserters and those who caused trouble. This was not concealed from either the public nor the government. It's yet another tragic chapter in the real history of America, one that American kids aren't exposed to in schools across the country. Imagine what would happen if Americans were to learn about their actual history, not the flights of fancy they were programmed to believe in. They might eventually discover that the Affordable Health Care Act was written and adjusted by the Insurance Industry as it navigated the precarious path from one Committee to the other, and that "Obama Care" doesn't actually change a single thing except the following: exponentially increased profits for the insurance providers. They would discover that Congress possesses the sovereign right to tax and regulate interstate commerce thanks to Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution. They can levy taxes and borrow money despite the noise made by people who fancy themselves "defenders of the Constitution." This means that not only is the Internal Revenue Service legally entitled to exist, but also that Congress may utilize "Obama Care" as an extension of its Constitutional right to levy taxes. That's why it survived scrutiny by the Supreme Court. America doesn't spend "trillions" to provide infrastructure-improving jobs. It spend trillions on military hardware and global surveillance instead. The sad fact of the matter is, our infrastructure is quite literally falling apart. The same people who picket abortion clinics will turn around, wave their flags, and shout "bomb them Islams!" America is a mosaic of an overwhelming national hypocrisy, a culture that believes in things that only exist in the fairy tales of their youth. Now more than ever, it's time that people wake up to the truth: we don't understand what "freedom" means because we've never actually experienced it from sea to shining sea. While some of us receive preferential treatment because of our skin color and sexual orientation, countless others are harassed by the police, demonized by preachers in their pulpits, and are treated like human refuse. Good Job, here It is very disheartening to "wake up" to the truth. The reality forces a person to question everything. I know a lady, early 30's, who tried several jobs, before she found a good job in a doctor's office that could appreciate her "second language" of Spanish. She was born and raised here in a North Kansas City, Mo. (Usa) community of Spanish-speaking people. She doesn't have an accent that I am aware of, but she does look what most of our stereotypes would consider "Ethnic". Regardless, she graduated from an American High School, is not illiterate, etc. In the past couple of years, she tried working in a factory. She observed a woman supervisor smacking the hands of a co-worker for whatever reason. Appalling, and she went home that day, and never went back. I was also appalled, and asked her if she "reported it". Dumb white lady question . I am considered a "dumb white lady", as an example. I have experienced prejudice myself, from both "Latino" and the "Black" community. There is literally nothing I can do about it. Just because people are aware of it, and try to educate their own children differently, it doesn't just go away.
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Post by bewildered on Aug 16, 2013 18:10:49 GMT -6
Good Job, here It is very disheartening to "wake up" to the truth. The reality forces a person to question everything. I'm accused of being too negative and critical. That might be true under different circumstances, but therein lies the problem: people who identify our host of problems are typically characterized as "anti-American" by the mores of our popular culture. As the proverb states, when the blind lead the blind, all will fall into the ditch. Hypocrisy is a vicious cycle. When people are accustomed to superficiality because they typically can't see past the tip of their own nose, they judge people primarily by their appearance. We have to face the truth that America has been a bastion of white (and decidedly male) Christian privilege long before we attained our independence from Britain, and that continues to the present day. Our system of apartheid (segregation) was abolished at the de jure (legal) level beginning in the 1950s, but we have yet to see the disappearance of de facto (actual) apartheid. It lingers on more strongly in some areas than others. Women are still treated as if they were lesser than males, and minorities face even worse obstacles than women do. The disparity in income, access to education, and children's nutrition between whites and minorities is alarming. I understand that prejudice is a four-way intersection, but we should focus on what we ourselves can change...and that's our own behavior. Citing the prejudice of others as justification for your own (I'm not saying you do this, jc, just making a general statement) simply perpetuates the cycle. I find it ironic that certain people who tout the cause of individualism and personal responsibility like to blame their odious behavior on others. The cure to prejudice is exposure to diversity during childhood: different cultures and customs, languages, and if at all possible, travel to other countries and continents. The travel might not be feasible, but here in our very own country we have good representations of a myriad of ethnic communities. I always wondered why the only prejudice directed at my person I encountered was from other whites, particularly those who thought that I didn't "fit in" with the norm (I sarcastically call that norm "Whitebread America"). The younger a child is, the better, because what we experience during our formative years has a drastic impact upon who we become in our adult life. During that period of my life, I spent an equal amount of time living in the following places: Cape Cod, MA; Japan; and the Philippines. That's why my perspective is quite different than most...I lived elsewhere, was exposed to other customs and traditions, and don't hold to the fantasy that America is the "best" nation on earth. We aren't.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2013 21:47:11 GMT -6
I agree with you Bewildered.
When I was at work about four months ago my boss hired a new employee. She was literally from Africa. She was very dark and had a beautiful accent (I LOVE African accents they're so beautiful- almost musical). The girl was beautiful and the kindest human being I think I have ever met before in my life.
She experienced a terrible shock while working in a gas station in America. People were rude to her- and they yelled at her every day and talked down to her like she was a moron for no reason (people do this to me too every day I'm used to it.)
She asked me why people behave that way and she was appalled. I told her, "That's just the way Americans are."
There's another girl who works with me also she's from Eastern Europe. An Alaska Native woman came in to the store to purchase a 12 pack of beer. She asked to see her ID. She showed her her ID. My co-worker refused the sale because her ID was expired (which is the law in Alaska- they tell all of us that in our alcohol certification class we are all forced to take).
The woman screamed at my co-worker and told her to, "Go back to your own ***ing country you ****!!" and stormed out.
I don't like it when everyone blames cruelty and racism/culturalism on whites. We are ALL guilty of it- not just white on black and not just white on native. I've been cussed out and verbally abused by people of all different colors and walks of life because I work in customer service and people view me as an idiot who is there to be verbally abused simply because of my profession and my gender. Just so they can make themselves feel better about themselves.
There is a lady who is from Africa who comes into the new store I work at all the time. She always has her nose sticking up in the air and she always throws a hissy fit over the slightest thing I or any of my co-workers do or say. One day I asked her a simple question- I completely forget what it was now, and her response to me was a 15 minute lecture beginning with, "Do you think I am STUPID?! Huh? Do I look like I am stupid?!" followed by her lecturing me that she did not like my behavior simply because I asked her a question. Every time that woman comes into the store I go and hide in the back room and I wait for her to leave. I can always tell when she leaves because I hear her yelling at whoever is unlucky enough to be at the cash register and when the yelling stops I peek my head around the corner to see if she's gone because one of these days I'm going to punch her in the face and get fired...
Ahhhh people. People love to hate on other people- regardless of the reason.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2013 21:49:28 GMT -6
True stories by the way. All of them.
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niki
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Post by niki on Aug 17, 2013 3:01:45 GMT -6
I agree with you Bewildered. When I was at work about four months ago my boss hired a new employee. She was literally from Africa. She was very dark and had a beautiful accent (I LOVE African accents they're so beautiful- almost musical). The girl was beautiful and the kindest human being I think I have ever met before in my life. She experienced a terrible shock while working in a gas station in America. People were rude to her- and they yelled at her every day and talked down to her like she was a moron for no reason (people do this to me too every day I'm used to it.) She asked me why people behave that way and she was appalled. I told her, "That's just the way Americans are." There's another girl who works with me also she's from Eastern Europe. An Alaska Native woman came in to the store to purchase a 12 pack of beer. She asked to see her ID. She showed her her ID. My co-worker refused the sale because her ID was expired (which is the law in Alaska- they tell all of us that in our alcohol certification class we are all forced to take). The woman screamed at my co-worker and told her to, "Go back to your own ***ing country you ****!!" and stormed out. some days I am just really ashamed to be a human
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