-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- Not ALL journalist are slaves to the corporate/censored media... Dave Hartley http://www.asheville-computer.com/dave -----Original Message----- From: Comments Dept. [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2000 10:14 AM To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Subject: Internet Exclusive Column By Matthew Mittan Copyright 2000, Permission to forward, post or publish granted with attribution. The Asheville Tribune is a Weekly News Magazine based in NC. -------------------- FIGHTING FEDERAL LAND GRABS Commentary by Matthew Mittan, The Asheville Tribune I have received literally hundreds of emails from people across the country struggling to figure out "what to do" about all the federal land grabs occurring across the nation. Those Emails have compelled me to share an observation and thought with those who care to hear it. What you choose to do from there is up to you. The people that are carrying out these land initiatives are out of the reach of the Constitutional process. They are not elected, they do not specifically answer to Congress, as a matter of fact they have within their grasps the full functions of every branch of government without any system of checks and balances. Many Federal Bureaucracies..... 1 - make their own regulations (minus Congress), 2 - investigate violations of those same regulations (without independent review), 3- impose their own fines/penalties (without the courts), 4 - arrest/apprehend people who defy them (without elected law enforcement leadership) 5 - and the only defensive option private citizens have is to sue the federal organization in a federal court. Overwhelmingly, people will not resist federal agencies (due to lack of money, knowledge or confidence). And here's the REAL kicker, when these federal agencies DO get dragged into court, the TAXPAYERS pay for their defense. A citizen would be hard pressed to outspend the federal government on legal costs, don't you agree? The bureaucrats involved face NO personal accountability for their actions. They simply take the court setback, rename a program, then press on ahead through towns and regions that do not question the Constitutionality of their initiatives. In addition to the institutional protection afforded to bureaucrats, rarely do media report on their actions. And when they do they almost NEVER report on them by name, they only refer to them as "an official from the Department of _____" or "a spokesman for the Bureau of _____." That is where I, as an American tax payer, see the challenge. Let's make the individuals in these agencies PERSONALLY accountable for their own actions AND for the programs/practices of their organizations. They must bare the brunt of the financial, legal, public and career consequences of programs that are found to violate peoples'/States inalienable rights THEMSELVES. Why should we, the American tax payers, fund the continuous defense of agents/agencies that attack the sovereign liberties of private citizens or legitimate businesses? If this type of reform were enacted by Congress, I believe that the kind of activities that are igniting a fire of dissent in our nation would be virtually erased, returning the control and functioning to The People, where it belongs. No number of "informed elected officials" with good intentions can ever counter a system that is set up in the manner that the current Federal Bureaucracies are now set up. Only by enforcing the ideal that individuals within government must be held to the same measure of personal accountability, as any individual or business owner in America would have to face, will true change take hold. (Mr. Mittan is the editor of The Asheville Tribune in North Carolina. Website: www.ashevilletribune.com) Send comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED] <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
