-Caveat Lector- >From Sierra Times (URL @ bottom)
}}}>Begin Liberty's Domestic Battlefields by Ken Martin 12.26.01 The war on terrorism now has its battlefields of note. Konduz, Kandahar, Mazar I Sharif, and Tora Bora will find their way into the history books when the accounts of this war are written. Our war for liberty, which must be re-fought in every generation, also has its battlefields. The shape of the struggle shifts from generation to generation, even year to year. In the moment in which we are privileged to live, there are three key fights that must be won if we are to preserve the liberty our grandparents bequeathed to us. In our generation the issue is sovereignty, of a sort. Sovereignty is the determination of who rules. A country is sovereign when it rules itself. But the sovereignty of a nation is not an end in itself; it exists for a purpose. Sovereignty matters only in that it makes possible the real goal of a free, self-governing citizenry. The US is unique, in that beyond the sovereignty of the country itself, it recognizes that ultimate sovereignty belongs to the citizen. This sovereignty, like the sovereignty of nations, must be defended and re-won in eve ry generation. We are not insane, most of us, and we understand that sovereignty is not unlimited; it is limited by the presence of other citizens who likewise are sovereign, just as the sovereignty of nations is limited by the presence of other nations who likewise are self governing and who likewise pursue their own interests. But the issue of the sovereign citizen is a fundamental one. It means that each citizen has the right and responsibility to ru le himself. It means that power resides in the people, and that the people loan that power to the government, and not the other way around. Three of our key battlefields are these: 1. The 10th Amendment 2. Public and private education 3. Immigration 10th Amendment People are by their very nature dynamic beings, born to build and to create, and to pursue their own creative projects. It is the purpose of government to protect the rights of individuals to pursue their private ends, an d to referee the conflicts that inevitably occur as free people go about their business. Government does not exist for its own sake. Nevertheless, it is the nature of people, perhaps especially people with a talent for governance, to try to enhance their role. Whether by enthusiasm for their charge, or by sel f-interest, it is natural for people in positions of authority to try to increase that authority. The US Constitution is remarkable in that has built in several "firewalls" to prevent any branch of authority from gaining a permanent upper hand. One is the famous separation of powers, the "executive" versus "legislative" versus "judicial". Much of US political history has as its backdrop the natural rough-and-tumble among those three branc hes of government. Another firewall is the famous and forgotten 10th Amendment, which states that any power not specifically granted the federal branch by the constitution, belongs by default to the States. This established another division of power. The authority of individual state governments would act to limit the ability of Washington to impose itself on the citizen. Conversely, Washington, through its responsibility to enforce the Constitution, would protect that same citizen from any usurpation of power by state or local government. But over the years the 10th Amendment withered from benign and malign neglect, and this once powerful bulwark against centralized power has become not much more than a street-curb. Real freedom requires the revival and re-invigoration of the 10th amendment. In a society that is truly free, there is no reason that laws and institutions must be identical from one place to the next. Reason and shared e xperience will lead toward a similarity in legal matters, but nothing requires a Washington-driven uniformity. Indeed, one of the utilitarian values of de-centralized power is that you have 50 experiments in democracy goi ng on side by side, and the competition and debate and experience that comes from that create a depth of understanding among citizens that can never come from centralized, elite rule. Obviously state and local governments are as capable of corruption and misrule as the Federals. The role of the federal government in enforcing the Constitution at the local level cannot be underestimated. The local sheri ff, or the local city council with its back office wheeling and dealing, can certainly be as scary and corrupt as can any out-of-control FBI agent. But if people are truly free, then their laws and institutions will vary widely from one place to another, especially in the short term. Time, experience, the exchange of ideas, the normal migration of citizens within the country, will lead to a general uniformity, or commonality, across the country. But this would be a commonality that is natural and organic, not imposed top down. In recent years we have seen federal Forestry and Wildlife officers, and a whole host of other federal agents attempting to exercise authority over private citizens in ways that are unprecedented, trying to force out land owners in areas they want to acquire, in arresting farmers for plowing their fields without federal permission, in arresting people for using roads to get into their property (roads that predate the existence of the Agenc y making the arrest), or suddenly denying water to farmers. In one case, having ended the right of landowners in a community, coveted by the feds, to drive into their homes, they then terminated the "concession" to do bus iness to the owner of the mule train that was the only alternative means of bringing in groceries. In the face of these and other assaults on liberty by the bureaucracies that control so many areas of our lives, our best hope is an aggressive defense of the 10th Amendment. Clearly, a state agency could have the same tendency toward high-handedness, especially in states where respect for individual liberty is weak (and we can all name several off the tops of our heads). And a case could be m ade for the complete abolition of some of the offending agencies. But, barring the latter more radical, more satisfying solution, the battle must be fought to place these agencies, and their employees, and the lands they control, under the control of the state capitals where they operate and under the control of the citizens they serve. Education Perhaps the most important battle facing us is the reform of the education system in the US. The education of our kids, the preparation of the next generation to take the lead in American life cannot be entrusted to peopl e who themselves do not grasp the fundamentals of liberty. Liberty did not develop in a vacuum, but required certain historical steps and philosophical underpinnings to develop. The understanding of these fundamentals is absolutely essential if liberty is not to be frittered away . It is clear, though, that this understanding is no longer widespread. Even well educated people, or perhaps it should be said that "especially" well- educated people seem increasingly illiterate in terms of the philosop hical basis for liberty. There are other, academic concerns. To thrive in a competitive, technological world, it is absolutely necessary that kids be given the mental tools. Much of the fear of the outside, "global" world comes from a lack of con fidence in our ability to compete in that world, which is humorous in light of the fact that the rest of the world likewise fears us for the same reason. One of the primary tools for thriving in this world is a more rigor ous education. Really, the key to beating poverty is not more social workers, but tougher math and science requirements in school. But while we prepare kids to work and to build and to create, we also prepare citizens. We don't believe in rule by a specially qualified elite, which means that average citizens must be individually educated and prepared for self-rule. It is absolutely necessary that citizens retake control of the schools. In a not very distant past, schools were completely a local responsibility, there being no higher authority than the local school board. But those da ys are gone. Now power lies with the State, the Federal Government, and the teacher's unions, with the parents and local citizens forgotten and laughed at. Regaining control can be done in two ways. The "voucher" wars are having their effects, but they need to be actually implemented to give people control over their own tax dollars and their own children. It is absolutely n ecessary that government schools become citizen- controlled public schools again. This is not going to happen until parents have financial control over their own tax dollars. I am aware of all of the concerns about vouche rs, and would probably not support them were there another way to regain parental control of the public schools. But I see none. Secondly, local churches and synagogues need to begin to see education as the highest priority, absolutely necessary to our moral development. If your concern is for the health of the soul, why would you turn the molding of young souls over to people who hold you in contempt? At this stage in our history, there can be no higher priority for communities of conscience than the education of their children. Church schools, parochial schools, have always been superior to public schools in terms of the quality of education. It is not necessary for church-affiliated schools to be narrow or sectarian in their curriculum, in fact it is probable that most will be l ess narrow, more rigorous, and more effective than the average government school. But then, that is a pretty low standard to beat. Immigration We are a nation of immigrants. Most of us are the grandchildren of immigrants; some of those reading these words are yourselves recent arrivals. We have been fortunate that talented, daring, hardworking people from around the world have found their way here and continue to find their way here every day. But it must be clear to most of us that something has gone very wrong at the INS and in the administration of immigration policy. We have the word of the INS agents themselves, who claim that their work was politicized du ring the last decade, as they were under tremendous pressure to naturalize millions of new immigrants without the slightest effort at determining their fitness. Anyone who has stopped by a convenience store or stayed in a motel lately can attest that immigration policy has changed radically over the last decade. This is not an attack on the individuals who have come. We, or our parents or grandparents, all got here the same way. If you are here to build a better life for you and yours, welcome to the family. Again, this is a question of an agency that has forgotten who it serves. Immigration policy must serve the citizens, first and foremost. Immigrants must be granted admittance in numbers that can be assimilated into the community at large. And this clear and rational concept has been thrown over the side in the last decade. It is not necessary to try to div ine any deep conspiracies that have led to the recent opening of the floodgates. And it is fatal to let this discussion be hijacked by the racialists on the left or the right. It is, though, necessary that immigration reflect the rational needs of the citizens. The admittance of close family members, of people with special skills, and of people who share our values who are in imminent danger, I at least consider reasonable. Preference to countries that neighbor ours is reasonable. The purposeful admittance of large numbers in order to hold down labor costs, or to change political demographics in either one way or another, does not serve the citizens. Or if it does, then make the case. Present the argument. Make the policy in the light of day, in the full view of the citizens who will be affected by the policy. But there has been no national debate or discussion, the p olicy has been carried out behind the backs of the citizens. Americans love their country, and Americans love people who love America, including or even especially people who have come a long way to be here. But it does damage for unelected bureaucrats to treat citizenship as a com modity like pork bellies, instead of treating it like the gift that it is. Permission to reprint/republish granted, as long as you include the name of our site, the author, and our URL. www.SierraTimes.com All Sierra Times news reports, and all editorials are � 2002 SierraTimes.com (unless other wise noted) SierraTimes.com� A Subsidiary of J.J. Johnson Enterprises, Inc. http://www.sierratimes.com/archive/files/dec/26/kenmartin.htm End<{{{ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of Teachers, elders or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it." The Buddha on Belief, from the Kalama Sutta + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished. -Johann Christoph Schiller, German Writer (1759-1805) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. -Bertrand Russell + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Everyone has the right...to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." Universal Declaration of Human Rights + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." --- Ernest Hemingway <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions 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, CTRLgives 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://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== 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
