May

31

Judicial Overreach Stalls Polygamist Family Reunion

Filed Under Constitution, Fascism, Government, Law, Marriage, Politics, Religion | Leave a Comment

Talks between Warren Jeffs’s polygamist sect Yearning for Zion and the State of Texas fell apart Friday when a district court judge decided to expand the ruling of the Texas Supreme Court and add additional restrictions and qualifications that must be met before the children will be returned to their families.

Judge Barbara Walther did not produce any authorization under State law for this usurpation of authority, to which several attorneys for the sect rightly objected. They pointed out that she had no right to expand on a ruling made by a higher court, and they counseled their clients not to sign the new requirements.

MSN has one version of the story here. I believe with this expansion of the ruling, many people will focus on the judge’s justifications but completely miss the whole point of the case.

It is essentially about legal kidnapping. And the Yearning for Zion group proved in court that the State Child Protective Services removed those 400 children under the color of law, but without legal justification. If you or I were to do the same, we would be prosecuted as kidnappers facing serious prison time. Since when does any government agency have the right to seize anything without due process, even if the life of a child is threatened?

The Texas Supreme Court ruling basically says the Texas CPS agency was wrong to remove those children. Now what would you or I do in such a case? Apologize? Hopefully, and do everything we could to right the wrong. So what does the State of Texas do? I have yet to hear any apologies from any state official, and instead of seeking to return the children as quickly as possible, officials are finding excuses not to return the children.

To make matters worse, this district judge refuses to let any of the children return to their families unless her demands are met. What is this other than legal terrorism? What is this other than blackmail? She holds the fate of the children in her hands, and unless she gets what she wants, she will ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling. She is holding these families hostage, and who is going to stop her? In my opinion, Judge Walther believes she can make such demands because her aim is only to keep the children away from their birth parents for as long as possible, hoping that exposure to other lifestyles will eventually break down the cult’s hold on them.

Where are we headed when the judges and the government ignore the Rule of Law? Judge Walther, by her actions, is demonstrating that in her jurisdictions the law of will prevails–her will. But the rule of will is tyranny. How long will we let officials trample on our rights like this? How long will it be before your children are threatened with removal because of some unproven allegation? Will you just stand there and let it happen?

Our officials need to be constantly reminded that they are bound by the law as much as any other citizen. We should be reminding them often that their authority is not granted by the office they hold, but by We the People who created those offices. We must not tolerate the government overreaching it’s legal bounds for any reason, no matter how well-intentioned.

May

30

Betrayal: How the Left Abuses the People It Pretends to Help

Filed Under Fascism, Government, Ideology, Socialism | Leave a Comment

(Updated) I have long held, and often said, that Leftists are abusive, violent people underneath their compassionate veneers. Their history betrays them. Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Che Guevara, all leftists, and all murderers.

In our society, we don’t see them murdering others. Instead we see a different kind of violence–a psychological rather than physical violence. Thomas Sowell has written a column today that explains what I mean.

Dr. Sowell exposes abuse of the same character as found in Jonah Goldberg’s recent book, Liberal Facism. In it, Mr. Goldberg delivers well-documented evidence of the Left’s heritage of coercion. The American flavor of Fascism comes with smiles and institutional programs and rehabilitation. The insidious nature of the American Left’s abuse is the assurance that it’s for your own good.

Dr. Sowell highlights another aspect of Leftism in America–those programs designed to “help” people who are incapable of helping themselves. The American Left sees itself as superior to everyone else on the planet. Their arrogance and self-adulation are the source of their belief in their own moral superiority. But in order to feel vindicated, they need some outward evidence of that superiority. As Dr. Sowell points out, that’s where they latch onto others, preferably people of color, or other types of minorities (i.e. the poor, women, the disabled, etc). These people become trophies. They are used as evidence of the Left’s goodness.

The abuse is not limited to the American Left, either. A news report from MSN shows that child sexual abuse by UN peacekeeping forces and humanitarian experts is widespread and little or nothing is done to curb the problem. These are not right-wingers arranging sex-for-food deals with 14-year-old girls. What is the Left’s response? Demands that we reinstate funding for abortions overseas.

Glenn Beck’s column gives us another view of the results of the “help” the left offers. It is unfortunate that some republicans have parroted the line about immigrants filling jobs Americans won’t do. In their attempts at being compassionate, those who favor illegal immigration by doing nothing to stop it have created what Glenn calls “Corporate slavery.”

The living conditions described in some of Glenn’s examples are appalling. Perhaps the line should be reworked to say “living the life Americans won’t live.” The Left has a contemptible knack for looking the other way when their ideas produce misery. This isn’t compassion. It is the natural result of believing you are superior to everyone else. The Left traffics in Condescension, and there is enough for everyone.

The Left does nothing out of true charity or altruism. Everything is calculated to produce some kind of gain whether it be political, financial, or otherwise. In countries where civility has not firmly taken root, murder may be one of the methods used to produce such gain.

The Left always seeks power over others. Invariably the stated goal is the good of the people. It is alarming how many must die as part of the achievement of that goal. Some argue the world would be better off if the Left did not exist. One thing is certain–there would be a lot more people.

May

29

Utah Republican Assembly Endorses Jason Chaffetz

Filed Under Campaigns, Elections, Politics | 5 Comments

The Utah Republican Assembly voted to endorse Jason Chaffetz for the Third District congressional seat at its Endorsing Convention this past Saturday. Jason Chaffetz beat out Chris Cannon to win the endorsement of the Assembly. Other federal candidates endorsed by the URA include Rob Bishop of the First District, and Bill Dew of the Second District. Congratulations, Jason!

From the URA press release:

The Utah Republican Assembly is a nonprofit organization of conservative Republicans with chapters in Salt Lake, Utah, and Washington counties. The Assembly, which was re-established in Utah in 2005, is founded on traditional conservative principles, such as support for the U.S. Constitution, defending American sovereignty, limiting government and taxes, and promoting individual responsibility and liberties.

The Republican Assembly is not an official branch of the Utah Republican Party. The Utah Republican Party does not endorse Republican candidates until they have won the Party’s nomination at a convention or in a primary.

For more information about the Republican Assembly, contact Assembly President Larry Meyers at dixierepublican@yahoo.com.

The National Federation of Republican Assemblies is active in politics in the various states and at the national level. Their website can be found at http://www.gopwing.com

May

26

Memorial Day 2008

Filed Under War on Terror | 1 Comment

Today is a hard day for my wife and I. Today we remember our little one, Ellie, who passed into the next world on December 12, 2007, after only two days of life. She was of greater stuff than this world could bear and so God, in his grace, let us hold her close for a few hours and then took her unto himself.

We named her Elisha, which means “God shall save.” God whispered the name to her mother in the days before her birth. We did not know how profound the name would become. God truly has saved her; saved her from a life during the most troubling and terrible times in earth’s history. We know that she earned that station through her goodness and obedience. She overcame the world even before coming here.

We grieve today with the parents and siblings and children of our fallen ones, taken from us in battle. They are truly heroes, and will be remembered in the eternities for their sacrifice. We salute them, and we honor their families.

May

25

The Truth about Jason Chaffetz

Filed Under Campaigns, Constitution, Elections, Government, Health Care, Law, Politics, Uncategorized | 19 Comments

Someone who has posted anonymous comments to this blog thinking they will sway your opinion regarding Jason Chaffetz. They have posted a blog at www.thetruthaboutjason.com. Of course, I have to refer to this individual as “they” because I honestly don’t know if this is a male or female; I have no name to go on.

But that brings up an interesting point: Anonymity. Why be anonymous? Why not come out and boldly be counted? The Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to confront your accusers. It’s very telling when someone makes accusations like this and violates constitutional principles to do it. Anonymity guarantees the accuser they will never have to be held responsible for their accusations–they are free to say and do whatever they wish, without fear of retribution or punishment, even if they are wholly wrong.

I don’t know who this person is, but from their repeated references to David Leavitt, my guess is that they are an embittered Leavitt supporter. Prove me wrong–show some integrity and step into the light. Your anonymity speaks volumes about you–and not kindly.

They say they want a civil dialogue, yet they resort to smearing, false accusations, innuendo, half-truths and other rhetorical devices in order to manipulate your opinion. In other words, this person hides like a coward, speaks out of both sides of their mouth, and argues like a liberal.

May

22

Justice Prevails for Polygamist Community

Filed Under Constitution, Government, Marriage, Religion | Leave a Comment

Please be certain of one thing: I do not practice polygamy.

I don’t see the issues going on in Texas as strictly limited to the followers of Warren Jeffs. I believe they are misguided, and I believe that breaking the law of the land is wrong; they should not be marrying underage girls.

But I also believe that the State of Texas overstepped its bounds when it seized the children of those people without due process. The argument used to remove the children was that they were in danger. Today, though, a Texas appeals court ruled that the State did not show sufficient evidence that the children were in danger, and did not have the right to take the children.

I am glad of this ruling. If the actions of Texas had been allowed to stand, what argument could have been made to protect other children from unlawful seizure by the state? The next time around, it could have been anyone’s children. Texas used the law to kidnap those children, plain and simple.

Texas may find that they have a tiger by the tail with these people. Not only do they have large financial resources, they are fierce proponents of the founding laws of our country. They believe that the current laws which are being enforced against them are unconstitutional, and any actions taken against them in the pursuit of that enforcement will be vigorously challenged. Texas may end up paying them a large settlement for violating their civil rights.

May

19

The Tom Green Connection

Filed Under Constitution, Marriage, Religion | Leave a Comment

Remember Tom Green, the polygamist prosecuted by Juab County Prosecutor David Leavitt back in 2001?

This year, Leavitt stated during his run for Utah’s 3rd Congressional seat that the activities going on in Texas involving Warren Jeffs’s followers were a direct result of the Tom Green case.

Well, an interesting connection has turned up in the Texas case. Custody of the children seized by Texas authorities is being determined in court in Tom Green County. Is that weird or what?

That’s got to have some hidden significance. It’d be interesting to find out what.

May

17

Unconstitutional Liberalism

Filed Under Constitution, Environment, Fascism, Global Warming, Government, Ideology, John McCain, Politics, Socialism | 1 Comment

You know, it’s a strange thing. The liberal voices who insist that we must change the way we do things always point to either Europe or Great Britain as models for how we should behave. The problem is that this is not a comparison of apples to apples.

Take gas consumption for example. The liberal fascists wants us to reduce our consumption of gas to match that of Europe. They think we should be paying the same prices for gas as they do in Europe, somewhere around 10 thousand dollars a gallon. Europeans actually have the lowest prices for gas on the planet; their sympathetic attitude toward radical jihadists qualifies them for the Al-Qaeda employee discount. Once they add in the taxes, well, you can see what happens.

The taxes are part of why Europeans don’t drive much. It’s also the reason they can eat really heavy, fat-filled foods and not have heart attacks. Seriously–my friends who have lived in Europe tell me that they don’t offer fat-free foods in their supermarkets. Why should they? Riding a bike everywhere burns off the calories pretty quick. Taxes are how the Europeans control behavior.

The liberals here in America think they are going to institute similar measures to control us. What they don’t understand is that Europeans have a long tradition of being second-class citizens. They lived for many years under the rule of kings, long after we threw our king out. Some gradually managed to put together new forms of government under Presidents or Prime Ministers, but they insisted that these new governments continue to act like kings. The Brits even kept their king around, just as a reminder.

The liberals want us to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol to reduce our carbon emissions, like Europe. Trouble is, high energy taxes were already forcing them to use less gas by rarely driving and were were forcing them to forgo air conditioning. Remember the heat wave France had a couple of years ago, where thousands of people died of heat exhaustion in their own homes because they couldn’t afford to pay for air conditioning? The Europeans were already using far less energy than we do as a whole, and they still can’t meet their Kyoto requirements. What on earth makes the crazy liberals think the results will be different here?

We probably can do better than we are–we could lose some weight, we could stop smoking, or ride a bike more often. But we don’t need government using tax policy to control our behavior (the FairTax would fix all that). In fact, our traditions say that government shouldn’t be dictating how we live our lives, as long as we aren’t hurting others. The Kyoto Protocol, if ratified, would become part of the law of the land equal to the Constitution–a Constitutional mandate for Government to control our behavior. Cheers to George W. Bush for rejecting it, and Jeers to John McCain for wanting to sign it.

The liberals want us to save the planet, drive less, lose weight, stop smoking, and live closely packed together in a few big cities, rather than a lot of little towns. They don’t want us to have guns. They want us to be only fashionably religious. They want us to be second-class citizens ruled by an elite monarchial government. Most of all, though, they want to be King.

May

16

The Need for Change

Filed Under Campaigns, Constitution, Elections, Government | 11 Comments

I got an email from Chris Cannon’s campaign today. In it he says, “While I have represented the Third District for several years, I firmly believe I must earn your support anew with each election.” I wonder if he thought that one through first. Of course it’s true: he’s had to convince us anew every two years.

And earlier today I was listening to Glenn Beck (man, I love listening to him). He was talking about how stupid we are, always electing the same people to represent us in Washington, as if somehow things are going to be different this time.

I was reminded of Einstein’s definition of insanity, i.e. repeatedly doing the same thing, but expecting a different result. Are we collectively insane? Why do we send the same people back time after time, only for them to give us excuses for why they couldn’t change something. It wouldn’t have to be a lot–just something…anything!

So instead we get Chris Cannon telling us that insanity would be voting him out of office at the pinnacle of his power and influence. I’m saying that insanity is keeping people in power when they have reached the pinnacle of power and influence. That’s why we don’t have constitutionally mandated term limits. We are supposed to use the elections box to enforce the unwritten term limits, which is determined when those people have amassed too much power.

The Constitution is all about checks on, and balances of, power. If we are not using our vote to remove those who have been there too long, we are becoming insane. We are asking for someone to stay in office and continue to give us things we want at the expense of the rest. It’s got to stop!

We need a change. I’m not talking about Barak Obama’s change for change’s sake. I’m talking real change; the kind of change where things happen that make life better. For the last umpteen years, Congress has been working hard to make sure our lives become more and more miserable. You can thank the Liberal Democrats for that. And you can thank the weak-kneed Republicans for not putting a stop to it when they had the chance.

We could have been drilling in ANWR by now, and selling the gas to other countries for a hefty profit. We could have been drilling off the continental shelf by now, and telling Saudi Arabia and other producing nations, “No thanks! We don’t need your oil…We have plenty of our own.” We could still be paying under $2.00/gallon for gas. But Congress apparently believes that we should be paying record prices for gas, that we ought to be miserable.

It’s time to stick it to them. Throw all the bums out and lock the doors behind them. If they cannot come to an agreement where we get unfettered access to the natural energy resources in our own backyard, if they cannot agree on using the cleanest, must efficient source of power available today (that’s nuclear power), then it’s time to throw them all out and put new ones in.

The Environmental Special Interests are running Congress now, and it’s time to take it back. The Declaration of Independence says we can; Sanity and Duty say we must. Tell Chris Cannon we’re not buying it this time; were sending him home. Send Jason Chaffetz to Congress.

May

15

Grass Roots kick-off Meeting Tonight

Filed Under Campaigns, Elections, Government | Leave a Comment

Meet at the Chaffetz’s home tonight (May 15, 2008) at 7:00 PM MT. For directions, contact the following people:

  • Jason Chaffetz: jason at chaffetz dot com
  • Jennifer Scott: jennifer at chaffetz dot com
  • Connie Smith: connie at chaffetz dot com
  • Deidre Henderson: deidremh at hotmail dot com
  • Dell Smith: dellsmith51 at yahoo dot com
  • Kellie Nelson: kellieannenelson at yahoo dot com

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