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Obama -vs- The US Constitution
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
******************

I'm so old I can remember when anyone who did not agree with the government of Soviet Socialist Russia (or the Soviet Union) would be arrested by the government and placed in Soviet mental institutions because, the Soviet government had determined, you see, that anyone NOT agreeing with them was obviously INSANE.  Ofttimes the mentally challenged prisoner disappeared into the Gulag system never to be heard from again.

So -- where am I going with this?

I'm just trying to give you a heads-up, 'cause it's happening right here in America -- TODAY.

Consider this from The New American.com:
"Readers also may remember the recent shocking case of Brandon Raub. The New American’s Jack Kenny reported on the story last August. Kenny wrote that Raub was:
... held involuntarily as a psychiatric patient at the Salem Veterans Affairs hospital in Virginia over anti-government postings on his Face book page. Raub, a Marine combat veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was visited by FBI and Secret Service agents at his North Chesterfield home on August 16, then taken by police under an emergency custody order to John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell. He was transferred to the veterans hospital on August 20. A medical assessment of his condition at John Randolph described him as paranoid and delusional, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. But after an hour-long hearing in Hopewell Circuit Court August 23, Judge W. Allan Sharrett dismissed an involuntary commitment petition as invalid.

"The petition is so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy," said the release order signed by Sharrett, vacating the order of Special Justice Walter Douglas Stokes to detain Raub for 30 days. Stokes, who presides over commitment hearings, also ordered Raub's transfer to the VA hospital in Salem, about 180 miles from his home. Judge Sharrett said he was shocked to find the commitment order contained no grounds for holding Raub.

The irrefutable fact is that, had the Rutherford Institute not stepped in and defended Raub, the young man would likely still be unconscionably held in a government mental hospital at the mercy of Obama administration bureaucrats."
SOURCE:  http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/14629-why-is-the-federal-government-disarming-veterans

It would seem the Obama Administration simply does not recognize the Constitution of the United States.  This type of action by the government just blows the Fifth Amendment right out of the water.

This is the 5th Amendment, for heaven's sake.  It has ties all the way back to the Magna Carta in 1215!  It protects Americans  against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. It is fundamental to our freedom. 
Just read the text of the 5th Amendment: 

"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

Look.  Either the Bill of Rights stands as our protection from the government or, it doesn't.  There is no in between.  And, I must tell you, I am very concerned that the current administration has decided the Bill of Rights is an impediment to their drive to transform America into a socialist dung heap, therefore they have deliberately decided to ignore the amendments and do as they darn well please, making up laws on the fly, and decreeing said laws by way of the Presidential Executive Order.

And it's going to get progressively worse over the next four years. The America of 2016 will bear little resemblance to the America of today.  Count on it. 

America has become a police state right before our eyes. Americans are now monitored around the clock by our government. 

A few of us old mossback conservatives have been screaming at the top of our lungs for somebody to pay attention to our loss of freedom. To no avail.

Little by little, the freedom and liberty Americans have fought and died for is being systematically taken away and America has been, already, transformed into a socialist/communist state.

I wonder, sometimes, whether the conservatives in the US House of Representatives will be able to continue fighting their "holding action" until the elections in 2014 and 2016?  (Even King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans were only able to hold the pass at Thermopylae for three days until they were overrun and wiped out by Xerxes and his Persians.)

One by one we are losing our guaranteed freedoms under the constitution.  The Obama Administration just tramples all over the constitution with very little, if any, resistance.

The left is taking away our freedom in exactly the same way they have foisted socialism on America -- incrementally -- a tiny bit at a time.  Like the frog placed in pot of slowly heating water, we are about to be boiled without ever even TRYING to hop out of the pot.

"A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”  Ben Franklin said that -- and it was and remains true.  The political left has been diminishing America little by little at the edges.  Now the great cake is nearly eaten away by socialism and that portion of the original cake remaining is so small as to offer only miniscule resistance --or none -- to the threatening forces encircling it. 

When I was a high school student, I presented a speech at the University of South Carolina in which I noted how proud I was that here in America we didn't have to dread the loud knock on our door at three in the morning and have one of our parents, or even ourselves, dragged away from our families and marched off to a prison, a gulag, or a mental institution by government authorities.

That was then

This is NOW.

I could not make that statement today.  Since I stood on that stage at Russell House, some 60 odd years ago, America has, indeed, become the nation I described in my speech that night that rules its people by fear and intimidation.  Had I known then that America would have the rogue government we have today, I would have warned those in the audience of what was in store for them, their children, and their grandchildren.

But I did not know, could not know, how far and how fast America would fall.
A friend mentioned, half jokingly, recently how he eyed with suspicion any black SUV or panel truck parked overly long near his office or home.  He told me how he fearfully looked up at the sound of helicopters overhead, and how the tiny hairs on the back of his neck began to tremble every time he uses an ATM machine because he said,  he knows those ubiquitous cameras that never grow tired, that never sleep, are everywhere watching, and watching.  My friend remarked as to how he pauses every time he is about to tap the "send" button on an e-mail or a blog comment, and, too, every time he produces his credit card to pay for a purchase of any kind.

One word describes the state of being my friend recounted to me above.  It is raw, naked, FEAR. It is something Americans have not known - until NOW. 

Terrorists did not instill THIS fear in Americans. NO. America's leaders USED the actions and the threats of terrorists to instill this particular fear in their fellow Americans.  That fear has been magnified by executive actions creating government agencies with heretofore unheard of powers over the American people.

Little by little, bit by bit, incrementally, America has been fundamentally transformed from a constitutional representative republic to some sort of hybrid socialist society with a government decidedly leaning toward the Marxist principles of governing.

What a mess!

Ben Franklin is given credit for saying the following:  “As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.”  Isn't it time to forsake "idle silence" in favor of actively rattling the cages of our elected government in Washington, DC?  Of course, we COULD just wait for the knock on our door at three in the morning.  

Or -- have we waited too long?  As John Adams reminded us centuries ago -- freedom, once lost, is almost impossible to regain.

Americans have done the impossible since the nation was founded.   But it requires enormous amounts of WILL to do whatever is necessary to accomplish the Herculean task of saving a nation.

Do we have that will?  Or, will we simply remain silent and allow the lights to be put out in the once "shining city on a hill?"

© J. D. Longstreet

Click to enlarge.

It has not been a good month, but you could have probably guessed that from my posting activity. That said, I continue to climb at least 20 flights of stairs each and every day. It is definitely a permanent habit now. Today I climbed 100. What motivated me? The incredibly uplifting Alice in Chains of course, lol.

Dirt (Alice in Chains album)


Oops! ;)

In all seriousness, that's a great album. Pretty dark though!


Click to enlarge.

The death of our pet cat near the end of January marks the turning point. I think it was a trigger for allowing winter's doldrums to take center stage. Let's just say summer can't get here fast enough.

On a lighter note, I'm roughly 7 pounds lighter than I was on February 28, 2012. This is pretty much in line with what I would have predicted at this time last year. The path to get here was not nearly so predictable.

I'm also seeing a pretty substantial improvement in my ability to play scales on the guitar. I played pretty much every day in February. Seeing improvement is a great motivator. It doesn't burn many calories though. Go figure.

See Also:
The "Free Lunch" Weight Loss Plan v.000

I have for you today another great moment from my first day in New York, a visit to Meredith Wendell's studio. Here I met the wonderful designer and saw her new collection: a variety of materials in functional and modern designs. These are some pictures that I took during this visit and I cam't wait to see all these beauties up on her website here.
My eyes are on that snake green/turquoise square bag, how about you?





                                                                               Coat: Joe Fresh/ option Here
                                                                               Sweater: Land's End/ option Here 
                                                                               Jeans: Truck Jeans Gold c/o Lulu's.com  
                                                                               Sneakers: Supra/ option Here
                                                                               Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ I also love this one Here
                                                                               Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren/ option Here


                                

            We Didn't STEAL IT!  We BOUGHT It!
                            ... All  Six-Hundred BILLION Dollars Worth!
                                 A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
*************************************************
To say that the US stole the land that now comprises the southwestern United States is a bald-faced lie!

It is a lie the political left is using to their advantage.  The "citizens of the world bunch,"  the globalists, the world without borders nuts, (and the like) have spread this lie so thickly that it is now accepted as truth.  It is NOT truth.  It is a damnable lie! It is propaganda intended to soften up US citizen's sentiments toward amnesty for illegal aliens.

Obama is about to mount an all out push for amnesty for illegal aliens, very soon now, and it WILL pass the Congress this time.    

Do you understand now why no one is correcting the lies that the US stole all that land in the Southwest from Mexico???  Do you understand WHY  they want you to remain "dumb" on the subject?

It is all a part of their Deconstruction of America Project. It is a project, I might add, that appears to be well ahead of schedule and coming to fruition at a pace I would not have believed had I not experienced it since Election Day 2008.  

OK, so -- let’s set the record straight and look at some facts.

First, The Mexican War:

The Mexican War between the United States and Mexico began with a Mexican attack on American troops along the southern border of Texas on Apr. 25, 1846. Fighting ended when U.S. Gen. Winfield Scott occupied Mexico City on Sept. 14, 1847; a few months later a peace treaty was signed (Feb. 2, 1848) at Guadalupe Hidalgo. In addition to recognizing the U.S. annexation of Texas defeated Mexico ceded California and, New Mexico (including all the present-day states of the Southwest) to the United States. 

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican War, was signed on February 2, 1848, by Nicholas P. Trist, for the United States, and by a special commission representing the collapsed government of Mexico.

Under the treaty, Mexico ceded to the United States Upper California and New Mexico (including Arizona) and recognized U.S. claims over Texas, with the Rio Grande as its southern boundary. The United States in turn paid Mexico $15,000,000, assumed the claims of American citizens against Mexico, ($3.25 Million) recognized prior land grants in the Southwest, and offered citizenship to any Mexicans residing in the area.  Then a few years later, the US bought the land that is now Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico for another 6 million dollars. 

Second: Why did we need that additional land?

After the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, border disputes between the United States and Mexico remained unsettled. Land that now comprises lower Arizona and New Mexico was part of a proposed southern route for a transcontinental railroad. US President Franklin Pierce was convinced by Jefferson Davis, (Later the First President of the Confederate States of America)  then the US Secretary of War, to send James Gadsden (who had personal interests in the rail route) to negotiate the Gadsden Purchase with Mexico. Under the resulting agreement, the U.S. paid Mexico $10 million.  There was a problem with the money, however: Even though the agreement specified $10 million, the US Congress only agreed to pay $7 million. When the money finally arrived, in Mexico City, $1 million was found to be lost, thus making $6 million the amount Mexico actually got for the sale of that land.  Hey, they set the price… we PAID it!

Run the numbers and you will find that the US paid Mexico $24,250,000.00 (24 million, two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand) US dollars for the land in the Southwest US which many claim, today, we (The US) stole! 

You know I get a bit tired, and even short-tempered, with folks who attempt to perpetuate an untruth by the act of sheer omission.  As  a Southerner, I know how that can hurt.  To say the US stole all that land in the Southwest is a flat-out lie.  So, 24 and-a-quarter-million isn’t much money?  Not by today’s standards, perhaps. But back in the mid 1800’s we’re talking about somewhere in the area of $600,000,000.00!  Now that IS big bucks!

So, next time you hear someone prattling on about how the US stole all the southwestern United States from Mexico, set them straight.  Tell them we bought it and PAID for it.  If they refuse to believe you refer them to the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty -- AND --  the "Gadsden Purchase" a few years later.  It’s all there.  It’s a part of history.  It is, apparently, a part of history students in the American government schools never hear about. (Sometimes referred to as The American "Fool" System)

Of course, the claims that we stole the land from Mexico are all a part of the propaganda being employed to saddle Americans with more undeserved guilt.  People who feel guilty will ofttimes respond in the way those prodding them wish them to respond.  That is what is hoped for with all the unmitigated garbage heaped on America (and Americans) today.

Actually, as I view the relationship between the US and Mexico today, I almost ... ALMOST ... agree with those who feel we ought to annex the entire country of Mexico and run it as an American territory.   I mean, it’s not like we are not supporting the country of Mexico, anyway.  The billions of US dollars a year pouring into Mexico, from Mexican citizens who have burglarized the US, by "breaking and entering," is absolutely staggering.

So, as the leftist's propaganda mills continue to crank this unmitigated bovine scatology and pure horse hockey out inundating Americans with all the lies and distortions about how badly Americans treat Mexicans, illegal and otherwise, just keep in mind that all they are attempting to do is prod Americans into supporting Obama's AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS endeavor.  

Comprehensive Immigration Reform (or whatever they are calling it THIS time!!!), is an abomination and should never see the light of day. I’ll be leaning on my Senators from North Carolina to vote against that bill -- and any other bills that will aid in the left's efforts to destroy America -- at every opportunity. May I suggest you do the same?

© J. D. Longstreet

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny

The Supreme Court is considering striking down Section V of the voting rights act. The conservative members of the Court, along with swing vote Justice Kennedy, question whether the specific section has outlived its usefulness. Appears the President concurs. At least partially. Striking Section V would remove the need for certain states and counties to get federal government approval before changing their voting laws.

THE HILL - President Obama also seemed to signal earlier this week that a loss at the Supreme Court was possible, if not likely. Obama said in a local television interview last week that losing Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act would not cause people to lose their right to vote.

“People will still have the same rights not to be discriminated against when it comes to voting," Obama said. "You just won't have this mechanism, this tool, that allows you to kind of stay ahead of certain practices." {Read the Details}

Via: Memeorandum

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny


The whole sequestration issue is sort of amusing really. Two parties of adult legislators plus one President playing politics again. Rather than governing effectively and in the best interests of the nation as a whole. The following is quite informative.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - And when the Republicans opened the seventh seal of the sequester, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black and the stars fell unto the Earth; and our nation's ability to forecast severe weather, such as drought events, hurricanes and tornados, was seriously undermined. Lo, and the children were not vaccinated, and all the beasts starved in the zoos, and the planes were grounded.

Or so President Obama and his Cabinet prophets have been preaching ahead of the automatic budget cuts due to begin Friday. The bit about the weather is a real quote from the White House budget director.

But if any of these cataclysms do come to pass, then they will be mostly Mr. Obama's own creation. The truth is that the sequester already gives the White House the legal flexibility to avoid doom, if a 5% cut to programs that have increased more than 17% on average over the Obama Presidency counts as doom.

According to Mr. Obama and his budget office, the sequester cuts are indiscriminate and spell out specific percentages that will be subtracted from federal "projects, programs and activities," or PPAs. Except for the exemptions in the 2011 budget deal, the White House says it must now cut across the board regardless of how important a given PPA is. Food inspectors, say, will be treated the same as subsidies for millionaire farmers.

Not so fast... {The Rest of the Article}

Indeed. There is a reason why most Americans distrust their government.

Via: Memeorandum

We have arrived at week 4 of the One Room Challenge (you can catch up on weeks 1 - 3 here) and this week has been all about fumes. Paint, floor wax and stripping chemicals. Ahh the smell of progress.

Thanks to a well timed play date and some quality grandparent time, the hubs and I took advantage of an empty house and got painting.


Btw, I shared my progress on Instagram, and am now officially addicted. I know I'm late to the party but that sucker is just fun.

Now for those of you who are new, I'm a color girl. I need it the same way I need anything that Andy Cohen will put on TV. So I went with quite a radical choice for the walls. White.

I can hear the sarcasm in your voice, 'White?! That is soo daring.' Well, for me it is. This is only the second time...ever that I've painted a room white. (the kitchen being the other instance)

But you may have noticed from my board, that there is also another paint color listed. I can't go without color somewhere on the walls, so I went for the fifth wall - the ceiling. I took a cue from all of my Pinterest ceiling inspiration and gave the girls what they wanted. Pink.

Not bubblegum pink, or baby pink. We are going for Big Girl Pink.

My 5-year-old Amelia picked out this fabric (she's good, I know) and I used that pink/purple color as our Big Girl inspiration.


I matched up a swatch (BM Springtime Bloom) and slapped that sucker up on the wall.


I knew as soon as I started trimming out the ceiling that I loved it.

These girls' are not wallflowers and neither is their room. It is a really great color that looks different thru out the day. It is a great contrast against the white and it makes the room feel bigger. Win win.


Beautiful ceiling and walls, now on to the floor. I took advantage of the emptyness to get on my hands and knees and clean the crap out of that floor. Soap and hot water, elbow grease and then a coat of wax. I'll do another coat of wax and then buff it. (my mom is very proud at this moment)

The crib was then taken down (sad) and Eve's 'new' bed was brought up from the basement. The girls' have the same beds that were used by my sister and I, which I love.  With both beds in the room, we were able to move things around and I've nailed down where all the little puzzle pieces will fit. Sweet progress.


The paint fumes must have made us giddy because we also went ahead and put up the new light fixture. And in my final burst of weekend energy I took those drawers out of the dresser and started to strip. The drawers. I stripped the drawers.


As of this morning all the drawers are stripped and the base is half way there. More on that next week.

With all of that, I'm pooped. Let's check in on the list, shall we?

1. Come up with functional floor plan
2. Paint walls/ceiling/trim
3. Paint dresser (new hardware?) Progress
4. Update vanity (maybe some fun color or hardware) Progress
5. Find curtains and add trim
6. Add a rug and new bedding Progress
7. Hang art and create some personalized pieces Progress
8. Find/Install new light fixture (buh bye ceiling fan)
9. Reupholster chair and possibly add comfy floor cushions 
10. Find/Make lampshade(s) 

So this is what I wore on my last day at NYFW. I opted for a more casual approach, pairing a red leather jacket with ripped jeans and heels. I wore this look at Misha Nonoo's Presentation that took place at the great Standard Hotel.
I must say that Nonoo's collection was a little bit closer to my origins and I loved that. Russian inspirations with the specific fur hats( my mum had one like this) and long military coats.
My trip to N.Y for Fashion Week coming to an end was so bittersweet but I'm so grateful for everything and I want to thank one more time to Polyvore team for this incredible experience  and also for the great accommodation at the Hudson Hotel!
Polyvore you are the best!



                                                                               Jacket: Zara/ Here
                                                                               Top: vintage Christian Dior/ option Here
                                                                               Jeans: American Eagle/ option Here 
                                                                               Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ another great one Here 
                                                                               Heels: Shoemint
                                                                               Cuff bracelet: Chanel
                                                                               Sunglasses: c/o zeroUV/ Here