Bailouts of the failing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are not only unwarranted and unwise - but the existence of both these quasi-government/private organizations is unconstitutional from the very beginning.

When looking at the constitutionality of government programs, it’s not necessary to be a law student, or an “expert” of any kind.  The founding fathers wrote the Constitution in plain English - so that ordinary people would be able to understand the law…that governs the government. Continue Reading

A week ago today, Independence Day (not “the 4th”) was celebrated - but it seems that many people are missing the point of this holiday.  We all enjoy taking time with family and friends - celebrating and appreciating the warm summer - but do we ever really take time to reflect on just what we’re supposed to be cheering for?

A quick perusal of the Declaration of Independence makes it quite clear: Continue Reading

“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…”

Those few words, from the Declaration of Independence, are as close as one might find to be the sum total of the principle of liberty.  Continue Reading

The State of California’s recent decision to start allowing gay marriages has caused an uproar, of sorts, in some corners.

These people are concerned about their values, their traditions, their lifestyle and their beliefs.  So, many of them are calling on the federal government to “step in” and fix this “problem.”

One thing that these people are definitely NOT concerned with, though, is the US Constitution. Continue Reading

Cross-Posted from DailyKos.com with permission of the author, Crashing Vor

Watching Keith [Olbermann] just now, I heard him mention Antonin “Nino” Scalia’s dissenting opinion from today’s ruling in regards habeas corpus rights for detainees.

The lowlight of Justice Scalia’s opinion was the paragraph:

“The game of bait-and-switch that today’s opinion plays upon the Nation’s Commander in Chief will make the war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.”

While others will surely spend countless hours and buckets of ink and pixels debating the merits or madness of the second sentence, I’ve a bone to pick with the first.

Scalia has, over the years, demonstrated a profound lack of understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court. His devotion to the concept of “originalism” selectively ignores the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, key components of the document as “originally” ratified. The codicil to the majority opinion in Bush v. Gore, in which the nation’s ultimate appeals court, where all legal precedent is finally decided, declares that the judgment in that case is not, in fact, legal precedent. Continue Reading

by Michael Boldin

Recently, the TSA - in an effort to improve their awful public image - launched a blog. Yes, the TSA is “reaching out” to all of us - and it’s not to pat us down without a warrant…this time.

According to a post at ThinkProgress.org, it didn’t kick off too well. In fact, so many commenters were hostile, that the blog was “overwhelmed” Continue Reading

Rob McKenna, the attorney general of the state of Washington, issued a press release on 01-02-08 to make clear that his state would intervene in the California emissions battle against the EPA and the Federal Government. Continue Reading

The big news of the day has clearly been the US Intelligence report that’s come out detailing how Iran halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003.

As reported by CNN:

Iran halted work toward a nuclear weapon under international scrutiny in 2003 and is unlikely to be able to produce enough enriched uranium for a bomb until 2010 to 2015, a U.S. intelligence report says.

A declassified summary of the latest National Intelligence Estimate found with “high confidence” that the Islamic republic stopped an effort to develop nuclear weapons in the fall of 2003.

But, of course, the debate has heightened - some state that this is just more proof that action is needed, because Iran has (and could again) have the intention to build a nuclear program. On the other side, some state that this is a slam dunk - since Iran isn’t building nuclear weapons, and thus, there’s no need to get aggressive with that country’s leadership.

So who’s right? Continue Reading

If you are concerned at all about liberty, the economy, the Constitution and the power of the Federal Government - you cannot ignore our longest and most costly war - the War on Drugs.

It’s now 35 years after Dick Nixon started this “war” -  and we now have over 1 million - yes, 1 MILLION - non-violent people sitting behind bars.  People who are in jail not for harming other people, but for making a personal choice that the politicians in government don’t want them to make.

And you - yes, you - are paying for their room and board. Continue Reading

The debates over whether Waterboarding constitutes torture or not have been quite heated as of late. Democrats in the Senate have been saying they may not confirm Michael Mukasey as attorney general based on his unclear legal positions on the issue - but some key Dems are now saying that they will approve him. Continue Reading