Category Archives: Private Property

Private Property, Commentary, Economics, Uncategorized, General, Education

10th Annual Freedom21 Conference–wrap up

This entry is part 28 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4After three days of continuous blogging on this conference, we are exhausted physically, but reinvorgated in spirit.  Hundreds of people over the three days of the conference were given pertinent information, challenged and encouraged to expend the effort necessary to protect our foundational liberties and our unalienable rights.

We know that we have not come close to doing justice to the breadth and depth of information presented, so we would urge you, if you have found our analysis interesting, to go to the Freedom21 site and order a set of the DVD’s of the conference.  Use them to educate yourself and your family and friends, and then engage for freedom in your local communities!

Uncategorized, General, Education, Private Property, Commentary, Economics

How coordination is protecting people locally

This entry is part 26 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Dan Byfield, of the group American Stewards of Liberty, explained to the assembled conferees how the coordination of local commissions by liberty activists have helped to put a roadblock in the way of a massive transnational project called the Trans-Texas Corridor project.  The corridor is an internationally funded toll road designed to connect Mexico to Canada that will take 146 acres per mile of private property from Texas citizens.

Byfield discussed the important concept of coordination, which is local governments (counties, cities, school districts, water districts, etc) utilizing existing laws that require the federal and state agencies to work with them on a government-to-government basis.

He referenced a number of federal statutes which have requirement for the federal agencies to coordinate with local levels of government, by notifying the community of pending implementation of regulations or programs.  The federal agency must work with and address concerns of the local government units, and if the local government has a plan or policy in place that conflicts with the federal plan, the federal agency must adopt their plan to harmonize with the local plan!

Using this, his organization has been working with those local governments to leverage this requirement to protect private property and individual liberty rights from usurpation by federal bureaucrats.  Their organization is working with several states, mainly in the west, to educate and empower local units of government as to the power this regulation reserves into the hands of local elected officials and local governmental agencies, including water districts, conservation districts, etc.

Byfield discussed the particulars of how this powerful concept was used (and is now being used) to stop the wholesale implementation of the TTC, also known as the “NAFTA Superhighway” whose ultimate goal is to create a corridor from central Mexico to Canada, running straight through the central plains of the United States.  You can read about the background and ongoing efforts on this issue here.

They found language in state statute that mandated that even state agencies must coordinate with local regional planning agencies on any proposed effort, and set to work to create those local planning agencies between five towns, representing multiple county jurisdictions, right in the pathway of the TTC, putting a 30 mile wide gap in the pathway.  These five mayors are actively working to keep the TTC from being implemented, and are reaching out to other surrounding mayors to “coordinate” with them.  American Stewards of Liberty has created eight more of these local regional planning commissions in Texas.

Their continuing efforts led to a signficant change in the desire of the state government to push for the continuation of the TTC plans, actually killing legislation that would have extended authority for this, something that Texas Governor Rick Perry was seeking.

Byfield knows the TTC is not dead; like any bad idea, it has just been repackaged under a new name:  Innovative Connectivity Vision of Texas/2009.  The state wants to split the project into segments, but use the entire route plan as the template, which may violate a number of federal regulations.

Byfield also discussed a grassroots effort to reinvigorate our representation:  GOOOH.  He believes this is a doable option.  I will personally reserve judgment on this until more details are revealed about how to ensure the process.

Economics, Taxation, Education, Events, Public Policy Radar, Private Property, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News

Oklahoma State Rep. Charles Key- The Sovereignty Movement- Taking Back The Constitutional Power Of The State

This entry is part 25 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4American’s need to re-learn what the 10th amendment is and what it is about. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and no entity is above it.  Laws contrary to the Constitution, the highest law in the lans, is no law at all. Yet this is the central question of the day- can an act or an executive order that violates the Constitution be legal?

The Declaration of Independence lays the foundation for the Constitution. It contains “inalienable” rights that men possess by virtue of their humanity and the primary purpose of government is protection of those rights. In our government, the people are the sovereigns. The 10th amendment is an explicit statement of those rights. What America faces is an accumulation of violations of the Constitution.

We must be able to face the fact that the federal government including the Supreme court is in violation of the law, the Constitution, constantly. We now must clearly state that fact, that the government is the lawbreaker, or we cannot pull out of the tail spin. The government is currently behaving as if we belong to it but in reality it belongs to us. The Constitutional Convention rejected the idea that there could be a broad, liberal interpretation  of the Constitution.

There are 2 views of the Constitution and Key quoted extensively from Dr. Thomas DiLorenzeo’s book Hamilton’s Curse regarding Alexander Hamilton’s belief in a ruling elite class and a broad and expansive interpretation. He also quotes John Taylor’s book New Views of the Constitution regarding a narrow and strict constructionist interpretation ala Jefferson. Jefferson’s view is, of course, the view that liberty advocates adhere to. Hamilton’s view allows the federal government to usurp any power that they can twist from deliberately mis-reading the clauses of the Constitution. When we violate the Constitution we kill it a little each time. The damage is cumulative.

With the death of the Constitution, society itself is in retreat as the federal government advances. The passage of the 16th amendment is one of the most intrusive burdens yet passed. But the 17th amendment is one of the most damaging to the federal structure of the government, thus keeping the pivotal 10th amendment at bay. The removal of state government representatives from the federal government allowed the federal to override the state government’s wishes.

In Oklahoma atleast 100 bills are expected in 2010 acting on state sovereignty issues. Key called for more candidates with knowledge of constitutional issues. He said we must call federal criminals just that, we need to challenge every elected official to be faithful to their oaths of office or they should be labeled what they are- enemies of the Constitution, we need states to demand repeal of the 17th amendment, citizens need to support legislators willing to stand up for the sovereignty of states. Key explained that the Oklahoma sovereignty resolution was not originally his idea and has been around since the 1970’s but that it bounced around for years. But it was only a first step; a notification that the states are serving notice that they know what’s going on. Key admonished constitutionalists to stay positive and stop think that all is already lost.

The Vote, Economics, Uncategorized, General, Education, Events, Private Property, Commentary

Mark Mix–National Right to Work Committee: Labor Unions–Organized Socialism

This entry is part 24 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4The luncheon speaker for Freedom21 today is Mark Mix, the president of the National Right to Work Committee.   His engaging talk today focused on how the involuntary collection of union dues is used as a financial prop for candidates who oppose Constitutionally-limited government and the principles of freedom.  Mix noted that the motto of his organization is “Everyone should have the right to join a union, but no one should be compelled to join.”

He talked about the profound impact a period, yes the punctuation mark, has had on our country.  In relation to the National Labor Relations Act, the language that would give the rights to defer from being compelled to join a union was not ended with a period, but with a qualified exemption statement which spelled out the compulsory right of unions to require membership.

Right to work was passed in 1947 as a corrective to the problems created in the 1935 NLRA.  It allowed states to outlaw forced unionism , and 22 states have done so (no, Ohio hasn’t exercised this option).  Data shows that overall economic vitality is improved in states which have exercised the right to work option, and those states have increased residency migration to the state as well.

There are some significant interests who have a vested interest in forced unionism and the involuntary payment of dues to the union (forced unionism is a $20 billion/year business, and is growing yearly).  This economic muscle is being utilized politically at this point to try to eliminate the ability to keep union organizing votes as secret ballots (the card check legislation).  A large proportion of this is to push forced unionism on all workers, and a provision in it would require government officials to mandate terms of contracts if an agreement cannot be reached between the union and the employer within 120 days, which would give the union leaders unprecedented leverage to demand massive concessions.  The president of the SEIU union knows that passage of this bill will expand union numbers by 1.5 million per year for the next 10 to 15 years.  Even if mandatory dues would only be $35 per year, it equates to a massive influx of money for the union leaders to use to further centralize control over both employers and the employees they supposedly represent.

Mix notes the big prize they are seeking is First Contract Arbitration, which would mandate the above 120 day time limit, and would prevent any renegotiation of the contract for at least two years.  Mix also noted that the ability to force individuals to contribute to an agenda with which they by and large disagree with, with no voice in how such practices should be done, is the essence of socialism.


Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, Economics, Taxation, Education, Events, Public Policy Radar, Private Property

Amanda Teegarden- Fusion Centers- Gathering And Sharing Intelligence

This entry is part 23 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Amanda Teegarden, executive director of OK-Safe, talked on fusion centers. Fusion centers are integrated information gathering centers. This includes places where street and private business camera information is centrally located. These are collaborative efforts between two or more intelligence gathering agencies. Supposedly at the core is gathering information to fight “criminal activity and terrorism.”

Terrorists are now being defined as groups of people who reject the “international system” according to people like Henry Kissinger. The goal of the construction of the intelligence networks is to remove barriers to information sharing between fed, state, local, tribal and private intelligence information gathering centers. They are supposed to turn information into actionable knowledge while paying lip-service to “protecting privacy.”

Every level of law enforcement and every sector, public and private, are involved. These include virtually everything you can think of and several you cannot probably think of from banks to restaurants to public and private buildings, manufacturing plants, pleasure centers- amusement parks, cruise ships, etc.

This is part of a global effort to create an inter-connected intelligence based policing. Interoperability is key and uniform language and systems are imperative. Involved entities have to agree to “non-disclosure” agreements (memorandoms of understanding) before they are allowed to hook-up to the system. Supposedly states have the ability to keep info within the state but this is non-sense. Information includes driver’s license information. Info Guard is part of this system. Many involved do so with good intentions but this does not excuse becoming part of this evil system. We need to find our equivalent of Oklahoma’s SB 483. Part of the mandate of the bill requires reports of suspicious activities and incidents in order to build a database of suspicious “behaviors” that “might lead to terrorist activity” (thought policing). Guidelines are being developed to centralize the collection and distribution of “suspicious behaviors.”

This is an effort to identify and eliminate “stove pipes” or barriers to the new system. Among the “stove pipes” are “legacy systems” like the concept of the nation-state and those who still hold to the concept of the nation-state. Supply-chain management strategies have been worked into intelligence and law enforcement methods.

Part of the mission is to create “decision advantage” which require hard-nosed and dedicated agents to accomplish the goals of the participating agencies. There are technologies involved like “cloud technologies,” etc. The Dept. of Defense and the Department of Justice have signed joint agreements to work together to develop these technologies. Other agencies are now beginning to join in- black boxes in cars and monitors in trucks and other transportation.

Amanda compared the erection of the Tower of Babel with the construction of this overarching (not to mention unconstitutional) intelligence gathering capability.

Honestly, you simply must watch this presentation to get the full impact of what Amanda Teegarden talked about. It was simply too complex and compact to relate with any real intelligence in this short format! Please watch it on the Video On Demand system!

PS- You can see a PDF copy of Amanda’s Power Point presentation HERE.

Public Policy Radar, Private Property, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, Economics, Taxation, Education, Events

Catherine Bleisch- The Grassroots In Action: Achieving Quantifiable Results

This entry is part 22 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Catherine Bleisch, executive director of the Liberty Restoration Project in Kansas City, is a grassroots activist who early in her activist life was a self-described leftist who had been indoctrinated to believe the mantra “Republicans bad; Democrats good” but who came to the realization that it is not a left-right dichotomy that is really the underlying struggle in our country, but that the real struggle is between liberty and centralized control.

Her epiphany came from being exposed to the philosophy of Republican congressman Ron Paul of Texas.  That set her on the path of being an activist and catalyst for the defense of liberty under law.  This transformation took place in 2007.  She didn’t have long to wait before that philosophical shift was tested in a significant way.

In an earlier post, we discussed the issue with the Missouri Information Analysis Center report on “suspect groups”, basically a modern “Enemies List” targeting many groups and individuals identified as being supportive of returning the country to its Constitutional boundaries.  Bleisch was called to the response of this issue, and did she and her organization ever respond!

She developed a strategy of education and mobilization of freedom activists, including collecting official documentation from the state of Missouri through the use of Freedom of Information Act and state open records laws, putting together a coherent and informed response, educating state elected officials on the significant concerns with the MIAC report, engaged and brought to the table a large number of activists, prepared and presented testimony, and most importantly, did not let go of the issue or took a dismissive response from officials as a good answer to their questions.

Her strategy:  seek grassroots input, identify the ROOT of the problem, think outside the box, do what is RIGHT (no matter how much opposition and derision you might receive from those with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo), and keep focus at the level where the problem can be solved the best (in this instance, it was at the state level with the executive and legislative branches of Missouri government).  Also, give your supporters effective action informational alerts:  keep it short, sweet and specific to the root problem.  She also suggests mobilizing the media (not the MSM, but alternative and independent media sources) to support your position and build your support.

With activists like Catherine Bleisch and her energy and solid ideas, the future of liberty under law in our country looks hopeful.

Taxation, Education, Public Policy Radar, Private Property, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, Economics

Senator Randy Brogdan- How To Restore America to Constitutional Principles

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This entry is part 19 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdan called for a return to the fundamentals of government- the US Constitution. He cited the cascading problems that now face the nation and pointed back to the fact that politicians have been ignoring the restriction of their powers for several decades. Brogdan stated that a return to the restrictions of the Constitution will not be easy but that we have an obligation to do the job.

Sen. Brogdan pointed out that we have no choice but to step up to preserve our freedoms. We have really no choice. We have been given the assignment from the generations that passed before. While our present generation settles for greed and corruption we have been assigned the task to stand in the gap so that freedom can be passed to the next generation. He warned that this job cannot be done while moral thought gravitates toward immorality and perversion. He points out that this is true because we have lost sight of the reference point of freedom. Thomas Jefferson called these things “self-evident” and yet they are quickly being lost.

The fight to recover liberty will require sacrifice but the rewards will be worth the sacrifice. Many of us will become discouraged but we need to remember that one honest voice can overwhelm a crowd. Life in any nation is good only as long as the people remain vigilant and free. While our leaders exploit our moral blindness to work towards erasing our borders those of us who still possess the vision cannot surrender.

Senator Brogdan made it clear thathe was not calling for change but restoration. That includes a restoration of America’s moral foundation. As long as there is a spark of righteousness left we can recover our freedom and liberty in the republic. But, he warned, it must be accomplished at the STATE level.

General, Events, Private Property, Commentary, Economics

NAIS and HR2749

This entry is part 18 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Judith McGeary, of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, spoke to the conference about the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to require registration and data collection on all animal and produce raising operations in the country.

The FDA is creating a three phase plan to “protect our food supply” which includes 1) premises registration (ie registration of private property); 2) animal RFID tagging, and; 3) tracking of animals, failure to do so resulting in penalties for the animal owner.  The USDA has issued a cost/benefit analysis which shows that small producers will incur 2 to 3 times the cost of large producers, and that the document was poorly planned and executed.  To put the magnitude in perspective, Australian studies put the cost per head of compliance with such a system at $37-$40, and a British study showed costs per head of $69.  For a small producer, this economic regulatory burden can be a business destroying proposition.

The FDA tried to make this program mandatory, but ran into significant opposition and retracted their directive mandating the property registration provision.  However, the USDA is using funding of state programs as leverage to ensure “voluntary” state level compliance with the program.  Another approach being used to generate compliance is to use existing disease control programs with various livestock categories to require registration.

In September of 2008, the mandatory requirement was reintroduced by a directive to state health authorities to require premises registration for disease control programs administered under the health department’s auspices, and directed that these state authorities register the properties for the property owner if they do not do so voluntarily.  In January of 2009, a proposed rule would require mandated premises registrations for specific programs, and laid the groundwork for the implementation of Phase 2 of the program, the mandatory animal RFID tagging requirement.

There have been 2 Congressional hearings on this issue this spring, and the House zeroed out the funding for this program, but the Senate supplied $14 million, which was cut in half by an amendment, and the difference will have to be worked out in a conference committee after the August recess.

Another challenge is the “food safety” push, which is a legitimate concern, but should not be part of the NAIS program, since most food pathogen issues such as e-coli and salmonella occur after the animal has been slaughtered, not while on the farm.  A key piece of legislation to be concerned about is HR2749, which grants the FDA a major expansion of power.

HR2749 would create the definition of “processing” to include everything up to home canning and private food processing.  Processors would have to register, pay significant fees, submit a HACCP and food safety plan, failure to do so resulting in significant penalties.  It also would require the traceability of all produce (tomato tracking, anyone), give the FDA the authority to quarantine and conduct warrantless searches of premises within given geographic regions, even if a food issue was only in the type of food not in the actual food produced on that premises.  This subjects farms, including family farms, to direct regulation by the FDA over all aspects of farming.  Failure to comply would result in fines, unintentional violations being subject to individual fines of $20,000 and corporate fines of $250,000 and criminal penalties including the possibility of 10 years in jail.

HR2749 passed the House in a closed rule (no amendments allowed; 1 hour maximum debate) vote on August 6th.  The Senate has indicated it will take up its own version of the issue, S.510, upon return from the recess.  McGeary urged attendees to stand up for food and farm freedom, and contact your Senators to oppose the draconian provisions and mandatory requirements of this legislation.

Events, Private Property, Commentary, General, Crime and Punishment

Real ID and Gun Control

This entry is part 17 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Larry Pratt, Executive Director of the no-compromise 2nd Amendment organization Gun Owners of America, discussed the nexus between the federal effort to collect biometric and other data on Americans with the dangers of creating lists of private gun owners that could be utilized to disarm the populace should a totalitarian administration choose to do so.

Pratt raised concerns over the effort to require gun records (conceal carry permits, hunting licenses, purchase forms, etc.) to be entered onto RFID chips as part of an “enhanced” drivers’ license, which was a serious concern with the Real ID Act.  An earlier attempt to create federal registries of gun owners was defeated when it was proposed in the Patriot Act, but the potential for electronic data collection of this information in both Real ID and the current PASS ID are real and of great concern.  Another issue of concern, beyond this information being on drivers’ licenses, is that individual firearms themselves can be fitted with RFID chips to track their ownership without the person consenting to such data collection.

Pratt gave example after example of the history of gun registration leading to gun confiscation and loss of freedoms for people in many other countries, from Hitler’s Germany to Castro’s Cuba.    He urged attendees to work to preserve the rights we are guaranteed under the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, before it may be too late.

Taxation, Events, Public Policy Radar, Private Property, Commentary, Public Policy Principles News, Economics

Mark Lerner- International ID- Federal Control of Drivers Licenses

This entry is part 16 of 28 in the series Freedom 21 Conference

f21-banner-4Mark Lerner began by reminding us that the present generation has a responsibility to the next to restore, preserve and protect what generations prior to ours won for us. He also reminded us that we often need to make coalitions with people and groups we normally wouldn’t deal with.

As recently as mid-July 2009 lawsuits in federal courts brought by citizens having to do with electronic surveillance without warrant are being dismissed on the basis of “national security.” It has become widely known, especially this year, that all communications are subject to monitoring by federal security agencies. It is also becoming widely known that faces are being entered into a digitized database (biometrics) and that privacy laws have giant loopholes involving “national security.” Dept. Homeland Sec. officials are beginning to admit that personal data is being shared without warrant with international authorities to create an international “security database.” Both ACLU and ACLJ oppose Real ID and believe that it should be eliminated.

Be prepared to document claims on either side of the biometrics discussion. If the person refuses to document then ignore them. There is a single agency to share driver’s license data in the US, Mexico and Canada. This came into existence under the Clinton administration. The US taxpayer has been forced to pay for this international effort through the NHTSA. Officials deny this but the proof is irrefutable.

Mexico has created a “citizen’s ID card.” US corporations specializing in identity systems want to do the same in the US and put things like political party affiliation on it.

There have already been abuses of electronic surveillance available to agencies, though there have been no consequences for those abuses.