A brief diary about Thomas Jefferson and news from the front in the struggle to get the individuals who populate the federal government to obey the Constitution.
I'm reading the book American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis (1998): In the lead-up to the Revolutionary War, Jefferson wrote something titled A Summary View of the Rights of British America, and in it he’s the first to stop blaming the British parliament, and aim sights right at the king. This was when the leading colonists where still trying to get the British parliament to start being fair with the colonists (much in the same way Democrats and Republicans today are trying to get Congress to be fair with We The People). Here's a quote from Jefferson’s tract:
"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period, and pursued unalterably thro' every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematical plan of reducing us to slavery...."
These words for our time, read: Acts of tyranny by one session of Congress after the next, and one Supreme Court ruling after the next, may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of the day; but a series of oppressions, begun during the 1980s era of deregulation, and pursued unaltered through each and every session of Congress and Supreme Court Judge since, plainly prove a deliberate, systematical plan of reducing We The People to corporate slavery.
Aside: Did you know Thomas Jefferson sang to himself almost incessantly? "He sang whenever he was walking or riding, sometimes when he was reading. His former slave Issac reported that one could 'hardly see him anywhere outdoors, but that he was a-singin’'...." (page 30). Even while reading? Lol, I don't know why, but when I picture Jefferson singing while reading--I just get a great kick out of that.
I did an internet broadcast where I had on Mr. Bill Walker. My co-host Mr. Glenn Neal blew a gasket and exited early on, but we spoke at length today, and he doesn't want to be co-host, but he'll be on this coming Sunday's broadcast as a guest. He's an author, attorney, former prosecuter, and university professor--just a great guy who understands the need and utility of the convention clause of Article V. If you do go to the link, there's a few minutes of silence early on, but then it gets going. On first listen it sounds like people shouting over themselves, but I listened to it again, and Bill does offer up those solid positions to those who fear the Article V Convention being overtaken by corporate interests: http://www.talkshoe.com/...
I'm not happy with my performance, a little nervous energy at the start, and then in the sense that I didn't draw out the information I wanted to. Listening to it again, I cringed over and over, like--"Oh man, this stuff is going to go over most folks heads.... Right then, you shoulda said X,Y, Z...." Things could've been worse I suppose for a first time out.
Bill then did another interview on a conservative's Internet broadcast. It's a better interview I think, and informative, so if you like constitutional talk, you'll really enjoy it: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/...
Anyway, all that, and I spoke with some folks on the phone today who I had been in touch with in the past--including some people who I met when I went up to Utah this past November--so things are beginning to dawn it appears.
