How to get water in the desert

This is an idea of how a vaporator works.  This design is free to copy or distribute.  An example is putting a few on "moisture farms" for a city (such as Los Angeles, Pheonix AZ, Barstow CA, or Los Vegas to supply water for the community.

These machines can be solar powered. Catylitic converters can be used in air-polluted areas.

In Retrospect

Feminist Christianity is wrong.  I was involved in it for a short time, renounced it and went back to solitary Wicca (Scott Cunningham).  The men involved in this false belief can be whatever religion they are comfortable with (except satanism, black CM, Alister Crowley magic(k) or any religion that preaches (or teaches violence.)  When I was a Wiccan years ago, I had a problem and a hatred for Christians.  I would always tell people in my coven that I wanted "to throw fireballs at a 'fundie' or put a 'whammy' on one.

Blessed Be

fire in the sky

The False prophet calls for a nuclear bomb to blow up a city - some fire from heaven, huh?

Nazi Germany in retrospect

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Gentlemens agreements in Portland

In the 1920's and 1930's there were gentlemens agreements in various places in the USA.  The KKK ran Portland Jews out of Portland (Where the University is now).  

Gentleman's Agreement is a 1947 drama film about a journalist (played by Gregory Peck) who goes undercover as a Jew to conduct research for an exposé on antisemitism in New York City and the affluent community of Darien, Connecticut. The movie was controversial in its time, as was a similar film on the same subject, Crossfire, which was also released the same year and also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Gentleman's Agreement was based on Laura Z. Hobson's 1947 novel of the same name.
The movie was released on DVD as part of the 20th Century Fox Studio Classics collection.

Contents [hide] 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Reception 4 Main cast and characters 4.1 Other cast members 5 Awards 6 References 7 External links 8 See Also

[edit] Plot

Dorothy McGuire and Gregory Peck

Philip Schuyler Green (Gregory Peck) is a widowed journalist who has just moved to New York City with his son Tommy (Dean Stockwell) and mother (Anne Revere). Green meets with magazine publisher John Minify (Albert Dekker), who asks Green, a gentile, to write an article on antisemitism ("some people don't like other people just because they're Jews"). He's not very enthusiastic at first, but after initially struggling with how to approach the topic in a fresh way, Green is inspired to adopt a Jewish identity ("Phil Greenberg") and write about his own first-hand experiences. Green and Minify agree to keep it secret that Phil is not Jewish; since he and his family are new to New York, it should be easy to hide.
At a dinner party, Phil meets Minify's divorced niece Kathy Lacey (Dorothy McGuire), who turns out to be the person who originally suggested the story idea. Minify provides her with a large apartment and money. Kathy "works" as a pre-school teacher. The next day, Phil tries to explain anti-Jewish prejudice to his young, precocious son - directly after displaying some anti-female prejudice of his own:

• Green tells his mother that he's struck by the odd notion that the idea for the article came from "a girl" at the magazine. His housekeeper replies, "Why, women will be thinking next.".

Phil and Kathy begin dating.
Phil has considerable difficulty getting started on his assignment. Every angle he thinks of ends in a stone wall. It is only when his mother has heart pain in the middle of the night and he must summon a doctor, that he realizes that he can never feel what another person feels unless he experiences it himself. He recalls having "lived as an Okie on Route 66" or as a coalminer for previous writing jobs, instead of tapping a man on the shoulder and making him talk. That's when he decides to write, "I Was Jewish for Six Months".
Though she seems to have liberal views, when he reveals what he intends to do, she is taken aback and asks if he actually is Jewish. The strain on their relationship due to Kathy's subtle acquiescence to bigotry becomes a key theme in the film.
At the magazine, Phil is assigned a secretary, Elaine Wales (June Havoc), who reveals that she too is Jewish. She changed her name in order to get the job (her application under her real, Jewish-sounding name, Estelle Wilovsky, was rejected). After Phil informs Minify about Wales' experience, Minify orders the magazine to adopt hiring policies that are open to Jews. Wales has reservations about the new policy, fearing that the "wrong Jews" will be hired and ruin things for the few Jews working there now. Phil meets fashion editor Anne Dettrey (Celeste Holm), who becomes a good friend and potentially more, particularly as strains develop between Phil and Kathy.

John Garfield and Dorothy McGuire

As Phil's assignment proceeds, his childhood friend, Dave Goldman (John Garfield), who is Jewish, moves to New York for a job and lives with the Greens while he looks for a home for his family. Housing is scarce in the city, but it is particularly difficult for Goldman, since not all landlords will rent to a Jewish family. When Phil tells Dave about his project, Dave is supportive, but concerned.
As time goes on, Phil experiences several incidents of bigotry. When his mother becomes ill with a heart condition, the doctor discourages him from consulting a specialist with an obviously Jewish name, suggesting he might be cheated. When Phil reveals that he is himself Jewish, the doctor becomes uncomfortable and leaves. Also, when Phil wants to celebrate his honeymoon at a swanky hotel for rich people in the country, the manager of the hotel refuses to register Phil, due to his being a Jew. Also, when kids at school learn that Tommy is Jewish, he becomes the target of bullies. Phil is troubled by the way Kathy consoles Tommy, telling him that their taunts of "dirty Jew" are wrong because he isn't Jewish, not that the epithet is wrong in and of itself.
Kathy's attitudes are revealed further when she and Phil announce their engagement. Her sister Jane (Jane Wyatt) invites them to a celebration in her home in Darien, Connecticut, which is known to be a "restricted" community where Jews are not welcome. Fearing an awkward scene, Kathy wants to tell her family and friends that Phil is only pretending to be a Jew, but Phil prevails on Kathy to tell only Jane. At the party, everyone is very friendly to Phil, though many people are "unable" to attend at the last minute.
Dave announces that he will have to quit his job because he cannot find a place for his family. Kathy owns a vacant cottage in Darien, but though Phil sees it as the obvious solution to Dave's problem, Kathy is unwilling to offend her neighbors by renting it to a Jewish family. She and Phil break their engagement. Phil announces that he will be moving away from New York when his article is published. When it comes out, it is very well received by the magazine staff.
Kathy meets with Dave and tells him how sick she felt when a party guest told a bigoted joke. However, she has no answer when Dave repeatedly asks her what she did about it. She comes to realize that remaining silent condones the prejudice.
The next day, Dave tells Phil that he and his family will be moving into the cottage in Darien and Kathy will be moving in with her sister next door to make sure they are treated well by their neighbors. When Phil hears this, he reconciles with Kathy.

[edit] Production

Zanuck decided to make a film version of Hobson's novel after being refused membership in the Los Angeles Country Club when it was assumed incorrectly that he was Jewish. Before filming commenced, Samuel Goldwyn and other Jewish film executives approached Darryl Zanuck and asked him not to make the film, fearing that it would "stir up trouble". They also warned that Hays Code enforcer Joseph Breen might not allow the film to pass the censors, as he had been known to make disparaging remarks about Jews. There was also concern that Dorothy McGuire's character being divorced would offend the National Legion of Decency. The role of Phillip Green was first offered to Cary Grant, but he turned it down. Peck decided to accept the role, although his agent advised him to refuse, believing he would be endangering his career. Jewish actor John Garfield agreed to play a lesser role in the film in order to be a part of the film.
The film was shot on location in Darien, Connecticut.^[1]

[edit] Reception

Gentleman's Agreement received a generally favorable reception from influential New York Times critic Bosley Crowther. Crowther said that "every point about prejudice which Miss Hobson had to make in her book has been made with superior illustration and more graphic demonstration in the film, so that the sweep of her moral indignation is not only widened but intensified thereby."
Crowther said that the movie shared the novel's failings in that "explorations are narrowly confined to the upper-class social and professional level to which he is immediately exposed." He also said that the main character's shock at the extent of antisemitism was lacking in credibility: "it is, in a careful analysis, an extraordinarily naive role."^[2]
In addition to winning Academy Awards for best picture and best director, Gentleman's Agreement was one of Fox's highest grossing movies of 1947. The political nature of the film, however, upset the House Un-American Activities Committee, with Elia Kazan, Darryl Zanuck, John Garfield, and Anne Revere all being called to testify before the committee. Both Garfield and Revere refused to testify and were placed on the Hollywood Blacklist. Garfield remained on the blacklist for one year, was called again to testify against his wife, and died of a heart attack at the age of 39 before his second hearing date.
In recognition for producing Gentleman's Agreement, the Hollywood chapter of B'nai B'rith International honored Darryl Zanuck as its "Man of the Year" for 1948. On Sunday, December 12, a gala commemoration evening was held in downtown Los Angeles, at the Biltmore Hotel, before a crowd of over a thousand. Among the tributes to Zanuck, New Mexico Senator Clinton Anderson said, “He does not storm up and down the streets of a community, urging its citizens to do good. He does not fill the pages of books with words that string together into a sermon. He allows you to be seated comfortably in a theater, to be absorbed in a problem and to walk out into the night with your thoughts clarified and your lips say, ‘This situation ought to be changed’.”^[3] After the formal speeches there was a tremendous, star-studded variety show, including the astonishing debut before the Hollywood film world of the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

In memory of Scott Cunningham

Scott Douglas Cunningham (June 27, 1956 – March 28, 1993) was a U.S. writer. Cunningham is the author of several books on Wicca and various other alternative religious subjects.
His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published^[1]; he was a friend of notable occultists and Wiccans such as Raymond Buckland, and was a member of the Serpent Stone Family, and received his Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven.

Scott Cunningham was born at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA, the second son of Chester Grant Cunningham and Rose Marie Wilhoit Cunningham.
The Cunningham family moved to San Diego, California in the fall of 1959. The family moved there because of Rose Marie's health problems. The doctors in Royal Oak declared the mild climate in San Diego ideal for her. Outside of many trips to Hawaii, Cunningham lived in San Diego until his death.
Cunningham had one older brother, Greg, and a younger sister, Christine.
When he was in high school he became associated with a girl whom he knew to deal in the occult and covens. This classmate introduced him to Wicca and trained him in Wiccan spirituality. He studied creative writing at San Diego State University, where he enrolled in 1978. After two years in the program, however, he had more published works than several of his professors, and dropped out of the university to write full time. During this period he had as a roommate magical author Donald Michael Kraig and often socialized with witchcraft author Raymond Buckland, who was also living in San Diego at the time. In 1980 Cunningham began initiate training under Raven Grimassi and remained as a first-degree initiate until 1982 when he left the tradition in favor of a self-styled form of Wicca.
In 1983, Scott Cunningham was diagnosed with lymphoma, which he successfully battled. In 1990, while on a speaking tour in Massachusetts, he suddenly fell ill and was diagnosed with AIDS-related cryptococcal meningitis. He suffered from several infections and died in March 1993. He was 36.

Religious beliefs

Cunningham practiced a fairly basic interpretation of Wicca, often worshipping alone, though his book series for solitaries describes several instances in which he worshipped with friends and teachers.
He also believed that Wicca, which had been a closed tradition since the 1950s, should become more open to newcomers.
Cunningham was also drawn to Huna and a range of new age movements and concepts that influenced and coloured his spirituality.

Books

Cover of Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Cunningham's most successful book

• 1980 - Shadow of Love (fiction)
• 1982 - Magical Herbalism: The Secret of the Wise (ISBN 0-87542-120-2)
• 1983 - Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic (ISBN 0-87542-121-0)
• 1985 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (ISBN 0-87542-122-9)
• 1987 - The Magical Household (ISBN 0-87542-124-5)
• 1987 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic (ISBN 0-87542-126-1)
• 1988 - The Truth About Witchcraft Today (ISBN 0-87542-127-X)
• 1988 - Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (ISBN 0-87542-118-0)
• 1989 - The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews (ISBN 0-87542-128-8)
• 1989 - Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent (ISBN 0-87542-129-6)
• 1991 - Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic (ISBN 0-87542-131-8)
• 1991 - The Magic in Food (ISBN 0-87542-130-X)
• 1993 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (ISBN 0-7387-0226-9)
• 1993 - Divination For Beginners (ISBN 0-7387-0384-2)
• 1993 - Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (ISBN 0-87542-184-9)
• 1993 - Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects (ISBN 0-87542-185-7)
• 1993 - The Truth About Herb Magic (ISBN 0-87542-132-6)
• 1994 - The Truth About Witchcraft (ISBN 0-87542-357-4)
• 1995 - Hawaiian Magic and Spirituality (ISBN 1-56718-199-6)
• 1997 - Pocket Guide to Fortune Telling (ISBN 0-89594-875-3)
• 1999 - Dreaming the Divine: Techniques for Sacred Sleep (ISBN 1-56718-192-9)
• 2009 - Cunningham's Book of Shadows: The Path of An American Traditionalist (ISBN 0-73871-914-5) – A rediscovered manuscript written by Cunningham in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

In Loving Memory of KUFO

Who were the A-Holes who f*cked this station over?

Eulogy for KUFO

KUFO was Portland's best rock station.  They were playing everything.  They were a free-speech radio station.  All of us Northwest rockers will miss this great historic radio station.   Blessed Be, KUFO.  Have a good journey to the Summerland.

Self Dedication in Wicca

1. By the very definition of the word, you can’t initiate yourself, because to initiate requires more than one person. But what you CAN do is dedicate yourself to your path and to the gods you have chosen to follow. For many people, doing this as part of a formal ritual helps to cement their relationship with the Divine. Some people choose to wait until they have studied for a year and a day before having a formal self-dedication rite. It’s entirely up to you.
   
2. You may want to wait until the time of the new moon to perform this self-dedication, because it is a time of new beginnings. Bear in mind that self-dedication is a commitment you are making; it should not be done at random or without significant thought beforehand.
   This goal of this rite is to bring the dedicant closer to the Divine, as well as to declare your connection to your spiritual path.
   
3. You should perform this ritual skyclad, if at all possible. Find a place that is quiet, private, and free of distractions. Turn off your cell phone and send the kids out to play if you have to. You will need the following items:
   
   • Blessing oil
   • Half a teaspoon of salt
   • A white candle
   Begin by grounding yourself. Find your inner peace, and become good and relaxed. Shut out all the things from your mundane life that distract you -- forget for a while about paying the bills, your son’s baseball practice, and whether or not you fed the cat. Focus only on yourself, and the tranquility you’re entitled to.
   
4. When you’re ready to proceed, sprinkle the salt on the floor or ground, and stand on it.
   Light your white candle, and feel the warmth of the flame. Look into the glow of the fire and think about what goals you have for yourself on your spiritual journey. Think about your motivations for performing this self-dedication.
   
5. Stand before your altar, and say:
   I am a child of the Goddess and God [Lady and Lord] , and I ask them to bless me.
   Dip your finger into the blessing oil, and with eyes closed, anoint your forehead. Some people do this by tracing a pentagram on the skin with the oil. Say:
   May my mind be blessed, so that I can accept the wisdom of the gods. Anoint the eyelids (be careful here!) and say: May my eyes be blessed, so I can see my way clearly upon this path. Anoint the tip of your nose with the oil, and say: May my nose be blessed, so I can breathe in the essence of all that is Divine.
6. Anoint your lips, and say:
   May my lips be blessed, so I may always speak with honor and respect.
   Anoint your chest, and say:
   May my heart be blessed, so I may love and be loved.
   Anoint the tops of your hands, and say:
   May my hands be blessed, so that I may use them to heal and help others.
   Anoint your genital area, and say:
   May my womb be blessed, so that I may honor the creation of life.
   Anoint the soles of your feet, and say:
   May my feet be blessed, so that I may walk side by side with the Divine.
   
7. If you have specific deities you follow, pledge your loyalty to them now. Otherwise, you can use simply “God and Goddess”, or “Mother and Father”. Say:
   Tonight, I pledge my dedication to the God and Goddess. I will walk with them beside me, and ask them to guide me on this journey. I pledge to honor them, and ask that they allow me to grow closer to them. As I will, so it shall be.
   Take some time to meditate. Feel the afterglow of the ritual, and feel the energy of the gods around you. You have brought yourself to the attention of the Divine, so they will be keeping an eye on you. Accept the gift of their wisdom.
   

What You Need:

• Blessing Oil (see link above)
• Salt
• A white candle
• A quiet place

Prisons in the USA

From Indymedia:

AMERICAN TORTURE CHAMBERS: A Report on Today’s Prisons & Jails, Part 1

by Kiilu Nyasha

(Originally written in 12/06, this report is just the tip of the iceberg. I've had to cut so much of the information I've gleaned doing the research into U.S. gulags to curb length. So this paper is just the first part of a series I'm pulling together. The next segment will focus on the history of U.S. prisons and the rise of the prison industrial complex. I'm hoping this series will be a wake-up call to the general public as well as the Movement that we must take action against the terror of a growing police state -- and fascism. Although written in 2006, the information herein is still valid and very likely an understatement of the current prison conditions since they've grown substantially worse five years beyond.)

The recently exposed tortures by American troops at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were part of a long history of prison brutalities in America’s torture chambers. In fact, among the torturers were prison guards transferred directly from U.S. prisons where similar tortures are inflicted on their captives.

The director of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prisoner Project, Elizabeth Alexander, accused U.S. governments of honing torture tactics in American prisons before they were implemented in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “If you look at the iconic pictures from Abu Ghraib,’ she told reporters, “you can match up these photos with the same abuses at American prisons, each one of them." (CNS News.com)

Then there’s extraordinary “rendition,” the secret transfer of so-called terror suspects into the custody of other nations – including Egypt, Jordan and Syria – where physical and psychological tortures are used to gather intelligence, and to keep detainees away from any judicial oversight. (“USA Below the radar: Secret flights to torture and ‘disappearance,’” April 2006 Amnesty International)

American torture chambers necessarily include death rows. It is surely a torture to have impending execution hanging over one’s head for years on end. Just this month, at San Quentin -- where over 650 await state murder -- a death row prisoner committed suicide (S.F. Chronicle, 12/2/06).

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS),as of 2003, reported of over 3300 condemned prisoners, 267 had their death sentences overturned or removed, 60 percent from Illinois where the Governor commuted all 155 death sentences after learning of the innocence of a dozen or more prisoners slated for death

In a national study (Hayes and Rowan 1988) of 401 suicides that took place in U.S. jails in 1986—one of the largest studies of its kind—two out of every three people who committed suicide were being held in a control unit. In one year, 2005, a record 44 prisoners killed themselves in California prisons alone; 70 percent of those suicides occurred in segregation units (Thompson 2006).

From 1995 - 2000, the daily count of people in disciplinary segregation increased 68 percent -- a rate of growth more than double the growth rate of the prison population overall Some 80,000 people were confined in lockups, only a fraction of all those in high-security control units or supermax prisons. (BJS 1998, BJS 2004).

In the words of prison chaplain Sister Antonia Maguire, prisoners are treated like “animals, without souls, who deserve whatever they get.”

Endless stories of “appalling, sadistic treatment inside America’s own prisons” were uncovered during a four-month investigation, culminating in a video report titled, Torture Inc. America’s Brutal Prisons, produced for BBC Channel 4 last Spring. “Abu Ghraib...was simply the export of the worst practices that take place in the domestic prison system all the time.” 

I might infer that the wardens of prisons treat activists in the prison system worse than the inmates who cause problems and many look the other way with the bad inmates.  I used to joke about New York City being a maximum security prison, and that was from a movie called "Escape from New York"

Hook in mouth - Megadeth

A cockroach in the concrete, courthouse tan and beady eyes
A slouch with fallen arches, purging truths into great lies
A little man with a big eraser, changing history
Procedures that he's programmed to, all he hears and sees
Altering the facts and figures, events and every issue
Make a person disappear, and no one will ever miss you

Rewrites every story, every poem that ever was
Eliminates incompetence, and those who break the laws
Follow the instructions of the New Way's Evil Book of Rules
Replacing rights with wrongs, the files and records in the schools

You said you've got the answers, well who asked you anyway ?
Ever think may be it was meant to be this way ?
Don't try to fool us, we know the worst is yet to come
I believe my kingdom will come

[CHORUS:]
F, is for fighting, R is for red
Ancestors' blood in battles they've shed
E, we elect them, E, we eject them
In the land of the free and the home of the brave
D, for your dying, O, your overture
M, will cover your grave with manure
This spells out FREEDOM, it means nothing to me
As long as there's P.M.R.C

F, is for fighting, R is for red
Ancestors' blood in battles they've shed
E, we elect them, E, we eject them
In the land of the free and the home of the brave
D, for your dying, O, your overture
M, is for money, you know what that cures
This spells out FREEDOM, it means nothing to me
As long as there's P.M.R.C

[CHORUS:]

Put your hand right up my shirt
Pull the strings that make me work
Jaws will part, words fall out
Like a fish with hook in mouth

Rewrites every story, every poem that ever was
Eliminates incompetence, and those who break the laws
Follow the instructions of the New Way's Evil Book of Rules
Replacing rights with wrongs, the files and records in the schools

I'm not a fish
I'm a man
Hook in mouth

A lesson in 1802 politics

Antifederalist No. 17 FEDERALIST POWER WILL ULTIMATELY SUBVERT STATE AUTHORITY

---

The "necessary and proper" clause has, from the beginning, been a thorn in the side of those seeking to reduce federal power, but its attack by Brutus served to call attention to it, leaving a paper trail of intent verifying its purpose was not to give Congress anything the Constitution "forgot," but rather to show two additional tests for any legislation Congress should attempt: to wit--that the intended actions would be both necessary AND proper to executing powers given under clauses 1-17 of Article I Section 8. This is the fameous BRUTUS.
This [new] government is to possess absolute and uncontrollable powers, legislative, executive and judicial, with respect to every object to which it extends, for by the last clause of section eighth, article first, it is declared, that the Congress shall have power "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or office thereof." And by the sixth article, it is declared, "that this Constitution, and the laws of the United States, which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and the treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any thing in the Constitution or law of any State to the contrary notwithstanding." It appears from these articles, that there is no need of any intervention of the State governments, between the Congress and the people, to execute any one power vested in the general government, and that the Constitution and laws of every State are nullified and declared void, so far as they are or shall be inconsistent with this Constitution, or the laws made in pursuance of it, or with treaties made under the authority of the United States. The government, then, so far as it extends, is a complete one, and not a confederation. It is as much one complete government as that of New York or Massachusetts; has as absolute and perfect powers to make and execute all laws, to appoint officers, institute courts, declare offenses, and annex penalties, with respect to every object to which it extends, as any other in the world. So far, therefore, as its powers reach, all ideas of confederation are given up and lost. It is true this government is limited to certain objects, or to speak more properly, some small degree of power is still left to the States; but a little attention to the powers vested in the general government, will convince every candid man, that if it is capable of being executed, all that is reserved for the individual States must very soon be annihilated, except so far as they are barely necessary to the organization of the general government. The powers of the general legislature extend to every case that is of the least importance-there is nothing valuable to human nature, nothing dear to freemen, but what is within its power. It has the authority to make laws which will affect the lives, the liberty, and property of every man in the United States; nor can the Constitution or laws of any State, in any way prevent or impede the full and complete execution of every power given. The legislative power is competent to lay taxes, duties, imposts, and excises;-there is no limitation to this power, unless it be said that the clause which directs the use to which those taxes and duties shall be applied, may be said to be a limitation. But this is no restriction of the power at all, for by this clause they are to be applied to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but the legislature have authority to contract debts at their discretion; they are the sole judges of what is necessary to provide for the common defense, and they only are to determine what is for the general welfare. This power, therefore, is neither more nor less than a power to lay and collect taxes, imposts, and excises, at their pleasure; not only the power to lay taxes unlimited as to the amount they may require, but it is perfect and absolute to raise ;hem in any mode they please. No State legislature, or any power in the State governments, have any more to do in carrying this into effect than the authority of one State has to do with that of another. In the business, therefore, of laying and collecting taxes, the idea of confederation is totally lost, and that of one entire republic is embraced. It is proper here to remark, that the authority to lay and collect taxes is the most important of any power that can be granted; it connects with it almost all other powers, or at least will in process of time draw all others after it; it is the great mean of protection, security, and defense, in a good government, and the great engine of oppression and tyranny in a bad one. This cannot fail of being the case, if we consider the contracted limits which are set by this Constitution, to the State governments, on this article of raising money. No State can emit paper money, lay any duties or imposts, on imports, or exports, but by consent of the Congress; and then the net produce shall be for the benefit of the United States. The only means, therefore, left for any State to support its government and discharge its debts, is by direct taxation; and the United States have also power to lay and collect taxes, in any way they please. Everyone who has thought on the subject, must be convinced that but small sums of money can he collected in any country, by direct tax; when the federal government begins to exercise the right of taxation in all its parts, the legislatures of the several states will find it impossible to raise monies to support their governments. Without money they cannot be supported, and they must dwindle away, and, as before observed, their powers be absorbed in that of the general government.
It might be here shown, that the power in the federal legislature, to raise and support armies at pleasure, as well in peace as in war, and their control over the militia, tend not only to a consolidation of the government, but the destruction of liberty. I shall not, however, dwell upon these, as a few observations upon the judicial power of this government, in addition to the preceding, will fully evince the truth of the position.
The judicial power of the United States is to be vested in a supreme court, and in such inferior courts as Congress may, from time to time, ordain and establish. The powers of these courts are very extensive; their jurisdiction comprehends all civil causes, except such as arise between citizens of the same State; and it extends to all cases in law and equity arising under the Constitution. One inferior court must be established, I presume, in each State, at least, with the necessary executive officers appendant thereto. It is easy to see, that in the common course of things, these courts will eclipse the dignity, and take away from the respectability, of the State courts. These courts will be, in themselves, totally independent of the States, deriving their authority from the United States, and receiving from them fixed salaries; and in the course of human events it is to be expected that they will swallow up all the powers of the courts in the respective States.
How far the clause in the eighth section of the first article may operate to do away with all idea of confederated States, and to effect an entire consolidation of the whole into one general government, it is impossible to say. The powers given by this article are very general and comprehensive, and it may receive a construction to justify the passing almost any law. A power to make all laws, which shall be necessary and proper, for carrying into execution all powers vested by the Constitution in the government of the United States, or any department or officer thereof, is a power very comprehensive and definite, and may, for aught I know, be exercised in such manner as entirely to abolish the State legislatures. Suppose the legislature of a State should pass a law to raise money to support their government and pay the State debt; may the Congress repeal this law, because it may prevent the collection of a tax which they may think proper and necessary to lay, to provide for the general welfare of the United States? For all laws made, in pursuance of this Constitution, are the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of the different States to the contrary notwithstanding. By such a law, the government of a particular State might be overturned at one stroke, and thereby be deprived of every means of its support.
It is not meant, by stating this case, to insinuate that the Constitution would warrant a law of this kind! Or unnecessarily to alarm the fears of the people, by suggesting that the Federal legislature would be more likely to pass the limits assigned them by the Constitution, than that of an individual State, further than they are less responsible to the people. But what is meant is, that the legislature of the United States are vested with the great and uncontrollable powers of laying and collecting taxes, duties, imposts, and excises; of regulating trade, raising and supporting armies, organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, instituting courts, and other general powers; and are by this clause invested with the power of making all laws, proper and necessary, for carrying all these into execution; and they may so exercise this power as entirely to annihilate all the State governments, and reduce this country to one single government. And if they may do it, it is pretty certain they will; for it will be found that the power retained by individual States, small as it is, will be a clog upon the wheels of the government of the United States; the latter, therefore, will be naturally inclined to remove it out of the way. Besides, it is a truth confirmed by the unerring experience of ages, that every man, and every body of men, invested with power, are ever disposed to increase it, and to acquire a superiority over everything that stands in their way. This disposition, which is implanted in human nature, will operate in the Federal legislature to lessen and ultimately to subvert the State authority, and having such advantages, will most certainly succeed, if the Federal government succeeds at all. It must be very evident, then, that what this Constitution wants of being a complete consolidation of the several parts of the union into one complete government, possessed of perfect legislative, judicial, and executive powers, to all intents and purposes, it will necessarily acquire in its exercise in operation.

Stereotypes in the Flintstones

Common People:

"Look.  Fred's stealing gas and the Bedrock PD is chasing him"

The rich:

"Mr. Gottrocks, will you dance with me."

"Yes, my dear, but will you please pass the cocaine, Madame."

Ever notice the criminals always have dark stubble and talk in creepy voices.

Aaron Campbell in Retrospect

The cop was dead wrong to gun down Aaron Campbell and should get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, as well as get fired from the Portland PD.  Cops are not above the law and have no right to terrorize private citizens at all.

Fascism in America

author: Ecotopian Yeti

Did fascism ever leave US America

This shall be a very interesting to say the least election. How much will e-voting or e-election theft play will be interesting specifically in Nevada. How far right will the US empire become will be interesting.. the US is far to the right with either corporatist parties in office now. Will this awaken or stir some elements in Cascadia to be concern on how crazy the rest of the empire is .. will be very interesting. So those of us in Cascadia (the Pacific Northwest) if the American Christian Taliban obtain more power are you willing to say "enough is enough" and "its time for a divorce Amerika!" This will all be interesting. It might be a big nothing too. Maybe the US will continue its corporatist approach even without the fanatical far right wing Christians? Is Obama's war policies and pandering to the corporate interests any different from the other corporarist presidents that signed WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA and agree with outsourcing and bank bail outs? "Fascism will come to America wrapped in a flag carrying a bible." ~ Sinclair Lewi

Editorial Note - Not all Christians are like this.  Many are loving individuals that care.  There are good people of all religions, races, and sexes.  Many Christians use the Bible as a bludgeon to beat it into whom they are preaching to.  This is called "legalism".  Jesus preached against such individuals called pharasees.

                                                                                                                                         

Fascism in America

author: Ecotopian Yeti

Did fascism ever leave US America

This shall be a very interesting to say the least election. How much will e-voting or e-election theft play will be interesting specifically in Nevada. How far right will the US empire become will be interesting.. the US is far to the right with either corporatist parties in office now. Will this awaken or stir some elements in Cascadia to be concern on how crazy the rest of the empire is .. will be very interesting. So those of us in Cascadia (the Pacific Northwest) if the American Christian Taliban obtain more power are you willing to say "enough is enough" and "its time for a divorce Amerika!" This will all be interesting. It might be a big nothing too. Maybe the US will continue its corporatist approach even without the fanatical far right wing Christians? Is Obama's war policies and pandering to the corporate interests any different from the other corporarist presidents that signed WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA and agree with outsourcing and bank bail outs? "Fascism will come to America wrapped in a flag carrying a bible." ~ Sinclair Lewis

another bug in ubuntu 10.10

the graphics appear to flicker in some games, such as Extreme Tux Racer and Parsec 47.

bug in Maverick Meerkat's sound system

There appears to be a bug in Maverick Meerkat's sound system (Ubuntu 10.10)

ppp0 bug in Ubuntu Meerkat

There appears to be a bug that slows down ppp0 in Maverick Meerkat.  It was in Lucid Lynx too.

Misinterpreted verse in the Bible

This is from exodus.  Though the King James Bible says ¨Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live¨, the Hebrew Bible says ¨Thou shalt not suffer (allow) a poisoner to live.¨

Protest fascism in all forms

That includes military adventurism, FBI harassment of activists, and the USA Patriot Act.  This also goes for the ilegality of marijuana.