A Long Time ago...

I believe that in a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I was Anakin Skywalker, raised on Tatooine, taken by two Jedi at the age of 9, fought rashly and recklessly at times in the Clone Wars, was taken in and fooled by Chancellor Palpatine's charm and was seduced by the dark side of the Force.  I then became Darth Vader, and helped the Empire exterminate the Jedi.  I never gave the order to destroy Alderaan - That was Governer Tarkin's fault.  I instinctively grabbed Leia to comfort her, since I sensed something about her.  I faced Luke Skywalker 3 times, the first one was at the fighter battle at Yavin, then he faced me at Bespin, then the last time, he sought me out on the second Death Star.  The Empereror was using Force lightning to fry Luke, then I threw Palpatine down a deep shaft.

a little about me

I am not an initiated Wiccan, though I dedicated myself to the Goddess and God with Scott Cunningham's "self dedication ritual".  I care about the coven I was in in 1990-1991.  I care about everyone in that group.  I just joke about evil, death and things like demons, though I know how to banish the real thing.

Blessed Be,
Riverwind

to be a Wiccan

You do not have to renounce your former religion except if it is satanism to become a Wiccan.  You must renounce satanism to be a Wiccan.

A conjured demon

Between Halloween and Thanksgiving of 1997, someone conjured a demon and the demon got me to say bad things about the Holy Spirit.  It was not my fault.

FBI Pigs on a wing

On the morning of September 24th, FBI agents served grand jury subpoenas and raided the homes of several anti-war and social justice activists in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois. The FBI appears to be targeting people associated with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Arab-American Action Network. Search warrants indicate agents were looking for connections between local antiwar activists and groups in Colombia and the Middle East. Most of the people whose homes were searched or who were issued subpoenas had helped organize or attended protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, two years ago.The social justice community, mindful of the COINTELPRO intimidation tactics that the FBI has implemented in the past against anti-war and civil rights organizers, view the raids as an intimidation tactic. Within a day, activists organized a solidarity vigil, a press conference to raise public opinion of the matter, and put out a call for rallies nationwide.
Coverage Roundups: DC-IMC | Indybay | Chicago IMC | Twin Cities IMC
More Coverage from Twin Cities IMC: Oct6: Anti-War Activists: "We Have Nothing to Say to a Grand Jury" | Sept29: Midwest Social Justice Community Rallies Around Investigated Antiwar Activist | Sept24: At Least Four Minneapolis Houses Raided, Activists Subpoenaed in National FBI "Terror" Expedition Against Antiwar Activists | Breaking News
Demonstration Reportbacks: Portland, OR | Rochester, NY | Champaign, IL | Olympia, WA | Buffalo, NY | Washington, DC
Solidarity Statements: African People’s Solidarity Committee | Labor Activists Condemn FBI Repression | Send a Note of Protest and cc your local media
Related Stories: US Coast Guard admittedly spied in Olympia Activist circles | PA "Terror Watch" Bulletins Tracked Activists Across State
More Information: If An Agent Knocks | Committee to Stop FBI Repression

A Texas gulag

Texas Death Row prisoners say "¡Ya Basta!" to Inhuman Prison Conditions
by Texas Death Row Prisoners Wednesday, Jun. 08, 2011 at 4:07 PM
drivemovement@yahoo.com

Texas Death Row inmates are banning together and protesting in various ways as never before. This is because of new pseudo policies, which, as should be noted, the vast majority of staff members disagrees with and see as pointless and counterproductive.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
I-60 SUPPLEMENT

To: Ranking officers over the Death Row Inmate Population
From: The Death Row Inmate Population
Date: May 1, 2011

Texas Death Row inmates are banning together and protesting in various ways as never before. This is because of new pseudo policies, which, as should be noted, the vast majority of staff members disagrees with and see as pointless and counterproductive. In fact, it seems that the only two people pushing this heightened level of oppression are major Smith and Assistant Warden Lester. In the history of Texas Death Row there has never been so very many Use of Force and staff assaults, in such a very short period of time. This is the result of one thing and one thing only: the sudden dramatic rise in extreme psychological and physical violence that is being forced upon us. We just wished to be left alone and allowed to peacefully exist without beings viciously attacked as the TX Death Row inmate population has been lately.

Every ranking officer involved with the D.R building operations will be given a written copy of this May 1, 2011 list of “Issues To Be Addressed“ and all issues will be discussed with them extensively. This has been done repeatedly unofficially but as of 5-1-11 all ranking officers will be officially notified. If they so choose to violate TDCJ-CID policy, ACA standards, state & federal law they will do so of their own free will, knowingly, willingly and with intent. The issues to be addressed are as follows:


*Polunsky Death Row Ranking Staff: Warden Simmons, Asst. Warden Butcher, Asst. Warden Lester, Major Smith, Captain Dickens, Captain Bolton, Captain Miller, Lt. Newberry, Lt. Tully, Lt. McGee, Lt. Worthy, Lt. Duff, Lt. Cabiness, Sgt. Belknap, Sgt. Timmons, Sgt. Valentine, Sgt. Ferris, Sgt. Andrews, Sgt. Macias, Sgt. Beverly, Sgt. Williams, Sgt. McDaniel, Sgt. Helms, Sgt. Ancina, Sgt. Griggsby, (All C.Os will be made aware of the issues as well).

*References: Board Policy (B.P.) 3.9I, Administrative Directive (AD) 3.72, Use of Force Plan, PD-22, Death Row Plan and many other TDCJ policies-extensively, state laws (TX – Government Codex, etc.), extensive federal law (Hudson vs. McMillan, 503 U.S. I [I992]). An extremely detailed and exhaustive list of TDCJ-CID policies, ACA Standards, state and federal laws is available upon request.

NOTE: TDCJ-CID employees are subject to being charged criminally and/or held civilly liable in state and/or Federal Court for violations of state and/or Federal law. (TDCJ-CID policies and ACA standards are based on state and federal law). Polunsky unit staff members have been committing these violations daily.


ISSUSES TO BE ADDRESSED

To: Ranking officers over the Death Row Inmate Population
From: The Death Row Inmate Population
Date: May 1, 2011

In accordance with TDCJ-CID policy, ACA standards, state & federal law the Texas Death Row inmate population would like to bring the following issues to the attention of the ranking staff members in change of the security operations of Death Row. The following list of problems can easily be resolved by on-site ranking staff members and we respectfully request that they do indeed be resolved in an expedient manner.
The issues of relevance are as follows:

*Unsanitary conditions on the pods: Staff members have not been following policy concerning the cleaning of the pods. We request that adequate cleaning supplies be provided an appropriate number of S-S-I’s be assigned to cleaning duty and the pods be properly cleaned and sanitized per policy, there should be no mold in the showers, backed up drains, caked on dirt and dust on the dayroom bars and filth on the floors furthermore, there should never be a single day where an officer comes up with some unjustified excuse for not having the pods cleaned properly. (This has been happening more and more lately).

*Necessity Items I: Soap and Bippy (scouring powder) used to be passed out weekly without exception and extra soap and Bippy would be kept in the picket and passed out if needed. For example, if an officer in rushing to feed chow and accidentally spills the thick greasy liquid that accompanies many tray items – which happens quite often – the C.O. would give the inmate extra soap and Bippy to clean his food slot and door recently, soap and Bippy hasn’t been passed out. For a decade since D.R. has been on this unit this has never been a problem until recently.

*Necessity Items (Clothing) II: Recently, the necessity items that have been passed out have been exceedingly dirty and dingy. Also, previously we were allowed to keep our jackets and blankets year round and they would be washed about every 3 months. Because of the way the AC/Heating systems functions it is sometimes extremely cold in our cells during the summer, therefore we request to have our blankets year round. Furthermore, our jackets are our only protection from rain when on the outside recreation yard (regardless of the season). Therefore, we respectfully request that we be allowed our jackets year round.

*Shower Slots: For 10 years never once were the handcuff removal slots closed when inmates are showering, until recently. The exhaust vents in the showers do not work correctly when the slots are closed and this creates a terribly oppressive situation where the showering inmate cannot breathe correctly. Several inmates have passed out in the shower and many have vomited or become nauseous. There is absolutely no valid reason to close the slots on the showers. Furthermore the open slot is where people place their clothes. Now, the only options are to either place ones clothes on the filthy shower floor where they will get soaking wet or have the COs violate policy and place the items on the dayroom bars or hang them out on a door fixture. (Note: Many ranking officers have stated that holes are supposed to be drilled into the piece of plexi-glass on the shower doors in order to provide proper ventilation and either hooks or a tray are supposed to be secured inside the doors so we can hang up our clothes but this has not happened yet. The whole point of having a plexi-glass window on the shower door is for security purposes so staff can see inside especially during shakedowns, but because of the lack of ventilation the windows fog up and staff is unable to see inside. This is an obvious security risk as many staff members have noted.

*Mail Issues: Problems with ingoing and outgoing mail have dramatically increased recently. Mail has been coming up missing and as has been well documented mail is being held in the mailroom for outrageously excessive amounts of time. TDCJ-CID policy – specifically the Correspondence Rules, B.P. 3.9I – states that ingoing and outgoing mail is to be processed within 24 hours. (48 hours for inmates under specific official security threat watch). We respectfully request that the mail problems be immediately resolved.

*Property officer Martinez: The problems with C. O. Martinez are so very extreme that she is a major problem in and of herself and thus deserves to be counted as a major issue. Ms. Martinez is just absolutely incapable of engaging in her job in a professional manner. She routinely violates TDCJ policy as a matter of what seems to be a natural course for her. She is responsible for unjust confiscation of property as well as unjust denial of release of property (during visitation and otherwise). Ms. Martinez routinely holds property released and sent via mail for outrageously long periods of time. We respectfully request that an officer who can carry out property duties with an appropriate degree of professionalism immediately replace her.

• It should be noted that the mass amount of problems concerning property did not occur until Major Joe Smith became the highest-ranking officer over Texas Death Row. He is the one who allowed these problems to occur, he is the one who assigned C. O. Martinez –and before her, her ranking officer Ms. Smith– to property room duty. A striking example of what Major Smith has caused: The number of staff assaults and Use of Force (UOF) prior—in the many years prior – to Major Smith due the property? Zero. The number of staff assaults since Major Smith has become Major of Death Row and implemented extreme pseudo-policies (which are actually against real written TDCJ policy) concerning property? There have been many, many UOF and staff assaults because of Major Smith’s unjust actions concerning property the number is in the double digits if not the triple digits. From Zero in many years (Approximately 30 years) to at least a double digit number is absolutely shocking (a double digit number in a few years).

• Also, TDCJ-CID policy – specifically A.D. 3.72 – clearly states: “Access to each property room shall be limited to the assigned property officer and other limited personnel designated by the warden” (A.D 3.72 SEC. IV B.2). In the 30 years prison the Major Smith the other personnel was always the small number of other ranking officers on the D. R. building (Sgt.’s Lt.’s and the one captain assigned on the D. R.) Now, Major Smith has essentially given the property officer the rank of a Major or Warden! This is the root of the main problem concerning property issues. And this has been extremely demoralizing to ranking officers. We respectfully request that the policy that resulted in Zero staff assaults and Zero UOF be re-implemented and the limited number of D. R. supervising officers (Sgt., Lt., and Captain) be given 24 hour 7 day a week full property room access as had been the case for approximately 30 years prior to Major Smith. It might seem strange to some that we are requesting something that all of the ranking officers (and C.O. s) have been very vocally in favor of but we are simply thinking rationally and trying to resolve problems and prevent future problems from occurring.

• Level II and Level III Property: A dramatic rise in destruction unjust holding, arbitrary confiscation and disappearance of property recently and previously, when a person was dropped to L- II or III he was given all of his hygiene items in his possession at the time of leveling. Now, it seems staff is trying as hard as possible to extremely limit hygiene items, many times only giving leveled inmates, for example, two bars of soap and placing the other 20 in their property roam box. There are only two options: 1) When inmates are leveled give them all of their hygiene items or 2) Assign several new staff members to the job of daily bringing inmates replacement items from their property room held property when they run out (which is a daily occurrence because different inmates run out of different items and different times). We respectfully request that these property issues be immediately resolved.

• There is no written policy that prevents inmates from possessing hardback books on Level II or Level III, in fact, policy clearly states that we are allowed to possess all publications and literature including hardback books on L-II or L-III. For some unknown reason certain officers at certain times have prevented certain inmates from having hardback books in L-III. Now, in clear violation of policy, staff are attempting to prevent most inmates from having hardback books on L-III and now apparently, L-II also. We request that this “policy“ be immediately reversed. Note: if inmates are reading, then they aren’t causing problems. Furthermore, many of the larger books are religious and/or education and per policy religious and/or educational endeavors cannot be restricted due to disciplinary status.

• TDCJ-CID policy clearly states: “piddling (craft) privileges will not be considered a leisure activity that may be suspended as a (disciplinary) penalty” (GR–106, pg. 17). Policy states that we are not allowed to purchase arts and crafts items—in accordance with our In–cell Arts and Crafts program—on L-II and L-III but previously we were allowed to keep the those items which we possessed when leveled. We request that this be the case again. Note: If inmates are doing arts and crafts, then they are not causing problems.

*Leaking Cells: This has been a problem for years. This is really part of larger problem that can only be described as a sort of antagonistic battle between the maintenance department –which is out in general population far from the D. R. building– and Death Row inmates and D. R. staff. Quite a number of times D. R. Staff has presented maintenance with a list of all the cells that leak. They will come eventually, perhaps fix a few and outright lie and say they are fixed more or all. Then D. R. Staff will “blow it off” and say, “Well, we told maintenance”. F-Pod 63 cell is a perfect example of how quick and easy it is to fix a cell that leaks. F-63 leaked horrendously maintenance came scrapped of the old paint and soap and toilet paper people have stuck on the problematic area on the ceiling/back wall, quickly washed it and applied a beige sealer to the crack. This only took about 20 minutes and completely fixed the problem. We respectfully request that this be done to all leaking D. R. building cells immediately.

*Shower Procedure: Since the new “shower slot closing” policy was implemented another shower procedure policy has been implemented. For the decade that D. R. has been on this building C.O.’s have conducted inmate showering by going all the way around one row A, B, C, D, E and F section and then coming back around two row F, E, D, C, B and A section, or vice versa. Now, officers have only been showering people on one half of the pod at a time (usually A, B, C side first). The reason for implementing this new policy is said to be so we are not in the showers for a longer period of time, therefore, the showering process -with the slots closed– would not be so oppressive. This is illogical for several reasons. One, we were already given a short period of time to shower barely enough time to do so and we have still been showering properly so this has only resulted in officers just standing around waiting for people to finish showering and has not cut down on the time we spend in the shower. What it has resulted in is officers using this new shower procedure to dramatically and unjustly slows down showers and/or not do them at all in clear violation of TDCJ-CID policy. We respectfully request that we be showered as we have been for the last decade than D. R. has been on the Polunsky unit.

*Leveling Prior to a Disciplinary Hearing: Until recently D.R. Inmates were never dropped from Level I to Level II before a disciplinary hearing. This new pseudo- policy is in direct violation of TDCJ-CID policy, ACA standards, states & federal law. The only way a person can justifiably be immediately moved to L-II or L-III status is it they fall into one of the following categories: 1) He/she is a current escape risk. 2) His/ her presence would create a threat to the physical safety of other offenders or staff, or 3) It is necessary to maintain the integrity of an investigation, i.e. to preserve the integrity of information either in the offenders possession or another offenders possession. Now, against policy, people are being leveled for the most insignificant cases imaginable such as passing a newspaper (which is not even a real justifiable case). Being leveled is an extreme form of punishment which entails an offender having his recreation time immediately cut in half, his visits immediately cut in half, all of his commissary items taken (except hygiene and writing supplies) including his radio and hot-pot and losing his special visits if they were already scheduled (which can mean friends and family members losing hundreds or thousands of dollars on pre-bought plan tickets). Unjust leveling is not only an assault on an inmate it is also an assault on the inmates friends and family members.

*Passing between inmates: For the entire approximately 35 year history of modern Texas Death Row inmates have been allowed to pass items such as books, food, magazines and newspapers amongst each other. This has always been the case and in the 10 years D.R. has been on this unit it has never been a problem before (none of this is against policy). Now, suddenly certain ranking staff members have initiated a new pseudo-policy, really a manipulation of policy, attempting to ban us from passing anything amongst each other. This is an absolutely vicious and violent attack, an extreme form of assault and as many academics have noted, psychological violence is many times worse than physical violence. This is not done with others even inmates on 8 building in “closed custody” status for offenses such as assault and major contraband (drugs, cell phones, etc.) possession. Attempting to prevent us from sharing books, art and food with each other is oppressive in the extreme and we ask that this new pseudo- policy be immediately stopped.

*Officers passing between inmates: Death Row officers have always been allowed to pass items between inmates (once again, for the entire 35 year history of modern Texas Death Row). For example, if one inmate has a large GEO study book and is helping another with GEO studies he will ask an officer if he or she can please give the book to another inmate if the officer does not mind. The officer will inspect the book and pass it along if he or she chooses to do so. Policy states it is at the individual officer’s discretion to do so or not. Now, suddenly this has changed. We ask that this extremely oppressive change be stopped immediately.

*Food Service: Violations of food service policy have increased lately. The trays we are fed differ from those served to general population inmates and many of the serving carts are broken and do not heat up the food properly. Preliminary investigation has shown that all of the food carts are broken and several staff members have said they are broken beyond repair. It should be noted that the same food carts are in use that were in use when D. R. arrived here over 10 years ago. TDCJ policy states that we are supposed to be served the exact same thing that is served in the Officer’s Dining Room but this is not the case at all. Furthermore, we never receive the condiments that general population and staff receive and the portions we are served are smaller. We respectfully request that kitchen staff follow the meal plan menu and food service policy as soon as possible and continue to do so.

*Telephone Calls: All other inmates in the Texas Prison System are allowed telephone service except those on Death Row and inmates who are in Administrative Segregation for extreme rule violations. We are theoretically allowed only 5 minutes call every 90 days but even this is a hard thing to achieve. We respectfully request to be allowed the same telephone access as the general population. Note: it is against state and federal law to discriminate against one section of the prison population for no warranted reason.

*Death Watch Leveling: Previously, if an inmate who was on disciplinary status received an execution date the ranking staff members would give him the option of immediately being moved back up to Level I status and, of course, if the inmate committed any rule violations that warranted him being dropped to L-II or L-III when on Death Watch this would occur. We respectfully ask that this be the case again.

*Visitation List Changes: Previously, when D.R. was on the Ellis unit, D.R. inmates could change their visitation lists weekly if necessary. In the 10 years D. R. has been on the Polunsky Unit if an inmate needed to change his visitation list and he requested to do so and gave a reason, then the change was usually allowed. Now, changes to visitation lists are only allowed once every 6 months and this is an extremely oppressive policy. We respectfully ask that it be changed to allow visitation list changes once a week if necessary.

*Shaving Razors: For the entire 35-year modern history of Texas Death Row, D. R. inmates were allowed to purchase disposable shaving razor from commissary and were also given a state-issued razor once a week. D. R. inmates could possess however many shaving razors. Now, suddenly, this has changed and now we are only given a razor when we shower three times a week, although, many times not even that often. It should be mentioned that the “reason” for this is that an inmate was found with a shirt laced with razor blades. This same inmate has previously made a lasso and a knife and given it to officers and basically said: “Look what I can do! Look what I can do!” Furthermore, when this inmate was found with the “razor- shirt” he was on a section by himself for security purpose and on razor restriction and only had contact with officers. This new razor policy has done nothing but create a contraband market in razors. We ask that it be reserved.

*Commissary Issues:

• The Disciplinary Rules and Procedures are very clear, when an inmate is given commissary restriction as a result of a disciplinary hearing this does not include “legal correspondence materials and hygiene items” (GR-106 VII. A 1. C.2) or by policy it is not supposed to include these items but these items are routinely restricted under a given period of commissary restriction. We request this practice end.

• D.R. inmates are currently only allowed to when on Level I, spend $85 a month, yet the commissary prices have continuously increased and many items such as correspondence supplies and hygiene items are an absolute necessity. We respectfully request that the spend limit be increased to $150, and furthermore we request that we be allowed to purchase 60 stamps per spend period instead of 30.

* Inmate Legal Visits: For the decade that D. R. has been on this unit – in accordance with TDCJ-CID policy– we have been allowed inmate legal visits. Suddenly this has stopped and we respectfully request to be allowed inmate legal visits again.

*Excessive Use of Force: Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in excessive Use of Force (UOF). For example, for the first time in the approximately 35 year history of Texas D. R., an inmate was assaulted with a “beam bag“ concussion weapon and knocked unconscious and another was beaten with a metal riot baton. There have been many violations of the TDCJ “Use of Force Plan” as well as the “management and Utilization of state—Issued Chemical Agents” policy SM – 05.03. Furthermore, after a UOF – and indeed at other times–there have been many violations of the “offender management Restrictions” policy SM–01.29. We request that these violations stop.

* Televisions: Texas is the only state that does not allow its Death Row inmates to have televisions. We respectfully request to be allowed to purchase televisions. (Note: General population inmates have T.V.’s).

* Top-Down Staff Harassment: Recently there has been a dramatic rise in the harassment of lower ranking staff members by higher-ranking staff members. This has created a volatile environment for all and we respectfully request that this practice stop immediately.

*Pay Raise For Staff: Administrative officials have consistently spent literally millions of dollars on pointless so-called “security upgrades” to the Death Row building, for example, replacing the outside large security lights with longer extremely expensive gigantic stadium-style lights and repairing the already secure metal barriers/angle-iron between our walls with more metal, all pointless. Yet, the COs have not received the pay raises they have been requesting. We ask that all D. R. C. O.’s Sgt.’s and Lt.’s be given an immediate 15% pay raise. If millions can be spent on nonsense, then the Administration can spend a small amount on a pay raise for those who work at what has been called “one of the most secure prisons in the U.S.” This would help alleviate some of the oppression that the D. R. staff are suffering from and make this environment better for. Let us reiterate that we do not hate or even dislike most staff members here, we want this environment to be better for all.

*Grievance Procedure: There has been an increase lately of problems with the grievance procedure, including non–valid responses to meritorious issues and disappearances of grievances. We request this stop immediately and Polunsky Unit grievance staff follows proper TDCJ-CID policy, including the Grievance Operations Manual. Furthermore, it should be noted that many inmates feel that because the grievance procedure is a ‘joke’ their only option is to engage in acts of protest such as Uses of Force and some have been pushed to violence.

*I-60 Requests: I-60 Request Forms are not responded to now about 90% of the time. Once again, the “formal” avenues that are in place are no longer valid at all. We do not want to be engaged in protest actions, but we have been forced to because certain staff members have made the formal channels of resolving complaints completely invalid.

*Shakedown Team: Two special shakedown Teams have been created which consist of approximately 7 officers on two separate cards. These teams were created in order to search for weapons, cell phones and drugs, yet their main mission has become to oppress and viciously harass us. The shakedown teams routinely assault our property and this is one at the main issues that has forced people to engage in protest. The shakedown teams operate in an absolutely rogue and out-of-control manner and we request that this cease immediately.

A lesson in 1802 politics

Antifederalist No. 17 FEDERALIST POWER WILL ULTIMATELY SUBVERT STATE AUTHORITY

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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.

The Demise of a terrorist

Special forces iced a certian terrorist, then a Voodoo priest reanimated him into a mindless zombie.  Then the US Navy got a hold of him, keel-hauled him, then fished him out of the briney.  After that, they put him in concrete shoes, and made him walk the plank right into Davy Jones' locker.  Needless to say, he was shark-bait.  He is now sleeping with the fishes.  The moral of this story is don't fool with airplanes.

A cross

A struggling Christian

I have been struggling with witches casting evil spells on me.

importance of a labor strike

Unions should go on strike if the workers are not happy.  People should never cross a picket line or scab (taking a job from a struck plant or store).  people should boycott any company who's workers go on strike.

A lukewarm Christian

In my opinion, a lukewarm Christian is one who has no love.  They can be legalistic, using the Bible as a rule book.  Paul wrote that one who has no love in their heart has nothing.  My friend Jeanne was falsely accused of being "full of demons", but she is the vary one who got to my heart, witnessing to me about Jesus.  She prays for the rainforests.

A story about Yuletide (Christmas spirit)

This is from my own life.  A guy hit me in the nose, causing a nosebleed and first I was going to beat the crap out of him for it, then I calmed down and was thinking of pressing charges for assault.  I decided to let it go because it was the holidays (after Thanksgiving)

A year-round Santa

I would probably give that to Linus Torvalds for inventing, writing and working on the Linux kernel.   He gave it away to the world.  There are quite a few *nixes available for download.

Struggle for a Workers' recovery

The Struggle for a Workers' Recovery

author: Workers Action

Stocks are booming; the Dow Jones soared past 11,000; the very wealthy are bursting from their financial seams. Meanwhile, mass unemployment continues, with 95,000 more jobs -- mostly teachers -- lost in September. As millions of Americans sink into desperation, President Obama continues to preach the good word of optimism, based on the gospel of "private sector job growth." According to the President, the hundreds of thousands of public sector jobs that have been recently destroyed - due to the budget crises of nearly every state and municipality - should be overlooked, due to the "encouraging" job growth of the private sector.

For example, in September the private sector added 64,000 jobs (159,000 public sector jobs were lost in September). Even if there had been zero public sector job losses, adding 64,000 jobs would be only half what is needed to keep up with population growth. Most importantly, the minuscule private sector job growth that the President keeps raving about involves low-paying jobs. For example, out of the 64,000 private sector jobs created, 34,000 were low-paying jobs at restaurants and bars, where pay is low and benefits are scarce. This proves what most people already know: wages and benefits continue to spiral downward. Public workers typically make a living wage and have benefits, as opposed to those being hired at coffee shops or as dishwashers. A giant shift is happening, with living-wage jobs in the public sector being axed for low-paying private sector jobs, with millions of unemployed to ensure that wages remain low; this is the basis of the corporate profit boom. Jeannine Aversa of the Associated Press reports: "There are now 14.8 million people officially unemployed in the United States.... People out of work who have stopped looking for jobs are not counted as unemployed... nearly 27 million are 'underemployed'...." October 8, 2010).  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_economy The threat of unemployment is used to coerce workers into accepting lower wages and preventing them from protesting abusive treatment or lack of benefits. The staggering job losses in the public sector will only worsen as state budget crises are balanced on the back of teachers, social service workers, and other public workers. The lack of action to prevent this hemorrhaging must be viewed as a conscious and well-defined policy with a specific goal. Public workers are the last stronghold in the U.S. labor movement; they are thus the strongest obstacle to the corporate agenda being implemented by both Democrats and Republicans. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 37.4 percent of public workers are unionized, as opposed to only 7.2 percent in the private sector. It's not surprising that the group with the highest unionization rates -- local government workers (43 percent) -- are being targeted the most (this group includes teachers).  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm Public sector unions are in the fight of their lives, and they're losing because they have one hand tied behind their back. For example, the Democratic Party is spearheading the fight against public employees; yet these unions continue to support this corporate party. Also, public sector unions have not joined together in coalitions -- as they do in Europe -- to fight back collectively. Divided, they are far less powerful, since the corporations and their government are tightly united for the unions' destruction. The massive One Nation demonstration in Washington, D.C. proved that unions and other progressive groups can unite under a set of demands. But uniting for one demonstration is not enough. The labor movement and labor's allies plus other progressive groups must unite locally and nationally to fully fund education, social services, and to institute a massive public works program to employ all the unemployed workers in the country. Such demands require that taxes be raised on the wealthy and corporations and that the unwinnable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan end immediately. The vast majority of working people support these ideas, considered too "radical" by the Democrats and Republicans.

homepage: http://www.workerscompass.org

A Letter from the Birmingham Jail

This is a summary of the work written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Direct Action Explained
  • "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
  • "In any nonviolent campaign, there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists; negotiations; self-purification; and direct action."
  • "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored."
  • "I must confess that I am not afraid of the word 'tension.'"
  • "We know through painful experiences that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed".
• Two Types of Laws
  • "One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all'."
  • "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law."
  • "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust."
  • "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal."
  • "One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty."
• Two Types of Peace
  • "I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate."
  • "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
  • "Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with."
  • "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."
  • "We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."
• Extremism
  • "So the question is not whether we will be extremist but what kind of extremist we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice--or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?"
  • "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever."
  • "The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them."
  • "Was not Jesus an extremist for love"
  • "Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel"
• Disappointment
  • "I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership."
  • "So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound."
  • "I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen."
  • "There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love."
  • "We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom."
  • "We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands."
  • "Over the past few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek."
• One Day
  • "One day the South will know that when these disinherited children of God sat down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in the American dream and for the most sacred values in our Judaeo Christian heritage, thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence."

A little about aristocracy

the aristocracy is the rule of the wealthy over the poor - the haves vs the have - nots.  It was evident in Russia, as well as all of Europe in that time of the October revolution.  In an aristocraticly led governent, the haves lord it over the have nots and big-dog it with their fancy clothes and fancy cars.

We as poor must unite and protest the war in the mideast, as well as the bull that is happening in Latin America.  Obama is flushing good American Greenbacks down the toilet of a war machine.  The war is only serving to enrich the wealthy while we have a 10% unemployment rate (double unemployment for you African Americans).  We need a GENERAL STRIKE!!!

Boycott! A strategy for winning...

author: Bruce Wilkinson        e-mail: bruce@mediaisland.org

This year the Democrats are going to lose but dissident voices can win. We have a new and powerful excuse to boycott the elections, fighting corporate power, but it has to be organized and an empowered boycott. This is a call against apathy, against the corporate political parties and for an empowered non-voter.

The first American Revolution, in 1776, threw off the yoke of the king of England. Our fledgling democracy was then limited to white males who were educated landowners with slave owners apportioned an extra 3/5ths of a vote per slave. Now every adult has been given the right to vote, and democracy is part of America's pride. It is that sense of pride in our democracy that calls for an active boycott of this election.

Without a vote in Congress, or a decree from the President, the Supreme Court has reinstated the 3/5ths rule and has taken away all our suffrage. This sweeping change has turned Congress into a king's court for the kings of corporations. The slaves are us, with a proportion of each of our vote being given to these greed determined kings. The cause of this is unlimited corporate spending on elections which effectively ended democracy in America. The solution is to boycott this election and boycott all corporations who have crowned themselves during it.

The same 14th Amendment that gave all people born in this country citizenship and revoked the 3/5ths clause in the Constitution, has been mistakenly used by the Supreme Court to give corporations the rights of people. The Citizens United Supreme Court ruling in late 2009 gave corporations, as formally termed people, the right to spend unlimited money on elections, as protected free speech. This revoked the McCain Feingold law and all election reforms. The spirit of the14th amendment has been revoked, and the slave masters are corporate executives and all of America is their slave.

Historically the wealthy have always maintained a disproportionate amount of power in government. This election marks a new precedent where the one percent who own 83% of the stocks in all corporations now can wield that control to buy elections outright. In terms of control of power and ability to wield it, our nation has never experienced power as concentrated as it currently has become. In the entire history of this country, our democracy has never been this weak. The world has never experienced individuals as powerful as the new kings are becoming.

Corporations are not people. They don't love. If, hypothetically, corporations were people they would be psychopaths. Voting for candidates who have received all their support from psychopaths from the day they were born on the political stage until the moment of Election Day, is not what an informed voter would do. What an informed voter would do is refuse to vote in an election run by psychopaths and vocally oppose the results.

Boycotting elections takes away the validity of the election's results. It is a stand made on a principal that the vast majority of Americans can understand and agree with. It cuts across a broad spectrum of issues and unites diverse people around a common cause. It has potential appeal that can bring progressives and independents equally into a single issue agreement. It rejects the passivity and despondence that is created when people realize that they are playing a rigged game set against their interests. An election boycott is engaging, strident, effective and emboldening to the people who participate in it. Whereas unchallenged corporate controlled elections leaves the results valid and leaves a precedent for all future elections.

A boycott campaign of an election is a reaffirmation of the importance of democracy and is a defense of our democratic system. It is a way to engage in a deeper democracy. Boycott becomes your candidate. Signs, rallies, bumper stickers, advertisements, op-ed, letters to the editor, canvassing, phone calls, debates and actions of many varieties are all needed. On Election Day people can write in boycott or send in blank ballots. The day after Election Day, the boycotters call the election invalid and push forward a campaign for election reform.

Any candidate that refuses corporate funding and is facing a mismatched election should join the boycott and drop out of the race. There is incredible strength in candidates willing to stand up on principal regarding corporate power.

As a campaign like any other, getting out the vote is crucial for the boycott to be effective. Boycotters can be registering people to vote so they do not vote. Boycotters can be advocating a wide variety of issues in the name of democracy. Boycotters can be grilling candidates at public forums. Boycotting is not the same as sitting at home in passivity. It is a vote, a vote of no confidence.

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A little on Native Americans

Native Americans are some of the poorest people in the USA.  We as Americans have really done them a disservice by forcing them westward, putting them on unarable land (reservations) and taking thier culture away from them.  The Navajo were employed as "windtalkers" in WWII.  This was our code in the war.  Many natives have fought in modern 20th century wars and we have given so little back to them.

There is so much spiritual wisdom that can be leaned from Native Americans of all nations from this continent.  There are Native Hopi prophecies mentioning eathquakes on a large scale.  It is called the Cleansing.  It can come in destructively or peacefully.  It is our choice.  All beings on this planet have a responsibility to care for this planet, love each other, and use beneficial technology that is peaceful for this planet.  Blessed Be.

A lesson from the first Spiderman movie

After Peter Parker misused his spider powers, beating up a bully in school, his uncle had a talk with him.  He had a loving relationship with his uncle and told him that great power requires great responsibility.  There is a lesson for all people in this.  Whether you have prayer power, magicacl power, knowlege (scientific of literary or otherwise), psychological knowlege or the authority of the government you need use it responsibly.  You mustn't use it to control or manipiulate people.  I happen to be mentally ill and do things that are irrational at times.  I am not a psychoparth, nor am I suicidal.