Clipmarks | graphictruth's 'government' clips

Long before Ron Paul, JFK tried to give us "hard money."

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:33:59 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: And had he lived, we would not have a 30+ trillion dollar national debt now. Who shot JFK left for speculation. Why, though, seems pretty damn obvious.

Clip Source: www.john-f-kennedy.net

On June 4, 1963, a little known attempt was made to strip the Federal Reserve Bank of its power to loan money to the government at interest. On that day President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order No. 11110 that returned to the U.S. government the power to issue currency, without going through the Federal Reserve. Mr. Kennedy's order gave the Treasury the power "to issue silver certificates against any silver bullion, silver, or standard silver dollars in the Treasury." This meant that for every ounce of silver in the U.S. Treasury's vault, the government could introduce new money into circulation. In all, Kennedy brought nearly $4.3 billion in U.S. notes into circulation. The ramifications of this bill are enormous.

With the stroke of a pen, Mr. Kennedy was on his way to putting the Federal Reserve Bank of New York out of business.

This is because the silver certificates are backed by silver and the Federal Reserve notes are not backed by anything.

Tags: ron paul, jfk, hard money, silver certificates, kennedy dollars, federal reserve

You don't have to be a Libertarian to say things like this...

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:07:29 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: ...but if you say them frequently and loudly, you probably are.

But aside from probably being a Libertarian, you would also be correct.

Clip Source: www.graphictruth.com

The Constitution does not "grant" the right to bear arms or any other right, rather, it recognizes rights that exist whether authorities like it or not and restricts the extent to which Government can request a delegation of those rights in return for better results than individuals could manage for themselves.

Tags: constitution, government, politics, liberty, libertarian, 2nd amendment

The government that governs most, governs worst.

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 11:45:41 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: Of course, we don't have a government; we have a giant Ponzi scheme.

Clip Source: www.graphictruth.com

I'm a Libertarian and my faith in any particular socio-economic system is tied directly to my own Libertarian litmus test. "What's in it for me?"

This undoubtedly sounds selfish and anti-social, but both ethically and economically, if I do not first consider my own interests, any concern I have about the interests of others will be purely theoretical. I will have no money and no power and therefore my concerns about others will be utterly irrelevant.

whatever you do, people will act according to their own perceived self-interest, whether or not you think they should from ANY given social, moral, economic or philosophical viewpoint.

This is why "The government that governs least, governs best." That government generally avoids setting up positive feedback loops that destroy the whole system in the name of maintaining it.

Tags: activism, constitution, ethics, government, republican leadership

The New Frontier - Second Life

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:51:49 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: Internet, Threat or Menace in a new wrapper; 2nd Life presents a huge potential challenge to those who would impose public regulation of private conduct.

Clip Source: www.graphictruth.com

the sorts of places I have been is where the obsessive people who create the platform hang out, relax, share and develop new ideas in an environment that is neither mission critical nor subject to criticism based on anything other than performance.

This particular obsession came from a decision to give 2nd Life another try.

If you can depict, simulate, transmit, record, or usefully participate in human sexual activity to the limits of the medium, the system itself is both robust and flexible enough to support eCommerce, government agencies and, of course, spam and "griefers".

2nd Life is now robust enough to support a degree of parasitic activity

directly aimed at screwing with people and what they would otherwise freely and benignly choose to do.

the republican mindset says that it's ripe for exploitation and domination. The problem is, you cannot strip-mine an intellectual property

Creative people tend to create contexts

governed only by their own ethics and morality

Tags: 2nd life, second life, ethics, creativity, mmorpg, virtual community, government, regulation

14 Points of fascism (part 2)

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:42:13 GMT

clipped by: liotropi

Clip Source: www.oldamericancentury.org

4.) Supremacy of the Military: Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5.) Rampant Sexism: The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6.) Controlled Mass Media: Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7.) Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses

8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined:

9.) Corporate Power is Protected:

Tags: fascism, bush, politics

If you can't do anything else, wear a t-shirt.

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 00:11:05 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: There's nothing like a t-shirt and a trip to the mall to get the word out.

Clip Source: www.graphictruth.com

This is actually sparked by something Randi Rhodes said some months back,

She said, at the very least, you can wear a t-shirt! If you are a social sort of person, if you like shopping, if you go to the mall or the movies, put on a shirt that takes a stand and wear it. Yes, it takes some guts. You might endure some rude stares, maybe even rude questions about your patriotism. But that's the whole idea. Have some answers ready to go. Remember, if you are wearing your message to a mall during peak hours, it could be seen by hundreds, even thousands of people. That, folks, is something. It's something very important, because it said you, personally find this message important enough to be seen in public.

When the government fears the people there is liberty; when the people fear the government there is tyranny." -Thomas Jefferson

Tags: t-shirts, activism, first amendment, cultural warfare, constitution, civil liberties, patriotism, politics, quotations, thomas jefferson

I've Got Nothing to Hide

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:24:53 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes

Clip Source: papers.ssrn.com

"I've Got Nothing to Hide" and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy

Abstract:
In this short essay, written for a symposium in the San Diego Law Review, Professor Daniel Solove examines the "nothing to hide" argument. When asked about government surveillance and data mining, many people respond by declaring: "I've got nothing to hide." According to the "nothing to hide" argument, there is no threat to privacy unless the government uncovers unlawful activity, in which case a person has no legitimate justification to claim that it remain private. The "nothing to hide" argument and its variants are quite prevalent, and thus are worth addressing. In this essay, Solove critiques the "nothing to hide" argument and exposes its faulty underpinnings.

Keywords: privacy, nothing to hide, data mining, surveillance

Download the document from:
Social Science Research Network

Tags: privacy, data mining, law, justice, ethics, fallacy, surveillance, government

Some Jeffersonian Graphictruths

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:15:20 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: Two new political designs from my <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/webcarve/">Cafepress Store</a> that Jeffersonian Democrats and Republicans and Libertarians and Greens can all agree on.

Clip Source: www.cafepress.com

When the government fears the people there is liberty; when the people fear the government there is tyranny." -Thomas Jefferson

A Little Rebellion
I hold that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and is as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical.

Fear The People
Fear The People
Jefferson thought that if the government scared you, it was time to put it out of your misery.

Tags: thomas jefferson, quotations, founding fathers

Theocracy - the worst of both church and state.

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:47:01 GMT

clipped by: graphictruth
clipper's remarks: Two graphs from a very very long essay that you might find useful in blogging against theocracy.

Clip Source: www.graphictruth.com

Government is wholesale. Religion - and it's secular equivalents - are retail. By seeking to become major secular powers, influencing governments the various churches have both currently and historically become whores TO government, or become governments themselves.

Therefore, state and church exist in separate, immiscable capacities to advise, and with our consent, provide information, resources and human contacts to help with those most personal and non-transferable duties. Nor may any entity, person, religion, corporation or government claim to be wise enough to know for certain that in the face of a poor outcome, their choices would have been better on behalf of any particular individual.

Tags: theocracy, dominism, separation of church and state, first amendment, blog against theocracy