Arbeit Macht Frei
Some of you may recognize the title of this article.
Some of you may have known it in the past but forgotten its meaning.

Some of you have yet to be enlightened.

One of the most dangerous things in the world is a Social Liberal with an idea to enhance the Greater Good.

One bright idea that surfaces from time to time is the concept of Mandatory Federal Service.

It would be good for the Nation, it would benefit the Youth, allow all sorts of needed and beneficial public service.

It would also be in complete violation of the Spirit and the Word of

The XIIIth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

I ask you? What is so complicated about those words?

Now I have a confession to make. I at times have looked upon the Draft as something not entirely negative in its effects on the Republic.

Before you get too excited, let me explain. My thoughts stem in part from my upbringing.

I am a Navy Brat. I spent my childhood on military bases, in many ways isolated and protected from the outside world.

As a small boy I understood the Order of the Universe.

It was ordered in this fashion.

The Navy
The Marine Corps
The Army
The Air force.

Then came

Snakes
Rats
Spiders

Other assorted Vermin

Then way down at the bottom some very scary things called.

Civilians.

At the time I did not really know what Civilians WERE, but I got the distinct impression that they were not very nice, however I was not worried the Base Marines were between me and whatever they were. ;-)

So part of me approves in principle of a Military composed in large part of temporary members who do not WANT to be in it forever. Prevents Military Coups and such unpleasantness.

All of that may be true, but still does not in my mind over ride that Mandatory Federal Service is in fact,

involuntary servitude, NOT as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted

For me it is that simple. No attempt to rationalize or justify it can negate the simple words in the

XIIIth Amendment.

Some maintain the Constitution is a living document to be reinterpreted and modified as our Society changes.

I say we as a Nation paid too bitter a price for this Amendment to discard it for wishful thinking.
From
Statistical Summary
America's Major Wars
Deaths
Combat Other
184,594 373,458
Combat deaths refers to troops killed in action or dead of wounds. Other includes deaths from disease, privation, and accidents, and includes losses among prisoners of war


Some may maintain that this is only the pipe dream of a few Transnational Progressives and no danger of it ever being attempted by the Government is possible.

I commend the following to their contemplation.

John Kerry Outlines Plan to Require Service for High School Students

As part of his 100 day plan to change America, John Kerry will propose a comprehensive service plan that includes requiring mandatory service for high school students and four years of college tuition in exchange for two years of national service.

But what about the Constitution? Well another Democratic Leader who ran for his Party's nomination had some interesting words on his concept of Presidential Power.

"When I'm president, we'll do executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any other day," Gephardt said.

So much for Separation of Powers and the Rule of Constitutional Law.

These were not obscure and unknown political theorists, but persons who had the potential to be come the Commander in Chief of ALL US Military Forces .

Think about it.

Oh the title I began all this with? Began with that title because it is what comes to my mind whenever I hear a proponent of Mandatory Federal Service?

Arbeit Macht Frei?

It means

Work makes free

It was the sign over the main gate at Dachau.

It was a lie then, it is a lie now.

Make no mistake Mandatory Federal Service is Involuntary Servitude under the meaning of the XIIIth Amendment and is nothing more or less than an attempt to rationalize and justify what is in reality the simple concept called.

Slavery

In a free Society there may be places the Government can prevent you from going, but when the day comes it prevents you from leaving. You are no longer free.

"Take this Job and Shove it" I'm out of here is the minumum basis for Personal Liberty. That line when crossed is the Demarcation between a Free Society and a Slave State.

What is Mandatory Federal Service but that?

Linked to
Otimaster at The battle of the bridges Open Trackback Post
Oblogatory Anecdotes at Weekend Open Trackbacks
The Right Nation at (Open Trackback) Weekend Round-Up
The Uncooperative Blogger at Weekend Open Trackback Party!
Stuck On Stupid at Exploiting Terri Schindler (Schiavo) & Open Trackbacks
Robinik.net at Week-end Easy Open Trackback
Colbert Report at National Capital Region Blog Mafia Tonight
Right Wing Nation at Weekend Open Trackbacks
MacStansbury.org at OPEN TRACKBACKS 11
The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns at Another OTA Weekend

Blogs that Trackback to this Post:

On Monday
Stuck On Stupid with Exploiting Terri Schindler (Schiavo)
Bloggin' Outloud with Christmas Caption Contest

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Forward Charge In Full Retreat
The Democratic Party's attacks on President Bush and the Republican Party have faltered and bogged down.

Prominent Democrats are heard to state Publicly,

"Howard Dean does not speak for me."

If the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, does not speak for the Democratic Party, who does?

There is only one word which can describe this situation,

QUAGMIRE

The burning question remains.

To where will the Democratic Party Cut and Run?

In related News there are questions being raised about the absence of an Exit Strategy from Bosnia/Kosovo and Germany.

The Normandy Invasion was June 6, 1944. Does the presence of troops in Germany a full 60 years later indicate that the European War is Unwinnable?

Isn't it past time to,

BRING THE TROOPS HOME!

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Red State Christmas Deer
Hat Tip Right Thinking From The Left Coast

And always remember, Bambis are more tender and better eating.

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A Date
Which Will Live In Infamy
My own words could never do this Day justice instead I choose to remember these.

December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked

Yet even the eloquence of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech, pales before the simple reality of this.

third world county at OTA Wednesday Post?with a wee dose of UN-PC talk
Stop The ACLU at Pearl Harbor Day
Diane's Stuff at Wednesday Weekly Open Trackback Alliance Fest
Stuck On Stupid at Pinks Bird Dogging Hillary! Link Fest
NIF at Real quick
MacStansbury.org at Wading through the Boy-Drivel and Trackback Fests Open Boy-Drivel Open Trackback Fest
Right Wing Nation at Wednesday Open Trackbacks

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The Needs of the Many
Any Star Trek Fan will recognize Spock's Parting words from The Wrath of Khan

"The needs of the many...outweigh the needs of the few".


Before we expound on any political derivation of those words, it is fitting that we acknowledge the truth of them. Men and women have willingly looked at and made that choice down throw the ages, some in obscurity and some recorded as the ultimate examples of valor and Honor.

"Go, tell the Spartans, thou that passest by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."


It is not that decision, but WHO makes it that delineates the difference between Heroism and Tyranny.

When the FEW make it,for themselves, it is Heroism,of the highest order, when the MANY or those who claim to speak for the MANY make it we are crossing a Rubicon towards Tyranny.

We have seen this recently with a Supreme Court Decision Kelo vs New London.

The case was appealed from a decision in favor of the city of New London by the Supreme Court of Connecticut, which found that the use of eminent domain for economic development (the central focus of the case) did not violate the public use clauses of the state and federal constitutions. The court found that if an economic project creates new jobs, increases tax and other city revenues, and revitalizes a depressed (even if not blighted) urban area, it qualifies as a public use. The court also found that government delegation of eminent domain power to a private entity was also constitutional as long as the private entity served as the legally authorized agent of the government.

The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari to consider questions last raised in Berman v. Parker, 348 U.S. 26 (1954). Namely, does the Fifth Amendment protect landowners from the use of eminent domain for economic development, rather than, as in Berman, for the elimination of slums and blight.

In a nutshell the Supreme Court Broadened part of the

Vth Amendment

nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation

Public use became public benefit, it became legal under the revised Vth amendment to take someone's home so a private development could increase the Tax Value of the property and enhance the economics of the surrounding area.

The needs of the many...outweigh the needs of the few

At our peril, we as Nation forget the words of Samuel Adams.

In 1772, four years before the Declaration was signed, Samuel Adams wrote a short piece entitled ?Rights of the Colonists as Men?. His words included the following

Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these:
First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property;
together with the right to support and defend them
in the best manner they can. These are evident branches of,
rather than deductions from, the duty of self?preservation,
commonly called the first law of nature.

In case this excerpt is not sufficiently explicit concerning the origin of the rights so mentioned, further words from this same piece by Samuel Adams will make the point more clearly:

Just and true liberty, equal and impartial liberty,
in matters spiritual and temporal, is a thing that all men
are clearly entitled to by the eternal and immutable
laws of God and nature, as well as by the law of nations
and all well?grounded municipal laws

In the minds some these simple truths have been perverted. Forgotten is that neither the Constitution, nor the Federal Government GIVES the Citizen these rights, but rather the Constitution acknowledges that those Rights are the Inalienable possession of EACH of us as person.

It is the corruption of the Right of the Individual by an assumed Right of the Group, where in lies our greatest danger as a Nation and as a People.

It is the duty of all of us to take what steps are necessary to preserve these rights. One method can be information. One group endeavoring to this end is
the Internet community of

Life, Liberty, Property

Each week it sponsors a Carnival of Liberty where topics are discussed and explored.

This week is Carnival Of Liberty XXIII

I encourage all to explore this weeks offerings and return weekly and also if you desire ADD to the sum.

YOUR Liberty is in YOUR hands, participate in maintaining it.

AS for Kelo vs New London? It is a loss, due to what in my opinion was judicial activism by the Supreme Court but it is ALSO an opportunity!

It puts this question back to the States and lesser forms of government. In a manner of speaking closer to where we may contact our representatives and ensure this travesty of justice does not endure.

We must use this opportunity and then move on to other areas where we as individuals my assert our inalienable rights.


When Life hands you a Lemon?

Grab a Shaker of Salt and a Bottle of Tequila. ;-)

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The Open
Trackback Alliance V
For Monday
When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a Statement of Purpose
Now upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.

And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.

One of the most important discoveries I make in those early days was the website of Samantha Burns, which included a unique informal community of bloggers, who not only linked to each other but actually browsed and read the blogs they linked to.

Later I was honored to be allowed to join another more formal blog community. At that time I decided that while I welcomed blogs that wanted to link to me, I was not that interested in simply joining blogrolls to add links. After that I made no more attempts to join any blog alliances. I have been kept busy supporting the linkages I have and at times I feel guilty that I cannot get around to all the websites on my blogroll as I could when it was smaller.

So why do I welcome this recent invitation to join the Open Trackback Alliance? Have I reconsidered my former decision?

No I am posting and joining this Alliance because it is RIGHT for me to do so.

Because it FULFILLS my original Statement of Purpose that the Blogs are indeed the 21st Century Committees of Correspondence, whose duty and honor it is to SHARE information, thoughts, ideas, news and to discuss the same. To diligently search for the truths that lie behind the distortions and half-truths of the Legacy Media.

What the blogs associated with the Samantha Burns site did informally, and without structure, this Alliance only aids and structures. There is in fact no conflict between what I do now, and what I decided to do sometime ago.

For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.

And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.

As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.

The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the

OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE

Blogs that Trackback to this Post:

On Monday
Diane's Stuff with The Joy and Wonder of Christmas
third world county with A question of intelligence

Y'al come back now, Y'heah? ;-)

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The Rape
of the Body Politic
I hate Gerrymandering. The artificial allocation of voting district demographics to fulfill a predetermined political outcome, in my opinion, is nothing more nor something less than the Rape of the Body Politic.

So when I saw in the Washington Post this article,
_Justice Staff Saw Texas Districting As Illegal ,_it grabbed my attention. Gerrymandering is a vicious and venal practice that politicians AND voters cannot seem to resist. Greed is pernicious.

To blame these excesses totally on politicians would be simplistic. It is not unknown for the public to vote down redistricting referendums, to avoid the risk of the loss of political power by the Party in Control.


While I by no means agree with the political agenda of NOW I will have to admit that the information on redistricting issues and methods found here are quite helpful.
REDISTRICTING FOR ACTIVISTS 101 Here are the worst offenses.

Gerrymander: The drawing of political boundaries to give one group or party an advantage over another.

Packing: A form of vote dilution – unlawful under the Voting Rights Act - in which minority voters are concentrated in districts at levels higher than necessary in order for the minority voters to elect their preferred candidate.

Cracking: A form of vote dilution in which a geographically compact minority community is divided into two or more districts, illegally diluting the community's voting strength.

You do not have to consider yourself an "activist" to support fair and impartial redistricting, that should be the hallmark of a good citizen.

Read and ponder these statements.

"The court ruled that, in fact, the new congressional plan created a sufficient number of safe minority districts given the demographics of the state and the requirements of the law," Holland said. He added that Texas now has three African Americans serving in Congress, up from two before the redistricting.

"This result quite plainly indicates a reduction in minority voting strength," Rich wrote in his concurring opinion. "The state's argument that it has increased minority voting strength . . . simply does not stand up under careful analysis."


The complexity of the arguments surrounding the Voting Rights Act is evident in the Justice Department memo, which focused particular attention on seats held in 2003 by a white Democrat, Martin Frost, and a Hispanic Republican, Henry Bonilla.

Voting data showed that Frost commanded great support from minority constituents, while Bonilla had relatively little support from Hispanics. The question to be considered by Justice Department lawyers was whether the new map was "retrogressive," because it diluted the power of minority voters to elect their candidate of choice. Under the adopted Texas plan, Frost's congressional district was dismantled, while the proportion of Hispanics in Bonilla's district dropped significantly. Those losses to black and Hispanic voters were not offset by other gains, the memo said.

"This result quite plainly indicates a reduction in minority voting strength," Rich wrote in his concurring opinion. "The state's argument that it has increased minority voting strength . . . simply does not stand up under careful analysis."


Let me add one more component.

One person, one vote: Constitutional requirement that each district in a legislative body contain roughly the same number of people.

One person, one vote. To me that is vital. Contrary to the wishful thinking of some, the Constitution does not support rights to groups but rights to Individuals! There is a vast difference.

This statement bothers me. "new congressional plan created a sufficient number of safe minority districts

The creation of safe minority districts should not be a consideration in redistricting, My position is that it should be done in an impartial and colorblind method, with the only considerations being, the population distribution, and any changes whatsoever, no matter how well intentioned
are a violation of the very principles on which this Republic was founded.

If you will notice in one of the statements above,

a white Democrat, Martin Frost, and a Hispanic Republican, Henry Bonilla.

Voting data showed that Frost commanded great support from minority constituents, while Bonilla had relatively little support from Hispanics.

Yes the VOTERS did not support a candidate merely because of the color of his skin.

Here is to my eyes the pernicious part of the procedure.

Frost's congressional district was dismantled, while the proportion of Hispanics in Bonilla's district dropped significantly. Those losses to black and Hispanic voters were not offset by other gains, the memo said.


Gains or losses to any particular minority group should never be an issue unless the redistricting process artificially deny them of representation.

The creation of "safe minority districts" by the altering of district lines is no different than a gerrymandering to artificially dilute their votes.


If Gerrymandering, to create a false degree of power and power for any particular group or political power is the Rape of the Body Politic, then in like vein Gerrymandering to "protect safe minority districts" can be described as a rapist who says.

But she wanted it she enjoyed it.

Rape is rape, you cannot oppose Gerrymandering and support the artificial creation of "safe minority districts" both are a perversion and a corruption of our political process.

To do so is to abrogate the rights of the individual.

I do not care how well intentioned the action is.

Linked to
Peakah's Provocations at Open Bar All Weekend!
Stuck On Stupid at Grandma Hoists Baby Jesus & Link Fest
The Uncooperative Blogger at Weekend Open Trackback Party!
Open Trackback) Weekend Round-Up
Oblogatory Anecdotes at Weekend Open Trackbacks
Colbert Report at Election Week 1 Open Trackback Party
MacStansbury.org at OPEN TRACKBACKS 10
NIF at It's the weekend

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Only in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
We are continuously hearing excited and breathless pronouncements of the latest polls. The Presidents approval rating is etc etc.

Some polls that are not advertised too much are.

One I posted about in The Lemming Left

Democrats' own mood poll scares them

Jun. 29, 2005 at 10:48AM

A poll on the political mood in the United States conducted by the Democratic Party has alarmed the party at its own loss of popularity.
Conducted by the party-affiliated Democracy Corps, the poll indicated 43 percent of voters favored the Republican Party, while 38 percent had positive feelings about Democrats.
"Republicans weakened in this poll ... but it shows Democrats weakening more," said Stanley Greenberg, who served as President Clinton's pollster.

It would appear despite wishful thinking that approval ratings are not a Zero Sum game and a decline for one side does not necessarily mean an increase for the other.

There is also some more recent polling data I posted about in
The Lizard Brain

from Protein Wisdom

"Full disclosure: I am not a pollster, nor am I a licensed statistician?so take my analysis with a grain of salt. But if I?m reading this right, 70% of Americans believe that Democratic party criticism of the war is motivated by partisan political impulses?a desire for power, to put it more forcefully?rather than a desire to help the US win the war in Iraq.

70%?

Similarly, 70% of Americans think that the Democrats? attacks on the war are damaging troop morale, which necessarily creates unnecessary problems in battlefield execution.

70% "

The above was reaction to an article in the
Washington Post:: Sympathetic Vibrations

Democrats fumed last week at Vice President Cheney?s suggestion that criticism of the administration?s war policies was itself becoming a hindrance to the war effort. But a new poll indicates most Americans are sympathetic to Cheney?s point.

Seventy percent of people surveyed said that criticism of the war by Democratic senators hurts troop morale?with 44 percent saying morale is hurt ?a lot,? according to a poll taken by RT Strategies. Even self-identified Democrats agree: 55 percent believe criticism hurts morale, while 21 percent say it helps morale.

The results surely will rankle many Democrats, who argue that it is patriotic and supportive of the troops to call attention to what they believe are deep flaws in President Bush?s Iraq strategy. But the survey itself cannot be dismissed as a partisan attack. The RTs in RT Strategies are Thomas Riehle, a Democrat, and Lance Tarrance, a veteran GOP pollster.

Their poll also indicates many Americans are skeptical of Democratic complaints about the war. Just three of 10 adults accept that Democrats are leveling criticism because they believe this will help U.S. efforts in Iraq. A majority believes the motive is really to ?gain a partisan political advantage."

I got to thinking about all these polls last night. President Bush's approval rating is the one we hear the most about. I checked Rasmussen Polls on a regular basis and today
President Bush Job Approval stands at 46, everyone knows it has been lower, we are most surely informed when that happens, if it climbs a little, well that is not News is it?

But today I decided to look at President Bush's approval rating from a different viewpoint. One I have not seen used before.

We all know that the Constitution prohibits The President from running for a third term.

But if it were possible what Democratic Leader do we hear about as one of the most likely to win the nomination in 2008?

Hillary Clinton and according to Rasmussen's Hillary Meter:
Support Falls to 2005 Low

November 30, 2005--If Hillary Clinton runs for President in 2008, just 25% of Americans say they would definitely vote for her. That's down five points over the past two weeks. It's also the lowest level of support measured for the former First Lady in 2005. (Review Trends).

Forty percent (40%) would definitely vote against Senator Clinton. That's little changed from two weeks ago. Rasmussen Reports has conducted a Hillary Meter poll every other week since April. Only once has the number who say they would definitely vote against Clinton been higher than it is now.


Forty-five percent (45%) now see Clinton as politically liberal. Over the past seven months, the number viewing her as politically liberal has ranged from a low of 42% to a high of 48%, often settling around the current level of 45%.

Thirty-five percent (35%) view New York's Junior Senator as politically moderate while 6% say she's conservative.

Collectively, today?s Hillary Meter places Senator Clinton a net 56 points to the left of the nation's political center. Two weeks ago, she was 53 points to the left of center.

So the Democrats are going to have to find another best hope. All the pronouncements about a Decline in Bush's approval rating are meaningless if the Democratic Party's is lower.

Close only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.

Linked to
The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns at OTA Weekend
Point Five at Carnival of the Ecletic
Stuck On Stupid at Grandma Hoists Baby Jesus & Link Fest
The Uncooperative Blogger at Weekend Open Trackback Party!
Oblogatory Anecdotes at Weekend Open Trackbacks
Right Wing Nation at Weekend Open Trackbacks
MacStansbury.org at OPEN TRACKBACKS 10
NIF at COUGH
Stop The ACLU at Weekend Party for the Politically Incorrect

UPDATE There is a military phrase, "Defeat in Detail" from the looks a new Washinton Post Article

Democratic Lawmakers Splinter on Iraq, the process may have already started.

Marshall Wittmann, a former Republican political strategist now with the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, said Pelosi may have resurrected her party's most deadly liability -- voters' lack of trust in the party on national security.

"If Karl Rove was writing the timing of this, he wouldn't have written it any differently, with the president of the United States expressing resolve and the Democratic leader offering surrender," Wittmann said, referring to Bush's top adviser. "For Republicans, this is manna from heaven."

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