We the People...

[Biltmore Bob]

Got this in an email today...


We The People of the United States

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness which, by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

(lastly....)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!!!!

 

[Bebop]

Some of that dribble sounds like it comes from "we the people of the U.S." but some of it sounds like it comes from "we the government of Cuba" or Iran or some other so-far-to-the-right organization that it is spinning in circles (to the right, of course). You can substitute the phrase "in God we trust" with "in Alla we trust" or in "Lizards we trust" or what ever you want to trust, and you can see how crazy it is to expect anyone that thinks for themselves to be comfortable with it. I think an old lady who is half crazy wrote it and decided you would probably like it Bob. Are you sure you didn't email yourself?

 

[The Wingnut]

Would you like to pick out a few key points that you disagree with and try to educate the rest of us as to your viewpoint and let us understand where you're coming from?

Personally, I'll pick out the 'speak English' part...there's a long history in this country of discrimination against every type of immigrant despite their color or culture. 'No Irish Need Apply' sound familiar to anyone? Italians were considered non grata at one point as well. My grandfather came through Ellis Island in 1918, knowing how to speak English because he knew how much worse he'd be treated as an Italian immgrant if he didn't...he still didn't have an easy life. I don't mind people speaking english as a second language, what I mind is the government feeling it's necessary for some reason to outright cater to people who haven't bothered to adapt to the culture in this country by learning enough English to, for example, fill out a form at the DMV. The total annual cost for the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to provide language services is $2.2 million. Providing the same level of DMV translation services nationwide would cost approximately $8.5 million per year.
Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Report to Congress: Assessment of the Total Benefits and Costs of Implementing Executive Order No. 13166: Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, March 14, 2002 Speaking english in this country isn't just expedient to a less difficult life, it makes economic sense!

...however, the United States has never declared an official language for a good reason. You can't give a promise of freedom and demand people learn a language. It's certainly foolish to encourage them to never learn, though.

 

[jamespowers]

Some of that dribble sounds like it comes from "we the people of the U.S." but some of it sounds like it comes from "we the government of Cuba" or Iran or some other so-far-to-the-right organization that it is spinning in circles (to the right, of course).

Uh, the government of Cuba is not far to the right it is a communist nation. That would make them far to the Left not the Right. Saddam thought of himself as a socialist. In 1964, Hussein was even jailed by some "rightist" military officers who opposed the Baathist takeover. That is also to the Left and not the right.
The only true far Right individual in recent history you can refer to without much trouble from me would be Mussolini. He was far to the right and his party didn't have the word Socialist in it anywhere (Fasci de Combattimento). Interestingly, he started out as a Socialist and ended up reversing himself completely and becoming a fascist who terrorized his former Socialist collegues with armed squads. Then you have Franco who was smart enough not to join the Leftist Hitler and the Axis powers during WWII. :kick:
Hitler and Mussolini--now there was a pair that were spinning in circles. Let's not confuse our right from our left now. :cheers1:

Regards to all,

J

 

[MudInYerEye]

"ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!!!!

I am curious which "one true God" the writer of this manifesto is referring to in Article XI. This country was concieved, designed and founded primarily by Freemasons. Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton to name a few were dedicated followers of the craft. Paul Revere for the matter too. Anyone with a lay concept of Freemasonary is aware that while a faith in a higher power is essential, Masons have always been an absolutely non-denominational fraternity.
Our founding fathers came from a wealth of backgrounds. There were the descendants of English, Dutch, Irish, Scottish, German, Welsh, Portuguese, Spanish, French and many other nationalities. They were Protestants of many different varieties (including the dreaded liberal Unitarians), Catholics, Jews, and agnostics. All of these people worshiped their own concept of God differently.
"This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution." This sounds a lot like the writer of the manifesto has gotten it into his/her head that the founding father's stood firmly behind one particular religious sect or denomination, but have agreed to condescend to tolerate the practice of others. Baloney. This country, founded largely because of religious persecution abroad, is true to no one religion but the freedom to practice all of them. The use of the word God is meant to represent the higher power in a general (Masonic) sense. It means Jehovah, Jesus, Yahweh, Buddha, Muhammad and a variety of others. It does not specifically refer to the God Pat Robertson speaks of. Not by a longshot.
Our true heritage is that of enlightened freethinking Masons intiating a grand experiment in reaction to the tyrannical monarchies of Europe and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!!!!
Look it up!

 

[jamespowers]

Hmmm isn't it interesting that Washington and all of the presidents except one swore an oath to this country on a Masonic BIBLE. Hmmm.. You think Mohamed and Buddah are mentioned there? Must be a different bible than I saw on display during the Maine Masons' annual convention at Husson College in Bangor. It didn't have anything about Mohamed or Buddah there or any of the other general dieties. It had Jehovah, Jesus and Yahweh but not any of the others how strange. Hmmmm....must be too specific. I suppose the bible Washington swore his presidential oath on in 1789 must have been replaced by something else. Coincidentally it is owned by St. John's Masonic Lodge in New York.
Are you sure our nation was founded on the same free thinking principles that resulted in the William Morgan incident of 1826, where a group of Freemasons killed a member of their lodge who threatened to publish society secrets? Lets not move from the general to the specific so quickly. These fellows do not represent your average mason's thoughts and neither did Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and the others you mentioned. They were individuals that were influenced by their life experiences more than a specific club they belonged to.

Regards to all,

J

 

[MudInYerEye]

James,
Wow.
Your response had the same ring as the "we the people" manifesto. Smug, unfocused and full of misinformation. Firstly, not all of the presidents were sworn in on a Masonic bible, indeed less than half of our presidents were even Masons. Secondly, while there are Bibles, Korans, Torahs etc.with the square and compass embossed on them, the inner contents remained unchanged, thus there is no such thing as a Masonic bible. A bible is a bible and just that. Freemason's don't have a mandated religion, and can be sworn in on whatever book they choose, whether it be the Book of Mormon, the King James Bible, the Torah, the Tao, a book of Norse Odinism, the Koran, etc. I'm not quite sure what you were trying to suggest, prove or reveal with this line of thought.
"Are you sure our nation was founded on the same free thinking principles that resulted in the William Morgan incident of 1826, where a group of Freemasons killed a member of their lodge who threatened to publish society secrets?"
Your skewed logic in isolating a disputed incident in 1826 as a basis of debunking Masonic principles reeks of McCarthyism, full of ignorance, irrelevance, and lynch-mob simplicity. Try and count how many people were and continued to be murdered in the name of religion.
"These fellows do not represent your average mason's thoughts and neither did Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and the others you mentioned. They were individuals that were influenced by their life experiences more than a specific club they belonged to."
Huh? What do you know of the average Mason's thoughts of the late 1700's? But again, you veer from the point. We are not discussing the "average Mason", but our founding fathers. This was the age of enlightenment, of Voltaire (another Freemason). These men believed deeply in Masonry and Masonic principles, and this is well documented in their own journals. To refer to Masonry as a "club" is an insult to their legacy. But perhaps I am wrong, and the group of Freemasons who converged from all over the Colonies to forge the Constitution instead reflected only upon their life experiences as Indian hunters, tobacco farmers, and print shop owners to draft it. That the Constitution ended up riddled with Masonic principles and language may have been by pure coincidence.

 

[airfrogusmc]

"and secure the blessings of debt free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren"

Because we cut taxes to the top 5% and we are fighting a war and providing disaster relief we have gone from a surplus to the great deficit in our countries history and its growing. We know have huge depts to countries like China because we've had to borrow to pay for all this. An administration that has grown government to its largest size ever and had yet to veto a spending bill. Yeah, looks to me like we're taking care of dept free liberty.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I'm not knocking the Masons (because I don't know that much about them), but if it was so important, how come Masons aren't mentioned in the Constitution?

Bebop, I changed my signature just for you...

Froggy, The debt will keep growing no matter who is in Office, Republican or Democrat. It seems all politicians like to spend our money. Let me ask you this...What would you be saying if the President and Congress had not approved the money for disaster relief? Would you be saying that the Presidend dosen't care?

Sometimes you just can't have it both ways.

I say let's stop most if not all foreign aid. That will help with the debt. Oh, but those poor people in Africa, what about them? Let's take away non-emergency health care for illegal aliens. Woe is me, we can't do that either, their not illegal, they're just undocumented workers. Lets limit Welfare. Can't do that either, we wouldn't want folks to go to work, now would we?
Here's one that will shake someone up...let's stop government funding of abortion clinics. Any and all of the above will reduce the National Debt.

 

[MK]

Enough!

I am tired of the personal insults. If you can't discuss politics without getting emotionally carried away, don't post. I am shutting this down.