"The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse." -- James Madison - (1751-1836)


"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force. " :
Ayn Rand in "The Nature of Government"


"Throughout history there have been tyrants and murderers. And for a while they seem invincible, but always they fall. Always."-Mahatma Gandhi

Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings: Helen Keller


The notion that a radical is one who hates his country is naive and usually idiotic. He is , more likely, one who likes his country more than the rest of us, and is thus more disturbed than the rest of us when he sees it debauched. He is not a bad citizen turning to crime ; he is a good citizen driven to despair.--H.L Mencken


"When even one American-who has done nothing wrong-is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth-then all Americans are in peril" Harry S. Truman


"The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist."- Winston Churchill, Nov. 21, 1943


"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors - when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don't protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed: Ayn Rand - (1905-1982) Author - Source: Atlas Shrugged, Francisco's "Money Speech"

"Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush moustache and swastika armband -- it creeps up insidiously...step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone." ~ Baron Lane

U.S. Constitution - R.I.P.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Our Grand Adventure

Well, my little family sets off tomorrow for our new life, having decided to dispose of our urban property in Upstate NY and purchasing some fairly isolated and completely undeveloped land in the south...self sufficiency/sustainable living and building is the goal for us, as the global economic and political picture is looking rather grim. I am convinced that we are headed for another depression and have taken precautions meant to allow us to hunker down and make it through the worst. Convinced enough to feel that life in urban areas is going to get VERY rough over the next few years, so a postage stamp sized yard won't do with hundreds of hungry neighbors about. Our plan is to live cheaply, off grid with wind and solar power, grow our own food for the most part, and prepare ourselves for the days when the grocery store shelves are bare and the economy, kept afloat already by smoke and mirrors, finally collapses. Since my children are homeschooled already in an effort to ensure the ability to think...a skill that is rarely taught in public schools today...and my income is from an Internet based business, we have few practical ties to the area. Our immediate family...my brothers and sister and their children...will be making the trip with us, so close family ties in NY are not an issue. So, an adventure it will be for sure, one that we hope will lend stability to our little bunch that enables us to weather the coming storm. Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best.

The Militarization of Our Police