The elections of 2008 (and the early elections of 2010) produced two significant phenomena: the “Ron Paul Revolution,” and the “Tea PartyMovement.” And, mark it down: both of them will have profound effects upon the upcoming November elections–and upon the 2012 elections as well. Call them what you want, however, America doesn’t need another movement; it needs a genuine revolution.

The Tea Party movement, while still a force with which to be contended, has already been diluted and compromised. The primary elections plainly reveal the reality of this fact. The high spots so far are the defeats of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and Bob Bennett in Utah. The low spots so far are the reelection of John McCain in Arizona and the election of Dan Coats in Indiana.

John McCain’s election, in particular, demonstrates how many conservatives and “revolutionaries” still don’t get it. If any State in the union should have an up-close-and-personal look at what we are up against, it would be the people of Arizona. After all, they are on the front lines in the fight of one of the most important battles currently being waged in our country: illegal immigration. And John McCain is one of the worst offenders in terms of facilitating and encouraging this illegal invasion. Yet the people of Arizona reelected McCain to the US Senate. (It would interesting to know how many illegal aliens voted for McCain, would it not?)

Then again, John McCain received the enthusiastic endorsement of former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin. This endorsement obviously brought McCain thousands of Tea Party votes that otherwise would have gone to his principal opponent, J.D. Hayworth. McCain is not the only Big-Government globalist neocon to receive Palin’s endorsement. Many of Palin’s endorsees are neocons; which leads to one of the biggest problems with any so-called conservative movement: allowing celebrity-type “conservatives” to become the de facto leaders and spokesmen for what should be a true grassroots, people-generated rebellion. Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck are the two biggest culprits in this regard.

Mark my words: Palin and Beck may see themselves as part of a conservative “movement,” but they want nothing to do with an old-fashioned, honest-to-God, Patrick Henry-style revolution. In fact,they are doing everything in their power to keep such a revolution from taking place. This does not mean that Palin and Beck do not contribute some good things to freedom’s fight. They do. The problem is, for every good thing they contribute they counterbalance it by supporting establishment principals, such as John McCain and Newt Gingrich, and attacking non-establishment players and ideas, which serves only to keep the Big-Government power structure firmly ensconced inWashington, D.C.

Get real, folks, and start thinking for yourselves. Ask yourself why Fox News never (or hardly ever) invites non-establishment patriots to appear on their network. Why do you not see former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts on Fox News? Why do you not see former Georgia congressman and Presidential candidate Bob Barr on Fox News? Why do you not see former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura on Fox News? Why do you not see former Director of the US Office of Economic Opportunity and Presidential candidate Howard Phillips on FoxNews? Why do you not see Presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin on Fox News? The list is endless.

Fox News is not “fair and balanced.” It is as controlled and manipulated as any other media news network. The only thing it balances is the other networks’ infatuation with the Democrat Party, by promoting Republican candidates and ideas. What it does not do is educate and inform the American people with the truth as to what both major parties are doing to destroy our country. But remember, Fox News is owned by Keith Rupert Murdoch, the same man who helped finance Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the US Senate, and who is as much of a globalist as anyone in Washington, D.C., or New York City.

As an aside, and speaking of Hillary Rodham, I predict that she will replace Vice President Joe Biden BEFORE the 2012 elections. I’ve said that in private for many weeks, and now say it in this column–remember, you heard it here. The Clinton-Bush Crime Syndicate(CBCS) needs Hillary in the White House badly, and Obama has readily accepted a subservient role in the criminal affairs of CBCS (for very profitable reasons, no doubt). And with the CBCS bosses pretty much running things at the White House (they don’t worry about domestic or social issues, providing that these do not interfere with their international criminal activities), is it any wonder that Obama has already taken more vacations than most Presidents take during an entire term?

And it is the influence of globalists and neocons upon national and international politics that the likes of Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck simply do not get–or do not want to get. And because many TeaPartiers are so enamored with these two (and allow them to do much of their thinking for them), they remain clueless as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, America is in the throes of socialist and Marxist political upheaval. The curtain could fall at any time. The American people need to wake up to this truism: a “conservative”movement–even a conservative Tea Party movement–will not save us. The only thing that will save us is an old-fashioned State revolt.

Arizona had the opportunity to become a modern-day version of 1775 Massachusetts. But Arizona has probably forfeited that leadership role by 1) reelecting John McCain, and 2) being willing to allow federal courts to dictate law to a sovereign State. Instead of taking its case to the federal courts, Arizona should simply tell the federalgovernment that it will enforce its own State laws (including the newly enacted anti-illegal immigration law) regardless of what any federal court says or doesn’t say. At some point, that is exactly what some State (or group of states) in this union is going to have to do, or liberty will be forever lost.

As long as freedom lovers are content to remain satisfied with the status quo by allowing party politics and media celebrities to dominate their efforts, there will be no stopping this socialist avalanche that is crashing down upon us. The Tea Party movement of 2010 (if left free of Big-Government neocons) could certainly translate into positive developments this November; that is for sure. A revival of the “Ron Paul Revolution” in 2012 could also make a significant contribution, but it is going to take a State revolution to seal the deal. I, for one, am ready.

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NOTE TO THE READER:Chuck Baldwin is a syndicated columnist, radio broadcaster, author, and pastor dedicated to preserving the historic principles upon which Americawas founded. He was the 2008 Presidential candidate for the ConstitutionParty. He and his wife, Connie, have been married for 37 years and have 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

See Chuck’s complete bio at:http://chuckbaldwinlive.com/home/?page_id=6

“Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States .”

It seems logical.

It seems reasonable!

As many folks have seen on the internet, an email spreading this message…..

“An idea whose time has come -

For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn’t pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered…in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn’t seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don’t care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop. This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.”

I love it! And I think most Americans agree - that any elected official is subject to any and all laws that the average citizen is subject to!

Spread the word, forward this link to all your family and friends to get the word out.

The White House Office of the Press Secretary released a report on the White
House web site titled “President Obama Signs Executive Order Establishing
Council of Governors.” According to the press release, “The President today
[January 11, 2009] signed an Executive Order establishing a Council of
Governors to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal
Government and State Governments to protect our Nation against all types of
hazards. When appointed, the Council will be reviewing such matters as
involving the National Guard of the various States; homeland defense; civil
support; synchronization and integration of State and Federal military
activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest
pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support
activities.”

According to the report, the Council will be composed of “ten State
Governors who will be selected by the President to serve two year terms . .
Once chosen, the Council will have no more than five members from the same
party and represent the Nation as a whole.”

The press release also states that “Federal members of the Council include
the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant
to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the Assistant
to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security
Affairs, the U.S. Northern Command Commander, the Commandant of the Coast
Guard, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The Secretary of Defense
will designate an Executive Director for the Council.”

As with most Presidential Directives or Executive Orders that have the
potential to swallow our liberties and expand federal–or even
international–police powers, the mainstream media conveniently fails to
inform the American people as to what is happening. Such is the case with
Obama’s EO establishing a Council of Governors (COG). Therefore, it is left
to independent writers to issue the alert. Thank God for the Internet!

As with any expansion of the federal government, this new Council of
Governors needs to be monitored very carefully by freedom lovers. One blog
rightly noted that the COG “clearly represents another assault on Posse
Comitatus, the 1878 law that bars the military from exercising domestic
police powers, which was temporarily annulled by the 2006 John Warner
National Defense Authorization Act before parts of it were later repealed.”

Another blogger wisely stated, “As with most government powers, there is
always the potential for abuse. In this case, there is cause for serious
concern because every bit of this entails expanding traditional Command in
Chief powers to the DOD [Department of Defense], spreading troops around the
US (potentially not American troops at that . . .) and deciding who has
ultimate tactical command over reserves and Guard in the event of
‘emergencies,’ terrorist attacks, or natural disasters.”

Actually, this EO is simply the latest in a series of events going back to
the Bush and Clinton years, in which the federal government has taken steps
to lay the foundation for extensive military police action within the United
States.

Back in 2008, retired lawman Jim Kouri wrote, “In a political move that
received little if any attention by the American news media, the United
States and Canada entered into a military agreement on February 14, 2008,
allowing the armed forces from one nation to support the armed forces of the
other nation during a domestic civil emergency, even one that does not
involve a cross-border crisis, according to a police commander involved in
homeland security planning and implementation.

“It is an initiative of the Bi-National Planning Group whose final report,
issued in June 2006, called for the creation of a ‘Comprehensive Defense and
Security Agreement,’ or a ‘continental approach’ to Canada-US defense and
security.

“The law enforcement executive told Newswithviews.com that the
agreement–defined as a Civil Assistance Plan–was not submitted to Congress
for debate and approval, nor did Congress pass any law or treaty
specifically authorizing this military agreement to combine the operations
of the armed forces of the United States and Canada in the event of domestic
civil disturbances ranging from violent storms, to health epidemics, to
civil riots or terrorists attacks.

“‘This is a military plan that’s designed to bypass the Posse Comitatus Act
that traditionally prohibited the US military from operating within the
borders of the United States. Not only will American soldiers be deployed at
the discretion of whomever is sitting in the Oval Office, but foreign
soldiers will also be deployed in American cities,’ warns Lt. Steven
Rodgers, commander of the Nutley, NJ Police Department’s detective bureau.”

See Kouri’s column at:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8551

Of course, the groundwork for this US-Canadian agreement occurred in 2002
when President G.W. Bush created USNORTHCOM. For the first time in US
history, an entire Army division has been tasked with “homeland defense
efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities.” (Source:
USNORTHCOM official web site) Plus, The National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2008, which passed with almost unanimous bipartisan support,
and was signed into law in January 2008 by then-President Bush, required the
implementation of the COG.

Then, in June of 2009, USNORTHCOM sent a legislative proposal to Congress
requesting “amending Title 10 of USC, expanding the Secretary of Defense’s
powers to mobilization of the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Navy Reserve,
and Marine Corps Reserve to assist civil authorities in disasters and
emergencies . . . ‘thus enabling a truly Total Force approach to disaster
response.’”

See the full report at:

http://tinyurl.com/cog-history-connect-the-dots

Matthew Rothschild at The Progressive penned, “The Pentagon has approached
Congress to grant the Secretary of Defense the authority to post almost
400,000 military personnel throughout the United States in times of
emergency or a major disaster.”

Concerning this, David Mundy at the Texas National Press commented, “If
granted, the move would further erode the authority of the states and would
minimize the role played by the states’ militia . . . in handling domestic
issues.

“More ominously, nothing in the Pentagon’s request specifies that the troops
to be posted in U.S. cities would necessarily be Americans.”

The report notes that in September of 2009, USNORTHCOM released its 32-page
initial framework for the “Tri Command,” referring to NORAD, NORTHCOM, and
Canada COM. It is noted that while NORTHCOM and Canada COM are national
organizations, NORAD is set up as a binational force.

It is largely understood, therefore, that the Council of Governors has been
established for the purpose of getting the governors’ blessing on this newly
accumulated power. In other words, the COG is Assistant Secretary of Defense
Paul Stockton’s effort to establish a liaison between the governors, DHS,
DOD, and the National Guard.

Of course, as the report suggests, what is not being disclosed is what
powers will be conferred upon the 10 gubernatorial council members and what
authorities they will be required to cede to the federal government.

Anyone who is not concerned about the ever-increasing encroachment of
federal power upon the states and citizenry at large is either not paying
attention, or is already a slave at heart. Instead of worrying about whether
a gubernatorial or State legislative candidate is a conservative or liberal,
Republican or Democrat, we need to be focusing on whether or not our State
governors and legislators have the historical and constitutional acumen and
resolve to resist the current dismantling of State sovereignty and personal
liberty being orchestrated by this federal leviathan that is known as
Washington, D.C.

We can survive hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, looters and thugs,
blackouts, and even Muslim terrorists. What we cannot survive–at least not
without great cost and effort–is tyranny at the hands of our own
government. In this regard, our greatest threat is not foreign terrorists or
natural disasters; our greatest threat is Washington, D.C.

So, while DC has an eye on this new Council of Governors, you’d better keep
an eye on your governor as well; and keep the other eye on what’s left of
your liberties, because if those federal foxes come in the middle of the
night and run off with them, it will be your governor that opened the door.

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

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(c) Chuck Baldwin

Former Navy SEAL, professional wrestler, and Minnesota governor, Jesse
Ventura, recently launched a new television show on the truTV (formerly
known as Court TV) cable channel. The first episode debuted on Wednesday,
December 2, 2009. And the final episode of this season aired this past
Wednesday, January 13, 2010.

Here is the official web site for truTV’s Conspiracy Theory:

http://www.trutv.com/shows/conspiracy_theory/index.html

According to press reports, 1.6 million viewers watched the premiere episode
on December 2, which set a record for the network. I was one of those
viewers. And I’ve seen each of this first season’s 7 episodes.

Predictably, mainstream critics have universally condemned the series. Linda
Stasi of The Washington Times said the show is “Mindless, good fun and a
hoot to watch aging action stars still taking action.” Robert Lloyd of the
Los Angeles Times said, “Whatever truth is out there, it’s filtered here
through what is arranged more as an adventure series than a documentary.”

First of all, let me state up front that I typically disdain “reality”
shows. The only ones that are any good are Les Stroud’s Survivorman and Bear
Grylls’ Man vs. Wild (and I really enjoy both of those programs). The rest
of the so-called “reality” shows are junk, as far as I’m concerned (okay, I
did enjoy watching a few episodes of Ice Road Truckers).

Contrary to the rants of modern critics, however, Ventura’s Conspiracy
Theory is not “reality” television or “mindless, good fun.” It is better
investigative reporting than anything I’ve seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN or FOX
NEWS in a long, long time.

For the most part, the mainstream media have become lackeys and lap dogs for
the established political order and the powerful potentates that control it.
Yes, I’m saying it: we have a tightly controlled mainstream media in America
today (especially at the national level). Reporters are told what to report
(or more fittingly, what NOT to report) and how to report it; and any
reporter or journalist who dares to step outside the box will quickly be
unemployed. And for those of you journalists and reporters who are reading
this right now, if you smirk at what I just said, why don’t you try it and
see what happens? Anything that challenges the establishment’s order is
totally off-limits. Every reporter and journalist working for the
establishment media knows where the “third rail” is–and they avoid it at
all costs. And the cost is TRUTH.

No wonder the critics hate Ventura’s show: here was the first season episode
lineup (taken from its web site):

Week One: HAARP

Is it a communications research project or a doomsday weapon that can change
the weather, shoot satellites out of orbit–and trigger mind control across
the globe? Jesse Ventura and his team head north to a remote region of
Alaska to confront the military installation called HAARP.

Week Two: 9/11

Jesse Ventura steps into America’s most controversial conspiracy by
challenging the 9/11 Commission Report and searching for evidence that the
September 11th attacks may have been an inside job. At the urging of
victims’ families, he finds witnesses who claim the towers were brought down
by explosives, the missing black box flight recorders were actually
recovered and ground control knew the hijackers were in the cockpits before
the jets took off.

Week Three: Global Warming

Whether global warming is real or not, it’s believed some people are using
the issue to make billions of dollars, start a one-world government and
control our lives, from the cars we drive to the foods we eat. Jesse Ventura
starts with Al Gore and goes far beyond as he uncovers the evidence that
leads to one man thought to be behind the global warming conspiracy.

Week Four: Big Brother

Big Brother is watching and it’s not who you think. Jesse Ventura’s
investigation of government surveillance on its citizens tears the lid off a
nationwide program that is thought to turn local businessmen and office
workers into spies, snooping on their neighbors and ratting on their friends
in exchange for information and special privileges from the FBI–including,
some charge, a “license to kill.”

Week Five: Secret Societies

They’re thought to be a group of the world’s elite who meet once a year at a
luxury hotel and decide how they will run the world. It’s believed they plan
to thin out the population through disease–and vaccines. Jesse Ventura
infiltrates the Bilderberg Group.

Week Six: Manchurian Candidate

Authors and experts warn that forces within the government have revived a
program that uses mind control techniques to turn ordinary citizens into
programmed assassins. This real-life Manchurian Candidate seems
outlandish–until Jesse Ventura searches for the evidence and goes
face-to-face with a man who claims he’s one of the killers.

Week Seven: Apocalypse 2012

It’s believed that the world is heading for disaster in 2012 and the
government is preparing to save and protect the elite–while leaving the
rest of us to fend for ourselves. Jesse Ventura investigates claims of top
secret underground bunkers being built in places ranging from the Nevada
desert to the White House, including the largest, now under construction
beneath a major metropolitan airport.

As one can easily see, each of these topics is a “third rail” to the vast
majority of the mainstream media–especially at the national level. Yet,
Ventura (and truTV) had the guts to tackle these topics head-on. And he
broached each investigation with a deliberate professionalism and dogged
determination befitting a Navy SEAL.

As far as I am concerned, anyone who believes that there is no concerted
effort–no conspiracy, if you please–by wealthy and powerful individuals to
steal our liberties and turn us into slaves and serfs is totally not paying
attention, or is in a psychotic dream world of denial, or is a compliant
partner with the conspiracy.

How Christians, especially, can doubt the existence of a devilish conspiracy
to trample not only our freedom, but also our faith, is doubly
disconcerting. Does not Scripture plainly warn,  “Why do the heathen rage,
and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
cords from us.” (Psalms 2:1-3 KJV)

Christians, of all people, should be the first ones to join in fighting
against the promoters and purveyors of this devilish New World Order that is
wreaking havoc upon our country. That so many of them are not is a stain
against the Church–of gargantuan proportions!

Did Ventura get every jot and tittle perfect? Probably not. Given the depth
of the corruption and cover up that has gone into the promotion and
implementation of the matters discussed–not to mention the limited time and
resources available to Ventura and his small staff–that he was able to dig
up the amount of testimony and material that he did was absolutely amazing.

I anxiously await the arrival of the entire first season on DVD. I suggest
you obtain a copy as soon as they are available, as well, because this
program will probably face the same fate as the CBS program JERICHO: swift
cancellation. The powers that be are adamantly opposed to the light of truth
shining on their dark desires and draconian designs. If you doubt that, get
this:

“In a lenthy academic paper, President Obama’s regulatory czar, Cass
Sunstein, argued the U.S. government should ban ‘conspiracy theorizing.’

“Among the beliefs Sunstein would ban is advocating that the theory of
global warming is a deliberate fraud.

“Sunstein also recommended the government send agents to infiltrate [I’m
sure they already do] ‘extremists who supply conspiracy theories’ to disrupt
the efforts of the ‘extremists’ to propagate their theories.”

See the whole report at:

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=121884

In the coming Brave New World currently being manufactured by today’s
globalists, even believing “conspiracy theories” might soon be illegal. Do
you really think they will let patriots such as Jesse Ventura continue to
awaken people to what’s going on? So, you’d better get the DVDs while you
can (and if you can).

In the meantime, Thank you, Governor. It was a job well done!

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

(c) Chuck Baldwin

January is often referred to as “Generals Month” since no less than four
famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: James
Longstreet (Jan. 8, 1821), Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19, 1807), Thomas Jonathan
“Stonewall” Jackson (Jan. 21, 1824), and George Pickett (Jan. 28, 1825). Two
of these men, Lee and Jackson, are particularly noteworthy.

Without question, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were two of the
greatest military leaders of all time. Even more, many military historians
regard the Lee and Jackson tandem as perhaps the greatest battlefield duo in
the history of warfare. If Jackson had survived the battle of
Chancellorsville, it is very possible that the South would have prevailed at
Gettysburg and perhaps would even have won the War Between the States.

In fact, it was Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British armies in
the early twentieth century, who said, “In my opinion, Stonewall Jackson was
one of the greatest natural military geniuses the world ever saw. I will go
even further than that–as a campaigner in the field, he never had a
superior. In some respects, I doubt whether he ever had an equal.”

While the strategies and circumstances of the War of Northern Aggression can
(and will) be debated by professionals and laymen alike, one fact is
undeniable: Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson were two of the finest
Christian gentlemen this country has ever produced. Both their character and
their conduct were beyond reproach.

Unlike his northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, General Lee never
sanctioned or condoned slavery. Upon inheriting slaves from his deceased
father-in-law, Lee freed them. And according to historians, Jackson enjoyed
a familial relationship with those few slaves that were in his home. In
addition, unlike Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant, there is no record of
either Lee or Jackson ever speaking disparagingly of the black race.

As those who are familiar with history know, General Grant and his wife held
personal slaves before and during the War Between the States, and, contrary
to popular opinion, even Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation did not free
the slaves of the North. They were not freed until the Thirteenth Amendment
was passed after the conclusion of the war. Grant’s excuse for not freeing
his slaves was that “good help is so hard to come by these days.”

Furthermore, it is well established that Jackson regularly conducted a
Sunday School class for black children. This was a ministry he took very
seriously. As a result, he was dearly loved and appreciated by the children
and their parents.

In addition, both Jackson and Lee emphatically supported the abolition of
slavery. In fact, Lee called slavery “a moral and political evil.” He also
said “the best men in the South” opposed it and welcomed its demise. Jackson
said he wished to see “the shackles struck from every slave.”

To think that Lee and Jackson (and the vast majority of Confederate
soldiers) would fight and die to preserve an institution they considered
evil and abhorrent–and that they were already working to dismantle–is the
height of absurdity. It is equally repugnant to impugn and denigrate the
memory of these remarkable Christian gentlemen.

In fact, after refusing Abraham Lincoln’s offer to command the Union Army in
1861, Robert E. Lee wrote to his sister on April 20 of that year to explain
his decision. In the letter he wrote, “With all my devotion to the Union and
the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able
to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my
home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the army and save in
defense of my native state, with the sincere hope that my poor services may
never be needed . . .”

Lee’s decision to resign his commission with the Union Army must have been
the most difficult decision of his life. Remember that Lee’s direct
ancestors had fought in America’s War For Independence. His father, “Light
Horse Harry” Henry Lee, was a Revolutionary War hero, Governor of Virginia,
and member of Congress. In addition, members of his family were signatories
to the Declaration of Independence.

Remember, too, that not only did Robert E. Lee graduate from West Point “at
the head of his class” (according to Benjamin Hallowell), he is yet today
one of only six cadets to graduate from that prestigious academy without a
single demerit.

However, Lee knew that Lincoln’s decision to invade the South in order to
prevent its secession was both immoral and unconstitutional. As a man of
honor and integrity, the only thing Lee could do was that which his father
had done: fight for freedom and independence. And that is exactly what he
did.

Instead of allowing a politically correct culture to sully the memory of
Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson, all Americans should hold them in a
place of highest honor and respect. Anything less is a disservice to history
and a disgrace to the principles of truth and integrity.

Accordingly, it was more than appropriate that the late President Gerald
Ford, on August 5, 1975, signed Senate Joint Resolution 23, “restoring
posthumously the long overdue, full rights of citizenship to General Robert
E. Lee.” According to President Ford, “This legislation corrects a 110-year
oversight of American history.” He further said, “General Lee’s character
has been an example to succeeding generations . . .”

The significance of the lives of Generals Lee and Jackson cannot be
overvalued. While the character and influence of most of us will barely be
remembered two hundred days after our departure, the sterling character of
these men has endured for two hundred years. What a shame that so many of
America’s youth are being robbed of knowing and studying the virtue and
integrity of the great General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J.
“Stonewall” Jackson.

Furthermore, it is no hyperbole to say that the confederated, constitutional
republic so ably declared by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of
Independence of 1776 and codified into statute by the U.S. Constitution of
1787 was, for the most part, expunged at the Appomattox Court House in 1865.
After all, it was (and is) the responsibility of the states to be the
ultimate vanguard of liberty. Without a tenacious, unrelenting defense of
liberty by the sovereign states, we are reduced to ever-burgeoning
oppression–which is exactly what we see happening today.

Thankfully, freedom’s heartbeat is still felt among at least a few states.
State sovereignty resolutions (proposed in over 30 states), Firearms Freedom
acts (passed in 2 states–Montana and Tennessee–and being proposed in at
least 12 other states), and official letters (Montana), statements (Texas
Governor Rick Perry), and resolutions (Georgia and Montana) threatening
secession have already taken place.

Yes, freedom-loving Americans in this generation may need to awaken to the
prospect that–in order for freedom to survive–secession may, once again,
be in order. One thing is for sure: any State that will not protect and
defend their citizens’ right to keep and bear arms cannot be counted on to
do diddlysquat to maintain essential freedom. It is time for people to start
deciding whether they want to live free or not–and if they do, to seriously
consider relocating to states that yet have a heartbeat for liberty.

I will say it straight out: any State that will not protect your right to
keep and bear arms is a tyrannical State! And if it is obvious that the
freedom-loving citizens of that State are powerless to change it via the
ballot box, they should leave the State to its slaves and seek a land of
liberty.

I, for one, am thankful for the example and legacy of men such as Robert E.
Lee and Stonewall Jackson. They were the spiritual soul mates of George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson. They were men that loved freedom; they were
men that loved federalism and constitutional government; and they were men
of courage and understanding. They understood that, sometimes, political
separation is the only way that freedom can survive. Long live the spirit of
Washington, Jefferson, Lee, and Jackson!

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

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(c) Chuck Baldwin

As we approach the celebration of Christ’s birth, I am reminded of the words
of John Quincy Adams. On July 4, 1837, he spoke these words:

“Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most
joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? … Is it not that,
in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly
linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the
progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of
Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the
Redeemer’s mission upon earth. That it laid the cornerstone of human
government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world
the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced
directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the
greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?”

Adams was exactly right: America’s birth is directly linked to the birth of
our Savior. In fact, the United States of America is the only nation
established by Christian people, upon Biblical principles, and dedicated to
the purpose of religious liberty. This truth is easily observed within
America’s earliest history.

America’s forebears first established a written covenant with God as early
as November 11, 1620, when they penned The Mayflower Compact. It states in
part:

“In the name of God, Amen. … Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and
Advancement of the Christian Faith, and Honour of our King and Country, a
voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by
these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of
another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick,
for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends
aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just
and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to
time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of
the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”

The sentiments and statements of America’s founders make it clear that this
nation has enjoyed a love and appreciation for the rights and freedoms
recognized in Natural Law that is unique in the annals of human history. No
other people have such a heritage.

One thing America’s founders could not envision was–after they had paid so
terrible a price to purchase our liberties–that the time would come when
their posterity would be denied the basic freedoms to publicly express their
reverence for God. Never could they have imagined that the day would come
when citizens of the sovereign states (each with a State constitution
protecting religious liberty) would be denied their right to pray in school,
or place Nativity scenes on public property, or hang copies of the Ten
Commandments on courthouse walls.

I am also confident that America’s founders would be completely repulsed by
the way the United States has jumped headlong into corporatism, socialism,
and globalism. Democrats and Republicans alike have created a central
government so large that it would be unrecognizable to any Founding Father
(even Alexander Hamilton or John Adams). In addition, both Big Business and
Big Religion have sold our great country down the old proverbial river.
Truly, our Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves.

Therefore, at this Christmas season, let us remember well the founding
principles of these United States of America. Furthermore, let us renew with
vigor the fight for freedom before our liberties and our heritage are gone
altogether.

From my family to yours: Merry Christmas!

P.S. According to one of the most prestigious trade magazines in the
firearms industry, (Handguns, February/March, 2010), “Winchester secured a
Homeland Security contract for up to 200 million rounds of .40 S&W, ammo
that will be used by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement [ICE].”

I dare say that there is no way that ICE could burn through 200 million
rounds of handgun ammunition anytime in the foreseeable future. Good grief!
They barely even load their handguns, much less actually fire them. Or are
they such bad shots that they need that much practice? As someone said, “I
smell a rat!” What exactly does DHS plan to do with 200 million rounds of
40-caliber ammunition? That is a question every American should want
answered.

In the meantime, if you have a .40 S&W-caliber handgun, you might want to
stock up on ammo now, because price is fixing to skyrocket and availability
is fixing to dwindle–again. As they say, a word to the wise.

Happy New Year! It should be a very interesting one.

P.P.S. Our initial printing of THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS (50 of America’s
outstanding founding documents in one volume) has sold out. We ordered a
supplemental printing and currently have a small number left. You can still
order FREEDOM DOCUMENTS until December 31st. After that, the next printing
will be June 2010. To order THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS, go here:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/products.html

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

(c) Chuck Baldwin

According to Rasmussen Reports, “Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters
nationwide say they’re at least somewhat angry about the current policies of
the federal government. That figure includes 46% who are Very Angry.

“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 27%
are not angry about the government’s policies, including 10% who are Not at
All Angry.”

The report goes on to say, “The data suggests that the level of anger is
growing. The 71% who are angry at federal government policies today is up
five percentage points since September.

“Even more stunning, the 46% who are Very Angry is up 10 percentage points
from September.”

The report also states, “The latest numbers show that only nine percent (9%)
of voters trust the judgment of America’s political leaders more than the
judment of the American people.” It further states, “Seventy-one percent
(71%) believe the federal government has become a special interest group
that looks out primarily for its own interests. Sixty-eight percent (68%)
believe that government and big business work together in ways that hurt
consumers and investors.”

Rasmussen Reports goes on to say that voter opposition to the proposed
health care plan, government bailouts, and higher taxes is especially high.

See the report at:

http://tinyurl.com/rasmussen-71pc-angry-at-govt

That Americans are angry with the federal government is nothing new. As a
general rule, Americans STAY angry with the federal government. So what?
Nothing changes, anger and discontentment notwithstanding.

Oh! Occasionally, grassroots effort can be mustered in sufficient quantity
to stop whatever happens to be the latest effort by the miscreants in
Washington, D.C., that tramples our freedoms. But only occasionally. The
only recent triumph I can think of was when G.W. Bush, Lindsey Graham, and
John McCain tried to ram an amnesty bill for illegal aliens through
Congress. But never fear, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid will
pick up that particular baton soon enough.

I’m old enough to remember when giving the Panama Canal away was opposed by
virtually everyone outside the Beltway. It changed nothing. Jimmy Carter and
Congress gave it away, anyway. Most people oppose the wars in Afghanistan
and Iraq. So what? Our troops are not only still there, but more are on the
way. Most people believe children should be allowed to pray and read the
Bible in school. So what? They still are forbidden from doing so.  Most
people believed former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore had the right to post
the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. So what? He was forced to take them
down, anyway (and removed from office in the process). I could go on, but
you get the point.

Anger and opposition to Washington’s policies and edicts–no matter now
egregious–hardly ever translate into anything beyond words of frustration.
And Washington politicians don’t pay much attention to rhetoric–not even
their own.

You see, the wizards in Washington and on Wall Street have us figured out.
Along with their compatriots in the propaganda press corps, they know that
no matter how loudly we scream, how much we protest, or how angry we become,
the system is rigged to protect them. The best we the people can seem to
come up with is “throwing the bums out” every two or four years. BUT NOTHING
CHANGES–at least, not in terms of restoring the fundamental principles of
freedom and constitutional government.

Throw out George H.W. Bush in 1992, and nothing changes. Throw the Democrats
out of Congress in 1994, and nothing changes. Throw Bill Clinton’s party out
of the White House in 2000, and nothing changes. Throw out G.W. Bush’s
Republicans in 2008, and nothing changes. The only thing that happens with a
changing of the guard is an escalation in the pace of whatever version of
socialism–or Big Government program–is currently in vogue. With Bush it
meant expanding the Warfare State. With Obama it means expanding the Welfare
State. But both do everything they can to expand Big Government.

When will we awaken to the reality that Washington, D.C., has had the
American people chasing their tails for decades? People, wake up! As long as
we continue to focus our attention and energy on Washington, D.C., we will
only continue to supply more rope to those who wish to hang us.

Washington, D.C., is too far gone to salvage. Admit it! Washington is a
cesspool, a landfill, and a putrid pond of corruption and duplicity. Neither
the Republican nor Democratic Party will ever allow a principled
constitutionalist to become its Presidential nominee. No matter whom we
elect as President, the beat toward Big-Government socialism and one-world
internationalism will go on without interruption. Big Government scalawags
own the entire federal system, including Big Media, Big Business, Big Labor,
Big Religion, and Big Special Interest Groups. They are all feeding at the
government teat.

Therefore, it is absolutely obligatory that freedom-minded Americans refocus
their attention to electing State legislators, governors, judges and
sheriffs who will fearlessly defend their God-given liberties. And, as
plainly and emphatically as I know how to say it, I am telling you: ONLY THE
STATES CAN DEFEND OUR LIBERTY NOW! And awakening to this reality means we
will have to completely readjust our thinking and priorities.

It means awakening to the fact that Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill
O’Reilly (and the rest of Big Media’s talking heads) are, for the most part,
irrelevant to providing real solutions to the continuing loss of liberty.
And, in truth, they are, more often than not, part of the problem, because
they continue to focus our attention on Washington, D.C., and off the source
of genuine solution, which lies with the states drawing a constitutional
line in the sand for freedom. Good grief! Beck and O’Reilly have recently
even advocated for higher federal taxes! Yeah! That’s a real solution: more
power and money to Washington, D.C. Ughhh!

Instead of getting all worked up about what Glenn Beck says or what Sarah
Palin says or what CFR member and Big Government neocon Newt Gingrich says,
start paying attention to what your State legislators and candidates are
saying.

If we had more State legislators such as Washington State’s Matthew Shea;
Georgia’s Bobby Franklin; Pennsylvania’s Sam Rohrer; New Hampshire’s Dan
Itse; Michigan’s Paul Opsommer; Oklahoma’s Randy Brogdon, Sally Kern and
Charles Key; Montana’s Rick Jore, Greg Hinkle, and Joel Boniek; Tennessee’s
Susan Lynn; South Carolina’s Michael Pitts and Lee Bright; Missouri’s Jim
Guest and Cynthia Davis; and sheriffs such as South Carolina’s Ray Nash,
Arizona’s Richard Mack and Joe Arpaio, Montana’s Jay Printz and Shane
Harrington, etc., it wouldn’t matter what those nincompoops inside the
Beltway do. The federal government cannot violate your rights and steal your
freedoms without the consent and approbation of your State government.

Folks, let’s get down to where the rubber meets the road: the reason we are
in the miserable mess we are in is because the states have–either wittingly
or unwittingly–ceded their authority and independence to Washington, D.C.
Therefore, it is now critical that states reclaim their authority–authority
that is duly granted them under the US Constitution.

All of us who call ourselves conservatives or constitutionalists or
libertarians (who, no doubt, compose a majority, especially in “red” states)
need to retake our State governments. Elect a governor who knows how to
say “No” to the federal government. Elect a State legislature that knows how
to say “No” to Washington, D.C. Elect sheriffs and State judges who
understand the Constitution, State sovereignty, and the principles of
freedom–and who are courageous enough to defend those sacred principles in
the face of attempted federal usurpation.

The truth is, for all intents and purposes, we could turn off television
completely and be in no worse shape. And newspapers are no better. The vast
majority of them blatantly support and promote Big Government. As Mark Twain
said, “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read
the newspaper, you are misinformed.”

With Big Media, it’s all about Washington politics. Period. For the most
part, the conservative-liberal/Republican-Democrat paradigm is nothing but a
distraction at best, and a scam at worst, to keep all of us safely on the
federal reservation, where we are without hope or recourse to actually
change anything.

Ladies and Gentlemen, freedom in America has only one hope: the resurrection
of State independence and sovereignty. Fortunately, there are rumblings
around the country that this revival has already begun.

The last time I checked, some 38 states have introduced Tenth Amendment
resolutions–or some form of federal nullification proposals–in their State
assemblies. To follow the status of various states’ rights initiatives, keep
an eye on these two web sites:

http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/the-10th-amendment-movement/

http://libertydefenseleague.com/liberty/

If conservatives/constitutionalists/libertarians would spend as much time
and energy influencing elections and policies at the State and local levels
as they attempt to do at the national level, we could turn this floundering
ship of state around. If he had the support and backing of his State’s
legislature and sheriffs, imagine what ONE constitutionalist governor could
do. I get goose bumps thinking about it!

Imagine a State with its own financial system–its own currency, banks,
regulatory agencies, etc. Imagine a State with its own militia–under the
authority of the governor only–completely independent from any
responsibility to the President or federal government. Imagine a State with
an education system unfettered by the federal Department of Education.
Imagine a State where the BLM, the FBI, the ATF, and the DEA had to actually
submit to State law. Imagine a State with no federal bribes, or federal
“funding” as it is commonly called–except as is constitutionally
constructed (with no strings attached). Imagine a State with its own health
care system. Imagine a State with no FEMA–UNLESS INVITED IN. Imagine a
State that would not allow Washington’s spooks to unlawfully spy on
law-abiding citizens. Imagine a State that actually had a say in how much
land the federal government could claim for its own. Imagine a State where
citizens never had to worry about a national ID act. Imagine a State that
would protect the right of its citizens to freely express their faith in the
public square. Imagine a State that did not demand that its farmers put RFID
computer chips in their livestock. Imagine a State that would let you drill
a well without reporting it to the federal government. And for some really
fun mind games, imagine a State that would be willing to challenge the
constitutionality and legitimacy of the direct income tax and the IRS. All
of this–and more–is attainable with a constitutionalist State government
committed to protecting the liberties of its citizens.

I repeat: freedom in America has only one hope: the resurrection of State
independence and sovereignty. In the US Constitution, our Founding Fathers
sagaciously reserved to State governments their independence and
sovereignty, knowing that they had the awesome responsibility of being the
last (and greatest) vanguard of liberty for the American people. They never
intended or imagined that the states would ever become a doormat for the
central government (which is what most of them have become).

In this regard, the states that are proposing State sovereignty resolutions
should immediately band together to overturn the 17th Amendment, because
this amendment strips the states of their constitutional powers by turning
US senators into Washington insiders, who are more beholden to Washington
interests than the interests and well-being of the states that they are
supposed to represent.

If the 71% of voters who are angry with the federal government would channel
their energies into electing constitutionalist governors and State
legislators, their anger might actually produce real and lasting change. As
it is, efforts to “reform” Washington, D.C., are like trying to teach a hog
to take a bath. Instead, let the hog wallow in the mud, but make sure the
mudhole stays small; don’t let it spread to your back yard. And keeping that
Washington mudhole small is the job of the states. And, in case you have not
noticed, the mudhole has already grown to the point that it’s not just in
your back yard; it’s on your front porch and about to consume your whole
house.

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

(c) Chuck Baldwin

One does not have to be a prophet to know that we are on the precipice of
some potentially catastrophic–or at the very least, challenging–days.  In
fact, most of us are already in challenging days, and some are already
enduring catastrophic events. That is, if one would call being out of work,
losing one’s home, facing life-threatening medical conditions without any
prospect of medical insurance, several families being forced to live in one
house due to homes being foreclosed, etc., catastrophic.

The potential for an escalation of cataclysmic events, however, is very
real. Only a “blooming idiot” would call someone who attempts to prepare for
“the day of adversity” a Chicken Little now. Anyone who does not see the
storm clouds on the horizon isn’t paying attention.

For example, can one imagine what would happen if terrorists nuked a major
American city or cities? (Once again, I encourage readers to go get the
videos of the CBS TV series “Jericho” to get an idea of how quickly life,
and even civilization, could change.) Imagine if there was another 9/11-type
event. What would happen if some form of Zimbabwe-style inflation hit the
US? What would happen if anything disrupted the distribution of Welfare
checks, or food to local grocers? Imagine a Hurricane Katrina-style natural
disaster in your town. I think people everywhere are beginning to awaken to
just how vulnerable we all really are.

As a result, people from virtually every walk of life have recently been
asking my thoughts on how they should prepare. Therefore, I will attempt to
share with my readers some of the counsel I have given these folks.

First, a disclaimer. I am not an economist; I am not a survival expert; I am
not a firearms expert; I am not an attorney; I am not a physician. In fact,
I am not an expert in anything! For several years, however, I have tried to
learn from others. I am an avid reader. My work has allowed me to travel
extensively. I have had the privilege of sitting at the feet of–and
learning from–many of America’s most learned, most trained, and most
qualified “experts” in a variety of fields. What I write today, I have
learned from others. I’ve formed my own opinions and priorities, of course,
but everything I’m sharing has been said, or written about, before. But if I
can share something in today’s column that will help someone be better
prepared for the days to come, then my goal will have been achieved.

Location:

First, analyze your living conditions. Where do you live? Do you live in an
urban or rural environment? Is it a big city or small town? Do you live in
an apartment or condominium? How close are your neighbors? Do you even know
your neighbors? Would you trust them if the electricity was off and they
were hungry? Could you grow your own food, if you had to? How easily could
you secure your home? If you live in a cold weather environment, how long
could you stay warm without electricity? These are the kinds of questions
you need to ask yourself now.

Over the past several decades, masses of people have migrated into large
metropolitan areas. More people live in urban areas than at any time in
American history. While this may be well and good for times of prosperity,
it is an absolute nightmare in any kind of disaster. Does anyone remember
what New Orleans looked like after Hurricane Katrina came through? Can
anyone recall what happened in downtown Los Angeles during the 1992 riots?
Needless to say, any inner-city environment could become a powder keg almost
instantaneously, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. And the bigger
the city, the bigger the potential problems.

If you live in the inner city, I suggest you consider moving to a more rural
location. Obviously, now is a very good time to buy property (especially
rural property), but the downside is, selling property is not as favorable.
If you can afford it, now is a great time to buy a “safe house” outside the
city. If you are fortunate enough to have family or some true friends
nearby, you might want to put your heads–and some resources–together in
preparation for serious upheaval. Obviously, a team of prepared people is
much better than being alone.

If you must stay in your urban location, have some commonsense plans in hand
in the event of a major disaster. Get to know your neighbors: find out whom
you can trust and whom you can’t. Keep some extra gasoline on hand, in case
you need to get in your car quickly and leave. Have several exit routes
planned ahead of time, in case roads are blocked. Have a “bug-out” bag
containing essential ingredients to live on for 3 or 4 days. If leaving is
not an option, have a plan to secure your home as best you can. You’ll need
to think about things such as food, water, medicine, warmth, self-defense,
etc. But at this point, to do nothing is absolute lunacy!

Provisions:

During a major disaster, food will quickly disappear. Living for over 3
decades on the Gulf Coast, I can tell you with absolute certainty that
whenever disaster strikes (usually an approaching hurricane, for us), food
and provisions at the store sell completely out in a matter of a few hours.
People panic, and within hours, you cannot find food, bottled water, ice,
generators, batteries, candles, etc. In a matter of hours, every gas station
in the area will be completely out of gas. Not days. Hours!

Furthermore, almost all disasters include a complete loss of electricity.
The water supply is compromised. Bottled water becomes more valuable than
bank accounts. Dehydration becomes a very real and present danger. I
remember witnessing a man offer an ice vendor $100 for an extra bag of ice
during Hurricane Ivan. My wife and I went 2 weeks (14 days) without
electricity in the aftermath of that hurricane. Believe me, I got a taste of
just how precious bottled water, ice, batteries, generators, fuel, etc., can
become.

I suggest you have a supply of food and water to last at least 2 weeks. A
month would be even better. Personally, I can live a long time on tuna fish
or peanut butter. You can purchase MREs from a variety of sources, as well
as “camp-style” packaged food from stores such as Academy Sports & Outdoors.
Of course, bottled water is available everywhere during normal times. Stock
up! Plus, I suggest you have some water purification tablets or a Katadyn
water filter on hand. And, if you are able, prepare to grow your own food.
Canning food is another very helpful hedge against deprivation. If your
parents were like mine, this was standard operating procedure.

Get a generator. Keep a supply of fuel on hand. Stay stocked up on
batteries, candles, portable lights, first aid supplies, and personal
hygiene items–especially toilet paper. Trust me, during times of intense
and prolonged disaster, toilet paper could become more valuable than money.
I also suggest you never run out of lighters or matches. You never know when
you’ll need to build a fire, and during a prolonged survival situation, fire
could save your life. If you live in a cold weather climate, you probably
already have some sort of wood stove or fireplace.

Obviously, you need to take stock of your clothing. Do you have clothes
suitable for extended outdoor activity? What about boots? During a disaster,
you would trade your best suit from Neiman Marcus for a good pair of boots.
Do you have gloves? Insulated underwear? What about camouflage clothing?
These could become essential outerwear in the right conditions. Plus, any
“bug-out” bag will need to include spare clothing.

And one more suggestion, while we’re on this subject: the best resources in
the world are of little use if one is physically incapable of making good
use of them. In other words, GET IN SHAPE. During any kind of emergency
situation, physical exertion and stamina become immensely important.

Commodities:

I suggest you have at least some cash on hand. Just about any and all
disasters will result in banks being closed for extended periods of time.
That also means credit card purchases being suspended. You need to have
enough cash to be able to purchase essential goods (if they are even
available) for an undetermined amount of time.

Of course, some survival gurus insist that during any cataclysmic climate,
precious metals will become the only reliable currency. But when most of us
are trying to feed our families and pay our bills, it is difficult to get
excited about buying gold and silver. Obviously, I would never recommend
that anyone jeopardize the present on the altar of the future. My parents
made it through the Great Depression with canned goods and garden
vegetables; gold and silver were certainly not a priority with them. And
maybe it should not be with you, either?

In fact, in a disaster, what is considered a valuable commodity can change
rather quickly, as the barter system takes a life of its own. What is
valuable is determined by what you need and how badly you need it. In a
prolonged disaster, simple things such as toilet paper, canned goods,
ammunition, and clothing could become extremely valuable; while cars, video
games, televisions, etc., could be reduced to junk status. In antiquity,
wars were fought over things such as salt.

Speaking of cars, remember that during a prolonged “national emergency” that
might involve some sort of nuclear attack or widespread civil unrest, an
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) might be employed; in which case, most every
late model vehicle would be completely inoperable. Accordingly, if one can
keep an older, pre-computer-age vehicle in good working order, he or she
might be driving the only non-government vehicle capable of going anywhere.

Self-Defense:

Needless to say, during any kind of disaster, your safety and protection
will be completely up to you. If you really think that the police are going
to be able to protect you during an upheaval, you are living in a
dreamworld.

In both the New Orleans and Los Angeles disasters, police protection was
non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly took control of the streets, and people
were left to either defend themselves or swiftly become the helpless prey of
violent marauders. In fact, in New Orleans, some of the policemen actually
abandoned their oaths to uphold the law and joined with the criminals,
turning their weapons upon the public.

Face it, folks: in any kind of disaster, you must be able to defend
yourself, or you and your family will be meat for these animals of society
that will quickly descend without mercy upon the unprepared, unsuspecting
souls around them. This requires that you be armed! It also requires that
you be skilled enough to be able to efficiently use your arms.

Therefore, I strongly suggest that you purchase firearms sufficient to keep
you and your family safe, and also that you practice sufficiently to know
how to proficiently use them.

Now, when it comes to a discussion of which firearms are preferable for
self-defense, the suggestions are as varied as the people who proffer them.
These are my suggestions:

I believe every man (along with his wife and children of adequate age)
should be proficient with the following weapons: a handgun in .38 caliber or
above, a .22 rifle, a center-fire hunting rifle, a semi-automatic battle
rifle, and a shotgun.

My personal preference for a self-defense handgun is either a .45 ACP 1911
(either Colt or Kimber) or a .40 S&W. In the .40 caliber, my favorite is a
Glock 23. In the 1911, I like the Commander size configuration. I also like
the Glock 30 and 36 in .45 caliber. My wife prefers to carry a Smith &
Wesson .38 caliber revolver in the snub-nose, J-frame configuration. But
this is primarily due to the reduced weight of these weapons for carry
purposes. If needed, she could make a good accounting of herself with a
Glock 19 in 9mm. If you are someone who has never owned and seldom fired a
handgun, I recommend you buy a Glock. They are as simple as revolvers to
operate, reliable, and almost indestructible. Plus, they provide increased
magazine capacity, and are safe. They are also very easy to disassemble and
clean.

For a .22 rifle, I really like the Ruger 10/22. For a hunting rifle, my
suggestion is either a .270 or .30-06 caliber bolt-action rifle. (If I had
to pick one, I’d pick the .30-06.) I prefer the Remington Model 700 BDL, but
there are several fine weapons in this configuration and caliber by numerous
manufacturers. For a battle rifle, I suggest an AR-15-style weapon in .223
caliber. Here I prefer a Bushmaster. (Please, I don’t need to hear from all
you .308 lovers out there. I love the Springfield M1A, too.) For a shotgun,
I suggest a 12-gauge pump. Here I prefer a Winchester Model 1300, which is
not made anymore. So, you’ll probably have to choose between Mossberg and
Remington.

Whatever you choose, practice with it to the point that you are able to use
it proficiently. And be sure you stock up on ammunition. A gun without ammo
is reduced to being either an expensive club or a cumbersome paperweight.

Spiritual Power:

I firmly believe that man is created to have fellowship with his
Creator-God. I really don’t know how people can face the uncertain future
that we currently face without the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, comfort, and
power that is made available through Jesus Christ. I believe the maxim is
true: “Wise men still seek Him.” I strongly suggest that you seek to possess
a personal relationship with God’s only begotten Son.

That we are facing challenging days is a certainty. Exactly what that means
is yet to be determined. I trust that some of my suggestions will help you
be better prepared for what lies before us.

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

(c) Chuck Baldwin

According to an obscure report in the European Union Times (EUTimes.net),
“Russian Military Analysts are reporting to Prime Minister Putin that US
President Barack Obama has issued an order to his Northern Command’s
(USNORTHCOM) top leader, US Air Force General Gene Renuart, to ‘begin
immediately’ increasing his military forces to 1 million troops by January
30, 2010, in what these reports warn is an expected outbreak of civil war
within the United States before the end of winter.

“According to these reports, Obama has had over these past weeks ‘numerous’
meetings with his war council abut how best to manage the expected implosion
of his Nation’s banking system while at the same time attempting to keep the
United States military hegemony over the World in what Russian Military
Analysts state is a ‘last ditch gambit’ whose success is ‘far from
certain.’”

The EU Times article continues by saying, “To the fears of Obama over the
United States erupting into civil war once the full extent of the rape and
pillaging of these peoples by their banks and government becomes known to
them, grim evidence now shows the likelihood of this occurring much sooner
than later.”

The Times story goes on to say that there are “over 220 million American
people armed to the teeth and ready to explode.”

The Times article concludes by saying, “Though the coming civil war in the
United States is being virtually ignored by their propaganda media, the same
cannot be said of Russia, where leading Russian political analyst, Professor
Igor Panarin has long warned that the economic turmoil in the United States
has confirmed his long-held view that the US is heading for collapse.”

Many of us would be inclined to pooh-pooh such a story, but then there is
this column from Bloomberg.com entitled “Arming Goldman With Pistols Against
Public,” written by Alice Schroeder. According to Ms Schroeder:

“‘I just wrote my first reference for a gun permit,’ said a friend, who told
me of swearing to the good character of a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker
who applied to the local police for a permit to buy a pistol. The banker had
told this friend of mine that senior Goldman people have loaded up on
firearms and are now equipped to defend themselves if there is a populist
uprising against the bank.”

There is no doubt that the American people have good reason to despise these
international banksters epitomized by Goldman Sachs. Even one of Goldman’s
poster-boys, Henry Paulson, US Treasury secretary and former Goldman CEO,
admitted that the American people were fed up. Schroeder quotes Paulson as
saying, during testimony to Congress last summer, “[People] were unhappy
with the big discrepancies in wealth, but they at least believed in the
system and in some form of market-driven capitalism. But if we had a
complete meltdown, it could lead to people questioning the basis of the
system.”

Schroeder correctly opines, “There you have it. The bailout was meant to
keep the curtain drawn on the way the rich make money, not from the free
market, but from the lack of one. Goldman Sachs blew its cover when the
firm’s revenue from trading reached a record $27 billion in the first nine
months of this year, and a public that was writhing in financial agony
caught on that the profits earned on taxpayer capital were going to pay
employee bonuses.”

Schroeder concludes her column by saying, “And if the proles [proletariat:
plebs, working class, peasants] really do appear brandishing pitchforks at
the doors of Park Avenue and the gates of Round Hill Road, you can be sure
that the Goldman guys and their families will be holed up in their safe
rooms with their firearms.”

So, do Wall Street and Russian analysts know something that we don’t know?
Is this why George W. Bush initiated USNORTHCOM to begin with? Is this why
Barack Obama is beefing up USNORTHCOM? This would help explain the reports
of all those potential detention camps that have been constructed (including
the abandoned military installations that have refurbished security fences,
guard towers, etc., around them). Has the American people’s disgust with
these crooks and thieves within the federal government and Wall Street
reached a boiling point?

There is no question that people are angry, and for good reason.

The fraudulent financial policies of the Federal Reserve and its lackeys in
the White House and Congress have literally bankrupted the country. Real
unemployment is most likely over 20%. Taxes (along with costly fees,
regulations, restrictions, penalties, mandates, etc.) at every level are
going through the ceiling. America’s jobs have been outsourced. Barack Obama
continues G.W. Bush’s irresponsibility, digging America deeper and deeper
into foreign entanglements, at the cost of trillions of dollars and
thousands of lives. The IRS continues to harass and harangue honest
citizens, squeezing them like the proverbial turnip. And now, add the
insanity of a global climate treaty being hammered out in Copenhagen, and a
universal health care bill being rammed through Congress, and the outlook is
even gloomier.

I feel very comfortable in saying that the usurpations of power, the
encroachments upon liberty, and the arrogant tax-and-spend policies
emanating from Washington, D.C., and Wall Street these days are far more
egregious than what George Washington and the boys were enduring in 1775-76
at the hands of the British Crown. There is no doubt in my mind that if
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Sam Adams were alive today, they would
have given cause for the Goldman Sachs banksters to retreat to their bunkers
years ago!

The fact is, we do need a revolution! But not a revolution of anarchy and
pitchforks. (The history of France should be ample evidence of the futility
of this strategy.) We need a revolution of the individual states: to reclaim
their sovereignty and fight for the liberties of their sovereigns (We the
People). That is exactly what our forefathers did in ‘76.

America’s founding document (the Declaration of Independence) declares that
our states are “free and independent.” And so they are. We are not “one
nation” with one all-powerful central government. We are a confederation of
nation-states, united in a voluntary union, with each State reserving to
itself the power and authority of self-determination, and ceding to the
federal government limited, specifically delineated duties and
limitations–limitations that have been totally ignored to the point that,
for all intents and purposes, our once-great constitutional republic has
been thoroughly expunged. Therefore, it is NOW time for the states to stand
up to this meddlesome, every-growing tyranny that is known as Washington,
D.C., and defend the rights and liberties of their citizens!

What Dr. Ed Vieira (an attorney with 4 earned degrees from Harvard, who has
successfully argued cases before the US Supreme Court) wrote a few weeks ago
should serve as a template for every State governor and legislature that
truly cares about liberty. See Ed’s column at:

http://www.newswithviews.com/Vieira/edwin201.htm

As Vieira says, the states should resurrect their militias. Many–if not
all–states have the legal authority for such entities in their
constitutions. In some states they are called the State Guard. Some plainly
use the word “militia.” Whatever they are called, they need to be activated.
And all that is necessary for this to be accomplished is the order of the
governor. It’s that simple!

And as Vieira said, states need to adopt an alternative currency–including,
and most especially, gold and silver. In other words, they need to develop
their own private economies, complete with their own banks and exchange
mediums. They also need to reject the multinational agribusiness and develop
their own in-State agricultural and energy businesses.

I would dare say that the first State that determines to follow Vieira’s
sagacious counsel (and rumblings of this have already begun in states such
as Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, New Hampshire, Indiana, Tennessee,
South Carolina, etc.) would have so many liberty-loving patriots flock there
that its economy would explode with prosperity–resulting in a domino effect
of many other states following suit–and the revolution that this country so
desperately needs would indeed take place. Furthermore, such a revolution
would be constitutional, lawful, moral, and, yes, in compliance with the
laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.

In the meantime, is Barack Obama really worried about civil war? He might
be. It is my observation that Washington politicians and bureaucrats are the
most paranoid people on the planet. The problem is–as with most
power-hungry Machiavellians–their paranoia often translates into more
oppression and less liberty for the citizenry. And if this is true, it
simply means that the states need to hurry up and do what needs to be done!

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Now it’s Barack Obama’s war. After campaigning against “George Bush’s War”
in the Middle East, Obama has escalated that war. By transferring thousands
of America’s forces from Iraq to Afghanistan, and by sending an additional
30,000 troops to Afghanistan, the liberal Democrat has demonstrated that his
administration is not so different from that of his “conservative”
Republican predecessor.

While I was crisscrossing America during the campaign season last year, I
repeatedly predicted that no matter who won the White House, John McCain or
Barack Obama, neither would end the war in the Middle East. Many Democrats
tried to argue with me, saying they knew Obama would end the war. Now they
know I told the truth.

During his speech at West Point in which he announced the war’s escalation,
he said, “[T]he Taliban [is] a ruthless, repressive and radical movement.”
What he (or John McCain or George W. Bush) never bothers to tell you is that
this is the same Taliban that the US government SUPPORTED, back when it was
fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

Obama also said, “We are bringing the Iraq war to a responsible end.” That
is a lie! US forces will stay in Iraq indefinitely. Obama has no more
intention of bringing all US troops out of Iraq than he does bringing them
home from Afghanistan. Beyond that, there are more private contractors (read
“mercenaries”) operating in Iraq than US troops. And this will likely be the
case in Afghanistan, as well.

But not only did Obama escalate the war in Afghanistan, he made it clear
that he is prepared to extend the war into Pakistan. Obama’s speech was
laced with references to Pakistan. Examples:

“Our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan.”

“Our overarching goal remains the same: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat
al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” (Note: the latest reports state that
there are no more than 100 al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan.)

“We need a strategy that works on both sides of the [Afghanistan-Pakistan]
border.”

Obama even intimated that he was prepared to extend the war well beyond
Pakistan. He told the West Point cadets, “The struggle against violent
extremism will not be finished quickly, and it extends WELL BEYOND
Afghanistan and Pakistan.” (Emphasis added.)

Just how far beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan Obama intends to extend the war
he did not say, but there is no question he is fully prepared to broaden the
war even further.

Obama even had the unmitigated gall to criticize the Afghan government for
being “hampered by corruption, the drug trade.” Need I remind readers that
for all its faults, when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan, there was
virtually NO DRUG TRADE coming out of Afghanistan? For all intents and
purposes, the Taliban destroyed the drug business in Afghanistan. Opium and
drug production only returned to Afghanistan after US forces displaced the
Taliban. In fact, drug production in Afghanistan takes place right under the
noses (no pun intended) and with the passive compliance of US forces.

But there is an even more evil and sinister motive for perpetual war than
drug smuggling: perpetual war is a tool of globalists to enslave us!

Under the rubric of the “war on terror,” Big Government elitists are able to
dismantle the constitutional safeguards of our freedom. Without 9/11 and the
“war on terror” there would be no Patriot Act, for example.

Remember, the Patriot Act was first proposed during the Clinton
administration, but a recalcitrant Republican Congress refused to approve
it. But with a Republican in the White House (G.W. Bush), those same
Republicans easily passed the Patriot Act into law. And to show you how this
partisanship stuff works, those same Democrats who tried to pass the Patriot
Act in the 90s (called by a different name, of course), voted AGAINST the
Patriot Act when proposed by Republicans in the early 2000s. And since we’re
on the Patriot Act, don’t hold your breath waiting for a Democratic Congress
or the Democrat Barack Obama to expunge it.

Now think it through: first, the Democrats tried to pass the Patriot Act
(under a different name) and Republicans opposed it. Next, Republicans (who
once opposed it) passed the Patriot Act and Democrats (who once proposed it)
opposed it. Now, both Democrats and Republicans (who have both opposed and
proposed it) accept and embrace the Patriot Act. And with all that political
posturing and grandstanding aside, the Patriot Act is only law today because
WE ARE AT WAR.

Without war, we would not have the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS)–which cannot even keep uninvited people out of the White House–the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and thousands of laws and
regulations that trample constitutionally protected liberties.

In the name of “War,” our government can record our phone calls, read our
emails, monitor our financial transactions and movements, and even place an
Army combat division (USNORTHCOM) on American soil to WATCH–OR EVEN FIGHT
AGAINST–US! And some of you don’t even give it a second thought. Why? WE
ARE AT WAR!

I know! I know! Obama promises to “begin the transfer of our forces out of
Afghanistan in July of 2011.” Do you really believe that? Do you really
believe that we are going to spend trillions of dollars on the war effort,
send more than 50,000 troops plus thousands of independent contractors, and
ship millions of tons of equipment half way around the world, and then turn
around and bring them all back home IN EIGHTEEN MONTHS? I might have been
born in the morning, but it was not yesterday morning!

Of course, that brings up another purpose globalists have in keeping us at
war: the financial cost of waging war keeps the country in debt and keeps
the Fed’s printing presses running.

Come on, folks, face it: there are many people who get “filthy, stinking”
rich during times of war. If you have not read USMC Brigadier General
Smedley Butler’s book, “War is a Racket,” you need to get it.

After winning the Marine Corps Brevet Medal, the Army Distinguished Service
Medal, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the French Order of the Black
Star and TWO Congressional Medals of Honor, Butler said (as quoted in Common
Sense magazine), “I spent 33 years and four months in active service and
during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for
Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer,
a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe
for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent
place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in
the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of
Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House
of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic
for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for
the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927, I helped see to it
that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might
have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his
racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, do you really think things have gotten any better
since General Butler wrote those words?

All in all, perpetual war serves two great interests: it helps the
Machiavellians among us strip us of our liberties, and it helps the
military-industrial complex make trillions of dollars. For these reasons,
Barack Obama will do nothing to end the war in the Middle East. If anything,
he will expand the war beyond Afghanistan, as he plainly suggested in his
speech at West Point.

Once again, unless Americans recognize that both major parties in
Washington, D.C., are persistent in serving the financial interests of
internationalists (not to mention their own personal financial interests)
and are more than eager to trample constitutional liberties in the process,
nothing will change in our country–except that our liberties and way of
life will continue to evaporate.

And as I’ve said before, I am absolutely convinced that the only way the
evil machinations of the globalists now running things in DC can be thwarted
is by State governments drawing a firm and determined line in the sand in
defense of their liberties. And they need to start drawing that line NOW!

In the meantime, the Bush-Obama war (it was never America’s war, as it was
never constitutionally declared by the people’s representatives) drags on
and on and on.

*If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these
editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by
credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

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(c) Chuck Baldwin