A Voice of Reason

Only one voice of reason stands out in the incessant chatter from the left and the right regarding the upcoming elections and it is the voice of Ron Paul. Yes, Ron Paul is alive and well and continuing to spread his message of liberty.   Honestly, this Obama/Romney race is just plain tiring and I just want it to be over.  This Presidental election has me feeling like an innocent person convicted of a horrible crime awaiting my sentence - is it going to be four more years of a Barak Obama Administration, or a potential eight years of a Mitt Romney Administration....ugh - can I please see what is behind door number three??    However when I listen to this man speak, I feel hope.  I am not told to believe in hope and change I can believe in - I just feel it and know that there is one person who is capable of pulling us out of the mess we are in as a country - and he was pushed out...but hey, I totally get why he was pushed out of the republican nomination...he actually makes sense - and he tells the truth about the state of our Nation and where we are headed.   I guess the new necon party disguised as republicans can't handle the truth.....long live the rEVOLution.  Peace!




 - be the change you want to see in  the world -

Thanks for the Ride!

Shortly after the RNC cheated its way to nominating Mitt Romey for President, a fellow Ron Paul supporter named Dex wrote a farewell letter to Ron Paul on the dailypaul website....it is a fantastic letter that really resonates with me and many others...it is sad because of how and why Ron Paul was removed from Presidential nomination by the extreme Neocon party that disguises itself as republicans, but at the same time it is inspirational and reminds all of us third party supporters of how we were able to break from the mold.  No doubt that the Ron Paul message has resonated to a large group of people - American and Foreign alike - who saw and followed that beacon of light....and continue to do so.   May God Bless America, her citizens and all liberty lovers worldwide...long live the rEVOLution - peace!

Ron Paul,

About 5 years ago I was walking down a dirt road in a dense fog. I was not the only one. There were so many of us lost and wandering down this road but we took comfort in being together in the same predicament. We would pass familiar signs and landmarks keeping us moving forward and reenforcing our way on the right path.

We were all too afraid to leave the road not knowing exactly what might be out there. I recall other saying if we veered or took a different path we would be sure to starve, freeze or worse.

As I was walking along the shoulder of this road something caught my attention down in a ravine. It was dim light flickering through the fog. I was comfortable up on the road but something inside me poked at my curiosity. A small group of fellows along the roadside were beckoning me to head down the ravine. They were the outcasts that we were told of...We just had it engrained in our heads that these people were fringe and crazy. But something happened to me. something called me. So when no one was looking I stepped off the road into the brush. It was the biggest moment of my life.

Little did I know that first step was off a steep grade of rocks, mud, thorns, thicket and tree branches. I must have slid a quarter of a mile or so tearing up my arms, legs and hitting my head. Up above on the road I could hear insults of how stupid I was, how I was a kook and then laughter. I tried to climb back up but realized it was useless.

Once at the bottom of this ravine I found you. You were holding a lantern on the edge of a dock where a raft was waiting with a few others that left the road. I was confused and in disbelief. You reached out and grabbed me, and helped me on the way to the raft. You showed me how the road I was following was a vicious circle full of deceit. You explained the best paths to take to break the cycle and forge a new path.

We set out over the body of water into the blackness. There were all sorts of creepy things along the way. Rough water, snakes, wind and hail. You never changed course. You stood firm and pointed this vessel to a point of light that was getting brighter and brighter as we approached.

Ahead was a beautiful sunrise penetrating the fog and trees. Once we made landfall we stepped off into a green meadow with spring buds and fresh aquifers running over the smooth rocks sparkling in the sunlight.

Over the course of the next 5 years, I made this trip back and forth with you. I stood upon the road and beckoned others. Each day you stepped onto that raft to head over to the dirt road to rescue more. Day in , day out, you were tireless.

Today I woke up to join you on the raft when I realized you were not coming. You had taken your last trip. As I pushed off to head into the blackness like we always have it hit me. This is what you wanted from us all along. We are now the raftsmen in the sea of despair. We are multiplying and rescuing more and more people. More than any one man could do. You have created an army of enlighten men and women.

You deserve to stay on shore. You did your part. I must say I am a bit sad to see you stay. I don't know how I can ever repay you. You have changed my life forever and the seed you planted will grow in my children and children's children for many years to come.

Salute Ron Paul!

The rEVOLution lives inside all of us and we are only getting stronger.

DEX
I couldn't have said it better myself.  Thank you Dex...and thank you all who still believe in our Republic...and the idea that not only can we take care of ourselves, but we are also quite good at taking care of each other too.

  “Truth is treason in the empire of lies.” ― Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto

“Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.” ― Ron Paul

- be the change you want to see in the world -

We the People

We the people of Massachusetts are petitioning the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs to reject the Mashpee Wampanoag Land in Trust Application.  The incomplete Land in Trust Application as well as the State gaming compact signed by Governor Deval Patrick.....and here is why:

To members of the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs and United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs:

We oppose the application for Land In Trust of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and protest the review of the Mashpee Wampanoag Compact by the Secretary of the Interior due to the following:

1. Governor Patrick’s letter of support sent to the Secretary of the Interior with the compact, notes that compact negotiations were conducted before the tribe had governmental control of the land; governmental control of land is a requirement of IGRA.

2. IGRA does not have the authority to create trust land, nor can it apply to a tribe that does not have governmental powers over land. Approving a compact without regard to the prerequisites, gives the impression that if you can apply IGRA because a tribe wishes to conduct gaming, trust land will be granted after permission to game. This has not been the case under any administration since IGRA was passed in 1988.

3. The compact claims geographic exclusivity for the tribe in Southeastern MA (Region C) except that the law allows for a slot barn in that region, which negates the exclusivity for anyone gaming in Region C.

4. Governor Patrick is supporting the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe’s application for trust land despite the Carcieri decision, which eliminates the possibility of trust land for this tribe. Furthermore, Governor Patrick submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States supporting Governor Carcieri in limiting the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to create trust land for tribes recognized after 1934, raising some serious questions about why he is now supporting the application for trust land.

5. Governor Patrick also mentioned pursuing a land claim settlement with the tribe for their land in Mashpee, an issue already decided in Federal court. Also, Governor Patrick cannot circumvent the Supreme Court decision which prevents land claims by Indian tribes in the United States.

6. Governor Patrick’s letter states that mitigation payments will be used for the Commonwealth, when IGRA requires mitigation payments are used to support local governmental operations.

7. Governor Patrick’s letter of support indicates that on June 9, 2012, the host community voted in favor of allowing the casino. This is deliberately misleading because the host community is East Taunton (wards 3B, 4A and 4B see City of Taunton website) which voted against the tribal casino. Wards in Taunton were also allowed to vote on this measure, and those wards voted in favor.

8. Trust land cannot be created in any of the 13 original colonies, which includes Massachusetts, because there is no federal surplus land to place in trust.

9. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe does not have historical ties to the land in East Taunton as required by federal law. The tribe’s Final Determination has already identified Mashpee, Massachusetts as the tribe’s historical land.

10. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe commissioned a study by Harvard University, which resulted in a report in 2011 which states that this tribe does not possess the ability to self-govern.

11. In 2008, Governor Patrick wrote a letter of opposition during the public comment period for the Environmental Impact Study, where he raised many jurisdictional concerns. Governor Patrick noted each objection by asking the tribe to address jurisdictional issues. He now supports this project without any of these issues being addressed.

12. There has been a repeated, ongoing lack of transparency by numerous local and state elected officials who have sworn to uphold the constitution and protect its citizen’s rights.

13. This tribe’s proposed casino location is located in a garden style industrial park with deed restrictions. These restrictions should not be ignored or rezoned to accommodate a casino which is 300 feet from an Elementary School.

14. The Massachusetts State Compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe does not address gaming in Mashpee, Massachusetts; however the Tribe’s Land in Trust application clearly states the Tribe’s desire to receive land into trust for the purpose of gaming. Whereas the compact does not address that possibility, it should not be approved

15. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has submitted a grossly inadequate and incomplete application for Land Into Trust.

16. After assuming a leadership of the tribe, Chairman Cedric Cromwell appeared before the Middleboro Selectmen and assured them that he was committed to honoring the Inter-Governmental Agreement the tribe had signed with the community five years ago. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has since walked away from this deal with little regard to the commitment made to that community, continues to owe that community large sums of money, and since has attempted to make casino deals in Bridgewater, New Bedford and Fall River before approaching Taunton. This tribe is clearly reservation shopping.

Those are sixteen excellent reasons to sign this petition!

"[W]here there is no law, there is no liberty; and nothing deserves the name of law but that which is certain and universal in its operation upon all the members of the community." --Benjamin Rush, letter to David Ramsay, 1788

"Federal Indian policy is, to say the least, schizophrenic. And this confusion continues to infuse federal Indian law and our cases."-- Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, concurring opinion in United States v Lara (03-107) 541 U.S. 193 (2004)

- be the change you want to see in the world -

The rEVOLution marches on.....

Sign bomb for Dr. Ron Paul outside Jay Leno's NBC studio today. He will be appearing on the Jay Leno show tonight....this video pretty much sums it up as to why I love this country and the liberty movement so much. We never give up. For love of man - for love of Country and for love of freedom worldwide. Nothing is impossible. Go Ron Paul - you are already my President in my heart.

Many thanks to all the Ron Paul supporters and delegates who dedicated so much time and effort, and who continue to work tirelessly for the rEVOLution.   Peace!



“The original American patriots were those individuals brave enough to resist with force the oppressive power of King George...Patriotism is more closely linked to dissent than it is to conformity and a blind desire for safety and security.” - Ron Paul -


“Let it not be said that no one cared, that no one objected once it’s realized that our liberties and wealth are in jeopardy.”  - Ron Paul -

Cheat, Cheat...Never Beat!

I have one thing to say...the Republican National Committee and the Convention as a whole -- a bunch of liars and crooks. Ron Paul got six states today....enough to nominate him for President -- but oh! wait! A vote was taken on the floor today to change the rule from 5 states to 8 states...during the "voice vote" the NOs! clearly had it but the rule was changed anyway - WTF! WTF! WTF! Appparently Ron Paul is on the right track with restoring OUR freedom or this would never had happened.

I watched our republic burn to the ground today through the RNC - there is no voice of the voters- it is all an illusion -and I weep for our future...uneffing beliveable...okay - I get it - The neocons are afraid of Ron Paul...but the fucking (pardon my language) blatant cheating on the floor today LIVE ON CSPAN should make any self respecting republican NOT vote for Mitt Rommey. Worse part -- when delegates tried to call Roberts Rule of Order...their mics were shut off...yes...SHUT OFF and they were ignored. Bottom line....Romney and his neocon gang had to cheat and LIE to get the nomination....is this really who you want for President? Not me...Romney lied to this country on Ben Swan's reality check....

....and his neocon crooks stole our liberty today. Hell has frozen over in my world today because I HOPE that Obama wipes the floor with this POS....anyone but Romney! Seriously....what I watched transpire today angers me to the bottom of my soul....do NOT vote for Romney. Lies and corruption is what the RNC is supporting and I will have NOTHING to do with it and neither should anyone who loves our country....disgusted. 

Anyone who wants to know what a President of the United States of America should sound like needs to listen to this.....

I will always vote what I have promised, and always vote the Constitution, as well as I will not vote for one single penny that isn't paid for, because debt is the monster, debt is what's going to eat us up and that is why our economy is on the brink. - Ron Paul -

There is only one kind of freedom and that's individual liberty. Our lives come from our creator and our liberty comes from our creator. It has nothing to do with government granting it. - Ron Paul- 

- be the change you want to see in the world -

Just Call it the "Obsession with Iran Act"

If we were really interested in civil liberties why wouldn't we look to ourselves? Why wouldn't we look to the things we do here? What about our warrantless searches under the Patriot Act? What about the policy of assasination - assasinating American citizens - what about arrests by the military, The National Defense Authorization Act? What about the drone warfare we go on, do you think we protect civil liberties by arbitrarily dropping drones/bombs anyplace in the world with innocent people dying? If we really want to care about civil liberties in Syria, why dont we care about the secret prisons we have and the history of torture we have in this country? What about the fact that kill lists are being made by the Executive Branch of Government and we sit idlely by and approve of it by saying nothing and the American people put up with it and we march in this direction....marching into a determination to have another war....I strongly support a NO vote on this resolution....



- All Tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent - Thomas Jefferson

- have you heard the path of freedom is the road you rise to meet -  Jordan Page

- be the change you want to see in the world -

What the Hell is that Smell?

A few days ago I made a comment regarding the Mashpee Wampanoag's Land in Trust Application...or lack thereof.  The application reads like an amicus brief...arguing how the regulations are unfair...but the tribe will proceed as if said regulations actually mean anything.  Reading the application and trying to figure out what the hell this Tribe was trying accomplish was akin to solving a rubiks cube.  Luckily, we had the handbook, which was quite handy indeed -- but this post isn't about the content of the application. However, I will say  - very sneaky Cedric...but we know your game...it ain't gonna work and all the lobbying in the world won't change that.   My comment regarding the application was "we are so far down the rabbit hole with this thing that I keep expecting to hear the doorknob say Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.  Ahhh...sound advice doorknob - we read the directions in the handbook and they DID directly lead us in the right direction.....but I digresss.

What has me knowing we are so far down in the rabbit hole is the fact the our dishonorable Governor Deval Patrick has hired a law firm to lobby the Department of the Interior to grant land in trust to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.  Seriously???  I really want to know if Cedric's BFF Deval plans on paying for this himself or is it the taxpayers of the Commonwealth getting stuck with that bill?  Why is it exactly that we have to foot the bill for the Mashpee Wampanoag's lobbyists??  It seems to me that Cedric's other BFF's from Genting should be footing the bill -- especially since the land in trust deal will not benefit the Commonweatlth in any way...only the tribe.  Don't believe me?  Okay...here are a few things to mull over....

1.  The Tribe does not qualify for Land in Trust regardless of the lame argument laid out in their application.  So sorry to tell you Cedric -- the intent of the IRA was not to determine which tribes were under federal jurisdiction in 1934 so your argument that the tribe was under federal jurisdiction then because you were recognized in 2007 doesn't hold water.  The intent of the IRA was to return land to Tribes that were disinfranchised under the Alloment Act.  The Mashpee Wampanoag were never disinfranchised under the Allotment Act and therefore it cannot be successfully argued that the tribe was under federal jurisdiction in 1934 as claimed in the application.  No doubt it is an interesting arguement, but it is not the intent of the law. 

2.  Why is Deval Patrick suddenly backing this tribe?  He freely admits that he does not have to enter into a compact with the Mashpee Wampanaog Tribe but he did anyway.  He negotiated a compact with the Tribe behind closed doors and without input or a care in the world about the concerns of the host community and the surrounding communities.  Deval Patrick seems to have no issue at all with handing private land over to the Tribe, has no problem with super water right issues and for some reason thinks that land claims are still a valid means fo tribes to get land regardless of the City of Sherrill SCOTUS decision.  He just went ahead and promised land in Mashpee to the Tribe without even discussing it with the Town of Mashpee....and then hires a lobbying firm to support the Tribe, on our dime. 

What the hell is that smell?    Could it be the stench of a corrupt and bought out Governor? 

Gosh Governor Patrick....I am wondering, do you have sights for a Presidental run in 2016?  Is that it?  Has a little seed been planted in your head that promises to grow into a campaign money tree?  Is it the idea of endless amounts of money coming from trust land that doesn't need to be reported to the Federal Election Committee that turned you?  It is no secret that trust land does not fall under the Federal Election Campaigns Act.  In fact, this little factoid was quite the discussion at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs a few years ago....you know...how federally recognized tribes on trust land aren't  "people" under this act since "people" are taxable and federal tribes on trust land cannot be taxed so they don't fall under the definition.

Come on Governor - the people want to know - tell us why you sold out the citizens of this State...sent us packing....completely ignored your duty under the Constitution of Massachusetts....which in part reads:

The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact, by which the whole people covenants with each citizen, and each citizen with the whole people, that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good. It is the duty of the people, therefore, in framing a constitution of government, to provide for an equitable mode of making laws, as well as for an impartial interpretation, and a faithful execution of them; that every man may, at all times, find his security in them.

Was it not enough that you provided the legal means for the Tribe to open a casino under the new gambling law - you know...equal footing to open a gambling facility on trust land - if they can get trust land - which they cannot....now you have happily signed a compact with a tribe that has no trust land and then proceed to spend taxpayer money to lobby for them?  Are you kidding me???

Here is a thought...how about letting the Tribe wash it's own dirty Land in Trust laundry and refrain from staining the the sovereign rights of this Commonwealth.  Your stench of betrayal to this Commonwealth disgusts me. 

3.  The Compact that was signed is not legal.  I have heard from a very reliable source that the BIA has already told the State that they do not like the 21.5% revenue on gambling profits being paid to the State under the compact -- they consider that a TAX which is ILLEGAL under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and therefore unenforcable as proven in the Rincon Band of Indians ruling out of California.    What about the land claims in the Compact ....do you plan on handing Otis Airforce Base over to the Tribe to build a casino there, thus freeing up SE MA on this side of the bridge for a commercial venue?  That would be a great way to quell the unsettling KG Urban Enterprises lawsuit now wouldn't it Governor...oh -- by the way -- kudos to Ken Salinger for his newly appointed judgeship by the Governor's Council....hmmmm....correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't he the lawyer who argued for the State against KG Urban Enterprises in the lawsuit in New Beford?  Either way....back to land claims....there are no land claims!!  A landmark SCOTUS decision effectively ended land claims.

Do you know what the Sherill decision did to land claims for tribes? Do you Governor?  No?....too bad...look it up.  I am sick and tired of doing it for you because you don't listen anyway...and based on your recent actions, I can honestly say you don't care either.  But I will tell you one thing...and I hope you remember this when all of this blows up in your face -- The only thing final in a final negotiated settlelment with a tribe is that the tribe never gives back what it takes.

So Governor Patrick -- I know you must be super-duper busy getting ready for the fundraiser dinner at your home for President Obama....you must be so excited to see him again and I am sure Cedric Cromwell is just giddy over his invitation to join you and the President.  How wonderful....you get to listen to President Obama yammer on about how reversing trust land decisions is "his Administration's top priority for Indian Country" and giving away land in one of the original 13 colonies is "an important step toward reconciliation" for the wrongs of the General Allotment Act of 1887.  Nevermind the Allotment Act had absolutely NOTHING to do with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe as they were never disinfranchised and were actually quitely living in the town of Mashpee as full citizens of the Commonwealth....Oh - or maybe he will tell you all about the $1.5 million dollars he received in campaign contributions from tribal donors on July 18th, but I don't want to take up any more of your time...really.  I just want to know why you walked away from your duty as Governor of this State, to spend our hard earned money lobbying for something that isn't going to happen. 

Yep -- something sure does stink up on the Hill......



I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!

Better read it first, for if one drinks much from a bottle marked "Poison", it's almost certain to disagree with one sooner or later.  - Alice


 
- Be the Change you want to see in the World -