Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Good news: we were all able to testify against the bill today, and we gave them a response they weren’t expecting. There were 10 of us who spoke out against it, ZERO who spoke in support.

Members from Campaign for Liberty, Ohio Freedom Alliance, We Are Change Ohio, John Birch Society, Institute for Principled Policy, Constitution Party of Ohio, and the Libertarian Party of Ohio showed up in support, most of them testified.

After seeing how many of us came, Committee Chairman Blessing changed his mind and decided not to vote on it today. In fact, he acted like it was a mistake that the paper said “possible vote.” Teri (OFA, JBS, CPO) thinks it’ll probably be voted on at the next committee meeting (which will also probably not include further testimony) so we’ll need to keep watching. The Senate version was introduced yesterday as well, but last I heard it hasn’t yet been assigned to a committee. Still another thing to keep an eye on.

The committee had some questions and a couple repeatedly voiced concerns, enough so that I definitely think we have a good shot at getting this defeated.
Continue reading ‘Update on Ohio’s HJR 8 Call for Constitutional Convention’

ShareThis

Ohio to Vote for Constitutional Convention TOMORROW, Tell Them NO!
Published by Peace Chickenon December 9, 2008in political. 0 Comments
[UPDATES BELOW ORIGINAL POST]

On December 3rd, the Ohio House of Representatives introduced HJR 8, a resolution calling for a Constitutional Convention, provided for by Article V of the U.S. Constitution.
This is one of only two legal methods for amending the Supreme Law of the Land. This nation is only a few states away from having application of the requisite 34 states needed to convene a Constitutional Convention.

It is worth noting that many states which have called for a Constitutional Convention in the past have since withdrawn their requests (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, and others) after realizing the danger of such an event.

If a Constitutional Convention is called, our Constitution and Bill of Rights would be up for grabs and open to any and all changes.
It is clear that this con-con call is being quickly pushed through the lame-duck legislature before most Ohio citizens learn about it. The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and they are voting this Wednesday to determine whether to send it to the house for a full vote — only a week after its introduction!

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED ASAP!
Get educated on the facts of a Constitutional Convention by watching Beware Article V (4 parts) which was created by state legislators to educate other legislators. Stay updated and join the discussion at The Ohio Freedom Alliance Forum.
Contact the Legislature. Send an email to your Rep as well as all of the members of the Judiciary Committee all at once using the Ohio Freedom Alliance SLAM tool. Or telephone your Representative and 11 Committee Members.
Join us at the Committee Meeting on Wednesday morning at 9:30am at the statehouse in Columbus to give testimony or just to show your support for the legislation’s withdraw. A large attendance will bring this issue into the spotlight and prevent a hasty, uninformed vote. Details here.
SUMMARY OF THE DANGER:
A Constitutional Convention has no limitations!
Once Congress calls for a Constitutional Convention Article V grants that assembled convention the exclusive power to propose amendments regardless of the original reason for its call. By its very definition a Constitutional Convention is a sovereign body and therefore cannot be limited.

Recall that the first Constitutional Convention was held simply for the purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation under Article XIII, which indicated that the consent of all State legislatures is required for amendment. Instead, delegates – having met in total secrecy for several months – emerged with a new fundamental government design, which stipulated that only nine of the thirteen states would have to ratify for the new government to go into effect.

Everything in the current Constitution could be tossed, and replaced with whatever the delegates decide. A new convention could even decide not to bother having the states ratify what it produces. A constitutional convention has no limitations. With today’s hostile and divided political climate, can we trust that our rights would be secure?

For questions, please contact:
Teri M. Owens
libertyinlaw@gmail.com
740-816-0933


Beware Article V
Part I, 10 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8_pdJ1dPo

Part II, 10 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flHJrcdfbBg

Part III, 11 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly1Lh3bqtYM

Part IV, 8 min.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5jKAlgvCgg


UPDATE #1: We’ve just learned that the public is being denied testimony on HJR8, please call the Chairman now!
There is concern that it could be sent to the House floor for a full vote in the afternoon tomorrow and that a Senate companion bill will be introduced.

No one is answering the phones at Chairman Blessing’s office and voicemails are not being returned. Please call, email AND fax the Chairman to request public testimony before there is a vote taken by the committee. Be polite, but firm. These are OUR government servants — not our representatives from government.

Louis W. Blessing, Jr. (R), Representative District 29
Tel: (614)466-9091, Fax: (614)719-3583, Email: district29@ohr.state.oh.us

Tired of not getting answers? Call the rest of the committee.

UPDATE #2: Good news — according to Rep. Larry Flower’s secretary, there WILL be public testimony PRO and CON tomorrow morning!
Please use the “ShareThis” button below to email this alert to your friends and family, as well as vote it up on Digg and Reddit!

ShareThis

Action Item: SWAT Raids Co-Op in Rural Ohio
Published by Peace Chickenon December 5, 2008in personal. 7 Comments
UPDATE #2: The Cleveland Plain Dealer has finally decided to give this story some attention, even quoting this blog at one point. Unfortunately, they dismiss all reports of the SWAT team, deciding it’s just some crazies on the internet spreading rumors. Yes of course, believe the police, they’re always innocent and well-intentioned! Don’t do anything silly like wait for the family’s statement to come out…

Reason magazine has also picked up the story, also mentioning my humble little blog:

“The folks over at Peace Chicken (yes, that’s a real site, complete with chicken death doomsday clock) are seriously peeved.”


UPDATE: Here’s a good update on this story, including the fact that the husband of the family wasn’t present for the raid because he was in IRAQ. And here is a letter from the family themselves, which includes ways you can help.
[Thanks to LewRockwell.com, Intel Daily, OpEdNews, and NowPublic for carrying this story.]

Below is an OUTRAGEOUS story of a Cleveland-area rural co-op that was raided by a SWAT team earlier this week for a supposed Ohio Dept. of Agriculture violation.
It reeks of police state, lack of Constitutional Rights, and excessive use of force. Unfortunately, this is not a new occurrence, it happens all the time, you just don’t hear about it in the news (big surprise.)

The immediate question that comes to mind — why was the SWAT team used to enforce an alleged Ohio Dept. of Agriculture rule violation? According to the Lorain County Sheriff’s SWAT page, they are intended to be used for these reasons:

Hostage Situations: the holding of any person(s) against their will by an armed or potentially armed suspect.
Barricade Situation: the stand-off created by an armed or potentially armed suspect in any location, whether fortified or not, who is refusing to comply with law enforcement demands for surrender.
Sniper Situations: the firing upon citizens and/or law enforcement officers by an armed suspect, whether stationary or mobile.
High-Risk Apprehension: the arrest or apprehension of armed or potentially armed suspects where the likelihood of armed resistance is high.
High-Risk Warrant Service: the service of search or arrest warrants where the warrant service matrix or policy recommends or requires the use of SWAT.
Personal Protection: the security of special persons, such as VIP’s, witnesses, or suspects, based on threat or potential threat to the well being of those persons.
Special Assignments: any assignment, approved by the SWAT Operations Commander, based on a high level of threat and/or need.
Was the private selling of organic food by the Manna Storehouse REALLY one of those instances??

We must stand up for our fellow citizens and refuse to allow a transition from Buckeye State to Police State. After the story you’ll find a list of Cleveland news sources. PLEASE contact them and demand they investigate this story. I strongly believe people would be appropriately outraged if they only knew what was going on.

On Monday, December 1st, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on parents, children, infants and toddlers, from approximately 11 AM to 8 PM.


The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the “bad cop” SWAT team was relieved by another team, a “good cop” team that tried to befriend the family. The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years.

There were agents from the Department of Agriculture present, one of them identified as Bill Lesho. The search warrant is reportedly supicious-looking. Agents began rifling through all of the family’s possessions, a task that lasted hours and resulted in a complete upheaval of every private area in the home. Many items were taken that were not listed on the search warrant. The family was not permitted a phone call, and they were not told what crime they were being charged with. They were not read their rights. Over ten thousand dollars worth of food was taken, including the family’s personal stock of food for the coming year. All of their computers, and all of their cell phones were taken, as well as phone and contact records. The food cooperative was virtually shut down. There was no rational explanation, nor justification, for this extreme violation of Constitutional rights.

Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation’s private food supply.

Continue reading ‘Action Item: SWAT Raids Co-Op in Rural Ohio’

ShareThis

Dear Citigroup…
Published by Peace Chickenon November 26, 2008in political. 1 Comment

Citibank Student Loans
P.O. Box 6191
Sioux Falls, SD 57117-6191

Congratulations on your recent bailout by the Federal Government! I’m so glad to hear your stock won’t continue its freefall collapse— what a terrible Thanksgiving that would have made for your stockholders.
My reason for writing today actually has to do with this recent news. See, I still owe you guys quite a bit of money for my student loan. Now, I know you don’t like to positively reinforce your responsible borrowers who make their payments on time and in-full every month, but please hear me out.

Since my tax money is now being funneled to you (my calculations conclude $326 billion divided by the estimated 99,880,223 Americans who the IRS has deemed liable to pay taxes equals $3,264 per taxpayer) — surely I won’t be expected to pay Citibank over $3,000 indirectly by way of the bailout on top of the thousands I already owe you? That’s terribly unethical and I know your business would never compromise its moral standards just to make a buck.

So, I look forward to getting my updated loan balance with this amount subtracted. I can see why you bankers are so addicted to these bailouts, it’s such a load off my back!

Sincerely,
Acct. Number 19840033
Loyal usury victim since 2001


P.S. I’m sending a Thank You card to my nephews to thank them for sacrificing their future financial freedom in exchange for our American way of life and patriotic call to live beyond our means. I’ve included it with this letter, will you sign it too? Thanks, it would mean a lot!

ShareThis

Noticed a lack of updates?
Published by Peace Chickenon November 26, 2008in personal. 0 Comments
I’ve been MIA from posting to PeaceChicken.com because I’ve been busy with another site: AbolishTheFed.net. Rather than double-posting everything, I’ll just redirect you there. If you’re looking for economic news you WON’T see on CNN or read in the USA Today, come check it out.



Otherwise — forgive the scarcity of posts for a while! There are only so many hours in the day…

ShareThis

November 22nd is the New Patriot Day.
Published by Peace Chickenon November 18, 2008in political. 0 Comments


R.I.P. Federal Reserve
November 22, 1913 - November 22, 2008

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

11.22.08: End The Fed
National Day of Support for Constitutional, Sound Money

This is a HEADS UP to everyone who cares about their future –
in 4 days patriots will meet in 38 cities across the country to End the Federal Reserve and we need YOU there!
Are you ready to step away from the computer and join us?
WHY //
The Federal Reserve is an unconstitutional institution (see U.S. Constitution, Section 8, Clause 5) that drains the wealth of the American people through the inflationary process.

Despite silence on the true cause of our financial mess, every day it becomes more and more apparent that the #1 issue in our country is the economy and the falling dollar. Who is to blame for this? Who is printing all the money that drives down the value of our dollar? Who controls the interest rates upon which the fate of our banks, credit cards, loans, mortgages, and lives depend? These are very important questions to ask yourself.

One needn’t be an economist to understand: the Federal Reserve is neither federal, nor do they have any reserves. Our dollars are no longer backed by gold or silver. It is a “fiat” currency, and every economy that has used fiat currency in the past has ultimately collapsed. It’s time we demand that Congress END THE FED.

On November 22, 1910 the Federal Reserve Act was conceived at a private meeting of elite bankers. Ninety-eight years after its conception, we will gather to signal the end of its reign!

Patriots from across the country will join together to protest the Federal Reserve system. Activists will demand an END to private banker control over the nation’s money supply and the return to a hard, commodity backed monetary system.

WHERE //
All 38 Federal Reserve locations

WHEN //
This Saturday, November 22nd @ 12pm

DON’T FORGET //
Signs, banners, bullhorns, drums, whatever you need to make a statement.

FIND YOUR LOCAL FED //
http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=55#findYourFed

DOWNLOAD FLYERS //
http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=174

FOR MORE INFO //
http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=55

YES WE CAN abolish the Federal Reserve!
TIP: Use the “ShareThis” button below to email this post to your friends and family, post to Facebook, Myspace, Digg, and more!

ShareThis

Bush Pardons ALL Thanksgiving Turkeys
Published by Peace Chickenon November 14, 2008in political. 0 Comments

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

Wouldn’t that be a dream come true!
Unfortunately, over 5 MILLION turkeys will be slaughtered for this gluttonous tradition. I think if everybody watched this video though, they would think twice about eating turkey (or any meat) for Thanksgiving.

No Turkey on Thanksgiving?!
Yes, it can be done. A Google search for “vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes” gave me 283,000 results. I promise it’s possible.

In support of a Gentle Thanksgiving, PeaceChicken.com is asking you to pardon YOUR Thanksgiving turkey this year!
ShareThis

No comments: