Author: "For Liberty"

Did you know that John Adams, who was seeking re-election on the Federalist ticket, was labeled a monarchist; Vice President Jefferson was called an atheist; both candidates were declared enemies of the Constitution.

From Michael Bolden
Tenth Amendment Center

 

On Mar. 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson gave his first inaugural address after winning a bitter campaign for President of these United States.

During the campaign, he noted that the nation’s newspapers were “teaming with every falsehood they can invent for defamation.” John Adams, who was seeking re-election on the Federalist ticket, was labeled a monarchist; Vice President Jefferson was called an atheist; both candidates were declared enemies of the Constitution.
Continue reading “The 13 essential principles of our government according to Thomas Jefferson”

March 05, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC — In a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that could determine how far the courts may go in shielding police from being held accountable for wrongdoing, The Rutherford Institute is challenging a lower court ruling that prevents victims of police shootings for suing police for violations of their civil rights if the shooting did not result in an immediate arrest.
Continue reading “Federal Courts Rule That Individuals Shot by Police but Not Immediately Arrested May Not Sue Police for Wrongdoing Under the Fourth Amendment”

“If, as it seems, we are in the process of becoming a totalitarian society in which the state apparatus is all-powerful, the ethics most important for the survival of the true, free, human individual would be: cheat, lie, evade, fake it, be elsewhere, forge documents, build improved electronic gadgets in your garage that’ll outwit the gadgets used by the authorities.”—Philip K. Dick

Emboldened by the citizenry’s inattention and willingness to tolerate its abuses, the government has weaponized one national crisis after another in order to expands its powers.
Continue reading “Coronavirus vs. the Mass Surveillance State: Which Poses the Greater Threat?”

By: Mike Maharrey

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (March 3, 2020) – Last Friday, an Oklahoma House committee passed a bill that would prohibit enforcement of some federal gun control in the state, setting the stage to nullify it in practice and effect.

Rep. Justin Humphrey introduced House Bill 2901 (HB2901) on Feb. 3. The proposed law would prohibit any law enforcement officer from obeying or enforcing any direct or indirect order that “violates the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, Article II, Section 26 of the Constitution of Oklahoma or the law enforcement oath of the law enforcement officer.
Continue reading “Oklahoma Committee Passes Bill to Prohibit Enforcement of Some Federal Gun Control”

By: Dave Benner
March 3, 2020

Today in 1817, President James Madison vetoed the Bonus Bill of 1817 – a plan that called for the federal construction of various roads, bridges, and canals throughout the country. In a letter to Congress, the president explained his rationale. Out of all historical writings on constitutional interpretation, I believe it stands today as one of the most important.
Continue reading “Today in History: James Madison Vetoes “Bonus Bill” as Unconstitutional”

We can pretend that the Constitution, which was written to hold the government accountable, is still our governing document. In reality, however, the Constitution has been steadily chipped away at, undermined, eroded, whittled down, and generally discarded to such an extent that what we are left with today is but a shadow of the robust document adopted more than two centuries ago. As John W. Whitehead warns in this episode of On Target, if constitutional illiteracy is not soon remedied, freedom in America will be doomed.
Continue reading “The Death of the United States Constitution”

Legal & media analyst Lionel and founder of The Rutherford Institute John Whitehead weigh in on the Patriot Act 18 years after it was enacted following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With the deadline for renewal looming in March, SHOULD Congress pull the plug on the hotly-contested program, which has already surveilled millions of Americans?

The Patriot Act continues to be a freedom-hating law and should not be renewed imo.

Continue reading “18 Year-Old Patriot Act: SHOULD Congress Hit Refresh?”

The Rutherford Institute

Continue reading “The Looming Financial Nightmare: So Much for Living the American Dream”

By John Whitehead

As history teaches us, if the people have little or no knowledge of the basics of government and their rights, those who wield governmental power inevitably wield it excessively. After all, a citizenry can only hold its government accountable if it knows when the government oversteps its bounds. Precisely because Americans are clueless about their rights—because their elected officials no longer represent them—because Americans have failed to hold government officials accountable to abiding by the Constitution——and because Americans continue to place their trust in politics to fix what’s wrong with this country—the American governmental scheme is sliding ever closer towards a totalitarian police state. This steady slide towards tyranny, meted out by militarized local and federal police and legalistic bureaucrats, has been carried forward by each successive president over the past fifty years regardless of their political affiliation.

This article and video first appeared on Newsbud

 

February 24, 2020

RICHMOND, Va. — Pushing back against government attempts to further extend the surveillance state, The Rutherford Institute is asking the Virginia General Assembly to reject legislation that would authorize state entities to use automated cameras and radar devices to bring speeding charges for which the accused is presumed guilty.
Continue reading “Rutherford Institute Denounces Automated Speed Cameras As Unconstitutional, Profit-Driven & an Extension of the Surveillance State”