John Stossel looks at how police use violence and brutal militaristic tactics to conduct their tail-chasing war against politically unpopular substances. http://www.LibertyPen.com

                          

The ad takes statements made by Buck entirely out of context but that much is to be expected by Bennet who cannot possibly run on his own record without causing independents to run away holding their wallets. 9News.com and PolitiFact.com both point out how Bennet’s campaign took Buck’s statements out of context of what he meant. Even Buck’s own campaign issued responses denying that he does not support the privatization of Social Security and the elimination of the Dept. of Education.

Therein lies the problem. The very idea of privatizing the Social Security ponzi scheme or eliminating the utterly useless Dept. of Education is now considered taboo. It’s actually quite unfortunate that Ken Buck doesn’t support these ideas as the supposed champion of the GOP, Ronald Reagan, once did in his 1982 State of the Union speech.

The budget plan I submit to you on Feb. 8 will realize major savings by dismantling the Department of Education

Even as recently as 1996, the GOP platform said the following:

The Federal government has no constitutional authority to be involved in school curricula or to control jobs in the market place. This is why we will abolish the Department of Education, end federal meddling in our schools, and promote family choice at all levels of learning.

Even Reagan realized that Social Security was really a giant ponzi scheme. In 1975, he suggested that Social Security should be voluntary. However, after Ford beat Reagan in the 1976 Florida primary he soon realized that this was truly the ‘third rail’ of politics after losing the majority of votes to those 65 and older.

Have conservatives strayed so far from their supposed ideals in the last 35 years that even issues Ronald Reagan once espoused are now considered extreme? Apparently so, and that is why there are so many of us who can hardly tell the difference any more between the two parties. You can be sure though that when the GOP has it’s next Presidential primary debates, everyone will chant the name of Reagan with reverence but run away from many of his ideals as fast as they can – except of course Ron Paul who will be labeled by the other GOP candidates as an extreme nut. If only the Bennet ad were true.

Chuck Moe is a Contributing Author at People’s Press Collective, Your Source for Colorado Politics

                          

Liberty On Tour was at Invesco Field doing outreach activities while football fans tailgated prior to the Bronoco’s game. For several hours they handed out information, gave bus tours, and spoke to people about liberty. All was well until an Invesco Field parking lot employee called the Denver Police since she felt that she had been ‘mocked’ after she had told LOT to not offer ‘free’ beer to other tailgaters.

Earlier that day, LOT was asked to removed a ‘free beer’ sign from the bus. LOT complied immediately. They were then asked to not say ‘free beer’ but that it was okay to offer beer to people (Beer was being used as an enticement to get literature passed out and get people over to talk about liberty – which is not illegal according to a Denver police officer.) LOT then stopped using the term ‘free’ and continued handing out literature. Shortly thereafter, the Invesco field employee called her supervisor who then called the police.

Within a few moments, Adam Mueller was handcuffed and detained while Pete Eyre was being detained and interviewed. As the video shows both Adam and Pete were handcuffed and taken into custody. Adam adopted a passive and non-resistive posture and while they carried him to the detention area the police bent his wrist backwards and was checked in by a paramedic.After several hours they were released with charges of interferance, disturbing the peace, and disobeying a lawful order. Their video cameras were also confiscated for unknown reasons. Again, Adam, Pete, and those of us assisting them were doing nothing illegal…nothing.

Below is some very poor Iphone video of the incident.

LOT Denver Outreach-Adam

LOT Denver Outreach-Pete

Situations like these illustrate the need for web sites like Cop Block.

If you’d like to meet and speak with Adam and Pete, they will be a special guest at the Red Rocks Liberty on the Rocks this evening, Aug 30 at 5:00. These guys have had a lot of challenges (both RV issues and legal) lately and could use your financial support so come meet with them and help ‘em out. They are doing good work for liberty.

                          

How do we tell Washington how we feel? We show them. We sifted through the top public opinion polls, compiled the results most representative of the nation, prettied them up, and set them to compelling music. Lawmakers must be shown what the nation thinks of them and their many years of policies that are bankrupting America.

“6 out of 10 Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction — Reuters, July 2010″

“43% have a favorable view of the Democratic Party. 36% for the Republican Party. — Gallup, May 2010″

“Congress’s approval rating has been under 29% consistently for since 2005. Gallup, 2005-2010″

“The same as OJ Simpson’s approval rating a year after his trial. — Gallup, 1995″

“Congress’s approval rating today – 19%. Gallup, Aug 2010″

“Nearly half of likely voters think a random selection of people from the phone book would do better than Congress. — Rasmussen, January 2010″

“86% of Americans say the system of government is broken. — CNN/Opinion Research Corp, February 2010″

“The two most important issues to Americans are: jobs [and] the budget deficit – Pew and the National Journal, July 2010″

“Unemployment has nearly doubled since the end of 2007. – Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2010″

“53% think we’d be better off without the stimulus. – Time, July 2010″

“67% oppose a new stimulus. – Time, July 2010″

“66% believe government wastes “a lot” of our tax dollars. – Center for American Progress, August 2010″

“A majority believes we should [cut spending to stimulate the economy]. – Democracy Corps, June 2010″

                          

“The Tea Party and allied conservatives are trying to break that national stance on justice and, in turn, break the crux of what the civil rights movement symbolized and what Dr King fought and literally died for,” said activist Al Sharpton said in a statement.

Don’t think for a moment that Glenn didn’t have something to say about that.

For his part Beck says he wasn’t aware of the anniversary when they chose the date, simply that it was the only Saturday the entire Mall was available that wasn’t Sept. 11. Also, Martin Luther King is honorable and anyway “what part of honor are you against?!” Later Additionally, Beck says once he realized the date connection he began taking interest in the speech and shortly thereafter discovered MLK was also talking about character, and responsibility, and, yes, honor. Timeline-wise this makes sense and might explain Beck’s recent fascination with the Civil Rights movement and African Americans in general.

MLK’s son of course had to chime in since he apparently had a Vulcan mind-meld with his father and knows exactly what he was thinking.

My father championed free speech. He would be the first to say that those participating in Beck’s rally have the right to express their views. But his dream rejected hateful rhetoric and all forms of bigotry or discrimination, whether directed at race, faith, nationality, sexual orientation or political beliefs.

What of course this implies is that anyone at this rally is of course a racist because they will talk about honor, low taxes, less government and they won’t be speaking about how a small group of elite individuals should decide social and economic decisions for all individuals like Al would like. Forgive me Mr. Sharpton. I didn’t realize that in order to not be a racist you had to favor forceful control by government to ensure that people are equalized and indoctrinated to your standards. So instead of being racist, the Tea Partiers should start becoming haters of people with different political ideologies like Al. That’s so much nicer.

                          

Joke-telling robots, expensive walking tunnels, Blackberries for smokers, and training American prostitutes to drink responsibly. What do these things have in common? They’re all questionable government spending projects in a time when our economy is struggling and people can’t get jobs….or, maybe we just made them up.

Put yourself to the test. See if you can outwit the Rebel Economist before she stumps you. So what is it: REAL or FAKE?

———————–
Want to learn more about the projects featured in the video, the waste in your state and hundreds more examples? (Even better: want to do something about it?) Try our Spending #FAIL Map, which allows you to choose the spending projects of your (dis)liking, share the facts with others on Facebook, and call and tweet your member of Congress:http://apps.facebook.com/bankruptinga…

                          

Join Liberty on the Rocks as they host Adam Mueller and Pete Eyre of Liberty on Tour! There are two separate events and you are welcome to join them for one or both.

Activist Panel Discussion:

Liberty on the Rocks will host an educational panel discussion with activists Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller as they share tips and overall best practices for spreading the message of liberty through video, engaging in outreach and navigating online social networks in order to reach a larger audience. The panel discussion will be held at the Independence Institute on Thursday, August 26th from 6-8 pm. There is no cost to attend, although there will be a suggested donation of $5-$10 to support these activists with their current Liberty On Tour project. For a donation of $20 or more you will also get a Liberty on Tour t-shirt!

Liberty On Tour Social Meet-Up:

The Liberty on Tour Denver-area meet-up will be held on Friday, August 27^th at the Fox and Hound in the Burgundy room. They will be joining us from 7-10 pm. Their famous RV “MARV” will be in the parking lot where Pete and Adam will be happy to provide tours as well as interesting stories about where the motor home has been and the things it has seen. Having traveled around the country now twice, these two liberty activists have some very interesting stories to tell!

The Fox and the Hound is located at: 5150 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial. Here is a link to a Google map.

Check out the Liberty on the Rocks Events Calendar or our Facebook Page to find more information on these events.

The goal of Liberty on Tour as stated on their website:

Liberty On Tour is a dynamic project of two friends, Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller, who are touring 13 cities in 13 weeks in their RV dubbed MARV while advancing a message of voluntaryism. Along the way they’ll interact with a wide variety of individuals at meetups and other events, cover timely stories and relevant historical incidents and cover/engage in local activism. They hope to be an educational resource and bridge between those new to the ideas of liberty and those already involved.

Below are some examples a few videos they made on their previous tour, the Motorhome Diaries:

Larry Reed Shares Why he Fights for Liberty and the Future Direction of FEE

Todd Wynn from Cascade on Climate Change

Amber Gunn from Evergreen Freedom Foundation talks about EFF

Montana Residents Reject State Solutions offered by the Concord Coalition

                          

Dude, check it out. That funny guy on PJTV has the 411 on a piece of paper that protects us from cranky old people. Some dudes in wigs wrote it with ink feathers, or something. It was like a really long time ago, but it’s, like, people totally forgot about it. Whoa, right?

                          

The GrandJunctionSentinal.com posted an article today (thanks CompleteColorado.com) that described these ‘monumental’ plans by the Bureau of Land Management.

Broad swaths of western land, equivalent to the size of Colorado and Wyoming combined, should be considered “treasured lands” and managed without regard to state lines or other jurisdictional boundaries, according to an internal Bureau of Land Management document.

A similar article was posted by the Salt Lake Tribune on Aug. 8th in which Rep. Bishop doubts Secretary Salazar really wants to hear from the public regarding BLM use and the same memo, “Treasured Landscapes — Our Vision, Our Values.” is mentioned.

Both articles discussed some aspects of the memo but neither gives a link or download to the actual leaked .pdf file. The Salt Lake Tribune article does say:

Bishop spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin pointed to a leaked Bureau of Land Management memo that discusses future uses for federal lands as evidence that the “listening sessions were for the public, not the secretary.”

Parts of the internal Obama administration document — which Interior downplayed as “brainstorming” — were released by Bishop in February. More pages came into public view this week, but they speak only in general terms of considering 130 million to 140 million acres as “treasured lands.”

While I appreciate the Grand Junction Sentinel and Salt Lake Tribune efforts keeping their government leaked source material confidential, it seems ridiculous considering the leaked government document is happily residing on a house.gov server under the directory of robbishop.  Coincidence that Rep. Bishop’s first name is Rob? I think not.

link to BLM memo on government server.

In case Robbi closes up shop and the link goes dead, the Bureau of Land Management Treasured Landscape .pdf memo can also be downloaded.

How might the BLM vision affect Colorado? According to the memo the following areas under consideration in Colorado are the Alpine Triangle, Vermillion Basin, Dolores River Basin, and Hidden Gems areas. The memo also specifically mentions that the Hidden Gems, CO area is in Rep. Polis’s and Salazar’s districts.

In addition to the land grab the BLM is also asking for….wait for it….more money.

By the year 2015, funding for the Treasured Landscapes would total $398.4 million.

Using some of these funds, the BLM even wishes to purchase land where mining and energy permits are already pending further harming Colorado industries.

The BLM memo also mentioned the 1906 Antiquities Act several times throughout the memo in case Congress didn’t cooperate with their requests. This is one of those acts where the President can automatically designate land with a “stroke of the pen.”

Consider use of the Antiquities Act to set aside new national monuments where there are immediate threats to nationally significant natural or cultural resources on lands deserving NLCS status

While I’ve only had a short time to scan the memo, I already get a sense that this policy will be purely driven on “green” concerns while the energy, mining industries, and local communities concerns given lip service. The statement “managed without regard to state lines or other jurisdictional boundaries” should give every person cause for concern regarding property rights.

If conservationists want the land protected in the best way possible, they would promote private property rights. The best way to conserve land is for a property owner to care for his own land rather  than government bureaucrats.

Chuck Moe is a Contributing Author at People’s Press Collective, Your Source for Colorado Politics

                          

Set against the backdrop of today’s headline – 67% of Americans don’t approve of Obama’s economic policies, the film takes a provocative look at our deeply depressed economy using the words and actions of Presidents Reagan and Obama and shows the marked contrast between Reaganomics and Obamanomics. The film contrasts two views of the role that the federal government should play in our daily lives using the words and actions of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Two versions of the American dream now stand in sharp contrast. One views the money you earned as yours and best allocated by you; the other believes that the elite in Washington know how to best allocate your wealth. One champions the traditional American dream, which has played out millions of times through generations of Americans, of improving one’s lot in life and even daring to dream and build big. The other holds that there is no end to the “good” the government can do by taking and spending other peoples’ money in an ever-burgeoning list of programs. The documentary film I Want Your Money exposes the high cost in lost freedom and in lost opportunity to support a Leviathan-like bureaucratic state.

                          

Once the story broke and Coastwatch was made aware, they have started to remove the false data images from their archive. They also just posted a notice on the front page:

NOTICE: Due to degradation of a satellite sensor used by this mapping product, some images have exhibited extreme high and low surface temperatures. Please disregard these images as anomalies. Future images will not include data from the degraded satellite and images caused by the faulty satellite sensor will be/have been removed from the image archive.

The big question now is whether this faulty data made it’s way into the NOAA database of global temperature climate models and if so, how much has this skewed the data. ClimateChangeFraud.com has asked NOAA whether this data is being used and NOAA has not responded.

This is just one of many examples demonstrating that the data climatologists are using to further the global warming scare needs to be reviewed by independent sources. As the group Public Enemy says, “Don’t Believe the Hype.”

                          

It is because ofthese cheese eating frenchy ideas that Josh Penry, Senatorial candidate Jane Norton’s campaign advisor, offered this strategic analysis in an email to Ross Kaminsky in which he wrote, “The 22 percent who dislike John McCain almost universally agree with McCain and Norton on the war – and thus disagree with the Surrender Monkey wing of the Ron Paul movement that Buck has shown sympathies to.”

Could Ken Buck be a Surrender Monkey too? He is on record that nation building should not be our job in Afghanistan. I’ve also heard rumor from an unreliable source that he eats cheese on occasion and is quite the fan of Jerry Lewis. The Norton campaign  will have to keep an eye on him.

How can we Coloradans become more aware of the Surrender Monkeys? First we have to know how to recognize the Surrender Monkey. Using key intelligence gathered from the Penry strategy email I recognized that Surrender Monkeys have a common trait. They like Ron Paul.

Fortunately, these Surrender Monkeys don’t blend in all that well and are easy to spot. Look for Ron Paul bumper stickers and signs, Revolution  t-shirts, pocket constitutions, and Austrian economic textbooks.

Don’t be taken aback by their normal everyday American appearance. These people are dangerous. With their knowledge of history and the founding documents, they can easily sway the “Penry” type of Republican into thinking Thomas Jefferson and George Washington might of had a point with their non-interventionist foreign policy ideals. Wait a minute…was Washington and Jefferson Surrender Monkeys too? I’d better call up the Texas School Board and get them to check their history books.

Where can we find these Ron Paul Surrender Monkeys? Everywhere. Apparently these monkeys have already infiltrated our neighborhoods, communities, and GOP precincts in large numbers. They commonly congregate in groups near Tea Party rallies, Austrian economic forums, anti-war demonstrations, End The Fed protests, and the Eiffel Tower.

When you come across a Surrender Monkey be very cautious. They are tricky and will try to use logic, facts, and reason to convince you that war isn’t always the answer. Pay no attention to their arguments and just tell them that sooner or later all the spilt blood and treasure will pay off….in a few more decades. Tell them to be patient and have faith in our nation building ways. Do not attempt to use any facts or evidence to convince them on the successes of empires because frankly there aren’t any to use. Just remember to try to convince them that our wise overlords have it all under control and all will be well.

If they resist the pull of the neo-con side, report them to your nearest GOP precinct captain so they can identify them on the voter rolls. This way Josh Penry and the Norton campaign will feel so much safer knowing where these Surrender Monkeys live.

Chuck Moe is a Contributing Author at People’s Press Collective, Your Source for Colorado Politics

                          

Would it surprise you to know that Colorado already has used nullification? When Colorado passed the medicinal marijuana amendment it was in effect nullifying Federal drug law. When Colorado and numerous other states defied the Real ID act, that was in effect, nullification.

Thomas Wood’s research goes into the “true” history of nullification and how some believed that not only do states have the right to nullify unconstitutional federal law, but they have the duty. Here is a 7 minute video of Mr. Woods explaining these concepts:

In case you missed it, here’s another great interview with Tom Woods about his new bestselling book with a zombie:

That’s right Colorado. We have a duty to challenge unconstitutional federal laws. Electing new politicians hasn’t helped. Waiting for the judiciary to step in hasn’t worked. Expecting the Federal Congress to do the right thing is laughable at best. We either sit on our hands and hope for the Feds to correct themselves, or we stand up and get our Colorado legislature to just say NO MORE!

Visit Wood’s site to learn more about nullification and join the facebook group “Nullification by Tom Woods. Also don’t forget to visit the 10th Amendment Center for state’s rights information.

                          

The Mises Institute presents the seminar – The Delusion of Good Government

Sept. 18 2010 Cheyenne Mountain Resort Colorado Springs Colorado

Register for this event now

Schedule

8:30 a.m.   Registration begins, Coffee, Bookstore Opens
9:30 a.m.   Welcome, Douglas E. French
9:40 a.m.   Douglas E. French, “The Trouble With Democracy: Maslow Meets Hoppe”
10:10 a.m. John P. Cochran “Limits of Limited Government Mercantilism, the Unvanquished Foe of Liberty”
10:40 a.m.  Refreshment break, Discussion, Bookstore Open
11:00 a.m.  Mark Thornton “Prohibition … In Theory and Practice”
11:30 a.m.  Yuri Maltsev “Traveling Down the Road to Serfdom: History of Socialism from Marx to Obama”
noon          Luncheon, Bookstore Open
1:15 p.m.    Thomas E. Woods, Jr. “Our Wise Overlords Are Just Here to Serve Us”
2:00 p.m.    Closing remarks, adjourn

Bookstore Open Until 3:00 p.m.  Speakers are happy to autograph their books.

James W. Fogal CFP®, Director of Development for the Institute, is available during breaks and after adjournment to discuss charitable/tax saving strategies.  Email him if you’d like to reserve a time.

Location: Cheyenne Mountain Resort. Accommodations at the resort: Call 719-538-4000 before August 18 and mention Mises Institute for a rate of $139 per night single occupancy or $159 double, plus service charge.  They can advise you on transportation from the nearest airport, as well as driving directions.

Registration fee is $85 per person.

Scholarships for full-time students are available.  To apply, open the student scholarship form with Adobe Acrobat and save the completed form in pdf on your computer.  Email the saved file plus a copy of your student ID, or fax to 734-448-8148

                          

Just 4 months of Obamacare, Congress is working on repealing a portion of it. Some Republicans and Democrats are working on repealing a burdensome provision, “which would require businesses to file 1099 tax forms for all transactions with vendors that cumulatively total over $600.”  Why would some of the same politicians who voted for Obamacare want to repeal part of it? It’s a brilliant new political strategy. The way it works is this: Pass every law you can think of under one giant bill and create thousands of pages of new laws and regulations. Got an idea? Throw it in there. Let’s see if it sticks. Make sure to add and change minor provisions at the last moment (this distracts the masses and press of the real horror.) Pass the law using whatever political threat, arm-twisting, and favor  you can. Once the bill is passed, either a bored staff member reads the bill or most likely, hear directly from constituents about what parts of the bill actually do and they backpedal. The politician must then claim that they never supported that provision and now will try  to repeal small parts of the bill while claiming to be champions of the same people they just screwed.

Obama and Graham: Killing Afghans Softly

Obama say’s his Afghanistan war goals are “modest.”

“What we’re looking to do is difficult — very difficult — but it’s a fairly modest goal, which is: Don’t allow terrorists to operate from this region. Don’t allow them to create big training camps and to plan attacks against the U.S. homeland with impunity,” Obama said in an interview broadcast by CBS’ “Sunday Morning.”

Well, that certainly qualifies as change. Compare that with his statement a year ago:

…big goal that the president set in his big speech on March 27 outlining a new strategy referred to internally as “Af/Pak”: “to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future.”

Can you feel the change? Instead of defeating Al Qaeda we are not letting “terrorists” build “big” camps, and plan attacks against the “homeland” with “impunity.” Otherwise…no problem. In case you’re worried if Obama has a plan for this, this chart should settle any concerns. Look how easy it’s gonna be:

We’re gonna be over there awhile as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said:

“I think we need to re-emphasize the message that we are not leaving Afghanistan in July of 2011. We are beginning a transition process and a thinning of our ranks,” Gates said, “and the pace will depend on the conditions on the ground.”

No one was more happy to hear that news than Lindsey Graham as he’s very worried about “unholy” alliances. The “Unholy Alliances” intend to defund the war that Lindsey Graham  thinks is very winnable…sometime this millennium . Apparently some unholy politicians want to end the 9 year war. Only holy people understand that you have to keep killing people until they do what you say. Think of it as tough love and since we are the U.S., we do it tougher than anyone else. We’re #1. We’re #1. When we do win though, it will be “monumental” dude. Stay tuned for my upcoming article about Afghanistan due out in 2021 titled “Afghanistan is still a mess and we need to leave.”

Palin Thinks Obama Should Get a Set of Balls

Since Palin’s google rankings have dropped over the last few weeks she’s decided to change all that by calling out Obama’s lack of  ”cojones” which by definition means: politically correct way to say balls.  The Post has a story about Palin bitch slapping Obama’s manhood. If Obama makes another appearance on Oprah, be very worried.

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin said Sunday that Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) has “the cojones” that President Obama“does not have” to take on illegal immigration.

Global Cyber-Guardians Hold Keys to the Internet

According to Popsi.com cyber-guardians hold 7 keys to the internet. 7 keys to rule the internet. Facebook is doomed if the one “Key To Rule Them All” is found. Nothing but mindless bullshit here. These guys win ColoradoFreedom.net’s most-overhyped headline award though.

Is the BP Oil Spill an Ecological Disaster? Maybe Not So Much

Can You Find The Oil Spill?

A mass media publication is now questioning whether the mass media hyped the damage from the BP oil spill. Could it be possible? Nawwww, they would never do that.

Even The Gangstas Are Running Away From The Dollar

We don't take no stinking U.S. dollars!

Where’s a drug dealer to go these days for his medium of exchange? The U.S. $100 bill used to be the preferred currency for the financially savvy criminal. No more says the Wall Street Journal. Euros only please.

                          

This short video explains one of the most persistent economic fallacies of our day.

                          

–Gallup: 11% have confidence in Congress
–Any Republican would beat Obama in ’12
–Fox News blamed for Sherrod’s firing
–Rangel charged w/ violations
–Strict new finance law
–Kerry docks yacht in RI
–Darth Vader banned from Star Wars
–Black parents, white baby

                          

Several weeks ago I had a rather engaging conversation with a self-ascribed neoconservative. This person believed it was advantageous for the United States–and beneficial for those less fortunate populations–to intervene in the domestic affairs of other nations. By spreading our goodness we could make the world a better place, while simultaneously eradicating hatred, fear, and oppression, making America safe, and the world prosperous. What astounded me was the obvious contradiction between his pro-interventionist foreign policy, and his distaste for a large, intrusive (dare I say philanthropic) domestic government. Here is a person whom in one breath argues the economic, historical, and political ramifications of a philanthropic domestic government, but–for reasons beyond my own comprehension–in the next breath, argues in support of philanthropic government abroad. In one instance he acknowledges the inability of government to provide various social-economic benefits domestically, while in the next instance defends the former institutions ability to provide social-economic welfare abroad.

It is ironic that a conservative who detests domestic progressivism would adhere to the Wilsonian–Progressive creed of the early 20th Century,

“The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty. We have no selfish ends to serve. We desire no conquest, no dominion. We seek no indemnities for ourselves, no material compensation for the sacrifices we shall freely make. We are but one of the champions of the rights of mankind. We shall be satisfied when those rights have been made as secure as the faith and the freedom of nations can make them.”
(President Woodrow Wilson’s Address to Congress, 2 April 1917)

What many neoconservatives fail to recognize–beyond the obvious contradictions in their ideology–is that early 20th century progressives embraced a policy of foreign intervention, because they understood that wartime conditions provided an opportunity to erode the attachment Americans had to private property and free enterprise, and instead push their ambitions of a managed, centralized economy on the American system (Woods Digital). In other words, it was essential for the progressive plan to expand militarily abroad, in order to expand government domestically. As Frank Sinatra put it, “You can’t have one without the other.” The great essayist Vicesimus Knox describes the process in The Spirit of Despotism,

“Let us suppose a nation entering most eagerly, and without listening one moment to terms of accommodation, into a most dangerous war, professedly to exterminate the bad principles and morals of a neighboring people, and to defend law, order and religion. It is impossible to imagine but that a nation acting in this manner, and with this profession, must regulate all its own public conduct, especially in a war of this kind, according to the strictest law, order, and religion.

Will that nation oppose an armed neutrality, instituted to prevent the interruption of neutral commerce? Will she maintain her reputation for justice, if she should be first and most violent in destroying this neutrality? Will she break the law of nations by insulting ambassadors? . . . Will she endeavor to starve a whole nation with whom she is at war, not only the rulers and warriors, but infants, women, and old people, by preventing the importation of corn?”
A conduct like this appears to be not only inconsistent with the pretended defense of law, order, and religion, but at once proceeding from the spirit of despotism, and promotive of it.” (72-73)

Knox concludes,

“When it is considered how little the most boasted governments have been able or inclined to prevent the greatest calamity of the world, the frequent recurrence of war, it is natural to conclude, that there has been some radical defect or error in all government, hitherto instituted on the face of the earth. Violence may be used where there is no government. Governments pretend to direct human affairs by reason; but war is a dereliction of reason, a renunciation of all that refines and improves human nature, and an appeal to brute force. Man descends from the heights to which philosophers and legislators had raised him in society; takes the sword, and surpasses the beasts of the forest in ferocity. Yet, so far from thinking himself culpable, he deems his destructive employment the most honorable of all human occupations, because governments have politically contrived to throw a glossy mantle, covered with tinsel and spangles, over the horrors of bloodshed and devastation. If governments, with all their riches and power, all their vaunted arts and sciences, all the mysterious policy of cabinets, all the wisdom and eloquence of deliberating senates, are unable to preserve the blessing of peace, uninterrupted, during the short space of twenty years together, they must be dreadfully faulty either in their constitution or their administration. In what consists the fault? I think in the selfish spirit of despotism, pursuing the sordid or vain-glorious purposes of the governors, with little regard to the real, substantial happiness of the governed. Despotism, in some mode or degree, has transformed the shepherds of the flock into wolves; has appropriated the fleeces, shed the blood of the innoxious animals, tore down the fenes of the sheepfold, and laid waste the pasture.” (90)

If conservatives are really serious about conserving the traditions of the United States and “scaling back government,” it must be recognized that the process in which our republic was transformed (warfare to welfare) must be undone in the precise order in which it was originally corrupted. That is to say, in order to undo the domestic insanity that is the welfare state, the warfare state must first be eliminated.