Taxation Upon Taxation

How many times does the United States government tax your hard earned income? Lets say John Q gets his paycheck, all the taxes taken out. On his way home he stops at the convenience store. There he pays taxes on his purchases, items purchased with his income, sales tax, fat tax, tobacco tax, etc. Then he goes home to rest, while home he decides to get his bills in order and go pay them. Cable bill first, cuz he got da bundle, line fee, interstate blah blah, lots of fees and taxes. This is the story of most Americans, you work one, sometimes two or three jobs, and your money just doesn't go very far because of the taxation upon taxation. See this government that just grows itself and really does nothing else of value, well other than national defense has to feed off your income, you might as well burn your money, very little of all that taxation actually benefits you. Wouldn't you like to just get one minimum fed and state tax, and then get to keep all your money without being slammed with all those cumbersome miscellaneous taxes. Can we do something about this, yes, you can work "under the table". I am not advocating this option, it is illegal. Even if you manage to make a decent amount of money you still will get slammed with sales tax and all those others. The only real solution is to pressure congress to change the rules, if you have to take it all the way to the supreme court. Let's face it we all know that the government is a wasteful entity, and even with Obamas valiant attempt to appear as if he was cutting the waste, he didnt. We need people in there with some common sense, pull all the government grants for research on ridiculous things like the speed at which ketchup rolls downhill. Cut funding to all the ridiculous offices, and czars and all other beuracracies that are not essential to running the govt. Then pass a law that says in years without a balanced budget, nobody in govt. gets paid. From the prez all the way down to the bottom of the pile. We need some serious cost cutting efforts and TARP and bailouts is throwing good money after bad, anybody that is trying to save money knows that is just bad. There are things we citizens can do to save money, and we shoud for the betterment of ourselves, but our government needs to save money too, for the betterment of our future. I'm all over the map on this one, it was an unplanned post. Anyways peace America! AFT

Homegrown Terrorist

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,540441,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a4:g4:r3:c0.000000:b0:z5

We've all seen this guys face, the homegrown jihadist. Have we actually seen any real evidence of this guys link to terror training camps, etc.? I can't help but wonder if this guy isn't really a patriot who maybe is very zealous with his love for country. I can't help but wonder if maybe they are painting this guy to be a terrorist, to use the Patriotic Act to violate his rights. I firmly believe that there are terrorist cells in the United States. Despite my suspicions, if this guy is a terrorist he has opened a door for prosecution of lots of dissenting Americans as terrorists. The Patriotic Act could be used to search our homes without a warrant, they can monitor your activity online, they can hear your phone calls, especially cell phones. The most damaging effect of the Patriot Act, is that they can label you a terrorist, circumventing the Innocent until Proven Guilty part of American law. They point the finger at you and say terrorist, then you don't get rights, you go off to some nameless prison or internment camp, and they do not have to show the evidence to the people. President Obama has knocked down lots of Bush legislation, but not the Patriot Act, why? Because any good socialist needs a way to silence the opposition. Any of us anti-Obama bloggers could be targets of this, anybody who dares to speak against him at a town hall, anybody who doesn't fit with Obamas plans. An administration that clearly has an agenda and does not care what the people think, will cherish a system that allows them to spy on their enemies, gives them free reign to ride roughshod right over the Constitution. Homeland Security could be kicking in your door next. AFT

Your Patriotic Dissent is Working!

That is right, we are finally making enough noise to get their attention, but they keep saying its an organized conservative plot. Eventually they will come to grips with the idea that they have no idea what ordinary Americans want, and then maybe they will come to us to find out what issues matter to you. Don't ever stop emailing and faxing congress, obviously if we aren't constantly bombarding them with our opinions they will not do what is best for us. If we stop telling them what we want they will go back to doing what is best for them. So now that we have found our power and have exercised it, we must forever exercise our peoples power otherwise it will grow weak, like a muscle. You've got to flex that muscle to keep it strong! Running this great nation is every Americans job, we are the watchdogs for our childrens future. We all want the generations to come to live in a better more free America. Encourage everyone around you to take an active role in governing our government. Congress.org has all the email addresses and phone numbers for all your congressional representatives. Use this service and flex your patriotic muscle. Never forget, Of the People, By the People, For the People AFT

Freedom of Choice Act

Oooh, that sounds good doesn't it. Too bad it has nothing to do with freedom or choice, its a little piece of legislation that Obama wants. It is the most pro-abortion bill ever. It wants all you good taxpayers to pay for abortions, whether you are for against matters not. It overrides state laws concerning abortion, partial birth abortion, and parent notification for pregnant minors. It takes all the choice out of your hands, and makes all forms of abortion legal and taxpayer supported. We have to stop this. Which side are you on, pro life or pro choice? I personally feel that abortion is a despicable, horrible thing. However I understand that in our very fucked up society it is a necessary evil. When the orphanages are empty, when every child born has a family to love them, then I say outlaw abortion. Unfortunately our world is full of evil, crime, and disease. I see times when abortion is necessary, I hate it, but this world creates babies without concern of who will raise them and financially support them. I can rationalize some abortion because of my belief in reincarnation. I see that a child unwanted in this life, will get a second chance at life. I cannot rationalize adult promiscuity paired with abortion as birth control. If you can't afford or are not able to raise a child, stop fucking. You can get free birth control in any city in America, there is no excuse for you to keep getting pregnant and then abort. In cases where birth defect or some other tragedy jeopardizes the mothers or the child's life, then the decision belongs to the parents. I hope I never have to make one of those decisions. In cases of rape, which is the most despicable act, I think it should be a death sentence, if a child is created as a result of a rape, I believe that it is the pregnant ones choice. No, rapists do not get fathers rights. They should get impaled on spikes and everything they own be sold at auction and put into a fund to pay child support. This is a very complicated issue and I do not claim to have any solutions. I just wanted to express my point of view. I received an email on this subject that inspired me to get on this subject today. Mike Huckabee wants to stop this "evil" law.

Sidenote: I like Mike! If he runs for president again he will probably get my support. AFT

Political Tricks (repost)

This is a repost from a while back, but it is pertinent to the issues the American people face today. The people of the United States must be ever vigilant, especially in a time when government is growing at dangerous rates, if we know the tricks of the political trade then we can more easily spot the lies and maybe we will be more able to separate out those nuggets of truth. This little list should be a mandatory class in high schools, a requirement to graduate. Don't ever expect someone else to be the watchdog and tell you the truth, you have to be your own watchdog!

THE RULES OF DISINFORMANTION--THE POLITICIAN'S CREDO

Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the organized crime syndicate we know as government.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Regardless of what you know,don't discuss it -- especially if you are a public figure, news anchor, etc. If it's not reported, it didn't happen, and you never have to deal with the issues.

2. Become incredulous and indignant. Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus on side issues which can be used to show the topic as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the "How dare you!" gambit.

3. Create rumor mongers. Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This methodworks especially well with a silent press, because the only way the publiccan learn of the facts are through such "arguable rumors". If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a "wild rumor" which can have no basis in fact.

4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent's argument which you can easily knock down to make yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent, opponent arguments, situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges. Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.

5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule./ This is also known as the primary attack the messenger ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as "kooks", "right-wing", "liberal", "left-wing", "terrorists","conspiracy buffs", "radicals", "militia", "racists", "religious fanatics", "sexual deviates", and so forth. This makes others shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.

6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can befielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet and letters-to -the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning simply make an accusation or other attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent's viewpoint.

7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.

8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough "jargon" and "minutiae" to illustrate you are "one who knows", and simply say it isn't so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.

9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues with denial if they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.

10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the strawman, usually in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with. Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues, so much the better where theopponent is or was involved with the original source.

11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions. Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the "high road" and "confess" with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made, but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, "just isn't so." Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later. Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for "coming clean" and "owning up" to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.

12. Enigmas have no solution. Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the issue, and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.

13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards with an apparent deductive logic in a way that forbears any actual material fact.

14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the problem at hand completely, a ploy which works best for items qualifying for rule 10.

15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions. This requires creative thinking unless the act was planned with contingency conclusions in place.

16. Vanishing evidence. If it does not exist, it is not fact, and youwon't have to address the issue.

17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can "argue" with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.

18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can't do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how "sensitive they are to criticism".

19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the "play dumb" rule. Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a shredded govt. study). In order to completely avoid discussing issues may require you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.

20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.

21. Call a parliamentary committee study, Supreme court test, or other empowered investigative body. Subvert the process to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without true public input. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be acceptable to the committee/court as evidence when properly handled, damaging evidence can be discarded. For instance, if you own the judicial/committee officials, it can insure an official hearing hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed, refused or buried and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict (usually, this technique is applied to find the govt. innocent, but it can also be used to obtain authority when seeking to extend govt. powers) is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed.

22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s),leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.

23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.

24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their meeting with an accident, an arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of their character by release of damaging information, or merely by proper intimidation with blackmail or other threats.

25. Vanish or seek less contentious employment. If you are a key holder of dirty secrets or otherwise overly operationally illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid the issues, vacate the kitchen. Find a cozy non controversial plumb in the public or private sector (secured with your party loyalty) and evade the heat your policies have created. Or if you really FUCKED up a lot of people....vacate to a third world dictatorship that understands your brand of politics where your tax swollen bank account will allow you to live like a king.

God Bless America and the American people. AFT

The Obama Blacklist

I've heard rumours about this that anyone reporting or a saying things about ObamaCare, should be reported to the Prez, Oh if someone can send me some info as to where exactly I can report myself, I would be grateful. I wish I could have a beer summit with the big O, I think I could express peoples concerns succinctly. I have questions that only he can answer. I'll let you ruminate about those questions.

I'm Back Again! Guns a Blazin

Yeah bitches, I'm back and ready to go to war for your rights! The American Free Thinker has been on a long hiatus, erm addicted to a myspace app. All thats over now, with the painful death of a laptop, but I never stopped caring about what is happening to the rights of my fellow Americans. Yes I got disgruntled at the lack of interest most people have in fighting for their rights. I'm starting everything anew today, I pledge to blog relentlessly about the government and any and all abuses of power, I will continue to fight for your rights anyway I can. I'm disabled and living off of the gubment dole, but that doesn't mean I don't get freedom of speech, because that right was given to me by those who fought and bled and died for this country. I will not be biased by my own situation, I will support that which is best for America even if it is bad for me! Some statements about me, I respect the founding fathers and the republic they gave us, I respect the flag, I am a Christian (non-denominational), I believe in truth, justice, capitalism, and the Constitution.

Now that all is out of the way, I want to give kudos to the American people showing up and shouting out their rage at the misrepresentatives! You've scared the hell outta them, they are cancelling townhall meetings because they cannot deal with your outrage, they've never had to face real angry Americans in person. You are having an effect, dont stop, you keep on speaking out about your rights because you all know these idiots in DC don't care about you or your rights. We are not falling for their double talk anymore and they can't handle it. NO to Obamacare and NO to socialism, rock on America!! AFT

ObamaCare Must Die!

Look at that mess, tell me that's not a mega bureaucracy! I can't even untangle that, does Obama really believe this is best for us? I have been busy signing petitions and firing off emails at congress to stop this insanity, you should too! Congress.org will help you get those emails sent, and Grassfire.org has the petitions and faxes to stop the "leadership" from destroying our country! Now they've delayed the vote, to release the pressure from opposition, thus making it easier for them to cram this garbage down our throats. Healthcare is a critical issue for many Americans, we all want costs to go down, we want some reform, but please no government control, ObamaCare Must Die! AFT

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July Americans! Today is the day we celebrate our independence from an oppressive government. Today we celebrate those who fought and died for our freedom. Freedom as I'm sure you know isn't free, it was payed for by the blood of the heroes, bought for us with their deaths, you do not get freedom by paying taxes. There is a catch, you can have these freedoms bought for you with blood, as long as you are willing to fight to keep them. So today I want all who read this to think about the differences between the freedoms enjoyed 100 years ago, and the freedoms we have today. I'm sure you'll see a difference. We lost the freedoms we weren't willing or wanting to fight for, and don't forget all the freedom we traded away in the name of security. Weapons weren't used to get us to relinquish our freedoms, no, it was words, words like wmd, and terrorists. We cowered away from those "scary things" and now those who fought and died for our freedoms have fought and died for nothing. They must be ashamed of us, for they gave all for freedom and we couldn't even give a little courage. AFT