McCarthyism
en.wikipedia.org...

McCarthyism is the politically motivated practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term specifically describes activities associated with the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by heightened fears of Communist influence on American institutions and espionage by Soviet agents. Originally coined to criticize the anti-communist pursuits of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, "McCarthyism" soon took on a broader meaning, describing the excesses of similar efforts. The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries.

During the post–World War II era of McCarthyism, many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned,[1] laws that would be declared unconstitutional,[2] dismissals for reasons later declared illegal[3] or actionable,[4] or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.

:snip:

This tendency increased in the 1930s in reaction to the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Originally posted by Hx3_1963
reply to post by rapinbatsisaltherage

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Ah...I guess you could go that way, but, I was refering to the blog that accused her of treason...

So it's OK for them...but not for her?!?

Hmmm...double standards...quite a tangled web you weave...

Originally posted by Hx3_1963
reply to post by rapinbatsisaltherage

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"Her McCarthy-est remarks"..as in her accusing someone of treason

...against the bloggers accusing her of treason...

I'd say they're both well within the 1st Amendment Rights, unless one or the other thought they were defamation targets...

another can of worms...I'm confused now

Originally posted by Hx3_1963
reply to post by rapinbatsisaltherage

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Star 4 U!

I got it now...long day...only firing on 7 brain cells I fear...

Sorry to put us through that...

Maybe we should substitute the word "Corporatists" in our current situation...

Maybe someone can tell me what is "disturbing" about the following video:

YouTube Link

Allegedly:

"He was scheduled this week to appear on the "Jerry Doyle Show" when he told the radio host that Obama had personally invited him to meet in the White House "to discuss the disturbing nature of the videos."

I've watched it. Exactly what is "disturbing"?

That our government works for us, and that the people have an inalienable right to enforce this fact? Ever read The Declaration of Independence, the document that led to the foundation of this nation? Let me help you:

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Seems rather clear to me.

That our Congress voted for the largest spending bill without reading it?

That Congress was told (several times) to enforce our immigration laws and has refused?

That illegal immigrants have no right to the common weal of our nation but Congress continues to insist that they do?

That Congress was told (at a level of 300:1 against) to NOT pass the EESA/TARP, and they ignored us?

That we the people indeed have spent our time watching American Idol and playing with consumer products bought with insoluble debt instead of discharging the duties of Citizenship?

That citizenship is not a spectator sport, and that the Declaration above gives us as Citizens the absolute right, as a collective group of people, to march on Washington DC, peaceably assemble there and through non-violent means demand that all 535 clowns in the Capitol resign - refusing to leave or permit ordinary commerce in that city (again, through non-violent civil disobedience) until they do?

That the people have every right to demand the redress called for in that video be passed as law and put into force - now?

That if we the people do not demand the cessation of these abuses that we are on a path today that will, with mathematical certainty, lead to the ruin of our nation, the loss of civil and political order, and that you will need a firearm to defend your person and property from those who would take advantage of the loss of that civil order and, quite possibly, to prevent the formation a different government in that political vaccum that would be completely unrecognizable to those who have actually read our Constitution?

All of the above are facts, not opinions.

Perhaps - just perhaps - did a few tea bags show up in Washington DC?

I along with many others have called for them to be sent.

Our government exists only because we the people grant it power over our lives. This is not because government has rights - it is because our creator endowed us with inalienable rights, among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

If you don't believe this, you're not an American.

Government in fact has no rights. All rights flow from creation, and government creates nothing. Government in fact steals for all it acquires, but we the people consent to that theft in the form of taxation so that order, as we direct, may flow from law.

That is, government acquires privileges only as we the people direct, and we the people have the absolute right to revoke those privileges, in part or full, any time we the people so choose.

The founding fathers not only understood this they were willing to die for it.

Some of them, in fact, did.

We the people today are indeed cowards in the main. Rather than demand that our government - OUR GOVERNMENT - do as we direct we instead returned nearly all of the representatives and senators who voted for the EESA/TARP against our explicit instruction to office in an election held just a couple of weeks later!

Is it any wonder that Congress feels free to allow con men in the "banking industry", both foreign and domestic, to literally steal nearly $100 billion dollars of our money through a "bailout" of AIG, passed through the firm as a conduit to banks around the world?

Is it any wonder that The Federal Reserve feels perfectly free to ignore strictures in its enabling legislation that prohibit it from holding equity stakes in assets of both AIG and the failed firm Bear Sterns, in the process (it appears) intentionally overpaying by $30 billion dollars?

Is it any wonder that The Federal Reserve felt perfectly free to give the finger to an FOIA request filed by Bloomberg News seeking to determine who had been bailed out and with what funds, specifically?

Is it any wonder that both Democrat and Republican candidates for President voted for the EESA/TARP - a bill that gave Henry Paulson plenary authority to spend $700 billion dollars we did not have, despite being told by their constituents - the population of this nation, by a 300:1 margin - to vote "NO" - and we, less than a month later, elected one of them President, despite the presence of other candidates on the ballots of all fifty states?

Is it any wonder that when the first half of that money was spent in a form and fashion other than Mr. Paulson stated it would be that Congress felt perfectly comfortable in doing nothing about it - not even revoking authority to spend the second half of the funds?

Is it any wonder that our government has felt "perfectly ok" more than doubling the public float of debt in The United States when one considers all pledged and funded bailout actions - events that have added more than eight trillion dollars of both funded and committed bailout monies to a public float that previously was six trillion?

Is it any wonder that our Congress and our Judiciary has ignored the blatant acts of fraud in our financial system for more than ten years, including but not limited to the Appraisers Petition signed by thousands of independent property appraisers, the Madoff scandal which they were notified of more than a decade ago, the alleged fraud at Stanford which they also knew of, millions of fraudulent mortgage applications, cooked appraisals, credit default swaps written with no capacity to pay, naked (illegal) short selling, intentionally false rumors and massive insider trading linked to them, obvious leaks of confidential government activity (and trades placed upon that information) prior to its pubic release, and literally hundreds of firms who reported "profits" that in fact were the fruit of poisonous activity, calling into question whether these profits were ever actually earned? All this and much more occurred over the last twenty years, yet you can count on your fingers the number of actual and meaningful prosecutions of people from the top down that were involved in these outrageous acts that fleeced Americans to the tune of trillions of dollars.

None of these things are, or should be "wonders".

We've been too busy watching American Idol to be bothered with discharging our duties of citizenship in The United States.

Citizenship is not a spectator sport, and we the people have been called out - and found wanting.

If you want to keep your nation, America, it is long past the time when you should be off your duff and making clear to your government that this sort of blatant fraud, theft and corruption will not be tolerated, it will stop, and that each and every person responsible will be indicted, tried, and if convicted go to prison - right here and now - no matter how "well-connected" they are.

Period.

Bachmann Blasts Obama's "Economic Marxism," Calls For "Orderly Revolution" To Save Freedom
tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com...

Wow. Just plain wow. This past Wednesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appeared on Sean Hannity's radio show, and sharply reiterated her calls for revolution in America, warning against the imminent dangers of tyranny under Barack Obama:

"We are headed down the lane of economic Marxism," said Bachmann. "More quickly, Sean, than anyone could have possibly imagined. It's difficult for us to even keep up with it day to day."

And then came this:

At this point the American people - it's like Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every now and then is a good thing. We are at the point, Sean, of revolution. And by that, what I mean, an orderly revolution -- where the people of this country wake up get up and make a decision that this is not going to happen on their watch. It won't be our children and grandchildren that are in debt. It is we who are in debt, we who will be bankrupting this country, inside of ten years, if we don't get a grip. And we can't let the Democrats achieve their ends any longer.
"If Tim Geithner is successful under President Obama, and they move us to an international currency," Bachmann warned, "Then we have no hope of standing on our own as a sovereign nation with our own economic system. It's over. We can't do that."

Bachmann also declared: "Economics works equally in any country. Where freedom is tried, the people rejoice. But where tyranny is enforced upon the people, as Barack Obama is doing, the people suffer and mourn."

And there was this exchange:

Bachmann: Right now I'm a member of Congress. And I believe that my job here is to be a foreign correspondent, reporting from enemy lines. And people need to understand, this isn't a game. this isn't just a political talk show that's happening right now. This is our very freedom, and we have 230 years, a continuous link of freedom that every generation has ceded to the next generation. This may be the time when that link breaks. And I'm going to do everything I can, I know you are, to make sure that we keep that link secure. We cannot allow that link to break, because as Reagan said, America is the last great hope of mankind. where do we go--
Hannity: The last great hope of man on this Earth.

Bachmann: Do we get into an inner tube and float 90 miles to some free country? There is no free country for us to repair to. That's why it's up to us now. The founders gave everything they had to give us this freedom. Now it's up to us to give everything we can to make sure that our kids are free, too. It's that serious. I hate to be dramatic, but--

Hannity: It's not -- you are not overstating this case, Congresswoman, and you don't need to apologize for it. And as a matter of fact, it's refreshing. And I can tell you, all around this country, on 535 of the best radio stations in this country, people are saying "Amen," "Hallelujah", "where have you been?"

GOP Rep. Bachmann Calls For Revolution Over Cap and Trade Plan
politicususa.com...

During an interview over the weekend, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) called for armed overthrow of the U.S. government. What is the issue that has Bachmann calling for marches in the streets? She is worried about the danger of a cap and trade system to combat global warming which she denied as a human caused problem.

According to Smart Politics, Bachmann said, "I’m a foreign correspondent on enemy lines and I try to let everyone back here in Minnesota know exactly the nefarious activities that are taking place in Washington." She also reiterated her claim that global warming is not man made during the interview, which brought her to call for armed overthrow of the government over President Obama’s cap and trade plan.

Bachmann said, “I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people – we the people – are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States.”

You may remember Bachmann for her memorable appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball during the presidential campaign where she called for a McCarthy like investigation into anti-American activity. She also claimed that Barack Obama held un-American views. After her appearance, she claimed that she was entrapped by Chris Matthews.

We all know that Bachmann is Glenn Beck level crazy. In fact, she has been a guest on his program, but if you thought that she was the only Republican who doesn’t believe in global warming, you’d be mistaken. The notable non-believers include Rep. Ron Paul, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, and Sen. James Inhofe.

However, none of the other members who doubt global warming have called for an armed revolution against the government. This is what puts Rep. Bachmann in a class by herself. It is fine to oppose the policy and people are free to disagree with the science, but calling for overthrow of the government over cap and trade is insane.

Rep. Bachmann Goes To-To-Toe With Tim Geithner
www.letfreedomringblog.com...

Wednesday’s hearing in the House Financial Services Committee produced some fireworks when Michele Bachmann went to-to-toe with embattled Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

Here’s the transcript from the confrontation:

REP. BACHMANN: Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity. These truly are extraordinary times in our financial service sector, since one year ago, the federal reserve opened the fed’s discount window in the amount of 29 billion for bear stearns. The american people are looking at the actions of both the federal reserve and the treasury secretary and they are wondering if their government is making a historic shift, jetsonning the free market capitalism in favor of centralized government economic planning. I wonder, Mr. Secretary, if you would comment on that?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: I do not believe that concern is justified. I understand have people would be worried about this, but what we’re doing is using authority that congress gave us, authority a was designed to help protect the american economy.

REP. BACHMANN: Reclaiming my time, Mr. Secretary. What provision in the Constitution could you point to to give authority for the actions that have been taken by the treasury since march of ‘08?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: Oh, well, the congress, legislative, in the emergency economic stabilization act, a range of very important new authorities.

REP. BACHMANN: Where in the constitution? What in the constitution could you point to to give authority to the treasury for the extraordinary actions that have been taken?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: Every action that the Treasury, Fed and FDIC has been using authority granted by this body by the congress.

REP. BACHMANN: And in the constitution, what could you point to?

SECRETARY GEITHNER: The laws of the land, of course.

I’m guessing that Rep. Bachmann is pointing out that the bill granting such authority isn’t constitutional. Rep. Bachmann isn’t alone in thinking that it’s unconstitutional.

Here’s the video of the exchange:

YouTube Link

That wasn’t the only testy moment during the hearing.