Never talk to the police

Part 1

Part 2

video editing will get a whole lot cooler soon

Using Photographs to Enhance Videos of a Static Scene from pro on Vimeo.

Shannon said something a few posts back about "Where's Jason??"

The last ten weeks I was on a 60 hour work schedule. Pretty draining and thankless.

Now, here I am.

I went hiking for the third (only the third!) time this year today. I felt like exploring my preferred ski area. The ski area is actually on the far side of Mt Shuksan. (I don't know for sure, but I think that's Indian for big-ass-mountain)

Broken Oaths

i just read an editorial by Mickey Edwards posted on June 16 at The Huffington Post called "A True Litmus Test For Reelection". i about jumped out of my seat. Listen to what Mickey says about Congressmen's oath:

It is important to note what it is they are swearing to "support and defend." Not the President. Not a political party. It is also important to note against whom they are vowing to protect the Constitution: its -- that is, the Constitution's -- enemies, no matter whether they live in caves in Afghanistan or in mansions on Pennsylvania Avenue.

i eagerly searched this blog, thinking i had written something similar, because fidelity to the Constitution has become my litmus test for re-electing government officials. Unfortunately, i hadn't posted on that, but rather had used in a couple emails to friends. Here's a bit from a June 6 email to my grandmother:

Here is the oath a President takes upon entering office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

i do not trust McCain nor Obama to do fulfill that oath. Why? Because they have already broken the oath taken as Senators: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. (So help me God.)"

Had that been the litmus test for at least those who consider themselves constitutional, conservative Republicans, Ron Paul would have been the Presidential nominee.

Pop quiz- what is the oath taken by Supreme Court Justices? By servicemen? See a pattern here? What are they sworn to protect? What are they not sworn to protect?

Quote: Herman Göring

i thought it might be interesting to post a quote and get your reactions. If there's interest, i might do this periodically.

Göring: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.

Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.

Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.

Nuremberg Diary (Gustave Gilbert, 1947)

Recker is crazy

Jerome ran with the bulls in Spain.

What has become of our Constitutional Republic?

i just read an article called The Real Purpose of the Consitution (you may have to skip an advertisement page). Here are some hilights:

Thomas Jefferson once wrote that “The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite.” That issue is one that appears to have been settled, as we are no longer a nation in which the will of the people is upheld by those chosen to represent them.

It's sad that we have to stretch our imagination to consider what this government might look like:

Thomas Jefferson described the function of government when he said, “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned — this is the sum of good government.”

i'm not a fan of Hamilton- he's like the precursor to the neocons, although he would pale in comparison to today's power-grabbers. But even he was able to predict the day when, due to our corruption and disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution "will bind no longer."

Yet didn’t even Hamilton once say, ” Ah, this is the constitution,” he said. “Now, mark my words. So long as we are a young and virtuous people, this instrument will bind us together in mutual interests, mutual welfare, and mutual happiness. But when we become old and corrupt, it will bind no longer.”

We have to face it- if you read the Constitution, read some writings by the men who wrote it; you'll discover that our government today is basically illegal. The Legislative Branch passes illegal laws, and illegally delegates powers to other bodies without authority. The Executive Branch now sets policy, chooses whether or not to enforce laws created by the Legislature, includes departments who, unelected, pass rules that are binding by law, and otherwise desregards Constitutional limits. Then we have a Judicial Branch that does little at all to challenge these issues at all.

Read the Declaration of Independence. i think there's an argument that if that generation of patriots were alive today, we might have another revolution on our hands.