Some noteworthy news articles:

• NO on Issue 2 – Toledo Blade, 10/28/09
  

  “Regardless of how anyone feels about the treatment of farm animals, Issue 2 is poor public policy, and it should be defeated.

  The Ohio Constitution should never be used to promote the interests of specific individuals, businesses, or industries. The reasonable approach to balancing the needs of Ohio’s farming industry and the concerns of animal-rights groups would have been to follow Michigan’s example and work out a compromise in state law that would protect both farmers and farm animals.”

• Livestock care is key in Issue 2 debate – Columbus Dispatch, 10/25/09
  

  In case there’s any doubt about this being big business, consider Ohio’s 2008 agriculture numbers:

  • 4 million pigs were raised on 4,000 farms. Another 170,000 sows were used for breeding.
  • 27 million hens laid 7.1 billion eggs. There were 57.5 million chickens and 6 million turkeys raised for meat.
  • 1.2 million beef cattle came from 15,000 farms. Another 700,000 calves were marketed for veal.

• Controversial proposal is battle over who regulates agriculture industry – Dayton Daily News, 10/25/09
  

  While the Ohio Constitution authorizes a state board of education, boards typically aren’t prescribed in that document, said Charles Hallinan, a University of Dayton law professor and constitutional scholar.

  “It’s an oddity,” Hallinan said of Issue 2. “It is unusual enough that it would give me pause to include it in the constitution.”

• Issue 2 Spending – Columbus Dispatch, 10/23/09
  

  Backers of state Issue 2, the proposed constitutional amendment to create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, gave more than $4 million to that cause.

  “Contributions to Issue 2 are about much more than just supporting a ballot measure,” said Jack Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and treasurer of Ohioans for Livestock Care Political Action Committee.

  “They are really an investment in educating all Ohioans on farmers’ commitment to excellent animal care and to providing safe, affordable, locally grown food for our consumers.”

  Issue 2 supporters said about $3 million of the total came from Ohio family farmers and groups representing farm organizations.

  Records show about $1.2 million came via more than 100 donations from out-of-state organizations, ranging from the Delaware Farm Bureau to the Arizona Pork Council to the Texas Turkey Federation to the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council. Eli Lily Co. of Indianapolis added $25,000.

  The drive to pass state Issue 2 was led by a dozen six-figure donations. The Ohio Farm Bureau chipped in about $535,000 overall, although the largest single contribution, $200,000, came from United Egg Producers in Alpharetta, Ga.

• Justice calls State Issue 2 misuse of constitution – Columbus Dispatch, 10/20/09
  

  O’Connor said the state constitution is a “much bigger document” that should not be amended to include policy decisions, such as livestock care, that are best left to lawmakers.

  O’Connor, who plans to run for chief justice next year, said backers of Issue 2 understand that once something is added to the constitution, it will take “an arm and a leg” to overturn it, the paper reported.

The most recent list of groups who officially oppose Issue 2 (I’m sure I’m missing some):

Finally, I’d like to draw attention to an analysis of contributions to the Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC conducted by Ohio ACT.

They’ve published the findings as a PDF, but for greater accessibility I’m posting the info here as well. The numbers clearly show what Issue 2 opponents have been saying all along, Issue 2 is NOT about protecting small farms, this is about protecting the abusive and immoral practices of FACTORY farms.

Ohio ACT Analysis of Contributions and In-Kind Donations to Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC

Large Contributors/Donors ($20,000 or More) Represent Two-Thirds of the Contributions to Ohioans for Livestock Care (Pro-Issue 2):
Fifty donors, all large institutions, that gave $20,000 or more to the Ohioans for Livestock Care PAC were 2 percent of the contributors but two-thirds (66 percent) of the financing. More than one thousand donors (1,046 contributors) donated less than $100, but these small donors made up only 1 percent of the PAC’s contributions.

Dozen Largest Contributions/In-Kind Donations Made Up More than One Third of Contributions:
The twelve largest contributors (all agribusiness interests) contributed at least $100,000 gave a total of $1.4 million, 35 percent of all funds contributed to Ohioans for Livestock Care. The statewide Ohio Farm Bureau Federation gave $505,186 (in four separate donations) that constituted 12 percent of the funding for the PAC. Three out-of- state interests contributed a total of $413,000, or 10 percent of all contributions to the PAC (United Egg Producers (Georgia), National Pork Producers Council (Iowa), and Pioneer Hi-Bred (Iowa-based seed and agrochemical firm).

Non-Individual Contributors Provided Nearly All (94 Percent) of the Financing:
About half the contributors (49 percent) were “non-individual” contributors, but they contributed $.3.8 million (94 percent) to the PAC. These non-individual donors were primarily agribusiness trade associations, livestock operations, agricultural service companies and farms.

Farm Bureau Chapters and Livestock Operations and Associations Among Largest Donors:
State and local Farm Bureau chapters made 451 contributions totaling $995,719 to the pro-Issue 2 PAC – 18 percent of the contributors and 25 percent of the financing. This includes 13 non-Ohio-based Farm Bureau chapters that gave $60,000. Hog trade associations and operations contributed $624,106 (15 percent); egg trade associations and operations contributed $477,298 (12 percent); poultry associations and operations contributed $271,695 (7 percent). Beef, dairy and other livestock interest contributed $257,944 (6 percent) combined.

Contributors from Outside Ohio Provided More than One Fourth Contributions:
More than one hundred (106) out of state contributors donated $1,196,080 to Ohioans for Livestock Care, only 4 percent of the contributors but 30 percent of the financing. Ten Iowa contributors gave $498,300 (12 percent), 3 Georgia contributors gave $211,000 (5 percent), 3 Minnesota contributors gave $115,000 (3 percent), 26 Indiana donors gave $97,075 (2 percent), 3 Kentucky contributors gave $58,000 (1 percent), 5 Missouri donors gave $56,000 (1 percent), and 3 North Carolina contributors gave $50,000 (1 percent).

Methodology: Ohio ACT examined the Coalition for Livestock Care PAC contributions and in kind donation data that was released October 22nd and coded the non-individual contributors that gave $5,000 or more based on agricultural sector. Trade associations and companies that provided a livestock-specific service (pork packing, poultry packaging or cage manufacturing, or hog business consulting software, for example) was coded with the appropriate livestock industry. Livestock services that were not livestock type specific (veterinary services, cattle genetics) were coded as agricultural services). Feed and seed elevators that provide a range of agricultural services but appear to be primarily elevators are coded as feed/grain/oilseed.

Of course, this is not an all-inclusive update, there is so much being said about this issue I can’t possibly cover it all. PLEASE do your research, and don’t believe the feel-good commercials the Farm Bureau is putting out, they’re anything but honest.

If you’re in Columbus, Cleveland, or Cincinnati: Ohio ACT really needs volunteers to help with phonebanking and passing out door hangers.

Spread the word: VOTE NO ON ISSUE 2!

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

I’ve been meaning to write about Issue 2, a sneaky little campaign (backed by factory farms and Big Ag) that would create the “Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.” Since this op-ed letter I just wrote to Outlook News pretty much summarizes where I stand, I’ll go ahead and copy it here.

For more information on this issue, please check out OhioACT.org (Ohioans Against Constitutional Takeover) and the Facebook group I’ve created: Ohioans Against Issue 2. On both sites you can download flyers, view recent news articles about the issue, and more.

To: hayes@outlookmedia.com, mdaniels@outlookmedia.com
Subject: Issue 2 endorsement

Dear Mr. Daniels,

I was highly disappointed to find an endorsement of Issue 2 in the latest issue of Outlook. Disappointed for many reasons.

The first reason is the obvious lack of research on the issue. Did you take your summary of the issue straight off the Farm Bureau’s website? Did you read ANY opposing arguments? Did you look at the list of groups who oppose it? This list includes the Capital Area Humane Society, Ohio League of Women Voters, Organic Consumers Association, Ohio Sierra Club, Ohio Farmers Union, Food & Water Watch… the list goes on.

Do you know how quickly the ballot measure was pushed through the Ohio legislature, passing through the House and Senate in just 6 days? Talk about suspicious. Issue 2 came about as a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of dealing with the Humane Society’s potential focus on expanding animal welfare laws in the state of Ohio. Rather than leave the decision up to voters who may decide farm animals deserve better treatment (as was recently the case in Michigan and California), the Farm Bureau decided to take matters into their own hands and shrug off the democratic process completely, saying they will regulate themselves. The fox wants to guard the henhouse, literally.

Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution, an action that should NEVER be taken lightly.  Creating a Livestock Care Standards Board takes away power from the voters, as all future animal-welfare decisions would be decided upon and handed down by this unelected 13-member group. Did Outlook investigate the would-be members of this board? To put it simply: they’re not looking out for animals or food safety, they’re pawns for Big Agribusiness. Not to mention the cost of creating this new board. Can Ohio really afford this right now? Expanding government always means expanding the budget.

Also worth mentioning is the effect it will have on Ohio’s small farmers, who would have even more regulation to deal with if Issue 2 passes. That does not mean safer food, historically this has resulted in increased costs for small farmers who end up going out of business, then factory farms and Big Ag gladly take over. Factory farms certainly do not provide safer food, and absolutely do not provide better care for animals.

This is not “Ohioans taking care of Ohioans” — this is Big Agribusiness taking care of themselves. I can’t believe Outlook News fell victim to the Farm Bureau’s campaign. You’ve done a disservice to your readers by taking the lazy road to arrive at your endorsement decision, and it will be Ohio’s small farms and animals that suffer.

It’s convenient that Outlook is now a monthly publication, since even if this letter made it to print, it would be too late for anyone to see. Nevertheless, I feel obligated to speak out against this ignorant endorsement.

I’ve decided I’ll check out the Columbus Tea Party after work to see the turnout for myself. This will be my first time attending a rally that’s NOT comprised mostly of Democrats. In fact, I’ll probably be surrounded by some of the same people who glared angrily at my signs during previous protests I’ve attended the past 6 years.

I’m keeping my expectations pretty low because it looks as though the Tea Party trend has been hijacked by right-wing Neo-Cons who are bitter that it’s a Democrat doing all the spending and bombing and not another Republican. Where were they when Bush had the credit card? In the same cave the anti-war activists are now hiding in, on the Island of Hypocrisy I presume.

For the record, 9/11 Truthers brought back the Tea Party protest idea in 2006, and the Ron Paul Revolution did it a year later. I’m honored to have been a part of both. So I’ll admit, I was excited about the Tax Day Tea Parties at first, but now the media is paying attention (so you know something’s up), the Neo-Cons are on board, Democrats are waging counter-attacks — the point is GONE, the focus is already lost.

It was never supposed to be about Left vs Right, Liberal vs Conservative, Democrat vs Republican, or any divisive label vs another divisive label. It was supposed to be about LIBERTY and FREEDOM. The right to live your life on whichever side of the aisle feels right to you, free from government intervention and mob rule.

It’s not about Sin Tax or Fair Tax or Carbon Tax , it’s about NO tax. It’s not about money for food stamps and abortions instead of bankers and war, it’s about NONE of them getting federal funding. It’s not about Obama’s budget or Obama’s deficit, it’s about ALL budgets and ALL deficits. Yes, I can’t f#@$ng stand Obama’s doublespeak rhetoric or his mindless sheep that excuse every hypocritical move he makes. But I couldn’t stand Bush’s doublespeak either. Taxes, debt, socialism, fascism, communism, Big Government, war, tyranny — those things are NEVER OKAY, whether it’s Bush or Obama sitting in the White House.

In this game of protesting and partisan outrage we keep rotating teams every 4-8 years instead of crying foul and storming the field TOGETHER. Well I’m done playing! Time to demolish the stadium and cure the disease altogether. We must declare ourselves FREE agents, not owned by any team.

WE — Americans — must step outside of this pathetic paradigm of controlled opposition and see what is happening off the field while we’re busy chasing each other around the bases. That, dear Comrades, would be a true Revolution.

—–

UPDATE #2: The Cleveland Plain Dealer has finally decided to give this story some attention, even quoting this blog at one point. Unfortunately, they dismiss all reports of the SWAT team, deciding it’s just some crazies on the internet spreading rumors. Yes of course, believe the police, they’re always innocent and well-intentioned! Don’t do anything silly like wait for the family’s statement to come out…

Reason magazine has also picked up the story, also mentioning my humble little blog:

“The folks over at Peace Chicken (yes, that’s a real site, complete with chicken death doomsday clock) are seriously peeved.”

—–

UPDATE #1: Here’s a good update on this story, including the fact that the husband of the family wasn’t present for the raid because he was in IRAQ. And here is a letter from the family themselves, which includes ways you can help.

[Thanks to LewRockwell.com, Intel Daily, OpEdNews, and NowPublic for carrying this story.]

Below is an OUTRAGEOUS story of a Cleveland-area rural co-op that was raided by a SWAT team earlier this week for a supposed Ohio Dept. of Agriculture violation.

It reeks of police state, lack of Constitutional Rights, and excessive use of force. Unfortunately, this is not a new occurrence, it happens all the time, you just don’t hear about it in the news (big surprise.)

The immediate question that comes to mind — why was the SWAT team used to enforce an alleged Ohio Dept. of Agriculture rule violation? According to the Lorain County Sheriff’s SWAT page, they are intended to be used for these reasons:

• Hostage Situations: the holding of any person(s) against their will by an armed or potentially armed suspect.
• Barricade Situation: the stand-off created by an armed or potentially armed suspect in any location, whether fortified or not, who is refusing to comply with law enforcement demands for surrender.
• Sniper Situations: the firing upon citizens and/or law enforcement officers by an armed suspect, whether stationary or mobile.
• High-Risk Apprehension: the arrest or apprehension of armed or potentially armed suspects where the likelihood of armed resistance is high.
• High-Risk Warrant Service: the service of search or arrest warrants where the warrant service matrix or policy recommends or requires the use of SWAT.
• Personal Protection: the security of special persons, such as VIP’s, witnesses, or suspects, based on threat or potential threat to the well being of those persons.
• Special Assignments: any assignment, approved by the SWAT Operations Commander, based on a high level of threat and/or need.

Was the private selling of organic food by the Manna Storehouse REALLY one of those instances??

We must stand up for our fellow citizens and refuse to allow a transition from Buckeye State to Police State. After the story you’ll find a list of Cleveland news sources. PLEASE contact them and demand they investigate this story. I strongly believe people would be appropriately outraged if they only knew what was going on.

On Monday, December 1st, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on parents, children, infants and toddlers, from approximately 11 AM to 8 PM.

The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the “bad cop” SWAT team was relieved by another team, a “good cop” team that tried to befriend the family. The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years.

There were agents from the Department of Agriculture present, one of them identified as Bill Lesho. The search warrant is reportedly supicious-looking. Agents began rifling through all of the family’s possessions, a task that lasted hours and resulted in a complete upheaval of every private area in the home. Many items were taken that were not listed on the search warrant. The family was not permitted a phone call, and they were not told what crime they were being charged with. They were not read their rights. Over ten thousand dollars worth of food was taken, including the family’s personal stock of food for the coming year. All of their computers, and all of their cell phones were taken, as well as phone and contact records. The food cooperative was virtually shut down. There was no rational explanation, nor justification, for this extreme violation of Constitutional rights.

Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation’s private food supply.

This same type of abusive search and seizure was reported by those innocents who fell victim to oppressive federal drug laws passed in the 1990s. The present circumstance raises the obvious question: is there some rabid new interpretation of an existing drug law that considers food a controlled substance worthy of a nasty SWAT operation? Or worse, is there a previously unrecognized provision(s) pertaining to food in the Homeland Security measures? Some have suggested that it was merely an out-of-control, hot-to-trot ODA agent, and, if so, this would be a best-case scenario. Anything else might spell the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food.

One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that:

“Interestingly, I believe they [Manna Storehouse] said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in-law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid.”

The same blog also noted that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has been chastised by the courts in several previous instances for its aggression, including trying to entrap an Amish man in a raw milk “sale,” which backfired when it became known that the Amish believe in a literal interpretation of “give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42)

The issue appears to be the discovery of a bit of non-institutional beef in an Oberlin College food service freezer a year ago that was tracked down by a county sanitation official to Manna Storehouse. Oberlin College’s student food coop is widely known for its strident ideological stance about eating organic foods. It seems that the Oberlin student food cooperative had joined the Manna Storehouse food cooperative in order to buy organic foods in bulk from the national organic food distributor United, which services buying clubs across the nation. The sanitation official, James Boddy, evidently contacted the Ohio Department of Agriculture. After the first contact by state ODA officials, Manna Storehouse reportedly wrote them a letter requesting assistance and guidelines for complying with the law. This letter was never answered. Rather, the ODA agent tried several times to infiltrate the coop, as described above. When his attempts failed, the SWAT team showed up!

Food cooperatives and buying clubs have been an active part of the American landscape for over a generation. In the 1970s, with the rise of the organic food industry (a direct outgrowth of the hippie back-to-nature movement) food coops started up all over the country. These were groups of people who freely associated for the purpose of combining their buying power so that they could order organic food items in bulk and case lots. Anyone who was part of these coops in the early era will remember the messy breakdown of 35 pounds of peanut butter and 5 gallon drums of honey!

These buying clubs have persisted and flourished over the years due to their ability to purchase high quality organic foods at reduced prices in bulk quantities. Most cooperatives have participated greatly in the local agrarian economies, supporting neighborhood organic farmers with purchases of produce, eggs, chickens, etc. The groups also purchase food from a number of different local, regional and national distributors, many of them family-based businesses who truck the food themselves. Some of these food cooperatives have become large enough to set up mini-storefront operations where members can drop in and purchase items leftover from case lot sales. Manna Storehouse had established itself in such a manner, using a small enclosed breezeway attached to their home. It was a folksy place with old wooden floors where coop members stopped by to chat and snack on bags of organic corn chips.

The state of Ohio boasts the second largest Amish population in the country. Many of the Amish live on acreages where they raise their own food, not unlike Manna Storehouse, and sell off the extras to neighbors and church members. There is a sense of foreboding that this state crackdown on a longstanding, reputable food cooperative operation could adversely impact the peaceful agrarian way of life not only for the Amish, but homeschoolers and those families living off the land on rural acreages. It raises the disturbing possibility that it could become a crime to raise your own food, buy eggs from the farmer down the road, or butcher your own chickens for family and friends – bustling activities that routinely take place in backwater America.

The freedom to purchase food directly from the source is increasingly under attack. For those who have food allergies and chemical intolerances, or who are on special medical diets, this is becoming a serious health issue. Will Americans retain the right to purchase food that is uncontaminated by pesticides, herbicides, allergens, additives, dyes, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, radiation, etc.? The melamine scare from China underscores the increasingly inferior and suspect quality of modern processed institutional foods. One blog, commenting on the bizarre and troubling Manna Storehouse situation, observed that:

“No one is saying exactly why. At the same time the FDA says it it safe to eat the 40% of tainted beef found in Costco’s and Sam’s all over the nation. These farm raids are very common now. Every farmer needs to be fully equipped for the possibility of it happening to them. The Farmer To Consumer Legal Defense Fund was created just for this purpose. The USDA just released their plans to put a law into action that will put all small farmers out of business. Animals for the sale of meat or milk will only be allowed in commercial farms, even the organic ones.”

Source: http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/swat-team.htm
Also reported by The Morning Journal

Please use the ShareThis link below to email this to your friends and family!

This is a HEADS UP to everyone who cares about their future –
in 4 days patriots will meet in 38 cities across the country to End the Federal Reserve and we need YOU there!

WHY //

The Federal Reserve is an unconstitutional institution (see U.S. Constitution, Section 8, Clause 5) that drains the wealth of the American people through the inflationary process.

Despite silence on the true cause of our financial mess, every day it becomes more and more apparent that the #1 issue in our country is the economy and the falling dollar. Who is to blame for this? Who is printing all the money that drives down the value of our dollar? Who controls the interest rates upon which the fate of our banks, credit cards, loans, mortgages, and lives depend? These are very important questions to ask yourself.

One needn’t be an economist to understand: the Federal Reserve is neither federal, nor do they have any reserves. Our dollars are no longer backed by gold or silver. It is a “fiat” currency, and every economy that has used fiat currency in the past has ultimately collapsed. It’s time we demand that Congress END THE FED.

On November 22, 1910 the Federal Reserve Act was conceived at a private meeting of elite bankers. Ninety-eight years after its conception, we will gather to signal the end of its reign!

Patriots from across the country will join together to protest the Federal Reserve system. Activists will demand an END to private banker control over the nation’s money supply and the return to a hard, commodity backed monetary system.

WHERE //

All 38 Federal Reserve locations

WHEN //

This Saturday, November 22nd @ 12pm

DON’T FORGET //

Signs, banners, bullhorns, drums, whatever you need to make a statement.

FIND YOUR LOCAL FED //

http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=55#findYourFed

DOWNLOAD FLYERS //

http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=174

FOR MORE INFO //

http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=55

YES WE CAN abolish the Federal Reserve!

TIP: Use the “ShareThis” button below to email this post to your friends and family, post to Facebook, Myspace, Digg, and more!

Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate for President (endorsed by Ron Paul!) is coming to speak for free tonight at Capital University.

If you want a break from the two-party rhetoric and want to hear some REAL solutions — this event is for you. If you want to see a candidate that’s too dangerous to the status quo to ever be allowed on CNN or Fox News — this is it.

…Wait, who in the heck is Chuck Baldwin??

Good question. I don’t blame you for not knowing anyone besides McBama.

Chuck Baldwin is a citizen of the United States of America just like you and me. The difference is that he is not an elected politician offering the same old political answers. Chuck Baldwin has talked the talk and walked the walk. He doesn’t have a history of flip-flops and he does not test the wind every time he takes a position. Refreshing isn’t it?

After Chuck and his wife Connie were married, he enrolled in Liberty Bible Institute at Liberty University. Since then he’s earned his Bachelor and Master Degrees in Theology and has received two honorary Doctorate Degrees.

Chuck is a founder and minister at the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. Under his leadership the Church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan.

Chuck Baldwin is also a radio talk show host and an accomplished author. He moderates a daily, a one hour long call-in show where he addresses current event topics from a conservative point of view. He’s also a newspaper and internet columnist whose articles and political commentaries are carried by a host of internet sites, newspapers, and news magazines. Here’s his latest article, A Wasted Vote.

As President, Chuck Baldwin would:

• REFORM THE MONETARY SYSTEM by providing no amnesty to Wall Street, ending all unconstitutional spending, cutting taxes, and curbing regulation
• REPEAL THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT and restore constitutional money that is interest-free and backed by gold
• ABOLISH THE IRS, ELIMINATE THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX, and restore a tariff-based revenue system
• BRING AMERICAN TROOPS HOME and end all undeclared wars
• DEFEND THE RIGHT TO LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PROPERTY
• PROTECT AMERICAN JOBS by ending international trade agreements such as NAFTA, WTO, and FTAA
• RESTORE AMERICAN SOVEREIGNTY by withdrawing from the United Nations and ending all foreign aid
• STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND REJECT AMNESTY
• PROTECT THE LIFE OF THE UNBORN
• ELIMINATE FEDERAL CONTROL OF EDUCATION
• RESTORE SECOND AMENDMENT GUN RIGHTS

If any of these issues are important to you, I hope you’ll join us tonight.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

- John Quincy Adams

This is my first year making voting decisions as a libertarian. Turns out, it makes voting even easier — either it follows the Constitution and free-market principles or it doesn’t.

Here’s where I currently stand on the 2008 Ohio ballot issues, along with links to the official ballot language (PDFs):

• Issue 1, earlier filing deadlines for statewide ballot issues:

  Strongly Against.

  The Libertarian Argument: Citizen-initiated ballot issue rules are hard enough, why make it even harder? Thinking about the upcoming state income-tax removal proposal soon to be worked on by the Ohio Freedom Alliance and Libertarian Party of Ohio, why would we want to make our deadline for signatures even sooner?

• Issue 2, authorize the State to issue bonds to continue the Clean Ohio program for environmental revitalization and conservation:

  Against.

  From the SOS website, here’s an argument against it:

  Issue #2 Would Authorize the Government to Spend More in Bond Money. The economy is in bad condition. When times are hard, this is when we must tighten our belts and spend only what is necessary and only what we can cover with incoming revenues. Issue #2 authorizes the government to take out more debts to pay for environmental revitalization and conservation. While this may be worthwhile, the State of Ohio should not be going into further debt.

  Passing Issue #2 Means Taxpayers Will Have to Pay Back These Bonds. Issue #2 authorizes $400 Million Dollars in debt to be used for conservation purposes. You and your children will have to pay this money back. This money could be retained by taxpayers for their own purposes or used for other plans and directly helping people in need.

  The Libertarian Argument: Look— I love our parks and trees, really I do. But if Ohioans are sincerely concerned for the environment, they can donate money to their preferred non-profit environmental organization instead.

• Issue 3, amend the constitution to protect private property rights in ground water, lakes and other watercourses:

  Against.

  Again, from the SOS website, here’s the argument against it:

  Issue #3 is an unnecessary addition to the Ohio Constitution. The Supreme Court of Ohio already determined that private property owners have rights to the ground water underlying their land and to the watercourse flowing on and through their land.

  Issue #3 makes changes to the Constitution so specific that they mention legal doctrines that are not contained in the Constitution. What if those legal doctrines change by court rulings? Parts of our Constitution would no longer be relevant. That is not appropriate for our Constitution, which is supposed to be the voice of the People.

  Issue #3 does not give an accurate picture of a private property owner’s rights. Property owners do not actually own the water beneath their land. They have a right to a reasonable use of that water, but the state always has the power to regulate how it is used and take it for just compensation. Issue #3 gives private property owners the false sense of security that their land cannot be taken away at a later date.

  The Libertarian Argument: If we already have these private property protections through the Ohio Constitution and Supreme Court decisions, what is the purpose of this issue? I will always opt to NOT grant more power to the State, unless I am absolutely convinced there is no ulterior motive.

• Issue 4, requiring paid sick leave for employees in Ohio:

  N/A

  This issue was withdrawn by petitioners’ committee on Sept. 4th.

• Issue 5, making changes to check cashing lending, sometimes known as “Payday Lending,” fees, interest rates and practices:

  Against.

  The Libertarian Argument: It’s an infringement on the free market. While I personally would never use a payday lending service, if other people want to use this consumer option, it’s their choice, not the State. I do NOT want the State to be regulating interest rates, ever.

• Issue 6, casino near Wilmington in Southwest Ohio and distribute to all Ohio counties a tax on the casino:

  Against.

  The Libertarian Argument: While I have no problem with people gambling if they choose to, this amendment would grant a one-casino monopoly in the state. If we’re going to bring in casinos, we should do it in a free market way.

One last IMPORTANT note about voting in Ohio: The most secure way to vote is by ABSENTEE BALLOT, making sure to deliver it IN PERSON to the Board of Elections office.

This means your vote is recorded ON PAPER, not Diebold (Optiscan) machines!

Some people go so far as to make copies of their ballot and get it notarized — that’s all up to you.

This advice comes to me direct from a friend who works with the Citizens Alliance For Secure Elections, a group that is highly involved in the investigations of Ohio voter fraud in the 2004 Presidential election. For more information on why you should be terrified of Diebold machines, check out this Scientific American article.

Advantages of this suggested voting method:

• If lines are long or voting machines have problems, voting could take a long time and some people may choose to leave the line without voting.
• Weather could be a problem in November, voters often must wait outdoors.
• If your ID is not accepted, you have to cast a provisional ballot which might be rejected.
• Due to HB3 and a 60-day mailing, you may be required to vote provisionally regardless of having correct address, precinct, proper ID and proper voter registration.
• If your fill out a provisional ballot at the wrong precinct (even at the right polling place), your ballot will definitely be rejected.
• Ballot will not get lost or delayed in the mail

Keep in mind it’s only the beginning of October, and if the previous years are any indication, the voting rules will inevitably change time and time again, making voters even more confused.

In my opinion, it’s best to be safe and follow these four steps:

1. Make sure your registration is current.
2. Request an absentee ballot.
3. Deliver it in person (on or before Election Day.)
4. Know that your vote is as secure as it can possibly be in this ridiculous and phony “democracy” we live in.

They’ve sold out the republic and all of its citizens to the bankers. They are no longer deserving of the labels “Senator” or “Congressperson” and should never be voted for again.

Senators

Sherrod Brown
(D) Senator – Ohio

George Voinovich
(R) Senator – Ohio

Representatives

John Boehner
(R) Ohio’s 8th – House Minority Leader


Dave Hobson
(R) Ohio’s 7th

Deborah Pryce
(R) Ohio’s 15th

Ralph Regula
(R) Ohio’s 16th

Tim Ryan
(D) Ohio’s 17th

Jean Schmidt
(R) Ohio’s 2nd

Zack Space
(D) Ohio’s 18th

Betty Sutton
(D) Ohio’s 13th

Pat Tiberi
(R) Ohio’s 12th

Charles Wilson
(D) Ohio’s 6th

“Let this be her legend, let this be her voice,
let this be her vision, let this be her choice.
To remain as we knew her, strong and poised,
as the one we love.”

- Katie Reider, Her Song

http://www.peacechicken.com/wp-content/KatieReider_HerSong.mp3

It’s been a little over a month since this world lost a beautiful soul named Katie Reider.

I invite all of my readers to watch this video made by my good friend Kiersten. It’s a brief look back at her life— filled to the brim with love, friends, and family.

After you finish the video, please visit 500Kin365.org, where you can download 9 of Katie’s songs for only $1 (of course you can always donate more if you wish.) All proceeds benefit Katie’s partner Karen and their two sons, who were left with massive medical bills not covered by insurance.

If you want to do even more for Katie and her family — tell 3 of your friends about Katie’s music, send a quick email with a link to 500Kin365.org. Through your message, her music and spirit will remain with us forever.

We miss you Katie!

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Sep 10, 1949 – August 20, 2008

As always, I will maintain my skepticism of the official story until I hear otherwise. Either way — she will be missed, and my thoughts go out to her family and friends, as well as the constituents she represented.

Here she is in one of her many great moments, objecting to the official certification of the 2004 election:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdA1skqD0TY

And her objection to the Iraq surge plan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ss6xe7mv50