In the latest nail in the coffin of American liberty the people’s court of “last resort,” the U.S. Supreme Court, has confirmed that law abiding American Citizens (that means YOU, YOUR WIFE, and YOUR CHILDREN) traveling along any highway, breaking no law can now be arrested, handcuffed, hauled off to jail, mug shot, striped naked, and have your private parts gawked at or fondled by chuckling prison guards for the “crime” of -get this -a seven year old traffic ticket, that it turns out had been paid in full.

And this kind of treatment goes for old granny’s too -just keep your eyes wide open at the airports.

Now fellow Americans, if the thought of your wife or kids or grandma being treated like this does not get your blood pressure rising, then I can’t imagine what would.

And this president, who got himself elected on the promise of “Change” recently proved himself as phony as the last one by re-signing The Patriot Act into law -even though all President’s swear to “uphold and defend” the constitution. This doesn’t sound like change to me. But it’s all the proof anybody should need that they’re ALL a bunch of two faced liars.

The Patriot Act gives them (the feds) the “tools” to find out which internet sites you visit or books you’re reading and then unconstitutionally gags the librarian’s freedom of speech to tell you about it. It allows them to search you, your car, or your home without a warrant issued by an independent judge and without probable cause (a good reason with evidence) -also in direct contravention of our Bill of Rights, and much more.

I got some bad news folks, these people do not represent YOU. Never have. In fact they don’t even know you exist.

How could an elite club (the US Congress), where every member is a multimillionaire from day one, have any common ground with the struggles of middle and working class people’s lives? They must secretly just laugh and laugh!

And why is it that the most technologically advanced nation the world has ever known can’t provide, we are told, a paper receipt when we vote -but we CAN as everyone knows, get one from any ATM machine in any tin pot country on the planet when we withdraw a lousy $20?

And I’ll let you in on another secret, the really big one our nobel “leaders” are absolutely TERRIFIED we’ll one day finally figure out.

Here it is: We the people really do have all the power. In fact, we are the economic engine and backbone of this county and it scares the daylights out of them. Because they know we, not they, truly do have the power to shut down the whole darn production line -or to put them back on a very short leash, where they belong.

How can we do anything about things, you ask? The exact same way Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King did it.

You see if Parks and King had waited for the folks in power at that time to “do the decent thing” and cease treating elderly black ladies like animals and second class citizens -pushing them to the back of the buses -they’d still be waiting. In fact their grand kids would still be waiting today. And interestingly, so would the present occupant of The White House (who gives lip service to Park and King, while reauthorizing The Patriot Act).

One thing for sure. If is wasn’t for the courage of people like Rosa Parks, then people like Barrack Obama wouldn’t be where they are today, because black citizens would still be, metaphorically speaking, waiting for justice in the back of the bus. Real change takes courage and disciplined action.

Martin Luther King thundered to his followers that they needed to straighten their backs up. “Because a man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent!” In other words, live a clean life and get tough -or be prepared for more of the same abuse -forever.

Thank God people like Parks and King didn’t wait. Instead they took matters into their own hands by embarking on a brilliant nonviolent course of action. And by that I don’t mean meekly petitioning those who could care less. I mean by speaking to those in power in the one and only language they understand: money.

You see fellow Americans the only way to really get their attention, even today, is by hitting them (big businesses and our supposed representatives) in the wallet. Cause that’s all they comprehend. There really is nothing new under the sun. Same selfishness and blind greed, different day.

So if we truly want to see change in this country, here’s a road map. This Labour Day, for example, we all get smart and stop spending. That’s right.

You want to see gas prices fall like a rock from the stratosphere? Then let’s try it.

We stop paying the cronies who are ripping us off at the pump -we get bikes, we walk, we ride public transportation, or we car pool. They’ll soon knock off the bull when enough people finally cut off their flow of precious money!

And what if we the people do not rise to this occasion? That’s a really easy one.

Then it will all boil down to this: the land of the free and the home of the brave will become the land of the formerly free and the home of the soon to be slaves!

You think I’m Kidding? Then consider the facts.

We now live a country where the highest court in the land, The Supreme Court, has ruled it perfectly legal for once proud American Citizens -even women, children, and old people -to at whim -be stripped naked, unconstitutionally searched, violated, drug tested, spied upon, fleeced of our money, hoodwinked at the voting booth, and possibly Tasered, tortured, or detained indefinitely any time our arrogant and crooked leaders fancy it.

Sounds like a nice place to live and raise kids?

If you think like I do that America can do better then this, then we the people better get off our cozy backsides and get busy speaking up about it!

James P. Hilton
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