Everyday our liberties and freedom come under fire. The American Republic once protected its citizens from arbitrary abuse, extortion, and deliberate social engineering. Now the very same public servants who were meant to work for us connive daily on how to control our lives. The Republic is gone and we are left to fend for ourselves, to put up resistance to every encroachment on individual self-determination. The Freedom Under Fire Report provides daily coverage of the most important issues, so that you remain informed and ready to defend yourself. Read on and pass this around to everyone you think could benefit:
Bureaucrats Have New Job: Making Cars. President Obama is creating a task force to oversee the restructuring of the auto industry. This group of experts on making cars includes lawyers and bureaucrats from the Departments of Treasury, Labor, Transportation, Commerce, and Energy, the National Economic Council, the White House Office of Energy and Environment (never heard of this one before), the Council of Economic Advisors, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Maybe we should include the FBI in case the auto makers fail to cooperate?
Department of Education Receives Windfall. Part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus bill) contains $100 billion “in emergency aid for public schools and colleges.” This represents a 100% increase in funding for the department. “It’ll be like Christmas,” said a former Dept. of Education official.
California Poised to Fall of the Bankruptcy Cliff. California faces a $41 billion (29%) budget deficit that stands ready to shut the state’s government down. “The state, nearly out of cash, has laid off scores of workers and put hundreds more on unpaid furloughs. It has stopped paying counties and issuing income tax refunds and halted thousands of infrastructure projects.” Compounding the issue, California’s credit rating was downgraded to the worst of any
other state, so access to financial markets to borrow their way out of the problem (as they have repeatedly done in the past) is limited.
States and Cities Fighting for Stimulus Money. Before the ink has dried on the “stimulus” bill, “state and local officials facing multimillion dollar budget deficits, crumbling infrastructure and the prospect of massive reductions in services were already jockeying for the upper hand in deciding how the money should be spent.”
Japanese Economy Crashing, Likely to Start Printing Money. Japan’s GDP growth rate plunged to a 35-year low, losing 3.3% quarter-over-quarter and 12.7% annualized. “The decline in GDP is fuelling calls for more aggressive measures from the government and the Bank of Japan.” This means the government is getting ready to spend, borrow, and print. This bodes ominously for global inflation, as central banks around the world do the same, led by the United States.
Bill Clinton Wants to Make Banks Lend to Green Projects. Bill Clinton is urging government to force banks receiving TARP funds to loan money to “businesses embarking on environmentally sustainable projects.” He says this will “create more jobs and speed the transition to a green economy.” Clinton praises the $30 billion earmarked for “green job creation” in the “stimulus” bill, saying “we have never had a job programme where the heart and soul of it was a commitment to clean energy.” As a matter of fact, Clinton is confusing history. Hundreds of billions have been doled out by the federal government by every administration since Carter for corn ethanol and alternative energy research. The results have been dismal, but many people obtained employment by this pork.
Facebook Claims it has a Perpetual License to Use Anything you post. In a controversial change to its Terms of Service (TOS) agreement, Facebook declares that it has perpetual license to use anything you post on its site, even after you terminate your account. They claim they can do whatever they want with your added content, including sell it to third parties.
A “Truth Commission” May Investigate Abuses of Power Under Bush Administration. Senator Pat Leahy is trying to set up a “truth commission” to investigate alleged abuses of the Bush administration. The commission would not pursue criminal indictments, but would conduct a fact-finding mission. Leahy is running into stiff resistance from Republicans, and a mixed response by Democrats.
Chavez Secures Dictatorship for Life. With a 54% majority vote on abolishing Presidential term limits, Hugo Chavez remains dictator of Venezuela. “In his victory speech, Mr. Chavez promised to deepen his socialist project as well as redouble efforts to tackle persistent problems that have dented his popularity.” It just so happens that his variant of Socialism caused these problems in the first place.
Did the U.S. State Department Really “Praise” the Chavez Coup? The BBC certainly think so, printing: “The US has cautiously welcomed Venezuela’s vote to scrap term limits.” Further, they write “State Department spokesman Noel Clay praised ‘the civic spirit’ of the referendum.” Is this just a BBC mistake or is our State Department truly supporting a militaristic, Socialist in the enslavement of his own people?
Islamic Law to be Imposed in Parts of Pakistan-Taliban Wins. Despite waging a seven year war against the Taliban, funded and helped by the United States, the Pakistani government has struck a separate peace deal with the rebels. “The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across a large swath of northwest Pakistan” in hopes of diffusing a spreading insurgency.
U.S. Military Monitoring Canadian Border. The Predator B drone aircraft began a new mission yesterday: patrolling the Canadian border. The surveillance plane are expected to “be a big help in the fight against the smuggling of drugs, alcohol and people.” It is also expected by public officials that this border monitoring program will “enhance the relationship” between the Canadian and U.S. governments. Good? Bad? What’s the cost?
GM Presses Union for Cuts in Health Care. GM executives are “locked in intense negotiations” with leaders of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) “over ways to cut its vast bills for retiree health care.” As a term to the $13.4 billion federal loan package, GM must file a restructuring plan with government on Tuesday. Part of the plan, presumably, is how to reign in unrealistic contractual relations with union retirees.
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