CABPRO Report

OMG! The leftwing NYT's says no one wants to be like us! Constitutionally speaking.

Here is a quote from the lame article in the New York Times, penned by a so-called "journalist" Adam Liptak.

"There are lots of possible reasons. The United States Constitution is terse and old, and it guarantees relatively few rights. The commitment of some members of the Supreme Court to interpreting the Constitution according to its original meaning in the 18th century may send the signal that it is of little current use to, say, a new African nation. And the Constitution’s waning influence may be part of a general decline in American power and prestige."

Now isn't that special!  If these "journalists" had any brains we would be worried but thankfully they don't and  we are not. HERE is the full article, but hold your nose when you read it, it may make you sick. We almost lost our breakfast!

What is it about our Founding documents that the elite liberals dislike?  Weren't the "progressives" all about individual rights?  I guess they have morphed into socialists/communists and you and your individual rights are now passe'.  As  we read the article the overwhelming reaction was "who gives a dickens?" Do we care that Zimbabwe writes a Constitution that does not mirror ours?  We know that country is run by a communist so it is unlikely Mugabe would place a "free press" inside the thing.  Would Assad of Syria put "habeas corpus" in his country's documents?  No, he likes to murder his people and by golly he does it well.  Those pesky "individual" rights, like trials and search warrants are of no use to Assad! Property rights?  Nope, their governments own all the land.

We are fascinated though by the left's derisive view of the very things which protect them from tyranny.  How they interpret the Founding documents in a way that diminishes their foresight and explanations of human endeavors over time.  We suspect if there was a movement to remove the First Amendment, goring their ox, they may have a different view of the Constitution.  How is it a Liptak  could even think we Americans care what some other country thinks of our Founding documents?  They are there for anyone to read, no one is burning them (well at least the conservatives aren't) and any people desiring to be be free in the world could certainly see the value in them.  Or maybe the Liptak's actually don't understand anything.  How is that possible?  He is educated, right? Oh and Supreme Court Justice Ginzburg says our Constitution, the one she swears to uphold, is not that great.  Amazing, thanks Bill Clinton, for nothing.

America became the greatest country ever conceives because we honor and protect the individual person.  Never has that been done before and hardly elsewhere since.  Each and every one of us in America, (heck we even give illegal aliens rights for goodness sakes!), is important and protected.  Even the worst scum of a criminal has rights!  With the legal and social agreement we all make to remain America, we could care less if Burma thinks our Constitution is outmoded.  Governed by these great Founding documents, written by very smart men, men who said to the future generations of America, "you are important Mr. Smith", we are confident we have it right.  But, to be sure, we must stay vigilant since the Liptaks continue to write their tripe. Read them and laugh at them, they have no clue.

Good luck on the parks closure but the anger is misdirected

According to the Union newspaper this morning a gaggle of people, many children included, will descend on the Capitol in Sacramento to present a petition with 10,000 signatures.  These people will also voice their displeasure in the closing of the two parks here in Nevada County.  We say "good luck".  If you all are successful in changing the outcome, more power to you.

We see the problem and the solution a bit different but desire the same outcome.  The question should be, "how can a bunch of democrats controlling our state (for fifty years) be so incompetent to allow a $29 million segment out of a $90 billion budget to happen?"  We shake our heads in amazement.  What we have come to understand in our politics in California is this, it makes no sense.  If the democrats can't find 1/3 of 1% within the budget they have control of, then our state is toast.

Parks, cops, firemen, libraries and other high visibility items are the things the politicians use to raise the "fear".  If we don't give these scofflaws more money, they will cut out the things we all like, that is always their strategy and it always works.  The people are hosed over and over again and the left running our state loves it.  We think these men and women sit in a room, smoking their cigars and chuckling about the knuckleheads we all are.  How they get away with the "fear" factor once again. 

What we don't understand is why the state has added so many "parks" and other government owned lands and then cuts the funding to allow the people to use them?  Is this not the best exemples of the dysfunction Sacramento has become?  Of course it is.  Yet year after year these people place more lands into the public domain and tell us how important they are for the "people" to enjoy and save for future generations.  Give us a break!

These Sacramento politicians continuously pass laws to force private property owners to do their bidding.  We have so many hoops to pass through to do anything with our own private property and they force us all to pay for the privilege of being regulated.  Look at General Plans, zoning ordinances, fees for a parcel spilt and even your property line fence heigth.  Check out the costs to Water boards, fire departments and now even the Calfire budget.  They are charging us all in the rural areas to fight fires yet leave the urban folks alone.  Those urban folks that come and enjoy our forests we get to pay to protect! One report states  "The new fee, if implemented as proposed, could raise $50 million in FY2011/12 and as much as $200 million annually thereafter, easing the strain on the state's general fund, although the general fund would still provide the majority of money for firefighting."

The fire fee alone would be sufficient many times over to pay for the parks wouldn't it?  Yet, in order to free up money to buy off their constituents in the urban areas, the democrats in Sacramento come after our pocketbooks.  Fee for service, what service?  It seems to us the passage of Prop 26 in November 2010 means nothing to these people, including the Governor.  They don't care what the people voted on the fees and tax issue, they will shove another one down the throats of the people.

This is what California has come to.  Our democrat controlled legislature locks up lands for parks and then overspends elsewhere and threatens to shut them all down.  They are unfit to run the place in  our opinion.  If they can't even find $29 million dollars in a 90 billion dollar budget to keep the very parks they are in charge ofopen?  They should all, well at least the democrats, resign and let people who can live up to our Constitution take their place.  They are a embarrassment that even the Greeks can mock.

Obama Trampling the Constitution, a study in art

The Forgotten Man painting by Jon Naughton (Photo Credit: Jon Naughton)

The picture by Jon McNaughton has become rather controversial.  The left doesn't like it and has complained.  If course, the left injects race into the discussion but as far as I can tell the issue portrayed has nothing to do with race, only policy. HERE is the full article.

This You-tube video by McNaughton explains why he did the painting.

In the painting we see Clinton, and the two Roosevelt's applauding Obama. The rest seem to be dismayed.  On McNaughton's website he explains his painting and you can see some of the comments from readers about it.

I believe he is on to something.  It seems the left, run by the Obama, Reid, Pelosi trio of doom has tossed the Constitution into the trash.  Obama has somehow decided the appointment of his ilk to posts can take pace even when the Senate is in session.  Meaning he appoints without "advice and consent".  He has done many acts of what many call "extra" Constitutional acts as if he were king or something.  Reid has held the Constitution hostage regarding the very job he is supposed to do, passing the budget.  Over 1000 days have gone by while Reid sits on the House passed budget!

Pelosi, the famous, "we have to pass the bill to know what is in it" lamebrain from San Francisco, is also to blame for what many consider trampling on our Founding documents.  If these people get away with this, then we are toast.  It may take a while to become a piece of toast, but the journey into tyranny by the few starts with the first step, they are taking that first step.

America is getting a dose of what happens when politicians and their compatriots think they can get away with these things. Since the willing, slobbering press can't even report on these issues in a contra way, (they actually tell us it is no big deal, but they would be the first to go if tyranny happens, ironic eh?), the people get really shortchanges.  But the alternative medias do get out the trampling stories and the hope is people will pay attention and not let these travesties continue.

America will bounce back and freedom will prevail as long as we keep our "public servants" in their place.  America is about us, the common everyday folks, running the place.  Somehow we haven't paid enough attention lately and have allowed people like the Obama, Pelosi, Reid triumvirate to get in charge.  We will rectify the problem this year and return our country to sanity.  Vote these scofflaws out and put some common sense, Constitution loving people in their place.

 

Ken Smith, our hero on property rights, has passed into heaven

I had not seen Ken Smith for a long time and when I opened the Union this morning I saw his obituary stating he had passed away last October HERE is the Unions obituary.   When I saw him last, Ken appeared frail and at 94 or so, he still had the stature of a officer in our military.  I met him back in 1984 or so.  He was the Planning Commissioner for Karsten Hansen, Supervisor from the Third District. 

Over the years I got to know hime better and we shared a similar philosophy on the Constitution and property rights.  Ken was dismissed as a Commissioner when Hansen lost a reelection bid but returned years later to once again be a Commissioner for another Supervisor.  He was a nice man and though stern with people voicing outrageous things in public hearings, he treated people with the respect they deserved.  Being retired from the military he had a world view that reminded me of why America was so great.  Ken had fought in many wars and like my dad, was very protective of the country and its founding documents.  Freedom from government overreach was something Ken Smith believed in his heart.

I saw him make his points on freedom and property rights many times as a Commissioner during our General Plan hearings of the mid 90's.  He did not bloviate for hours like other Commissioners who were so self important.  Ken was usually short and to the point.  Simple answers were just that and he had no need to impress others with confusing explanations on a person's rights.  He had fought for those rights unlike many of the people testifying at the hearings.  They would make statements about others property and how the government should control them.  Ken had little patience for that attitude (I called it stupidity) and a person or group would get a lesson in freedom hopefully they would never forget.

I recall Ken telling me one time how he had to give up downhill skiing now that he 80 years old.  Wow!  He was getting to the place where bones are more brittle and he was a realist.  He was also a visitor to the CABPRO offices every once in a while and we would have talks about property rights and the latest outrage the government was foisting on people who had land.  He would shake his head and say he was so disappointed in how the system controlling or trying to control us, had forgotten the reasons he and others had gone to war. 

If I am recalling correctly, Ken was also a painter.  I visited him and his wife at their home on Ridge Road and he took me around the house and showed me his handiwork.  He was prolific in his hobby and all the walls were covered with paintings!  He was a good painter from my recollection.

So, a real hero for freedom and property rights has passed on to heaven and Ken Smith will be missed.  Men like him still are out there and we should all say a prayer for Ken and his wife, they are the real freedom fighters. Ken Smith, you are missed, goodbye old friend.

Blue Ribbon Coalition added to sidebar

Way back in the early days of CABPRO we were looking around the state and nation for other like minded organizations and we came into contact with the BRC (http://www.sharetrails.org/)  among many others.  In 1993 as I recall, our Tahoe National Forest plan was still not approved (sued by eco groups for many years running) but it was one of many in America in the same boat.  Eco groups like the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council and all their legal arms were trying to gain more wilderness and keep people, at least everyone except their able bodied members it appeared, from being able to access the "public", i.e., taxpayers, property.  The BRC came into being in 1988 on that reason.

It seems the issues never change though and the drive to shutoff the taxpayers lands goes on without a break (just look at our energy lands shutoff).  The eco groups never give up and it was to my surprise the BRC was still out there fighting the eco groups attempts to limit our national forests to a few hikers.  The BRC represents recreationalists of all stripes, horseback riders, hikers, four wheelers, etc., and they have been successful over the years trying to keep the "public" lands available to the public, no matter what kind of fun you like.

When the American with Disabilities Act was passed and signed into law by the first President Bush, hidden inside the law was some exclusions to the anti-discriminatory rules that applied to all the rest of us in America.  While we as business owners were held to a total non discriminatory standard (and many have been sued for compliance by activists using the ADA), the federal government EXCLUDED THEMSELVES!

It was shocking the government and the eco groups in conjunction, said no one other than an able bodied person could access federal lands designated such as "wilderness" and some others.  So a taxpayer with a disability, who may need  a motorized wheel chair or other form of mechanized access to enjoy his/her lands, was unable to traverse them (even bicycles and horses!).   I believe these exclusions of a large segment of the people in the country are still there in the law. The disabled and elderly are  unable to access the lands their taxes pay for but over the years the BRC has fought the good fight to try and keep our "public" lands open to all.  They have a lawsuit branch and have used the same tactics as the Sierra Club and others to fight to keep access open rather than closed as the eco groups do all the time.

So check out their website and read some of the issues they fight for and maybe you can feel better that they are out their fighting to keep the public lands open to all.