Ron Paul, Doug Bandow and other anti-war conservatives are often labeled “appeasers” by neoconservatives because they want to close down U.S. military bases in foreign countries and bring our troops home to defend us here. The label “appeaser” is not an argument; it is a fallacy (e.g., ad hominem, ad populum – especially since this one was a Nazi favorite for inciting race hatred against the Jews – ad baculum and ad ignorantiam) perpetrated by zombies like the one who keeps interviewing Tom Woods about his new book “Nullification.”
But as we have pointed out on this blog, terrorists don’t hate us because we’re free. If they did, surely we have given them enough reasons since 9/11 to stop hating us. And that is what this post is about. Note well that it is the neoconservatives – those jackbooted liberals who became disenchanted with the political left, and so joined the political right – those neoconservatives are the ones who simultaneously claim that terrorists hate America because we’re free on the one hand, and who steal our freedoms every chance they get on the other hand. Think about it. If terrorists hate us because we’re free, the U.S. federal government – under Republican and Democrat administrations – has made a tremendous effort since 9/11 to give the terrorists what they want: an un-free America:
- Congress has been trying for years to pass “net neutrality” legislation that would give the federal government the authority to regulate the internet. Now, the Disclose Act is about to be passed in order to effectively limit what can be said during political campaigns. So much for the 1st Amendment.
- After Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard arrived and began going door to door in New Orleans – even stopping cars attempting to leave the city, confiscating guns. So much for the 2nd Amendment.
- The same ABC News story cited above mentions the fact that a National Guard unit broke into a church to make it their temporary quarters and had to leave a note because they couldn’t find the pastor to ask permission. Don’t be surprised to see more violations of the 3rd Amendment.
- Americans no longer have a right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, thanks to the warrantless wiretapping authorized in the Patriot Act. Bid the 4th Amendment farewell.
- On February 3rd 2010, Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence claims that the federal government can – and will – target American citizens for assassination, if the government believes those citizens are a terrorist threat. Hopefully the government will never make a mistake about who qualifies as a terrorist. See also these instances of police brutality. So much for the 5th Amendment.
- The Military Commissions Act of 2006 allowed Bush, and now Obama, to arrest American citizens and hold them indefinitely without trial. See also these instances of police brutality. There goes the 6th Amendment.
- The right to a trial by jury is also violated by the presumption of Dennis Blair (see above). See also these instances of police brutality. Say goodbye to the 7th Amendment.
- Though we will never know if this happens, the combination of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 – which allows American citizens to be imprisoned indefinitely without trial – the announcement by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair – that American citizens can be targeted for assassination – and the existence of secret prisons where the CIA waterboards (read: tortures) people – could all add up to mean that American citizens can expect to be tortured. See also these instances of police brutality. So much for the 8th Amendment.
- The list of violations of the 9th Amendment is simply too long to list here. The government mentality is that individual people do not have rights unless the government specifically gives those rights to them.
- The new health care bill is a perfect example of a violation of the 10th Amendment. The Constitution says nothing at all about health care. The 10th Amendment says that the Constitution’s silence on health care means that health care is the jurisdiction of the states or of individuals.
So if terrorists hate us because we are free, then neoconservatives like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Barack Obama have given the terrorists exactly what they wanted: a less free America. They are truly the appeasers.
