The Free View-- weblog of a presidential candidate

Fed up and fighting back

When I read the story about the rounded up Muslims from a couple days ago on the BBC's web site, I had a small amount of hope that it was a false report. I hadn't seen any other sources, which allowed me to cling loosely to that hope.

No dice.

LA Times:

Hundreds Are Detained After Visits to INS
Thousands protest arrests of Mideast boys and men who complied with order to register.

INS Arrest Numbers Inflated, U.S. Says
Officials accuse groups of exaggerating figures involving immigrants from Muslim countries.

Reuters via ABCNews.com:

Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.

Orange County Register:

Arrests amid INS effort spark ire
Middle Easterners, Muslims express anger, fear as they try to comply with federal program.

FoxNews:

Families of Jailed Middle Eastern Immigrants Say Rights Violated

SF Chronicle:

Iranians furious over INS arrests
Abuse alleged after men agreed to register in L.A.

ACLU:

ACLU Calls Immigrant Registration Program Pretext for Mass Detentions

WASHINGTON – In a development that confirms the American Civil Liberties Union’s initial fears about a controversial immigrant fingerprinting and registration program, the Immigration and Naturalization Service is apparently using the program as a pretext for the mass detention of hundreds of Middle Eastern and Muslim men and boys.

I'm really getting about fed up with all this police state nonsense.

Seriously...the federal government has stepped over the line so many times in the past year+ that it seems to be forgetting that there ever was a line at all. Selectively clamping down on people because of their nationality and gender; arresting people who show up to cooperate with the law under the guise of the war on terror; strip-searching people for overstaying their visas. All of that at once, no less.

Welcome to fucking America. Pardon my language, but I'm really pissed. I'd be dishonest if I said it any other way, because that's just what's going through my mind.

The key, I think, is that we must redouble our efforts with each new gross violation of liberty that the warriors on terror commit. Tomorrow, I'm going to call 5 local Libertarian Party leaders and convince them to start Bill of Rights Defense Committees in their areas. And on Monday, I'm going to call 10 more.

You wanna go, Bush Administration? You want to take my country away? You just keep pushing and pushing and pushing...assuming, I presume, that we're just going to roll over and take it. Well, you're wrong. I know a little about the power of the people, and the power of the people is greater than the power of government. So, you wanna go? Fine. Bring it on. I'm not afraid of you.

To quote Ice-T:

You try to keep us runnin'
And runnin' faster
But I ain't runnin' from ya
I'm runnin' at ya

If you're pissed off like I am, why not join the fight? Go to the Libertarian Party's State Directory, find your state, and pick 5 or 10 county Chairs to call. Or find a campus group. Call them up, let them know about the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and urge them to put one together in their area. Tell them to call me if they want (530-274-2474), or e-mail me,and I'll talk them through it. I'm a county LP Chair in Nevada County, CA. Or if Green is more your flavor, find some local Green Party groups and do the same thing. They can call me too -- I like working with Greens.

Better yet, start a local BORDC on your own. You can do most of it on the phone and at your computer, and before you know it you'll have a coalition of people willing to help out.

The Bill of Rights Defense Committee movement is a winner. It's smart, effective, and relatively easy. It will continue to grow, and it will inevitably reach a critical mass that can't be ignored. And it will raise mad amounts of awareness in the process. The BORDC is going to be in the history books -- mark my words.

Wouldn't it be nice to take part in real-deal history-making? Well, then get on board, 'cuz it's on.