John W. Whitehead

“Once the principle is established that the government can arrest and jail protesters… officials will use it to silence opposition broadly.” ~ Heather Cox Richardson, historian You can’t have it both ways. You can’t live in a constitutional republic if you allow the government to act like a police state. You can’t claim to value … Continue reading “When Dissent Becomes a Crime: The War on Political Speech Begins”

“He sees you when you’re sleeping He knows when you’re awake He knows when you’ve been bad or good So be good for goodness’ sake!” ~ “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” You’d better watch out – you’d better not pout – you’d better not cry – ‘cos I’m telling you why: this Christmas, it’s … Continue reading “You’d Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Is Making a List, and You’re on It”

“Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference… The Thought Police would get him just the same… the arrests invariably happened at night… In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your … Continue reading “Warrantless Surveillance Makes a Mockery of the Constitution”

“We are rapidly entering the age of no privacy, where everyone is open to surveillance at all times; where there are no secrets from government.” ~ William O. Douglas, dissenting in Osborn v. United States (1966) The government wants us to believe that we have nothing to fear from its mass spying programs as long … Continue reading “The White House Goes Rogue: Secret Surveillance Program Breaks All the Laws”

“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.” ~ President Harry S. Truman Ever since Martin … Continue reading “How the Government Weaponizes Surveillance To Silence Its Critics”

“Autocrats only understand one word: no, no, no. No you will not take my country, no you will not take my freedom, no you will not take my future… A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never be able to ease the people’s love of liberty. Brutality will never grind down the will of … Continue reading “Endless Wars Are the Enemy of Freedom”

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes… known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom … Continue reading “Endless Wars Are the Enemy of Freedom”

This is an issue that all Democrats, Republicans, independents, Libertarians should be extremely concerned about, especially because we don’t have to guess about where this goes or how this ends. What characteristics are we looking for as we are building this profile of a potential extremist, what are we talking about? Religious extremists, are we … Continue reading “The Government’s War on Domestic Terrorism Is a Trap”

“What’s been most striking to me is just how one-sided the rules are when Americans take on their own government…. It has been dismaying to learn the extent to which rules and laws shield the government from accountability for its abuses – or even lawbreaking…. It’s been a long and frightening lesson…. The rules seem … Continue reading “The System Is Rigged: Qualified Immunity Is How the Police State Stays in Power”

When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. – John Lennon Brace yourselves. There is something being concocted in … Continue reading “This Is Not a Revolution. It’s a Blueprint for Locking Down the Nation”