My hearts been raked across burning coals

You feed upon the light that shines within my soul

My emotions fade and I grow cold

My memories are lies that you once told

Why does this happen to me

Oh why can't I ever break free

My souls been broken and bound

And the shattered pieces of my heart fell to the ground

I always seem to play the fool

I'm a broken man a fucking tool

What's left of my heart dies in your hands

As this hollow shell sinks into the sand

Why does this happen to me

Oh why can't I ever break free

My souls been broken and bound

And the shattered pieces of my heart fell to the ground

10) Who is most committed to follow and lead by the U.S. Constitution?

It's one thing to take the presidential oath of office, but who has the strongest track record of citing and standing by the Constitution?

James Madison, America's fourth president and regarded as the "Father of the Constitution," explained: "The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust."

Strictly following the Constitution includes restoring the 10th Amendment balance of power to our states and shifting solutions away from an "only government" savior (to which Obama committed early in his presidency) to encouraging local communities, agencies and neighborhoods across our nation to rally together, strategize and resurrect the golden rule in caring for their own, just as it was done in America's heyday.

9) Who has the greatest ability to rally, unify and mobilize citizens across political and societal spectrums?

Everything rises or falls on leadership, and it's the quintessential necessity in our next president because of the increasing political and social divisions (including class warfare) across our land and around our world.

I believe our country was duped to interpret our current president's charisma as leadership ability. Pitting political parties and polarizing social classes against one another isn't leadership. America's woes have been exacerbated by Obama's inexperience and lack of executive leadership, and our world also is suffering from it.

More than ever, we need a new president who has a proven track record to rally a team of Washington rivals, as well as a diversified American public and world. As I've written extensively in a previous article, I firmly believe that the candidate who extends a public invitation to all his GOP rivals to be a part of the same administration (to fight together) could start a chain reaction leading to his nomination and election.

8) Who has the best working comprehension of America?

John Adams, America's second president, said, "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy."

I believe a mastery of American history and politics is a must for any president, for it is a record of how others have led the country since its founding. The degree to which one comprehends America's ebbs and flows parallels one's proficiency to lead. As the adage goes, if one doesn't know history, he is doomed to repeat its mistakes.

Knowledge of other nations is essential, too, as it will determine how the next president moves America's chess pieces on a global scale.

7) Who has the best ability to influence a volatile world away from the brink of destruction?

These are dangerous times. Mexican cartels are clashing at our borders. Global terrorists have taken their jihad to the borderless Internet. China has become the new superpower. Global markets are bouncing up and down. The Arab Spring has sprung unrest across the Middle East. Syria is in utter turmoil. Egypt, Libya and now North Korea have unclear futures. Iran is determined to add nuclear energy to its arsenal, heightening its strained relations with the West. America is still in a war with extremists in Afghanistan. We're also in a new warless battle to quell violent uprisings back in Iraq.

Now is not the time for a political novice, wimp or sheepish patriot in the Oval Office. More than ever, we need a profoundly wise person like Thomas Jefferson, who moved along a flailing new republic while maneuvering a war with Tripoli, or like Ronald Reagan, who was savvy and tough enough to build up the economy while toppling the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall.

6) Who has clear and present moral fortitude?

For our Founding Fathers, moral fortitude was dependent upon the liberties of religion, not the laws of men. Samuel Adams was correct when he wrote in a 1749 essay, "Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."

Temptations are abundant when power is combined with position, and none is greater than the presidency. That is why it is mandatory that the next occupant of the White House demonstrate a life mastery over himself and the wiles of evil and corruption.

That doesn't mean the next president must be perfect, but he must be a moral model and have the ability to admit faults and learn from mistakes.

I believe what George Washington said: "A good moral character is the first essential in a man." But I also believe this Washington quote: "We must take human nature as we find it. Perfection falls not to the share of mortals."

Character is a pre-eminent qualification for leadership, but we must never penalize one's past in such a way that prevents him from progressing forward into a forgiven and fruitful future; lest we forget, some of the greatest national leaders in human history, such as King David of Israel, committed heinous acts of immorality.

Indeed, the real dilemma for many regarding this race for the GOP nomination is discerning whether to choose the unblemished and relatively inexperienced youthful shepherd in the field or the veteran of war who battled Goliath long ago but slung mud on his own face when doing so.

5) Who has the best chance of beating President Obama, in and outside of debates?

Providing the best and worthiest contender to enter the ring against Obama is critical because four more years of his reign certainly would bring the kiss of death to so much that we have held dear.

It is imperative that Obama's GOP rival be very polished and articulate, possess a comprehensive knowledge of America and the world, including societal and political ills and historical solutions, and be able to recall quickly Obama's failed solutions and promises.

As Thomas Jefferson once said, "I should consider the speeches of Livy, Sallust, and Tacitus, as pre-eminent specimens of logic, taste, and that sententious brevity which, using not a word to spare, leaves not a moment for inattention to the hearer. Amplification is the vice of modern oratory."

4) Who has the best abilities to lead Washington politics and politicians?

Leading in Washington is unlike leading in any other setting, political or otherwise. That is why I believe we need to be careful how we throw around the pejorative term "insider."

Is all Washington experience negative "insider" politics? Absolutely not. To be sure, one man's "insider" is another man's "expert." As Robert Frost once said, "you can be a rank insider as well as a rank outsider."

Though having a presidential "outsider" win the White House has its appeal, where does U.S. capital inexperience cross over to ineptness? And aren't most Washington "outsiders" at least somewhat restricted by their inexperience and unfamiliarity of the vast web of Washington workings?

Longevity in Washington has a tendency to create bad politicians, but we must remember that it also has the ability to refine its good ones. What's critical here is that the next president has not only a great working knowledge of Washington but also superior experience in getting things done there. Without that, he will spend a large part of the first term in office just learning the ropes and spinning his Washington wheels mastering the maze.

3) Who has the best plan and leadership ability to restore America's economy?

It's only half the battle that America's next president has a better economic plan than other candidates and the current administration, under whom the national debt has almost doubled at twice the speed than it did under President George W. Bush -- to more than $15 trillion -- and during which time the unemployment rate, though better than a year ago, has remained at a recession-level 8.5 percent (up from 7.8 percent when Obama took office).

The other half of the economic battle for the next president is that he must have much greater leadership skills to have his economic plan be accepted and come to fruition, especially in the midst of partisan polarities. I agree with William Cheney, chief economist at John Hancock Financial Services. He recently criticized the White House, saying it has "often failed to lead with enough vigor to overcome political obstacles."

2) Who is the most fiscally prudent?

This question is related to the previous one, but I believe it deserves solo attention because of the escalating crisis of our national debt and spending. America is drowning in debt, and Washington is on a runaway spending spree. And President Obama wants to increase the national debt ceiling by another trillion dollars?

As George Washington said, "to contract new debts is not the way to pay old ones." And as Jefferson said, "the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale." During his first campaign, even Obama himself called that type of fiscal management "irresponsible" and "unpatriotic."

We need to ask, Which candidate has the best track record for making fiscally prudent decisions, cutting what needs to be cut and (re)allocating investments to bring about the greatest yields? It's one thing to know what to cut but quite another to know where to invest, for solvency comes primarily from the former and growth from the latter. Our next president has to have a great track record for both.

1) Who has demonstrated the highest regard for human life?

Our president leads more than a nation; he leads one of the largest masses of human beings on the planet, and he also has influence over the remaining global majority. Therefore, it is imperative that he has an impeccably high view and value of humanity.

The Declaration of Independence affirms the value and rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" for all human beings -- something further secured in our Bill of Rights. How one values human life is reflected in one's adherence to America's founding tenets, as well as how one has treated others and where he stands on such issues as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, euthanasia, civil rights and capital punishment.

As Jefferson so eloquently put it, "the care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government." And therefore, it is the first and only legitimate object of good leadership, too.

- Chuck Norris

Bernard von NotHaus is the creator of the Liberty Dollar and co-founder of the Royal Hawaiian Mint Company. He created the Free Marijuana Church of Honolulu. Von NotHaus was labeled as a domestic terrorist by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2011.

According to the evidence introduced during the 2011 trial, von NotHaus was the founder of an organization called the National Organization for the Repeal of the Federal Reserve and Internal Revenue Code, commonly known as NORFED and also known as Liberty Services. The FBI claims that NORFED’s purpose was to mix Liberty Dollars into the current money of the United States and that NORFED intended for the Liberty Dollar to be used as current money in order to limit reliance on, and to compete with, United States currency.

In September 2006 U.S. Mint informed Liberty Dollar users that federal prosecutors had determined circulation of the medallions is a federal crime.

In 2007 about a dozen federal government agents seized nearly two tons of coins that featured the image of Ron Paul, a Texas congressman. They also took about 500 pounds of silver and 40 to 50 ounces of gold.

In connection with the Liberty Dollar business, a federal grand jury brought an indictment against von NotHaus and three others in May 2009, and von NotHaus was arrested on June 6, 2009. VonNotHaus was charged with one count of conspiracy to possess and sell coins in resemblance and similitude of coins of a denomination higher than five cents, and silver coins in resemblance of genuine coins of the United States in denominations of five dollars and greater, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 485, 18 U.S.C. § 486, and 18 U.S.C. § 371; one count of mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341 and 18 U.S.C. § 2; one count of selling, and possessing with intent to defraud, coins of resemblance and similitude of United States coins in denominations of five cents and higher, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 485 and 18 U.S.C. § 2; and one count of uttering, passing, and attempting to utter and pass, silver coins in resemblance of genuine U.S. coins in denominations of five dollars or greater, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 486 and 18 U.S.C. § 2.

On July 28, 2009, von NotHaus entered a plea of not guilty.[

On March 18, 2011, after a 90 minute jury deliberation Von NotHaus was found guilty on various counts, including the making of "counterfeit coins" (resembling legal tender coins). Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Anne M. Tompkins, described Bernard von NotHaus and the Liberty dollar as "a unique form of domestic terrorism” that is trying “to undermine the legitimate currency of this country.” The Justice Department press release quotes her as saying: “While these forms of anti-government activities do not involve violence, they are every bit as insidious and represent a clear and present danger to the economic stability of this country".

Now the only thing that this man did that the federal reserve doesn't do on a daily basis is make coins that actually had real worth to them, but he's sitting in prison while Bernanke sits fat and happy in his office. And people say there's nothing wrong with this country.

Nonviolence is a powerful as well as a just weapon. If you confront a man who has long been cruelly misusing you, and say, “Punish me, if you will; I do not deserve it, but I will accept it, so that the world will know I am right and you are wrong,” then you wield a powerful and a just weapon. This man, your oppressor, is automatically morally defeated, and if he has any conscience, he is ashamed. Wherever this weapon is used in a manner that stirs a community’s, or a nation’s, anguished conscience, then the pressure of public opinion becomes an ally in your just cause. 

Another of the major strengths of the nonviolent weapon is its strange power to transform and transmute the individuals who subordinate themselves to its disciplines, investing them with a cause that is larger than themselves. They become, for the first time, somebody, and they have, for the first time, the courage to be free.

Dr. Martin Luther King jr.

I don't want to leave you my friends

But it seems my time has come

Over and over I hear these words

And slowly I start to grow numb

I see the sadness in your eyes

It's a pain that you can't hide

I hear the sorrow in your voice

You seem to think I have a choice

But my time has come my friends

And I'm coming to my end

This is my final curtain call

I love you all

Don't think of this as the end

It's simply a new place to begin

To learn what's important in life

We must make a sacrifice

I see the sadness in your eyes

It's a pain that you can't hide

I hear the sorrow in your voice

You seem to think I have a choice

But my time has come my friends

And I'm coming to my end

This is my final curtain call

I love you all

WI judge declares that individuals have no fundamental right to own cows, drink raw milk

Thursday, September 29, 2011 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) After being petitioned for clarification about his decision in a recent legal case involving individuals freedom to consume raw milk and own "shares" of dairy cows, Judge Patrick J. Fiedler vehemently declared that individuals "do not have a fundamental right to consume the foods of their choice," and essentially reiterated his state's position that raw milk is simply off limits.

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), on behalf of Zinniker Family Farm in Elkhorn, Wi., and several other farms, filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) back on Feb. 25, 2010, asking it to clarify its interpretation of the law in regards to raw milk (http://www.ftcldf.org/litigation-wi...).

Wisconsin is among the most restrictive US states as far as raw milk is concerned. Raw milk sales to consumers are prohibited -- but private cow share agreements in which individuals purchase "shares" of their own cows, are exempted. However, due to the onslaught of raids in recent years against raw dairies, private raw milk buying clubs, and even raw milk cow share programs, the plaintiffs simply wanted to clarify Wisconsin's stance concerning these alternate forms of accessing raw milk.

And they got their answer. According to a recent report by The Complete Patient, Judge Fiedler believes that no individual has a "fundamental right" to consume any food without government permission. Even though the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution establishes that the government has no business interfering in the affairs of individuals outside of what has been specifically enumerated to it, which, of course, includes freedom of food choice, Judge Fiedler apparently believes otherwise.

To summarize Judge Fiedler's response, which was obviously written in an arrogant and condescending tone, individuals have no fundamental right to own or use dairy cows, to consume the milk from their own cows, to board their cows off their own property, or even to produce and consume the foods of their own choice, period.

Groups like FTCLDF will continue to challenge such illegal and unconstitutional restrictions against raw milk, particularly in individual states like Wisconsin where officials have illegally prohibited it. But individuals that value this priceless freedom must also also stand up and resist Big Brother's concerted assault against food freedom, no matter form it may take.