[...]... majority has the authority to redefine rights Political leaders today are more interested in opinion polls than they are in the Constitution and freedom principles Any event of importance is quickly analyzed by a poll, which the politician takes to heart 3 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 and responds to in an appropriate way Keeping up with computer assessments of the people's superficial feelings has... continued erosion and com- 13 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 plete destruction of our once-free society The twentieth century has been characterized by the diminishing importance of the individual and the rising importance of the collective Prosperity, a wonderful benefit of a free society that we continue to enjoy, has numbed our senses, hindering the motivation required to understand the relationship... break the law for any reason Constitutionalists who understand the corrupt nature of our monetary system are likely targets of an aggressive Justice Department, although the litigants are nonaggressive as they practice civil disobedience in seeking favorable court rulings Resisters to draft registration have been too numerous to prosecute 19 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 The vocal opponents, those... He maintains that all are important but that the ultimate protection of our liberty must be placed in the hands 23 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 of our peers His "Essay on the Trial by jury" (1852) deserves close study by all twentieth-century students concerned about the future of freedom in America The concept of protecting individual rights from the heavy hand of government through the common-law... and freedom, are unaware of another system By writing regulations with the force of law and administrative justice, interpretations, and enforcement of these laws, the judiciary “rulers" have made a mockery of Article 1, Section 1 of the Constitution Whether it's in the regular courts or the administrative courts, judges who grew up under the welfare ethic, rarely concern themselves with 25 Freedom Under. .. call the plays In real life, only the government calls the plays America's $10 billion pornographic industry involves the coercive and violent use of children This industry thrives, while the 7 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 numbers of hungry and unemployed steadily rise A nation without standards will see such industries thrive while farmers go bankrupt, oil wells are turned off, and steel mills... anyone concerned about freedom Madison warned us: 8 It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read or so incoherent that they cannot be understood Madison would be apoplectic if he had been forced to witness the writing of the 2,000-page 1986 Tax "Simplification" Act, which no one fully understands A decade... Thomas Paine's reaction might have been to such an absurdity? It is inconceivable that the Constitution was intended to protect life and property in this manner Today a defect in a product is not 9 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 required for a successful suit, only the claim that an accident could have been prevented by a specific warning Common sense is no longer recognized as something we should.. .Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 Has America become known for lies? Our presidents lie about foreign affairs while secretly carrying out activities never approved by Congress Scientists falsify records for... The individual, throughout this century, has suffered greatly from this dramatic change in attitude The individual who dares to demand to be left alone and to assume responsibility for himself 15 Freedom Under Siege – Ron Paul, 1988 becomes a criminal Amish farmers have been arrested for not paying social security taxes, though they sought no aid from the government Any independence from government welfare . Constitution and freedom principles. Any event of importance is quickly analyzed by a poll, which the politician takes to heart Freedom Under Siege – Ron. unique experiment in freedom. Today the free society that the Founders envisaged is barely identifiable. America is no longer a bastion of freedom. prevailing