Let’s chalk one up, although temporary, for the America that believe in laws and the legal process. Just moments ago, the lawsuit filed by the Federal Government denouncing parts of the new SB1070 legislation in Arizona also known as the new Immigration Law or the “Papers Please” law, was temporarily struck down by a judge hearing the case.

Az Governor - Jan Brewer

According to the Federal Government's argument, if Arizona were to carry out certain aspects of the new legislation where police officers had the authority to determine who was illegal as is required by the legislation, then that would obstruct Federal Law and cause problems for legal citizens. The judge in the case, Susan Bolton agrees with this argument, saying;

“Requiring police in Arizona to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens, because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked. Given the large number of people who are technically arrested but never booked into jail or perhaps even taken to a police station, detention time for this category of arrestee will certainly be extended. Requiring these people to prove their immigration status to the satisfaction of state authorities will unnecessary burden them, including some United States citizens.” (continue reading...)

Bobby Jindal is a piece of, ... work. He has been among the most vocal critics of the Obama administration in reference to the Oil eruption happening in the Gulf of Mexico. He goes on television to make his disgust of the government and BP known to the world, then writes a letter to President Obama asking for more drilling. This dude is simple amazing!

Gov. Bobby Jindal

And people were fooled too. They watched Mr. Jindal on TV and heard his frantic cries for the government and BP to "act responsibly" or "get out of our way."

Mr. Jindal pleaded with the federal government to not "make excuses for BP". He goes on to say that "everyday they wait, everyday they make us wait, we're loosing our battle to protect our coast."

However, while that firey speech was being made, Mr. Jindal was also busy penning a letter to President Obama, asking the president to allow drilling to continue off the coast of Louisiana.

In the letter dated June 2nd, 2010, Bobby Jindal, referring to the president's decision to suspend all off shore drilling until better security procedures are enacted,  said;

l am writing to express my grave concerns regarding the severe economic  impact of a six-month

(or longer) suspension of activity at 33 previously permitted deepwater drilling rigs in the Gulf

of Mexico. including and in particular the 22 deepwater drilling rigs currently in operation off

the Louisiana coast.

During one of the most challenging economic periods in decades, the last thing we need is to enact public policies that will certainly destroy thousands of existing jobs while preventing the creation of thousands more.

President Obama, on a televised interview with Larry King expressed his concern on lifting the moratorium on deep water off shore drilling, saying that until we know what caused this present BP disaster and until specific measures are in place to prevent or deal with another such disaster in the future, lifting the moratorium will not be a wise decision.

The image however, was already burned into the minds of the voters in Louisiana. They saw the concern governor in Bobby Jindal who was pounding his fists and criticizing the federal government of not helping them. They saw a man who was calling for BP to be held responsible and this made them feel that someone was fighting for them.

What they didn't see was Bobby Jindal's request for more drilling, despite the fact that the very same disaster could happen off their coast again if changes are not in place.

For Bobby Jindal, image is everything and everything is re-election.

View his letter to the President

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Related articles

• Bobby Jindal Asks Obama To Put Deepwater Drilling, BP Wells Back Online (huffingtonpost.com)
• Obama Says Gulf Communities Will Be 'Made Whole' After Spill (businessweek.com)
• Can the Gulf Coast still be saved? (thegrio.com)

“Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so;

Franklin D Roosevelt

Or Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence;

Or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof - Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.”

This is the law of the land. A law called The Smith Act of 1940.

Proposed by Congressman Howard D Smith of Virginia, and signed into law by Franklin D Roosevelt, this law, which is still on the books, made it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence.

The law made it a crime for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises, or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association.

When we look at this law, and we look at what's going on today in the conservative media, it's easy to see where Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Lou Dobbs, Michele Bachmann and many of the other right winged media personalities, are breaking this law.

Since this president took office in January of 2009, it's been a daily aim on their part to preach lies, mis-information, and bigotry, in a willful and apparent effort to cause one or a group of their listeners to do whatever they deem necessary to "take their country back."

From Glenn Beck's calling the President racist and his recent statements on radio that the Democrats in congress are "asking to be shot," Michele Bachmann's constant lies about the government wanting you to fill out the census so that they can put us in Concentration camps, to Rush Limbaugh dehumanizing the president, wishing for the president to fail, and saying that “the president of the United States, Barack Obama, is destroying the United States economy.” These are just some of the constant daily intentional statements that are made about the government of The United States of America. And they are made with one intent, to cause disruption to the government by advocating individuals or groups to "take back their country."

Now there are those who are smart enough to know that these political commentators are just entertainers, and that the statements they make are not to be taken to heart. But the purpose of these statements are not for the smart ones, but for those who may have already had a pre conceived notion of the government, and thus, are easily led when these spoken words fall in line with their beliefs.

We have already seen pockets of these words bearing fruit in the manifestation of the Fort Hood shooting, the IRS plane crash in Texas, The Pentagon shooting, and others like Richard Andrew Poplawsk, a 22-year-old charged in the worst police shooting in the modern history of Pittsburgh, because he thought the government would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry. This message of “The Government will take away your guns,” is preached by Glenn Beck on his television and radio show.

“Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; shall be fined and or imprisoned."

There are those who will argue the First Amendment, and that it protects these commentators and their lies through the Freedom of Speech clause. However, there is already precedent where the Supreme Court, in it’s review of Dennis V The United States, sided with the Smith Act. Chief Justice Vinson’s opinion found a clear and present danger test. It states, that if the government found clear evidence that the intent is to cause it harm, then this is ground to suppress freedom of Speech.

Justice Vinson said;

''If, then, this interest may be protected, the literal problem which is presented is what has been meant by the use of the phrase 'clear and present danger' of the utterances bringing about the evil within the power of Congress to punish. Obviously, the words cannot mean that before the Government may act, it must wait until the putsch is about to be executed, the plans have been laid and the signal is awaited. If Government is aware that a group aiming at its overthrow is attempting to indoctrinate its members and to commit them to a course whereby they will strike when the leaders feel the circumstances permit, action by the Government is required.''

This is the law.

There are those who have already acted on the words of these commentators. People have already died. And if nothing is done, the trend will continue and will get worse.

There are those who can discern truth from lies, and knows that what these media personalities are doing is politically driven. But there are also those who listen, and look for validity. They want to know that someone share their views, regardless of how far-reaching those views are. They will listen to these commentators, and take suggestions like “take back your country” seriously. They will arm themselves with guns and attack the pentagon, or they will board planes and drive into government buildings. They will hear words like, “the government is coming to take your guns,” and feel they must act, by killing government officials like police officers.

There must be a time where we all stop, and look around us and take responsibility for the inciting words that come out, especially when your audience includes millions, of all types and persuasions. And if we choose not to stop, then we must be expected to abide by the laws of the land. And accept the consequences of our actions when we intentionally, on a daily basis, break those laws.