We are

becoming a nation of rule by mantra.

If you say

it loudly enough, keep saying it long enough and -

even better - get crisis-hungry radio and TV hacks

to say it for you, it's accepted as truth without regard

for such stumbling blocks as facts and proof.

Sadly, the

result of this dumbing down of our no-longer-skeptical

population often is the removal or weakening of our

individual freedoms. You know, the ones that hundreds of

thousands of our fellow citizens have given their lives

for.

I mentioned

a couple of weeks ago the stampede of unsupported,

automatically accepted prattle concerning guns.

"Children are being killed by guns. If you oppose

the removal or infringement upon the right of law-abiding

citizens to bear arms, then you are in favor of more

children being killed by guns."

That

argument just leaves out one small fact: in places where

people have more individual freedom to own guns, there is

less gun violence, not more.

Now those

of us who dare to stand up to the juggernaut federal

Environmental Protection Agency, as it builds for itself

a power base independent of any control by our elected

representatives, apparently are in favor of letting old

people die of respiratory diseases and children suffer

from asthma.

The

argument goes like this:

EPA -

"We are EPA. Resistance is futile. The number of

asthma cases in your region is increasing, and we believe

it is because you drive SUVs to the grocery store.

Therefore we will set up layer after layer of appointed

agencies that will essentially take over your local

governments. If you want to paint a yellow stripe on one

of your streets, you must first ask the ARC, which in

turn must ask the GRTA, which in turn must ask us, the

EPA. If you want to control growth in your county, and

designate certain areas as off limits to high-density

development, you must first ask the ARC, etc."

John Q.

Citizen - "Hold on, there. Is there any

scientific evidence that children are getting asthma

because we turned down an apartment complex on Highway

85?"

EPA -

"We are EPA. Resistance is futile. You hate children

and old people and want to destroy, rape and pillage

Mother Earth. Therefore we will withhold all federal

funding from you."

JQC -

"Wait a minute. Didn't those federal funds come out

of my own pocket to begin with? How can you withhold my

own money from me?"

EPA -

"That is money that you were lucky enough to receive

at the expense of the poor and sick, but it has been

confiscated for the good of society. Resistance is

futile."

JQC -

"Let's get back to science. What is the evidence

that air quality is bad here, and what is the evidence

that it will get better if we give control of our local

governments to people we didn't elect?"

EPA -

"We have monitored the air, and it has

particulates."

JQC -

"How many particulates?"

EPA -

"We're not saying."

JQC -

"Well, how many particulates does it take to cause

asthma?"

EPA -

"We're not saying."

JQC:

"How did you arrive at the scientific conclusions

you are using to take over our governments?"

EPA -

"We're not saying."

JQC -

"And wouldn't it be better if you submitted your

data to the scientific community so that your conclusions

could be debated? In fact, hasn't the Atlanta area always

had more than its share of respiratory problems, even

before we had any industry and before there were

cars?"

EPA -

"Silence, baby killer! We are EPA. You will be

assimilated. Resistance is futile."

A bit

fanciful, I admit, but not one bit inaccurate. I'm

convinced nothing will satisfy EPA short of complete,

iron-fisted control over our elected representatives and

our economy, thus our very lives.

Currently,

there are only two organizations with the power to reign

in this out-of-control federal agency: the Congress and

the U.S. Supreme Court.

Congress

apparently doesn't have the political will to stand up to

the barrage of hate speak from the power mongers at EPA

and their accomplices in the media. The Supreme Court

currently is deciding whether EPA should be forced to

submit its data to independent scientists in cases

similar to Atlanta's.

If the

court caves and Congress doesn't find its courage,

freedom is done for in this country.