I have been developing an interest in the lives and ways of the Natives American prior to 1492 and the ongoing European expansion thereafter. It is fascinating to see that the Native tribes were perhaps the greatest example of decentralized government, cooperative living, free trade, and individual liberty. I am still working on finding in-depth research on the topic, but this bit from Encyclopedia is well worth reading and certainly piqued my interest. I highlighted some of the main parts about government and trade toward the bottom of the paragraph:

Cooperation. In some areas Archaic Indians began to reside together in greater numbers. They also began to exhibit sophisticated coordination in their hunting and gathering expeditions. For example, archeologists have discovered evidence of the jump-kill technique of hunting, in which large numbers of hunters worked together as a unit to force large game over cliffs to their deaths. Similarly, in the Southwest groups of hunters constructed corrals to trap game. Some groups in the eastern half of North America also used the technique of controlled burning to revive the plants and deer population of the forests of their environment. The new growth that emerged after a clearing fire provided fresh supplies of fruits, berries, nuts, leaves, and roots. Not only did this new growth augment the Archaic peoples’ vegetable diet, it also attracted deer. As a result the deer population expanded in the areas recently cleared by the controlled burning. These processes, which made hunting more productive, was another indication that the relationships between unrelated Indian peoples were becoming more complicated. Several other cooperative efforts emerged during this era. For instance, as Archaic people became more sedentary in some areas, they demonstrated a greater interest in how they disposed of the corpses of the deceased. In other words some Archaic peoples began to spend more time and effort on group mortuary rites. Coordinated trade efforts throughout many parts of North America also began during this period. The development of trade routes between native groups allowed innovations, ideas, and methods to be spread around the continent. Individual native groups developed distinctive religious beliefs, and traders spread these beliefs along the trade networks. Knowledge about agricultural production also began to be passed up from Mexico into North America during the late Archaic era. Social organization was thus becoming somewhat more complicated than it had been during the Paleolithic period. However, formal political organization continued to be quite limited. Archaic Indians apparently did not make class or status distinctions between themselves for political or social purposes. They also did not centralize political power into the hands of dominant leaders. Instead decisions probably continued to be made with the participation of the entire adult community through consultation and consensus.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/do…..00087.html

This is frightening. This really makes one question the monopoly role of the FDA and the government to determine what is okay to put inside our own bodies. Whether it’s marijuana, raw milk, or herbal remedies, it is not something for the government to have its nose in. It’s my body and I’ll take responsibility for it.

Two stores in northeast Kansas that sell the herbal blend drug K2 were served with federal warrants Thursday and one store owner was arrested.

The Sacred Journey, 1103 Massachusetts St., had its doors closed Thursday and wasn’t letting customers inside. Eye-witnesses confirmed seeing people inside the store putting items in boxes.

Lydia Shontz, an employee at The Sacred Journey, said she arrived to open the store at about 10 a.m. and found the alarms going off and officers with the Food and Drug Administration and police in the store with a search warrant.

Shontz said it looked like they had been there for several hours before she arrived.

Shontz said the officers took her and another employee to the Lawrence Police Department to inquire about K2, how much K2 the store sells and employees at the store. She also said the officers asked about whether the store was selling salvia divinorum, a hallucinogen outlawed in the state in April 2008.

A bill banning K2 is currently circulating through the state, but the drug has not yet been banned.

Shontz said the police told her the search warrant allowed the FDA to confiscate anything that the organization deems as being sold as a drug in the store. She said the FDA saw K2 as a drug, rather than the herbal blend it’s sold as in the store.

…

Bouncing Bear Botanicals, a website that sells herbs, entheogens, and K2, was also served with a federal search warrant Thursday morning. The warehouse facility for the website is located in Oskaloosa.

Ryan Vanchieri works in shipping at the company’s headquarters. He said officers from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, FDA and Jefferson County sheriffs detained, handcuffed, searched and questioned employees. He said they searched computer files and seized business property.

“They were really nice about it,” Vanchieri said. “But they were stealing private property.”

http://www.kansan.com/news/201…..erbs/?news

Very good article from Jake Towne. Why on earth does the U.S. maintain thousands of troops in peaceful countries? What gave the U.S. police power over the entire world? Many individuals and nations resent the power the U.S. has given itself and it is time that American citizens wake up and recognize the dangers of such a foreign policy.

The DoD report reveals:

• America has military personnel in 147 countries.
• There are 194 states in the world, so therefore we have troops in 76% of all countries on the planet.
• The size of America’s armed forces is 1,402,227 soldiers.
• 476,039 of these troops, or 34% are stationed overseas. 15% of our troops are engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• 54,974 soldiers are based in Germany, although WWII ended 64 years ago.
• 34,039 soldiers are based in Japan, although WWII ended 64 years ago.
• 24,655 soldiers are based in South Korea as technically this “police action” that resulted in the deaths of 36,516 Americans and the wounding of 92,134. In my opinion, the greatest barrier to peace with North Korea is the presence of these soldiers.
• We have 0 troops and bases in Vietnam, and get along with their nation fairly well, considering 58,159 were killed and 303,635 wounded during that “police action.”

The 2008 DoD military “Base Structure Report” reveals:

• America’s DoD is “one of the world’s largest “landlords” possessing 545,714 buildings, 5,429 bases, spanning 29.8 million acres of land. (p3/205)
• 761 bases, or 14%, are located on foreign soil. (p23/205)
• 12 of the 111 bases designated as “large” are located on foreign soil. (p33/205)
• However, reading the remainder of the report reveals that bases in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel are not listed, so both number of bases and “large” bases are too low.

Over 5,000 soldiers have died in Iraq and Afghanistan for the War of Terror. (source)

Furthermore, CBS and the military revealed that 18 veterans commit suicide per day during the 8-year Global War on Terror, resulting in an estimated 46,000 deaths. (source)

Time Magazine asked several days ago “Why Are Army Recruiters Killing Themselves?“

The DoD stated its total spending in 2009 will be $617 Billion. (p7/26)

However, the data put together by War Resisters League appears to be closer to reality. They demonstrate that America will spend $1,449 Billion on our military during 2009. They estimate the War of Terror has cost $990 Billion.

Check out the rest here: http://www.nolanchart.com/arti…..e6271.html