My sincere thanks to Scott County Supervisors Diane Holst and Brinson Kinzer for supporting recording Scott County Board meetings, making them accessible to everyone with a television or Internet access. They are taking the people’s side in cond...

Congress passed and in December the president signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without due process.

Upon quick inspection, it violates the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Founders must be screaming from their graves.

Iowa Senator Charles Grassley voted for it.

Federal court Judge Katherine Forrest issued a preliminary injunction that bars the government from enforcing section 1021 of the NDAA's "Homeland Battlefield" provisions that permits indefinite military detention of U.S. citizens.

At his Eldridge town-hall meeting, I asked the senator if he was aware that a federal judge overturned a portion of legislation he just voted for.

He was not.

As with most movements that threaten the status quo, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is being co-opted by that very status quo, under the guise of class warfare, in order to continue pitting Americans against each other.

This movement needs to focus on the big picture. The government facilitates the monopolies that corporations use to exercise their greed. And the Federal Reserve funds these elites' escapades - wars and welfare - with bailouts and inflationary money presses.

Protesters' anger should be directed at the Federal Reserve System, an unconstitutional banking cartel, and corporatism - the merging of big government and big business.

Ron Paul has pushed for an audit of the Fed. When America realizes the Fed creates the economic cycles that strip us of the hard-earned fruits of our labor and makes us poorer through the inflation tax, the Fed will be put out of business and we'll see the restoration of sound money.

OWS should take a look at OccupyTheFedNow.com to understand the real problem.

Mike Angelos
Davenport

I am mortified. I was recently ejected from two local Michele Bachmann public events.

Why? Because I passed out a flyer comparing her voting record to that of the only other member of Congress vying for the GOP presidential nomination, Congressman Ron Paul. It listed votes on economy and spending, privacy and constitutionally protected rights, health care, and military. And it asked: "Which candidate honors their oath of office and obeys the Constitution?"

Fight Bad Laws

On Tuesday, a Scott County deputy pulled up behind me as I stopped at a local restaurant. He gave me a written warning for not wearing my seatbelt after checking my license and proof of insurance.

After I signed the written warning, I asked the deputy if he thought this was a good law. His response: "Yes, because it saves lives."

I told him: "If we could put a cop in everyone's car, that would also save lives." Or, we could outlaw cars; that would save lives.