Yes, it is that time of the decade again. Beware, the 2010 Census Taker (CT) , now happening in your neighborhood, albeit a year early. And something new has been added. The CT is armed with a GPS unit to log the GPS coordinates for your front door. Why? This has all the earmarks of the USDA wanting to tag every animal in America with an RFID chip. What’s next? RFID chips for people? It sounds even more like gun registration, or Obama’s desire, under a National Health Care System, to put your medical records on the Internet. To the government, you are just a numbered idiot.

The Constitution of the United States only mentions the census as an “enumeration” in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3:  ”…..The actual ‘Enumeration’ shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”.

Obviously, the question arises, what was meant by an ”enumeration” in the minds of the framers and how much information should be requested in such “enumeration”?  The dictionary defines “enumeration” as, to ascertain the “number” of, as in a count, or a head count in the case of a census.  A “head” count folks, not all-encompassing, data-farming by an intrusive, arrogant government, out to collect everything and anything they can get, on every free American citizen in America.   Welcome to the U. S. Gulag 2010.  Or is this America’s version of Auschwitz, Dachau, or Buchenwald, where the inmates have numbers tatooed on their arms.  GPS coordinates, RFID chips, or tatooes, what’s the difference?

And no matter what the government says, or the stiff fines and penalties it imposes on census takers to not reveal the information they collect, we all know about laptop computers being lost or stolen, containing hundreds of thousands of records of sensitive information about American citizens.  We all know about census employees digging into to census data, to get the goods on prominent people, yes and even Barack Hussein Obama.

As a historical perspective, we have excerpted the following information from the Constitution Online Website.

“There was actually some debate about whether how and on what time table a census should have been held.  In early 1790, several Congressmen argued against a census prior to the next election. Some in the Congress, who advocated an immediate census, noted that those who did not want one were the people from states which were generally regarded as being over-represented in the Congress based on the initial figures provided for in the Constitution.  Others were concerned about the questions to be asked in the census, while others felt that more questions should be asked to get a better picture of the citizenry.”

“For example, on February 2, 1790, Samuel Livermore of New Hampshire lamented that the question about profession would be hard for his constituents to answer, since some had three or four professions, depending on the season.  Connecticut Representative Theodore Sedgwick, on the same day, wondered why the questions were not extended further -  ‘The state of society could be ascertained, perhaps, in some degree, by observing [the] proportions.’”

“The final bill, Statute 2 of March 1, 1790, provided that census marshals be appointed, directed to ’cause the number of the inhabitants within their respective districts to be taken; omitting in such enumeration Indians not taxed, and distinguishing free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, from all others; distinguishing also the sexes and colours of free persons, and the free males of sixteen years and upwards from those under that age.’   The act directed that the names of the heads of families be recorded, the number of white males sixteen and older, the number of white males under sixteen, the number of white females, the number of all other free persons, and the number of slaves.  Failure of an assistant marshal to make a return, or to make a false return, was punishable by a $200 fine.  Failure of a marshal to do the same was punishable by up to an $800 fine.  The questions about profession, and other information Representative Sedgwick spoke of, were not made part of the final census.  Census day was set at the first Monday in August, 1790.  Failure to cooperate with a marshal or assistant was punishable by a $20 fine.”

“Today, the controlling law for the U.S. Census is Title 13 of the U.S. Code.  There is a lot of census data collected in the United States today, such as economic figures, sales and production figures, and agricultural statistics.  Still, the head count is the only part of the census that is called for by the Constitution.  The code for the enumeration can be found in 13 USC 141.  In this code, the census is directed to be taken in 1980 and every ten years thereafter, and that the count is to be taken on April 1. The returns must be completed within nine months for use in apportionment of representatives.  The code also specifies a mid-decade census be taken in 1985 and every ten years thereafter.  This count need not be a head count (sampling may be used) though the data cannot be used for apportionment.”

The congress has passed laws regarding the refusal to submit to the census, or issuing false statements on a census form.  Civil penalties for violation of this law are delineated in Title 13 USC, Chapter 7, Subchapter II, Paragraph 221 as follows:

(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.

(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.

What should be noted here is that, in practice, the federal government has not been enforcing the penalty on a citizen’s failure to respond to the census.  So even if you don’t respond, the chances are, nothing will happen.   Nevertheless, we are suggesting that, whether you get the long or the short form, only give the names of the individuals in your household, their ages and your address, nothing else.  A simple head count is all that is required by the Constitution.  This author has done that for years and has never been fined, or even contacted by a census taker.

And one other thing.  To let a real live census taker on your property is an invitation for them to collect huge volumes of data about you and your property, including your GPS coordinates.  Why does the Federal Government need your GPS coordinates anyway?  They already have your address.

Your property line is your first line of defense against a tyrannical government and their agents.  So we further recommend that you install NO TRESPASSING signs on your property, with a special note to census takers, KEEP OUT!  Our organization has one of the most powerful, legally intimidating signs in America.  Rural or urban, we encourage you to check them out at http://www.narlo.org/sign.html.  Well over 1,000 of our signs have been sold nationwide.  Orders for new signs continue to come in, almost every day.

The fact is, that every year, government, at every level, gets more intrusive in all of our lives, motivated by socialists, radical environmentalists and the one-world-order crowd.  It is way past time to resist these unconstitutional advances by government to control everything we do, where we work, what we drive, how we live, the temperature in our homes, or even how we spend our money.  Remember this!  As free American citizens, it is none of their damn business.  They have no constitutional authority to do what they are doing with the 2010 census and the volumes of data they are collecting.  Resist!  Resist!  Resist!

Americans are not robots (well most of them aren’t).  They are supposed to be free-thinking, independent, educated, self-reliant, responsible and free individuals of the United States of America.  Let’s hope they start acting like it.

Do you want to get a little American inspiration?  Listen to our new patriotic song.

© Copyright April 21, 2009 - All Rights Reserved

~ The Author ~
Ron Ewart is the President of The National Association of Rural Landowners and may reached for comment via email at r.ewart@comcast.net.

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