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We The People Network
The People's Network for Change
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Support the Lakotah Peoples Struggle for Independence!
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Read
Spiritual People
Living in the New Millennium
Part I Part II (coming soon)
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"it is
their right, it is their duty to throw off such government,
& to provide new guards for their future security."
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The
People's Pledge of Allegiance
I do
solemnly swear allegiance to my family, my neighbors, my community, and
my planet.
I fully
understand that We the People's
authority over
government comes from the Declaration of Independence, not the
Constitution. The Constitution
is a framework that We the People created and use to control
government, not for the government to control the people.
I fully understand that We the People are popular sovereigns, and that
We the People have ultimate authority over our government. The people's
rights are
natural rights, declared to the world in our Declaration of
Independence; whereas the government exists on privilege, on authority
delegated to it by We the People.
I will support
those government
officials that honor their Sworn Oath of Office to support and defend the
Constitution. However, it is my moral, ethical, and legal duty
to confront unlawful government behavior in all it's forms, regardless of the individual or their claim of authority.
I will stand up to
a government that attempts to violate my rights or the rights of others.
I will defend Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for all.
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28th Amendment -
to remove the Rights of Persons from
Corporations.
29th Amendment - to provide a mechanism for the people to enforce the Sworn
Oath of Office.
30th Amendment -
to repeal all laws relating to the criminalization of Marijuana, in all
its forms.
31st Amendment -
to level the playing field when it
comes to political campaigns, elections, lobbying,
and media reform.
Participate
in the debate of these proposed Amendments, and on the discussion and debate of
other issues.
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We
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**Important
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Welcome
to the all
new
We
The
People Network.
The People's Network for Change
Take part in the online forum, a nonpartisan,
borderless, global community forum.
The primary purpose
of this forum is to help facilitate an environment
of empowered popular sovereignty within the people of this country, and
a
renewed sense of community with our global brothers and sisters.
In pursuit of the
goal, we hope to encourage open communication
across cultural and political boundaries.
We know that the majority of people, as individuals, are good and
caring people. Most people in the world, including Americans, would
literally give the shirt off their back to help someone in need. Yet
somehow, we allow our decisions as consumers and citizens to harm each
other, as well as all the other people on this planet.
We need to make
fundamental changes to our society if we are to change
the disastrous effect we are having in our global community.
Our society cannot continue as it is. Our world cannot continue as it
is.
We the People cannot, and must not, rely on the
politicians
for
government reform for one simple reason.
It will
never happen.
There are many hard
working organizations and individuals that are
doing incredible work in bringing reform to the forefront and changes
to the system. Respectfully however, these efforts alone will still not
stop the tide of our criminally-corrupt system.
A legitimate state
of emergency exists
in this country, and indeed, in this world. Only a unified
grass roots movement of the American people has any
chance of altering our course. We must refocus our
energies on singular issues.
Life, Liberty, and
the Pursuit of
Happiness is the most fundamental bipartisan issue.
We must find common
ground, and we must do it now.
The We The People
Network has the potential to add much needed fuel to the fire of a
nonviolent, populist, Constitutionally-lawful revolution.
The pen is our
sword, and the Constitution is our shield.
Our authority is
the Declaration of Independence.
Please add your
voice.
Oh, by the way, support Cindy Sheehan for Congress!
Can you imagine if she won, it just might cause a whole bunch
of
Cindy Sheehan types across the country to also run for Congress, and
win!
The
authority
for the people to mandate Constitutional Amendments can be found in
several places.
The
Preamble of the Declaration evidences our sovereignty over
government, that government is our creation, and therefore subject to
our interpretation; that the people have all natural rights, and the
government exists on privilege to act on our behalf. This privilege is
granted by the people and can be taken away, when the people deem it
necessary.
"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people
to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another,
and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate &
equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle
them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they
should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator
with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty,
& the pursuit of happiness: that to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from
the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to
alter or abolish it, & to institute new government, laying it's
foundation on such principles, & organizing it's powers in such
form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety
& happiness. Prudence indeed will dictate that governments long
established should not be changed for light & transient causes;
and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more
disposed to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves
by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long
train of abuses & usurpations pursuing invariably the
same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism,
it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government,
& to provide new guards for their future security. Such has
been the patient sufferance of these colonies; & such is now
the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of
government. The history of the present king of Great Britain is a
history of repeated injuries & usurpations, all having in
direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these
states. To prove this let facts be submitted to a candid world."
I
include the California Constitution, as this is
where I reside.
CALIFORNIA
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 20
The
Oath of
Office
SEC. 3.
Members of the Legislature, and all public officers
and employees, executive, legislative, and judicial, except such
inferior officers and employees as may be by law exempted, shall,
before they enter upon the duties of their respective offices, take and
subscribe the following oath or affirmation:
"I,
______, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend
the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State
of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will
bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States
and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this
obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of
evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon
which I am about to enter.
"And I do
further swear (or affirm) that I do not advocate, nor am I a member of
any party or organization, political or otherwise, that now advocates
the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of
California by force or violence or other unlawful means; that within
the five years immediately preceding the taking of this oath (or
affirmation) I have not been a member of any party or organization,
political or otherwise, that advocated the overthrow of the Government
of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence
or other unlawful means except as follows:
_________(If no affiliations,
write in the words "No Exceptions")_______
and
that
during such time as I hold the office of
________(name
of office)______________________
I will not advocate nor
become a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that advocates the overthrow
of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by
force or violence or other unlawful means."
And no other oath, declaration, or test, shall be
required as a qualification for any public office or employment.
"Public officer and employee" includes every officer and employee of
the State, including the University of California, every county, city,
city and county, district, and authority, including any department,
division, bureau, board, commission, agency, or instrumentality of any
of the foregoing.
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We
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News For People Of Action
****IMPORTANT
NEWS****
ForJune 17th, 2008
This was previously posted on afterdowningstreet.org in the user forums
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34192
titled
Strategic Nonviolent Action can get the goods!
We the People of this country have a choice to make, and it
shouldn't be very difficult. Our country is heading into fascism at the
worst, or at the least, continuing the current fortification of the
corporate police state with the government's precedents of uncharged
and unpunished criminal acts, which are more likely to be committed by
every succeeding new unilateralist executive.
The choice we have to make is whether we are going to continue our
present course of actions in trying to prevent this fascistic takeover,
or if we are willing to admit that it is time to think outside the box
of conventional nonviolent action.
I know there is a vast storehouse of experience, skills, and
willingness to serve in nonviolent struggle in this country. We see it
every day in the actions of progressive activists. But the abilities
and intentions of activists are not what I am talking about.
I am talking about the intentional and strategically coordinated
convergence of what are now currently numerous smaller movements
working on a diverse range of issues, into a real peoples movement
based on a common objective and sharing a common grand strategy to
obtain that objective through numerous smaller campaigns. At this
point, any coming together by more than just a few groups has not
materialized. We lack any coherent strategy to create any long term
change. And you can be certain that our fascist opponents have
extensively planned their strategy to be used against us. It is time
for us to think strategically!
I have been writing about this for a while now, but admittedly, I am
not always the best communicator. I have a petition online to arrest
Bush and his co-conspirators. Only 156 signatures in the couple of
months it has been posted. I've signed it. David Swanson signed it. But
oddly and sadly, not many others.
I have offering what I feel is a sound strategy for long term
progressive change in this country. But I tend to come off as someone
who has realized something others may not have, and that throws many
people immediately on the defensive, which then eliminates any chance
of them actually considering my message. I realize I do this, I am
working on becoming a better communicator, and I apologize for any toes
I have stepped on.
I will not change my message however, because this is too important,
and I haven't yet seen an alternative presented that comes close to the
potential of what I am talking about. Only a handful of people in this
country are even mentioning it.
Here is what I propose.
First of all, we need to develop a grand strategy for long term
progressive change in this country, even if we don't feel the specific
objective is achievable in the short term. Consider having a Peoples
Constitutional Convention that will bring powerful Peoples Amendments
to the Constitution, altering the fundamental nature of our society,
and by effect making real solutions for our other problems possible.
The authority for the people to do this is in the Declaration of
Independence. Suggestions for such a Convention are talked about
briefly at the end of this post.
After we plan and develop our grand strategy, we then need to plan
and implement a phased series of campaigns that seek smaller objectives
that all lead to and strengthen the goal of the grand strategy, the
People's Constitutional Convention.
Possible strategies for successful campaigns to achieve smaller
goals, that all keep in mind the grand strategy and serve to bolster
it's chances of success, might include the following. Keep in mind that
for any of this to be successful, absolute nonviolence (not passivity)
must be accepted and adhered to.
Town Hall meetings (both online and local) - to discuss issues of
the Constitution, sovereignty and community self sufficiency. These can
be used as starting points for beginning talks with local law
enforcement in our communities about their intentions and feelings
toward the people they serve, their Oaths of Office, as well as getting
assurances from them on their response to any federal government use of
martial law or other repressive sanctions. We need to be building
bridges with our police and sheriffs, not doing things that will
alienate them.
Political pressure campaign on key officials to Impeach - we need to
effectively remind Pelosi, Conyers, Nadler, and others, that their
actions to block Impeachment constitute felony obstruction of justice,
conspiracy to defraud the American people, and conspiracy to overthrow
our Constitutional form of government. These are arrestable crimes for
all Congress members.
If the Congress members respond positively, which is unlikely, then
great. We keep the pressure up through the entire process, including
the criminal prosecutions to follow successful Impeachment. But this
result is unlikely.
Depending on the response to the Town Hall and law enforcement
bridge building efforts, we then get the police to honor their Oaths to
the people by assisting us in the next phase, which is following
through on the Citizens Arrest campaign.
In the event the police and sheriffs don't feel compelled to serve
the people, then depending on the level of popular support from the
greater grievance group (general population) as well as third parties,
we begin our previously planned campaign of noncooperation with
authority, while attempting to carry out the Citizens Arrest Campaign
on a limited basis that will escalate as support increases.
Citizens Arrests - this campaign will use the previously drafted and
signed Peoples Warrants, preferably but not necessarily with official
law enforcement assistance, to take into custody wanted war criminals,
hold them in detention until such time as they can appear before a
lawful magistrate.
All of this will take immense planning, but we must do it. We the
people need to come together, decide on a common objective that will
become the objective of the grand strategy for the entire movement. We
must put aside our partisan differences, as well as shifting our focus
as much as possible away from our current activities, come together as
one unified front, and plan our futures. Now.
This involves compiling a realistic strategic estimate of not only
the War Criminals, et al., but of ourselves as well. With this
estimate, we can plan the tactics and methods for a variety of
scenarios in the campaign strategies, and have the resources necessary
to effectively develop our grand strategy.
I mentioned before the idea of a Peoples Constitutional Convention
as the objective of the grand strategy. A Convention has the raw
authority and capability of amending the Constitution which I feel is
our only long term solution to that which ails this country, and by
extension, the rest of the world.
Imagine if you will, a series of Peoples Amendments such as:
-the removal of the unalienable rights of personhood from business
entities, i.e. corporations, etc.. These rights are only for the flesh
and blood people. Commerce must operate under the public trust, and if
violated, must lose it's corporal status.
-the banning of all political contributions. This includes
lobbyists, perks, kickbacks, and campaign contributions. Public
officials must only receive a public salary which is capped and indexed
to the average citizens earnings. This is made possible by the next
Amendment.
-the reform of media. Media will have to operate under the public
trust. Free and equal time will be required for all campaign ads and
for all candidates. Private money cannot be used to procure an
advantage. These are not publicly financed elections and will not cost
the people. This will be required on the part of media as their royalty
payment to the people for the use of the public mediums for profit.
-and my personal favorite, a solid mechanism to enforce the Sworn
Oath of Office on all government officials, regardless of elected or
appointed status, and regardless of office. It must be outside the
three branches of government, fully accessible to all the people, as
well as have the authority to remove and indict if necessary.
-and if we really want to solve our energy problems, we must lift
all prohibitions on the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. The federal
classification of this plant as a controlled and banned substance, was
done at the behest of the original oil cartel in our country, as well
as timber barons. But the fact remains, as a biofuel crop, hemp
delivers more biomass per acre, with no fertilizers, than any other
plant on Earth.
Paul Fisher
We the People Network
http://www.wtpnet.org
Sign the Peoples Warrant to arrest Bush, Cheney, et al
http://www.wtpnet.org/phpPETITION/index.php
Read this link to another of my posts for information on the peoples authority, as well as relevant caselaw.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34082
For more information on the use of strategy in nonviolent campaigns, please read Waging Nonviolent Struggle in the 21st Century, by Gene Sharp, On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict, by Robert Helvey, and Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: The Dynamics of People Power in the Twentieth Century, Dr. Peter Ackerman and Dr. Christopher Kruegler.
We
The
People Network News
News For People Of Action
****IMPORTANT
NEWS****
For
December 26th, 2007
Lakotas Declare Independence!
Now is the time for all People of
Conscience to do the same.
Happy Yule to
everyone. Big news
if you haven't heard already. A sovereignty movement within
the
Lakota tribe, led by native rights activist Russell Means, has declared
its secession from the U.S.
Here is the statement from the group, from their website Republic of Lakotah, on what they're about.
"We are the freedom loving Lakota
from the Sioux Indian reservations of Nebraska, North Dakota, South
Dakota and Montana who have suffered from cultural and physical
genocide in the colonial apartheid system we have been forced to live
under.
We are continuing
the work that we were asked to do by the traditional
chiefs and treaty councils, and 98 Indian Nations at the first Indian
Treaty Council
meeting at Standing Rock Sioux Indian Country in 1974.
During the week of
December 17-19, 2007, we traveled to Washington DC and withdrew from
the constitutionally mandated treaties to become a free and independent
country. We are alerting the Family of Nations we have now reassumed
our freedom and independence with the backing of Natural,
International, and United States law.
We do not represent
those BIA or IRA governments beholden to the
colonial apartheid system, or those "stay by the fort" Indians who are
unwilling
to claim their freedom.
"
Here is their Petition for Recognition Of Lakotah Sovereignty in pdf format for download. It will also be in the online
library of the WTPNet.org site asap.
I believe this turns a page for all people's movements in this country,
or rather it should. We need to throw our support behind this movement
and get involved. At the same time, we need to replicate this action in
the context of our own struggles. Our struggles are indeed their
struggles. All of our futures are intricately tied together. I honor my
own Cherokee heritage and the heritage of other people of First Nation
blood by embracing this action by the Lakota Nation.
As I am writing this, I have realized the significance of an event that
my wife Terra and I experienced very recently, and that I now feel
compelled to share. I consider myself a deeply spiritual man. I also
happen to be a minister, although I do not generally bring that fact up
in the course of political discussion. As such, I am bound to a
Covenant with Creator to always be on the side of justice, as well as
to employ only the ways of the peaceful warrior. I am also a person who
sees the significance of the signs provided by Creator, such as the one
my wife Terra, our neighbor Pam, and I were gifted with. Here is the
account of that experience.
On November 27th, 2007, I was inside my office working on the computer,
when our four-legged Shadow began talking loudly towards the back
fence. Looking out the window I could not see what he was so interested
in, so I went outside. Looking up at the fence, I noticed Owl sitting
upon the fence, resting, apparently unconcerned with either myself or
Shadow.
I decided to go inside to get my video camera, as well as to put Shadow
inside. I slowly moved my way closer and closer with my tripod as I
filmed this magnificent creature for about 20 minutes. I do not
remember whether my wife was sleeping or in the shower, but after the
first 20 minutes, I went inside and told her to get dressed, and to
come quickly outside for something good. I also brought with us some Grandmother Sage
from the Altar.
We went outside and Terra very quickly noticed Owl. After smudging
ourselves with Sacred Sage, Terra immediately began walking right up to
Owl unafraid. I was afraid of frightening Owl away, but she went right
up to it, less than 10 feet away. I of course immediately followed her
with the tripod.
We filmed and shared space with Owl for another 40 minutes before it
decided to fly off to the top of a large tree. During that
time,
our neighbor came over and was able to witness the event as well. I
have uploaded the footage to share the experience with others, and for
you to find what meaning it may hold for you. Here is what I believe.
In my spiritual tradition, symbols are very important as a way to
communicate with Spirit, as well as to understand what Spirit has to
say to us, if we are willing to listen. Owl is a particularily strong
symbol, that generally means significant change, especially when seen
during the day. Sometimes this change may be to yourself or to someone
you love. Sometimes the change might ultimately be good, but it is
almost always painful, not without sacrifice. The day of the event,
11/27/2007 also involves all Sacred numbers, as in 9, which is the
Goddess, and 11, which is the most Sacred number that corresponds with
a particular planetary alignment in the Precession of the Equinox. This
alignment is a marking point in the transition between the end of the
Age of Pisces, and the dawning of the new Age of Aquarius.
With that in mind, I feel strongly that Owl is telling me that I am
also "sitting on the fence", seemingly oblivious to impending danger. I
also feel that it is not just me "sitting on the fence". In the
macrocosm of the symbols, most of the people are also "sitting on the
fence". We the People must decide which side we are on, and we must
wake up to the change that is coming.
We must take a lesson from the actions of the Burmese Monks. You cannot
be safe at home and fighting for change. I have made a decision for
myself to "get off the fence". The best way for me to do this is to
move ahead with several ideas I have had, that have until now remained
only ideas, due to my own fears about repercussions.
Several updates will appear on this site in the next couple of days,
including the launching of weekly podcasts via the WTPNet TV screen. in
the upper right corner of the WTPNet.org website. Stay tuned.
Peace and Solidarity,
Paul Fisher
WTPNet.org
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We
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News For People Of Action
****IMPORTANT
NEWS****
For
December 17th, 2007
The Straw that Broke the
Camel's Back: Congressional passage
of HR 1955 'Thought Crimes' legislation may constitute Treason against
the American People
Last weeks passage
in the House of Representatives of the 'so called' Violent Radicalization and
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
is a serious attack on the rights and liberties of all Americans. No
longer will you be able to speak out against the government, and their
seemingly fascist agenda, for fear they might categorize you as a
"terrorist" and throw you in indefinite detention.
The way this
bill is worded, even the worker's right to unionize for better pay and
conditions might be jeapordized. This is because the wording of the new
law would allow unscrupulous corporate bosses or corrupted politicians
to have the Constitutionally-protected activities of normal every-day
working people declared "terrorism" under the auspices of the term
"force" in the wording of the proposed new law.
There are many indications that this is indeed the intent of a
significant number of politicians, and that is to crush all
dissent by making people too afraid to challenge the new fascist
policies of the government.
They also are trying to control our access
to information, trying to tell us what we can read, and what we can't.
This law will form a new Commission, much like the one that Senator Joe
McCarthy was famous for.
Here is part of the Bill
that was overwhelmingly passed by the House and now is expected to move
very quickly throught the Senate. The Senate version is S.1959 and is now
in committee. It is expected to pass. And we all know what King George
will
do.
This is part of the Bill.
"899A.
DEFINITIONS.
“For
purposes of this subtitle:
“(1) Commission.—The term
‘Commission’ means the National Commission on the
Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism
established under section 899C.
“(2) Violent radicalization.—
“The term ‘violent
radicalization’ means the process of adopting or promoting an
extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically
based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.
“(3) Homegrown terrorism.—
“The term ‘homegrown
terrorism’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of
force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and
operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the
United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the
civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in
furtherance of political or social objectives.
“(4) Ideologically based violence.—
“The term ‘ideologically
based violence’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use
of
force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or
individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs.
899B. FINDINGS.
“The
Congress finds the following:
“(1) The development and
implementation of methods and processes that can be utilized to prevent
violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based
violence in the United States is critical to combating domestic
terrorism.
“(2) The promotion of violent
radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence
exists in the United States and poses a threat to homeland security.
“(3) The Internet has aided in
facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and
the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing
access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to
United States citizens."
Please
read the entire Bill.
The actual document can be easily located at the Library of Congress
website devoted to Bills in Congress, at http://thomas.loc.gov/
We owe it to our grandchildren to stop any further attacks on our
birthright, the Constitution. Call your Senator today and tell them
this is unacceptable. Then call everybody in your Church group, and
after they do the same, you all go down to your Senator's office and
sit there until they realize that We the People of the United States of
America will not sit silently while our Constitution is destroyed.
Please act now.
Paul Fisher
WTPNet.org
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We
The
People Network News
News For People Of Action
****IMPORTANT
NEWS****
For
December 7th, 2007
We the People must come together for
common cause!
Many
groups and individuals are doing awesome work, but we need to come
together under the unified banner of
Constitutional Defenders,
before
it is too late!
Kudos
to all the people doing awesome work out there. I admit that I have not
give enough credit where credit is due in the past, and I apologize.
Many, many people have been doing excellent
work in progressive
activism around our country, and I especially love the rising number of
creative nonviolent
actions occurring that are directly confronting
unConstitutional authority. Links to many of these
organizations are listed on the website, and every one of them deserves our
support.
But unfortunately, all of us
working on separate issues will
not deliver us from the tyranny of the Bush Regime. The point I have been trying to
get across since I started this website is this.
We, all of us, need
to
temporarily, if not institutionally, join forces to confront the
singular issue that threatens all of us, and threatens us now. We need
to come together and organize
for the Second Constitutional
Convention in order to counter the current fascist assault
on our
Constitution, and indeed our very futures! Even Dennis Kucinich is
talking about it, and indeed held a televised
town hall style meeting recently calling for what he calls the New
Constitutional Convention Initiative. It's time folks!
Our government is sliding into
fascism and our time is short, make no mistake! I
predict that sometime
before the '08 election, there will either be some Bush and/or CIA, DHS
orchestrated
violent event that will cause the declaration of martial
law, or Bush
will have successfully started WWIII,
placing the country under
military rule. In either scenario, the people can expect
the massive roundup of
dissidents in pre-dawn raids just
before any such declaration is made public. Read the account of Lech Biegalski, who was present when martial law was
declared in Poland in the '80s. He'll tell you exactly how
it goes down.
The recognized steps that occur
when a society becomes fascist are outlined by Naomi Wolf in her
article, The 10 Steps to Fascism.
1.
Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens' groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law
Our
country has taken most of the steps already, in fact all that remains
is for the catalyzing
event to occur. The infrastructure
has been laid,
and it continues to grow everyday.
If you think me paranoid,
consider the following.
The Blackwater private mercenary army
is poised to install themselves on
the west coast, in Petrero California. That will make, I believe, four
of their 'bases' on US soil. And they are ready to go into
action, at
the bidding of Bush
and his henchmen.
The government has passed
numerous laws to create the infrastructure
for
what is to come. The Patriot Act, The Military Commissions Act,
and now
the new Violent Radicalization and
Homegrown Terrorism Act, or whatever
they
call it. There has been lots of other oppressive legislation
as well,
these are just the big three. They all sound good on the surface, but
actually reading them will prove to you otherwise.
The wall being
built at our southern
border will not only keep other people out, it will keep us in.
There is a lot
more as well. Read the article by Naomi Wolf,
if you haven't already, and see for yourselves just how close we are.
We the People need
to take immediate steps
to counter this slide into fascism, and we need to do it now!
In order to preserve the
people's inalienable rights to Life, Liberty,
and the Pursuit of Happiness, We
the People must get the following
facts firmly into the
heads of all our government
officials:
*
The failure of most government officials to act to defend the people
and Constitution, instead choosing to act in a manner that clearly
constitutes felony
obstruction of justice, which is an impeachable offense
with possible criminal
consequences; and the
intentional criminal
collusion of certain
government officials with
the war criminals in order to seize power
rightfully belonging to the people , is treason
against the people of this country.
*
That any declaration of martial law is treason
against the people of this country. The very concept of martial law is offensive
to citizens of a government that is of the people, by the people, and for
the people. There are already sufficient laws in
place to protect
society from those individuals who use violence. The declaration of
martial law is always
only an
attempt by a corrupted government to crush dissent and to
maintain
their status of being in power against
the will of the people. The only
imaginable, justifiable instance for allowing the deployment of
soldiers or guard on U.S. soil to be used against American citizens,
would be after the
outbreak of civil war, to protect the lives of innocents.
* That
the creation of mass-crowd
control weapons as well as the militarization of our police
forces to be used against the people is treason against
the people of this country. If the people
have been forced to spill
into the streets, it is because the government officials
are in breach
of contract, by refusing to concede to the will of the people,
and by refusing to uphold
the laws of not only the United States, but the laws that
have been agreed to in international treaties as well.
Several Articles of the Geneva
Conventions have been blatantly violated by the Bush
Administration and their agents.
We the People must generate the
political will to have the war
criminals impeached, taken into custody, and tried for war crimes,
and
we must do it now!
We the People must generate the
political will for a
Constitutional Convention to be initiated and controlled by We the People.
We must pass desperately needed People's
Amendments to strengthen our
faltering
Constitution, and we must do it now! If we don't, some other 'would-be
dictator' down the road will again try to overthrow our Constitution.
I leave you with the following
excerpt to consider
from one of the most important
Supreme Court decisions in our history.
Specifically it speaks to the inalienable right of the people to
expect their Constitutionally-bound elected government officials to
adhere to a few basic fundamentals, such as the Sworn Oath of Office,
as well as discussing the validity of laws that run counter to the
Constitution. I
urge you to read it, even if you have read it before.
Please support the Second Constitutional Convention!
Peace.
Paul Fisher
WTPNet.org
U.S. Supreme Court
MARBURY v. MADISON, 5 U.S. 137
(1803)
(this is the last three pages of the aproximately twenty page document,
and contains the pertinent parts of the decision delivered by Chief
Justice Marshall. The link above will take you to the full document.)
"The
question, whether an act, repugnant to the constitution, can become
the law of the land, is a question deeply interesting to the United
States; but, happily, not of an intricacy proportioned to its interest.
It seems only necessary to recognise certain principles, supposed to
have been long and well established, to decide it.
That the people
have an original right to establish, for their future
government, such principles as, in their opinion, shall most conduce to
their own happiness, is the basis on which the whole American fabric
has been erected. The exercise of this original right is a very great
exertion; nor can it nor ought it to be frequently repeated. The
principles, therefore, so established are deemed fundamental. And as
the authority, from which they proceed, is supreme, and can seldom act,
they are designed to be permanent.
This original and
supreme will organizes the government, and assigns to
different departments their respective powers. It may either stop here;
or establish certain limits not to be transcended by those departments.
The government of
the United States is of the latter description. The
powers of the legislature are defined and limited; and that those
limits may not be mistaken or forgotten, the constitution is written.
To what purpose are powers limited, and to what purpose is that
limitation committed to writing; if these limits may, at any time, be
passed by those intended to be restrained? The distinction between a
government with limited and unlimited powers is abolished, if those
limits do not confine the persons on whom they are imposed, and if acts
pro- [5 U.S. 137, 177] hibited and acts allowed are
of
equal obligation. It is a proposition too plain to be contested, that
the constitution controls any legislative act repugnant to it; or, that
the legislature may alter the constitution by an ordinary act.
Between these
alternatives there is no middle ground. The constitution
is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or
it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and like other acts,
is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it.
If the former part
of the alternative be true, then a legislative act
contrary to the constitution is not law: if the latter part be true,
then written constitutions are absurd attempts, on the part of the
people, to limit a power in its own nature illimitable.
Certainly all those
who have framed written constitutions contemplate
them as forming the fundamental and paramount law of the nation, and
consequently the theory of every such government must be, that an act
of the legislature repugnant to the constitution is void.
This theory is
essentially attached to a written constitution, and is
consequently to be considered by this court as one of the fundamental
principles of our society. It is not therefore to be lost sight of in
the further consideration of this subject.
If an act of the
legislature, repugnant to the constitution, is void,
does it, notwithstanding its invalidity, bind the courts and oblige
them to give it effect? Or, in other words, though it be not law, does
it constitute a rule as operative as if it was a law? This would be to
overthrow in fact what was established in theory; and would seem, at
first view, an absurdity too gross to be insisted on. It shall,
however, receive a more attentive consideration.
It is emphatically
the province and duty of the judicial department to
say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must
of necessity expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with
each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each. [5 U.S.
137, 178] So if a law be in opposition to the
constitution:
if both the law and the constitution apply to a particular case, so
that the court must either decide that case conformably to the law,
disregarding the constitution; or conformably to the constitution,
disregarding the law: the court must determine which of these
conflicting rules governs the case. This is of the very essence of
judicial duty.
If then the courts
are to regard the constitution; and he constitution
is superior to any ordinary act of the legislature; the constitution,
and not such ordinary act, must govern the case to which they both
apply.
Those then who
controvert the principle that the constitution is to be
considered, in court, as a paramount law, are reduced to the necessity
of maintaining that courts must close their eyes on the constitution,
and see only the law.
This doctrine would
subvert the very foundation of all written
constitutions. It would declare that an act, which, according to the
principles and theory of our government, is entirely void, is yet, in
practice, completely obligatory. It would declare, that if the
legislature shall do what is expressly forbidden, such act,
notwithstanding the express prohibition, is in reality effectual. It
would be giving to the legislature a practical and real omnipotence
with the same breath which professes to restrict their powers within
narrow limits. It is prescribing limits, and declaring that those
limits may be passed at pleasure.
That it thus
reduces to nothing what we have deemed the greatest
improvement on political institutions-a written constitution, would of
itself be sufficient, in America where written constitutions have been
viewed with so much reverence, for rejecting the construction. But the
peculiar expressions of the constitution of the United States furnish
additional arguments in favour of its rejection.
The judicial power
of the United States is extended to all cases
arising under the constitution. [5 U.S. 137, 179]
Could it
be the intention of those who gave this power, to say that, in using
it, the constitution should not be looked into? That a case arising
under the constitution should be decided without examining the
instrument under which it arises?
This is too
extravagant to be maintained.
In some cases then,
the constitution must be looked into by the judges.
And if they can open it at all, what part of it are they forbidden to
read, or to obey?
There are many
other parts of the constitution which serve to illustrate this subject.
It is declared that
'no tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported
from any state.' Suppose a duty on the export of cotton, of tobacco, or
of flour; and a suit instituted to recover it. Ought judgment to be
rendered in such a case? ought the judges to close their eyes on the
constitution, and only see the law.
The constitution
declares that 'no bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be
passed.'
If, however, such a
bill should be passed and a person should be
prosecuted under it, must the court condemn to death those victims whom
the constitution endeavours to preserve?
'No person,' says the constitution,
'shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses
to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.'
Here the language
of the constitution is addressed especially to the
courts. It prescribes, directly for them, a rule of evidence not to be
departed from. If the legislature should change that rule, and declare
one witness, or a confession out of court, sufficient for conviction,
must the constitutional principle yield to the legislative act?
From these and many
other selections which might be made, it is
apparent, that the framers of the consti- [5 U.S. 137,
180]
tution contemplated that instrument as a rule for the government of
courts, as well as of the legislature.
Why otherwise does
it direct the judges to take an oath to support it?
This oath certainly applies, in an especial manner, to their conduct in
their official character. How immoral to impose it on them, if they
were to be used as the instruments, and the knowing instruments, for
violating what they swear to support!
The oath of office,
too, imposed by the legislature, is completely
demonstrative of the legislative opinion on this subject. It is in
these words: 'I do solemnly swear that I will administer justice
without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the
rich; and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge all the
duties incumbent on me as according to the best of my abilities and
understanding, agreeably to the constitution and laws of the United
States.'
Why does a judge
swear to discharge his duties agreeably to the
constitution of the United States, if that constitution forms no rule
for his government? if it is cl |