From the Radio Free Michigan archives ftp://141.209.3.26/pub/patriot If you have any other files you'd like to contribute, e-mail them to bj496@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu. ------------------------------------------------ CITIZENSHIP and SOVEREIGNTY a collection of essays some of which were writen by and all were edited by Tim Richardson In Thomas Paine's pamphlet, "Common Sense", he advocated complete independence for America from the tyranny of British rule. In these articles we will start rediscovering the America Thomas Paine was advocating, rediscover the nation our forefathers fought to bring forth. But first we must comprehend what has been lost and how. What is our true and lawful relationship to the State? What happened to the united states of America? What class of citizen are we? What is "money"? What is the true source of wealth? Who exactly are "We the People"? And how can we take our country back? We - each and every one of us - cannot ever be politically or economically or even ecologically effective without embracing and comprehending these issues and revealing the "invisible tyranny" that dominates our lives. The journey we are about to embark upon is essential for reclaiming our sovereign citizenship and restoring the dignity of the Constitution for the United States of America. However, it will likely unravel every major belief you have about your government, your "money", your freedom and even your property. These articles are not about conspiracy theories or hidden personal agendas, but about real political and economic FACTS. These articles are about "Power." Power has been defined as the ability to act effectively. Can anyone of us claim to act effectively when facing their government today? Who do you think has the "power?" The more we vote and campaign to elect sincere representatives, the more it seems the mindless bureaucracy in Washington DC rolls along, heedless of our desires and needs. Is this the "power of acting effectively" properly exercised by a government "of the People, by the People, and for the People"? Or is this instead the "power" of tyranny, a burgeoning police state? No, these articles are not about conspiracies theories, they are about everyday facts of existence. As we learn more about the real world around us and who actually has the power to act effectively, we will begin to discern the outline for a plan of action for ourselves. We, the American People, have been deceived about our true and lawful sovereign citizenship through an onslaught of public media, public policy, public "education", bureaucratic coercion, government lies, deception, propaganda and through the intentional manipulation of the language of law. We the People have been stripped naked of our basic, unalienable rights of self-determination guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Unless We the People wake up from a long and deepening sleep, these powerful instruments of law, these protectors of freedom and liberty, will be banished forever from our homeland. We the People are caught in the crossfire of a global assault on the sovereignty of both citizens and nations. The casualties of this assault are our freedoms, property rights, due process of the law, basic constitutional rights and our beloved country -- the united states of America. An "invisible" war of tyranny is being waged against the united states of America for the benefit of a small, elite aristocracy of international bankers bent on attaining global empire at the expense of the American people and all the citizens of the world. These articles may rock the foundations of your beliefs about history, law, economics and politics. You will discover that the (federal) United States government has been bankrupt since 1930, and has systematically concealed this from the American people. You will discover that Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs) are not lawful "money", but promissory notes obligating you to pay the Federal Reserve Bank. You will discover that the Federal Reserve Bank is a private, for profit, joint-stock trust, not part of the (federal) United States government. You will learn how the national debt cannot ever be paid off and how the dreaded IRS is a corporation (incorporated in Delaware) which is nothing more than a collection agency for the Federal Reserve system. You will discover that your income tax does not go to the (federal) United States government, but is sent directly to the Federal Reserve to service your obligation towards the national debt. Your income tax does not pay for basic government services or infrastructure. These are paid for through excise, sales and other legal taxes along with unlawful borrowed "money" from the Federal Reserve. "When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic." -- Dresden James You will discover that you do not own your land -- the government holds the title, you get only the deed. You will discover that you do not own your vehicle -- the government holds the title, you get only a certificate attesting to the fact that the state holds the title. You will discover you are not a "citizen", but only a resident and a franchisee of the United States corporation, and that the Constitution for the United States of American has no effect for "U.S. citizens." You will discover that your children are not truly yours and that the failed and failing public "education" system has been given the authority to act in your stead with regards to the children of America. WHERE DO YOU LIVE? You no longer know what "country" you live in. The (federal) "United States" government is a foreign corporation with regards to the "united 50 states of America," not the country you live in or owe allegiance to. We the People are sovereign, "(state) citizens" under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, except that we unknowingly elected away those rights and our property by becoming 14th Amendment, (federal) "U.S. citizens" under the jurisdiction of the (federal) "United States." Income tax is a voluntary contract which is mandatory for U.S. citizens. We the People can lawfully reclaim our true, sovereign, (state) citizenship and take back our government from those who would destroy our country for their own self-interest. We the People must reclaim our power of attorney to represent ourselves in court. We the People must reclaim the American Common law and restore our sovereign rights guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. We the People have the power of general affidavit, the power to perfect a commercial affidavit and lien and to bring charges against public officials who are violating our constitutional rights under "color of law." We the People can and MUST make our government accountable to the people and the law. Denial or Acceptance? Have you: ever witnessed a nation die, a people become enslaved, and a great country fall to its knees? ever witnessed a war in which the people are unaware that a war is occurring and they are the ones under attack? realized how many thousands of innocent American citizens are under attack by their own government and their court system? imagined how many trillions of dollars have been unlawfully extorted from hard working Americans without their informed consent or even their knowledge? heard the march of tyranny descending upon this land, just as certainly as the holocaust descended once upon Germany? felt the dead hand of bureaucracy laying heavily upon your life, liberty and your pursuit of happiness? The fact is all this is occurring TODAY in the united states of America. It is painful to witness, daily, such events because the present "U.S. citizens" who reside in this country haven't a clue as to their historical or present political, economic of legal condition. We the People are in such denial and ignorance that we're willing to be lied to, to accept those lies as truth without question, we are willing to accept any blather which emanates from the mouths of bureaucrats as "authority" and we do so without questioning it. The fact is most of us have simply been brainwashed into a state where even the most simple of questions is forgotten. What happened to our ability as adults, to just ask, "WHY?" We've forgotten how to question authority and if we should briefly recall, we have been conditioned to fear the consequences of asking. We refuse to face facts, especially if the lie is repeated a few times by the talking heads on network television. The fact is that the united states of America as our nation, is defunct. The federal, state and local governments are bankrupt, financially and morally. The fact is the entire legal system is administering the bankruptcy by "legally" attacking the assets of the American people and denying due process and basic constitutional rights through endless reams of unjust and unfair statutory law. You don't have to take my word for this bankruptcy: The Congressional Record Volume 134 Number 33, Wednesday, March 17, 1993 (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. TRAFICANT: "Mr. Speaker, we are here now in Chapter 11. Members of Congress are official trustees presiding over the greatest reorganization of any bankrupt entity in world history, the U.S. Government..." "We are setting forth hopefully a blueprint for our future. There are some who say it is a coroner's report that will lead to our demise..." "I want to say this to the Members. We may talk about taxing the rich, but, the rich people have already taken their companies and their jobs out of America. Be careful that the rich people do not take their money out of America, because the government already raises our kids, defends our families, educates our kids, feeds our kids, houses our kids, and the government is doing a very poor job of it. I think mom and dad would be better utilized there once again..." The subjugation of all the ideals that once made this country great, is almost completed. Americans are completely demoralized and stripped of their citizenship and power. Social unrest, civil violence, homelessness and drug abuse are symptoms of the overall collapse of the American empire. We the People have, without ever even knowing that we were doing it, have unconditionally surrendered to a foreign power. Unless we rediscover our citizenship and rediscover the America our forefathers fought to bring to us, the united states of American is soon to be just another chapter in somebody's else's history book. I am writing this to you, because my perspective is somewhat unique, as I have recently expatriated myself as a "U.S. citizen" and reclaimed my sovereign (state) citizenship under the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Bill of Rights (1791), and two hundred years of American law. I am a sovereign, domiciled (state) Citizen of the Oregon REPUBLIC, deeply concerned about the dire plight of his neighbors. I cannot stand by and watch a once great nation die, and drag down people I love and care for deeply; people who are being "trashed" by the system every day. I have taken action that is not only lawful but necessary to restore the checks and balances, the liberties and the sovereignty which is all but lost in our present DEMOCRACY. Why have I decided that re-proclaiming sovereignty as an individual is a good and needful thing to be doing? Because there is no group effort which can build individual dignity? No committee can give me personal responsibility. No organizational chart has a box for my sovereignty. We cannot promote freedom from government intrusion into our daily lives by circulating petitions to change the government through a reform of the laws. We cannot even vote so-called "responsible" politicians into office in whom we place our trust to change things for the better. I have finally come to understand the real reason NONE of that works. It's not because of some monstrous conspiracy to deprive us of our rights, however much some groups work to negate our rights, but for a much more simple reason. Working within the system to reform the system doesn't work, because each of us, each individual one of us, acting in our individual capacities, has forgotten how to take personal responsibility for our actions. By begging the government, as a group, to change, we are perpetuating the very evil we would like to see overthrown. Representative government simply will not work without an informed, knowledgeable, personally responsible electorate. DEMOCRACY versus FREEDOM Without personal responsibility as the cornerstone of political action, without each of us acting in his and her individual capacity, we will continue to place our hopes and faith in the very system which is thundering down the road towards group enslavement. Group participation and majority rule are the two primary determinants of a DEMOCRACY. So what am I really saying here? Am I saying that I would like to see anarchy or worse, a dictatorship? No, let me assure you that anarchy is not what I want, nor any form of government which refuses to promote individual responsibility. So let us begin by examining the word "Democracy". If you don't have already one, you should get a good quality copy of the Constitution for the United States of America. (I don't mean an expensive one, I mean one in which the words are correct and the spelling and grammar is identical to the original. There are way too many bogus copies floating around out there and this is much too much important a document to be dealing with anything less than an accurate copy!) A careful search of "The Constitution for the United States of America", reveals that NOWHERE in this document can the word "Democracy" be found! My, my, my! Does this mean that our forefathers might not have intended us to live and prosper under a democracy? If you've come to that conclusion, then you are absolutely right! They most certainly did not intend us to live in a "democracy". What the Constitution does say, in Article IV, Section 4, is that every state shall be guaranteed a "Republican form of government." America is not now and never has been a "democracy". America is a republic, with sovereignty vested in the state and its respective sovereign Citizens. After much debate, because our founding fathers had suffered mightily at the hands of an oppressive British Monarchy, a pure "democracy" was ruled out. Why am I bothering to make this distinction? Perhaps we live in a democratic republic? Does it matter? It darn well matters, and it matters a lot. It is necessary to comprehend the distinction between a REPUBLIC and a DEMOCRACY. Never once in the constitution is a "democracy" discussed. Never once in the constitution is a "democratic republic" discussed. Why, especially when we hear almost daily about our country, phrases like, "democratic institutions", or "exporting democracy", or "helping insure democracy has a fair chance [in country X, Y or Z]". The founders of our country understood with absolute clarity what they were doing and why they were doing it. In a democracy, the government meaning the ruling body(ies) are controlled by a majority of the people. 51% control 49% of the people. But their demands are effected only through the government. This is the critical point to understand: The GOVERNMENT is the ruling body -- the government is the sovereign. As such, the "sovereign" is swayed by majority rule, but it is still the sovereign. Whenever an individual or group of individuals wishes to do something or other, they must petition the sovereign for permission -- if a majority votes in favor, then the sovereign is pretty much required to grant the request, regardless of the impact on personal liberty the action may have. But in a REPUBLIC -- ah, an entirely different story is heard. In a republic, every individual is sovereign -- not the government, not the courts, not a group of individuals acting together -- but EACH AND EVERY SOLITARY INDIVIDUAL is sovereign! Did you catch the import of that? You are more powerful than the government in a functioning republic -- all by yourself you have authority over the government. Does the phrase, "A government of the people, by the people, and for the people..." begin to take on REAL meaning now? Can you begin to believe that the words in the Constitution for the United States of America were chosen with care and deliberation, and not by accident! In a republic, the government does not EVER grant you permission, or restrict your freedoms in any way, large or small; unless your actions or proposed actions will impinge on another citizens "...pursuit of life, liberty and happiness". The only other time the government may control you is in those specifically and necessarily limited areas in which the people have previously given the government the authority to act in their stead (e.g., they have "delegated" some limited number of their sovereign powers to the government). In fact the "American Military Training Manual (1928)" spelled out the distinctions between a REPUBLIC and a DEMOCRACY quite clearly. "DEMOCRACY: Government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic, negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate whether it be based upon deliberation or governed by passion, prejudice and impulse without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demogogism, license, agitation, discontent, anarchy." "REPUBLIC: Authority is derived through the election of public officials best fitted to represent them. Attitude toward property is respect for laws and individual rights, and a sensible economic procedure. Attitude toward law is the administration of justice in accord with fixed principles and established evidence, with a strict regard to consequences. A greater number of citizens and extent of territory may be brought within its compass. Avoids the dangerous extreme of either tyranny or mobocracy. Results in statesmanship, liberty, reason, justice, contentment, and progress." - (Taken from "United States War Department, Soldiers Training Manual, Nov. 30, 1928, TM 2000-225") So, do we live in a democracy or democratic republic? NO! Well, we aren't supposed to be anyway. I realize that most politicians, and certainly the mass media have tried to brainwash us into thinking that we do live in a democracy today; certainly our public schools teach that. But they are wrong, the constitution has not yet been repealed or altered in this regard. We live in a republic. But to have an effective republic, and to have a government which is forced to respect our rights and to have a government which is forced to acknowledge the sovereignty of its citizens REQUIRES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and personal involvement. And the sooner the people start taking control of their government and their lives and their property, the sooner we can flush the scum in Washington down the drain and begin the exciting process of building our county anew. WHERE DID OUR REPUBLIC GO? To answer that question will require a brief tour, once again, into the history of the founding of our country. We all know that America was under the rule of the British Monarchy and that our forefathers rebelled against that rule. We've all heard about the famous "Boston Tea Party" and the rallying cry of "No taxation without representation!" But what did these things signify really? Did we fight the revolutionary war just so that one sovereign, King George of England, could be replaced by another sovereign, the U.S. Government here in America? Where does the power to tax citizens come from anyway? It can't be something granted a government by God, so where does it come from? Was the revolutionary war really fought over taxation without representation? The power to tax stems from ownership. I, as an example, cannot levy a tax on your property as I have no ownership interest in it. The only entity which can levy a property tax is the ultimate owner of the property. Take the following illustration: Say you went to the store and bought a fine, expensive jacket and brought it home. The next day a representative of the store came to your house and presented you with a list of demands, like: "If you wear your jacket on Tuesday's, you owe us a tax of $1.00 for each occurrence. If you wear your jacket to work, you owe us a tax of $0.25 per occurrence. If you wear your jacket after 6pm on the weekends you owe us a tax of $2.00 per occurrence. If you want to wear your jacket at other times and places, you must submit a written request, in triplicate, accompanied by a $3.50 filing fee, and we will make a ruling." Doesn't this sound kind of inane and stupid? If you think so, then you are of course, right! But isn't this exactly what the government does when you "purchase" a piece of property? The government tells you how much your fee is for using the property, when you can use it, how you can use it and what to do if you want to use it some other way. So I ask you again, "isn't this pretty silly?" Well, in the case of the jacket it certainly is, and no one would question that. So why don't you question the silliness of the system which purports to tax "your" property? -- unless of course you have this sneaking suspicion that it really isn't your property after all! When you are owned (i.e., a slave), you have no rights save what the "massa" decides to give you as "privileges." Now if you're not exactly a slave, but a freeman, without the ownership of property, though marginally better off than a true slave, you still will find yourself beholding to whomever it is you work for. If you don't own anything, or very little, you must work for someone else just to make your daily living. You have little or no power to control your destiny as you have little or no independence from economic servitude. Ah, but own your own land and suddenly you have a degree of independence you've never had before! You can grow your own food, or raise crops for sale to others, or mine the minerals or other natural resources, or, if you chose, sell the land for cash and remain independent for as long as the money lasts. Ownership of the land -- who owned the land the colonists settled on when America was still under the control of the English King? You've undoubtedly seen movies where some explorer of old, upon landing on the shores of a new land proudly proclaimed the new land in the name of...(insert the name of the king or queen to whom the explorer owed allegiance). Ok, the colonists, just prior to the revolutionary war, were living on land "owned" by King George. What happened to that "ownership" when the revolutionaries won the war? Didn't King George's army leave defeated? So therefore the King George could not have continued to own the land, right? And at the time of the war and for the better part of twenty years more, there was no government of the United States. What we had was 13 independent countries, the original 13 colonies, which had banded together under an agreement called the "Articles of Confederation." Under this agreement the states did not own the land either, though they controlled it, in trust for the Sovereign Citizens of the individual states! We the People owned the land as sovereigns. There was no one, no entity which owned the land with a greater or more superior title to it than the sovereign citizens of this country. See, this is what made America so unique in the history of the world. Never before (nor since for that matter) has a country been formed wherein each and every citizen was a sovereign, and not some form of government. STOP! Go back and re-read that sentence. What founded the 13 colonies was a burning desire for freedom and a determination to keep future generations free. Our government was set up with this foremost in mind. This is why the power of this government comes from the people and not from a king. Each individual is sovereign by nature, as acknowledged by decree and by treaty. (Treaty of Peace 1783.) But what made a person living in the land just freed from British tyranny a "Citizen?" OWNERSHIP OF LAND! Our forefathers clearly understood that ownership of the land was a prerequisite for citizen government, and as the need for a more definitive agreement than the Articles of Confederation was seen, and the Constitution began to take form, the originators of that document made provisions for We the People to own the land forever. The framers of the Constitution understood that if continuity of sovereign citizen government was to be a realizable dream, it was mandatory to keep the land in the hands of the people and to never let government nor bankers get their hands on it. The Constitution was approved by the original 13 "states" in 1797. Just 23 years later, congress of the United States passed into law, the first of several acts, specifically designed to insure that the land would be held by individuals, and that banks and other lenders would never be able to use their power of money to remove the land from the ownership of We the People. Unfortunately, the banks subsequently derived other means of stealing our property and have become the true owners and thus have allowed the government (which as we will see later became nothing more than a puppet of the banks) to tax the tenants of the land (the tenants being us) while pretending to allow us ownership -- ownership which is not really OWNING, but only possession, under duress of payment of taxes. If you think you "own" your house, let me ask you this: "If the government can take your property for failure to pay property taxes, do you REALLY own it?" Hummm? Remember the example of the jacket from above. Would you tolerate a store clerk coming into your home and extorting money for wearing and using what was truly yours? I don't know about you, but I sure as hell wouldn't. This the same concept as the constitutional issue over "rights" versus "privileges", in that rights are granted by God and cannot be taken away by man, but a privilege is granted by government, and originates with government, and can be taken away by government. No amount of "blowing of smoke" or attempts to obfuscate the real issue will effectively disguise the fact that most Americans no longer actually own their property. And as a result, they have become enslaved on the very land their forefathers fought and died to free for them. Black's law dictionary 5th edition defines ownership as follows: "The complete dominion, title, or proprietary right in a thing or claim. The entirety of the powers of use and disposal by law. The exclusive right of possession, enjoyment, and disposal. Ownership of property is absolute or qualified. The ownership of property is absolute when a single person has absolute dominion over it. The ownership is qualified when...its use is restricted". The ownership is qualified when its use is restricted! Do you still think you "own" your property? OUR REPUBLIC ... OUR LAND? It would then appear that most people who have bought their land, with or without a home on it, do not have absolute control, dominion, use of, or even full enjoyment of it... because, of things like building permits, use permits, property taxes, eminent domain, etc. What is a mortgage? Obviously it is paper and ink and generally issued by a bank. But what REALLY is a mortgage? It isn't title to "your" property as we all know, but it isn't a contract either. What it is, is credit extended by a bank and in no way conveys ownership. "There is a distinction between a debt discharged and one paid. When discharged the debt still exists though divested of its character as a legal obligation during the operation of the discharge. -- STANEK V. WHITE, 215 NWR 781 (1927). Look at your mortgage...I'll bet you'll be dismayed to find that when it you "pay it off", that you have only "discharged" your debt, not extinguished it. When Congress, in 1933 suspended the gold standard, they denied you the right to PAY YOUR DEBTS AT LAW (which extinguishes the debt). Instead, we have a system wherein you can only discharge your debt, but the debt still exists. This is why, dear readers, that real versus fake "MONEY" is an important issue for each and every one of us!!! This is what happens when we allow congress to violate the constitution and create a private debt system called the Federal Reserve. When you participate in the Federal Reserve system, you are participating in a private money system, which is a PRIVILEGE, and therefore a duty and fee is extracted (property tax is one of these "fees"), but since Federal Reserve Notes are not Lawful Money (see Article 1, Section 10 of the uS Constitution), you cannot pay or extinguish your debts at law, the FRN's are only pieces of paper to which a debt attaches. Note the definition of TITLE as found in Bouvier's Dictionary of Law: "The means whereby the owner...hath just possession of his property. 3. Title to personal property may accrue in three different ways; by original acquisition, by transfer by act of law, by transfer by act of the parties. 5. THE LAWFUL COIN OF THE UNITED STATES WILL PASS THE PROPERTY ALONG WITH THE POSSESSION." [emphasis added] Only the title to the property can convey ownership and as you will see (again) below, ownership can be absolute or qualified. It also follows that if there are such restrictions (such as property taxes, or use restrictions, or "permits") on your land, that you may not have "absolute title". Maybe then you're not really an owner, not in the true sense of the word anyway. Maybe you're sort of a "quasi-owner". Maybe there is a "superior" above you, controlling the land and its use and compelling a duty or FEE for the "interest" or "use" of the land. In the olden days, this was called "FEUDALISM". When our revolution was fought, it was fought not about taxation without representation (that issue flows from, but does not originate the issue of ownership), we fought the revolution over ownership of the land. Our forefathers did not want King George owning the land and thereby being able to tell us what to do, and when and how and to be able to tax us for the "privilege" of living on "his" land. Again from Black's 5th edition, defining feudalism: "The system was based upon a servile relationship between a "vassal" and a "lord". The vassal paid homage and service to the lord and the lord provided land and protection." And we find that "FEUDUM" is defined as: "A feud, fief or FEE [tax]. A right of using and enjoying forever the lands of another, which the lord [the superior] grants on condition that the tenant shall render fealty [duty or tax]...it is not properly the land, but a RIGHT to the land. [bracketed text mine] Feudalism was the issue on which the revolution was fought! Either we were going to be FREEmen and hold our land FREEHOLD or we were going to be vassals of the King. No other organic issues were involved. Many facets of this issue surfaced and were debated, but the one organic issue was service to the king versus living free. After the revolution, all of the land belonged to the people, and the state, as a creation of the people, was given the authority to parcel out this land in a fair and equitable manner. Land was held by way of "ALLODIAL TITLE", meaning no superior to the land owner. Today, as many of you know, the Federal Reserve system, is largely controlled by the Bank of England and through it, your mortgage is controlled by them, and: Today, duties and taxes accrue to the occupant/operator of land, such as property taxes, land use laws and permits. If the servant fails to pay or violates any of the conditions, the servant will be forcibly put off the land and another servant will be allowed the use of the land, based on the same conditions. The right to use the land does not grant absolute title. The servant is involved in what is called simply a "feudal system" Black's 5th edition defines "FEUDAL": "Pertaining to feuds or fees; relating to or growing out of the feudal system or feudal law; having the quality of a feud, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM ALLODIAL".[emphasis added] My, my, "distinguished from"... as in opposite to!!! Black's defines ALLODIAL: "Free; not holden of any lord or superior; owned without obligation of vassalage of fealty; the opposite of feudal." And speaking strictly in regards to land, Black's 5th edition defines land held in "ALLODIUM": "Land held absolutely in one's own right, and not of any lord or superior; land not subject to feudal duties or burdens. An estate held by absolute ownership, without recognizing any superior to whom any duty is due on account thereof." So, what have we learned? We've learned that we no longer truly own our land, that the banksters own most of it (illegally as we shall see later). We've learned that We the People were given the right to own land held in allodial title, by virtue of having won the Revolutionary War and yet somehow we've come to let the banks, and through them the Federal Reserve System hold title to our property. However, patriots all across this land are discovering that they still have the power and the ability to claim allodial title and to become truly free men and women again. WHAT RIGHTS DO WE (the People) HAVE? What can we do about this state of affairs? We have begun by learning about the true nature of our Constitution, about our Declaration of Independence, about the men who formed and fought and died to birth this nation and why they did what they did. And now that that learning is well underway, we begin to discern the shape or outline of a course of action which will set us free, first as individuals and then as a communities and later as an entire nation. Independence, or sovereignty for the individual, the dignity of people as human beings, not owned or controlled by others is not an idle concept, nor something out of a dry and dusty history book. Sovereignty is freedom from unnecessary government interference and unlawful regulation. Freedom is what our founding fathers intended for themselves and all of "We the People" -- in perpetuity. The original U.S. Constitution limits the ability of the (federal) United States government to meddle in the affairs and encroach upon the sovereignty of its (state) citizens. We the People are sovereign (state) Citizens in relation to the national and federal government. Look carefully at the preamble below: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the united states of America." Did you see that? Look again where it says, "...establish this Constitution FOR the united states of America." (Remember in the Constitution as in other laws, words are used precisely and with great care, linguistic precision is everything.) Not Constitution "of", like most people believe, but Constitution "for". Is this important, after all its just one little preposition, could it really matter? You bet! After months of debate about the form and substance of this document, the framers were not about to make a mistake of letting the government of the collective states, the new United States government have any sovereignty at all. This was not a document from the new government proclaiming its powers and the duties and privileges of "its" subjects (and therefore its ownership or authorship of all rights and authority). No dear reader, it was a Constitution "FOR" the united states of America; a document clearly outlining the very restricted delegated powers given to it by the sovereign states and sovereign people. As Thomas Jefferson said: "My idea is that we should be made one nation in every case concerning foreign affairs, and separate ones in whatever is merely domestic; that the Federal government should be organized into Legislative, Executive and Judiciary, as are the State governments, and some peaceable means of enforcement devised for the Federal head over the States." -- Thomas Jefferson ["Writing of Thomas Jefferson" pub by Taylor & Maury, Washington DC, 1854, quote II 248-49, from a letter to J. Blair, August 13, 1787. "With respect to our State and federal governments, I do not think their relations are correctly understood by foreigners. They generally suppose the former subordinate to the latter. But this is not the case. They are co-ordinate departments of one simple and integral whole. To the State governments are reserved all legislative and administration, in affairs which concern their own citizens only, and to the federal government is given whatever concerns foreigners, or the citizens of the other States; these functions alone being made federal. The one is domestic, the other the foreign branch of the same government; neither having control over the other, but within its own department." -- Thomas Jefferson ["Writing of Thomas Jefferson" pub by Taylor & Maury, Washington DC, 1854, quote number VII 355-61, from correspondence to Major John Cartwright, June 5, 1824. (And just like government granted privileges which can be taken away, the Sovereign People "delegated" certain powers to the new government, and when we want to, we can take back that delegation or power of attorney.) THE "AWAKENING" versus FEAR OF ACTING But despite a growing awareness of the need to re-dedicate ourselves and our lives to the freedoms and responsibilities our forefathers intended, the greatest challenge in reclaiming our sovereign (independent) (state) Citizenship, is breaking the chains of denial. It takes courage to open our eyes and witness an "economic holocaust" of mass proportions and forge the appropriate, human response. It takes an independent, free thinking and compassionate person to discriminate between "reality" and the false images projected through lies, propaganda, advertising, distractions, and deception. We must extract and separate our individual conscience and intelligence from an overwhelming, addictive, underinformed, commercial, public information, non-news media which has contaminated our ability to discriminate between what is real, and what is fiction. This inability to discriminate, and our often apparent apathy, is described as "reality erosion," and it is accelerating on a daily basis. Discrimination and integration are two inherent facilities of the human mind, essential for survival. We MUST once again learn to "think" for ourselves. After generations of being educated and programmed for irresponsibility, to look after "number one", to get ours, to do our own thing, the American people have surrendered virtue for vice, rights for privileges, long-term sustainability for short-term profits and pleasures. Without "response-ability" (the ability to respond), the American people will continue to spiral down the abyss of enslavement. Without a return to virtue, to ethics, and morality evident in the natural law, the American people will self-destruct in a democratic sea of mob violence. Even if we reach beyond denial, take "response- ability" and apply intelligent virtue, the immensity of the issues, concerns and problems presenting themselves simultaneously, are paralyzing us into inaction, despite our having access to intelligent information, solutions and strategies. Ignorance is NOT bliss! A SIMPLE "RIGHT", the Right To Travel Such a "simple" and seemingly straightforward right which we mostly take for granted. But is it really so simple? It is really a right, or is it a government granted (meaning controled and revokable) privlege? The following is taken entirely from "Aid & Abet" newsletter. "Aid & Abet" is edited and published by Jack McLamb, a highly decorated, retired Phoenix, Arizona police officer. His target audience is men and women in uniform, police, military, national guard, or whatever. It is reprinted here with permission and with profound gratitude. Thank you Jack. ***************** U.S. COURTS CONFIRM "DRIVING A MOTOR VEHICLE" IS A RIGHT NOT -- A GOVERNMENT PRIVILEGE. For many years professionals within the criminal justice system have acted upon the belief that traveling by motor vehicle upon the roadway was a privilege that was gained by a citizen only after approval by their respective state government in the form of the issuance of a permit or license to that particular individual. Legislators, police officers and court officials are becoming aware that there are now court decisions that prove the fallacy of the legal opinion that "driving is a privilege and therefore requires government approval", i.e. a license. Some of these cases are: Case # 1 -- "Even the legislature has no power to deny to a citizen the right to travel upon the highway and transport his property in the ordinary course of his business or pleasure, though this right may be regulated in accordance with the public interest and convenience." Chicago Motor Coach v Chicago 169 NE 22 ("Regulated" here means traffic safety enforcement, stop lights, signs, etc. NOT a privilege that requires permission i.e., licensing, mandatory insurance, vehicle registration, etc.) Case # 2 -- "The right of the citizen to travel upon the public highways and to transport his property thereon, either by carriage or by automobile, is not a mere privilege which a city may prohibit or permit at will, but a common right which he has under the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." - Thompson v Smith 154 SE 579 It could not be stated more conclusively that Citizens of the states have a right to travel, without approval or restriction, (license) and that this right is protected under the U.S. Constitution. Here are other court decisions that expound the same facts: Case # 3 -- "The right to travel is a part of the liberty of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the 5th Amendment." - Kent v Dulles, 357 U.S. 116, 125 Case # 4 -- "Undoubtedly the right of locomotion, the right to remove from one place to another according to inclination, is an attribute of personal liberty, and the right, ordinarily, of free transit from or through the territory of any State is a right secured by the 14th Amendment and by other provisions of the Constitution." - Schactman v Dulles, 96 App D.C. 287, 293 FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT As hard as it is for those of us in Law Enforcement to believe, there is no room for speculation in these court decisions. The American citizen does indeed have the inalienable right to use the roadways unrestricted in any manner as long as they are not damaging or violating property or rights of another. Government, in requiring the people to file for "drivers" licenses, vehicle registrations, mandatory insurance, and demanding they stop for vehicle inspections, DUI/DWI roadblocks etc., without question, are "restricting", and therefore violating, the People's common law right to travel. Is this a new legal interpretation on this subject of the right to travel? Apparently not. The "American Citizens and Lawmen Association" in conjunction with the "U.S. Federal Law Research Center" are presently involved in studies in several areas involving questions on constitutional law. One of the many areas under review is the area of "Citizens right to travel." In an interview, a spokesman stated; "Upon researching this subject over many months, substantial case law has presented itself that completely substantiates the position that the 'right to travel unrestricted upon the nations highways' is and has always been a fundamental right of every Citizen." This means that the "beliefs and opinions" our state legislators, the courts, and those of us involved in the law enforcement profession have acted upon for years have been in error. Researchers armed with actual facts state that U.S. case law is overwhelming in determining that - to restrict, in any fashion, the movement of the individual American in the free exercise of their right to travel upon the roadways, (excluding "commerce" which the state legislatures are correct in regulating), is a serious breach of those freedoms secured by the U.S. Constitution, and most state constitutions, i.e. -- it is unlawful. THE REVELATION THAT THE AMERICAN CITIZEN HAS ALWAYS HAD THE INALIENABLE RIGHT TO TRAVEL RAISES PROFOUND QUESTIONS TO THOSE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN MAKING AND ENFORCING STATE LAWS. The first of such questions may very well be - if the States have been enforcing laws that are unconstitutional on their face, it would seem that there must be some way that a state can legally put restrictions, such as - licensing requirement, mandatory insurance, vehicle registration, vehicle inspections, DWI roadblocks, to name just a few, on a citizen's constitutionally protected right. Is that not so? For the answer to this question let us look, once again, to the U.S. courts for a determination on this very issue. The case of Hertado v California, 110 U.S. 516, states very plainly "The State cannot diminish rights of the people." "...the assertion of federal rights, when plainly and reasonably made, is not to be defeated under the name of local practice." - Davis v Wechsler, 263 U.S. 22, 24 Would we not say that these judicial decisions are straight to the point - that there is no lawful method for government to put restrictions or limitations on rights belonging to the people? Other cases are even more straight forward: "Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rule making or legislation which would abrogate them." - Miranda v Arizona 384 U.S. 436, 491 "The claim and exercise of a constitutional right cannot be converted into a crime." - Miller v U.S. 230 F2d 486, 489 "There can be no sanction or penalty imposed upon one because of this exercise of constitutional rights." - Sherar v Cullen 481 F 945 (There is no question that a citation/ticket issued by a police officer, for no drivers license, no current vehicle registration, no vehicle insurance etc., which carries a fine or jail time, is a penalty or sanction, and is indeed "converting a RIGHT into a crime.") We could go on, quoting court decision after court decision, however, in addition, the Constitution itself answers our question - "Can a government legally put restrictions on the rights of the American people at anytime, for any reason?" (Such as in this particular case - - when the government believes it to be for the safety and welfare of the people?) The answer is found in ARTICLE SIX of the U.S. Constitution: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United State which shall be made in Pursuance thereof;...shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding." (This tells us that the U.S. Constitution is to be upheld over any state, county, or city laws that are in opposition to it.) In the same Article 6, it goes on to say just who it is within our government who is bound by this Supreme Law: "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution..." - Article 6, U.S. Constitution We know that police officers are a part of the Executive branch. We are "Executive Officers." Article 6 (above) is called the SUPREMACY CLAUSE, and it clearly states that, under every circumstance, the above listed officials in these United States must hold this document's tenets supreme over any other laws, regulations, or orders. Every U.S. Police officer knows they have sworn an oath to the people of our nation that we will not only protect their lives and property, but, that we will uphold, and protect their freedoms and rights under the Supreme law of this nation - the U.S. Constitution. In this regard then we must agree that those within government that restrict a Citizen's rights, (such as restricting the people's right to travel) are acting in violation of his or her oath of office and are actually committing a crime, against such Citizens. Here's an interesting question: Is ignorance of these laws an excuse for such acts by officials? If we are to follow the "letter of the law", as we are sworn to do, this places officials that involve themselves in such unlawful acts in an unfavorable legal situation. For it is a felony and federal crime to violate, or deprive citizens of their constitutionally protected rights. Our system of law dictates the fact that there are only two ways to legally remove a right belonging to the people. These are - #1 - by lawfully amending the Constitution, or #2 - by a person knowingly waiving a particular right. [And here I would respectfully disagree with Jack McLamb, as a "right" cannot ever be taken away legally, since the Constitution gave us no rights to begin with, it only restricted the Government's ability to muck around with those rights. God gives us rights, government grants us privileges...tlr] Some of the confusion in our present system has arisen because many millions of people have waived their right to travel "unrestricted" upon the roadways of the states and have opted into the jurisdiction of the state for various reasons. Those who have knowingly given up these rights are now legally regulated by state law, the proper courts, and "sworn, Constitutionally empowered officers of the law," and must acquire proper permits, registration, insurance, etc. Three are basically two groups of people in this category: #1 -- Any citizen that involves themselves in "commerce," (business for private gain), upon the highways of the state. Here is what the courts have said about this: "...For while a citizen has the right to travel upon the public highways and to transport his property thereon, that right does not extend to the use of the highways, either in whole or in part, as a place for private gain. For this latter purpose no person has a vested right to use the highways of the state, but [the use] is a privilege or license which the legislature may grant or withhold at its discretion..." - State v Johnson, 243 Pg 1073, 1078 Other U.S. court cases that confirm and point out the difference between the "right" of the citizen to travel and a government "privilege" are - Barney v Board of Railroad Commissioners; State v City of Spokane, 186 P. 864; Ex Parte Dickey (Dickey v Davis), 85 S.E. 781; Teche Lines v Danforth, 12 So. 2d 784 There are numerous other court decisions that spell out the JURISDICTION issue in these two distinctly different activities. However, because of space restrictions we will leave it up to the officers to research it further for themselves. #2 -- The second group of citizens that are legally under the jurisdiction of the state is the individual citizen who has voluntarily and knowingly waived their right to travel "unregulated and unrestricted" by requesting placement under such jurisdiction through the acquisition of a state drivers license, vehicle registration, mandatory insurance, etc. (In other words "by contract only.") We should remember what makes this "legal," and not a violation of the individual's common law right to travel "unrestricted" is that they knowingly volunteer freely, by contract, to waive their right(s). If they were forced, coerced or unknowingly placed under the State's powers, the courts have said it is a clear violation of their rights. This in itself raises a very interesting question. "What percentage of the people in each state have filed, and received, licenses, registrations, insurance, etc., after erroneously being advised by their government that it was mandatory?" Many of our courts, attorneys and police officials are just becoming informed about this important issue and the difference between "Privileges vs. Rights." We can assume that the majority of those Americans carrying state licenses, vehicle registrations, etc., have no knowledge of the rights they waived in obeying laws such as these that the U.S. Constitution clearly states are unlawful, i.e., "laws of no effect." In other words - "LAWS THAT ARE NOT LAWS AT ALL." OUR SWORN DUTY An area of serious consideration for every police officer, is to understand that the most important law in our land he has taken an oath to protect, defend, AND ENFORCE, is not state law, nor city or county ordinance, but that law which supersedes all other laws in our nation, - the U.S. Constitution. If laws, in a particular police officer's state, or local community are in conflict with the SUPREME LAW of our nation, there is no question that the officer's duty is to "uphold the U.S. Constitution." What does this mean to the "patrol officer" who will be the only sworn "Executive Officer" on the scene, when knowledgeable Citizens raise serious objections over possession of insurance, drivers licenses and other restrictions? It definitely means these officers will be faced with a hard decision. (Most certainly if that decision effects state, city or county revenues, such as the issuing of citations do.) Example: If a state legislator, judge or superior tells a police officer to proceed and enforce a contradictory, (illegal), state law rather than the Supreme Law of this country, what is that "sworn officer" to do? Although we may not want to hear it, there is but one right answer, - "the officer is duty bound to uphold his oath of office" and obey the highest laws of this nation. THIS IS OUR SWORN DUTY AND IT'S THE LAW! Such a strong honest stand taken by a police officer, upholding his or her oath of office, takes moral strength of character. It will, without question, "SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS." Such honest and straightforward decisions on behalf of a government official have often caused pressure to be applied to force such officers to set aside, or compromise their morals or convictions. As a solace for those brave souls in uniform that will stand up for law and justice, even when it's unpopular, or uncomfortable to do so...let me say this: In any legal stand-off over a sworn official "violating" or "upholding" their oath of office, those that would side with the "violation" should inevitably lose. Our Founding Fathers assured us, on many occasions, the following: Defending our freedoms in the face of people that would for "expedients sake," or behind the guise of, "for the safety and welfare of the masses," ignore people's rights, would forever demand sacrifice and vigilance from those that desired to remain free. That sounds a little like - "Freedom is not free!" Every police officer should keep the following U.S. court ruling which was covered earlier, in mind before issuing citations in regard to "mandatory - licensing, registrations an insurance" - versus "the right of the people to travel unencumbered"" "THE CLAIM AND EXERCISE OF A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT CANNOT BE CONVERTED INTO A CRIME." -Miller v U.S., 230 F2d 486, 489 And as we have seen, "traveling freely," going abut ones daily activities, is the exercise of a most basic right. THE FREEMAN MOVEMENT There is a growing national movement of Americans that go by titles such as - "Constitutionalists", "Freeman" and "Patriot." We have been told by federal officials and agencies that these individuals are any, or all of the following; radicals, racists, violence prone, anti-American, anarchists, communists, bigots, tax protestors, neo-nazis, right-wing fanatics, to name just a few. The latest is "White Supremist." This seems strange to many Police officers since professional encounters have proven that there are Indian, Oriental, Hispanics, Caucasians, and Blacks in many of these groups. Many police officers are voluntarily attending local meetings of such groups, which are open to the public, in an effort to find out what these "crazy" Americans are all about. In almost every letter our agency has received over the last 5 years from police officers who have personally attended such meetings, we have heard a far different story about these people. These officers will commonly use several or many of the following in describing these individuals. They describe these people as - well educated in the law, in history and national affairs, morally upstanding and honest, non-violent, rational, hard working, and fanatically dedicated to God and Country. Indeed, just the kind of Americans our government needs to beware of! Whatever these people are, there is one thing we all can say for sure. These individual Americans are unlike most of the people in our nation today in one very obvious way. This group of people believe in study and acquiring knowledge. They have an unusually well founded understanding of the rights of every American. Which is more than we can say for most government officials. Another thing we know as "fact" is that many of these individuals are also very defensive and protective over any government infringement on what they believe to be "God given rights." A hundred years ago these fanatical Patriotic Americans would have been held in high esteem by their fellow countrymen. But today, in our highly controlled society where the vast amount of Americans have been taught that Government is seldom to be challenged and is to always be obeyed without question; this last remnant of free thinking individuals now find themselves scoffed at by their less "courageous and informed" countrymen. It is no secret to police officers why these people are so reviled and pursued by government officials whose job it is to prepare this nation's people or greater restrictions and control over their daily lives - "for the good of Society as a whole" of course. MAKING ADJUSTMENTS -- DIFFICULT To make adjustments in the system at this time for "rights" that only a relatively few such "informed" Americans realize they have, would be difficult at best. It is also quite understandable that this is upsetting to those in government who for years have not had anyone around to call attention to such infringements on the public's rights. In addition, it seems the general consensus among these government officials is that such insignificant issues as this "right to travel vs. privilege to drive" is something that seems to be such a "small and necessary infringement when one considers the overall good which comes through strong government control over all our lives". In keeping with this philosophy, our leaders annually promote the adoption of approximately 17,000 NEW laws and hundreds of thousands of new regulations in the U.S. For every new law or regulation passed, someone's freedoms are restricted. The mistake made by many is believing that only the "Bad Guys" rights are restricted by new laws. The wise police officer, who has to enforce all these new laws, knows that if the mentality of, "there ought to be a law", continues, a police state is inevitable. Of course not all police officers are against being given more power and control over our fellow countrymen each year. As to the drivers license issue, there are many of the People's "Servants" that believe it's in the best interest of government that the People, knowingly or unknowingly, trade their "common law rights" for "government granted privileges." Of course a government granted privilege or permit can be rescinded at any time, and INALIENABLE RIGHT of the people cannot. SAVE US FROM "EDUCATED" AMERICANS As difficult as it is for some officials to adjust to, (officers included), we now have some Americans among us that "know their rights." And, as if that wasn't bad enough, these individuals profess that - "every right is as important as the next." Of course they're correct, but, the truth is, we Police officers get a bit indignant over being told we have erred in the past by ignoring some of our countrymen's basic rights. Even so, every police officer has an important choice to make when it comes to handling the "Freeman" today. Several are as follows: 1. Officers can make it as rough as possible on these individuals who wish to retain their freedoms. Officers can come down hard on these sometimes arrogant, (and perhaps a bit foolish), Americans that are firmly convinced that they still live in a nation with a government "of, for, and by the people..." OR 2. We can try our best to understand them and their obsessive desire for "freedom", which isn't illegal as of this writing. In so doing, we can try to understand their "reasoning", which is surprisingly very similar to some of our nation's past Statesmen, like Daniel Webster, when he reminded our forefathers: "IF THIS CONSTITUTION BE PICKED AWAY BY PIECEMEAL, (piece by piece), IT IS GONE AS EFFECTIVELY AS IF A MILITARY DESPOT HAD GRASPED IT, TRAMPLED IT UNDERFOOT AND SCATTERED IT TO THE WINDS." Another American recently made this rather radical statement: "IT IS NOT THE FUNCTION OF OUR GOVERNMENT TO KEEP THE CITIZEN FROM FALLING INTO ERROR; IT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE CITIZEN TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT FROM FALLING INTO ERROR." -- Justice Robert H. jackson, 1954. (This sounds like SEDITION to a bureaucrat.) As to "officers choices"...it is more than obvious that if we choose to support our oaths, and therefore our fellow countrymen's rights, we will need great courage. It will require that "both sides" become more understanding of each others obligations and duties. As officers, you will at times, be sorely taxed and tempted to "correct a particular attitude forthwith", when a Freeman, Patriot, Constitutionalist, (what ever the name) rather crudely or rudely expresses their views to you. It will take great patience to understand that these people are attempting to regain and save certain rights that belong not only to them, but, to every police officer and their families. We must remember that EVERY AMERICAN, (police officers, and freemen included,) have not just the right but the DUTY to point out perceived injustices in our system of government. The truth is, most police officers would have little respect for any American that shirked this most important patriotic duty. HOW TO TELL A BOGUS FREEMAN I inquired of a very respected and well known Freeman as to how an Officer could tell a true, died-in-the-flag FREEMAN from a fake. Here is a small portion of his response: "A freeman does not believe he is above the law. To the contrary. Those who truly understand, take full responsibility for their own actions. They do not drive while under the influence, DUI/DWI. They are very cautious in their driving habits. They obey the rules of the road. They take personal responsibility for damage they may cause to the person or property of another. They expect the `police powers' to correct them if they become inattentive or careless. When observed committing some act or omission that is a clear endangerment to others, they will expect to be confronted and if necessary, arrested. The Freeman's real "bone of contention", according to my friend, "is the manner in which the government, surreptitiously, converts rights, belonging to the people, into a government granted, regulated and taxed privilege. He further stated, "Freemen object to the use of the `police powers' as a `revenue enhancement' tools via the cash register courts." I explained to him that many police officers feel the same way about being trained to, daily, hunt, track and capture the unsuspecting citizen as PREY "bounding-up"; prey for the Courts to methodically SKIN. Lastly, the officer objects to being made to take the "HEAD" (count) of his prey for the precinct wall where hangs the monthly officer recap or quota sheets. I further explained that the intelligent, dedicated, Police Officer resents being the peoples ADVERSARY. They want to work with the people as a friend and serve them as their protectors, as was the "Peace Officers" role of the past. It seems to be a poor judgement call or a case of misplace priorities, in the minds of most city police officers, when they are made to spend a majority of their, "non radio call" time, lurking on street corners, attempting to track and capture good citizens going about their daily activities for traffic violations when the real criminal element is in these same citizens homes and neighborhoods raping, robbing and burglarizing at will. After my unexpected little speech, my Freeman friend drew silent for a moment. he then looked me in the eyes, as if in disbelief, and said, "...and where might these fine officers be found?" A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME... By any name, freeman, Patriot, Constitutionalist, I doubt that there are many Police officers who don't hope and pray that Americans will always cry out loudly and take the firmest stand, when they honestly believe they have grievances with their government. I hope, for our nation, and for the sake of our children's future, that I echo the feelings of most U.S. Lawmen when I say that rather than LESS of these "loudmouth" concerned Americans, who are not afraid to stand up and be counted (even if they go to jail or worse), that we need MORE Americans who care enough to fight for what they believe is right. As for me, I'm much more afraid of the growing numbers of "SPINELESS, PUSSY-FOOTIN', LIMP-WRIST, MEALY-MOUTHED, FORKED-TONGUED, COMPROMISING, PUSH-OVERS" that pass themselves off for REAL AMERICANS, than I am of those who, RIGHT OR WRONG, "tell it the way they believe it is", and stand squarely behind their convictions. Can I have an AMEN on that!? It is for this reasons, this editor believes, - we should not fear these Freeman/Patriots. Instead perhaps, we should have great concern for those among us who turn a deaf ear to "voices" that expound the values that have established this land that we are privileged and proud to live and raise our families in. It might very well be said that the strongest evidence that we still live in the Land of Liberty, would be if these freemen were able to exercise their rights to speech and to redress the government of their grievances, without police officers and the courts seeking them out and persecuting them for being so bold. (Of course if we could just convince them to promote something important and wholesome like -- say -- Satanism, Drugs, Sodomy, Pornography, Marxism, etc., we Police Officers wouldn't be allowed to touch them. But, dare to preach the CONSTITUTION and LIMITED GOVERNMENT and you and I know...they are asking for big trouble. ONE FINAL THOUGHT (straight from the editor): For you BRAVE STREET SOLDIERS who want a truly invigorating experience, try this: The next time you encounter, "professionally", one of these unusually concerned American Freemen who has just told you that he or she is not required to have a license, (and is now standing by to absorb your wrath) try ... extending your hand in friendship, put on a smile, and utter words something like this: "My family and I thank you for your vigilance and commitment to our liberties, and we hope you will continue to fight and stand up for all of our Rights. May God go with you my Countryman." RISK POTENTIAL Yes, there is a risk to such actions taken by a police officer. Not a risk to the officer, however but to the "Freeman", who may have a coronary attack at the scene. Several officers have written to express their own personal reactions, after having taken similar "irregular actions" when confronting a Freeman in an "enforcement" scenario. One officer said, "...it just felt good", like he had "just pushed some tea into the harbor somewhere." Another officer explained it this way: "...for a fleeting moment...I really felt what it was like to be a friend of the motorist, instead of playing the role of the plunderous Sheriff of Nottingham." I think it's important to note that no officer, after having warmly greeted and congratulated a Freeman, without issuing a citation, has reported the earth opening up and swallowing them! ABOUT THE EDITOR Officer Jack McLamb RET. is one of the a new breed whose dedication to his job, his country, and it's constitution goes beyond the usual. Jack's writings to his fellow police officers in the U.S. on constitutional and moral issues have helped to educate many in the need to study and put into practice those values that are responsible for making our nation the foremost bastion of freedom in the world. -- Arizona State Senator, Wayne Stump A FREE(?) PRESS as the GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM Is there any doubt that even the so-called "independent" free press is no longer a source of valid "truth" and honest opinion? Could you have heard the preceding discussed on ANY of the dozens of so-called "news" shows? The public media is spoon fed on the government propaganda and public information through the public relations departments of the national, federal, State and local governments and transnational corporations. The sovereign Power structure controls all five big television networks, including PBS, and CNN. Most Americans get 90% of their "news", information and world view from the television. Most reporters are too busy investigating the private lives of public officials and celebrities to actually do any legitimate research into real issues and concerns, real problems that deserve more attention than who Bob Packwood made unwarranted advances to as a U.S. senator or what color Bill Clinton's underwear was when he was making lewd sexual advances to a stranger, or what O.J Simpson was dreaming about the night before the murders. Most of the media focuses the public attention on non-issues. Investigative reporting and truth-saying are hard and dangerous work for a reporter or editor (if you want to keep your job). However, maintaining an independent, free press is essential to the existence of a healthy republic (a state of affairs which we have neither of today!) Public policy is shaped by the image of the issue, not by its reality. Policy will be what the policy ought to look like, not what actually solves the problem or addresses the root of the issue. "Spin doctors" and "image makers" are at key policy making posts of any government or corporate public relations department. These spin doctors make public policy based on public opinion, then the legislators follow with the statues. The "independent" press as the guardians of reality have abandoned ship. Journalism has deteriorated into slick entertainment and sensationalism, even by the vanguards of the media industry. Citizenship is not a spectator sport -- and the "news" ought not to be confused with entertainment. "There is no such thing at this date of the world's history in America as an independent press. You know it, and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinion, and if you did, you know beforehand it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly to keep my honest opinion out of the paper. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job... "The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it, and I know it, and what folly is this, toasting and independent press? We are the tools and the vassals of rich men behind the scenes. we are the Jumping Jacks. They pull the strings, and we dance. "Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes." -- John Swinden, former head of the New York Times; toasting the independent press at the National Press Club (1953). The 14th AMENDMENT and U.S. "citizen" As opposed to popular belief, the American Civil War was not fought to emancipate the slaves. The Civil War was fought because of a basic principal; that is: that the individual states within the union of states, each individually has more power and authority than the entire federal government, when it comes to governing within the boundaries of that state. There is a good and valid reason for this fact -- the (federal) U.S. Government was never created as an agent of the people. It was created as an agent of the states. In fact nowhere in the original Constitution or Bill of Rights does the government for the United States of America ever have any jurisdiction over an individual unless s/he is involved in a dispute with a state of which s/he is NOT a Citizen, i.e., a dispute in or over a "foreign jurisdiction" (foreign to the Citizen, but when the Citizen is a citizen of a state of the United States.) In attempts to gain control over Citizens, their lives, their property and their labor, the (federal) U.S. Government kept looking for ways to assert itself. When economic conditions in the 1850's began to deteriorate the southern states with their lack of a diversified industrial economy were harder hit than many of the northern states. The banking families of England and France saw this as a prime opportunity to sow discord -- in the hoped for future opportunity to possibly split the new nation into at least two major parts. The red- herring issue of slavery was rapidly promoted as justification for imposing further economic sanctions on the south. Many southern statesmen correctly identified the efforts of the north as interference by the national government in their own internal state's affairs, and they correctly pointed out that the (federal) U.S. government had absolutely no authority to involve itself in the internal affairs of the states. "The capital and leading object of the constitution was to leave with the States all authorities which respected their own citizens only, and to transfer to the United States those which respected citizens of foreign or other States; to make us several as to ourselves, but one as to all others." -- Thomas Jefferson ["Writing of Thomas Jefferson" pub by Taylor & Maury, Washington DC, 1854, quote number VII 290-98, from correspondence with Judge William Johnson, June 12, 1823] This "argument" rapidly became exploited by several sovereign power structures in an attempt to split the United States into two separate countries. In a strange but interesting twist of fate, Tsar Alexander II of Russia intervened and threatened both France and England with war if they invaded, as had been planned, and history clearly credits his actions with keeping those countries from becoming militarily involved in our Civil War. Having successfully raised the issue of slavery to that of an argument resulting in our Civil War, the 13th Amendment was passed, freeing the slaves from their physical bondage. "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."-- 13th Amendment Now one might ask why the framers of the above needed to include what first appears as a significant redundancy: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude..." Isn't slavery involuntary servitude? Why include the second phrase of "involuntary servitude?" Simple. The amendment outlaws slavery. The amendment also outlaws INVOLUNTARY servitude...not voluntary servitude. And at that very moment the 13th Amendment was written, our nation took its first noteworthy step down the road towards the "Alice in Wonderland", back- to-front, inside-out, legal perversions of common sense, in short, the world we live in today. A world where "must" has more legal definitions than fleas on a hound (and almost none of them mean that you absolutely have to), a world where "United States" has three legal definitions, and only one of them means the government of the country where you and I appear to live, a world where the difference between Citizen and citizen becomes all important to understanding who you are and what relationship you have with your government -- and why. The reconstruction period after the Civil War involved a military coup by the (federal) United States government. Martial and military law was declared and some say it has not been lifted since the Civil War. The admiralty flag was placed in many state courts across the country, although it had been one jurisdiction of federal courts since the U.S. Constitution was adopted. Southern senators were taken out of office by force and replaced with military officers who voted for the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment was adopted under martial law, and supposedly when martial law ends, so do all the laws instituted under military authority. And further more, since the amendment was "voted" on by representatives who WERE NOT ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES of the people, the amendment cannot under any conceivable circumstances be considered valid or binding today. The 14th Amendment gave the newly freed slaves very limited "civil rights" by creating the "U.S. citizen." (Note the small case "c" in "citizen"; the first ever use of a lower case "c" in citizen in the Constitution.) The first consequence of the 14th Amendment "U.S. citizen" was to expand the jurisdiction of the (federal) United States beyond the constitutionally specified 10 miles square (100 square miles) into the sovereign states and erode state's rights even further than what had been accomplished via the Civil War (Washington DC is only 63 square miles). The 14th Amendment is the backbone of the constructive fraud perpetrated on the American people to "waive" their rights and lawful citizenship. "While the union survived the Civil War, the Constitution did not...in its place arose a more promising basis for justice and equality, the 14th Amendment."--Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall Birth certificates, originally required for children of slaves, were soon after the enactment of the 14th Amendment, required for all "U.S. citizens" who were, and are, subjects under the exclusive legislative democracy of the District of Columbia. "All 'persons' born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside."--14th Amendment, section 1, clause 1 "A person is born subject to the jurisdiction of the United States...if his birth occurs in territory over which the United States is sovereign, even though another country provides all governmental services within the territory and the territory is subsequently ceded to the other country."-- 3Am Jur 2d, section 1419 "The word 'citizen' as used in the 14th Amendment is used in a political sense to designate one who has the rights and privileges of a citizen of a state, or of the United States and does not mean the same things as a resident, inhabitant or person."--3Am Jur 2d, section 1412, pg 659 Another, but lesser known consequence of the 14th Amendment, but more, much more, profound, made "economic slaves" of every "U.S. citizen" by obligating U.S. citizens to pay the debts of the (federal) United States in exchange for privileges, benefits and "civil rights." Thus the (federal) United States could justify borrowing money from the international bankers and making the U.S. citizens (not the sovereign state Citizens) accountable for the repayment of the debt. This paved the way for the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and the (federal) United States bankruptcy that followed. Instead of actually emancipating the slaves, the 14th Amendment made slaves of every American citizen who hasn't discovered the monumental fraud. "The validity of the public debt of the United States...shall not be questioned."--14th Amendment, section 4, clause 1 Have you ever read before now the clause of the 14th Amendment shown above? Did you ever wonder at the reason to put into a Constitutional amendment the prohibition of questioning the public debt? Where did the framers of this amendment ever, for even a single minute, get the unmistakably unconstitutional idea that the legislature could generate a "public debt" that the sovereign Citizens of this nation could not rightfully and constitutionally question?(!!) The 14th amendment was unconstitutional from its inception. "Since an unconstitutional law is void, the general principles follow that it impose no duties, confers no rights, creates no office, bestows no power or authority on anyone, affords no protection, and justifies no acts performed under it... "A void act cannot be legally consistent with a valid one. An unconstitutional law cannot operate to supersede any existing valid law. Indeed, insofar as a statute runs counter to the fundamental law of the land, it is superseded thereby. "No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law, and no courts are bound to enforce it."--16 Am Jur 2d, Section 177 The 14th Amendment served the growing "federalist" movement (and the sovereign power structure behind that movement) that was slowly, but purposefully, encroaching upon the citizens of the united states of America. The (federal) United States government had every intention of expanding and exploiting this fraud until such time as there were no sovereign (state) citizens remaining in any of the sovereign states. Another purpose of the 14th Amendment, not openly discussed, but a major purpose non-the-less, was the ability to create legal fictions called "persons" (e.g. corporations, trusts, etc.) and give these legal fictions the right to own and hold title to property -- a right which previous to the amendment could only be conveyed to a living human being. A "person" is not, by definition, the same as a sovereign individual human being. Your "birth certificate" is an unrevealed trust instrument which created a legal fiction in the same name as the one you use, placing you "in commerce with the federal United States government", effective from your birth date. So -- you were born and immediately issued a certificate of birth which allows the federal United States government to regulate your activities via the interstate commerce clause in the Constitution. You live and work in a federal enclave allowing the "exclusive jurisdiction" clause of the Constitution, (originally intended for only the area known as Washington DC) to govern your living environment and usurping nearly 100% of your sovereignty and replacing it with federally mandated conditions and "privileges" instead of the inalienable rights you were given by your creator. And why? To serve the international bankers in their insatiable greed for control of all the wealth of all the nations of the earth. THE FEDERAL RESERVE How many commercial uses of the word "Federal" can you think of? I live in a relatively small town and in my phone book there is in addition to "Federal Express", we have "Federal Laundry" and "Federal Fastener". There is no copyright nor trademark on the word "Federal", and the Federal Reserve is no more part of the Federal Government than Federal Express. The Federal Reserve is a joint stock trust, a corporation whose stock is jointly held by its member banks. The largest of these banks, like the "Federal Reserve Bank of New York", or the "Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco" are majority owned by foreign banking interests. In 1992, the Bank of England held 52% of the stock of the Federal Reserve. Since the Federal Reserve makes and sets monetary policy for the United States, the government and it's people, I wonder if we REALLY won the Revolutionary War? Or did we perhaps just slow down the march of economic servitude with an all too brief an interlude of productivity, human freedom and dignity on this continent? Congress unconstitutionally delegated its responsibility for setting and regulating the value of money to the Federal Reserve. Did you know that in 1913, just TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, was when the Federal Reserve Act was passed by the Senate -- a time when all but 5 or 6 carefully selected Senators had left for home for their Christmas vacation? That's right dear reader -- a small handful of corrupted representatives passed one of the most damaging pieces of legislation ever passed in this nation's history. In the seventeenth century, Baron Rothschild said "Give me the power to regulate the money of a country, and I care not who makes the laws." And to show you just how powerful the ability to create and regulate the money is: From 1787 until 1913, some 126 years, our government, with brief exceptions had done pretty well managing it's financial affairs, and had at times amassed huge surpluses of money. But in the short span of less than 20 years from the end of 1913 until 1933, our government went bankrupt. Absolutely, totally and irredeemably bankrupt! And in a carefully crafted corporate take-over, the bankers behind the Federal Reserve once again co-opted some of our "representatives" into passing HJR 192, a joint House & Senate Resolution which confirmed the bankruptcy and set the stage for more legislation turning over more and more assets of We the People, to the Federal Government who in turn pledges these assets to the Federal Reserve (owned by foreign banking interests) as collateral for continued credit. And remember, according to the never properly ratified 14th amendment, we are not even supposed to be questioning the federal debt! Below is a chart of how money is brought into circulation and where it goes from there. +------------+ | "Money" or | So-called money is "created" on order | credit is | of the Treasury dept, but it is in fact | created. | only a computer entry in a private corp's | | data bank, indicating that credit can | Federal | be issued. This corp. is the Federal | Reserve | Reserve. | | +--<--<--<-| |-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-->-+ | +-----+------+ | \ / | \ / +----+---------+ / \ | | This credit | | | | is "loaned" | | +------+---------+ | to the gov | +---<---<---+ | This credit | | who pays the | | | is placed in | | FED interest | | | circulation | +------+-------+ | | by "loaning" | | / \ | it to banks. | \ / | | | | | | These banks | | | | pay the FED | | | | interest to | | | | have this | | | | "money" to | \ / / \ | loan out to | | | | us suckers. | | | +--------+-------+ | | | | | \ / +------+--------------+ / \ +-----------+---------+ | The government | | | The bankers | | puts this money | | | put this money | | into circulation | | | into circulation | | by spending it | / \ | by loaning it | | on projects and | | | to people for cars | | welfare, etc. | | | houses, etc., etc. | | The actual FRN's | | | The actual FRN's | | end up in the | / \ | end up in the | | hands of common | | | hands of common | | folks and corpor- | | | folks and corpor- | | ations. | | | ations. | +-----------+---------+ / \ +-----------+---------+ | | | \ / | \ / | | | | / \ | | +-------+----------------+ | \ / | | \ / | | Enter the IRS | | | | which soaks up | | | | all the loose FRN's | | | | and returns them | | | | to their issuer, | | | | the FED! | | | | | | \ / +-------+----------------+ \ / | | | | | | | ^ | | | | +--->------->------>--+--<-----<---------<---------+ Notice 2 important things down at the foot of this money tree. First, the IRS is the ONLY way FRN's get returned to the FED and without the IRS, there would be nearly immediate hyperinflation as the supply of FRN's gathered in the hands of the consumers (because the government continues to borrow more money than it collects through lawful taxes). Secondly, Corporations exist to speed the movement of money between as many transactions as can possibly be accommodated, with the effect being, of course, that at every transaction, some of the FRN's get sucked up as taxes. Without the withholding agents, e.g., corporations, the speed at which the FRN's would be returned would slow rather dramatically. "If the American people ever allow the banks to control issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers occupied." --Thomas Jefferson Pretty insightful fellow wasn't he! Of course, note that the mathematics of this scam are such that the "interest" on the debt can NEVER, NEVER be repaid. Why? Because only principal can be borrowed, so no matter how much you (the government) borrows, the interest continues to grow. There is absolutely no way in the world that this completely corrupt system can be allowed to continue to exist. The Fed must go! History has not dealt kindly with nations whose rulers have corrupted the currency and indebted the citizens. Our nation, now the worlds LARGEST debtor nation, is teetering on the brink of financial disaster. Some wonder if the impending disasters are the result of 80 years of greed and monied corruption, or if they are simply more of the planning to move the US towards a one world government, also run and managed by the international bankers. In any case, it is up to us, the "common" citizen, the beneficiary of more than a thousand years of evolving "common" law, to take charge of our own individual destiny's, take back our nation, our government and our freedoms. More than at any time in prior history, the future of mankind hinges on what you do, or fail to do. Will your children live in a tightly controlled, overly regulated police state designed for the efficient milking of your economic efforts, or will freedom, dignity and willing cooperation be the milling stones by which progress is made? The choice is yours. The bankers, having invested billions in propaganda and "training" via the TV and public education, are watching for your decision; though they feel confident their machinations are more than enough to overcome the last vestiges of the desire for individual freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness. THE ESSENCE OF GOVERNMENT by Alfred Adask A recent TV documentary discussed how much arctic tundra had been destroyed in the former Soviet Union by irresponsible oil drilling techniques. Apparently, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of square miles of fragile arctic environment have been contaminated by crude oil spills. Who's responsible? The former Communist government of the Soviet Union. Which is to say no one is responsible. If you consider the Russian experience, you will see that the essence of government, all government, is the avoidance of personal responsibility. For example, look at the murders of Sam (age 14) and his mother Vickie Weaver up in Ruby Creek, Idaho, in 1992. Our Federal government tried Randy Weaver (Sam's father, Vickie's husband) and Kevin Harris for the killing of a government agent (they were found innocent). However, no government agent was tried for shooting the boy Sam (in the back) and his mother Vickie (in the head while she was holding a baby in her arms). It's no mystery. The names of the government's killers are known. But there will be no trials, because government refuses to accept responsibility for its actions. Government doesn't try government agents for killing civilians anymore than "Bloods" (a Los Angeles street gang) tries fellow "Bloods" for killing Crips (another L.A. street gang). The issue is not one of morality, or justice, it's one of membership. Us against them. Will government try fellow government agents for murdering two civilians? No. How 'bout Waco? About ninety people died, including four government storm troopers and over 80 Branch Davidians (many of them women and children). Our government tried eleven surviving Branch Davidians (civilians) for the murders of the four government agents, but who'll be tried for the fiery deaths of scores of civilians? Anyone? Nope. Why? Because the issue is not "justice for all", the issue is "privilege for a select few" -- membership in government. Just as the Bloods do not try fellow Bloods for killing Crips, our Federal government does not try "its own" for murdering civilians. Us..... Against..... Them. Big government's avoidance of personal responsibility goes far beyond the relatively few, but dramatic, instances of civilian murders. Who's responsible for buying $200 toilet seats for the military? $500 hammers? Who's responsible for the national deficit? Or Watergate? Who, for that matter, is responsible for killing President Kennedy? And who's responsible for the $500 BILLION Savings & Loan loss that will have to be repaid by the American taxpayers (the same folks who were robbed in the first place)? And the answer is (ta-dah!) "No One"! Ya know why? Because the responsible parties in virtually every case are government employees and officials, and the fundamental purpose of government is to avoid all personal responsibility. They call it "sovereign immunity", judicial immunity", "executive privilege" and a dozen other names. But almost always, the government refuses to be held accountable to the People. In large measure, government means the escape from personal responsibility. The escape from personal responsibility is not only available for government employees, officials, and politicians -- it's also available to private (meaning government-approved) citizens. Look at corporations: these "legal fictions" are created by government for the express purpose of allowing corporate owners and employees to act without assuming the risk of full, common law, personal responsibility. How 'bout government welfare programs? To some extent, every welfare recipient is living without the full personal responsibility of supporting himself. "Special interests" of big business and the wealthy are likewise freed by government from the onerous task of earning their living on a "level playing field" in the free market. They are "licensed" (and from Black's law dictionary we find that license means given "Permission by some competent authority to do some act which, without such permission, would be illegal.") or given special privileges that protect them from the difficulties of lawful personal responsibility. Even Congressmen specifically exempt themselves from their personal responsibility of obeying their own social legislation (like Civil Rights anti-discrimination laws). And consider our beloved "licensed" lawyers who, on average, loose 50% of their cases, but can't be held accountable for being incompetent. Again, these quasi-governmental officials are characterized by licenses and special privileges which always mean reduced personal responsibility. A CONSEQUENCE OF CENTRALIZED POWER "Power" is the ability to act effectively. As government grows, power is siphoned off from individuals and concentrated in the hands of fewer and more distant bureaucrats, officials and politicians. As government grows more powerful, the People are increasingly inhibited, restricted and tied down like Gulliver by the red tape of an army of Lilliputian bureaucrats. This inverse relationship between government power and individual power is intuitively obvious: as government grows more powerful, the people become less powerful. As individuals loose power, they not only lose the ability to act in ways that are harmful, they also lose the ability to act in ways that are beneficial -- even when they see things that should be done. As government grows more powerful, only government can act, and you, therefore cannot. If you can't act, then obviously, you can't be held responsible either. In fact, I suspect that the terms "personal power" and "personal responsibility" are virtually synonymous; you can't diminish (or increase) one without doing the same to the other. So government's growth not only reduces your personal power, it also reduces your personal responsibility. Therefore, government power is inversely proportional to personal responsibility. This inverse relationship between government power and personal responsibility offers an important insight into the essence of government and perhaps even life itself. I'm no Biblical scholar, but don't Judeo-Christian faiths ultimately advocate personal responsibility? Aren't we to be judged by God some day? Won't that judgement hinge on some measure of personal responsibility? Therefore, aren't license and avoidance of personal responsibility contrary to the fundamental Biblical precept of personal responsibility? Moreover, if personal responsibility is God's fundamental command, then what can we infer about the fundamental nature of a government that avoids personal responsibility? Is it illogical to conclude that in its usual (irresponsible) guise, government is inherently anti-religious and perhaps even predisposed to Evil? Is it possible that as government grows, so does it's propensity to do Evil? If so, is it possible that big government might be inescapably Evil? Likewise, what can we infer about the motives of a government that encourages its people to seek license and avoid personal responsibility? Isn't that government encouraging them to turn their backs on God? On the other hand, if government power and personal license tend to Evil, wouldn't Freedom and personal responsibility be the essential goals of God and the prerequisites for a strong society and nation? FREEDOM Here in the "Land of the Free", the concept of "Freedom" is confusing and seldom understood. Too often, the word "freedom" is confused with "license" (i.e., the privilege of doing that which would otherwise be illegal or immoral). If I am "free", can I drive 100 mph in a school zone? Can I drag any woman I choose off into the bushes and have my way with her? Does "freedom" mean living "for free" and never having to pay for my food or shelter (as in living on welfare)? Of course not. We know intuitively that "freedom" does not include the right to do wrong. And though that intuition sounds simple, that's a powerful insight. Why? Because if freedom does not include the right to do wrong, then what could it include? What's left after you remove all "wrong"? Nothing but "right"! Freedom, then, is the power to do that which is right! Lemme explain. If we consider our options as "free" men, we realize that to be "free" one must first be "responsible". A responsible person doesn't drive 100 mph in a school zone. A responsible person doesn't rape. A responsible person pays his bills. And more, a responsible person raises his children properly, meets his social duties and obligations, and works to support himself and his family. And remembers to floss. And helps his kids with their homework. And calls mom regularly. And helps other less fortunate than himself. And, and, and.... Damn. As a consequence of Freedom, personal responsibility is almost endless. In fact, if you stop to think about it, there's so much that each of us should do (but don't), that "freedom" begins to take on the grimly unattractive appearance of endless servitude to personal responsibility and obligation. What's the good of being "free" if I can't get drunk whenever I want, seduce my neighbor's wife, and call in sick when I wanna go fishing? With all these damn responsibilities, what's the point to being "free"? If there's no pay-off in Freedom, why not accept government slavery? (You don't like the word "slavery"? OK, we'll call it "welfare", "entitlements", benefits" or "security" instead -- how's that, you like it better now?) But why not? In the welfare state, I might not be free, but who cares if I don't have to worry about paying my rent, having a job, educating my kids, or remaining faithful to my wife? Why not kick back, relax, and be a slave (oops, "welfare recipient"), instead of some up-tight, obsessive- compulsive "do-gooder" fighting to be "free"? Answer? Consider the former Soviet Union. Perfect example. Under the Communist cradle-to-grave welfare state, the Russians seduced each other's wives, aborted even more babies than we do here in America, and drank so much vodka they had the highest alcoholism rate in the world. They weren't free, but they weren't personally responsible either. So why not? Free food, free broads, free booze, and you can't be fired? Sounds like one helluva a system, doesn't it? And yet, that "helluva" system collapsed, leaving several hundred million people impoverished, frightened, starving in some cases, and vulnerable to civil war. What went wrong? Free food, booze, broads, you can't be fired -- and they blew it! What could possible be missing? SELF-ESTEEM The dictionary defines "self-esteem" as "an objective respect for oneself". Pretty dry but technically on target. Self-esteem is a measure of one's self-respect. Some people have high self-esteem, some have a little, some have none. While we seldom notice the benefits of self-esteem, it's easy to see the adverse consequences when self-esteem is missing. Have you ever known anyone who drank too much, used drugs, slept around, committed suicide, etc., who had any self-esteem? In my experience, the absence of self-esteem is the foundation for all self-destructive behavior. That being so, I believe the presence of self-esteem is a kind of "spiritual vitamin" that is essential for the maintenance of life. How do we get self-esteem? Self-assessment. No one can claim it for you, no one else can give it to you, no one else can really take it away. Only you can grant yourself the award of self- esteem. You must respect yourself. Neither winning nor loosing (in the eyes of the world) can finally determine one's self-esteem. Win, loose, or draw, you must know in your heart that you've done your best. It's a little like Sylvester Stallone in the original Rocky movie -- he just wanted to "go the distance". He didn't have to win the fight to earn his own self-esteem, he just had to stand and not quit, to certify in his own mind that he wasn't "just another one of the neighborhood bums". Self-esteem is the reward for a successful struggle (usually against your own fears and the inhibitions against doing right, that society has placed on you). You don't have to win, but you do have to fight to the limit of your ability. YOU have to fight. YOU have to struggle. YOU have to stand up and do what you believe to be right despite your fears. If you do, you succeed in validating yourself, in proving to yourself that you are worthy of life. But there is no self-esteem without personal responsibility (YOU must do your own fighting). There is no personal responsibility without individual freedom (you must be free to choose to fight the battles your heart selects as Right). There is no freedom under the centralized power and control of big government (you are denied the opportunity to engage in a personal fight since all personal power and personal responsibility have been surrendered to the government). By taking our personal power and personal responsibility, big government deprives us of self-esteem, and leaves us as rotting flesh, corrupt, stillborn in our souls, and unless healed, sure to die without ever having lived. Put enough people like that in a society, and an entire nation will collapse. (Witness the former Soviet Union.) BEYOND FLESH AND BLOOD In the end, all that governments can promise, is to distribute material wealth. They will rob the productive, Robin-Hood style, and give it to the poor (or more likely keep it for themselves). But in either case, materialism (the supply, demand, and distribution of food, goods and services) is the philosophy that lures folks into welfare, entitlements and slavery. I don't denigrate materialism as it clearly plays a powerful, productive role in all societies (which I'll discuss another time) -- but materialism is not everything. It's only part of life. Even animals understand this. Ever heard stories of a wild lion captured, caged, cared for and well fed that nevertheless simply lays down, refuses to eat and dies? Ever heard stories of dogs that dig and chew at their cages until their claws break and their jaws shatter? It happens. Not always. Not even often, but it happens! It also happens with people. And with societies, too. We each have to earn our self-esteem and the only way that can be done, is by pulling our own plow. We must each pay the full price of our own survival. "Living free" may not avoid poverty, but "living for free" guarantees self-destruction. We are spiritually dependent on our own self-esteem. Diminish that self-esteem, and no matter how much free food, sex, booze and welfare you get, you will wither and die. Look at the black community. They sense the problem. That's why Jesse Jackson et al are chanting, "Ah'm black and ah'm proud!" They understand that the black community's "collective" self-esteem is about zero, so they try to build it up by making the blacks say they have self-esteem. Won't work -- not so long as blacks are among the principal recipients of big government "benefits". Like any other slave, blacks may be able to look the part, "talk the talk" and "dress for success", but in the end, self-esteem can only be earned, never faked. In our hearts, we each know if we've made meaningful contributions to the support of ourselves and those around us. To the extent we succeed, we feel self-esteem. To the extent we fail, we feel painful self-incrimination and seek to escape into alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, and similar forms of suicide. We are more than material beings, we are also spiritual -- and our spirits sicken and die without self-esteem. The inability to provide the governed with self-esteem is the principle weakness, the "heart of darkness" of every government; they can never feed our spirits. Never satisfy our souls. Never. ONE-TWO, ONE TWO! Everyone knows it's important to exercise our physical bodies. No matter how well we eat, if we don't exercise, we are not only weakening our bodies, we are actually shortening our lives. Scientific fact. But how many understand that we are more than merely physical beings? How many understand that we are as bound by the laws of God and nature to exercise our souls as we are by biological law to exercise our bodies? Just like muscles, our souls also atrophy by sitting back, cowed by fear, doing nothing. So how do we exercise our souls? By doing Right. Remember the arctic tundra ruined by the irresponsible Soviets? No one was accountable, no one was responsible. Why? Do you think no one wanted to be responsible? Do you think the Russians simply laughed with glee as they polluted their own land? Some probably did, but what of the Russians who wanted to do the right thing, and stop the pollution? Why didn't they act? Red tape. Government production demands. Supply bottlenecks brought on by government regulations. They knew what was Right, but they couldn't do it because big government prevented them. Big government prevented them because it was so cluttered with rules, regulations, forms, and permissions, that it had become too ponderous and too controlling to even allow immediate "personal" solutions to relatively small problems. By taking power from individuals and concentrating it in the hands of distant bureaucrats, big government stripped personal power and personal responsibility from the man on scene where the oil spilled. Unable to act, a man in the arctic sat there, helpless, watching the oil spill, unable to do what he knew was Right. His self-esteem withered and he reached for a vodka. Are you free to do what's Right in the USA? Ohh, you're "free" to watch TV and get the latest conditioning and propaganda. And you're "free" to vote for the liar of your choice. You're free to get drunk and smoke tobacco and (if you're careful) use a "controlled substance". And don't forget the "freedom" to murder you own children, provided they haven't been born yet (for as in Waco, only government can currently murder 'em after they've been born). But that's not "freedom", that license! Can you see your children? Grandchildren? Father? Mother? Can you keep enough of the money you earn to give your kids the clothes, home, parental support and education the deserve? Hmmm? Can you even take care of yourself to the degree you know is necessary and right? Hmmm? New glasses? Hmmm? Dental care? Proper food, vitamins and medical care? Hmmm? Can you travel freely, open a bank account without a social security number, talk on the phone without fear of being recorded? Hmmm? Can you raise a son without wondering if he'll be murdered in some idiotic foreign "police action"? Can your children pray in school? Can they? Can you speak out in public without fear of lawsuit and financial ruin? When you see a social injustice is there a responsive public agency to help make it stop, or is your urge to do right imprisoned within the walls of bureaucracy? How much can you do that you know to be RIGHT? That is the measure of your personal Freedom. On the other hand, to the extent that you live each day walking by one injustice after another -- closing your eyes, pretending not to see, knowing the "system" is too cumbersome and indifferent for you to act or help -- to that extent, you are a slave. Ohh, you may be a well-fed, well-housed slave, but in your gut, you know damn well your life is empty, worthless, unlived. Your company dental plan may be superb, but your spirit is toothless. Without Freedom, there is no personal responsibility, no self-esteem, nothing but an itch to self-destruction. YOUR REWARD Freedom is the capacity to do that which is Right. The reward for Freedom is self-esteem and Life. Whoever, whatever, prevents you from doing Right, saps your self- esteem, kills your soul, and condemns you to a life unlived and an early grave. Whatever stops you from doing what you know to be Right is not only your greatest mortal enemy -- it's also your greatest spiritual enemy. And who does more to deny your Freedom and self-esteem than big government? Will you live Free with the self-esteem of a man who does Right, or exist as an irresponsible "licensed" slave with nothing but intoxicants and regret? You have the right to choose, you have the responsibility to choose, you must choose. Why? Because this is the single, most fundamental choice in all of life: Freedom or slavery? But what choice can there be once you understand the difference between Freedom and slavery? Remember all the self-destructive behavior associated with low self-esteem? Despite the sales pitch about all those government "benefits" (national health care sure sounds like a nice idea, doesn't it?), big government and the consequent loss of personal responsibility and self-esteem can lead you only toward self-destruction and death. In the end, the benefits and bondage of big government are at least hazardous to your personal health, and probably fatal for the nation. We don't choose to be Free because it's easy. Freedom's hard, sometimes even painful. We don't choose to be Free because it's fun. Freedom can be exciting, exhilarating, and invigorating but it's not "fun" (at least not in the superficial sense). We choose to be Free because Freedom is the prerequisite for personal responsibility, personal responsibility is the prerequisite for self-esteem and self-esteem is the prerequisite of spiritual LIFE. We choose Freedom and personal responsibility as a first vital step to resurrecting our souls. We choose Freedom because we choose to live. In the end, the choice is not between Freedom and slavery, but between Life and death. How will you choose? How will you choose for yourself? By your example, how will you choose for your children? How will you choose for your nation? The world is watching for your decision. Waiting. And so, I suspect is God. Your life and your nation's life will depend on your choice. Choose well. -- ******************************************************************** "The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance." --Thomas Paine ******************************************************************** timr@efn.org (503) 895-4681 (FAX) (503) 895-4417 (VOICE) ------------------------------------------------ (This file was found elsewhere on the Internet and uploaded to the Radio Free Michigan archives by the archive maintainer. All files are ZIP archives for fast download. E-mail bj496@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu)