Painting by Anthony Freda: www.AnthonyFreda.com
How Many Constitutional Freedoms Have We Lost?
This post explains the liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights – the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution – and provides a scorecard on the extent of the loss of each right. (This is an updated version of an essay we wrote in February. Unfortunately, a lot of information has come out since then.)
First Amendment
The 1st Amendment protects speech, religion, assembly and the press:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The Supreme Court has also interpreted the First Amendment as protecting freedom of association.
However, the government is arresting those speaking out … and violently crushing peaceful assemblies which attempt to petition the government for redress.
A federal judge found that the law allowing indefinite detention of Americans without due process has a “chilling effect” on free speech. And see this and this.
There are also enacted laws allowing the secret service to arrest anyone protesting near the president or other designated folks (that might explain incidents like this).
Mass spying by the NSA violates our freedom of association.
The threat of being labeled a terrorist for exercising our First Amendment rights certainly violates the First Amendment. The government is using laws to crush dissent, and it’s gotten so bad that even U.S. Supreme Court justices are saying that we are descending into tyranny. (And the U.S. is doing the same things that tyrannical governments have done for 5,000 years to crush dissent.)
For example, the following actions may get an American citizen living on U.S. soil labeled as a “suspected terrorist” today:
- Taking any steps to protect your privacy (and see this)
- Complaining about the taste of your tap water
- Being young (if you live near a battle zone, you are fair game; and see this)
- Reporting or doing journalism (and here and here)
- Having “strange odors” or “bright colored stains on clothes” (what if you eat mustard or ketchup?)
- Protesting anything (such as participating in the “Occupy” or “Tea Party” movements). For example, Department of Defense training manuals classify all protest as “low-level terrorism”. And see this, this, this and this
- Questioning war (even though war reduces our national security; and see this)
- Criticizing the government’s targeting of innocent civilians with drones (although killing innocent civilians with drones is one of the main things which increases terrorism. And see this)
- Stocking up on more than 7 days of food (even though all Mormons are taught to stockpile food, and most Hawaiians store up on extra food)
- (Not having a Facebook account may soon be added)
And holding the following beliefs may also be considered grounds for suspected terrorism:
- Liking the Founding Fathers
- Being a Christian
- Being “anti-nuclear”
- Being “anti-abortion”
- Being “anti-Catholic”
- Being “anti-global”
And see this. (Of course, Muslims are more or less subject to a separate system of justice in America.)
And 1st Amendment rights are especially chilled when power has become so concentrated that the same agency which spies on all Americans also decides who should be assassinated.
Second Amendment
The 2nd Amendment states:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Gun control and gun rights advocates obviously have very different views about whether guns are a force for violence or for good.
But even a top liberal Constitutional law expert reluctantly admits that the right to own a gun is as important a Constitutional right as freedom of speech or religion:
Like many academics, I was happy to blissfully ignore the Second Amendment. It did not fit neatly into my socially liberal agenda.
***
It is hard to read the Second Amendment and not honestly conclude that the Framers intended gun ownership to be an individual right. It is true that the amendment begins with a reference to militias: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Accordingly, it is argued, this amendment protects the right of the militia to bear arms, not the individual.
Yet, if true, the Second Amendment would be effectively declared a defunct provision. The National Guard is not a true militia in the sense of the Second Amendment and, since the District and others believe governments can ban guns entirely, the Second Amendment would be read out of existence.
***
More important, the mere reference to a purpose of the Second Amendment does not alter the fact that an individual right is created. The right of the people to keep and bear arms is stated in the same way as the right to free speech or free press. The statement of a purpose was intended to reaffirm the power of the states and the people against the central government. At the time, many feared the federal government and its national army. Gun ownership was viewed as a deterrent against abuse by the government, which would be less likely to mess with a well-armed populace.
Considering the Framers and their own traditions of hunting and self-defense, it is clear that they would have viewed such ownership as an individual right — consistent with the plain meaning of the amendment.
None of this is easy for someone raised to believe that the Second Amendment was the dividing line between the enlightenment and the dark ages of American culture. Yet, it is time to honestly reconsider this amendment and admit that … here’s the really hard part … the NRA may have been right. This does not mean that Charlton Heston is the new Rosa Parks or that no restrictions can be placed on gun ownership. But it does appear that gun ownership was made a protected right by the Framers and, while we might not celebrate it, it is time that we recognize it.
The gun control debate – including which weapons and magazines are banned – is still in flux …
Third Amendment
The 3rd Amendment prohibits the government forcing people to house soldiers:
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
A recent lawsuit by a Nevada family – covered by (Mother Jones, Fox News and Courthouse News – alleges violation of the Third Amendment.
Moreover, the military is arguably quartering “digital” troops within our homes.
Fourth Amendment
The 4th Amendment prevents unlawful search and seizure:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
But the government is spying on everything we do … without any real benefit or justification.
Indeed, experts say that the type of spying being carried out by the NSA and other agencies is exactly the kind of thing which King George imposed on the American colonists … which led to the Revolutionary War.
And many Constitutional experts – such as Jonathan Turley – think that the police went too far in Boston with lockdowns and involuntary door-to-door searches.
Fifth Amendment
The 5th Amendment addresses due process of law, eminent domain, double jeopardy and grand jury:
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
But the American government has shredded the 5th Amendment by subjecting us to indefinite detention and taking away our due process rights.
The government claims the right to assassinate or indefinitely detain any American citizen on U.S. citizen without any due process. And see this.
For example, American citizens are being detained in Guantanamo-like conditions in Chicago … including:
- Brutality
- Being held in secret
- Not even telling a suspect’s lawyer whether his client is being held?
As such, the government is certainly depriving people of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.
There are additional corruptions of 5th Amendment rights – such as property being taken for private purposes. And the right to remain silent is gone.
The percentage of prosecutions in which a defendant is denied a grand jury is difficult to gauge, as there is so much secrecy surrounding many terrorism trials.
Image by William Banzai
Sixth Amendment
The 6th Amendment guarantees the right to hear the criminal charges levied against us and to be able to confront the witnesses who have testified against us, as well as speedy criminal trials, and a public defender for those who cannot hire an attorney:
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
Subjecting people to indefinite detention or assassination obviously violates the 6th Amendment right to a jury trial. In both cases, the defendants is “disposed of” without ever receiving a trial … and often without ever hearing the charges against them.
More and more commonly, the government prosecutes cases based upon “secret evidence” that they don’t show to the defendant … or sometimes even the judge hearing the case.
The government uses “secret evidence” to spy on Americans, prosecute leaking or terrorism charges (even against U.S. soldiers) and even assassinate people. And see this and this.
Secret witnesses are being used in some cases. And sometimes lawyers are not even allowed to read their own briefs.
Indeed, even the laws themselves are now starting to be kept secret. And it’s about to get a lot worse.
Moreover, government is “laundering” information gained through mass surveillance through other agencies, with an agreement that the agencies will “recreate” the evidence in a “parallel construction” … so they don’t have to admit that the evidence came from unconstitutional spying. A former top NSA official says that this is the opposite of following the Fourth Amendment, but is a “totalitarian process” which shows that we’re in a “police state”.
And there are two systems of justice in America … one for the big banks and other fatcats, and one for everyone else. The government made it official policy not to prosecute fraud, even though fraud is the main business model adopted by Wall Street. Indeed, the biggest financial crime in world history, the largest insider trading scandal of all time, illegal raiding of customer accounts and blatant financing of drug cartels and terrorists have all been committed recently without any real criminal prosecution or jail time.
On the other hand, government prosecutors are using the legal system to crush dissent and to silence whistleblowers.
And some of the nation’s most powerful judges have lost their independence … and are in bed with the powers-that-be.
Seventh Amendment
The 7th Amendment guarantees trial by jury in federal court for civil cases:
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
But there are two systems of justice in America … one for the big banks and other fatcats, and one for everyone else. So good luck going after the powers-that-be.
And the World Justice Project – a bipartisan, independent group with honorary chairs including numerous current and former Supreme Court Justices – released a report saying that Americans have less access to justice than most wealthy countries … and many developing nations. The report finds that Americans have less access to justice than Botswanans, and that only the wealthy have the resources to protect rights using the court system:
For example, Germans sue equally whether they are rich or poor … but in America, only the wealthy have the resources to protect rights using the court system:
And the austerity caused by the highest levels of inequality in world history – which are in turn is caused by socialist actions by our government, which have destroyed the Founding Fathers’ vision of prosperity – is causing severe budget cuts to the courts, resulting in the wheels of justice slowing down considerably.
Finally, federal judges have recently decided that they can pre-judge cases before the plaintiff even has the chance to conduct discovery … and throw cases out if they don’t like plaintiff’s case.
Eighth Amendment
The 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment:
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Indefinite detention and assassination are obviously cruel and unusual punishment.
The widespread system of torture carried out in the last 10 years – with the help of other countries – violates the 8th Amendment. Many want to bring it back … or at least justify its past use.
While Justice Scalia disingenuously argues that torture does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment because it is meant to produce information – not punish – he’s wrong. It’s not only cruel and unusual … it is technically a form of terrorism.
And government whistleblowers are being cruelly and unusually punished with unduly harsh sentences meant to intimidate anyone else from speaking out.
Ninth Amendment
The 9th Amendment provides that people have other rights, even if they aren’t specifically listed in the Constitution:
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
We can debate what our inherent rights as human beings are. I believe they include the right to a level playing field, and access to non-toxic food and water. You may disagree.
But everyone agrees that the government should not actively encourage fraud and manipulation. However, the government – through its malignant, symbiotic relation with big corporations – is interfering with our aspirations for economic freedom, safe food and water (instead of arsenic-laden, genetically engineered junk), freedom from undue health hazards such as irradiation due to government support of archaic nuclear power designs, and a level playing field (as opposed to our crony capitalist system in which the little guy has no shot due to redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the super-elite, and government support of white collar criminals).
By working hand-in-glove with giant corporations to defraud us into paying for a lower quality of life, the government is trampling our basic rights as human beings.
Tenth Amendment
The 10th Amendment provides that powers not specifically given to the Federal government are reserved to the states or individual:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Two of the central principles of America’s Founding Fathers are:
(1) The government is created and empowered with the consent of the people
and
(2) Separation of powers
Today, most Americans believe that the government is threatening – rather than protecting – freedom. We’ve become more afraid of our government than of terrorists, and believe that the government is no longer acting with the “consent of the governed“.
And the federal government is trampling the separation of powers by stepping on the toes of the states and the people. For example, former head S&L prosecutor Bill Black – now a professor of law and economics – notes:
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the resident examiners and regional staff of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency [both] competed to weaken federal regulation and aggressively used the preemption doctrine to try to prevent state investigations of and actions against fraudulent mortgage lenders.
Indeed, the federal government is doing everything it can to stick its nose into every aspect of our lives … and act like Big Brother.
Conclusion: While a few of the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights still exist, the vast majority are under heavy assault.
Other Constitutional Provisions … and The Declaration of Independence
In addition to the trampling of the Bill of Rights, the government has also trashed the separation of powers enshrined in the main body of the Constitution.
The government is also engaging in activities which the Founding Fathers fought against, such as taxation without representation (here and here), cronyism, deference to central banks, etc.
As the preamble to the Declaration of Independence shows, the American government is still carrying out many of the acts the Founding Fathers found most offensive:
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. [Background here and here]
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. [Background here, here, here, here and here]
***
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: [Background]
***
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences [Background]
***
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the
Head of a civilized nation. [Background]
***
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. [Background here, here and here]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoctW8lCDc8
Uh...all of them I think. However rights undefended are abused and we all discuss the reason why and what it would take to get them back on this and on other forums or to our friends are coworkers our families. This is the reason why because all we do is talk and complain it's a clever diversion this talking about this but it doesn't solve anything.
Nothing has gotten better in fact it's become arguably worse why? US that's why. We standby and watch and wait for:
The collapse, the savior (political), the savior (the messiah), a resurgent economy, gold to go to $5000, whatever there will be no change without a catalyst. We are that catalyst. You wait around for someone or something to effect that change for you and you will die without any rights, any property or any liberty.
So let me ask and I am not blameless here do you go to the movies, fly, drink alcohol,or Starbucks, eat at McDonald's, fly, buy new cars, have credit cards?
You want to effect change vote with your dollars it's more effective than casting a ballot for some politician piece of shit.
Don't like this immigration push boycott any business that is a member of the U.S. Chamber of commerce their funding the illegal immigration push so does BMW Budweiser supports gun control so does Starbucks, McDonald's pushed for Obama care, JP Morgan and CITI etc. credit cards need I elaborate, you get the point these business entities are stealing your rights just like government is BOYCOTT them and encourage other to do so too.
You want change don't spend your money any national chains buy local get rid of your credit cards buy used cars from private sales. Don't fly don't go to the movies why support Hollywood and the anti-liberty assholes
That populate it.
Is life tough doing all of this yes but you'll make the people directly responsible pay.
The lead question is misleading. Rights cannot be done away with. They are either respected or not. None of our natural rights are respected anymore. It's 1984.
As I see things ... all "rights" derive from Property ownership. That begins with the ownership of your life and body.
When you accede to voting, you embrace the notion that everyone has an equal say in the disposition of your property. If there's a million voters, then you agreed that "your say" in the matter of "your" property, should be just one-in-a-million.
Right there and then, you have given up your "property rights". Ergo, you have given up everything.
That's why voting can never fix things. It is the problem, masquerading as the solution.
At least we have the 2nd amendment to protect us in case somebody tries to take away any of our other Constitutional rights. Oh, wait. That didn't happen. All the gun owners just sat there and let it happen. I guess we know now they are empty suits full of hot air.
A man well armed and vigilant has an option. A disarmed man not so much. An armed man’s calculated decision to endure the tribulations of oppression is a choice. The disarmed man has no choice. Go back and study the history of the Revolution. You will discover it took a quarter of a century for that pot to come to boil. The rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the organization of the Tea Party tell me that there are undercurrents afoot. The events at the Bundy Ranch and at Ferguson indicate that certain parts of the country are coming to a boil. Will it boil over into revolution or civil war, I doubt it. What I suspect is that with our precarious economic and energy future that we have or are about to reach a point of peak government. Before its nefarious meddling will result in revolution, the Byzantine labyrinth of the federal bureaucracy will fade away for lack of funding. Peak energy results in peak government.
it also helps to have extra ammo, and be near to critters you can shoot for food
Study how the Germanic states coagulated into Prussia, then Hitler's Germany, then WW1 & 2.
KRUPPies ARE DOING IT AGAIN.
Google president eisenhower death camps
It blew me away.... The US was no better than Nazis.
Well George Washington, I hate to tell you if you believe anything about karma, this article about losing rights will be nothing compared to what will come when atonement comes.
Waco, eeisenhower death camps, all the wars since WW11, using nukes, agent orange, napalm, drones...
The MSM makes it sound like everything is OK. People can comment on sites like this and for the most part nothing happens so they feel free.
There is no free.
Everythng that is not forbidden is compulsory.
George do you recall that when FDR stole the land for the crown, the survivors of the generation born <= 1900 stated that they would be the last generation? And how the churches skewed this to sell their bullshit?!
AMERICA! FUCK YOU
overthrow the internal oppressor....there is your freedom ,.....
the founding fathers of the U.S were such men ,
and no external oppressor can stand in the face of such enlightenment.
I am sure that Emperor Cannigula will not rest until he has proscribed all of our "rights" guaranteed by the US Constitution.
Oh, there is a Constitution; where? That is so antiquated; just like what we all say about the Bible and everything else a society with a fixed moral compass once had as a guide post...it prospered till it was replaced with moral relativism/progressiveism (the secular-mans religion) and we get less than what we deserve and will get more than we can handle...yep!
Whose fault is this; people? How much will a person sell their soul for? A Bowl of soup or less.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMBqZBPZ8S0 You can start here
The loss of rights and privacy is in direct proportion to the drop in approval rating of our government.
I'm beginning to doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion.
Rights written on a document do not mean anything if someone decides to abuse your rights and no will enforce rights are protected, which is happening now.
What do you do?
Riot? Revolution? Take over DC? Not likely, as that would probably end up hurting and killing people, never mind loss of other things. Revolution is not a guarantee things will change.
If one of the law enforcement agencies or the military walks up to the White House, arrests the occupant and his predecessor for war crimes and crimes against humanity, incarcerate them until they are given a fair trial, then maybe government and people would get the idea.
What I just stated is not likely to happen, even though the Commander in Chief admitted they 'tortured some folks'. He confessed to a crime. He is the boss, it is his responsibility that the government follow the bill of rights and the Constitution, as is congress's responsibilty. It doesn't matter if the victim is American or not.
The only thing a person can do is ignore government and just live life until they come looking to torment you, then whatever you do is up to you.
Our only hope, our only solution... is revolution.
Leadership is one of many issues. Jesus was a real leader; He did not ask of anyone that which He himself did not do. He said follow Me, which is to say do as I say because I do as I say and what I do and say is in OUR best interest.
-
Contrast that to what we witness as "leadership"; do as I say, not as I do. Washington's motto is the following: "It is good for all of you as long as it is not for U.S.."
How many constitutional rights have we lost? None! No right that was guaranteed in the constitution has ever been revoked. I see all the time articles saying this law, regulation, or court ruling takes away some right, but the only way those rights could be taken away is by a constitutional amendment. OK, maybe the 14th took away some rights, but that was never ratified.
"For example, the following actions may get an American citizen living on U.S. soil labeled as a “suspected terrorist” today: (long list follows)"
From the list, everyone qualifies as a suspected terrorist. There are 330 million suspected terrorists in the U.S. That would explain the mass surveillance.
That is why the "War on Terror" was conceived, for it is the perfect war.
It never ends and since the enemy has no specific face or nationality, then all faces are potential "terrorist's" based on the arbitrary discretion of unelected and unaffected individuals or groups using profiling algorithms, sadistic gratifications and laxations.
Our rights come from our Creator, but He has been summarily dismissed and now we get to see firsthand what "every man doing what is righ tin his own eyes" looks like.
We will see how far a few men will go to ensure they never leave their life in the lap of ultimate luxury (without having earned it). We will, I think, turn into savages. We will go mad with the realization the future holds nothing but regret and despair and we were not even given the opportunity to confront it in sufficient time to stop it. We were tricked. Worst thing possible you can do to a person really. Very cruel. They are ready to fight that, I see. Stealing another man's life, country, future, health, dreams has consequences though. They will pay eventually, probaby in a driveby.
Theory of a Deadman
Angel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thfpVOAC-y0 (maybe Im crazy, maybe Im weak, maybe I am blinded by what I see)
true enough, but even that is orchestrated......and actually, for our punishment! Or to set us up as punishable. Gay rights are set up to be destroyed, and wrath ...... well, short answer, god gets the blame.
Double jeopardy is laughable. If you win a case about say killing someone self defense. The government or someone else then comes with violating the persons civil rights. Once you are cleared in a court you should be free to live your life without fear of government persecution. Some people ie OJ get away with murder but that is the breaks.
My initial answer after reading the title would be ALL, but probably more like just 80 or 90%.................
The 'right' to be taxed to death remains and is stronger than ever
As is the 'right' to data loss.
So does the right to remain silent.
That right is actually the corresponding burden with the enjoyment of the use of private Federal Reserve credit.
12 USC 411 gives you the right to redeem that credit in lawful money and bypass the excise on the use of FR credit.
Too long, didn't read, but I suspect that I sympathize with most of the arguments. The good news is that constitutional rights, though often violated, are never lost."We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."
I believe that we stand at the turning of the tide. The Heller decision, affirming an individual right to keep and bear arms, marks that turning. It is not a fluke - it is a product of the Internet Reformation. This is why progressives/socialists have decided to try to take over the Internet - because they fear it.
Impeach all 535 + ICiC bichez - reboot USA
It all has to do with this :
“Our race is the Master Race. We are divine gods on this planet. We are as different from the inferior races as they are from insects. In fact, compared to our race, other races are beasts and animals, cattle at best. Other races are considered as human excrement. Our destiny is to rule over the inferior races. Our earthly kingdom will be ruled by our leader with a rod of iron. The masses will lick our feet and serve us as our slaves.” Menaheim Begin, 6th Prime Minister of Israel. speech to the Knesset (24 June 1982), quoted in “Begin and the ‘Beasts” Amnon Kapeliouk, in The New Statesman (25 June 1982);
This is allegedly a false quote to be fair about it. I don't know which 'media' to believe, but here is a link to what he is actually alleged to have said.
http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=7&x_issue=21&x_article=775
On June 8, 1982, Begin addressed the Knesset in response to a no-confidence motion over Israel's invasion of Lebanon. He talked about defending the children of Israel, and according to a June 9, 1982 AP report, “his voice quaver[ed] with anger and sadness.” According to the minutes of the session, Begin stated:
Yeah...like Camera is an unbiased organization.
Pfffttt...
Very pleased to see that the George Washington impostor can publish an article of genuine value, much appreciated.
I would be even happier to see the GW impostor get off the jihad against America and external armed conflicts, pandering to islamic cult worshipers and russian vikings, and instead focus posts on how the USA politicians are fucking Americans and destroying American society, eg stealing our earnings and using the loot to buy votes and expand coercive collectivism.
Don't shoot the messenger, Prober.
Well, I'm safe. I only believe in conspiracy fact.
How long before they start drawing down that stockpile of 2bln rounds of .40 hollow points?
I think you mean "how long before we start drawing it down?" 1rd 30-06 > 1000rds 40S&W. Rifles > pistols.
We haven't lost any Constitutionally protected rights. We just stopped using them. Same as not using a muscle for a long period, it atrophies. When you let someone else exercise for you, they get strong while you get weak.
Too long a post for me to read GW but I salute your valiant effort.+++ Education is the key. That is precisely why the public school system encourages the atrophy of our reasoning/critical thinking muscles. If you believe you have god given rights but have no idea the meaning or mechanism to forcefully use them you just flounder around like most people who wonder "How can they do that to me. What happened to my rights?" I quote below from my own e mail to my committee of correspondents...
"Judges for the most part are not judges but administrators of the Uniform Commercial Codes supervising the rules of court procedure regarding statutes, regulations and codes. So, the police and the courts are imposing commercial codes on the Constitutionally protected rights of private human lawful activity. Almost everyone has unknowingly agreed to be treated as a commercial entity and regulated. The key is that deceiving someone to enter into a contract without them knowing is fraud.
I have gone down the rabbit hole. I have looked around to see the mad world of Alice in Wonderland. The Queen, and Mad Hatter now control the world on the surface by deceptive trade practices. Commercial entities such as incorporated government agencies are using deception as standard rules of operation against people. I better stop....there is so much more..."
We haven't lost any Constitutionally protected rights. We just stopped using them
Say what!? Well golly gee beav, if I exercise those rights I haven't lost and just stopped using, like carry an automatic gun around or traveling from here to there with some opium in my carriage, or making booze to sell to someone, or growing wheat on my farm to sell to my neighbor without govt nod, am I risking getting put in jail or otherwise sanctioned by the govt?
Well yea, and that means what you said is just wrong and stupid.
You always had the right to carry a gun, and the Heller decision acknowledges this. People who didn't give up hope, saw that right's excercise restored to you. I sympathize with your views, but all hope is not lost.
Notice that you completely ignored "automatic". Notice that you'll likely get shot if you exercise that right in places like NYC or Chicago
Article III court. Make your claim.
Equity aids the vigilant, not those who slumber upon their rights.
You can't lose what you gave away.
This could be a ten part piece with the same amount of content and links for each one.