Free Republic

A lawyer who is playing a key role in a California lawsuit urging officials to prevent the state's 55 Electoral College votes from being recorded for Barack Obama until questions about his citizenship are resolved says he's organizing plans to challenge, even after the inauguration, every order, every proposal, every piece of paperwork generated by Obama. Barack Obama "We will file lawsuits on his actions, every time. As long as we have money , we will keep filing lawsuits until we get a decision as to his citizenship status," Gary Kreep, chief of the United States Justice Foundation, told WND...

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

Biden just failed the constitutional exam. He said the pwers of the vice president are defined in article 1 when in fact it is article 2. He further misrepresented the constitution because article 2 states the VP shall be president of the senate but will not have a vote unless there is a tie. The powers of the president of the senate are not otherwise limited or defined.

At 9:30 this morning, the President spoke on the continuing negotiations with Congress to pass a plan to address the credit crisis. The gist of his remarks was: If it be done, let it be done quickly. Conservatives must append a further mandate: If it be done, let it be done constitutionally. Constitutionality is not a mere feature of legislation; it is a threshold requirement. All Members of Congress take a pledge to "support and defend the Constitution," and that duty does not fade away in a time of crisis—indeed, it is then especially that constitutional fidelity is most crucial...

Was the US Constitution written to be a source of power or an instrument of limitation? (NOT a trick question. Genuinely curious as to what my fellow Freepers think.)

The IRS & the Constitution by: Irene Warren, September 24, 2008 Sept. 17, 2008, marked the 221st Anniversary of the United States Constitution, a time when many reflect on America’s heritage and freedoms. However, one organization is exercising one of its First Amendment rights by filing a People’s Petition for Redress concerning the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment this year, an action to restore order within the U.S. Constitution. We the People Foundation for Constitutional Education, Inc. is a 501(c)( 3) organization, established November 24, 1997. They filed a People’s Petition for Redress claiming that the United States government has...

Well now we have it - since this is a proposed bill (public) and in the interests of fair use, here you have it as reported by Fox: LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS Section 1. Short Title. This Act may be cited as ___________________. Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets. (a) Authority to Purchase.—The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States. (b) Necessary Actions.—The Secretary is authorized...

"If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constitution framed by the convention, where I had the honor to preside, might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical society, I would never have placed my signature to it." -- George Washington -- There is an ever-growing debate in America over the relationship between government and religion. In recent times, Constitutional law, or at least the modern-day interpretation thereof, has moved from one of accommodation concerning religion to a position many call hostile to the expression of personal faith in the public square. From their writings, it's clear...

LANCASTER - Garrard County Fiscal Court voted to strip two constables of their badges and blue lights Wednesday after the men reportedly overstepped their authority... "Because constables are elected into office, they report to the voters...

(Tenth in a series of ten. For other articles in this series, click on View all articles by John Armor--and "Blogs by this author.") The remaining amendments are a mixed bag. Some make essential changes, some housekeeping. The Eleventh solved a minor problem, precluding federal court jurisdiction in cases against any state by citizens of another state, or foreigners. The first important amendment was number Twelve, caused by the election of 1800. Perhaps the greatest lie uttered by anyone seeking the presidency was made by Aaron Burr. He agreed to be vice president under Thomas Jefferson in 1800. The “ticket”...

(Editor's note: This is the second in John Armor's series of ten articles to explain the Constitution and America's government. The first article appears below. Watch for others in the series, which will appear periodically in this space.) Article 1, the Congress In the modern world, we take it for granted that every nation has a parliament or legislature. Even the most barbarous, tin-pot despot usually rules with a pliant, controlled legislature in place under him. There was no such assumption of a legislature when the U.S. Constitution was being written in Philadelphia. That is why the very first Article...

Dukakis calls for end to Electoral College Dave Wedge By Dave Wedge Tuesday, July 8, 2008 Calling it “critically important” to eliminate the Electoral College system, former Bay State Gov. Michael Dukakis called on lawmakers to join a growing number of states supporting a switch to a national popular vote to elect the president. “I think it is high time we got rid of the Electoral College and elected our presidents the way we elect every other elected official in the country - by a vote of the people,” Dukakis wrote in a letter e-mailed to state lawmakers yesterday. “The...

Put War Powers Back Where They Belong By JAMES A. BAKER III and WARREN CHRISTOPHER THE most agonizing decision we make as a nation is whether to go to war. Our Constitution ambiguously divides war powers between the president (who is the commander in chief) and Congress (which has the power of the purse and the power to declare war). The founders hoped that the executive and legislative branches would work together, but in practice the two branches don’t always consult. And even when they do, they often dispute their respective powers. A bipartisan group that we led, the National...

<p>When you buy a car, a blender, a hair dryer, etc., you also get an owner's manual. Many of us start using the device without reading about it, get ourselves into trouble, and fall back on the last alternative in computer programming. "When all else fails, RTFM," translated loosely as "Read the pea-pickin’ manual."</p>

Dennis Kucinich is currently on the floor of the House presenting his bill to impeach President George W. Bush. C-SPAN, 8:00 PM 9 Jun 2008.

I looked it up. Ralph Waldo Emerson did not write this exact sentence, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” He did express a similar thought though. Two examples came to mind this weekend. My wife – what a marvelous phrase, my wife -- is using our exceptionally joyful and funny wedding and reception as inspiration for her column this week. So, I’ll talk just about the national media aspects of the event. The what? The national media? We live in a small town in the Blue Ridge, whose resident population has grown...

I do not argue that the problems of early 21st-century Europe are identical to those of late 18th-century America. I am now myself a federalist. Yet the Americans did have to face similar problems in trying to reconcile the relationship of the federal government with the individual states - the very questions that confront Europe in the Lisbon treaty. The American Constitution has succeeded in providing the US with a stable democratic framework that has survived the great changes of the past two centuries, including - in the 20th century - two world wars, a Cold War and a slump....

It is unfortunate when major media discuss constitutional issues yet exhibit zero understanding of why we have a Constitution and what it means. The latest example is the cover story in USA Today on 12 May, 2008, entitled “Reagan's influence lives on in U.S. courts.” The general premise of the article is absolutely true. The influence of judges appointed by any President extends far beyond his term and often beyond his lifetime. However, the article gets lost in discussing why that’s so, and what it means. In 1,572 words about the interpretation of the Constitution, the article never even uses...

The comment came during an interview with CNN this morning. I’m not going to rant about this. I will point out that Huckabee’s position doesn’t square up well with the Constitution’s amendment process — a process laid out precisely because it ought to be difficult to change the Constitution, but change is sometimes necessary, and it’s necessary because the Constitution isn’t a living, breathing document. If it were, as the proponents of that understanding tend to believe, you can find meanings in the penumbras of what’s actually written, meanings that might in fact be at odds with the plain understanding...

This morning I heard that one of the other candidates commented that the Constitution is a “living, breathing document.” Frankly, I assumed this came from Senator Clinton or Senator Obama. It is identical to what Al Gore said when he was running for President in 2000, when he said he would look for judges “who understand that our Constitution is a living, breathing document, that it was intended by our founders to be interpreted in the light of the constantly evolving experience of the American people.” Imagine my surprise when I learned that this statement actually came from my opponent,...

Barry M. Goldwater, Jr. endorsed Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul for president. “America is at a crossroads,” said Mr. Goldwater. “We have begun to stray from our traditions and must get back to what has made us the greatest nation on earth or we will lose much of the freedom we hold dear. Ron Paul stands above all of the other candidates in his commitment to liberty and to America.” “Leading America is difficult, and I know Ron Paul is the man for the job,” he added.

A More Perfect Union The forming of The US Constitution A More Perfect Union

From time to time, I return to my favorite subject, which I freely admit is a tad boring for most people. That subject is Constitutional Law. This time, George Washington made me do it. An article in the New York Times on 27 April reported on the find of a previously unknown letter from George Washington in May, 1787, to Jacob Morris. It was contained in a scrapbook gathered by a 10-year-old girl in 1826, and was found among the trunks and boxes of her descendants’ gift of their mansion and its contents to the State of New Jersey, in...

The Belmont (CA) City Council is considering drafting an ordinance that declares secondhand smoke “a public nuisance” and extends the city’s current ban on smoking in workplaces and most public areas to any residence except a single-family detached home. The proposal, aimed at multi-unit apartment buildings, is meant to address the health concerns of elderly apartment residents who complained of complications caused by second-hand smoke, according to The Associated Press. The City Council of this Silicon Valley suburb of San Francisco is expected to enforce the ordinance by relying on civil suits brought by citizens or the city, and by...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal grand jury has again indicted the self-proclaimed "Guru of Ganja" on charges that he grew hundreds of marijuana plants for a dispensary. Ed Rosenthal was convicted in 2003 for cultivating the plants for a city of Oakland medical marijuana program. An appeals court overturned the conviction in April, citing jury misconduct, but it upheld federal powers to charge marijuana growers. An indictment unsealed Thursday charges Rosenthal with 14 felonies, including conspiracy to manufacture marijuana at his Oakland warehouse and distribute it to a San Francisco pot club. He also faces four counts of money laundering...

PTA parents must fight illegal alien educational spending Kevin Fobbs September 19, 2006 PTA parents: welcome to America 2006. Your child wants to play football or play in the school band or on the soccer team. Well you already know you have to dig a little deeper into your wallet due to school budget cuts. While the cost to parents handling out cash in order to keep their children in these extra curricular activities keeps going up, another part of state educational budget is actually exploding because those dollars are being diverted to educating illegal alien children because of an...

U.S. Constitution Day 2006 Training materials presented by the CBP Office of Training and Development Leadership and Workforce Development Division. A core CBP value, Service to the Country, includes defending and upholding the Constitution of the United States. The American people have entrusted CBP to protect the homeland and defend liberty. The Constitution is the framework of our organization’s mission. Under Public Law 08-447, enacted December 8, 2004, Government agencies are required to provide orientation materials for new employees and to conduct annual training on the United States Constitution. To address the annual training requirement, CBP is providing the following...

A couple in Brussels has been threatened with criminal neglect for schooling their children at home, and a U.S. expert on the issue told WorldNetDaily the case actually could pose a threat to the sovereignty of the U.S. Constitution. That's because if the basis for the legal arguments being made by Belgian prosecutors ever would be accepted in – or imposed upon -- the United States, that fact would make the U.N. protocol equal to the Constitution. In the case at hand, Alexandra Cohen has published a piece on the Brussels Journal website that her husband, Paul Belien, the...

It is said that free societies are stronger than oppressive societies. This is probably true. However, in the West at the beginning of the 21st century, formal and informal censorship of important issues has become rampant. Without freedom of speech, democracy cannot function. The West is weak because it is no longer free. ... This “swirl of speech-law charges, lawsuits, and investigations” is now sustained by an “antiracism” industry. “Europe’s speech laws are written and applied in ways that leave activists on the political left free to whitewash crimes of leftist regimes, incite hatred against their domestic bogeymen of the...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The House, citing the nation's religious origins, voted Wednesday to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from federal judges who might try to stop schoolchildren and others from reciting it because of the phrase "under God." The legislation, a priority of social conservatives, passed 260-167. It now goes to the Senate where its future is uncertain. "We should not and cannot rewrite history to ignore our spiritual heritage," said Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. "It surrounds us. It cries out for our country to honor God."

U.S. Constitution gives people of the U.S. the power to amend the Constitution Taken from Article: In other words, it is possible to amend the Constitution even if the entire U.S. Congress, all fifty state governors, the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and the President of the United States all oppose the idea. They have no role in the process. http://www.argumentsake.com/illegalimmigrantprotest/index.php?topic=2007.0

U.S. Constitution limits states' rights and powers Following is the fifth in a series of columns by members of the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform. By W.S. Dixon Several articles in the Constitution of the United States (especially Article IV) as well as several of the amendments to the Constitution (especially the 14th Amendment) apply to the state governments. In fact the following provision of the 14th Amendment reaches back and makes the 1st Amendment apply to the states: "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;...

Could it be that more guns cause less crime? Could it be that criminals who suspect their potential victims are armed would be deterred from committing crimes? That's what John R. Lott Jr. argued in his 1998 book, "More Guns, Less Crime." But could it be that Lott is wrong; that other researchers have been unable to confirm his thesis? That's what Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner argued in their bestselling 2005 book, "Freakonomics." How should this debate be resolved? Lott's solution is to try to get the U.S. District Court in Chicago to issue an injunction blocking...

A public-interest legal group is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allowing a California public school to engage in a three-week intensive course for 7th graders on how to "become Muslims." A California federal trial court and the 9th Circuit, widely considered the nation's most liberal appeals court, determined the class did not violate the Constitution. As WND reported, the lawsuit was filed by the Thomas More Law Center against the Byron Union School District and various school officials to stop the "Islam simulation" materials and methods used in the...

RUSH: All right. This is hilarious: (story) "The long-fought Senate immigration bill that opponents say grants amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens is unconstitutional and appears headed for certain demise, Senate Republicans now say." Here is why, "A key feature of the Senate bill is that it would make illegals pay back taxes before applying for citizenship, a requirement that supporters say will raise billions of dollars in the next decade. There's just one problem: The U.S. Constitution specifically prohibits revenue-raising legislation [taxes, tax cuts, what have you, has to come from the House] from originating in the Senate. 'All...

...........A federal judge who outlawed the teaching of "intelligent design" in Dover science classes told graduates at Dickinson College that the nation's founders saw religion as the result of personal inquiry, not church doctrine. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones gave the commencement address Sunday to 500 graduates at Dickinson College, his alma mater............... "The founders believed that true religion was not something handed down by a church or contained in a Bible, but was to be found through free, rational inquiry," said Jones, who was thrust into the national spotlight by last years court fight over the teaching of...

SMITH SAYS- The latest bogus debate between our Republican and Democratic leaders is over the supposed Freedom to Phone. This is not a phone debate, it’s a phony one. There is no phone privacy right written into our Constitution or any where else for that matter. And, more to the point, thanks to the wonders of electronics, it could never be. Simply stated, the Founding Fathers lacked access to a cell, satellite or any other derivative of Mr. Bell’s miraculous invention. Hence, they had no reason to incorporate Freedom to Phone in the Bill of Rights, or any other of...

A Liberal Professor of Northern Kentucky University violated not only State Constitution, State laws, Federal Constitution, Federal and state hate laws, 1st Amendment violations, and Criminal Vandalism laws, but also forced her students, during class, to also violate every law in the book because of her personal politics, hatred, bigotry, and genocidal inclinations. She had her students destroy a Pro-Life demostration because she did not agree with it.. how's that for left-wing tolerance? It's the typical Liberal Hyprocracy, Do what I order you to do, but anything I do is fine. Here is the story from the Northern Kentucky University...

Weak women, bad men and the Bill of Rights By Phyllis Schlafly townhall.com Apr 3, 2006 The most controversial case for the U.S. Supreme Court this term does not concern abortion, gay rights, the death penalty, or even the detention of enemy combatants. No, the hottest legal issue is based on an argument between Hershel Hammon and his wife about their daughter going to a boyfriend's house. For this, the administration of President George W. Bush filed a special friend-of-the-court brief, and even insisted on participating in oral argument before the Supreme Court despite the complete lack of any...

Would you support a World Government with a Constitution identical to the U.S. Constitution? Three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, Judiciary Federal separation of powers on global, national, state, city levels President of the World elected every 4 years 2 Senators elected from every country Representatives elected from each country according to population Bill of Rights just like in the U.S. Constitution

<p>Maryland Democrats are attempting to overthrow the State Constitution of Maryland.</p> <p>All civil officers nominated by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate, shall be nominated to the Senate within forty days from the commencement of each regular session of the Legislature; and their term of office, except in cases otherwise provided for in this Constitution, shall commence on the first Monday of May next ensuing their appointment, and continue for two years (unless removed from office), and until their successors, respectively, qualify according to law (amended by Chapter 99, Acts of 1956, ratified Nov. 6, 1956; Chapter 161, Acts of 1964, ratified Nov. 3, 1964; Chapter 576, Acts of 1970, ratified Nov. 3, 1970).</p>

We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, 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. The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was...

03.02.06 Know Your Freedoms! Update III (3/3 @ 10:49 a.m.): I’m going to do something today that I haven’t done in a loooong time: go offline. I’ll check via the Treo periodically to approve comments caught in the moderation queue. Enjoy your freedom, and rest easy this weekend! ———————————————————————Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. - Abraham Lincoln It matters little to me, in 2006, that some of the men who drafted the U.S. Constitution owned slaves or that none of them had people like me in mind when they drafted what is still and will...

Liberals are on the hunt and are threatening the jobs of American Citizens who proudly proclaim they are Citizens. In an Article by CBS 4 in Denver Colorado: Arapahoe County is threatening to fire a veteran Public Works employee for promoting the fact that he is an English speaking American. "They claim it's offensive and I've been accused of discrimination and harassment, believe it or not, because of this," said Mike Gray, a heavy equipment operator with the Arapahoe County Road and Bridge Department for 16 years. The problems began last spring. Gray, 50, owns a lawn service business on...

The Constitution was written and ratified to secure liberty through limited government. Central to its design were two principles: federalism and economic liberty. But at the beginning of the 20th century, Progressives began a frontal assault on those principles. Drawing on the new social sciences and a primitive understanding of economic relationships, their efforts reached fruition during the New Deal when the Constitution was essentially rewritten, without benefit of amendment. In a new Cato book, Richard Epstein traces this history, showing how Progressives replaced competitive markets with government-created cartels and monopolies. Please join us for a discussion of the roots...

Winter break By Cadet Fourth Class, Joseph R. Tomczak United States Air Force Academy So after our sunburns have faded and the memories of our winter break have been reduced to pictures we've pinned on our desk boards, and once again we've exchanged t-shirts and swim suits for flight suits and camouflage, there still remains the question that every cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has asked themselves at some point: Why did we come back? Why, after spending two weeks with our family would we return to one of the most demanding lifestyles in the...

In a not unexpected development, the ACLU wants to Impeach President Bush. They are calling the International Interception of Terrorist phone calls into the United States a violation of 4th amendment restrictions. This is a bogus allegation because the 4th amendment of the Constitution ONLY is for physical Searches and Seizures of American Citizens and their property, NOT Phone Calls of Foreign Terrorist. The US Supreme Court has ruled on this numerous times in the past, most specifically since the 1960's and early 70's. The ACLU and most of the Left has distorted what the 4th Amendment is all about....

Justice Scalia does not believe in the "living Constitution". He does not believe in it for a reason. It is a legal document that is the foundation of the Sovereignty of the United States. If you say that it's wording changes from day to day, it them becomes meaningless and subject to the whim of an unelected judge. Scalia does have a philosophy, it's called originalism," he said. "That's what prevents him from doing the things he would like to do," he told more than 100 politicians and lawyers in a speech in Puerto Rico at a Federalist Society event....

One reason that Roe v. Wade is still with us is that legal scholars and jurists argue about the wrong issue. The question isn’t whether the Constitution contains any reference to a right to privacy. Let’s assume it does. Let’s assume that the Ninth Amendment, as argued in Griswold v. Connecticut and some other cases, implicitly refers to the right to privacy every human being has. Why would this be relevant? Some might argue that if one has the right to privacy, a woman who has an abortion is doing something private, something no one else has the authority to...