Free Republic

Federal Bench: Yet another judicial nominee seeks to impose the "empathy" standard on the courts. He thinks judges should base rulings on a plaintiff's status, legislate from the bench and amend the Constitution. Indiana federal judge David Hamilton stands poised to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to assume a seat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals serving Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. He's a former fundraiser for Acorn and a former leader of the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He is also another in a series of activist judges who believe the U.S. Constitution is not...

Dear Mr. President, Major Malik Nadal Hasan falsely swore to uphold the United States Constitution when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. For this he should be court-martialed. He should also be stripped of his U.S. citizenship, as well as tried for hate crimes and murder. You swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, but violate this by permitting entry into the USA of persons sworn to overthrow our system of government. This includes all adherents of any faith or code that calls for the destruction of the United States Constitution, a goal that is repeatedly spelled out in the...

If the President and the progressive Democratic party get their way every one in America will be forced to purchase health care whether they wish to or not. There are those who point to the fact that many states require drivers to buy liability insurance for your car as evidence that the government can force you to purchase health care. One problem with that opinion is the reason for forcing people to buy car insurance is to protect the "other guy." Hence liability insurance is required but collision. which protects your own car is not. If Obamacare is passed the...

Judiciary: The nominee for a California federal district court is an ACLU activist and another advocate for the empathy standard of jurisprudence. He also has a problem with "America the Beautiful." The nomination of Edward Chen is the latest in a series of nominations of people who have no particular fondness for the traditions of law and justice. These nominees see racism everywhere, and believe the courts should be used as instruments of social justice and not to discern the intent of the Founding Fathers who wrote the U.S. Constitution. They believe their "life experience" should be the final arbiter...

'Libel tourism' assaults free speech By Erin Roach The Baptist Press thelastcrusade.org NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--In the debate over Intelligent Design, William Dembski is wary of a new trend dubbed "libel tourism" that may force Americans to submit to lawsuits in other countries for alleged crimes that otherwise would be protected by the First Amendment. Dembski, research professor of philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, noted on his blog the case of Paul L. Williams, a Pennsylvania-based journalist and National Book Award-winning author who is facing trial in Canada because of a loophole in free trade agreements. Such agreements, including...

The 4th of July is the time when we celebrate our nation-- a time to reflect on the freedoms which we believe are not granted by our government, but are self-evident rights for all humankind. Time for the Independence Day Quiz which asks, "How much do you really know?" Every day thousands leave their homelands to settle here in the land of the free. Before they become citizens they are required to take a citizenship test and score 80%. Could you pass this test if you took it today? Our quiz is made up of 20 questions found on the...

At the start of each new Congress, the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are sworn into office. The current oath was fashioned in the 1860s, by Civil War-era members of Congress. I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I...

We are pleased to announce that FreeRepublic and Jim Robinson have established an Alliance Link to the Restore the Constitution effort, The Independent Movement for Constitutional Restoration (IAM-CR). The premise for IAM-CR is simple: We intend to amass a voting block of millions of Americans who are sworn to focus on Constitutional Principle first and foremost in their voting and who will vote for and elect the thousands of candidatires we find and enlist who are sworn to support fundamental Constitutional Principle. We invite all members of FreeRepublic to review our twelve constitutional principles and then JOIN US and...

The Supreme Court will wade deeper into the debate over gun rights this term when it hears a challenge to registration requirements in Chicago. McDonald v. Chicago is the first such case since the Court declared an individual's right to own a firearm in 2008, and gun rights proponents are hoping to strike down requirements that Chicago residents register firearms before they buy them, and that the weapons be re-registered annually. Advocates say the re-registration is nothing more than an annual tax on guns. The suit also challenges Chicago's ban on handgun registration, which gun rights advocates say amounts to...

A federal judge Monday said the Congress Plaza Hotel has a right to a sidewalk cafe, ruling that -- at least in this instance -- the U.S. Constitution trumps a Chicago alderman's clout. Judge Ronald Guzman enjoined the City of Chicago and Ald. Robert Fioretti, 2nd, from denying the hotel a cafe due to a long strike by hotel employees. Guzman wrote that "the only reasonable conclusion" was that the alderman refused to sign off on the hotel's application because he's a strong backer of the striking union. In its suit, the hotel claimed that the alderman's actions violated the...

Pastor Stephen Broden has joined with Freepers Neil E. Wright, David C. Wright (dcwusmc), Matthew Bracken (Travis_McGee), Ward Dorrity (noumenon) and myself (Jeff Head) to form and start, The Independent American Movement for Constitutional Restoration. Here is the official announcment and press release for that effort: PRESS RELEASE - ANNOUNCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Independent American Movement for Constitutional Restoration established. Boise, IDSeptember 19, 2009 In the spirit of the founders of this nation and the limited, Constitutional Republic that they established based on fundamental moral and republican principle, and in the spirit of the awakening American public all over this...

Happy Birthday, US Constitution! On September 17, 1787, the supreme law of the United States was adopted by its people. Signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the US Constitution was ratified by conventions in each state, in the name of “The People�. So durable are its words that it is the oldest written constitution in the world. This preordained parchment laid forth the three branches of our government: a bicameral Legislative Congress; an executive branch led by the President; and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. Of the 4,543 words in the Constitution, perhaps none are more powerful or...

Constitution Day is an American federal observance that recognizes the ratification of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is observed on September 17, the day the Philadelphia Convention (AKA U.S. Constitutional Convention) signed the US Constitution in 1787. On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created, it was the second American Revolution. The Convention was formed to revise the "Articles of Confederation." What it did instead was to overthrow the existing United States government and create a system unmatched in...

1st Amendment: Mark Lloyd, a disciple of Saul Alinsky and fan of Hugo Chavez, wants to destroy talk radio and says free speech is a distraction. The new FCC diversity "czar" says Venezuela is an example we should follow.When Mark Lloyd was appointed July 29 as the chief diversity officer at the Federal Communications Commission, a nation focused on ObamaCare and a deteriorating economy took little notice. But as angry constituents flood town hall meetings and call in to talk radio, a man dedicated to silencing them sits at the right hand of the president. They share a common hero...

By Paul BoergerRepublican Congressman Wally Herger of northern California denounced president Obama’s health care plan at an Aug. 18, 2009 town hall meeting in Redding, Calif. Republican Congressman Wally Herger held a health care town hall meeting Aug. 18 at Simpson University in Redding, where a partisan crowd of over 2,000 people loudly cheered Herger’s position that a public option was “unacceptable.” -snip-“Our democracy has never been threatened as much as it is today,” Herger said to a loud standing ovation. -snip-After denouncing the Obama plan to wild cheering, Herger offered a few solutions of his own including opening...

The US Patriot Act was used AGAIN to incarcerate the juvenile & model citizen for months without being charged with a crime! Arrested March 5 not indicted until July 9 10th He is detained on the basis of "good faith" beliefs on the part of the investigators, as permitted under the Patriot Act, rather than the normal legal standard of "probable cause" to suspect his commission of a crime. Fact: Ashton has an airtight alibi for the night he supposedly made a threat against Purdue University in Indiana; while the real perps go free to brag about hacking his skype...

Constitutional Convention Proposed Constitution for the Newstates of America This transcript of the Proposed Constitution for the Newstates of America was transferred from Col. Arch Roberts' website at Committee to Restore the Constitution. When possible, we transfer whole files — always giving credit to its source — in the event a website with pertinent information may be discontinued. — Jackie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A CONSTITUTION FOR THE NEWSTATES OF AMERICA, from the book, THE EMERGING CONSTITUTION by Rexford G. Tugwell, published 1974 (Harper & Row: $20.00) illustrates with chilling clarity the final objective of regional governance conspirators. The goal is a corporate...

“Slowly but surely, this meme is going mainstream,” says Allpundit. “Did Lou Dobbs really GO THERE? Seriously? This is getting absurd,” says the First Read team at MSNBC. Six months into his presidency, the charge that Barack Obama is — literally — un-American is gaining not losing steam. Yes, the Birther bump is growing. Need some backstory? Allow The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder to explain: “Birthers, for the uninitiated, is a term used by the media to ridicule those who believe that the president’s Hawaiian birth certificate is fake and that because he was ostensibly born in Kenya, not the United...

Judicial Activism on Display by: Bethany Stotts, July 21, 2009 Ever wonder what Constitutional law will look like in 2020? While President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court raises the question of just how much judicial activism the administration intends to foster, writings from some of his nominees also demonstrate how the President prefers progressive jurisprudence. “The editors of this book challenged the contributors to be proactive and visionary, to look ahead to the year 2020 and contemplate constitutional change we hope to promote between now and then,” wrote Indiana University Prof. Dawn Johnsen in The...

I took this picture today on Interstate 5 heading south through LA County. I think it's close to the city of Commerce but I wasn't paying that much attention to the location.

Originally, the title Czar (derived from Caesar) meant Emperor in the European medieval sense of the term, that is, a ruler who claims the same rank as a Roman emperor. The title of Czar is being used by the President of the United States, to turn himself into a new Caesar. Our founding fathers wanted the to protect the United States against too much power being placed in one person so they built checks and balances into the constitution. Presidential appointees reported to the chief executive but with the advice and consent of congress. Appointees were approved by Senate, and...

With the recent news of the supreme court decision of allowing the Chrysler bankruptcy to proceed, I am sad to say that the third and final branch of our government has fallen. I had hoped that Ruth Ginsberg would hear the case and America would get a favorable ruling on the Chrysler case. A favorable ruling would would have included giving the bond holders first crack at the money they were owed, and ruling that the TARP money could not be used for Car Company Bailouts and upholding the rule of law. Alas, no. Instead, the New Car Czar, Steven...

Washington—In a bold, yet tear-filled press conference, Sonia Sotomayor guaranteed her confirmation on the Supreme Court, and urged Americans to remain calm as she rewrites the U.S. Constitution. The tears came when she accepted the nomination as both Obama and Biden practically slobbered in her presence. “What we’ve seen over the last 230 plus years,” stated Sotomayor, “is that the U.S. Constitution is outdated. It was written by whitey for whitey. I’m here to change all of that. So remain calm in your homes while I replace your job with a less than qualified minority candidate.”

Five international treaties stand poised, ready for ratification by the new nearly filibuster-proof Senate, pushed by the new, nearly-giddy administration. Each of these treaties surrenders a little more of our national sovereignty to an international body governed by a majority of nations that despise the United States.

While President Barack Obama has, in one sense, tipped his hand by saying that he wants judges with "empathy" for certain groups, he has in a more fundamental sense concealed the real goal — getting judges who will ratify an ever-expanding scope of the power of the federal government and an ever-declining restraint by the Constitution of the United States. This is consistent with everything else that Obama has done in office and is consistent with his decades-long track record of alliances with people who reject the fundamentals of American society. Judicial expansion of federal power is not really new,...

There is a reason why the statue of Justice wears a blindfold. There are things that courts are not supposed to see or recognize when making their decisions— the race you belong to, whether you are rich or poor, and other personal things that could bias decisions by judges and juries. It is an ideal that a society strives for, even if particular judges or juries fall short of that ideal. Now, however, President Barack Obama has repudiated that ideal itself by saying that he wants to appoint judges with "empathy" for particular groups. This was not an isolated slip...

The great Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is not the kind of justice who would have been appointed under President Barack Obama's criterion of "empathy" for certain groups. Like most people, Justice Holmes had empathy for some and antipathy for others, but his votes on the Supreme Court often went against those for whom he had empathy and for those for whom he had antipathy. As Holmes himself put it: "I loathed most of the things in favor of which I decided." After voting in favor of Benjamin Gitlow in the 1925 case of Gitlow v. People of New...

Justice David Souter's retirement from the Supreme Court presents President Barack Obama with his first opportunity to appoint someone to the High Court. People who are speculating about whether the next nominee will be a woman, a Hispanic or whatever, are missing the point. That we are discussing the next Supreme Court justice in terms of group "representation" is a sign of how far we have already strayed from the purpose of law and the weighty responsibility of appointing someone to sit for life on the highest court in the land. That President Obama has made "empathy" with certain groups...

In a short essay, An American Amendment, Nick Rosenkranz proposes a constitutional amendment: "This Constitution was ordained and established by the People of the United States, and so it shall not be construed by reference to the contemporary laws of other nations." Interesting.

"My country has let me down." That's the assessment of an Arizona rancher who was sued by six illegal immigrants he detained on his property and turned over to the Border Patrol in 2004. On Tuesday an eight-member federal jury in Tucson threw out the claim brought by the six illegal aliens that Roger Barnett violated their civil rights when he detained them at gunpoint on his ranch nearly five years ago. The panel also ruled against the plaintiffs' claims of battery and false imprisonment. But the jury did find Barnett liable on four claims of assault and four claims...

A Senate committee approved a bill today that would give the District its first full seat in the House of Representatives, setting up a crucial vote by the full chamber sometime in coming months. The Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee passed the legislation 11 to 1 at its first business meeting in the new Congress. The lone "no" vote was cast by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. It's not clear when the legislation will reach the Senate floor for what is likely to be the key vote on the measure. In 2007, a similar bill...

States’ Rights Wronged by: Heather Latham, February 06, 2009 During the infancy of the United States of America, one of the main complaints of federalism is that it would take away the power of the states. Thence the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution was born, with the intent to protect those rights. But, that was over two hundred years ago—now, according to some scholars, to preserve federalism, we must take away some of that power—at any cost to those founding principles. At a recent American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI), Larry E. Ribstein discussed his book The Law...

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota said it will file suit today against a publicly funded charter school, alleging that it is promoting the Muslim religion and that its directors are using a holding company to illegally funnel taxpayer dollars to a Muslim organization. The suit was to be filed this afternoon in U.S. District Court against Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, known as TIZA, and the Minnesota Department of Education, which the ACLU says is at fault for failing to uncover and stop the alleged transgressions. The suit names the department and Alice Seagren, the state education commissioner, as...

There have been a number of cases of those who have flown the U.S. Stars and Stripes upside down having been incarcerated, fined, threatened, and personal property stolen. Yet, as stated in section 8a of the U.S. Flag Rules (which is not law, but etiquette): 8a: The flag should never be displayed with the union down {blue field with stars}, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. Obviously then, flying the flag upside down IS NOT DIRESPECTING THE FLAG! It is an action that is sanctioned within the U.S. Flag Rules...

Barack Obama, AKA Barry Obama, Barry Soetoro, Barry Sutoro, Barack Soetoro is a liar, a con man and a fraud. You won’t hear any lies from Obama’s Kenyan family, because the Kenyan government put out a Gag Order to keep them from talking to media people. Barack Obama is a conman because he is making promises that he can’t keep. He has already proven he conned the voters by his chosen cabinet and staff. The World is beginning to realize that he has not changed anything. But the World is going to find out that his chosen associates to help...

Happy Holidays: Now dispose of all of your ammunition! Every last round! From now on, you will be able to buy only overpriced ammunition that will be registered to you in a government database. Not yet--at least for now. A small company, Ammunition Accountability--which wants to help anti-gunners price and regulate the Second Amendment out of existence, profit at the expense of our rights, or both--has found radical anti-gun legislators in 18 states willing to introduce bills pushing such nonsense. But few anti-gun proposals are so overtly aimed at destroying the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. As we began...

Over the next year, the U.S. government will need to borrow somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 trillion, the most ever by far. Estimates go as high as $2 trillion, depending on how quickly the economy cools and how fast tax revenues fall. The simple question most of America has not asked is this: Where is the money going to come from? The federal government already knows the answer to that question, and it has implications Americans are not ready for but will soon be faced with. America is going cap in hand to Middle East oil exporters. What government...

This is the most urgent, most important action alert the American Policy Center has ever issued! The Ohio state legislature is expected to vote as early as Dec. 10th, to call for a Constitutional Convention (Con Con). If Ohio calls for a Con Con only one more state need do so and Congress will have no choice but to convene a Convention, throwing our U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights up for grabs. Ohio's vote today poses a grave threat to the U.S. Constitution. Please immediately call the Ohio lawmakers listed below. ACT FAST - time is of the essence!

Yesterday the American Patrol Report focused on Barack Obama's links to the Service Employee International Union (SEIU). Within hours we learned that the SEIU was intimately involved in the Gov. Blagojevich's selling of Obama's Senate seat. "Among the revelations contained in the complaint brought against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich yesterday was the description of an official with the Service Employees International Union acting as an apparent intermediary between the governor and Barack Obama's camp in discussions over Obama's http://www.americanpatrol.com/

License Plates for the Internet - The Blueprints for Obama's Assault on the Internet The report's recommendations emphasize taking away cybersecurity from DHS in order to create a special department to oversee cybersecurity. It recommends ending the division between civilian and national security systems. And calls for establishing "international norms" when it comes to the internet. And it focuses a good deal on identity verification, not just for Federal employees, but for ordinary Americans as well. The report urges a move away from passwords, and toward physical identity verification, via a device that would verify an individual's identity. And calls...

And now for a world government By Gideon Rachman Published: December 8 2008 19:13 | Last updated: December 8 2008 19:13 I have never believed that there is a secret United Nations plot to take over the US. I have never seen black helicopters hovering in the sky above Montana. But, for the first time in my life, I think the formation of some sort of world government is plausible. A “world government” would involve much more than co-operation between nations. It would be an entity with state-like characteristics, backed by a body of laws. The European Union has already...

Unrecognized by Americans majorities - domestic and international threats will change our country forever (blame the media) - Part Two - Islam By Vincent Gioia The people in any country are only able to protect themselves and assure their freedom if they are aware of what is going on that affects them. Knowledge of current events was difficult to obtain two hundred years ago when the United States was created but nonetheless early Americans realized the importance of keeping everyone informed so they built into the Constitution a safeguard for freedom of expression which is acknowledged in the First Amendment...

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...