Spring 2008 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

As we roll along into summer, this issue is finally going to the printer, a bit later than usual, due to a series of meetings we had here to begin the work to revamp the FIJA web site to make it more user-friendly and to hold more content, and to begin the work on the FreedomLaw.com web site, which recently came under FIJA ownership.

So, may I assume that everyone is well-versed in our new brochures on the Second Amendment and Body Ownership? You have probably noticed that in these two new brochures, there are less quotes of Founders and Supreme Court decisions.

You may also be aware of the evolution of FIJA from an organization relying strongly on Supreme Court decisions and Founders’ quotes, towards an organization which places much more emphasis on individual initiative, conscience, and individual common sense. Not to negate the prior, but to affirm the latter, we must come to rely less and less on the role of government in rendering justice, and more on the individual.

As I am sure you can see around you every day, the legitimacy of every branch of the government diminishes daily right before our eyes.

Bureaucrats, politicians and their sycophants have become a society of scofflaws with respect to the intent, the words, the laws, and the covenant, that was so very cautiously, considerately, and conscientiously set forth in our Constitution so that this day would never arrive.

But it has arrived. We see decreasing legitimacy in our courts: jurors, those proper masters of the government, including the corrupt court officials, are treated with disrespect, lied to, threatened and sometimes even jailed or prosecuted for exercising their conscience.

Judges routinely lie to jurors about the legitimate authority of the juror. They no longer tell jurors that each individual human, while serving on a jury, has the absolute authority to determine the correctness of any law as well as the guilt or innocence of the defendant.

Therefore, we can no longer expect any reliance by the courts on those laws which were earlier enforced in this nation. We can no longer expect that those who stand before us as authorities on the law have even the least understanding of the law. How much less can we count on the for a sense of justice, fairness, equity, or protection?

As we watch the decline of the government, let us remember, that we, the people, are not the government any longer. The government is no longer a representative, nor yet a protector, of the people who formed it. It is debased and depraved.

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http://www.antiwar.com/…

Mr. Speaker, I regret that due to the unexpected last-minute appearance of this measure on the legislative calendar this week, a prior commitment has prevented me from voting on the FISA amendments. I have strongly opposed every previous FISA overhaul attempt and I certainly would have voted against this one as well.

The main reason I oppose this latest version is that it still clearly violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution by allowing the federal government to engage in the bulk collection of American citizens’ communications without a search warrant. That US citizens can have their private communication intercepted by the government without a search warrant is anti-American, deeply disturbing, and completely unacceptable.

In addition to gutting the fourth amendment, this measure will deprive Americans who have had their rights violated by telecommunication companies involved in the Administration’s illegal wiretapping program the right to seek redress in the courts for the wrongs committed against them. Worse, this measure provides for retroactive immunity, whereby individuals or organizations that broke the law as it existed are granted immunity for prior illegal actions once the law has been changed. Ex post facto laws have long been considered anathema in free societies under rule of law. Our Founding Fathers recognized this, including in Article I section 9 of the Constitution that “No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.” How is this FISA bill not a variation of ex post facto? That alone should give pause to supporters of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, we should understand that decimating the protections that our Constitution provides us against the government is far more dangerous to the future of this country than whatever external threats may exist. We can protect this country without violating the Constitution and I urge my colleagues to reconsider their support for this measure.

He missed the vote because he was speaking at the Montana state GOP convention.

Too bad the current Ron isn’t as well spoken.

• 10:00AM Sharon Harris from Advocates for Self-Government gave the opening speech this morning. She talked about how the liberty movement needs to start working toward honing our delivery of the freedom message. Libertarians, especially those who are active in the movement, tend to be more abstract thinkers. More logical progression of ideas whereas the majority of people are more emotional “think with the heart” types. We talk about abstract rights and wrongs and less practical examples but we need practical real world examples for those who aren’t generally like us.
• Chris Lawless informs us the hotel doesn’t want us to open carry.
• We ran into Glen Jacobs very briefly. He is better known as Kane from the WWE. He’s fairly well known as a libertarian and recently publicly supported Ron Paul for President. I believe he is also a member of the FSP. We unfortunately didn’t get an opportunity to get a photo with him but if he’s still around tomorrow or Sunday we surely will.
• 12PMish xyz and I checkin to the hotel and while walking out to the car we see the John McCain’s campaign bus. While walking in we discuss stopping Mr. McCain and telling him that after his argument with Romney over whether or not water boarding is torture we decided to try it out ourselves and agreed with him that it indeed torture. As we walk through the automatic doors into the lobby and are talking about this I nearly run into McCain as my head is turned talking to xyz behind me. I got out of the way in time however and diverted my knocking over of a 72y/o presidential candidate which would have been picked up on the camera which was following him.
• 1:00PM xyz and myself attend Gardner Goldsmith’s presentation on immigration. I listen to his radio show so little was new but it’s very enjoyable to interact with fellow Liberty Forum attendees in asking questions and whatnot. Robert Schulz of We the People Foundation also gave a very good lecture I heard. xyz and I did however get a chance to talk with him while waiting in line for dinner.
• 2:30PM I attended Don Gorman’s lecture on Becoming an Effective Activist but it effectively was a sales pitch for the FSP and how easy it is to participate in politics and protest in NH. xyz attended Peter Bagge’s presentation on his work for Reason Magazine and his art in general.
• 4:00PM Thomas Eddlem gave a lecture on how the current administration has been disobeying the Constitution. Particularly the 4th, 6th, and 8th Amendments. He however blew things out of proportion a bit in describing how it could be used against the average citizen. While it’s certainly an issue to say that it’s just as probable that I would be locked up and the key thrown away without trial is the same as some guy picked up who has the same name as a known terrorist and himself has a criminal record is ridiculous.
• Chatted with another Libertarian Party presidential candidate: Michael P. Jingozian. Reminded him that I believe he was invited to the Manhattan LP’s Annual Convention. He said he forgot to look into whether he could attend and took some contact info. We’ll see.
• Nearly had dinner with Gardner but it turned out the table we picked already was filled besides the two chairs we picked. However, those who had reserved those seats were people we had previously had discussions with during the cocktail hour. Including Ed Hudgins from The Atlas Society. Talked about hard money.
  
• The keynote speaker for the evening was Bernard von NotHaus of the Liberty Dollar. He came out dressed as the ghost of a Revolutionary solder, Capt. Roughseas, who was sent by the Founding fathers informing us to take care of this fiat money system that’s corrupted the US. Complete with sabre. It was a bit odd but generally entertaining. Nothing that probably more than half of them in attendance hadn’t heard before.

Dave Ridley’s Ridley Reports from the first night:

It’s the 4th of July. The United States’ Independence day. The day our founding fathers adopted the Lee Resolution declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. I recommend all Americans and non-Americans alike to take some time and read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the US Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights. If you have some more free time there’s also The Federalist Papers and On Liberty.

Freedom, liberty are not simply things to celebrate one day a year… but ideas which must be practiced and upheld every minute of every day by and for each and every individual. It requires great will and stamina and unfortunately sometimes blood. But it is an incredibly worthy cause and I wish to thank all those who have fought and are fighting the good fight for their fellow countrymen… their fellow man.

On July 2nd, 1776 the Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution to declare it’s independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was later adopted and formally declared on July 4th. You can read more here.