A Petition for Redress of Grievances
A civilization thrives when its government is restrained. A civilization falls when its government breaks its bonds of law.
We the People of the United States submit that the government of the United States has broken the Law of the Land (Article VI of the US Constitution). We both present our grievance and invoke our right to demand redress with the following:
The Intent of Laws
The Constitution of the United States is a plainly-worded contract whose meaning was well-documented by its writers in letters, texts, articles and diaries; there is no excuse for misinterpretation. All federal powers granted are clearly written into the constitution (Article I, Section 8; Article II, Sections 2-4; Article III); all other powers are prohibited from the federal government, and are the property of the states and the people (Amendment X). The federal government has been legally delegated very few powers, and there are even fewer federal crimes (only 3!) allowed in the constitution. A federal government is a specific form of limited government; our constitution forbids a unitary, or all-powerful central government.
The legislative branch has all legislative power, and no executive or judicial power (Article I). The Executive branch has all executive power, and no legislative or judicial power (Article II). The judicial branch has all judicial power, and no legislative or executive power (Article III). As states have no federal power (Article I, section 10, and Article IV), the federal government has no state powers (Article I, Section 8, and amendments 9 and 10).
Our founders understood that free markets and maximum possible personal liberty serve citizen and national interests better than authoritarian socialism.
The U.S. Constitution was written to secure the blessings of liberty. The welfare clauses of the Preamble and Article I, Section 8:1 did not refer to welfare programs that would not exist for another 150 years, and instead mean that general welfare is a blessing of liberty. The commerce clause of Article I, Section 8:3 was understood to mean the regulation and arbitration of commerce disputes between the states; not government manipulation of all trade within each state.
Examples of Usurpations
Breach of federal limitations
The federal government only briefly had legal power to regulate the manufacture, sale or transportation of a commercial product (Amendment XVIII), and that power was repealed in 1933 (Amendment XXI). Yet the central government has over time exercised unconstitutional powers to regulate production, sale, transportation and even consumption of every description; even by private citizens within each state.
The implementation and enforcement of the unfathomable system of federal payroll and income taxes are illegal. The collection of these taxes and their secondary punishments abrogate Article III, section 2, and Amendments I, IV, V, IX and X. These taxes harm every level of commerce and healthcare delivery (e.g., creation and maintenance of third-party payer system opposing free market care), and are a medium of widespread political corruption on all levels of government (e.g., local, state and federal political favors and punishments).
Congress may legally make no law respecting any of the five freedoms enumerated in the first amendment. That means there can be no execution or judgment of laws that cannot legally exist. There is therefore a total ban on federal authority in the freedoms of, not from, religion, speech, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances. Yet innumerable laws have been written respecting, for example, establishments of religion and the free exercise thereof. This amendment has been intentionally inverted to the effect that some religious expressions have been banned from public places.
The 14th amendment and commerce clause of Article I, section 8 have intentionally been misconstrued to give human rights to corporations and deny human rights to citizens (e.g., Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railway, 1886). This has led to the destruction of free markets and cooperative social organizations, and a culture of corruption, political reward and punishment among all levels of civil government.
Property ownership is guaranteed by the constitution, and this guarantee has been considered a keystone to both liberty and healthy economics. On June 23, 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that property takings in violation of Articles III and IV and the 5th and 14th amendments are permissible. The ruling itself abrogated Article III, section 2, and the separation of powers.
Breach of separation of powers
Through executive orders and other means, the central governmentÕs Executive branch has exercised legislative power both in lawmaking, creation of agencies, taxation/ funding, and waging war without the congressional declaration required by the constitution. War has not been legally declared since WWII, though there have been a dramatically increasing number of military actions.
The Judicial branch, which was called the weakest branch of government by Alexander Hamilton (Federalist 72), has usurped both executive and legislative authority to abrogate statesÕ rights (e.g, Roe v. Wade and Gonzales v. Raich) and citizen rights (e.g., Orff v. United States and Kelo v. New London).
The Legislative branch of our central government has passed laws that breach virtually every limit on federal authority, denying state and citizen rights; yet has failed to use its authority to check and balance the Executive and Judicial branches.
Disruption of Commerce and Welfare
Intentional misinterpretation of laws have gradually twisted ÒcommerceÓ and ÒwelfareÓ clauses to the effect that the United States has forced industries overseas where less regulation (or almost no labor regulation as in China) overseas means more opportunity, productivity and innovation overseas. This has in effect robbed U.S. citizens of liberty, opportunity, employment, and of course, welfare and commerce.
Whereas the government of the United States of America exists by the will of the People only by Rule of Law under the Constitution of the United States; and whereas that government has broken the terms of that compact and therefore operates as an ungoverned power; We the undersigned People demand that our leaders desist illegal operations and conform to the law of federal government, or legally alter the compact by constitutional convention and ratification by the states to legitimize the current unitary, non-federal central government.
Copyright © 2005 The Freedom Farm.
Click HERE for the originating site (www.theFreedomFarm.com) and to sign the petition.