| If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of
servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go
home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your
chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that
ye were our countrymen. [Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776] |
| Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a
little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. [Benjamin Franklin] |
| The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the
populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety)
by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins; all
of them imaginary. [H.L. Mencken ] |
| The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man
is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break,
servitude is at once the consequence of his crime, and the
punishment of his guilt. [ John Curran, July 10, 1790, in a speech about electing the mayor of Dublin ] |
| Never confuse the stated purpose of legislation with what
it would actually accomplish. Most enactments will be
ineffective or counterproductive. [Jon Roland, September 8, 2004] |
| There is no autopilot. We have to fly the plane. [Jon Roland, April 19, 2011] |
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Statement of Grievances and
Demands for Redress - A summary of what needs to be done,
in the form of a declaration modeled on the Declaration of
Independence. Get your organization to adopt it as a position
statement, and publicize it widely. Constitutionalist
Platform - These principles should be considered planks in
the platform of any candidate who calls himself or herself a
"constitutionalist". "You do not examine legislation in the light of the
benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in
the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would
cause if improperly administered." |
"I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much
upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are
false hopes.... Liberty lies in the hearts of men and
women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no
court can save it;" |
"Government is like a hammer, good for pounding nails but
not for surgery." |
Proposed
Bills - Comprehensive collection from the Jon Roland
campaign site. If all these were introduced and supported it
could achieve a revolution in our public affairs. Legal
Reform Act - Proposed legislation to make several needed
reforms. Jurisdiction
Boundary
Marking Act - Proposed legislation to mark boundaries
between federal and state jurisdictions. The price good people pay for their indifference to
public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." |
"What doesn't work is to demand a remedy from others and
leave it to them to work out the details." |
The following is some legislation that deserves more attention. For further information on the sponsorship and status of this legislation, see Thomas.
Enumerated
Powers
Act - HR 450, Rep. Shaddegg, John; S.1319.
Would require bills to show the constitutional authority for
themselves. Apparently, the theory behind this is that if there
were no authority, the fact would appear as either a glaring
hole or something obviously irrelevant. Unfortunately, they will
probably just cite the Interstate Commerce Clause, defining
"commerce" to be the entire Universe and "regulate" as plenary
powers. It might do some good, but what is also needed is a
declaratory congressional resolution to restrict the definitions
of "commerce" and "regulate". (H.R. 2270 - 104th, H.R. 292 -
105th, H.R. 1018 - 106th, H.R. 175 - 107th, H.R. 384 - 108th,
H.R. 450 - 111th) American
Freedom
Agenda Act - HR 3835, Rep. Paul, Ron.
To restore the Constitution's checks and balances and
protections against government abuses as envisioned by the
Founding Fathers. Congressional
Responsibility
Act - HR 110, Rep. Hayworth, J.D. Would eliminate the authority of executive branch departments to
issue regulations without such regulations being adopted as an
act of Congress. Actually, the exercise of such legislative
authority by executive departments is unconstitutional, a
violation of the structural principle of the Separation of
Powers, so this would bring the government into compliance with
the Constitution. (HR 2301, S. 1348, Sen Brownback, Sam, in
106th, HR 1036 in 105th, HR 2727 in 104th). Citizens' Self-Defense Act of
2003 - HR 648, Rep. Wilson. To protect
the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms
in defense of self, family, or home, and to provide for the
enforcement of such right.(HR 347, Rep. Bartlett, Roscoe G. in
106th.) The Separation of Powers
Restoration Act - H.R. 2655, Rep. Paul,
Ron. Provides for (1) terminating all existing states of
national emergency and removing from the executive branch any
power to declare national emergencies; (2) vesting power in
Congress alone to declare states of national emergency; (3)
restricting presidential power to issue executive orders by
denying to them any force of law except as provided for by
Congress; and (4) repealing the War Powers Resolution of 1973. "A democrcy caannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. "From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, and is always followed by a dictatorship. "The average of the world's great
civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have
progressed through this sequence: from bondage to spiritual
faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage
to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to
selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from
complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from
dependency back again to bondage. |
House
Liberty Caucus - Caucus of libertarian-leaning members of
Congress. The
Liberty Committee - Caucus of members of Congress
dedicated to seek a strict-constitutional approach to
legislation. (Inactive, succeeded by House Liberty Caucus.) MegaVote - Get email notices of your senators' and representative's
votes. "Trying to solve public problems without first achieving
strict compliance with the Constitution is like trying to
take a motor trip through the mountains without brakes or
a steering wheel." |
"You can't beat a specific agenda without a specific
agenda of your own." |
Contacting the Congress - Online
directory for the current U.S. Congress. Congressional Record: Advanced Search -
Online directory for the most recent years of the proceedings of
the U.S. Congress. Congressional
Email
Directory - Should only be used to send to staffers who
are expecting a message from you. Low-Cost
Email List Management Options - Tools for communicating on
e.politics blog. "In politics, there are no lasting victories and no
permanent defeats." |
"In law nothing is ever finally settled " |
"No cause is lost if there is but one fool left to fight
for it." |
Draft
Amendments to U.S. Constitution, by Jon Roland - A few
amendments that might help return constitutional construction to
original understanding. Constitutional Action Plans - The path to victory. State
Calls for An Article Five Convention: Mobilization and
Interpretation, by Gerard Magliocca. - Discusses how calls
for a constitutional convention to consider specific amendments
can influence elected officials and judges even if a convention
is never held. Bill of
Federalism amendments, by Randy Barnett. - Proposes
amendments that he hopes will restore federalism.
Bill
of Federalism - Summary and commentary. Efforts
to dismantle U.S. Constitution, from SweetLiberty -
Discusses plots to replace U.S. Constitution with one that does
not protect our rights, through a constitutional convention. Friends Of the Article V
Convention (FOAVC) - Group that is promoting a
constitutional convention. "If you don't find politics, politics will find you." |
"If you don't fix government, government will fix you." |
States having ballot initiative process
"Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on them [public
offices], a rottenness begins in his conduct. |
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once
they have exhausted all other alternatives." |
State
Nullification of Federal Action - Resistance to
usurpation organized at the state level. Declaration of Nonauthority - A finding that officials are not in compliance with the
Constitution and acting without authority. "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human
freedom; it is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of
slaves." |
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the
legislature is in session." |
"Asking politicians to "do something" without drafting the
legislation yourself is asking them to do something to you,
not for you." |
Selling
Constitutional Compliance - Presentation on how to
persuade people to support constitutional compliance. Organizing
for Constitutional Compliance - Presentation on how to
organize to persuade people to support constitutional
compliance. Voter Contact -
Voter database information useful in conducting campaigns. | Home | |
| Original URL: http://constitution.famguardian.org/cs_polit.htm Maintained: Jon Roland of the Constitution Society Original date: 1995/09/25 - |
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