Talking Points

[Cyneca]

Please bear with me. Although I have cut this way down from the original research, it is still very long and will be done in parts. This is the research and facts behind each Grievance.

1. The redistribution of property by force and subterfuge; and the unequal application of tax laws amounting to punitive action against certain groups of American People and providing favored status to other groups

Article I, Section 8. ... all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Imposts are something imposed or levied : tax

In a progressive tax, the more you earn, the higher your tax rate.

Another example: AIG bonus tax bill, in the House version a 90 percent tax on bonuses given to employees with family incomes above $250,000 at American International Group and other companies that have received at least $5 billion in government bailout money, would be imposed. This is not a uniform tax, therefore unconstitutional.

2. A paper money system that is morally and economically equivalent to counterfeiting

The Federal Reserve is an independent central bank whose decisions, especially in the area of setting the rates of credit, do not have to be ratified by the President or Congress. The Constitution gives Congress the power to coin money and set its value. Congress delegated this power to the Federal Reserve in the 1913 Federal Reserve Act, which also allowed the Fed to set credit rates in the United States. Constitutionally only Congress has the authority to have money coined, or in this case printed. It is not under the powers of the Treasury Department, at the behest of the Fed, to print money without express congressional consent.

President Woodrow Wilson 1913 after signing the Federal Reserve Act:

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country.
A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit.
Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation,
therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men."

3. Willful and purposeful devaluation and destruction of American currency

On the same day that the story broke concerning the payment of bonuses to AIG executives. The Treasury was printing over a Trillion dollars in Fiat money in an effort to buy back our own debt. They quite literally created money out of thin air, with nothing to back it up. Many do not understand the term FIAT money. FIAT money is currency that a government has declared to be legal tender, despite the fact that it has no intrinsic value and is not backed by reserves.

4. Deploying military to fight UNDECLARED wars

This grievance states not that we are against the Iraq War, but simply that our fighting men and women are fighting in a war that was not a DECLAIRED war. It is not the War that is unconstitutional, it is the fact that it was not declared that is unconstitutional.

Rep. Henry Hyde 10/03/02 in reference to a Formal Declaration of War on Iraq:

"There are things in the Constitution that have been overtaken by events,
by time. Declaration of war is one of them." ,"Why declare war if you don't have to?", "Inappropriate, anachronistic, it isn't done anymore."

5. Targeting and labeling law-abiding American citizens as domestic terrorists

On Feb 20, the MIAC (Missouri Information Analysis Center) released a non classified but Law Enforcement Sensitive report to law enforcement officials in Missouri. While the Missouri report got plenty of press, what wasnt reported on is the fact that like reports were distributed to law enforcement throughout the country. The Department of Homeland Security released to numerous fusion centers, like MIAC, information regarding militia units and the possibility of them being considered domestic terrorists.

The MAIC report specifically states that the following groups could be dangerous and possible Militia members, or even domestic terrorists:

• • Religious Groups of any denomination.
  • Constitutionalists, or those who believe the government has gotten away from the Constitution.
  • Anti-Abortionists
  • Anti Tax, or Fair Tax advocates
  • Anti illegal immigrationsts, or those that believe in strengthening our borders.
  • Those who believe that they are part of the voice of "The People".
  • Anti-Gun Control advocates, members of the NRA.
  • Those concerned about a "New World Order, or "New World Government".
  • Anyone displaying any means of questioning the Government (considered anti-government paraphernalia) ex : The Gadsden flag in any form
  • Anyone concerned about the possible passage of Universal Service Program or create a possible Civilian Defense Force with a mandatory service requirement for people between the ages of 18 and 25. ex: The GIVE Act

6. Declarations that disagreeing with policy is unpatriotic or disloyal to our country

Quotes:

Feb 25, 2009: Barney Frank: “I don’t think we found any Republican minds today, [T]hey shut their minds down. That they are so afraid of being yelled at by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity that they won’t even clap for him [Obama] when they agree with him.”

Nov 18, 2005: Nancy Pelosi: Anti-war House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is blasting last night's 403 to 3 House vote in support of U.S. troops and their mission in Iraq, calling it "a disgrace." Complaining that House Republicans had engaged in a "deception" by calling for a last minute vote on the Iraq war, the San Francisco Democrat said the pro-troop resolution was "a disservice to our country."

7. Intrusions into the privacy of law-abiding American citizens

USA PATRIOT Act.

There are significant flaws in the Patriot Act, flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely.

Smart Grid:

The Smart Grid is a concept that would use intelligent networking and automation to better control the flow and delivery of electricity to consumers. It is “a fully automated power delivery network that monitors and controls every customer and node, ensuring a two-way flow of electricity and information between the power plant and the appliance, and all points in between. Smart Grid is closely related to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), and both programs are designed to spy on Americans.

[Cyneca]

8. Perpetual massive indebtedness to foreign countries

MAJOR FOREIGN HOLDERS OF TREASURY SECURITIES

9. Infringement upon the rights of the People to keep and bear arms through oppressive regulation and taxation designed for the very purpose of infringement

The Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act. Establishes a nationwide system for prohibiting unlicensed gun-ownership. If approved, the law would require gun owners to apply for five-year licenses to own firearms, and would give the U.S. Attorney General broad authority over the program.

In General- In order to be issued a firearm license under this title, an individual shall submit to the Attorney General an application, which shall include--

• a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant;
• The name, address, and date and place of birth of the applicant;
• any other name that the applicant has ever used or by which the applicant has ever been known;
• a clear thumb print of the applicant, which shall be made when, and in the presence of the entity to whom, the application is submitted;
• with respect to each category of person prohibited by Federal law, or by the law of the State of residence of the applicant, from obtaining a firearm, a statement that the individual is not a person prohibited from obtaining a firearm;
• a certification by the applicant that the applicant will keep any firearm owned by the applicant safely stored and out of the possession of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
• certificate attesting to the completion at the time of application of a written firearms examination, which shall test the knowledge and ability of the applicant regarding--

1. the safe storage of firearms, particularly in the vicinity of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
2. the safe handling of firearms
3. the use of firearms in the home and the risks associated with such use;
4. the legal responsibilities of firearms owners, including Federal, State, and local laws relating to requirements for the possession and storage of firearms, and relating to reporting requirements with respect to firearms; and
5. any other subjects, as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate;

• an authorization by the applicant to release to the Attorney General or an authorized representative of the Attorney General any mental health records pertaining to the applicant;
• the date on which the application was submitted; and
• the signature of the applicant.

H.R. 45 would require a federal license for all handguns and semiautomatics, including those you currently possess; and it would require handgun and semi-auto owners to be thumbprinted at the police station and to sign a certificate that, effectively, the firearm will not be kept in a place where it would be available for the defense of the gun owner’s family.

Ammunition Accountability Act would require the manufacturer to code all ammunition in a database on every ammunition sale. Doing so would track how much ammunition was purchased, by whom and what calibers. All ammunition that is not coded must be destroyed. The provisions of this bill would also charge gun owners an additional 5-cent tax on every round.

10. Passing laws and taxes without deliberation and without reading the legislation; said action is tantamount to the American People not having any representation

Of the 535 members of the United States House and Senate, 246 House members and 60 members of the august Senate voted for the $787 billion stimulus bill without having read a single one of the bill's 1,071 pages or having any idea of where all of this money borrowed from our grandchildren is going to be spent. (Phil Brennan Newsmax.com)

GOP Leader Boehner on the floor of the US House: "Here we are with 11 hundred pages. 11 hundred pages that not one member of this body has read, not one. There may be some staffer over in Appropriations committee that read all of this last night. I dont know how you could read 11 hundred pages between midnight and now. Not one member's read this. What happened to the promise that we're gunna let the American people see whats in this bill for 48 hours? But no, we dont have time to do that."

11. Enacting ex post facto laws and Bills of Attainder

Article I, section 9 specifically states “No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. “

A BILL OF ATTAINDER is legislation, punishment. An act of the legislature by which one or more persons are declared to be attainted, and their property confiscated. An Ex Post Facto Laws are statutes that make an act punishable as a crime when such an act was not an offense when committed.

Since bonus money can be considered property, the AIG bonus law can be shown to be a bill of attainder. Again clearly the tax on the AIG bonuses are unconstitutional because there was no law concerning taxing bonuses when the AIG executives were awarded their bonuses, yet clearly the sole purpose of the bonus tax is to punish the executives for a crime that was not a crime when they received the bonuses.

12. Granting Constitutional rights and privileges to illegal aliens and prisoners of war

President Barack Obama’s intelligence chief that that some Guantanamo inmates may be released on US soil and receive assistance to return to society.

“If we are to release them in the United States, we need some sort of assistance for them to start a new life,” said National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair at his first press conference. “You can’t just put them on the street,” he added. “All that is work in progress.”

June, 2008: The supreme court ruled in favor of the enemy combatants held at GITMO, they have ruled that the enemy is entitled to the rights of Americans citizens to a civilian trial.

Judge Michael W. Straus found that the constitutional rights of sixteen illegal aliens had been violated and that they would be allowed to proceed with their civil rights case.

Demanding ‘civil rights’ for illegal aliens — is part of a broader strategy by the open borders set to provide illegal aliens with all the benefits of citizenship, to make it harder to deport them.

13. Funding mercenary organizations that engage in voter fraud and paid harassment of law abiding American citizens

Fox News January 27, 2009: Republican lawmakers are raising concerns that ACORN, the low-income advocacy group under investigation for voter registration fraud, could be eligible for billions in aid from the economic stimulus proposal.

The Connecticut Working Families Party (CWF) organized a bus tour that will make stops at Wilton, Connecticut, AIG office as well as the security-patrolled homes of AIG execs who are fearing for their lives.

From CWF’s website:

Working Families Party Making Inroads

by Scott Whipple (New Britain Herald) Oct. 28th, 2008

"Asked about the party’s joint founder, ACORN (The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), Dinkin said “while it’s fair to say that ACORN has a role in Working Families, allegations of voter fraud against ACORN are trumped up."

KMBC-TV Kansas City Mo.( from KMBC website)

"Federal indictments allege the four turned in false voter registration applications. Prosecutors said the indictments are part of a national investigation."

After the federal indictments were handed up in Kansas City, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a statement that "This national investigation is very much ongoing."

14. Maintaining and deploying armies in peace time on United States soi

A new set of war plans developed at Northern Command headquarters in Colorado Springs calls for the use of National Guardsmen and active-duty troops to be part of the domestic response team in the case of a terrorist attack on domestic soil. On the surface, it's sounds like a good idea, but this plan could be used to have a military presence around for anywhere the government deems unsafe or insecure. It’s not a stretch to see this as a way of instituting martial law. There are critics of the change, in the military and among civil liberties groups and libertarians who express concern that the new homeland emphasis threatens to strain the military and possibly undermine the Posse Comitatus Act, a 130-year-old federal law restricting the military's role in domestic law enforcement. (Washington Post, 12/01/08)

15. Unprecedented and arbitrary federal power, through the United States Treasury, for government intervention into, control of, and confiscation of, private property, private industry including but not limited to banking, insurance, manufacturing, farming and other sectors of the private economy (current and proposed)

Source: LA Times

"Reporting from Washington -- President Obama's plan to save failing U.S. automakers -- and make them the instruments for creating a cleaner, greener transportation system -- marked a major step across the line that traditionally separates government from private industry.

His announcement Monday of a new position on bailing out Detroit went beyond a desire to be sure tax dollars were not wasted in bailing out struggling companies. It put the Obama administration squarely in the position of adopting a so-called industrial policy, in which government officials, not business executives or the free market, decided what kinds of products a company would make and how it would chart its future."

[Cyneca]

16. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law (proposed)

Section removed from the bill that passed, but clearly still desired by proponents of the GIVE Act:

Section 6104 of The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act requires that a commission be established to investigate, “Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.”

17. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law (proposed)

Refer to answer to Grievance 16.

From the GIVE Act:

(E) establishing effective outreach and dissemination of information to ensure the broadest possible involvement of community-based agencies with demonstrated effectiveness in working with school-age youth in their communities; and

‘(F) establishing effective outreach and dissemination of information to ensure the broadest possible participation of schools throughout the State, with particular attention to schools identified for school improvement under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);

18. Acts regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press (proposed)

Fairness Act

This act is written as an attempt to silence the Conservative Radio movement, especially Internet radio and XM/Sirus, as well as conservative radio stations on the airwaves. Liberal and left wing organizations have a virtual lock on the television and written media, and as of yet, the only bastion for conservatism is in talk radio, which has remained staunchly conservative despite their efforts to take over the medium. Typically a liberal tactic, if they can not deal with something in the private sector, then they will attempt to legislate it. This is that attempt.

[DrWarren]

Cyneca:

Thank you for the top-notch hard work.

I will be getting the petition site (FAQ and hardcopy) updated with this this morning.

[DrWarren]

I have finally caught up with you.

I've added your research to the petitions site (hardcopy and FAQs).

We all need to be grateful for the hard work you have been putting into this.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[TimOK]

Cyneca:
Nicely done!
Thank you for all your hard work on this.