Learn From History... Or Be Doomed To Repeat It
by Ed Wahler
As a coauthor of the book U.S. of A. v U.S., The Loss of Legal Memory of the American State,
I am quite familiar with the challenges that lie ahead of the People should they decide to
put asunder the Legislative Democracy we now find controlling the land. However, as aware
as I might be regarding the continual usurpations committed daily in the name of the war
on drugs, the war on poverty, the war on terrorism, the war on illiteracy, the war on
obesity and countless other wars prosecuted in the name of keeping the people distracted
from the real issues portending the complete failure of the monetary system and our doomed
way of life as we know it, I am continually awestruck by the lower courts shameless
disregard for the law, their own sworn oath to the Constitution and just plain disgust
for the People they are supposed to serve.
I, as well as many of my friends, acquaintances and those I correspond with have been in
Court, fully prepared with the facts, case law and even the corporate statutes on their side,
only to walk out wondering just what happened. The Judge, in his obvious bias to the banks,
state or other corporate authority disregarded the law, case precedent, the facts or anything
else that might be a hindrance in his service to the "system." In many cases, a few of which
I have personally witnessed, the Judge has made a statement similar to "If you do not like
my ruling you can appeal it to the any Court you wish, I do not care!"
The victims of this judicial lynching are growing in number. Some having utilized one of
those officers of the Court known as an Attorney, just cannot believe that the
"wheels of justice" have run so far off the track. How did we get to this point
in history? In case anyone might be of the belief that this is a unique situation in this
land's history, let me disabuse you of that notion. Let's get into the way back machine
and visit the year 1776. Some very intelligent and determined men wrote a famous document
called the Declaration of Independence.
In that document, which in legal parlance might be termed an indictment of the actions
of the King, the authors give a list of transgressions by the King which they "declare"
are against "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." When many of those same men
later wrote the Constitution of the United States of America, they were keenly aware of the
dangers inherent of centralized power. With too much power concentrated into too few hands,
tyranny was the inevitable result. Let's take a look at a partial list of some of the
things the authors of the Declaration believed were egregious violations of the Laws of
Nature and Nature's God. I have added my comments after each item:
- He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
In our case, the new King, the federal government, has passed laws most unwholesome and
unnecessary for the continuance of a free society.
- He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people,
unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature,
a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
How about not enforcing laws that were passed for the protection of our People,
such as immigration laws at the border. Or, once again in our current deplorable
situation we have too many laws that attempt to control every move we make. The
50 Titles of the United States Code consume more than 100 feet of shelf space.
It is currently humanly impossible to know the law.
- He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable,
and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of
fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
Today, the government is doing more and more of its business in complete secrecy,
denying the public they claim to serve any visibility into their secret operations.
- He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly
firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
In point of fact, the form of government known as a representative Republic was
dissolved in 1933 with the bankruptcy of the United States and with the aid of
the Supreme Court in the switch in time cases, we now have a legislative democracy.
- He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be
elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned
to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time
exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
What might one say here? How about the fixed Presidential elections? How about
the fact that if you choose to be a state Citizen instead of a federal citizen
you cannot even vote in their corporate elections! The invasion from within is
from the three branches of government itself. The People have been sold out to
the bankers for a few dollars of personal gain.
- He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose
obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to
encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations
of Lands.
Now of course we cannot get the government to control the migration of those who
will consume the most resources and those wishing to come here legally with
necessary skills are kept out.
- He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws
for establishing Judiciary Powers.
How about the fact that Congress never established Article Three Courts, instead
choosing to erect Article Four Courts under the control of Congress. Our Courts
serve a master different from the People, partially explaining my opening comments.
- He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices,
and the amount and payment of their salaries.
This gets right to the heart of the matter. Instead of the Courts being entirely
independent as required by the Constitution, the federal court system is dependent
upon Congress for their funding, both the civil and criminal rules of procedure
and appointments and tenure. If this situation was untenable 240 years ago it is
disastrous today given the ignorance of the people today regarding the law and
legal matters and the litigious nature of society.
After the civil war, with the establishment of the Bar, the teaching of law was
taken out of the public school system to make the people ignorant and dependant
upon lawyers.
- He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers
to harass our people and eat out their substance.
Can you say "federal agencies?" There are now hundreds of federal agencies
which swarm throughout the states harassing the People and causing them to live in
fear. Most of those agencies carry paramilitary class weapons including EPA agents.
Do you understand that under the original intention of the Founding Fathers the
federal government then known as the general government has no place in the states.
The Constitution granted to the general government seventeen limited enumerated powers.
And the people living in one of the several states should have no relations with
the general government what so ever.
The oppression the people suffer under today is several orders of magnitude beyond
what the colonists experienced in 1776. With phone, email, mail, financial record
and library card surveillance, the harassment is legend.
- He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent
of our legislatures.
I would wager that 99 percent of the American people do not know that the Constitution
does not allow standing armies. Armies may be raised for a period of two years and
that is it. A navy is allowed to be perpetual. No air force, no army, no marines.
Since we are in a constant state of war now, we have a perpetual standing army in
direct violation of the Constitution.
- He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
The Congress has not made a declaration of War since World War II. The Korean War,
the Vietnam War, the First Gulf War, the Second Gulf War, the war in Afghanistan
and now the Iraq war have all been waged without a declaration of war from the
Congress. So in deed the military is now outside of the Constitutional limits
imposed by the Constitution.
- He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our
constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts
of pretended Legislation:
This has been the subject of many books, articles and even a few TV
documentaries. How about the UN, the CFR, the Tri-lateral Commission, the World
Bank, the Bank of International Settlements, multi-national corporations? The
United States of America is now controlled by numerous foreign interests, both
public and private. Are the parallels simply amazing? Don't you have to wonder
when the People are going to wake up?
- For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
There are credible reports of Chinese, Russian and other foreign troops on American soil.
And one of my pet peeves is that the states, which are all now federal instrumentalities,
no longer are allowed to have state militias. In the 1970s, all state militias which
were known as the state guard were federalized. One usurpation after another. Our loss
of freedom and the conversion of our nation into a police state has been gradual but
unrelenting.
- For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they
should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
How about Ruby Ridge, the Branch Dividians at Waco, the freemen in Montana? How
about the torture at Abu Ghraib prison, and countless other examples of the
agents of our servant government killing, abusing and destroying the lives
of citizens above and beyond their lawful authority only to have the Courts
and lawyers protect the agents so that they can continue to maraud through
the public with impunity?
- For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
In today's version of this one, we find that our government signs agreements
known as NAFTA, CAFTA etc. to allow multi-national corporations to gut the
industrial base of our Country. No jobs, more debt and a declining standard
of living. One does not need to have a PhD in economics to understand that
a nation cannot have a balance of trade deficit of $400 billion per year,
send jobs, skills and our assets offshore in huge amounts forever. We are
bankrupt again claiming the title as the worlds largest debtor nation.
Makes you proud doesn't it?
- For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
I could write volumes on this one. The Boston Tea party was over a tax amounting
to less than 2%. We pay more than 50% of everything we earn in some tax or another.
And when we ask the government to show us the authority for the income tax,
they tell us they are answering our questions with more enforcement actions.
The government is out of control and we are all living in fear as a result.
- For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
Over 95% of federal indictments lead to plea bargains because over 99% of federal
trials lead to a conviction. The people as juries are no longer allowed to decide
the law and the facts, instead the "judge" gives the jury the law and tells the
jury how to decide. A public ignorant of the workings of the law and our jury
system is a powerful combination for the interests of a tyrannical ruling class.
- For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
The transporting is now done by taking People from the states to be tried
as "criminals" in a foreign jurisdiction known as the United States.
There are only four criminal offenses the federal government has jurisdiction
over as provided for in the Constitution. Everything else has to be tried in
the states. The FBI has no authority within the several states for drug offenses,
kidnapping, weapons charges or anything else. But the people aren't aware.
In 1776 the people at least understood the law and the function of government.
The Lord has said, "My people shall be destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Well, that prophecy has come to pass. Million of lives have been destroyed by an
arrogant, self serving tyrannical government.
- For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so
as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same
absolute rule into these Colonies.
That is what Congress has done to us. Through the use of the Social Security
contract they have moved us all to a federal territory under the arbitrary
government found at Article One, Section 8, paragraphs 17 and 18 of the
Constitution. History repeats itself when the People do not learn from history.
- For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering
fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
This one hits the nail on the head. Our representative Republic has been converted
into a legislative democracy. The common law has been replaced by statutes
implementing the communitarian law form. And the people slumber.
- For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
Congress' limited legislative authority has been morphed into an all powerful,
all consuming limitless power to legislate for all in all matters. The President
then ignores even the limits of those seemingly unlimited powers and acts like a
dictator above and immune from the law. And the People slumber on.
- He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and
waging War against us.
The Homeland Security Department wages war on the People of this land on a daily
basis. The government either by turning a blind eye or more likely through
complicit involvement crashes planes into buildings on September 11, 2001 and
then passes laws which are 100% un-constitutional to subject the people to never
ending intrusions into their life and property.
Thomas Jefferson said, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a
state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." How true
these words are today. Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who are willing to trade
freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security." If one does not
learn from history...
- He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed
the lives of our people.
Enough said.
- He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to
compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with
circumstances of Cruelty and Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous
ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
I think you can see the parallels.
- He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to
bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends
and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
I think you can fill in your blanks on this one.
- He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to
bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose
known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes
and conditions.
Homosexuality, immigration, moral decay, the CIA selling drugs, the removal of
God from schools, government and everywhere else, the list goes on and on.
All ten planks of the communist manifesto have been implemented. We have been
attacked from within and we have been defeated.
- In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the
most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated
injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define
a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
This one speaks for itself. But for those unfamiliar with Bob Shultz and the
We the People Foundation let me tell you about him. Bob has formally petitioned
the federal government under the first amendment right to petition for redress
of grievances. He even filed a federal lawsuit to force the government to adhere
to the Constitution. His lawsuit was thrown out of court and he has been attacked
by the IRS and other agencies. The lesson is, shut up, keep your head down and
do what we say, not what you think you have the right to do.
This is not what this great nation is supposed to be like. I for one am tired of
those with a sworn duty and oath to uphold the Constitution committing treason
and sedition against that Constitution. When it comes to taking the necessary
steps to restore our Constitutional Republic, I must ask you the following question.
If not you then who and if not now then when? Get together with your fellow citizens
and start educating yourself on the history of our country and what principle
it was founded upon.
