US Constitution's Bill of Rights

[chuck kottke]

Articles in Addition To, and Amendment of

The Constitution of the United States of America,

Proposed by Congress,

And Ratified by The Several States,

Pursuant to the Fifth Article of the Original Constitution.

 

Amendment I.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 

Amendment II.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

 

Amendment III.

No Soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

 

Amendment IV.

The Right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the person or things to be seized.

 

Amendment V.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor to be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.

 

Amendment VI.

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed; which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witness against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

 

Amendment VII.

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

 

Amendment VIII.

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel or unusual punishments inflicted.

 

Amendment IX..

The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people..

 

Amendment X.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, not prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

 

Amendment XI.

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit at common law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

 

And that's just a start!;)

 

 

 

 

[chuck kottke]

I've put this up here, so that everyone who isn't already aware of what our guaranteed rights are around the globe can see if we measure up, and where we fall short. Since these are based on the basic Rights of All Humankind, it's a short list - and as the 9th amendment clearly states, this list is not meant to "deny or disparage other (rights) retained by the people".

At this moment, I feel our rights are under siege, especially those pertaining to privacy and private communications. Anyone who has lived under tyranny, and has felt the ominous presence of the state's eyeballs peering into everyone's lives, (and making arbitrary arrests), knows quite well why privacy is important! Without it, we get messed with and controlled.

So, get involved if you've got the time, and let those members of congress know what you're thinking - otherwise, it's 1984.;)

 

[Hotplay007]

I'm foreseeing Jay all over this thread.:rolleyes:

[chuck kottke]

Maybe the print is too large, Indya??!:laugh3: Yea, I sure hope so!! He could be the next Senator from North Carolina!!;)

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Bill of what now? I wonder how many in Washington know this exist....

[Hotplay007]

Maybe the print is too large, Indya??!:laugh3: Yea, I sure hope so!! He could be the next Senator from North Carolina!!;)

 

hahaha:laugh3:, He'd be a wonderful politician. wouldn't that be funny to see Jay actually running for Senator. :dance:

[chuck kottke]

Yes, I think they read the Bill of Wrongs in Washington instead!:laugh3: But there are quite a few citizens in Washington State who know it exists!!;)

[chuck kottke]

hahaha:laugh3:, He'd be a wonderful politician. wouldn't that be funny to see Jay actually running for Senator. :dance:

Yes, I think he'd make an excellent Senator, Indya!;) But first we've got to clear up the mess we're in with how we allow campaigns to be run.. In a fair contest, he could crush that Limpy Graham-cracker quite easily!:)

[Hotplay007]

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA, Limpy Graham! but he's a good guy though!!!! :laugh3: i've always liked him. though, of course....................................... Jay would demolish him.

But there's a lot of messes to be cleaned up now. it's hard to maneuver around this country already with people acting stupid. Good Luck Jay. At least it's not like he'll deal with New Mexico or something. :rolleyes:

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Yes, I think they read the Bill of Wrongs in Washington instead!:laugh3: But there are quite a few citizens in Washington State who know it exists!!;)

 

In D.C.'s defense I doubt most in office can even read.....

[chuck kottke]

In D.C.'s defense I doubt most in office can even read.....

:laugh3:Hahahah!! I'm not sure if that's a godsend, or a curse!:dozey:;) :laugh3: They can read just fine, but that's usually what they do read - just the fine print.:P But the big stuff that's key to everything else - well, they've done shredded it, bagged it up, and tossed it aside. ...and it's up to the rest of us to set things right.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

and it's up to the rest of us to set things right

 

This is where the problem is, most of us are blind sheep following fox news and don't realize we need the change or don't understand how to make the change. The modern media has pacified and stupefied our nation. Where stuck with the majority not wanting any real change and the others thinking it's un-american to cause the change.

[Hotplay007]

In D.C.'s defense I doubt most in office can even read.....

 

:laugh3::laugh3:

[Matter-Eater Lad]

:laugh3::laugh3:

 

Nothing to laugh at, they were never hooked on phonics.:stunned:

[Saffire]

Geez I leave for a few days and you guys are nominating me to be a senator?! :D

 

Thanks, but no thanks. I think it would be an extremely boring job and I have no desire for power (my vice is the pursuit of wealth). ;)

 

I think the United States needs a "Bill of Taxpayers' Rights". Here's the first amendment I'll recommend for it:

 

1. Citizens of the United States may choose to pay for certain government services. They may only use the services they pay for.

[Saffire]

Here's an article ABC is running about rich people who were discovered by the IRS to have been hiding some of their net worth in overseas bank accounts.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5389687&page=1

 

The piece is written in such a way as to portray them in the worst possible light; as thieves of the American people and criminals. In truth, they're heroes - along with the people who helped hide the money from the IRS, and the Lichtenstein banks that tried to uphold their right to privacy. The fact the IRS assumes it has the right to view Americans' financial records is disturbing, because that is a direct violation of the 4th Amendment.

 

"Through taxation, pacifists are forced at gunpoint to pay for killing machines; vegetarians are forced at gunpoint to subsidize grazing land for cattle; nonsmokers are forced at gunpoint to support both the production of tobacco and the research to counter its impact on health. These minorities are the victims, not the initiators of aggression. Their only crime is not agreeing with the priorities of the majority. Taxation appears to be more than theft; it is intolerance for the preferences and even the moral viewpoints of our neighbors. Through taxation we forcibly impose our will on others in an attempt to control their choices." - Dr. Mary Ruwart

[chuck kottke]

4th, 9th, 16th amendments, and more!

 

Well, I'll give the piece a look;). But perhaps what the wealthy are doing is just trying to maximize their wealth; I think they should be fighting to keep our system of governance fair, to maximize the efficient use of tax dollars for and only for, the public good (to promote the general well being of the citizenry). I would rather reform than eliminate the government sector; it should be responsive to the causes of Liberty and to the betterment of citizens; When corruption sets in, then we face a public sector gone awry - doing more harm than good, all because it has been hijacked by those obsessed with power. It is our duty as Citizens to right it.

Does the IRS have the right to view American's financial records? Well, only if it has reason to suspect wrong doing, and obtains a warrant, based on credible evidence and witnesses, with clarity to the item(s) to be taken and the place to be searched. However, reasonable searches are allowed by the 4th amendment. And Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes on income from whatever sources derived, by the 16th amendment. So, reasonable searches from properly reported income is allowed. Beyond that, they must obtain a warrant, based on witnesses account for probable cause to exist, and by warrant obtained from a judge, search for the items at that location specified. It is intended, I believe, to deter the ability of powerful officials who did abuse their positions at one time; to prevent their harassment and control of citizens, as these officials were using random raids, searches, and witch hunts, in order to intimidate those who would question authority, or to silence any potential objectors, by creating a climate of fear. In recent history, (this present administration aside), U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy comes to mind in setting a modern example of such abuses on a grand scale (a home-grown nut;)). I see that the "war on terror" has allowed, within a climate of fear, for these abuses to grow. Hence, records that once were off limits, are now considered allowable, albeit unconstitutionally so, as a means to obtain evidence, or harass individuals, all under the auspices of "if it stops even one terrorist". Expanding investigations without witnesses, probable cause, and warrants from judges that are very specifically written, sounds very unconstitutional, if this is the case! And the argument that "it's not in the US or it's territories" denies the fact that these are the rights of all mankind, and by the 9th amendment as well, privacy rights naturally extend beyond our borders..

Well, Jay, you've got me interested! I'll take a look!;)

[Black Rose]

John Cleese's letter to America

 

In view of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy), as from Monday

next.

Your new prime minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed. To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

 

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English

Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide.

You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

 

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour',

'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise."

 

3. You will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra'; you

may elect to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you find you simply

can't cope with correct pronunciation.

 

4. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to

acceptable levels (look up "vocabulary"). Using the same twenty-

seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

 

5. There is no such thing as "US English." We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to takeaccount of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "- ize."

 

6. You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The

Queen", but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).

 

7. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but to be celebrated only in England. It will be called "Come-Uppance Day."

 

8. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns,

lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.

Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

 

9. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

 

10. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.

 

11. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric immediately and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

 

12. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling "gasoline") - roughly $6/US per gallon. Get used to it.

 

13. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps." Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with mayonnaise but with vinegar.

 

14. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.

 

15. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not

actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer," and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager." American brands will be referred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine," so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

 

16. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was an experience akin to having one's ear removed with a cheese grater.

 

17. You will cease playing American "football." There is only one kind of proper football; you call it "soccer". Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

 

18. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to

host an event called the "World Series" for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable and forgiven.

 

19. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

 

20. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due, backdated to 1776.

 

Thank you for your co-operation.

 

John Cleese

[chuck kottke]

Aha! It's an excellent idea then - nominate Jay, because he doesn't want the job!! That's it - honest people always run the other way...

And besides, did you know that if you invested like a Senator, you would do better than any Wall-street broker out there?!:laugh3: It's true!! So, as Senator Saffire, you could craft legislation to insure maximum return on investment, with low brokerage fees!

 

As for the choice to pay for services, and use only services they pay for.. Hmm - I hardly ever need to invade a neighboring country, so can I skip my fee on that one??:laugh3:

[chuck kottke]

Scathing Rebuttal..

 

Alright David, I will respond to Mr. Cleese's letter to These United States of America, in perfect pitch and Iambic Pentameter.:P

 

John Cleese's letter to America

 

In view of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy), as from Monday

next.

In view of Mr. Cleese's failure to understand that the current ruler of These Free and Independent States came about as the result of an ill-guided Supreme Court, who decided the election in favor of Mr. Bush, followed by election tampering by expert criminals, we hereby give notice that the next President, whomever that person shall be, will be of an order of magnitude or two more competent that the current occupant, and attempting to revoke our independence will only lead Queen Elizabeth into more difficulties, as she will have to accept a White House decorated in paisley prints, carpeted in an off-tan colour, with no appropriate bonnets for her to don in this hemisphere.:P

Your new prime minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed. To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

Your new Prime Mister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for the actors guild, who shall then, by the authority of Her Majesty, promptly place a stinging manta-ray into Mr. Cleese's swimming pool / bath. We will gladly be willing to pay for the care and feeding of the ray, provided no attempts are made on it's life, or the life of it's numerous offspring. A questionnaire will be required of Mr. Cleese if he wishes to remain upon the earth, as otherwise a rocket ship will be waiting to remove him to the nearest place accepting cheesy aged actors who no longer accept the risks associated with criticizing the world's only remaining super-power. ;)

 

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English

Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium," and check the pronunciation guide.

You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

1. Mr. Cleese is hereby notified by the Chicago Board of Trade that: (1). English is a living language, and (2). Americans are improving English by shortening those annoying words like Aluminium, saving us all added expense in printer paper and disk space, as well as freeing up more neurons for more productive activities, such as playing Nintendo games.:P

 

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour',

'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise."

2. The word color has been shortened by we, the Progressive Americans, to improve the stuffy English language, and just get used to it. If Mr. Cleese wishes, he can have his donut his way; but I prefer mine without so much "ugh" in the middle.:P:P Simonize that, you cheese miser!

 

3. You will learn that the suffix 'burgh' is pronounced 'burra'; you

may elect to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you find you simply

can't cope with correct pronunciation.

3. The People residing in the Former Colony controlled by Mr. Penn have, of their own free will, the right to call their Fair City whatever they so choose. Since a berg is either ice on top, or a small hamlet, a grown up suffix would be Burgh. Ideally, if Mr. Cleese cannot cope with this, we suggest he move to another planet.

I will attempt to rebuff Mr. Cleese's mildly unwarranted attacks in a second installment.

4. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to

acceptable levels (look up "vocabulary"). Using the same twenty-

seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

 

5. There is no such thing as "US English." We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to takeaccount of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "- ize."

 

6. You will relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The

Queen", but only after fully carrying out Task #1 (see above).

 

7. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday, but to be celebrated only in England. It will be called "Come-Uppance Day."

 

8. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns,

lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent.

Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

 

9. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

 

10. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.

 

11. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric immediately and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

 

12. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling "gasoline") - roughly $6/US per gallon. Get used to it.

 

13. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps." Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with mayonnaise but with vinegar.

 

14. Waiters and waitresses will be trained to be more aggressive with customers.

 

15. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not

actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer," and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as "Lager." American brands will be referred to as "Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine," so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

 

16. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" was an experience akin to having one's ear removed with a cheese grater.

 

17. You will cease playing American "football." There is only one kind of proper football; you call it "soccer". Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American "football", but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

 

18. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to

host an event called the "World Series" for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable and forgiven.

 

19. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

 

20. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due, backdated to 1776.

 

Thank you for your co-operation.

 

John Cleese

[chuck kottke]

Anyhow, back to topic:

To bring about true representation of the will of we, the people, and to protect the commons, especially our access to the broadcast spectrum; essentially our right of access to the modern public square, the following amendment is being put forth:

 

The right of citizens of the United States to fair elections and fair contests between candidates for public office shall be protected and improved. Access to the modern public square, the broadcast spectrum (a shared commons) for public debate and candidate appeals shall be granted equally to all candidates for public office, and offered without charge to candidates as a means of returning to the public an essential part of our public square.

 

Musings:

In return for the privilege of using a given frequency or set of frequencies for which none others have access, the broadcasters owe something in return to the citizens for that privilege of control over the commons. A much needed candidate and ideas dialog, where money plays no part, so all voices can be heard and special interests can't simply buy the message and airtime they want - to put the contests on equal footing, and allow the choice to be based more on substance, rather than emotional appeal. Time allotment for candidate appeals, debates, and endorsements selected by the board below? It should be when most citizens will be listening/watching - perhaps 10 hrs. per month minimum, and no sooner than 6 months prior to the election??

- In considering fair contests, the maximum allowable contribution limit should be set by an independent board - composed of a mix of randomly selected economists & ordinary citizens. How many members? Maybe neither too small a body (so there is plenty of diversity), nor too large (so they can get something done). I would guess somewhere between 10 and 100; perhaps 1 per every 10 million citizens?

- the limit for campaign contributions could be tied to the living wage, or to the median income level in the country. One idea would be to take the median income level of roughly $42,000/ 365 days in the calendar year, and multiply by two. That would mean the maximum allowable contribution would be on the order of $230 US currency. For someone in the lower income bracket, matching funds may be provided to balance the influence? At any rate, this would make participation in any candidate's race affordable, and make candidates more accountable to the broad majority of their constituents.

Comments welcome!

[Matter-Eater Lad]

To do this we'd have to throw out our whole government, dems and repubs and that is never going to happen.

[chuck kottke]

Not necessarily so. (or maybe so - but I'm opting for something else though..). The process of amendments requires ratification through the state legislatures, last as I recall (it's been 30 years since I last watched an amendment being put though the motions..). Now, Congress could fail to ratify it, but if the public support is too strong for them to deny, and it makes perfect sense (even though it would put an end to their whore shops), I think they would be fired on election day if they refused to pass it. We had some grassroots - supported legislation passed in Wisconsin that defeated the corrupt kickback schemes, mainly because the majority of citizens were strongly in support of it, and the politicians knew if they did not vote for it, they would be ending their careers - so it can be done , as long as we keep a blow torch on their tails! Maybe the current crisis will not do much harm, but wake people up to the need to reform then process, and hold them to their promises on it. But on the other hand, it's harder to deny an amendment - there it is, the ultimate law of the land, and pretty tough to deny by comparison.