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Americans For Justice - United - 2024

Blog posts March 2016

Liberty Vs. Corruption

Liberty

the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views:

Limited government is a government outline where any more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is not allowed by law, usually in a written Constitution. It is closely related to libertarianism, classical liberalism, and some tendencies of conservatism in the United States.

Limited government is a common practice through Western culture. It has roots in Hebraic Law. In Western Civilization, the Magna Carta and the United States Constitution are examples of the limiting of government.

Added as an afterthought but today a very key part of the American Constitution is the Bill of Rights. After enumerating specific rights retained by the people in the first eight amendments, the Ninth Amendment and the Tenth Amendment summarily spelled out the principle of limited government. Together, these two last Amendments clarify the differences between the unenumerated (as well as enumerated) rights of the people versus the expressly codified delegated powers of the federal government. The Ninth Amendment codified that the rights of the people do not have to be expressly written in the Constitution (i.e., do not have to be enumerated) to still be retained by the people. In the reverse, though, the Tenth Amendment codified that any delegated powers of the federal government are only authorized to do be performed so long as such delegated powers are expressly delegated to the federal government specifically by the U.S. Constitution.

The U.S. Constitution is supposed to limit the power of the federal government in five ways. First, it prohibits the government from interfering with certain key areas, such as conscience, expression and association. Secondly, certain forms are established for the dealing of governments with their own citizens: specific actions are forbidden to the government. It was assumed that the Bill of Rights would be largely self-enforcing, and this solution proved to be inadequate to do more than slow the growth of government. Government powers were expanded, even while following the letter of the Bill of Rights, and increasingly, key elements were virtually ignored.

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There is a battle going on from within.  This expanding Government and examples within this administration that require investigation for violations of the law.  There have been statements by a Federal Judge pointing out 'over reach'.  Then, there are  we the people  who voice that we want 'accountability' for those acting unlawfully because it is about our lives and our voices go 'ignored'.  The expanding corrupt government ruling are outright turning their backs on the liberty we the people are fighting for.

- We have seen an invasion at our border be allowed to happen without enforcing the law. (Instead directly aiding)

- We have heard of border agents duties being restricted and others told to stand down.

- We have heard stories from detention centers earlier on regarding diseases reported by agents and healthcare workers with fear of losing their jobs for reporting it.

- We watched these illegals , including gang members (that are now being arrested in some cities at this time) transported by 'Homeland Security' of all people back then.

- In this surge of illegals have also come the enemy.  We later hear of the 1,000 active ISIS investigations in the country. 

- The states in Heroin crisis due to drugs verified to be trafficked by the foreign gang members.

- They are already here.  This is the truth. (Verified by reports of 1,000 active ISIS cases)  (So why is the president opposing surveillance of neighborhoods) ?

- We also  saw the president make a trade with top leader terrorists from Gitmo for an American 'deserter' without telling congress in the required time to do so.

- We hear the stories of the detainees returning to the battlefield of the increasingly growing group of fighters previously warned by our secretary of defense to be strengthening.... later pushed out of his job (as many others left).

- We still hear about Gitmo heading to be closed and plans to bring detainees from  there to America - even with many saying it is 'Against The Law'.

So, we have these laws of public endangerment , criminal reckless misconduct and the issue of Treason (pointed out previously at this site and at a petition ) continuously carrying on .  What is being done about it?  How many times does action have to be requested?  All of this is at a point where now it cannot be handled brazenly , but tactfully.   In the meantime we have politicians carrying on with the president's divisive ways - dividing Americans even MORE.  If we want freedom, liberty, safety - we need accountability and Justice FIRST -  for the door to open -  so we can make appropriate changes quickly.  In order to accomplish this - we need UNITY.

We must focus on our local communities and our fellow Americans.  We also must acknowledge anything corrupt that may be noted with facts regarding any candidate and turn away from the corruption because if it carries on - this is going to continue and get much worse.  It is not impossible to stand together for what each and every one of us deserves.  Safety to live our lives and security to pursue our goals and life purpose.  We all have this in common. The corrupt law breakers are stealing this from us and putting American lives on the line. 

We must demand accountability and elect no more corrupt. That means no history of criminal actions of any kind and certainly no more direct divisiveness.  But.. FIRST let's stop fighting each other.  Because even with the many difference of opinions regarding policies , we all do have survival in common.  For ourselves, our families, our friends and our country. Let's not wait for one person to do this for us, which is impossible with all that we are faced with.  It is up to us.  Our rights - Our choices - Our legal Actions - Our Liberty.

 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

 

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Thoughts and Prayers for Brussels and everyone impacted.

 

Thoughts and prayers are with Brussels and everyone impacted by the latest attack.  We have seen this too many times.  As most of us are also tired of hearing about the growing impact terrorism is having around the world with what seems not enough being done and so little understood. These losses and injuries continue to change places and lives from one location to the next.  We will continue to rely on healing and hope for everyone involved. 

We will continue to live our lives with freedom that everyone deserves and will not allow these unjust, violent incidents to harden our hearts into hatred that only destroys.

God Bless

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We the people must not be broken down!

We the People.  It does not matter what party you are in.  We as Americans live here together.  It is about we the people and the values of our country.  We are losing them and somehow the hatred has taken over to such a degree, we are turning on our own.  We are turning on each other!  Now, differences of opinion lead to assaults or death threats from one person to the next. 

No matter how many problems our country faces, they can not be overcome if we the people are broken down.  It is the last straw in a long stretch of actions that have fueled this anger people feel.  There is no room left for tolerance of any more fueling to the anger.  We are visibly seeing this with internet communications, gatherings in public or crimes on the street.  It may seem easy to think it is time to 'fight' regardless of how it is done.  It may seem easy to lash out because there doesn't seem to be a lot of positive solutions.  Where is our character when this is how we react?  Lowering ourselves to behavior that in the end accomplishes 'nothing'.

It may seem like there is no uniting anymore, unless affiliated with a particular 'person' or 'group'.  But, there are many leaders over all and many groups.  We the people are everyone in this country and we are equal to one another.  So how do we bridge these differences?  How do we stop the hate from brewing?  Basically first to recognize we all have the fundamental need to survive and in some way or another there is common concern for our lives. 

There is not 'one' person that can come along right now and fix these problems quickly to bring concrete security for our survival.  We must do our part and contribute what we can together and protect ourselves from the breaking point of we the people in general.  Once we let ourselves be divided into a full break down as citizens of the United States letting any politician or foreign enemy turn us against each other in violence and revenge there may be no repair of this and we may never return to what we know to be America again.

Please think of this with every step you take to support what you believe or protest what you oppose. We are the UNITED States Of America. This includes the person down the street from where you live or the person standing next to you at the next public event you attend. Americans want things to be better, gain back more, lose less, be free and be alright. We cannot do this speaking with constant insults or hating our neighbors and those standing by us. It is impossible.

There is certainly plenty to be angry about and the next topic in here will review some of the changes or lack of Justice that got us to this point. But only when the anger can be turned into challenging these problems in a 'positive', constructive way -together- (apart from any particular leader) can we truly turn this around!

 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

 

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Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base; The Controversy.
 
In 2008, when Barrack Obama was running for hie first term in office, he had promised to close down Guantanamo Bay detention Camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  There have multiple efforts to satisfy this promise that have met with lawful obstruction.  Then the plan had changed into releasing Gitmo detainees to other countries, which, known now, is and was a mistake. Additionally, Obama made a deal with terrorists for the release of five Taliban fighters for one man, who we suspected to be a traotor, which has been proven fact.  Many of these released terrorists have rejoined the fight against America.
 
Located in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, better known as Gitmo(GTMO), was established in 1898 when the United States of America took control of Cuba from Spain at the end of the Spanish-American war.  Cuba signed a perpetual lease for the land, with the United States, on February 16, 1903 for the use of the U.S. Navy Base and coaling, becoming effective on February 23, 1903.  But, the lease was executed in two agreements.  The second agreement, concerning conditions of the lease, was signed on July 2, 1903.  The cost of the lease, from 1903 to 1934, was $2000.00 per year(in U.S. Gold coin), and from 1934 to present, is $4085.00 per year.  It is located on the South East end of Cuba, consisting of 45 square miles of land and water and is the oldest overseas U.S. Naval Base.
 
The first signed lease(February 1903) conditions were as follows, a promise to lease, for the time required, an area to be determined, at Guantanamo Bay, with Cuba to acquire and include any privately held interior lots, and two parcels of land and adjacent waters in Bahia Honda; the right to use the areas as naval stations, and for no other purpose, with a non-exclusive easement to adjacent waters;
complete jurisdiction to belong to the U.S., while it "recognizes the continuance of ultimate sovereignty" of Cuba.
 
The second signed lease(July 1903) outlined the responsibility of the United States concerning the base.  They are as follows, the annual lease payment of $2,000.00 in U.S. gold coin, as long as the United States occupies and uses the areas. The United States to build and maintain fences.  Only for use as a Naval and coaling station. Mutual right of extradition.  A duty-free zone, but not a port of entry for weapons or other goods into Cuba proper.  Cuban shipping to have the right of access to the Bay and ratification to be within seven months.
 
Since the 1959 Cuban Revolution, the Cuban government has consistantly protested the presence of the United States on Cuban soil.  Calling it illegal under International Law, claiming the base was imposed upon Cuba by force.  Since the 1959 revolution, Cuba has cashed one rent check, all subsequent lease payments have been refused.  In those 57 years of non acceptance of payment, Cuba has lost $232,845.00.
 
The 'Cactus Curtain' is term given to the boundary between the Naval base and the Cuban controlled territory.  After the 1959 revolution, some Cubans came to the base for sanctuary or refuge, which led to, in the fall of 1961, Cuban troops to plant an 8-mile barrier of Opuntia Cactus along the northeastern section of the 17-mile fence surrounding the base to stop Cubans from escaping Cuba to take refuge in the United States. This was dubbed the Cactus Curtain, an allusion to Europe's Iron Curtain, the Bamboo Curtain in East Asia or the similar Ice Curtain in the Bering Strait.  Then, the U.S. troops and Cuban troops, in seperate initiatives, placed over 50,000 land mines around the perimeter of the base, known as 'no man's land', creating the second largest minefield in the world and the largest in the western hemisphere.  U.S. President Bill Clinton ordered the demining of the American field in May of 1996.  These have been replaced with more modern technologies, i.e., motion and sound dectectors.  It is worth mentioning that the Cuban government has not demined it's corrosponding mine field around the perimeter.
 
In 2002, a 612 unit, military prison was established on this leased property, Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp(Camp Delta), for unlawful/enemy combatants captured in Afghanistan, Iraq and others, during the war on terror.  Which includes camps 1 through 6, Camp Echo; where pre-commissions are held, Camp Iguana; originally designed for juvenile detainees, now holds those viewed as, 'No longer enemy combatants', and Camp X-Ray; which was closed in 2002.  From 2003 to 2006, the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) operated a small site, known informally as "Penny Lane," to house prisoners whom the agency attempted to recruit as spies against Al-Qaeda. The housing at Penny Lane was less sparse by the standards of Guantanamo Bay, with private kitchens, showers, televisions, and beds with mattresses. The camp was divided into eight units. Its existence was revealed to the Associated Press in 2013.  
 
In it's, thus far, 14 years of existance, there have been 779 men brought to Gitmo.  During this time, eight men have been found dead.  According to the Department of Defense(DoD), six were suicides, although I found information on only three, and no information on the other two.  June 10, 2006; three detainees were found dead.  They had hung themselves with bed sheets.  The prisoners were the Saudi Arabians; Mani al-Utaybi and Yasser al-Zahrani, and a Yemeni citizen; Ali Abdullah Ahmed.  Rear Admiral Harry Harris stated that these were not acts of desperation, but rather an act of asymmetric war committed against us.  Suicide attempts have been much more numerous, during August 2003, there were 23 suicide attempts.  After this event, the Pentagon reclassified suicides as "manipulative self-injurious behaviors"; camp physicians alleged that detainees do not genuinely wish to end their lives.  Guantanamo Bay officials have reported 41, unsuccessful, suicide attempts by 25 detainees since the U.S. began taking prisoners to the base in January 2002.
 
In more recent history, we have heard about the allegations of torture within the facility.  These allegations include; Exposure to loud music, exposure to prolonged extreme temperatures, waterboarding, sleep deprivation, humiliation, prolonged constraint in uncomfortable positions, 12 hour interrogations and a report that a 'Behavioral Science Consultation Team'(BSCT), also known as Biscuit, and military physicians provided confidential medical information on detainees(weaknesses, phobias, etc.) to the interrogation teams, resulting in detainees losing confidence in their medical care, and so on.
 
Recently, November of 2015, President Obama announced he is sending a plan to Congress to close Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.  His plan includes not only shutting down the prison, where the worst of the world's terrorists are housed, but transfers many of the remaining detainees to the United States.  President Obama's plan is, basically, as follows; 
[-91 prisoners are still detained at Guantanamo Bay, all indefinitely, until the United States can resolve their legal status and transfer them elsewhere.
-35 will be transferred to foreign countries: The Obama administration is empowered to transfer prisoners to another country, where they will be monitored, provided the Department of Defense and other relevant agencies deem it safe. According to the plan, "35 have been determined to be eligible for transfer by relevant national security departments and agencies." It doesn't say whether the US has found countries to accept them, though.
-10 are in the military trial process: The administration is also permitted to try Guantanamo detainees in special military courts. "Three active cases involving seven accused are in the pretrial phase," the plan says, while three detainees have pleaded guilty and are currently being sentenced. Convicted detainees could potentially be transferred to another country's prison and, if they've already served their sentences, released to another country.
-22 are earmarked for tribunal or US domestic trial: The US government believes this group of inmates can successfully and safely be tried in court, and would like to prosecute them — ideally in civil rather than military courts, but Congress has made that difficult (*which I will define below).
-The remaining 34 are TBD(to be determined): The Obama administration isn't sure what it would do with these cases, but lists a few options: eventually clearing them for release or for trial, transferring them to a foreign country for a trial there, or transferring them to a specially designed U.S. prison for continued indefinite detention. That U.S. prison is also TBD.]
*Why does it seem the Guantanamo Bay plan is so vague: Congress has almost totally tied the administration's hands. It is currently illegal, under United States law, to transfer Guantanamo detainees to the United States for trial, bringing htem to or holding them in a facility on U.S. soil,  use federal funds to prosecute them in civil court or from using any federal funds to build or modify a facility to hold those detainees.
 
On January 7 of 2011, President Barrack Obama signed the 2011 Defense Authorization Bill.  Which, in part, made the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to mainland American soil, illegal or unlawful.  This has been recently confirmed by the current United States Attorney General, Loretta Lynch.  “That is the state of the law,” Lynch testified in a House Appropriations subcommittee.  “It’s certain that we would be prohibited from doing so. I’m not aware of any efforts to do so at this time, in any event.” (Did you catch that?)
 
A statement from House Speaker, Paul Ryan, "After seven years, President Obama has yet to convince the American people that moving Guantanamo terrorists to our homeland is smart or safe. And he doesn’t seem interested in continuing to try. His proposal fails to provide critical details required by law, including the exact cost and location of an alternate detention facility. Congress has left no room for confusion.  It is against the law—and it will stay against the law—to transfer terrorist detainees to American soil. We will not jeopardize our national security over a campaign promise.”
 
In addition, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said Tuesday that it was little surprise that Obama made his announcement, as it's been his "goal from day one" to close Gitmo.  "The fact that he's willing to do it in violation of an explicit law probably means two things," said Issa. "One, he has very little to lose in his opinion. He doesn't believe the American people will impeach him, and with the death of Justice [Antonin] Scalia, he might view that the Supreme Court will back him by a 4-4 decision, the liberals letting him do it even if it's a clear violation of the law." 

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