Who Else is to Blame?

“Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions . . . . Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the ‘new, wonderful good society’ which shall now be Rome’s, interpreted to mean ‘more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.’ Julius was always an ambitious villain, but he is only one man.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

Do not only blame the greedy central bankers. Do not only blame the Wall Street greed mongers. Do not blame only the corrupt politicians who are just puppets to those who control their purse strings and political careers. Look in the mirror to find another piece of the puzzle. Look in the mirror to find another contributing factor to the destruction of this great nation. In that mirror exists a monster, regardless of the physical beauty of the individual, whose result of their life, to this point, was to remain deaf, dumb, blind, and ignorant of the atrocities being committed against individual liberty and the United States Constitution. A monster which threatens the very liberty of their own children and the future of other parent's children.

Why, one might ask? Because you loved your own ambitions and self-interests more than you loved liberty. You are part of the cause because you have sacrificed your freedom for safety. You are part of the reason because you refuse to educate yourself on what really happens in Washington. You aid in the destruction of the U.S. because you care so little that you don't keep abreast of what is taking place in Washington or the unconstitutional legislation which they are passing under your nose. You are one of the reasons for the demise because you refuse to look at the idea of liberty, which no man can kill, and instead take all of your marching orders and political opinions from only two parties. It is you who refuses to see that there is no difference between Republican and Democrat when you look at their voting records for the past two decades.

Both parties have trampled our civil liberties with the "Patriot Act". Both parties have grown the government to a monstrous size. Both parties have spent our money wastefully and to a insane degree. Both parties have increased the national debt, nearly equally. If you wake up one day under martial law, with all of your worldly possessions gone, homeless, destitute, and hungry . . . Find a mirror... you played a part in your own demise and that of your children and grandchildren.

The time has passed for Americans to wake up to some very disconcerting facts. Every one of the "popular" party favorites they put before you each election cycle are wolves in sheep's clothing. If the establishment is for them, you should be against them. The time is past to stand up against the encroachment of our liberties and bald-faced assaults on the Constitution of this Republic we call the United States of America.

What will you do? Continue to live in ignorance, stick your head in the sand, and pretend that the train you see coming through the tunnel really isn't there and won't hit you? We very well may be at one of those defining moments when our nation stands on the brink of economic and or total collapse. Where will you stand and how will you contribute to the cause and continuance of liberty in this country? Will you run for an office? Will you stop voting for the establishment candidates and start voting for pro-liberty and strict Constitutionalist candidates? Or will you do nothing and become one of the reasons why the United States descended into a socialistic/fascist country like those in Europe have gone and be scattered on the dung heap of history along with every other great Empire through the ages? What side will you take? Liberty or safety? Freedom or Fascism? The time to decide is NOW!

By William Tolp

Shays' Rebellion

A historical event transpired in the year 1786 which eludes the memories of many Americans. The History Channel aired a one hour documentary entitled Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America: Shays' Rebellion—America's First Civil War” in 2006. This historical marker could arguably be the single most important event in all of American legal history. The event was dubbed “Shays’ Rebellion” due to the fact that one of the key figures involved was Daniel Shays, a former captain during the Revolutionary War (Richards, 2002). The ramifications of this rebellion located in the western counties of Massachusetts would reverberate throughout American history.

The Rebellion exemplifies the fact that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate to provide a national government under which all Americans would unite. Under the Articles of Confederation the federal government was nearly powerless. The founding fathers so hated the monarchical rule of England that they formed a government whose limitations prevented it from functioning properly. In legal history the Articles of Confederation were the first official legal documents governing this newly formed nation. The extreme limitations the articles placed on the federal government reveal themselves in this example from Article IX: “The united States in congress assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the United States . . . unless nine States assent to the same”.

The second reason why Shays’ Rebellion remains significant to American legal history is exemplified by the fact that “habeas corpus” was suspended for the very first time ever (Minot, 1786). In order to quell the uprising among those farmers, the governor of the State, seeking help from the Federal government, suspended habeas corpus and arrested the rebels, two of which, “John Bly and Charles Rose” were executed (Phillips, 2007, p.17ff). During this time peace officers were given broad, sweeping powers to capture and arrest the individuals causing the social upheaval (Minot, 1786). The rebels prevented many debtor courts from opening and holding trials due to the fact that many of those trials would be judgments against them for taxes and monies owed to lenders in which the “courts ordered their land taken in payment” (Peet, 1996, p.21ff).

Lastly, Daniel Shays and his rag-tag band affected legal history because their insurrection was the lynchpin which influenced the already planned Philadelphia Convention three months later, which would eventually produce the United States Constitution. Szatmary (1980) observes George Washington’s thoughts regarding the rebellion’s influence on the meeting in Philadelphia, saying “the revolutionary war hero attributed his own presence at the Constitutional Convention in May to the Massachusetts troubles”. The single most important legal document in American history birthed from the actions of individuals who refused to be taxed unfairly, despised the wasteful spending and debt of the government, and refused to have their natural rights denied.

In conclusion, little doubt exists pertaining to the significance of Shays’ rebellion and its effect on the minds of the framers of the Constitution. Clearly one must view this historical event with reverence, because it solidified the founders resolve to produce a document which would not only protect its citizen’s natural rights, but bring about a form of government which could hold the nation together and function with broader, yet limited powers. The result being every public official from the President of the United States to the city Mayor must take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” (Armed Forces Oath of Office). If there be any who doubt the significance of this rebellion, remember that the Constitution remains to this day the supreme law of the land.

by William Tolp

References

Armed Forces Oath of Enlistment. (2010). http://usmilitary.about.com.

Articles of Confederation. (1777).

Cutler, R. (Producer). (2006). Shays’ Rebellion---America’s First Civil War [Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America]. South Burlington, VT: The History Channel

Minot, G.R. (1786). History of the Insurrection in Massachusetts.

Mary, E. (2000, June). Shays’ Rebellion and the Constitution in American History. School Library Journal. 167.

Peet, R. (1996). A Sign Taken for History: Daniel Shays’ Memorial n Petersham, Massachusetts. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 21-43.

Phillips, C. (2007, Feb). A Day to Remember. American History. 17-18.

Richards, L. (2002). Shays’ Rebellion: The American Revolution’s Final Battle. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Szatmary, D. (1980). Shays’ Rebellion: The Making of an Agrarian Insurrection. University of Massachusetts Press.