This thread will be an ongoing repository of U.S. History and Civics


The United States Constitution



Common Sense by Thomas Paine



America's Wars a complete history


King George III Proclaims the Colonies to be in Open Rebellion


The Declaration of Independance


The Star Spangled Banner


Other useful historical documents the you may not have read

I am sorry Sir, but the Constitution has been disbanded for Corporate greed at this time. Please leave your name and number at the beep, and Gestapo will be there to answer any questions you may have. We pride ourselves in not having a single return service to date.

Spex. I so want to respond, but you've given me so much homework, it has to wait 'til later, dial up and all...

I thought these were on the Homeland Security's watch list. Only suspected terrorists (and Vegans...Quakers...etc) read these.

sr (tongue planted and blooming in cheek)

You say that as if they don't already know who you and I are.
Yahoo sold us all out. You might as well post under your given name at this point.

Scared yet?

Aw hell, just give the whole Constitution to Iraq, we aren't using it anyway.

On the old board I had a long, long thread called "Common Sense" that I used to gain easy access to historical information. The Adverse Advocates that come to visit the RRMB are constantly spouting revisionist history. It became necessary to show them the truth in order to get them to STFU.
I want to use this thread to the same end.

Was that before or after ATT and gave 'em my phone records?

I refused to be scared of this....

As I've often said... God blessed me with a loud mouth...so I use it!

sr

I hardly remember. I think Yahoo sold us out before the Telecoms but it really doesn't matter at this point now does it? The fact remains we've been sold out.

The Trial of Aaron Burr

The Andrew Johnson Impeachment Trial

The Chicago Seven Trial

The Nuremberg Trials


Other Famous Trials

That FDR speech was great, so relevant today, even more so, because of our economy, we haven't gone off the deep end yet...YET. But we still haven't learned from our past. Hopefully we have by the time November comes along. Fingers are crossed, and all toes too..

The Rooseveltian Governmental Philosophy is what saved us from the Republican Great Depression.
This same philosophy will save us again if people will stop listening to Rush Limbaugh.
I could go into a big long rant about how wonderful FDR was and what he did for the middle class but my lunch time is almost over. I'll have to save that for another day.

Oh I am a huge fan of the late President. He talked the talk and walked the walk, the real deal with the New Deal. No need to rant, tis all good.

Thank you so much for posting this GREAT man's speech! I've copied it into a Word document with the audio link and am sending it to everyone.

Indeedy, and with the addition of George Washington's Farewell Address, you have once again produced a classy thread, amigo - a true troll's bane. I will also recommend Eisenhower's Farewell Address and Henry Wallace on Fascism.

Part of Henry Wallace's comments on fascism:
5 If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are undoubtedly several million fascists in the United States. There are probably several hundred thousand if we narrow the definition to include only those who in their search for money and power are ruthless and deceitful. Most American fascists are enthusiastically supporting the war effort. They are doing this even in those cases where they hope to have profitable connections with German chemical firms after the war ends. They are patriotic in time of war because it is to their interest to be so, but in time of peace they follow power and the dollar wherever they may lead.

6 American fascism will not be really dangerous until there is a purposeful coalition among the cartelists, the deliberate poisoners of public information, and those who stand for the K.K.K. type of demagoguery.

Apparently this guy was not a very patriotic American. Clearly part of the "Blame America First" crowd.

What do you know about his pastor?

Q: How do you get the sheeple off your back until election day?

A: Tell them to go away and not come back until they've found the word "god" in The Constitution.

OK, I'll try to find them at lunch time.

That was about as funny as asking Mrs. Lincoln how she liked the play.

Try again.

That would work except that Sheeple don't or can't read.

That was about as necessary as McCain in the White House.



No, you can just clean your spex.

HA!!! I laughed out loud at this one. Way to put humor to tragedy!

Oh, you linked them! Cool!

Last year I found it really distressing that people would call up the Randi Rhodes show and complain about congress's inability to pass a Bill. Most of these callers displayed complete ignorance of to how things are done in Washington. Please familiarize yourself with the following lesson.

Civics 101

Thank you Citizen Joe


We know you learned all about how the government works in 6th grade, but if you're like us you probably forgot it all in 7th. Here's a primer to jog the memory.

States and DC

When we think of the "United States of America," we tend to forget that our country is exactly that - a federation, or uniting, of states. If you look at the constitution - or listen to states' rights advocates - you'll be reminded that the states have a lot of powers that were given them when the country was founded. In fact, according to the constitution the states are the default power; all the powers that are listed in the Constitution (creating a post office, assembling an army, etc.) are powers that are given to the federal government and anything that is not listed in the Constitution is automatically a power of the states. As the nation grew, however, the federal government had a tendency to grow its powers too, so much so that today it sometimes seems like the states don't play much of a role at all. Yet they still do. Here's a rough breakdown of who has what power:

The federal government (again, as listed in the Constitution) has the power to handle:

defense
trade (with other countries and between states)
immigration
the post office
copyrights and patents
coining money
collecting taxes to "provide for the general welfare" of the states (you can guess that this one leaves a lot of room for interpretation)
and creating all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers it was given (another invitation to grow)
The states technically get everything else, including the power to handle:

regulating business and industry (though the feds - through their power to regulate trade between the states - do a lot of this too)
crime
education
health
etc.
If states have so much power, why does it seem like the feds are involved in everything? A few reasons. The federal government's responsibility to regulate trade between the states give them entree into regulating almost all business that crosses state lines. The "general welfare" clause in the Constitution also opens up the door to the feds raising and giving money for just about anything - and with money, sometimes come strings. Lastly, since the courts have ruled they can, the feds are in the business of enforcing constitutional rights in the states.

The federal trump. The states are the default power, but the feds always have the trump. If it ever happens that a state has a law that contradicts a federal law, the federal law is the one that has to be followed. Of course there's not always agreement on what kind of laws the feds can make - when that happens, you usually end up with a states' rights case in court that may even make it to the Supreme Court.

The three "branches"

Three "branches" of government are found both at the federal and state levels:

one that makes the laws (the legislature, or Congress in the case of the federal government),
one that "executes" laws by enforcing them and creating the programs they order (the executive, or president), and
one that settles disputes when there's disagreement about what the law says (the judiciary, with the Supreme Court at top).
How congress makes laws

If you remember "I'm just a bill sitting on Capitol Hill" from School House Rock, there's bad news and bad news - the process of making a law isn't that simple but it is just about that dull. The overview below is largely cribbed from Congress.org's 13 step overview.

Getting a bill started: Anyone can write a bill, but you have to be a member of Congress to introduce it to the House or the Senate. The first step is to give the bill a number; if it starts in the House it gets an H.R. in front of the number, if in the Senate, an S. (Bills are not the only things Congress considers - there are also joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions and simple resolutions, but because they're not so common, we'll spare you the details.)

Surviving committee: The first hurdle is for a bill to get through a committee - without a committee's approval a bill will die before it gets to the House or Senate floor for a vote (there are few exceptions). There are standing committees on policy areas ranging from Agriculture to Veterans' Affairs. Bills are first referred to a committee, which can consider the bill straight off or can refer the bill to a subcommittee for study and hearings. You may hear that a bill is "marked up" - that means it meets a subcommittee's approval and gets handed back to the standing committee. The full committee can go ahead and have further hearings of its own or it can just vote to have the bill go to the House or Senate, known as "ordering a bill reported." It is what it sounds like: the bill is put into a report and sent to the chamber where it came from.

Getting on the Calendar: Bills next get put on the calendar for the House or Senate floor (there is more than one calendar in the House). In both the House and the Senate the all important question of when, or if, a bill ever gets to the floor is largely left up to the speaker (of the House) or the majority leader (of the Senate).

Debate and Voting: Once on the floor, there are rules on the procedure for debating a bill. Amendments can also be added to a bill before going up for a vote. A bill passes with a simple majority.

Note on filibusters: Senators can stall a bill to death by simple continuing to debate it and never bringing it to vote, a process called filibustering. A filibuster can be stopped, however, but it needs 60 senators to vote for the debating to come to an end. In this odd way a minority of 41 senators can stop a bill being passed even if 59 senators would approve it.

Going to the other chamber and ironing out any differences: Once one part of Congress passes a bill it gets referred to the other half and goes through roughly the same process. A bill can be approved as is, in which case it goes straight to the president's desk. If the second chamber makes minor alterations, it will likely just go back to the first chamber for a second thumbs up. If major changes are made, however, the bill will go to a conference committee to be ironed out. If no agreement can be made, the bill dies. If a compromise is made, both the House and Senate must then approve the conference report.

The president's signature - or not: The final step is to get the president's signature after which a bill becomes law. The bill can also become law if the president doesn't do a thing for 10 days and Congress is still in session. The president can also choose to "veto" a bill if he doesn't like it. (If Congress is adjourned and he does nothing, it likewise is effectively vetoed too.) If vetoed, a bill can still become law if both chambers of Congress "override" the veto with 2/3rds of the vote.

Only one in twenty five bills make it all the way through in the year they're introduced; for the 96% that don't get turned into law, it's either the wastebasket or the recycling bin. (Washington Post)

Want more details on the process? You can go to town with Thomas.loc.gov.

I was going to read it, but I heard it was just a damn piece of paper. I've decided to read "My Pet Goat" instead.

Just so long as you read something.
Reading is Fun-damental

Bush puts the "duh" in Fundamental...

xoxox

U.S. FLAG RULES AND REGULATIONS

"The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."

Thanks X-Ray, that was good reading for the commercials, I find it a good time to read the important stuff so as not to distract from our Goddess!!!

There's just too much of the Kucinich Impeachment Resolution to put here.
I found it by searching "Rep. Kucinich introduces Bush impeachment resolution " On Thomas. The result was "NOTICE OF INTENTION TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE -- (House of Representatives - June 09, 2008)"
Here's one of my favorite parts.


ARTICLE XXXIV.--OBSTRUCTION OF INVESTIGATION INTO THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution ``to take care that the laws be faithfully executed'', has both personally and acting through his agents and subordinates, together with the Vice President, obstructed investigations into the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Following September 11, 2001, President Bush and Vice President Cheney took strong steps to thwart any and all proposals that the circumstances of the attack be addressed. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was forced to renege on his public promise on September 23 that a ``White Paper'' would be issued to explain the circumstances. Less than two weeks after that promise, Powell apologized for his ``unfortunate choice of words,'' and explained that Americans would have to rely on ``information coming out in the press and in other ways.''

On Sept. 26, 2001, President Bush drove to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters in Langley, Virginia, stood with Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet and said: ``My report to the nation is, we've got the best intelligence we can possibly have thanks to the men and women of the C.I.A.'' George Tenet subsequently and falsely claimed not to have visited the president personally between the start of Bush's long Crawford vacation and September 11, 2001.

Testifying before the 9/11 Commission on April 14, 2004, Tenet answered a question from Commission member Timothy Roemer by referring to the president's vacation (July 29-August 30) in Crawford and insisting that he did not see the president at all in August 2001. ``You never talked with him?'' Roemer asked. ``No,'' Tenet replied, explaining that for much of August he too was ``on leave.'' An Agency spokesman called reporters that same evening to say Tenet had misspoken, and that Tenet had briefed Bush on August 17 and 31. The spokesman explained that the second briefing took place after the president had returned to Washington, and played down the first one, in Crawford, as uneventful.

In his book, At the Center of the Storm, (2007) Tenet refers to what is almost certainly his August 17 visit to Crawford as a follow-up to the ``Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the US'' article in the CIA-prepared President's Daily Brief of August 6. That briefing was immortalized in a Time Magazine photo capturing Harriet Myers holding the PDB open for the president, as two CIA officers sit by. It is the same briefing to which the president reportedly reacted by telling the CIA briefer, ``All right, you've covered your ass now.'' (Ron Suskind, The One-Percent Doctrine, p. 2, 2006). In At the Center of the Storm, Tenet writes: ``A few weeks after the August 6 PDB was delivered, I followed it to Crawford to make sure that the president stayed current on events.''

A White House press release suggests Tenet was also there a week later, on August 24. According to the August 25, 2001, release, President Bush, addressing a group of visitors to Crawford on August 25, told them: ``George Tenet and I, yesterday, we piled in the new nominees for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Vice Chairman and their wives and went right up the canyon.''

In early February 2002, Vice President Dick Cheney warned then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle that if Congress went ahead with an investigation, administration officials might not show up to testify. As pressure grew for an investigation, the president and vice president agreed to the establishment of a congressional joint committee to conduct a ``Joint Inquiry.'' Eleanor Hill, Executive Director of the Inquiry, opened the Joint Inquiry's final public hearing in mid-September 2002 with the following disclaimer: ``I need to report that, according to the White House and the Director of Central Intelligence, the president's knowledge of intelligence information relevant to this inquiry remains classified, even when the substance of the intelligence information has been declassified.''

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was created on November 27, 2002, following the passage of congressional legislation signed into law by President Bush. The President was asked to testify before the Commission. He refused to testify except for one hour in private with only two Commission members, with no oath administered,

I'm sorry, they have other uses in mind for that....

I've got a better idea...

The Magna Carta



The Writ of Habeas Corpus

Proof that we will never learn, a bitter but necessary pill to swallow.

President Woodrow Wilson:

Do Your Bit For America

Address in Support of the League of Nations/Treaty of Versailles

The World Must be Made Safe for Democracy

Woodrow Wilson was a white supremacist scholar before he became president, and took those ideals out on the country by being the first president to introduce segregation into federal facilities.

Wasn't it John McCain who asked Mrs. Lincoln this? He was around then right? Sounds like his HIGH-larious, not-ready-for-prime-time humour!

It's a fact. Along with other current-day analogies of pro-war propaganda and tacit detainment and torture of dissenters, Wilson's xenophobia and devotion to Birth of a Nation underscores Of Equal Measure, Tanya Barfield's problematic but worthy new play, which closes Sunday at Culver City's Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Center Theatre Group: Of Equal Measure, Kirk Douglas Theatre

Is it any wonder that a self-defined "paleocon" admires him, then.

My absolute fave.

exactly. woodrow wilson is my least favorite president, less than dirt.

hence the importance of reading his bilge and recognizing it when you see it.

Tell me who your pastor is and I'll tell you who you are. Right !

End Sarcasm !

Congratulations, Randi. Finally, justice prevails.