Re: Declaration of Independence http://www.hempforus.com/30.htm

Pubdate: Sun, 03 Jun 2001 Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX) Copyright: 2001 Amarillo Globe-News Contact: letters@amarillonet.com Website: http://amarillonet.com/ .....Author: Michael D. Hearne Note: Michael D. Hearne is a resident of Amarillo

IT'S TIME TO 'JUST SAY NO' TO SUSPENSION OF CONSTITUTION

The deaths of a missionary and her child over Peru two months ago serve as a brutal reminder that the war on drugs is a shooting war.

When I call for an end to the drug war, I am always misunderstood. It is always assumed that anyone who is against the drug war is automatically pro-legalization, which is absolutely untrue.

I would like to say this once, to the entire nation, in order to clear up this mistaken assumption.

Drugs were illegal before the drug war existed. I have absolutely no doubt that they will continue to be illegal after the drug war is gone and the people behind it all are in jail where they belong.

Why do I say that they belong in jail? Because the drug war has little, if anything, to do with drugs and everything to do with the abrogation and suspension of the U.S. Constitution.

The drug war was never intended to be a "war"; that is, to be fought and won. It was, from its inception, intended to be a permanent institution.

The drug war in its present form was created in 1981, along with the "homeless population" and several other minor institutions that were intended to form the groundwork for a permanent "state of crisis" in this country.

Children born in 1981 are now voting adults and never have known anything other than Hitleresque chanting and propaganda. They don't remember when this was a free country, and the Constitution was in force. They don't understand that they have the right to refuse illegal searches or "Just Say No" to warrantless drug tests.

Politically, I am a constitutionalist, and I always like to begin discussions on the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, with the 10th Amendment. This amendment provides the individual states with the right to pass laws concerning things that are not covered by the U.S. Constitution. This also means that the individual states cannot pass laws that abrogate the U.S. Constitution.

Let's look at the other nine, briefly:

Amendment I - We may say or print anything we like, as long as it does not represent sedition or treason against the United States. We may or may not worship God in any manner we please, anywhere, anytime. The term "separation of church and state" does not exist in the Constitution.

Amendment II - We don't need anyone's permission to own or carry a firearm.

Amendment III - We have an immutable right to personal privacy, and to not be snooped on, spied upon, or inventoried. King George's men didn't just need a place to stay; they were in fact the 18th-century version of the wiretap.

Amendment IV - We are protected against warrantless searches and arrests of any kind, without legal written probable cause or evidence in hand ( habeas corpus ).

Amendment V - The state cannot compel individuals to incriminate themselves, whether under oath or by hearsay not discovered under oath. The property of the accused cannot be confiscated prior to the trial and conviction of that person.

Amendment VI - An accused individual has the right to a quick and speedy trial and has the right to face his or her accuser or accusers.

Amendment VII - An accused individual has the right to trial by a jury of his or her peers.

Amendment VIII - Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and 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.

The above version is short but fairly complete. Can readers scan through the list and find anything the government is doing that is unconstitutional? It shouldn't be too hard for anyone, so I won't enumerate them to any length here.

Since 1986, our military and police have been dressed like, and have behaved in a similar fashion to, the World War II-era German paratroopers who served in the Balkans. Check the historic uniforms book at your local library.

We have lost our seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission because we have more citizens incarcerated than any other nation on earth.

Every shopkeeper in the country has become an agent of the police, being compelled to report any substantial cash purchase, not just those more than $10,000. Just try making a large purchase, say $400 or so, and then refuse to give your name. Watch the reaction closely and learn the truth.

A copy of the Constitution can be found at: rs6.loc.gov/const/const/html. It is free of comments and interpretations.

It's way past time to put an end to what the drug war has become. "Just Say No" today. And tomorrow.