Corridors

Newt Gingrich Stands Tall in S.C.

2012-01-20T15:46:00.001-05:00

Newt Gingrich responds to CNN's John King....

It looks as though the GOP candidate's are weary of attacks upon them by liberal media who promote Obama's re-election [or another GOP candidate]....we'll have to wait and see how this will work out for Newt in tomorrow's election. By observance of the audience, it looks like they were glad to see Newt stand up for himself. This oh-so-tacky move by John King just may have earned Newt votes - and made America more aware of the arrogance and downfall of Main Stream Media.

Newt Destroys John King, Media Over Ex-Wife Question...

-----------------------------------

*See Also:

Media Admits Conspiracy to Ignore Ron Paul
[excerpt]
CNN host Howard Kurtz even admits that, “We are in the business of kicking candidates out of the race”.
[end of excerpt]

----------------------------------

The Fall of Main Stream Media

2012-01-15T01:39:00.004-05:00

You, know, folks, here is another post that is difficult to type...but I feel that the contents that I'm going to put here really need to be looked at again. Maybe three or four times, just so one can get it fixed in their heads with certainty that something is not quiet right with the American Media.

I'm not going to whitewash this, grumble about how I use to hold such respect for our nation's media [but I did] or how it's only a few of them [it's not]...No, from what I'm reading and understanding, about 80% of the Main Stream Media [MSM], are bought and paid for by special interest groups, political parties and the US Federal Government. They are plainly trying to control and dictate American Elections by their own admittance and via their actions. I've written about this subject before here and here.

Looking back over the past few weeks, there are a few displays of dishonor and lack of integrity by the MSM that should never be forgotten in MSM history.

December 20, 2011

[Branstad's Act of Sabotage An Outrageous Attempt to Tamper With Election Process by: Paul Watson]

[excerpt]

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s rhetorical act of sabotage against his own state’s Republican primary, with his insistence that a potential Ron Paul victory should be ignored, represents an outrageous attempt to tamper with the election process.

As we reported earlier, Branstad told Politico that a Paul victory in the primary should be dismissed, urging Republicans to ignore the legitimacy of the result if the Texan Congressman comes out on top, which recent polls suggest he has a very good chance of doing. Politico adds that many fear “such a result….would do irreparable harm to the future role of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.”

“People are going to look at who comes in second and who comes in third,” said Branstad, adding, ““If [Mitt] Romney comes in a strong second, it definitely helps him going into New Hampshire and the other states,” comments taken to mean that Republicans should “ignore” Ron Paul, according to Politico’s Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.

[...]

If Branstad is rooting for anyone, it’s clearly Mitt Romney. Prominent Romney supporters are even trying to groom Branstad into becoming a candidate for Vice President under a Romney administration.

“1996 GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole broached the idea of Branstad as No. 2 on the ticket. Dole reportedly called Branstad this weekend to let him know he would be endorsing Mitt Romney for president, and said he’d like to recommend Iowa’s governor as a possible running mate,” reports USA Today.

Branstad downplayed his interest in the role, but said he was “flattered” to be considered.

[end of excerpt]

------------------------------------

January 9, 2012

CBS Reporter Blatantly Excludes Ron Paul From Coverage by: Steve Watson]
[Excerpt]

Going into New Hampshire and ahead of two debates this weekend, Paul was polling in strong second, as he has been for some time. However, That did not stop CBS political correspondent Jan Crawford from showing graphics and talking about recent polling, without even mentioning Paul’s numbers or even that he was involved in the race at all.

Crawford even used a graphic referencing a Suffolk University Poll of New Hampshire voters, omitting Paul’s numbers, even though he came second, and was the only candidate other than Mitt Romney to poll in double figures.

[End of Excerpt]

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January 10, 2012

[CNN'S Dana Bash "Worried" About Ron Paul's Success by: Kurt Nimmo and Paul Watson]

[Excerpt]

On January 2, Dana Bash told her husband, CNN anchor John King, that is she “worried” about Ron Paul’s success today in New Hampshire.

She said it concerns her and establishment Republicans that he will continue to push on with his campaign through the spring and summer right up to the election.

[...]

Note that it is Bash who has been tasked with following Ron Paul around on behalf of CNN. Paul’s campaign yesterday cut off an interview with her after she tried to blame Paul for the media swarm in a New Hampshire restaurant that forced Paul to cut short a meet and greet, a fracas that was wholly a creation of the media itself.

[End of Excerpt]

-------------------------------------

If this is honest, non biased, reporting, I'd hate to see what IS.

Before the whole world, their contempt and tampering with American Politics is sticking out like a sore thumb.

Why do they do this? Because of their party affiliations. They want Americans to believe that if you vote for a libertarian, 3rd party, or for any party other than that of the Democrat or Republican Party - that they can't win. ha! After many decades of that type *brainwashing* it just might be true...

I've even had people tell me that I HAVE to vote Republican or Democratic...otherwise, I'm throwing my vote away......

That is a lie - A damn lie.

My challenge is for anyone to show me a Federal or State [Georgia] law that says I can only vote Dem or Repub - and for no other candidate/party, even though they be a legit candidate/party on the ballet.

Show me the law or shut up the nonsense/lies.

It is my legal right to vote my conscience...and that I will do.

Ron Paul may not go on to win the GOP - but his platform, the very idea of freedom and liberty is awakening the American people - and is our future.

America, indeed the world, is now witnessing the downfall of American Media as well as the death throes of the Republican and Democratic Parties...Good riddance. It can't come soon enough.

-------------------------------------

Stepping into 2012

2012-01-09T21:11:00.004-05:00

I have to admit, this post is not easy to type. So much has been going on that the past 3 weeks have been nothing but a blur - and bronchitis, flu, and finally pneumonia, doesn't help with the concentration. But is concentration really needed??

For some reason, this holiday season has been very different. Christmas was spent with my older son and his family, given that Amanda is very sick. So we just kind of isolated ourselves for a few days and kicked back. Indeed, the bronchitis and the flu was starting to rear its head for all of us.

Driving back to Ellijay on the 27th was uneventful - I stopped at a scenic overlook along Hwy 515 long enough to take a few pics of the Zell Miller monument. Across the mountains to the west, the mountains were now in shadow, surrounded by the glow of a beautiful sunset. I've never seen a more beautiful sunset than that one...

The next few days at home would be miserable [as they still are] - flu/pneumonia going full speed - but still that tranquility was, and still is, here.

Jan 1

It's funny, most of my previous last days of December were seen out in a festival atmosphere, keeping with all of the family, fun, customs and superstitions. This year, is just wasn't there. Perhaps the tranquility kicked in because 2011 was one of the most rotten years of my life and I was certainly glad to see the tail-end of it. The homemade medicine that I had made for myself - Jack Daniels and honey - I had a few extra strong shots just to help 2011 on its way out. For 2011, it was *so long*, *good-bye* and *adios*.

After the peach fell, and the New Year was in, I went off to bed.

Dreams. The vivid ones, dreams that seem so real that you think it is reality - and most of the time they wake you up. These dreams, of a person, would go on all night. I'd wake up and when I fell back asleep, the dreams would start again...Kind of like watching a movie with a rewind - forward.

Jan 4

If I dreamed at all during the night of the 4th, I don't remember - for it is only the vivid and/or dark dreams that I remember. Upon awakening at dawn, I could see through the french doors that it was lightning outside. Going upstairs to make coffee, I saw what I first thought were headlights at the end of the driveway - but when I opened the door - nothing was there...except what looked like a big bush of fire - or a fire ball. It wasn't the sunlight, because the sun wasn't out - it was very cloudy.

The first week of 2012 has been interesting to say the least. I'm wondering if the dreams, together with the lightning and fire, have anything to do with this years coming events. I believe that dreams tell us things, give us clues. Sometimes they are very clear - other times they are confusing and one may not know the meaning behind the dreams for a long while [such as I did about the dogs].

A few things are for sure - 2012 promises to be explosive in many ways, particularly the political scene, because this is an election year. The Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012. Nasa predicts a solar storm for 2012 or in 2013....

So now we are in the fabled year - 2012. Whatever happens or doesn't happen, folks, we'll know soon enough. After all, we get a front row seat!

----------------------------------------------------------------
[Click on pics for larger view]
The Zell Miller Monument
Hwy 515 [Zell Miller Mountain Parkway]
Scenic Overlook [North bound]
Pickens County, Georgia

-----------------------------------

Legends of Fort Mountain State Park

2011-12-29T16:23:00.001-05:00

There's so much to do around Ellijay - but unfortunately, it's waaay too cold to get out and about right now. There is one particular place of interest that I can't wait to hike and explore next spring - that is Fort Mountain State Park, located on Hwy 52 in Chatsworth, Ga, not too far from my Mom's cabin.

Wild animals are plentiful here. Back in the fall, step-dad and I drove Hwy 52 to Chatsworth - on the way back, just as we were entering Fort Mountain State Park, a couple of deer were on the right side of the road. It's lucky that we were going slow, because the deer, instead of standing still or moving farther down the side of the mountain, darted right out in front of us in order to get to the left side of the road! Typical 'deer' behavior - they are terrified of vehicles. But it was a joy to see - deer are very beautiful animals.

I was wondering why this State Park was named 'Fort Mountain' - so I came home and researched it. What I found was very interesting - a State Park blessed not only with wild Appalachian beauty, but one surrounded by archaeologist fact, mysteries, and Indian/Welsh legends/folklore.

Near the summit of Fort Mountain, there is a 928 ft. length stone wall, running east - west, that is believed to date back to 400 A.D. The wall was constructed with stones from the surrounding area of the mountain(s) - at one time it was probably formidable. But today it is very low not very wide - indeed, over the centuries, many of the stones have obviously been removed.

Archaeologists do not believe that it was constructed for defense because there is no source of water near the wall. Some people believe that the wall may have been built for ceremonial purposes or to watch the skies, such as with Stonehenge in England.

Two legends are at the heart of Fort Mountain State Park.

According to the Cherokee Indian legend, there was once a race of people who lived here whom they called *the moon-eyed people*. These people were tall, fair-skinned, fair-haired, wore beards, lived under-ground, came out only at night, and could not see during certain phases of the moon. These *moon-eyed people* are the ones who constructed the stone wall on top of Fort Mountain. I've read two different versions of this legend - one says that eventually the *moon-eyed people* were annihilated by the Creek Indians - another version insists that the Cherokee were the ones who dispersed them.

But who were the *moon-eyed people* and what exactly was meant by *moon-eyed*? Was it the color of the eyes or the shape? Many theories are around for the taking.

Which leads us to the second legend...that a welsh prince, Madog ab Owain Gwynedd, of England, first sailed to Mobile Bay in 1170 AD and his name is connected with several sites in America. According to Welsh, Native American, and American legends/folklore, his colony of people interbred with the Native American Indians, producing a tribe of Welsh speaking Indians.

However, this legend is in conflict with with the archaeological date on the construction of the stone wall.

In any case, near the summit of Fort Mountain, there exists an ancient stone wall. Whether is was constructed for defense, ceremonies, or star-gazing, we may never know; nor will we ever be sure about who the *moon-eyed people* truly were. But whoever they were - they left us mysteries to behold in one of God's most beautiful places on earth.

Fort Mountain State Park

Fort Mountain Black Bear Invasion

-------------------------------------------------

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of my friends, real life and blogging, and to the world - I wish you all peace, love, happiness and many other goodies for the new year!

I love the video below, so I decided to dedicate it to all of those who hate the words "Merry Christmas"..

Merry Christmas from Dixie!

Mr. Grinch Song

Gas Price Dips

2011-12-21T12:45:00.000-05:00

My God! Gas was below $3 at the Kroger on Thornton Rd. in Austell. We haven't seen this in a while. $30 actually *almost* half-filled my tank. I might go somewhere.....

Cows

2011-12-17T19:13:00.000-05:00

Cow field, Angham Rd. Hiram, Georgia

Curl up and Dye Salon

2011-12-10T00:26:00.001-05:00

The local Salon, located on Hwy 411, in Ranger, Georgia.

S Bill 1867

2011-12-04T20:08:00.006-05:00

[aka National Defense Authorization Act of 2012]

Hey folks, I figured this was coming soon - and now we have it - a Communist America. Any American Citizen can now be declared a terrorist and denied their due process of law. The final curtain is about to be drawn on the United States of America as we know it, and on our freedoms.

Terrorist Congress Declares War on American People
See original article and this video at InfoWars.com

See also:

Info Wars: 'Indefinate Detention Bill' Passes Senate 93 - 7
Anti-War.com: Setting the Trap
Chuck Baldwin: No Wonder America’s Founders Distrusted Standing Armies
Corridors: Revisit info on the Posse Comitatus Act

The Reports that concern American Citizens
Department of Homeland Security: Right Wing Extremism
MIAC Strategic Report

Roll Call for S 1867 -
[See vote summary and read text of bill]

Please note the seven US Senators that stood alone in voting 'Nay' against this bill:

They are:

Tom Coburn [R] OK
Thomas Harkin [D] IA
Mike Lee [R] UT
Jeff Murkley [D] OR
Rand Paul [R] KY
Bernie Sanders [I] VT
Ron Wyden [D] OR

Some how, some way, they will be rewarded for standing up for The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and the American people.

-------------------------------------------------------

*Update - December 7th, 2011*

Here is an article, published on December 5th on National Review, from Sen Rand Paul on why he voted against S Bill 1867 [National Defense Authorization Act of 2012]. A very important explanation/view from Sen Paul on why Obama should veto this bill:

Indefinite Detention and American Citizens

-------------------------------------------------------

*Update - December 8th 2011

And to put the frosting on the cake [or should I say to this post] - and to the previously aboved mentioned documents, Department of Homeland Security: Right Wing Extremism
and the MIAC Strategic Report,
foxnews has just reported that The US Department of Defense has just classified the Fort Hood shootings as *workplace violence*.

[Excerpt via Foxnews:
Lawmakers Blast Administration For Calling Fort Hood Massacre 'Workplace Violence']

Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday blasted the Defense Department for classifying the Fort Hood massacre as workplace violence and suggested political correctness is being placed above the security of the nation's Armed Forces at home.

During a joint session of the Senate and House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, the Maine Republican referenced a letter from the Defense Department depicting the Fort Hood shootings as workplace violence. She criticized the Obama administration for failing to identify the threat as radical Islam.

"The documents attached illustrate how the Department is dealing with the threat of violent Islamist extremism in the context of a broader threat of workplace violence," read the letter, which was obtained by Fox News.

Thirteen people were killed and dozens more wounded at Fort Hood in 2009, and the number of alleged plots targeting the military has grown significantly since then. Lawmakers said there have been 33 plots against the U.S. military since Sept. 11, 2001, and 70 percent of those threats have been since mid-2009. Major Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, who is being held for the attacks, allegedly was inspired by radical U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in late September. The two men exchanged as many as 20 emails, according to U.S. officials, and Awlaki declared Hasan a hero.

The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, said the military has become a "direct target of violent Islamist extremism" within the United States.
[...]

Rep. Peter King of New York, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said military service members are "symbols of America's power, symbols of America's might."

"And if they (military personnel) can be killed, then that is a great propaganda victory for al Qaeda," King told Fox News.

King said there is also evidence that extremists have joined the services.
[...]

While King was heavily criticized, in some quarters, for launching his hearings 10 months ago on homegrown terrorism, the congressman said the joint session shows the threat is legitimate, and recognized as such by other members of Congress.

"To me it's a validation of what I've been trying to do all year," King emphasized. "There's a definite threat from Islamic radicalization in various parts of our society, including within the military, and we can't allow political correctness to keep us from exposing this threat for what it is."

What a shame.

I hope the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti Defamation League [both of whom are suspected in helping with info given to the MIAC Report] are listening - political correctness and the race card business is wearing thin.

---------------------------------

Roger and Lucille

2011-11-27T18:55:00.002-05:00

Marietta Vietnam Vet, Roger Perrong, with his Jack Russell Terrier, Lucille...:)

I don't think that Lucille digs the camera - lol

--------------------------------------

Shaffer Family Recovery

2011-11-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

[As posted on FaceBook]

Two nights ago, Ananda and Christy Shaffer lost their 3 year old boy, Hoshkae, in a house fire. An account has been set up for their relief through Suntrust Bank.

Shaffer Family Recovery
There is an account set-up to aid Christy and Ananda in rebuilding their home and family, donations can be made at any Suntrust location to: Tathata Revis Fire Account #3758, if there are any problems, please contact Angela Louder at the Woodstock branch #678-445-2504, she has been super helpful in setting up this account and is aware of Ananda's situation. Please call me @ 678-345-8672, and I can come and pick-up any children's or household donations or give my address out for drop-offs, we'll be renting a storage unit for donations for Ananda until he can get on his feet and use them. Once again thank-you everyone for anything you can do, your emotional support for Ananda and Christy and the boys are what is needed most, please keep them in your thoughts and hearts.

-----------------------------------

Posts move on a blog - so in a few days I will move this information to my right side bar - just scroll down until you see "Shaffer Relief Fund". It will remain in the side bar as long as the relief account is active.

This family needs a lot of prayers sent their way!

-----------------------------------

A Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone

2011-11-23T12:06:00.006-05:00

Time really flies...already it is the 23rd day of November, and still there is so much to do to get Mom settled into her new place in Ellijay. But everyday moves us closer to getting finished so that she [and I] can sit back and relax.

Because stepdad's sister, Dorothy, lives here in Ellijay, my parents will be going to her house for Thanksgiving. As for me, I'm going home to Marietta and to Sis's house in Dallas.

Over at Facebook, I've uploaded a few pics of the Ellijay area for friends and family to see - so here I'm going to post a photo of Hwy 282 - not far from Mom's place. I've already began an album on Picasa, you can see more pics here. Soon, I will add more photos and embed the album on this blog.

[Click on pic to enlarge]

Over the past month or so, I've had to be off-line a lot, there has been a lot of work to do, plus, I wanted to switch over to the local Internet company, ETC, that is located here in downtown Ellijay.

Now that I'm back on-line daily, I can catch up with what has been going on - and politically and economically, it is not a very pretty picture. But, knowing all of that, I'd just rather skip it for now and enjoy the Holidays. As we move into Thanksgiving, just remember that even though times are rough for many, we all have plenty to be thankful for...we have our lives, we still have our freedoms [most of them], we have our family and we have our friends. Above all, we have God to guide us and help us along the way.

My original plans for the 2011 Holidays were to do volunteer work - but things are not working out for that this year - so I'll move my plans for volunteer work forward to next year...by then all my ducks should be in a row!

Speaking of fowl - I ran across a cute Thanksgiving video the other day. I shared it on Facebook - I would like to share it here too. It is of a few kids teasing a turkey. You can tell that the turkey is a pet because when it gave chase it didn't try to attack - even stopping once to wait on the little girl to run again. Believe me, I know about fowl - my great-granddad, Jesse Ledbetter, owned the biggest and meanest rooster in the State of Alabama! That rooster use to want to 'get' sister [unprovoked] every time that we would go to visit them. Rooster would jump on Sis's back and try to peck her in the head. Cousin David rescued Sis quiet a few times - Mom told me that great-grandma Zula finally got enough of that Rooster and cooked him for Sunday dinner....lol.

Thanksgiving Video - This Time it's Personal!

A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at raising a few turkey's. When I ran across this video, one thing that attracted my attention, was the beauty of the Turkey. Notice the blue head? I'm not sure what breed this is but I sure would like to have about 4 or 5 of them! My friend, Mary Alward, over at Mary's Writing Nook, gave me a link to turkey breeds and such, The Perfect Turkey to help me along...so I'll check that out during the next few days.

Other than that - I'm doing nothing. Absolutely nothing!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

---------------------------------------
About those cats:

Now, I mentioned the cats in my last post and told you how much they are enjoying the mountains. They have noticed that a certain Rooster and his hens like to go around the neighborhood, pecking for food...BOO saw them a few weeks ago, crossing Mom's driveway, and one should know how cat's are [especially 'city' cats] - that tail started swishing and he crouched down like he wanted to chase them. I told BOO to stop...He listened then - but I know that he still thinks he is 'King Cat of the Hill'. I just have a feeling that one day he is going to take off after them - and ole Rooster ain't gonna run! BOO is going to learn a very powerful rule of nature - You don't mess with a Rooster or his hens!

----------------------------------------------

Rue and BOO

2011-10-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

With so much going on over the past year, I never have properly introduced my new cats. The cat pictured above is Ms. Rue. She belonged to Keith and I inherited her after he died back in Jan. of this year. She was born in the woods at his campground so she is in her natural element now that she is living in the mountains. She can climb a tree lickity split. A sweet natured cat, she is very quiet and gentle - but she can hold her own.

Don't let Rue fool you though - if she knows BOO has snagged a sandwich, she helps him out - onions and all. Keith had a habit of feeding her a lot of subway sandwiches.....

The cat above is Mister BOO. His mother, a stray cat that was hanging around my Mom's former house, had a litter of kittens and BOO was the only survivor. He was born about a month after I lost my beloved rabbit, Angel. The way that he got his name was that when he was a kitten he loved to stand up all of his fur, bow up,and jump sideways at the other cats, trying to scare them. So he became BOO.

He was born hungry - and he is now a professional sandwich thief. Turn your back on your sandwich and BOO will grab it and have a bite taken out of it before his feet ever hits the ground! I'm having a terrible time of breaking him from this habit, but his behavior is getting better.

In future posts, you will see that Boo has been getting into a lot of trouble!

Mom Buys a Cabin

2011-10-28T12:38:00.004-04:00

Well, it finally happened. After 20 years of negotiations, Mom decided to take that leap and move out of the metro-Atlanta area. She threw down on a small a-frame cabin in Ellijay, Georgia and she is loving it. No traffic, no sirens, and no drug dealers standing on every corner.

I've been helping her move and get things in order - I'll probably make the same leap here in a few weeks. I've been to Ellijay many times - traveling through and buying apples, enough to know that I like the area. Plus, step dad's sister lives there, so it won't be that lonely!

Mom is lucky in more than one way. The cabin is a virtual fortress. The living room, kitchen, bath and loft are ground level - the full basement and bath/laundry room downstairs is all underground except on one side. French doors open to a small patio, covered with a tin roof, that looks down the side of the mountain. Something about the mountain top advantage....

Mom started moving in on the weekend of the annual Apple Festival - a big event in Ellijay. The whole downtown area was decorated for the fall event and there were many things to do, including arts and crafts. Even the Cherokee Indians were out, singing and dancing, and selling some of their crafts.

All of the cats are loving it up there - for the first time, they are able to roam the woods and climb trees - not to mention getting into lots of trouble!

There are many hiking trails around Ellijay that I plan to enjoy. Plus, Ellijay (Gilmer County) is right next door to Blue Ridge (Fannin County), land of The Tears of the Fairies. I can't wait to find one of those crosses! Hmmmm, maybe the Little People will help me out...

See also:

The Little People of the Cherokee

Rue and BOO

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New adventures are coming to this blog real soon.

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Herman Cain Wins Florida Straw Poll

2011-09-25T15:58:00.000-04:00

Saturday night was a big night for Herman Cain. Unexpectedly, he took the win away from other GOP candidates, including Ron Paul.

[Excerpt from Foxnews
Herman Cain Upsets Gov. Rick Perry to Win Florida GOP Straw Poll]

Cain finished with 37 percent of the vote, while Perry trailed with 15 percent. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney followed with 14 percent while former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum drew 11 percent. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul finished with 10.5 percent, former Speaker Newt Gingrich finished with 8.5 percent, while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman finished with 2 percent. U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who won the Iowa straw poll in August, finished with just 1 percent of the vote.

"Thank you to the Republican voters for this incredible honor of being named the winner of the Presidency 5 straw poll in Florida today," Cain said in a statement after the results were in.

"This is a sign of our growing momentum and my candidacy that cannot be ignored. I will continue to share my message of 'common sense solutions' across this country and look forward to spending more time in Florida, a critical state for both the nomination and the general election," he said.

[End of Quote]

Cain is very popular in the metro-Atlanta area, Southern States in general. But my concern is how well he will do in the Northern States and Western States such as California, Oregon, and Washington.

Blue states are more traditionally apt to vote Democratic more so than Republican. Another strike against Herman Cain is that he is a black Republican and it is questionable if the black and hispanic vote would support him against Obama and the Democratic machine...

HERMAN CAIN SHOCKS THE WORLD!! TAKES 37% Poll

---------------------------------------

Ron, Mitt and the Orlando Straw Poll

2011-09-24T02:10:00.004-04:00

On Thursday night, Fox Nnews - Google Straw Poll Debate in Orlando, Florida must have been a bomber - or just simply 'a bomb' - depending on how that one looks at it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch the debate given that I'm in the process of moving. Catching up today, I am now severely confused, given conflicting reports from different news media, on who actually won the debate!

According to the article that I read today on Fox News, Mitt Romney won the debate.

According to Alex Jones over at infowars, Ron Paul won the debate. However, for reasons only known to Fox News, they then pulled their own poll off of their website and then published the article that I linked to above, and declared Mitt Romney the winner!

[excerpt from infowars:
Fox News Pulls Poll Showing Ron Paul Debate Victory, Claims Mitt Romney Won
by: Paul Joseph Watson]

The establishment media’s relentless campaign to denigrate Congressman Ron Paul’s presidential campaign has manifested itself once again, after a poll showing Paul had won last night’s Orlando debate was pulled by Fox News who later published an article claiming Mitt Romney had instead claimed the victory.

When we took a screenshot of the poll at around 5am CST this morning, the result showed Paul easily beating his nearest rival Romney by 11,000 clear votes, with Paul at almost 40% and Romney trailing at just under 23%.

After our screenshot of the poll was posted on the ever-popular Drudge Report website, Fox News pulled the page that had previously housed the poll entirely. But the network went further, subsequently publishing an article by National Review editor and Fox News contributor Rich Lowry opining that Mitt Romney had in fact won the debate, thereby completely ignoring their own website poll, which restricts users to one vote per IP address.

The Pulled Poll

[End of Excerpt]

So there you have it, folks. With Main Stream Media so determined to control American Politics and push Rick Perry and Mitt Romney to the fore front as GOP leading Candidates [as well as down the public's throats], this type of unprofessional behavior can be expected until the final day.

MSM won't quit until it's over.

The Fox News Google Debate [full length]

------------------------------------------

*See Also:

Media Admits Conspiracy to Ignore Ron Paul

The Fall of Main Stream Media

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Adam Smith and April Ingram Married

2011-09-17T00:53:00.006-04:00

Today, my nephew [sister Connie's son], Adam Smith, was married to his long time girl friend, Ms. April Ingram, of Paulding County. They were married at the Paulding County Court House, in Dallas, Georgia. Now I have a new niece and a little nephew, Tyler. Welcome to our family, April and Tyler, we love you both!

Also present were parents:

[of April] Debbie and Donald Lindsey of Rockmart, Georgia

and

[of Adam] Ronald and Connie Smith of Dallas, Georgia.

Sez April:
"Tyler was to give Adam the ring to give to April, and Lillian was to give the ring to April to give to Adam - but Tyler and Lillian got confused and gave the rings at the same time - but the rings got to where they were supposed to go...:)

Adam and April - the Kiss

Adam, April, Tyler, Lillian [aka Lillie Bug]

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Girls in my Circle

2011-08-29T17:42:00.001-04:00

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
You will see best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your Mum,
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children
and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke or just be.
One friend will say, "Let's cry together."
Another, "Let's fight together."
Another, "Let's walk away together."

One friend will meet your spiritual need.
Another, your shoe fetish,
Another your love of movies.
Another will be with you in your season of confusion.
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or whatever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and
hair pulled back
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself,
These are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman. but for many,
it's wrapped up in several.
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from collage years.
A couple from old jobs.

On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbour
On others your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

So whether they have been a friend for 20 minutes or 20+ years, pass this
on to the women that have been placed in your life to make a difference.

Thanks to you all being in my circle.

-------------------------------------------

From the blog: Merle's Third Try
Post: Girls in my Circle

Thanks Merle...:)

-------------------------------------------

Results of Perry, Georgia Straw Poll

2011-08-27T23:39:00.001-04:00

[Excerpt from The AJC:
"Herman Cain edges out Ron Paul in Georgia GOP straw poll" by: Jim Galloway]

Results were just phoned in by B.J. VanGundy, the party’s first vice president. Over 1100 tickets were sold, he said, and 890 votes were cast.

The totals:

– Herman Cain, 232 or 26 percent;

– Ron Paul, 229 or 25.7 percent;

– Rick Perry, 179 or 20 percent;

– Newt Gingrich, 162 or 18 percent;

– Mitt Romney, 51 or 6 percent;

– Michele Bachman, 29 or 3 percent;

– Rick Santorum, 4 or .4 percent

– Jon Huntsman, 3 or .3 percent;

– Thad McCotter, 1 or .1 percent;

– Buddy Roemer, 0;

– Gary Johnson, 0;

[End of Excerpt]

--------------------------------------------------

Flash Mob in Piedmont Park

2011-08-22T00:21:00.003-04:00

Hey - this was pretty cool - I wish I could have been at the Atlanta Art Festival to see this on Saturday! This video is proof that *Flash Mobbing* isn't always a criminal and/or violent thing. It looks like the dancers and the people attending the art fest were enjoying the *unexpected entertainment*. See all the smiley faces in the crowd?? It sure did put a smile on my face - good dancing girls! The blue ribbon goes to Atlanta...:)

[Excerpt from 11Alive: MIDTOWN: Flash mob takes over Piedmont Park

A substitute dance teacher and her former dance instructor choreographed a three-minute long dance to surprise people at Piedmont Park's Arts festival.

Nicole Locklear contaced 11Alive early last week to let us know about the flash mob, but had strict instructions not to ruin the surprise.

[...]

it was a true social media phenomenon. "We used Facebook to get the message out, it spread. People started joining and people started teaching their friends."

Locklear also taught performers the dance through YouTube videos. They also practiced at the Chinese Cultural Center.

[End of Excerpt]

Piedmont Park Flash Mob

----------------------------------------------

Ron Paul Win in New Hampshire

2011-08-21T22:50:00.000-04:00

[Excerpt from Vision to America: Ron Paul Takes New Hampshire Young Republicans Straw Poll With 45% of Vote

With 45% of the vote, Paul soundly beat his closest rivals at this traditional lobster bake, with Mitt Romney earning 10% of the vote, followed by Thaddeus McCotter and Rick Perry, tied at 8%.

“Ron Paul’s message of traditional conservatism — fiscal restraint, limited government, and strong national defense — is clearly the future of the Republican Party,” said NH Chairman and State Senator Jim Forsythe, who spoke on behalf of Congressman Paul at the Straw Poll. “The other candidates know that and sound more like him every day. But there are convenient copies, and there’s the real thing.

[End of Excerpt]

I'm not sure how well Ron Paul [or any of the other GOP candidates] will eventually do - but for right now, it is clear that Ron Paul's message is reaching Americans - one of government monetary self-control, peace and prosperity...

Could this be the awakening moment of truth for the American public?

----------------------------------

Media Admits Conspiracy to Ignore Ron Paul

2011-08-15T15:55:00.010-04:00

The media is at it again.

Once again, they are trying to control, via printed word and/or censorship, who is a legit presidential candidate and who is not. Now they admit to what they are doing - that they are purposely ignoring Ron Paul, even though he virtually tied with Michele Bachmann in Saturday's Ames Straw Poll in Iowa, not a real caucus, but a test run of the political atmosphere.

If readers of this blog recall, Media attempted this same censorship against Ron Paul back in September of 2008 - along with the Republican Party.

My question is....how long is the American public going to continue to put up with this type of behavior out of the american media? It is behavior such as this, that represents why the American Public has lost respect for the Media and so-called *journalists* - 90% of whom, in reality, are no more than *lap dogs* for the US government and the liberal far lefties.

In my posting yesterday of the results of the Ames Straw Poll, even though I favor Ron Paul, I still included a video of the entire debate to ensure that EACH AND EVERY CANDIDATE WAS HEARD on this blog. It is only fair that any legit candidate is heard, and media has no business interfering with the message that the candidates are trying to convey to the American public.

Calling on all bloggers - who have at least 1 ounce of honor and integrity - for their communities, States, and even ole D.C. [now known as 'District of Corruption']:

*By pass Media and post at least the videos of entire debates - we cannot continue to allow Media to attempt to manipulate/control our information, elections, and our destiny.*

It looks like Alex Jones is one of the few media outlets who even had the guts to relay this info - even though it was broadcast on CNN and {published on Politico] both of whom will never receive another nod from me.

[Excerpt from InfoWars.com

Establishment Media Admits Conspiracy To Ignore Ron Paul by: Paul Joseph Watson]

Despite Ron Paul’s overwhelming success in Saturday’s Ames straw poll, finishing second to Michele Bachmann by less than two hundred votes, in an astounding video establishment media talking heads admit what we’ve been highlighting from the very start – that there is a deliberate policy to sideline, ignore and discredit Paul’s campaign.

After pointing out that Ron Paul only lost to Michele Bachmann by a tiny percentage (and that after accusations that Bachmann’s campaign attempted to rig the result by buying 4,000 votes), and that the Ames result was virtually a “tie for first,” Politico’s Roger Simon said the reason for him being ignored was that “the media doesn’t believe he has a hoot in hells chance of winning the Iowa caucuses, the Republican nomination or winning the presidency, so we’re gonna ignore him.”

CNN host Howard Kurtz even admits that, “We are in the business of kicking candidates out of the race”.

The bizarre aspect of this clip is that Simon admits the Ames straw poll is a key indicator of the race and was “as good as a win” for Ron Paul, then completely contradicts himself by saying Paul has no chance of winning. This dichotomy illustrates how the media-generated perception of Paul’s campaig as futile has no basis in reality – it is nothing more than a hoax designed to manipulate the American people.

Indeed, it is the establishment’s fear that Ron Paul could build the kind of momentum for a win that drives the deliberate policy to ignore his campaign. By manufacturing the hoax that Ron Paul has no chance of winning, the establishment hopes their rhetoric will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[End of Excerpt]

And to get that CNN video out front quickly:
[at the end of the video notice the headline that was flashed on Politico's Website - there is a second video in the article that goes into detail on this.]

Cnn And Politico Admit Ron Paul Media Conspiracy

----------------------------------

A member of lame Main Stream Media admitting to a conspiracy...

Imagine that!

----------------------------------

Update - 3:40

Alex Jones discusses the Main Stream Media and Ron Paul.

[From Infowars.com - Ron Paul Exploding]

The Ron Paul Tipping Point

--------------------------------------------

*See Also:

Ron, Mitt and the Orlando Straw Poll

The Fall of Main Stream Media

-------------------------------------------

Ron Paul 2012 - Places Second in Iowa

2011-08-14T14:10:00.003-04:00

[Excerpt from Ron Paul.com]

Ames Straw Poll Results

1. 28.56% (4,823 votes) – Michele Bachmann
2. 27.65% (4,671 votes) – Ron Paul
3. 13.57% (2,293 votes) – Tim Pawlenty
4. 9.81% (1,657 votes) – Rick Santorum
5. 8.62% (1,456 votes) – Herman Cain
6. 4.25% (718 votes) – Rick Perry (write-in)
7. 3.36% (567 votes) – Mitt Romney
8. 2.28% (385 votes) – Newt Gingrich
9. 0.41% (69 votes) – Jon Huntsman
10. 0.21% (35 votes) – Thaddeus McCotter

16,892 total votes

----------

Ron Paul’s campaign chairman Jesse Benton said:

“Dr. Paul is surging in this race, and today’s results show the strength of his grassroots support and top notch organization. These straw poll results, our growing poll numbers and our strong fundraising shows that our message is resonating with Iowans and Americans everywhere.

Our message was the same in 2007 as it is in now in 2011, but this time we have quadrupled our support. That means our message is spreading, our support is surging, and people are taking notice. We are uniting a coalition of longtime supporters, fiscal conservatives, constitutional conservatives, independents, tea party and anti-big government activists to take on the Washington establishment.

[End of Excerpt]

Ron Paul Iowa Straw Poll Speech
"It's Time We Restore Freedom To America"

-----------------------------------

Ron Paul Highlights - GOP Debate in Ames, Iowa

-----------------------------------

Full GOP Debate in Ames, Iowa - Aug. 11, 2011

-----------------------------------

*Note*:

This morning, Tim Pawlenty, who finished in 3rd place in Iowa, announced that he is ending his bid for the 2012 presidency.

-----------------------------------

Taking Back the House

2011-08-11T12:44:00.004-04:00

Toots Sweet

Out of New York, conservative Toots is 'rocking the Grassroots...' Originally intended for the Nov 2010 elections, this is still a good one for the upcoming elections in 2012.

A rap song, done [in part] to the tune of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" - it hits home to conservative America. Turn up your speakers...:)

Taking Back the House

-------------------------------

Toots Sweet on the Internet

-------------------------------

The Promised Land

2011-08-11T11:30:00.001-04:00

‎5000 years ago, Moses said to Israel:
"Pick up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to The Promised Land."

When Welfare was introduced, Roosevelt said:
"Lay down your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a camel, This IS The Promised Land."

Today, The Government has stolen your shovel, taxed your asses, raised the price of camels and mortgaged The Promised Land to China!

-----------------------

Thanks Bobby!

Navy Seals 6 Deaths Begs a Few Questions

2011-08-08T14:54:00.002-04:00

[Excerpt from Fox News:
NATO: Probe Continues at Site of Military Helicopter Crash]

International military forces worked on Monday to recover every last piece of a Chinook helicopter that crashed over the weekend, killing 30 American troops, seven Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, NATO said.

German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, told reporters that troops had secured the crash site in a rugged area of eastern Wardak province and nobody was being allowed in or out of the area while the investigation was ongoing.

Jacobson said the coalition still had not yet determined the exact cause of the crash, but some officials have said the heavy and lumbering transport helicopter was apparently shot down. Officials said the helicopter was hit as it was flying in and approaching the area.

[...]

The helicopter was ferrying a group of U.S. Navy SEALs to reinforce a group of U.S. Army Rangers who were under fire. It remains unclear if the Rangers and SEALs were taking part in a night raid to capture or kill an insurgent leader.

It was deadliest single incident for U.S. forces in the decade-long war.

[....]

A current and a former U.S. official said the Americans included 22 SEALs, three Air Force members and a dog handler and his dog. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because military officials were still notifying the families of the dead.

All but two of the SEALs were from SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Usama bin Laden in Pakistan last May, officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information. None of the SEALs killed in the crash took part in the bin Laden mission.

[...]

Special forces are frequently used to target insurgent commanders as part of an effort to force the Taliban's leadership to agree to a negotiated peace. The operations, mostly in the form of night raids, are often carried out by Afghan and coalition special operations forces.

Night raids have drawn criticism from human rights activists and infuriated Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who says they anger and alienate the Afghan population.

Click here to access The Navy SEAL Foundation

[End of Excerpt]

1.) MSM is reporting that none of the Seals killed in the crash were involved in the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound on May 1.

We DO NOT know if this is true or not because the identity of the Seals were never made public.

2.) In the video that is embedded in the fox news article above, Coner Powell asks: "Why were there so many Navy Seals and Special Opt forces on one single helicopter?"

3.) Why were all but two of the Seals members of Seal Team 6?

and finally:

After more than two months, the Obama Administration still has not released any photographs of a killed Osama to offer the American public any evidence that he is really dead.

No photos of a killed Osama - and now dead members of Seal 6 - are not adding up very well for the Obama Administration.

Something out of DC is STINKING...

July 4th

2011-07-05T00:28:00.000-04:00

I hope that everyone had a great July 4th -

Below is a video that everyone should enjoy listening to:

"The Reading of the Declaration of Independence"

You can also read the full text on Corridors:
Full Text - The Declaration of Independence"

Please read carefully - as I stated on Facebook earlier:

"The Declaration of Independence is America's most treasured document [Constitution and Bill of Rights coming in 2nd and 3rd] - may we always remember the courage and sacrifice of our founding fathers, against all tyranny, with equal spirit and strength."

With the political atmosphere in such dissarray, the day may be dawning when this document [as well as the US Constitution and Bill of Rights] may be nearing extinction, in favor of global government.

Thanks to Sam Kimpton [facebook] for the video.

-------------------------

Good-bye Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-04T21:21:00.002-04:00

His Demise

Last Sunday morning, when I awakened, I grabbed a cup of coffee. Not wanting to wake up everyone else, I sat down at the computer to read the news on-line. With one eye half open, the first thing that caught my attention was Osama's face. Then I read the headline on Fox News. It said that during the early morning hours on May 1st, Osama Bin Laden had been located in Pakistan and killed by the U.S. Navy Seals. U.S. President Barack Obama gave them orders to kill - not capture - Osama Bin Laden.

It took a few moments for this news to sink in but it didn't surprise me. In my opinion, Obama did the right thing, so we have to give credit where it is due. However, the credit also extends to former U.S. President George W. Bush, who laid the ground work to hunt down Osama Bin Laden, who was the mastermind behind the attack on America, September 11, 2001, that killed close to 3000 Americans. Osama could have been caught at any time under Bush, Obama, or any future U.S. President - the problem has always been locating him.

Thinking back, together with Al Queda, Osama must have thought he was a funny man, choosing 9-11 as the date of the attack. 911 is America's emergency call number. I can't help but to wonder if he thought it was funny when the Navy Seals got hold of him - or if he felt just a tinge of despair that 3000 people must have felt - especially the nearly 200 that jumped to their deaths from the towers...images that will never leave my mind.

The Taliban, Al Queda, and numerous other extremist Muslim organizations have done a great job hiding Osama, keeping his whereabouts secret. For 9 years, I, along with many people, thought that he was holed up in a cave along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Still it was not a surprise to me when U.S. officials discovered that he was living in a million dollar compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan - which happened to be only a few blocks away from where Pakistani Military Officers are trained. But, nobody knew anything.

Until [after] the mission of the U.S. Navy Seals was complete.

Now, the denials and stuttering begins...

Osama's Burial at Sea

Now comes many Muslims who are upset that Osama Bin Laden was buried at sea. The U.S. released a statement that they tried to bury Osama in conformance with Islamic Law - within 24 hours. And they did. Plus, The United States did not want him buried in a grave where people could build a shrine to Osama. And he wasn't.

Some Americans are upset that he was even buried according to Islamic Law - but that is what civilized nations do.

Let me explain - even within our own country, 150 years ago, The War Between the States, left many Union Soldiers dead on Southern soil. Even though they were the enemy, Southerners buried the Union soldiers. After the war, an agreement was made between Southern and Northern women - that we would take care of Union soldiers graves if they would take care of the Confederate soldiers graves who fell on Northern soil. Even though the Federal government now maintains the National Cemeteries, there are many Union Soldiers who are buried in small cemeteries all around the south. And we still take care of their graves to this day.

It is not a dishonor to bury the enemy. Man has made judgment on the battlefield - in the grave, whether it be on land or sea, the final judgment belongs to God.

Osama Bin Laden's Legacy

Certainly, to many Muslim extremists, Osama will be a hero, a martyr. But to many others in the muslim world, he will not be. He has caused the deaths of many of his own people as well.

In America, he will have no legacy at all.

In truth, Osama Bin Laden lived as a warrior of ill will against Americans - many of our people were unjustly killed - and because of that fact - because he committed the acts of terrorism and murder - he is hated here.

Thinking back to September 11, 2001 - thinking of all of the people who died that day - all I can say, is that after a decade, Osama finally got what he deserved. Justice has been served.

My parting words for Osama: "Good-bye. You were a worthless piece of crap - now you are fish food. And thanks to the U.S. Navy Seals!"

I mean, let's face it people - my statement above may be mean-spirited, but I really don't care. The way that I look at it is that Osama Bin Laden was ultimately shown some type of mercy...he died instantly.....

Osama Bin Laden didn't have to JUMP.

-------------------------------

Primary Colors

2011-04-28T16:45:00.002-04:00

This is cool stuff! In the Picasa Album below is the art work of Douglas County students, now on display at the courthouse in Douglasville, GA.

Granddaughter Envy had a few things there, so I went to see the display this morning. The art work of the kids is real good. I hope that they are all able to contribute again next year.

My favorite? Well, I particularly liked the one labeled "Gypsy" by: Grayson Jones of Mason Creek Elementary - the paper mache mask with the red scarf and blue eye shadow. Gotta love the blue eye shadow!

...:)

Douglas County Students Art Work 2011

-----------------------

A Strange Dream

2011-04-04T22:58:00.001-04:00

Now, I've said this many times before, but for the [this]record, I'll say it again:

I never remember my dreams - unless they are:

1.) scary [nightmares]
or
2.) dramatic
or
3.) repetitive

In this case it is a repetitive dream. For the 9th time, I have dreamed that I am in a town called 'Maryville'.

Maryville where? And why do I keep dreaming of Maryville?

Strickland and Peek Cemetery

2011-03-19T21:21:00.002-04:00

I've seen some poorly kept cemeteries around metro-Atlanta, but this one is especially bad - because of its location. I lived in Mableton for 13 yrs and never knew that it existed until last year, when one of my sons pointed it out to me.

The cemetery is listed as 'historical' although I can't find any information on it at all.

Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center is a [50?] year old shopping strip located at 1245 Veterans Memorial Hwy in Mableton, Ga. Developers built the plaza around the cemetery, which is located in the back of the plaza between H & R Block and the Supermercada La Mexicana.

This is a back parking lot view of the Strickland & Peek Cemetery. This photo was taken last July - since then, I assume the boy scouts, have fixed the cemetery up, with flowers, new rock and wood shavings.

This plaque states the name of the cemetery and that it was established in 1853. I'm sure that at the time, the land was open fields and a beautiful place.

There are 11 graves here - only two of which I can read the names [most have no headstones]. Grass doesn't cover their graves but huge rocks - except the 3 Strickland graves, encased in a stone wall.

Buried Here:

Thomas Strickland

David T. Peek
Confederate States Army

Below are more photos of the cemetery, you can see how the graves are built up of rocks. Such a desolate final resting place!

Strickland Peek Cemetery

---------------------------------

*Note* - This post will be updated as I can find more info.

---------------------------------

Say a Prayer For Japan

2011-03-13T03:51:00.003-04:00

Today, the country of Japan is in a state of devastation. Hit by an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude [now upgraded to 9.0], followed by a Tsumani, the country side is destroyed and many people have been killed; many remain unaccounted for. Survivors are left homeless and are forced to evacuate due to damage at 3 different nuclear plants. A possible partial meltdown is underway.

Fox news has reported several agencies that are assisting Japan and that are accepting donations.

Here are some of the organizations:

The American Red Cross

Global Giving

The International Medical Corps

For a full list, and how to access via cell phone, here is the link to the Fox News Article:
How You Can Help the Victims of the Devasting Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan

----------------------

Update - March 13th 2011

And if all the above isn't enough, a volcano erupts today in southwestern Japan, the first major eruption in 52 years...

Japanese Volcano Erupts

------------------------

Retirement

2011-03-07T12:48:00.002-05:00

After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target. Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunately, my wife is like most women and loves to browse. Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target:

Dear Mrs. Samuel,

Over the last six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Samuel, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at five minute intervals.

3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, "Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it straight away" This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance causing management to lose time and costing the company money.

5. August 4: Moved a "CAUTION -WET FLOOR sign to a carpeted area.

6. August 14: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on Layaway.

7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children complied.

8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him, he began crying and screamed, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

9. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror to pick his nose.

10 September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.

11. October 3: Darted around the store suspiciously humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12 October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his "Madonna Look" by using different sizes of funnels.

13 October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through,yelled: PICK ME, PICK ME!"

14 October 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fetal position and screamed, "OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!"

15. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, "Hey, There's no toilet paper in here." One of the clerks passed out.

------------------------------------

Borrowed from Ms. Merle's website.

------------------------------------

10 Laws of Power

2011-02-25T01:13:00.005-05:00

Not to be confused with 'Universal Law(s)'...

While cruising YouTube, I ran across this video - I had to laugh. There are at least 2 more video's in this 'earthly' collection, all of which are taken from "Greene's 48 Laws of Power" that you can read in full here.

Two Laws that send me over the edge and that are not in the video:

Law 7

Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit

Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.

------------------------------

Law 11

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.

-------------------------------

10 Laws of Power

-------------------------------

Don't miss this interview with "The 48 Laws of Power" author, Robert Greene. It's a great interview - but may not be what you expected...

YouTube: Interview With Robert Greene

See also:
Wikipedia: Robert Greene

-------------------------------

In Memory of Angel

2011-02-17T22:36:00.004-05:00

In Memory of Angel
Feb ?, 2004 - Feb 16, 2011

[I love you - and thank you for the sweet, wonderful years.]

Me and Jeanie

2011-02-11T20:58:00.001-05:00

This is me, Deborah, with Keith's sister, Ms. Jean Sports, who teaches English at Mullins High School (South Carolina). Jeanie, and her husband Jerry, did a wonderful job of putting together Keith's Memorial. It was held at Liberty Fellowship International Church in Mullins. I'm forever grateful for their hospitality and friendship. This photo was taken right after Keith's Memorial at Jeanie's home in Mullins.

There is a photo that accompanies this one - it is of Jeanie and Jerry together. But Jerry doesn't like his pic up on the Internet, so if any one wants a copy of that pic, they will have to beg Jeanie for it...:)

In Memory of Keith

2011-01-24T21:53:00.004-05:00

In memory of Keith Mondell
September 6, 1960 - January 20, 2011

[I love you - and you are loved by many.]

2011 is Here

2011-01-01T12:36:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

2011 is here and hopefully it will bring all the good things that 2010 did not. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

It's raining hard today - nothing to do but ponder.

I hope this post looks alright because it is my first one via cell phone. My granddaughters say that I should start the new year out right by 'getting with the program'. haha

Yeah right! I can barely see the keys to type - and my specs don't help much...

I think I'll stick to my deskand lap top...

[smile]

-----------------------

A Christmas Toast From Dixie

2010-12-25T00:08:00.001-05:00

It's Christmas in Dixie - here's a toast to everyone!

Merry Christmas!

[click on pic to enlarge]

To Heck With Ole Santa Claus

2010-12-22T15:42:00.002-05:00

'This year I'll build a big fire in the fireplace
I'll be like a little pig I read about
If that big bad wolf in red comes down my chimney
He's a gonna scorch his whiskers there's no doubt'

To Heck With Ole Santa Claus by: Loretta Lynn

------------------------------

Press Release - History Channel Discrimination

2010-12-14T22:59:00.007-05:00

[Click here to read Press Release on georgiascv.org]

--------------------------------------------

PRESS RELEASE

Georgia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans

SOUTHERN HERITAGE CALL TO ACTION!

HISTORY CHANNEL DISCRIMINATION

Friends & Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans,

As many of you have already heard by now, the 60-second history segments commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the War which have been produced for the Georgia Division of the SCV have been pulled from the air by the History Channel in Georgia. This decision was made by Nancy R. Alpert, one of the many vice-presidents at A&E Television Networks, the parent company of the History Channel. You can read her reasons in the press release sent out by the Georgia Division HERE.

The Georgia Division is still running the segments on three other national network channels in Georgia, in addition to the other radio and television stations involved in the statewide campaign, as part of the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial. None of the other networks or stations have expressed any concern at all, and many have commented on the quality of content and presentation of the segments. The 60-second segments may be viewed on the Georgia Division website at www.GeorgiaSCV.org.

Since our press release was sent out several days ago, we have been inundated by members and friends of the SCV who are interested in taking action. As we have seen in other instances, if we allow this anti-Southern discrimination to go unchecked without response, it will only encourage others to do the same.

What we need you to do:

1. Forward this email to every individual and list that you know.

2. Make two phone calls every day, from now until we send out a call to stop; it will take five minutes or less. If this is unsuccessful, we may send contact information for advertisers at the History Channel so that you can ask them to cancel their advertising; but please do not do that at this point.

* Call Mr. Berning, vice-president of national sales at A&E by dialing

212-210-1400, select prompt "1" then enter 2376464 #, then # again.

When you reach the secretary, please say something similar to the following (we recommend using your own words): "Hi, my name is ___ ; and I would like to file a complaint with Mr. Berning. I would like to protest A&E and the History Channel's decision to pull the history segments paid for by the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Atlanta which commemorate the Southern veterans who died in the War Between the States. It is discrimination against Southerners. I would like to ask for the reinstatement of the segments and the removal of Nancy Alpert who made the decision."

If the secretary attempts to transfer you, it is our recommendation that you insist on finishing your statement to her and ask her to convey the message to Mr. Berning since he is in charge of sales for A&E.

* Call A&E's Atlanta sales office using the same script, minus Mr. Berning's name. The direct number is 404.816.8880.

3. If you are not already receiving the press releases from us, please sign up to receive them so that we will be able to keep you up to date on the progress of this issue and the Sesquicentennial. Click HERE to receive the press releases and updates.

With your help, we can make a significant impact for the cause of our Southern heritage!

Sincerely,

Ray McBerry
PR Officer, Georgia Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans

Ray McBerry Enterprises is the public relations firm for the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

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See also:

[Confederate Heritage Month.com
The SCV and the Politically Correct History Channel by: Al Benson Jr.]

Election Results

2010-11-03T11:44:00.001-04:00

All I can do is smile...

My focus was on Georgia - the people of this state really surprised me yesterday with so many voters turning Republican. I'm not so happy with Gov [I voted for McBerry - states rights] but at least Roy Barnes is defeated. This election, not only in Georgia, but nationwide, reflects the dissatisfaction of American citizens with the Democrats [Socialists/Marxists].

Yesterday's elections proved that when We the People stand together we can change our situation. The power of your one vote DOES count. But a vote is just as important, if not more so, in the Primary Election as it is in the General Election. Primaries decide the General ticket...

Goodbye Pelosi! It was nice knowing ya, Honey! [Not!]
And Nevada deserves Harry Reid.

Yep, this morning, all I can do is smile!

[p.s.]And what a win for Rand Paul in Kentucky!

Nov 2 Elections

2010-11-02T14:24:00.000-04:00

Elections 2010 - November 2

Today is the day that many people around the State of Georgia [the USA] have been waiting for...

[Speaking for everyone but Democrats]

To be honest, the Dems [and a few Republicans] had a grim time with me at the booth...I did everything that I could do at this moment to fire everyone of them.

This election is probably the most important election of our lifetime - not to mention that of our children and grandchildren. This election is what will guide the political and ecomonic future of the USA.

If you are concerned with what is going on in Washington D.C. and the future of the State of Georgia, please don't forget to vote today.

If you are concerned with State Rights, well...umm...you will now just have to pick your best man/woman or else do what I did - write in your candidate.

Let's make today a little better than the July 2010 primary - please exercise your right as an American Citizen at the polls.

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EDG Entertainment Design Group Fire

2010-10-02T10:50:00.001-04:00

Early this morning [in the 7:30 - 7:45 a.m. time frame] while driving down Thornton Rd. in Lithia Springs toward I-20 with a few friends, we could see thick, dark smoke to the left. Turning left onto Oak Ridge Road, we could see that a building was on fire behind the BBT Bank - the Cobb County Fire Department and Police were parked everywhere on Oak Ridge Parkway, the first road to the left [behind the bank].

[Note# This section of road is on the border of Cobb and Douglas County, so for the purpose of this post, I applied the Austell and Lithia Springs labels.]

It turns out that the fire department was putting out a fire on top of the EDG Entertainment Design Group building. On top of the building is a small ornamental plane. I'm not sure what caused the fire, and the fire department will have to make their determination later - but my guess is faulty wiring.

Or, because one firefighter claimed that the plane landed on the building and caught fire, and that the pilot was missing/had not been found....who knows?

lol.

If anyone should spot the [obviously very short] pilot in this area, please contact the Cobb County Fire Department to let them know that he/she has been found.

[Click on pics for a larger view]

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Rally Planned Against Georgia Guidestones

2010-06-28T17:19:00.004-04:00

[#NOTE - this is a comment left for my post on The Georgia Guidestones that has been re-posted by request. The rally planned against the Georgia Guidestones is on July 4th, 2010]

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Anonymous said...

hey plz re-post : On July 4th, 2010 a band of concerned Americans will descend from all over the United States upon Elbert County, Georgia to protest the existence of the Georgia Guidestones.

Next to the South Carolina border in northeast Georgia, Elberton, the county seat of Elbert County, is the self proclaimed “Granite Capital of the World.” There are at least 42 active quarries supplying granite for monuments, counter tops and, of course, gravestones built and laid all over the world.

It's a good bet that where ever you live in the United States there’s
a chunk of Elbert County nearby.

Located on Georgia Highway 77 between Hartwell and Elberton, these giant granite stones are often referred to as "America's Stonehenge", because of their similarity to the famous England landmark. While they have only been around for only a little over 20 years (officially unveiled March 1980), no one knows for sure who had them commissioned. A person who only identified himself as "R.C. Christian" which is a reference to Rosicrucian- ism later known as the "College of Invisible, a sect of freemasonry. Even he admitted that this was not his real name but acted as liaison for the bank, granite shop, and the "small group of Americans who seek an age of reason" and provided the money.

Nonetheless the stones for the monument were quarried just outside of Elberton at the Pyramid Quarry.

Composed of four “Guidestones,” a capstone and a central “Gnomes Stone,” the Guidestones are 19 feet tall, weigh 240,000 pounds, each on which is given the new commandments for a New Age in 8 modern languages and 4 dead ones.

Anger directed against the astronomically aligned stones inscriptions, has only grown more intense over the years.

On the hard hitting anti New World Order internet radio show www.nformdradio.com callers have expressed grave concern to outrage over the Guidestones message and implications.

Many believe they call for a world court, a one world language, reproduction restrictions, the Earth to be de-populated by upwards of ninety percent.

Some claim the Guidestones call for a New World Order global government where personal rights are only granted through service to a tyrannical world state are the product of a Satanic cult.

All believe they express anti-constitutional senitment and have no place on American soil.

The participants in this rally are certain that this is none other than the same eugenics plot at an almost unimaginable scale by the Anglo-American cartel that has been identified in recent years as the puppet masters of the globe through incremental implementation of a "New World Order".

Invitation is extended to all Americans, see you there, for more information contact NFormD radio:

phone: 772-626-8938; nformdradio@yahoo.com
website: http://www.nformdradio.com
June 26, 2010 6:12 PM

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Time Well Wasted

2010-06-19T12:19:00.006-04:00

Time Well Wasted - what a message for the back of a rig! I spotted this while driving down Thornton Rd., Lithia Springs this morning - it gave me a good laugh - because, hey, that's exactly what I was doing - WASTING TIME...:)

CS Constitution - Article 7

2010-06-18T16:30:00.003-04:00

Article 7. - Ratification

1. The ratification of the conventions of five States shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the same.

2. When five States shall have ratified this Constitution, in the manner before specified, the Congress under the Provisional Constitution shall prescribe the time for holding the election of President and Vice President; and for the meeting of the Electoral College; and for counting the votes, and inaugurating the President. They shall, also, prescribe the time for holding the first election of members of Congress under this Constitution, and the time for assembling the same. Until the assembling of such Congress, the Congress under the Provisional Constitution shall continue to exercise the legislative powers granted them; not extending beyond the time limited by the Constitution of the Provisional Government.

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Adopted unanimously by the Congress of the Confederate States of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, sitting in Convention at the capitol, in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, on the Eleventh day of March, in the year Eighteen Hundred and Sixty-One.

HOWELL COBB,
President of the Congress.

1. South Carolina: R. Barnwell Rhett, C. G. Memminger, Wm. Porcher Miles, James Chesnut, Jr., R. W. Barnwell, William W. Boyce, Lawrence M. Keitt, T. J. Withers.

2. Georgia: Francis S. Bartow, Martin J. Crawford, Benjamin H. Hill, Thos. R. R. Cobb.

3. Florida: Jackson Morton, J. Patton Anderson, Jas. B. Owens.

4. Alabama: Richard W. Walker, Robt. H. Smith, Colin J. McRae, William P. Chilton, Stephen F. Hale, David P. Lewis, Tho. Fearn, Jno. Gill Shorter, J. L. M. Curry.

5. Mississippi: Alex. M. Clayton, James T. Harrison, William S. Barry, W. S. Wilson, Walker Brooke, W. P. Harris, J. A. P. Campbell.

6. Louisiana: Alex. de Clouet, C. M. Conrad, Duncan F. Kenner, Henry Marshall.

7. Texas: John Hemphill, Thomas N. Waul, John H. Reagan, Williamson S. Oldham, Louis T. Wigfall, John Gregg, William Beck Ochiltree.

---------------------------------------------

Link Source:

CS Constitution

---------------------------------------------

See also:

CS Constitution - Article 1

CS Constitution - Article 2

CS Constitution - Article 3

CS Constitution - Article 4

CS Constitution - Article 5

CS Constitution - Article 6

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CS Constitution - Article 6

2010-06-18T16:25:00.002-04:00

Article 6. - The Confederacy

Section 1 - Transition from the Provisional Government

1. The Government established by this Constitution is the successor of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America, and all the laws passed by the latter shall continue in force until the same shall be repealed or modified; and all the officers appointed by the same shall remain in office until their successors are appointed and qualified, or the offices abolished.

Section 2 - Debts of the Provisional Government

2. All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adoption of this Constitution shall be as valid against the Confederate States under this Constitution, as under the Provisional Government.

Section 3 - Supremacy of the Constitution

3. This Constitution, and the laws of the Confederate States made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the Confederate States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

Section 4 - Oaths of Office

4. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the Confederate States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the Confederate States.

Section 5 - Reservation of unenumerated rights

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

Section 6 - State powers

6. The powers not delegated to the Confederate States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people thereof.

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CS Constitution

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See also:

CS Constitution - Article 1

CS Constitution - Article 2

CS Constitution - Article 3

CS Constitution - Article 4

CS Constitution - Article 5

CS Constitution - Article 7

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CS Constitution - Article 5

2010-06-18T16:18:00.003-04:00

Article 5. - Amendment

1. Upon the demand of any three States, legally assembled in their several conventions, the Congress shall summon a convention of all the States, to take into consideration such amendments to the Constitution as the said States shall concur in suggesting at the time when the said demand is made; and should any of the proposed amendments to the Constitution be agreed on by the said convention ~ voting by States ~ and the same be ratified by the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States, or by conventions in two-thirds thereof ~ as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the general convention ~ they shall thenceforward form a part of this Constitution. But no State shall, without its consent, be deprived of its equal representation in the Senate.

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CS Constitution

--------------------------------------------

See also:

CS Constitution - Article 1

CS Constitution - Article 2

CS Constitution - Article 3

CS Constitution - Article 4

CS Constitution - Article 6

CS Constitution - Article 7

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CS Constitution - Article 4

2010-06-18T15:57:00.004-04:00

Article 4. - The States

Section 1 - Each State to Honor all others

1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State; and the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.

Section 2 - State citizens, Extradition

1. The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citizens in the several States; and shall have the right of transit and sojourn in any State of this Confederacy, with their slaves and other property; and the right of property in said slaves shall not be thereby impaired.

2. A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or other crime against the laws of such State, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having jurisdiction of the crime.

3. No slave or other person held to service or labor in any State or Territory of the Confederate States, under the laws thereof, escaping or lawfully carried into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor; but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such slave belongs; or to whom such service or labor may be due.

Section 3 - New States

1. Other States may be admitted into this Confederacy by a vote of two- thirds of the whole House of Representatives and two-thirds of the Senate, the Senate voting by States; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State, nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned, as well as of the Congress.

2. The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations concerning the property of the Confederate States, including the lands thereof.

3. The Confederate States may acquire new territory; and Congress shall have power to legislate and provide governments for the inhabitants of all territory belonging to the Confederate States, lying without the limits of the several Sates; and may permit them, at such times, and in such manner as it may by law provide, to form States to be admitted into the Confederacy. In all such territory the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected by Congress and by the Territorial government; and the inhabitants of the several Confederate States and Territories shall have the right to take to such Territory any slaves lawfully held by them in any of the States or Territories of the Confederate States.

4. The Confederate States shall guarantee to every State that now is, or hereafter may become, a member of this Confederacy, a republican form of government; and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of the Legislature or of the Executive when the Legislature is not in session) against domestic violence.

--------------------------------------------

Link Source:

CS Constitution

--------------------------------------------

See also:

CS Constitution - Article 1

CS Constitution - Article 2

CS Constitution - Article 3

CS Constitution - Article 5

CS Constitution - Article 6

CS Constitution - Article 7

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CS Constitution - Article 3

2010-06-18T15:50:00.006-04:00

Article 3. - The Judicial Branch

Section 1 - Judicial powers

1. The judicial power of the Confederate States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may, from time to time, ordain and establish. The judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.

Section 2 - Trial by Jury, Original Jurisdiction, Jury Trials

1. The judicial power shall extend to all cases arising under this Constitution, the laws of the Confederate States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the Confederate States shall be a party; to controversies between two or more States; between a State and citizens of another State, where the State is plaintiff; between citizens claiming lands under grants of different States; and between a State or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or subjects; but no State shall be sued by a citizen or subject of any foreign state.

2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.

3. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury, and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.

Section 3 - Treason

1. Treason against the Confederate States shall consist only in levying war against.them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

2. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason; but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted.

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Link Source:

CS Constitution

--------------------------------------------

See also:

CS Constitution - Article 1

CS Constitution - Article 2

CS Constitution - Article 4

CS Constitution - Article 5

CS Constitution - Article 6

CS Constitution - Article 7

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CS Constitution - Article 2

2010-06-18T15:37:00.004-04:00

Article 2. - The Executive Branch

Section 1 - The President

1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the Confederate States of America. He and the Vice President shall hold their offices for the term of six years; but the President shall not be reeligible. The President and Vice President shall be elected as follows:

2. Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress; but no Senator or Representative or person holding an office of trust or profit under the Confederate States shall be appointed an elector.

3. The electors shall meet in their respective States and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the Government of. the Confederate States, directed to the President of the Senate; the President of the Senate shall,in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted; the person having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President the votes shall be taken by States ~ the representation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President, whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the 4th day of March next following, then the Vice President shall act as President, as in case of the death, or other constitutional disability of the President.

4. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice President shall be the Vice President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if no person have a majority, then, from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice.

5. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President of the Confederate States.

6. The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the Confederate States.

7. No person except a natural-born citizen of the Confederate; States, or a citizen thereof at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, or a citizen thereof born in the United States prior to the 20th of December, 1860, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the limits of the Confederate States, as they may exist at the time of his election.

8. In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President; and the Congress may, by law, provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President; and such officer shall act accordingly until the disability be removed or a President shall be elected.

9. The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected; and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the Confederate States, or any of them.

10. Before he enters on the execution of his office he shall take the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the Confederate States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution thereof."

Section 2 - Civilian Power over Military, Cabinet, Pardon Power, Appointments

1. The President shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the Confederate States, and of the militia of the several States, when called into the actual service of the Confederate States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the Executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices; and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the Confederate States, except in cases of impeachment.

2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties; provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the Confederate States whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law; but the Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.

3. The principal officer in each of the Executive Departments, and all persons connected with the diplomatic service, may be removed from office at the pleasure of the President. All other civil officers of the Executive Departments may be removed at any time by the President, or other appointing power, when their services are unnecessary, or for dishonesty, incapacity. inefficiency, misconduct, or neglect of duty; and when so removed, the removal shall be reported to the Senate, together with the reasons therefor.

4. The President shall have power to fill all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session; but no person rejected by the Senate shall be reappointed to the same office during their ensuing recess.

Section 3 - State of the Union, Convening Congress

1. The President shall, from time to time, give to the Congress information of the state of the Confederacy, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them; and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the Confederate States.

Section 4 - Disqualification

1. The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the Confederate States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

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CS Constitution

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See also:

CS Constitution - Article 1

CS Constitution - Article 3

CS Constitution - Article 4

CS Constitution - Article 5

CS Constitution - Article 6

CS Constitution - Article 7

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CS Constitution - Article 1

2010-06-18T15:12:00.008-04:00

Preamble

We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity — invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God — do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America.

Article 1. - The Legislative Branch

Section 1 - The Legislature

1. All legislative powers herein delegated shall be vested in a Congress of the Confederate States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Section 2 - The House

1. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several States; and the electors in each State shall be citizens of the Confederate States, and have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature; but no person of foreign birth, not a citizen of the Confederate States, shall be allowed to vote for any officer, civil or political, State or Federal.

2. No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, and be a citizen of the Confederate States, and who shall not when elected, be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States, which may be included within this Confederacy, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all slaves. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the Confederate States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every fifty thousand, but each State shall have at least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of South Carolina shall be entitled to choose six; the State of Georgia ten; the State of Alabama nine; the State of Florida two; the State of Mississippi seven; the State of Louisiana six; and the State of Texas six.

4. When vacancies happen in the representation from any State the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.

5. The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other officers; and shall have the sole power of impeachment; except that any judicial or other Federal officer, resident and acting solely within the limits of any State, may be impeached by a vote of two-thirds of both branches of the Legislature thereof.

Section 3 - The Senate

1. The Senate of the Confederate States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen for six years by the Legislature thereof, at the regular session next immediately preceding the commencement of the term of service; and each Senator shall have one vote.

2. Immediately after they shall be assembled, in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year; of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year; and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year; so that one-third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation, or other wise, during the recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.

3. No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of thirty years, and be a citizen of the Confederate States; and who shall not, then elected, be an inhabitant of the State for which he shall be chosen.

4. The Vice President of the Confederate States shall be president of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided.

5. The Senate shall choose their other officers; and also a president pro tempore in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the Confederate states.

6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the Confederate States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside; and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present.

7. Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust, or profit under the Confederate States; but the party convicted shall, nevertheless, be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law.

Section 4 - Elections, Meetings

1. The times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof, subject to the provisions of this Constitution; but the Congress may, at any time, by law, make or alter such regulations, except as to the times and places of choosing Senators.

2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year; and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall, by law, appoint a different day.

Section 5 - Membership, Rules, Journals, Adjournment

1. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.

2. Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the whole number, expel a member.

3. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either House, on any question, shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.

4. Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Section 6 - Compensation

1. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the Confederate States. They shall, in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other place. No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the Confederate States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no person holding any office under the Confederate States shall be a member of either House during his continuance in office. But Congress may, by law, grant to the principal officer in each of the Executive Departments a seat upon the floor of either House, with the privilege of discussing any measures appertaining to his department.

Section 7 - Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto

1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments, as on other bills.

2. Every bill which shall have passed both Houses, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President of the Confederate States; if he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases, the votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return; in which case it shall not be a law. The President may approve any appropriation and disapprove any other appropriation in the same bill. In such case he shall, in signing the bill, designate the appropriations disapproved; and shall return a copy of such appropriations, with his objections, to the House in which the bill shall have originated; and the same proceedings shall then be had as in case of other bills disapproved by the President.

3. Every order, resolution, or vote, to which the concurrence of both Houses may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the Confederate States; and before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by him; or, being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds of both Houses, according to the rules and limitations prescribed in case of a bill.

Section 8 - Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have power -

1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises for revenue, necessary to pay the debts, provide for the common defense, and carry on the Government of the Confederate States; but no bounties shall be granted from the Treasury; nor shall any duties or taxes on importations from foreign nations be laid to promote or foster any branch of industry; and all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the Confederate States.

2. To borrow money on the credit of the Confederate States.

3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes; but neither this, nor any other clause contained in the Constitution, shall ever be construed to delegate the power to Congress to appropriate money for any internal improvement intended to facilitate commerce; except for the purpose of furnishing lights, beacons, and buoys, and other aids to navigation upon the coasts, and the improvement of harbors and the removing of obstructions in river navigation; in all which cases such duties shall be laid on the navigation facilitated thereby as may be necessary to pay the costs and expenses thereof.

4. To establish uniform laws of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies, throughout the Confederate States; but no law of Congress shall discharge any debt contracted before the passage of the same.

5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures.

6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the Confederate States.

7. To establish post offices and post routes; but the expenses of the Post Office Department, after the 1st day of March in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and sixty-three, shall be paid out of its own revenues.

8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.

9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court.

10. To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations.

11. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water.

12. To raise and support armies; but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years.

13. To provide and maintain a navy.

14. To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces.

15. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Confederate States, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.

16. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Confederate States; reserving to the States, respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.

17. To exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases whatsoever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of one or more States and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the Government of the Confederate States; and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings; and

18. To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the Confederate States, or in any department or officer thereof.

Section 9 - Limits on Congress, Bill of Rights

1. The importation of negroes of the African race from any foreign country other than the slaveholding States or Territories of the United States of America, is hereby forbidden; and Congress is required to pass such laws as shall effectually prevent the same.

2. Congress shall also have power to prohibit the introduction of slaves from any State not a member of, or Territory not belonging to, this Confederacy.

3. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

4. No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves shall be passed.

5. No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken.

6. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any State, except by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses.

7. No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one State over those of another.

8. No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

9. Congress shall appropriate no money from the Treasury except by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses, taken by yeas and nays, unless it be asked and estimated for by some one of the heads of departments and submitted to Congress by the President; or for the purpose of paying its own expenses and contingencies; or for the payment of claims against the Confederate States, the justice of which shall have been judicially declared by a tribunal for the investigation of claims against the Government, which it is hereby made the duty of Congress to establish.

10. All bills appropriating money shall specify in Federal currency the exact amount of each appropriation and the purposes for which it is made; and Congress shall grant no extra compensation to any public contractor, officer, agent, or servant, after such contract shall have been made or such service rendered.

11. No title of nobility shall be granted by the Confederate States; and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

12. 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 petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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 persons or things to be seized.

16. 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 any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

17. 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 witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

18. 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 so tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the Confederacy, than according to the rules of common law.

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

20. Every law, or resolution having the force of law, shall relate to but one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title.

Section 10 - Powers prohibited of States

1. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, or ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts; or grant any title of nobility.

2. No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws; and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any State on imports, or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the Confederate States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of Congress.

3. No State shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty on tonnage, except on seagoing vessels, for the improvement of its rivers and harbors navigated by the said vessels; but such duties shall not conflict with any treaties of the Confederate States with foreign nations; and any surplus revenue thus derived shall, after making such improvement, be paid into the common treasury. Nor shall any State keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another State, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. But when any river divides or flows through two or more States they may enter into compacts with each other to improve the navigation thereof.

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Link Source:

CS Constitution

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See also:

CS Constitution - Article 2

CS Constitution - Article 3

CS Constitution - Article 4

CS Constitution - Article 5

CS Constitution - Article 6

CS Constitution - Article 7

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Signing of the US Constituion

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The Bill of Rights

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The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights."

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 persons 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 any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor 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 witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

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 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.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

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Link Source:

[US National Archives - The Bill of Rights: A Transcription]

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See also:

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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[*Note* - The first 10 amendments are collectively known as The Bill of Rights]

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 3 - Quartering of Soldiers. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 4 - Search and Seizure. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 persons or things to be seized.

Amendment 5 - Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor 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 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment 7 - Trial by Jury in Civil Cases. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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

Amendment 9 - Construction of Constitution. Ratified 12/15/1791.

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

Amendment 10 - Powers of the States and People. Ratified 12/15/1791.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Amendment 11 - Judicial Limits. Ratified 2/7/1795.

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in 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.

Amendment 12 - Choosing the President, Vice-President. Ratified 6/15/1804.

The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;

The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;

The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

Amendment 13 - Slavery Abolished. Ratified 12/6/1865.

1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights. Ratified 7/9/1868.

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Amendment 15 - Race No Bar to Vote. Ratified 2/3/1870.

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 16 - Status of Income Tax Clarified. Ratified 2/3/1913.

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

Amendment 17 - Senators Elected by Popular Vote. Ratified 4/8/1913.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

Amendment 18 - Liquor Abolished. Ratified 1/16/1919. Repealed by Amendment 21, 12/5/1933.

1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

Amendment 19 - Women's Suffrage. Ratified 8/18/1920.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 20 - Presidential, Congressional Terms. Ratified 1/23/1933.

1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Amendment 21 - Amendment 18 Repealed. Ratified 12/5/1933.

1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

3. The article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

Amendment 22 - Presidential Term Limits. Ratified 2/27/1951.

1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

Amendment 23 - Presidential Vote for District of Columbia. Ratified 3/29/1961.

1. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 24 - Poll Tax Barred. Ratified 1/23/1964.

1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 25 - Presidential Disability and Succession. Ratified 2/10/1967.

1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

Amendment 26 - Voting Age Set to 18 Years. Ratified 7/1/1971.

1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 27 - Limiting Congressional Pay Increases. Ratified 5/7/1992.

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

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Link Source:

US Constitution Net

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See also:

US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

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US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

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Article VII - Ratification

The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.

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Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth. In Witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names.

Go Washington - President and deputy from Virginia

New Hampshire - John Langdon, Nicholas Gilman

Massachusetts - Nathaniel Gorham, Rufus King

Connecticut - Wm Saml Johnson, Roger Sherman

New York - Alexander Hamilton

New Jersey - Wil Livingston, David Brearley, Wm Paterson, Jona. Dayton

Pensylvania - B Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robt Morris, Geo. Clymer, Thos FitzSimons, Jared Ingersoll, James Wilson, Gouv Morris

Delaware - Geo. Read, Gunning Bedford jun, John Dickinson, Richard Bassett, Jaco. Broom

Maryland - James McHenry, Dan of St Tho Jenifer, Danl Carroll

Virginia - John Blair, James Madison Jr.

North Carolina - Wm Blount, Richd Dobbs Spaight, Hu Williamson

South Carolina - J. Rutledge, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, Pierce Butler

Georgia - William Few, Abr Baldwin

Attest: William Jackson, Secretary

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See also:

US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Article 6

2010-06-16T00:09:00.003-04:00

Article VI - Debts, Supremacy, Oaths

All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

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US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Article 5

2010-06-16T00:04:00.003-04:00

Article V - Amendment

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.

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US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Article 4

2010-06-15T23:56:00.003-04:00

Article IV - The States

Section 1 - Each State to Honor all others

Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof.

Section 2 - State citizens, Extradition

The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.

A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.

(No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, But shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due.) (This clause in parentheses is superseded by the 13th Amendment.)

Section 3 - New States

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State.

Section 4 - Republican government

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

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US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Article 3

2010-06-15T23:50:00.004-04:00

Article III - The Judicial Branch Note

Section 1 - Judicial powers

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behavior, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

Section 2 - Trial by Jury, Original Jurisdiction, Jury Trials

(The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority; to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls; to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction; to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party; to Controversies between two or more States; between a State and Citizens of another State; between Citizens of different States; between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.) (This section in parentheses is modified by the 11th Amendment.)

In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.

The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed.

Section 3 - Treason Note

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

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US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Article 2

2010-06-15T23:37:00.006-04:00

Article II - The Executive Branch

Section 1 - The President

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows:

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

(The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not lie an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; a quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two-thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice-President.) (This clause in parentheses was superseded by the 12th Amendment.)

The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.

No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

(In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.) (This clause in parentheses has been modified by the 20th and 25th Amendments.)

The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Section 2 - Civilian Power over Military, Cabinet, Pardon Power, Appointments

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.

Section 3 - State of the Union, Convening Congress

He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

Section 4 - Disqualification

The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

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See also:

US Constitution - Article 1

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights

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US Constitution - Article 1

2010-06-15T23:06:00.007-04:00

Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Article I - The Legislative Branch Note

Section 1 - The Legislature

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Section 2 - The House

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

(Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.) (The previous sentence in parentheses was modified by the 14th Amendment, section 2.) The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Section 3 - The Senate

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, (chosen by the Legislature thereof,) (The preceding words in parentheses superseded by 17th Amendment, section 1.) for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; (and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.) (The preceding words in parentheses were superseded by the 17th Amendment, section 2.)

No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Section 4 - Elections, Meetings

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Place of Chusing Senators.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall (be on the first Monday in December,) (The preceding words in parentheses were superseded by the 20th Amendment, section 2.) unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.

Section 5 - Membership, Rules, Journals, Adjournment

Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member.

Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.

Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Section 6 - Compensation

(The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.) (The preceding words in parentheses were modified by the 27th Amendment.) They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Section 7 - Revenue Bills, Legislative Process, Presidential Veto

All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

Section 8 - Powers of Congress

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Section 9 - Limits on Congress

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

(No capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.) (Section in parentheses clarified by the 16th Amendment.)

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.

Section 10 - Powers prohibited of States

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

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US Constitution - Article 2

US Constitution - Article 3

US Constitution - Article 4

US Constitution - Article 5

US Constitution - Article 6

US Constitution - Article 7 and Signatories

US Constitution - Amendments - Bill of Rights
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The Articles of Confederation

2010-06-14T21:19:00.006-04:00

Agreed to by Congress November 15, 1777; ratified and in force, March 1, 1781.

Preamble

To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.

Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in Congress assembled did on the fifteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America, agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, in the words following, viz:

Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Article I. The Stile of this Confederacy shall be "The United States of America."

Article II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.

Article III. The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.

Article IV. The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different States in this union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several States; and the people of each State shall have free ingress and regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any State, to any other State, of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any State, on the property of the united States, or either of them.

If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any State, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the united States, he shall, upon demand of the Governor or executive power of the State from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the State having jurisdiction of his offense.

Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these States to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other State.

Article V. For the most convenient management of the general interests of the united States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each State to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year.

No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the united States, for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.

Each State shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the States, and while they act as members of the committee of the States.

In determining questions in the united States, in Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote.

Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.

Article VI. No State, without the consent of the united States in Congress assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty with any King, Prince or State; nor shall any person holding any office of profit or trust under the united States, or any of them, accept any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever from any King, Prince or foreign State; nor shall the United States in congress assembled, or any of them, grant any title of nobility.

No two or more States shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the united States in congress assembled, specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how long it shall continue.

No State shall lay any imposts or duties, which may interfere with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the united States in congress assembled, with any King, Prince or State, in pursuance of any treaties already proposed by congress, to the courts of France and Spain.

No vessel of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any State, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the united States in congress assembled, for the defense of such State, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be kept up by any State in time of peace, except such number only, as in the judgement of the united States, in congress assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defense of such State; but every State shall always keep up a well-regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of filed pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition and camp equipage.

No State shall engage in any war without the consent of the united States in congress assembled, unless such State be actually invaded by enemies, or shall have received certain advice of a resolution being formed by some nation of Indians to invade such State, and the danger is so imminent as not to admit of a delay till the united States in congress assembled can be consulted; nor shall any State grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the united States in congress assembled, and then only against the kingdom or State and the subjects thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as shall be established by the united States in congress assembled, unless such State be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept so long as the danger shall continue, or until the united States in congress assembled shall determine otherwise.

Article VII. When land forces are raised by any State for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each State respectively, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such State shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the State which first made the appointment.

Article VIII. All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the united States in congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the united States in congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint.

The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several States within the time agreed upon by the united States in congress assembled.

Article IX. The united States in congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war, except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article — of sending and receiving ambassadors — entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective States shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners, as their own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever — of establishing rules for deciding in all cases, what captures on land or water shall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the service of the United States shall be divided or appropriated — of granting letters of marque and reprisal in times of peace — appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally appeals in all cases of captures, provided that no member of Congress shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts.

The United States in Congress assembled shall also be the last resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that hereafter may arise between two or more States concerning boundary, jurisdiction or any other causes whatever; which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following. Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any State in controversy with another shall present a petition to Congress stating the matter in question and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of Congress to the legislative or executive authority of the other State in controversy, and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who shall then be directed to appoint by joint consent, commissioners or judges to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question: but if they cannot agree, Congress shall name three persons out of each of the United States, and from the list of such persons each party shall alternately strike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number shall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not less than seven, nor more than nine names as Congress shall direct, shall in the presence of Congress be drawn out by lot, and the persons whose names shall be so drawn or any five of them, shall be commissioners or judges, to hear and finally determine the controversy, so always as a major part of the judges who shall hear the cause shall agree in the determination: and if either party shall neglect to attend at the day appointed, without showing reasons, which Congress shall judge sufficient, or being present shall refuse to strike, the Congress shall proceed to nominate three persons out of each State, and the secretary of Congress shall strike in behalf of such party absent or refusing; and the judgement and sentence of the court to be appointed, in the manner before prescribed, shall be final and conclusive; and if any of the parties shall refuse to submit to the authority of such court, or to appear or defend their claim or cause, the court shall nevertheless proceed to pronounce sentence, or judgement, which shall in like manner be final and decisive, the judgement or sentence and other proceedings being in either case transmitted to Congress, and lodged among the acts of Congress for the security of the parties concerned: provided that every commissioner, before he sits in judgement, shall take an oath to be administered by one of the judges of the supreme or superior court of the State, where the cause shall be tried, 'well and truly to hear and determine the matter in question, according to the best of his judgement, without favor, affection or hope of reward': provided also, that no State shall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the United States.

All controversies concerning the private right of soil claimed under different grants of two or more States, whose jurisdictions as they may respect such lands, and the States which passed such grants are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the same time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurisdiction, shall on the petition of either party to the Congress of the United States, be finally determined as near as may be in the same manner as is before prescribed for deciding disputes respecting territorial jurisdiction between different States.

The United States in Congress assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective States — fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the United States — regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the States, provided that the legislative right of any State within its own limits be not infringed or violated — establishing or regulating post offices from one State to another, throughout all the United States, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office — appointing all officers of the land forces, in the service of the United States, excepting regimental officers — appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the United States — making rules for the government and regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing their operations.

The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of Congress, to be denominated 'A Committee of the States', and to consist of one delegate from each State; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the United States under their direction — to appoint one of their members to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years; to ascertain the necessary sums of money to be raised for the service of the United States, and to appropriate and apply the same for defraying the public expenses — to borrow money, or emit bills on the credit of the United States, transmitting every half-year to the respective States an account of the sums of money so borrowed or emitted — to build and equip a navy — to agree upon the number of land forces, and to make requisitions from each State for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in such State; which requisition shall be binding, and thereupon the legislature of each State shall appoint the regimental officers, raise the men and cloath, arm and equip them in a solid- like manner, at the expense of the United States; and the officers and men so cloathed, armed and equipped shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the United States in Congress assembled. But if the United States in Congress assembled shall, on consideration of circumstances judge proper that any State should not raise men, or should raise a smaller number of men than the quota thereof, such extra number shall be raised, officered, cloathed, armed and equipped in the same manner as the quota of each State, unless the legislature of such State shall judge that such extra number cannot be safely spread out in the same, in which case they shall raise, officer, cloath, arm and equip as many of such extra number as they judge can be safely spared. And the officers and men so cloathed, armed, and equipped, shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the united States in congress assembled.

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, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the united States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine States assent to the same: nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day be determined, unless by the votes of the majority of the united States in congress assembled.

The congress of the united States shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the united States, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six months, and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations, as in their judgement require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each State on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is desired by any delegates of a State, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several States.

Article X. The committee of the States, or any nine of them, shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of congress, such of the powers of congress as the united States in congress assembled, by the consent of the nine States, shall from time to time think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be delegated to the said Committee, for the exercise of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine States in the Congress of the United States assembled be requisite.

Article XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the united States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States.

Article XII. All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of congress, before the assembling of the united States, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the United States, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said united States, and the public faith are hereby solemnly pledged.

Article XIII. Every State shall abide by the determination of the united States in congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the united States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State.

And Whereas it hath pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in Congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said articles of confederation and perpetual union. Know Ye that we the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do by these presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said articles of confederation and perpetual union, and all and singular the matters and things therein contained: And we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the united States in congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said confederation are submitted to them. And that the articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the States we respectively represent, and that the union shall be perpetual.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania the ninth Day of July in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven Hundred and Seventy-eight, and in the Third Year of the independence of America.

On the part and behalf of the State of New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
John Wentworth Junr. August 8th 1778

On the part and behalf of The State of Massachusetts Bay:
John Hancock
Samuel Adams
Elbridge Gerry
Francis Dana
James Lovell
Samuel Holten

On the part and behalf of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations:
William Ellery
Henry Marchant
John Collins

On the part and behalf of the State of Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
Oliver Wolcott
Titus Hosmer
Andrew Adams

On the Part and Behalf of the State of New York:
James Duane
Francis Lewis
Wm Duer
Gouv Morris

On the Part and in Behalf of the State of New Jersey, November 26, 1778.
Jno Witherspoon
Nath. Scudder

On the part and behalf of the State of Pennsylvania:
Robt Morris
Daniel Roberdeau
John Bayard Smith
William Clingan
Joseph Reed 22nd July 1778

On the part and behalf of the State of Delaware:
Tho Mckean February 12, 1779
John Dickinson May 5th 1779
Nicholas Van Dyke

On the part and behalf of the State of Maryland:
John Hanson March 1 1781
Daniel Carroll

On the Part and Behalf of the State of Virginia:
Richard Henry Lee
John Banister
Thomas Adams
Jno Harvie
Francis Lightfoot Lee

On the part and Behalf of the State of No Carolina:
John Penn July 21st 1778
Corns Harnett
Jno Williams

On the part and behalf of the State of South Carolina:
Henry Laurens
William Henry Drayton
Jno Mathews
Richd Hutson
Thos Heyward Junr

On the part and behalf of the State of Georgia:
Jno Walton 24th July 1778
Edwd Telfair
Edwd Langworthy

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Link Source:

The Articles of Confederation

You can find the link to The Articles of Confederation Topic Page by clicking on the link above or you can go directly there by clicking here.

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The Declaration of Independence

2010-06-14T19:33:00.006-04:00

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. — The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our People, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from Punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free system of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislature, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Signers

John Hancock

Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
Geo. Walton

Wm. Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thos. Heyward, Junr.
Thomas Lynch, Junr.
Arthur Middleton

Samuel Chase
Wm. Paca
Thos. Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Th. Jefferson
Benja. Harrison
Thos. Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Robt. Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benja. Franklin
John Morton
Geo. Clymer
Jas. Smith
Geo. Taylor
James Wilson
Geo. Ross
Caesar Rodney
Geo. Read
Tho. Mckean

Wm. Floyd
Phil. Livingston
Frans. Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richd. Stockton
Jno. Witherspoon
Fras. Hopkinson
John Hart
Abra. Clark

Josiah Bartlett
Wm. Whipple
Saml. Adams
John Adams
Robt. Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Step. Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
Wm. Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thornton

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Link Source:

The Declaration of Independence

Given that The Declaration of Independence was/is a secession document that declared freedom for the thirteen colonies from the British Crown to form a new government/country, an entire page is devoted to this historical document. You can find the link to the Declaration of Independence Topic Page by clicking on the link above or you can go directly there by clicking here.

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The Mayflower Compact

2010-06-14T11:33:00.004-04:00

[Original version as written by William Bradford - America, 1620]

In ye name of God Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by ye Grace of God, of great Britaine, Franc, & Yreland, King, defender of ye Faith, &c.

Haveing undertaken, for ye Glorie of God, and advancements of ye Christian faith, and the honour of our King & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first colonie in ye Northern parts of Virginia; Doe by these presents, solemnly & mutualy, in ye presence of God, and one of another; covenant & combine ourselves together into a Civill body politick; for our better ordering, & preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just & equal Lawes, ordinances, Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete and convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

In witnes wherof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cap-Codd ye 11 of November, in ye year of ye raigne of our soveraigne Lord King James, of England, France, & Yreland, ye eighteenth, and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth, Ano: Dom. 1620.

Signers

John Alden
Isaac Allerton
John Allerton
John Billington
Richard Bitteridge
William Bradford
William Brewster
Peter Brown
John Carver
James Chilton
Richard Clark
Francis Cooke
John Craxton
Edward Doten
Francis Eaton
Thomas English
Moses Fletcher
Edward Fuller
Samuel Fuller
Richard Gardiner
John Goodman
Stephen Hopkins
John Howland
Edward Leister
Edmund Margeson
Christopher Martin
William Mullins
Digery Priest
John Rigdale
Thomas Rogers
George Soule
Miles Standish
Edward Tilly
John Tilly
Thomas Tinker
John Turner
Richard Warren
William White
Thomas Williams
Edward Winslow
Gilbert Winslow

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Link source:

The Mayflower Compact:

Includes the modern version and history of the Compact.

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The Magna Carta

2010-06-14T11:25:00.004-04:00

[England, 1215]

JOHN, by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, to his archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justices, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants, and to all his officials and loyal subjects, Greeting.

KNOW THAT BEFORE GOD, for the health of our soul and those of our ancestors and heirs, to the honor of God, the exaltation of the holy Church, and the better ordering of our kingdom, at the advice of our reverend fathers Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England, and cardinal of the holy Roman Church, Henry archbishop of Dublin, William bishop of London, Peter bishop of Winchester, Jocelin bishop of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh bishop of Lincoln, Walter Bishop of Worcester, William bishop of Coventry, Benedict bishop of Rochester, Master Pandulf subdeacon and member of the papal household, Brother Aymeric master of the knighthood of the Temple in England, William Marshal earl of Pembroke, William earl of Salisbury, William earl of Warren, William earl of Arundel, Alan de Galloway constable of Scotland, Warin Fitz Gerald, Peter Fitz Herbert, Hubert de Burgh seneschal of Poitou, Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset, Philip Daubeny, Robert de Roppeley, John Marshal, John Fitz Hugh, and other loyal subjects:

(1) FIRST, THAT WE HAVE GRANTED TO GOD, and by this present charter have confirmed for us and our heirs in perpetuity, that the English Church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished, and its liberties unimpaired. That we wish this so to be observed, appears from the fact that of our own free will, before the outbreak of the present dispute between us and our barons, we granted and confirmed by charter the freedom of the Church's elections - a right reckoned to be of the greatest necessity and importance to it - and caused this to be confirmed by Pope Innocent III. This freedom we shall observe ourselves, and desire to be observed in good faith by our heirs in perpetuity.

TO ALL FREE MEN OF OUR KINGDOM we have also granted, for us and our heirs for ever, all the liberties written out below, to have and to keep for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs:

(2) If any earl, baron, or other person that holds lands directly of the Crown, for military service, shall die, and at his death his heir shall be of full age and owe a relief, the heir shall have his inheritance on payment of the ancient scale of relief. That is to say, the heir or heirs of an earl shall pay 100 pounds for the entire earl's barony, the heir or heirs of a knight 100 shillings, at most for the entire knight's fee, and any man that owes less shall pay less, in accordance with the ancient usage of fees

(3) But if the heir of such a person is under age and a ward, when he comes of age he shall have his inheritance without relief or fine.

(4) The guardian of the land of an heir who is under age shall take from it only reasonable revenues, customary dues, and feudal services. He shall do this without destruction or damage to men or property. If we have given the guardianship of the land to a sheriff, or to any person answerable to us for the revenues, and he commits destruction or damage, we will exact compensation from him, and the land shall be entrusted to two worthy and prudent men of the same fee, who shall be answerable to us for the revenues, or to the person to whom we have assigned them. If we have given or sold to anyone the guardianship of such land, and he causes destruction or damage, he shall lose the guardianship of it, and it shall be handed over to two worthy and prudent men of the same fee, who shall be similarly answerable to us.

(5) For so long as a guardian has guardianship of such land, he shall maintain the houses, parks, fish preserves, ponds, mills, and everything else pertaining to it, from the revenues of the land itself. When the heir comes of age, he shall restore the whole land to him, stocked with plough teams and such implements of husbandry as the season demands and the revenues from the land can reasonably bear.

(6) Heirs may be given in marriage, but not to someone of lower social standing. Before a marriage takes place, it shall be made known to the heir's next-of-kin.

(7) At her husband's death, a widow may have her marriage portion and inheritance at once and without trouble. She shall pay nothing for her dower, marriage portion, or any inheritance that she and her husband held jointly on the day of his death. She may remain in her husband's house for forty days after his death, and within this period her dower shall be assigned to her.

(8) No widow shall be compelled to marry, so long as she wishes to remain without a husband. But she must give security that she will not marry without royal consent, if she holds her lands of the Crown, or without the consent of whatever other lord she may hold them of.

(9) Neither we nor our officials will seize any land or rent in payment of a debt, so long as the debtor has movable goods sufficient to discharge the debt. A debtor's sureties shall not be distrained upon so long as the debtor himself can discharge his debt. If, for lack of means, the debtor is unable to discharge his debt, his sureties shall be answerable for it. If they so desire, they may have the debtor's lands and rents until they have received satisfaction for the debt that they paid for him, unless the debtor can show that he has settled his obligations to them.

(10) If anyone who has borrowed a sum of money from Jews dies before the debt has been repaid, his heir shall pay no interest on the debt for so long as he remains under age, irrespective of whom he holds his lands. If such a debt falls into the hands of the Crown, it will take nothing except the principal sum specified in the bond.

(11) If a man dies owing money to Jews, his wife may have her dower and pay nothing towards the debt from it. If he leaves children that are under age, their needs may also be provided for on a scale appropriate to the size of his holding of lands. The debt is to be paid out of the residue, reserving the service due to his feudal lords. Debts owed to persons other than Jews are to be dealt with similarly.

(12) No scutage or aid may be levied in our kingdom without its general consent, unless it is for the ransom of our person, to make our eldest son a knight, and (once) to marry our eldest daughter. For these purposes only a reasonable aid may be levied. Aids from the city of London are to be treated similarly.

(13) The city of London shall enjoy all its ancient liberties and free customs, both by land and by water. We also will and grant that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall enjoy all their liberties and free customs.

(14) To obtain the general consent of the realm for the assessment of an aid - except in the three cases specified above - or a scutage, we will cause the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, and greater barons to be summoned individually by letter. To those who hold lands directly of us we will cause a general summons to be issued, through the sheriffs and other officials, to come together on a fixed day (of which at least forty days notice shall be given) and at a fixed place. In all letters of summons, the cause of the summons will be stated. When a summons has been issued, the business appointed for the day shall go forward in accordance with the resolution of those present, even if not all those who were summoned have appeared.

(15) In future we will allow no one to levy an aid from his free men, except to ransom his person, to make his eldest son a knight, and (once) to marry his eldest daughter. For these purposes only a reasonable aid may be levied.

(16) No man shall be forced to perform more service for a knight's fee, or other free holding of land, than is due from it.

(17) Ordinary lawsuits shall not follow the royal court around, but shall be held in a fixed place.

(18) Inquests of novel disseisin, mort d'ancestor, and darrein presentment shall be taken only in their proper county court. We ourselves, or in our absence abroad our chief justice, will send two justices to each county four times a year, and these justices, with four knights of the county elected by the county itself, shall hold the assizes in the county court, on the day and in the place where the court meets.

(19) If any assizes cannot be taken on the day of the county court, as many knights and freeholders shall afterwards remain behind, of those who have attended the court, as will suffice for the administration of justice, having regard to the volume of business to be done.

(20) For a trivial offence, a free man shall be fined only in proportion to the degree of his offence, and for a serious offence correspondingly, but not so heavily as to deprive him of his livelihood. In the same way, a merchant shall be spared his merchandise, and a husbandman the implements of his husbandry, if they fall upon the mercy of a royal court. None of these fines shall be imposed except by the assessment on oath of reputable men of the neighborhood.

(21) Earls and barons shall be fined only by their equals, and in proportion to the gravity of their offence.

(22) A fine imposed upon the lay property of a clerk in holy orders shall be assessed upon the same principles, without reference to the value of his ecclesiastical benefice.

(23) No town or person shall be forced to build bridges over rivers except those with an ancient obligation to do so.

(24) No sheriff, constable, coroners, or other royal officials are to hold lawsuits that should be held by the royal justices.

(25) Every county, hundred, wapentake, and tithing shall remain at its ancient rent, without increase, except the royal demesne manors.

(26) If at the death of a man who holds a lay fee of the Crown, a sheriff or royal official produces royal letters patent of summons for a debt due to the Crown, it shall be lawful for them to seize and list movable goods found in the lay fee of the dead man to the value of the debt, as assessed by worthy men. Nothing shall be removed until the whole debt is paid, when the residue shall be given over to the executors to carry out the dead man's will. If no debt is due to the Crown, all the movable goods shall be regarded as the property of the dead man, except the reasonable shares of his wife and children.

(27) If a free man dies intestate, his movable goods are to be distributed by his next-of-kin and friends, under the supervision of the Church. The rights of his debtors are to be preserved.

(28) No constable or other royal official shall take corn or other movable goods from any man without immediate payment, unless the seller voluntarily offers postponement of this.

(29) No constable may compel a knight to pay money for castle-guard if the knight is willing to undertake the guard in person, or with reasonable excuse to supply some other fit man to do it. A knight taken or sent on military service shall be excused from castle-guard for the period of this service.

(30) No sheriff, royal official, or other person shall take horses or carts for transport from any free man, without his consent.

(31) Neither we nor any royal official will take wood for our castle, or for any other purpose, without the consent of the owner.

(32) We will not keep the lands of people convicted of felony in our hand for longer than a year and a day, after which they shall be returned to the lords of the fees concerned.

(33) All fish-weirs shall be removed from the Thames, the Medway, and throughout the whole of England, except on the sea coast.

(34) The writ called precipe shall not in future be issued to anyone in respect of any holding of land, if a free man could thereby be deprived of the right of trial in his own lord's court.

(35) There shall be standard measures of wine, ale, and corn (the London quarter), throughout the kingdom. There shall also be a standard width of dyed cloth, russett, and haberject, namely two ells within the selvedges. Weights are to be standardized similarly.

(36) In future nothing shall be paid or accepted for the issue of a writ of inquisition of life or limbs. It shall be given gratis, and not refused.

(37) If a man holds land of the Crown by fee-farm, socage, or burgage, and also holds land of someone else for knight's service, we will not have guardianship of his heir, nor of the land that belongs to the other person's fee, by virtue of the fee-farm, socage, or burgage, unless the fee-farm owes knight's service. We will not have the guardianship of a man's heir, or of land that he holds of someone else, by reason of any small property that he may hold of the Crown for a service of knives, arrows, or the like.

(38) In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it.

(39) No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land.

(40) To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.

(41) All merchants may enter or leave England unharmed and without fear, and may stay or travel within it, by land or water, for purposes of trade, free from all illegal exactions, in accordance with ancient and lawful customs. This, however, does not apply in time of war to merchants from a country that is at war with us. Any such merchants found in our country at the outbreak of war shall be detained without injury to their persons or property, until we or our chief justice have discovered how our own merchants are being treated in the country at war with us. If our own merchants are safe they shall be safe too.

(42) In future it shall be lawful for any man to leave and return to our kingdom unharmed and without fear, by land or water, preserving his allegiance to us, except in time of war, for some short period, for the common benefit of the realm. People that have been imprisoned or outlawed in accordance with the law of the land, people from a country that is at war with us, and merchants - who shall be dealt with as stated above - are excepted from this provision.

(43) If a man holds lands of any escheat such as the honor of Wallingford, Nottingham, Boulogne, Lancaster, or of other escheats in our hand that are baronies, at his death his heir shall give us only the relief and service that he would have made to the baron, had the barony been in the baron's hand. We will hold the escheat in the same manner as the baron held it.

(44) People who live outside the forest need not in future appear before the royal justices of the forest in answer to general summonses, unless they are actually involved in proceedings or are sureties for someone who has been seized for a forest offence.

(45) We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or other officials, only men that know the law of the realm and are minded to keep it well.

(46) All barons who have founded abbeys, and have charters of English kings or ancient tenure as evidence of this, may have guardianship of them when there is no abbot, as is their due.

(47) All forests that have been created in our reign shall at once be disafforested. River-banks that have been enclosed in our reign shall be treated similarly.

(48) All evil customs relating to forests and warrens, foresters, warreners, sheriffs and their servants, or river-banks and their wardens, are at once to be investigated in every county by twelve sworn knights of the county, and within forty days of their enquiry the evil customs are to be abolished completely and irrevocably. But we, or our chief justice if we are not in England, are first to be informed.

(49) We will at once return all hostages and charters delivered up to us by Englishmen as security for peace or for loyal service.

(50) We will remove completely from their offices the kinsmen of Gerard de Athée, and in future they shall hold no offices in England. The people in question are Engelard de Cigogné, Peter, Guy, and Andrew de Chanceaux, Guy de Cigogné, Geoffrey de Martigny and his brothers, Philip Marc and his brothers, with Geoffrey his nephew, and all their followers.

(51) As soon as peace is restored, we will remove from the kingdom all the foreign knights, bowmen, their attendants, and the mercenaries that have come to it, to its harm, with horses and arms.

(52) To any man whom we have deprived or dispossessed of lands, castles, liberties, or rights, without the lawful judgement of his equals, we will at once restore these. In cases of dispute the matter shall be resolved by the judgement of the twenty-five barons referred to below in the clause for securing the peace (§ 61). In cases, however, where a man was deprived or dispossessed of something without the lawful judgement of his equals by our father King Henry or our brother King Richard, and it remains in our hands or is held by others under our warranty, we shall have respite for the period commonly allowed to Crusaders, unless a lawsuit had been begun, or an enquiry had been made at our order, before we took the Cross as a Crusader. On our return from the Crusade, or if we abandon it, we will at once render justice in full.

(53) We shall have similar respite in rendering justice in connection with forests that are to be disafforested, or to remain forests, when these were first afforested by our father Henry or our brother Richard; with the guardianship of lands in another person's fee, when we have hitherto had this by virtue of a fee held of us for knight's service by a third party; and with abbeys founded in another person's fee, in which the lord of the fee claims to own a right. On our return from the Crusade, or if we abandon it, we will at once do full justice to complaints about these matters.

(54) No one shall be arrested or imprisoned on the appeal of a woman for the death of any person except her husband.

(55) All fines that have been given to us unjustly and against the law of the land, and all fines that we have exacted unjustly, shall be entirely remitted or the matter decided by a majority judgement of the twenty-five barons referred to below in the clause for securing the peace (§ 61) together with Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, if he can be present, and such others as he wishes to bring with him. If the archbishop cannot be present, proceedings shall continue without him, provided that if any of the twenty-five barons has been involved in a similar suit himself, his judgement shall be set aside, and someone else chosen and sworn in his place, as a substitute for the single occasion, by the rest of the twenty-five.

(56) If we have deprived or dispossessed any Welshmen of lands, liberties, or anything else in England or in Wales, without the lawful judgement of their equals, these are at once to be returned to them. A dispute on this point shall be determined in the Marches by the judgement of equals. English law shall apply to holdings of land in England, Welsh law to those in Wales, and the law of the Marches to those in the Marches. The Welsh shall treat us and ours in the same way.

(57) In cases where a Welshman was deprived or dispossessed of anything, without the lawful judgement of his equals, by our father King Henry or our brother King Richard, and it remains in our hands or is held by others under our warranty, we shall have respite for the period commonly allowed to Crusaders, unless a lawsuit had been begun, or an enquiry had been made at our order, before we took the Cross as a Crusader. But on our return from the Crusade, or if we abandon it, we will at once do full justice according to the laws of Wales and the said regions.

(58) We will at once return the son of Llywelyn, all Welsh hostages, and the charters delivered to us as security for the peace.

(59) With regard to the return of the sisters and hostages of Alexander, king of Scotland, his liberties and his rights, we will treat him in the same way as our other barons of England, unless it appears from the charters that we hold from his father William, formerly king of Scotland, that he should be treated otherwise. This matter shall be resolved by the judgement of his equals in our court.

(60) All these customs and liberties that we have granted shall be observed in our kingdom in so far as concerns our own relations with our subjects. Let all men of our kingdom, whether clergy or laymen, observe them similarly in their relations with their own men.

(61) SINCE WE HAVE GRANTED ALL THESE THINGS for God, for the better ordering of our kingdom, and to allay the discord that has arisen between us and our barons, and since we desire that they shall be enjoyed in their entirety, with lasting strength, for ever, we give and grant to the barons the following security:

The barons shall elect twenty-five of their number to keep, and cause to be observed with all their might, the peace and liberties granted and confirmed to them by this charter.

If we, our chief justice, our officials, or any of our servants offend in any respect against any man, or transgress any of the articles of the peace or of this security, and the offence is made known to four of the said twenty-five barons, they shall come to us - or in our absence from the kingdom to the chief justice - to declare it and claim immediate redress. If we, or in our absence abroad the chief justice, make no redress within forty days, reckoning from the day on which the offence was declared to us or to him, the four barons shall refer the matter to the rest of the twenty-five barons, who may distrain upon and assail us in every way possible, with the support of the whole community of the land, by seizing our castles, lands, possessions, or anything else saving only our own person and those of the queen and our children, until they have secured such redress as they have determined upon. Having secured the redress, they may then resume their normal obedience to us.

Any man who so desires may take an oath to obey the commands of the twenty- five barons for the achievement of these ends, and to join with them in assailing us to the utmost of his power. We give public and free permission to take this oath to any man who so desires, and at no time will we prohibit any man from taking it. Indeed, we will compel any of our subjects who are unwilling to take it to swear it at our command.

If one of the twenty-five barons dies or leaves the country, or is prevented in any other way from discharging his duties, the rest of them shall choose another baron in his place, at their discretion, who shall be duly sworn in as they were.

In the event of disagreement among the twenty-five barons on any matter referred to them for decision, the verdict of the majority present shall have the same validity as a unanimous verdict of the whole twenty-five, whether these were all present or some of those summoned were unwilling or unable to appear.

The twenty-five barons shall swear to obey all the above articles faithfully, and shall cause them to be obeyed by others to the best of their power.

We will not seek to procure from anyone, either by our own efforts or those of a third party, anything by which any part of these concessions or liberties might be revoked or diminished. Should such a thing be procured, it shall be null and void and we will at no time make use of it, either ourselves or through a third party.

(62) We have remitted and pardoned fully to all men any ill-will, hurt, or grudges that have arisen between us and our subjects, whether clergy or laymen, since the beginning of the dispute. We have in addition remitted fully, and for our own part have also pardoned, to all clergy and laymen any offences committed as a result of the said dispute between Easter in the sixteenth year of our reign (i.e. 1215) and the restoration of peace.

In addition we have caused letters patent to be made for the barons, bearing witness to this security and to the concessions set out above, over the seals of Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, Henry archbishop of Dublin, the other bishops named above, and Master Pandulf.

(63) IT IS ACCORDINGLY OUR WISH AND COMMAND that the English Church shall be free, and that men in our kingdom shall have and keep all these liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably in their fullness and entirety for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs, in all things and all places for ever.

Both we and the barons have sworn that all this shall be observed in good faith and without deceit. Witness the abovementioned people and many others.

Given by our hand in the meadow that is called Runnymede, between Windsor and Staines, on the fifteenth day of June in the seventeenth year of our reign (i.e. 1215: the new regnal year began on 28 May).

-------------------------------------------

Link Source:

The Magna Carta

Includes history of the Magna Carta

-------------------------------------------

Warning Label on US Constitution

2010-06-13T10:33:00.012-04:00

[click on warning/disclaimer to enlarge text]

[Excerpt Fox News]
[Publishing Company Under Fire for Putting Warning Label on Constitution]

A small publishing company is under fire after putting warning labels on copies of the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other historical documents.

Wilder Publications warns readers of its reprints of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, the Articles of Confederation, and the Federalist Papers, among others, that “This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today.”

The disclaimer goes on to tell parents that they "might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written before allowing them to read this classic work."

Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, says the company may be trying to ensure that oversensitive people don't pull its works off bookstore or library shelves.

[End of Excerpt]

This is absolutely unbelievable.

If you take a quick look at the Wilder Publications website, you can see that this company sells a lot of good books. Not only do they sell historical documents but books from every genre, which includes a lot of new age/spirituality books.

My opinion is that Wilder Publications must be in a mad rush to sell books, particularly the New Age/Spirituality books. These books are written from the view point of cultures all around the world.

Keep in mind that of course western philosophies and Christianity would certainly offend some eastern or middle east cultures, the secular minded, and a large percentage of liberals.

That is too bad. The US Constitution was framed based on certain immutable principles and the rule of law; sovereign states voluntarily joining in union for the purpose of defense and the protection of freedom, thus forming a REPUBLIC form of government.

I have to wonder if Wilder Publications are putting a disclaimer/warning on the constitutions of other countries?

There are 2 ways that bloggers can help to counter the actions of Wilder Publications and other companies and/or persons like them.

1] Boycott them. Don't buy their books.

2] Copy all historic documents onto your blog [not just links to other websites] making the documents available to everyone for free. These documents will be available on Corridors within the week.

Americans should not have to pay for our own historical documents, especially when a publisher attaches a warning label to them.

This is the ultimate insult.

Bookstore owners and libraries can help counter Wilder Publications by:

1] pulling their books anyway!

Americans should offer nor accept any apology for the framing of the US Constitution, historical facts/documentation, or the defense of American history.

What is Oh-So-Sweet about this issue is that Americans can finally read and began to understand what certain people think of the US government.

A Constitution is only as good as the spirit/respect of it that lives in the heart of it's people. When that spirit/respect is no longer there, the Constitution is dead.

*NOTE*

Wilder Publications sells one of my favorite books, "As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen. However, you don't need to purchase this book - you can download it for free here in pdf format. This web site also sells other James Allen books, I'm not sure if the books are published via Wilder Publications or not - if so, don't buy. Be careful on books - some of the titles that Wilder publishes may be available as a free e-book or available to read on-line.

USA Memorial Day

2010-06-12T15:15:00.006-04:00

(click on photos to enlarge to read text)

Buried at the Marietta National Cemetery (also known as the Union Cemetery) is Lt. Col W. A. Phelps, who served his country in Vietnam. On Memorial Day weekend as I looked over the cemetery, this headstone stood above the others. The list of honors on the back of this headstone and the epitaph on the front says everything that needs to be said.

This year, 2010, this headstone stands alone and should give everyone a reason for pause.

Honky Tonk Night Time Man

2010-05-09T22:55:00.004-04:00

And then my heart starts beatin'
when the sun starts sinking low,
Well my heart starts beatin'
when the sun starts sinking low,
When the shadows fall,
I know its time for me to go.

~Merle Haggard

Honky Tonk Night Time Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd

------------------------------

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T12:54:00.003-04:00

That special day in May is here.

Wishing all Mothers everywhere a Happy Mother's Day!

Especially my Moma, Ms. Nancy Jane..:)

Confederate Memorial Day[s]

2010-04-27T04:10:00.007-04:00

Scenes from Confederate Memorial Day 2010

Shortclip - Gun Salute

------------------------------------

Video from Confederate Memorial Day 2008

Shortclip - Fire In the Hole

-----------------------------------

Garden of Heroes

2010-04-24T13:25:00.011-04:00

Update on Brown Park:

In my previous post on Brown Park [August 6, 2007] plans for improvements were revealed via the City of Marietta web site. Brown Park, which is adjacent to the City/Confederate Cemetery, is to be joined as one. During the past year, new sections for the iron fence that surrounds the City/Confederate Cemetery has been added, expanding toward Brown Park. Upon completion, Brown Park will be enclosed within the fence together with the City/Confederate Cemetery.

Earlier in the week I stopped by to check out the progress - and I was really amazed at what I found. Two Walls of Honor lists the names of all known Confederate soldiers buried there - on the back of the two walls are the names of contributors and a historical account of the Confederate Cemetery, complete with battlefield map. Between the two walls, in front of the gazebo, a monument is dedicated to the memory of the Unknown Confederate Soldiers buried there. The park now has brick sidewalks and historical benches.

Nearly 148 years of hard work and persistence has paid off. Marietta now has one of the finest Confederate Cemeteries anywhere in the State. I know that women such as Mattie Harris Lyons and Mary Green are surely looking down, smiling.

-----------------

Confederate Memorial Day Service, 2010, will be held at the Marietta Confederate Cemetery on Sunday April 25th, at 2:00 pm.

-------------

[click on photos to enlarge]

Two Walls of Honor

Garden of Heroes

In Memory of the Unknown Confederate Soldier

Battlefield Map, North Georgia

Miss Mary Green's Address to GA Legislature

Historical Bench

Inscripted, the historical bench book reads:

Confederate Losses
and Nearby Battles


Chickamauga             18,454
Kennesaw Mountain        1,000
Kolb's Farm              1,000
Rocky Face             Unknown
Resaca                   2,800
New Hope Church        Unknown
Pickett's Mill             500
Dallas                   3,000
Marietta               Unknown
Peachtree Creek          4,796
Atlanta                  8,499

------------------------

A Day at the Horses

2010-04-23T20:45:00.007-04:00

Lori and I skidded down a bank to get close to this field and hopefully a few good pics - but these horses ignored us, only wanting to munch out on grass and roll in the dirt...

Lori with Bodyguard who belongs to a friend of Lori.

Bodyguard's pals next door. They didn't like the camera (the flash spooks horses) and gave me the evil eye the entire time. The one on the right end kept his head down and peeped out at me between the rails until me and that camera was walking away.

In Memory

2010-04-05T23:13:00.003-04:00

In memory of Jerry Wilson
February 11, 1955 - April 1, 2010

Peace and Love

2010-03-07T00:15:00.003-05:00

The parking lot wall mural at Doc Chey's Noodle House, located on N Decatur Rd, near Emory University in Atlanta. I think it looks cool...:)

New Hightower Church

2010-02-17T23:38:00.014-05:00

Part One - A Visit in the Daylight

New Hightower Baptist Church located on Shoal Creek Rd in Canton, GA.

A monument outside of the front entrance says:

"A Remnant from
New Hightower Baptist Church
Burned by vandals
1990.

New Hightower Baptist Church constituted in 1886 as a school, church, and for the burial of the dead."

The pavilion is located in the back of the church. The structure and tables are in fine shape. Dinners and other activities are conducted here during warm weather.

Instead of photoing the path a head of me, this pic was taken in the opposite direction, looking back at the pavilion. As you can see, to the left of the pavilion is a dirt path that leads down into the woods and there is a long, winding creek. Near the creek is the location of the old Baptismal pool.

I was told that back in the day horse and buggy use to take people down to the creek to be baptized or to witness a baptism. I wonder what they did before the pool - if they were baptized in the creek or went on to the river. I haven't walked the trails, but I was told that the trails in back of the church leads to the Etowah River.

The old Baptismal Pool. A set of wooden steps are still intact. At one time the pool was filled with creek water; later, water lines were installed. A water meter is only a few feet away.

Across the street from the church is the New Hightower Baptist Cemetery.

If you are standing in front of the church looking across the street at the cemetery, this is a pic of the road as it dead ends to the left. If you look to your left, you will see an entrance into the cemetery and also a huge oak tree at the edge of the cemetery. This was the location of the old New Hightower Baptist Church. The entrance doors were very close to this tree. After the church was burned in 1990, the church was rebuilt across the street, and the old location was used to expand the cemetery.

*Note - The oak tree is significant - it is known as 'the hanging tree'.

There was an older church before this one - the original New Hightower Baptist Church was a log cabin - a pile of rocks mark the location.

----------------------------------------------------------

New Hightower Baptist Church is a pretty church - you can tell from the pictures that it is isolated - nothing around but woods. Services are no longer held but one day per month or once every 3 weeks. I believe that because of the location and lack of services that many people come to New Hightower to party and hang out in the woods. Some people believe that other things go on out there...

----------------------------------------------------------

Back in the 80's a body was discovered on church property. This lead to rumors of Satanic Worship and/or rituals being carried out in the woods. People have said that often the area around the Baptismal Pool is littered with beer bottles and other things.

Then in 1990, the church was firebombed by one Michael Douglas Priest Jr. Since then, the church and the church cemetery is often the target of vandalism, most recently in March and April of 2009. See photo gallery of vandalism here.

[Excerpt AJC.com]
["Teens charged with causing $100,000 damage to Canton church" by: Mike Morris]

Six teenagers were arrested Thursday in connection with recent vandalism that caused an estimated $100,000 damage to a Cherokee County church that has been the target of teen vandals in the past, authorities said.

New Hightower Baptist Church on Shoal Creek Road in Canton, which is reputed by some to be a “haunted church,” was vandalized on March 27 and again on April 3, Cherokee sheriff’s Major Ron Hunton said Friday.

“The offenders damaged some 40 tombstones and burglarized the church,” Hunton said.

He said the suspects burned church hymnals inside the building and damaged the air duct system of the church.
[...]
Michael Douglas Priest Jr., 18, claimed he was trying to avenge his father’s murder by burning down the church, and was later sentenced to 90 days in a boot-camp-style prison and 10 years’ probation.

According to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution account of Priest’s 1991 sentencing, the teen contended that he and two juvenile accomplices believed they were striking at a reputed site of Satan worship, and believed that he was punishing Jack Howard Potts, who had kidnapped and killed Michael Douglas Priest Sr. 16 years earlier.

Potts kidnapped the teen’s father and killed him in a remote Forsyth County field as he begged for mercy. Potts died of liver cancer at the Augusta State Medical Prison in 2005.

[End of Excerpt]

In the article above, you will notice that the church is reputed to be haunted and is refered to as 'Hell Church'. If you do a search on Google many different stories are circulating about New Hightower Church. Some people claim that piano music can be heard from inside the church and that orbs are a common site in the cemetery. I'm not sure about the legend of the hanging tree - I can't pin its origin - perhaps some of the older church members or locals will know.

I plan on going back when the weather is warmer - I want to see where the trails lead. I'm also trying to find a photo of the old church that was burned in 1990.

I don't know if the church is haunted or not but I didn't see or hear anything unusual when these photos were taken back in December. Maybe even the spirits thought it was just too cold!

On The Cliff's Edge

2010-02-15T00:47:00.004-05:00

Here we go again...The weather report for metro-Atlanta is looking grim for in the early a.m. - more snow for our area! I can't believe it. Today, most of the snow that we got on Friday was almost all melted away. Now more is coming.

This winter has been so long - and cold. Whenever I'm at home, all I do is walk around in jogging pants, sweatshirt, wool socks, house shoes, and even gloves. I can't remember if I brushed my hair yesterday...I think I did today...I have one nerve left and Old Man Winter is all over it...

Tomorrow, I have business over in Douglas County - and it's suppose to snow again. Think I'll go anyway...Yep, just get in my truck, do what I've gotta do, and maybe drive around and take a few snow pics...

I'm thinking maybe I might go and visit my uncle - the one who lives in Florida. Hang out at his house for a while. I might drive through The Varsity and grab him a few hot dogs. Pack them in my cooler. They'll be almost frozen by the time I get to his house. He can stick them in the microwave.

If I don't post again tomorrow night, you'll know that I've *slid on over the cliff*.

Fun at Kroger

2010-02-12T22:47:00.003-05:00

2010 starts out with gas prices holding at around $2.46 - around Cobb, Paulding, and Douglas counties, most stops have basically the same price. This photo was taken at the Kroger on Thornton Rd at Maxham Rd. in Lithia Springs around 3:00 p.m. today.

I didn't want to - but I had to go out and get coffee and milk. I got there just in time. Women were lining up at the coolers - by the time I got my turn there were only 2 gallons of Mayfield milk left in the cooler. I grabbed one and headed for the checkout.

The lines were horrendous - people/carts were backed up down the aisles. While I was paying for my stuff, some drunk dude came in the store and started yelling for everyone to move and let him by - that no one owned the floor - and all he needed was a six pack.

When I first arrived, the snow had just began to cover the ground. It is almost 11:30 p.m. and it is no longer snowing but the temperature has dropped to 30 degrees with an over-night low expected to be only 23 degrees. That means...that all the slush will freeze over night and we'll have a big mess in the morning.

All of the kids are having fun though - and tomorrow a few people will at their local shopping center parking lots doing donuts in their trucks.

National Tea Party Convention

2010-02-05T13:34:00.006-05:00

began today.

[Excerpt - Worldnet Daily.com]
[Watch Farah Live at 1st National Tea-Party Convention]

Not only is C-SPAN slated to broadcast the event on cable television from 9 to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, PJTV will stream a free live feed of the convention, including Farah's address and tea-party strategy workshops, from its website. Online viewers must register an e-mail address to watch the events via the Internet.

Tea Party Nation is hosting the convention until Saturday at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. Farah will present his speech tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.

"To say we are thrilled Joseph Farah is speaking is an understatement," Phillips told WND. "He was a tea partier before there was a tea-party movement."
[...]
Farah joins former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and other prominent speakers such as commentator Andrew Breitbart; WND columnist Judge Roy Moore; Phil Valentine, popular radio talk-show host and author of "The Conservative Handbook"; Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton and Fox News Political Analyst Angela McGlowan, among others. Former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., opened the event.
[...]
The speaking schedule is as follows:

* Today, Feb. 5
9:30 a.m. EST: Steve Milloy and Mark Skoda
2 p.m. EST: Judge Roy Moore and Tom Fitton
9 p.m. EST: Angela McGlowan and Joseph Farah

* Saturday, Feb. 6
10 a.m. EST: Andrew Breitbart and Ana Puig
9 p.m. EST: Sarah Palin

[End of Excerpt]

-----------------------------

*Note* - PJTV's website has listed Sarah Palin to speak on 2-6-10 at 8:00 p.m. instead of 9:00 p.m.

----------------------------

Tenth Amendment Summit

2010-02-05T00:53:00.005-05:00

Politics are heating up not only in Georgia but all across the US as 2010 is election year. Coming up in February is the Tenth Amendment Summit to be held in Atlanta, Feb. 25th and 26th. Tickets are $50.

Speakers are: Judge Andrew Napolitano - former NJ Superior Court Judge, now a political and legal analyst for Fox News, Chief Justice Roy Moore - candidate for Governor of Alabama, and Ray McBerry - candidate for Governor of Georgia.

I wish that I could be there, I'm sure that this is going to be an interesting and powerful political event. Hopefully, the summit will be videoed and put on dvd for sale - I would love to own a copy.

After thought...
I also wish that I could be a *fly on the wall* in liberal/marxist hotspots - wherever that may be - because events like this throughout the year are going to heat up November, especially with the election of Scott Brown (R) to late Teddy's seat.

----------------------------------

UPDATE - December 15, 2010

Re: Tenth Amendment Summit - Atlanta, Georgia - Feb. 26, 2010

The Tenth Amendment Summit DVD Set is now available on Ray McBerry's new web site, Tenth Amendment Solutions.com.

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A Long Month

2010-01-31T21:49:00.003-05:00

I would wish everyone a Happy New Year but given that it is the last day of the month - it seems kind of LATE...:)

January *sneaked in* - barely noticed. The New Year marked hardly any distinction from 2009 - indeed, the two years seem to want to blend together. And considering the forecast for 2010, they probably will.

Some days, when I'm out walking, my concentration scatters - it's almost as if I can sense a vile wind approaching. It doesn't stop there - 5 times in the past month, the dogs surround me in my dreams, and in one dream, one bit my left thigh. Could all of this be premonitions of future events? Hopefully not.

I have spent my free time procrastinating - and being undisciplined.

Some events over the past year or so are enough to almost break the spirit...

Notice that I said *ALMOST*.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T15:49:00.003-05:00

It's Christmas Eve and once more Christmas time is here. This past few months have been hectic, a lot to do, so there has been very little time for blogging. For most of us this is a time of yearpeace and serenity - but for one close to me, it may be his last Christmas. This is a time of year to cherish because sometimes it turns out that memories are all that you will have next year - and for everyone, may they all be beautiful.

I'd like to wish everyone who lands on this blog (and those who don't) a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Dixie

Hiking the Yellow Trail

2009-12-10T18:53:00.018-05:00

Sweetwater Creek State Park - Part 4

Bridge at Ferguson's Crossing Destroyed (built 1998)

Destroyed by the flood waters in September 2009, this is how the military surplus bridge now looks that only a few months ago provided passage across Sweetwater Creek and access to the east side of the Yellow Trail. This picture doesn't do the site justice - the view from the creek bank looks as if the middle of the bridge collapsed - apparently it did - for some of the bridge lies on the east bank and some lies on the west bank. More pics are in the Picasa album below to get a better understanding of the destruction of the bridge and erosion of the creek banks.

Slipping in the Back Door

Back in October, I was told that the bridge was out - therefore no access to the east Yellow Trail - but that if I really wanted to hike the trail that I would have to go in the back way. The way to do this is via Thornton Rd. to Factory Shoals Rd. to Douglas Hill Rd. There is no place to park so I arranged to be dropped off and picked up. The gated road leading into the park is what I assume was once part of the old Factory Shoals Rd, that at some point has been rerouted. There is a yellow sign on a log beside the gate that states, *Boundary - Georgia State Park*.

The road that leads down to Sweetwater Creek is eroded - but is only about a quarter mile. It ends right before the creek bank and near where the bridge should be. Over to the right a huge tree was lying partially on the bank with the remaining part in the creek. It was no surprise to me - apparently the flood waters were very high, strong and swift in this area. On both sides of the creek, trees are destroyed, many laid down against the bank and/or in the water.

Erosion

Facing the creek, the east Yellow Trail begins to the left. A yellow marked sign/post directs you down a set of wooded steps. This part of the trail basically follows the banks of Sweetwater Creek. The banks and trail are heavily eroded and much debris is laying across the trail. Difficult to travel at some spots, but it is still passable. Considering all of the trees, limbs, and leaves that I had to climb over and through, I'm just glad that a sneaky snake wasn't slithering around - luckily they were hiding in their holes for the winter! It's unusual to walk along Sweetwater Creek and not see at least one snake either on the trail or wrapped around the limbs of a bush.

A Good Hike

Once you leave the Creek area and begin the climb up into the hills, the landscape changes dramatically. For the rest of the hike, the trails are almost perfect. Plant life (bushes and such) are almost non-existent - this area is mainly hardwoods and pines. Natural streams spring out of the hills and flow down to the big Creek below. Green moss is plentiful and every now and then you can see a group of ferns - but mostly you see only trees and leaves. The leaves were very thick. I made such a noise as I walked that there is no wonder that the only animal I saw was a squirrel - who acted as if it was irritated that I was being so loud and disturbing (squirrels, like rabbits, do not like loud noise).

The Ancient Shelter Rock

The highlight of the trail was the Ancient Shelter Rock. This picture shows how it looks on the trail without zooming in. The natural cave actually goes back a bit into the bank. According to the literature at Sweetwater Park (see: Hiking Trails), ancient fire pits, flakes from chipping stone tools and smoke on the ceiling are evidence that Native Americans made use of this shelter rock.

Zoom in on the rock just a little - see those brown spots on the rock? You probably can't tell by this pic unless you know what you're looking at - but with a pair of little binoculars you can clearly see that those little brown spots are *Dirt Dauber* nests, or what's left of them. There are hundreds of them!

According to a Wikipedia article that I just read, the males stay and protect the nest while the females go out and search for spiders, obviously to paralyze and stuff down in the holes of their nests for dinner...

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the brick pits - the leaves were just too heavy. I'll have to catch that site next spring.

Sweetwater Creek State Park - Hiking the Yellow Trail

-----------------------

See also:

Part One - Sneaky Snake

Part Two - Hiking the Red Trail

Part Three - New Manchester Mill Ruins

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King Tut

2009-12-05T21:05:00.006-05:00

Now when I die
Now don't think I'm a nut
Don't want no fancy funeral
Just one like ole King Tut!

Steve Martin - King Tut - SNL 1978

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-25T16:18:00.004-05:00

Once again, it's that time of year - wishing everyone who stops by here the best of Thanksgiving...:)

Little Kennesaw Mountain

2009-11-21T22:26:00.005-05:00

This is a pic of Little Kennesaw Mountain taken a few weekends ago as I was walking down the big Mountain road back to the info center. The sun was going down but still it was almost blinding. This is a great time of year to hike the mountain(s) because the colors are beautiful.

I've hiked all along Kennesaw Mountain and Pigeon Hill but I've never taken the trail from either one that leads to the summit of Little Kennesaw Mountain. (All 3 are joined, Little Kennesaw stands between Big Kennesaw and Pigeon Hill.)

On this particular day, a Sunday, JK and Larrie decided to go along with me. We parked my truck at the info center and got dropped off at Pigeon Hill. The sign at the beginning of the trail says "Confederate trenches 500 feet" but I must say that the 500 feet is straight uphill. Yes siree, straight up - not only to the trenches - but to the rocks and boulders - and what I now call 'The Valley of Godzillas'. Lizards everywhere - big ones too!

After you get to the summit of Pigeon Hill, the trail levels out for a short distance before the incline begins again. The scenery is pretty and some of the rock formations are spectacular. Huge rocks and boulders are everywhere, some of them large enough to sit or stand in.

Right before you get to the summit of Little Kennesaw, there is a great view of the skyline of Atlanta - a very different view from what was seen in 1864.

On top of Little Kennesaw:

A sign reads Fort McBride, apparently constructed by the Confederate Army - but never *really built*. The Confederate soldiers on Little Kennesaw mainly fought in skirmishes and their main battle was for Pigeon Hill and surrounding area.

According to the info on Little Kennesaw there was originally 9 cannons on top of Little Kennesaw - today there are only 4. Those cannons were used in defense of Pigeon Hill.

So were the rocks and boulders.

Hiking from Pigeon Hill to Little Kennesaw

See also:

Cheatham Hill - The Dead Angle
Kennesaw Mountain Demonstrations

Tomorrow They Wake...

2009-10-30T13:49:00.004-04:00

A section of the Halloween graveyard set up by a neighbor's kids. Fog and live zombies to be included!

[Update Nov. 1, 2009]

West Virginia storyteller Susanna Holstein has a great collection of ghost stories on her blog. Click here to check them out! Check Susanna out anytime - she always has a great story to tell..:)