Unidentified Federal Agents Surround Peaceful Protestors

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Les
Unidentified Federal Agents Surround Peaceful Protestors






Original Photo Library of Congress
Ku Klux Klan Rally, 1923
The Hammond Studio
Meridian and Jackson Mississippi



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Trump’s Agent Provocateurs on Taxpayer Dime

Posted on July 21, 2020 by Les
The barbarians are at the gate.




Who are the rogue federal agents in Portland and now headed to Chicago?
What is there purpose?
Who is in charge?
Who is paying for them?

The use of unidentifiable agents to enforce, or make up, the law is criminal, whether done by city, state, or federal agencies. This is anathema to everything this country stands for and is a threat to every American no matter what their political affiliation. These agents are the hammer to beat down any criticism regardless whose it may be.

These agents are above the law because they can’t be identified and held accountable for their extrajudicial actions. Without accountability these people are free to do what they want and then deny their actions to the public and their own superior officers. They are loose cannons pointed at every American.

In addition, we are paying their salaries! These bullies are government employees hired to serve the people of the United States but are now acting at the pleasure of the President and his cadre of rebels.

These agents are Vigilantes, direct descendants of the Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Gestapo and SS, and Russian NKGB.

Their purpose is not law and order. It is just the opposite. These masked bullies are Agent Provocateurs, a paramilitary force acting at the direction of Trump and his Administration. Their purpose is to use the cover of the law to directly attack free speech and the 1st Amendment.

They have a much more sinister role as well. As provocateurs they are intended to get a violent response that can then be used as a justification for escalating the violence against Americans. This is the excuse that Trump will use to call in the U.S. military to patrol our streets and attack peaceful demonstrators.

This is the final act before marshal law is invoked and the November elections are postponed: CANCELLED.

Counting on the military to stay out of this assault on our freedoms is no longer certain. In the past, our military’s generals, and officer corps have observed the Constitution’s ban on the use of US armed forces on US soil. I believe most of these leaders will still observe this law.

I don’t know how the enlisted personnel feel. I hope they see that it’s best for the US and all Americans to not get sucked into the bloody mess Trump is trying to steer us into.  We all support the troops, not just the right-wing. In the past when we demonstrated against senseless wars, like Iraq, our goal was to protect our troops. We need them in this dangerous world, which is why we must only ask them to go into harms way when absolutely necessary. Fighting for the profits of oil companies and arms manufacturers isn’t defending our freedom or our nation. The people of our military are our sons and daughters, husbands, and wives. They are too precious to be squandered for business interests or the political gain of a party or President.  

I have no doubt that Trump and his cohort will continue to push their attack on the 1st Amendment or their demonizing of fellow Americans which makes it easier to justify violence against us.

If you have family or friends in the military, reach out to them and tell them that you care and how important it is to remain faithful with the Constitution, staying out of a fake emergency engineered to get them to harm fellow Americans.

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Thank You John Lewis, R.I.P

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Les
Representative John Lewis, Civil Rights Leader, Man of Integrity and Courage

Friday night, Congressional Representative John Lewis died of cancer. He was 80 years old. An icon of the Civil Rights Movement, he was a man of integrity. He was a man of courage, as he demonstrated many times through his life. He was a genuine Hero who battle hatred and brutality with non-violence. John Lewis could see a bright future for African Americans and all of the people of the United States. He devoted his life to getting there.

Right now, the future appears bleak. Racism and bigotry have sprouted openly, like a poisonous weed, and bullies have been emboldened.

However, the life of John Lewis is a powerful example of what a person can do in the face of ancient hatreds. We Americans, regardless of the color of our skin, faith, gender identification, age or any other descriptor that is used to divide us, have a shared destiny to fulfill.

Our foes are strong but not as strong as our shared faith in our better angles and the power of non-violence.

Thank you John Lewis for your life-long example of courage in the face of racism and the shadow of cancer. Rest In Peace, Sir. There are many more who will carry on in your name.





The image of Representative John Lewis is based on a photo by Eric Etheridge.
See https://www.facebook.com/SErikEtheridgePhotography
His photo has appeared in Wired and on the Family Action Network website.
Thank you Mr. Etheridge.

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Freedom Is Not Free

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Les
With Freedom Comes Responsibility

Recently, we celebrated the 244th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the birth of the United States, our home. That evening, as it was growing dark, I reflected on past July 4th twilight. Those hushed moments of anticipation just before the fireworks began exploding around the city. Looking from my second-floor windows, I would see faint ring fairy lights glittering on the horizon. There would be a constant mumbling of distant thunder. Not this year. The world has changed, and the air is still. The old expectation was there but the evening was empty. Local revelers who once entertained until midnight were few. It seemed that their efforts were half-hearted, plaintive.

During the day, we Americans celebrated the birth of the United States, the Great American Experiment. When the Founders created our Union, they consciously posed fundamental questions about human nature and the contest between Freedom and Responsibility. Questions that require every generation is required to answer.  

Can we, a free people, govern ourselves fairly and wisely?
Can we be just and compassionate?
Can we live independent lives and still work for the good of all?
Can we remain a United States?

Or will we succumb to the ancient evils?
Will self-interest prevail over the common good?
Will the allure of corrupting power pervert our society and government?
Will we sacrifice our individual freedoms for the false promises of security and stability?
Will we turn on each other?  

Today, those answers have never been in greater doubt.

Like our ancestors, we are in a fight to the death for our nation. Our Founders fought Britain with its belligerent Monarchy and nearsighted Parliament while struggling with monarchists at home. 

We struggle against a tsunami of adversaries. We battle global pandemic that has killed at least 138,000 Americans since January. We fight a coup d’état by a rebel President, Republican Party, wealthy Elite, and fellow citizens who have been deceived. We wage an unrelenting campaign against the existential threat of Climate Change and a poisoned Environment. We combat international foes who sabotage our politics, attack our people, and harass allies abroad. We brutalize ourselves with racism and bigotry.

We are in the last days of our Democracy. We are losing our rights and freedoms, bit-by-bit, each day. We only have the time between now and Election Day to stop the final conquest of the United States by the traitorous rebels.

COVID-19: An Analog of America

O say can you see,
By the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed,
At the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad strips and bright stars,
Through the perilous night.
O’er the patients we watched,
Who were so badly bleeding?
And the flashing red lights glare,
The lungs thirsting for air,
Gave proof through the night,
That help still was not here.
O say does that blood-spattered banner,
Still wave?
Or the home of the deceived,
And the land of the graves?

The COVID-19 disaster is an analogy for the state of our nation and people today. The virus, invisible and deadly, is burning its way through our nation, attacking us physically and spiritually. The response to the disease is fragmented. Some areas bring down the illness using science and reason. Others challenge the experts, do little or nothing while claiming that everything is alright, even though infections, hospitalizations and deaths are soaring. Credible information is hard to get because our government is systematically silencing the CDC and public health experts as quickly as possible. The President and his administration cover their lethal mishandling of the crisis by scapegoating the people who were doing the most to protect us. It is a pattern we see time and again across our nation. A pattern dealing with racial injustice, free speech, healthcare, climate change and our environment.

The world we lived in before New Year’s Day, 2020 is gone forever. To survive the new one and save our nation and people, we need to accept this new reality and adapt to it. This will require that we must pull together and make sacrifices. We need to vote in a government that is concerned about our welfare and can provide wise, farsighted leadership. We need to look after each other.

Our new reality is hard to accept. Some people are having difficulty, or are unwilling, to adapt to the new world we live in. They are confused by the contrary messages flooding our news and media. They believe the disease afflicting our nation is not as serious as stated. It attacks others but not them. Some are convinced that the pandemic is a political hoax. A few even imagine that it attacks those who are less deserving or inferior. Some must be sacrificed so that we can revive our economy. Personal sacrifice is too much to ask and it is more important to return to the past, ignoring the hard lessons and the deadly consequences. The pain of others is not important.

Sadly, a portion of the public has chosen to ignore our reality and act on their mistaken beliefs. They have decided to impose their destructive will on the rest of us.

Consequences

Currently in the U.S., there are over 3,400,000 cases of CVOID-19 with over 138,000 Americans dead. We see our healthcare systems pushed to their breaking points. Sadly, this time the curve is not flattening. It continues to build. Our nation leads the world in cases reported and deaths. In a list of nations and their response to the contagion, the US ranks at the bottom along with Russia and Brazil.

Since January we have been on a rollercoaster ride with soaring rates of disease, hospital admissions, and deaths. Followed by responses from some cities and states requiring common sense actions, self-quarantine, social distancing, wearing masks, and when necessary, closing all gatherings including work. In these places the spread of the coronavirus slowed along with fewer infections, admissions, and deaths. Elsewhere, cities and states decided to employ halfhearted measures or continue business as usual. A vocal minority pushed to reopen the nation which happened in most states. As predicted, the virus came back with a vengeance, which is where we are now. And yet, Trump and his administration continue to push for a return to normal, a fantasy, and many states follow along.  

We, as citizens of the US, are no longer welcome internationally. Countries that have exercised self-discipline, followed expert advice, brought down the contagion, and successfully reopened their societies, do not want us around. Japan has told the US military that replacement service personnel are not welcome. Our handling of the virus has made us too dangerous to be allowed in civilized society.

Understandably, we want to return to work and stability. The economic impact of the virus has devastated America’s Main Street, both Labor and the Middle Class. Millions of us are facing eviction from apartments and family homes. Our savings are evaporating, and poverty is like a wildfire sweeping through a forest. Our economy needs rescue.

Similarly, our society is suffering. We are social beings and crave contact with family, friends, and the world at large. We attend our houses of worship and join public service groups to share common values and to work together. We gather in bars, restaurants, theaters, parks, and stadiums because we need to share common experiences.

However, to reopen safely and without a resurgence of illness and death, it is necessary that all of us participate in the effort to stop the spread of the disease. It is a sign of respect towards ourselves and our communities to wear masks, practice social distancing and self-quarantine, and when necessary, comply with stay-at-home orders. There is much that we can do individually, in our local communities and states. But, complete success requires that our government provide effective, humane guidance and ensure that resources are available in sufficient quantities to defeat the disease.

As of today, we remain fragmented, our government is sabotaging our efforts, and we can clearly see the consequences.

We do not need to continue down our fatal path. We are a free people, living in a Democracy that represents the will of we the people. If our government refuses to consider our welfare, then we are empowered to replace it with one that will.

Freedom Is Not Free

Personal freedom is often used as a reason for ignoring the public health practices required to combat COVID-19. In the name of Freedom people claim the right to act irresponsibly. This an irresponsible freedom which is anarchy.

As a nation we have forgotten the that with freedom comes responsibility and with greater freedom we have in the US, greater responsibility. To succeed, we need to find the balance between our personal freedom and its impact on the freedom of others.

American Democracy is the freest form of a society yet devised. And, over time we have come to realize that our freedom grows when all members our society are able to participate. It is not easy. Our Democracy is the most difficult form of government possible because it demands from all its citizens to make the effort to be continually informed and engaged in governing ourselves. We must come together, and thinking of the greater good, hammer out a compromise that we can agree on. Strongman governments are appealing because it is simpler to let someone else do the tedious work of being informed, considering alternative points of view, discussing them face to face, finding a solution, and deciding.

One of the fundamental truths of a democracy is: A free society is only as free as its most vulnerable members. These are the people with little political power or the ability to use it, people of color, poor and homeless, old, infirm, ignorant, and those on the edges of our society.

Just like other societies, we maintain social order with traditions and rules that reflect our beliefs and values. When our traditions and rules limit the freedom of other people, we undermine the stability of our society and create a threat to our own security. If one group of Americans can oppress another, in time, the situation will change and what goes around comes around. Someone else will make the rules. To think otherwise is hubris.

Paradoxically, when we restrict someone else’s freedom, we place the same limitation on ourselves. For instance, freedom of speech. If criticism of the government is denied the Left, it is also restricted for those on the Right who have differences of opinion with the government, even though they support it. The issue is not freedom of speech, it is expressing criticism. A government that is unwilling to hear the criticism of its opposition is just as unwilling to hear criticism from its own members.

Criticism is a creative force that a wise government uses to improve its understanding of its people’s needs and aspirations. Stifling comment by our government deprives it the wealth of ideas that could lead to solutions to our problems.

Excluding us from full participation in our government and society denies us the opportunity to develop to our full potential and the ability to contribute fully to America. Our government by refusing to accept the talents, ideas, and engagement of a segment of our people is hobbled by its ignorance. It is inherently inefficient and wasteful. It will inevitably fail.

The Death of Freedom

American Democracy requires that we participate in our self-governance. It begins by ensuring that all our children receive a rigorous education about America and the United States. Our public schools must teach truthful classes in history and civics, principles of citizenship and democratic governance. Our freedoms are strongest when we all understand that our individual freedoms are dependent on those same freedoms for others.

Our current crisis is because we have neglected our duties as free Americans. We have chosen to let someone else do all the work, relying on our elected officials to do the thinking while we go about our lives. We no longer stay informed or actively participate in our self-governance. We have permitted the news media to be commercialized. Comprehensive, nuanced news reporting has been reduced to sports reporting with winning and losing, game highlights and sound bites. Commercial news is spineless. Most often mediocre and disingenuous, our news is crafted not to inform but rather, not offend the marketplace. Our news accepts without fact checking or editorial challenge, unsupported opinions, and blatant lies, which allows them to masquerade as legitimate points of view. We have seen the rise of alternative facts and truths.

We have unknowingly consented to being led by a traitorous President and equally traitorous Republican party, whose coup d’état is almost complete. Working for a wealthy elite, they have strangled our democracy and begun stripping us of our freedoms, beginning with the most vulnerable who cannot defend themselves.

We Americans are turning into an oppressed people. We just have not allowed ourselves to see it or act.

Our Oppressors are well known to us. Their goals are clear too. They want to control every aspect of our lives to maximize their power and wealth. COVID-19, the Opioid crisis, climate change, a poisoned environment, and restricting healthcare are examples of the opinion our Oppressors have of us. They do not care if we live or die, so long as we produce, consume, and line their pockets. They are Vampires sucking the life out of us. 

Vampires

The people wanting total control over us have an addiction. It is never being satisfied and always wanting more. J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, was asked if with his vast wealth when was enough, enough? He replied that he needed, “Just a little more.” It is the mantra of gamblers, investors, and the wealthy. Just a little more. It has turned the upper stratum of our society into economic Vampires.

There is a rule of diminishing returns that applies to growing wealthy. Return is how productive a dollar is as it winds its way through the economy. The highest return comes from the dollars spent by the poor. Every dollar they receive they spend, returning it immediately to the living economy where someone else will use it productively. Average people who have savings, retirement accounts or own a home return a significant percentage of their dollars to the economy through daily spending. What they temporarily withhold from the dynamic economy is returned during retirement or after death.

As we become wealthier, we return less to our living economy. At some point, we make more than we need to live comfortably. We move our excess income into investments that generate more wealth which we reinvest rather than spend, thus withdrawing ever more money from our productive economy. This creates a closed loop where wealth is continuously extracted from the living economy at an increasing rate. Eventually, our hard work and increasing productivity cannot keep up with the draining of our economy and we arrive at the place we are today, a plummeting quality of life with an escalating rise in illness and death.

Just A Little More

Research has shown that chasing wealth and power is an addiction accompanied by paranoia. We become trapped in the pursuit of more wealth and power. Just a little more. We become obsessively worried about losing what we have. We grow suspicious of the intentions of others and think that they are trying to take advantage of us, particularly those that we judge undeserving.  

In our society there is a belief that wealth and power are the measures of a person’s success and that this indicates superiority that is worthy of privilege. It is a remnant from the ages of Kings and Tyrants. Dangerously, this belief implies that those with less – us – are inferior and undeserving. We are lazy, stupid, immoral and the rest of the negative stereotypes used to demean others.  

These beliefs have grave consequences. Excessive wealth is what defines the Elite and their privileges. They have access to social resources that the rest of us do not. They are healthier, safer, better educated and have access to information that we do not. They are members of an elite community that looks out for their shared interests, promotes their further accumulation of wealth, and ensures their control over the rest of us.

Over the decades wealthy elite have expanded control of our government and economy. They have taken an ever-greater share of the wealth that we produce. This has been done by reducing their taxes and increasing their profits, while sharing less with us, the people who work, keep our nation intact, and our economy whirring along. The result is that the costs of our society are shifted more and more onto the rest of us. In the end, we do not have the resources necessary to implement the programs that will make life more prosperous and secure for all Americans. Resources that we created by our efforts.

The Deadly Trap of Control

Our wealthy elite have a pathological need to control us. Unknowingly, in their effort to limit our freedoms, they limit their own. Actions that would make our county more prosperous and stable cannot be used because they would require relaxing controls on our freedoms and acknowledging the value of outcast groups. Oppressive control guarantees that our nation will fail. It already is.

Controlling us is a desperate struggle to lockdown our nation. We see a growing resentment within our American family. Peaceful resistance is spreading across the nation. In response there have been violent reprisals. It is a common thread in our history. Peaceful protests are met with hysteria, lies, and vicious attacks both verbal and physical. The trap for Trump, Republicans, and the Elite is that they have limited responses to choose from and all of them are destructive. Currently, they think that they have the upper hand but, in reality they are already trapped in a corner.

A Government Is as Strong as Its Foundation

Oppressive control means that all of us live in fear and uncertainty. None of us can reach our full potential or find happiness, thus smothering the vitality of our nation.  We have forgotten the fundamental rule of architecture and society. A structure is only as strong as its foundation. The more the foundation of our freedom is corrupted the weaker, less stable it becomes. Eventually the weight of injustice above our foundation becomes unbearable and our nation crumbles. Bringing everything down including our elite. The pinnacle of the pyramid ends up in a jumble in the dust along with all the wreckage of our lives.

Our government survives only so long as our freedoms are maintained and not burdened by deceit and greed. 

We are the people who make up the bedrock on which all else is built. We make the economy work through our creativity, effort, and sacrifice. We are the markets that consume and complete the circle of our economy. We are the impoverished, working poor, day laborers, trade people, wage earners and salaried. We are the teachers, nurses, social workers, police, and other professionals who are required to take greater responsibility for our expanding functions even though resources are dwindling.

Restoring Democracy and the United States

Despite all of this, we can restore our freedoms and the promise of the United States. We have the tools and strength to restore our democracy and ensure that our freedoms and opportunities are shared by all.

It begins by remembering that we are the nation. We are fighting for our lives and the lives of our families, and all our fellow Americans. We are strong because we are the ones that make the economy work. Our foes may think that their wealth is indispensable but if we go down their money, stocks and bonds, real estate and gated communities are worthless. Our unity makes us invincible.  

We must be alert and informed, know and understand the issues. What is the impact on ourselves and fellow citizens in other racial, social, and economic communities? We need to demand that our local governments take substantive actions to protect all of us from the threats of political corruption, disease, racism and bigotry, the destruction of our climate and environment, and the other ills facing us. We need to keep the pressure up on many levels. We also need to support our local and national organizations that serve the vulnerable in our communities, such as food shelves, churches, local charities, and advocating for public agencies like social services and public housing.

It is critical that we become actively engaged in our self-governing by communicating our concerns and ideas to our public officials, at all levels. Even the most recalcitrant politician pays attention to what their constituents have to say. Not all but some will respond to the outpouring of the people’s will and change will occur.

Most importantly VOTE. Demand that voter suppression must stop and that every American will be able to participate in a secure vote, safely and efficiently, as with Vote By Mail.  

Summary

COVID-19 is a good analogy for all the problems facing us.

Our freedom is at risk because some of us have forgotten that our freedoms are not free. We must share our freedoms equally among all of us while remembering that we are responsible for our actions, they have an impact they have on others, and we must act accordingly.

At the present we are controlled by people who care little about our lives or its quality. Our government is controlled by rebels and financed by wealthy elite. They are betraying our nation and our ideals. Americans are dying by the hundreds daily because of them. These conspirators hide their rapacious greed with their murderous manipulation of the Pandemic. They lie relentlessly trying to divide and weaken us. They work steadily to destroy our climate and environment to maximize their wealth. The collude with our foreign enemies and encourage them to interfere in our politics and relationships with our allies. They are traitors.

Even so, we, the American people, hold the ultimate power. Through unified effort we can restore our nation and the values that make the American Dream special. Freedom, responsibly exercised and shared equally with all, will finally make it possible for every American to reach their full potential and follow their unique path in search of happiness.

Insist
Resist
Persist
Prevail

Posted in Being American, Blog, Citizenship, COVID-19, Democracy, Ethics and Morality, Justice, Politics, Public Health, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Freedom Is Not Free

The Cure for Miasma

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Les
Beauty Clears the Miasma and Freshens the Mind

My lifelong buddy, Dick, recently used the word Miasma in our conversation. It is an old word, first appearing in the 1600s, that was used to describe a vaporous disease laden stink, stench, or decay that often comes from a swamp or open sewer. It is derived from the Greek, miainein, which means to pollute. Before medicine discovered germs, Miasma was used to describe vapors that caused illness or even madness. Today, we simply use it to describe something malicious that is destructive or demoralizing.

When Washington D.C., The Capital and White House were built, the area was noted for two things, its tropical climate, and the stinking swamp nearby. Ever since then, miasma has been used often to describe the political environment of our nation’s capital.

Currently, I think that miasma is the perfect word to describe what is emanating from the White House, the Administration, the Republican Party, and its elitist supporters.

The Cure for Miasma

There is a cure for that traitorous reek. It is simple and reinvigorating. It brings back to our ideals and goals. It is Beauty.

The cure begins when you can pause for a moment and focus on something that embodies what is right with our world. For me it is frequently something visual, the play of light on a simple object such as a flower. Others may be captured by a sound, a scent, or the feeling of something on their skin. For an instant time stands still and the experience cleanses me.

When I was born there was no me and you, there was just Is.
I was surrounded by beauty that filled with wonder.
Over time, naturally, I was absorbed into myself.
I became me and you, us and them.
Beauty remained but its brilliance dimmed.
But the wonder remains and calls quietly.
If I pause, I can hear it, beauty appears, and I return to Is.

Words can do the same thing.

A month ago, Dick sent me a small book, The Song of Life; Native American Wisdom. Its beauty is its wise words. They remind me that I am not alone and that I belong to something much greater. Life has meaning and I am alive.

Chief Dan George (1899 – 1981) —  Coast Salish  —  from, My Spirit Soars
I would be a sad man if it were not for the hope
I see in my grandchild’s eyes.

Fools Crow (1890 – 1989)  —  Sioux  —  from, Fools Crow: Wisdom and Power
Our children are us in the tomorrow of life.
In them we remain here,
and so it will be with their children and their children’s children –
if the world survives.

Sandoval — Hastin Tlo’Tsi Hee —  Old Man Buffalo Grass – Navajo
You look at me and you see only an ugly old man,
But within I am filled with great beauty.
I sit as on a mountaintop and look into the future.

Chief Dan George (1899 – 1981) — Coast Salish — from, My Spirit Soars
As you pass through the years
You will find much calmness
In your heart.
It is the gift of age,
And the colors of the fall
Will be deep and rich,
— if you let it happen.

Lakota Sioux, From the Sweat Lodge Ceremony
Endurance, cleanliness, strength, purity
Will keep our lives straight.
Our Actions only for a good purpose.
Our words will only be truth.
Only honesty shall come from our interaction
With all things.

The Song of Life: Native American Wisdom
Helen Exley Giftbook
www.helenexleygiftbooks.com

Posted in Awareness, Beauty, Blog, Democracy, Ethics and Morality, Mental Health, Native American, Politics, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Cure for Miasma

The Bill of Rights

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Les

Note: The following text is a transcription of the enrolled original of the Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the Bill of Rights, which is on permanent display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the amendments is on display in the Rotunda in the National Archives Museum. Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791. The ratified Articles (Articles 3–12) constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, or the U.S. Bill of Rights. In 1992, 203 years after it was proposed, Article 2 was ratified as the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. Article 1 was never ratified.

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.

Amendment XI

Passed by Congress March 4, 1794. Ratified February 7, 1795.

Note: Article III, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by amendment 11.

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 XII

Passed by Congress December 9, 1803. Ratified June 15, 1804.

Note: A portion of Article II, section 1 of the Constitution was superseded by the 12th amendment.

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 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. *Superseded by section 3 of the 20th amendment.

Amendment XIII

Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.

Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.

Section 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.

Section 2.

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

Amendment XIV

Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868.

Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 5.

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

*Changed by section 1 of the 26th amendment.

Amendment XV

Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.

Section 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–

Section 2.

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

Amendment XVI

Passed by Congress July 2, 1909. Ratified February 3, 1913.

Note: Article I, section 9, of the Constitution was modified by amendment 16.

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 XVII

Passed by Congress May 13, 1912. Ratified April 8, 1913.

Note: Article I, section 3, of the Constitution was modified by the 17th amendment.

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 XVIII

Passed by Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Repealed by amendment 21.

Section 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.

Section 2.

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

Section 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 XIX

Passed by Congress June 4, 1919. Ratified August 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 XX

Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933.

Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3.

Section 1.

The terms of the President and the 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 5.

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

Section 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 XXI

Passed by Congress February 20, 1933. Ratified December 5, 1933.

Section 1.

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

Section 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.

Section 3.

This 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 XXII

Passed by Congress March 21, 1947. Ratified February 27, 1951.

Section 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.

Section 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 XXIII

Passed by Congress June 16, 1960. Ratified March 29, 1961.

Section 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.

Section 2.

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

Amendment XXIV

Passed by Congress August 27, 1962. Ratified January 23, 1964.

Section 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.

Section 2.

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

Amendment XXV

Passed by Congress July 6, 1965. Ratified February 10, 1967.

Note: Article II, section 1, of the Constitution was affected by the 25th amendment.

Section 1.

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

Section 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.

Section 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.

Section 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 XXVI

Passed by Congress March 23, 1971. Ratified July 1, 1971.

Note: Amendment 14, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 1 of the 26th amendment.

Section 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.

Section 2.

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

Amendment XXVII

Originally proposed Sept. 25, 1789. Ratified May 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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