A REDRESS of GRIEVANCES SYNTHESIS (A Left-Right Integration of Public Proclamations Synthesized by Zevin X

A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES SYNTHESIS (A Left-Right Integration Of Public Proclamations Synthesized By Zevin X. Cruz)

I. INTEGRATED PROCLAMATIONS (Global, National & Local Scales)

A) “THE GREEN NEW DEAL” (Coming Soon)….

B) “UNIVERSAL DECLARATION of RIGHTS of MOTHER EARTH” (From the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth; Cochabamba, Bolivia, April 22, 2010)

ARTICLE 1: MOTHER EARTH

1. “Mother Earth is a living being.

2. “Mother Earth is a unique, indivisible, self-regulating community of interrelated beings that sustains, contains and reproduces all beings.

3. “Each being is defined by its relationships as an integral part of Mother Earth.

4. “The inherent rights of Mother Earth are inalienable in that they arise from the same source as existence.

5. “Mother Earth and all beings are entitled to all the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as may be made between organic and inorganic beings, species, origin, use to human beings, or any other status.

6. “Just as human beings have human rights, all other beings also have rights which are specific to their species or kind and appropriated for their role and function within the communities within which they exist.

7. “The rights of each being are limited by the rights of other beings and any conflict between their rights must be resolved in a way that maintains the integrity, balance and health of Mother Earth.” 1

C) “THE EARTH CHARTER” (September 29, 2001)

Preamble

We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

Earth, Our Home

Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life. The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure, but Earth has provided the conditions essential to life's evolution. The resilience of the community of life and the well-being of humanity depend upon preserving a healthy biosphere with all its ecological systems, a rich variety of plants and animals, fertile soils, pure waters, and clean air. The global environment with its finite resources is a common concern of all peoples. The protection of Earth's vitality, diversity, and beauty is a sacred trust.

The Global Situation

The dominant patterns of production and consumption are causing environmental devastation, the depletion of resources, and a massive extinction of species. Communities are being undermined. The benefits of development are not shared equitably and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Injustice, poverty, ignorance, and violent conflict are widespread and the cause of great suffering. An unprecedented rise in human population has overburdened ecological and social systems. The foundations of global security are threatened. These trends are perilous—but not inevitable.

The Challenges Ahead

The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one another or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life. Fundamental changes are needed in our values, institutions, and ways of living. We must realize that when basic needs have been met, human development is primarily about being more, not having more. We have the knowledge and technology to provide for all and to reduce our impacts on the environment. The emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities to build a democratic and humane world. Our environmental, economic, political, social, and spiritual challenges are interconnected, and together we can forge inclusive solutions.

Universal Responsibility

To realize these aspirations, we must decide to live with a sense of universal responsibility, identifying ourselves with the whole Earth community as well as our local communities. We are at once citizens of different nations and of one world in which the local and global are linked. Everyone shares responsibility for the present and future well-being of the human family and the larger living world. The spirit of human solidarity and kinship with all life I strengthened when we live with reverence for the mystery of being, gratitude for the gift of life, and humility regarding the human place in nature.

We urgently need a shared vision of basic values to provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community. Therefore, together in hope we affirm the following interdependent principles for a sustainable way of life as a common standard by which the conduct of all individuals, organizations, businesses, governments, and transnational institutions is to be guided and assessed.

Principles RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LIFE

1. Respect Earth and life in all its diversity.

a) Recognize that all beings are interdependent and every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings. 2

b) Affirm faith in the inherent dignity of all human beings and in the intellectual, artistic, ethical, and spiritual potential of humanity.

2. Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion, and love.

a) Accept that with the right to own, manage, use natural resources comes the duty to prevent environmental harm & to protect the rights of people.

b) Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased responsibility to promote the common good.

3. Build democratic societies that are just, participatory, sustainable, and peaceful.

a) Ensure that communities at all levels guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms and provide everyone an opportunity to realize his or her full potential.

b) Promote social and economic justice, enabling all to achieve a secure and meaningful livelihood that is ecologically responsible.

4. Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future generations.

a) Recognize that the freedom of action of each generation is qualified by the needs of future generations.

b) Transmit to future generations’ values, traditions, and institutions that support the long- term flourishing of Earth's human and ecological communities.

In order to fulfill these 4 broad commitments, it is necessary to:

* ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY *

5. Protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecological systems, with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.

a) Adopt at all levels sustainable development plans and regulations that make environmental conservation and rehabilitation integral to all development initiatives.

b) Establish and safeguard viable nature and biosphere reserves, including wild lands and marine areas, to protect Earth's life support systems, maintain biodiversity, and preserve our natural heritage.

c) Promote the recovery of endangered species and ecosystems.

d) Control and eradicate non-native or genetically modified organisms harmful to native species and the environment, and prevent introduction of such harmful organisms.

e) Manage the use of renewable resources such as water, soil, forest products, and marine life in ways that do not exceed rates of regeneration and that protect the health of ecosystems.

f) Manage the extraction & use of non-renewable resources such as minerals & fossil fuels in ways that minimize depletion and cause no serious environmental damage.

6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.

a) Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible environmental harm even when scientific knowledge is incomplete or inconclusive.

b) Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed activity will not cause significant harm, and make the responsible parties liable for environmental harm.

c) Ensure that decision making addresses the cumulative, long-term, indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities.

d) Prevent pollution of any part of the environment and allow no build-up of radioactive, toxic, or other hazardous substances.

e) Avoid military activities damaging to the environment.

7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguards Earth's regener- ative capacities, human rights, and community well-being.

a) Reduce, reuse, and recycle the materials used in production and consumption systems, and ensure that residual waste can be assimilated by ecological systems.

b) Act with restraint and efficiency when using energy, and rely increasingly on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.

c) Promote the development, adoption, and equitable transfer of environmentally sound technologies.

d) Internalize the full environmental and social costs of goods and services in the selling price, and enable consumers to identify products that meet the highest social and environmental standards.

e) Ensure universal access to health care that fosters reproductive health and responsible reproduction.

f) Adopt lifestyles that emphasize the quality of life and material sufficiency in a finite world.

8. Advance the study of ecological sustainability and promote the open exchange and wide application of the knowledge acquired.

a) Support international scientific and technical cooperation on sustainability, with special attention to the needs of developing nations.

b) Recognize and preserve the traditional knowledge and spiritual wisdom in all cultures that contribute to environmental protection and human well-being.

c) Ensure that information of vital importance to human health and environmental protection, including genetic information, remains available in the public domain.

* SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE *

9. Eradicate poverty as an ethical, social, and environmental imperative.

a) Guarantee the right to potable water, clean air, food security, uncontaminated soil, shelter, and safe sanitation, allocating the national and international resources required.

b) Empower every human being with the education and resources to secure a sustainable livelihood, and provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.

c) Recognize the ignored, protect the vulnerable, serve those who suffer, and enable them to develop their capacities and to pursue their aspirations.

10. Ensure that economic activities and institutions at all levels promote human development in an equitable and sustainable manner.

a) Promote the equitable distribution of wealth within nations and among nations.

b) Enhance the intellectual, financial, technical, and social resources of developing nations, and relieve them of onerous international debt.

c) Ensure that all trade supports sustainable resource use, environmental protection, and progressive labor standards.

d) Require multinational corporations and international financial organizations to act transparently in the public good, and hold them accountable for the consequences of their activities.

11. Affirm gender equality and equity as prerequisites to sustainable development and ensure universal access to education, health care, and economic opportunity.

a) Secure the human rights of women and girls and end all violence against them.

b) Promote the active participation of women in all aspects of economic, political, civil, social, and cultural life as full and equal partners, decision makers, leaders, and beneficiaries.

c) Strengthen families and ensure the safety and loving nurture of all family members.

12. Uphold the right of all, without discrimination, to a natural and social environment supportive of human dignity, bodily health, and spiritual well-being, with special attention to the rights of indigenous peoples and minorities.

a) Eliminate discrimination in all its forms, such as that based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, language, and national, ethnic or social origin.

b) Affirm the right of indigenous peoples to their spirituality, knowledge, lands and resources and to their related practice of sustainable livelihoods.

c) Honor and support the young people of our communities, enabling them to fulfill their essential role in creating sustainable societies.

d) Protect and restore outstanding places of cultural and spiritual significance.

* DEMOCRACY, NONVIOLENCE, AND PEACE * 5

13. Strengthen democratic institutions at all levels, & provide transparency & accountability in governance, inclusive participation in decision making, & access to justice.

a) Uphold the right of everyone to receive clear and timely information on environmental matters and all development plans and activities which are likely to affect them or in which they have an interest.

b) Support local, regional and global civil society, and promote the meaningful participation of all interested individuals and organizations in decision making.

c) Protect the rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, association, and dissent.

d) Institute effective and efficient access to administrative and independent judicial procedures, including remedies and redress for environmental harm and the threat of such harm.

e) Eliminate corruption in all public and private institutions.

f) Strengthen local communities, enabling them to care for their environments, and assign environmental responsibilities to the levels of government where they can be carried out most effectively.

14. Integrate into formal education and life-long learning the knowledge, values, skills needed for a sustainable way of life.

a) Provide all, especially children and youth, with educational opportunities that empower them to contribute actively to sustainable development.

b) Promote the contribution of the arts and humanities as well as the sciences in sustainability education.

c) Enhance the role of the mass media in raising awareness of ecological and social challenges.

d) Recognize the importance of moral and spiritual education for sustainable living.

15. Treat all living beings with respect and consideration.

a) Prevent cruelty to animals kept in human societies and protect them from suffering.

b) Protect wild animals from methods of hunting, trapping, and fishing that cause extreme, prolonged, or avoidable suffering. Avoid or eliminate to the full extent possible the taking or destruction of nontargeted species.

16. Promote a culture of tolerance, nonviolence, and peace. a) Encourage and support mutual understanding, solidarity, and cooperation among all peoples and within and among nations.

b) Implement comprehensive strategies to prevent violent conflict and use collaborative problem solving to manage and resolve environmental conflicts and other disputes.

c) Demilitarize national security systems to the level of a non-provocative defense posture, and convert military resources to peaceful purposes, including ecological restoration.

d) Eliminate nuclear, biological, and toxic weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

e) Ensure that the use of orbital and outer space supports environmental protection and peace.

f) Recognize that peace is the wholeness created by right relationship with oneself, other persons, other cultures, other life, Earth, and the larger whole of which all are a part.

The Way Forward

As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning. Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles. To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter.

This requires a change of mind and heart. It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility. We must imaginatively develop and apply the vision of a sustainable way of life locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. Our cultural diversity is a precious heritage and different cultures will find their own distinctive ways to realize the vision. We must deepen and expand the global dialogue that generated the Earth Charter, for we have much to learn from the ongoing collaborative search for truth and wisdom.

Life often involves tensions between important values. This can mean difficult choices. However, we must find ways to harmonize diversity with unity, the exercise of freedom with the common good, short-term objectives with long-term goals. Every individual, family, organization, and community has a vital role to play. The arts, sciences, religions, educational institutions, media, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and governments are all called to offer creative leadership. The partnership of government, civil society, and business is essential for effective governance.

In order to build a sustainable global community, the nations of the world must renew their commitment to the United Nations, fulfill their obligations under existing international agreements, and support the implementation of Earth Charter principles with an international legally binding instrument on environment and development.

Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.

C) “THE GLOBAL MARSHAL PLAN: A National Security Strategy of Generosity & Care,” by the Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP)

In the 21st century, our security and well being depends on the well being of everyone else on this planet as well as on the health of the planet itself.

An important way to manifest this caring is through a Global Marshall Plan that would dedicate 1-2% of the U.S. annual Gross Domestic Product each year for the next twenty years to eliminate domestic and global poverty, homelessness, hunger, inadequate education, and inadequate health care and repair damage done to the environment by 150 years of ecologically irresponsible forms of industrialization and “modernization” throughout much of the world. 7

We support a Global Marshall Plan that includes

 Participation in planning and fund-distribution decisions by the recipient countries’ most talented and ethically sensitive leaders as well as activists from local communities representing the poor and outstanding figures in the ethical, cultural, religious and non-profit sectors of the relevant societies.

 Methods for ensuring that the monies are used in the most effective, environmentally sustainable and culturally sensitive ways.

 Safeguards to guarantee that the monies are not siphoned off by governments or local elites or primarily for creating the infrastructure for large corporations, but actually reach the people in need.

 Amending all existing and future trade agreements to ensure that they serve the economic well-being of the poor and not just the interests of the wealthy nations or local elites in countries with high levels of poverty.

 Retraining the military to build and rebuild vital infrastructure.

 Global leadership by the United States to start this effort and encourage other advanced industrial societies to join the plan.

We approach this initiative with a spirit of humility, not only because of the legacy of colonialism and self-interested Western trade policies which contributed to the underdevelopment in poor countries, but because we can learn much from the cultures and spiritual heritage of other societies—recognizing that their economic poverty does not signify a poverty of wisdom. Generosity of spirit as well as financial generosity are an integral part of our Global Marshall Plan , which we affirm not only because it is a central component in any rational plan to achieve “homeland security,” but also because it reflects our commitment to recognize every human being on this planet as equally valuable and deserving of care.

The NSP’s Global Marshall Plan is a strategy for real homeland security. (Read the entire details at spiritualprogressives.org).

D) “THE OIL DEPLETION PROTOCOL” (A Global Declaration For The Worldwide Energy Descent Drafted by Dr. Colin J. Campbell)

1. WHEREAS the passage of history has recorded an increasing pace of change, such that the demand for energy has grown rapidly in parallel with the world population over the past two hundred years since the Industrial Revolution;

2. WHEREAS the energy supply required by the population has come mainly from coal and petroleum, such resources having been formed but rarely in the geological past and being inevitably subject to depletion; 3. WHEREAS oil provides ninety percent of transport fuel, is essential to trade, and plays a critical role in the agriculture needed to feed the expanding population;

4. WHEREAS oil is unevenly distributed on the Planet for well-understood geological reasons, with much being concentrated in five countries bordering the Persian Gulf;

5. WHEREAS all the major productive provinces of the World have been identified with the help of advanced technology and growing geological knowledge, it being now evident that discovery reached a peak in the 1960s, despite technological progress and a diligent search;

6. WHEREAS the past peak of discovery inevitably leads to a corresponding peak in production during the first decade of the 21st Century, assuming no radical decline in demand;

7. WHEREAS the onset of the decline of this critical resource affects all aspects of modern life, such having grave political and geopolitical implications;

8. WHEREAS it is expedient to plan an orderly transition to the new World environment of reduced energy supply, making early provisions to avoid the waste of energy, stimulate the entry of substitute energies, and extend the life of the remaining oil;

9. WHEREAS it is desirable to meet the challenges so arising in a co-operative and equitable manner, such to address related climate change concerns, economic and financial stability, and the threats of conflicts for access to critical resources.

10. Now It Is Proposed That A convention of nations shall be called to consider the issue with a view to agreeing an Accord with the following objectives:

a) to avoid profiteering from shortage, such that oil prices may remain in reasonable relationship with production cost;

b) to allow poor countries to afford their imports;

c) to avoid destabilizing financial flows arising from excessive oil prices;

d) to encourage consumers to avoid waste;

e) to stimulate the development of alternative energies.

11. Such an Accord shall have the following outline provisions:

a) The world and every nation shall aim to reduce oil consumption by at least the world depletion rate.

b) No country shall produce oil at above its present depletion rate.

c) No country shall import at above the world depletion rate.

d) The depletion rate is defined as annual production as a percent of what is left (reserves plus yet-to-find).

e) The preceding provisions refer to regular conventional oil—which category excludes heavy oils with cut-off of 17.5 API, deepwater oil with a cut-off of 500 meters, polar oil, gas liquids from gas fields, tar sands, oil shale, oil from coal, biofuels such as ethanol, etc.

12. Detailed provisions shall cover the definition of the several categories of oil, exemptions and qualifications, and the scientific procedures for the estimation of Depletion Rate.

13. The signatory countries shall cooperate in providing information on their reserves, allowing full technical audit, such that the Depletion Rate may be accurately determined.

14. The signatory countries shall have the right to appeal their assessed Depletion Rate in the event of changed circumstances.

E) THE “ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AMENDMENT (ESRA)” By Network of Spiritual Progressives

House Resolution 156 on ESRA 112th CONGRESS 1st Session: March 9, 2011

“[Ohio Democratic Congressman DENNIS] KUCINICH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary calling for an environmental and social responsibility amendment to the United States Constitution:

“Whereas it has become settled law and Supreme Court precedent to regard corporations as the legal equivalent of individual persons, with many of the rights, liberties, and protections to which an individual person is entitled;

“Whereas corporate persons, by virtue of their ability to create, allocate, and preserve wealth, have an advantage over individual persons in expressing political speech, including campaign contributions, and petitioning their government;

“Whereas the United States, the Earth, and its inhabitants face significant dangers from environmentally destructive economic arrangements that derive short-term corporate profits at the expense of long-term, planetary damage;

“Whereas the long-term prosperity of the United States and its people is interrelated and inextri- cable from the long-term sustainability of the Earth; and

“Whereas civic, religious, and labor leaders in the United States believe an amendment to the Constitution is necessary to restore individual rights to their traditional supremacy over the rights of corporations and to ensure the long-term interests of the United States people and the world:

“Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that, as artic- ulated in the environmental and social responsibility amendment to the United States Constitu- tion, the Constitution should be amended to subordinate the political rights of corporations to the rights of individuals; and (2) laws of the United States should be amended to include a public Fed- eral election campaign finance system, a social and environmental responsibility education initiative, and a new Federal corporate charter statute to facilitate environmentally and socially responsible corporate practices,” (NSP).

F) “THE ECONOMIC BILL OF RIGHTS” (National) Declaration For A Second Bill Of Rights By President FDR, January 11, 1944)2

1. EVERY AMERICAN IS ENTITLED TO: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

2. The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

3. The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

4. The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

5. The right of every family to a decent home;

6. The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

7. The right to a good education.

G) OCCUPY WALL STREET DECLARATION (Sept 30, 2011) National (From The Occupation of New York City By NYC General Assembly)

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Execu- tives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliber- ately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard! *These grievances are not all-inclusive.

H) CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 2.0 From 99% DECLARATION (National) A Liberal Petition For A Redress of Grievances, July 4, 2012

The Declaration Of The Continental Congress 2.0

Whereas, the First Amendment to the Constitution provides that - The people have the right to petition their government for a redress of grievances,

Be It Resolved that We, the People of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect Union, Of, By and For the People, have convened a New Continental Congress this week of July 4, 2012 in the City of Philadelphia. We have deliberated, drafted and ratified this Petition for A Redress of Grievances to be served upon the United States Congress, Supreme Court, and Presi- dent, prior to November 6, 2012.

Our country is beset by problems too great to fit comfortably under the constructs of liberal, independent, or conservative rubrics. No single label fits, no single ideology suits, but what we all have in common (left, right, and center) is that we are all being marginalized and defeated as we struggle for life, liberty, happiness, comfort, and health. The institutional and governmental policies pursued by the moneyed interests of the elite 1% have destroyed the ability of our government to guarantee the rights and meet the needs of the People.

The elite 1% have enjoyed inordinate power and influence over our lives as they inundate us with propaganda through their media conglomerates and extract the wealth of our nation only to de- posit it outside of the country. All the while, they are delighted by our inability to recognize and address our common plight in any meaningful way.

No MORE…No LONGER!

We are the truckers, the teachers, the first-responders, the engineers, the self-employed, the unemployed, the off-grid and organic farmers as well as the cutting-edge, fully-wired, digital entrepre- neurs. We are the butchers, the bakers, the builders and the makers. We are the foundation and life-blood of our country!

We, as representatives of our Congressional Districts across this great nation, gathered in Phila- delphia for a cause much greater than ourselves. If we are to succeed in renewing our democracy in the name of the People, we must put aside the petty partisan differences that might divide us. We must recognize that many of those differences have been created, demonstrated, and ampli- fied by the 1% in their efforts to maintain control and increase their own profits at the expense of the rest of us.

It is to be expected that we will NOT agree on everything. But on this ONE THING, We must ALL agree:

American Government cannot continue to be sold to the highest bidder.

Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, another group of Americans joined together in Philadelph- ia over the days leading up to what we now proudly call Independence Day. Those Georgia plant- ers, New York bankers, Massachusetts lawyers and Virginia scholars had radical differences and very little in common when they began, but they finished by signing a Declaration that gave birth to our great nation and changed the world. We, too, can change the world by renewing their vision and re-establishing the principles of our democracy.

We, the Delegates of the Continental Congress 2.0, representative to our Congressional districts throughout our nation, who convened July 4th, of this year 2012, on behalf of the People, hereby petition the government of the United States of America for redress of the following Grievances:

Section I.

Whereas, our freedom of speech and the right to a government of the People, for the People, and by the People has been corrupted by the influence of money; 13

Whereas, the rights of organizations, including but not limited to corporations, nation states, labor unions, and other collected bodies sharing mutual interests, are not the same as living human beings and our government has allowed such organizations to have undue influence over policy decisions affecting the People;

We therefore demand the following:

1. A Constitutional amendment stating that no single organization shall have more influence over our government than that of a citizen and that only an individual human being may have full citizen’s rights and personhood.

2. Speech within the United States shall remain free and not for purchase. The unrestrained spending that influences decisions made by voters and our representatives shall be strictly regulated to ensure a fair and balanced government for all.

Section II.

Whereas, the People have been disenfranchised by an election system that is unjustly weighted in favor of the major political parties and beset with an enormous cost of financing campaigns for office;

Whereas, this destructive election system has subverted our Democracy, has a myriad of state restrictions, and is currently organized in a way that is detrimental to optimal voter participation and responsible citizenship;

Whereas, campaign finance regulations and the current laws governing elections in the United States have resulted in a government of, by and for the elites;

Whereas, this system is dysfunctional and incapable of making sufficient progress on behalf of the People;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Legislation to establish all polling days/election days (Federal, state, municipal & otherwise) to be weekends or holidays.

2. Regulations to establish easier and more uniform absentee voting processes.

3. New standardized laws to ban all rules in the states that hinder the right of the People to vote. There should be no tests, special IDs, or fees required to vote in a national election.

4. Legislation to establish a permanent voter roll to be created and maintained by the Social Se- curity Administration which will also distribute free voter photo identification for use in federal elections.

5. Legislation to establish a non-partisan commission or politically neutral group to redraw district lines based on geographical borders which are compact, contiguous, and reflective of socio-economic demographics.

6. Regulations to ensure that no political party shall be privileged or receive special advantage in any state for their candidates running for Congress or the Presidency.

7. Legislation to require publicly financed and funded campaigns for sufficiently popular candidates running for elected office and requiring radio and TV broadcasters to provide free and equal air time to those candidates.

8. Legislation establishing that no contributor shall be permitted to contribute more than 100 times the federal minimum wage per year to federal campaigns or political action committees [or even better make all elections only publically funded to avoid undue influence].

9. Legislation to guarantee transparency and accuracy of vote tabulation in elections. Voting machines should be abolished unless votes are verified from the beginning of the process to the end.

10. Legislation or regulations to establish that Senators will not serve consecutive (six-year) terms and Representatives shall not serve more than two (two-year) terms consecutively.

11. A Constitutional amendment to provide for gender balance in the Senate. One Senate seat from each state is to be reserved for a man and one for a woman.

12. A Constitutional amendment to more accurately reflect the will of the People in presidential elections and abolish The Electoral College in favor of the popular vote.

Section III.

Whereas, our government and political system are corrupted by elected officials and appointed bureaucrats, who accept bribes and gifts during and after their tenure;

Whereas, such officials have participated in a “revolving door” system between the private lobbying sector and the governmental positions they hold;

Whereas, government officials have engaged in unregulated insider trading with the same companies and financial institutions they are empowered to govern;

Whereas, laws and regulations which require minimum prison sentences for any public officials, members of the military, employees, their family members, or individuals convicted of public corruption, insider trading, or bribery, are not strong enough;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Legislation or regulations to strengthen and re-enforce penalties for anyone found guilty of illegal lobbying and to ban gifts of monetary value to politicians, elected or appointed officials, and government employees.

2. Legislation to strengthen and enforce laws regarding elected or appointed government officials, members of the military, or any of their immediate family members found guilty of: insider trading, public corruption or bribery, receiving gifts during their tenure, holding stock in any company they do business with while performing the duties of their position/employment or for five years after leaving said government service.

3. Legislation that prohibits the placement of any person to a position with a regulatory agency or bureau when that person holds stakes in the companies or entities that he or she is meant to regulate.

Section IV.

Whereas, our privately-controlled, virtually unregulated and extractive monetary system, unjust trade policies, and regressive tax systems have resulted in an ever-widening disparity in economic circumstances for average citizens and have greatly favored enrichment of the financial elites;

Whereas, our Congress has permitted, aided, and abetted endemic fraud by predatory lenders, bankers, speculators, and financiers which has deprived millions of Americans of their homes, property, and livelihoods;

Whereas, the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act led directly to unsound banking practices and to grandiose overextension of speculation throughout the financial sector and created dangerous threats to the financial condition of the country which resulted in the financial catastrophe of 2008;

Whereas, our government’s lack of fiscal responsibility has produced a national debt close to $16 trillion;

Whereas, the Congressional Budget Office projects a deficit drop under the current plan that is insufficient to bring down this debt;

Whereas, the trade deficit of the United States is over $800 Billion and this disparity in trade significantly weakens the overall national economy;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Laws or regulations to establish a progressive tax rate to govern household income regardless of its source; such that, no household with an income at or below double the poverty line shall be subject to federal income taxation and tax deductions are eliminated.

2. Tax laws be written to ensure that:

a) any corporation or entity doing business and generating income in the United States, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories shall be fully taxed on that income by removing deductions, subsides and loopholes regardless of corporate domicile;

b) after legitimate business expenses (excluding lobbying and political expenses) pretax, net profits will be assessed at the prevailing corporate tax rate which will never be lower than the highest individual tax rate;

c) tax havens are not permitted and that profits as described above will be taxed at the U.S. corporate tax rate.

3. Legislation to ban speculative financial instruments, derivatives, and credit default swaps and to stop all primary residential home foreclosures, if banks have falsified documents, signatures (using robo-signing) then banks shall lose their claim on those properties.

4. Those guilty of criminal behavior and in control of fraud at the largest banking institutions must not be rewarded but must be required to repay their victims, the People, full restitution.

5. Congress reclaims its sovereign ability to create money by placing the Federal Reserve under the Treasury [or abolishing it all together]. New money would be issued and circulated to

promote the General Welfare of the nation while the current money would be replaced using the same system that was used in the transition from the gold standard.

6. Rejection of the corporatist ‘free trade’ policies and tariffs implemented since the early 1980s by returning to the successful Hamiltonian ‘fair trade’ policies and tariffs which provided much of our nation’s revenues from 1789 through the late 1970s.

7. The legislative and executive branches must effectively address the trade deficit so that our businesses prosper, more jobs are created, and therefore more revenue produced that can be taxed and used to pay down the national debt so that our descendants will not have to carry that burden.

8. Legislation to re-instate the Glass-Steagall Act and provide for strict enforcement of the Sher- man Anti-Trust Act in order to prevent the practices that led to the financial catastrophe of 2008 and the great recession that followed.

9. The legislative and executive branches of the federal government must swiftly move to significantly reduce the national debt through a balanced approach of increasing revenue and reductions in spending. Spending reductions should be achieved through cutting waste and redundancy as well as budgetary reductions in military and defense.

Section V.

Whereas, the People have a Right to clean air, clean water, untainted soil and safe food and it is the responsibility of the government to protect those rights in order to secure the wellbeing of current and future generations;

Whereas, our government has failed to enact and enforce laws preventing the destruction of our natural environment while willfully misinterpreting and ignoring empirical evidence of significant harm caused by human interaction with that environment;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Legislation to establish an independently funded program for the development of safe, non- toxic, reusable, renewable, and carbon neutral sources of energy such as, but not limited to, solar, wind, geothermal, and thermonuclear fusion [as long there is no radioactive waste]; the funding of which shall be derived by levying a tax on those energy sources that produce carbon emissions.

2. Legislation to provide the Environmental Protection Agency, and other appropriate agencies, the power to regulate and penalize business entities that intentionally or recklessly bring harm to the environment. The fines, penalties, and/or criminal charges must be equivalent to the full impact of damages incurred to the environment, taking into consideration the lasting impact brought upon the environment.

3. Laws that eliminate the protection afforded to any employee, officer, or director of any organization or business entity that is directly or indirectly engaged in intentional or reckless practices that bring harm to the environment.

4. Legislation or regulations to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to below 350 parts per million, which represents the safe upper limit that will ensure the survival of all life on the planet.

5. Legislation or regulations to require the collection and processing of all recyclable materials throughout the nation.

6. Legislation or regulations to restrict the commercialization of mining and harvesting of natural resources in our public lands and parks and to require responsible environmental practices by business entities and persons within the parks. This is required in order to preserve our National Parks and Lands for the enjoyment of all the People in perpetuity.

7. Regulations to provide the mandatory labeling of all genetically modified organisms (GMO) and products and to require complete, fully-transparent federal and independent oversight of the testing and operations conducted by the producers of such, including full reporting on and publication of all findings to the People.

Section VI.

Whereas, our government has failed to protect essential civil liberties that are guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights;

Whereas, the government of the United States has violated solemn treaties made with Native Americans, these violations have served to deprive them of their property and liberties, and this persecution has led to injury and death for Native American people;

Whereas, when Native Americans have fought to assert their rights they have been persecuted by the government with policies that have suppressed their language, heritage, and religion and promoted environmental degradation of sacred lands;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Repeal of the Patriot Act and those sections of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that permit indefinite detention of U.S. Citizens.

2. New treaties, laws and regulations enacted to ensure that access to the internet will remain uncensored for all people in the world to use and express themselves without government or corporate interference.

3. Laws to establish that an individual’s personal data is to be considered intellectual property, protected under the Bill of Rights and not to be collected , transferred or removed without warrant or without expressed consent.

4. A constitutional amendment stating: Equality of rights for adults under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or any state or jurisdiction, on account of race, color, age, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.

5. An end to violations of the treaties established between the government of the United States and Native Americans.

Section VII.

Whereas, Congress has abdicated its responsibility for the declaration of war, allowing the United States military to engage in unconstitutional military actions and occupations abroad in the name of National Security;

Whereas, there is an unacceptable lack of transparency in negotiations between the military and multi-national industrial contractors who profit from perpetual war;

Whereas, our government has failed to uphold the promised benefits and medical care to our men and women returning from military action and unless their injuries occurred in battle, our veterans are routinely denied health services;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Strengthen the War Powers Resolution Act of 1973, to implement controls on the executive branch for deployment of armed forces, and prohibit the use of military force without the consent of the legislative branch.

2. That our government be required to adhere to the United Nations Charter, Article 2, Para- graph 4 and the Kellogg-Briand Treaty (a.k.a. The General Treaty for the Renunciation of War) making warfare illegal.

3. Full disclosure of government policy and monetary relationships for all unsanctioned and/or unauthorized programs associated with the military industrial complex, including the high technology research and development industry.

4. Systems to provide humanitarian services and all promised medical and psychological benefits to military personnel and veterans who have not been dishonorably discharged, and their families.

5. An immediate freeze in the use of nuclear and depleted uranium weapons.

6. Raise global awareness of Peace Day, a day of global cease fire and non-violence on September 21st annually. Engage all sectors of society and observe the International Day of Peace in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/282.

7. The United States submit the National and International “Peace Everyday Treaty” for Global Truce and Global Cease Fire to the United Nations.

8. The United States government sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

9. Reinstate the Grand Jury process in America to represent the People.

10. The arrest of any person or persons indicted or charged with war crimes for intentionally and knowingly engaging in warfare based on false premises or pretexts and the extradition of such individuals to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

Section VIII.

Whereas, public education is a national security issue in that without a well-educated populace, a Democracy cannot adequately provide for the common defense or promote the general welfare;

Whereas, the security of a modern nation is integral to that nation’s “human capital” and is only as strong as the education system the nation provides for its citizens;

Whereas, our public education and job training systems are abysmally under-funded and too many individuals find systemic pay discrimination and low wages once they enter the workplace;

Whereas, We the People cannot tolerate the current situation that exists in our country, wherein so many capable, enthusiastic, working-age citizens remain unemployed and/or underemployed;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Legislation and regulations to address the inadequate funding and current organizational shortcomings in our education and job training systems. These systems must create a highly educated and adaptable work force that is ready to transition our country to an independent renewable energy economy for the 21st Century and beyond.

2. Eliminate the immense student loan debt that is currently limiting the career choices and financial future of this generation.

Section IX.

Whereas, the formation of media conglomerates has created a concentration of influence and power in the hands of a few multi-national news and entertainment corporations;

Whereas, mainstream corporate media, often with no regard for the public they are meant to serve, mislead and misinform the People, suppressing informed debate in the focused pursuit of profits;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Legislation or regulation to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.

2. Dismantle existing media monopolies and a return to limits on ownership through the Sher- man Anti-Trust Act and similar regulations,

3. Regulations to ensure transparency in ownership of media corporations,

4. Full funding for National Public Media,

5. Provide incentives for alternative and entrepreneurial media start-ups.

Section X.

Whereas, our government has failed to prevent insurance, pharmaceutical and healthcare companies from profiteering from illnesses and injuries of the People;

Whereas, healthcare is a human right and the profit-driven healthcare system is immoral and economically unsustainable;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Legislation to repeal and replace existing health care laws with immediate enactment of "Medicare for All", or a similar single-payer system to meet the needs of the People. Elective services beyond Medicare coverage can be privately financed on an individual basis.

2. Legislation or regulations to make all public health care facilities and special clinics, veteran and civilian, available to all persons based on medical need.

3. Legislation or regulations to allow the "Medicare for All" system to negotiate prices of pharmaceuticals universally.

4. Research for new formularies must be publicly financed and managed for the benefit of the public, regardless of age and across the board. This publicly financed research on pharmaceuticals may not result in products to be sold for profit.

5. Regulation to expand the definition of medical care to include alternative services.

Section XI.

Whereas, the United States imprisons more people per capita (1 in every 100 citizens) than any other country on Earth;

Whereas, this serves to increase the profits of the expanding private prison-industrial complex and this fuels incentives to dramatically over-criminalize certain portions of the populace;

Whereas, many citizens are imprisoned for non-violent, drug-related crimes that only cause harm to themselves while white-collar criminals, who have defrauded the American people, go free;

We therefore demand the following:

1. De-privatize all prisons.

2. Regulations that focus on rehabilitation of prisoners and protection of the public rather than the vague and subjective concept of “punishment.”

3. Establishment of alternatives to imprisonment for non-violent and first-time offenders. Public money that currently supports incarceration of such offenders should be directed to new, more extensive programs aimed at drug rehabilitation, public service and treatment for the mentally ill.

4. End the expensive and ineffective War on Drugs. Legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for medical and personal use for adults. Treat marijuana products comparably to the treatment of products that contain alcohol.

5. Decriminalize drug possession and use in all U.S. jurisdictions and treat drug addiction as a medical problem rather than a criminal one. Abolish the DEA and redirect its resources to other purposes.

6. Establishment of regulatory oversight and de-militarization of police operations through the creation of a fully transparent investigatory organization.

7. A crackdown on white-collar crime through the use of aggressive enforcement, prosecution, and sentencing for theft, based on the amount stolen and the number of people affected.

8. Establish new rights for the accused and convicted, including publicly funded DNA testing for all convicts where applicable. Equal, publicly-funded attorney services, including investigatory costs, should be provided at every stage of the accused’s case. Failure to provide such services should result in federal funding penalties.

9. The death penalty should be abolished. We are a humane body.

Section XII.

Whereas, existing immigration laws lead to exploitation, create fear, distrust, and racial tension and exacerbate the treatment of immigrants as second class humans;

Whereas, the atmosphere created by the lack of a dignified and well-structured National immigration system betrays our proud heritage as a nation founded and built by immigrants;

We therefore demand the following:

1. Passage of the “Dream Act”.

2. Removal of exclusionary restrictions on immigration to allow economic refugees to be processed through existing border checkpoints.

3. Undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S. should be given a non-punitive path to documentation and ultimately citizenship. 4. Collaboration between ICE and local law enforcement agencies should be prevented.

5. Criminal penalties for businesses that exploit undocumented workers should be increased and enforced.

Section XIII.

Whereas, the citizens of Puerto Rico and the several territories cannot vote for the President of the United States, and;

Whereas, with only one representative in Congress that cannot vote in the House Floor, the citizens of Puerto Rico and the several territories do not have adequate representation in the government responsible for legislating laws that affect their daily lives, and;

Whereas, the citizens of Puerto Rico and the United States Territories' have been disenfranchised as voters and this is incompatible with American representative democracy, and;

Whereas, Puerto Rico has been part of the United States since 1898, its residents are American born citizens since 1917 and Puerto Ricans have served in all major U.S. wars thereby contributing to the well-being and security of our country. Therefore, we the people, recognize the right of Puerto Rico to full U.S. Statehood and the right of the territories to their self-determination;

We therefore demand the following:

Congress fulfills its Constitutional and moral obligation to sanction a binding process aimed to fully decolonize Puerto Rico and other territories using internationally recognized non-territorial, non-colonial status options resulting in either Statehood or Independence.

Section XIV.

Whereas, residents of the District of Columbia have no voting representation in Congress; and having fought the American Revolution under the banner of “No taxation without representation”, this is an especially egregious flaw in the governance of America;

Whereas, the executive and legislative functions of the District of Columbia are subject to review and limitation by the federal government, such that its judges (from traffic court to the D.C. 22

court of appeals) are appointed by the President of the United States and its budget must be ap- proved, amended, or overridden by the U.S. Congress;

We therefore demand the following:

1. An amendment to the Constitution to provide two voting seats in the U.S. Senate to the residents of the District of Columbia and voting representation in the House of Representatives commensurate with its population.

2. An amendment to the Constitution to institute genuine home rule and budget autonomy for the government of the people of the District of Columbia.

Our petition for a redress of grievances is the result of the Continental Congress 2.0 Delegates’ collective effort, as is our Constitutional Right for Redress granted by our forefathers.

This document has been delivered to all branches of the Federal Government and the American people expect a timely response.

Failure to address our grievances will result in legal action taken in federal court.

Our Democracy must be restored. Our effort to reclaim the power for the People will not end until that goal is accomplished.

We will also bring this document to the court of public opinion, the most powerful court of all.

The sovereignty of the United States derives from We, the People.

I) “THE ARTICLES OF FREEDOM” (National) Abridged Redress Of Grievances By The Conservative “2009 Continental Congress”

For The Free People of the United States of America *** From the citizen-delegates representing each of forty-eight states, who convened for eleven days at pheasant run in St. Charles, Illinois, to deliberate, debate and decide a plan to restore constitutional governance in the United States of America. November 11 – 21, 2009

INTRODUCTION

Think of the millions of folks, including members of the Armed Forces, who have raised their right hand and said, “I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Think of the millions who have placed their right hand over their heart and said, “I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

How could anyone who has pledged their devotion to the Constitution, reconcile the following violations of the Constitution that are destroying America? When will it end? 23

 For decades, our Government has been meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, without any Constitutional authority, causing foreign nationals to direct their hostilities towards us, which has given us a War on Terror and a growing Police State that is repugnant to the Fourth Amendment and the General Welfare of a Free People;

 For decades, we have had undeclared wars in violation of the War Powers clauses of Articles I and II;

 We are now gifting and lending public money and credit to private corporations for decidedly private purposes (corporate welfare), without any constitutional authority, whatsoever;

 We have a fiat currency, in violation of the money clauses of Article I;

 We have been emitting trillions of dollars worth of Bills of Credit through or under the auspices of the Federal Reserve System in violation of Article I;

 We have been incurring trillions of dollars worth of debt for the payment of expenditures for programs and activities that are not enumerated in Article I, and therefore not authorized;

 We have a fraudulently ratified 16th Amendment in violation of Article V, a direct, un- apportioned tax on labor in violation of the tax clauses of Article I, and a judicial system that refuses to consider the evidence, in violation of Article III;

 For decades we have had unenforced immigration laws in violation of that mandate, plainly-worded in Article II, that requires the President to “faithfully execute” all the laws passed by Congress;

 We have a President whose father was not an American citizen, a violation of Article II;

 We are counting our votes in secret, as all machines do, in violation of our constitutional right not only to vote but to know that our votes are being accurately counted;

 We have an absence of well-regulated state militias, and we have federal gun control laws, all in violation of the Second Amendment;

 For decades, in violation of the sovereignty clauses of the Declaration of Independence, the United States has been entering into treaties, contracts and relationships with foreign entities, and giving authority to international bodies, dissipating, destroying and undermining America’s sovereignty;

 We have private land being taken for private purposes in violation of the Fifth Amendment.

 We have a Government about to become a provider of Health Care, and about to order the People to purchase a product, powers that are not enumerated in Article I, and therefore not authorized.

 We have money bills originating in the Senate, in violation of Article I.

 We have a Senate that is using a supermajority vote to decide whether to enact a law, without an amendment to the Constitution, all in violation of Article I, Sections 3 and 5, and Article 5.

These violations have challenged the Constitutional Republic of the United States and Her People to Its core.

Above all, we have government officials who, for fourteen years, and more, have refused to honor their fundamental obligation to respond to the People’s First Amendment Petitions to Redress these violations. I call this the “capstone grievance.”

It is well settled in American Jurisprudence that if anyone has an obligation to respond and he fails to do so, his silence amounts to admission. It is also well settled that any Right that is not enforceable is not a Right – that is, with every Right there is a Remedy. However, the Constitution cannot defend itself. It is the duty of the People to defend it. The We The People Foundation exists for the purpose of protecting and defending our federal and state Constitutions and to ensure the day comes when the American People will have institutionalized citizen vigilance for the purpose of routinely holding their elected officials accountable to their Constitutions, regardless of their political stripes and whether they voted for them.

The vision for Continental Congress 2009 came in December of 2008, while I was preparing to give a speech at Faneuil Hall in Boston. The idea was well received. From January 1 – May 1, I traveled to 88 cities in all 50 states to meet with People to see if this was an idea they would support and help make a reality. They agreed.

On May 21, the Foundation sponsored a meeting of leaders of the Freedom movement at the Jekyll Island Club in Georgia. This was the place where the Federal Reserve was first conceived in 1910. We stood in the Federal Reserve Room, as it is called, and asked our Creator to put a new and righteous record for America in the place of what had gone before. We believe our prayers were answered. We discussed Continental Congress 2009 and if this was an idea they could support and help make a reality. They all agreed.

From June 1 – October 10, a national structure was established to accommodate Continental Congress 2009. State coordinators in nearly every state volunteered their time and energy along with other citizens. A small national management team formed to assist. Delegates were nominated in each state to attend the Congress.

A Constitutionally – correct election was held on October 10. On November 11, 2009, the delegates attended Continental Congress 2009 at the Pheasant Run Conference Center in St. Charles, Illinois, sponsored by the Foundation. The Delegates of Continental Congress 2009 were not professional legislators or wordsmiths. They were ordinary, non-aligned citizens from across America and all walks of life. They set aside their lives for this Assembly. They represented You and Me, the Free People of America. The conclusion of their efforts, their recommended Course of Action to restore and maintain Constitutional obedience in America, is This Document called ‘‘Articles of Freedom.’’

It is proposed that these Articles be distributed to All in the Land, with the intent to draw the attention and courage of a “goodly number of millions of People” who, entitled to their Freedom and essential to Its maintenance, Arise to Restore and maintain the Constitution for the United States of America.

Then and only then shall America’s Destiny be Fulfilled. Please take the time to read the Articles of Freedom. Learn about the Constitution. Take the Pledge to stand with millions of Americans as the Articles of Freedom are served on our elected officials, and then, if necessary, to participate in coordinated, non-violent, legal and Constitutional civic actions to stop the violations.

Robert L. Schulz Founder and Chairman We The People Foundation for Constitutional Education, Inc. www.GiveMeLiberty.org

***

Declaration and Resolves of Continental Congress 2009

In Defense of a Free People, the time has come to reassert our God-Given, Natural Rights and cast off tyranny…

Let the Facts Reveal: The federal government of the United States of America was instituted to secure the Individual Rights of our citizens and instead now threatens our Life, Liberty and Property through usurpations of the Constitution. Emboldened by our own lack of responsibility and due diligence in these matters, government has exceeded its’ mandate and abandoned those Founding Principles which have made our nation exceptional;

Our servant government has undertaken these unconstitutional actions in direct violation of their enumerated duties, to the detriment of the People’s liberty and the sovereignty of our Republic;

Over many years and spanning multiple political administrations, the People who have, in good conscience, attempted to deliberate our grievances and voice our dissent against these offensive actions through both Petition and Assembly, have been maligned and ignored with contempt;

The People of the several States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, justly alarmed at these arbitrary and unconstitutional actions, have met as Citizen-Delegates, and sat in a general Congress, in the city of St. Charles, Illinois;

Whereupon We, as these Citizen- Delegates, have gathered in defense of Divine Justice, Liberty and the principles of limited government, now stand in clear recognition of the Supreme Law of the Land – the Constitution for the United States of America;

Therefore, We demand that Government immediately re-establish Constitutional Rule of Law, lest the People be forced to do so themselves; and we hereby serve notice that in the Defense of Freedom and Liberty there shall be NO COMPROMISE to which we shall ever yield.

21 November 2009 *** 26

ARTICLE 1. SOVEREIGNTY & THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

AFFIRMATION

We, the People, in order to maintain our independence from any oppressor, to protect our Rights as Free Men and Women, to secure the blessings of liberty for our posterity, and to document our Resolve to resist any external or internal force which may seek to curtail those Rights make this affirmation:

All sovereignty originates with the Creator, and is gifted to the individual; from where it is delegated to the family, the family to the State, the State to the Nation. Any corruption of this order violates Natural Law and the God-given Rights of the People. WHEREAS, all political power is inherent in the People, and

WHEREAS, the Natural Rights of Persons are unalienable, and any violation of these rights is cause for remuneration and/or punishment, and

WHEREAS, according to the Declaration of Independence, the purpose of government is "to secure these rights," and

WHEREAS, a government that has become destructive of these rights has abused its authority, and

WHEREAS, history has shown that the further away governments are removed from the People, the more corrupt and oppressive they become, and

WHEREAS, the Officers of our governments have taken an Oath or Affirmation to support and defend the Federal, and State Constitutions, and

WHEREAS, the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and

WHEREAS, certain unelected, supra-national bodies seek to usurp the authority of the United States Constitution, and therefore the actions of these bodies are incompatible with the Liberty of the People of the United States, and

WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence declares Man's Right to establish governments to secure his Liberty, and alter or abolish those which do not, and

WHEREAS, the Concept of exclusive Judicial Review of Constitutionality is not to be found anywhere in the Federal Constitution, and

WHEREAS, the 9th and 10th Amendments to the Federal Constitution clearly indicate that all powers not enumerated in the Federal Constitution are reserved to the States or the People; and

WHEREAS, the States are not ruling on Constitutionality; it is the responsibility of the People, as the final arbiters of the Constitution, to decide on what is or is not Constitutional, and

WHEREAS, this Body, is a body made up of the People who are able to instruct our servant government, and

WHEREAS, We, the People, do not consent to supra-national bodies which may or may not seek to become a world, or even regional, governing body,

THEREFORE, Be it Resolved, that : We, the People do hereby declare ourselves to be independent of all supra-national bodies; including but not limited to: The United Nations (UN) and any subsidiary thereof, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), any so-called Free Trade agreements and organizations (such as WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT); any association or group which seeks to subvert the Constitution (such as the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Trilateral Commission); and that we declare any treaties that these bodies create to be null and void.”

And Be it Resolved, that: We the People do not consent to tyranny, and we will actively resist any infringement upon our Liberty, as described in the Declaration of Independence, and which has been secured by the Constitution for the United States, and which springs from the stirring of our own hearts and souls.”

Be it further Resolved, that: We, the People reaffirm our unalienable Rights as they are enumerated in the Declaration of Independence which states, in part, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these rights, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government, laying its foundations once again on the principles of Liberty and Freedom. We further affirm the Right of the People to organize government powers in such a form that shall seem mostly likely to them to secure their unalienable rights, including but not limited to: Life, Liberty, Property, the Pursuit of Happiness, and Self-governance, through the utilization of any and all means available to them.

Be it further Resolved, that: this Body appeals to the People to secure their sovereignty by any and all means necessary. This body recognizes that if or when force is brought to bear on the People, it is the Right of the People to meet that force with equal force; be it from a foreign body, or the misuse of domestic power. Any infringement on the Liberty and Freedom of the People as enumerated in the Constitution is an act of WAR against the people and the People and their Militias have the Right and Duty to repel it.

Be it further Resolved, that: this Affirmation serves as notice to any and all would-be oppressors that the People's resolve shall not be questioned, and no person or group has the Right to exert their will upon another. The strength of our convictions is deep and powerful; and these are tested at great risk to our would-be oppressors. If this tyranny is brought to our doors, then the consequences will be brought to theirs….

ARTICLE 3.

PETITIONS FOR REDRESS ANDTHE FIRST AMENDMENT

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS The Constitution for The United States of America is being violated. It has been violated over many years, by many administrations, by every branch of government, by each party.

Much as our forefathers repeatedly petitioned the King for redress of violation of their rights, We the People, pursuant to the last ten words of the First Amendment to the Constitution, otherwise known as the “accountability clause”, have re-peatedly petitioned the three branches of our federal govern-ment for Redress of Grievances. The People have petitioned in many ways, over many years, by many means including, by individual, informal, written, and verbal communication, and by countless formal proper Petitions for Redress of Grievances. Among the proper petitions filed are those related to:

1. Meddling in the internal affairs of other countries without any constitutional authority;

2. Undeclared wars in violation of the War Powers Clauses of Articles I and II;

3. The gifting and lending of public money and credit to private corporations for decidedly private purposes– bailouts – without any constitutional authority whatsoever;

4. A debt-based, fiat currency controlled by the Federal Reserve System, a cartel of private banks, all in violation of the Money Clauses of Article I;

5. Direct, un-apportioned taxes on labor in violation of the Tax Clauses of Article I;

6. Invasion of privacy and a developing police state in violation of the Privacy Clauses of the 4th Amendment;

7. Un-enforced immigration laws in violation of that mandate, plainly-worded in Article II of the Constitution, that requires the president to faithfully execute the laws;

8. A President who refuses every request to provide evidence that he is a Natural Born Citizen, as Article II requires. 9. The counting of votes in secret, as all machines do, in violation of the constitutional Right not only to vote, but to know that all votes are being accurately counted;

10. The absence of well-regulated State Militias, and the presence of federal gun control laws that violate the 2nd Amendment; and

11. The government’s attempt to merge the governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada into a “North American Union.”

These Petitions for Redress of Constitutional violations have been answered only with repeated injury. For instance, the Petitions served upon officials in the Executive and Legislative branches have been answered only with silence, notwithstanding the fact that the Government is obligated to respond, as the fulfillment of the logical process implied by the Accountability Clause (i.e., the last ten words of the First Amendment), which instructs the People of their Right to Petition and thus their Right to be answered. Petitions for Redress filed with the courts by individuals or small groups are repeatedly dismissed for “lack of standing.” Before the Courts will hear a constitutional challenge of a violation by the Government, they require each and every individual Petitioner to prove to the Court that he has the right to “stand” before the Court to argue his case against the Government. To prove his “standing,” the courts require proof that the Petitioner’s injury (resulting from the government’s violation of the Constitution) is different in kind and degree – more concrete and particularized -- than the harm suffered by every other person in the country. Since this is not possible, the Court’s definition of "Standing" means that all unwelcomed constitutional challenges from the People will be dismissed. This position prevents the very foundation upon which the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are built: that each and every provision of the Constitution is a guarantee to each and every person of an INDIVIDUAL, UNALIENABLE RIGHT. In a system based on the Letter and Spirit of our Founding Documents, every violation of the Constitution does in fact injure or harm the INDIVIDUAL, and should thereby give him or her the RIGHT to stand in Court to seek relief.

Under these facts and circumstances, it is well settled in American jurisprudence that silence is an admission. The government, by its silence, has admitted to its violations of the Constitution.

Therefore, We the People now find the three branches of government to be in violation of the Accountability Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution; the public officials to be guilty of dereliction of duty in violation of their Oath of Office; and their actions, as listed in the aforementioned Petitions for Redress, to be outside the boundaries drawn around their power and, therefore, unconstitutional.

PRIVACY AND THE FOURTH AMENDMENT5

From November 11th to the 22nd of 2009, the Continental Congress convened pursuant to the People’s formal “Petition of Redress of Grievances” relating to the violations of the Peoples’ Rights of Privacy guaranteed to them under the 4th, 5th, and 9th Amendments. After deliberation and discussion of the abuses of the Rights to Privacy, this Body provides:

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

1. Repeal the so-called Patriot Act and its progeny.

2. Repeal any other law that is repugnant to the 4th, 5th and 9th Amendments.

3. Stop the collection, storing, and dissemination of private information of a non-criminal nature belonging to the People; WE, the Free People of this nation, are not the enemy.

4. Furthermore, we demand the retraction of any intelligence reports maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, not properly cited and sourced as well as any intelligence report known to contain plagiarized information.

5. Repeal of NAIS (National Animal Identification System) which requires the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) of all livestock (animals) and mapping the premise of same.

6. Cease the implementation of acts such as the REAL ID Act of 2005, the PASS Act of 2009, and make no future attempts at implementing a national ID card or authorizing any funding associated with said acts.

7. Do not collect, process, store or disseminate intelligence of a non-criminal nature.

8. Repeal all laws that collect fingerprints, blood, or DNA upon birth […].

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO THE SEVERAL STATES

1. Retract any Fusion Center intelligence report not properly cited and sourced as well as any intelligence report known to contain plagiarized information.

2. Reject the so-called Patriot Act, and its progeny.

3. Prohibit legislation that allows for the installation of red-light cameras and other devices used to surreptitiously gather information on American citizens. Repeal any such existing laws.

4. Repeal any legislation that requires government permission to travel, i.e., the requirement to obtain a driver’s license to travel, the requirement to register one’s vehicle, and/or the requirement to purchase motor vehicle insurance unless the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes.

5. All state governments shall cease and desist in prosecuting those men and women who are using the public right-of-way for personal, non-commercial transportation.

6. The language “for commercial purposes only” shall be added to the definitions of the terms “transportation” and “motor vehicle”, in all state laws, clearly removing the restrictions imposed on travel for personal, private purposes.

7. Repeal of all state laws that collect fingerprints, blood, DNA, or any other biometric data for minor traffic violations, infractions, or for any other instance where said data is not necessary for investigation.

8. Destroy all biometric data, whether digital or tangible, that have been collected for use with a driver’s license, or for any other purpose not related to a felony investigation.

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS BY THE PEOPLE

The Delegates of the Continental Congress of 2009 wholeheartedly support and encourage the Free People of each state to engage in the following:

1. Visit www.cc2009.us and click on the Privacy Reference List, study all information provided in that list, and act in their best interest according to the information provided;

2. Inform themselves about the police and surveillance state that is being created in America in direct violation of the 4th, 5th, 9th, and 10th Amendments;

3. Submit open records requests to the appropriate agencies requesting the items listed below. Consider coordinating these efforts with other activists;

a) Copies of all Memorandums of Understanding (MOU's) between participating Fusion Center agencies and any other party, agency, organization, institution, governmental body or individual that relates to Fusion Center information/data sharing;

b) Copies of Fusion Center Privacy Policies;

c) Copies of all Strategic Reports produced by or received by said Fusion Centers, including the distribution list and citations for each produced Strategic Report; to include identification of the authoring agency of any received Strategic Report;

4. Expose the findings of said open records requests through online social media, existing liberty media, liberty-minded organizations, and other means of public dissemination;

5. Approach fellow citizens and groups to build an issue-based coalition in order to lobby local and state government to ensure that:

a) Unless directly involved in a crime, no private sector entities will be involved in the operation of Fusion Centers;

b) Only data and intelligence concerning federal crimes may be made available to any federal agency;

c) Fusion Centers are not to be used to conduct surveillance on an entire group based on the presence of one suspicious individual;

d) Ensure the creation of a "privacy committee" to oversee the privacy policy of your local Fusion Center and ensure compliance;

e) Ensure compliance with CFR 28, part 23;

6. Lobby your state legislature to nullify the Patriot Act;

7. Implement a Community Response Hotline; the People are encouraged to develop alternative means of communication, i.e. ham radio, short wave, or any other means of electronic communication;

8. Be aware that no citizen is required to release their social security number and should not release it if there is an alternative method;

9. Conduct business only with companies that do not require a social security number;

10. Use non-traceable forms of currency (i.e. prepaid credit cards) and non-traceable technology (i.e. prepaid cellular phones);

11. Use open-source software solutions, encrypt their com-puter hard drives, and use proxy servers when connected to the Internet, for computer security and privacy reasons;

12. Understand that everyone, including the government may record photos and video on public property;

13. Read licensing software agreements and be aware of the privacy ramifications of signing up for such services;

14. Promote local and state legislation that forces local and state governments to further scrutinize the process of ac-cepting grants or other funding concerning surveillance and the militarization and federalization of local police departments from Federal Agencies such as the Depart-ment of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice;

15. Lobby for a local resolution banning red-light cameras or other surveillance equipment in public areas.

16. Furthermore, without delay, the public is advised to con-tact their state and local representatives to open up a dialogue to assure that they repeal and propose no further legislation that violates the Privacy Clauses of the Constitution. Americans should also contact their local sheriff and demand they uphold their sworn oath or affirmation to protect and defend the Privacy Clauses of the Constitution.

ARTICLE 6.

PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE 4th, 5TH, 9TH, 10TH AND 14TH AMENDMENTS6

“Either you have the right to own property or you are property.”

Wayne Hage, rancher

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

[…] For half a century, unrestrained local and state governments have taken private property not for "public uses"—such as for bridges or public buildings—as permitted by the Constitution, but for private businesses in the name of "economic development." Through the arbitrary use of Emi- nent Domain, perpetrated by partnerships between government and private developers (Pub- lic/Private Partnerships), in the name of an undefined "Common good" for the community, private homes and businesses are being bulldozed, replaced by newer businesses and homes owned, not by the public, but by private, politically-connected individuals and corporations […].

1. [3] The Rights of the People to their Property shall not be violated without probable cause, without due process, and without just compensation.

“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 person or things to be seized.” Constitution, 4th Amendment.

“No person…shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” Constitution, 5th Amendment.

2. [4] “The enumeration in the Constitution of certain Rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the People.” Constitution, 9th Amendment.

3. [5] “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.” Constitution, 10th Amendment.

4. Repeal and provide no funds to any agency working toward a “North American Union”, regional, or global governance of any kind;

5. [9] Independently evaluate any determinations by the United Nations or any non- governmental international organizations that are supportive of their promotion of top down governance of society;

6. [10] Reject or repeal any laws/legislation that does not conform to the requirements of the 10th Amendment;

7. [12] Discontinue any association or funding of any activities related to the Security and Pros- perity Partnership (North American Leaders Summit);

8. [13] Repeal all laws that take property from sovereign individuals merely “accused” or “suspected” of a crime;

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF THE STATES

1. Eliminate all taxes on private property, such as land, buildings/tenements, automobiles, chattels, estates, real estate, real property, personal property, or property tax assessments;

2. [9] Build coalitions of like-minded groups in order to build opposition to the implementation of “Agenda 21” (“sustainable development”) at the local level;

3. [11] Reject the local reception of federal, non-governmental organizations (NGO), or foundations, grants and/or funding to the extent that they further the implementation of Agenda 21; 33

4. [12] Actively oppose local government participation with federal programs or agencies that seek to further the implementation of Agenda 21 (“sustainable development”);

5. [15] Address, petition, and support all states to reassert and reaffirm the 10th Amendment by passing legislation exerting 10th Amendment powers for land use management; 6. [16] Encourage, petition, and support county officials to notify all government agencies - state and federal - to comply with the 10th Amendment and other Constitutional provisions;

ARTICLE 7. JURIES AND THE SEVENTH AMENDMENT

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

The Delegates representing forty-eight of the several States in Continental Congress assembled, being fully apprised in the premises, find that:

1. The American People are the American Sovereign;

2. As sovereign, the American People have the last say on the law;

3. American Citizens are called to sit on both Grand and Petit Juries;

4. In their capacity as jurors, the American people have the power, and the duty, to judge both the law and the facts;

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CONGRESS

1. Amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to require judges to apprise all plaintiffs and defendants of their right under the 7th Amendment to a common law jury; and

2. Amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to require judges to apprise all defendants of their right under the 7th Amendment to a common law jury; and

3. Amend the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure to require all judges, in cases where the United States is a party to the case, to apprise all jurors of the judge’s conflict of interest; and

4. Amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to provide for trials authorized only by indictments or presentments by independent, randomly empanelled citizens’ common law grand juries, accessible to any individual having a complaint, and empowered to authorize any citizen of their choice to prosecute a case.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF THE STATES

1. Amend the rules governing civil and criminal cases to require judges to apprise plaintiffs and defendants of their right under the 7th Amendment to a common law jury;

2. Amend the rules governing civil and criminal cases to require all judges, in cases where the State is a party to the case, to apprise all jurors of the judge’s conflict of interest.

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS BY THE PEOPLE

1. When appointed to a jury, throw off the restraints of judicial tyranny by refusing to capitulate to any judicial instruction to judge only the facts; and

2. When appointed to a jury, demand to have all issues of law argued in the presence of the jury, and have the last say by judging the law;

3. Educate your family, friends, and community to learn about the Fully Informed Jury Association (“FIJA”), and the power of judging the law as well as the accused.

ARTICLE 8. INCOME TAX AND THE SIXTEENTH AMENDMENT

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

WHEREAS, from November 11th to the 22nd of 2009, the Continental Congress convened pursuant to the People’s formal “Petition for Redress of Grievances Relating to the Federal Income Tax”, and the long train of abuses and usurpations relating to the federal income tax. After a comprehensive, exhaustive, and lengthy deliberation of the current and historical facts and law, the Delegates find:

1. That our servant federal government has failed to directly respond to the People’s Petition, and in fact, has indirectly responded with threats, intimidation, and repeated harm;

2. That the Sixteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution definitively and conclusively failed to be properly and legally ratified, thus, rendering it void, ab initio;

3. That the income tax as currently applied is definitively and conclusively an unconstitutional, direct un-apportioned tax on labor, “the most sacred and inviolable” property of the citizens of the United States (see Butcher’s Union Co. v. Crescent City Co., 111 U.S. 746, 757);

4. That the institutionalized withholding from the paychecks and earnings of the citizens is definitively and conclusively unconstitutional.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CONGRESS

NOW THEREFORE, without delay, the Congress of the United States is hereby instructed to:

1. Immediately conduct a review of the facts surrounding its ratification, and recognize that the Sixteenth Amendment is void;

2. Immediately cease the enforcement and collection of the direct un-apportioned income tax on the labor of the citizens of the United States;

3. Immediately cease the imposition, enforcement, and collection of withholding of earnings from the paychecks of the citizens of the United States;

4. Immediately release and fully restore all citizens wrongfully imprisoned as a result of the unconstitutional application of the income tax.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION TO EACH OF THE STATES

THEREFORE, each of the several States shall:

1. Repeal any and all State income tax laws to the extent that they are rooted in or based upon the unconstitutional operation and enforcement of the federal revenue laws;

2. Preserve, protect, and defend the liberty and property of its citizens against unconstitutional seizures by the federal government, pertaining to the unlawful collection of income taxes;

3. Cease the unconstitutional imposition and collection of the State income tax upon the unalienable right of its citizen’s labor. To wit:

“It has been well said that 'the property which every man has in his own labor, as it is the original foundation of all other property, so it is the most sacred and inviolable. The patrimony of the poor man lies in the strength and dexterity of his own hands, and to hinder his employing this strength and dexterity in what manner he thinks proper, without injury to his neighbor, is a plain violation of this most sacred property.” (See Butchers’ Union Co. v. Crescent City Co., 111 U.S. 746, 757).

“Compensation for labor cannot be regarded as profit, within the meaning of the law. The word “profit”, as ordinarily used, means the gain made upon any business or investment - a different thing altogether from mere compensation for labor.” (See Commercial League Association of America v. The People, ex rel., 90 Ill. 166, 173).

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS BY THE PEOPLE

WHEREAS, from 11 November until 22 November 2009, the Continental Congress convened pursuant to the people’s formal “Petition for Redress of Grievances relating to the Federal Income Tax”, and the long train of abuses and usurpations relating to the aforementioned tax;

WHEREAS, tyranny, by means of taxation is one of the most oppressive aspects of government and must be guarded against to protect man’s unalienable rights;

WHEREAS, all government activity that provides funding for un-constitutional programs is to be considered tyrannical in nature and should be condemned by the people as a whole;

WHEREAS, after a comprehensive, exhaustive and lengthy deliberation of historical facts and law,

1. That our servant federal government has failed to directly respond to the People’s Petition, and in fact, has indirectly responded with threats, intimidation, and repeated harm;

2. That the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution definitively and conclusively failed to be properly and legally ratified, thus rendering it void;

3. That the income tax as currently applied is definitively and conclusively an unconstitutional, direct un-apportioned tax on labor, the “most sacred and inviolable” property of the Citizens of the United States;

4. That the institutionalized withholding from the paychecks and earnings of the citizens is definitively and conclusively unconstitutional.

THEREFORE, We the Delegates of Continental Congress recommend the People: 36

1. Study and understand the research done by Bill Benson in his book, “The Law that Never Was,” and once they have a firm understanding of the argument, they are encouraged to educate their family, friends and fellow Americans about the truth behind the 16th Amendment;

2. Contact their local county government, (including the sheriff) and demand cooperation in enforcement of State and federal laws, prohibiting the illegal filing of notices of federal tax liens and the filing of a federal tax lien or levy without proper federal court orders attached; it is the duty of the sheriff to protect the citizens of the county from rogue federal agents acting under a color of law;

3. Put their banks and employers on notice that federal income tax levies should not be honored without a federal court order attached and without an affidavit from the sheriff that the levy is legal and proper;

4. Prepare to replace any sheriff or county or State government officials at the next election or sooner, through impeachment or recall, who refuse to cooperate and honor their Oath of Office to protect and defend the federal and State Constitutions and the People;

5. Be prepared to withhold their income tax from the government once the above steps of self- defense are in place.

6. Furthermore, without delay, the public is advised to contact their county sheriff, State and federal representatives and Senators demanding the unconstitutional taxation and withholding of earnings be stopped immediately.

ARTICLE 9. FOREIGN POLICY & THE GENERAL WELFARE CLAUSE OF THE PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

The "general Welfare" is mentioned twice in the Constitution for the United States.

First in the Preamble where embedded with other reasons to establish a Constitution, it is stated: “. . . to promote the general Welfare . . .”

Article I § 8 then states: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defense and general Welfare of the United States; . . .” This declarative sentence is followed by a list of powers that restrict what Congress may do in this regard.

As James Madison states in Federalist 41 referencing the General Welfare clause: “Nothing is more natural or common, than to use a general phrase, and then to explain or qualify it by a recital of particulars.” Madison further writes that it would be an “absurdity” if the list of particulars was interpreted as anything but restrictive on the general statement.

Therefore, notwithstanding the interpretations of the past century, the Congress of the United States has misinterpreted the General Welfare clause in order to expand its powers and to impose the tyranny of unjust taxes upon The People.

The Preamble of the Constitution reveals that one of the reasons for its creation is to promote the general welfare of the people. A foreign policy which seeks to meddle in the internal affairs of foreign countries, including the act of choosing sides, is clearly detrimental to this cause. The “9- 11” Report documents that this policy of meddling has caused foreign nationals to turn their hostilities toward Americans. These hostilities have given rise to domestic policies such as the so- called “war on terror”, which have resulted in the enactment of statutes such as the USA PATRIOT ACT that are inconsistent with the so-called Privacy Clause of the 4th Amendment.

There can be no doubt that this policy has endangered the security of the American people and has restricted their Natural Rights. This approach to relations with those beyond our borders clearly does not serve the General Welfare and does not serve the national interest.

The federal government has been served with a Petition for Redress of this grievance. However the government has failed to respond. Such refusal to respond, along with infringement of natural and enumerated Rights, Freedoms and Liberties reflects the behavioral characteristics of a police state. The general welfare of the People is a principal goal of the United States Constitution, which implies a foreign policy consistent with the admonition of George Washington in his Farewell Address regarding foreign nations – i.e., “to have with them as little political connection as possible.”

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CONGRESS Follow the Constitution for the United States:

1. Discontinue funding for any foreign aid or other funding that is not necessary for the defense against invasion of the United States;

2. Treaties that are inconsistent with or that violate the Constitution that have been ratified shall be nullified; and any further treaties that would infringe upon individual rights, liberties and freedoms, or that are otherwise repugnant to the Constitution shall not be ratified;

3. Repeal the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, REAL ID, and any other statute repugnant to the 4th Amendment of the Constitution.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF THE STATES

The State Legislature of each of the several States shall pass a resolution in support of the above instructions to the Congress and thus exercise our just- powers as guaranteed by the 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS FOR THE PEOPLE We call upon the People to:

1. Raise their voices with ours and those of each of the several States in support of the above instructions to the U.S. Congress;

2. Educate themselves and encourage their fellow citizens to increase their knowledge and awareness of this topic in order to bring our elected officials back under the control of the Constitution, and therefore, of the People;

3. Become personal ambassadors of good-will to citizens of all nations.

ARTICLE 10. MONEY AND ARTICLE 1 OF THE CONSTITUTION

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CONGRESS

1. The Congress of the United States, in the exercise of its power authorized by Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 of the Constitution for the United States of America, “[t]o Coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin,” shall enact a statute:

a) establishing a National Advisory Commission on Alternative and Competitive Currency, and

b) calling upon each of the several States to establish their own State Advisory Commission on Alternative and Competitive Currency.

2. That the sole purpose of the said Advisory Commissions shall be to study and recommend the means by which each State individually, and the several States and Congress collectively, can promote the adoption by both the several States and the United States, as rapidly as possible, of an economically sound and Constitutional alternative and competitive currency, which shall:

a) consist exclusively of silver and gold, the units to consist of 371.25 grains (troy) fine silver and 371.25 grains (troy) fine gold, which shall be subject to transfer from one party to another in both an electronic form measurable in any number of units, as well in tenths, hundredths, and thousandths of a unit, and the form of coins (whether of traditional or nontraditional shapes) of convenient weights consisting of multiples of the units or common fractions thereof;

b) gradually be introduced as the media of exchange in all of the financial transactions of the governments of each of the several States and of the United States, so as in a measured manner to minimize and finally supplant the use in such transactions of Federal Reserve Notes or bank balances payable in those notes to the maximum degree possible consistent with the general welfare; and

c) eventually supplant the use of such notes or balances in all private monetary transactions within and among each of the several States to such degree as the free market determines economically appropriate.

d) That the National Advisory Commission shall be composed of the following persons: {…here shall be listed the proposed members of the Commission…}.

3. That, within thirty (30) days from the effective date of the said statute, the National Advisory Commission shall submit to Congress a report containing complete and specific drafts of all such legislation as may be necessary and proper for Congress to enact in order to guarantee that the citizens of each State may employ an alternative and competitive currency in all of their private economic transactions free from any form of taxation, reporting, or other regulation by the United States or any agency thereof, or by any State or agency thereof, that increases in cost, hinders, deters, discourages, delays, or renders cumbersome the use of such currency, or the consummation of transactions in which such currency is the medium of payment, in comparison to the same use of, or the consummation of similar transactions involving, Federal Reserve Notes or bank balances payable in such notes.

4. That, within thirty (30) days of its receipt of the National Advisory Commission’s report submitted pursuant to Paragraph 2, ante, Congress shall enact such legislation as will achieve the goals set out in that Paragraph.

5. That, within ninety (90) days from the effective date of the said statute, the National Advisory Commission shall submit to Congress a report containing complete and specific drafts of all such legislation as may be necessary and proper for Congress to enact in order to achieve the goals set out in Paragraph 2, ante, for the Government of the United States.

6. That, within sixty (60) days of its receipt of the National Advisory Commission’s report pursuant to Paragraph 5, ante, Congress shall enact such legislation as will achieve the goals set out in Paragraph 2, ante, for the Government of the United States.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF THE STATES

1. That the Legislature in the exercise of its reserved power under Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 and the 10th Amendment, as well as other provisions of the Constitution for the United States, shall adopt a currency, other than that emit-ted by Congress, for use in all the financial transactions of the State. These shall by statute establish an Advisory Com-mission on Alternative & Competitive Currency for the State, the purpose of which shall be to study & recommend:

a) the means, including all necessary State legislation (and where appropriate legislation that authorizes direct and independent action by units of Local government), by which the State can adopt an economically sound and constitutional alternative and competitive currency, consisting exclusively of silver and gold, initially for use in all of the financial transactions of the State’s govern-ment, thereby minimizing the use in such transactions of Federal Reserve Notes or bank balances payable in those notes, and eventually to supplant the use of such notes or balances in all private economic transactions within the State to the maximum degree possible for the benefit of its citizens; and

b) such legislation as may be necessary and proper for the State to enact in order to guarantee that the citizens of the State may employ such alternative and competitive currency in all of their private economic transactions free from any form of taxation, reporting, or other regulation by the State or agency thereof, that increases in cost, hinders, deters, discourages, delays, or renders cumbersome the use of such currency, or the consummation of transactions in which such currency is the medium of payment, in comparison to the same use of, or the con-summation of similar transactions involving, Federal Reserve Notes or bank balances payable in such notes.

2. That the Advisory Commission shall be composed of the following persons: {…here list the proposed members of the Commission…}.

3. That the Advisory Commission shall, within sixty (60) days from the effective date of the said statute, submit to the Legislature a report containing complete and specific drafts of all such legislation as may be necessary and proper for the Legislature to enact in order to achieve the goals set out in Paragraph 1, ante.

4. That the Legislature shall, within sixty (60) days from its receipt of the drafts of legislation submitted by the Advisory Commission pursuant to Paragraph 3, ante, enact such legislation as will achieve the goals set out in Paragraph 1, ante.

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS BY THE PEOPLE

WHEREAS, Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution specifies that “No state shall… make anything but gold and silver coin tender in payment of debts” and understanding the Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel whose effect has been to reduce the value of the dollar approximately 96% since its inception, Continental Congress 2009, in the interest of economic liberty:

1. Encourages networks of like-minded individuals to increasingly buy hard money coinage to use among their communities with the goal of increasing financial independence, and

2. That the aforementioned individuals, upon having established trade procedures in said hard money, shall be prepared for the replacement of the unconstitutional Federal Reserve upon its failure or abolition.

ARTICLE 11. PUBLIC DEBT AND ARTICLE 1 OF THE CONSTITUTION

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

WHEREAS, We, the Delegates, assembled as Continental Congress 2009, desire to express our deepest concerns relative to the uncontrolled and unconstitutional spending of Congress; and,

WHEREAS, irresponsible spending by Congress without regard to the Supreme Law of the Land is unconscionable;

This document presents our concerns over the accelerating accumulation of unconstitutional and uncontrolled public debt. Moreover, we demand the extinguishment of this monstrous mountain of debt, which has been created because of government officials' blatant disregard of their Oath of Office to uphold the Constitution and the principles of our American Republic. Due to their lack of understanding, most Americans are not knowledgeable about the Founding Principles of our Constitutional Republic. Congress continues to accumulate this heavy burden without regard to our Constitution. Therefore listen to the warning voices of our Founders on this critical subject.

“Indeed, we cannot too often inculcate upon you our desires, that all extraordinary grants and expensive measures may, upon all occasions, as much as possible, be avoided. The public money of this country is the toil and labor of the people… reasonable frugality ought to be observed. And we would recommend particularly, the strictest care and the utmost firmness to prevent all unconstitutional draughts upon the public treasury.” Instructions of Braintree, Massachusetts to their legislative Representative, 1765.

“As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit… use it as sparingly as possible… , avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt… in time of peace … discharging the debts which unavoidable wars may occasion, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burthen which we ourselves ought to bear.” George Washington, Farewell Address.

“Persuaded, as the Secretary is, that the proper funding of the present debt will render it a national blessing, yet he is so far from acceding to the position, in the latitude in which it is sometimes laid down, that “public debts are public bene-fits”—a position inviting to prodigality and liable to dangerous abuse—that he ardently wishes to see it incorporated as a fundamental maxim in the system of public credit of the United States, that the creation of

debt should always be ac-companied with the means of extinguishment. This he regards as the true secret for rendering public credit immortal.“ Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, First Re-port on the Public Credit, 1790.

“The issuing power (of money) should be taken from the banks, and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs.” Thomas Jefferson.

Our Founding Fathers have sent us a message of warning over the centuries of continuing the present policy on public debt. Suffice it to say, we need to stop our overly burdensome, frivolous constitutional and/or unconstitutional spending now. In times of such severe debt, discretionary spending is unacceptable. Therefore, we acknowledge that debt is a merciless master to which we will not submit.

Therefore, the Continental Congress 2009, recommends that within 60 days after the general recess of Continental Congress 2009, citizens be selected from the several States, thoroughly familiar with all the Constitutional Principles relevant to the validity of the public debt of the United States, to come together for the purpose of reviewing the validity of the public debt as authorized by law and for the purpose of preparing a comprehensive report of their findings. This report is to be completed within 120 days of the selection of the individuals. The citizens shall study, determine, and prepare a report with respect to which of the alleged “public debts of the United States” are void and/or voidable under two principles of law, namely:

a) Under the doctrine of the Supreme Court’s decision in Craig v. Missouri, 29 U.S. (4 Peters) 410 (1830). All contracts, agreements, or other arrangements in which any part of the consideration consists or consisted of the emission of unconstitutional “bills of credit” through or under the auspices of any Federal Reserve Bank, “member bank”, or “depositary institution” within the Federal Reserve System are void ab initio and unenforceable in any court of the United States or of any State.

b) All alleged “public debts” of the United States, howsoever made and in whatever form, that have been incurred for the purpose of raising revenue to be expended from the general fund of the Treasury in payment of costs arising under a particular budget of the United States are void ab initio and unenforceable in any court of the United States or of any State in the same percentage that the unconstitutional programs, activities, or expenditures in that budget bear to the total programs, activities, or expenditures therein. Every lender must be presumed to know the constitutional limits on the expenditures of money the general government borrows, to the same extent that every official of that government knows those limits. So, if a lender extends a loan to public officials, knowing that his loan will be used for unconstitutional purposes, or with willful blind-ness to or reckless disregard of the unconstitutionality of those purposes, he is thereby a participant in a fraud against the American people. And for the repayment of such a loan, the American people cannot be held liable.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CONGRESS

WHEREFORE, we, as a Body of Delegates constituting the Continental Congress 2009, hereby instruct our elected representatives to: 1. Cease unconstitutional spending; cease irresponsible spending;

2. Limit the spending to those items as enumerated in Article I, Section 8 or as otherwise specifically authorized by the Constitution;

3. Order the Federal Reserve to re-acquire all of its assets from all foreign banks including the IMF;

4. Order the Federal Reserve to transfer all said assets to the Treasury of the United States;

5. Hold the majority of its reserves in gold, silver or other metal classified as precious in a secure location within the borders of the contiguous forty-eight United States;

6. Repeal and Rescind legal tender laws and not interfere in any way with any private medium of exchange, private script or currency that may emerge;

7. Repudiate any and all public debt that has been unconstitutionally acquired;

8. Preclude the confiscation of any private ownership of gold or silver or any other precious metal (analogous to the confiscation of gold and silver by President Roosevelt, 1933);

9. Preclude the confiscation or prohibition of any private medium of exchange, private script or currency that may emerge;

10. Preclude the adoption of any laws, orders, or directives prohibiting the use of or any private medium of exchange, private script or currency that may emerge;

11. Unmask the deceptive practice of placing some authorizations /appropriations in a hidden off record account and direct specific accountability for all expenditure;

12. Tighter auditing of expenditures to preclude the unaccountable loss of untold billions of dollars;

13. Implement the immediate investigation of the loss of any funds and to begin the immediate prosecution of all persons suspected of involvement or association with the loss;

14. Repeal the Federal Reserve Act and all laws pertaining thereto; and

15. Do not enforce federal income tax withholding laws; rather, adopt legislation requiring that individuals provide any taxes due directly to the federal government.

Further, it is the consensus of the Delegates to Continental Congress 2009, that members of Congress have the inherent and moral responsibility to abide by its tenets, as attested to by their having signed the Oath or Affirmation of Office as required by the U.S. Constitution Art. II Sec. I, and Art. VI.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF SEVERAL STATES

It is the belief of the Continental Congress 2009 that our States are being directly and indirectly impacted by the public debt created by Congress. The theft of our finances to pay for unconstitutional and irresponsible constitutional spending on the part of Congress impacts the economy of every individual. The uncontrollable spending by Congress effectively steals monies that could otherwise be used for personal growth by the citizens of the various States, thereby creating a welfare/ socialist/fascist State, where the citizens look to Washington D.C. for every aspect of their lives. When the States’ pattern their financial policies after the federal government, the result is an increase in taxes on the citizens, thereby exacerbating the People’s burdens. Therefore, we instruct the several States to:

1. Reassert their rights, expressed in the 10th Amendment to act autonomously;

2. Refuse to accept any Federal Reserve Notes;

3. Refuse to give to the federal government any funds that could be used for un-Constitutional spending

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS BY THE PEOPLE

The Delegates to Continental Congress hereby express our deepest concerns relative to the uncontrolled and unconstitutional spending of Congress and issue the following urgent notice to all American Citizens:

Our government has plunged us into debt through excessive and senseless spending. Repayment of the portion of this debt, that cannot be liquidated by sale or seizure of public property, or by other means, indicates that it will fall upon us in the form of taxes (including the hidden tax of inflation). In one way, or another, the wealth that is taxed is created by the labor of the people.

THEREFORE, we recommend to the people the following to begin the correction of our economy:

1. If your State has engaged in irresponsible spending resulting in a large public debt, we recommend that citizens instruct their government to cease those practices;

2. Increase our power to produce by increasing our education level; keep our eyes open for changing dynamics and look for new opportunities; learn and develop new crafts/skills; and learn how to create more value for more people;

3. Learn how to be self-reliant rather than government-dependent. Any benefit that the government provides to one individual must be taken from others;

4. Increase your savings by selling fiat currency and buying hard assets; eliminate all forms of personal debt.

5. Introduce the principles of barter and alternative media of exchange and educate your local community;

6. Businesses are encouraged to begin accepting gold or silver as a viable payment for commodity and service exchanges; 7. Work with local businesses to implement an alternative local bartering system or establish a local private medium of exchange;

8. Only vote for candidates for office who are true Constitutionalists and who are committed to reducing government spending and borrowing;

9. Encourage elected State officials to return to the gold and silver standard; pass “sound/honest” money legislation to provide a competing currency to the existing fiat currency;

10. Share the information contained in the Continental Congress 2009 documents with your State legislators, county and local officials, and the media.

ARTICLE 12. WAR POWERS & ARTICLES 1 & 2 OF THE CONSTITUTION12

BACKGROUND AND STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

WHEREAS, the Constitution for the United States of America clearly grants Congress the exclusive power, “to declare war, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water” (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11); and

WHEREAS, Congress may not delegate this power under any circumstances unless the Constitution is amended (Article 5); and

WHEREAS, the Constitution also clearly declares that the President serves as a Commander-in- Chief only when called into service by Congress during times of invasion or rebellion (Art 2, §2, cl.1); and

WHEREAS, only Congress can initiate war and the President merely executes and administers it; and

WHEREAS, history has proven that war powers are Invariably abused when left in the hands of one individual; and

WHEREAS, all war activities should be for the sole purpose of national defense (Art 1, §8, cl.1); and

WHEREAS, the Citizens of the several States and the United States of America have been subjected to a series of declared national emergencies beginning with Executive Order #1 issued by Abraham Lincoln on April 15, 1861 and reactivated by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress in 1933; and

WHEREAS, these declared states of emergency, many of which have continued uninterrupted to this day, have given successive Presidents a multitude of autocratic powers; and

WHEREAS, Senate Report 93-549, War and Emergency Powers Act, 1973, 93 Congress, 1st Session states, in part:

“These proclamations give force to 470 provisions of Federal law. These hundreds of statutes delegate to the President extraordinary powers, ordinarily exercised by the Congress, which affect the lives of American citizens in a host of all- encompassing manners. This vast range of powers, taken together, confer enough authority to rule the country without reference to normal Constitutional processes…

“Under the powers delegated by these statutes, the President may: seize property; organize and control the means of production; seize commodities; assign military forces abroad; institute martial law; seize and control all transportation and communication; regulate the operation of private enterprise; restrict travel; and, in a plethora of particular ways, control the lives of all American citizens… “Over the course of at least the last 40 years, Presidents have had available an enormous-seemingly expanding and never-ending -range of emergency powers. Indeed, at their fullest extent and during the height of a crisis, these ‘prerogative’ powers appear to be virtually unlimited… Because Congress and the public are unaware of the extent of emergency powers, there has never been any notable congressional or public objection made to this state of affairs. Nor have the courts imposed significant limitations.” [emphasis added]; and

WHEREAS, the 1973 Senate report also expresses concern that in our current state of emergency, we could end up with a totalitarian state: 45

“If the President can create crimes by fiat and without congressional approval, our system is not much different from that of the Communists, which allegedly threaten our existence…The enormous scope of powers…is a time bomb.” [emphasis added]; and

WHEREAS, Congress has repeatedly violated its war powers through a long series of unconstitutional acts, resolutions and other actions, starting with the Emergency Banking Systems Act and the Agriculture Adjustment Act of 1933, resulting in massive unconstitutional powers to the President; and

WHEREAS, the power to both declare and conduct war is thus in the hands of one man resulting in decades of unjust wars with enormous loss of life and expense while being propagandized as patriotism; and

WHEREAS, The Supreme Court in the Guantanamo line of cases (2008), acknowledged that the U.S. has been under War/Emergency Powers, (Military Commissions Act) depriving detainees of their Constitutional due process/habeas rights (the court preserved Judicial Review of the Constitutional Law claims, and effectively strengthened standing to state a claim in federal court); and

WHEREAS, Congress and past Presidents have persisted in violating this clause by unconstitutionally sending advisors, troops, and/or money, equipment, and other support to aid foreign nations in “wars”, conflicts, police actions, and covert activities, including, but not limited to, Korea, Vietnam, Somalia, Haiti, Kuwait, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan without a lawful congressional declaration of war as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Congress and the President have engaged in non-defensive military actions by committing U.S. troops in over 130 countries throughout the world, engaging us in foreign entanglements and fomenting animosity and reprisals; and

WHEREAS, Congress and the President have abused their power by committing U.S. troops to serve as mercenaries in foreign conflicts under the auspices of the United Nations.

THEREFORE,

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION TO CONGRESS & PRESIDENT

Never again engage the United States in any military conflict except for the common defense; the United States must never again engage in pre-emptive war.

ADDITIONAL REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CONGRESS

We demand Congress reclaim Its exclusive Constitutional Power to declare war:

1. Repeal all acts, executive orders, and resolutions pertaining to the delegation of any war powers to the President;

2. Cease to fund any and all pre-emptive or offensive military activities throughout the world within twelve months after receiving this document;

3. Comply with all of the war powers provisions in the Constitution as originally written and adopted, never again allowing any American troops to be committed for any reason except in accordance with the Constitution; 46

4. Impeach any President who initiates military activity without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution;

5. Return jurisdiction of National Guard troops to their respective States; enabling the States to revitalize their own militias.

6. Repeal all Emergency Powers Acts and their associated provisions in federal code within a six-month period.

ADDITIONAL REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO THE PRESIDENT

1. Cease and desist now and never again take any military action in any form without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

2. Withdraw U.S. troops from all countries throughout the world within a period of twelve (12) months after receiving this instruction.

3. Instruct all military commanders and leaders to keep their Constitutional Oath of Office by refusing to execute any orders that may result in injury or loss of human life without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution;

4. Instruct all officers and enlisted men to keep their Oaths, of Office and Enlistment, by refusing to obey any orders that may result in injury or loss of human life without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. We also encourage officers and enlisted men to refuse orders to serve under a foreign or international power.

REMEDIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO EACH OF THE STATES

1. Instruct the U.S. Representatives and Senators to reclaim their exclusive constitutional power to declare war by:

a) Repealing all acts, executive orders, and resolutions pertaining to the delegation of any war or emergency powers to the President;

b) Ending the funding of any and all offensive or pre-emptive military activities throughout the world within twelve (12) months after being served with this document;

c) Complying fully and strictly with all of the war powers provisions in the Constitution as originally written and adopted, never again allowing any American troops to be committed for any reason except in accordance with the Constitution;

d) Impeaching any President who initiates military activity without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution;

2. Immediately recall all National Guard troops and equipment;

3. Obey the Constitutional Oath of Office by refusing to commit any militia, equipment, or funds that may result in injury or loss of human life without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution;

4. Protest any military action by the President in any form without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. 47

RECOMMENDED CIVIC ACTIONS BY THE PEOPLE

The Continental Congress 2009 recommends the Citizens of each State take the following actions to help resolve the unconstitutional activities of our elected officials:

1. Encourage the people of each of the several States to become further educated and to build coalitions of like-minded people into groups with sufficient numbers to instruct their fellow citizens how to hold their public officials accountable;

2. Get to know your sheriff within your community and determine if he/she will hold public officials accountable to their Oath of Office; let them know that you are there to help them and support all lawful effort;

3. Work with fellow citizens within your county to form and conduct a lawful citizen’s Grand Jury which are paneled and conducted according to the State Constitution; 4. Participating in an unconstitutional war is militarism not patriotism. In the event of an undeclared war, we urge all citizens to avoid supporting or participating in the war in any way, including military service or weapons production. If just 10% of the population refused to fight, the undeclared war would be unlikely to ever happen. We the People are the ultimate check on a tyrannical government.

ARTICLE 15. ANCILLARY REPORT BY THE FOREIGN POLICY […]

WHEREAS, the responsibility of government is to secure to its citizens the fruit of their labor, which is their property, and the opportunity to utilize that property as capital to create wealth;

THEREFORE, the Delegates of the several States in Continental Congress assembled:

1. Protest the misinterpretation of the General Welfare Clause by Congress that results in the tyranny of unjust taxes upon the People;

2. Find the “general welfare” is neither “promoted” nor “provided for” when Congress exceeds the enumerated powers of the Constitution, and that the General Welfare Clause does not provide constitutional justification for:

 Mandatory vaccinations, mental health screenings, or collection of medical data of individuals;

 The violation of the right of individuals to decide which foods, substances, or medications they put into their bodies;

 Bailouts, grants, loans, investments or any other form of corporate welfare;

 The disguised regulation of private activity through subsidies;

 Grants to churches or other religious or charitable organizations for any purpose;

NATIONWIDE CIVIC ACTION

Delegates to Continental Congress 2009 and others from Each of the several States, shall serve this document titled, “Articles of Freedom,” with its Remedial Instructions, on each United States

Senator and Representative in their offices located in their respective States, placing them on notice that We, the Free People of America, believe them to be in violation of their Oath of Office and the Constitution for the United States of America.

Below is a PLEDGE to be signed by individual Americans signifying their belief that: a) for decades and over many administrations, both political parties have been violating the Constitution and the states have acquiesced; b) the Articles of Freedom should be served on key elected officials in the federal government and all 50 state governments; c) the federal and state officials should comply with the Remedial Instructions designed to put an end to the violations and restore constitutional governance; and d) if the government officials refuse to comply, the People shall engage in a nationwide, well-organized, pro-active, non-violent series of civic actions, including economic sanctions if ultimately necessary, to peaceably procure the relief they are entitled to under our system of governance.

PLEDGE

In full view of The Creator as my witness, I hereby pledge my signature, and vow to join with a goodly number of millions of Americans to hold our elected and appointed officials accountable for all of their violations, with a firm reminder that each one has sworn an Oath (or Affirma- tion), to Preserve, Protect and Defend the Constitution for the United States of America. In seeking to hold them accountable, I shall hold myself accountable to do the same.

I renounce and condemn any and all INITIATION of violent force and will pursue all lawful and Constitutional means to fulfill my duty.

When a goodly number of millions of American people agree, we will act in a lawful and constitutional manner until all violations of the Constitution for the United States of America CEASE.

I place my name and shall participate as an Eternal Record of the Will of the People to be Free.

[Note: For a complete draft of this document go articlesoffreedom.us. However, the Integral Neo- Transcendentalists only approve the ones printed here; therefore, we do not necessarily agree with all of the contents of the CC 2009 document nor do the CC delegates officially approve our adapted version but enough of the articles are incorporated into this book that it should convince the masses there definitely exist an overlap of issues between the CC 2.0 document from the “New Liberal Progressives” of Occupy and the 99% Declara- tion work group and the “New Conservative Libertarians,” of CC 2009 to create a political fusion of third parties and independents.]

J) “THE COMMUNITY BILL OF RIGHTS” (For Local Sovereignty Through A Declaration For Home Rule, February 20, 2010)3

The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund hosted the first meeting of the Pennsylvania Community Rights Network (PCRN). Thirty-one people from thirteen counties across Penn- sylvania were represented: Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Erie, Franklin, Lancaster, Lycoming, McKean, Montgomery, Northampton, Schuylkill and York.

The folks gathered were among the first in the nation to wield their inherent right to local self- government to say “no” to corporate harms assaulting their communities. With this first meeting, the people launched a statewide campaign to rewrite the Pennsylvania Constitution, pledging their commitment by issuing the Chambersburg Declaration. The Declaration reads:

WE declare:

That the political, legal, and economic systems of the United States allow, in each generation, an elite few to impose policy and governing decisions that threaten the very survival of human and natural communities;

That the goal of those decisions is to concentrate wealth and greater governing power through the exploitation of human and natural communities, while promoting the belief that such exploitation is necessary for the common good;

That the survival of our communities depends on replacing this system of governance by the privileged with new community-based democratic decision-making systems;

That environmental and economic sustainability can be achieved only when the people affected by governing decisions are the ones who make them;

That, for the past two centuries, people have been unable to secure economic and environmental sustainability primarily through the existing minority-rule system, laboring under the myth that we live in a democracy;

That most reformers and activists have not focused on replacing the current system of elite decision-making with a democratic one, but have concentrated merely on lobbying the factions in power to make better decisions; and

That reformers and activists have not halted the destruction of our human or natural communities because they have viewed economic and environmental ills as isolated problems, rather than as symptoms produced by the absence of democracy.

Therefore, let it be resolved:

That a people’s movement must be created with a goal of revoking the authority of the corporate minority to impose political, legal, and economic systems that endanger our human and natural communities;

That such a movement shall begin in the municipal communities of Pennsylvania [but with the help of the Neo-Transcendentalists for the Society of the Third Millennium (S3K) spread throughout the United States];

That we, the people, must transform our individual community struggles into new frameworks of law that dismantle the exist-ing undemocratic systems while codifying new, sustainable systems;

That such a movement must grow and accelerate through the work of people in all municipalities to raise the profile of this work at state and national levels;

That when corporate and governmental decision-makers challenge the people’s right to assert local, community self-governance through passage of municipal law, the people, through their municipal governments, must openly and frontally defy those legal and political doctrines that subordinate the rights of the people to the privileges of a few;

That those doctrines include preemption, subordination of municipal governments; bestowal of constitutional rights upon corporations, and relegating ecosystems the status of property;

That those communities in defiance of rights-denying law must join with other communities in our state and across the nation to envision and build new state and federal constitutional structures that codify new, rights-asserting systems of governance;

That Pennsylvania communities have worked for more than a decade to advance those new systems and, therefore, have the responsibility to become the first communities to call for a new state constitutional structure; and

That now, this 20th day of February, 2010, the undersigned pledge to begin that work, which will drive the right to local, community self-government into the Pennsylvania Constitution, thus liberating Pennsylvania communities from the legal and political doctrines that prevent them from building economically and environmentally sustainable communities.

That a Call Issues from this Gathering:

To create a network of people committed to securing the right to local, community self- government, the reversal of political, legal, & cultural doctrines that interfere with that right, & the creation of a new system and doctrines that support that right;

To call upon the people and elected officials across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to convene a larger gathering of delegates representing their municipal communities, who will propose constitutional changes to secure the right to local, community self-government; and

To create the people’s movement that will result in these changes to the Pennsylvania Constitution.

###

THE GRAND UNIFIED PLATFORM (GUP) (A Common Ground Agenda Of The People For Integral Evolutionary Transformation Synthesized By Zevin X. Cruz)

As of March 31, 2015, this is the latest in a work-in-progress. The following framework consists of common issues among Progressive Postmodernists, Liberal Modernists, Fiscally Conservative Modernist and Socially Conservative Traditionalists among a majority of Independents and Third Parties. It’s a political platform that synthesizes dozens of overlapping issues from at least three of the most popular supported themes among Americans: 1) Anti-Big Business (81%), 2) Pro-Ecological Sustainability (78%) and 3) Revamping the Political Two-Party System (70%).4 Each plank is listed by its popular proponents that together could create the new “Future Forward Left” (Optimistic Postmodernists) and “Future Forward Right” (Progressive Libertarians)—together becoming “The Neo-Transcendentalists” (Integral Metamodernists). It is based on their public statements in television, radio, books, articles and online writings but it does not mean they have officially endorsed all of the issues in the GUP. At least some if not most of their issues have been included with the hope that this synthesis platform be used as a starting-point for debate, editing and eventual ratification in some form by July 5, 2016.

Political Third Parties, Candidates & Organizations

1) Libertarian Party (Gary Johnson), 2) Green Party (Jill Stein), 3) Constitution Party (Virgil Goode), 4) Justice Party (Rocky Anderson), 5) American Conservative Party, 6) American Populist Party, 7) America’s Party, 8) Citizens Party of the U.S., 9) Communist Party USA, 10) Freedom Socialist Party, 11) Independent American Party, 12) America First Party, 13) Modern Whig Par- ty, 14) U.S. Pirate Party, 15) Objectivist Party, 16) Party for Socialism & Liberation, 17) Peace and Freedom Party, 18) Reform Party of the USA, 19) Socialist Action Party, 20) Socialist Alter- native Party (SA), 21) Socialist Equality Party (SEP), 22) Socialist Party of the USA (SPUSA), 23) Socialist Workers Party (U.S.), 24) United States Pacifist Party, 25) Unity Party of America, 26) Workers World Party, 27) International Socialist Organization (ISO), 28) Revo- lutionary Communist Party USA, 29) The League of Revolutionaries for a New America, 30) Pansexual Peace Party, 31) Progressive Labor Party, 32) Social Democrats USA, 33) The Light Party, 34) Constitution Action Party, 35) Solidarity, 36) U.S. Taxpayers Party, 37) Christian Liberty Party, 38) American Independent Party, 39) Democratic Socialist Party (DSA), 40) The Third Party of America (No Labels), 41) Workers World Party (WWP), 42) Workers Party, 43) World Socialist Party of the USA (WSPUS), 44) Independence Party of America, 45) The Labor Party, 46) Liberty Union Party, 47) The TEA Party, 48) Working Families Party, 49) Green Socialist Party, 50) Tax Wall Street Party, 51) Veterans Party of America.

I. DECONSTRUCTION AGENDA (Clearing A Path For Civil Society)

A) ERADICATE THE ECONOMICS OF EMPIRE By Purging The Pathology Of Crony Capitalism And Income Inequality

1. Self-Determination: “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty,”5 (The Declaration of Independence & 2014 Libertarian Party Platform).

2. Eliminate The Corporate State: Jettisoning the pathological components (the corporatocracy) of capitalism. (99% Declaration Group, Ralph Nader, Gary Null, Move To Amend)

3. Abolish Corporate Personhood (Amendment #1). “Move To Amend's” Proposed “28th Amendment House Joint Resolution 29” introduced on February 14, 2013. “Section 1. [Artificial Entities Such as Corporations Do Not Have Constitutional Rights]. The rights protected by the Constitution of the United States are the rights of natural persons only.

“Artificial entities established by the laws of any State, the United States, or any foreign state shall have no rights under this Constitution and are subject to regulation by the People, through Federal, State, or local law.

“The privileges of artificial entities shall be determined by the People, through Federal, State, or local law, and shall not be construed to be inherent or inalienable.”6 (David Cobb, Ron Paul, Gary Null, Ralph Nader, Move To Amend, 2012 Occupy National Gathering, IPPN, USSF, Zeitgeist Movement, The Justice Party)

4. Repeal Citizen United (Amendment #2). “Section 2. [Money is Not Free Speech] Federal, State, and local government shall regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures, to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their economic status, have access to the political process, and that no person gains, as a result of their money, substantially more access or ability to influence in any way the election of any candidate for public office or any ballot measure.

“Federal, State, and local government shall require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed.

“The judiciary shall not construe the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment.”7 (David Cobb, Ron Paul, Ralph Nader, Gary Null, Move to Amend, 99% Declaration Group, 2014 Green Party Platform, 2012 Occupy NatGat)

5. End The Fed (A Stratified Way To Abolish The Need For A Federal Reserve)

a) “Audit the Federal Reserve.”8 (Ron Paul & Tea Party Manifesto)

b) “Stop the Federal Reserve from giving any more no-interest loans to banks and corporations.”9 (Gary Null, Ralph Nader)

c) “Place the Federal Reserve under the control of the Treasury Department, with accountability to Congress and the public;”10 (2013 Justice Party Platform). “Congress reclaims its sovereign ability to create money by placing the Federal Reserve under the Treasury. New money would be issued and circulated to pro-mote the General Welfare of the nation while the current money would be replaced using the same system that was used in the transition from the gold standard.”11 (WTP’s CC 2009, 2012 CC 2.0)

d) “Repeal the Federal Reserve Act and all laws pertaining thereto…” (WTP’s CC 2009). “We support a debt free, interest free money system. We oppose fractional reserve banking and would repeal the Federal

Reserve Act, restoring control of our money to Congress and reverting Federal Reserve Banks to be clearing houses only.” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform)

e) Eventually Eliminate the Federal Reserve Completely.12 (Ron Paul, Gary Null & Ralph Nader, WTP’s CC 2009, Zeitgeist Movement) “As insisted upon by the founding fathers, the U.S. is to operate on a coined money standard without interference or influence from private financial institutions, either foreign or domestic. Dissolve the Federal Reserve Bank, which has no legal basis since it is a privately owned corporation,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

6. End Unfair/Unlawful Taxes

a) Eliminate unconstitutional federal income tax. (Ron Paul, WTP’s CC 2009, the Freedom/Liberty Movement) “We hold that the federal income tax is unconstitutional, as the 16th Amendment was never properly ratified. At no time shall any tax jurisdiction impose both a sales tax and an income tax,”13 (2006 America First Party).

b) “Government Finance and Spending: All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Con-stitution. We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent […].” We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.”14 (2014 Libertarian Platform)

c) Invalidate IRS Authority For Abusive Actions. (Ron Paul, WTP’s CC 2009) “We would abolish the Internal Revenue Service […].” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform)

d) “Close tax loopholes on the super-rich.” (Gary Null, Nader)

e) “Repeal any and all State income tax laws to the extent that they are rooted in or based upon the unconstitutional operation and enforcement of the federal revenue laws;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

f) “Repeal all laws that take property from sovereign individuals merely “accused” or ‘suspected’ of a crime;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

g) “Eliminate all taxes on private property, such as land, buildings/tenements, automobiles, chattels, estates, real estate, real property, personal property, or property tax assessments,” (WTP’s CC 2009). “We shall oppose all taxes on property beyond any sales taxes paid upon acquisition of that property and hold that no taxes shall be levied on property transferred to any citizen upon the death of another citizen, or taxation of the seller's receipts of a property sale by a citizen,”15 (2006 America First Party Plat- form).

h) “Preserve, protect, and defend the liberty and property of its citizens against unconstitutional seizures by the federal government, pertaining to the unlawful collection of income taxes;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

i) “Cease the unconstitutional imposition and collection of the State income tax upon the unalienable right of its citizen’s labor.” (WTP’s CC 2009)

7. End Corporate Welfare

a) “End corporate welfare and special interest subsidies,”16 (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “No more bailouts.”17 (The Tea Party Manifesto)

c) “End corporate welfare and bailouts by removing tax burden off the middle and lower classes and redistribute it onto the elite rich who use tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share.”18 (Ron Paul, Gary Null)

d) “Break-up too big to fail banks.”19 (Ron Paul & Gary Null)

8. End Predatory Trading

a) “Ban trading in commodities that are necessary to life: Food, land and water.”20 (Gary Null)

b) “Stop trading in credit default swaps and derivatives.”21 (Null)

c) “[…B]an speculative financial instruments, derivatives, and credit default swaps and to stop all primary residential home foreclosures, if banks have falsified documents, signatures (using robo-signing) then banks shall lose their claim on those properties.”22 (WTP’s Continental Congress 2009, 99% Declaration Group’s Continental Congress 2.0)

d) “Rejection of the corporatist ‘free trade’ policies and tariffs implemented since the early 1980s by returning to the successful Hamiltonian ‘fair trade’ policies and tariffs which provided much of our nation’s revenues from 1789 through the late 1970s.”23 (WTP’s Continental Congress 2009, 99% Declaration Group’s Continental Congress 2.0)

e) “Support a thorough investigation into the background and corporate and institutional influence of the secretive Atlantic and Pacific trade partnerships.” (Gary Null)

f) “Those guilty of criminal behavior and in control of fraud at the largest banking institutions must not be rewarded but must be required to repay their victims, the People, full restitution.” (99% Declaration Group’s Continental Congress 2.0)24

9. End Predatory Lending

a) “Declare a moratorium on home foreclosures.”25 (Gary Null)

b) “Repeal the laws that prevent student loan holders from declaring bankruptcy.”26 (Gary Null)

c) “Forgive all student late fees and cap all interest on student loans at 1%.”27 (Gary Null)

10. Corporate Charter Revocation

a) “Implement Strict Corporate Charter Revocations Laws (A Corporate Death Penalty) instead of inconsequential fines after companies have bilked us billions.”28 (Adbusters)

b) “Grant Corporate Charters Only For A Fixed Period—say ten years—at the end of which their conduct and performance is received by the attorney general’s office before a new charter is granted. During this review process, citizens can submit complaints, employees can voice discontents they might have, suppliers and retailers can bring up their concerns.” (Nader)

11. Corporate Crime Crackdown

a) “Crackdown on Corporate Crime by providing penalties and enforcement budgets.”29 (Ralph Nader)

b) “Those guilty of criminal behavior and in control of fraud at the largest banking institutions must not be rewarded but must be required to repay their victims, the People, full restitution.”30 (CC 2009, CC 2.0)

12. End Wasteful Spending

a) “The federal government is addicted to spending,”31 (Freedom Works). So we must “end runaway government spending.”32 (The Tea Party Manifesto)

b) “Our bloated bureaucracy is too big to succeed.”33 (Freedom Works) “Begin an independent audit of every bureaucracy in America.”34 (Gary Null)

c) “Audit the Federal Reserve, the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and the CIA, reducing their budgets to what is actually necessary to protect America.”35 (Gary Null)

d) “Reduce or stop unwarranted state subsidies to private industries, particularly the private prison industry, agricultural land subsidies to landowners whose lands are not producing food.”36 (Gary Null)

B) DISMANTLE THE DYSFUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT

1. Rescind Authoritarian Laws & Oppose The Police State

a) “A people cannot be considered free if they fear their own government. As control of the law enforcement apparatus has been slowly transferred to our federal government and the threat looms of transfer to unelected transnational overseers, fear of our own government will naturally rise. Addition- ally, as unconstitutional regulatory agencies are armed and military branches are granted competing enforcement powers, the incentives to arrest, harass, seize the property of, and even murder our fellow citizens rises and our Bill of Rights is shredded in the name of law and order.

“The America First Party takes a strong stand against the rise of state police powers and laws that allow for the people to be penalized in fines and property seizures without due process of law. We stand against the use of secret evidence in the attaining of search warrants or as cause for detaining citizens. We support the right of all our citizens to face our accusers and to know the evidence against them in a court of law. Finally, we hold dear that our citizens should be secure in the knowledge that no agency shall be allowed to monitor our citizens' communications, associations, or examine personal effects without -due process of law and public disclosure of that process,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “Repeal of the Patriot Act [and it progeny] and those sections of the 2012 National Defense Authori- zation Act that permit indefinite detention of U.S. Citizens.” (99% Declaration Group’s CC 2.0, WTP’s CC 2009, 2014 Green Party Platform, Ralph Nader, Gary Null,)

c) “Repeal the Military Commissions Act, REAL ID, and any other statute repugnant to the 4th Amendment of the Constitution,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

d) “Repeal any other law that is repugnant to the 4th, 5th and 9th Amendments.”37 (WTP’s CC 2009)

e) “Stop the collection, storing, and dissemination of private information of a non-criminal nature belonging to the People; WE, the Free People of this nation, are not the enemy,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

f) “Furthermore, we demand the retraction of any intelligence reports maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, not properly cited and sourced as well as any intelligence report known to contain plagiarized information,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

g) “Repeal of NAIS (National Animal Identification System) which requires the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) of all livestock (animals) and mapping the premise of same,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

h) “Cease the implementation of acts such as the REAL ID Act of 2005, the PASS Act of 2009, and make no future attempts at implementing a national ID card or authorizing any funding associated with said acts,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

56 i) “Do not collect, process, store or disseminate intelligence of a non-criminal nature,” (WTP’s CC 2009). j) “Repeal all laws that collect fingerprints, blood, or DNA upon birth […],” (WTP’s CC 2009). “Privacy Protection: The America First Party stands steadfastly against all forms of biometric identification and tracking of innocent Americans. These include fingerprinting, facial and retina scans, implant chips and DNA sampling,”38 (2006 America First Party Platform). k) “Retract any Fusion Center intelligence report not properly cited and sourced as well as any intelligence report known to contain plagiarized information,” (WTP’s CC 2009). l) “Prohibit legislation that allows for the installation of red-light cameras and other devices used to surreptitiously gather information on American citizens. Repeal any such existing laws,” (WTP’s CC 2009). m) “Repeal any legislation that requires government permission to travel, i.e., the requirement to obtain a driver’s license to travel, the requirement to register one’s vehicle, and/or the requirement to purchase motor vehicle insurance unless the vehicle is being used for commercial purposes,” (WTP’s CC 2009). n) “All state governments shall cease and desist in prosecuting those men and women who are using the public right-of-way for personal, non-commercial transportation,” (WTP’s CC 2009). o) “The language “for commercial purposes only” shall be added to the definitions of the terms “transportation” and “motor vehicle”, in all state laws, clearly removing the restrictions imposed on travel for personal, private purposes,” (WTP’s CC 2009). p) “Repeal of all state laws that collect fingerprints, blood, DNA, or any other biometric data for minor traffic violations, infractions, or for any other instance where said data is not necessary for investigation,” (WTP’s CC 2009). q) “Destroy all biometric data, whether digital or tangible, that have been collected for use with a driver’s license, or for any other purpose not related to a felony investigation,” (WTP’s CC 2009). r) “Executive Orders: We oppose the use of Presidential executive orders to make law or otherwise usurp the authority of Congress,”39 (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform). s) “We oppose the use of the military against the America people,” (2006 America First Party Platform). t) “We also oppose efforts to repeal the protections of Posse Comitatus under the auspices of Home- land Security.”40 (2006 America First Party Platform). u) “End torture, such as in prisons like Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and other U.S.-controlled facilities. Ensure those guilty of ordering or executing torture are held accountable for violations U.S. and international law,” (2014 Green Party Platform). v) “Revoke the 2011 re-authorization of the Patriot Act, including “John Doe” roving wiretaps and the “library records” provision. w) “End the abuse of National Security Letters, which the FBI uses to force Internet service providers, libraries, banks, and credit reporting companies to reveal sensitive information about their patrons,” (2014 Green Party Platform). x) “End illegal government spying, including the use of warrantless wiretaps. Three federal judges have ruled that President Bush’s National Security Agency warrantless wiretaps violated the Foreign Intelli- gence Surveillance Act, which contains criminal sanctions. Ensure that anyone who violated the FISA is held accountable for crimes committed,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. Limit The Executive Branch

a) “Restraint of the Executive by the Law: Submission to the Law by the Government is the cornerstone of the Rule of Law. Our Constitutional Republic binds its governing authorities with the chains of the Constitution, and no President or other executive officer may claim any exemption therefrom due to the exigencies of war or urgencies of policy considerations. Every effort by the President or other executive officers to escape or evade the restraint of law and the Constitution is repugnant to the solemn Oath each undertakes upon entry into office,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

“At several times throughout its history, our country has suffered the rule of Presidents who saw their powers as unlimited and themselves as modern American Caesars. In order that the public might recognize these repeated abuses for what they are, we declare our opposition to all such illegal claims of power and artifices to escape the law (2006 America First Party Platform):

i. “Congress has the general power to ‘make all laws which are necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers and all other powers vested by this Con-stitution in the Government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof’ (Article I Section 8). The Executive must submit to and enforce those laws so long as they are authorized by the Constitution,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

ii. “The President has no authority to modify a law passed by Congress by means of a Signing Statement, Executive Order, Presidential Decree, Presidential Directive, or other such device; rather, his prerogative is to veto such laws as he disagrees with, and follow the requirements imposed by them should his veto be overridden,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

iii. “The Constitution gives to Congress the power to define Piracies, Felonies committed on the High Seas, Offences against the Law of Nations, which include the manner by which war must be conducted lawfully, and to make rules governing captures and the regulation and government of the armed forces. As Commander in Chief, the President must submit to all such laws Congress adopts in all respects relating to the conduct of war and defense of the nation,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

iv. “As Commander in Chief, the President is still bound by the restrictions of the Bill of Rights in his treatment of American citizens, especially relating to their privilege from government spying into their private affairs without a court order based upon probable cause,” (2006 America First Party Platform) .

v. “The President has no authority to revoke Habeas Corpus or detain American citizens without charge and without trial by designating them ‘enemy combatants’ or by holding them outside the jurisdiction of the federal courts,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

vi. “The President has no authority to announce a ‘war’ of any kind, or to designate any person or organization as ‘enemies of the United States,’ such powers being vested solely in the Congress, and then only by formal Declaration of War; lacking which, the President is powerless to designate any person as an enemy combatant or to designate any geographic region as a ‘battlefield,’” (2006 America First Party Platform)

vii. “The citizens must be free to petition the courts for relief and redress from government misconduct, and such relief, if the cause be proven, must be actually granted and not avoided by legal artifice and special privilege. The protection of sovereign immunity, often claimed by the Executive, is nothing more than a claim that the government is above the law. It must therefore be abolished, and the government and all its agents placed under the same standards of negligence, misconduct, criminal prosecution, and civil damages that now apply to the citizens,” (2006 America First Party Platform). 58

viii. “The use of the so-called ‘State Secrets Privilege,’ whereby the executive presumes to strip the citizens of their right to litigate claims involving government misconduct in the courts, violates the separation of powers, by giving the Executive a veto against the Court's jurisdiction,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

“Congress has the sworn duty to utilize the constitutional processes of Impeachment and Removal from Office for any President or executive official who advocates or embraces any such trick or artifice, or makes any such illegal claim of power. All such abuses are repugnant to the Constitution and the Rule of Law.”41 (2006 America First Party Platform).

3. Electoral Process

a) Abolish The Electoral College. “Eliminate the Winner-Take-All System of the Electoral College and provide for the direct national election of the president by Instant Runoff Voting. As a step in that direction, support National Popular Vote legislation which would guarantee the Presidency to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and the District of Columbia), which would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes — that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538).”42 (2014 Green Party Platform)

b) “No money in politics,” (2012 Occupy National Gathering). “Ban all private funding of any election—take corporate money out of politics. Allow no money to come from any special interest groups into any federal agency.”43 (Gary Null)

c) “Stop career politicians and curb lobbyist power.”44 (The Tea Party Manifesto) “… Major lobbying reform, including (a) prohibitions against conflicts of interest, such as those inherent in the pre-sent revolving door between lawmakers and regulated industries, and (b) public support of lobby organizations representing the public interest in order to balance present, lopsided corporate advocacy to bring about a government that represents the public interest.” (2013 Justice Party Platform) or…

d) “Ban lobbying from State and Federal offices.”45 (Gary Null)

e) “Clear away obstacles to a competitive electoral process.”46 (Ralph Nader) “Eliminate all ballot access laws and rules that dis-criminate against smaller parties and independents, and otherwise place undue burden on the right of citizens to run for office.”47 (2014 Green Party Platform, 2013 Justice Party Platform)

f) “Ban corporate contributions to political officials and all forms of political advocacy.”48 (Ralph Nader, Gary Null)

g) End Gerrymandering (the political redistricting of voting precincts to favor incumbents from the two- party system).

h) “End the two-party system.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

4. End Imperialistic Foreign Policy

a) “End unconstitutional wars and enforce Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution, which includes the exclusive congressional authority to declare war.”49 (Ralph Nader)

b) “Demilitarize our forces around the world and close military bases.”50 (Gary Null)

c) “Discontinue funding for any foreign aid or other funding that is not necessary for the defense against invasion of the United States;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

d) “Treaties that are inconsistent with or that violate the Constitution that have been ratified shall be nullified; and any further treaties that would infringe upon individual rights, liberties and freedoms, or that are otherwise repugnant to the Constitution shall not be ratified;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

e) “Repeal all acts, executive orders, and resolutions pertaining to the delegation of any war powers to the President;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

f) “Cease to fund any and all pre-emptive or offensive military activities throughout the world within twelve months after receiving this document;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

g) “Comply with all of the war powers provisions in the Constitution as originally written and adopted, never again allowing any American troops to be committed for any reason except in accordance with the Constitution;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

h) Impeach any President who initiates military activity without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

i) “Return jurisdiction of National Guard troops to their respective States; enabling the States to revitalize their own militias.” (WTP’s CC 2009)

j) “Repeal all Emergency Powers Acts and their associated provisions in federal code within a six-month period.” (WTP’s CC 2009)

k) “Cease and desist now and never again take any military action in any form without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.” (WTP’s CC 2009)

l) “Withdraw U.S. troops from all countries throughout the world within a period of twelve (12) months after receiving this instruction.” (WTP’s CC 2009)

m) “Instruct all military commanders and leaders to keep their Constitutional Oath of Office by refusing to execute any orders that may result in injury or loss of human life without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

n) “Instruct all officers and enlisted men to keep their Oaths, of Office and Enlistment, by refusing to obey any orders that may result in injury or loss of human life without a lawful Congressional Declaration of War as stated in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. We also encourage officers and enlisted men to refuse orders to serve under a foreign or international power.” (WTP’s CC 2009)

5. End Predatory Trade Policy

a) “End Fast Track, by revising trade agreements to protect U.S. sovereignty, and resume full congressional deliberation.”51 (Ralph Nader)

b) “Stop using the State Department to force Monsanto’s genetically engineered foods on other nations that we currently threaten with harm for resisting.”52 (Gary Null)

c) “The legislative and executive branches must effectively address the trade deficit so that our businesses prosper, more jobs are created, and therefore more revenue produced that can be taxed and used to pay down the national debt so that our descendants will not have to carry that burden,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

d) “Repeal and provide no funds to any agency working toward a ‘North American Union,’ regional, or global governance of any kind;” (WTP’s CC 2009).

e) “Independently evaluate any determinations by the United Nations or any non-governmental international organizations that are supportive of their promotion of top down governance of society;” (WTP’s CC 2009).

f) “Reject or repeal any laws/legislation that does not conform to the requirements of the 10th Amend- ment;” (WTP’s CC 2009).

g) “Discontinue any association or funding of any activities related to the Security and Prosperity Part- nership (North American Leaders Summit);” (WTP’s CC 2009).

h) “Copyrights and Patents: We oppose the unconstitutional transfer of authority over copyright and patent policy from Congress to other agencies, foreign or domestic, and favor vigorous efforts to protect the interests of owners in their copyrights and patents.

6. Abolish Law Enforcement Abuses & Revoke Judicial Injustice

a) “Limitation of Federal Law Enforcement: While the ability of law enforcement is limited by a number of geographic and demo-graphic factors, the ability of nation-wide law enforcement to carry out duties efficiently and fairly is not practical.

“It shall be the position of the America First Party that national law enforcement agencies be restricted to protective services, local and state resource agencies, and investigative agencies, to the limitation that arrest and search powers rest with local and state authorities,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “De-privatize all prisons.”53 (CC 2.0)

c) “End the ineffective war on drugs.”54 (Ralph Nader, 2014 Green Party Platform)

d) “Reduce prison population by giving pardon to non-violent offenders who are incarcerated.”55 (Gary Null)

e) “Repeal ‘stop and frisk.’”56 (Gary Null)

f) “A crackdown on white-collar crime through the use of aggressive enforcement, prosecution, and sentencing for theft, based on the amount stolen and the number of people affected.” (CC 2.0)

g) “Abolish the death penalty. Oppose the death penalty in the United States and worldwide,” (2014 Green Party Platform). We are a humane body,” (CC 2.0).

h) “Repeal ‘three strikes’ laws. Restore judicial discretion in sentencing. Abolish mandatory sentencing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

6. Dismantle “Unhealthy” Institutions

a) “Disband the FDA, USDA, National Institutes of Health, CDC, National Institute of Aging, National Institute of Mental Health, and the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Replace them with independent groups of scientists and oversight by lay citizen groups where any drug or food must be proven safe prior to approval.”57 (Gary Null)

6. Eliminate Environmental Toxins

a) “Close and decommission all nuclear plants….”58 (Gary Null)

7. Break-Up Media Monopolization a) “Repeal the Telecommunications Act of 1996,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

8. Science & Technology a) “Oppose the patenting of life forms, including human genes.”59 (Ralph Nader)

C) ELIMINATE EDUCATIONAL OBSTACLES

1. “Eliminate gross inequalities in school funding. Federal policy on education should act principally to provide equal access to a quality education,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. “Oppose the administration of public schools by private, for-profit entities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

3. “Prohibit advertising to children in schools. Corporations should not be allowed to use the schools as vehicles for commercial advertising or corporate propaganda,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

4. “Ban the sale of soda pop and junk food in schools. Junk food is defined as food or beverages that are relatively high in saturated or trans fat, added sugars or salt, and relatively low in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

5. “Oppose military and corporate control over the priorities and topics of university academic research,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

6. “Repeal the No Child Left Behind Act,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

7. “Oppose efforts to restrict the teaching of scientific information and the portrayal of religious belief as fact,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

8. “No person should be permitted to sign away eight years of their life to the armed forces, without full written disclosure of what is expected of them and what they can expect in return from the government. We demand that the practice of deceiving prospective service recruits about the truth of their service contract be recognized as a fraudulent practice and sufficient grounds for revoking an enlistment contract. Current practices holding individuals legally to all the terms of their military service contract should also apply to the government,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

9. “We demand an end to the militarization of our schools. JROTC programs are an expensive drain on our limited educational resources and a diversion from their important mission to prepare our young to assume their role in a peaceful tomorrow. ASVAB testing is being used to mine public school student bodies for data to support military recruiting. Forbid military access to student records. The Pentagon’s Recruit- ment Command is misdirecting public tax dollars on manipulative campaigns that prey on our young. We insist that local education authorities stand up to these destructive practices,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

II. RECONSTRUCTION AGENDA (Building A Sustainable Society)

A) COMMUNITY RESILIENCE & LOCAL EMPOWERMENT

1. Community Bill of Rights (Local Self-Governance)

a) “Local community control.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

b) “The right to halt the destruction of our human and natural communities by replacing the current system of elite decision-making with new community-based democratic-decision-making systems.”60 (The 2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

c) “The right to revoke the authority of the corporate minority to impose political, legal and economic systems that endanger our human and natural communities.”61 (The 2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

d) “Transform our individual community struggles into new frameworks of law that dismantle the existing undemocratic systems while codifying new sustainable systems.”62 (2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

e) “Abolishing preemption, sub-ordination of municipal governments; bestowal of constitutional rights upon corporations, and relegating ecosystem the status of property.”63 (The 2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

f) “Envision and build new state and federal constitutional structures that codify new rights—asserting systems of governance.”64 (The 2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

g) “Build economically and environmentally sustainable communities.”65 (The 2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

h) “Create a network of people committed to securing the right to local, community self-government, the reversal of political, legal, and cultural doctrines that interfere with that right and the creation of a new system and doctrines that support that right.”66 (The 2010 Chambersburg Declaration, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund)

2. Organize Patronage of Community-Rooted Businesses

a) “Create local economies.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

b) (Community Development) “Encourage further development of the following community-based institutions: credit unions, community banks, farmer-to consumer markets, local renewable energy producers, community health clinics and assorted consumer-owned cooperatives.”67 (Gary Null)

c) (Community Development) “Fusion of consumer and producers like food gardens, arts and crafts, time/dollar collaborations, and neighborhood daycare centers, community book stores, other facilities that are knitters of community life in America.”68 (Gary Null)

3. Reclaim The Commons

a) “All airwaves public;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

b) “End to intellectual property, such that there is free & open;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

c) “Sharing of information;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

d) “Free & open communications;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

e) “Real education, free & equal, democratized;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

f) “Universal access to data.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

4. Create Community Convergence Centers (C-4)

a) (Community Co-Creation) Create Convergent Institutions: “Speaking of grand visions, after a few successful convergent missions, careful consideration should be given to finding donors to establish an Institute for the Advancement of Convergence.”69 (Ralph Nader)

5. Families & Children

a) “We call for social policies to focus on protecting families. The young — our citizens of tomorrow — are increasingly at risk. Programs must ensure that children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, receive basic nutritional, educational, and medical necessities. The Green Party 63

supports and seeks to expand Head Start and Pre- and neo-natal programs. A Children’s Agenda should be put in place to focus attention and concerted action on the future that is our children,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “A universal, federally funded childcare program for preschool and young schoolchildren should be developed,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Family assistance such as the earned income tax credit, avail-able to working poor families in which the parent supports and lives with the children, should be maintained and increased to offset regressive payroll taxes and growing inequalities in American society,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “A living family wage is vital to the social health of communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “The actuarial protection of social security is essential to the well-being of our seniors, and maintenance of the system’s integrity is an essential part of a healthy community. We oppose privatization of social security, call for the program to remain under the aegis of the Federal Government, and seek to expand its effectiveness,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “We support the leading-edge work of non-profit public interest groups and those individuals breaking out of ‘careerism’ to pursue non-traditional careers in public service,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

6. Alternative Community Service

a) “We must create new opportunities for citizens to serve their communities through non-military community service. Alternative community service to the military should be encouraged,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “We advocate the formation of a Civilian Conservation Corps, with national leadership and state and local affiliates, to spearhead efforts to work on the tasks of environmental education, restoration of damaged habitats, reforestation, and cleaning up polluted waterways. Providing land and resource management skills will challenge young people while encouraging social responsibility,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

B) ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY: We envision “[a] healthy planet, free of pollution where people act responsibly to protect and maintain balance with the environment. [However,] the water, soil and atmosphere are being dangerously polluted and manipulated. Extinction rates are growing and people are starving,”70 (Libertarians Foster & Kimberly Gamble).

“The human community is an element of the Earth community, not the other way around. All human endeavors are situated within the dynamics of the biosphere. If we wish to have sustainable institutions and enterprises, they must fit well with the processes of the Earth. The ideology of industrialism, in both capitalist and communist countries, insists that modern society lives on top of nature and should rightly use and despoil the rest of the natural world as we desire— because any loss of the ecosystems is merely an “externality” in economic thought and because any problems can be addressed later by a technological fix. We are now living through the painful consequences of that arrogant, ignorant perspective. Many of our children suffer from accumulations of mercury and other toxins in their neurological systems, environ-mentally related cancer is on the rise, and our air and water are increasingly polluted. Meanwhile, our ecosystems are being compromised by the spreading presence of genetically engineered organisms,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Our houses and buildings, manufacturing processes, and industrial agriculture were all designed with the assumption of an endless supply of cheap and readily available fossil fuels. Pollution and despoiling the land were not part of the thinking. The Green Party, however, is optimistic about the alternatives that now exist and that could be encouraged through tax policy and the market incentives of fuel efficiency. We also

64 challenge the grip of the oil, automotive, and auto-mobile insurance industries that have managed to block or roll back progress in public mass transit. The gutting of subsidies for the rail-roads has meant not only fewer passenger routes but also the addition of thousands of large freight trucks on our highways, decreasing public safety and increasing pollution. We are committed to extending the greening of waste management by encouraging the spread of such practices as reduce, return, reuse, and recycle. We strongly oppose the recent attempts to roll back the federal environmental protection laws that safeguard our air, water, and soil,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The health of the life-support systems — the ecosystems on our continent — is of paramount importance. Inherent in the efficient dynamics of those ecosystems is a vital profusion of biodiversity. Therefore, the Greens call for a halt to the destruction of habitats, which are being sacrificed to unqualified economic expansion,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We humans have a moral responsibility to all of our relations, many of which are facing extinction because we carelessly and permanently halt their long evolutionary journey,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green Party also supports the spread of organic agriculture and the careful tending of our nation’s precious remaining topsoil. We sup-port planetary efforts to slow the ever-increasing numbers of humans pressuring the ecosystems, and we especially support the reduction of consumption of the world’s raw materials by the industrialized Northern Hemisphere. We are appalled by our country’s withdrawal from serious efforts to limit greenhouse gases that are contributing mightily to global climate disruption. The Green Party strongly urges the United States to adopt an actively responsible position in this crisis and to take significant action to address the problem,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

1. Population: “We do not support any draconian (severe, cruel or inhumane) measures to reduce global over population, which violate our basic human right to exist,” (Zevin X. Cruz: The Society of the Third Millennium).

“Humans have a unique responsibility for stewardship of the Earth. No species, especially on the upper end of the food chain, can have unchecked exponential growth without depleting the Earth’s carrying capacity— human population expands at the expense of other species,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

“Limiting the discussion to population numbers and birthrates diverts attention from over-consumption in the industrial world and historic patterns of exploitation of developing countries. Consumption- oriented lifestyles that have evolved in the industrial world have resulted in a minority of people consuming a majority of resources. This is as significant a threat to the Earth’s carrying capacity as the high birth rates in low-consumption countries,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

“Current global demographics demonstrate that economic well-being promotes low birthrates. Any discussion of population must also be a discussion of women throughout the world. There is documented evidence that the economic and social status of women is a primary factor in birthrates — when women have control over their lives, birthrates decrease. Also, a major barrier to the improvement of women’s reproductive health is a lack of shared responsibility between men and women in family planning. A combination of male attitudes and cultural traditions have resulted in most men being under-educated and uninvolved in the planning of their families,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

“Globally, human population is increasing while food production has leveled off. When population increases faster than the economy grows, the disparity between rich and poor also increases. Higher human consumption rates and populations increase the pressure on the environment in every ecological problem area,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

a) “Those living in the industrialized world must end the habits of waste and over-consumption that place as much stress on the environment as does population growth in developing nations,” (2104 Green Party Platform). 65

b) “We must remove the political and economic barriers that prevent women around the world from having all the resources necessary to become skilled family planners,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

c) “Funds must be allocated for expanded scientific research into safer and more effective birth control techniques and devices. We demand better-than-adequate health care for women and children — especially prenatal care,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

d) “There must be access to free birth control devices, information counseling, and clinics to all who desire them. We call for implementation of family planning education for both genders in all levels of the state school system,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

e) “We must promote new traditions and images of men becoming fully involved in all aspects of the family planning process,” (2104 Green Party Platform).

2. Climate Change: “[We] want to stop runaway climate change, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 40% by 2020 and 95% by 2050, over 1990 levels,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Climate change is the gravest environmental, social and economic peril that humanity has ever met. Across the world, it is causing vanishing polar ice, melting glaciers, growing deserts, stronger storms, rising oceans, less biodiversity, deepening droughts, as well as more disease, hunger, strife and human misery. It is a tragedy unfolding in slow motion,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greenhouse gases warm the Earth by trapping heat in the atmosphere. Much of that heat is initially absorbed by the ocean, creating roughly a 30-year delay in the impact of that heat at the surface of the planet. Practically speaking, that means that the melting glaciers and expanding deserts of 2009 were the result of greenhouse gases dumped into the atmosphere in the late 1970s, when the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was below 350 parts per million (ppm). To return to a safe level of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere, we must reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases as quickly as possible to levels that existed before 1980, to 350 ppm carbon dioxide,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens support science-based policies to curb climate change. We have an ambitious plan to make drastic changes quickly to avert global catastrophe. We will expend maximum effort to preserve a planet friendly to life as we know it by curtailing greenhouse gas emissions and actively removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Strong International Climate Treaty: Support a strong international climate treaty under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The United States must do far better than its offer in Copenhagen to reduce green-house gas emissions by 4% below 1990 levels. We should support at least a 40% reduction by 2020 and 95% reduction by 2050, over 1990 levels,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Economic Policy For A Safer Climate

i. Enact a Fee & Dividend system on fossil fuels to enable the free market to include the environmental costs of their extraction and use. These fees shall be applied as far upstream as possible, either when fuel passes from extraction to refining, distribution or consumption; or when it first enters the United States’ jurisdiction. The carbon fee will initially be small, a dime per kilogram of carbon, to avoid creating a shock to the economy. The fee will be increased by 10% each year that global atmospheric carbon dioxide content is greater than 350 ppm, decreased 10% each year it’s less than 300 ppm, and repealed entirely when it falls below 250 ppm,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. Although imported fossil fuel has no more impact on global climate change than domestic, importing petroleum and natural gas has a catastrophic impact on American foreign policy and the

American economy. We will enact this same fee on imported fossil fuels a second time to give the free market an incentive to wean America off foreign oil and gas,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. The Green Party calls for elimination of subsidies for fossil fuels, nuclear power, biomass and waste incineration and biofuels. We must also acknowledge that the bulk of our military budget is, in fact, an indirect subsidy for oil & gas corporations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “To prevent perverse incentives arising from higher carbon prices, the Green Party mandates clean fuels in addition to pricing carbon. Otherwise dirty energy sources like nuclear power, biomass and biofuels that are not subject to carbon pricing will become economically competitive,” (2014 Green Party Platform). c) Repay Our Climate Debt

i. “Pay for adaptation to climate change in countries with less responsibility for climate change,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Provide a carbon neutral development path for those countries that can no longer be permitted to develop in the same way we did — by burning cheap fossil fuels,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) More Efficiency And Conservation

i. “Adopt energy efficiency standards that reduce energy demand economy-wide by 50% over the next 20–30 years. The U.S. can make massive reductions in its energy use through a combination of conservation and efficiency measures. We don’t actually need any additional power. Instead, we can and should re-duce our consumption of power,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Build an efficient, low cost public transportation system. The best incentive we can provide to live closer to work and reduce the use of private vehicles is to make the alternative in-expensive and convenient to use,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Adopt a national zero waste policy. The less we consume and throw away, the less we will need to produce and replace,” (2014 Green Party Platform). e) Clean, Green Energy and Jobs

i. “Create an inclusive program to train workers for the new, clean energy economy. Focusing on both the environment and social justice, prioritize the creation of green jobs in communities of color and low-income communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Adopt a clean energy portfolio standard that rapidly replaces our combustion-based power sources with wind, solar, ocean, small-scale hydro, and geothermal power,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “End the use of nuclear power. Nuclear energy is massively polluting, dangerous, financially risky, expensive and slow to implement. Our money is better spent on wind, solar, geothermal, conservation and small-scale hydroelectric,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Stop ‘dirty clean energy.’ Many of the ‘solutions’ offered in climate legislation aren’t real solutions. Biomass incineration (trees, crops, construction debris and certain types of waste), landfill gas and many types of biofuels will dump massive quantities of toxic pollutants into the air and water, and some of these energy sources produce more greenhouse gas emissions than coal. Natural gas is primarily methane, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Consequently, when pipeline leakage is considered, the clean-burning characteristics of natural gas can be lost, resulting in a fuel with climate impacts as bad as coal. Biomass and biofuels will also

increase deforestation, contributing to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) Clean, Green Agriculture

i. “Convert U.S farm and ranchland to organic practices. Chemical and industrial agriculture produces 35- 50% of climate destabilizing greenhouse gases,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Switch to local food production and distribution. Localized, organic food production and distribution reduce fossil fuel usage and enriches soil that sequesters more carbon dioxide,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Reduce methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases by rapidly phasing out confined animal feeding operations, and encouraging a reduction in meat consumption,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

3. Energy: “The United States has a high-energy-consumption economy based mainly on fossil energy. The extraction, refining, and combustion of fossil fuels have proved extremely harmful to the environment, and supplies are rapidly being depleted. Over the past century, the infrastructure of our civilization has become utterly dependent on plentiful oil, coal, and natural gas: vast land, air, and sea transportation networks; increasing dependence on imported goods; industrialized food production dependent on fertilizer and biocides; and sprawling, car-dependent neighborhoods and workplaces. Our electric grid depends on fossil fuels for two-thirds of its energy,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Dirty and dangerous energy sources have generated an unparalleled assault on the environment and human rights. In the U.S., low income communities and communities of color bear the greatest burden of health impacts due to exposure to emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants. Native American communities have been devastated by uranium mining, and the people of Appalachia watch helplessly as their ancient mountains are destroyed for coal-fired electricity. Regional and global peaks in supply are driving up costs and threatening wars and social chaos,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Since 1859 when the first commercial oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania, the global community has con- sumed about half what nature generated over hundreds of millions of years. Although coal is more abundant than oil, it is inherently dirtier than oil, is limited in terms of its use as a vehicle fuel, and demand is skyrocketing globally for use in electricity generation. Natural Gas is also in high demand for power production and is ultimately finite. We must plan and prepare for the end of fossil fuels now, while we still have energy available to build the cleaner, more sustainable energy infrastructure that we will soon need,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“To simply substitute better energy sources in place of fossil fuels is not the answer for two main reasons. First, there are no energy sources (renewable or otherwise) capable of supplying energy as cheaply and in such abundance as fossil fuels currently yield in the time that we need them to come online. Second, we have designed and built our infrastructure to suit the unique characteristics of oil, natural gas, and coal,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The energy transition cannot be accomplished with a minor retrofit of existing energy infrastructure. Just as our fossil fuel economy differs from the agrarian economy of 1800, the post-fossil fuel economy of 2050 will be profoundly different from all that we are familiar with now. Changes would occur if we wait for the price of fossil fuels to reflect scarcity, forcing society to adapt; however, lack of government planning will result in a transition that is chaotic, painful, destructive, and possibly not survivable,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) Encourage Conservation: “Encourage conservation and a significant decrease in our energy consumption, institute national energy efficiency standards. With five percent of the world’s population, U.S residents consume twenty-six percent of the world’s energy. U.S. consumption of 68

electricity is almost nine times greater than the average for the rest of the world. These are not sustainable levels […]. The Green Party advocates a rapid reduction in energy consumption through energy efficiency and a decisive transition away from fossil and nuclear power toward cleaner, renewable, local energy sources. Toward these goals, we advocate,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “The U.S. must retrofit its building stock for energy efficiency. Most U.S. residents live in homes that require heat during the winter, and most are inadequately insulated. Buildings in the South require air conditioning during the summer. Fuel shortages, power outages, and energy price hikes could bring not just discomfort, but a massive increase in mortality from cold and heat. Millions of buildings can and must be super-insulated and, as much as possible, provided with alternative heat sources (passive solar, geothermal, or district heating) ,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Energy efficiency standards similar to those in California must be adopted nationally. The energy efficiency standards adopted there in the late 1970s have resulted in overall electricity-use remaining flat over the past three decades while the population has steadily increased. During the same time period electricity use in the rest of the U.S. has climbed along with population growth,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “There are many different ways to increase energy efficiency and the best path for one region of the country might differ from that of another. We will need concerted effort to increase efficiency in every sector of our economy. Technologies exist that, if widely implemented, can result in huge energy savings,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Cogeneration and use of waste heat to generate electricity should be encouraged,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “A carbon tax, which the Green Party supports, would serve as an important market incentive to increase efficiency,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) Move to Renewable Sources: “Move decisively to an energy system based on solar, wind, geothermal, marine, and other cleaner renewable energy sources,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The development of Earth-gentle, sustainable energy sources must be a cornerstone of any plan to reduce reliance on conventional fossil fuels. The Green Party advocates clean renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, marine-based, and other cleaner renewable sources as the long-term solution,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “Many other solutions being pushed, including nuclear power, coal, industrial-scale biofuels, and low-grade fossil fuels such as oil shale and tar sands, create more problems than they solve,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Further research with increased government support is needed into new energy storage technologies, as well as new cheaper and non-toxic photovoltaic materials and processes, and new geothermal and ocean power technologies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Policy tools to directly support the development of renewable energy sources, such as Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and Feed-in Tariffs, should also be reviewed for effectiveness. In general, a feed-in tariff is legislation enacted by the government that requires the large electric utilities to guarantee a price for the renewably generated electricity fed into the grid. When done right, such as in Germany, this policy appears to succeed in harnessing entrepreneurial zeal,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “State-level financing policies like California’s AB 811 can help homeowners install expensive renewable energy where the county pays the up-front cost and the system is paid for via the homeowner’s property taxes,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 69

v. “Greens support voluntary purchase of tradable renewable energy certificates; however, voluntary approaches are not sufficient,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “Greens support research into advanced fuels when the purpose of the research is to develop a fuel that in its full cycle does not create more problems than it solves. We support the use of hydrogen as an energy storage medium; however we oppose the use of nuclear technologies or carbon-based feedstocks for hydrogen production,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “We call for a ban on the construction of large-scale and inappropriately-located, hydroelectric dams,” (2014 Green Party Platform). c) Eliminate Dirty & Dangerous Energy Sources: “The Green Party advocates the phase-out of nuclear and coal power plants. All processes associated with nuclear power are dangerous, from the mining of uranium to the transportation and disposal of the radioactive waste. Coal is the largest contributor to climate change with estimates as high as 80%,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “The generation of nuclear waste must be halted. It is hazardous for thousands of years and there is no way to isolate it from the biosphere for the duration of its toxic life. We oppose public subsidies for nuclear power. Cost is another huge factor making it unfeasible, with each new nuclear power plant costing billions of dollars,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “The Green Party calls for a formal moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants, the early retirement of existing nuclear power reactors, and the phase-out of technologies that use or produce nuclear waste, such as nuclear waste incinerators, food irradiators, and all uses of depleted uranium,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “We call for a ban on mountaintop removal coal mining. With limited supplies and in the absence of commercially viable ‘clean coal’ carbon sequestration, which may never be feasible, coal is neither an economically nor an environmentally sustainable solution,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “We call for the cessation of development of fuels produced with polluting, energy-intensive processes or from unsustainable or toxic feed stocks, such as genetically- engineered crops, coal and waste streams contaminated with persistent toxics,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “We oppose further oil and gas drilling or exploration on our nation’s outer continental shelf, on our public lands, in the Rocky Mountains, and under the Great Lakes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “Due to serious negative impacts on food, soil, and water, we oppose industrial-scale biofuels production and biomass burning for electric power generation. We approve small scale distributed production under local control, such as production of biodiesel from waste oils, production of charcoal and byproducts from wood wastes or sustainably harvested wood, small scale production of ethanol from crop wastes or maize stalk sugar, or production of fuel gas for localized electricity generation from anaerobic methane digesters or charcoal gasifiers. We do not object to the utilization of fuel gases seeping from landfills, as that is one way to reduce air pollution. We support as a minimum standard the Principles for Sustainable Biomass statement signed by Clean Water Action, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Geos Institute, Greenpeace USA, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Southern Environmental Law Center, Union of Concerned Scientists, The Wilderness Society, and World Wildlife Fund,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “Enact a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) until its damaging effects on water and air quality are fully studied and understood. Permanently ban high-volume hydraulic fracturing in 70

sensitive watersheds. Regulate hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act, and require public disclosure of the chemicals used in fracturing fluids,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) Decentralize the Grid: “Plan for decentralized, bioregional electricity generation and distribution. Decentralized power systems are likely to be more resilientin the face of power disruptions and will cut transmissionlosses, assure citizens greater control of their power grids, and prevent the massive ecological and social destruction that accompanies production of electricity in mega-scale projects,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. We support “smart grid” upgrades. The federal government must step in to set goals and standards and to provide capital. This effort must not favor commercial utilities over municipal power districts,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “The Green Party supports net metering to make decentralized energy production economically viable,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Greens support tax-exempt bonds to finance public ownership of utilities and to allow publicly owned utilities to finance conservation and renewable energy projects,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “We oppose deregulation of the energy industry,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) Re-localize the Food System: “De-carbonize and re-localize the food system. Our national industrial food system is overwhelmingly dependent upon oil and natural gas for farm-equipment fuel, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and the transport. It is responsible for over 12% of all greenhouse gases from human activities in the U.S. New farming methods, new farmers, and a re-localization of production and distribution are needed. These will require land reform, an investment in revitalizing rural areas and the creation of local food processing plants and storage centers. Laws and incentives affecting the food system (including food safety laws and farm subsidies) will need to be rewritten to provide preferential support for small-scale, local, low-input producers,” (2014 Green Party Platform). f) Electrify the Transportation System: “Our enormous investment in highways, airports, cars, buses, trucks, and aircraft is almost completely dependent on oil, and it will be significantly handicapped by higher fuel prices, and devastated by actual fuel shortages. The electrification of road-based vehicles is a must and will require at least two decades to fully deploy and we must move to Earth-gentle electricity generation to charge the vehicles. Meanwhile, existing private automobiles must be put to use more efficiently through carpooling, car-sharing, and ride-sharing networks,” (2014 Green Party Platform). [See Transportation section below for more, including need for dramatic increase in CAFE or gasoline efficiency standards] g) Requirements for Energy Transition

i. “Investment: Enormous amounts of investment capital will be needed to accomplish the energy transition, much more than the promise of $150 billion for renewable energy over ten years, and must now come from government,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Coordination: The energy transition will be complex and comprehensive, and its various strategies will be mutually impacting. For example, efforts to redirect transport away from highways and toward rail service will need to be coordinated with manufacturers, farmers, retailers, and employers. An independent federal Energy Transition Office should track and manage the transition,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Education: Community colleges should prepare workers for new job opportunities, e.g., sustainable food production, renewable energy installation, grid rebuilding, rail expansion, public 71

transport construction, and home energy retrofitting. Grade school curriculum should include gardening programs in all schools and increased emphasis on energy conservation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Public Messaging & Goal Setting: Our leaders must instill in the nation a sense of collective struggle and of a long journey toward a clear goal. The success of a project of this scope will require public buy-in at every stage and level, including the use of language and images to continually underscore what is at stake, to foster a spirit of cooperation and willing sacrifice. Business leaders, advertising agencies and even Hollywood must be enlisted, a quid pro quo for government bail out of banks and corporations. Grassroots initiatives, such as the Transition Towns movement, could lead the way toward voluntary community efforts. A sophisticated, interactive, web-based program would inspire action and provide resources. Ratepayers should get full disclosure of the specific electric generating facilities used to produce their electricity. A series of challenging yet feasible targets should be set, with the ultimate goal — complete freedom from fossil fuel dependency — to be achieved by 2050. The federal government should take the lead by setting targets for federal facilities. Achievement of annual targets should be cause for public celebration,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

4. Nuclear Issues

a) “The Green Party recognizes that there is no such thing as nuclear waste ‘disposal.’ All six of the ‘low- level’ nuclear waste dumps in the United States have leaked. There are no technological quick fixes that can effectively isolate nuclear waste from the biosphere for the duration of its hazardous life. Therefore, it is essential that generation of additional nuclear wastes be stopped,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “The Green Party calls for the early retirement of nuclear power reactors as soon as possible (in no more than five years), and for a phase-out of other technologies that use or produce nuclear waste. These technologies include non-commercial nuclear reactors, reprocessing facilities, nuclear waste incinerators, food irradiators, and all commercial and military uses of depleted uranium,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Current methods of underground storage are a danger to present and future generations. Any nuclear waste management strategy must be based on waste containers being stored aboveground and continuously monitored, and the containers must be retrievable and capable of being repackaged. All such strategies must also minimize the transportation of wastes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “The Green Party strongly opposes any shipment of high-level nuclear waste across the U.S. to the proposed Nevada waste repository at Yucca Mountain, or any other centralized facility. The Green Party believes that this proposal is part of a move to re-fire a fast-track, commercial nuclear industry by providing a means for ‘safe disposal.’ We deny there is such a thing as safe disposal of nuclear waste. We propose making spent reactor fuel and other high level wastes safer by vitrification at the site where it is produced or now stored,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “We call for cancellation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation’s first weapons complex nuclear dump in southern New Mexico,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “We call for independent, public-access radiation monitoring at all nuclear facilities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “We support applicable environmental impact statements (EIS) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis with citizen participation at all nuclear sites,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “We support an immediate and intensive campaign to educate the public about nuclear problems, including disposal, cleanup, and long-term dangers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “We oppose the export of nuclear technologies or their wastes to other nations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “We oppose public subsidies for nuclear power, including Price-Anderson insurance caps and stranded cost recovery bailouts. We oppose federal loan guarantees to enable the construction of a new generation of nuclear reactors,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

k) “We oppose the development and use of new nuclear reactors, plutonium (MOX) fuel, nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear fusion, uranium enrichment, and the manufacturing of new plutonium pits for a new generation of nuclear weapons,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

l) “We oppose the deregulation of radioactive materials and wastes, which is allowing such wastes to be recycled into consumer products and to enter municipal waste landfills and incinerators. We call for the strict regulation, tracking, monitoring, and recapturing of radioactive materials and wastes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

m) “We call on the military to clean up depleted uranium contamination from testing ranges and battlefields and to fully compensate exposed veterans and civilians who have been affected by depleted uranium exposure in the U.S. and elsewhere,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

5. Transportation: “The Green Party supports a transportation policy that emphasizes the use of mass transit and alternatives to the automobile and truck for transport. We call for major public investment in mass transportation, so that such systems are cheap or free to the public and are safe, accessible, and easily understandable to first-time users,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We need ecologically sound forms of transportation that minimize pollution and maximize efficiency. Surfaces impermeable to rain-water, polluted storm run-off; paved over or polluted wetlands, the heat island effect, air pollution, and acid rain are all directly related to a transportation system run amuck,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Massive subsidies to the auto and fossil fuel industries, as well as an unworkable approach by urban planners, maintain the auto’s dominance of our cityscapes. The present-day approach of upgrading streets to accommodate increased traffic generates new traffic because access is now easier, and people will now take jobs further from their homes or purchase homes further from their jobs. Some people shift from public transit to private cars due to the trip time in cars being shorter. As patronage for public transit decreases, public transit loses funding, becomes less viable, and service deteriorates thus encouraging even more people to use their cars,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“To counteract these trends and reduce auto use, the Green Party advocates the following strategies,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

a) Pedestrians and Bicyclists:

i. “Make streets, neighborhoods and commercial districts more pedestrian friendly,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Increase the greenery of streets,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Utilize traffic-calming methods, where the design of streets promotes safe speeds and safe interaction with pedestrians. Create auto-free zones,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Develop extensive networks of bikeways, bicycle lanes and paths. Include bike racks on all public transit,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Maintain free community bicycle fleets, and provide necessary support for cyclists,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) Mass Transit:

i. “Redirect resources that currently go to enhancing auto capacity into expanding human-scale transit options,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Develop affordable mass transit systems that are more economical to use than private vehicles,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Encourage employer subsidies of transit commuter tickets for employees, funded by government Congestion Management grants,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Use existing auto infrastructure for transit expansion where possible. Light rail could be established in expressway medians through metropolitan high-density corridors,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Include land use decisions in transportation issues, with consideration of the need for mass transit to have a market and be viable, and with attention paid to cross commuting the practice of people commuting to a place where they could and should live,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “Expand our country’s network of rail lines, including high-speed regional passenger service,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “Transfer ownership and operation of all intercity railroad trackage currently under control of freight railroads to responsible and adequately funded public agencies, as is done with highways, to provide for efficiency and safety of all rail traffic,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) Motor Vehicles:

i. “Place a moratorium on highway widening, appropriating funds instead for mass transit and facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Mandate HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes on freeways, and lower tolls for carpools,” (2014 Green Party Platform). iii. “Discourage unnecessary auto use by eliminating free parking in non-residential areas well served by mass transit, and establish preferential parking rates for HOV,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Regularly increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to levels which truly challenge auto-makers to improve the state of the art, using the fuel economy performance of vehicles worldwide for reference. Eliminate the distinction between cars and light trucks, the footprint loophole, the E85 loophole and the 8500-pound exemption. Eliminate the perverse incentives for alternative fuels that increase the nation’s petroleum consumption. Enact a Fee & Dividend system on the carbon content of gasoline, Diesel fuel and E85,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

6. Zero Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: “Greens will shift our nation toward clean production and principles of zero waste. A waste-free society is essential to public health and the integrity and sustainability of the biosphere. Natural ecosystems are self-sustaining and generate no waste. We humans are a part of these ecosystems, andwhile we obtain resources from them, we have a responsibility to return

74 only those things that can be re absorbed without detriment. Waste is not an inevitable part of production and consumption, as it is viewed in the current economic model,” (2014 Green Party Platform). a) “Phase out all avoidable production and sale of toxic metals, persistent organic pollutants, persistent bio-accumulative toxins, synthetic petrochemicals, and halogenated chemicals. Replace them with non- toxic alternatives,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) “Make manufacturers responsible for the full life cycle of their products by requiring them to take back used products and packaging for remanufacturing, reuse, or recycling. Support and implement the precautionary principle: When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context the proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof. The process of applying the precautionary principle must be open, informed and demo-cratic and must include potentially affected parties. It must also involve an examination of the full range of alternatives, including no action,” (2014 Green Party Platform). c) “Strengthen right-to-know laws so that everyone can discover what toxic or potentially toxic chemicals are used and released in their communities, and in products that they might purchase or use,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) “Hold corporations strictly liable for the consequences of the pollution they produce. We support the Citizens’ Platform on Superfund, as adopted at the 1995 Com-munities At Risk Superfund Summit in Washington, DC. End the use of incine-ration as a cleanup technology, and ensure that ‘cleanups’ don’t simply relocate toxins to chemical waste dumps in poor communities of color,” (2014 Green Party Platform). e) “Shut down existing waste incinerators, impose a moratorium on new waste incinerators, and phase out landfills. For all possible waste streams, we support the following strategies (in order of priority) as alternatives to incineration and landfills: (i) toxics use reduction; (ii) source reduction, reuse, clean recycling or composting /digestion; or (iii) neutralization, sterilization or detoxification methods where applicable,” (2014 Green Party Platform). f) “Do not deregulate wastes containing toxic or radioactive contaminants significantly above background levels. They should not be allowed to be used in ‘beneficial use’ schemes as fertilizer, ‘co- products,’ or fuels; or by ‘recycling’ them into consumer products (including construction materials) or disposing of them as municipal waste,” (2014 Green Party Platform). g) “Do not export, under any circumstances, chemicals that are prohibited in the United States. We oppose shipping of toxic, hazardous, or radioactive wastes across national borders, and the shipment of such wastes without strict regulation across any political borders. Waste should not be considered a tradable commodity under the Interstate Commerce Clause,” (2014 Green Party Platform). h) “Safe, secure, above ground storage for existing nuclear waste. We oppose exporting nuclear waste to other nations,” (2014 Green Party Platform). i) “Strict regulation of radioactive materials and wastes and prohibiting such wastes to be recycled into consumer products and to enter municipal waste landfills and incinerators,” (2014 Green Party Platform). j) “Close, clean up and remediate at national labs devoted to nuclear energy and weapons development and operations at the Department of Energy’s nuclear production sites,” (2014 Green Party Platform). k) “Clean up depleted uranium contamination from testing ranges and battlefields, and provide generously compensate veterans and civilians who have been sickened by depleted uranium exposure,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

l) “Require independent, transparent radiation monitoring at all nuclear facilities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

m) “Substitute chemical safety testing on animals with alternatives that do not use animals, wherever such alternative tests or testing strategies are available,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

7. Clean Air and Ozone Depletion: “The strict, comprehensive protections of the Clean Air Act must be maintained and enhanced if we are to keep in place effective federal programs that deal with urban smog, toxic air pollution, acid rain, and ozone depletion. State and local clean air initiatives should advance and improve national efforts; for example, moving forward with stricter clean air and fuel efficiency standards, and with vehicle and fleet conversions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Earth’s atmosphere is in great danger due to man-made chemicals and hydrocarbon emissions. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydro-chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and other related ozone-depleting substances should be banned as soon as is possible,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

8. Land Use: “Land use policies must promote sustainable development and respect ecology. Unlimited growth on a finite planet cannot be sustained. There is a fundamental difference between growth and development and between quantity and quality. Rather than exploiting the Earth for short-term gain, Greens believe in living in sustainable balance with it. Land use practices must be founded on stewardship of the Earth, to honor the interconnected and inter-dependent nature of all life, to respect ecosystems and other species, while at the same time providing for human needs in a responsible and sustainable way. Only an economics that is based upon environmental health is sustainable,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) Land Ownership & Property Rights

i. “Insist that every property right has an implied responsibility to provide for the common good of people, places and the planet,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Encourage the formation and operation of cooperatives, non-profits, land trusts, co-housing, and other forms of communal and public interest management of land and resources,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) Urban Land Use

i. Promote livable urban environments to minimize urban sprawl. Promote urban infill with affordable housing, mass transit, schools, jobs, health care, public spaces, bicycle and walking paths, community gardens, open spaces, parks, playgrounds, and urban growth boundaries,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Green our cities with green belts, energy-efficient infill, distributed solar and wind generation, gray water systems, under grounding of wires and pipelines, redevelopment of brown fields, closed loop, energy-producing sewage systems, watershed protection and urban agriculture,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Restore damaged urban ecosystems,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Consider the carrying capacities of the bioregions in which our cities are located and attempt to match urban populations to these natural limitations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Support environmental justice policies that give com-munities a voice in planning future development with the goal of preventing concentration of polluting industries and practices in poor and/or minority communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) Rural Land Use

i. “Preserve and expand rural land use patterns that promote open space, healthy ecosystems, wildlife corridors and the ecologically sustainable agriculture. Protect and expand large continuous tracts of public and private land for wildlife habitat and biological diversity, to permit healthy, self- managing wildlife populations to exist in a natural state, and to promote complete ecosystems,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Promote livable rural communities to minimize urban migration,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Transition rural communities into sustainable relationships with ranching, agriculture, forestry and mining,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Reward farmers and ranchers for the ecosystem services they provide on private and public lands. Favor policies that promote mall-scale farmers and ranchers over large-scale corporate agriculture and ranching,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) Public Lands

i. “Repeal the General Mining Law of 1872,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Enact mining reforms to better balance mining with other important public land uses; provide a fair financial return to taxpayers for resources extracted, and create a fund for clean up of abandoned mines. Enact tough new environ-mental safeguards to protect against mining pollution, including strict curbs on mercury emissions from metal mines,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Eliminate public subsidies for livestock grazing on public lands. Raise grazing fees on public land to approximate fair market value,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Oppose the sale of any portion our national parks, forests or coastlines. Fund and maintain public lands in a healthy and productive state. Oppose commercial privatization of the management of these lands,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Ensure public ownership of natural resources located on public lands. Halt federal mineral, oil and gas, and resource giveaways, ‘royalty holidays,’ and flagrant concessions to the mining, energy and timber industries on public lands,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “Restore and remediate damaged ecosystems on public lands,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “Protect old growth forests, ban clear cutting and ban industrial timber harvest on public lands. Minimize road building on public lands,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

viii. “Ban indiscriminate wildlife ‘damage control practices’ and abolish Wildlife Services,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

9. Water: “… is essential to all forms of life. The Green Party calls for an international declaration that water belongs to the Earth and all of its species. Water is a basic human right! The U.S. Govern-ment must lead the way in declaring water a fundamental human right and prevent efforts to privatize, export, and sell for profit a substance that is essential to all life,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We face a worldwide water crisis. According to the United Nations, more than one billion people lack access to safe drinking water. If current trends persist, by 2025 as much as two-thirds of the world’s population will be living with a serious scarcity of water. Multinational corporations recognize these trends and are moving fast to monopolize water supplies around the world. They argue that privatizing water is the best way to allocate this valuable resource, and they are scheming to have water declared a human need

77 so that it can be com-modified and sold on the open market ensuring that the allocation of water will be based on principles of scarcity and profit maximization,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We do not agree. With water sold to the highest bidder, the rich will have plenty while the poor will be left with little but polluted water. Short-term profits will preclude any concern for long term sustainability. We must stop this privatization before the infra-structures become so established that it will be impossible to avoid a disaster of epic proportions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Governments are signing away their control over their domestic water supplies by participating in trade treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and in institutions such as the World Trade Organization. The World Bank recently adopted a policy of water privatization and full-cost water pricing,” (2014 Green Party Platform). a) “We need strong national and international laws to promote conservation, reclaim polluted water systems, develop water-supply restrictions, ban toxic and pesticide dumping, control or ban corporate farming, and bring the rule of law to trans-national corporations that pollute water systems. Mining and depleting the present underground aquifers must be severely restricted,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) “Greens oppose the privatization of water and demand that the U.S. government pass strong laws with effective enforcement mechanisms to assure a safe and adequate supply of water for its citizens and all life within its borders,” (2014 Green Party Platform). c) “New forms of international, bioregional, and community organizations, watershed/ecosystem-based, must be created to monitor and equitably distribute the fresh water necessary for all life on our planet. Decisions about water must be based on an ecosystems approach,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Cycles of intense drought and flooding have demonstrated the need to reorient our priorities in order to achieve a truly sustainable water policy. Overdevelopment and poor planning have resulted in increasing rain-impermeable areas, which com-pounds the severity and frequency of flooding and pollution in regions downstream. We must begin to understand and apply a holistic watershed approach to managing our water resources. The principle of bioregionalism (living within the means of a region’s natural resources) should give direction to future water policies,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) “Conservation must be an essential part of any water policy. Water conservation also reduces energy consumption and pollution. To conserve water, the Green Party proposes to,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “Mandate water efficient appliances and fixtures be used in all new construction, and promote retrofitting of older buildings,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Promote native landscaping and other drought resistant/ climate-appropriate plants, in order to reduce the need for irrigation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Promote drip irrigation systems where irrigation is necessary,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Eliminate storm water pollution of our water resources through education of our citizens, enforcement of our laws, and holistic watershed management. Promote storm water technologies that detain, treat, filtrate, and use storm waters near where it is collected,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Promote the appropriate reuse of the “gray” and ‘black’ waters we produce. Use separation techniques, such as dual piping systems where pure water is used for drinking and washing, and reclaimed water is used for lawn watering and similar purpose,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 78

vi. “Mandate pre-treatment of industrial wastes to eliminate the presence of metals, solvents, and other toxins in sewer water. This would reduce the cost of municipal treatment and encourage wastewater reuse,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “Promote passive and natural systems, such as wetlands, for water and wastewater treatment where appropriate,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

viii. “Eliminate water subsidies for corporate agribusiness. Higher water prices give agribusiness incentives to conserve,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ix. “Assist community organizations to monitor the use of local resources, and to oversee the enforcement of water quality regulations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

x. “Preserve and restore the nation’s natural water features (streams, rivers, lakes, bays, wetlands and groundwater aquifers) that are vital to achieving sustainable use of water resources,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Chemicals used in the fluoridation of America’s public drinking water supplies are toxic waste byproducts. The majority of these toxic wastes come from the phosphate fertilizer industry. Fluoride accumulates in the human body through ingestion and inhalation. A growing body of research suggests that fluoride may be associated with arthritis, hip fractures, bone cancer, kidney damage, infertility, and brain disorders. For these reasons, the Green Party opposes the fluoridation of drinking water,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

10. Agriculture: “Food is a necessity and a fundamental human right. All people have a right to adequate, safe, nutritional and high quality food; and those who grow it have a right to a fair return for their labor,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Our current food system is dominated by centralized agribusiness and unsustainable practices that threaten our food security, degrade the environment, destroy communities, and squeeze out family farmers. Our so called cheap food comes at the expense of the exploitation of our farmers along with the oppression of third world peoples, inhumane treatment of animals, pollution of air and water, and degradation of our land,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The agricultural system for the 21st Century must provide a high quality of life for farmers, nutritious and safe food for consumers, and reward farming methods that enhance the quality of water, soil, and air, and the beauty of the landscape,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“According to the 2006 United Nations “Livestock’s Long Shadow” report and the World Watch Institute’s 2009 article “Livestock and Climate Change,” the livestock sector is one of the most significant contributors to our most serious environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “We encourage legislation that assists new farmers and ranchers, that promotes widespread ownership to small and medium-sized farms and ranches, and that revitalizes and repopulates rural communities and promotes sustainable development and stewardship,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “We support new farming and growing opportunities and urge the inclusion of non-traditional crops and foods in farm programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “We advocate regionalizing our food system and decentralizing agriculture lands, production, and distribution. We encourage public support for producer and consumer cooperatives, community kitchens, Community Supported Agriculture, urban agriculture, and community farms and gardens,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 79

d) We advocate the creation of a Food Policy Council composed of farmers, including small farmers and consumers, to oversee the USDA and all food policies at the local, state, and national level. This council should adjudicate conflicts of interest that arise when industries police themselves,” (2014 Green Party Platform). e) “We support the highest organic standards (California Organic Certification Standards, for example). We advocate shifting price supports and government subsidies to organic food products so that they will be competitive with chemically produced food. We believe that everyone, not just the wealthy, must be able to afford safe and healthy food,” (2014 Green Party Platform). f) “We urge the banning of sewage sludge or hazardous wastes as fertilizer, and of irradiation and the use of genetic engineering in all food production,” (2014 Green Party Platform). g) “We would phase-out man-made pesticides and artificial fertilizers. We support Integrated Pest Management techniques as an alternative to chemical-based agriculture,” (2014 Green Party Platform). h) “Food prices ought to reflect the true cost of food, including the health effects of eating processed foods, antibiotic resistance, pesticide effects on growers and consumers, soil erosion, water pollution, pesticide drift, and air pollution. Indirect costs (loss of rural communities, a heavily subsidized transportation system, cost of the military necessary to defend cheap oil, and reduced security), though more difficult to calculate, should be factored into the cost of our highly centralized food system,” (2014 Green Party Platform). i) “World hunger can best be addressed by food security— being self-sufficient for basic needs. Overpopulation is largely a con-sequence, not simply a cause, of poverty and environmental destruction, and all remedial actions must address living standards and food security through sustainable production,” (2014 Green Party Platform). j) “Because of the tremendous amount of energy used in agriculture, we support farm subsidies to encourage the transition from dirty fuels to clean renewable energy as one of the most effective ways to move our country to a sustainable future,” (2014 Green Party Platform). k) “We support legislation that provides energy and fuel conservation through rotational grazing, cover- crop rotations, nitrogen-fixing systems, and fuel-free, clean renewable energy development on the farm,” (2014 Green Party Platform). l) “We encourage states to promote net-metering to make decentralized energy production economically viable,” (2014 Green Party Platform). m) “Animal farming must be practiced in ethically and environ-mentally sustainable ways. We support a rapid phase out of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) not only because of their adverse impact on the environment, but also on food safety (e.g. disease epidemics), public health, and animal protection,” (2014 Green Party Platform). n) “Applying the Precautionary Principle to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we support a moratorium until safety can be demonstrated by independent (non-corporate funded), long-term tests for food safety, genetic drift, resistance, soil health, effects on non-target organisms, and cumulative interactions. Most importantly, we support the growing international demand to eliminate patent rights for genetic material, life forms, gene-splicing techniques, and biochemical derived from them. This position is defined by the Treaty to Share the Genetic Commons, which is available through the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. The implications of corporate take-over and the resulting monopolization of genetic intellectual property by the bioengineering industry are immense,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

o) “We support mandatory, full-disclosure food and fiber labeling. A consumer has the right to know the contents in their food and fiber, how they were produced, and where they come from. Labels should address the presence of GMOs, use of irradiation, pesticide application (in production, transport, storage, and retail), and the country of origin,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

p) “We support the restoration of farmlands to black families who have been discriminated against and who have lost, or are about to lose, their farms as a result. Greens will work for a meaning-ful remedy to restore black farmers’ unencumbered ownership of their land,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

11. Biological Diversity: “Humanity must share the planet with all other species. Our continuing destruction of animal habitats threatens an ever-growing number of species with extinction. This not only deprives these species of their existence, but will deprive future human generations of the enrichment of having these species on the Earth,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Ecological systems are diverse and interlocking, and nature’s survival strategy can best be found in the adaptability that comes as a result of biological diversity. All policies concerning human settlement, food, energy, natural resources, water, coastal development, and industrialization should be formulated to prevent further disruption of the non-human ecosystems’ ability to maintain themselves,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “The Green Party supports a strengthened and enforceable Endangered Species Act,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “The Convention on Biological Diversity, first adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992, is a primary statement of purpose regarding how we can act to preserve and sustain our common genetic resources. We protest the demands of the U.S. to amend this unprecedented international agreement on behalf of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, with their insistence on protection of their intellectual property and technology transfer rights,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “We encourage, and support public access to, seed banks and seed collections that emphasize traditional and heirloom seeds,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “We call for widespread education on the critical importance of efforts being made to replant indigenous plant life where it has dwindled or been lost,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “We oppose monopolistic production of high-tech hybrid seeds. This is the basis of monoculture where agribusiness relies on non-sustainable methods such as single crop varieties bred with industrial traits and grown with high input of energy, chemicals, and pesticides. This has led to a massive loss of biodiversity, displacing traditional varieties and seed stocks,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “We encourage the use of diverse natural seed varieties passed down over many generations. Crops can be grown with the best plants’ seeds being saved season to season,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “We oppose international trade agreements (NAFTA, GATT and the WTO in particular) that have precedent setting pro-visions protecting transnational, corporate control of the intellectual property of genetic material, hybrid seeds, and proprietary products,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “We support reintroducing native species to areas from which they have been eradicated, eliminating predator control on public lands, and reintroducing native predators where they would contribute to a viable ecosystem,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “We should educate ourselves about animal behaviors to overcome our culture’s irrational fear of wildlife, and learn techniques of co-existence with other species,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “Since the efforts to clone animals — and eventually humans — has been undertaken by profit- making corporations, the purpose behind such projects is to manufacture commodities. To classify a human (or any part thereof, including human DNA and body organs) as a commodity is to turn human beings into property,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

12. Ethical Treatment Of Animals: “Cruelty to animals is repugnant and criminal. The mark of a humane and civilized society lies in how we treat the least protected among us. To extend rights to other sentient, living beings is our responsibility and a mark of our place among all of creation. We call for an intelligent, compassionate approach to the treatment of animals,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We reject the belief that our species is the center of creation, and that other life forms exist only for our use and enjoyment. Our species does not have the right to exploit and inflict violence on other creatures simply because we have the desire and power to do so. Our ethic upholds not only the value of biological diversity and the integrity and continuity of species, but also the value of individual lives and the interest of individual animals,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green Party advocates humane treatment of animals with the following policies,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

a) “Redirect the funds that are disbursed annually by the National Institutes of Health away from animal experiments and more towards direct health care, preventive medicine, and biomedical research using non-animal procedures such as clinical, epidemiological, and cell culture research,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Phase out the use of animals for consumer product testing, tobacco and alcohol testing, psychological testing, classroom demonstrations and dissections, weapons development and other military programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Mandate clear labeling of products to tell whether or not they have been tested on animals and if they contain any animal products or by-products,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Establish procedures to develop greater public scrutiny of all animal research. These should include the welfare of laboratory animals, and a halt to wasteful public funding of unnecessary research such as duplicative experiments,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “End the abuse of animals, including farm animals, and strengthen our enforcement of existing laws,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Ban the use of goods produced from exotic or endangered animals,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Prohibit large scale commercial breeding facilities, such as ‘puppy mills,’ because of the massive suffering, overpopulation, and ill health such facilities produce,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Subsidize spay and neuter clinics to combat the ever worsening pet overpopulation problem that results in the killing of millions of animals every year. Where unwanted companion animals are being killed in shelters, we advocate mandatory spay and neuter laws,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Ban the exploitation of animals in violent entertainment and sports,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

13. Forestry Practices: “Forests are indispensable to human and animal life and must be protected. Vast forests once covered most land, moderating the Earth’s climate and providing habitats for myriad species of wildlife. The Earth’s remaining forests are a critical resource in that useful products, especially medicines, originate in the forest. Today’s global market economy, in the hands of multi-national corporations, irresponsibly uses and often destroys this valuable and irreplaceable resource,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 82

“The governments of many countries are selling off their rain forest land to cattle growers for the production of cheap beef, most of which is exported to first-world countries such as the U.S. Unsuitable rain forest land is also given to subsistence farmers who ruin the soil in a few seasons. In the meantime, landowners hoard prime agricultural land for speculation. On both state and federal lands, trees are harvested and the raw logs are exported, causing jobs to be exported,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green Party calls for actions to protect our forests: a) Overhaul state and U.S. Forest Service rules to protect our forests and use them wisely,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Review, reform and restructure all federal and state land use policies so that our practices become environmentally sustainable, and so that forests provide a continuing supply of high quality wood products,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Stop building logging roads in national forests at taxpayers’ expense. These roads not only cost more than the revenue from timber sales that they expedite, but they also contribute to soil erosion and silting of streams, which ruin fish habitats,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Ban the harvest of Ancient Forests,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Ban the export of raw logs and other minimally processed forest products (pulp, chips, carts, slabs, etc.), which causes American job loss,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Offer subsidies to local watershed-based mills. This will maximize employment opportunities through value added process-sing, and promote sustainability and worker control,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Use work projects, goats, and other sustainable methods to control undergrowth rather than spraying herbicides, especially near communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Grow and use hemp as a plentiful and renewable resource for the manufacture of paper and other forest products,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Protect significant archaeological, historical and cultural sites.

j) “Support the rights of people indigenous to the rainforest, and their ecologically sound use of the forest, such as rubber extraction, nut gathering, and collecting medicinal herbs. End the importation of rainforest beef,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

k) “Forgive the debts of Third World countries that need help in halting the destruction of their rain forest lands,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

l) “Develop labels that identify ecologically sound forest products. This would help consumers to support ecologically sound forestry,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

m) “Protect wildlife habitats, fisheries, biodiversity, scenery, and recreation. We must accept responsibility for the affect local actions have on the global economy and ecology,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

14. Ocean Protection: “Our oceans, with their enormous diversity of life and function, are essential to life on Earth and must be preserved,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Our oceans are threatened by climate change, pollution, whaling, over fishing, factory fishing, bottom trawling, by catch, pirate fishing and fish farming. Simple, strong policy changes can rejuvenate the health of our oceans and planet,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Protect 40% of the world’s oceans as marine preserves, especially near shore coastal habitats. Determine protected zones through a democratic process involving all stakeholders,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Ban offshore oil drilling,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Ban the siting of liquefied natural gas facilities off the U.S. coast,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Phase out use of the once-through cooling process, currently used by power plants, in and near coastal waters,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Require secondary treatment of waste effluent before release,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Ban ocean transportation of nuclear and toxic waste,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Ban sonar testing in the oceans,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Support the ban on international commercial whaling as well as other international efforts to protect endangered marine species,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Ban drift-net fishing and long-line fishing and phase out factory trawling,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “Map undersea toxic dump sites, and investigate methods of rendering them harmless,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

k) “Ban the importation of fish and fish products caught by drift-nets and other illegal means,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

l) “Ban the importation of coral products and the destruction of breakwaters,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

m) “Support the Law of the Sea Treaty that establishes the global sharing of ocean resources,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

n) “Support complete cleanup of existing and past oil spills,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

o) Cost of cleanups and compensation for affected communities should be paid by the corporations responsible for the spills,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

C) ECONOMIC JUSTICE & SUSTAINABILITY: “Green economics is rooted in ecological economics. Our economy should serve us and our planet. Our economy should reflect and respect the diverse, delicate ecosystems of our planet,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Our current economic system is gravely flawed. It is unjust and un-sustainable because it is premised on endless economic growth and destruction of nature. Our market economy, by externalizing the environmental and social costs of greenhouse gas emissions, is creating the greatest market failure in history: climate change, and its devastating effects. Our government’s top economic goal — increasing Gross Domestic Product — impels us to perpetually intensify our resource use and environmental destruction,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Green economic policy places value not just on material wealth, but on the things which truly make life worth living — our health, our relationships, our communities, our environment, and building peace and justice throughout our nation and the world. We aim to maximize our quality of life with a minimum of consumption. “We aspire to less ‘stuff’ but more happiness. We propose a shift away from materialism to help people live more meaningful lives as we save the planet from climate change and ever-larger mountains of waste. We need to acquire the ability to distinguish between need and greed,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We must also end the colossal waste of taxpayer funds for armaments and war, to reduce our nation’s federal debt, and fund our environmental and social needs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens intend to provide a green job to anyone who wants one. We support using the tax system to bring more equality to our nation. Rising income inequality makes us all poorer in myriad ways. More equal societies are happier, healthier, safer and greener,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens support strong local economies and regional trade. The best model of economic security is for a community and region to be largely self-sufficient in the production of its necessities. We support not the corporate control of ‘free trade’ — which, through the machinations of the World Trade Organization places the enrichment of multinational corporations above the level of national laws — but ‘fair trade,’ which protects communities, labor, consumers and the environment. Local economic vibrancy and regional trade keep more money in the community and the region, rather than going to distant corporate headquarters. This is the most sensible model for economic security,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens will change the legal design of the corporation so that it does not maximize profits at the expense of the environment, human rights, public health, workers, or the communities in which it operates. We believe the giant multinational corporation is the world’s most potent force for environmental and social destruction,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Unlike other political parties in the modern era, the Green Party views economics not as an end in itself but as a service to community development through the building and strengthening of community bonds that constitute the social fabric,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens are defenders of the commons — the vast trove of wealth owned by the people, the social and tangible assets we inherit from generations past. Most people living in this country yearn for a more vibrant and lively commons, such as a richer community life, more parks and protected wilderness, clean air and water, more silence, better access to information and knowledge, and a more nourishing culture. We must stop big business from undermining and stealing our com-mon wealth, such as our public forests and minerals, the fruits of federal research, the public airwaves and the Internet,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

1. Ecological Economics: “To create an enduring society we must devise a system of production and commerce where every act is sustainable and restorable. We believe that all business has a social contract with society and the environment –in effect a fiduciary responsibility — and that the concepts of socially responsible business and shareholder democracy can be models for prospering, successful business,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “We call for an economic system that is based on a combination of private businesses, decentralized democratic cooperatives, publicly owned enterprises, and alternative economic structures. Collectively, this system puts human and ecological needs alongside profits to measure success, and maintains accountability to communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Community-based economics constitutes an alternative to both corporate capitalism and state socialism. It values diversity and decentralization. Recognition of limits is central to this system. The drive to accumulate power and wealth is a pernicious characteristic of a civilization headed in a pathological direction. Greens advocate that economic relations become more direct, more cooperative, and more egalitarian. Humanizing economic relations is just one aspect of our broader objective: to shift toward a different way of life characterized by sustainability, regionalization, more harmonious balance between the natural ecosphere and the human-made techno-sphere, and revival of community life. Our perspective is antithetical to both Big Business and Big Government,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Greens support a major redesign of commerce. We endorse true-cost pricing. [See section E.1. True Cost Pricing] We support production methods that eliminate waste. In natural systems, everything is a 85

meal for something else. Everything recycles, there is no waste. We need to mimic natural systems in the way we manufacture and produce things. Consumables need to be designed to be thrown into a compost heap and/or eaten. Durable goods would be designed in closed-loop systems, ultimately to be disassembled and reassembled. Toxics would be safeguarded, minimally produced, secured, and would ideally have markers identifying them in perpetuity with their makers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Sustaining our quality of life, economic prosperity, environ-mental health, and long-term survival demands that we adopt new ways of doing business. We need to remake commerce to encourage diversity and variety, responding to the enormous complexity of global and local conditions. Big business is not about appropriateness and adaptability, but about power and market control. Greens support small business, responsible stakeholder capitalism, and broad and diverse forms of economic cooperation. We argue that economic diversity is more responsive than big business to the needs of diverse human populations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Greens view the economy as a part of the ecosystem, not as an isolated subset in which nothing but resources come in and products and waste go out. There is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and environmental protection. There is an absolute limit to economic growth based on laws of thermodynamics and principles of ecology. Long before that limit is reached, an optimum size of the economy is reached which maximizes human welfare in an holistic sense,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “We support a Superfund for Workers program as envisioned by the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union in 1991. Such a program would guarantee full income and benefits for all workers displaced by ecological conversion until they find new jobs with comparable income and benefits,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “The Green Party supports methods, such as the Index of Social Health Indicators, the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, and the Genuine Progress Indicator, that take into account statistics on housing, income, and nutrition,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. Measuring Economic Health: “Economic growth has been a primary goal of U.S. policy. Corporations, politicians beholden to corporations, and economists funded by corporations advocate a theory of unlimited economic growth stemming from techno-logical progress. Based upon established principles of the physical and bio-logical sciences, however, there is a limit to economic growth,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“This policy of securing economic growth is having negative effects on the long-term ecological and economic welfare of the United States and the world. There is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and ecological health (for example, biodiversity conservation, clean air and water, atmospheric stability),” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We cannot rely on technological progress to solve ecological and long-term economic problems. Rather, we should endeavor to make lifestyle choices that reinforce a general equilibrium of humans with nature. This requires consciously choosing to foster environmentally sound technologies, whether they are newer or older technologies, rather than technologies conducive to conspicuous consumption and waste,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Economic growth, as gauged by increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is a dangerous and anachronistic goal. The most viable and sustainable alternative is a steady-state economy. A steady- state economy has a stable or mildly fluctuating product of population and per capita consumption, and is generally indicated by stable or mildly fluctuating GDP. The steady-state economy has become a more appropriate goal than economic growth in the United States and other large, wealthy economies. A steady-state economy precludes ever-expanding production and consumption of goods and 86

services. However, a steady-state economy does not preclude economic development — a qualitative process not gauged by GDP growth and other measures that overlook ecological effects,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “One way to measure the economy is to assess the value of non-monetary goods and services and measure the rate of infant mortality, life expectancy of people, educational opportunities offered by the state, family stability, environmental data, and health care for all people. Another measure is to quantify human benefit (in terms of education, health care, elder care, etc.) provided by each unit of output. Measuring the gap between the most fortunate and the least fortunate in our society, for example, tells us how well or poorly we are doing in creating an economy that does not benefit some at the expense of others,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “For many nations with widespread poverty, increasing per capita consumption (through economic growth or through more equitable distributions of wealth) remains an appropriate goal. Ultimately, however, the global ecosystem will not be able to support further economic growth. Therefore, an equitable distribution of wealth among nations is required to maintain a global steady state economy. A global economy with inequitable wealth distribution will be subject to continual international strife and conflict. Such strife and conflict, in turn, ensures the economic unsustainability of some nations and threatens the economic sustainability of all,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

3. Curbing Corporate Power: “Greens want to reduce the economic and political power of large corporations, end corporate person-hood and re-design corporations to serve our society, democracy and the environment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Unelected and unaccountable corporate executives are not merely exercising power in our society —they are ruling us. Greens will reduce corporate powers and privileges, including by stripping them of artificial ‘personhood’ and constitutional protections. The Green Party supports strong and effectively enforced antitrust laws and regulation to counteract the concentration of economic and political power that imposes as severe toll on people, places and the planet,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens believe the legal structure of the corporation is obsolete. At present, corporations are designed solely to generate profit. This legal imperative — profit above all else — is damaging our country and our planet in countless ways. We must change the legal design of corporations so that they generate profits, but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, public health, workers, or the communities in which the corporation operates,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“One point remains unequivocal: our planet cannot afford business as usual any longer. Because corporations have become the dominant economic institution of the planet, we must compel them to serve human and environmental needs, so that our peoples, nations and environment may live long and prosper,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “End corporate personhood. A key first step will be federal and state constitutional amendments abolishing the legal fiction of corporate personhood,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Federal chartering of corporations that includes comprehensive, strict and enforceable social responsibility requirements,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Strengthen the civil justice system to ensure that it holds corporations strictly liable for corporate crime, fraud, violence and malfeasance. This would include revoking the charters of corporations that routinely violate safety, health, environmental protection or other laws,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Empower shareholders to stop abuses by the managers they hire through a structure of democratic governance and elections,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Enforce existing antitrust laws and support even tougher new ones to curtail the overwhelming economic and political power of large corporations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Increase funding for and strengthen oversight of federal antitrust enforcement,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

4. Livable Income: “We affirm the importance of access to a livable income,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “We call for a universal basic income (sometimes called a guaranteed income, negative income tax, citizen’s income, or citizen dividend). This would go to every adult regardless of health, employment, or marital status, in order to minimize government bureaucracy and intrusiveness into people’s lives. The amount should be sufficient so that anyone who is unemployed can afford basic food and shelter. State or local governments should supplement that amount from local revenues where the cost of living is high,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Job banks and other innovative training and employment programs which bring together the private and public sectors must become federal, state and local priorities. People who are unable to find decent work in the private sector should have options through publicly funded opportunities. Workforce development programs must aim at moving people out of poverty,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “The growing inequities in income and wealth between rich and poor; unprecedented discrepancies in salary and benefits between corporate top executives and line workers; loss of the “American dream” by the young and middle-class—each is a symptom of decisions made by policy-makers far removed from the concerns of ordinary workers trying to keep up,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “A clear living wage standard should serve as a foundation for trade between nations, and a “floor” of guaranteed wage protections and workers’ rights should be negotiated in future trade agreements. The United States should take the lead on this front — and not allow destructive, predatory corporate practices under the guise of “free” international trade,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

5. Fair Taxation: “Federal and state taxes must be strongly progressive. Our current tax system is outrageously unjust. It is riddled with loopholes, subsidies and dodges for corporations and the super-rich. Most working people pay too much in taxes compared to corporations, multimillionaires and billionaires. Many of our biggest and most profitable corporations pay little or no tax. Much investment income is taxed at less than the rate workers’ pay,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We can afford to cut taxes for most people if we make corporations and the super-rich pay their fair share. Then we can cut them even more when we halt our nation’s wasteful spending on wars, weaponry and militarism,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We call for progressive taxation, shifting tax from individuals to corporations, taxing ‘bads’ not ‘goods,’ taxing unearned income at the same rate as earned income, taxing speculation on Wall Street, and cutting corporate tax giveaways,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We will institute comprehensive tax reform to simplify the tax system,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We will eliminate loopholes and other exemptions that favor corporate and wealthy interests over tax justice,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Small business, in particular, should not be penalized by a tax system which benefits those who can ‘work’ the legislative tax committees for breaks and subsidies. We support substantive and wide-ranging reform of the tax system that helps create jobs, economic efficiencies and innovation within the small business community. We will end ‘corporate welfare.’ Smaller businesses are the U. S. A’s great strength. Greens believe

88 government should have a tax policy which encourages small and socially responsible business,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Political democracy remains a distant promise without economic democracy. A principal instrument for achieving economic democracy is our tax system. Taxes are the means whereby we fund our public services. They can also help create equity, justice, health and sustainability,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

6. Cut Taxes For Wage Workers

a) “Exempt people earning less than $25,000 per year and families earning less than $50,000 per year (adjusted for inflation) from the federal and state income taxes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Exempt food, clothing, prescription medications, other necessities and second-hand goods from sales taxes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

7. Fair Taxes For Corporations And The Wealthy:

a) End corporate welfare, such as the bailouts for Wall Street, the big banks and the automobile industry; subsidies for agri-business, Export-Import Bank loan guarantees; tax abatements for big box stores; the tax loophole for ‘carried interest’ from private equity and hedge fund managers; tax deductibility for advertising and business entertainment; offshore tax avoidance schemes; giveaways for new sports stadiums and casinos,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Impose a financial transaction tax on trades of stocks, bonds, currency, derivatives, and other financial instruments,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Block financial transactions with tax havens, to stop tax evasion,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Decrease the $1 million home value cap on the mortgage interest tax deduction for federal income taxes, to reduce the tax subsidy provided to those living in the most expensive homes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Restore the estate tax,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Apply the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (Social Security and Medicare) taxes to investment income and to all levels of income, not merely the first $106,800 earned,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Oppose the privatization of Social Security,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Enact a wealth tax of 0.5% per year on an individual’s assets over $5 million,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

8. Eco-Taxes To Help Save The Planet

a) “Establish a system of carbon taxes on all fossil fuels, to begin to reflect the real environmental cost of their extraction and use. Carbon taxes should be applied as far upstream as possible, preferably when possession of the carbon-bearing fuel passes from extraction (for example, coal mine; oil wellhead or tanker; gas wellhead) to the next entity in the supply chain (for ex-ample, coal shipper or utility; oil refiner or importer; natural gas pipeline). Offset potential regressivity for lower income individuals via the Green Tax shift that lowers income taxes and/or other approaches,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Eliminate tax subsidies for the oil, gas, coal, nuclear and timber and mining industries,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Enact a Green Tax Shift that shifts from taxing people and work (via income and payroll taxes) to taxing natural resource extraction, use, waste and pollution,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Enact a system of Community Ground Rent/Land Value Taxation that distinguishes between the socially and privately created wealth of land, by increasing the taxes on the former to retain for society the value that it collectively creates and lowers them on the latter to reward individuals for their initiative and work,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “To ensure that prices reflect their true environmental cost, enact a system of True Cost Pricing (TCP) for goods and services. TCP is an accounting and pricing system that includes all costs in the price of a product. TCP charges extractive and productive industries for the immediate or prolonged damage (pollution of air and water) and diminishment of natural resources caused by their acts,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Impose a carbon fee on goods imported from nations with lower carbon taxes than in the U.S., based upon the carbon spent in manufacturing and transporting them to the U.S.,” (2014 Green Party Platform)

9. Other Tax Reforms

a) “Simplify the tax code. Make it transparent, understandable and resistant to the machinations of powerful corporate and wealthy interests,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Eliminate tax incentives to send jobs overseas,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, soda pop and other junk food,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

10. Local Economic Development: “Greens support reforms that give communities more control over their own local economies. Greens support decentralization, and call for a community-based economics whose aim is local prosperity and self-sufficiency,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We support local production, local manufacturing, local sales, local recycling wherever and whenever possible. We encourage face-to-face relationships with local business owners and shopkeepers. Successful local Green communities nurture everyone of all ages, generate good jobs and housing, and provide public services; creating cities and towns that educate everyone, encourage recrea-tion, and preserve natural and cultural resources; building local governments that protect people from environmental hazards and crime; and motivating citizens to participate in making decisions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Protect local businesses from the predatory pricing practices of chain and ‘big box’ stores,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Support incentives for co-operative enterprises, such as consumer co-ops, workers’ co-operatives, credit unions and other institutions that help communities develop economic projects,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Allow municipalities to approve or disapprove large economic projects case-by-case based on environmental impacts, local ownership, community reinvestment, wage levels, and working conditions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Allow communities to set environmental, consumer, human rights, labor, health and safety standards higher than federal or state minimums,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Invest in the commons: rebuild infrastructure; improve mass transit; protect and restore the environment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Support local living wage laws,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Establish local currencies such as Time Dollars, Ithaca Hours and BerkShares, to strengthen local economies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Enact place of origin labeling,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Enact corporate “good character” laws, requiring corporations, when applying for a permit, to disclose all violations of law they have committed. Empower officials to deny permits based on such information,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

11. Small Business and the Self-Employed: “Greens support a program that counteracts concentration and abuse of economic power. We support many different initiatives for forming success-ful, small enterprises that together can become an engine of (and sustainable model for) job creation, prosperity and progress. Small businesses are where the jobs are being created. Over the past de-cade and a half, all new net job growth has come from the small business sector,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green economic model is about true prosperity — Green means prosperity. Our goal is to go beyond the dedicated good work being done by many companies (referred to as “socially responsible business”) and to present new ways of seeing how business can help create a sustainable world, while surviving in a competitive business climate,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We believe that conservation should be profitable, and employment should be creative, meaningful and fairly compensated. Access to capital is often an essential need in growing a business,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The present tax system acts to discourage small business as it encourages waste, discourages conservation, and rewards consumption. Big business has used insider access to dominate the federal tax code. The tax system needs a major overhaul to favor the legitimate and critical needs of the small business community. Retention of capital through retained earnings, efficiencies, and savings is central to small business competitiveness. Current tax policies often act to unfairly penalize small business,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Government should reduce unnecessary restrictions, fees, and bureaucracy. In particular, the Paper Simplification Act should be seen as a way to benefit small business, and it should be improved in response to the needs of small businesses and the self-employed,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Health insurance premiums paid by the self- employed should be fully deductible,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “State and local government should encourage businesses that benefit the community especially. Economic development initiatives should include citizen and community input. The type and size of businesses that are given incentives (tax, loans, bonds, etc.) should be the result of local community participation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Pension funds (the result of workers’ investments) should be examined as additional sources of capital for small business,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Insurance costs should be brought down by means of active engagement with the insurance industry. Insurance pools need to be expanded,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “One-stop offices should be established by government to assist individuals who want to change careers or go into business for the first time,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Home-based and neighborhood-based businesses should be assisted by forward-looking planning, not hurt by out-of-date zoning ordinances. Telecommuting and home offices should be aided, not hindered, by government,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 91

12. Work & Job Creation: “There is plenty of work to do that does not jeopardize our future, does not widen the gap between the richest and the poorest in our society, and that can enrich our communities. We must encourage the creation of these opportunities. People whose livelihoods depend on supporting remote, multi-national corporations cannot be expected to support changing the system,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green Party proposes a third alternative to a job or no job dichotomy: that is to provide everyone a sustainable livelihood. The need of our times is for security, not necessarily jobs. We need security in the knowledge that, while markets may fluctuate and jobs may come and go, we are still able to lead a life rooted in dignity and well-being,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The concept of a ‘job’ is only a few hundred years old; and the artificial dichotomy between ‘employment’ and ‘unemployment’ has become a tool of social leverage for corporate exploiters. This produces a dysfunctional society in various ways: (1) It is used to justify bringing harmful industries to rural communities, such as extensive prison construction and clear cutting of pristine forests. (2) It has been used to pit workers (people needing jobs) against the interests of their own communities. (3) It has created a self-esteem crisis in a large segment of the adult population who have been forced into doing work that is irrelevant, socially harmful, or environmentally unsound,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“We will also promote policies that have job-increasing effects. Many people will still need jobs for their security. We need to counterbalance the decline in jobs caused either by new technology, corporate flight to cheaper labor markets outside our borders, or the disappearance of socially wasteful jobs that will inevitably occur as more and more people embrace a green culture,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“To begin a transition to a system providing sustainable livelihood, we support,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

a) “Creating alternative, low-consumption communities and living arrangements, including a reinvigorated sustainable home-steading movement in rural areas and voluntary shared housing in urban areas,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Universal health care requiring coverage for all,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “The creating and spreading local currencies and barter systems,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Subsidizing technological development of consumer items that would contribute toward economic autonomy, such as renewable energy devices,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Establishing local non-profit development corporations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Providing people with information about alternatives to jobs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

13. Creating Jobs

a) “Reducing taxes on labor. This will make labor more competitive with energy and capital investment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Solidarity with unions and workers fighting the practice of contracting out tasks to part-time workers in order to avoid paying benefits and to break up unions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Adopting a reduced-hour (30-35 hours) work week as a standard. This could translate into as many as 26 million new jobs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Subsidizing renewable energy sources, which directly employ 2 to 5 times as many people for every unit of electricity generated as fossil or nuclear sources yet are cost competitive. Also, retrofit existing 92

buildings for energy conservation and build non-polluting, low impact transportation systems,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Supporting small business by reducing tax, fee and bureau-cratic burdens. The majority of new jobs today are created by small businesses. This would cut their failure rate and help them create more jobs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Opposing the trend toward “bundling” of contracts that minimizes opportunity for small, minority- owned, and women-owned businesses,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Reducing consumption to minimize outsourcing —the exportation of jobs to other countries — thus reducing the relative price of using U.S. workers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

14. Banking and Insurance Reform: “Greens will overhaul the financial industries to end their culture of impunity and to prevent them from committing fraud or malfeasance so severe as to drive our nation into a massive recession or depression,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Since finance, banking, and insurance institutions occupy a privileged position of power at the center of commerce, this special advantage brings with it special social responsibilities. We must ensure that the institutions chartered for these roles take that responsibility seriously and serve the public interest,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens aim to reform the financial industries to eliminate usury (exorbitantly high interest rates on loans) and ensure that they meet their obligations to taxpayers and local communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Banking reform: Break up our nation’s largest banks and financial institutions so that none is ‘too big to fail.’ End taxpayer funded bailouts for banks, insurers and other financial companies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Regulate all financial derivatives, ban any predatory or gambling use of derivatives, and require full transparency for all derivative trades, to control risk of systemic financial collapse. Require regulatory pre-approval of exotic financial instruments,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Re-enact the Glass-Steagall Act, which prohibited bank holding companies from owning other financial companies and engaging in risky economic transactions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Oppose the federal government being the final guarantor of speculative investments. During a financial crisis, if the federal government and/or a central bank must provide relief, it should be given in an equal manner and at the most local level possible, so that benefits are equitably dispersed and burdens are equitably borne. So rather than pouring trillions of dollars into the banking system, they should have provided direct mortgage relief to homeowners suffering the most from the housing bubble and negotiated with lenders to provide partial loan forgiveness,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Ensure that low- and middle-income people have access to banking services, affordable loans, and small-business sup-porting capital, especially through credit unions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Oppose disinvestment practices, in which lending and financial institutions move money deposited in local com-munities out of those same communities, damaging the best interests of their customers and community,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Support the extension of the Community Reinvestment Act to provide public and timely information on the extent of housing loans, small business loans to minority-owned enterprises, investments in community development projects, and affordable housing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Strengthen disclosure laws, anti-redlining laws, and openness on the part of lenders regarding what criteria they use in making lending decisions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Oppose arbitrary or discriminatory practices that deny individuals or small business access to credit,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “Support development of charter community development banks, which would be capitalized with public funds and work to meet the credit needs of local communities. Support the expansion of cooperative credit unions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

k) “Prosecute criminal banking speculation. The Green Party of the United States stands for the reversing the U.S. government bailouts of speculators who engaged in mortgage fraud and related financial crimes. The Green Party calls for aggressive investigation and prosecution of the individuals and corporate entities that targeted families of modest means for predatory home loans, and the large- scale securitization of these loans. Penalties should include prison terms, revocation of corporate charters and confiscation of corporate and individual assets,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

l) “Impose a moratorium on foreclosures. An ongoing mortgage-related crime wave is occurring around fraudulent foreclosures, rushed through without proper legal clearances or documentation, often on properties which foreclosing entities cannot even prove they own. We demand a four-year moratorium on foreclosures intended to recoup losses from predatory lending. The proposed moratorium would apply to all homes used as a primary residence and valued under $350,000,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

m) “Access to primary, secondary, post-secondary and vocational education should be a right of all, not a privilege of the wealthy, and certainly not an opportunity for predatory lenders. It’s time to forgive all student and parent loans taken out to finance post-secondary and vocational education. The estimated $40 billion is a fraction of the bailout distributed among the predatory lenders who created the student debt crisis and would make a material difference for households across the country,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

15. Monetary Reform (Greening the Dollar): “The crisis in our financial system makes it imperative that we restructure our monetary system. The present system of privatized control has resulted in the misdirection of our resources to speculation, toxic loans, and phony financial instruments that create huge profits for the few but no real wealth or jobs. It is both possible and necessary for our government to take back its special money creation privilege and spend this money into circulation through a carefully controlled policy of directing funds, through community banks and interest-free loans, to local and state government entities to be used for infrastructure, health, education, and the arts This would add millions of good jobs, enrich our communities, and go a long way toward ending the current deep recession. To reverse the privatization of control over the money issuing process of our nation’s monetary system; to reverse its resulting obscene and undeserved concentration of wealth and income; to place it within a more equitable public system of governmental checks and balances; and to end the regular recurrence of severe and disruptive banking crises such as the ongoing financial crisis which threatens the livelihood of millions; the Green Party supports the following interconnected solutions,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

a) “Nationalize the 12 Federal Reserve Banks, reconstituting them and the Federal Reserve Systems Washington Board of Governors under a new Monetary Authority Board within the U.S. Treasury. The private creation of money or credit which substitutes for money, will cease and with it the reckless and fraudulent practices that have led to the present financial and economic crisis,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “The Monetary Authority, with assistance from the FDIC, the SEC, the U.S. Treasury, the Congressional Budget Office, and others will redefine bank lending rules and procedures to end the privilege banks now have to create money when they extend their credit, by ending what’s known as

the fractional reserve system in an elegant, non-disruptive manner. Banks will be encouraged to continue as profit making companies, extending loans of real money at interest; acting as intermediaries between those clients seeking a return on their savings and those clients ready and able to pay for borrowing the money; but banks will no longer be creators of what we are using for money,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “The new money that must be regularly added to an improving system as population and commerce grow will be created and spent into circulation by the U. S. Government for infrastructure, including the ‘human infrastructure’ of education and health care. This begins with the $2.2 trillion the American Society of Civil Engineers warns us is needed to bring existing infrastructure to safe levels over the next 5 years. Per capita guidelines will assure a fair distribution of such expenditures across the United States, creating good jobs, re-invigorating the local economies and re-funding government at all levels. As this money is paid out to various contractors, they in turn pay their suppliers and laborers who in turn pay for their living expenses and ultimately this money gets deposited into banks, which are then in a position to make loans of this money, according to the new regulations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

16. Insurance Reform

a) “Clean up the insurance industry. Eliminate special-interest protections, collusion, over-pricing and industrywide practices that too often injure the interests of the insured when they are most vulnerable. Prohibit bad-faith insurance practices, such as avoidance of obligation and price fixing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Enact single-payer universal health insurance. Until single-payer is established, we support laws that act to make insurance policies transportable from job to job,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Support and encourage the insurance industry’s efforts for “loss prevention,” that is, to reduce the incidence of death, injuries, disease and other calamities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Support initiatives in secondary insurance markets that expand credit for economic development in inner cities, affordable housing and home ownership among the poor, sustainable agriculture and rural development maintaining family farms,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Prohibit companies from being the beneficiary of insurance on their own employees,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

17. Broader Financial Industry Reforms:

a) “Support a 10% cap on interest rates, above inflation, for credit cards, mortgages, payday loans and all other consumer lending,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Aggressively crack down on crime, fraud, malfeasance and tax evasion in the financial and insurance industries,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Reduce excessive executive pay,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Support the formation of Citizens’ Utility Boards to defend the interests of consumers and policyholders,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Favor a tax on stock, bond, foreign currency and derivatives transactions to discourage excessive speculation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

18. Pension Reform: “Working people—who own over $3 trillion in pension monies (deferred wages in effect)—should have financial options in where their money is invested apart from the current near- 95

monopoly exerted by a handful of managers, banks, insurance companies, and mutual funds. Pension funds should not be used for corporate mergers, acquisitions and leveraged buyouts, corporate decisions that undercut workers’ rights, employment, and retirement while generously rewarding non-productive speculation. The current system has allowed vast amounts of workers’ hard-earned money to be squandered on job-ending, plant-moving, corporate downsizing. Pension funds are gigantic capital pools that can, with government support, be used to meet community needs and benefit workers and their families directly,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Corporate-sponsored pension funds (the biggest category of funds) should be jointly controlled by management and workers, not exclusively by management,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Federal law must be changed so that pension funds need simply to seek a reasonable rate of return, not the prevailing market rate which greatly restricts where investments can be made,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “A secondary pension market established by the government to insure pension investments made in socially beneficial pro-grams must be considered as one method that could greatly expand the impact of this capital market, as demonstrated in the case of federally insured /subsidized mortgage lending,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Prudent pension fund investing should both make money and do good work. Creating jobs and supporting employment programs in public/ private partnerships can become a priority as we seek to expand towards opportunities where new jobs are created small business, not transnational business. We could target the under- and un-employed. We believe there are myriad opportunities for a profound shift in how the savings of our workers are best put to use,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

19. Anti-Trust Enforcement: “The Green Party supports strong and effectively enforced anti-trust regulation to counteract the concentration of economic power that imposes a severe toll on the economy. The anti-trust division of the Justice Department has had its scope and powers reduced. An explosion of unregulated mergers and acquisitions, spinoffs, and leveraged buy-outs has overwhelmed the federal government’s capacity to provide effective oversight. Financial and trading markets have become particularly vulnerable to insider trading. Securities and Exchange Commission regulation of these markets has seriously fallen short. Overall, what we see in unchecked market power is self-serving abuse of the democratic political process, price gouging, loss of productivity and jobs, reduced competitiveness, and of predatory and monopolistic practices.

a) “The Federal Trade Commission must vigorously oversee mergers where the combined sales of the companies exceed $1 billion,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “The Justice Department must redefine “relevant market share” in assessing mergers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “The Congress must enact its calls for competitiveness by stopping illegal monopolistic practices.

d) “We oppose the largesse of government in the form of massive corporate entitlements.

20. Advanced Technology and Defense Conversion: “The Green Party supports defense technology transfer towards a peacetime technology-based economy, particularly new industrial applications and developments in the areas of advanced communications, alternative energy, non-toxic battery technology and waste management,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Consolidation of the nuclear weapons complex should move toward alternative civilian technologies and non-proliferation work, not toward a new generation of nuclear weapon design and production,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 96

b) “We recognize the need for de-escalating the continuing arms race, and we strongly oppose putting nuclear weapons, lasers and other weapons in space in a new militarization policy that is in clear violation of international law,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Let us go forward with government and civilian space programs; research initiatives in sustainability science, environmental protection, ecological economics and transportation, appropriate technologies and technology transfer; environmental sampling and monitoring; systems testing; laser communications; and high speed computers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Let us devote a larger percentage of our nation’s research and development budget, both private and public, toward civilian use and away from military use. Let us address our chronic trade imbalance in this fashion — not by increasing exports of military weapons and technologies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “The Green Party opposes patenting or copyrighting life forms, algorithms, DNA, colors or commonly used words and phrases. We support broad interpretation and ultimate expansion of the Fair Use of copyrighted works. We support open source and copy left models in order to promote the public interest and the spirit of copyright,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “We call for a federal Technology Assessment Office to examine how technology fits with life on Earth, with our neighborhoods, and with the quality of our daily lives,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

21. Telecommunications: “Advanced telecommunications technologies (many of which came originally from defense applications), such as fiber optics, broadband infrastructure, the Internet, and the World Wide Web hold great promise for education, decentralized economies, and local control of decision- making. We believe we must move toward decentralization in these efforts, carefully protecting our individual rights as we go forward,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Advanced and high definition TV, digital communications, and wireless communications hold promise and challenge. For example, the public airwaves that will accommodate the new generation of telecommunications technology should not be free giveaways to media giants. An auction and built-in requirements that attach licenses to act in the public interest is needed. Technology provides tools: we must use these tools appropriately and ethically,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Broadband Internet access should be open to bidding, not simply the current choice between cable or telephone company monopolies, where grassroots Internet service providers must merge or go out of business. Broadband access should be a taxpayer-funded utility, like water and sewer, ending the ‘digital divide’ that keeps low-income folks from access to the Internet,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “The Internet is a commons, developed with public funds, and must insure freedom and equality of access. The Green Party opposes Internet access tiered service controlled by an Internet service provider (ISP), with independent (not housed with the ISP) most costly and inaccessible. ISPs and advertisers should not be gatekeepers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green Party calls for increased protection for user privacy and for accountability on the part of ISPs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

22. Open-Source Software: “Open-source software is necessary to achieve personal, cultural, and organizational security in the face of technological threats brought by corporations and individual criminals,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Government has a vital role in breaking up software mono-polies, not so much by filing antitrust suits, but by buying nothing but open systems. The U.S. Government and the larger states are buyers

large enough to influence the computer and software systems through their purchasing. It should be illegal for a government agency to create and store information vital to its operations in a format it doesn’t control. Governments should always consider storing information with open source software and in-house staff instead of only commercial systems, vendors and software. One way to achieve this would be to add a virtual bid for in-house open source deployment whenever a software purchase goes out for bid,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “The Green Party supports protection of software (free or proprietary) by means of the copyright. We strongly oppose granting of software patents. Mathematical algorithms are discovered, not invented, by humans; therefore, they are not patentable. The overwhelming majority of software patents cover algorithms, and should never have been awarded, or they cover message formats of some kind, which are essentially arbitrary. Format patents only exist to restrain competition, and the harm falls disproportionately on programmers who work independently or for the smallest employers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

23. Nanotechnology— “the science of manipulating matter at the molecular level — is poised to provide a new industrial revolution with vast social and environmental consequences. Like nuclear science and biotechnology, nanotechnology is being pursued largely outside of public debate, risking great harm and abuse in its use and application. The Green Party calls for a halt to nanotechnology development until the following conditions are met,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

a) “Development of full and open public debate about the implications of nanotechnology and the fusion of nanotech with biological, materials and information sciences,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Development of democratic public control mechanisms to regulate the direction of nanotechnology research and development,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Expanded research into the environmental and health consequences of exposure to nano-scale materials,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Development of technology to contain and monitor nano-scale materials,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Development of precautionary safety measures for the containment and control over nano-scale materials,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

24. National Debt: “Greens will reduce our national debt. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have irresponsibly expanded our national debt by trillions of dollars to finance tax cuts for savings of our workers are wealthiest citizens, war, corporate welfare and bailouts of Wall Street and the automotive industry. This debt and the interest that must be paid on it is not sustainable,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Working people and the small business community are bearing a disproportionate amount of the federal debt burden. Yet the federal debt is, to a large degree, the end product of tax cuts for the wealthy and big business, and the military-defense industry buildup,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“For many years the federal government borrowed trillions of dollars. Money that should have been going into a better “safety net” for the poor, homes for the homeless, environmental and public lands conservation, sustainable jobs, research and development, roads and bridges, schools and the technologies of tomorrow, has been lost to servicing the national debt. We can-not ignore the consequences of our nation’s past deficits and the related costs of debt service,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Reduce our national debt by increasing taxes on large corporations, the super-rich and pollution; and decreasing expenditures in some areas, especially for war, armaments and corporate welfare,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Oppose privatization of Social Security,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Increase funding for green jobs, Social Security, public housing, higher education, public transportation, environmental protection, renewable energy and energy conservation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

Environmental Justice:

a) “Make ‘pollution prevention’ the preferred strategy for dealing with environmental justice issues, through eliminating environ-mental threats before they occur and considering cumulative environmental impacts when evaluating risk,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Uphold the precautionary principle, requiring polluters to bear the burden of proof in demonstrating the safety of their practices. Expand the application of the precautionary principle from chemicals and health to land use, waste, energy, food policy and local economic development,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Expand the public trust doctrine, which holds that government’s role is to protect the commons, to include the domains of public health and protection of the natural environment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Promote programs, policies, and legislation that build the capacity to identify disproportionate or discriminatory siting of polluting or toxic facilities. Assure non-discriminatory compliance with all environmental, health and safety laws to guarantee equal protection,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Facilitate procedural justice, ensuring the public’s right to know. Ensure rules and regulations are transparent to help communities employ their rights and participate in decision-making. Provide information in languages appropriate to the affected communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Enforce corrective justice, ensuring the rights of communities and local agencies to seek judicial redress. Communities and local agencies must not be required to show or prove ‘intent to discriminate’ to achieve redress for problems of disproportionate and/or racist environmental impacts,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Target precautionary and corrective justice actions and re-sources in communities with the highest concentrations of environmental hazards and in communities lacking socio economic resources,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Support, enforce and strengthen the National Environmental Policy Act,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. Mitigating Climate Chaos: “Effectively Combat Human-Caused Climate Instability. The energy usage of our country and our world have increased—and, in light of the transition of much of the world from un-developed or developing to developed, will continue to increase —at alarming rates. Our country, with only 5% of the world's population, utilizes 25% of the world's energy. We must substantially reduce our energy consumption and our overall environmental impact, and we must make a rapid transition from energy derived from fossil fuels to energy that is clean, safe, and renewable. There are many steps we must take to address the devastating effects of the climate crisis, including the development of a green economy,”71 (2013 Justice Party Platform) and:

a) “Require energy companies and others that utilize fossil fuels to transition to clean, renewable energy as rapidly as possible”72 (2013 Justice Party Platform); 99

b) “Recognize the real costs of gasoline use, including environ-mental and health costs, and impose a substantial additional tax on gasoline, the revenues from which will be used to subsidize mass transit systems and utilization of clean, renewable sources of energy”73 (2013 Justice Party Platform);

c) “Require automobile manufacturers to quickly and dramatically increase the miles per gallon of all vehicles”74 (2013 Justice Party Platform);

d) “Reduce our reliance on automobiles by developing much more robust mass transit systems”75 (2013 Justice Party Platform);

e) “End tar sands and oil shale development in the U.S. and impose substantial taxes on oil from other countries produced from tar sands or oil shale;”76 (2013 Justice Party Platform) and

f) “Prohibit the practice of hydraulic fracking in natural gas exploration unless and until it can be demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that such practice will not pose any short- or long- term material safety, health, or environmental problems.”77 (2013 Justice Party Platform)

g) “Protect Our Air, Water, and Food Supply. We cannot sustain ourselves without clean air and water and an uncontaminated food supply. We can reverse the seriously negative trends that threaten the survival of later generations on this planet. Among many other actions, we must (2013 Justice Party Platform):

i. “Prohibit the emission of pollutants into our air, water, and land and, where impossible to end such pollution, impose substantial taxes on such emissions;

ii. “Regulate the acquisition and distribution of water by private entities, much like power utilities are regulated (2013 Justice Party Platform);

iii. “Limit the use of herbicides and pesticides and provide in-centives for growing and consuming organic and locally grown foods (2013 Justice Party Platform);

iv. “Eliminate the various subsidies to the agriculture industry, particularly those that relate to corn, sugar, and other pro-ducts; and (2013 Justice Party Platform)

v. “Reduce the use of genetically modified organisms ("GMOs") in our food supply (using Europe as a model), label all products that do use GMOs, and substantially limit the reach of the corporate sector, with virtual monopolies for agricultural seeds, into the business of family-owned and other small farms.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

h) “Protect Open Spaces. We have a vast and beautiful country, and we have a rich heritage of utilizing and enjoying our out-doors. We must make sure that we are responsible stewards of our wilderness and open spaces, including forests, national and state monuments and parks, and wilderness areas, so that later generations will experience the same beauty and have the same right to use and enjoy them. To do that, we must take the following measures” (2013 Justice Party Platform):

i. “Severely restrict development, including mining, energy extraction, and residential development on public lands; and (2013 Justice Party Platform)

ii. “Protect our lands and waterways against deterioration.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

D) RENEWABLE ENERGY

a) “The America First Party holds that our nation must adopt an Energy Policy that is Constitutional and focused on solving our near term energy resource problems, while promoting long term solutions that advance the above stated goals. We support a transition of our nation's energy consumption from the 100

currently used petroleum, and other fossil fuels, to alterative and renewable sources of energy,”78 (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “Develop a Sustainable Green Economy. The fastest growing sector during the recent economic crisis has been clean, sustainable energy. China is producing more wind turbines and solar panels than the rest of the world combined. There are many skilled and unskilled jobs in the renewable energy industry, in both large corporations and small businesses. The renewable energy industry can accomplish dual objectives simultaneously: it can become a major growth engine of the U.S. economy and it can help protect our environment. To facilitate the development of an expansive green industry in the U.S., among other steps we must (2013 Justice Party Platform):

a) “Provide reasonable government financial support to clean energy companies, which may take the form of tax credits, jobs credits, research and development credits, grants, below market rate loans, and loan guarantees (2013 Justice Party Platform); and

b) “Eliminate the government subsidies provided to the fossil fuel industry.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

c) “Shift investment to support geothermal, solar, and wind energy.”

d) “Legislation to establish an independently funded program for the development of safe, non-toxic, reusable, renewable, and carbon neutral sources of energy such as, but not limited to, solar, wind, geothermal, and thermonuclear fusion [as long there is no radioactive waste]; the funding of which shall be derived by levying a tax on those energy sources that produce carbon emissions.”79 (2012 CC 2.0)

e) “Legislation to provide the Environmental Protection Agency, and other appropriate agencies, the power to regulate and penalize business entities that intentionally or recklessly bring harm to the environment. The fines, penalties, and/or criminal charges must be equivalent to the full impact of damages incurred to the environment, taking into consideration the lasting impact brought upon the environment.”80 (2012 CC 2.0)

f) “Laws that eliminate the protection afforded to any employee, officer, or director of any organization or business entity that is directly or indirectly engaged in intentional or reckless practices that bring harm to the environment.”81 (2012 CC 2.0)

g) “Legislation or regulations to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to below 350 parts per million, which represents the safe upper limit that will ensure the survival of all life on the planet.” (2012 CC 2.0)

h) “Legislation or regulations to require the collection and processing of all recyclable materials throughout the nation.” (2012 CC 2.0)

i) “Legislation or regulations to restrict the commercialization of mining and harvesting of natural resources in our public lands and parks and to require responsible environmental practices by business entities and persons within the parks. This is required in order to preserve our National Parks and Lands for the enjoyment of all the People in perpetuity,” (2012 CC 2.0).

D) ECONOMY

1. Economic Justice: “A Commitment to Ending Poverty. An unjust society is an unsustainable society. When communities are stressed by poverty, violence and despair, our ability to meet the challenges of the post industrial age are critically impaired. A holistic, future-focused perspective on how we distribute resources in this country would consider the effects of such distribution not just on our pre-sent needs,

101 but on the seventh generation to come. It is time for a radical shift in our attitude toward support for families, children, the poor and the disabled. Such support must not be given grudge-ingly; it is the right of those presently in need and an investment in our future. We must take an uncompromising position that the care and nurture of children, elders and the disabled are essential to a healthy, peaceful, and sustainable society. We should recognize that the work of their caregivers is of social and economic value, and reward it accordingly. Ensuring that children and their caregivers have access to an adequate, secure standard of living should form the cornerstone of our economic priorities. Only then can we hope to build our future on a foundation of healthy, educated children who are raised in an atmosphere of love and security,” (2014 Green Party Platform). a) “All people have a right to food, housing, medical care, jobs that pay a living wage, education, and support in times of hardship,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) “Work performed outside the monetary system has inherent social and economic value, and is essential to a healthy, sustain-able economy and peaceful communities. Such work includes: child and elder care; homemaking; voluntary community service; continuing education; participating in government; and the arts,” (2014 Green Party Platform). c) “We call for restoration of a federally funded entitlement pro-gram to support children, families, the unemployed, elderly and disabled, with no time limit on benefits. This program should be funded through the existing welfare budget, reductions in military spending and corporate subsidies, and a fair, progressive income tax,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) “We call for a graduated supplemental income, or negative in-come tax, that would maintain all individual adult incomes above the poverty level, regardless of employment or marital status,” (2014 Green Party Platform). e) “We advocate reinvesting a significant portion of the military budget into family support, living-wage job development, and work training programs. Publicly funded work training and education programs should have a goal of increasing employment options at finding living-wage jobs,” (2014 Green Party Platform). f) “We support public funding for the development of living-wage jobs in community and environmental service. For ex-ample, environmental clean-up, recycling, sustainable agriculture and food production, sustainable forest management, repair and maintenance of public facilities, neighborhood-based public safety, aides in schools, libraries and childcare centers, and construction and renovation of energy-efficient housing. We oppose enterprise zone giveaways, which benefit corporations more than inner-city communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform). g) “The accumulation of individual wealth in the U.S. has reached grossly unbalanced proportions. It is clear that we cannot rely on the rich to regulate their profit-making excesses for the good of society through “trickledown economics.” We must take aggressive steps to restore a fair distribution of income. We sup-port tax incentives for businesses that apply fair employee wage distribution standards, and income tax policies that restrict the accumulation of excessive individual wealth,” (2014 Green Party Platform). h) “Forcing welfare recipients to accept jobs that pay wages below a living wage drives wages down and exploits workers for private profit at public expense. We reject workfare as being a form of indentured servitude,” (2014 Green Party Platform). i) “Corporations receiving public subsidies must provide jobs that pay a living wage, observe basic workers’ rights, and agree to affirmative action policies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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a) Create a More Level Playing Field. Mammoth corporations wield tremendous power both in the marketplace and in our government. We must ensure that the corporate community abides by the law, is held to standards of accountability and fair play, and does not use its tremendous power to the disadvantage of employees, consumers, and the environment. In addition, we must ensure that individual corporations are not per-mitted to get so large that their failure jeopardizes the overall economy. To create a more level playing field, the following steps should be taken (2013 Justice Party Platform):

i. Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. “Prohibitions against common ownership of commercial banks, investment banks, and insurance companies…”82 (2013 Justice Party Platform) “[…] And provide for strict enforcement of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in order to prevent the practices that led to the financial catastrophe of 2008 and the great recession that followed.”83 (2012 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances from 99% Declaration Group, Gary Null)

ii. “[…T]he protections against abuses by financial institutions that were eliminated by the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000”84 (2013 Justice Party Platform);

iii. “Educate the public about our economy, monetary policy and systems, and the role of government” (2013 Justice Party Platform);

iv. “Require much greater transparency regarding consumer products, including food” (2013 Justice Party Platform); and

v. Encourage the establishment of public banks (owned by the people of a state or community) which focus on economic development of the state or community and whose charters promote the public interest.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

b) “Reduce Income Inequality. By reversing the alarming trend of income inequality, we will regenerate a thriving middle class which, in turn, will create a more productive work force, a more vibrant economy, and a more prosperous society. To reduce income inequality and regenerate a broad, thriving middle class, our income tax system must be more progressive, we must educate our young people so they are prepared for the jobs of the future, we must institute job training and retraining pro-grams so that workers can participate in new industries, we must strengthen the bargaining power of employees, and we must substantially increase the minimum wage with on-going increases tied to the cost of living.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

c) “Strengthen the Social Safety Net. Any society is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members. For those most in need, we must provide a safety net that will ensure basic needs are met. That safety net must include, among other thing, Social Security (with no cap on income for purposes of payroll taxes), Medicare, and Medicaid.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

7. The New Urbanism (From The Urban Design Book, 2003)

a) Design in a broad-based public process. b) Create neighborhoods diverse in use and population. c) Build communities designed for the pedestrian and mass public transit. d) Design cities and towns shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces and community institutions. e) Create urban places framed by architecture and landscape design that celebrate local history, climate, ecology, and building practice.

8. The Apollo Alliance Strategic Initiative: (A Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence)

a) Promote Advanced Technology & Hybrid Cars.

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b) Invest In More Efficient Factories. c) Encourage High Performance Building. d) Increase Use of Energy Efficient Appliances. e) Modernize Electrical Infrastructure. f) Expand Renewable Energy Development. g) Improve Transportation Options. h) Reinvest In Smart Urban Growth. i) Plan For A Hydrogen Future. j) Preserve Regulatory Protections.

9. Agricultural & Environmental Policy

a) “The ability to feed our own people,”85 (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “Push to prioritize the protection of our environment.”86 (Ralph Nader)

c) “Local food production, community gardens, permaculture agriculture;” (2012 Occupy National Gather- ing) d) “Access to real nourishing, nonchemical, non-GMO food; food supply that is humane & natural;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

e) “Support mandatory labeling of food products with genetically modified ingredients.”87 (Gary Null)

f) “Support sustainable hydroponics.” (Gary Null)

g) “Legalize marijuana and pass laws for the agriculture of hemp crop as an alternative to the collapsing GMO cotton crop industry.”88 (Gary Null)

h) “Regulations to provide the mandatory labeling of all genetically modified organisms (GMO) and products and to require complete, fully-transparent federal and independent oversight of the testing and operations conducted by the producers of such, including full reporting on and publication of all findings to the People.”89 (2012 CC 2.0)

10. Habitat

a) “Environment: We support a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our ecosystem.”90 (2014 Libertarian Platform) “We support realistic efforts to preserve the environment and reduce pollution—air, water, and land […].” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform)

b) “The preservation and clean-up of the environment like oceans.”91 (Gary Null)

11. Business 12. Philanthropy 13. Infrastructure: “[We envision] infrastructure will be innovative, sustainable, and appropriate to the needs of the people, while having a minimal impact on our planet. [However, the problem is that] most countries have poor and failing infrastructure that severely impacts daily life and threatens our safety. [Therefore, we need] innovative, sustainable, eco-friendly technologies [that] can better support our lives and communities. Shrinking government and moving into a truly free market can liberate creativity, lower the costs and raise the quality of our roads, utilities and other infrastructure.”92 (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

a) “Create and conduct public works and investments like highways.” (Gary Null)

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b) “Continue internet/cyberspace construction and expansion.” (Gary Null)

C) EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY (Not Equality of Income)

1. Economic Liberty

a) “… All members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The […] proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected […].” (2014 Libertarian Platform)

b) “Property and Contract: As respect for property rights is fundamental to maintaining a free and prosperous society, it follows that the freedom to contract to obtain, retain, profit from, manage, or dispose of one’s property must also be upheld. Libertarians would free property owners from government restrictions on their rights to control and enjoy their property, as long as their choices do not harm or infringe on the rights of others.

2. Economic Bill of Rights (By President Franklin Roosevelt, 1944)

a) “Every American Is Entitled To: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

b) “The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

c) “The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

d) “The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

e) “The right of every family to a decent home;

f) “The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

g) “The right to a good education.”93

3. Housing and Homelessness: “People have a right to a home and to be secure in their tenancy. However the supply of affordable housing is not meeting the need, while in an era of increasing deregulation, many tenants are losing important legal protections (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Instead of enacting zoning laws to increase affordable housing, the trend has too often been to increase the proportion of land zoned for commercial property at the expense of residential property. Instead of providing funding to increase affordable housing, amount of funds dedicated to this purpose is decreasing. At the same time, rent control and tenant eviction protections do not exist in most jurisdictions, and where they do, they are often inadequate and under attack. State governments continue to weaken or pre-empt local rent control laws, while landlords who violate housing code requirements by failing to keep their property in habitable condition, are often tolerated or given lenient penalties. Housing discrimination also remains rampant against people of color, immigrants, disabled, single people, gays and lesbians, and families with children,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Compounding these concerns is the long-term stagnation of workers’ real wages, which further exacerbates the housing availability and affordability crisis. At the same time those who are not housed — for example, the homeless — are often hounded, threatened, and often cannot obtain badly needed 105

services. While increased affordable housing can help alleviate the problem of homelessness, the homeless have additional needs that go far beyond housing. The Green Party recommends the following actions:

1. Renters/Tenants’ Rights

a) “Guarantee tenant’s rights, including: freedom from harassment and evictions without just cause; well-enforced habitability standards; strong anti-discrimination enforcement, including family protection laws and domestic partnerships; continuation of established services and amenities; the right to reasonable guest visitation; maintenance of roommate privileges; and the right to communicate with other tenants about conditions or circumstances in their buildings,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Enact and enforce strong penalties for landlords who violate these rights,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Fund public and non-profit tenant-related counseling and legal assistance for renters,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Rent Control: Defend and expand cities’ right to enact local rent control laws, including vacancy control/recontrol, that fit the needs of their communities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Provide for publicly elected Rent Control/Stabilization Boards for communities with local rent control laws. Pre-serve and Increase Affordable Housing Supply,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Defend and expand cities’ ability to enact affordable housing inclusionary ordinances that fit the needs of their communities, so that the private sector will contribute its share of affordable housing construction,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Provide funding for publicly built affordable housing, including funding for non-profit corporations that build affordable housing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Enact zoning to promote mixed-use development along transit corridors to locate housing next to jobs and public transportation. Lower parking requirements for new multi-family development to lower cost of construction to enable greater affordability,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Regulate and limit the legal conversion of existing afford-able housing into hotels, motels and short-term vacation rentals and establish and enforce laws to prevent illegal conversions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

4. Fair Housing

a) “Enforce and strengthen the federal Fair Housing Act and other federal and state fair-housing laws that prohibit dis-crimination based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, familial status and national origin,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Increase funding to assist people who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination and support and fund fair housing enforcement and education across the nation. Consider establishment of an independent Fair Housing Enforcement Agency outside of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in order to improve enforcement and restore public confidence in the implementation of federal fair housing policies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Require that communities that receive federal housing funds provide evidence that their housing policies are affirmatively furthering fair housing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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d) “Amend the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program to increase access of eligible families to high opportunity communities, by including higher rents where necessary, improving administrative portability of vouchers across jurisdictional lines, re-establishing housing mobility programs to assist voucher-holders seeking to move to higher opportunity areas, creating strong incentives and performance goals for administering agencies, and providing incentives to recruit new landlords into the program,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Amend the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to include fair housing requirements for site selection, affirmative marketing, and reporting of racial/ ethnic data to ensure that this program works to further fair housing goals,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Ensure that fair housing principles are emphasized in pro-grams addressing the mortgage and financial crisis. Revive the President’s Fair Housing Council to coordinate federal activities across agencies to support fair housing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

5. Measures to Address Homelessness

a) “Prevent homelessness before it occurs by addressing its structural causes, through raising the income floor under the working poor, creating living-wage jobs, providing job training and education that will enable low-wage workers to obtain living-wage jobs, preserving and expanding afford-able housing, providing affordable health care, ensuring sufficient mental health care and substance abuse services, availability of healthy food and providing effective, holistic assistance that connects vulnerable individuals with sources of income and essential services,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Recognize that there are multiple, related and individualized causes of homelessness, and develop solutions that ad-dress them. Maintain and expand the social services necessary to address the varied aspects of homelessness,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Move people rapidly into stable living arrangements, where they will not be under constant threat of displacement or worrying about untreated health problems or other personal difficulties. Support and encourage service integration at all levels and move beyond the shelter approach to provide supportive housing that combines accommodation and an array of necessary services, to transition people out of homelessness,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Responding creatively to provide additional transitional housing through master leasing of private apartment blocks; purchase for-profit single room occupancy hotels; and where feasible, conversion of short-term emergency shelter facilities into permanent supportive housing,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Provide the resources necessary to advocate, develop and monitor discharge practices of local hospitals, jails and foster care through a zero-tolerance policy for discharging people to the streets,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Increase employment for homeless people. Set aside a share of public-sector jobs for homeless people who are able to work. Ensure that public agencies devoted to job creation are active in providing job training and work opportunities for homeless residents. Support nonprofit agencies that do the same,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Ensure that public assistance is enough to allow recipients to afford a roof over their head. Help homeless who are entitled to federal Social Security benefits and veterans’ disability payments to obtain them,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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h) “Repeal laws that criminalize homelessness,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Involve homeless people in decision-making about short- and long-term solutions to homelessness,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “Educate homeless people about their right to vote. En-courage voter registration and voter participation among homeless people,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

5. Economic Equity (Financial Fairness)

a) “Enact Fundamental Tax Reform.”94 (The Tea Party Manifesto)

b) “Adjust Minimum Wage to Inflation.”95 (Gary Null)

c) “Taxation reform and regain uncollected taxes.”96 (Gary Null)

d) “Increase taxes on corporations with one payment and no deductions.”97 (Gary Null)

e) “Institute a separate sales tax that states and cities implement.”98 (Gary Null)

f) “Institute a 1% sales tax on Wall Street transactions and repeal any laws that permit banks to receive a rebate on these taxes.”99 (Gary Null)

g) “Create a national food program to see that the 16 million hungry children in the US are fed.”100 (Gary Null)

h) “De-ghettorize America’s program of food distribution, bypassing corporations and working directly with communities.”101 (Gary Null)

i) “Laws or regulations to establish a progressive tax rate to govern household income regardless of its source; such that, no household with an income at or below double the poverty line shall be subject to federal income taxation and tax deductions are eliminated.”102 (2012 CC 2.0)

j) “Tax laws be written to ensure that: any corporation or entity doing business and generating income in the United States, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories shall be fully taxed on that income by removing deductions, subsides and loopholes regardless of corporate domicile;”103 (2012 CC 2.0)

k) “Tax havens are not permitted and that profits as described above will be taxed at the U.S. corporate tax rate.”104 (2012 CC 2.0)

l) “Immediately conduct a review of the facts surrounding its ratification, and recognize that the Sixteenth Amendment is void;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

m) “Immediately cease the enforcement and collection of the direct un-apportioned income tax on the labor of the citizens of the United States;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

n) “Immediately cease the imposition, enforcement, and collection of withholding of earnings from the paychecks of the citizens of the United States;” (WTP’s CC 2009).

o) “Immediately release and fully restore all citizens wrongfully imprisoned as a result of the unconstitutional application of the income tax,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

6. Government Accountability

a) “Accountable government.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

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b) Pass the “American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007 (H.R. 3835), introduced by U.S. Republican Representative Ron Paul on October 15, 2007. It proposes to reverse the abuse of executive power and restore our system of checks and balances with these ten goals:

i. “Fully restore the right to challenge the legality of one's detention, or habeas corpus, and the right of detained suspects to be charged and brought to trial.

ii. “Prohibit torture and all cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

iii. “Prohibit the use of secret evidence.

iv. “Prohibit the detention of anyone, including U.S. citizens, as an ‘enemy combatant’ outside the battlefield, and on the President's say-so alone.

v. “Prohibit the government from secretly breaking and entering our homes, tapping our phones or email, or seizing our computers without a court order, on the President's say-so alone.

vi. “Prohibit the President from ‘disappearing’ anyone and holding them in secret detention.

vii. “Prohibit the executive from claiming ‘state secrets’ to deny justice to victims of government misdeeds, and from claiming ‘executive privilege’ to obstruct Congressional oversight and an open government.”

viii. “Prohibit the abuse of signing statements, where the President seeks to disregard duly enacted provisions of bills.

ix. “Use the federal courts, or courts-martial, to charge and prosecute terrorism suspects, and close Guantanamo down.

x. “Reaffirm that the Espionage Act does not prohibit journalists from reporting on classified national security matters without fear of prosecution.” (Ron Paul)

7. Corporate Accountability

a) “Allow taxpayers the standing to sue, especially immunized government and corporations.”

b) “Grant corporate charters for a fixed amount of time.”105

c) Enact “Unlimited liability for corporations.”106 (Kalle Lasn)

d) Protect and reinforce victims’ rights.

e) Ensure a protective environment for whistle blowers.

f) “Allow all corporations that cannot be maintained to go through structured bankruptcy instead of a bailout.”107 (Null)

g) “Strengthen prosecution of bankers, corporate executives and politicians who engage in criminal activities.”108 (Gary Null)

h) “Those guilty of criminal behavior and in control of fraud at the largest banking institutions must not be rewarded but must be required to repay their victims, the People, full restitution.”109 (2012 Continen- tal Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances from 99% Declaration)

5. Corporate Oversight

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a) (Consumer Protection) “Insure development of safe products, workplaces and environment.” (Gary Null)

b) Enact “federal oversight of corporate globalization.

6. Economic Democracy

a) “Free & equal access to opportunity.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

b) “Congress reclaims its sovereign ability to create money by placing the Federal Reserve under the Treasury [or abolishing it all together]. New money would be issued and circulated to promote the General Welfare of the nation while the current money would be replaced using the same system that was used in the transition from the gold standard.”110 (2012 CC 2.0 Redress of Grievances from 99% Declaration Group)

c) “Create shareholder democracy.

d) Establish a new model of consumer representation.

7. Public Investment

a) “Mobilize national missions benefiting all.” (Gary Null)

b) “Create a public state banking system similar to North Dakota which was not as vulnerable to insolvency as other private banks during the 2008 meltdown.”111 (Gary Null)

c) “Expand contributions to charity, using them to increase jobs and drawing on available ‘dead money.’”112 (Ralph Nader)

d) “Ramp up investor power by strengthening investor-protection laws and by creating a penny brigade to pay for an investor watchdog agency.”113 (Ralph Nader)

e) “Create a program of reforestation, employing the youth to plant trees and hedge rows, and using skilled workers to repair bridges, levies, waterways and gas mains.”114 (Gary Null)

f) “Offer small businesses zero-interest loans with no repayment for 2 years providing that for each $1 million up to $5 million earned, the business hire 5 employees at a living wage of at least $20/hour.”115 (Gary Null)

g) “Invest in public schools and in public school teachers.”116 (Gary Null)

h) “Increase support and state subsidies for those who engage in organic, sustainable agricultural methods.”117 (Gary Null)

i) “Support senior citizens with free community hospital service and food coops.”118 (Gary Null)

9. Labor Unions: “The right to organize unions bargain freely and strike when necessary is being destroyed by employers and their representatives in government. Today, nearly one out of ten workers involved in union organizing drives is illegally fired by employers who wage a campaign of fear, threats, and slick propaganda to keep workers from exercising a genuinely free choice,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“And as union membership falls, so do the wages of all working people, union and non-union alike. We support efforts to overcome these legal handicaps, especially in the South and Southwest where the laws are most hostile. We also must dedicate ourselves to fighting for a complete overhaul of this country’s labor laws,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

110 a) “The Green Party supports the irreducible right of working people, without hindrance, to form a union and to bargain collectively with their employer. This right was guaranteed under the National La- bor Relations Act of 1935,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “We support the right of workers, without penalty, to inform other workers on the premises of a union being formed. This includes advertising and recruiting,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “The right to organize has been eroded and diluted over the years by incremental infringements and restrictions, especially by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 passed over President Truman’s veto. We stand for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act. The right to organize has also been diminished by an aggressive anti-union offensive by employers who have undermined the law, and in many cases, brazenly violated it. To restore these legal rights, we call for the enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) “It is imperative that employees enjoy workplace democracy, which includes the following (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “The right to elect representatives to sit equally with management on the Board of Directors,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “The right to fair and democratic elections of their own union officers,” (2014 Green Party Plat- form).

iii. “No permanent replacement of striking workers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “No forced overtime,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Flexible working schedules so employees can arrange their own time to deal with personal and family concerns,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “All workers, temporary or permanent, must be paid a living wage,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “All workers must have health care coverage, at least half paid by employer, until the passage of universal health care,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

viii. “All workers must have unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and access to a jobs search program when they are unemployed. This security applies to farm workers as well,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ix. “Minimum pensions for all workers, fully vested and portable, that do not reduce social security benefits,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

x. “Mediation as the first available solution to labor– management disputes, with an agreed-upon time limit,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xi. “New union members’ right to submit a first contract to binding arbitration at the request of the union,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xii. “Labor’s first right to buy out a company that is for sale or is going bankrupt, or being outsourced to another state or another country,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xiii. “Requiring employers who purchase or merge with other companies to honor all existing collective bargaining agreements and contracts,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xiv. “Labor’s right to stock ownership and oversight of the investment of its own funds in the company where it works,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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c) “We support the enactment of living wage laws that apply to all workers. A major consequence of this law will be the lessening of the ever-widening gap between CEOs’ income and workers’ pay,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Agricultural and other excluded workers must be covered by federal labor laws, except where existing state laws offer more protection,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “We encourage cooperative ownership and management of enterprises,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “We support day-care service offered at every workplace when feasible, or reasonably near-by when not feasible at the workplace,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Management’s ability to close its workplace and move to a lower-pay locale must be circumscribed to the degree that it protects the local workforce and their job security

h) “We support the establishment of a reduced-hour work week and at least one month of vacation per year for all workers

i) “The ever-widening gap between rich and poor is destructive of democracy and creates an uneven playing field for economic opportunity. Public welfare that depends on hand-outs from the corporate rich reduces democracy by that same amount. Every citizen must have the leverage necessary to become a productive member of the economy and the society in which we live,” (2014 Green Party Plat- form).

j) “All workers have a right to a safe and humane working environment. A lack of adequate enforcement of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) laws and/or insufficient standards put many workers at risk. We support the following safety policies),” (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “Protect and enforce OSHA laws. We insist on adequate testing of equipment and funding of enforcement procedures,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Inform workers of workplace hazards. Employers have a responsibility to protect workers from those hazards,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Legislate full funding for worker safety programs at both the state and federal levels,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. Insist on agricultural practices that don’t endanger farm workers. Put agricultural practices under the jurisdiction of OSHA,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “We stand firmly opposed to privatization and contracting- out of public services. A government that works for us would provide critical goods and services that should not be run for profit,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

10. Trade Policy

a) “A rigid ban on imported products of child, prison, or slave labor,”119 (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “The legislative and executive branches must effectively address the trade deficit so that our businesses prosper, more jobs are created, and therefore more revenue produced that can be taxed and used to pay down the national debt so that our descendants will not have to carry that burden.”120 (2012 CC 2.0)

112 c) “Rejection of the corporatist ‘free trade’ policies and tariffs implemented since the early 1980s by returning to the successful Hamiltonian ‘fair trade’ policies and tariffs which provided much of our nation’s revenues from 1789 through the late 1970s.”121 (2012 CC 2.0) d) “The legislative and executive branches must effectively address the trade deficit so that our businesses prosper, more jobs are created, and therefore more revenue produced that can be taxed and used to pay down the national debt so that our descendants will not have to carry that burden.”122 (2012 CC 2.0) e) “The legislative and executive branches of the federal government must swiftly move to significantly reduce the national debt through a balanced approach of increasing revenue and reductions in spending. Spending reductions should be achieved through cutting waste and redundancy as well as budgetary reductions in military and defense.”123 (2012 CC 2.0) f) “Tariffs and Trade: We oppose the unconstitutional transfer of authority over trade policy from Con- gress to agencies, foreign or domestic, which exercise policy-setting functions, and insist on the withdrawal of the United States from agreements and treaties wherein agencies other than Congress im- properly assume responsibility for establishing American trade policies.” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform) g) “All international trade agreements are in fact treaties and as such must be passed by a 2/3 supermajority in the U.S. Senate,”124 (2006 America First Party Platform). h) “Fast Track trade negotiating authority shall not be abdicated to the Executive Branch,”125 (2006 Amer- ica First Party Platform). i) “A complete U.S. withdrawal from the following institutions: World Trade Organization (WTO), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank,”126 (2006 America First Party Platform). j) [Or, if not possible, then] “We urge our government to do the following (2104 Green Party Platform):

i. “Re-formulate all international trade relations and commerce as currently upheld by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Interna- tional Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) to protect the labor, human rights, economy, environment and domestic industry of partner and recipient nations so that the growth of local industry and agriculture has the advantage over foreign corporate domination. The U.S. government should call for replacing the WTO, IMF, and World Bank with new institutions that are democratic, transparent, and accountable to the citizens of all nations.

ii. “While the IMF and World Bank still exist in their current forms, re-structure the rules of performance of the IMF /WB to end the debts of recipient nations, prohibit the use of IMF/WB loans to impose structural adjustment programs that emphasize debt service and export-led development at the expense of social needs, and to install strict standards in the IMF/WB that control the use of grants or loans to prevent fraud, misuse, and subversion of funds by recipient governments.

iii. “Re-write the rules for investment of corporate capital in projects operated under the IMF/WB to guarantee the rights of the citizens of the nations receiving the investment and their right to public ownership and control of their own resources.

iv. “Mandate and protect labor’s right to organize, create unions and negotiate with management in all countries receiving U.S. investment, and require U.S. corporations that operate in other countries to adhere to the core labor standards established by the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

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v. “Legislate and enable oversight by an independent agency or a labor union to verify that foreign workers’ rights are protected.

vi. “At home, secure the rights of our states to establish stricter standards for health, safety, and for the environment than those of our national government, and to protect themselves against sub- standard, imported goods.

vii. “Secure the right of states and municipalities to refuse to invest in foreign businesses that do not abide by their standards for imported goods, fair trade, and environmental protection.

viii. “Prohibit U.S. corporations from avoiding or evading payment of their taxes by banking abroad or locating their charters offshore,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

k) “Revocation of Most Favored Nation trade status from any nation that restricts the basic human rights of workers,”127 (2006 America First Party Platform).

l) “Required revenue tariffs on all foreign made goods sold in the United States to achieve balanced trade, and replace federal income taxes,”128 (2006 America First Party Platform).

m) “Every day over $1 trillion dollars circles the globe in currency trade — wreaking havoc on low- economy nations — without obligation to sustainable investment. We seek to restrict the unfettered flow of capital and currency trade, and levy the Tobin tax of .05% on cross border currency transactions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

n) “We reject the U.S. government’s economic blockade of Cuba. We ask the U.S. Congress to lift the embargo and restore normal diplomatic relations and respect for national sovereignty, and demand that the U.S. government end its veto of U.N. resolutions pertaining to Cuba,” (2014 Green Party Plat- form).

11. Humane Immigration/Emigration Policy: “The U.S. needs a complete overhaul of its immigration laws. Our current situation has created extreme social injustice. Millions of people are living and working in the U.S. with no legal status, making them subject to extreme exploitation and abuse. Immigration raids are terrorizing the immigrant community. Families are being broken up. Employer abuses of undocumented workers are rampant,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The Green Party must consider immigration issues from an international standpoint, taking into account international labor and environmental standards, and human rights. The following proposals may not yield perfect answers, but they provide better answers than the status quo. We must recognize that there cannot be any true solutions to the conflicts created by immigration until we are able to organize globally to overcome the power of multinational corporations, which are engaged in an unending campaign to drive down workers’ living standards everywhere. International cooperation and solidarity among labor organizations, to advance the rights of labor and raise such living standards globally, are essential to combat this trend. Until the power of the multinationals is curbed, we will continue to be confronted with seemingly “no win” choices. While working toward that goal, we propose the following immigration policies, consistent with the Ten Key Values,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Policy Reform: The undocumented immigrants who are already residing and working in the United States, and their families, should be granted a legal status which includes the chance to become U.S. citizens. Persons should be excluded from this process only if they present a clear and present danger to other members of our society. The level of fees required for this process should not be a burden on low-income workers. In any path to citizenship created to provide an orderly and appropriate resolution of the status of persons currently in the United States without proper documentation, we demand a recognition of past, uncredited payments into the Social Security System as part of any fees assessed

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for regularization of status. In regard to who should have a right to come and live and work in the U.S. we believe the following policies are fair,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “The Green Party calls for permanent border passes to all citizens of Mexico and Canada whose identity can be traced and verified. The “matricula consular” should be accepted as one means of proving one’s identity. Work permits for citizens of Mexico and Canada must be easily obtainable, thereby decriminalizing the act of gainful employment. This action would help eliminate exploitation of undocumented persons by criminals engaged in human contraband (coyotes) and unethical employers. It would also help ensure that taxes will be paid in each corresponding nation per its laws. These measures will also help temporary residents from Mexico and Canada to secure driving privileges and liability insurance,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “All persons fleeing political, racial, religious, or other types of persecution must be welcomed and given permanent resident status. The history of arbitrary denial of political asylum claims must be ended. Particular attention should be given to those minorities who are political exiles and refugees and those whose lives would be at risk if asylum is not granted,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Family reunification must be a priority in accepting applications for permanent residency. The years of waiting that families are currently put through must be ended,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Permanent residency should not be denied based on political views, racial or national origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, disability, or any other arbitrary basis,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “There are many countries in the world where the economic policies and military actions of the U.S. government or U.S. based corporations have caused extreme hardships. The peoples of these countries deserve special consideration if they wish to come to the U.S. to escape intolerable conditions created by our government or U.S. corporations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “We must keep faith with our commitment to the United Nations, to assist in the resettlement, including to our own country, of refugees currently stranded in refugee camps in other parts of the world,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “All those who are issued work permits must have the option to come and go from the U.S. as they desire. They must also have the option of remaining in the U.S. and becoming U.S. Citizens,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) Interim Measures: “Recognizing that a just reform of immigration policy may take some time, the Green Party supports,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “Measures to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses if they can prove their identity and pass the required tests. This will improve road safety and allow the undocumented who are driving in any case to obtain insurance,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Measures to give legal status to undocumented immigrants who graduate from high school in the U.S. and who are otherwise qualified, to allow them to attend colleges and universities on an equal basis with other high school graduates. The Green Party is opposed to efforts to force undocumented youth into becoming cannon fodder for the U.S. military as the price for legal status,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Reduce wait lists and make the system work more efficiently: current numeric caps on immigrant visas must be increased. The current system of quotas and preferences has to be thoroughly and realistically reformed. Current backlogs must be brought up to date as soon as possible. Wait times for processing and resolving immigration benefit applications should be reduced to no more than six months. Pre-1996 screening criteria for legal permanent residency and citizenship applications should be restored,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 115

iv. “The understandable concern about immigrant workers competing for jobs with current citizens cannot and should not be addressed by criminalizing undocumented immigration or punishing fellow victims of U.S. corporatist policies. Instead, we must reverse these policies. Among other things, we should repeal NAFTA, CAFTA, Fast Track and other corporate globalization policies. We must stop using our tax dollars to subsidize corporate agribusiness and to promote poverty in Latin America, and start using them to help reward environmentally responsible family farmers, encourage improved infrastructure and economic conditions in Latin America, and raise labor standards, at home and abroad. Here at home, we must also promote the policies, as outlined in the Economy and Workers’ Rights sections of this Platform, that can help us achieve a full employment economy at a living wage, including strictly enforcing and expanding the rights of all workers to form unions,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “We advocate an end to employer sanctions, which have been shown to hurt not only undocumented workers but also U.S.-born workers (especially those of color). Instead, the focus on employers must be to vigorously enforce our wage and labor laws. Instead of further victimizing the victims of corporate globalization, create real opportunities and raise labor standards for all,” (2014 Green Party Platform)!

vi. “We oppose the provision of current law which allows local police to become agents of the immigration agency. Local policing functions should be totally separate from immigration enforcement,” (2014 Green Party Platform). vii. “Greens oppose ‘English-only’ legislation. Immigrants already have ample incentive to learn Eng- lish. But when interaction with the government is limited to the English speaking, persons are put at additional risk of exploitation. The focus needs to be on providing adequate and accessible English language instruction and assistance. We advocate legislation to ensure that federal funds marked for communities to provide ESL (English as second language) training, and health and social support services to immigrants actually go to them. When funds are spent in other areas, immigrants are being deprived of benefits that they earn as productive workers in their communities. Meanwhile, courts, social service agencies, and all government agencies dealing with the public must provide trained and certified translators. Additionally, the language rights of peoples who were in this land before it became part of the U.S., including Native Americans and Mexicans in the Southwest, must be recognized and respected,” (2014 Green Party Platform). viii. “We oppose the militarization of our borders, (mis)using the National Guard as border police, and building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. This will further intensify the human rights disaster our immigration policy has become, as well as seriously harm border ecosystems. We demand an immediate end to policies designed to force undocumented border-crossers into areas where conditions dramatically increase the risk of permanent injury or death, destruction of fragile environments, and the cutting off of corridors needed by wildlife for migration within their habitat. For these reasons we specifically oppose the walling off of both traditional urban crossing areas and of wilderness areas. We also call for the immediate dismantling of the border wall. We mourn the death of those thousands of men, women and children who have died trying to cross this border, where a couple of decades ago such deaths were virtually unheard of,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ix. “We must resist proposals that use illegal immigration as an excuse to put us all under further government monitoring and control by means of a national ID card or other identification or tracking systems. We also oppose the imposition of the ‘E-Verify’ system to screen people applying for jobs. Citizen workers who have been propagandized to support ‘tougher’ measures to identify and apprehend undocumented workers need to carefully consider what they are asking for. The same snare they want the government to use against undocumented workers can easily be used to re- 116

press them. Our government is already engaged in illegal spying and surveillance of its own citizens. It is already invading our privacy. A national ID card system is one of the hallmarks of a totalitarian government or police state. We need to repeal the Real ID Act and resist the establishment of any system that would suppress freedom to travel and require citizens and non-citizens alike to “show their papers” and reveal their private information to government monitors at every turn,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

x. “We demand recognition of the sovereignty of indigenous nations whose territories cross national boundaries. These indigenous nations have the right to determine the status of their members,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xi. “We demand new policies and laws that deal more effectively and humanely with the victims of illegal international trafficking in humans — primarily women and children who are bought, kid- napped, coerced, brutalized, defrauded, tricked, sold and marketed for forced sex (rape) and pros- titution, with an estimated 50,000 trafficked to the U.S. We call for stiffer, more appropriate policy, structure and laws to deal with traffickers, and also demand that procedures to deport victims before the traffickers are prosecuted must be changed to allow the victims to testify against the traffickers, which plays a major role in bringing these cases to justice and helping stem the tide of this heinous crime. The victims of trafficking should have the option of permanent residence in the U.S. or return to their home countries, according to their own choice.

c) “Passage of the “Dream Act.”129 (2012 CC 2.0)

d) Removal of exclusionary restrictions on immigration to allow economic refugees to be processed through existing border checkpoints.”130 (2012 CC 2.0)

e) Undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S. should be given a non-punitive path to documentation and ultimately citizenship.”131 (2012 CC 2.0)

f) “Collaboration between ICE and local law enforcement agencies should be prevented.”132 (2012 CC 2.0)

g) “Criminal penalties for businesses that exploit undocumented workers should be increased and enforced.”133 (2012 CC 2.0)

12. Grant Full Legal Rights To U.S. Territories

a) “Congress fulfills its Constitutional and moral obligation to sanction a binding process aimed to fully decolonize Puerto Rico and other territories using internationally recognized non-territorial, non- colonial status options resulting in either Statehood or Independence.”134 (2012 CC 2.0)

b) “Enact statehood for the District of Columbia. Ensure that residents of the District of Columbia have the same rights and representation as all other U.S. citizens.” (2014 Green Party Platform) “An amendment to the Constitution to provide two voting seats in the U.S. Senate to the residents of the District of Columbia and voting representation in the House of Representatives commensurate with its population.”135 (2012 CC 2.0)

c) “An amendment to the Constitution to institute genuine home rule and budget autonomy for the government of the people of the District of Columbia.”136 (2012 CC 2.0)

C) RESTORE OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

1. Basic Directives: a) “Governments are formed by the will of the people to secure and defend human liberty,”137 (America Conservative Party). 117

b) “Law exists to support liberty and mediate disputes where conduct of one infringes upon the rights of another,”138 (America Conservative Party).

c) “The armed forces and law enforcement exist to bolster private defense, not supplant it,”139 (America Conservative Party).

d) “The American Experiment was born out of these beliefs and it has resulted in a bountiful gain for the human condition,”140 (America Conservative Party).

2. Individual Rights

a) “Protect private property rights,” (The Tea Party Manifesto).

b) “The Importance of Each Individual. Finally, we believe that each individual possesses the same intrinsic dignity and worth as every other, and that every individual should be protected by the rule of law against the tyranny of government or the majority. Accordingly, we believe in equal opportunity but not equal outcomes. Since redistribution of wealth runs counter to these values, we vigorously oppose any actions by government at any level to engage in such activities,”141 (American Conservative Party).

c) “Defend and extend civil liberties.” (Ralph Nader)

d) “Laws to establish that an individual’s personal data is to be considered intellectual property, protected under the Bill of Rights and not to be collected, transferred or removed without warrant or without expressed consent.” (2012 CC 2.0)

e) “Personal Liberty: Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government.” (2014 Libertarian Platform)

f) “Self-Ownership: Individuals own their bodies and have rights over them that other individuals, groups, and governments may not violate. Individuals have the freedom and responsibility to decide what they knowingly and voluntarily consume, and what risks they accept to their own health, finances, safety, or life.” (2014 Libertarian Platform)

g) “Expression and Communication: We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.” (2014 Libertarian Platform)

h) “Privacy: Libertarians advocate individual privacy and government transparency. We are committed to ending government’s practice of spying on everyone. We support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons, homes, property, and communications. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records,” (2014 Libertarian Platform). “The Government of the United States of America will not abide by or make any laws that will deprive any citizen of his or her rights to privacy. No government body, domestic or foreign, shall have any authority to abuse these rights,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

i) “Personal Relationships: Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or re-

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strict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. (2014 Libertarian Platform)

i) “Abortion: Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration. (2014 Libertarian Platform)

j) “Crime and Justice: Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. We favor the repeal of all laws creating ‘crimes’ without victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes, since only actions that infringe on the rights of others can properly be termed crimes. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution to the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law. (2014 Libertarian Platform)

k) “Self-Defense: The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or group. We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense. Private property owners should be free to establish their own conditions regarding the presence of personal defense weapons on their own property. We oppose all laws at any level of government restricting, registering, or monitoring the ownership, manufacture, or transfer of firearms or ammunition. (2014 Libertarian Party Platform)

l) “Internal Security and Individual Rights: The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil liberties of our citizens. The Constitution and Bill of Rights shall not be suspended even during time of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government's use of secret classifications to keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the government has violated the law.” (2014 Libertarian Party Platform)

m) “Personal and Private Property Security: We affirm the Fourth Amendment right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures including registration, general and unwarranted electronic surveillance, national computer databases, and national identification cards,” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform).

3. The Rule Of Law a) We “strongly believe that the United States should be governed by laws, and not by men. In keeping with our commitment to the dignity and equality under the law for each citizen and lawful resident of the United States, all should have access to the legal system as needed to defend their rights. Few things are as crucial to preserving our liberty and our prosperity as upholding and maintaining the rule of law, as established by our Founders,”142 (2015 American Conservative Party).

4. American Citizenship & Liberty: “American citizenship not only encompasses protection of the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property, but also the duties and obligations of each citizen to their communities through the institutions which support a civil society. We believe these institutions of family, churches, charities, and civic groups, have proven beneficial for the United States and for the world at

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large, and contribute greatly to why American citizenship has always been a prized commodity in the world,”143 (2015 American Conservative Party).

“We believe the United States can continue to be a beacon of hope for oppressed and disadvantaged people around the world, but only if we defend and uphold the meaning of United States citizenship-- and human liberty—at all times,”144 (2015 American Conservative Party).

5. The Second Amendment: “The American Conservative Party is resolute in its support of the Second Amendment, which protects the basic individual right of self-defense and is essential to our functioning as a free society. We support the right of law-abiding citizens to possess and use firearms in defense of their families, their property and for all other lawful purposes, including the common defense. We oppose any legislation that seeks to ban gun ownership by lawful citizens and we will staunchly defend and protect the right of all law- abiding Americans to keep and bear arms,”145 (2015 American Conservative Party).

“Our defense of the Second Amendment and law-abiding gun-owners by no means grants anyone license to do malice with weapons of any kind. Anyone lawfully convicted of using a firearm during the commission of a crime must be punished appropriately. Gun crime, just like any crime, requires law enforcement and the judiciary to employ the resources necessary to identify, apprehend, and punish criminals; but it does not justify burdening law-abiding citizens with overreaching legislation or regulation,”146 (2015 American Conservative Party).

6. Domestic Security: “Greens want to stop the assault on our civil liberties that intensified after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and restore these and other freedoms to all people. During the last several decades, there has been an erosion of freedom in the United States. This has come from many sources and takes many forms, including the war on drugs and widespread imprisonment of nonviolent drug offenders; the increased use of personal identification, surveillance of employees at work, and the growing use of private security forces by corporations; restrictions on the speech of protesters and students; and random traffic stops of persons of color and the commonplace use of roadblocks. Since 9/11, this erosion has turned into a collapse of our freedoms, as then President Bush authorized torture, illegal wiretapping, indefinite detention without trial, and widespread government surveillance. Greens believe that all such systematic degradation or elimination of our constitutional protections must stop, and that corrective measures need to be taken in a timely manner by Congress to fully reinstate all such losses of guaranteed citizen protections,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “The Green Party calls for a complete, thorough, impartial, and independent investigation of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, including the role of the administration of George W, Bush, various U.S. based corporations and interests, and other nations and third parties,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Strictly enforce our First Amendment rights of speech, assembly, association and petition. Federal, state and local governments must safeguard our right to public, non-violent protest. It is intolerable that law enforcement agencies intimidate lawful protesters with brutality, surveillance, repression and retaliation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Restore habeas corpus, a legal action to obtain relief from illegal detention. End the use of indefinite detention without trial,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Support students’ constitutional rights to free speech,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Ensure that government actions towards immigrants comply with our Constitution and universal human rights principles.

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f) “Support strict Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Recognize that the privacy protections of the 4th amendment extend to the Internet. Demand the elimination of bulk Internet data col-lection by our government. Fund and promote research into alternate Internet structures that would build in privacy. Hold criminally accountable all government officials, employees and contractors who illegally spy on Americans, and who provide false, misleading or incomplete testimony to Congress about surveillance of American communications by law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

7. Civil & Equal Human Rights: “Restore our Commitment to Civil and Human Rights. In the last 40 years, particularly since 9/11, our government has violated civil and human rights in the United States and elsewhere, primarily under the guise of the ‘war on terror.’ At the same time, there has been a vast expansion of the powers of the executive branch (and violations of federal and international law by the executive branch), with a corresponding and alarming secrecy, while Congress and the courts have provided very few checks on the abuses of power. We must reverse that trend and renew our commitment to the rule of law and to civil and human rights by taking the following measures (2013 Justice Party Platform):

a) “End the practice of warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens and require a particularized showing of reasonable cause before warrants for surveillance can be issued(2013 Justice Party Platform);

b) “End the authorization of indefinite detention without due process and take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that such authorization never occurs again; (2013 Justice Party Platform)

c) “End drone killings unless specifically authorized by Congress under the War Power Clause (2013 Justice Party Platform);

d) “End the militarization of domestic police and disband any federal military units with domestic policing powers (2013 Justice Party Platform);

e) “Amend the War Powers Act to make it clear that Congress must make the initial determination as to whether military force will be used, except to repel sudden attacks or rebellion, and provide for criminal penalties for any violation of that Act (2013 Justice Party Platform);

f) “Affirm the commitment of the United States to refrain from ever again engaging in a war of aggression as that crime has been prohibited by the Kellogg-Briand Treaty, the United Nations Charter, and the Nuremberg Principles(2013 Justice Party Platform);

g) “Enforce all treaties ratified by the Senate and provide a clearly defined process for the abrogation of treaties(2013 Justice Party Platform);

h) “Protect whistleblowers who disclose to the American people wrongdoing by agents or contractors of the United States government (2013 Justice Party Platform);

i) “End the punishment of those who peacefully demonstrate in proximity to people protected by the Secret Service (2013 Justice Party Platform);

j) “Prosecute those agents or contractors of the U.S. government who have violated federal laws;

k) “Implement alternatives to incarceration whenever feasible and safe to the community, including the utilization of restorative justice practices; personal, family, and community healing; and imaginative approaches such as the arts. Combine shorter prison terms (for all but the most serious crimes) with full transformative /rehabilitative/re-entry programs. Educate and train formerly incarcerated

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individuals and gang members in urban peace efforts. End the privatization of prisons and prison operations (2013 Justice Party Platform);

l) “Treat substance use and abuse as a public health and education challenge and remove it from the criminal justice system, except for violations of laws relating to taxation and regulation, as is presently done with respect to cigarettes and alcohol; (2013 Justice Party Platform) and

m) “Ensure that all Americans have the right to

i. marriage equality (and are educated to overcome homophobia), (2013 Justice Party Platform) and

ii. reproductive freedom (2013 Justice Party Platform) and

iii. have greater access to family planning education and services.”147 (2013 Justice Party Platform)

n) “Strive for the Internet in Every Household. A democracy functions best when its citizens are educated, informed, and engaged. All three of those objectives can be facilitated greatly by simply expanding Internet coverage so that no household is without a computer or without access to the Internet, and by ensuring that no legislation is enacted that limits free access to the Internet, the speed of the Internet, or the ability of companies and communities to enhance the development of the Internet,” (2013 Justice Party Platform).

o) “The illegal international trafficking in humans, primarily women, has reached staggering numbers and consequences around the world. The Green Party supports the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking In Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 2000 as an important tool to facilitate international cooperation. The U.S. and 80 other countries signed the Protocol in December 2000 and by doing so have made a commitment to criminalize trafficking and to protect its many victims. We call for effective collaborative relationships between sending and receiving countries, including the U.S. We also call for studies analyzing and connecting the role of globalization in trafficking.

p) “Puerto Rican Independence: In 1898, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States and has been held by the U.S. in the form of a colony ever since. In response to international pressure, in 1952, the U.S. established the “Free Associated State” status for Puerto Rico but continued to claim that Puerto Rico belongs to, yet is not a part of, the United States.

i. “Greens support the right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence in conformity with United Nations Resolution 1514(XV) of 1960, the release of all Puerto Rican political prisoners being held in U.S. prisons, and call for the appropriate environmental clean-up and sustainable development of Vieques and Culebra, islands that were used as firing ranges by the U.S. military. We oppose recruitment of the youth of Puerto Rico into the U.S. armed forces and their deployment to U.S. wars abroad.

8. Social Justice & Equal Rights

a) “Rights and Discrimination: Libertarians embrace the concept that all people are born with certain inherent rights. We reject the idea that a natural right can ever impose an obligation upon others to fulfill that "right." We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should neither deny nor abridge any individual's human right based upon sex, wealth, ethnicity, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Members of private organizations retain their rights to set whatever standards of association they deem appropriate, and individuals are free to respond with ostracism, boycotts and other free market solutions. Parents, or other guardians, have the

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right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs. This statement shall not be construed to condone child abuse or neglect.” (2014 Libertarian Platform) b) “A constitutional amendment stating: Equality of rights for adults under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or any state or jurisdiction, on account of race, color, age, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.” (2012 CC 2.0) c) “Women’s Rights: The Green Party makes a strong and urgent call for U.S. passage of CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and ratified by 173 countries. It is also known as the Women’s Convention, the Women’s Bill of Rights, and an International Bill of Rights for Women. The United States is one of a very few countries and the only industrialized nation that has not ratified it,” (Green Party Platform).

i. “The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission should actively investigate and prosecute sexual harassment complaints. Women who file complaints must not be persecuted and should be protected under federal and state law. We must enshrine in law the basic principle that women have the same rights as men, and promote gender equality and fairness in the work force to ensure that women receive equal pay for jobs of equal worth,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “We support the inclusion of an equal number of women and men in peace talks and negotiations, not only because these efforts directly affect their lives and those of their husbands, children and families, but also because when women are involved, the negotiations are more successful,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Women’s rights must be protected and expanded to guarantee each woman’s right as a full participant in society, free from sexual harassment, job discrimination or interference in the intensely personal choice about whether to have a child,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) “Religious Freedom: Our Constitution grants no authority to the federal government either to grant or deny the religious expressions of the people,” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform). e) “Religious Freedom and Secular Equality: The United States Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion. We affirm the right of each individual to the exercise of conscience and religion, while maintaining the constitutionally mandated separation of government and religion. We believe that federal, state, and local governments must remain neutral regarding religion,” (2014 Green Party Platform). We call for:

i. “Ending discriminatory federal, state, and local laws against particular religious beliefs, and non-belief. The U.S. Constitution states that there shall be no religious test for public office. This requirement should apply to oaths (or affirmations) for holding public office at any level, employment at all government levels, oaths for witnesses in courts, oaths for jury membership, and the oath for citizenship,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Prosecution of hate crimes based on religious affiliation or practice,” (2014 Green Party Platform). f) “Youth Rights: All human beings have the right to a life that will let them achieve their full potential. Young people are one of the least protected classes of human beings, yet they represent our future. We must ensure they have an upbringing that allows them to take their place as functioning, productive, and self-actualized members of their community.

i. “Youth are not the property of their parents or guardians, but are under their care and guidance.

ii. “Youth have the right to survive by being provided adequate food, shelter and comprehensive health care, including prenatal care for mothers.

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iii. “Youth have the right to be protected from abuse, harmful drugs, violence, environmental hazards, neglect, and exploitation.

iv. “Youth have the right to develop in a safe and nurturing early environment provided by affordable childcare and pre-school preparation.

v. “Youth have the right to an education that is stimulating, relevant, engaging, and that fosters their natural desire to learn.

vi. “Young people’s creative potential should be encouraged to the greatest extent possible.

vii. “Young people should have input into the direction and pace of their own education, including input into the operation of their educational institutions.

viii. “Young people should be provided with education regarding their own and others’ sexuality at the earliest appropriate time.

ix. “Young people should be provided the opportunity to express themselves in their own media, including television, radio, films and the Internet. Young people should also be given skills in analyzing commercial media.

x. “Young people should be kept free from coercive advertising at their educational institutions,” (2014 Green Party Platform). g) GI and Veterans’ Rights: “Support for men and women in the armed forces must go far beyond the rhetoric used to discredit the peace movement in the U.S. today. We believe that the ill-advised and illegal actions of the U.S. administration have unnecessarily put our troops in harm’s way. We further believe that the dangerous burden of fighting the unnecessary war in Iraq, and the wars that may follow, due to the administration’s overly narrow and militaristic response to terrorism is disproportionately borne by families of lesser means. Those who are required to carry out militaristic policies, often with great hardship to themselves, their families, and even the risk of their lives, deserve our respect and our commitment to adequate compensation and benefits,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “Provide better care for the wounded, sick and injured soldiers. Restore full funding for veterans’ health programs. Ensure that the Pentagon takes all steps necessary to fully diagnose and treat the physical and mental health conditions resulting from service in combat zones, including post- traumatic stress disorder. Support increased funding for additional clinics to provide services which now are too often delayed or denied throughout the Veterans Affairs system because of overcrowding and budget constraints,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Ensure that all pre-deployment physicals are completed within the standard allotted time period, and that medical follow-ups are routinely given to all soldiers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Honor all laws concerning time limits on deployments,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Ensure a smooth transition from active military service to civilian life by providing counseling, housing, emergency management, job protection and other support systems,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Many of those U.S. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen who served during U.S. Wars in the past two decades have been exposed to nuclear, chemical and possibly biological warfare agents. We insist that the Veterans Administration not ignore the suffering they have experienced since coming home from the war. The Congress should fund and the VA should implement a comprehensive program to survey Vets and the impacts of Gulf War Syndrome on them and their fami-

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lies and to provide the best possible medical treatment available to minimize the suffering of these men and women and their families,” (2014 Green Party Platform) .

vi. “Veterans of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are being unfairly discharged from the service with PTSD and other injuries caused by stress, trauma and head injuries, under trumped-up behavioral charges, as a means of military budget cost-cutting. As Greens we insist that all U.S. combatants are entitled to medical and psychiatric health care by the VA, after serving any time in combat zones. Service members serving in combat zones are subjected to assorted variations of permanent physical and mental damage and are entitled to treatment by the Veterans Administration. This nation has a moral obligation to provide health care services and disability entitlements to its veterans. We support funding for additional clinics to provide services which now are too often delayed or denied because of over-crowding and budget constraints throughout the VA system,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vii. “Provide recognized, independent veteran organizations with access to military personnel to ensure they are being informed of their rights, including those who are hospitalized due to service related injuries or illnesses,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

viii. “Establish a panel of independent medical doctors to examine and oversee the military policies regarding forced vaccinations and shots, especially with experimental drugs. Insist that the military halt the practice of testing experimental medicines and inoculations on service members without their consent,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ix. “Enact a new GI Bill, similar to the one that began after World War II and ended in 1981, to provide tuition grants for four years of college or other educational opportunities, low-interest loans for housing or business start-ups, and free medical care for military personnel and their families for ten years following separation from the armed forces,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

x. “Support a transparent and democratic conscientious objection process free of harassment, imprisonment, or deployment to war zones for conscientious objectors. Defend the right of individuals in the military service to modify or completely separate from military involvement because of conscientious objection,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xi. “Fair Treatment of Our Veterans: We appreciate the contributions of our servicemen and veterans to the preservation of American freedom, and will continue to recognize their contributions to the national welfare by providing equitable pay and benefits to our military personnel, and generous health, education, and other benefits to veterans,” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform). g) “Offer amnesty to immigrants living in US and their children,” (2012 CC 2.0, 2014 Green Party Plat- form). h) “An end to violations of the treaties established between the government of the United States and Native Americans,” (2012 CC 2.0). i) “Racial Discrimination: The development of the United States has been marked by conflict over ques- tions of race. Our nation was formed only after Native Americans were displaced. The institution of slavery had as its underpinnings the belief in white supremacy, which we as Greens condemn. In slavery’s aftermath, people of color have borne the brunt of violence and discrimination. The Green Par- ty unequivocally condemns these evils, which continue to be a social problem of paramount significance,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “We support the release of all political prisoners held by the USA. It is time that the political frame-ups, the prosecutorial misconduct and the racist application of police power that pass for

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justice in our country be buried and those victimized by these abuses of state power be given their lives back,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “We condemn the practice of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies, which are guilty of stopping motorists, harassing individuals, or using unwarranted violence against suspects with no other justification than race or ethnic background,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “We favor strong measures to combat official racism in the forms of police brutality directed against people of color,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “… [We are] against all forms of hate crimes, including those directed against people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, and intersex. Offenders must pay compensation to the LGBTIQ people who have suffered violence and injustice,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “[We] will end all Federal military and civilian aid to national governments whose laws result in the imprisonment or otherwise bring harm to citizens and residents based on sexual orientation, or gender identity, characteristics, and expression,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “[We] would end security surveillance and covert infiltration of organizations that promote equal rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity,” (2014 Green Party Platform) j) “Rights of the Disabled: We support the full enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act to enable all people with disabilities to achieve independence and function at the highest possible level. Gov- ernment should work to ensure that children with disabilities are provided with the same educational opportunities as those without disabilities,” (2014 Green Party Platform). k) “Consumer Protection: [We] support strong consumer protections against fraud, dangerous products, usury, corporate greed and rip-offs. We believe that prevention and justice are at the heart of consumer protection. Millions of lives will be saved or lost depending on the strength of our consumer protection laws. We aim to stop corporations and others from defrauding consumers or endangering them with defective products or negligence. We stand with consumers, who have been injured or defrauded by corporations and others, and support their efforts to redress the wrongs done to them. We stand with whistleblowers, who are often the public’s best protection against corporate crime, fraud and waste. We recommend the following actions (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “Strengthen product safety standards and enforcement for a variety of products, including food, motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals and airplanes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “Restore state health, safety, and consumer protection laws by striking federal preemptions that weaken state law,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “Preserve and expand product labeling requirements to ensure that consumers are informed about the origin, ingredients and ecological life cycle of all products, including animal testing and the product’s organic, recycled and genetically-engineered content. Include information about the nutritional value and the vegetarian or vegan status of food products,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “Prohibit corporations from concealing information about public health, labor conditions or environmental safety via protective orders or confidential settlements,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “Expand class action rights against manufacturers of unsafe products and practices, and strengthen the civil justice system and supply the resources necessary to bring to justice to those corporations that injure innocent consumers,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “Protect whistle blowers against demotion, job loss, and other forms of retaliation,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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vii. “Oppose ‘tort reform’ that undermines consumers’ ability to seek redress, and ‘medical malprac- tice reform’ that relieves negligent doctors of responsibility for injuring or killing their patients,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

viii. “Grant consumers the right to limit collection and secondary use of personal information by any commercial entity,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ix. “Prohibit lenders and credit card companies from charging more than 12% annual interest, in- dexed for inflation, along with broad protections against unwarranted fees and other abusive terms,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

x. “Prohibit the widespread practice of price gouging against women and the poor,” (2014 Green Par- ty Platform).

xi. “Repeal the misnamed Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 in order to restore Chapter 7 bankruptcy as a viable final safety net for consumers caught by health crises, unaffordable mortgages, credit card debts and student loans,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xii. “Ban the use of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts, which companies use to shunt consumers into anti-consumer and unfair dispute resolution processes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xiii. “Establish new independent government consumer advocacy agencies to protect the interests of consumers, and restore the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

xiv. “Support policies to encourage citizens, taxpayers, rate - payers and consumers to form Citizens Utility Boards to advocate for the public interest,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

9. Government Ethics: “[…F]aith in our government institutions requires our government officials to act in an honorable manner and we shall require the highest ethical conduct by all of our government officials. The reforms we pro-pose have become necessary because many government officials have seemingly misplaced their moral compasses and abdicated ethical responsibilities incumbent for a Constitutional Republic to survive. Since many government officials seem unable to distinguish right from wrong, we demand the following reforms be enacted into law:

a) “Limit gifts, favors and outside sources of income while in office and after leaving.

b) “Restrict the franking privilege to direct responses to constituent contacts.

c) “Prohibit elected officials or their staff members from lobbying for five years from the time they leave government service.

d) “Without limiting a president's constitutional right to grant pardons and commute sentences, put in place and enforce policies and procedures for public and congressional review prior to the granting of a pardon or commutation.

e) “Empower citizens with the right to recall elected officials who engage in proven unethical behavior, violate existing law, or fail to uphold their oath of office.

f) “Require all legislation to be read by the appropriate officials before debates or votes are cast.

g) “Require all bills to address one issue only.

h) “Require all legislation to clearly cite the constitutional authority authorizing it.

i) “Require all legislation and regulation that applies to businesses and citizens to apply to federal government institutions and officials. 127

j) “Only the people may decide, in a general election, if public servants have earned a raise in compensation,”148 (2006 America First Party Platform).

10. Campaign Finance Reform: “The source of corruption of our political system that causes so many of our people to turn away in disgust or to adopt an attitude of cynicism instead of optimism is not money but rather the source of that money. Money is merely the megaphone. The America First Party holds that government of, by, and for the people cannot endure when our political conversation is controlled and polluted by corporations interested in pro-fits instead of the best interests of the American people. We believe that the protections of the 1st Amendment were primarily designed to political speech of individual citizens. We also believe that individual citizens have a constitutional right to speak on the issues of the day, to assemble collectively to do so, and to influence the elections in which they can vote and to know who is attempting to influence their vote. We shall promote and enact the following reforms of our campaign finance system:

a) “All election laws should be vigorously enforced, and the penalties should serve as a deterrent.

b) “The states shall be permitted to experiment with different forms of campaign finance reform, so long as they protect the rights of citizen participation and equal access irrespective of party affiliation.

c) “All donations to political organizations, be they issue-oriented, political parties, or candidate committees, must come from actual persons who are citizens and registered to vote or from other political committees.

d) “At least 50% of the funds donated to a candidate committee must come from citizens who can vote for the candidate.

e) “All political organizations shall disclose the source of every donation within 48 hours of receipt in a manner easily accessible to the public.

f) “All political organization shall have equal access to all forms of advertisement.

g) “In all political advertisements that mention a candidate, show the likeness of one, or take a position on a referendum before the people, the five largest sources of funds for the organization or person that puts the add forward should be shown is a visible manner.

h) “The Federal Election Commission is supposed to be the people's watchdog and nonpartisan oversight of the election processes. One-third of the American people belong to neither major party. Therefore, one-third of the membership of the FEC should be independent of the major parties.

i) “In matters of political speech, the 1st Amendment does not apply to corporations or non-citizens.

j) “All candidate forums which are broadcast or published and contain candidates from more than one political party must include all candidates who can legally win the office,”149 (2006 America First Party Platform).

11. Revitalize Our Political Democracy

a) “Further direct democracy: initiative, referendum, and recall, for starters.” (Ralph Nader) “Support the right to initiative, referendum and recall at all levels of government. Enact signature gathering standards that empower volunteer collection efforts and financial disclosure requirements that identify the sources of funding behind paid signature efforts.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

b) “Amend the U.S. Constitution to require that all vacancies in the U.S. Senate be filled by election rather than appointment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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c) “Enact statehood for the District of Columbia. Ensure that residents of the District of Columbia have the same rights and representation as all other U.S. citizens,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

12. Electoral Reform:

a) “A fair electoral system,” (2012 Occupy National Gathering).

b) We advocate initiative, referendum, recall and repeal when used as popular checks… [at all levels government],” (2014 Libertarian Platform, 2014 Green Party Platform).

c) Enact signature gathering standards that empower volunteer collection efforts and financial disclosure requirements that identify the sources of funding behind paid signature efforts,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Representative Government: We support election systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions […]. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives.

e) “Support strong enforcement of the Federal Voting Rights Act and, where applicable, state voting rights acts like the California Voting Rights Act.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

f) Universal Right To Vote. “Enact a national ‘right to vote’ law or constitutional amendment to guarantee universal, automatic, permanent voter registration, along with fail-safe voting procedures, so that eligible voters whose names are not on the voter rolls or whose information is out-of-date can correct the rolls and vote on the same day.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

g) “Enact Proportional Representation (PR) voting systems for legislative seats on municipal, county, state and federal levels. Proportional representation systems provide that people are represented in the proportion their views are held in society and are based on dividing seats proportionally within multi- seat districts, compared to the standard U.S. single-seat, winner-take all districts. Forms of proportional representation include choice voting (candidate-based), party list (party-based) and mixed member voting (combines proportional representation with district representation).” (2014 Green Party Platform)

h) “Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) that includes “none of the above” option. IRV for chief executive offices like mayor, governor and president and other single-seat elections. Under IRV, voters can rank candidates in their order of preference (1,2,3, etc.) IRV ensures that the eventual winner has majority support and allows voters to express their preferences knowing that supporting their favorite candidate will not inadvertently help their least favored candidate. IRV thus frees voters from being forced to choose between the lesser of two evils, and saves money by eliminating unnecessary run-off elections.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

i) Institute “None of the Above (NOTA)” choice. “Include the option to vote for a binding ‘None of the Above (NOTA)’ on all party primary and general election ballots.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

j) “Public Funding of Elections. Provide full public financing of federal, state and local elections, including free and equal radio and television time on the public airwaves for all ballot-qualified candidates and parties. (2014 Green Party Platform, 2013 Justice Party Platform)

k) “Create a new publicly-funded People’s Commission on Presidential Debates, and open its presidential debates to all candidates who appear on at least as many ballots as would represent a majority of the Electoral College and who raise enough funds to other-wise qualify for general election public financing. Any candidate who refuses to participate in such debates would lose general election public financing for 129

their candidacy. Amend federal law to remove the nonprofit tax exemption status that allows corporations to fund the existing Commission on Presidential De-bates and other such exclusive privately controlled debate entities.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

l) Implement Direct Popular Voting Process.

m) “Amend the Federal Election Campaign Act to change the percentage of the presidential popular vote required for a new party’s candidate to receive first time General Election public funding from 5% in the previous General Election to 1%; and change the percentage of the presidential popular vote required for a new party to receive public presidential convention funding from 5% for its candidate in the previous general election to 1%.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

n) “Establish all polling days/election days (Federal, state, municipal and otherwise) to be weekends or holidays.”150 (2012 CC 2.0, 2014 Green Party Platform)

o) “Regulations to establish easier and more uniform absentee voting processes.” (2012 CC 2.0)

p) “New standardized laws to ban all rules in the states that hinder the right of the People to vote. There should be no tests, special IDs, or fees required to vote in a national election.” (2012 CC 2.0)

q) “Legislation to establish a permanent voter roll to be created and maintained by the Social Security Administration which will also distribute free voter photo identification for use in federal elections.” (2012 CC 2.0)

r) “Legislation to establish a non-partisan commission or politically neutral group to redraw district lines based on geographical borders which are compact, contiguous, and reflective of socio-economic demographics.” (2012 CC 2.0)

s) “Regulations to ensure that no political party shall be privileged or receive special advantage in any state for their candidates running for Congress or the Presidency.” (2012 CC 2.0)

t) “Legislation to require publicly financed and funded campaigns for sufficiently popular candidates running for elected office and requiring radio and TV broadcasters to provide free and equal air time to those candidates.” (2012 CC 2.0)

u) “Legislation establishing that no contributor shall be permitted to contribute more than 100 times the federal minimum wage per year to federal campaigns or political action committees” [or even better make all elections only publically funded to avoid undue influence]. (2012 CC 2.0)

v) “A Constitutional amendment to more accurately reflect the will of the People in presidential elections and abolish the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote.” (2012 CC 2.0)

w) “Restore full citizenship rights to felons upon completion of their sentence, including the right to vote and to run for elected office. Enable greater enfranchisement of overseas voters.” (2014 Green Party Platform)

x) “We oppose any voting system that does not generate a permanent, easily human-readable artifact that can be used to verify a proper vote count,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

4. Government Gender Balance

a) “Constitutional amendment to provide for gender balance in the Senate. One Senate seat from each state is to be reserved for a man and one for a woman.” (2012 CC 2.0)

5. Curtailing Government Corruption 130

a) “Develop publicly-owned, open source voting equipment and deploy it across the nation to ensure high national standards, performance, transparency and accountability, and use verifiable paper ballots,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) “Establish guarantees that every citizen’s vote counts, and that all U.S. voting systems — including electronic ones — are verifiable, transparent and accurate,” (2014 Green Party Platform). “Legislation to guarantee transparency and accuracy of vote tabulation in elections. Voting machines should be abolished unless votes are verified from the beginning of the process to the end,” (2012 CC 2.0). c) “Establish a National Elections Commission with the mandate to establish minimum national election standards and uniformity, partner with state and local election officials to ensure pre-election and post- election accountability for their election plans, require nonpartisan election boards, and depoliticize and professionalize election administration across the United States,” (2014 Green Party Platform). d) “Establish independent and transparent non-partisan redistricting processes to stop partisan gerrymandering and protect minority rights and representation,” (2014 Green Party Platform). e) “Increase the number of polling places, and increase the pay for poll workers,” (2014 Green Party Platform). f) “Strengthen ‘sunshine laws’ to provide citizens with all necessary information and access to their political system,” (2014 Green Party Platform). g) “Ensure that all important federal, state and local government documents are on the Internet, especially texts of bills, search-able databases of voting records, draft committee and conference reports, and court decisions,” (2014 Green Party Platform). h) “Reinvigorate the independent investigative agencies, such as the General Accounting Office and the inspectors general,” (2014 Green Party Platform). i) “In addition to allowing members of Congress to send mail to their constituents for free, letters from citizens to their members of Congress shall also be free,” (2014 Green Party Platform). j) “Enact tough new federal anti-bribery and gratuity laws to stop corporations and the wealthy from purchasing government action, and vigorously enforce of anticorruption laws by the Justice Department. Prohibit members of Congress, Governors, state legislators and their staffs from accepting for their own personal benefit any gifts of any amount from lobbyists or the general public,” (2014 Green Party Platform). k) “Require outside counsel to investigate ethics complaints against members of Congress, and toughen punishments within the congressional ethics processes for corruption, abuse of power and other wrongdoing,” (2014 Green Party Platform). l) “Replace the Federal Election Commission with a vigorous watchdog empowered to enforce federal campaign finance laws,” (2014 Green Party Platform). m) “Allow any member of Congress to require a floor vote on any congressional earmark, to stop wasteful spending,” (2014 Green Party Platform). h) “Legislation or regulations to strengthen and re-enforce penalties for anyone found guilty of illegal lobbying and to ban gifts of monetary value to politicians, elected or appointed officials, and government employees.” (2012 CC 2.0) i) “Legislation to strengthen and enforce laws regarding elected or appointed government officials, members of the military, or any of their immediate family members found guilty of: insider trading, public corruption or bribery, receiving gifts during their tenure, holding stock in any company they do 131

business with while performing the duties of their position/ employment or for five years after leaving said government service.” (2012 CC 2.0)

j) “Legislation that prohibits the placement of any person to a position with a regulatory agency or bureau when that person holds stakes in the companies or entities that he or she is meant to regulate.” (2012 CC 2.0)

6. Term Limits

a) “Legislation or regulations to establish that Senators will not serve consecutive (six-year) terms and Representatives shall not serve more than two (two-year) terms consecutively.” [Why even have a Sen- ate? If there is a Senate, then increase Representatives’ term limits to two (four-year) terms (eight years maximum)]. (2012 CC 2.0)

7. Fiscal Balance

a) “The legislative and executive branches must effectively address the trade deficit so that our businesses prosper, more jobs are created, and therefore more revenue produced that can be taxed and used to pay down the national debt so that our descendants will not have to carry that burden.”151 (2012 CC 2.0)

b) “Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment,”152 (2006 America First Party Platform).

c) “The legislative and executive branches of the federal government must swiftly move to significantly reduce the national debt through a balanced approach of increasing revenue and reductions in spending. Spending reductions should be achieved through cutting waste and redundancy as well as budgetary reductions in military and defense,”153 (2012 CC 2.0).

d) “The overall budget of each department of government, as well as each line item of the Federal budget shall be prioritized such that if unexpected costs arise, or revenue does not meet projections, there will be orderly retrenchment, thus preventing deficit spending,”154 (2006 America First Party Platform).

e) “Pay down the Federal Debt as quickly as possible, consistent with honoring Federal commitments made to bondholders, until the principal balance is zero and American taxpayers no longer have to pay interest on the debt,”155 (2006 America First Party Platform).

8. Budget Policy

a) “Restore fiscal responsibility.”156 (The Tea Party Manifesto)

b) “Demand A Balance Budget.”157 (The Tea Party Manifesto) “We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes” [on the middle and lower classes]. (2014 Libertarian Platform)

c) “Require that the Department of Defense (DOD) budget be audited annually, and disclose all government budgets. Secrecy destroys accountability.”158 (Ralph Nader)

d) “Every Department of the Government shall be audited annually,”159 (2006 America First Party Platform).

e) “Establish vigorous procedures to evaluate the claims of businesses looking for a government handout, which would end most corporate welfare and bailouts.”160 (Ralph Nader)

f) “Promote efficiency in government contracting and spending,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

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g) “Cease unconstitutional spending; cease irresponsible spend-ing;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

h) “Limit the spending to those items as enumerated in Article I, Section 8 or as otherwise specifically authorized by the Constitution;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

i) “Order the Federal Reserve to re-acquire all of its assets from all foreign banks including the IMF;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

j) “Order the Federal Reserve to transfer all said assets to the Treasury of the United States;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

k) “As a sovereign Republic and a self-governing nation we call for the reestablishment of a United States Treasury Bank. There-fore, as provided for in their original charter, the privately owned Federal Reserve Banks shall be purchased by the United States government and United States Treasury Notes shall be reinstated, replacing Federal Reserve Notes as the official currency of the United States of America,”161 (2006 America First Party Platform).

l) “Hold the majority of its reserves in gold, silver or other metal classified as precious in a secure location within the borders of the contiguous forty-eight United States;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

m) “Repeal and Rescind legal tender laws and not interfere in any way with any private medium of exchange, private script or currency that may emerge;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

n) “Repudiate any and all public debt that has been unconstitutionally acquired;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

o) “Preclude the confiscation of any private ownership of gold or silver or any other precious metal (analogous to the confiscation of gold and silver by President Roosevelt, 1933);” (WTP’s CC 2009)

p) “Preclude the confiscation or prohibition of any private medium of exchange, private script or currency that may emerge;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

q) “Preclude the adoption of any laws, orders, or directives prohibiting the use of or any private medium of exchange, private script or currency that may emerge;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

r) “Unmask the deceptive practice of placing some authorizations /appropriations in a hidden off record account and direct specific accountability for all expenditure;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

s) “Tighter auditing of expenditures to preclude the unaccountable loss of untold billions of dollars;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

t) “Implement the immediate investigation of the loss of any funds and to begin the immediate prosecution of all persons suspected of involvement or association with the loss;” (WTP’s CC 2009)

u) “Do not enforce federal income tax withholding laws; rather, adopt legislation requiring that individuals provide any taxes due directly to the federal government,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

9. Congressional Reform

a) “Congress must be held accountable to the people and obedient to the Constitution, repealing all delegation of legislative powers to regulatory agencies, private organizations, inter-national agencies, the President, and the judiciary.” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform)

10. Foreign Policy

a) “Our first priority in foreign policy considerations is to creating a future without war. We are committed that future generations not face the separations and sacrifices of war,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

133 b) “[…R]estore the sole right of Congress to declare war […].”162 (2006 America First Party) c) “[…] The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.” (2014 Libertarian Platform) d) “International Affairs: American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolution- ary groups.” (2014 Libertarian Platform) e) “Strengthen the War Powers Resolution Act of 1973, to implement controls on the executive branch for deployment of armed forces, and prohibit the use of military force without the consent of the legislative branch.”163 (2012 CC 2.0) f) “That our government be required to adhere to the United Nations Charter, Article 2, Paragraph 4 and the Kellogg-Briand Treaty (a.k.a. The General Treaty for the Renunciation of War) making warfare illegal.”164 (2012 CC 2.0) g) “Full disclosure of government policy and monetary relationships for all unsanctioned and/or unauthorized programs associated with the military industrial complex, including the high technology research and development industry.”165 (2012 CC 2.0) h) “Systems to provide humanitarian services and all promised medical and psychological benefits to military personnel and veterans who have not been dishonorably discharged, and their families.”166 (2012 CC 2.0) i) “An immediate freeze in the use of nuclear and depleted uranium weapons.”167 (2012 CC 2.0) j) “Raise global awareness of Peace Day, a day of global cease fire and non-violence on September 21st annually. Engage all sectors of society and observe the International Day of Peace in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/282.”168 (2012 CC 2.0) k) “The United States submit the National and International ‘Peace Everyday Treaty’ for Global Truce and Global Cease Fire to the United Nations.”169 (2012 CC 2.0) l) “The United States government sign and ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”170 (2012 CC 2.0) m) “Reinstate the Grand Jury process in America to represent the People.”171 (2012 CC 2.0) n) “The arrest of any person or persons indicted or charged with war crimes for intentionally and knowingly engaging in warfare based on false premises or pretexts and the extradition of such individuals to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.”172 (2012 CC 2.0) o) “Peace and Disarmament: As one of the initiators and primary authors of the United Nations Charter, the United States is obligated to conform to the stipulations of the U.S. Constitution, which identifies all such agreements as treaties that hold the authority of U.S. law. The U.S. government is pledged to abide by its principles and guidelines in the conduct of foreign relations and affairs.”(2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “The U.S. must recognize the sovereignty of nation states and their right of self-determination.” (2014 Green Party Platform). 134

ii. “Our government should establish a policy to abolish nuclear weapons. It should set the conditions and schedule for fulfilling that goal by taking the following steps (2014 Green Party Platform):

 Declare a no-first-strike policy.  Declare a no-pre-emptive strike policy.  Declare that the U.S. will never threaten or use a nuclear weapon, regardless of size, on a non- nuclear nation.  Sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Our pledge to end testing will open the way for non-nuclear states to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which has been held up by our refusal to sign the CTBT. Hon or the conditions set in the NPT for nuclear nations.  Reverse our withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and honor its stipulations.  End the research, testing and stockpiling of all nuclear weapons of any size.  Dismantle all nuclear warheads from their missiles.

iii. “We urge our government to sign the Toronto treaty banning the production, stockpiling, use and sale of land mines, and assist other nations in unearthing and disabling land mines buried in their lands,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “We urge our government to end all stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons and all research, use, and sale of such weapons; and sign the convention that will establish the decrease and inspection of all nations’ stockpiles of such weapons, which the U.S. abandoned,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v. “The U.S. must allow foreign teams to visit the U.S. for verification purposes at least annually,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “Our defense budget has increased out of all proportion to any military threat to the United States, and to our domestic social, economic and environmental needs. The Unite States government must reduce our defense budget to half of its current size. The 2012 defense budget exceeded $700 billion, and that does not take into account military expenditures not placed under the defense budget,” (2014 Green Party Platform). p) “The U.S. has over 700 foreign military bases. We urge our government to phase out all bases not specifically functioning under a U.N. resolution to keep peace and bring home our troops stationed abroad, except for the military assigned to protect a U.S. embassy. Many of these bases are small and can be closed immediately. We advocate further reductions in U.S. foreign military bases at a rate of closure of 1/4 to 1/5 of their numbers every year,” (2014 Green Party Platform). q) “Close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas, in Ft. Benning, Georgia,” (2014 Green Party Platform). r) “The U.S. is the largest arms seller and dealer in the world. We urge our government to prohibit all arms sales to foreign nations and likewise prohibit grants to impoverished and undemocratic nations unless the money is targeted on domestic, non-military needs. In addition, grants to other nations may not be used to release their own funds for military purposes,” (2014 Green Party Platform). s) “The U.S. must not be a conduit for defense contractors to market their products abroad and must shift our export market from arms to peaceful technology, industrial and agricultural products, and education,” (2014 Green Party Platform). t) “The U.S. must prohibit all covert actions used to influence, de-stabilize or usurp the governments of other nations, and likewise prohibit the assassination of, or assistance in any form for the assassination of, foreign government officials,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 135

u) “We must build on the Earth Charter that came out of the 1992 U.N. environmental Earth Summit. New definitions of what constitutes real security between nations must be debated and adopted by the foreign policy community,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

v) “A Real Road to Peace in the Middle East: The Green Party of the United States recognizes that our greatest contribution to peace in the Middle East will come through our impact on U.S. policy in the region. Our commitments to ecological wisdom, social justice, grass-roots democracy, and non-violence compel us to oppose U.S. government support for “friendly” regimes in the region when those regimes violate human rights, international law, and existing treaties. We call on congressional intelligence committees to conduct comprehensive public hearings on the development and deployment of weapons of mass destruction by all states in the region. U.S. policy should support the removal and/or destruction of all such weapons wherever they are found there,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

D) RESTORE JUSTICE TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM: We envision [However, the problem is that] “our current justice system is inefficient, racially biased, punitive, overly costly, and fails to protect each indivi-dual’s rights. [Therefore,] We [must] create a justice system based on the principle of non-violation that serves and protects everyone,”173 (Libertarians Foster & Kimberly Gamble).

“Reduce the prison population, invest in rehabilitation, and end the failed war on drugs. The United States has the highest incarceration and recidivism rates of industrialized countries, while our nation’s criminal justice system in general is too often inhumane, ineffective, and prohibitively expensive. With less than five percent of the world’s population, the United States locks up nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners. Our law enforcement priorities place too much emphasis on drug-related and petty, non-violent crimes, and not enough on prosecution of corporate, white collar, and environmental crime. The majority of prisoners are serving terms for non-violent, minor property and drug addiction crimes, or violations of their conditions of parole or probation, while the poor, the under-educated and various racial and ethnic minorities are over- represented in the prison population,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“The negative effects of imprisonment are far-reaching. Prisoners are isolated from their communities and often denied contact with the free world and the media. Access to educational and legal materials is in decline. Prison administrators wield total authority over their environments, diminishing procedural input from experts and censoring employee complaints,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Our priorities must include efforts to prevent violent crime and address the legitimate needs of victims, while addressing the socio-economic root causes of crime and practicing policies that prevent recidivism,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens oppose the increasingly widespread privatization of prisons. These prisons treat people as their product and provide far worse service than government-run prisons. Profits in privately run prisons are derived from understaffing, which severely reduces the acceptable care of inmates. Greens believe that greater, not lesser public input, oversight and control of prisons is the answer,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens call for an end to the ‘war on drugs,’ legalization of drugs and for treating drug abuse as a health issue. The “war on drugs” has been an ill-conceived program that has wasted billions of dollars misdirecting law enforcement resources away from apprehending and prosecuting violent criminals, while crowding our prisons with non-violent drug offenders and disproportionately criminalizing youth of color,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“Greens also call attention to the fact that more than forty percent of those 2.3 million locked down come from America’s black one-eighth. The Green Party recognizes that our nation’s ostensibly color-blind systems of law enforcement and crime control, from police practices to prosecutorial prerogatives, to mandatory sentencing and zero-tolerance have effectively constituted an ubiquitous national policy of racially selective mass incarceration, a successor to Jim 136

Crow as a means of social control, a policy that must be publicly discussed, widely recognized, and ultimately reversed. The nearly universal, though largely unspoken nature of this policy makes piecemeal reforms not accompanied by public discussion of the larger policy ineffective outside the context of a broad social movement,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

1. Alternatives to Incarceration a) “Encourage and support positive approaches to punishment that build hope, responsibility and a sense of belonging. Prisons should be the sentence of last resort, reserved for violent criminals. Those convicted of nonviolent offenses should be handled by alternative, community-based programs including halfway houses, work-furlough, community service, electronic monitoring restitution, and rehabilitation programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Treat substance abuse as a medical problem, not a criminal problem. Free all non-violent incarcerated prisoners of the drug war. Provide treatment to parolees and probationers who fail a drug test instead of re-incarceration,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Release prisoners with diagnosed mental disorders to secure mental health treatment centers. Ensure psychological and medical care and rehabilitation services for mentally ill prisoners,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Release prisoners who are too old and/or infirm to pose a threat to society to less expensive, community-based facilities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Make reduction of recidivism a primary goal of parole. Treat parole as a time of reintegration into the community, not as a continuation of sentence. Provide community reentry programs for inmates before their release. Provide access to education, addiction and psychological treatment, job training, work and housing upon their release. Provide counseling and other services to the members of a parolee’s family, to help them with the changes caused by the parolee’s return. Prevent un-warranted search without reasonable cause to parolees and their homes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Increase funding for rape and domestic violence prevention and education programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Never house juvenile offenders with adults. House violent and non-violent juvenile offenders separately. Continue the education of juveniles while in custody. Substantially decrease the number of juvenile’s assigned to each judge and caseworker to oversee each juvenile’s placement and progress in the juvenile justice system,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. Prison Conditions, Prisoner Treatment & Parolees

a) “Ensure prison conditions are humane and sanitary, including but are limited to heat, light, exercise, clothing, nutrition, libraries, possessions, and personal safety. Meet prisoners’ dietary requirements. Ensure availability of psychological, drug, and medical treatment, including access to condoms and uninterrupted access to all prescribed medication. Minimize isolation of prisoners from staff and one another only as needed for safety. Make incarceration more community-based, including through increased visitor access by families. Establish and enforce prison policies that discourage racism, sexism, homophobia and rape.

b) “Ban private prisons,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Implement a moratorium on prison construction. Redirect funds to alternatives to incarceration,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Require that each state prison system install a rehabilitation administrator with equal authority as the highest authority,” (2014 Green Party Platform). 137

e) “Ensure that all prisoners have the opportunity to obtain a General Education Diploma (i.e. high school equivalency diploma) and higher education. Education has proven to reduce recidivism by 10%,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Ensure the First Amendment rights of prisoners, including the right to communicate with journalists, write letters, publish their own writings, and become legal experts on their own cases,” (2014 Green Par- ty Platform).

g) “Provide incarcerated individuals the right to vote by absentee ballot in the district of their domicile, and the right to vote during parole,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Restore the right to hold public office to felons who have completed their prison sentence,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Conduct racial and ethnic disparity impact studies for new and existing categories of offenses,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. Criminal Justice Reform

a) “Establish and fund programs to strengthen self-help and community action through neighborhood centers that provide legal aid, alternative dispute-resolution practices, mediated restitution, community team policing, and access to local crisis/ assault care shelters,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Establish elected or appointed independent civilian review boards with subpoena power to investigate complaints about prison guard and community police behavior. Sharply restrict police use of weapons and restraining techniques such as pepper spray, stun belts, tasers and choke holds,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Prohibit property forfeiture and denial of due process for un-convicted suspects.

d) “Establish freedom on bail as a right of all defendants charged with non-violent crimes. Incorporate mental health and social services in bail agreements,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Increase compensation for jurors and provide childcare for those serving jury duty,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Protect victims’ rights. Ensure the opportunity for victims to make victim-impact statements. Con- sider forms of restitution to victims,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Thoughtful, carefully considered gun control such as is contained in the Brady Bill (1993). Eliminate the gun show loophole that permits sale of weapons without background checks. Extend background checks to all private sales of firearms,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

4. End The War On Drugs: “Redirect funds presently budgeted for the ‘war on drugs’ toward expanded research, education, counseling and treatment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

a) “Amend the Controlled Substances Act to reflect that drug use in itself is not a crime, and that persons living in the United States arrested for using drugs should not be incarcerated with those who have committed victim oriented crimes,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Legalize possession of cannabis/marijuana,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Strike from the record prior felony convictions for marijuana possession,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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d) “Grant amnesty and release from confinement without any further parole or probation, those who have been incarcerated for the use of marijuana in federal and state prisons and in county/city jails, and who otherwise are without convictions for victim oriented crimes, or who do not require treatment for abuse of hard drugs. Provide the option for drug treatment to those leaving confinement,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Implement a step-by-step program to decriminalize all drugs in the United States,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

3. Restore The Rule Of Law

a) “Reaffirmation of the rule of law.”174 (The Tea Party Manifesto) b) “Just and fair legal system.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

4. Equality Under The Law:

a) “Security in One's Person and Property:

i. “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects will be emphasized.

ii. "No knock" raids and violation of a person's property will not be tolerated. Searches will not be conducted without a properly executed warrant. Private property may not be taken for public use until after just compensation has been paid. Stolen property may be recovered for return to right- ful owner,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

5. Change Police Culture/Conduct

a) “Pass laws to hold police accountable for criminal and brutal acts with the full statute of the law as would apply to others who commits acts of murder and other criminal acts of unwarranted aggression.”175 (Gary Null)

b) “Conduct a review of state and city law enforcement relations with the US military and Homeland securities and put a halt to the militarization of police and the purchase of military heavy armor and weaponry.”176 (2012 CC 2.0)

6. Revamp Prison System

a) “Regulations that focus on rehabilitation of prisoners and protection of the public rather than the vague and subjective concept of “punishment.”177 (2012 CC 2.0)

b) “Establishment of alternatives to imprisonment for non-violent and first-time offenders. Public money that currently supports incarceration of such offenders should be directed to new, more extensive programs aimed at drug rehabilitation, public service and treatment for the mentally ill.”178 (2012 CC 2.0)

3. Decriminalize Nonviolent Offenses

a) “End the expensive and ineffective War on Drugs. Legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana for medical and personal use for adults. Treat marijuana products comparably to the treatment of products that contain alcohol.”179 (2012 CC 2.0)

b) “Decriminalize drug possession and use in all U.S. jurisdictions and treat drug addiction as a medical problem rather than a criminal one. Abolish the DEA and redirect its resources to other purposes.”180 (2012 CC 2.0)

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4. De-militarize The Police

a) “Establishment of regulatory oversight and de-militarization of police operations through the creation of a fully transparent investigatory organization.”181 (2012 CC 2.0)

b) “Support the ability of cities to establish civilian police review boards to increase understanding between community members and police officers, provide a public forum to air concerns on policy matters and to ensure public oversight and accountability of their local police department,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

5. Provide Proper Defense

a) “Establish new rights for the accused and convicted, including publicly funded DNA testing for all convicts where applicable. Equal, publicly-funded attorney services, including investigatory costs, should be provided at every stage of the accused’s case. Failure to provide such services should result in federal funding penalties.”182 (2012 CC 2.0)

b) “Amend the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to require judges to apprise all plaintiffs and defendants of their right under the 7th Amendment to a common law jury; and,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

c) “Amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to require judges to apprise all defendants of their right under the 7th Amendment to a common law jury; and,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

d) “Amend the Federal Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure to require all judges, in cases where the United States is a party to the case, to apprise all jurors of the judge’s conflict of interest; and,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

e) “Amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to provide for trials authorized only by indictments or presentments by independent, randomly empanelled citizens’ common law grand juries, accessible to any individual having a complaint, and empowered to authorize any citizen of their choice to prosecute a case,’ (WTP’s CC 2009).

f) “Amend the rules governing civil and criminal cases to require judges to apprise plaintiffs and defendants of their right under the 7th Amendment to a common law jury;” (WTP’s CC 2009).

g) “Amend the rules governing civil and criminal cases to require all judges, in cases where the State is a party to the case, to apprise all jurors of the judge’s conflict of interest,” (WTP’s CC 2009).

E) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: [We envision] “a world where science serves the thriving of all people, where human beings are open to the benefit of rigorous processes of inquiry with logic, research and testing while simultaneously honoring the role of consciousness and phenomena that stretch beyond the reach of the physical senses and the rational mind. [However, the problem is that] the genuine search for the truth about how nature works is increasingly co-opted by the vested interests of those who control the funding of research and patenting (such as corporations, politicians and the military), and the genuine pursuit of greater understanding about how the universe works and our place in it is superseded by the agenda of a controlling elite. [Therefore,] research and development [should] take place in a truly free market of voluntary association and results that impact the public are transparent about the sources of their funding. Science is honored for its ability to discover how we can align our systems with natural principles and thrive together on a healthy planet. This section will not attempt to be any sort of an encyclopedia of science, but instead it is intended to offer a couple of new lenses to look through and some powerful insights that are liberating the quest for scientific understanding of the cosmos and our place in it.” 183 (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

1. “Demilitarization and Exploration of Space: The Green Party recognizes the need for the inspiration and education that the peaceful exploration of Space provides; the need for space-based systems to monitor environmental conditions on Earth; the many advances in space technology that benefit all people on

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Earth; and the inspiration provided to children by Space exploration can prompt them to pursue math, science, and other important courses of study. The peaceful exploration of Space has been usurped by the militarization of Space. The last four U.S.—backed military conflicts have used space-based technology to disrupt the computer and communication systems of sovereign states. The funds required for continuing peaceful Space exploration have been used, instead, for the design, implementation and deployment of wasteful and dangerous Space hardware, such as the Strategic Defense Initiative,” (2014 Green Party Plat- form).

a) “The Green Party calls for the end of Space militarization and opposes any form of space-based military aggression. We embrace peaceful Space exploration as a means for all people on this planet to work together. The benefits of inspired education are well worth the investment in peaceful Space exploration,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “The Green Party supports only the peaceful and sustainable exploration of Space, on a case-by-case, mission specific basis, including the signing of the International Treaty for the Demilitarization of Space. The Green Party advocates a reduction of human-staffed space flight due to the high cost and risk for human life and the availability of automated technology that can perform necessary functions in space-based research,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

F) SPIRITUALITY & RELIGION: [We envision] “a world where each person is free to experience directly his/her own unique sense of their inner spiritual nature without coercion or suppression. [However, the problem is when] a one-world authoritarian government or any particular religion becomes so powerful that they suppress the natural choice of any individual to freely experience their unique experience of spirituality. [Thus,] humans experience their spiritual nature as so interconnected with all species and with life itself, that war, deprivation and corruption become faint memories of a bygone era in the evolving consciousness of life on planet Earth and beyond.”184 (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

1. A multicultural, spiritual time period and space for school prayer.

G) ELEVATE EDUCATION: [We envision] “people are free to pursue the type of learning that most appeals to their interests, passions, and needs. [However, the problem is that] state schools are failing and government mandated education forces everyone to learn the same and often useless material despite the unique interests and learning styles of each individual. The curriculum is designed more to serve the purposes of corporations and the government than those of the student. [There-fore, we need,] diverse, alternative schools and teaching models [that] encourage critical thinking and creative expression among students and honor the choice of each individual.”185 (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

1. Education Policy

a) “Enhance civic skills and experience for students.”186 (Nader)

b) “Legislation and regulations to address the inadequate funding and current organizational shortcomings in our education and job training systems. These systems must create a highly educated and adaptable work force that is ready to transition our country to an independent renewable energy economy for the 21st Century and beyond.”187 (2012 CC 2.0)

c) “Eliminate the immense student loan debt that is currently limiting the career choices and financial future of this generation.”188 (2012 CC 2.0)

d) “Educate our Youth. To remain competitive in the global marketplace, men, women, and children must be educated and trained for the jobs of today and tomorrow. An educated society is more productive, peaceful, and prepared for the future. We must (2013 Justice Party Platform):

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i. “Make a college or trade school education available to every American free of charge or at a cost that is affordable to the average American family, with generous educational support to families below the average income level; (2013 Justice Party Platform)

ii. “Support the public primary and secondary school system so that the teacher/student ratio does not exceed 1:20, current technology can be utilized by teachers and students, and the curriculum can be updated on a consistent basis to ensure that our students are learning the skills needed to be successful in the future through their own passions, capacities and creativity; and (2013 Justice Party Platform)

iii. “Develop and implement enriched pre-school programs that provide all children the tools to learn and a desire to continue learning.” (2013 Justice Party Platform)

2. Lifelong Learning:

a) “Provide free college tuition to all qualified students at public universities and vocational schools. It’s time to forgive all student and parent loans taken out to finance post-secondary and vocational education,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Increase funding for after-school and daycare programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Promote a diverse set of educational opportunities, including bi-lingual education, continuing education, job retraining, distance learning, mentoring and apprenticeship programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Give K-12 classroom teachers professional status and salaries commensurate with advanced education, training and responsibility,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “Teach non-violent conflict resolution and humane education at all levels of education,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Provide healthy school meals that are rich in vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, and offer plant- based vegetarian options. Support Farm-to-School programs that provide food from local family farms and educational opportunities,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Expand opportunities for universal higher education and life-long learning,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Make student loans available to all college students, with forgiveness for graduates who choose public service occupations,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Include a vigorous and engrossing civics curriculum in later elementary and secondary schools, to teach students to be active citizens,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “Encourage parental responsibility by supporting parenting, and increasing opportunities for parents to be as involved as possible in their children’s education. Values start with parents. Teaching human sexuality is a parental and school responsibility,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

k) “Expand arts education and physical education opportunities at school,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

l) “Recognize the viable alternative of home-based education,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

m) “Provide adequate academic and vocational education and training to prisoners,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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n) “We urge that our nation amend its ‘binding declaration’ with respect to the ‘Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict’ to join the rest of the world in setting 18 as the absolute minimum age for military recruitment,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

3. The Pharmacoligicalization of Our Children:

a) “The indiscriminate diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), hyperactivity, and depression by school staff, and the undue pressure exerted on parents to medicate their children with mind-altering drugs such as Ritalin, Paxil, and Prozac (to name a few), is a scandal in our school system and an injustice to our children.

b) “The diagnosing, prescribing and dissemination of medication and medical procedures are not legitimate functions of our schools, and should be discontinued immediately,”189 (2006 America First Party Platform).

H) HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS & PERSONAL GROWTH: [We envision] “natural healing and pro-active health maintenance will combine with advanced technology to support healthy thriving people all over the world. [However, the problem is that] the profit-motivated health care industry is creating more dependence on drugs and less overall health. People are over-medicated, lack access to quality healthcare, and millions around the world are dying of preventable, and treatable, diseases. [As a result,] whole-systems approaches for prevention and healing are emerging, natural treatments and technologies have the potential to cure cancer, and meaningful health care reform can be achieved.

1. Individual Healthcare Rights & Privacy

a) “Health care is a right and not a privilege,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “No person shall be required to receive any treatment, psychiatric services, medication, or vaccines without his con-sent,”190 (2006 America First Party Platform).

c) “The intimate privilege between patient and health care provider shall be inviolate, and medical records and communications between them shall be privileged from government or private discovery without the patient's consent,” 191 (2006 America First Party Platform).

2. Cloning & Genetic Manipulation: “The mapping of the human genome at the dawn of this new century is a tremendous achievement that will propel us towards real cures for many diseases that baffle our medical community today. It has allowed us to learn how to read a complex code laid before us by our creator. However, we must be mindful of our obligations to use this technology wisely and with great reverence and using the highest moral standards.

“The America First Party calls for the following minimum guidelines to be codified into law regarding the further research and development of this technology:

a) “Outlaw the cloning of human beings and of other mammals, fowl, fish, and reptiles,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

b) “Outlaw the modification of the human genome to eliminate undesirable traits, to enhance existing abilities or traits, or to create new abilities or traits,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

c) “Require that all human genetic material used in research or in the production of medications be given without coercion and without duress, deception, or relief of criminal responsibility,” 2006 America First Party Platform).

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d) “Oppose the coerced collection and use of genetic information as a factor in hiring, the issuance of life or health insurance, housing, or access to public places,” (2006 America First Party Platform).

e) “Outlaw the use of fetal tissue for genetic or other research, but permit the use of placenta tissues collected following the natural birth of a child,”192 (2006 America First Party Platform).

3. Healthcare Policy: “Our current health care system lets tens of thousands of people die each year by excluding them from adequate care, while its exorbitant costs are crippling our economy. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without a national health care system. Under a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health care system, the administrative waste of private insurance corporations would be redirected to patient care. If the United States were to shift to a system of universal coverage and a single payer plan, as in Canada and many European countries, the savings in administrative costs would be more than enough to offset the cost of additional care. Expenses for businesses currently providing coverage would be reduced, while state and local governments would pay less because they would receive reimbursement for services provided to the previously uninsured, and because public programs would cease to be the ‘dumping ground’ for high-risk patients and those rejected by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) when they become disabled and unemployed. In addition, people would gain the peace of mind in knowing that they have health care they need. No longer would people have to worry about the prospect of financial ruin if they become seriously ill, are laid off their jobs, or are injured in an accident,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

“[We] support a wide-range of health care services, not just traditional medicine which too often emphasizes ‘a medical arms race’ that relies upon high-tech intervention, surgical techniques and costly pharmaceuticals. Chronic conditions are often best cured by alternative medicine. We support the teaching, funding and practice of holistic health approaches and as appropriate, the use of complementary and alternative therapies such as herbal medicines, homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and other healing approaches. [We] recognize that our own health is also intimately tied to the health of our communities and environment. To improve our own health, we must improve the quality of our air, water and food and the health of our workplaces, homes and schools. [We] unequivocally supports a woman’s right to reproductive choice, no matter her marital status or age, and that contraception and safe, legal abortion procedures be available on demand and be included in all health insurance coverage in the U.S., as well as free of charge in any state where a woman’s income falls below the poverty level. We recommend the following (2014 Green Party Platform):

a) Single-Payer Health Care: “Enact a universal, comprehensive, national single-payer health plan that will provide the following with no increase in cost,” (2014 Green Party Platform):

i. “A publicly funded health care insurance program, administered at the state and local levels, with comprehensive lifetime benefits, including dental, vision, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, medication coverage, and hospice and long-term care,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

ii. “Participation of all licensed and/or certified health providers, subject to standards of practice in their field, with the freedom of patients to choose the type of health care provider from a wide range of health care choices, and with decision-making in the hands of patients and their health providers, not insurance companies,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

iii. “Portability of coverage regardless of geographical location or employment,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

iv. “Cost controls via streamlined administration, national fee schedules, bulk purchases of drugs and medical equipment, coordination of capital expenditures and publicly negotiated prices of medications,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

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v. “Primary and preventive care as priorities, including wellness education about diet, nutrition and exercise; holistic health; and medical marijuana,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

vi. “More comprehensive services for those who have special needs, including the mentally ill, the dif- ferently abled and those who are terminally ill,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

vii. “A mental health care system that safeguards human dignity, respects individual autonomy, and protects informed consent,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

viii. “Greatly reduced paperwork for both patients and providers,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

ix. “Fair and full reimbursement to providers for their services,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

x. “Hospitals that can afford safe and adequate staffing levels of registered nurses,” (2014 Green Party Platform);

xi. “Establishment of national, state, and local health policy boards consisting of health consumers and providers to oversee and evaluate the performance of the system, ensure access to care, and help determine research priorities,” (2014 Green Party Platform); and

xii. “Establishment of a National Health Trust Fund that would channel all current Federal payments for health care programs directly into the Fund, in addition to employees’ health premium payments,” (2014 Green Party Platform). b) “Make Healthcare Available to All. Since the mid-20th century, our healthcare system has made tremendous medical advancements, particularly regarding acute, critical care. But, unfortunately for the vast majority of Americans, it has also become an exceedingly expensive disease-management system. Our rates of infant mortality, maternal mortality, obesity, heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, for example, are worse than those of almost all other developed nations. Rather than ad-dressing the root causes of our physical conditions, our health-care system largely focuses on symptoms, primarily through the use of expensive pharmaceutical products. The Justice Party sup-ports the following measures :

i. “Create a single payer, improved Medicare-for-all healthcare system;”193 (2013 Justice Party Platform, 2014 Green Party Platform)

ii. “Educate Americans on, and inspire Americans to lead, healthy lifestyles (e.g., eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, obtaining the proper amount of sleep, and reducing and managing stress); (2013 Justice Party Platform)

iii. “Provide incentives for people to engage in healthy lifestyles and provide incentives to businesses to promote healthy lifestyle options or requirements for their employees; (2013 Justice Party Platform)

iv. “Reduce the healthcare system's dependence on the pharmaceutical industry by incorporating elements of efficacious alternative medicine into our system and by using natural remedies when demonstrated to be effective; and (2013 Justice Party Platform)

v. “Prevent the monopolization of food supplies by any corporation, prohibit genetically modified foods unless demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence to be safe and beneficial to the public, and require more extensive labeling on food products (including whether the foods contain GMOs).” (2013 Justice Party Platform) c) “Health care emphasizes preventative & alternative measures;”194 (2012 Occupy National Gathering, 2014 Green Party Platform)

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d) “Free health care (accessible & state of the art);”195 (2012 Occupy National Gathering, 2014 Green Party Platform)

e) “Full control of our own bodies, including shared ownership of the means of preventative health care;” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

f) “Free therapy & emotional/mental health care.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

g) “Advance health above profits.”196 (Ralph Nader, Gary Null, CC 2.0, 2014 Green Party Platform, 2013 Justice Party Platform)

h) “Create a single payer health care system similar to what Vermont is trying to institute and under Medicare for the 55 million Americans who would qualify.”197 (Gary Null)

i) “Create a national health prevention program.”198 (Gary Null, 2014 Green Party Platform)

j) “Include in every school curriculum in America a program on disease prevention.”

k) “Permit a ‘Philosophical’ status for vaccine exemption for children.”199 (Gary Null)

l) “Open up tent cities and halfway houses/camps for returning veterans.”200 (Gary Null)

m) “Conduct an investigation into the influence of agrichemical corporations such as Monsanto on American foreign policy; mandatory GMO labeling and conduct independent research to determine GMO claims on safety.”201 (Gary Null)

n) “Acknowledge the dangers of depleted uranium in all conflict zones where we use it, inform the public in those areas of danger, and begin a plan for its removal.”202 (Gary Null)

o) “Legislation to repeal and replace existing health care laws with immediate enactment of "Medicare for All", or a similar single-payer system to meet the needs of the People. Elective services beyond Medicare coverage can be privately financed on an individual basis.”203 (2012 CC 2.0)

p) “Legislation or regulations to make all public health care facilities and special clinics, veteran and civilian, available to all persons based on medical need.”204 (2012 CC 2.0)

q) “Legislation or regulations to allow the "Medicare for All" system to negotiate prices of pharmaceuticals universally.”205 (2012 CC 2.0)

r) “Research for new formularies must be publicly financed and managed for the benefit of the public, regardless of age and across the board. This publicly financed research on pharmaceuticals may not result in products to be sold for profit.”206 (2012 CC 2.0)

s) “Regulation to expand the definition of medical care to include alternative services.”207 (2012 CC 2.0)

4. Healthy Diet & Lifestyles a) “Affordable, healthy food.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

I) ARTS, CULTURE, MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS: We envision “a world where people will have access to the skills, role models and experiences to support relating to oneself and to others with respect, cooperation and balanced interchange. [However, the problem is] breakdowns in communication – interpersonally and between armed nation-states continues to escalate, creating on-going suffering and leading potentially to nuclear holocaust. [Therefore,] the mastering of communication and conflict resolution skills becomes a vital part of family interaction as well as educational and organization learning environments, leading

146 to a peaceful, thriving world based on honoring one another’s rights and essential being.”208 (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

We envision “all people will be free to creatively express their innermost passions and insights, in a way that fulfills themselves, inspires others, and does no harm. [However, the problem is that] the arts are undervalued and suppressed, which isolates us from each other and our deeper selves. [Therefore,] we [must] use the arts to express our realities, promote and reflect social change, challenge the status quo, and connect more deeply with ourselves and others. A truly open Internet makes it possible to inexpensively share creative inspiration with vast numbers of people through music, poetry, films, photos, paintings and more.” (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

We also envision “everyone has access to a wide range of diverse and accurate information from sources that are trans-parent about their funding and which include in-depth analyses and honest debates about controversial issues. [However, the problem is that] a handful of corporations own the media and their influence is not transparent to viewers. Their intrinsic conflict of interest limits our access to diverse perspectives. [Therefore,] we can use the Internet to access diverse information, broadcast events and information instantaneously, share best practices as well as solution strategies, and explore issues and innovations with people all around the globe.”209 (Foster & Kimberly Gamble)

1. The ARTs: “Freedom of artistic expression is a fundamental right and a key element in empowering communities, and in moving us toward sustainability and respect for diversity. Artists can create in ways that foster healthy, non-alienating relationships between people and their daily environments, communities, and the Earth. This can include both artists whose themes advocate compassion, nurturance, or cooperation; and artists whose creations unmask the often-obscure connections between various forms of violence, domination, and oppression, or effectively criticize aspects of the very community that supports their artistic activity. The arts can only perform their social function if they are completely free from outside control. The Green Party supports:

a) “Alternative, community-based systems treating neither the artwork nor the artist as a commodity,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Eliminating all laws that seek to restrict or censor artistic expression, including the withholding of government funds for political or moral content,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

c) “Increased funding for the arts appropriate to their essential social role at local, state and federal levels of government,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

d) “Community-funded programs employing local artists to enrich their communities through public art programs, including public performances, exhibitions, murals on public buildings, de-sign or re-design of parks and public areas, storytelling and poetry reading, and publication,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

e) “The establishment of non-profit public forums for local artists to display their talents and creations. Research, public dialogue, and trial experiments to develop alternative systems for the valuation and exchange of artworks and for the financial support of artists. Some examples include community subscriber support groups, artwork rental busts, cooperative support systems among artists, legal or financial incentives to donate to the arts or to donate artworks to public museums,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

f) “Responsible choices of non-toxic, renewable, or recyclable materials. Funding sources not connected with social injustice or environmental destruction,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

g) “Education programs in the community that will energize the creativity of every community member from the youngest to the oldest, including neglected groups such as teenagers, senior citizens, prisoners, immigrants, and drug addicts. These pro-grams would provide materials and access to

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interested, qualified arts educators for every member of the community who demonstrates an interest,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

h) “Funding and staffing to incorporate arts education into every school curriculum. We encourage local artists and the community to contribute time, experience, and resources to these efforts,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Diversity in arts education in the schools including age-specific hands-on activities and appreciative theoretical approaches, exposure to the arts of various cultures and stylistic traditions, and experiences with a variety of media, techniques and contents,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

j) “The integration of the arts and artistic teaching methods into other areas of the curriculum to promote a holistic perspective,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

2. Character and Moral Conduct: “Our party leaders and public officials must display exemplary qualities of honesty, integrity, reliability, moral uprightness, fidelity, prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude, self- restraint, courage, kindness, and compassion. If they cannot be trusted in private life, neither can they be trusted in public life.” (2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform)

3. Mental Environment a) “Protect children from commercialism and its physical and mental exploitation and harm.”210

2. De-Monopolization of Mass Media

a) “Financially charging corporations for the public airwaves,”211 (Gary Null). “End commercial broadcasters’ free licensed use of the public airwaves. Require market-priced leasing of any commercial use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Revenues derived from these license fees should be used to fund the operation of community media. Tax electronic advertising to fund democratic media outlets,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

b) “Legislation or regulation to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.”212 (2012 CC 2.0)

c) “Dismantle existing media monopolies and a return to limits on ownership through the Sherman Anti- Trust Act and similar regulations,”213 (2012 CC 2.0).

d) “Regulations to ensure transparency in ownership of media corporations,”214 (2012 CC 2.0)

e) “Full funding for National Public Media,”215 (2012 CC 2.0)

f) “Provide incentives for alternative and entrepreneurial media start-ups.”216 (2012 CC 2.0)

g) “New treaties, laws and regulations enacted to ensure that access to the internet will remain uncensored for all people in the world to use and express themselves without government or corporate interference,” (2012 CC 2.0).

h) “Return ownership and control of the electromagnetic spectrum to the public. We urge the public to reclaim the airwaves. The privatization of the broadcast airwaves, one of our most important taxpayer assets, has caused serious deformations of our politics and culture. End the privatization of broadcast frequencies and reserve them for the creation of new not-for-profit community broadcasters around the country and for broadband and wifi networks owned and operated by cities, counties and towns which want to deliver this vital tool to their people at reasonable cost,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i) “Enact tough new anti-trust laws for the media, carve up the big media conglomerates, and follow up with vigorous anti-trust enforcement,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

148 j) “Reinstate and strengthen the Fairness Doctrine, to require that holders of broadcast licenses present controversial issues of public importance in an equitable and balanced manner,” (2014 Green Party Plat- form). k) “Establish substantial public interest obligations for broadcasters and hold them accountable, and revoke licenses from outlets that fail to satisfy these obligations,” (2014 Green Party Platform). l) “Support Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) Access Television to ensure that citizens and community organizations have the opportunity to create and present their own programming on cable television,” (2014 Green Party Platform). m) “Expand the role of community radio, by expanding the licensing of new non-commercial low power FM radio stations,” (2014 Green Party Platform). n) “Promote greater opportunity for women and minority ownership of media outlets,” (2014 Green Party Platform). o) “Greens welcome the continuing and evolving potential of the Internet to build communities, educate, inform, and promote free speech and artistic expression,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

i. “Provide broadband Internet access for all residents of this country, so that access to information is a right, not a commodity,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

ii. “We call for the Federal Communications Commission to consistently classify all Internet service providers, regardless of the type of service (cable, dial-up, satellite, etc.), as telecommunications services,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iii. “We call for the specific classification of all Internet service providers as common carriers as used in Title II of the Communications Act,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

iv. “We support all efforts to achieve net neutrality. Internet users should be able to access any lawful web content they choose and use any applications they choose, without restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service provider or government, except for restrictions that exist to prevent spam email, viruses, and similar content that will harm the providers network or internet access devices,” (2014 Green Party Platform). p) “Ensure free and equal airtime for all ballot-qualified political candidates and parties on radio and television networks and stations,” (2014 Green Party Platform). q) “Prohibit commercial advertising targeted to children less than 12 years old, as well as advertising in public places such as schools, parks, and government buildings,” (2014 Green Party Platform). r) “Oppose censorship in the arts, media, press and on the Internet,” (2014 Green Party Platform). s) “Reform the Federal Communications Commission so that it is responsive and accountable to the public at large, not just to lobbyists and commercial interests,” (2014 Green Party Platform). t) “Reduce mailing costs for non-profit and independent magazines and journals, and eliminate them for those that receive less than 20% of their revenues from advertising,” (2014 Green Party Platform). u) “Promote policies to expand investigative reporting on federal, state and local issues,” (2014 Green Party Plat- form). v) “Promote policies to encourage the people of the United States to watch less television, and instead to spend time with their families, friends and neighbors, and to engage in myriad other constructive, artistic or healthful pursuits,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

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w) “Create a publicly-controlled ‘Audience Network’ empowered to take airtime from commercial television and radio stations, to broadcast a variety of non-commercial cultural, political, entertainment, scientific or other high-quality programs,” (2014 Green Party Platform).

3. Journalistic Integrity a) “Truth in journalism/illegal to lie.” (2012 Occupy National Gathering)

1 David C. Korten, Change The Story, Change The Future, Barrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., California, 2015, p. 135. 2 Cass R. Sustein, The Second Bill Of Rights, Basic Books, New York, 2004. 3 Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), Common Sense, 2010. 4 Paul Ray, The New Political Compass, 2003. 5 2014 Libertarian Party Platform. 6 www.movetoamend.org 7 www.movetoamend.org 8 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 53. 9 Gary Null, A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 1010 2013 Justice Party Platform 11 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 12 Ron Paul, End The Fed, 13 2006 America First Party Platform 14 2014 Libertarian Platform. 15 2006 America First Party Platform. 16 2006 America First Party Platform. 17 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 53. 18 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 19 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 20 Gary Null, A Platform for Progressive Politicians, 2013. 21 Ibid. 22 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 23 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012. 24 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 25 Ibid. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 Kalle Lasn, Culture Jam, 1999. 29 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 30 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 31 Dick Armey & Matt Kibbe, Give Us Liberty, Harper Collins, New York, 2010, p. 69. 32 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 52. 33 Dick Armey & Matt Kibbe, Give Us Liberty, Harper Collins, New York, 2010, p. 69. 34 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 35 Ibid. 36 Ibid. 37 We The People’s Continental Congress, “The Articles of Freedom,” 2009. 38 2006 America First Party Platform. 39 2012-2016 Constitution Party Platform. 40 2006 America First Party Platform. 41 2006 America First Party Platform 42 2014 Green Party Platform 43 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 44 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 53. 45 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 46 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 47 2014 Green Party Platform. 48 Ibid. 150

49 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 50 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 51 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 52 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 53 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 2012. 54 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 55 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 56 Gary Null 57 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 58 Ibid. 59 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 60 Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), Common Sense, 2010. (Nader, Null, 61 Ibid, (Ralph Nader, Gary Null) 62 Ibid. 63 Ibid, 64 Ibid. 65 Ibid. 66 Ibid. 67 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 68 Ibid. 69 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014 70 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-environment 71 2013 Justice Party Platform 72 2013 Justice Party Platform 73 2013 Justice Party Platform 74 2013 Justice Party Platform 75 2013 Justice Party Platform 76 2013 Justice Party Platform 77 2013 Justice Party Platform 78 2006 America First Party Platform. 79 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 80 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 81 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 82 2013 Justice Party Platform. 83 99% Declaration Group, “Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration,” 2012 84 2013 Justice Party Platform. 85 2006 America First Party Platform. 86 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 87 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 88 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 89 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 90 2014 Libertarian Platform. 91 Ibid. 92 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-infrastructure 93 FDR, The Second Bill of Rights, 1944. 94 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 53. 95 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014 96 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014 97 Gary Null, A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 98 Ibid. 99 Ibid. 100 Ibid. 101 Ibid. 102 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 2012. 103 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 2012. 151

104 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 2012. 105 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 106 Kalle Lasn, www.adbusters.org. 107 Gary Null, A Platform for Progressive Politicians, 2013. 108 Ibid. 109 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances from 99% Declaration Group 110 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances from 99% Declaration Group 111 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 112 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 113 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 114 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 115 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 116 Ibid. 117 Ibid. 118 Ibid. 119 2006 America First Party Platform. 120 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 121 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 122 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 123 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 124 2006 America First Party Platform 125 2006 America First Party Platform 126 2006 America First Party Platform 127 2006 America First Party Platform 128 2006 America First Party Platform 129 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 130 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 131 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 132 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 133Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 134 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 135 Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 136Continental Congress 2.0 Redress of Grievances, 99% Declaration Group, 2012 137 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 138 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 139 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 140 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 141 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 142 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 143 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 144 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 145 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 146 http://americanconservativeparty.com/principles/ 147 2013 Justice Party Platform. 148 2006 America First Party Platform. 149 2006 America First Party Platform. 150 We The People, “Articles of Freedom,” Continental Congress, 2009. 151 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 152 2006 America First Party Platform. 153 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 154 2006 America First Party Platform. 155 2006 America First Party Platform. 156 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 52. 157 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 52. 158 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 152

159 2006 America First Party Platform. 160 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 161 2006 America First Party Platform. 162 America First Party, “Platform Of America First Party,” 2006. 163 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 164 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 165 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 166 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 167 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 168 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 169 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 170 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 171 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 172 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 173 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-justice 174 Joseph Farah, The Tea Party Manifesto, WND Books, Washington, D.C., 2010, p 53. 175 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 176 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 177 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 178 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 179 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 180 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 181 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 182 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 183 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-science 184 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-religion 185 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-education 186Ralph Nader, Unstoppable,Nation Books, New York, 2014. 187 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 188 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 189 2006 America First Party Platform. 190 2006 America First Party Platform. 191 2006 America First Party Platform. 192 2006 America First Party Platform. 193 2013 Justice Party Platform. 194 99% Declaration Group, “Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration,” 2012 195 2012 Occupy National Gathering. 196 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 197 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 198 Ibid. 199 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 200 Ibid. 201 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 202 Gary Null, “A Platform For Progressive Politicians, 2013. 203 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 204 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 205 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 206 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 207 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 208 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-health 209 http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_12_sectors-arts 210 Ralph Nader, Unstoppable, Nation Books, New York, 2014. 211 Ibid. 212 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 213 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 153

214 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 215 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012 216 99% Declaration Group, Continental Congress 2.0 Declaration, 2012

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