Please Read: Petition for Redress of Grievances - Would it Work?

The last hope of human liberty rests on us… If we find our government in all its branches rushing headlong, like our predecessors, into the arms of monarchy, if we find them violating our dearest rights, the trial by jury, the freedom of the press, the freedom of opinion, civil or religious, or opening on our peace of mind or personal safety the sluices of terrorism, if we see them raising standing armies, when the absence of all other danger points to these as the sole objects on which they are employed, then indeed let us withdraw and call the nation to its tents."
-Thomas Jefferson

As a nation, we are standing on a precipice, almost at the point of no return. A violation of the people’s rights here, another one over there…..and no accountability for the perpetrators. They continue doing as they wish, laughing in our faces.

Is has become increasingly apparent to me that Bush’s poll numbers could get as low as 10% and the WH (with a complicit Congress) will not stop. They don’t care what we think any longer. I am also harboring the belief that this government regards the Constitution of the United States as antiquated, a barrier to their world domination goals. They do not respect the document or what it contains because it gives the common ordinary people power over the government.

There is a clause in the First Amendment of the Constitution which states that the people have the power to petition the United States government for a redress of grievances:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Now I’m not a legal scholar, and I can’t say how I’d go about such an undertaking, but it seems to me that if enough people came together to demand a redress, it may just work (would take a lot of people though). I have looked out there on the net and have found redress documents representing various organizations for various subjects, including the Patriot Act.

My idea is to propose a petition for redress under the premise that the current government is broken, with ever-expanding presidential powers and a Congress that abdicates its power to the president. The system of checks and balances has effectively been destroyed. This disturbing shift in the people’s government no longer serves the good of the people, and threatens our basic rights as laid forth in the Constitution.

We must use what power we have to fight this administration, and that power lies in the Constitution; the document they would rather not have lying around, reminding them of us.

If the response to this post is positive, I will look into developing a petition and getting it out there. Thanks.

While it certainly seems a viable option, the enormity of the task in assembling the requisite numbers seems overwhelming to me. I'm for anything to stop the madness in Washington....and as each day passes, I am so blown away that ANYONE would consider the present-day residents of the WH as competent.

because it would take millions of signatures to be effective if at all - but there's no reason why us, as DUers, can't mobilize at a grassroots leve and spread it around. I think it is possible.:hi:

Would you be able to also add to this any measures re: impeachment and the like that have passed at the local level?

:hi:

Impeachment would be a result of recognized grievances done to the American people - so this petition would state those grievances done to the American people by this adminstration. It would be a suit filed in a court of law.

Here's an interesting overview:

Although a petition is only as meaningful as its response, the petitioning right allows blocs of public interests to form, harnessing voting power in ways that effect change. The right to petition allows citizens to focus government attention on unresolved ills; provide information to elected leaders about unpopular policies; expose misconduct, waste, corruption, and incompetence; and vent popular frustrations without endangering the public order.

Yet the petition clause seems to strike most courts and legal commentators as obvious and uninteresting. Citizens and litigants invoke the First Amendment to secure Internet freedom, undisturbed worship, or a robust press, but petitioning rights don’t seem to attract much notice. The right to complain is hardly something that starts wars — or is it?
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/petition/overview.aspx

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/

check out the links on the right-hand column.

I am in the process of researching; if it seems viable, will develop a website, etc. :hi:

:kick: