THE U.S. CONSTITUTION - A PIECE OF HISTORY

by Greg Wilson

photo credit

The notes from the committee that met before the final draft of the constitution can be found at http://nhccs.org/Mnotes.html. James Madison's notes give us a picture of the minds of those who formed the draft of the constitution and in some cases the minds of those who sent them -- the people they represented. For example, from the Friday night discussion of September 14, 1787; Mr. KING, said, “The States will be prejudiced and divided into parties by it. In Philadelphia and New York, it will be referred to the establishment of a Bank, which has been a subject of contention in those Cities. In other places it will be referred to as mercantile monopolies.” 

        Reading Madison's notes is much like hearing the conversations of a committee that writes or rewrites the by-laws of any church's or non profit. The committee will meet, discuss, edit, agree and disagree, and then bring a draft for the congregation or group to vote upon. As members consider the nature of the by-laws, they consider how the church or organization is going to run, the agreements and objections some members might have, models of other by-laws, what is right and not right, and how to structurally protect the organization and its members. The protection is both internal and external. This comparison points to the nature of the constitution as a document of structure; how the country will operate, how the philosophy of representational democracy will be enacted, and how there is built into the very structure protections of the State in relation to the Federal government, protections of the individual from both the State and Federal government, and protections from the different subgroups that make up the whole. 

     One thing that is not in the Constitution are protections for the Earth. Yet they are there indirectly. When as the Declaration of Independence declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, ....... laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” All these unalienable rights require a healthy Earth to be actualized. One day these Rights might be found more directly in the laws of our land in the form of: Every component of the Earth community has three rights: the right to be, the right to habitat, and the right to fulfill its role in the ever-renewing processes of the Earth community. We are on our way but not there yet. I wonder what the formation committee conversation would be like to include these rights in our Constitution? 

       We are particularly interested in Friday September 14^th as it deals with incorporation and who will mange the corporations: the Federal government or the State. We know that in 1819, John Marshall brought the Federal government in to manage contracts and corporations under the federal government's authority. This was a shift, I believe, from the intention of the constitution. Further, it honored a charter signed by King George in the 1750's that went against the people of New Hampshire. I thought King George's rule was one of the reasons for the revolutionary war. A decision by the New Hampshire State legislature was invalidated and the signature of King George once again ruled the people of the USA. This begs the question: Whose side are they on anyway? 

     In addition, the Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. (4 Wheat.) 518 (1819), was a landmark decision from the United States Supreme Court dealing with the application of the Contract Clause of the United States Constitution to private corporations. The case arose when the president of Dartmouth College was deposed by its trustees, leading to the New Hampshire legislature attempting to force the college to become a public institution and thereby place the ability to appoint trustees in the hands of the governor. The Supreme Court upheld the sanctity of the original charter of the college, which pre-dated the creation of the State. The decision settled the nature of public versus private charters and resulted in the rise of the American business corporation and the free American enterprise system.

MEETING REMINDER!

This comes from John:

photo credit

Hi Everyone,

Our Event this month is on Tuesday, 29 January 2013. We will start at 6:15 pm promptly, so please come early to socialize and network with the new members and people. Our

documentary movies this month is the controversial "Israel Lobby."  Come listen, voice your opinion, and learn where our Middle East polices come from. We will have

drinks, popcorn, and chips available. You are welcome to bring your own and enjoy the movies with like-minded friends.

We will also be having our board election.  If you are a member, please sign in with Roger and pick up a ballot, vote, then return the ballot to him before the end of the movie. If you are not a member and would like to vote, you need to join before our Event starts.

Our new program of "My Opinion" will start at this event. If you wrote a letter for the program, insure you turn in a copy before we start. Include all your information: full name, daytime telephone number, address and signature. It must be less than 300 words and can be read in about 3 minutes. Express yourself, we want to know what's on your mind.

Great News, David Cobb from Move to Amend is back in Florida and will be coming to our Event next month to speak here in Fort Pierce this time. So all of you that missed him in

Stuart back in November will have another opportunity to hear him. However we had to change our Event date to accomodate him. So our Event next month will be Thursday

21 February 2013.

Our Events are open to the public. You do not have to be a member, nor is there any pressure to become a member. Come as many times as you like. However there are applications at our Event, so please see Erika if you care to join and support us.

Well, hope to see all of you Tuesday night,

Your President,

John Debus

THE EARTH IS DISTURBED

Written by Rev. Greg Wilson

photo credit

The earth is disturbed, stressed, and cries out. Only the earth’s first generation people can hear. The rest of the humans species is numbed auditorally , visually, gustatorally, olfactorally, and kinestheticly. Numbed by the layers of cultural indoctrination and centuries of being disconnected from the earth. The voice of the earth is crying all around us, deserts where there were none, dead zones where life flourished, food with out nutrients, air that is foul, acidified oceans, and so on… In order to belong to this culture based on power one must let go of the value of earth. The abstract value system becomes more primary than clean water. The Achuar, an indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest, a first generation people. “Having made their home in the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru for centuries, they have much wisdom to offer about living in harmony with the natural world and with one another.

In the 1990’s, facing oil development on their ancestral lands, Achuar elders decided to reach out to the modern world that was threatening their very existence. They issued a call for allies who would work to “change the dream of the modern world” and transform the culture of overconsumption driving the destruction of the rainforest.”, and the destruction of much of the depth of the planet. The Achuar people called out for help to the people of the North and The Pachamama Alliance was formed. An answer to the call for help. We at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard heard their call and this conference is an answer to that call. The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Florida has partnered with us in answering this call. Your response to this conference is also an answer to that call. Come join us to develop an on going response to this planetary crisis. The conference covers three areas; The Earth, Human governing processes and the spiritual recovery from being indoctrinated to a harmful way of life. To learn more please visit our web page: http://healingourworldandourselves.org/

LISTENING FOR TURTLES

    a poem by Rev. Gregory

photo credit

You and I find ourselves in this room.

There are thousands of rooms.

Yet here we are in this room.

Shall we create laws to obey.

Give out ID badges.

Set lines on the ground where we can

and can not go.

Or shall we dance in every square inch of this room.

Sing until the sound pushes out the walls.

Until there are no walls.

Spend our lives exploring, Dancing, singing,

breathing

being  still,

so still ………

we hear the walk of turtles

as we sit on a log by the river.

A shadow passes across my leg

as the wind moves a cloud.

INDIAN RIVERKEEPER MARTY BAUM SPEAKING

Rev. Gregory Wilson is hosting the Indian Riverkeeper:

When a community member calls our attention to the “killing our beautiful water ways” we need to stop and pay attention. And this is exactly what Riverkeeper, Marty Baum, has done and is doing. He will be speaking Monday night on the 21st of January at the Treasure Coast Unitarian Universalist Church  at 21 SE Central Parkway, Stuart, 34994, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. 

photo credit

From The Riverkeeper: 

      I need your help, if we are to bring about any meaningful changes to the quality of water flowing into the Indian River ecosystem. There is great power in numbers, the more collective voices there are, the greater the pressure on our political leaders to represent US, to provide the ordinances and restrictions that will provide clean storm water runoff and stop the damaging Okeechobee Lake discharges.

        Like many ecosystems worldwide, our lagoon is in trouble. Water management, drainage and land use policies have chipped away at the very things that protect our waters. We have made many mistakes over the years and they are now coming back to haunt us by killing our beautiful estuary. Things are dangerously close to the tipping point and the whole system is on the verge of collapse. The mission of the Indian Riverkeeper is to protect and restore the waters of North America's most diverse estuary, the Indian River Lagoon, its tributaries, fisheries and habitats through advocacy, enforcement and citizen action.What can we do? What can you do? Come listen to the problems and the solutions.

FLORIDA'S SWEET SEWAGE

I thought I would kick off this program entitled My Opinion:

Sludge in the St. Lucie Inlet, 09/12

The trouble with this country is that the government works for the profit of big business, rather than for the good of the country. Sugar farming in Florida is a case in point.

Long ago, in a state where there was no sugar cane farming, water followed the laws of gravity and flowed downstream through the great Lake Okeechobee. From there it was filtered and cleaned as it meandered toward the Everglades. To the coastal lands east and west of the lake, life in the estuaries flourished. In the region where fresh water rivers meet the salty seas, lies the nursery of the ocean – a nutrient rich environment that feeds mangroves, oyster beds, and sea grasses, and supports multitude species of fish and birds.

            Then came the sugar farmers who noticed the rich soil south of the lake. It was almost perfect for growing cane. The lake just had to be dammed. Its water would provide free irrigation. Excess water could be drained sideways if canals were built.

            And so it was. The lake was dammed and the crop was planted. To boost plant growth, fertilizer was liberally sprayed and the harvest flourished. When there was too little rain, the lake provided necessary water. When there was too much rain, the flood gates were opened and polluted water saturated with runoff containing nitrate, phosphate, and cattle manure was shunted sideways.

This brown putrid sludge is a feast for bacteria and algae. The lagoon turns bright green. Bacteria causing red tide multiply,  swimmers get sick, and beaches close. Bacterial and algae blooms deplete the water of oxygen and fish die by the thousands. The insects the fish would otherwise eat, fill the sky. Birds, fish, and mammals exposed to chemical-laden water develop bloody cankers and cancers, or starve to death. Seagrass, oysters, and mangroves, sensitive to fresh water, begin to rot, and the estuary and the life that it supports, slowly dies.

            Currently, fifty-four farm-owners run the sugar cooperative. They donate heartily to election campaigns and their people sit in elected office at the local, state, and federal levels. When legislation arises regarding control of pollution and water flow, no surprise, the vote protects the sugar. On top of that, the owners get subsidies. Since sugar cane from elsewhere is cheaper, it isn’t profitable to grow it here. To solve that problem, taxpayers subsidize the crop. In effect, we pay the sugar industry to pollute our water and kill our estuaries.

            The solution is clear and obvious. Stop growing cane. Remove the dam. Return the flow of water to the south. But no, fifty-four wealthy people stand in the way of the will of 19 million (current population of Florida). And that is what stinks about our government. It does what’s best for industry, even when it harms the country.

            We see this scenario repeating ad nauseum. That’s why I joined the TCPA. We have to get money out of politics. We need our representatives to represent us, not big business. 

JANUARY 29, 2013 MEETING AGENDA

photo credit

Here is the proposed agenda for our upcoming meeting. 

At this first meeting of the year, we'll have our election. This will be followed by the short movie 'The Israel Lobby.'

We will be starting a new program called "My Opinion". Anyone that would like to voice their opinion on a subject should write a one page expression of their view that can be read to the group within 3 minutes. Put your name and contact information on the page and up to 3 of them will be read at the end of the Event. One will be chosen as the TCPA "My Opinion" for the month. We will post ALL letters on our blog and submit the winner to the newspaper for their comment/opinion section. We want to hear what you have to say.

We are still looking for an emblem to represent out organization. We have received a couple of suggestions, but are looking for more before settling on one. Any ideas?? 

The anniversary for the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United vs FEC will be coming up in a couple of weeks on the 21 January (MLK day). Erika wants to organize a protest at the Federal Courthouse in Ft. Pierce on that day. CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE & MONEY IS NOT FREE SPEECH...Anyone interested please contact Erika at erikared707@gmail.com  or 772-299-4892

If you haven't checked out our web-site (tcprogressivealliance.com) lately, please do so. We have added some pictures, local (member) business, and new partners. Also join the conversation on our facebook  (Tcpa fl) page.

Hope to see you all at the Event, 

Come on out meet new members and old friends.

Let's make a difference.

John

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

photo credit

We've recently added a page on our website to promote the businesses of our members. If you wish to be included in the directory, use the form on the 'Contact Page' of the website to submit a summary of your business. When we support those in our community, we all  prosper. We can't wait to hear all about your business. Happy New Year to all, and see you at the next meeting.

ERIKA ALVAREZ

Erika is a physical therapist living on the Treasure Coast whose specialty is treating lymphedema. You may reach her by email, fax or phone. See the bottom brochure for contact details. 

click brochure to enlarge