Author Archive | Blake Filippi

Citizens! Behold one of the great performance-based political commentators for our time; Beyoncé. Art imitates life (and politics) and Beyoncé fearlessly uses her star-powered performances to shed light on the most pressing Constitutional and cultural issues of our time!

Do not lament Beyoncé’s National Anthem lip-synching at the Inauguration! For it was a poetic coded parody on the hollow show that is the Federal Government’s feigned deference to the Constitution.

Brave-Beyoncé’s fake performance foreshadowed President Obama’s pseudo oath to the Constitution. She called out the President’s anti-Constitutionalism before his adoring crowds and cohorts; all with only a microphone, allure, and a pre-recorded track!

What JOY! Beyoncé’s mock performance proclaimed to Obama, his predecessor, and all the complicit politicians who don’t really have a copy of the Constitution ”in their back pocket”:

“WE KNOW your oath is an untruth; we do NOT support the continued extension of the 4^th Amendment-shredding Patriot Act, the domestic use of drones, indefinite military detention or the militarization of the civilian police; STOP the targeted assassinations of U.S. citizens and your undeclared wars; STOP your persecution of medical marijuana patients, bailouts for the mega-banks, and the  “too big to prosecute” policy that establishes two classes of citizens before the law; we KNOW the Federal Reserve causes domestic and international economic instability; we do NOT want to subvert our Constitutional Republic to international governmental organizations, and we most certainly do NOT support your plan to shred the 2^nd Amendment in light of this advancing leviathan.” Continue Reading →

 R.I. lawmakers Rep. Ajello and Sen. Nesselbush to introduce matching bills to legalize marijuana

Providence, R.I.: February Following on the steps of voters legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington last fall, Rhode Island State Representative Edith Ajello and State Senator Donna Nesselbush have introduced companion bills on Wednesday February 6^th to legalize marijuana and establish a system where it is taxed and regulated in a manner similar to alcohol.

The new law will partially nullify the Federal drug war against marijuana that has unsuccessfully raged for approximately 70 years and seen countless people sent to prison. State lawmakers have already passed legislation, effective April 1, to decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana, making it a civil violation. But the new bills would go further, making possession of limited amounts legal for adults 21 and older. Continue Reading →

Lincoln said the Declaration of Independence is the apple of gold, while the Constitution is the mere frame of silver.

Lincoln meant that the Declaration lays forth the natural law of just government, and the Constitution is the framework to protect and carry out the Declaration’s principles.

In many respects the Declaration’s principles have been abandoned. Individualism, liberty and personal responsibility have been replaced with the religion of government, statism and paternalism. We now operate in a world where government grants us rights instead of their being inherent in our humanity.

This has lead to constitutional interpretation that, for the most part, broadly construes grants of government authority and strictly construes citizen rights; exactly the opposite of the Declaration’s and the Constitution’s core meanings. Continue Reading →

On Tuesday June 12, 2012 the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a Resolution in opposition to the new Federal government kidnapping powers in the NDAA. As this is a House resolution, no other legislative action is required for transmission to the Federal Government, including the entire Rhode Island congressional delegation that voted for the NDAA. Currently five other states have passed laws or resolutions in response to the NDAA. Rhode Island Rep. Dan Gordan shepherded the resolution to obtain over half the House of Representatives as cosponsors, and won final passage 52-15.

The final Resolution states in pertinent part:

“The indefinite military detention of any person in the United States without charge or trial violates Article III and the 5th and 6th Amendments of the Constitution of the United States;”

The Resolution also states that the NDAA’s “authorizing the indefinite military detention of civilians captured abroad far from any battlefield violate the laws of war by which the United States is bound and which it helped to establish, and harm our Nation’s reputation for upholding the rule of law and democratic values; these civilians should be prosecuted in our federal courts if there is evidence of wrongdoing, not detained without charge or trial;” Continue Reading →

On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, the Tenth Amendment Center, in partnership with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and Demand Progress, held a joint media conference to brief journalists about national momentum against NDAA detention powers. The following is what was introduced by Blake Filippi at the start of that conference

NOTE: Blake Filippi will be a featured speaker at Nullify Now! Philadelphia. Get tickets here – http://www.nullifynow.com/philadelphia/ – or by calling 888-71-TICKETS

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My name is Blake Filippi, director of the Rhode Island Liberty Coalition and spokesman for the Tenth Amendment Center.

In 1850, when Congress passed what was known as the “Fugitive Slave Act,” the federal law compelled people of all states to assist federal agents with the apprehension of suspected runaway slaves and brought all trials involving alleged fugitive slaves under federal jurisdiction. It included large fines for anyone who aided a slave in their escape, even by simply giving them food or shelter. The act also suspended habeas corpus and the right to a trial by jury for suspected slaves, and made their testimony non-admissible in court.

This was an atrocity. Continue Reading →

On Thursday, February 23, 2012, the Tenth Amendment Center, in partnership with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and Demand Progress, held a joint media conference to brief journalists about national momentum against NDAA detention powers. The following is what was introduced at the start of that conference:

My name is Blake Filippi. As the director of the Rhode Island Liberty Coalition, I was honored when the Tenth Amendment Center reached out to me wanting to work together to expand our project to nullify the unconstitutional new kidnapping powers that the NDAA purports to authorize.

On this issue today, we are united as one, and I’m proud to present our joint position to you.

Do you consider the use of the word “kidnapping” to be just hyperbole? We don’t think so. When you remove due process from the equation – arrest and “indefinite detention” become nothing more than government-sanctioned kidnapping. This is repugnant to our values and traditions, and Americans know it. We may suffer from frequent bouts of apathy, but when something like the NDAA strikes at the very heart of who we are, Americans stand up and say NO!

In the spirit of one of America’s greatest patriots, we are working hard to urge state and local legislators to do their duty – they must stand up for the Bill of Rights against all comers. When the great Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus she showed us how to deal with laws that are unconstitutional, immoral – and unjust. Today, when people in their states and communities stand up and say NO to unconstitutional federal kidnapping powers – they are following Rosa’s example.

We couldn’t be more proud to oppose the NDAA with our coalition partners – The Bill of Rights Defense Committee and Demand Progress. Like a family, our organizations know when it’s time to set aside differences and work together in support of a great cause.

That cause is liberty. And that time is now.

Thank you.

Adam v the Man welcomes Blake Filippi! We discuss why, and how, to nullify the NDAA at the local level using the TAC’s Liberty Preservation Act and the RILC’s resolution in opposition to the NDAA

            Less than one month ago I petitioned the New Shoreham (Block Island), Rhode Island, Town Council to pass a resolution in opposition to section 1021 of the NDAA. In 2003 the Council passed a resolution in opposition to the Patriot Act, so I knew they would give my petition a fair shake.

            Thankfully, the Town Council righteously passed the resolution tonight; which demonstrates the great utility in local governments to fight unconstitutional Federal acts. State legislative bureaucratic morass slows the passage of legislation. Citizen disconnect mitigates individual legislator’s accountability for failure to act. Conversely, local governments move fast and the limited number of council members eliminates plausible deniability for failure to act. Local leaders live in the communities they represent, and are held to account for their action, or inaction, daily.

            Included in my petition to the Council were two great resources available to all citizens: 1) the model resolution drafted by us here at the Rhode Island Liberty Coalition and our friends at the Tenth Amendment Center and 2) the model letter to local governing bodies. I also published a copy of the model letter in the local New Shoreham paper which brought out concerned community members and publically put the onus on the Council.

            The beauty of the resolution is that it comprehensively lays forth exactly how the NDAA offends our fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. It educates and sets the table for a productive meeting. The model letter is a great resource because it answers the question that many local governing bodies have; why should local bodies act and not just leave it to the state legislatures or Congress? The compelling answer is that local councils have taken an oath to uphold the constitution, they have the ability to respond to unconstitutional acts, and thus, they must.

            At the first Town Council meeting last week, the counselors were well informed and asked all the right questions. They pointed to the provision of section 1021 that seeks to preserve existing law and authorities relating to the detention of U.S. citizens and legal aliens, and asked; does this not protect individual rights? I responded that the laws and authorities are not clear, and importantly, the office of President, under both Bush and Obama, has professed the authority indefinitely detain U.S. citizens as enemy combatants under the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force. I pointed to the Padilla case, where the 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the President may indefinitely detain a U.S. citizen as an enemy combatant. Padilla had been held in military detention for 3.5 years with no trial. Thereafter, the Supreme Court refused to consider the appeal after Padilla was transferred to civilian jurisdiction, invoking a sharp rebuke from three Supreme Court justices. 

            In my opinion, the Supreme Court was derelict in its duty to consider the issue and perpetuated the grey area of authorities NDAA section 1021 seeks to preserve. I argued that there should never be any vagueness or grey area concerning the fundamental rights the NDAA purports to eviscerate.  Moreover, the jurisdictional game the Office of President played with Padilla undermines its credibility in dealing with purported enemy combatants. Under the Padilla precedent, the President can simply hold another U.S. citizen for 3.5 years and then transfer him to civilian jurisdiction in order to avoid Supreme Court review and establishment of concrete authority concerning the President’s powers under the 2001 AUMF and the NDAA. Continue Reading →

Blake Filippi, who we talked to in New Hampshire, was down in South Carolina volunteering when we caught up with him. Blake updates Revolution PAC on his efforts to fight the unconstitutional portions of the NDAA.

The following is a sample letter text that you can use to send along with NDAA Nullification legislation (HERE) to state and local legislators in your area.

Dear ______,

Please accept this constituent-petition containing draft legislation to nullify the unconstitutional 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (“2012 NDAA”). As a local leader, it is up to you to defend our liberties from unconstitutional and anti-liberty acts by the Federal Government. I implore you to introduce and pass this most necessary legislation.

Section 1021 of the 2012 NDAA purports to authorize the President to designate as an enemy combatant any U.S. citizen or legal resident alien found within the United States that the President suspects “was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners.”  Those covered by section 1021 are unclear and it is subject to abuse because it is not limited to individuals directly responsible for terrorism or belligerent acts; it applies to vague ‘substantial support’ for undefined ‘associated forces.’

The NDAA does not even provide the citizen or legal resident alien a forum to contest the President’s determination of enemy combatant status. Section 1021 then purports to authorize the President to utilize the military to detain and dispose of those U.S. citizens and legal resident aliens according to the Law of War, including: (1) indefinite detention without charge or trial until the end of hostilities, (2) prosecution through a Military Commission, or (3) transfer to a foreign country or foreign entity.   Indefinite military detention without charge or trial, military tribunals, and the transfer to a foreign jurisdiction of U.S. citizens and legal resident aliens subverts civil authority to the military and defies our most fundamental liberties and Due Process forged in the Rhode Island Constitution and the following sections of the United States Constitution; Continue Reading →