The National General Assembly of the United States

03/05/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/165g8dT68A/

03/05/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

For too long, Congress has operated above the laws it imposes on everyone else. When politicians break the rules, they decide their own punishment. When they commit crimes, they judge themselves. This is not oversight—it’s a self-serving protection racket, a relic of the Divine Right of Kings that keeps the ruling class immune from consequences.

Some claim that Article I, Sections 5 and 6 give Congress the power to discipline its own members. But that is not oversight—it’s an internal rulebook, not a system of independent accountability. Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress granted the exclusive power to police itself. Congressional oversight is an implied power, not a delegated one. And after decades of corruption, failures, and partisan abuse, it is clear that this power does not belong to them.

Others claim that Article I, Section 8 gives Congress the power to self-police through the Necessary and Proper Clause. This argument assumes that because oversight is necessary for governance, Congress must have the authority to oversee itself. But this logic collapses under scrutiny. While oversight is undeniably necessary, self-policing is not proper—it directly contradicts fundamental principles of accountability and separation of powers.

The Necessary and Proper Clause was designed to enable Congress to carry out its enumerated powers, not grant it unchecked authority over itself. No power in the Constitution is self-executing without external checks, yet Congress claims an exception when it comes to its own ethics and accountability. By this reasoning, a president could claim unchecked power over executive branch corruption, and the Supreme Court could grant itself immunity from judicial review.

Furthermore, the concept of "proper" governance requires adherence to constitutional norms, ethical governance, and public trust. A system where politicians judge themselves violates all three. The very nature of self-policing breeds corruption, selective enforcement, and political weaponization of oversight. Congress has repeatedly proven this, shielding its own members while selectively punishing political opponents.

If oversight is to be both necessary and proper, it must be independent, binding, and external to those being overseen. That authority does not belong to Congress—it belongs to the People.

𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕

No legitimate institution polices itself. Corporations do not conduct their own fraud investigations. Banks do not regulate themselves. The military is subject to civilian control. Even judges are held accountable through independent judicial review. Yet Congress continues to insist that it alone should decide the fate of its own members.

The result? A system where rules apply only when politically convenient. Ethics violations, insider trading, and outright crimes are ignored if the guilty party belongs to the right political faction. Expulsions are rare, and when they happen, they are almost always driven by partisan strategy, not accountability. Congress claims the right to investigate the executive branch, regulate industries, and audit agencies—but when it comes to itself, there are no audits, no real enforcement, and no external checks.

This is not governance. This is corruption hiding behind institutional power.

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔’ 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅: 𝑨 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕

Congress has proven that it is incapable of self-governance.

● Insider trading is rampant—members of Congress enrich themselves using non-public financial information while refusing to ban the practice.

● Ethics violations go unpunished—members caught in scandals often serve for decades without consequence.

● The national debt has exploded to $34 trillion—Congress demands fiscal responsibility from the public but refuses to audit its own reckless spending.

● Partisan weaponization of oversight—investigations are used as political attacks rather than genuine accountability.

This is why trust in Congress is at an all-time low. The American people have watched politicians get away with crimes that would ruin ordinary citizens. The rules are different for them, and that is by design.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆

Congressional oversight is not an enumerated power. It is an assumption, an inherited privilege that was never meant to be absolute. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments make clear that powers not explicitly given to the federal government are reserved for the People. If Congress refuses to act in the public interest, the public has the constitutional right—and duty—to enforce oversight itself.

The First Amendment guarantees not only the right to petition, assemble, and demand redress of grievances—it also guarantees the right to a free press. The press was intended to serve as an additional mechanism of oversight, exposing corruption and ensuring government accountability. But when the press is compromised, when it aligns itself with political power instead of challenging it, the People must step in and reclaim direct oversight.

And that oversight is not just over Congress—it extends to all branches of government. Oversight over all government is a Reserved Power, meaning it applies to both stages of impeachment as well. Congress cannot be trusted to control impeachment proceedings any more than it can be trusted to investigate itself. The same partisan shields that protect members of Congress also protect the executive branch, turning impeachment into a political circus instead of the constitutional safeguard it was meant to be.

Oversight does not stop at legislative and impeachment authority. The executive branch itself must also be subject to external oversight—including law enforcement. Federal agencies that wield police power—whether it’s the FBI, the DOJ, or Homeland Security—must be held accountable not by the politicians who control them, but by an independent civic body that ensures justice is applied equally.

𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝑷𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑵𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

Oversight must be independent, binding, and absolute. No more partisan shields for corruption. No more billion-dollar budgets without audits. No more politicians enriching themselves while the public suffers the consequences of their failures.

Congress will never police itself. That power belongs to us.

03/03/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1523nKJwSD/

03/01/2025

This.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18NKMkRprW/

02/28/2025

𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜, 𝐈𝐟 𝐖𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐈𝐭

Ask most Americans if the United States is a democracy or a republic, and you’ll get a mix of answers, many of them wrong. Unfortunately, this confusion is multi-generational. You see, from the very beginning, the way civics has been taught in schools has left out important facts; as a result, many people never truly learned how their own government actually works. This is as true today as it was in past generations. Because of this, over time, those with money and power have been able to slowly change the system to serve themselves instead of the common good, making it harder for ordinary people to have a real voice.

This deserves some unpacking.

To be clear, the United States was never a democracy. Despite this being a triggering statement for many who believe otherwise, it is simply true. It was designed as a republic, a system where people elect representatives to make decisions for them. In a democracy, citizens vote directly on laws and policies, but in a republic, the people choose leaders to do that work on their behalf. While this system helps keep things organized and stable, it also creates a problem: once people are elected, they can simply ignore the public’s wishes and act on their own discretion. If voters don’t hold them accountable, representatives can pass laws that benefit their wealthy and powerful donors instead of the people they’re supposed to serve. Unless you're new here, you know this to be true and pervasive.

Let's look to history for additional clarity. The U.S. government structure is based on the Roman Republic, not Athenian democracy. In ancient Athens, citizens voted directly on government decisions. There were no elected leaders acting on their behalf. Simply put, if you were a citizen, you had a say. The Roman Republic, on the other hand, gave people the right to vote, but their power was filtered through a Senate and elected officials. The Founders of the United States chose this system because they feared that democracy would lead to instability and mob rule. They wanted checks and balances so that no single faction could take complete control. However, over time, these same checks and balances have been repurposed, allowing a wealthy elite to dominate the government while ordinary citizens are left with little real power.

The evidence is hiding in plain sight. Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does the word "democracy" appear. Instead, the Constitution only guarantees a "Republican form of government." This simply means that the people do not legislate; they elect those who do. As in Rome, the ability to influence laws is therefore filtered through layers of representation, each acting as a gatekeeper between the people and their sovereign power.

This begs the question: if democracy is not part of the government’s structure, where does it exist—if it truly exists at all?

The answer has always been the First Amendment.

The rights to free speech, a free press, peaceful assembly, and petitioning the government are the only real ways people can participate in democracy. These rights allow citizens to organize, speak out, self-govern, and demand action from their elected representatives. They make it possible for the public to challenge power; and without them, democracy simply doesn't exist. Despite this, civics has always been taught through the lense of political science and not in the domain of communication. There is, after all, a significant difference between learning about the power structures and institutions of the government; and how to effectively interact with them.

However, over time, the First Amendment has been twisted and manipulated to benefit the wealthy. In Citizens United v. FEC (2010), the Supreme Court ruled that money is the same as speech, allowing corporations and billionaires to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. This decision gave the richest Americans the ability to influence politics in a way that ordinary people never had and never will. Instead of every person’s voice carrying equal weight, those with the most money get the most influence. This is not free speech. It is legalized bribery.

The press, which is supposed to inform the public and hold leaders accountable, has also been taken over. Today, just six corporations own over 90% of the media in the U.S. These companies decide what stories get told and how they are framed, directly fueling ultra-partisanship. Investigative journalism, which once exposed corruption and wrongdoing, has been pushed aside in favor of news that protects business and political interests. The American people are left with entertainment and partisan reporting instead of the rare occurrence of hard-hitting journalism that effectively challenges the system.

Even the rights to protest and petition the government have been weakened. Many states have passed laws that make protesting harder, allowing police to arrest demonstrators and label protests as riots. Meanwhile, corporations hire lobbyists to write laws in their favor, drowning out the voices of ordinary people. But perhaps the most damning example of government refusing to recognize public petitions is Congress’ blatant disregard for the constitutional threshold of states applying for an Article V Convention to propose amendments.

The U.S. Constitution states that Congress must call a convention if 34 states submit applications. This process was designed as a way for the states and the people to bypass a corrupt and unresponsive federal government. Yet Congress, despite having received the required number of applications multiple times throughout history, has refused to call a convention. In other words, even when the constitutional process for change is followed exactly, those in power ignore it outright. Keep in mind, such a convention has but one power; to propose.

This is the reality of America today: the public has no real mechanism to force government action, no matter how many voices demand it. The First Amendment still exists on paper, but in reality, its power has largely been taken away from the public.

This did not happen by accident. It happened because civics education in the U.S. has failed. Schools teach students that America is a democracy without explaining what that actually means. They tell students to vote, but they don’t teach them how to challenge corruption, organize, or hold leaders accountable through active participation. As a result, many Americans believe that elections are the only way to make a difference; once every two years. And when elections don’t bring real change, people give up.

A republic cannot function if the people don’t know how to participate in it; and without a structured way for citizens to challenge power, the republic will continue to serve only the wealthy and well-connected.

The Founders said we had a republic if we could keep it. But today, that republic has been captured by those who would rather serve their own interests than the public good. The Constitution was designed to limit government power, but it was never designed to stop corporate takeovers, billionaire influence, or media manipulation. That responsibility belongs to the people; but if the public does not act, democracy will fade until it is nothing more than an illusion. If the people rise to take it back, they may be able to restore what has been lost.

The Founders warned that a republic could only survive if its people remained vigilant. Yet today, the institutions meant to serve us have either been suppressed or hollowed out, or, bought and sold to the highest bidder. The voice of the people has been drowned beneath waves of corporate cash, the press has been chained to the interests of the powerful, and the very rights that were meant to safeguard democracy have been twisted into tools of manipulation. We were promised a system where government would be of, by, and for the people, but what we have instead is rule by the wealthy, policies written by lobbyists, and a political order that serves itself and its donors first and the people last.

A republic is not self-sustaining. It must be protected, reinforced, and when necessary, reclaimed. No law, no institution, no Constitution can preserve it if the people fail to act. We are told to wait for the next election, to trust a broken system, to believe that change will come from within. But history has shown that republics do not fall overnight. They erode, piece by piece, while the people watch and wait for someone else to save them.

The time for waiting is over. The time for action is now. If democracy has been stolen from the public sphere, then the public must take it back. If those in power refuse to be held accountable, then the people must build the mechanisms to hold them accountable. If a republic is to survive, it must be fueled by active participation, not silence.

The question is no longer whether we can afford to act, but whether we can afford not to. The moment is upon us and the responsibility is our own.

Can we keep it?

If you found this article insightful, please consider supporting the author and his upcoming book on restoring civic power.

https://gofund.me/8c6fd66d

02/26/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬

The First Amendment doesn’t just protect free speech—it guarantees press freedom and the right to assemble. These aren’t separate ideas; they serve the same purpose: holding government accountable and ensuring the people have a voice.

But today, both the Press and the Assembly are under siege—not just from government overreach, but from a crisis of trust, new media disruption, and misinformation.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒔: 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕, 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

The press is supposed to be the watchdog of democracy. But right now, it’s trapped in a battle over trust, bias, and legitimacy.

Loss of public trust and partisanship have eroded the press’s role as an independent check on power. Many now see mainstream media as partisan—either beholden to corporate interests or political ideology. News outlets once unified around a shared set of facts, but today, narrative-driven reporting fuels division, leading people to trust media that aligns with their political beliefs rather than objective reality.

New mass media platforms have upended traditional journalism. Social media, independent blogs, and citizen reporting have allowed anyone to build an audience and report the news, sometimes more effectively than legacy outlets. But with no editorial oversight, this explosion of new media has also increased the spread of unchecked misinformation and propaganda.

The problem is compounded by the fact that free speech protects outright lies. The First Amendment ensures that the government cannot regulate speech based on truthfulness, which means misinformation is legal, even when it is dangerous. At the same time, accusations of “fake news” have been weaponized to delegitimize real journalism, creating an environment where people no longer know who to trust.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕

When the press is under attack—both externally and from within—the right to assemble becomes even more critical. The Assembly clause of the First Amendment isn’t just about protests. It protects the structural mechanisms of public organization—the right of the people to challenge narratives that distort reality, support independent watchdogs that hold power accountable, and build alternative institutions that serve the public interest.

𝑨 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝑨𝒈𝒆

A First Amendment Assembly is more than just a legal right—it’s a governing force outside the government. It ensures that the people, not just politicians, billionaires, or media conglomerates, have an organized voice in shaping democracy.

Model legislation and policy initiatives must focus on restoring trust in both media and government. Some key proposals include:

● Media transparency laws that require outlets to disclose financial and political affiliations.

● Truth in journalism initiatives that support independent, nonpartisan fact-checking bodies with public oversight.

● Platform accountability measures that address algorithmic bias while protecting free speech.

● Strengthening public media to provide nonpartisan reporting that competes with corporate-driven narratives.

● Anti-corruption and whistleblower protections to ensure journalists and citizens can expose wrongdoing without fear of retaliation.

Defending the First Amendment also means resisting government and corporate overreach that threatens public discourse. In recent years, there has been an increase in efforts to criminalize protests, silence independent journalists, and allow corporate consolidation to drown out smaller media voices. A First Amendment Assembly must actively fight back by defending whistleblowers, resisting laws that restrict dissent, and building independent information networks that are resistant to state or corporate influence.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔: 𝑨 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒐 𝑹𝒆𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕

The press alone cannot restore democracy. The people must reclaim it through organized action. The press investigates corruption, while the Assembly organizes to end it. The press reveals government abuses, while the Assembly mobilizes to stop them. The press informs the people, while the Assembly gives the people a voice.

Both are checks on power, and both are essential to democracy.

If we want to fix the media crisis, we cannot rely on corporations or politicians to do it for us. Democracy does not come from the top down—it comes from the organized, collective power of the people.

That’s the role of the Assembly.

That’s how we fight back.

02/26/2025

More winning

: A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to pay millions of dollars to multiple nonprofit groups after determining the administration violated the terms of a temporary restraining order regarding freezing foreign aid. https://abc7.la/3EXAybF

02/26/2025

𝐈𝐟 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐎𝐆𝐄 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞, 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐎𝐢𝐥

Elon Musk and his army of DOGE bros love to rant about government waste. They claim to be on a mission to expose fraud, waste, and abuse. But if they were serious (and if they were good at what they do), they wouldn’t be picking Twitter fights or making wild accusations that dont bear out, they’d be going after the $20 billion a year that American taxpayers hand to the oil and gas industry.

For over a century, fossil fuel companies have raked in government subsidies through tax breaks, grants, and incentives. These were originally meant to help energy production, but instead of expiring, they’ve become a permanent cash giveaway to some of the world’s wealthiest corporations. Meanwhile, gas and utility prices keep rising.

In 2022, oil companies pulled in a staggering $4 trillion in revenue. The five biggest companies alone made $200 billion in profits. Yet thanks to their $124 million lobbying budget, Congress under both parties, refuses to end their free ride. Even Trump, who claims to fight for the “forgotten American,” lets Big Oil keep sucking up tax dollars with even more tax breaks while ordinary people continue to pay more at the pump.

If Musk and his crypto cult actually cared about government waste, they’d be blasting oil subsidies instead of ego tripping and trolling random politicians. But they won’t because they love the status quo. They’d rather play billionaire populist than challenge the fossil fuel industry, the biggest recipient of government handouts.

The only way this gets fixed is if we fix it.

12/30/2023

FACTOID: Only Congress can overturn a ballot disqualification, and they must have a two-thirds affirmative vote from each chamber to do so.

12/25/2023

FACTOID: SCOTUS does not have the authority to overrule the Colorado Supreme Court's decision to disqualify Trump from the ballot. The power to overrule a ballot disqualification is explicitly delegated to Congress via the 14th Amendment.

11/19/2023

False Narrative Leads to Obstruction of Constitutional Provision. Story at 11.

"The United States has had only one federal convention: the gathering that met in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787." - Prof. Rob Natleson

Incorrect. There have been 89 Federal Conventions in US History

10 - Art. II Reconstruction Conventions (rb.gy/ikw8bd)
28 - Art. IV New State Conventions
(rb.gy/0t4gbs) *excludes Texas, Utah, and California
38 - Art. V Amendment Ratification Conventions (rb.gy/naccj9)
13 - Art. VII Ratification Conventions (rb.gy/24vu2w)

11/19/2023

: 10 Federal Conventions were held by former Confederate States under the Reconstruction Acts to rewrite their Constitutions and ratify the 14th Amendment. All delegates were elected.