The Founders Warned Us About Some One Some Time...Could Be Right About Now.

"The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty.
It serves always to distract the public councils and feeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.
It is important, likewise, that the habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration to confine themselves with in their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all departments in one and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism.
If in the opinion of the people the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed."

George Washington’s Farewell Address

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FLAHR in, the name of a gold coin first made in Florence in the 1200's. The name comes from the Latin word for flower. The florin bore the imprint of a lily on one side, and the figure of Saint John the Baptist on the other side. The first English florin was issued as a six-shilling gold coin in the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). A Silver English florin worth two shillings was first coined in 1849.
[The World Book Encyclopedia]
A USA Silver ten cent coin, bore the imprint of a lily on one side, and the figure of Franklin D. Roosevelt (USA Pres. 1933-1945) on the other side (Dime).

Mar 14, 2012

One Man's Winning The Fight Against City Hall

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How I Defeated Terminus

From The Sunlight Foundation 

 Here today to share his one-man experience in opening up the City of Atlanta, is our Sunlight Foundation guest blogger Matthew Cardinale. Matthew is the News Editor and Founder of the Atlanta Progressive News and a North American Correspondent for the Inter-Press Service.

Atlanta has had three names in its history: Marthasville, Terminus, and Atlanta. 


I never intended to take on Terminus.  Actually, at the time I was trying to build relationships with newly elected Council Members and to strengthen relationships with incumbent Members.  So much for that!
All I wanted to know was how everyone voted!
 So, at that point I had already threatened to file a lawsuit. Unfortunately, I was not successful in finding an attorney willing to take on my case on contingency.  So, I had to sue without one.  Of course, if you threaten to sue and don’t do it, then your threat has no value in the future.  So I had to sue pro se.
 The City filed a Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
 I filed a reply to their Motion to Dismiss.
 So in October 2010, I appealed to the Court of Appeals of Georgia.  An attorney who was giving me advice up until that point warned me not to appeal, said I would set bad case law, said that my chances of prevailing were slim, and asked whether I wanted to spend two to three years on this.
 Unfortunately, the Court of Appeals ruled against me in February 2011.  This time, even the Georgia First Amendment Foundation advised me against wasting my time on appealing.
But I filed a Petition for Certiorari to the Supreme Court of Georgia in March 2011, which they granted--a rare accomplishment in itself-- in July 2011.  I made oral arguments before the Supreme Court in October 2011, which are available online here
I filed a Supplemental Brief in November 2011. Then, in February 2012, the Supreme Court ruled in my favor, that the names of those voting against or abstaining do have to be listed in the case of a non-roll call vote
Click Here-->Read The  Full Story

Does this sound familiar-trying to find out what your Gov. at any level is doing, is like a child throwing a tantrum, and stalling, and dragging them fighting , to the woodshed before some kind of compliance?

5 comments:

Kid said...

Nice, maybe if we tie up the courts, they won't have time to be so activist !

TS/WS said...

Ya, know, that's got to be a plan there.

christian soldier said...

Kid is right on!
and
don't you just love Session's grilling of Panetta-
As to the NC Congressman-good on him --for starting a possible impeachment action!
Carol-CS

christian soldier said...

"...said I would set bad case law,"
BTW- case law should NEVER have been allowed to supersede the Constitutional mandates!
There- I've said it!
Carol-CS

TS/WS said...

CS
Yea, every time the Constitution is trampled on, by the Black Robes--case law/settled law/precedence etc...
Always a end run around the Constitution.