What Went Wrong? Identifying Root Causes
Negotiating With The Warden—From Master To Serf
Part 5 of 5
 

How ironic that Americans did to themselves, with the enthusiastic help of the lawyer-politicians, what King George and his Redcoats could not do to the American Colonies. Perhaps an open letter to England is in order.

Dear Queen Elizabeth,

After considerable deliberation we have decided that a small tax on imported tea is not that objectionable. If you can find forgiveness in your heart and will take us back, we promise not to misbehave again.

Your Loyal Subjects,
We, The American People

The principles of liberty are as true today as they were in 1776. They show the proper relationship between the individual and the state.

The individual may stand upon his constitutional rights as a citizen. He is entitled to carry on his private business in his own way. His power to contract is unlimited. He owes no duty to the state or to his neighbors to divulge his business, or to open his doors to an investigation, so far as it may tend to [in]criminate him. He owes no such duty to the state, since he receives nothing therefrom, beyond the protection of his life and property. His rights are such as existed by the law of the land long antecedent to the organization of the state, and can only be taken from him by due process of law, and in accordance with the Constitution. Among his rights are a refusal to incriminate himself, and the immunity of himself and his property from arrest or seizure except under a warrant of law. He owes nothing to the public so long as he does not trespass upon their rights.[31]

Some argue that the Constitution creates certain liberties, such as the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination, which are not properly classified as natural rights. But civil liberties cannot be grants of privileges from the people to themselves. Those found in the Constitution were civil rights already assumed by them as a condition for their approval of the new government and were enumerated in that compact to prevent their abrogation.

The lawyer-politicians, taking advantage of the American people’s ignorance of the nation’s heritage and law, usurped government power to promote their own interests. They tricked the public into exchanging natural rights for government-issued privileges. Under their guidance, and the ancient rules of Lex Mercatoria, the United States became America Incorporated. Government of the people, by the people and for the people became government of the lawyers, by the lawyers and for the lawyers. They reign supreme, holding 14 of the 18 top posts in the Clinton administration, far more than half the seats in Congress and all of the Judicial system.

It has been said that more judges now sit in Los Angeles than in all of Japan. That alone might not be so upsetting except that, under our current system of government, L.A. has a shortage.
 

31 Hale v. Henkel, (1906) 201 U.S. 43, 50 L Ed 652, p. 665
 

John Gault from the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand