Category: - Bryan William Brickner

Usurpation Day 2017: Augustine, Freedom and Arendt Footnotes #8

4/9/2017

Usurpation Day 2017: Arendt Footnotes #8

Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, on 9 April 1792, Congress initiated the representation usurpation we still live under, the one against We the People and our birthright, constitutional representation according to numbers.

Usurpation of representation is illegal, immoderate and unconstitutional.

Usurpation of representation is a stolen American birthright.

Usurpation of representation is an act of war against We the People.

Speak your birthright America: for those who believe in the US Constitution, let 2020 begin today.

Hannah Arendt
The Human Condition
Section 24: The Disclosure Of The Agent In Speech And Action
(177, bold added)

To act, in its most general sense, means to take an initiative, to begin (as the Greek word archein, “to begin,” “to lead,” and eventually “to rule,” indicates), to set something into motion (which is the original meaning of the Latin agere). Because they are initium, newcomers and beginners by virtue of birth, men take initiative, are prompted into action. [Initium] ergo ut esset, creatus est homo, ante quem nullus fuit (“that there be a beginning, man was created before whom there was nobody”), said Augustine in his political philosophy. (footnote 2) This beginning is not the same as the beginning of the world; (footnote 3) it is not the beginning of something but of somebody, who is a beginner himself. With the creation of man, the principle of beginning came into the world itself, which, of course, is only another way of saying the principle of freedom was created when man was created but not before.

2. De civitate Dei xii. 20.

3. According to Augustine, the two were so different that he used a different word to indicate the beginning which is man (initium), designating the beginning of the world by principium, which is the standard translation for the first Bible verse. As can be seen from De civitate Dei xi. 32, the word principium carried for Augustine a much less radical meaning; the beginning of the world “does not mean that nothing was made before (for the angels were),” whereas he adds explicitly in the phrase quoted above with reference to man that nobody was before him.

Next Up: Saturday April 15th and a 2020: Tax Day Disses Our Revolution and Abraham Lincoln.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

2020: Part One of the 7/20 Bill of Rights Participation Day Preparations, 20 Minutes for Twenty Dollars

7/1/2016

US Constitution, Amendment VII

Working on some numbers showing We the People as a collective power. Basically, I got to wondering what could happen if we all did something for 20 minutes for the “twenty dollars” in Amendment VII; sort of a what if there was a Participation Day for the 7th Amendment and its twenty dollar clause? What would that equal as participation time?

Let’s view it as a story problem.

Estimating, we can use 300 million US citizens acting for 20 minutes, so that is 1/3 of an hour and equals 100 million hours.

Take 100 million hours divided by 25-hour days (easy math) and you get four million days.

Take four million days divided by 400-day years (more easy math) and the answer is 10,000 years.

So Americans spending 20 minutes writing a letter or sending an email or talking with a friend on July 20th (or any convenient time) in support of the US Constitution and the twenty dollar clause in the 7th Amendment of the Bill of Rights, would be equivalent to 10,000 years of participation in one effort.

We the People is definitely a collective power.

Part Two of the 7/20 Bill of Rights Participation Day Preparations, Jesus and Caesar, will be posted 15 July.

Next Up: The Union 2016 summer series continues on Sunday 3 July with Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka, Nowhere Know Sympathy.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

Union 2016 Winter Finale: Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Nowhere Evermore

3/19/2016

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Nowhere Ever

Winter series part 13 of 13

The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall,
The ring wraiths ride in black, ride on.

“- What about the Union Johnny?”
“It’s not well Gus.”
“How so?”
“No balance.”
“So we bring the balance back.”
“There’s an issue with that Yank.”
“We’ve handled things before Reb – what’s the deal?”
“I’m not the only composite spirit involved in this story.”
“You don’t say.”
“Right.”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Nowhere More

“Well maybe it’s time to say.”
“You won’t like him Gus.”
“I didn’t like you at first Johnny.”
“True.”
“Is this composite spirit more than you?”
“No, just older – and still active.”
“Active?”
“Actively affecting the Union in a negative way.”
“That’s war.”
“Correct.”
“Waging war on the US Republic?”
“Yes.”
“Who Johnny?”
“He goes by the name Tory Crown.”

Gus Kotka and Johnny Reb Nowhere Continues

“Tory Crown?!”
“Yes.”
“Never heard of him.”
“No one has Gus.”
“He’s a composite spirit like you Johnny?”
“Yes.”
“Composite of what?”
“Those who support the Anti-Republic.”
“That’s how you know him.”
“We teamed up for a bit.”
“Four years.”
“A few more than that.”
“Before the war Johnny?”
“You’ve heard of the three-fifths clause.”
“Yes: it’s how slaves were counted in representation.”
“And …”
“And what?”
“Free people Gus: how were they to be represented?”

~.~ The Union 2016 series continues this summer, resuming on 19 June.

*Next Up: A trip-oriented pamphlet announcement on Tuesday 22 March.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

Whiskey220: Rebellion, Representation and Washington

10/10/2014

Star Spangled Banner Flag (15 Stars and Stripes)

Whiskey 220 ~ Part 1 of 3
The Whiskey Rebellion 1791-94: Western Pennsylvania

Transitions

Fifteen Stars and Stripes tell of a nation in transition. The new Republic’s first president, former general George Washington, signed a new flag law in January 1794. Basically, with the addition of Kentucky and Vermont into the Union, a new flag was needed. The Star Spangled Banner we all know, created by Congress in 1818, kept the 13 Stripes to honor the founding and added Stars for new States.

The flag wasn’t the only thing in transition, it’s just a good symbol for what was happening; the Revolutionary War won, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were over in eight years (1781-88), and the new US Constitution made the former colonies the world’s leading Republic ~ oh yeah, the French.

Napoleon Bonaparte

The French Republic (1792-1804) foretold itself in 1789 with the Storming of the Bastille; a young Napoleon Bonaparte watched in horror (he disliked the masses). There’s also the French Republic’s Reign of Terror, running its guillotine through September 1793 to July 1794. The terror stopped for a bit, then in 1799 Napoleon took over ~ and that ended in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo.

The US Republic had a much milder situation involving citizens in 1794: the trouble was a federal whiskey tax on hooch. The citizens (many former revolutionaries) in the hills of four western Pennsylvania counties resisted; first with not paying the tax, then they accosted a Federal tax collector, then they took up arms …

That was enough for President Washington; as commander-in-chief he called on the State Militias to quell the rebellion. Four states, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia began calling up their militias in support of the government.

US President George Washington

President Washington takes a ride west from Philadelphia to review the political and military developments; he wanted to see firsthand how things were going ~ and to participate as needed. On his journey, he kept notes.

It’s not all politics in President Washington’s Diaries; here we read of our president driving his carriage, feeding and tending horses, and socializing quite often. You also see a different side of Washington: his 18th century Rick Steves fellow traveller side. An example – Washington’s 13 October 1794 commentary on the Pennsylvania landscape:

“From Carlisle along the left Road, which I pursued, to be out of the March of the Army, and to avoid the inconvenience of passing the Waggons belonging to it; the Lands are but indifferent until we came within a few miles of Shippensburgh – The first part of a thin and dry Soil, succeeded by piney flats (not far from the South Mountain). For a few miles before we arrived in Shippensbg. the Lands were good, but uncultivated.”

Our president was also political in his diaries; on the 2nd of October President Washington met with two citizens, US Representative William Findley and lawyer David Reddick, who provided current word on the state of the insurrection. Representative Findley spoke for the sentiments of the rebellion; Reddick supported Findley and added a comment Washington made note of ~ one on citizen communication:

“He [Reddick] added, that for a long time after the riots commenced, and until lately, the distrust of one another was such, that even friends were afraid to communicate their sentiments to each other; That by whispers this was brought about; and growing bolder as they became more communicative they found their strength, and that there was a general disposition not only to acquiesce under, but to support the Laws – and he gave some instances also of Magistrates enforcing them.”

Yes ~ citizens communicating (first by whisper) in order to find their strength ~ let’s pickup there next time, and we’ll have President Washington sharing a coach with Virginia’s Governor Henry Lee III.

Next: Whiskey220 ~ Sunday 19 October.
~
Video: The Whiskey Rebellion
~
Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

Aesop, Slavery and Usurpation ~ Juneteenth 2014

6/18/2014

Aesop ~ from Wikipedia user Shakko

War Cry Heal Union: The series (1 of 10)

Aesop ~ of Aesop’s Fables fame ~ was a slave.

Like the last slaves freed in the United States on 19 June 1865, Juneteenth, Aesop too had his freedom day. In his life he passed from owner to owner as a slave until his intellect won his freedom. Plutarch, a priest at Delphi, reports that after gaining his freedom Aesop was employed by King Croesus of Lydia. The king sent Aesop to Delphi to negotiate terms regarding Apollo’s oracle. The people of Delphi didn’t like Aesop’s talk ~ his logic ~ and took matters into their own hands. Plutarch reports the people of Delphi killed the famed-fabalist by forcing him over a cliff … more on Aesop in a moment.

A fable is a story with animals talking; civilization is a story with the animal human talking. The civilization story always begins with the same premise: things were once bad and then changed and people (tribes, clans, and nations) called it good; and always within the story of civilization, providing a seemingly visceral and vital role, is the slave. Essentially, civilization was designed by many and built by slaves.

Slavery is usurpation and usurpation is slavery. A citizen without rights is a slave; similar to a subject, they lack agency power to appeal to a higher law than the current sovereign. A (rightful) citizen, however, has agency to appeal to power in the form of written constitutions.

Freedom

On April 9th, Usurpation Day 2014, it was noted that slavery is the shadow of usurpation (rights taken without right) and couldn’t be dismissed from Greek or American history. Simply, slavery cannot be edited out of the fable known as the United States of America: as part of our heritage it is part of us. To wit: in telling America’s story of slavery, let’s tell it through symbols. There is a version of the Greek Athena atop our acropolis, the US Capitol; her name is Freedom and she was designed with America in mind. That being so, it’s not ironic she was born in 1863 in the middle of our Civil War and great citizenship debacle. It’s also not ironic the foreman (wage-earner) went on strike while building Freedom and would not complete the bronze statue: slaves completed Freedom.

Oh yeah ~ back to Aesop the slave. There are lots of thoughts on where he came from; some say a northern Dorian settlement on the Black Sea, some Phrygia in modern-day Turkey, and even others Ethiopia; most likely it looks like he hailed from the Samos and Miletus area on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. This eternal debate is easily solved by genetic fiat: according to DNA, we’re all out of Africa.

Ah, there we are ~ Aesop the human.

Bonus Video
Aesop’s The Lion & The Mouse

Next up in the series War Cry Heal Union:
27 June 2014: War Cry ~ Cheatham’s Hill, 27 June 1864.

Posted by Bryan W. Brickner

War Cry Heal Union and Civil War Unknowns ~ Memorial Day 2014

5/25/2014

That’s Augustus Kotka from Indiana – his headstone I mean – acting as flag-bearer in the background. The foreground is the headstone for 9163, Unknown U.S. Soldier, Marietta National Cemetery.

This final resting place for northern citizen-soldiers caught-up in the War Between the States ~ the US Civil War 1861-65, might be considered a long way from home. Not necessarily though, as the flag they carried into battle had the Georgia star (and all other states in rebellion) still on it.

Not far away from Kotka and 9163, maybe a mile or so, is Marietta Confederate Cemetery. Here unknown citizen-soldiers dominate. The Union cemetery feels as if ten percent of the burials are unknown; this one feels like ninety percent.

The above headstone is for five unknown citizen-soldiers caught-up in the same debacle, our uncivil war. Two unknown citizens from Missouri and three fellows from Maryland interned far from what they might have considered home.

The war itself isn’t over if the wounds haven’t healed. We still have some healing to do in order to make a more perfect Union ~ one for all the people of We the People.

War Cry Heal Union
The Series
EwPublishing Summer 2014

Landings
Augustus Kotka gave a war cry on 11 August 1864; he was killed during the siege of Atlanta. It wasn’t a battle day. His death is noted in a diary from his unit, the 99th Indiana Regiment: it parenthetically states, “Augustus Kotka, Company C, killed.”

I found Kotka’s federal marker headstone in Pulaski County, IN; I then went to visit his burial headstone in Marietta National Cemetery.

This series began with the question, “Who killed Kotka?”

To get to that answer we’ll take a look at citizenship and representation; here I mean all citizens, future slaves to be citizens and also the southern citizens. In the series War Cry Heal Union, all the people of We the People are grouped together ~ northern and southern, for example, in the term “The Unrepresented.”

The series is outlined below and runs from 19 June to Constitution Day on 17 September. The ten postings vary in topics (ranging from war to peace to free speech) and build on James Madison’s idea that representing We the People according to our numbers is not only the American way ~ it’s our constitutional way.

This August is the 150th anniversary of Kotka’s final day in Georgia. Here is the opening to the August posting, “Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka Have a Talk” ~ and the full schedule for the series follows:

Johnny Reb: Whatcha’ wanna know Yank?

Augustus Kotka: Who killed me?

Johnny: That’s the same question for 150 years ~ with the same answer ~ you did.

Augustus: No, really, who got me shot?

Johnny: I did then.

Augustus: You always say that ~ this year things are different though …

~
War Cry Heal Union ~ The Series
JUNE
19 June 2014
Slavery is usurpation: usurpation is slavery.

27 June 2014
150th: War cry ~ 27 June 1864.

28 June 2014
100th: Empires crumble and Others build.

JULY
19 July 2014
Willy-Nicky and willy-nilly Emperors.

20 July 2014
150th: A Private, an Officer and a battle flag in Georgia, 20 July 1864.

27 July 2014
Factions heard not silenced: Henry Lee III, the Unrepresented and the First Amendment.

AUGUST
11 August 2014
150th: Johnny Reb and Gus Kotka ~ Georgia, 11 August 1864.

26 August 2014
Silent words: Napoleon, Johann Philipp Palm and 26 August 1806.

SEPTEMBER
16 September 2014
Virginian slavers at Harlem Heights NY: sacrifice and 16 September 1776.

17 September 2014
Constitution Day, Antietam and Heal Union ~ Sharpsburg MD: 17 September 1787, 1862 and 2014.

Happy Memorial Day All!
Bryan W. Brickner

Ascending Athenian American Heritage ~ Usurpation Day 2014

4/8/2014

Slavery is the shadow of usurpation (rights taken without right) the way mythology frames America’s beginning: it’s foundational.

Slavery has been edited out of Usurpation Day 2014; it will be duly accorded its role in both Athens and America in June (on the 19th).

Usurpation Day is not a time to be sad; it’s a celebratory day. The usurpation of the representation ratio on 9 April 1792 is our history … it’s not our heritage.

Heritage is ahistorical (timeless) and it is our focus today: specifically, ascending Athenian American heritage. Six greats ~ three from each polis: Plato and Madison, Pericles and Washington, and Athena and Freedom:

Plato
Plato’s contribution to our heritage is The Republic. In the book he outlines the just society and details three groups (factions/divisions) in his republican form of government: rulers, guardians and craftspeople (producers).

Madison
Madison’s contribution to our heritage is the addition of the representation ratio to Plato’s republican ideas. Whereas Plato’s republic has three factions, Madison’s republic has a fourth ~ We the People ~ and utilizes the decennial Census to augment representation in accordance with population growth (something Plato’s republican ideas lack).

Pericles
His era built the Parthenon. He was an Athenian leader during the Peloponnesian War and his Funeral Oration (speech) is noted in Thucydides’ work.

Washington
His era built the District of Columbia. Washington was hailed as the first in war and the first in peace. His most famous speech is his Farewell Address. Washington’s library included the Greeks: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses ~ which makes mention of 30,000 spirits who watch over the deeds of humans and bring agricultural bounty.

Athena
The Athenian’s had a statue of Athena inside the Parthenon. She is noted for many things to the Greeks; in particular, the victory at Troy and the homecoming of Odysseus. She was referred to as Promachus: first (foremost) fighter and one who leads in battle. Also, parthenongenesis is asexual reproduction without fertilization ~ noting Athena’s birth from the head of Zeus.

Freedom
We the People have our own Athena: her name is Freedom and she watches over America from atop our acropolis, the US Capitol. There were three versions of Freedom’s statue. The first looked too much like Athena; the second, too much like Minerva (Rome’s Athena); the third they thought looked just about right I guess … you know, for being born in 1863 in the middle of the US Civil War.

Heritage (not history) is the key to Usurpation Day ~ and keep this in mind: America’s best days are ahead of US.

Let us pick-up there on 19 June … Juneteenth.

Bryan W. Brickner

Usurpation Day 2013: We the People, 9 April 1792 and Constitutional Representation

4/9/2013

On 9 April 1792, Congress first usurped We the People's constitutional representation.

The History of Congress provides the evidence. The US Constitution mandates one House Representative for every “thirty Thousand” citizens per state (Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3). On 9 April 1792, Congress first changed the representation ratio without amending the Constitution: their small usurpation, from 30,000 to 33,000, has turned into a large usurpation – a ratio of one House Representative for every 710,000 citizens.

The taking of rights belonging to others – usurpation – animated our revolution: from the slogans “Don’t Tread On Me” and “No Taxation Without Representation” to the July 4th “Declaration By the Representatives of the United States of America,” the founding was political theory in action.

The revolutionaries, the founders, can be described as Lockeans; they learned from and ascribed to the political theories of John Locke (1632-1704), author of Two Treatises on Government (1680-90).

Viewing Locke as ‘the Founders’ Founder,’ one sees how his political writings on the morality of usurpation fueled the revolutionary spirit – the Spirit of 1776. Here are Locke's aphorisms on usurpation from Two Treatises:

Of Usurpation

§ 197. As conquest may be called a foreign usurpation, so usurpation is a kind of domestic conquest, with this difference - that an usurper can never have right on his side, it being no usurpation but where one is got into the possession of what another has right to. This, so far as it is usurpation, is a change only of persons, but not of the forms and rules of the government; for if the usurper extend his power beyond what, of right, belonged to the lawful princes or governors of the commonwealth, it is tyranny added to usurpation.

§ 198. In all lawful governments the designation of the persons who are to bear rule being as natural and necessary a part as the form of the government itself, and that which had its establishment originally from the people - the anarchy being much alike, to have no form of government at all, or to agree that it shall be monarchical, yet appoint no way to design the person that shall have the power and be the monarch - all commonwealths, therefore, with the form of government established, have rules also of appointing and conveying the right to those who are to have any share in the public authority; and whoever gets into the exercise of any part of the power by other ways than what the laws of the community have prescribed hath no right to be obeyed, though the form of the commonwealth be still preserved, since he is not the person the laws have appointed, and, consequently, not the person the people have consented to. Nor can such an usurper, or any deriving from him, ever have a title till the people are both at liberty to consent, and have actually consented, to allow and confirm in him the power he hath till then usurped.

Usurpations create tyranny, making Usurpation Day 2013 worth remembering.