last chance to choose?

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity.  This may well be mankind’s last chance to choose between chaos or community.” 

-        Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Where Do We Go From Here”

 

There’s still time to get something done as One Nation Under God.  But the house is divided over who can and how to make “Make America Great Again.”

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired and Stephanie Walker Stradford

AMWS, July 23, 2017 – “There’s a choice we’re making, we’re #SavingOurOwnLives, and soon we’ll make a brighter day, just you and me.”   

Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States, demonstrated to millions “the betrayal of a trust or confidence--a breach of faith that might be considered by some as treachery.”  You may agree or you may disagree.  But, whether or not this publicly perceived infraction adds up to the high crime of treason is relative to one’s station within a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” 

The U.S. Constitution defines impeachment at the federal level and limits impeachment to "The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States" who may be impeached and removed only for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors".  Unless you are a member in the majority of the U.S. Congress, what you think does not count.  But, each American’s action resonates louder than the daily threat consuming our lives and livelihood.

Several commentators have suggested that Congress alone may decide for itself what constitutes a "high crime or misdemeanor", especially since Nixon v. United States stated that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to determine whether the Senate properly "tried" a defendant.  

"An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history."   In 1970, then-House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford defined this criterion for impeachment as he saw it.   Anybody who lived through America’s Watergate has to know that Ford’s criterion may have later proved to be somewhat self-serving.  Ford became the only president in recent years to ascend to the highest office in the United States of America without being elected.

#SavingOurOwnLives means every U.S. citizen is a beneficiary with all rights and shared responsibility.  Every citizen must vote if #WeThePeople are to form “a more perfect union.”   But, shared responsibility hardly begins and ends at the voting booth.  Elected representatives for #WeThePeople must legislate a spirit of law before, during and after that spirit is executed within the rule of law.

In a statement posted at WhiteHouse.gov, the reader was informed, “The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States.  Empowered with the sovereign authority of the people by the framers and the consent of the legislatures of the states, it is the source of all government powers and also provides important limitations on the government that protect the fundamental rights of United States citizens.”

Such a public assertion, witnessed by at least two people, may lay an evidentiary foundation for allegations of “high crimes and misdemeanors."  Diverse religious leaders from across the United States have stepped up to testify against the CHAOS they see threatening some 240 million American lives.   They know that “a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand—not God’s, not satan’s.  They are #ReclaimingJesus on behalf of 75% of the population and invoking the “sovereign authority of the people” to make sure nobody gets in the way.

United States Marines, standing watch over the highest office in the land, are not necessarily religious, but have been described as "religious-like." These "always faithful" souls are being called to do their duty.  

 #SavingOurOwnLives is the duty of top Marine Generals John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff; James Mattis, Secretary of Defense; Joseph Dunford, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Robert B. Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps.  #SavingOurOwnLives is also the duty of Marine Robert Mueller, serving as special prosecutor investigating “high crimes and misdemeanors” stemming from a 2016 cyber-attack on the United States.  

America, it’s not enough to tell a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, “Thank you for your service.”  Every Duty Non-Commissioned Officer (past, present and future Duty NCOs) at every command will need to be engaged in doing their duty. #SavingOurOwnLives is their duty.  There is a process with respect to the laws governing members of the Armed Forces.  But if a terrorist threatens to “shoot someone on 5^th Avenue,” that terrorist needs to be reminded that action has consequences and no one is above the law.  We recognize that American Marines have been getting that message across since 1775. 

For the U.S. Marine on duty today, you’ll find the authority you need in your sixth general order.  In case you miss the word as it trickles down the ranks, GO VOTE like American lives depend it.  And, for perhaps the last time this year, you get a choice – CHAOS or COMMUNITY.

Any U.S. Marine that ever learned to walk from yellow footprints, respects the authority of the Duty NCO.  Eleven General Orders empower that non-commissioned officer to execute orders and instructions from superiors. 

But, what empowers the Duty NCO, witnessing CHAOS in front of a television, late at night, during a 24-hour news cycle.  You know you need to do something, but you just don’t know what it is.

That U.S. Marine standing watch needs to understand the “sovereign authority” of #WeThePeople.  Under “supreme law” governing “One Nation Under God,” the Duty NCO as well as the Commander-in-Chief is subject to the will of the people.  And, no one is above the law.

Although not present in the text of the U.S. Constitution, it is customary for modern presidents to say "So help me God" after the end of the oath.  The president’s acknowledgement of God as the “sovereign authority of the people” defines his station under “supreme law” governing “One Nation Under God.”  A statement at the White House website at one point in world history may have been considered blasphemy.   

And, yes, under truly supreme law, it may be considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office.
  

Is there sufficient evidence of “a betrayal of a trust or confidence” and/or “a breach of faith?”  Evidenced by an eruption of CHAOS from public statements following a secret meeting with a known adversary, representatives of #WeThePeople need only an up or down vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.  

No way the framers of the U.S. Constitution foresaw a U.S. President colluding with porn-stars and playboy bunnies.  No way they ever intended for a U.S. President to be his own judge and jury.  This is evident by three equal branches of government to create a balance of power.  However, America’s politicians have repeatedly demonstrated a history of compromise.  American leaders even waged war to hold on to their “stuff” or more specifically, stolen land and stolen people.

What might have been an open and shut case in #KwanzaaCourt has undermined American Justice to a point of looking stupid.  A change in venue may be in order to ensure that #SavingOurOwnLives is achieved in the final verdict. 

#WeThePeople will need to decide what verdict brings us closer to a more perfect union--CHAOS or COMMUNITY?

#SavingOurOwnLives

By Eric Stradford and Stephanie A. Walker Stradford

GENIUS AT WORK

A perspective on the final chorus of #WeAreTheWorld from Quincy Jones' notes. 
 "Love is all we need."

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AMWS July 16, 2018 – “There comes a time when we heed a certain call, when the world must come together as one.”  Now is that time!

#SavingOurOwnLives, an urgent cause for action, sparked an unprecedented demonstration to address a credible threat to a nation’s #EconomicSecurity. 

#WeAreTheWorld demonstrated endless possibilities for people who will stand together as one.  It’s been more than three decades since artists Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie etched this cause into a global call for action. 

A threat to the world’s most vulnerable citizens intensifies with each generation of wealthy folks who simply do not pay attention.  

BREAKING NEWS: Donald J. Trump is openly colluding with his Russian "competitor," despite months of denial by political conspirators.  The alleged action follows the indictment of 12 Russian officers for unlawful activity during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections. Though not necessarily a crime, punishable under U.S. law, collusion is a secret understanding between two or more persons to gain something illegally, to defraud another of his or her rights, or to appear as adversaries though in agreement.

Trump is hardly the first to learn that past acts, words and deeds matter.  "Tear down this wall!" is a line from a speech made by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987, calling for the leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, to open up the barrier which had divided West and East Berlin since 1961. 

 

Reagan was reportedly raised in a poor family in small towns of northern Illinois. He graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and worked as a sports announcer on several regional radio stations.  Hollywood acting and trade union attacking perhaps links the mid 1980’s to today’s news on foreign influence in American rights and responsibilities.

No international summit, multi or unilateral trade agreement, broken treaty or meet and greet will make a difference without facing reality.  “The poor can stop being poor if the rich are willing to become even richer at a slower rate.”  The assistant director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Hyman Bookbinder, declared that the long-range costs of adequately implementing programs to fight poverty, ignorance and slums will reach one trillion dollars in the future.

“The future is here,” said Stephanie A. Walker Stradford, CEO for Youth Achievers USA Institute.  We know what to do, but will we? Stradford is calling on fellow organization, civil rights, business, faith, and political leaders in a #BelovedCommunity to #PayAttention. #SavingOurOwnLives underscores the urgency for #WeThePeople to act now to #StandOurGround against enormous threats to our children, families and communities.

Depending on one’s political perspective, Ronald Reagan’s supply-side economic policies, dubbed "Reaganomics", advocated tax rate reductions to spur economic growth, economic deregulation, and reduction in government spending.  Sound familiar?  From a historically disadvantaged perspective, the outcome was “trickle-down” for the middle class and a dream deferred for the poor.

In his first term, Reagan reportedly survived an assassination attempt, spurred the War on Drugs, and fought public sector labor.  Meanwhile, remnant factions of a #BelovedCommunity drew on indigenous assets to encourage a national offensive against the effects of unfavorable Washington policies.

Walls came down after realizing the need to engage in #SavingOurOwnLives and defeating apartheid by proclaiming #WeAreTheWorld.  Hands Across America was a benefit event and publicity campaign staged on Sunday, May 25, 1986.  It is reported that approximately 6.5 million people held hands in a human chain for fifteen minutes along a path across the contiguous United States.  Several international cities joined the cause and many donated ten dollars to reserve their place in line.  The proceeds were donated to local charities to fight hunger, homelessness and those in poverty.

In 1985, the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa, brought to life the proclamation #WeAreTheWorld.  The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie with arrangements by John Barnes. Quincy Jones produced it for the album. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, #WeAreTheWorld is one of the fewer than 30 all-time physical singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. 

On a relative small scale, #WeAreTheWorld demonstrates endless possibilities when people stand together as one.