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Labeling of genetically modified foods

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The following poll was conducted by Gallup in September, 1999. As with many polls, there is a clear pro-corporate bias to the manner in which the question is phrased. The emphasis is clearly placed on the food costing more if they are to be labled as being genetically modified. Depite this obvious tactic to bring the numbers down, a full 68% still supported the right to know.

Survey Methods

The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,039 adults, 18 years and older, conducted September 23-26, 1999. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Some people say that all food should be labeled by the manufacturer to indicate whether the food contains products which have been produced using biotechnology. However, such labeling would require special handling that would raise the price of food. Would you, personally, be willing to pay more for your food in order to have new labels that would indicate the presence of foods produced using biotechnology?

       Yes                68%
       No                 29%
       DEPENDS (vol.)      1%
       No opinion          2%

2003: First public airing of “Conspiracy of Silence”

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Pedophile politicians make pedophile priests seem holy.

Download the whole 40 megabytes

The Nebraska State investigation starting in 1988 into the failure of the Franklin Bank & Trust soon turned up something much uglier: Franklin’s general manager Larry King –then the rising Black star of the Republican Party, singing the national anthem at the 1984 and 1988 Republican Conventions, later in prison for embezzling $40 million– was also luring children from nearby Boy’s Town and the streets of Omaha into forced prostitution. The clients were prominent politicians, media and industrial magnates around the country -including King, the Omaha Chief of Police, the owner of Nebraska’s largest newspaper, the Omaha Herald, and, according to several children, then-Vice-President George Bush the Father. Videos of the “parties” were used for blackmail, which may corrupt our government to this day. Kids were tortured, threatened, and in at least once case, murdered, to keep them in line.

“Conspiracy of Silence” by Britain’s Yorkshire TV -scheduled for the Discover Channel on May 3, 1994 but cancelled and never publicly aired until now on the web, includes much of the Franklin Committee’s video interviews with the child victims.

The Omaha Herald led the media vilification of the kids. The FBI threatened the kids with perjury prosecution if they told their story, and after 2 recanted, they did put the one remaining who stuck to her story in prison. After the State’s lead investigator Gary Caradori and his young son were killed in the unexplained breakup of his plane in midair the investigation died as other victims refused to talk or recanted their video testimony in court. This documentary picks up the pieces.

What happened to this video that the American people were supposed to see in 1994? We are told the final version was destroyed after payment (and threats?) by government agency prevented it being shown. This is a copy of the salvaged “work print” and is about 97% complete.

Then-Nebraska State Senator John DeCamp, who continues to be the kids’ lawyer, pro bono, wrote the best-selling The Franklin Coverup, now out in an updated edition. You can read the intro & table of contents, thanks to Amazon.com right here.

We believe this is more evidence that absolute power corrupts absolutely and that We the People must break the monopoly of power by an increasingly arrogant and dangerous government. Our terrorist enemies hate our government; not us, but we pay the price. You may find an answer at Vote.org

In the spirit of peoples around the world who resist the New World Order announced in 1992 by George Bush the father

Download the whole 41 megabytes

IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS WITH SERVERS WHO WOULD “MIRROR” or CO-HOST THIS VIDEO THEN MORE PEOPLE CAN VIEW IT WORLDWIDE. We ask only that it be shown in its entirety, and with this entire commentary.

God save the children of the world from tyrants who use them for sex, power, and cannon-fodder.

photocopy of US District Judge Urbom’s $1 million civil judgement against Larry King, to victim Paul Bonacci:

Page 2:

photocopy of Statement of John DeCamp, Paul Bonacci’s attorney:

Reap the Whirlwind

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Gulf hurricane season officially ends Dec. 1. But Hurricane Epsilon formed Dec. 2, only the 5th December hurricane in the 151 years of record-keeping. On Dec. 30, Tropical Storm Zeta formed, tied with Alice (1954) for latest ever. The 2005 Atlantic season had by far the most hurricanes (14), the most tropical storms (27) , and the most (3) with Category 5 winds: Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Hurricane Wilma for awhile was the most powerful hurricane ever; Hurricane Katrina caused the most economic damage of any on record.

On March 28, 2004 the only hurricane on record in the South Atlantic, Caterina, hit Brazil. The only tropical storm ever to hit Spain, briefly strong enough to become Hurricane Vince made landfall on October 11th of this year.

Scientists have known since 1984 that hurricanes depend on sea surface temperatures. NASA says 2005 is the hottest on record world wide.

Because of the enormous inertia of the ocean, the world’s largest “heat sink,” even if all fossil fuel burning ceased now, global climate change will continue for centuries. To paraphrase the Bible’s Hosea 8-7, we have sown the ill wind of greenhouse gases, and will reap worsening whirlwinds, among other things.

Here are three things you can do:

  1. Burn less fossil fuel.
  2. Join the great and small in Stop Global Warming‘s Virtual March on Washington.
  3. Read “Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs and Security” by the world’s foremost energy expert, Amory Lovins and company. The book was commissioned by the Defense Department and is available for free download at OilEndGame.com along with all the spreadsheets proving their case, which is that with 2004 technology we can get off foreign oil by 2040, and with coming technology, off all oil by 2050. Most of the oil can be saved by making cars, trucks, planes, etc., much more efficient. This may sound daunting, but Detroit improved car efficiency faster than that during 1977-85! The rest of the oil can be replaced by renewables, especially new biowastes-to-fuel technology. After you’ve read the book, help get politicians to read it and follow his advice.

If the U.S., responsible for 25% of global greenhouse gases, doesn’t change course, then our children may die of starvation and world resource wars, according to the Defense Department’s 2004 study.

James Lovelock, the scientist who proposed the Gaia theory, says it’s too late:

“Climate change will kill billions of people this century as the Earth warms, passing into a `fever’ phase from which it may take 100,000 years to recover.”

The Independent of London’s investigation shows much the same. Note that “degrees” in this article are Celcius. .6 Celcius is 1 Fahrenheit. 2 degrees Celcius is 3.6 Fahrenheit.

The Democracy Amendment

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Section 1. The sovereign authority and the legislative power of citizens of the United States to enact, repeal and amend public policy, laws, charters, and constitutions by local, state and national initiatives shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state.

Section 2. The citizens of the United States hereby sanction the national election conducted by the nonprofit corporation Philadelphia II, permitting the enactment of this Article and the Democracy Act.

Section 3. The United States Electoral Trust (hereinafter “Electoral Trust”) is hereby created to administer the procedures established by this Article and the Democracy Act. A Board of Trustees and a Director shall govern the Electoral Trust. The Board of Trustees shall be composed of one member elected by the citizens of each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Territories of the United States. An election shall be conducted every two years to elect members of the Board of Trustees. Immediately after the first election, the elected members shall be divided as equally as possible into two classes. The seats of the members of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year; the seats of the members of the second class shall be vacated at the expiration of the fourth year. All members of the Board of Trustees shall serve for four years except the members of the first class. In order to facilitate the initial election of members to the Board of Trustees, an Interim Board is appointed by the Democracy Act. A Director responsible for day-to-day operations shall be appointed by the majority of the members of the Board of Trustees, except that the first Director shall be appointed by the Board of Directors of Philadelphia II.

Section 4. An initiative created under the authority of this Article that modifies a constitution or charter assumes the force of law when it is approved by more than half the registered voters of the relevant jurisdiction in each of two successive elections conducted by the Electoral Trust. If such initiative is approved in the first election, the second election shall occur no earlier than six months and no later than a year after the first election. An initiative created under the authority of this Article that enacts, modifies or repeals any statute assumes the force of law when approved by more than half the registered voters of the relevant jurisdiction participating in an election conducted by the Electoral Trust.

Section 5. Only natural persons who are citizens of the United States may sponsor an initiative under the authority of this Article.

Section 6. Only natural persons who are citizens of the United States may contribute funds, services or property in support of or in opposition to a legislative initiative created under the authority of this Article. Contributions from corporations including, but not limited to, such incorporated entities as industry groups, labor unions, political parties, political action committees, organized religions and associations, are specifically prohibited. Such entities are also prohibited from coercing or inducing employees, clients, customers, members, or any other associated persons to support or oppose an initiative created under the authority of this Article.

Section 7. The people shall have the power to enforce the provisions of this Article by appropriate legislation. No court in the United States may enjoin an initiative election except on grounds of fraud.

Democracy Act

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AN ACT establishing legislative procedures and an administrative agency to permit the citizens of the United States to exercise their legislative power; and adding to the Federal Code.

Be It Enacted By The People Of The United States:

Section 1. TITLE.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Democracy Act.

Section 2. PREAMBLE.

We, the People of the United States, inherently possess the sovereign authority and power to govern ourselves. We asserted this power in our Declaration of Independence and in the ratification of our Constitution. We, the People, choose now to participate as lawmakers in our local, state and national governments. We, the People, sanction the election conducted by the nonprofit corporation Philadelphia II enabling our empowerment as lawmakers. We, the People, shall exercise our legislative powers by initiative concurrently with the legislative powers we delegated to our elected representatives. THEREFORE, We, the People, enact this Democracy Act, establishing a “Legislature of the People.”

Section 3. PROCEDURES.

The United States Electoral Trust (hereinafter “Electoral Trust”) shall qualify initiatives chronologically and shall conduct the entire initiative process chronologically. The Electoral Trust shall take advantage of contemporary technology in implementing these procedures. The essential elements of the initiative process include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. Sponsor.
Only citizens of the United States who are registered to vote may sponsor an initiative. The Sponsor shall be identified on the initiative, on any petition, and on any qualifying poll.

B. Form.
An initiative shall comprise a Title, a Summary, a Preamble that states the reasons for, and explains why, the initiative is proposed, and the complete text of the initiative.

C. Content.
An initiative shall pertain to a matter of public policy relevant to the government jurisdiction to which it is applicable. The Sponsor shall determine the wording of the initiative. The Title and Summary shall be subject to the approval of the Electoral Trust.

D. Subject.
An initiative shall address one subject only, but may include related or mutually dependent parts.

E. Word Limit.
An initiative shall contain no more than five thousand words, exclusive of the Title, Preamble, Summary, References, Definitions, and language that quotes existing law.

F. Qualification.
Following approval of the Title and Summary by the Electoral Trust, an initiative may qualify for election in the relevant government jurisdiction by any one of the following methods:

  1. Citizen Petition.
    An initiative shall qualify for election if it is the subject of a petition signed manually or electronically by a number of registered voters, to be specified by the Electoral Trust, within the relevant government jurisdiction. The time period allotted to gather qualifying petition signatures shall be not more than two years, beginning on the date the first signature is collected.
  2. Public Opinion Poll of Citizens.
    An initiative shall qualify for election if the subject matter described in the title and summary is approved in a public opinion poll. To qualify by this method, the polling plan, including the number of respondents, the methodology and the entity that will conduct the poll, shall be approved by the Electoral Trust.
  3. Legislative Resolution.
    An initiative shall qualify for election if a resolution, the wording of which is identical to the initiative as submitted by its sponsor, is passed by simple majority in the legislative body of the relevant jurisdiction; except that, if the initiative proposes to create or alter a constitution or charter, such resolution must pass by a two-thirds majority.

G. Withdrawal.
The Sponsor of an initiative may withdraw an initiative from further consideration and processing at any time prior to a deadline established by the Electoral Trust.

H. Public Hearing.
After an initiative qualifies for election, the Electoral Trust shall appoint a Hearing Officer to conduct a public hearing on the initiative. Representatives of the Sponsor and representatives of the legislative body of the relevant jurisdiction shall participate in the hearing in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Electoral Trust. Testimony on the initiative by citizens, proponents, opponents, and experts shall be solicited and their testimony shall be published as the Hearing Record.

I. Deliberative Committee.
After the public hearing on each initiative, the Electoral Trust shall convene a Deliberative Committee to review that initiative. The Deliberative Committee shall consist of citizens selected at random from the voter registration rolls of the relevant jurisdiction maintained by the Electoral Trust. Members of the Deliberative Committee shall be fairly compensated for time spent and expenses incurred in performance of Committee duties. The Electoral Trust shall provide technical support and such additional resources as are necessary for the effective discharge of the Committee’s duties. The Deliberative Committee shall review the Hearing Record, secure expert advice, deliberate the merits of the initiative, and prepare a written report of its deliberations and recommendations. By two-thirds vote, the Committee may alter the Title, Summary, Preamble or text of the initiative, provided that the changes are consistent with the stated purpose of the initiative.

J. Legislative Advisory Vote.
Each initiative, together with its Hearing Record and report of the Deliberative Committee, shall be transmitted to the legislative body of the relevant jurisdiction. The legislative body shall conduct a public vote of its members, recording the yeas and nays on the initiative, within 90 days after receipt thereof. The vote of the legislative body is non-binding, serving only as an advisory to the citizens.

K. Election.
Upon completion of the Legislative Advisory Vote, or 90 days after the initiative has been delivered to the legislative body of the relevant jurisdiction, whichever occurs first, the Electoral Trust shall publish a schedule for the election of the initiative and shall conduct an election in accordance with the published schedule.

L. Enactment.
An initiative that creates or modifies a constitution or charter assumes the force of law when it is approved by more than half the registered voters in the relevant jurisdiction in each of two successive elections conducted by the Electoral Trust. If such initiative is approved in the first election, the second election shall occur no earlier than six months and no later than a year after, the first election. An initiative that enacts, modifies or repeals statute law assumes the force of law when approved by more than half the registered voters participating in an election conducted by the Electoral Trust in the relevant jurisdiction.

M. Effective Date.
The effective date of an initiative, if not otherwise specified in the initiative, shall be forty-five days after certification of its enactment by the Electoral Trust.

N. Judicial Review.
No court shall have the power to enjoin any initiative election except on grounds of fraud. After an initiative has been enacted into statute law, courts, when requested, may determine the constitutionality of the law. Courts have no power to adjudicate initiatives that amend the United States Constitution.

O. Promotional Communications.
Any communication, regardless of the medium through which conveyed, that promotes or opposes an initiative shall conspicuously identify the person(s) responsible for that communication, in a manner specified by the Electoral Trust.

P. Campaign Financing.
Only United States citizens may contribute funds, services or property in support of or in opposition to an initiative. Contributions from corporations including, but not limited to, such incorporated entities as industry groups, labor unions, political parties, political action committees, organized religions and associations, are specifically prohibited. Such entities are also prohibited from coercing or inducing employees, clients, customers, members, or any other associated persons to support or oppose an initiative. Violation of these prohibitions is a felony punishable by not more than one year in prison, or a fine not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars, or both, per instance, applied to each person found guilty of the violation.

Q. Financial Disclosure.
The Electoral Trust shall establish financial reporting requirements applicable to initiative sponsors, proponents and opponents, with monetary thresholds appropriate to the affected government jurisdiction. The Electoral Trust shall make all financial reports available to the public immediately upon its receipt thereof. Failure of sponsors, proponents or opponents to comply with these reporting requirements shall be a felony punishable by not more than one year in prison or a fine not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars, or both, per instance, applied to each person found guilty of the violation.

Section 4. UNITED STATES ELECTORAL TRUST.

The Electoral Trust shall administer the Democracy Amendment and the Democracy Act. The Electoral Trust shall be governed by a Board of Trustees and a Director. The Electoral Trust shall take advantage of contemporary technology in carrying out its mission. The activities of the Electoral Trust shall be transparent to the public.

A. Mission.
The Electoral Trust shall impartially administer the Democracy Amendment and the Democracy Act, including the legislative procedures herein, so as to facilitate the exercise of the citizens’ legislative power. The Electoral Trust shall ensure that citizens may file, qualify and vote on initiatives relevant to any government jurisdiction at any time and from any location. The Electoral Trust shall neither influence the outcome of any initiative, nor alter the substance of any initiative, except as specified in Section 3.I, “Deliberative Committee”.

B. Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees shall establish policy for and perform oversight of the Electoral Trust.

  1. Membership.
    The Board of Trustees shall include 53 members: one member elected by the citizens of each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Territories of the United States.
  2. Term of Office.
    Members of the Board of Trustees shall serve a single four year term except as follows: Immediately after the first election, the members shall be divided as equally as possible into two classes. The seats of the members of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year; the seats of the members of the second class shall be vacated at the expiration of the fourth year.
  3. Removal Of Trustees.
    Any member of the Board of Trustees shall be removed from office upon a three-fourths vote of the full membership of the Board of Trustees, or by a majority of the voters participating in a recall election in the political jurisdiction from which the member was elected.
  4. Vacancies.
    A vacancy on the Board of Trustees shall be filled by majority vote of the full membership of the Board of Trustees on candidates who shall represent the political jurisdiction of the Trustee whose seat is vacant. A member appointed to fill a vacancy shall not subsequently be elected to the Board of Trustees.
  5. Meetings.
    The Board of Trustees shall meet at least annually and at such other times and in such places as it deems appropriate to conduct its business. All meetings of the Board shall be publicized in advance and open to the public, except as required by law. The Electoral Trust shall publish the minutes and video recordings of all meetings of the Board, except as required by law.

C. Interim Board.
The members of the Interim Board, hereby appointed, are the highest elected official (e.g., Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State) responsible for the conduct of elections from each of the fifty states and Puerto Rico and the highest official responsible for the conduct of elections from the District of Columbia and the Territories of the United States. The responsibility and authority of this initial Board shall be confined to establishing policy and oversight for the registration of each citizen of the United States eligible to vote on an initiative, and establishing policy and oversight for the election of the members of the Board of Trustees.

D. Director.
The Director of the Electoral Trust is the Chief Executive Officer of the Electoral Trust and is responsible for its day-to-day management and operations, consistent with the policies established by the Board of Trustees. The Director shall conduct the first election of the Board of Trustees as soon as possible.

  1. Term of Office.
    The Director, except for the first Director, shall be appointed by majority vote of the Board of Trustees. The Director shall serve for a single term of six years. The Board of Directors of Philadelphia II shall appoint the first Director.
  2. Removal Of Director.
    The Director shall be removed from office upon a three-fourths vote of the full membership of the Board of Trustees, or by a majority of the voters participating in a national recall election.
  3. Vacancy.
    A vacancy in the position of Director shall be filled by majority vote of the full membership of the Board of Trustees .

E. Oath or Affirmation of Office.
Each Member of the Board of Trustees, the Interim Board, the Director and each employee of the Electoral Trust shall execute the following oath or affirmation of office as a condition of his or her service: “I, (name), (swear or affirm) that I will, to the best of my ability, defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States and the sovereign authority of the People to exercise their legislative power.”

F. Organization and Responsibilities.
The Electoral Trust shall staff and organize itself to fulfill its mission and shall develop policies, procedures and regulations to register citizens upon their becoming eligible to vote, to assist sponsors in preparing initiatives for qualification, to process initiatives, to administer initiative elections and to administer elections and recall elections of the Board of Trustees and recall elections of the Director. The Electoral Trust may select and contract for facilities and services, and prescribe staff duties and compensation. The Electoral Trust may also apply for and receive funds, and incur debt when necessary, and shall act in a responsible manner as a fiduciary agency of the People.

  1. Existing Law.
    In fulfilling its responsibilities and performing its duties, the Electoral Trust shall comply with applicable laws and regulations of every government jurisdiction of the United States in which it operates that do not conflict with its mission defined in Section 4A, “Mission”. Where laws are in conflict, this Democracy Act shall supersede.
  2. Voter Registration.
    The Electoral Trust shall develop requirements, facilities and procedures for universal lifetime voter registration of citizens of the United States which shall be binding in elections conducted under the authority of the Democracy Amendment and this Act in every government jurisdiction in which a voter is, or may become, a legal resident.
  3. Research and Drafting Service.
    The Electoral Trust shall establish and operate a legislative research and drafting service to assist citizens in preparing initiatives.
  4. Communication.
    The Electoral Trust shall establish the means, procedures and regulations to facilitate the communication of timely, comprehensive, balanced, and pertinent information on the subject matter of each initiative, which information shall be conveyed to the citizens of the relevant jurisdiction by various media, including radio, television, print, and the Internet and/or other electronic media. The Electoral Trust shall establish and maintain a web site for each qualified initiative that will contain, at a minimum, a summary of the Hearing Record, the report of the Deliberative Committee, the result of the Legislative Advisory Vote, statements prepared by the Sponsor, other proponents and opponents, and a balanced analysis prepared by the Electoral Trust of the pros and cons of the initiative, its societal, environmental, and economic implications, costs and benefits.
  5. Hearings and Deliberative Committees.
    The Electoral Trust shall organize a Hearing to receive testimony and shall convene a Deliberative Committee to deliberate on each qualified initiative. The Electoral Trust shall provide or arrange for professional Hearing Officers and Deliberation Facilitators, technical consultants and support staff and facilities as needed for the effective conduct of Hearings and Committee activities.
  6. Elections
    The Electoral Trust shall devise and administer policies and procedures to conduct elections of initiatives, of the Board of Trustees, and for the recall of any Trustee or the Director. In doing so, it shall take advantage of contemporary technology in developing procedures for voting and validating votes. All such policies and procedures shall be neutral with respect to the content of initiatives administered and the outcomes of elections conducted.

G. Budgets.
Budgets covering all elements of the Electoral Trust’s operations and activities shall be prepared and published consistent with government practices and the public nature of the Electoral Trust’s responsibilities.

Section 5. APPROPRIATIONS.

The People hereby authorize the appropriation of funds from the Treasury of the United States, pursuant to Article I, Section 9(7) of the United States Constitution, to enable the Electoral Trust to organize itself, repay debts herein described, and begin the performance of its duties. Debts to be repaid under this Section are those incurred by Philadelphia II, the proceeds of which were used to pay the costs of preparing for and conducting the election for the enactment of the National Initiative for Democracy, which costs shall include, but shall not be limited to, the production cost of ballots, printing, mail, print and electronic communications, including the Internet, and services in support of the election conducted by Philadelphia II, and related costs such as the cost of the legal defense of Philadelphia II’s operations, all of which shall have been audited and certified as bona fide by the Electoral Trust prior to repayment. Hereafter, appropriations shall be made annually to the Electoral Trust as an independent agency of the United States Government.

Section 6. SEVERABILITY.

In the event that any one or more of the provisions of this Act shall for any reason be held to be invalid as a result of judicial action, the remaining provisions of this Act shall be unimpaired.

Section 7. ENACTMENT BY THE PEOPLE.

A. The Ballot.
Philadelphia II shall present a ballot to the citizens of the United States for their legislative decision on the enactment of the National Initiative for Democracy by direct contact, mail, print, Internet and/or other media. Regardless of the media through which they are presented and transmitted, all ballots shall provide for entry of the following information:

  • The voter’s name.
  • The voter’s address, including street, city, postal code, county and state of residence.
  • The voter’s telephone number.
  • The voter’s e-mail address.
  • A Yes or No vote on the National Initiative for Democracy.
  • The date the ballot is executed.
  • The voter’s Identification Number (provided by Philadelphia II).
  • The voter’s Password (provided by Philadelphia II).
  • The physical or electronic signature of the voter.

B.The Election.
Citizens registered to vote in any government jurisdiction within the United States may participate in the election for the National Initiative by executing a ballot such as described above and conveying it to Philadelphia II. The Amendment shall have been ratified and the Democracy Act enacted when Philadelphia II has received a number of affirmative votes greater than half the total number of government-validated votes cast in the presidential election occurring immediately prior to this election’s certification by the President of Philadelphia II to the government of the United States, provided that the number of affirmative votes exceeds the number of negative votes received by Philadelphia II at that time.

Section 8. DEFINITIONS

Administer
Plan, manage and execute the operations of an organization in accordance with governing policy, organizational regulations and pertinent constitutional and statute law.

Appropriation
A legislative act of the U.S. House of Representatives transferring public funds from the United States Treasury, in accordance with Article I, Section 9(7) of the Constitution.

Authorize (an appropriation)
A legislative act to empower or give necessary authority to make an appropriation of public funds from the United States Treasury.

Ballot
A document listing alternatives to be voted on or questions to be answered, along with other pertinent information. In this context, the ballot requests a simple “Yes” or “No” vote on the National Initiative for Democracy, plus information allowing verification of the voter’s registration status together with data that can be used to contact the voter to confirm that his or her vote was accurately recorded.

Budget
An itemized summary of anticipated income and intended expenditures for a specified period of time.

Campaign
An operation or related set of operations pursued to accomplish a political purpose. In this context it refers to all of the activities conducted by any citizen or group of citizens together with all the resources applied by them to the goal of enacting or defeating an initiative.

Certify/certification
To confirm formally as to truth, accuracy, or genuineness; to guarantee as having met a standard. In this context:

  • Citizens who vote to enact the National Initiative will certify their status as registered voters; and
  • the Electoral Trust will certify the results of an election as being true and accurate, and having conformed to the law governing initiative elections; and
  • Philadelphia II will certify to the United States government that, as a result of a national election, the Democracy Amendment and the Democracy Act are the law of the land.

Charter
A document that has been ratified by the people effected to establish and define the fundamental powers and privileges of a governing body for a municipality, county or other corporation..

Chief Executive Officer
The executive with responsibility and authority to plan, manage and conduct the operations of an organization; including the appointment of subordinate managers, hiring of employees, contracting for services, and undertaking or overseeing all other activities necessary to fulfill the mission of the organization subject to policies and guidelines established by the governing board of the organization or other superior authority.

Citizen
A person entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation; in particular, one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges.

Coerce
To force to act in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or intimidation.

Deliberation Facilitator
A professional in group processes and the effective conduct of meetings who is made available by the Electoral Trust to assist the citizen members of a Deliberative Committee in the conduct of their deliberations.

Election
In this context, the entire process, and the infrastructure supporting that process, by which votes are cast and tabulated to determine whether or not an initiative has been approved or rejected by the voters; or the process by which votes are cast and tabulated to determine the membership of the Board of Trustees of the Electoral Trust..

File (an initiative)
An initiative is filed when the Sponsor submits the initiative to the Electoral Trust for approval of its Title and Summary.

Government
A governing body (local, state or national) that is defined by and draws its authority from a constitution or charter.

Government Jurisdiction
A geographic area subject to governance by a legislative body. In this context, national, state, county or equivalent (e.g., parish), municipality (e.g., cities and towns), commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) and Trust Territory (i.e., American Samoa, Guam and Virgin Islands), plus the District of Columbia — are the specific jurisdictions referred to and included under the Democracy Act.

Induce
In this context, to lead or move, as to a course of action, by promise of reward or consideration.

Initiative
The legislative instrument chosen by the voting citizens of the United States to exercise their inherent power to enact or modify any governmental policy, law, charter, or constitution; as set forth in the Democracy Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Initiative Process
Infrastructure and procedures by which legislation may be introduced and enacted directly by the people.

Jurisdiction
See “Government Jurisdiction.”

Lawmaker/Legislator
One who makes or enacts laws. In this context, either a member of an elected legislative body such as Congress, a state legislature, or a city council; or a citizen eligible to vote in the Legislature of the People.

Legislation
A legislative resolution or statute law produced by a legislature.

Legislative Advisory Vote.
A legally non-binding vote required by the Democracy Act to be taken by the legislative body of the government jurisdiction affected by an initiative, in which the members of the elected legislature publicly vote yea or nay on the initiative. Serves as an advisory or cue to the citizens.

Legislative Body
An elected group of individuals having the power to create, amend and repeal laws together with the policies, procedures and infrastructure established by and under a governing constitution or charter.

Legislative Resolution
A formal expression of the opinion or “will” of a legislative body.

Legislature
An officially elected or otherwise selected body of people vested with the responsibility and power to make laws for a political unit, such as a state or nation.

Legislature of the People
The body of citizens who are eligible to vote in an election conducted by the Electoral Trust, which administers the policies, procedures and infrastructure established by and under the authority of the Democracy Amendment and the Democracy Act.

National Initiative
Short title for the National Initiative For Democracy.

National Initiative for Democracy
The Democracy Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and the Democracy Act, packaged together for concurrent presentation to the citizens of the United States in a national election to be conducted by Philadelphia II.

Opponent (of an initiative)
Any person who attempts, by any action, including but not limited to the contribution of funds, services, or other resources to be used for the creation or dissemination of information, to advocate that a qualified initiative be defeated at election.

Petition
In this context, a document in which registered voters indicate that they wish an initiative to be qualified for election. Petitions may be hard copy or electronic documents, and may be signed manually or electronically.

Philadelphia II
The nonprofit corporation conducting the election for the National Initiative.

Poll
In this context, a validated sampling of registered voters in which the respondents indicate whether or not they wish an initiative to be qualified for election.

Polling Plan
A document that describes the number and source of respondents; the method by which the respondents for a poll will be drawn; how the data will be collected, tabulated and presented; and how the question(s) on the poll will be worded. The Electoral Trust may require a polling plan to include such additional information as will permit it to carry out its responsibility to determine if the planned poll will accurately reflect the views of the citizens in the government jurisdiction affected by the initiative addressed by the proposed poll.

Proponent (of an initiative)
Any person who attempts, by any action, including but not limited to the contribution of funds, services, or other resources to be used for the creation or dissemination of information, to advocate that a qualified initiative be enacted at election.

Qualify (an initiative)
To qualify for election an initiative must meet criteria established by the Democracy Act, thereby enabling the Electoral Trust to begin the processing of the initiative that leads to its enactment or defeat in an election by registered voters.

Ratify
An act of approval by a sovereign authority.

Registered Voter
In this context, any citizen of the United States who is at least 18 years old, who has registered once in his or her lifetime, is not imprisoned for a felony, and who has not been classified as “incompetent” by a court, provided that he or she has not renounced or otherwise given up United States citizenship.

Signature, Electronic
“Electronic signature” is a generic, technology-neutral term that refers to the result of any of the various methods by which one can “sign” an electronic document. Examples of electronic signatures include: a digitized image of a handwritten signature, a secret code or personal identification number (PIN) (such as are used with ATM cards and credit cards) or a unique biometrics-based identifier, such as a fingerprint or a retinal scan. The Electoral Trust will specify and/or implement electronic signature technology to be used by voters who choose to submit ballots signed electronically.

Signature, Manual
A person’s name or equivalent mark written in the person’s own handwriting.

Sovereign
When used as a noun: one who, singly or in company with others, possesses supreme authority in a nation or other governmental unit. When used as an adjective: self-governing; independent; possessing highest authority and jurisdiction.

Sponsor
A person, or a group of individually identified people, responsible for the submission of an initiative to the Electoral Trust for qualification and processing.

Statute Law
An enactment by a legislative body, e.g., laws, resolutions and ordinances.

The People of the United States
The introductory phrase of the Democracy Act begins with the phrase “Be It Enacted By The People Of The United States.” In this context the term “People of the United States” is used for consistency with our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

Transparency, Transparent
In general usage: free from guile; candid, open and easily understood. In this context, the term “transparent” refers to the fact that the workings and products of the Electoral Trust are to be continuously public; that is, open to inspection and review by the citizenry except as may be required by law.