"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32... and also chiseled into the marble entrance of the CIA Central Intellegience Agency... how's that for irony!
Most of what you believe about your government is a lie, an elaborate illusion to keep you ignorant of the truth. To the extent to which you buy their lies and the propaganda of the major media you are deluding yourself. "None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
So, citizen, are you going to take the blue pill or the red pill ? As Morpheus said, "all I offer is the truth and nothing more".
In great empires the people who live in the capital, and in the provinces remote from the scene of action, feel, many of them, scarce any inconveniency from the war; but enjoy, at their ease, the amusement of reading in the newspapers the exploits of their own fleets and armies.... They are commonly dissatisfied with the return of peace, which puts an end to their amusement, and to a thousand visionary hopes of conquest and national glory from a longer continuance of the war. Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
The general rule is that an unconstitutional statute, though having the form and the name of law, is in reality no law, but is wholly void and ineffective for any purpose since unconstitutionality dates from the time of its enactment and not merely from the date of the decision so branding it; an unconstitutional law, in legal contemplation, is as inoperative as if it had never been passed... An unconstitutional law is void. (16 Am. Jur. 2d, Sec. 178)
“Nationalism does nothing but teach you to hate people you never met, and to take pride in accomplishments you had no part in.” Doug Stanhope
There's a fine line between the American dream and the American nightmare. Don Henley
You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. - Ayn Rand
Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important. ~ T. S. Eliot
Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism when hatre for people other than your own comes first. Charles De Gaulle

That false argument about the "Act of 1871"

Hey Bob,

More than 13 years ago, Lisa Guiliani posted an article on the Net which asserted that some unspecified federal law enacted in 1871 created “USA, Inc.” or another corp with similar name. Sometime later, advocates of this contention noted that the law in question was the act of that year related to the form of govt Congress was creating for Washington, DC. Because I knew this contention to be completely incorrect, I posted the below on my website. Simply put, that particular act was in effect for only a few years before Congress repealed it, and a reading of that act shows that it did not created any corporation named “USA, Inc.” or anything similar.

This argument has mislead too many people for more than a decade. It causes this movement to appear to be composed of crackpots, idiots and flakes, and I have some serious reservations and concerns regarding those who continue to advocate this baseless argument. I would appreciate it if you could help in stopping the spread of this fake argument.

Larry

 

XX. The Federal Government is the 1871 act to establish a government for Washington D.C.:

    For several years now, certain groups and websites like Worldnewsstand have advocated an argument that the "federal" government was created as a municipal corporation via an act of February 21, 1871. The truth is otherwise.

    There is a history regarding the formation of Washington, D.C.  The Constitution specifically provides for the formation of a district, 10 miles square, to be the seat of the federal government; see Art. 1, § 8, cl. 17.  When the Constitution was ratified, the defacto seat of that government was in Philadelphia. The Residence Act of 1790 (1 Stat. 130, July 16, 1790), started the process of establishing the District of Columbia; in the interim, the government continued to meet in Philadelphia. On December 19, 1791, Maryland adopted "An Act concerning the territory of Columbia, and the City of Washington," which ceded lands and jurisdiction for the Maryland part of the District. President Washington played a critical role in the selection of the actual site of the District, as well as laying out the plans for the city. Finally, on February 27, 1801, 2 Stat. 103, Congress adopted an act concerning the District, and created two counties, Washington County on the Maryland side, and Alexandria County on the Virginia side. See amendments, 2 Stat. 115, and 2 Stat. 193. On May 1, 1802, the then existing Board of Commissioners for the District was abolished, replaced with a superintendent under the control of the President; see 2 Stat. 175. On May 3, 1802, Congress adopted an act to incorporate the city of Washington, in the District; see 2 Stat. 195, and amendments at 2 Stat. 254 and 422.  For some of the other acts regarding the District, see 3 Stat. 691, 4 Stat. 294, and 4 Stat. 517.

    This was the form of government for the District until February 21, 1871. On this date, Congress adopted a new act for the government of the District; see 16 Stat. 419-429.  As seen by a simple review of this act, it did not create a government for anything but the District of Columbia, and it certainly did not purport to be a government for "federal" citizens living in the States. Also posted here are the first couple of pages from the 1873 Revised Statutes for the District of Columbia.

    Scandal was the reason that this form of government for the District lasted only a mere 7 years. After the act of February 21, 1871, public officials of the District incurred tremendous debts for the District, eventually requiring Congress to in essence step in and take over that government. See 18 Stat. (Part 3) 116, ch. 337, for repeal of 1871 act. An act of June 11, 1878, 20 Stat. 102, provided "a permanent form of government for the District of Columbia." Much later, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Public Law 93-198, 87 Stat. 777, approved December 24, 1973, created the government for the District which exists today.

What have the Supremes stated about the "Act of 1871"? In District of Columbia v. Camden Iron Works, 181 U.S. 453 (1901), the Supremes held:

"June 20, 1874, an act was passed entitled 'An Act for the government of the District of Columbia, and for Other Purposes.' 18 Stat. 116, c. 337. By this act, the government established by the act of 1871 was abolished and the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, was authorized to appoint a Commission, consisting of three persons, to exercise the power and authority vested in the governor and the board of public works, except as afterwards limited by the act."

    Those who assert some wild theory about Washington, D.C. are utterly wrong. They have invented a "different version" of history without bothering to check out the facts.

The above is posted here.