Asking For Accountability From Our Elected Officials

There is nothing more frustrating than seeing or experiencing a crime that goes un-prosecuted. Whether it is the victim of a violent crime or a victim of a civil crime, the pain that they feel affects us all.

When our elected officials do not stand up for the rights of these victims, then they need to be replaced with someone that will. All political officials need to be held accountable to the very people that put them into office.

We have the constitutional right to vote people into office and in many states and jurisdictions, have the right to remove them from office though the recall process.

Often times it is a simple problem of promoting someone to their level of incompetency. If an officer is a “good cop” that does not mean they have the training, business or leadership skills to be a sheriff. If some ones family member was a commissioner or council member, how does that give them the skills to be the same or be in another political office unless they can show, unto themselves, they have the necessary credentials for that office. This also happens with the County Judge’s positions and many other positions of representatives and senators as well.

Once a person in elected to an office, they are generally there for years. If they are apathetic, incompetent or involved in some criminal activity, the only recourse for the public, in most cases, is the recall process.

The Recall Handbook is a Practical Guide to Your Constitutional Rights to Recall an Elected Official. It goes through each step of the process from research and planning to actually collecting signatures and campaigning for the vote to remove the elected official. Information is included to help with the writing of the petition, organizing a team and potential problems you may experience along the way. It is an excellent resource book for anyone thinking about launching a recall effort.

Update on the Montana Grand Jury

"November 10, 2009

The Office of Montana’s Secretary of State Has Accepted a Draft Ballot Initiative Seeking to Provide the Citizens of Montana the Ability to Summon Grand Juries By Petition

Stevensville, Montana, November 10, 2009 – The office of Montana’s Secretary of State (SOS) in Helena has accepted a ballot initiative, to be reviewed by the office of Legislative Services. This is the beginning stage of placing the initiative on the 2010 general election ballot.

This initiative has been labeled ‘Ballot Issue #18’ by the SOS, and is a Constitutional Initiative (CI), seeking to amend Montana’s Constitution, providing for the ability of the citizens to summon Grand Juries by petition.

Currently, the Montana Constitution only provides that a District Judge, at their discretion, may summon a Grand Jury. Article II, Section 20, Paragraph 2 states: “A grand jury shall consist of eleven persons, of whom eight must concur to find an indictment. A grand jury shall be drawn and summoned only at the discretion and order of the district judge.”

Serving as a ‘check and balance’ for the Constitutional Republic known as the United States, the Founders had preserved for the citizens, the right and ability to assure that the public servants kept their activities in line with the intent of the Constitution, and its Bill of Rights, which were ratified on December 15, 1791.

The term Grand Jury is mentioned only in the 5th amendment to the United States Constitution. It is meant to be a right retained by the people. It is a citizen function, not a government function, as the public has been lead to believe.

What do the courts have to say?

“An independent grand jury is to stand between the prosecutor and the accused, and to determine whether a charge is legitimate, or is dictated by malice or personal ill will.”

”Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43 (1906)

The Supreme Court states that the independent grand jury’s purpose is not only to investigate possible criminal conduct, but to act as a “protector of citizens against arbitrary and oppressive governmental action,” and to perform its functions; the independent grand jury “deliberates in secret and may determine alone the course of its inquiry.”

United States v. Calandra, 414 U.S. 338 (1974)

Article IV, Section 4 of The United States Constitution says: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government …” And, Montana is this form of government. As such, the Montana Constitution states in Section 1: “Popular sovereignty. All political power is vested in and derived from the people. All government of right originates with the people, is founded upon their will only, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole.”

And, in Section 2: “Self-government. The people have the exclusive right of governing themselves as a free, sovereign, and independent state. They may alter or abolish the constitution and form of government whenever they deem it necessary.”

The Founders’ intended for the sovereign citizens to ‘lend’ the public servants their specific duties. Among these is the preservation of constitutionally protected rights. The servants are not in a position, and do not have the ability to take away these sovereign, constitutionally secured rights and powers of the people.

Amending Montana’s Constitution as indicated will serve to restore the Founders’ intent, at the state level, regarding the position of, and political responsibilities required by, the citizenry.

Duane Sipe"
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Source of Post
http://montanaconservative.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/update-on-the-montana-grand-jury/
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and www.MontanaGrandJury.com
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To Our Readers
If you are an American citizen you were born with certain unalienable rights. Those rights are now under direct siege by a rogue Federal government which is demonstrably involved in the destruction of our way of life, our freedoms, our social/cultural institutions, our economy, our religious heritage, our system of self-governance, our homes and families, and indeed our cherished U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

During the past four White House Administrations much erosion of our personal liberty has occurred incrementally. President Obama today is not using any tools which were not previously put in place by former Presidents G.H.W. Bush, William Clinton, and G.W. Bush. But hidden facts from our history show that this push to destroy America began long ago and has been planned and executed over many generations, largely by stealth and misleading legislation within our system of governance.
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The Montana Messenger seeks to share that hidden history with our readers, while publishing current issues and movements affecting the quality of our lives as Americans.
Both major political parties are party to, are even complicit with, a globalizing push to take America down from within and prepare our great nation for assimilation into their planned one-world government.

The two major parties speak of “peace, prosperity, and freedom”, but they both are bringing only tyranny and economic slavery. Both major political parties are involved in making America subservient to the United Nations’ global government, which already has a World Court, a World Bank, a World Peace-keeping force, a World Trade Organization, and is now openly calling for a World Currency.

All of this is a direct assault on American sovereignty, without which we shall be mere “world citizens” and our Constitution and Bill of Rights shall be evermore subservient to a higher authority, which sits even now in European banking-sponsored offices overseas. To fight this, Americans need unbiased reporting of hidden or suppressed facts and knowledge. We intend to provide just that. This paper is for readers who want to know what has been withheld from them by other media.

Like the Red Tailed Hawk, The Montana Messenger will bring truthful messages which will assist readers in seeing through the distortion, spin, mass hypnosis, and outright deception of main-stream news sources. The Montana Messenger flies free over America and is not caged by corporate, commercial, or CFR-contrived mandates. We actively invite all patriots to contribute, donate, and subscribe to The Montana Messenger. Pass this paper to family and friends. Know a patriot? Gift her or him with a subscription to The Montana Messenger. Your financial support shall insure that your good neighbors, your family and friends can access truths not offered by other media.

Being a truly independent national newspaper originating in the proud State of Montana, and knowing from experience that financial pressures often lead to compromised reporting, we at The Montana Messenger are in need of public support for this paper. We are grass roots Americans. We think grass roots America will want this newspaper. Help prove us right. Subscribe to freedom – subscribe to The Montana Messenger today!

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The end of the Lincoln County Recall

We fell short of our goal of 1,946 signatures collected for the Recall of Sheriff Daryl Anderson. On behalf the Lincoln County Recall Committee I would like to thank each and every person that signed the petition and every person that helped in the collection of signatures.

It has been a journey, one that has allowed us to learn about our constitutional rights and the laws that govern the recall process. We would also like to thank the many government officials that helped us along the way and a special thanks to our legal council for his help and support.

Many unresolved questions still remain about the issues involved. It is with our hopes and prayers that one day these issues are brought to light and justice is served upon those deserving.

Other questions still to be answered are the concerns and fears of the many people that we spoke to about signing the petition and business owners fearful of hosting the petition in their place of business. To be concerned about the possibility of retaliation or retribution from the very person they have voted into office to protect their safety and property is something that needs to be questioned and answered.

Along the way we have met many people and made many friends. We can only hope that our efforts have encouraged people to think about their vote, who they choose for an office and the candidate’s credentials, training and education. It is important for each and every one of us to use our constitutional right to vote with knowledge and integrity.

Ginny Emerson, Chairperson

Eureka Area Rape Facts

In and around the area of Eureka, MT, over the period of about 18 months, 11 women were sexually assaulted. Many of them were drugged, rapped and in some cases raped by multiple men. Some of these women were intimidated by the responding officer, embarrassed or too fearful of continuing victimization to report their assault to anyone other than the victim advocate.

The 6 women that did report their assault and filed a complaint with the police had their constitutional right to due process of law stripped from them by an incompetent Sheriff and his department.

Their lives have changed and they will never be the same because of their horrific experience and worse, they will never see justice. To the best of our knowledge, not one of the 6 reported cases has been prosecuted due to “lack of evidence”!

A major crisis event occurred in the lives of 11 women in the Eureka area. We believe this should never have happened and could have been prevented.r
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