Answers To Some Frequently Asked Questions
Isn’t the COP risking being branded as an outlaw organization and putting its members at risk of being arrested or persecuted for activities that the government may view as subversive?
The COP does not intend to use force or to perform an arrest on its own. Instead, we will designate a local or state law enforcement body to perform an arrest, we will read the charges before the legislator to be arrested, and we will demand that the legislator voluntarily surrender to the designated authorities. None of these actions is illegal. It will be up to the legislator to decide whether to voluntarily comply or to evade arrest. To help the legislator along in the thought process, we will have upward of 10,000 people on the scene urging the legislator, for the sake of the nation, to submit to the arrest. The gathering will be in complete accord with the First Amendment right to assemble peaceably in protest. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Our grievance is that government officials are violating their oaths of office, committing high crimes and misdemeanors, without being arrested.
If protesting under the First Amendment and putting lawful pressure on government officials to enforce the Constitution should be treated by the government as subversive, then the government will have incriminated itself so deeply that it will have a revolution on its hands. The activities of the COP are aimed at avoiding the civil war that is bound to break out if nothing is done to enforce the Constitution. Most comfort-loving politicians, as well, would like to avoid a civil war.
How will the COP get "elected criminals" to take a COP arrest for violating their oaths of office or the Constitution seriously other than through the intimidating presence of 10,000 or more COP members witnessing their citizens' arrest?
We are constantly in the process of assessing how much “pressure” we can legally apply. Our first action will occur after we have a million members. We plan at minimum to designate an arresting authority, to read the charges against the prospective arrestee, and to demand that the prospective arrestee surrender to the arresting authority. We expect the media to be present for the attempted arrest, and all eyes will be watching the legislator to see what he or she will do and what we will do.
Regardless of the outcome, we expect the COP membership to grow by a considerable multiple after this first event. The next action will be more compelling in nature, depending on how many supporters the COP has.
How do you handle the fact that these "elected criminals" are more than likely to write themselves "immunity" laws against any kind of arrest and may call on federal law enforcement officers and even federal troops to protect them?
They are free to dig their own graves. Any legislation they crank out impairing the First Amendment right to assemble will be treated as unconstitutional, and the state and local governments may be willing to nullify the legislation. Certainly, the citizens will. Any unwarranted arrests by federal law enforcement officers will have consequences that politicians must not risk. Federal troops in the form of the National Guard are welcome. That will give us the opportunity to personally remind the troops of their oaths to support and defend the Constitution and of the precedence that the Constitution takes over their allegiance to the President and other federal criminals.
What will the COP propose to do to get state and local authorities to recognize and support any COP-sanctioned arrest and follow-through as legitimate?
We will first approach state and local authorities that are involved in nullification activities or other Constitution enforcement activities. Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona are potential examples of state governments that may be convinced to assure a safe and proper arrest. Sheriff Joe Arpaio may be willing to help. If we are unable to convince any state or local authorities to do the honors, we will choose an agency and insist that they do their duty. They may refuse, but they will be made aware that their refusal to uphold the Constitution will cast great shame on them as traitors to our nation and put them on the wrong side of history. Which side of the line they choose will not be forgotten after the tables have turned.
How is a violation of the oath of office a high crime under the Constitution? American politicians have been doing it for at least a century without consequence, as far as we know! Certainly the 112th Congress hasn't recognized these violations among its members in either of the two houses over the last two years!
Regardless of how long a criminal has been getting away with a crime, it is still a crime, and the law against it can still be enforced. The government is a mafia, with all three branches complicit in violating the Constitution. Of course, they will not willingly recognize the fact that they are committing crimes. That does not change the facts.
A “high crime,” as understood by the framers of the Constitution, is any crime that can only be committed by people in high offices who are subject to the law (the Constitution) governing the exercise of power in these offices. The phrasing in the Constitution also includes misdemeanors. Violation of the oath of office is unquestionably a high crime or misdemeanor as understood in the Constitution.
What has to happen and who among the Congress has the authority to arrest a fellow member of Congress?
The members of the House have the power to expel fellow representatives, and the members of the Senate have the power to expel senators. Each has its own protocol for accomplishing the expulsion. Anyone can start the ball rolling, but the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the Senate are the ones with the most clout for initiating the procedure.
How will the COP hold a legal body accountable for performing due diligence and follow-up appropriate for a case involving high crime?
Anyone who votes against the progress of the case or who otherwise impedes or neglects it is guilty of violating the oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. The COP will hold any such person accountable. In other words, the COP will not hold a “legal body” accountable; the COP will hold each complicit individual accountable. The same goes for any legal body that is responsible for the arraignment and trial of the accused federal official. It will be each individual whom we shall find to be responsible for a lapse in responsibility who will be held accountable.
What do you mean by the "assent of at least a majority of the remaining members of the COP," when 10,000 or more COP members are required to witness a COP arrest? Why is the required number greater than 10,000?
The COP will have well over a million members by the time its first actions are begun. Prior to an arrest attempt all reachable members will be polled on the question of whether the arrest should be conducted, and a survey will be used to determine how many can be present at the scene. A majority of the members polled must be in favor before the action can take place, and at least 10,000 people will be required at the scene. These numbers are what we believe will bring gravity to the situation and guarantee that the proceedings will be adequately covered by news media. One must also not forget the persuasive effect of 10,000 upstanding citizens on the media and on the National Guardsmen. All present will be dramatically swayed by the spirit of the crowd, their patriotism, and the righteousness of the cause.
What are my obligations if I sign?
You are not obliged; you are enabled. By signing on as a member you are being counted as one of the many people behind the COP plan. There is nothing more that you need to do. However, you will be eligible to vote if and when we must poll the membership about whether to conduct an attempted arrest. Also, you may wish, if you are able, to be among the more than 10,000 people who will attend an arrest event.
Of course, you will become more enabled, and progress will quicken, as the COP grows in membership. Anything you can do to help grow the membership will be to your credit.
As soon as the email communications (at a penny or two per message) become too expensive for the Executive Board members to handle out of their own pockets, we will probably ask volunteers for some donations so that the membership can continue to grow.
Will you continue to take membership after the one million mark is reached?
Yes. For the COP to gain serious attention, we consider one million members to be the minimum necessary. With this many members we will be seen as the number one emerging action force, and many more people will want to join. With ten million members the COP would proceed to turn the government around at a reasonable pace. With fifty million members the COP would be irresistible.
Does this plan include aggressive militia action once all other options have expired?
Our purpose is to bring to a head the problem of government disobedience of the Constitution and to solve the problem without the need for militancy. We are well aware that failure to address the problem and to achieve a solution will almost certainly doom our nation to civil war. This is a fact that we will try to impress on the federal officials that we seek to chasten. Should our efforts fail, there will be no way to stop the oncoming conflict, and our efforts will probably shift toward making sure that the outcome of such a conflict results in the reinstatement of our Constitution, possibly strengthened by some well-thought-out amendments, as the Supreme Law of the Land. Unless strongly guided by a documented vision, most revolutions do not succeed in making things better.
Do all of the 10,000 needed for phase two need to be members of the COP to participate?
Yes, this requirement is written into the Plan and the Bylaws. Before a phase-two action can be initiated, we will poll as many members as can be reached by email to find out how many members plan to attend. This number will have to be sufficiently greater than 10,000 before we can proceed.
How will the votes be counted?
We will subscribe to an email list management service that has a survey capability. The list management service stores the email addresses of all of our members in a secure database. For ~1 penny per vote the service will send our poll to all members whose emails can be reached and will tally all of the responses for us electronically.
How can we hope to sign on 1 million members in time to save the Constitution and the nation?
The key is the multiplier effect. If everyone convinces three others to join the effort, and if each new member convinces three more, and if this cycle continues weekly, we can have 1 million members in fewer than eight weeks. If, on the average, each member convinces five more to join, we will have 1 million members within five weeks. If, on the other hand, we only double in size every month, it will take almost a year to reach the 1 million mark.
Most likely, the rate at which membership increases will depend on various events. For example, the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare apparently spurred a jump in the signup rate.
If the internet is shut down, for whatever reason, including what we're doing, how will that affect COP? Do we have something in place?
We do not currently have something in place. However, an enterprising member may wish to take on the job of getting people prepared for such an eventuality. Designating an emergency gathering spot in every locale would be one measure. We would be glad to post a list of all official gathering spots on the website. An additional measure would be to identify two-way wireless communication tools that can be used by leaders in each locale to communicate with leaders in neighboring locales. Amateur radio rigs could be pressed into service, and souped-up transceivers or modifications thereof could be provided at a reasonable price. (It should be noted that FCC regulation of the airwaves in the UHF and above is unconstitutional.) Our website may be able to carry the news regarding such preparations or to at least link to a site dedicated to that aim.
Can non-COP members participate in an arrest event?
Yes. We will be requiring that at least 10,000 COP members be attending, but the more additional supporters there are, the better, so long as these supporters do not intend to conduct actions that would damage the COP’s reputation. There is a risk that non-members not fully informed of the COP’s Plan might carry out actions that could prove regrettable. We will be insisting that this not happen, and we would have to break ranks with any bad actors.
In the event of a communications breakdown, can COP members take action without permission from COP and act in COP's name?
Some degree of autonomy is necessary in the case that the government should take down all means of communication. In this case, each local COP group should be counted on to act in the local COP group’s name. Each can claim, if true, to be operating under the COP’s philosophy but should not claim to be operating in the COP’s name in general. That is, each local COP group will be responsible for its own decisions until communications are reestablished.
Isn’t the COP risking being branded as an outlaw organization and putting its members at risk of being arrested or persecuted for activities that the government may view as subversive?
The COP does not intend to use force or to perform an arrest on its own. Instead, we will designate a local or state law enforcement body to perform an arrest, we will read the charges before the legislator to be arrested, and we will demand that the legislator voluntarily surrender to the designated authorities. None of these actions is illegal. It will be up to the legislator to decide whether to voluntarily comply or to evade arrest. To help the legislator along in the thought process, we will have upward of 10,000 people on the scene urging the legislator, for the sake of the nation, to submit to the arrest. The gathering will be in complete accord with the First Amendment right to assemble peaceably in protest. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Our grievance is that government officials are violating their oaths of office, committing high crimes and misdemeanors, without being arrested.
If protesting under the First Amendment and putting lawful pressure on government officials to enforce the Constitution should be treated by the government as subversive, then the government will have incriminated itself so deeply that it will have a revolution on its hands. The activities of the COP are aimed at avoiding the civil war that is bound to break out if nothing is done to enforce the Constitution. Most comfort-loving politicians, as well, would like to avoid a civil war.
How will the COP get "elected criminals" to take a COP arrest for violating their oaths of office or the Constitution seriously other than through the intimidating presence of 10,000 or more COP members witnessing their citizens' arrest?
We are constantly in the process of assessing how much “pressure” we can legally apply. Our first action will occur after we have a million members. We plan at minimum to designate an arresting authority, to read the charges against the prospective arrestee, and to demand that the prospective arrestee surrender to the arresting authority. We expect the media to be present for the attempted arrest, and all eyes will be watching the legislator to see what he or she will do and what we will do.
Regardless of the outcome, we expect the COP membership to grow by a considerable multiple after this first event. The next action will be more compelling in nature, depending on how many supporters the COP has.
How do you handle the fact that these "elected criminals" are more than likely to write themselves "immunity" laws against any kind of arrest and may call on federal law enforcement officers and even federal troops to protect them?
They are free to dig their own graves. Any legislation they crank out impairing the First Amendment right to assemble will be treated as unconstitutional, and the state and local governments may be willing to nullify the legislation. Certainly, the citizens will. Any unwarranted arrests by federal law enforcement officers will have consequences that politicians must not risk. Federal troops in the form of the National Guard are welcome. That will give us the opportunity to personally remind the troops of their oaths to support and defend the Constitution and of the precedence that the Constitution takes over their allegiance to the President and other federal criminals.
What will the COP propose to do to get state and local authorities to recognize and support any COP-sanctioned arrest and follow-through as legitimate?
We will first approach state and local authorities that are involved in nullification activities or other Constitution enforcement activities. Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Arizona are potential examples of state governments that may be convinced to assure a safe and proper arrest. Sheriff Joe Arpaio may be willing to help. If we are unable to convince any state or local authorities to do the honors, we will choose an agency and insist that they do their duty. They may refuse, but they will be made aware that their refusal to uphold the Constitution will cast great shame on them as traitors to our nation and put them on the wrong side of history. Which side of the line they choose will not be forgotten after the tables have turned.
How is a violation of the oath of office a high crime under the Constitution? American politicians have been doing it for at least a century without consequence, as far as we know! Certainly the 112th Congress hasn't recognized these violations among its members in either of the two houses over the last two years!
Regardless of how long a criminal has been getting away with a crime, it is still a crime, and the law against it can still be enforced. The government is a mafia, with all three branches complicit in violating the Constitution. Of course, they will not willingly recognize the fact that they are committing crimes. That does not change the facts.
A “high crime,” as understood by the framers of the Constitution, is any crime that can only be committed by people in high offices who are subject to the law (the Constitution) governing the exercise of power in these offices. The phrasing in the Constitution also includes misdemeanors. Violation of the oath of office is unquestionably a high crime or misdemeanor as understood in the Constitution.
What has to happen and who among the Congress has the authority to arrest a fellow member of Congress?
The members of the House have the power to expel fellow representatives, and the members of the Senate have the power to expel senators. Each has its own protocol for accomplishing the expulsion. Anyone can start the ball rolling, but the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of the Senate are the ones with the most clout for initiating the procedure.
How will the COP hold a legal body accountable for performing due diligence and follow-up appropriate for a case involving high crime?
Anyone who votes against the progress of the case or who otherwise impedes or neglects it is guilty of violating the oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. The COP will hold any such person accountable. In other words, the COP will not hold a “legal body” accountable; the COP will hold each complicit individual accountable. The same goes for any legal body that is responsible for the arraignment and trial of the accused federal official. It will be each individual whom we shall find to be responsible for a lapse in responsibility who will be held accountable.
What do you mean by the "assent of at least a majority of the remaining members of the COP," when 10,000 or more COP members are required to witness a COP arrest? Why is the required number greater than 10,000?
The COP will have well over a million members by the time its first actions are begun. Prior to an arrest attempt all reachable members will be polled on the question of whether the arrest should be conducted, and a survey will be used to determine how many can be present at the scene. A majority of the members polled must be in favor before the action can take place, and at least 10,000 people will be required at the scene. These numbers are what we believe will bring gravity to the situation and guarantee that the proceedings will be adequately covered by news media. One must also not forget the persuasive effect of 10,000 upstanding citizens on the media and on the National Guardsmen. All present will be dramatically swayed by the spirit of the crowd, their patriotism, and the righteousness of the cause.
What are my obligations if I sign?
You are not obliged; you are enabled. By signing on as a member you are being counted as one of the many people behind the COP plan. There is nothing more that you need to do. However, you will be eligible to vote if and when we must poll the membership about whether to conduct an attempted arrest. Also, you may wish, if you are able, to be among the more than 10,000 people who will attend an arrest event.
Of course, you will become more enabled, and progress will quicken, as the COP grows in membership. Anything you can do to help grow the membership will be to your credit.
As soon as the email communications (at a penny or two per message) become too expensive for the Executive Board members to handle out of their own pockets, we will probably ask volunteers for some donations so that the membership can continue to grow.
Will you continue to take membership after the one million mark is reached?
Yes. For the COP to gain serious attention, we consider one million members to be the minimum necessary. With this many members we will be seen as the number one emerging action force, and many more people will want to join. With ten million members the COP would proceed to turn the government around at a reasonable pace. With fifty million members the COP would be irresistible.
Does this plan include aggressive militia action once all other options have expired?
Our purpose is to bring to a head the problem of government disobedience of the Constitution and to solve the problem without the need for militancy. We are well aware that failure to address the problem and to achieve a solution will almost certainly doom our nation to civil war. This is a fact that we will try to impress on the federal officials that we seek to chasten. Should our efforts fail, there will be no way to stop the oncoming conflict, and our efforts will probably shift toward making sure that the outcome of such a conflict results in the reinstatement of our Constitution, possibly strengthened by some well-thought-out amendments, as the Supreme Law of the Land. Unless strongly guided by a documented vision, most revolutions do not succeed in making things better.
Do all of the 10,000 needed for phase two need to be members of the COP to participate?
Yes, this requirement is written into the Plan and the Bylaws. Before a phase-two action can be initiated, we will poll as many members as can be reached by email to find out how many members plan to attend. This number will have to be sufficiently greater than 10,000 before we can proceed.
How will the votes be counted?
We will subscribe to an email list management service that has a survey capability. The list management service stores the email addresses of all of our members in a secure database. For ~1 penny per vote the service will send our poll to all members whose emails can be reached and will tally all of the responses for us electronically.
How can we hope to sign on 1 million members in time to save the Constitution and the nation?
The key is the multiplier effect. If everyone convinces three others to join the effort, and if each new member convinces three more, and if this cycle continues weekly, we can have 1 million members in fewer than eight weeks. If, on the average, each member convinces five more to join, we will have 1 million members within five weeks. If, on the other hand, we only double in size every month, it will take almost a year to reach the 1 million mark.
Most likely, the rate at which membership increases will depend on various events. For example, the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare apparently spurred a jump in the signup rate.
If the internet is shut down, for whatever reason, including what we're doing, how will that affect COP? Do we have something in place?
We do not currently have something in place. However, an enterprising member may wish to take on the job of getting people prepared for such an eventuality. Designating an emergency gathering spot in every locale would be one measure. We would be glad to post a list of all official gathering spots on the website. An additional measure would be to identify two-way wireless communication tools that can be used by leaders in each locale to communicate with leaders in neighboring locales. Amateur radio rigs could be pressed into service, and souped-up transceivers or modifications thereof could be provided at a reasonable price. (It should be noted that FCC regulation of the airwaves in the UHF and above is unconstitutional.) Our website may be able to carry the news regarding such preparations or to at least link to a site dedicated to that aim.
Can non-COP members participate in an arrest event?
Yes. We will be requiring that at least 10,000 COP members be attending, but the more additional supporters there are, the better, so long as these supporters do not intend to conduct actions that would damage the COP’s reputation. There is a risk that non-members not fully informed of the COP’s Plan might carry out actions that could prove regrettable. We will be insisting that this not happen, and we would have to break ranks with any bad actors.
In the event of a communications breakdown, can COP members take action without permission from COP and act in COP's name?
Some degree of autonomy is necessary in the case that the government should take down all means of communication. In this case, each local COP group should be counted on to act in the local COP group’s name. Each can claim, if true, to be operating under the COP’s philosophy but should not claim to be operating in the COP’s name in general. That is, each local COP group will be responsible for its own decisions until communications are reestablished.
