How would you vote on this measure if it were on your County ballot?

How would you vote on this measure?


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DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
About a decade ago I filed suit against the Federal gov claiming protections under the 9th amendment (also had other causes of action including a 1st amendment argument) for the human right to grow any plant for my own uses outside of commerce, and of course I claimed that gov had no jurisdictional authority to outlaw any plant species etc..
In one of the first hearings the Judge tossed out the 9th amen argument, his reasoning was that an individual litigant cannot reach for the 9th amen whatsoever if attempting to claim a right 'held by the People' etc and that the 9th amen exists in court in the context of being simply a judges tool for interpreting the rest of the Constitution when adjudicating any particular case etc...
I've chewed on that judges words now for 10 years and I've come to the conclusion that he was correct.
Only the People can reach for the 9th amen to declare any certain right held by the People, and it is only after such, that a litigant can reach for said rights and the Constitutional protections afforded etc...Makes perfect sense, if we the People don't declare the certain rights held by the People, then its not there for a judge(s) to confirm, and its not a judge's place to make such a declaration on behalf of the People, so in the end it's nobody's fault but our's if we don't exercise the terms of our Constitutional contract...
We are attempting to do just that here in Lake County with the (final and filed version) proposed measure here below.
On Friday the 21st (no later then 5pm) we will be issued a title and summary by the County, then we publish by Wednesday and start gathering signatures on Thursday, then we have about 60 days to collect the 2,115 sigs needed to make it on the ballot, but we are of course aiming to get over 4,000 sigs at least.
I'll be posting updates here for any who are interested, thanks...:peace:


The People of the County of Lake, in the State of California, do hereby decree:


'The Freedom to Garden Human Rights Restoration Act of 2014'


An Ordinance to restore the natural Human Right to grow and use plants for the basic necessities of life.


Whereas in the State of California, the People of the County of Lake do hereby Find, Declare and Ordain as follows:
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for people to reaffirm and reestablish the fundamental human rights with which they are naturally endowed, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's origins entitle them, and to recognize a decent respect for the opinions of humankind, requires that they should declare the causes which compel them to come forward toward the reestablishment of those rights.
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all humans beings are created equal. That human beings are naturally endowed with certain rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that to secure these rights, governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, and that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to re-declare and reestablish the inherent human rights that would intrinsically correct such governmental negligence, and to reconstitute such in a form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Therefore, in accordance with the 9th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America,
Amendment IX:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.",
and also in accordance with the California State Constitution, Article 1 Declaration of Rights, Section 21.: ..."This declaration of rights may not be construed to impair or deny others retained by the people.",
and, also as consistent with County of Lake Ordinance No. 2267 in relation to private property rights, and,
whereas disregard and contempt for certain human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of humankind, and, whereas in a world which human beings endeavor to enjoy freedom of speech and belief, and where freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of peoples everywhere, be it here proclaimed that it has become necessary to reaffirm and specifically re-constitute the self evident inherent freedom to grow and use plants as described herein:

Section 1., Findings:

That human beings are naturally endowed with the fundamental self evident right to have and grow the natural plants of this earth, and the naturally occurring seeds thereof, to be used for their own needs as individuals in pursuit of life and in effort to live, and that such basic human rights have been recognized and acknowledged to exist, and that these rights are held in perpetuity outside of the constitutional responsibility of a government to protect an individual's right to engage in commerce.

Section 1.(a)

That all County of Lake residents residing within the unincorporated areas of the County who exercise the rights described in Section 1. of this Act at their residence within said area, and are compliant with Section 2.(a), and are gardening outside (outdoors) or in a greenhouse (and not withstanding any generally applicable urgency ordinance(s) specifically relating to water conservation), are, as accorded in the paragraphs above, necessarily exempt from any County permitting or other County ordinances that would limit an individual's home gardening efforts or abilities in conjunction with Section 1.

Section 1.(b)

That any law, to the extent that it would specifically deny or disparage the human rights as described in Section 1. of this Act is unconstitutional by both the Federal Constitutions 9th Amendment, and also by the State Constitutions Article 1 Declaration of Rights, Section 21, and by the fact that such self evident human rights are held in perpetuity by the People.

Section 2., Responsibilities:

Should neighbor complaints that are not related to Section 2.(a) herein, or that are not related to a specific medically verifiable toxic health risk to the public arise as an official complaint to the County as a result of an individual(s) exercising the rights as described in Section 1., and Section 1.(a), (and not withstanding any effected party choosing to seek remedy and or reparations by way of litigation through civil proceedings), all the effected parties shall be directed to mediation provided for by the County of Lake, and if resolution between the effected parties cannot be achieved in a reasonable effort to mediate (to be determined by the appointed mediator), the effected parties shall then continue mediation at their own expense (to be equally divided between the effected parties) until a resolution between the parties can be agreed upon, or until one of the effected parties withdraws from the mediation.

Section 2.(a)

All who exercise the rights described in Section 1., and Section 1.(a) of this Act, shall take reasonable care to prevent environmental destruction, and are responsible to mitigate any possible foreseen negative impacts on the natural environments, and all persons who neglect such practices shall be subject to the authority designated under Section 2.(b) herein, but such remedies are to be used to help individuals come into compliance with this section and not to unreasonably burden individuals who exercise the rights described in Section 1.

Section 2.(b)

The County of Lake Environmental Health Department shall administer over individual circumstances that may arise related to Section 2. and Section 2.(a) herein, but all such administrative authority and compliance inquiries shall be restricted to circumstances where a verifiable neighbor (or resident of the county) complaint in writing and signed by the complainant has been officially registered with the county.

Section 3., Special Circumstances:

Any law, to the extent that it would specifically deny or disparage the Human Rights as described in Section 1. of this Act, (and not withstanding an individual in violation of using illegal gardening chemicals, including but not limited to, certain pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers), is to be set aside unless it can be determined that the individual circumstance is occurring within the context of "commerce" related activities as defined herein, or if an individual's violation(s) of Section 2.(a) of this Act are to the extent of violating a criminal statute.

Section 3.(a)

This Act shall not apply in circumstances where (a) private rental or lease agreement(s) (contract) exist(s) pertaining to the occupancy and or use of any private land unless such is otherwise specifically enumerated within said agreement(s) (contract), or unless the agreement(s) (contract) does not specify any conditions or agreement pertaining to outside (or greenhouse) home gardening.

Section 4., Definitions:

(a) For the express purposes of this Act, the word "commerce" shall be taken to mean:
The buying and selling of goods or services in any form, and in direct reference to the exchange of United States currency (or other such legally recognized tender) for such goods or services.

(b) For the express purposes of this Act, the words phrased as "compliance inquiries" shall be taken to mean:
A written and delivered inquiry, and an in person inquiry as to responding to (a) specific complaint(s), and to which access to inspect private property shall only be in circumstances where the respondent has voluntarily agreed to and granted such access, or where on an individual basis, a court order has provided for such access.

(c) For the express purposes of Section 1. of this Act, the words phrased as "to be used for their own needs" shall be taken to mean:
For use as food, medicine, fiber, fuel, building materials, environmental damage mitigation or other environmental concerns, privacy, aesthetics or ambiance, spiritual/religious requirement, (or other) basic necessities of life.

(d) For the express purposes of Section 1. of this Act, the word "natural" and the words phrased as "naturally occurring" shall be taken to mean:
Plant species and varieties of such that have evolved in nature through the traditional pollination and cross pollination processes, be that by wind/weather, or animal (including human) assistance.

(e) For the express purposes of Section 1.(a) and Section 3.(a) of this Act, the word "greenhouse" shall be taken to mean:
Any structure where the sun's light can penetrate at least 80% of the roof (ceiling or top) surface and that is intended for and used for growing plants in.

Section 5., Severability:

If any provision of this Act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the Act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this Act are severable. The People of the County of Lake hereby declare that we would have adopted this Act irrespective of the invalidity of any particular portion thereof.

________________________________________________________________________________________________


The ultimate authority rests with the people, and there's plain and simple language in the Declaration of Independence which describes exactly why government exists and how the ultimate authority always rests with the People...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,–That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,"...

The State and Federal Constitution's also provide the language to assure that the People always have reach to declare certain rights that are help by the People:

9th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America,

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.",

California State Constitution, Article 1 Declaration of Rights, Section 21.: ...

"This declaration of rights may not be construed to impair or deny others retained by the people."

Then at last the California Initiative process provides the appropriate avenue for remedy in declaring what such certain rights are.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdOEindANdY
 

biglungs

Active Member
if u cant change the county u r in change counties....

lake county sucks without all the BS surrounding growing. there r no jobs most of the ppl r meth heads
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
if u cant change the county u r in change counties....

lake county sucks without all the BS surrounding growing. there r no jobs most of the ppl r meth heads
proportionately i don't think lake county has any more folks on meth then most other counties in cali, but how is such relevant to the proposed measure?
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
We are rollin' :D
Here is the County's prepared tittle and summary that is being published on Wednesday, signature gathering will then commence on Thursday :)

INITIATIVE MEASURE MEASURE TO BE SUBMITTED DIRECTLY TO THE VOTERS


The county council has prepared the following tittle and summary of the chief purpose and points of the proposed measure:


AN INITIATIVE MEASURE TO RESTORE THE NATURAL HUMAN RIGHT TO GROW

AND USE PLANTS FOR THE BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE


This initiative measure asserts that human beings are naturally endowed with the fundamental self-evident right to have and grow the natural plants of this earth and the naturally occurring seeds thereof and that these rights are held in perpetuity outside of the constitutional responsibility of a government to protect an individual's right to engage in commerce. This measure seeks to exempt all Lake County residents within the unincorporated areas of the County from any County permitting or other County ordinances that would limit an individual's outside and/or greenhouse home gardening efforts or abilities as described in the initiative and would declare any law, to the extent it would specifically deny these human rights, to be unconstitutional under both the federal and state constitutions. This measure would require, in the event any neighbor complaints occur as a result of the right to have and grow the natural plants of this earth, which complaints are not related to a specific, medically- verifiable toxic health risk to the public, that the parties involved would be sent to mediation provided by the County of Lake. This initiative measure would require that all who exercise the rights described in the measure must take reasonable care to prevent environmental destruction and to mitigate foreseen negative impacts on the natural environments. The Lake County Environmental Health Department would be required by this measure to act as the administrative authority as to complaints by neighbors and foreseen negative environmental impacts should mitigation be neglected by an individual engaging in the gardening practices described in this measure, but that authority is restricted to circumstances where a verifiable neighbor or resident of the County signs a written complaint and officially registers it with the County. This initiative measure will require that any law, to the extent that it would specifically deny or disparage the human right to garden as described therein, (and not withstanding an individual in violation of using illegal garden chemicals), must be set aside unless it can be determined either that the individual circumstance is occurring within the context of commerce related activities as defined by this measure or if the individual's violation of the environmental obligations described in this measure rises to the violation of a criminal statute. This measure provides that it will not apply in circumstances where a private rental or lease agreement exists pertaining to the use or occupancy of private land unless it is otherwise specifically enumerated within such an agreement or unless the agreement does not specify any terms and conditions regarding outside or greenhouse gardening.

The initiative measure provides that if any provision of the ordinance or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.
Dated: March 21, 2014 ANITA L. GRANT, County Counsel, County of Lake
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
The typos in the previous post were of my doing (mistake) in transferring the summary for posting here, they are not from the CC...
Also our legal ad (requirement) is in the paper today, later today i will be filing proof of such with the county and the signature gathering begins...
 

Nitegazer

Well-Known Member
Nice work! There are a couple things I might quibble with (exemptions to the act may need to be broadened a bit), but I'll leave that to the lawyers. I would like to see more push back using the 9th-- there are too many laws that have been passed to restrict rights without a compelling reason, a 'regulation creep' that will keep reducing our rights until there is a lot more push-back.
 

dirtsurfr

Well-Known Member
Politics is a dirty business and when they find them selves loosing a battle they will circle their wagons and use any thing they can to win the battle.
That includes lying cheating and breaking the laws because no body can hold them accountable!!
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
signature gathering update:

We started officially collecting sigs last Friday and its going even better then we expected.
People of all walks of life, including people who have nothing to do with cannabis, are signing.
Folks eyes really light up when they hear that this proposed measure seeks to restore their natural right to garden.
Seniors and Veterans seem to be some of the most excited about this measure.
Many folks have already jumped out of the norml campaign and are instead supporting our efforts.
At the rate we are getting sigs, we should be able to well surpass the required number of 2115 before May 28th in order to qualify for the ballot.
More to come...
 

dirtsurfr

Well-Known Member
Wait till your BOS gets the news!! You don't want to miss seeing it, Shasta Co. BOS was priceless kinda went like this...
The people got 2xs the amount of signatures.
Signed up 3,000 new voters.
The BOS thought the could just " go ahead and let them have their 12 plants?
Answer NO..
Well what do we have to do now??
You have 10 days to review and either rescind the grow band or put it on the ballot.
Of course they choose to put it on the Ballot cause if they didn't they'd look stupid.
So how much to put this on the Ballot? $80K
"Are you sure we can't just let them have those 12 plants???"

You have to attend the meeting and have as many supporters go as possible.
Les Balls put out a E-Mail to his constituents to show, 2 showed up.
The Self serving plea was so er... full of crap.. it was funny..
Both came from tax paid Drug and alcohol rehab places...
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
Hey folks, just popped in to update on our sig count so far...we are a little over 2,000 and its going great in spite of norml sending their local goons around to our petitioners telling them to take the petition and get the F out of town :) I guess they are not only offended by freedom but also by democracy...but I already knew that going in, as it's not at all my first rodeo with such folks...
Anywho we need 2,115 valid sigs to qualify for the November ballot so we are aiming to get at least 4,000...currently getting between 200 and 300 a day...
I'll be back to update when we are done petitioning...
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
lake county freedom to garden human rights restoration act update:

as of last night we are at about 4,500 signatures :)
now we have increased our goal to 6,000:peace:
 

dirtsurfr

Well-Known Member
Do yourself a favor and try to make it to the BOS meeting, I promise you'll love it!
Take a camera so you can share them chocking when they hear how much it's going to cost to put it on the ballot
Actually it's a good idea to get up during the open mic. time and point out that the tax payers are getting tired of footing the bill.
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member
Do yourself a favor and try to make it to the BOS meeting, I promise you'll love it!
Take a camera so you can share them chocking when they hear how much it's going to cost to put it on the ballot
Actually it's a good idea to get up during the open mic. time and point out that the tax payers are getting tired of footing the bill.
Our BOS meetings are all televised and recorded :)
normle has caused many probs for sig gathering efforts here in the last 3weeks so our numbers have slowed down, but we are at about 4,700 sigs currently (2,115 valid needed)...we are now trying for 5,000 before we file them with the county...
Many folks who have signed are not using cannabis but they understand how our measure puts the issue back in the context that effects all the people, not just folks who need cannabis...
 

DNAprotection

Well-Known Member


Freedom to garden act update:

Yesterday we filed 4,879 signatures with our county elections department.
We needed 2,115 valid sigs to qualify for the November ballot, so its looking like we are qualified.
'The People' never had a chance to vote on govs assumed jurisdiction to outlaw/schedule plants and finally in Lake County they will have that chance.

http://freedomtogardenact.org/node/6
 
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