Robert F. Kennedy for president

Could it be that we may have a sane candidate who can actually heal our political divides? Robert F. Kennedy recently hinted at a presidential bid. He understands, more than any, the overreach of our national security state. He also comes from a long family history of progressive activism. Above all, he is committed to our constitutional republic. Can we actually hope that a candidate of the people will actually emerge to lead us out of our national angst? Mr. Kennedy has announced his willingness, at great personal sacrifice, more than any other, to do so.

55 thoughts on “Robert F. Kennedy for president

  1. A Link to Our Better Selves

    There was a time when America had leaders who sought to unite us. For those who grew up in the 1960’s, the forces of division were immense: the war in Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the assassinations of our president, his brother, and Martin Luther King, the brutal killing of protestors at Kent State, the Cuban missile crisis. These were tumultuous times, and it was into these times that John and Bobby and Martin were placed to encourage us all to seek our better selves.

    Although silenced, they succeeded. The civil rights movement led to substantial change in us treating our brothers and sisters as equals under the law. The anti war movement eventually led to the ending of the Vietnam war. An independent executive with ideas contrary to many of his military advisors prevented a nuclear exchange over the Cuban missile crisis as well as planned false flag events on US soil staged to justify a US invasion of Cuba.

    That was then. Now we are as divided as a nation as never before. The threats to our nation are very different, but nonetheless substantial. We are in a proxy war with one of the largest nuclear powers, Russia, seemingly intent to pursue policies which unambiguously cross their stated red lines. With a weak executive and diminished military due to executive policies, we are simultaneously inviting a war with the other greatest nuclear power, China. Domestically, our politics has slouched towards a preference for the alchemies of demagoguery, intentionally seeking, insinuating and amplifying the most heinous of intentions. Gone are the days of honest discourse. The media has been usurped, Smith Mundt’s repeal being evident, our population subject to perpetual propaganda. Corporate crony capitalism has subsumed our government, the electorate questioning the very basis of our system; free, fair and honest elections.

    Into this milieu enters one who seeks to give us hope that these divisions can be overcome. We can unite again and overcome the monolithic monstrosity which is a corporate crony capitalistic system which has overtaken our constitutional republic. We can seek our better selves. We can find common cause in our humanity and the aspirations, goals, and rights which flow from this commonality. We can unite to achieve the only imaginable. This is the goal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He seeks to unite us as a nation, left and right, black and white, poor and affluent, educated and uneducated, urban and rural, left and right. How? By getting us to seek our better selves.

  2. The Last Gathering

    “We’ll talk of sunshine and of song,
And summer days, when we were young;
Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.
    ________________________
    STAY near me–do not take thy flight!
    A little longer stay in sight!
    Much converse do I find in thee,
    Historian of my infancy!
    Float near me; do not yet depart!
    Dead times revive in thee:
    Thou bring’st, gay creature as thou art!
    A solemn image to my heart,
    My father’s family!” William Wordsworth, “To a Butterfly”

    America is poised for her last gathering. We sit astride an era of extreme change, where the values and manners of one generation, rather than being passed as a torch to the new, are discarded and forgotten. This is a dangerous development, and many who remember wistfully the halcyon days of their youth are still young enough to resist the present iconoclasts who seek to remove all of our ancient markers.

    You see the desire for reawakening in the political reactions to some of the most egregious attacks, all of which blithely use seemingly innocuous acronyms as symbols for these radical changes, thereby dulling the senses to the radical nature of their aims: CRT, DEI, ESG. We are also seeing a significant percentage of our youth push back on such changes, as evidenced by the growing failure of our volunteer military to recruit.

    I was long ago struck with the wisdom of Edmund Burke on the influence of manners. “Manners are of more importance than laws. Upon them, in great measure, the laws depend. The law touches us but here and there, and now and then. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in. They give their whole form and color to our lives. According to their quality, they aid morals, they supply them, or they totally destroy them.”

    We, as a society, have forgotten our manners and lost our moral compass, yet there exists a significant segment of our society which resists our slide both into amoralism and radical political change. That segment is finding their voice, and they are perhaps finding it with unlikely bedfellows.

    As recently captured by The Hill in an article on the book, “RFK: A Memoir,” Mr. Budowsky wrote this: “Newfield brilliantly captured, in his timeless memoir that is super-relevant today, how Robert Kennedy championed progressive causes and ideas in ways that mobilized and united Blacks, Hispanics, working class whites, young voters, seniors and veterans.
    RFK’s politics were the ultimate Democratic vision of taking bold positions while seeking a society that is unified, healed and respectful. He championed civil rights and voting rights and was instrumental in getting Martin Luther King Jr. released from jail in 1960.”

    Predictions are fraught with unknowns and based on glimpses, insights and assumptions. Here are mine. First, Americans want and yearn to be united again in common purpose. Second, a significant number of Americans are not willing to quietly accept the moral and political changes being foisted upon them. Third, Americans see the rot that has crept into virtually every facet of their government, and they demand change. Fourth, there is to be found someone who can symbolize that change, help us find common ground in our differences, and inspire us to achieve great common goals.

    I have had some quizzical looks at my RFK Jr. for president buttons. I have also had it engender some conversations, some of which actually moved beyond party branding to more existential issues affecting our constitutional republic. As I got the buttons well before he announced exploring a campaign, perhaps some thought it simply strange or eccentric behavior rather than a deep desire for some glimmer hope for our nation’s future. As he has yet to officially announce, there remains only a spark waiting for a full throated appeal to our nation, articulating his vision and appealing to our desires for perhaps a last gathering of those yearning for that “solemn image” to their hearts; our United American family. Can “dead times revive” in a Kennedy presidency? Can we regain our common decency? Can we restore truth? Can we value respectful discourse and disagreement? Can we eschew demagoguery? Can we rid our halls of government from the corruption of corporate crony capitalism? Can we seek peace? Can we have a common hope for great achievements as a nation? Can we cease to be ruled by fear?

    The gathering has begun. Will you join us?

    Rural and Red
    ruralandred.com

  3. This guy is brilliant. To repeat, I don’t agree with everything he says, but many of his ideas are moonshot aspirations which not only seem very achievable and useful, but very exciting. Mr. Kennedy, as he often does, speaks extemporaneously for long periods, citing facts and figures from memory. This presentation presents a worthy national goal akin to Eisenhower’s interstate system – a national, integrated, smart electrical grid. Now that’s better than going to the moon.
    https://youtu.be/IKDghU2bzQQ

  4. A Tribute to President John F Kennedy and a Vision for President Robert F Kennedy Jr.

    Can we dream of new frontiers where
    We can be set free from
    Chains which bind imagination
    Stopping us to see

    The heights we could climb to the sublime
    Where we were meant to be
    Joined in blessed sweet communion
    With humanity

    Help me make this vision of this land
    A reality
    Where we can all be reunited with peace and prosperity

    America, America, God shed His grace on thee
    And make us free
    From sea to shining sea

    Here’s a modern day space shot for America. Number one – to be at peace. Number two – to restore our constitution. Number three – to rid our government of corporate crony capitalism. Number four – to create an integrated, smart, protected national electric grid. This would be akin to the Eisenhower interstate system of the 1950s.

    Harold R Gielow

  5. Kennedy tweet: “The collapse of U.S. influence over Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s new alliances with China and Iran are painful emblems of the abject failure of the Neocon strategy of maintaining U.S. global hegemony with aggressive projections of military power. China has displaced the American Empire by deftly projecting, instead, economic power. Over the past decade, our country has spent trillions bombing roads, ports, bridges, and airports. China spent the equivalent building the same across the developing world. The Ukraine war is the final collapse of the Neocon’s short-lived “American Century.” The Neocon projects in Iraq and Ukraine have cost $8.1 trillion, hollowed out our middle class, made a laughingstock of U.S. military power and moral authority, pushed China and Russia into an invincible alliance, destroyed the dollar as the global currency, cost millions of lives and done nothing to advance democracy or win friendships or influence.” They could not have done more harm if they were intentionally trying to destroy our country.

    1. There is an alternative view to Mr. Kennedy’s above tweet. He views the policies and actions as obvious failures, and they have been if you consider their objective to be enhancing America’s position in the world and its relative strength and influence. As difficult as it is to consider, what if these were not the goals of past policies and actions? I would suggest an alternate scenario, which alternative is fully in agreement with Mr. Kennedy’s contention that our nation has been overtaken by the fusion of corporate and government power. The endless wars were a boon to corporate interests. The coalition provisional authority was a contractor, using Iraqi money, for favored corporations. Ukraine became eponymous with national money laundering operation. The endless wars in the Middle East fueled the MIC. These policies were not meant to protect America, but were rather meant to benefit corporate interests. Everything is a rich man’s game. War is a racket. After the plunder and exploitation, amassing huge profits thereby, the end game is destruction of the current system in order to set up a new system where the elites are fully in control and the diminished masses are fully controlled. A new world order. It is not an example of failed policies. The policies and actions worked very well for the real goals – amassing more wealth in the hands of the few and creating conditions whereby the many could be both diminished and controlled. Here is where that plan has a fly in the ointment. The BRICS don’t agree with that plan as, one, some of them wish to maintain their sovereignty as nation states and others want a more prominent place at the one world government table.

      Two years is a long time. It is unclear whether our national awakening can yet save our constitutional republic. It is possible; however, those intent on destroying us so that they can bring in their dystopian new world order know their time is short and that the fuse has already been lit; multiple fuses actually. Worldwide debt is at unsustainable levels. The dollar as the reserve currency is threatened. Warmongers are fanning the flames of instability and confrontation instead of seeking off roads offered. We need a full throated opposition candidacy to bring to light and the consciousness of the American people how dire our situation really is? At the same time, that appeal must offer hope. Mr. Kennedy has the best chance of articulating these realities.

  6. Our Cassandra’s

    Chris Hedges has written a thought provoking essay, “Reclaiming Our Country,” which should be widely read as we press forward into decline as a nation and begin to more seriously consider our societal alternatives.

    His piece elicits a question, the response to which may reveal what force, the instinct for life or the instinct for death, predominates in our culture. What does our society do with its modern day Cassandra’s, those endowed with the gift of prophecy but fated never to be believed? Is it truly fate which obscures the truth, or is it something less benign?

    One way such prognosticators are pigeonholed is by pushing them into what some consider less serious pursuits, such as the arts. Then, with eyes wide shut, we consider their art superficially without dealing with its not so subtle realities. Should they nonetheless perfect their art to convey truth, then are they silenced.

    In an alternate reality, they are praised for their vision and expressive talent, their prophecy or commentary openly considered and discussed. The societal pendulum has swung widely to each alternate position over time, the latter characterizing an instinct for life, the former an instinct for death.

    Where on this arc is America’s pendulum? The answer is obvious to our Cassandra’s, but it is becoming more and more apparent to even the dullest of souls. Chris points out many of the bell weathers. The censorship industrial complex which has recently been uncovered is one. The disregard of the poor and handicapped among us is another. The pursuit of endless war is among the most hideous. The uneven distribution of the fruits of labor another. A disdain for the value of human life and respect for each life’s inherent humanity is certainly a hallmark.

    His solution, labor solidarity, is unresponsive to the array of ills we face as the dysfunction is in the soul of both the elite and the masses. The elite broadcast their intentions in writings and films. The masses refuse to read and think and watch films for entertainment instead of their being a reflection of reality. The instinct of death and dehumanization spreads like a cancer on society without some brave soul or souls crying “choose life.” “Choose peace.” “Choose respectful discourse.” “Choose good manners.” “Choose love.”

    What our society needs is an awakening, and such typically only comes in the face of the realization of impending or realized disaster. Such realizations are beginning to occur as the truth is uncovered in our governments collusion with and strong arming of the media to support their preferred narrative, but there is much, much more to reveal, which revelations some have avoided from fear of outcomes. It is passed time to fear the outcomes of truth, as the instinct to death is well nigh to achieving our destruction.

  7. RFK Jr’s Announcement of Presidential Bid

    The event is on the anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride and on its route to Lexington and Concord from the old north church. “Twas on the 18th of April in ‘75. Hardly a man is now alive, who remembers that fateful day and year…the midnight ride of Paul Revere.”
    “So through the night rode Paul Revere;
    And so through the night went his cry of alarm
    To every Middlesex village and farm, —
    A cry of defiance and not of fear,
    A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
    And a word that shall echo forevermore!
    For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
    Through all our history, to the last,
    In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
    The people will waken and listen to hear
    The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
    And the midnight message of Paul Revere.”

  8. Thank you all for starting this conversation! What a day that would be to have Robert Kennedy Jr voted in as our next President! Working as a fellow with Children’s Health Defense last year gave me insight into his life’s work as an environmental lawyer to his fight against Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Government…basically anything big business.

    While it’s amazing to see what he’s doing to combat big industry, it’s also a reason for concern regarding the health and robustness of his presidential campaign.

    How will he garner support from the Democratic Party to receive the nomination when so many members of big business are the donors and therefore behind the nomination?

    He very well may be the right man for the job, but how will he get a true chance without support and money?

    So I often wonder…is he running to become our next president or is he running to split the democratic vote in order to usher in a republican?

    RFK Jr is an extremely intelligent man and knows the playbook of the political arena…so he absolutely knows what he is doing by running for president.

    1. Dear Jackie,

      He is running to win. I have no doubt. That said, your insights are very pertinent. How will he get the backing he needs? I believe there will be a tsunami of support from both moderate republicans and democrats. I suppose a lot depends on his supporters. How committed are they? How deeply does his message resonate? For those who have witnessed the destruction of our constitutional republic and care about that, his message strikes a deep chord. This site and this PAC is committed to his bid. Share the link. I am trying to include information so people can both get to know RFK Jr. and be updated on his campaign. Of course, we are also soliciting donations to be an independent voice supporting his election. Thank you so much for contributing your voice and thoughts.

      1. Playing to win means regular everyday people need to contribute to his campaign more than ever before in order to combat Big Business money towards other candidates!

        Do you have a slogan or simple link to spread the word on how critical donations are to maintain medical & health freedom?

        1. Simple link is on the home page – https://ruralandred.com/donate/

          Slogan – How about “Total Victory with Kennedy”. That is what the 17 on the train logo stands for. “ God chose the number 17 to represent the ability to overcome challenges, defeat adversaries, and persuade the disobedient.” Nissan 17 biblical events: crossing of the Red Sea, entry into the promised land, ark sets on dry land, resurrection.

  9. A fascinating debate between Robert Kennedy Jr and Don Blankenship about coal mining in West Virginia and our energy future. Long but worth the time.

  10. Kennedy

    Join me in encouraging Mr. Kennedy in his run for US President. It is a simple platform everyone can get behind – restore our Constitution. We may disagree on many things, but the Constitution is the only glue which binds us. If it is made a nullity, our union is made a nullity. That was and is Mr. Kennedy’s central message. We love our Constitution. It is being destroyed by a collusion of corporate and government power. We, the people, have spoken and will continue to speak. This is the hill we are willing to die on. Mr. Kennedy is willing to lead that charge, and a charge it will be such that the gates of hell will not be able to stand against it. It is a goal which unifies us. Taking up its defense does not erase our differences, but it does allow those differences free expression in the marketplace of ideas. No matter our political persuasion, our religious persuasion, our racial background, our educational background, our philosophical background, our shared commitment to our basic rights as equally created human beings is fundamental to our national cohesion. That is what is experiencing a full frontal assault. That is what Mr. Kennedy is trying to protect, for it is the sine qua non of our union, as white, black, yellow, red, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, male, female, cis, trans, educated, uneducated, right, left. Without our shared commitment to our Constitution, it all falls apart. This is what Mr. Kennedy has told us he seeks to protect and defend, yea resurrect. He is uniquely positioned to lead the charge, his family bloodied in the same battle, his resolve steeled by suffering and struggle, his heart open to divergent opinions, his focus firmly set on restoring the rule of law so that the other, whatever that other may be, may be free to shout from the mountaintop their truth into the canyon of competing ideas where the truth is found and rises.

    I believe Mr. Kennedy’s Boston announcement will be the second shot heard ‘round the world. His minutemen are arriving from across the country to deliver the first salvo in a campaign, much needed, to truly reunite our nation in a common cause – the cause of freedom. Join us in encouraging Mr. Kennedy on this course.

  11. An acceptance speech presumptuously written for Mr. Kennedy.

    A New Dawn

    My fellow Americans. We stand at the precipice of a new dawn; a dawn of renewal, regeneration and hope. America, this great experiment, is not fated to go gentle into that good night. “Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
    Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

    Our light is not dying. It remains a city on a hill for millions crying for freedom, and a share of the heart of those of human birth who share in their humanity.

    We stand at a new dawn of freedom, peace, the prerequisite for prosperity, and hope, a certain expectation for a future real good. “The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans–born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage–and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”

    What is this precipice I speak of? It is a precipice of the complete sellout of our government to corporate interests whose bottom lines put life and liberty behind corporate profits.

    It is a precipice of a frontal assault on our basic rights as defined in our Constitution.

    It is a precipice of laughter and soft lies, soft because the lies protect us from something beyond our ken. The idea which was America seems somehow distant “Lost…in a wilderness of pain” which is the sacrifice of our most fundamental principles.

    We will not go gentle into that good night. Rather we will renew our commitment to the fundamental principles of our founding. We will seek justice. We will protect life. We will promote liberty. We will ensure that it’s blessings are preserved for us and our posterity. We will pursue this course with a steadfast dedication to its ends. We will never, never, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.

    How, you may ask, do we regain our lost innocence, that splendor in the grass which was once ours as a young nation? First, as the poet declares, “We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind;…” What remains behind are scars which remind us of the cost of what was bequeathed to us and what we suffered to maintain. Second, we
    have the values and ideals which animated our struggle. These are memorialized in documents protected and passed down from each generation, in large measure, incredibly, unchanged though constantly attacked. Third, we have the more recent wounds which, rather than discourage, renew our determination.

    In our pursuit of justice, we will neither shy away from the evil uncovered nor turn justice into vengeance. Sufficient unto the day is the trouble thereof. We must uncoil this deadly serpent of government and corporate collusion leaving each a functioning entity. Doing so will necessarily open old wounds. It will be painful, but it is a necessary, healing pain.

    This new dawn is not truly new, but rather a refreshing of the old. Dare I say that Camelot has only slept for a time. We stand at the precipice of freedom for all peoples in all times. Freedom from hunger. Freedom from oppression. Freedom from poverty. Most of all, freedom from fear. America, once again, stands with humankind to end the abuse of mankind’s basic, God given right to individual freedom.

    We seek such freedom for humankind, not from the end of a gun but rather from the end of a guarantee that we will not shrink from our resolve to seek its expression at home and abroad, our most effective means being the preservation of freedom at home. Our own steadfast example is the most effective means for inspiring hope and change around the globe.

    We stand at the precipice of peace. “What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and to build a better life for their children — not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women — not merely peace in our time but peace in all time.” These are not my words, but they remain my ardent hope.

    We stand at the precipice of hope. What is that real good we seek? The ancients have taught us to seek wisdom. This is the greatest prize. We hope, with many assurances, that the virtue of our nation will see us through this time of renewal. Our most effective weapons in this contest are not our technology or our military, but our values. “Now the trumpet summons us again–not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need–not as a call to battle, though embattled we are– but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”–a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.”

    It is with a steadfast faith in my countrymen, an enduring faith in the providential place of this great nation in history, and an enduring love for the principles on which it was founded that I accept your nomination for President of the United States.

    – [ ]

  12. Our World on the Brink

    Our world is facing many threats to peace, stability and prosperity. These threats are almost too numerous to list, but here are a few: Our national debt; worldwide debt; a proxy war in Ukraine against Russia; an impending war with China over Taiwan; a US economic train wreck of failing banks caused by rising interest rates; the de-dollarization of the world economy; the government’s exposed collusion with social media to restrict First Amendment rights; the government’s mandating of experimental use therapeutics; and the beat goes on. Our nation is in a crisis, yet many do not want to admit the true nature of that crisis but rather seek to cast blame on the most obvious, overt causes and actors, because if we truly lifted the hood, society itself just might implode.

    So what is under the hood? Although many are loath to do so, and cry out conspiracy theorist and quack, let’s start in 1963. In that year, our president was assassinated in broad daylight on national television. Over the years it has become clear that the story America was fed was a pure fabrication. John F. Kennedy was murdered in cold blood by elements of our own government. As Tucker Carlson recently said on his nationally syndicated show from which he has since been fired, knowing that, what does that knowledge mean? It means that, as his friend stated, “It’s all fake.” Our government was taken over by non elected forces in 1963 so that those forces could control our government. Not the people. Not democratic processes. Not elections. What many do not realize is that these forces had been at work for some time. 22 November 1963 was not their first rodeo.

    Leroy Fletcher Prouty, Mr. X in Oliver Stone’s movie JFK, details some very telling developments as early as 1945. Colonel Prouty was, in 1945, assigned in Japan. At some point in his travels, he landed in Okinawa where the material had been prepositioned to support the land invasion of Japan which never occurred. This was enough prepositioned supplies to support a 500,000 man invasion force, an invasion which never occurred. Mr. Prouty asked the harbor master, “So I guess your sending all of this back to the United States?” The harbor master replied that, no, one half of this supply is going to Seoul Korea, and one half is going to Hanoi, Vietnam. This was in 1945! Who made this decision? Why did they make this decision? The operations in Vietnam started in 1945, and it did not become a military operation until 1965. During that time, the CIA removed 1.1 million North Vietnamese from the North and relocated them in the South under the new Diem regime. This is over one million displaced persons in an emerging country which had never before existed. Bottom line, someone engineered the Vietnam war. It was created intentionally. Who made the decision to transfer those armaments? Who made the decision to create 1.1 million displaced persons?

    Many are loath to go there, but if the facts are reviewed, it is clear that there is a supranational hand directing the affairs of nations. The populous has been given the illusion of self governance whilst the invisible hand controls affairs. Here is the problem. Those elite which are part of this cabal realize that the previous systems of control they had implemented are no longer effective., The negative consequences of their actions are becoming more evident and their ability to control consequences more constrained. To retain control, more draconian measures are required. The mask is coming off because information is now more widely available and the powers that be believe it is too late for anyone of means to do anything to defeat their plans. With this belief, they plan draconian measure of control, including 15 minute cities and CBDC’s whereby everyone seeking to buy or sell may be controlled. Sound like a dystopian movie? Welcome to reality.

    In my humble opinion, the only way to awaken the masses to the dire circumstance they are in is to pull back the curtain and fully reveal what the invisible hand has orchestrated. I have listed already the Vietnam War in which we lost approximately 58,000 men, this only to fill the coffers of the war profiteers. We lost a president. We lost a presidential contender, the slain president’s brother. We lost Martin. We lost approximately 3000 Americans on 9/11, another operation of this unseen hand. We lost untold millions during the Covid pandemic. Have we not lost enough? When will people wake up? We have had whistleblowers. We have had documentarians. We have had historians. We have had undercover investigative journalists.

    It is time for America to once again take up the mantle of leadershjip in this world by first cleaning up its own house. Robert F. Kennedy Junior seeks to do just that. Are you ready to bring America, the America which used to be, back? If so, that requires exposing what has truly happened to America. Who better to lead that charge than the nephew of our slain president and the son of his slain brother?

  13. Rumor is that the Kennedy campaign is considering Tulsi Gabbard as a VP. Mrs. Gabbard is a very attractive choice with one exception – she is constitutionally unqualified.

    The natural born citizen clause of the Constitution has been ignored for some time. It has been nullified by precedent, yet it has never been altered by amendment, the only way the Constitution can legally be changed.

    To be clear, there has never been a Supreme Court decision specifically dealing with this clause. In fact, Clarence Thomas joked before congress that the court was avoiding the issue. In the interim, every permutation of its possible interpretation has been tested. Born in Canada to a US citizen mother; Ted Cruz. Born in Hawaii to a Kenyan citizen father; Obama. Born in South Carolina to Indian citizen parents; Nikki Haley. Born in California to an Indian citizen mother and a Jamaican citizen father; Kamala Harris. Born in the unincorporated territory of American Samoa to US citizen parents; Tulsi Gabbard. To highlight the extremities of this debate, Newsweek ran a cover claiming that prince Archie could one day run for US President because, as his mother was a US citizen at his birth, he is a US citizen at birth, which many equate to being a natural born citizen.

    I do not expect to win any accolades for highlighting this issue. To the contrary, most who do are ridiculed; however, there is more than substantial evidence that the meaning of this phrase is very restrictive and contrary to the many contemporary interpretations. The following is offered to highlight the original meaning of this phrase, or at least disputes as to its meanings. The Kennedy campaign should consider this issue, especially since it seeks to be viewed as upholders of the law.

    Natural Born Citizen
    Definition given on the floor of Congress, Representative John Bingham, father of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
    Reference – (Cong. Globe, 39th, 1st Sess., 1291 (1866))

    “I find no fault with the introductory clause, which is simply declaratory of what is written in the Constitution, that every human being born within the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of your Constitution itself, a natural born citizen; but, sir, I may be allowed to say further, that I deny that the Congress of the United States ever had the power or color of power to say that any man born within the jurisdiction of the United States, not owing a foreign allegiance, is not and shall not be a citizen of the United States.”

    Chief Justice Marshall’s dissent in the Venus case of 1814 had a quote from Vattel on the subject:

    “The whole system of decisions applicable to this subject, rests on the law of nations as its base. It is, therefore, of some importance to enquire how far the writers on that law consider the subjects of one power residing within the territory of another, as retaining their original character, or partaking of the character of the nation in which they reside.
    Vattel, who, though not very full to this point, is more explicit and more satisfactory on it than any other whose work has fallen into my hands, says, ‘the citizens are the members of the civil society; bound to this society by certain duties, and subject to its authority, they equally participate in its advantages. The natives, or indigenes, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. Society not being able to subsist and to perpetuate itself but by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights.”’

    https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/85070/the-venus-rae-master/

    The unanimous opinion in Minor v Happersett of 1875 written by Chief Justice Morrison Waite defined natural born citizen as follows:

    “The Constitution does not, in words, say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common-law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners.”

    https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/88998/minor-v-happersett/?q=minor+v+happersett

    In US v Wong Kim Ark of 1898 written by Associate Justice Horace Gray, Chief Justice Fuller’s dissent had this to say:

    “Considering the circumstances surrounding the framing of the Constitution, I submit that it is unreasonable to conclude that ‘natural-born citizen’ applied to everybody born within the geographical tract known as the United States, irrespective of circumstances; and that the children of foreigners, happening to be born to them while passing through the country, whether of royal parentage or not, or whether of the Mongolian, Malay or other race, were eligible to the Presidency,…”

    https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/94842/united-states-v-wong-kim-ark/?q=us+v+wong+kim+ark&type=o&order_by=score+desc&stat_Precedential=on

    In Luria v. United States, 231 U.S. 9 (1913), the Supreme Court said:“Citizenship is membership in a political society, and implies a duty of allegiance on the part of the member and a duty of protection on the part of the society. These are reciprocal obligations, one being a compensation for the other. Under our Constitution, a naturalized citizen stands on an equal footing with the native citizen in all respects save that of eligibility to the Presidency. Minor v. Happersett, 21 Wall. 162, 88 U. S. 165; Elk v. Wilkins, 112 U. S. 94, 112 U. S. 101; Osborn v. Bank of United States, 9 Wheat. 738, 22 U. S. 827.”

    If it was intended that anybody who was a citizen by birth should be eligible, it would only have been necessary to say, “no person, except a native-born citizen”; but the framers thought it wise, in view of the probable influx of European immigration, to provide that the president should at least be the child of citizens owing allegiance to the United States at the time of his birth.” – “NATURAL-BORN CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES: ELIGIBILITY FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT” (Albany Law Journal Vol. 66 (1904-1905))

    In 1873, the US Atty Gen ruled the word “jurisdiction” under the Fourteenth Amendment to mean “the absolute and complete jurisdiction. Aliens, among whom are persons born here and naturalized abroad, dwelling or being in this country, are subject to the jurisdiction of the US but only to a limited extent. Political and military rights do not pertain to them.”

    Sen. Trumbell noted during the drafting of the 14th Amendment that it was the Amendment’s goal to “make citizens of everybody born in the US who owe allegiance to the US,” and if “the negro or white man belonged to a foreign government he would not be a citizen.”

    “The provision is, that ‘all persons born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens.’ That means ‘subject to the complete jurisdiction thereof.’ What do we mean by ‘complete jurisdiction thereof?’ Not owing allegiance to anybody else. That is what it means.” – Sen. Trumbell

    Slaughter-House Cases, 83 U.S. 36, 21 L.Ed. 394, 16 Wall. 36 (1872) (in explaining the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment clause, “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” said that the clause “was intended to exclude from its operation children of ministers, consuls, and citizens or subjects of foreign States born within the United States;”

    https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/88661/slaughter-house-cases/

    “From the premises already established, it may be farther inferred, that citizenship, by inheritance, be∣longs to none but the children of those Americans, who, having survived the declaration of independence, acquired that adventitious character in their own right, and transmit∣ted it to their offspring.”

    A DISSERTATION ON THE MANNER OF ACQUIRING THE CHARACTER AND PRIVILEGES OF A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES.
    PRINTED IN THE YEAR MDCCLXXXIX. by David Ramsey, 1745 – 1815

    https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N17114.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext

    A contemporary Supreme Court citation of Vattel citing his expertise, his current applicability, and his credibility with the founders.
    5-4 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt,  __ U.S. __, 139 S. Ct. 1485 (2019).
    “According to the founding era’s foremost expert on the law of nations, “[i]t does not … belong to any foreign power to take cognizance of the administration of [another] sovereign, to set himself up for a judge of his conduct, and to oblige him to alter it.” 2 E. de Vattel, The Law of Nations § 55, p. 155 (J. Chitty ed. 1883).”

  14. Closer Than a Brother

    RFK Jr. has been true to his word. He is putting on his boots each morning and doing his job, which is now running for president. As such, he is articulating his positions on a wide range of issues of interest to many. If you are interested, read the blog. Look at the Gallery. The posted videos will give you his positions and, no doubt, he will be providing more. After studying this granted imperfect man for some time now, and after listening to his positions on many topics, as a conservative Republican there is no space of disagreement I have yet found. In fact, I actually see myself, my thoughts, my hopes for our nation in his statements. I have never, ever felt as ideologically close to any politician as I feel to Bobby Kennedy. More than that, I feel an inexpressible bond tying me, my life’s memories, my hopes for our country, my youthful aspirations to seek and protect that which is “true, honest, right, clean and pure, things that are lovely, and things that are good to talk about.” Perhaps yet we can achieve the ideals set before us by our founders. Proverbs 18:24 KJV “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Bobby Kennedy is that friend. He has put everything on the line for his neighbor, for his country.

    I used to hold short my full support, saying that there were things I just did not agree with him on. There may still be, but those areas of disagreement are getting fewer and fewer the more I listen to him. I also trust his word that he is open to discussion on areas of disagreement and, if you can prove him wrong, he will change his mind. He will change his mind based on facts; based on truth. He will admit error, by himself, by our government. He will let the truth speak. That’s good enough for me, and something we have not had from our leaders for some time. Even if the truth is painful, the truth must out. Bobby is like an older brother explaining a painful family memory and how we get past it as a family and as a nation. Listen to him.

  15. We’d like to share with you three articles on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s candidacy that are remarkable for the diversity of their sources. One is from the solidly Left (some would say far Left) website Counterpunch. The second is from the other end of the spectrum, the solidly Right publication The American Conservative. And the third is from a small-town newspaper, the Berkshire Eagle.

    Together, these articles suggest the possibility of a broad-based populist movement. We encourage you to read all three to get a sense of the momentum that is building behind RFK, Jr.’s candidacy.

    Counterpunch: Should the Left Give RFK, Jr. a Chance?

    A smart, detailed, and poignant appeal to the left to see RFK, Jr. as the person we need for this post-Covid moment.

    The American Conservative: The Courage of RFK, Jr.

    Describes how many of RFK, Jr.’s campaign priorities have cross-appeal to conservative values.

    Berkshire Eagle: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the candidate to heal the great divide.

    This opinion piece argues the issues that matter to RFK, Jr. are not liberal or conservative, but “self-evident conclusions of a patriot.”

    We agree with the Berkshire Eagle. Our candidate seeks to unite this nation and dissolve many of its crusty political divisions. Thank you for joining us in that aspiration.

    Please consider helping us keep up this momentum by making a donation of any size today.

    Sincerely,

    Team Kennedy
    http://www.kennedy24.com/

  16. The Vetting of Robert Francis Kennedy Junior

    There remain many who still do not know RFKJ’s positions on topics of interest. This is not due to his lack of articulation of his positions, but rather the fact that the vast majority of his campaign is, of necessity, being waged on alternative media. That does not mean his views are not getting out. Having been trying to keep up with his interviews and speeches, he is running about one per day, many on alternate media. What he is being denied by the MSM, he is making up by volume on alternative media, venues which are reaching a larger and larger number of the electorate.

    For those interested, his campaign website posts nearly all of these interviews and speeches. It also lists his major positions. Still, many seem not to have yet heard them, so I will list some of those people seem to still have questions about here in brief. These are MY impressions of his positions based on my review of countless interviews and speeches.

    Abortion – He believes that choice should be between a mother and her doctor. This he has stated. My guess, given this position, is that he would be inclined to sign a national law, if presented to him, on a woman’s right to make such a decision.

    Gun rights – He believes in the second amendment. He acknowledges and respects the Supreme Court decisoion in Heller. He does not believe additional laws restricting gun rights are the answer to violenece perpetrated with guns. He believes there are alternative approaches which should be investigated, such as our national approach to addressing mental illness as well as the potential impacts of certain potentially over-perscribed medications which could be contributory to violent expressions by those with mental disorders.

    War – He is a peace presidential contender. He believes our nation should not go abroad seeking monsters to destroy, and that we should not seek to spread out national ideologies to other nations through the barrel of a gun. He prefers that we should persuade others to the ideals expressed in our nations foundational documents by, first and foremost, our example of exemplifying these deals at home. He prefers that we, as a nation, exemplify our ideals by the export of a helping hand to others to assist them in achieving human goals which we all seek as our common birthright as equally created human beings – peace, without which stability and progress is impossible, liberty, without which our lives become solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, and systems of governance which create the environment within which all are permitted to pursue their diverse passions with maximum freedom consistent with the rights of their fellow citizens.

    Economy – He is a free market capitalist. He believes in the free market system, but vehemently opposes corporate crony capitalism. He believes we should rebuild our nation’s manufacturing base. He believes that we should pursue trade deals which are mutually beneficial to both the United States and our trading partners. He believes that our economic system has dangerously and disproportionally distributed the wealth of our nation. He seeks to rebuild our middle class.

    Foreign Policy – He prefers diplomacy to war. He seeks areas of mutual benefit rather than seeing irreconcilable differences. He sees imperialism abroad as inconsistent with democracy at home. He seeks to bring our military assets home, secure our nation, build our economy, and project our ideals by our example at home rather than through the barrel of a gun. At its root, a Kennedy administration would have a foreign policy with an ideal balance between realism and idealism. Rathar than “Walk softly but carry a big stick,” “Walk respectfully and hopefully, with a sharp sword sheathed.”

    Our voting system – he believes that it is critical that our citizens all trust that our voting system is secure, transparent and fair. He believes that both sides of the political spectrum question this, and that it ia imperative that we, as a nation, address this issue.

    Health Care – he believes that health care, not sick care, is a human right and a responsibility for the government to secure.

    The border – he is committed to making our border “impervious.” He believes the current administrations policies and inaction have caused great harm to our country and a humanitarian disaster. He has not yet stated how he would address the issue other than to state its priority and importance, both for our country and those attempting to come here.

    Miscellaneous – He is against men who identify as women competing in women’s sports. He is in favor of legalizing marijuana.

  17. Just Write

    I have been at somewhat of a loss for how to support what I believe is the most important campaign of my lifetime, that of Robert F Kennedy Jr. for president. I have been pushing my Super PAC which supports him, but a Super PAC without donors like an old town square Carnegie library in the age of the internet – interesting history and building but totally useless and therefore typically empty. I do not have a network of wealthy and influential people to contribute, although I believe that network exists to be tapped into. I do not have a large social media presence to attract donors. So here is what I do have. I can write and I understand RFKJ after listening to nearly every interview he has ever done.

    Mr. Kennedy seeks to restore our constitutional republic which, he believes as I, has been, in large part, lost. He sees that that loss primarily through the lens of the COVID pandemic. I see that loss as a continuum from the assassination of his uncle and his father, through Vietnam, 9/11, and the COVID pandemic. Our constitutional republic has been taken from us by force and deception. We no longer live in a constitutional republic. In 1963, our president was assassinated by elements of our own government. In 1968, his brother was likely assassinated by elements of our own government. The lie of the Tonkin Gulf cost us 58,000 American youth. On 9/11, our government attacked its own populous, killing 3000 of its own citizens. In 2012, our government passed a law allowing the executive branch the authority to declare any American citizen a terrorist and lock them away without charge, without trial, until the end of hostilities in the war on terror. Our Attorney General, in supporting the extra-judicial killing of an American citizen, stated that due process does not mean judicial process, thereby nullifying our Fifth Amendment. Edward Snowden’s revelations of the FISA 702 programs showed how our government was spying on its own citizens. At about the same time, Smith Mundt was repealed, allowing our government to propagandize its own citizens. We truly now live in a national security state, as made even more evident by the Twitter files, our government colluding with social media to censor free speech.

    Folks, it is truly now or never. This may be our last chance to rescue the remnants of our constitutional republic. Mr. Kennedy understands the dire circumstances we face. He has spent 40 years fighting government corruption. He has a vested interest in exposing our government’s past mis-deeds. Our nation needs to support him if they want to remain the land of the free and the home of the brave.

    Do what you can. See Kennedy24.com. If you want to contribute more, see ruralandred.com. Please help us save our republic.

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