The Census Brown Shirted child is yours

[Selene]

Folks:

This is such a simple issue to run with in terms of objectivism. I have made reference to the upcoming census as a perfect pivot point. It is crystal clear in the Constitution that the census is mandated to "count" for the purpose of Congressional apportionment. Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section 2: "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct."

Historic Snapshot of the Nation

The official U.S. Census is described in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States. It calls for an actual enumeration of the people every ten years, to be used for apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives among the states. The first official Census was conducted in 1790 under Thomas Jefferson, who was the Secretary of State. That census, taken by U.S. marshals on horseback, counted 3.9 million inhabitants. Since that time, the decennial Census has been conducted every ten years, generally on April 1 in years ending in a zero.

There are fellow citizens who have received the "long form census" also known as the "unconstitutional form"and merely filled in the "count" or constitutional compliance information.

They have been called by follow up "census officials" who have flat out threatened them with $5,000.00 and jail. Four calls with progressively threatening conversations.

Now we have this nightmare.

Students' take-home assignment: Census kitsBy Haya El Nasser, USA TODAYAnyone tempted to ignore the 2010 Census will have a tough time doing it — especially if they have kids in school.

The government has launched Census in Schools, an all-out campaign targeting superintendents, principals, teachers, students and, indirectly, parents, as schools open across the nation this month and next. The message: The Census is coming and here's why everyone should care.

The goal is to send posters, teaching guides, maps and lesson plans to every school in the nation, Puerto Rico and U.S. island territories to encourage everyone to participate in the national count. The materials will land in more than 118,000 schools and reach 56 million students.

"It's great to reach the children because children are such strong voices in their homes," says Renee Jefferson-Copeland, chief of the Census schools program. "In households that are linguistically isolated, they can express the information to their parents."

The school effort is more ambitious than in 2000, the last time the government set out to count everyone. At that time, teachers had to request the material and it was available only in print. Now, the kits and lessons will arrive in every school and lesson plans can be downloaded online, where they will be available in 28 languages.

The Constitution mandates a complete population count every 10 years. The tally — down to the city block — helps redraw political boundaries and determine states' representation in Congress and the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funds to state and local governments every year.

"It's extremely important for us," says Michael McGrady, associate director for partnership development at the National Head Start Association, which promotes school readiness for low-income children and their families. "Historically, Head Start families have been undercounted and that has a negative effect on their communities."

Between January and March, the Census Bureau will help plan a week of Census education in schools. During Census Week, teachers will devote 15 minutes every day for five days to the topic by discussing such things as civic participation, confidentiality or geography. Beginning in mid-March, more than 120 million Census questionnaires will be delivered to residential addresses.

The Census Bureau is partnering with Sesame Street to extend the 2010 Census message to preschoolers and adult caregivers. Under consideration: Using Sesame Street characters on Census materials and having characters participate in school events and public service announcements.

[Selene]

Michele Bachmann will refuse to answer census questions

June 19, 2009 – 11:10 am by William Wallace The honorable representative Michele Bachmann has publicly stated that she will refuse to answer most questions on the upcoming 2010 census.^{(Dinan 2009)}

Michelle Bachmann is reported to have stated:

I know for my family the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home. We won’t be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that

According to the Washington Times, U.S. Census Bureau spokesperson Shelly Lowe indicated that, as paraphrased by a possibly sloppy Washington Times journalist, that “…a portion of the U.S. legal code that says anyone over 18 years of age who refuses to answer ‘any of the questions’ on the census can be fined up to $5,000.”

U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann

However, section 221 of Title 13, chapter 7, subchapter II states:

(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or

willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any

other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce

or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the

Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his

knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in

connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I,

II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to

the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or

farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not

more than $100.

(B) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a)

of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances

described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is

false, shall be fined not more than $500.

© Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person

shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his

religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body. However, the law is complex. It would be interesting and better quality journalism if Stephen Dinan had bothered to cite the portion of U.S. code sent to him by Shelly Lowe of the U.S. Census Bureau.

According to this press release, Shelly Lowe can be contacted at :

Shelly Lowe

Public Information Office

301-763-3691

e-mail: pio [at] cen[remove]sus.gov

[Brant Gaede]

I assume the fines cannot be done administratively, that there has to be a federal prosecution. Here in Southern AZ, if not the entire state, the federal prosecutors won't touch any marajuana case involving less than 500 lbs. They're too busy. I'll just do what I've always done and answer the constitutional questions only.

The real problem will be the apparent attempt by the Obama Administration to count illegal aliens and guestimate the actual number of people without really counting them.

--Brant

Edited August 28, 2009 by Brant Gaede

[Selene]

Brant:

Just downstate from me - lol

Latino pastor group urges census boycott Group's leader says Congress needs to pass immigration reform first The Associated Pressupdated 7:27 p.m. ET April 21, 2009NEWARK, N.J. - A nationwide group of Latino ministers has a message for illegal immigrants: Stand up, but refuse to be counted in the 2010 U.S. census.

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders is urging undocumented immigrants to boycott the census — which is used to calculate everything from federal funding to congressional representation — unless Congress first passes immigration reform.

"The same data that helps the Latino community to seek political empowerment, the same numbers that are used to show how strong we are and prove our growing numbers, that's the same data the anti-immigrant forces use against us," the Rev. Miguel Rivera, the head of the coalition, said Tuesday.

Census numbers have been used to target and repress the undocumented in the past, Rivera said, and the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants need a path to legalization before they agree to have their numbers count.

"When we weigh, in the balance, how many benefits the undocumented get by letting themselves be counted, it's more on the side of funding more police officers to arrest them, and more immigration agents to deport them and disrupt families," Rivera said. "We can't ask them to do something that is going to bring more sadness to this community."

'We are disappointed'

Census officials stress that information is strictly confidential, and that they don't inquire about immigration status or ask for a Social Security number. It's required by the Constitution that every person residing in America be included.

"Our job is to count every single person," said Raul Cisneros, a spokesman for the census. "We are disappointed that any organization would urge anyone to not participate in the 2010 Census."

The idea grew out of the feeling that census figures from 2000 were used by law enforcement and anti-immigrant forces to better target undocumented populations, Rivera said, affecting many congregants of his group's more than 16,000 member churches in 34 states.

The proposed boycott comes amid what census organizers say is an unprecedented mobilization at the national, state and local levels to ensure that every person residing in the United States — regardless of immigration status — is counted in 2010.

Several national Latino organizations, including The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials — or NALEO — are criticizing the proposed boycott at a time when they are mobilizing to make sure the Hispanic community is not undercounted. The 2000 census missed about 3 percent of the Hispanic population.

Scaring undocumented immigrants away from participating in the census doesn't make sense, said Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO and a member of the Decennial Census advisory committee.

"To do this boycott to pressure comprehensive immigration reform is like cutting off your nose to spite your face," Vargas said. "There is no connection between the census and immigration reform; it's undermining the community by encouraging an undercount; and it's misguided and irresponsible."

'Encouraging people to break the law'

It also places the undocumented at further risk to refuse answering the census, Vargas said.

"The census is confidential and is a constitutional requirement," Vargas said. "In essence, they're encouraging people to break the law."

Refusing or neglecting to answer a census inquiry is not in itself a deportable offense, but is punishable with a fine of as much as $100, according to U.S. law. The fine can reach as much as $500 for providing false information.

Rivera said that he supports efforts to count legal immigrants, but that the participation of illegal immigrants in the census does nothing to advance their quest to legalize.

"This is where the power comes in: If there's a 12 million person deficiency in the census, if 12 million undocumented people are not counted," he said. "Even though they don't vote, they are being used as guinea pigs to get money for cities."

Such attitudes reflect a misunderstanding of how the census is used, Vargas said, and threaten to undermine unity as the immigration reform fight resurfaces on the Washington agenda.

"To the undocumented, and to everybody in the Latino community, we are on a historic path," Vargas said. "I think these pastors understand that; that's why they want to see comprehensive immigration reform. We all want it, but there's probably a more impactful way to get us there than if we have an undercount."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30332217/

In the first census I think there were about 8 questions. One was the name of the male head of household I believe. There is a question as to whether you have to give your name, but I do not have a problem with that and giving the census taker the number of people, but that is all.

Adam

[jeffrey smith]

in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

Which means, my friends, that every question on that Census form is "constitutional".

NB: I belong to the category of people who think the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention was really a counterrevolution, that produced an inherently statist system--an AntiFederalist, to use the term of that era.

Long live the Articles of Confederation!

Edited August 28, 2009 by jeffrey smith

[Selene]

in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

Which means, my friends, that every question on that Census form is "constitutional".

Now you know that that is a tad misleading.

At the point of a gun?

By being garroted until they answered?

The legislative "scheme" [neutral legal definition] shall be the least invasive. Additionally, it cannot violate other sections of the great document.

;)

Adam

[jeffrey smith]

The legislative "scheme" [neutral legal definition] shall be the least invasive. Additionally, it cannot violate other sections of the great document.

;)

Adam

The Constitution doesn't actually require "least invasive".

But again, I'm not a fan of the US Constitution...

[Selene]

The legislative "scheme" [neutral legal definition] shall be the least invasive. Additionally, it cannot violate other sections of the great document.

;)

Adam

The Constitution doesn't actually require "least invasive".

But again, I'm not a fan of the US Constitution...

Jeff, you know the intent is least invasive.

However, the case law does. Moreover, the entire conceptual framework of the Founders and the Constitution was complete freedom as the optimum place in law and least invasive as the compromise with the perfidy and baseness of elements of the human animal/being.

Adam