Untied States of America

(CALGARY, Alberta) - Despite the Constitution, not all Americans are equal. The rights you enjoy—or don’t enjoy—depend on where you live.

Colorado has decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. Cross into Wyoming and you can get a year in prison.

Maryland has repealed the death penalty. Across the border in Delaware there are 17 inmates on death row, awaiting lethal injection.

Iowa, one of the least urbanized states has accepted same-sex marriage while voters in the most urbanized state, California, have voted to reject it.

A woman’s access to abortion ends at 12 weeks in Arkansas, as early as six weeks in North Dakota. It’s 24 weeks in South Dakota. At six weeks most women don’t even know they’re pregnant, so it’s clearly a war of religious zealots against half the American population—women.

Nebraska, West Virginia, Idaho, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming have a total population of 16 million (about 5% of nation) yet elect 28% of the senators.

California, Texas, New York and Florida have a total population of about 102 million (33% of nation) yet elect only 16% of the senators.

The Electoral College: A candidate can receive fewer than 50% of the votes cast, yet receive more than 50% of the Electoral votes.

In three-strikes states, if you’re apprehended for the third time shoplifting necessary items for survival (food to feed your family with no other resources available—public or private) you can be sentenced to a long term in prison.

“Fundamental rights cannot be left to the states,” writes Sheldon Bunin of Jackson Heights NY.

“If it were otherwise we could have states which are democracies and others dictatorships and free speech or the right to vote applies in some states and not others. In America there is a right to privacy and the right of equality under the law. We cannot have these things depending on whether fundamental rights are also universal throughout the nation. There is a right to marriage. If you can define marriage as a union of one man and one woman, you can define it as between a Christian man and a Christian woman or a white man, etc., Because one group if people have been discriminated against for 2,000 years that does not mean that the discrimination should continue.

“The Constitution does not create rights even though it guarantees that government shall not interfere with certain rights. The only question before the Supreme Court on gay marriage is where there is a right to marry for straights why are not gay people entitled to the the equal protection of the law. The Court's Justices are not empowered to enact social policy only to answer one question: Given the fact that all people are entitled to the equal protection of the law, are laws taking the right of same sex couples to marry away or refusing to recognize violate the Constitution. Religion, psychology, etc, are irrelevant. Opinion of the Justices should have no weight.”

One interesting aspect to this topic is that you can go to whitehouse.gov and a section called “We the People” where anyone can initiate a petition. If there are 25,000 signatures the government is compelled to notice it.

Some citizens from Austin, Texas started one last year and it gained 2,400 signatures before it expired. The initiators wrote:

“Austin Texas continues to suffer difficulties stemming from the lack of civil, religious, and political freedoms imposed upon the city by less liberally minded Texans. It is entirely feasible for Austin to operate as its own state, within the United States, in the event that Texas is successful in the current bid to secede. It is important for Austin to remain in the union as to do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers.”

Texas is a deep red state, but changing demographics suggest that it could turn blue within the next decade or so. The point is that there is no uniform American culture—even within a state.

The United States is really at least four discordant regions—the New England region, the South, the Mid-West, the Pacific Northwest and California. In each region, the people call themselves Americans but they don't have much culturally in common with each other. The middle part of the continent (what is referred to as the continental U.S.--the area between Canada and Mexico) lost it's best hope for a future in the mid-19th century. They should have let the South go.

Even now, a century and a half later, there is still a substantial minority of Southerners (particularly in Texas) who still long to secede and become great on their own.

Daniel Johnson is a born and raised Calgarian. He is currently working on a book The Occupy Wall Street User Manual which is scheduled for publication in spring 2013 by Polymath Press In 1990 he published his first (and so far, only) book: Practical History: A guide to Will and Ariel Durant’s “The Story of Civilization” (Polymath Press, Calgary) Newly appointed as the Deputy Executive Editor in August 2011, he has been writing exclusively for Salem-News.com since March 2009 and, as of summer 2012, has published more than 210 stories. View articles written by Daniel Johnson

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Anonymous May 2, 2013 5:20 pm (Pacific time)

Daniel have you ever visited America? Where and when? You ever study at any of our Universities? Seems that you make all these comments about us...do you think it really has any impact other than to appease your psyche? You have your freedom and way of life because of American blood and creativity. If Canada, or any other government simply ceased to exist America would go on. Canada would fade away as it became engulfed in toxic pollution. Maybe Harper can eventually help, but a major culling program for many in your population is essential.

Anonymous May 2, 2013 12:08 pm (Pacific time)

This wannabe writer of this article is currently on an American enemies list...

Strange. I got a Christmas card from President Obama and it was personally signed, not a robo-signature.

Anonymous April 30, 2013 9:57 pm (Pacific time)

DANIIEL you simply do not grasp state's rights and the 10th Amendment. Canadians generally are grossly ignorant regarding AMerican federal/state government organics.

What I do grasp is unequal treatment knowingly and intentionally promoted. What is laughable if it weren't so sad, is how so many Americans try to pass of their defects as virtues.

Anonymous April 30, 2013 10:30 am (Pacific time)

Regarding your statement "My thesis that not all Americans are equal remains valid." Of course there are numerous ways to evaluate your assertion, but in terms of the American citizen we are all equal (in theory) as per our government format. Certainly there is unfairness is life, and in most countries around the world there is no government prescribed remedy. We Americans do have a right (and a systemic format) to redress our grievances as per our laws (both federal and state), but like all over the world, it sometimes simply does not happen. Having the process in place is what most of the world's governments do not have. We do. I agree that we are not all equal in various metrics, and that's just how things are in life. Of course why America is successful is pretty easy to evaluate. I expect that will continue far into the future. America has been in far worse times since our founding, but we continue to develop problem-solving methods as long as we have the checks and balances of our government design working. Currently those checks and balances are quite visible to even the most intense American hater, which must be very painful for them. I shall pray they heal.

You've missed the whole point. People across the U.S. are unequal because laws are intentionally set to be that way. Women can get abortions in some states but not in others. That's the intention of some religious men. Ergo: Women are intentionally subjected to unequal laws and treatment. Now do you get it?

Anonymous April 30, 2013 6:20 am (Pacific time)

We have a thing called the 10th Amendment, thus we have 50 separate sovereign states. Maybe you should give it some study and see how it has evolved from 13 states to our current situation. The feds via the "power of [their] purse" have essentially managed to wrestle considerable control from the states and their "rules/regulations" tentacles are well entrenched and getting stronger. We will soon cut those tentacles, and some states have begun that process. Those states that have conservatives in power do far better than the others. That is an easy empirical assessment to make. Regarding your statement: "If a republican form of government is so superior, why isn't it more common around the globe?" You could evaluate that many ways, but then it's pretty obvious that a scholarly global state by state comparison is in order rather than some sweeping comment, in my opinion. Though one can easily see that we became the richest nation on the planet because our form of government, when exercising as mandated, allowed for the citizens to pursue "Life, Liberty, and happiness." If there is another nation that has over 300 million people with an incredibly diverse population, with millions of illegals that have learned to game the welfare system, with the seditious aid of far left Marxists, out to destroy us, doing better, please show.

You've made a simple post hoc ergo propter hoc logical error. My thesis that not all Americans are equal remains valid.

Anonymous April 29, 2013 4:07 pm (Pacific time)

may I add: "If it were otherwise we could have states which are democracies and others dictatorships" ...first of all, we are already in a dictatorship, obama signs legislation without congressional approval, nor the approval of the people. He is a dictator. Another thing, this country was not birthed on a democracy, it is a REPUBLIC. Democracy is when 51% tell the other 49% what to do, so Sheldons point is null and void. Democracy: where rich psychopaths buy the media, buy the education system, take over the financial institutions and with that, they can control. When the bankers took control of the money in 1913, (they took over the money in Canada also, later), they did not care who makes the laws. If they control the money, they control everything. THUS, the founding fathers writing the Constitution to protect us from these psychopathic enemies of humanity.

Obama is a dictator? And what was GW Bush? A free spirited tooth fairy?

If a republican form of government is so superior, why isn't it more common around the globe?

Here's something you can look up and verify. The Founding Fathers were afraid of democracy, which is why they chose the republican style.

Anonymous April 29, 2013 3:56 pm (Pacific time)

One has to wonder why person who is from Canada will write so much about the U.S., when I receve emails, and other alternative news showing that Canada is becoming a rathole. One would think that a person would spend more time saving their own country. I can send links of articles about Canada: Police state, support of bankers, murders, racism, support of israel, support of wars, housing market bubble, national debt, inflation, high taxes, a health care system that is falling apart, Goldman Sachs ex-employee now the ambassador to Canada, etc, etc etc...I could do this all day. Look at what is happening to the European Union, countries are going bankrupt, and bankers are stealing peoples money. Heck, Canada signed legislation to let the bankers take pension plans and bank accounts in Canada also. Look it up. The thing I like about states rights, is that if your state is not doing what you feel is right, you can move to another state. Another reason, is the rights to complain. Try complaining to Washington D.C. It doesnt work. But being able to complain in your own state is more successful. Also, D.C. is now owned by the bankers and corporations, who are robbing us blind, same as Canada. THey also own the media, same as Canada. Those in the U.S. that are waking up to these facts, false flag attacks, military/police state, cant do anything because D.C. has all the bombs and tanks. AS far as gay marriage, there are only 3% that are for gay marriage, its a distraction. They have made mariage nothing more than a financial endeavor. As far as firearms? Overwhelming support in every state. Bottom line is: if the U.S. followed the Constitution, 90% of our problems would go away. To Canadians: welcome to the North American Union, not unlike the European Union that is falling apart, 50% unemployment, police state, no rights, etc. Welcome to the North American Union. You are now one entity with the U.S. and Mexico.

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