Actually, the Constitution does provide courts do invoke a military jurisdiction...Through the Admiralty & Marine clauses in Article III. But that jurisdiction is legitimate only in cases of Maritime Law & International Law concerning war crimes & involving only military personnel.

Jack, don't take this as a rebuke on the OP behind the whole thread, because I do agree that the federal government is illegitimate...And has been since at least the Civil War. It was the influence from private banks to encourage government overspending for a war that's the key: It set the precedence for the government to continue borrowing from private banks & racking up excessive debt: The banks were backing the "industrialists" in applying pressures put to the "agricultural" States & goaded them into succession from the government: The banks were goading for some kind of war to bring the Confederate States back into the government: The banks are those who had the most to gain by reaping the profits during war.

This was the point where the government stepped off the path that was set by the Founding Forefathers & the Constitutional Oaths of Office. This was the point when the government stopped defending freedom & started on the path to tyranny through a system of democracy that was originally limited by the Constitution.
"Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." -- Thomas Jefferson
"Creditors have better memories than debtors." -- Ben Franklin
"He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money." -- Ben Franklin
"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation." -- John Adams

Lincoln was probably quite aware of what the banks were doing, but may have felt that the Nation was being backed into a corner...He tried to warn us.
"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -- Abraham Lincoln
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts." -- Abraham Lincoln
"These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert, to fleece the people." -- Abraham Lincoln
And, although I haven't been able to confirm any sources for this quote, I've heard somewhere that he also said, "I have the Confederate Army in front of me & I have the banks behind me. Of the two, the banks are more dangerous."

Even so, he still looked towards a positive future:
"The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them." -- Abraham Lincoln

[edit on 22-8-2008 by MidnightDStroyer]

Originally posted by jackinthebox
No, I fully understand where you are coming from. The truth is the truth, and I can accept that.

I used to think the same thing until I did more digging into the info by people more "expert" than I in a given topic...But I've always been willing to "adjust my thinking" as I learn more. I've forgotten how many times I've posted something like "Oooops!...My bad!" when I've been caught!
I try to keep in mind something quoted from Will Rogers..."Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects."

And here's one (Will Rogers again) that keeps me mostly focused on law & government...Which is why I initially fell short on the topic of flags:
"About all I can say for the United States Senate is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation."

double post

[edit on 10-9-2008 by tide88]