Long Live the Peaceable Assembly™!!

Above image by Christian Jegou, “Medieval Dancers And Troubadours“, is being used for First Amendment purposes in accordance with the US Copyright Office’s Fair Use Policy and the Fair Use Doctrine.

 

Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United
How Politicians fund their Campaigns

You know how the ultra wealthy are able to toss billions of dollars over the tops of our heads in order to game elections? Here are two Supreme Court rulings that appear primarily responsible for that:

Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) — In this landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the Court found:

  “A restriction on the amount of money a person or group can spend on political communication during a campaign necessarily reduces the quantity of expression by restricting the number of issues discussed, the depth of their exploration, and the size of the audience reached.  This is because virtually every means of communicating ideas in today’s mass society requires the expenditure of money. The distribution of the humblest handbill or leaflet entails printing, paper, and circulation costs. Speeches and rallies generally necessitate hiring a hall and publicizing the event. The electorate’s increasing dependence on television, radio, and other mass media for news and information has made these expensive modes of communication indispensable instruments of effective political speech,” (Justia 1976).

Citizens United v. FEC | 558 U.S. 310 (2010)— The Government may not suppress political speech on the basis of the speaker’s corporate identity. Corporations have long been held to enjoy Constitutional rights of Freedom of Speech just like an individual, regardless of their status of for-profit or non-profit. The government does not have any sufficient interest in the complete ban of such advertisement. The court discusses how there has been a constant struggle between the Judiciary and Congress to prevent corruption during election season, and protecting Freedom of Speech rights afforded to persons and corporations. The court also mentions that some corporations are Media corporations made to create news. Banning all corporations from political speech is too broad and the constitution will not allow it. The Government to support this ban, states the compelling interest is in preventing the corrosive and distorting effects of immense aggregation of wealth that are accumulated with the help of corporate form. That can not be sufficient to state that corporation’s rights of Freedom of Speech should be taken from it, simply because it has the funds to support its ideas.

 

Wild Willpower PAC uses these same rulings
To Fund WWP-Approved Candidates and The Peaceable Assembly

If Candidates can collect campaign contributions to help them perform First Amendment activity, We the People certainly can as well. However, first we must clarify the difference between “We the People” and The Peaceable Assembly™.

Oftentimes, at protests or in online discussions, people speak of “We the People”. Although the phrase is borrowed from the Preamble of the US Constitution, many Citizens who cite the Preamble violate it within the same breath. Let’s take a quick refresher in civics.

The Preamble comes before all other parts of the Constitution.

The Preamble is essentially a summarized charter for the constitution. Therefore, anything that falls outside the scope of the charter isn’t really covered. Here’s what the Preamble says:

“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.“

 

Fixing America’s Dialogue: Dispelling Common Misconceptions

Wait a minute! People always say ‘hate speech’, saying racist comments, and the like, is protected by the First Amendment! They claim it’s “free speech”. 

1. Hate Speech and hurting others Violates The Preamble,
and is Not Protected by The First Amendment

Although people in this society often do, one cannot simply bypass the Preamble and then latch onto the the Amendments as if they’re completely theirs for the taking. This  is  why The Peaceable Assembly™ works to gently remind America what the Constitution is supposed to be about. If you violate the Preamble, stirring up hate and violence, that’s not protected speech. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Above GIF borrowed from GIPHY is used for First Amendment purposes in accordance with the US Copyright Office’s Fair Use Policy and the Fair Use Doctrine.

2. In The Preamble, we pledge to “promote the general welfare” of one another.

page in making. please check back shortly.

We must remain “Wise as Serpents, and Harmless as Doves”

, and many openly admit they dislike the Constitution and the country altogether. It can be easy to driven into anger and rioting, especially at protests when everything is high energy and people are upset. Indeed, this is what happened at the George Floyd riots: what started as a Peaceable Assembly became infiltrated by people who pretended they supported the cause, but then instead worked to undermine it by inciting rioting, looting, and arson. This is exactly what the infamous “Umbrella Man” did (Allen, Karma 2020).

, who are often disorganized, disagree on numerous issues, and in social movements from Wild Willpower’s trained, organized, cohesive collective of Citizens and Esteemed International Guests (people who are legally in the U.S.), we call ourselves The Peaceable Assembly™ (“PA”).  This allows Wild Willpower PAC (“WWP”) to account for each Member of the PA, and helps to assure Our Sponsors that their money isn’t being used for anything subversive or reckless. We’re spending each penny efficiently, and doing the work we say we’re doing. Just as PACs help fund Candidates, “Civil PACs” are a unique type of PAC that also funds “Peaceable Assemblies”. 

 

Before we continue, however, let’s take a quick refresher about what is and is not protected by the Constitution.

There are a variety of activities Wild Willpower’s Peaceable Assembly may perform, such as:

1. Learn the Language of the Law, then use the First Amendment to Spread It

 

2. Petition the Government to Amend the Constitution

 

3. Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances

The First Amendment of The Constitution of The United States of America reads:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people ‘Peaceably to Assemble’, and to Petition the Government for a ‘Redress of Grievances‘.“

What does ‘Redress of Grievances’ mean?

Redress:  The receiving satisfaction for an injury sustained.”

Satisfaction:  The act of satisfying a party by paying what is due to him.

Injury:  Any wrong or damage done to another, either in his person, rights, reputation, or property.

Grievance:  A complaint due to injury, injustice, or wrong.

4. Canvass to Get Wild Willpower-Approved Candidates Elected

Helping candidates get elected requires a lot of work from a great number of people. Oftentimes, this had led to candidates with fantastic ideas being shut out because they can’t keep up with the backing of other candidates.

5. “Peaceably Assemble” Suits at Equity and Law

 

6. Build Cases, and File Complaints

Wild Willpower PAC (WWP) originally began to be developed in 2010, and was originally going to be turned into a nonprofit. Following research and lived experience, however (story for a later time), in 2018 it was registered with the Federal Election Commission as the first “Civil PAC” in the country — a type of nonconnected PAC (learn more about PACs, including what a Civil PAC is, here). In a nutshell, if corporations can give money as a form of expression to politicians, and that is protected by the First Amendment, then We the People can peaceably assemble in order to perform First Amendment activity, and because we have a tax-identification number as a 527 political organization, corporations and the ultra wealthy can give us the money to help sustain our group of people doing essential work to help the people that wouldn’t get done otherwise unless we were doing it. 

In 2025, after WWP began performing “express advocacy” for WWP’s founder, Sondra (who is writing this, so switching to first person now), WWP was required to find a Chair. Thankfully, one of my colleagues from Iowa State University, Lily Leyser, stepped up so that WWP didn’t have to shut down (it’s my baby!!).

Here are some particularly luscious parts of what WWP is able to do:

– Help finance the candidates we endorse, and showcase them gloriously on our website (which saves them from having to build a website, and creates a directory for Iowans to find WWP-approved candidates), Campaign contributors can give to WWP and “earmark” their contribution to go toward a specific candidate. WWP Keeps a small fee to help with operating costs, and 10% goes to The Discretionary Fund.

– Help ensure active members who are involved with Peaceable Assembly have enough to eat, vehicles that aren’t broken down, medical care, and so on.

– 10% of all campaign contributions made to Wild Willpower PAC go toward The Discretionary Fund. Due to the fact that our Prime Directive includes “helping people to live sustainably”, individuals may email WildWillpowerPAC@gmail.com and include information about what they need to help them live sustainable: e.g., wood to build a raised bed, hand tools, solar panels & batteries. Businesses are encouraged to offer in-kind contributions to Wild Willpower PAC in order to help individual households reduce their monthly bills and help the planet. 

I call it “The George Michael Approach” because “we know all the games they play, so we play them too”:

 

Oh BABY — The Perks!!!

These next sets of links are a bit outdated, but if I’m elected Governor, one of many tasks The Public Intelligence Agency will be charged with is getting www.ReUniteTheStates.org cleaned up and completed, so that it may remain public. If Jesus can marry the church, then I shall allow my baby, Wild Willpower PAC, to have a civil union with the State of Iowa! (rofl!!!)

Supreme Court rulings reinforcing First Amendment Rights:

– Copyrighted Materials May Be Used  to Educate – called “Fair Use” in law.

– “First Amendment activities” protected in front of ALL Shopping Centers; “shopping center” is defined as “3 or more businesses in the same building”

– Filming On-Duty Public Officials in Public Spaces is an *Assumed Right*; according to 5 U.S. Supreme Court rulings

– “Giving Money” may be done as “A Form of Expression”; which or course means other things may be as well!

 

“If corporations can toss millions of dollars over the tops of our heads to get politicians elected, and that is a form of speech protected under Buckley v. Valeo, 424 U.S. 1 (1976) and Citizens United v. FEC | 558 U.S. 310 (2010), then We the People can do things like help Native Americans or get Citizen’s Arrest Kits out to as many people as possible , and that, too, is a protected form of speech.

If Legislators don’t like it, they  can work to get Citizen’s United overturned!”

– Sondra

 

Above gif from Tenor utilized for First Amendment purposes in accordance with the US Copyright Office’s Fair Use Policy and the Fair Use Doctrine.

 

References

Allen, Karma. (July 29, 2020). Man who helped ignite George Floyd riots identified as white supremacist: Police. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-helped-ignite-george-floyd-riots-identified-white/story?id=72051536

Oyes. Buckley v. Valeo. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1975/75-436.

Science Source Prints.Medieval Dancers And Troubadours Art Print by Christian Jegou. https://prints.sciencesource.com/featured/medieval-dancers-and-troubadours-christian-jegou.html?product=art-print