Minutes of the Operating Committee of the America First Party

Monday, July 26, 2010

BE IT REMEMBERED that the Operating Committee of the America First Party met on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. East Coast Time, pursuant to the previous resolution of the Operating Committee.

The Chairman led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Hey delivered the invocation.

The Secretary called the roll of Operating Committee members:

Present:

• Jon Hill of Massachusetts, Chairman
• John Hey of Mississippi, National Secretary and Treasurer

Absent:

• Joe Spitzig of Ohio, Platform Committee Chairman

A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order by the Chairman at 9:18 p.m.

Mr. Hey moved the adoption of the standard Agenda. Mr. Hill seconded the motion. The Agenda was adopted by unanimous consent.

The Chairman delivered his report. He reported discussions from some prospects interested in building the party. He discussed the need to hold a National Committee meeting to elect new leadership, and to help move the party forward.

The Secretary reminded the members that he had previously circulated draft minutes for the June 28, 2010 meeting of the Operating Committee. Mr. Hey moved the adoption of the minutes as published. His motion was seconded by Mr. Hill. The minutes were adopted by unanimous vote.

The Secretary reported that the responses for the fundraising letter have finished up. All the data has been posted, and he is planning to send out the final clean-up batch of newspapers to finish off the remaining copies. He has also been researching materials for a resolution, and pricing for the party t-shirts.

The Treasurer reported that the party's bank balance is $8015.14. There are no unpaid invoices.

Mr. Hill reported that the Finance Committee will work on a resolution to authorize purchase of the party t-shirts.

Mr. Hey reported that the Rules Committee has finished all its business for the present time.

Mr. Hey moved that the Operating Committee forward the following resolution to the National Committee for adoption. Mr. Hill seconded the motion. The resolution reads as follows:

Resolution of the National Committee To Condemn any Unlawful and Improper Attack upon Iran

Whereas, the making of war by the United States of America may only be justified when the safety and security of our people and our homeland are imperiled; and

Whereas, our nation has experienced the bitter fruit of adventurous and undeclared wars that have sullied the rightness of our cause, damaged our reputation abroad, imperiled our brave fighting men and women, and shed innocent blood; and

Whereas, the nation of Iran does not possess the capacity to threaten our nation or its people; and

Whereas, the government of Iran has long pursued the peaceful use of nuclear power, and is entitled as a sovereign power to do so; and

Whereas, there is no evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons in violation of its treaty obligations; and

Whereas, Iranian nuclear weaponry, were it to be developed, would not pose an existential threat to the United States and would not form the basis for armed attack upon the nation of Iran by the United States; and

Whereas, the nation of Iran has not invaded or commenced warfare against any other nation for many centuries; and

Whereas, the nation of Iran has been the subject of intense pressure by the United States and other nations with regards to its nuclear fuel enrichment program and internal political affairs, and has been subject to unsubstantiated accusations that it is developing nuclear weapons; and

Whereas, there have been implied threats by the government of the United States to carry out a policy of "regime change" against Iran;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE:

That it is not the business of the United States to solve the world's problems, to install ideal governments, to extend so-called "democracy" abroad, or defend the interests and safety of any nation other than our own; and

That United States foreign policy must be restrained by the Constitution, and therefore not be directed to purposes such as regime change, nation building, and policing the world, when such policing is not necessary for U.S. national security; and

That this nation has no cause for war with Iran, her people, or their leaders, unless they seek to harm our people or this beloved land; and

That unless and until the nation of Iran lifts its hand against our people, our homes, or our countryland, there can be no just, moral, legal, or practical cause for armed conflict between us; and

That we deplore the growing efforts to foment hatred and fear of the nation of Iran solely for the purpose of fanning the flames of war hysteria; and

That calls for armed attack against Iran are morally and legally unjustified; and

That under these circumstances, we denounce any effort to carry out armed attacks, blockades, embargoes, or lesser acts of war against the nation of Iran by either our own country or, at our government's instigation or support, by our allies or proxies abroad; and

That any such attack against Iran is an act of war, and without the mandatory Congressional Declaration of War is repugnant to our Constitution, to the principles and ideals of our nation, to basic principles of morality and justice, and to the peace and security of the United States; and

That should the President institute unlawful and improper use of the armed forces of the United States against the nation of Iran, the America First Party shall call for his immediate impeachment and removal from office.

The motion was adopted by unanimous vote.

Mr. Hey moved that the Operating Committee forward the following resolution to the National Committee for adoption. Mr. Hill seconded the motion. The resolution reads as follows:

Whereas, both the Bush and the Obama administrations have proclaimed the government's right to assassinate and/or execute individuals off the field of battle, whether they be citizens of the United States or foreign persons, if the Executive or his subordinates deem such persons to be enemies of the United States and posing a danger to it; and

Whereas, these executions are to be carried out by CIA operatives, so-called "Special Ops" forces, or regular personnel of the United States Armed Services; and

Whereas, many such "targeted executions" have already been carried out by remote controlled weaponry, including unmanned drone aircraft and missile attack, and

Whereas, the Administration has claimed the right to carry out such executions in any country on the face of the globe, whether such country is in a state of declared war with the United States or not; and

Whereas, the Administration has engaged in this conduct without judicial review or warrant from a court of law, and without any legitimate adversarial finding of the guilt of the targeted victims;

Therefore Be it Resolved by the America First National Committee:

That the intentional extra-judicial killing of any person off the field of battle and outside of direct combat action, where such person does not pose a direct and immediate threat to life or limb, is an act of deliberate murder and is condemned by this body, and ought to be condemned by every decent and honorable person; and

That all such dishonorable conduct has been held to be a war crime by the United States Government since at least the mid-19th Century, and that, according to the Lieber Code Section 148:

The law of war does not allow proclaiming either an individual belonging to the hostile army, or a citizen, or a subject of the hostile government an outlaw, who may be slain without trial by any captor, any more than the modern law of peace allows such international outlawry; on the contrary, it abhors such outrage. The sternest retaliation should follow the murder committed in consequence of such proclamation, made by whatever authority.

That the Executive Branch of the United States Government, under both Presidents Bush and Obama, has been engaged in barbaric murder on a large scale by authorizing and carrying out such extra-judicial killings during the past decade; and

That no claim of Executive Authority, Qualified Immunity, or the Power to Wage War in defense of the Nation, can overcome the blood-guiltiness of the President and his agents, whether in or outside of the military; and

That these actions, as well as the conspiracy to organize and commit them, constitute criminal conduct under Federal Law and under the Law of War, which must be brought to justice, even if the President himself is implicated; and

That the extra-judicial murder of American Citizens, even if they have been declared Enemies by the Executive, are in addition repugnant to the 5th Amendment to the Constitution, which provides that no person may be deprived of life without due process of law; and

That the murder of American citizens under the claim that they are enemies of the United States is expressly barred by Article III Section 3 of the Constitution, which defines the crime of Treason and requires conviction in a court of law before any punishment may be meted out; and

That the Executive's declaration of the right to assassinate American citizens constitutes a conspiracy to commit murder, and to breach the 5th Amendment and Article III Section 3; and

That we call for the impeachment of any officer of the United States, including the President, who has participated in such conspiracy or actually carried out such murders, these actions being high crimes and misdemeanors; and

That we call for the investigation, indictment, arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the President and every agent of the government who has participated in these barbarities or in the conspiracy to commit them.

The motion was adopted by unanimous vote.

Mr. Hey moved that a teleconference meeting of the National Committee be called for Tuesday evening, August 10, 2010 at 9 p.m. East Coast time. His motion was seconded by Mr. Hill and adopted by unanimous vote.

Mr. Hey made a motion that the Operating Committee suggest to the National Committee that it consider calling an in-person meeting to conduct elections and hold strategy discussions for how best to build the party in the future. Mr. Hill seconded the motion, which was adopted by unanimous vote.

There being no further business, on motion made by Mr. Hey, seconded by Mr. Hill, and adopted by unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned at 9:48 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

______________________
John Pittman Hey
National Secretary
America First National Committee