Platform of the Grassroots Party The Grassroots Party was formed to restore the rights of all United States Citizens to that envisioned by our founding fathers. In the past 200 years, but especially in the years from 1980-1992, the rights of the citizens of this fine country have been eroded. The founders of this country had much forethought when creating our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Though they knew many freedoms contained in the constitution could not be obtained in their lifetimes (end of slavery, for instance) they laid the groundwork for future generations to improve the civil rights of all Americans. However our leaders have not always been as intelligent and virtuous as our founding fathers, believing instead that certain classes of people should control the power and minds of its citizens. Therefor rights that our forefathers took for granted are now nonexistent, such as; privacy, free speech, freedom from property seizure, fair jury trials, etc. The Grassroots party was formed to restore these basic American rights and end the persecution off its people. We have therefor put forth the following political platform for our party, with the hope that all United States citizens begin fighting for their constitutional rights. 1. End the inhuman denial of medical marijuana for patients that could benefit from it. Return control of medical treatment to the physician, and patient, where it belongs. 2. End the fascist drug war that is costing us $12 BILLION a year at the federal level, billions more at the local level, and is destroying the fabric of the United States. Decriminalize the use and possession of all intoxicants, decriminalize and tax the sale of marijuana. Legalize all natural substances in their natural form. Pardon all those convicted for crimes made legal by these changes. 3. Start penalizing people for their actions while on drugs not for consuming the drug. A person who commits a violent crime while on drugs is no different from the person who isn't on drugs, punishment should be appropriate for the crime committed. 4. Fully support and protect America's Constitution and Bill of Rights. Guarding our Constitutional rights is of primary importance, especially the restoration of our rights to privacy and free speech. 5. End random government monitoring of phone, data and fax traffic in the United States. Strengthen requirements needed to obtain warrants for all forms of invasions of privacy. 6. End all monitoring of our bodily fluids. Judgements should be made on a person's abilities and performance not on the presence of four week old chemicals in someone's urine. 7. Protection for all minority classes, end persecution of those people that do not fit the publics perception of the "ideal" citizen. This includes but is no way limited too; homosexuals, lesbians, Indians, intellectuals, drug users, ex-convicts, homeless, poverty stricken, obese, blacks, whites, yellows, etc. 8. End all government regulation of "moral" behavior. Laws should be written to protect people from each other, not from themselves. 9. End foreign aid until we are feeding and housing all Americans. 10. End the unfair disadvantage that ordinary citizens suffer when bringing suit against the government. The 1st amendment clearly states that it is the right of the people to "...petition the government for a redress of grievances." Currently it is nearly impossible to fight the government in court as they are spending hundreds of thousands of tax payers money fighting every case brought against them. This often enables them to bankrupt a person before a case even gets to court. 11. Repeal all property seizure laws. Seizure laws are in clear violation of the 4th, 5th, 9th and 14th amendments to the constitution. Americans are entitled to due process and fair trials, seizure laws bypass these safeguards. 12. Improve substance abuse treatment and education. Teach people the truth about drugs so they can make informed decisions and avoid abusive behavior. 13. Pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Make discrimination based on sex or sexual preference a crime. 14. Provide health care for all. Stop sentencing people to die from lack of health care simply because they are poor. Our country was founded on "life, liberty" for all people, not only those that happen to have money. 15. End court mandatory sentencing guidelines. Return the power of the law back to the judges and juries where the constitution established it. 16. Pass a "Fully Informed Jury" law, mandating that juries be told that they are allowed to vote their conscience and not simply on the "letter of the law" and the facts as presented. The founding fathers meant the jury system to be a check and balances on the courts and the laws of the nation. If a jury felt that a law was unjust than the plaintiff could be found 'not guilt' based on an unjust law. Defense lawyers should be allowed to present all evidence before a court and not have it blocked by a judge. Evidence may always be rebutted by the prosecution to prevent misrepresentation of facts. 17. Promote and expand ecological safe products and fuels. Encourage the use of hemp for paper, fabric, fuel, and building materials. Mandate changes that will require ecological safe practices. Prosecute polluters to the fullest extent of the law, heavily fine wasteful practices. Begin restoration of the planet's natural plant and wildlife, promote full biodiversity not favoring only those plants or animals favored by man. 18. Encourage all methods of birth control and promote smaller families with the goal or reducing America and the World's population. The planet has reached the point of not being unable to support the current population as well as a natural biodiversity so necessary for the planets survival.