Fort Ann rights advocate petitioning Congress

Schulz plans to start new hunger strike
in Washington, D.C.
 

By NICK REISMAN
reisman@poststar.com

Published: Thursday, July 03, 2008 

FORT ANN - Lawmakers be beware: Robert Schulz is watching.

"It's important to check the government and check them now," said Schulz, a nationally known constitutional-rights advocate who lives in Fort Ann. "Clearly, somebody has to be held accountable."

This summer, Schulz wants to remind people -- and the government -- of the rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

He started a petition drive earlier this year addressing what he sees as violations of the Constitution and restrictions on individual freedom on the part of government.

He's collected more than 77,000 signatures, with at least one signer in each of the country's 435 congressional districts.

Schulz, 68, says the war in Iraq wasn't given proper approval by Congress, the rights of gun owners have been trampled on and the implementation of federal income tax isn't legal. Those issues, along with the USA Patriot Act, the federal reserve and immigration enforcement are addressed in the petition.

The petition asks lawmakers whether they agree or disagree with the stated concerns and seeks a response within 40 days. They have until Monday to indicate whether they will respond at all.

This week, members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives received by mail a copy of the petition on a CD-ROM.

U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-Greenport, received a copy of the petition at her Glens Falls district office.

"The congresswoman is appreciative of Mr. Schulz for his advocacy," wrote Jill Greco, a Gillibrand aide, in an e-mail. "The congresswoman will review the petition and his analysis of the issues, and will respond in a timely manner."

The 40-day deadline is a reference to the Magna Carta, when English noblemen in 1215 gave King John that length of time to respond to their bill of particulars.

"The people have the inherent right for a response from the government," Schulz said. "Forty days seems like a reasonable amount of time."

The 40-day time limit coincides roughly with the start of a hunger strike Schulz is planning this summer as another protest against government malfeasance.

Schulz, the founder of national organizations We the People Foundation and We the People Congress, is no stranger to stirring up controversy with the federal government. He was held in contempt of court earlier this year for refusing to turn over the personal information, including names and addresses, of people who received his information packet that claimed to show how to legally stop federal tax withholding.

The U.S. Justice Department claims he was selling false information. Schulz said he never sold the information and that distributing the packet is protected under the constitutional right to free speech.

Schulz fought the ruling to the bitter end and even made a futile appeal to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In May, he was ordered to turn over what information he had to the U.S. Justice Department.

Despite losing the battle over producing the names, he's not giving up.

The original case, which accused him of commercially distributing false information, remains at the U.S. Appellate Court level, he said.

The hunger strike Schulz is planning later this summer in Washington, D.C., is designed to draw attention to what he sees as government encroachment. A previous hunger strike in 2001 gained him national notoriety and lasted for 20 days.

Schulz worries that the U.S. is evolving into an authoritarian regime similar to the government of China.

"We have a growing police state and we seem to be drifting in that direction of their model," Schulz said. "It would be tragic, so tragic it that happened here in America."