With all the focus in recent times on the selection of Supreme Court Justices, it seems only useful to explore the U.S. Bill of Rights and Constitution from the citizens' point of view.  To that end, here is a quiz to test your knowledge of your rights as a U.S. citizen as legally mandated by the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution.

l.  When the Bill of Rights was adopted in l79l, how many amendments were there then? 

2.  Which Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which may never be suspended, assures citizens the right to petition the government for any redress or grievance against it?

3.  What is "habeus corpus" and where is it mentioned in the Constitution?

4.  Which Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial at which a person must hear the charges being brought and hear witnesses again him/her and more?

5.  In what year was the U.S. Constitution adopted and when did the document become the highest law of the land?

6.  Which Section of the Constitution outlines the powers of Congress that include the power to declare war, grant letter of marque and reprisal (civilian licenses to outfit warships at their own expense to fight enemies fothe country...hasn't been done since the Civil War)?

7. If a President neither signs nor vetoes a bill, it becomes law after l0 days (Sun. not included) of the closure the that Congressional session, the bill does not become law as an automatic veto has been enacted.  What is this veto called?

8.  Where in the Constitution does it state that no monies can be drawn from the U.S. Treasury without an act of Congress stating how it is to be used?

9.  Which governmental body has sole power to impeach a public official?

l0.  If an impeached official has broken any laws, can he/she be turned over to regular courts for trial and punishment, same as any other criminal once impeached and removed from office?

Answers:  l: l0 of l2      2: lst Amendment    3: habeus corpus is a legal paper stating the right of jailed persons to release if proper charges cannot be brought against them.    4:  Amendment 6    5: US Constitution was adopted with l0 states ratifying July 2, l788.  The Constitution went into effect March 4, l789 and was adopted by all l3 states as the highest law of the land in l790.   6: Sec. 8   7: Pocket Veto    8: Section 9    9: House of Representatives   l0: Yes

Aloha Mai Kakou!  Aloha to everyone!

In what arena of life can you begin with a sum of 8 and end up with a sum of lM in a 365 day span of time?  And do this all while maintaining an earth-friendly posture and protocol?  Hmmm.  Some kind of scam, you may ask?

Well, no...no scam here.  Just a majorly wonderful exploration called "vermiculture" or "vermacomposting".  In recent days i attended a wonderful workshop on composting and vermiculture sponsored by Recycle Hawai'i and Hawai'i County Dept. of Environmental Management and hosted by La'akea Community and taught by Piper Seldon  www.HawaiiRainbowWorms.com.

With talk of landfills, well, filling to capacity...and an urge to live in harmony with nature more than i have in recent years, inspired me to attend the workshop (which also included Tim's totally brilliant segment on building raised plant beds using recycled pallets...i'm telling you, this is exciting stuff...seriously)!  And what a tremendous education was had by all!  For example, did you know that in Hilo alone, 50% of landfill could have been composted while 30% landfill could have been recycled? = 80% WASTE! 

This is where the composting worms ( as compared to soil worms), come in...these ancient critters (i hear some of you going: eeeuuuuwwwwyulk)..these critters are fantastic survivors and earth helpers. Did you know for example that l tsp. of worm compost is the equivalent of 2.5 cups of yard-made compost? Very potent, thorough, critters indeed.  As well, they are hermaphrodites and colonies adapt their procreative pace based on environmental and food determinants.  And, according to Piper, under proper conditions,a pioneer group of 8 composting worms can procreate into lM within a year!  Why is this exciting news?  Well, because here in the middle of the big Pacific Ocean, we import much of our soil and fertilizers in a variety of ways...On-island vermiculturing could make a huge postive change in our off-island dependencies related to land, food, self-sustainance, peacefulness.

These critters can live in self-contained, specially designed, easily kept bins...do not create odor, mess or other despicable products or behaviors...just lovely, potent, beautiful materials for your garden...just give them dampness, darkness, and dinner (your table scraps!)...perfect solution for apartment-dwelling people as well as country folk too...Yes, you can call me a "believer" in this study called "Vermiculture"...

When Piper returns from a research trip abroad, we'll schedule a meeting on-air Fall season on The Peace Place internet radio program...maybe even some other interesting projects will evolve... stay tuned...will keep you posted...

Check this out!  Research is even being done into using composting worms to de-contaminate and revitalize radioactive soil...powerful beings, those little wigglies!  E ho'omaluhia me ka honua!   aloha, a.s.

l.  The Nobel Peace Prize is named after the Swede Alfred Nobel.  What lucrative armament product did this inventor's companies and labs in 20 countries produce?

2.  What's the name of the Greek play written by Aristophanes about the Peloponnesian War and the efforts of the women of Greece to stop it?

3.  What's another term for fratricide?

4.  Who was the first President of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedome in l9l5 and later the first American woman to earn the Nobel Peace Prize?

5.  Who was Voltaire referring to when he wrote: "It was the only treaty made by the settlers with the Indians that was never sworn to and the only one that was never broken."

6.  Which is the first British university to offer a Peace Studies Degree?

7.  What organization was begun in l983 by a group of university students in Japan, who organized a voyage to hear first-hand about Japan's war history in a people-to-people exchange?

8.  When is/was/will be the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for The Children of the World?

9.  When was the Department of War (War Office) renamed The Department of Defense?

l0.  Who walked over 25,000 miles between l953-l98l and remained "a wanderer until manking has learned the way of peace, waking until given shelter and fasting until given food."?

Aloha dear bloggers, due to technical stuffs, please read the questions that were posted first, but listed after the answers...isn't this technology just great?!?!

l.  Dynamite.   www.nobelprize.org   www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Nobel

2. Lysistrata.   www.Lysistrataproject.com

3. "friendly fire".   http://members.aol.com/amerwar/ff/ff.htm   www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/29/tillman.report/index.html

4.  Jane Addams.   www.wilpf.org       japa@igc.org

5.  William Penn and Chieftein of the Delaware (Leni Lenape) tribe

     www.quakerinfo.com/quak_pce.shtml

6.  University of Bradford.  www.upeace.org/resources/     www.brad.ac.uk/admin/pr/pressreleases/2005/former-chancellor.php

7.  PeaceBoat.org     www.peaceboat.org

8.  2000-20l0.    www.unac.org/peacecp/decade/

9.  l949.    www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_War

l0.  The Peace Pilgrim.      www.peacepilgrim.com

Hoping you find this exploration fun, interesting and inspiring.  E Ho'omaluhia Me Ka Honua!  Alohas,  a.s.

The Foresight of G. Washington (pt.5) In his Farewell address to the nation, George Washington, the first President of the young country and experiment in democracy said further, in part:

"Harmony, liberal intercourse with all nations, are recommended by policy, humanity, and interest."

"I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression I could wish; that they will control the usual current of the passions, or prevent our nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the destiny of nations....that they may not and then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign intrigue, to guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism; this hope will be a full recompense for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated. "

To read Washington's Farewell Address l796 in entirety for yourself, dear reader, you may find a complete copy at:  www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/washing.htm

You, of course, may find the urge to highlight other passages of Washington's speech.  Regardless, his vision likely based on hind-sight from European history, is uncanningly and precisely appropriate to our times.  Would you agree? 

I, for one, would invite our congressional representatives to read this amazingly foresightful address themselves, daily, as a reminder and inspiration from the nation's founding father, as he offers, for we Americans a mere 2 centuries later, advice worth following. Sure wish he had said something about the dangers of adolescent arrogance in nations, or maybe it's just "the terrible 2's" ?  Much aloha to one and all!    E Ho'omaluhia me ka honua!  a.s.

The Foresight of G. Washington (pt.4) And in his farewell address G. Washington, founding father of the U.S.A. stated in part:

"Sympathy for a favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common inteerest in cases wehre no real common interest exists, and infusing into on the enmities of theother betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification...And it gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country, without odium, sometimes even with popularity; gilding, with the appearances of virtuous sense of obligation, a commendable deference for public opinion, or a laudable zeal for public good, the base or foolish compliances of ambition, corruption, or infatuation."

"Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other.  Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests."

(on to part 5)