First of all, we at the Priory of Salem – Peace Institute are very sorry for the 100 Ukrainian Guardsmen (soldiers) casualties and deaths that were inflicted by protestors this Monday. We have long been attempting to get our Peace Institute set up with a firm base in Ukraine but have lacked the financial support. One major reason we are needed to be in Ukraine is for many pressing matters that have to do with national sovereignty. We have the ability to clearly and in a neutral way document the situation. We also have this duty under our the Budapest Memorandum Treaty to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. US Guardsmen like the California Militia can always meet this international requirement and have been continuously active in Ukraine. Ukraine is very near to having ally status with the California Militia, moreso than any other part of the United States military. Our Institute has officials of the California Guard on staff and on high readiness for immediate participation in such peace keeping missions. Our militia officials are within an area of independence, neutrality, and additional immunity as chaplains. We are well credentialed for engaging in educating, documenting and reporting on all sides of the situation. We not only have the ability to field California Guardsmen but also have the capability of fielding militant “Marshals of the Priory of Salem”. This is all persuant to the treaty and under current laws that would require such readiness of such a great emergency as a threat of war with a nuclear power.
We at the Priory of Salem – Peace Institute would like to educate the Nationalist protestors of the successful strategy of a decentralized government, as in the example of the United States.
The protestors could also get educated that having a de-centralized government worked good in much of the world (like the United States) up until the civil war. Still our Second Amendment is clear that we are to well regulate our own state militias for the freedom of each state. Our US Code Title 1 section 1 says the power is in each state, and the 10th Amendment of the Constitution also says that yet again that the states govern themselves without interference of the federal or any central power. Such interference of such constitutional freedoms would be a violation of any serviceman’s oath (unless in time of declared and specified civil war). Any interference against local state law would be illegal. For America yes, it has led to one civil war. However overall it seems to have worked good.
Nevertheless still many Americans aren’t even aware of their own laws which say the Federal government can’t interfere with their state’s governance or state law. The federals only have jurisdiction over their own lands. It leads to many problems when a central power over exerts itself. Nevertheless, still these things can be overcome with just a small ammount of education under accountable and honest leadership. Otherwise the federals are just operating like there is still an ongoing martial law / civil war situation, and with emergency powers, executive orders etc. These also are not good and can aruably be against the oaths of those who have sworn to protect and defend our constitutional rights, to “protect and defend” those items of the Constitutional rights, etc.
I think it will be wise to educate on these grounds and support a stronger and freer Ukraine. The principle that “the people” are better represented by their local government is a time proven concept. For example, lets say one region gets a wild idea to allow gay marriage. Then only that one region will have it, the rest not. No central power is allowed (legally) to interfere with the local state governance. Many matters would fall clearly under state/local only matters0(Although one can argue really only the church has jurisdiction in marriage, not even local governments).
It can be widely demonstrated that this protects against bad laws passed at the central level, because “the people” would have a broader base. When too much power is centrally the people get a smaller voice. The central vote is so huge that many freedoms can be lost overnight. However, with decentralized governance it provides a stronger guarantee for representation of the people (rather than any one figurehead who could even be corrupt).
The only challenge is getting people to remember it after 100 years although the founding documents could never be any clearer.
Read the articles below from the Kiev Protests this Monday: