Taylor B LeBaron | University of Illinois at Springfield (original) (raw)

Papers by Taylor B LeBaron

LeBaron Libetry Library, 2019

The dawn of New Deal progressive politics is an era that has been relegated to a single chapter i... more The dawn of New Deal progressive politics is an era that has been relegated to a single chapter in history books, a time of contentious politics, a time of radical political doctrines of the far left and the far right. From the administration of Woodrow Wilson to the fourth term of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, the United States of America was forever changed, reconstructed in ways that the war of rebellion never could have forecasted. The etiology of great change in America, like most revolutionary changes, cannot be isolated to a singular phenomenon or causal agent, but rather is a complex interconnected network of systems, ideas, actions, reactions, and sociocultural shifts. This paper will synthesize and analyze a deeper, more intimate, story of contentious politics and revolt and offer a telling narrative of history where American nationalism had an objective meaning.

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2018

When the subject of American foreign policy is brought up in contemporary dialogue there is ofte... more When the subject of American foreign policy is brought up in contemporary dialogue there is often a preconceived social aura around the subject. Oftentimes, foreign policy in general is something that is omitted from the average person's dialogue. Perhaps this is because many people do not feel informed about the issue, or they are not well-versed in extrapolating the current events and quarrels relating to American foreign policy. This paper attempts to shed a much-needed light on what America's foreign policy was, became, and is at present. The international organization known as "The Council of Foreign Relations" (CFR) has had a tremendous impact through its actions and origins and its influence on the consequences of world government and law. This paper will raise the question of what America's foreign policy should be and will investigate the widely held claim that the greatest threat to peace in the world today is not religious ideology but American Foreign Policy. If we, as Americans, are to retain our Republic, we must, by necessity, critically analyze the orders of President George Washington in his 1797 "Farewell Address." If we fail to heed Washington’s warnings, we may find that the rights of the people will be seized by tyrants as a direct result of United States Foreign Policy.

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2019

This paper attempts to identify insufficient areas in data, research, and theory surrounding scho... more This paper attempts to identify insufficient areas in data, research, and theory surrounding school shootings which, if corrected, could reduce or prevent such shootings. It has become a semi-normal occurrence in American news media to report “the latest” school shooting. America’s schools, along with the students, staff, and faculty, have become accustomed to “active shooter” drills and standard protocols of questionable invasive techniques aimed at school safety, such as magnetometers, the omnipresence of surveillance cameras, School Resource Officers (SROs), and in emerging school districts even the presence of an armed paramilitary force. These costly, and seemingly rational, measures have not yet prevented an active school shooter. This paper will look at theories behind these and other failures in school violence prevention and the inability of a nation to adequately recognize, understand, and remedy a crisis before it occurs. The greatest school shooting is the one that never happens. This paper will explore a theoretical model that shifts research and prevention of school violence from analyzing the student to analyzing the institution.

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2017

There exists a common misconception of the term and concept of “anarchism.” The term anarchism a... more There exists a common misconception of the term and concept of “anarchism.” The term anarchism alone, when used in a group of devout statists (those who affirm absolute political authority) will no doubt warrant the statists to take the defensive side of the conversation, bringing with their defensive response(s) a preconceived notion of the acceptance and advancement of amoral behavior and criminal acts, and the condoning and praise of violence.

The focus of this paper is threefold. First, there will be an inquiry into the political theory of anarchism and the subsequent hyphenated subset anarchies within the general realm of anarchism. This paper will grant the reader a general philosophical and political understanding of theory and implementation of a stateless society. Second, the psychology of authority will be challenged in the hopes of bringing to light the inherent contradictions existing within statism and authority. This will include the examination of operant conditioning, which enables subjects to unquestionably accept authority and government as legitimate, by denial of individual sovereignty. This paper will demonstrate that government is synonymous with civil war, while anarchism is synonymous with social order. Finally, the notion of society and religion will be examined.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The test of first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2018

Inherent in Haymarket is the long-lasting legacy of anarchy, the true meaning of the First Amendm... more Inherent in Haymarket is the long-lasting legacy of anarchy, the true meaning of the First Amendment, and the precepts of the idea called “America,” or self-governing communities working together to provide for all. The progressive oligarchy that grew out of the suppression of the sentiments and dissemination of ideas in Haymarket is illustrated in the Lochner case.

How did this paradoxical phenomenon occur, and which
interpretation of labor is correct? Where is the true spirit of liberty?
This is a review of the literature pertaining to labor issues, collective action, and revolutionary political doctrines that peaked in the last two decades of nineteenth-century America. The ideas, public discourse, and goals of The People, which were so prominent in this era of American history and culture were, in effect, disregarded and tossed aside in favor of the now highly contentious 1905 Supreme Court ruling Lochner v. New York .

It is the shift of Constitutional interpretation,
prominence of judicial review, and the promotion and sovereignty of “We the People” within both Haymarket and Lochner that is the focus of this review. This review is not about the etiology of the Fourteenth Amendment, nor the “Due Process Clause.” This review is about the desires of the people and how media, press, and political actors
were used as a means of soft power to change discourse and invoke fear in the general public. These things were done with the intention of usurping the sovereignty of the people by stifling political movements and disseminating propaganda, as a method to prohibit the ideas that opposed the inherent power structure of America and challenged
the dogma of capitalism and general public welfare. This is about cognitive warfare.

The primary focus of this paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the media as it relates to te... more The primary focus of this paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the media as it relates to terrorism, specifically the promotion of and counter-tactics for terrorism. Marshall McLuhan, shortly after the advent of the 24/7 news cycle said, “The satellite will distribute terrorist paranoia around the world in living color to match each extracting disruptive event.” It was McLuhan’s work that also set forth the dictum of “the medium is the message.” This means that it is the medium that dictates the message. The press is a tool unlike any other; it shaped the way people are able to communicate and express ideas. What was once relegated to small regional distribution has evolved into a vast network of instant communication and information distribution. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the now technological giant Alphabet owned the company “Google” and set their page on the World Wide Web to display a message that told visitors that to find information about the events unfolding on that day they must turn on their television or radio. The reason for this, as stated by Google, was that the Internet was unable to keep up the speed of the latest information. Almost 20 years later, this idea seems absurd, as the most real-time updates in news and events are executed in the World Wide Web.

The fear invoked by the term “terrorism” is perhaps at an all-time high. And why not, with the m... more The fear invoked by the term “terrorism” is perhaps at an all-time high. And why not,
with the major news corporations seeming to open and close every newscast with
events somewhere that meet the fluid definition of "terrorism"? Perhaps in American
contemporary culture, the word terrorism is synonymous with the events occurring on

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, when four commercial airplanes were hijacked and
flown into prominent American structures. It seemed to begin with the images of
planes slamming into buildings, and more recently has expanded to include vans
running over people in crowded cities, individuals in explosive-laced vests wildly and
indiscriminately obliterating crowds of people, and churches and school grounds
forced to deal with the carnage of mass murder by mentally unstable people.
However, terrorism has always existed and will continue to exist. To avoid the
issue of equivocation, terrorism, as used in this paper, will be defined by ​Johnson's
1859 Dictionary of the English Language​, that is, "government implemented by force."
The vast majority of Americans are so intoxicated by their "American Exceptionalism"
rhetoric that the common consensus fails to think critically and objectively in regard to America's role in terrorism. “An Empire of Imperialistic Exceptionalism”​ ​aims to
dissolve the ubiquitous ignorance within the discussion of terrorism. To be ignorant of
something is to literally ignore information that is readily accessible.

Why was the United States "attacked" on December 7, 1941, and again on
September 11, 2001? “An Empire of Imperialistic Exceptionalism” seeks to reveal the
United States of America as the world's greatest sponsor and cause of "terrorism,"
explicitly and implicitly, and to unequivocally expose the empire that was built by
terrorism. Above all, this paper has a goal of changing the course of dialogue from
purely corporate rhetoric to thoughtful truth, exposing the lie that is "American
Exceptionalism" and victimization.

This paper will examine the judicial opinions and dissents given for the Supreme Court case Oberg... more This paper will examine the judicial opinions and dissents given for the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges 576 U.S. June 26, 2015. This case resulted in, perhaps, one of the most important judicial opinions in our country’s history, not because of a value judgement passed by the Supreme Court that day but because of the judicial supremacy and the greatest expansion of terms such as “liberty,” “due process,” “privacy,” and “equality” as they pertain to the Fourteenth Amendment. How did the United States of America’s Constitution, which was legitimized by the Declaration of Independence, which derived its authority from Divine law, reach the point of granting legitimacy to the existence of a Constitutional right of homosexual marriage? As late as 1973, homosexuality was deemed a mental illness by psychiatrists. The Fourteenth Amendment was used as a Constitutional baseline for this change, thus securing a writ of certiorari from the Federal Court of Appeals. Today, most if not all Constitutional rights cases are Fourteenth Amendment cases. The Fourteenth Amendment, in effect, federalized the amendments prior to it, with what are known as the “Due Process” and the “Equal Protection” clauses.

The right to privacy has been a longstanding source of contention in the United States. The Const... more The right to privacy has been a longstanding source of contention in the United States. The
Constitution does not make claim to such a right per se. However, the Bill of Rights makes
specific claims to privacy. The ambiguity and necessity for clarification of a right to privacy has
occupied many court circuits. In was ultimately the Supreme Court's 1965 decision in Griswold
v. Connecticut that legitimized the notion of a general right to privacy. The arguments that
preceded the ruling stemmed from interpretations of the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth
and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. Great care and contextual analysis ought to be
taken when ascertaining the legitimacy of the “right” to privacy as it is today commonly
understood.

In the realm of modern-day criminal procedures and legal statutes, it has become increasingly mor... more In the realm of modern-day criminal procedures and legal statutes, it has become increasingly
more common for courts to consider the international program known as Alcoholics
Anonymous, founded in 1935, as a worthwhile alternative to long-term incarceration. This
precept increased in popularity with the advancements in biology, psychology, and the general
sciences.1 The first edition of the ​Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders​ (DSM)
was published in 1952.2 The first edition is unrecognizable when compared to the current fifth
edition, which was finalized in 2013. One of the major changes is the listing of alcoholism and
substance abuse as legitimate mental disorders.
The dicta for crimes that, in whole or in part, encompass a substance abuse issue has
changed dramatically since the inception of the United States. The seemingly forgotten
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution has a long history based on the alleged
criminality of the "drunkard," as termed by common law and common society in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries in America. What was deemed legally sound in the early nineteenth
century would be, by contemporary society, deemed acts of savagery, ignorance, and even
human rights violations.
This work seeks to target the occult history of the temperance movement, the title given
to the genesis of combating intoxicants in America and elsewhere. The various criminal
procedures, acts, and events taken against persons, organizations, and religious affiliations will
be examined in the prism of omniscience, and not simply with regard to modern-day sentiments.

Van Orden v. Perry​ (2005) and ​McCreary County v. ACLU​ (2005) are both Supreme Court cases that... more Van Orden v. Perry​ (2005) and ​McCreary County v. ACLU​ (2005) are both Supreme Court cases
that were heard in the 2005 session. Both cases address the constitutionality of religious
monuments on government grounds, more specifically, the Ten Commandments, or Decalogue,
in the form of a monument display. Both case petitioners asserted the displays were a violation
of the First Amendment, precisely of the Establishment Clause: “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Both cases were
given ​writ of ​certiorari​. ​Both cases raised the same issue, but the cases had different outcomes.
One display was held to be constitutional and the other was ruled unconstitutional, evoking the
question: What was the intent of the First Amendment designers, and how does the ​stare decisis
of the First Amendment, specifically in regard to the Establishment Clause, pertain to the
differing opinions handed down by the Supreme Court?
A key point that is further developed is the primacy of religion within the founding of the
United States and the subsequent establishment of the Constitution. The totality of what it means
to “respect” an “establishment” of religion is examined. The role of the Ten Commandments as
they pertain to the United States central government and the law of the Constitution are
examined. The totality of the circumstances of the two cases is viewed through the prism of the
intended outcome and interpretation of the Constitution. It is the prism of a democratic republic
and not a judicial review.

James Baldwin's short work titled “Sonny's Blues” is perhaps the most eye-opening analysis of the... more James Baldwin's short work titled “Sonny's Blues” is perhaps the most eye-opening
analysis of the quality of life for many African Americans living during the 1950s, in particular,
those living in Harlem and analogous ghettos. The ever-so-ubiquitous theme of racism and
subsequent racial segregation and class supremacy is the greatest sociocultural theme within the
work. It was within the context of the genesis of the 20th century civil rights movement that
Baldwin penned this work. The Harlem Renaissance had concluded more than a decade prior.
Three years before “Sonny's Blues​”​ was published (Baldwin, 1998), the Supreme Court of the
United States, in a 1954 landmark ​Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ​case, struck down what
was known as the "separate but equal" clause of the public education systems. This was a great
advantage that would, in effect, propel the African-American civil rights movement from a small
group of activists to a full-fledged cultural revolution.

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey​ was a case that challenged several Stat... more Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey​ was a case that challenged several
State provisions to the “​Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982,​” with regard to the process
of obtaining an abortion. The State law had been amended several times, and by the late 1980s,
there were many “hoops” to jump though for a woman wanting to obtain an abortion. Some of
these hoops and bureaucratic measures included that all married women had to obtain a signed
document verifying the consent of the husband. However, there were some alternatives for that,
such as certifying that her husband was unreachable or establishing that a medical emergency
existed. There was also within the State law a provision for all minors, those who were less than
the age of 18, wherein the minor had to have parental consent and must have talked with her
parents. If there was an issue with having a legal guardian with whom to talk, then the minor
could appeal to speak to a judge, who could assess whether the minor was mature enough to
make the decision.

Drafts by Taylor B LeBaron

ROUGH DRAFT OF THOUGHT We, as a nation, are no longer able to deny the change that has occ... more ROUGH DRAFT OF THOUGHT

We, as a nation, are no longer able to deny the change that has occurred within our society as a whole and, in particular, within the millennial generation and the generations proceeding from the millennial generation. The actions of the millennial generation show a seemingly unprecedented level of entitlement, egoism, and narcissism. How America's youth communicate, socialize, learn, and experience the world around them has changed drastically. The virtues of empathy and compassion appear to have vanished without a trace. Perhaps the essence of humanity has been usurped, and in its place is an ever-changing digital screen. This work will attempt to bring awareness to the problems facing America's youth and present possible remedies that can allow our nation to change course and to truly bring America back to its founding principles.

Books by Taylor B LeBaron

Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time, 2010

At age fourteen, Taylor LeBaron was nearly 300 pounds. He had difficulty just getting to the mail... more At age fourteen, Taylor LeBaron was nearly 300 pounds. He had difficulty just getting to the mailbox without becoming short of breath. A chubby kid from birth who was prone to obesity, Taylor allowed his weight to skyrocket through mindless 'whatever' eating and his sedentary techie lifestyle. But a membership to the Y, a keen imagination, and an indomitable spirit changed all that.

Approaching proper eating and weight loss as he would a new video game, Taylor made fitness into a fun challenge with his creation of THE ULTIMATE FITNESS GAME (UFG)―a method of tracking calories, avoiding pitfalls, overcoming obstacles, and working out by following hard-andfast rules that literally helped him shed half of his body weight in a matter of a year and a half.

Cutting Myself in Half is Taylor's motivational strategy guide to THE ULTIMATE FITNESS GAME.Taylor shows kids who are currently where he was that weight loss and fitness are within reach . . . one workout, one calorie, one 'byte' at a time.

LeBaron Libetry Library, 2019

The dawn of New Deal progressive politics is an era that has been relegated to a single chapter i... more The dawn of New Deal progressive politics is an era that has been relegated to a single chapter in history books, a time of contentious politics, a time of radical political doctrines of the far left and the far right. From the administration of Woodrow Wilson to the fourth term of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, the United States of America was forever changed, reconstructed in ways that the war of rebellion never could have forecasted. The etiology of great change in America, like most revolutionary changes, cannot be isolated to a singular phenomenon or causal agent, but rather is a complex interconnected network of systems, ideas, actions, reactions, and sociocultural shifts. This paper will synthesize and analyze a deeper, more intimate, story of contentious politics and revolt and offer a telling narrative of history where American nationalism had an objective meaning.

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2018

When the subject of American foreign policy is brought up in contemporary dialogue there is ofte... more When the subject of American foreign policy is brought up in contemporary dialogue there is often a preconceived social aura around the subject. Oftentimes, foreign policy in general is something that is omitted from the average person's dialogue. Perhaps this is because many people do not feel informed about the issue, or they are not well-versed in extrapolating the current events and quarrels relating to American foreign policy. This paper attempts to shed a much-needed light on what America's foreign policy was, became, and is at present. The international organization known as "The Council of Foreign Relations" (CFR) has had a tremendous impact through its actions and origins and its influence on the consequences of world government and law. This paper will raise the question of what America's foreign policy should be and will investigate the widely held claim that the greatest threat to peace in the world today is not religious ideology but American Foreign Policy. If we, as Americans, are to retain our Republic, we must, by necessity, critically analyze the orders of President George Washington in his 1797 "Farewell Address." If we fail to heed Washington’s warnings, we may find that the rights of the people will be seized by tyrants as a direct result of United States Foreign Policy.

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2019

This paper attempts to identify insufficient areas in data, research, and theory surrounding scho... more This paper attempts to identify insufficient areas in data, research, and theory surrounding school shootings which, if corrected, could reduce or prevent such shootings. It has become a semi-normal occurrence in American news media to report “the latest” school shooting. America’s schools, along with the students, staff, and faculty, have become accustomed to “active shooter” drills and standard protocols of questionable invasive techniques aimed at school safety, such as magnetometers, the omnipresence of surveillance cameras, School Resource Officers (SROs), and in emerging school districts even the presence of an armed paramilitary force. These costly, and seemingly rational, measures have not yet prevented an active school shooter. This paper will look at theories behind these and other failures in school violence prevention and the inability of a nation to adequately recognize, understand, and remedy a crisis before it occurs. The greatest school shooting is the one that never happens. This paper will explore a theoretical model that shifts research and prevention of school violence from analyzing the student to analyzing the institution.

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2017

There exists a common misconception of the term and concept of “anarchism.” The term anarchism a... more There exists a common misconception of the term and concept of “anarchism.” The term anarchism alone, when used in a group of devout statists (those who affirm absolute political authority) will no doubt warrant the statists to take the defensive side of the conversation, bringing with their defensive response(s) a preconceived notion of the acceptance and advancement of amoral behavior and criminal acts, and the condoning and praise of violence.

The focus of this paper is threefold. First, there will be an inquiry into the political theory of anarchism and the subsequent hyphenated subset anarchies within the general realm of anarchism. This paper will grant the reader a general philosophical and political understanding of theory and implementation of a stateless society. Second, the psychology of authority will be challenged in the hopes of bringing to light the inherent contradictions existing within statism and authority. This will include the examination of operant conditioning, which enables subjects to unquestionably accept authority and government as legitimate, by denial of individual sovereignty. This paper will demonstrate that government is synonymous with civil war, while anarchism is synonymous with social order. Finally, the notion of society and religion will be examined.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: “The test of first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.”

LeBaron Liberty Library , 2018

Inherent in Haymarket is the long-lasting legacy of anarchy, the true meaning of the First Amendm... more Inherent in Haymarket is the long-lasting legacy of anarchy, the true meaning of the First Amendment, and the precepts of the idea called “America,” or self-governing communities working together to provide for all. The progressive oligarchy that grew out of the suppression of the sentiments and dissemination of ideas in Haymarket is illustrated in the Lochner case.

How did this paradoxical phenomenon occur, and which
interpretation of labor is correct? Where is the true spirit of liberty?
This is a review of the literature pertaining to labor issues, collective action, and revolutionary political doctrines that peaked in the last two decades of nineteenth-century America. The ideas, public discourse, and goals of The People, which were so prominent in this era of American history and culture were, in effect, disregarded and tossed aside in favor of the now highly contentious 1905 Supreme Court ruling Lochner v. New York .

It is the shift of Constitutional interpretation,
prominence of judicial review, and the promotion and sovereignty of “We the People” within both Haymarket and Lochner that is the focus of this review. This review is not about the etiology of the Fourteenth Amendment, nor the “Due Process Clause.” This review is about the desires of the people and how media, press, and political actors
were used as a means of soft power to change discourse and invoke fear in the general public. These things were done with the intention of usurping the sovereignty of the people by stifling political movements and disseminating propaganda, as a method to prohibit the ideas that opposed the inherent power structure of America and challenged
the dogma of capitalism and general public welfare. This is about cognitive warfare.

The primary focus of this paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the media as it relates to te... more The primary focus of this paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the media as it relates to terrorism, specifically the promotion of and counter-tactics for terrorism. Marshall McLuhan, shortly after the advent of the 24/7 news cycle said, “The satellite will distribute terrorist paranoia around the world in living color to match each extracting disruptive event.” It was McLuhan’s work that also set forth the dictum of “the medium is the message.” This means that it is the medium that dictates the message. The press is a tool unlike any other; it shaped the way people are able to communicate and express ideas. What was once relegated to small regional distribution has evolved into a vast network of instant communication and information distribution. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the now technological giant Alphabet owned the company “Google” and set their page on the World Wide Web to display a message that told visitors that to find information about the events unfolding on that day they must turn on their television or radio. The reason for this, as stated by Google, was that the Internet was unable to keep up the speed of the latest information. Almost 20 years later, this idea seems absurd, as the most real-time updates in news and events are executed in the World Wide Web.

The fear invoked by the term “terrorism” is perhaps at an all-time high. And why not, with the m... more The fear invoked by the term “terrorism” is perhaps at an all-time high. And why not,
with the major news corporations seeming to open and close every newscast with
events somewhere that meet the fluid definition of "terrorism"? Perhaps in American
contemporary culture, the word terrorism is synonymous with the events occurring on

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, when four commercial airplanes were hijacked and
flown into prominent American structures. It seemed to begin with the images of
planes slamming into buildings, and more recently has expanded to include vans
running over people in crowded cities, individuals in explosive-laced vests wildly and
indiscriminately obliterating crowds of people, and churches and school grounds
forced to deal with the carnage of mass murder by mentally unstable people.
However, terrorism has always existed and will continue to exist. To avoid the
issue of equivocation, terrorism, as used in this paper, will be defined by ​Johnson's
1859 Dictionary of the English Language​, that is, "government implemented by force."
The vast majority of Americans are so intoxicated by their "American Exceptionalism"
rhetoric that the common consensus fails to think critically and objectively in regard to America's role in terrorism. “An Empire of Imperialistic Exceptionalism”​ ​aims to
dissolve the ubiquitous ignorance within the discussion of terrorism. To be ignorant of
something is to literally ignore information that is readily accessible.

Why was the United States "attacked" on December 7, 1941, and again on
September 11, 2001? “An Empire of Imperialistic Exceptionalism” seeks to reveal the
United States of America as the world's greatest sponsor and cause of "terrorism,"
explicitly and implicitly, and to unequivocally expose the empire that was built by
terrorism. Above all, this paper has a goal of changing the course of dialogue from
purely corporate rhetoric to thoughtful truth, exposing the lie that is "American
Exceptionalism" and victimization.

This paper will examine the judicial opinions and dissents given for the Supreme Court case Oberg... more This paper will examine the judicial opinions and dissents given for the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges 576 U.S. June 26, 2015. This case resulted in, perhaps, one of the most important judicial opinions in our country’s history, not because of a value judgement passed by the Supreme Court that day but because of the judicial supremacy and the greatest expansion of terms such as “liberty,” “due process,” “privacy,” and “equality” as they pertain to the Fourteenth Amendment. How did the United States of America’s Constitution, which was legitimized by the Declaration of Independence, which derived its authority from Divine law, reach the point of granting legitimacy to the existence of a Constitutional right of homosexual marriage? As late as 1973, homosexuality was deemed a mental illness by psychiatrists. The Fourteenth Amendment was used as a Constitutional baseline for this change, thus securing a writ of certiorari from the Federal Court of Appeals. Today, most if not all Constitutional rights cases are Fourteenth Amendment cases. The Fourteenth Amendment, in effect, federalized the amendments prior to it, with what are known as the “Due Process” and the “Equal Protection” clauses.

The right to privacy has been a longstanding source of contention in the United States. The Const... more The right to privacy has been a longstanding source of contention in the United States. The
Constitution does not make claim to such a right per se. However, the Bill of Rights makes
specific claims to privacy. The ambiguity and necessity for clarification of a right to privacy has
occupied many court circuits. In was ultimately the Supreme Court's 1965 decision in Griswold
v. Connecticut that legitimized the notion of a general right to privacy. The arguments that
preceded the ruling stemmed from interpretations of the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, Tenth
and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. Great care and contextual analysis ought to be
taken when ascertaining the legitimacy of the “right” to privacy as it is today commonly
understood.

In the realm of modern-day criminal procedures and legal statutes, it has become increasingly mor... more In the realm of modern-day criminal procedures and legal statutes, it has become increasingly
more common for courts to consider the international program known as Alcoholics
Anonymous, founded in 1935, as a worthwhile alternative to long-term incarceration. This
precept increased in popularity with the advancements in biology, psychology, and the general
sciences.1 The first edition of the ​Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders​ (DSM)
was published in 1952.2 The first edition is unrecognizable when compared to the current fifth
edition, which was finalized in 2013. One of the major changes is the listing of alcoholism and
substance abuse as legitimate mental disorders.
The dicta for crimes that, in whole or in part, encompass a substance abuse issue has
changed dramatically since the inception of the United States. The seemingly forgotten
Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution has a long history based on the alleged
criminality of the "drunkard," as termed by common law and common society in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries in America. What was deemed legally sound in the early nineteenth
century would be, by contemporary society, deemed acts of savagery, ignorance, and even
human rights violations.
This work seeks to target the occult history of the temperance movement, the title given
to the genesis of combating intoxicants in America and elsewhere. The various criminal
procedures, acts, and events taken against persons, organizations, and religious affiliations will
be examined in the prism of omniscience, and not simply with regard to modern-day sentiments.

Van Orden v. Perry​ (2005) and ​McCreary County v. ACLU​ (2005) are both Supreme Court cases that... more Van Orden v. Perry​ (2005) and ​McCreary County v. ACLU​ (2005) are both Supreme Court cases
that were heard in the 2005 session. Both cases address the constitutionality of religious
monuments on government grounds, more specifically, the Ten Commandments, or Decalogue,
in the form of a monument display. Both case petitioners asserted the displays were a violation
of the First Amendment, precisely of the Establishment Clause: “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Both cases were
given ​writ of ​certiorari​. ​Both cases raised the same issue, but the cases had different outcomes.
One display was held to be constitutional and the other was ruled unconstitutional, evoking the
question: What was the intent of the First Amendment designers, and how does the ​stare decisis
of the First Amendment, specifically in regard to the Establishment Clause, pertain to the
differing opinions handed down by the Supreme Court?
A key point that is further developed is the primacy of religion within the founding of the
United States and the subsequent establishment of the Constitution. The totality of what it means
to “respect” an “establishment” of religion is examined. The role of the Ten Commandments as
they pertain to the United States central government and the law of the Constitution are
examined. The totality of the circumstances of the two cases is viewed through the prism of the
intended outcome and interpretation of the Constitution. It is the prism of a democratic republic
and not a judicial review.

James Baldwin's short work titled “Sonny's Blues” is perhaps the most eye-opening analysis of the... more James Baldwin's short work titled “Sonny's Blues” is perhaps the most eye-opening
analysis of the quality of life for many African Americans living during the 1950s, in particular,
those living in Harlem and analogous ghettos. The ever-so-ubiquitous theme of racism and
subsequent racial segregation and class supremacy is the greatest sociocultural theme within the
work. It was within the context of the genesis of the 20th century civil rights movement that
Baldwin penned this work. The Harlem Renaissance had concluded more than a decade prior.
Three years before “Sonny's Blues​”​ was published (Baldwin, 1998), the Supreme Court of the
United States, in a 1954 landmark ​Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ​case, struck down what
was known as the "separate but equal" clause of the public education systems. This was a great
advantage that would, in effect, propel the African-American civil rights movement from a small
group of activists to a full-fledged cultural revolution.

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey​ was a case that challenged several Stat... more Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey​ was a case that challenged several
State provisions to the “​Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982,​” with regard to the process
of obtaining an abortion. The State law had been amended several times, and by the late 1980s,
there were many “hoops” to jump though for a woman wanting to obtain an abortion. Some of
these hoops and bureaucratic measures included that all married women had to obtain a signed
document verifying the consent of the husband. However, there were some alternatives for that,
such as certifying that her husband was unreachable or establishing that a medical emergency
existed. There was also within the State law a provision for all minors, those who were less than
the age of 18, wherein the minor had to have parental consent and must have talked with her
parents. If there was an issue with having a legal guardian with whom to talk, then the minor
could appeal to speak to a judge, who could assess whether the minor was mature enough to
make the decision.

ROUGH DRAFT OF THOUGHT We, as a nation, are no longer able to deny the change that has occ... more ROUGH DRAFT OF THOUGHT

We, as a nation, are no longer able to deny the change that has occurred within our society as a whole and, in particular, within the millennial generation and the generations proceeding from the millennial generation. The actions of the millennial generation show a seemingly unprecedented level of entitlement, egoism, and narcissism. How America's youth communicate, socialize, learn, and experience the world around them has changed drastically. The virtues of empathy and compassion appear to have vanished without a trace. Perhaps the essence of humanity has been usurped, and in its place is an ever-changing digital screen. This work will attempt to bring awareness to the problems facing America's youth and present possible remedies that can allow our nation to change course and to truly bring America back to its founding principles.

Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time, 2010

At age fourteen, Taylor LeBaron was nearly 300 pounds. He had difficulty just getting to the mail... more At age fourteen, Taylor LeBaron was nearly 300 pounds. He had difficulty just getting to the mailbox without becoming short of breath. A chubby kid from birth who was prone to obesity, Taylor allowed his weight to skyrocket through mindless 'whatever' eating and his sedentary techie lifestyle. But a membership to the Y, a keen imagination, and an indomitable spirit changed all that.

Approaching proper eating and weight loss as he would a new video game, Taylor made fitness into a fun challenge with his creation of THE ULTIMATE FITNESS GAME (UFG)―a method of tracking calories, avoiding pitfalls, overcoming obstacles, and working out by following hard-andfast rules that literally helped him shed half of his body weight in a matter of a year and a half.

Cutting Myself in Half is Taylor's motivational strategy guide to THE ULTIMATE FITNESS GAME.Taylor shows kids who are currently where he was that weight loss and fitness are within reach . . . one workout, one calorie, one 'byte' at a time.