From: The Liberty Committee <list@thelibertycommittee.org
To: Liberty Activist <libertyactivist@thelibertycommittee.org
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 12:27 PM
Subject: Int'l. Criminal Court Petition


January 22, 2001


Dear friend of liberty,

The gavel hits. Its piercing crack commands the room. History is made.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is now in session -- and our country will never be the same.

"In July of 1998, 120 nations met in Rome and voted to endorse an international criminal court. According to its own terms, when the treaty is ratified by 60 nations, it will be capable of exerting universal jurisdiction over every human being on the planet.

This type of criminal court has been on the wish list of the United Nations since 1947." -- Dr. James Hirsen, 1/5/01

"Once created, the international court will give the U.N. the mechanism it needs to enforce its global 'laws' against American citizens. All Americans concerned with our sovereignty as a nation should be very alarmed by this latest development." -- Congressman Ron Paul, 1/8/01

"In short, the treaty gives the ICC the right to try and imprison U.S. citizens, including our military and other government officers, even [if] we have refused to sign it, let alone ratify it." -- former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, 7/3/00

"On the International Criminal Court treaty, 'the [Defense] Department's position has been clear,' a Pentagon official said. 'We were against signing it and still are.'" -- Washington Post, 1/1/01

"Casey [Lee A. Casey, a former Justice Department official who specializes in international law] said he opposes the creation of the permanent International Criminal Court under the auspices of the United
Nations because he believes its powers are too extensive, and could subject American citizens to trial without allowing them the rights and protections they are guaranteed by the Constitution." -- Washington Post, 1/1/01

"National sovereignty, which means that Americans are answerable to no one but their own government and their own laws, should never be compromised. The creation of a permanent, international war-crimes tribunal certainly would compromise the national sovereignty of every country on Earth." -- Charley Reese, 1/11/01

The Liberty Committee is indeed very alarmed by the International Criminal Court. According to recent press reports, President Bush is alarmed also. Today, The Liberty Committee is launching a nationwide petition drive asking President Bush to rescind the signature of the United States to the International Criminal Court treaty that former President Clinton authorized on December 31, 2000.

To complete the on-line petition, go to http://www.thelibertycommittee.org. Please ask family and friends to do the same. There is a printable version of the petition that we ask you to print, copy and distribute to people who don't use the Internet. All completed and received petitions, on-line and printed, will be presented to the White House.

The International Criminal Court will consider itself to be formally and officially established after only 60 of the world's 161 countries ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC. As of today, 27 countries have ratified the treaty. The ICC needs just 33 more ratifying countries, from among the 112 which have signed but not yet ratified, to claim jurisdiction over all 161 countries and their citizens.

"It is my fervent hope that ...a large majority of United Nations Member States will have signed and ratified [the ICC treaty], so that the Court will have unquestioned authority and the widest possible jurisdiction." U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 7/18/98

"Only hours before the Dec. 31 [2000] deadline, Bill Clinton gave the United Nations its most significant victory so far in its relentless quest for global governance: the International Criminal Court." Henry Lamb, 1/3/01

Supporters of the ICC have worked for years to establish this new world court. It is now time for us to do our work. Please sign our petition and ask others to do the same.

Kent Snyder
The Liberty Committee
http://www.thelibertycommittee.org