The more things change… Ep. 3

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VivaFrei@VivaFrei

January 03, 2026

The more things change… Ep. 3

Last night, I actually had the thought that I would have a news free / tech free Saturday.

Then I wake up to the news of military strikes in Venezuela and the arrest of Maduro.

No new wars.

No regime change.

Unless we any it.

And so the cycle continues…

On the substance of it, I am relatively indifferent. Is Maduro a criminal? Yes. Ok. Now what?

The first question I have is does this require congressional approval? Strikes on boats in international waters is one thing. Military strikes in a foreign country and arresting their president, taking him into custody, is quite another. Even the defense that “other presidents have done the same without congressional approval” fails as an analogy, because this strike involves taking a foreign President into custody. At least with Iraq, Congress first passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution.

Also, this is one heck of a precedent to set. I think many countries would love to do the same two other countries’ leaders.

The second question I have is, what now?

The argument some people (or bots 😂) are raising on Twitter is that this was not a military strike or regime change, but a law enforcement exercise. OK, what now? Practically speaking, a country is now without a president. What is the next step?

People often abuse of the expression “this is just a distraction”. The expression is overused, but if it ever had application, it is now. Nothing distracts from crisis at home like military strikes abroad. Just ask Slick Willie…

I have a bad feeling this is a turning point, and one of no return.

Seeing former proponents of “no new wars” and “no regime change” suddenly turn into cheerleaders for war and regime change feels like the scene from 1984 - when the crowd suddenly and instantly cheers on the new script for the speech as though it had been the original script for the speech all along.

Seeing the specious arguments that people are raising… "America goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy."

“well, 74,000 deaths a year from fentanyl says otherwise” say the buffoons who don’t understand Venezuela has virtually nothing to do with fentanyl in America. If that is the rationale, you would want to arrest the Canadian Liberal government.

This is not a fear hiding a wish, just an outright fear: I fear this is a point of no return for this administration.

I fear it is the end of any populist movement. People will just give up, if they haven’t already.

I fear this is the worst and least thought out decision this administration has ever made.

I don’t know how long it takes to see an influx of refugees, but that is what I would expect next. A country collapsing even further, and the predictable mass exodus of people looking to escape the consequences of foreign intervention in their domestic government.

Or maybe it works out, and in a year or two or five, we look back and admit the foresight of the decision for yet more regime change abroad.

I guess it’s possible. It just hasn’t played out that way in the past. Maybe this time will be different. cough

137

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Link to the interview. Give it a watch :-) https://x.com/tuckercarlson/status/2072478348899762441?s=46

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144

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The Barnes Brief: July 4th weekend, 2026

I. THE INTRODUCTION

Just a few tickets left https://www.1776lawcenter.com/

A. Art of the Day

They raise the flag of liberty, replacing the image of the King, but the painting speaks more than just that celebration of the Revolution. A mother holds up\ her child. Women dance. Young and old alike volunteer. but look a bit closer, and you see the true source of the revolution: as the aristocrats walk away, the commoiners lift the flag of liberty. The founding Fathers weren’t just a few folks writing documents; it was the ordinary people taking dramatic action, peopling the volunteer army, sacricing for boycotts, smuggling information and goods across enemy lines, voicing their independence in taverns and community halls, taking their freedom into their hands for themselves and their posterity, the true founders of America.

B. Wisdom of the Day

"If all else fails, I will retreat up the Valley of Virginia, plant my flag on the Blue Ridge, rally around the Scotch-Irish of that region, and make my last stand for liberty amongst a people who will never submit to tyranny whilst there is a man left to draw a trigger." George Washington.

C. Appearances

Dialogue Works.
Moral Resistance.
Mario Nawfal.

D. Daily Picks

https://sportspicks.locals.com/post/8043723/official-picks-friday-july-3-2026

E. Guest Speaker Resume

Dr. Bowden

II. THE EVIDENCE: BARNES LIBRARY

A. Cultural

Supergirl fails.

B. Economics

AI's flaw.

C. Politics/Law

New book on Trump. https://www.vanityfair.com/story/trump-book-regime-change-maggie-haberman

D. Historical

The declaration’s origins. https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2026/07/the-chaotic-collaborative-contentious-origins-of-the-declaration-of-independence/

E. Geopolitical

The anti-war, cross idealogical coalition. https://tritaparsi.substack.com/p/so-they-tried-to-deport-me

*Bonus: Board Post of Note

July 4th film recommendation. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/8043072/robertbarnes-its-a-big-country-https-www-youtube-com-watch-v-lec0dyspy6i-one-of-my-favorite

III. CASES FOR SUNDAY

SCOTUS: Men in girls sports https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-43_2b35.pdf
SCOTUS: Campaign finance https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-621_h315.pdf
SCOTUS:Birthright citizenship https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-365_new_5if6.pdf
SCOTUS: Election Day https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1260_g3cn.pdf
SCOTUS: 4th Amendment https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-112_0am4.pdf
SCOTUS: Federal reserve https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a312_5468.pdf
SCOTUS: Right to fire https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-322_new_4gcj.pdf
SCOTUS: Vaccine mandates https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1015_hfjm.pdf
SCOTUS: Defamation https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-770_2c8f.pdf
SCOTUS: Immunity https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-943_h3ci.pdf
SCOTUS; Death penalty https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-5749_qol1.pdf
SCOTUS: Speech on campus https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-906_e2qg.pdf

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Robert Barnes@RobertBarnes

June 26, 2026

The Barnes Brief: Friday, June 26, 2026

I. THE INTRODUCTION

*Note: Limited tickets available. 1776lawcenter.com

A. Art of the Day

The blue heron showed up outside my rental home here in upstate New York, my totem according to some native tribal traditions. The totem represents your spirit animal, your analogue in the animal world. A few common tidbits of this totem as “heron medicine” — know yourself to uncover your gifts and discover your limits; follow your intuition; embrace self-reliance and feel free to be your own, unafraid of the challenges that come to the nonconformist; be a place for unique wisdom, expressing the best of that most American spirit — independence.

B. Wisdom of the Day

“You can’t kill your way out of every security concern.” J.D. Vance

C. Appearances

LIVE w/ Daniel Davis
LIVE w/ Dialogue Works
LIVE w/ Sulaiman Ahmed
LIVE w/ Romanian TV
LIVE w/ Mario Nawfal
LIVE w/ Rick Sanchez

II. THE EVIDENCE: CURATED ITEMS FROM BARNES LIBRARY

A. Cultural/Historical

Critical role of monogamy. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3260845/

B. Economical

Housing reform. https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6644/text

C. Political

SAVE Act https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/06/26/breaking_down_the_save_america_act_photo_id_154264.html

D. Legal

Fraud schemes unraveled. https://unherd.com/newsroom/trumps-fraud-crackdown-is-an-easy-win/?edition=us

E. Global

Russia warns. https://sonar21.com/putin-warns-the-west-russia-is-ready/

*Bonus: Board Post

Beauty of birth. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/8027913/well-the-third-decided-to-wait-till-the-end-of-her-due-day-then-decided-to-go-from-zero-to-hello-wor

III. HOMEWORK: SUNDAY SCHOOL

SCOTUS: Glysophate https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1068_n7ip.pdf
SCOTUS: Immigration, TPS https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-1083_f204.pdf
SCOTUS: Immigration Asylum https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-5_86qd.pdf
SCOTUS: 2nd Amendment https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1046_nmio.pdf
SCOTUS: Alien Torts https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-856_kjfm.pdf
SCOTUS: Cuba https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-699_f204.pdf
SCOTUS: Right to sue https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/23-1197diff_h315.pdf
SCOTUS: Taxes, Forfeiture & Takings https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-95_dc8e.pdf
SCOTUS: Immigration Removal. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-429_h3ci.pdf
SCOTUS: Habeas https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-748_4g1o.pdf
Tate extradition. https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/admin/2026/1600
AI & copyright. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Richner-publishers-openAI-complaint.pdf

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Robert Barnes@RobertBarnes

June 05, 2026

Weekend Barnes Brief: June 5, 2026

I. THE INTRODUCTION

*Limited tickets available. 1776lawcenter.com

A. Art of the Day
“She’ll be riding 7 white horses when she comes, when she comes. She’ll be riding around the bend when she comes, when she comes.” So may father sang some version of his own of the famed spiritual son that used to echo off the ridges and mountains and riverbeds that make Chattanooga home as returned from our morning paper route beneath the mountains and by this famed river bend.

B. Wisdom of the Day

"From the hands of the mother and daughter, Through the mists of the past revealing, The herbs and the cinnamon water, Hold all the mysteries of healing." The Sorrow Songs, preceding the Blues.

C. Appearances