I. INTRODUCTION

A.  Art of the Week

• The shadows chasing the light along the wall, sitting back pondering and searching for the perfect expression, the contemplative thought at the typewriter seeking the text to capture the image and escape the mind into the universe and speak it into truth, French doors open the platform under a Moroccan style key-shaped window onto the world outside mirroring the mind within. An artistic articulation of the weekly entreaty to craft the Barnes Brief.  

B.  Recommendation of the Week

• A favorite of our Founders — The Law of Nations. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4618391-the-law-of-nations

C.  Wisdom of the Week

• “Here then is an infallible criterion, by which the nation may judge of the intentions of those who govern it ... if they corrupt the morals of the people, spread a taste for luxury, effeminacy, a rage for licentious pleasures, - if they stimulate the higher orders to a ruinous pomp and extravagance, - beware, citizens! beware of those corruptors! they only aim at purchasing slaves in order to exercise over them an arbitrary sway.” Emer de Vattel, The Law of Nations. 

D.  Appearances

• Sidebar w/ Col. Macgregor https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7601541/live-with-colonel-douglas-macgregor-are-we-on-the-brink-of-world-war
• Sidebar w/ Max Blumenthal https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7595594/live-with-max-blumenthal-trumps-action-in-venezuela-to-iran-chaos-what-comes-next-viva-barne
• LIVE w/ the Duran
  

II. THE EVIDENCE

A.   Barnes Library: Ten of the Top Curated Weekly Articles 

A reminder: links are NOT endorsements of the authors or their interpretation of events, but intended to expand our library of understanding as well as expose ideas of distinct perspective to our own. 

1. Democrats losing path on Immigration. https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/the-bankruptcy-of-the-democrats-elvis
2. Dems’ Identity Politics problem. https://josephklein.substack.com/p/dem-blindness
3. Gun-boat politics: the risks. https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/01/what-would-trumps-threatened-strikes-colombia-mexico-or-cuba-achieve
4. Google as AI Dictator. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/will-google-organize-the-worlds-prices
5. Trucker protest to secession. https://trendcompass.substack.com/p/breakup-of-canada-alberta-independence
6. The literary scam. https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/perhaps-people-are-cynical-about
7. Russia’s new weapon: Thor’s Lightning. https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/oreshnik-vs-lviv-targets-i
8. Pardon problems. https://x.com/kenvogel/status/2012223411523588300?s=20
9. Iran: bombs not problem-solvers. https://substack.com/home/post/p-184501786
10. Iran CIA-Mossad coup fails. https://substack.com/home/post/p-184279171

*Bonus: Board member w/ The Duran on Venezuela

B.  Homework: Cases of the Week for Sunday

1. Powell Prosecution https://quoththeraven.substack.com/p/the-powell-affair-and-the-limits?
2. SCOTUS: 4th Amendment https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-624_b07d.pdf
3. SCOTUS: Elections. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-568_gfbh.pdf
4. SCOTUS: 2nd Amendment. https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1046/357868/20250501090640899_24-1046%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf
5. SCOTUS: Single conviction. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-5774_9nbe.pdf
6. Insurrection in Twin Cities https://newsletter.amuseonx.com/p/minnesota-is-rejecting-federal-sovereignty
7. ICE Sued. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ACLU-v-Trump-Admin.pdf
8. Musk v ChatGPT https://courthousenews.com/elon-musks-fraud-claims-against-openai-set-to-go-to-trial/
9. 1A case goes to sanctions stage. https://courthousenews.com/judge-slams-government-for-conspiring-to-chill-free-speech-of-pro-palestine-students/
10. EPA’s forever chemicals. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/lawsuit-PFAS-environment.pdf
11. Tina Peters appeal.
12. Benshoof Municipal Appeal. 

*Bonus: Constitutional questions about the Federal Reserve. https://southerncalifornialawreview.com/2024/05/14/the-federal-reserve-and-the-constitution/

**Bonus: Subs w/o consent. https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/open-lawsuit-settlements/625000-educative-subscription-class-action-settlement/

***Bonus: Bondi burying cases of corporate corruption. https://www.citizen.org/article/canceled-corporate-enforcement-trump-first-year-second-term/

C.  Best of the Board: Ten of the Top Posts

1. A delicious photo. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7607864/title
2. Beware of dangerous Karens when out in the wild. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7607634/https-x-com-tarabull-status-2012125177245466820-s-20-i-blame-the-cia-fbi-for-creating-these-der
3. Music industry vs Big Tech. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7607465/for-those-interested-elon-musk-vs-the-music-industry-jan-16-2025-top-music-attorney
4. Bill Brown effective comedic memes. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7606729/title
5. The color revolution behind ICE protests. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7607435/this-is-organized-crime-https-thepostmillennial-com-radical-anti-ice-network-uses-mass-signal-cha
6. Types of TDS multiply. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7607854/tds-trump-derangement-syndrome-type-a-and-b-type-a-oppose-hate-trump-at-all-costs-even-when-he-i
7. Biblical blessing of obstacles. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7607379/james-1-2-4-have-you-ever-wondered-why-would-a-loving-heavenly-father-allow-his-children-to-go
8. Trump 2nd term portrait? https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7606837/i-d-be-ok-with-this
9. Good health news from a Board member. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7606735/just-another-update-on-ken-s-progress-following-his-esophagectomy-i-m-honestly-amazed-at-his-re
10. Ideas for improving cars. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7605241/policy-proposals-to-improve-modern-cars-ban-def-in-new-designs-for-diesel-engines-ban-it-becaus

III.   Closing Argument: The Constitution, Article I: The Law of Nations

• Contrary to some claims, the Constitution recognizes international law and its potential applicability to the actions of the various branches of the government. 
• The Preamble provides the purpose: provide for the common dense, insure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty. 
• Section 8 of Article 1 empowers Congress to both law and collect duties on foreign goods; “to regulate commerce with foreign nations”, “establish a uniform rule of naturalization”, to “borrow money on the credit of the United States”, to “define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the High Seas”; to define and punish “offenses against the Law of Nation”; to “make rules concerning captures on land and water”;and no person holding “office of profit or trust” may accept any “present, emolument, office, title of any kind” from a foreign state. 
• Section 2 of Article 2 provides for the power of the President “to make Treaties” which become legally binding when “two thirds of the Senators present concur.” 
• Of note, the judicial power in Article 3, section 2 provides for the all cases arising under the Treaties made to be adjudicated, along with all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction and controversies concerning foreign states, citizens or subjects. 
• Article 6 provides for debts to be “valid against the United States” while making “all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States” as “the supreme law of the land” binding all judges in every state “notwithstanding” any contradiction in their own state laws or state constitution.
• What is the “Law of Nations” referenced by our founders in the Constitution charging Congress with drafting its criminal enforcement mechanism? Colloquially called in the Latin as Jus Gentium, it forms the legal precepts governing relations between sovereign states, rooted in custom and treaties, defining the rights, duties and conduct of nations in areas like international waters, conflict between nations, emigration and immigration between nations, extradition and deportation between nations, and commerce between nations. The origin of this derives from Roman law and concepts of universal jurisdiction. Catholic scholars would add natural law from universal moral precepts and principles as part of it, from which doctrines like jus cogens originate. 
• A prominent scholar recognized and respected by the Founders informed their judgment — the Swiss jurist Emer de Vattell, entitled The Law of Nations. Every thoughtful writer of the Constitution included the text in their library and amongst their lexicon for inspiring their own construct of the justifications for the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself. 
• The same doctrine animated the most celebrated application of natural law to the law between nations and citizens in foreign lands — the Nuremberg trials. A good index can be found here: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/imt.asp
• Later codified into the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, America led the way in establishing universal norms of conduct for both citizens and states to engage in. A critical constituent justification for the jus cogens norms derived from the existence of God and natural law. In other words, those that claim “no international law exists” are not just ignoring the Constitution and American-led legal precedent, they are rejecting natural law and the divine inspiration that shapes and justifies it. As always, in general guide to law and life, trust the Founders first, and second, never trust taking the side of the Nazis or those so aligned. 

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