VivaBarnesLaw
Politics • Culture • News
Barnes Brief: Valentine's Day, 2023
February 14, 2023
post photo preview
Barnes Brief

Schedule This Week

Tuesday: Early Bourbon w/ Barnes at 6 pm eastern

Wednesday: Sidebar w/ Duran at 1 p.m eastern; Bourbon at 9 p.m. eastern

Thursday: Bourbon w/ Barnes at 9 pm eastern

 

The Introduction: News in Brief

  • Neocon Nikki Haley announced her candidacy for the Presidency, as fellow South Carolinian Tim Scott plans his own Presidential bid.
  • CPI “falls” to 6.5%
  • Biden forms new UFO task force, as this increasingly looks like a mass distraction campaign.
  • Trump’s new nickname for DeSantis is “Meatball Ron”, which is kinda funny.
  • Feinstein retiring finally.
  • House committee to investigate Fauci.
  • USA Today now admits the obvious: Russia winning in Ukraine.
  • Smart legislation in Arkansas: expand ability to sue for misguided gender transition treatment.
  • England ends boosters for under 50.
  • T-Mobile outage hits across the country.
  • Georgia Trump grand jury report to be partially released.

Wisdom of the Day: “Agents and informers do not merely spy. Their main purpose is to discredit, disrupt and negatively redirect action.” COINTELPRO.

 

The Evidence: Barnes Daily Curated Library

  1. Media complicity in Covid polices precludes real accountability. https://www.eugyppius.com/p/dont-be-fooled-by-dumb-talkshows
  2. Did the response to Covid cause the early deaths attributed to Covid? https://substack.com/inbox/rec/102633007
  3. Forgetting lessons from past foreign wars. https://thefederalist.com/2023/02/14/republicans-who-want-war-to-the-hilt-against-russia-forget-the-lessons-of-iraq/
  4. Everybody thinks they can be President. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/02/13/anti-woke-ramaswamy-2024-election-00082414
  5. Backlash on economic war on Russia. https://asiatimes.com/2023/02/breaking-russia-more-like-breaking-ourselves/
  6. Battery problems set back Ford’s electric truck. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ford-sinks-after-halting-production-shipments-electric-f-150-battery-issues
  7. The bull in b.s. https://gainspainscapital.com
  8. Basham’s take on 2022. https://chroniclesmagazine.org/recent-features/an-underwhelming-haul/
  9. Ukraine history. https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/02/_since_when_did_ukrainians_become_entitled_to_a_giant_state_.html
  10. One example of interesting story covered by new news aggregator. https://ground.news/article/nyc-schools-sent-fbi-fingerprints-of-teachers-who-refused-covid-vax_34c0b8

*Bonus: Curious George’s Valentine.

 

 

The Argument: A Reasoned Rant

  • An argument (I suspect originated from allies of Pfizer) recently emerged in the public discourse that the Covid vaccines are really “bioweapons” which required no clinical testing for safety or efficacy, because Pfizer was merely an agent and instrumentality of the Defense Department. This basically blames Trump for starting a bioweapon program “intended to kill and disable” people under the guise of a vaccine, while also immunizing Pfizer from any suit (including Brook Jackson’s whistleblower claim) as a mere “agent” of the government. To get to this conclusion, various authors misconstrued the procedural manner Operation Warp Speed functioned.
  • I see some substack authors pushing a theory that would immunize Pfizer and shift blame to the DOD. These authors often mis-cite the pleadings in the Brook Jackson case I am co-counsel on. They are mistaken. The DOD is definitely in bed with Big Pharma, but legally speaking, Pfizer was not a mere agent of the DOD in this context, and their lies to the government material to Pfizer's funding. Indeed, the contract required the vaccines not be administered if the FDA ever withheld authorization or withdrew authorization. 
  • The quickest way to fund an expedited vaccine project was through the Defense Department using its legal authority to develop “prototype” projects. In this case, the prototype was not the vaccine, but the method used to create it – a wide scale, sped-up process of producing medical countermeasures in a pandemic for national security and future military use. The prototype was the process, not the product. This has been misconstrued to make the vaccine a “prototype weapon” because the prototype legislation primarily presumed purchases for weapons, but this confuses the most common use of the law with the purpose of the project here. 
  • The second, separate item they misconstrued was the legal pleadings in the Brook Jackson case I am co-counsel on. According to these same authors, Pfizer argued they were immune because it was a bioweapon project they were performing as an agent of the government, and the clinical trials were never required to measure for safety or efficacy. According to these same authors, the Government filed paperwork “admitting” to this. This claim is false. 
  • Pfizer’s DOD contract focused on logistics solely because FDA compliance was a precondition of payment for the contract all the way through. Pfizer tried to play off of this by claiming the absence of all the FDA rules from their DOD contract meant the FDA rules were not preconditions of payment. We rightly satirized Pfizer’s claim as absurd. The reason is the plain language of the contracts Pfizer themselves admitted into the record, contracts these same authors oddly fail to discuss in detail while spinning their seductive Dominion-like conspiracy tale that the Covid vaccines were bioweapons (which, if true, did something they managed to forget to talk about – completely immunize and inoculate Pfizer under sovereign immunity and eviscerate Brook Jackson’s case.) 
  • In order to procedurally facilitate Operation Warp Speed, the Department of Defense utilized its prototype funding program to accelerate the development of the vaccine. That has been misconstrued to mean the vaccine was a Government "bioweapon", that clinical trials were neither necessary nor welcome for its production and distribution, and that Pfizer was merely acting as an agent/instrumentality of the federal government. Part of this stems from people accepting Pfizer's defense at face value that clinical trial regulatory compliance was not a precondition of the award of a $2B DOD contract. This is flatly erroneous. Indeed, the only reason no separate regulation was required by the Defense Department was, as the agreements explicitly and expressly state, because "these clinical trials are regulated by the FDA and HHS."
  • The OTA Base Agreement cited by Pfizer didn't discard FDA rules, but actually reinstated, reinforced and reincorporated them. 
  • Section 21.06 of the Base Agreement
  • "Deployment and production of medical products and processes fall under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and research on these products involving animal or human studies is regulated by other laws, directives and regulations....Efforts conducted under this OTA shall be done ethically and in accordance with all applicable laws, directives, and regulations." So much so that Pfizer had to share all FDA information with the DOD, including listening to conferences, sharing all documents , exchanging all communications, allowing government attendance at all visits and audits. 
  • Section 21.12 of the Base Agreement
  • Pfizer had to comply "with current Good Manufacturing Processes as defined by FDA guidance", including "clinical trials", and any "failure to comply" that had any "material adverse effect on the safety" of the product would be a "material failure." 
  • The Statement of Work (SOW) – the second binding agreement Pfizer admitted and filed into the public record -- incorporated the terms of the Base Agreement, as 1.1 of the SOW states the agreement is entered into "pursuant to" it. 
  • The SOW further stated the agreement is Pfizer’s "provision to the Government, a state of the art candidate vaccine...providing protection against the SARS-Cov-2 threat and related coronaviruses” but only after “subject to technical, clinical and regulatory success." Pfizer led the government to believe Pfizer could do "unprecedented phase" clinical trial design and its mRna technologies would "abolish the risk of anti-vector immunity." Indeed, Pfizer promised they could scale fast "while preserving high quality and safety standards." Pfizer promised its product would be "for the prevention of Covid-19." The agreement required "regulatory approval" after "conducting clinical trials." The agreement only provided for funding "if clinical trials are successful and the FDA grants" EUA and BLA licensure. 
  • Just in case this wasn't clear enough, the Statement of Work is crystal clear: "Pfizer will meet the necessary FDA requirements for conducting ongoing and planned clinical trials." Pfizer can only seek FDA approval or authorization if "the clinical data supports such application for approval or authorization." Indeed, the only reason no separate regulation was required by the Army was because "these clinical trials are regulated by the FDA and HHS." 
  • The SOW even goes into detail on the kind of study necessary to "evaluating the safety" of the vaccine -- "a randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blind, dose-finding, and vaccine candidate-selection study in healthy adults." The SOW describes the clinical trials as "pivotal efficacy study design." Only upon "adequate safety and efficacy data" could it be approved. The words "FDA approval or authorization" repeat throughout. The SOW even expressly incorporated the EUA preconditions for approval with express EUA process document incorporation. Pfizer's promise was that "doses shall establish the effectiveness of a technology capable of potentially providing immediate and long-term solutions to coronavirus infections." 
  • The SOW repeated throughout that Pfizer must comply "in a manner compliant with applicable laws and regulations" and expressly referenced the Good Manufacturing Practices regulation (21 CFR 210 & 21 CFR 211). The payment was only for "safe and effective doses required for vaccination" and Pfizer was being paid to "deliver those doses" at scale and speed. Any additional production required "particularly favorable" results. Over and over again, the SOW required Pfizer's drug be a "FDA-approved or authorized vaccine." Again and again, the DOD required any approval was "subject to FDA-approval or authorization" and "subject to FDA-approval or authorization." There would be no approval if "clinical" or "regulatory" failure occurred. 
  • In fact, to further enforce this, Pfizer had to provide the DOD all "data updates from clinical studies." Additionally, Pfizer had to "notify the Government of any event, risk, formal or informal FDA communication, or other issue" that could impact the project. All payments were "subject to change" based on "clinical trials and the validation of the product." Just as no payment could be made until successful clinical trials and FDA authorization or approval, the Government could stop payment whenever the FDA withdrew approval or authorization. That is why Pfizer had to provide all the "data updates" from the clinical trials as well as "any and all inspection and compliance notices, observations and responses" of those clinical trials. 
  • Every great crime needs a great patsy. Pfizer found theirs – the Defense Department. But Pfizer’s still the criminal. Eternal Truth #3.
community logo
Join the VivaBarnesLaw Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
93
What else you may like…
Videos
Podcasts
Posts
Articles
Yesterday's Full Stream

Sorry about the bug yesterday. Messed up setting up the stream. Here is the full stream. Booya!

01:44:26
Update on Brian Cole Jr.

Clip from yesterday (will post the whole stream).

00:16:21
Small white pill

Virginia Court BLOCKS Unlawful Seat-Stealing Referendum Voted Tuesday!

00:12:21
February 17, 2024
Appearance on Richard Syrette

I did a quick hit on Richard Syrette yesterday. Gotta keep Canadians apprised of the U.S. madness.

Appearance on Richard Syrette
The Barnes Brief, Podcast Format: Monday, July 17, 2023

Closing Argument: Birthright citizenship is deeply American, and wholly Constitutional.

The Barnes Brief, Podcast Format: Monday, July 17, 2023
Declaration of Independence

Audio podcast style.

Declaration of Independence
post photo preview
Barnes Brief: Friday, April 24, 2026

I. INTRODUCTION 

A. Art of the Week

  • Love the look & feel of old books (antiquarian in the colloquial parlance), as I collected them for years, but also feel more comfortable in their physical presence, enveloping you as you think, in the home libraries of yesteryear, connecting you to the thoughts and ideas of your ancestors, shared  just through the smell, look and feel of the leather-bound texts from the handmade book publishers of old, an initiating to retreat into the past and explore it like the recesses of one’s own mind for the thoughts that race across the page and whisper from the old ink stained pages. 

B. Recommendation of the Week

C. Wisdom of the Week

  • "Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today, I wish, I wish he’d go away. When I came home last night at three, The man was waiting there for me. But when I looked around the hall, I couldn’t see him there at all! Go away, go away, don’t you come back any more! Go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door... Last night I saw upon the stair, A little man who wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today, Oh, how I wish he’d go away..."  William Hughes Mearns. 

D. Appearances

II. THE EVIDENCE

*NOTE: A reminder: links are NOT always 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. 

A. Barnes Library: Curated Weekly Articles

  1. Tankers skip blockade. https://www.ft.com/content/21dff2c7-1e27-4f74-81d8-31dcdbe9188e
  2. Doubts about madman strategies. https://substack.com/home/post/p-192512883
  3. Consumer sentiment new lows. https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/consumer-confidence
  4. Job market worries spike. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/703280/worker-thriving-declines-job-market-pessimism-grows.aspx
  5. MAHA status. https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/maha-check-up-united-states-getting-healthier

 *Bonus: Old school medical remedies. https://substack.com/@varianavolk/note/c-244056215

B. Best of the Board: Five Fun Posts of the Week

  1. Too true. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7876337/title
  2. Beauty in the backyard. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7878608/1st-goldfinches-were-at-the-feeder-today-they-left-before-i-got-my-camera-a-sparrow-did-pose-for-a
  3. Wisdom. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7877990/so-if-the-splc-paid-regular-people-to-pretend-they-were-nazis-in-charlottesville-there-really-was
  4. Recipes. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7877606/cooking-time-tonites-recipe-is-a-cheese-and-onion-quic
  5. Congratulations! https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7876028/just-found-out-that-i-passed-the-pe-practices-and-principles-of-engineering-exam-this-will-allo

*Bonus: Sarcasm. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7878157/title

C. Homework: Cases of the Week for Sunday

  1. SPLC Indictment. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7877843/professor-jonathan-turley-the-indictment-of-the-southern-poverty-law-center-on-federal-fraud-charg
  2. Insider trading indictment for soldier. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-soldier-charged-using-classified-information-profit-prediction-market-bets
  3. Ten Commandments. https://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/25/25-50695-CV0.pdf
  4. Ghost guns. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/national-association-for-gun-rights-jared-polis-opinion.pdf
  5. Surveillance Accountability Act. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7878502/surveillance-accountability-act-this-is-new-legislation-put-forth-by-thomas-massey-and-lauren-boeber
  6. Loomer loses. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7878370/federal-judge-dismisses-laura-loomers-defamation-suit-against-bill-maher-of-course-it-was-a
  7. J6 CIA suit. https://Vvivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7874216/shauni-kerkhoff-sued
  8. Kash sues. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7876578/kash-patel-sues
  9. Powell case dropped. https://courthousenews.com/justice-department-drops-criminal-probe-into-fed-chair-jerome-powell/
  10. AI embarrassment. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7878598/https-x-com-smb-attorney-status-2046600985254977878
  11. AI invasion. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7878135/it-sounds-like-the-just-us-system-is-nullifying-the-4th-amendment-when-it-comes-down-to-using-ai-ie
  12. VA redistricting challenge. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7877770/hot-air-beege-welborn-virginia-judge-rules-va-gerrymandering-vote-unconstitutional-https-hota

*Bonus: GA 2020 election dispute. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7876741/https-www-courtlistener-com-docket-72267501-pitts-v-united-states-filed-after-filed-before-entr

** Bonus: Amazon caught. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7876825/https-x-com-ric-rtp-status-2046578708035604945

***Bonus: AI fakes. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7877192/robertbarnes-vivafrei-and-all-president-trump-posted-this-on-truth-today-april-22-2026

D. Deep Dive: Iran War Oil Price Impact

  1. Supply offline. https://substack.com/@hfir/note/c-248155408
  2. Supply shock risks. https://www.commoditycontext.com/p/sanguine-strait-stoppage
  3. Electricity price spikes. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7875883/us-electricity-bills-are-surging-average-us-residential-electricity-prices-rose-5-yoy-to-a-reco
  4. China energy resilience re: Iran War. https://substack.com/home/post/p-195176243
  5. Doomberg: war effects. https://newsletter.doomberg.com/p/backwards-looking

*Bonus: Chris Martenson.

III. CLOSING ARGUMENT: Iran War -- Exit, Don't Escalate

Trump's stated objectives of the Iran War cannot be won militarily without too high a price for Americans to pay, primarily in economic casulaties, but also in military casualties and domestic political casualties. Let's weight the risks and the realities of the means to obtain the potential reward. 

Rewards: a peaceful, democratic, pro-American, pro-Israel regime in Iran without a nuclear enrichment program, a long-range ballistic missle program, a long-range drone program, underwater drones, or minsubs, fast armed boats, to further secure an open-and-free (or US controlled) Strait of Hormuz for expeditious transport of essential goods, including energy, fertilizer, and supply chain critical supplies like helium, aluminium, and the like. 

Risks: Military casualties, in the injuries, disabilities or deaths of American soldiers, as well as diminished interest in service in the military from distrusted use of the military by military prospects, plus loss munitions, armaments, drones, weapons, jets, ships, radars, and military base infrastructure. Related thereto, the loss of perception of power in the projection of power, especially to the global south. Finally, militarily the undermining of our alliances in the middle east and Asia especially. Economic cacualties in the lost transit, and lost long-term control, of critical energy supplies, fertiliziers, and other essential and critical goods for the global supply chain, from helium to aluminum and more. Political casualties at home in fractured domestic political support, diminished capital for legislative actions, and risks of major midterm losses that could stalemate government and produce impeachment. 

How does a blockade of the blockade achieve the rewards? The theory is that Iran's inability to export through the Strait will cause them such economic difficulty that they will capitulate to give up their soveriegnty, forfeit nuclear enrichment entirely to the US, drop the missle and drone programs, and turn over power to another regime entirely. I see the chances of that as less than 1%. Iranian nationalism, Persian pride, and Shia sacrifical spirituality make surrender worse than death for this regime and many of the people. 

How does a bombing campaign achieve the rewards? If 40 days of 10K plus bombing targets didn't work, why would bombing a few more targets for a few more weeks achieve anything consequential? The no-bridges-and-power-plants war crime full Sherman approach only backfires by destroying all the oil infrastructure of the GCC countries triggering an economic apocalypse for America and the west, a retaliatory risk too great for any rational American leader to consider.

How does an exit achieve the rewards? It doesn't. But it does avoid the risks. And that's why exit rather than escalation is the rational America-First choice. 

 

Read full Article
post photo preview
The Barnes Brief: Friday, August 17, 2026

I. INTRODUCTION

*Tickets now for sale. Limited availability. https://www.1776lawcenter.com/

A. Art of the Week

  • The earth, shaded by the moon, from the photos by Artemis, by Musk’s SpaceX to explore the universe. Shades within shades, as the earth looks like a quarter-Moon from earth, but just in reverse. All is often just a matter of perspective. 

B. Recommendation of the Week

C. Wisdom of the Week

  • “But the wisdom that is from above is indeed first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” James 3:17. 

D. Appearances

  • LIVE w/ Ed Dowd.
    placeholder
  • LIVE w/ Baris & Massie.
    placeholder
  • LIVE w/ Larry Johnson

II. THE EVIDENCE

*NOTE: 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. 

A. Barnes Library: Curated Weekly Articles

  1. Iran deal possibility. https://substack.com/home/post/p-194261430
  2. Studying the Blob. https://www.blobstudies.com
  3. Israel support collapses amongst non-Boomer evangelicals. https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-786545
  4. Oil economy understood.
  5. Ukraine-Russian war.

 *Bonus: Artemis imagery. https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii-multimedia/

B. Best of the Board: Five Fun Posts of the Week

  1. Comedic relief. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7862387/title
  2. Appetizing images. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7862324/title
  3. Economic realities. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7862450/figured-i-d-share-a-very-local-economy-anecdote-from-my-area-i-m-a-homebuilder-in-the-ny-area
  4. Law school lessons. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7862399/i-am-sick-again-so-i-havent-been-hugely-functional-but-yesterday-in-a-criminal-law-class-we-ran-th
  5. Oil breakdown. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7862095/title

*Bonus: Meme magic. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7861462/title

C. Homework: Cases of the Week for Sunday

  1. SCOTUS: removal. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-813_3e04.pdf
  2. FISA fails. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/17/spy-powers-expiration-closes-in-as-house-procedural-vote-fails-00878317
  3. Surveillance state controls. https://conservativeladiesofamerica.substack.com/p/the-parents-decide-act-doesnt-let
  4. Trump admin sued w/ rare Quo Warranto petition. https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/BROWNvDeLeeuwDocketNo126cv01249DDCApr142026CourtDocket?doc_id=X5I57TSSSN08PDAPHKTHG7DTO30
  5. Eastman disbarred. https://www.calbar.ca.gov/news/attorney-john-eastman-disbarred-california-supreme-court
  6. Livenation verdict. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/live-nation-verdict-faceplant-trump-132338276.html
  7. Ukrainegate. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2026/4154-pr-06-26
  8. Popular vote compact. https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/lawreview/vol2012/iss5/3/
  9. Boasberg shut down.  https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/04/25-5452.pdf
  10. Savannah Hernandez. https://www.newsnationnow.com/crime/3-arrested-turning-point-usa-reporter-video-assault/
  11. ICE officer arrest. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-agent-charged-assault-minnesota-metro-surge-immigration-rcna332210
  12. 1A & licensure. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/25-2991-shamrock-hills-v-Iowa-appelant-brief.pdf

*Bonus: Media censorship limited. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/ftc-takes-action-restore-competition-digital-advertising-ecosystem

**Bonus Cop case in Chicago. https://abc7chicago.com/post/ex-new-york-city-police-sgt-erik-duran-sentenced-throwing-cooler-fleeing-suspect-eric-duprey-killing/18861401/

***Bonus Gallego scandal. https://ktar.com/arizona-news/ruben-gallego-misconduct-allegations/5848619/

D. Deep Dive: Iran War Prospects

  1. The strategic surprise. https://global21.substack.com/p/america-has-never-faced-an-adversary
  2. Iran as new power. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/opinion/iran-war-strait-hormuz.html
  3. A grand bargain. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-us-ceasefire-deal/
  4. The Israel aspect. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-ceasefire/#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20do%20that,to%20further%20Israeli%20regional%20ambition.
  5. The Emirati angle. https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-united-arab-emirates-america-and-israels-frankenstein-monster/

*Bonus: The lego AI war. https://rumble.com/user/ExplosiveMediaa?e9s=src_v1_cbl

III. CLOSING ARGUMENT: The Power to Tax

  • The Preamble provides the purpose of the federal government to “insure domestic tranquility”, “provide for the common defense”, “promote the general welfare” and “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” These balanced interests find manifestation in the enumerated powers articulated within the rest of the Constitution. 
  • Article I, Section 7 provides for “bills for raising revenue” including the enumerated power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposes and excises.” Article I, Section 8 imposes two restraints on the power to tax beyond the purposive restraint “to raise revenue.” All “duties, imposts and excises” must be “uniform throughout the United States.” Article I Section 9 prohibits any tax or duty on exports from any state and no capitation or direct tax can be imposed “unless in proportion to the census.” 
  • The Ninth Amendment further limits those enumerated rights to tax to a taxing power that does not “deny or disparate others retained by the people.” 
  • The Sixteenth Amendment expands Congress power to tax “without apportionment” and “without regard to any census” if imposed “on incomes” regardless of the source of those incomes. Effectively, it removed a federal tax on “incomes” from the apportionment requirement of direct taxes even if those incomes derived from sources that would otherwise require apportionment under Article I. 
  • This leaves open the big question: what is “incomes” under the Sixteenth Amendment? Congress abdicates the issue by using a self-referential and circular definition of income, which under English common law tradition, would negate any income tax since no tax be imposed without unambiguous specificity as to what is being taxed. 
  • The twin decisions that govern this are a dissent and a majority authored by the same Justice a near quarter-century apart — the dissent by Justice White in Pollock and his majority opinion in Brushaber. White considered incomes limited to its original understanding by the voters when ratifying the Sixteenth Amendment, and thus focused not on incomes, but the source rule. He felt a tax on anything other than land and people (capitation) did not require apportionment for its Constitutional imposition. The closest we get is “gain severed from the source” when that source is property or the person. 
  • Hence, a critical term to freedom from imposition by the state remains ambiguous and unanswered — what exactly is “incomes” within the meaning of the Constitution? 
Read full Article
post photo preview
The Barnes Brief: Easter Weekend, 2026

**Alert: Amos Miller Special Dinner Fundraiser: https://www.1776lawcenter.com

I. INTRODUCTION 

A. Art of the Week

  • Simple, delicate art by our own board member, honoring the Amish and their deeply American way of life. A return to our roots, a remembrance of our past, the connection to nature, the celebration of life, the spiritual grounding of all. The light of the Creator shines through the archives of nature, and especially in the lives, lifestyles, and unbeatable smiles of the Amish. Many thanks to Janelle! 

B. Recommendation of the Week

C. Wisdom of the Week

  • "What these neoconservatives seek is to conscript American blood to make the world safe for Israel.” Pat Buchanan. 

D. Appearances

  • LIVE w/ Massie, etc on Massie Money Bomb. Starts about the 9 hour mark.
  • LIVE w/ Joe Kent
    placeholder
  • LIVE w/ Daniel Davis

II. THE EVIDENCE

*NOTE: 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. 

A. Barnes Library: Curated Weekly Articles

  1. Nuke the petrodollar? https://substack.com/home/post/p-193046193
  2. Hersh: ground war incoming. https://substack.com/home/post/p-192971172
  3. Shifting means of war. https://substack.com/@notesongeopolitics/note/c-227238425
  4. Oil market troubles. https://substack.com/home/post/p-192157738
  5. China dependency. https://substack.com/home/post/p-183818706

 *Bonus: Disruption over dominance. https://chandragupta.substack.com/p/adaptation-asymmetry-why-disruption

B. Best of the Board: Five Fun Posts of the Week

  1. Good, Good Friday. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7825982/robertbarnes-robertgouveia-vivafrei-amen
  2. Massie is the goat. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7823804/massie-is-the-goat
  3. Meme magic. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7824054/title
  4. Familial art. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7823418/hobby-time-so-i-took-a-picture-of-my-grandson-troy-and
  5. Biblical hope.https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7816973/as-i-awoke-this-morning-god-brought-a-verse-to-my-mind-im-watching-nearly-everyone-losing-hope-an

*Bonus: Board poll & discussion. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7826542/board-poll-iran-war

C. Homework: Cases of the Week for Sunday

  1. Pay-for-Play Pam fired. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7817841/well-well-well-our-robertbarnes-was-just-a-couple-days-off-edit-sorry-robert-your-date-was-ap
  2. SCOTUS: Birthright Citizenship. https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/25-5146_6468.pdf
  3. Generals sacked. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7823954/title
  4. Chaz death verdict. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7823874/judge-denies-seattles-demand-for-new-trial-over-30-5-million-verdict-in-2020-chaz-shooting-death-o
  5. J6 pipe bomber exposed. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7815188/this-is-a-bombshell
  6. Tine Peters appeal outcome. https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tina_Opinion-1.pdf
  7. OKeefe 2A threatened. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7825133/https-youtube-com-watch-v-rzgl9wihqrs-si-kzhahe-xmdlxm00v-technically-he-doesnt-have-to-show-up
  8. Vance fraud czar. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7826391/i-feel-like-we-ve-seen-this-script-before-hopefully-it-has-a-different-ending-https-x-com-the
  9. Dalaiden dismissed. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7819571/finally-all-charges-dismissed-against-david-daleiden-evidence-baby-parts-for-sale-after-11-years
  10. Nutty Colorado rules. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7823702/https-x-com-ianspeir-status-2039724650150994362
  11. Bulls players dismissed for his religious views. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7826147/professor-jonathan-turley-below-is-my-column-in-the-new-york-post-on-the-termination-of-chicago-bu
  12. Time for enforcement. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7823424/https-x-com-afpost-status-2039789171112345664-the-mass-deportation-coalition

*A Board question. https://vivabarneslaw.locals.com/post/7817093/could-any-of-the-illustrious-attorneys-on-the-board-please-explain-this-to-me-how-is-it-legal-to-ad

**Self-defense? https://courthousenews.com/maui-doctor-claims-self-defense-in-trial-over-wifes-cliffside-attack/

***Sony settlement for gamers. https://courthousenews.com/gamers-near-7-million-settlement-in-playstation-credits-with-sony/

D. Deep Dive: The Gulf 

  1. The genetic gulf between the Arabs & Iranians.
  2. The gulf within the Gulf.
  3. MBS: the Call of Duty fan in charge of the Saudis.
  4. Dubai mirage.
  5. The peculiar history of the Gulf.

*Doomberg: China doesn’t need the Gulf or Iran.

III. CLOSING ARGUMENT: The Constitutional Constrictions on Holding Office

  • Article I, Section 3 conditions holding office as a Senator to those at least 30 years old, a citizen for at least 9 years, and an inhabitant of the state they represent at the time of election. 
  • Article I, Section 2 conditions holding office in the House of Representatives to those at least 25 years of age, a citizen for at least 7 years, and an inhabitant of the state they represent at the time of election. 
  • Article II, Section 1 requires anyone holding the office of the Presidency by a natural born Citizen, at least 35 years of age, and 14 years a resident within the country. 
  • Amendment XIV requires anyone holding the office of Senator or Representative to not have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States, not “given aid or comfort to the enemies” of the United States, the latter being defined to times of war. 
  • Amendment XXII further restricts Presidential office to those not elected more than twice and to ten years of Presidential service. 
  • Amendment XXV provides the protocol for a President “unable to discharge the power and duties of his office” permitting his removal on stricter grounds provided for by Impeachment and Removal clauses within the Constitution. 
  • The question thus beckons: if a minimum age be required for holding office, what about a maximum age? Should there be a mandatory retirement age for holding office? Why? Because their elder leaders were George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, not Nancy Pelosi or Joe Biden. Time to reconsider. 
Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals