Sep 17, 2010

Janine Hansen: “I Wear this Fine as a Badge of Honor”

Janine Hansen

-- Press Release from Janine Hansen --

On September 13, 2010, the Hansen name appeared in an Associated Press article identifying people who owe money to the State of Nevada .  “I ‘owe’ money to the State of Nevada in an on going battle with the Secretary of State over a ‘fine’ (civil penalty) imposed when I was a candidate in 2006.  I wear this fine as a badge of honor—the price of defending liberty,” stated Janine Hansen candidate for Assembly District 33.

In the matter of this fine, the Secretary of State has violated my sacred constitutionally protected rights of liberty of conscience, stated Hansen. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence said, “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.” 

“In this battle with the Secretary of State, I am standing on principle and resisting tyranny. Tyranny is not often recognized because it is the subtle subjection of liberty to unreasonable, bureaucratic and unconstitutional statutes,” continued Hansen.

“Our forefathers ‘violated the law’ when they dumped tea in the harbor. Never-the-less we celebrate their courage and wisdom in their resistance to the tyranny of King George. Our battles for liberty today are just as real as they were in 1773 for the patriots who participated in the original Tea Party,” continued Hansen.

“When I ran for office in 2006, I filed my candidate reporting forms on time. The Secretary of State’s office did not notify me after the August 3, 2006 report or the October 31, 2006 report or after the January 16, 2007 report, that my reports did ‘not comport with statutory mandates.’ I was not notified until after the maximum fine could be assessed on May 1, 2007.”

“My violation according to Matt Griffin Deputy Secretary of State as reported on May 11, 2007 in the Nevada Appeal, in an article by Geoff Dornan on page A7 was, ‘But in the IAP candidate cases, they altered the campaign reporting forms, striking out the oath to report accurately under penalty of perjury.’”

“In the 2006 candidate reports, replaced the secular affirmation ‘under penalty of perjury’ with a religious oath, which stated, ‘I do solemnly swear in the name of Jesus Christ that the foregoing is true and correct,’ and signed my name. To do otherwise would violate my religious beliefs because to swear is to call God as a witness,” continued Hansen.

On May 7, 2007 I wrote the Secretary of State asking for a waiver of the fine.  “…the Nevada Constitution Article 1 Section 4, states:  Liberty of conscience.  The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship without discrimination or preference shall forever be allowed in this State, and no person shall be rendered incompetent to be a witness on account of his opinions on matters of his religious belief, but the liberty of consciene [conscience] hereby secured…”

“The Secretary of State’s decision had rendered me to be incompetent to be a witness on my own campaign report because I used a religious oath instead of a secular affirmation,” stated Hansen. 

In addition the Ordinance, which is part of the Nevada Constitution, states “this ordinance shall be irrevocable, without the consent of the United States and the people of the State of Nevada: …That perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and no inhabitant of said state shall ever be molestedin person or property, on account of his or her mode of religious worship.”

“The Nevada Constitution provides that Constitutional officers like the Secretary of State taking the oath of office may choose to swear an oath ‘so help me God’ or an affirmation ‘under penalty of perjury.’ So the Secretary of State’s own oath recognizes a difference between an oath (religious) or an affirmation (under penalty of perjury),” continued Hansen. 

“This all boils down to the fact that I have been assessed a fine of $15,000 for exercising my religious beliefs. How can that be in the land of the free and the home of the brave?  Unfortunately, it is the case,” continued Hansen.

“The Nevada State Senate recognized this travesty during the 2009 Legislature when upon my request they passed an amendment to the Secretary of State’s own bill allowing for a choice in taking a religious oath or secular affirmation when signing the campaign reports.  AB 82 was passed by the Senate at 11:58pm on June 1, 2010 just after the Assembly had adjourned the Legislative Session Sine Die so the bill did not pass allowing the abuses of the Secretary of State to continue,” stated Hansen.

I have attached below my original request for a waiver of this $15,000 civil penalty (fine) which was denied by the Secretary of State.  I will not pay a fine that is imposed by government in violation of my First Amendment right to religious liberty or in violation of the Nevada Constitution’s protections of right of conscience, whatever threats, intimidation and public humiliation which the government may pursue.  I stand with Thomas Jefferson, ‘Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God,’” concluded Janine Hansen candidate for Assembly District 33.

Janine Hansen has been endorsed by the Tea Party Action is Brewing.

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