Citizens Equal Rights Alliance

citizen, n. 1. A person who, by either birth or naturalization, is a member of a political community, owing allegiance to the community and being entitled to enjoy all its civil rights and protections; a member of the civil state, entitled to all its privileges.

discrimination, n, 1. The effect of a law or established practice that confers privileges on a certain class or that denies privileges to a certain class because of race, age, sex, nationality, religion or handicap. – Federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, prohibits employment discrimination based on any one of those characteristics. Other federal statutes, supplemented by court decisions, prohibit discrimination in voting rights, housing, credit extension, public education and access to public facilities. State laws provide further protections against discrimination. 2. Differential treatment; esp., a failure to treat all persons equally when no reasonable distinction can be found between those favored and those not favored.

Indian country. 1. The land within the borders of all Indian reservations, the land occupied by an Indian community (whether or not located within a recognized reservation), and any land held in trust by the United States but beneficially owned by an Indian tribe. 2. Hist. Any region (esp. during the U.S. westward migration) where a person was likely to encounter Indians.

Indian land. Land owned by the United States but held in trust for and used by American Indians. – Also termed Indian tribal property.

Indian reservation. An area that the federal government has designated for use by an American Indian tribe, where the tribe generally settles and establishes tribal government.

Indian title. A right of occupancy that the federal government grants to an American Indian tribe based on the tribe’s immemorial possession of the area. – Also termed aboriginal title.

Indian tribe. A group, band, nation, or other organized group of indigenous American people, including any Alaskan native village, that is recognized as eligible for special programs and services provided by the U.S. government because of Indian status (42 USCA  9601 (36)); esp., any group having a federally recognized governing body that carries out substantial government duties and powers over an area (42 USCA 300f(14); 40 CFR 146.3). – A tribe may be identified in various ways, esp. by past dealings with other tribes or with the federal, state or local government, or by recognition in historical records.

plenary. adj. 1. Full; complete; entire [plenary authority]. 2. (Of an assembly) to be attended by all members or participants [plenary session]

sedition, n. An agreement, communication, or other preliminary activity aimed at inciting treason or some lesser commotion against public authority; advocacy aimed at inciting or producing–and likely to incite or produce–imminent lawless action. – At common law, sedition included defaming a member of the royal family or the government. The difference between sedition and treason is that the former is committed by preliminary steps, while the latter entails some overt act for carrying out the plan. But of course, if the plan is merely for some small commotion, even accomplishing the plan does not amount to treason.

sovereign, n. 1.  A person, body, or state  vested with independent and supreme authority; 2. The ruler of an independent state.  – Also spelled sovran. See Sovereignty.

immunity. 1. Any exemption from a duty, liability, or service of process; esp., such an exemption granted to a public official.

sovereign immunity. 1. A government’s immunity from being sued in it’s own courts without its consent. – Congress has waived most of the federal government’s sovereign immunity. See FEDERAL TORT CLAIMS ACT. 2. A states immunity from being sued in federal court by the state’s own citizens.– Also termed governmental immunity.

sovereign immunity. 1. A government’s immunity from being sued in it’s own courts without its consent. – Congress has waived most of the federal government’s sovereign immunity. See FEDERAL TORT CLAIMS ACT. 2. A states immunity from being sued in federal court by the state’s own citizens.– Also termed governmental immunity.

sovereign people. The political body consisting of the collective number of citizens and qualified electors who possess the powers of sovereignty and exercise them through their chosen representatives.

sovereign power. The power to make and enforce laws.

sovereign right. A unique right possessed by a state or its agencies that enables it to carry out its official functions for the public benefit, as distinguished from certain proprietary rights that it may possess like any other private person.

sovereign state. A state that possesses an independent existence, being complete in itself, without being merely part of a larger whole to whose government it is subject; a political community whose members are bound together by the tie of common subjection to some central authority, whose commands those members must obey. Also termed independent state.

sovereignty. 1. Supreme dominion, authority, or rule. 2. The supreme political authority of an independent state. 3. The state itself.

external sovereignty. The power of dealing on a nation’s behalf with other national governments.

internal sovereignty. The power that rulers exercise over their own subjects.

supremacy. The position of having the superior or greatest power or authority.

supreme. adj. (Of a court, power, right, etc.) highest; superior to all others.

treaty. 1. A formally signed and ratified agreement between two nations or sovereigns; an international agreement concluded between two or more states in written form and governed by international law. – A treaty is not only law in each state but also a contract between the signatories. Also termed accord; convention; covenant; declaration; pact.

trust. 1. The right, enforceable solely in equity, to the beneficial enjoyment of property to which another person holds legal title; a property interest held by one person (the trustee) at the request of another (the settler) for the benefit of a third party (the beneficiary). – For the trust to be valid, it must involve specific property, reflect the settler’s intent, and be created for a lawful purpose. 2. A fiduciary relationship regarding property and subjecting the person with title to the property  to equitable duties to deal with it for another’s benefit; the confidence placed in a trustee, together with the trustee’s obligations toward the property and the beneficiary. – A trust arises as a result of a manifestation of an intention to create it. See FIDUCIARY RELATIONSHIP. 3. The property so held; TRUST FUND. 4. A business combination that aims at monopoly. See ANTI-TRUST.

voluntarily, adv. Intentionally; without coercion.

voluntary, adj. 1. Done by design or intention [voluntary act]. 2. Unconstrained by interference; not impelled by outside influence [voluntary statement]. 3. Without valuable consideration; gratuitous [voluntary gift]. 4. Having merely nominal consideration [voluntary deed].