First, let me explain that jurors have not always been a part of government, but they have been deciders of justice.
From earliest times, we know from oral traditions of tribal cultures where disputes were settled by each side choosing five people. These ten people were responsible for delivering a verdict based on fairness and justice, tempered with mercy. Because tribal peace and restoring the damaged party were the goals, all ten jurors were aware that their verdict must meet the approval of everyone, even the relatives of the loser of the dispute. Justice, fairness, and mercy were required of early jurors. Verdicts were public, as were the arguments presented.
Jurors have been considered fair deciders of justice in tribal cultures, churches, temples, governments, states, families, nations, and sometimes, in simple groups of nomadic peoples seeking a fair mechanism for social balance. Again, jurors have always functioned for justice, but not always from within other institutions.
FIJA's mission is to enlighten - and thus empower - the individual juror. Based on the shared concept that no human should be beholden to any government for liberty, justice, or life, FIJA works to liberate, and therefore restore, the role of the juror from being agents of government, back to the role of the autonomous, independent juror. A juror can render a verdict based on justice and fairness, tempered with mercy. This is a verdict of individual thinking and conscience.
Rather than pleading with government agents for what we know to be our inherent rights as humans, we teach jurors that their most powerful vote in defense of human rights is a "not guilty" verdict against government tyranny expressed through bad laws. We teach that the Constitution, through its articulation of the right to trial by jury, guarantees that government must bring its case before The People any time - and every time! - government tries to deprive anyone of life, liberty, or property. Jurors protect our inherent, sacred human rights.
The concept of the juror has long been held captive by government schools and judges, and by government-licensed lawyers and media. If it is not a vast conspiracy, then it is a vast and horrible ignorance. FIJA does not seek to restore justice or liberty through appeal to power-damaged individuals who constitute these government-controlled groups. FIJA seeks to restore justice and liberty through thinking, independent, individual jurors.
Remember, the jury is not an institution of government, although it has been usurped by kings, priests, dictators, presidents, and prime ministers during some of human history. The jury functions whether initiated by an independent group of people, by a society, by a Church, or by a government agency. The function of the jury remains the same in all venues: to render justice.
FIJA has worked with GOA, ASA, NORML, Liberty Belles, Pink Pistols, Oath Keepers, Tea Party organizers, tax protest groups, Sport Shooting groups, JPFO, Catholic Peace Workers, property rights groups, and other groups and individuals too numerous to mention.
FIJA has no formal membership, but rather relies on unique, individual initiative and thinking from volunteers and supporters who cooperatively support our educational efforts. Volunteers make videos, publish web sites, hold forum discussions, speak, give interviews, create works of art, design posters or advertisements, purchase advertising, and a myriad of other creative projects.
There is no formal structure or titles, other than the one I use on ceremonial occasions. We here at FIJA are all state contacts, volunteers, writers, speakers, artists, or other labels that suit us. We are all in this together, and we all do everything.
Across the country, you will find thinking, honest, enthusiastic, bright, creative people handing out FIJA literature, making movies, giving talks, and sharing the message of the impressive role and authority of the juror to defend liberty and do justice.
Across this country, people who have learned the power of the juror to veto bad laws and government tyranny serve on juries, and refuse to convict harmless, productive, good people for breaking the king's stupid and vicious laws. Many, many people have not gone to prison because of informed jurors who read FIJA literature or listened to a FIJA speaker.
Across this country, FIJA teaches people to think - and act, each as an individual - for those ideas of life, liberty, property, and justice that are the living expression of the founding concept of this nation: that each individual is a sacred sovereign; that all humans are created equal, endowed with the same rights; and that government has no legitimate authority to interfere with our human rights.
Across this country, FIJA teaches the concept that one person, acting alone, can make a huge difference for another person, and for this country, by the verdict they give as a juror.
Across this country, FIJA teaches the concept that we are equal as humans, with equal ethical rights, equal access to reason, and equal contributions to make as jurors and as members of society. A juror does not have an ethical compass inferior to that of the government-paid, power-damaged judge, prosecutor, or attorney. Quite the contrary, in fact.
FIJA encourages all honest people to stand against government tyranny; to use their individual juror authority to protect our rights, and to see government as the instrument of taxation, war, murder, captivity, slavery, and oppression that it is.
We encourage each person to use every peaceful means to be an example of their best vision of the new cultural paradigm which demonstrates the rights of each human to own their body, and to control their life and the products of that life.
FIJA works to educate and empower the individual, so that no matter how venal, vicious, or insane government actions may become, jurors can refuse to enforce the laws which government creates to protect its power and abuse the rights of mankind.
It is possible the present government will collapse. We must be prepared to provide a peaceful, non-coercive transitional government in its place. No matter what, if government crumbles under the weight of its own ignorance, or stumbles on for years to come, the function of the juror remains the same: to render justice.