09-09-2009
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Subject: The Purpose of The John Galt Pledge Initiative
The United States of America is at a tipping point, where individual
rights and personal freedom now hang precariously in the balance. As
we move forward, will we be the masters of our own lives, deciding for
ourselves what goals to pursue and how best to allocate our personal
resources in service of those goals? Or will we allow ourselves to
be treated as children, handing more and more of the decision-making
over to the government, demanding that it assume the obligation of
providing for all of our wants and needs? The price for abdicating
responsibility for one's life is the forfeiting of one's freedom.
Those of us committed to the path of personal autonomy must fight for
our freedom if we are to retain what remains, and regain what has been
lost since the founding of this country. My purpose for this site is
to create another effective tool in that battle for liberty.
There are many avenues available for engaging in this struggle.
Writing letters-to-the-editor, op-ed pieces, articles for magazines,
blog entries or forum posts is one. This is a one-to-one type of
activity where the individual writer communicates directly to the
individual reader. Another is the use of organized protests. The
Tea Parties are a good example of this technique, and on September
12th, many citizens will descend upon Washington D.C. to march in
protest against the current administration's policies. This is a
many-to-one activity, where the ultimate effectiveness of the action
is directly proportional to the number of participants. For example,
if 300 people show up in D.C. on the 12th, that might generate a page
six mention in most newspapers. However, if 80,000 people march,
then it becomes headline news which will have a profoundly greater
impact.
[OK, I guess I was proven wrong on that count. You can ignore
80,000 people. You can even ignore a million! All the more reason
to make sure that we do get our message out.]
The goal of this initiative is to create a permanent public record of
protest that can later be referenced as a kickoff point for many
different types of campaigns. But where the message of the Tea Party
protests have been diffuse, I want the ideological message of this
site to be strictly focused upon one critical point:
- We demand that the government protect, not violate, the
constitutionally guaranteed rights of every independent
citizen
In order to have this demand taken seriously, it requires an outcry of
protest loud enough that it cannot be ignored. So just as with the
gathering in D.C., the number of people signing up here to show their
agreement with the fundamental principle of the sovereignty of
the individual is critical. And that is why I encourage you
to participate, and then do what you can to make other like-minded
individuals aware of this opportunity to also engage in this action.
Once a critical mass has been reached here, showing broad-based support
for our constitutional rights, I would then encourage all of us to
continue to become involved in other forms of education and protest
that are of personal urgency. This might include arguments against
nationalized health care, wealth redistribution, corporate bailouts,
government control of the money supply, interference in the economy,
national service, cap-and-trade, etc. Regardless of the specific
topic, I would suggest that as part of the analysis, it should be
shown that the proper position to take is the one which supports
the rights of the individual, as delineated by the U.S.
Constitution. And this site can be referenced to show the level
of support that exists for making the protection of our rights a key
requirement when considering any piece of legislation.
The value of this approach is that it provides an ideological basis
for every issue, which is ultimately grounded on an unassailable
constitutional foundation. Those arguing from a different viewpoint
can then be reduced to either having to defend the Constitution
themselves, or acknowledging their lack of support for that document.
If this approach is used effectively, the entire tenor of the debate
could be shifted from an ever evolving discussion of numerous pragmatic
concerns to a very focused one of fundamental principles. And I can
guarantee that those who are currently working feverishly to destroy
our freedom cannot stand up to the scrutiny of fundamental principles.
So the goal for this initiative comes in two parts:
- Phase one: Promote this site in order to reach a wide audience
and allow every liberty-minded person the opportunity to
contribute their support to this effort, creating a document
that acquires power through the number of individuals standing
behind it.
- Phase two: Attack the government's proposals on ideological
grounds by demonstrating that in violating rather than
supporting our individual rights, they have no constitutional
authority to proceed.
In closing, let me add one additional point. It is important to
remember that, as individuals, each of us speak only for ourselves.
By signing this personal Declaration of Independence, each
person is indicating their support only for the ideas explicitly
expressed in the pledge, and not for the words or actions of any
other person. Please feel free to reference the
list when
making a point about the level of support for our constitutional rights,
but do not assume or assert that anyone on the list supports your
personal approach or viewpoints in fighting the battle for freedom.
Suggestions
I am very interested in receiving feedback and suggestions
regarding this project, and I would enjoy hearing any ideas you
may have for related activities. Interesting ideas, suitable
for a wide audience, will be displayed on this page. Click on
the button below to contact me by email.
--
C. Jeffery Small
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