Article Archives by Subject:  Tea Party

11-15-2010

Permalink



Taxpayers
Against Earmarks
Subject: Activism in Action: The Tea Party Movement Racks Up Its First Win of The Season!

NOTE: This is a follow-up to my earlier article:
           So You Want to Hang On to Those Earmarks? We'll See About That!


Earlier today, many news outlets, including The Christian Science Monitor, The Hill, and Investors Business Daily, reported that GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had bent to the will of the American public and changed his position regarding the Republican party's upcoming proposal for a two-year ban on attaching pork-barrel earmarks to legislation.

Only one week earlier, Politico was reporting that McConnell was:
    maneuvering behind the scenes to defeat a conservative plan aimed at restricting earmarks, setting up a high-stakes showdown that pits the GOP leader and his "Old Bull" allies against Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and a new breed of conservative senators.
Outraged that the entrenched Republican politicians were ignoring the clear message that had been sent to them on November 2nd, citizens across the country contacted McConnell and his cohorts, letting them know, in no uncertain terms, exactly what they should expect if they continued to play the same political games to which they had grown accustomed. Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Mitch McConnell (KY), James Inhofe (OK), Lamar Alexander (TN) and Lindsey Graham(NC):
    Dear Congressman:

    Truly unbelievable! You Republicans haven't let the ink dry on the election when you are already jockeying to override the message that the people sent to you just one short week ago. You have learned absolutely nothing!

    So you want to hang on to your precious pork, regardless of the harm that this fiasco has inflicted upon the country by inflating the budget year after year with hidden perks for favored members of Congress, and paying off special interests—or those who have made campaign contributions—by concealing these thefts of taxpayer dollars from open scrutiny, honest debate and a public justification.

    WAKE UP!. The citizens of this country have had enough of this political corruption, and we are not going to allow you to get away with it any longer. We are through with all of you—both Republican and Democrat—treating us as though we were simply a natural resource to be mined for whatever purpose strikes your fancy. We are finished with letting you push us around. The jig is up.

    The American people have sent you a clear message demanding that, as our representatives, you restore our individual rights by removing onerous regulations and legislation that interfere with our freely being able to pursue our own definition of personal happiness. On that front, you can start with the repeal of Obamacare. We also want you to balance the budget and start whittling away at the national debt, not by increasing taxes, but by drastically cutting government programs and expenditures. To perform the job delegated to you by the Constitution, you will have no need for a single pork-barrel project.

    If you continue to oppose measures to eliminate earmarks and other governmental reforms, and instead support business as usual, then you are painting a big red bull's-eye on your head, and we will be gunning for you and your like-minded associated in the next, and the next, and the next election, until you have all been sent out to pasture, and replaced with those who understand the proper role of government and are prepared to stand up and defend the principles upon which this country was founded.

    It's time to choose your side, for we are engaged in a revolutionary war to take back our rights to life, liberty and property from those who wish to rule as our masters. Are you with us or against us? Please write back and let me know where you stand.

    Sincerely,
    —
    C. Jeffery Small

    P.S. We are not the idiots you take us for -- and we have long memories. I'm watching

Of course, McConnell hasn't actually seen the bright light of liberty. As one Senate staffers reported, "It was just a matter of McConnell being able to count [the caucus] votes", and realize that he would not win his challenge, thereby turning this into just another pragmatic political calculation rather than adopting a principled position. Oh well, if we can't make them see the light, let's at least lead them down the proper path.

The organization, Taxpayers Against Earmarks, is tracking this resolution which is coming up for vote at the Republican Conference tomorrow, Tuesday November 16th. You can see where the votes currently stand by going to this page. As of this writing, the Following Senators and Senators-Elect have indicated that they intend to vote "No":
  • Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
  • Thad Cochran (R-MS)
  • John Hoeven (R-ND)
  • James Inhofe (R-OK)
  • Richard Shelby (R-AL)
  • Roger Wicker (R-MS)

While the positions of the following are unknown:
  • Roy Blunt (R-MO)
  • John Boozman (R-AR)
  • Scott Brown (R-MA)
  • Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
  • Susan Collins (R-ME)
  • Mike Crapo (R-ID)
  • Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
  • Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
  • Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
  • Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
  • Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
  • Dick Lugar (R-IN)
  • Jerry Moran (R-KS)
  • Rob Portman
  • James Risch (R-ID)
  • Pat Roberts (R-KS)
  • Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
  • John Thune (R-SD)
  • David Vitter (R-LA)

If you go to the link above, you will find telephone numbers and email addresses for each of these individuals. I urge you to contact them in one manner or another and let each one know exactly what you are expecting of them. While a vote on an earmark ban may be one of the smaller things needing to be accomplished during the next two years, it is extremely symbolic and sets the tone for what will follow. If we all step up to the plate on this issue, making our Congressmen and women understand that we are watching their every action, and demand that they start acting as our representatives instead of as our masters, we will begin to fulfill the mission began during the campaign season.

I extend my thanks to all of you warriors for liberty.
04-28-2010

Permalink



The Examiner
Subject: What Is The Tea Party Movement Really All About?

In a recent OpEd piece in the Washington Examiner titled, Media still clueless about Tea Parties, author Noemie Emery ponders the media's disingenuous "confusion" over the nature of the Tea Party participants, wondering why they classify us as irrationally angry, uncaring, fear mongering, racist, misogynist, ignorant rabble, aggrieved elite, populists, and above all, unappreciative for all of the great things that are being done for us by our government. She then correctly identifies that there is no mystery here and that Tea Partiers are upset at the massive increase in the national debt, fearing that it has become unsustainable.

While I agree with her point, and appreciate he having correctly identified this issue, I do not believe that she has squarely hit the the target with her analysis. Here is my response to her piece.
    Noemie:

    I agree with you that there is great concern by many regarding the rapidly increasing size of the national debt and the crippling inflationary impact it will soon impose upon the entire U.S. economy. But you do a huge disservice to the Tea Party movement when you focus on this single issue. While the economic impact of debt and taxes is certainly a big issue, there is another matter of even greater importance — that being the issue of the wholesale erosion of individual rights which is being imposed at breakneck speed by the current administration. If you attend any Tea Party rally, you will almost certainly hear more talk and see more signs directed at issues of liberty ("Don't Tread on Me"), opposition to socialism ("Socialism is not Freedom"), demands for our government to adhere to the principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution, quotes from the Declaration of Independence, demands to cut the size of government, defenders of property rights, opposition to entitlement programs, protests over the nationalization of industries, anger over earmark and underhanded tactics use to pass legislation, disgust with the lack of the personal character of our elected representatives, demands to repeal the health care bill, and quotes from Ayn Rand and her novel Atlas Shrugged. At heart, the Tea Party is first and foremost a movement targeted at individual liberty and a demand for the restitution of the rights of all citizens to their life, liberty, property and the pursuit of their own happiness as they define it for themselves.

    The reason that Barack Obama, the other government officials, along with the rest of the progressive left and the main stream media do not "get" what the Tea Parties are all about is because it is actually a moral movement concerned with the principles which define the true nature of the individual and the proper relationship between individual citizens and their government in a free society, where the initiation of force is barred. Many Tea Party participants are standing up for the same universal principles which informed the Founding Fathers in creating this country, and which apply today with the same force as they did over 200 years ago. It is no wonder that the outsiders sit around scratching their heads in amazement and grope about for possible explanations of our "ungrateful" behavior, because they are steeped in a philosophy of amoral pragmatism which knows nothing of principles used to guide us towards correct choices and behavior.

    By acting in such a reckless and cavalier manner with respect to the personal rights of American citizens, Barack Obama has done us the great service of making the moral choice between freedom and totalitarianism crystal clear for a large segment of the population. And this is the real meaning of the Tea Party movement and the simple key required to unlock an understanding of its purpose, its goals, and its ultimate power, which will become first evident this November, regardless of how many avert their eyes (and minds) by sticking their heads into the sand.

    Regards,
    --
    C. Jeffery Small
04-15-2010

Permalink



Barry Goldwater
Subject: A Tax Day Tea Party Reminder Of Our Mission

    I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed in their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents' "interests," I shall reply that I was informed their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.
     --
    Barry Goldwater (The Conscience of a Conservative, 1960)

This is the litmus test for every acceptable candidate for any political office, whether local, state or federal. Copy this quote, reread it often, commit it to memory, and then use it as your measuring stick when evaluating your potential representatives. Do they demonstrate this clarity of understanding of the true purpose in job they seek? And do they exhibit the character and the conscience required to stand proudly and firmly in service of these constitutional principles? Let us settle for nothing less from them, for the restoration of our lost liberty hangs in the balance and demands our full allegiance to this cause.
12-19-2010

Permalink



Tea Party Debates
Subject: New Tea Party Debate Reference Site

Robert Tracinski, the editor of The Intellectual Activist, has created a new website titled The Tea Party Debates, where he shares his personal experiences in planning and executing a candidates' debate with his local Tea Party organization. The information on this site may be used as a guide for others who wish to do the same.

Currently, the website contains information in the following areas:
  • Why Host a Tea Party Debate?

  • 12 Steps on How to Host a Tea Party Debate for Political Candidates

  • Articles on the Philosophical Foundations for the Tea Party Movement

  • Reports and Videos on the VA-5 District Debates

As Robert says:
    "If the Tea Party movement can have an impact on the Massachusetts senate race, why not California, too?"

Why not indeed! Get involved with your local Tea Party group and help build momentum during the next few election cycles for a renewed commitment to individual rights and liberty for all.
02-30-2009

Permalink



Brad Harrington
Subject: The Hugest Heist in History

Bradley Harrington writes another excellent open letter regarding the problems that we face in light of the Obama administration's spending over just one short year.
    THE HUGEST HEIST IN HISTORY

    By Bradley Harrington

    "What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce be folly in that of a great kingdom." — Adam Smith, "The Wealth Of Nations," 1776–


    In a commentary I wrote shortly after the 2008 presidential election, in discussing the upcoming fiscal policies of the soon-to-be Obama administration, I said: "You are about to witness a government spending spree that is going to make the meddling of FDR's 'New Deal' or LBJ's 'Great Society' look like penny-ante poker in comparison."

    I was chastised, at that time, by many for my "alarmist" prediction. Now, over a year later, let's look at the facts:

    (1) Previous spending: in our rear-view mirror, we see nothing but bailouts—AIG, GM, Chrysler, "stimulus" spending, etc. Price tag: well over $1 trillion.

    (2) Current/projected spending: "jobs" bill just passed by House; price tag of $154 billion; "omnibus" spending bill just signed into law by President Obama; price tag of $447 billion; health care "reform" proposals; price tag of $1 trillion.

    "'The New Deal by today's standards involved a miniscule amount of spending,' said Allan J. Lichtman, a professor of political history at American University." ("Analysis: Obama plans eclipsing New Deal spending," Tom Raum, Associated Press, Feb. 20.)

    And more:

    (3) Federal budget: fiscal year ending in 2009, $3.1 trillion; fiscal year 2010, $3.55 trillion, an increase of nearly half a trillion.

    (4) Federal budget deficits: fiscal year 2009, $1.42 trillion; projected federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2010, $1.2 trillion. Projected federal budget deficits over the next decade, $9.1 trillion.

    (5) National debt: this stood at $9.9 trillion in 2008, and was lifted to $12.1 trillion in February of this year. And, in just the last few days, Congress and President Obama lifted that ceiling again by another $290 billion (barely enough to fund the federal government's ocean of red ink for another piddling two months), and both intend to raise that ceiling again come February, when it is expected to be boosted to $14 trillion. In fiscal year 2010, this will equal 98.1% of our GDP.

    Translation: Our national debt will soon equal the entire amount of production of the entire United States for an entire year.

    So, who pays for it all? Who provides the blank check? The producers, who else? Money does not grow on trees, despite what our "leaders" seem to think—if they think at all. And don't kid yourself about how it's only the "rich" who will pay for this: there simply aren't enough "rich" people in this country to fund a $14 trillion bill. With a current population of 308 million, the national debt now exceeds $40,000 per capita; when the debt ceiling gets raised again in the next couple of months, that figure will jump to over $45,000 for every man, woman and child in America.

    This, I submit, is an absolute looting spree, happening right before our eyes, and, as such, constitutes the hugest heist in all of human history. It is nothing less than an irrational, amoral, legalized, politically-promoted plundering of the productive assets of the United States, with no thought or reason given to the consequences, of which there can only be one: total, terminal economic dissolution and disintegration.

    And what can we expect from such a collapse? Social catastrophe, martial law and the final destruction of the American Republic. What did Rome get when she fell, devastated by taxes and control? The barbarians and the Dark Ages. What did Germany's Weimar Republic get when she was shattered by hyperinflation? Adolph Hitler and the Nazis.

    That is the future that awaits us, should we continue our present course: and not in some far-off, distant time, but in the next few years. Is that the "American Dream" you'd like to experience for yourself and your children?

    And, if not, what do you intend to do about it? Sitting on your butt, collecting a "welfare" check and voting for more of the same is no longer an acceptable answer.

    If you think it is, you might choose to ponder the words of one of America's Founding Fathers who had a much better grasp of the issue:  "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!" (Samuel Adams, Philadelphia State House Speech, 1776.)

    As for the rest of us, isn't it about time we rolled up our sleeves?

    Bradley Harrington is a former United States Marine and a free-lance writer who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

As Brad asks, "what do you intend to do about it?"

In addition to the usual actions of writing and speaking out against the policies that are leading to the decline and fall of America, here are some activist-oriented organizations to investigate. If you find one that meets your requirement, join in and add your efforts to the cause of restoring liberty to America.

If you know of other good activist organizations or actions that you would like to recommend, please sent them to me and I will include them on this list.
12-20-2009

Permalink



The Declaration
of Independence
Subject: The Second American Revolution: It's Time To Make Your Stand

Today, Ben Nelson, the senator from Nebraska, declared that he is going to support the Senate's health care bill as the 60th member of a Democratic coalition that has no Republican support. As reported in The Huffington Post:
    "The Nevada Democrat [Harry Reid] agreed to a series of concessions on abortion and other issues demanded by Nelson"

Other concessions? What could those be?
    "The Nebraskan [Nelson] also won increased federal funds to cover his state's cost of covering an expanded Medicaid population at a cost that one Democratic official put at $45 million over a decade"

So taxpayers in other states will now also pick up the cost of expanded health care for Nebraska's residents similar to provisions that Harry Reid managed to write into the bill for Nevada citizens. Well, why not? It's all in keeping with the Obama administration's master plan for wealth redistribution. You still have some wealth left, and therefore it obviously needs to be redistributed to others. But is that the only last minute piece of pork added to the bill? Of course not.
    "Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., claimed credit for a last-minute, $10 billion increase in funding for community health centers nationwide"

    "Another provision in Reid's changes provides additional federal funding for hospitals in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and the Dakotas, although no cost estimate was available."

    "The revised bill also calls for a .9 percent increase in the Medicare payroll tax on incomes over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples. Reid's earlier bill had a smaller hike, .5 percent."

    "The bill also taxes high-cost insurance plans"

Read Robert Tracinski's article, You Will Lose Your Private Health Insurance for a concise summary of the true implications and impact of the final legislation that will soon be voted on once the House and Senate bills are reconciled.

With the imminent passage of the health care legislation, it is finally time to take a firm and uncompromising stand. As was stated over 233 years ago in The Declaration of Independence:
    "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security, ..."

    [Emphasis added]

Unlike the TARP bailouts, and other incursions into the US economy, which, with stretched-to-the-limit incredulity, might charitably be credited as horribly misguided efforts with underlying good intent, no such claim could possibly be made for the Congressional health care bills. These are nothing more than a naked power-grab, granting to the government a significant increase in the direct control over the personal lives and decisions of every in America, intentionally destroying individual liberty.

It is time to choose a side of the single greatest issue facing America, and declare your allegiance either to tyranny or to freedom.

The time for the Second American Revolution is now at hand. It is up to every freedom-loving person to commit all of their intellectual, physical and financial resources to the cause of liberty. We must retake control of a government which no longer represents us - or else, we must abolish it. As we have seen demonstrated time after time over the past year, the opportunity for reasoned debate with the opposition has long since passed and the moment has arrived to pull out all of the stops and take forceful action on every possible front.

Remember Ayn Rand's observation:
    "Evil is impotent and has no power but that which we let it extort from us"

Those committed to destroying the US Constitution and enslaving all of us into serving their tyrannical ends will only succeed if we stand by and allow them to do so. Recognizing this fact, it is up to us to mount counter efforts. While new opportunities for action are being organized and put into effect all across the country, there are many things that can be done immediately. Here are some suggestions:
  • Step up your efforts to write and phone the White House and all members of Congress. Commit a certain amount of time each week to write new letters and make repeated calls to the most deserving politicians. Don't tell them that you disagree with their policies — tell them that you're mad as hell and you're not going to take it any longer! Let them know in no uncertain terms that the gloves are coming off and that you are going to do everything in your power to dismantle the corrupt machinery of government and take back your constitutionally guaranteed rights to your life, liberty and property. When they are receiving this message from thousands of people all across the country, they are going to get very nervous. Make it your personal mission to make Nancy Pelosi cry. And don't stop with her! Contact information for all congressional members can be found at Congress Merge.

  • Write articles and letters-to-the-editor of your local paper expressing your outrage over the constitutional transgressions being exercised by Congress and the President. Help transition the political dialog in country away from less important issues of specific tax or legislative proposals to the critical issues of constitutional rights. As Nancy Pelosi and other politicians have demonstrated, they are completely unprepared to defend themselves on constitutional grounds. This makes them very vulnerable to attack from this quarter.

  • Get involved with your local Tea Party chapter and help organize local and state protests. Generate as much noise and publicity as possible. Again, the message should now become not one of simple disagreement, but a vocalization of honest outrage and a principled unwillingness to voluntarily comply with the intent of Congress and the President. Become conscientious objectors - unwilling to participate in your own enslavement.

  • Start planning your strategy for the 2010 Tax Day Tea Party on April 15th. Organize family and friends and come up with a creative idea that will generate publicity and convey your personal message to as many people as possible.

  • Make plans to go to Washington DC when the next Tea Party march gets scheduled in 2010. If the press thought that 1.2 million protesters was "a few thousand", let's see what they have to say when we make it 3 million or more!

  • Show your commitment and make a symbolic statement with a Personal Declaration of Independence, by adding your name to the John Galt Pledge, if you have not done so already.

  • Link to this article on your personal blogs and help spread the word that the time for action is upon us.

Working together, we will form an irresistible force that will beat back the destroyers of freedom.

In Liberty,
—
C. Jeffery Small
09-14-2009

Permalink
Subject: The 9/12 March on Washington D.C.: Crowd Estimates

There has been a lot of controversy over the crowd size estimates for the march, ranging from a few thousand to over 2 million! Here is a link to an article that has the best discussion and estimates that I have so far seen.

09-12-2009

Permalink
Subject: The 09-12 Tea Party March on Washington D.C.

Best wishes to everyone who made it to Washington D.C. to attend the rally. I wish I could be there with you. I look forward to seeing the media coverage and the resulting impact on the political machine.

Regards,
--
C. Jeffery Small
09-11-2009

Permalink
Subject: The Spirit of Independence

Liberty-minded people tend to be extremely independent, in both thought and action. They think for themselves, and act on their own judgments. Therefore, they are often opposed to becoming involved in any group, organization or movement, preferring to walk their own path. I'm familiar with this because it applies to me as well.

As a thinker, it is natural for me to believe that all that is relevant to an argument is its truth or validity, and that everyone else should be similarly swayed by the facts alone. Thus, when facing an issue, my first inclination is to put pen to paper and bang out a detailed analysis. But, as a realist, I am aware that there is a great segment of the populace that does not think about ideas at sufficient depth to operate in that manner. Many of these people, while basically good intentioned at the core, will not be swayed by simple rhetoric and analysis, and instead will often end up following the direction of a group rather than blazing their own intellectual trail.

Our opponents have long recognized that there is a strong power of persuasion to be found by assembling large groups which speak in a single voice. They have often accomplished this through unions, but over the years they have honed the tactic to such a degree and have become such masters of the technique that we find that we now have a "community organizer" in the White House! The conservatives have begun to wake up to this and we are seeing them fight back fairly effectively with the Tea Party organizations. But what is missing from the Tea Parties is a well coordinated core of ideas. Many individuals have used those organizations as a platform to express extremely well articulated and important messages, but what they lack is that common philosophical core — a single great idea — upon which everything rests and which gains its strength as the number of participants grow.

What I am attempting with this site is to provide a means where we can organize as a group, around one important core principle, and become persuasive to another segment of the population that we currently are not effectively reaching. If you are reluctant to sign up because of that strong independent streak that we all share, then please reconsider. It is extremely important that we pool our resources in an effort to stop being dragged over the cliff of socialism which is within our sights now more than any time in the past sixty years. In a world of greater independence there would not be such an urgency to act. But the the erosion of our autonomy and individual rights over the past one hundred years has resulted in us all being bound together with a single noose so that we are all subject to the same outcome.

So, please add your voice here and help the message of freedom and individual right be heard clearly by all.
09-09-2009

Permalink
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