Posted on 05/13/2008 6:08:18 PM PDT by pissant
May 14th, 2008
To our fellow American countrymen,
Today, we invite you to join us on a journey to form a political alliance that will reshape our history and steer us back to the wisdom of our founding principles. If your blood runs a patriotic red, white & blue; if you wish to see the Federal Government function within its constitutional limitations; if you are tired of politically correct platitudes and policies that defy common sense; and if you reject the creeping socialism that both major political parties have embraced, please take a few minutes to learn about the FALCON Party and our agenda for America’s future.
We are not asking for money or oaths of allegiance. We are not even requiring you to leave the party to which you currently belong. But we are asking you to join us in this fight for America’s soul. We are seeking friends, supporters and allies who share the values of our heritage, values that were reflected and imbedded into our national character by a group of inspired patriots at our country’s founding.
For those who want to be organizers on the state or local level, we can certainly use your talents. For those who are, or wish to be, modern day pamphleteers in support of our conservative, pro-America agenda, we will give you an additional platform (or at least a link to your blog). For those that just want to stop by our website (www.falconparty.com) and offer moral support at this time, we welcome the encouragement. Any level of effort in between is also appreciated. Our goals are your goals. They are ambitious, but realistic. We intend to nominate candidates for national office by the 2012 presidential election year cycle. We intend to become a preeminent voice of conservatism in the years to come. We are not just a political party, but also a think tank, an advocate for American Exceptionalism, and a place to gather for those interested in US history, the foundations of our Republic, and our place in the world today.
We are not ‘neo-conservatives’, ‘paleo-conservatives’, or ‘third way’ conservatives; we are simply conservatives - American patriots who believe in fighting our enemies both foreign and domestic, slashing the unseemly bureaucracy that usurps our God given freedoms, and restoring the constitutionally proscribed powers between the federal government, the States and the people.
Why FALCON, you may ask? Our party was founded by rock ribbed, Reaganite conservatives who are more than disenchanted with the direction of the Republican Party. We are not intending to sabotage the genuine conservative members of the GOP. We will continue to support them with our voices and our alliance. By being an open party ourselves, we anticipate many GOPers will sign up for FALCON, yet retain their Republican membership for the time being (we anticipate the same for Libertarians and Constitution Party members).
Our name, FALCON is an acronym, and represents Fealty to America, Liberty, Conservatism, Optimism, and Nobility.
There are numerous issues that must be urgently addressed to keep the United States from decaying into a ‘formerly great country’. America cannot afford to lose its economic or military superpower status, especially as we see unfriendly nations and alliances rising to challenge us in every facet of human endeavor.
For decades now, the socialists in our country, the Democrats, have worked to limit individual freedom - the catalyst for our greatness, grow the federal government’s reach and scope well beyond its constitutional limits, and coddle our enemies – from the USSR, to Cuba, to the Sandinistas to this latest wave of Islamic jihadists. While the GOP is generally more sensible and conservative than the Democrats, they have resigned themselves to co-opting much of the Democratic Party platform. We intend to stop the nonsense, and re-establish conservative principles and governance across the board. Some issues requiring immediate attention include:
China: While the GOP leadership blindly encourages the hyper-industrialization of China at the expense of our national security and industrial base with ignorant tax and trade policy, we propose to treat China as they treat us – as adversaries. China has aligned itself with every unsavory regime across the globe, has peddled weapons to most, and has extremely aggressive military and corporate espionage programs. It is time to call out their malfeasance and well past time to stop relying on this communist country for Treasury bill purchases to keep our system afloat. It is beyond dangerous, and must end.
Bankrupting Bureaucracy: The good news is that the Bush Tax cuts (famously opposed by one John McCain) have spurred economic growth and record receipts into the federal Treasury. The bad news is that spending on foolish and unconstitutional programs continues to lead us towards insolvency. Instead of fundamentally reforming Medicare, the GOP led the charge to add hundreds of billions more in outlays for prescription drugs. Instead of gutting the Department of Education, the GOP worked hand in glove with the Democrats to grow this ineffectual monstrosity. Instead of demanding responsibility from the CIA and the FBI and tearing down the walls of communication to improve our intelligence gathering, they added another onerous layer of bureaucracy known as the Department of Homeland Security, which has given us ‘random’ airport screenings of little old ladies. FALCON estimates that 40% to 60% of what the federal government currently does can and should be eliminated.
Taxation: We have heard both parties talk about ‘tax reform’ for decades. Yet nothing ever gets accomplished. The GOP lowers marginal rates one year, then the Democrats (or Republicans) raise them the next. All the while, the tax code grows more unwieldy. There are solid, viable proposals for both a flat income tax and a national sales tax. While significantly different, each offers serious reform and simplification and a move away from penalizing the most productive sectors of the economy. It is time to send the vast majority of IRS employees and tax consultants into a productive line of work.
Global Warming: The GOP is in the process of nominating a candidate, John McCain, whose policy on so called ‘climate change’ is nearly indistinguishable from those of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. And by all indications, a growing segment of GOP leadership - from President Bush to Newt Gingrich to the RNC - are jumping on this bandwagon….all for the biggest hoax in history. ANWR and the US coastal waters should be humming with the sound of oil rigs, and refineries and power plants should be sprouting like mushrooms across the fruited plains. Instead, we get hot air from Washington and energy bills that ban the incandescent light bulb.
Sovereignty: The key to survival as a nation is to not hamstring ourselves with this festering push for ‘globalism’ in the name of altruistic endeavors. We must reject the Law of the Sea Treaty that gives the United Nations control of the world’s oceans. We must secure our borders to allow only those we invite to enter this country and swiftly remove all who have illegally gained entry. We must reject a WTO that has the power (recently demonstrated) to dictate US corporate tax policy. The states and the people created our federal government with limited authority. There is no room whatsoever for supranational entities having any authority over US citizens or our elected representatives, period.
Military Power: We fully support the eradication of Islamic terrorists and terror harboring regimes that threaten the United States. But we need a military that can easily win the skirmishes, such as the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while simultaneously retaining the power to crush the threat of hostile nation states, including a budding China-Russia alliance. The budget for defense spending has spiraled downward since the Reagan years; from over 6% of GDP in 1986 to only 3% by the year 1999. For fiscal year 2009, the highest estimate - including the costs for the Iraq and Afghan theatres - is 4.7%. For comparison, during the height of the Vietnam War, defense spending was 9.4%. Defending our nation is one of a handful of constitutionally enumerated responsibilities for the federal government, and FALCON will fight for an immediate return to Reagan era defense budgets.
These are just a few of the issues that confront us all as citizens of this great republic. Conservatives must come together now and turn this ship around. Despite the seriousness of the task before us, we must do so with good humor and cheer, not pessimism and foreboding, because it is truly an honor and privilege to work for the renewal of our nation; the greatest God has ever placed on this earth. It is our turn to do the heavy lifting that so many generations of Americans did before us, and hand off to our posterity what Washington, Madison, Jefferson and Franklin handed to theirs. We intend to ally ourselves with other great conservative organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the Eagle Forum, the Center for Security Policy, and many others to affect this change. Learn more at our website and contact us to get involved in the next phase of the Reagan Revolution. The country cannot afford to wait.
God Bless the good old USA.
Sincerely,
Alexander J. Madison
(www.falconparty.com)
With what we have for choices in this election for president is scary ...
We are all that and more.
I don’t much care for the fealty to nobility, as it sounds too much like a longing for a monarchical influence.
You make very good points. There are a lot of things to take into consideration. The foundation must, like you say, be strong and built by people who know exactly what they are doing. We need the right leaders to do this right.
The Founding Fathers were truly wonderful, strong and enlightened men. The last sentence of The Declaration of Independence sums up their character. God bless them.
Who is John Galt?
Read this:
Philosophy
America
The US Constitution is the finest and most enlightened governing document in the history of nations. The blessings of the Almighty were present as the men from the various former colonies crafted a system of republican rule that struck the fundamental balance between God-given individual freedoms, the autonomy of the States, and the necessity of a limited, but strong triumvirate federal government. The FALCON party recognizes not only the brilliance of our Constitution, but also the solemn duty to abide by its provisions. The Founders provided a mechanism to change the stipulations held within the Constitution, and the Congress, the Executive Branch, the Courts and the States can not add or subtract from it, except through the Amendment Process.
The preservation of this nation is our paramount duty. Evil has always been and will always be. We will allow no nation to threaten us with impunity. Our military strength must always be capable of defeating multiple, simultaneous threats, whether those threats are from the belligerence of another nation, multiple nations allied together, terror organizations, or any combination thereof. We shall maintain the strength sufficient for any adversary to desire peace instead of war, and to vanquish any foolish enough to choose war. We shall strive for peaceful and cordial relationships with other nations who seek peaceful and cordial relations. But we will never turn a blind eye to despotism, tyranny and communism and will continue to prod such regimes to offer freedom to their peoples and inspire peoples living in such states to demand it.
America is the “last, best hope” on earth, and we can never allow the Europeanization to spread to our shores. Unfettered political correctness, socialism, militant secularism, feminism and the consolidation of power into the hands of bureaucrats have neutered most European nations to the point of impotence. By protecting and restoring the rights of the individual and protecting and restoring the sovereignty of our nation, we intend to prevent the decline into moral and political relativism that has infected far too many nations.
Liberty
We believe that the Constitution, as written and amended, is the best bulwark to guarantee our citizens’ liberty. Unfortunately, politicians from both major parties have colluded over the decades to erode certain freedoms that are guaranteed and protected. The perfidy includes such things as ‘handgun bans’ in cities or towns in violation of the 2nd Amendment, restrictions on free speech under the banner of ‘campaign finance reform’, judges allowing property to be seized for the sake of higher tax receipts, and the enhancement of criminal penalties via “hate crimes” legislation. These are but a few examples of unconstitutional ‘law’ taking precedence over the supreme law, the Constitution. Our country has a federal government created by the people and the states; and it is imperative that the proper perspective and constitutional balance be restored and the overreach fostered by each branch of the federal government be permanently reversed.
The United States of America has been the most significant and consistent facilitator of good in the world. Not only are we blessed with a system of government that has allowed our citizens to pursue individual ambition, opportunity, and faith, we have also risen as a nation in opposition to the dark forces that have enslaved or threatened to enslave millions of humans across the globe. Though it has never been America’s goal to be the savior of western civilization, that daunting challenge has been thrust upon us on several occasions; most recently by the rise of Islamic radicalism. We shall defeat such radicalism and eradicate the threat it poses to the United States and our national interests.
We honor our Military personnel - past, present and future - for the sacrifices they make on our behalf. We shall remain the land of the free and the home of the brave, because of the brave.
Conservatism
Only one political philosophy is compatible with the maintenance of a Constitutional Republic, and that philosophy is conservatism. FALCON understands that “limited government” does not simply mean advocating lower taxes than what the Democrat Party proposes, but also entails a significantly smaller footprint for the necessary bureaucratic institutions, and the complete elimination of the unnecessary and unconstitutional bureaucratic institutions. In addition, we must fight the natural urge of career politicians and political parties that deem it to be the federal government’s job to address every conceivable ill in society with more legislation. Recent federal forays into issues ranging from steroid use in professional sports, to the sub-prime mortgage ‘crisis’, to the unprecedented wasteful spending after Hurricane Katrina, to the massive shakedown of American tobacco companies demonstrate that neither major party understands the constitutionally mandated limitations on federal power.
Our intention is to restore those limitations. We understand that there are issues that were not foreseen and could not have been foreseen by the drafters of our Constitution. In such cases, it is important to understand the guiding philosophy of the founders, and certainly that guiding philosophy did not include a heavy handed federal leviathan, capable of micro-managing the affairs of the people and the States.
Conservatism is also about self preservation as a nation. And as a party, FALCON will fight all attempts to hand authority to supra-national entities that have no constitutional basis for dictating policies of our government or inhibiting the freedoms of our citizens. We will also fight any attempts to sign treaties that place our national interests below that of other nations.
Optimism
We do not observe the existing situation in the world and within our borders and declare that everything is wonderful and heading in the right direction. On the contrary, many situations call for an immediate course reversal. If we did not recognize the dangers and pitfalls of past bad policies and many of the current bad policies, FALCON would not be in existence. So why the optimism? Our optimism comes from multiple sources, and will keep us standing and fighting for this great nation, regardless of current circumstances.
First is our faith in the Good Lord. The problems we face today are in most cases no worse than problems faced by our forefathers. Yet through prayerful reflection, thanksgiving, and supplication to the Almighty, and the willingness to work hard and sacrifice, they made it through the challenges they faced. So we move forward knowing that God is not only just, but also favors those who stand against evil.
The American people have shown through their actions, time and again, that tough obstacles can indeed be overcome when the outcome is in the balance. Rugged individualism is one of the hallmarks of the American character and when such rugged individuals are presented with the facts of a dire situation, they will work together to steer a new course, then go about their lives when the work is done.
Finally, we draw optimism from the notion that conservatism itself is always the better option for governance. And to that end, we intend to cut through the media noise and political party rhetoric and take our case straight to the American citizenry, and leave the bitterness, obfuscations and timidity to the current political powers.
Nobility
The nobility we refer to is not that of historical European society or birthright, where the elite, the powerful, and the wealthy were given the reigns power. Rather we refer to the nobility as defined by doing things which are noble in purpose, character, spirit and moral standing. The founding of our nation was a noble endeavor. Our growth from 13 colonies to the most prosperous and free nation on earth was a noble endeavor. And our task at hand, to purge the creeping socialism and to re-energize the people to demand a truer path of conservatism and constitutionalism is a noble endeavor.
Many examples of the nobility of the American statesman have been recorded, from George Washington to George Walker Bush, but we reprint this from Benjamin Franklin at the 1787 Constitutional Convention as one of our favorites, from the man dubbed “The First American”:
“In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that “except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service.”
The streets of the city were full of radicals calling for action.
"DEAR SIR, -- I am now to acknoledge the receipt of your favors of October the 4th, 8th, & 26th. In the last you apologise for your letters of introduction to Americans coming here. It is so far from needing apology on your part, that it calls for thanks on mine. I endeavor to show civilities to all the Americans who come here, & will give me opportunities of doing it: and it is a matter of comfort to know from a good quarter what they are, & how far I may go in my attentions to them.
"Can you send me Woodmason's bills for the two copying presses for the M. de la Fayette, & the M. de Chastellux? The latter makes one article in a considerable account, of old standing, and which I cannot present for want of this article. -- I do not know whether it is to yourself or Mr. Adams I am to give my thanks for the copy of the new constitution.
"I beg leave through you to place them where due. It will be yet three weeks before I shall receive them from America. There are very good articles in it: & very bad. I do not know which preponderate. What we have lately read in the history of Holland, in the chapter on the Stadtholder, would have sufficed to set me against a chief magistrate eligible for a long duration, if I had ever been disposed towards one: & what we have always read of the elections of Polish kings should have forever excluded the idea of one continuable for life. Wonderful is the effect of impudent & persevering lying. The British ministry have so long hired their gazetteers to repeat and model into every form lies about our being in anarchy, that the world has at length believed them, the English nation has believed them, the ministers themselves have come to believe them, & what is more wonderful, we have believed them ourselves. Yet where does this anarchy exist? Where did it ever exist, except in the single instance of Massachusetts?
"And can history produce an instance of rebellion so honourably conducted? I say nothing of it's motives. They were founded in ignorance, not wickedness. God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, & always well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. We have had 13. states independent 11. years. There has been one rebellion. That comes to one rebellion in a century & a half for each state. What country before ever existed a century & a half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms.
"The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it's natural manure.
"Our Convention has been too much impressed by the insurrection of Massachusetts: and in the spur of the moment they are setting up a kite to keep the hen-yard in order. I hope in God this article will be rectified before the new constitution is accepted. -- You ask me if any thing transpires here on the subject of S. America? Not a word. I know that there are combustible materials there, and that they wait the torch only. But this country probably will join the extinguishers. -- The want of facts worth communicating to you has occasioned me to give a little loose to dissertation. We must be contented to amuse, when we cannot inform."
It's an interesting letter because it not only contains this famous quote, but some of his first known comments about the US Constitution - notice that this future two-term President calls for the elimination of a four-year chief executive and compares such a chief executive to the corrupt Polish monarchy of his day.
It also contains a back-handed comment about John Adams in the polite language of his age, and a short discussion of Shay's Rebellion.
It is dated November 1787 - by 1789 the talked about French Revolution became a full-fledged revolutionary war - that eventually turned into an anarchic bloodbath and then a self-appointed dictatorship.
Jefferson was pretty disillusioned with uprisings and bloodshed by 1795.
www.kabar.com
Hopefully all of us will be John Galt.
Why not James J. Hamilton?
Best wishes for your new party.
I guess that shows the kind of folks I’ve hung around with in other forums besides Free Republic, LOL.
You’d have to ask him. But I guess James A. Jay would not be a good option
“Quit our jobs, go on welfare, and bankrupt the system “
Because you’ll starve to death before they can get your application processed.
Just what we need. Another loser 3rd (4th, 5th, 6th?) party. If you can’t get a plurality of Republicans go along with you, why think you can get a majority of the general public?
Damn, this looks exactly like what I’ve been waiting for. What an incredible breath of fresh air!
Went to the website and it reads like it was written by the Founders themselves.
I signed up, and urge all FReepers to do the same, then alert everyone on their email lists to do likewise.
Thanks, Pissant.
You are free to work your magic on Mccain and the GOP.
All great points, as usual. Just realize this one thing. ‘They’ have us so divided and so battered by so many screwed up issues, that there are rarely enough of us to make a difference. It happened with some of their immigration pushes, but other than that, we’re all in a dozen different directions. Now, the illegal aliens and Latinos and Muslims KNOW what they want and they hammer it every day and march in our streets by the millions. The know how to get the job done.
Until we unite enough to hammer one issue at a time so hard they can’t ignore us, it’s going to stay just as it is.
The abolishionists and suffergettes, prohibitionists practiced this. They didn’t need a party to change things.
I think the powers that be are tickled pink watching us all run in a dozen directions at once.
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