Posted on 09/04/2009 11:56:09 AM PDT by D. Brian Carter
A Road Map for the New Patriot Movement
Over the past months, the inspiring national reaction and response to the quickening pace of assaults on liberty and the foundations of the American ideal has reached a fevered pitch. It is heartening to see the awakening of the People and the resistance to forces that do not subscribe to those values that built the United States into the most productive, equitable and powerful nation in history. With the simple voices speaking at town hall meetings raising protest to a nationalization of the health care industry, or the unified message in the Tea Party and 912 Project movement, or even the mere acts of myriads of citizens picking up the telephone to air concerns to those they have elected, the silent majority has made it clear that they are discontent and dissatisfied with the direction our nationally elected leaders have taken, and the path on which they continue.
The culmination of these movements appears to be a show of solidarity on September 12, with a hopeful crescendo at the ballot box in November of 2010 and 2012. While these events and actions are laudable and a step in the right direction, many involved in these movements and this uprising are misguided in the belief that the remedy is simply transferring the balance of power to the Republican Party and unseating the Democrats. The assault on State sovereignty and Individual liberties is one that has been a progressive erosion, with complicity from nationally elected representatives from both sides of the aisle. The problems we face today are not of a partisan nature, and while the replacement of leftist representatives with Republicans may slow down the pace of the centralization of power, it will not stop it, and certainly will do nothing to reverse it.
It must be understood that this is not a Republican versus Democrat issue. The core of the problems we encounter as a nation is the concept of federalism being deconstructed by those who wish to centralize authority in an all-powerful nationalized structure. There are innumerable examples of these actions being taken and endorsed by members of both parties. Those in national power wish to retain and expand that power, and hold sway and influence over the States and the People that the Constitution specifically was intended to protect against. Nationally elected leaders in both parties have demonstrated a willingness to ignore the tenets of Natural Rights that are the foundation of the formation of our nation, and an unwillingness to cede rights and powers that are specifically and implicitly reserved to the States and the People.
Are the demonstrations on September 12, 2009, then, enough? Is the act of simply ousting a Democratic regime with a Republican one in the elections of 2010 and 2012 taking full advantage of this national grassroots movement? To what aim does the 912 Project direct its efforts following the marches and peaceful demonstrations after September 12? Is the Tea Party Movement’s mission complete simply by ousting one set of nationally elected leaders and replacing them with another set who still continue to propagate and advance a centralization agenda?
It would seem that these efforts – while noble, appropriate and needed – do not have a well-defined “end-game”, for while one battle may be won, constant vigilance will be required to stay on alert for the next assault and response. Normal people cannot keep up such a vigil forever; we have lives, families, jobs and just wish to enjoy our existence, not be on eternal “red alert” for the next possible usurpation or attempted violation. The energies and passions that have been unleashed are tremendous and well-intentioned; what if all of these energies could be unified and directed towards an end goal that at least semi-permanently reverses the power balance; not from the left to the right or vice versa, but from the national level to the People? All the efforts and frustrations that have set a bonfire of reaction across the land – directed towards a specific and dictated set of measures that restrains the federal authority, reverses unconstitutional policies, and restores captured rights and liberties – can be harnessed and unleashed in a productive way that makes this constant vigil unnecessary.
There are four key components that have allowed the federal government to compile and centralize so much power and authority, powers and responsibilities that the Founders never intended to be the domain of Washington:
1. Unlimited and unbridled seizure of assets, wealth and earnings through an arbitrary and inequitable progressive income tax.
2. Unlimited and unbridled spending, above and beyond the seizure of wealth that guarantees three outcomes: a. The continued servitude of this generation to fund the out of control spending propositions, both past and present; b. The guarantee that future citizens – many of whom are not yet even born – will be even further saddled with the burden of this spending by adding even more debt and obligations; c. The growing reliance of both Individuals and the individual States on this centralized federal authority to assist them with the burden of these obligations, necessitating the repetition of the cycle.
3. Misinterpretation and misuse of the Commerce Clause in Article I Section 8 Paragraph 3, which has had the effect of essentially nullifying the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution, and allowed the federal government to lay claim to jurisdiction over whatever minute area they wish.
4. The establishment of de facto national laws and standards – that would otherwise be unconstitutional even in the most liberal of courts – through the act of bribing the People with their own money. Examples of this political blackmail include: a. Recently, the suggestion by John Conyers that transportation and highway funding – which comes from taxation paid by the People and States – be withheld unless States implement uniform laws banning use of cell phones while driving; b. Similar legislation dictates in the past that mandated uniform speed limit standards throughout the individual States, at the risk of losing “federal funding” (once again, the People’s OWN MONEY); c. Educational standards and directives that are mandated on individual local school districts, with non-compliance resulting in loss of funding for certain programs.
(The argument here is not against the necessity or propriety of these various measures, but the propriety of the federal government forcing these measures on States, localities and Individuals against their will and with the threat of withholding their own contributed funds if they do not comply.)
While protesting and holding the powers-that-be at bay on the nationalized health care subject has been, to this point, a rousing success, and an example of the citizenry standing unified for their rights, this is but one issue. This one subject has been particularly inflammatory and raised alarm signals across the land; however, many other measures that should have been as fervently protested in the past were allowed to pass, and many more are to come that will either fly “under the radar” or be shoved down Americans’ collective throats. While unseating blatant Marxists and radicals who have no regard for our history or Constitution is a much needed effort, and should continue, others who more subtly erode liberties and invade the People’s territory have been and will continue to be elected.
The electoral process is not enough. The ballot box can only exact so much change. A true transformation can only occur when the federal government is stripped of the ability to expand its reach and authority as outlined in the four core points discussed previously. This does not mean to disparage the efforts of those filing in to town halls, of those travelling to Washington, or gathering in their hometowns. This suggestion does not imply that voting in new leaders and blood is not necessary. It only is meant to emphasize that it is not enough.
The28thAmendmentProposal.org has developed a comprehensive plan of action to address the issues outlined here, to reverse the last century’s worth of federal expansion and consolidation of nationalized power, and to restore the liberties, rights and responsibilities to their rightful place: the States and the People. This plan provides a defined direction for such admirable activism as the 912 Project and Tea Party Movement to center their messages on realistic, yet dramatic and permanent, change that all Americans can truly “believe in”.
When September 12 passes, those gathered in the spirit of that day and that movement will need an outlet and goal for their energies and passions. Long after the elections of 2010 and 2012, if such changes are not implemented, the Tea Party efforts will be in vain if the only aim is the ballot box. The articulate conversation and arguments presented at the town halls, through the Congressional switchboard and over our airwaves will be a waste of breath when the next radical agenda is either stealthily foisted upon us, or forced down with blatant tyranny. We cannot allow those things to occur, and must take steps to ensure they do not transpire, above and beyond the efforts we are already exerting.
It is time to transform this overwhelming and inspiring spirit, and seemingly boundless energy, into a cohesive and unified message and goal. It is time to stop speaking to elected public servants who believe they are our masters and have only deaf ears. It is time for us to be able to finally relax, secure in the knowledge that the Republic is safe, and our freedoms are secure. It is time to redirect our energies, not at individuals, not at throwing support by one party or against another, but at a clear and defined message: WE TAKE BACK THOSE POWERS, WASHINGTON, THAT YOU HAVE STRIPPED FROM US FOR OVER 100 YEARS, AND HERE ARE THE SHACKLES YOU PLACED ON US; WE NOW PLACE THEM ON YOU.
Many organizations have much in common with The28thAmendmentProposal.org, and have been fighting this battle diligently for years, or even decades. We welcome partnerships with any and all, and request the support and efforts of individuals involved in such movements as described above, or as outlined by TenthAmendmentCenter.com, or as pursued by LetsChangeAmerica.com. We wish not to replace these efforts, or supplant the mission of each of these organizations, but to supplement their work, and provide a focused, realistic and comprehensive set of goals to restore a Constitutional federalist system. Please take time to read the proposal we have outlined at our website. We ask that you not quibble with small details or the minutiae of the proposal, as many concerns that have been raised are still being addressed, and many of the specifics we fully acknowledge need to be refined. We ask that you look at the overarching SPIRIT of the proposal, and to ask yourself if it is consistent with the spirit you have invested in your own movements and efforts.
Our motto is simple and straightforward, and is a good way to conclude this discussion: “Arresting Federal Growth, Handcuffing Out of Control Government”. Please consider joining us in our effort to exact such measures.
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