One of the things I've enjoyed watching over the past year is the forging of new leaders. In early February, Kelly Owens stepped up to lead a new non-partisan group committed to keeping an eye on St Louis city politics. That group, Gateway to Liberty, held its first meeting in early February. The video report above captures some of the highlights from that meeting.

If you are a city resident and would like to be more active in city politics, please attend the next meeting of Gateway to Liberty this coming Saturday (3/6/10) from 9:30AM to noon at the Kingshighway branch of the St Louis City Library. That's at the intersection of Kingshighway and Vandeventer.

Change does not come easily for many of us.  As a rule, the more conservative a person is, the more difficult it is to accept change.  Although this idea of not being too quick to change should generally be embraced, the rejection of all things new should not be a blanket policy.

Technology is a field that continues to see improvements almost daily, and there is likely no end to this trend in sight.  And while many have tried to stay away from this technology, it has actually proven quite useful to the conservative cause.

What I have recently found to be true is that the new social media actually has much in common with the activism of the patriots of early America.  Allow me to explain:

For some reason, United States citizens have bought in to the idea that our involvement with the political process should not intersect with that of our social lives.  At some point in the history of our nation, political correctness and the fear of offending those who may disagree kept Americans from revealing their conservative principles to those with whom they daily interacted.  The end result of this was a complete lack of involvement in the political process.

This has not always been the American way.  In the days of the country’s founding, many, if not most, Americans were active at the very least with local government.  Consider this from Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America of 1835:

…the political activity that pervades the United States must be seen in order to be understood. No sooner do you set foot upon American ground than you are stunned by a kind of tumult; a confused clamor is heard on every side, and a thousand simultaneous voices demand the satisfaction of their social wants. Everything is in motion around you; here the people of one quarter of a town are met to decide upon the building of a church; there the election of a representative is going on; a little farther, the delegates of a district are hastening to the town in order to consult upon some local improvements; in another place, the laborers of a village quit their plows to deliberate upon the project of a road or a public school. Meetings are called for the sole purpose of declaring their disapprobation of the conduct of the government…”

So what does this have to do with social media?  Facebook and Twitter are the two most popular forms of social networking.  If you have not yet delved into these new technologies, you are most likely at least familiar with them.  Although they have stark differences in features, they are essentially the same in that they were created to be a way of networking with classmates, friends, family members and anyone else who may be somehow involved in our lives.  We can share what is on our mind, post photos of our children or look up long-lost high school friends with whom we lost contact years or even decades ago.  The social power of this technology is obvious.

What has happened with the recent Patriot Uprising has taken social networking by storm, however. Those who before had only posted videos of their family began sharing educational articles and videos that had inspired them to greater involvement.

There are so many informational articles written every single day that it is simply impossible for us to find them all.  This is where social media comes into play.  I may subscribe to a blog (articles written by a particular source) that my acquaintance across the street or across the country has never heard of.  Because we are “friends” on Facebook, the moment I post a link to this great column I just read, he or she has instant access to it, along with all of my other Facebook friends or Twitter followers.  This, of course, works both ways.

Both Twitter and Facebook have as their primary features ways for us to tell the world exactly what we are doing or what is on our mind at any given time.  One minute we can share the first words just spoken by our child, and the next we can post our comments about the local candidate that we met the previous evening.  Both of these updates will appear to all of our friends whether we attend church with them or we met them the week prior at a political rally.

The potential is endless, not only because of the huge audience of people with whom we can directly or indirectly share information, but because of the ease with which we can express ourselves.  My hope is that the greatest result of this social media wave will be an increased awareness and activism of Americans not only while logged in to their computers, but in their everyday lives as well.  Our involvement should not be limited to when we are sitting behind a desk, but online activism is a great way to get started.

Government awareness and concern should not be the priority only of a select few.  America is a government “of the people.”  The more people who are involved with this, the better off we will be.  Whether you choose to use social media as an avenue to express yourself and educate your neighbor or not is up to you, of course.  The important thing is that we are all doing our part.

I hope to publish more in depth “how-to” articles on this subject in the future, but the purpose of this blog is to show how social media has combined our personal and political lives in an amazing way that would thrill America’s founders.

Both the Health Care Freedom Act Senate Bill, (Senator Jane Cunningham) and the House Bill (Representative Tim Jones) will have their Committee Hearings this Thursday, January 28th. The Senate hearing for SJR 25 will start at 8am on Thursday morning, Jan. 28th in Senate Hearing Room 1 or 2. They are adjoining rooms. The House hearing for HJR57 (Jones) will follow at 9am. Each hearing will last one hour.

They need as many people as possible at the Capitol to support them at the hearing. Everyone can flood the hearing rooms and fill out witness forms in support of the bills. It is important we have a good presence at the hearing to show everyone how committed we remain.

Because of the time limitation, only a few people will get to speak. Therefore Rep. Jones and Senator Cunningham are providing witness forms so everyone has the chance to enter their comments into the public record and be counted. Remember, your comments matter!

Download the hearing forms here.

Instructions for Completing the Hearing Forms:

1. Download the attachment and print TWO copies (one for HJR57 and one for SJR25.)
2. On one of the witness forms, put “SJR25″ where it asks for bill number and “Senate Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight Committee” where it asks for Committee.
3. On the other witness form, put “HJR57″ where it asks for bill number and “Special Standing Committee on General Laws” where it asks for Committee.
4. In your own words, state why you want the Health Care Freedom Act to protect you from Obama Care. Collect as many of these statements from family and friends as you can.
5. Take the forms to the capitol with you on Thursday. If you can’t go to Jefferson City, fax the SJR25 form to Senator Cunningham at (573) 526-9852 and the HJR57 form to Rep. Jones at (573) 526-9852.

We can enter these forms into the official record of both the House and the Senate and it will be impressive for Rep. Jones and Senator Cunningham to both submit a pile of witness forms when they present their bills in the committee hearings Thursday. Individuals may submit this form whether or not they come to the Capitol on Thursday. Also, please get others you know to fill them out and fax in as well. This is going to take real team effort to accomplish!

Rep Jones and Senator Cunningham need as many folks at the Capitol as possible to send the message to their colleagues that it would be smart to keep this growing grass roots army happy. Missourians will be able to either watch the hearings directly in the hearing room, watch it on a monitor in spillover areas or on a laptop which they should bring in case the hearing rooms and spillover areas are full. The hearings will be live streamed at ATraditionalLifeLived.com. The hearings will also be on that same web site and conservativetvonline.com to watch at a future time.

While people are at the Capitol for the hearings, it is important to stop by your representative’s and senator’s offices to thank them for their support or ask if they will support the legislation. The House and Senate go into session at 10am right after the hearings end. We are told that it is fine to go to the side door of each chamber and ask the doorman to see if your legislator would be willing to come out to meet with a constituent for a few minutes. If not, leave your comments and contact information in their office with a request to respond.

To find out your representative and senator, go to www.house.mo.gov and enter your zip code in the ‘Legislator Look-Up’ field.

The bills and co-sponsors can be found at www.senate.mo.gov, type in SJR25 in the bill search field, click on “Full Bill Text” or “Co-Sponsors” and www.house.mo.gov, type in HJR57 in the bill search field, click on “Bill Text Introduced” to see the bill language and the co-sponsors listed at the top.

There is public parking along the streets and a garage one block east of the Capitol on the corner of East Capitol and Madison (same intersection as the Governor’s mansion).

Maps for the capitol building can be found here and here.

You may have heard on the news that a vote on reinstating Bernanke as Fed chairman is expected before the end of the week. What the mainstream media hasn’t been talking about is the fact that Senator Jim DeMint has placed a “hold” on this vote until after S.604 Audit the Federal Reserve bill has had a straight up or down vote on the floor of the Senate. Harry Reid is trying to get enough votes for “cloture” so that he can kill DeMint’s hold on the Bernanke approval vote and he won’t have to bring S.604 to a vote. He wants to get the Bernanke reinstatement vote through right away (Jan. 31st his term is up), and he really doesn’t want S.604 to come to the floor for a vote.

Now is the time to get the senators to support this principled action by Jim DeMint. Call Senators Bond and McCaskill today. Tell them that you expect them to work for the transparency of the Federal Reserve, and the way for them to do that now is to see that S604 comes to a straight up and down vote on the floor of the Senate before Bernanke is reinstated.

If they try to tell you that the Fed is already audited tell them it most certainly is not–at least not in all the important ways like finding out which corporations and foreign banks are getting tax payer dollars.

“State Government Seminar”
Saturday, January 23rd
12:30pm – 3:00 PM
Midwest Music Conservatory
15977 Clayton Road
Ballwin, Missouri 63011

Bring your neighbors, family and friends to the “State Government Seminar” where you will learn how citizens can become involved with their Missouri state government.  Speakers include:

• Ron Calzone from Missouri Citizens for Property Rights has been fighting in the courts for Missouri families’ property rights with his ballot initiative against eminent domain for private use. He needs our help IMMEDIATELY to get signatures required for his legislation to be included on Missouri’s ballot this November. Collecting signatures on this important initiative will give us an outreach opportunity in our own backyards and will enable/give us an excuse to introduce ourselves and other important issues such as the Missouri sovereignty legislation to our still uninformed neighbors.
• Missouri State Rep. Sue Allen will be discussing the need of the citizens to get involved with supporting their state representatives in lobbying behind conservative issues brought before the Missouri state assembly.
• Kerry Messer of Missouri Family Network has important insights and a vast amount of knowledge in working to forge relationships and form an alliance with our state government officials.

Click here for more information.

America was established as a country in which the people would have the final say in who would serve in public office. Every citizen of the United States who is of legal age has the right and privilege not only to vote, but to research and vet their local candidates and then support and campaign for the individual that they choose. Unfortunately, most of us have left this responsibility to others for many years, and we are now reaping the results.

What you may not know, is that even the “powers that be” within your own political party may not want you to exercise your freedom of choice in this area. If the past year of activism has taught us anything, it is that the political party establishments are used to choosing our candidates for us. But the spirit of individual freedom that the tea party “movement” has brought with it does not fit well into that plan. The NY-23 race was a perfect example of this.

The complacency of conservatives is ruining this country. We have been deceived into believing that if we simply show up at the voting booth in November, that we are performing our obligation as citizens of this Republic. Voting is not enough. If we wait until the November elections to do something, then we have already allowed someone else to choose a candidate for us. The party heads win and the people lose. This has been the process for years, but it must end. It is time that we stop complaining about the fact that we are forced into voting for the lesser of two evils, and we begin working to put the candidate that we want in office.

The Franklin County Patriots will be taking steps in the upcoming weeks and months to help the citizens of Franklin County be as informed as possible about those who will be running for office, but we will not attempt to tell anyone how to vote. We do not need local or national organizations or committees making our decisions for us. A lazy, uninformed electorate breeds a corrupt government.

Nobody can do the work for you. It’s up to each of us to make the effort.  Phone calls and letters to Washington are great, but getting involved in local races is where we can really make a difference. Now is the time to get to know and begin vetting the candidates who will be running in the upcoming primaries and elections. Don’t let the media or party establishments decide for you.

Featuring the Health Care Freedom Act

This Wednesday, January 13th, hundreds of Missourians from all over the state will be rallying at the capitol for State Sovereignty. Several local organizations will be participating and are organizing caravans and carpools to Jefferson City. The information for various starting places is listed below.

The rally will begin at 10:00am at the Missouri State Capitol. Join hundreds of other Missourians as we join with the members of the Missouri General Assembly who “Get It.”

We’ll meet in the first floor rotunda where we will hear from Legislators who are rolling up their sleeves and taking the Feds head on! After the opening rally we will move to the third floor rotunda to pick up the “lobbying packets” to use with attendees own state representative and state senator.

Workshops on the Health Care Freedom Act and the State Sovereignty issue. 12:00 pm, 1 pm and 2 pm

Restoring State Sovereignty is our best and most immediate opportunity to stand up to this constitution-abusing behemoth of a Federal Government!

Suggestions: Make a sign to display in the window of your car, or fly a Missouri flag. Bring quarters to feed the meters in Jeff City. Be prepared to chip in for gas if you’re not planning to drive.

Carpool Meeting Points:

South City (St Louis)
The Target parking lot at Hampton Village/ Hampton and Chippewa edge of parking lot near intersection. Look for Josh – Red Chevy Blazer – at 7:00am. Contact # is 314-607-7280

Eureka
The Walmart parking lot in Eureka. Look for Jeannine (636-938-9348) in white Kia Sedona mini van with the sparkle flag on her antenna. Meet at 7:30.

Hwy 94 and Hwy 40 intersection
The commuter parking lot. Look for Dave (tall guy). Email contact for organizational purposes is dwevans@charter.net Cell is 636-541-9932. Meet at 7:35.

Zumbehl and 70 in St Charles (St Charles)
The commuter parking lot just south of 70 and east of Zumbehl. Look for Mark. Cell # 314-504-0302. Meet at 7:30.

Sullivan, MO
Walmart parking lot. Sandra… white mini van. Cell is 314-420-8270

Bourbon, MO
Town and Country grocery store. Meet at 7:40

Union, MO
Meet at Walmart at 8:15.

by Chuck Baldwin

According to Rasmussen Reports, “Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters nationwide say they’re at least somewhat angry about the current policies of the federal government. That figure includes 46% who are Very Angry.

“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 27% are not angry about the government’s policies, including 10% who are Not at All Angry.”

The report goes on to say, “The data suggests that the level of anger is growing. The 71% who are angry at federal government policies today is up five percentage points since September.

“Even more stunning, the 46% who are Very Angry is up 10 percentage points from September.”

The report also states, “The latest numbers show that only nine percent (9%) of voters trust the judgment of America’s political leaders more than the judment of the American people.” It further states, “Seventy-one percent (71%) believe the federal government has become a special interest group that looks out primarily for its own interests. Sixty-eight percent (68%) believe that government and big business work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors.”

Rasmussen Reports goes on to say that voter opposition to the proposed health care plan, government bailouts, and higher taxes is especially high.

See the report at:

http://tinyurl.com/rasmussen-71pc-angry-at-govt

That Americans are angry with the federal government is nothing new. As a general rule, Americans STAY angry with the federal government. So what? Nothing changes, anger and discontentment notwithstanding.

Oh! Occasionally, grassroots effort can be mustered in sufficient quantity to stop whatever happens to be the latest effort by the miscreants in Washington, D.C., that tramples our freedoms. But only occasionally. The only recent triumph I can think of was when G.W. Bush, Lindsey Graham, and John McCain tried to ram an amnesty bill for illegal aliens through Congress. But never fear, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid will pick up that particular baton soon enough.

I’m old enough to remember when giving the Panama Canal away was opposed by virtually everyone outside the Beltway. It changed nothing. Jimmy Carter and Congress gave it away, anyway. Most people oppose the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. So what? Our troops are not only still there, but more are on the way. Most people believe children should be allowed to pray and read the Bible in school. So what? They still are forbidden from doing so. Most people believed former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore had the right to post the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. So what? He was forced to take them down, anyway (and removed from office in the process). I could go on, but you get the point.

Anger and opposition to Washington’s policies and edicts–no matter now egregious–hardly ever translate into anything beyond words of frustration. And Washington politicians don’t pay much attention to rhetoric–not even their own.

You see, the wizards in Washington and on Wall Street have us figured out. Along with their compatriots in the propaganda press corps, they know that no matter how loudly we scream, how much we protest, or how angry we become, the system is rigged to protect them. The best we the people can seem to come up with is “throwing the bums out” every two or four years. BUT NOTHING CHANGES–at least, not in terms of restoring the fundamental principles of freedom and constitutional government.

Throw out George H.W. Bush in 1992, and nothing changes. Throw the Democrats out of Congress in 1994, and nothing changes. Throw Bill Clinton’s party out of the White House in 2000, and nothing changes. Throw out G.W. Bush’s Republicans in 2008, and nothing changes. The only thing that happens with a changing of the guard is an escalation in the pace of whatever version of socialism–or Big Government program–is currently in vogue. With Bush it meant expanding the Warfare State. With Obama it means expanding the Welfare State. But both do everything they can to expand Big Government.

When will we awaken to the reality that Washington, D.C., has had the American people chasing their tails for decades? People, wake up! As long as we continue to focus our attention and energy on Washington, D.C., we will only continue to supply more rope to those who wish to hang us.

Washington, D.C., is too far gone to salvage. Admit it! Washington is a cesspool, a landfill, and a putrid pond of corruption and duplicity. Neither the Republican nor Democratic Party will ever allow a principled constitutionalist to become its Presidential nominee. No matter whom we elect as President, the beat toward Big-Government socialism and one-world internationalism will go on without interruption. Big Government scalawags own the entire federal system, including Big Media, Big Business, Big Labor, Big Religion, and Big Special Interest Groups. They are all feeding at the government teat.

Therefore, it is absolutely obligatory that freedom-minded Americans refocus their attention to electing State legislators, governors, judges and sheriffs who will fearlessly defend their God-given liberties. And, as plainly and emphatically as I know how to say it, I am telling you: ONLY THE STATES CAN DEFEND OUR LIBERTY NOW! And awakening to this reality means we will have to completely readjust our thinking and priorities.

It means awakening to the fact that Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Bill O’Reilly (and the rest of Big Media’s talking heads) are, for the most part, irrelevant to providing real solutions to the continuing loss of liberty. And, in truth, they are, more often than not, part of the problem, because they continue to focus our attention on Washington, D.C., and off the source of genuine solution, which lies with the states drawing a constitutional line in the sand for freedom. Good grief! Beck and O’Reilly have recently even advocated for higher federal taxes! Yeah! That’s a real solution: more power and money to Washington, D.C. Ughhh!

Instead of getting all worked up about what Glenn Beck says or what Sarah Palin says or what CFR member and Big Government neocon Newt Gingrich says, start paying attention to what your State legislators and candidates are saying.

If we had more State legislators such as Washington State’s Matthew Shea; Georgia’s Bobby Franklin; Pennsylvania’s Sam Rohrer; New Hampshire’s Dan Itse; Michigan’s Paul Opsommer; Oklahoma’s Randy Brogdon, Sally Kern and Charles Key; Montana’s Rick Jore, Greg Hinkle, and Joel Boniek; Tennessee’s Susan Lynn; South Carolina’s Michael Pitts and Lee Bright; Missouri’s Jim Guest and Cynthia Davis; and sheriffs such as South Carolina’s Ray Nash, Arizona’s Richard Mack and Joe Arpaio, Montana’s Jay Printz and Shane Harrington, etc., it wouldn’t matter what those nincompoops inside the Beltway do. The federal government cannot violate your rights and steal your freedoms without the consent and approbation of your State government.

Folks, let’s get down to where the rubber meets the road: the reason we are in the miserable mess we are in is because the states have–either wittingly or unwittingly–ceded their authority and independence to Washington, D.C. Therefore, it is now critical that states reclaim their authority—authority that is duly granted them under the US Constitution.

All of us who call ourselves conservatives or constitutionalists or libertarians (who, no doubt, compose a majority, especially in “red” states) need to retake our State governments. Elect a governor who knows how to say “No” to the federal government. Elect a State legislature that knows how to say “No” to Washington, D.C. Elect sheriffs and State judges who understand the Constitution, State sovereignty, and the principles of freedom–and who are courageous enough to defend those sacred principles in the face of attempted federal usurpation.

The truth is, for all intents and purposes, we could turn off television completely and be in no worse shape. And newspapers are no better. The vast majority of them blatantly support and promote Big Government. As Mark Twain said, “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.”

With Big Media, it’s all about Washington politics. Period. For the most part, the conservative-liberal/Republican-Democrat paradigm is nothing but a distraction at best, and a scam at worst, to keep all of us safely on the federal reservation, where we are without hope or recourse to actually change anything.

Ladies and Gentlemen, freedom in America has only one hope: the resurrection of State independence and sovereignty. Fortunately, there are rumblings around the country that this revival has already begun.

The last time I checked, some 38 states have introduced Tenth Amendment resolutions–or some form of federal nullification proposals–in their State assemblies. To follow the status of various states’ rights initiatives, keep an eye on these two web sites:

http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/the-10th-amendment-movement/

http://libertydefenseleague.com/liberty/

If conservatives/constitutionalists/libertarians would spend as much time and energy influencing elections and policies at the State and local levels as they attempt to do at the national level, we could turn this floundering ship of state around. If he had the support and backing of his State’s legislature and sheriffs, imagine what ONE constitutionalist governor could do. I get goose bumps thinking about it!

Imagine a State with its own financial system–its own currency, banks, regulatory agencies, etc. Imagine a State with its own militia–under the authority of the governor only–completely independent from any responsibility to the President or federal government. Imagine a State with an education system unfettered by the federal Department of Education. Imagine a State where the BLM, the FBI, the ATF, and the DEA had to actually submit to State law. Imagine a State with no federal bribes, or federal “funding” as it is commonly called–except as is constitutionally constructed (with no strings attached). Imagine a State with its own health care system. Imagine a State with no FEMA–UNLESS INVITED IN. Imagine a State that would not allow Washington’s spooks to unlawfully spy on law-abiding citizens. Imagine a State that actually had a say in how much land the federal government could claim for its own. Imagine a State where citizens never had to worry about a national ID act. Imagine a State that would protect the right of its citizens to freely express their faith in the public square. Imagine a State that did not demand that its farmers put RFID computer chips in their livestock. Imagine a State that would let you drill a well without reporting it to the federal government. And for some really fun mind games, imagine a State that would be willing to challenge the constitutionality and legitimacy of the direct income tax and the IRS. All of this–and more–is attainable with a constitutionalist State government committed to protecting the liberties of its citizens.

I repeat: freedom in America has only one hope: the resurrection of State independence and sovereignty. In the US Constitution, our Founding Fathers sagaciously reserved to State governments their independence and sovereignty, knowing that they had the awesome responsibility of being the last (and greatest) vanguard of liberty for the American people. They never intended or imagined that the states would ever become a doormat for the central government (which is what most of them have become).

In this regard, the states that are proposing State sovereignty resolutions should immediately band together to overturn the 17th Amendment, because this amendment strips the states of their constitutional powers by turning US senators into Washington insiders, who are more beholden to Washington interests than the interests and well-being of the states that they are supposed to represent.

If the 71% of voters who are angry with the federal government would channel their energies into electing constitutionalist governors and State legislators, their anger might actually produce real and lasting change. As it is, efforts to “reform” Washington, D.C., are like trying to teach a hog to take a bath. Instead, let the hog wallow in the mud, but make sure the mudhole stays small; don’t let it spread to your back yard. And keeping that Washington mudhole small is the job of the states. And, in case you have not noticed, the mudhole has already grown to the point that it’s not just in your back yard; it’s on your front porch and about to consume your whole house.

For more by Chuck Baldwin check out http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com

This past Saturday morning we had an excellent meeting with about twenty of our regional coordinators. For those of you who have recently joined us, we have divided Franklin County in five different regions. We meet periodically with several individuals from each region who have expressed interested in being more involved in our cause. At this meeting we talked more about having a winter indoor rally. We will be giving more details on this in the very near future.

Most of our time was spent strategizing about our objectives for this election year. Although the Franklin County Patriots will not be endorsing a party or candidates, we do intend to do everything possible to help our members be informed about those who are running. Over the next few weeks, our volunteer coordinators will be researching candidates, voting records of elected officials, beginning 5,000 Year Leap/Constitution classes in homes, working on candidate questionnaires and many other things.

If you are interested in being more involved that you are now and getting more information about being a coordinator, please let us know.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

An excerpt from The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

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.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Although not without imperfection, there’s a lot of timeless wisdom in the writings and testaments of our founding fathers. The Declaration is particularly important because it serves as a historical record of the reasoning behind the formation of our Republic. If you can’t recall from your schooldays all that’s written in the Declaration, you need to read it. The significance is in the striking similarities between the governmental abominations our founders experienced long ago and those that now pose a clear and present danger to us and our posterity. The course our representatives in government have charted for our nation can be construed as nothing less than reckless endangerment.

Take, for example, the perverse amount of national debt we have allowed future generations to incur through the passage of massive pork-filled pieces of legislation by those who are supposed to represent us. These atrocities have been growing our national debt for decades—debt that has now eclipsed the $12,000,000,000,000 (trillion) mark. Servicing the interest payments alone on such an enormous amount of debt is rapidly becoming unsustainable. Although common sense is blind to political party affiliation, our political parties are seemingly blind to common sense. It has been our silence that has allowed the unrepentant and irresponsible behavior of our elected officials to flourish. There are dire consequences of our silence. National financial insolvency is a very real threat to our nation, and ultimately to the liberty and freedoms we have been blessed with for so many years. It’s also important to remember that those same liberties and freedoms weren’t free. They were paid for with the sacrifices and loss of life of those who came before us and those who are now in service to our country. For this, we all owe a great debt. Therefore, we, as citizens of The United States of America, are duty bound to share in the responsibility of maintaining our Republic. Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” That form of truly representative government to which President Lincoln referred is nearly extinct. To remain silent while our legislators undermine the true will of the people is no longer an option if we have the earnest desire to better the course of America for ourselves and future generations. To allow our service men and women to sacrifice in defense of our freedoms abroad while we remain complacent in our duty to do the same at home is no less than shameful.

You may ask “well, what can I do?” There are several ways to become proactive—because casting a vote is not enough! Do your own homework to separate fact from fiction about the legislation being proposed in the halls of Congress. Don’t form an opinion that’s based solely on information provided to you by mainstream media; they fail miserably on most counts. Some of the best non-partisan tools to use are the congressional websites where you can access legislation and the voting records of your representatives in the House and Senate—you may be surprised to find out how your elected officials are representing you. And although it’s unfair to categorize all politicians as liars, the fact remains that many are. You are entitled to be suspicious of any legislation purported to be “good for America.” Once you’ve discovered the truth, you may not agree. There are several local, non-partisan Tea Party Movement organizations that are excellent resources for education and serve as a conduit to network with others who share the same concern for our country’s future as you do—you’re not alone. One of the most important things any of us can do to influence legislation is to write, email, fax, and phone our elected officials and make our voices heard. Remember—we pay their salaries, we bankroll the “best of the best” in healthcare insurance plans for them and their families, and we provide for them a better retirement plan than most of us could ever hope to have. They are supposed to work for us, not the other way around. The issues are gravely serious and the hour is late, but average Americans like us can make a difference…if we choose to. United We Stand, Divided We Fall.