A republic, if you can keep it

The New Hampshire legislature is in the process of debating this resolution.  It is fairly short, and I recommend reading the entire document.  It is a resolution that serves to remind the federal government that they are limited in ther duties, and it spells out what will happen should the federal government continue to overstep it’s bound.  2 parts that really stood out were these:

That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever; and it being true as a general principle, and one of the amendments to the Constitution having also declared, that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force; and that the power to create, define, and punish such other crimes is reserved, and, of right, appertains solely and exclusively to the respective States, each within its own territory.

The Constitution is clear on what the government can & can’t do.  Especially Article 1, section 8, and Amendments 9 & 10.  

That the construction applied by the General Government (as is evidenced by sundry of their proceedings) to those parts of the Constitution of the United States which delegate to Congress a power “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imports, and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States,” and “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers vested by the Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof,” goes to the destruction of all limits prescribed to their power by the Constitution: that words meant by the instrument to be subsidiary only to the execution of limited powers, ought not to be so construed as themselves to give unlimited powers, nor a part to be so taken as to destroy the whole residue of that instrument: that the proceedings of the General Government under color of these articles, will be a fit and necessary subject of revisal and correction.

This is in line with what Jefferson and Madison thought.  In fact, this resolution is based on the Virginia and Kentucky Resolves.  The penultimate paragraph contains this sentence that puts the government on notice:

That should any [unconstitutional] act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually.

New Hampshire is on the verge of officially stating that if the federal government oversteps its bounds, it will cease to exist, because all powers delegated to it BY the states will be removed and returned TO the states.

Now, what of the other 49 states?  This morning I sent emails to both my state assemblyman and senator, as well as one other assemblyman who has shown a deep love for the state of Nevada and this country, as well as the Assembly Minority Leader.  They are all busy right now, so I don’t know if they will respond, but I would encourage you to do the same.  Write your state representatives.

Quick update: This morning I heard that Oklahoma (HRJ 1003) and Idaho have similar legislation.  There may be as many as 25 states with similar legislation, but I can’t conform that, and I don’t know if Nevada has anything in the works (my guess is no).

For those of you who want to gain a better understanding of the founding of this country, I would recommend that you listen to the Mike Church show on Sirius Satellite Radio in the morning (6-9AM PST).

This morning he recommended finding & reading the address given by then President Calvin Coolidge on July 5th, 1926. That would be the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is amazing that in a mere 83 years, we could go from the ideals he promotes to what we have now. It takes a few minutes to read, and it also takes more attention span than most these days probably have. But you will be a better person for having read it, so click here.

There were several passages that really jumped out at me; really spoke to my soul, as it were.

It is little wonder that people at home and abroad consider Independence Hall as hallowed ground and revere the Liberty Bell as a sacred relic. That pile of bricks and mortar, that mass of metal, might appear to the uninstructed as only the outgrown meeting place and the shattered bell of a former time, useless now because of more modern conveniences, but to those who know they have become consecrated by the use which men have made of them. They have long been identified with a great cause. They are the framework of a spiritual event. The world looks upon them, because of their associations of one hundred and fifty years ago, as it looks upon the Holy Land because of what took place there nineteen hundred years ago. Through use for a righteous purpose they have become sanctified.

It is amazing to me that a politician could actually have such a deep understanding and respect for religion. My faith teaches that the Founding Fathers were truly inspired and directed by God to create this country. It is amazing to see a man - who so far as I know was never taught anything of my faith - acknowledge that God directed that work done by the American colonists.

Placing every man on a plane where he acknowledged no superiors, where no one possessed any right to rule over him, he must inevitably choose his own rulers through a system of self-government.

I’ve heard that stated another way: “I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves.”

This was their theory of democracy. In those days such doctrines would scarcely have been permitted to flourish and spread in any other country. This was the purpose which the fathers cherished. In order that they might have freedom to express these thoughts and opportunity to put them into action, whole congregations with their pastors had migrated to the colonies. These great truths were in the air that our people breathed. Whatever else we may say of it, the Declaration of Independence was profoundly American.

The Declaration was inspired of God. America, therefore as it was founded, and as the Fathers intended, was about as close as you could hope to get to God.

If this apprehension of the facts be correct, and the documentary evidence would appear to verify it, then certain conclusions are bound to follow. A spring will cease to flow if its source be dried up; a tree will wither if its roots be destroyed. In its main features the Declaration of Independence is a great spiritual document. It is a declaration not of material but of spiritual conceptions. Equality, liberty, popular sovereignty, the rights of man these are not elements which we can see and touch. They are ideals. They have their source and their roots in the religious convictions. They belong to the unseen world. Unless the faith of the American people in these religious convictions is to endure, the principles of our Declaration will perish. We can not continue to enjoy the result if we neglect and abandon the cause.

Could it be any more clear? Yet today, our “leaders” have taught us that it is politically incorrect to ever mention God. They have basically removed God from everything, and put themselves in His place. It is no wonder that our country is ailing and headed down the path it is on.
Of course, the solution is clear. We as a nation need to return to God. We know that that is unlikely to happen, but those who remain righteous and true have the blessing of knowing that they will be watched out for.

We are too prone to overlook another conclusion. Governments do not make ideals, but ideals make governments. This is both historically and logically true. Of course the government can help to sustain ideals and can create institutions through which they can be the better observed, but their source by their very nature is in the people. The people have to bear their own responsibilities. There is no method by which that burden can be shifted to the government. It is not the enactment, but the observance of laws, that creates the character of a nation. About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful.

Self government works. Socialism does not. I love this next part, as it is 100% correct and completely destroys the arguments that we hear from Reid, Pelosi, Obama, and their ilk. There is nothing for anyone else to say, just read and enjoy.

It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

More talk of how the form of Government that the Founding Fathers established was God’s form of government:

The rights of the individual are held sacred and protected by constitutional guaranties, which even the Government itself is bound not to violate. If there is any one thing among us that is established beyond question, it is self-government–the right of the people to rule. If there is any failure in respect to any of these principles, it is because there is a failure on the part of individuals to observe them. We hold that the duly authorized expression of the will of the people has a divine sanction. But even in that we come back to the theory of John Wise that “Democracy is Christ’s government.” The ultimate sanction of law rests on the righteous authority of the Almighty.

I love this quote:

In the development of its institutions America can fairly claim that it has remained true to the principles which were declared 150 years ago. In all the essentials we have achieved an equality which was never possessed by any other people. Even in the less important matter of material possessions we have secured a wider and wider distribution of wealth.

We are told today that in order to achieve equality, those with many material possessions - including money - must be forced to forfeit them so they can be re-distributed to those who don’t have so much. For this to happen, all of us must relinquish some of our liberties. The reasoning is that then everyone will have the same amount of possessions - everyone will be equal. But President Coolidge correctly states that because individuals maintain all of their liberties, and because individuals have the freedom to work as much or as little as they want, we - all Americans - have, as he so eloquently stated, “have secured a wider and wider distribution of wealth.” So, would you rather follow the current course, where possessions are taken away to make everyone “equal”, as in equally miserable? Or would you prefer to return to the original intent of this country, where everyone is free to choose how hard they will work, and be rewarded for it?

Under a system of popular government there will always be those who will seek for political preferment by clamoring for reform. While there is very little of this which is not sincere, there is a large portion that is not well informed. In my opinion very little of just criticism can attach to the theories and principles of our institutions. There is far more danger of harm than there is hope of good in any radical changes. We do need a better understanding and comprehension of them and a better knowledge of the foundations of government in general. Our forefathers came to certain conclusions and decided upon certain courses of action which have been a great blessing to the world. Before we can understand their conclusions we must go back and review the course which they followed. We must think the thoughts which they thought. Their intellectual life centered around the meeting-house. They were intent upon religious worship. While there were always among them men of deep learning, and later those who had comparatively large possessions, the mind of the people was not so much engrossed in how much they knew, or how much they had, as in how they were going to live. While scantily provided with other literature, there was a wide acquaintance with the Scriptures.

For as learned as they were, they were founded in the gospel of Jesus Christ, at least what they had of it. Coolidge didn’t just make this statement, he came to understand that by studying their lives.

Over a period as great as that which measures the existence of our independence they were subject to this discipline not only in their religious life and educational training, but also in their political thought. They were a people who came under the influence of a great spiritual development and acquired a great moral power. No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people.

We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren scepter in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped.

Well said, President Coolidge. Thank you.

For those of us who are paying attention, we can see that our government is completely out of control.  Politicians simply will not listen to voters, and when it comes time to vote, we are constantly left with a choice between bad and worse.  They act more like a ruling class, treating us as smelly, uneducated imbeciles who couldn’t possibly grasp the complexity of the worlds problems, and therefore need a group - such as themselves - to act in our best interests and even save us from ourselves.  The simple fact of the matter is we need to be saved, but from them, not by them.

It got me thinking, how does our current situation compare to the situation that Americans found themselves in when the Declaration of Independence was written?

The Declaration contains a section that cites 27 specific reasons for breaking away from England and establishing independent, sovereign states.  For reference here they are:

1. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

2. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

3. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

4. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

5. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

6. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

7. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

8. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

9. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

10. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

11. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

12. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

13. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

14. For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

15. For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

16. For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

17. For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

18. For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

19. For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

20. For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies.

21. For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

22. For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

23. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

24. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

25. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

26. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

27. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

Now, are we being subjected to any of these same injustices today?  The answer is yes, but the question is, how many?  Here are my thoughts on which ones we are being subjected to.

1. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

This is a general statement, but it is safe to say that for the most part, the laws being passed today are neither wholesome nor necessary for the public good. Government interference is the norm, and as a result, we enjoy fewer liberties. Common sense laws are all but forgotten.  While not with holding their assent, they are passing laws so quickly that it makes ones head spin.  The result however, is similar.

2. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

This one may be a bit of a stretch, as it hasn’t happened in the same way, but I would argue that something similar is occurring. Little by little, we are told that if we want to make use of services provided by our tax dollars, we have to surrender some of our liberties. A perfect example is the auto bailout that is being discussed. Part of the deal that lawmakers want is that automakers – if they want money – have to make “green” cars. These are cars that Americans don’t want. Effectively, automakers forfeit their right to make cars that people will buy, they forfeit their right to run the business as they see fit. This relinquishing of the ability to make cars that will sell is similar to the relinquishing of the right of representation.

3. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

Our current leadership has done this, but has even taken it one step further. On the one hand, foreigners who have a valuable skill set – i.e. doctors, various types of engineers, etc – can’t get in without going through a lot of red tape, and even then, it’s tough to stay for more than a short period of time. However, if you have no real skill, can’t speak English or have a criminal background, you can sneak in, seek sanctuary in one of our many sanctuary cities & stay for free, with welfare and healthcare costs being covered by Joe Taxpayer. In 1776, the intention of preventing the population from growing was to keep American talent from growing.  King George was attempting to limit what would become know as the “American Spirit.” The idea was to keep America from thriving by limiting great thinkers and motivated people. Today, by not allowing educated people here, they are doing the same thing. By allowing uneducated people with limited or even no skill set to freely come here and live off of welfare and get free medical care, they not only limit the “American Spirit” that made this nation great, but they introduce a group of people that are a drain on those who do have the “American Spirit.” That makes it even more difficult for individuals – and therefore the country – to thrive and succeed.

4. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

Where do I start with this one? Feel free to read through the Constitution and then tell me what parts of it justify the existence of the following agencies: EPA, DOE, the other DOE (as in education.  I believe it is pronounced in your best Homer Simpson voice: ‘Doh!), OSHA, FCC, FAA, FDA, TSA, FDIC, HUD, and on and on. The list is almost infinite. Need I say more?

5. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

Like #4, this one is easy too. Ever heard of the United Nations? I also think that with the new “messianic” administration that is coming in, we may soon find ourselves subject to other foreign jurisdictions. Two I can specifically think of are the ICC and whatever replaces the Kyoto Protocol.

6. For protecting [soldiers], by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

Really the opposite of this is what has happened. Our troops have been demonized by our politicians.  Can anyone say Haditha? The purpose is the same. In 1776, redcoats were in America as an occupying force. They were meant to keep American morale down. By badmouthing our troops at every opportunity, politicians can keep American morale down. We are told on a regular basis that Americans are hated throughout the world because of our evil, dumb troops. Our elected officials are guilty of the same offense that King George was guilty of.

7. For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

Our ability to trade hasn’t been cut off, but is has been limited. It has been limited by making it increasingly difficult for companies to do business in America. As a result, they leave. Cutting off trade had the effect of limiting capital available to Americans. How often do we hear about evil corporations and their profits? How they steal from the poor to feed the rich and how they need to be taxed into submission?  Driving business out of the country via draconian and asinine legislature accomplishes the same thing.  We also have a recent comment by President Bush, that has to qualify as one of the largest piles of diarrhea ever to escape either end of a politician - quite the accomplishment Mr. Bush.  With our leaders thinking like that, how can we hope to ever have free trade or a free market?

8. For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent

Just how are we going to pay for the financial bailout that was passed in September? What was the ratio of calls, emails and faxes that opposed that bailout to those that supported it?

9. For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

I would submit that we really aren’t a republic anymore. Our office holders don’t listen to we the people anymore. They also don’t adhere to the Constitution anymore, and openly say it is a fatally flawed, outdated document containing “negative liberties”

10. For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

See #9 above.

11. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

Essentially this says that King George had encouraged the Indians to wreak havoc upon the American colonies. I would submit that by allowing our southern border to remain so porous, our current crop of “leaders” have done the same. Ask a cop about MS-13. Of course, this sort of thing couldn’t ever cause any domestic insurrections. Neither would this. And there is nothing to see here.

So, of the 27 injustices that American colonists dealt with, we are dealing with 11. The first thing that tells me is that even though it’s bad for us right now, it could be a lot worse. But why have we allowed it to get so bad? I would submit that we the American people still have a tiny (and quickly shrinking) window of opportunity to right our nation. If we don’t act soon though, we will either become some sort of socialist utopia, or we will be thrust into another revolution. I guess the choice is ours.