Constitution Day Repost

I've been incredibly busy this week, so I'm reposting last year's Constitution Day post.

Say a prayer for our Republic today, we're on the brink of ruin.

In 1787, a group of men came together, initially to revise the Articles of Confederation which were barely holding the newly independent nation together. When it became apparent that this would not be sufficient, they began the awesome task of hammering out a Constitution, establishing a fundamental system of government heretofore unknown in the world.

What they did was remarkable on many counts, not the least of which was the fact that they had vast disagreements on what exactly should be included. (Patrick Henry, remember him? Mr. "Give me Liberty or give me death"? He opposed the ratification because it gave the Federal government too much power-I wonder what he's thinking about it NOW?! He also refused to sign it.)*

These Founding Fathers as they are affectionately known, were diverse in their backgrounds, occupations and temprements. It proved to be an interesting mix.

Fifty-five men met together to establish this, our beloved Republic.  The day, May 14th, that the Convention was to begin, only 8 delegates were present. It would be 11 more days before the Convention started in earnest; on the 25th of May, George Washington was elected president of the proceedings, and things got underway.

The debate raged for four long months, through the heat of a Philadelphia summer. Would we have a strong central government or would we have a limited government? Would the central government run the show, or would "we the people"?
Each article, each section was debated, and voted on; piece by piece the Constitution took shape.

In the end, 222 years ago today, the Constitution of the United States of America-a title not in use until this day, was ratified and signed by 39 of the delegates. A new nation was born, "concieved in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" as Abraham Lincoln would later remind us.

As I ponder the incredible responsiblity we all have to uphold the Constitution, I am awed by what has transpired to bring freedom to this land. The intricate weaving of lives that were knit together by "divine Providence"
The Book of Mormon talks about this land as the Promised Land, and I know with all my heart that this is true.
In a prophecy to Joseph Smith, the Lord tells us that he raised up good men to establish this Constitution for us, His children.

These fifty-five men, raised up and inspired, created a nation that would change the political landscape forever. The question remains as to whether we can keep the gift they bequeathed to our care.

*Patrick Henry didn't actually attend the Convention, he was an ardent states rights fan, and, while asked to be a delegate, refused.

The Seventeenth Amendment

Article I
Section 2:
“The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States…”
Section 3:
“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.”

It seems rather simplistic in its scope, and maybe that’s why it was so easily overcome, but our Founding Fathers were genius in their ability to protect us from tyranny.
They weren’t however able to protect us from evil and designing men who do, and will have intentions to overthrow the Republic.

The way the Constitution is set up we have two houses of Congress, one house, the House of Representatives, was designed to represent the people as individuals; representation is based on population, so a census is taken each decade to establish the number of Representatives from each state; the bigger the state, the more representation.

The second house, the Senate was designed to represent each state as a whole; states were to be equal in the eyes of the Federal government, so two and only two Senators from each state. These Senators were to be chosen by the state legislatures, not by popular vote. They were representing the states as a whole, and the state was to choose who to send; the Founder’s even had the crazy idea that the Senators would be well respected men with varying backgrounds and varying expertise; in other words, people who would represent the State with dignity and knowledge.

James Madison, writing to Thomas Jefferson said “The Senate will represent the States in their political capacity, the other House will represent the people OF the states in their INDIVIDUAL capacity” (emphasis mine).
They didn’t want the rights of individuals and states to be subject to the whims of popular opinion.

Enter the Seventeenth Amendment, ratified February 3, 1913.

The United States Senate was NEVER intended to be a mini House of Representatives; there is good reason to have the state choose the Senators.

Think about all of the unfunded mandates that have been dumped on the States--take no Child Left Behind for example.
NCLB dictates, unconstitutionally I might add, that the state has to meet certain benchmarks and standards, but provides little to no funding to accomplish that goal.
Take Obamacare as another example.
With either of these mandates, if the Senators had been subject to recall, when their state objected to the mandate the Senator would vote how the STATE wanted him or her to vote, not along party lines, and not at the whim of special interests.
The Patriot Act
The Real ID (act)
I think you get the picture.
If our Senators had been subject to the STATE, it’s a VERY good chance none of these unconstitutional bills would have passed.

The Seventeenth Amendment took away the voice of the state; left the state to flounder at the whim of the Federal government.
Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) pointed out that “Ever since the safeguard of State legislatures electing U.S. Senators was removed by the 17th Amendment in 1913, there has been no check or balance on the Federal power grab for the last 97 years.”
He’s absolutely right!

In 1913 Woodrow Wilson, leader of what is known as the “Progressive Era” saw the Constitution as old and cumbersome, in need of reform. Using the term “Democracy” which is nothing more than mob rule, something deliberately shunned by our Founding Fathers, the Progressives pushed for “democratically elected Senators”; using the approved method of amending the Constitution, the Seventeenth was passed on April 8th 1913.

Wilson doesn’t get all the credit however; as early as 1826 efforts were afoot to undermine the Constitution, and by the early 1900’s, Oregon had begun electing Senators by direct election, in DIRECT opposition to the Constitution, followed by Nebraska.

William Randolph Hearst, another Progressive, used his magazine “Cosmopolitan”, a general interest magazine at the time, to push for direct elections, reaching around 100,000 readers.

The cry for “democracy” was heard and felt; when the Seventeenth was ratified our Constitutional Republic took a giant step backwards towards Democracy, removing one genius roadblock the Federal government had to go through to step on the rights of the states.
Money is always the root of evil, and the Seventeenth removed a final hurdle to the people being able to vote themselves more money from the treasury--Bastiat calls this “Legalized Plunder”, but that’s another post.

Repeal must be discussed; must become a bigger issue if we are to regain Constitutional integrity.
It won’t be easy, “democratic” is a term that is bandied about, wrong as it may be; we need to help people understand we don’t HAVE a Democracy, we have a Constitutional Republic; we must use the correct terms if we are to gain ground in the battle for the Restoration of the Constitution.
Let it start with us.

Bill Whittle: Ground Zero Mosque Reality Check

I love Bill Whittle, PJTV, and the no nonsense, common sense that they use.
Well worth your time.

Not So Tolerant

I was in a discussion on Facebook this morning; it concerned the Mosque that has been approved for Ground Zero; here is the article in Question:
For Strip Clubs Near Ground Zero its Business as Usual

I'll say upfront, that the Wall Street Journal has come down a notch in my book for even running an article based on what Stripper's think of a Mosque at Ground Zero; that said, the discussion was evenly divided, both sides claiming the other was bias-big surprise there.

What got me was the anger and hatred shown to ME, because I disagreed with one guy; an atheist. He was the only one who spoke meanly or rudely to me, and honestly, when I called him out on his "smarter than you" comment he had directed at another individual, I half expected it to turn negative.

What continues to amaze me, when those of us who use God in our "platform",is that the merest mention of God makes evil people MORE evil. This guy told me--knowing NOTHING about me that:

• I was from a "Hickville Sh**hole"
• I had brain damage from my alcoholic FATHER
• I was a redneck
• That my name equaled an "epic fail"
• Accused me of being Texan, Republican and a Catholic(None of which are true)

There was more, but you get the idea; all because I disagreed with him on the Mosque; because I dared to say that life was black and white, and to live in the gray was to not be wholly anything; speaking up from a Christian perspective.
Don't get me wrong, they DO have a right to build a Mosque in this country; as long as local laws and ordinances are followed, the green light is given most often.

However, I believe it is the wrong thing to do. Muslims tend to build on conquered ground, and that is what Ground Zero represents to them. The Mosques already in operation are filling up and they need more space because, in my view, New York has been conquered, or at least the "transformation" has begun, and Muslims are flocking to the City.

We have been told for generations to be "sensitive" to other faiths, other people.
Why then, when WE ask for sensitivity, do we get a backlash of angry, vile rhetoric?
If we hold Ground Zero as "Sacred Ground" because of the loss of life, why is THAT not a Religious Freedom as well; Gettysburg is considered Sacred Ground, so too is Ground Zero.

A little Tolerance please; and a heavy dose of respect.

What Has America Become?

I found this letter to the Editor on Facebook, but was unsure of it's origins; I Googled it, and found it to be real.
I've posted it in it's entirety, and want to thank Mr. Huber for articulating this so well.

What has America Become?

Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard?

Let’s see: If we lie to the Congress it’s a felony and if the Congress lies to us it’s just politics. If we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black person dislikes whites it’s his First Amendment right. The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and does almost nothing for the victims. In public schools you can teach that homosexuality is OK but you’d better not use the word “God” in the process. You can kill an unborn child, but it’s wrong to execute a mass murderer.

We don’t burn books in America — we now rewrite them. We got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming adherents “progressives.” We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea. If you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your First Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the Internet, but you’d better not put a Nativity scene in a public park during Christmas. We have eliminated all criminals in America — they are now called sick people. We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it’s wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work. We all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology. We still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct. Parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games. The land of opportunity is now the land of handouts. The similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who’s at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes, and tells us the problem is solved so incumbents can get back to their reelection campaigns.

What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?

© Ken Huber, all rights reserved.

Intolerant?

I found this fabulous quote on Twitter tonight, and I had to share...

"Don’t tell me I’m intolerant. I’ve tolerated the most ignorant, arrogant, narcissistic, dangerous, and impudent president in history!"

Obamacare Class Action

I was minding my own business on Facebook today(for those of you who don't use Facebook, minding one's own business consists of minding everyone elses business who is your friend on the site), and came across this very exciting and interesting item:

Obamacare Class Action

A man named Van Irion, who is running for the Senate from the great state of Tennessee, has filed a Class Action lawsuit against Obamacare. I have NOT read the full site yet, so I am NOT asking you to add your name to the class action suit, but for your information, over 31,000 people have so far added their names to the suit.

They are asking not only for the repeal of Obamacare, but also to nullify the previous ruling concerning the Commerce Clause which has caused so very much trouble regarding our personal liberties.

So take some time, check out the site, and decide if adding your name to the list makes sense for you and for your family; we'll be doing the same thing here.

I Can See November from Here

Ninety-four days.

In ninety-four days, we have the opportunity to make history. I know you’ve heard that before, but it’s really true. This is the most important mid-term election in my, and possibly your lifetime.

This election is not, and should not be about “party”; this election is for the Restoration of our Republic. Who will stand with the Constitution? Who will swear allegiance to the Republic and not to special interests and not to party agendas? Who will up hold their Constitutional oath?

I’m tired of RINO’s, and I imagine you are as well. Those who claim the Republican platform as their own, but have a decidedly Progressive agenda (Cap and Tax, Health Care “Reform”, “Financial “Reform”), are dangerous to our Liberties and have created a festering boil within our Republic.
The Constitution is about LIMITED government and maximum personal LIBERTIES; not about limited LIBERTIES and a very personal GOVERNMENT.

My challenge and yours, is to be alert and active; study your candidates, go to Town Hall meetings; write to them; get to KNOW them; call them on the phone even. Ask them the hard questions such as “Where do you find the Constitutional authority for the government to manage health care for every American?” or “Where does the Constitution say that the government should be involved in private enterprise?” “How do you justify your vote on “X”?” “How do you intend to uphold your Oath to protect the Constitution?”

Our government is so bloated and top heavy, and it doesn’t need to be this way; it SHOULD NOT be this way, and we have to work hard to change it.

That being said, almost more important than November 2nd will be November 3rd.
Will we stay active? Will we stay alert? Or will we go back to golf and scrapbooking until the next election?

The Republic rests squarely on OUR shoulders.

Full Speed Ahead

I'm sitting at my computer tonight, reading the Congressional Record from January 10, 1963; found and posted by my friend Ann; Ann, you rock, thank you so very much for locating this! (Ann's notes are included at the bottom)
The record outlines 45 goals of Communism at work in America.

As I was reading, I heard through my open doors and windows, two loud trains, just a few minutes apart. This is usually not an issue; while the trains regularly pass nearby, I rarely hear them; tonight however, as I was reading this congressional record, the trains were unusually loud.
It was impressed upon my mind that Communism is that train, barreling toward the proverbial brick wall, poised to shatter the Constitution, our Republic and our lives, when it hits at full speed.
I am especially troubled by numbers 40 and 41; the family is a sacred unit in my worldview, and my children are my sacred duty; Communism seeks to destroy the family unit and the bonds of parental love and fidelity.

I leave you with the Congressional Record; take note of the assaults in progress on our lives and our Republic. I can also highly recommend Dr. Skousen's book "The Naked Communist"; very eye opening, and easy to read.

May God help us.

Communist Goals (1963) Documentation below
Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35
January 10, 1963

Current Communist Goals

EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, January 10, 1963


Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.

At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen:

[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]

CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.



Note by Webmaster: The Congressional Record back this far has not be digitized and posted on the Internet.

It will probably be available at your nearest library that is a federal repository. Call them and ask them.

Your college library is probably a repository. This is an excellent source of government records.

Another source are your Congress Critters. They should be more than happy to help you in this matter.

You will find the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto interesting at this point.

Click here to see them listed with brain-challenging comments.

Documentation

Webmaster Forest Glen Durland found the document in the library.
Sources are listed below.
The quote starts on page 259.

Microfilm:

California State University at San Jose
Clark Library, Government Floor
Phone (408)924-2770
Microfilm
Call Number:
J
11
.R5
Congressional Record, Vol. 109
88th Congress, 1st Session
Appendix Pages A1-A2842
Jan. 9-May 7, 1963
Reel 12

The book was found in the off campus stacks, was ordered and checked. The quote below was checked against the original and is correct. The few errors in the copy from the Congressional Record are shown in [ ] .

The quote starts on page 259.

California State University at San Jose, Clark Library stacks call number:
Naked Communist
HX
56
S55

Book title page:
Skousen, W. Cleon. Naked Communist
Salt Lake City, Utah: Ensign Publishing Co.
C. 1961 , 9th edition July 1961.

Then Conquer We Must

Here is a stirring rendition of the Fourth Verse of The Star Spangled Banner; he says it's the second verse, but I can't find it in second position anywhere, so maybe when he was young it was sung as the second; I don't know, I don't care; these words must be emblazoned upon your soul.