Tag: Liberty

  • Freedom of Speech: The Early Years

    Freedom of Speech: The Early Years

    John Peter Zenger Found Not Guilty!

    In 1735, John Peter Zenger was found “not guilty” of seditious libel against the Governor of New York. The Royal Governor of New York, William Crosby, went after John Peter Zenger, one the few skilled printers in the colonies, because of the things printed against the governor in the New-York Weekly Journal, the newspaper where Zenger was a printer. Zenger’s attorney, Andrew Hamilton, argued that Zenger should not be found guilty if what he printed was true. While this was not a defense allowed under the seditious libel laws at the time, the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty.

    This case and the outcome of it, laid much groundwork for the American Revolution.

    The rights to free speech and freedom of the press were being limited by the British government and dissenters were being targeted. Blackstone, later in his Commentaries on the Laws of England, supported criminal punishment for libel without regard for truth. “For the same reason it is immaterial with respect to the essence of a libel, whether the matter of it be true or false.” However, the Letters of Cato gave a different sentiment about free speech:

    “The exposing therefore of publick wickedness, as it is a duty which every man owes to truth and his country, can never be a libel in the nature of things.”

    Cato’s Letters No. 32.

    “Men who injure and oppress the People under their Administration provoke them to cry out and complain; and then make that very Complaint the Foundation for new Oppressions and Prosecutions. I wish I could say there were no Instances of this Kind. But to conclude; the Question before the Court and you, Gentlemen of the Jury, is not of small nor private Concern, it is not the Cause of a poor Printer, nor of New York alone, which you are now trying; No! It may in its Consequence, affect every Freeman that lives under a British Government on the Main of America. It is the best Cause. It is the Cause of Liberty; and I make no Doubt but your upright Conduct, this Day, will not only entitle you to the Love and Esteem of your Fellow-Citizens; but every Man, who prefers Freedom to a Life of Slavery, will bless and honour You, as Men who have baffled the Attempt of Tyranny; and by an impartial and uncorrupt Verdict, have laid a noble Foundation for securing to ourselves, our Posterity, and our Neighbors, That, to which Nature and the Laws of our Country have given us a Right – The Liberty – both of exposing and opposing arbitrary Power (in these Parts of the World, at least) by Speaking and writing Truth.”

    Atty. Andrew Hamilton

    “If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom – go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!”

    Samuel Adams

  • WELFARE

    WELFARE

    The Declaration of Independence declares:

    “all men … are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights …That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men …” 

    The Preamble of the US Constitution shows how these rights are to be secured, including: 

    “provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare”. 

    Two clear distinctions should be made here: 

    1. PROVIDE implies actively and financially-supporting.
    2. PROMOTE implies a more passive approach. For example, I’ll promote that we put on a grand feast, but I want you to provide it! 
    3. GENERAL Welfare is not the same as INDIVIDUAL Welfare.
    4. GENERAL Welfare would benefit the people generally. Individual Welfare targets a certain segment of society to benefit, such as the poor. 

    Providing Individual Welfare is NOT authorized in the Constitution. 

    God, who endows us with life, liberty, property, and the right to pursue happiness, also exhorts individuals to care for the needy, the sick, the homeless, the aged, and those who are otherwise unable to care for themselves. 

    America’s welfare crisis is government-induced. 

    Government social and cultural policies have undermined the work ethic, even as the government’s economic and regulatory policies have undermined the ability of our citizens to obtain work. 

    Charity and provision of welfare to those in need are not a Constitutional responsibility of the federal government. 

    Under no circumstances should the taxpayers of the United States be obligated, under penalty of law through forced taxation, to assume the cost of providing welfare for other citizens. 

    Neither should taxpayers be indentured to subsidize welfare for persons who enter the United States illegally. 

    The message of Christian charity is fundamentally at odds with the concept of welfare maintenance as a right. In many cases, welfare provisions by the Federal government are not only misdirected but morally destructive.

    It is the intended purpose of civil government to safeguard life, liberty, and property, not to redistribute wealth. Such redistribution is contrary to the Biblical command against theft. 

    We encourage individuals, families, churches, civic groups, and other private organizations to fulfill their personal responsibility to help those in need. 

  • The First Continental Congress

    The First Continental Congress

    The Continental Congress Meets for the First Time

    September 5, 1774

    The delegates to the first Continental Congress met on this date in 1774 with delegates from twelve colonies (Georgia did not send delegates). The colonies established this Congress in response to the Coercive Acts, also known as the “Intolerable Acts”, which targeted Boston. The meeting of the Continental Congress, in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, was a powerful show of support and of unity in the colonies.

    This first Congress was not intended to be a governing body as they still expected to work things out with the King and continue to be British Colonies. By the agreed upon meeting time of the Second Continental Congress, war had already begun, and the Congress became a de facto national governing body directing war efforts and interacting with foreign powers.

    This body of men, many of whom are well-known to us today, helped to unify the American Colony’s efforts for independence and helped create the structure for the United States to succeed. They struggled and learned, made mistake and had successes, and out of it all they secured the blessings of Liberty for us all.

    I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.

    James Madison

    Additional reading: John Adams’ notes from the First Continental Congress

  • IMMIGRATION

    IMMIGRATION

    US Constitution, Article 4, Section 4: 

    “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion;” 

    James Madison: 

    “When we are considering the advantages that may result from an easy mode of naturalization, we ought also to consider the cautions necessary to guard against abuses … aliens might acquire the right of citizenship, and return to the country from which they came, and evade the laws intended to encourage the commerce and industry of the real citizens and inhabitants of America, enjoying at the same time all the advantages of citizens…” 

    We affirm the integrity of the international borders of the United States and the Constitutional authority and duty of both the states and the federal government to secure their borders against foreign invasion. 

    We call for the use of U.S. troops to protect the states against invasion. 

    All states can and must exercise their sovereign state rights and duties to protect their citizens’ property and lives by securing their borders by any means necessary.

    We support the forced return of all illegal aliens found in this nation by either state or federal authorities to their home nation or the nation through which they illegally entered this country. As a penalty for entering illegally, such persons should be disqualified from citizenship.

    We call for the return of a sponsorship system of immigration whereby citizens can sponsor persons of good character, based on limits set by Congress, as long as the citizen acts as a guarantor of the immigrant’s health, welfare, and good conduct and is liable for any infractions until the immigrant qualifies for citizenship. 

    We oppose the abuse of the H-1B and L-1 visa provisions of the immigration act which are displacing American workers with foreign. 

    We favor a moratorium on immigration to the United States, except in extreme hardship cases or in other individual special circumstances, until the availability of all federal subsidies and assistance be discontinued and proper security procedures have been instituted to protect against terrorist infiltration.

    The Constitution Party demands that the federal government restore immigration policies based on the practice that potential immigrants will be disqualified from admission to the U.S. if, on the grounds of health, criminality, morals or financial dependence, they would impose an improper burden on the United States, any state or any citizen of the United States. 

    We oppose the provision of welfare subsidies and other taxpayer-supported benefits to illegal aliens.

    We reject the practice of bestowing U.S. citizenship on children born to illegal alien parents while in this country. 

    No government entity shall give sanctuary to illegal aliens, nor shall any Non-Government Organization receive taxpayer funding to support illegal immigration.

    We oppose any extension of amnesty to illegal aliens. 

    We support English as the official language for all governmental business by the United States.

    • We oppose bilingual ballots. 
    • We insist that those who wish to take part in the electoral process and governance of this nation be required to read and comprehend basic English as a precondition of citizenship. 
  • HEALTHCARE AND GOVERNMENT

    HEALTHCARE AND GOVERNMENT

    James Madison, Federalist Papers #45:

    “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.” 

    U.S. Constitution, 10th Amendment

    “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.” 

    The Constitution Party opposes the governmentalization and bureaucratization of American medicine. The States gave no constitutional authority to the federal government to control healthcare at any level.

    Government regulation and subsidy constitute a threat to both the quality and availability of patient-oriented health care and treatment. 

    Hospitals, doctors, and other health care providers should be accountable to patients, not to politicians, insurance bureaucrats, or HMO Administrators. 

    If the supply of medical care is controlled by the federal government, then officers of that government will determine which demand is satisfied. The result will be the rationing of services, higher costs, poorer results, and the power of life and death transferred from caring physicians to unaccountable political overseers. 

    We denounce any civil government entity’s using age or any other personal characteristic to: 

    • Preclude people and insurance firms from freely contracting for medical coverage; 
    • Conscript people into socialized medicine, e.g., Medicare; or prohibit these people from using insurance payments and/or their own money to obtain medical services in addition to, or to augment the quality of, those services prescribed by the program. 

    We applaud proposals for employee-controlled “family coverage” health insurance plans based on cash value life insurance principles

    The federal government has no Constitutional provision to regulate or restrict the freedom of the people to have access to medical care, supplies or treatments. 

    We advocate for the elimination of the federal Food and Drug Administration, as it has been the federal agency primarily responsible for prohibiting beneficial products, treatments, and technologies here in the United States that are freely available in much of the rest of the civilized world. 

    People have a right to buy any food product they wish, including raw milk, raw honey, and organic animal products, etc. without government approval. 

    We affirm the freedom of choice for practitioners and treatment for all citizens for their healthcare. 

    We support the right of patients to seek redress of their grievances through the courts against insurers and/or HMO’s. 

    We condemn the misrepresentations made by the Federal Administration in securing the passage of the recently enacted Medicare prescription drug bill and the use of such legislation to secure government subsidies for special interests, such as HMOs, and to protect the artificially high cost to consumers of prescription drugs. 

    We stand against any federal or state health insurance mandates:

    • We call for an end to collusion between Big Pharma and the FDA and CDC, and all emergency powers that were illegally claimed by State and Federal Agencies to dictate lockdowns, masks, and vaccines in response to the Covid 19 pandemic. 
    • We oppose all vaccine mandates and forced quarantine of citizens, including military personnel, as a violation of each individual’s right to personal liberty and control over what is taken into their body.
  • DEFENSE

    DEFENSE

    “The very purpose of Government”, as defined in the 2nd paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, is: 

     “…to secure these [unalienable] rights, Governments are instituted among Men…“, “…that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…“ 

    To fulfill this obligation, the Preamble of the Constitution states one of the duties specifically delegated to the Federal Government is to:  

    “Provide for the common defense.“ 

    US Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 11–16 give Congress further direction and authority in this area, including the power  

    “To raise and support Armies” and “To provide and maintain a Navy.“ 

    It is a primary obligation of the federal government to provide for the common defense, and to be vigilant regarding potential threats, prospective capabilities, and perceived intentions of potential enemies.  

    We oppose unilateral disarmament and dismemberment of America’s defense infrastructure. That which is hastily torn down will not be easily rebuilt. 

    We condemn the presidential assumption of authority to deploy American troops into combat without a declaration of war by Congress, pursuant to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution

    Under no circumstances would we commit U.S. forces to serve under any foreign flag or command.  

    We are opposed to any New World Order, and we reject U.S. participation in or a relinquishing of command to any foreign authority. 

    STATE NATIONAL GUARD AND THE RESERVES

    The goal of U.S. security policy is to defend the national security interests of the United States. Therefore, except in time of declared war, for the purposes of state security, no state National Guard or reserve troops shall be called upon to support or conduct operations in foreign theatres. We should be the friend of liberty everywhere, but the guarantor and provisioner of ours alone. 

    We call for the maintenance of a strong, state-of-the-art military on land, sea, in the air, and in space. 

    We urge the executive and legislative branches to continue to provide for the modernization of our armed forces, in keeping with advancing technologies and a constantly changing world situation. 

    We call for the deployment of a fully-operational strategic defense system as soon as possible. 

    We believe that all defense expenditures should be directly related to the protection of our nation.

    Every item of expenditure must be carefully reviewed to eliminate foreign aid, waste, fraud, theft, inefficiency, and excess profits from all defense contracts and military expenditures. 

    We reject the policies and practices that permit women to train for or participate in combat. 

    Because of the radical feminization of the military over the past two decades, it must be recognized that these “advances” undermine the integrity, morale, and performance of our military organizations by dual qualification standards and forced integration. 

    WELL-REGULATED MILITIAS

    We fully support well-regulated militias organized at the state level. 

    We fully support and encourage the restoration of unorganized militia at the county and community level in compliance with our patriotic and legal responsibilities as free citizens of the United States. 

    PANAMA CANAL ZONE

    Under no circumstances should we have unilaterally surrendered our military base rights in Panama. The sovereign right of the United States to the United States territory of the Canal Zone has been jeopardized by treaties between the United States and Panama. Inasmuch as the United States bought both the sovereignty and the grant ownership of the ten-mile-wide Canal Zone, we propose that the government of the United States restore and protect its sovereign right and exclusive jurisdiction of the Canal Zone in perpetuity, and renegotiate the treaties with Panama by which the ownership of the canal was surrendered to Panama. 

    It should be a priority goal of the President and Congress to insist on enforcement of that portion of the 1978 Panama Canal Neutrality Treaty which prohibits control of the entrances to the Panama Canal by any entity not part of the Republic of Panama or the United States of America. By this standard, the award of port facilities at the entrances to the Panama Canal to Hutchison Whampoa, a Hong Kong company closely linked to the Chinese Communist People’s Liberation Army, must be overturned. Similarly, Congress and the President should take advantage of Panama Canal treaty provisions to negotiate the return of a U.S. military presence at the Isthmus of Panama. At a time when the U.S. Navy is one-third its former size, it is essential that rapid transit of U.S. military vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans be assured.

  • CRIME

    CRIME

    St George Tucker was the pre-eminent constitutional scholar of the American founding era. He published View of the Constitution of the United States in 1803 as a comprehensive review of the Constitution of 1787 and the Bill of Rights.  

    Felonies not enumerated within the United States Constitution are, in Tucker’s view, left within the jurisdiction of the state.

    In View of the Constitution of the United States, p. 210-21, he said:  

    “…the very guarded manner in which congress are vested with authority to legislate upon the subject of crimes, and misdemeanors. They are not entrusted with a general power over these subjects, but a few offenses are selected from the great mass of crimes with which society may be infested, upon which only Congress are authorized to prescribe the punishment, or define the offense. All felonies and offenses committed upon land, in all cases not expressly enumerated, being reserved to the states respectively.” 

    US Constitution, Article I, Section 8 Clause 6:  

    “To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;”  

    US Constitution, Article III Section 3 Clause 2:  

    “The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason”  

    Amendment 10:  

    “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.” 

    Crime, in most cases, is to be dealt with by state and local governments. 

    To the degree that the federal government, in its legislation, judicial actions, regulations, and executive branch activities, interferes with the ability of the people in their communities to apprehend, judge, and penalize accused lawbreakers, it bears responsibility for the climate of crime, which has grown more destructive with each passing year. 

    We favor the right of states and localities to execute criminals convicted of capital crimes and to require restitution for the victims of criminals. 

    Federal involvement in state and local criminal justice processes should be limited to that which is Constitutionally permitted. 

    All who are accused of crimes, petty to capital, shall have a trial by jury upon request, and the jury shall be fully informed of its right to nullify the law. Furthermore, we oppose defendants being charged and tried by both state and federal jurisdictions under different laws for the same alleged criminal act, thus violating the constitutionally secured prohibition against double jeopardy. 

    We believe that all men are created equal and therefore deserve equal protection under the law. 

    We oppose all “hate crime” legislation at all levels of government, and to enhanced penalties for so-called hate crimes. 

    We recognize that a result of the designation of “hate crime” is to extend federal jurisdiction to crimes which would otherwise be in the province of the states or local communities. 

    We oppose special protection or prosecution for certain classes of people or types of employment in that all persons, made in the image of God, deserve equal protection with equal prosecution for crimes committed against the innocent victims of crime.

  • COST OF BIG GOVERNMENT

    COST OF BIG GOVERNMENT

    James Madison, Federalist Papers #45:  

    “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.” 

     U.S. Constitution, 10th Amendment  

    “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.” 

    A legitimate and primary purpose of civil government is to safeguard the God-given rights of its citizens; namely, life, liberty, and property. Only those duties, functions, and programs specifically assigned to the federal government by the Constitution should be funded. 

    We call upon Congress and the President to stop all federal expenditures which are not specifically authorized by the U.S. Constitution, and to restore to the states those powers, programs, and sources of revenue that the federal government has usurped.  

    We call upon the President to use his veto power to stop irresponsible and unconstitutional appropriations and refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress for unconstitutional programs or in excess of tax revenue collected. 

    Budget considerations are greatly impacted by the ever-rising national debt. Interest on the debt is one of the largest expenses of government, and unless the interest is paid, the debt will continue to grow as interest is added to interest. 

    We must eliminate the debt in the shortest reasonable time by: 

    • Not spending more than collected revenues; 
    • Paying interest as it accrues; and 
    • Making annual reductions in the principal 

    We must stop deficit spending. 

    One of the greatest contributors to deficit spending is war. If the country is to eliminate debt, these United States cannot become gratuitously involved in constant wars. 

    Constitutional government, as the founders envisioned it, was not imperial. It was certainly not contemplated that America would police the world at the taxpayers’ expense. 

    We reject the misleading use of the terms “surplus” and “balanced budget” as long as we have public debt. 

    We oppose dishonest accounting practices such as “off-budget items” used to hide unconstitutional spending practices. 

    We call for an end to the raiding by the federal government of the Social Security, Railroad Retirement and Medicare funds to fund current accounts.  

    We call for the abolition of the Civil Service system, which is perceived to confer on government employees a “property right” regarding their jobs.

  • You are not alone!

    You are not alone!

    There are many like-minded individuals out there. Get organized now for Liberty!

    “If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the grand end of society would absolutely vacate such renunciation. The right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of man to alienate this gift and voluntarily become a slave.” – Samuel Adams

    The strategy of tyranny is to convince individuals that they are alone and defenseless and unable to resist the oppression they are under. It is the goal of the tyrant to keep individuals living in fear and solitude so that no effective resistance can be organized.

    Fortunately, we know that it only takes a few to organize resistance and be effective. “It does not take a majority to prevail … but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”

    Everyone needs to reconnect with the community around them. We need individuals to understand that they can unify around liberty and resist tyrants. We need individuals to step up and organize their community to resist tyranny and meet the needs of the community. We need you.

    “The liberties of our Country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have receiv’d them as a fair Inheritance from our worthy Ancestors: They purchas’d them for us with toil and danger and expence of treasure and blood; and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle; or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men. Of the latter we are in most danger at present: Let us therefore be aware of it. Let us contemplate our forefathers and posterity; and resolve to maintain the rights bequeath’d to us from the former, for the sake of the latter. — Instead of sitting down satisfied with the efforts we have already made, which is the wish of our enemies, the necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude, and perseverance. Let us remember that “if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it, and involve others in our doom.” It is a very serious consideration, which should deeply impress our minds, that millions yet unborn may be the miserable sharers of the event.” – Samuel Adams

    “Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can.” – Samuel Adams


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  • Freedom’s Enemy

    Freedom’s Enemy

    Tom DeWeese will be one of our featured speakers at the Constitution Party’s 2025 fall National Committee Meeting in Sparks, Nevada October 17-18. We will be sending out several emails from Mr. DeWeese, to provide our subscribers with some background for the topic he will be discussing with us at the NCM.

    You can watch the second video from Mr. DeWeese linked below, or read the rest of the email for the information provided in the video.

    They told me if I took the red pill I would be able to see reality – the truth of what is really going on around us. Well, I just happened to have a red pill, and I took it. Suddenly there was a bright light almost blinding my eyes. Then, like traveling through time, I was rushing forward, I grew dizzy, and then, as my eyes cleared and I could stand in a steady manner, everything became crystal clear!

    I could see that the American people, and their every action, are being ruled, regulated, restricted, licensed, registered, directed, checked, inspected, measured, numbered, counted, rated, stamped, censured, authorized, admonished, refused, prevented, drilled, indoctrinated, monopolized, extorted, robbed, hoaxed, fined, harassed, disarmed, dishonored, fleeced, exploited, assessed, and taxed to the point of suffocation and desperation.

    And then, more details started shooting out like fireworks! Policies. Politicians. Pronouncements. Power grabs. Everyday government, at all levels, was growing more out of control, more intrusive in our personal lives, more of a threat to private property – all in total and flagrant disregard of the expressed will of the electorate.

    And here’s an unexpected, but shocking truth standing right before us all.

    Freedom’s enemy today is already in your house, controlling how you live — and you don’t notice it. The enemy is already in your mind, controlling how you think – and you don’t notice that either. That’s all because of a simple phrase that controls all public policy today – “That’s just the way it’s done – everyone is doing it this way.” We accept that, and the thought process ends.

    Those behind it are driving toward their goal of global control. And they have figured out a way to get us to voluntarily surrender our liberties — and actually help THEM control YOU.

    Now, what could be such a powerful force that can get the population to help destroy their own culture and liberty, leading to personal destruction?

    Fear. That is the weapon. Fear of what? The fear of Environmental Armageddon!

    This tactic has given the globalist Left the ability to shoot down any opposition. “It doesn’t matter how many rights you think you have, if you don’t have a planet to stand on.” Wow!

    Nearly every policy coming out of every level of government today is based on the excuse of combating Climate Change. The weapon to combat such a threat is called Sustainable Development.

    In reality Sustainable Development is simply the trigger word designed to get you to voluntarily surrender your liberties. Today it’s used everywhere, to define farming practices, energy policy, manufacturing, and how you live your life. If it’s not “sustainable” it must be stopped.

    Sustainable. Sustainable. Sustainable. People hear that word, and their eyes glaze over and they comply.

    Every time you hear the word SUSTAINABLE understand that it has nothing to do with protecting the environment – it’s the actual blueprint to subvert representative governments to global control.

    To fully understand what a massive threat this is to everything in your life, the very best description of Sustainable Development was provided by one of its most powerful opponents — The late Rosa Kori, of Democrats Against Agenda 21. She said,

    “UN Agenda 21/Sustainable Development is the action plan to inventory and control all land, all water, all minerals, all plants, all animals, all construction, all means of production, all information, all energy, and all human beings in the world. INVENTORY AND CONTROL!

    This is the tool designed to change our culture of freedom.

    Tom DeWeese,
    President
    American Policy Center

    Tom DeWeese is one of the nation’s leading advocates of individual liberty, free enterprise, private property rights, personal privacy, back-to-basics education and American sovereignty and independence. Today he serves as Founder and President of the American Policy Center.


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