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| 11-04-03
No
“Neo-Patriots” Here. Many, many thanks to the 158 Americans that have responded thus far to the call we issued ten days ago to fund our historic Right to Petition class-action lawsuit. These Patriots sent in nearly $40,000. This is an average donation of $255. “Only” $245,000 to go. J We are grateful for the love of country and the courage exhibited by these 158 men and women. They are true patriots, Americans willing to act and to be associated with activists, Americans willing to stubbornly and persistently demand that government obey the Rule book – the Constitution of the United States of America. They are a breath of fresh air, for as our government moves away from the Constitution and tyranny increases, patriotism in America is adapting to rationalism, giving rise to neo-patriotism and false patriots. Beware of false patriots – that is, those who know the truth and bemoan the erosion of our Liberties, Rights and Freedoms but who are too afraid to stand in defense of them. I could not help but be thinking these past few days about the magnitude and historical significance of our upcoming lawsuit against the government in defense of the original meaning of the Right to Petition the government for a Redress of Grievances – the Petition Clause. I could not help thinking about the large sum of money needed to pay for this fight and the sacrifices that people are making. Yet, I knew the heavy consequences if we were not able to carry on. As I began to think about the people who were responding to our call for assistance, and the courage it takes to do so, a few things happened here at the office that stirred my emotions, providing more insight and understanding about a word that is tossed around a lot these days -- “Patriot.” I’ve had much occasion to think this past week about true Patriots and false Patriots. As you too may have perceived, it seems the heavens sometimes deliver messages just when they’re needed most. First there was the man who wrote me of his fear of being a “marked man” if he became anything more than a “closet Patriot.” I replied, “Present in mankind’s ongoing struggle between liberty and tyranny is the inevitable individual conflict between courage and fear. Freedom cannot be achieved by words and good intentions. It is reserved for those who are willing to risk everything for its eternal blessing.” Next into my life came the CD titled, “America, Why I Love Her” by John Wayne, with its ten poems, songs and prayers about America and some of her true Patriots. It arrived last week. I listened to it. My thanks go to Devvy Kidd. Next, another CD arrived fortuitously in the mail. It was a song written, performed and produced by Robert Long, entitled, “Ain’t Gonna Take No More.” It’s a man singing about individualism and self-reliance and about his decision to act – to serve his God and to be free of taxes. Then, there were my conversations last week with various people at the Cato Institute. I’ve long been familiar with the work of the Cato Institute, named for Cato's Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution. On its website www.catoinstitute.org, the Institute asserts that it “seeks to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace. Toward that goal, the Institute strives to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, concerned lay public in questions of policy and the proper role of government.” The Cato Institute provides critiques, commentary and discussions on a wide range of subjects. It boasts of a Center for Constitutional Studies and a speakers’ bureau that will provide speakers for conventions, symposiums and so forth. Currently, credentialed people at the Institute have been writing and speaking against the same abuses of power that we have been speaking against –the Iraq Resolution, the USA Patriot Act, the Federal Reserve System and the Income Tax. For these reasons, I called Ed Crane, Cato’s President, to brief him on our work on the Right to Petition, about the pending lawsuit and about our first annual convention coming up in January. It was my intent to have one or more of Cato’s experts speak at our January 2004 convention. When I called, he was already on the phone. Ann, (his secretary) asked a few questions about the nature of the call and said she would have Mr. Crane return the call. Before hanging up she asked if we had a web site. I gave her the web site address. While waiting for Mr. Crane to call back, I decided to speak to Tim Lynch, an attorney and Cato’s expert on the USA Patriot Act. He admitted he knew nothing about the Petition Clause, but said he was intrigued by the concept we were advancing and would welcome the opportunity to speak at our convention in January. Later, Ted Carpenter of the Institute returned my call. He manages Cato’s Foreign Policy and Defense units. He too, was intrigued about our work and asked that I contact two additional Cato people– Gene Healy and Stanley Kobar -- who would make good contributions to our convention as speakers on the war powers clauses of the constitution and the Iraq Resolution. Then, while talking to WTP advocate Charlie Beall, the secretary to the Cato president (Ann) called back. I put Charlie on hold. Ann said, bluntly, “Mr. Crane will not be returning the call. The Cato Institute will not be associated in any way with your convention.” I thanked Ann for calling and returned to my conversation with Charlie Beall, informing him what Ann had just said. Charlie then explained, “There are true Patriots and false Patriots. The Cato Institute is among the ‘false’ Patriots. They are academic elitists, willing to talk about liberty and the proper role of government, but afraid to risk their comfortable lifestyles by associating with activists, no matter how right the activists may be in their assessment of the severity of the loss of liberty and no matter how intellectual and professional the activists might be in their approach to solving the problem. They simply do not want to be seen as confrontational or drawing a line in the sand. They have been inside the beltway too long. They are sharing bedrooms with the tyrants. They are part of the problem.” Rounding out my “good patriot, bad patriot” experiences last week, I received a brief note and two large color photos from a man named Harold. The note was written on the stationery of a group in Omaha, Nebraska called, “Citizens Against Corrupt Law Enforcement.” The note merely referred to a website (www.theremnanttrust.com). This, I found, to be a truly remarkable website. On their website I found the following words:
The photos accompanying the note showed two signs that had been erected near a public roadway. The signs were no ordinary signs. First, they were constructed of heavy black iron, with white lettering, much like the roadside signs we often see marking a place of some historic, usually revolutionary war or civil war era significance. Second, the signs were obviously private rather than government signs. Then, there were the stirring messages. One sign read:
The The other sign was headlined, “The American’s Creed.” It read:
Our nation was founded by People who endured the abusive hand of government tyrants for generations. They understood the value of personal freedom and the price required to obtain and maintain it. Many of them paid the ultimate price to secure the blessings of liberty for future generations of Americans – including ours. We owe no less to our children and grandchildren. America has reached a defining and critical moment in history. With hearts inspired by love of Country, and devotion to duty, We The People must confront and turn back those forces that seek to destroy our sacred Constitution and Bill of Rights. Please join us. Please consider sending a significant contribution to the Foundation. If just 800 more Americans were to stand with the 158 Patriots that have already made their stand, and contribute $300 each, we would quickly possess the funding necessary to file and prosecute our historic Right to Petition class action lawsuit. The
brightest days for our nation still lie before us – but only if we have
faith in our hearts and an unwavering commitment to live as a truly free
People. The history that your grandchildren will one day read can be chosen,
and manifest tonight -- by you. Bob
Schulz Please go to the Lawsuit Information Center to:
For information about the WTP Congress, please go to our Home Page, www.GiveMeLiberty.org And dont' forget:
Give Me Liberty 2004
Washington DC,
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