We The People - The Last Line of Defense

“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Our government, in its current composition, has failed us. Congress has allowed legislation to be put into place leaving decisions which impact the very foundation of our republic to bureaucrats who are unanswerable to the American people. The Executive branch has overstepped its constitutional authority, ruling by fiat and imposing its soft tyranny on the citizens. The judiciary, the last recourse in our system of checks and balances, has forsaken its role to uphold the constitution.  After rendering his tortuous legalistic contortions to uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Chief Justice Roberts admonished the American people, "Members of this Court are vested with the authority to interpret the law; we possess neither the expertise nor the prerogative to make policy judgments. Those decisions are entrusted to our Nation's elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices."

And so, here we stand, the last line of defense, the last possible hope for the restoration of our republic to the founders’ intent. We the people, and especially those of us who comprise the Tea Party movement, must make a stand. Like those Spartans at Thermopylae, we must be willing to sacrifice all for a greater cause. 

The odds look daunting, but if we remember who we are as Americans, and if we come together, we can make things right.

America is a special place. We swear no allegiance to a king. We have no royalty.  Our nation was founded on an idea - that we are all created equal, and that we have certain inalienable rights which are endowed on us by our Creator – not by our government. We believe that governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. Those of us who believe in the founding principles, who understand that divine providence had a hand in the formation of this country, realize that there is something ingrained in the American spirit, some inherent yearning for liberty, some desire to be left alone to make our own fortune, to seek our own happiness, coupled with a unique belief in charity, in extending a helping hand to those in need.

My friends, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you. Politicians may squander our treasure leaving us bankrupt, they may decimate our economy leaving us jobless, they may confiscate our wealth through burdensome taxation, and they may try to regulate every aspect of our lives in a veiled attempt to enslave us, but they can never forcibly take away our American spirit. 

The only way we can lose this God-given blessing is to surrender it, to turn our backs on it, to trade it in, if you will, for some empty promise of government largesse.  

Unfortunately, countless Americans, weaned on generation after generation of government handouts, perpetuated by the progressive liberal ideology, have indeed surrendered their spirit. 

They have accepted a new way of life, dependent on a bureaucratic leviathan for their every need, no longer the makers of their own dreams, no longer the guardians of their children’s future.  

And as more and more of these weakened Americans accept the yoke of enslavement in return for their vote, the more powerful the bureaucracy becomes, the more insatiable the hunger of the beast. So we must remain vigilant lest we too succumb to the siren’s song of the nanny state.

So I repeat, that spirit, that very essence of being American, can never be taken from you.  It is yours to hold forever. It can only be lost if you willingly surrender it, so cherish it, nurture it, draw strength from it, and pass it on to your children. Keep that flame burning, because if we all do that one thing, then come election day there will be a firestorm blazing across the nation, purging us of the charlatans and the corruption, and out of this cauldron, using the molds given to us by our founders, we will reforge this nation to its rightful form, and once again restore honor to America.  But each of you must keep your own spirit alive; you must keep the embers burning.

Enjoy Independence Day, remember what it means, remember who we are, and remember what is ultimately at stake. The future is now in our hands, and I guess that’s exactly where the Founding Fathers would want it to be. Do everything you can to assure that this Independence Day will not be our last.

“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” (The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America)

Nico

Charity - Alive & Well in America

This is Not The Bureau of Charitable Giving

Saturday, April 27, 2012

The alarm went off at 6:00 AM, 4 hours after I dragged myself to bed. The last thing I wanted to do today was get out of bed.  I knew it would be cold, it’s always cold on this special Saturday in April, so I put on a sweatshirt, my winter jacket, a hat and took gloves, just in case.  After 20 years of this, you learn.

Out I went, to stand in front of the local Dunkin Donuts, and there I was given my bright yellow vest and the old coffee can with the slit on top. I knew I wasn’t the only one doing this.  There would be someone in front of the bagel shop, the A&P, the railroad station and who knows how many other locations.  Relief would come every two hours. This was that special Saturday in April when the Knights of Columbus collect donations for the Intellectually Challenged.  We do a similar collection for crisis pregnancy centers in October, and rise to the occasion whenever we hear of a need for help.

As people came by, I was amazed at how generous most were, even in these hard economic times. My unscientific poll showed that +/- 80% of people who passed my way stopped and put something in the can. Some loose change, a dollar or two or three, an occasional five or ten.  The best was watching people with children hand the money to the child and tell him or her “Go put this in the can – it’s for people who need our help” and the child dutifully, if shyly, complied, learning a lesson about charity.

In our little corner of the world we historically raise about $4,000.00. Statewide the knights probably raise a few hundred thousand, and you can just imagine what we do nationwide.

Now, here’s the strange part, and this is not just about the knights – there are many, many charitable groups, churches and just good hearted citizens around the country doing the same thing.  I never asked for a donation – no, I just stood there and said “Good Morning.”  All I was, was a reminder that there are less fortunate citizens of our country out there, and I simply provided a venue for people to be charitable, if the spirit moved them.  I didn’t coax, I didn’t demand, I didn’t hold any preconceived notion that these people owed us donations.  It is their money, earned by the sweat of their brow, to with as they and they alone see fit. That’s how it is in a free society.

Whatever we take in, is passed on. No operating expenses, no bureaucracy to support, no overhead, we’re all volunteering our time.  If we take in $4,035.15, that’s what goes to our charity, plus a donation from our council.

When the donations are passed on, there are no strings attached, no regulations governing how it is to be used, no compliance reports to fill out and no guidelines that must be followed by the recipients. We trust the organizations caring for those in need to do their part as well. Charity – plan and simple – and it is a much a part of the American Spirit as is that yearning for freedom. Oh, and the best part – as people make their donations, they invariably thank me for doing what I do. Talk about Win-Win.

So when the intellectual elites say that only government can help the poor and the needy, here’s my suggestion – get out there on a cold Saturday morning when you’d rather be in bed, and meet the American people – not the bureaucrats pushing papers around and taking a piece of every dollar earmarked for the poor – no, meet the real American people – the most charitable people you’ll ever meet – and take a lesson about how this country works.

Or, you can continue to regulate every aspect of American life, threatening churches, non-profits and other charitable organizations for daring to discuss the policies being dictated by an overreaching government.  If you succeed and shut them down, then the poor and the needy will forever be at your mercy - God help them.

Nico

A Presidential Trifecta

The managed decline of America, the strategic game plan of the Obama administration, is right on course. As the possibility of a tough reelection looms on the horizon, President Obama has upped the ante and accelerated his mission to bring America to her knees.

With the uncanny ability of a pro, he is now making decisions that have multiple deleterious effects on the country.  By scuttling the Keystone Pipeline to appease his environmental supporters he has managed to place not one, not two, but three daggers into our country’s future.

Dagger one is clearly the loss of jobs. In an economy that is gasping for air, with an unprecedented number of Americans out of work, the Keystone Pipeline project represented some 20,000 jobs right off the bat, with countless ancillary opportunities being thrown off as the construction of a cross country pipeline generated jobs in construction, manufacturing, refining, and on and on. Organized labor, furious at the decision by their anointed messiah, had to be placated by Obama’s unconstitutional appointments of labor friendly administrators to the NLRB.

Dagger two deprives the country of a major source of affordable oil from just across our northern border from a friendly neighbor. As that oil gets diverted to Canada’s west coast, making it easily available to our economic adversary, Americans can expect to pay more for their energy. Another slap in the face for Americans who cannot even tap the reserves that exist within our own borders.

Dagger three is the unkindest cut of all, another breach to our national security. As our economy continues to tank and the president looks to slash the military, China will reap the benefits of new oil. We borrow money from China and the interest we pay them bolsters their economy and their military buildup. We take that borrowed money and turn it over to Saudi Arabia to buy their oil, while they in turn take our borrowed money and hand it over to militant Islamist Fundamentalists, to fund their terrorism of the West. We have in fact engaged in a vicious cycle of national suicide, funding our own demise, and sacrificing the future of our nation at the altar of radical environmentalism.

So call it what you’d like, a presidential trifecta, a triple play or a hat trick, President Obama has indeed perfected the art of national destruction. May God have mercy on America.

Nico