The U. S. Constitution and Sharia Law
Throughout the history of this world there really have only been two kinds of law. We have given these systems of law very descriptive and easy names to remember. They are Rulers' Law and People's Law. Every legal system can fit under one of these two broad banners. Under Ruler's Law, the king or dictator makes the law. Under People's Law, the people make or accept the law by which they live. It is interesting that some of the most dominant kinds of legal systems have come about when it is claimed to emanate from God. Under Ruler's Law, if the ruler can make the people believe he has a divine right to rule, he can persuade the people to do about anything and the use of force becomes acceptable to many people if done in the name of God. Under People's Law, as was the case in Ancient Israel, when the people accepted Jehovah as their King and accepted His laws as their laws, it had a powerful persuasiveness to right actions. The major difference was that there was no use of force. Not even God would force a leader or laws on a people they did not willingly accept, because He respects the agency of man. Religion has been a powerful force throughout history in either types of law. In following the example of Ancient Israel, America's Founders set forth laws based on the laws of nature and of nature's God. It has catapulted the United States to an unmatched position as the most prosperous and freest nation on earth. Now we are faced with the same kind of threat that has been seen in the past-a system of compulsory laws which has the use of force at its very core and which claims to emanate from God. It is called Sharia Law. In 2010, an exhaustive study was published by a group of top security policy experts concerned with the preeminent totalitarian threat of our time: the legal-political-military doctrine known within Islam as Shariah. The study was designed to provide a "second opinion" on the official assessments of this threat as put forth by the United States government, which assessments included co-existence, accommodation, and even submission. By permission, much of the following is taken from this study. What is Sharia? The Arabic word "shariah," according to one modern English-language student textbook on Islam, "literally means a straight path (Quran 45:18) or an endless supply of water. It is the term used to describe the rules of the lifestyle ordained by Allah. In more practical terms, shariah includes all the do's and don'ts of Islam." In other words, shariah is held by mainstream Islamic authorities - not to be confused with "radical," "extremist" or "political" elements said to operate at the fringes of Islam - to be the perfect expression of divine will and justice and thus is the supreme law that must comprehensively govern all aspects of Muslims' lives, irrespective of when or where they live. Shariah is characterized as a "complete way of life" (social, cultural, military, religious, and political), governed from cradle to grave by Islamic law. While there are a few additional sources for sharia, the most notable and authoritative is the Quran. In Islamic parlance, the Quran is considered to be the uncreated word of Allah. According to Muslim belief, it has existed since the beginning of time and was revealed by the Archangel Gabriel in the 7th Century to the Prophet Mohammed in the Arabic language of his homeland. It is interesting to note that the verses in the Quran are not compiled in chronological order of revelations but are organized from longest to shortest. This presents confusion in trying to read the Quran. Also, there is really no central authority to clarify or interpret the versus, so many are left to their own understanding of the writings. While many, many millions of Muslims around the world do not practice their faith in a manner consistent with shariah, those who do practice shariah have grounds for arguing that their version of Islam is the authoritative one because of the Islamic doctrine of abrogation-which holds that the later verses supersedes or abrogates the earlier ones. As a result, the later verses become much more violent and forceful in relation to non-Muslims. For example: "Fight and slay the unbelievers wherever ye find them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war. But if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (Q 9:5) "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of truth, even if they are of the people of the Book [meaning Christians and Jews], until they pay the jizya [taxes on non-Muslims] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Q 9:29) Shariah is Anti-Constitutional Whether pursued through the violent form of jihad (holy war) or stealthier practices that shariah Islamists often refer to as "dawa" (the "call to Islam"), shariah rejects fundamental premises of American society and values: the bedrock proposition that the governed have a right to make law for themselves; the democratic republic governed by the Constitution; freedom of conscience; individual liberty freedom of expression (including the liberty to analyze and criticize shariah); economic liberty (including private property); equal treatment under the law (including that of men and women, and of Muslims and non-Muslims); freedom from cruel and unusual punishments; an unequivocal condemnation of terrorism (i.e., one that is based on a common sense meaning of the term and does not rationalize barbarity as legitimate "resistance"); and an abiding commitment to deflate and resolve political controversies by the ordinary mechanisms of our democratic republic, not wanton violence. The subversion campaign known as "civilization jihad" must not be confused with, or tolerated as, a constitutionally protected form of religious practice. Its ambitions transcend what American law recognizes as the sacrosanct realm of private conscience and belief. It seeks to supplant our Constitution with its own totalitarian framework.  
America's Founders and Islam
America's earliest presidents best understood these founding principles. They were not only deeply involved with their formal adoption, but they were professionally competent in explaining them. When confronted with an Islamic threat, they took the effort to consult primary sources and to conduct competent analysis of that threat. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, ambassador to France, and John Adams, ambassador to England, met with the emissary of the Islamic potentates of Tripoli to Britain, Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, regarding the demands for tribute being made at the time by the so-called Barbary Pirates. Afterwards, Jefferson and Adams sent a four-page report to the Congress describing this meeting. The relevant portion of their report reads: "We took the liberty to make some inquiries concerning the Grounds of their pretentions to make war upon Nations who had done them no Injury, and observed that we considered all mankind as our friends who had done us no wrong, nor had given us any provocation. "The Ambassador answered us that it was founded on the Laws of their prophet, that it was written in their Qur'an, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman [Muslim] who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise." John Adams' son and our sixth president, John Quincy Adams, whose formative years coincided with the founding of the republic, offers further insights into the early presidents' views on this subject. Like many Americans, he took an oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. And, when faced with an Islamic enemy, he understood his obligation to be educated on the factual aspects of the principles, doctrines, objectives, jurisprudence and theology of shariah that comprised his enemy's threat doctrine. John Quincy Adams' 136-page series of essays on Islam displayed a clear understanding of the threat facing America then - and now, especially from the permanent Islamic institutions of jihad and dhimmitude. Regarding these two topics, Adams states: "...[Mohammed] declared undistinguishing and exterminating war, as a part of his religion, against all the rest of mankind.... The precept of the Quran is, perpetual war against all who deny, that [Mohammed] is the prophet of God. "The vanquished may purchase their lives, by the payment of tribute. As the essential principle of [Mohammed's] faith is the subjugation of others by the sword; it is only by force, that his false doctrines can be dispelled, and his power annihilated. "The commands of the prophet may be performed alike, by fraud, or by force. "This appeal to the natural hatred of the Mussulmen towards the infidels is in just accordance with the precepts of the Quran. The document [the Quran] does not attempt to disguise it, nor even pretend that the enmity of those whom it styles the infidels, is any other than the necessary consequence of the hatred borne by the Mussulmen to them - the paragraph itself, is a forcible example of the contrasted character of the two religions. "The fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion is the extirpation of hatred from the human heart. It forbids the exercise of it, even towards enemies. There is no denomination of Christians, which denies or misunderstands this doctrine. All understand it alike - all acknowledge its obligations; and however imperfectly, in the purposes of Divine Providence, its efficacy has been shown in the practice of Christians, it has not been wholly inoperative upon them. Its effect has been upon the manners of nations. It has mitigated the horrors of war - it has softened the features of slavery - it has humanized the intercourse of social life. The unqualified acknowledgement of a duty does not, indeed, suffice to insure its performance. Hatred is yet a passion, but too powerful upon the hearts of Christians. Yet they cannot indulge it, except by the sacrifice of their principles, and the conscious violation of their duties. No state paper from a Christian hand, could, without trampling the precepts of its Lord and Master, have commenced by an open proclamation of hatred to any portion of the human race. The Ottoman lays it down as the foundation of his discourse." In conclusion, it is clear from the writings of several of our earliest presidents, as well as the texts of the nation's founding documents, that American principles are not at odds with - and imperiled by - some "radical" or "extreme" version of Islam. Rather, it is the mainstream doctrine of shariah that constitutes the threat to the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms it enshrines. That incompatibility has several practical implications: For one thing, the shariah legal code cannot be insinuated into America - even through stealthy means or democratic processes - without violating the Constitution's Article VI Supremacy Clause, which requires that the Constitution "shall be the supreme Law of the land." Even more reprehensible is the willingness of some among America's elites, and it would appear even a subset of its elected leaders, to accede to these groups' increasingly insistent contention that shariah is compatible with the U.S. Constitution. In fact, based on shariah's tenets, its core attributes - especially its intolerance of other faiths and disfavored populations and its bid for supremacy over all other legal or political systems, there can be no confusion on this score: As the Framers fully understood, shariah is an enemy of the United States Constitution. The two are incompatible.

Sincerely, Earl Taylor, Jr.

Source: Guandolo, John; Gaffney, Frank; Lopez, Clare; McCarthy, Andrew; Cooper, Henry; Brim, Christine; Del Rosso, Michael; Coughlin, Stephen; Woolsey, Jim; Boykin, William (2010-09-22). Shariah: The Threat to America. Center for Security Policy Press. Kindle Edition.

An Educated Electorate: The Long Term and Only Working Solution

When JBS Founder Robert Welch surveyed the situation in which America found itself in the mid-1950s, his extensive study and research led him to one overriding conclusion: America's deep-rooted problems were not new and they could only be overcome with an educated electorate.

Think about that for a minute. An electorate educated in the classical tradition of the Founding Fathers and having a respect for and duty to the Constitution and the rule of law would eliminate most of the national problems we have today. Of course, that's easier said than done, especially when most folks look for the quick fix as we are all accustomed to the digitally fueled world of instant gratification.

Robert Welch's solution included getting at least 500 constitutionalists actively educating opinion molders, community leaders, and other "pullers-at-the-oars" in each Congressional District. Great success has been had over the years in areas where this has been employed.

Think of being able to stop making the mistakes of the past from occurring in the present and future. History only repeats itself because of ignorance, but knowing these mistakes and implementing solutions based on the Constitution and free market principles can make all the difference.

Think of having constitutionally limited government: much less government with much less cost, balanced budgets, few and lower taxes, more take home pay for yourself or to spend on your family or your church, charities and community.

With limited government comes an ending of the Federal Reserve or at least competition to break the government's monopoly on money. No wild boom or bust business cycles, no inflationary measures. Rather, you're free to lead your life responsibly.

But to reach this, takes work. Are you continuously educating yourself and others with news from JBS, The New American and Liberty News Network? Studying the Constitution and understanding that if we ignore one part, then the whole is in jeopardy? Working with your Chapter and volunteer leaders on outreach programs and building a base of understanding with elected leaders? Taking advantage of the online schooling programs from FreedomProject Education for Grades 6-12? Reaching out to like-minded organizations and activists?

With all the work that goes on out there, day in and day out, feel free to share your successes with us by emailing jbs@jbs.org. We want to hear from you!

The Essential Rules Of Liberty

This essay by Brandon was just too good not to republish. Please read and heed it's content. We are called to be OVERCOMERS!

by Brandon Smith

There is nothing worse in this world than an enslaved man who naively believes himself free, except, perhaps, trying to explain to that same man his predicament. You can lay truth after truth before his feet. You can qualify your every position with cold hard irrefutable data. You can plead and scream and raise veritable hell, but before he will ever listen, he must first become aware of his own dire circumstances. As long as he views himself as “safe and secure”, as long as he imagines his chains to be wings, he will see no reason to question the validity of the world around him, and he will certainly never invest himself into changing his own deluded destiny.

Unfortunately, there are many such men crawling and scraping about here in what was once a land graced with a self sufficient and independently minded public majority. The great lie that has been perpetuated in this country over the past several decades is that we can defer our responsibilities of vigilance and place our well being and our futures into the hands of others for the sake of “collective efficiency”, or leisure. We have been conditioned to live in a state of constant indifference, a society which prizes compromise over principle and steadfast resolve. Those who refuse to compromise that which is honorable for the sake of ease and comfort are indicted as “extremist” or even criminal. The idea of personal revolution is treated with discomfort, and all we claim to stand for becomes muddled in a fog of inaction and cynicism. As Americans, we have forgotten what it means to earn and protect our own freedoms. We have forgotten that in liberty, there are standards that must be defended.

This, however, does not mean we cannot yet again remember ourselves. The desire for freedom is as inborn and natural as our own heartbeat, as our own breath. It is instinct. It cannot be erased from within, only oppressed from without. The tide has always been against tyranny, always, though we may find that hard to believe. If liberty was not ingrained into our very DNA, humanity would have succumbed to bondage and self destructed long ago. This is not the case. Stretching under the surface of our superficial force-fed mainstream culture are the roots of something real, and honest. Simmering beneath our so called “civilized” veneer, many Americans are finally rediscovering their wild and defiant origins. In the recent past we have been taught to feel ashamed of our rebelliousness. Now, we are learning to hold it quite dear.

For those of us who are awake, and for those who are on the verge of understanding, certain rules come into play that strengthen our stance and shield us from folly. Liberty is not a self perpetuating social condition. It requires guidelines, and effort, and sacrifice. Liberty will not survive without our willingness to maintain it. If you are not ready and willing to fight for your own independence, then you are not truly free.

Let’s examine some of the inherent laws and guidelines of free will and free action that will allow us to not only win back our self determination, but to keep it for generations to come. You want liberty? This is what it takes…

Rule #1: Never Take Anything For Granted

A lot of people today seem to have serious issues with expectation and assumption; what we in the alternative media often refer to as “normalcy bias”. We have grown used to the idea of abundance and relative safety. So much so, that we fail to notice when our abundance and safety begin to disappear. We assume that the condition of the world today will be the condition of the world tomorrow, and for all time. In the U.S., we have even come to expect not only that our prosperity and our freedom are inevitable, but that they will also increase exponentially with each passing generation. This is a relatively new and narrow cultural mindset likely caused by the explosion in industrial growth after WWII which seemed to erase all memory of the Great Depression in our society, leaving us with the belief that surely, our circumstances would never become so desperate again.

Those who are truly independent realize that nations, no matter how affluent, can self destruct at a moment’s notice, especially when they fail to recognize their own weaknesses and confront their own demons. Never suppose that that which is good and just will remain without your own initiative. Never wait for others to fix those problems which you could just as easily solve yourself. Never expect that freedoms won cannot also be easily lost. Always prepare for the worst outcome, and strive for the best outcome.

Rule #2: Educate Yourself

Never become a useful idiot, or a waste of oxygen. Being a part of the herd is nothing to be proud of. Strive for knowledge, and thirst for the truth every moment of every day. Many of the things we deem “important” in modern society are in the grand scheme hollow attempts to fill our lives with distraction, only wasting time until we finally bite the dust filled with regret. Pretending to further the depth of one’s life is not the same as actually doing so. I can’t think of anything more horrifying than becoming a man who rushes around frantically every waking moment, but ultimately accomplishes nothing.

Do not assume that you already have a tangible grasp of the truth, especially if all your knowledge has been handed to you. Instead, research that knowledge for yourself. Put that which you have been taught to the test. Only in this way will you finally learn. Expand your horizons. Learn something useful. Remove unnecessary distractions for at least part of your day and focus on increasing your awareness of the environment you live in. There are very few things in this world more important than this, and self education should take precedence over everything else except your family. “Lack of time” is no excuse for ignorance. Make time! The ignorant are led. The knowledgeable lead themselves.

Rule #3: Don’t Be A Pansy

Liberty is not for the faint of heart. Emotional courage is paramount to freedom, and it can be expressed to incredible effect by even the most unlikely heroes. I’ve seen children with more courage and tenacity than some full grown men.

If one recognizes the gravity of the situation we face as a people, if one understands the considerable danger involved in the fall of a Republic to the depths of fear and autocracy, but still does nothing, that person has not only failed the world, he has also failed himself. “Making waves”, or drawing the ire of “authority”, is the least of our worries. If you have utilized an objective eye, and know you are right in your position, then there is no reason to fear criticism from anyone.

Sociopolitical action, nonconformity, noncompliance, and self defense, are unavoidable aspects of a society that wishes to maintain its freedoms. There is no way around it. If you are not willing to stick your neck out and expose yourself to risk, you remove all chance of possible gain. If you are a self proclaimed activist that refuses to sacrifice, that refuses to struggle, then you have failed before you even began. Talk must lead to balanced action. Never thumb your nose at the devil without being ready to trade punches as well, or all is lost.

Rule #4: Stop Waiting For Others To Tell You What To Do

Independent people not only consider and implement the solutions of others, they also work on their own. Complaints abound lately in the Liberty Movement;

“When is someone going to do something!? What are YOU going to do about our predicament!?”

This is the question of a slave, not a free man. A free man asks, “What am I going to do about this predicament? What is MY solution to the problem?” Therein is the key to liberty; decentralized leadership and movements based on fluidity and spontaneity of action, instead of a great mass of people standing around stiffly waiting for orders on high, or a self styled messiah to engineer their world view. As soon as you place your very initiative under the control of others, you have lost the fight. Always consider the solid strategies of intelligent people, and adopt them if they are useful, but do not remain idle because you are too frightened to exert the effort to solve problems bigger than yourself. Spectators only witness history, they do not make history.

Rule #5: Cast Off What Is Unnecessary, Keep What Is Effective

Yes, I stole this rule from Bruce Lee, but it is just as applicable to social movements and economic stability as it is to the martial arts. Invasive debt creation, for instance, is a tool for subversion, and no people forced to bear the burden of liabilities they can never repay is free. Therefore, exorbitant debt must be avoided, or cast off completely.

In our personal lives, how many useless goods do we accumulate on a daily basis, instead of useful items that we may one day desperately need? How much of our life is spent accumulating garbage in order to keep up with “socially acceptable” levels of consumer behavior? How many of us cling to careers we hate in order to service our needless consumption? The ability to prioritize must become a virtue once again, and, we all need to shut off the cable television…

This rule also applies to governments. If a government no longer fulfills its sworn duties to the people, and no longer serves the purposes to which it was originally intended, then it too must be cast off and replaced with one that does serve the people, or, it must be forced to return to its inherent foundations. Today, this kind of talk is often referred to as “extremism”, or insurgency, no matter how correct it might be, which brings us to our next rule…

Rule #6: Ignore Establishment Labels

Tactical name calling is only effective if we actually care what other people think of us. Labels like “homegrown terrorist”, “extremist”, “doomer”, or “conspiracy theorist”, are designed to shame people into self censorship. That is to say, they pigeonhole movements and their participants into categories of public shame, causing said movements to fear social reprisal. They are also meant to forcefully assign “outsider” or “fringe” status to particular political positions in order to marginalize and weaken the resolve of those who hold them. Never mind that almost every powerful and honorable cultural movement in history once started out as “fringe”.

Early in our lives, we are taught that it is far better to be accepted, and to avoid standing out, even at the expense of our individualism. Unfortunately, many adults never outgrow this childish belief, and thus become vulnerable to tactics as absurd as simple ridicule. At bottom, being slandered by a thieving bureaucracy infested with soulless parasites bent on centralization at the expense of innocent human life is a bit laughable (this goes for you too, SPLC). Globalists, along with their media cronies and their think-tank sock puppets, will say ANYTHING to get what they want. Empty words and false labels cannot stop the truth, or a movement driven by the truth.

Rule #7: Cynicism Is The Path To Defeat

It is good to be critical, but not to the point of nihilism. America’s past is riddled with mistakes, bad judgments, horrible crimes, and downright stupidity; that doesn’t mean that the principles on which this country was founded are any less vital. We hear often from cynics that humanity has become too stupid and complacent to do what is right. However, stupidity and complacency are not inherent qualities. That’s an elitist fantasy with no basis in fact. Stupidity and complacency are learned behaviors, and they can be unlearned. What IS inherent is our ability to choose what path we will take. For adherents of liberty, we need only remind people that they have this choice. We can whine and cry all day long about how nobody pays attention and how there is no hope, or, we can exhaust all options before throwing in the proverbial towel. We don’t need to “like” society the way it is, but we do need to recognize the underlying potential of all people to become something much more than what they currently are (I can’t stand blind ignorance either, but I’m certainly not ready to accept it as a fact of American life). Remember, no fight is over until it is over.

Rule #8: True Authority Is Derived From Respect That Is Earned, Not Bought, Or Taken

A corrupt politician is just a criminal conman in a nice suit. A law enforcement officer who refuses to follow Constitutional Law is just a petty little tyrant in a black uniform. An economist who knowingly skews data to fit his own political bias or to serve the political biases of men above him is just a liar or an inept buffoon with an embossed piece of paper from an expensive university. A lab scientist or doctor who flubs experimentation to support the interests of the corporate world rather than the needs of the public is just a quack in a white coat. All too often, though, we find ourselves taking these cretins seriously all because they talk the talk and wear the costume. They are just people, and if they cannot do their jobs honestly, then they are useless people, who deserve our disdain, not our respect. We should never allow such men to wield positions of authority over us.

Rule #9: Take It Personally

When someone tries to steal from you, hurt you, or enslave you, unless you are some kind of nut, you take it pretty personally, right? Why should it be any different when a government commits the same grievances? Americans should be furious over the destruction of their economy, their currency, their infrastructure, and their Constitutional freedoms! They should be enraged over the endless wars overseas that are bankrupting the nation. They should be bellowing to the rooftops over the cooption of their political system by a slimy brood of corporate bankers. Is this “extremist” behavior? Who cares!? If your anger is not visible then it is not worth a damn. Don’t just get active, get emotional! This is about your life, and the lives of those you love. That’s not to say that we should take out our frustrations randomly and haphazardly, but if we can’t at least make known our anger over the misdeeds of government, then what the hell is the point of calling ourselves free?

Rule #10: You Are The First And Last Line Of Defense

Like it our not, this is our job. We have inherited a country on the verge of disaster, and we are tasked with cleaning it up, otherwise, there will be little left to pass on. We do not get to bask in illusory prosperity for the rest of our days. We do not get to feed off the entitlement program trough until we are fat and contented. We are not going to retain our rights without blood, sweat, and tears. We will not be building magical floating cities in the clouds or skyscrapers on Mars. We will NOT be remembered fondly as members of some fantastical “golden era”.

We have been thrust into the muck and the mire. We are being molded as the lost children of an age better forgotten. We have been slapped in the face with a dilemma so volatile and so incredible it may one day be called the greatest crisis of all time. We have drawn the short straw.

This could be viewed as some terrible doom. It could be held as a star crossed act of ferocious fate. We could fall to our knees and lament with despair, overcome with woe at our unbearable lot. But, this would be in violation of rule #3, and nobody wants to be a sobbing pansy. On the contrary, every “bad luck generation” is only so if they refuse to see the great fortune at their fingertips; if they refuse to seize the moment and conquer the giants of their day. The greater the hardship, the greater the enemy, the greater the heroes. We are faced with possibly the most unrelenting antagonists and the most treacherous obstacles in recent memory, or even distant memory. In the same spark of confrontation, we are also presented with unparalleled opportunity to change the course of the world forever. Whether or not we succeed, is entirely up to us.



You can contact Brandon Smith at: brandon@alt-market.com

IMHO,,, In My (not so) Humble Opinion

This question was asked after one of my recent posts:
Q: Where is the Tea Party...haven't heard anything from them since the elections.

This is my answer to the question and I welcome YOUR response to it.
A: Which Tea Party???
Silly question you say? Well, let me explain.
There is no such thing as “THE” Tea Party, but actually there are a number of different Tea Party movements around the nation and even in our own communities. That is the good and the bad news of the TeaParty movement. The good news is that it is truly a grass roots movement of liberty minded individuals in local communities. There is no one consolidated TeaParty organization as such. There are at least three emergent groups who portray themselves (some more than others) as being “THE” TeaParty in America. The problem and the benefit of this situation is funding or the lack thereof for a ‘National’ organization.
The golden rule certainly applies to TeaParties as to most other facets of life. That being; “He who has the Gold makes the Rules.” The other axiom that applies here is that of a Benevolent Dictatorship being the best form of organization so long as the Dictator is TRULY Benevolent. Problem is that Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely. Therefore the humility and the benevolence of the dictator does not tend to last very long after the fame has come.
Such is the plight of the TeaParty movement. For the need of funding, they have sold out, for lack of a better term, to some of the political power brokers (Hacks) and behind the scenes ‘King Makers’ due to the need for funds to sustain the large organizations that were spawned by the widespread grassroots movements of the past couple of years.
All that having been said, I think the TeaParty movement, although somewhat dormant, is still there and just as strong or stronger than ever. In many cases they lack adequate leadership and initiative to remain active through the non-election season. Therein lies the age old problem. We have rallied to elect some new people to office and now we are abandoning them and not holding them accountable. The bottom line is this: We The People are Individually Responsible for Maintaining our Constitutional Government. If we each do our part instead of relying on “George” to do it, we will be able to maintain, but if we do not take responsibility, SOMEBODY WILL! We better hope ‘that somebody’ is truly benevolent, otherwise we could go the way of so many of the formerly free societies of the past.
As Ben Franklin once said, “[This is] a Republic ma’am, if you can keep it.” Here is the burning question of the day,,,
WHAT ARE YOU WILLING, ABLE AND COMMITTED TO DO TO KEEP THE US A CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC?

Some Understanding [of the REAL issues]

Part Two of Two
by Arthur R. Thompson, CEO-- The John Birch Society
Solutions
It is always easier to focus on problems, not on solutions.
Why? Because problems tend to be more obvious;
solutions a lot less so. Pointing to a problem involves
minimal effort. Coming up with an acceptable solution
usually involves a great deal of effort, especially when
the problem emanates from what government is or isn’t
doing. There will be a need to educate fellow citizens
who, sadly, have little awareness of the Constitution’s
limitations on government. And there are a multitude
of other subjects within classic liberal arts that must be
addressed. Getting others first to recognize the worth
of a solution being offered, and then getting help to
have it adopted, requires a lot of work.
In addition, we may think the person we approach
understands the problem when he or she really doesn’t.
At least, not the way we would understand it. We may
know that a principle is being violated, whereas others
might look at the problem’s cause as a mere example
of faulty operation. Consider the United Nations. If the
problem is one of principle, then our nation should get
out of the UN. But if someone else thinks only that it
is being run poorly, then the solution becomes reform
or reorganization.
First, with each problem, one has to understand the
principle involved. Regarding the UN, the principle is
national sovereignty. Once that is understood, there are
other, less difficult hurdles to pass.
For instance, many will recognize the proper solution
to a problem, but due to fear or a personal comfort
zone, they will be reluctant to actively support it. An
example of this situation would be Social Security and
its sister Medicare.
All sorts of emotions surge to the fore when talking
about Social Security and Medicare: “You mean I will
have to assume the responsibility for my own retirement?
How do I do that? I’ve heard all sorts of financial
advisers giving bad advice and various proposals that
amount to defrauding the elderly. Whom do I trust?
When will it phase out? How will it phase out? Will
I be prepared? This will mean I will have to bear the
responsibility to care for my parents. I can’t
afford that. It will greatly interfere with my
family life, recreation, and hobby, etc.”
These considerations show that simple
“head knowledge” isn’t the only problem.
Morality and moral responsibility have to enter
the picture as well.
Self-reliance built this nation. Programs
such as Social Security have weakened this
essential aspect of the makeup of an American.
Self-reliance is being destroyed in favor of
reliance on government, a very dangerous
development.
Supposedly to address the failings
of Medicare, our government has enacted
ObamaCare, making the overall problem worse
by making it universal and calling it the solution.
This is precisely an example of the process
we quoted from The Communist Manifesto in
last month’s Bulletin: Create a supposed solution
that fails and then address the failure with
an even worse solution.
To fully recognize both the problem and the
correct solution, one must have knowledge of
economics, political science, human nature, and the
Constitution, then have the moral responsibility to do
what is right, simply because it is right.
Tough, but not impossible.
Another example: It is a rare individual in America
today who is unaware that illegal immigration is a
problem needing meaningful attention. The solution is
multifaceted and we have outlined some of what needs
to be done in last month’s Part One of this discussion.
Let us not forget that less than 100 years ago,
General Pershing crossed into Mexico to put down
Pancho Villa after the Mexican bandit had crossed
into the United States and terrorized one of our border
towns. Our border towns are again being terrorized,
yet we concern ourselves more with Iraq, Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc., than we do our own territory
and our own fellow citizens.
It is time to show that we mean business and that the
freedom of the American people and the sovereignty of
this nation will once again be protected. If we do so,
we will also punch a hole in the plans to create a North
American Union.
Proper solutions to illegal immigration also require
certain knowledge on the part of an American: the
meaning, necessity, and right of sovereignty; the economic
dangers and debilitating affects of welfare; the
cultural Balkanization of our country that can be used
as a divide-and-conquer tactic by the Conspiracy; and
the resolve to get the job done without generating malice
toward the Mexican people.
These considerations also require understanding
why false solutions such as national ID cards and
fences constitute dangers to American freedom. We
must always oppose solutions that will lead to more
control over Americans.
Many solutions offered by the Insiders and those
who follow their lead will indeed subjugate us. They
either create or help to worsen a problem, such as
illegal immigration, in order to be in position to offer
a solution that leads to more government and more
controls over the American people. These false solutions
rarely deal with the problem, but they do create
increasing taxation, regulation, and indebtedness for
the American people.
Increasingly, the false solutions to illegal immigration
and other problems are coming from those who
profess to be conservative leaders. As we pointed out in
last month’s Part One, those who mean to rule us come
from both sides of our current political persuasions.
If you are still with me, I come now to the hardest of
all solutions, one which most of our faithful members
have knowledge of but, deep down, may not really
accept. Bear with me because arriving at this solution
will seem a bit circuitous.
We should not be surprised when those who cannot
see the Conspiracy at work also cannot see the
beneficial work of The John Birch Society. There are a
number of reasons for this.
One, there is the natural tendency for people to
want credit for the work others do. This is not always
a selfish thing, since some sincerely believe they have
brought about the good results they see. What they do
not see is the tireless groundwork of our members that
has already set the stage for the good results. What JBS
members do is done out of their sight.
Also, the first one to claim credit for some victory
usually gets it.
Two, many believe that they are responsible for
results simply because of publishing an article or even
a series of articles. This can be true, but normally, it
is shoe leather and personal relationships that count
more. Getting the article in the hands of those who can
do something about the problem takes organization.
Organizational work involves far more than the printed
word. The printed word becomes far more potent when
it is part of an established agenda, not simply a wisp of
wind. Organizational work will almost always be outside
the work of the publishers and writers since they
rarely try to influence people face-to-face.
Reading an article or book is like placing a phone
call to tell someone their apartment house is on fire.
What is the result, assuming someone is there to
answer the phone? Some will not believe it. Some will
think the fire will be put out before it affects them.
Some will flee. Some will tell a neighbor. A proper
response will include organizing to tell others, evacuating
the complex, and helping put out the fire — after
having called the fire department. Yet while the person
who made the original call will have had little to do
with the organized effort, he or she will frequently
claim credit for all the lives saved. And such a person
is correct, at least in part. But organizing to solve the
problem is more important than simply acknowledging
that a fire exists.
Three, many conservatives and libertarians do not
understand effective organization and, when it is suggested,
most run away from it. For it demands at least
two things on the part of the individual: the willingness
to work as part of a team and all that this means,
and the work itself that requires expending effort
to achieve success.
Far too many conservatives and libertarians
won’t join anything. They can not or will not follow
direction because they are too independent.
Their stance reminds me of Benjamin Franklin’s
warning about teamwork — that we must hang
together or we will surely hang separately. Our
Founders had the same problems we face —
people who would not get involved or felt that
there was too much being asked of them.
Four, the media regularly ignores our efforts,
discounts them, or even declares them counterproductive
of “true conservatism.”
Understanding Who It Is We Fight
Success isn’t superficial and, therefore, the
effort put into achieving it can’t be superficial.
To be successful at what we seek in The John
Birch Society requires more effort than most
other organizations ask of those they reach. And,
the rewards when success is gained are generally
only the self-satisfaction of completing a
job well.
We reach out to new people and bring them to a
new level of understanding that includes a solution
as well as identification of a problem. And then we
involve them in a long range, broadly based program
with the goal of preserving family and freedom. This
takes work.
We understand that we are fighting people, not ideas
and issues. In and of themselves, issues don’t exist.
People conceive and drive ideas. Evil — in and of itself
— doesn’t exist, not without people engaging in evil.
Even in the spiritual sense, evil is Personified.
It is rare indeed that other organizations recognize
the need to identify the enemy. Usually, the understanding
of their leaders about who or what is the real
enemy is deficient. This is why the Christian Right has
been so misused. Its partisans often end up supporting
the enemy because they don’t understand conspiracy
and they aren’t aware that the people who seek power
will call themselves anything whatsoever in order to
gather support to gain that power. Do I need to mention
any other name than Bush?
Does anyone think that because Mafia dons sit
in church that they will get to heaven even while
they continue their crime spree? They attend church
to establish the facade of respectability even while
they exercise criminal rule over the neighborhoods.
Similarly, certain politicians sit in church while continuing
to violate their solemn constitutional oath in
order to maintain and extend power.
We all know of the existence of La Cosa Nostra
(sometimes called the Mafia). Do you see it? Not
unless you find it in a film or documentary. You see
its effects in crime and vice, even control over certain
service industries. But all of its activity is real.
The same applies regarding recognition of the
Satanic Conspiracy. Few ever recognize the effects
of the Conspiracy and then attribute them to the
Conspiracy. There is a serious lack of understanding
preventing many from reaching a proper understanding
enabling them effectively to combat prevailing evil.
I have often used the example of a line drawing of a
forest or jungle in which children are asked to identify
the lions, elephants, etc. hidden within the drawing.
It takes time and a new mental approach to begin to
see the shapes of the animals and not just the cleverly
drawn depictions of foliage.
The same holds true if one is to see the Conspiracy.
And it is equally true if someone is to see the effects of
the work of The John Birch Society.
Impatient Gradualism
Unlike the Conspiracy, we operate in the open. But if
others don’t read our Bulletins, how would they even
begin to know our agenda? Many times you can tell
the fruits of our labor by the nuances contained in
our agenda requests and their results we report. For
many reasons, we rarely ask our members to undertake
a task in the manner others might because we often
have a different perspective about what is needed to
create understanding that will see a solution through
to its end. This usually means that we regularly offera different solution than will be suggested by others.
For example, you will not see us offer a solution that
curtails the liberty of our own citizens in the process.
Likewise, we do our work without fanfare. While
it is essential that we brand The John Birch Society
and our work, nonetheless, we are not in the business
of saving our country to benefit ourselves, except in
knowing that preserving freedom will enable us to go
about our own business and pass on the same freedom
to our children.
So, for these and other reasons, we seem to be invisible
to the world. Therefore, some conclude that we
don’t even exist. How many times have you heard, “I
didn’t know The John Birch Society was still in existence.”
Even among our own members we can seem to be
ineffective because we normally go about our efforts
without fanfare. Therefore, those who have loud trumpets
get attention, even if they don’t have anything
close to an army answering the call of the trumpets.
Of course, the conspiracy-controlled media is more
than happy to give credit for any success on our side
to anyone but JBS, so as to prevent our members and
our organization being noticed in a favorable way. We
are bypassed for no other reason than it’s known that
people who want to be involved go where they think
they can do the most good. Usually people believe the
most good will be accomplished by the one who gets
noticed by the press, whether deserved or not. It is
rather like the magician who wants you to watch one
hand and not the other where the real “action” is being
accomplished.
The enemy knows all of this because the enemy
knows organization. And that is why its leaders confide
among themselves that The John Birch Society is their
chief enemy, the leading organization combating their
efforts. The worth of the Society will, on rare occasions,
receive mention by the media and then quickly
fade away. We have seen this happen just within the
last several months in the midst of almost daily unflattering
mentions of The John Birch Society somewhere
in the media.
Due to the efforts of our members over the last few
years, it has been difficult for the Insiders to keep the
media from mentioning us. This is so even though the
word still seems to be: don’t even note that The John
Birch Society exists. Recently, it appeared we were
being set up for another massive smear campaign. But
it didn’t happen. There were several factors involved,
not the least of which is the Insiders’ inability to find
and use a leader with sufficient but false “conservative”
credentials to lead the attack. But this may soon happen
again. Stay tuned!
Lately, when we are mentioned, the goal seems to be
to make it appear that the Tea Party movement grew out
of the efforts of that “old extremist organization of the
1960s,” the JBS. Some articles make it appear that we
are defunct and that we have passed the baton to some
current “extremists.” This theme is so recurrent that it
is impossible to think that it has not been orchestrated.
JBS Influence Growing Dramatically
We should be increasingly proud of the fact that we do
play an influential role in the continuing groundswell
of good sense. Yes, we are bragging about this, even
while being fully aware that some individuals and
groups are playing important roles even without holding
membership in JBS. However, the other side realizes
all of the recent activity would mostly be for naught
if there hadn’t long been a sizable organization from
coast to coast with members working in unison on the
same agenda at the same time. The very existence of
concerted action scares the enemy.
Through the use of a wide variety of tools and means
to build concerted action — the Internet, videos/DVDs,
flyers, speakers, magazines, literature, etc. — we create
a synergy level that results in waves of influence
that go well beyond our numbers.
An example I like to use to show the influence of
members is when Member A educates Citizen B to a
level of understanding about an issue who, in turn, educates
Mr. C. Then Mr. C tells Opinion Molder D about
it. Since he is in a position of great influence, Opinion
Molder D does something positive to solve the problem
and gets credit for doing so. Meanwhile, Member A
sees that D is an effective individual who gets things
done, but he fails to realize that his own efforts started
the ball rolling in the first place. The point is that, if
Member A had never taken the first step, the problem
would likely never have been solved. Member A is far
removed from the person who arranged for the solution,
but he deserves great credit.
As a whole, our members are often very far removed
from the good result they have spawned. They don’t
always see the fruits of their labors. On the other hand,
there are very capable members who build and organize
influence in their communities and do see the end
results of their work. This is increasingly occurring,
and we look for it to become more the case in many
other locales.
We know through experience that the combined
effort of our members will lead to 100 votes per member
favoring the most constitutionally minded candidate
for the House of Representatives. It is true that
even though some members can’t seem to influence
their spouse, they do have impact in the community.
Others operating as a team influence thousands with
their organized outreach.
One might think that this is also the case with other
groups, but it isn’t because they are not organized as
we are. They concentrate too much on the existing
base of friends rather than engaging in true outreach
programs; they don’t have the variety of tools to educate
people; and, most importantly, they miss the mark
by concentrating on the issue and a possible solution
rather than ever mentioning the source of the problem
— the Conspiracy.
We have always to be wise and patient in how
we address the existence of conspiracy, recognizing
the degree of awareness in our audience at all times.
Nonetheless, exposing conspiracy is vital. Without
doing so, the conspiracy’s cleverly placed agents will
continue to assume the leadership of the Americanist
movement, sidetracking it again and again, or preventing
activists from hitting the bull’s eye in the target. As
frequently happens in the latter case, success may seem
imminent because the arrow is flying right to the target
until, at the very last moment, it falls short.
This scenario is not unusual; in fact it is often the
case. It produces the worst sort of effect in the long run:
discouragement. We are well aware of sizeable conservative
organizations formed to gather good people
together and then misdirect them. One is reminded of
the leader who wrote a book exposing the New World
Order and then supported both Bush and Giuliani.
Since The John Birch Society was founded, there
have been four groundswells within America whose
purpose was to change the direction our country was
headed. Each of them was the result of the educational
work of our members.
In the first three instances, the Insiders neutralized
the efforts over the ensuing few months and years.
They were able to do this because of the lack of experience
in each that made its followers vulnerable to
neutralization. This occurred primarily because newly
awakened people trusted false leaders who said some
of the right things but captured the leadership and
direction of the movement and sidetracked it into partisan
politics controlled by establishment politicians.
It takes a certain level of knowledge and experience
to tell who the real patriot leaders are. It remains for us
to do a better job in this fourth groundswell by helping
its key people recognize so-called “friends” who want
only to neutralize them.
The difference between the JBS and other “educational”
efforts is three-fold. One, we teach the
Constitution including its original intent and that no
aspect of the Supreme Law can be ignored. None! Two,
we teach responsibility. It is part of our motto. Three,
as already discussed, we teach that the battle is with
men more than with ideas. Men breed ideas, organize
ideas, and finance ideas. This is not a debate, it is not
a war of ideas, it is a war between two opposing forces
and whoever creates the superior organization will win.
Yes, truth is a powerful weapon, but it will only become
dominant when great pains are taken to disseminate it.
That means building an organization to do so.
Elaborating on these three differences could consume
another Bulletin article all by itself. It may be difficult
to see the effect of these differences, even while
believing that other groups and individuals teach many
of the same lessons. But it is in the results of peoples’
actions that we recognize whether they really mean
what they seem to be saying.
So what’s the point? It is this: The ultimate solution
has to be a much larger, and therefore more effective,
John Birch Society. This is the solution that must be
kept in mind at all times.
Throughout our 52-year history, we have always
stressed that recruiting is the number one item on our
agenda for good reason. We can win battles, but not the
war if we don’t have sufficient size. The road back to
constitutional government runs through the Congress,
and it starts in the House of Representatives. In order
to see that constitutionally-minded individuals are
elected, a JBS membership base of from 500 to 1000
members in virtually any congressional district, will
accomplish the goal.
And, let no one forget that an ill-informed populace
ill-equipped to elect a constitutionally minded
Congress surely will not elect a decent president. It is,
after all, the same voters.
Building the membership is not something we
advocate just to make us look better; it is essential for
victory. This is the ultimate solution.
So we again urge that you do all you can to recruit
on an individual basis, and particularly place new
members into chapters where the synergy of a group
aids in convincing other new people to get involved.
Teach them the value of our organization that is the
solution through the use of video/DVD activism, preferably
in your homes. We will discuss why there is a
need for using one’s home in a future Bulletin.
What’s the job of every member?
Build the organization so that its goals can be achieved.
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