If you can keep it

By Contributing Writer on January 12, 2022

LFC Comments by Brian Massie, Executive Director.
We are pleased to publish this great article by Iron Major 04. We agree completely with the Iron Major that many Americans take for granted the sacrifices made by thousands of Americans in our Armed Services that met the call of duty, and made tremendous sacrifices so that we could enjoy freedoms. We have included a gallery of pictures at the end of the article that shows the sacrifices made.

*****

IF YOU CAN KEEP IT

Written by: Iron Major 04
January 12. 2022

The United States is a Constitutional Republic, and what a pesky thing that Constitution can be. At least that’s what the current administration, and the secular left are becoming aware of. Why do I say this? Because, they are doing everything they can to marginalize our Constitutional Rights. From mandating participation in mass vaccinations, removing the right of the individual to defend themselves, our nation’s open borders fiasco, to criminalizing parental rights of self-determination regarding their children’s education and welfare. All in the name of centralizing government control in America. In every instance sighted; government, or their surrogates are, by design, diminishing our most fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

We have been heading into this vortex for a number of years, or more likely decades. In fact, we have already arrived at this Brave New World – pun intended. But it can get so much worse. There is only one thing standing between us and the abyss of full-blown totalitarianism. That is our United States Constitution, and they know that. Look at how YOUR RIGHTS under the Constitution have been, or are currently being attacked.

Examples of Freedoms being attacked:

First Amendment Rights: Religious Freedom, Free Speech, Freedom of the Press, Right of Assembly, and Right to Petition our Government for our Grievances.

The pandemic closed churches, synagogues, and mosques thus denying people the right of religious expression. Labeling parents as domestic terrorist when they speak out at school board meetings, such as, against Critical Race Theory and Social Emotional Learning, and vaccinations – freedom of speech.

Vaccine mandates determine what you can, or can’t do – freedom of assembly

If you can work, serve in the military, go to the theater, shop and etc. Censorship on Face Book, YouTube, Google and etc. – right of free speech

Offering a countering opinion other than the official narrative (i.e., vaccinations and associated mandates) – right of free speech.

Labeling the January 6^th PROTEST as an insurrection – right to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government over grievances.

The FBI raid on Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe‘s home and offices by the DOJ – an attack on freedom of the press.

The right to decide for oneself to receive a vaccine or not.

For a virus with a recorded recovery rate of 99.9X% – the right to religious or sincere beliefs of conscience in this decision.

The Second Amendment: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms:

The Kyle Rittenhouse case: demonized by the President, many politicians, the media, and Hollywood as a white racist.

All the victims were white, possessed extensive criminal records and were violently attacking him.
The point is to marginalize our right to defend oneself and property.
Especially when the government won’t defend its own citizens, as was the case throughout America last year in the wake of the George Floyd riots.

The McCloskey case is essentially another variation of the Kyle Rittenhouse case.

A husband and wife drew weapons to defend their home when a crowd of Antifa and BLM threatened them.
There was no police protection and no shots were fired.
They are being prosecuted/persecuted as the protagonist in this case.
The message being sent is: although you have the right to bear arms don’t think you can use them to defend yourself or your home!

The Third Amendment: Quartering Troops– perhaps a stretch on this Amendment’s intent.

There were well over 300,00 Chinese students enrolled in U.S. colleges in the 2017 – 2018 academic year – I believe all/most are party (CCP) members and of military age.
The unending stream of illegal immigrants and our federal government is shipping them all across the country to local communities to house; local communities are then required to provide financial support, many of the illegal immigrants are comprised of military age males.

The Fourth Amendment: Unreasonable Search and Seizure

There is too much here to unpack in this brief article. Since 9/11/2001, and the enactment of The Patriot Act and The Homeland Security Act have certainly changed the landscape of America as a Constitutional Republic.
Several legal challenges have been brought against The Patriot Act in Federal Courts which have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional. These two acts have created the surveillance state that we now live under.
Attention also needs to be paid as to how the Domestic Terrorist label is now being applied to our own citizens.

The Sixth Amendment: Rights of Criminal Defendants

Ask the January 6^th prisoners if this is being observed in their case(s) – the right to a speedy trial.

So why is all this attention being devoted to undermining our Constitutional Rights? Because those who are currently advocating authoritarian and hyper-centralized form of government control know that our founders created Constitutional provisions designed to stand against this form of tyranny. The United States Constitution is intended to be a bottom-up form of government designed to empower its citizens.

The United States Constitution is a unique document. The first and only one to be inspired by the word of God. The primary source of influence behind this document is embedded within the concept of the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God. So why were the thirteen colonies successful in establishing a system of freedom and stability, justice and prosperity while others failed to do so before or since?

There are five principles behind its creation:

Acknowledgement of God and a desire to enforce His standard provides a unique balance of liberty and stability.
The free enterprise system based on a Biblical or realistic view of human nature provides incentive to produce.
The theology of the priesthood of all believers, which led to widespread literacy, and implies the concept of equality (not equity). It provided practical experience in and through church government models.
The Biblical work ethic supports the free enterprise system.
The Fixed Standard of God’s Eternal Law (the Bible): Loyalty to this fixed standard is demonstrated through the Oath-of-Office to the Constitution rather than to a faction or person. Loyalty, in essence, is to principle as opposed to power.

(Note: much of this paragraph comes from An American View of Law, Liberty and Government produced by the Institute on the Constitution).

Based on Puritan Political Theory the following principles are cornerstones of American Constitutional thinking:

Government is ordained by God (Rule of Law); government is also limited by God (Doctrine of Rights); and lastly, liberty of conscience.
Government has jurisdiction over actions, but conscience is between man and God.

I believe this is a big part of the reason we have seen God, and Christianity attacked repeatedly by the secular left (main stream media, Hollywood, etc.) so vigorously in recent years. If they are successful in separating us from God, then it will be far easier for the secular left to remove our Constitutional Rights. Why? It is because the Constitution states that these Rights come from God and not man.

This, of course, is a gross over simplification of the history and philosophy of our founding fathers in development of the principles behind our individual freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. My hope is that it provides some context to support the ideas behind this article. Because the U.S. Constitution provides the necessary bulwark to weather this storm on our individual freedoms by the secular left. A case can definitely be made that we are now living in a pre-totalitarian form of government. You may ask how is this possible? At this time in history, our government, big tech, and corporations have melded together to create and support policies, mandates, and economic burdens on the average American that are unconstitutional. If left unchecked, it will metastasize and spread.

However, resistance to authoritarianism grows daily from average Americans who have had enough. Look up The City of Oroville, California as an example. They have declared themselves a constitutional republic in order to resist Governor Newsom’s COVID mandates – interesting. It’s not just in the United States, but around the world. And America has been the standard bearer for many of these global protest(s) currently taking place as people stand up for their freedom(s). Look at all the American flags the people of Hong Kong flew during their resistance movement against the CCP. It is our Constitution that provides this rallying point for so many around the world.

We Americans love to laud our individual RIGHTS, but the pesky thing about the Constitution is that with these individual rights comes the burdens of individual RESPONSIBILITY. We have forgotten that part of the compact with our forefathers. Just look up what happened to all who signed the Declaration of Independence; with rare exception, most of the signers truly suffered for these freedoms we now take for granted today.

We Americans have also had a smooth run for over fifty years, history has been benevolent, if not kind to us for half a century. The Vietnam War was the last war where every American male faced compulsory military service and was required to take an Oath to the Constitution upon reporting for active duty. That war, where casualty rates could be reported in the hundreds each week, materially affected everyone in the country. Those rapidly aging veterans of that war know all too well the following phrase; freedom isn’t free. The whole WWII generation is all but gone now. We haven’t their testimony to the price paid by so many to guarantee these rights we have enjoyed for so long and without interruption. Think of this: roughly half the American population was born after 1970, and a quarter of that since 9/11 — they have no institutional memory of sacrifice for their rights and freedoms. Too many now think this is their just due (RIGHTS) but without any acknowledgement to their responsibilities for those very rights that is their birthright. The two go hand-in-hand.

We are at a “come to Jesus ” moment” relative to history. The bill is now due; and if you want to keep your individual freedoms, you had better become at least marginally familiar with the Constitution. That also means you need to stand up and defend these rights. Take stock of what you are currently seeing on the news. Look at what is really behind the narrative being pushed out by the media. Always ask yourself how do these hyped agendas really affect me and my family over the long term.

By questioning the narrative, you will likely be mocked. The media could revile you, and it is scary to stand against the tide. However, I believe that most Americans want to do the right thing, to stand in allegiance with their forefathers and recognize the sacrifices made by previous generations for the liberty and freedoms we now enjoy. This is not the time for apathy, indifference, or trepidation. At this time in our nation’s history, we are called to stand up and be accountable. That doesn’t mean bearing arms and standing at the parapets. But rather to engage in this war of ideas, and ideals – be a voice. This is a spiritual conflict, one of good versus evil.

The Constitution by design is a model for participatory government. So, it is time to face up to our individual responsibility to this great nation, and its magnificent Constitution. We need to wake-up and get smart about the subject matter behind these precious freedoms of ours. Remember, in spite of how bad it may seem at times, it is not hopeless and you are not helpless. The founding fathers gave us a weapon, it is the Constitution – use it! Take a course on the Constitution; check out the Institute on the Constitution (TheAmericanView.com) in Pasadena, Maryland. Also, consider participating in your local government (at least attend school board, zoning commissions, city council and county commissioners’ meetings, etc.) that is the battleground. Hold your local, state, and national elected officials accountable to the Constitution. They have taken an oath to uphold and defend it. They are also liable to that oath.

Consider this bit of history or folklore. In 1787, as the delegates were leaving the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, an old woman supposedly approached Benjamin Franklin and asked him – “Well, Doctor, what do we have, a republic or a monarchy?” He replied “a republic if you can keep it.”

My closing thought is this: if we lose this, our Constitutional Republic, it will likely be at least a thousand years before another like it will come again! Like it or not, it is our turn to be held accountable by history. Will we measure up to the task?

Iron Major 04

*****

LFC Add: Here is a gallery of our pictures that we have taken over the years that reinforce the point about the sacrifices made by American citizens for our freedom.