Constitution Party of Massachusetts

Chuck Baldwin
October 30, 2007

I was honored to speak before the National Committee of the Constitution Party on Thursday, October 25, 2007 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Today’s column is a condensed version of that address.

Daniel Webster is regarded as perhaps America’s most notable jurist. Webster said, “Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.”

He also said, “The hand that destroys the Constitution rends our Union asunder forever.”

Please remember that this is the same Daniel Webster who said: “If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”

You see how Daniel Webster (like most of America’s founders) was a man with deeply-held Christian convictions. He believed the Bible. He was a devout believer. And he found no contradictions between the Bible and the Constitution. In fact, he believed (as do I) that the Constitution is the best safeguard for Christian liberty that we have.

When any constitutionally-elected officeholder assumes office, he or she promises to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. They don’t promise to represent “conservative principles” or to be “loyal to a political party,” etc. The Constitution is the contract between “We the people” and our civil magistrates.

When you or I hire an electrician or plumber to do work for us, we sign a contract for specific work to be done. And at the end of the day, I really don’t care whether he claims to be a Christian or where he goes to church or how religious he claims to be. When the work is finished, I want my lights to turn on and my toilet to flush. In other words, I expect him to live up to his contract.

When we elect people to public office, we should expect only one thing: that they uphold their contract to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

You see, adherence to the Constitution protects our freedom of speech and assembly; our freedom of worship; our right to keep and bear arms; our right to a trial by jury; the right to be secure in our own homes against police overreach; our right to witness for Christ in public, as a Christian; the right to own property; the right to not be deprived of life or property without due process of law; the right to face our accusers, and the right to keep government local and limited.

In fact, keeping government local and limited is the cornerstone doctrine of American government. In most nations, the federal government holds power over virtually every area of the lives of its people. Not so in America–at least, not in the America that was originally crafted.

Most of the problems that we are now dealing with socially, culturally, financially, etc., stem from America abandoning the basic founding principle that “the government that governs least governs best.”

Accordingly, America’s commitment to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has been (and is being) systematically stripped from us–not by State legislatures, but mostly by agencies of the federal government.

Consider how it has been federal courts that have banned prayer in school, and legalized abortion and homosexual marriage. Even in the liberal State of Massachusetts it was the courts (along with a compliant liberal governor, Mitt Romney), that forced acceptance of homosexual marriage upon the people.

Today, we have federal departments and agencies almost without number. We have the Department of Education, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of the Interior, etc., etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

Each and every federal department and agency, in its own way and for its own purposes, to one degree or another, ignores or violates constitutional government. And as a result, they contravene and strip away the rights and freedoms of States collectively and of the people individually.

The result of this gargantuan federal monstrosity includes back-breaking taxation and over-regulation, which fuel inflation, stymie productivity, and invite foreign influence.

One only has to observe how President Bush is now appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of an illegal Mexican alien who raped and murdered two Houston, Texas teenagers, arguing that his death sentence should be overturned and that he should be given a new trial. Bush’s reason? Illegal aliens should be under the authority of a UN “world court” instead of the State of Texas’ authority.

Observe how Bush is pushing for amnesty for illegal aliens. See how he has merged these United States into a regional government by signing onto the Security and Prosperity Partnership agreement with Canada and Mexico. See how he is pushing for a NAFTA superhighway. Observe how he and other globalists are planning to replace the U.S. dollar with a regional, multinational currency called the Amero.

Furthermore, virtually every administration for the last fifty years has engaged in an aggressive nation-building foreign policy. (Can anyone say, “Iraq”?) In addition, in contradiction to the stated warnings of our nation’s founders, they have actively pursued entangling alliances with unfriendly governments. The past three administrations in particular have deliberately steered our country down a path of multiculturalism, globalism, and elitism.

Pastors, especially, should fight for constitutional government! Do you preachers really think that there will be any room for the old-time Gospel when the globalists and elitists in the federal government have finished with their diabolical schemes?

Already, President Bush repeatedly tells us that Christians and Muslims–and all other religions–worship the same God. How long will you preachers be able to preach the narrow message of salvation, that Christ is the only way to Heaven, when Bush’s doctrine of Universalism is the accepted religion? And make no mistake about it: Universalism is the national religion of the United Nations, the European Union, and the emerging North American Union.

The Department of Homeland Security is already holding seminars for pastors, instructing them how they should ask their congregants to turn in their firearms in the event that the President declares a national emergency. How many of you pastors are prepared to become an instrument of gun confiscation for global government?

This is what happens when we abandon constitutional government.

It is not enough that a candidate says he is a Christian. Every politician I know, or have ever known, says they are a Christian–at least every four years. It is not enough that a candidate carries a giant-print Bible to church. It is not enough that he says he prays or says that “faith is important.”

The truth is, if the candidate is a sincere Christian, he or she will all the more readily obey his or her oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. After all, does not our Lord tell us that our yea is to be yea and our nay is to be nay? In other words, genuine believers are to be true to their word. How, then, could a true Christian make a promise before God and the American people to preserve, protect, and defend the U.S. Constitution and then turn around and ignore that promise? He couldn’t.

Therefore, a professing believer who is elected to public office and then ignores his or her promise to the Constitution proves that he or she is not a true Christian but a phony who only uses a religious testimony to dupe Christians.

Take the issue of abortion, for example. Ron Paul proposed the “Sanctity of Life Act of 2005? (and 2007), which would require that “human life shall be deemed to exist from conception, without regard to race, sex, age, health, defect, or condition of dependency”

The bill also provides that “the Congress recognizes that each State has the authority to protect unborn children…” And that “the Supreme Court shall not have jurisdiction to review …the performance of abortions; or the provision of public expenses of funds, facilities, personnel, or other assistance for the performance of abortions.”

In other words, Dr. Paul understands that Article. III. Section. 2. of the U.S. Constitution gives to Congress the authority to rein in an abusive judiciary and take the issue of abortion (or homosexual marriage or fill in the blank) out from under the jurisdiction of the Court. This means that should Congressman Paul’s bill become law, abortion on demand ends and Roe v Wade is overturned.

So, please tell me why, after having control of both houses of Congress and the White House for six years, did these “pro-life” Republicans in Congress and a “pro-life” President not pass Dr. Paul’s bill? Why? Because they really do not give a hoot about abortion, but only use pro-life rhetoric to dupe conservative voters.

In addition, those conservatives who have followed President Bush’s preemptive war doctrine are the ones who have abandoned historical conservative principles. Before G.W. Bush changed the landscape, conservatives–especially Christian conservatives–mostly subscribed to Augustine’s “just war” theory regarding accepted protocols for the conduct of war. Today, however, many professing conservatives have foolishly followed Bush’s “preemptive war” theory, which, before now, was practiced mostly by pagan emperors. As Christians, however, we should still subscribe to “just war.”

In concert with “just war” philosophy (not to mention American history), Christians should agree with Ron Paul’s approach to dealing with terrorists. He authored H.R. 3076, the September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001. According to Paul, “A letter of marque and reprisal is a constitutional tool specifically designed to give the president the authority to respond with appropriate force to those non-state actors who wage war against the United States while limiting his authority to only those responsible for the atrocities of that day. Such a limited authorization is consistent with the doctrine of just war and the practical aim of keeping Americans safe while minimizing the costs in blood and treasure of waging such an operation.”

This is precisely what President Thomas Jefferson did when America’s ships were confronted with Barbary pirates on the high seas.

If the United States government had listened to Ron Paul, we would not have lost nearly 4,000 American soldiers and Marines, spent over $1 trillion, and gotten bogged down in an endless civil war from which there is no equitable extraction. Furthermore, had we listened to Dr. Paul, Osama bin Laden would no doubt be dead, as would most of his al-Qaeda operatives, and we would be less vulnerable to future terrorist attacks, instead of being more vulnerable, which is the case today.

How can anyone say with a straight face that they are fighting a war on terrorism while at the same time doing absolutely nothing to secure our borders and ports?!

I submit that every true American, especially conservative Christians, should enthusiastically support constitutional government. I further believe that a President who would take his oath to the Constitution seriously would bring a new birth of freedom to America the likes of which has not been seen since 1776. May God give us such a man!

© Chuck Baldwin

Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. Dr. Baldwin is also the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show “Chuck Baldwin Live” This is a daily, one hour long call-in show.

To learn more about his radio talk show please visit his web site at: www.chuckbaldwinlive.com. When responding, please include your name, city and state

Constitution Party
News and Information

Council Bluffs National Meeting Propels Constitution Party Forward Toward 2008 Election Campaign!

Optimism and energy prevailed as Constitution Party leaders and activists from all across the country gathered in America’s heartland to participate in the Constitution Party’s Fall National Committee Meeting this past week. The well-attended meeting, chaired by Jim Clymer of Pennsylvania, was held at the Holiday Inn in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and focused heavily on plans and preparations for the Constitution Party National Convention, which will be held next April 23-27, in Kansas City, Missouri and, of course, for the very crucial 2008 Presidential election year.

The meeting was jam packed with highlights:

Chuck Baldwin, of Florida, gave an electrifying address at Thursday evening’s banquet wherein, among several other things, he pointed out that the surest way to the preserve “traditional values” in America is to elect representatives at all levels of government who are actually faithful the Constitution of the United States;

Dr. Jerome Corsi, of New Jersey (pictured below with Californian, Diane Templin) received a long and rousing standing ovation following his Friday luncheon speech in which he proudly declared his membership in the Constitution Party, outlined the current status of the drive to merge the United States into a North American Union through the imposition of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), and called upon the Constitution Party to lead the political battle in defense of America’s Sovereignty;

Virginia’s Howard Phillips, the Founder of the Constitution Party, presented an educational and extremely moving address at Friday night’s banquet which provided an excellent historical perspective on many of today’s Constitutional issues;

John Clark of Americans for Immigration Control previewed the group’s brand new documentary titled “Rule of Law or Anarchy ?” The video explores the dramatic consequences of the breakdown of law and order brought about by massive illegal immigration.

Missouri State Representative Jim Guest, founder of Legislators Against Real ID (LARI), discussed his group’s successful efforts to stop implementation of the Real ID Act at Friday’s banquet and visited individually with many of the party leaders that evening and the next day;

A detailed presentation was made by Convention Committee chairman, Thom Holmes, of Oklahoma, concerning plans for the party’s 2008 National Convention in Kansas City next April. Timetables and rules for delegate selection, credentials certification and platform committee selection and participation were set and distributed to committee members present, and will be distributed to all state leaders not in attendance at the meeting;

Mary Starrett, of Oregon, the Constitution Party Communications Director gave a comprehensive overview of progress in the party’s efforts to expand its media exposure and to reach the voters through alternative media, particularly the Internet. She announced that a new YouTube link has been established for Constitution Party videos at http://www.youtube.com/ConstitutionParty. Currently only her already well-known and excellent Constitution Party promotional video is available for viewing on the site, but that will soon change and more videos will be available in the near future;

Thor Call, of Utah, gave a very impressive presentation regarding his state party’s development of a series of radio advertisements which will soon be available for use for the national and state parties. For an example of one of the spots that was presented at the meeting (narrated by Utah national committeeman Jim Noorlander), please visit http://www.turntotheconstitution.com/SPPRadioad1mp3.mp3 ;

The Joan Johnson Servant Leadership Award was awarded to Missouri State Chairman, Donna Ivanovich, who has spearheaded the unprecedented growth of the revitalized Constitution Party of Missouri over the past year. Donna’s leadership, supported by a remarkable group of Missouri Constitutionalists, is fast turning the Constitution Party of Missouri into one of the premier affiliates in the Constitution Party;

The Ed Frami Star Spangled Banner Award was awarded to the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Constitution Party’s National Veterans Coalition, General Charles E. Jones , (USAFR) ret., who has worked so diligently to establish the party’s Veteran’s outreach program, which is credited with bringing ever-increasing numbers of America’s military veterans into the ranks of the Constitution Party. The presentation of General Jones award was made by the current National Veterans Coalition Chairman, Darrell Castle;

The Eileen Shearer Eternal Vigilance Award was awarded to one of the most devoted members to the Constitution Party anywhere in the country, Dr. Curtis Caine of Mississippi, who has long served on the National Executive Committee and who currently serves as the Constitution Party National Committee parliamentarian;

The Constitution Party National Committee passed a formal resolution endorsing the the National Clean Elections Lawsuit (N-CEL). The suit has been filed against ten states: New Hampshire, Iowa, Ohio, Florida, California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, South Carolina, and Texas. The Constitution Party warns against electronic voting in its platform, pointing out that since 1988 all but a handful of the 3,142 counties in the US have delegated the “counting” process, done in secret, to several mega companies, Diebold, ES&S, Hart and Sequoia. All 50 secretaries of state have approved these systems. The Clean Elections lawsuit, in the process of expanding to all 50 states, charges that the use of any computer (direct-recording-electronic- or DRE) systems which obscure ballots from the people for any period of time before a count is completed and the results are announced are unconstitutional;

Former Ambassador, Alan Keyes, met with the Constitution Party’s National Executive Committee Thursday morning and shared his perspectives on current events and political developments;

And, finally, attendees at the Constitution Party National Committee Meeting were the beneficiaries of an excellent, intensive two-day” grassroots political school” seminar provided by the Leadership Institute of Arlington, Virgina. This instruction will provide invaluable assistance to many of those who are going back to their respective states with plans to run for office or to help in the campaigns of Constitution Party candidates.

Particularly encouraging to national party leaders was the number of state party leaders who were attending a national committee meeting for the very first time. State party leaders enjoying their first national meeting experience included Ohio State Chairman Robert Owens, who, with his wife Teri, lead a six member delegation from the Buckeye State; Arkansas State Chairman, Tom Mayfield ; Mark Richey, the new State Chairman of the Constitution Party of Iowa (who was joined by fellow Iowa party leaders Bryan and Joan Samuel); South Dakota State Chairman, Steve Willis; and Indiana’s State Chairman, Mark Pool .

The Council Bluffs meeting, which was very well represented by states from all regions of the country, was especially well represented by affiliates from the Midwestern States. A very effective and well attended regional caucus of the Midwestern state parties was held Friday morning, chaired by Area Co-Chairmen Randy Stufflebeam, of Illinois and Scott Bartlett of South Dakota.

Congratulations and thanks go out to the state parties in Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey and California, who brought the largest delegations to the meeting.

Unfortunately, not every state was able to be represented at the Council Bluffs meeting, but those who could not attend no doubt share the sentiments of Ted Libby, the new State Chairman of the Constitution Party of Maine who stated, in a message to the National Committee, “I am sorry that neither I, nor any from our Maine state party are able to attend this meeting. I know the wisdom to be gained would help our efforts greatly. You have lined up some tremendous speakers, and the experience I am sure will be awesome for all those who attend. I will look forward to meeting the members of the Committee in person someday soon. I hope that you will keep us, and our State in your thoughts and prayers.”

Well, Ted and anyone else who was unable to make it to this event, look at it this way…there are only about 6 months until the 2008 Constitution Party National Convention in Kansas City! Every Constitution Party leader, member, activist, and supporter in all of the 50 states and the District of Columbia will want to plan on being a delegate to that great event! Every Constitution Party state affiliate will want to plan on having a full delegation participating in Kansas City!

Fasten your seat belts, ’cause things are really going to take off now !

www.constitutionparty.com

- Gary Odom

Thomas Fallon will be representing the Constitution Party of Massachusetts at the Constitution Party National Committee Meeting in Council Bluffs, Iowa this weekend. Please pray for Tom as he travels today. Also at the meeting, Tom will take advantage of the extensive candidate training offered. Thomas Fallon is running in a special election in the 4th Middlesex district to fill a vacant state senate seat. You can visit his website here.

23 North Lime Street
Lancaster, PA 17602
contactus@constitutionparty.org

YOUR PARTY, YOUR PRINCIPLES PASS THIS ON!

Mary Starrett
Communications Director

QUOTE:

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

~Samuel Adams

PRESS RELEASE:

Americans Leave Party Seeking More Compatible Hook Up
Iowa Political Gathering To Address Options For A Better Match In ‘08

Lancaster, PA: Americans seeking a return to constitutional government will convene in Council Bluffs, IA October 25-27 as disaffected voters continue their mass exodus from both “Big Box” political parties (http://www.rasmussenreports.com//).

The National Committee of the Constitution Party , the largest third party based on voter registration (Ballot-Access News), will highlight well-known speakers, attorneys, columnists and a New York Times best-selling author during its upcoming national meeting.

“The Council Bluffs gathering promises to be one of the most important political strategizing sessions for those who have concluded they will not support the political status quo and parties that abandoned them when it comes to the presidential election of ‘08,” commented Constitution Party National Committee Chairman Jim Clymer.

“When you look at the fact that two out of three Americans- fully 67% of those polled- are unhappy with the Democrat/ Republican duopoly (http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1332), no wonder voters are looking elsewhere,” Clymer added.

Speakers at the three day event (to be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in Council Bluffs, Iowa - just across the river from Omaha, Nebraska) include two time New York Times best-selling author Jerome Corsi, PH.D, author of The Late, Great USA: The Coming Merger with Mexico and Canada (ISBN 9780979045141). Dr. Corsi will spell out the chilling details of the attempt to merge the United States into a North American Union. Dr. Corsi is also the co-author of the New York Times best seller Unfit for Command.

John Clark of Americans for Immigration Control will discuss the group’s brand new documentary titled Rule of Law or Anarchy ? The video explores the consequences of the breakdown of law and order brought about by massive illegal immigration.

Other speakers include Missouri State Representative Jim Guest founder of Legislators Against Real ID as well as commentator and columnist Dr. Chuck Baldwin,(http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/) an outspoken Christian pastor and political activist.

In addition, those in attendance will gain the strategy expertise of Morton Blackwell who served as Special Assistant to the President on President Reagan’s White House Staff. Blackwell and his nationally recognized Leadership Institute have trained more political activists than any conservatives in American politics today.

“The importance of gearing up to offer Americans a viable alternative in ‘08 cannot be overstated,” noted Clymer. “If the Republicans foist a Giuliani or a McCain or a Romney on voters Americans will be looking for a party and a candidate they can rally around. When leaders like Dr. James Dobson say they’ll vote for a third party candidate over Giuliani,(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/opinion/04dobson.html) it’s another indication the tide is turning. The Constitution Party will be moving toward ballot access in all states and a solid constitutionalist presidential candidate worthy of our votes”, Clymer further noted.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – II Timothy 1:7

Earlier this week, Dr. Bob Jones, III officially endorsed Mitt Romney for President. Quite frankly, I am shocked and appalled at this decision. I have the utmost respect for Dr. Bob and for Bob Jones University. However, this endorsement is irresponsible.

I think what I find most shocking about this is the reasoning behind it. Dr. Bob said, “This is all about beating Hillary.” He went on to add, “If it turns out to be Guiliani and Hillary, we’ve got two pro- choice candidates, and that would be a disaster.”

This is what I call the politics of fear. Because we fear a supposedly evil person, we will stop at nothing, including the compromise of principles and conviction, to prevent their election. Often times, we decide to back a lesser evil person who we deem not as bad. Of course the problem is that the lesser of two evils is still evil.

That is what Dr. Jones is clearly guilty of. He deems Hillary and Rudy to be so scary, he has decided to back a flip-flopping cultist responsible for legalizing homosexual marriage here in Massachusetts. Is this really something the Lord would want us to do?

The Bible tells us that we have not been given a spirit of fear. But, one thing we have been given is a sound mind. A sound mind does not make decisions based on fear or polling data, but on prayer, Biblical principal and Scriptural convictions. A sound mind is not easily led astray by anxious worry neither is it bullied into bad decisions by bad situations.

As Christians, we do what is right and leave the consequences to our sovereign, Almighty Lord. We are not to do what is right only when we think the consequences will be favorable. We do not know how the Lord will work.

People think the election of Hillary Clinton would be the worst thing ever to happen. Therefore drastic measures, even the abandonment of principle, are in order. Let us remember that Christianity flourished under the persecution of evil Roman dictators such as Nero. God Himself declares in Romans 9 that He raised up the wicked Egyptian Pharaoh for His purpose. God is not limited or His work thwarted by any human ruler. “The king‘s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” – Proverbs 21:1.

Of course, another thing we must consider is the false dilemma Jones creates in the first place. Jones suggested we would only be limited two one of two options – Rudy or Hillary. That is not a true dilema. There will be other candidates on the ballot. Yet, again, because Jones deems these to be the only credible candidates, they are the only options available.

I am a member of the Constitution Party, America’s third largest party. Our motto is “principles over politics.” We will offer a true alternative to either party’s candidates. We are a party that is 100% pro-life, against gay marriage or civil unions, and will fight for the freedoms and liberties that we as Christians hold dear. On top of that, we are the only party still dedicated to upholding the Constitution.

It has been my experience that most Christians agree with our party in principle, but still feel the need to vote for one of the major party candidates. This is out of pragmatism, not principle. Again, the politics of fear.

Notice that Dr. Bob does not even take third parties into consideration, or even one of the other Republican candidates such as Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter or Mike Huckabee. We often complain about the lack of choices we have in elections like this. Yet, we have exactly the political atmosphere we have voted for. As long as Christians are willing to vote for pro-abortion candidates, that’s what we will get. As long as we continue to reject pro-life, Christian candidates(because they are third party or not top-tier), the less we will have to choose from. We have what we vote for.

Many people wish Republicans would start acting like Republicans. I just wish Christians would start voting like Christians. If we would simply start to vote our consciences, we would see a dramatically different political landscape.

As one who has run for office (with the Constitution Party), I can testify that there are more people out there that believe as we do than most people are aware of. We often assume that in places such as liberal New England, Christians cannot make a difference. But as one who has been out there on the campaign trail, I know that not to be true. Remember, that in many elections, most people do not vote. In my election, which received a lot of press attention, only 30% of voters came out to the polls. That means we still do not know what 70% of voters actually believe. What I came to see was that many people agreed with my views, yet simply believed nothing could be done and stayed home on election day. Those who did cast their votes yet were too willing to waste their votes on candidates who did not stand where they would stand. Yes, we can make a difference – if we are willing to pay the price to do that.

However, even if the Christian vote meant nothing, Christians still ought to vote like Christians. It is the right thing to do regardless of the perception or result. I wish someone like Dr. Bob Jones, III would take a stand for righteousness and not for pragmatism.

Kevin Thompson
http://kevinjthompson.wordpress.com