Constitution Party of Massachusetts

Congressman Ron Paul

These past few weeks have provided an unfortunate opportunity to discuss inflation. The dollar index has reached new all-time lows. The total money supply, M3, as calculated by private sources, is growing at a disturbing 17% rate. The Fed is pumping dollars into the economy at an alarming rate. Just recently the Fed announced new loan auctions totaling $100 billion. That is new money created from thin air. If these money auctions, combined with the bailout of Bear Stearns, continue to be the trend, we are in for some economic stormy weather. The explanation lies in understanding the basics of money, and why it is dangerous to give government and big banks control over it.

First, money is not wealth, in and of itself. You cannot create more wealth simply by creating more money. Wall Street bankers cry out for more liquidity, but what is really needed is more value behind the dollar. But the value, unfortunately, isn’t there.

You see, the Fed creates new money and uses it to purchase securities from banks. Flush with funds, these banks seek to put this money to use. During the Fed’s expansionary period, much of this money went to home loans. Through a combination of federal government inducements to lend to risky borrowers, and the Fed’s supply of easy money, the housing bubble took shape. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were encouraged to purchase and securitize mortgages, while investors, buoyed by implicit government backing, rushed to provide funding. Money that could have been invested in more productive, less risky sectors of the economy was thereby malinvested in subprime mortgage loans.

The implicit guarantee from the Fed is quickly becoming explicit, as those institutions deemed “too big to fail” are bailed out at taxpayer expense. Wall Street made a killing during the housing bubble, reaping record profits. Now that the bubble has burst, these same firms are trying to dump their losses on the taxpayers. This approach requires more money creation, and therefore debasement of all dollars in circulation.

The Federal Reserve, a quasi-government entity, should not be creating money or determining interest rates, as this causes malinvestment and excessive debt to accumulate. Centrally planned, government manipulated economies always fail eventually. The collapse of communism and the failure of socialism should have made this apparent. Even the most educated, well-intentioned central planners cannot plan the market better than the market itself. Those that understand economics best, understand this reality.

In free markets, both success and failure are options. If government interventions prevent businesses, like Bear Stearns, from failing, then it is not truly a free market. As painful as it might be for Wall Street, banks, even big ones, must be allowed to fail.

The end game for this policy of monetary inflation is that the money in your bank account loses purchasing power. So, by keeping failing banks afloat, the Fed punishes those who have lived frugally and saved. The power to create money is a power that should never be granted to government. As we can plainly see today, the Fed has abused this power, and taxpayers are paying the price.

Chuck Baldwin
March 28, 2008

A friend recently turned me on to the CBS television series, Jericho. I watch so little network television that I confess to never having seen the show before this week. Obviously, then, I am quite uninformed as to the overall plot and previous episodes. What I saw Tuesday evening, however, stunned me. Why? Because it very aptly depicted what could become a very real-life scenario for these United States in the not-so-distant future.

If I accurately picked up the basic plot of the show, average, freedom-loving citizens in the Western U.S. are fighting against tyrannical elements of their own government, including military forces. The State of Texas has declared its independence from the corrupt new government and another civil war is breaking out in America. And all this was predicated upon a nuclear attack, which some believed was an inside job. Am I close?

Contributing further to my amazement was the way Jericho used real-life political events to depict America’s fall into tyranny. I was flabbergasted to see the characters of Jericho refer to the Continuity of Government act as the foundation for the government’s declaration of martial law after the nuclear attack had occurred.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Continuity of Government (COG) act is not television make-believe: it is the real deal.

To read up on COG, go to Wikipedia’s entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuity_of_Operations_Plan

In addition, I have reported the potential problems associated with COG in this column.

See http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20070112.html

See also http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2007/cbarchive_20070525.html

Here is a quote from the Wikipedia entry: “The George W. Bush administration put the Continuity of Operations plan into effect for the first time directly following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Their implementation involves a rotating staff of 75 to 150 senior officials and other government workers from every Cabinet department and other parts of the executive branch in two secure bunkers on the East Coast . . . .

“The Bush Administration officially admitted the implementation of the plan on March 1, 2002. Key congressional leaders say they didn’t know this government-in-waiting had been established.

“On July 18, 2007 Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., a member of the U. S. House Committee on Homeland Security, was denied access to the classified version of the continuity of government plan. Though members can access classified information, this is the first time documents have been denied.”

As I wrote on January 12, 2007, “In a nutshell, proponents of COG envision a terrorist attack that would precipitate the suspension of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, COG would authorize Congress to appoint its own members, including those in state legislatures, without a vote of the people. COG even envisions the enactment of such authority for reasons of ‘incapacitation’ (whatever that is) even if no emergency exists.”

Noted author, Dr. Jerome Corsi, wrote this of Bush’s enactment of COG, “Translated into layman’s terms, when the president determines a national emergency has occurred, the president can declare to the office of the presidency powers usually assumed by dictators to direct any and all government and business activities until the emergency is declared over.”

Contrary to the ranting of politicians and media talking heads about how great things are going in these United States, millions of Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the total corruption, crookedness, and chicanery of government officials. They have had it with being lied to, cheated, and beaten down with thousands of rules, regulations, and laws, which serve only to empower the political and business elite. They do not trust any of their politicians to tell them the truth. Their money and jobs are disappearing; their children are being brainwashed in government schools; their homes and property are being taxed out of existence; and even their country’s very sovereignty is being forfeited to foreign interests. I believe the level of frustration and anger is rising to the point that a Jericho scenario could very easily occur.

I personally believe there are only three reasons why we are not already living the Jericho experience. One, people have been quite comfortable in their own personal lifestyles. They have enjoyed comfortable homes, nice automobiles, fine clothes, and pleasure-filled vacations. Who in their right mind wants to give up the tranquility of hearth and home? Two, most of America still rests upon a Christian foundation. As such, Americans believe in peace and harmony. They believe in law and order. They believe in submitting to authority. Three, there has not been an overt, large-scale attempt by government to confiscate the firearms of the American people. Remember, it was the Crown’s attempted gun confiscation at Concord that ignited the American Revolution back in 1775.

However, the materialistic comfort of the average American is quickly fading away. People are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, their homes, and their savings. More than that, they are losing hope for a better tomorrow, and they are losing confidence in their government to honestly protect their freedoms–even their national identity.

Plus, most Christians know that there is such a thing as lawful rebellion. Even Christ’s early disciples said no to various governments during extreme situations. And for us Americans, freedom and liberty runs deep in our veins. Many of us have not buried our Don’t Tread On Me banners. We share the sentiment of Benjamin Franklin who said, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”

Furthermore, Hurricane Katrina put the American people on notice that their government is more than willing to confiscate their firearms. Plus, the forthcoming Supreme Court ruling regarding the right to keep and bear arms is likely to authorize even tighter government regulation on this fundamental right. Even more disconcerting are the reports we are hearing from soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan telling us that they are being told to prepare for orders to turn their weapons on the American people, should the President declare martial law. (I have had more than one Iraq War veteran tell me this.)

I am afraid that the CBS television series Jericho is more than fantasy: it could be a prediction of the future. As Thomas Jefferson said, “I tremble for my country.”

*If you enjoyed this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

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© 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” and was the Constitution Party vice-presidential nominee in 2004.

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

In His Own Words:
Why Alan Keyes Is Running For President

The Alan Keyes for President Campaign has recently indicated that Alan Keyes will seek the Constitution Party Presidential Nomination at the 2008 Constitution Party National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, April 23-26. (For Constitution Party National Convention information please visit: http://constitutionparty.com/view_events.php).

Just as Constitution Party News and Information and/or www.constitutionparty.com have previously provided a forum for other prominent individuals who were reportedly interested in seeking the Constitution Party nomination, including Former Senator Bob Smith, Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and, of course, our own Chuck Baldwin, we now provide, for informational purposes, the following article which sets forth, in his own words, why Alan Keyes is running for President.

(For more information about the Keyes for President Campaign, please visit http://www.alankeyes.com/)

Q&A: Why Alan is running for president

Why is Alan Keyes running for president, and what is his campaign about?

On Oct. 11, 2007, Alan participated in the Ohio Christian Alliance Presidential Candidate Forum, and on that occasion he was asked “why he was running for the presidency of the United States.” Here’s his response in his own words:

I’m running for president because I think this republic is collapsing. I think our system of self-government is being replaced by a system in which we will be dominated by foreign powers, by globalist institutions, by self-seeking corporations, instead of having a government of, by, and for the people.

This collapse of our national sovereignty and the sovereignty of our people is taking place because we have abandoned the basic moral principle on which this country was founded: that our rights come from God, and that therefore we must exercise them and apply them with respect for the authority of God.

In every area, we are finding that this retreat from principle is leading to the destruction of innocent life in the womb, the collapse of the family structure, the loss of our self-confidence in the defense of our borders, and finally, a misunderstanding of what the war on terror is about, since our aim must be to defeat the forces that disregard the claims of innocent life, in violation of the fundamental principle on which our country was founded.

And I don’t hear anybody else articulating this vision which makes it clear that we are urgently involved in an effort to save our republic, to save our system of self-government, and that effort especially depends on reasserting our allegiance for the basic founding vision and principles that our Founders put in place for this country.

I’m just sick of all the people dancing around it and acting as if we’re dealing with this issue and that issue and the other issue. There is one issue, and all these other issues are like the fissures and cracks in the wall that bespeak the collapse of the foundations.

It’s time we dealt with the real problem, articulated it with vision, and faced it with moral courage. And that is what my effort is about: to call people together on the common ground of our faith in God and our acceptance of the Declaration’s principles, so that we can once again become a government of, by, and for a people who have reclaimed their active citizenship and reestablished real liberty in this country.

In the same Presidential Candidate Forum, Alan was also asked, “What specifically would you do to advance a conservative social agenda?” He gave an answer that summed up the approach of his campaign — which he has called “the first real national grassroots campaign in the history of our country”:

Well, the first thing that needs to be done is we need to break the stranglehold of the godless media — the ungodly media — and the ungodly money on politicians in this country, on both sides of the aisle. We have a lot of Republicans who get the bulk of their money from fundraisers who are abortion-minded and who don’t care about the moral issues. That’s why all of them lose their courage, because they are taking money from these sources.

You can’t deal with it after you get elected. You have to deal with it in the way you get elected. That means that you’ve got to put together a truly grassroots community of faith that will stand firm in defense of these moral principles, and that’s what we’re doing on the Keyes campaign.

If folks go to alankeyes.com, they will find there something we call the “Pledge for America’s Revival,” pledging support for our return to the godly principles of the Declaration and the application of those principles in every area of policy where we confront crisis.

People who believe in that need to stand up and start working, not just on election day, but right now. And we ask that they commit to find five others, at least, who will do the same thing until we have built up an army — a new community that is based on commitment and allegiance to the first principle that our rights come from God and must be exercised with respect for the authority of God.

The grassroots people of this country must again get active — stop acting like politics is a spectator sport, something you watch on T.V. — and get involved again. They must realize that candidates shouldn’t run for office, the people should run them for office.

That means that the people have to be the active component of every campaign for political office, spreading the word in their families, their workplace, their community.

We need government of the people, by the people, for the people, but that means that people have to be active in putting together the coalition, so that then you won’t have ungodly money undoing the election result — you won’t have the ungodly media lying and undoing the election result — because we, the people, will have made the choice and determined the choices, rather than letting these people be the gatekeepers of our choices so that all we get are evil choices, and then they tell us we have no choice but to vote for the lesser of evils, which our Lord forbade us to do.

So, I think that we need to get busy, and that’s what the Alan Keyes campaign is about. I think we have to build the community that is going to advance these kinds of policies and get them moving, but you have to do it while you are doing your campaign. You have to organize people around the country to be active so that they will control the result once the election is over.

www.constitutionparty.com

Chuck Baldwin
March 25, 2008

I think it is time that we all stood up and gave the Republican Party a big round of applause. I mean, they have done us all a huge favor. By an overwhelming majority, the GOP has prevented a potential plague from enveloping these United States of America, and I think it is time that we acknowledged it. Yes, the GOP stopped a potential catastrophe. Without the combined efforts of millions of Republicans, there is no telling what kind of disaster might have ensued. Let’s hear it for the GOP! Hip Hip Hooray!

For a few minutes there, I thought the GOP might have lost its mind, but I am glad to report that all is well with the Republican Party. The international bankers and oil companies, and the military-industrial complex, as well as the presidents of Mexico and Canada, can breathe easy. With John McCain as the presumptive Republican nominee, the globalist power brokers who have dominated the last three Presidential administrations can know that they are still in charge. There will be no changing of the guard this November.

It was scary there for a while. You see, there was this kook who was running for the Republican nomination that had the potential to upset the applecart real good. But thankfully, the fine people within the GOP rose to the occasion and beat back the attempts of his nutty supporters to vault him to the nomination.

After all, just think what would have taken place if this kook Ron Paul had won the Republican nomination for President. This nut case actually believes that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Imagine that. That means he would never take America to war except with a Declaration of War by Congress. Think how such a thing would prevent America’s meddling and interventionism worldwide. Think of the billions and even trillions of tax dollars that would not need to be spent overseas. Think of how much money Halliburton would lose. Think of how much money the Federal Reserve bankers would lose by not being able to loan money to the U.S. government. It is too ghastly to think about.

Furthermore, this Ron Paul nut might have actually insisted that the federal government declare unborn babies to be “persons” under the law. Think of it. This would mean that every unborn baby would have the immediate protection of law. And this would have happened without the necessity of appointing a single Supreme Court justice. Whew! The Republican Party dodged a bullet on that one. Now they can continue to talk about being “pro-life” for the next thirty years in order to fool Christian conservatives into voting for them without having to actually do anything about it.

This Ron Paul kook would also have put a stop to the incessant spying on the American people by their own federal government. Egad! This Paul character would have set America back two hundred years. Think of it. No more illegal wiretaps. No more reading private emails, letters, and telegrams. No more harassment by the BATFE of law-abiding firearms dealers for honest errors in paperwork. No more using the wars on “terror” and “drugs” to violate the Fourth Amendment. Think of the money that would be lost by the feds not confiscating the private property of the American people.

In addition, if this Ron Paul nut had actually become President, he might have succeeded in abolishing the Internal Revenue Service and overturning the Sixteenth Amendment. Holy Horrors! Can you imagine the tragedy that would have ensued? No more income taxes. No more tax forms to fill out. No more IRS agents arresting hard-working citizens for “tax evasion.” No more government tracking of our private financial transactions. Think of the US attorneys whose services would no longer be necessary. Imagine that. The federal government would actually be required to live within its means; it could no longer raise taxes, because there would be no more taxes to raise.

And if all of the above is not bad enough, this Ron Paul kook would actually demand that the federal government obey the Tenth Amendment. This, all by itself, would reduce the size and scope of the federal government by at least fifty percent. Imagine if the American people suddenly had the federal government out of their pocketbooks and off their backs? What would they do with all that newfound freedom? It is too scary to contemplate.

Do not worry, however. Thanks to the fine men and women of the Republican Party, John McCain will carry their standard into the November elections. Yes, my dear friends, David Rockefeller and his fellow travelers at the Council on Foreign Relations can rest easy. Should McCain win the general election, they will retain their influence in the White House. Indeed, we can all rest easier knowing that John McCain will be the Republican nominee for President.

After all, John McCain will see to it that our borders and ports remain open to illegal aliens. In fact, a McCain Presidency will ensure that illegal aliens become permanent U.S. citizens. Or better yet, that the U.S. and Mexico will be merged into a North American Community, thus eliminating the need for U.S. citizenship altogether. This will greatly help the Chamber of Commerce and Big Business. Think of the money they can save by hiring cheap Mexican labor. Think of the plants and factories that can be moved to Mexico. Think of the cheap Chinese goods that can be loaded onto Mexican trucks from Mexican ports and shipped into the United States on the NAFTA superhighways.

And did I mention the advantage a John McCain Presidency will provide to incumbents in future elections? Because John McCain does not believe in the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment means nothing to him. This is good, because he can use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to promote his McCain/Feingold bill that would make it illegal for citizens to voice their concerns and opinions regarding the voting records of incumbents during a general election. That means those sinister organizations such as the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America will no longer be able to publicly promote their views regarding the anti-Second Amendment voting records of congressmen and senators.

That Ron Paul kook would never have tolerated such a law as McCain/Feingold. But thanks to the fine men and women of the Republican Party, we do not need to worry about these little inconveniences such as the First and Second Amendments (or any of the other articles within the Bill of Rights, for that matter), because they wisely selected John McCain to be their standard-bearer.

Furthermore, because the good men and women of the GOP decided to nominate John McCain, we can look forward to one hundred years of war in the Middle East. We can all anticipate the opportunity of sending our troops into harm’s way all over the world to promote the interests of international corporations, nation-building, and other U.N. machinations.

Had that nut Ron Paul been elected, he would have practiced a non-interventionist foreign policy. He would have sought peace with all nations. And, instead of preemptively invading foreign countries, he would have dealt constitutionally with terrorists, resulting in their capture or death, the protection of America, the absence of long-term war, and the respect of nations throughout the world. Furthermore, that nut Paul would have refused to use U.S. forces to do the bidding of the United Nations and other international entities.

However, we do not need to worry about old-fashioned, out-of-date ideas such as constitutional government, conservative principles, or common sense, because the fine men and women of the Republican Party wisely chose John McCain as their presumptive Presidential nominee. Yes, indeed. Let’s hear it for the GOP!

*If you enjoyed this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

© 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” and was the Constitution Party vice-presidential nominee in 2004.

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

Congressman Ron Paul

Five years ago last week, the US military’s “shock and awe” campaign lit up the Baghdad sky. Five years later, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and nearly four thousand Americans dead, we should pause and reflect on just what has been gained and what has been lost.

From the beginning, the march to war was paved with false assumptions and lies. Senior administration officials claimed repeatedly that Iraq was somehow responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001. They claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They manipulated the fear of the American people after 9/11 to further a war agenda that they had been planning years before that attack. The mainstream media was complicit in this war propaganda.

Nearly ten years ago, long before 9/11, I requested the time in opposition to the fateful Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, where I then stated on the Floor of the House of Representatives, “I see this piece of legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign Nation.” Less than five years later we were invading Iraq .

Five years into the invasion and occupation of Iraq , untold hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are dead; some two million Iraqis have fled the country as refugees; and the Iraqi Christian community – one of the oldest in the world – has been decimated more completely than even under the Ottoman occupation or the rule of Saddam Hussein.

On the US side, nearly four thousand Americans have lost their lives fighting in Iraq and many thousands more are horribly wounded. Our own senior military officers warn that our military is nearly broken by the strain of the Iraq occupation. The Veterans Administration is overwhelmed by the volume of disability claims from Iraq war veterans.

A study by Nobel Prize economist Joseph Stiglitz concludes that the cost of the war in Iraq could be at least $3 trillion. The economic consequences of our enormous expenditure in Iraq are beginning to make themselves known as we fall into recession and possibly worse.

Iraq war supporters claim that the “surge” of additional US troops into Iraq has been a resounding success. I am not so confident. Under the “surge” policy the United States military has trained and equipped with deadly weapons those Iraqi militia members against whom they were fighting just months ago. I fear by arming and equipping opposing militias we are just setting the stage for a more tragic and dangerous explosion of violence, possibly aimed at US troops in Iraq . There is no indication that the Iraqi government has made any political progress whatsoever.

The sooner we withdraw the better. The invasion and continued US occupation has strengthened both Iran and Al-Qaeda in the region. Continuing down the road of a failed policy will only cost more money we do not have and more lives that should not be sacrificed. Interventionism has produced one disaster after another. It is time we return to a non-interventionist foreign policy that emphasizes peaceful trade and travel and no entangling alliances. We can begin by withdrawing from Iraq immediately.

Chuck Baldwin
March 21, 2008

On this Good Friday, it behooves us to remind ourselves (Christians should need no reminder) of the significance of this season. Along with the virgin birth, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ forms the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Indeed, the resurrection of Jesus separates Christianity from all the world’s religions.

Furthermore, the overwhelming number of America’s founders understood the connection between the Christian faith and the rise of these United States. John Quincy Adams said, “The highest glory of the American revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

Adams also said, “From the day of the Declaration . . .they [the American people] were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct.”

Then, on July 4, 1837, Adams said these words, “Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? . . . Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the corner stone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies, announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?”

Daniel Webster also acknowledged the relationship between our founders’ Christian faith and America’s creation. He said, “Finally, let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary.”

Noah Webster, the man who is called the Father of American Education, said, “Education is useless without the Bible.” He also said, “The Bible was America’s basic textbook in all fields.”

Noah Webster went on to say, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government, ought to be instructed. . . . No truth is more evident to my mind, than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”

One more quotation from Noah Webster is necessary at this point. He said, “The religion which has introduced civil liberty, is the religion of Christ and his apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free constitutions of government.”

These sentiments were the sentiments of America from the inception of our great country. Remember, the voyagers of the Mayflower made a covenant between themselves and Almighty God. It is called the Mayflower Compact, and in it they said the reason they had made the voyage and determined to plant a colony in the new world was “for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith.”

It was only in the last half of the 20th Century that America began trying to distance itself from our Christian heritage. Yet today, educators, entertainers, chief executives, and politicians are in the process of supplanting our Christian heritage with the pseudoreligions of secularism and multiculturalism.

What many people do not understand is that when America abandons its dependence upon the God of the Bible, it will–at the same time–surrender the very foundation of our liberty and independence. As Thomas Jefferson said, “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?”

Patrick Henry agreed with Jefferson. He said, “It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains.”

As we celebrate the vicarious death and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, may each of us rededicate ourselves to preserving the great Christian heritage of these United States for our posterity. And this commitment involves much more than attending church once a week or repeating an occasional catechism. It means we must seek to incorporate the principles of liberty and independence into the very fabric of our lives and work. It means we will offer eternal vigilance to the fundamental principles upon which America was built; we will not rest on our laurels. Liberty has no guarantees, no assurances. Each generation must work to preserve, protect, and defend the principles of constitutional government and Christian philosophy, or else liberty is lost.

The angel spoke of Christ declaring, “He is risen.” And so He is. And because Christ lives, liberty and freedom may also live. Why? Because “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

HAPPY EASTER!

*If you enjoyed this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

© 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” and was the Constitution Party vice-presidential nominee in 2004.

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

Primary Turnout, Survey Shows Republican “Faithful” Fallen Away

Largest, Fastest-Growing 3rd Party Picking Up Where GOP Left Off

Lancaster, PA ( March 12,2008) Primary turnout and recent surveys show conservative “values” voters have abandoned the Republican Party.

Illustrating a dramatic about face from past elections, a recent study shows that if the election were held today, 40% of all evangelical Christian voters would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are undecided, saying they would make their selection without respect to party affiliation.

A Barna Group release titled: Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates cites figures that spell doom for the Republican Party, given that “in the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. (and)… given the close tally in 2004, the born again vote (is) vital”.

“The political pendulum hasn’t swung this far since the Whig Party became extinct back before the Civil War”, noted Constitution Party National Committee Chairman Jim Clymer. “Just as the Republican Party, then a third party, wound up deposing the Whigs, we’re seeing the demise of the Republican party because voters have decided it’s lost its relevance. That explains the steady and solid growth of the Constitution Party”, Clymer added.

The Constitution Party, on course to have ballot access in all 50 states this November, is the largest and fastest-growing third party based on voter registrations (Ballot Access News).

“Conservative voters have made it clear they want no part of the Grand Old Party. Statistics show many are saying they will no longer buy into ‘party loyalty’ when their party has been anything but loyal to them. With candidates like Senators McCain, Obama and Clinton in the mix, voters will correctly assume they have nothing to lose by voting their conscience in November; even if that means a vote for a smaller party candidate”, Clymer predicted.

George Barna, head of the recent voter preference survey said “The evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate… This year… however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them”.

“To succeed in his bid for the White House, McCain must consolidate his support among conservatives which will not happen just because he is the Republican nominee. In the wake of… Republican scandals… and… failure to advance… the social conservative agenda,… support for the GOP has diminished”, wrote Tony Perkins of the Christian political advocacy group the Family Research Council. Likewise, GOPUSA notes: “The problem the GOP faces is with turnout. Plain and simple, more (than double the number of) Democrats are voting in the primaries than Republicans”.

The Constitution Party will choose a presidential candidate at its April 23-26th Nominating Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

Chuck Baldwin
March 18, 2008

A recent USA Today report confirmed what most of us already knew: America has lost touch with its history. The story ran on February 26, 2008 and begins by saying, “Big Brother. McCarthyism. The patience of Job.

“Don’t count on your typical teenager to nod knowingly the next time you drop a reference to any of these. A study out today finds that about half of 17-year-olds can’t identify the books or historical events associated with them.

“Twenty-five years after the federal report A Nation At Risk challenged U.S. public schools to raise the quality of education, the study finds high schoolers still lack important historical and cultural underpinnings of ‘a complete education.’”

This report only touches the tip of the iceberg. The fact is, the current generation of Americans is more “historically challenged” than any previous generation. The public education system has all but eradicated a healthy knowledge and respect for American history. I believe the indifference of public education to our great history is deliberate and intentional.

Not only is true American history not being taught, what is being taught is mostly a distortion of our history. For example, virtually every child in America can quickly identify Martin Luther King, Jr., as the father of the civil rights movement, but many, if not most, cannot identify George Washington as the Father of Our Country. Fewer still know that James Madison was The Father of the U.S. Constitution or that Sam Adams was the Father of the American Revolution. School children are indoctrinated in political-correctness, but are taught nothing of the fundamental principles of liberty upon which America was founded.

By contrast, when I attended a public elementary school back in the 1960s, I well remember reading copious volumes on America’s Founding Fathers. In fact, I recall that our required reading included documents such as Washington’s Farewell Address. On the whole, however, today’s public school children do not even recognize names such as Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, or Alexander Hamilton.

Beyond that, about the only references that are given about America’s founders are insults, criticisms, and downright slander. Our Founding Fathers are referred to as racists, homophobes, extremists, etc. Even the faith of America’s founders is mostly impugned in modern public education. Their deep reverence for God and the Bible is either totally ignored or, just as often, ridiculed. Hardly ever will a child learn that our nation’s founders were mostly (by a vast margin) Christians. If there is any reference at all to their faith, they are simply called “Deists,” (a belief-system which can be honestly applied to only a couple of founders).

Without an understanding of our Christian history and heritage, however, people cannot possibly comprehend the principles that galvanized Colonial America and glued this republic together. Without at least a rudimentary understanding of Natural Law, one cannot possibly comprehend–much less appreciate–America’s Declaration of Independence, our war for independence, or the Bill of Rights.

Is it any wonder, then, that our country seems to lack both a rudder and a compass? Is it any wonder that multiculturalism is in the process of tearing our country apart? If things continue as they are currently going, these United States of America will soon become a regionalized, hemispheric, borderless state, without distinction or recognition. A nation without a history is a nation without a future.

In the meantime, it is not surprising that so many American families are completely bypassing the public education system and choosing to homeschool their children. Others are sending their children to private, Christian, or parochial schools, because public schools have become little more than massively-expensive incubators of violence, teen pregnancy, illiteracy, and anti-America propaganda. And that goes for many of our institutions of higher learning as well.

Add to a public education system that already reeks of failure the unbelievable situation in California, where the promotion of homosexuality is part of the curriculum and where homeschool parents are being threatened with criminal prosecution. It is perfectly understandable why an organized effort is underway in The Golden State called California Exodus 2008, which encourages and assists parents in removing their children from the public schools.

See the Exodus Mandate website at
http://www.exodusmandate.org

This is also the reason why my staff and I worked so hard to put together The Freedom Documents, a compilation of 50 of our country’s great historical documents in one volume, under one title. The next printing of The Freedom Documents will be in June, 2008, but we do have a special early printing of some 30 copies of The Freedom Documents currently on hand, which may be purchased now. Or, readers may also reserve their copies of The Freedom Documents for the June printing now.

To order or reserve Freedom Documents, go here:
http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/products.html

If we do not have a serious and concerted effort to restore knowledge and respect for America’s history quickly, this once-great land of liberty will not long survive. I applaud the efforts of many who are desperately trying to resurrect a hunger and thirst for American history. Unfortunately, in order to succeed at our task, we are competing against a heavily financed (by our own tax dollars) public education monstrosity that seeks to bury our history in the graveyard of irrelevance. We must not let that happen.

If you still have children at home, make reading and studying American history a high priority. Beyond that, prayerfully consider moving your children out of the public school system. Most communities have networks of homeschooling parents that can answer questions regarding the homeschool alternative. And, of course, most communities have a few–or in some cases many–private and/or Christian schools nearby.

If we rely on the public school system, the mainstream media, the entertainment industry, or even most churches to help teach America’s great history and heritage to our children, they will not learn it. And what they do learn will be nothing short of anti-America propaganda. If our children are going to learn American history, they are going to learn it from their parents and grandparents. So, Mom and Dad, what are you waiting for? Get busy!

*If you enjoyed this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may now be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/donate.php

© 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” and was the Constitution Party vice-presidential nominee in 2004.

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

Last Saturday, I was scheduled to host the premier broadcast of the Understanding Our Times internet radio program. Unfortunately, due to technical problems, this did not happen. I apologize deeply for the inconvience of those who tuned in. However, I have been told those problems have now been fixed.

Normally, this program will be broadcasted each Saturday at 4:00pm EST. However, because this last Saturday did not work out, we will air a special broadcast tonight, Monday, March 17 at 6:30 pm.

Our first topic of discussion will be – Let’s Draft Chuck Baldwin.

If you have been reading this blog, you are aware there is an effort underway to draft Pastor Chuck Baldwin to seek the Constitution Party nomination for President of the United States. Who is Chuck Baldwin? Why should he run? Join us for this discussion. We’ll be airing clips of an interview I conducted with Dr. Baldwin last year, as well as speaking with Pastor Tony Romo, a friend of Dr. Baldwin and a member of the Constitution Party of South Carolina. All this and your phone calls! You also have the option of chatting live online while we broadcast!

Broadcast – Understanding Our Times

Website - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes

Time – Tonight, March 17, at 6:30 pm EST

Length – 30 Minutes

Call-In Phone Number – (347) 945-7171

You can join us live tonight at 6:30 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

The opinions and views expressed on this program are not necessarily those of the Constitution Party of Massachusetts.