APPLETON, WISCONSIN — Some of America’s most principled lawmakers at the state and federal level told activists here that liberty is in danger, but the fight is not over and there are signs of hope. One of the key problems that they all agreed on is that the Constitution that every American legislator swears an oath to uphold is not actually being obeyed. That has allowed all sorts of major problems to emerge, ranging from a federal debt tsunami that threatens to engulf the nation in crisis to the ongoing erosion of fundamental God-given liberties and the Christian foundations of America. But it was not all bad news. In fact, some of the speakers at The John Birch Society’s October 5-6 event argued that while liberty is not yet safe, it is on the march.
In his keynote speech, which had the crowd roaring with laughter, Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) talked about his experiences in Congress and his efforts to protect the Constitution. Showing the audience his congressional voting card (shown), he said it belonged to the people he represents in Kentucky. In a bit of light-hearted humor, Massie joked that he once accidentally handed the card to a waitress at a restaurant, only to be told that it was declined. When he asked why it was declined, the response was hilarious and yet tragic at the same time: “Sir, it already has $21 trillion on it.” In all seriousness, though, the congressman warned that the ongoing spending spree was now a threat not just to grandchildren and children — but to the current generation of adults.
In fact, while everybody was focused on the Kavanaugh fight, Congress passed yet another massive spending bill that continues to bury the nation in debt that will be impossible to repay. This one, dubbed a “Cromnibus,” authorizes nearly $1 trillion in spending. Among the poison contained inside: full funding for abortion giant Planned Parenthood, which Republicans perpetually promise to defund and yet never do. Almost all Democrats and the overwhelming majority of Republicans voted in favor of the bill, which is packed full of unconstitutional spending on unconstitutional programs. Massie also related how Congress passed another bill while America was distracted with Kavanaugh, this one disguised as “anti-sex trafficking” legislation, that would allow the government to spy on Americans without a warrant.
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But at least some lawmakers, very much including Massie, are fighting back. One of the bills he introduced aimed at restoring constitutional balance is H.R. 899 to shutter the U.S. Department of Education. His inspiration for introducing the bill, he said, was a barrage of phone calls urging him to vote against the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Of course, members of the House have no say in the matter. But in response, he decided that a bill to eliminate her job should satisfy his more liberal constituents, whom he asked: “Do you really want the Trump administration deciding how or what your children will learn at school?” Liberals did not know what to make of the proposal, he said, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd.
Amid the school shootings exploited by anti-freedom activists to push “common-sense gun control” — a concept Massie ridiculed as an oxymoron — the congressman, who leads the “Second Amendment Caucus” (hilariously, the only grouping with no registration of members!) has also sought to end so called “gun free school zones.” Almost 98 percent of mass shootings happen in such zones, Massie said. “Why would you want to put that kind of a target on your children?” he wondered, saying the disastrous policy must be repealed.
Since the retirement of Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), who was the keynote speaker at the JBS 50th anniversary and educated millions worldwide about freedom and sound money, Massie has become one of the liberty movement’s most widely respected lawmakers. Indeed, Massie has taken up many of Dr. Paul’s causes in Congress, ranging from getting the U.S. government out of the United Nations to reining in the federal government’s unconstitutional activities. With a 99-percent score, Massie is one of the top-rated congressmen on The New American magazine’s Freedom Index, which ranks every member of Congress based on the constitutionality of their voting record. He praised the Freedom Index as being far more useful than those put out by other organizations, partly because TNA — “the real news,” as he put it — does not warn lawmakers in advance about what votes will be scored. He also said activists are known to use the Index at town hall meetings to expose the voting records of congressmen who violate their oath to the Constitution.
Another lawmaker known as a leader in the liberty movement who spoke at the event, Representative Matt Shea of Washington State, told the audience about the importance of protecting America’s Christian heritage if freedom is to survive. “It’s important that we remember we’re a Christian nation,” Shea said, quoting a wide range of historical figures including John Winthrop, Sir William Blackstone, various Founders, and even the U.S. Supreme Court, who all said clearly and unambiguously that America was a Christian nation and that Americans were a Christian people. “That is our identity folks. That is what we need to be fighting for,” he said. “We cannot cede this ground anymore.” Citing a Communist Chinese investigation, he noted that even Beijing understood that it was Christianity that made America great.
There is a lot to be concerned about at the moment, though, Shea said. Among other examples, he cited spiritual apathy, the engineered decline of faith in America, the expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood across the West, the globalist effort to undermine nationhood and self-government, and much more. Billionaire George Soros, he said, is a key financier of what Shea described as the “globalist 5th column” working to undermine America. The situation has now become so bad that while Ukrainians tear down a statue of mass-murdering communist dictator Vladimir Lenin and put up a cross in its place, parts of America now tear down crosses as statues of Lenin go up. Shea even showed a picture of a Lenin statue erected in Seattle.
The Washington State House Republican Caucus leader also pointed to what he described as the “Red-Green Axis” nationally — a well-documented alliance between Islamists and Marxists in the effort to destroy Western Christian civilization and America in particular. He showed that the Muslim Brotherhood’s tentacles were spread across America and beyond via front groups, mosques owned by entities it controls, terror groups such as Hamas, and more. He also showed the network’s own documents proving that the agenda was to destroy Western civilization. And he showed that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a self-styled “civil rights” group, is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood, as established in official documents. It has proven ties to the Communist Party USA, Shea showed, even showing a communist leader speaking at a CAIR event.
But there is good news, too — and Shea expressed confidence that Americans could reclaim their country and their liberties. “Insanity continues, until it hits a brick wall, and The John Birch Society is that brick wall,” Shea explained. “I’ve seen a lot of organizations come and go, but an organization that can last 60 years without being infiltrated, without compromising its principles, that is the organization you want to belong to…. The beacon of freedom around the world is the United States, and the John Birch Society is the beacon of freedom for the United States.” The Society, he said, is the “preeminent organization in the world fighting for freedom and liberty.” Plus, “it has always been a small group of patriots that have kept that candle of liberty burning for the next generation,” he added.
In his area, local activists recently gave gift subscriptions to The New American to 137 people. They were able to sell out all tickets two weeks in advance to an upcoming event. But the fight must go on. Going forward, Shea urged the young people in the room to consider entrepreneurship and careers in media. He also called on everyone to read The New American magazine and join LocalActivist.org, an alternative to Facebook for freedom activists. He also advocated going into rural communities, homeschooling communities, and others in search of more allies to get active in the freedom fight. In Washington State, lawmakers were able to ban Islamic sharia law, sharia courts, and foreign court orders. “If we can do it in Washington we can do it all over the country,” he said, expressing optimism for the future.
Also offering insight to the freedom activists was Representative Dorothy Moon of Idaho, a longtime Bircher whose husband serves on the Society’s prestigious National Council. Moon has gained a reputation nationally as one of the fiercest defenders of property rights, individual liberty, and the American Western way of life. In her powerful speech, among other topics, Representative Moon spoke on how state legislators can and should interpose on behalf of their constituents to protect the Constitution and liberty. She spoke very highly of her tough constituents, too. And she gave a great amount of insight into the political situation in her home state, which is a bright spot amid a sea of demoralizing news out of Washington, D.C.
High on her priority list of issues was the ongoing battle over a Constitutional Convention. In her popular speech, she shined the light on the Convention of States movement’s dirty tricks in Idaho. For instance, after receiving a petition in favor of a constitutional convention, Representative Moon decided to probe a little deeper. Incredibly, she noticed that some of the signatures on the pro-Con Con petitions were actually Birchers she knew personally. So she called them. They had never signed such a petition, obviously. “Fraudulent,” Moon said. “They never signed ’em.” She suggested the pro-Con Con forces were going through voting rolls and just adding names to the petitions. Moon also celebrated that four lead proponents of the Con Con had now lost their seats in the legislature. Key to the victory over the Con-Con: a proverbial army of JBS members. Across America, the Con-Con forces have lost nearly 20 battles and won zero over the last year.
The event was a great success. In an upcoming article, The New American will give more details about some of the other speeches and speakers at the 60th anniversary celebration. Virtually everyone agreed it was a great success and a great time. And thanks to liberty-minded lawmakers and the liberty movement that is educating the electorate and making their victories possible, there was an incredible sense of good cheer and optimism in the room. Stay tuned for videos and more over the coming days and weeks.
Alex Newman is a correspondent for The New American, covering economics, education, politics, and more. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ALEXNEWMAN_JOU or on Facebook.
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