As a member of the Republican Party most of my political life, now unaffiliated, I am disappointed that party candidate McInnis has chosen party over the state he hopes to represent as Governor of Colorado. If the EPA or the Department of Commerce were leading a charge to take 100,000 acres of Colorado land, where would Scott McInnis stand, and those that support this GOP position? Would the GOP and McInnis be supporting the takeover of land by one of these federal bureaucracies? Maybe they would. You can’t tell where the GOP stands anymore, they seem to negotiate any value for votes these days.
So what makes this land grab different? It is still a bureaucracy leading the land grab but it is a military bureaucracy. That is the rub. The GOP doesn’t want to have to defend on principle that they are questioning anything about the military. That might look like the GOP doesn’t support the military. That is the red herring. Colorado and most republicans support the military, and Colorado is home to significant numbers of veterans and active military. But is this a military issue? Is there evidence that this expansion is necessary to the success of the military? Is there evidence that without this land our military warriors will be put in danger? Or is this an opportunity for a military bureaucracy to increase power and control over the future Army operations? Honestly I don’t know the motive since it seems to be unclear on the “why” of this latest expansion.
All indications are that military operations are relying more on technology and less on human resources. Our military is the best trained in the world on both tactical ground operations as well as technology driven operations. It is guaranteed with the current democratic administration and congress that budgets are going to be cut because the left hates our military. So if this is the case, what is the argument for the expansion? Money and jobs? Is that what it all comes down to? Money and jobs? Where is the principle? And when the military in the future decides to leave, where does the Colorado ranching industry stand then? Our ranchers are critical to our economy as well. And these farmers are committed to the stewardship of Colorado land and Colorado. Can we say that of the military bureaucracy and the politicians in Washington that decide military funding?
Put yourself in the shoes of our fellow Coloradans that have spent their life on these ranches that are critical to the heritage and economy of our state. These good folks should not be put into a situation that defending their land means they’re anti military. That is a false premise. I believe if they believed this land grab had merit and the facts supported the effort, they could be convinced. But the evidence to date seems to be contrary or non- existent to support the expansion. These Colorado residents deserve better from their state elected officials. I expect it from our federal representatives because they have sold their souls to central government but someone running for the Governor of Colorado has to think beyond the image of the party and do what is right for the citizens of our state.
I will stand by our Colorado families as Governor. Will the federal government and military bureaucracy threaten to take their bases and expansions somewhere else if these folks don’t sell their land? They will surely threaten. I have to ask the residents of Colorado; what price do we put on principle? What price do we put on our land? At what cost do we give up our state sovereignty to a bunch of bureaucrats, even if they work for the military?
True knowledge of American history is necessary to insure the future of the America we love… This is an important time in our country's history. We must be wise and measured as we choose our leaders going forward.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Declaration of Independence; 2010
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to
assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which
the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any
Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the
People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its
foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed,
will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light
and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are
more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by
abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of
abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to
reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to
throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
These original words from our Declaration of Independence in 1776 are prophetic. Our founders knew, and addressed the propensity of man to seize power over others in all of the founding documents which we must revisit in the 2010 election cycle if we are to remain prosperous and free in the future. We don’t need simple reform we need fundamental reform. We need to re-affirm our constitution and reset our governmental policies to align with our Constitution.
We need to bring the “seat” of government back to the states and individuals as intended, and limit the growth of central government in DC by starving the funding that has allowed it to borrow against our good credit. We must also limit the ability of the Federal Bank to print money.
My plan as Governor is to re-affirm and utilize the Tenth Amendment to nullify unconstitutional federal laws. To starve the funding I will ask the Colorado citizens to amend the Colorado Constitution to limit the amount of direct federal taxation of our income to 18% maximum (Challeging the Sixteenth Amendment). Is that radical? Maybe, but what do you think they were saying in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was being drafted?
Where is the spirit that sparked the greatest self governing nation in the world today? Where are the patriots and founders willing to talk about the revolution necessary to bring about real change? Why even have a Constitution if we are not willing to abide by it and defend it?
Where will our children be in the future if we don’t take a stand to protect our heritage? Let us declare ourselves the “Guards for their future security”…
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Sam Adams and Liberty; Never Compromise…
After reading a great book (Samuel Adams - A Life - By Ira Stoll) I am always inspired to see things with a new or re-energized perspective. I sometimes wish I lived in the days of our founding because I would have loved to have agitated the revolution along side of Sam Adams. Sam Adams and so many of our founders would have never compromised on liberty. Liberty was non-negotiable to these men. To these men liberty was God given and therefore no man had a right to infringe on it or negotiate it away.
Compare that to today’s crop of politicians currently debating healthcare on our behalf. And I use “on our behalf” loosely because the majority of our countrymen want nothing to do with this debacle. But what are they “negotiating”? Senator Harkin had the gall to suggest that this group of politicians were “creating a new set of rights” and he even used the word “inalienable” to describe what this legislation was trying to accomplish. My God are we asleep?
Where is Sam Adams? Where are the leaders promoting our founder’s principles? Where are the people in government that understand the assault that is happening against our constitution? This is the foundation of my argument against the two parties and in particular the Republican Party. Listening to the party candidates is like listening to corporate gobble de goop in a meeting where the meeting is the focus instead of the business objectives of the organization. We are supposed to believe that the GOP is the answer in 2010 since no other candidates are worthy of our attention. But I ask what GOP candidate is willing to be the Sam Adams of our generation? What candidates are willing to pledge their lives and fortunes for our liberty? What candidates are willing to agitate the current system that is just as oppressing as the one Sam Adams fostered a revolution against?
Every candidate that is running through the party system is trying to work that system to get elected. Where are the candidates that care about what is happening to our constitutional and God given rights? They are not in the “system” in my opinion. The people in the system are too concerned with garnering party activist support instead of talking about the real issues. I concede there are some that are on the right side of some of the issues but where is the candidate talking about the constitution?
Sam Adams was not afraid to stand on principle no matter the consequence. We have candidates today that just want to win the election. But winning elections as we have seen does not guarantee that the winning party will govern according to the constitution of this land. The GOP became as intrusive as the Democratic Party. That is why they have been losing elections and members like myself. Not because they are too conservative, or not open enough, or maligned by the press. It is because they have drifted away from our founding principles and are willing to compromise our rights away.
The constitutional principles of this nation are the way. Compromising on any bill before establishing the constitutional validity of the bill is what our politicians need to be debating. Sam Adams would know that. Where is our Sam Adams?
Compare that to today’s crop of politicians currently debating healthcare on our behalf. And I use “on our behalf” loosely because the majority of our countrymen want nothing to do with this debacle. But what are they “negotiating”? Senator Harkin had the gall to suggest that this group of politicians were “creating a new set of rights” and he even used the word “inalienable” to describe what this legislation was trying to accomplish. My God are we asleep?
Where is Sam Adams? Where are the leaders promoting our founder’s principles? Where are the people in government that understand the assault that is happening against our constitution? This is the foundation of my argument against the two parties and in particular the Republican Party. Listening to the party candidates is like listening to corporate gobble de goop in a meeting where the meeting is the focus instead of the business objectives of the organization. We are supposed to believe that the GOP is the answer in 2010 since no other candidates are worthy of our attention. But I ask what GOP candidate is willing to be the Sam Adams of our generation? What candidates are willing to pledge their lives and fortunes for our liberty? What candidates are willing to agitate the current system that is just as oppressing as the one Sam Adams fostered a revolution against?
Every candidate that is running through the party system is trying to work that system to get elected. Where are the candidates that care about what is happening to our constitutional and God given rights? They are not in the “system” in my opinion. The people in the system are too concerned with garnering party activist support instead of talking about the real issues. I concede there are some that are on the right side of some of the issues but where is the candidate talking about the constitution?
Sam Adams was not afraid to stand on principle no matter the consequence. We have candidates today that just want to win the election. But winning elections as we have seen does not guarantee that the winning party will govern according to the constitution of this land. The GOP became as intrusive as the Democratic Party. That is why they have been losing elections and members like myself. Not because they are too conservative, or not open enough, or maligned by the press. It is because they have drifted away from our founding principles and are willing to compromise our rights away.
The constitutional principles of this nation are the way. Compromising on any bill before establishing the constitutional validity of the bill is what our politicians need to be debating. Sam Adams would know that. Where is our Sam Adams?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Christianity, Massachusetts, the Tenth Amendment, and Sam Adams…
I just finished the book, “Samuel Adams – A Life-“ by Ira Stoll, and if you are a Christian it is a must read. If you are a lover of liberty you must read. If you are a lover of the Tenth Amendment you must read. And if you love to learn about the founding of this nation it is a must read!
I have to admit I had a very limited knowledge of Sam Adams beyond the taste of the beer bearing his name. After reading this I have to conclude that the American Revolution may not have happened or turned out the way it did without the agitation, devotion to God, and passion of Sam Adams. His passion for freedom and absolute faith that America was blessed with a divine providence, as long as we practiced a faith in our creator, was the driving determination behind this remarkable man’s life.
I lived in Massachusetts for about 15 years and I can say with confidence the state resembles nothing of the political and religious devotion of Sam Adam’s time. With his guidance Massachusetts was a bastion of moral behavior and religious devotion. If you have any doubt that we are a nation built on Christian principles, this book will clarify it for you. Ira Stoll uses the documents of the time to lay out the life of Sam Adams that was consumed with religious reflection in the pursuit of liberty and a representative republican government.
On page 235 Ira Stoll lays out the discussions that revolved around the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Massachusetts delegates of which Sam Adams was a key player, who was reserving judgment because he was suspicious of a central authority, and was happy with the Articles of Confederation, included some amendments that would turn out to be the foundation of the First, Second, and Fourth amendment’s in the Bill of Rights. Included along with these amendments was the Tenth which John Hancock suggested to gain favor and address Adam’s reservation about a central government. Hancock proposed an amendment to include “that all powers not expressly delegated to Congress, are reserved to the several states” which ended up in the constitution with the addition of “or to the people respectively’. Adams agrees to support the constitution based on Hancock’s “conciliatory proposition.” Without Adam’s blessing, it seems to be the agreement of the founders at the time; Massachusetts may not have supported the constitution. And if not for Hancock’s suggestion, which turns out to be the Tenth Amendment, our historic prosperity might have been completely different.
Sam Adams was what we would call today an “agitator” and was a newspaper writer that had a flare for stirring the masses according to documents of the time. But he never wavered on his commitment to God, country, and local representation.
I now know, Sam Adams is more than a beer and a cousin to the well known John Adams, President of the United States. Sam Adams was one of those underappreciated patriots that have not been given his due in the main stream education system, in my opinion because he was a religious man. He was responsible for many religious proclamations as a government official that today would be a constant target of the ACLU. If the ACLU was around at the times of Adams we would still be a colony.
I encourage you to read up on Sam Adams and in particular “Samuel Adams –A Life-“by Ira Stoll. You will come out of that book with a new perspective, appreciation, and passion for liberty, the revolution, our founders, the constitution, and God.
I have to admit I had a very limited knowledge of Sam Adams beyond the taste of the beer bearing his name. After reading this I have to conclude that the American Revolution may not have happened or turned out the way it did without the agitation, devotion to God, and passion of Sam Adams. His passion for freedom and absolute faith that America was blessed with a divine providence, as long as we practiced a faith in our creator, was the driving determination behind this remarkable man’s life.
I lived in Massachusetts for about 15 years and I can say with confidence the state resembles nothing of the political and religious devotion of Sam Adam’s time. With his guidance Massachusetts was a bastion of moral behavior and religious devotion. If you have any doubt that we are a nation built on Christian principles, this book will clarify it for you. Ira Stoll uses the documents of the time to lay out the life of Sam Adams that was consumed with religious reflection in the pursuit of liberty and a representative republican government.
On page 235 Ira Stoll lays out the discussions that revolved around the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Massachusetts delegates of which Sam Adams was a key player, who was reserving judgment because he was suspicious of a central authority, and was happy with the Articles of Confederation, included some amendments that would turn out to be the foundation of the First, Second, and Fourth amendment’s in the Bill of Rights. Included along with these amendments was the Tenth which John Hancock suggested to gain favor and address Adam’s reservation about a central government. Hancock proposed an amendment to include “that all powers not expressly delegated to Congress, are reserved to the several states” which ended up in the constitution with the addition of “or to the people respectively’. Adams agrees to support the constitution based on Hancock’s “conciliatory proposition.” Without Adam’s blessing, it seems to be the agreement of the founders at the time; Massachusetts may not have supported the constitution. And if not for Hancock’s suggestion, which turns out to be the Tenth Amendment, our historic prosperity might have been completely different.
Sam Adams was what we would call today an “agitator” and was a newspaper writer that had a flare for stirring the masses according to documents of the time. But he never wavered on his commitment to God, country, and local representation.
I now know, Sam Adams is more than a beer and a cousin to the well known John Adams, President of the United States. Sam Adams was one of those underappreciated patriots that have not been given his due in the main stream education system, in my opinion because he was a religious man. He was responsible for many religious proclamations as a government official that today would be a constant target of the ACLU. If the ACLU was around at the times of Adams we would still be a colony.
I encourage you to read up on Sam Adams and in particular “Samuel Adams –A Life-“by Ira Stoll. You will come out of that book with a new perspective, appreciation, and passion for liberty, the revolution, our founders, the constitution, and God.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Vanity Candidate?
I was listening to Hugh Hewitt yesterday and he was talking to a republican congressman that is running for senator and the discussion turned to the other candidates in the race. The congressman used the term “vanity” candidate. I took complete offense and you should too that in a snippy fashion they both discounted all of the other candidates in that race. Hugh Hewitt just as a matter of fact stated “they have no chance of winning.” Hugh is a complete tool for the GOP. It is the one issue I couldn’t disagree more vehemently on with Hugh who I more often agree with than disagree.
People that have chosen to run have become totally disgruntled with the establishment candidates and are giving the voters a choice. And we need candidates that are not party hacks and will stand for the constitution and the founding principles of this nation. We need more “vanity” candidates because the fact is the Republican Party is as guilty as the Democratic Party for the mess we are in.
We need to vote for the candidate not the party. The party had its chance and blew it. That is the fact, and that is what people need to consider in the 2010 election.
Ask yourself; which party is responsible for the mess we are in? The answer is both parties!
Make a choice and take a chance on new candidates that are not connected to the apparatus that has served us so poorly over the past decade…
People that have chosen to run have become totally disgruntled with the establishment candidates and are giving the voters a choice. And we need candidates that are not party hacks and will stand for the constitution and the founding principles of this nation. We need more “vanity” candidates because the fact is the Republican Party is as guilty as the Democratic Party for the mess we are in.
We need to vote for the candidate not the party. The party had its chance and blew it. That is the fact, and that is what people need to consider in the 2010 election.
Ask yourself; which party is responsible for the mess we are in? The answer is both parties!
Make a choice and take a chance on new candidates that are not connected to the apparatus that has served us so poorly over the past decade…
Monday, January 4, 2010
Senator Harkin is not God; Or any Politician for that Matter…
In comments on healthcare (he upgraded these remarks today to include the phrase inalienable right) from Senator Harkin of Iowa, he stated that the healthcare legislation is the start of the creation of “new inalienable rights” for all Americans. As if inalienable rights were something that any human could grant. Therefore he and this group of senators must believe they are God.
I would like the senator to explain how any human being can “grant” inalienable rights? The fact is we are endowed by our creator with inalienable rights. Is this senate, Mr. Harkin or any human capable of granting these rights?
This is ignorance, arrogance, and a true insight to the way these politicians view us, the holders of those rights. These people are dangerous and must be replaced with people that understand our constitution and its principles.
We must get every Governor and state legislature to speak out and nullify this healthcare bill and every other piece of legislation that is not authorized in the constitution.
This is a revolution against our constitution by the current crop of politicians. We have not heard a peep from the press or the GOP. They are both parties to this fraud being perpetrated on the people. They all must be voted out.
Find constitutional candidates and support them with your lives and fortunes… Our constitution must become front and center again. We answer to one God and he certainly doesn’t sit in this congress…
I would like the senator to explain how any human being can “grant” inalienable rights? The fact is we are endowed by our creator with inalienable rights. Is this senate, Mr. Harkin or any human capable of granting these rights?
This is ignorance, arrogance, and a true insight to the way these politicians view us, the holders of those rights. These people are dangerous and must be replaced with people that understand our constitution and its principles.
We must get every Governor and state legislature to speak out and nullify this healthcare bill and every other piece of legislation that is not authorized in the constitution.
This is a revolution against our constitution by the current crop of politicians. We have not heard a peep from the press or the GOP. They are both parties to this fraud being perpetrated on the people. They all must be voted out.
Find constitutional candidates and support them with your lives and fortunes… Our constitution must become front and center again. We answer to one God and he certainly doesn’t sit in this congress…
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