The Constitution: Hanging by a Thread

"It is the nature of power, especially political power, but all power... the nature of power is to centralize and then to expand." -- Oliver DeMille

  This is a profound statement. But is it true? If so, did the founders know that? What safety measures did they put in place to protect our freedom? And how have those safeties been violated since their implementation?

   Any glimpse at history would show that power, if left unchecked, will always seek more power. The founders recognized this. So they took proper precautionary advances to stop this. As Jefferson said that "It is by dividing and subdividing these republics...that all will be done for the best." (Letter to Joseph C. Cabell, 1816)
   What are these "divisions and subdivisions" that the founders placed into our Constitution to protect us?
There are 16 major principles that lay the foundation of our country's freedom from this "over-centralized" government. Let's take a moment to go over these 16 foundations of a free republic.

16 Divisions and Subdivisions of Government

   The founders wrote these things into our supreme law. As we take a look at these principles please look for ways that these things may have been violated. 

1. A separation of powers between the branches of government.
2. Checks (as in checks & balances). The founders referred to these as negatives, or ways that one branch can stop the others.
3. Balances. Referred to as positives by the founders. It is a way to force cooperation between branches.
4. A separation of powers between the federal and state governments by using checks and balances.
5. 20 powers of the congress written into the Constitution.
6. All powers of government were specifically written out and prescribed. All unwritten rights rest with the people and the states. 
7. A jury of the vicinage, or a jury of those who know you so that your rights may be properly protected. This form of jury actually had the power to negate any law in a given case if they so desired.
8. Tax collection was a state power. No "income tax" or federal taxation of people specifically.
9. States could veto federal programs by using their appointed senators.
10. There were limits on government coining and spending money. 
11. A bill of rights and due process, habius corpus.
12. State oversight of wars and treaties via appointed Senators.
13. No ex post facto laws or retroactive laws.
14. No bills of attainder or a bill that targets a specific group or person. 
15. That the Legislature has primacy. Because it is represented by the people it should have more power and more checks.
16. Privacy rights and protection of personal papers and forms.

   These were what the founders did to stop our Government from centralizing and expanding. But were there ways around this? If these divisions represent the rope that is holding up our Constitution, have we violated them to the point that it is "hanging as it is, by a single thread"?

Waves of Attack: Cutting the threads

   In the history of our country there have been four waves of attack on our Constitution, and each one significantly damaged our rope. While at the time it didn't seem like a huge deal, after all the attacks it's starting to pile up. And now the government of "We the People" is hanging by a thread. Let's take a look at these waves. 

 The First Wave: 1803-1824

   In 1803 the first major blow to our rope came. In the case of Marbury v. Madison the Judiciary branch ruled that it had the power to determine the constitutionality of anything for anyone in the government. This came from the idea that they could do this "in any given case." They did not have that power and they gave to themselves what they did not posses in the first place, sound like a centralization of power? I would say so. 

   Later, in the case of Cohens v. Virginia in 1821 the Supreme Court ruled itself above the states with its power to veto the states' decisions. Once again the court attacked our foundation and centralized the government power even more. 

   Over the following years even more cases were tried, and the power was shifted further to the Supreme Court. 

   In this attack there were major blows to divisions 1-3, and a large loss of division 4. Though it was not huge, we started down a path a centralization that has not stopped. 

The Second Wave: Post-Civil War carpet bagging. 

   Following the civil war there was a huge push for bigger federal government and smaller state government. This was only the natural response to a civil conflict. But, in result of this change, there were some decisions made and national attitudes changed that still affect us almost 200 years later. 

  1. The first big attitude change was huge. The government began to act as more of a national government instead of a federal government. This was big. Where a federal government is there to keep the states working together in a national federation, a national government was one where the basic unit was the nation, and the states are only divisions of it. In this new focus and attitude the states surrendered many of their rights to the now national government. At this point the emphasis moved from The United States of America, to, The United States of America. 

  2. The next paradigm shift came as a serious blow to divisions 5 and 6. The national idea of where unwritten rights lay changed drastically. This had happened before at the time of the Norman conquest of England. Before the Norman invasion, the Anglo-Saxons had some government. It even worked! The basis of this government was that it would take care of the rights and executions of laws that were prescribed to it by their law. Any unwritten, God given rights lay with people until the people willingly gave them to the government. This was the view of pre-civil war America. Following the war, there was a shift to the Norman approach to government. This basically consisted of a supreme government that held all rights and power in itself. This idea was the new framework for post-civil war America.

  3. The last attack of this wave was very direct, focusing on one division. This was the jury of the vicinage. In this attack the judicial branch ruled that juries no longer had power to negate laws. Even though this seems slightly insignificant, in the actuality of the matter, this was a huge shift in power to the national government. Once again we see the power centralizing. 

   At this point we are seeing a significant number of our threads have been weakened and several have been formally cut. 

The Third Wave: 1913

   1913 was a horrendous year for America. Interesting that this happened 100 years ago. If the fourth turning (see The Fourth Turning, Strauss & Howe) holds true, we may be in for a huge fatal attack in the upcoming years, but more on that later. 

   Three major things struck our divisions in 1913.
    1. The Sixteenth Amendment. 

"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

   This amendment shifted the power to tax people from the states to the Congress. It also places an income tax on the people. At this point the states still had some power, but the national government had far more than the states did. At this point the only real ability and hold that the states had against the government is their appointed senators. But that is about to change.
   2. The next attack of 1913 came with the Seventeenth Amendment.  Let's take a look at that one:

"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote..."

  This is bad. This amendment utterly abolished the 4th, 9th, and 12th divisions.  By doing this, the states no longer had any real say over what happened in the Congress. This was one of the worst things ever done to our Constitution. It also laid the path for further centralization of power.
   3. The last attack of 1913 came with the establishment of the Federal Reserve. Contrary to popular belief, the Federal Reserve is not a government organization! It is, however, a private business that makes money making money. Oh, and they're the only people that can do this. That means it's a money making monopoly. Not cool. This attacked division ten very directly. Now there was no limit to "coining money" and with a government that already spent more than it earned we were in for some trouble.

Where are we now?

   Let's take a moment and look at the world of 1913. At this point was the Constitution hanging by a thread? Let's look at our list again:

1st-4th : infringed on by 1st and 2nd waves.

5th-7th : attacked by 2nd wave

8th-10th, 12th: Destroyed by 3rd wave. 

   So, of the original 16, we only have five real divisions left, I believe that would constitute hanging by a thread. 

The Fourth Wave: Black Tuesday to ???

   The fourth attack started with Black Tuesday, later with the 9/11 attacks, and in the 2008 market free fall. In lieu of this, we have seen a huge campaign for bigger national government and smaller state governments. This plan ran smoothly through the system because of the change in the senate. Many other divisions were violated at this time as well. Ex post facto laws were being passed left and right, justified by a government trying to save these businesses that were, "Too Big to Fail."  Many of these bills also targeted small groups or individuals. In a short period of time two of the remaining divisions were completely forgotten.
   Also there was the Patriot Act. With that went a part of the Bill of Rights and due process is only a formality. Because of all this the government has completely bypassed almost all of it's divisions. Most of the power has now centralized in Washington, and we have seen it expanding quickly. Obama has already issued 14 executive orders (which bypasses division 15) and with the NSA, Homeland Security, and all the other "Big Brother" programs we have lost the 16th division.
   This is where we stand now. The first three divisions are the only ones that are even partially left. We are on the brink of a loss of our freedoms. We are in desperate need of people, statesmen, who can restore our freedom. Who can bring back what has been lost. Are we ready, or will we stand idly by as we lose the last freedoms we have?

What can we do about it?

   This has been a rather depressing topic. If you have been discouraged by this, don't be! There's still a hope for America. I'm sure that there is a solution, but to find it, we need to look at the source of the problem. 

   I believe that the problem lies in complacency. There were three points about complacency that Oliver DeMille lines out in his audio course Hanging By a Thread (which, by the way, is the inspiration for this article). Let's look at these points.

• The people don't know that these things are happening. 
• The masses don't read the classics. 
• We've lost leadership qualities and innovative qualities as a society.

   These are the problems, so how can we fix them? There are things we can do to save this country! Here are some ways that you can fight the complacency.

• Share what is happening in our world. (you could share this article, start right now!) Increase awareness on major world issues.
• Read! Help promote this point others, that those who know the classics will lead society. 
• Be entrepreneurs. They have the qualities of leadership and Innovation that we need to fix our country. 

   This is what we need to do about it. Stand up, fight for your beliefs and for your freedom! 

   The nature of power is first, to centralize, and then to expand. Our government has centralized into Washington and now we are seeing it expanding. The divisions of the Constitution, the rope that holds it up, have been cut away over the many waves of attack. We are at the edge. If we sit here complacently and let the storm wash over us we will have to look our grandchildren in the eyes and tell them that we lost their freedom. We can fix this if we try. Even though our freedoms are hanging by a thread, we can save this. We can take that rope and we can fix it, and bring us back to the glory of ages past. Will you stand for liberty? 

Thank you for you time. Have a great day! 

Inspiration for this article, division list and quotes from Oliver DeMille's audio lecture; Hanging By a Thread available for purchase at link. 

The Pilgrims Were Founders!

As we commemorate the first Thanksgiving of 1621, we must remember the Pilgrims, their sacrifices, and their attitude of thanks towards God. Besides Thanksgiving, though, how significant are the Pilgrims to this country? Did the Pilgrims' principles influence our Constitution at all?

We all know the founders of America. As Americans, we all know and respect the men that founded our nation; men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and many others. We all know the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. These were all great men who we all know about, but were there other founders of this country? Where did the ideas for the Constitution come from? Thomas Jefferson once admitted that the Declaration of Independence had no original ideas. The founders didn’t come up with these ideas and principles by themselves. There were other men who help pave the way for the Constitution to come forth, and I believe that it’s only fair that these “other men” be considered founders of this country as well.

On March 19, 1590 in Austerfield, Yorkshire, England, a boy was baptized. Although this boy’s family was fairly prosperous, his childhood would not be easy. The boy’s father, mother, and grandfather had all passed away by the time he was seven years old, and the boy was often plagued with sickness, causing him to not be able to work. However, the boy decided that there was a purpose for his life, so he decided to turn to reading, and he became very familiar with many classic works of literature and scripture. The Bible, for example, was his main topic of study, and he became very familiar and passionate with Christianity and religion.

William Bradford changed the world. If there was never a William Bradford, then there would’ve never been a free America. The most shocking part about this, though, is that religion was Bradford’s way of life. Why is this so shocking? Well, it’s like I said before: with no Bradford, we would have no freedom. If Bradford’s way of life was religion, then our freedom is based and founded on principles of Christianity and religion.

This is my point: William Bradford and the Pilgrims came to America for religious freedom. If this point can be proved, then we come one step closer to proving a much more important point, that is: God is the reason for our freedom. This is a very important issue today. If Americans can understand that our freedom came from God, then Americans can understand that the government cannot take our freedom away. Once Americans can understand this, we can be unified in throwing off abusive, oppressive government. William Bradford is a huge reason for our freedom, because he wrote the Mayflower Compact, which was very influential to the establishment of our freedom.

The Pilgrims laid the foundation for this nation, our government, and ultimately the Constitution. Even before the Constitution, the first major governing document in the colonies was the Mayflower Compact. This document is only two paragraphs long, and it mentions God five times and Christianity/faith twice. The reason for the Mayflower Compact was religious freedom, because the Pilgrims didn’t want another ruler to take their freedom to worship God away. In England, the Pilgrims were oppressed, and they came to America to worship God. America was founded on principles of faith.

Much later, as the U.S. Constitution was being framed, the founders of our country structured our government very similarly to the Pilgrim’s government. For example, the Mayflower Compact says, “covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation”. This calls for unity between people, just like the U.S. Constitution calls for unity between the states. The Mayflower Compact also mentions, “by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices…for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.” The Mayflower Compact, just like the U.S. Constitution, called for equality, fair laws, and obedience to those laws.

Guess who was the key figure in framing the Mayflower Compact? By writing this document, William Bradford helped to pave the way for freedom and for the Constitution. Why is freedom so important, though? You must remember that the reason for the Pilgrims coming to America was religious freedom. Without religious freedom, the Pilgrims would have no reason to come to America. Therefore, if the Constitution was framed like the Mayflower Compact, and the Mayflower Compact was framed on principles of religious freedom, then the reason for our nation today is God. That is why William Bradford was so important to this nation. Without William Bradford, the reason for America may not have been God, and if God hadn’t been the reason for America, then America wouldn’t have had assistance from God, and therefore, it wouldn’t exist. Without William Bradford, there would be no America. That is why William Bradford was a founder and a hero.

The Gettysburg Address: Is God Dead In America?

            Last Tuesday was the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address", a speech that we can all agree helped shape and define America. On the morning of this anniversary, I was sitting in a class at my local Junior High School. It was the first period of the day, so the loudspeaker came on for announcements. After the bulk of the announcements, a boy came on the loudspeaker and said, "Today is the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address!" He proceeded to read the speech. However, I was disturbed by what he recited. The wording of the speech that he was reading was far from the wording of the Gettysburg Address that I knew. What is going on here? I asked myself. My initial thought was that he was trying to recite the speech from memory, and that he was failing very badly. However, at these were his words at the end of the speech: "...that these dead shall not have died in vain, that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." He had omitted God from the Gettysburg Address! At this point, I was furious. The school district must not allow God in schools. Lincoln would be ashamed. I thought. However, I thought nothing else of it as I went about experiencing my Tuesday. However, my anger was re-kindled that evening when I came across this video:

            My anger was now as hot as a burnt potato bursting out of an over-sized volcano. However, a lot of this anger was a result of my ignorance on this issue. I suspected that something was going on, so I decided to do a little bit of research. This is what I discovered:

Obviously, nobody knows the exact words that came out of Abraham Lincoln's mouth during the Gettysburg Address, because it was a speech. We know the exact words of the Constitution, because the Constitution was always meant to be a physical, written document. You can't know the exact words of a speech unless you record that speech, and unfortunately, a sound recording of the Gettysburg Address is not available. As a result of this, there are five original copies of the Gettysburg Address: 

The "Nicolay Copy" 

The "Hay Draft"

The "Everett Copy"

The "Bancroft Copy"

The "Bliss Copy"

            The first two of these copies (the Nicolay and the Hay) were drafts written by Lincoln before giving the speech. These copies are often referred to as the first and second drafts of the Gettysburg Address. Neither of these drafts include the words "under God" in them. These copies were originally written by Lincoln before giving his speech, and the drafts are named after John Nicolay and John Hay, who were two of Lincoln's secretaries. Obviously, neither of these drafts include Lincoln's signature, because they were only notes to himself. Scholars disagree on which of these copies was the actual paper that Lincoln used as a reference during his speech, but it makes more sense that the Hay Draft would be the paper, because it was the second draft of the speech, and the wording is closer to the wording of many newspaper reports of the speech.   

Abraham Lincoln, shortly after delivering "The
Gettysburg Address"

          The remaining three copies (the Everett, Bancroft, and Bliss) were copies that Lincoln wrote after delivering the Gettysburg Address. All three of these copies each include the words "under God" in them. Lincoln wrote these copies by hand as a request from three different people at three different times (Edward Everett, George Bancroft, and Alexander Bliss). Many experts accept the Bliss copy as the Gettysburg Address, because it is the only copy out of all five that includes Lincoln's signature (the Bliss copy was also the only Gettysburg Address that I knew on Tuesday). 

         The copy that was being quoted by President Obama and the boy at the Junior High School is the Nicolay copy (the copy that is believed to be the first draft of the Gettysburg Address). It doesn't make any sense that they would choose to quote the first draft, because Lincoln obviously changed his speech after writing the first draft. It would have made a lot more sense if they would've quoted the Hay draft, at least. It certainly would've made a lot more sense to quote any of the drafts that were written after Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, because the drafts that were written afterwards are obviously a lot more accurate! There is only one explanation for this: politicians and government want to get rid of God in this country.

        Why is it important that we have God in our country? Think about it: this country was based on principles of religious freedom. Religious freedom was the purpose for the Pilgrims and the Puritans coming to America. Look at America's history. Without God, we would be nothing. America would not be independent from Great Britain without God, because the Revolutionary War obviously wouldn't have been won without God. Without God's help, this country would have certainly been split in two at the time of the Civil War. Look at history! This is God's chosen land, but it is becoming something else, and this will undoubtedly bring the curses of God upon us. Where are you, America? Wake up! Millions of us want to take God off of our currency, out of Congress, and out of our Pledge of Allegiance. We have to stop this. Unless we turn this train around, it will plummet into the depths of hell and destruction.

        If there is one thing that I know about the Gettysburg Address, it is this: the words "under God" were uttered by Abraham Lincoln in his speech on November 19, 1863. All three of Lincoln's copies of the Gettysburg Address that were written after he gave the speech mention these words. Multiple newspapers that initially reported the Gettysburg Address mention these words. William E. Barton, one of Lincoln's most famous biographers, says this on the issue: 

"Every stenographic report, good, bad and indifferent, says 'that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom.' There was no common source from which all the reporters could have obtained those words but from Lincoln's own lips at the time of delivery. It will not do to say that [Secretary of War] Stanton suggested those words after Lincoln's return to Washington, for the words were telegraphed by at least three reporters on the afternoon of the delivery."

The arguments for Lincoln's first two drafts of the Gettysburg Address are hereby void. Lincoln had added impromptu words in many of his past speeches. All proof and evidence of the wording of this speech points to the two words "under God". Lincoln was a man of God, and under God, Lincoln kept this nation united in the midst of the Civil War. The Gettysburg Address is a witness and a testimony of this truth:

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate--we cannot consecrate--we cannot hallow--this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that the nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." --Abraham Lincoln