Last Saturday I attended a function that was intended to bring together Tea Party, patriot, 912 and liberty groups from north central Ohio. The title for the gathering was “Finding Common Ground” wherein all the groups would coalesce on major themes and goals for restoring our nation to its Constitutional roots. Kudos to the organizers for attempting to bring the discontented together in order to develop a common strategy. I was honored to be a part of the program, but I must admit that I when I left the meeting hall, I was euphoric …and disturbed.
First, the good news. Patriots from several counties were there, and they represented the leaders of their respective organizations. The speakers examined a number of areas of interest to constitutionalists across the board. The hall was a great venue. The food was delicious, and the parking was great…unfortunately.
Now the bad news. More freedom-loving groups should have been represented. More counties and communities should have had representatives in attendance. More of the members, the followers and the simply curious should have been there to acquire some insight into the breath and the depth of the “restoration” movement. That is why I labeled the great parking situation as unfortunate. Success could have been defined by running out of good parking.
Our speakers shared a number of items that are on the plates of those who desire constitutional government. Some of those included the Right to Life (clearly identified in the Constitution), the end to the progressive-corporate-government cabal to manipulate the reins of power, and the importance of free market capitalism for the preservation of liberty. Others addressed the just-passed Senate Bill 5 by the Legislature of Ohio, and proposed amendments for the Constitution of the State of Ohio.
Because I own this keyboard and because I spoke there on Saturday, I’ll give you a brief synopsis of my intended speech (I say intended because I generally do not use notes when I speak). As the lead off major speaker, I believed my role was to identify the ONE ISSUE that unites all of us. Given my passion and my writing history, I chose to emphasize Liberty as the singular element that should unite all patriots. We will NEVER recoup a truly constitutional republic until we recognize that the underlying principle is individual liberty. We should be aware that true freedom for all may sometimes allow some to engage in behavior that we may personally find objectionable, but as long as that behavior does not threaten or harm our lives, our well-being or our property, then (federally speaking) the government has no business regulating, legalizing or controlling it. As an individual, God has granted you a mind, a heart and a soul. He wishes for you to commit them to Him, but to do so willingly because He’s also granted you free will. It follows, therefore, for the government to oversee our lives and to attempt to coerce us to live by God’s plan (or Allah’s, or Buddha’s, or Confucius’…or Fred’s plan) violates God’s desire for us to make conscious and willing decisions for His way. For those who are secularists no theological justification is necessary, but the right to control one’s own destiny without harming others is the bedrock element of liberty. Any constraint beyond the bedrock violates the principles of freedom unless the individual voluntarily agrees to subordinate free choice for community purposes. Any use of force to compel others to do something against their will (as long as they are clearly not harming others) is sinful, immoral, unethical and wrong. Liberty is absolute, and must be protected and defended.
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