The 912 Platform: Jake Towne | U.S. Congress 15th District – PA

Posted by styletee12 on September 8, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

Jake Towne’s 9/12 Candidacy Statement

“We should reject big government and look inside ourselves for all the things that built this country into what it was.” – Glenn Beck

9 Principles

1. America is Good.

Conceived in liberty, America is a noble and unique experiment created by some of the most revolutionary and brilliant minds of the 18th century who made the bold leap from rule by an elite few (oligarchy) to a constitutional republic with checks and balances. Whereas most wars lead to losses in liberty, our founding fathers began, for the first time on earth, a government based on individual liberties and the rule of law. My view is that the government of a free country, properly speaking, rests not in its elected officials but in its laws. The supreme law of the land is the Constitution. Amazing in its simplicity and clarity, the Constitution has a built-in amendment process to suit the living generation.

2. I believe that individuals are naturally endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights which include the right to life, liberty, and property.

I believe in the sanctity of the human mind, and the natural, individual right to exercise religious freedom. As a congressman, I would vigorously defend the U.S. Constitution which states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government.” I pledge to never use the force of government to infringe upon the people’s rights to worship their Creator or God as they wish.

Furthermore, if I had been alive in 1776, I would have without hesitation have signed the Declaration of Independence which states: “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.”

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

Honesty is about being truthful all the time. To become more honest is to always continue to seek the truth, speak the truth, and to always hold an open mind. When faced with fallacies and misdirection, as is often found in today’s DC and political arena, the truth becomes both a shield and a sword. As a public official, delivering the truth to constituents is owed.

4. The family is sacred. Parents are the authority in their childrens’ lives, not the government.

I grew up with five siblings, and hope to find a wife and have five of my own children someday. I understand that the family nucleus is sacrosanct from the forceful touch of government. The government has no role in instructing you and your spouse on how to raise your children. How to feed, clothe, care for their health, and educate children is the responsibility of the parents. We must all understand that our children are our greatest source of wealth. Influenced by our past, they are our hope and legacy for the future.

The family nucleus has been under attack for many years with two working parents now necessary to get by instead of one. This is a direct result of the government’s hidden inflation tax and the FED’s long seige on the integrity of the dollar. We must also remember that although they are dependent on their parents, babies, children, and teenagers are individuals with rights as well.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

No one – not even politicians wearing fine hats and fancy titles – is above the law. Law is the collective organization of the individual to the defense of liberty. The supreme law of America is the Constitution of the United States. The United States Constitution was written under the principle of “positive grant.” This means the federal government is authorized to exercise only the powers which are specifically given to it by the Constitution, and nothing more. The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property — against aggression.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

Each individual is unique with her or his own preferences, so by definition each person is not equal. However, each individual is fundamentally equal under the law with all other individuals. The rule of law’s framework of liberty ensures the greatest opportunity for individuals to explore their strengths and surmount obstacles. Socialism comes in two flavors. The first – government ownership of the means of production – is easier to spot. The second is far more subtle. The rule of law and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while the rule of law seeks equality in liberty under the law, socialism seeks equality in servitude and restraints upon liberty.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with whom I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

Government exists to protect liberty, not to redistribute wealth, nor to grant special privileges, nor to interfere with the lives of individuals and their actions. Your property and the fruits of your labor are your own, and government coercion to forcibly remove you of your property is theft.

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

G.B. Shaw once said, “A man never tells you anything until you contradict him.” Freedom of speech must be protected at all costs. Dissent must not only be tolerated but welcomed in a free and open society. The novel idea I will bring to my constituents is “Our Open Office.” This form of open government will deliver transparency and accountability in a new and simple way never seen before in history. All citizens will have a voice of input on the bills I vote on, receive in writing monthly updates with a description of all votes cast and why, and which bills were co-sponsored and introduced and why. All citizens can publicly submit proposals for bills.

9. The government works for the people. The people do not answer to the government; the government answers to the people.

A sentence from Pennsylvania’s Constitution says it best: “That all power is originally inherent in, and consequently derived from, the people; therefore all officers of government are their trustees and servants, and at all times accountable to them.” Our founders clearly realized that all power stems from the people, from us, and all officers of government are not masters, but servants. As a Representative, I will be not only a public servant for Pennsylvania’s 15th congressional district, but also their employee.

12 Values

1. Honesty

Honesty is about being truthful to the citizens of my district at all times, even if the truth is stark. When faced with fallacies and misdirection, as is often found in today’s DC and political arena, the truth becomes both a shield and a sword. As a public official, delivering the truth to constituents is owed.

2. Reverence

I deeply revere the right to life, liberty, and property for each individual. Individuals have the right to live their own lives in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal rights of others.

3. Hope

While this value has been turned into a cheap buzzword in past presidential campaigns, we must all hope and have faith in each other that if we remain true to our principles and live them out in the presence of adversity and force from our government. With the help of the people, as a Congressman I will help lead the redefining of our ‘res publica,’ OUR Republic, or translated from the Latin, our public affairs. Together we can start a revolution based on liberty and love, and begin an era of real change, real hope, and real transparency and openness.

4. Thrift

As a Congressman, thrift is a crucial value, and one to be admired. I must endeavor to use the funds entrusted to the government (or, in the case of the federal income tax, stolen by the government) as frugally as possible in accordance with the Constitution and the will of the people in my district. Congress is entrusted with guarding the purse strings of our nation, and I must recognize times and causes when this public money is simply not ours to give.

5. Humility

As Congressman, I serve to represent the people in my district. I am their employee and servant, not a master or aloof politician. Through “Our Open Office” plan, I will give each resident a public voice and easy method to communicate with their government, and deliver the transparency and accountability that can only be delivered as a humble servant.

6. Charity

On the individual level, there is nothing wrong with voluntary charity – quite the opposite, it should be commended! However, as your Congressman I hold the view that government exists to protect liberty, not to redistribute wealth, nor to grant special privileges, nor to interfere with the lives of individuals and their actions. Our country has obviously wavered far from this view, which was the view of our founders. While the idea of using government to help others may appeal to our altruistic side, the truth is that the State commits organized robbery and theft from those with wealth and – quite inefficiently – redistributes this wealth to those who have less as well as favoring the special interest lobbies. As we all know, this was the key failing of the Marxist USSR, and have resulted in the destruction of wealth in the Soviet bloc and among all other socialist societies.

However, I do believe Congress must try its best to uphold the contracts of past Congresses since they affect the lives and health of so many, especially the elderly who are retired or live on fixed incomes. However, no new promises of government charity should be made, and we must aggressively work to free future generations of this burden. Our country’s leaders and representatives should share the vision that the purpose of the current Welfare State should be to eliminate the need for its own existence. Although this will take years, citizens should elect officials that start with the end in mind, and have solid plans on how to get there, not those who insist on perpetuating the status quo.

7. 7. Sincerity

Th The citizens in my district should realize I am truly their sincere servant, and their needs are placed before my own. I will work tirelessly for them until I leave public service, and set an example by helping them by my own hand. Frequent face-to-face town halls and “Our Open Office” will ensure that I stay in honest and sincere touch with the concerns of residents in the area.

8. 8. Moderation

As As representative of the people in my district, I must shift my perspective to see the reasons behind the arguments of two parties with opposing viewpoints, and apply reason and moderation to the extremes in public conversation. This is the hallmark of the statesman I aspire to become on behalf of the people.

9. 9. Hard Work

Fr From my past experience as a chemical engineer, I am very self-confident in my ability to work hard. For the past three years, I have been based in Shanghai, China, where my key responsibilities were to help build and start-up a couple manufacturing cells, troubleshoot problems of all types, and most importantly help convince customers to qualify and purchase product from the new facility. As any true professional understands, your success is always intertwined with that of your colleagues. I’ve often had the pleasure of learning a lot from those much smarter than I. Although young in years at age 30, my life experiences have gifted me with loads of experience beyond most peers my age. Learning from plenty of my own mistakes (or what the wise term “experience”) is a harsher way to educate oneself, and much of my success came from a tireless work ethic to accomplish the goal.

As As Congressman, I plan to apply this same work ethic, and pledge to try to outwork all other representatives on Capitol Hill on behalf of the constituents in my district. I will take the trust of the public seriously, but I will also trust IN the public to inform me if I go astray.

10. 10. Courage

Someone once said of America: “The Republic was not established by cowards; and cowards will not preserve it.” I will not let the Republic fall to today’s inept politicians – most of whom are moral cowards and men and women of no principle whatsoever, and are wealth destroyers to boot – who defile her without a bitter fight. Liberty will once again teeter on a knife’s edge in the months and years to come. Whether we fall to socialism, poverty, and endless debt for our children is now up to US. The choice is OURS.

11. Personal Responsibility

With great power comes great responsibility. A Congressman can vote to declare war, disburse funds from the public purse, regulate foreign trade, and decide monetary policy. These are all powers that carry grave responsibility. As a representative, I will be trusted by the public to vote on their behalf. This trust must never be betrayed, and I must be held personally accountable for my actions.

As a candidate and while in public office, by my own personal choice, I affirm I will not drink alcohol, smoke, or use drugs unless necessary for medical reasons. I believe that as a representative of the people, I should have a clear mind at all times. Citizens should not have to worry about their Congressman being influenced into backdoor DC deals by vices that change their state of mind. To elaborate, I will not drink any alcoholic beverage, smoke cigarettes, cigars, or marijuana, and certainly not use any drugs like cocaine, heroin, etc.

12. Gratitude

I’ve always thought that the three most important phrases in life to say are: “I’m sorry” “I love you” and “Thank you.” While sometimes these are also the toughest to voice, showing gratitude for the help of others is often the easiest to say, but also the easiest to forget. My father taught me the lesson to say “thank you” while I was a young child, and I strive to never forget it. Showing appreciation to others is a wonderful thing and as Oscar Wilde once said, “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.”

Jake Towne

2010 Candidate for U.S. Congress, PA-15

TowneForCongress.com

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EMPLOYEE NOTIFICATION

Posted by pa on July 9, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

EMPLOYEE NOTIFICATION

FROM: WE THE PEOPLE (Hereafter knows as Employers)

TO: ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS (Hereafter know as Employees)

DATE: Today and every day hereafter

SUBJECT: Job Performance

MEMO:

Negligent and/or questionable job performance of Employees has been brought to the attention of the Employers. To determine the validity and extent of the reported behavior, the Employers hereby extend notice to the Employees that for a period of time equal to the remainder of the term of employment (election cycle) the Employers will be undertaking a comprehensive review of any and all actions taken by Employees during said term of employment.

This review consists of, but is not limited to:

1. compliance to standards set forth in the employee handbook (The

Constitution of The United States) Employee must be able to quote section of handbook giving authority for each decision enacted.

2. review of executive decisions (voting record)

3. speeches

4. public appearances

5. monetary contributions received prior to and during term of employment that may have created an unacceptable bias towards the donor(s)

6. alliances or associations which may have negatively impacted decisions regarding standards set forth in employee handbook

Approximately two months prior to completion of the present term of employment, a complete evaluation of this review will be conducted by all Employers to determine if an employee will be retained for another term of employment.

Your co-operation during this review is greatly appreciated.

We The People

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American Clean Energy and Security Act legislation passes House

Posted by pa on June 27, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

Late yesterday, the American Clean Energy and Security Act legislation was narrowly approved in the House.  The bill still must be approved by the Senate where it is still not clear if the democrats have enough votes to secure passage.

The bill passed by 7 votes broken down as follows:
Democrats  211 Ayes  44 Noes  No Vote 1
Republicans  8 Ayes 168 Noes  No Vote 2
Totals     219 Ayes 212 Noes  No Vote 3
Following are the eight Republicans who voted in favor of passage:

Bono Mack (CA) 202-225-5330
Castle (DE) 202-225-4165
Kirk (IL) 202-225-4835
Lance (NJ) 202-225-5361
Lobiondo (NJ) 202-225-6572
McHugh (NY) 202-225-4611
Reichart (WA) 202-225-7761
Chris Smith (NJ) 202-225-3765

According to
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll477.xml
the 3 No Votes were:

Jeff Flake R (AZ)  202-225-2635
Alcee Hastings D (FL) 202-225-1313
John Sullivan R (OK)  202-225-2211

In my opinion, the following article from House Republican Lead John Boehner’s “Leader Alert” uncovers a definite lack of upholding Principles 3,6 and 9; and Values 1,4,5,6,7,8,and 11.
http://republicanleader.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=134491

“What You May Not Know About Speaker Pelosi’s National Energy Tax
More Mandates, More Regulations, and More Costs Than Ever Before
Washington, Jun 26 – Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax is going to raise electricity prices, increase gasoline prices, and ship American jobs overseas to countries like China and India.  This, we know.
It would be a bureaucratic nightmare overseen by a confusing web of government agencies that would take and redistribute trillions of dollars from family budgets and workers payrolls.  This, we also know.  Even Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) admitted in the Washington Post this morning that: “The truth is, nobody knows for sure how this is going to work.”  How encouraging.

But what don’t we know?  Here are some facts you may not know about Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax:

Homebuyers Beware.  Trying to save up for a new home?  You may have to save up a little longer for your purchase.  The Democrats’ bill would dramatically increase new home costs by mandating California’s expensive new building codes for the entire nation.  Immediately upon enactment, the Democrats’ bill would demand a 30 percent increase in energy efficiency for new construction.  A couple of years later, the Democrats’ bill would require an additional 50 percent improvement.  These numbers were chosen with no concern for cost to consumers or feasibility in implementation.

Homebuilders Beware.  The Democrats’ bill imposes new mandatory regulations and civil penalties for homebuilders.  If your state refuses to accept the stringent and costly California building codes, the federal government may assess penalties.  And don’t get too comfortable with the new mandatory regulations because the Democrats’ bill allows for “consensus-based” codes to supplant those outlined in the bill.  So, as soon as you’ve invested your hard-earned money to comply with the bill’s mandates, the rug could get pulled from underneath you.  Translation?  You’ll pony up more and more money.

Home Sellers Beware.  Having a hard time selling your home?  Here’s one more hurdle to jump:  all homes sales are conditioned upon an energy audit and a new energy rating assessment and energy labeling program for your home that’s outlined in the Democrats’ bill.  And if you thought you could improve your property with a fresh coat of paint and some granite counters?  Think again!  Now your home will be subjected to a new energy rating assessment and energy labeling program that will penalize you for older windows, original fixtures, and dated appliances.  So the Democrats’ bill would bring down the value of your home!

New Lights No Matter the Cost.  As early as 2012, the Democrats’ bill eliminates all existing lighting technology used in many outdoor lighting fleets (parking lots, stadiums, secured facilities like power plants and factories).  Just as an example, switching to the mandated technology in the bill will cost one small utility about $30 million in annual revenue.  So you now have to comply with the new mandates for new lighting?  Hold the phone.  It is not clear that a feasible alternative technology is available for every existing lighting application – regardless of cost – which could force some businesses to close.

The consequences of Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax for families and small businesses are real.  It will drive up energy costs, send millions of jobs to countries like China and India, and place an especially heavy burden on rural America.  There is a better way.  House Republicans have proposed the American Energy Act, legislation that represents the fastest route to a cleaner environment, lower energy costs, and more American jobs.  The legislation would:

Increase environmentally-safe energy production on remote lands and far off our shores;
Promote the use of alternative fuels that will reduce carbon emissions, such as nuclear, clean-coal, and renewable energy technologies; and
Encourage increased efficiencies and cutting edge technologies to maximize America’s energy potential.

Today’s vote on Speaker Pelosi’s ill-advised national energy tax will have consequences for every American.  It is a bad deal for America.  And the American people will remember how their Members of Congress vote.”

Obviously, this bulletin was written prior to the final vote but maybe it will be the incentive to have each and every one of us phoning, e-mailing, or faxing our senators to put enough pressure on them to stop this monstrosity before it is also passed in the Senate.

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Faith and the American Founding: Illustrating Religion's Influence

Posted by pa on June 25, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

NOTE FROM PA:  A little long and a little old but so very pertinent

by Michael Novak

How long are we going to keep this experiment, this America? We are “testing whether this nation can long endure,” Lincoln said at Gettysburg. We’re still testing. Is America a meteor that blazed across the heavens and is now exhausted? Or rather is our present moral fog a transient time of trial, those hours cold and dark before the ramparts’ new gleaming? Are we near our end or at a beginning?

In answer to these questions, I want to tell six brief stories to illustrate the religious principles of the American founding. For a hundred years scholars have stressed the principles that come from the Enlightenment and from John Locke in particular. But there are also first principles that come to us from Judaism and Christianity, especially from Judaism. Indeed, it is important to recognize that most of what our Founders talked about (when they talked politically) came from the Jewish Testament, not the Christian. The Protestant Christians who led the way in establishing the principles of this country were uncommonly attached to the Jewish Testament.

Scholars often mistakenly refer to the god of the Founders as a deist god. But the Founders talked about God in terms that are radically Jewish: Creator, Lawgiver, Governor, Judge, and Providence. These were the names they most commonly used for Him, notably in the Declaration of Independence. For the most part, these are not names that could have come from the Greeks or Romans, but only from the Jewish Testament. Perhaps the Founders avoided Christian language because they didn’t want to divide one another, since different colonies were founded under different Christian inspirations. In any case, all found common language in the language of the Jewish Testament. It is important for citizens today whose main inspiration is the Enlightenment and Reason to grasp the religious elements in the founding, which have been understated for a hundred years.

For these principles are important to many fellow citizens, and they are probably indispensable to the moral health of the Republic, as Washington taught us in his Farewell Address:“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

Reason and faith are the two wings by which the American eagle took flight.

If I stress the second wing, the Jewish especially, it is because scholars have paid too much attention to Jefferson in these matters and ignored the other one hundred top Founders. For instance, we’ve ignored John Witherspoon, the president of Princeton, “the most influential professor in the history of America,” who taught one President (Madison stayed an extra year at Princeton to study with him), a Vice President, three Supreme Court justices including the chief justice, 12 members of the Continental Congress, five delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 14 members of the State Conventions (that ratified the Constitution). During the revolution, many of his pupils were in positions of command in the American forces. We’ve ignored Dr. Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania, John Wilson of Pennsylvania, and a host of others.

I want to quote from some of the Founders to give you a taste of the religious energy behind the founding.

Jefferson’s Sanction

Here is my first little story, an anecdote recorded by a minister of the time:

President Jefferson was on his way to church on a Sunday morning with his large red prayer book under his arm when a friend querying him after their mutual good morning said which way are you walking Mr. Jefferson. To which he replied to Church Sir. You going to church Mr. J. You do not believe a word in it. Sir said Mr. J. No nation has ever yet existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has ever been given to man and I as chief Magistrate of this nation am bound to give it the sanction of my example.Good morning Sir.

Note what Jefferson is saying. He didn’t say he believed in the Christian God; he evaded that point. But Jefferson did agree with what all his colleagues in the founding thought, that a people cannot maintain liberty without religion. Here is John Adams in 1776:

I sometimes tremble to think that although we are engaged in the best cause that ever employed the human heart, yet the prospect of success is doubtful, not for want of power or of wisdom but of virtue.

The founding generation had no munitions factory this side of the ocean, and yet they were facing the most powerful army and the largest navy in the world. Besides, their unity was fragile. The people of Virginia did not like the people of Massachusetts. The people of Massachusetts did not think highly of the people of Georgia. Reflecting on this point, President Witherspoon, who had just arrived from Scotland in 1768 and was not at first in favor of it, gave a famous sermon in April 1776 supporting independence two months before July 4. His text was read in all 500 Presbyterian churches in the colonies and widely reproduced. Witherspoon argued that although hostilities had been going on for two years, the king still did not understand that he could easily have divided the colonies and ended the hostilities. That the king didn’t do so showed that he was not close enough to know how to govern the Americans.

If they were to stick together with people they didn’t particularly like, the Americans needed virtues of tolerance, civic spirit, and a love of the common good. Further, because the new nation couldn’t compete in armed power, the colonists depended on high moral qualities in their leaders and on devotion in the people. In order to win, for instance, Washington had to avoid frontal combat, and to rely on the moral endurance of his countrymen year after year. To this end, Washington issued an order that any soldier who used profane language would be drummed out of the army. He impressed upon his men that they were fighting for a cause that demanded a special moral appeal, and he wanted no citizen to be shocked by the language and behavior of his troops. The men must show day-by-day that they fought under a special moral covenant.

Now think of our predicament today. How many people in America today understand the four key words that once formed a great mosaic over the American Republic? Truth, we “hold these truths”; Liberty, “conceived in liberty”; Law, “liberty under law”; and Judge, “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” On the face of things, our Founders were committing treason. In the eyes of the world, they were seditious. They appealed to an objective world, and beyond the eyes of an objective world, they appealed to the Supreme Judge for the rectitude of their intentions. That great mosaic, which used to form the beautiful, colorful apse over the American Republic, in this nonjudgmental age has fallen to the dust. It is disassembled in a thousand pieces. Fewer every year remember how it used to look.

Congress in Prayer

In the first days of September 1774, from every region, members of the First Continental Congress were riding dustily toward Philadelphia, where they hoped to remind King George III of the rights due to them as Englishmen. That’s all they were claiming: the rights of Englishmen. And they wanted to remind King George that they were wards of the king. They weren’t founded by the Parliament, they were founded by the king, and they resented the Parliament taxing them. The Parliament had nothing to do with their relationship to the king, they thought. Yet, as these delegates were gathering, news arrived that the king’s troops were shelling Charlestown and Boston, and rumors flew that the city was being sacked, and robbery and murder were being committed. Those rumors turned out not to be true, but that’s the news they heard. Thus, as they gathered, the delegates were confronted with impending war. Their first act as a Continental Congress was to request a session of prayer.

Mr. Jay of New York and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina immediately spoke against this motion. They said that Americans are so divided in religious sentiments, some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists, all could not join in the same act of prayer. Sam Adams rose to say he’s no bigot, and could hear a prayer from any gentleman of piety and virtue as long as he is a patriot. “I’ve heard of a certain Reverend Duché,” he said, speaking of the rector of Christ Church down the street from where they were meeting. “People say he’s earned that character.” Adams moved that the same be asked to read prayers before Congress on the next morning. And the motion carried.

Thus it happened that the first act of the Congress on September 7, 1774, was a prayer, pronounced by an Episcopalian clergyman dressed in his pontificals. And what did he read? He read a Jewish prayer, Psalm 35 in the Book of Common Prayer. Now imagine the king’s troops moving against the homes of some of the people gathered there. Imagine the delegates from South Carolina and New York thinking that the fleet might be shelling their homes soon.

Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me. Fight against them that fight against me.

Take hold of buckler and shield, and rise up for my help.

…Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life. Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

Before the Reverend Duché knelt Washington, Henry, Randolph, Rutledge, Lee, and Jay; and by their side, with heads bowed, the Puritan patriots who could imagine at that moment their own homes being bombarded and overrun. Over these bowed heads the Reverend Duché uttered what all testified was an eloquent prayer for America, for Congress, for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially for the town of Boston. The emotion in the room was palpable, and John Adams wrote to Abigail that night that he had never heard a better prayer or one so well pronounced. “I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seemed as if heaven had ordained that that Psalm be read on that morning. It was enough to melt a stone. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you, Abigail, to read that Psalm.”

In this fashion, right at its beginning, this nation formed a covenant with God which is repeated in the Declaration: “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” The Founders pledged their fidelity to the will of God, and asked God to protect their liberty. They further enacted this covenant in many later acts of Congress regarding Days of Fasting. Within the first six months, for instance, Congress put out a proclamation that every American state set aside a day of prayer and fasting:

December 11, 1776: Resolved that it be recommended to all the United States as soon as possible to appoint a day of solemn fasting and humiliation to implore the Almighty God to forgiveness of the many sins prevailing among all ranks and to beg the countenance and the assistance of his Providence in the prosecution of the present just and necessary war.

And then, within another year, an act of Congress instituted a Day of Thanksgiving to commemorate the signal successes of that year, and again the next year. Years later, in The Federalist No. 38, Publius marveled at the improbable unanimity achieved among fragmented delegates, from free states and slave, from small states and large, from rich states and poor. “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of the Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution.” Three times The Federalist notes the blessings of Providence upon this country.

An Act of Providence

On the night before the battle of Long Island, the Americans received intelligence that the British were attacking the next morning, and Washington was trapped with his whole army. Washington saw that there was only one way out—by boat. During the night, the Americans gathered as many boats as they could. There weren’t enough. Morning came, and more than half the army was still on shore. A huge fog rolled in and covered them till noon. They escaped, and when the British closed the trap, there was no one there. The Americans interpreted that fog as an act of Providence.

In the preaching of the time, Americans learned as follows: Providence does not mean that God works magically; rather, from all time every detail of the tapestry is known to the one who weaves it. To the Eternal God, there is neither time nor sequence, but every detail of the tapestry is visible to Him as if in one simultaneous moment, each thing acting independently and freely, but cohering as a whole, like characters in a well-wrought novel. Thus, the rival general, on the morning of the great battle comes down with dysentery and can’t concentrate. Nothing more common in the affairs of human beings than circumstance and chance, which only those who lived through them in time and sequence found to be surprising.  The very sermon Witherspoon preached on behalf of independence in April 1776 was a sermon on how Providence acts by contingent and indirect actions—not foreseen, because God doesn’t “foresee” anything. He’s present to everything, in the Jewish and Christian understanding. He’s not before or after, He’s present to all things at one time. And like a great novelist, He sees the details of what He does, and how they all hook together, without forcing anybody’s liberty, without manipulating anything.

The Author of Liberty

When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he mentioned God twice. Before the Congress would sign it, members insisted on two more references to God. Thus, the four names already mentioned: the Author of nature and nature’s laws; the Creator who endowed in us our rights; the Judge to whom we appeal in witness that our motives spring not out of seditiousness, but from a dear love of liberty, and a deep sense of our own proper dignity; and a trust in Divine Providence.

The fundamental meaning of the Jewish, and later the Christian, Bible is that the axis of the universe is what happens in the interior of the human being. Every story in the Bible is a story of what happens in the arena of the human will. In one chapter King David is faithful to his Lord and in the next, not. And the suspense of every chapter is, What will humans choose next? Liberty is the reason God made the universe. He wanted somewhere one creature capable of recognizing that He had made all things, that the creation is good, and that He had extended his hand in friendship. He wanted at least one creature to be able, not as a slave but as a free woman or a free man, to reciprocate his proffered friendship. That, in a nutshell, is what Judaism is, and what Christianity is. (Christianity, of course, played an historical role in making the God of Judaism known universally.)

The members of Congress on July 2, 1776, were about to make themselves liable to the charge of treason and to humiliate their children into the nth generation for being the descendants of traitors. They needed that reference to their Judge in the Declaration. And they wanted that reference to Providence, to declare that God is on the side of Liberty, and those who trust in liberty will therefore prevail. Whatever the odds, Providence will see to it that they prevail.

Let me recall, from one of the old American hymns, words that reflect exactly this biblical vision. This world didn’t just “happen,” it was created. It was created for a purpose, and that purpose is liberty:

Our fathers God! To Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright

With freedom’s holy light;

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our king.

A typical sentiment of the American people then, and even now.

I’ve mentioned that though some historians say they were deists, the early Americans who believed that the lifting of the fog on Long Island was an act of God, were not deists. Their god was not a “watchmaker God,” who winds the universe up and lets it go. Their god was a God who cares about contingent affairs, loves particular nations, is interested in particular peoples and particular circumstances. Their god was the God of Judaism, the God of Providence. Not a swallow falls in the field but this God knows of it. His action is in the details.

The Logic of Faith

The Third Article of the Constitution of Massachusetts:

As the happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion, and morality, and as these cannot be generally diffused through a community but by the institution of the public worship of God and of public instructions in piety, religion, and morality: Therefore, To promote their happiness and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic or religious societies to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily.

When this article was attacked as an infringement on religious liberty, John Adams replied, in effect, “Not at all, you don’t have to believe it. But if you want the good order that comes from instruction in religion, particularly the Jewish and Christian religion, then you have to pay for it.” That’s not the way we think today, I hastily add, but this is the sort of logic our Founders used. Let us walk through the three crucial steps of this logic, one by one.

Right at the beginning of The Federalist, in the second paragraph, the author says this generation of Americans is called upon to decide for all time whether governments can be formed “through reflection and choice” or must “forever be formed through accident and force.” That’s what the Americans were called upon to decide: whether a government may be formed through reflection and choice.

They then faced the question: How do you institutionalize such a decision? By calling a Constitutional Convention and then having the agreed-upon text ratified in a manner that permits the whole people to participate in the decision. Can there be enough votes for something like that? Can people put aside their regional prejudices? Can they put aside their personal ambitions? Can they think about what’s good for the long run? For posterity? That’s what The Federalist tries to elicit—a long-range view, not what people feel at the moment.

Remember the ambitions of that moment. Many New Yorkers wanted New York to be a separate nation. (The early maps of New York go all the way out to the Pacific Ocean–it’s not called “the Empire State” for nothing.) If New York becomes a separate state, it will have its own secretary of state, its own commander in chief, its own secretary of the treasury; distinguished families in New York will become ambassadors to the Court of St. James and to Paris and so forth. Such a dream might seem very attractive to some leading families, but would it be good for the country? If New York were to vote to become an independent nation, there could be no union between New England and the South. Reflection and choice were, then, the hinges of liberty. What Americans meant by liberty are those acts that are made from reflection and choice. The acts that we commit ourselves to when we have reflected on the alternatives and when we understand the consequences. That’s freedom.

What you do by impulse, by contrast, is not freedom; that’s slavery to your impulses. Such slavery is what the animals live under. They’re hungry; they need to eat. That’s not freedom; it’s animal instinct.

Freedom is not doing what you want to do; freedom is doing what, after reflection, you know you ought to do. That’s what freedom is, and that’s why early American thought has been summed up thus: “Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.” Freedom springs from self-government, after reflection and calm deliberate choice.

The second step in the argument is this: To have reflection and choice, you need people with enough virtue to have command of their passions. You need people, that is, with the habits that allow them to reflect, to take time to be dispassionate, to see consequences clearly, and then to make a choice based upon commitment.  None of us act that way all the time. But we do aspire to have at least sufficient virtue to live responsibly. For how can a people unable to govern their passions in their private lives possibly be able to practice self-government in their public lives? It doesn’t compute. In short, freedom in a republic is not feasible without virtue in a republic.

Next, the third step. George Washington said in his Farewell Address that most people are not going to have virtue or good habits in the long run without religion. And what he meant by that can be recited very simply. As Jews and Christians understand it, religion is not just a cold law; it is a relationship with a person. A person who knows even your secret thoughts. So religion adds a personal motive to the idea of virtue. In addition to that, this Judge sees you even when you’re alone, even when you’re in secret, even when the doors are closed. This is a Judge who knows whether or not you paint the bottom of the chair. Republics depend on virtue that holds up under such tests. The founding generation used the example of the well-known doctor in Massachusetts who, having been involved in an adultery, turned out also to be a British spy. This was a lesson they often referred to. A man who thinks he can get away with things in secret is not reliable for a republic. A republic cannot be made up of people who think they can do in secret what they wouldn’t do in public.  Jefferson wrote a very touching letter to this effect.[1]

This is why the Founders thought that whatever may be said of persons of “peculiar character,” as Washington said (some scholars think he’s referring to Jefferson), we must not believe that virtue can be maintained in the long run without religion. Our sons are going to forget about the Revolution, the Founders expected; they’re going to forget the suffering we went through. They’re going to forget the frozen feet at Valley Forge and the gangrene and the hunger, the lack of pay and the despair. They’re going to forget all that, and their grandchildren are going to be tired of hearing it. There’s a moral entropy in human affairs, such that even if one generation succeeds in reaching a very high moral level, it’s almost impossible for the next generation and the one after that to maintain it. A republic, therefore, has to fight moral entropy. That’s why there will have to be a series of moral awakenings. The Founders didn’t see how that would happen without religious inspiration, beyond a merely utilitarian impulse.

So there are three principles in this fundamental logic: No republic without liberty; no liberty without virtue; no virtue without religion. Now, doesn’t that sound old-fashioned? In these days, doesn’t it sound hardly tenable? Yet our Founders were right. Is not our present circumstance dangerous to the Republic?

The Choice of Liberty

I first heard this story alluded to in Ronald Reagan’s Inaugural Address. Dr. Joseph Warren, the family doctor of Abigail and John Adams in Boston, was among the first to join the Sons of Liberty and to stand with the men at Lexington. In fact, he was an officer, and he took a bullet through his hair right above his ear, where it left a crease, but he stood his ground. Two months later, Dr. Warren was commissioned as a major general of the Continental Army. It was a great title, but there wasn’t much of an army for the defense of Boston, toward which the British fleet was bringing reinforcements. Dr. Warren learned just four days after he was commissioned that that night the Americans had sent 1,500 men up Bunker Hill. It was one of those still nights when hardly a sound traveled out over the water, where the British fleet was anchored. In the stillness, the troops dug, muffling their shovels, and constructed wooden fortifications, being careful not to strike anything with an axe.

In the morning, the British on board ship awakened to find that Bunker Hill was fortified, and began a five-hour bombardment. Warren heard the bombardment as he was on horseback riding toward Boston, and arrived at Bunker Hill by a back route and managed to climb up into the ranks. He didn’t try to take command; he just went into the ranks, in the front rows.

After the bombardment, some of the British soldiers came on land and put Charlestown to the torch, and tongues of flame from 500 homes, businesses, and churches leapt into the sky. Everything in Charlestown burned. Breathless, Abigail Adams watched from a hilltop to the south. She heard the cannons from the warships bombarding Bunker Hill for five long hours as Joseph Warren rode to his position. The American irregulars proved their discipline that day and the accuracy of huntsmen firing in concentrated bursts. They had only four or five rounds apiece. Twice they broke the forward march of thirty-five hundred British troops with fire so withering they blew away as many as 70 to 90 percent of the foremost companies of Redcoats, who lost that day more than a thousand dead.

Then the ammunition of the Americans ran out. While the bulk of the Continental Army retreated, the last units stayed in their trenches to hold off the British hand-to-hand. That is where Major General Joseph Warren was last seen fighting until a close-range bullet felled him. The British officers had him decapitated and bore his head aloft to General Gage.

Freedom is always the most precarious regime. Even a single generation can throw it all away. Every generation must reflect and must choose. Joseph Warren had earlier told the men of Massachusetts at Lexington:

Our country is in danger now, but not to be despaired of. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rest the happiness and the liberty of millions not yet born. Act worthy of yourselves.

Michael Novak is George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at the American Enterprise Institute. This essay appeared in Matthew Spalding, ed., The Enduring Principles of the American Founding (The Heritage Foundation, 2001).

[1]See “Letter to Peter Carr,” August 19, 1785, in Thomas Jefferson’s Writings, ed. Merrill D. Peterson (New York: The Library of America, 1984), pp. 814–815.

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New 912candidates.org Partner

Posted by pa on June 23, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

912candidates.org is made up entirely of volunteers. We neither solicit nor accept donations. This allows each member to be guided by conscience. This program is not based on any party affiliation. We will, however, give recognition to a particular group that is helping us to further our cause – to find and support candidates for national, state or local office signing a morally-binding contract to uphold the 9 principles and 12 values to which we adhere. One such group is America’s Independent Party.

americas_independent_party_sign_noshadow2

America’s Independent Party is a conservative pro-life political party that stands for constitutionally limited government, national sovereignty, secure borders, economic liberty, and a Reaganesque “peace through strength” national defense and foreign policy. America’s Independent Party endorses or nominates candidates for public office based on a proven adherence to constitutional principle, not mere party labels.

Tom Hoefling, National Party Chair; and Markham Robinson, National Vice-chair; have made a commitment to request (but not require) party candidates to sign the 912candidates contract.

We thank them for this commitment and greatly appreciate the faith they show in sharing our common goal.

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Press Release – Patriot's Pipeline Radio Show

Posted by pa on June 22, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 22, 2009 – The Patriot’s Pipeline Radio Show with David Hill and author and commentator Melissa Pehle-Hill.  The Patriot’s Pipeline is the Friday night broadcast from the Patriot’s Heart Broadcasting Network.  Our show highlights citizens and politicians who believe in our US Constitution and who have stepped up to the task of restoring the United States of America to the foundation laid down by our Founding Fathers.  
Show address is http://tinyurl.com/PHN06-26-09

Our June 26th show will feature R.J. Harris of Oklahoma and Dr. Rand Paul from Kentucky. Both of these gentlemen have signed the 9:12 Candidates Pledge to uphold the values and principles found in our Constitution.  The Hosts and Producers of the Patriot’s Pipeline strongly support the efforts of the 9:12 Candidates Project and their mission to find candidates who will uphold the Constitution should they gain public office.

RJ Harris
RJ is an Iraq war veteran, devout family man, and staunch constitutional
conservative.  He is running for US Rep. in Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District in 2010.  The first candidate to sign the official 912 pledge, Mr. Harris is dedicated to restoring a strict adherence to the Constitution in the halls of an out-of-control Federal Government.  
Here are some of RJ’s key proposals:

   * Balance the budget
   * End the govt. bailouts
   * Pay down debt
   * Restore the value of our Dollar
   * Shrink the size & scope of the Federal Govt.
   * Increase state sovereignty, especially in critical social issues
   * Create a more focused & cost effective national defense
   * Preserve America’s moral integrity by obeying the Constitution

A true Washington outsider, RJ Harris is excited to tackle the elite, political establishment.
Having served two combat tours in Iraq, RJ comprehends the true nature of sacrifice and intends on bringing this spirit of sacrifice to a Washington D.C. that has lost its way.

Dr. Rand Paul
Rand Paul is the third of five children. He grew up in a small town in Texas and attended Baylor University before leaving to go to Duke Medical School. Dr. Paul completed a General Surgery Internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta and earned his ophthalmology residency at Duke University.
Dr. Paul is married to his loving wife, Kelley Ashby, of Russellville, KY. They have been married for 18 years and have three boys: Will 16, Duncan 13, and Robert 10.
Dr. Paul has owned his own business, performing eye surgery in Bowling Green, KY, for 18 years. He is also the founder of the Southern Kentucky Lions Eye Clinic, an organization that performs eye exams and surgery for less fortunate patients.

Additionally, Dr. Rand Paul founded the Kentucky Taxpayers United (KTU) in 1994. KTU rates the state legislature’s tax honesty and helps promote the Americans for Tax Reform taxpayer pledge, to oppose any and all marginal income tax increases and any reduction in tax deductions.

Dr. Rand Paul delivered his first public speech in a debate with Senator Phil Gramm at the age of 21 in San Antonio. For his father’s Presidential campaign, Dr. Rand Paul traveled throughout ten different states. In December of 2007, he spoke to thousands of supporters at the historic Fanueil Hall in Boston on the day his father’s campaign set the record for most online donations in a single day.

Rand Paul is a career doctor, not a politician. His entrance into politics is indicative of his life’s work: a desire to diagnose problems, and provide practical solutions.

For more information visit http://patriotspipeline.ning.com

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Lest We Forget

Posted by pa on May 23, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

This Memorial Day, I ask that we never forget. Without the sacrifices made by the military, we would not have the freedoms that we now have. With future sacrifices of the military, we will maintain those freedoms. Can we do any less on the home front?

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America, A tribute to Heroes

Posted by pa on May 17, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

God Bless America

When the 9/12 project came into being, the 9 principles and 12 values we all adhere to were brought into focus. At the same time, we were to remember how we felt as Americans the day after 9-11. On 9-12 we were all Americans – united in a single cause. Sometimes we forget – here is a little reminder:

The Answer To Frustration Is Action

Posted by pa on May 12, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

Or maybe I should say, “The answer to frustration is the right action”.

More and more, I hear people asking, “What has happened to our country?” Whether I listen to talk radio, watch television, or surf the internet, the most talked about subject is what is happening in and to America. It seems that any problem in any country is somehow traced back to problems in America. Somehow our country is becoming an enemy to the world. This is very frustrating to most of us. Many of us aren’t sure what to do about the problem or how to handle the frustration.

This is especially true here in PA, which was once a red state. Someone once ask me how PA became a blue state. The answer to that question is a little complicated and this is just my opinion – formed by living in Pa forever.

The four corners of Pa contain big cities, which are mostly left leaning while the rest of the state is made up of conservatives. There are more conservatives than liberals. The difference is that the conservatives are so busy with their everyday lives, just trying to keep things together, that they have neither the time nor the desire to be “political”. Yes, some of them vote but most of them don’t. They figure their vote isn’t going to count anyway, so why bother. The liberals, although equally busy, are more political so naturally there are more voters.

There is an old saying: “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”. Maybe that was true at one time, but these days the opposite is more true. We are busier now than at any time in our history. In most cases, both parents work full-time jobs, hurry home to make dinner, then hurry off with the kids to hockey, baseball, football, soccer, ballet, or whatever practice; hurry home to do homework, laundry, housecleaning, lawn care, etc. Idle hands surely aren’t in play here.

This may be the answer to the question I was asked. Maybe we need to eliminate a little of the “busy work” and replace it with some “political work”. If we don’t help our country to return to the republic it was created to be, we may not have the chance to enjoy all our “busy work”.

Will our freedom to choose our own lifestyle be taken away? Will a job be available for both parents or for even one parent? Will our children have a choice of what sport or activity they want to become involved with? For that matter, will the decisions regarding the children be left to the parents? There are a gazillion “what ifs” that can be asked.

Things are a bit scary today. Maybe our only answer is to change our focus and become more involved in the decisions being made about our country and it’s future. Maybe being active isn’t the answer. Maybe we have to choose the right action.

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912 Candidates On News Talk

Posted by pa on May 10, 2009 under E-Z News | Be the First to Comment

On Friday, May 8th, Franciene McDonald, Texas 912 Candidates representative, was interviewed on the Patriot’s Heart Network call-in talk radio program.
Franciene did a fine job of explaining the 912 Candidates project, our commitment, our mission, and our hopes for the future.
The founder of the 912 Candidates project, Jacob Roecker, also joined Franciene during the program, which was about an hour in length and can be listened to by clicking this link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/PatriotsHeartNetwork/PatriotsHeartNetwork/2009/05/09/Patriots-Pipeline-with-David-Melissa

This quote from Franciene shows her heart and why she represented the project so well:
“Each American who is born is given two gifts at birth. The first comes from God and is the gift of life. The second gift is the gift of freedom. God empowered and encouraged our Founding Fathers to build a government which would provide us with this second gift.
Each of these gifts comes with a responsibility. We have the responsibility to protect and defend our lives, to make our lives as valuable and meaningful as it is in our power to do.
But the gift of freedom may entail an even larger responsibility. We must deliver the gift of freedom which we have been given to all those who come after us, just as beautiful, wrapped just as well, as it was when it was given to us. If we are able to do this, we will have honored all those men and women who have walked this way before us, men and women who gave of their blood, toil and tears to provide us with this unbelievable and rare gift – the gift of freedom.”

I believe Franciene speaks for us all and these words show what a beautiful soul she has.

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