Montana Sovereign
April , 2012
Volume 2, Issue 2
Focus on Sovereignty
Inside this issue Personal Sovereignty .................. 1 Federalist Dictionary ................... 2 Separation of Church / State ....... 3 Progressive Dictionary ................ 3 Sustainable Development .......... 4 Legislative Scorecards ................. 6
Other Information To subscribe, or contribute
articles and / or ideas, email us :
[email protected]
PERSONAL SOVEREIGNTY by Serge Kahili King Personal sovereignty is an issue which affects each of us as individuals and as a society, whether we realize it or not. Understanding it can help us to interpret what is going on within us and around us. Increasing it can radically transform our existence. The word "sovereign" means to be in supreme authority over someone or something, and to be extremely effective and powerful. Therefore, it is usually applied to gods, royalty and governments. We speak of kings and queens as sovereigns (even when they are figureheads), and of the sovereign rights of nations and States. Personal sovereignty, then, would imply the intrinsic authority and power of an individual to determine his or her own direction and destiny. If that sounds suspiciously like free will, it's because personal sovereignty and free will are the same thing. Just as being a sovereign nation means having the right and power to make decisions and take actions in the national interest without being forced to by another nation, so being a sovereign person means being able to choose one’s actions and reactions without being forced to by another person. To the degree there is free will in all such choices, national or personal, there is sovereignty. Continued on Page 2
Robert Winthrop, Speaker of the U. S. House, " Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them; either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet."
Words From the Federalist’s Dictionary Federalism A system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (like states or provinces). Federalism is a system based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and state governments, creating what is often called a federation.
Popular Sovereignty The doctrine that sovereign power is vested in the people and that those chosen to govern, as trustees of such power, must exercise it in conformity with the general will.
Personal Sovereignty To be sovereign over one’s self is to be free of the control or coercion of others – to truly direct one’s own life. Most citizens of advanced nations believe that they control their own destiny, yet they are generally mistaken. Practically all have it within their power to achieve such control, with the result being a quantum leap in individual productivity, wealth and happiness.
Property Rights Traditional principles of property rights include: control of the use of the property the right to any benefit from the property (examples: mining rights and rent) a right to transfer or sell the property a right to exclude others from the property. Traditional property rights do not include: uses that unreasonably interfere with the property rights of another private party (the right of quiet enjoyment) uses that unreasonably interfere with public property rights, including uses that interfere with public health, safety, peace or convenience.
2
Personal Sovereignty
Continued from page 1
Although sovereignty also means to be powerful and effective, it doesn't necessarily follow that once you have it you can do anything you want. Whether you are a nation or a person, you also have to consider the sovereignty of others. Of course, you could try to diminish or destroy the sovereignty of others to get what you want, the way nations and people sometimes do, but human experience shows that you can usually accomplish more by cooperating than by conquering. Ultimately, however, we each have only as much sovereignty as we can demonstrate. Having sovereign rights and being sovereign are not the same thing. The way to increase your personal sovereignty is to increase your use of free will. The way to do that is to decide for yourself what actions to take and reactions to have in any situation, and to decide for yourself how to interpret your actions and reactions whether they are freely chosen or not. For instance, if you work for someone and are ordered to do an unpleasant task, it can feel like you have lost some of your free will. But in addition to remembering that you can always quit, you can also decide for yourself that you are not working for the boss; you are providing a compensated service, and you can decide to do the task because you choose to, not because you are ordered to. The point is, you can always choose your actions and reactions. Beware, though. Personal sovereignty has a high price. It's called personal responsibility. As you increase your use of free will, you also increase your responsibility for your own actions and reactions. Increase it enough and you won't be able to blame your parents, your enemies, your friends, your lovers or spouse, society, fate, Satan or God for anything having to do with your experience. If a lot of people were to greatly increase their personal responsibility our society would undergo tremendous change. Co-dependent and manipulative relationships would all but disappear; untold numbers of trial lawyers would have to find new professions; politicians would be held accountable for their decisions; insurance companies would have to change a lot of policies; people of different faiths would be more tolerant of each other, humanity would act more from love than fear... Now what kind of world would that be?
Words From the Progressive Dictionary Global Climate Change A change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over long periods of time, regardless of cause. The term sometimes is used to refer specifically to climate change caused by human activity, as opposed to changes in climate that may have resulted as part of Earth's natural processes
Globalism
Separation of Church and State Contrary to popular opinion, the term “separation of church and state” is found nowhere in the United States Constitution. While the First Amendment clearly forbids the creation of a national denomination, it says nothing about the so-called “separation of church and state.”
The term “separation of church and state” was first used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1801, when he responded to their concerns about state involvement in religion. Jefferson’s letter had nothing to say about limiting public religious expression, but dealt with government’s interference in the public expression of faith.
It was U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black who first inserted the term “separation of church and state” into American jurisprudence in his majority opinion of Everson v. Board of Education (1947). He wrote: “The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. The wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.”
Black’s opinion was based on a previous misreading of Jefferson’s 1801 letter in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Reynolds v. United States (1878). Black also confused his history. In the opinion, he wrote that the Danbury letter was “almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the First Amendment.”
The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion; or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” No mention is made of a “wall between church and state.”
The true purpose of the First Amendment was to prohibit the federal government from establishing a national church, like the Church of England, or require that sectarian policy be forced on an individual state or on the federal government. While the
amendment does recognize a “differentiation between church and the government, it does not mean that they could not cooperate with each other.” Continued on Page 5
Refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people, and economic activity. Globalism can have at least two different and opposing meanings. One meaning is the attitude or policy of placing the interests of the entire world above those of individual nations. Another is viewing the entire world as a proper sphere for one nation to project political influence
Liberation Theology A political movement in Christian theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions. It has been described by proponents as "an interpretation of Christian faith through the poor's suffering, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and Christianity through the eyes of the poor", and by detractors as Christianized Marxism
Mutually Assured Destruction A doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass destruction by two opposing sides would effectively result in the complete, utter and irrevocable annihilation of both the attacker and the defender, becoming thus a war that has no victory nor any armistice but only effective reciprocal destruction.
Progressive Progressives envision complete transformation in America’s principles of government, from one permanently dedicated to securing individual liberty to one whose ends and scope change to take on any and all social and economic ills.
Humanistic Education The five basic principles of humanistic education can be summarized as follows: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
Students' learning should be self-directed. Schools should produce students who want and know how to learn. The only form of meaningful evaluation is selfevaluation. Feelings, as well as knowledge, are important in the learning process. Students learn best in a nonthreatening environment.
3
STAR Sustainable Communities, Green jobs, Green Building Codes, “Going Green,” Alternative Energy, Local Visioning, facilitators, regional planning, historic preservation, conservation easements, development rights, sustainable farming, comprehensive planning, growth management, consensus.
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT? Agenda 21 In One Easy Lesson Awareness of Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development is racing across the nation as citizens in community after community are learning what their city planners are actually up to. As awareness grows, I am receiving more and more calls for tools to help activists fight back. Many complain that elected officials just won’t read detailed reports or watch long videos. “Can you give us something that is quick, and easy to read that we can hand out,” I’m asked. So here it is, a quick description of Agenda 21 that fits on one page. I’ve also included for the back side of your hand out a list of quotes for the perpetrators of Agenda 21 that should back up my brief descriptions. A word of caution, use this as a starter kit, but do not allow it to be your only knowledge of this very complex subject. To kill it you have to know the facts. Research, know your details; discover the NGO players in your community; identify who is victimized by the policies and recruit them to your fight; and then kill Agenda 21. That’s how it must be done. The information below is only your first step.
4
What is Sustainable Development? According to its authors, the objective of sustainable development is to integrate economic, social and environmental policies in order to achieve reduced consumption, social equity, and the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. Sustainablists insist that every societal decision be based on environmental impact, focusing on three components; global land use, global education, and global population control and reduction. Social Equity (Social injustice) Social justice is described as the right and opportunity of all people “to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment.” Redistribution of wealth. Private property is a social injustice since not everyone can build wealth from it. National sovereignty is a social injustice. Universal health care is a social injustice. All part of Agenda 21 policy. Economic Prosperity Public Private Partnerships (PPP). Special dealings between government and certain, chosen corporations which get tax breaks, grants and the government’s power of Eminent Domain to implement sustainable policy. Governmentsanctioned monopolies. Local Sustainable Development policies Smart Growth, Wildlands Project, Resilient Cities, Regional Visioning Projects,
Who is behind it? ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (formally, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives). Communities pay ICLEI dues to provide “local” community plans, software, training, etc. Addition groups include American Planning Council, The Renaissance Planning Group, International City/ County Management Group, aided by US Mayors Conference, National Governors Association, National League of Cities, National Association of County Administrators and many more private organizations and official government agencies. Foundation and government grants drive the process. Where did it originate? The term Sustainable Development was first introduced to the world in the pages a 1987 report (Our Common Future) produced by the United Nations World Commission on Environmental and Development, authored by Gro Harlem Brundtland, VP of the World Socialist Party. The term was first offered as official UN policy in 1992, in a document called UN Sustainable Development Agenda 21, issued at the UN’s Earth Summit, today referred to simply as Agenda 21. What gives Agenda 21 Ruling Authority? More than 178 nations adopted Agenda 21 as official policy during a signing ceremony at the Earth Summit. US president George H.W. Bush signed the document for the US. In signing, each nation pledge to adopt the goals of Agenda 21. In 1995, President Bill Clinton, in compliance with Agenda 21, signed Executive Order #12858 to create the President’s Council on Sustainable Development in order to “harmonize” US environmental policy with UN directives as outlined in Agenda 21. The EO directed all agencies of the Federal Government to work with state and local community governments in a joint effort “reinvent” government using the guidelines outlined in Agenda 21. As a result, with the assistance of groups like ICLEI,
Many Americans mistakenly believe the phrase "separation of church and state" exists in the Constitution. It doesn't.
Separation of Church and State In 2001, Daniel Dreisbach, Associate Professor of Justice, Law and Society at American University, wrote that Black was wrong to apply the term “separation of church and state” to the First Amendment. The danger of Black’s argument, according to Dreisbach, is that it gives constitutional reasons to “separate religion, religious values, and religious organizations from public life.” He continues: “If we can’t talk about religion in any meaningful way in public schools, religious citizens can’t communicate their faith in public life. [The public square] must be ‘sanitized’ of religious messages, and we are left with a strictly secular public life.” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its allies, along with other groups hostile to religious freedom, have used Black’s wording to: - Deny churches the right to rent public school facilities for Sunday worship services. Have public displays of the Ten Commandments removed from public buildings. Prohibit students from praying at graduation ceremonies or football games. Threaten fixed income housing project residents with eviction for displaying signs about prayer in their apartment windows. Tell an eight-year-old girl that she cannot pass out handmade Valentines that read “Jesus Loves You.”
cont from page 3
In 2005, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in ruling in favor of a public display of the Ten Commandments, wrote: “The ACLU’s argument contains...fundamental flaws...[It] makes repeated reference to ‘the separation of church and state.’ This extraconstitutional construct has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state.” For almost four decades, the ACLU’s distortion of the “separation of church and state” went nearly unchallenged. In 1994, God raised up a new organization, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which has taken the ACLU and its allies head-on to expose this distortion and restore the original intent of U.S. Constitution with regard to religious freedom. Since its inception, ADF has helped to win many groundbreaking cases in defense of religious freedom and expression. The result is that the so-called “wall of separation” erected by Hugo Black and others is slowly starting to crumble. With your prayers and support, ADF and its allies can provide the strategy, training, funding and litigation needed to tear down the “wall of separation.” Alliance Defense Fund Website: http://oldsite.alliancedefensefund.org/ main/default.aspx
AGENDA 21 IN MONTANA?
ABSOLUTELY Our story on page 4 highlights the problem of Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development. Think it can’t happen here? Think again. Here are some Montana specific examples you should be aware of. Do your own homework, check them out. Click on the hyperlinks below, or search the internet for your own links. Understand that these projects, as well as a multitude of others are direct attacks on our property rights and our freedom. Act now to educate yourself and take action before it’s too late.
Crown of the Continent
Yellowstone to Yukon Project
Buffalo Commons
Orton Family Foundation Grant, Polson
HUD Grant—Great Falls
ICLEI in Missoula, Bozeman and Helena
Lewistown and water rights— Note this is a huge problem for the whole state
National Parks Buffer Zone Project
Introduction of Wolves and Grizzly
Sage Grouse the next endangered species—will it keep us from accessing the Bakken oil fields?
Libby mine project opposition
Baucus Rocky Mountain Front Wilderness Bill
Tester Forest Jobs and Recreation Act
Big Timber Dornix Parks Project
EPA and Wetlands—Nine Mile story
Ronan Parks and Pathways to Play
Watch our 40 minute video to learn more: https://vimeo.com/38612044
5
Sustainable Development from page 4
Continued
Sustainable Development is now emerging as government policy in every town, county and state in the nation. Revealing Quotes From the Planners “No one fully understands how or even, if, sustainable development can be achieved; however, there is growing consensus that it must be accomplished at the local level if it is ever to be achieved on a global basis.” The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide, published by ICLEI, 1996. Agenda 21 and Private Property “Land…cannot be treated as an ordinary asset, controlled by individuals and subject to the pressures and inefficiencies of the market. Private land ownership is also a principal instrument of accumulation and concentration of wealth, therefore contributes to social injustice.” From the report from the 1976 UN’s Habitat I Conference. Reinvention of Government “We must make this place an insecure and inhospitable place for Capitalists and their projects – we must reclaim the roads and plowed lands, halt dam construction, tear down existing dams, free shackled rivers and return to wilderness millions of tens of millions of acres or presently settled land.” Dave Foreman, Earth First. What is not sustainable? Ski runs, grazing of livestock, plowing of soil, building fences, industry, single family homes, paves and tarred roads, logging activities, dams and reservoirs, power line construction, and economic systems that fail to set proper value on the environment.” UN’s Biodiversity Assessment Report. Hide Agenda 21’s UN roots from the people Tom Deweese the publisher/editor of The DeWeese Report and is the President of the American Policy Center, a grassroots, activist think tank headquartered in Warrenton, Virginia. Tom can be reached at:
[email protected]
Legislative Report Cards Want to see how Montana’s representatives stack up to Constitutional and conservative principles? Check these resources out for more information:
Federal Legislators: The Freedom Index http://www.thenewamerican.com/files/ Freedom_Index_111-4.pdf
State Legislators: Montanan’s in Action http://spending.miamontana.com/ Montana Conservatives: http://intelligentdiscontent.com/2011/03/09/rogerkoopman-my-kind-of-republican/
About Us: Brushfires of Freedom Montana is located in the Mission Valley.
Our Mission Statement: We exist to inspire, motivate and support informed citizens by providing information and educational resources to help individuals rise above political divisiveness, better understand the issues, and watch over their local, state, and federal governments. E-mail:
[email protected] Websites: restoring-america.com Montana10.com 6
