Topic: Community Self Government
Lehigh Valley Independence Day Rally & Tea Party
In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read in three spots in Pennsylvania following the Fourth of July. One spot was Easton's historic Center Square. 233 years later, a small band of patriots show up once more.
by Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution
(libertarian)
Friday, July 3, 2009
On Friday, July 3rd at 7 PM, the Lehigh Valley Tea Party organization is holding a rally in Easton's historic Center Square. See this LINK for details. The Declaration of Independence will be read followed by a series of speeches by invited speakers. I am delighted to be speaking at such an historic event, and I urge you to stop by if you are in the area. My topic will be "Regaining Our Individual Rights." UPDATE 7/5: Here is my speech and video.
From the group's website:
"...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."
These powerful words again have such relevance again today.
Today's Tea* Parties are proudly named after the Boston Tea Party of 1773. Like our revolutionary ancestors, we are protesting against growing government power, a government that increasingly oppresses its citizens instead of protecting them. We share our Founding Fathers' view, which first reached its full expression in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence, that the role of government is to protect individual rights--to protect the sovereign individual’s right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
But over the past two centuries, the ideal of individual rights has all but disappeared from public discourse. In its absence has emerged today's massive regulatory-welfare state, which taxes away nearly half our income, tells us what medicines we can take, what kind of light bulbs to buy, and is rapidly consolidating control over America’s banks, insurance companies, and industrial giants like General Motors."
* TEA = Taxed Enough Already
Even if you will not be in the area, I urge you to read the Declaration of Independence. It was the work of a small group of patriots that had had enough, that were determined to secede from the tyranny of England at the cost of their lives. In the following years, signers of the Declaration were hounded and physically tortured - who knows? perhaps even water-boarded. Their properties were raided and razed to the ground, their families uprooted from their lives. (Portrait by Jean-Baptiste Greuze)
But they all stuck together for, as Pennsylvanian Ben Franklin said just before signing:
"We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."
Perhaps the question to ask yourself this weekend is would YOU have signed the Declaration knowing the British Empire wanted you dead, that you had only your family, friends, and countrymen to back you?
I would have signed it in a heartbeat.
Yours faithfully,
Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution
P.S. If you happen to be in the Philadelphia area on Saturday, July 4th, come out for a picnic, parade and speakers right in front of Independence Hall! For more details see here and here or watch this. I will be there volunteering.
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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
As always, unlike the NFL, the author grants full permission to allow any accounts of, rebroadcasts, retransmissions, repostings of this article to your blog or anywhere else in order to promote the Restoration of our Republic.
Veritas numquam perit. Veritas odit moras. Veritas vincit. Truth never perishes. Truth hates delay. Truth conquers.
Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito. Do not give in to evil but proceed ever more boldly against it.
Summary of Articles and Bibliography for Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution (7/2/2009)
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Published: Friday, July 3, 2009
Last modified: Sunday, July 5, 2009
The views expressed in this article are those of Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Jake Towne, the Champion of the Constitution is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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