Part 1, 2, & 3 of Your Second Ammendment Rights
posted by Jacqueline Smith
If you do not understand your rights, your rights they can be taken. Please educate yourself. Read, study, discuss. FREEDOM CAN WIN!
democracy
What Can You Do to Restore Liberty?
What Can You Do to Restore Liberty? Is Freedom Part of your Life Mission?
Do you ever look around you, look at what is happening in our country and in the world, and wish there were something you could do? Do you ever feel hopeless or helpless as you watch liberty and moral values crumble around you? I believe that God sent the Founding Fathers of our country at that time to fulfill a mission that would bring liberty to this land. God sent you to earth at this time and place. He has given you talents and abilities. He has a plan for you and your life just as He had a plan and work for the founders to do. It was not chance, but Providence, that brought two men, Henry Knox and Nathanael Greene, together. The two became friends and had placed in their hearts a burning desire to read all that they could about military arts and strategy. This was a very unlikely subject for the Quaker raised Nathanael Greene to want to study. It was also very convenient that Henry Knox owned a prosperous bookstore that allowed them access to the kinds of books they would need to study. The two poured over books on military arts for hours. These two men played a major part in helping George Washington to win the war. They were inspired to learn and were ready when needed to fulfill a purpose.
If each us is put here at this time and place to fulfill a mission, what can we do to be ready? What can we learn from history? This series of articles will explore what it will take for liberty to win in this Fourth Turning. It will also hopefully inspire you to find out what your personal mission is and help you to start on the path that you need to take.
What can we learn from the past?
Cincinnatus was a consul in the ancient Roman Republic. He was very well educated and wise. After his term as consul, he retired to his farm. He was so respected and loved by the Roman people, that they often came to his farm for advice. During this time, a barbarian army gathered with an aim to take Rome. They burned and plundered every village in their path on their march to Rome. The Roman senate and consuls gathered their army and sent it to stop the barbarians. Some time later, a small, rag-tag group of blood stained survivors returned telling how the Roman army had been trapped on all sides in a mountain pass and defeated by the barbarians. The Romans now had no army and the barbarians were on their way. Someone in the senate cried, “we need Cincinnatus!” An envoy was sent to Cincinnatus’ farm asking him to save Rome. They promised that if he saved them, he would be king. Cincinnatus gathered an army mostly made up of inexperienced young men because that was all there was left. Calling upon his education and leadership skills, Cincinnatus was able to use military strategy and lead his army to victory. Upon his victorius return, Cincinnatus was, as promised, given the offer to be king. Cincinnatus replied, “I give the power back to the senate, it is their job to make the laws”. He then returned to his farm.
In a time much later in Roman history, Julius Caesar started his power play to take over the Roman Republic. Cicero and others in the senate called for a Cincinnatus. No Cincinnatus stepped forward. There was none to be found. After Julius Casar was assassinated, his nephew Octavius (later called Augustus) took up where Julius had left off. He formed a triumverate, that killed anyone with power to stand in his way. Mark Antony, part of Octavius’ triumverate, celebrated with glee when he learned that his arch enemy, the statesman and senator Cicero had been killed by the triumverate’s death squad. Cicero was well educated and very vocal in trying to save the rupublic. With his death, and the deaths of others like minded, the republic failed.
What does the story of Cincinnatus and of Cicero have to do with you today? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the other founding fathers were the Cincinnatuses of America. They fought for liberty from Britan. Instead of taking power for themselves, they studied government and human nature and then wrote a constitution that gave us a republic and left the power in the hands of the people. Today, our American Republic and the Constituiton are in jeopardy. We need to study what liberty looks like. We need to have the education to be the Ciceroes and Cincinnatuses of our time. “But,” you say, “I am no Cicero or Cincinnatus or George Washington. I am just a regular man or woman. I am not great like them.” Perhaps that is what those men thought of themselves. That is probably what made them great. The difference, is that they had the education to give them the ability to do what they did. Again you say, “but I don’t have that kind of education.” Many of the founding fathers and people of that time were self-educated, look at the example of Henry Knox and Nathanael Greene. It is not too late. Start now. One of the best places to start is The Five Thousand Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen.
Dr. Oliver DeMille states that in order for freedom to win in the United States, we need 30% of the population which is about 70 million people who have the kind of education and thinking and reasoning skills that we have been discussing. Perhaps your mission is to be one of those 70 million people that ensure freedom wins. If there are enough Ciceroes, freedom wins!
28 Principles of Liberty from The 5,000 Year Leap
The following principles are taken directly from the book “The 5,000 Year Leap.” This book is a very easy read, but one that should be pondered greatly. If you begin a new chapter of The S.T.A.R. Forum in your area, we will ship you 10 books for the cost of the books only. Please contact us with any questions.
- The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
- A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
- The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
- Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
- All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible.
- All men are created equal.
- The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
- Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
- To protect man’s rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
- The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
- The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
- The United States of America shall be a republic.
- A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
- Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
- The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and minimum of government regulations.
- The government should be separated into three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial.
- A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
- The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
- Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
- Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
- Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
- A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
- A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
- A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
- “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations – entangling alliances with none.”
- The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
- The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
- The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race.
See the stirring video based on these principles HERE.
The Tytler Cycle of Democracy
Another great cycle in history is the Tytler Cycle of Democracy. This cycle may look very familiar to you, and it may have been called a number of different names depending on where and why it was being taught.. We have often heard it taught as the “pride” cycle. Remember that as you study this cycle, you personally may be in a different place in the cycle than others. Some of your friends and neighbors may be as well. However, society as a whole, will follow this pattern.
On the right side of the cycle we are a free people, we discuss things based on principle and we are governed by virtue. While on the left side of the cycle we are issue driven, and business tends to run us more than anything. This is a principle described in
Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. In his book he explains:
“There is, indeed, a most dangerous passage in the history of a democratic people. When the taste for physical gratifications among them has grown more rapidly than their education and their experience of free institutions, the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint at the sight of the new possessions they are about to obtain. In their intense and exclusive anxiety to make a fortune they lose sight of the close connection that exists between the private fortune of each and the prosperity of all. It is not necessary to do violence to such a people in order to strip them of the rights they enjoy; they themselves willingly loosen their hold. The discharge of political duties appears to them to be a troublesome impediment which diverts them from their occupations and business. If they are required to elect representatives, to support the government by personal service, to meet on public business, they think they have no time, they cannot waste their precious hours in useless engagements; such idle amusements are unsuited to serious men who are engaged with the more important interest of life. These people think they are following the principle of self-interest, but the idea they entertain of that principle is a very crude one; and the better to look after what they call their own business, they neglect their chief business, which is to remain their own masters.” (emphasis added)
Difficult to put into words any better than that. This book was written by a Frenchman in 1840. Quite prophetic. But lets look at this from today’s perspective. What Tocqueville is saying is that as we have access to so much “stuff” and “entertainment” we will give away our freedoms, because we will not be paying attention to the people we elect or the laws that are passed. We will just be too busy. The very thing we want most will simply slip from our grasp, our freedom, and we will no longer be a country of self-rule.
As a free society, this cycle generally takes approximately 200 years to go from beginning to end. The main reason we have stayed free is because of our republic. But the more we move toward a democracy the faster we will lose our freedom. We have lasted longer than two hundred years, but we are seeing the rapid loss of our freedoms. The good news is, as a free society, we will not allow ourselves to stay in bondage very long and will spend most of our time on the right side of the cycle.
This image is difficult to read but it shows the cycle from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance. During this part of the cycle public virtue runs things, and we are focused on Values, Principles and Forms. Then we move from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, and from dependence back to bondage. During this side of the cycle we are focused on issues. Businesses run people, (and government).
Can you guess where we are? Do you know what to do to pass through the bondage side of the cycle quickly? Leave your comments and give us your thoughts.
Keep studying! Freedom can win!
A Closer Look at the Fourth Turning
Time for a closer look at the 4th phase – The Winter, or Crisis.
Our previous article (found here) explained a brief overview of a cycle in history known as a saeculum. This 80 – 120 year period in history is made up of four (4) separate turnings. Each of these turnings last on average 20 – 25 years. We are now going to take a quick look at the types of people born in these turnings, and then take a closer look at just the Fourth Turning, since that is the one we are currently in. We will also look ahead to a new founding. What kind of founding? That will be determined by the people of this great country during the next ten (10) or so years.
Let’s begin with a look at archetypes. During each phase an archetype of sorts is born. In general, these types of people will be born, but remember there are always exceptions.
- 1st Phase, or Founding – Prophet (they see what’s coming)
- 2nd Phase or Awakening – Nomads (they don’t fit in, move a lot, change jobs)
- 3rd Phase or Unraveling – Heroes (take the hard path, and fight the fight)
- 4th Phase or Crisis – Artists (see the world as wonderful or horrible and express their views through a variety of mediums.)
Each archetype affects change in the next two phases following, when they are old enough to make a difference. If you want to know which archetype you and your friends fit into, go to the previous article “The Fourth Turning – In a Nutshell” and find the year you were born.
Here is a breakdown of just one historical 4th turning in American history.
1770 – Boston Massacre – The Catalyst that pushes society into a 4th Turning.
1776 – Declaration of Independence – The alignment takes place. In this case, the people aligned themselves with each other, and against the ruling power of England.
1783-1787 – Revolutionary War – The Crisis shows itself. There is death, sacrifice, and extreme hardship on those who fight for the cause.
1787-1794 – The Constitutional Convention – The Resolution takes place. A new founding is then created on self rule, in this case.
Now, let’s look at today:
2001 – September 11 terrorist attacks – The Catalyst. This drove our country to changes in policy. Our attack was suddenly different, so our defense was changed. Therefore policy changed to enforce the new defense. i.e. Patriot Act, Victory Act, etc.
That’s what we know for sure about the 4th Turning. If the cycles hold, this may be what we can come to expect. And we have questions for you to ponder, seriously.
2008? – 2009? – The alignment.
- Has it already occurred with our current election, or has the election created a need for a stronger alignment.
- Are you going to be a part of it? The people, who want freedom over oppression, democrat and republican alike, recently attended tea parties.
- The people have begun to align themselves. Where is your alignment?
- Currently we are really only looking at two choices, freedom principles or socialistic principles.
2012? – 2015? – The Crisis.
- What event could come our way to really test our society? Historically this time period in the crisis can be war, plague (or pandemic), famine, or economic depression. It may even contain more than one.
- Are you ready? Do you know how to survive a 4th Turning crisis? This isn’t a doomsday approach. This is reality if the cycles hold. Something to think about.
2028? – 2035? – The Resolution.
- What will the resolution to our problems be?
- Have you studied enough to know what freedom really needs to look like?
- Could you set up changes that will take us back down a path of freedom? It took decades to get us on this path of socialism. It may take just as long to undo many of those bad policies and thinking that got us here in the first place. Maybe not.
- Can you speak the language of the elite? Can you enter the great debate on principles and theory, instead of embroiling yourself and others with issues?
- Can you articulate your ideas so they are easily understood?
It is important to understand that the people in the alignment will either be the people in the resolution or will dramatically influence it. The people who signed the Declaration of Independence were also the people who put together the Constitution.
You may have raised one of the HERO Generation of our day. You may be one of the HERO generation. Your grandchildren might be that generation. But they are already here. They are the children born between 1984 and 2001. They will be the ones that will carry us through to the next phase. It will require the Prophet generation, the Nomad generation and the Hero generation to pull this off. The Hero generation must be shown why this battle for freedom really matters. They must be educated in the principles of liberty.
We cannot look back in time and wish for the “old days”, we must look forward to a future of freedom. Take the steps necessary to tip the scales back toward the side of freedom. We have lost for many years. But we can reverse the direction of this country. If we are to survive the 4th turning and come out with a founding that is of value, we must embrace it. We must prepare for it. We must be educated in freedom principles.
Wouldn’t it be great to just take a pill and have this thing fixed? Unfortunately, that is not possible. The fix is in long-term thinking, education, reform, and de-centralization. These things take time. This isn’t scary, it’s exciting. We can change the course of our country.
Join us in the fight for freedom by dedicating yourself to move the cause of liberty forward. Organize S.T.A.R. Forum groups in your own area. The S.T.A.R. Forum is here to teach and assist you. Email us, and we will send you updates automatically. More information will continue to come forward. We seek leaders in every city, who can influence others in liberty. Freedom lovers everywhere…Unite.
FREEDOM CAN WIN!
Democracy vs. Republic
Watch this 10 minute video…..with your kids…..and you’ll understand the difference between a democracy and a republic.
The S.T.A.R. Forum 