Labels, Campaigns, and You

by Jacqueline Smith

I recently received an email sent out by the Democratic Candidate for Treasurer.  It linked Henry Glasheen the Republican Candidate for Treasurer to the “right wing” group The STAR Forum in a negative way.  First, Henry Glasheen is not a member of our group.  While most of the members support Henry in his election because he is a fiscal conservative, and qualified enough to handle this position, my main point of this article is to discuss labels. 

Labels are a way for the opposing view to denigrate individuals and groups.  Going back in history, we look at the Nomad age.  Those who were living on farms and in stable homes, also known as the Agrarian culture called the Nomads “barbarians.”  Once the Industrial Age caught on, those people building factories looked at the Agrarian age as “Third World.”  Each group wants to denigrate the other with a label.  What might the Information Age call the Industrial Age builders?  Polluters maybe.

Many labels have been attached to the freedom movement, such as “tea baggers,” “racists,” “hate-mongers,” and “right-wingers“ etc.  This type of label is not only inaccurate, but can fool us, if we as a people do not look at the entire picture.  We have a right / left paradigm in our society, and I have used the terms myself.  Liberal / Conservative is thrown around a lot as well, but with less negative connotations.  If you are using a term to describe a standpoint, be sure you are using it with accuracy.  Liberals call themselves liberals.  That is not a derogatory term.

 I think it would be good to define right-wing.  The video linked here is a video that shows why right-wing is the opposite of the definition many people place on groups intent on supporting the Constitution of the United States as seen through the eyes of the founding fathers.  Right wing actually is a call for anarchy.  This is not the case for The STAR Forum at all. 

The STAR Forum stands for Save The American Republic.  I cannot imagine a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or Independent not wanting to Save the Republic.  Unless you believe in total anarchy or Fascism / Communism, we have common ground.  If you believe in God or simply in good, we have common ground.  If you believe that the Constitution of the United States is the law of the land, and holds government at bay to ensure the highest level of liberty for the people, then we have common ground.  If you believe that government is necessary, but should be limited, we have common ground.

The purpose of The STAR Forum is to educate people in ways of government workings.  We seek to give individuals the tools necessary to participate in an environment that may otherwise seem foreign.  We teach the proper role of government, and give the individuals the ability to look at history and better understand the period we are entering, known as The Fourth Turning.  It is individuals aligning themselves with others that want to recognize the vital role they can play in ensuring liberty for all.  It is recognizing the need for charity, honesty, and public virtue from ourselves on a daily basis.  We believe that an educated electorate is the most important thing in maintaining a Republic as our form of government.  We are not a democracy, because our founders understood as James Madison said, “…democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of  property, and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.”  In addition, Samuel Adams stated, “Democracy never lasts long.  It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.”

If placing labels on individuals or groups is the only way to win elections, and it works, it will not be the fault of the person placing the label, but the individuals who are fooled by those labels and vote based on the “feeling” the label creates.  Be an educated voter.  Look at comments and phrases placed on opposing candidates in context.  Do not believe everything you hear.  Study things out for yourself.  Find the candidates that align most with your views and belief systems.  Above all else, remember that this Republic has lasted longer with our Constitution than any other written Constitution on the earth.  It is the duty of all who take office, and all who vote, regardless of party to align themselves within the bounds of that document.

 FREEDOM CAN WIN!

This is the obamacare that tries men’s souls…

The following is a condensed version of the message I shared at our STAR Forum of Phoenix meeting March 26th:

I’ve had a fairly emotional week.  Hearing on Sunday night that Obamacare passed in the house in spite of a complete lack of bipartisan participation and a strong vocal resistance from the people made me lose faith in the legislative process.  It further tarnished my opinion of our president and other federal leaders who seem to have forgotten or just refuse to accept that they are our representatives and our servants.  It sickens me.

As I was looking more into this I found out that the bill actually includes articles providing for the formation of Obama’s “civil army” that will be appointed by him, take their orders from him, report to him, operate on their own ranking and pay scale independent from the one established by congress for our current military.  I wonder just how devious and dark President Obama’s true designs are.

I also know that to get too caught up in the negative points will become destructive to me and my goals.  I have been critical of Glenn Beck at times because I felt that he got too angry and didn’t offer a plan of action to deal with all of the problems he was identifying.  I don’t know how correct this assessment of mine was.  Lately I have appreciated his efforts to educate people.  I also appreciate something I heard him say this week.

He explained that a lot of people were surprised that he wasn’t crying and frothing at the mouth about the Obamacare vote.  He said that the reason why is that he appreciated that those in our government who hate freedom and have a complete disregard for the constitution and for the people they were elected to serve have clearly identified themselves.  Then he reminded us of a powerful lesson from our history.

December of 1776 was a bleak time in the colonies.  General Washington and his armies had lost every battle so far in the war.  They were starving and freezing.  I believe that the states were not sending supplies, reinforcements, or the pay that the army needed.  They were disheartened.  Many soldiers were leaving and choosing to not continue on with the army.  It was a dangerous time during which we could have easily lost our ability to continue fighting for our independence.  It was at this time that Thomas Paine penned his famous words, “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”

His words inspired the troops.  They inspired the people.  The colonies continued their fight, and eventually we were victorious over the oppressive English.

This story reminds me to never give up.  We have lost battles.  We have lost freedoms.  We have strayed too far from the government designed by our founding fathers to protect our liberties and freedom to prosper.  But the war is not yet over.

I don’t know what will happen from here.  I have an idea how it ends, but I’m not certain what route will carry us from point a to point b.  All I know is that I do not want to be counted among the summer soldiers.  I am not a sunshine patriot!  I will continue to educate myself and act on opportunities that present themselves to help others learn and act as well.  I will share the message of liberty.  I will support others who will stand with integrity for the constitution and the principles on which it was designed.

“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered…” but it will be conquered.  Tyrants will fall, and Freedom will ring, and I choose to fight on her side so that I can stand tall and proud when that day comes!

I want to thank Jeffrey, Ed, Jason, Jim, and the wonderfully beautiful Ashlee for your attendance and participation.  I’m especially glad for the example of Ed becoming a GOP Precinct Committeeman and for Jeffrey pointing out that more of us should follow suit.  My email has been sent to our district chair to inform of my intent to become a committeeman myself.

I invite all within my “voice” to educate yourselves.  Read a book about history or government.  Get involved.  Come to a meeting or start your own.

If you live in the Phoenix area you can find our contact information on the tab above or visit www.thestarforumphoenix.wordpress.com.  We have monthly meetings scheduled for the last Friday of each month.

Finally, good job to my fellow liberty lovers in Utah for your participation in the Caucus.  I’ve heard great things about your efforts and results!

Utah’s Biggest Tea Party … so far

by Jacqueline Smith

Before the 9.12 projects, and the tea party movement, many Republicans went to the polls in November, held their nose and voted.  Now we have a new age dawning.  9.12 groups, like the Davis County 9.12 Group, Utah Rising, The S.T.A.R. Forum, and Salt Lake County 9.12 have awakened the masses to the political process.  Groups already waving the banner of liberty with Utah Eagle Forum,  The Campaign for Liberty, and the John Birch Society have joined them.

This Tuesday, March 23, 2010, will be the biggest tea party so far.  You will see record numbers this Tuesday come out to caucus night in neighborhoods statewide.  This mass meeting is the cornerstone of the Representative Republic that holds our country together.  People have turned off the TV, they got off the couch, and they are attending.  In the past few months, people have read books like Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, and Cleon Skousen’s The 5,000 Year Leap.

Many Utahns have become educated in this process.  Before the education process swept over the masses, many people didn’t even understand that the only way to have a say on who showed up on the ballot in November was through this process.  It was a mystery how candidates were selected.  However, those days are over.

With the Federal Government ever encroaching into our daily lives, many Americans have been asking, “What can I do?”  The 9.12 movement came forward and said, “We have a plan, and it’s called caucus night.”

Henry Glasheen, Summit County Republican Chairman, said, “Turnout is going to be fantastic across the board.”  When asked why, he stated, “People are tired of government they view as not for the people.”

When an educated people participate in the process, liberty and freedom move forward.  We must constantly watch our elected officials and demand they give us the most individual liberty, ask for the most personal accountability from themselves and their constituents, and demand that Federal Government stay within the bounds set by the Constitution. 

You have never been to a caucus before?  That is okay, these people are your neighbors.  Find out where your caucus is by going to your COUNTY website.  All the county websites are listed at http://www.utgop.org/county.

This is a great year to begin your participation in the election process.  However, it cannot be your last.  We have much to correct in our states, and in our federal government.  So get involved, and stay involved.  That is how freedom works.  We have moved out of apathy, and it is vital to our liberty that we do not move back into a state of complacency.

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

Joe the Plumber, and A Look At Our Government

Two bald plumbers and me

 by Jacqueline Smith

I went to an event for Cherilyn Eagar last night.  She is running on the Republican platform for U. S. Senate against incumbent Bob Bennett.  I had a  chance to meet Joe Wurzelbacher.  He was very nice, and gave a great speech.  Before he spoke, my husband and I had a chance to speak with him for about 20 minutes.  We talked a lot about plumbing.

I think he feels like many of us.  He said being famous isn’t fun, and he would rather be plumbing.  While he enjoys going on the road and meeting people, and spreading the word about taking our country back, he, like many of us, wants to do the things in life that we do well.  We want to do things that bring us joy, happiness, and peace in our lives.  We love spending time with family, with friends, and being productive.  So does he.  Now we are thrown into a political maelstrom and feel we can no longer watch as the political winds blow the country into a place that is unrecognizable.

 The question isn’t whether or not we want to be politically active, the question is, “How can we not be?”  It is our responsibility as good Americans, parents, and citizens of this great nation to join in the great debate.  To put our best foot forward and leave behind some of our current desires for something so vital to our nation’s well-being.  This may be the only chance in our lifetime to begin to repair the damage. 

Remember, this isn’t about the Democrats.  This isn’t about Barack Obama.  This is about the slide into socialism and the Federal Government’s take over of our lives that has been happening for over 100 years. 

Do you think we’ll get through this like we did the Carter years?  Think again.  This is a different time in history.  Take a look at The 4^th Turning Cycle of History.  This is the time when a fight for the right way of life happens every single time in history.  300 generations have done it the same way.  We are no different.  But the last two times we went through this cycle, we did a poor job of it. 

Here is a drawing of how our government was set up to look originally.

 

 This shows a central Federal government, with surrounding states giving them certain limited powers.  This was in the Founding of this great country.

After the Civil war, we created another founding.  Many people don’t realize how much our government system changed.  But here is a drawing of that founding.

You will noticed that now the Federal government is over the states, and the arrows are going from the Federal government to the states.  The Federal government is now telling the states what they can and can’t do.  State sovereignty was being eliminated.

Then after the great depression, which was the crisis of that turning in history, we began WWII.  This pulled us from our depression, and another new founding was created.  This founding has been the most dangerous of all.  This globalism and socialism has found their way deeper into our government, where personal responsibility and accountability (as Joe spoke of in his speech last night) have all but disappeared.

Here is a drawing of that founding.

Notice the global entities that are putting pressure on the world governments, and then those governments are putting pressure on their states.  The states are left with a desire to de-centralize.  We can go one of two ways at this point.  We can move to global governance and lose all sovereignty, or we can bring the power back to the states, and re-gain control of our sovereignty on a local level.  The EU has had such an impact on Europe, that they no longer have currency that belongs to their individual countries but a European currency.  The global pressure on the U.S.S.R. had the opposite impact.  The states of that country broke apart and became their own individual countries.

So here we are, facing another crisis.  I have no mis-conceptions that this will be an easy time in history.  I’m not even sure what this crisis will really look like, but we are beginning to feel the impact.  We have had a housing bubble burst.  We have had the dollar falling.  We have had a swine flu scare.  We have the threat of terrorism ever looming in the back of our minds.  And we have The White House full of people with a different world view than many Americans. 

What are you doing?  Anything?  Are you just turning off the news because, why watch it anymore?  I know you are frustrated.  I am too.  So is Joe.  This will be a long fight.  This is not an election-cycle away from being fixed.  We will need to transform ourselves into the kind of people that generations later will thank us for our sacrifice.  Help us Save The American Republic.  That’s what this group is all about.  And every tiny chapter all over is doing the same thing.  We are waking our neighbors and friends and we are standing together.  Is there a 9-12 group in your area?  Join it.  If there isn’t one, create one.  Call it The STAR Forum, and we’ll help you.

There are amazing people behind the scenes doing so much.  But we need your help.  We need every tiny community all across this great nation to become STARS.  We hold the light and truth within us.  Together, we can Save The American Republic.

No one can do this alone.  A giant group won’t do it either.  But each community doing something can change the world.  Each person putting his shoulder to the wheel can push the Constitution back into the forefront of our minds.  We can talk about it.  We can study it.  We can be proud of it again.  Politics must be talked about openly.  Religion, too, for that matter.  They aren’t subjects to be considered controversial anymore.  They are the fabric of our country.

What we must also do, is be active.  Next year the Republicans want to take back control of the Senate.  If we are just looking for Republicans, then count me out.  However, if we are looking for truly Constitutionally-minded Republicans, I’m in.  Once we find them, how do we beat the machine that is the Republican incumbent that hasn’t held to those principles?  We become delegates in our precinct and take back our party.  We the people, create the party.  We have just ignored it for far too long.

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

The Danger of Iconography

Glenn Beck has raised the title of liberty  in our day, but what does that really look like?  Some use the Unite or Die snake, but that has a negative connotation.  Some use the new Glenn Beck 9-12 snake, which is not as negative but not very pretty.  I’ve noticed the yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag as a well-known banner waved at the conservative tea-party movement events, but again it’s negative in its message even though I love it.    We need to be brilliant and engage the masses in our cause.   It is time to have a banner under which our movement stands.  It contend we make it a  STAR for Save The American Republic.  It has meaning, it holds beauty, it’s part of our original flags, and it is full of light and (sorry to say this) hope.    FREEDOM CAN WIN!

March on Washington Video

The Boston Freedom Trail

 

By Jacqueline Smith

 

 

 The beauty of the Northeast is breathtaking.  The lush green forests that hide the buildings, homes, and even the freeways are amazing.  Only when you are right in a city do you feel the city at all.  Part of our adventure for the march on Washington, DC, was to come to historic Boston, Massachusetts.    

 

 A good friend of mine, Andrew Mismash, and member of  The S.T.A.R. Forum, served an LDS mission in Boston and suggested the Freedom Trail.  Since we are in an RV, Parking was a bit of an adventure, and we ended up parking by the wharf.  Our freedom trail began in the middle.  While we didn’t make it down the entire trail, we saw many wonderful and important sites in Boston.  There is so much history.  I wondered at the liberal views that seem to emanate from this state, when there is so much Constitutional history right at your fingertips.  There are many Universities in this state, and according to David Nobel’s Understanding the Times, the liberal professors apparently are having quite an influence.  Nevertheless, I digress. 

With five children in tow, the 7-hour walk (with a wonderful stop for seafood) was quite exhausting.  What a day.  My feet are aching, and my heart is full.  I am so grateful to the men and women of courage who took a stand in Boston, for this is truly where it all started.  According to the Fourth Turning, by Strauss & Howe, a catalyst must set off the crisis at the end of the 3^rd turning..  The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party were the catalyst of that period.  Then the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Revolutionary War began. 

9/11 marks the day in our time when it is believed we had our catalyst.  About 7 – 10 year following a catalyst, an alignment takes place.  The alignment in their day, was the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Is the march on DC the alignment of our time?  Only time will tell.

 We went to Paul Revere’s home. 

It is the oldest building in Boston at over 300 years, because it was already 90 years old when he bought it.  My daughter, Silvére, mentioned that the bed in his upstairs room looked the room of Felicity from her American Girls Series.  This is where she first learned of the Boston Tea Party. 

This brings us to the point of this trip.  The Tea Party Movement and the 9.12 Projects  When we mentioned back in April that we were having a Tea Party, she asked me if was like the Boston Tea Party.  I was grateful she had connected history to today so well.  While the original Tea Party movement in this country was about the upcoming taxes we know will be levied to pay for the outrageous spending and unreasonable programs being set forth by the current administration, and past bailouts and spending of the Bush administration, it has morphed into a rally for liberty.  Constitutional principles are at the forefront.  We want to tell our government “Don’t Tread On Me.”

This flag here, is still hanging in the Old North Church in Boston.  Out in front of the church in the courtyard, is the statue of Paul Revere making his famous ride.

  We saw the grave marker of John Hancock, signer of the Declaration.

 

 

 

 

 We saw Samuel Adams gravestone, and the markers of those who died in the Boston Massacre.

 

The gravestones of the early colonists and Americans are interesting, and macabre. 

 

 And of course we saw the oldest pub in the state, dedicated to “patriot brewer” Samuel Adams. 

 

 Bunker Hill Memorial can be seen from across the harbor. 

What a beautiful place is Boston, and so full of the memories of our patriot founders and those who courageously helped them.  

The founders wanted to put an end to aristocracy.  They wanted no more Lords and Ladies, Kings and Queens, simply, no more titles.  The future day of 300,000 million people without title is here…or is it?  The titles have changed, but an aristocracy has arisen in these United States.  Now we call them Senator, Congressman, Representative, Czar (oh, I mean Special Advisor to the President), CEO, CFO, Professor, and PhD (and I do not mean the medical kind.)

 The business suits, and tweed jackets are gods no more in the minds of the people.  We are ready to end this new aristocracy.  I am not against capitalism by any stretch, but I am against corruption whether it is in business or government.    No special rules for the wealthy, no special rules for the government.  The laws that are created must be laws they are bound to.  Laws on taxes, laws on health care, laws on retirement must apply to our government officials as well as those they serve.  Did you hear that?  They serve us, the people.  We the people of these United States will hold our politicians to a higher standard, and they will not be re-elected unless they are truly statesman, and understand the meaning of public virtue. We will end the taxes that take from the wealthy, and give to the poor.  Our government does not get to play Robin Hood.  Our growth as individuals depends our opportunity to choose to give to the poor rather than be robbed by taxation, otherwise we are merely slaves under an oppressive self-righteous government.

This is the greatest country in the world.  We have a wonderful system of government.  But, it must be filled by men and women of virtue, with an educated, and informed public standing behind them. 

 

FREEDOM CAN WIN!

Video on your 2nd Ammendment Rights

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!

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.

28 Principles of Liberty

1. The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
2. A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5. All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible.
6. All men are created equal.
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8. Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
9. To protect man’s rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12. The United States of America shall be a republic.
13. A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14. Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and minimum of government regulations.
16. The government should be separated into three branches – legislative, executive, and judicial.
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
20. 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.
21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25. “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations – entangling alliances with none.”
26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28. 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.

A S.T.A.R is born – Save The American Republic

The political world seems to be in upheaval.  An alignment is taking place.  The blog is here to help form that alignment.  Websites and links will be forthcoming.  Read all about how we came up with the name here. 

We are headed toward a social aristocracy, and the group of people behind this blog are ready to educate and advocate the cause of liberty.  Freedom can win.  It’s time to get educated.  We can all do our part by learning the principles of freedom. 

How?  Start by subscribing to this blog, and then go and get a copy of  “The 5,000 Year Leap” by Cleon Skousen.  Now read it.  This blog will be discussing the principles of liberty and what we can do as individuals, families, and communities to save the Republic we love.

Jacqueline Smith