I have noticed through the years that the State is controlled by two major special interest groups from Springfield and Chicago. We have a duopoly of power between the Democrats and the Republicans. The public has to realize that with the power base these parties have in the State, all they have to do is take turns holding specific offices and can be unaccountable to the people who elect them.
One case of this is the Governor's race. In Illinois' recent history we have had both parties represented in the office and the people are left with the bills. Bloomington's own, Lex Green is changing the race this year by running as a Libertarian on the issues instead of the same old party lines. If we want the two parties to be accountable to the people again, we need to let them know there is another choice.
As the newly elected precinct committemen for Illinois 11th and 15th districts, I am proud to announce that Tim Johnson (R, IL-15) voted "YEA" on Kucinich's bill to remove troops from afganistan. Thank you Rep. Johnson!
Just got some great news from a patriot on my facebook. Sounds like he's getting better every day!
Michelle Rosen commented on your status:
"I talked to Michael Badnarik's mom at noon. Michael is conscious again. His brothers are planning to take him home from the hospital in La Crosse on Wednesday. (depending on recovery). The throat tubes really hurt is throat, so he is only able to whisper right now. His doctors are going to sedate him over the next few days so he can rest and recover.
DO NOT CALL the hospital. They are so busy trying to help many CCU patients right now. All the calls and attempted visits are stressing the nurses and patients. Send cards to: Gunderson Lutheran Hospital, CCUMichael Badnarik, 1900 South Avenue, La Crosse, WI 54601
Let me add though, that all the calls and attempted visits--along with videos and articles about this incident throughout our Freedom fighting community--shows just how much Michael is loved and respected.
Starting this week, we will be holding our weekly C4L meetings on Tuesday evenings at 6pm at the Coffee House in 'uptown' Normal. Therefore, please try to attend this Tuesday's meeting, October 27. I look forward to seeing you there!
The "Meet Your Next Governor" event several of our members participated in (planning, coordinating, moderating, etc.) and attended went very well! Check out the Pantograph's coverage of the event here. While many of us would have liked to have seen a larger crowd (about 75 people attended), I think you all did a phenomenal job of putting on such a detailed candidates forum in just 4 weeks. A number of people have asked me to pass on their thankfulness for organizing the event because they now know a lot more on each of the candidates.
Looking forward, we have a lot of ideas and tons of ways for each and every one of you to get involved and have fun spreading the ideas of individual liberty and constitutional, accountable government. With the election cycle coming up and the troubled state of our country, people are open to hearing our message. I hope to see you at the weekly meeting to discuss and organize!
Please join us for the next liberty-minded Bloomington/Normal event: "Meet Your Next Governor". The event takes place on Monday, October 19 from 6pm - 9pm. All 12 Illinois Governor Candidates have been invited and as of Oct. 6, six have confirmed they will be there. I look forward to seeing you there! Email me at jariddl@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Last Friday evening Liberty called in Bloomington. Campaign For LIberty answered. What a great victory for freedom - what a great victory to witness.
Organized with the help of our local membership in just eight short weeks, the evidence of the new political paradigm confronting us and threatening our own well-being, alerted concerned citizens and they responded. They turned out in force to be informed and educated about the efforts to erode our rights.
Speakers at FREEDOM NIGHT included Kathy Michael. She is a local candidate for McLean County Clerk. Kathy educated the enthusiastic crowd with her knowledge about local property rights. Illinois State University Business professor, Dr. Terry Noel, detailed the audience on free market choice and entrepreneurship from a constitutional perspective. Travis Akin of the Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch, presented a compelling narrative on the negative effects of lawsuit abuse on all citizens.
Finally, rounding out the exciting evening was our keynote speaker, Michael Badnarik. Michael is one of the most renowned and acclaimed constitutional experts in the country. I would urge everyone to watch his video's on YOUTUBE. You'll be amazed.
Michael Badnarik
Local Coordinator Donny Herrin and
Michael Badnarik
The following day, Michael Badnarik presented his highly popular Constitutional Class, an eight hour long dissertation on the Constitution. Afterward, some of the class participants and our local organizing group had the pleasure of dining out with each other and the famed teacher.
The dynamics of the McLean County C4L team is phenomenal. What a dedicated group of passionate people for liberty. It just goes to illustrate how the fire of liberty wins the hearts of everyone when we just light it.
Pictured from left to right are Karen and Lex Green, Jason Riddle- County Coordinator, Barb Orwig, Michael Badnarik, Donny Herrin, local coordinator Tom Morgan, Carol Rogers, and local coordinator Matt Ervin.
We find our political landscape today scattered with a myriad of issues. These issues seem fraught with uncertainty and an unstableness that, without question, invite no less than catastrophe.
The two-party system that has so-long controlled the American political horizon is in shambles.
While both sides, Democrats and Republicans - have hangers-on, those who see legitimacy to this political madness that now pervades our culture, are few. The force and authority now rests with a majority who possess a different perspective. That majority is now convinced that to continue on our current course, that to continue to allow a maverick government to pursue an agenda with unconstitutional ideals and far outside its parameters, that serve to deprive Americans of God-given freedoms, is no longer acceptable. That it is no longer a Democrat or Republican problem; it is and has been a long-term government problem.
This unacceptable long-term agenda has been in place and has continued for decades.
For example, this agenda has continued to further its control to manage our health care and how Americans should be treated for injury and illness. This agenda has continued to dictate to us our monetary policy and capitalist structure through the manipulation of money through private and secret banks controlled by wealthy and unknown influences. This agenda has dictated to us throughout our entire working lives how our retirement savings and benefits will be rationed. And, it is yet attempting to further its control of Americans by implementing laws that will manage and direct social structure in nearly every personal and private matter from birth to death. As a result, government has abused its limited authority delegated it by the people for decades, administration after administration, Democrat or Republican, and has usurped the peoples' rights in its course. This steals our freedom.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson's indictment of tyranny decried the long train of abuses perpetrated on the American colonists by an oppressive and tyrannical government. Jefferson stated that "when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce [the people] under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security".
Jefferson's indictment charged that the King refused to pass laws necessary for the public good; The King forbid his representatives to pass laws of pressing importance; The King held secret legislative sessions with legislators while fatiguing them into compliance; The King punished representatives for opposing the invasions of the rights of the people. Sounds much like our current abuses in government.
Today, would Mr. Jefferson recognize our plight with government, seemingly similar to his plight with a despotic British Crown, in like manner?
Jefferson would perhaps define "a long train of abuses" today as when our political representatives, from one administration to the next, engaged in an ongoing series of acts, all seemingly related and continuing to pursue a like agenda or goal, regardless of administration, party, individual or method, whose end is to politicize most aspects of life and increase government responsibility and authority through a broad interpretation of constitutionally delegated interests.
I find without hesitation that our current government, has and is, acting in like manner of a tyrannical and despotic British Crown; our indictments are similar. To wit: government administered health care for decades, and now, attempting to pass further oppressive laws instead of those necessary for the public good; The Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department along with our current government fatiguing legislators to implement financial windfalls; And when Americans' speak out against these policies - these long train of abuses - we are threatened with punishment for opposing these invasions of our rights.
Government continues, without the requisite consent and constitutional authority granted it by the people to engage in and perpetuate this ongoing train of abuses where our quality of life is jeopardized and quantity of quality is decreased with each generational passage. It continues to diminish and suppress the rights and liberties of individual choices and responsibilities.
I am forced to ask, are the American people themselves not capable of such responsibilities, possess the requisite ability to make such choices, and not endowed with the necessary knowledge to choose and achieve satisfactory results and perform these tasks more efficiently than government, and then to maintain and preserve ourselves and our nation in the course? In the eyes of government, life's choices have become too great and too complex for the common citizen to make rational and prudent decisions and effectively manage the ongoing crisis that life presents. In fact, is it not our government, left unchecked, that creates and perpetuates the crisis? And, because government seizes and usurps these tasks from the people, it is, in essence, government by force.
We can find no alternative than to side with Mr. Jefferson: there is a deliberate, planned and calculated campaign designed to eradicate liberty, sovereignty, and all the freedoms associated with them, one by one. It is time we, as Americans, united, put a stop to this long train of abuses, don't you agree?
Alexander Hamilton presented a critical question to the American people of his day: whether societies of men were really capable of establishing good government or whether they were forever destined to depend on accident or force? It seems more appropriate today to ask the American people if they are capable of preserving good government, or are we destined to depend on government against our will? The answers cannot be left unattended by idle conscience and lethargic spirits. While the tide of momentum appears to have shifted to the unhappy majority, we cannot fail to take action. While we complain, we must also act. Because, if we should choose not to act now, Americans will find themselves victim to a system of government far more abusive than the long train of abuses visited upon Jefferson and his compatriots.
We in McLean County are having a cookout this Saturday August 29, 2009.
The idea for this cookout was brought up because there are a lot of people in our group that can not come to our Monday night meetings due to scheduling issues.
Of course people tend to be really busy over the weekend as well so we will be as flexible as possible.
The main scheduled time is starting at high noon and running until 2 PM. This is mostly for people to plan their lunch. Meat will be provided in the form of BBQ pork and chicken. As far as people bringing food the rule is bring something that you enjoy and like to share. The idea behind this if you have to take it home with you, it won't go to waste. The biggest weakness will be drinks other than water so if you want to pick up 2-liters please do.
Now if people want to stick around after 2pm, we welcome the continued conversations. I want to stress though, if you can only come by for 15 minutes and then leave quickly, PLEASE STILL COME. This will be an open place where we can get to know newer people and the people that haven't been able to be active in a while.
This will not be a working meeting but there will be ongoing conversations about what has gone on and what is in the works. This a very exciting time for our group. Everyone is welcome to join us on Saturday.
I am very happy to officially announce that right here in Bloomington IL, we have secured none other than Michael Badnarik, a highly renowned Constitutional expert and former presidential candidate, to speak at a major event our local Campaign For Liberty organization is hosting. The event is called "Freedom Night" and takes place on Friday, September 18th at the Lafayette Club in Bloomington. Freedom Night includes Avanti's catering, a lively liberty-minded singer from Michigan, and a variety of other top-notch speakers. Tickets will be available this coming Monday!
This is our biggest event to date and we definitely need your help spreading the word. In the coming days, I will be sending out / posting the event flyer, asking each of you to help distribute to all friends, family, and neighbors. Until then, please check out the draft version of our new website (used to market the event) at www.McLeanC4L.com! If you can do more, please call me or email me and ask how you can help.
P.S. Michael Badnarik will also be holding his highly acclaimed "Constitution Class" the following day, Saturday September 19th. More info on that to come. Please check out this video of Michael talking about the Constitution.
Campaign for Liberty is a 501(c)4 lobbying organization which neither supports nor opposes candidates for public office and claims no responsibility for the actions of individuals or groups of individuals who use the Campaign for Liberty logo or name or who may claim to act as representatives of the Campaign for Liberty without prior written consent of the Campaign for Liberty. [?]
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson's indictment of tyranny decried the long train of abuses perpetrated on the American colonists by an oppressive and tyrannical government. Jefferson stated that "when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce [the people] under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security".
I find without hesitation that our current government, has and is, acting in like manner of a tyrannical and despotic British Crown; our indictments are similar. To wit: government administered health care for decades, and now, attempting to pass further oppressive laws instead of those necessary for the public good; The Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department along with our current government fatiguing legislators to implement financial windfalls; And when Americans' speak out against these policies - these long train of abuses - we are threatened with punishment for opposing these invasions of our rights.
Alexander Hamilton presented a critical question to the American people of his day: whether societies of men were really capable of establishing good government or whether they were forever destined to depend on accident or force? It seems more appropriate today to ask the American people if they are capable of preserving good government, or are we destined to depend on government against our will? The answers cannot be left unattended by idle conscience and lethargic spirits. While the tide of momentum appears to have shifted to the unhappy majority, we cannot fail to take action. While we complain, we must also act. Because, if we should choose not to act now, Americans will find themselves victim to a system of government far more abusive than the long train of abuses visited upon Jefferson and his compatriots.
County Coordinator
Local Coordinator
