First and Foremost Our Principles

We must be united around our basic principles, Fiscal Responsibility, the Constitution, Constitutional-limited Government, and Personal Freedom. These things entail a certain responsibility on the part of the people, as well, to curtail the government feeling the need to overstep its bounds.

First, fiscal responsibility entails two different things. Number 1, we want honesty and truth about all spending in the government. Is a particular earmark relevant to all the people of the United States? The backroom dealings and money laundering from the federal government must be brought to light. Number 2, we want to proof that the spending is necessary and that the government is following basic practicable economic principles. We see massive, growing national debt, increased spending that is supposed to draw us out of the economic crisis, and job-loss, which means a lack of revenue for the federal government. The federal government is borrowing from the Chinese to pay for its spending habit, ie borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. What are the details on that loan, and how soon do we intend to have this paid off.

Second, the Constitution, as written, is the source of the powers of the federal government. It does not change based on the thought processes that currently in power, and it should be revered, with everything the government does firmly justified by the wording of the Constitution. It is the document of the will of the people, and not open for interpretation, but rather what all governmental actions are to be judged by.

Third, a Constitutionally-limited government is one that bases all its actions and powers on the Constitution, with no exceptions. It cannot overstep its bounds, or simply put the Constitution aside for the sake of expediency. It responds to the will of the people, within specified confines of the Constitution, and where it is not the government's specified job, it does not interfere in the process of the states. It there solely to protect the nation as a whole, and ensure a level of uninamity between the states, not to take over their responsibilities.

Fourth, individual rights and freedoms were extensively written about during the founding of the nation. They were specfically guaranteed in the Constitution, to ensure that the government would never impinge upon them. Most of the specific rights were written about in the Anti-Federalist paper, were the Bill of Rights orginated. In cases where the government steps on the rights of the people, it must retreat and leave those rights to the people.

These are the basic founding principles of the Tea Party Movement, and why the people of the movement struggle against the government. Now that we have established this. I will move onto basic solutions based on these principles and the implementations of these solutions.

Organization of the Tea Party Movement

To attempt to influence the nation, the Tea Party movement must have a little more organization amongst itself. The varying different organizations have basic principles in common, but seem to refuse to connect with each other on basic issues. The seeming lack of connectivity leads to one group being primarily for one thing, but in basic ignorance of everything else. I recommend based on the conversations of the teapartypatriots.ning.com site that we increase communication and dialog between the various organizations, members, and affiliates of the Tea Party movement. There are many organizations that belong to the Tea Party movement, but are not affiliated in any way shape or form with anyone else. This must be rectified before any sort of solutions can be thought up. It is definitely needed for the election cycles and it is needed to present a unified front in these politically divisive times. Basically I feel that we need to united our forces to resist on a whole scale rather than remain divided among our specific groups and forums.

The lack of unity in the group is what is hampering our attempts to gain new membership in the Tea Party movement. Should we unify all the factions, I believe that then we would truly be a force to be reckoned with, in the political spheres of our nation.

The question, then, would become what are we united around, and how do we plan on implementing the desired effects in Washington?

What is the next step?

There is a lot of dissention in the Tea Party movement, as to what the purpose of the movement actually is. It is taking place due to the fact that many of us, myself included, feel that the Tea party movement is a vehicle to share our voices and come up with solutions to the national problems.

I am not recommending to anyone that the movement become a party, because I think it would cheapen what we are trying to do. Rather I stating that it is the responsibility of the people to step up, now that the federal government is failing spectaculaly in execution of basci responsibilities.

What is our solution to the problems that we face? How would we make this nation great again, while dealing with the "crises" that we face? How would we handle illegal immigration, economic problems, Wall St., taxes and the national debt, while promoting liberty and the individual rights of the citizens of this great nation?

JFK said "Ask not what your country can do for you, -ask what you can do for your country!" this is especially true for our country to day. To begin to do this, the Tea Party Movement has started out by showing where the country is heading and how this is wrong. I submit that the next logical step is for the Tea Party movement to begin to show how the country can fix itself following our basic principles. This is true progress for our nation, to turn from the bad direction that it is following and follow a different path that has not failed us in the past.

Over the next posts, I will attempt to show likely solutions to the issues that we face, solutions that follow our principles and take us out of the whole we find ourselves in. When dealing with any problem, there comes a point in time where we must quit diagnosing the issue and find a way to fix the problem, a complete solution.

How would President You fix our Country?

Many people of the Tea Party Movement are only interested in playing the blame game. The more important things that need to be discussed are where do we go from here. How do we fix the government and the problems that face us. There are many conspiracy theories about the most assinine of topics, but no real answers on what we actually believe would fix the problems of the country. How do we fix the government using our principles? In the next blogs, I will try to tackle what I think is the most appropriate way to fix our country and how to implement that plan.

Currahee

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have A Problem

The United States Army at Fort Knox classified us as militant and a national security risk. They have started field exercises that are designed to teach their soldiers how to combat the national threat of the Tea Party Movement. It should be noted that the Command Staff at Fort Knox already disciplined the officer involved in writing the orders for the exercise, but the precident has already been set, and the damage has already been done. My father sent me this article from the Patriot Post, alerting me to the exercise, and I feel it only fitting that I pass this on to you, as it is relevant to our survival. Take heed, we are now starting to be considered a physical threat to this president, who called in SWAT in Chicago to forcibly end a protest. I fear that it only gets uglier from here.



Here is the article in its entirety, read and pray is about the only thing that I can suggest. Also, prove that we are peaceful and true patriots.



Luke 6:27-28

27. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you



Army Preps for Tea Party 'Terrorists'
By Mark Alexander · Thursday, April 29, 2010

Publisher's Note: This is neither a retraction nor correction, but supplemental information regarding my essay, Army Preps for Tea Party 'Terrorists.' I was contacted by senior Command staff at Ft. Knox on the afternoon of the date of publication. They confirmed that there was a security exercise at Ft. Knox this week, and that an officer in the security loop altered the scenario "in order to make it more realistic." The fact that any officer would associate Tea Party folks with "white supremacists" armed with "military grade weapons" and "bomb making components," and believe that association would make this scenario "more realistic," is troubling, at best. The Command staff informed me that the alterations were not approved at the Command level and that the officer who circulated the scenario through official channels has been identified and will "receive appropriate counsel." In other words, the officer who authored it is now subject to discipline. Further, Command staff at Ft. Knox have provided assurances this type of scenario would not find its way into official circulation again.

The facts remain: The security exercise scenario was described in my essay, exactly as it was written and circulated at Ft. Knox to both military and civilian personnel with security responsibilities. A handful of Patriots, at risk to their careers, came forth with this information and expected us to handle it honorably and accurately, and we did just that.

In regard to the verbatim scenario documentation we posted, even though those documents were not classified, Command staff asked that we remove them for specified security reasons. As our mission is not only to uphold our Constitution by holding those in positions of authority accountable to their oaths, but also to support our uniformed Patriots, I agreed to remove the documents from our Web site as requested.


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"The duty imposed upon [the president] to take care, that the laws be faithfully executed, follows out the strong injunctions of his oath of office, that he will 'preserve, protect, and defend the constitution.' The great object of the executive department is to accomplish this purpose; and without it, be the form of government whatever it may, it will be utterly worthless for offence, or defence; for the redress of grievances, or the protection of rights; for the happiness, or good order, or safety of the people." --Justice Joseph Story
A few months back, the commander in chief of our Armed Forces, that erstwhile community organizer Barack Hussein Obama, denigrated a large cross section of Americans who identify with the Tea Party movement -- those who advocate for Essential Liberty and Rule of Law.

Obama identified them as malcontents, "waving their little tea bags."

Since then, the Obama administration and their Leftmedia sycophants have endeavored to characterize Tea Party attendees as rude, radical, racist, redneck, enemies of the state. They have attempted to tie high-profile acts of violence against the government to the Tea Party, including the pilot who crashed his plane into a Texas IRS headquarters. (Turns out, he was a Leftwing nut.)

In fact, Americans who attend Tea Party rallies are from all walks of life, as noted in the Patriot Declaration, Patriots who are peacefully and constitutionally petitioning their government for redress.

As I noted in my tax-day essay, Tea Parties are "not a call for revolution but for restoration -- a call to undertake whatever measures are dictated by prudence and necessity to restore constitutional Rule of Law."

However, Obama's words do have consequences.

This week, I was contacted by a number of civilian and military personnel (enlisted and officer ranks) who expressed concern about a military exercise scenario proposed for Ft. Knox, the U.S. Bullion Depository. (For the record, I called Ft. Knox security for an official comment and received the standard reply: "We are not authorized to discuss this exercise.")

As with most such exercises, the Ft. Knox scenario outline occurred in stages, as if real time intelligence was being provided at various intervals. The first intel advisory I received was issued on Friday, 23 April 2010, and identifies the terrorist threat adversaries as "Local Militia Groups / Anti-Government Protesters / TEA Party."

You read that right: "TEA Party"!

The advisory states that plans for a demonstration may have been interrupted by "Federal and local law enforcement" raids on a "White Supremacists Organization," but "TEA Party organizers have stated that they will protest at the Gold Vault at a future date."

Further, the intel advisory states, "Anti-Government - Health Care Protesters have stated that they would join the TEA Party as a sign of solidarity."

In accordance with the exercise proposal, Ft. Knox post security is placed on high alert because, "these groups are armed, have combative training and some are former Military Snipers. Some may have explosives training / experience," and "a rally at their compound / training area is scheduled."

Another intel update was issued on Monday, 26 April 2010, noting that the "rally at the Militia compound occurred," and "Viable threats ... have been made." The intel on the rally notes, "Many members were extremely agitated at what they referred to as Government intervention and over taxation in their lives. Alcohol use 'fanned the flames.' Many military grade firearms were openly carried. An ad hoc 'shoot the government agent' event was held with prizes (alcohol) given for the best shot placement."

The report states further, "Components of bomb making are reported to have been on the site. Some members have criminal records relating to explosive and weapons violations."

In response to the "immediate threat," the exercise stipulates, "local detention centers are being made ready for mass arrests." Both the "QRF I and QRF II" are placed on two hour recall, and the "5-15 CAV" was ordered to "draw weapons from holder and store in most available arms room," and "coordinate with MASA for immediate ammunition draw; have equipment readied for immediate use, i.e. vehicles staged and loaded IAW 5-15 CAV SOP; LMR's charged."

QRF refers to Quick Reaction Force. QRF I is the 194th Armored Brigade. QRF II is the 194th Armored Brigade.

The 26 April order gives specific instructions for the 5-15 CAV (a 16th Cavalry battalion) to have weapons, ammo, vehicles and communications at ready, and it places the other 2,200 members of the units on two-hour recall. In other words, these orders are to gear up for defending Ft. Knox against Tea Party folks and their co-conspirators who oppose nationalization of our health care sector.

Now, for almost 30 years I have, on occasion, participated in the development and implementation of small and large scale military exercises within the U.S. and around the world.

Such exercises are critical to the readiness of our forces, and the standard for the real time intel reports in these drills requires thinly veiled references to assets of existing or collateral threat vectors, communist regimes such as China and terrorist networks such as al-Qa'ida, etc.

Perhaps the author of the Ft. Knox scenario should focus on a response plan for, say, an Islamic terrorist who attacks unarmed troops on his own post. (See Ft. Hood / Major Nidal Malik Hasan.)

While the Ft. Knox exercise scenario is amateurish in its construct (meaning it appears to be composed by someone with not much experience in such matters), the fact that it made it out into official channels sets an ominous political precedent.

The military officers and enlisted personnel with whom I spoke are all dedicated uniformed Patriots who are loyal, first and foremost, to their oath to "support and defend" our Constitution "against all enemies, foreign and domestic."


Their concerns about this exercise mirrored my own. As one put it, the scenario "misrepresents freedom loving Americans as drunken, violent racists -- the opponents of Obama's policies have been made the enemy of the U.S. Army."

They were equally concerned that it appears the command staff at Ft. Knox had signed off on this exercise, noting, "it has been issued and owned by field grade officers who lead our battalions and brigades," which is to say many Lieutenant Colonels saw this order before it was implemented.

It's not likely that Ft. Knox Commanding General James Milano or Deputy Commander Col. David Teeples, or even the regimental and brigade commanders for the 16th Cav and 194th AB, actually read the exercise scenario, but that doesn't absolve responsibility for such an egregious example of political agendas infiltrating military exercise scenarios.

One officer insisted, "The American people should require greater accountability of their commissioned officers, that they abide by their oath and never allow politically motivated propaganda like this exercise on any post or base again."

Another observed, "Whether this is complacency by officers who do not see such orders as a problem, or worse, officers who recognize the problem but do not insist the orders are changed, this is a serious problem. We are discussing the training of American citizen soldiers in the use of potentially deadly force against a specific group of political dissenters. There is never a time in an officer's career in which he does not have a duty to apply critical thought to the orders he is given and asked to give. It is my opinion that any officer that has allowed these orders to persist, to reach the level of junior officers and soldiers, has demonstrated a lack of judgment or apathy towards what his duty requires of him. Either way, we should demand more of the commissioned officers, who we as a nation empower to lead our sons and daughters into battle."

Indeed, and at best, the blatant malfeasance on the part of the individuals who composed this exercise reflects poorly on the uniformed services.

The antidote to this patent misrepresentation of peaceable Patriots is to expose it with the Light of Truth. As our motto Veritas vos Liberabit affirms, the Truth shall set you Free!

The most to lose, did the least to prevent it happening.

In a speech, called A Time for Choosing, given by Ronald Reagan in 1965, he said that history will record that the people who had the most to lose did the least to prevent it happening. He further quoted from recent democratic speeches on the Great Society, "the Profit motive has become outmoded and must be replaced by the incentives of the welfare state or traditional system of individual freedom is incapable of solving the complex problems of the twentieth century." Mechanisms of the progressive agenda at the that time so closely paralleled the socialist and communist agendas that the people would not have been shocked to hear it called communism instead of progressivism or the Great Society. Reagan continued on to say that "Senator Fullbright has said at Stanford University that the 'Constitution is outmoded.' He refered to the president as our moral teacher and our leader. He says he is hobbled in task by the restriction imposed on him by this antiquated document. He must be 'freed' so that he can do for us, what he knows is best." All governmental authority comes from the Constitution of these United States and that a senator could demand that it be put aside so that he could do as he wished is an affront, much like what is happening in America today. President Reagan could have been talking about the politicians in power today. Ronald Reagan went on to state, "Sen. Clark of Pennsylvania defines Liberalism as meeting the material needs of the mass through the full power of the centralized government." The concept of redistribution of wealth is not a new concept in America. Ronald Reagan was speaking out against this concept and the manner in which the government was expanding. "But beyond that, the full power of the centralized government, this was the thing the founding father sought to minimize. They knew that governments don't control things. The government can't control the economy without controling people." I guess that Ronald Reagan could be described as the Face of the Tea Party movement that is in America today. His thought and beliefs proved themselves when he was in power, national debt reduced, federal goverment reduced and the a freer and happier nation. But where did we go wrong? Why didn't we save our country from the progessive agenda's that are controlling our lad today? I'll tell you why. Americans are a remarkable short-sighted people. we forget the lessons of our past and do not look to the future following the current political philosophies. We have had truly great men point the direction that we are heading out time and again, but we do not learn from them. We are indeed a people who had the most to lose and did the least to prevent it.

Who is to blame for our current trials?

People have often spoke of the concept that the current administration is to blame for all of our current troubles. Many people view it that way and I feel that the least I could do is to try to set the record staight. What we must fight is not the Republican or Democratic Parties but rather the ideology behind those parties. Some call it Progressivism, others call it Liberalism, but the fact of the matter is that it is socialism. To say that one party got us into this mess is to gloss over the significant contributions to the mess by the other party, and to say that this president or that one encouraged it, is downright foolishness.
My answer to the question is this. WE the PEOPLE are to blame. WE elected the officials in Washington, despite their socialist views. WE created this mess by voting for the Lesser of Two Evils. WE COMPROMISED every thing that WE believed in the name of consensus. WE asked for the Government to bail us out and to give us the desires of our hearts, after all, what is wrong with being able to get every thing we ever wanted from the government.
Gerald Ford once said "Any government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have."
Right now we are screaming about the government that has started to take our noticiable rights, but the crux of the issue is that by accepting the hand-outs from the federal government, since the New Deal, we have been giving them that power. We are to blame for the trials of our country