Monday, April 28, 2008

New Answers Video Coming

My Dad and I are working on a new 10 to 15 minute video describing the crisis of Evolution in our culture and why people should get Answers Magazine. I'll post it here as soon as possible! :-)

From Josiah

Chuck Baldwin for President

Well, folks, we now have a Constitution Party nominee for President, and he's not Alan Keyes. He is Chuck Baldwin! While I will personally be spending as little time as possible on supporting this candidacy, it still might be worthwhile to be able to say "I'm supporting Chuck Baldwin for Prez" so your friends can ask "Why?" and you can give them some education in the Biblical worldview.

Of course, with a pro-amnesty, pro-100-year-war, pro-gay marriage "Republican" as his opponent, Mr. Baldwin just might be able to change some people's minds on their ever-present allegiance to the Demopublican Party and its war games.

But this allegiance is part of why I do not intend to become dramatically involved in Chuck Baldwin's campaign. It simply is not profitable most of the time to try to convince people of their error in working for the "lesser" of two evils. People can always say (and always have), "but what if Obama et. al. gets in?"

Oh well. Hopefully, we as Americans will one day realize the real battle must be for righteousness and principle, not for "the better candidate."


From Josiah

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Buy Ron Paul's New Book!

I received in the mail today a package containing one of the most well-written and powerful books to date (so far in my reading) for constitutionalism and traditional conservatism. It is Congressman Paul's book, The Revolution: A Manifesto. Please buy it as soon as possible, so we can make sure it gets on the bestseller lists! I am happy to have pre-ordered it based upon my reading of the Preface, which is as follows:

Every election cycle we are treated to candidates who promise us “change,” and 2008 has been no different. But in the American political lexicon, “change” always means more of the same: more government, more looting of Americans, more inflation, more police-state measures, more unnecessary war, and more centralization of power.

Real change would mean something like the opposite of those things. It might even involve following our Constitution. And that’s the one option Americans are never permitted to hear . . .

With national bankruptcy looming, politicians from both parties continue to make multi-trillion dollar promises of “free” goods from the government, and hardly a soul wonders if we can still afford to have troops in — this is not a misprint — 130 countries around the world.

All of this is going to come to an end sooner or later, because financial reality is going to make itself felt in very uncomfortable ways. But instead of thinking about what this means for how we conduct our foreign and domestic affairs, our chattering classes seem incapable of speaking in anything but the emptiest platitudes, when they can be bothered to address serious issues at all. Fundamental questions like this, and countless others besides, are off the table in our mainstream media, which focuses our attention on trivialities and phony debates as we march toward oblivion.

This is the deadening consensus that crosses party lines, that dominates our major media, and that is strangling the liberty and prosperity that were once the birthright of Americans. Dissenters who tell their fellow citizens what is really going on are subject to smear campaigns that, like clockwork, are aimed at the political heretic. Truth is treason in the empire of lies.

There is an alternative to national bankruptcy, a bigger police state, trillion-dollar wars, and a government that draws ever more parasitically on the productive energies of the American people. It’s called freedom. But as we’ve learned through hard experience, we are not going to hear a word in its favor if our political and media establishments have anything to say about it.

If we want to live in a free society, we need to break free from these artificial limitations on free debate and start asking serious questions once again. I am happy that my campaign for the presidency has finally raised some of them. But this is a long-term project that will persist far into the future. These ideas cannot be allowed to die, buried beneath the mind-numbing chorus of empty slogans and inanities that constitute official political discourse in America.

That is why I wrote this book.

Buy now at Amazon.com!

YCLA Site Update

I re-did the look of the YCLA site again. Hopefully, the actual content (especially for the Home Page) will be edited soon as well. View it at www.YoungChristianLeaders.org. :-)

Thanks! From Josiah

An Article on YCLA Vision

It is apparent that those who are willing to get involved in bringing America back to conservative, constitutional government are often few and far between. Indeed, young people tend to be the least likely age sector to hold such ideas. The public education system has done an all-too-well-calculated job of creating a thought pattern in many of our peers in which one may be “concerned,” not with taking action to advance morality, justice, or liberty, but with “preserving the environment,” “stopping Global Warming,” and promoting socialist concepts.

The vision behind the YCLA is, first of all, to bring together Christian constitutionalist young people. Especially for homeschoolers, a need exists for us to be able to work with each other and feel useful. Moreover, it is our belief that a group which met that need would release a vast previously-untapped force in the conservative movement. Imagine the things we could do!

Read more at www.youngchristianleaders.org/column.aspx!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Chuck Baldwin on Presidential Choices

Every four years, conservative "pragmatists" trot out the "We Can't Let So-And-So Win" mantra. Of course, the so-and-so in question is always the Democratic Presidential candidate. For all of my adult life, I have been listening to so-called "conservative" Republicans warn us of the impending doom that would befall our country if the Democratic candidate were elected. And this year is no different.

This year's Republican primary did provide a wonderful aberration, however, to the usual choices between Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Republicans had an opportunity to nominate a real American constitutionalist, a statesman in the similitude of Thomas Jefferson or James Madison. That man was Texas Congressman, Ron Paul. Unfortunately, the Republican faithful seem to be incapable of discerning the marks of true greatness, not to mention fidelity to constitutional government. It is doubtful that most of them even understand what constitutional government is. And as for Christian conservatives, they can barely see any issues beyond abortion and "gay rights." To try and convince them to support a constitutionalist candidate is like talking to a brick wall.

So, what choice does the Republican Party offer the American people this year? The worst of all possible choices: good old John "McSame" McCain.

Let's be clear: a John McCain Presidency will be no better than a Hillary Clinton or a Barack Obama Presidency. In fact, in many ways, a McCain White House will be WORSE than a Democratic one.

Read more at http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2008/cbarchive_20080415.html

A Good (Old) Sanford Quote

I just found this quote from Governor Sanford's State of the State address back in January. He specifically mentioned the No-REAL-ID bill of last spring as an accomplishment, so I'm posting this in continued celebration of his standing firm on this issue! :-) Go Sanford!

We're defending privacy rights by becoming the fifth state in the country to say no to the heavy-handed Real ID legislation from the federal government, and I thank each one of you who voiced your opinion in that important debate tied to the larger principle of limiting federal power.


Wednesday, April 09, 2008

LibertyInLaw.com now a traditional site!

Praise God, we finally now have an official, traditional site for LibertyInLaw.com, with persuasion-oriented content and a concise and simple three-page setup!

The purpose for this newest website is to present a basic argument for our cause: uniting principled Americans behind Biblical supremacy. The common goal we must each strive for is reclaiming the hearts, minds and most importantly, souls, of individuals. We can try to reclaim America, but the government is not America. People are America. So our main effort must be for people.

None of the other websites we have are somewhere one can go to simply be persuaded for our ideas. The YoungChristianLeaders.org site is to inform and convince people for the YCLA; this World-Rev site gives a perspective on events from me personally; LibertyInLaw.blogspot.com has all the Feature Columns which may or may not be directly relevant; and so on.

The even better thing about the new LibertyInLaw.com is that it can be independent of any other projects or organizations. It can stand alone as a beacon to give clear, direct reasoning for Biblicism and its intrinsic connection to freedom.

Let's keep praying for this vision, and keep thinking and working to do our very, very best for our Lord.

Thanks!


-R. Josiah Magnuson

Writing County Councilmen

A great suggestion I received for the YCLA is that we pick an issue of common concern, such as eminent domain or illegal immigration, and find at least one young person in each County Council District who will write/lobby their Councilman on this issue, all at the same time. This would be a good start for a more politically-themed network, which would I guess start in Greenville County and then spread to other neighboring ones, such as Anderson or Transylvania. We would in essence have a YCLA "representative" for each County Council District for as far as it would go.

The big question is, does this plan really advance the kind of goals we are established to advance? Would we become caught up in it, would it confuse people, etc.? Is it even doable?

Pretty much the thing is that what you win people with is what you win them to. If we eventually do take on this project, we will have to be sure that we have a moral argument for the issues we choose. Then I believe this will be a wonderful operation.

Have ideas? Please comment below. Thanks!


From Josiah

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

More on our second REAL-ID victory

(from Vicki Simons)

Today [Yesterday], my husband Mike and I were joined by dozens of citizen activists from all over South Carolina at the State House in Columbia, where we waited for and then heard Governor Sanford announce his decision regarding REAL ID, the segue to a national ID card. The E-Release that had been sent out by the Governor's office on Friday indicated that he would be making the announcement in his office. As it turned out, there were so many citizen activists assembled that the decision was made to set up a podium in the lobby between the Governor's and Lt. Governor's offices. This in and of itself was a victory. The lobby was full of press and people.

Some of us wondered what the Governor would say, being as how he waited until the very last day upon which an extension on the deadline to comply with REAL ID could be filed. However, the Governor exceeded our expectations in a number of ways. Here are some of what I consider to be the highlights:

1. He did not and will not file an extension on the deadline to comply with Real ID, based on state law.
2. He referred to his oath of office (which you may know many elected officials forget once they get sworn into office).
3. He correctly identified our nation as a "republic" (not the wrong word "democracy" that many elected officials use).
4. He addressed the right issues in the right order, first of all speaking about liberty, then moving to the "unfunded mandate" handed down to states by the federal government. (I learned that the federal government planned to pay for only 2% of the costs while the remaining 98% would be foisted on the states and taxpayers. Of course, whether from state or federal sources, taxpayers would be paying for 100% of this monstrosity.)
5. He spoke of "drawing a line in the sand" against the federal government. Now, if only Congress would understand Amendment 10 to the U.S. Constitution!
6. He humbly and respectfully submitted his plan, in direct contrast to the rather fiery statement from the Governor of Montana, who told the feds "where" they could go.
7. He outlined the security aspects that the State of South Carolina already has in place on obtaining driver's licenses. He contrasted South Carolina's security requirements with those of other states.
8. He correctly stated that Real ID had not been debated on the federal level and that this issue needed to be "debated, not dictated." He said Real ID was poor public policy for a number of reasons and had numerous loopholes.
9. He spoke about the invasions of privacy that had already taken place in numerous settings, including looking at info on the three presidential candidates. He said that instead of personal information being spread out over 50 states, Real ID would consolidate this info into one place, raising gigantic privacy concerns.

You may also wish to see:

Governor Sanford Responds to Real ID Issue
http://www.scgovernor.com/news/releases/mar_08/3-31-2008.htm

Real ID letter to DHS (PDF)
http://www.scgovernor.com/NR/rdonlyres/8EA29AE1-B84F-443E-B54A-3626FE5DEF57/0/Letterf033108RealIDletterDHS.PDF

Real ID Requirements: Does South Carolina Comply (PDF)
http://www.scgovernor.com/NR/rdonlyres/D2246B46-815F-40E2-AAE5-F04CCD4EBCD0/0/Real_ID_requirements.pdf

The only downside to today's announcement was that, in the Governor's words, our state legislators got "nervous" to the point of pushing through non-binding resolutions, asking the Governor to file an extension. I'm still not through getting to the bottom of that.

Also, now that the Governor has made this decision, we need to work on contacting our Congressmen and Senators in Washington and press them to look again at Real ID. I want for this ill-conceived piece of legislation to be completely repealed!

Although I'm sure there are more, news articles on this announcement may be found on:
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20080331/NEWS/808574656/1051/NEWS01
http://www.wltx.com/sports/story.aspx?storyid=60337
http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS01/80331003/-1/rss
http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/80331056/-1/rss

All in all, I consider what happened today to be a complete victory for South Carolinians from the standpoints of freedom, liberty, privacy, civil liberties and taxpayer advocacy. Those of us who worked so hard on getting the bill passed into law had a reunion and celebrated over lunch afterwards.

Thanks for every contact you made with the Governor's office on this issue. Now it's time to send Governor Sanford a "thank you" note for his principled stand against REAL ID. His contact info is online here:
http://www.scgovernor.com/contact/

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Vicki Simons

Hurrah - REAL-ID is down again!

(from Ilona Blakely)

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to everyone who wrote, called, faxed, emailed the Governor's office to express your sentiments regarding standing firm on the Real ID law he signed into law last year!

Thank You too, to the many who came to the press conference to show support for the NO Real ID!

The Press conference was to be held in the Governor's office. As the numbers increased of those of us who assembled to hear his decision, the Governor changed the venue to hold the press conference in the Capitol rotunda so we could all be present.

It was a great time of reunion and fellowship. Many of us didn't know who would actually come, so every new arrival was a joyous occasion.

When the Governor approached the podium, the room fell silent. He studied the group, and began to speak.

Nearly the first words out of his mouth were, "I've called this conference to inform you I will not be asking for an extension on the Real ID"--or some such words. The crowd cheered, clapped, some cried. What a relief!

Then, in a very calm, respectful, and systematic way, he began to explain the reasons why SC would not file for an extension.

All the reasons were the right reasons, citing loss of privacy, state sovereignty, personal freedoms. Later he enumerated the budget issues.

He repeated himself several times stating we could not participate in the Real ID because we have a LAW against it.

The Governor sounded like Jefferson or Madison when he said, "The greatest security we can have is our Liberties".

10 media outlets were there. Columbia ABC, Upstate Fox and WYFF, ETV, Charleston Post and Courier, Myrtle Beach channel 15, and others I can't remember.

Many media interviews with we activists.

But make no mistake about it, the Governor DID NOT ask for an extension. He said we wanted to be treated just like Montana, New Hampshire, Maine. He was asking for an exemption.

Apparently, the media doesn't know the difference between the words EXEMPTION and exception.

I've asked for a copy of the entire press conference so we can put it up on YouTube for all to see. You will be so grateful for the inspired presentation our Governor gave.

At the end, the Governor thanked us for being there. He acknowledged the sacrifice and courage it took to lobby for this important issue. He was very humble and gracious.

As soon as I get the unedited copy of the press conference, I'll notify you. Again, DO NOT believe he asked for an extension. He specifically said he was not asking for an extension.

Everyone I spoke with after the conference stated it was well worth the trip. Wish you would have been there.

Thanks again for rallying the cause. Your efforts DID pay off.

Today, John Perna said, "5% of the people get things done. 15% of the people watch things get done. 80% don't know it got done." So there you have it.

Attached [in the email] is the letter Governor Sanford sent to "Comrade" Chertoff. Oh, and while you're reading it, see if you can find anything that looks like the Governor's asking for an extension. It's not there. Don't believe the media.

This IS a victorious day in SC!

April persecuted believer: Wang Weiliang

Please write a letter to Wang Weiliang, our fellow-Christian in prison in China! Also, continue to pray for these people around the world, that God would give them strength and influence!

http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_170_profile.html?_nc=f16893f7c80ab6c0096c512e583ebe15

http://www.prisoneralert.com/qry/vp_writeletter.taf?pfilid=170&_UserReference=D9A06AACDF17A4A947F28EB4&_nc=441945537ea462e4fd9ba8389b33a985

(the link system on Blogger hasn't been working recently)

Langville vs. Garcia-Quintada?

I don't usually like posting unfortunate news, but this is definitely something which needs to be addressed. It seems that the Greenville County Constitution Party has for a third consecutive race ended up in a battle with an at least fair conservative opponent. Only, this time, we are not talking about a Sid Cates who does not take action. We are talking about an outspoken man who has fought on our side as a Reagan/Ron Paul Republican for years: Roan Garcia-Quintada. This is the race for SC Senate District 7.

Of course, neither John Langville (the CP candidate) nor Mr. Roan can be blamed for this occurence. They both filed on the same day (last Saturday). Both probably hoped to avoid such a contest by filing so late. What is clear is that there is a deep lack of communication between those working for continued American liberty.

I believe that one of these two candidates should drop out as soon as possible. We cannot afford to waste time and energy on a race of this nature. If neither candidate drops out, I believe neither of the candidates should be supported. It is much more efficient to work as private citizens at the State House anyway.

Hopefully, reality will be faced and we will have only ONE solid constitutionalist running for this particular seat in November.


-R. Josiah Magnuson