Excerpt from "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved."

by James Otis, 1764

But let the origin of government be placed where it may, the end of it is manifestly the good of the whole. Salus populi supreme lex esto, is of the law of nature, and part of that grand charter given the human race, (tho’ too many of them are afraid to assert it,) by the only monarch in the universe, who has a clear and indisputable right to absolute power; because he is the only One who is omniscient as well as omnipotent...

The end of government being the good of mankind, points out its great duties: It is above all things to provide for the security, the quiet, and happy enjoyment of life, liberty, and property. There is no one act which a government can have a right to make, that does not tend to the advancement of the security, tranquility and prosperity of the people. If life, liberty and property could be enjoyed in as great perfection in solitude, as in society, there would be no need of government. But the experience of ages has proved that such is the nature of man, a weak, imperfect being; that the valuable ends of live cannot be obtained without the union and assistance of many. Hence ’tis clear that men cannot live apart or independent of each other: In solitude men would perish; and yet they cannot live together without contests. These contests require some arbitrator to determine them. The necessity of a common, indifferent and impartial judge, makes all men seek one; tho’ few find him in the sovereign power, of their respective states or any where else in subordination to it...

The form of government is by nature and by right so far left to the individuals of each society, that they may alter it from a simple democracy or government of all over all, to any other form they please. Such alteration may and ought to be made by express compact: But how seldom this right has been asserted, history will abundantly show. For once that it has been fairly settled by compact; fraud force or accident have determined it an hundred times. As the people have gained upon tyrants, these have been obliged to relax, only till a fairer opportunity has put it in their power to encroach again.

But if every prince since Nimrod had been a tyrant, it would not prove a right to tyranize. There can be no prescription old enough to supersede the law of nature, and the grant of God almighty; who has given to all men a natural right to be free, and they have it ordinarily in their power to make themselves so, if they please.

York Declaration Seminar

This morning I had the pleasure of leading the York 9/12 Patriots in a study and discussion of The History, Philosophy, and Lasting Significance of the Declaration of Independence. To all of you in the group, I would like to say thanks for a wonderful time! They were a particularly enthusiastic and talkative group. It was a very refreshing time of looking at and discussing truth. Now, for those interested in further reading based on our multiple discussions, I would suggest the following articles:

The Roots of America's Political Parties - This article explains the reality behind our nation's political parties.

America's Heritage - Regarding the textbook controversy in Texas.

Foundational Truth: The Separation of Church and State - Regarding the importance of a proper separation of Church and State.

The Founding Fathers On Education - Regarding the views of our founders on public education.

"Nullification - The Forgotten Check on the Federal Government"

By Jake Towne, TowneForCongress.com.

Yesterday, May 20th, I gave a short talk to the Concerned Citizens of Upper Perkiomen Valley for Smaller Government on the concept of nullification. Nullification is one of the checks the states have on the federal government where the state refuses to comply with federal law -- which are deemed harmful to the state and usually assume powers not delegated by the state to the federal government. Nullified federal laws are deemed null and void in the state(s) where passed and have no force. . .

To read the entire article, click here.

Movie Night at the Biery House

Date/Time:
Friday, May 28, 2010
7:00 to 9:00 pm

Place:
The Historic Biery House
8 Race St.
Catasauqua, PA 18032

We plan to show Part One of the documentary "Founding Brothers" followed by group discussion as time allows. Part Two will be shown on June 11 at the same time and place:

Based on Joseph Ellis's Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Founding Brothers" examines six moments when the collision and collusions of these towering figures left an indelible imprint on the nation: the secret dinner that determined the site of the capital and America's financial future; Benjamin Franklin's call for an end to slavery; George Washington's farewell address to the nation; John Adams's term as president; Hamilton and Burr's famous and fatal duel; and the final reconciliation between Adams and Jefferson.

There will be no charge for entrance, but we will accept donations for use of the Biery House. Please RSVP by e-mail (eadams19@msn.com) by May 24 so we can properly prepare for the group. We hope to see you there!

Finding the Biery House:
The house is on the left almost immediately after crossing the Race Street Bridge (heading East) in Catasauqua. Click here for a map.

Parking Information:
Follow the driveway beside the house all the way to a gravel parking lot at the back of the house (please do not park next to the house).

For questions please contact Eric at eadams19@msn.com or 610-317-2651.

"Were American Indians Really Environmentalists?"

by Tom Woods, CampaignForLiberty.com.

The traditional story is familiar to American schoolchildren: the American Indians possessed a profound spiritual kinship with nature, and were unusually solicitous of environmental welfare.

...Although we often hear that the Indians knew nothing of private property, their actual views of property varied across time, place, and tribe. When land and game were plentiful, it is not surprising that people exerted little effort in defining and enforcing property rights. But as those things became more scarce, Indians appreciated the value of assigning property rights in (for example) hunting and fishing....

To read the entire article, click here.

What is the job of a U.S. Congressman?

The following is the video from our March 26 discussion group meeting. Jake Towne took the helm for an excellent discussion on the powers of Congress from Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. You can read the outline of the talk here.

"Mandatory Health Care and Interstate Commerce"

From NCCS.net.

During the recent discussions on Health Care, one former Congressman held up a copy of the Constitution and asked the TV host, “Tell me any place in the Constitution where the federal government has the power to pass this health care bill.” The host replied that it is the Interstate Commerce clause of the Constitution that contains that power. The argument then ensued, which like most arguments on current topics, never come to a proper conclusion because most people have no idea of the origin of Constitutional principles. . .

To read the entire newsletter, click here.

"Are We Seeing a Constitutional Awakening?"

by Walter Williams, TenthAmendmentCenter.com.

If there is anything good to say about Democrat control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, it’s that their extraordinarily brazen, heavy-handed acts have aroused a level of constitutional interest among the American people that has been dormant for far too long. . .

To read the entire article, click here.

America's Heritage

by Ryan Burgett.

While LBCCS strives to stay clear of modern politics, sometimes modern politics move into our domain of history and truth. In this case we are seeing the controversy in Texas surrounding changes to their public school education curriculum. The majority of the board supports language that presents American history more appropriately in the context of its religious heritage, while the opponents claim that it is all revisionist history. In the articles that have been published relating to this controversy, one name keeps coming up, David Barton. While his credentials are lacking by most modern standards, it must be admitted that he has put in lots of personal study and is well stocked with quotes and excerpts from historical documents to back up his claims. In this particular case, I would consider him right on. In his recommendation to the Texas School Board, he listed five principles that can be found in the Declaration of Independence and are essential to understanding the true history of our nation's founding. The five he listed are:

1. There is a fixed moral law derived from God and nature.
2. There is a Creator.
3. The Creator gives to man certain unalienable rights.
4. Government exists primarily to protect God-given rights to every individual.
5. Below God-given rights and moral laws, government is directed by the consent of the governed.

I agree that those principles are both the foundation of our nation and also the reason our nation has become the greatest nation the world has ever seen. These principles have nothing to do with sexual orientation or abortion or any other modern political hot topics. This is not a political issue, and anyone that is trying to make it such (and these people can be found on both sides of the controversy) are wrong for doing so. This is a historical issue. If you read the history of the Enlightenment, the history of our nation's founding, and the words of our founding fathers, you can see that these principles were not the crazy ideas of religious radicals, but mainstream ideas that were accepted by the majority of Americans.

So let us never take it upon ourselves to revise true history, but let us also not be afraid to present the truth regardless of how controversial it might be.

LBCCS Meeting Agenda

Here is the agenda for our meeting on Friday, the 26th. For all the information about the meeting, click here.

7:00 Opening Remarks - Paul Fiske
7:10 Invocation
7:15 Pledge of Allegiance
7:17 Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution - Jake Towne
8:50 Closing Remarks - Ryan Burgett

Please RSVP by email if you plan on attending. We hope to see you there!

Ryan Burgett
Chairman - L.B.C.C.S.
ryan_burgett@hotmail.com