Sanctity of the Constitution

The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring a mark of everlasting infamy on the present generation – enlightened as it is – if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of designing men.

– Samuel Adams

Our belief in unconditional adherence to our founding document derives from our belief in the fundamental concept of the rule of law. The Constitution is the basic governing instrument of the United States and as such, it must be followed in its entirety. We cannot and will not pick and choose which parts are acceptable and which are not; if we disagree with the Constitution, the only proper (and Constitutional) remedy is a Constitutional Amendment.

The Founders understood that corrupt and self-serving politicians may, in the future, seek to disregard the principles of the Constitution or take unauthorized powers unto themselves. Therefore, they instituted a series of checks and balances in the Constitution to prevent one man or one branch from exercising power over others. Without these checks and balances, the Constitution would not last long in the face of human nature.

Personal Sovereignty

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. –

– The Declaration of Independence

I have no fear that the result of our experiment will be that men may be trusted to govern themselves without a master.

– Thomas Jefferson

The most fundamental assumption of both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence is the right of all human beings to self-determination. A corollary to this is the assumption of responsibility over one’s own affairs, so that one’s actions do not include force or fraud against another person.

We believe that in a free society, the most authority over and responsibility for one’s affairs should rest with the individual, with any governmental regulations of activity beginning at the local level. There should be no Federal authority granted over the activity of individual persons other than via those powers expressly granted in the Constitution.

Economic Sovereignty

Mischief springs from the power which the moneyed interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control, from the multitude of corporations with exclusive privileges… which are employed altogether for their benefit.

– Andrew Jackson

We believe that a free market, capitalist economic system is an essential element to guaranteeing personal freedom. The Federal Government already exerts too much control and power over the economy via central planning initiatives, and as a result, artificial marketplaces and industries have been created as exercises in social engineering and many of these must be phased out.

At the same time, we believe that at the center of the ills of our economic system is the Congress’ abdication of their Constitutionally-defined role to coin and print money in favor of an unelected, unaccountable private entity, the Federal Reserve System, which arbitrarily increases the supply of money to satisfy its own ends. The machinations of the Federal Reserve, in collusion with the Executive Branch, have enabled the Federal Government to engage in runaway deficit spending which has amassed an extraordinary national debt and weakened the dollar and the economy.

National Sovereignty

Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations… entangling alliances with none.

– Thomas Jefferson

The advent of globalization – the commoditization of goods, services, and intellectual and human capital to serve a worldwide marketplace of consumers – has had a profound impact on the integrity of the American culture. The United States has always served as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to those from other lands who wished to seek a better life for themselves and their families. In fact, virtually all of us in the great “melting pot” of America originated from somewhere else. We also appreciate and welcome all of those who wish to come here legally and contribute to our economy and our way of life, and wish to assimilate themselves into the national fabric.

However, we reject the notion that laws passed by international bodies, decisions of unaccountable distant courts, and global financial schemes should trump the Constitution and our national and state laws. We also believe that as the borders of this country define the geographical limits of our nation, they also serve as the essence of our sovereignty; without borders, we lose our national identity. In this spirit, we also reject the notions of unrestricted illegal immigration and a so-called “North American Union” between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Non-Interventionism

It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war; but if it shall actually take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.

– Thomas Jefferson

I know [patriotism] exists, and I know it has done much in the present contest. But a great and lasting war can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of interest, or some reward.

– George Washington

Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.

– John Adams

In the last 60 years, a dramatic shift in United States foreign policy has taken place. For most of the period before the Second World War, the United States exercised a humble, non-interventionist policy toward foreign powers and its neighbors. The shift in this stance began at the turn of the 20th century with Theodore Roosevelt and the Spanish-American War; continued with Woodrow Wilson’s intervention in the First World War; and accelerated with the advent of the Cold War. American power and influence, via force of arms and foreign monetary aid, was projected throughout the world in a policy of “containment” against Soviet aggression. The Korea and Vietnam interventions are but two examples of flare-ups of “hot” conflicts that descended from this policy.

However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the geopolitical calculus did not change. The “peace dividend” spoken of by Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and others never truly materialized. Instead, even more overseas military bases, particularly in the Middle East, have been constructed, while at the same time, many dozens of domestic installations have been consolidated and closed.

We believe that this country needs to get back to the original intent of the Founders – that this nation should engage foreign powers in trade, commerce, and negotiation, but that we should also recognize the right of other nations to self-determination just as we demand self-determination rights from others. We believe in a strong national defense in the event of an immediate and tangible threat to our territory, but there is no reason to have hundreds of military bases in over a hundred countries to project military power and enflame anti-American sentiments.