High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
Edwin Vieira – Tea Parties Need TeethPage 1 of 6
TEA PARTIES NEED TEETH
By Dr. Edwin Vieira, Jr., Ph.D., J.D.November 17, 2009NewsWithViews.com
[The following is the full text of an address presented to the National Heritage Center forConstitutional Studies at its 2009 Constitution Day conference.]
The Tenth-Amendment Resolutions from State Legislatures, the Tea Parties, the Town HallMeetings, and other manifestations of WE THE PEOPLE’S feedupidness with monkey- business as usual in the Disgrace of Columbia— even the massive congregation on the Malllast September— are some of the most enlightening, encouraging, and energizingdevelopments that American patriots have witnessed in a long time. For these events are allpremised on the idea: “We don’t want you!”— that WE THE PEOPLE do not want any more,indeed they demand a great deal less, interference in their lives from rogue public officials inthe General Government.These events notwithstanding, the problem remains that too many among WE THE PEOPLE will start
but then stop
right there, with “We don’t want you!” That is not enough.The complaint “We don’t want you!” needs to go further, to the resolve, “We won’t have you!”— that WE THE PEOPLE intend to rid themselves of the General Government’s interference. And to make this resolve effective, WE THE PEOPLE need to design and put into effect
remedial action
, so that they can say with finality: “We don’t need you!”The sequence must be—(i) We don’t NEED you!” which makes it realistic to say:(ii) We don’t WANT you!” which combined with the ability to make WE THE PEOPLE’S wants effective will lead to the necessary and sufficient action:(iii) We won’t HAVE you!” and finally will yield the desired result:(iv) We are RID of you!”If WE THE PEOPLE have the ability they can give “teeth” to the desire, take the necessary action, and thereby accomplish their goal.But what will all of this require?
•
WE THE PEOPLE need to create actual workable institutions that take advantage of thepolitical and legal position THE PEOPLE hold—i.e., as the ultimate sovereigns.
•
WE THE PEOPLE need to create actual workable institutions that take advantage of theeconomic resources THE PEOPLE command—that THE PEOPLE are the true source of allreal wealth in this country, and
are in actual physical possession of most of it.
Edwin Vieira – Tea Parties Need TeethPage 2 of 6
True enough, the Establishment holds bundles of
paper claims
to wealth, many (if not most)of them generated through the unconstitutional Federal Reserve System. But the insuperableproblem for the Establishment will be how to collect on those claims if WE THE PEOPLEsimply refuse to honor them. Anyone in the paper-currency racket who doubts that theseclaims can be declared unenforceable should read the Supreme Court’s decision in Craig v.Missouri, 29 U.S. (4 Peters) 410 (1830).
•
WE THE PEOPLE need to create actual workable institutions that are
politically,economically, and legally independent
of the General Government:Institutions that can compete with the faulty and fraudulent mechanisms thatrogue officials in the General Government have foisted on this country in the key areas of economic and political control, particularly in the areas of (i) money and banking and (ii) what is called “homeland security”.Institutions that can replace these fraudulent control-mechanisms with propermeans to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the commondefence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty toourselves and our Posterity”. AndInstitutions that will enable WE THE PEOPLE to defend themselves againstretaliation from rogue officials in the General Government and from the privatecenters of multinational economic power.In sum, WE THE PEOPLE must combine their economic resources and abilities with politicaland legal authority in large-scale organizations that will reflect the power inherent innumbers.This cannot be done by or through the General Government at the present time, because theGeneral Government is the main locus of this country’s problem, not the source of any solution for them.It cannot be done through political parties, because parties (along with other factions andspecial-interest groups) are the control-mechanisms in the “divide and conquer” strategy theEstablishment employs to prevent WE THE PEOPLE from asserting their politicalsovereignty in their own interest.It cannot be done by individuals or private groups alone, primarily because: (i) privateindividuals and groups enjoy no independent legal authority; and (ii) there is probably no way to create a sufficiently large and effective private operation in any State, let alone throughoutthe entire country, in time.It cannot be done by the State governments alone, because it is not simply a political questionof governmental finance and administration, but will require a revamping of the entireprivate economies in each State, too.Therefore, it will require
both
(i) participation by the State governments, because they havethe legal authority and the ability to mobilize people in sufficient numbers,
and
(ii)
massaction by WE THE PEOPLE as a whole.
Edwin Vieira – Tea Parties Need TeethPage 3 of 6
The
only
establishment or institution that combines all of these elements is “the Militia of theseveral States”, the “well regulated Militia” that the Second Amendment tells us are“necessary to the security of a free State”.But a true constitutional “well regulated Militia” exists in not one State in this Union today.So, WE THE PEOPLE need to revitalize “the Militia of the several States” in order to regainand retain popular control over State governments, and through them to regain and retaincontrol over the two fundamental powers of sovereignty: (i) the Power of the Purse—
i.e.
,currency and credit, and (ii) the Power of the Sword—
i.e
., community self-defense.Revitalization of the Militia will enable WE THE PEOPLE to exercise community self-relianceand ultimately true self-government in “a free State” with a sound free-market economy. Americans need to combine all of the following elements in a single plan for mass action:
1. Revitalization of “the Militia of the several States”.
·The Second Amendment instructs every American that “[a] well regulated Militia” is“necessary to the security of a free State”—not just “useful”, and certainly not “optional”, but
“necessary”
. And not “necessary” in only some general sense, but specifically with respectto “the security of a free State”—which means that,
according to “the supreme Law of the Land” itself, the very survival of constitutional freedom in this countrydepends upon the Militia
.The Constitution identifies
no other
establishment, institution, or entity as “necessary” forthis vital purpose, or for any other purpose.So why is not revitalization of the Militia,
immediately if not sooner
, “job one” on the agendaof every constitutionalist? How can patriots continue to deny in their actions what theConstitution tells them is “necessary” for the maintenance of constitutional government? Americans may say that they have faith in the Constitution—but faith without works is dead;and the Constitution is not self-executing.·The purpose of revitalizing the Militia is to combine
all
the elements of each State’s“homeland security”—including police, emergency response, and so on—under the Militia, inorder to obviate “top down” control by the police-state apparatus being set up through theDepartment of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., and its various satellites,transmission-belts, and fellow travelers around the country. Revitalization of the Militia willreturn control to whom it belongs, in the hands of WE THE PEOPLE directly, with:(i) total organizing, arming, disciplining, and training of THE PEOPLE to handleany emergency;(ii) State production and provision of arms, ammunition, and accoutrements forthe Militia—with all individuals to possess their arms and ammunition, wheneverobtained from whatever source, as part of their Militia service—thus ending all of the General Government’s oppressive “gun control”; and, perhaps of mostimmediate importance,
Add a Comment
Liberty Worksleft a comment
HighlanderJuan replied:
Liberty Works replied: