Sons of Liberty

No 25

January 13, 1997

IF IT WAS POSSIBLE for men who exercise their reason to believe that the Divine Author of our existence intended a part of the human race to hold an absolute property in and an unbounded power over others, marked out by His infinite goodness and wisdom, as the objects of a legal domination never rightfully resistible, however severe and oppressive, the inhabitants of these colonies might at least require from the Parliament of Great Britain some evidence that this dreadful authority over them has been granted to that body. But a reverence for our great Creator, principles of humanity, and the dictates of common sense must convince all those who reflect upon the subject that government was instituted to promote the welfare of mankind and ought to be administered for the attainment of that end.
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… Parliament… They have undertaken to give and grant our money without our consent, though we have ever exercised an exclusive right to dispose of our own property; statutes have been passed for extending the jurisdiction of Courts of Admiralty and Vice-Admiralty beyond their ancient limits; for depriving us of the accustomed and inestimable privilege of trial by jury, in cases affecting both life and property; for suspending the legislature of one of the colonies;… and for altering fundamentally the form of government established by charter,… for exempting the "murderers" of colonists from legal trial and, in effect, from punishment;...
But why should we enumerate our injuries in detail? By one statute it is declared that Parliament can "of right make laws to bind us in all cases whatsoever." What is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited a power? Not a single man of those who assume it is chosen by us, or is subject to our control or influence; but, on the contrary, they are all of them exempt from the operation of such laws;...
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Soon after .., General Gage, who in the course of the last year had taken possession of the town of Boston in the province of Massachusetts Bay, and still occupied it as a garrison, on the 19th day of April, sent out from that place a large detachment of his army, who made an unprovoked assault on the inhabitants of the said province, at the town of Lexington, as appears by the affidavits of a great number of persons, some of whom were officers and soldiers of that detachment, murdered eight of the inhabitants, and wounded many others…
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The general, further emulating his ministerial masters by a proclamation bearing, date on the 12th day of June, after venting the grossest falsehoods and calumnies against the good people of these colonies, proceeds to "declare them all, either by name or description, to be rebels and traitors, to supersede the course of the common law, and instead thereof to publish and order the use and exercise of the law martial…"
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… We are reduced to the alternative of choosing an unconditional submission to the tyranny of irritated ministers, or resistance by force.
The latter is our choice. We have counted the cost of this contest and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them. if we basely entail hereditary bondage upon them.
Our cause is just. Our union is perfect. Our internal resources are great; and, if necessary, foreign assistance is undoubtedly attainable. We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the divine favor toward us, that His providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we were grown up to our present strength, had been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed of the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers which our beneficent Creator has graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die free men rather than live slaves.
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In our own native land, in defense of the freedom that is our birthright and which we ever enjoyed till the late violation of it, for the protection of our property acquired solely by the honest industry of our forefathers and ourselves, against violence actually offered, we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.
With a humble confidence in the mercies of the supreme and impartial Judge and Ruler of the universe, we most devoutly implore His divine goodness to protect us happily through this great conflict, to dispose our adversaries to reconciliation on reasonable terms, and thereby to relieve the empire from the calamities of civil war.

A Declaration . . . Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, July 6, 1775

More and more the question arises, "when will the line be drawn?" Perhaps the answer to this question has been answered, and answered in such a way that it is only the need for recognition of the answer to understand just what it is.

Prior to those fateful events of April 19, 1775, blood had been shed in the name of Liberty and in the name of Tyranny. Most, however, rely on the current 'recollections' of those events which, if they reveal any hostilities prior to Lexington and Concord, they limit that instruction to the Boston Massacre, some five years prior. Little is said, however, of minor skirmishes and raids on British forts to seize firearms and powder. These events, however, did occur, and hostilities were not unknown prior to the open rebellion which achieved a sort of official status with the passage of the Declaration Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms.

We can see by the expressions of discontent by the authors, that April 19 was not the only act or grievance that the colonists had, it was merely the final straw in what had been a covert opposition to despotic rule.

Today can we say that we fair any better? I suppose that it is fair to say that we fair far worse than those patriots who risked. Or gave their lives for their posterity. The rules of the game were new and the enemy didn't rely on think tanks to circumvent a reaction by the colonists.

Now we can only look back over the past few years and, with careful analysis, recognize that there is a scheme in place and that it is slowly decapitating the potential resistance to submission to its authority. That decapitation, however, is not just physical force, nor is it the incarceration of numbers of people who pose a threat to their success. Their means are far more devious than simple overt acts against those who would cherish their Liberty.

Writs of Assistance were blanket warrants allowing the holder to search whenever. Wherever and whomever he chose. The writ didn't expire an it could be passed around to another. No Grand Jury issued the warrants, nor were any judicial parties involved in determining lawfulness of the searches. The evidence secured, whether it result in charges and trial, or not, lead the Crown's forces to others who might be potential opponents of the tyrannical subjugation. Those who could be charged, without raising the wrath of the average subject, were charged, tried and convicted. Those who held a public respectability were less prone to subject to this technique.

A situation that exists today and of which I can find no counterpart in history, however, seems to create a more serious impact on our efforts to resurrect the Constitution than any of the divisive means used by the British. Divide and Conquer has been an axiom of war for centuries. Only foolish people would fail to recognize that the need for a just cause and a perfect union to achieve a goal such as we seek. But, then, we are also aware of the difficult of seeing the forest through the trees.

Bill Clinton may be the most contemptible President this country has ever had the misfortune of being 'administered' by; Hale-Bopp may be harboring an alien craft as large as the Earth; Abortion may be the greatest evil man has ever instituted under law; End Times may be just hours away; War may resume in the Middle-East; Religion may be outlawed next week; and, we may feel that we must wait for some event that will, without a doubt and which is obvious to every person in this country, be the signal for us to finally take action to pursue the goals which we espouse.

• In 1975. Anna Mae Aquash and Joe Stuntz found that their time had come. Anna Mae was killed directly or indirectly, by the actions of the FBI. Joe Stuntz found that the time to ponder whether it was time to resist by force, or submit. Could be delayed no longer. Leonard Peltier has lost the rest of his life, again at the hands of the FBI.
• On February 13, 1983, Gordon and Yorie Kahl found that the time to fight was upon them. Gordon was murder a few months later and Yorie is still in prison.
• On October 2, 1992, Donald Scott found that it was his time to die at the hands of a greedy and self-serving government.
• February 28, 1993, early in the morning, six Branch Davidians found that it was their turn to die at the hands of government. Just 51 days later, eighty people who thought that they would be walking out of their church, Mt. Carmel Center, found that their time to become blood sacrifice to the tyrannical government in Washington, had come. Eight Davidians remain in prison.
• June 28, 1995, Michael Hill found that government would not tolerate those who would be free.

It would appear that those many dead would have preferred to wait until some apparition appeared and said, "it's time to fight." Instead, they found that the time will come when it is not expected, unless, of course, you take the initiative and set the time, yourself.

The division that continues to be fomented by the government will deny us the unity, which without we will surely fail. The initiative must be ours. Is it necessary that some event (which the government is carefully avoiding) be the signal to act? Or, is it necessary for those who are committed to the resurrection of the Constitution and our birthright to recognize, as Patrick Henry was able to do before Lexington Green, that the war is inevitable, Let it come! The initiative stands in the hands of those who are worthy of the task. The responsibility to support, by whatever means possible, the actions of those who will act, is squarely on the hearts and in the hands of those who are committed, yet unable. If that defense is by words, then so speak -- but to condemn the acts of those who refuse to wait until death comes to their door is to stand with the tyrant, not with the People.

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