Constitutional Citizenship and Responsibility

Below follows the portion of my convention speech that I was able to read. There was a fair bit of ad-libbing, so this is not a transcript of what was actually said.


“Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?'

And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right.” MLK, Jr said that.

Are we going to stand up for what’s right? Will we protect the Constitution at all costs? Even if it makes us unpopular?

So long as those of us who claim to care about freedom and liberty accept personality and politics as a substitute for real leadership and governance we will never be able to turn back the tidal wave we’re facing.

Vermonters have a duty to principle. The 18th Article of the Vermont Constitution bears this title:

"Regard to fundamental principles and virtues necessary to preserve liberty"

It doesn’t get any plainer than this, folks:

“That frequent recurrence to fundamental principles,
and a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality,
are absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty, and keep government free;

the people ought, therefore to pay particular attention to these points, in the choice of officers and representatives, and have a right, in a legal way, to exact a due and constant regard to them, from their legislators and magistrates, and in making and executing such laws as are necessary for the good government of the State.”

It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for you to vote for someone who is wishy-washy in regard to the law, decadent and self-indulgent.

It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for you to vote for someone who will reward idleness, wastefulness and partiality.

It is YOUR DUTY to consider the fundamental principles of justice, moderation, temperance, industry and frugality when you vote! According to our Constitution they are ABSOLUTELY necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty and keep government free!

After the votes are counted our elected officials swear an oath or affirmation. This is what they say:

“You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that as a member of this Assembly, you will not propose, or assent to, any bill, vote or resolution, which shall appear to you injurious to the people,

nor do, nor consent to any act or thing whatever, that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as declared by the Constitution of this State;

but will, in all things, conduct yourself as a faithful, honest Representative and guardian of the people, according to the best of your judgment and ability. So help you God. Under the pains and penalties of perjury.”


I know more than a few of you can think of more than a few instances where this oath has been flagrantly ignored and violated.

It is YOUR DUTY “to exact a due and CONSTANT regard for them from your legislators and magistrates!”

The Constitution will not defend itself. It is up to WE THE PEOPLE to protect it—for future generations.

It is only by standing up and claiming your rights that the government will respect them. Do not expect someone else to do it for you. Do not sit down, do not be discouraged. There are many battles which must be fought if we are to win the war. HR 1207 is an example of one such battle. We had a hugely successful petition drive in which all 3 of our Washington delegation sponsored or co-sponsored legislation intended to audit the Federal Reserve.

Every single signature that was gathered was done so coupled with education about the secrecy of the private cartel of banks we know as the Federal Reserve. We had to educate ourselves about monetary policy and inflation so that we could then turn to our friends, neighbors and strangers and answer their questions about why an audit is necessary.

So even though politicians who owe more to the powerful banking lobby than they do to the people who elected them

were able to diminish the impact of the audit by attaching it to one of their famous “reform” bills, the fact remains that

thousands of Vermonters and hundreds of thousands of people across the country learned about the Federal Reserve. Personally, learning about the Fed was what led me to Ron Paul and then to the liberty movement and Campaign For Liberty. If it was a tipping point for me it was a tipping point for many.

Education is the key to good citizenship. But citizenship consists of more than voting and paying taxes. It consists of participating in your community, and knowing your neighbors and other community members. It’s in participating together in the process that we uphold the dictate of the founders.


The Bible says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” I don’t know about you but when I shop for produce I pick up each piece. I turn it over in my hands because one side may look beautiful but the other side may be rotten. The produce stocker is good at making sure you see just the good parts. Just like the produce stockers, politicians are masters at making sure you see just the good parts, .

Sometimes you get a piece of fruit that looks great, you buy it, bring it home and cut it open only to find that shiny, hard apple is mealy and mushy inside. And so it goes sometimes with legislators. So do you eat that apple?

Do you go back to the store and ask for more of those apples that are beautiful looking on the outside but absolutely unpalatable on the inside? No.

So why keep doing it with legislators?

It’s not about personalities and politics! It’s about principle!

We have ceased to recognize this for far too long and this is part of the reason we find ourselves in the situation we are in today—being “ruled” by a group of elites who treat us as subjects rather than employers!

So I ask you, WHERE are the good apples?

Remember what Samuel Adams said, “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds.” The fact that you all are sitting here today shows that the brush fires have been set. As Jeff Probst says, “Grab your torches on the way out.”