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Published Brownsville Herald April 26, 2010

I was discouraged with the Bill Clinton op-ed column “What We Learned in Oklahoma City” which linked the patriotic Tea Party movement to “one of the worst terrorist attacks in United States history.
He creates the perception that the patriotic “Tea Party folks” are justifying violence or worse, similar to what drove “McVeigh” and company.
It seems, these political advocates are merely encouraging us all to rethink our views, agreeing or not with prevailing ideas.
President Clinton is obviously trying to head off a major shift in the political climate.
The political landscape is changing!
Now we see that the changes to Texas education “TAKS”, appear to provide the foundation to a new understanding of the traditional and a future with active Tea Party advocates.
It may well be needed as would be indicated by a recent comment that appeared in The Brownsville Herald entitled “Textbook changes disappoint teacher”. The letter included the following:
The board refused to require the teaching that the Constitution prevents the U.S. government from promoting one religion over all others.
Teachers in Texas will be required to not highlight the philosophical rationale for the separation of church and state;
And would replace “democratic” in references to our form of government with “constitutional republic.”
First, as I read the constitution it says absolutely nothing about controlling religion. Only in Amendment number One to the Constitution does it say that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. That is all it says!
Second, the United States is not a democracy. We are a constitutional republic. (We are represented by citizen statespersons, we vote for) that abides by our governing constitution. The United States is the world’s oldest federal constitutional republic.
The Supreme Court has permitted change to the meaning of much of the Constitution by redefining the meanings of the amendments to agree with current social norms. (which may never have been intended)
These are but a few issues that need full discussion to understand the importance of voting for our representatives –they cannot be overlooked.
The earlier protests only a couple of years ago, which became known as the Tax Day Tea Party, advanced real concerns against reckless government spending and have now grown from thousands to millions.
The Democrats rightfully fear the upset of their plans for a “progressive” possibly even a socialist change in how our country is “ruled” rather than administered by a representation of “We the people”.
As a Libertarian this kind of movement is exactly what I think we need to focus our priorities and separate our needs from wants.
The Republicans are not blameless either for the rise in an interest in “Tea”, they fear the possibility that the “Tea Parties” will result in a separate party or vote that might result in that the other-than-Democrat vote will be split leaving them the losers.
It sure looks like the recent Republican eras especially the “Bush Administration” did not limit out of control spending, and growth of the size and control of government.
The national debt is more than ten trillion dollars and unlike in the past when the national debt was to Americans; much of it is now owed to countries that have interests, sometimes not compatible with ours.
Could it be like owing too much to the neighborhood loan shark?
Something we also need right now, is a good and well rounded education with a strong base in our history including a real examination of what hurt our growth and what has made our country a place where the world looks for opportunity.
Fortunately, Texas has taken more care in this than some others as can easily be seen by skimming your child’s middle school history books.
A primary importance from the beginning has been Texas Independence and it is well represented.
On Tuesday, March 7, Texas celebrated the adoption of the Declaration of Independence at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836.
For instance I found the following:
The basis for this revolution and cry for independence was similar to that of the United States and memorialized in part by excerpts from that declaration that passionately state that Texans felt most important that Mexico:
‘has failed and refused to secure, on a firm basis, the right of trial by jury, that palladium of civil liberty, and only safe guarantee for the life, liberty, and property of the citizen.’
‘has failed to establish any public system of education’
‘denies us the right of worshipping the Almighty according to the dictates of our own conscience, by the support of a national religion, calculated to promote the temporal interest of its human functionaries, rather than the glory of the true and living God’
‘has demanded us to deliver up our arms, which are essential to our defence, the rightful property of freemen, and formidable only to tyrannical governments…….’
Current TEA required texts however, did leave out the reason for a failure in the early Jamestown Colony, do to the attempt at socialism and that it was saved when the leaders changed.
From “A Patriot’s History of the United States ” (Larry Schweikart, Michael Allen)
“The London Company received its charter in 1606 from King James. The initial stock-holders were 600 individuals and 50 commercial firms. The first wave of colonists settled at Fort James, later Jamestown, Virginia. These were mostly gentleman adventurers who disdained hard work. There were few farmers, carpenters husbandman, blacksmiths, masons or fisherman etc. Unfortunately, the colonists reaped what they did not sew and 60% died from disease and starvation the first winter.
Governors, such as Lord De La Warr, also attempted to run the colony in a socialist model: Settlers worked in labor gangs; shirkers were flogged and some even hanged. Negative incentives only went so far because ultimately – and this is the important point – the communal storehouse would sustain anyone in danger of starving, regardless of individual work effort. Administrators eventually realized that personal incentives would work where force would not, and so they permitted private ownership of land. The application of private enterprise and land ownership (which came with voting rights and the fruits of ones labor) combined to help Jamestown survive and prosper.”
What colonists really sought after more than life itself, it seems, is freedom and control of their own destiny. “
It seems that our leaders and rulers are forgetting this as they denigrate the “Tea Parties”.
The TAKS requirements of the recent past seemed to influence the other way; however currently recommended changes are decidedly more in line with the traditional.
For instance, one item taken from a draft of the TAKS social studies area;
“Each school district shall require that, during Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study and recite the following text:
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable 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.”
Another example:
“History. The student understands the principles included in the Celebrate Freedom Week program. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and analyze the text, intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and the full text of the first three paragraphs of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence; and
(B) identify and analyze the application of these founding principles to historical events in U.S. history.
This kind of education is the foundation of good citizenship that will stimulate those who would come to the forefront, as the Tea Partiers have, to advocate for the preservation of freedom in our country.
The first “Tea Party” was in 1773 in response to an illegal tax and legal controls that affected nearly everyone in “America”.
Now we have a new people with the same message: less suffocating tax and a government responsive to the people, not dominating them.
I encourage every one to listen and consider what is said and then vote for the candidate not the party. I am still looking for real freedoms that are unabridged by the government and will promise to report on those I find. I would appreciate any suggestions you want to send to me at email info@todayscommonsense.com