Here's another potential U.S. Senate candidate. It includes a paragraph regarding gun rights. Same old anti-gun BS. ![[rolleyes]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/042.gif "Roll Eyes [rolleyes]")
http://www.belchertown-news.com/belchertown/news/articles/article423.asp
On The Fallacy Of The 9-12 Project
By Michael Seward, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
This past week I received a nice email from a member of the 9-12 project thanking me for covering them getting ready for the parade. They were all dressed up portraying the Founding Fathers and Mothers of our country and, as a history buff myself, it was a treat to speak with them. I was also invited to one of their meetings in Ware to share with them my ideas as I am running for the United States Senate.
However, given the fact that I changed majors in college to avoid taking a public speaking class, I find that this venue suits me better. Yes, I am aware that this fact is a handicap to my candidacy, but so is the fact that I have no money nor will I ask for money to wage a conventional campaign. But I am willing to bet that voters are happy that there is a candidate not willing to bore you with long winded speeches.
The 9-12 Project was started by radio/television personality Glen Beck with the goal in mind of galvanizing the public into a state of social consciousness that he observed following the 9/11 attacks. On the face of it this seems like a noble pursuit—to recreate a feeling of community and social cooperation. However, his methods will more likely promote divisiveness. Allow me to explain.
The 9 and the 12 of his project highlight what he believes are nine principles and 12 values that the Founding Fathers intended to build upon in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. While the 9-12 Mission Statement states that this is not a political effort, everything about it is political.
The 12 values are summarized as such: honesty, reverence, hope, thrift, humility, charity, sincerity, moderation, hard work, courage, personal responsibility, and gratitude. While I recognize these values as good ones, I don’t see how the United States Constitution reflects them. Further, values like integrity, loyalty, compassion, respect, and many others are not mentioned.
The 9 principles are what Beck states are “distilled” from 28. These include dangerous notions that one of the principals of the Founding Fathers was, “I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.” I’m sorry, but the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.” The principle that I get from the first right of the Bill of Rights is that citizens have the right to practice their faith in any manner they see fit, whether that faith includes a single God, multiple Gods, Animism, Buddhism, or no religion whatsoever. The principle as cited by the 9-12 project strikes me as their most dangerous one as it seems to promote religious fundamentalism and a single religion.
Another principle that the 9-12 project cites as one of the Founding Fathers’ is that, “I must always try to be a more honest person that I was yesterday.” This is a good virtue, but there are no varying degrees of honesty. One is either honest or dishonest. To say that you are more honest the following day simply means that you were not honest the previous day. Therefore, to perpetuate that principle simply means that you have been dishonest on a daily basis as time goes by.
Their fourth principle, “The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.” This is another short-sighted principle as I know many spouses are brutal abusers of their children. I hope that a government would step in. Further, it seems to conflict with his second principle. If one were to assume that the religious right is against a woman’s right to choose whether or not give birth, the fourth principle assumes a right to a choose. Of course I don’t presume that just because one believes in a God that is the Center of their Life means that they don’t believe in a right to choose. I just recognize an ambiguity their and consider the source of these principles.
Some of the other principles are valid, however. The notion that the government works for me, it is not un-American to disagree with authority, if you break the law you pay the penalty, and America is good are reasonable assumptions. However, for the 9-12 project to claim to have a monopoly on an understanding of the Founding Father’s intentions and then to claim that it is not a political movement is absurd.
If the 9-12 project really want to promote what the framers intended, stick to the words of the U.S. Constitution and how they have been ignored over time. For example, the 9-12 project should be protesting the fact that our country has been at war several times without actually declaring it. Article One, Section 8 of the United States Constitution gives Congress authority to declare war. While it doesn’t say how this should be done, that language in the Constitution implies an intent of the framers that Congress actually do so.
The 9-12 project might also want to look at arguments regarding gun-control laws. The so-called “Right to Bear Arms” is stated in the 2nd Amendment as follows. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I don’t know why this amendment has caused so much confusion. It specifically states, “a well-regulated Militia.” The National Guard now serves as that militia. Therefore, it would seem that the intent of the framers was to ensure the national security of the United States, not to justify the efforts of the NRA. Further, I would also argue that, under the 2nd Amendment, that it is unconstitutional not to allow anyone to join the National Guard if they wanted to own a gun. Gun laws today work more against national security than for it.
The 9-12 project might also want to work in concert with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). It would seem that an organization looking to promote the intent of the Founding Fathers would take issue with the fact that a crop once grown by our Founding Fathers is now illegal. After all, the United States Constitution was drafted on hemp paper and was used for rope and clothing during the American Revolution. Further, I wonder if being a Rastafarian has proved to be a valid defense to those arrested for cannabis use. As being part of their religion, it seems that they have a Constitutional Right. I’ll refrain from the “pursuit of happiness” argument that is also one of the “9 principles.”
While I disagree with what the 9-12 project promote as the 9 principles and 12 values of the Founding Fathers, I do not believe for one moment that it is anything less than a surreptitious attempt to promote a political agenda that has nothing to do with the Founding Fathers’ intent.
I hope that members of the group think long and hard about what they are signing up for and crack open a history book before blindly signing up for Mr. Beck’s crusade. Regardless, I wish them the best on their own efforts. If, of course, I agree with them. Whatever they may be.
©2009 Belchertown-News.com
http://www.belchertown-news.com/belchertown/news/articles/article423.asp
On The Fallacy Of The 9-12 Project
By Michael Seward, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
This past week I received a nice email from a member of the 9-12 project thanking me for covering them getting ready for the parade. They were all dressed up portraying the Founding Fathers and Mothers of our country and, as a history buff myself, it was a treat to speak with them. I was also invited to one of their meetings in Ware to share with them my ideas as I am running for the United States Senate.
However, given the fact that I changed majors in college to avoid taking a public speaking class, I find that this venue suits me better. Yes, I am aware that this fact is a handicap to my candidacy, but so is the fact that I have no money nor will I ask for money to wage a conventional campaign. But I am willing to bet that voters are happy that there is a candidate not willing to bore you with long winded speeches.
The 9-12 Project was started by radio/television personality Glen Beck with the goal in mind of galvanizing the public into a state of social consciousness that he observed following the 9/11 attacks. On the face of it this seems like a noble pursuit—to recreate a feeling of community and social cooperation. However, his methods will more likely promote divisiveness. Allow me to explain.
The 9 and the 12 of his project highlight what he believes are nine principles and 12 values that the Founding Fathers intended to build upon in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. While the 9-12 Mission Statement states that this is not a political effort, everything about it is political.
The 12 values are summarized as such: honesty, reverence, hope, thrift, humility, charity, sincerity, moderation, hard work, courage, personal responsibility, and gratitude. While I recognize these values as good ones, I don’t see how the United States Constitution reflects them. Further, values like integrity, loyalty, compassion, respect, and many others are not mentioned.
The 9 principles are what Beck states are “distilled” from 28. These include dangerous notions that one of the principals of the Founding Fathers was, “I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.” I’m sorry, but the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.” The principle that I get from the first right of the Bill of Rights is that citizens have the right to practice their faith in any manner they see fit, whether that faith includes a single God, multiple Gods, Animism, Buddhism, or no religion whatsoever. The principle as cited by the 9-12 project strikes me as their most dangerous one as it seems to promote religious fundamentalism and a single religion.
Another principle that the 9-12 project cites as one of the Founding Fathers’ is that, “I must always try to be a more honest person that I was yesterday.” This is a good virtue, but there are no varying degrees of honesty. One is either honest or dishonest. To say that you are more honest the following day simply means that you were not honest the previous day. Therefore, to perpetuate that principle simply means that you have been dishonest on a daily basis as time goes by.
Their fourth principle, “The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.” This is another short-sighted principle as I know many spouses are brutal abusers of their children. I hope that a government would step in. Further, it seems to conflict with his second principle. If one were to assume that the religious right is against a woman’s right to choose whether or not give birth, the fourth principle assumes a right to a choose. Of course I don’t presume that just because one believes in a God that is the Center of their Life means that they don’t believe in a right to choose. I just recognize an ambiguity their and consider the source of these principles.
Some of the other principles are valid, however. The notion that the government works for me, it is not un-American to disagree with authority, if you break the law you pay the penalty, and America is good are reasonable assumptions. However, for the 9-12 project to claim to have a monopoly on an understanding of the Founding Father’s intentions and then to claim that it is not a political movement is absurd.
If the 9-12 project really want to promote what the framers intended, stick to the words of the U.S. Constitution and how they have been ignored over time. For example, the 9-12 project should be protesting the fact that our country has been at war several times without actually declaring it. Article One, Section 8 of the United States Constitution gives Congress authority to declare war. While it doesn’t say how this should be done, that language in the Constitution implies an intent of the framers that Congress actually do so.
The 9-12 project might also want to look at arguments regarding gun-control laws. The so-called “Right to Bear Arms” is stated in the 2nd Amendment as follows. “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I don’t know why this amendment has caused so much confusion. It specifically states, “a well-regulated Militia.” The National Guard now serves as that militia. Therefore, it would seem that the intent of the framers was to ensure the national security of the United States, not to justify the efforts of the NRA. Further, I would also argue that, under the 2nd Amendment, that it is unconstitutional not to allow anyone to join the National Guard if they wanted to own a gun. Gun laws today work more against national security than for it.
The 9-12 project might also want to work in concert with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). It would seem that an organization looking to promote the intent of the Founding Fathers would take issue with the fact that a crop once grown by our Founding Fathers is now illegal. After all, the United States Constitution was drafted on hemp paper and was used for rope and clothing during the American Revolution. Further, I wonder if being a Rastafarian has proved to be a valid defense to those arrested for cannabis use. As being part of their religion, it seems that they have a Constitutional Right. I’ll refrain from the “pursuit of happiness” argument that is also one of the “9 principles.”
While I disagree with what the 9-12 project promote as the 9 principles and 12 values of the Founding Fathers, I do not believe for one moment that it is anything less than a surreptitious attempt to promote a political agenda that has nothing to do with the Founding Fathers’ intent.
I hope that members of the group think long and hard about what they are signing up for and crack open a history book before blindly signing up for Mr. Beck’s crusade. Regardless, I wish them the best on their own efforts. If, of course, I agree with them. Whatever they may be.
©2009 Belchertown-News.com
