Thomas Paine: American Philosopher, & Revolutionary
From 1776 through the formation of The Constitution I helped create America. Now I have returned to help save America. American Patriots must join together, speak out in free and open discussion to fight the “woke” anti-American mob, and further the cause of FREEDOM.
Lexington and Concord
On this, the 249th anniversary of the “shot heard round the world” on Lexington Green in Massachusetts, it is appropriate to appreciate what those 70 brave Minute Men militia led by Captain John Parker, did to send a message to British commanders.
The original “stand your ground” monument on Lexington Green
These were not men who thought kindly of tyranny and oppression. They had had just about enough and they were willing to literally put their lives on the line to fight for the freedom they sought. They faced the most powerful military in the world and stood tall against it.
British troops, about 800 strong had marched out of Boston the night before on a mission to seize weapons and gun powder stored in the nearby town of Concord and capture Patriot leaders John Hancock and Sam Adams, who were staying at the Hancock-Clarke House just up the road from Lexington Green. Fortunately, for the American revolutionaries, Paul Revere and William Dawes had been dispatched by Dr. Joseph Warren, who had caught wind of the British expedition, and warned them of the approaching British regulars, allowing them to escape northwards to Burlington, out of harms way. But eight Minute Men lay dead on Lexington Green and another two were felled in the skirmish at North Bridge over Concord River, where the British lost three men before retreating back to Boston.
A Minute Man reenactor at North Bridge, Concord
By the time they came back down what is now known as Battle Road towards Lexington, Dr. Warren and Captain Parker had gathered thousands of Minute Men along the route to Boston, ambushing the column from all angles for the next 12 miles. At the end of the day, there were 73 British killed in action and many more wounded. The Americans suffered 49 dead. [1]
It was “go time”.
When Warren’s mother saw him later that day, she urged him to never put himself in such danger again. Warren replied, “Now is no time for any of America’s children to shrink from any hazard. I will set her free or die.”
Fifty-nine days later, he was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
That being said, why do I mention this little episode from the American Revolution?
Because I know there are Patriots who will view this and feel the same way.
The Warning and the Caviat
There are millions of Americans who are totally fed up with the direction Marxist communists are taking this country. Many of them are military vets and members of groups who consider themselves armed militia. Please be advised that no matter how angry you are and how justifiable your ambitions may be, it would be foolish to directly confront the active U.S. military commanded by the very political leader you might hope to supplant. Any armed revolution would be disastrous. There are alternative methods to restore our republic without committing suicide. One such method is to speak the truth about every aspect of Marxist ideology currently being installed by Obama’s communist agenda, whether he can be directly implicated, or carried out by his political puppets and his activist army. Patriots must unite behind the cause to save America and the best way I see at this time is to inform them of what is really going on and convince as many people as possible to vote against this Marxist, anti-American regime. Remember, it was Obama himself who proclaimed at a campaign rally in Columbia, Missouri on October 30th 2008 that, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” No one asked what he meant, but now it is clear, his “fundamental transformation” was to convert America to communism.
His legacy cannot be allowed to happen.
I am openly calling for every Patriot to speak out, but you must be cautious in what you say and make sure you don’t cross the line into unprotected speech. To that end, I urge you to be aware of the extremely important Supreme Court decision in Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969).
Essentially, a Ku Klux Klan leader was convicted of violating an Ohio law that “prohibited public speech that was deemed as promoting illegal conduct”. After going through the appeals process, SCOTUS overturned the verdict under the principle that speech was protected as long as it did not call for “immediate unlawful action”. In the Brandenburg case, there was no proposal for anyone to commit illegal activity. There was no imminent danger to any individual, public safety or the community at large. His speech, though it may have been construed as “hateful”, was perfectly legal, and protected under the First Amendment.
For example, though it is protected speech to advocate overthrowing the government, it would be unprotected, and subject to prosecution, if you named a rally point and a time to assemble to forcibly enact a plan to do so.
The Police State
We are in a time when anything you say, can and will be held against you. Though he was eventually exonerated, Brandenburg was damaged by the prosecution and it took five years for his case to be overturned. It could be argued that Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial in New York right now is on very shaky legal grounds, but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg doesn’t care about whether the Supreme Court could overturn his successful conviction in a biased courtroom. His only objective is to apply maximum damage to the Trump campaign. Once Trump’s reputation is damaged in the eyes of the voters and the 2024 election is over, it’s too late.
There is yet another reason to avoid such controversy. And that is the “surveillance state”. In case you missed it, on the 13th of November 2023, Democrat New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, announced that the state would “ramp up surveillance efforts of social media accounts and that law enforcement will take proactive measures, including contacting people on suspicion of using ‘hate speech’.” [2]
Hochul offered assurance that New Yorkers could “feel safe” about their personal security due to the state’s social media analysis unit, which has ramped up its monitoring of sites to catch incitement to violence, and direct threats to others. In other words, everyone should be thankful that the state is watching the entire spectrum of social media platforms looking for speech that some undefined expert analyst may deem threatening, under the guise of “safety”. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Perhaps Gov. Hochul should be made aware of the “Brandenburg test” because any person they decide to harass could cite the 1969 Supreme Court decision as a defense and the taxpayers of New York will have funded another pea-brained virtue signal.
So to all you federal agencies (and we know you’re watching) who may catch wind of this, or anyone’s speech deemed “hateful”, or offensive to your undefined “standards”, be advised of the Brandenburg defense.
Again, to remind all Patriots, the “surveillance state” is real and it is fully operational. Everything you post on Facebook, or tweet on X, is captured and recorded by a fascist regime that will do anything to remain in power. The proof is ongoing in New York City right now, as a judge who donated to the Democrat Party refuses to recuse himself for obvious conflict of interest, reviews potential jurors from a 90% Democrat district who have been coached to lie on their questionnaires by a former Asst. U.S. Attorney, in a case brought by a D.A. who fabricated felony charges out of misdemeanors that had expired statutes of limitations, and a State Attorney General who promised to “get Trump” as her campaign platform. In other words, he is being railroaded like the express trains to Auschwitz. A complete travesty of American justice.
If they decide they want to come after “hate speech” from dissidents, you may have a strong defense in Brandenburg, but it won’t matter after they bankrupt you and destroy your life. We the People are undoubtedly already on their watch list of “domestic terrorists”. And the actual fascists call MAGA Republicans a threat to our democracy, while their Propaganda Media Complex trumpets the mantra.
The Cause
Much as it was for the Minute Men of 1775 and all Patriots who rallied to the cause throughout the American Revolution, it has come to the point that we must recognize our way of life is in serious jeopardy. The enemy is the Democrat Party and all that it stands for. They must be totally crushed to save our republic. We watched Donald Trump shock the world in 2016 by defeating Hillary Clinton, the presumptive heir to Obama’s legacy, and how the left denied his legitimacy because they felt they were entitled to rule.
We know they were willing to do anything to regain power, including stealing elections. There is nothing they won’t do to keep it.
We the People may rest only when their legitimacy is completely destroyed. We don’t need to see it collapse entirely, but their communist agenda cannot stand. Until the DNC reforms their Marxist, anti-American platform, they must be critically attacked from every angle, exposed for every unconstitutional maneuver they make, and voted against at every opportunity.
Speak out.
Make the silent majority the moral majority.
Stay the course.
COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOME
FOOTNOTES
[1] Lexington and Concord: The Shot Heard ‘Round the World ;American Battlefield Trust
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/lexington-and-concord-shot-heard-round-world
[2] Standing for Freedom Center Staff ; New York Announces it Will Take Citizen Surveillance and Censorship to the Next Level ; November 17, 2023