Charles W. Kraut
Labor Day 2011
If you have been even marginally involved in the Tea Party or any other part of the conservative
movement in the last couple of years, you may have noticed that participation in these
organizations and events has declined dramatically. There are fewer rallies, and fewer people
attending those rallies. Attendance at regular meetings and conventions has in many cases
declined precipitously. You could say that the Tea Party movement is beginning to look like a
“flash in the pan”. You might also think that the conservative movement is over.
If this is true, liberty is doomed. We, the people awoke briefly from our slumber, made a little bit
of noise, and are now going back to sleep. After all, we did our best; we elected candidates to the
House of Representatives who turned Washington upside down, and who forced the current
occupant of the Oval Office to shift his focus away from dreadful legislation like Obamacare in
favor of more and more illegal and unconstitutional Executive Orders. Wasn’t that enough to
secure our freedom for another generation or two?
Besides, we say, the liberals have fought back with every weapon they have. They have made us
appear foolish, inarticulate, uneducated, racist, prejudiced, supportive of big corporations, devoid
of compassion, willing to destroy the environment, and backward. We’re not accustomed to this
type of abuse. After all, we are the people who work hard, pay taxes, obey the law, and try very
hard to live upright and decent lives. Why are we exposing ourselves to such criticism from those
who are almost universally deficient in morals and integrity?
We didn’t have a plan
I will be the first to admit that our feeble efforts to defend our Constitution and the principles of
liberty have brought about frustration and discouragement. What else could we expect when we
were leaderless, and had no specific plan? What did we think we could accomplish when we didn’t
even understand what it was we were trying to defend? How could we have any hope of falling back
on the principles that made America great, when for decades we allowed those principles to be
challenged, set aside, and trampled by those who had their own agenda?
We, the people have lost a battle; we have not lost the war. We will lose the war, however, if we
surrender now. What we need is Americans like you and me who will step up to the plate fully
capable of defending our Constitution, and to stand up for the liberty, the principles, and the
decency envisioned and urged upon us by our Founding Fathers.
We need leadership
We need leadership. You and I need to learn and thoroughly understand the Constitution and the
writings and intentions of the Founding Fathers. We need to draw “a line in the sand” that we will
no longer allow the enemies of liberty to cross. We need to rally our neighbors, our friends, our
coworkers, and all who will listen to the flag of freedom. Under that flag we must organize
ourselves, develop effective strategies, and pursue a course that will restore liberty and greatness
once again.
We cannot allow ourselves to be turned aside from our course by the media or by our leaders,
whether it is those who criticize and attack us or those who would waste our time and attention in
endless debate about “he said/she said”. We must focus on what is most important.
Those who love freedom must attend every PTA, school board, city council, County Commissioner,
and Board of Trustees meeting where the public is permitted. In those meetings it is our duty to
ensure that only those actions are taken that will promote the ideals and principles of liberty,
morality, integrity, and responsible citizenship. Everything else, regardless of the high-sounding
words behind it, must be rejected and defeated.
No compromise and no surrender
There can be no compromise, particularly on morality. We do not have the right to change what
God has told us, nor must we permit anyone to do so or to make the denial of His existence part
of our public policy. If our own principles have been called into question by the abuse we have
received, we need to examine our lives and re-establish correct principles as the foundation and
motivating force of all that we do every day. Eternal truth remains just that – eternal.
There is a plan
There is a plan to accomplish all these things, and to restore the Constitution to its rightful place
as the greatest political document of all time. As Thoreau said, “For every thousand hacking at the
leaves of evil, there is one striking at the root.” Most of us, if we are engaged at all, are “hacking at
the leaves of evil”. If we want to have any hope of winning this conflict, we must strike at the root.
Several months ago I published my second book, The Patriots Guide to Taking America Back. I
did not write it to entertain, or to make money. I wrote The Patriots Guide to Taking America
Back for two specific purposes: first, to initiate what must become the most important debate of
the 21st century, whether any nation can survive under human rights, and second, to provide a
specific plan that will, if implemented and followed, will succeed. Have you read it? Have you
shared it with those around you? Have you commenced a regular program of personal study and
study with your family on the Constitution and our Declaration of Independence? Have you made
a personal commitment of your time, talents, and resources to this vital work of taking America
back?
Liberty has been taking a beating for more than a hundred years. It’s time we stopped talking
about it and started doing the things that will save our country.
Otherwise, what will you tell your grandchildren when they ask you
what it used to be like to be free?
Charles W. Kraut
Lexington, Virginia
http://www.wcandp.com
ckraut1@comcast.net
Cape County Tea Party 