Summary

Our Constitutional Rights are under attack like never before. Some of the recent attacks are unprecedented in history, while others are just a continuation of the long battle between Americans and those that want to rob us of our liberties. We need a renewed commitment to the Bill of Rights if we are to remain a free, just, and peaceful society.

Background

America is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy, because there are areas of our society that are not subject to majority rule. Many, but not all, of those areas are articulated in the Bill of Rights. Many Americans have lost the understanding of why this is so important. Democracies allow majorities to violate the rights of minorities. Our Constitution was designed to prevent that. But the Constitution is just words on paper. It is meaningless unless a broad majority of Americans understands what it says and are willing to uphold its values. From slavery to segregation, that has not always been the case. Today, the Constitution is under direct assault like never before. If we are to remain a free, just, and peaceful society, we must make a renewed commitment to the Bill of Rights.

First Amendment

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.

Over the last few years, we have witnessed every imaginable federal agency colluding with the media and social media to censor speech that exposed the government’s propaganda. The assault on free speech and on freedom of the press is unprecedented in American history. We’ve also seen attacks on our right to peacefully assemble as federal law enforcement agencies targeted concerned moms who question government policies at schoolboard meetings. They’ve also pursued political prosecutions of the Jan 6th protestors, the overwhelming majority of whom were peaceful. In addition, there have also been assaults on freedom of religion from the government closing churches during the COVID fiasco to spying on traditional Catholics, who they label as “domestic terrorists".

More than anything else, the First Amendment defines America. It’s who we are. When it comes to political and religious speech, the First Amendment is absolute. There are no exceptions. It is intolerable that federal agencies have chosen to violate our First Amendment rights. And it is completely unacceptable that no one in the government has been held to account for their unconstitutional actions. As your next Congressmen, I will do whatever it takes to ensure that the people who perpetrated these injustices are held accountable for their actions. I will also work to ensure that it will never happen again.

Second Amendment

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.

The Constitution is clear. Americans have a right to keep and bear arms. It’s also clear from the writings of the Founders, that the reference to the militia didn’t mean the government army. It refers to the entire population. And recent Supreme Court decisions have affirmed the right of individual Americans to own a firearm unconnected with service in a militia (District of Columbia vs. Heller - 2008) and carry firearms outside of their homes (New York State Rifle & Pistol Association vs. Bruen - 2022).

Unfortunately, the tyrants are not going to stop trying to rob us of our rights. They will continue to chip away our rights by appealing to people’s emotions. For example, every time there is a mass shooting, the left starts screaming about how “assault rifles" are a huge problem. But more people are murdered each year with blunt instruments like baseball bats and hammers, than are killed with rifles. Yes, there are a lot of people who are killed with handguns. But half of them are suicides. We all agree that America has a mental health crisis that needs to be addressed. Many of the remaining handgun deaths are related to gang violence in the inner cities. The answer to those tragic deaths is reimposing law and order on the big cities. As your next Congressman, I will be the strongest proponent of the 2nd Amendment in the House of Representatives.

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people.

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress specific powers. The Tenth Amendment clearly states that any additional responsibilities are reserved for the States or the people. Unfortunately, the Constitution has been twisted beyond recognition by claiming that the General Welfare Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause, and the Commerce Clause gives the Congress implied powers beyond those specifically articulated in the Constitution. Under that theory, Congress has virtually unlimited powers. The Founders would disagree. They created the Constitution to limit the powers of government to the responsibilities specifically articulated within the document. We need a multi-faceted approach to restoring our federalist system, including legislation to repeal the unconstitutional activities of the government, as well as Supreme Court decisions that uphold the 10th Amendment.