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Freedom 21 Conference

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

Nashville, TN – The Freedom 21 Conference, held in Nashville, July 17-19, and organized by Henry Lamb, was a great success.  People came from all over the U.S. to network and to describe the work they are doing for individual liberty, primarily in the areas of private property and education.  They shared strategies and stories of success and failure, and they all came away with new ideas and renewed enthusiasm for actions they can take to promote individual liberty.

There were so many excellent speakers that it would be impossible to describe them all in one article.  Instead, I plan to deal only with the most time sensitive issues in this article and then will provide articles in the coming weeks giving you more details from the conference. 

According to Dr. Michael Coffmann, chair of Sovereignty International, much of the assault on private property that is occurring in the U.S. today is based on the UN’s Agenda 21, which calls for government control of the land.  The UN and the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), who obtain funding through your taxes, are using that money and its associated power to acquire greater control over you.  They have a worldview in accordance with Rousseau, the father of socialism and communism, supporting top-down control.  This is in stark contrast with the Locke model of individual liberty, in which individuals have inalienable, God-given rights, and these individuals give some of their power to government for the sole purpose of  protecting and defending those rights.  Locke’s bottom-up, individual liberty view of government is the view that is reflected in our country’s founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  It is the arrangement that has provided opportunity, abundance, and freedom from tyranny.

One of the ways the UN bureaucrats obtain credibility for their ideas is by having large numbers of people and organizations sign their position papers and statements.  Until recently, there has not been an alternative, pro/liberty position in play.  Dr. Coffmann presented the individual freedom position at the South African conference last August, with over 600 South Africans and farmers from India participating in a march supporting free trade and individual freedom.  Dr. Coffmann said it was very encouraging that many farmers and other common people shook his hand and expressed their desire for the benefits of freedom that most Americans take for granted.  Now, there is a Freedom 21 document, laying out the private property/individual rights perspective for improving the world as an alternative to the socialist model. 

While the UN and NGO’s continue to promote their utopian theories and dreams, like Agenda 21, which will lead to greater suffering, poverty, and tyranny, the only proven way to eliminate poverty and to improve living conditions for people all over the world continues to be capitalism and its respect for private property.  One way you can promote the approach that really works to improve people’s lives is to review the Freedom 21 document, and, if you agree, sign it to indicate your support.  The document has just been posted since the Freedom 21 conference, so you have the opportunity to be one of the founding fathers (or mothers). 

Kent Snyder, the director of Ron Paul’s Liberty Committee, gave some updates from the U.S. Congress.  First, he wants you to know that your calls, letters, and other contacts with your elected officials make a difference in the way your elected officials vote, and you need to continue that effort.  The bill to pull the U.S. out of the UN recently received 74 “yes” votes, at least seven of which were influenced by comments elected officials received from their constituents.  The number of “yes” votes increases each time this issue comes up for a vote, so progress is being made.  The vote to add prescription drugs to Medicare was one of the worst cases of name-calling and arm-twisting, with the leadership pulling out all the stops, but it won by only one vote.  Snyder urged people not to give up, even when it appears that the vote is over.  Keep making the phone calls.

There is a vote that will probably come up this Thursday to cut funding of UNESCO, and he urges liberty lovers to let their elected officials know they want the funding to be cut.

Dr. Paul has been fighting the unique health identifier (UHI), which is the linchpin for a cradle-to-grave government takeover of medical services, and he has obtained another year’s extension preventing that identifier from coming into existence.  However, the threat continues. 

Snyder also said the International Criminal Court continues to be a serious threat.

The Continuity of Government Project, which is spearheaded by the Brookings Institute and the American Enterprise Institute, is proposing a constitutional amendment to allow the replacement of our representatives without an election in the event of an emergency.  A full court press promoting this amendment is being made by a large number of people and foundations (Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Newt Gingrich, Lloyd Cutler…).  They are saying that the Constitution is deficient and is not equipped to handle an emergency situation.  Their goal is to have the amendment approved by Sept. 11, 2003, with 38 states ratifying within 15 months – a very fast track.  They also will be looking at the constitutions of each state to see what amendments would be needed in the states to implement this change.  Congressman Sensenbrenner is against it, but the leadership favors it.  It needs to be stopped in the House Judiciary Committee, before it gets out, because the big money folks, like the Carnegie Institute, are prepared to spend huge amounts of money to convince people to support it.  According to Snyder, this amendment would be setting up the pieces for a constitutional coup.  Snyder says that Professor Rice, of the Notre Dame law school, has reviewed this proposal, calling it unnecessary and dangerous.  Snyder says there is no crisis.  The country has withstood many types of emergencies without the need for this type of amendment, and it can continue to do so in the future.  Snyder urged people to speak out. 

Mike Hardiman also reported on recent events in Washington, D.C.  He said, if your representative voted in favor of Dr. Paul’s proposal to remove the U.S. from the UN, you should write and thank him or her.  To see how your rep voted, click here. (Nobody in KY supported it.)

Hardiman is concerned about a proposal to give special tax breaks to the Nature Conservancy and other land trusts that is tucked into the faith-based initiative.  It is ironic, because this proposal would actually give these land trusts an unfair advantage over faith-based organizations while creating a tax-funded land grab.  It has already won in the Senate and needs to be stopped in the house.  Hardiman said the Nature Conservancy is involved in many profitable scams and has $3 billion in assets.  It should not be receiving this special treatment.  Even the Washington Post is now exposing its insider trading deals, and the Senate finance committee is investigating the organization at the same time these special tax breaks are being proposed.  If you want to find out how much money the Nature Conservancy has been given by the government, or if you want to find out about any other government grants, you can obtain that information at the eco-logic web site under FAADS (Fed. Assistance Awards Data System).  (I did a search to see what federal money has been granted to Jefferson County and unearthed $139,939,522 , including annual EPA grants of about $1.7 million to the Jefferson County Air Pollution Control group, $10 million to Head Start for a four-month period, many grants to the Foster Grandparent program, each on the order of $500,000, etc.  Very interesting information.)

Hardiman said that Thursday’s vote, deciding how much money would be spent on interior departments, resulted in the property rights position winning every contested issue.  This is proof that grassroots efforts really work, even when they are up against great power and money. 

Hardiman also commented on the proposed constitutional amendment called Continuity in Government, which he described as a prescription for unlimited government. 

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