An Invitation

When I was 15 years old in a suburb of Minneapolis, I had to do a report on World War One. We were to use as many visual aids as possible and leave them as a display for others to see. At that time I had a neighbor, a Mr. Wilson, who was a WWI veteran. He graciously allowed me to borrow his WWI memorabilia for my project. They consisted of a scrapbook of the foreign places he had visited and fought, a gas mask and filter canister that still worked, various medals, a still polished "doughboy" helmet with a chinstrap, captured German flag, uniform shirt, and an unloaded Enfield rifle with a carrying strap and detachable bayonet. On the morning of my project I gathered my books and Mr. Wilson's WW1 mementos into the various baskets on my red metal flake Murray single speed, balloon tired, single headlamp on the front fender and buckboard with reflector on the rear fender, newsprint delivery, unlicensed biomechanical bi-wheeled transportation system. With the bayonet clipped to my belt, the rifle slung across my back and doughboy helmet on my head, I peddled the mile or so to my school along the well traveled road full of commuters, school buses and others. I was not accosted by any policeman, pedestrian or other traveler on the roadway. When I arrived at school, I parked my bike and went inside the building. A teacher greeting the students at the door only asked me if the gun was loaded. I replied to him, "Of course not." I then went to my schoolroom set up my display and went on with my day. My project was a success and I was the envy of my chums for having access to such "cool" stuff! I did that without a school ID, metal detectors, see through book bag, bicycle license, & Firearms Owner Identification permit. Later in the day after dinner at home with the family I would go out with my friends to hang out. If it was a weekend, or unless my parents had set a curfew, I wouldn't come home until after midnight. No city curfew then. Have a 15 year-old try that today.

When my father was 15 years old, in Florida on the family farm after his pre and post dawn chores were done, he was asked to go into town and pick up some items from the general store. He went out to the driveway to the Model T truck. After setting the ignition he gave the front crank a few good turns watching out for the kick back until the motor started. He then drove into town down the main street and parked in front of the store. He went into the store with the silver dollars that his mother, my grandmother, had given him. He then proceeded to purchase the items that my grandmother wanted which included 12 gauge shotgun shells, 22-caliber rifle shells, rat poison, lye for soap, cigarettes for my grandfather, snuff tobacco for Grandma and while he was there he got himself a cold beer to drink on the way home in the hot Florida sun. He had no problems purchasing these items from the store. No one bothered him while he was traveling on the road without a driver's license, carrying tobacco, alcohol, "dangerous chemicals" and a firearm with ammunition. Have a 15 year-old try that today, even in rural America.

When my grandfather was 15 years old he would get up before sunrise and do his farm chores before he went off to the citrus grove to work in the juice cannery. He had passed eighth grade and that was as far as his formal school education would go. He was a picker and a hauler driving the wagons with the oranges to the squeezer. He rode with a shotgun, as there were still the occasional bobcat, or worse a rattlesnake around looking for rats in the citrus trimmings. One day while he was feeding the squeezer he put his hand too close and it grabbed his left index finger. It was crushed up to the second knuckle. The cannery doctor then gave him a glass of home made fermented orange and rum blend. Grandpa always said he that needed at least a 3 finger high glass because he was raised on good old farm white lightning and was afraid that just a shot of the fancy stuff wouldn't dull the pain. The good doctor then used a clean pair of shears and cut off the mangled finger at the second knuckle, leaving a flap of skin to fold over and stitch closed. Later in life he would have great fun watching we "young'uns" try to imitate Grandpa sticking a finger up the nose to the second knuckle. Two years later at seventeen he eloped with a 15 year old girl that he had fallen madly in love with and brought her back to the farm. He built her a house, raised a family, started a grounds keeping business, moved to town and was married for over 55 years to her. They never had a marriage license, driver's license, building permit, business license (a man's word and handshake was his bond), or social security numbers until after WWII. Have a 15 year old try that today. (Well of course not the finger part, duh.)

America has changed. Some things for the better, and some things for the worse. What hasn't changed is the potential impact that a 15 year old can have on his society. All famous and infamous people were 15 year olds at one time. Who and what they become is because of someone's or something's influence on them.

Today, a 15 year old is probably a freshman in high school. If they are in public school they are getting only a very rudimentary understanding of the reasons that America came to exist. What they are learning by covert and overt methods is that the State is supreme. Their schools are becoming self-contained police states where the student is learning to accept authoritarianism as the norm in society. In 3 years the 15 year old will be 18. Eligible to vote, serve in the military, contract and smoke.

In 10 years the 15 year old will be 25 and may have graduated from college, have a career and maybe even started a family. That 15 year old who is now 25 could be your congresscritter voting to raise your taxes or reduce your freedoms.

In 5 more years that 15 year old will be 30 and eligible to be elected to the US Senate. What view of history and what principles for the founding of this nation will be held by that Senator? In just 5 more years, 20 years after being 15 this young person is eligible to be elected to the presidency. Who and what will shape the values and beliefs that will influence those Presidential decisions? We need to do something NOW, to make them beliefs in the unalienable natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness endowed by the natural law of the Creator who, by the way, is NOT the State! Before anyone misunderstands I am NOT saying that any answers are necessarily only in politics. However, that same former 15 year old could just as easily be an un-elected bureaucrat, public policy enforcement officer, administrative law adjudicator or FEMA relocation camp guard.

The United States federal government is huge. If it's also very powerful. Our country is deeply divided between those who believe in a strong central state and those who do not. We're faced with a time that is much like that of the founding fathers where some of our own countrymen are as the Tories in colonial times. They sincerely believe that a strong central government is best and that it is the collective responsibility of government to provide for the people. To supply health and safety to all, everyone must give up more rights and property. Freedom is disappearing. We have a federal government that is out of control and does not even obey its own laws. We have a judicial system that is corrupt. The courts make law from the bench and reinterpret the intent of written laws and constitutions. Recently, we have seen in the Dick Simkanin case that the courts are controlled.

Freedom lovers seem to be outnumbered. At the very least we are out of the power structure. When emotions build up and people are frustrated and angry the venting usually is about initiating some form of force using violence. That would be suicide. No matter how many militia personnel or mutual defense members you have, you do not have enough to withstand the force of thousands of newly created twenty something robots that will do what they are told and then maybe ask questions later.

I could spend hours listing the problems of our system without coming close to any solutions. But, I am not a "Chicken Little" patriot only crying that "the sky is falling." Therefore, I want to focus on some solutions.

We do need to use force. Not violent force. The force of reason, will, faith, intellect and moral philosophy. The force of a better idea, a better way to live, a better answer to the insipid gradualism of tyranny - Freedom!
It is time to use something that has not happened since we boomers were teenagers. Use a population bubble to change a national culture. We need to grow a generational movement of fighters for freedom.

Sam Adams and John Adams both recognized that the American war for Independence did not start in 1776. It started 20 years before in the 1750s. When young men and women embraced the philosophies of natural rights, life, liberty and personal ownership.

We have a unique opportunity to influence a whole generation for liberty. Right now! Starting today. I'm not saying that we abandon our individual fights for liberty and justice. I am saying that unless we do something right now to influence this new generation for freedom, the light of liberty will dim for a hundred years.

In essence what is needed today is a nationwide youth freedom movement. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to influence a whole new generation. The "Echo" generation will be the largest generation of simultaneous teenagers at one time, in one place on this continent in our recorded history. Within the next 10 years there will be over 100 million teenagers in North America. There will be the greatest number of teenagers from ages the 11 to 19 simultaneously since the baby boom generation became teens. (1956-1974)

Why is this effort needed? Because the baby boom "protest" generation has been captured into the system. It is the system that the baby boom generation once fought against. The baby boom generation has been co-opted and compromised by the pursuit of wealth, convenience and has thus become complacent.

The amount of energy needed to overcome the inertia of the complacency and compromise of the boomer generation is greater than which a small, loud and persistent minority of freedom boomers can generate. Those of us who see the rise of a federal police state must also recognize how many people are caught up into this system, benefit from the system and are dependent upon the system. Government has become the largest employer in some states. Also, government sponsored industries like prisons and prison manufacturing are the fastest growing businesses in the country while international corporations move jobs offshore.

We the children of the WW2 heroes will have turned over this nation to the neo-fascists of a global corporate oligarchy controlled by those who still believe in the "divine" right of an imposed aristocracy to own the world and the people upon it.

What to do? We purpose right now today, to reach as many young people as we can with the mind freeing culture of liberty.

How? With everything that we have. Technology, music, words, advertising, gimmicks, propaganda, personal contact, email, instant messaging, websites, flyers, video games, anything that will reach them for the next 20 years.

What I am talking about is a bi-focused concept. We don't abandon our issues; we simultaneously convert our issues to a message and medium that will engage the younger generation. We use that natural adolescent desire for freedom against the system that wants to enslave them. We market freedom. We uphold the ownership of one's person. Southwest U. Law professor Butler Shaffer asks, "Do you own yourself?"
I add that the test of self ownership is if you can say, "I won't!" to any who demand something of you, without risk of life, liberty or property.

I am looking for a core group of people who can see this vision of reaching a generation for liberty. A core group of people who will help put together a team to plan, strategize, implement, recruit and guide young people who will then reach young people and so on. We don't have to replace any other organization; we just complement it and provide the philosophical foundation for freedom. We purpose to reach young people on their terms of communication, not ours. We make it fun and "in" to be part of a freedom generation. We work in the background to provide the resources and tools to the young freedom leaders to reach their own generation.

How this, and more, will be accomplished is what we will discuss and plan.

Are you interested in doing something about the future or are you a "Chicken Little" patriot always spreading doom and gloom about the "sky falling" without a plan for a way out?

Join with us if you are a positive, we can do it, patriot. If you know of someone else who might also be interested then please forward this message to them.

Please stay away if your negativity has neutered your resolve and effectiveness.

Thank you,

Tim