Chuck Baldwin -- Baldwin Addresses Ohio Constitutional Party Annual Covention, Part 1

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BALDWIN ADDRESSES OHIO CONSTITUTIONAL PARTY ANNUAL CONVENTION
PART 1

By Pastor Chuck Baldwin

May 13, 2004

NewsWithViews.com

(This is an edited version taken from the speaker's notes; it was not transcribed from the verbal delivery.)

Part One: Honor God

Thank you for allowing me to address you today. As you know, presumptive Constitution Party Presidential candidate Michael Peroutka publicly invited me last Sunday, May 2, to be his Vice Presidential running mate, and I was honored and privileged to accept his invitation. Michael's campaign theme is, "Honor God, Defend the Family, Restore the Republic." I would like to expound on these principles with you today.

From its inception, America sought to honor God. From the writing of the Mayflower Compact, written in 1620, to the countless public buildings and monuments constructed all across these United States (including the Liberty Bell on which is inscribed "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof" which is taken from Lev. 25:10), clear and copious evidence shouts a repeated chorus of praise to God!

It is more than a coincidence that virtually every State constitution preamble, and many State mottos (including the Ohio State Motto which says, "With God, all things are possible") give eloquent testimony to our nation's desire to honor God.

As I'm sure most of you know, our country was founded on three great documents: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. What many people don't know is that the principles and pattern for each of these documents are contained in the Holy Scriptures.

For example, Thomas Jefferson said in the Declaration, "[Men] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Jefferson also said that these rights are "self evident," and that they constitute "the Laws of Nature."

Having listened and learned from the great reformers and preachers of their day, along with reading the loquacious writings of men such as Calvin and Blackstone, Jefferson and his fellow patriots certainly understood the connection between Scriptural truth and civil obligation. He knew that the latter was predicated upon the former.

Therefore, it is no accident or happenstance that Jefferson's phrase "the law of nature," otherwise called "Natural Law," was first a Biblical teaching. One only need read Romans 2:14-16 to see and understand this "unalienable" truth.

Furthermore, the truth that God is the Creator of life is seen in Genesis 2:7. That God, not government, gives liberty is clearly expressed in Galatians 5:1. Even Jefferson's reference to "the Pursuit of Happiness" was found first in Ecclesiastes 3:13. However, not only is the Declaration of Independence predicated upon Biblical truth, so is the Bill of Rights.

For example, the First Amendment recognizes the God-given (natural) right of freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. And since governments are instituted "to secure these Rights," the Fist Amendment was written for the express purpose of protecting the rights of Christians (and others) to freely preach, speak, and assemble.

However, since 1962, our federal government has chosen to repeatedly usurp our God-given rights, especially those enumerated in the First Amendment. Without due process, meaning, without the vote of single American citizen or representative, our federal government has denied (and continues to deny) America's children the fundamental right to pray or read the Scriptures in public schools.

Furthermore, a federal judge, along with a supporting cast including the President of the United States, the Governor of Alabama, and the Attorney General of Alabama, just recently denied Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore his natural right to display a monument to the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery. Again, all of this was done without "the consent of the governed" (Declaration), but by judicial fiat.

By the way, I was honored to be in attendance at the public announcement in Prattville, Alabama, when Chief Justice Moore, Ambassador Alan Keyes, Howard Phillips, Phyllis Schlafly, along with Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL), Sen. Richard Shelby (AL), and Sen. Sam Brownback (KS) in which it was revealed that The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 was being introduced in both chambers of Congress. In my opinion, this is the most important piece of legislation of the last fifty years. In a nutshell, it would bring the federal judiciary under the restraints and limitations of Congress in matters pertaining to the First Amendment as prescribed by Article 3, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution.

I can assure this audience that a Michael Peroutka presidency would enthusiastically and emphatically support and promote The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004 and would not rest in this regard until it was passed into law!

By the way, it did not help Chief Justice Moore one bit that there was a Republican in the White House, a Republican governor in Alabama, or a Republican attorney general in Alabama. The silence of both major parties to the unlawful ouster of Chief Justice Moore should make it obvious to everyone that neither the Republican nor Democratic parties has any attention of truly honoring God or following the Constitution. Again, I can assure you that Michael Peroutka and the Constitution Party seek to do more than give lip service to honoring God!

It might even surprise some people to realize that the Second Amendment is Biblically-based. In Luke 11:21, the Lord Jesus said, "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." He also told His disciples in Luke 22:35,36 that if they did not own a sword to sell what they had and go buy one! I don't know about you, but I'll take the Word of God over the word of Chuck Schumer any day!

As we read through the rest of the Bill of Rights, we should be struck with how each of them is taken in principle from the Scriptures. For example, the Fourth Amendment is found in Deuteronomy 24:10,11. The Eighth Amendment is seen in Deuteronomy 15:2,3. Furthermore, our Constitutional form of government, complete with three separate but equal branches, is found in Isaiah. 33:22.

I often hear people say that the U.S. Constitution is a totally secular document, that it gives no recognition to God or to the Christian faith. Such statements are egregiously in error. Apparently, these people have never read Article Seven of the U.S. Constitution which reads, "Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty- seven and of the Independence of the United States of America, the Twelfth."

Did you hear that? It says, "in the year of our Lord." Yes, Friends, the writers and framers of the U.S. Constitution referred to Jesus Christ as "our Lord." They certainly were not referring to Mohammed or Confucius, that is for sure!

Beyond that, Article 1, Section 7, Paragraph, 2, exempts Sundays from legal work days. Did you get that? It was Sunday, the Christian day of worship, that was set aside from legal work days. It was not Friday, the Muslim worship day, or Saturday, the Jewish worship. It was Sunday, the Christian worship day that was given preferential consideration in the U.S. Constitution. Don't tell me that the Constitution does not recognize God or Christianity! It plainly does.

Our first president and "Father Of Our Country" George Washington said on October 3, 1789, "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His Will, to be grateful to His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection and favor." A Michael Peroutka presidency will seek to do just that!

Honoring God not only includes reining in an out of control federal judiciary, it also involves bringing abortion-on-demand to an end! G.W. Bush talks pro-life, but since he took the oath of office, more than four million unborn babies have been legally murdered in these United States. President Bush has not saved one unborn child from the abortionist's scalpel, the Partial Birth Abortion Act notwithstanding.

"How can a president end abortion?" you ask. Simple. He can appoint only U.S. attorneys and an attorney general that will refuse to enforce Roe v Wade. That would immediately send a message to the States that if they choose to close the abortuaries within their jurisdictions, the federal government won't interfere.

If pro-abortion people within the various states want to enact abortion rights, let them do so according to our federal system of government and convince both congressional chambers in their states and their respective governors to pass and sign such proposals into law. I dare say that not even in the most liberal states of our Union could this be accomplished.

This is why radical feminists circumvented the legislative bodies of government and appealed to the federal judiciary. However, a Constitutional executive branch of government could put a stop to this tyranny almost overnight. You see, that's the difference between someone who talks pro-life and someone who really is pro-life!

The decision of a sitting president to refuse to enforce a federal court ruling is not without precedent. Thomas Jefferson did that very thing when he refused to enforce the Alien and Sedition Act. President Andrew Jackson acted in a similar manner as did President Abraham Lincoln.

The point is, there are many examples of sitting presidents who exercised their power as a co-equal branch of Constitutional government and refused to comply with a Supreme Court decision. You see, the Supreme Court is not the supreme law of the land; the Constitution is. And the Constitution is what it says not what federal judges wish it said!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

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Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. In 1985 the church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence.

Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show on the Genesis Communications Network called, "Chuck Baldwin Live" This is a daily, one hour long call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of view. Pastor Baldwin writes weekly articles on the internet http://www.ChuckBaldwinLive.com and newspapers.

To learn more about his radio talk show please visit his web site at: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com. When responding, please include your name, city and state E-mail: chuck@chuckbaldwinlive.com

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"However, since 1962, our federal government has chosen to repeatedly usurp our God-given rights, especially those enumerated in the First Amendment. Without due process, meaning, without the vote of single American citizen..."