By Paul Engel
December 1, 2023
- Do you believe that the truth shall set you free?
- How do we know what the truth is?
- How can the American people believe in self-evident truths if they don’t believe there is such a thing as truth?
There have always been attacks on what is true. From the serpent in the Garden of Eden asking, “Did God really say…” to today’s attempts to quash “disinformation”, truth has been under attack. While many of these attacks have been about what the truth is, over the past couple of generations the idea of truth itself has been under attack. Why is that? In the Gospel of John, Jesus said:
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” —John 8:32 (NKJV)
Could the answer be that simple? Could the attacks on the very idea of truth simply be attacks on our freedom? If that is true, then what can we do to defend not only our freedom, but the very idea of freedom itself?
Self-Evident Truths
Let’s face it, without the idea of truth, we never would have become independent from Great Britain.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, …
U.S. Declaration of Independence
There are things that are not only true, but so obviously true we should not need to write them down; everyone used to agree they were true. While we all rarely agree on what the truth is, we still generally agreed there was a truth we could find. Knowing there is a truth is one thing; finding out what that truth is might be something else. So, if we want to be free, finding out what that truth is should be our first step.
Knowing the Truth
I recently received a question based on an article entitled “Feds Have Tied The Hands Of TN Law Enforcement On Illegal Immigration, Tennessee Leadership Refuses To Push Back“. It would appear, according to the author of this article, that not only is Tennessee law enforcement being restrained, but our legislature and people are as well. This position of federal supremacy comes from a statement I found in the article.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, under the Supremacy Clause in The Constitution, the assignment of immigration law and enforcement of those laws is given to the federal government, and in order to comply with a “cooperation only” approach, states are relegated to a prone position, at least, under The Biden Administration.
It would seem that the hands of all Tennesseans are well and truly bound by the whims of the Biden Administration. That is, except for one small thing: The truth.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution gives the creation and enforcement of immigration laws to the federal government. However, the Supremacy Clause, found in Article VI, Clause 2, says no such thing.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land;
U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Clause 2
In order for any law to be considered the supreme law of the land, it must be made in pursuance, or following, the Constitution, which specifically states in the 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.
U.S. Constitution, Amendment X
So for a law of the United States to be the supreme law of the land, it must put into effect a power delegated to the United States by the Constitution. A quick look at Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 shows that Congress has the power:
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 4
Congress has the power to create rules for naturalization, which is:
The act of investing an alien with the rights and privileges of a native subject or citizen.
Naturalization, Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
It does not grant to Congress the power to regulate immigration, which is:
The passing or removing into a country for the purpose of permanent residence.
Immigration, Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
In fact, the term “immigration” does not appear in the Constitution of the United States. This means that Congress does not have the legitimate power to regulate immigration. Therefore, federal immigration laws are not the supreme law of the land, and in fact are void and meaningless.
An unconstitutional act is not a law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation as inoperative as though it had never been passed.
Norton v. Shelby County :: 118 U.S. 425 (1886)
So it seems that the federal government has not tied the hands of Tennessee law enforcement, or the law enforcement of any other state. Rather, these states have not only tied their own hands, but enslaved themselves to a lie. If only there was a way to set them free.
One Small Step for Truth…
As I have frequently said, I am not a lawyer, but I not only was I able to immediately spot the lie from the Department of Homeland Security, I was able to defend my position with proof that what I am saying is true. (By the way, there is a lot more to this argument. I’ve written an article about a similar situation with the Department of Education for members of the Patriots Program.) How was I able to do that so quickly? By following the advice of the first Chief Justice of the United States, John Jay.
Every member of the State ought diligently to read and to study the constitution of his country, and teach the rising generation to be free. By knowing their rights, they will sooner perceive when they are violated, and be the better prepared to defend and assert them.
John Jay, First Chief Justice of the United States
By reading and studying the Constitution, I’ve become so familiar with it that the lie from DHS was as obvious as a three dollar bill. Furthermore, that familiarity with the Constitution meant I knew exactly where to go to find the truth of the matter.
You may be asking yourself, “How could I gain such skills with the truth?” I followed John Jay’s advice and studied the Constitution. I did not go to law school, where, rather than studying the language of the supreme law of the land, students study the opinions of judges. It may seem daunting, but the language of the Constitution is generally very easy to read. After all, it was written so an 18th century farmer could understand it. I’ve even written a book called The Constitution Study where I take you through my study of the Constitution in plain, conversational English. Yet studying is just the first step.
In John chapter 8, Jesus told those who follow Him:
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
In a way, John Jay was saying the same thing. If you abide in the Constitution, if you read and study it as a disciple, then you will know the truth about this country and be freed from the tyranny of those who lie about it. In both cases though, the impetus is on us. Just as Jesus’ followers had to abide in His Word to be His disciples, we must spend time in the Constitution, becoming students of the document. If we wish to know the truth, we cannot depend solely on the words of others, but must find it for ourselves. We must always be in search of the truth, not merely content with the words we agree with. For the truth to set us free, it must be actually true. That is why the foundational principles of The Constitution Study are:
- It’s only an opinion unless there is proof.
- An expert opinion is only an opinion unless there is proof.
- Original documents are our best sources.
- Check your sources.
In 1983, U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was quoted in the Washington Post as saying:
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.
1983 January 18, The Washington Post, More Than Social Security Was at Stake by Daniel P. Moynihan, Quote Page A17, Column 5, Washington, D.C. (ProQuest)
While not the first to express that sentiment, Mr. Moynihan is probably one of the best known. We all have opinions, but that does not make them all true. While we often look to experts, we have to remember that they can be wrong as well. Millions of Americans have been enslaved to ideas based on opinion rather than facts. The consequences of those opinions have ranged from the benign to the truly horrific. Our entire legal profession is based on the opinion of judges, often completely devoid of facts, if not actually antithetical to them. If we wish to be free, we must start by making sure what we know is actually true.
… One Giant Leap for Freedom
John Jay said that reading and studying the Constitution would not only help you recognize when your freedoms were being violated, but be better prepared to defend and assert them. Imagine walking down the street not only knowing what your rights are, but how you can defend them. I’ve told stories before about standing up to illegal mask mandates, overly curious FBI agents, and questionable U.S. Attorney’s offices. That freedom was made possible by knowing my rights and being prepared to defend and assert them. That knowledge came from an honest and forthright study of what the Constitution actually says. Not what I had been taught in school or what “experts” like those at DHS said, but reading the actual documents. Because of that, I live free. That’s not to say there aren’t those who would attempt to take away my freedom because of lies that have been told. Rather than being defenseless, I have the truth on my side. I’m hoping to have a few million Americans on my side as well.
Most people are familiar with the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor’s New Clothes. Having been conned into believing he was wearing a fine set of clothes, the emperor walked through the village not knowing he was undressed. None of the townsfolk admitted they could not see the emperor’s cloths until a small boy pointed out the truth: The emperor was naked. Once the “spell” was broken, the entire town took up the cry.
Today, many in the federal government walk around believing they are wrapped in robes of power, some because of their own arrogance and others because “experts” have told them so. Most of the American people seem to go along with the lie, not because they can see the power robes, but because of the lies they have been told. I hope today, as I’ve pointed out in some small way how naked federal actors are, the “spell” will be broken and you will join me in pointing that out as well. While being a single voice showing the naked power grab of Washington, D.C. may allow me to live free, it will take the courage of millions of Americans to help break the “spell” nationwide. It will not be easy, and there are risks involved. If we wish to live up to the words of the national anthem and be the land of the free, we must once again become the home of the brave. That means being brave enough to not only seek for the truth yourself, but stand up and point out when the federal “emperor” is as naked as the day he was born.
© 2023 Paul Engel – All Rights Reserved
E-Mail Paul Engel: paul@constitutionstudy.com
