If you’ve ever been arrested or seen an arrest on TV, you know these words, “You have the right to remain silent…”
In today’s culture of hypocrisy, government overreach and media deception, they WANT YOU to remain silent.
But you have the right to speak up. In fact, you have a moral duty to speak up if you care about preserving anything that we have left. It’s more important now than it ever has been.
But I’m only one person – what can I do?
In this discussion, I’m going to describe two specific concrete steps you can take to begin speaking up and being heard.
You can actually do these two things at the same time, but you should start first with educating yourself.
Step one is becoming empowered with knowledge. Knowledge of the US Constitution, and then your state constitution. It is critical to understand your rights and the limits of authority that we, the citizens, have granted to the government.
We do not live in a monarchy.
Yes, our government has been acting like authoritarians, but they are only allowed the power that we give them. When they begin to act outside of the power it’s crucial that we recognize it immediately and make them understand that we will not comply with powers they do not have.
Start with a reading of the US Constitution. If you’ve never done that, relax. It’s actually pretty short. Don’t be too concerned about understanding every single word, because I’m going to provide a resource for that in just a moment. But you will at least gain some understanding of how things are SUPPOSED to work.
For a more in-depth understanding of the US Constitution, here are a few resources:
Noncompliant Movie is a fantastic 84 minute movie which goes into several areas of the constitution and current events. Make some popcorn and set aside the time - it’s well worth it.
By the same constitutional attorney, KrisAnne Hall offers a subscription to Liberty University, where you can gain a very thorough understanding of the parts of government, why they were set up the way they were, the founding documents and founding fathers, as well as the five historical documents that led to our US Constitution. Most of the content is delivered through video.
The Constitution Center offers a totally free online version of the US Constitution, with commentary and explanations, as well as blog posts about current events and how the constitution applies.
The Heritage Foundation offers a free digital guide to the constitution in exchange for your email address. Click Here
Any of the above resources will get you well on your way to becoming better informed than most people. And without a doubt, you will watch the evening news with an entirely new perspective.
Your Second Step
Step two is your circle of influence. We all have one. For some, it may only be one or two people. It could be 20. It might be 100 or 1000, or even 10,000. No matter the size of your circle, you should use your newfound understanding to influence and educate them. You will be surprised to learn how many people are unaware of basic civics.
When you are able to quote specific things from the constitution or give a new perspective on the founders’ original intent, that can be very persuasive to others. No, you don’t have to become a public speaker or run for office, but who knows? It might be a friend of a friend of a friend who becomes inspired because of something you said, and that person may have a very significant circle of influence.
Each time you connect with a person or their circle of influence, your circle grows and so does theirs. When that happens, it’s very powerful.
“When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”
Edmund Burke - “Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents” - 1770
So those two things combined - educating yourself and growing and influencing your network - those are a great place to start. As your knowledge and understanding grow, so will your confidence. And that’s the whole point: getting you and as many other people as possible to the place where you are so full of knowledge and confidence, that when the situation demands it, you can boldly stand and say, “I will not comply.”
Where there is a strong network of like-minded citizens, movements are born. When one person stands, so will another. And then another. Build your network and educate.
And together, we can all stand in the face of tyranny and proclaim in unison…
“WE WILL NOT COMPLY.”