December 2013 Newsletter
“Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has
that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other.” Samuel Johnson
Caucus News from CPMN Secretary Wayne Zimmerschied
February 4, 2014 is the official start of the Minnesota’s political season - Caucus night. With
approval ratings for Congress and the President near all-time lows and widespread contempt for
both major parties, this year provides an opportunity to be a breakout year for our party. It
begins by holding local caucuses in as many precincts as we have a presence. You do not have
to be a party member to host a caucus. Please consider hosting one in your area or working with
a group of members (and supporters) in your area to host a joint caucus. We will walk you
through the process over the next few issues of this newsletter. If you have any questions,
contact me at secretary@cpmn.org
The first step in hosting a caucus is to secure a meeting location – usually a school, library or
other public building. Libraries often do not charge for their meeting rooms but may not be open
Tuesday evening. Schools may have a small charge, but we are a classified as a political nonprofit organization, so any cost should be minimal. You know your area, so choose a location
that is easily accessible and that most people will know how to find.
The Secretary of State will host a caucus finder website, so we need complete listings by January
14. Send me your caucus information with the host name, date (February 4th), time (7:00 PM)
the complete street address and a contact phone number. I will assign the coverage areas for the
website based on where other caucuses are being held.
Coming Events – Attention CP People near Alexandria!
Constitution Party Executives Address the
Alexandria Lakes Area Tea Party
Tuesday, December 10th
Broadway Ballroom – 115 30th Avenue East, Alexandria
Social Time: 5:15PM Meeting Begins at: 5:30 PM
Join us to support your Constitution Party, or come to learn more about us!
News and Holiday Wishes from the Tim Utz Campaign
The campaign committee of Tim Utz for Minnesota
House continues working toward a 2014 victory.
Among the activities is locating a school bus for
conversion to a campaign bus. In November, we located
a suitable bus in Roseville and are now fundraising the
$1,900 in associated costs for purchase, conversion,
lettering, insurance and minor repairs. The campaign bus
is a critical marketing tool of our campaign and has
branded us in the district. We would appreciate any
generous donation you could make toward this bus
project at http://www.timutzforhouse.com/donate.htm
The campaign team of Tim Utz for Minnesota State House also wishes everyone a blessed
Christmas and Happy New Year. The season provides a time for reflection on our God, the life
we lived in 2013 and an opportunity for changing perspectives in line with our creator. Have a
wonderful December from Tim, Nay and the campaign team in HD41-B.
Correction to November Newsletter
In the November issue of the CPMN newsletter, there was a report of activities happening at the
various Constitution Party state affiliates. Unfortunately, there was an error made regarding the
Constitution Party of Nevada which does need to be corrected.
The report stated that the people of northern Nevada were filing papers to create a Constitution
Party in that state. The problem stems from the fact that there already is a Constitution Party in
Nevada – they are just affiliated with the Independent American Party of Nevada.
This new party is calling themselves the Constitution Party which will no doubt confuse things a
fair amount. However it should be clear that the Constitution Party on a national level connects
with the Independent American Party in the state of Nevada, because they hold true to the party’s
platform. Thank you to a sharp reader who pointed this error out to us!
2014 State Fair Booth Expansion
In 2013, the Constitution Party of Minnesota invested in an expanded State Fair Exhibit. The
resulting exposure was overwhelming and included raising more funds than the initial expansion
investment.
The year 2014 promises to be an exciting time at the Minnesota State Fair. The CPMN is
preparing to expand the 2013 fair booth with more seating, a studio for live internet broadcasting
including interviews with candidates for public office. We also hope to include merchandise and
options for people to donate at the State Fair. All of this pre-fair preparation costs money. The
State Fair also requires our organization to submit proposals for changes to an exhibit this month.
With this timeline commitment the CP board approved submitting proposals to the State Fair.
We have included plan views of our proposals below. The first is to double the size of the 2013
exhibit with a budget of $5,000 to $7,000. The second proposal would require wealthy
supporters to donate and, at this point, is just a dream for the CPMN. But we wanted to share
our vision for the future. Because this party runs a debt-free budget, the 2014 plans need
financing up front in the form of donations today. Doubling the 2013 exhibit will require
planning from now until opening day of the fair and funding in advance. We hope our plans for
the 2014 "Great Minnesota Get Together" receive your support and prompt donations at
www.cpmn.org
This design is
the proposed
2014 expansion
This design is
the CP
“Dream Plan”
Now is the Time for Annual Membership Dues!
It’s that time of year when everyone needs to renew their memberships with the party. The amount is $25
($20 for seniors and veterans) and the fee goes toward administration costs, State Fair, annual convention
expenses, literature and other annual operational expenses. The board members volunteer their time and
travel thousands of miles per year to conduct party business, but none take a salary.
Members of the Constitution Party of Minnesota are committed to preserving our republic which requires
participation and sacrifice. We look forward to having you join our team by investing time and resources,
speaking boldly and helping wherever you are able.
Please submit your membership dues with the form found at the end of this newsletter, or you can pay
online at our website www.cpmn.org If you’ve never been a member before, maybe it’s time to jump in
with both feet and become a member instead of just having a monthly date with our newsletter.
News from the BPOU – MN HD41B Chair Glenn Kluthe
Many of you are probably thinking, “I didn't know there was a BPOU (Basic Political Organizing Unit)
for the CPMN. A small group of us formed the BPOU in the district in July. To date, we officially have
six members and an email list of two dozen.
Our BPOU has already made the donkeys and elephants stand up and take notice. On October 5, 2013,
we conducted a candidate forum for local candidates running for office and had a well-known radio
personality as moderator. Most candidates declined to participate, but the candidates that did participate
enjoyed the forum greatly. We expected to “fire a shot across the bow” of the Republican and Democrat
BPOU's, but it was determined instead that we “put a torpedo through their hull.” The forum was
rebroadcast on cable and was also publicized in the local newspapers.
I welcome any input or ideas from others throughout the state. We welcome you to “Like” our Facebook
page www.facebook.com/CPMN41BBPOU as well as our website
http://www.cpmn.org/template/cphd41-b.html
Bill of Rights Day 2013
Every December 15th is Bill of Rights Day. Do you know what is contained in the Bill of
Rights? Check out this interactive website to learn more.
http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/bill-of-rights-day/
Play the game “Are They Watching You” to see if you
understand your Fourth Amendment rights. Do you know
what makes a search “unreasonable?” Does it matter who
is doing the searching?
http://teachingfoundingprinciples.org/
Defend your constitutional honor. Partake in the
Constitution Duel quiz and see how you do with the
fifteen questions. Then “duel” again for a different set
of questions at http://theconstitutionquiz.org/
You can also review “Life Without the Bill of Rights” and the Constitutional Principles videos.
From the Editor – Why Don’t We Change?
(What keeps us going down the same path to slavery and destruction?)
I find it interesting to think about human personalities and how they work. So for this article, I will
speak to the issue of why we all seem to complain but rarely take the steps to make the thing we’re
complaining about better. For example, if you are reading this newsletter, there’s a very good chance
that you recognize huge problems in our society which are usually created and sustained by our
government. Most of us complain and complain, but then most of us also continue to vote for the
same people and parties that have brought us these troubles.
There is one little bit of good news. This malady is not some new disease that has appeared on the
scene in our day – it has been around for centuries. Consider the following evidence from the
Declaration of Independence:
“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown,
that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”
Can’t you just hear the 18th century Americans complaining and complaining like we do today and
not doing anything about it? Well, the very next sentence begins with the word “But” and speaks of
“a long train of abuses and usurpations” which are pitifully minor compared to what we endure in the
21st century. It seems that people do have a breaking point, but why must we suffer so much before
we reach that point? I will suggest some reasons below:
Ignorance – This is a very sad state for a human being to be in but also probably the most common
in our world. The founders understood freedom and liberty very well, but each generation after was
born into a little less freedom and has no concept of any greater freedom than that which they
currently experience. Consider the words of Étienne De La Boetie in The Politics of Obedience: The
Discourse of Voluntary Servitude:
It is true that in the beginning men submit under constraint and by force; but those
who come after them obey without regret and perform willingly what their
predecessors had done because they had to. This is why men born under the yoke
and then nourished and reared in slavery are content, without further effort, to live
in their native circumstance, unaware of any other state or right, and considering
as quite natural the condition into which they are born . . . the powerful influence of
custom is in no respect more compelling than in this, namely, habituation to
subjection.
It should be the nature of every Constitution Party member and friend to seek truth and freedom, and
then teach it to others. There is a better way – we all know it and we should pursue it with vigor.
Fear – There is a great deal of fear going around in our world. Much of it is fostered by the
government, because they like us to be afraid of everything so they can “ride to the rescue” and
attempt to justify their existence. We the people are fed a constant diet of things to be afraid of by
the government’s lapdog media. Perhaps we continue to vote these criminals into office, because we
think that, so far, they have kept us alive. But a truth-seeker will discover that the policies of the
government have put us in great peril and are actually to blame for much of the problems in our
world. Constitution Party people are those who still exhibit enough courage to learn the truth and
stand up for what we already know is a better way. CP people are the “fish” that swim upstream,
because they know that only dead or sick fish go with the flow.
Tradition – It is truly amazing how many people will go to the polls and hold their nose while they
cast their vote. Often it is because that’s all they’ve ever known. Their family has always been an
“R” or a “D,” and they will continue that tradition no matter what criminal evidence arises and no
matter what evil has been committed. Our nation has been nearly destroyed by people with both R
and D after their names. Both parties have brought us to Socialism. Both parties have brought us
slavery. Both parties have brought us a police state. NEITHER PARTY HAS LIFTED A FINGER
TO RETURN FREEDOM OR LIBERTY TO AMERICANS – EVEN WHEN THEY
CONTROLLED ALL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT!!! Why don’t we quit supporting them
with votes and money? Because that’s the way we’ve always done it.
Limited Tears – There is so much evil in our world. There is so much hurt and pain. The problem
seems so big, and everywhere we turn there’s another tragedy, another travesty, another loss of
freedom, another heavy-handed government agency or program. Another lying politician. Often
people recognize this tidal wave of evil, and they don’t know how to handle it. You might hear them
say, “I only have so many tears to cry.” Instead of working on one item or a few items, they throw
up their hands and say, “It’s too big – I can’t do anything to change it, so I’m going to save my tears
and just live under it all.” Yes, we are surrounded, but we should never EVER quit trying to make
things better. To do so would be cowardice and dereliction of duty. We must find our areas where
we can do something and then get busy.
Cognitive Dissonance – This is a distressing mental state that people feel when what they have
always believed comes into conflict with new evidence that seem incontrovertible but doesn’t fit
their beliefs. Take a WWII veteran who fought proudly and believed in everything that their
government was doing during that time. Then one day, they are presented with large amounts of
very strong evidence pointing to a government that did everything it could to encourage or goad the
Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. A common response would be, “I don’t want to believe that” and a
complete disregard for the evidence no matter how strong. They will continue to believe that our
government saved the world from the Japanese and the Nazis, (which was the German Socialist
Party) and never consider that after all those tens of millions of people died, that same government
has brought us to Socialism anyway. We are a prideful people, and it’s very difficult to suddenly see
that the nation we’re so proud of has a lot of skeletons in the closet. That doesn’t fit with our
national pride, so we ignore it.
We like it the way it is – These are the ones who are likely getting some kind of “goodies” from the
government, and truth be told, that’s probably the majority. The political parties know that they can
continue to buy votes from these people, and the people know that if they vote for more freedom and
liberty, they might have to provide for themselves instead of having their wealth provided to them by
thieves and robbers we know as the government.
So you see, there are many reasons why we continue to put up with our government and the evil they
commit against us and others around the world. Yes, there are many good things about our nation,
but those things should not be an excuse to overlook the evil. We should always be pursuing things
that are better, smarter, faster, less expensive, less coercive, etc, and our government (especially
federal) exhibits virtually none of these things.
The Constitution Party wants to be a light in this darkness, and there is a need for courageous people
to jump in and take part. Is your personality one which can overcome the reasons described above
and take on the courageous nature of those founders who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Is
your personality capable of saying, “I’ve suffered much for a long time at the hands of our
government, BUT NOW…” We hope so.
Other Items of Interest
(The For Whatever It’s Worth Section)
This is a video of civil disobedience at an unconstitutional checkpoint where they want
to check your fruit and firewood. Do you know what your rights are? Watch this guy!
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/11/no_author/civil-disobedience-in-action/
This very short video is one that you likely have not seen with all the reporting on the
Kennedy assassination. Not even three minutes long, it shows JFK’s Secret Service
protection being waved away from his car, and the perplexed reaction of at least one
special agent. http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/11/james-huang/must-watch-video/
Is it wrong to work for the government? Maybe not if the goal is to get government off the backs
and out of the pockets of Americans or to make your own job obsolete. What do you think?
http://ericpetersautos.com/2013/11/18/can-good-ever-come-blood-money/
When the IRS gets caught targeting conservative groups, you might expect people would be
punished for this crime. You’re correct – they will be. Conservative groups will be punished
even more by a now angry IRS.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/11/26/first-amendment-rights-of-americans-at-evengreater-risk-irs-issues-rules-curbing-political-activity/
Editor’s Notes
Published monthly by the Constitution Party of Minnesota, P.O. Box 224, Redwood Falls, MN 56283
Comments by authors in this newsletter are not necessarily the policies or viewpoints of the Constitution Party of Minnesota.
CONTRIBUTIONS
Chair: Tammy Houle
dthoule@redred.com
507-644-3183
Contributions to the party
may be made by sending a
check to:
CPMN, P.O. Box 224,
Redwood Falls, MN 56283
(Please use the form below)
LETTERS TO THE
EDITOR
OFFICERS
Vice Chair: Bruce Johnson
cd2-chairman@cpmn.org
Secretary: Wayne Zimmerschied
secretary@cpmn.org
You may also contribute
online at: www.cpmn.org
Treasurer: James Niemackl
treasurer@cpmn.org
Letters to the Editor of 250
words or less may be sent
by the 20th of the preceding
month to
cpmn@peoplepc.com.
Letters must include name,
city, state and a way to
contact you. Please also
write: “Letters to the
Editor” in the subject line.
Newsletter Editor: Stephen White
cpmn@peoplepc.com
The Constitution Party of Minnesota does not accept tax money and does not participate
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Please support the party as you are able!
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