Patriots Then And Now
By Chuck Baldwin
April 18, 2014
This column is archived here.
Tomorrow,
April 19, is Patriot’s Day. On this day in 1775, about 70 men stood
armed on Lexington Green as over 800 British troops descended on the
town in route to Concord for the purpose of seizing a cache of arms
known to be stored there and arresting two outspoken proponents of
American independence: John Hancock and Sam Adams. Seeing the Minutemen
(as they came to be called) standing on the green with muskets in hand,
British officers commanded the men to throw down their arms, which they
refused to do. Almost simultaneous to the command to disarm, the British
soldiers opened fire upon the colonists, killing eight men instantly.
This became known as “the shot heard ’round the world,” as it was the
event that ignited America’s Revolutionary War.
The British troops easily marched through Lexington but were met
by hundreds of armed and determined patriots at the Concord Bridge. A
fierce battle ensued, which resulted in a bruising British defeat and
the retreat of the Crown’s troops to Boston. The Colonists were done
talking; the brutal killings of the men at Lexington, along with the
British attempt to confiscate the firearms of the people and to arrest
Hancock and Adams, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. From that
point onward, the issue would be decided on the battlefield.
Remember that the Colonists had patiently endured the harassment
and haranguing of the British Crown for decades. Resentment and
righteous indignation were deeply imbedded in the souls of those
beleaguered “children of the Pilgrims.” And the killings at Lexington
were not the first time innocent Americans were shot down by British
troops. Some five years earlier, on March 5, 1770, a squad of British
soldiers had opened fire on unarmed American civilians killing seven of
them. The Boston Massacre (as it came to be called) was still very fresh
in the minds of the Colonists as British troops advanced upon
Lexington. And with the massacre of the men of Lexington, the last line
in the sand had been crossed.
In my mind, it is no coincidence that a similar line in the sand
took place here in the middle of April, 2014, in the Nevada desert at a
place strikingly similar in name to a famous Revolutionary War
battlefield: a place called Bunkerville.
At this point, I’ll let Paul Joseph Watson report the story:
“Judge Andrew Napolitano appeared on Fox News to denounce the
federal government’s operation against Nevada cattle rancher Cliven
Bundy, asserting that BLM agents should have been arrested for seizing
his property and that the case represents a ‘line in the sand’ for
Americans who have had enough of big government tyranny.
“Napolitano said the feds were forced to back down because they
had suffered a public relations nightmare, pointing out that Bundy lost
his case in a federal court but that the case should have been tried in a
state court.
“‘The federal judiciary should not be deciding what land the
federal government owns,’ said Napolitano, adding that the feds should
have placed a lien against Bundy’s property to collect grazing fees and
not conducted a raid backed up by armed agents to seize his private
property.”
The report continued saying, “Napolitano also chastised the BLM’s
ludicrous creation of a ‘First Amendment Area’ outside of which free
speech was banned. Protesters completely ignored the zone and it was
quickly torn down by BLM officials after being widely derided in the
media.
“‘They established something utterly repellent in America, a First
Amendment Zone….the square was three miles away from where these events
were going--this is the federal government emasculating the First
Amendment rights of the protesters,’ said the judge.
“Napolitano characterized the resistance shown by Bundy supporters
as a clear example of how Americans feel, ‘enough is enough with the
federal government, we’re drawing a line in the sand right here--and it
drew people from all around the country who basically said “quit your
heavy handed theft of property and act like you’re a normal litigant and
not God almighty.”’”
See the report at:
Judge Napolitano: Ranch Rebellion Was Americans’ “Line in the Sand”
Judge Napolitano is right.
No matter what you hear from the likes of Joe Scarborough and
Glenn Beck (or your pastor), if the line in the sand at Lexington Green
in April of 1775 was righteous, the line in the sand at Bunkerville,
Nevada, in April of 2014 was equally righteous.
In fact, the grievances that the “children of the Patriots” have
against the federal government today make the grievances that the
“children of the Pilgrims” listed in the Declaration of Independence
against the British Crown look pale by comparison. We have been
tolerating abuse after abuse, encroachment after encroachment,
usurpation after usurpation for decades. And one thing those patriots in
Nevada were not going to allow to happen was another Waco. As the
Boston Massacre burned deeply in the hearts of the American Colonists at
Lexington, so, too, the Waco massacre burned deeply in the hearts of
the patriots in Nevada last Saturday (April 12--one week to the day from
April 19).
Hundreds of patriotic Americans (most of whom were well-armed)
looked down the gun barrels of the BLM and fearlessly defied the orders
to stand down and physically took back Mr. Bundy’s cattle that had been
illegally confiscated by the Feds. Fortunately, BLM agents acted more
wisely than did the Crown’s troops at Lexington in 1775. I shudder to
think what would be happening right now if they had not.
There has not been a day in American history like last Saturday since--well--since April 19, 1775.
And make no mistake about it: this is what the Second Amendment
has always been about: the ability of the citizenry to defend itself
against oppressive, overreaching government. Had we no Second Amendment
for the last 200-plus years, had the people’s right to keep and bear
arms not been engrained in the very heart and soul of America for the
last 200-plus years, Mr. Bundy’s land and cattle would be the property
of the federal government, and Mr. Bundy and his family would either be
in jail or six feet under right now. In fact, without the Second
Amendment, the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights would have been
thoroughly expunged from this country many decades ago. The only thing
standing in between your right to freely do anything and the heel of the
tyrant’s boot over your throat is a watchful, determined, and resolute
armed citizenry--known to America’s founders as the citizen militia.
That’s what British troops encountered at Lexington Green; and that’s
what BLM agents encountered at Bunkerville.
Not only did hundreds of armed citizens show up in Bunkerville, so
did dozens of local and State officials. There were county
commissioners, assemblymen, and State legislators there from several
western states, including Nevada. Had BLM agents opened fire on the
people assembled in front of them, they, no doubt, would have killed
several elected public servants. I don’t think the federal government
really wants its agents to murder State and local officials.
And I must hasten to add that among the elected public officials
on the front line of that confrontation--along with the hundreds of
everyday citizens assembled there--were women. And make no mistake about
it: these ladies were there of their own volition; no one asked them to
be there. And practically everyone there--men and women--had some sort
of camera or recording device. Again, I don’t think the federal
government wants its agents on videotape slaughtering ladies and even
children. Yes, I know that is exactly what they did at Waco. In fact,
most of the citizens killed at Waco were elderly men, women, and
children. But there were no cameras present; no cell phones; and no
elected officials. The federal government was able to completely cut off
the Branch Davidians from the outside world so there would be no
recorded testimony as to what happened. At Bunkerville, the combined
presence of hundreds of armed militia, hundreds of ladies, dozens of
elected officials, and cameras galore helped convince BLM to be civil.
We have turned a page. The rules of engagement have forever changed. And I think the federal government knows it.
Does this mean it’s over? Not on your life. The militia will be on
site in Nevada for the foreseeable future. And there are examples of
the federal government’s overreach taking place all over
America--especially in the western states. As Thomas Jefferson noted,
“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Indeed.
I arrived in Bunkerville early Monday
morning, the 14th. I participated in the press conference conducted by
the Bundy family that afternoon. I met with the militia, several elected
officials, citizens of Nevada, and the Bundy family. I was even honored
to be invited to speak to the militia and their families and supporters
at the militia command center. I conducted a prayer service for those
folks and delivered a 20-minute Bible message to them. The local ABC
affiliate also sent a reporter and cameraman with us; and they filmed
the entire service. Here is the video of that service:
Bundy Ranch Sermon & Prayer
There is absolutely no question that there are nefarious backroom
deals involving Senator Harry Reid that were in play at the BLM siege
against the Bundy ranch. The people of Nevada should demand the truth
about these deals and after the truth is put in the sunlight, run Harry
Reid out of the State on a rail. Harry Reid is symbolic of everything
that is wrong in Washington, D.C.
I caution folks to not believe everything you read about the
Nevada situation in the media or on the Internet. There is a lot of
exaggeration and misinformation floating around. That is a major problem
for those of us in the freedom movement. For example, there is no
indication at this point that BLM is planning a violent assault against
the ranch. As of the time that I left the ranch, BLM agents had totally
withdrawn. If the federal government launched a violent assault against
the Bundys, it would escalate resistance a thousand-fold. They don’t
want that to happen.
But this war against property and water rights in the west is
becoming increasingly onerous. We desperately need a determined and
concerted effort to demand that State legislatures and local governments
pass ordinances and legislation removing federal control of State
lands. These lands do not belong to the federal government; they belong
to the States and to the People. If you truly want to do something to
help preserve our future liberties, convince your local and State
legislators to pass legislation to remove control of State land from the
federal government.
We also desperately need legislation disarming federal
bureaucracies. Agents of the federal government are not soldiers; and
the American people are not the enemy. Except for a very few and
specifically enumerated crimes, the Constitution declares that law
enforcement is the venue and responsibility of the States and of the
People. Federal agents have proven--and continue to prove--that they are
not anywhere near trustworthy enough to be given a badge and a gun. As
private citizens, they deserve the right to keep and bear arms along
with the rest of us. But as agents of the federal government, they have
no right to usurp the law enforcement authority of State and local
officials.
And speaking of State and local officials, the governor of the
State of Nevada and the sheriff of Clark County, Nevada, should be
absolutely ashamed of themselves! What’s more: the people of Nevada
should be ashamed of them--and vote them out of office, if not impeach
them before their reelection--for their refusal to assist the citizens
of their State during this time of crisis. All we need is for a governor
and sheriff to interpose on behalf of the citizens of their State and
county and all of this federal abuse of power would come to a screeching
halt. Boy, do we need some constitutional governors and sheriffs!
We also need pastors to grow some man-stuff and start taking a
stand in the pulpits as did the pastors of Colonial America. As I told
the people at Bunkerville, if the pastors of America were doing their
jobs on Sunday, all of this would never be taking place. How long will the Christians of America tolerate these spineless preachers?
Tomorrow,
the 239th anniversary of Lexington and Concord, I will be speaking at a
local Patriot’s Day rally honoring the brave Minutemen of 1775; I will
also be honoring the brave patriots of 2014 who fought the Battle of
Bunkerville: the shot not fired heard ’round the world.
P.S. This Sunday,
I will also celebrate Resurrection Day in my pulpit at Liberty
Fellowship in Kalispell, Montana. To watch the message online, go to:
Liberty Fellowship Live Stream
(c) Chuck Baldwin
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