PPC Homepage

Save Our Constitution Rally

by | 12:49 am, September 20, 2009 | 1 Comment

The Council for Wise Public Policy held a rally today on the Capitol steps in Denver:

The rally is a nonpartisan chance for Colorado Americans to gather together behind our two founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and stand up for our First Amendment and Second Amendment rights, as well as against out-of-control spending perpetrated by both Republicans and Democrats.

Turnout for the event was rather small, numbering perhaps as much as 200 people at the high point. The organizers attributed this to competition with an afternoon football game at CU Boulder and the excellent not-quite-fall weather tempting people to other outdoor activities. (I would add that the Denver 9-12 rally last Saturday may have had many potential attendees “rallied out”.)

 Crowd

The crowd at the beginning of the rally. More people showed up later on, with the maximum attendance at about 200.

Working the Crowd

A number of other grassroots organizations (including PPC) set up information booths or worked the crowd. Shown here is the ubiquitous Matt Arnold of Clear the Bench Colorado, handing out fliers to attendees.

John Andrews

John Andrews of the Centennial Institute kicked off the event.

The organization’s principles emphasize American exceptionalism and a faith-based morality as the foundation for our system of government and the enlightened citizenship required for its proper function

We believe the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights to be the defining documents in all history concerning the governing of human affairs, and that their vision and intent are as relevant today as when they were first written;

We believe in fiscal conservatism, that government must live within its own means and not grow faster than the organic rate of its tax base. “You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we’re not bound by that same limitation” Ronald Reagan, 1981, Inaugural Address.

We believe that morality and religion are the foundation of our government and without them the freedom we enjoy will be destroyed. “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our Constitution was made for only a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” John Adams, 1798;

We believe that every American has the right to “…pursuit of happiness”. It is not the job of the government to give them happiness nor are they entitled to it. The government’s job is to secure the environment to enable basic rights. (Declaration of Independence);

We believe that capitalism and free and fair markets afford individuals the greatest opportunity to improve their station in life through diligence, ingenuity, and hard work.

 There was extensive discussion of Judeo-Christian principles (or “Judeo-Christian-Graeco-Roman” principles, as the speakers repeatedly phrased it) as the source of our Constitutional system, and the need for citizens to embody these principles if we are to be good stewards of the government they have inherited. These principles are not listed on the WPP website, and I (regrettably) did not write them down at the rally, but from memory they were what one would expect: honesty, responsibility, charity, faith, industry, etc.

 The speakers mainly addressed the First and Second Amendments, focusing on the five core rights protected (not granted) by the First Amendment, and the necessity and importance of the Second to protecting the rest of the Constitution from abuse when all else fails. Other speakers explained the difference between “rights” (individuals have them and governments don’t) and ”powers” (the government has them, but only those the people have specifically delegated to it).

Jimmy Sengenberger

PPC contributor Jimmy Sengenberger talking about the national debt and big government.

Sean Doherty

Another PPC contributor and publisher of the Constitutional Reporter, Sean Doherty, describes his experiences with the First Amendment and CU Denver.

Lenina Close

Finally, Lenina Close of the Gadsden Society exhorted the audience guard the Constitution as active and informed citizens, and not just assume that “someone else is taking care of things”.

Category: Capitalism, Colorado, Economics, First Amendment, Grassroots, Liberty, Philosophy, Rallies, Second Amendment, Small Government
Tags: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >

Comments

  1.   Keith
      September 21st, 2009 @ 11:25 am

    I agreed with the ‘Rallied out’ thought.

    Rallies are great but useless if people just go, shale their fist, cheer agreeably and then go home to watch TV.

    We’ve no need of back to back rallies, we need rallies that connect people and motivate people.

Praise for PPC From Our Lefty "Fan"

  • "Zany-ass bombast-entertainment...Hackneyed weirdo communist pseudo-nostalgia" --Alan Franklin, ProgressNow

Featured Posts




  • When a young girl gets close to the truth about a long-forgotten mystery, a harmless adventure becomes a threat to the future of the independent commercial settlements on Mars.

  • Advertise Here!

    info-at-peoplespresscollective-dot-org

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Meta




  • Buy a Tea Party Poster!