“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”   – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

 

 

 

“Time is short, but our course of action should be clear. Resistance to illegal and unconstitutional usurpation of our  rights is required. Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said we did nothing.”

– Dr. Ron Paul

 

(In a few days, on the 28th of August, some of us will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in D.C. where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech, “I Have A Dream.”  During the 2012 U.S. presidential race, I wrote about the inspiration that both the civil rights leader Dr. King, and republican presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul have been to me.  Although we strive for originality here at Chaos Section, this just seems like an excellent way for this author to pay tribute to the struggle to secure our natural rights and individual liberty as we remember that landmark civil rights event in D.C. in 1963, and consider where we are in the struggle today.  Here is the essay as it was published for Combat Veterans for Ron Paul 2012):

* from 29 Dec., 2011…..

With the recent media-hyped controversy over whether or not Ron Paul is racist, I thought I would record my two cents here for anyone who cares. I’ll let others hash out the journalistic digging of the facts in other forums, but suffice it to say for my purposes here that my own digging has satisfied my belief that Ron Paul is not racist. I’m not interested in arguing with anyone who disagrees, but I am simply going to state here why both Martin Luther King Jr. and Ron Paul are both inspirations to me.

I would start by saying that I have spent many years as an autodidact of freedom. I do not wish to fight with those who disagree with the conclusions I’ve presently reached on many issues, but my personal passion of political interest has created deep beliefs in my core. I believe very deeply in the rights of the individual to live according to his/her own conscience until they begin to infringe on the equal rights of any other individual. I believe very deeply that each individual human has the right of self-preservation, freedom from the rule of others, and the pursuit of each their own dreams. I believe also that there are many threats to our freedom, and that history teaches us a large and powerful central government is one of free mankind’s greatest adversaries. I find the Constitution of the United States with its’ inclusion of the Bill of Rights to be the greatest founding document upon which to build a free, peaceful and prosperous nation in the history of the world. It’s not always perfect, but the principles in the Constitution are the guideposts to keeping us free. Though such atrocities as the 3/5 Compromise were present from the beginning, the spirit of liberty which was canonized in the Constitution gave us the politics that eventually led to the abolition of the unholy institution of slavery and secured voting rights for those who were being deliberately and systematically disenfranchised. I believe a revival of Constitutional ideals in the tradition of liberty for every man and woman is the correct solution for many of our nation’s ills today. I refuse to believe that Americans will allow our Constitutional republic to slip quietly into a corporatist empire. I, for one, will at least speak out.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a personal hero to me because I believe he set the bar for what a revolution should consist of in American civil society. Rev. King’s message of non-violence was very much in the tradition of freedom-loving Americans who wish to resolve our differences in a civilized manner. Although there was much violence and aggression around the civil rights movement, Reverend King’s voice could be relied on as a steady hand of peaceful resistance. I do not claim to believe in everything Dr. King espoused, but I respect and admire the fact that he stands a giant among patriots who have struggled to hold America accountable to its’ highest ideals. A poster of Dr. King standing in front of the Washington D.C. crowd to deliver his famous speech, “I Have A Dream” hangs in my living room, with the words of the entire speech for any who enter my home to read. The man’s example of leadership has inspired me so much for so many years that he has earned this place of respect in my home. Dr. King said that his dream was deeply rooted in the American Dream, and I agree. I also believe it is up to our generation to keep dreaming and keep struggling for a better tomorrow. Thank you, Dr. King, for teaching me this.

As someone who took an oath to the Constitution, I believe that I still have an obligation as a civilian voter to support candidates for public office who take seriously their own oath to the Constitution. My understanding of the Constitution leads me to believe that of all of the candidates currently running for President in 2012, Ron Paul is the only one who has any real credibility. I have made my case as to why I believe this in other articles, but suffice it to say for the purposes of this article that I simply challenge you to do your own research as to whether or not you agree with my assessment. I’m confident that your research will likely bring you to the same conclusion. I believe that our federal government has over-reached its’ constitutional authority, and that we are increasingly losing our freedoms to a big government on auto-pilot with a course set for disaster. I believe the very Constitution, our fundamental natural human rights and our future prosperity are currently facing an enemy in our own federal government that is much more of a threat than any potentially hostile foreign power. I believe the United States of America is the greatest nation to ever exist upon the face of the earth, but it won’t stay that way if we are not vigilant to protecting our rights from tyranny in whatever form it may manifest. In my humble opinion, electing Ron Paul as president of the United States would be a giant leap in the right direction for America. The supreme law of the land in America is supposed to be the Constitution. It seems to me that Ron Paul understands that where the other presidential candidates don’t.

America is a Constitutional Republic. Ron Paul also gets that, where other presidential candidates seem not to. The growth of the big centralized federal government’s warfare/welfare International corporatist empire is rapidly eating away at the people’s liberties, our peaceful way of life and our economic opportunities. It seems to me that Ron Paul gets that where the other presidential candidates don’t. A yellow Gadsen flag with a rattle-snake on it which reads, “Don’t Tread On Me,” hangs from my front porch. There are also two Ron Paul signs in my front yard, by the road. When I believe in something, I’m not scared to say it. Thank you, Dr. Paul, for leading by example.

As I look around at my country today, I know that the cause of individual liberty may sometimes put me on an unpopular side of an issue. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ron Paul both know what it is to walk lonely roads of protest in opposition to a loud and well-funded establishment. I believe in walking lonely roads sometimes as well. I see the “War On Drugs” and the “War On Terror” as being used as an excuse for our federal government to declare what should more appropriately be termed the federal government’s “War On Civil Liberties.” I already know that Ron Paul believes the “War On Drugs” is being fought in an unconstitutional manner, that the Patriot Act violates our constitutional Rights, and that we should stop using our military to perpetually occupy foreign lands. I have a hard time believing that if Rev. Dr. M.L. King Jr. were alive today, that he would be much different from Ron Paul on these issues. I think if Dr. King were to look at what we’ve done to our poor and minorities with the ‘War On Drugs” and our current record high prison population, he would be against federal prohibition as well. I believe Dr. King would also be consistent in condemning the continual occupation of foreign nations with American forces, just as he spoke out against the injustices of Vietnam. As to the Patriot Act and other powers seized by our federal government over the people’s Rights, I have to think once again that Dr. King would have been standing arm-in-arm with hundreds of others who refuse to be groped, humiliated, and embarrassed by the TSA; maybe, maybe not. I guess we’ll never know for sure. Only we can decide the future now. Who will stand for freedom?

* original essay:  http://cvrp2012.com/2011/12/29/why-dr-paul-and-dr-king-are-both-my-heroes/

A.G. House is an Afghanistan war veteran and former licensed minister (UPCI), who has become an outspoken skeptic, peace activist, and involved himself in many other issues which he believes affect the individual freedoms of the people whose Constitutional Rights he took an oath to defend. He currently resides in the heart of Tennessee with his companion dog ‘Liberty,’ where he is recovering from PTSD and enjoys the therapeutic activities of gardening, creative writing, playing drum set, and other forms of artistic expression   \m/