ONLY “From The Consent Of The Governed”

Newsletter | February 8, 2024

It was a close call this week with Republican Senators knocking down legislation — pushed by one of their own — that would have further incentivized illegal aliens to cross our borders and enjoy free federal, state, and local government services. But of course, someone has to pay for those benefits, and that’s us — it’s our money and hard-earned. We could have used it for our children’s college fund, our own retirement fund, a family vacation, or a home improvement project. That money is the fruit of our labor, and we get to spend it as we like.

Charity is vanity when you’re giving away someone else’s money to make yourself look like a saint. And our political establishment employs gilded rhetoric to make themselves look like righteous philanthropists. In opening the borders, the administration claims it is protecting innocents from persecution in their home countries. But in reality, at best, the illegals are looking for work here, which will result in depressed wages for American citizens. At worst, they’re making their way through America to terrorize and cause harm. In giving hundreds of billions to Ukraine, American lawmakers, left and right, claim they’re defending democracy. In fact, they’re backing a corrupt government in Kyiv to push hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians into a losing war on the borders of a foreign power with a formidable nuclear arsenal.

Americans can see through the smoke and mirrors. The political elites are giving away our money to enhance their own power and enrich their donors. They have the media in their pocket, so their racket is portrayed as “policy” when it’s just grift on a massive scale. And Washington lawmakers don’t have to worry about being called to account on election day since they figure they can rig the vote — it’s been done before, after all. Taken altogether, that makes our corrupt ruling class worse than unaccountable, it makes them tyrants.

“Taxation without representation is tyranny,” said the 18th-century Boston lawyer and politician James Otis. The colonial firebrand was a mentor to Founding Father Samuel Adams and inspired the rhetorical style of Adams’ second cousin John, the second president of the United States. “Otis was a flame of fire,” wrote President Adams.

In 1761, Otis argued in a Massachusetts court against the “writs of assistance,” which permitted the Crown authorities to enter any home with no advance notice, no probable cause, and no reason given. According to John Adams, Otis’ argument before the court inspired what would become the revolution more than a decade later. “Then and there was the first scene of the first Act of opposition to the Arbitrary claims of Great Britain. Then and there the Child Independence was born,” wrote Adams. “The seeds of Patriots & Heroes … were then & there sown.”

Is it possible that nearly 250 years after our forefathers declared the 13 colonies’ independence from Great Britain, we are again living under a tyranny?

That’s how Otis would have seen it. He was a loyal subject of the British Crown but would not be silent when his rights were abused. The men and women of America’s revolutionary generation were all loyal subjects until the government that was supposed to have enshrined their rights instead trampled on them. And so are we loyal Americans, patriots — but we will not stand for our government treating us like sheep to be sheared for its profit.

Enough already. We get to say when we’ve had enough. And our representatives better listen because that’s what consent of the governed means. And now the future of our great nation depends on whether our lawmakers will listen. We are a powerful and big-hearted people — but we also know how to recognize tyrants when we see them. And it’s in our history to take back what’s rightfully ours. It’s in our blood. We are flames of fire.

Please participate in our Reader’s Survey. Your insights and thoughts are important as we learn what is on the minds and in the hearts of our fellow Americans. We read them all and share some of them Mondays at 9 a.m. during America’s Future live broadcasts with our Executive Director Mary O’Neill on America’s Mondays With Mary. Thank You!

Philip Zodhiates is the author of Innocent: The Price One Man Paid for Doing What Is Right. It’s a harrowing account of how the justice system punished him for protecting a child.

For driving a distraught mother from Virginia to New York as she sought refuge for her young daughter, whom she had learned was being sexually abused by her former partner, Zodhiates was sentenced to a three-year prison term. Because the former partner was a lesbian and the mother was a former lesbian (now a converted Christian believer), the media portrayed Zodhiates’ actions as an anti-LGBTQ hate crime. The FBI hunted him down and convicted him of aiding and abetting an “international parental kidnapping.”

During his 30-month incarceration, Zodhiates wrote daily in a journal about life in prison. What began as a terrifying experience for this Christian husband, father, philanthropist, and businessman became a journey of faith—for Philip and the inmates whose lives he changed. Recently, we spoke with Philip for his insights on America, our corrupted justice system, and the light of faith.

Your new book, Innocent: The Price One Man Paid for Doing What Is Right, is about how you helped rescue a young girl and her mother from a sexual predator. How did you come to know the family?

I had never met them before. The mom was distressed, desperate, and was told to call me as I was the type of person who helps people.

You were sent to jail for helping an innocent child escape an abusive adult; has the predator been criminally or otherwise punished for her crimes?

No, as a matter of fact, her crime has been swept under the rug by the Vermont and federal courts in order to push the LBGTQ agenda, which now appears to be nothing less than the normalization of adult-child sex.

What did you find out about the justice system that you didn’t know before?

There no longer is true justice in the United States anymore. The system is totally rigged and politicized in order to get a conviction regardless of innocence or guilt.

How did your time in prison augment your faith?

God has a purpose for everything we must go through, and my book is a testament to that — something for which I have no regrets. We are told in Scripture all who love the Lord Jesus Christ WILL be persecuted. There are no exceptions. Yet He promises to be with us through every trial. This will be very evident to every reader of my book.

What is your prayer for America?

I pray that God’s people recognize that persecution of Christians is indeed coming big time to America and that they stand in the face of such opposition, even prison and death, without wavering.

Editor’s Note: To read other Speaking With American Patriots interviews, please click here.

America’s Future Files Second SCOTUS Brief Supporting Jan 6 Protestor

On Monday, February 5, 2024, following the Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) December 13, 2023, announcement in Fischer v United States (U.S.), SCOTUS Dkt. No. 23-5572 granting the petition for a writ of certiorari filed by Mr. Joseph Fischer, the petitioner, America’s Future filed an Amicus brief. This is the second brief filed by America’s Future in this case. The first brief was filed on October 13, 2023, and can be accessed here. The SCOTUS public docket in this case is located here.

Upon granting Mr. Fischer’s petition, the SCOTUS announced it will resolve the following issue:

Did the D.C. Circuit err in construing 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c) (“Witness, Victim, or Informant Tampering”) which prohibits obstruction of congressional inquiries and investigations to include acts unrelated to investigations and evidence?

Regarding the statute above, and its application in this case, our brief explains,

In 2002, 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c) was enacted to plug a loophole that was discovered during the prosecution of Arthur Andersen for destroying evidence relating to its client Enron. Before § 1512(c) was added, corporate document shredding to hide evidence of financial wrongdoing was unlawful if one person directed another, but not if he acted alone. As amended, this section has been relied on by prosecutors to accomplish this clear purpose for two decades — and then came January 6, 2021.

Although the statute was enacted to deter corporate malfeasance, in this case, the petitioner was criminally charged based on conduct related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol protest. Notably, the DOJ has applied this same statute to other criminal cases arising out of January 6, including one against former President Donald Trump.

The Biden Administration continues to characterize the January 6 election protest at the Capitol, not just as a riot, but as an insurrection. However, no January 6 protestor has been charged with the federal crime of insurrection [18 U.S.C. § 2383]. The DOJ, instead, decided to reinterpret the Enron-document shredding law to use against the petitioner and others. Our brief explains why, stating,

With this new tool, it not only would avoid the need to demonstrate the elements of the crime of ‘insurrection,’ but also would have access to § 1512’s maximum sentence of 20 years — a far more useful tool to facilitate plea bargains than the 10-year sentence for insurrection.

The Biden Administration’s reinterpretation of § 1512 could have devastating effects on our Constitutional Republic and on all Americans as it lends itself to the destruction of many cherished freedoms and individual liberties. Our brief explains,

[T]he government’s re-interpretation of § 1512(c)(2) sweeps so broadly that it could be used to criminalize efforts by Americans to exercise their First Amendment rights to speak, assemble, and petition the government. The Justice Department’s investigation has already involved abusive surveillance of innocent Americans, having the chilling effect that could be expected. The January 6 prosecutions of even the elderly provide the backdrop for the Biden Administration’s recent creation of a new category of extremists identified as President Donald Trump and his MAGA followers.

Early in the day, on January 6, 2021, according to his petition, Mr. Fischer participated in the “Stop the Steal” rally in D.C. After the rally, he went home, but returned, later, to the Capitol building protest, asserting his First Amendment rights of free speech, assembly, and his right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Like millions of American citizens, Mr. Fischer took issue with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election not to mention the chaotic and impetuous manner in which the election was conducted.

Historically, the rights to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances are not only found in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the text of our First Amendment but were set forth in American writings during the colonial era. For example, in October 1765, the importance of these rights are found in a section of the Journal of the first Congress of the American Colonies, in opposition to the tyrannical acts of the British Parliament known as the “Colonial Declaration of Rights,” as well as having been penned again by delegates to the First Continental Congress in October 1774, in a document titled, the Colonists’ “Declaration of Rights.”

The Biden Administration’s misuse of a §1512 to indict election protestors constitutes, as stated in our brief, “a clear effort to chill the speech, assembly, and petition rights of his political opponents, and should be brought to an end.”

We, at America’s Future, urge the SCOTUS to reverse the D.C. Court of Appeals decision forthwith. Our Constitutional Republic continues to be placed in jeopardy at the hands of corrupt depraved government officials. Enough is enough.

Editor’s Note: To read all of our Amicus briefs, please visit our Law & Policy page.

Americans Embrace The Spirit Of Independence

Small business ownership is one of the great American traditions. As much as the globalists try to destroy this self-determination trait in the citizenry, Americans see through their revolting charade and embrace the value small businesses bring to their communities and the nation.

In a recent PEW Research study, “Americans overwhelmingly see small businesses as having a positive effect on the way things are going in the country.” Democrats (88%) and Republicans (87%) alike realize that small businesses are the cornerstone of economic health in a community as a job creator and vital contributor to the general well-being of cities and towns.

On the other hand, the study, released on February 1, 2024, found that “most people – including identical shares in both parties – also are critical of the impact of banks and financial institutions.” As preferred as large corporations may think they are in local areas, the finding reveals that Americans do not have blinders on when identifying the value of the risk-takers who operate small businesses and what they bring to the fabric of their community and the country.

There are 33.3 million businesses in the U.S. that qualify as small businesses, making up 99.9% of all U.S. businesses and employing 61.6 million people, according to a January 31, 2024 Forbes article. To succeed as a small business, owners must be resilient, hard-working, innovative visionaries who show courage and leadership.

It is no coincidence that these traits reflect the very essence of America. And the PEW research proves that the independent spirit of Americans, as opposed to the globalists’ agenda, is respected and embraced as a core value of this nation’s prosperity. Indeed, small businesses are on the frontline of keeping the nation’s economic engine running, and Americans are with them all the way.

Endless Wars

This is the eighth entry in our In Focus series identifying and exposing the tools that modern-day tyrants are using to thwart the will of We The People for power and control. To access previous articles, please click here.

One of the most important tools tyrants use to keep their subjects under control is maintaining a continual state of war. As George Orwell famously wrote in his novel 1984, “Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.” In 1918, Randolph Bourne, an opponent of World War I, published an essay best known for its remarkably succinct opening sentence: “War is the health of the State”:

It automatically sets in motion throughout society those irresistible forces for uniformity, for passionate co-operation with the Government in coercing into obedience the minority groups and individuals which lack the larger herd sense. The machinery of government sets and enforces the drastic penalties, the minorities are either intimidated into silence or brought slowly around by a subtle process of persuasion which may seem to them to really converting them. [Emphasis added.]

The Original Plan

The Founders built into Article I, section 8, cl. 11 of the Constitution what they thought would be protection against endless wars, by giving the Congress, not the President, the sole power to declare war. The Federalist Papers reveal that the Framers anticipated that each branch of government would zealously guard its own powers, and when one branch usurped the powers of another, the offended branch would use its powers to resist. Those tools are available, but rarely used.

If Congress actually wanted to resist a President carrying out a military adventure, it could simply turn off the money. But Congress has acquiesced, yielding great power to Presidents. Members of Congress like it this way. When Presidents take popular military action, Congressmen take credit. If things go wrong, they blame the President. Meanwhile the President does as he likes, as most Americans are not focused on foreign policy. When things go badly wrong, Presidents blame someone or something else.

Father of our Constitution and President James Madison warned about the path he hoped the country would not follow:

Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few…. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. Those truths are well established … in every page which records the progression from a less arbitrary to a more arbitrary government. [Emphasis added.]

Sadly, we took the path Madison warned against. The truth is that the United States has been engaged continuously in war or some form of serious military hostilities during the entire lifetime of every living American. But shockingly, the last official declarations of war by Congress occurred in June 1942 — against Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania who were allied with Germany in World War II.

The Korean War was technically a “police action” carried out under the auspices of the United Nations. The Vietnam War in which 58,220 Americans died, was never officially declared. Rather, it was merely sanctioned by Congress in its August 1964 “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution” that authorized President Johnson to repel and prevent communist aggression. Only in recent years has it become widely known that the predicate for that resolution was a fraudulent report of an attack on U.S. Navy ships.

To be sure, Congress approved the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but only by rushing through Congress in the days immediately after the September 11 attacks an “Authorization for the Use of Military Force” — which is still in effect. Still, there was no declaration of war. And, who can forget Secretary of State Colin Powel repeatedly lying that Iraq had “Weapons of Mass Destruction.” That AUMF authorized the President:

to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks … on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any further acts of … terrorism against the United States….

Note that there is no enemy specified in the 2001 AUMF and no expiration date. The President is granted authority not just to retaliate against those who he says attacked America, but also to do anything the President chooses to do to prevent further attacks. That “prevention” authority is even used to conduct surveillance against Americans.

Only one member of Congress had the foresight to see how this unlimited delegation of power could be misused — a liberal Democrat, Barbara Lee (D-CA) — and courageously voted against it. Her vote was prescient, as the AUMF has been used by every President for most of a quarter century to justify all manner of military adventures.

Financial Benefits to Politicians

Military spending is a terrible drain on the economy, but it is sold to the people as being good for the economy. One of President Biden’s justifications for spending another $60 billion or more on the Ukraine War was that the money would be spent in the United States, helping our economy. When war spending requires deficits and borrowing, it generates inflation that robs everyone of wealth. But, when money is handed to a defense contractor, the Congressman claims credit for “bringing home the bacon” to his district — and military contractors and subcontractors are spread across the country to generate maximum political support. Even though defense spending “is bleeding the country dry at a rate of more than $32 million per hour,” Americans are usually grateful for finally getting their share of the pie.

Military spending also generates lots of spare cash that keeps the gravy train running. “The defense sector contributed $3.4 million to the 59 lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee” during part of the current election cycle. In return, “the committee authorized an $839 billion budget for the Pentagon in June [2022], $37 billion more than … Biden’s administration requested….” To grease the wheels, defense contractors keep an army of K Street Lobbyists on their payroll. By one report, “[i]n the first half of 2023, defense contractors and other defense sector players spent nearly $70 million lobbying the federal government.”

Political Benefits to Politicians

Presidents of both parties have discovered that being a war president can boost popularity and help gain re-election. After all, “you don’t want to change horses in the middle of the stream.” That old political saw is said to originate in a speech by Abraham Lincoln while seeking a second term in 1864 (“it is not best to swap horses while crossing the river.”). Mr. Lincoln’s war had many effects on the nation, including helping him get reelected by a wide margin.

President George H.W. Bush experienced record public approval of 89 percent right after the Gulf War. President Reagan’s invasion of Grenada, timed two days after the Beirut embassy bombing, shifted the polls dramatically, putting him ahead of his top two Democrat challengers.

The 1997 movie “Wag the Dog” with Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman served as a training film for politicians needing a quick war to win an election. In 1998, as the Monica Lewinsky matter began to brew, President Clinton ordered missile strikes on targets in Afghanistan and Sudan. “I don’t think there is a politically minded person who did not immediately question whether the president was acting genuinely in our national security interest or to get beyond this scandal and create a rally-round-the-flag phenomenon,” according to political scientist Mark Rozell. In these and many other cases, military actions burnished public patriotic opinion and enhanced the President’s polls.

Increased Power for Politicians

President Eisenhower, the commanding general in America’s greatest military victory in World War II, issued America a trenchant warning in his 1961 Farewell Address:

We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. [Emphasis added.]

Like Madison’s cautions, Eisenhower’s words have proven true, as the surveillance capabilities necessary to prevent another 9-11 attack have been turned on Americans. An enormous military-industrial-intelligence-law enforcement cabal has been funded that know the sexual, financial, and other dark secrets of every government official. Whether by bribery or blackmail, most of our leaders can be brought to heel by the Deep State. As Senator Chuck Schumer warned, the intelligence community has “six ways from Sunday of getting back at you.”

And the Deep State’s appetite for money and power is endless. Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald details one of the most frightening costs of endless war — the loss of our liberties:

[E]ach year of endless war that passes further normalizes the endless rights erosions justified in its name. The [Bush and Obama presidencies] have been devoted to codifying and institutionalizing the vast and unchecked powers that are typically vested in leaders in the name of war. Those powers of secrecy, indefinite detention, mass surveillance, and due-process-free assassination are not going anywhere. They are now permanent fixtures not only in the US political system but, worse, in American political culture. [Emphasis added.]

In the name of “the War on Terror,” both the Bush and Obama administrations collected what eventually amounted to billions of records of metadata of Americans’ communications, all without a warrant or even suspicion of crime. Edward Snowden blew the whistle in 2013, and the government continued to deny that it was spying on Americans. Seven years later in 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit finally ruled that the collection of mass amounts of Americans’ communications without a warrant was illegal. So the government has simply shifted to buying the data on Americans’ communications, at taxpayer expense, from private companies.

Lies and Death

One of the great divides in America is between those many who are eager to go to war and those few who resist the drumbeat of war. History demonstrates that when politicians are describing attacks suffered by the United States or the dangerous threats we face, they are frequently lying. There is much evidence of the saying that: “Truth is the First Casualty of War.” The Bible warns that the devil is the father of lies. John 8:44. And those who would lie our nation into war have no problem with killing. Proverbs 9:36 says “All those who hate me love death.”

Continual war is destroying the nation, and not just financially. At such a time, it is good to listen to the warriors who we have called on to fight for us, like Smedley Butler who was the most decorated Marine in U.S. History. Part of his legacy was a book about what he later learned about the real reasons behind the many military missions on which he was sent during his career — War is a Racket. Perhaps it is also time to remember the truth of the Scripture which reads: “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Matthew 5:9.

Editor’s Note: To read the articles in this series, please click here.

Get In The Fight Texas campaign is around the corner. Register today to attend the Texas Summit and Training Programs on February 23 and 24. Get the facts and learn what you can do in your community to help end child exploitation and trafficking. Other state campaigns are scheduled as well. Click here to view our multi-state campaign page and learn more about this initiative to help end child exploitation and trafficking in America.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: Now you can tune in every week on Spotify to America’s Mondays With Mary and listen to our Executive Director Mary O’Neill’s report on the comments and insights we receive from our fellow Americans to our weekly Reader’s Survey. Listen and learn what’s on their minds and in their hearts and get the latest news about America’s Future activities and updates.

PEOPLE ARE TALKING: Thousands of our newsletter readers tell us that our articles are thought-provoking, increase their knowledge about the history and traditions of America, and keep them informed about the current state of affairs. If you missed one of our weekly newsletters or want to revisit a past edition, you can access them here.

SHOP TIL YOU STOP: We hope you love America’s Future online shop display and ease of accessing your favorite items! There are many new products, including a full assortment of tees for the whole family, a wide range of accessories like coffee mugs and totes, and a special line dedicated to our Project Defend & Protect Our Children. Thank you for your support!

STAY CONNECTED: You’ll find America’s Future on your favorite social media platforms. Thank you for remembering to follow us and please share our posts.

Support America’s Future

America’s Future is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

AMERICA’S FUTURE, INC. IS A FLORIDA NON PROFIT 501(C)(3) TAX-EXEMPT EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION. ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-435-7352, OR VISITING WWW.FLORIDACONSUMERHELP.COM. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. AMERICA’S FUTURE, INC.’S REGISTRATION NUMBER IS CH67839. (EIN 13-1549794)

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.

Necessary

Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

America’s Mondays With Mary – April 29, 2024

Get In The Fight – State Campaigns – Testimonials

78th Anniversary Celebration Recap Video

America’s Future 78th Anniversary Video