Hal Shurtleff

Director and Co-Founder of Camp Constitution.

The U.S. Supreme Court Rules 9-0 in Camp Constitution’s Christian Flag Lawsuit

Published May 2, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

I received a call today at 10:30 AM from Roger Gannam, one of the attorneys at Liberty Counsel who has been involved with our lawsuit from the very beginning.  He informed me that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in our favor 9-0.  Since then, I have conducted a batch of media interviews.  First, I want to give God the Glory.  His Hand was in this case from the beginning.  I want to thank the folks at Liberty Counsel that did an incredible job, and all of the people who support and make Camp Constitution possible.  The main mission of Camp Constitution is to teach people the U.S. Constitution.  I think that this issue has given the nation a good lesson on the 1st Amendment.  Below is the news release from Liberty Counsel announcing the decision.
SUPREME COURT HEARD RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINT CASE

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the City of Boston violated the Constitution by censoring a private flag in a public forum open to “all applicants” merely because the application referred to it as a “Christian flag.” The High Court stated that it is not government speech, and because the government admitted it censored the flag because it was referred to as a Christian flag on the application, the censorship was viewpoint discrimination, and there is no Establishment Clause defense.

Justice Breyer wrote the opinion in which Chief Justice Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagan, Kavanaugh, and Barrett joined. Justice Kavanaugh filed a concurring opinion. Justice Alito filed a concurring opinion in the judgment, in which Thomas and Gorsuch joined. Justice Gorsuch filed a concurring opinion in the judgment, in which Thomas joined.

In Shurtleff v. City of Boston, Liberty Counsel represents Boston resident Hal Shurtleff and his Christian civic organization, Camp Constitution. Shurtleff and Camp Constitution first asked the city in 2017 for a permit to raise the Christian flag on Boston City Hall flagpoles to commemorate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (September 17) and the civic and cultural contributions of the Christian community to the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, religious tolerance, the Rule of Law and the U.S. Constitution.

 

The High Court wrote that “Boston did not make the raising and flying of private groups’ flags a form of government speech. That means, in turn, that Boston’s refusal to let Shurtleff and Camp Constitution raise their flag based on its religious viewpoint ‘abridg[ed]’ their ‘freedom of speech.’”

“We do not settle this dispute by counting noses—or, rather, counting flags. That is so for several reasons. For one thing, Boston told the public that it sought ‘to accommodate all applicants’ who wished to hold events at Boston’s ‘public forums,’ including on City Hall Plaza. App. to Pet. for Cert. 137a. The application form asked only for contact information and a brief description of the event, with proposed dates and times. The city employee who handled applications testified by deposition that he had previously ‘never requested to review a flag or requested changes to a flag in connection with approval’; nor did he even see flags before the events. Id., at 150a. The city’s practice was to approve flag raisings, without exception. It has no record of denying a request until Shurtleff’s. Boston acknowledges it ‘hadn’t spent a lot of time really thinking about’ its flag-raising practices until this case. App. in No. 20–1158 (CA1), at 140 (Rooney deposition). True to its word, the city had nothing—no written policies or clear in[1]ternal guidance—about what flags groups could fly and what those flags would communicate,’” the Court wrote.

In addition, the Court wrote, “Here, Boston concedes that it denied Shurtleff ’s request solely because the Christian flag he asked to raise “promot[ed] a specific religion.” App. to Pet. for Cert. 155a (quoting Rooney deposition). Under our precedents, and in view of our government-speech holding here, that refusal discriminated based on religious viewpoint and violated the Free Speech Clause” (emphasis added).

There are three flagpoles outside City Hall that fly the U.S., Massachusetts and Boston flags, plus a fourth flag on Congress Street, which runs parallel to City Hall. For 12 years from 2005-2017, Boston approved 284 flag-raisings by private organizations with no denials on the flagpoles that it designated as a “public forum.” Had the flag been referred to as anything but Christian, the city would have approved it. The flag itself was not the problem; it was the word “Christian” describing it in the application that was the issue. The year before Camp Constitution’s application (2016-2017), Boston approved 39 private flag-raising events, which averaged three per month. In 2018, Boston approved 50 private flag raising events, averaging nearly one per week. One included a flag of a private credit union.

The Justices commented on the longstanding test known as the “Lemon Test” which has been used to determine if a law violates the First Amendment. Its name comes from Lemon v. Kurtzman, in which the Court ruled that a Rhode Island law that paid some of the salary of some parochial school teachers was unconstitutional. This test has proven to be unworkable and has led to inconsistent and contradictory decisions on the constitutionality of 10 Commandment monuments and cross monuments like the “Peace Cross.”

Justice Gorsuch, joined in a concurrence with Justice Thomas, stated, “It’s time to let Lemon lie in its grave.”

Justice Gorsuch continued, “How did the city get it so wrong? To be fair, at least some of the blame belongs here and traces back to Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U. S. 602 (1971). Issued during a “‘bygone era’” when this Court took a more freewheeling approach to interpreting legal texts, Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media, 588 U. S. ___, ___ (2019) (slip op., at 8), Lemon sought to devise a one-size-fits-all test for resolving Establishment Clause disputes. That project bypassed any inquiry into the Clause’s original meaning. It ignored longstanding precedents. And instead of bringing clarity to the area, Lemon produced only chaos. In time, this Court came to recognize these problems, abandoned Lemon, and returned to a more humble jurisprudence centered on the Constitution’s original meaning. Yet in this case, the city chose to follow Lemon anyway. It proved a costly decision, and Boston’s travails supply a cautionary tale for other localities and lower courts. The only sure thing Lemon yielded was new business for lawyers and judges.”

“Ultimately, Lemon devolved into a kind of children’s game. Start with a Christmas scene, a menorah, or a flag. Then pick your own “reasonable observer” avatar. In this game, the avatar’s default settings are lazy, uninformed about history, and not particularly inclined to legal research. His default mood is irritable. To play, expose your avatar to the display and ask for his reaction. How does he feel about it? Mind you: Don’t ask him whether the proposed display actually amounts to an establishment of religion. Just ask him if he feels it “endorses” religion. If so, game over,” wrote Gorsuch.

In his concurrence, Justice Kavanaugh wrote, “A government violates the Constitution when (as here) it excludes religious persons, organizations, or speech because of religion from public programs, benefits, facilities, and the like.”

In his concurrence, Justice Alito wrote, “I agree with the Court’s conclusion that Boston (hereafter City) violated the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech when it rejected Camp Constitution’s application to fly what it characterized as a “Christian flag.” But I cannot go along with the Court’s decision to analyze this case in terms of the triad of factors—history, the public’s perception of who is speaking, and the extent to which the government has exercised control over speech—that our decision in Walker v. Texas Div., Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc., 576 U. S. 200 (2015), derived from Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, 555 U. S. 460 (2009). See ante, at 6–12. As the Court now recognizes, those cases did not set forth a test that always and everywhere applies when the government claims that its actions are immune to First Amendment challenge under the government-speech doctrine. And treating those factors as a test obscures the real question in government-speech cases: whether the government is speaking instead of regulating private expression.”

Justice Alito continued, “But courts must be very careful when a government claims that speech by one or more private speakers is actually government speech. When that occurs, it can be difficult to tell whether the government is using the doctrine “as a subterfuge for favoring certain private speakers over others based on viewpoint,” id., at 473, and the government-speech doctrine becomes “susceptible to dangerous misuse….To prevent the government-speech doctrine from being used as a cover for censorship, courts must focus on the identity of the speaker. The ultimate question is whether the government is actually expressing its own views or the real speaker is a private party and the government is surreptitiously engaged in the “regulation of private speech.” Summum, 555 U. S., at 467…. Consider first “the extent to which the government has actively shaped or controlled the expression.” Ante, at 6. Government control over speech is relevant to speaker identity in that speech by a private individual or group cannot constitute government speech if the government does not attempt to control the message. But control is also an essential element of censorship.”

Liberty Counsel’s Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, “This 9-0 decision from the Supreme Court strikes a victory for private speech in a public forum. This case is so much more significant than a flag. Boston openly discriminated against viewpoints it disfavored when it opened the flagpoles to all applicants and then excluded Christian viewpoints. Government cannot censor religious viewpoints under the guise of government speech.”

 

TIMELINE

  • SEPT 2017 Liberty Counsel sends Boston demand letter following flag application denial.
  • JULY 2018 Original suit filed in district court.
  • AUG 2018 Court denies preliminary injunction.
  • JUNE 2019 First Circuit affirms the denial.
  • JULY 2019 LC files motion for summary judgment in district court.
  • FEB 2020 District court denies LC summary judgment and grants city’s summary judgment.
  • JAN 2021 First Circuit affirms summary judgment for city.
  • JUNE 2021 LC files writ of certiorari at SCOTUS.
  • SEPT 2021 SCOTUS takes the case.
  • JAN 18, 2022 Oral argument set at SCOTUS.

 

BRIEFS OF LIBERTY COUNSEL AND CITY OF BOSTON

Reply Brief For The Petitioners

Petition for Certiorari

Opposition to Petition for Certiorari

Reply Brief in Support of Petition for Certiorari

Brief for Petitioners Camp Constitution

Brief for Respondent City of Boston

Reply Brief of Petitioners Camp Constitution

 

AMICUS BRIEFS:

In Support of Liberty Counsel

Brief-Amicus-(ACLU and ACLU of Massachusetts).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Advancing-American-Freedom-et al).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(American-Cornerstone-Institute).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(American-Legion).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Becket Fund for Religious Liberty).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Bronx-Household-of-Faith).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Catholicvote-org).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(CPCF, et al.).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Foundation-for-Moral-Law).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Multi-States).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(National Legal Foundation, et al.).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Notre Dame L. Sch. Rel. Lib. Initiative).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Pacific Legal Foundation).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Protect-the-First-Foundation).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Rutherford-Institute).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Thomas-More).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(United States).pdf

In Support of City of Boston

Brief-Amicus-(Anti-Defamation League).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(FFRF).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Jewish Alliance for Law, et al).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Local Governments).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(Multi States).pdf

Brief-Amicus-(National Council of Churches, et al.).pdf

 

READ MORE:

SCOTUS Rules 9-0 in Favor of Christian Flag Case

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide Religious Viewpoint Discrimination

Supreme Court Heard Religious Viewpoint Case Today

Religious Viewpoint Case Goes to SCOTUS Tomorrow

Events Surrounding Shurtleff v. City of Boston SCOTUS Oral Argument

Religious Viewpoint Case Will Affect Everyone

LC Files Reply Brief at SCOTUS in Religious Viewpoint Case

Religious Viewpoint Case at SCOTUS Will Set National Precedent

USA and 12 States Support LC in Free Speech Case

Boston’s Christian Flag Debate Heading to US Supreme Court

Liberty Counsel Files Opening Brief at SCOTUS in Religious Viewpoint Case


U.S. Supreme Court Takes Christian Flag Case

Next Step for Christian Flag: U.S. Supreme Court

Christian Flag in Boston Before Court of Appeals

Boston Censorship Continues

Christian Flag Goes Back to Court

Boston Should Fly Christian Flag

Boston Discriminates Against Christian Flag

Stop Censorship of Christian Flag

Boston Sued for Censoring Christian Flag

Group sues Boston for banning Christian flag, approving 284 others

Boston Sued For Booting Christian Flag, While Allowing Islamic Symbols

Boston Sued for Banning Christian Flag, Allowing 284 Others

284 flags including China’s OK in Boston, but not Christian banner

Boston Sued for Banning Christian Flag, Allowing 284 Others

Banned in Boston — the Christian Flag

Stop Censorship of Christian Flag

Fly the ‘Christian’ flag? Sorry, no can do

Group Denied Request to Fly Christian Flag During Event Recognizing Boston’s Christian Heritage Refiles Suit

The Point: Boston Bars the Christian Flag

 

Boston’s Censorship of the Christian Flag – Mat Staver – Episode 31


 

Explore the truth behind the blatant government censorship of the Christian faith, and learn what you can do to protect your religious freedom! – Originally premiered Feb 27, 2022 on GoodLife45 – visit https://www.tv45.org

 

 

 

 

Standing Up for Judeo-Christian Values – Hal Shurtleff – Episode 29


 

As Liberty Counsel prepares to defend a religious viewpoint censorship case before the U.S. Supreme Court, it all started with the Christian flag. Hal Shurtleff of Camp Constitution joins Mat Staver to explain more on this episode of Freedom Alive.™  – Originally premiered Dec 12, 2021 on GoodLife45 – visit https://www.tv45.org

Happy Birthday Illuminati Founded May 1, 1776 Bavaria, Germany

Published May 2, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

May 1, marks the anniversary of the founding of the Illuminati.  While some historians believe that the organization ended after it was banned in Bavaria in 1784, other historians believe that it went underground, was responsible for the French Revolution, that its second-generation members founded the Skull and Bones, and commissioned Karl Marx to write The Communist Manifesto.  While it is unlikely that the original organization exists today, its ideological heirs have carried on its mission to destroy Christianity and create a one-world government. We know that they will ultimately fail but they have wreaked much havoc and misery over the past years and continue to do so.

There have been several books published in the early days of the Illuminati’s existence including Proofs of a Conspiracy, Memoirs of Jacobinism and Proof of the Illuminati.   Rev. G.W. Snyder sent a copy of Proofs of a Conspiracy to George Washington who replied:

“It was not my intention to doubt that the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more fully satisfied of this fact than I am.”

Several years ago, while our annual family camp was in session, we took a field trip to the Rindge, NH Historical Society where I found copies of Proof of the Illuminati for sale.  When I asked  Karla MacLeod, the  museum’s president, why this book was at the museum, she informed me that the author Rev. Seth Payson was the pastor of the Congregational Church.  He wrote the book in 1802, and it was the basis for his successful campaign for  state senate.  Camp Constitution Press reprinted the book.  A free PDF version is available here:  https://campconstitution.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Proof-of-the-Illuminati-by-Rev-Seth-Payson.pdf

A paperback version is available from our on-line shop:  https://campconstitution.net/shop/

 

 

NO SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IN WORCESTER, MA

Published May 1, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

This is from our friends at the Catholic Action League.  We believe that if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor in our case Shurtleff v Boston,      https://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/shurtleff-v-boston/ the City of Worcester and other cities run by far-leftists, would cease this activity.  We salute Bishop McManus and the folks at the Catholic Action League for standing up to those who are working to destroy the soul of our nation.

 

NO SEPARATION OF CHURCH
AND STATE IN WORCESTER
The recent call by the Bishop of Worcester, asking a Catholic school in his diocese to forgo symbols inconsistent with their Catholic identity, has now resulted in an intervention by a municipal agency.

On April 3rd, Bishop Robert J. McManus issued a public statement questioning the display of homosexual pride flags and Black Lives Matter banners at Worcester’s Nativity School, a middle school affiliated with the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus.

The Bishop asked “Is school committing itself to ideologies which are contrary to Catholic teaching? If so, is it still a Catholic school? As the Bishop of this diocese, I must teach that it is imperative that a Catholic School use imagery and symbols which are reflective of that school’s values and principles so as to be clear with young people who are being spiritually and morally formed for the future.”

The Bishop’s due diligence in trying to preserve the Catholic character of a Catholic school was met with a firestorm in the media, defiance from the school, criticism from the state Attorney General, unsolicited advice from the NAACP, and a petition at the Jesuit administered College of the Holy Cross denouncing him as “ignorant and bigoted.”                                

Now, a dispute between a Catholic bishop and a Catholic school has become an object of concern by a government entity. The Worcester Human Rights Commission, an executive agency of the City of Worcester, whose members are appointed by the City Manager, has decided to involve itself in this matter.

In an online meeting earlier this month, the Commission voted to ask the city to raise the homosexual pride flag at Worcester City Hall to support the school’s resistance to the bishop. Commission member Ellen Shemitz said “Even given what’s happening with some of the news from the Catholic Church, and how that impacts some of the schools in this region, it seems like it could be timely.”

The Catholic Action League called the Commission’s interference “an unheard of, unprecedented, and unconstitutional intrusion by a government bureaucracy into an issue of church doctrine.”

Catholic Action League  Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “For generations, the political Left has never missed an opportunity to lecture Catholics about the separation of church and state. Now, a city agency takes sides in a church dispute, and the same civil liberties crowd which sees school bus transportation for Catholic school students as a threat to the Constitution, is silent.”

“The Attorney General of the Commonwealth, Maura Healey, has inserted herself into this controversy, saying ‘Nativity and other schools should be allowed to fly those flags,’ adding ‘…I speak as a Catholic…’ Healey, of course, is a partnered lesbian who once confessed she owed her electoral success to Planned Parenthood.“

“What is happening here is a crude, unconcealed, and heavy handed campaign of intimidation. If the media, the government, and powerful interest groups can combine to expose a Catholic bishop to universal reprobation, for exercising his lawful authority in his own diocese, then freedom of religion becomes, at some point, academic.”

“The anti-Catholic Left has power and is willing to use it, and has totalitarian instincts, and is willing to act upon them. Catholics must relearn what our immigrant ancestors understood, but what modern generations of Catholics have forgotten—that anti-Catholic bigotry is a reality in American society, and Catholics must be courageous in resisting it.”

On April 27th, C.J. Doyle appeared on Greg Kelly Reports on NEWSMAX TV, defending Bishop Robert McManus.

-30-
Copyright © 2022 Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, All rights reserved. 


Our mailing address is:

Catholic Action League of Massachusetts

PO Box 112

Boston, MA  02131-0004

 

 

Camp Constitution at Mass HOPE Homeschool Convention

Published April 24, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

After a two-year hiatus due to the unconstitutional lockdown, Camp Constitution returned to Mass HOPE’s  (Massachusetts Homeschool Organization of Parent Educators) annual convention which was held in Sturbridge, MA this past weekend.  This year marked our 10th year of  participating  in this annual event where we have met and made many friends.  In addition to our information table where we distribute literature about Camp Constitution, the Blumenfeld Archives, books, and pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution, we challenged those who stop by the table to take our ten question quiz on the U.S. Constitution.  We also had quill pens and had children use these pens to sign their names, and our friend Alan Belanger spent Friday  making balloons for the children.

We also held two “workshops” which were well attended and well received.   Rev. Craft’s workshop was “The Christian Response to Critical Race Theory”‘ and mine was entitled “The Sam Blumenfeld Legacy.  The late Sam Blumenfeld was a regular attendee at the even.t and many on hand had fond memories of Sam.  We believe that this convention was the most productive of all the conventions we have attended.   A special thanks to Rev. Steve and Mrs. Edith Craft, Alan Belanger, the Krutov Family, Adrian Villa, and the good folks at mass HOPE https://masshope.org/

 

 

 

 

 

Camp Constitution’s “Early Bird” Registration Deadline is May 1

Published April 19, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff
  Camp Constitution’s  “Early Bird” Registration” deadline is May 1, and rooms are filling up fast.
 Camp Constitution’s 14th annual family camp will be held at the Singing Hills Christian Conference Center in Plainfield, NH https://www.singinghills.net/ from Sunday July 17 to Friday July 22.
  This year’s instructors include Catherine White of The Constitution Decoded; Professor Willie Soon, one of the world’s top atmospheric scientists;  Rev. Steve Craft,  and Pastor David Whitney of the Institute on the Constitution,   Mrs. Edith Craft will run our Junior Camp for children 5-11.  In addition to the classes, we have field trips to local historic sites, swimming, hiking, basketball, volleyball, chess tournaments, marksmanship, and  martial arts.
  The cost is $300.  For attendees 12 and older, $200, for attendees 11 and under, and children 4 and under accompanied by parents are free.  We offer a $50. “Early Bird” discount for those who register before May 1.  Applications are available on our web site https://campconstitution.net/camp-registration/
  For more information contact Hal Shurtleff (857) 498-1309 or E-mail campconstitution1@gmail.com 

Battle of Lexington Reenactment 2022

Published April 19, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

After a two-year hiatus due to the unconstitutional lockdowns, the annual Battle of Lexington Reenactment resumed, and Camp Constitution was on hand to celebrate the event.

The video begins with a narration of the event, and then we see the Lexington Militia, led by Captain John Parker, mustering on the green, taking roll call.   Shortly thereafter, the British, led by Major James Pitcairn, demanded that the “rebels’ lay down their arms, and then the “shot that was heard about the world “rings out.  The brief battle ends with the loss of eight militiamen including Jonathan Harrington who crawled across the road and died in his wife’s arms, and ten wounded including Prince Estabrook, a slave who eventually got his freedom.  Only one British soldier wounded during the short battle.  The British went on to Concord where they met stiff resistance and were driven back to Boston.

 

Recommended reading:

 

The Weekly Sam: Why Homeschooling is Important for America

Published April 14, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

In 2017, Camp Constitution started “The Weekly Sam” on our blog where we highlight something from the Sam Blumenfeld Archives.   Over the past few years, we have been highlighting Sam’s speeches which we converted from cassette to MP3.  We also have been converting them to video, and uploading them to our YouTube and Rumble channels.

Sam Blumenfeld gave this timeless presentation in 1996.   Sam’s believe that Christians should take their children out of government schools didn’t sit well with some Christian parents.  But in 2022, I am sure few would disagree.   Readers are encouraged to sign up for the Blumenfeld Archives, and share the info far and wide: https://campconstitution.net/sam-blumenfeld-archive/  

A link to an MP3 version of this lecture: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/shurtleffhal/episodes/2022-04-14T14_51_52-07_00

The State of Maine’s Loss of A True Patriot, and a Friend of Camp Constitution….Phil Merletti

Published April 10, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

Camp Constitution lost a friend with the passing of Phil Merletti.  I have known Phil for about twenty years.  We shared the podium at numerous events throughout the state, and he and his wife Lynn welcomed me. and those traveling with me into their home.  He was a loving husband, father, and friend.  He will never be forgotten.

 This obituary is from “The UnMasking of Maine and Beyond” blog:

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart to report the passing of a true patriot, researcher and treasured friend, Phil Merletti. Phil passed away April 5, 2022.

Phil will be remembered as an important Mainer who worked hard to restore the Constitutional state of Maine, putting himself out there, to educate others and to advocate, for the good of all of us.

Phil was a member of the Constitution Coalition of Maine and he, along with Wayne Leach and Jack McCarthy founded We The People of Maine, Inc., a permanent non-political, non-profit organization, formed of, by and for the People of Maine. Maine Constitutional Coalition Announce “We The People Of Maine, Inc” Gov’t Watch Group (Pt 3) (Pt 1) (Pt 2)

Phil was Spokesperson for Take America Back.  Many of his documents can be viewed on this platform.

Phil co-hosted with Dorothy Lafortune a Talkshoe Radio series with guest Lise Dupont, Researcher and Author of her book “Where Did The Original Constitutional State Go?”

Phil spent much of his time in Augusta meeting with state officials and testifying before committees. Aside from an OPEGA meeting  (Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability), Phil’s testimony at the Judicial Confirmation Hearing of William J. Schneider, and his Commentary on “A System in Crisis” will be most remembered. (Unfortunately, the video has been removed.)

RIP Phil Merletti. Never to be forgotten!

“A special friend is like a rare shell washed upon a quiet beach. He who finds such a friend finds a pricelsss gift from GOD.”

Update 4.8.22

Phil’ s tasks/accomplishments are many as reminded in your comments. Links will be added to this post.

“We need good friends, and we need to be good friends. Iron sharpens iron, and a good friend can sharpen a friend. The iron can make a blade sharper, and a good friend can make his friend better.”

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17) 

Incumbent Legislator, Opposing Candidate And Local Voters…You Are Invited To A District Symposium In Hampden Or Chelsea Maine

Not One Maine Legislator Attended The Constitution Coalition Seminar On Hampdene Constitution Coalition Seminar On Hampden

Maine Legislators/Officials were not interested in these symposiums. No need to wonder why the “mess” we are in

LEE – Phillip R. Merletti, 78, passed away Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at a Bangor hospital after a brief illness. He was born January 9, 1944, in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Philip and Maude Merletti.

Phillip served 2 years active duty in the Navy, and 11 years in the Navy Reserves, as well as twelve years in the Army National Guard. A machinist by trade, he worked at Pratt & Whitney for 18 years, retiring to Maine in 1980. While in Maine, Phillip worked at Forster’s Manufacturing in Mattawamkeag and was also a Foster Parent, with his wife, Lynn, for 19 years. Active on the political scene in the state, he worked with many people throughout the state trying to right the wrongs that he saw in the state and state government. A one-time candidate for the Maine Legislature, he was narrowly defeated in that endeavor, but he remained active behind the scenes and maintained his contacts throughout the years.

Phillip is survived by his wife of 47 years, Lynn S. (Weiss) Merletti; two sons, Keith W. Jimmo and his wife, Ella, of London, England, and Douglas E. Jimmo of North Carolina; three grandchildren, Madison Lynn Jimmo, Megan Elizabeth Jimmo, and Adam Jimmo; and two great-grandchildren, Xavier Andrews and Zara Andrews.

At Phillip’s request, services will be private. Arrangements are by Lamson Funeral Home, Lincoln. Messages of condolence may be expressed at lamsonfh.com.

Camp Constitution’s First Quarter Report for 2022

Published April 9, 2022 | By Hal Shurtleff

   Camp Constitution’s 1st Quarter Report for 2022

  We hit the ground running in 2022 with our presence at a Medical Freedom Rally in Concord, NH on New Year’s Day where I addressed the group and with my wife, Maura we distributed camp promotional brochures

 Camp Constitution in the News:

  The U.S. Supreme Court heard our Christian flag lawsuit on January 18. As a result, we received more media coverage in January than all the media coverage since our founding. We were interviewed by numerous media outlets including ABC, and NBC. Newspapers covering the story included The Epoch Times, The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and dozens of papers in-between. The Boston Globe did a feature story about us.

YouTube and Rumble Channels: 

We are averaging 4,500 views per month and thirty-nine new subscribers.  Our most popular video is remains “The Battle of Lexington Reenactment.”   We started an account on Rumble and plan to upload our latest videos on the Rumble page   https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all and encourage readers to subscribe.

 The Sam Blumenfeld Archive:

193,000 views, 3,850 downloads of “Alpha-Phonics”, 2,675 downloads of the “Alpha-Phonics” instructional manual, and we got word that our second shipment of “Alpha-Phonics” arrived at the Nottingham Junior School in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Camp Constitution Radio on Podomatic:

We remain in the top five top five for the conservative category with 3,260 downloads of shows and four hundred plays.  We interviewed actress Stacey Dash who played Dr. Mildred Jefferson in the movie “Roe V Wade”, and Annabelle Rutledge, director of Young Women for America we are posting audio presentations by Sam Blumenfeld  https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/shurtleffhal

The show also airs on numerous platforms including Amazon, Google, Spotify. Apple, and Podbean.

Social Media:

In addition to our Facebook page and groups which grows every month, we created pages on MeWe, Gab, and Web talk.

 Speaker’s Bureau:

We had eighteen engagements that we either hosted or were invited by other groups including Camp Constitution Family Day in Maine.

Rev. Craft in Alton, NH                Edith Craft in Maine

Camp Constitution’s Website:

The media coverage has generated much traffic to our website. In this quarter, we received close to 20,000 views. We posted fifty-six blogs, and added a new writer, Dominique Uhl. Writers for out blog include Dr. Peter Hammond of Frontline Fellowship in Cape Town, South Africa, Paul Driessen of CFACT, Tom DeWeese of the American Policy Center, and Dominique Uhl. https://www.campconstitution.net

Camp Constitution Press:

We have a few book projects in the works including the correspondence between Margaret Sanger and Dr. Clarence Gamble, a reprint of Alden’s Citizen’s Manual, and a biography of Dr. Mildred Jefferson.

 Camp Constitution Book Sales:                          

We recently received a donation of about ten boxes of books which included over four hundred copies of None Dare Call It Conspiracy. We have raised over $1000, from our book sales from Facebook, Amazon, and our on-line shop   https://campconstitution.net/shop/

Article V Convention: 

For the first time in 10 years, there was not one Article V resolution introduced in New Hampshire and Maine. We continue to educate people around the country with our camp blog, resources from our website. and alert our contacts in various states where resolutions have been introduced.

  St. Patrick’s Day Parade South Boston, MA

We had a float at the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston, the largest parade in New England. We were very well received by the thousands of attendees-many of whom were chanting ‘Fire the cannons and U.S.A., U.S.A. A special thanks to Steve Wanager and Deborah Wilson.

 Catching Fire News:

Tom DeWeese of the American Policy Center has recently started an on-line news service-Catching Fire News and invited us to host a weekly show which we call The Camp Constitution Report. As of this writing, we have done three shows. Membership is free:  https://catchingfire.news/ 

 Radio and Cable TV: 

As a result of the media coverage of our lawsuit, several talk show hosts have interviewed us about our mission and events including the Dan Rae Show WBZ-AM Boston, Jack Heath who hosts Good Morning New Hampshire, and the Chris Berg Show in Fargo, NH. As a result of hosting Rev. Steve Craft in Alton, NH, the director of the Town of Wolfeboro’s public access station offered us a slot on the channel and plans to make our programs available around the state, and a network of Christian radio stations in New Hampshire and Maine will run public service announcements for our programs in the region.

The Lane House and Learning Center:

      We continue to host monthly events at the Lane House and offer its use to local like-minded groups.

 Camp Constitution Ladies Group 

The Ladies are hosting their annual ‘Spring Fling” at the end of April with guest speaker Mrs. Kathi Lear of the Well of Living Water Ministries

Camp Constitution’s 14th Annual Family Camp:

Applications for our annual camp are coming in and, like last year, we expect a full house. “Early Bird” registration saving each attendee $50 on the fee ends May 1:  https://campconstitution.net/camp-registration/

Family Weekend Retreat:

We are hosting our 1st Annual Family Retreat:

How you can help Camp Constitution grow:

* Keep Camp Constitution and our nation in your prayers.

* Become a donor. Monthly and/or one-time donations can be made via our PayPal account accessed from our website https://www.campconstitution.net

* Host one of our speakers.

*  Introduce Camp Constitution to family and friends.

*Write an article for our camp blog.

* Share our posts, E-mails, and videos.

And attend our events and bring others with you.

I want to thank all of those who have make Camp Constitution possible. May God bless you.

Hal Shurtleff, Director
Camp Constitution

Designed by Eric Conover.