The U.S. Constitution and the Vice President
John Adams, the nation’s first vice-president, said of the office: “I am vice president. In this I am nothing but I may be everything” and it is “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” Our nation’s second Vice President, Thomas Jefferson said “The second office of this government is honorable and easy; the first but a splendid misery.” John Nance Garner, Franklin Roosevelt’s first Vice President said that being Vice President “was the worse thing that ever happened to me.’ In 1848, New Hampshire’s Daniel Webster was offered the nomination for Vice President by the Whig party. He replied, “I do not propose to be buried until I am dead.” I think that the most profound and humorous comment about the office belongs to Thomas Marshall, who served as Vice President under Woodrow Wilson. He said that being Vice President is comparable to “a man in a cataleptic fit; he cannot speak; he cannot move; he suffers no pain; he is perfectly conscious of all that goes on but has no part in it.”
Vice President John Nance Garner
The first mention of the office of Vice President in the U.S. Constitution is found in Article 1, Section 3, Paragraph 4: “The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate but have no vote unless they be equally divided.” In Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 3, we read that “The President of the Senate shall in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates (Electoral votes) and the votes shall then be counted. Prior to the 12th Amendment, a Vice President was elected by having the second highest number of electoral votes for President. With the adoption of the 12th Amendment in 1804, electoral voters had to cast a distinct ballot for Vice President. In Article 2, Section 1, Paragraph Six, ”we read “In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President…”
There have been 49 vice presidents in our nation’s history. Eight have assumed the presidency after the death of a President: John Tyler, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester A. Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson. Six were elected president after serving as Vice President: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, and Joe Biden. Two resigned-John Calhoun and Spiro Agnew. Seven died in office: George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry (where the word Gerrymander comes from) both who served under James Madison, William King, under Franklin Pierce, who was the only Vice President to take his oath of office in a foreign country-Cuba and died shortly thereafter. Henry Wilson, born in Farmington, NH, and has a stretch of Rt 11 named in his honor, served under U.S. Grant. Garret Hobart who served under William McKinley and James Sherman who served under William Taft.
There was no constitutional provision to replace a Vice President until the 25th Amendment which was ratified in 1967. In Section Two of the 25th, we read: “Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress. Gerald Ford was nominated by Richard Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew who resigned in disgrace. Ford has the distinction to be the only man who served as unelected Vice President and President.
Vice Presidents, while only having two constitutional duties, serve as advisors to the President, travel around the United State and the world on behalf of the president and the United States. Some have served with dignity while other have been unmitigated disasters. Our current Vice President’s job appears to be traveling around the world, and the United States embarrassing and humiliating the people of the United States while promoting division and hatred among its citizens.
Religious Viewpoint Case Decades in the Making
(The following is a news release from Liberty Counsel)
Jan 18, 2023
As a result, on May 2, 2022, the High Court ruled 9-0 that the City of Boston violated the Constitution, the censorship was viewpoint discrimination, and there was no Establishment Clause defense. The Court rejected Boston’s reliance on the 51-year-old “Lemon test” from the case of Lemon v. Kurtzman. This unanimous decision was decades in the making and will impact future generations. When Liberty Counsel was founded in 1989, one of the goals was to strengthen the right to free speech, free exercise of religion, and overturn the “Lemon test.” In 2022, this vision became reality.
Liberty Counsel represented 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.
Mat and Anita Staver after the SCOTUS oral argument on January 18, 2022.
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.
In the opinion for Shurtleff, 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 Establishment Clause. Its name comes from Lemon v. Kurtzman. This test has proven to be unworkable and has led to inconsistent and contradictory decisions involving religious expression, symbols, and displays.
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.
On June 27, 2022, SCOTUS referred to Liberty Counsel’s Shurtleff victory when it ruled 6-3 in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District in favor of a high school football coach who was fired for silently praying on the field after games. Liberty Counsel also filed an amicus brief in support of Coach Joe Kennedy, an 18-year Marine veteran. Relying on both the First Amendment Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses, the High Court ruled that the Bremerton School District violated both provisions when it fired Coach Kennedy for having prayer on the 50-yard line of the football field after the game.
The Court also finally buried the court-made “Lemon test,” citing Liberty Counsel’s 9-0 decision handed down in the Shurtleff case.
The Court wrote: “In fact, just this Term the Court unanimously rejected a city’s attempt to censor religious speech based on Lemon and the endorsement test (See Shurtleff, 596 U. S.).
“The unanimous Supreme Court decision struck a blow to governments that attempt to censor religious viewpoints. The legal precedent for the case involving the Christian flag in Boston was decades in the making building upon one precedent after another extending back to the early 1990s. The Shurtleff v. City of Boston case will continue to impact free speech rights for generations,” said Staver.
Staver added, “After my oral argument, an immigrant from Sudan thanked me for defending religious viewpoints. He told me this reminded him about what Christians face in that country. If they confess Christ, they are beheaded. If they deny Christ, they can live. He said that Boston attempted to force people to deny Christ. In America, we must always stand for our faith.”
For more information on the case, visit www.LC.org/flag.
Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.
Rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court the morning of the Oral Argument
Constitutional Minute #15 Roger Clements vs US Congress
In 2008, Roger Clements (one of the most successful power pitchers in history) was contacted by members of Congress and ordered to appear before a congressional committee on drug use in sports.
Mr. Clements foolishly complied. As a result, he was subsequently indicted on perjury, a completely unrelated charge. If he (or his attorney) had had a working knowledge of the Constitution, he would have advised Congress that he planned to ignore such a demand to appear until Congress can prove they have the lawful authority to address the subject of “drugs” or “sports”. They can’t because that authority does not exist.
The Constitution grants to Congress only limited powers to make criminal laws. Does Congress have the lawful authority to even address the subject of “sports” or “drugs” for the nation as a whole, or to make criminal laws on those subjects? NO!!
Thus, laws which claim to be of general application throughout the several States criminalizing acts respecting firearms, ammunition, hate crimes, environmental crimes, economic crimes, banking crimes, computer crimes, murder, kidnapping, narcotics, arson, extortion, etc. etc., etc., etc., etc., are all unconstitutional usurpations.
In Federalist No. 33, Hamilton cited Art. VI, cl.2, as showing that laws which are not pursuant to the Constitution are merely acts of usurpation and deserve to be treated as such (7th Para).
Note: Much of the federal criminal code of today consists of “laws” which are mere usurpations and deserve to be treated as such. They are not “laws”, because they are outside the legislative powers granted to Congress by the Constitution.
Here’s an authoritative paper on what criminal laws our federal government may lawfully and constitutionally address: https://publiushuldah.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/us-criminal-code/
wethepeoplehandbook@gmail.com
True Story from the Hospital Killing Fields of WI, case before WI Supreme Court Jan 17, 2023, need PRAYER
John Zingsheim walked into a WI Hospital in the Aurora Health Care system. He was not life-flighted or on a stretcher, but he walked in, tested positive for Covid, and within 10 min, the doctor told him, “Mr. Zingsheim, you’re going to die.” and placed him into the deadly NIH hospital protocol.
This protocol included unproven Emergency Use Authorization drugs Remdesivir and Baricitinib. John’s Power of Attorney (POA), his nephew Allen Gahl, demanded he be taken off the injurious drugs. John requested lifesaving treatments like Ivermectin and high dose IV Vitamin C, but the hospital refused. On the WI hospitals POA form, there is a statute that requires the hospital to give “necessary treatments” requested by the POA, but these were denied John. Instead, Remdesivir showed up on his chart for a second time in direct contradiction to the Power of Attorney’s explicit directions.
Due to these NIH death-inducing protocols John had sepsis multiple times, John’s kidneys failed, he was on dialysis, and he was dying on the Ventilator.
The hospital sent a hospice team to each family member trying to convince them to “pull the plug” on John, stating there was nothing more they could do at that point since they were claiming his kidneys, and his lungs were scarred, and he would never be able to return to a livable quality of life. The family sought help from the legal system and refused to end John’s life. And the hospital refused to give him Ivermectin, even though he was dying.
Aurora argued that when a medical treatment [like Ivermectin] falls beneath their standard of care for patient safety, then the court has no right to intervene for the patient.
The Waukesha Circuit Court said, oh yes, we do, the patient/family has requested Ivermectin to try to save his life, and we approve an outside doctor going into the hospital to administer the Ivermectin to him. Although FLCCC (Frontline Covid Critical Care) Co-founder Dr. Pierre Kory, world-renowned expert in Ivermectin, was present & ready to testify that day in the Circuit Court, and although Attorney Karen Mueller told the judge, unfortunately the court never called on him to do so. Thankfully the circuit court still made the correct decision for the patient’s right to try. The family rejoiced that he could be given Ivermectin, they signed away any liability to the hospital for treating with Ivermectin, and the outside doctor was made ready. While the good doctor was getting in the car to go to John to administer the Ivermectin, the higher Appellate Court paused the order.
Aurora had immediately taken it to the Appellate Court, which resulted in the pause, and eventually they ruled that the Waukesha Circuit Court erred in their decision (to give this dying man the Ivermectin). So, the outside doctor was barred admittance to administer the lifesaving Ivermectin.
People across WI, including my family, protested for John’s life in front of the Aurora hospital in Oconomowoc. Christians across America prayed. Thank you to everyone on my email list who joined in our prayers for John. Through a series of miraculous events, John Zingsheim shared he was secretly given Ivermectin and with all the prayers going up on his behalf, beat the odds and survived the NIH protocol and the hospital’s treatment for over ten months, more than a 100 of those days on the Ventilator, captive within their walls.
Today John is breathing on his own with a little help from supplemental oxygen and his kidneys both healed and came back to full function. It was such an honor for our family to meet John, a living miracle, Jan 3rd at the Defending Life Rally, where he spoke for 5 min:
John’s case, Allen Gahl v Aurora Health Care Inc, has now come before the WI Supreme Court and Attorney Karen Mueller will present oral arguments this Tuesday, January 17th. You can watch it for free on livestream at https://wiseye.org/. There are 3 cases being heard that morning, ours is the 2nd case, estimated to start around 11am, but in case they’re running early, I’d aim to be watching by 10:30 am central time.
So, we need serious prayer for wisdom for Constitutional Christian Attorney Karen Mueller in her oral arguments, that the Lord will work in the seven Justices’ hearts (liberals & conservatives alike), as this case will set precedent, not just for WI, but across our Nation and save countless lives!! Remember, hundreds of our countrymen are being murdered in the American hospitals caused by this deadly NIH protocol every day. Those truly burdened to stop this bloodshed may consider fasting with their praying, and praying live as they watch on wiseye as the events unfold in the WI Supreme Courtroom. Please forward to others for prayer!
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In the link below on the HOME PAGE, the first video on the left shows a recent gathering across the street from the Aurora Health Care Center, with John’s Attorney, Karen Mueller, with John’s POA Allen Gahl, with John himself, and a group of loving supporters. It’s beautifully done in only 5 min, and I’d recommend watching it.
In fact, I’d recommend clicking through the rest of Amos Center For Justice & Liberty website, too. I don’t know if people realize how rare Karen is. The fact that Karen not only readily stepped forward to take a case other Attorneys would not, but that she is devoted to fighting for life is because God has placed her here For Such a Time As This.
Please consider giving to The Amos Center for Justice & Liberty at the website below as Attorney Mueller’s fearless quest to save lives is funded entirely by donations from people like us.
Please check out Attorney Karen Mueller’s Website & FORWARD to others:
The Weekly Sam: How to Dumb Down a Free Nation by Sam Blumenfeld
Easy. Destroy its literacy, and you’ve dumbed it down. And once dumbed down, it
becomes the potential victim of any unscrupulous power that wants to dominate it.
Recently I had occasion to read several bound volumes of the Century Magazine,
published in the early days of the last century. The quality of the articles and the diversity
of subject matter revealed a general literacy of a very high order. They were written for a
public that not only could read but had great curiosity and interest about the world. In
those days, Americans had independent intelligence and an insatiable appetite for
knowledge in all fields.
Today there are few magazines that still cater to a dwindling literate population. And
none of them have the breadth and depth of what was published a hundred years ago.
And while our technological advances have given us marvelous gadgets for
communication, most of them are used today to record and play popular music, create
video games, and send emails. Nobody writes letters anymore. We either send emails or
greeting cards with messages for every occasion. The American brain just doesn’t
function the way it used to. It’s been replaced by emotion, ignorance, and wishful
thinking.
If you look at the most illiterate nations on the planet, you find that they are ruled by
despots, live in abject poverty, and have no hope for a better future. That doesn’t mean
that literate nations, like Germany, can’t produce political monsters. But when they do,
we know that satanic influences are behind it. Literacy is not immune from evil. It can
be used for evil purposes. But a Constitutional Republic is supposed to be so constructed
as to make evil unlikely to prevail.
America, from its beginning, was arguably the most literate nation on earth, and the result
was positive in every respect. Why was it so literate? Because the people were governed
by the precepts of the Bible, and biblical literacy was paramount in the education of the
nation’s children. But once Americans succumbed to government schooling, which eliminated God from
the curriculum, it became possible to introduce teaching methods deliberately intended to
dumb down the nation.
All of this was done in the early days of the last century by our Progressive educators who
no longer believed in the religion of their fathers. They now put their faith in science,
which explained how the material world worked; evolution, which explained the origin of
living matter, organisms spontaneously created in some sort of primordial soup; and
behavioral psychology, which gave the educators the means to remove the soul from
human beings and control their behavior like animals. And the Progressives have
succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
And these Progressives were also Socialists. Why? Because they had to deal with the
problem of evil, and they decided that evil was caused by our capitalist system in which
competition and the pursuit of wealth were driving forces. But Socialism would
eliminate evil, by eliminating competition, making everyone economically equal, and
eliminating social injustice. And so the Progressives embarked on a long-range program to convert America from a
capitalist, individualistic society to a collectivist, egalitarian society. And after a hundred
years of unremitting effort, they have finally captured the machinery of political and
economic power.
The question is: are there enough Bible believing, individualistic Americans, willing to
do whatever it will take to preserve our Constitutional Republic? I recently watched a
video on YouTube about how Cesar Chavez became dictator of Venezuela. He promised
to take money from the rich and give it to the poor. Naturally, the poor became his chief
supporters and they have bought the socialist promise of equality and social justice hook,
line and sinker. As long as he has oil money he can shower the poor with goodies. The
ultra rich could make deals with the dictatorship. But the middle class has found it
impossible to survive under Chavez, and anyone with any ambition is leaving the country.
And where are many of them going? To the United States.
But what if the United States goes socialist? Where will Americans go? One solution is
for conservatives to move en masse to one of the states that did not vote for Obama and
create a truly conservative state government that will resist the socialist pressures from
Washington. Which state would that be? But perhaps that will not be necessary if in 2010 the American people get rid of the
present left-wing Congress in power, and replace the socialists with conservative lovers
of Constitutional government. A prospect devoutly to be wished.
(This was written in 2009. For more of Sam’s timeless and important work, please visit, sign-up and share the archive with others: https://campconstitution.net/sam-blumenfeld-archive/
Announcing Camp Constitution Ladies’ Third Annual “Spring Fling” Weekend Retreat May 5 to May 7
Camp Constitution Ladies’ Third Annual “Spring Fling” returns to the Singing Hills Christian Camp and Retreat Center Plainfield, NH https://www.singinghills.net/ Friday May 5th to Sunday May 7th.
(Mrs. Edith Craft at last year’s Spring Fling)
Guest speakers are Mrs. Julie Wilkinson and NH State Rep Valerie McDonnell. Julie played the role of the abortion nurse in the movie “UnPlanned” and Valerie is the youngest elected official in the United States. Activities include arts and crafts, Bible studies, optional marksmanship training, and an evening campfire. The cost for the weekend which includes two nights of lodging, five meals and materials will be $225. per person. We will give a $25. discount to those who register by the end of February. Payments can be made via our PayPal account accessed from our website’s homepage https://www.campconstitution.net or by check payable to Camp Constitution and mailed to Hal Shurtleff: 146 Powder Mill Rd. Alton, NH 03809. To get an application, bring list, or have any questions, please E-mail or call Hal at campconstitution1@gmail.com Tel (857) 498-1309
(Camp Constitution Ladies Retreat 2022)
Julie Wilkinson, age 64 married 35 years to Bill, parents of three married daughters and grandparents to four. Graduated as an R.N. in 1981. Raised in an intact but quite liberal home. In 1983 after breaking up with a boyfriend, moved to Boulder, CO where a nursing school classmate and friend lived. Accepted a position as abortion assistant at a late term abortion clinic, run by Warren Hern MD. Left after about 2 years there. Experienced a heart change by the grace of God, and partly due to employment in an NICU in Denver. Married in 1987 and moved to Cheyenne. Did not share with friends my dark secret of working in the abortion industry for many years. Moved to Oklahoma in 1996. Eventually made contact with a woman who had herself managed an abortion clinic but left the business and went on to create outreach for abortion clinic workers. Her name is Abby Johnson. I gained courage to share my sad story, in the hope it might help women rethink their plans to end their children’s lives. Today I try to share my story with anyone that is interested. Had a small role in the movie “UNPLANNED” (which was filmed in Oklahoma). It is Abby Johnson’s story of redemption.
My prayer is that my story may convince others that ending innocent children’s lives is never the answer.
Valerie McDonnell is the youngest elected official in the United States after winning her election to the New Hampshire House of House of Representatives “The American Legion Oratorical Contest on The Constitution 1st Place Winner New Hampshire State Champion 2021 and 2022” She graduated from Salem (NH) High School and is attending Southern NH University
Gaslighting
Gaslighting is defined in the Urban Dictionary as “a form of intimidation or psychological abuse, where false information is presented to the victim, making them doubt their own memory, perception and quite often, their sanity”. While gaslighting is something that can be done to an individual, we see it at a national level. Here are just a few examples:
The George Floyd protests were mainly peaceful.
Black Lives Matter is a legitimate Civil Rights organization worthy of your support.
Antifa is a concept.
The Southern Border is secure.
Putin is responsible for inflation.
The laptop is Russian disinformation.
The 2020 election was the most secure election in our history.
Covid did not come from a lab in Wuhan.
The Covid 19 Vaccine is safe and will prevent you from getting and spreading Covid 19.
Our Democracy almost ended on January 6, 2021. It was the darkest day in our history.
The Corporate Media or as it is called more recently “Fake News” collaborating with the Biden Administration, the Democrat Party and elements within the Republic Party are employing gaslighting at its finest.
The term comes from a British play “Gaslight” written by Patrick Hamilton in 1938. It was made into a movie in 1940 directed by Thorold Dickinson. An American remake was produced in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman, and several others including a version in 2022. Here is a link to the classic 1940 version: https://rumble.com/v24vw2y-gaslight-the-1940-movie.html
Announcing Camp Constitution’s 15th Annual Family Camp July 16-21
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Camp Constitution’s Report for 2022
We had another full house at our 2022 Annual Family Camp. We enjoyed an excellent line-up of instructors kicked off by Mr. Richard Wright a General John Stark reenactor. A link to videos of the classes and activities: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7jnzBzBiNYD50pgoewisvDlj2fGxcIb3
The Sam Blumenfeld Archives:
Since its creation in 2015, this incredible on-line resource has been used by people all over the world-primarily in the United States. In 2022, we donated several cases of Sam’s Alpha-Phonics to the Nottingham School in Harare, Zimbabwe. Here is a link to a recent interview we did with its principle and founder Godknows Matizirofa: https://catchingfire.news/2022/12/19/alpha-phonics-finds-huge-success-in-zimbabwe-school/?fbclid=IwAR2eyiUPbhaT0LTHXAqWzre3B8Bnu-f8goaM_IwDMvpZkOBfV-XKwpXB-O0
Stats for 2022:
750,000 views. 14,000 downloads of Alpha-Phonics. 8,200 downloads of the Alpha-Phonics Instruction Manuals.
Our late friend would be gratified to know that the homeschool movement is flourishing, and that hundreds of thousands of people are using his Alpha-Phonics. If you are not a member of the Blumenfeld Archives, please sign up and share his vital work. Membership is free: https://campconstitution.net/sam-blumenfeld-archive/
Camp Constitution in Greater Alton, NH:
We had a float in Alton’s Old Home Day Parade winning first place in the best float while we passed out over 500 copies of the U.S Constitution. We hosted Dr. Rick Scarborough at the Community Church of Alton as well as several video presentations. We continue to reach out to people through our monthly articles in the Weirs Times and engaged in two clean-ups on our two miles of Rt 28 which we sponsor.
Camp Constitution Press:
We are working on books about our Christian flag lawsuit, and the correspondence between Margaret Sanger and Dr. Clarence Gamble.
Camp Constitution Radio on Podomatic and Other Platforms:
Top 10 for Conservative-Right Category
6,433 Downloads and 1,149 Plays
YouTube and Rumble:
We have received over 1.5 million views on our YouTube channel since its creation in 2010. While we have been shadow banned by YouTube, we have enjoyed a 100 percent increase in views over the past few months. We are now averaging 10,500 views per month and have over 7,100 subscribers.
We have over 140,000 all time views on our Rumble page. In 2022, we had 2,000 views with 1,000 of them in December. Since we think that YouTube will eventually delete our channel, we have been downloading many of our videos and uploading them on Rumble.
Camp Constitution Media:
Camp Constitution Media was on hand at a number of events in 2022 including the Battle of Lexington Reenactment, Alton, NH’s Annual Memorial Day Parade, MASS HOPE’s Annual Homeschool Convention.
Catching Fire News
Our friend Tom DeWeese created this on-line media format in the Spring of 2022 which emphasizes local activists and their success. We host a weekly program on this format called “The Camp Constitution Report.” Please visit the site and subscribe: https://catchingfire.news/
Camp Constitution Speakers’ Bureau:
We had over sixty engagements that we either hosted or were invited by other groups which included a speaking engagement at the Young Women for America’s convention in D.C, speaking on a bus ride down to D.C. hosted by Liberty Church of Lexington, Constitution Day Celebration at Northpoint Bible College in Haverhill, MA, and after five years, a Christian Flag Raising Ceremony in Boston, MA, and a Christian Flag Raising in Revere, MA, a Connecticut Home School group, at numerous Patriot groups in MA, NH, CT, and ME.
Camp Constitution in the News:
We received more media coverage in 2022 than all of the coverage in our history. This was, of course, due to our Christian flag lawsuit. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument and on May 2, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of our Christian flag lawsuit https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1800_7lho.pdf And, on August 3, we finally raised the Christian flag on Boston’s City Hall Plaza. We received hundreds of articles, interviews, and editorials from major daily newspapers like Washington Post and New York Times and networks like ABC, NBC, Fox News and Newsmax.
The Impact of our Christian Flag Lawsuit:
Towns and cities across the United States have, due to our lawsuit, either discontinued third-party flag raising or allow Christian flags to fly. Christian activists raised the Christian flag in Revere, and Lowell, MA. In Plymouth, MA, the Christian flag was raised and then the town voted to end all third-party flag raisings which include the Rainbow flag. Towns in Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan and others have voted to end all third-party flags.
Third Annual Ladies’ Spring Fling
Our third annual Ladies’ Spring Fling took place at Singing Hills. Mrs. Kathi Lear was the guest speaker.
(Edith Craft on the Range)
Camp Constitution Book Sales:
We have raised over $8000, from our book sales from Facebook, Amazon, and our on-line shop https://campconstitution.net/shop/
We had several friends donate libraries to us. Not only have we raised funds but introduced important classic books to Patriots activists helping them become more informed and effective.
Article V Convention:
In September, Tamara Scott who hosts a show on Frank Speech interviewed us on the subject of an Article V Convention. We continue to work with national groups which oppose an Article V Convention sharing information and forwarding E-mail alerts. While the supporters of an Article V Convention did add a few new states, we had one state, Illinois rescind its Article V applications. and some key states voted against Article V resolutions.
Social Media:
3,000 followers with 50 new likes per month on our Facebook page
We are administrators of ten other Facebook groups or pages.
Pages on MEWE an GAB.
Camp Constitution’s Website:
60,000 Views
200 Blog Articles
Added New items to our Camp Shop
And added The Constitutional Minute
Mass HOPE Home School Convention
For the first time since the unconstitutional Wuhan Virus lockdowns, we attended a homeschool convention. We have hosted an information table at the Massachusetts HOPE Homeschool Convention since 2011. While this year’s convention, held for the first time in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, had 50 percent fewer vendors, it was our most productive homeschool show we ever attended. A special thanks to Rev. Steve and Mrs. Edith Craft, and Alan Belanger.
(Alan Belanger at the Mass HOPE Homeschool Convention)
Special Events
We had floats in two parades this year: Boston’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, and Alton, NH’s Old Home Week Parade where our float was awarded first place. We held three “Camp Constitution for a Day” events in Maine, and one in Connecticut. We participated in a Christian flag raising in Revere, MA. Gina Castiello, the organizer of this event, told us that we motivated her to hold this event. And in May, and October, we held cleans up on our two miles of highway on Rt 28 in Alton, NH.
Family Weekend Retreat:
We held our first weekend retreat at Camp Sentinel in Tuftonboro, NH. While our numbers were modest-thirty-five-it was a success. We were pleased to have a number of families new to Camp Constitution including a family from Florida. Next year’s weekend camp will run from Friday September 29 to October 1.
Our 15th Annual Family Camp:
We are taking applications for our 15th annual family camp to be held at the Singing Hill Christian Conference Center from Sunday July 16 to Friday July 21, 2023. A link to the on-line application https://campconstitution.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2023-Camp-Constitution-Registration-Form.pdf
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.
*Author an article for our camp blog.
* Share our posts, E-mails, and videos.
And attend our events and bring others with you.
God has mightily blessed us with people like you who help to make Camp Constitution possible, and successful. A special thanks to the folks at Liberty Counsel for their legal help and planning and promoting the prayer vigil, rally and Christian flag raising. Here is a link to a short video “Shurtleff v Boston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALCm7HiIagc&t=32s
Hal Shurtleff, Director
Camp Constitution
A link to a power point presentation on the 2022 report
Constitutional Cartoons and Formation of the Union Under the Constitution
I am in the habit of vising local libraries in my travels where I leave off literature, promotional flyers, pamphlets and books. Most libraries have local support groups called “Friends of the Library. Several years ago, I stopped in the Millis, Massachusetts Public Library to leave some Camp Constitution promotional items and perused their “Friend of the Library” book sale. Most of the books offered were trashy novels, and biographies of celebrities. But to my surprise, I found a serendipitous gem: Formation of the Union Under the Constitution. So, I bit the bullet, and spent one whole dollar for the book.
The book, which is over 800 pages, was published by the U.S. Government Printing Office to celebrate the 150th Anniversary or Sesquicentennial of the United States Constitution. Chapter 1 is the story of the Constitution without today’s “wokeness” and a series of questions and answers. The most fascinating question I found appears on page 128:
Q. Where in the Constitution is their mention of education? A. There is none; education is a matter reserved for the states.
Keep in mind that when this book was published, the New Deal Democrats were in complete control of all three branches of the federal government.
Chapter Two contains the organization of the government under the Constitution. It includes, on page 286, a circular letter written by Governor John Hancock opposing an Article V Convention. Chapter Three has a selection of liberty documents including the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, and The U.S. Constitution. The fourth and final chapter contains the transcripts of speeches by various politicians in praise of the Constitution, and Constitutional Cartoons found below.
We plan to reprint this out-of-print book which is available on Amazon and as a PDF from our website:
