Protest speaker quotes Patrick Henry's rallying 'We must fight!']

Barack Obama campaigned during the 2008 presidential race on hope and change, and while change has been delivered, hope has vanished, according to groups of veterans who staged a protest in Washington to emphasize their demands that Obama and his entourage of "czars" resign.

Portraying Patrick Henry, Harry McKay spoke the famous words of that notable patriot, who expressed his frustration at trying to deal with a monarchy then.

He said, "We have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope."

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There were, observers said, at most a couple hundred attending the rally assembled for the Declaration to Restore the Constitutional Republic by the Veteran Defenders of America and its parent organization, The United States Patriots Union.

But during McKay's reading, literally dozens of passersby stopped to listen to the oration that once called on Americans to stand firm in their resistance to the tyranny of England. Today, it was meant as a call for patriots to stand firm in support of America, and in resistance to what the organizations have described as a Washington government run amok.

Henry's rousing revolutionary cry came in 1775 at St. John's Church in Richmond, Va. At today's rally, applause and cheers interrupted key passages of the oration.

"It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope," McKay exclaimed, but, "If we wish to be free if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending²if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight!"

It is in the conclusion of Henry's address that he uttered the famous, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Rally

JB Williams, one of the event's key contributors, told WND, "I'm impressed and grateful for those who came. Some of the people I've met today came despite great challenges – some financial, some health, some otherwise."

Indeed, some of those in attendance were disabled veterans who arrived in their wheelchairs.

"These are true patriots and we are just beginning to defend our country," he said.

Rev. Edward Anthony, a Baptist minister and missionary, gave the benediction and told WND why he came from his hometown of Pensacola, Fla.

"Anything worth having is always going to be expensive. Our freedom is bought at the price of blood and that's what it will cost to keep us free."

Col. Harry Riley, who served more than three decades in the military, spoke at the rally and told WND, "The rally is primarily focused on restoration of our constitutional government. The Obama administration and a weak Congress have allowed our nation to be on path of destruction because the Constitution is being ignored. We are asking for the resignation of President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Secretary Panetta, the entire cabinet, agency heads, selected members of Congress – mainly Speaker Boehner, Rep. Pelosi as well as Sen. Reid and Sen. McConnell.

"The nation is in such a struggle that we want everyone who is failing to obey their oath to resign," he said.

Barbara Ketay, a founder of the United States Patriots Union, told WND she composed the group's Declaration to Restore the Constitutional Republic with Williams.

"America was founded as a Christian nation and I believe that unless we turn back to a godly nation, nothing will change," she said.

Alan Horton, an Army veteran and member of the Indianapolis TEA Party, drove out from the Midwest and picked up fellow patriots on his way. He told WND that there are hundreds of thousands of TEA party members in his home state. He said if more Americans paid attention to what their government is doing, they'd demand justice and everything would change for the better.

"I just wish the average Joe would pay attention," he said.

Army veteran Eric Stricchiola and his friend Martin Reilly, a former Marine, stood back from the crowd taking in the speeches and watching fellow patriots. When asked why they came from New Jersey, both smiled and said simply: "It's Veterans Day."

 

Timothy Harrington, cofounder of the Patriots Union, told WND in advance, "We have to start somewhere. We are hoping to show D.C. insiders that the people have had enough. That the time for talking has passed and the time for serious action to save this nation has arrived."

This job should already have been accomplished, the organizers point out.

"Every member of every branch of government has taken an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution and the people of the United States and it's high time we see which of them is ready to live up to that oath."

The crux of the issue is the still-unresolved dispute over whether Obama is eligible for the office of president, or whether he's been usurping the authority of an office for which he fails to qualify. Following closely are the actions he's taken while in office, from strong-arming private companies into doing what he wants to imposing amnesty by fiat on the American public.

There have been lawsuits over his eligibility, as the Constitution requires a president to be a "natural-born citizen." The Constitution does not define the term, but texts consulted by the Founders and U.S. Supreme Court decisions indicate it refers to the offspring of two citizen parents.

Obama's father never was a U.S. citizen, and critics argue that made him unqualified under the Constitution.

The event is calling upon all freedom-loving citizens "fed up with the corruption and tyranny in D.C. to take a stand."

There should be no shortage of people willing to abide by the oaths they've taken to ensure the Constitution and the republic is protected, according to Williams, who is integral to the operations of the organizing units and a key leader in the protest planning. He says military personnel, officers, members of Congress and the judiciary, and employees of the federal government all make such an affirmation when they take their posts.

The enlisted service members oath requires obedience to orders of the president and the "constitutional" orders of "officers appointed over me," but the oaths for officers, the judiciary, members of Congress and federal employees simply require support for the Constitution.

For example, the officers' oath states, "Having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States … [I] do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic … So help me God."

"Amid an endless stream of conspiracy theories, a real conspiracy was under way and well-founded concerns for the true state of our union led many to one question surfacing repeatedly with increasing anxiety – 'Why are our soldiers allegedly fighting for freedom and liberty abroad while we are being stripped of our freedom and liberty at home?" Williams said.

He said there are more than 21 million federal employees, and all of them have submitted to an oath affirming their loyalty to the Constitution.

"Violating their oath is not just cause for immediate dismissal and removal from office, it is a federal crime," he explained.

From that set of facts comes the "Call-to-Action":

• We CALL upon every member of federal, state and local government, legislative, judicial, law enforcement and military, who have taken an oath to protect and defend the constitutional republic from all enemies, foreign and domestic, to act upon those oaths for the stated purpose of restoring the constitutional republic.

   

• We CALL upon ALL veterans and veteran organizations in America, who still believe in their oath to protect and defend, to unite with us at once – in this Declaration to Restore the Constitutional Republic.

   

• We CALL for ALL citizens who still desire freedom and liberty, to stand with us in peaceful protest, and carry our demands to right the wrongs against our nation in the preservation of freedom, liberty, justice and the rule of law.

The list of charges which Obama and his team of government managers are being called to provide an account of includes dozens, from amnesty for illegal aliens in America, spending U.S. taxpayer money to restore Muslim mosques overseas, plans to tax contributions to U.S. churches, creating "targeted assassinations" of U.S. citizens, disgracing America by bowing for foreign tyrants and assembling a team of "czars" to dictate what happens.

The Call-to-Action cites violations of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, unlawful use of military force, violation of international treaties, violations of the public trust and misuse of resources, bankrupting the nation, taxation without representation, confiscation of people's goods and abuse of judicial power.

The declaration states, "No longer will we sit idly by and tolerate the utter destruction of our country, at the hands of anti-American elitists in Washington, D.C., who have mistaken the people's peaceful tolerance for acceptance of their ill-advised behaviors. The time for all good and decent Americans to stand together, in defense of the Constitution, the republic, freedom and liberty, has arrived. The rule of constitutional law must prevail. We call upon all who have taken an oath to protect and defend, to take appropriate measures now."

Demanded are resignations from Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, the Obama cabinet, staff and the unelected czars, as well Supreme Court justices given lifetime appointments by Obama and some members of Congress.

Nov. 12, 2011