Reflecting on the upcoming political races and analyzing those candidates that have thrust their names unto the chessboard of politics, I have come to the conclusion that the vast majority of candidates are campaigning to the tune of the establishment.  It is my opinion that few have experienced an epiphany of liberty.   

What is this played out tune which candidates continue to feed the masses?  Well, the trite empty slogans of fixing education, affordable healthcare, being tough on crime, lowering taxes, reforming government, and the endless slogans which sound soothing in general theory but have no real substance continue to plague political discourse.    

What person, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian ,Independent or of any other political disposition is not for all these things? Why have we as a society limited ourselves to these subjects and structure of debate?  Where is political dynamism and innovation?

These beautiful sounding slogans are propaganda and reflect a creative void and intellectual laziness that permeates the culture of politics in our community.  We do not grow nor deepen the political culture of liberty be remaining stagnant and dwelling on these general themes of society.  

While these themes are important, they are only the fruits of a tree.  Beyond the fruits are the tree and its roots.  We have neglected watering the soil of liberty which strengthen our constitutional roots that make our Republic bloom.  Our nation and its states are thirsty for liberating waters, restless for the soil of peace, and the sunlight of justice.

There is one obstacle to the restitution of the once glorious and strong tree of liberty.  

That is the strangling weeds of government. 

What is government?  Simply put, government is just a body of citizens like you and I that belong to a protected well formed and organized structure.  There is  a de facto governmental social class.  Thus, those in this class, have a secure structural system which is their livelihood.  Government is alive and like any living thing it has a natural instinct to survive and grow.   The livelihood of the members governmental class depends on the continuance of their power structure.  The minute their structure ends is the minute their world comes crashing down.  

This is what has occurred and is continuing to occur.  Government ( The governmental social class ) must do all it can to protect itself and its sources of existence.  Just as mankind must defend itself and secure its survival and with time expand its influence, so too does the government act its evolution.

Our founding fathers knew this very well and enacted a constitution to limit the government as it grew.  They also gave us a constitution to remind the society which had created this new living ruling and evolving class that the existence of government was born of free people, regulated by the people, and for the service of the people. Government's role was to be for the service of the people and in a very limited scope.  

At the core of this foundation, which is our constitution, was the idea that we have unalienable rights that come from the natural law and that government is subject to these rights and not above these rights and liberties. 

Since humankind may suffer at times from a weakness in will, this deficiency leads some in government to journey away from the path of promise.  Once again, our founding fathers knew this.   They gave us the map, which is the constitution, in case we as a nation ever got lost or wandered away from the path of liberty.

Today, our government reflects a sad weakness in will and a departure from the creative revolutionary ideas of liberty, freedom, justice, and peace that our founding fathers once proclaimed. 

Luckily, all is not lost because in this human cycle of weakness there is always a renaissance where strength emerges and a new hope is born. 

Rekindling the flame of liberty is what will light the American Nation and Restore the Republic.   

We can only light the fire of freedom by once again returning to our roots by breaking the empty rhetoric of propaganda, by become creative political social thinkers, and destroying the establishment which has hijacked the nation off its constitutional path of liberty. 

We must Restore the Republic one State at a Time.

Now, I turn to where I started.   Candidates, no matter how friendly, popular, or well dressed, have failed  to address any of the fundamental pillars of our Constitutional Republic and State. 

Continued rhetoric to the tune of the political establishment has drowned out the voice of liberty.  

Where are the candidates when it comes to civil liberties and constitutional rights?

The answer is sadly no where.  

Once again, laziness and perhaps a fear to take on the political machine and establishment has bred a field of candidates lacking creativity and the revolutionary spirit held by our founding fathers. 

Election after election government has grown and the citizens continue to be separated from the structure of power.  There are the governed and the governors.

There is a troubling gap between the citizenry and the political social class, which is the establishment.  The establishment and power structure protects itself, grows itself, and will do anything to maintain its survival. 

The problem is that the establishment is operating in its own world and its survival has become more important than the Constitution, the Republic, and our American Roots. 

To give a concrete example of this critique I ask many questions.  Where are the candidates when a photograph journalist is arrested, thrown in jail, roughed up, and forced to undergo a tedious and traumatic journey through the corrupt justice system?All for exercising his 1^st Amendment right.  

Where are the candidates when there are threats to take away the arms of lawful citizens by hidden legislative? 

Where are the candidates when there are illegal checkpoints, searches and seizures, and blatant violations of our 4^th amendment by the ever troubling police state? 

Where are the candidates, when we as citizens are losing our state rights and responsibilities which are usurped by the federal government?

Where are the candidates when the people are not allowed to question and know information about their government and the actions they do? 

The list goes on and on and yet civil liberties are ignored and the constitution is disregarded.  

Liberty is drowned out to the choir of the establishment which throw at us the citizens the same old campaign slogans of, “no new taxes,” “toughness on crime,” “educational reform,” and so on.  

Every election cycle candidates use the themes of change and a new face and yet offer no new creative or revolutionary American constitutional solutions.

It is time for the creative revolutionary American patriots and citizens who want to Restore the Republic, unite as our founding fathers once did, and fight tyranny drowning out their chorus of confusion with the song of liberty. 

It is our turn to fight back.  It is us versus the machine.  The citizens versus the political social class establishment.  The free versus the tyrants.

Together we can Restore the Republic One State at a Time.

In Liberty, 

Ricky Rodriguez

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.  And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

 - Barry Goldwater