Defending Our Independence
by William S. Hahn, Chief Executive Officer
Independence. That word means less and less to current and upcoming generations. Yet, to our Founding Fathers, it meant everything — charting one’s destiny, keeping the fruits of one’s labor, and making a better future for one’s family. Government wasn’t viewed as a resource; it was viewed as a necessary institution to safeguard God-given rights. But it was a force to be controlled and not left to its own devices. It had to be balanced, or else it might interfere in the free exercise of rights.
What about today? Well, if government were properly balanced, there might not be a John Birch Society! However, you, I, and all other Birchers feel so strongly about protecting what the Founding Fathers gave us that we mutually give each other portions of our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to work alongside one another for freedom and independence. It’s what we are supposed to do. We have an obligation to those who fought for independence, for those who fight now, and for those who will fight future battles. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the American way.
The John Birch Society is named after John Birch, a Baptist missionary to China who followed God’s will for his life. He was reaching upward, wanting to bring meaning and eternal salvation to those who had little of anything. After being led to the remaining crew members of Colonel James Doolittle’s raid in 1942, he helped them out of harm’s way. So impressed by Birch’s service, General Claire Lee Chennault brought him on as an intelligence officer. Birch risked his life to save countless Allied lives, and earned the rank of captain. Ten days after World War II officially ended, the Chinese Communists made known that their allegiance wasn’t to peace. Instead, they chose to violently kill Captain Birch by shooting and bayoneting him. Because the U.S. State Department was helping build up the Chinese Communists instead of Chiang Kai-shek of Free China, Captain Birch’s death was covered up. He was the first casualty of the Cold War, a war that has never ended. Captain Birch knew what it meant to be an American. He took his responsibility to his country as seriously as he took his mission for God.
Among Captain Birch’s last words, according to those with him, was, “It doesn’t make much difference what happens to me, but it is of utmost importance that my country learn now whether these people are friend or foe.”
The answer to that came in the form of bullets and bayonets, and it is the same answer we see today. There is no peace. No commitment anywhere to honest commerce with all nations and entangling alliances with none. Unfortunately, the same can be said today about those in the highest levels of our federal government and their fellow Deep State or administrative-state bureaucrats. The New World Order is being built — at the expense of American independence — and who but The John Birch Society is doing anything to expose and stop it?
Our Agenda is designed to oppose the agenda of the Conspiracy, and to provide an offensive for the restoration of this great nation using the very principles the Founding Fathers instilled. Only through an organized opposition will the Conspiracy be exposed and thwarted, and members and supporters of the JBS are working hard to accomplish this.
Many on the other side recognize this, and we constantly see proof. For instance, The New American reported that the Department of Homeland Security awarded $40 million in grants to organizations to smear conservatives, including more than $350,000 to the University of Dayton, which created a “pyramid of far-right radicalization.” This pyramid includes the JBS as a “mainstream conservative” organization categorized as “Tier 1,” along with Fox News, the Heritage Foundation, the Republican Party, and the National Rifle Association, among others. As the pyramid grows more pointed, the top tiers begin listing such groups as the Nazis and various white-supremacy organizations.
Also, The Nation recently published an online article titled, “How the John Birch Society Won the Long Game.” They sum up our efforts by writing, “The Birchers played a long game, and they succeeded in pushing the politics of paranoia into the mainstream.”
It never ceases to amaze me what dedicated volunteers can accomplish when they put their minds and efforts to a shared cause. Because of your efforts, multiple carbon-capture pipelines slated for several Midwestern states are running into huge hurdles. Just do a quick internet search for “carbon-capture pipelines,” and in the news section you’ll see the effect you are having. Plus, it’s not a bad idea to monitor news items to see where this is popping up, so you can determine if it’s in your area and take appropriate action. These pipelines have nothing to do with economic endeavors, but everything to do with abating “man-made climate change.” While the climate changes because of natural cycles, the concept of “man-made” offers an excuse for big government to expand its reach and control into areas where it has no constitutional power.
Also, your efforts have resulted in zero advancement toward a constitutional convention thus far in 2023. With the opposition claiming they have so many millions of supporters — and having plenty of money flowing in — one would think they would be much further ahead. However, these successes shouldn’t cause us to think we can back off and coast to victory. That’s not how it works.
We now have a new example to demonstrate why calling a convention is so dangerous. In June, California Governor Gavin Newsom and his Campaign for Democracy organization announced they would organize applications among the states for a constitutional convention to add a 28th Amendment to curtail the Second Amendment. This could potentially be a great tool to show conservatives and Republicans why we must avoid a convention.
At the beginning of the year, we mentioned that our top three projects are Stop a Constitutional Convention, Restore Election Integrity, and Stop Agenda 2030, and highlighted constitutional tools such as nullification to help restore the Republic. We’ve certainly made headway in each of these. Our upcoming 2023 JBS Leadership Conference September 8-9 in Des Moines, Iowa, offers workshops on each of these projects with the goal of sharing with you best practices, winning strategies, and new tools and resources you can incorporate into your Birching.
We continue to hone the details, and are looking forward to a packed hotel with great speakers and plenty of opportunity to network. We’re hoping to livestream portions of the program so those who are farther away can have the opportunity to hold watch parties — perhaps a great event for chapters to host.
December 2023 is the 65th anniversary of this great organization. Where we are is due entirely to the efforts of past and current members. Where we are heading will be because of present and future members. All of us are rallying to the cause of our mission: Less government, more responsibility, and — with God’s help — a better world. Indeed, independence is everything. Thank you for your part, and stay active!