By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host
After ringing in the new year in Wyoming Snow (while not wearing the proper attire for such cold activities, as I have been advised – hey, I am a Southern California boy … this cold weather thing is pretty foreign to me) it is important that we now realize that a quarter of the first term of President Donald J. Trump is nearly behind us. With the mid-term elections looming, it is important that we do not lose either House of Congress, and we do all we can to be involved this year.
My efforts have always been regarding the United States Constitution. Unfortunately, the United States has been operating in a manner outside the U.S. Constitution. Politicians often claim they appreciate the Constitution, and they claim to be working to adhere to the oath they took to protect and preserve the law of the land, but the truth is, it has all been lip-service. My goal this year is to bust wide open the grass-roots effort to restore constitutional literacy. Here’s a list of some of the things I am working on, and I ask for those who can help to do so, and for those who pray, to offer those prayers.
1. National Speaking Tour: A friend of mine, a fellow radio host, has worked it out so that I am a part of a 6 State tour designed to teach folks, and local politicians, their constitutional authorities, duties, and obligations. The goal is to begin an effort that leads to the State legislatures auditing the federal government’s activities, finding them unconstitutional, and then for the States to take back their rightful position as the final arbiters of the United States Constitution. The dates have not yet been confirmed, but the six States I have so far been asked to participate in this project in are Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
2. Constitutional Textbook: The book has been a primary effort for me for over a year and a half. Normally, I can crank out a shorter book in a weekend, and a longer one in a few weeks. But, this one is special, and has been taking a significant amount of my time and effort to complete. A local private school, and two homeschool programs have shown interest in the book, and having me teach Civics and Constitution Studies to their participating kids and parents. The book, I am hoping, should go on sale by February, and on February 24th I will be giving presentations at the Back to Basics Forum in Temecula to a large number of homeschool families. For those of you interested in getting this thing into your 2018 school year curriculum, contact me at constitutionspeaker at yahoo dot com about it.
3. The Constitution Radio with Douglas V. Gibbs radio program on KMET 1490-AM and Conservative Voice Radio with the Banning-Beaumont-Cherry Valley Tea party has been a blessing, but ever since we expanded to two hours on the Constitution Radio program, the funding for it has been tough to manage. That said, I have potentially new sponsors after losing one advertiser last October, and offers by two folks attached to Christian Radio Stations (one in Temecula, one in Hemet) to do a program centered around the United States Constitution, but from a biblical perspective. New sponsors for the radio effort remains a constant need. I also plan to restart the Constitution Study podcast.
4. Public School After School programs: This was an idea I came up with last year, but the time and funding for the project has not worked out, yet. Once the new textbook is complete, it will be an important part of this project. If anyone has ideas on how best to organize the programs, or properly construct them, since I am not well-versed on the procedures required, your help would be greatly appreciated. Locally, I have someone who will help me negotiate with the various schools in our area. Originalist Constitution education in the public indoctrination centers is critical in our work to restore constitution education and literacy, and this program could be ground-breaking.
5. Inner-City Education: For the last two years I have been working with some very enthusiastic individuals who wish to make Constitution Education a part of the new civil rights fight. The liberal left has been setting back minority populations, from encouraging violent unrest to the legalization of marijuana. As my friend, Bishop Ron Allen says, “Martin Luther King did not fight for civil rights so that blacks can get high.” The abortion industry targets black and Hispanic communities, high school drop out rates are continuing to rake the ceiling in these neighborhoods, and among single-parent households in the black community the poverty rate is 37%. The values and principles that accompany a system of limited government designed to restrain the federal government from interfering in our lives and communities, the promotion of a dynamic economic market based on the principles of liberty, and returning to moral fundamentals such as traditional marriage and personal responsibility are critical in restoring our country’s prosperity for all Americans (if we are not a godly people, we are not capable of adhering to constitutional principles). A moral society based on godly values, constitutionally-centered governance, and liberty-based economics are the cure for poverty and strife – not what the liberal left has been offering, which is more government programs and more government dependency. That all said, the work I have been trying to accomplish with the Congress of Racial Equality, and National Congress of Racial Equality has been rocky, and is all but extinguished. That does not mean these programs designed to bring constitution classes to city neighborhoods through chapters designed to encourage civil rights based on conservative principles cannot be accomplished. I believe in the effort to raise constitutional awareness and literacy in our city neighborhoods, but we need to regroup, reform, and relaunch it in a form that can work. Suggestions, prayers, and active participation is encouraged. Contact me at constitutionspeaker at yahoo dot com so that we can work together to restore Martin Luther King’s vision of a world that does not operate based on the color of one’s skin, but on the content of one’s character.
6. Video productions: Through the Constitution Association, and my own efforts, we have been laying the ground work to begin producing video constitution segments, be they the taping of my Constitution Classes, or specific productions targeting certain constitutional issues. I am working with a number of folks who are very enthusiastic about the potential projects, one of whom is an amateur computer animator, and another of whom has a track record producing legitimately successful productions. As we embark on these opportunities, we need your prayers, and expertise if you would like to volunteer your video production skills to our projects.
7. Public Speaker: In addition to the six-State tour, I am working to ramp up my public speaking opportunities. I average a couple events per month, and would like to double that (at the very least), not only here in Southern California, but around the country. Email me at constitutionspeaker at yahoo dot com if you would like to have me come out as a speaker for your group, or if you have ideas for expanding our public speaking efforts.
8. New Books: 5 Solutions to Save America is my fifth book, and the sixth one is on the verge of publication – 7 Worst Constitutional Liars. Then, hopefully by February, I will have my textbook, “A Promise of American Liberty“, available. Then, it will be time to finish the book that tackles Saul Alinsky, the book that addresses nine of John Marshall’s rulings that pushed America away from the Constitution, and a book contrasting the ideologies of the Founding Fathers, Karl Marx, and those of today’s political parties.
Here’s a working list, so far:
⬩ 7 Worst Constitutional Liars: From Alexander Hamilton to Barack Obama, those who claimed to be defenders of the Constitution, but in reality were ardent enemies of what it stands for.
⬩ A Promise of American Liberty: Doug’s long-awaited Constitutional Textbook.
⬩ A Tyrant’s Guide to Killing Liberty: Doug takes Karl Marx and Saul Alinsky head-on in this revealing exposé of how leftism kills, and what we can do to use their own weapons against them.
⬩ Across the Gray Line – Ideologies Contrasted: In this book, using columns, Doug compares the Founding Fathers to the Republican Party, Democrat Party, and Karl Marx. . . issue by issue.
⬩ A Promise of Economic Freedom: Finally, a common-sense book on the free market economy, written in a textbook style that everyone can understand.
⬩ John Marshall and Nine Rulings That Changed the Constitution: Marshall was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, but in his 36 years as ruler over the United States Supreme Court, he inflicted dramatic damage to our constitutional republic. . . of which we still feel, today.
⬩ 50 Greatest Influences on the U.S. Constitution: Some names, like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, you will recognize. But, there have been other champions, and villains, along the way.
⬩ Elizabeth Powel, Keeper of the Republic: My favorite Founding Father was a woman, and a very good friend of George Washington’s. It was she who Benjamin Franklin challenged, saying, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
⬩ A Patriot’s Guide to the United States Constitution: Doug’s most ambitious, and detailed, project, yet. Written in an essay style, with essays written regarding each of the major Constitutional issues that challenges our country in today’s tumultuous political environment.
⬩ Timeline of Liberty: From the Garden of Eden to Present Day, liberty, and the enemies of liberty, has always existed. This book will break down the full world history of statism, liberty, and godly individualism.
⬩ Madison’s Notes – Understanding the Debates of the Constitutional Convention: James Madison took notes during the 1787 Convention, detailing each argument, and providing us with an insight to what the original intent of the Constitution truly is.
⬩ Workbook Companion to The Basic Constitution
The thing is, those books need to be bought, read, and promoted. You can help with that. Buy my books, give them reviews on Amazon, and share with others the fact that those books are out there.
The reality is that all of my ambitious efforts cannot ride solely on my shoulders, or my own personal funding efforts. I need people who can assist in our efforts, ideas from people who know how to tackle what we are trying to do, and funding to make sure we are able to accomplish what we set out to do. The funding need is a constant, and anyone who can help would be greatly appreciated. Personal donations to me can be accomplished online at http://www.douglasvgibbs.com/donate.php, or if you wish it to be a tax-deductible donation, you can give to the Constitution Association, a 505(c)(3) non-profit organization that assists me in my efforts to educate America regarding the principles of the United States Constitution. You can donate there at https://give.cornerstone.cc/constitutionassociation.
Here’s to a successful new year, and the hope that 2018 becomes the launching pad of what historians will recognize as a great constitutional reawakening in America.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary