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Rutherford Institute: Brushfire of liberty

From WorldNetDaily
Original article available here.


It doesn't matter whether you're protesting the economy, the war, the environment or something else altogether. What matters is that you do your part.
~ John Whitehead, "The Change Manifesto"

John Whitehead is a constitutional law attorney, an author and the founder and president of the civil-liberties organization the Rutherford Institute, based in Charlottesville, Va. This institution provides free legal services in constitutional and human-rights lawsuits. Its focus is on religious and free-speech cases, and also on educating the public on the original intent of the Constitution's framers.

Whitehead named the institute after Samuel Rutherford, a 17th century Scottish theologian who argued in a 1644 pamphlet titled, "Lex, Rex" (Law and the King) that kings must be subordinate to the law, because the rule of kings is derived from men, whereas the rule of law is derived from God. Rutherford's arguments about the authority of kings influenced the development of the concept of the "social contract" advanced by later philosophers such as Hobbes, John Locke, Rousseau and America's Founding Fathers.

John Whitehead's most famous case he tried was Paula Jones v. Bill Clinton in 1997; this pivotal case lead directly to perjury and obstruction of justice charges against President Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky case when he stated on national TV: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman. ..." Although we try very hard, who can forget that stained blue dress of Ms. Lewinsky?

My relationship with John Whitehead extends back almost 25 years. During the mid-1980s, when I was a graduate student at the University of Michigan, my worldview started to shift from liberalism to conservatism. One evening I had attended a dinner party with some friends at a gentleman's house in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. I was very impressed by this man's library and started reading some books he had by John Whitehead, whom he personally knew. I was utterly captivated by the clarity, style and substance of John's writing. He has that rare gift of taking a complex subject like the history of American constitutional jurisprudence, and synthesizing and simplifying it for the layman to understand.

That evening, I knew that my life would never be the same.

As I was leaving this man's home - and his name escapes me - this connected lawyer must have saw my youthful enthusiasm and graciously gave me three of John Whitehead's books right off his library bookshelf. I recall one was on parenthood and the other was titled, "The Second American Revolution" (which is my favorite work of his). Perhaps no man other than Justice Clarence Thomas has done more to shape my ideas on constitutional law, political philosophy and jurisprudence than John Whitehead.

In January 1992, during my first year of law school, I had the honor of clerking for the Rutherford Institute after I had met a good friend of John who gave a lecture at the Federalist Society chapter at our law school. His name was David Melton, an excellent family law attorney who was also the president of the Rutherford Chapter in Michigan. David taught me so much about constitutional law and the necessity that Congress, judges and law scholars should always follow the original intent of the Constitution's framers.

John Whitehead's latest book, "The Change Manifesto," is essentially a reference book on how We the People of all political ideologies must get together, to organize, to effect substantive change in government and in public policy. Whitehead's work primarily focuses on citizenship and civic responsibility as being essential to building an engaged, intelligent and independent-minded citizenry. Whitehead argues that America's media-driven, materialist society, together with a gullible public, has created an electorate that is easily deceived, easily intimidated by propaganda, easily separated by politicians and easily cowed by narcissistic government leaders.

"The Change Manifesto" is a call back to what America's constitutional framers originally intended: a nation whose ultimate authority lies in the will of We the People. The Manifesto uncovers the different ways Americans are being manipulated by unscrupulous politicians. Furthermore, it provides a systematic guide for average citizens to get active, educate themselves and take their nation back from the radicals, neo-Marxists and socialists dominating American government today.

Coincidentally, there are several contemporary political movements that are utilizing the principles of "The Change Manifesto," including 1) the tea party movement; 2) the birther movement; and 3) the anti-socialist health care movement. These populist political uprisings are revolutionizing town hall meetings across the nation as citizens are becoming less passive, more engaged, less reactive and more proactive, less ignorant of their rights and more knowledgeable about their constitutional rights and the limits on Congress and government action contained in the Bill of Rights.

Whitehead covers today's most controversial topics with compelling insight and clarity, including:

*post-9/11 national security and the sacrifice of civil liberties;
*the trend toward a surveillance culture;
*national ID cards;
*pharmaceutical interests and the Ritalin Nation;
*government, the do-nothing Congress and "creative" tax dollar scams;
*government welfare from cradle to grave;
*the great rights of mankind ... and much, much more!

About a week ago, WorldNetDaily linked to one of the very interesting and timely articles Whitehead writes on the Rutherford Institute's website, a column entitled, "Celebrate becoming an activist." I look forward to future articles by this great constitutional scholar.

Please visit his website and buy his books. I am a living witness that each dollar you spend in support of the Rutherford Institute will be multiplied 100 fold in positively affecting the marketplace of ideas.

The great revolutionary firebrand Samuel Adams seemingly echoed a major thesis of Whitehead's "The Change Manifesto" when he said, "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brushfires in people's minds."

Please start your brushfire today by supporting John Whitehead and the Rutherford Institute.

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