As we prepare for July 4, we should remember how our country used to be. The constitution shows us how our government is supposed to be run. The Bill of Rights outlines those things the government cannot do.

It is generally thought we are given rights in the constitution, but in reality the constitution is the chain that binds the government’s actions. We must never forget this, because when a government fears the people, we have liberty, when the people fear the government, we get tyranny.

The founders of this great country in 1775 took us in a totally different direction from where people were “ruled” by kings and queens. The idea was to tie up the tidal forces of avarice, greed and tribal aggression of humans, put it into a republic and divide the powers against each other to create a safe zone for individual liberty to grow. The individual is always oppressed by the power of government. Government is force, and can be used to protect liberty, but unchecked, it will create tyranny.

Government is now raising taxes in the form of inflation, unfunded mandates, more fees and all new taxes. We need to send a message that we are not going to take it any more, and exercise our rights for a redress of grievances. We want our republic back, we want our states to be sovereign and work for the people.

Barack Obama in his state of the union address said, “I have told each member of my cabinet, as well as mayors and governors across the country, that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend.” I wonder what form of government he thinks we live under? The president is beholden to the states, and is co-equal with the legislative and judicial. He doesn’t get to send bailout money, nor question states’ rights.

The federal government was created by the states to form a republic, not a democracy. A democracy is mob rule and is not mentioned in the constitution. A democracy is when two wolves and a sheep sit down to decide what’s for dinner. A republic is when that sheep has a gun. The recent bailouts are often compared to socialism. Distributing $12.8 trillion of taxpayer money to corporations and banks is simply called theft.

We were recently told by Sen. Dick Durbin “and the banks – hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created – are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill – and they frankly own the place.” Do you want to be governed by the financial oligarchs? Should our children be held in perpetual servitude, paying back the national debt that is created each time the Federal Reserve fires up the printing presses?

If you thought our current bailout situation is unique, it’s not. The Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel operated by the largest banks in the country. This cartel wields influence and power to print money, create debt as interest and manipulate exchange rates.

In a chapter called “The Name of the Game Is Bailout” in the book “The Creature from Jekyll Island,” G. Edward Griffin writes, “The primary objective of this cartel is to involve the federal government as an agent for shifting the inevitable losses from the owners of the banks to the taxpayers. It is important to remember that banks do not really want to have their loans repaid. They make profit from interest on the loan, not repayment of the loan. One of the reasons banks prefer to lend to governments is that they do not expect loans ever to be repaid.” Thus you see the endless cycle caused by the Federal Reserve.

We must understand how this process works, and question our government. We can wave flags and shout patriotism all day, but (as Scott Ritter once said) “I can train a monkey to wave a flag; that does not make the monkey patriotic.” I can’t train the monkey to read and live the Constitution. (Benjamin Barber said) “Spectatorship is an invitation to fear. Citizenship is how we fight the politics of fear.” Get engaged, talk to your neighbors, decide what you want from government and then follow-up with them; they really hate that.

Please join us in front of Brentwood City Hall on July 4 at noon. We have the park reserved, and want everyone to enjoy a couple hours with song, speakers, fellowship and marching.

For further information, visit www.brentwoodteaparty.org and www.meetup.com/eastcountycfl.

Sean Ackley is a Brentwood resident and grassroots activist.