THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.
The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
Al Ortiz Anti -Tea Party Agenda back in the News
Hey PJ,
What happened? I leave for vacation and the place goes to hell?? Lol
So, Al gets another letter in TRN? Saw it today. Maybe next week we will have Mary Walker’s response to Al’s response to Mary’s response to Al’s letter.
I may have to quit buying TRN again. My dogs have already been paper trained.
W.T.F.
Partisan politics and Fourth of July festivities
Friday, August 3, 2012
The Ridgewood News
Partisan politics and Fourth of July festivities
To the Editor:
In answer to the responses I’ve seen on the Tea Party and the Fourth of July parade, let me say that it’s not my place to judge the ideas of the Tea Party or to question the patriotism of its members. But it does not represent everyone, and, despite its rhetoric, it does not have the market cornered on patriotism.
Across this state and this country, this self-described grassroots movement is very active in the political process, including campaigns and elections, and in some places it is embedded in the inner workings of the Republican Party. Anyone who doubts that the Tea Party is a political action movement with a specific political agenda need only look at its literature or go online to one of its websites and read its manifesto. It’s all there in plain sight.
As for the parade, most Ridgewood residents I’ve heard from prefer a non-partisan, patriotic celebration of the Fourth that highlights community service.
A few residents I’ve talked with think it should be open to political movements such as the Tea Party. But I believe that demeans the parade and reduces it to a demonstration platform for any political movement or party.
Ridgewood’s parade has been special because it consisted of those residents and people from neighboring towns who make our community and our country better through their service and sacrifice, and they do so without regard to anyone’s politics or views on taxes or immigration, or how publicly we choose to wear our appreciation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
The Tea Party is unlike any other participant in this event, and I believe that many of us don’t want it or any other partisan political group in our parade.
Al Ortiz
Ridgewood
The following is our “Manifesto” or as we call it our core principals: Note #13 – “We do not endorse any specific political party” I don’t see any political agenda here – please read it.
Mission Statement:
The New Jersey Tea Party Coalition exists to protect our liberties by restoring and defending the principles within our Nation’s foundational documents, and by promoting unity with other Patriots throughout New Jersey and the United States.
Core Principles:
We the New Jersey Tea Party Coalition, an association of public citizens from the State of New Jersey, are dedicated to supporting the principles within our Nation’s foundational documents and public policy that adheres to those principles, including but not limited to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that are expressed in the forms of personal responsibility, individual liberty, limited government, free markets and property rights.
Insofar as all Americans must live within their financial means, so must our government and we further believe that those means must not exceed the bounds enumerated within our Constitution. Furthermore, through our outreach and rallies, it is our objective to empower our fellow citizens by showing them they are not alone in their frustrations about the bad policies coming from Washington and Trenton. Our goal is to unite Patriots throughout New Jersey in order to speak with a single and powerful voice that will enable us to preserve and restore our Constitutional government which was designed of and for the People. We the people of New Jersey and these United States call for Real, Honest and Ethical government in order to protect and preserve the liberties and prosperity of our children, our families, our community and our country.
1. We reaffirm the principles within our Nation’s foundational documents that are self-evident and state that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
2. We support the New Jersey State Constitution, the Constitution of the United States of America, and The Declaration of Independence.
3. We believe in the sovereignty of the State of New Jersey and in a limited Federal government, as set forth in the tenth Amendment, which states, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
4. We believe in the sovereignty of the United States, and reject any move toward global governance that surrenders our autonomy to powers outside of these United and Sovereign States. Furthermore, we condemn any and all acts by elected officials that abrogate their oaths to protect and preserve our Constitution and believe such acts to be treasonous assaults against the very government they have sworn to uphold. We further believe that such crimes against the Constitution warrant a review before an ethics committee, which if found guilty of these crimes, can result in possible recall of their office and/or criminal charges.
5. We believe that the writings of the founding fathers and the sources referenced by them are the only true foundational basis for the interpretation of the Constitution of the United States of America, and furthermore, that these writings are the only precedents that should be considered in judicial matters regarding “constitutionality.”
6. We believe that excessive taxation is tantamount to a form of slavery and a violation of our Creator God given rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. We further believe that our current tax system is unconstitutional and should be repealed, and we vehemently object to our tax dollars being spent on items other than what is enumerated within our Constitution.
7. We reject all forms of Marxism, Fascism, and Socialism. We support Capitalism and its free market as being the only financial system viable under our Constitution.
8. We reject all forms of tyranny by those who were empowered by the people to serve the people.
9. We reject the violation of the separation of powers set forth in the Constitution of the United States of America where the judicial branch acts in a manner designated to the legislative branch.
10. We believe that those who are elected to any position of government or are employed by the government are servants of the people rather than the people being servants of those in positions of power.
11. We believe that it is our legal right and duty as citizens of the State of New Jersey and the United States of America to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
12. We claim the legal right to remove our consent to be governed by any individuals who violate the principles set forth in the New Jersey State Constitution or the Constitution of the United States of America, and that those who violate any of those principles are to be removed from their position by whatever legal means available.
13. We do not endorse any specific political party nor do we hold to any specific religious creed. We will support those who agree with our core principles. We accept all those of like mind, and we expect each individual to be an informed citizen and to act upon his or her convictions.