National Chairman's Letter

July 2001

Dear Members and Friends of the Independent American Party,

We had a great National Conference this month with a pleasant evening social (our kickoff event), spirited National Committee business meeting, motivational Freedom Forum, and enjoyable evening barbecue. At our Freedom Forum, Dr. Frank Creel (Virginia) spoke on "Religion and Patriotism" and Joel Skousen (Utah) spoke on "Strategies for the Preservation of Liberty." At our barbecue, our scheduled speakers were Will Christensen (Utah), Dan Hansen (Nevada) and Larry Garske (Utah). These addresses are being transcribed and some are already posted on our www.usiap.org web site.

The crux of our business meeting was deliberations on what level of association, if any, we wanted to have with the Independent National Committee (INC), an umbrella organization for like-minded political entities. Prior to the Conference, we mailed copies of the INC Treatise to members of the IAP National Committee, and I polled all our state contacts for their opinions, pro and con. During our meeting, we heard an audio tape presentation by Don Webb, one of the founders of the INC, and a live presentation by Dr. Frank Creel, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the INC.

Following the presentations, we had a spirited question-and-answer session (with Dr. Creel, answering questions), discussion and debate. Finally, a motion was made and we brought the matter to a vote. The vote was over 70% in favor of associating with the INC. As National Chairman, I took a neutral stance and acted primarily as a moderator. I did not vote because the Chair has no vote except in the case of a tie. However, had there been a tie vote, I would have voted "no" (to break the tie) for the simple reason that we lacked a consensus on the matter. But with a 70%+ vote -- more than two-thirds -- we had a consensus.

Following that vote, we passed the following resolution:

"Resolved: That the national Independent American Party ("IAP") shall enter into an association with the Independent National Committee ("INC"), an umbrella entity seeking to gather like-minded political entities together for the purpose of increasing their visibility on the national scene; and that this resolution is adopted with the understanding that such association shall not impair the autonomy and independence of the IAP in the formulation of its positions on local, state and national issues and that such association may at any time be terminated by majority vote of the National Committee of the IAP."

The particular wording used here is significant. First, we chose to "associate" rather than "affiliate" with the INC. This places us on an equal footing with the INC and does not subordinate us in a way that might be inferred as a father-son relationship. Second, our "autonomy" and "independence" are explicitly stated to make clear that we remain a sovereign political party, answerable to no other political entity except where we find it mutually beneficial. Third, the "termination" clause was included so that the IAP has an easy exit should we at any time find that our association with the INC threatens our Mission, is no longer beneficial, or strays from the Principles that we have both agreed to. The IAP National Committee can be convened by telephone or email within hours to resolve an urgent situation.

One of the chief concerns in our meeting about forming an alliance with the INC, was the fact that National Committee members lacked sufficient time to really study the INC materials. In particular was the fact that few members had seen the Proposed Constitution and Bylaws for the INC. These C&BL documents were drafted by Don Webb and are not in force. It will be up to associates of the INC (which includes the IAP) to review the proposed drafts, debate their contents, make any desirable revisions, and come up with an acceptable C&BL. With our association, the IAP will be in on the ground floor writing the C&BL documents for the INC. And the INC documents will not change our IAP Constitution and Bylaws.

There are four INC documents available and they have been newly posted on our www.usiap.org web site in the Archives section. For a few weeks, they will be accessible from the National Home page. The documents are (1) Comments by Don Webb that were heard (by audio tape) at our National Committee business meeting, (2) a Treatise defending the INC concepts, (3) the Proposed INC Constitution, and (4) the Proposed INC Bylaws.

Alliances are not new to the IAP. Last year we reached outside the IAP to find candidates for president and vice president. We invited Howard Phillips, the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party, and Earl Dodge, the presidential nominee of the Prohibition Party, to both seek our party's presidential nomination. Both men did, both ran in our Utah IAP presidential primary, and both accepted honorary positions as national advisors to the IAP.

In 2004 we may again need to look outside the IAP for presidential candidates. The INC may be a vehicle that will satisfy our needs in this regard. Should the INC succeed in bringing the Constitution Party, Prohibition Party, (Buchanan) Reform and other like-minded political entities into this alliance, we may all come up with one principled, viable presidential candidate backed by a formidable coalition of Constitution-loyal, family-oriented, sovereignty-minded political entities. And should the INC fail in nominating an acceptable candidate, the IAP (as well as other associates of the INC) still has the autonomy to choose a different candidate.

America allied with France during the American Revolution, and that helped win the war. George Washington later warned us against the spirit of political parties and entangling alliances with other nations. It will be wise for us to put the interests of America and freedom above the "spirit" of party (knowing that party interests in other parties have overshadowed America's interests) and to avoid or withdraw from any alliances that might entangle us.

We are still a small political party. And I see where alliances with the INC and other political entities can be beneficial to our growth. But I envision the day, which may not be far off, when the Independent American Party will become a formidable political reality of its own on the national scene. And the INC and other like-minded parties will recognize our viability and destiny, and readily merge into and become part of the IAP. All this, God willing.

Yours for Freedom!

Bruce Bangerter
IAP National Chairman