National Chairman's Letter

IAP Principles 1 thru 4

January 2005

Dear Independent American friends,

For the past 3-1/2 years, I have devoted many of my Chairman's Letters to commentary on our IAP national Mission and Platform. These commentaries are all accessible from the Beliefs and Archives sections of our www.usiap.org web site. Now I would like to devote several letters to quotes or commentary on our IAP national Principles. In this letter I will touch on the first four of the thirteen Principles.

1. We believe that to maintain freedom, our political institutions must be founded upon faith in God and moral laws as declared in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution for the United States and the Bill of Rights.

Alexis de Tocqueville wrote: "Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good and if she ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."

The scriptures say: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17). "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Psalms 33:12). "Righteousness exalteth a nation" (Proverbs 14:34). These alone present the importance of God in our nation and society.

2. We believe that God has endowed men with certain unalienable rights as set forth in the Declaration of Independence and that no citizen, group of citizens or government may limit or destroy these rights. The function of government is to protect life, liberty, and property; anything more than this is usurpation and oppression.

On life – Albert Schweitzer said: "If a man loses reverence for any part of life, he will lose his reverence for all life."

On liberty – Benjamin Franklin said: "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety...."

James Madison: "I believe there are more instances of abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations...."

On property – James Madison said: "Government is instituted to protect property of every sort .... This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own."

Thomas Jefferson: "The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the law of God ... Anarchy and tyranny commence. Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist."

3. We believe that the Constitution for the United States was prepared and adopted by men under inspiration from Almighty God; that it is a solemn compact created by the people of the states of this nation, which all officers of government are duty-bound to obey; that the separation of the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches must remain well defined.

Edmund Morgan, writing about our Founding Fathers, said: "In no other period of history would it be possible to find in politics five men of such intellectual stature as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson; and there were others only slightly less distinguished. Only for the brief span of a single lifetime would America’s statesmen and her brightest thinkers be the same men."

Early in the Constitutional Convention, George Washington said: "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God."

The Separation of Powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches in the Constitution was inspired by the scripture in Isaiah (33:22): "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us."

John Adams said, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

4. We believe the proper functions of government include the duty to: (a) Punish crime and provide for the administration of justice; (b) Protect the right and control of private property; (c) Wage defensive war and provide for the nation’s defense.

Our IAP national Platform, section 7 – Society, subsection Crime, states: "We support the independence of local law enforcement from federal intrusion and control. We oppose federalization of crimes which fall under state jurisdiction. We recognize the sheriff as the ultimate authority of law enforcement for each county."

Our Platform, section 4 – Unalienable Rights, subsection Property, states: "We maintain that government must be strictly limited in its powers to intrude upon the private property of individual citizens, and that there be no search or seizure of persons, places or things without due process of law."

Our Platform, section 11 – Defense, subsection Foreign Wars, states: "We honor the right of our U.S. forces to refuse to serve under the command of the United Nations or any other foreign entity, or refuse to wear their uniforms or insignias.... We maintain that U.S. forces should not be sent anywhere unless our rights as a nation are threatened or seriously menaced. We favor Congressional approval for troop deployment and declaration of war."

For God, Family and Country!

Bruce Bangerter
IAP National Chairman