IAP National Report at Elko, NV (2001)

IAP National Report at Elko, NV (2001)

by Bruce Bangerter (Utah)

Report given by Independent American Party National Chairman, Bruce Bangerter, before the Central Committee of the IAP of Nevada, September 29, 2001 at Elko, Nevada.

Someone said, "To be born free in a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility." Someone else said, "The greatest glory of a freeborn people is to transmit that freedom to their children." James Madison said, "Resistance to tyranny is service to God."

Our Origin

From these sentiments, sprung the national Independent American Party. It was in 1998: The Utah IAP held three conventions that year and debated whether to remain with the national American Party (a very small national) or affiliate with the national US Taxpayers Party. At some point, someone suggested that we form a new national IAP and affiliate with it.

Dan Hansen [of Nevada] came to two of the Utah IAP conventions to argue for the US Taxpayers. Arly Pedersen [of Utah] argued for the American Party. And I ended up arguing for the new national IAP. At our third convention, right after the general elections that year, we debated and took a binding vote by secret ballot.

The US Taxpayers Party got 18% (I think Dan is still mad at me). The American Party got 18%. And the national IAP got about 64% -- just short of the two-thirds necessary to change our affiliation. So we had a runoff ballot on whether to affiliate with the new national IAP. The vote was nearly 80% in favor. And the sentiment has been higher than that ever since.

Our new national IAP soon adopted its Mission statement, which is, "to promote respect for life, liberty and property; strong traditional families; patriotism; and individual, state and national sovereignty -- with a strong reliance on the Declaration of Independence and allegiance to the Constitution for the United States of America -- by petition to God and by political and educational means."

We launched our national web site -- www.usiap.org -- which now features 350 Viewpoint articles. And we are adding new articles every weekend. Some of the articles are by your Dan, Janine and Joel Hansen, and Ike Yokum [all of Nevada]. And we have a link to your IAP of Nevada web site.

We have held National Conferences twice a year for the past three years. Dan Hansen has come and spoke at each of our conferences. And Janine Hansen came and spoke at our conference in January of this year. So I am very pleased to reciprocate and be in Nevada today and speak to you patriots here.

Cooperation

Our national party has been open to working with other like-minded third parties and political entities. Last year we invited both Howard Phillips, presidential nominee of the Constitution Party, and Earl Dodge, presidential nominee of the Prohibition Party, to seek our IAP presidential nomination. Both ran in our Utah IAP presidential primary. Howard won, and accepted our nomination for president.

Recently we considered and decided to associate with the Independent National Committee -- INC -- an umbrella organization designed to promote cooperation among like-minded third parties and political entities. INC is now trying to get Howard Phillips and Jim Clymer of the Constitution Party, and Gerald Moan, Chairman of the Buchanan side of the Reform Party, to associate. We are friends with Howard Phillips and the Constitution Party, and look forward to working with them whenever we can.

At our IAP National Conference in January, we passed a resolution inviting state parties that are affiliated with other national parties to affiliate with us also -- in the form of dual affiliation. This means that the IAP of Nevada could affiliate with our national IAP, and still retain their affiliation with the national Constitution Party. We see no problem with this for now. A problem could arise in 2004 should the Constitution Party and IAP nominate different presidential candidates. I would then expect the state party to back the candidate that is the most principled and most viable of the two.

Phenomenal Growth

For two and a half years, our national party has only had one state party -- the Utah IAP. We have had individual members in about 40 states though. But in the last six months we have had a phenomenal growth spurt. We have formally recognized two organized state parties -- Tennessee and Minnesota. And we now have what we call "prospective parties" in eleven other states. Some of those are organizing and will soon seek formal recognition. We have appointed four area coordinators to oversee state activities in all four regions of the country.

Our California party has plans to organize soon and seek formal recognition. We are currently calling them the Surrogate IAP of California -- because there is already the AIP there with its similar name which is affiliated with the Constitution Party. At some point, the two state parties may decide to merge. The prospective IAP of Arizona is already working on ballot position. The IAP of Minnesota will launch their ballot access petition drive this Spring.

Our growth has been uncanny. And its certainly not from my doing, as I have been functioning more as a moderator or coordinator than as a leader as new state organizations spring up from the grass roots, wanting to be part of our national IAP. It will be exciting to see where our growth is six months from now. I don't know for sure just where we are going. This movement seems to have a force and direction of its own.

I visualize in one scenario where the IAP, Constitution Party and INC may come together -- we will ask for their leaders and give them our name. In another scenario, I visualize the IAP becoming such a viable principled force on the American scene, that the Constitution Party, INC and other like-minded political entities will recognize us for what we are and where we are going -- that they will readily join and merge with us, and become part of the IAP.

I did not come here to persuade you to affiliate your IAP of Nevada with the national IAP. I feel that when the time comes that you are meant to affiliate with our national -- that you will know, and you will.

Questions & Answers

At this time, I would like to open up to a few Questions and Answers. Are there any questions?

Q. What kind of dues does member states pay to national?

A. Our IAP Bylaws states that the National Committee (which is made up of all member states) can impose dues on member state parties. But this has never been done. The Utah IAP voluntarily decided to give us ten percent of their income. We call this a tithes. Perhaps other states will choose to pay voluntarily also. Most of the money we do receive is currently being used on the web site and for correspondence.

Q. Isn't there a concern that we are splintering ourselves by dividing into multiple national parties?

A. Yes, that is a concern. But there are some principled people who, for whatever reasons, don't want to belong to the Constitution or Reform Parties. They have found a home with the IAP. The Reform Party seems to have fractured from the Perot/Buchanan split. The Constitution Party seems to have peaked and is now waning, never having captured the imagination of the American people. The IAP though small is rapidly growing; and it is yet to be seen whether America will embrace us. Hopefully, our several parties of like-mind will soon merge into a single viable entity. I expect that may be the IAP.

Thank you. I will wrap up my report now.

Conclusion

John Dickenson said, "Political slavery is ever preceded by sleep." Judge Learned Hand said, "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no laws, no court can save it." And partly because of the recent terrorist attacks, we are losing much of our liberty.

But there is hope! The scriptures say, "If my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14)

Our national IAP not only wants to effect legislation, we want to elect good moral candidates who will be righteous role models for America. And we want to be ready as a potential instrument in the Lord's hands.

Let's hearken to the scripture, "I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war." (Jeremiah 4:19)

Ultimately, we need to get our lives and houses in order, that we may be worthy instruments for his hands. Winston Churchill said, "It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what is required." If we seek God, then with God's help, we can and we will!

God be with you.