Our Battle for Freedom

by Dan Hansen (Nevada)

Speech given at the evening forum of the IAP National Conference, January 19, 2002, Salt Lake City, Utah.  Dan Hansen was founder of the Independent American Party of Nevada, an affiliate of the national Constitution Party, but close friend of the national IAP. 

This was Dan Hansen's last political speech.  He died tragically three days later in a pickup truck accident near Winnemucca, Nevada while returning home from the IAP National Conference.

My dream has always been to be a filibusterer. So its very easy for me to talk three or four hours, but to cut it down to 20 minutes is a challenge. I call you my my Independent American friends and family. You know, there is not a lot of rewards you get from being involved in this third party movement. I started the Independent American Party of Nevada in 1966. And all its done is cost me a lot of blood, and trouble, and sweat, and money, and you know -- even a prophet is not honored in his own home town, or among his family, or whatever.

Its been a difficult long struggle. But one of the great rewards of being involved in this -- and you mentioned it already today -- is to be associated with you wonderful fine people. You people who love your country, who love God, who love family, who love these principles. And that have the intelligence to not only think about it, but to take action upon what you believe in. And I've been extremely blessed to be associated with you here and with like-minded patriots throughout the whole nation for many, many years. Its a great and rewarding thing to dine with people of your caliber.

I was in Elko [Nevada] last night. We're planning our Nevada state convention, April 19th and 20th. We are going to hold it in Elko. I hope you will take the trouble to come over and help sustain us and support us. Its at the Elko Convention Center. And we have a marvelous speaker who is going to be there -- Representative Ron Paul. Now if you're familiar with a battler, a warrior, a great American -- he will speak to us on Friday and maybe breakfast on Saturday. We need your support. We need you there. We need you to come over, like I try to come over here. Elko is close. And we have a good drawing card for you. You ought to come over and hear Ron Paul, and get your batteries charged. One reason I come here is to get my batteries charged. You get warn out in this battle.

Now I heard these marvelous speeches today. What a great summary -- wonderful summary [by Ken Bowers] from a personal perspective, about a personal friend of mine also, Cleon Skousen. We had him over in Nevada to speak to us on many occasions. And I am well aware of his information. But these speeches we heard today are what the American people need to hear.

But they are not hearing. Socialism is in vogue. The conspirators -- and I don't even blame the conspirators -- its the idiots in America. Talk to them about what? -- the World Series or the Super Bowl or whatever else they want to talk about. They have no interest in studying, and they don't want to be bothered with things that make them uncomfortable. You start talking about religion and politics, it makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Especially when you tell them they are asleep, and that we are being enslaved every day insidiously.

Our news media, our schools, the political parties -- are corrupt. Our money is corrupt. The whole system we operate on is a debt money system. You can not be free and in debt. We are the most indebted nation in the history of the world. My mind is going a hundred different ways from that.

So anyway, how are we doing in Nevada? Well, we are associated closely, and have been since 1966 with the American Independent Party of California. And we try to reach out to your group; and we have associated with other national groups in the past trying to work things out. Like the Constitution Party, which has been very friendly to you -- Howard Phillips was your candidate, for example.

But the California party has over 300,000 registered members in that party. Their platform is very similar to yours. By the way, I want to compliment you on your platform. It also is not only a finished product, but the process is probably more invaluable than anything else. Because it keeps these principles alive in your hearts and minds. You are trying to refine them and reflect upon them, and deal with them. And we do that as a political party and as candidates as we take this platform out and have to condense it. Then these principles stay alive in the hearts and minds of at least a remnant. Then when we get to go to the legislatures and testify. And when we get to go out in the political campaigns and run for governor and senator, and get in the debates and discussions, and to be quoted in newspapers -- these ideas at least are not dying be default. Why? Because you keep them alive.

Now a political party is a lot like the John Birch Society, which is a wonderful organization. And I have been a son of a Bircher for years -- practically all my adult life, practically ruined my life. However, a political party, it is not. Robert Welch talked about forming another political party. It was one of his ideas that inspired me way back in 1966 to get this [Nevada state] party going. But you don't have a political party without candidates. And every person here -- we should have a slogan: "Every member of the Independent American Party -- a candidate!" Every member!

And if you can do no more than get your name on the ballot and distribute a little bit of literature, you have helped build the party. And then you are going to have a few key members who can go out and do more -- and battle more. But every member needs to be a candidate, so that when they throw down that ballot, they see "Independent American" -- they have a choice. And if you are not a member of this party -- well, we have an invitation for you. Make it official. We need Independent Americans.

Anyway, we are the third largest political party in the nation [AIP of California, and IAP and Constitution Party combined]. The California party, which is our closest associate -- we have 15,000 registered members in Nevada, and they have over 300,000. That makes it bigger than the Green, Reform and Libertarian national parties -- just in California alone. And then we have affiliates and associates throughout the nation who are working to build these principles. That makes us different than these other political parties.

Here is one of our slogans: "Freedom is not the right to choose. Freedom is the result of right choices." You think you're free, so go out and drink and drive? If you kill somebody or yourself, that's not freedom. Freedom is the result of right choices.

I just read a book, "Caesar and Conquest Gaul." Anyway, these people wanted freedom. They were being besieged by the New World Order of their day. Let me tell you about some of the consequences here. This is from Caesar, "What if our soldiers thought about making money while taking prisoners?" See, they had these Jewish groups who would come and buy the prisoners from them -- followed them around everywhere. Slave trade. There were exasperated by the massacre of Romans at Cinnabom. The besiegers spared neither old men, nor women, nor children. Of the whole population of about 40,000, a bare 800 escaped.

And this is of the realities of war. You talk about the realities of war, you want to think about that movie, Braveheart. Who destroyed those magnificent warriors? They were able to defeat the New World Order of their day. But they were sabotaged by their "Republican" friends -- where? The Scottish royalty who cut a deal with the powers that be. And all of their valiant efforts were betrayed.

Here's the [Roman] consequences. After they killed everyone in that city -- men, women and children. They were besieging the next city, and they were about to go under. And here's the consequence there. The married women through clothes and money down the ramparts, and leaning over with bare breasts and outstretched hands, they sought the Romans to spare them, and not to kill the women and children as they had done at Viakar.

Now this is a consequence of war. We are at war. Now its hard to go in the casinos in Reno, Nevada with everybody's money everywhere, the finest food and everything going on -- and say, "Hey there's a war going on. There's a conspiracy. You are losing your freedoms." I mean, where's the audience to sell it to? And then you try to talk to the dumb-downed government school graduates, to the people who are getting their Social Security checks, or those who have some other kind of deal from the government -- in fact most of the people are working for the government in one way or another. Where is the market? Well, if these people were in the market, they would realize that war was at their door.

Now, these people that were fighting the Romans, they were organized, they we're inspired, they were powerful warriors. And they had resources, and equipment, and engineering, and military strategy. They weren't just a bunch of dummies.

And listen to this inspiring speech -- this is from one of the leader there, Clipto Vasius. He said, "For this is a life or death struggle, quite unlike the war with the Kinbrey. You know they devastated Gaul, and grievously afflicted her, to where we eventually evacuated our country to migrate elsewhere, and be left us as free men to live on our own land, under our own laws, and in possession of our rights." These are our ancestors there, by the way. "The Romans, we know, have a very different purpose. Envy is the motive that inspires them. They know that we have won renown by our military strength. And so they mean to install themselves in our lands and towns, and to fasten the yoke of slavery on us forever."

Now, they had the Roman soldiers at the door. They could see them. Its hard to get the people to see the enemy you were describing today. They are masters of deceit and deception, these Fabian Socialists. But these people could see the enemy. That is how they have always conquered enemies. You do not know much, perhaps, the condition of distant peoples, but you need only look at the part of Gaul in our own borders that has been made into a Roman province, with new laws and institutions imposed upon it -- "ground between the conqueror's iron heel in perpetual servitude."

Is that not an inspiring speech? These people wanted freedom. Do you know what? They didn't get it. They lost. They were massacred. They were destroyed, despite their great and noble battles with the Romans. Why? My supposition is, because: Liberty is not a natural condition. Everyone wants liberty. A dog wants liberty. You put the dog in the front yard, it tries to escape. You put a little child in a trainer in the front yard, it wants to run into the street. Everybody wants to be free. But freedom isn't the right to choose. Freedom is the result of right choices.

And so libertine has been a rare commodity in the history of the world. Most people have been slaves to the institutions of governments through their own ignorance or own passions forever. Why? Because they always rejected the Author of Liberty, Jesus Christ himself. They have rejected him. He is the foundation of all of our platforms, of all of our lives, of all our wholesome aspirations. He is the Father and Author of this country. He raised up these wise men, he brought about the conditions for hundreds of years when the Pilgrim fathers came here to seek religious freedom -- to serve God. This is a choice land above all other lands. And we have forgotten that principle. And we have allowed God to be kicked out of our schools, to be kicked out of our institutions. Our children don't know about him. You can't teach about the Ten Commandments.

If we are to have any hope or any success, we have to realize -- I don't care what your aspirations are -- unless you are founded upon a firm conviction that Christ is the Author of Liberty, and let the people know that -- or there will be no victory. I mean, we're all a bunch of fools here. Just us, up against the New World Order with trillions of dollars to spend, with control of the news media and the schools and everything? What are we doing here? We must reject reason, and go simply on faith.

Remember the story of Gideon? Now Gideon was surrounded by the New World Order of his day, the Midianites. And he was worried. And finally he raised an army of 30,000. And God said, "Hey, old buddy. Send everybody home, because if you guys win, you're not going to give me any of the credit. You're going to think you did it." So he narrowed it down to 300. And symbolically, they went up into the mountains. And I say "symbolically" in this sense -- they had the Light of Christ, they lit their torches, and they had the trumpets of truth. And they confused and confounded the enemy, who went out in confusion and killed themselves. And the victory was God's!

If this group here intends to be victorious, we're going to have to be like the Gideonites. Now that's the way we've been in Nevada for a long time-- against all odds. We say -- our slogan over there is -- "Ready, shoot, aim! -- You can't miss. The enemy is around us at every level every way you turn." We have so many battles going on there, that its hard to keep up with it. We're fighting the BLM, OSHA, IRS, the government school system, the abortionists, the CDC -- we've got so many battles going on its crazy.

One battle I'd like to tell you about -- now you've all heard of Superman who goes into the phone booth, takes off his jacket, and comes out in uniform. Well, this is one of our uniforms [a T-shirt on statehood]. We formed the Nevada Committee for full statehood. You see, we don't live in a state. Ninety percent of the state [of Nevada] is owned illegally, and is unconstitutionally controlled by the BLM and the Forest Service. They are driving off our ranchers, our miners, our off-road vehicle people. They are doing everything they can to close down any kind of semblance of industry. They destroy private property.

So we ask the question: Are we a state or a territory? It makes a big difference. Because, when we go into a court of law, are we under territorial courts or are we under Constitutional courts? Because under territorial courts, Congress sets these courts up. And they have plenary powers. They are unchallenged. If they want to go out and kill the Indians on the reservations, they can do it. You don't have any Constitutional rights under Congress except as Congress gives, or grants, or takes away. So Nevada is more like a territory. So I say, lets assert our rights as a state, and reclaim our rights under the Constitution. Congress can buy no lands in a state, except by permission of the legislature. If we don't assert our rights as a state, I say, why don't we apply for reservation status? And then we can get foreign aid like the Indians get. [laughter] They've got more land in Arizona and New Mexico under reservations than the State of Nevada has under our governance. We are not self-governing.

So we have Nevada's restless organizers. We have made national and international news. One of our leaders, Cliff Gardner, an Independent American, 65 years old, has been on his family's land for well over a hundred years -- has every opportunity to sell off rich to the Nature Conservancy, which is an appendage of the federal government, and destroy the private property and ranch, and live happily ever after. He can retire with all this money. No problem. That's what most of them have done. There were 50 permittees from the BLM and the Forest Service and Clark County, and it is now down to two. Government has taken over all this land and all of these ranches, reducing the tax base and the taxable land in the State of Nevada -- destroying our local governments.

Never mind that I already mentioned mines and everything else. He had this opportunity, but instead, Cliff and his courageous wife Bertha turned their cattle out where they had been told they can't do it to deliberately provoke the BLM and the IRS, and to take it into court to battle this. They are threatened with fines and imprisonment. They are in the battle. They are in the fight.

Now I can't tell the whole story. Range Magazine -- I want to read one thing out of here. This tells about the Audubon Society, Earth Watch, and all the subsidies of Nature Conservancy. They brag about protecting the last three places -- the places they covered are often western ranches belonging to families that have worked the land for generations. American Land Conservancy offers to buy Klamath Basin farms in Oregon and California destroyed by the enviros (like themselves), federal rules and the sucker fish -- to put them out of production. The war is on folks!

Now, the OSHA-crats came out to me several years ago -- 1996. $1500 fine. They combined legislative, executive and judicial power in unelected bureaucracies. You don't have separation of powers. By every definition, that's tyranny. You know the old saying, "Millions for Defense. Not one cent for tribute." Alright, it took me over five years battling with OSHA, but I took them to a stalemate -- $50,000 later. But we learned how to fight them. And we learned how to battle them. We learned a lot in the battle by taking them on. We didn't know where we were going -- but we just knew they were wrong, and we fought OSHA.

Now a bigger firm -- and I'm going to tell you about this bigger firm, Martin Iron Works. Until Volantini came to one of our earlier battles with OSHA, we organized in the legislature. We had them on target. I mean, we had war going on against OSHA. Volantini came, and he stood up -- hunched up, he's old now -- and said. "You know, when I was a young boy" -- he speaks with this Italian accent still -- "the fascists throwed me out of Italy." He said, "I met them again at OSHA." This is fascism. This is international communism. This is socialism. This is what the Nazis had. There were a lot of people that prospered in Nazi Germany. Remember the movie, Schindler's List? This guy was making a fortune until his conscience got to him. A lot of people prospered under socialism, and socialism, and fascism.

Fascism is private ownership under strict government regulation -- that's EPA, the BLM, Forest Service -- and what do they carry out? All the Nazi programs of the destruction of private property, the control of the schools, the graduated income tax.

Let me close with what else we are doing in Nevada. Today we had a march. We were involved in the Choose Life Rally that celebrates the Right to Life. My sister Janine headed this today. We have a full page advertisement with a beautiful little baby in there, saying the Right to Life, the Right to the Pursuit of Happiness, the Right of Property, and so forth. It says that none of these are any good without the first one -- the Right to Life. It showed the picture of the baby signed by 400 people in the community -- a full page advertisement on the Right to Life. That's another war we're involved in.

Thank you for your time. Its always great to be with you fine people.