The Independent American Party and Freedom!

by Will Christensen (Utah)

Speech given at the Barbecue of the IAP National Conference, July 14, 2001, Kearns (Salt Lake City), Utah.  Will Christensen is State Chairman of the Utah Independent American Party. 

You can tell who's heard me before. They're sitting there back on the back row. [laughter.] As I put this talk together, the spirit of freedom was with me. And I pray that that spirit will be with us as we talk about some of the things that we're going to do here in Utah. And how I feel Utah is going to play a part in restoring our freedom.

But before I do, I'm pleased to be on the program with Dan Hansen [former State Chair of IAP of Nevada] -- Dan gets to follow me this time and that won't be a problem. Dan's a great ice fisherman, and he invited me to go out and ice fish with him. And I said, Dan, I don't know anything about ice fishing. And he said, that's okay, I know everything and I've got all the stuff. You just come along and dress warm. 

And, so, I went. And we got up there on the lake, and walked out on the ice. And he handed me an axe. And he said, the first thing you do is chop a hole in the ice. And I said, that sounds logical. So we started chopping, and I never knew ice fishing was so hard. Because it must have taken close to three hours to chop a hole big enough for us to put the boat in. [laughter.]

Knowing for Darn Sure

Anyway, I'd like to tell you a true story now. This Mom was shopping for groceries -- this is from Paul Harvey. She came out carrying two bags of groceries and her purse. And her husband had been concerned about her safety. So he bought her a little .32 automatic that was in the bottom of her purse. As she walks up to her car, and she sees two teenagers in it smoking cigarettes and listening to Rap music. And she says, get out of my car. And they look at her and turn up the music. She thinks what am I going to do. She remembers what she's got in her purse.

So she puts her bag down by the wheel, and she reaches into her purse and pulls out that .32, and she says, "get out of the car." And those kids set a record getting out of that car. They not only got out of the car, they got out of the parking lot. And so she thought, oh I handled that pretty good. She puts her gun back in her purse, picks up her groceries and puts them in the car, gets in, sticks the key in the ignition, and it won't work. And she's confused. She looks around to the right. She looks to the left. And there's her car, exactly like this. [laughter.]

And that illustrates a point. The point is, its not so much what we don't know that hurts us. It what we know for darn sure that's not right that gives us a problem. And you know, I think in this political thing -- we've got a lot of things like that that we know for darn sure -- and its wrong. Its wrong.

Our Current Situtation

Let me give you an example. In evaluating our situation right now, current events, and the meaning behind the current events -- are we retaining or enhancing our freedom? Are we winning or are we losing? What's the vote? How many think we're winning more freedoms than we are losing? How many think we're losing more freedoms than we're winning? Okay, good. How close are we to turning it around? Anybody think we're are close to turning it around? Nobody? I'm alone?

I don't mind being alone. I've been there before. It's good company. Okay, let me just give you a little perspective. I started studying history in 1947. That's before most of you were born. I have continued that study until yesterday. I haven't done any studying today. My first political campaign was 1952. That was Eisenhower and Taft in the Republican Party. Does anybody remember that? I'll bet Hartley does -- okay, I guess Stevenson in the Democratic Party -- I was on the wrong side.

"I like Ike," do you remember that? Well done, wasn't it. You know Eisenhower was such a strong Republican that he was thinking of running on the Democratic Party for president in 1948. And he ran on the Republican ticket in 52 and won.

Early Activity

I became really active in politics in 64 when I first joined the John Birch Society. And I've been active ever since. In 68 I was a write-in for the state house. That was on the American Independent Party [AIP not IAP] with George Wallace. Anyone remember him? I was a national committeeman for the AP [American Party] and helped write the first platform. That was fun. That was back in 70. I ran for state house and state senate. I was one of the founders of the Independent American Party here in Utah ten years ago. And I ran for Congress. So I have been fairly active in politics over the years.

I look back into the sixties. How many here were active in the freedom battle in the sixties? Okay, how many victories did we have in the sixties? Let's say, how many victories did we have in the average yearin the sixties? Do you remember? Let me explain victory Okay, a victory is either where we stop a drive that would cost us some freedom, or we regain some freedom. We either stop a freedom-destryoing drive or we gain some freedom. I can think mostly in those years, maybe one, maybe two victories. But we had a lot of losses, didn't we. The defeats were everywhere. And the victories were few and far between.

Defensive Victories

How are we doing this year, or in the last couple of years? We've had some victories, haven't we. Okay, I submit we've had more victories than losses in the last two years. Let me just give you a couple of examples. Remember the Patton Bill? Nobody's talking about the Patton Bill anymore, because we won it. Didn't we. We defeated it.

Okay, what about Fast Track on trade legislation two years ago. Remember that one? Nobody's talking about that one. We one that one.

How about gun bills? We haven't really had any bad gun bills come out of Congress in the last four or five years that I'm aware of. And here in the state we had, what was it, 14 gun bills? And the only ones that passed were the good ones -- the ones that restored freedom.

About our UN dues -- we're still fighting that battle. But in the sixties, it would have just passed. But we're still fighting that battle.

How about the ICC -- International Criminal Court? In the sixties and seventies, it would have been a dead issue by now. We would have had it. But we don't have it yet, do we.

The Kyoto Treaty, it hasn't been ratified yet, has it? Okay, what about the Con-Con here in the state? Rescinded! Another victory. These are all victories. These are all victories. And because of ours, their are several other states that have decided to rescind theirs -- I think North Dakota and some other place in the Midwest.

But I want you to know, that most of the victories that we have won have been defensive. And if you are on the defensive, you are doomed to lose. Is that right? If we keep winning defensive battles, we're going to lose. Because we can't win them all.

The Offensive

Okay, let's talk about our strategy for victory. We're not going to just defeat freedom-threatening bills. We've got to win offensive battles. We've got to regain our lost freedoms. And there are a number of bills in Congress right now that will help us do that. So where are we?

Anyone heard of HR1146, the United Nations bill? Okay. We had a vote on that last year. I think 46 members of the House voted for it. Twenty years ago, we had four. But there were some members of Congress who said, Hey, if I had known what my constituents wanted, I would have voted for that.

Okay, income tax. We've had -- in the past four years we've had four bills to rescind our income tax. To get rid of that.

Utah Victories

Does anyone know what's happening in LaVerkin? What's happening in LaVerkin? LaVerkin is a little town down in southern Utah. And it is a "UN-free zone." If there are any representatives of the United Nations, they have to register with the city council. We're registering the socialists instead of the guns. I think that's pretty good. That's a good idea.

Okay, what happened in Virgin down in southern Utah two months ago? This was different. Virgin, guns! Virgin passed a law that required every household to have a firearm and ammunition -- with the exception of those who had religious reasons, like conscientious objectors, and so on.

Okay, what happened about three days ago in Washington, down in southern Utah? They passed a resolution in city council calling on our representatives to repeal the 17th Amendment. Yeah.

Victories in Other States

Okay, South Carolina. Anybody know what happened in South Carolina in January? The Attorney General in South Carolina declared open season on home invaders. And he said that season will never close. Its open season on home invaders in South Carolina. We should do that right here in Utah. I've been in contact with the Attorney General down there. He sent me a copy of his letter to the sheriffs and chiefs of police. Good point. There will be a lot less crime in South Carolina because of that.

In New Mexico, there have been numerous counties who have begun to take their land -- contiguous in their counties -- back from the federal government. I think that's something that ought to be applauded.

Kentucky. In Kentucky last year, they passed a resolution that said the United Nations could not hold or control any land in the State of Kentucky. Do you think we ought to do that here?

Ohio. Last spring, the Ohio state legislature passed a bill that would outlaw partial-birth abortions. And it doesn't make a criminal of the Mom. It makes a criminal of the person who performs the abortion procedure. And they've got some stiff penalties.

Okay, there are a lot of things happening all over our country that are good things. That are proactive. What can we expect of our enemies -- the beltway, the insiders, the conspirators, whatever you want to call them? Do you think they're going to just go home and quit? Naah, I don't believe it. They're going to press harder and more blatantly.

Socialist Moves

Let me give you a couple of examples. Do you think that President Bush, a Republican president in his first 100 days -- do you think it a very good thing politically and for the press for him to go to Quebec and to push for this Economic Union. I think that's too big of a step. That tends to wake people up. And, yet, he did it. They are coming to a point where they are going to have to take more and more blatant steps. And that will wake up our people. Or, they slow down and we wake them up. They are in a lose-lose situation.

Okay, what about the United Nations gun program that they started on the 9th of July? The UN is coming after our guns, and I'll tell you what's going to happen. Its already started. Anyone know who Richard Wilkins is? Okay, I was talking to a gal yesterday who told me what Richard Wilkins told her. The World Court is filing suit against the United States of the America, including the President, etc., for failure to follow the United Nations protocol. Now, I think that's one whale of a step. That's going to wake up a ton of people. That hasn't made the press yet, and it may not. But, we're going to put it out.

This Campaign Reform Bill. They're pushing too hard. The Campaign Reform is going to shut up lots of little organizations. And its a direct assault on the freedom of the press, freedom of speech. And, if you're on the Internet, I know you've heard of that. Okay, so they're pushing very, very hard. And they're going to wake a lot of people up by taking too big of steps. And they've got to take these steps, or they're going to lose. And because they take these steps, they're going to lose as well.

A Juniper Seed

Okay, what part does the Independent American Party play? I would like to tell you a story. It talks about a juniper seed. Anyone know how big a juniper seed it? About the size of a cantaloupe seed. That's pretty small, isn't it. The juniper seed fell in a crack in the rock in the Grand Canyon. Not much soil down there, nothing to grow, no water, nothing. 

But the seed didn't know and it just knew what it had to do, and it did. And it grew, and grew, and eventually -- how many know what a ton of rocks is? Is a ton of rocks a lot? Anybody ever moved a ton of rocks? Its a lot. Okay, this juniper seed grew, and it expanded in this crack. And because of it, it broke off a huge section of 40 million tons of rock -- because of this one little seed.

I liken our party to that one little seed. We are going to do what we're here to do -- that God put us here to do. And that is, to play our part in preserving the Constitution, preserving our freedom, preserving what was given to us for our families. Remember, great things proceed from that which is small. And we're small, you can see that. But we have plans. And we have an agenda. And we have a destiny. And we're going to fulfill that destiny!

Our IAP Goals

Our goal -- our immediate goal by the end of the year -- is to have two workers in every precinct. Now, there's a little over 1800 precincts [in Utah]. That means we'll have about 3600 to 4000 activists, and that's our goal by the end of the year. By the end of five years, we plan to have ten.

Let me tell you, where we are right now? We have about 200 activists right now -- precinct coordinators. But we are alive and well, and we made it through the elections. We're going to go through this petition drive and get back on the ballot in another month or so. We are still there, and we're going to be here.

When I was in the Marine Corp, a hundred years ago, I use to visualize that the Marine Corp was on the pointed end of a spear. Because we would get shipped here and there, wherever there was something -- that's where they would send the Corp. And I visualize that the Independent American Party is the pointed end of God's spear to regain our freedom. And why are we that pointed end? Because we know what we need to do. We know about freedom. We have a feeling for it, or we wouldn't be here.

And we've got to take leadership. And that is our call, to take leadership. We have the plans. I told you this morning, we are going to work on three areas that are areas of concern for Utah. Firearms is one -- this is a great gun state. United Nations is another one. And Votescam is another one -- to get back our free elections and honest elections.

By 2006, a five-year plan. We will have almost 20,000 activists state-wide. We will have control of the Utah House and the Utah Senate. And we will have control of the Utah congressional delegation at the close of the election in 2006. We will be the leaders -- we will be part of the leaders and we will be the state -- one of the states that others states look to, and say, they did this, we can do it! And we're already doing that.

Just visualize this. We've got 18,000 activists out there. And we're sending them the material through the email and various ways. What would happen if one-third of those -- one of every three -- wrote and sent in a UN petition? Sent in a petition on something, wrote to their Congressman, spread information in their precincts? And that's what they're there to do. That's their job. To send a letter to the editor. Do you think our Congressional representatives could stand up to that kind of pressure? They will not. They won't. They will follow what that group wants them to do. Because it will be overwhelming for them.

The Challenge

Most of our elected representatives are not dedicated right-wingers or dedicated left-wingers. They are dedicated to staying there. And if they want to stay there, they will have to do what they're constituency wants. The political face of Utah will be changed by that time. And we're beginning to change it now.

Okay, here's what we can do. Fill out one organizing petition by the end of the month and send it in. We've got an address on, send it in. Educate one-on-one, letters-to-the-editor, videos -- we bought videos as a party -- get them and use them. Keep in contact with our representatives and senators. Study, find out for yourselves what the issues are, particularly in these three areas. Circulate the UN petition -- this is going to be a big one. I we can beat the UN and get the United States out of the United Nations, we will have taken one of their major weapons from them. And we will be a lot closer to winning our freedom back.

Probably the most important thing in this -- and this will be the last thing: Pray for our leaders to lead us to freedom and righteousness. Our elected leaders, state, county, city, national -- pray for them that they will lead us to freedom and righteousness. If we can get enough people to pray for our leaders, that they will lead us to righteousness and freedom, they will not be able to stand against that pressure. And they will have to do it. They will have to do it.

We have a destiny to win back our freedom. And we're going to do it. The slogan of our party is, "Freedom is our heritage and our destiny!" And we're going to win it back. And I thank you for your time.