I had nothing planned for today when I awoke and the impression came to share my thoughts with you, my most trusted allies and friends, about our current state and where we are headed, especially with the Alliance for Utah’s Future (AUF). 

There is no other time in our history when the importance of unifying freedom-loving conservatives and constitutionalists has been more pressing. Unfortunately, the exact opposite has been happening, with a handful of exceptions (the efforts by Larry Meyer, Eric Moutos, Ron Mortenson, Julie Blaney and… ). Instead, conservatives are more fractured than we’ve ever been. 

Our message is being diluted by a barrage of new groups, chats, and singular issues. Everyone is vying for likes, attention and/or thinking that their new fiefdom is more important and can be more effective than the many other groups that share similar charters and the same members, just like the new proponents of socialism: We can make it work this time… it will be different.

Case in point, there’s the UTAH Freedom Revival, Walk for Freedom, Business Revival, Freedom Revolution and Small Business Coalition, all doing basically the same thing with differing levels of influence.

Then we have Beehive Republicans, Utah Political Chitchat, Campaign Chatter Utah, Utah Real Republicans, Utah Republicans – UnOfficial Group, Utah Republican Party – unOfficial Discussion Group, Utah’s Clean Politics, STRONGER UTAH GOP, Empower Utah, Empowering Utah, Utahns for Liberty, LDS Liberty, Utah Constitutional Law, LDS Defenders of the Constitution, LDS Conservatives, Conservatives Discuss Coronavirus/COVID-19, Coronavirus SA, covid-19 Rational Thinkers, Utah for Donald J. Trump for President 2020, Latter Day Saints for President Donald Trump, The Trump Factor: Utah, Team Trump Utah, Females for TRUMP, and on&on&on. You get the point.

I am barraged by new requests to join or like groups and pages, almost daily. All of these efforts are commendable on the surface but useless with the reality of endless rants, redundant reposting of articles and memes, and self-pontificating. All of that, added to the public’s apathy, self-indulgence, and willful ignorance, has largely rendered Facebook a waste of time.

I’m feeling that my own, personal efforts in relation to my involvement and advocacy are nearing an end. I’m having a hard time justifying more than a minimal amount of effort other than what I’m doing with Utah Standard News, which I am immensely proud of. I’m in the process of rebooting USN now and expanding its influence. I see it as a vital tool for disseminating information, educating, and furthering the cause of liberty and freedom, including promoting the efforts of many of you. I don’t see much point in doing more.

Personally, I’m working 50 hrs a week at four PT jobs which are devoid of ANY joy. I have no time for my loves and passions. I’m usually exhausted and my time has become more precious than ever. I’ve tried everything I’ve thought of to produce a different outcome. 

My attempt to raise funds for AUF was a dismal failure. I sent 275 individual requests to fill out a Membership Form …. 30 responded. The goal of raising $3,000 ($11.85@) was not met… $730 was pledged. I haven’t pursued it because it isn’t  enough to make a difference. 20 of the 25 “Founders” didn’t even fill out the form. There are some of the “Founders” who have not yet joined AUF and one even asked “What’s AUF”.

I am overwhelmed with requests to research and write articles about really important matters but just haven’t got the time or energy to do it. A typical, deeply researched and documented article takes a week or more of my spare time. I have offered to publish anything that is presented but that rarely happens. I’ve asked people who have requested my support to at least send me some ideas and links to begin an article with… nothing there either. 

I recently wrote an article ”Brad Last: The Face Behind the Mask” in the hopes of finally defeating that *@%#!&. Prior to writing it, in an effort to not waste a week of my spare time, I asked Willie Billings if he would make sure that it was distributed to all of the Republican voters in HD71. He assured me he would. I checked the stats two weeks before the primary: 391 shares and 1,223 reads. I advised Willie on this, asked him if he had sent it out, and mentioned that BL received 17,000 votes in the last primary. His reply “I avoided sending it myself as the competing candidate.” I don’t know the result yet of HD71. It’s close. If Willie loses, it will be his own fault. 

Compare that to the 20,300 reads that Mary Burkett got with her Romney story. I am soooo tired of people who really don’t want to win, especially because they’re chained to political korrectness and don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or appear to be a negative campaigner by telling the truth. It’s self-sabotage. That is often the case and has been the main catalyst for my declining interest, going back to the Rob Anderson/SCC issue.

At this point, I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. I jokingly mentioned to a friend that South Dakota is becoming appealing.

I’m wondering how many Americans greeted July 4th Day with gratitude that their governor is no longer compelling them to “shelter in place” or “stay at home” so they can celebrate their freedom? Most of the media is ignoring the fact that this Independence Day is occurring under the most dictatorial restrictions of the modern era and makes a mockery of the Founding Fathers’ intentions.

Governors across the nation earlier this year proved that the Bill of Rights is a parchment barrier that can be easily shredded by invoking their emergency powers. Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer prohibited “all public and private gatherings of any size” (prohibiting people from visiting friends) and also prohibited purchasing seeds for spring planting in stores after she decreed that a “nonessential” activity.

Mayor Bill de Blasio sent police to disperse attendees at an Orthodox Jewish funeral for violating his restrictions on public gatherings but endorsed mass protests against police brutality. Now, singing in church is being outlawed. Would church services be permitted to resume if parishioners promised to cuss the police?  

The pandemic pried open authoritarian Pandora’s Boxes at all levels of government. Trump’s Justice Department asked Congress to approve suspending habeas corpus for the duration of the pandemic. Mike Lee  tweeted in response to the news of the power grab: “OVER MY DEAD BODY.” The ease with which politicians have captured boundless power should be chilling to anyone who is not a fan of Mussolini. 

We have largely forsaken the founding principles that made America great. We have forgotten the paths we should have remembered. And we are paying for it. Far too many Americans are ignorant of the Constitution that was written to secure our God-given liberty, so we have a government that is running out of bounds while most people have no idea what is wrong or what is to be done to fix it. Worse still, we are divided not on the grounds of principled disagreement, but by party affiliation.

And both major political parties are complicit in the ignorance that plagues America as well as in the erosion of liberty that results from that ignorance. America has never been more divided than now. The United States of America is a republic that calls itself a democracy and behaves like an empire. Nothing could be further from the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

We are in a battle between those who, like the Founding Fathers, want limited government and those who, because they love power, want unlimited government. The answer is to recommit ourselves to the principles of the founding of our republic. Read through both the Declaration and the Constitution this Independence Day weekend. Start to see the political world around you through the clear lenses of those principles instead of red and blue lenses that have led us to blindly follow avaricious men and women who care more for their position than for the good of this republic. Consider joining yourself to other patriotic men and women to work together in concerted, non-deluted effort to restore the republic by effective activism. This Independence Day would be a great time to find out what you can do to help in that fight, in a way that matters and makes a difference, instead of posing as a patriot who cares.  

My friend, Oleg Atbashian, who grew up believing in Marxism and in the communist future, and from 1983 to 1986 worked as a propaganda artist creating visual agitprop for the local Party committee in a Siberian town, sums up my feeling:

“Watch closely, and be vigilant towards the cause of liberty. Don’t be a sunshine patriot, only sharing in the joys of great times. Be the patriots who founded our nation – cold, with frozen feet, and with little hope, and that hope coming from God. You will carry your families and your communities through these difficult times with that “founding father” attitude. Pledge your lives, your fortunes, and your sacred honor to the preservation of liberty, freedom, and American principles.” 

As you can tell, I still have lots to say. But, it may be in a different venue, to different people. Your thoughts are welcome.

Have a happy Independence Day, and may we all endeavor to DESERVE independence. 

Peace, love & light. Ed

PS – now on Parler at @USN1