Happy New Year, everyone! I pray that y’all have started 2023 in good fashion. Of course, this is the time for New Years’ resolutions, many centered around fitness and better health. I think that is very important, as we must realize that our personal healthcare is our personal responsibility . . . not the government’s. And, if you see how our economy is in a mess, then you do not want the government in charge of your healthcare.

One of the things I enjoy about the Christmas holiday season and the new year are the college bowl games, and boy there have been some great ones. Yes, my Tennessee Volunteers took care of business against Clemson. My birth state team of the Georgia Bulldogs came from behind in the “miracle at midnight” to defeat Ohio State. Our family went down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl but the results for our Kansas State Wildcats against Alabama were unfavorable. And, how about that Tulane vs. USC game? What a comeback, 16 unanswered points for Tulane in the final four minutes of the game.

I love college football, and it saddens me that it will soon be over. However, there is something we can learn from college football: it’s all about the basics. In football it is blocking and tackling. Regardless of athletes, plays, or crowd, it comes down to executing the basics.

The same goes for sustaining our Constitutional Republic: we must get back to the basics, the fundamentals. In this new year, let’s take it upon ourselves to recommit to the basics in order to preserve our America, this Republic.

Think about starting a constitutional study group, instead of an Oprah Winfrey book club. If America is to be restored, we first need to understand what a Republic is. It is founded upon the basics of individual rights, freedoms, and liberties along with adherence to our rule of law. Remember the admonition of Benjamin Franklin: “it’s a Republic if you can keep it.”

Today in America, we are more focused on ideological rights and not constitutional rights. How did we get to the point where our very own government would collude with private sector companies to undermine our First Amendment rights? But, then, ask yourselves: how many Americans know what is in the First Amendment?

I would recommend that you get an old school paper calendar, hang it up somewhere, and on July 4th, write down, “read the Declaration of Independence.” A few years ago, Independence Day fell on a Sunday, and I did just that at our church. Not many Americans have ever read the entire Declaration of Independence. When you do, you will recognize that many of the grievances and usurpations Jefferson listed against King George III and England occur today. Perhaps you can discuss what the phrase “government exists by the consent of the governed” means?

My point is that it takes each of us to recommit to the basics in order to sustain our nation. We must realize that America is not just a piece of land between Canada and Mexico. We are a sovereign nation with a border to secure, as outlined in Article IV, Section 4 and Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 as to guarantee responsibility.

A president cannot unilaterally by executive order excuse individual contractual obligation debt. Said president certainly cannot issue and order, decree, or mandate by edict that we must have an emergency use serum injected into our bodies. Neither can the Supreme Court make law, nor establish constitutional rights based upon an ideological agenda issue, such as murdering unborn babies in the womb by dismemberment.

Article I, Section 8 lists the duties, responsibilities, jurisdictions, and purviews of the federal government, the legislative branch. Federal government agencies cannot rule over us by way of rule and regulation. After all, we have a representative democracy. Those powers not specifically delegated, enumerated, to the federal government are reserved to the States, and the People per the Tenth Amendment.

In 2023, America needs a civics lesson: get back to basics. It will not be taught to us, and the legacy media will not address these issues. We must resolve to be better citizens of this Constitutional Republic. We here at the American Constitutional Rights Union will work to inform, educate, and activate you about constitutional issues, and your rights and liberties. We are at a vital point for the future and legacy of America, and no, it is not too late. If Tulane can score 16 unanswered points in the final four minutes of the Cotton Bowl game, then so can we. But, in those final four minutes, Tulane focused on the basics, blocking and tackling to lead them to victory. We must do the same.

Steadfast and Loyal!