The Liberty Forum seeks to promote thoughtful dialogue pertaining to matters of Liberty and Constitutional government. Our attention is focused upon, but not limited to, the study of the following topics:

• The inalienable rights of Life, Liberty and Property
• Natural Law and Constitutional Theory
• Foreign policy and the defense of the United States
• The free trade of goods, services and ideas as opposed to current trends in government intervention
• Change in the present political process, especially the party system

From such concepts as these, men may draw a basic understanding of the role of human government, and apart from these ideas, no such role can ever be properly understood. Therefore, it is the goal of The Liberty Forum to promote intelligent thought and discussion so as to bring about change towards the procurement and recapturing of American liberty on all levels.

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident; that all Men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

- The Declaration of Independence, 1776

Position Statement
October 2005

Preamble. Wherefore, in 1776 the Declaration of Independence laid forth the arguments for separation of the Colonies from Great Britain, the writers stated the causes for such action. In related fashion, we seek to set forth the reasons for the forming of the Liberty Forum.

Resolved. We appeal to those self-evident truths, "that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness..." It is of utmost concern to all free people to guard and defend the common rights of Life, Liberty and Property. The Liberty Forum acknowledges the recognition of these three rights to be the necessary precondition for all free societies.

Resolved. We hold that in order to "secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men..." We declare all power of governing to be vested in and derived from the people, and that governments are but their servants. In the Declaration of Independence the signers wrote that it was only with the consent of the governed that a government would have legitimate authority.

Resolved. We recognize that although these rights are essential to mankind, history and experience has taught "that Mankind [is] more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed..." According to the pattern of disrespect and the encroachment upon our rights displayed by our current government, we seek to follow the advice of the patriots– "prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes..."

Resolved. We have seen from history, that no government, long established, will endure unless it is built upon the foundation of "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." This concept of revealed law is what our Republic was founded upon; a concept found in the long history of the English Common Law. A return to these principles is necessary for the continuation of our Republic.

Resolved. We recognize that without studying the content and essence of the Laws of Nature, a free people cannot long endure. Thus, large quantities of time should be invested in study, thought and discussion concerning these principles and their relationship to legitimate government. Both systems of positive law and evolutionary law detract from our understanding of the nature and role of government and are not useful in our study of law.

Resolved. Our present form of government was originally codified in the Constitution of 1787. A return to this written, delegative document must be followed in all of the spheres of our government: executive, legislative and judicial. We must seek to understand the original intent of the framers in their writing of the Constitution, through studying their own writings and deliberations upon the meaning and purpose of this Constitution.

Resolved. The Constitution of 1787 was a contract-covenant between several states, the number of which has since increased. This federation of States was essential for the creation of the larger United States of America. Therefore this Federated Constitution was structured as a Republic with representative government from both the States and the people in general.

Resolved. We recognize a general lack of knowledge concerning the document of the Constitution of 1787 endemic to the people, both in the states and in the government itself. We seek to study, teach and discuss the intent, form and practice of the Constitution.

Resolved. We acknowledge a decline in the overall awareness of the general populace pertaining to the purpose of governments' role in society. External government is impossible without an understanding of individual government, a concept which is inextricably linked to personal responsibility. With such an understanding being present in society, government can grow upward and outward. Without such a bottom up structure, no form of government can further the rights of men; the rights of Life, Liberty and Property.

Therefore, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World, we have here attempted to articulate what we believe are the precedents and reasons to promulgate discussion on the formulations included in this position statement. The specific goal of the Liberty Forum is to promote an understanding of the following topics:

The Liberty Forum seeks to bring these changes in our government for the furtherance and survival of those treasurable rights which exist in all men. We do not seek post-modernistic discussion, rather, we desire to implement genuine thought and discussion, the ultimate consequence of which should be to yield practical results in our government(s) and in our communities.

R. Abraham Edwards

Jonathan D. Detwiler

Stephen Valentine Hodos

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