Welcome to the
Welcome to the
This site allows you to access excerpts from the Mr. Jefferson's Challenge Newsletter, interact with other Citizens on "The American Citizenry Speaks!" bulletin board, review our objectives and recent announcements, and send questions or comments to the Publisher via e-mail.
The Publisher and Editors of Mr. Jefferson's
Challenge support free speech on the Internet. We encourage all
Citizens to do the same. The Internet represents the American People's best
chance for attaining real political power in the 21st Century. Please stay
alert!
Click on the logo to move to the Blue Ribbon Campaign Web Site, sponsored by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other civil liberties organizations. (Use your "back" key on your web browser to return to the Mr. Jefferson's Challenge Home Page.)
The Internet has the potential to liberate the human soul, expose tyranny, and topple governments. There is no doubt that World governments, including the United States government, will try to control and restrict this awesome power wielded by the common man. The "Telecommunications Reform Law" of 1996 was simply the first volley in this battle. Fortunately, the American People are partially protected from tyrannical government by their Bill of Rights. Three Federal judges recently struck down a portion of this law -- "The Communications Decency Act" -- as unconstitutional. The U.S. Federal government will try again, however.
A Republican Congress passed the "Telecommunications Reform Law" in early 1996, and Democrat Clinton signed it into law on February 8. That day, one Internet Citizen, John Perry Barlow, self-described "Cognitive Dissident" and Co-Founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, publicly demanded an end to government encroachment into Cyberspace. Click here to read Mr. Barlow's call for Citizen vigilance and governmental restraint in "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace."
Mr Jefferson's Challenge is a new publication and open forum serving the American Citizenry. The newsletter is free to the public, and focuses on the changing social and political events in America. The publication is named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father and author of the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration, Jefferson challenged the King of England and Colonial America with his call for revolution:
...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security....
Mr. Jefferson's Challenge began publication in this spirit. The Publishers passionately believe that the responsibility for good government and the welfare of the Citizenry falls ultimately on the People. Therefore, the People must assume full responsibility, and take whatever action is necessary. We believe the table is set for America's second great Revolution. Responsible Citizens must take action now to ensure constructive change and to prevent violence and anarchy. We are not encouraging revolution, but we believe the Revolution is coming.
Please consider adding this site to your "hot list" or "list of favorite places" now. Simply copy our URL below to your list or program:
http://users.aol.com/mrjeffchlg/index.htm
Thank you.
Mr. Jefferson's Challenge began publication on December 1, 1995. We publish bimonthly. Listed below are selected excerpts from the newsletter. Excerpts from all subsequent publications of Mr. Jefferson's Challenge will be uploaded to this Home Page immediately upon completion.
In this introductory article, the Publishers of Mr.
Jefferson's Challenge describe the objectives of the project, emphasizing
the stakes for America. Although we try to minimize constraints on this public
dialog, we outline the basic groundrules for this free public experiment.
We strongly recommend you start with this article.
"Newsletter Encourages Open
Debate on Political and Social Revolution in America"
The Editors and Publishers of Mr. Jefferson's
Challenge believe we are at the eve of historic events that future Americans
will call a Revolution. In this article, we briefly describe some of the
evidence that exists today to support such a
claim. "Is America's Current Political
System Sustainable?"
Libertarian philosophy is becoming mainstream in America
today. A strong argument can be made that the so-called "Republican Revolution"
is simply the early stage of a libertarian revolution. In this article, we
challenge the Libertarian Party to re-evaluate its policies and assume its
proper leadership role in this shift toward
libertarianism. "The Libertarian Party is Missing
the Boat"
We believe that many myths surrounding the U.S. Constitution
are not serving the American People well. In this ten-question "quiz," we
explore aspects of the Constitution, the Convention of 1787, and our Founding
Fathers that are poorly understood by the American People. We expect you
to be quite surprised, or perhaps shocked, by many of the answers to the
quiz. We hope you will learn something about America and her People in the
process. We encourage you to submit your thoughts via e-mail below.
"The Mr. Jefferson's Challenge Quiz on the U.S.
Constitution"
With publication of the third issue of Mr. Jefferson's
Challenge, the Publisher briefly describes the status of the project.
"A Brief Message from the Publisher..."
In this article, Mr. Paul Baldwin, U.S. Citizen and
Mr. Jefferson's Challenge subscriber, provides an historic perspective
of the U.S. Constitution. Mr. Baldwin describes the British Constitutional
Crisis of 1642, and argues that this crisis greatly influenced the Framers
of the U.S. Constitution. Based, in part, on the Framers' fears of democratic
powers for the Citizenry, the Framers stripped the People of their "ultimate
authority" in drafting the U.S. Constitution. "The
Origins of the U.S. Constitution and the Power of the People"
The Gateway to the National Debate on the State of the New American Revolution!
This segment of the Mr. Jefferson's Challenge Home Page presents an ongoing public dialog on the state of American politics and the Revolution. Just click on this "The American Citizenry Speaks!" link to join our online democratic experiment. Please send us an e-mail with your questions or comments to join the dialog. We will regularly update "The American Citizenry Speaks!" page to reflect your comments.
Descriptions of political campaigns, nonprofit organizations, and related news are presented here. If you are interested in posting free announcements, either within the Mr. Jefferson's Challenge (hard copy) newsletter or at this Home Page, please contact the Editor.
The third issue of Mr. Jefferson's
Challenge was released on April 1, 1996. If you are a
subscriber via U.S. mail, you should receive your (hard copy) newsletter
by May 1. Subscription is free. We will
also add you to our e-mail list at no charge
to
notify you of new releases. You can then review all new information
at this Home Page. To subscribe or join our mailing list, please send
us an e-mail.
The next publication of Mr. Jefferson's Challenge
is June 1, 1996. Please submit your comments and articles for publication
to the Editor by May 15, 1996. In the June issue, we will explore America's
passion for socialist policies, and the inevitable public backlash against
such policies.
Mr. Jefferson's Challenge would like to thank
those involved with the California Educational Freedom Initiative, including
David Schumann, Kathleen O'Connell-Sundaram, and Dr. Milton and Rose Friedman.
Although EFI will not appear on the November ballot (fewer than the required
700,000 signatures were collected), we encourage all Citizens to support
future efforts to reform our public schools.
Please provide the Editor with key Web Site addresses
and other useful information so we can notify our readers in future issues.
We have added a new page of obscure political links
that you may find valuable,
or simply entertaining. Click on the eye below.
Civic Action Alliance: A Nonprofit
Organization for the People
Civic Action Alliance is a Nonprofit Tax-Exempt corporation providing information and other support to anyone on avenues of citizen involvement. The organization also educates the public on the structure, responsibilities, and powers of all levels of government, with particular emphasis on the citizen's role in government. All Civic Action Alliance services are provided to the public free of charge, and all corporate professionals serve on a voluntary basis. For further information on Civic Action Alliance, or to provide your tax-deductible contribution, please write or call:
Civic Action Alliance
28581 Front Street
Temecula, California 92590
(909) 693-0606
The Publishers of Mr. Jefferson's Challenge need and appreciate your input. Please submit your questions and comments now via e-mail. We will respond to your comments within two or three days. Also, if you wish to subscribe (free of charge) to Mr. Jefferson's Challenge or join our Internet (e-mail) mailing list, please indicate this in your e-mail message. If you wish to write us by regular U.S. Mail, our address is:
Jim Long, Publisher
Mr. Jefferson's Challenge
P.O. Box 796
Murrieta, CA 92564-0796.
Click
on the logo for our page of links to interesting, twisted, and enlightening
political sites on
the World Wide Web. If you know of other Web sites that fit into this category,
please send us an e-mail to let us
know. We will update this page frequently.
You are visitor
number since
we first published on December 1, 1995. Thank you again for visiting
the Mr. Jefferson's Challenge Home Page.
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Last Updated: April 20, 1996
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