On September 17, 2015, the 228th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, a coalition of constitutionally committed groups joined forces to sponsor a community Constitution Day celebration in Spokane Valley, Washington, at the La Belle Vie Event Center. The gathering was planned by the Constitution Party of Spokane County which invited other organizations to join as sponsors and help promote the event. The celebration saw three featured speakers addressing a full house on the central theme of “Living the Constitution: Is It Relevant to Your Daily Life?”
“It isn’t just that our Constitution is worth celebrating, but the fact that we need to refresh ourselves in the knowledge of our nation’s founding documents and rehearse the principles upon which they were established,” said Robert Peck, State Chairman of the Constitution Party of Washington. “Many of us like to think that being ‘conservative’ and being ‘constitutional’ are synonymous. However, when we review the plain text of the Constitution, and consider the intentions of its framers, we find that much of what today is being called ‘conservative’ has drifted considerably far afield from the original intent of the supreme law of our land and in some cases has even become violative of the blessings of liberty the framers intended to preserve.”
The family-oriented event featured refreshments, a social hour, Constitution trivia questions and prizes. There were book and materials tables for those wishing to learn more about our nation’s history, founding principles and current issues.
The program began with a presentation by Robert Andrews of Gospel Parenting, a Christian family and child-training ministry (http://www.gospelparenting.com). Andrews discussed the three separate and distinct jurisdictions of family, church and state, the duties of each to the other, and their equally vital importance to society.
Sandra Hodges, representing the American Lands Council (http://www.americanlandscouncil.org), addressed the need to follow the requirements of the U.S. Constitution in the management of the nation’s wild lands. Hodges explained the history of how so much land, particularly in the western states, has come to be controlled by the federal government and how it can, and must, be returned to the states and the people.
Rep. Matt Shea
The keynote address came from Washington State Representative, Matt Shea. In the face of the nation’s many ills, Shea stated, “Republicans aren’t going to fix them; Democrats aren’t going to fix them; it’s Jesus Christ, working through each of us, who is going to fix them.” Acknowledging that liberty begins with each individual, Shea encouraged attendees to live the Constitution by reading the Bible and the Constitution; forming assemblies (patterned after America’s historic committees of safety and committees of correspondence) and working on issues with others of like values; standing up in the political arena; going on the offensive and making the opposition defend their position; mentoring youth as the future of America; and being bold and courageous in defense of the Constitution.
The Constitution Party’s Ted Baker, who served as the master of ceremonies, concluded the evening. He reminded those gathered that we should not give up contending for adherence to the Constitution, that we still have hope in spite of the damage done by recent administrations. As we, the people, wake up from our stupor and begin to share our faith in the founding principles of this nation, we can experience a revival at the grassroots level, where it really counts.
The Constitution Party hopes to make this an annual event with even more like-minded organizations joining the effort. State Chairman Robert Peck explained: “We really want this to be a community event, something that goes well beyond the membership of the constitutionally-oriented organizations sponsoring it. We want the general population to come out to be reminded what our American form of government is all about.”
This year’s event was promoted primarily through the sponsoring organizations which included:
- Constitution Party of Washington – cpofwa.org
- Northwest Grassroots –northwestgrassroots.com
- Stevens County Assembly –stevenscoassembly.com
- John Birch Society –jbs.org
- Coffee & Books in Town Center –coffeeandbooksintowncenter.com
- We Believe-We Vote –webelievewevote.com
Invitations were also sent to all area city councilmen and Spokane County elected officials.
The event was recorded by John Charleston who, together with wife Cecily, hosts a monthly Movie Night with the Grassroots on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at Darcy’s Restaurant in Spokane Valley. The video can be viewed at the Constitution Party of Washington website, cpofwa.org.
Through both misunderstandings and misrepresentations, constitutionalist individuals and organizations have often been cast in a negative light by the dominant media and others. State Chairman Peck said, “I encourage everyone to watch the video of our Constitution Day celebration and ‘meet the constitutionalists,’ to learn what we’re really about. We reached out to all of the constitutionally-minded people and organizations that we know in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho to make this event a success. Thus, our September 17 event provided a good representation of the constitutional organizations and individuals in the Inland Northwest – a group of God-honoring, liberty-loving patriots who, simply and peaceably, want their country restored to the Constitution, and its rule of law.
On September 17, 2015, the 228th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution, a coalition of constitutionally committed groups joined forces to sponsor a community Constitution Day celebration in Spokane Valley, Washington, at the La Belle Vie Event Center. The gathering was planned by the Constitution Party of Spokane County which invited other organizations to join as sponsors and help promote the event. The celebration saw three featured speakers addressing a full house on the central theme of “Living the Constitution: Is It Relevant to Your Daily Life?”
“It isn’t just that our Constitution is worth celebrating, but the fact that we need to refresh ourselves in the knowledge of our nation’s founding documents and rehearse the principles upon which they were established,” said Robert Peck, State Chairman of the Constitution Party of Washington. “Many of us like to think that being ‘conservative’ and being ‘constitutional’ are synonymous. However, when we review the plain text of the Constitution, and consider the intentions of its framers, we find that much of what today is being called ‘conservative’ has drifted considerably far afield from the original intent of the supreme law of our land and in some cases has even become violative of the blessings of liberty the framers intended to preserve.”
The family-oriented event featured refreshments, a social hour, Constitution trivia questions and prizes. There were book and materials tables for those wishing to learn more about our nation’s history, founding principles and current issues.
The program began with a presentation by Robert Andrews of Gospel Parenting, a Christian family and child-training ministry (http://www.gospelparenting.com). Andrews discussed the three separate and distinct jurisdictions of family, church and state, the duties of each to the other, and their equally vital importance to society.
Sandra Hodges, representing the American Lands Council (http://www.americanlandscouncil.org), addressed the need to follow the requirements of the U.S. Constitution in the management of the nation’s wild lands. Hodges explained the history of how so much land, particularly in the western states, has come to be controlled by the federal government and how it can, and must, be returned to the states and the people.
The keynote address came from Washington State Representative, Matt Shea. In the face of the nation’s many ills, Shea stated, “Republicans aren’t going to fix them; Democrats aren’t going to fix them; it’s Jesus Christ, working through each of us, who is going to fix them.” Acknowledging that liberty begins with each individual, Shea encouraged attendees to live the Constitution by reading the Bible and the Constitution; forming assemblies (patterned after America’s historic committees of safety and committees of correspondence) and working on issues with others of like values; standing up in the political arena; going on the offensive and making the opposition defend their position; mentoring youth as the future of America; being bold and courageous in defense of the Constitution.
The Constitution Party’s Ted Baker, who served as the master of ceremonies, concluded the evening. He reminded those gathered that we should not give up contending for adherence to the Constitution, that we still have hope in spite of the damage done by recent administrations. As we, the people, wake up from our stupor and begin to share our faith in the founding principles of this nation, we can experience a revival at the grassroots level, where it really counts.
The Constitution Party hopes to make this an annual event with even more like-minded organizations joining the effort. State Chairman Robert Peck explained: “We really want this to be a community event, something that goes well beyond the membership of the constitutionally-oriented organizations sponsoring it. We want the general population to come out to be reminded what our American form of government is all about.”
This year’s event was promoted primarily through the sponsoring organizations which included:
- Constitution Party of Washington – cpofwa.org
- Northwest Grassroots –northwestgrassroots.com
- Stevens County Assembly –stevenscoassembly.com
- John Birch Society –jbs.org
- Coffee & Books in Town Center –coffeeandbooksintowncenter.com
- We Believe-We Vote –webelievewevote.com
Invitations were also sent to all area city councilmen and Spokane County elected officials.
The event was recorded by John Charlston who, together with wife Cecily, hosts a monthly Movie Night with the Grassroots on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at Darcy’s Restaurant in Spokane Valley. The video can be viewed at the Constitution Party of Washington website, cpofwa.org.
Through both misunderstandings and misrepresentations, Constitutionalist individuals and organizations have often been cast in a negative light by the dominant media and others. State Chairman Peck said, “I encourage everyone to watch the video of our Constitution Day celebration and ‘meet the Constitutionalists,’ to learn what we’re really about. We reached out to all of the constitutionally-minded people and organizations that we know in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho to make this event a success. Thus, our September 17 event provided a good representation of the constitutional organizations and individuals in the Inland Northwest – a group of God-honoring, liberty-loving patriots who, simply and peaceably, want their country restored to the constitution, and its rule of law.
