How is a community taught and reminded of the value of our Constitution?  It takes some responsible, dedicated, organized volunteers willing to invest their time, sacrifice some funding, and to pull talented people together to plan and do the work.  Can our communities also be informed about present threats to our constitution so people will help prevent a Constituitonal Convention from being Convened?  Let's answer both questions.

Two hundred and twenty two years ago, upon completion of their convention’s remarkable and inspired work, the delegates from the States’ legislatures signed the newly created compact which they had debated for so long, our Constitution.  A new form of federation, a Constitutional Republic with three branches of government, was offered to the States and the people of America for ratification. The date was September 17, 1787.  For the past eighteen years, Scott and Tamara Bradley have organized, produced, and directed a production held in Logan, Utah to commemorate the signing of the Constitution.

Scott and Tamara Bradley have been life-long activists in supporting the restoration of constitutionally limited government to America. For years, Scott used his vacation time to teach constitutional classes at the JBS Rocky Mountain Summer Camp that later became the Freedom Generation Rocky Mountain Summer Camp. Recently he completed publication of his new book, To Preserve the Nation (found on Barnes and Nobel’s website), to be used for constitutional studies along with a series of accompanying DVDs.  Formerly, the local John Birch Society Chapter Leader in North Logan, Utah, Scott turned that duty turned over to Mr. Huntzinger.  Scott presently has a weekly radio show on the Internet that reaches 22 stations nationwide and he still finds time to teach a weekly Wednesday-night class about the Constitution at The Book Table bookstore on Wednesday nights in Logan, Utah.

Years of preparation have gone into the organizing of the annual event. The commemoration event has grown in professional quality and attendance.  Over the years, Scott and Tamara found seamstresses to create period costumes for the men and women who volunteer each year to play a part in the commemoration program. Even a huge Betsy Ross flag has been produced for the reenactment scenes.

For many years, the production was held on the Utah State University’s campus, but this year a new venue was utilized, the Logan Tabernacle building was opened by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the evening program.

This year, members from the local John Birch Society chapter, the Constitution Party, local Boy Scouts, the Cache County Sheriff’s Department and the Tea Party group helped Scott and Tamara with the September 16th production.  The National Center for Constitutional Studies  (NCCS) also pitched in by contributing copies of pocket Constitutions to distribute to attendees along with copies of the BYU produced DVD, A MORE PERFECT UNION.  

Before the production began, young men in colonial uniforms with flags, drums, fifes, and rifles were gathered behind the stage setting preparing for their entry. Dr. Phil Betz, as General George Washington was to be seen with the other volunteer actors in their costumes, Monte Lucherine as Ben Franklin, Reed McKenna as Thomas Jefferson, Bradyn Beesley as Patrick Henry, Scott Werner as Samuel Adams, etc.

Cameras were set and running atop the balcony, lighting was in place, the stage had been built, the choir dressed in black were assembled upon the stage, the color guards were at the ready.

Scott Bradley, acting as the narrator, finally rose to the podium and the crowd of 1,200 quieted for his welcoming message, for the invocation, and for a song, “I Love Old Glory,” by the choir and soloist Jeremy Threlfall.

The Cache County Sheriff Honor Guard, in dress uniforms were accompanied by the costumed 1776 Drummers and Fife corps in the posting of the colors and McKenzie Turley with Jeremy Threlfall sang the Star Spangled Banner.

The narrative of the story of the Declaration of Independence, the War for Independence, and the creation of our Constitution began. The lights dimmed to dark, while twelve-hundred citizens listened to the narrator’s story as the costumed actors each arose on queue under the spotlight to share appropriate quotes as the Founding Father characters they played. Famous quotes rang off the walls and inspired the audience with a renewed patriotism.

The Keynote address was given by Michael Ballam who brought laughter as well as applause as he sang songs and talked to the audience.

More songs followed as the Honor Guard retrieved the colors, and everyone finally exited the building to the front lawn where the Sheriff’s Honor Guard fired their rifles repeatedly into the still September night and a cannon exploded its salute as well.

As people left the building, each attendee obtained a copy of the Constitution, a copy of the DVD A More Perfect Union, and a copy of the FREEDOM INDEX reprint showing the voting record of all members of Congress.

While I’m working in Utah this week, I’m scheduled to meet with JBS members at their book tables at other events as well such at The Freedom’s Light, A Celebration of the Constitution event at Northridge High School in Layton tonight, and the same program the following night at the Lehi Memorial Building in Lehi, Utah. Other celebrations are being held in other locations around the West such as a dinner in Sacramento, California.  Americans are being awakened to remember their Constitution. We must continue to work to help Americans learn to hold their Congressmen to the limits of powers delegated to them in that Constitution.

Now what about the emergency of preserving and defending our Constitution and what you can do? Here's A CALL TO ACTION because protection of our Constitution is more vital than just learning about the Constitution. Today, September 17^th, the Daily Herald newspaper of Provo, Utah had a full-page editorial calling for an Article V Convention, or what’s often called a Constitutional Convention (a con con), so the battle is on to bring about a con con that would have the potential to be a bloodless revolution. Such a convention could in fact overthrow our present inspired Constitution and saddle Americans with an entirely new form of government as an offering from a new Constitutional Convention.

It is the danger of a “runaway Constitutional Convention” that has kept the State Legislatures of the past from convening such a convention. But, now as fear of the growing tyranny in Washington has brought out a feeling of desperation among many Americans, some misguided people are turning to a desperate and unpredictable idea, an Article V Convention.

JBS members need to organize in their JBS Chapters, Sections, and States to combat this renewed con-con threat by distributing to their State Legislators our excellent DVD – Beware of Article V – which can be found on our shopjbs.org website at: http://www.shopjbs.org/index.php/videos/beware-of-article-v-1.html at a reasonable expenditure.  We should inoculate the legislatures now against the Constitutional Convention in order to prevent one.

Also, we have available as a great tool to combat the push for a Constitutional Convention, a reprinted article found at: http://www.shopjbs.org/index.php/tna/reprints/dangers-of-a-constitutional-convention-reprint.html ; the article is titled: Dangers of a Constitutional Convention.  JBS members should take action to flood opinion molders across America with copies of this important reprint.

To learn more about the dangers of the Constitutional Convention you can read the excel.lent article Dangers of a Constitutional Convention here: http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/constitution/1241 

Why not copy the URL adddress for the article and send it to your legislators, local opinion molders, political party leaders, and other patriotic friends?