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Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc.
P.O. Box 270143
Hartford, WI 53027

Phone (800) 869-1884
Fax (425) 451-3959


May 22, 2002

Introducing: The Freedom Pledge

In time for Memorial Day, and intended for use every day, JPFO introduces The Freedom Pledge:

I pledge my honor to the Bill of Rights, our precious national treasure.

As the Bill is a fortress against tyranny, I will battle all tyrants.

As the Bill protects liberty, I will live free.

As the Bill guards rights born within all humanity, I will defend the freedoms of future generations.

With my life, my words, and my daily deeds, with a vision of what can be, I honor all of the Bill of Rights for all mankind.

HOW TO USE THIS PLEDGE

The Freedom Pledge was written to be recited at the openings of meetings or classes, or as a personal pledge at the beginning of every day.

It is not intended to replace the pledge of allegiance to the flag. We humbly encourage you to begin including The Freedom Pledge in your meetings after the pledge of allegiance or alternating with it.

WHY DO WE NEED A SECOND PLEDGE?

When you pledge to the flag, you are pledging to a national symbol. The pledge is grand, stately, and carries the weight of tradition. But think of those final words "with liberty and justice for all." What ensures liberty and justice? What actually makes America the land of the free?

The Bill of Rights.

When our fighting men go off to war, they're defending our way of life and our traditions, which are defined in the Bill of Rights. When terrorists attack us, they are assaulting our beloved rights. The flag is the symbol, but the Bill of Rights is the source. It is the document that confirms that individual rights were born within us and existed before any nation or flag on earth. It defines abuses no government must ever be allowed to commit and rights no honest government would ever violate.

To the degree that we personally adhere to the Bill of Rights and demand that our governments do so, we are free. To the degree that we violate the Bill or tolerate violations of it, we're on the road to tyranny.

RE-ESTABLISHING A BILL OF RIGHTS CULTURE

We also wanted to make a pledge that reminds us all that we have a daily responsibility to live free as well as to wish, speak, and fight for liberty.

We have written before about the need to re-establish a Bill of Rights Culture in America (See "The Last of the BOHICANS" at http://www.jpfo.org/bohica.htm). Until we accomplish that, our political battles -- especially for the Second Amendment -- are going to be fruitless. Until people understand what liberty is and why we must cherish it, they will continue to think of government as a limitless source of goodies and a powerful tool for controlling or punishing political opponents -- and freedom will be doomed.

In restoring a Bill of Rights culture, the first hearts and minds we must win are those of our children. So the pledge is intended for adults and youngsters alike. We urge you to make the little ones in your family "Bill of Rights Buddies"--beginning with daily recitations of the pledge.

By making the pledge a part of our daily lives and our cultural memory, we take one small but important step toward restoration of a true Bill of Rights culture.

WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS PLEDGE

The Freedom Pledge and the entire contents of this article are © 2002 Aaron Zelman. Permission is granted to distribute this article in its entirety, so long as full copyright information and full contact information is given for JPFO.

Permission is also granted to reproduce the pledge alone. When reproducing the pledge by itself, it would be appropriate to include the line

"The Freedom Pledge was created by Aaron Zelman and Claire Wolfe for Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. To learn more about how you can defend the Bill of Rights, go to http://www.jpfo.org."

Published by:

Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc. P.O. Box 270143 Hartford, WI 53027

Phone (800) 869-1884 Fax: (425) 451-3959 http://www.jpfo.org

*****

How people responded to the pledge:

SHOULD THE FREEDOM PLEDGE REPLACE THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG?
When JPFO released the Freedom Pledge, we suggested that this new, more action-oriented pledge be recited after the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Several prominent freedom activists have suggested that it should [544 votes total]

No, The Freedom Pledge is terrible and shouldn't be used at all. (47) 9%
No, The Freedom Pledge is good, but it should be recited in addition to, and never instead of, the pledge of allegiance to the flag. (237) 44%
Yes, The Freedom Pledge could be used instead of the flag pledge on some occasions. (78) 14%
Yes, The Freedom Pledge should replace the flag pledge altogether. (182) 33%

(The poll was closed on September 12, 2002.)

*****

Learn more about the real meaning of the Bill of Rights and the people who have fought to preserve it:

"An Open Letter to Our Fathers and Grandfathers: You Won the Battle But You Lost the War":
http://www.jpfo.org/veterans.htm

Gran'pa Jack #3 "It's Common Sense to Use Our Bill of Rights," by Richard W. Stevens, attorney at law:
http://www.jpfo.org/gpjack3.htm

The Bill of Rights in eleven other languages:
http://www.jpfo.org/bor.htm

JPFO Bill of Rights Day pages: http://www.jpfo.org/bord.htm



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