What Government Can and Can’t Do

Government is not all-powerful. I know that’s a surprise to government bureaucrats and people in blue states (and too many in red ones). This article will cut through the fog of lies and lay out, in a very concise format, what government legitimately can and can’t do – which powers it actually has and doesn’t have.

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We need to start by asking and answering some basic questions: Where does government get its power from? From whom is its authority derived? And what is the purpose of government? The Declaration of Independence answers these questions. The Founding Fathers etched the following truths in stone:

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.”

From this statement, we learn that government exists for the express purpose of securing the individual’s God-given rights, such as life, Liberty, property, speech, self-defense, and so on. We learn that governments don’t spring up out of the ground, but are created by people. They create them, as noted, to safeguard their rights. Governments are subservient to the people who create them. They may be abolished by the People at any given time – and especially when the government oversteps its obligation to secure people’s rights.

To reiterate, government gets 100% of its authority from you. As James Madison put it, “the people are the only legitimate fountain of power” (Federalist No. 49, February 5, 1788). Thomas Jefferson, concurring, affirmed: “I consider the people who constitute a society or nation as the source of all authority in that nation” (Thomas Jefferson, Opinion on the Treaties with France, April 28, 1793). Therefore, if you want to know what a government can and cannot do, simply determine what you justly can and cannot do. If you do not possess a certain power or authority, neither does government. It’s categorically impossible for government to rightly claim prerogatives and powers that its creator does not have.

Additionally, people acting together in groups does not magically endow the group, or government, with extra privileges and powers. Joint action adds zero authority to anything! Acting with your neighbor doesn’t suddenly grant you privileges you lacked as an individual acting alone. Society cannot justly do a single thing individuals are forbidden from doing. If it is wrong for an individual, it is wrong for the group and for the government.

To make this clearer, let’s consult some basic examples.

Do you have a right to kill another human being for no reason? No. Therefore, government does not possess the authority to take a life without justification.

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Do you have a right to kill someone in self-defense? Yes. Therefore, government has the authorization to kill in self-defense; that is, to defend its people against foreign invasion and to secure the rights of citizens, with lethal force when necessary, against criminals.

Do you have a right to seize and imprison someone without cause? No. Therefore, neither does government have that right.

Do you have a right to take money from your neighbor? No. Therefore, neither does government have a right to take money. The obvious exception to this is taxation. In the case of taxation, however, the People collectively consent to giving up a small portion of their income to help the government fulfill its purpose of securing their rights. When it exceeds this purpose, it becomes common theft.

Do you have a right to take money from someone and give it to someone else? No. Therefore, neither does government have a right to take your money and divvy it out to someone else in the community – even for allegedly “charitable” purposes.

Do you have a right to take someone’s property? No. Therefore, neither does government have a just authority to confiscate property. A possible exception is when someone uses their property in such a manner as to infringe upon the rights of other people. For instance, a person cannot acquire property at the head of a river and dam it off so that other people down river suddenly are deprived of their equal share of the water usage. And so forth.

Do you have a right to tell another person what they can and cannot say? No. Therefore, neither does government have that authority. As in the last case, there are exceptions. Slander and libel laws prevent people from lying and intentionally harming the reputation of another individual. You have no right to lie about people. Liars are essentially murderers – murderers of truth, killers of reputations, and destroyers of lives. Just laws protect people against this type of abuse. Similarly, public decency laws protect people against profane language, threats, and so forth.

Do you have a right to control another person’s body? No. Therefore, government doesn’t have authority over another’s body.

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Do you have a right to tell your neighbor what they can and cannot put in their body? No. Therefore, government doesn’t possess any such authority. That being said, certain substances, such as alcohol, impair the individual’s judgment and frequently lead them to mindlessly harm, maim, and kill innocent people. Alcohol is one of the leading causes of death, disease, and violence in our nation. Inasmuch as it is a legitimate threat to individual safety, to say nothing of its danger to society by subverting families and morality, government has a legitimate power to protect the rights of its people. You cannot, however, make a similar argument for everything that someone might deem a “threat,” such as fatty foods or guns.

Do you have a right to tell others who the can and cannot marry? No. Therefore, government has no right to dictate in this matter either. The only exception is to prohibit that which is not only unnatural and morally reprehensible, but which demonstrably undermines the stability of the nation and its innocent children. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage is one such example. Lest you protest, remember that the Declaration of Indepedence referenced “the laws of Nature” and “Nature’s God” as the foundation of our entire civilization. To institutionalize violations of the laws of nature is to throw out the entire Declaration of Independence and the very concept of America.

Do you have the right to tell someone what they can and cannot build, do, or grow on their property? No. Therefore, government cannot tell people what they can and cannot do on their property – excepting, of course, criminal activities that violate other people’s rights.

Do you have a right to dictate what other people can and cannot wear? No. Therefore, neither can the government claim authority to dictate in this aspect. Public decency laws apply, however.

Do you have a right to deprive your neighbor of his means of self-defense? No. Therefore, government cannot justly take away a peaceable individual’s means of personal protection. To acknowledge, as the Declaration of Independence does, that our rights come from God is to simultaneously acknowledge that we have an equal right to defend them. You cannot take away this right without jeopardizing all other rights.

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Do you have a right to force your neighbor’s children to go to a public institution to study? No. Therefore, neither does government possess authority to separate children from their parents and force them to study in a public school.

Do you have a right to force another person to inject substances into his body? No. Therefore, government has no such power.

Finally, do you have a right to force your neighbor to stay in his home, wear a face mask, or close his business? No. Therefore, government has no right to force peaceable citizens to stay in the homes, wear masks over their faces, or close their businesses and cut off their livelihoods.

Our list of examples could go on almost indefinitely. You can clearly see the picture, however. The key point is that government is only authorized to do what you, the individual, can do. Nothing more. If you have no authority to do something, then neither does government!

The U.S. Constitution has actually simplified this concept by including a short list of enumerated powers. These powers – about 18 in number, depending on how you want to break up the list – are the only things Congress is authorized to do. They are specific, not broad. They cover individual items, not entire classifications of things. They define what Congress can do, and, by implication, dictates they cannot do anything more.

For instance, We the People have delegated to Congress the authority to “provide and maintain a Navy,” to “establish Post Offices and post Roads,” to “coin Money,” and so on. Beyond these rigid bounds, the Congress cannot legitimately go. The same goes for the other branches of government and their limited, specified powers.

It is crucial for us as free individuals to know where our public representatives derive their authority. It is indispensable to comprehend what government can and can’t do. When we understand that government does not inherently possess any authority except that which the individuals in society give it, then we can more easily recognize and prevent abuses of that authority. When we understand this cardinal point, we’ll also understand that we are the true source of power and that our nation’s destiny is in our hands. All political power springs from We the People. Never forget it.

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I close by quoting once more from the Declaration of Independence. Internalize the words. Really believe them. Reclaim your rights. Exercise your sovereignty. Know that government is accountable to you, not you to the government. And God give you the courage to rise in defense of Freedom like our forefathers before us!

. . . 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 . . . 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.”

Zack Strong,

May 11, 2020

Best and Worst U.S. Presidents

To commemorate Presidents Day, I have put together a top-five list of best and worst U.S. presidents. Choosing the five best presidents is quite easy inasmuch as the pool of good presidents is rather small. Selecting only five to grace my top-five worst presidents list is much harder considering the dozens of awful candidates to choose from. As I fill out my list, I will highlight the successes and failures of these men in the interest of learning from the past.

Let’s start off with the bad news first. Though it was a difficult decision, I have narrowed down my list to the worst five presidents in our nation’s history. These men have thoroughly desecrated the Constitution, which is a sacred and inspired document. They have abused and violated their solemn oath of office, thus committing treason. They have signed egregious, unconstitutional, and immoral laws and created a multitude of horrendous departments and agencies. Each of these men presided over America during a time of war – and often wars which they deliberately caused in order to further an agenda. I consider most of these men not merely bad presidents, but evil conspirators in the international conspiracy which holds mankind by the throat and threatens the overthrow of Freedom and peace in all lands. Without further ado, I present the five worst U.S. presidents and the accomplishments which won them infamy.

Worst Presidents

5. Abraham Lincoln

4. George W. Bush

3. Barack Obama

2. Woodrow Wilson

1. FDR

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Abraham Lincoln: Some folks may be surprised to see Lincoln on my list of worst presidents. After all, didn’t Abraham Lincoln free the slaves, keep the country united, and preach unity, love, and peace? Actually, no, he did not. President Lincoln’s violations of the U.S. Constitution were colossal. Most historians sweep these violations under the rug or label them “war expediency.” They were unfortunate but “necessary” war measures, they claim. Yet, the historical reality was far different from the glowing, laudatory, worshipful one painted by Lincoln’s adoring 21st Century supporters.

It must be remembered that Abraham Lincoln started the Civil War, or, perhaps more accurately, the War of Northern Aggression. After South Carolina had seceded from the Union, she demanded that Union troops be removed from Fort Sumter. Abraham Lincoln refused to acquiesce even though South Carolina warned they would attack if the troops were not peacefully removed. If you have never read the exchange of letters between Fort Sumter’s commanding officer and South Carolina’s military leaders, you ought to. They reveal that the fort’s commanders wanted to withdraw to avoid war, but stayed on Lincoln’s orders. They also reveal that the attack was not a surprise, but that South Carolina actually told the fort’s defenders when they would attack and expressed their regret in so doing.

The tragedy of war could have been avoided if Lincoln had simply removed his troops from what consisted of a foreign territory where he had no legal jurisdiction. Using the attack on the fort as a pretext, Lincoln unilaterally and illegally called up troops to form an army. It must be remembered that a president is not always commander-in-chief. He is only commander-in-chief when the Congress declares war and calls up the military. However, Lincoln apparently knew better than the Constitution and its Framers.

During the Civil War, Lincoln violated the constitutionally-protected right of habeas corpus and illegally arrested and imprisoned in veritable concentration camps tens of thousands of Northerners who did not support his illegal war. Among those arrested were judges who issued statements saying he was acting unconstitutionally and in violation of his oath and authority as president. Lincoln’s troops were also involved in voter fraud on numerous occasions and were used to bully reluctant states into tacitly supporting the war. Lincoln pardoned war criminals and presided over the unnecessary and heinous rape and plunder of the Confederacy. Lincoln’s policies were so collectivist and tyrannical that even Karl Marx loved Lincoln and wrote him congratulatory letters and declared that he was helping the world revolution.

In his personal life, Lincoln was a very troubled man. Numerous sources explain that he frequently told dirty and inappropriate jokes. Though he was anti-slavery, he was also consistently anti-emancipation and, indeed, his Emancipation Proclamation was a propaganda war measure that did not free one single slave. Lincoln’s family was deeply troubled and he is reported as having attended séances in the White House. He was not the wonderful, humble Christian man the history books claim he was.

All of that said, it is my personal opinion that President Lincoln may have had a change of heart during the middle of the war. In 1863, there was a marked changed in his tone and rhetoric. He began suddenly talking about God and religion and how this calamity was God’s judgement upon a nation that had violated His laws. This is perfectly accurate, the Civil War was a judgement of the Almighty. Some historians have discounted Lincoln’s change in tone as mere political posturing. Whether it was or was not, we cannot say because we do not know Lincoln’s heart. I hope for his sake that he did have a change of heart.

In the end, however,Abraham Lincoln’s gross, deliberate, and frequent violations of the Constitution, his initiation of a bloody war and the invasion of a sovereign country, his persecution and imprisonment of war dissenters, and the fact that he massively centralized the government and effectively destroyed the power of the States ensured in the Tenth Amendment, earn him a place on my list of worst presidents. Do not think of Lincoln as the “great emancipator,” think of him as the “great centralizer” and the “great destroyer of the Constitution.” While he might have had a change of heart and inwardly repented of his crimes and his violations of his oath of office, his evisceration of the Constitution cannot be excused or overlooked.

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George W. Bush: Without a doubt, the younger Bush was one of the worst men to ever sit in the Oval Office. Under his watch, the United States initiated the bogus War on Terror which has cost the lives of millions of people globally, including many thousands of our countrymen. Still today, twenty-four veterans commit suicide every day as a consequence of the horrors they have witnessed and were compelled to commit because of this illegal, immoral, unconstitutional, and undeclared war. These wars have done untold damage to the country, our national spirit, and our image abroad. Apart from the cost in human life and suffering, trillions of dollars have been wasted on these aggressive wars against nations who have never harmed us and do not have the capability to do so.

If you have not yet woken up to the fact that 9/11 was a false flag terror event, please educate yourself. Whether the president was aware of the plot ahead of time is debatable. But that there were conspirators in our government, and in the intelligence services of other nations, who perpetrated this event is beyond question. At any rate, President Bush used this false flag as a pretext to not only take us to war against innocent nations, but to restrict Liberty here at home. The Patriot Act was rammed through Congress in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. This act, as well as others such as the John Warner Defense Authorization Act and the Military Commissions Act, shredded the Constitution’s guarantees of the right of habeas corpus, due process, privacy, etc. Being advised by ex-Stasi (i.e. communist secret police) agents, Bush created the Department of Homeland Security. He also commissioned the unconstitutional agency known as the TSA. Through these and other agencies, President Bush presided over a mass violation of Americans’ privacy rights.

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Additionally, President Bush signed into law the communistic No Child Left Behind bill which gave the federal government even greater control over American schools and enforced mediocrity nationwide. He signed into law a massive expansion of Medicare and other socialist welfare programs. He delivered “bailouts” to numerous corporations and thus furthered the government’s socialistic grasp on the economy. And the list of “accomplishments” goes on and on and on.

Finally, President Bush, like his father, was a member of the elitist secret society known as Skull and Bones. The evidence suggests that this group is an offshoot or sub department of the Order of Illuminati founded in Bavaria in 1776. Numerous U.S. presidents have belonged to oath-bound secret societies. These societies rule our nation and world and are increasing their power and control with each passing year. With puppets like George W. Bush in the White House, their control deepens and our Republic suffers.

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Barack Obama: President Obama’s legacy of corruption is fresh in everyone’s mind, so I won’t spend much time on it. Suffice it to say that Obama was an out-and-out communist who was mentored by the rabid communist Frank Marshall Davis, groomed by communist advisors such as the felon and terrorist Bill Ayers who belonged to the communist Weather Underground, and surrounded with conspirators like Zionist Rahm Israel Emanuel. He was groomed for the presidency by communistic elements. His rapid rise, despite his lack of credentials, experience, and funds, is incredibly telling. He kow-towed to the communist conspiracy and worked hard for eight years to further the Marxist agenda and continued subverting American culture and law.

In complete repudiation of his campaign promises, President Obama continued, and in some respects intensified, Bush’s immoral War on Terror. Obama’s drone strikes killed thousands of innocent people throughout the Middle East. Under Obama’s stewardship, the U.S. military attacked numerous countries including Libya, Yemen, and Syria. The current crisis in Syria hit its stride during Obama’s presidency.

Additionally, the economy tanked during Obama’s terms. Unemployment rates skyrocketed despite the government’s manipulation of the numbers to conceal the problem. Our debt rose dramatically and, in fact, doubled the previous debt of all past administrations combined. Inflation and taxation increased during his terms. Per communist ideology, wealth redistribution to both domestic and foreign sources went into overdrive. And, lastly, Obamacare expanded socialistic control over every aspect of Americans’ lives, while simultaneously increasing rates across the board.

President Obama’s administration was a total disaster. By the end of his terms, the country was more divided than ever, the economy had been wrecked, the federal government’s powers had been increased, spying was even more rampant than under Bush, our War on Terror had increased while our military’s high tech weaponry was simultaneously gutted, and communists became emboldened enough to show themselves publicly. For all of these reasons, and hundreds more that I do not have space to record, Obama ranks third on my list of worst presidents.

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Woodrow Wilson: President Woodrow Wilson’s administration was a landmark turning point in U.S. history – and not for the better. President Wilson presided over the fundamental restructuring of the American economic system. Wilson signed into law the Federal Reserve Act which wrenched the control of America’s currency from the government and lodged it in the hands of a private entity known as the Federal Reserve. Contrary to myth, the Federal Reserve is not federal – that is, it is not a government agency. It is a system of privately-owned banks. Some of the shareholders in these bankers are foreigners. As the Federal Reserve chairmen have openly stated, the Federal Reserve is not accountable to the U.S. government. In other words, in direct violation of the Constitution which gives Congress the control over the coining of our currency, that power has been given to an unaccountable, privately-owned group of elitists who print money on a whim and who raise and lower our rates of interest and inflation at their leisure. If America is ever to recover her status as an independent Republic, she must cut out this Federal Reserve cancer immediately.

Additionally, Woodrow Wilson fought against the Constitution when he went along with the passage of 16th and 17th Amendments. The 16th introduced the graduated income tax in direct violation of the Constitution’s plain provisions governing equal taxation, and the 17th changed the ingenious constitutional method for electing senators, thus dramatically lessening the power of the states.

In direct violation of his campaign promises, Wilson’s henchmen secretly negotiated with Britain and various international entities to bring the United States into World War I – a war in which we had no legitimate interest. Once reelected for a second term, the administration put the wheels into motion and sent our boys to die in France in a pointless struggle. The pretext used was the sinking of the Lusitania, a passenger ship illegally carrying munitions to Britain in violation of the rules of neutrality. The British deliberately steered the ship into hostile waters and sacrificed it in order to draw America into her war.

During the war, Wilson unjustly rounded up and imprisoned tens of thousands of political prisoners and assaulted the right of free speech under the Sedition and Espionage Acts. Then, after the war, Wilson was instrumental in pushing for the League of Nations – an early version of the United Nations and an attempt to create a one-world government. Fortunately, the effort failed at that time. But the damage had been done – America began to become a warlike people which engaged itself in the petty conflicts of Europe.

From subverting our entire economic system by aiding in the establishment of the Federal Reserve monstrosity, to taking us to war while pretending to be a paragon of peace, to altering the Constitution’s plain provisions regarding elections, state authority, and taxation, Wilson was a horrendous president who did more damage to the nation than almost any other man who has ever lived in it. Additionally, it is worthy of note that Wilson was a Fabian Socialist. He was America’s first openly socialistic president, though of course he used a different and misleading label. But call it what you will, Wilson promoted the Fabian Socialist cause. And students of history will know that Fabian Socialism was merely a wing of the greater communist conspiracy.

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FDR: FDR’s presidency shall live in infamy. FDR tops my list of worst presidents because he gave America four terms of straight communism at home and unbridled interventionism abroad. He fundamentally altered the American way of life perhaps more than any other president, though Woodrow Wilson’s acquiescence to the establishment of the Federal Reserve and the whims of international bankers places him in a close second place. During FDR’s terms, the government bureaucracy ballooned. Its ranks became infested with communists and Zionists. By the end of FDR’s fourth term, the United States had been converted from a relatively non-interventionist nation to a warlike, aggressive, international empire ruled by a power-hungry, communist-infiltrated regime.

Though he nurtured the image of a grandfatherly figure in a wheelchair, FDR was in actuality a conniving conman and mass murderer who was beholden to Wall Street and the international bankers. FDR loved the Soviet Union and was good friends with the communist tyrant Joseph Stalin, whom he affectionately called Uncle Joe Stalin. FDR’s regime became the first major nation to diplomatically recognize the failing Soviet Union and establish ties with it. This recognition allowed Western aid and capital to pour into the USSR, thus saving it from its severe deterioration. Stalin returned the favor by sending his spies and agents to infiltrate FDR’s government, and using the aid to build up his war machine.

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Entire books have been written about the staggering number of communists who infested FDR’s regime and served as his personal advisors and policy makers. One of the most infamous was Alger Hiss, a Soviet spy who served as an aid to FDR and later became the first secretary-general of the communist-controlled United Nations. During 1941 when the Germans were on the verge of destroying the evil empire once and for all, FDR intervened and sent billions of dollars of aid, and thousands of trucks and tanks and other badly needed supplies to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program. Without this aid, it is possible that Germany – the most anti-communist nation on earth at the time – would have won the war in the East and eliminated the communist virus. Indeed, so evil and cruel was the Soviet Union that many Russian subjects hailed the Germans as liberators and many joined her armies to fight against their own Red Army. However, America intervened and saved the Soviet Union – the evilest and most murderous regime in world history – and tipped the balance of history in the communists’ favor.

World War II was started by the Allies. You won’t read that in mainstream history books or see it on the History Channel, but it is true. I devote a chapter in my book A Century of Red to explaining the true origin of that deadly conflagration. Hitler simply did not start the war. You have been lied to. But more relevant to our discussion is how the United States entered the war.

Prior to 1941, FDR had tried desperately to get into the war in Europe. He goaded the Germans, attacked German ships, illegally sent supplies to Britain and the USSR, etc. Yet, Germany did not take the bait. Consequently, FDR changed tactics and decided to enter the war by goading Japan into attacking us. To do this, FDR pressured Asian governments to stop selling supplies to Japan. The United States also placed embargoes on Japanese materials. Slowly, following an 8-point plan, the United States strangled the Japanese economy. Japan, in retaliation for what constituted acts of war according to international law, decided to strike the American Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor.

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As the war preparations developed, FDR kept tabs on them in almost real time. Unbeknownst to most people is the fact that the United States and Britain had broken the Japanese secret codes. Not only did we crack their diplomatic codes, but we deciphered their military codes as well. Only a handful of individuals, including FDR, had access to these reports. Consequently, when Japan’s fleet sailed to Hawaii to attack Pearl Harbor, FDR could literally track their movements across the Pacific. He knew they were going to strike but deliberately and intentionally withheld this information from his commanders at Pearl Harbor. FDR wanted war and he was prepared to sacrifice almost 3,000 American lives to do so.

As he rose in Congress the day after the attack to demand a declaration of war, FDR lied to the world when he said that Japan’s attack was a surprise. The only “infamy” of that day rested on his very own shoulders. FDR has American blood on his hands. And, through his maneuvering and duplicity in getting the United States into war, he has the blood of millions of German and Japanese civilians on his hands, too. From the firebombing of more than 60 Japanese cities to the horrific terror bombings of Germany and mainland Europe, FDR committed gross war crimes and presided over some of the worst atrocities in world history. And at Yalta, FDR surrendered Europe to the communists, thus sealing the fate of tens of millions of innocent people.

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In addition to these crimes, FDR took America off the gold standard and confiscated Americans’ gold, instituted numerous socialistic programs including the disastrous New Deal, tampered with the judicial system, and repeatedly violated the Constitution. FDR signed more executive orders than any other president. He ruled as a dictator, rounded up Japanese-Americans and threw them into concentration camps, deliberately took us into the bloodiest war in history, saved the Soviet Union from defeat, presided over the dastardly terror bombings of millions of innocent people, inaugurated the construction of the atom bomb, brought more communist and Zionist operatives into the government than any other president, bowed to his masters on Wall Street, lied through his teeth to the American People, and rode roughshod over the U.S. Constitution and international law.

FDR was, without a doubt, the worst president in our history. Save for FDR, the communist conspiracy which menaces the world may have died out or at least been severely diminished. Save for FDR, the United States would not have been involved in the Second World War. Save for FDR, America might have remained on the gold standard. Save for FDR’s socialist policies, the Great Depression would have ended far sooner. I can think of nothing FDR ever did in his 12-year reign that benefited the United States. He was a lying degenerate and war criminal whose name and legacy should live “in infamy.”

Honorable mention:

Teddy Roosevelt. As an outright socialist (or, as he called himself, a “progressive”) Roosevelt greatly shifted the government from a republican one to a socialistic one, and thus deserves an honorable mention on my worsts presidents list.

 

The list of good presidents is very short. Those who made the list are so well known that I have decided to only provide short lists of their numerous accomplishments. I urge every American to study these men and their principles and policies. They were patriots and constitutionalists. They were Christians with high moral character. They hated war, fought the international bankers, slashed governmental spending, and were apostles of Liberty who tried hard to protect individual rights and traditional values. I now present the five best American presidents.

Best Presidents

5. James Monroe

4. Andrew Jackson

3. James Madison

2. George Washington

1. Thomas Jefferson

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James Monroe: President Monroe was one of the last Founding Fathers to become president. He was a faithful Christian and an upright man. He famously established the Monroe Doctrine to protect the United States and the Americas from foreign tyranny. This wise, Heaven-inspired policy was not interventionism, as some have assumed, but a legitimate defensive posture to protect this special (and once free) land of America. Behind the scenes, Thomas Jefferson was influential in encouraging President Monroe to institute this policy.

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Andrew Jackson: The Establishment historians hate President Jackson. Such hate coming from controlled Establishment sources piqued my interest some years ago and I started investigating Jackson’s presidency. All the public knows about Jackson’s legacy is the Trail of Tears, the Indian Removal Act, and how “Old Hickory” was a cantankerous and bitter man. What we are not told is that Andrew Jackson was one of the most qualified men to ever become president. We don’t hear that he fought against the vile bankers and singlehandedly saved America from becoming a fiefdom to them. We are never told that Jackson wholeheartedly supported the Constitution and rule of law. We are not told that President Jackson was the only president to ever pay off 100% of the national debt. We are not told that the economy boomed during the Jacksonian era. And we are certainly never informed that Jackson fought corruption within the government itself. These wonderful achievements are covered up and instead we only hear that Andrew Jackson was an “Indian-killer,” a “racist,” a “tyrant,” and other such ludicrous labels.

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James Madison: Clearly one of the most brilliant men ever to hold office, James Madison ranks third on my list. Other than winning the War of 1812 against the British invaders, James Madison’s terms were fairly uneventful. For that, I thank President Madison. A president is not meant to “get in there and change things.” A president is meant to quietly preside over the executive branch, ensure that each citizen is protected in his rights, and, otherwise, to butt out of the nation’s affairs. His benign policies led America into a period of peace and prosperity known as the “Era of Good Feelings.” Beyond this, Madison was one of the most upright and moral men to hold high office in this country. He was the Father of the Constitution, the author of the Bill of Rights, understood what Liberty truly is, and spent his life protecting our God-given rights and serving his country faithfully. If we had more men like James Madison today, I would not fear for our Republic’s future.

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George Washington: The Father of our Country was one of the greatest figures in all of recorded human history. Though the Establishment history books denigrate this amazing man as a slaveholder, an aristocrat, and a self-serving politicians, this is total hokum. General George Washington was an incredibly devout Christian who fasted and prayed and enforced high moral conduct among his soldiers. Few statesmen in our history have spoken more about God and our obligation to be a moral People. In his famous Farewell Address, President Washington said:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

“It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?”

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George Washington was a true friend to America and to human Freedom. I revere and honor his name. He was the indispensable man in the War for Independence. And he was utterly indispensable in the establishment of our inspired Constitution with its glorious protections of our God-given rights. Without George Washington, there may have been no Union. With only a few exceptions, Washington’s Administration was emphatically faithful to the Constitution and to the promotion of American Liberty.

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Thomas Jefferson: The Sage of Monticello graces my #1 spot for best U.S. president. I love Jefferson and often call myself a Jeffersonian Constitutionalist. I believe Jefferson was the most brilliant statesman who has ever lived. His writings thrill me. His depth of wisdom astounds me. While I have a couple minor disagreements with his views, I find that his views are closer to my own on political principles than any other person I have ever met or read about.

Like Washington, Jefferson was indispensable to the birth and formation of this nation. No man was as well versed in republicanism and the principles of good government as was Jefferson. This knowledge prepared him to write the Declaration of Independence, and to pronounce that our rights are God-given and that the People hold power over their government. Historians have attempted to discredit his political work by spreading the lie that he had affairs with his slaves. This has been so thoroughly disproved and debunked that I seriously question the honesty of any so-called expert who repeats it. Thomas Jefferson was, contrary to propaganda, a Christian who loved the Bible and cherished the teachings of Jesus. He was not a deist. In fact, none of the Founding Fathers were deists; they were true Christians.

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Jefferson’s presidency was, in my opinion, the best in our history. President Jefferson protected individual rights, pardoned those who had been wrongly convicted under the Alien and Sedition Acts, established good relations with the American Indians, delayed war with England, slashed the national debt in half, lived off his own money as president, made the government more accessible to the common man, and educated the People in the principles of good government. He was a statesman in every good sense of the word. I love Thomas Jefferson!

I end this section with a quote from Jefferson’s prolific and inspired pen. Writing from Europe, he exclaimed: “[M]y god! how little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy” (Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe, June 17, 1785).

Honorable mentions:

John Adams. The only reason John Adams does not make my best presidents list is because he signed the Alien and Sedition Acts. Otherwise, my soul loves John Adams and his utter devotion to America and to the cause of Independence from monarchical tyranny.

John Quincy Adams: He followed in his father’s footsteps and was an honorable man of high moral conduct. He also fought the scourge of Freemasonry.

The first seven presidents of the United States were the best seven, without any question in my mind. However, beginning with the eighth president and despot Martin Van Buren, I can scarcely find a decent man who has sat in the Oval Office. It is a black mark on the American People that they have voted, decade after decade, for many generations, for scurrilous, self-serving men who have belonged to secret societies and who have worked tirelessly to subvert our God-inspired Constitution and the Freedom our Lord has bestowed upon us.

We have rejected God and He has taken away our wise judges and left us with men who mirror our own natures. If we repent of our indifference, our apathy, our ignorance, and our infidelity to the principles of the Constitution, the Lord “will restore [our] judges as at the first, and [our] counsellors as at the beginning” (Isaiah 1:26). If we do not follow this course, we will continue to have despots and immoral men to rule over us, and what is left of our precious Liberty will continue to diminish. If we do not resurrect common sense, constitutionalism, and God’s laws, our fate is sealed. I leave you to ponder the prophetic words of patriot John Adams. He warned:

“The only foundation of a free Constitution, is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People, in a greater Measure, than they have it now, They may change their Rulers, and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty.—They will only exchange Tyrants and Tyrannies.”

– John Adams to Zabdiel Adams, June 21, 1776.

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Zack Strong

February 19, 2018.