Mission Statement

EDIT: This post originated a while back and the mission statement listed below was removed from the site several months ago. Updated 12/19/2001

For those of you who do not know what Daryl is talking about, this is the mission statement for Liberty 1st found on the front page of our site:

To turn the situation around on power-hungry politicians by appearing when public matters are considered. Write letters to the editor of the local paper outlining how seemingly endless, meandering layers of laws in your area enslave you and your neighbors. To remind people we should not be under the watchful eye of our resident nursemaids masquerading as elected representatives; they should be under our watchful eye.

Now to answer the specific concerns about it I will quote your text and reply directly to each concern.

I have to admit I think you’re stepping a bit far out on the edge and might alienate many supporters.

Daryl, I ceased worrying about alienating people way back when my opposition to Character First became personal with many of its supporters. They could not separate me from my opposition and many assumed that because I opposed such a great program there must be something wrong with me.

I'll be the first to admit some things need to be fixed and some need to be changed but in general I see Three Rivers as a great place to live with incredible potential.

I agree, Three Rivers is a great place to live and does have a lot of potential. Although we will probably disagree on what it would take to realize that potential, the mission statement was never meant to be specific to Three Rivers anyway.

There are governmental decisions made that I disagree with, sometimes vehemently, but I would also disagree with your statements such as “power-hungry politicians”, “meandering layers of laws…enslave you and your neighbors”, and “resident nursemaids masquerading as elected representatives”. Most of the people in our city government are just people in town who cared enough to get involved.

Those words are not specific to anybody in Three Rivers, it is more of a generalization about all politicians including state and federal representatives. If you think those are radical words you should spend some time reading some of Thomas Jefferson's thoughts on what governments role in our lives should be:

Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government

If our mission statement bothers you, Mr. Jefferson’s words will blow your mind!

After November, it will be Ronda’s, or my responsibility to weigh in with our opinions, beliefs, and arguments to these decisions. I have to ask, will I be considered power hungry nursemaid enslaving the people of Three Rivers?

Not as long as neither you act like power hungry nursemaids trying to enslave the people of Three Rivers. In the mean time, I'm willing to give the two of you the benefit of the doubt [;)].

I hope this sounds like a silly question but it was difficult not to arrive at it given the new mission statement. You and I have agreed on some things and disagreed on others but I really think you were better off with the first mission statement condemning issues and not people. I'm not saying you should sacrifice your beliefs but whatever you have to say is rendered irrelevant if no one will listen.

The current mission statement is a better description of where I want to take Liberty 1st. Remember this, it is the citizens who should be keeping the government in line and not the other way around. Just because many of the people in government have forgotten that fact and have no idea what the words in the Constitution mean does not mean that I will willingly give up my inalienable rights and responsibilities that are so beautifully written within it.

PS: Ronda, I am assuming you, as spokesperson for Liberty1st (in public meetings), subscribe to the new mission statement. If I am incorrect please accept my apologies.

She is probably just as surprised as you are to read the current mission statement [;)]. As the disclaimer on the front page says we are a diverse group with many different ideologies and opinions. Liberty 1st is not and never has been monolithic in all its positions. We are just a group of citizens who decided that there needed to be some accountability in government and this is our contribution to that end.

For me, I stand by the mission statement as it currently is.

Buck Hicks

"Error indeed has often prevailed by the assistance of power or force. Truth is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error." - Thomas Jefferson

Edited by - bhicks on 07/09/2002 7:20:25 PM

Daryl,

Truly, the new mission statement surprised me too. Although it’s not directed specifically at anyone, the premise of it I agree with. We cannot allow local, state, or federal governing bodies to take our civil liberties away. I think to often elected officials (local, state, and federal) forget that they are public servants and not the other way around. We should always be diligent about protecting our rights.

I feel I must restate that Liberty 1st is a diverse group of people with different views on many different topics. Whether I agree or disagree with the members of the group, Liberty 1st is where true free speech prevails. I support others right to not agree with me. I do not want others views forced on me and in turn I do not want my views forced on others.

If elected I will try to retain that consistency and vote with the respect of the citizens of Three Rivers in mind. I will consider each proposal and make an effort to examine all possible consequences and follow that through to its natural conclusion. I will vote with the facts and research in mind not someone’s say so.

So if I seem a little radical it is because when I see something wrong I will stand for what I believe is right popular or pressured I will stand strong. I guess because of Liberty 1st and peoples misconceptions of my beliefs I should make my position known and I will here at Liberty 1st. So Daryl…….Let’s debate!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Ronda L. Hicks
Candidate for Commissioner-at-Large



"I never consider a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend." - Thomas Jefferson

Mr. Griffith,

If we have power hungry politicians in our city wouldn't we want to turn the situation around so that the power lies with the citizens? In my opinion that is what Liberty 1st is all about, making sure that the citizens of Three Rivers are the true power holders in the political arena. This is one of the big concerns of Liberty 1st in my opinion, what we don't want or need is another elected official that is a rubber stamp yes vote for the powers that be. Liberty 1st has given the citizens of Three rivers a place to speak out on any issue. The city has denied the citizens of this right on it's web site. Do you think that the British empire thought that our founding fathers sounded a little radical when they wrote the Declaration of Independence? We as citizens need to be vigilant to protect our rights as freedom loving people. If you will remember what got Liberty 1st going in the first place was our city's character re-education program. This month's character trait is meekness-Yielding my personal rights and expectations with a desire to serve. Yes, I think we have cause for concern. Personally, I am proud to support Ronda Hicks for city commission because she was not afraid to take a stand when our personal liberty was attacked by our city government. She has personal convictions and she knows what she believes in and is not afraid to hurt someones feelings if she has to. We need strong people who are willing to debate the issues on the commission.

Bill Schermerhorn

Buck & Ronda,

Ok, now I am confused. In the previous meetings against Character First you (Ronda) were the spokesperson for Liberty1st but you indicate you were unaware that its mission had changed? If you are at liberty (no pun intended) to say, who exactly is Liberty1st “officially” comprised of. Is there a committee deciding on issue stances and actions or is it more of a one man band (Buck) with you (Ronda) and several citizens lending support? I am not trying to sound disapproving; I just apparently had a misconceived idea of the structure of Liberty1st and want to avoid assumptions in the future.

************************************

Ronda, it’s about time we let the debate begin<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>. How about if we take turns asking each other our stance on issues (and reasoning for). When either of us posts a response we can then ask the next issue. Gives us both plenty of chances to go first…

Any other candidates are certainly welcome to chime in too.

To everyone else: Please let us know what issues are important to you (aside from Character First which is getting plenty of air time in the other topic areas). It is you that Ronda or I will be representing come November, let us know what you think is important.

I will post the second half of this message under the heading of “Debating the Issues” in case there are people out there not reading this thread.

Ronda, chivalry dictates I let you go first so what’s on your mind…? (please respond at "Debating the Issues" in Political Stump)

Sincerely,
Daryl Griffith
Candidate for Commissioner-At-Large
www.beam.to/griffith


Edited by - DarylGriffith on 07/10/2002 4:13:14 PM

Ok, now I am confused. In the previous meetings against Character First you (Ronda) were the spokesperson for Liberty1st but you indicate you were unaware that its mission had changed?

Liberty1st did not start as an organization until after the second public forum was held. We had many meetings before that time but our group was not called anything official until I registered the Liberty1st domain name. Ronda became the default spokesperson (at those public meetings) for the rest of us because she had done the research and was well versed on the Character First program and its origins. Not to mention that she was very comfortable (and good) at speaking in front of the public.

If you are at liberty (no pun intended) to say, who exactly is Liberty1st “officially” comprised of. Is there a committee deciding on issue stances and actions or is it more of a one man band (Buck) with you (Ronda) and several citizens lending support?

Originally we were pretty organized as a group and were holding regular meetings. But after the city gov refused to take another look at the Character First Issue and double-crossed us at the same time, some of the members became disheartened and kinda dropped out of sight for a while.

As an organization we always had the problem getting members to speak out about their opposition to Character First publicly. People would say to us in private that they supported what we were doing but because they feared for their jobs and/or repercussions from the city governors they could not speak out against it publicly. Talk about alienating people, eh?

Since it became obvious to us that the only way to overturn Character First would be to overturn the "Yes Men" on the commission it was decided that we would broaden our focus on Character First and become more of a watchdog group for city hall. That is why I redesigned the site and modified the mission statement.

I am not trying to sound disapproving; I just apparently had a misconceived idea of the structure of Liberty1st and want to avoid assumptions in the future.

You didn’t sound disapproving at all, in fact I am glad that you asked.

For the most part Ronda handles the public speaking and “The Cause” and I do the Internet stuff. There are other members who play an important role with their support but I do not feel real comfortable “outing” them without their permission so I will not mention them by name. I am sure they will read this and if they want to “out” themselves, they will be more then welcome too.

By the way, I want to thank Bill Schermerhorn for his support in the previous post.

Daryl,

The decisions made at Liberty 1st are brought before a committee and decisions are made by majority vote. I am the spokesperson and I do have the option of opting out of a majority rule decision I don't support. So far that has not happened.

So we shall start the great debate......what came first the chicken or the egg?

Ronda L. Hicks
Candidate for Commisioner-at-Large



"I never consider a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend." - Thomas Jefferson

Ronda said: The decisions made at Liberty 1st are brought before a committee and decisions are made by majority vote. I am the spokesperson and I do have the option of opting out of a majority rule decision I don't support. So far that has not happened.

For all intents and purposes the Liberty1st group has now been dissolved. Many of you have probably guessed this based on how few of them actually post on the board anymore.

To those of you who I know are still reading this forum it was fun while it lasted, eh?