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by Tom Rose

Part 1 of this article appeared in the January - February 1998 issue of The Christian Statesman

FDA as a watchdog

Many unsuspecting people regard the FDA favorably because they erroneously believe that it protects them from the quackery of "snake oil" remedies. Thus, they feel safer because food labels and drugs must first have FDA approval before being marketed for public use, and that such approval promises them safety. As we stated before: FDA approval does not mean that drugs are safe.

The FDA is very quick to attack the herb and natural supplement industries for what the FDA considers undocumented claims on labels and advertising. But Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., recently zeroed in on some modern remedies that are widely promoted and marketed, but which have not been, for some strange reason, reviewed by the FDA. He points out that claims made for "antacid" drugs popularly used to obtain relief from symptoms of what is thought to be an acid stomach have not been proven. He says the antacids are adding to the problem rather than curing it:

I can say that in 24 years of nutritionally oriented practice, I've worked with thousands of individuals who've found the cause of their "heartburn" and indigestion to be low stomach acidity. In nearly all of these folks, symptoms have been relieved and digestion improved when they've taken supplemental hydrochloric acid and pepsin capsules, available in every natural food store....

And that takes us to the above-noted acid-blocking drugs on the market. By remarkable coincidence, shortly after their patents expired, they must have become much safer, since the requirement for a prescription disappeared. Multi-million dollar promotions to the public were launched to drive home the point that "heartburn" and indigestion are caused by too much acid, which can be "blocked" (with these products, of course) at minimal risk. (Oddly enough, the FDA has never required the companies advertising these products to document their claims that indigestion and "heartburn" are actually caused by overacidity.)¹²

The point I want to make here is the grossly uneven and unfair regulations that the FDA imposes on different entities, depending upon the FDA's biased orientations. This, of course, is to be expected from politically imposed tyrannies.

Saul Kent, president of the Life Extension Foundation, writes:

One problem in the U.S. is the FDA, supposedly representing all citizens but usually acting on behalf of mainstream medicine or the large pharmaceutical companies. One reason: top FDA officials and pharmaceutical company executives often move from the agency to companies and back on a regular basis.

Because of these conflicts of interest, the agency traditionally has been biased against alternative medicine and dietary supplements....¹³

The Federal Reserve Bank

In 1791 Congress passed a bill to establish the first Bank of the United States. President Washington asked the advice of his cabinet. Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, recommended that he sign it; Thomas Jefferson, an Anti-Federalist, recommended that he not sign it because the United States Constitution grants Congress no specific power to establish a central bank. Hamilton argued that the general powers of Congress were sufficient to establish the Bank. Unfortunately, Washington took Hamilton's advice, so our young Republic was saddled with a central bank, whose purpose was to intervene in the monetary and credit affairs of our country. Those opposing the Bank feared the influence of the eastern money interests as well as foreign influence coming primarily from England. As it turned out, largely because of the conservative outlook of the times, the first Bank of the U.S. generally exerted a non-inflationary influence until its charter expired in 1811. The charter was not renewed because Jefferson held the office of President in 1811.

Along came the War of 1812, and with it the inflationary influence of deficit spending. This led to a monetary boom and bust which created a favorable political climate to establish the second Bank of the U.S. in 1816. Its charter also was for 20 years. In its early years the second Bank was mismanaged, but was reconstructed later under the leadership of Nicholas Biddle. It, too, imposed a generally non-inflationary influence in the financial sector because of the mind set of the times. But Biddle was a political wheeler and dealer who wasn't above using the power of his position as head of the bank for political purposes.

In one of his power plays he pushed to have the Bank's charter renewed early in 1832 in an attempt to stop the re-election of Andrew Jackson as President. Jackson picked up the gauntlet, won the election by a landslide, and vetoed the recharter bill because he, like a good Anti-Federalist, believed that the Bank was clearly unconstitutional. The central government's money was pulled out of the Bank, so its monetary influence was greatly reduced. Biddle retaliated by generating a series of monetary inflations and deflations in some frontier areas, which generated financial panics, thus proving by example that a central bank can be a very harmful institution to a country (Ps. 118:8-9).

For the next 80 years these United States got along very well without a central bank. Economic production soared. In 1863-64 Congress passed National Banking Acts at the suggestion of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury. It was really an undercover means of financing Lincoln's unconstitutional invasion of the South to force the seceded States back into the Union. The resulting National Banking System created a series of monetary booms and busts over the years, which culminated in the eastern money interests pushing for a new monetary and banking system that would be more "flexible," that is, one that would be more prone to be manipulated by the large banking interests.¹⁴

In 1913 the eastern money establishment was successful in getting the Federal Reserve Act passed and signed into law by President Wilson after the majority of the Senate had left Congress for the Christmas holiday.¹⁵

Since that time these United States have been saddled with a group of elite central bankers who, through inflationary monetary policies have:

1. debauched the currency,

2. created boom-bust cycles,¹⁶

3. undermined and destroyed our gold-based monetary system,¹⁷

4. helped finance federal deficits. Thereby fostering the growth of socialism/fascism in America,¹⁸

5. have been the vehicle for financing wars through credit creation (thereby making it increasingly easy for our political leaders to involve us in foreign wars?,¹⁹ and,

6. secretly manipulated the American people through a central banking system that the people neither understand nor recognize as being a dire threat to their liberty and self-responsibility before God.

In spite of all this, the vast majority of the American public, through constant educational propaganda programs, have been led to believe the lie that the central bankers at the Federal Reserve Bank have the best interests of the American people in mind and are "protecting" them from financial insecurity. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Other Examples of Growing Tyranny

The list of growing tyrannies could be extended until it becomes too wearisome to continue. Mention could be made of the IRS and how it has often been used as a political tool to frighten into submission people who oppose current government policies, how SWAT team tactics have and are being used in the same way, and how government subsidies and payments (euphemistically called "transfer payments") are being used to seduce and control large segments of the population as a means of "buying" political support. We will stop here, but encourage the reader to:

1. search the Scriptures to learn what God's ideal plan for civil government is, and,

2. carefully read and study the United States Constitution in order to develop a precise knowledge of when our political leaders (including the judges of the U.S. Supreme Court) fail in their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution and thereby engage in tyranny, for which cause they should be impeached and removed from office.

Now let us turn to a peaceful, biblical, and constitutional method of correcting the problems listed above.

How to Apply the Principle of Governmental Interposition

Remember that God used the principle of governmental interposition, that is, the raising up of an intermediate magistrate, as a peaceful means of reconstructing a civil government that has gone astray--that has either wandered away from the biblical guidelines God has established for civil authorities to operate under or from the careful limitations on power imposed on civil rulers by the Constitution. Thus, we are not talking about sedition or lawless revolution here. Rather, we speak of the constant need of a free people to be ever jealous of their God-ordained and constitutionally-protected individual freedom and self-responsibility before God by requiring civil rulers to adhere to their oath of office to protect and uphold the Constitution (and thereby the people) against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

What are some of the things that can be done?

First, is the need for education. There is a grave need for Americans to have a good working knowledge of their Constitution, the basic law of the land. They need to know the historical background of how and why it came into being. They must understand the original intent of our founding fathers in writing it. They must learn how its clear meaning has been intentionally perverted by power-seeking Presidents, the Congress, and the U.S. Supreme Court. And they must come to know how to apply constitutional measures in order to rein in government leaders who have forgotten, if they ever knew in the first place, the limits of power that politicians and bureaucrats can lawfully wield.

To answer these needs, my wife and I recently invited a group of patriots to meet with us on the third Thursday of each month to study the Constitution and discuss lawful and peaceful ways to reconstruct our wayward government along biblical and constitutional lines. Our intent is also to build a network of patriotic Americans who can be in mutual contact and of mutual help during this period of urgent need. Our group now averages about 18-22 per meeting, and interest is growing. Some members of our group drive 70 miles or more to take part in our study of the Constitution. We would urge others all over the country to do likewise, because citizen awareness is the first step in the long road we must travel to reconstruct our government along constitutional lines. We can successfully apply the same pattern used by Christ's followers to spread the gospel of salvation, person-to-person communication.

Second, is the need to become politically active and elect biblically and constitutionally oriented individuals to office.²⁰ Why? So that the right minded and right spirited individuals will be holding offices of responsibility when the time comes for them, as intermediate magistrates, to rally the people behind them in defense of the people's liberty and constitutional government. At the present time there aren't many God-oriented individuals occupying civil offices of responsibility who really understand the principle of governmental interposition. But, thankfully, there are some! God can use His people in this way to build the necessary broad "political infrastructure" (if I may coin such a term) so that the right people will be on hand when needed.

What about "the some" I just mentioned? Consider Sheriff Mack, a Christian man in the State of Arizona. When Congress passed the Brady bill a few years ago, which imposed a mandatory "waiting-period" when citizens purchase hand guns, Sheriff Mack recognized that such a law is unconstitutional and that therefore the people are not legally bound to obey it. More than that, he had the courage to publicly declare the law as being unconstitutional and then state that he would refuse to enforce it in his county. This is a perfect example of the principle of interposition being applied in our society today. Sheriff Mack, who lost re-election because of the powerful forces in our country who are bent on disarming American patriots, was, as sheriff, the top law enforcement officer in his county. He took to heart his personal responsibility to defend the Constitution, and thereby the people of his county, against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. He heroically did his duty in attempting to rally the people to oppose an unconstitutional and tyrannical law. What was the problem that prevented success? The problem was that not enough of the people in his county understood the principle being applied, and therefore not enough support was rallied under his courageous leadership! This shows that a need exists for a widespread grass­roots effort to educate citizens about their constitutional rights and responsibilities.

Who else is in the strategic position of intermediate magistrate? Actually, anyone who has taken the oath of office to protect the United States Constitution from all enemies, foreign or domestic, will fill the bill, but especially consider these civil offices:

1. Governor of your state: He is the highest elected official in your state. He is head of the militia, the Highway Patrol, and the State National Guard.

   Before the War Between the States, the federal government would not have dared to send federal troops into a state without first asking permission from its Governor, To do so would have been considered an unwarranted military invasion by the State. Lincoln's wartime tyranny ended that healthy practice of states' rights.

   Recently, when a U.S. Court judge made a ruling against the posting of the Ten Commandments in an Alabama State Court, the Governor of Alabama stepped in and, in effect, said, "The federal government does not have jurisdiction in our state courts!" This is a perfect example of governmental interposition being enacted at the state level. This kind of lawful action is absolutely necessary to stop the gradual arrogation of unconstitutional powers at the national level, which won't be stopped or reversed if office holders lack either the proper understanding of true constitutional federalism or the intestinal fortitude to act on their knowledge. But, again, for the effectual application of the principle of governmental interposition, the general populace must be properly instructed about how it works and then be ready to give wholehearted support to their intermediate magistrates.

2. Members of your State Legislature: When the federal government attempted to cover up pertinent information about the bombing of the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, State Representative Charles Key led the effort authorized by the constitution of Oklahoma for a citizens' petition to call a county grand jury to look into the matter. He met with strong opposition, primarily at the federal level, but also at the state level. But Mr. Key persevered because he felt called by God to do so. He knew it was the only chance to bring out information that had been either intentionally covered up in the federal grand jury inquiry and subsequent court trial, or purposely destroyed by the federal government in the puzzling over-hasty removal and disposal of the debris of the bombed building. Question: Why were the feds in such a hurry, even when cautioned not to destroy the evidence?

3. County Commissioners: These officials are in a powerful position to protect the liberty of citizens in their county against either federal or state oppression. Make sure that these key people are God-oriented individuals and knowledgeable about the principle of governmental interposition. County government used to be the most important in the history of America because county government was closest to the people. But its influence has suffered as more taxing power and, therefore, the dispersing of politically-controlled funds have shifted to the state and federal levels. In a republican form of government, which we still have in our country, it would be much healthier for the freedom of the people for more power and influence to be returned to the counties.

4. Mayors and City Councilmen: What has been said about the county level of civil government also goes for our cities and towns. It is deadly to the freedom of the people when power is shifted from the local and county levels to the national level. This happens when funding for local projects and services comes from the national level of government rather than from the local and county level. Local politicians and bureaucrats, in response, shift their allegiance to the new source of funding. This explains why, for instance, our colonial forefathers were so insistent that judges and governors of the colonies receive their pay from their own colony rather than from England. This is a good lesson for us to learn from history.

5. Judges: There are many levels of judges in our society, some elected to office, others appointed. While there are rare exceptions to what I am about to say, it is true that not many judges who have been trained in our modern law schools are likely to hold godly and constitutional views of the limited powers of civil government. And why not? Because of the secular-oriented training they received in law school, which leaves out God, which de-emphasizes common law, and which does not properly stress the limited powers that the United States Constitution delegates to the three branches of our federal government. This is especially true for the judges of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has made many rulings during this last century that clearly have no legal basis under the Constitution. A person does not have to have a graduate-level education or a law degree to be able to discern and understand the clear intent of the United States Constitution. What is really needed is a heart and mind that seeks to think God's thoughts after Him (2 Cor. 10:5), the courage to be independent-minded enough to swim against the tide of popular opinion, and the personal integrity to insist that we adhere both to God's law and the supreme law of the land, which is the Constitution and those laws that are in conformity with it. All other so-called laws are null and void from their very beginning.

6. The Military: When people are inducted into military office they take the same oath that all officeholders take--to uphold the Constitution and to defend it against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. This oath applies both to enlisted men and to officers. They remain duty-bound to God to keep this oath even after their discharge or retirement from active service.²¹

Summary

We have looked at only a few of the many faces of tyranny. A complete list would be too long and wearisome to contemplate. But, in what we have looked at, we can discover some general trends and common threads of causation for the problems we face.

First of all, we must recognize that a natural trend does exist for civil rulers to arrogate unwarranted, that is, unconstitutional powers to themselves. This, of course, is the result of man's sinful nature that we all inherit from Adam's transgression. And this problem will ever be with us, even with godly rulers. In short, an unmatched civil authority will just naturally tend towards tyranny. Remember the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).

Second, this means that any citizenry who value their God-given freedom must be ever watchful against the eventual undermining of their freedom and self-responsibility which is certain to derive from the political rulers they have installed in office (Eph. 6:12-18).

Third, citizens must become intensely aware of their rights and the corresponding responsibility that necessarily accompanies each right, for rights and responsibilities cannot be separated. The surest way to political, economic, and spiritual slavery is first to surrender our personal responsibilities, for loss of the corresponding rights will follow sure as night follows day. The awareness of our rights and responsibilities can only come through the difficult discipline of constantly studying God's Word, the United States Constitution, and the historical era and precedents that led to the writing of the Constitution.

Fourth, the information garnered must then be shared with others through study groups and by building communication networks among like-minded individuals. This is where communicating the importance of the principle of governmental interposition comes in.

Last, we must always remember that God is in control of history. He is leading His people, by way of His revealed Word and by His Spirit, toward the end of earthly history, that is, the second coming of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Until then, we as Christians are directed by Him and challenged by Him to constantly do the work of building Christ's kingdom here on earth till He comes again. There is little doubt that we, as a sinful people who have failed to properly recognize Christ as the Ruler of our personal and corporate lives, fully deserve the tyrannical government that is so rapidly engulfing our nation. So, a goodly part of this important kingdom-building work is to reconstruct civil government according to biblical precepts and constitutional principles. Join with me in this important work.

Tom Rose is retired professor of economics at Grove City College, Pennsylvannia, and a member of the National Reform Association Board of Directors.

Endnotes:

12. Jonathan V. Wright, The Digestive Failure Theory of Aging: How to Accelerate Aging with Zantac 'ae, Pepcid 'ae, Tagamet 'ae, or even Turns 'ae and Rolaids 'ae! Life Enhancement (January 1998), 25-27. Dr. Wright points out that the most recent study he could find on this issue was a study made by a medical doctor about 100 years ago who put a tube into the stomach of heartburn sufferers and analyzed the fluids extracted. He found very little or no hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, or butyric acid. He pointed out that the small amounts of acid found would not digest anything, but guessed they could cause pain. Antacids, of course, would neutralize what little acids were found, thereby compounding the problem! The real solution? To increase the amount of acids that are already in low supply, not to disable them with antacids!

13. Saul Kent, The FDA and the American People, Life Extension (December 1997): 3.

14. For a thorough discussion of money and banking in these United States see Chapters 6-10 in Tom Rose, Economics: The American Economy Mercer, PA: American Enterprise Publications, 1985).

15. For a look at the secret, collusive government-banking "duck hunting" expedition to Jekyll Island in 1910 that resulted in the Federal Reserve Bank, see G. Edward Griffin, The Creature from Jekyll Island (Westlake Village, CA: American Media, 1994). For a discussion of the pros and cons of central banks, see Vera C. Smith, The Rationale of Central Banking (Indianapolis: Liberty Press, 1990).

16. For more on this see Tom Rose, Two Crashes: 1929-1987 (and another one coming?), The Christian Statesman vol. 140 no. 6 (November-December, 1997), 14-22.

17. For an excellent discussion of sound money and the evil of fractional reserve banking see Robert M. Metcalf, Honest Money, The Sound Money Investor, (July-August, 1989). The publication is now named, International Money and Politics. [Honest Money was reprinted in The Christian Statesman for July - August 1998 Volume 141, Number 4.]

18. For a clear understanding of the differences between orthodox socialism and fascism, see Chapter 5, "The Isms," in Tom Rose, The American Economy.

19. See John V. Denson, ed., The Costs of War: America's Pyrrhic Victories (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1997).

20. For a workable blueprint on electing godly people to office, see Tom Rose, Raising Up Godly Rulers, The Christian Statesman vol. 139, no. 6 (November-December 1996), 21.

21. The example given in part one of this article (endnote 8) of the joint radio interview of General Ben Partin, Colonel Jim Ammerman, and Lt. Col. Joseph Arrigo provides a perfect picture of how officers and enlisted personnel of America's military services have a God-given duty, even at high personal risk, to "stand in the gap" in order to protect America from those hidden forces that are undermining our constitutional republic.

For those who desire to listen to a tape of this interview, we will send it upon request for $5.00, including shipping and handling. Write: Tom Rose, American Enterprise Publications, 177 N. Spring Road, Mercer, PA 16137-3827; Phone: +1 412 748 3726.

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