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March 1, 2022 - Jim Fetzer
25:40
Tulsi Gabbard at CPAC - Feb. 25, 2022 - Full Speech
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I am so excited and honored to welcome to the stage tonight at the Conservative Political Action Conference, former U.S.
representative and kick-ass debater against Kamala Harris in the presidential Democratic nominee debates, the one and only Tulsi Gabbard.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Aloha.
That's what I'm talking about.
So much, Larry.
And thanks, Matt and Mercy.
And just thanks all of you for your kind and warm welcome.
You are making me feel right at home.
You know, before I get started, I just wanted to ask if we could just for a moment and talk about Ukraine and what is going on there.
I I had never been to Eastern Europe until I actually went on my R&R leave for my first deployment in Iraq.
Instead of going back to Hawaii, I chose to go to Eastern Europe.
I went to Poland, visited Auschwitz, visited the ghettos in Warsaw, and then I went to Ukraine.
And I made some wonderful friends there.
People who I became closer to as the years went on, and like so many people who are stuck in Ukraine right now.
Many of them are stuck in Kiev, others are trying to make their way to the border with Poland.
Afraid, worried for their loved ones, their husbands unable to leave.
And it's heartbreaking.
It's heartbreaking to see this tragedy play out.
out.
So I just wanted to ask if we could just pause for a moment of silence and send our prayers for their safety and for their well-being.
Thank you.
I You know, I gotta say, when Matt and I first spoke on the phone about my coming here, we both had a similar reaction to each other, saying, yeah, there's gonna probably be some strong thoughts that people were gonna share with both of us when they find out that I'm coming here, and we both kind of, I imagined you were nodding, Matt, I was nodding, but we're like, you know what, bring it on.
And they brought it on.
So it wouldn't surprise you to know that on social media and Twitter the blue check marks started lighting up and you know I kind of started to see coming from the so-called progressives the usual things coming out saying, Tulsi Gabbard is going to CPAC.
She's a traitor.
Hillary was right.
Get her out of here.
And then I started to see the things coming out from so-called conservatives, mostly directed at Matt, saying, how dare you?
Don't you know she's a Democrat?
Cancel her.
Disinvite her.
Lock the doors.
Don't let her in.
While these things can be easy to laugh about sometimes, unfortunately, this kind of reaction, this kind of tribalism, is not limited to social media.
It is something that's happening far too often and far too common across our country.
Where one section of our country sticks to our own tribe.
We only hang out with and listen to and talk to people who we agree with.
And we turn our backs and reject anyone who is not part of that tribe.
But this kind of tribalism is dangerous and it's emblematic of an erosion of a spiritual foundation in this country.
It's emblematic of this lack of recognition that we are all God's children.
That we are one nation under God.
And knowing that inspires us.
It inspires us to look within and find that fundamental respect and care that we should have.
For one another.
And so when I came out here, I said aloha because this is what aloha really means.
Everyone's heard the word aloha.
Most people think it means hello and goodbye.
But the reason, there's a reason why we greet each other with aloha.
And it's because of the deeper meaning there where it says, I recognize that we are all children of God and I come to you with respect.
And I come to you with this heartfelt love that no matter where we come from, the color of our skin, our religion, or even our politics, we respect each other in that spirit of aloha.
This spirit of aloha is actually what is at the heart of our Declaration of Independence.
It is what is the foundation of our Constitution.
When we say 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.
Our freedom comes from God, not from any other person, not from anyone in government.
Our freedom comes from God, and to recognize others as children of God is to appreciate That we belong to God and no one else.
So naturally, therefore, no one has the right to take away that intrinsic freedom which God has given us.
This is the foundation of the social construct of the United States of America.
This is what is at the foundation of our Constitution.
And we all, you heard a lot from Glenn tonight about the First Amendment.
About free speech.
About the Bill of Rights.
Our First Amendment, as you well know, says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
This foundation of freedom is what makes us who we are as Americans.
This foundation of freedom, for me, is deeply ingrained in who I am, both as a soldier and as an American.
That oath that I took to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, is one that is seared into my heart.
Now, I know we have many veterans here in the hall tonight, many who are watching from home.
Those of you who have worn or still wear the uniform, You know exactly what I'm talking about.
You know how serious we take this oath.
And like the many great Americans that we've had the privilege of serving alongside, the great Americans who have come before us upon whose shoulders we stand, We are united in this unwavering commitment to freedom.
We recognize that while we may disagree with what you say, we are willing to lay our lives down to defend your right to say it.
That is freedom.
And that's the core of who we are as a nation.
It is what makes our country that shining city on the hill.
So as long as we're committed to this foundation of freedom that's enshrined in our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, we can recognize our differences and work together based on that common ground.
Coming from that common foundation of freedom, we can overcome the great obstacles and challenges that we face.
But if we are not committed to this freedom that is so clearly spelled out in the Bill of Rights, We are doomed to fail as a country.
Unfortunately, we have too many Americans, including leaders in positions of great power in our country, who are not at all committed to upholding the Constitution.
We have many Americans who don't even know what the Bill of Rights are.
They think free speech is something that should only be left to those who agree with them, saying, hey, if you know what, if your speech offends me or if it offends anyone, then you should not be allowed to say it.
This is where we are as a country.
We have too many people in positions of power whose foremost responsibility is to protect our freedoms and uphold our God-given rights, and yet they are the ones who are actually trying to take these rights away from us.
This is the biggest threat to our country.
It is not coming from some foreign country.
It is coming from power elite here at home and their co-conspirators in the mainstream media and the security state who are working to undermine our freedoms from within.
Now just the latest strategy and tactic that they're using is to try to undermine our free speech by taking it upon themselves to say they've got the responsibility to protect us from so-called misinformation.
So basically they're saying that they're going to protect us from that which they claim is not true.
The notion that we must just blindly accept and follow as truth, that which the government or those in power tells us is true, goes against the very essence of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
This was created as a resounding rejection of the reign of kings and churches and authorities.
There's a reason the preamble of the Constitution begins with, we the people.
There's a reason our Declaration of Independence says that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Why is it important that we say these words?
Why is it important that we remember them?
That we actually understand why they serve as the bedrock of this country?
The reason why it's important is because in defiance of the Constitution, we now have leaders in our government working with their mouthpieces in the mainstream media and big tech, doing exactly what our founders rejected.
And they're doing so backed by the most lethal force on earth, as they appoint themselves as the sole authority and voice of truth.
of information.
They get to decide what is true and what is false.
They get to decide what is information or misinformation.
And they expect we, the people, to just blindly accept and follow.
This is where we're at today.
It is in direct opposition to the Constitution that the power elite is actively suppressing voices, opinions, and information that they don't like.
That those who dare to even question the authority are accused of spreading misinformation and are therefore targeted and smeared and cancelled and silenced.
We've seen their playbook over and over again.
Discredit and censor anyone who challenges them.
Why?
Because they know that their propaganda will not hold up to scrutiny.
That rather than engage in debate on substance, or even answer very simple questions about their policies, they instead immediately resort to smears and name-calling.
I'm sure you've heard them all before.
I certainly have.
Like, today.
Tito's got his hand raised.
Russian asset.
White supremacist.
Bigot.
Racist.
Extremist.
Traitor.
But what's even more dangerous than this threat of being cancelled is the federal government wielding its power and might to punish those who dare to question or disagree with them and their policies.
I'll give you one example.
If you go on dhs.gov You'll find Biden's Department of Homeland Security summarizes the three factors that led them to declare that we are in a heightened state of a domestic terrorism threat.
The first of those three factors is, quote, the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which so discord or undermine public trust in U.S.
government institutions.
I want to read that again because it's important.
The proliferation of false or misleading narratives which so discord or undermine public trust in U.S.
government institutions.
Number one factor.
If you replace the word U.S.
government with the word church, We can see how those in power see themselves as the high priests in a secular theocracy.
This explains why they see those who disagree with them as heretics.
And so it's not surprising that those who reject their leadership or views, these are the people who are targeted by Biden's Attorney General as domestic terrorists, simply for holding anti-authority views.
Basically what they're telling us is you are an enemy of the state if you dare to oppose or even question the president, his administration, or his policies, shut up, step back, fall in line, or we're coming after you.
This isn't some theory.
This is reality.
And this is a reality we're seeing play out in Canada as we speak.
You have the autocratic leader in Canada.
Who's resorted to genuinely authoritarian and tyrannical means to suppress a peaceful mass protest against the power elite there.
Everything that we see happening up north.
Everything from the execution of emergency powers, to the freezing of bank accounts, the seizure of children from parents, the destruction of livelihoods and small businesses.
All of these things could happen here.
So the question I ask myself in confronting all this is, what are they so afraid of?
Who are they afraid of?
You know the answer, it's simple.
They're afraid of us.
They're afraid of a free people.
They're afraid of a free society.
I've got to believe that Thomas Jefferson was thinking about these cowardly, fearful leaders when he said they prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of liberty.
They're afraid of the freedom that empowers each and every one of us to seek the truth, to speak freely, to question their decisions and their authority.
They're afraid of losing power.
Knowing full well the intent of our founders when they wrote in the Declaration of Independence that governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, and that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it's the right of the people to alter or abolish it and institute a new government.
A government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
This is what scares them.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And this is what empowers us.
So I want to ask you to join me in pausing for a second as we step into an alternate universe.
One where our leaders actually took their oath of office to the Constitution seriously.
One where they really cared.
about us and our security and our freedom.
If we were living in this world, they would shut down secret FISA courts and stop three-letter agencies like the NSA, FBI, and CIA from illegally spying on Americans.
They would denounce the Attorney General of the United States for his disgraceful attacks on Americans.
On American parents like those from Loudoun County and across the country who are concerned for their children's education.
I got to say a quick hello to the parents here.
I've had the privilege of spending some time with the amazing parents from across the country and parents defending education.
Many of whom have never been involved in politics before.
But now they are in the trenches standing up and fighting for their kids.
Fighting against boards of education and politicians who believe that parents don't have the right to raise their own children.
In this different world, our leaders would haul James Clapper before a judge to answer for his lies to Congress about how the government's collecting information from all of our phone records.
And they would support the Durham investigation into Clinton corruption in 2016 and beyond and make sure that those responsible are held accountable.
But this isn't the world we live in.
Thank you.
They're not going to do this.
Instead, they're doubling down and they're cracking down.
This power elite operation to crush freedom of speech is the enemy attack from within, and it threatens the very core of our democratic republic.
It's a complete betrayal of the vision that our founders had for this country, and it is a direct attack on the mission laid out in the Declaration of Independence, where instead of a government ordained to secure these rights, we now face a government determined to take them away.
This is not hyperbole.
Think about the impact of this from a practical perspective.
How can we vote, let's say, to choose a president when we do not have the freedom to actively participate in the marketplace of ideas?
We don't have the freedom to share our opinion, to listen to other perspectives, to ask questions, to challenge the establishment narrative, and then assess, consider our options, and make our own informed decisions about who we want To take on that awesome responsibility and serve this country as Commander-in-Chief.
We can't do this as long as we live in a society that's filled with intimidation and fear of being targeted, of being cancelled, being intimidated into self-censoring just because we don't want to lose our jobs so that we can provide for our families.
And this is the point.
What makes it even worse Is they're saying they're doing it for us.
They're saying that they want to protect us people from being exposed to misinformation, which really reveals how they actually feel about us.
How little they respect the American people.
That what they're saying is, you know what?
You're too stupid to think for yourself, to discern for yourself, to make your own decisions so Big government knows better for you than you do for yourself.
This is authoritarianism.
Yeah, I agree.
This is authoritarianism.
It is not freedom.
It is not a democratic republic.
And by rejecting our Bill of Rights, they have rejected our Constitution and therefore are the greatest threat to our republic.
And therein lies the hypocrisy of the Biden-Clinton, neocon, neolib establishment foreign policy, of misusing our military men and women by sending them out to be the policemen of the world, overthrowing dictators we don't like while turning a blind eye to the ones that we do, all in the name of spreading democracy and defeating autocracy.
But they're hypocrites.
They proclaim that we must go to war to spread democracy and freedom while they actively work to undermine our democratic, republican, our freedoms right here at home.
And they use crises, emergencies, times of war, whether it's a cold war or a hot war, to embolden the security state and infringe on our liberties and rights.
We saw it with the Patriot Act.
We saw it with COVID.
We're seeing it happening now in the name of democracy, as again our government works with big tech to censor misinformation about what's going on with Russia's war with Ukraine.
Once our rights are taken away, the government does not willingly give them back.
So what do we do?
Each of us in our own way and together must take a stand.
To protect our freedoms and rights.
Make our voices heard.
Hold our leaders accountable.
Force our leaders in Washington to take their oaths to uphold the Constitution to heart and take action.
Pass legislation that restores and protects our freedoms and liberties.
I'll tell you, I served in Congress for eight years.
Right now there are too many Democrats and Republicans.
Some of you might have heard from this week.
who talk a good game about civil liberties, but when it comes time to cast that vote on things like getting rid of secret FISA courts and protecting our Fourth Amendment rights to privacy, they vote on the side of the power elite and against liberty.
But as we look forward, We can take heart in knowing that our path will be lit by the fire of freedom that burns brightly in the hearts of Americans in every community, every home, every church, every classroom all across this country, in small towns and in big cities.
For we have decided that we belong to no one but God.
We are not subjects or slaves of those who govern.
And by God's grace, we are free.
And we will fight to remain free.
Thank you so much for having me here today.
May God bless you.
May God bless America.
Aloha.
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