On June 7, 1781, General Daniel Morgan wrote to General William Darke from Winchester, Virginia and authorized him to raise a regiment in the counties of Berkeley and Hampshire. General Darke hastened to execute the order, and the organization of the troops was speedily completed and they were put in the field. This was the famous Hampshire Regiment, which witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis to the united armies of America and France at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.
The town of Darkesville in Berkeley County is named for him.
Remembering D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 (D-Day), beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time (UTC+2). In planning, D-Day was the term used for the day of actual landing, which was dependent on final approval.
The assault was conducted in two phases: an air assault landing of 24,000 American, British, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France commencing at 6:30 AM. There were also subsidiary ‘attacks’ mounted under the codenames Operation Glimmer and Operation Taxable to distract the German forces from the real landing areas.
The operation was the largest amphibious invasion of all time, with over 160,000 troops landing on 6 June 1944. 195,700[6] Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000[5] ships were involved. The invasion required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval fire-support. The landings took place along a 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
Battle Born
The Battle of Philippi — also known mockingly as “The Philippi Races” — was fought on June 3, 1861, in and around Philippi, Virginia (now Barbour County, West Virginia) as part of the Western Virginia Campaign of the so-called Civil War. It was the first organized land action in the war, but is often treated dismissively as a skirmish rather than a significant battle. Estimated casualties were 4 US, and 26 CSA.
Col. Thomas A. Morris, temporarily in command of Union forces in western Virginia, mounted a two-prong advance under E. Dumont and B.F. Kelley against a small Confederate occupation force at Philippi under Porterfield. Kelley marched on back roads from near Grafton on June 2 to reach the rear of the town, while Dumont moved south from Webster. Both columns arrived at Philippi before dawn on the 3rd. The resulting surprise attack routed the Confederate troops, forcing them to retreat to Huttonsville. Although a small affair, this was considered the first major land action in the Eastern Theater.
Phil Hudok of Huttonsville is the Constitution Party’s candidate for U.S. Congress this year. His website is http://hudok.com
Tea Parties Need Teeth
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[The following is the full text of an address presented to the National Heritage Center for Constitutional Studies at its 2009 Constitution Day conference.]
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Sanctity of Life Platform Position Revised
By unanimous approval of its voting membership, at meeting duly assembled in Morgantown, Monongalia County on April 24, 2010, the CPWV has revised for style the following platform position on the Sanctity of Life. This position was originally adopted at the Executive meeting of September 23, 2006.
We affirm the God-given sanctity of all human beings, born or un-born, without exception, and with full and equal unalienable rights regardless of their station in life. To that end, the Constitutions of the United States and West Virginia were ordained and established for “ourselves and our posterity.” Abortion is a detestable and heinous act against the most innocent of society; no civil government may legalize the taking of the right to life without justification. In those cases where the life of the mother is at risk, every effort should be made by competent medical professionals to preserve the life of both the mother and the child. As to matters of rape and incest, it is unconscionable to take the life of an innocent child for the real or accused crimes of his or her father.
We implore the West Virginia State Legislature to exercise the Doctrine of Interposition, as has recently South Dakota’s, to assert the illegitimate usurpation of authority by the Supreme Court in Roe vs. Wade, etc., and declare this poorly decided case for what it is—binding only on the specific parties involved. We seek immediate legislation to criminalize partial birth abortions and enact parental notification and informed consent laws.
Furthermore, we oppose the promotion and use of all abortifacients and defend the employment rights of those who refuse to participate in their distribution. We oppose all elements of bio-research involving human embryonic or pre-embryonic cells as well as all government “legalization” of euthanasia and suicide. We similarly oppose all forms of involuntary human experimentation whether they be on military personnel, prisoners, children or adults via undisclosed vaccine contents, municipal water treatment, aerosol sprays, electromagnetic, radiation, or other diabolical technologies. Whereas our Creator commands us to be fruitful and multiply, all forms of eugenics, selective breeding, cloning, and coercive population control are abominable evils which are contradictory to America’s Christian heritage.
Racial Harmony Platform Adopted
By unanimous approval of its voting membership, at meeting duly assembled in Morgantown, Monongalia County on April 24, 2010, the CPWV has adopted the following platform position on Racial Harmony.
We believe that the peoples of the world are a single family and have a common origin. One possibility, offered in Scripture, is the story of the tower of Babel whereby, because of their disobedience to God’s command to be fruitful and populate the land, the congregated people had their one language “confounded” and were scattered over all the earth. This then created genetic isolation which is perhaps the real cause for the origin of modern races of people. We thus vehemently reject Darwinism, evolutionary theories, and their bigoted derivatives, accepting instead that “All men are created equal” and in His image.
The CPWV appreciates the wisdom of Booker T. Washington who proposed to a biracial audience in his 1895 Atlanta Compromise address, “In all things purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.” We profess that racism is properly defined as “a form of collectivism, the mindset that views humans only as members of groups and never as individuals.” As such, we find nothing wrong with state celebrations and Dixie Decrees in remembrance of Confederate history, its honorable heroes, veterans and their family heritage. America was founded by unique and rugged pioneers. It was perseverant nonconformists of daring and optimistic mind-set who built our Republic, not huddled masses of inert complainers.
The corporate media has made much ado about our founders as slave owners, yet little has been said of their emphatic opposition to it. Having been introduced to America some two centuries prior, slavery was not the product of any of their actions. Instead, one of the driving forces for separation from Britain was that every attempt among the Colonies to end slavery had been thwarted or reversed by the Crown. Richard Henry Lee made the pretense of this clear when he explained, “Christianity, by introducing into Europe the truest principles of humanity, universal benevolence, and brotherly love, had happily abolished civil slavery. Let us who profess the same religion practice its precepts… by agreeing to this duty.” In fact, in the years following America’s separation from Great Britain, the majority of the Founding Fathers who had owned slaves released them. John Adams never owned any slaves. And George Washington said, “I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it [slavery].” His wish was almost granted when Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration of Independence included an entire paragraph decrying slavery as both an “execrable commerce” and an “assemblage of horrors.” Other Founders outspoken about slavery were John Dickinson, William Livingston, Luther Martin, John Randolph, Caesar Rodney, James Wilson, John Witherspoon, and George Wythe.
In 1774, Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush founded America’s first antislavery society. John Jay, stating “that men should pray and fight for their own freedom and yet keep others in slavery is certainly acting a very inconsistent as well as unjust and perhaps impious part,” was president of a similar society in New York. Other prominent Founding Fathers who were members of societies for ending slavery included James Madison, James Monroe, John Marshall and William Livingston. Franklin also advanced the idea that slaves needed to be educated in order to become contributing members of a free society. Based in part on the efforts of these men, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1780; Connecticut and Rhode Island did so in 1784; New Hampshire in 1792; Vermont in 1793; New York in 1799; and New Jersey in 1804. Thus it was the founders who were responsible for planting and nurturing the first seeds for the recognition of black equality and for the eventual end of slavery. This fact is made clear by Richard Allen, a freed Christian slave from Pennsylvania who became the founder of the A.M.E. Church in America. In an early address titled To the People of Color, Allen said, “Many of the white people [who] have been instruments in the hands of God for our good, even such as have held us in captivity, are now pleading our cause with earnestness and zeal.”
Yet despite all of this, there are still those who charge that in the Constitution, the Founders considered a black to be only three-fifths of a person. This is yet another misportrayal of the truth since the records of the Constitutional Convention make clear that the three-fifths clause was actually an antislavery provision. As Professor Walter Williams explains, “It was slavery’s opponents who succeeded in restricting the political power of the South by allowing them to count only three-fifths of their slave population in determining the number of congressional representatives. The three-fifths of a vote provision applied only to slaves, not to free blacks in either the North or South.” And, the so called Civil War was not about slavery as evidenced by Lincoln’s inaugural speech where he assured Americans that “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” Furthermore, when Lincoln broke his promise, his Emancipation Proclamation did not free any of the slaves remaining in the northern states, and was signed almost two years after the unpleasantness began. During various state ratifying conventions for the federal Constitution, secession was one of the key terms in agreeing to it. In fact, right up until the conflict, secession was taught at West Point. We find nothing wrong with the display of any of the various Confederate flags as symbols of heritage, fidelity, and respect.
The CPWV is not a hate group nor are we associated with any white supremacist militias as is wrongfully categorized by MIAC (Missouri Information Analysis Center), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and its ideological twin, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Nor were the Founding Fathers terrorists as BATFE agents have instructed and whistleblowers shown via hidden camera. For these groups, any defense of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights represents “antigovernment extremism.” As evidenced by the growing Tea Party movement, millions of Americans have independently arrived at the conclusion that the federal government is indeed an authoritarian leviathan. Thus it appears that the SPLC, ADL, MIAC and their ilk are engaged in a desperate effort to silence the patriot movement through baseless accusations portraying it as a fringe phenomenon consisting of “dangerous radicals” and “domestic terrorists.” Of course, this is nothing more than propaganda, character assassination, slander, and defamation; blatant hypocrisy which will not work. These, or any other groups that would collectively misrepresent our principles, candidates, and activities, have absolutely zero credibility with us. We hope that the awakening general public recognizes this and feels the same.
Illegal Immigration Platform Position Updated
By unanimous approval of its voting membership, at meeting duly assembled in Morgantown, Monongalia County on April 24, 2010, the Constitution Party of West Virginia has updated its platform position on Illegal Immigration. This position was originally adopted at the September 23, 2006 Executive meeting in Terra Alta, Preston County.
Illegal immigration is a clear and present serious and growing danger which is threatening American culture with balkanization and civil unrest. Whereas massive illegal immigration is de facto invasion, and whereas Article IV, § 4 of the United States Constitution clearly states that it is the function of the government to protect us from such, the State of West Virginia and the people thereof, pursuant to the Tenth Amendment, have the sovereign right and duty to take measures to protect its citizens. We look to the April 2010 Arizona immigration enforcement bill as an example of the proper response of a state legislature to this problem.
We support the vigorous enforcement of current immigration laws and are opposed to amnesty for illegals in any form. We support the strengthening of employment laws that require employers to verify the legal status of their employees and propose stiff fines and higher penalties for those who knowingly hire undocumented persons in any capacity. Furthermore, we call for state and local police forces to aggressively pursue such crimes and turn discovered persons over to federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement demanding immediate deportation to their country of origin. We oppose so-called “city of refuge” sanctuary ordinances and strongly denounce municipalities which promote them.
Because speaking and comprehending our common language is a basic precondition of good citizenship, we support the passage of “English Only” legislation making English the official and exclusive language for all governmental business by our State. We oppose bilingual ballots and strongly contest Executive Order 13166 which federally mandates them. Additionally, we are against the granting of any government benefit, including public education, to any illegal alien and support the passage of local ordinances, such as those of Hazelton, Pennsylvania in 2006 which permit residents to refuse services to illegals.
Agriculture Platform Position Adopted
By unanimous approval of its voting membership, at meeting duly assembled in Morgantown, Monongalia county on April 24, 2010, the Constitution Party of West Virginia has adopted its platform position on Agriculture.
Agriculture can and should be an important part of West Virginia’s economy. In a letter to George Washington during the Constitutional Convention, Thomas Jefferson said, “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” And, John Taylor of Caroline believed agriculture “the guardian of liberty, as well as the mother of wealth. So long as the principles of our government are uncorrupted, and the sovereignty of majorities remains, she must occupy the highest political station, and owe to society the most sacred political duty.” However, largely because of government interference, we feel that the full potential of West Virginia’s agricultural resources has not been developed.
The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a tyrannical system of federal control over the food supply and over the property of our farmers which will impose burdensome reporting requirements, expenses, and fines. We therefore call for an end to West Virginia’s participation in this program as well as an end to the acceptance of any federal money for the purpose of implementing it.
Likewise, farm subsidies have a corrupting influence on the agricultural free market; we thus call for an end to them as well. West Virginia has a long and proud tradition of well managed agribusiness without the need for government intervention. Because of their many commercial uses, the unlimited cultivation of all traditional crops and fuel producing plants should be unregulated and uninfringed. Agriculture is a resilient and adaptive industry. We therefore reject transforming its agenda to meet so called “global challenges” and are opposed to artificial market manipulation via any sort of wage or price controls.
Farmers should be free to sell their products, including meat, milk, and traditionally processed foods, to the public without government involvement. However, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) present a threat to food safety and create the potential for contamination of the gene pool of other agricultural crops and livestock that are grown or raised in proximity. Therefore, we advocate a law that prohibits the cultivation or production of GMO crops, seeds, or livestock. We envision a revitalized agricultural economy for West Virginia supported by local farmers’ markets and organic methods which will allow consumers the opportunity to purchase high-quality natural West Virginia edibles instead of over-processed and less healthy factory-farmed foods.
Finally, conservation easements present potential serious and confusing complications to basic private property rights and are thus viewed by us with caution. We do recognize the problem which deer pose to our state not only in crop damage, but to motorists as well, and thus recommend reducing the nuisance population thereof through expansion of landowner hunting. Venison and other wild game are excellent sources of nutrition for our populace, the harvesting of which should be encouraged.
Group complains about electronic voting machines
A local leader of the conservative Constitution Party asked Raleigh County Commission members Tuesday to stop using the Election Systems & Software (iVotronic touch-screen voting machines currently used in West Virginia.
The machines are approved by Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, and her office recently paid around $500,000 for the Raleigh machines. The county anted up another $400,000.
Gene Stalnaker presented Commission president John Humphrey and Commissioner John Aliff with the Ohio Project EVEREST voting study.
According to the study, the voting machines are intrinsically flawed. Due to several flaws, the report alleges, hackers can control the outcome of the entire election due to errors in input processing, poll workers can easily extract or alter the memory of the machines and a voter in a single precinct can corrupt the software to impact the outcome when provisioning a subsequent election.
Under state law, county commissions can choose not to use the machines, said Gene Stalnaker, Constitution Party treasurer.
“This report calls for the State of Ohio to do away with the machines six months before their election,” Stalnaker said. “There’s other states that use the same machines that also have done that.
“So I’m just asking you as commissioners to follow (state code) and call a meeting to do away with the machines.”
Humphrey said he’d received no complaints about the performance of the machines and that no other voters had expressed concerns.
“As of now, we have no reason to doubt these machines,” he said. Read More
Constitution Party of West Virginia wins free speech victory
The Rutherford Institute Wins Court Victory for West Virginia Constitution Party’s Right to Circulate Petitions at a State Park
ELKINS, W.Va. —Judge John Preston Bailey of the Northern District of West Virginia has ruled that a First Amendment lawsuit dealing with the right of a political group to circulate petitions and collect signatures at a state park can move forward. Officials with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), which manages and controls the park, had asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Filed in April 2008 by Rutherford Institute attorneys on behalf of members of the Constitution Party of West Virginia, the lawsuit poses a constitutional challenge to a ban on politics in West Virginia state parks.
“Americans have a First Amendment right to the freedom of political expression,” stated John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “We cannot allow the government to silence. We have a right to be heard.” Read More