In this episode, we take the podcast in a bit of a different direction. We are anarchists, but we've brought in someone who works within the state to improve citizens’ lives through the legislature. Justin Cornett started For All Tennessee so he can act as a go-between from citizens to their representatives.
For All TN listens to citizens’ needs and works to get them taken care of them by passing bills. This organization is different because its members vote on which issues to pursue, and the company is not controlled by money. For more information, visit For All Tennessee or email info@foralltn.org. Follow Justin on Facebook and Twitter.
At The Bad Roman Project, we wish the state didn't exist. But the fact is, it does. I (Craig) have been learning that people won’t immediately jump to anarchy from their brainwashed state. We have to meet them where they're at. We have to find ways to make them see that they don't want to be controlled by an authority, especially one who only cares about them as long as they're contributing financially to the government.
Part of the work Justin is doing is spreading knowledge to average citizens about the unfair and unconstitutional laws they are abiding by. He opens their eyes to what the government is doing and encourages them to join him in pushing their local representatives in a different direction. This is a step towards freedom, a step towards taking control of what's ruling their lives and realizing how harmful the government is to their community.
Timestamps:
2:43 Biden’s “Proclamation” about vaccine mandates
It was just a press release
Good ideas don’t require force
It’s a bad idea to criminalize bad decision making
They never pushed the flu shot quite like this
“If they would have just let people decide on their own, more people probably would have taken this shot.” -Craig
So much overreaction at the beginning by people on both sides of the aisle that people are now almost underactive and unwilling to put an experiment in their arms
Biden and governors (like Texas and Florida) are making “mandates” about the vaccine – either that it can or cannot be required of specific people
But in Tennessee, it is a law that companies cannot require their employees to be vaccinated
Craig hasn’t had to choose between his livelihood and his life like so many others
Justin helped him talk to his politicians about it
8:30 We still live under our government
Reality is, we live with a governmental system
If we want anything to happen, we have to work within that system
most of the followers of the bad Roman are not ready to declare total anarchy, so we have to ease them into it a bit
“The world exists as it exists… If you try to operate contrary to the way the world actually works, it's not going to work out well for you.” -Justin
Sometimes, people think they’re opposed to you
Until you take the time to understand them and explain more
And you both find they’ve said the same thing you said before, just differently
No one will listen to a headstrong bully
Jesus used love, hope, and patience to guide people to His path
If we don't use those tools, we will not succeed
Someone’s gotta work through the state; just not Craig ;)
13:44 For All Tennessee
Takes policy ideas to the hill
Members pay $5+/month
They get to vote on which issues are focused on
Also, people can designate their money for specific issues
Utilizes different tactics such as pamphlets, door to door information sharing, and ads
They do not campaign for or endorse certain politicians. They simply inform people about where all the politicians stand on important issues
No party affiliation; just what's best for Tennessee
“You don't fix what the government broke with more government. You can't really fix what the parties have broken with more parties, because the problem is inherent in the parties.” -Justin
America was supposed to be self-governed through Representatives
But right now there are two organizations who tell us what our options are, and we have to choose which of the 2 is less terrible
The only way to change that is for citizens to lean on their representatives
Working to
Find out what the citizens want
Create policies
Lobby for representatives to vote for what do people in their district have asked
If they don’t, they’ll lose votes
Find out what representatives think about policies and inform citizens
Guide people into a different mindset where they
Have influence over public policy
Don’t blindly follow government
They have the gift of free will
Are aware of and ask for what's best for their community
Guide people to take a step towards freedom
Run by this principle: get policy done that empowers people and limits government
28:23 How the founding fathers might feel about how things work now
Rollin over in their graves
If they were here, they’d go to war with our government
The federal government was never supposed to have as much power as it does
States were supposed to have more control
The federal budget is significantly higher than all the states’ budgets combined
The States created the federal government
And should therefore have more power
The federal government does not constitutionally have the authority to pass a law
But they've been doing it anyway for 100 years
Everyone just behaves like the acts they have passed are law
33:04 Hypocrisy
Saying we have to follow something because it's the law
While also dismissing laws that don't make sense
Or even disobeying align yourself while demanding that others get punished for it
Saying we should love our neighbor
While also delighting in locking him up for nonviolent crimes
Making his education, career, and family life a massive struggle
Keeping him dependent on the state for sustenance
34:58 A new definition of politics
Politics happens any time people interact with other people
If you have a society full of garbage people, it is going to fail regardless of what government it has
If you have a society full of people who truly care about others, the government won't be needed to control them
We need a combination of
A kind attitude towards each other and
A lack of governmental control
We've got to focus on the goal
We need to fix our eyes on Jesus, not what's going on in the world around us
Our treasure is not here on Earth
But let's make the most out of what we have here
While recognizing that this isn't the end for us
38:00 Working to limit police power
Qualified immunity
Hasn't been voted on within the organization yet
They may or may not work on it, depending on the votes
No-knock Raids
Worked to get 123 out of 132 votes to abolish them in TN
Written with police chiefs and the governor's office
Tennessee already had a good record and policies in place to prevent no-knocks
This was just the final step
Police now have to report any excessive force used
Deescalation training is now required
40:52 Low-hanging fruit
Going for the policies that are already widely agreed upon
They are agreed upon by citizens, not necessarily representatives
Civil asset forfeiture
The government can see that you have assets and simply take them even when you have done nothing wrong
Many representatives see this as a necessary income stream for the government
Most average citizens have no idea this is a thing
So part of the work is to educate them and ask them to join against it
44:17 Effectiveness Analysis
We check on the issues we worked on
We got a bill passed on civil asset forfeiture that made the state more financially responsible when proven to be in the wrong
But they have a loophole
People are not being reimbursed for their legal fees
Now, we have another angle to focus on to help people
48:12 “We are nothing more than a revenue source for the government.” -Craig
How do people not see this?
When a lie becomes commonplace, people just accept it
48:48 COVID migration
People are moving to different states to escape COVID laws
Hopefully, those from the most extreme states don’t bring the lies they lived under with them
Conservatives are bad, but liberals are worse
Californians moving to Texas
In one county of TN, restaurants demanded people’s addresses in order to track their travel
The government wants to divide and conquer us
We should be focusing on the similarities between groups
Both sides want us to get vaccinated right now
Liberals get there by mandating what they think is good for us
Both are seeking gain and change culture
The way they want the culture to change to is different
Both prescribe laws for the purpose of culture shift
55:31 Plans for the new year
Members can vote on what issues we focus on in 2022
Join before the deadline and get your vote in
If someone comes to us with $100,000 to work on a particular issue in a certain direction, we still need the approval of our members before moving forward
As far as we know, no one else operates this way
If someone knows of an organization that does, please let us know so we can learn from them and be allies
Currently, we only work in Tennessee but would love to have chapters in other states and then federally
Have incorporated for this reason
Everybody wants somebody to be doing this work
Contact For All TN at info@foralltn.org
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