Constitution Party lets its voices be heard

A meeting of the burgeoning political group called the Constitution Party of North Carolina (CPNC) on Tuesday night in a Statesville restaurant brought to mind a famous soliloquy from a mid-1970s movie called "Network."

In the film, a confluence of events pushes a news anchorman to his breaking point, and he tells his viewers that despite the fact the world is heading in the wrong direction, all may not be lost. But the political climate has to shift.

However, before anything can really be accomplished, and before any change can really come, says the fictional newsman Howard Beale, people have to find a fire inside themselves. Indeed, Beale says, people have to get angry and they have to voice that anger.

So he instructs his viewers to open their windows and shout in the most impassioned voice they can muster, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

The CPNC leaders who spoke at the Golden Corral didn't use those words, exactly, but they did point out the folly in supporting either of the two major political parties that have had a stranglehold on the electorate for the past century and a half.

"We're pretty upset at the way the government is going," said Mike Moorefield of Statesville. "And we think it's time to change."

And CPNC State Chairman Al Pisano did say things as they now are will continue unless like-minded people ban together and stop "picking the lesser of two evils" when they mark their ballots in the voting booths.

"This so-called two-party system is a sham," Pisano said, and he went on to point out that the United States' Founding Fathers and the writers of the nation's most esteemed documents would be appalled by what has become of their handiwork.

"We've gotten away from the meanings behind the Declaration of Independence and the true meaning of the Constitution," Pisano said. "And that's how we got into the mess we're in."

The road out of that mess, according to CPNC leaders and party literature, is one that parallels the Path of Righteousness that is described in the Bible.

The CPNC does not shy away from its position as a Christian-based organization.

When the party's Central Regional Director Terry Hardison spoke at Tuesday's meeting, he asked those in attendance to tell which religion they were adherents of.

"Some people say there is a problem with preachers getting involved with politics," said Hardison, a Baptist minister. "But I think we're in the shape we're in because too many preachers have stayed out of politics."

The CPNC's platform, as taken from the group's Web site, opens with the following:
"The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of Almighty God, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States. … The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries."

Based on the speeches given Tuesday, the written material distributed at the meeting and other information found on the CPNC Web site, the party could be classified as being staunchly conservative.

The group's "Essential Core Values," as described by Pisano and spelled out on the group's Web site, touch on virtually every significant hot-button political issue of the past two decades.

Pisano said the group's position on the "sanctity of life" was without exception. He spoke of the CPNC's stand against abortion, euthanasia, suicide, cryogenics and stem cell research. He stopped short, however, of speaking out against the death penalty.

The group's position on religious freedom extends to the point that tax-exempt status should not be tampered with regardless of what is said from the pulpit. Also, religious freedom should not be restricted in any way "regardless of the forum in which these liberties are exercised."

Pisano said the Second Amendment is among the most important passages in the Constitution.

"The only way to protect from a tyrannical government is to keep and bear arms," he said. "The only thing keeping the government from running over your rights are the 200 million guns that are out there."

The group believes that the marriage between one man and one woman "should be encouraged by law."

The CPNC's position on National Sovereignty is that of complete isolationism. It calls on the U.S. to dissolve "entangling alliances" with other nations and to end its relationship with the United Nations and all other international groups.

Pisano told those gathered that if this was the brand of politics they were looking for they could join the CPNC as a full member, associate member or "Friend of the Party." Dues ranged from $5 to $15.

"The only wasted vote," he said, "is the one you cast for someone you don't truly believe in."