Photo credit: Wynn Pointaux

Americans for Restoring the Constitution – A Voice for “We the People” of New York

by Elaine A. Benjamin

“The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon”  — George Washington

In 2009, a group of patriotic citizens from Broome County in Upstate New York joined forces with a Pennsylvania group called “We The People” with the intent to help promote knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and instill a pride of country. While meeting for a time with the parent group, they soon decided to form their own, which they aptly named ‘Americans for Restoring the Constitution (AFRTC).’

James Sacco, one of the founding AFRTC board members recalls the passion that inspired the founding members: “The nomination of John McCain and the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was seen as the culmination of a fundamental shift in American politics that had been building for years. Not only were both major parties hostile to the concept of a Constitutional republic, but a good number of voters and institutions were willing– if not eager– to surrender their liberties for some vague concept of a progressive utopia unmoored from America’s founding, history, customs and values. We formed our group because we knew that the trajectory we were on would lead to a new form of serfdom in which everything we held dear would be lost. Now was the time for ‘We the People’ to arise with a strong purpose.”

Meetings were well-attended in the early days of AFRTC. Although the group is nonpartisan, they were bound together by an overriding patriotism and love of the Constitution.  AFRTC encourages all points of view and debate and for any person feeling they have not been heard, an opportunity to speak. Sixteen years after the initial meeting and still going strong, AFRTC programs center around a guest speaker with topics pertaining mostly to the Constitution and its application to former and current events. AFRTC is “knowledge-driven rather than driven by activism”, states Sacco. The group held many popular “candidate forums” during which candidates for any office and both major parties were invited to share their vision and answer audience questions without commenting on their opponents’ platforms. It was well-attended by both party’s candidates. Meeting topics have included the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the Constitution and the Supreme Court, the Federal Reserve Bank and the 2008 Financial Crisis. Guest speakers have been a Russian Orthodox priest speaking about life under Communism, a town supervisor discussing the direction of the Republican Party, and national media guest and CIA agent Sam Faddis, speaking on the current security of the United States.

Patriotic New Yorkers are once again at a crucial cross-road. While enduring the polarizing political climate experienced by the rest of the country, we are also at the mercy of far-leftist ideals coming out of Albany. The University of New York system as well as the New York Board of Education continues to push “progressive” (Socialist/Communist) agendas in our schools while parents’ voices are silenced and parent’s rights being eliminated. Moderates and conservatives from both parties find it hard to gain a foothold in the political and educational arena.

Our politicians are not listening to conservative or moderate voices from either party. Because of this many voters have become disheartened, discouraged and are retiring out of state or finding jobs in states with lower taxes and those which champion long-standing American values. Many others are leaving their party affiliations to become Independents.

Against this discouraging and dismal landscape AFRTC is a beacon of hope, an advocate for truth and a champion for freedom of speech, seeking to instill a sense of pride of place for New Yorkers who love their country and their state. For any person who feels they have been unheard, AFRTC seeks to encourage, energize and give a voice. If we stand together we can make our voices heard and make a difference. Help us return New York State to ‘We,The People!’