LIBERTY TREE precinct project

The original Liberty Tree was a Grand Elm that stood in Boston, Massachusetts prior to the American Revolution. From its branches, ten years before formal declaration of hostilities, American patriots hung an effigy of Andrew Oliver, a colonist chosen to impose the Stamp Act by King George the III. With this courageously defiant act, America was born.

The tree immediately became the symbol and rallying point for American resistance. A period of building violence from both sides of this conflict ensued under the canopy of this great tree, culminating in the British felling the tree in an attempt to demoralize the American colonists. It was probably this very elm Jefferson had in mind when he said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

Astute observers may have noticed that we have chosen the olive, instead of the Elm, as our symbolic Liberty Tree. The olive tree is hearty.  She can be denuded of her branches, dug up and hauled to unfamiliar lands and will, if planted with care, still flower and bear fruit. Her branches symbolize peace. These trees are long lived. And they might be 100 years old before they bear quality fruit. The fruit they bear is full of essential nutrients.

Is Liberty not like the precious fruit of the olive? Does the olive branch get broken and abused by those that would steal her fruit rather than grow it? Will it take some time to restore the tree to health and vigor? Will her roots suffer from negligence, and will she still need the blood of patriots? Can she grow from an infusion of new blood, rather than a drenching of spilt blood? What better tree is there to symbolize a peaceful return to our Founding Fathers’ vision of Liberty?

The Precinct system has been set up for almost 200 years, and it is perhaps the only peaceful and constitutional way to take back our country. For half of these years, our citizens have been lulled into complacency and away from a basic understanding of the Precinct system. Briefly, “people are policy.” Because our Founders set up this country as a representative democracy, or a Republic, the more involved you are with your party, the more weight your opinion carries.

As a precinct leader, you set policy for our elected officials. It turns out, therefore, that when you, dear reader, become the Precinct Executive of your party (the Executive Committeeman who helps set policy) you now hold the most powerful office in America. And, since many of these positions lie vacant, it is often a shockingly easy office to attain.

Jefferson said, “the natural process of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.” Will restoring Liberty take some effort? Yes! Because to resist a “natural process,” by definition, requires energy. The amount of energy required is determined by the force of the “process.” This “process” has likely been going on for 100 years, and is growing exponentially. So, simply put, this will take a steady application of effort for some time to come.

Like the long-lived olive, it may be decades before we see thriving fruit again. We cannot rely on one individual, or some “cult of personality” to rescue us; it is, very simply, UP TO US! But take solace in what Samuel Adams once said: “it does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”

In Liberty,

The Liberty Tree Precinct Project