On November 21, 2009, liberty activists will converge on the Beavercreek Golf Club for a unique speaker’s forum celebrating the true spirit and timeless traditions of individual liberty and Constitutional government.
The Southwest Ohio Liberty Conference, sponsored by the Ohio Freedom Alliance, will feature lectures on sound money, state’s rights and individual liberty. The event is open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10 per person to defray costs. The doors open at 1:00 p.m. on November 21st for networking and light refreshments, and speakers will address the audience from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Beavercreek Golf Club is just minutes from the Mall at Fairfield Commons, at 2800 New Germany-Trebein Road in Beavercreek, Ohio.
Scheduled to appear are Harold D. Thomas, founder of The Ohio Republic Blog; Joe Bozzi, Executive Director and co-founder of the Ohio Freedom Alliance and the Ohio Liberty Council; and Kevin Cullinane, a former head instructor of the 1st Marine Division’s Counterinsurgency School.
“The Southwest Ohio Liberty Conference is the first event of its kind in our area,” said organizer Andy Myers. “We are committed to teaching and instilling the founding principles that made the United States the envy of the world. And everyone is welcome. It’s a non-partisan event, and we think people of every political persuasion will be in attendance. We don’t care if you call yourself a Republican or a Democrat or a Libertarian—if you respect the Constitution, the rule of law and economic freedom, we think the speakers will have something for you.”
Harold D. Thomas’ lecture is titled “State Sovereignty: What’s in it for me?” Attendees will learn why passing Ohio’s state sovereignty resolutions (SCR 13, HCR 11) is essential to curb federal encroachment on the rights of the states and of individuals. Mr. Thomas will go into the history of states’ rights in the United States, review the features of Ohio’s two 10th Amendment resolutions, and suggest action steps to persuade the Ohio General Assembly to adopt them.
Joe Bozzi, Executive Director and co-founder of The Ohio Freedom Alliance and co-founder of The Ohio Liberty Council will be speaking about The Ohio Honest Money Act and what it means to the citizens of Ohio in protecting their loved ones, their financial security and quite possibly their livelihood. Mr. Bozzi graduated with a degree in economics from the College of Holy Cross, where he had studied under the Austrian Economist Professor Walter Block.
The featured speaker, Kevin Cullinane, is a foreign policy expert and the former head instructor at the 1st Marine Division’s Counterinsurgency School. He is also the co-founder of the Academy of the Rockies, a small, family-style, coed boarding school in Idaho. The Academy’s pioneering format combined academic study with farm work and mountaineering adventure. In 1999 he and his family relocated to northeast Tennessee and founded the Freedom Mountain Academy, a boarding school identical to their Academy of the Rockies. Cullinane will be sharing his view of what freedom is truly about.
The Ohio Freedom Alliance is a grassroots organization founded to facilitate greater communication and cooperation among liberty-oriented organizations and individuals throughout Ohio. OFA has over 1,500 active members, and over 15,000 supporters.
Although Ohio’s electoral votes went for President Obama, the campaign of Texas representative and strict constitutionalist Ron Paul energized thousands of libertarian and conservative voters in Ohio. Dr. Paul’s campaign inspired the formation of a number of grassroots groups that later became members of the Ohio Freedom Alliance.
Since its founding in the spring of 2008, the Ohio Freedom Alliance has:
* Distributed thousands of educational DVD’s and pieces of literature on state sovereignty, sound money, and free-market economics.
* Hosted national speakers including best-selling author Thomas E. Woods and FOX News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano.
* Organized a statewide rally with over 10,000 Ohio citizens on the Statehouse lawn.
* Lobbied for the introduction of several pieces of legislation, including the State Sovereignty Resolution (SCR 13) which successfully passed the Ohio Senate.
In addition to the Ohio Sovereignty Resolution—which reaffirms the rights of the State of Ohio and the People under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—the OFA has supported the “Firearms Freedom Act” (HB-315), an Act that would prohibit the federal government from regulating ammunition, firearms, and firearm accessories that are manufactured and remain in Ohio; and SJR-7, an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would prevent the federal government from forcing Ohioans to participate in a health care system.
The “health care freedom” amendment should be popular among voters, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. The poll, released November 12, shows Ohio voters moving away from liberal policies and Mr. Obama in significant numbers. Ohio voters oppose Obama’s health care plan 55 to 36 percent, with independents against it 57 to 33 percent. “Independent voters in Ohio—whose ballots often decide Ohio elections—disapprove of the overall job Obama is doing and disapprove of his handling of the economy by 54 to 39 percent,” notes event organizer Andy Myers. “Ohio voters disapprove—by a figure of almost two-to-one—of Obama’s handling of health care. These are the kinds of people who are going to Tea Parties and joining organizations like the Ohio Freedom Alliance.”
