Citizens of Three Rivers and St.
Joseph County:
Do you believe in the Constitution of the United States? Do you
feel that your local government officials are abiding by the
Constitution the way our forefathers intended?
We are Liberty1st and we’d like to introduce ourselves to you.
We are citizens from all walks of life working hard to expose
what we feel are direct violations of your freedoms as citizens
of these United States of America.
We the citizens of Three Rivers, Michigan have formed a group to
oppose government sanctioned character training, specifically
the Character First program. We believe that the Character First
program is a program derived from a religious and very
controversial organization known as the Institute of Basic Life
Principles. We believe that local government involvement with
this program is in direct violation of our first amendment
rights, specifically the separation of church and state. And we
are calling for the immediate withdrawal from the Character
First program and removal of the Character City label that has
been placed on the city of Three Rivers.
The following are facts that have been discovered while
researching the Character First program by the members of
Liberty1st and other defenders of your freedoms. These are not
opinions or personal views on the Character First program, but
FACT.
Fact number one is as follows. The International Association of
Character Cities (IACC) oversees the Character First program and
the Character Training Institute located in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma. The Character Training Institute is located in and
operated at the Oklahoma Training Center, which is owned and
operated by the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). This
according to actual documents located at the Oklahoma County
Assessors office. The controversial leader Bill Gothard founded
the IBLP and he is the current president of this organization.
Fact number two is as follows. The Character First advocates
will lead you to believe that the Character First program has
nothing to do with Bill Gothard and the IBLP. Even though the
paper trail leads directly to the IBLP, they still continue to
deny any relationship to Gothard and the IBLP. Even though the
individual that presented the Character First material to the
city is a member of the IBLP. Even though Gothard and the IBLP
admit the program is a product of their teachings and beliefs.
And yet the denial by our local government persists to this day
without any explanation as to why they choose to ignore the
facts that have been brought before them.
The Character First advocates will also lead you to believe
that the Character First program does not contain any biblical
or religious references and this is the furthest from the truth.
The Character First program is based solely on Bill Gothard’s
teachings. We would like to quote the IBLP website’s profile
of IBLP board member Tom Hill.
“He and his wife attended their first Seminar in 1974 and
brought the truths presented home to their family. The
principles the family learned and applied enabled them to work
through problems such as anger, bitterness, and rebellion. This
provided a basis for harmonious relationships both in their
family and in the family business, which later developed the
Character First program now being used by cities and businesses
around the world.”
Do you believe that removing all biblical and religious
content from the Character First program “cleanses” it of
all ties to Gothard and the IBLP? Suppose removed all the
references to the extermination of the Jews in Hitler’s Mein
Kampf, would it be safe to say that Nazism wasn’t all that
bad? The answer is most certainly no.
Let us not be fooled by the tactics of this organization to
infiltrate our government, places of employment, and our
schools. What we need to do is look at the intent of this
program. Who is deciding what good character is for you and your
children? Do you want to lose your job because your definition
of character is different then that of your employer? Do you
want your child disciplined at school because he or she fails to
agree with the schools definition of character? We as Americans
have the right to decide what is best for our family and our
local government should not be deciding for us, but they along
with the Character First program are threatening that right.
If this program is allowed to proceed you will see various
degrees of propaganda displayed throughout the city, television,
radio, billboards, and newspapers. Right now there are advocates
of the Character First program pushing to have it implemented in
your public schools and your place of employment. Right now they
are selling the Character First program to your employer through
deceit and lies. Right now your local government is sending
grant money awarded to your city to a $63 million evangelistic
empire.
All we ask you to do is read the facts and educate yourself on
the Character First program, the IBLP, and Bill Gothard. After
you read the facts make and educated informed decision on
whether or not you will support this program. If you decide
against this program please contact your local commissioner,
mayor, etc., and voice your concerns to them.
|
