A Letter From Ben Powers Regarding His Resignation From The Minnesota Constitution Party

Ben Powers

Ben Powers
March 24, 2007

Dear fellow American:

I am writing you today to make you aware of the current status of the Constitution Party, and in particular, its affiliate here in Minnesota. I have been an active member of the Constitution Party of Minnesota since February 2003. In that time, I have served as Secretary/Treasurer of the 1st District Constitution Party, Chairman of Minnesotans for Peroutka, and most recently as their US Senate candidate.

Since 2003, the Nevada affiliate of the Constitution Party, the Independent American Party of Nevada (IAPNV), has elected and retained a chairman that is a vocal proponent of aborticide, referring to children conceived of rape and incest as “trespassers and intruders deserving of extermination.” Chris Hansen is a zealous member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a pseudo-Christian cult that believes in continuing revelation from its President/Prophet that supersedes all previous revelation including the Holy Bible and their own Book of Mormon. Members of this corporation are more colloquially referred to as Mormons.

The national Constitution Party platform states an opposition to infanticide for any reason including rape and incest. This human life plank had been bedrock to the party. So important was this plank, that in 1998 the national committee unanimously passed a resolution denying support to any candidate that would promote a view divergent from the Sanctity of Life plank. It would stand to reason that there should be discipline for any affiliate of the Constitution Party that would elect pro-abortion officers.

Ever since Mr. Hansen’s public promotion of abortion as the IAPNV’s Chairman, principled pro-lifers have sought resolution to the issue. Beginning with pleadings with Mr. Hansen to resign, to putting in a disciplinary process for wayward affiliates, and finally a resolution to disaffiliate the IAPNV at the 22 April 2006 national committee meeting in Tampa FL, all of these proposals and requests were rebuffed by the national committee.

Current estimates state that over 1/3 of Constitution Party national committee members are Mormons, and most of the employees of the national Constitution Party are Mormons. This past election season, Mormon-controlled Constitution Party affiliates in Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada ran pro-abortion candidates. Mr. Hansen and his supporters contend that they cannot be held to the life plank or any other plank of the Constitution Party platform if their Prophet decrees opposition. By the logic of Hansen, Inc., a Satanist should be welcome in the Constitution Party and should be exempt from the party platform rather than be in opposition to her religious beliefs.

Since at least 1996, Constitution Party literature has been critical of the Republican Party and its candidates that are in direct opposition to the Republican Party platform. The Constitution Party has in principle now jettisoned its much flaunted motto, “Principle over Politics!,” and made itself no better than the Republican Party.

The Constitution Party has promoted itself as a patriotic pro-life Christian party since its founding in 1992. This is no longer the case. The Constitution Party is now more interested in peripheral issues such as immigration, taxation, and more importantly supplanting the Republican and Democratic Parties. By the standards of today’s Constitution Party, any person is welcome and can hold a leadership position as long as they hold agreement with at least one plank of the platform. To be consistent, the Constitution Party should welcome Greens since they oppose the Federal Reserve. The only crime in the Constitution Party is to be a sincere Christian that stands firm on the Word of God, the Holy Bible.

Since April 2006, nine affiliates of the Constitution Party have left to become independent political parties, including Michael Peroutka’s Maryland, Rick Jore’s Montana, and Mark Moore’s Arkansas. Other affiliates are expected to leave in the next year, among them: Wisconsin, Georgia, Mississippi, and Texas. Many other individuals have left the Constitution Party when their own state affiliates chose not to disaffiliate, including Reed Heustis of California, and Cal Zastrow of Michigan.

Today, I was privileged to present a disaffiliation resolution for the Constitution Party of Minnesota. Unfortunately, this resolution was not adopted. I am writing to let you know that I have resigned my leadership positions in the Constitution Party. Being a leader in any organization implies a duty to promote that organization. I cannot continue to promote the Constitution Party (including doing parades) and remain true to my Christian faith. I now refer to myself as an independent, and not a Constitutionalist.

I have not dropped out of politics. I strongly encourage every one to work hard for the candidate that they most agree with at any level whether that man is running for township board or President of these united States of America without regard to party affiliation. Most important, I encourage you to daily immerse yourself in God’s complete Word, the Holy Bible. In addition, regularly visit Michael Peroutka’s website, The American View, http://www.TheAmericanView.com.

George Washington implored the American public in his 1796 Farewell Address to avoid loyalty to party over principle. I see the wisdom in Mr. Washington’s advice. The Constitution Party no longer promotes our nation’s Biblical foundation, and rather desires to have its hands on the levers of power at all costs. How does the Constitution Party expect voters to trust them to restore a nearly 220 year old document when they will not even follow their own stated principles?

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