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I founded the American Policy
Center (APC) thirty years ago, back in 1986. I had goals to
accomplish and dreams for success. Mostly I just wanted to make a
difference in protecting our culture and our unique American form of
government as a republic that protects the individual, the free market and
the security of our homes.
Over the years, I’ve focused on issues including personal privacy, illegal
immigration, public education, and of course the assault on our very way of
life through the UN’s creation of Agenda 21. I know that APC has had an
impact on these issues. But I never really knew just how to measure our
reach or success. Have I been able to make the difference I had hoped for?
Have I changed lives? Well, over the past few weeks I was finally able to
get an idea of my reach and it came in several very surprising ways.
As the results came in that Donald Trump had won his surprise victory to
the White House, I saw that, finally, we had a definite opportunity to make
a real difference. Finally, we could change the national direction that has
been barreling unchecked toward a federal dictatorship. It was equally
crystal clear that, as with the Obama Administration, under a Hillary
Clinton administration there would have been no hope of affecting
presidential policy.
So, my first reaction to the Trump victory was to help get the right people
into positions in the Administration where they could affect policy. I
quickly sent out an APC Sledgehammer Action Alert asking supporters across
the nation to write to the Trump team in support of two very able local
officials. I nominated one to serve in the EPA and the other to serve as
Secretary of HUD. I felt nothing was more important than to have these two
agencies run by people who would stop the assault on private property and
industry. In fact, I believe that if that was the only accomplishment of a
Donald Trump presidency then that would be enough to assure a strong future
for our nation.
To my surprise, after issuing the alert, I received many emails from
supporters telling me they had sent in my name to be HUD Secretary. That
was very unexpected. It’s a heady feeling to know people have such respect
for you. Of course, Ben Carson is now up for the job. But this was only the
beginning of what was to come.
Next, a very powerful political leader from South Carolina contacted me to
say he had offered my name to the Trump team for a position in the
Department of Interior. Wow, I thought, I had never even considered such a
thing. Yet, wouldn’t it be great for them to appoint me as head of the BLM.
I’d free the Bundys from jail. I’d begin a process to give lands back to
the states and open even more areas that has been locked away from human
use. Yes, that would be interesting. I then posted this news on Facebook
and was overwhelmed by the number of comments I received by very excited
people who certainly wanted to see me in such a position.
Just a few of days later I was to receive the biggest shock of all. Richard
Viguerie—the long time Conservative leader and Washington, DC icon—posted
an article in his daily online report “Conservative HQ,” listing what new
HUD Secretary Carson would need to succeed in that post. As I read the
article my head almost blew off. It proposed three people Carson should add
to his team. My name was included on that very short, impressive list. Said
the report: “Mr. DeWeese has been a fierce opponent of HUD’s overreach and
perhaps more than anyone has been able to capture the emotional impact
Americans feel when they are deprived of their property rights by AFFH and
other HUD overreaches.” Mr. Viguerie’s HQ Report is read by approximately
100,000 people, many of them are major Conservative and political leaders
from around the nation. To be recognized by such a powerhouse is certainly
an honor.
My heady couple of weeks in the sun was about to get even better as I was
invited to attend a special Climate Change briefing sponsored by the Competitive
Enterprise Institute (CEI), to be held in the Dirksen Senate Office
Building hearing room on Capital Hill. CEI heads up a group called the
Cooler Heads Coalition, which is made up of groups and policy makers
working to expose the global warming scam and fight policy to enforce it.
There were three speakers for the event, including Dr. Timothy Ball, a
Canadian. He is an author of several books exposing the global warming
hype. The featured speaker for the briefing was recently elected Australian
Senator Malcolm Roberts. He has caused quite a stir in the Australian
government as he has already established himself as an aggressive opponent
to that country’s climate change policies.
I had never met or corresponded with either of these men. While I was
talking to a few folks by the hearing room, a man walked up to me and in
his Australian accent said, “You’re Tom DeWeese, aren’t you?” It was
Senator Roberts. Somehow he recognized me and complimented my “outstanding
work.” He said he had been reading my materials for years.
As the program opened, Dr. Ball began to speak, using his power point
presentation. To my surprise he brought up a slide depicting the United
Nation’s power structure clearly showing Agenda 21 as the center of the
plans to enforce climate change policy and bring on global governance.
The reason that was such a surprise too me was the fact that, in the 20
years I have lead the fight against Agenda 21, I have been ignored and
stonewalled by many leading conservative groups as they refused to even
utter the words Agenda 21. Now, here in a Senate hearing room was a man
they respected and had come to absorb his wisdom. And what was he saying?
Exactly the message I had been trying to get them to hear all these years.
After the program, I went up to thank Dr. Ball to talk about Agenda 21. I
mentioned my struggle to reach some of these folks about Agenda 21. He said
he understood. He said he didn’t believe the dire warnings about Agenda 21
at first either. Then he started to read my articles and that had led him
to the truth. He said he knew my work well.
Next up was Senator Roberts to address the group. He was magnificent in his
presentation. He hit all the right points on the global warming farce,
backed by a genuine passion for the fight to stop it. But my biggest shock
was about to be dropped on me. As he spoke, making his points, he suddenly
said my name. In fact, not once, but three times! He told the crowd about
how I was a leader in the fight, producing effective and important materials.
To understand the significance of that fact, you must know the culture of
Capital Hill. When someone of influence and respect, like Senator Roberts,
starts pointing out your achievements, not once, but three times, it gets
noticed! And it certainly was that day. Suddenly, after the program a lot
of people wanted to say hello to me.
I tell these stories not to toot my horn, but to make a specific point.
These two weeks of activity, being endorsed to serve in the new
administration and recognized by strong leaders was vindication for the
reach and impact that I and the American Policy Center have made. The
excitement of so many supporters to accept that I might have an influence
from inside the Trump Administration is a testament to APC’s never wavering
battle to get the truth out. Senator Robert’s remarks simply confirmed to
me that APC clearly has an international reach and is making a difference
in world wide policy. It certainly tells me that the fight thus far
has been worth it. People are listening to APC and me. Now, with this new
administration we really do have a once in a lifetime opportunity to
restore our precious Republic and stamp out the growing tyranny that has
threatened it.
There is another lesson in this for all the local activists who work so
hard in their own communities; those who sometimes get discouraged because
they don’t win the fight. Please learn this truth – what you do has an
impact, no matter how insignificant you think your efforts may be. Writing
a letter to the editor or speaking out in a meeting just might be the spark
that moves someone else to take major steps forward, like a random article
that moves a future Senator in Australia to lead the effort to change his
nation’s policy.
I don’t know if I will get a position in this Administration. To tell you
the truth, all I want is an open line into some of the agencies I have been
fighting all these years, especially HUD. If I can become a resource of
ideas to Secretary Carson I couldn’t ask for more. I shall pursue that
opportunity to make it reality.
However, all of us on the front lines in the battle to preserve property
rights and stop government tyranny must recognize one vital fact. A Trump
presidency will not solve these problems for us. We must continue to be in
the trenches fighting. If this election has proven anything to us, it’s
that those who have had power will stop at nothing to keep it. If we now go
home and think all is solved, nothing will change.
Those Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and planning groups operating
in every community in the nation are not going to give up their power and
influence – and the money that goes with it. We are going to have to fight
trench warfare to boot them out and restore local control over government.
We must fight in the grass roots to force the federal government to act
against these runaway agencies. We must teach elected officials of the
dangers and how to stand up against such policy. And we must organize local
activists to back them up when they do take a courageous stand.
That is the mission of the American Policy Center in this new Era of
Trump.
Tom DeWeese, President,
American Policy Center
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