Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Rick Stanley. I am the announced candidate for U.S. Senate. I am proud to say that I am a Libertarian.

When John Adams was Vice President and George Washington was President -- in 1790 -- the two became distraught over the rise of political divisiveness: the forming of parties, or factions. Both of these men felt that political parties were an evil that could bring the ruination of republican government. Our forefathers had long accepted this premise -- that political parties are evil -- and espoused it to anyone who would listen. Before the American victory in 1783, John Adams said to a correspondent while in Amsterdam, and I quote:

"There is nothing I dread so much as a division of the Republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader and converting measures in opposition to each other."

Yet this is exactly what happened. By 1790, Adams wrote that

"The turbulent maneuvers of factions could tie the hands and destroy the influence of every honest man with a desire to serve the public good."

During that same time period his son Thomas expressed an interest in public life. John Adams wrote to him:

"Public business, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not. A young man should weigh well his plans. Integrity should be preserved in all events, as essential to his happiness, through every stage of his existence. His first maxim, then, should be to place his honor out of reach of all men. In order to do this he must make it a rule never to become dependent on public employments for subsistence. Let him have a trade, a. profession, a farm, a shop, something where he can honestly live, and then he may engage in public affairs. My advice to my children is to maintain an independent character."

Sadly, most politicians today have no independent character. They have become dependent on public employment. I never will.

We have five men up here of independent character. We call ourselves Libertarians -- of that you can be sure. To many of you, to what degree remains to be seen!

These Libertarians up here today have been bearing and will continue to bear scorn and contempt from the ruling aristocrats of our government -- the Republicans and Democrats. They ignore us, despise us, call us names, and heap ridicule upon us, because they are scared to death that people will hear us, pay attention to what we are saying, agree with our message -- and then vote for us.

They are doing everything within their power to make sure our message is not heard; and if someone should hear our message, they will make sure it is distorted so that the public will ultimately not vote for us and upset their apple cart!

For 150 years, the Democrats and Republicans have run this country by taking hold of the government, and slowly but very surely sucking the lives and will from the American people. Think of the ways they have done this.

• Government-controlled schools.

• Taxation by force of government.

• Freedoms once guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and Constitution -- taken away.

• The right to keep and bear arms --taken away and buried by judicial decree!

• Our government doesn't protect us from foreign aggression, even though America and Americans have been attacked by terrorists since 1983!

• A country of patriotic citizens that must endure a steadily encroaching police state that has the government's sanction to control us at will -- their will, not ours.

We Libertarians are this country's last hope! We must draw the line right here, right now. If we fail, the slide to tyranny will be irreversible. We will have let down the founders of the American Revolution.

Our forefathers fought a battle that could not be won. Yet, they did win!

The time for divisiveness is long past. Divisiveness among Libertarians makes them -- government by force -- invincible. It took President Lincoln's Republican party twelve years from its inception to elect a president. It has taken thirty years of Libertarian resolve and fortitude to do -- what?

We should be screaming bloody murder. We are right. The patriots of 1776 and beyond, the authors of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are clamoring for the Defenders of Liberty to stand up and take action.

I have called for a Second American Revolution using ballots, not bullets.

I've heard whispers from some Libertarians that we don't want any public relations problems. Libertarians have supposedly worked hard to be taken seriously.

Nobody takes Libertarians seriously because we don't win elections.

Do any of those whisperers want to really win something? Are they really committed to doing what it takes to elect enough candidates to make a difference at any level? Are they truly willing to defend liberty?

That's what it will take. Hard work, perseverance, commitment, honesty, and selflessness -- not selfishness. We Libertarians are branded by many as selfish. We want freedom for the individual so that our country can be free, once again. Selfish is when you don't care about the freedoms of the whole, just your own. Selfless is when you want freedom for everybody.

Is that "selfish" brand something we can accept? Will each of us look deep inside to find something beyond ourselves that we can commit to? We call ourselves the "Defenders of Liberty." I ask all Libertarians today, tomorrow and the day after: When do we really defend liberty?

The five of us up here have promised to defend liberty. We're putting our lives and reputations on the line. The days of lineholders are gone. The days of uncommitted Libertarians are over. The days of losing are behind us.

Losing is no longer acceptable. If you don't want to win, join the Republicrats.

I swear to you today -- I can't allow those two parties to win anymore. I can't allow the trampling of the Constitution anymore. I can't allow any more honest Americans to be branded as criminals by an unjust and uncaring government. I and many other Americans are clamoring for the Constitutional government promised by our forefathers.

There is one catch, though. We have to fight for it. The founding fathers promised us we would have to fight the tyranny of an oppressive government to have the liberty that is our birthright. That's why I'm calling for a Second American Revolution.

We have become soft, we think the government is benevolent and will take care of us. We are lying to ourselves. They can't protect us from outside aggression or from local criminals. They disarm us and tell us to be watchful and wary. "Be on the lookout for terrorists. Turn in anyone who looks suspicious. Don't protect yourself, we will protect you.I

Americans say they are scared. They give us Homeland Security. And the American people are falling for this fraud. Libertarians know about history. You know what is coming!

My question to you is simple. What are you going to do about it?

I am proud to say that I will fight this tyranny until it is gone or I am dead and buried. The patriots of 1776 knew that if they fell, someone else would stand up and fight. They knew. Do we know this about our fellow Libertarians?

Each of us needs to look inside and know what kind of stuff we're made of. Are we Defenders of Liberty? Or are we milquetoasts, sheep led to the slaughter?

Join me-- I'm not afraid.

I'm proud to defend liberty. I need my fellow Libertarians to rise up and defend vigorously what other Americans have forgotten -- freedom!

If you show them, Americans will respond. They need a spark. America needs the Libertarian Party.

Thank you.