Why aren't we all members of the John Birch Society?

[Roxi]

i would love to join JBS... but right now its kinda hard to buy coffee, nevertheless the fee to join JBS... so when i have the extra, i will join but financial troubles are the only thing stopping me

 

[specsaregood]

//

 

[Mahkato]

I'm not a member because they charge $$$. Someday.

i would love to join JBS... but right now its kinda hard to buy coffee, nevertheless the fee to join JBS... so when i have the extra, i will join but financial troubles are the only thing stopping me

They have an online membership level that is free.

FREE Online membership benefits include:​

• Access to the members section of JBS.org
• Access to The John Birch Society Bulletin
• Contact Congress via our Alert Network.
• Action Alerts on pending legislation & key issues
• Download exclusive resources

Full Memberships ($87/yr) receive additional benefits:

• Home delivery of JBS Bulletin.
• Home delivery of The New American
• Participate in local chapter action agenda
• Direct access to JBS staff members
• Satisfaction of supporting success of the JBS

If you are a free member, you can also subscribe separately to The New American, for $39 a year or less. 3 years is $89.

 

[Original_Intent]

I am a member.

A few people have mentioned teh stigma of the JBS. It is probably because back in the 60s they were causing a lot of damage to communists and their moles and there was a concerted effort by the media to brand them as racists.

I did not know much about the JBS for many years but considered them complete whackos. Then one day I decided to dig a little deeper and found out what a great organization they have. In all honesty it was thru the JBS that I became familiar with Ron Paul and started subscribing to his Freedom Report about 6 years ago.

Yes there are some religious overtones - big time - but I seriously bet that we would have already lost the freedom battle if not for the JBS (or another organization that had filled the same role.)

 

[FrankRep]

i would love to join JBS... but right now its kinda hard to buy coffee, nevertheless the fee to join JBS... so when i have the extra, i will join but financial troubles are the only thing stopping me

Just get to know the members in your area. Get connected. You can still attend the meetings.

Building the network is the most important thing.

 

[JBS_PR]

JBS Comments

Wow, lots of great responses. This question was posted at the Daily Paul as well with plenty of responses. So spacehabitats certainly has come up with a great question. At first, I was going to copy and paste my response from the Daily Paul, but being a newby here, I wasn't sure if that would break any kind of unspoken or unwritten rule...plus most of what I wrote at the Daily Paul was already echoed here by knowledgeable JBS members.

So please allow me to invite you to our booth at the Rally for the Republic. We are giving away our Overview of America DVD, offering a free 3-issue trial subscription to The New American for new subscribers and signing up folks to our Legislative Alert Network e-list. The booth will be staffed by JBS employees and members. Since we are a Founding Father sponsor, look for our video on the Jumbotron, our message on the electronic board and ad in the program.

JBS President John McManus, who wrote and narrated Overview of America, will also be there. Please stop by and say hi. I'm told by the Rally organizers that we will be located on Concourse One, in the Skyway, and we will be hard to miss.

If you're going, I wish you a safe trip and hope to shake your hand.

Thanks much,

Bill Hahn
Public Relations Manager
The John Birch Society/The New American

PS--Regardless of whether you choose to become a member (free online membership at www.JBS.org ... sorry had to throw in a plug!), get involved by educating yourself on this great Republic and find ways to save, restore and preserve it. A number of great organizations exist. Your kids and grandkids will thank you for it.

 

[ARealConservative]

Wow, lots of great responses. This question was posted at the Daily Paul as well with plenty of responses. So spacehabitats certainly has come up with a great question. At first, I was going to copy and paste my response from the Daily Paul, but being a newby here, I wasn't sure if that would break any kind of unspoken or unwritten rule...plus most of what I wrote at the Daily Paul was already echoed here by knowledgeable JBS members.

So please allow me to invite you to our booth at the Rally for the Republic. We are giving away our Overview of America DVD, offering a free 3-issue trial subscription to The New American for new subscribers and signing up folks to our Legislative Alert Network e-list. The booth will be staffed by JBS employees and members. Since we are a Founding Father sponsor, look for our video on the Jumbotron, our message on the electronic board and ad in the program.

JBS President John McManus, who wrote and narrated Overview of America, will also be there. Please stop by and say hi. I'm told by the Rally organizers that we will be located on Concourse One, in the Skyway, and we will be hard to miss.

If you're going, I wish you a safe trip and hope to shake your hand.

Thanks much,

Bill Hahn
Public Relations Manager
The John Birch Society/The New American

PS--Regardless of whether you choose to become a member (free online membership at www.JBS.org ... sorry had to throw in a plug!), get involved by educating yourself on this great Republic and find ways to save, restore and preserve it. A number of great organizations exist. Your kids and grandkids will thank you for it.

This is a great opportunity for you to clarify one question - how are atheists viewed by JBS members? Are they openly welcome, or not, especially those that disagree with the incoorporation of the bill of rights?

 

[BarryDonegan]

This argument is nonsense. Evolution is a theory in the same manner that gravity is a theory. Should that not be taught in schools either?*

From Wikipedia:



*For the record, I am opposed to all public education. Find me a town without public schools (and the accompanying taxes to pay for them) and that is where I will settle down.

this is where a lot of debate gets off track. evolution is a theory because it is generally considered by scientists to be the most complex explanation we have, as of right now.

most science on the subject of evolution has moved way past darwinism to the point of darwinism being considered a failure. Now, this does not mean that scientists have decided that creationism is RIGHT and that the world is 300 years old or whatever inconcrete non-scientific theory that might exist based on religious interpretation that is in and of itself suspect.

Darwinism, and that type of evolution, is simply no longer advanced science, it is behind the times. A lot of people, when they chime in that evolution is only a theory and not worth a students time, they oftentimes mean that there are more advanced ways of looking at it in the scientific community by now, yet they still get auto-saddled with creationism, even when they might even be an atheist chemist, or come from some background to where that oversimplification of the debate doesn't make sense.

 

[BarryDonegan]

My parents who are in their 60's and are devout Christians have told me what the JBS has a very bad stigma attached to their name. In other words, they are perceived as radicals to many and many people associate their group as a racist organization.

The honest truth is that I know many in the JBS and agree with most of what they say and I have not seen any evidence of racism within that organization. However I get the feeling that the organization that exists today is not the same as it was a few decades ago.

you could say the same thing about both major political parties, government itself, and a good portion of the people in the United States.

haha.

the racism issue was at the heart of all people in the first half of the 20th century, so using racist members of an organization from that time period to discredit an organization would discredit all organizations which existed during that time, including the United States Government, and every single state government.

my experience with the JBS has been entirely open minded and fun, i haven't seen any evidence of racism. I get the same feeling about Pat Buchanan as well, but maybe thats just me.

seems like a racist wouldn't be having an african american VP running on a ticket with him.

ANOTHER NOTE: for those of you in this thread saying that the JBS are not libertarians, well, yes, I would agree with that.

I am definately more libertarian than am I anything else. I would consider the JBS more likely to be behind someone like Chuck Baldwin, and the platform of the Constitution Party, which might see local government taking more power than I would want it to have, however, that being said, i get along with them far more than I do most other groups, and, despite the differences, I still think of the community as fun enough to read their magazines and attend their meetings. I suppose I am a member, not to the extent of sharing boutique values, but to the extent of appreciating their love for liberty and that we are allies when it comes to the federal government.

 

[JBS_PR]

ARealConservative,

There is no requirement for JBS members to be a specific religion. We have members who hold a number of religious views (Christian, Jewish, atheist, etc.). Anyone who believes in supporting our mission (to bring about less government, more responsibility, and — with God’s help — a better world by providing leadership, education, and organized volunteer action in accordance with moral and Constitutional principles") is welcome to join. Of course, if one doesn't believe in God, we could have a large discussion about morality, too. But prescribing to a specific religion or even believing in God isn't required.

We have members that have joined as atheists or were agnostic or ambivalent about religion and many have found the Christian faith along the way with local, Christian members. Again, it's not a requirement, and we don't ask any religious questions on the membership application.

Does that help?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[Kalifornia]

JBS is way too theocratic leaning for me.