Libertarian candidate for Indiana governor Donald Rainwater was the final speaker at Friday’s patriot rally at the county courthouse downtown Warsaw. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union.
Libertarian candidate for Indiana governor Donald Rainwater was the final speaker at Friday’s patriot rally at the county courthouse downtown Warsaw. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union.
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As the last speaker at Friday’s patriot rally, Libertarian candidate for Indiana governor Donald Rainwater reminded the hundreds of people in attendance what the speakers before him said: Government only has the power the people give it.

The rally at the county courthouse downtown Warsaw was the second and final patriot before the Nov. 3 general election. The first one was July 17, and both were organized by Kevin Kyle and John DeGroff.

“One of the great statesmen in American history never held office. And he didn’t become famous by his given name. But a man named Samuel Clemens – some of you may know him as Mark Twain – once said that patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it,” Rainwater said. “And this is a patriot rally, right? So I’m going to twist that a little bit on its side and say that patriotism is supporting the Hoosier state all the time and your governor when he deserves it.”

Rainwater said there are approximately 6.8 million people in Indiana, “6.8 (million) unique human beings, endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as defined by you, not (Gov.) Eric J. Holcomb.” Rainwater said the state constitution provides for the limitation of government.

He said state government has overgrown its boundaries by the unilateral mandates “of one individual.” Those mandates told the state of Indiana “I will decide for you what you will do.” Rainwater said Holcomb’s mandates told the state population who was essential, which businesses provide the necessities of life, when people can go to church and Holcomb let his medical team tell Hoosiers how to conduct their sacraments.

“I’m sorry, but the free exercise clause of the First Amendment says he doesn’t have the right to do that,” Rainwater said, noting he doesn’t see a petri dish when he looks at the state’s residents. “What I see is free people who have been given free will by the good Lord. Who is government to take it from you?”

He asked how “we, as a free people” can stand by and allow government to take the people’s rights, which it doesn’t have the right to take.

“The only way they do it is because we consent to it,” Rainwater said. He said the government will know if the people consent or not on Nov. 3.

“We have a choice in Indiana. Are we going to live in the constitutional republic that is defined by the state constitution, or we going to let a group of elite, arrogant, rich people tell us what to do? You have to make a choice,” Rainwater. He said there a lot of people with money who have a lot riding on the election, who are trying to manipulate the way people think.

Rainwater said there wasn’t anything elite about him and he has a lot of Hoosier pride.

He also said he believes in life, liberty, property and “the pursuit of happiness as defined by you, not them. But you have to make a decision.”

Prior to Rainwater, Shelley Zartman talked about voting.

“This election has become about hate,” Zartman said. People hate Trump so much that they just want to vote against him. She said, “We need to get God back in our lives. We need to get Trump back in for four more years.”

She also talked about why voting is important, noting it’s a civic duty. Typically, the national elections draw big turnouts as compared to local elections.

“It’s important for us to vote as we’re facing some uncertainties,” Zartman said. She said in the 2016 election, President Donald Trump won the Electoral College, but lost the popular vote by approximately 3 million votes.

“We also need to look at our own front porch and determine what’s best for our Hoosier state in determining the best candidate for governor to represent the wonderful state of Indiana, along with the Senate and House of Representatives,” she said.

Bryan Lowe, associate pastor at New Life Christian Church and World Outreach, said he was raised in a house that respected the nation, those in office, everyone that served “across every branch in our military, as well as locally.” He was raised to love and respect his neighbors before he met them.

“Patriotism is an interesting thing,” Bryan said, noting he believes patriotism doesn’t consist solely of waving a flag, “but in striving that our country be righteous, as well as strong.” America without its soliders is “like God without His angels. Freedom is one of our deepest and noblest aspirations that we have.”

District 22 State Rep. Curt Nisly asked those attending the patriot rally to join him in a thought experiment.

He asked for people to imagine the governor was a Democrat and used the outbreak of a very serious virus to declare a 30-day state of emergency. He asked people to imagine this governor kept declaring the state of emergency over and over again when the stated purpose was to keep hospitals from being overrun, which didn’t end up happening. He also asked people to wear masks and kept locked down or face a misdemeanor charge. Nisly went through various other scenarios, including if people with medical power of attorney were prevented from seeing loved ones.

“I’m here to make a point between liberty and slavery,” Nisly said. People in all elected offices taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and those in Indiana also do so to the state constitution.

“That’s a duty that I take very seriously because the first duty of every elected official is to our Constitution,” Nisly said. “Ronald Reagan said the nine most dangerous words that anyone can hear are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Pastor John B. Lowe II talked about religion and laws.

He’s travelled all over the world, and he says he’s found America was built as a Christian nation. He said the Bible was the most referenced document in the U.S. Constitution.

Lowe said he didn’t need laws to dictate how he lives because he lives by a higher law. Lowe said America was built on that higher law. He also stated separation of church doesn’t appear anywhere in the First Amendment.

Lowe also said just because you disagree with someone, doesn’t mean you can’t get along.

There were about five counter protestors on the opposite side of Center Street.

“I came out because I have close friends in my life who are Black and I need to show support,” said Phillip Schmidt.

A counter protestor, who would only give the name Levi, said he was protesting the patriot rally.

Lilliana Fisher said, “I decided to turn up because I’m tired of seeing the bigotry that we see amongst Trump supporters as a whole and a lot of the very obvious racist, just homophobic and transphobic tendencies that Trump supporters tend to have and I’m here to protest against that.”

At the start of the rally, Kyle said he and the rally participants have been accused of being racist, but that isn’t true.

“We’re celebrating our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our Declaration of Independence and our Founding Fathers,” said Kyle at the start of the patriot rally. “I don’t care what the mainstream media says about our Founding Fathers. Without them, we’re nowhere.”

Kyle said he got “a kick” out of an article he read about a statue of Abraham Lincoln being torn down “because he’s racist.”

Kyle said he and DeGroff and some the speakers at the rally have been accused of being white supremacists, racist, bigoted “and whatever hate word you want to describe it.” He said it was published on Facebook.

“The truth is, we’re for individual liberty,” he said. “You have a right to express yourself guaranteed by the Constitution, right? Use it. I do. That’s why I’m here (at the rally).”