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Peace and Security
Forum in New Jersey Explores Issues of Freedom
Written by UPF - USA
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Cliffton, New Jersey, USA - UPF-New Jersey held a Freedom Society program on August 18 attended by over 80 people of diverse ages, faiths, and cultures. The Freedom Society presentation inspired those present to promote freedom and to take responsibility for their communities and country.
The master of ceremonies was Mr. Jim Gavin, President of UPF USA, delivered a power point on the sacrifices in human lives, made by Americans, from the Revolutionary War until today in a presentation called, “The Price of Freedom.”
Next, Rev. Joshua delivered a presentation about Freedom Society, including some biblical and historical examples of humankind’s quest for freedom. He described a society where people strive to be the best they can be, take responsibility to regulate their own lives, and care for one another. He spoke eloquently about the place of government as the servant of the people and that people should take responsibility to regulate their own lives, businesses, schools, churches, and institutions with limited government intrusion.
Admiral J. Robert Lunney, a retired naval officer, 
received a standing ovation as he, and a few local political candidates, were given the floor to speak about getting involved in local politics and community service. Admiral Lunney spoke of the government’s attack on religious institutions, traditional families, and business in America.
The Mayor of Clifton, James Anzaldi, was among the local politicians, and he spoke about the importance of local politics, encouraging everyone to take an interest in their local government.
Next, began the first of two sessions of guest speakers who each spoke about different topics presented in the Freedom Society lecture. Mr. Bill Gertz called in from Washington DC via Skype and spoke on national security and the Second Amendment in a presentation titled, “Peace and Security through Strength.” Then, New Mexico State Senator Mark Boitano spoke about the governments restrictions on small businesses in his presentation titled, “Business Regulations: When Is Enough, Enough?” Dr. Ann Iparraguirre concluded the first session with her take on privatizing education in a presentation titled, "Transforming Education in America.”
At the end of the first session, the participants were encouraged to engage in dialogue on the presented topics in a ‘World Café’ type discussion, led by Mr. Henri Schauffler. 
The audience divided into six groups and were each given a question, drawn from the guest speakers' presentations, to discuss for a given amount of time. After each person had a chance to express their views on the topic of their table, the groups switched tables. Once everyone had the opportunity to address each question, the table leaders summarized the collected opinions, and the findings were analyzed.
The questions discussed were:
1. Is it healthy for people to be dependent on government welfare and health care?
2. What alternatives are there to public school systems?
3. What would be the effect on crime if everyone owned a gun?
During the discussion time, the participants were served a delicious spread of grilled wraps and fruit for lunch.
After lunch, Dr. Richard Panzer, director of Free Teens, addressed the group in his presentation titled, “Defining Marriage.” Dr. Panzer gave some alarming statistics about the rise in out-of-marriage pregnancies and how some government regulations encourage these trends. Following Dr. Panzer’s eye-opening section on marriage was Mr. Dan Fefferman’s presentation on the presence of religious persecution on a global scale. His section was titled, “Religious Liberty Challenges,” and he touched upon religious persecution in Japan, Europe, the Middle East, and America. The program concluded with another group discussion led by Henri Schauffler.
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