There have been a lot of questions lately regarding the term “Three Percenter.” The term comes up every once in a while, especially when the federal government commits perceived injustices. But why? What is a Three Percenter?

In October of 2009, the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that claims that they are “the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency” that “fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all,” called out Three Percenters as a “Growing Anti-Government Movement.”

Let me stop right there and point out the hypocrisy of their statement. Bigotry is having or revealing an obstinate belief in the superiority of one’s own opinions and a prejudiced intolerance of the views of others. So basically, the ADL, a group that fights bigotry in “all forms,” comes out with an obstinate, intolerant, and discriminatory opinion (not to mention un-researched) about the Three Percenters? Awesome.

Their statement and the other statements of similar tone are absurd. Groups like the Anti-defamation League try to sell people that Three Percenters are an anti-government extremist movement because they fear what they do not understand. They have also said that the movement is about guns or revolves around racism due to the presidency of Barack Obama. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, these claims are absurd, childish, ignorant, and irresponsible, and they clearly demonstrate where groups like the ADL stand regarding REAL constitutional values. Is it about guns? If you are talking about the Bill of Rights, then sure. Is it about race or Obama? No. Three Percenters (for the most part) do not delineate the pros or cons of one “evil” over another, and many races comprise the Three Percenter movement.

Are there extremist Three Percenters? Perhaps, but none are known. After all, they are not going around shooting up businesses or schools. Most reports by the media demonstrate their willingness to protect such places. True, in any group, you will find an extremist or two. Much like the bulk of the mass shootings, we have experienced in the last few years were carried out by extremist liberals. Does this mean that all liberals are extremists, and we should ban the Democrat party? Of course not, and we shouldn’t blame the ADL for those actions either.

Most people who are bold enough to claim to be Three Percenters have a relatively strong handle on history and the context with which it brings. For the most part, they are responsible, freedom-loving Americans. They are family-oriented. They care because they want our nation to last, not fall. Quite a few are also highly educated or have some foundation that allows them the appropriate context necessary to align themselves with such ideals. But anti-government? Racist? That doesn’t make much sense!

If anything, Three Percenters are very much pro – government-that-adheres-to-constitutionally-authorized-functions. This defines equality, unalienable rights, and civil liberties. They are not hotheads seeking a fight. Three Percenters are about restoring Popular Sovereignty, Limited Government, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, and even Constitutionally aligned Federalism – a system of government where sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces), but where states hold power as defined under the 10th Amendment. You know… like the Constitution says it’s supposed to be.

With some thought, it becomes easy to see that claims made by organizations such as the ADL are downright false. But the ADL is not alone in this idea. News organizations have also put themselves in the same boat of ignorance. In December of 2009, the Examiner stated that Three Percenters were a group that needed to be “put in check,” likening the entire idea to a “gang” while also saying that “state sovereignty” is code-speak for the secessionist movement.

I liken these statements to extreme ignorance or blatant lies spread by those who oppose our constitutional foundation. Three Percenters are not a gang; there is no leadership or meetings per se. There is no sinister plot, and the whole idea is derived from a love of country. Sounds terrible, right? This is where they draw their strength. Much like the Constitution itself, it is the idea that makes it powerful, and because of this power, those on the opposite side of the fence are threatened by it and fear it greatly.

Let me also take a moment to blast Jeff Musall (the writer of the Examiner Article in question) and say that if you think that the phrase “state sovereignty” is code-speak for the secessionist movement, you are in dire need of a dictionary. Let me clear this up for the record. A sovereign state is a nonphysical juridical entity of the international legal system represented by a centralized government with supreme independent authority over a geographic area. In our Constitutional system… which is a Federal system… (where SOVEREIGNTY is CONSTITUTIONALLY divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units such as STATES), this merely solidifies the 10th Amendment and the Bill of Rights as a whole. Three Percenters want to solidify the 10th and the 1st through 9th. To suggest otherwise demonstrates either a lack of historical understanding or an inability to read or comprehend words. Furthermore, anyone claiming to be a Three Percenter who would imply or represent something different than what has been stated here is not a Three Percenter.

So, where does the name come from? First, try to understand that Three Percenters are willing to fight for what’s right regarding the founding principles. Most are prior servicemen and women (IE: Defenders of the Constitution). The name itself is based on a statistic derived from the 80/20 rule. Three Percent (which was more than likely 4%) of the colonists stood up to fight against the King of England, with another 16% supporting the 4% who were fighting. So 4% is 20% of the original 20%, of which the opposing 80% were either loyalists or the people caught in the middle who didn’t know what was going on or refused to get involved.

Three Percent/Four Percent – The missing percentage point is lost in a mathematical conundrum and is entirely irrelevant in the grand scheme. It represents the people willing to defend the Constitution against any enemy when everyone else is afraid to do it or simply will not.

And yes… most people are afraid. A great man once wrote that mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms they are accustomed to. I hope this sounds familiar; it comes from the Declaration of Independence.

Three Percenters hold allegiance to the founding principles and documents – not some modern-day politician. This is why you will find Three Percenters spread throughout groups such as the Oath Keepers, the militias, the military, law enforcement, and so on. This is also why you will find numerous websites or social media groups offering fellowship… not membership.

Understand that there has always been an effort to belittle and marginalize these ideas by those who oppose Constitutional liberty and the Founding Fathers. People who oppose these ideas are generally liberal extremists. The claims they spew in their attempt to scare and smear are highly contorted. These are the people who fear (and probably should) Three Percenters because they will face them when everyone else refuses to stand up against them.

Three Percenters are not something any actual Constitution-loving American should ever fear. It would be safe to say that anyone who opposes or fears people who fancy themselves as Three Percenters are either currently violating some constitutional mandate, supporting those who do, or resisting the Constitution altogether. Why would they fear or attempt to smear such ideas and efforts if this were not the case?

Ask yourself the following questions. Are you committed to restoring the Founders’ Republic (Article 4 Section 4)? Do you support the Bill of Rights? Have you sworn an oath to defend the Constitution against all foreign and domestic enemies (willing to fight, die, and, if forced by any would-be oppressor, to kill in defense of yourself and the Constitution)? If you said yes to any of these questions, you MIGHT be a Three Percenter. (Find out for sure here.)

Let me leave you with something to ponder. Thomas Paine wrote, “Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.” – Read that a few times and think about that.