A call to arms for citizens who believe the nation is drifting away from its founding principles of freedom, self-governance and individual liberty served as the theme of a two-day Bootcamp for Patriots in Ronkonkoma last week.
The gathering at the America First Warehouse in Ronkonkoma brought together conservative activists, elected officials and grassroots organizers who urged attendees to become more involved in shaping public policy and defending constitutional values.
Hosted by the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), the event featured speeches, panel discussions and patriotic exhibits focused on election integrity, border security, constitutional rights and civic engagement as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. Speakers encouraged attendees to become active participants in government rather than spectators, arguing that the preservation of liberty depends on an informed and engaged citizenry.
Kicking off the program was AMAC Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Weber, who noted the sacrifices of the patriots who kept America free.
“They didn’t fight for themselves; they knew they were doing something for generations they will never meet,” she said. “They passed on the value of freedom and now the responsibility falls on us. It depends on new patriots to carry the torch of liberty.”
The panelists in a seminar titled “Immigration and Sovereignty Through 250 Years” described the impact of the influx of millions of illegal immigrants into the U.S. under the Biden administration.
“We have non-government organizations, shadow networks and foreign entities dictating our policies. They’re spending billions of dollars against the interests of our citizens,” said panel moderator David Zere of Real America’s Voice. “This was all driven by organizations that realized they could weaponize our system against us. They created an incestuous network of parasites feeding off of us. If we don’t stop this, we’re dead as a country.”
The bootcamp event came against the backdrop of far-left Democrats such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who are looking to reshape the nation into a government-controlled socialist state. Panelist Ben Berquam, whose program “Law and Border” chronicles the impact of illegal immigration, argued that such policies are intended to create dependence on government.
“They want millions of government dependents they can control,” Berquam said. “By bringing in millions of aliens, Joe Biden cut our leg off and we’re bleeding out; Donald Trump put a tourniquet on it.”
On another panel, “The Ballot and the Republic: 250 Years of Self-Governance,” Assemblyman Joe DeStefano pointed out the hazards of one-party control of state government and the various schemes he said Democrats have advanced to game the electoral system.
“They moved local elections to the state and federal even-numbered years to drown out suburban voters,” DeStefano said. “They gerrymandered congressional district maps to dilute the Republican vote. They want massive mail-in ballots and no voter ID,” he continued. “Now they want to allow illegal immigrants to vote. The impact of all of this manipulation on free and fair elections is incredible.”
AMAC Chief Operating Officer Dave Weber was part of the seminar on “Guardians of Liberty: The Historical Importance of the Second Amendment.”
“Preserving our rights is an incredibly important conversation to have,” Weber said, noting that gun rights were enshrined by the nation’s Founding Fathers in the Bill of Rights. “We need more people engaged in the community to protect our right to bear arms.”
Featured speaker Vince Butta, host of Live From Studio 6B on Real America’s Voice, told attendees that the nation’s success was built on traditional values and a culture of personal responsibility, but warned that those principles have been eroded over time.
“America was built by people who believed in duty, courage, invention, faith, family, freedom and common sense,” Butta said. “When a country stops honoring those things, it starts drifting. That drift didn’t happen overnight. It happened slowly in our schools, our media, our politics, our borders, our culture and even in the way we define heroes.”
He stressed that the rise of the America First movement reflected a growing desire among citizens to restore what they see as the nation’s founding principles.
“By the time Donald Trump came down that escalator, millions of Americans were not looking for another polished speech,” he said. “They had heard enough speeches. They were looking for someone willing to say what they were seeing with their own eyes.”