John F. McManus, R.I.P.
“You know the Founders wrote the Constitution “to bind down the government from mischief,” said Jefferson. Then they added the Bill of Rights, and you know what those ten amendments say: The government shall not… shall not… shall not… shall not… all the way up to the marvelous Tenth Amendment that said if we forgot anything, you can’t do that either!”
– John F. McManus, speaking at the Ron Paul Presidential Campaign
“Rally for the Republic,” 2008.
It is with great personal sadness that we note the passing of John F. “Jack” McManus on March 4.
Jack was a friend of more than 50 years. He was also a great patriot, a mentor, a client, and a personal inspiration.
Upon graduating from Holy Cross with a degree in physics, Jack served his country proudly as an officer in the US Marine Corps. In 1966 Jack took a position with the John Birch Society as a teacher, a writer, and a speaker. He rose to become the organization’s President from 1991 – 2015 and President Emeritus thereafter.
The John Birch Society is one of the most misunderstood political advocacy groups in modern American history. It is sufficient here to say that when you see American sovereignty subordinated to multinational organizations, and promiscuous and unconstitutional American regime change wars around the world that cost the American people their future well-being, you are seeing something the JBS fought valiantly against for many years. When you note the ascendency of a few powerful corporate entities exercising undue influence over Washington and seeking always to suppress the free speech rights of Americans, you are noting the very crony capitalism that the JBS warned of. When you watch the Federal Reserve’s long-term destruction of the US dollar and the bailout again and again of the influential money center banks at the people’s expense, you should remember that the JBS stood firmly against all of this corruption and abuse long before others began to awaken.
Jack McManus was at the forefront of all of these battles. He was the right man for the job. He was a tireless champion of American freedom and prosperity, and he was – as they say in the area around Boston where he lived – “wicked smart.”
I last talked with Jack some months back when his wife of 65 years, Mary, passed away. It is a reminder to me and perhaps to others not to allow the busy activities of daily life to prevent us from being in more regular contact with those we love.
In addition to our long friendship, I will always be grateful to Jack for his supporting me in devotion to the traditional Roman Catholic faith we shared. At the same time, Jack often said, when a fellow patriot preceded him in death… “America has lost one of its sons”. I echo his sentiments of him.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of John F. McManus, who entered into eternity this week.
