Be United and Care for Each Other

We can overcome!

Be United and Care for Each Other

Philippians 2:1-4

‘Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too”.

To live these verses requires discipline and obedience. In the political realm, I would add that it takes STRONG discipline and obedience to truly embody these verses.

To be a statesman and a true servant of the people, I believe with all my heart that we must exercise humility, shield ourselves from pride and selfish ambitions, and discipline ourselves to think of others more highly than ourselves.

Jesus had to deal with the politicians of His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and He addressed them firmly by calling them "whitewashed walls" and a "den of vipers." Their pride, selfish agendas, and inflated self-importance, along with their greed, did not sit well with Jesus.

I have witnessed many begin their political journey with a genuine desire to serve the people humbly and honorably. However, if one does not put on their full armor, the Old Deluder (Devil) will find a way to cause even the strongest to compromise. It grieves my soul to witness this, and I have faced opportunities to compromise myself; it is frightening how easy it is. They tell you how wonderful you are, feeding your pride and ego. As the song goes, "It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away”.

Now, the reason I share this is because many have seen the email resignation of Senator Carlson from the Idaho Freedom Caucus. She was not the only one; Rep. Gallagher and I left at the same time.

The State Freedom Caucus Network(SFCN) has a quote on their website: “We need patriots who will serve in our state capitals to fight federal overreach and stand firm against those — in both parties — who prioritize seizing political power over representing constituents.” This statement motivated many of us to join. After conducting phone interviews with us, the SFCN flew us to D.C. to meet in person. They believe the solution to our federal issues begins with the states exercising their sovereignty, which is why they are building state teams. To accomplish this, they told us that we must stand strong together, defend each other, create our mission, and develop goals. Sadly, as most of us were freshmen, we struggled to create a bond of trust that comes only from being humble and thinking of others more than ourselves.

I have been doing my best to avoid sharing this, hoping it would resolve itself. Unfortunately, I can no longer avoid it and must explain why I left. The best way to do this is by sharing my resignation letter, which I sent to the SFCN and IFC members, to be completely transparent. You will find the letter at the end of this Substack.

Many states have had great success by teaming up with the SFCN, and from day one, I could see the vision. This made my resignation particularly difficult. I reached a point where I simply could no longer compromise my principles.

The bright side to all of this is that the SFCN has been re-evaluating the IFC and its members. They see the potential for us to work through these challenges and become a better team for Idaho constituents, Idaho sovereignty, and our Constitutional Republic. I will be going through the interview process again in hopes of making the team.

My vision for the Idaho Freedom Caucus is for it to be a Liberty Dream Team, one that gives people hope and encourages them to engage, much like the Seattle Seahawks' 12th Man. You are part of the team and essential in helping us achieve victories for the freedoms of future generations

Dear Members of the Idaho Freedom Caucus, Director Maria Nate, Andy Roth, and Justin Ouimette.

I know many of you have been expecting this from me for a while. There is a saying that people quit a long time before they leave. So many of you will not be surprised by my withdrawal from the Idaho Freedom Caucus.

I have gone through all the steps of grievance. I have been through disbelief, hurt, anger, rejection, and lastly, I leave with a heart full of love and forgiveness, not only for all of you but for myself as well.

I have strong convictions that have been both a blessing and a curse in my life. I also have a strong Biblical worldview that I cannot and will not compromise. I tell everyone, “I would rather lose my Senate seat because I didn’t compromise my principles than to win because I did.”

When we were in a room in Washington, D.C. with Andy and Justin and not knowing each other, the State Freedom Caucus saw something in each of us, and they were taking a chance on all of us. They went through the room asking questions to see how committed each of us was. My response was that I am loyal to a fault. I will continue to be loyal to my principles and conservative values. I will not waver because I love my constituents and am willing to sacrifice my life, fortune, and sacred honor for them. Because of this, you will be able to count on me voting for less government and more freedom.

With all that being said, I will share the reasons I am leaving the Idaho Freedom Caucus.

I want to fight for my people, defend our state sovereignty, and work on policy that will remove the burdens so many are experiencing. In my opinion, we have lost focus on this and are now consumed with raising money and searching for donors. I understand the need for donors. But I also know if people see who we are and what we are willing to fight for and sacrifice, the contributions will come. People give to what they believe in. I want to give them a reason to believe in us. And we should never allow them to contribute while dictating how they want the money spent. We are a team, and they should donate to us as a team, trusting we will use it best for the team members.

Maria Nate had the endorsement of the IFC and was then chosen by the State Freedom Caucus to be our director. We believed in her, suggested her, and SFCN further vetted her.  We all agreed she was a good fit for IFC. She gave her all for us; she has served us with all of her heart, soul, and body for the team. If she is not part of the team, I will not be part of the team.

I was not part of the meeting that voted to have Ed Humphreys join the IFC team to fundraise for us at the price of 10 percent of what he raises.  I would have probably voted against this until he could have been interviewed and vetted by the SFCN.  I see many members that would be willing to replace Maria with Ed Humphreys or Scott Herndon. Comments have been shared that Maria would be good in a regional capacity, which confirms some of you would like to see her removed as director. Removing Maria has never been discussed and voted on by the members. Some members have asked her to resign; again, one member cannot speak for the entire team.

I am disappointed that many members were willing to support Speaker Mike Moyle, who would never make the cut to be an Idaho Freedom Caucus member. Some members showed support to him but didn't offer that same support and dedication to members of the IFC team. How this whole thing took place was due to a lack of good judgment from Co-Chair Heather Scott. It should have been discussed with all members present and our director. We are not a House or Senate Freedom Caucus; we are the Idaho Freedom Caucus, and decisions like this affect the entire team, not just one chamber. And it also affects the State Freedom Caucus brand.

Now here we are, a fractured team because of one man who was dared to be challenged for his seat by a young woman. None of us are above having a challenger. If the people in his district wanted a chance to give him term limits, that is the right of every district.

Another grievance is when phone calls were made to candidates we were helping campaign in my area, telling them to sign the term limits petition so they would not get five negative mailers, and that they should just plug their noses and sign it. You were asking them to compromise their principles to avoid negativity. That was wrong for you to do.

The straw that broke the camel's back for me is that posts were made about our water issue without contacting me. I am your teammate, and I am on the front line of this battle. You should have had enough respect for me to at least call or email me before posting on social media. We have lost grassroots donors from my area because of this lack of judgment.

I work hard to protect my sacred honor, and my integrity. The people in my area have come to trust that I will not compromise and that I will speak up against what is wrong. I have learned to have faith over fear. I have witnessed God defend, protect, and provide for me. I will trust Him with this situation as well. I will continue to fight, love, and serve my people. They are my bosses, and I work for them.

Andy and Justin, I see your vision for IFC, and I still believe in it. Because of this, I have tried to stay the course. I envision a team of many members with different abilities and strengths, each one equally worthy and valuable. Unfortunately, we lacked trust and were fearful of being vulnerable with each other, which is essential for building trust.

My two sons served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They trained for months before going into battle, learning each other's breaking points. It wasn't until they were in actual combat that they truly understood their own and each other's strengths and weaknesses. They told me they were surprised that those they thought would be strong were not, and those they considered weak displayed the most courage. The most important lesson they learned was to overcome obstacles together because they needed each other to survive and win the battle. I have faith that one day IFC can get there, but the focus needs to be on principles and policy, not strategy and donors.

I truly wish you all the best.  This is my resignation from Idaho Freedom Caucus.

In Liberty,

Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld

Since drafting this post over two weeks ago, I have encountered another issue that needs to be addressed. Recently, IFC shared a Substack article titled “The Art of the Possible” via email and social media. You can read it HERE. Upon researching this topic, I found that I would not have supported associating my name with this post. And this confirms I made the right decision of removing myself

Some of my findings include:

1. Pundits often talk about “the art of the possible” when they want to explain why a politician seems to be contradicting themselves. When a leader acts against his or her own stated principles, it’s because they are being pragmatic and seeking out the art of the possible. To read more click HERE .

2. Additionally, the quote originates from Otto von Bismarck, who introduced progressive reforms—including universal male suffrage and the establishment of the first welfare state—to achieve his goals. Learn more about Bismarck HERE.

   

   noun: realpolitik

   1. a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

      "commercial realpolitik had won the day"

What's next? I honestly don't know. But what I do know is this: I will not compromise my principles. I will do my very best to be open and transparent. I know who elected me and who I work for, and that is you, the people.  

“Always stand on principle even if you stand alone”. John Adam

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