San Marcos — GOP Presidential Candidate Alan Keyes considers himself the complete conservative. He's against abortion, gay marriage, the welfare system and the income tax.

And he believes America has moved from “the kingdom of God to the kingdom of darkness - of lies and deception.”

Keyes was in San Marcos Friday to discuss this issue and gain support as part of a six-week grassroots tour of Texas.

He is no stranger to government. For almost three decades, Keyes, who earned a doctorate in government affairs from Harvard University, has held several positions in the U.S. government, including ambassador to the U.N. Economic and Social Council and assistant secretary of state for international organizations.

This is his third bid for presidency since 1996. He did not run in 2004. And he unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 1988 and 1992.

Addressing a crowd of approximately 50 people at the Hill Country Christian School, Keyes, a Roman Catholic, was not afraid to use his religious conviction, saying the United States has descended into a “kingdom of darkness” because God has been kicked out of politics and the public arena.

“The sad thing now about our time is that everybody remembers the rights, but they forget about the connection between the rights and the creator,” said Keyes, a constitutional scholar. “So we live in a time when our courts have decided that in our public schools you can't even pray to God.”

He said the banishment of God from politics and public policy is part of an effort to destroy the peoples' sovereignty.

“I don't say this is going to be destroyed, it is being destroyed right before our eyes,” he said. “Indeed, almost every issue that we deal with now is a symptom of the destruction of government by and for the people.”

He said one example is the border issue. The loss of border control, he said, to both the north and the south, has blurred the line between where U.S. sovereignty begins and where somebody else's begins.

“Our sovereignty is being disregarded, abandoned and being betrayed by the very elite - the very people who we elect and look to to provide for our security,” he said. “They're betraying us as if we don't matter.”

He said those currently in power are only serving their own interests.

“The people are outraged and those who we elect are not listening to us,” he said. “Who are they listening to? If they no longer represent us, who do they serve? That government of and by the people is no longer existent.”

Another issue he cited to exemplify his argument was gay marriage, taking specific aim at the judiciary.

“The judges have no authority whatsoever to make or enforce the law in this country and when they do, they destroy our constitution, but they do it anyway,” he said. “It's remarkable.”

As for his opponents, he said they are hypocritical and don't have conservative ideals. The only thing left of the Republican Party, he said, is the label.

He said candidates like Mitt Romney say things that glaringly contradict what they have said or done in the not-too-distant past.

“But we don't assume these things 'cause we don't have any common sense, 'cause we don't have any intelligence, 'cause we don't have eyes and 'cause we as a people have ceased to think,” he said.

Keyes further blamed the media, which he said pretends he doesn't exist, for not pointing out the candidates' hypocrisies.

During his 45 minute speech, he also discussed abortion and welfare: Two issues that he said also illustrate the threat against self- government and the need to return to the allegiance of God.

“The abortion issue involves an issue of national principle,” he said. “The question of unalienable rights is the key fundamental question which our whole constitutional system of self government is based.”

He said an unborn baby, no matter how old, is entitled to respect and the right to live.

Keyes near the end of his speech urged the crowd to stand up for their beliefs and take back their sovereignty and right to self-government.

“We can go with the herd, do as we are told and act as if these are only the choices we have,” Keyes said.

“It's a matter of true citizenship and authority of allegiance to this land. I think that's the real choice in front of us.”

He said it's either that, or “roll over and serve evil.”