Sunday, May 31, 2009

The Senate

The Senate, or “upper house” has 100 members: two Senators from each of the 50 states. Their term of office is six years, and one-third of the Senate body is up for election every two years. In that way they are a little more “stable” than the House, since the entire membership is not elected at the same time.

Senators must be 30 years old, a citizen for nine years, and reside in the state in which they are elected. One interesting difference between the House and Senate is that the Vice President is the President of the Senate though has no vote unless there is a tie.

Section 3 states that the Senate has “the sole power to try all impeachments” that must originate in the House of Representatives. It takes an agreement of two-thirds of the Senators to convict.

Section 7 states that, even though the House must originate bills for raising revenue, the Senate “may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.”

It is a vitally important responsibility for We the People to vote for men and women who will be true “public servants” and conduct the business of our government according to the Constitution. It is equally important for the elected officials to resist the temptation to misuse their power and become “lords” over the people they are supposed to be serving.

“Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which 'We the people' tell the government what it is allowed to do. 'We the people' are free.” --Ronald Reagan

Saturday, May 30, 2009

The House of Representatives

There is not a lot of information in the Constitution specifically pertaining to the “lower” house of Congress. Each Representative must be twenty-five years old, a U.S citizen for seven years, and reside in the state he/she is representing. The term of office is two years, so every even-numbered year all seats of the House are up for election.

Perhaps this is why it’s called the “lower” house, since its membership tends to be more fluid. The majority party can theoretically change every two years.

The last phrase in Section 2 states that the House of Representa- tives “shall have the sole power of impeachment.” The House is the only body which can present formal charges, much like an indictment, against a public official (members of the executive and judicial branches), and the trial takes place in the Senate.

In our nation’s history only 17 individuals have been impeached by the House: two presidents (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton), one cabinet member, one senator, and 13 judges. Only seven of those, all judges, were actually removed from office.

Section 7 states that “all bills for raising revenues shall originate in the House of Representatives.” Section 8 details what this “revenue” includes (taxes, etc.) but it is interesting that the officials who can most often be elected OUT of office are the ones to originate these expenses.

If We the People will just educate ourselves and pay attention, we can hold these Representatives accountable for what they do with our money. If we choose ignorance and complacency, is it any wonder that our money is being stolen from us in plain sight?

“We have rights, as individuals, to give as much of our own money as we please to charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of public money.” –Davy Crockett

Friday, May 29, 2009

Legislative Powers

“Legislative powers” means “having the function of making laws.” Only Congress is given all powers to make or enact laws. NOT the courts, NOT the president or the governors.

The Constitution sets up a bicameral system with two branches or legislative bodies instead of one. England has had two Houses for centuries—the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The House of Lords, considered the “upper house” (as is the Senate) is, unlike the Senate, comprised of nonelected “lords temporal and lords spiritual.” (Unfortunately some of our Senators tend to act rather lordly.)

Our House of Representatives, like the House of Commons, is considered the “lower house.” Both of these bodies are comprised of elected representatives.

The original intent of our bicameral system was to have individual states equally represented at the national level by two Senators but also to have individuals equally represented in the House by population. When Senators and Representatives put their constituents, their states, and their nation first, laws can be made with the general welfare in mind.

When these men and women misuse their offices to gain wealth, influence, and power, our nation suffers. The focus has become “re-election” rather than public service. Let’s help our elected officials remember what they are supposed to be doing by holding them accountable. Each of us has two Senators and one Representative. Surely we can keep track of and keep in contact with three people on a regular basis?

“The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evil men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.” --Noah Webster

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Articles

The Articles of Confederation, which preceded the Constitution, had 13 articles; the Constitution has seven. An article is “a clause, item, point, or particular in a contract, treaty, or other formal agreement.” Our Constitution is organized by a simple outline:

Article I: Legislative branch of government (Senate & House)

Article II: Executive branch (President & Vice-President)

Article III: Judicial branch (Supreme Court & inferior courts)

Article IV: States’ rights

Article V: Amendment process

Article VI: Debts, treaties, oaths

Article VII: Brief ratification statement

Articles I-IV have subsections detailing the main points; the last three articles have no subsections and are simple and straight- forward. The entire document has just over 4,000 words or 9 pages typed in Times Roman 12 point font. When compared with the ridiculously inflated bills that come out of today’s House and Senate, some of which are hundreds or thousands of pages long, this amazing Constitution is easy to read and wastes no words.

I wonder if the Founders were thinking about Ecclesiastes 5:2 when they wrote this document: "God is in heaven, and you upon the earth: therefore let your words be few."

“Man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.” --Ronald Reagan

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

For Whom Was the Constitution Established?

Without the intervening reasons, the Preamble simply states, “We the People… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The Constitution was established as the rule of law by We the People as collective individuals FOR the United States of America. It required and still requires teamwork and commitment to something greater than ourselves.

Because the Constitution was based upon the rule of law, which comes from God, it functions best when one simple rule is followed: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) If every person in this country were to practice this, imagine what a wonderful place this would be!

When people only think of themselves, they no longer serve a Higher Power or even understand the concept of sacrifice for a cause greater than themselves. The “C” word—commitment—is becoming rare in our society: commitment to marriage, family, job, church, other organizations from the PTA to sports teams. A person’s word used to be their bond, but today promises are routinely made and broken, and lying, even under oath, has become an art form.

On September 11, 2001 Americans remembered, if just for a little while, something larger than themselves. We came together as The United States of America and stood as one against our foes.

Are the politicians putting our country’s interests ahead of their own? Are We the People letting them steal our future because we’ve forgotten that We ARE America?

“Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.” --Daniel Webster

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Do Ordain and Establish

“Ordain” means “to enact or establish by law, edict, etc.” “Establish” means “to bring into being on a firm or permanent basis.”

We the People ordained and established the Constitution, not a king, emperor, or any other kind of sovereign ruler. We have the rule of law, not the arbitrary rule of one person or group. The Sovereign Law upon which this simple and elegant document is based is none other than the Law of God.

At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, James Madison proposed the three branches of government based on Isaiah 33:22, “For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.”

John Quincy Adams later said, “The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal code as well as a moral and religious code” and that “vain indeed would be the search among the writings of secular history to find so broad, so complete and so solid a basis of morality as the Ten Commandments lay down. “

No matter how often secularists deny it, there is no arguing with Romans 13:1: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”

Throughout history, God has allowed nations to rise and fall. If we don’t do something to turn this country around, it may be that He has had enough and will allow the United States to fall.

"Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." –Benjamin Franklin

Monday, May 25, 2009

Our Posterity (coincidentally on Memorial Day)

“Posterity” is just an old-fashioned way of saying “succeeding or future generations, collectively.”

It is our responsibility to ensure that future generations of Americans enjoy the blessings of liberty as we have. Our ancestors gave their lives in past wars to ensure that our generation would continue to enjoy the freedoms that their ancestors died for.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, these are just battle deaths—many more were “non-mortal woundings” and “deaths from other causes” (such as prisoners of war):

American Revolution (1775-1783): 4,435
War of 1812 (1812-1815): 2,260
Mexican War (1846-1848): 1,733
Civil War (1861-1865): Union 140,414/Confederate 74,524
Spanish-American War (1898-1902): 385
World War I (1917-1918): 53,402
World War II (1941-1945): 291,557
Korean War (1950-1953): 33,741
Vietnam War (1964-1975): 47,424
Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991): 147
Global War on Terror (2001-present): 4,962

“The children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.” (II Corinthians 12:14) How can our elected officials even think of saddling our posterity with a debt so huge it can never be repaid? Instead of enslaving our descendants, we must do all in our power to ensure that liberty—bought with the blood of 654,984 Americans--continues.

“We enjoy freedom and the rule of law on which it depends, not because we deserve it, but because others before us put their lives on the line to defend it.” –Thomas Sowell

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The Blessings of Liberty

Those of us who have grown up in a free society tend to take the blessings of liberty for granted. But each generation must secure them anew or they will be taken from us.

What are those blessings? Are they worth fighting for, dying for as millions have done before us?

A free man is able to use his God-given talents to work hard, provide for himself and his family, and have enough to share with others less fortunate. In a free society people can engage in commerce with one another, share ideas in public forums, and worship God without fear of persecution. As long as government is minimal, as was the intent of the Constitution, it does not interfere with free commerce, free speech, and freedom to worship.

We can’t afford to be so intent upon “doing our own thing” that we forget to watch for those wolves who seek power over others (sheep), or think, “I'm too busy; someone else will do that.” To secure the blessings of liberty means WE have to do OUR part: pray, speak out when needed, vote, participate in the political process, run for office. If We the People do nothing, we shouldn’t be surprised when wolves steal the sheep’s liberty.

“The liberties of our country… are worth defending at all hazards…. Our worthy ancestors purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood…. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” --Samuel Adams

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Promoting the General Welfare

To “promote” is “to encourage the existence or progress of, to further.” “The general welfare” has nothing to do with government checks, but means “the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc. of all persons belonging to a group,” in this instance, the United States of America.

This goes along with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We the People in the fifty separate states agree to unite in part to encourage the existence of these rights.

In the same way that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11) we as Americans should treat one another and be treated equally. When we splinter into hyphenated groups, foster “class warfare,” or demand special rights as part of a “minority” then we encourage infighting among ourselves. A nation thus splintered is more easily conquered, either from within or from without.

We the People must encourage one another to further the general welfare of our nation by putting aside petty grievances and returning to the godly values that made our country great: respect for life, responsible liberty, and the pursuit of happiness through a strong work ethic.

“You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer.” --Sir Winston Churchill

Friday, May 22, 2009

Providing for the Common Defense

“Common” in this context simply means joint or united. “Defense” means resistance to attack or protection but also “the defending of a cause or the like by speech, argument, etc.”

We equate "defense" with the military. It's important to unite behind their efforts to defend our country against foreign nations who wish to do us harm. We must never forget the sacrifices that so many have made to keep us free.

But how often do we think about defending the cause of liberty here at home against those who overtly or covertly work to undermine all that America stands for?

There is a battle raging for the soul of this nation. If We the People are apathetic or “too busy” to speak in defense of the Constitution, whether writing letters to newspapers, contacting elected officials, or becoming involved in local or grassroots political efforts, then we deserve whatever happens to us.

We can’t let the enemy discourage us into thinking that “we can’t do anything.” The course of history is filled with examples of men and women who stood alone against impossible odds and made a difference. So can we!

“We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen.... If the foundation is firm, the superstructure will stand.” --Calvin Coolidge

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Insuring Domestic Tranquility

There’s a reason this is listed after “establish justice.” Without a foundation of law and morality, it’s impossible to “insure domestic tranquility.”

“Insure” means to secure, guarantee, make sure or certain. “Domestic” means pertaining to one’s country, i.e. not foreign. “Tranquility” is to be free from commotion or tumult, i.e. unagitated.

Lawlessness breeds discontent, anger, hatred, covetousness, and eventually commotion, agitation, anarchy. I John 3:4 puts it simply: “Sin is lawlessness.”

We can’t secure peace without law; we can’t have law without Divine standards of right and wrong.

There is no coincidence that as the ACLU has worked for years to strip the name of God and mention of His laws from the public conscience that all forms of lawlessness have increased. Those of us who desire quiet lives raising our children, working and paying our bills, and worshipping with the church, can no longer afford to turn a blind or incredulous eye at what is happening. We must “make certain” that domestic tranquility continues by holding lawmakers accountable.

"If it be asked, What is the most sacred duty and the greatest source of our security in a Republic? The answer would be, An inviolable respect for the Constitution and Laws." –Alexander Hamilton

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Establishing Justice

There’s a peculiar and often ignored fact about justice: Its foundation is an absolute standard of right and wrong.

Here’s the definition of justice: “The quality of conforming to principles of reason, to generally accepted standards of right and wrong, and to the stated terms of laws, rules, agreements, etc. in matters affecting person who could be wronged or unduly favored.”

One of the Founders’ reasons for the formation of the United States was to establish justice so that The People would be treated equally regarding the law. Of course there were wicked men over two hundred years ago, but because Biblical principles of right and wrong were so generally accepted, there was a more general consensus in matters of law and morality.

Thanks to generations of humanist philosophy infiltrating every facet of American society, “principles of reason,” “generally accepted standards of right and wrong,” and “the stated terms of laws, rules, agreements” (i.e., keeping one’s word) are shoved aside as archaic, old-fashioned, and no longer relevant to our “modern” world. Political correctness and so-called tolerance have replaced common sense and Biblical morality. The result is more and more people being wronged for doing what is right, and those who practice immorality are being unduly favored.

God is love, but He is also just. Is America now reaping what has been sown during our lifetimes?

“Our government... teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” --Louis Dembitz Brandeis

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A More Perfect Union

Thirteen colonies became thirteen states, each separate but united. They realized they needed to join together for purposes of economic stability and the common defense, but each was fiercely protective of remaining a separate entity within the union. Even today each of the fifty United States has its own unique “flavor.”

The decision to unite was an uneasy truce. Each colony/state brought its own set of strengths and weaknesses to the union. And there was widespread distrust of a strong centralized government. With good reason.

Power dispersed between a federal government and individual state governments, along with built in checks and balances, was meant to prevent power-hungry individuals from usurping the inalienable rights of the people. In our current climate of ever-increasing federal power and bureaucracy, states reasserting their individual sovereignty may be the best way of preventing a full-fledged autocratic centralized government, i.e. a dictatorship.

Thirteen individual states, as well as their individual people, decided to form a more perfect union using the principles of a most perfect Creator. What will we do to ensure that their vision endures?

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves." –Thomas Jefferson

Monday, May 18, 2009

We the People

Those three enormous words begin the Preamble of the United States Constitution. What do they mean?

“We” is a personal pronoun meaning “I” plus at least one other person. In this context "we" goes back to the individual and the individual’s God-given inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When “we” as a collective group of individuals give our consent to elected representatives to carry out the business of government (which business is supposed to be limited to those few duties listed in the Constitution) then we are acting as The People.

The People is not a single faceless mass, as despots regard the populations over which they wield power. The People is always made up of “we” the individuals: male, female, young, old, some bright, some slow, some achievers, some lazy, some faithful to God, some disregarding their Creator.

Whether or not “we” as individuals regard God, He never forgets us. He knows each one of us, heart, mind, and soul. We can never allow our elected officials to forget that We the individuals have collectively selected them to represent us, The People. They do not rule over us; they work for us.

We the People must work together to individually hold accountable all government officials at every level—federal, state, county, city, neighborhood.

“The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.”—John Philpot Curran

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Instruments of Providence

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were intelligent and religious men with a strong sense of ethics and honor. Their professions included lawyers, merchants, doctors, educators, and four were full-time preachers. Even more of them were preacher’s sons. Most of them were active churchgoers with significant contributions of money, time, and talent. In short, they “practiced what they preached.”

In 1848 B. J. Lossing published a book about these men in which he stated, “The signing of that instrument was a solemn act, and required great firmness and patriotism in those who committed it… Such were the men unto whose keeping, as instruments of Providence, the destinies of America were for the time intrusted (sic); and it has been well remarked, that men, other than such as these—an ignorant, untaught mass, like those who have formed the physical elements of other revolutionary movements, without sufficient intellect to guide and control them—could not have conceived, planned, and carried into execution such a mighty movement, one so fraught with tangible marks of political wisdom, as the American Revolution.”

Where are such leaders today? Oh, that men would place their trust in the Lord and say along with many worthies in the Old Testament, “Here am I; Lord, send me!”

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of man.” --Benjamin Franklin

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Computer crash...

My computer went kaput and I'm just now restoring everything I lost. I will return to daily posts ASAP!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Oldest Signer

Benjamin Franklin was the only Founding Father who signed all three of the important documents during the birth of our nation: the Declaration of Independence (at age 70), the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War (at age 77), and the Constitution (at age 81).

There is not room in this blog to list all of this remarkable man’s accomplishments. He was integral to the early days of America in many areas: publishing, scientific discoveries, inventions, diplomacy, legislative government, and even the first Postmaster General. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775 where his enormous influence here and abroad brought credibility to the fledgling United States.

Our present society idolizes youth and beauty and tends to marginalize the older, wiser generation. With the tempering influence of wisdom painfully gained over a lifetime of achievement, youthful zeal can be channeled into powerful, productive citizenship. Without the sound advice of those in the older generation who are truly wise, our nation will fall on its collective foolish face.

One is never too old to make life-changing contributions to family, church, community, and nation.

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” --Benjamin Franklin

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Mr. Hancock

John Hancock, nine term Governor of Massachusetts, president of the Continental Congress, was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. He did so with large, readable letters but unfortunately there is no evidence that he actually said, "The British ministry can read that name without spectacles." It makes a great legend though, and is not out of character.

We know John Hancock today mainly by his bold signature. We even say that to sign our name means to “write our John Hancock.” We sometimes forget that it took great courage for Mr. Hancock to do what he did. The British authorities already regarded him as a troublemaker, and this Declaration would make him a full-fledged traitor in their eyes.

Hancock gave a public address after the Boston Massacre in which he stated, “the troops of George the third have crossed the Atlantic, not to engage an enemy, but to assist a band of traitors in trampling on the rights and liberties of his most loyal subjects; those rights and liberties, which, as a father, he ought ever to regard, and as a king, he is bound in honour to defend from violation, even at the risk of his own life.”

Hancock willingly put his life at risk, as well as his property, since he was one of the richest men in the colonies at the time. In word and deed, he was bold and resolute. We can and must do likewise.

“The republic was not established by cowards, and cowards will not preserve it.” --Elmer Davis

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Sacred Honor

Just above the signatures is this sentence: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The 56 men who signed this Declaration did so knowing that it could very well cost them their lives and fortunes. But to them, freedom was so much more important.

“Honor” means honesty and integrity in one’s beliefs and actions. When we promise something or make a commitment, we should do everything in our power to keep it. An honorable person does not say he believes one thing and then practice another. A person of honor is trustworthy and dependable.

One definition of “sacred” is “secured against violation or infringement as by reverence or sense of right.” The 56 signers were so convinced that God exists and that He gave us inalienable rights that they reverently committed themselves to securing those rights. By signing the Declaration, they painted targets on their backs, risking everything for the ideals of liberty.

Are we willing to make such sacred commitments to God, to our families, and to our fellow men? If not, why not?

“Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone.” --John Quincy Adams

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Supreme Judge

The signers of the Declaration of Independence appealed to “the Supreme Judge of the World for the rectitude of our intentions.” Rectitude is another word we don’t use any more. Synonyms for this word are “righteousness, morality, goodness, correctness, decency, integrity.”

That is what set apart these men from the “leaders” in Washington today. Righteousness, morality, goodness, correctness, decency, and integrity all have as their source the one True God of Heaven. When those character traits are looked upon as outdated and scorned, then their Source is also scorned. Mankind sets himself up as the supreme judge, and chaos results, along with unrighteousness, immorality, evil, political “correctness,” indecency, and a total lack of integrity, all of which we have in government today.

Those of us who acknowledge the Supreme Judge of the World can no longer remain silent. We must have the courage to speak the rectitude of our intentions and stand for what is right, no matter what the cost.

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure if we have removed their only firm basis: a conviction in the minds of men that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” –Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Some Grievances Never Change

It is beyond the scope of this blog to go through the Founding Documents line by line, so I will not address each of the 27 grievances against the King of England in the Declaration of Independence. However, a couple are worth noting:

“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass [sic] our people, and eat out their substance.” Bureaucracy in every form and at every time is inefficient, demoralizing, and just plain ridiculous. Unfortunately, bureaucracy is one important means for the tyrant to extend controls into every aspect of people’s lives.

“For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.” One argument against the recent tea parties is that Americans DO have representation, therefore any taxes levied are legitimate. “Representation” and “consent” are two entirely different things, especially when the elected “representative” ignores the wishes of the people.

Did we give consent to the unimaginable debt being laid upon our country that our children and their children can never repay? We already have had these taxes imposed upon us: federal income taxes, Social Security taxes, Medicare taxes, state and local sales taxes, some states have state and local income taxes, city and county taxes, real estate taxes, vehicle taxes, half a dozen taxes on our telephone service, utility taxes, gasoline taxes, hunting and fishing license taxes, etc. ad nauseum.

By the way, who gave consent for so many in the current Administration and Congress to avoid paying their taxes?

“All men having power ought to be mistrusted.” --James Madison

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Just the Facts, Please

The list of 27 detailed grievances against the King of England begin in this manner: “To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

Emotions have their place, but our society emphasizes “feelings” to the exclusion of facts and reasoned debate. The President made this comment after the nation-wide tea parties on April 15th: “Those of you who are watching certain news channels, on which I'm not very popular, and you see folks waving tea bags around, let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we're gonna stabilize Social Security. Let's not play games and pretend that the reason is because of the Recovery Act, because that's just a fraction of the overall problem that we've got.”

After a campaign of feel-good slogans as well as 100 days of governing based on placating lies while the media swoons in cultish ecstasy, it’s laughable for the President to say he’s “happy to have a serious conversation” about anything.

We must ignore the rhetoric and the appeals to emotions and keep our eye on the facts. It’s not possible to reason with unreasonable people, but there are still plenty of rational thinking Americans. Together we can stand firm against the tsunami of mindless emotional gobbledygook.

“It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” --Thomas Jefferson

Friday, May 1, 2009

Dealing with Despotism

Just before the list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence, this is written: “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”

Today we could easily substitute “the present President of the United States” for “the present King.” During his short “history” of 100 days in office, this Administration’s goal appears to be “the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”

Like the signers of the Declaration, we must be bold and courageous in voicing our concerns to our elected officials. If each and every one of us will call, write, and/or email the President, our two Senators, and our Representative every time they try to pass another law restricting our freedom, it’s true that we may not be able to stop them, but they will know without a doubt how many of their constituents disagree with them.

If we aren’t willing to be part of the process and stand courageously for the Lord and for this nation that He has blessed us with, then we shouldn’t be surprised if evil men take away our lives, our liberty, and our pursuit of happiness.

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing.” --Edmund Burke