A Call to Arms...So to Speak

We just recently celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence that took place 236 years ago. On July 4, 1776, fifty-six men, willing to lose all for the freedom of this country's individuals, signed a document that would be the foundation for all future documents of The United States of America. Here are the first two sentences of the 2^nd paragraph from that document:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Fifty-six men risked life, health, family, wealth...everything for one truth and one truth only - “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This one statement is the very foundation of “The American Dream.” Our forefathers knew that if an environment were established that could protect what every man was given from the very beginning, life, liberty and his pursuit of happiness, every man could achieve his dreams. Every one in the United States has the opportunity to achieve what he wants to and live his life to the fullest with liberty while pursuing happiness.

This Declaration of Independence, along with the continuation and victory of an ongoing war with England, allowed us to break free and “to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

A new country, The United States of America, was formed with a new form of government, a democratic republic, penned and spelled out in a new document, The Constitution of the United States. Our Constitution, coming thirteen years after The Declaration of Independence, was drafted with the idea that the more the liberty of individuals was protected, the better the country would be because countries should be built by individuals full of life, living free, and pursuing what makes their life happy. The Constitution was written intentionally to limit the size of a federal government so that free people could govern themselves more locally in their towns, counties, and states.

So, what has happened in the last 220 or so years. Somewhere along the line we decided to quit governing ourselves (read that we quit being individually responsible) and gave ourselves over to bigger federal government and more restraints on our individual liberties (read that we got lazy, decided to let someone else do it, asked the government to provide for us, and, as a result, had to give up some liberties). This has led to a situation where we have a growing beast of a federal government that keeps growing because we have not figured out how to stop feeding. I have the answer. It is in the next couple of sentences of that 2^nd paragraph of our beloved Declaration:

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.” 
 

Am I proposing an overthrow of our current government. Yes, but not in the sense that you may think. You see, that wonderful Constitution of ours gave us the way to radically change our government. It is called the election process. You change who is making the laws and governing and you change the laws and the government function. Remember a few lines back I suggested that we, as a people, had stopped taking responsibility for ourselves, become lazy, was willing to let someone else do it, and gave up some of our liberty? That has to change. You can no longer sit on your hinder parts and not pay attention to elections, be they local, state, or national. The United States of America is at a crossroads. Where it goes depends on what future direction government takes and that depends on you. Whether you vote or not, you will determine our nation's direction. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness begins with your vote.

Unfortunately, over the last 20 or so years, men and women of character, integrity, experience, knowledge, and faith have not been as willing to run for elected as before. The character assassination that the media and opponents rage against them, their families, their businesses, and their past mistakes very well makes one reluctant to run for office. We seem to be faced with always only voting for the lessor of the two evils. This election, however, I feel like I am in a unique position in that I know more who I am not going to vote for than I am about who I am voting for. Never before have I been more motivated to vote some out than I have to vote some in.

In my opinion, and since this is my blog, I state my opinion, the current executive administration and any elected official supporting the the philosophies and goals of the current administration has to be voted out. I am a Libertarian, not Republican or Democrat. The Democrats have to go. They have already proven, more in the last four years than any other time I know, a blatant disregard for the Constitution as a rock solid, definitive document that is to be adhered to, not ignored, changed, or seen as a document to “grow” with the times. Our democratic republic is under attack and those who want to change it, need to be run out of town on a rail. Am I thoroughly convinced that the Republican candidates will greatly reverse the tide of big government, big spending, and doing what is best for the country. No, but I know they can't be as bad as what we have now. Remember “...it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Here is my plea to you: please learn the candidates and their positions, their histories, and their visions, choose wisely, and vote for those that you think would have willingly risked all and signed the Declaration of Independence had they been around in 1776 and would have voted for The Constitution in 1789.

--Terry Hawkins, July 15, 2012.