Celebrating And Fighting For Independence

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America 

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

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. …

Today, and for many all week, patriotic Americans celebrate our Founding Fathers' wisdom, foresight and bravery in declaring independence from an oppressive government. It's a truly American holiday, made possible by a well-armed, determined, and a citizenry desirous of freedom. The celebration is a reminder to those of us who still stand by those principles enumerated in 1776 that we must continue to both celebrate and defend those ideals.

Celebrating this great gift of freedom means also not ignoring the obvious and immediate threats against it. The land of the free and home of the brave is facing attacks on liberty. Sadly, the immediate threats are increasingly domestic. There is a portion of the population, including many serving in public office, who have become extremely vocal and active in challenging freedom. They demand you speak only words they approve, while they redefine the vocabulary, and even make up new words to support their "science." There is a frightening push to legislate what is considered "free speech" in order to avoid hurting the "feelings" of those who have forsaken emotional maturity. Violence is increasingly a tactic. Beatings of Christians and burning of houses of worship are near daily news. The push to sexualize children reaches into everyday life - schools, libraries, and even craft breweries with their "family friendly" sexually explicit drag shows. These antagonists claim to believe in justice and inclusion, but in actuality they promote only division and separation

Our forefathers were explicit, and those terms remain unchanged. We maintain certain rights which are granted by our Creator. We will not acquiesce to demands to ignore and destroy what had been built over the last 200 years. It only took three percent of the population to break the country free from tyranny the first time. Honest and patriotic Americans are growing weary of the daily attacks and violence.

The light of freedom has not yet been extinguished. There's a growing push for a return to the values outlined in 1776, and later formalized in the Constitution. So this Independence Day, celebrate America. Celebrate freedom. Contemplate what losing it means. And seek to defend and maintain it.

Happy Independence Day!

Cheers!