In 1775 people living in New England were fighting the British in an effort to obtain freedom from British dominance and control. Then July 2, 1776, our fledgling Congress had the audacity to “secretly” vote for a formal statement declaring our independence from Great Britain.
This “declaration” was published two days later on July 4, 1776 and is our Declaration of Independence. Whenever I ponder Independence Day, it kindles within my heart a wide range of emotions about my freedoms within my daily life and brings mundane, everyday experiences into clear focus.
The Declaration of Independence is by far one of our nation's most important documents and should be celebrated and cherished as something so special, so spiritual and so fought for from that fateful day in 1776 up until today. The freedoms that all Americans share because of this document are found nowhere else in the world.
Fifty-six men signed their names to the Declaration and committed an act of treason by doing so. They laid the foundation for all of us. Since that date in 1776, we have fought to protect that document and our way of life by sending our men and women around the world fighting to make this a world free of unfairness.
The Bill of Rights gives us freedom to worship the way we want, freedom to speak our minds, freedom to have newspapers and books with differing views, freedom to have weapons in our households and freedom to live in this country.
On this day I rededicate my thoughts and my life to remember those who have put their lives on the line to protect rights I enjoy. It is because of them, the original 56, and all those who have worn or are wearing a uniform of the U.S. military, that I can live my life here in this beautiful country. It is because of them, all of them, that I can write this letter. And it is because of them, that I shall always be faithful to the United States of America.
Freedom from tyranny
“We the people” face the same issues today that our brethren faced in 1776. It seems that once again we are in need of re-establishing our Declaration of Independence from arbitrary, overreaching and tyrannical governance. This type of governance is again disregarding our individual rights guaranteed us by our Creator.
The origin of our individual inalienable rights, in which we base our independence, is clearly stated in our Declaration of Independence. Our rights come from God who created each individual. These rights are evidenced by “the laws of nature and of nature's God.” All mankind is subject to these laws, and any authority that violates this law has forfeited its right to rule, for no man is above this law. These rules are necessary for a civil society to flourish. Property, reputation and lives are being arbitrarily tyrannized.
President George Washington warned us of the following in his 1796 Farewell Address:
“Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice?”
And to clarify who would not be trustworthy of protecting our God-given individual rights, George Washington gave us another poignant warning:
“In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness [religion and morality], these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
And here we are again, people. Just as the colonists were to the monarchy of Great Britain, “We the people,” “independents,” “constitutionalists,” “Christians,” “patriots,” “veterans” are now considered potential threats to Washington, D.C. and all its appointed merry men.
The presidential pedestal
Our founding fathers intended us to have balanced government, consisting of three equal branches: executive, legislative and judicial. The people have given too much power to the administrative branch, primarily through our misconception that the president's responsibility is to “run the country.”
Since President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, we have tended to put our presidents on a pedestal and forget that Congress makes the laws, spends the money and, in effect, controls our lives.
As a consequence presidential elections get much more media coverage than general elections, resulting in the electorate minimizing the importance of congressional representatives who, unfortunately also have fallen into this same worshiping pattern of the president.
All of this stems from the fact that large portions of the American people have little knowledge about how the government operates now, versus its intended operation.
The most important action the citizen takes is to vote, yet the only qualifications needed are to be of a certain age and a U.S. citizen. Our electorate needs media that educate them about our form of government and the way it was intended to operate, otherwise we will continue to make “kings” of our presidents, and as a consequence, give them the power of a king.
Founded at great cost
Many people do not take into consideration the trials and tribulations our Founding Fathers and the people of this country went through in order to make this country an independent and free republic. The soul of the country to most people of the time was reflected in Patrick Henry's declaration, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
The Declaration of Independence, basically written by Thomas Jefferson, states the reasons for our wanting to separate from the mother country, England. The Constitution and its Bill of Rights give to the common man rights unforeseen and never dreamed of in the history of the world.
The Magna Carta, in 1215 A.D., was forced on King John by English barons so that they might keep their possessions from his dictates. The document limited his autonomy, which helped as a foundation for dictums used in our Constitution.
We display the American flag on this day as a proud symbol of our love and devotion to our country and to the valiant brave soldiers who have sacrificed so much to preserve the state of the union. The colors of red, white and blue have meaning. We take so much for granted.
Many lately have written protest letters that attack the president, Congress and agencies that have kept this nation free and safe. Those trying to destroy the values and freedoms we have so long been accustomed to have been bold enough to support individuals that have revealed top-secret, classified information to our enemies.
Treasonable offences of collaborating with the enemy are not altruistic devotions of patriots. These offenders should be treated and punished as the traitors they are.
Let the highest beneficent power keep vigilant, overlooking our country and the good people in it with the resounding of “G-d bless America.”