March 5, 2009 – Currently the U.S. Census Bureau states that there are over 305 million people living in the United States. Notice I did not say that there are 305 million Americans living in the United States. I refrained from making that statement for a reason.

In his farewell address, George Washington made the following statement, “The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.”

Webster’s New College Dictionary defines patriotism as, “love of and devotion to one‘s own country.” Therefore, following Washington’s logic, to be an American, you must love, and be devoted to your country.

If the people of this country call themselves Americans, how can they sit back and allow our government to destroy it without any kind of a fight?

Anyone who is an American, of the kind Washington described, would make sure they understood the principles upon which their nation was founded. In 1788, Noah Webster published On the Education of Youth in America. From the publication I quote the following, “Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country.”

Yet how many people are capable of doing just that, rehearsing the history of their own country? More importantly, how many people can even explain the fundamental principles upon which their government was founded? From my experience, not very many.

I would hope that everyone has at least heard of the Declaration of Independence. Within that document we find a series of 54 words that explain the foundation upon which our government was established, “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…”

Our founders believed that governments were instituted to secure our rights. There is an important distinction between securing our rights, and granting us rights. In 1774, Thomas Jefferson penned the Rights of British America. From that we read, “A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate.”

Our rights are our birthright from God, not as the benevolent gift of some government official. Our founders often spoke of liberty. Thomas Jefferson gave us his definition of liberty, “Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.” Taken in conjunction with the Declaration of Independence, and his quote from the Rights of British America, one would have to agree that government has no right to do anything to restrict our actions, as long as our actions do not infringe upon the rights of another individual. Yet how many laws has our government passed which do just that? Certainly far too many for me to count.

This country, and those who live here who should be embarrassed to call themselves, have allowed the government established by our founders to overstep the limitations drawn around it by the constitution, and in so doing, have surrendered many of the liberties that our founders fought and died for.

Samuel Adams stated, quite eloquently I might add, “The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence.” Adams felt so strongly about this that he continued by saying, “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.”

Our founders gave us the documents that created our government. They wrote extensively about the principles upon which our nation was founded. They provided us with the guidelines needed to hold on to our liberties and keep to a limited government, as described by the constitution.

Sadly, the thoughts of our founders are meaningless words, attributed to faceless names which, far too often, fall upon deaf ears and apathetic minds, of people who have no right to call themselves American.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”

I have been told by some that I need to write more often, because people need to be educated about what is going on. While I don’t mind writing, I often wonder, when are people going to start thinking for themselves, if they ever are. One of these days I would like to take the training wheels off and see people seek out the truth on their own. Then, maybe I am hoping for the impossible.

Yet, Benjamin Rush once said, “Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights.” If men are, therefore, ignorant, it is an easy task for a government to overstep its authority and take away their God-given rights.

Since our rights are, in fact God-given, it would be negligent if I did not quote Scripture regarding this subject. In the book of Proverbs, Chapter15. verse 14, we read, “The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.” Scripture is also clear about what happens if we fail to obtain that knowledge. From the Book of Hosea, Chapter 4, verse 6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…”

The people of this country have long forgotten the principles upon which this country, and our government, was founded, and as Thomas Paine once said, “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.”

Most everyone, including Democrats, admired Ronald Reagan. Well, Reagan once warned us that, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

With each successive administration, new laws have been passed, Executive Orders signed, and actions taken which have slowly chipped away at the vision of a limited republican form of government held by our founders. The question then arises, in which direction are we heading?

French historian Alexis de Tocqueville, best known for his work, Democracy in America, wrote, “Democracy extends the sphere of individual freedom, socialism restricts it. Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number. Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”

With all the legislation that our government has passed, particularly the government bailout, and subsequent stewardship of financial institutions, we are moving rapidly towards socialism. As Tocqueville wrote, the end result will mean that we will all become mere equal servants to the government. I don’t think that is anything close to what our founders had in mind when they drafted the constitution.

How could this have happened? Easy, we have forgotten the fact that our nation was founded upon Christian principles by God fearing men. As Patrick Henry once said, “It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!”

George Washington reminded us, in his farewell address, that, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”

From an essay in The Public Advertiser, 1749, Samuel Adams wrote, “[N]either the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”

Are we universally corrupt? Of that, I cannot be certain, but Scripture is clear about a few other things. In 1 Timothy, Chapter 4, verse 1, we read, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”

In the Book of Ephesians, Chapter 5, verse 6, Paul wrote, “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience…”

Finally, in Romans 16:18, we read, “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Scripture proves that man should seek knowledge. It also proves that man will be deceived by vain words and fair speeches. We claim to be Americans, and many claim to be Christian as well. Yet we have forgotten the principles which our country, and our faith rest upon. We should be ashamed.

If the people of this country do not return to both those principles, our government will continue to usurp powers not authorized them by the constitution. They will also, in the process, infringe upon more of our God-given rights.

I would hope that the people of this country have some mental equivalent of a line in the sand, which when the government crosses people will finally say enough is enough.

For me, that line was crossed a very long time ago. Yet I am of the opinion that I am one, among very few, who feel the same. I also feel very vulnerable, as Voltaire once said, “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”

However, if things do not change, and our country continues on its current path, I, as well as others, will have no recourse but to stand our ground and refuse to submit to the unconstitutional exercise of power by our government.

Although I may currently grant you all the courtesy and respect that you deserve as a human being, if the time comes when I have to stand and fight for my rights, you will either be with me, or mark my words, you will be considered my enemy. It is my sincere hope that if that time comes, you too will have had enough, and will stand beside me.
 
It appears that you just can’t fix stupid.

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross can be reached for comments at bonsai@syix.com. Visit Neal’s Blog at http://www.zombie-slayer.com/neal

The Ross Archive on The Federal Observer