In a few days it will be Independence Day in America. It was 244 years ago that America declared its independence from Great Britain, the most powerful country on earth at the time. Who were these men that supposed this small country could go to war and beat Great Britain? They were men who cherished freedom more than themselves. They were men who were willing to risk everything they had for an ideal. They knew and understood the risk they were taking. It was Benjamin Franklin who warned the signers of the Declaration of Independence, “We must all hang together or we shall all hang separately.” Yes, they knew the risk and they did not shrink from it. The war for independence was a long and bloody war. Only about 33 percent of the people supported the revolution; 33 percent were loyal to Britain and about 33 percent were indifferent to the war.
So how did the colonists prevail in their quest for independence? They were fighting for a cause, freedom to rule themselves, freedom from the high taxes and other burdens imposed on them by Great Britain. They had leaders, both politicians and generals, willing to give everything they had to be successful. There were also writers such as Thomas Paine who were able to convince the colonists to continue the fight even though it took years to win a major battle.
On December 23, 1776 Thomas Paine published a pamphlet entitled “The Crisis.” This familiar opening paragraph is a brilliant piece of writing. He wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”
Today, America is again in crisis. We can agree with Thomas Paine “These are the times that try men’s souls.” My question to everyone who reads this is “what are you going to do?” Are you going to be a patriot or a summer soldier? Our freedom is at stake. Are we going to let it slip from our hands because we are too old, too comfortable in our life, or just plain apathetic? It’s time to decide.
I will be a patriot, a freedom fighter. I will never give up until the war is won. Edmond Burke reminded us of our duty when he said “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” If you believe that what is taking place in America today is destructive, then, as good men and women, we must act to defend the Constitution and preserve our God given right to rule ourselves.
You may be asking how we are losing our freedom when we still have a government, a constitution and laws to protect us from those who would do us harm? The Left and the progressives are in the process of removing our history by removing historical statues, movies and TV shows because they may offend someone. We are no longer free to voice an opinion other than those of a certain ethnic group without being ostracized and labeled a racist, homophobe, or xenophobe to mention a few. We were told to stay in our homes, close our businesses and forbidden to go to work for fear, as we were told, of putting other lives in jeopardy during the pandemic scare. We suffered many days of violent riots with law enforcement doing little to stop it. Businesses were looted, property destroyed. Many citizens are threatened, as they should be, by such lawlessness.
Black Lives Matter and Antifa have been elevated to a position of social justice warrior by the Left and the progressives when in actuality they are hate groups whose ultimate goal is to fundamentally change America. We are now being forced to kneel or be called a racist or suffer some other penalty such as losing your job, career, or your business. Business owners are being forced to kneel or suffer dire consequences. There is a legal term for what is going on, it’s called extortion. They are now so bold as to suggest that the police be defunded or be abolished altogether. Black Lives Matter have annexed a six-block area of Seattle, Washington with borders, barricades, and signs declaring it a new and separate country from the United States. This was tried with the Democratic South in 1860, it didn’t work then, it won’t work today.
I know that there will be some, possibly many, who will disagree with me. They are those who don’t appreciate our freedoms or do not understand its value. There will also be those who are indifferent or ignorant to what is going on around them. And of course, there are those who understand the issues and are willing to fight against the tyranny we are faced with. I contend there are many more in the latter group than in the other two groups combined. And this is why I do not despair. I have faith in America, faith that Americans, who love freedom, will not stand by and let others snatch it away from us.
What can we do to save this nation? We can talk to our friends and our neighbors. We can educate our youth, our children and grandchildren about the consequences if we fail to succeed. Most importantly we must vote for those candidates who value freedom as much as we do. Remember those who are calling for abolishing the police. Remember what you heard from the “experts” during the pandemic lockdown and the chaos of ever-changing information. The best thing you and I can do is not to forget these things when we cast our vote in November.
