The Preamble to our Constitution tells us the purpose of our Constitution is “to form a more perfect Union.” It goes on to list five principles to help ensure that America becomes a “perfect Union.” They are (1) establish justice, (2) ensure domestic tranquility, (3) provide for the common defense, (4) promote the general welfare, and (5) secure the blessings of liberty for all.
Liberty is “The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views, and the power to act as one chooses.” As I look at life in the United States today, I am anxious. I am witnessing our liberty being eroded day after day. I see our elected officials working hard to diminish the liberty we have enjoyed all these years while at the same time attempting to convince us, “the people,” that what they are doing is for our good, whether we want it or not.
One of our finest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, stated in his Gettysburg Address that the government is “of the people, by the people, [and] for the people.” If that speech was given today the words would be “government of the elite, by the elite, for the elite.” I ask myself almost every day, “when are the people going to wake up and see that the elites of this country do not have their best interest in mind? The elites do not care about you.
Daniel Webster warned us many years ago “The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.” I believe our government is comprised of the elite, most of which are unelected bureaucrats. They are the ones running this country, not us, not the people. For them to remain in power they must take power from us, leaving us with less liberty.
To “secure the blessings of liberty for all,” does not mean for some, nor for just the elite. It means every man, woman and child who lives within the borders of the United States. Some in government do not understand this or they simply choose to ignore it. They get away with this because too many people are ignorant of our history. They are ignorant of how America earned its freedom. They do not even know how our government works or what it means to have liberty.
President Biden has spent the last two years dividing this country. In his mind and in the mind of many, half of the populace is not entitled to liberty. When he calls supporters of President Trump “semi-Nazis,” he is telling not just United States citizens, but everyone in the world that half of America is evil and has no place in civil society. Recently Hillary Clinton described “MAGA” Americans as being similar to Hitler supporters. These two statements do nothing to unite the people and without unity our liberty is weakened.
We all experienced many of our liberties taken away during the pandemic. The truth of Covid is beginning to leak out. Many of the draconian rules imposed by the government were completely unnecessary and used to empower the elites in government and weaken our First Amendment rights.
The biggest threat to our individual liberty was the closing of churches. There was very little opposition when this happened. They said it was only going to be for two weeks, long enough to “slow the spread.” It then turned out to be a good deal longer. Religious freedom is a precondition of political freedom. History has repeatedly demonstrated that any government that refuses to recognize and protect religious freedom for the people it serves will not hesitate to violate other rights as well.
President Ronald Reagan had a lot to say about government and its willingness to violate our rights and take away our liberty. He said, “government’s first duty is to protect the people, not ruin their lives.” Many lives were ruined during Covid. He also said “The most terrifying words in the English language are I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
I worry about our liberty every day. Inflation is an enemy to liberty. If we can’t afford to feed our family or buy gas, we have lost some of our freedoms. The high crime rate in our cities is also a threat to our liberty. If we are afraid to go out at night or worry that our children will be caught up in the scourge of Fentanyl our liberty is weakened. Our southern border is being overrun by people from all over the world and we have no idea who they are. Among them are murderers, rapists, thieves, gang members and even terrorists.
Ronald Reagan also said “if we lose freedom (liberty) here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” And “The future does not belong to the light-hearted, it belongs to the brave.” The 3rd stanza of America the Beautiful says, “Oh, beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.”
The time is drawing near for Americans who love their country, who love their liberty to be brave. Stand up and let your voice be heard. Not by rioting, or in violent arguments with friends and neighbors. That’s not who we are. Let your voice be heard loud and clear with your vote on November 8th. If we lose freedom here, there will be no place else for us to go.
