Posted by
Vansword on Sunday, July 19, 2009 12:00:00 AM
On the last Fourth of July, our country reached its two hundred thirty-third birthday. To honor the anniversary of our official declaration of independence from England, Americans gorged themselves on hamburgers, hot dogs and spareribs. They gathered in public areas to watch millions of dollars of pyrotechnics go up in smoke.
There's not a lot of talk anymore about the Revolutionary War, its heroes or how patriots suffered from cold and hunger to fight for their freedom. The United States has moved farther and farther away from thoughts of a war that happened so long ago-a war that gave us what we have enjoyed for more than two hundred years.
Americans have turned July Fourth into a reason for a picnic and fail to understand that day by day they are becoming the mindless governed, unable to name their legislators and discuss political actions. Too many spend their time worrying about Brittany Spear's latest escapade or who is winning on American Idol. Do they realize the consequences of such willing ignorance?
They mutter and complain about this law and that ordinance but carry on with their lives as if these very injustices won't affect them. As if
Eminent Domain could never really be used against their homesteads-as if their child's suspension from school over some insipid zero tolerance infraction isn't worth fighting over.
Did the organizers of the Boston Tea Party turn a blind eye to taxation without representation? No, they weren't afraid to voice their dissent and make a statement-however wasteful and short-sighted it was. Before we truly celebrate our independence Americans must first desire to be independent and be willing to speak up and fight against laws that infringe upon their personal freedoms.
Freedom demands responsibility; responsibility demands choice. Choices can be a burden. It's easier for people to rely on the government to make their choices. I once knew a young woman who rightly noted that people can be like sheep. They will follow anyone or any one idea anywhere if it means they won't have to think for themselves.
There is a danger in Americans ignoring the very government they allow to do their thinking for them. The same government that acts as a benevolent parent to take care of its people's every need may soon transition to a malevolent tyrant bent on power without the constituents attentive eye.
In a post 9/11 world, it is much easier to err on the side of security than to ponder the degradation of our freedoms. In light of both real and perceived terror threats against Americans, the government has imposed stricter regulations in some areas. Americans rail against these rules in private without rising to any great heights to protest. They want to be free; they want to feel safe. What a quandary!
Benjamin Franklon found it no quandary, however. In a letter from the Pennsylvania General Assembly to their governor in 1755, the statesman noted that "anyone who would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety."
Consider prisoners at a jail such as Rikers Island in New York. They are relatively secure, have three square meals daily, a place to sleep and free health care. They are not required to make decisions or weigh choices. But their security comes with a price- their freedom.
Some Americans don't mind taking welfare money from the government to provide for their families. Where is their personal pride in earning their own money and supporting themselves? Don't they realize that only when they take responsibility for their own financial future and are motivated from within can they possibly know true freedom?
There is a large movement afoot for universal health care. Its supporters say this would create more equal medical provisions; but, it would deprive individuals of the right to choose their own doctors and put them at the mercy of the government to decide what is best for their health. Under what definition could those kinds of circumstances qualify as freedom? Equality does not guarantee freedom. People may be equally downtrodden and equally controlled.
The inherent danger of leaning on the government too much is that the same parental figure who now protects you from may turn into the dictatorial parent who makes demands upon.(In much the same way that a loving parent can turn into an overbearing caretaker who believes that only they know what is best and who derive satisfaction from this perceived power.)
Freedom comes at a cost. That cost is bravery. Individuals don't deserve freedom if they're not willing to be brave. The final word from The Star-Spangled Banner is often sung, yet, how often considered? In the midst of red, glaring ramparts, what about bravery? It is the courage to face the unknown. Freedom is full of unknowns-it offers no guarantees. Security may guarantee safety but sacrifices freedom.
The same arm extended to offer security is, as John Adams once observed, "always stretched out, if possible, to destroy the freedom of thinking, speaking and writing." If Americans let their government help them today than tomorrow their demands may follow. It's the proverbial, "Give them in inch...."
Thomas Jefferson said that "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. He was convinced in the deepest part of his heart that government was never to be trusted. It was to be used as little as possible and kept in check by a watchful public. I think Jefferson would be appalled by today's average American and his general lack of knowledge and interest in the government's daily actions-actions that might well affect his own life. Trust is essential in a personal relationshp.But a little mistrust in government goes a long way towards ensuring freedom.
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