Does Independence Day Matter Anymore?
Tomorrow is July 4th, Independence Day. Fortunately the government hasn't figured out how to make us observe this great day on a Monday like it has with Memorial Day and Columbus Day. I guess even our leaders would be embarrassed to tell us to observe July 4th on July 7th...or whatever.
Then again, I am noticing that more and more the name "Independence Day" has replaced "July 4th" lately. Could the government be planning to...ah, forget it. Theyr'e going to do what they're going to do.
But whenever and however you celebrate July 4th, don't let it become like what Memorial Day has become - a day for a barbecue. It's sad enough that so many Americans don't remember those who died in defense of our country on Memorial Day.
Oh, right, there are the fireworks. But, really does setting of a few firecrackers or watching those big fireworks displays on TV really mean much without the idea of celebrating our independence from Britain - meaning our independence from oppression, meaning our assertion of our liberty over oppression?
So what should we all do to keep Independence Day alive and kicking? For one thing, how about taking a few minutes to read the Declaration of Independence. That's what this day commemorates, right? Remember, July 4th 1776 was the day that 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence that declared the independence of the Thirteen Colonies - now to be called "States" - from being under the rule of Great Britain.
Read it if you haven't lately. You'd be surprised what you can learn from reading this document.
For one thing, you'll learn that our rights come from our Creator - not the government. If that's the one thing you learn from reading the Declaration, you'll be way ahead of the vast majority of your fellow Americans. (Go ahead and click HERE to read the Declaration.) Do you think most of them have any idea that that's where their rights come from? Wanna bet they think the government grants them their rights?
In fact, this one lesson, that our rights come from our Creator (which, by the way, means God), may be the most important lesson that Americans need to either remember or - more likely - learn for the first time. Without understanding this, we're just like everyone else waddling through this economic and financial crisis of ours.
For example, the Europeans don't think this. If you remember, most European countries, as they eventually dropped their monarchies in the 18th and 19th centuries and developed some form of elected government, followed the model of the French Revolution, rather than the American Revolution. And the French Revolution built up the State at the expense of the ordinary citizen. The French Revolution justified the centralization of power in the hands of an all-powerful State.
The Americans, on the other hand, went the other way. Our Founding Fathers understood that too much power in the hands of a few was dangerous. They purposely kept the size and power of the Federal government small. Too bad we've all either forgotten this, or have come to think of it as some sort of a quaint idea that wouldn't work in today's complex and "dangerous" world.
Fools that we are, we somehow discount the collective wisdom of our Founding Fathers and consign it to the trash heap of history. We think we're far more sophisticated for such simplistic stuff as keeping government small. Oh, some Republican politicians talk about shrinking government. But even Ronald Reagan, the last President who ran on a smaller government platform and actually took some action to reduce the size of government never really did that. The Federal budget grew under Reagan; it didn't shrink.
So how about we all focus on just this one idea this July 4th - the idea, or should I say the reality, that our rights come from our Creator and not from the government. If you want to read the Declaration and spot some of the other wise things our Founding Fathers wrote down and agreed to when they declared their independence from Britain, be my guest. But please, PLEASE, get this one idea clear.
If we all do that, we'll make Independence Day matter again. If we don't, it'll just be a day for barbecue and fireworks. And, eventually, it'll be moved to some Monday and we won't even think at all about our liberty on July 4th - especially if July 4th winds up being observed on July 7th or whenever.
Then again, I am noticing that more and more the name "Independence Day" has replaced "July 4th" lately. Could the government be planning to...ah, forget it. Theyr'e going to do what they're going to do.
But whenever and however you celebrate July 4th, don't let it become like what Memorial Day has become - a day for a barbecue. It's sad enough that so many Americans don't remember those who died in defense of our country on Memorial Day.
Oh, right, there are the fireworks. But, really does setting of a few firecrackers or watching those big fireworks displays on TV really mean much without the idea of celebrating our independence from Britain - meaning our independence from oppression, meaning our assertion of our liberty over oppression?
So what should we all do to keep Independence Day alive and kicking? For one thing, how about taking a few minutes to read the Declaration of Independence. That's what this day commemorates, right? Remember, July 4th 1776 was the day that 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence that declared the independence of the Thirteen Colonies - now to be called "States" - from being under the rule of Great Britain.
Read it if you haven't lately. You'd be surprised what you can learn from reading this document.
For one thing, you'll learn that our rights come from our Creator - not the government. If that's the one thing you learn from reading the Declaration, you'll be way ahead of the vast majority of your fellow Americans. (Go ahead and click HERE to read the Declaration.) Do you think most of them have any idea that that's where their rights come from? Wanna bet they think the government grants them their rights?
In fact, this one lesson, that our rights come from our Creator (which, by the way, means God), may be the most important lesson that Americans need to either remember or - more likely - learn for the first time. Without understanding this, we're just like everyone else waddling through this economic and financial crisis of ours.
For example, the Europeans don't think this. If you remember, most European countries, as they eventually dropped their monarchies in the 18th and 19th centuries and developed some form of elected government, followed the model of the French Revolution, rather than the American Revolution. And the French Revolution built up the State at the expense of the ordinary citizen. The French Revolution justified the centralization of power in the hands of an all-powerful State.
The Americans, on the other hand, went the other way. Our Founding Fathers understood that too much power in the hands of a few was dangerous. They purposely kept the size and power of the Federal government small. Too bad we've all either forgotten this, or have come to think of it as some sort of a quaint idea that wouldn't work in today's complex and "dangerous" world.
Fools that we are, we somehow discount the collective wisdom of our Founding Fathers and consign it to the trash heap of history. We think we're far more sophisticated for such simplistic stuff as keeping government small. Oh, some Republican politicians talk about shrinking government. But even Ronald Reagan, the last President who ran on a smaller government platform and actually took some action to reduce the size of government never really did that. The Federal budget grew under Reagan; it didn't shrink.
So how about we all focus on just this one idea this July 4th - the idea, or should I say the reality, that our rights come from our Creator and not from the government. If you want to read the Declaration and spot some of the other wise things our Founding Fathers wrote down and agreed to when they declared their independence from Britain, be my guest. But please, PLEASE, get this one idea clear.
If we all do that, we'll make Independence Day matter again. If we don't, it'll just be a day for barbecue and fireworks. And, eventually, it'll be moved to some Monday and we won't even think at all about our liberty on July 4th - especially if July 4th winds up being observed on July 7th or whenever.
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