Our "elites" waste time
lots of strange ways. Don't let glare
from tin foil blind you!
Posted on 04/22/2005 6:42:19 AM PDT by Jeff Head
What is Liberty?
Well, IMHO, in the context of American liberty, ere's an answer....
Liberty is freedom from encumberance in an environment where the unalienable rights of mankind are both recognized and respected and where individual "Free Will" bounded by fundamental moral principle is the avenue for interaction in society .
That's a lot of pretty words that basically say that if a people are to be free, they and their government have to recognize and respect the God-given rights of others and be moral. In fact, liberty can not coexist with widespread individual, or institutional immorality. Immorality places an individual's, or a group's, wishes, lusts, cravings, passions or beliefs above the unalienable rights of others. When this occurs, unalienable rights are infringed and liberty is lost.
Liberty can also not exist where moral choice is compelled and individual Free Will is destroyed. Again, the result is that unalienable rights are infringed and liberty is lost
Either of these negative conditions, rampant immorality or rampant compulsion of moral choice, lead directly to tyranny. On one hand as society breaks down and individuals infringe on one another's rights tyranny rushes in to "restore order". On the other hand, or as a result of the first, the infringement is institutionalized as the "government" compels people in their individual choices. You decide how close we are to one or the other today.
The American path to stable, lasting liberty, which has maintained for well over two hundred years and been the beacon of liberty for the entire world, correctly enumerates all of the following unallienable rights :
- LifeThere are others that are left to the individual states and the people. All of them derive from the Creator and are our natural rights as soveriegn individuals and are only enumerated in our Declaration of Independence and our Bill of Rights in the US Constitution.
- Liberty (meaning free will)
- The pursuit of happiness (meaning a livelihood and personal property deriving therefrom)
- Free speech
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of association
- Freedom of Assembly
- Petition and Redress of Elected or Appointed Officials
- Self defense (firearms ownership)
- Secure in person and belongings
- Justice (meaning probable cause, trial by jury or peers, facing accusers, etc.)
1) Protect the borders from outside invaders who would rob the people of their liberty and all the fruits of their labors.Folks, this is Liberty ... this is what our founders envisioned and what our nation has lived out for most of its history. This knowledge is communicable and is the great antidote to our modern ills ... from cries for gun control, to social welfare systems, to intrusive taxes to rampant immorality. Some of the greatest comments on these topics were provided by our founders ... our initial great communicators. Let's punctuate this article with their words and communications on the topic, and let's catch that "communcable" spirit that they felt :
2) To insure that any infringement on the unalienable rights of others is brought to justice, as provided for in the enumeration of those rights.
3) To provide for equitable commerce between the states.
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."- John Adams, Oct. 11, 1798 Address to the military
"Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private virtue, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics." John Adams
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure if we have removed their only firm basis: a conviction in the minds of men that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."- Thomas Jefferson
"And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms ... The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants," Thomas Jefferson.
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."- James Madison
"We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."- James Madison
"A general dissolution of the principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy.... While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.... If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security." - Samuel Adams
"[N]either the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend of the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen onto any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man." Samuel Adams
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom...go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels nor arms. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."- Samuel Adams
"Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."- William Penn
"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." Patrick Henry
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined," Patrick Henry.
"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. 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."- Thomas Paine; 1776
"[I]f we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity." Daniel Webster
"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety," Benjamin Franklin.
"No country upon earth ever had it more in its power to attain blessings. Much to be regretted indeed would it be, were we to depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to, so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass. The Great Governor of the Universe has led us too long and too far to forsake us in the midst of it. We may, now and then, get bewildered; but I hope and trust that there is good sense and virtue enough left to recover the right path. " - George Washington
The existence of persons and property preceded the existence of the legislator, and his function is only to guarantee their safety.If today, our lawmakers were interested in restoring this nation to its greatness, they would catch the vision that this land was established for soveriegn individuals, operating within the environment addressed by this essay, to govern themselves, not be governed by thousands of laws, regulations and agencies sent forth to harass the citizens and increase the power and prestige of lawmakers who ought rather to be the servants of the citizens.
It is not true that the function of law is to regulate our consciences, our ideas, our wills, our education, our opinions, our work, our trade, our talents, or our pleasures. The function of law is to protect the free excercise of these rights, and to prevent any person from interfering with the free exercise of these rights by any other person.
Since law necessarily requires the support of force, its lawful domain is only in the areas where the use of force is necessary. This is justice.
Every individual has the right to use force for lawful self-defense. It is for this reason that the collective force - which is only the organized combination of the individual forces - may lawfully be used for the same purpose; and it cannot be used legitimately for any other purpose.
Law is soley the organization of the individual right of self-defense which existed before law was formalized. Law is justice.
Some food for thought and discussion.
His name is Phil and he hails from somewhere in Pennsylvania.
You will find him every Wednesday morning standing in front of the White House after traveling two hours from his home. He comes to Washington to make a statement that sends a strong message of support to the 9,000 beleaguered, soon to be homeless, resi dents of Gaza, Israel. By his very presence, he transcends many barriers and delivers a firm rebuke to our president.
I first met Phil on April 11 in Crawford, Texas when he approached me after I had delivered a speech to the throng of more than 3,000 people who had gathered from all over the U.S. While President Bush and PM Sharon met at the ranch, Phil was among thos e who had come from great distances to protest the expulsion of more than 9,000 people threatened with dispossession of their homes, businesses, places of worship, schools, and even cemeteries. Some of these families have lived in Gush Katif, the Jewish section of Gaza, for several generations, in a beautiful community overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
In July, their homes are to be turned over to the same Palestinian terrorists who have repeatedly attacked their community with the purpose of driving them out. And now, after they have stood strong against the terrorists, they are being forced to leave , not by their attackers, but by their own government in collusion with the President of the U.S.
By some illogical thought process, George W. Bush has concluded that the victims of Palestinian jihad, whose families have been killed and maimed by vicious murderers wanting to steal their land, must be forced out of their homes. Their houses will then be turned over to the terrorists. He intends to finish their criminal work. This places the U.S. squarely on the side of the terrorists. It makes the U.S. complicit in dividing up the spoils of the war of terror instigated by the Palestinians and spons ored by radical Islamists.
To make matters worse, President Bush wants to sweeten the pot by giving them two million additional U.S. taxpayer dollars, on top of the billions already handed the Palestinians. A fortune in previous aid has not been accounted for. We do know that man y millions of dollars have been wasted on rockets, weapons and palaces for cronies of Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.
And what do the Israelis get in return for appeasing the terrorists and agreeing to sacrifice the residences and wellbeing of 9,000 residents of Gush Katif? You guessed it. Absolutely nothing.
At this point in time, the people who are being tossed out of their homes have no place to go. The Israeli government has not even made plans for them. All IDF reports predict an escalation of violence. The new Palestinian leader, Abu Abbas, has public ly said he will invite the terrorist leaders leaving Lebanon to move into Gaza once the Jews are removed. He has even officially taken Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations (on the State Dept. terrorist list) into his new government, and they are stockpiling weapons to renew their jihad war as soon as the Israelis are out of Gaza. Such a deal!
Meanwhile, back at the White House, our friend Phil is staging a one-man protest against this outrage. Phil is well aware of the injustice taking place in Israel and wants President Bush to know that Americans do not want to be part of it. Whether inte ntional or not - we are becoming allies with the very terrorists we have been fighting since 9-11 when we give them land and financial assistance.
Phil believes that terrorism should not win, and that it is obscene for American taxpayers to foot the bill to pay off the Middle East neighborhood bullies. He understands that the Arab world, with 23 countries, does not need one more country to foster international terrorism.
If you want to meet a true American who is willing to stand up for his convictions, honk your horn and tip your hat to Phil, as you drive by the White House any Wednesday morning. Let him know that you support him and if you would like – join him in his vigil. He is the Christian who is willing to not only complain about injustice but is willing to do something about it. He is the person wearing the orange t-shirt, the orange cap and carrying the orange sign - the color that signifies solidarity with the residents of Gush Katif. It is the color they are identified with.
And Phil is the man who speaks volumes for hundreds of thousands of Americans who don’t want the courageous pioneers of Gush Katif to be betrayed by our government. And he represents these same Americans who are particularly opposed to wasting hard earn ed tax dollars to pay for this betrayal.
___________
Esther Levens is CEO and Founder of the Unity Coalition for Israel (UCI), an alliance of more than 200 Jewish and Christian organizations representing millions of Americans. The groups support the safety and security of Israel.
And there is the rub. The 'Rats are the party of immorality and unaccountability which, as you have so clearly and eloquenty stated, are the mortal enemies of liberty.
HERE - The Golan Solution, is my plan for dealing with the terror in Israel.
Wherever it exists, it is the mortal enemy to liberty.
Bravo, Jeff!
( and I won't even get persnickety about positive rights being confused with inalienable rights...LOL!)
The Founders were brilliant men, and the more I learn, the more I am in awe of their vision!
Thomas Jefferson, Opinion on National Bank, 1791:
They are not to do anything they please to provide for the general welfare, but only to lay taxes for that purpose. To consider the latter phrase not as describing the purpose of the first, but as giving a distinct and independent power to do any act they please which may be good for the Union, would render all the preceding and subsequent enumerations of power completely useless. It would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States; and as they sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please ... Certainly no such universal power was meant to be given them. It was intended to lace them up straightly within the enumerated powers and those without which, as means, these powers could not be carried into effect.
Federalist No. 62, 1788:
It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what it will be to-morrow.
John Adams, Rights of the Colonists, 1772:
If men through fear, fraud or mistake, should in terms renounce and give up any essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the great end of society, would absolutely vacate such renunciation; the right to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, it is not in the power of Man to alienate this gift, and voluntarily become a slave.
Certainly Jeff, this is not the opinion of the likes of Chuckie Schumer, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid, Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry, John McCain, Arlen Spector, Robert Byrd, and many other notables in the elected and judicial branches, who perceive their role as "wise governors" of all the rest of us -- who in their view are hopelessly incompetent such that we do not even understand what's good for us. Theirs is a model of rulership, not the model of agency or service on behalf of a sovereign people.
We cannot expect better from our public servants, it seems to me, for the simple reason that the people themselves are increasingly corrupt.
Ever since Plato and Solon, the clear message has been that no society can ever be better than the type of human being that mainly constitutes it. A good government of a corrupt people is a complete impossibility. And so is a bad government of a good people -- people of good will.
Notice that our elites work feverishly to destroy all awareness of the very foundation of our God-given liberties in the public square, with their programmatic intolerance and hostility towards religion.
Just listen to what this pack of jackels is already saying about Pope Benedict XVI. It is positively depressing to me.
Our "elites" waste time
lots of strange ways. Don't let glare
from tin foil blind you!
"By some illogical thought process, George W. Bush has concluded that the victims of Palestinian jihad, whose families have been killed and maimed by vicious murderers wanting to steal their land, must be forced out of their homes. Their houses will then be turned over to the terrorists. He intends to finish their criminal work. This places the U.S. squarely on the side of the terrorists. It makes the U.S. complicit in dividing up the spoils of the war of terror instigated by the Palestinians and spons ored by radical Islamists."
You mean the Isrealis right? Where exactly in Isreal? Are you sure that groups like Hamas are getting the property? That would certainly be terrorist support. They MUST give the Isrealis property in return, they should be rewarded for furthering the cause of peace. Otherwise it would indeed be a clear sign of corruption within our government.
You probably already know this but I'm going to mention it anyway:
The policy SHOULD be about moving innocent people within the local area. That would not be a bad move after all. We better do something to fix this stupid policy (as if enough haven't been created already). It would seem that although some Palestinians are occupying places that should be Isreal, it also seems to hold that some Isrealis are occupying places that were historically Palestine. Not all Palestinians are foreign invaders of those regions and not all are terrorists, some have been there for many many generations. Many are just simple merchants with families trying to exist on planet Earth. I've even met a Palestinian family who sends letters of protest and carefully organizes against Hamas, Islamic Jihad, traitors within the Isreali army, and other groups responisible for the suicide bombings and murders. Both the Isrealis and the Palestinians each have the right to live next to each other peacefully.
We do not automatically become terrorists by helping the innocent members of the Palestinian people so long as the exiled Isrealis are given the same amount of property in return (preferably with a reward in turn for helping to create a habitat for everyone). Right? Wasn't Isreal intended for peaceful coexistence? It would seem that anything less than that would be genocide for the Palestinians and a terrible loss for Isreal.
Amen. This is a truth that bears repeating and teaching to the youth of our nation over and over again.
"Bad men cannot make good citizens. It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, is incompatible with freedom. No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." Patrick Henry
We are beset by a significant percentage of the population and those who represent them whose views, ideologies, goals, and intent are the furthest thing from the principles this nation was founded upon. We must stand in that breach and ensure that those of a mind to support and defend the constitution and its underpinnings are elected in numbers enough to stay the course and win the day.
I believe we shall.
Kudos! Thanks for the ping!
The fact is, there is a segment of our society, and particularly amongst some fairly well to do politicians, entertainers, academia, the media and other segments, who definitely do NOT want the founding principles of this Republic fostered amongst the rising generation in our society.
We are left to counter them and educate others all the same as best we can.
You are welcome AG!
Thanks Jim.
Thanks Jeff.
Exactly!
As a side note, my 11 year old daughters both picked the people they would most like to be for their 'living history' day at school.
One chose Thomas Jefferson, and the other chose Benjamin Franklin...(sigh) it's enough to make this Mom's heart proud!
There is much cause for Christians of all stripes to be extra alert these days.
Moreover, I encourage all Christians to rejoice even if the "jackals" should succeed in turning this country into an officially atheistic, ill behaved model of European culture - because, as that attitude spreads around the world, it suggests that Christ may be returning very soon. Maranatha!
And if it is not yet time for Him to return, then we should still rejoice because He will never leave or forsake us, no matter how tiny His remnant.
Therefore, as we wait in the hope of His appearing - if we keep walking in the Light, proclaiming Him and being loving and joyful - we will confuse and frustrate the tar out of those who are trying to demean, decry and demoralize us.
Big difference between privileges and "rights", especially in-alienable rights.. Every country(government) in this world allows privileges to the people NOT rights.. Did I say , EVERY country.?. Ah! yes..
Canada, England, URPean, Middle eastern and Asian countrys have ZERO RIGHTS.. merely privileges..
The founders of this country not only invented RIGHTS for the people but went a step further and made them in-alienable rights too.. The entire weight of the American Constitution rests on the 2nd amendment.. Because without revolution being made LEGAL by it.. the first amendment is Utopian rhetoric..
How can rights be deemed in-alienable.?. Where'd they come from those rights.?. God is the only answer.. They came from God.. God gave those rights, Who else.?... And an assault on the GOD that gave those rights is an assault on those rights..
The "Separation of Church and State" fiasco is a very assault on those rights.. There are other assaults too but those rights are being challenged by the very people that should love those rights the most.. LAWYERS.. morphed into politicians.. Politics in this country should be by "the people" not specially trained liars and obfuscators parsing things they do not understand.. and they DON'T.. Where are the arguments for Rights over privileges.?. Ever heard a lawyer arguing for that.?.
Lawyers are not trained to decrypt rights from privileges but instead are trained to obfuscate them.. The United States is the only country NOW and ever that has ever had any rights AT ALL.. in all of recorded HISTORY.. but those rights are only vouched safe by the 2nd amendment.. Gun "rights" people want their guns for WHAT.?. Target practice, hunting.?. It seems that it has come to that.. Even being FOR gun rights is no guarantee that they know what those rights guarantee.. with the will to use them for their intended purpose.. Cowards can still own guns.. for target practice.. so far..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.