It's amazing how easily we, as Americans, forget how blessed we are to live in this country with the liberties our forefathers were able to secure for us. It's even more amazing to me how willing we are to allow those liberties to be tampered with, to slowly peter away. We forget how difficult it was to procure these freedoms in the first place; we allow our country's history--the blood shed out of passion for American rights--to become simple trivia. "Oh yeah, 7,200 Americans died in battle during the Revolutionary War." ...yeah. 7,200 Americans. Forget your 300 Fake Jeopardy dollars and realize that 7,200 lives were given up for your sake! For all of our sakes. And that was just on the battle field. Yet another 10,000 died from either disease or exposure and an estimated 8,500 died in British prisons (according to digitalhistory.uh.edu). The numbers speak for themselves. Our freedom was bought at an enormous price.
We seem entitled to our way of life--that it's not extraordinary that we are allowed to speak, work, pray, and live as we please. I think this ignorance and sense of entitlement is what blinds so many to the dangers of extended government control. The more limitations we have over us, the less ability we have to live our lives as we please. It's not rocket science. Unfortunately, people are willing to hand control over to the government in far too many areas, even to the extent of endangering themselves in matters of self-defense.Thank God for the Supreme Court's ruling that Chicago's handgun ban was unconstitutional. The fact that it even had to go to the Supreme Court is the real tragedy. The truth is, the bad guys are always going to have guns. Whether they're banned or not. But enough people thought it was a good idea to take away the only defense the good people of Chicago had against armed attackers because just maybe the criminal minds of Chicago would heed the gun ban. What a joke! The right to bear arms, ensured for Americans in the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, is a GIFT. To see it as anything else is foolishness. We have the right to protect ourselves. Not everyone is allowed such a freedom.
I could go on all day about the ways in which current bills/laws (cough...health care...) are encroaching upon the freedoms that were hard-won by those who came before us. But what I really want to say is that America needs to open its eyes. Look around at the incredible opportunities we're provided because our forefathers refused to settle for anything less than complete freedom. We, too, MUST not settle. If we do, we'll forfeit what so many others would give everything to have.
The American's Creed
By William Tyler Page
I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity, for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
224 years ago today, the Founding Fathers decided that what we now have was worth fighting for. I believe with my whole self that they were right. And I will not take their sacrifices for granted.
Happy birthday, America. May you always be the land of the free and the home of those brave enough to fight for you.
