No! For the Sake of Liberty

Mohandas Gandhi  stated that "A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."  Indeed, in the effort to get along and not make waves, there is much too much "yes" when a firm "no" would be appropriate.


During the American Revolution, our Founding Fathers, led by the likes of Patrick Henry, declared "give me liberty or give me death."  And they meant it. The Founders put their fortunes, lives, and sacred honor at risk when they declared independence in the name of liberty.  They said "no" to British oppression - and fought against it.


We are the heirs of their great experiment - and we have the great responsibility to keep it alive.  Sometimes that means saying and doing things that cause trouble, displease, and are uncomfortable.  So be it.  


Sometimes that means standing against the crowd or the current of history and simply saying "No."  Some politicians today seem more concerned about their reputation as consensus builders than doing what is right.  We cannot afford to cater such whims any longer.  Sometimes we just have to say "No!"

Veterans, We Salute You!

In the hustle and bustle of our day, we usually take for granted those things that keep us alive and free.  The Declaration of Independence explains that we have the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it takes raw, brute force to deter and protect us from our enemies to ensure that we can exercise those rights.

The Founding Fathers were deeply concerned about national security.  If you actually review the list of powers the Constitution grants the Congress (i.e., those enumerated powers to which the federal government is limited), several address the ability to raise and support an army and navy, to organize and use the militia, and other means to ensure the safety of the people against enemies - foreign and domestic.

Over the years, millions of servicemen and women have sacrificed so that we can all remain free.  According to info.please.com, over the course of our history, over 43 million brave men and women have served our country during war.  We have suffered over 653,000 deaths in battle, and over 1.4 million nonmortal wounds.  We currently have nearly 18 million living war veterans.  As of 2006, there were over 3500 deaths and 21,000 nonmortal wounds suffered in the War on Terror.

As we move forward with the raging debate over Afghanistan, we need to keep in mind the primacy of national security and the sacrifices we continue to ask our brethren.

Thank you for keeping us free!

And The Wall Came Tumbling Down

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of The Berlin Wall.  Erected upon the order of the East German leader Walter Ulbrecht in 1961, The Wall was long a symbol of the Cold War confrontation between America and the now defunct Soviet Empire.  For those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, the Cold War defined our lives - we never knew when we went to sleep if nuclear might break-out before we woke up.

The Wall, however, also represented the stark contrast between freedom and slavery; liberty and totalitarianism; self-determination and oppression.  Its fall also revealed that history need not always inexorably move toward greater government and tyranny - that, indeed, the spirit of liberty could conquer the ghosts of oppression.  Its fall should remain an inspiration to all freedom loving people across the world (including here at home) that fighting for liberty against impossible odds is well worth the effort.

A Real Halloween Scare: The Federal Deficit

According to the Associated Press, the federal government estimates our federal budget deficit at $1.42 tril­lion. As the AP states, "It’s more than the total national debt for the first 200 years of the Re­public, more than the entire economy of India, almost as much as Canada’s, and more than $4,700 for every man, woman and child in the United States. It’s . . . more than three times the most red ink ever amassed in a single year." 

This, of course, is only one year's red ink.  We have a federal debt (i.e., accumulated over the years) of trillions of dollars.  History has shown that nations with out-of-control debts and deficits are subject to hyperinflation, overtaxation, or fiscal breakdowns.  Governments desperate for revenue and debt reduction overstep their constitutional boundaries and imperil the unalienable rights of citizens.  We must tread carefully, or our economic - and political - demise will only become inevitable.

The True Meaning of Freedom

The Good Book says, "Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God." 1 Peter 2:16.

This very old fashioned understanding of the true meaning of freedom was deeply ingrained in the Founding Fathers. As explained in the Declaration of Independence, they strongly believed that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That God given freedom, however, was not given to men and women to simply do whatever they felt like doing – that is licentiousness. To the contrary, the Founders believed that men and women must exercise their freedoms carefully, with appropriate restraint, and for the common welfare.

Today, too many seem to have lost sight that being free to do something doesn’t mean that you must do it. We have too often blurred the distinction between legality and morality. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should – or that it is defensible to do so. Prudence, frugality, honesty, integrity, honor – these timeless virtues need to be embraced to prove our worth of the freedom we possess.

Chavez: Freedom of Speech Must Be Limited

Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega recently announced that "Freedom of expression must be limited" in his country.  In support of new legislation to clamp down on opposition media, Ortega explained that newspapers, radio stations, and television stations could be targeted because they have attempted to "cause panic" and "disturb social peace."  President Hugo Chavez apparently supports the legislation.

The freedoms of press, speech, and assembly are all protected by the First Amendment in America.  We have done so because we understand robust debate is essential to ensuring good governance.  Indeed, we understand that such freedoms are unalienable rights that are beyond the realm of government regulation.  The message has obviously not reached everyone.

The Vital Importance of Education

Noah Webster, the great contributor to American education and the lexicon, explained why education is so important to Americans:

"It is an object of vast magnitude that systems of education should be adopted and pursued which may not only diffuse a knowledge of the sciences but may implant in the minds of the American youth the principles of virtue and of liberty and inspire them with just and liberal ideas of government and with an inviolable attachment to their own country." --Noah Webster, On Education of Youth in America, 1790.

We ignore this advice at great peril.