t-amzn 0 Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Are we tired yet of hearing this kind of rant? Are we so jaded already that this kind of thing is becoming tedious? Surely there is someone out there that hasn't heard it all already. I'm not dead yet and I still have some breath and fire left in me. Subject: Do Americans Cherish Freedom Anymore? By Chuck Baldwin I am often guilty of using the term "freedom-loving Americans." But I think the question now needs to be asked, Do Americans really cherish freedom anymore? I believe an argument could be made that not many do. In fact, I doubt that most Americans today remotely understand what freedom--as envisioned by our Founding Fathers--even is. Freedom is more than not being in prison (although America incarcerates more people than any nation on earth). Freedom is more than driving a car, or taking a vacation, or being able to choose your place of residence, or attending a sporting event. People in totalitarian regimes have, for the most part, been able to do the equivalent of all that. The freedoms upon which America was founded are outlined in our Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. The first principle of freedom is that freedom is a gift of Almighty God. As God is the Giver of life, He is also the Grantor of liberty. This was plainly stated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness . . ." Ask the average American today, Where do our rights come from? Most will look at you funny and then blurt out, "From government." And, of course, this is evidently the same opinion held by most of today's politicians. To them, freedom is whatever civil government says it is. Yes, I am saying it: most politicians have a God-complex. And, unfortunately, it seems that most Americans today are willing to go along with this calamitous charade. Jefferson and the rest of America's founders, however, rightly understood that the only legitimate purpose of government was "to secure these rights." The only legitimate purpose of civil government is to secure or protect the freedoms and liberties that have been given to man by our Creator. Jefferson went on to say that "whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." In other words, whenever government stops protecting liberty and starts destroying liberty, it is the right and duty of freedom-loving people to reform or replace such illegitimate government with a government that will fulfill its legitimate purpose. And that is exactly what our forefathers did in the late 1700s. Sadly, here we are in the twenty-first century, the descendents of some of the wisest and bravest men and women in history, and we do not even seem to know what freedom is, much less have the courage to defend it. For example, we will work for 30 years or more to purchase our own property. After having done that, however, the property still does not belong to us. We are required to pay the State--for the rest of our lives--a property tax (to support concepts and ideas that many of us find reprehensible and detestable, no less), or armed agents will confiscate our property and throw us on the street. Pray tell me, what is the difference between this and the feudal system of old? In reality, none of us own any property. We are all serfs paying the feudal lord. Beyond that, our feudal masters even dictate to us what we can and cannot do with this property we supposedly own. We do not even have the right to manage and control our own land. And yet, we Americans put up with this illegitimacy and still have the audacity to say, "We are free." Again, we don't know the meaning of the word. Virtually everything we do and say is monitored by the great Nanny State. Practically every service, every act is regulated by the State. Ask any independent business owner how many regulations, laws, acts, etc., demand fulfillment, and how many fees, taxes, permits, etc., are required by various government agencies and bureaucracies before he can perform a single task. For example, the federal government actually dictates how some restaurants can seat people or serve tables. Farmers are told what and how much to plant--and even to not plant. We cannot buy a gun, drive a car, marry the person we love, or even install a toilet without saying, "Pretty please?" to a dozen despots. And we still wave the flag every Independence Day and brag about how "free" we are. Again, we don't know the meaning of the word. And the people who should be more "jealous over" their liberties than anyone--born-again Christians--are among the first to gladly relinquish their freedom. I know of hundreds-- perhaps thousands--of Christian College employees who happily allow the school Gestapo to barge into their homes--unannounced and uninvited--to inspect their private reading material, or CD and video collections, and even their wardrobes. School officials tell them where they must go to church, what attire their wives and children can and cannot wear in public (off the job)--AND IN PRIVATE--and what amusements they may and may not attend. I am not making it up. Adolf Hitler never had the kind of control that some of these Christian Colleges exert over their employees. And the remarkable thing is, these Christian employees would still assume that they are "free." Again, they do not know the meaning of the word. And one would think that our veterans--of all people--would be among the first to jealously guard freedom. How, then, can former and retired military personnel sit back and allow the government they once proudly served to lie to them, renege on promises, withhold medical care, abandon their friends and family members still missing in action, and not utter a word of protest? How can they allow their comrades-in-arms to sleep on the streets outside VA clinics? While they were willing to travel halfway around the world--and risk life and limb--to defend America against foreign enemies, many will sit back right here at home and complacently watch while these glorified miscreants--known as politicians--systematically strip this nation of the very freedoms and liberties they swore to defend. Did they not take an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC? If the statistics I read are accurate, most veterans do not even vote. I ask, if we do not know what freedom is at home, how can we fight wars across the world and understand what we are fighting for? Obviously, people who are receiving welfare, or other government handouts, seldom complain about there being too much government, because they personally benefit from the growth of the socialist state. This is also true for many (but not all, thank God) government employees, of course. And please remember that government cannot give a blessed thing without first stealing it from someone else. Big Government is totally incompatible with freedom. For that matter, so is Big Business and Big Religion. In fact, Big Anything is incompatible with freedom. Even Big Cities. So, I repeat the question, Do Americans really cherish freedom anymore? And, if we do, what are we going to do about it? I believe that there are specific and constructive steps that can be taken to restore liberty in this land. (I will develop these thoughts later.) I further believe that there are still millions of Americans who really do understand and cherish freedom. We may be in a minority, but remember, we were also a minority in 1776. Freedom is laborious, onerous work. And not everyone enjoys hard work. So be it. Let lazy, indolent fools wallow in their servitude. God will yet see to it that there is a land of liberty for those who truly desire it and are willing to fight for it. I firmly believe that. Remember, liberty is a precious gift from our Creator. For those who fear God, respect Natural Law, and love liberty, there is yet a "promised land." We may have to do a little searching; we may have to rethink our priorities; we may have to adjust our lifestyles; and yes, we may have to "pledge our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" in order to obtain it; but our forebears thought it was worth it--and so do I. As Friedrich Schiller wrote in William Tell: "By this fair light which greeteth us, before Those other nations, that, beneath us far, In noisome cities pent, draw painful breath, Swear we the oath of our confederacy! A band of brothers true we swear to be, Never to part in danger or in death! "We swear we will be free as were our sires, And sooner die than live in slavery! "We swear, to put our trust in God Most High, And not to quail before the might of man!" Such people can never be enslaved. And I believe that such people still exist in these United States of America. I count them my brothers. I offer them my arm and my heart. After all, we are freedom-loving Americans. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alumaliteusaxxxx 3 Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I completely agree with you !!!! Well said !!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RalphXL 9 Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Long read but well worth it. RalphXL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
railman1 0 Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 I wish I was as eloquent as Mr Baldwin..He speaks for many of us. I have truly wondered lately..Can true freedom..true "liberty"..survive long term? Apparently that question troubles many of us..It seems to be in the back of our mind like a bad dream we had in the dark of night..and cant completely forget. Think of the many "democracies"..and "republics" that have come and gone over the ages. Is it inevitable that freedom fail? That by its nature it must eventually destroy itself? I choose to believe not..I choose to believe that even in those worst of times...when all seems lost.. men and women of good will must struggle to hand the faint, flickering candle of hope to the next generation...Dying is not hard..Living as slaves is hard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ijustlikeguns 2 Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Well said. Start out small by having marches in the streets of bigger cities. Then the million gun owner march in DC. I like the part about the feudal system and how we have ties to it nowadays. This country should only be ran on sales tax and nothing further. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alumaliteusaxxxx 3 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Well said. Start out small by having marches in the streets of bigger cities. Then the million gun owner march in DC.I like the part about the feudal system and how we have ties to it nowadays. This country should only be ran on sales tax and nothing further. Hang on to your hat!!!!! If you have a son, brother, father, mother, sister, daughter or friend in the military you can expect that this president intends to take over this whole country with this sort of allegiance to the presidential office. Urge them all to refuse to sign any such oath or to take it orally. Urge your congressmen to stop this immediately. If all the other nonsense that's already happened since this man took office is weighed along with this, it ought to be clear to all of us what his intent is. The Posse Committals Act will be ignored and when the UN treaty banning the ownership of privately held small arms is signed, (it won't be ratified) this administration will call it a fact accomplished, and we will be seeing those we love in the military, coming to take our weapons. Do you realize the genius of this??? He is counting on the fact we, the private citizens, will not fire on our own family members, but will, instead give up our weapons. The only way to definitely stop this is for all the military to refuse to take this oath, flat refuse. The explosion that is about to come to this country. If we really do wake up, we will make the Revolutionary War look like a Sunday paint ball game. If we do NOT wake up, it will happen just the way. This president has it laid out, with the help of his advisors, some of which are outright Marxists. We really don't have much time!!!!! The horror of what is happening is mind boggling!!! Israel, bail-out, immigrations amnesty, energy disaster, loss of military power, (he wants to reduce our nuclear arms by 80%), reduction in new military systems, DO YOU GET THE PICTURE YET???? Every day the new things that are coming at us are so overwhelming, and he is expecting that we will be so numb, as to not see the forest for the individual trees that are burying us alive!!!!!! We better get our "line in the sand" drawn, or we will never be able to. His agenda will be beyond action to stop it. It's probably too late to save our Country, as we have known it!!! But let's act as though it matters, and maybe a few of U.S. will not go down willingly. We are in deep SHIT!!! The time for patience is past!!! I'm waiting for them to bust down my door at any moment, especially after this post!!! Oops, gotta go........ There's someone with a gun knocking on my door!!! January 30, 2009 **Military to swear Oath to Obama, not Constitution?** Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is allegedly extremely frustrated with orders that the White House is contemplating. According to sources at the Pentagon, including all branches of the armed forces, the Obama Administration may break with a centuries-old tradition. A spokesman for General James Cartwright, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, states that the Obama Administration wants to have soldiers and officers pledge a loyalty oath directly to the office of the President, and no longer to the Constitution. "The oath to the Constitution is as old as the document itself." the spokesman said, "At no time in American history, not even in the Civil War, did the oath change or the subject of the oath differ. It has *always* been to the Constitution." The back-and-forth between the White House and the Defense Department was expected as President George W. Bush left office. President Obama has already signed orders to close Guantanamo and to pull combat troops from Iraq . But, this, say many at the Defense Department, goes too far. "Technically, we can't talk about it before it becomes official policy." the spokesman continued. "However, the Defense Department, including the Secretary, will not take this laying down. Expect a fight from the bureaucracy and the brass." Sources at the White House had a different point of view. In a circular distributed by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the rationale for the change was made more clear. "The President feels that the military has been too indoctrinated by the old harbingers of hate: nationalism, racism, and classism. By removing an oath to the American society, the soldiers are less likely to commit atrocities like those at Abu Ghraib." "We expect a lot of flak over this," the classified memo continues. "But those that would be most against it are those looking either for attention or control." The time frame for the changes are unknown. However, it is more likely that the changes will be made around the July 4th holiday, in order to dampen any potential backlash. The difference in the oath will actually only be slight. The main differences will be the new phrasing. It is expected that the oath to the Constitution will be entirely phased out within two years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
t-amzn 0 Posted February 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Someone help me out here. Wasn't this subject already posted and determined to not hold water. But I'm sure this administration would like to implement this kind of thing if they could pull it off. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alumaliteusaxxxx 3 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Drusagas 2 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alumaliteusaxxxx 3 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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