In the midst of today's holiday celebrations, how many Americans will seriously reflect on what this day truly signifies? Not to disparage having a good time--I intend to have one myself hosting a large family gathering--we cannot forget the meaning behind this date.
We are heirs of liberty. Terrible sacrifices were made to make it so. Terrible sacrifices may be required of us to keep it.
You're here and reading articles on the Internet anyway, so I thought I'd pass a few things on to those who care.
First, read the Declaration of Independence. When was the last time you read it in full, and reflected on its meaning, for the men who signed it, for the generation guided by it, and for yourself?
Next, read a modern-day declaration, the Memorandum on Arms and Freedom. Take its core message to heart:
We will not disarm.
When our heirs examine our stewardship of the legacy bequeathed to us, will they revere us as keepers of the torch, or damn us as cowards, the architects and enablers of their enslavement?
- "Let freedom ring.... ALL freedoms"
- "Independence Day, 2009"
- "Brady Campaign observes Independence Day by lobbying against liberty"
Check out other Gun Rights Examiners:
- Atlanta: One year anniversary of HB 89 arrives without dire consequences
- Austin: The human side of self-defense
- Boston: More Federal and State Government tyranny on the way
- Charlotte: Dangers of gun registration: 'The Belgian Corporal'
- Cleveland: Let freedom ring.... ALL freedoms
- DC: Under Obamacare, where will Canadians go for medical services?
- Denver: Liberty's teeth
- Los Angeles: Independence Day, 2009
- Minneapolis: Taking to the air in defense of open carry
- Seattle: Rasmussen poll confirms: People fear government that fears guns
- St. Louis: Brady Campaign observes Independence Day by lobbying against liberty
- Wisconsin: Gun rights advocates make progress
Comments
“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”
Remember that the British had the option of allowing a peaceful secession- a friendly parting of the ways. They chose the path of war. Just as Lincoln did a few generations later, and just as the US will do soon, or is doing now.
In April of 1997, a number of newspapers ran a sample of questions from the official citizenship test for immigrants.
One was, "What is the most important philosophical statement found in the Declaration of Independence?" The "correct" answer was, "All men are created equal."
Trust the government to get this exactly wrong. It's the Declaration of Independence, for heaven's sake, not the Declaration of Social Democratic Brotherhood.
What's the right answer? Well, here is the SEMINAL philosophical statement contained in the Declaration of Independence:
"Governments [derive] their just powers from the consent of the governed; [and] whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of [our inalienable rights], it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government."
You know, it's probably no accident that the government gets it wrong.
David, great points. I keep asking my friends if they have drawn their "line in the sand" where they will not allow government intrusion. I started my business as a firearms retailer (in part)to express my liberty and freedom to do so. The other question I ask of my friends is when will Patriots stand?
Keep up the good work that you are doing...I might suggest that your readers pick up and embrace the book "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark Levin............it is a great manifesto for those of us that wish to maintain our liberties and freedoms.
When? I am getting tired of waiting, and I don't want my children to have to fight this fight.
My children, if so disposed, will have to fight it. I am too old and infirm to run, too damn big too hide and am not disposed to do so, I will be in it at the beginning, but I have no illusions as to my survivability. But I will die a free man, and if "they" make it necessary I will die fighting them to retain that freedom.
But even people like me, who were once very good at violence, though abhorring it, age out of any real significance in a young man's game. However, that does not mean I will go quietly into that dark (not that good) night without being as expensive as I can possibly make myself. Being a realist, I know that I will expire early on should it come to bloodletting, but not without as high a price as I can extract. My children and the children of many of us must necessarily continue the fight if we have taught them well and imbued them with the will to be free.
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