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The Founders Were 'Traitors'
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One of my favorite television shows is Boston Legal, namely due to the brilliant acting of William Shatner (Denny Crane) and James Spader (Alan Shore), and the talent of the show's writers, who do a good job of incorporating current sociopolitical events into their plot lines.
Conservatives may roll their eyes at the caricaturization of Denny, who is portrayed as a gun-toting wingnut half the time, or at Alan's extreme environmentalism or the show's pot shots against education laws like No Child Left Behind. But then again, modern liberals may not have been too thrilled to watch as Denny thwarted a potential hostage situation a couple seasons ago with a rifle he kept in his office, or the show's season finale this year entitled "Patriot Acts," which was set around the town of Concord's (Mass.) motion to secede from the United States primarily on grounds that it has grown too intrusive and no longer protects the civil liberties of its citizens.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Denny, the senior partner, and Alan, the firm's star defender, are best friends, but their relationship was put to the test as both attorneys took this case very personally -- Alan defended the town of Concord and its right to protest its government while Denny, miffed at Alan's "treasonous" behavior, joined the state's lawyers, ultimately arguing successfully (albeit perversely) that the U.S. has a long history of violating the rights of its citizens.
My favorite moment of the episode was when, during argumentation, Denny and Alan entirely neglected their respective obligations to address the court and instead engaged in a shouting match between chairs, culminating in Denny's exclaiming, "You're a traitor!" To which Alan swiftly responded, "The founders were traitors, Denny!"
Good stuff.
I was reminded of that episode this morning when I read this article by Jacob Hornberger, who explains that the true significance of the Fourth of July is not so much the patriotism and courage displayed by brave English citizens who set out to create a free land in America -- and who were to a man considered traitors by their government -- as it is the revolutionary idea the founders proffered, which is that "man's rights are inherent, God-given, and natural and, thus, do not come from government."
l've always despised the word "traitor," as it inherently signifies blind loyalty to the state. It is a term bandied about by central authority figures and their enablers to condemn those who cherish freedom and independence from tyrannical government; who simply wish to go about their lives untethered by laws and regulations that serve little purpose but to enrich and empower the state. It is a term that has no place in a free country, least of all one in which we're clinging by a thread to the notion that the government serves us, not the other way around.
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