I want to talk for a little bit about the creation of our country, the documents that our founding fathers put into place and compare it to our country now. My intent is not to create a situation where people will blast each other back and forth for their beliefs, but I want to create a forum for healthy debate. I think individual people are smarter than we are given credit for. A discussion of ideas and perhaps together we may find ways to agree on politics.
It was Patrick Henry who famously said, “… give me liberty or give me death”. We have come so far from these morals that our founding fathers and earliest patriots held very dear. It was men and women with who put state and country before themselves that paved the way for us today… and perhaps we have strayed from that path just a bit. Right and Wrong doesn’t have a gray line down the middle. People knew then, just as we know now the difference between the two. However today we have found “wiggle room” between the two sides and to many live within it. We all watch as people justify their actions with technicalities, high priced attorneys and absence of law. Common sense tells us that many of the large US financial institutions were wrong to set up and destroy the American economy for their personal gain, but they find legal technicalities and blind spots to avoid criminal prosecution. There are to many other scenarios to mention, but my question is, why do we allow ourselves to be taken advantage of by these few people?
Our Constitution begins with the famous words “We the people…” This doesn’t mean “we the Republicans” or “we the Democrats”. It doesn’t mean “We the lobbyists” or “we the special interest groups”. And it certainly doesn’t mean “we the rich” or “we the self-righteous”. It means and says “We the people of the United States…” every one of us is included in this historic statement of freedom and every one of us is protected by the rights guaranteed within. And we are all responsible for our country’s path for the future. Two Hundred and forty years ago average people did not have a say in how a country was run. People had no protected rights and they did not have the voice that we are able to speak with today. It is the responsibility of every person to use the voice that many died to ensure. Living in a country that was founded on the supporting the individual for in search of domestic tranquility we must all participate in the further development of our great nation.
“…In order to form a more perfect Union…” Our founding fathers were really something. They knew that they weren’t going to get our government perfect on the first try. They knew that that the future will hold changes and that our country would have to adapt to these changes. Our Constitution is a living document in that we have the ability to change things to adapt to the 21st century. We should be able to recognize the spirit of a law written and not force a thousand lawyers to develop intricate language to try and cover every aspect.
“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.” So lets let common sense kick in for a minute here. We all have the right to Life. That can be interpreted pretty broadly, but common sense tells me that we all have the right to live our lives in a way that we see fit. We all have rights guaranteed in The Bill of Rights, but more than that, we all have the right to judge what is best for ourselves, we have the right to decide how to live our own lives. No one can tell us how to think or what to feel. While we all should value our own morals and honor our religion, we have to respect one another and not force our beliefs on everyone. All we can do is try and respect one another, even if we don’t agree, even if we don’t like the way someone dresses, worships, talks, looks or their history. “…All men are created equal…” Our government can accept nothing different. And who are you to judge someone as undeserving of this treatment. Even if you disagree with someone, find the compassion to understand him or her.
And the last part that I want to talk about is this: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, 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.” Our founding fathers once again recognized that things would change with time. They understood that what they set up more than two hundred years ago could become obsolete some time in the future, and not only urged us, but instructed us to change to government to fit the times.
In a time where many people have their own interests in mind, we the people must find a way to set aside our differences and do what’s best for our country. We owe it to ourselves and our children to ensure that our government is still of the people, by the people and for the people. May we find our way in times that trouble us, and may we give hope to those follow.
We the people don't actually have a voice or say in what goes into law, we elect people to speak and decide for us and by the time we realize they are only out to serve themselves it's too late. A lot of politicians, and even high end people with deep pockets, these days don't have ANY respectable morals and do live in that gray area of "wiggle room" and have those high cost attorney's that depend on that intricate language to keep them out of trouble. I wont be happy with the way this country is ran until even the elected officials and politicians are held to the same laws and consequences that we as civilians are held to.
ReplyDeleteI've said it before and I'll say it again, we live in the "me me me" generation and until some of these people get knocked off their proverbial high horse, nothing is really going to change, just my opinion though.
Agreed!
ReplyDelete