Should We Celebrate Independence Day This Year?
As we recognize the 244th birthday of the United States of America, let us reflect on what freedom from government and independence mean in respect to the events that have plagued 2020. The country was founded on the principles of unalienable rights that include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence further states that governments, with the consent of the governed, are instituted to secure these rights. Yet the state governments have abused their powers and become forces against that end. In the wake of COVID-19, what rights do we the people truly retain? Out of fear of a virus and penalties imposed for noncompliance of executive orders, we have sacrificed our liberties for a sense of security and safety that authoritarianism offers.
In the twenty-first century, we tend to think that our founding fathers just one day woke up and decided to form a country that would become a shining example of freedom and prosperity for the world, yet in reality, they were fighting for equal rights as British citizens. Independence was more of an afterthought and something that gradually gained momentum as the British continued to strip the colonists of their liberties. Today, it seems like we take these rights for granted, and we often fall for the seductive argument that we need to balance freedom and security. Afterall, our founding fathers would never have been able to foresee terrorism or pandemics, right? The government needs to be able to track and monitor us, suspend rights in an emergency, and enforce draconian measures to keep us safe from these threats. Without the paternal benevolence of government, we would be doomed, right?.
Even if one is not convinced that our founding fathers would have been aware of threats from diseases like small pox or terrorism from Barbary pirates or frontier raids, it is important to understand that they established principles that were to govern the people. Yet, there are very few principles of democratic/republican government left in the states. Governors have taken on the role of kings, and the legislatures have taken a back seat and allowed tyranny to take root. There are few checks and balances on the governors and few means to challenge the arbitrary orders. The people have only consented to dictatorial government through silence and compliance, but it is only because of fear that they bow to the governors.
The state governments and the media have conditioned people to believe the official narrative, and anyone who questions the authority that they have established is an outsider who is to be ignored or chastised. This fascist attitude has led to alterations of hundreds of state laws; stay-at-home orders that amount to house arrest; forced shutdowns of businesses without due process; hindrances of people to practice their religion through attendance of churches, mosques, and synagogues; prohibitions of peaceful assembly (with the exception of protests associated with the murder of George Floyd); the destruction of the economy (perhaps as a way to tear it down and rebuild it in a manner that pleases the governors, or perhaps as a way to ensure that President Trump does not win reelection); numerous deaths and injury from suicide, drug overdoses, and sexual abuse; the protection of large corporations at the expense of small businesses; and arrests and fines against people for not social distancing, opening up bars or restaurants, having church services, or not wearing coverings over their faces. These unacceptable actions have been cheered on by statists, collectivists, and progressives, and any negative consequences have been shrugged off as just collateral damage or minor inconveniences. It seems as if the emotional argument that these measures must be implemented or everyone will die has won out over rational thinking and sound policies that would protect the vulnerable but also keep the economy and people’s lives going.
Just as the British government dissolved the states’ legislatures, quartered troops in private residences and kept standing armies to enforce laws in times of peace, taxed the colonists without representation, prevented trial by jury, prohibited free trade with other regions of the world, and issued blank search warrants without specific details; the federal and state governments have resorted to similar tactics in the modern era. During the coronavirus crisis, the legislatures have essentially become obsolete because governors have taken it upon themselves to alter or create new laws in any way that they please. Edward Snowden revealed spying and searching of records without any real specific warrants, which is similar to keeping intelligence soldiers quartered in people’s lives. Some people have finally begun to realize the abuses committed by militarized police in the midst of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protests, including drug raids that result in death and destruction. These protests have resulted in curfews, shootings of rubber bullets against peaceful protesters, and excessive force. Governors are attempting to restrict our right to travel and associate freely through enforcement of executive orders, and businesses have been prevented from operating in a manner of their choosing, which prohibits free trade and the pursuit of happiness. In our rising fascist society, it is becoming unacceptable to speak freely without consequence in the age of political correctness. This sounds an awful lot like the British government attempting to restrict the actions of the American colonists.
The United States is no longer a free country, and by our silence, we have opted into an authoritarian and fascist system that deems our rights as something that are only granted if they do not counteract the orders of the state. We only have the illusion of freedom, and this is dangerous because it allows for the trading of rights for security with more confidence. The people will believe that these so-called temporary measures or slight decreases in freedom are necessary to live in a twenty-first century “civilized” society. Yet, the precedents set during the coronavirus crisis will ensure that our rights will be constantly seized by governments, and there will be no end to the theft.
Perhaps it would be unpopular to consider what Thomas Jefferson proposed if governments continue their abuses of power, but we must counter the attacks on liberty that we have been dealt in some way. We should start by reeducating ourselves in the history of the American Revolution and founders such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams, and Sam Adams and the sacrifices that they made long ago for this experiment of liberty. Perhaps we do not deserve to observe Independence Day this year since we have run to the open arms of government dependence. If we want keep our liberty and democracy, we must be willing to fight for it. If not, I fear we will regress into a tyranny that we may never be able to escape.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website. More importantly though, I urge you to contemplate how the government reactions to COVID-19 (and also the post 9-11 responses) have been detrimental to the liberty and happiness of the people. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the blind obedience to the state that the American people have displayed, and I really hope that people will begin to wake up and realize the error of their ways. Though I do not blame the people entirely because we have been conditioned by the fearmongering of the mainstream media and government officials, our window of opportunity to restore liberty is diminishing. We must demand that the government recognize our natural rights before it is too late. Please join the side of liberty!
In the twenty-first century, we tend to think that our founding fathers just one day woke up and decided to form a country that would become a shining example of freedom and prosperity for the world, yet in reality, they were fighting for equal rights as British citizens. Independence was more of an afterthought and something that gradually gained momentum as the British continued to strip the colonists of their liberties. Today, it seems like we take these rights for granted, and we often fall for the seductive argument that we need to balance freedom and security. Afterall, our founding fathers would never have been able to foresee terrorism or pandemics, right? The government needs to be able to track and monitor us, suspend rights in an emergency, and enforce draconian measures to keep us safe from these threats. Without the paternal benevolence of government, we would be doomed, right?.
Even if one is not convinced that our founding fathers would have been aware of threats from diseases like small pox or terrorism from Barbary pirates or frontier raids, it is important to understand that they established principles that were to govern the people. Yet, there are very few principles of democratic/republican government left in the states. Governors have taken on the role of kings, and the legislatures have taken a back seat and allowed tyranny to take root. There are few checks and balances on the governors and few means to challenge the arbitrary orders. The people have only consented to dictatorial government through silence and compliance, but it is only because of fear that they bow to the governors.
The state governments and the media have conditioned people to believe the official narrative, and anyone who questions the authority that they have established is an outsider who is to be ignored or chastised. This fascist attitude has led to alterations of hundreds of state laws; stay-at-home orders that amount to house arrest; forced shutdowns of businesses without due process; hindrances of people to practice their religion through attendance of churches, mosques, and synagogues; prohibitions of peaceful assembly (with the exception of protests associated with the murder of George Floyd); the destruction of the economy (perhaps as a way to tear it down and rebuild it in a manner that pleases the governors, or perhaps as a way to ensure that President Trump does not win reelection); numerous deaths and injury from suicide, drug overdoses, and sexual abuse; the protection of large corporations at the expense of small businesses; and arrests and fines against people for not social distancing, opening up bars or restaurants, having church services, or not wearing coverings over their faces. These unacceptable actions have been cheered on by statists, collectivists, and progressives, and any negative consequences have been shrugged off as just collateral damage or minor inconveniences. It seems as if the emotional argument that these measures must be implemented or everyone will die has won out over rational thinking and sound policies that would protect the vulnerable but also keep the economy and people’s lives going.
Just as the British government dissolved the states’ legislatures, quartered troops in private residences and kept standing armies to enforce laws in times of peace, taxed the colonists without representation, prevented trial by jury, prohibited free trade with other regions of the world, and issued blank search warrants without specific details; the federal and state governments have resorted to similar tactics in the modern era. During the coronavirus crisis, the legislatures have essentially become obsolete because governors have taken it upon themselves to alter or create new laws in any way that they please. Edward Snowden revealed spying and searching of records without any real specific warrants, which is similar to keeping intelligence soldiers quartered in people’s lives. Some people have finally begun to realize the abuses committed by militarized police in the midst of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protests, including drug raids that result in death and destruction. These protests have resulted in curfews, shootings of rubber bullets against peaceful protesters, and excessive force. Governors are attempting to restrict our right to travel and associate freely through enforcement of executive orders, and businesses have been prevented from operating in a manner of their choosing, which prohibits free trade and the pursuit of happiness. In our rising fascist society, it is becoming unacceptable to speak freely without consequence in the age of political correctness. This sounds an awful lot like the British government attempting to restrict the actions of the American colonists.
The United States is no longer a free country, and by our silence, we have opted into an authoritarian and fascist system that deems our rights as something that are only granted if they do not counteract the orders of the state. We only have the illusion of freedom, and this is dangerous because it allows for the trading of rights for security with more confidence. The people will believe that these so-called temporary measures or slight decreases in freedom are necessary to live in a twenty-first century “civilized” society. Yet, the precedents set during the coronavirus crisis will ensure that our rights will be constantly seized by governments, and there will be no end to the theft.
Perhaps it would be unpopular to consider what Thomas Jefferson proposed if governments continue their abuses of power, but we must counter the attacks on liberty that we have been dealt in some way. We should start by reeducating ourselves in the history of the American Revolution and founders such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams, and Sam Adams and the sacrifices that they made long ago for this experiment of liberty. Perhaps we do not deserve to observe Independence Day this year since we have run to the open arms of government dependence. If we want keep our liberty and democracy, we must be willing to fight for it. If not, I fear we will regress into a tyranny that we may never be able to escape.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website. More importantly though, I urge you to contemplate how the government reactions to COVID-19 (and also the post 9-11 responses) have been detrimental to the liberty and happiness of the people. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the blind obedience to the state that the American people have displayed, and I really hope that people will begin to wake up and realize the error of their ways. Though I do not blame the people entirely because we have been conditioned by the fearmongering of the mainstream media and government officials, our window of opportunity to restore liberty is diminishing. We must demand that the government recognize our natural rights before it is too late. Please join the side of liberty!
No comments have been added yet.
