July 4, 2023 – American Independence Day

247 years ago, the American colonies declared their independence from a government that had ceased to honor their obligations in regards to personal freedoms. The journey to that day was long and littered with attempts to reconcile the differences between the rulers and those they ruled. To be honest, many colonists were not on board with the coming revolution and even aided the British as it unfolded.

But in the end, the great American experiment eventually overcame both the British army and the hesitant citizens that resisted change. The founding fathers crafted a government and a new constitution that guided the nation forward. From the very beginning, the ideas were also revolutionary in the way that power would be divided equally between three branches in order to prevent any one of the branches form gaining complete control.

The constitution also provided for a free press and freedom of expression. This independent set of voices was felt critical based on the repression that was present prior to the Declaration of Independence. In a perfect world, the freedom of expression and a resilient press is as much a part of the experiment as any of the three official branches. Done properly, that voice can become the people’s voice and act as a living conscience that helps guide the leadership.

American Exceptionalism

With all of these tools in place, America became an exceptional place. Growing from sea to shining sea (and across the shining seas) America became a beacon of hope for people across the world. In the ensuing decades, America’s resources, innovation, and strength were used time and time again to benefit other countries. When wars and disasters struck the far corners of the world, it was America that often rose to the occasion and helped lift the victims back onto their feet.

America has also been the wall that held back tyranny and despotism in several world wars. The long period of global tension caused by the aggressive power of communism was held in check by a strong country that recognized the dangers of totalitarian dictatorships. Even today, the Chinese dictators are mounting their own strength to try and defeat freedom. Ask the Uyghurs if you have any doubts. Except you probably can’t hear anything from them since they are an enslaved people.

But even as we celebrate another Independence Day, we are reminded how fragile this entire experiment remains.

We have leadership that is incredibly divided on the path we are to take. Some of those leaders view power as a drug. They continue to accumulate more and more power in ways the founders could not have imagined. The level of corruption at the highest levels is astounding. The trampling of individual rights is becoming the norm. Religion is under assault, the press is blatantly biased on one side of the equation, and the courts have been corrupted by a megalomaniac foreign born billionaire that seeks to destroy freedom with his tainted money. Somewhere in hell, Stalin and Mao are celebrating.

Violence in the cities is nearly out of control and the police continue to be hamstrung by the very courts that should be protecting the people. Every weekend is marked with scores of senseless shootings and many deaths. Retailers are abandoning big cities as they discover that even the use of locked cabinets has not slowed down an epic crime wave of theft.

Our schools have become nothing more than social experiments where children are brainwashed with liberal theology. The churches are emptier than at any time in our history and major groups are splitting apart of the misguided notions that man is somehow smarter than God. The nuance has become a nuisance.

Despite all this, I still believe there is hope.

I have traveled around the world, and even on our worst day, there is no country I would rather live in. All we need is leadership that still believes in the American experiment that remains the gold standard. A government of the people, by the people and for the people. A press that seeks the truth that lives, not just the one they want it to be to suit one agenda over the other. A people that is engaged and active in every sense of the word. That includes holding their leaders accountable from the village to the cities to the states and to the Federal government.

We need to find a group of leaders that will have common senses and understand that you can’t spend what you don’t have. Freedom will cease to exist when we all become slaves to a broken economy.

But it all starts with you. And me.

It would have been easy for the men of Concord and Lexington in 1775 to just close the shutters and let the British have their way. But they chose to put an end to the old and begin the new journey. They stood shoulder to shoulder and threw off the yoke of tyranny.

The new revolution does not have to involve violence. Active use of the existing constitution gives us the tools to ensure an enduring freedom. But the one thing the constitution does not give us is the most important ingredient: the will of the people to use it.

As long as we allow the leadership to ignore the laws that were put in place to sustain freedom, we are in danger of losing it all. No person or powerful family can be allowed to blatantly break the laws of this land. All of us need to be held accountable for our disregard for the laws. Even if that person occupies the office of the Presidency.

We as a country need to stand shoulder to shoulder once more. Because if we do not and the tyranny of corruption is allowed to continue, we may not make it to our 248^th birthday. I pray to God almighty every day that common sense will once more carry the day.