Dear Hearts and Gentle People

Day after tomorrow you will no doubt join countless others in commemorating Independence Day. Of all the 365 days in the year this is the one where flags fly in abundance and stores are inundated with patriotic paraphernalia. This day is as common to us as baseball and apple pie.

I'm convinced, however, that if we only wave our flags high and shout liberty to the housetops on this oneday a year, we'd be better off not doing it at all. Why can't we celebrate freedom the other 364 days with as much enthusiasm as we reserve for the 4th of July?

Are we not free those days as well? Well, in my opinion, not as free as we might think.

Ahh, freedom. We all cry "freedom!" when many of us have no idea what that really means to America. I doubt that most Americans today understand what freedom—-as envisioned by our Founding Fathers— -even is.

We use the term "freedom-loving Americans" frequently but do we really cherish it? Freedom means more than being able to live where you want, pursuing whatever job you desire, or attending the church of your choice.

The freedoms upon which America was founded are outlined in our Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. The first principle of freedom is that freedom is a gift of Almighty God.

As God is the Giver of life, He is also the Grantor of liberty. This was plainly stated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration when he said, "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…"

Funny, when you ask some Americans today from whence we get our rights, they look at you like you have two heads, and then blurt out, "From government." And obviously, this is the same opinion held by most of today's politicians. To them, freedom is whatever civil government says it is.

It's sad but true, politicians and citizens alike in this day and time have a God-phobia. Yet the only legitimate purpose of civil government is to secure or protect the freedoms and liberties that have been given to man by our Creator.

Jefferson knew that. People were like that in his day, too. He said, "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 affect their Safety and Happiness."

In other words, when government stops protecting liberty and starts destroying liberty, it is the right and duty of freedom-loving people to reform or replace such illegitimate government with a government that will fulfill its legitimate purpose.

And that is exactly what our forefathers did in the late 1700s. Sadly, here we are in the twenty-first century, the descendents of some of the wisest and bravest men and women in history, and we still don't seem to know what freedom is, much less have the courage to defend it.

For example, my father-in-law worked for decades to purchase land in Lincoln County. After he did that, however, the property still did not belong to him. He was required, as are we, to pay the State—for the rest of his life—a property tax (to support concepts and ideas that many times he felt were reprehensible, no less), or armed agents would have confiscated his property and thrown him out on his ear.

Then comes along the federal government and "buys" all of his waterfront land for a pittance—legal theft, in other words. He was not alone. People are still told on occasion what they can and cannot do with the property they supposedly "own."

Here's a news flash, none of us own any property. And yet, we Americans put up with this and still have the audacity to say, "We are free." No, we don't even know the meaning of the word.

Look at your paycheck stub and see how involved government is with your livelihood.

Virtually, everything we do and say is monitored and regulated by the State. Ask any business owner how many regulations, laws, acts, etc., demand fulfillment, and how many fees, taxes, permits, etc., are required by various government agencies before we can perform a simple task.

We can't buy a gun, drive a car, or even install a toilet without saying, "May I?" And yet we still wave the flag every Independence Day and brag about how "free" we are.

We've even allowed government to take away our freedoms by regulating and mandating our public school teachers slap out of teaching.

We will soon, unless some brave politicians step up to the front lines ready to do battle, be told what doctors we may see or even if it is deemed "expedient" to preserve or prolong the lives of those of us past a certain age. (Probably mine.)

Obviously those who receive government handouts without so much as lifting a finger to help themselves, seldom complain about too much government intervention. Dear Hearts, Big Government is totally incompatible with freedom.

I believe there are still millions of Americans who really do understand and cherish freedom. We may be in a minority but that little group in 1776 was also a minority. Freedom is won with hard work. It is won with the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrificed lives of our brave military men and women.

I love my country and I firmly believe that God will see to it we remain a land of liberty if we really desire it and are willing to fight for it.

For those who fear God and love liberty, we can still be a freedom-loving people who accept personal responsibility rather than always looking to the government for a handout, or a free ride.

Freedom is, nor ever has been, free. We may have to adjust our own lifestyles, rethink our priorities and begin accepting responsibility for ourselves and our families before we dare to ever call ourselves free again.

If we understand that, we have more than enough reasons to fly our flags high this Saturday. Gather with family, put the dogs on the grill, and when you marvel at the spectacular color blasts in the air, take a moment to remember what it is we are celebrating.

Celebrate the past in thankfulness to our forefathers who established us a nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Celebrate that we are a nation founded upon Christian principles, no matter how hard others try to convince us otherwise.

Celebrate that there are absolutes in this world and not all of our actions are open for discussion. A people without personal restraint will chip away at its nation's moral underpinnings until it is weak, ineffective, and certain prey for the enemy. Vow to never again be so complacent as to allow another 9/11. Support our troops at home and abroad.

Celebrate the fact that we can affect change by calling or writing our political representatives and letting them know that we are perfectly capable of providing them a one-way ticket home with one stroke of a hand on election day.

Let's take back our nation, dear hearts, do everything we possibly can to make right prevail over wrong, to support those who defend our nation against powers without and powers within, and then we can hold our heads high and once again proclaim ourselves a free nation.

Our forefathers thought it important, and that's good enough for me.

God Bless America and pass the watermelon.