Liberty

My county tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.

Second only to Life, Jefferson listed liberty as one of the aims of American Independence, and yes, a God given right. Liberty is to the human spirit what air is to the human body. We inhale it’s fragrance and revel in it’s power.

As a child I learned of the horrors of communism, we were told that in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics people were tested as children and assigned to a job in which they would serve the republic. A drudgery relieved only by death or disablement. Perhaps my juvenile way of understanding magnified this terror but to believe that Government would chart your life from cradle to the grave seemed an abomination to all that I hold dear.

Our liberties in America are bounded by our government and we are free to change our Government and laws as we see fit. If a portion of our Constitution becomes onerous we have the means to change it as well. If we become dissatisfied with our station in life we are free to change it. If we dislike the weather we are free to seek a better climate.

Liberty is an awesome responsibility because it makes us all individually accountable for our actions. We are free to press to the pinnacle of success and we should be free to fall in the chasm of abysmal failure.

We are free to speak our mind, but with that freedom comes the power to impede the freedom of others. You are free to express yourself, but it is incumbent upon each of us to refrain from shouting down or stifling some one else’s free speech.

When I witness anyone stepping on another’s freedom of speech it screams louder than words that they do not believe in the superiority of their position. If your logic is unassailable then you allow your enemies to dash themselves upon the ramparts. The free exchange of ideals can only work absent physical or emotional intimidation. A majority achieved does not imply superiority and the lone voice of dissent may just be the only voice present with the solution to our problems.

Life

People are eager to declare that this is the end of the line for conservatism in general and the pro-life issue in particular. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Jefferson said these were God given rights in the declaration of Independence. They are also the core of Conservatism.

What is Life? It is nothing more than this brief period during which we can determine our own end. The founding fathers thought that it was the paramount function of our government to ensure that every one gets that chance. It is the responsibility of all governments to ensure the safety of their citizens. Citizens of any state that does not value them will naturally seek a better state. Where do people go seeking a better state?
They overwhelmingly seek the United States of America.

A nation that devalues life will inevitably become a cruel tyrannical place.

When this value is placed upon unborn children people get all wrapped up in it. I’ve heard people come unhinged on both sides. The simple fact of it is, “If it is not a baby, you are not pregnant.” A bumper sticker slogan, but it’s true none the less. A woman who is pregnant has no constitutional right to kill the child to further her education.

Jefferson’s “Life,” does not have any addendums to it. Aged life, young life, fit life, paralyzed life, rich life, poor life, it simply says LIFE. My life. Your life. Think long and hard before you begin discounting any life, you may just forfeit yours.

If this is the issue upon which a political campaign is lost then I would lose a thousand before I relented. Principals are principals. If the progressives ever convince a majority of Americans that life should not be a sacred right, then our Nation will join all previous great nations on the dust heap of history.