Thus far shalt thou go and no further
Thoughts on Independence Day
by Thomas Flaherty, Greater Nashua Tea Party
On this day, a congress of desperate men drew a line in the sand; a line upon which they squarely placed their assets, reputations, lives, and the lives of their families.
What caused them to take such a risk? We all know what happened on July 4th, but what was at the heart of such a gamble for a group of educated and relatively comfortable men with plenty to lose?
“Self-determination”
These men already knew that in the colonies, men had the ability, within their class, to be successful by waging business, farming, or providing services. Resources and opportunity were plentiful and, after a handful of generations had settled in, they began to see themselves as a sovereign people; yet Britain chose to treat them as a revenue-generating satellite of their massive empire, rather than brethren Englishmen.
Early on, the treatment they received from Britain was sufferable, but as they knew all too well, the British imperial model required its colonies to do things the “British Way”. Each time they expressed any sentiment of independence from that model, the mother country responded with increased harshness.
The men who crafted and ratified the Declaration of Independence were a breed unto themselves, living in a unique time of enlightenment. They studied civilization and government throughout the ages, understanding the best and worst components of each period throughout history. Mixing this awareness and their education with the mistreatment by Britain was a volatile combination that could only be resolved by disobedience.
The rest is history, but it feels as though we have come full circle and are in a similar situation today. Washington, DC has become the British Empire of our time, exacting burdensome taxes and imposing intrusive bureaucracy, in order to feed its desire to grow and to sustain that growth. Facilitated by absolute infiltration and control of the media, education, and entertainment industries, it is in the process of solidifying, once and for all, the foundation of cultural and societal imperialism.
Thomas Paine, in “The Crisis“, said that “what we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly“. Our children are the product of increasingly successful generations of parents, and have much in the way of material and comfort. Generally speaking, they live a life free of want or deprivation, innocently placing little value on what they have, and are unknowingly pinned under the weight of said foundation.
I am not suggesting that we suddenly force our children into deprivation and want, or take from them what has been provided. I am, however, suggesting that we all do our best to educate them on the reasons why the United States is exceptional and has been so successful for so long. We must also be willing to explain the course it has taken to get into the trouble it is in today, and how its people let it happen.
As concerned and aware parents, we must directly address these facts to our children as early as we can in their lives. If we do not, each new generation will be less aware of our true history, to a point where we will have lost all sense of where we came from and what America is supposed to be about.
What better day, or week, to have this conversation with them?
To my children, I wish to say the following important things, which I hope you will remember throughout your lives:
Remember that America was founded on the principle of national self-determination, which fosters personal self-determination and the opportunity to control your own destiny.
In America, the individual is sovereign, not the government.
Don’t wait for someone else to give you what you need. Accept help and some charity if necessary, but set goals and take determined action to achieve these goals, based on your talents.
Research what you hear in the media, school, and from others. Unfortunately, truth is currently in short supply in America.
Know your facts and learn by reading, researching, and discussing. Do not take anything at face value. Informed logic always beats uninformed emotion.
When you succeed, help others when you can. Reject the notion that you should be forced to help others, especially through government mandate, which is not charity.
Local control of society is always best; it can be managed and corrected when wrong. Centralized, far off control cannot.
The US Constitution and its amendments are the law of the land and must be followed; support those who understand this and act upon it.
Governments and people cannot spend what they do not have, regardless of how much they want something.
America is not a democracy, it is a Constitutional Republic, based on democratic principles. There is a difference.
It does not take a majority to prevail, rather, a small tireless minority (Sam Adams).
America is worth fighting for.