Independence Day: A New Beginning

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Independence Day is much more than mere a holiday, more than a history lesson, and more than a celebration. It is a paradigm.
American flag and the Statue of Liberty
American flag and the Statue of Liberty

Fourth of July is different for me this year, but I’m not certain as to why it is. Listening to songs like “America, The Beautiful” and the national anthem, and thinking about the state of our union evokes emotions I had not before experienced during this holiday. There’s something different this year.

Over the past year, watching history unfold and all too often repeat events of the past, I fear that our nation has been in a century-long decline. Government agencies, cabinet-level departments, and bureaucracies have been created over the years, each imposing new restrictions over every facet of life. Courts have repeatedly attempted to make even the very mention of God—especially the Christian God—illegal, or at least improper. Legislators have attempted to dictate to preachers and religious leaders what they can and cannot say in their places of worship. Communities have charged Bible study groups with criminal activity for just having their study time.

More recently, leaders in Congress have stated that our individual freedoms and rights come from government, not God (I wonder, have they even read the Declaration of Independence?). The federal government for decades has imposed mandates on states, ignoring and completely violating the 10th Amendment. Presidents past and leaders today declaring that the Constitution is a document whose usefulness has run its time, that it no longer applies today as it did two centuries ago.

State and federal lawmakers have been on a decades-long spending spree, throwing money around so loosely and carelessly that even my grandchildren are already enslaved to their greed and licentiousness. (Right now my eldest child is 8 years old.) Lawmakers are unwilling to cut spending, instead deciding to call a smaller spending increase a “cut.” No, they continue to max out more proverbial credit cards to satisfy their selfish desires, bankrupting my progeny’s future.

Under this administration, government is forcing citizens to purchase a private product simply to exist or else be considered a criminal. Congressmen today are assaulting students just because they exercised their right to ask a question. Other lawmakers pompously mock their own constituents in public forums. And our president tells Americans to shut up and get out of his way.

These problems did not begin with Obama or Bush. They didn’t even begin with Franklin Roosevelt. No, these problems have been occurring with greater frequency for nearly a century. All the while, freedom slowly vanishes, replaced by regulations. Government of the people is becoming government ruling the people.

As I look at the events of history and today, I believe Lady Liberty weeps as liberty slowly erodes to oligarchy. Is this what our Founding Fathers shed sweat and blood to gain? Is this the nation they envisioned? Is this what they meant by “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?”

I weep for my nation. But I also smile in hope for my nation. I see thousands upon thousands beginning to rediscover our heritage. I see citizens speaking out in knowledge of the truth. I see people beginning to read the works of the Founding Fathers and the documents that influenced them, learning what they meant and envisioned for America. I see Americans rising from the ashes and saying in one voice: we will fight! I see grandmothers, shop owners, bakers, retail workers, CEO’s, and blue-collar workers willing to take back the freedoms given by God, protected by the Constitution, and taken away by our government. There is hope!

So, this Fourth of July I celebrate the re-birth of America. I celebrate the beginning of the American revival! Let freedom ring! God bless America!

About John L. Rothra
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