The “self-evident” truths that our Founding Fathers extolled in the Declaration of Independence are no longer self-evident to many Americans. Perhaps not to a majority of Americans. How many Americans don’t believe in God, let alone think that we are all born with rights that are granted from him?
Americans are celebrating the 245th anniversary of the final approval of the Declaration of Independence. It should be much feistier than last year, with the masks being discarded by more people every day. “Social Distancing” may soon be an ugly memory of our deluded times. Flags will be flying outside of many homes. Cookouts will be enjoyed. We can be thankful; our honorable President Biden has informed us that the price of a cookout has dropped 16 cents since last year. Rejoice, comrades!
I’ve remarked many times on the sad but indisputable fact that most Americans are historically illiterate. They are particularly ignorant about the founding of this nation. They tend to comingle Abraham Lincoln in with the Founders, when in fact Lincoln oversaw the second Revolution, one which repudiated everything the War for Independence was fought for.
One of the two main reasons the colonists declared their independence from the British crown was the radical concept that all people have a right to consent (or not) to their government. The consent of the governed. This pivotal pillar of our founding was shattered by Lincoln and the North’s bloody war on the southern states, who’d seceded from the Union they clearly no longer consented to. The federal government started becoming all-powerful under Lincoln, and they made it clear that consent to their rule wasn’t voluntary. The “United States” became singular, not plural.
Yet many of the misguided patriots who still revere the Founders, and celebrate the spirit of the Revolution, don’t seem to realize that it was transformed, even crushed, during the War Between the States. Lincoln despised Thomas Jefferson especially. Is there any doubt which side Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry, George Mason, James Madison, James Monroe, and others would have been on during the Civil War?
Those who misrule us today are not compatible with the ideals this country was established upon. Nancy Pelosi? Mitch McConnell? Chucky Schumer? The Clintons? The Obamas? The Bushes? The Bidens? Kamala Harris? We can’t even conjure up an outrage colorful enough to describe just how angry, despondent, and ready to revolt such incompetent and corrupt monsters would make the Founding Fathers, if they were hear to see our present Third World Idiocracy.
So, even if many of us still believe in the ideals America was founded upon, our leaders clearly don’t. The Bill of Rights? Antiquated and racist. What’s “cruel and unusual punishment” or “unreasonable search and seizure” anyway? Powers delegated to the people? The people! That’s un-American! I quoted all the Founding Fathers in my book Crimes and Cover-Ups in American Politics: 1776-1963, which documented their crystal clear support of the right of the people to bear arms. It doesn’t matter to those in charge. That’s not what they meant! They didn’t have assault weapons then!
The second great principle behind the fight for American independence was “no taxation without representation.” The average American worker basically pays about four months of what are mostly subpar wages into the government pot. And gets virtually nothing worthwhile in return for all those taxes. Including representation. Only those with great affluence have any influence with our horrific “representatives.” For the rest of you- keep paying those taxes. Maybe we’ll send you a form email response, which doesn’t even address your question.
Patriotism used to mean something, when this country was worth loving. The country may still be, but those running it are unworthy of even the most tepid support. Our system of checks and balances, with an incredibly wise separation of powers, is about the best government mankind has ever devised. Wait, “mankind” probably isn’t appropriate any more. Will “sysgenders” do? But the system became perverted under Lincoln, and since then it’s been a steady slide downhill.
Patriotism, for over a century now, has meant support of the government, not love of country. This is exemplified by the hideous figure of Uncle Sam, who would have mortified the Founders. Johnny get your gun. Over there! Buy bonds! Plant your victory garden! Put your hand over your heart during The Star Spangled Banner. Try not to think about the composer Francis Scott Key’s grandson becoming one of Lincoln’s untold thousands of political prisoners. Locked up, without charges, in the same Fort McHenry where the national anthem was composed. Now that’s irony.
When Lincoln railed against the “wily agitators” of his day, who were opposed to his unconstitutional tyranny, it opened the door for Woodrow Wilson to imprison WWI protesters. And the Supreme Court upheld Wilson’s own tyranny. Precedent and all that. Lincoln established a lot of awful precedents. FDR imprisoning American citizens in concentration camps. The prisoners at Guantanamo Bay being tortured during the Dubya years. And all the talk about “domestic terrorists” and laughable “insurrection” allegations come right from the “Honest Abe” playbook.
Very few people would consider me patriotic in the popular sense. I agree with Ambrose Bierce, who said patriotism was the first refuge of a scoundrel. I find most flag waving to be obsequious and phony. But I stand second to none in my regard for our system of government as designed by the Founders. In terms of those who run this collapsing civilization, Independence Day pales in significance to “Juneteenth.” As always, there were virtually no specials anywhere on television about the fight for independence. Any mention at all is to castigate all those dead White “racists.”
Last month, “our” Congress voted to make “Juneteenth” a federal holiday. The vote was 435-14. Fourteen. Do you really think an up or down vote on the Bill of Rights today would get only 14 “down” votes? In all actuality, such a resolution might very well pass. All they’d have to do is shout “racism” enough times, and our cowardly “representatives” would cower in fear, as they always do. I must admit, though, that “Juneteenth” has an appropriate Idiocracy-feel to it. It’s perfect for the world’s wealthiest Banana Republic.
In Falls Church, Virginia, where I grew up, they recently changed the names of two elementary schools. George Mason and Thomas Jefferson are now “offensive” in northern Virginia, where I still live. George Mason was one of the primary authors of the Bill of Rights. We know our leaders would love to officially scrap the Bill of Rights. For now, they’re just content to continue to ignore them.
I apologize to the Founding Fathers for what we’ve allowed America to become. Pride Month, and certainly Black History Month, are far more important to corporate America and government at all levels, than Independence Day is. Our home grown tyrants don’t want any attention given to what happened 245 years ago, when our forefathers threw off the yoke of oppression from a tyrannical monarch. Tyrants are tyrants. Ours don’t wear crowns, but they are the enemies of liberty.
Thought provoking, as always. I never looked at Lincoln under that particular lens, although I did know he was a man thrust into a position and reacted, not acted.
But to put another spin on your taxation without representation thought - whereas I, too, grew up in N. Virginia (High School was GCM in Falls Church - hopefully not renamed!), I've lived outside the US for about 25 years now. Yes, I can still vote in Virginia but does anyone thing Virginia Congressmen and Senators care about constituents living aboard? I speak mostly about the egregious global taxation of the US Govt (along with that democratic champion of Eritria) of it's citizens.
By most estimates, there are 7 million of us Americans living abroad. To have to file - and pay - US taxes when we receive ZERO benefit is true taxation without representation.
Whereas I'm not sure how the founding fathers would view this small sliver of an issue, I do believe that one's taxes should go to one's community first and foremost. It's hard to see how my money sent to the USG is used judiciously and effectively....
i went to local hospital for a condition with bmy lungs basicaly to have them give me Predisone.have found out that this is the only thing that provides any releif . Well sure enough they come first with their covid test suprise its positive . Wicket nurse who administered the test tride to shove the cutip into my brain had to forceably stop her .Went in on FRiday my wife could not visit me the Hospitalist docter said on Saturday I would be discharged on Sunday and left ,later another docter came through and I heard him say to nurse Remidisal .Fortunetly I had a good knowlege of this drug that kills over fifty percent of those who take it. Those who live ussally have had their kidneys destroyed also damages the liver so if you are one of the recipient your probally better if you do die. Here comes the horrer story Inford nurse I did not want treament my sister over the phone recorded my wishes this is around four pm .Everyone was aware of my wishes about seven pm I was lightly sleeping when a nurse entered the room with a vial to inject into interveneous bag ask her what she was doing . She stoped and said Oh I forgot byou did not want this Ill just take it back . If I had not woken up she would have killed me. Forced my self to keep aware the rest nof night I will never go back .I feel very fortunet to be alive today dont trust them dont listen to them , if they had pulled off thier deceivery they would have gotten 55 thousand for the remidisil alone .To end this when I returned home we have some of those home test took it negative not once did they listen to me and never adressed the reson I went in the first place .