Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!
By Jerry Walch, 4th Jul 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsPolitics
It was 236 years ago today, July 4th, 1776 that our Declaration of Independence was adopted and we were given our independence from Great Britain. We actually won our independence the year before on July 4th, 1775. We were freed of King George and his monarchic rule, but were we truly free? Are we truly free today? Those are the questions I ponder as I celebrate America's 236th Birthday, today.
- We call ourselves a Democracy!
- Give me liberty, or give me death.
- The Five Fundamental Freedoms
- I am a patriot.
We call ourselves a Democracy!
We call our form of government a democracy, but have we ever had a true democracy here in the United States? Perhaps we did in the very beginning, but not today. A Democracy is a political system ruled by the people, either directly or through elected representatives. Do we the people rule our country directly? No...hell, no! Are the government official that we elect and put in office responsive to our wishes? Again, the answer is No...hell, no! We have never had a true democracy in this country but rather a Federal Constitutional Republic. A republic is where the rule of law governs the nation. But here in the US not only does the law govern us but it also governs the government. It limits their power. Federal just means that we have one central government which is the federal government and separate states that can make their own laws as long as they don't interfere with federal laws.
Give me liberty, or give me death.
How many of you recall the closing lines to Patrick Henry's speech before the Virginia Convention on March 23rd, 1775? I had to memorize that speech back when I was a school boy because I played Henry in a school play. Patrick Henry closed his speech with these words: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” I wonder how many of you reading this today are willing to take the same oath. As for me, I say, give me liberty, or give me death. Think about that folks because there will a come a day when everyone of you living here in the United States will have to make that choice for your self.
The Five Fundamental Freedoms
The Founding Father's felt that these freedoms were so essential that they put them in the First Amendment of the Constitution. The First of the original ten Amendments to the Constitution guarantee us the following five fundamental freedoms—The Freedom of Speech, The Freedom of the Press, The Freedom of Religion, The Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, and The Freedom of Petition. Those were the rights that the Founding Fathers wanted to be sure would remain inviolate, so they put them in writing. Are we secure in those rights today? Can we exercise those rights today without fear of reprisal by the authorities? I fear not! We are free to exercise those rights so long as by exercising them we do not contravene the thoughts and desires of the legal ruling authorities of the land.
I am a patriot.
I am a patriot but I can no longer deny the obvious, the fact that we are slowly losing the rights that 25,000 men died for and another 25,000 were wounded in battle to secure for us. The really terrible thing is that this time we are not losing them to a foreign power but to the tyranny of our own elected government officials and the law enforcement agencies that support them. I am going to close this article with two quotes from John F. Kennedy. First he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” He also said, “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.” Let me put it to you this way, if we do not stand together now to keep the freedoms that we still have a day will be coming soon when we have no freedoms or rights at all. As for me give me liberty or give me death. I will fight to my dying breathe to keep what is mine!
References:
Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech
Comments
5th Jul 2012 (#)
Fantastic Jerry.But,democracy has generally degenerated, but in India, the degeneration is terrible.But you know pretty well that you enjoyed the real democracy in the beginning but gradually US was no more a conglomerate of 13 small states.So many other factors such as civil war, cold war etc intervened forcing your real democracy to get degenerated.But I think still you have got the first amendment intact appended to your constitution and still you enjoy those bill of rights.Again US has got metamorphosed according to its leadership, whether dragging it into unnecessary wars or enacting landmark new deals or affordable care acts.I feel still US is on the right track and have not got derailed unlike India.Thanks for sharing a thought provoking article.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
Thank you for reading and for commenting, Ramalingam.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
What the government of New Zealand did for me out here has just reinstated the faith in democracy. They showed me that I can voice myself and am heard.
They have done this for me twice already and I am grateful for everything that given me till date.
The only reason why there is so much injustice around is because people lose faith in the people who are ruling the country forgetting it is not them who are making the mess but the companies and other institutions around who are making the mess and then putting the blame on the government.
This is from personal experience wherein one email to the Prime Minister of New Zealand (amongst others) made the biggest difference in my life and he used it to turn the lives of all his people around for the better.
But what I went through, I want no one else to go through it as its not just harrowing but more pride-breaking and makes you see reality which is a far cry from the Jaded artificiality that is seen around.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
People of the past gave the freedom but its the ones of the present that strive to keep that freedom.
Happy Independence Day.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
Maybe that is the case in your country, Lady A., but in this it is really big business who support the politicians during their campaigns and after they get elected they support the wishes of big business. Regardless of how you may feel, a true democracy does not exist here because a true democracy is ruled by the majority of the people through the representatives they elect to represent them and that isn't the case at all. People in my country are not striving hard enough to keep the freedoms won for them in the past and if they don't stand up to the politicians and the agencies that support they will soon lose what little freedom they have left.
You cannot compare New Zealand with the United States, like comparing apples and oranges.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
I totally agree with you, Jerry! Give me liberty or give me death! I have no death wish, but the day they take away my freedom, I will go.
The trouble with so many people is that they have given away their freedom to mortgage agreements, credit card debts and to deaden their brains they've given up their freedom to taking medicinal and recreational drugs. They are addicted and have no freedom anymore and no will to take the responsibilities that come with having freedom and choice.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
The day they try to take away my freedom, I will go down with a smoking gun in each hand.
You cannot lay the blame on living above ones means or with the use of drugs. Many Americans have tried to take responsibility for their freedom and have tried to exercise their rights to freedom of speech, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of petition and they have suffered the consequences for it at the hands of law enforcement agencies who support the wishes of those in power.
The freedom that some people have surrendered to mortgage companies and credit companies is the not the kind of freedoms that I wrote about here. on the other hand it is the banks and big business that support the politicians and the politicians cater to their wishes instead of the wishes of the majority whose wishes they are supposed to represent.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
I wish I had two guns, but I have to choose the herbs to "set me free".
I know you were not talking about mortgages and credit card debt and drugs, Jerry, but they are they cause that people have become so lethargic and don't want to fight for their freedom!
What we see here about the Occupy movements is simply not enough. It seems a lot of people, but it isn't. All others live in fear which is the worst thing we can feel if we want freedom.
And it is exactly the banks and big businesses that want to keep us in fear and they will do everything in their power to curtail our freedom!
In the long run, it will not work and as I see it we live through the final days of this capitalism which as a concept is not bad at all, but look what and big businesses have made of it. It is unsustainable.
Each and every politician is bought by big business now and the law enforcement is on their side.
So where do we go from here? Nowhere very fast unless each and every one of us who value the spirit of freedom will take it. This was and always will be possible under any circumstances!
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
OK, now we are in agreement except for the part that credit card debt and drugs play in the problem. Fear, in my opinion, is the big issue here. Because of fear, too many Americans have become like sheep, made docile by fear, and are ready to be led to the slaughter. Where do we go from here? No where unless all the old Billy Goats like me who aren't afraid to rise up and butt heads come together and take back what is ours.
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
Well said, Jerry! Add to this a "ram" (I'm an Aries) and we got a revolution going!
But seriously, we all have to get up now and stand up for our rights and our freedom, in the U.S. as well as in Europe!
Fear is the issue and that we are apparently still too comfortable and wrapped up in some dreams that it will all blow away and get better as it has always done in the past. But that's only the short term past. History always repeats itself, so I have braced myself for the worst.
And I know we actually *can* fight with peaceful means. Back in England when they had the foot and mouth disease crisis, many of us smallholders would stand up against those idiots that wanted to shoot just about every animal in sight, but we said: "First you have to kill me, then you can kill the animals." It worked, we are all still alive.
But in a situation of war or dictatorship this would not work. We would get shot. Probably better anyway than long term suffering ...
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5th Jul 2012 (#)
In response to your last paragraph want to respond with two words, "Red Dawn." Yes it was only a movie. Yes it was fictional, but it could easily play out in reality because there are groups of red-blooded Americans spread throughout our land that will never surrender their freedom not even under the threat of death.
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6th Jul 2012 (#)
Well, sadly enough, in Greece the "Golden Dawn" is operational and quite successful with the population. I say no more ... :(
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6th Jul 2012 (#)
And that's the man who taught me to speak my mind and do so only when it true! Jerry, what a page! I look up to you! Congratulations. Till next God inspired article; God bless Jerry Walch!
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6th Jul 2012 (#)
Thank you D.
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6th Jul 2012 (#)
To make a statement that those of us that have mortgages are brainless twits that do not care about freedom, is a bunch of crap! How dare anyone lump all folks that do take meds as brainless individuals, just disgusting! That there is the problem, most folks put people into groups and so do the political powers to be and that is how they get to us, just as chrysolite did, divide and conquer. My son and I were talking about this the other day, about the political parties and we both agree we must put term limits on our politicians (Congress), this way, not only big business but, the Unions (I would call them big business) and all environmental groups that have the politicians by the balls and 'they' pull the strings, they then will not be able to have the time to influence these politicians as much as they do. Also then, it will not be a (big) business our (so called) representatives strive to enter, as their perks will be hindered. As a smoker I remember when states started to ban smoking in public places I was so against it, not because I must have a cig in my mouth at all times, I can go a long period of time not smoking. I was against it because, once again our so called representatives felt that they have a right to tell us what, where and how we should be using a 'legal' substance. Now I know a lot will say "Oh no you smoke!". Yes I do and quite frankly it is none of their business that I do so but even more so. When they put conditions on ones freedom, they never stop there, they keep going and we are seeing that now with soda pop and hell, the great tasting popcorn (in theaters) that we 'use' to enjoy and popcorn mind you, that most people only eat a few times a year, if they are like my hubby and I but, they know better than we do with what we must have and what is best for us.<eyeroll> We sit back and we allow our freedoms one by one to be taken away and I promise you, those that were so staunch against smokers will one day, wish they would have spoken up then, as their government makes them watch 'their' p's & q's with something that the gubmint finds is offensive and bad for the masses and yet, the masses find it not to be that bad. As with Steve, I could not be further from any person (okay, well maybe Obama) on the political scale than him but, I would fight for his right to have his say (as long as it is the truth LOL) just as much as I would for those that might be closer to my beliefs. Just let someone come to me and tell me I must take my flag and my (big tyvm) white cross in my yard down because, it offends them and then let them take me to court and allow the system to then fine me and then eventually put me in jail, because I will not pay the fine. When this happens, there will be a fight, as it is 'my rights' that have been squashed by our government, our system and those sheep that think, oh it is only stopping bad behavior but, wait until it happens to them. I promise you it will, it only takes time and another cause that our so called representatives feel they need to stop us doing, for our own good, just might be knocking at 'their' door. Jerry, we have allowed our government too much power, it was always suppose to be 'We the people' and yet, it is 'We the politicians/special interest', just disgusting! Well stated my friend. As always, thank you for sharing.:)
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6th Jul 2012 (#)
Sorry Jerry this was so darn long, geesh! I really am, oops.LOL :)
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6th Jul 2012 (#)
Not to worry, Denise...your comments, as always, were worthy of the space.
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8th Jul 2012 (#)
Thanks Jerry for a thought-provoking piece that is relevant across all borders. Liberty, freedom and democracy are the way to go for all including in China, North Korea, Cuba, Iran. They are also taking baby steps even as their vested interest groups try hard to keep their iron grip.
Democracy is under assault as few manage to acquire more than equal rights. People in nascent democracies are still under the thumb of some who take new avatars in no time and change colors faster than chameleons! The vast majority just want to lead their lives and leave others to take over the reins. But the power groups hold sway in no time. It has never been easy anywhere. Maybe, democracy is still work-in-progress! siva
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8th Jul 2012 (#)
I couldn't agree with you more strongly, Siva. Thanks for reading and the comments that added to my articles importance.
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