Our liberty is not their Liberty.

It seems to me as long as people feel they can say what they want, do what they want, worship as they see fit and freely vote for who and what they support they equate this to liberty.  Yet, there is also an expectation "the government" will protect us, rescue us and provide for us: government is perceived as society's safety net.

When the colonies declared their independence the word Liberty meant something far different.

Many of the founding families of America came here seeking Liberty from tyranny. They wanted the ability to choose for themselves how to worship and how to live. They sought Freedom from dependence on monarchical government. They sought the ability to choose their way without interference from rulers. This is the context the Declaration of Independence and eventually the Constitution of the United States were written in.  There was no safety net for the founding generations. No one there to bail them out should they have failed.  AND they certainly did not desire or expect government to do so for them.

These basic concepts of our founding fathers are foreign to both political parties of today, and to most Americans in general. Don't even get me started on the so-called Libertarian Party.  In today's world, the Constitution that was put in place to limit the power and size of federal government and restrain its ability to infringe upon Liberty has been severely eroded and is regularly violated. This has taken place with support from the public. That support has been active and intentional. It has also occurred through silence that condones the growing of federal government size and power.

I encourage you to read the United States Constitution. It is not a very long document at all. It provides for three branches of government with specific responsibilities to provide checks and balances each to the others.

Then consider our government of today.

There exists today almost innumerable new administrations, cabinet posts, departments that have effectively redefined the Constitution. Some would argue, "refined" the Constitution, but is that really the case?

Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Re-read that and consider the capitalization of the words Liberty and Safety.

In this time of the Covid-19 pandemic people are throwing about Franklin's words in defense of wanting to go shopping and out to bars and have concerts, sporting events and other forms of entertainment and diversion back in their lives. Luxuries.

This is in no manner, form, means or way what the founding generations declared, fought for and died to bring forth on this continent. This is why when people write of it today they do not capitalize the word liberty as the founding generations did. The word does not mean the same today as it did then.

We are reaping what has been sown and doing so largely with indifference and meekness. We continue to transfer power from the people to the government and only when our freedom is impinged to an extent our luxuries are infringed upon or taken do we object or protest and demand our "liberty." Our founding generations would be embarrassed with and furious about the state of the Republic today. They would be disappointed and saddened to see we have become exactly what they fought against.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Notice which words are capitalized and ask, why?

The founding generations began a journey. They struggled mightily after winning their independence and freedom to draw a map for future generations to follow towards Liberty.  They sought to minimize government intrusion while also providing Safety for the people. Now, read again Benjamin Franklin's quote: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

The founding generations marked the trail to be followed towards Liberty with capitalized words including Creator. The generations that have followed have eroded their work. Creator or God is the easiest seen example, but Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness have also been under constant attack. The nation has moved from Independence won with blood, sweat and tears to ever growing dependence on the very enemy our forefathers won their Independence, Freedom and Liberty from.

This leaves questions to be asked and answered:

Can We the People find our way back to the path of our founding fathers? Do we have the courage to do so?  Can we abandon the perceived comfort of an evermore intrusive big central government for Independence and the Freedom to stand on our own merits? Succeed or fail without a governmental safety net?

If not, do we need to change how we define our nation to better represent the state of the republic today and the map we are drawing for future generations.

Do we need to stop paying lip service to ideals of our forefathers abandoning what we once were and attempt to define who we are now?

The choice is yours.  The choice is ours.  We are in this together. We the People of these United States of America.

Then join hand in hand brave Americans all. By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall. ~ John Dickinson, a Founding Father of these United States.