So, I'm going to throw a little rant out here before I
shower, shave, and all that other good stuff I have to do to report to work.
Kris and I were watching "National Treasure" last
night. I love that movie. Not because of its historical inaccuracies,
nor its complete misrepresentation of Freemasonry. I love it because Nicholas Cage's character's
brief soliloquy about the Declaration of Independence rings so true to my
beliefs.
". . . when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under
absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such
Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."
He explains that he takes that to mean, when things have
gone horribly wrong, those who CAN do something about it MUST do something
about it.
He uses this to justify stealing The Declaration from the
National Archives in this movie; as that’s the only way he can protect it from
someone who doesn’t hold it in the regard he does.
I piped up, as I’m often known to do during a movie. Sorry, Kris – and everyone else. I told her how much I loved that part, that
perspective. How true it rings for
me. Her response was an interesting one,
and one that I didn’t expect. Looking
back, it doesn’t surprise me, though.
She responded with a single question.
“Do you see yourself as a revolutionary?”
She’s told me before that she sometimes thinks I’m a bit of
a radical. I’m inclined to see myself as
more of a loudmouth, or a blowhard, than a radical. I don’t espouse ideas that are just totally
bizarre and unworkable. I often share
ideas I’ve learned from people who I consider a lot smarter than me.
I told her I don’t see myself as a revolutionary. I explained that to me a revolutionary is
someone who sees the current system as a complete failure, from foundation to
apex. Revolution is a way of wiping it
all from the slate and building something completely new from the ground, up. Revolution isn’t about restoring order to
something that began right. It’s about
destroying it all and putting something new in its place.
Some of my friends are even more fed up than me. Some of them will say a revolution is
probably what we need, and probably coming.
I respectfully disagree. We aren’t
too far gone, yet. Our Constitutional
Republic has a fantastic foundation, starting with the Declaration of
Independence and continuing through the Constitution. It wasn’t perfect from the start. Our founding fathers, and those they learned
from – John Locke’s and Thomas Paine’s writings had tremendous influences –
recognized that people could not create a perfect government or society,
because the liberty they had to enjoy meant changing attitudes and
understandings. They built mechanisms
into our Constitution to allow for that.
Thus, eventually, women and all races have an equal say in our
government. We abolished slavery.
By the way, it’s OUR government. Lincoln didn’t free the slaves. He just did some of the paperwork. We The People ultimately made the decision
with our votes.
Now, there’s a lot of dissent and debate amongst us because
of those mechanisms for adjustment. That’s
because we’re free to think without government prescription. Gun rights, abortion, gay rights, affirmative
action, helmet laws, taxes, land management, internet neutrality . . . all have
very large spectrums of opinions that people ascribe to. That’s freedom. It’s chaotic.
Sometimes it’s dangerous.
Sometimes there’s a price to pay for it.
I wouldn’t have it any other way!
And, I wouldn’t erase the foundation that makes it
possible. All I’d do is find ways to
make those we elect, and their appointees, respect, appreciate, and protect
that freedom. God truly has blessed
America. I’d just ask that our so-called
leaders see and appreciate those blessings.
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