Over two hundred years ago several great men who had helped colonize America made a very important and crucial decision. They began the process of declaring independence from the dominant power of the time and that was England. They did not take their decision lightly, they had grievances that the King of England was failing to address and felt they had no choice but to revolt.
The new American continent had proved to be quite different than England. Their trials and tribulations were significantly different than what those in England were experiencing, yet they did not receive the proper representation that was necessitated by their situation. The King had a tyrannical hold on the colonies and believed that they were his to do what he willed with, after all for the most part the people in the colonies were the outcasts of England and had no “rights”. They became citizens of nowhere as they were no longer considered part of the monarchy and were not able to govern themselves.
It became imperative that these men take the necessary steps to regain their freedom. However for them to ensure this freedom they would need to commit treason against the crown of England. If they would have lost the war they would all certainly have died labeled as traitors as opposed to heroes. They had to become criminals to become free men.
Many men and women died in pursuit of their freedom, and in doing so, they forever etched in our memories the definition of greatness. It is a standard that even today remains.
They did not commit treason simply to gratify their vain ambitions or to obtain power but to institute a democratic nation. A nation that is built on the philosophy “that all men are created equal” and that all men are imbued with the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness“. It is these sacred ideals to which our fore fathers wanted our nation to adhere to, and that by doing so we can become a nation of free men and women. Without these principles the fore-fathers knew that our reliance on laws alone would cripple our nation. It is these principles that guide our nation while our laws keep our nation in order. If we relied on principles more, our reliance on legislation would be less. There would be no need to regulate or legislate every seemingly insignificant thing.
After the Revolutionary War they furthered their thoughts of freedom and independence by constructing the constitution that guarantees the very rights for which they fought. It is these same rights and principles that we are still fighting for today. Although the laws are in place to guarantee these rights, there are many people that are denied them through the actions of others. Whether it be through criminal negligence, or neglect many individuals are unable to obtain the very things that have been paid for by the blood of others.
To honor those whom we have lost, we must continue to fight for others and their rights for freedom. If not, then those who have gone before us will have died in vain. We must stand up and oppose the tyrants in the world and never settle, for there are those that would enslave us through diabolical means. There are those who would call “American Pride” worthy of denying others the freedom as though being born here gives them more “rights” than another. This attitude of entitlement can be seen in some ways as a form of a de facto monarchy. Although not written in to law people assume that their status grants them rights not to be enjoyed by non-Americans. It is these same attitudes that led to the revolution and that if gone unchecked will lead to another revolution. Because when the balance of power is so incredibly skewed in one direction it cannot last, there will be those who will rise up and oppose even this type of de facto monarchy. It is through the blood, sweat, and tears of these individuals that the voice of the people of ALL the people will be heard.
On this note, I was recently in a debate about the lawfullness of the Arizona Immigration law with someone. All he could keep saying is “illegal is illegal” eventually he resorting to saying, “Also, I can tell that someone from California would be upset about this and telling from your pic I can also conclude that you must have been upset when Prop 8 didn’t make the vote. Gosh I hate stupid tree hugging GAY liberals! You can deny it, but dude… you are gay! And if you came to Georgia I would tell you to your face how queer you are!” I responded with the following, ” I must say for someone that supposedly defends the constitution (at least according to your sister-in-law) you must not have read it recently. But I digress, if loving and respecting my fellow men regardless of where they come from is in your mind considered “gay” then I guess I am guilty as charged. I simply wish to follow the Savior’s teachings to love one another. “By this shall all men know if ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.” You can say I am queer to my face however, I think my wife might disagree with you. Or if you are using it in a defamatory and non-sexual orientation then I suppose that would make you two and resorting to name calling. The fact is that you contributed nothing meaningful to this conversation by making false assumptions about me and my “tree hugging GAY liberalism”. Just for the record I love you too!”
He had no basis for his argument except to use hateful language to debunk my very valid point, which is that if the laws are put in place by individuals that only have their own best interests at heart then are these laws that are acceptable? These individuals that make the laws are not doing so to protect others, they are implementing the laws to protect the power that they have and do not want to lose. Not once in my argument did I say I supported breaking the law, the man assumed that because I was for “equal protection under the law” and that I was opposed to the Arizona Immigration law that I was in favor of doing illegal things, quite the contrary I am very much against breaking the law. However I recognize that some laws are unjust and should be changed or thrown out. It is the legality of the law that I question not the following of the law. I think we have a right, even an obligation as a people to question the laws and to decide if they are in fact valid and if they are not then to do something to fix them. He is the one who in his status said, “ Illegal is illegal. You get arrested if you do things illegally….EXCEPT FOR CLIMBING A FENCE OR SWIMMING ACROSS THE RIVER TO GET INTO THIS COUNTRY. Illegal is illegal… stand for truth, justice, and the American Way!” The irony of his statement is that the supposed “American Way” to which he speaks is something he knows very little about, because if he did he wouldn’t be arguing to keep people out but to help those people that are in need of helping. It is this type of person we must do all in our power to oppose so that others might become free.
Related posts:
- American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union or ACLU is currently working...
- Arizona Immigration Law The upcoming Arizona Immigration Law is severely flawed. It criminalizes...
- It’s not the racism you see, it’s the racism that you don’t Ever told a blonde joke? How about a racist joke?...
- Declaration of Independance (Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776) The Unanimous Declaration...
- Violence for Social Change Violence as a means for social change is difficult to...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Loading ...
I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. All of us ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated, but this is not the case.
I know the proponents of this law say that the majority approves of this law, but the majority is not always right. Would women or non-whites have the vote if we listen to the majority of the day, would the non-whites have equal rights (and equal access to churches, housing, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, schools, colleges and yes water fountains) if we listen to the majority of the day? We all know the answer, a resounding, NO!
As for the undocumented workers, as was attributed to Ronald Reagan “It’s the Economy, Stupid”. When the economy is good you say let’s all celebrate “Cinco de Mayo, my brothers” but when the economy is down “it’s all your fault, you damn immigrant”. This too will pass, the real problem is the narcos, arms and people smugglers and that’s what the focus should be on.
Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics and do what is right, not what is just popular with the majority. Some men comprehend discrimination by never have experiencing it in their lives, but the majority will only understand after it happens to them.
Thank you for your comment, it is true the majority is not always right and it is up to those who oppose these types of discrimination to take action and not sit idly by as their rights as human beings are infringed upon. The only way we can be successful is if we shout louder than the majority. They will have to hear us and most importantly they will have to take us seriously.