The Audacity of Independence
The human race possesses infinite ingenuity, though some of it is of questionable utility. Take the matter of honesty, for example, where it seems that our capacity to lie to each other is exceeded only by our willingness to lie to ourselves. On July 4th, we celebrate what men such as Washington, Madison, Jefferson, and Franklin have bequeathed us. The fireworks will pop and the lights will dazzle, we will resurrect John Phillip Sousa and our tears will well up with Lee Greenwood. Veterans will come to attention, our hearts will swell with patriotic pride and our spines will stiffen as we boldly declare our “Independence.” And then, unarmed and obedient, we will drive home carefully avoiding high crime areas. We will humbly present our “papers” at police checkpoints, meekly submit to the indignities and intrusions of government authorities at airports before finally reaching home, where every water pipe, light bulb, and toilet meets government mandates. We will sort through our trash, placing plastic, paper, glass, and aluminum in the proper government-issued bin while placing other items in a container the city has foisted upon us and charged us to use. Then, with our feet propped up, we will relax and thank Providence that George III didn't prevail at Yorktown, and tell ourselves that we are “free.” As far as delusions go, this one is a thing of beauty.
Imagine the freedom and independence a 95 year-old cancer patient felt in an airport in northwest Florida recently. She was detained, as was her daughter, for 45 minutes and intimately inspected by TSA. You do remember that it was the Ft. Walton branch of Hell's Geriatrics who commandeered passenger airliners and flew them into buildings in 2001, right? Those Americans who might believe they can maintain their 4th Amendment rights by avoiding airports will be interested to know that TSA has announced an expansion of their inspection program to include unannounced checkpoints at bus terminals, railway stations, highways, and “security events.”
Still feeling “independent”? Try digging a pond and stocking it with fish on your own property. For that matter, try cutting down a tree, or building an addition to your home, or constructing a garage. The onslaught of inspectors, code enforcers, fee collectors, and license checkers should disabuse you of that notion pretty quickly.
And what of our young President who energetically leads the charge down the road to serfdom? This is a man who jets and copters about like no president before him, who vacations and relaxes, who golfs and shoots hoops, who throws lavish dinners and concerts, yet who on occasion manages to rouse himself and threatens to commit an act of governance against the lot of us. A head of state who remains a student of collectivist academic rubbish, he sees his people harassed and robbed by agents of the government over which he presides, and then goes straightaway to Martha's Vineyard. A contemporary potentate, he stuffs down a greasy cheeseburger while his executive agencies draft regulations ordering grocery manufacturers and restaurants to retool their recipes on everything from cereal to bagels, fruit juice to menu items, or face advertising restrictions that could have crippling ripple effects on a huge swath of the private sector.
He vilifies people who purchase and operate aircraft at their own expense while jetting from one vacation to the next at the expense of others. He labels as selfish those who resist his advances on their property, who work 70 hours a week providing goods, services, and jobs to their fellow citizens and who already pay over 50% of their earnings in federal, state, and local taxes. This little man whose Christmas tree sported a Chairman Mao ornament has spent money yet to be earned by people yet to be born, and yet his lust for still more money, more power, and more authority is never called selfish.
So what is this “independence” we celebrate today? It has become a rather fanciful thing, I think, possessing nothing of the robust spirit which the Founders envisioned. It seems a weak and shabby ghost of what once was. A country where the people issue the orders now has it all backwards. So forgive me if I don't share in the hoopla this year. Please understand if for the first time in my memory, I don't spend the day wishing others a “Happy Independence Day,” because we are no longer independent in any meaningful sense. I don't deny that others ought to celebrate if they wish. Grill the burgers, pop the firecrackers, and play that heart-stirring music. But perhaps at the end of the day, you might join me in quiet reflection of what we've lost and the realization that the men who signed the Declaration of Independence didn't spend the day tossing back a cold one and playing games. They were busy risking their very lives in the cause of Liberty.
I choose not to celebrate, but rather to commemorate. I choose to dedicate myself anew to the propositions contained in the Declaration and codified in the Constitution. This country is headed toward a cliff, and the guy behind the wheel is accelerating. From his onerous Individual Payment Advisory Board to his Environmental Protection Agency, to his Department of Education SWAT teams, he means to manage every facet of your life from your education to your job, from your property to how you will receive health care and what kind of care you will receive, if any. He and his ilk are hostile to the Constitution and they mean to undermine the work and sacrifice of the Founders and every good man and woman in uniform who has spilled their blood so that you could breathe the fresh air of freedom. The “fundamental transformation,” which in reality is nothing more than early 20th century authoritarianism, that this man has wreaked on this society may already be irreversible in some respects. If we don't get this turned around soon, you can kiss your “independence” good-bye, and that of your grandchildren as well. It's time to stand up to these ridiculous assaults and call them what they are. It's time to sort through the candidates and support the Constitutionalists among them. It's too late for half measures. We're either for liberty, or we might as well lower the flag and call it a day. This year, “Happy Independence Day” should be a call to action rather than an empty nod to what we once had.
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May '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Well said!
Mar '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Wow. I sent it around to everyone I know.
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Thank you very much, iWc. Not trying to rain on everyone's parade here,...but some additional perspective might be helpful for what lies ahead.
Jan '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Bravo, Dave. In the spirit of what you say, how 'bout we trade "Happy Independence Day" for "Fix bayonets"?
Oct '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Isn't it ironic that one can be eloquent while describing the banality of where America is today? Dave, you often have the ability to see what we all see and yet pretend not to. Again, thanks for being willing to say it better than we.
Jun '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
At the risk of sounding like a bore because I've made this comment so many times before, simply put I've become a lawbreaker. I've done all of the above and more and never once bothered with permits.
You see, the key to a peaceful and law-abiding society is that citizens believe the laws are fair and equitable. We comply voluntarily to the law because we understand this makes for an orderly and abundant society. When the law becomes oppressive, we recognize that our self-interest is better served by cheating the system. We become a nation of lawbreakers. If the trend is not reversed the US will eventually look like Mexico. You can ask VDH about that. Next comes the heavy boot of authoritarian rule because it's the only way government can enforce the law. This is how we lose our liberty.
Oct '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
I will remember the second Amendment, to honor it, protect it, and defy, legal or not, any attempt to take my gun from my cold, dead hand.
Re: The Audacity of Independence
This is flies in my truck. Close enough?
Jan '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
!
Jan '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
This [ ] flies in my truck. Close enough? · Jul 4 at 6:51am
Atta boy!
Many Americans have been reluctant to see Obama for what he is, and describe him accordingly. That reluctance may be well motivated---respect for the office, good manners, etc. But the time for fine talk and good manners is long over. Time to call this destructive, nasty, snickering juvenile what he is. The stakes are too high, as you powerfully point out.
Oct '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Great post Dave! I to am sending around to my friends
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Re: The Audacity of Independence
Think you Dave! Coming from someone with such a distinguished name, it's a powerful compliment.
Apr '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Three cheers to you Dave! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! I thought they were appropriate because your message reminded me of Lucky Jack's speech to his crew before being overtaken by the French. He reminded them their ship was England and should be defended as such with every ounce of their blood if necessary.
Thank you Dave, for the reminder that we each have our own property in whatever form it may take that needs to be defended and if necessary fought for that it may remain our own and our family's.
May God bless you, your family and your country this Independence Day Dave and to us all.
Apr '11
Re: The Audacity of Independence
And for an idea of what the Signers risked and paid in the pursuit of independence, and of what they were seeking independence from, look at this essay credited to Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Jr. (Rush's father).
http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~marcsulf/our_sacred_honor.html
The money quotation:
"Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence:
- "Nine died of wounds or hardships during the war.
- "Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment.
- "Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children.
- "Two wives were brutally treated.
- "All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes.
- "Twelve signers had their homes completely burned.
- "Seventeen lost everything they owned."
Edited on July 4, 2011 at 6:32pmDec '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
I hate to be the killjoy here, but most of the "governmental regulation" you complain about was given to us in the first instance by conservative Republicans. The first "zoning ordinances" were passed in San Francisco in the 19th century to limit Chinese laundries, dance halls, and saloons. The model zoning acts (which serve as the basis for most zoning today) were drafted by Herbert Hoover (and a commission) during the Republican Harding administration. Sobriety checkpoints were an initiative supported by the Reagan administration in response to demands from MADD. The use of such checkpoints was affirmed by the US Supreme Court in 1990 in an opinion written by Chief Justice Rhenquist. The TSA was given to us by President Bush (the younger). "Public Education" is a much longer story, but grew in the late 19th century as a way to deal with a problem posed by pesky immigrant children (Italians, Poles, and other Eastern Europeans). Indeed, there was a profound fear in the early 20th century that Catholic immigrant children would be educated at "Roman" schools and not fully assimilate to American traditions such as the 4th of July.
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Harry, I quite agree. The problem has roots from across the political spectrum. But we now have a chief executive who has taken what was a disturbing trend and turned it into a stampede. Regardless of who started what nudge toward statism back when, the point is that we've reached a tipping point. As citizens and free men, our duty is to bring this thing to a stop now before it goes over the cliff.
Nov '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
On this July 4th I have two comments to make. The first is a heartfelt thanks to the Americans who have employed my husband and me for 30 years. My husband wrote a book about the Canadian justice system which angered the MSM reviewers and his publishers and resulted in what was effectively a blackballing. Every success we have had including our home and the clothes on our back comes from America and people who say 'yes' and 'how can we work together'. So we celebrate July 4th and the American Thanksgiving every year with joy and pride.
My second comment Dave is to you directly. I hope you drive your truck around America and put up with everything involved with the job because you love it, because, seriously you could have a brilliant career as a columnist or fiction or non fiction writer. I say this as someone in the business. Thanks for this column and everything you write. I gives me faith that we can win against the great liberal onslaught. I realize that I have been walking around with my shoulders hunched and my collar turned up against all the 'small' intrusions into my life. Happy Fourth!
Dec '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Excellent point. So going forward watch out for the Herbert Hoover types. Herbert Hoover may have been the resume candidate of his day. A brilliant man. See what that got us. Today we have folks like the candidate from Bain Capital. To be honest, I have not seen any candidate who actually opposes statist solutions. I have seen mostly folks who want a differently oriented statism.
Sep '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Another great post. There is indeed an endless amount of organizing that an activist and well meaning government can do. All for our "benefit". Heaven protect us and BTW vote Republican.
Jun '10
Re: The Audacity of Independence
Dave, can't say much more than I agree with everything you've said. I'm proud to call you a True American and my friend. *Salute*