Two hundred thirty-two years ago, America took form as a handful of rebels against the rule of Great Britain approved the Declaration of Independence, establishing the principles that the American colonies had the right to self-government. We celebrate that birth of our nation Friday, July 4.
At the time, the men we recognize now as founding fathers sought freedom from the rule of England, the right to self-determination. Thousands died to earn freedom by taking up arms against the most powerful nation in the world. More than two centuries later the landscape has changed. The serious threats to our freedom come not from other countries, or terrorists. The greatest challenge to American freedom comes from Americans eager to surrender rights and freedoms that made this country great.
History is replete with nations and empires that lasted scores or hundreds of years, but all eventually collapsed. It may be considered unpatriotic to express the possibility that America can decline — much less that it is in decline — but there is evidence to support a hypothesis that this country is retreating from the principles established 232 years ago.
It was the American president and American Congress, with the support of the public, who allowed the suspension of basic Constitutional rights in the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. It is the government, backed by the people, who threaten our economic security with reckless spending.
An illegitimate but popular (at the time) war has diminished our standing in the world, destroyed our moral authority, abetted the rise of global terrorism, contributed to the spiraling oil prices that threaten the world’s economy and are helping further destabilize America’s financial condition.
America has moved from a government of the people to a republic controlled by the rich. The influence of political action groups, large corporations, unions and other single-focus groups upon laws and public policy is ironclad. Those organizations and their lobbyists write the legislation that protects their interests, not those of the general public. Small wonder that the gulf between the rich and poor continues to widen and poverty is growing.
America has turned inward. As the Greatest Generation dies off, it’s replaced with a culture of materialism. Deficit spending by nation and individual is the way of life. The economy is our god.
Our way of life, trumpeted by all good citizens as the ideal for the rest of the world, is the greatest threat to American security. We believe in the right to endless quantities of cheap oil, the ability to tell other nations how to conduct themselves and consider ourselves the world’s moral authority.
In short, we are like Great Britain 232 years ago, rich, powerful, arrogant — ripe for a fall — and we alone can prevent the fall. America became great because freedom-loving men crafted government vesting the power in its citizens, establishing fundamental rights and principles. It protected its citizens from the powerful, spread rights among all parts of society, rewarded hard work with opportunity, practiced thrift and opened its doors to all cultures.
If the United States is to remain the world’s beacon of freedom and most powerful economy, Americans must be as wiling to defend their freedoms against erosion from within as well as threats from abroad, be willing to sacrifice and to invest in the future, be respectful of other nations and of each other and live within our means.
When we fly our flags Friday, remember that our forefathers flew their flags with pride as well. They also worked, sacrificed and died for their nation and to uphold the principals that make it great. We won’t stay independent long if we surrender those principles and values. Independence is not just won; it must be maintained. We owe it to future generations to be vigilant in its protection.
