Today is the 4th of July, and the idea of freedom and a declaration of independence from a tyrannical government are of course being celebrated. Yet we have our illusions, our preconceived and entirely engineered notions of what “freedom” actually means today. Except the term freedom is not really up for debate, it is quite clear in fact:
The absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.
Despite this very clear definition, how the word freedom is perceived has seriously changed over the years, which is by no means an accident.
The Declaration of Independence set forth the ideal: All people have been endowed by nature and the Creator with certain inalienable rights — that is, rights that cannot be taken away or destroyed by anyone, including one’s own government. In fact, as the Declaration points out, the purpose of government is to protect the exercise of these rights, not infringe upon, alter or destroy them in any way, for any reason or justification.
Now most of the Founding Fathers did not before, and certainly did not after, truly embody and live these ideals. Which is likely due in part to a lack of desire to do so, meaning some may not have truly believed what they signed, but it is also in part (and I would like to believe its the larger part) due to the reality that the Framers were simply striving to achieve a society that reflected the values in the Declaration, not that they could just sign this piece of paper, snap their fingers, and the world would all of a sudden be just. We did then, and still do now, need to work toward the creation of this world, and then work to maintain it.
Today, the idea of freedom is muddled — intentionally so — with the idea of safety, security, and convenience. We have been conditioned to forget that this country was founded on the essential ideals of limited government, and freedom of choice, in every regard. Which absolutely comes with a measure of danger; the world is not without its dangers, and no government presence, authoritarian or otherwise, can ever remove that danger from our lives. It can only replace it with one of its own creation — which is entirely the point.
The ideas of limited government and freedom of choice should not be misunderstood, however, as the allowance of that which society deems unacceptable or worthy of repercussion or exile, but the point being, that such choices were always meant to be society’s, the individual’s, and not that of an uncontrollable, unaccountable technocratic oligarchy, which is what we see today.
In a truly free society — that which the Founders were arguably aiming to achieve — there will be flaws, faults, and mistakes, but those are ours to make, as a community, as individuals, and not to be overseen, or entirely overcome, by a faceless ruling entity that has no real understanding of what each specific community holds dear or ultimately values. If said community falls victim to corruption or manipulation, it is the right of the community themselves to remove those doing the manipulating, as is our inherent right, as outlined in the Declaration of Independence, and point of fact, even in regard to the Federal Government itself. To quote the Declaration:
…whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it.
The simple realization that such a right has been removed from possibility, should show us just how illusory our freedom truly is in this country.
People have been convinced by a manipulative government that it is wrong of them to point out the faults of that government, when in fact it is our very duty to do so. I love this country, despite what the jingoistic sycophants out there might say, and everything I do today is in service to the United States as well as the rest of the world. But you see, when I say the United States, many immediately think government, which would make the Founding Fathers cringe.
They are two very different things, and many powerful people have worked very hard to make you forget that. I fight for the people of the United States, and the people of the world, not the governments those people allow to be in power. So again, saying, "I love this county," (as hopefully you can now see) is not the same as saying "I love this government."
Unquestioningly supporting the actions of your government is not patriotism, that is subservience. And saying so does not dishonor all the men and women who were deceived by the state, as many of them truly believed their actions to be in the service of good, even though more than you might believe come home with quite a different perspective.
Patriotism is being critical of your government with every decision they make, regardless of one's political affiliation. That was what this country was founded upon, and that which has been stolen from us with years of subtle and not so subtle conditioning. Our duty is to our fellow Americans, not the government officials who we are supposed to put in place — yet that too has been stolen from us.
To say it is un-American to question your government is to say we are here to serve it, and not the other way around. And I know without a doubt, that is how they see us, but certainly, that cannot be the way you see it, especially on a day that celebrates your supposed independence from tyranny. Yet this is what we are told as today’s uber Americans shout us down for questioning foreign wars, starvation campaigns, and coercively technocratic domestic policy alike. We must shake free from this Statist mentality that turns us on ourselves.
I am in no way advocating for any kind of violence. I am in no way advocating for some hyped-up civil war that only further divides the people. I do, however, seek a revolution, but one of a different kind.
In my opinion, nothing founded on violence has ever had its roots in a just society. Many certainly tried with this country, but as I have pointed out many times, there were men in that very room, as the Declaration of Independence was signed, who had designs to create exactly the type of overreaching, all-controlling federal government that we see today.
So I propose we seek to begin with something different, something enlightened, a true revolution of the mind. As I have said many times in the past, and I will say again, violence and danger will be ever-present, that is inevitable, no government presence, authoritarian or otherwise, can ever remove that danger from our lives. It can only replace it with one of its own creation; but as Gandhi said:
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change”
And I truly believe that. So take that into the world today, and change it.
It Is Time For A New Revolution - July 4th, 2024