American History 101

“When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands, which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation”

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principals, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness".

Action of the Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776 The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

Wow, I still love reading those words! Men, openly declaring ideas of national separation from the British Empire based on the notion of natural law, unalienable rights and self-evident truths. They espouse with clear-cut equanimity that the nature and source of governments true power to govern, comes only from the consent of the governed. These are powerful words, carefully written in the Declaration of Independence and subsequently in the United States Constitution, which carefully outlined the framework for what has become the oldest enduring republic in the history of the world.

When is the last time that you read either document? Be honest with yourself.

Now ask yourself this question: could any of us stand in front of the White House or on the steps of the Nations Capital and espouse for all to hear, these revolutionary words of our founding fathers? The first Amendment to the Constitution clearly gives us the right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Government or law enforcement officials will tell you (after you are removed) that you can peaceably assemble or protest if you follow the law, rules and regulations put in place to neutralize the impact of your protests. However, those laws are contrary to the rights guaranteed to us in the first amendment. It goes like this:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”.

First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

When is the last time you read the United States Bill of Rights? Be honest with yourself.

Look, I apologize for the history lesson but as I stated in my remarks yesterday, I feel that political ignorance (ambivalence) is running rampant in this country and that it constitutes a very real, very clear and very present danger to our Republic. The first Ten Amendments to the Constitution, often referred to as the Bill of Rights, were adopted on December 15, 1791 and were added specifically to limit the power of the Federal Government, protecting the rights of the people from a Congress, which may seek to abridge our freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, worship, unreasonable search and seizure, as well as the right to due process (there are others obviously, but we will save that for another day).

However, before we go further with our discussion, I first recommend that you look these documents up on the web or purchase the small booklet from your local bookstore...and then read them! If you are looking for answers as to why things are the way they are, you must go back to point where it all began. To critically analyze the current situation you must understand what the founding fathers of our country intended for this republic. To understand that, you must read the actual unfiltered content of the documents for yourself and apply what you read to what you actually see. I promise you it will be interesting. Will you see a government operating inside or outside of the boundaries set forth in our constitution? Will you see a government that protects and values your rights or tramples upon them with impunity? Will you see a government that derives its power from the consent of the governed, or one that is empowered by default because a majority of its populace is misinformed, uninformed or apathetic? What will you see? What will you really see? Be honest.

Anyway, that's it for now. Stay safe, be happy and become informed. I look forward to chatting with you again.

Day 1: I'm a Blogger

Well, after much thought and internal debate I have convinced myself to plunge head first into the wonderful world of blogging. Before making this decision, I must admit that I was plagued by various concerns as to what would I talk about and if anybody would really care enough to read it? I am probably not much different than most people my age. Having passively gone through most of my life blindly accepting authority and the way things were, though never really questioning why it was so. Don't get me wrong, I am not embarking on this endeavour by painting myself as the angry victim of a system gone bad. I am not going to sit here an complain about how the deck has been stacked against me and that society is to blame for my plight. No, I am no victim of circumstance, I am the product of it.

Ever since I was a young man, I always felt that there was no such thing as a "normal life". I felt that there was only life and that "it" was what you made of it. So, I did the college and grad school thing, I am currently doing the great job thing and I suppose by some account, that I am living the dream. There is only one problem. It just doesn't make sense. It seems as though the wisdom (some call it hindsight) that comes with age has effected my view of the world. It is amazing how my entire belief system has changed. So many perceived realities, that for so long I held as fact, have been unmasked as nothing more than an elaborate ruse.

For the past few years I have been on a quest of sorts, a search for my own personal truth. During this period of my life, I traveled great distances through the pages of time, using books and web search engines as my primary transporter and guide. It is my opinion that having a better understanding of where we have been and what we have done, will ultimately provide us a more accurate compass and a clearer path for us follow. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people as they still blindly accept authority and blindly do what they are told. Religion tells us what is best for the eternal salvation of our souls. Governments treat citizens as though they are children who don't know any better. Please do not misunderstand me as I am neither anti-religion nor anti-government. I am merely anti-ignorance. Ignorance is stronger and far more dangerous to our society than guns, bombs or missiles. We have all heard the line that "ignorance is bliss" right? Well sheep might look happy but they are still just sheep. Think about it.

My hope for this blog is to stimulate thought (hopefully my own) through the respectful exchange of individual ideas. I do not want the thoughts and ideas discussed here to become an embedded part of someone's own belief system, because for me the journey is as important as the destination. To that point I hope that these discussions provide a spark for those who are looking for their own truth. That in some way, these words will inspire you to search for knowledge, to think critically and to make informed decisions based what you know and not necessarily on what you are told.

I eagerly look forward to this new journey and I hope that others will take the opportunity to join the ride.