CC: The Cause of Freedom

Great Quotes From Great Leaders

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

Our Declaration

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 to abolish it... -Declaration of Independence

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Cause of Freedom

Travis Jackson, CC

What made America great in the past was the spirit of liberty that resounded in the hearts and minds of her citizens. Freedom was something that was fought for and gained on the battlefield sure, but it was also an intellectual war that gained momentum on a continent far removed from the halls of tyranny in England.

Today, part of the population understands the basic principles of freedom, part are beginning to realize something is not quite right with the direction of our government and her policies, and some simply do not care. Those who do not care are not really necessarily to blame. They have been culled into a mindset of rights and privilege and educated to believe government is the caretaker.

So we fight this fight without them, deflecting the barbs and slings of media and the establishment with common sense arguments and a hope for something better.

Today I read a blog downplaying the significance of Ron Paul's run for President. One of the authors arguments was as follows: "...but Paul is mentoring a significant slice of young Americans to hate government and to disparage any notion of a common purpose."

Here is my reply:

Mr. Lou,

I have to respectfully disagree with you on this line from your article.

Ron Paul is considered a mentor by many of us Americans, not just the young people. I am 35 years old and was re-awakened in 2007 during Ron Paul’s run for the Republican nomination. I am upper middle class, and am well educated. I will not bore you with details on how I came to where I am in my support of Dr. Paul, but it is important to remember that Ron Paul’s reach goes far beyond a small group of college kids.

It is, in fact, the common purpose of liberty that unites us all. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not Ron Paul himself that creates such support, but rather, the ideas that he has steadfastly and honorably represented in his time in Washington. He garners such a following because he is incorruptible, often being the lone voice of reason screaming on the road less traveled. I heard it said recently that “Most politicians spend their career chasing the electorate.” “Ron Paul is unique in that he’s spent his career for decades standing in one place, and now people are coming to him.”

His ideas of limited government, personal liberty, and a common sense approach to foreign policy should be ideas that everyone should embrace. They are the ideas of our heritage, the views of our founders, and the very principles that inspired the writing of our Constitution.

To insinuate that he is in any way teaching others to hate government is an argument born of fallacy and a lack of understanding. Government is always dangerous because of man’s quest for power. Thomas Jefferson said, “In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”

It is not a question of hating government, but one of distrust in the men who seek power to control the people. This is and always has been the danger of any central government. It is an ideological battle that the founders understood and once upon a time (not too long ago) Americans embraced. Ron Paul is the messenger that reminds us of our duty to our country and to one another. This movement and our support of Dr. Paul is not a fight to overthrow government, but rather, a fight to return the power back to its rightful place, the people. We do this for Paul, we do this for ourselves, and more importantly, we do it for all Americans, even those like you who do not yet realize the importance of the battle we are in.