WARNING: Do not break the law before, during, or after reading anything I mention.
American citizens will correct any imbalances that arise under their governing system. The great human notion of Liberty is not some quaint ideal relegated to the romantic pages of a forgotten and neglected history book that is placed out of reach, way up high on a dark and dusty shelf, deep in the bowels of a vast labyrinth of human knowledge. It does not reside in a dim and distant realm of fantasy; nor is it a mythologized force of fiction contorting itself into gross heresies that injuriously attach themselves to ignorant minds. Liberty is a perpetual endeavor, a constant objective, and prime mover, for every human being.
In America, for several generations now, fundamental precepts of constitutional practice have been loosened and extended, at times, wholly justified by proper acts for a national advantage; but, too many times, though, and in all the wrong places, Liberty’s prime principles have been slackened by the people’s neglectful attitude toward the prize. Each and every one of the citizens in America - the proprietors of a free and independent nation, who give their consent, and assent, to be governed by publicly elected servants - have inherited a solemn duty to secure Liberty’s most treasured blessings. The chief token among them, and most honorable pursuit, is self-government. It is through this instrument of the people that the mechanism for immeasurable benefits and happiness can be fully actuated. It also has a naturally perverse propensity to increase its jurisdictional purview at the expense of individual liberties.
Self-government is a supreme blessing for human advancement made under the rule of law, while also being a dubious scourge of humanity. In America the dual propensity of Liberty’s extremes are best managed by the people through their government. This endeavor will best protect our unalienable rights, and more than capable of diminishing the destructive components of majorities and minorities that accompany Liberty. Americans are the actual participating agents driving this constitutional engine. It moves as they move, always nourishing the life source of Liberty and the pursuit of happiness it provides, forever fueling this grand experiment in republican government, self-control, and personal responsibility that deserves exacting scrutiny and a disciplined rigor on the part of every citizen.
It seems as though American citizens are faced with a crisis of confidence in their governing arrangement. This has been the case since its inception. That amorphous fourth branch, who reigns in this restless realm of Liberty, cannot be easily pinned down in a neatly constructed category. It is a futile effort even to define its true essence, or accurately predict its proper movement. This is merely a marvelous symptom common to all people, over thousands of years, yearning for freedom and peace during their particular epoch.
All along this wondrous journey there were obnoxious obstacles placed in the glorious path of Liberty. It is too bad that there will always be foreign and domestic agitators and assailants of Liberty, personal freedom, human dignity, and the rule of law, who manufacture, then exploit, a contentious atmosphere perpetuating the antagonizing vexations that continually divide and distort perceptions, cynically accumulating more power and influence over the general welfare, while supposedly acting in its interest. They dangerously conjure up instances of inequities, artificially predefined distinctions, which, ultimately, sours public sentiment, denigrates the national and moral character of America, all at great risk and peril of undermining the great republican principles America, and its Liberty, rests upon.
The current domestic perplexities American’s are faced with cannot be summed up into one succinctly constructed proposition. These intricacies of social existence are not new and unique phenomena to the human species, and do not wholly reside in the temporary structure of our governing systems, or our domestic sentiments, generally, they are eternally housed in every heart and mind. American citizens, and other independent nations and peoples of the world, are still trying to comprehend the essence of Liberty, and figure out the appropriate measures needed to protect its enormous blessings. A fundamental objective for every independent and sovereign people is the preservation of their lives, liberties, and properties, which, once obtained, then jealously maintained, provides an environment for peace and happiness to thrive in. This is the general welfare of the community. The American governing system, more specifically, has assumed a substantial weight not suited for its primary voyage. There have been several ambitious additions, driven by noble intentions, accumulated over several decades, and is now in need of measured relief. The general welfare of the whole community has all too often been unfairly sacrificed for narrow and parochial interests that drive the painful practices of political expediency and mutual animosity. The great ship of state is always listing about the unpredictable societal seas, and constantly requires serious correction during tempestuous storms so it does not become debris in the strand line on history’s barren shores.
Our resilient system has changed for the better, climbed and crashed through tumultuous waves of civic unrest, having more freedom now then before, yet, sadly to say, not enough, even today. Most changes were for the better, and we still sail the seas with great purpose and resolve. But, at several critical junctures in American history, there were changes spurned on by an advantageous atmosphere of civic discontent, which inevitably leads to revenge politics and division, ultimately bringing national turmoil, disgrace, and contention. Our distant ancestors, and several of our most notable contemporaries, enacted numerous alterations not intended to be attached to the federal vessel, which unduly increased federal weight, and created a disturbing and debilitating imbalance of federal dependencies.
Obviously, necessary and proper structural changes have occurred over time. We are in a better place now due to the changes that have occurred. It does not take a genius to see the gracious benefits flowing from those needed alterations; but, there have been many constitutional constructions, consequently, that have produced an array of troubling realities, and several unforeseen externalities, we are currently forced to address. These constitutional extravagances and perversions of our governing principles have been a work in progress for some time. Although the American experiment in self government is far larger than any single generation, executive administration, congressional session, judicial construction, or bureaucratic fiat, but when they compile suspicious schemes and pernicious precedents over time, they amount to commonplace and lasting occurrences that may be beneficial, or harmful, to the sanctity of Liberty, and not easily altered. The virtuous citizens of the American Republic will endure as long as Liberty’s flame remains a well-regulated light for all to see and touch.
This republican system was erected because Liberty needed a sturdier and more moderate device to protect it from the passionate ravages and ignorance human beings act upon; the natural and destructive adversaries of Liberty are in direct opposition to the countervailing forces of peace, justice, equality, and happiness. A perpetual set of human crises has existed for more than a thousand centuries, they lay in the careful maintenance of Liberty’s delicate flame, and the control over its propensity to be smothered, or enraged into an uncontrollable inferno that is reminiscent of a state of nature. Liberty’s primitive extremes produce destruction, discontent, and division, and are usually accompanied by some form of tyranny, anarchy, or enslavement, of the body, mind, and spirit.
Innumerable generations have tangled with this eternal task given to us by our human ancestors, and yet the world is still teeming with all three maladies of societal perversion. When Liberty’s flame starts floundering and flickering we need to induce the embers, and reinvigorate the flame, with appropriate designs. On the other hand, when the flame starts to rage toward the heavens, and flees its well-regulated confines, we ease back on the fuel, and curtail its ferocity. Self-government, so far, is the best instrument to keep that flame under control, but only through the active, honest, and transparent operation of our governing apparatus will we be able to bequeath the blessings of Liberty to the unborn millions yearning to live in freedom. Each of us is personally responsible for safely transporting this jewel of humanity to another generation, and not let the flames consume the craft along the way.
Liberty is the object, self government is the actuator. How one attains it is dependent on the population that bears the legal responsibility to carefully maintain it. Liberty is a liberal notion, and its varying extremes carry destructive tendencies that undermine law and justice, the twin masts that help propel freedoms ship. The noble pilots of the revolutionary generation, just as imperfect as we are today – and, for sure, we are just as able at the helm – were faced with obscene obstacles that persist to this day. They installed a better regulator of Liberty’s ancient dual threats, tyranny and anarchy. These societal perversions have their origin in the intimate passions driving human action for thousands of years. These primitive aspirations are magnified in a large and free population. At times, human reason is dulled by the extreme elements that come with Liberty, and, at other times, enlightened by self-examination.
The relentless spirit of American freedom, and overbearing perseverance and purpose, swings with the peculiar circumstances of time and eternity. Never has there been so much freedom gained, and yet, we have so far to go, all of this being done without an accurate road map. History’s distant echoes tell us that Liberty is not easily controlled, let alone charted, and, at best, temporarily maintained. Liberty is an easier ideal to think about than it is to practice. The wise and virtuous citizens of America, and its future progeny, are in the enviable position to determine their own destiny. We will continue to face unforeseen instances of turmoil that challenge the essence of human Liberty and our national dignity. There is not a hint of doubt in this free and independent mind that American citizens shall continue to responsibly regulate, and surprisingly surmount, Liberty’s extreme propensities, with a vigilant and honest operation of their government. Whether this generation has success or failure, is up to it to decide, the next generation has the same gracious chance. This august project of Liberty’s careful maintenance is eternally woven in the hearts and minds of human kind to protect and carry it forward.
