Celebrating Freedom When We Aren’t

It’s the Fourth of July. For those who actually don’t know – Jay Leno and Mark Dice proved it – the Fourth of July is Independence Day in the US. This is the day that the 13 American colonies declared independence from Great Britain. The colonies ratified the Declaration of Independence on this day in 1776.

It’s a very important day in American history. A new country was born that eventually became the greatest democracy in the world; it took some time, but it became the only all-inclusive democracy in world history. Yes, there are people out there that hate the US, that think this day might be the birthday of universal oppression throughout the world. Those would be the indoctrinated folks that can’t snap out of the haze of Cultural Marxism.

The kool-aid drinkers believe that the founding fathers (oops, parents) only declared freedom for rich white guys. That’s true, but they did begin an experiment that eventually included everyone. The Constitution even shows that more folks were included. Go ahead, look for yourself.

But there are people out there, including leaders in our government that believe Americans’ rights should be curtailed. And what’s shocking is that people protest in favor of limiting rights.

We’re definitely living in some strange times. Americans have become confused to the point where we don’t realize why we exist as a country. There are many reasons why the US exists, but we’ve turned our backs on those reasons. Here are some reasons why being free is good, but also why we’re not free at all.

It’s good to be free because we have the First Amendment. We have the right to speak out against an injustice. We have a right to publish stories on government corruption and laws that threaten our rights. We have the right to worship whatever god we want to. And we have a right to stand together whether it be for worship or protest.

We aren’t free because we have safe spaces that discriminate against some Americans and silences others. Because diversity of opinion causes so much discomfort and fear that it causes violence. Because we have a government and press that make the best effort to decimate those who speak against big government, a centrally-managed economic system, a declining economy, and funding terrorist groups that want to kill Americans.

It’s good to be free because we have a right to privacy; that law enforcement cannot break down our front door and enter on a whim. Idealistically, our government should be willing to respect that right. And protect it.

We aren’t free because we have a government that doesn’t trust its citizens. It collects our phone calls, internet usage, wants to track mileage and resource usage in our cars and appliances. Yes, greener technology and energy is important to make our environment better, but it shouldn’t be a scare tactic and it shouldn’t be used to control your life with carbon taxes.

It’s good to be free because we have the Second Amendment. We can go to the range to shoot a gun as a way to relieve stress, or for competition, or just a fun day outside. We can hunt if we like. How many people out there like venison steaks? And we have this freedom, most appropriately for the times we’re living in, to protect ourselves and families from random intruders or terrorists or government thugs.

We aren’t free because of the restrictions on gun ownership. Government propaganda tries to make us believe that Americans shouldn’t own a gun because guns kill people instead of the fool behind the trigger. Common sense should smack these politicians on the head. The presence of a gun is more likely to deter a criminal than not having one at all. But forget the misinformation. Politicians want to criminalize gun ownership because they know they can control the population with more certainty when citizens can’t fight back.

If former VP Biden thinks anyone should take his advice about shooting a 12-gauge shotgun from a balcony to alert the public that an intruder just broke into someone’s home, then he’s crazy. There is a much better place for that buckshot to go.

It’s good to be free because we have a concept called due process, in which our government can’t deprive us of life, liberty, or property unfairly.

We aren’t free because we have laws passed like the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which gives government the authority to arrest and detain you without charge and without jury trials.

It’s good to be free because individual states and citizens have sovereignty to counteract the actions of the federal government.

We aren’t free because the federal government has taken power away from the states and citizens because we’re too complacent. Home-schooled families are arrested or forced back into the public system. Common-core forces a one-size-fits-all education on students who are taught “for the test’’ rather than providing kids the gamut of a full education. And citizens who live off the grid are arrested or forced back on it.

Writing this has been a downer. Why are we celebrating the Fourth of July?! Certainly not because we’re free.