Happy 4th of July

The 4th of July for many unincorporated cities, in Texas means blowing up quasi commercial-grade fireworks at the end of your driveway and watching your neighbors doing the same.  I live in Spring, about 30 miles north of Houston, and in my neighborhood the artillery shells, which have become an area favorite, can be heard and seen for blocks.  After the explosions died down around midnight last night, I put the final touches on some thoughts I have contemplated these past two weeks.

The first sentence of the Declaration of Independence reads: "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."

Back in 2012, Danielle Allen, professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, wrote an inquiry letter to the National Archives asking whether the period which ends the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence was not a period after all, but rather an errant spot of ink.  The National Archives is still considering Professor Allen's question, but if she is correct, it would add several more clauses to the Declaration' first sentence.  In other words, Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the Founding Fathers may have been advancing not three, but five equally self-evident truths.

1. That all men are created equal 
2. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
3. That three of these rights are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
4. That to secure these rights Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
5. That whenever Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.     

It is important to note that with this new interpretation, that the more passive rights of individual choice (life, liberty and pursuing happiness) would be on equal footing with, and corollary to, the more active rights of the collective group to alter or abolish the government.  In other words, the protection and enjoyment of freedom is not just a benevolent gift bestowed from the heavens on the deserving citizens in a given time period, rather, freedom is something that the population must strive for; it is an active and not an idle right. Citizens of a country cannot just sit back and expect their county or fellow citizens to ensure their continued safety and happiness.  They must be engaged.  In Jefferson's day that meant somehow participating in the Revolutionary War, which had been going on for 15 months by the time the Declaration was written.  In our time it means, at least in part, honoring the First Amendment in exercising our rights to speech, thought and religious freedome.

On that note, I am concerned and somewhat worried that there is too much apathy infiltrating our American consciousness.  We are too content to take what we are given, or even demand that we should be given more, and we do not mind pervasive government intrusion in our lives.  The 21st century has seen two separate administrations take very wide liberties in pursuit of what it deems to be politically correct beliefs. Under the Bush administration there were accusations of people's rights to free speech being curtailed or limited only to specific "free speech zones."  And over 10 years after the Patriot Act was passed and then extended by that administration and the corresponding Republican and Democrat congresses, we are still not sure the full extent of what has been done by the FBI and NSA in spying on American citizens. The current administration has not put a stop to domestic spying, but neither has any member of Congress.  Notably, Republican Senator John McCain has said that spying is something that we as Americans have got to accept. Indeed many Americans feel the same way.  Do we not remember our dark history? The suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War, the internment of Japanese-Americans, German-Americans, and Italian Americans during WWII, McCarthyism, the surveillance and harassment of anti-war protesters during Vietnam?  Darkness is once again rearing its ugly head and many of us are content to sit idly by thinking that no harm will come from it.

Additionally, the current administration, whether by concerted effort or not, is acting unilaterally to further its agenda.  Whether it is the IRS's targeting of conservative minded individuals, or President Obama's decision to act alone on immigration, or the U.S. Patent Office's recent cancellation of the Washington Redskins' Trademarks, there is a definite Orwellian tenure coming out of Washington D.C.

I should be grateful that we live in a constitutional republic of checks and balances,  and I am, but it becomes a little frustrating when the three branches of government don't do much to thwart any overreaching of power by the other branches.  One could make the case that the Legislature is doing a fairly pathetic job currently of challenging the Executive branch's executive orders, or that the Republican Congress is not rocking the boat so much because they are as power-thirsty as the rest of Washington and are looking to 2016 as an opportunity to reassert their political paradigm; one could also argue that the culture of career politicians in Washington has damaged the system of checks and balances. Indeed there is a considerable decline in American's confidence in politics and the media.  Unfortunately too many people have taken the attitude that "it doesn't matter" or "I don't like to think or talk about politics" or that "they are only one person and cannot do anything about it."  But apathy and disgust cannot be the answer.  Our confidence in the government and society will not magically increase overnight if we do nothing.  

It is amazing that our Constitution has endured over 220 awe-inspiring and challenging years.  I hope it endures for 220 more, and 220 more after that, and on and on.  I believe the brevity of the document and the determination of many of the citizens it protects are a tribute to its longevity. That we engage in robust debates is a necessary part of living in a country that treasures the freedom of speech.  We must remember, however, that debate means that there may be uncertainty about the nature of the issue and not necessarily the nature of the person advocating for a particular cause.

There is too much division between people, political parties, religions, philosophies, and ethnicities.  We need to realize that we as citizens are also part of the system of checks and balances.  We must come together to do our part to ensure the continued longevity of the Constitution and the values it espouses.  We must also remember that we are children of God first, citizens of the United States second, and lastly whatever political, social or philosophical persuasion we may be.  We must act in a way that inspires and not belittles people, that keeps the discussion going in a challenging, but productive way, and encourages and implements change.

May we rise to the challenge before us and be eternally vigilant in our cause for freedom.