By Andy Hopper, Republican Nominee for Texas House District 64
Thomas Paine rightfully stated that “society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government.”
Such was the case in America in the spring of 1776, when the 2nd Continental Congress was collectively coming to grips with the reality that there was no likelihood of reconciliation on the many grievances shared by American colonists with Great Britain. In fact, in late 1775 King George II issued the “Proclamation of Rebellion,” presumably labeling all of the delegates to the Congress traitors to the Crown.
After months of debate, the idea of a local American government separate from Great Britain, long held by men like Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson resolved in the minds of the more reticent delegates. On July 4th, 1776 the Congress voted to say aloud the word that had only previously been said in whispers: Independence.
While our American Declaration of Independence was firmly rooted in the principles espoused throughout the centuries, such as the Declaration of Arbroath penned in Scotland in 1320, Jefferson eloquently captured the essence of the relationship between mankind and government:
“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, and to institute 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.”
In signing this document our founding ancestors were effectively burning the ships – committing themselves to a long and costly war with the greatest military power on Earth and, if they should fail, guaranteeing their own executions for treason to the Crown. And yet they stood:
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Today, 248 years later, we face many of the same concerns. Recently, a Marist National Poll showed that 47% of Americans believe that a civil war is likely to occur in our lifetime. This result should be unsurprising in a country whose federal government has for the last three years been effectively cooperating with the cartels to effect an invasion of America and perpetuating the largest sex and drug trade in human history. The very same government has indoctrinated American servicemen that the greatest threat to America is “extremism” from the political right. For many months these same agencies have also been systematically weaponized against political candidates who stand in the way of the march towards complete control.
This comes after 20 years of this government monitoring and recording the communications of citizens, and weaponizing agencies against the states and the people.
And yet in the midst of all this, there is much room for optimism and hope. Americans have seen with their own eyes all of these things, and fully understand that we are not on a path to ensure liberty and tranquility for our posterity. More than any point in my lifetime, and likely that of my parents or grandparents, Americans understand that if liberty is to be regained and preserved, that the mantle of responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of this generation.
In 1967 Ronald Reagan noted that freedom “is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. And those in world history who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again.”
Complacency and rationalization is the great ally of an oppressive government and the greatest weapon in its arsenal against liberty.
And yet, the fact that our patriotic countrymen have come to accept the grave reality of the problem is well more than half the battle. Saying the truth out loud is sometimes the hardest thing, but here we are together united in this cause to save our country. I have faith that our Lord, the Supreme Arbiter of the Destinies of Nations, will give us wisdom enough to weather this storm and have every hope and even confidence that He will give us strength enough to ensure that the tree of liberty will not die on our watch.
On this Independence Day, let us mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor to secure the liberty of our posterity.
