Restoration or Revolution?

Posted by Gordon on April 8, 2010 at 8:30am
Alexander's Essay – April 8, 2010

Restoration or Revolution?
"...with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." --Declaration of Independence http://patriotpost.us:80/document/the-declaration-of-independence/

American PatriotWith those words, our Founders codified by signature their intent to establish liberty over tyranny at the great cost of their fortunes and, indeed, their lives. Since that July day in 1776, generations of Patriots have, likewise, committed by oath to Support and Defend the Constitution to which that Declaration gave rise. http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2008/11/14/our-sacred-honor-to-support-and-defend/

As we approach the 235th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the opening salvo of the American Revolution, I am acutely aware that today, too many Americans have grown complacent in comfort; too many are loath to defend the legacy of liberty bequeathed to us by the giants on whose shoulders we rest.

Consequently, we find ourselves in a situation not unlike our Founders, where the equivalent of kings and potentates in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of our central government have treaded willfully upon the most fundamental of rights endowed by our Creator, foremost among these being Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Years before signing the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "They that can give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

Today, many Americans either unwittingly or even willingly trade Essential Liberty for some measure of safety and comfort. (Note that Franklin, that most erudite of sages, also added the word "temporary" when referring to safety.)

As a nation, as a people, we are at a crossroads, where we must endure a lack of safety to ensure Liberty.

Five decades ago, at another historic intersection, a young conservative who had recently departed the once-noble Democratic Party, issued an enduring challenge to his countrymen. http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2008/10/24/the-once-noble-democratic-party/

In his famous 1964 speech, A Time for Choosing, Ronald Reagan declared, "You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream -- the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order -- or down to the ash heap of totalitarianism." http://reagan2020.us/speeches/A_Time_for_Choosing.asp

I submit to you that we are now at a far more critical juncture in our nation's history, a juncture that calls for another Patriot Declaration (sign it here), whereby we once again pledge to each other our lives and our fortunes in order to extend Liberty to the next generation. http://patriotpost.us/petition/declaration/

President Reagan also left us an excellent template for restoring Liberty through the political process -- one based on First Principles. http://patriotpost.us:80/alexander/2010/02/04/the-reagan-model-for-restoration/

The time has come again to choose between liberty and tyranny, to sustain Essential Liberty in opposition to statism.

http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2009/12/17/the-time-has-come/

http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2009/09/03/essential-liberty-part-1/


Upon signing the Declaration of Independence, Ben Franklin proclaimed, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

That is equally true today.

If we are to restore Liberty and the integrity of our Constitution, we must do so from the bottom up, a groundswell from the grassroots. Indeed, nothing great and enduring has ever been built from the top down. We must therefore start at the foundation, speaking with one disciplined, determined and unified voice toward one primary objective: the re-establishment of the Rule of Law.

When debating the role of government, we must begin with the First Principles of Liberty.

http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2010/03/11/when-debating-a-liberal-start-with-first-principles/

If we are to succeed, we must understand the principles of Essential Liberty.

I have spent my adult life in defense of, and in humble service to, the cause of freedom, and I have gained a great appreciation for Liberty, primarily as a result of having been in many places where there was no acknowledgement of basic rights to self-determination.

Perhaps the experience that imprinted the greatest appreciation upon me was being arrested in the Soviet Union -- twice. (Call me a slow learner.) There is something about walking through seven heavy doors on the way to a deep pit in the bowels of the Evil Empire that heightens one's love for Liberty.

Of course, that experience pales in comparison to the enormous and moreover, sometimes ultimate sacrifices of other Patriots, but it influenced my perspective nonetheless.

In 2008, Barack Hussein Obama promised his constituents, "This is our moment, this is our time to turn the page on the policies of the past, to offer a new direction. We are fundamentally transforming the United States of America." http://patriotpost.us:80/alexander/2009/02/20/obama-vs-reagan/

Obama has clearly delivered on this promise.

If we are to turn back this tide of tyranny, it is important that every American Patriot, every American citizen committed to preserving our constitutional heritage and extending our legacy of Liberty to future generations, understand the difference between Rule of Law and rule of men, and be able to articulate that difference.