Position Paper 2: The Heirs of Liberty and Our Shared Responsibilities

We are the sons and daughters of liberty. It might sound "cheesy" or "lame" to refer to ourselves as the heirs of a great legacy bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers, but nevertheless it is true. Abraham Lincoln once referred to these United States as the last, best hope of humanity. In his first inaugural, our greatest president George Washington said that "... the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." I've written many times in this forum and others about my deeply held belief in American exceptionalism, and Washington's quote expresses this thought more eloquently than I ever could; the idea that liberty is our birthright and we are its guardians. Each of us.

So what does it all mean? It means that as the heirs of liberty we share responsibilities to ensure that liberty survives, and even thrives. Liberty is assaulted at every front by the forces of darkness and evil. Some are foreign threats and some are, sadly, domestic. I think about what it means to be an American as we near the dawn of another presidential election. Despite the cries of some that we are experiencing an "imperial presidency", there is no doubt that George W. Bush will leave office peacefully on the Constitutionally-mandated date and time. I'll digress and relate a quick story: Someone close to me asked me "But what if he didn't? What if he gathered the military and refused to leave office?" My response reflected my belief in American exceptionalism, that it wouldn't happen here (to which he remarked about how the Germans felt the same way on the eve of the Third Reich), and that even if a president tried to marshall our troops in that way, they would know to refuse the order because they take faithfully the oath uphold, protect and defend our Constitution from all threats, both foreign and domestic.

I think about our Founding Fathers quite a bit these days. The men and women who came together to create our great nation were unquestionably the preeminent political philosophers of any time before, and anytime since. There are many who slander these great men as "dead white men" or nothing more than slave owners. Yes, they were human and were flawed and prone to sin like we all are. But they crafted the greatest Constitution ever known to mankind and gave us the tools to govern ourselves successfully. And for that we should always be grateful to them. Naturally, my thought process then flows to those who have inherited the reins of power. There are good ones to be sure: Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, Tom Coburn. There are those who fail miserably when compared to Washington, Jefferson, Madison and the rest: Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, Trent Lott, and to some degree George W. Bush. These are the heirs of liberty? What a mess we have created for ourselves.

Our Constitution begins by articulating who ultimately holds power in America: "We the People". We are in control of our fate, not the people who would hijack our destiny in order to acquire and maintain power. It is our shared responsibility as Americans, regardless of party affiliation, to remember and focus on the things that unite us. It is our shared responsibility to protect the American destiny of liberty for our posterity. Regarding the domestic threats we face from Democrats and Republicans that are hostile to the Constitution and individual liberty, it is up to each of us to hold in our hearts the very same oath that our leaders and military soldiers take when they assume office or pick up a rifle in defense of our Constitution. It is up to us to uphold, protect and defend the Constitution from all threats, both foreign and domestic. Yes, it is all up to us, the sons and daughters of liberty.