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Independence Day - 07/04/2009

233 years ago, the founders of our new country began by stating a set of principles -- That all people have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  "Inalienable" refers to the fact that these rights cannot be taken away; not by government nor by the majority vote of your neighbors.  "Liberty" refers to freedom from oppression, freedom from the forceful interference of others.  A free society allows each person to act or not act as they please, associate or not associate with others of their choosing, and pursue their own desires; so long as they don't interfere with the rights of others to do the same.  Clearly, it's been a very long time since the United States resembled a free society.

According to the Declaration of Independence, government's sole purpose is to protect the inalienable rights of individuals.  Government acquires its just powers by the consent of the governed.  Not some of the governed, or even most of them, but all of them.  The use of government force that steps beyond these bounds is a violation of the principles on which America was born.  Unfortunately, these violations occur frequently and often go unchallenged.

This Independence Day, remember that it's the freedom of each person to choose his or her own values in life that makes a country prosperous; the freedom that we are losing and will continue to lose if we just sit back and watch it happen.