Our country began with our Declaration of Independence which states the well known phrase, “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.” It goes on to say that governments are instituted to protect those rights. I think it is time for all of us to see how well our government is doing in protecting these rights.
The United States of America has maintained a strong Army, Navy and Air force (and related services) to try to keep its citizens safe from foreign aggression. It has done a pretty good job of this, but there have been some instances where it just was not enough. Our 9/11 attack as well as subsequent terrorist attacks have shown this. Still, we responded to these attacks by strengthening our intelligence services and our military. There have been some indications that recently our military has been weakened by financial cuts and political decisions. We must be careful to keep our military strong as we do face a definite threat from foreign governments and ideologies. To protect our way of life in America is a primary function of our government. I personally salute all those who have served us in our military and have not only kept our country free, but have also helped free other countries. We should be very proud of their service. War and fighting is an absolutely terrible thing, but unfortunately has sometimes been necessary. I pray that some day we may all live together in Peace, but that seems so far away.
Our government also must protect the Life and Liberty of its citizens from people inside of our borders. It is unfortunate, but very true, that we need protection on the home front. We have numerous Law Enforcement Agencies to protect us from crime. This crime can be life threatening and liberty threatening. Our Police and related services have a difficult job and need our support. The work that they do puts their own lives at risk, but they do that to protect us. The vast majority of the time, they do an excellent job and should be commended. Our government, at all of its levels, should be very supportive of our Law Enforcement Agencies.
Our liberty is very important to us. We are known as the Home of the Free and our personal liberties are among the best in the world. Yes, we do have laws that sometimes seem to hinder our liberty, but it is important for governments to pass laws that help to protect us. Some people still complain about speed limit laws and seat belt laws, but they save many lives. Government has the difficult job of deciding what laws are necessary to protect the majority, and what laws are just too restrictive on our freedoms. At the heart of these laws, the government must see how they affect the three unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Thomas Jefferson said, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”
Presently there is one nationwide “law” that I believe is at odds with what Thomas Jefferson said and with the three unalienable rights, especially the right of Life. The most important right is the right to Life. Without that, there is nothing. Somehow we have allowed our country to legalize the killing of unborn children. Right now we average about 2,000 abortions per day. Our government is supposed to protect its citizens, especially those who cannot protect themselves. We have allowed a society to exist where mothers can kill their sons and daughters simply because having them would be an inconvenience to them. This is so wrong. Not only that, it seems that the primary agent in all of this, Planned Parenthood, is targeting “undesirables” such as black and poor and immigrant peoples. Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, is quoted as saying, “Birth control must lead ultimately to a cleaner race.” (April 1932 Birth Control Review) and “We don’t want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population” (Women, Morality and Birth Control – New York Publishing Co. 1922). Our country should be so much better than that. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, said, “The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb”. This was based on a NYC Dept of Health report showing that 60% of all pregnancies of black women end in abortion. It looks like Margaret Sanger is getting what she wanted.
There has always been the argument that woman should have the right to choose because it is their body. However, what about the right to live of the baby inside the womb? That baby has no one to speak for her or him. It is the government’s responsibility to protect that life. Another argument is that the government should allow free access to abortions because if it doesn’t, women will find someone to perform it that is not skilled. To me, that is a poor argument. We don’t legalize things to make it easier because people will do it anyway. The mass killing of babies in this country is truly an abomination and must be stopped.
We have also been a country where we acknowledge the Freedom to practice our Faith. Recently the government has been forcing some church organizations to do things that are not allowed in their faith. This too is so wrong. Let’s hope that our government stance changes to reflect what our founding fathers set up in this country. It is sad to see that God has been taken out of our schools, courts and government meetings. It is time to bring Him back.
I think that there are so many people that feel that our country is headed in the wrong direction on so many levels. I do think that is true, but I also see our country as something really great. We do need to return to some of the values that we have had in the past. Let all of us work for this and pray for this. God Bless America.