I saw the following sentence at 6:32 a.m. eastern time the Tuesday after Memorial Day and, after searching repeatedly, I could not find it several hours later in the publication.
“But the photographs last weekend of crowded beaches, lakes, parks, and malls suggest millions of Americans are willing to defend to the death their right to pursue life, liberty and maskless personal happiness during a pandemic. (“Simendinger, Alexis, and Al Weaver. Morning Report, TheHill, Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., 26 May 2020, thehill.com/homenews/morning-report.)
Let’s examine this thought. First, do you have an individual right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which includes your property? If you don’t have a personal right to your God-given rights, then your rights belong to the collective. In the collectivist view, your property rights can be given, transferred, altered, abandoned, even destroyed by the government. You will do whatever is best for the community, even if that isn’t what is best for you. Who determines what the collective group will do and who it will obey? The government, which is full of people who make the same life mistakes as you and I do. According to the Declaration of Independence, the purpose of civil government is to secure your God-given rights, not run your life for purposes not always disclosed.
What individual rights does the U.S. Constitution say are yours? (For those who aren’t aware, the Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Thus, the Bill of Rights is a part of the Constitution, not a separate document). Here are just a few of the individual rights you enjoy:
-freedom of religion, speech, and of the press
-the right to peaceable assembly
-the right to petition your government for a redress of grievances
-the right to keep and bear arms
-protection from being forced to quarter troops in your home
-no unreasonable searches or seizures without a warrant
-right to a fair trial by a jury of your peers, no double jeopardy
-cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law
-you must receive just compensation if your property needs to be acquired by the government
These are fundamental rights in a free society. You have the right to own your stuff, worship, speak, meet, protect yourself, trial by jury, due process, etc. Every life is sacred in a free society and deserving of freedom. To whom are free individuals ultimately responsible? A sovereign God, not imperfect humans who are sinners, just like you and me. If you don’t believe in God, you still enjoy the freedom and benefits of a free society. The moral roots of a free society don’t depend on any religious affiliation. They depend on the Creator, who endows us with certain unalienable rights. They depend on everyone operating in a framework of individual responsibility and self-government. This requires a mature and moral populace.
Apparently, Americans, religious or not, love their personal freedom. Deep down, they know instinctively that they are a free-born people. They are not ready to surrender their individual freedom any longer. We the People were willing to cooperate, of our own volition, to slow the spread of the virus. So, we endured lockdowns and all that implies.
Americans are showing that they are not willing to put up with threats, forced confinement, and enemy #1, which is fear. We the People are no longer afraid.
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”– Thomas Jefferson
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.??