By William J. Dell – July 1992
As I write this, I once again ponder the direction our America is taking. I believe that we must always be going toward Freedom or away from it toward Slavery. For on the continuum of Freedom and Slavery – you cannot stand still. Each of us must choose, each and every day which way we as individuals, families, and a nation will go, and none of us can escape the effects of our cumulative national decision.
During the dark night of Colonial America, Thomas Paine wrote these oft quoted immortal lines:
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem to lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange, indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated.”
Surely the present times also try men’s souls. We as Americans are faced with no less a tyrannical enemy then our Founding Fathers. In that time King George III wanted to subjugate Americans, today we are in danger of being subjugated by creeping socialism enacted by our own Federal Government. A great American and former Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson once said, “Great nations do not usually fall by external aggression; they first erode and decay inwardly, so that, like rotten fruit, they fall of themselves”. Do we esteem our Freedom too lightly? Does it have little value for the majority of Americans because they have not purchased it as our Founding Fathers? Have we not suffered enough to appreciate and cherish our Liberty? Or what is the cause — the reason — why Americans seemly are now so eager for the chains of slavery when their Founding Fathers ‘pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor’ for their liberty and the liberty of their posterity?
Over two hundred years ago our ancestors had to deal with several oppositions and today we must deal with these same oppositions if we are to preserve our heritage of Freedom for our children and grandchildren. You may wonder what these oppositions are and I hope the following outline will help to clarify them for you. Consider and ponder the following remembering ‘for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things’, for without sadness, there can be no joy, nor can the joy be savored.
FREEDOM AND SLAVERY
The first two terms to be discussed are Freedom and Slavery. The dictionary defines Freedom as 1. the state or condition of being free. 2. not being under another’s control; power to do, say, or think as one pleases; liberty. Slavery is defined as 1. the condition or fact of being a slave. 2. a condition like that of a slave; bondage; servitude. It is apparent by these definitions that these terms are in opposition to each other.
This was the first opposition that our Founding Fathers had to consider, and the one that we must also first consider. They had to decide if they wanted to be Free from England’s oppressive rule or in bondage to it. Today, our decision is no less significant. We must decide if we want to be Free from creeping socialism and a Federal Government which wants to control every facet of our lives or be in bondage to that Federal Government and the debt that its socialistic programs are causing.
In the battle for the hearts and minds of men, these two great forces are always at work, and there can be NO neutrality. It has been so since before the foundations of the earth were created and it is so today. Then, we all chose Freedom and opposed Satan’s plan of Slavery. In this life also, we must either continually choose Freedom or we will eventually succumb to Slavery. We will either be a freedom fighter or a fighter of freedom. We cannot be both because these conditions of man are always in opposition to each other. We either choose to actively do all that we can to maintain our Freedom and Liberty or by acquiescence we SURRENDER to Slavery. What is you choice, Freedom or Slavery?
Assuming you are with the majority of Americans and have chosen Freedom, how great is your commitment? Are you only a ‘summer soldier’ and ‘sunshine patriot’ or are you a real freedom fighter committed to the cause of Freedom as our Founding Fathers were? If you are really committed to Freedom, you are ready to consider the next opposition just as the real freedom fighters of over two hundred years ago considered it.
PEACE AND CONFLICT
The dictionary defines Peace as 1. freedom from war or strife of any kind. 2. public quiet, order, and security. 3. an agreement between contending parties to end war. On the other hand, Conflict is defined as 1. a fight or struggle, especially a prolonged one; battle. 2. a disagreement, dispute, or quarrel. 3. a mental or spiritual struggle within a person. 4. the clashing of opposed principles, statements, etc. Here again it is apparent that these terms are in opposition as seen by their several definitions.
It must be noted; however, that either of these conditions can exist regardless of our first choice. We can have Peace or Conflict in a condition of Freedom or Slavery.
For a long time our Founding Fathers sought for Freedom from English demands and rule through PEACEful means. They importuned many times; however, they determined that their pleas were falling on deaf ears. They saw their Freedom being destroyed by degrees and they knew of their impending Slavery. The Founding Fathers originally wanted NO CONFLICT, but because Freedom was their principal choice and they could not obtain it PEACEfully, they accepted the Conflict. They did not shirk it. They ‘pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor’ to the Conflict.
VICTORY AND SURRENDER
Having done this they were forced to the third opposition Victory or Surrender. The dictionary defines Victory as 1. the advantage or superiority gained in defeating the enemy or an opponent in battle; triumph gained by force of arms. 2. the defeat of an enemy in combat, battle, or war. 3. success in any contest, struggle, or enterprise; supremacy, superiority, or triumph in any effort. Surrender is defined as 1. to give up (something) to the possession or power of another, upon demand or compulsion; yield (to); to surrender a town to the enemy. 2. to give up, resign, or abandon possession of (something) in favor of or for the sake of another; relinquish. 3. to give up or abandon (hope, joy, comfort, etc). 4. to give (oneself) up to a dominating thing or influence.
This too relates to the other choices. It is hoped that ALL Americans want Peace, but Freedom loving Americans can never accept Peace without Freedom and if they must accept a Conflict to preserve Freedom they must achieve Victory. The reason for this is clear. If we obtain Peace without Freedom, we have Surrendered and have become encircled by the chains of Slavery.
There is a cycle in the political lives of a people and their nation it goes something like the following:
Freedom ➞ Abundance ➞ Selfishness ➞ Complacency ➞ Apathy ➞ Fear ➞ Dependency ➞ Bondage ➞ Spiritual Faith ➞ Courage ➞ Freedom ➞ . . .
It is my judgement that this nation is currently passing through the period of Apathy, Fear, and Dependency of this cycle. It is my prayer that we may escape Bondage by rekindling Spiritual Faith and Courage in the hearts of all Freedom loving Americans. Our Founding Fathers gave their all in their struggle for Freedom and against Slavery. Can you and I do less in our struggle for the Freedom of our families against tyranny, oppression and injustice from where ever it comes?
The tree of liberty only grows when watered by the blood of tyrants.
Bertrand Bariri
May God Bless and Save the United States of America —
Our Constitutional Republic !
