America's First Liberty
Article by Allen West in Townhall
America's First Liberty
2 Corinthians 3:17 (New International Version), "The Lord is the spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom."
As I speak across the country, I am often asked, “How do we get our country back on track?” My response is simple, “As the longest running constitutional republic in the history of the world, we need to get back to our fundamental principles and values.” America was established, not upon the absurd cultural Marxist tomfoolery of 1619, but upon a belief that the unalienable rights of the individual are endowed to them from a Creator God. And let's clarify, this refers to the Judeo-Christian God.
Was America perfect on the day the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776? No, but the preamble to our Constitution challenged us to establish a "more perfect union". This is the cornerstone from whence to build upon.
Thomas Jefferson studied the English classical liberal philosopher John Locke and his Second Treatise of Government, circa 1689, in order to set the grounds of individual rights, freedom, liberty, and sovereignty. Locke advanced the revolutionary theory of Natural Rights. He asserted that not only does man have the natural right to a spiritual relationship with the Creator God, set forth by Martin Luther and his 95 theses, but Locke believed that all our rights came from the Creator, naturally, not from rulers or the political elites.
Jefferson codified this in our Declaration of Independence but changed those rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jefferson quoted the laws of nature and nature's God as the basis for our separation from England and her usurpations of the individual rights of the colonists.
Let us remember that the very first liberty is the Freedom of Religion and the free exercise thereof…not freedom from religion. "Separation of Church and State" is not in any of our founding documents. It is a concept expressed in Jefferson's letter to the Danbury (CT) Baptist Convention. Jefferson proposed to never have a head of state who makes themselves head of church and establishes a state sponsored religion. That was the lesson learned from King Henry VIII and his establishment of the Church of England…even naming himself its head. In essence, King Henry VIII sought to supplant God with the big "G" with government with the little "g".
And this is where we find ourselves in America. The first thing little "g" government tried to do as we entered the "crisis tyrants" dream of COVID was to shut down churches. It became so insidious that the government was threatening congregants to not even attend services in their parking lots, in their own cars.
I have searched our Constitution to find the enumerated power of elected officials to decide who or what is essential. Benjamin Franklin said, "those who would surrender essential liberty for temporary security, in the end will deserve neither liberty or security". Our surrender to the COVID crisis tyrants only served to feed the beast and give politicians the false notion that our rights come from them.
Can anyone find evidence where the government has the enumerated power to decree we must all receive an experimental injection, under penalty of losing our employment? Neither Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution nor Article II grants the government power to protect our health...they're supposed to protect our rights. And remember, our Declaration of Independence says their actions are to be based upon the consent of the governed.
By the way, there is no federal law saying you have to wear a mask in an airport. A mandate does not equal a law, unless we no longer live in a constitutional Republic but rather in a monarchy.
Recall that Benjamin Franklin was asked if we had a monarchy or a Republic by Mrs. Powell. He responded, "A Republic if you can keep it." And therein lies the problem. We are at a point where leftist edicts supplant our laws. It was not legislators that blocked energy production in the U.S. making us once again dependent on foreign oil. Would-be tyrants bypass the legislative process and the brilliant checks and balances devised by the founders.
Leftist tyrants are now declaring dissent and opposition to them to be the equivalent of domestic terrorist. Hmm, I kind of remember that first amendment right to "peaceably assemble" and "to petition the government for redress of grievances". Maybe that only applies to some Americans as we watch those Antifa and BLM violent leftists commit violence and burn down buildings.
The leftists in America are not just seeking to redefine our history. They wish to redefine our rights. And much as with King Henry VIII, if one does not bow down and subjugate themselves to the left's religion of cultural Marxism, you will be prosecuted and persecuted.
“…where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” I am not advocating for a state sponsored religion. But I do not subscribe to the idiocy of separating our Judeo-Christian faith heritage from our founding. The American Constitutional Rights Union’s motto is “Live Free” and we will fight to defend our God-given rights.
Ronald Reagan once said, "If we forget that we are One Nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under".
Not on my watch. Steadfast and Loyal!
https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2022/03/14/americas-first-liberty-n2604508
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