Who We Are

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Independence Day 2009

Drill SGT Zim, honoring the colors
Drill SGT Zim, honoring our nation's colors

To honor and celebrate our nation's birth, we'd like to share with you a terrific article. It's from The American Thinker; the article is Remembering What the Declaration of Independence is Not, by Bruce Walker.
When we celebrate the Fourth of July, we are celebrating one of the most important political documents in the history of the world. The Declaration is a statement to the world -- the people of the world was the audience -- about the very nature of government and its relationship to men. Sometimes we appreciate what this document was, but perhaps we need even more to appreciate what it was not.

It was not a poll-driven summation of current opinion. The men who gathered in Philadelphia did respect each other's talents and knowledge, but the document they signed was not not driven by the latest Gallup or Zogby poll results. What was right and true was not dependent upon popular opinion.

The signers did not even seek a vote of the people. No referendum was necessary for the Declaration of Independence and it might well have failed in some of the colonies. The "will of the people," so precious to demagogues, did not determine what was right and true. The people can fall for Hitler, adore Obama, and be enchanted by silly or wicked men. The purpose of government, as the Declaration clearly states, is to secure liberty and not to implement that dubious, inconstant sentiment "the will of the people."

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence represented the absolute opposite of "interest group politics" so slavishly worshipped in political science departments. They pledged their lives, their wealth, their liberty, and their honor -- everything -- on a toss of the dice. Often, even if the revolution won, these men personally lost. The game was not about them, their economic interest, or their political ambition. They won if America became a new order of liberty in the world. Interest politics would have led them all to make peace with the Crown. Moral principles led them to what Churchill would later call "blood, toil, sweat, and tears."

The brave men in Philadelphia were engaging in unconstitutional action. Britain had a constitution, albeit a largely unwritten one, and Jefferson knew that he was defying our equivalent of the Supreme Court. He and his colleagues defied the moral power of a system which no longer treasured liberty above advantage or caprice. Rulers making decisions which did not really affect them, living thousands of miles from their subjects, lacked the moral authority to wield law.

Moral authority was the heart of the Declaration as well. It lacked a separation of church and state and instead there was a unity of God and government. All men were created equal by God. That is the foundational point of the Declaration from which all else flows like the spring of liberty. If all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, politics is clear and simple. If that is true, then -- of course! -- protecting these inalienable rights is the only reason that governments are instituted among men. These were truths which, in the magical pen of Jefferson, the brave authors and signers held to be "self-evident." There is a Creator. He made us. He made us, specifically, free in body and in conscience. We are not sheep or some sort of oddly self-domesticated animals. We are creatures in the image of a Creator, unique in reality, and given the power to choose.

The men who wrote and signed the Declaration are all dead, long, long, dead -- they never expected otherwise. If we met their ghosts today, they would not ask about our technological marvels or our global economy or our medical breakthroughs or space travel. If we told them about our partisan debates or the new King in Washington, they might cringe like a father over an addled child.

But when speaking of what they wrote in 1776 -- signing their own death warrants, in some respects -- they might ask us this: "We did not mean to confuse you. That is why the words we chose were so clear. You are free creatures of God. Government is your creature, your chattel, your tool -- nothing more. We studied history long before we wrote our brief statement of liberty. You own government or rather the spirit of free men owns government. You fret about ‘stuff.' Why? We are all dead now, as we knew we would be. But we chose to die free, following our consciences - that is the only real choice in life. What confused you?" The principle of liberty is easy. All it requires is courage and honor.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read!

From all of us here at Ao4 Headquarters, we'd like to wish our fellow Americans a very safe and happy Independence Day.

The Army of Four

28 comments:

  1. Happy FoURth to all of woo as well!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra
    PeeEssWoo: Mom wishes she khould be there fur the khake! Happy Woo Know What To Woo Know Who!

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  2. A great read! Thanks for sharing it. If those people in Washington would follow the true intent of the Constitution, there wouldn't be near as many problems as every fights about.

    Happy Independence Day to our Army of Four buddies and their humans too!

    Roxie, Sammy & Andy

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  3. Thanks for this, Ao4! An inspiring writing that needs to be circulated.

    Oh, and if someone at Ao4 is celebrating something, let me wish you Happies too!

    Kisses,
    Stella

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  4. I like that!

    I send my best "WOO's" to you, my fine, furry friends, on this important day. Thank you, SGT. Zim, for honoring the colors so properly.

    Happy Independence Day, Ao4!

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  5. Grrrreat post! Now, if we could just get those bozos in DC to read and understand it! I have to tell you that I absolutely loved your hang 10 post! I'm a little behind due to all the excitement at my house lately. Have a super July 4th!
    Love and hugs,
    Twix

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  6. Happy Fourth to all of you too - thanks for the great read!! And happy special day to you know who.

    woos, the OP Pack

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  7. Happy Independence Day to all of you at the AO4! Thanks for posting such a great read and reminding us, and hopefully it'll circulate to Washington, what this day is all about.

    And Happy whatever to whoever is celebrating! That Khyra doesn't leave many clues!

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  8. Happy Independence Day to you, too! That's a great picture with the flag, Zim!

    Ozzie

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  9. Anonymous2:12 PM

    Happy 4OJ AO4!!

    wOOOO woo rar rar rar,
    Kayla and Maebe

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  10. happy 4th of July to all of you too!

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  11. Happy 4th of July! We hope that the biggest and bestest hot dog falls off the grill for all of you today.

    Many before us, and sadly, many after us will shed our most precious asset - the blood of our youth - to preserve the freedom(s) we hold so dear. Let us remember our valiant troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and pray that all of them will come home to celebrate Independence Day with us once more.

    ♥GOD BLESS AMERICA♥GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS♥

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  12. Wonderful post dear friends!!!
    Great great great 4th of july to all of you and your wonderful humans!!!
    We love you a lot!!!!
    Sweet kisses and licks!!!

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  13. Happy Independence Day to you all!
    Kisses and hugs
    Lorenza

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  14. What a wonderful post! We love the picture of Drill SGT Zim and our nation's flag and we really appreciate the article. It is good to know there are still people who understand our nation's origin.

    prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs and tail wags,
    Zeke, Sushi, Tiger Lily and Ruckus

    p.s. My post has a picture of me looking at our flag too. ~ TL

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  15. Woo pups and your mom and dad make us very proud and we give a proud woo to your family!
    Husky Hugs, MayaMarie

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  16. Happy 4th to you too! Love the pic of Zim! Thank you for sharing the article!

    Mochi

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  17. Happy 4th to all of you!

    Huffle Mawson

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  18. Furry great post!! Happy 4th to woo, and whatever ELSE is being celebrated!!!

    Mya Boo Boo

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  19. Hope you had a wonderful day. It's such a hard thing for us British to understand because we don't tend to be very patriotic towards our own country.

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  20. Happy 4th to woo and famiwee!!

    Cheers,
    Maxx

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  21. What a great post! We hope you had one super 4th with very quiet fireworks!

    Love ya lots,
    Maggie and Mitch

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  22. Happy Fourth to you all! We have been thinking of you.

    lots of love, Marvin, Jeannie and Family xxxxxxxxxxxx

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  23. Happy Independence Day!

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  24. Thank you for sharing those very important words, it has helped me and Mum understand independence day more. I just knew we would do findings of important learnings here. Thanks for not letting me down.

    ~lickies, Ludo

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  25. We had never seen that before and really enjoyed it. I bet the King in Washington may not ;)

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  26. Anonymous2:50 PM

    Maybe a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short! Happy 4th to you all! What gorgeous photo of my main man with the Flag!
    Hugs,
    Sitka

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  27. Happy 4th of July

    great article - thank you very much

    Woodrow, Sweetie & MJ

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  28. Happy Independence Day to you too. We both hope you four got to eat some of that yummy looking dessert that your mom posted a picture of on Facebook.

    Steve and Kat

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