All Men Have Freedom. Few Have Liberty.

The concepts of liberty and freedom are not necessarily complimentary of one another, per se.  Although they are viewed as quite similar terms they are nonetheless inherently different.  As human beings, we have choice and ultimately absolute freedom.  Even in iron-fisted repressive regimes such as North Korea, freedom exists for their people.   Freedom, is merely the personification of freewill, perhaps even synonymous of it.  People ultimately have an ultimate freedom regardless of the circumstances they are subjected to.  For example, in North Korea one can speak out against the tyrannical regime.  However, this act of freedom will be met with a swift and deadly reprisal.  Liberty, however, is fundamentally different than freedom.  Understanding this is crucial to understanding the greatness of the American people.  In the United States of America we have as the founding intended, liberty, or the protection of certain rights.  These protected God given rights allow us to act freely as we see fit, within reason, as all civil societies must have the rule of law to exist.   Nonetheless, we have in our nation liberty, which is extremely rare in this world.  Although, perhaps that should be written in the past tense, as our liberties have become constrained under this administration, but I digress.

Liberty, allows for the individual to carry out a certain acts or actions without reprisal or repercussions, often from a governmental body.  Liberties, should be unwavering and immovable.  This is where the United States of America was and should be particularly unique.  However, our beloved nation is transgressing in a direction that only results in a societal insolvency.  The vast majority of the American people still hold liberty true to its origination in the founding of this nation.   Moreover, the conservative constitutionalists understand the natural state of man and the influence this had upon our founding.  Furthermore, we the constitutional conservatives understand as our beloved nation begins to drift further away from our founding principles, as does the God given rights and liberties we possess by mere existence.

Conservative values revolve around the concept of individual liberty.  As liberty is interwoven in the very fabric of human existence, so are conservative values.  As government expands, liberty contracts -the words of the great President Ronald Reagan.  This can be observed through the destructive forces that mammoth iron-fisted governments have placed upon individual liberty throughout the history of mankind.  Observing human reactions to the compressions upon liberty throughout history it is apparent that liberty is an inherent desire of mankind.  How many examples exist of a repressed people resisting the contraction of liberty?  By the pen or by the sword, the individual seeks liberty.  The story of the United States is a resounding testament to the cause of liberty, more specifically individual liberty.  The concept of constitutional conservatism hence, is a testament to both the United States of America and to individual liberty in and of itself.

The American people, our nation, and our Constitution is evidence of the true nature of mankind.  As it was intended, the United States prospers because of individual liberty and the individual.  When this liberty is contracted, as a direct result so are the people, but the American people have a history in the United States of pushing back for the cause of liberty.  This is not simply by mere fortuitous circumstances.  Rather, we the American people, are the bastions for liberty.  We, as a people must remain the bastions for liberty.  For we well know many elected officials do not have the fortitude to bear such a burden.  President Ronald Reagan understood this far too well.

The demagoguery that was spewed forth in the last Presidential State of the Union Address, leaves much to be desired –intellectually and otherwise.  Therefore, perhaps it is best to examine what a truly great President would express during a State of the Union Address.  I must thank Mark Levin on his program January 28, 2014 for playing several clips of President Ronald Reagan’s State of the Union Addresses.  Mr. Levin provided me an alternative to listening to President Obama’s State of the Union Address.  I could not stomach hearing such demagoguery and the lambasting of our nation.  Nor could I stomach what has likely been a weak, unintelligent, and nonsensical response from RINO Republicans.  So, I read many of President Ronald Reagan’s past State of the Union speeches.  It was quite inspiring as always.  However, one particular portion of President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 State of the Union Address caught my attention:

“We owe it to the unfortunate to be aware of their plight and to help them in every way we can. No one can quarrel with that. We must and do have compassion for all the victims of this economic crisis. But the big story about America today is the way that millions of confident, caring people-those extraordinary “ordinary” Americans who never make the headlines and will never be interviewed—are laying the foundation, not just for recovery from our present problems but for a better tomorrow for all our people.”

-President Ronald Regan

Absent is the demagoguery.  Absent, is the nonsensical arguments for radical egalitarianism -veiled in rhetoric of fair shares, fair shots, and an equal playing field.  Absent, are the illogical statements alien to our history, mores, values, and society.  Absent, is the call for answers being derived from an ever-present, and ever-growing centralized federal government.  What President Reagan spoke of speaks to the true nature of the United States, our constitutional republic, and the inherent quality of the American people –extraordinary.

President Reagan understood, as we well know, the liberty bestowed upon us by God, our own industriousness, and the nature of the American people is the solution to our own societal ails.  President Reagan emphasized this constantly. In my humble opinion, because we at that time had lost grasp of our true nature and purpose as a nation collectively.  Moreover, President Reagan emphasized this because he truly believed in and loved his fellow Americans.

Perhaps, as Americans we should look unto ourselves again.  We are the key to our nation’s demise or salvation.  As constitutional conservatives, patriots, and citizens, we understand this all too well.  As I have written before, individually there is little we can do to change our nation’s direction.  However, we can take our individual talents and focus them collectively towards the cause of liberty.  Perhaps, I will write more on that topic, and how we can help others regain the understanding that we are an extraordinary people.  Above all, I would like to remind any who may read this article, that we the American people are ordinarily extraordinary.


Get Alerts