As Independence Day greets us in the year 2019, the United States finds itself at a tipping point in its history with our freedoms and democratic institutions under constant attack from our leadership. The country continues to be subjected to the spread of hatred, antagonism, fear, and division, along with a lack of civility and direct attacks on the our democracy. But these beliefs do not represent the attitude of most of America as they stem from the deep partisan divides that have torn our country apart for far too long. Today we must recognize that we should not give in to the bad examples nor follow the destructive path of misguided leaders as this will only push us further to the point of no return. And we must look to the law of the land and our legal institutions which give us the means and legal right to make a stand against this leadership that has failed to work in the best interest of the people.
In 1776, the people of the colonies came to realize that their distant and disconnected leadership no longer represented their needs, wants, or basic beliefs. They declared independence on July 4th of that year and chose to follow a path that was in the best interests of the people at that time. As I write this on Independence Day 2019, I realize that it is once again time to DECLARE INDEPENDENCE from a leadership that has GONE TOO FAR ASTRAY from the people it is supposed to represent and that WORKS AGAINST OUR DEMOCRATIC WAY OF LIFE. And thankfully, the early shapers of our country--the ones that gave us a Constitution that secures our rights, freedoms, and democratic government--understood that we would face situations like this from time to time. And they built in a means for us to revolt against leadership without resorting to violence or lawlessness. They GUARRANTEED that we would have the RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT against our leaders if we believed that they were acting inappropriately and that we would have the means to REPLACE THEM WITH OUR VOTES.
That time is upon us once again. The leadership of this country has gone far off track and no longer serves the people and democratic institutions it has sworn to protect. Those leaders may claim that they were swept into office by a revolution of their own, but that was nothing more than a wave of discontent from a small but vocal minority that lashed out at a time when the nation was deeply divided amongst itself. It represents only a small fraction of the American people who became energized at a time when too many were disillusioned to the point of inaction when faced with unacceptable choices for leadership. Now it is time for the larger majority to step up and proclaim that the wave that has briefly washed over the land and forced upon us leaders that feed upon hatred, fear, and division DOES NOT REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY.
This is not a liberal issue. This is not a conservative issue. This is not something for Democrats or Republicans to attach to their banners. This goes beyond the partisan politics that have too long failed to act in the interest of the people. This is an issue that impacts ALL AMERICANS who believe in the freedoms and liberties that this country has always stood for. For too long, we have been branded with the labels of liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican. And those labels have torn us apart and brought us to this pivotal point in our history. We are a country of over 320 million people, and WE CANNOT be boiled down to ONLY TWO IDEOLOGIES. We are white, we are black, we are brown, we are yellow, we are red, and ALL THE COLORS of the spectrum. We are Christian, we are Muslim, we are Jewish, we are Hindu, we are Buddhist, we are atheist, we are ALL RELIGIONS AND BELIEFS OF THE WORLD. WE ARE NOT JUST TWO IDEOLOGIES—liberal and conservative—BUT MANY, and we will not be torn apart by one of those or the other.
We are many people, many beliefs, many ideologies, many preferences, all living together in one country. And we have done so peacefully for far too long to have that destroyed by petty partisanship or leaders that promote division, distrust, and discord and who show a preference for tyranny over democracy. We have faced our struggles in the past, and we have not always made the right choices. But ultimately we have learned that separation, discrimination, negation, and despotism are NOT THE PATHS WE WILL FOLLOW. We have faced our inner demons before and we have said THAT IS NOT WHO WE ARE. We must do that again today.
So as we wave our flags on Independence Day 2019, we must remember that the Stars and Stripes do not represent one people, one belief, one way of life, but the many, many that make up this vast county. And they have ALWAYS represented many different people, often those who have been subjugated, persecuted, and disenfranchised. And as we sing the Star Spangled Banner, we must remember the important words “THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE”. And we must remember those have had the bravery to fight for our freedom against all odds.
And as we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we must remember that we are doing so not just to the flag, but “TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS”. And when we say those words “ONE NATION UNDER GOD”, whether we are believers or not, we must remember the kindness and love preached by so many religions in this world, ALL of which are represented in this county. And we must ALWAYS, ALWAYS embrace jealously the words “WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL”. THAT is what this country is about, NOT the animosity that our misguided leadership espouses.
On this day and every day henceforth, WE MUST DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM HATRED, ANTAGONISM, FEAR, DIVISION, AND TYRANNY and from those who ATTACK the institutions of liberty that are core to our free, democratic society. And we must do so not by following the inciteful example of our leadership, but with civility as law abiding citizens should. We must do so with our VOICES and OUR VOTES as is our GOD GIVEN RIGHT as free American citizens. When leadership has gone so far astray and has become harmful to the country it was elected to serve, IT MUST BE REMOVED BY THE LAW AND WILL OF THE COUNTRY.
In 1776, the people of the colonies came to realize that their distant and disconnected leadership no longer represented their needs, wants, or basic beliefs. They declared independence on July 4th of that year and chose to follow a path that was in the best interests of the people at that time. As I write this on Independence Day 2019, I realize that it is once again time to DECLARE INDEPENDENCE from a leadership that has GONE TOO FAR ASTRAY from the people it is supposed to represent and that WORKS AGAINST OUR DEMOCRATIC WAY OF LIFE. And thankfully, the early shapers of our country--the ones that gave us a Constitution that secures our rights, freedoms, and democratic government--understood that we would face situations like this from time to time. And they built in a means for us to revolt against leadership without resorting to violence or lawlessness. They GUARRANTEED that we would have the RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT against our leaders if we believed that they were acting inappropriately and that we would have the means to REPLACE THEM WITH OUR VOTES.
That time is upon us once again. The leadership of this country has gone far off track and no longer serves the people and democratic institutions it has sworn to protect. Those leaders may claim that they were swept into office by a revolution of their own, but that was nothing more than a wave of discontent from a small but vocal minority that lashed out at a time when the nation was deeply divided amongst itself. It represents only a small fraction of the American people who became energized at a time when too many were disillusioned to the point of inaction when faced with unacceptable choices for leadership. Now it is time for the larger majority to step up and proclaim that the wave that has briefly washed over the land and forced upon us leaders that feed upon hatred, fear, and division DOES NOT REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY.
This is not a liberal issue. This is not a conservative issue. This is not something for Democrats or Republicans to attach to their banners. This goes beyond the partisan politics that have too long failed to act in the interest of the people. This is an issue that impacts ALL AMERICANS who believe in the freedoms and liberties that this country has always stood for. For too long, we have been branded with the labels of liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican. And those labels have torn us apart and brought us to this pivotal point in our history. We are a country of over 320 million people, and WE CANNOT be boiled down to ONLY TWO IDEOLOGIES. We are white, we are black, we are brown, we are yellow, we are red, and ALL THE COLORS of the spectrum. We are Christian, we are Muslim, we are Jewish, we are Hindu, we are Buddhist, we are atheist, we are ALL RELIGIONS AND BELIEFS OF THE WORLD. WE ARE NOT JUST TWO IDEOLOGIES—liberal and conservative—BUT MANY, and we will not be torn apart by one of those or the other.
We are many people, many beliefs, many ideologies, many preferences, all living together in one country. And we have done so peacefully for far too long to have that destroyed by petty partisanship or leaders that promote division, distrust, and discord and who show a preference for tyranny over democracy. We have faced our struggles in the past, and we have not always made the right choices. But ultimately we have learned that separation, discrimination, negation, and despotism are NOT THE PATHS WE WILL FOLLOW. We have faced our inner demons before and we have said THAT IS NOT WHO WE ARE. We must do that again today.
So as we wave our flags on Independence Day 2019, we must remember that the Stars and Stripes do not represent one people, one belief, one way of life, but the many, many that make up this vast county. And they have ALWAYS represented many different people, often those who have been subjugated, persecuted, and disenfranchised. And as we sing the Star Spangled Banner, we must remember the important words “THE LAND OF THE FREE AND HOME OF THE BRAVE”. And we must remember those have had the bravery to fight for our freedom against all odds.
And as we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we must remember that we are doing so not just to the flag, but “TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS”. And when we say those words “ONE NATION UNDER GOD”, whether we are believers or not, we must remember the kindness and love preached by so many religions in this world, ALL of which are represented in this county. And we must ALWAYS, ALWAYS embrace jealously the words “WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL”. THAT is what this country is about, NOT the animosity that our misguided leadership espouses.
On this day and every day henceforth, WE MUST DECLARE INDEPENDENCE FROM HATRED, ANTAGONISM, FEAR, DIVISION, AND TYRANNY and from those who ATTACK the institutions of liberty that are core to our free, democratic society. And we must do so not by following the inciteful example of our leadership, but with civility as law abiding citizens should. We must do so with our VOICES and OUR VOTES as is our GOD GIVEN RIGHT as free American citizens. When leadership has gone so far astray and has become harmful to the country it was elected to serve, IT MUST BE REMOVED BY THE LAW AND WILL OF THE COUNTRY.
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