On Wednesday, the 3rd of July, 1776, John Adams made his case that the Lee Resolution, passed by the Second Continental Congress the day before, was sufficient, and that American Independence should be celebrated “from this Time forward forever more” every year on July 2nd.
Thomas Jefferson, meanwhile, was finishing his much-edited draft of a more formal document — “an expression of the American mind,” as he put it. We know it as the Declaration of Independence, signed on the 4th.
Adams was right — July 2nd is The Real Independence Day — but Jefferson authored a masterpiece, signed by 56 men who committed high treason by doing so.
Now, two years before we mark the Sesquicentennial of American Independence, it’s perfectly reasonable to question how much longer our country can survive. We, as a People, have become unmoored from the Declaration.
We all love to quote the phrase, “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” but we leave out the word, “unalienable” (or, if you prefer Jefferson’s original, “inalienable”). Worse, we demonstrate no grasp of what the word means.
We’ve forgotten that the purpose of government isn’t to provide but “to secure these rights.” “The consent of the governed” now takes the form of resignation and capitulation — and silence.
Most shameful of all, we’re a disgrace to the vow made by the Patriots who signed the Declaration:
“…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find 56 Americans today with that kind of principled courage — willing to risk being hanged, then cut down and disemboweled while still alive.
No, we’re blissfully dependent. We give up our birthrights willingly. We’re silent, compliant and easily governed. Our addiction to ease and comfort dishonors the Founders.
It’s too late, as a country, to repair the damage done. The cultural die is cast. As individuals, however, and as communities of Patriots, we can (and should) restore our connection to the Declaration.
Tomorrow morning, I’ll engage in my long-standing Independence Day tradition of finding a quiet place and reading the entire Declaration of Independence out loud. When I’m done, I’ll take time to consider the closing words — “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
And then, this year, I’ll make a commitment of my own.
I will be ungovernable.
I’m confronted with a rogue State that’s abandoned its sole directive — to secure Liberty — and betrayed the People. It has, to quote again the Declaration, become “destructive of these ends.”
I withdraw my consent. I will not comply.
That’s what I mean to do this Independence Day holiday. And you?
This morning, The Mountain was found and marked….
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB