The Fourth of July, the day we celebrate the signing in 1776 of the Declaration of Independence from the rule of England and the king. The day that our forefathers informed the king that their basic rights to life liberty and pursuit of happiness were unalienable, given to mankind by the Creator and not man or man’s government. For well over two centuries Americans have been free to get jobs, create businesses and save money for their family and their future with limited interference from the federal government. It is truly a day to be celebrated and to ponder on the great gifts that our Creator has given to us.
However as I think upon and study the text of this document, I am struck by how much our own government has become similar to the tyranny of the king that we are commemorating our independence from. Interestingly, the first few tenants of the declaration refer to the passing of laws. First of all, “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”. How often have laws that would benefit the general populace been blocked by some federal judge? The second tenant states, “He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.”. How often have we finally gotten laws passed through much sweat and tears only to have our elected officials decide not to enforce them? And finally the third tenant, “He has refused to pass other Laws for the accomodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.”. How often have we put people in office with the hope that they will finally represent the will of the people and do the things we need them to do to protect and defend us only to have them turn their backs on us and immediately begin defending their own interests and the interests of the government, just as the representatives of the king did in the colonial days. An impoverished people can never be great and our government has done so much damage already, our jobs taken away from us and given to those in India, China and Mexico as our own people now work for slave wages in the service and fast food industry, many on food stamps to get by and many more working two or three jobs just to make ends meet.
But I digress, here’s a good one from the text, “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.”. The parallel here should be obvious to even the most casual observer. Here’s another good one, “He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy [treachery] scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.”. This too is so obvious as to scarcely need explanation, but the list of terrorist attacks committed by foreign “mercenaries” our irresponsible government officials have allowed to infiltrate our cities and towns is long and getting longer.
So on this day let us study the words of this sacred text and try to comprehend what we are celebrating and what we have already lost in just a little over two centuries. I pray that we will not allow ourselves to unwittingly revert to the rule of the king without even a fight. Already the battle is going to be long and hard to regain many of our unalienable rights from decades of overreach by our own version of the “king”. The words of the Bible, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.“. If we turn our hearts to the real King and humble ourselves, we can win back this great land and our liberty.
Steve Krull is a prolific sports and nature photographer selling prints and stock images online as S.W. Krull Imaging at various sites and agencies. Click this link to view all the products and services offered by Steve Krull and S. W. Krull Imaging. Additional services include, wedding photography, portraiture and model portfolios, and event photography. Additional products include fine art stock imagery, prints and gift items
