ohsherrie wrote:https://www.deltackett.com/resources/9028/a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it
After the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked, “What have you given us?” His famous response was, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Most focus on the fact that the Founders had established a Republic—a point that needs to be continuously made. But seldom do we ponder seriously his wise admonition that it must be “kept”, for the reality is that in a fallen world, it requires toil and sweat to grow and maintain both crops and Republics. Just as weeds will take over an untended garden, so will the relentless tide of political and societal weeds destroy our liberty and freedom if we are not diligent to tend our Republican garden.
If one were to step back and assess the health of our nation today, it would be easy to bemoan what appears to be a loss of rational civility—witness the recent call by a congresswoman to personally and publicly harass anyone in the current administration. That call was immediately carried out as an administration’s family was harassed and refused service in a public restaurant. Personally, I am increasingly fearful of the unchecked hatred that is openly seething in the left—with absolutely no accountability from the blue media.
These are tenuous times for the Republic.
So what do we do to “keep” it?
The number one task that we have is to insure that our children are well schooled in the principles of liberty and freedom.
When you can, write an attractively winsome letter to the editor or use some other public forum to graciously speak the truth. There was a time when most of the nation understood these principles—but now they are no longer taught in our schools. Instead, political and societal weeds are sown in our children’s minds throughout all academia. Those weeds are sown continuously from every quarter as well—especially from the media and the morass of entertainment—the fountain from which teens consume 9 hours/day and adults six.
That’s a lot of weed seed.
Teach and promote the foundations. Resist the false notion that the “keepers” are the elected officials.
We are the keepers of the Republic... if we can.
I've always felt that America is what the majority wants, plain and simple, but only to the degree that changes and direction are enacted the way the framers intended, or until we legally change what the framers intended. For example, let's go with the idea that some guy comes in and wants to be President, but he was born in Iran and only came to America 2 years ago. If the majority wants him to be President, fine. Change the constitution and no matter how much anyone else may disagree, tough. The majority of Americans want something and that's that. Of course to change the constitution. it has to be a decent size majority and the process is pretty well vetted. So if the constitution is in fact changed, it was not fly-by-night just because a fringe group cried so loud.
If we want to be the country that accepts refugees, no matter how insecure, fine - do it legally, elect the people that will do it, and stop circumventing our current laws. And if the country devolves into further violence and crime and our quality of life is reduced, we will address it via the next election.
What I don't agree with is wanting to enact some kind of policy when it is not law. If the person in charge of said policy (usually an elected official or part of an elected administration) will not enact your wish, I do not agree that you should go around them. We have elections for change. And we as a people can decide when the people we elect are making it harder for us to elect different things. This is how Donald Trump got elected. It's actually how Barrack Obama got elected. People were tired of old white mean all basically going down the same path and they decided to put a very green, unqualified person at the top to see what we could get. It's why Arnold became the Governor of California. We get to do that as a people.
I was not unhappy with Obama being elected, even though I felt he had zero experience and I felt like all his deals were shady (going back to his time at the state and Senate level) and I had concerns about how the war in Iraq and other places would be wound down. Whether or not we should have been there, a lot of good folks (on both sides) died and it seems it was about to be for nothing. But still, on the night of his election I was happy for some of the things it meant. And I too looked forward to what a shakeup like that might do. I also thought well, not the direction I wanted but clearly the American people have decided on their direction for the next several years and that's exactly what America should be. We cannot hold on to the notion that America must be 1776. As proud as we can be that a people that were vastly out-numbered walked away and fought their "keepers" to create a better life, we cannot always assume that it is what America will be. We can fight for that, we can vote for that, we can pray for that, but in the end it will be whatever the people decide - and that to me is the ultimate beauty of our country. Peaceful transitions of power, a people that agree on 95% of things (even though the 5% is dividing us greatly), and the ability to do whatever the fuck and change whatever the fuck we want - together.
Happy 4th peeps.