The Rise of Freedom Isn’t New Buildings In New York?

FREEDOM IS A STATE OF MIND

by Ron Ewart, ©2010

(Nov. 23, 2010) — “The only way to deal with an un-free world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion”— Albert Camus, French Novelist

“If you have never known freedom
It’s impossible to see,
Why it is so important,
To you and me.”

“You can’t see freedom
You can only be free.
You can’t touch freedom
It’s a phantom you see.”

A phantom we hold
In our hearts and minds.
A fleeting memory we are told,
Should we it let slip away,
On the winds of time.”

Excerpts from a poem by Ron Ewart entitled “FREEDOM”

That’s right.  Freedom is a state of mind.  It does not live in things or possessions.  Creative ideas, beautiful buildings, possessions and wealth are a manifestation of freedom, they are not freedom itself.   Freedom is the environment in which creativity, industriousness, ingenuity, production and generosity reside.   Freedom allows free choice to blossom and turn into the things that define free men, like the beautiful buildings that will rise out of the hallowed ground where once stood the imposing Twin Towers of New York and like the overwhelming generosity that pours forth out of the hearts of good Americans when others, here at home and across the globe, are in need.  It will be freedom that will allow a monumental achievement of concrete, glass and steel to rise out of the death, destruction and treachery that was visited upon America on that infamous day in September, 2001.

Ten score and 34 years ago, freedom was born on a new continent.  This new freedom placed enumerated limits on government through a beautifully crafted constitution and that same government was mandated by that Constitution to protect the individual freedoms and natural rights of the inhabitants of this great land.  It is abundantly clear that government has not abided by that mandate, but instead has moved inexorably towards greater, centralized power.

Unfortunately, about a hundred years ago, America turned away from the principles of freedom and allowed them to be perverted, twisted, distorted and manipulated by those in government who were bent on assuming greater power and control over the people.   They exploited our weaknesses and showered us with propaganda, distortion and lies to herd us in the direction they wanted us to go.  They used our desire to be compassionate against us and robbed our treasury to buy off less-well-off Americans with promises of a “free” lunch, in exchange for their votes.  They employed our feelings of guilt to force us, without our permission, into helping those less fortunate (or less deserving) by taking from those that produce (taxes) and handing it over to others, thereby picking winners and losers and dividing us into haves an have-nots.  They even deviously worked to mold and shape us through our sub-conscious minds.

The mandate to protect our individual freedoms was cast aside and was replaced by growing, centralized, top-down power and authority.  Every Presidential executive order, every Congressional piece of legislation, every groundless decision by our courts for the last 100 years, only accelerated their growing power, while the people looked the other way. Those in government called their unconstitutional ideology “Progressivism”, but it was nothing more than a mechanism to increase their control over all the people.  Progressivism was heralded as the way of equity and fairness for all the people, but was and is, in reality, a Trojan Horse to steal our freedom.

In spite of their arrogance and nose-in-the-air countenance, these purveyors of this slow, silent enslavement failed to take into account that a large majority of the American people, those that haven’t been bought off with propaganda and lies and handouts from the public treasury, have freedom woven into the very fabric of their DNA.  They might allow government to reach into their lives way beyond the limits placed on that government, but there comes a point where government will have gone too far and they rise to meet the threat.  And without a doubt, the government has gone way too far and poses a distinct threat to freedom.

Thanks to the narcissistic megalomaniac puppet of far-left Progressives, who was elevated to the “throne” of America by those people who were bought off with propaganda and lies, along with handouts from the public treasury, erroneously thought he had a mandate to “fundamentally transform” America.  Oh, how wrong he was!

As he reached farther and farther with his socialist agenda by implementing draconian legislation, as he and his minions in Congress spent trillions without compunction or conscience, as he nationalized business after business, as he assumed greater control over every aspect of our lives, as he attempted to sway the American people with his non-stop, teleprompter-prompted and dead-pan oratory, as what he said differed widely from the truth, Americans, by the millions, began to wake up and take another hard look at the principles of their liberty and the limits placed on government.  Government came up severely wanting and the Tea Party movement was born.

Quotes from our Founding Fathers began to creep into daily conversation.  “They can’t do that” erupted from set of lips, after set of lips, as this Progressive Puppet unveiled his demonic plans to strangle American freedom and American sovereignty.  Individual clauses in the Constitution were re-evaluated in context with what the government was doing.  Internet chatter erupted into a tidal wave of debate, argument and discourse.  Truths, half-truths and un-truths vibrated through cyberspace at light speed.  Freedom in America was coming alive again and that freedom was manifested in a Republican sweep of the House of Representatives in November of 2010.  Many new Republican governors were also elected.  The new normal is going to be that new and old conservatives will be held to a new standard by the people, people whom have had enough of business as usual, not only in our nation’s capitol, but in our state capitols as well.   This new standard will be more in keeping with the foundation of our liberty.   Constitutional adherence will be demanded of our legislators.  Fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets and cutting spending will be the passwords to get elected to any office.  In some areas of the country, blue will turn to red.  Nevertheless, big cities, bastions of people dependent on government, will remain blue.

In yet another replay of history, government has gone too far and the people, whose freedom resides in the deep recesses of their minds, have begun to push back and push back hard.  Because you see, this rise of freedom isn’t being re-born from new buildings in New York on the grave of two old buildings, it is being brought to life by the resurgence of something that lives in the hearts and minds of most Americans ….. freedom.  Americans are once again rebelling against the tyranny of government, as well they should, albeit about a century too late.  What remains to be seen is, can they successfully rebel in peace, or will they have to repeat history and reclaim freedom by violence?  Our sincere wish is for the former.

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Ron Ewart is president of the National Association of Rural Landowners (NARLO)