I've been reminded over and over this week of Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address, delivered in 1863 to honor the soldiers who died in the Civil War. In particular, the sacred words he spoke at the end of his speech have seemed especially poignant: “...that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
What has happened to America? Is our government still OF the people? BY the people? FOR the people?
As things stands today, in my opinion, the answer is most definitely NO.
I'm not sure many in Washington even remember that we have a Constitution, and that it establishes the United States as a Federal democratic republic. (Just as clarification--we are a federal system because power is divided between national government and state governments. It's democratic because people govern themselves. It's a republic because the government's power is derived from the people.)
Something has gone very wrong, because it sure isn't working that way.
Let's ask a few rhetorical questions about events that have taken place in the last few years that show we ordinary citizens don't appear to have a say about ANYTHING.
This past week, on January 25, 2023, Joe Biden announced that the United States would be sending thirty-one (31) Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This is after we've already sent more than $60 billion to Ukraine.
But wait, didn't Biden say we wouldn't be sending offensive weapons to Ukraine because that would start World War III?
Why, yes. Yes, he did.
In a speech to House Democrats on March 11, 2022, Joe Biden said, "The idea that we’re going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews — just understand, don’t kid yourself, no matter what y’all say, that’s called World War III."
Here he is (whispering into the mike for theatrical effect):
And yet, here we are. sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Not only are we sending OFFENSIVE weapons, we are sending military personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers how to use and maintain the tanks. Are we contributing to the beginning of World War III?
Has there been any debate on how unwise it is for us to do this? I didn't hear any.
So, this begs the question--who is running things? It certainly doesn't seem like a government BY the people. And it is certainly not FOR the people.
And are we okay with depleting our military? We've sent so much of our weaponry to Ukraine, what do we have left to defend ourselves? Don't you think it might be nice to at least talk about that, too?
(According to Reuters, each one costs over $10 million, including training and upkeep.)
Were you consulted when Joe Biden drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the lowest point since 1984? To stave off rising gasoline prices caused by his destructive energy policies and supply disruptions due to the war in Ukraine, Biden used our reserves to keep gas prices low before the midterm elections. He even sold OUR oil to China. I wasn't in favor of that. Were you? Sure doesn't sound like government FOR the people to me.
Are you aware that 80% of Americans on ALL sides are in favor of voter ID laws? That evidently doesn't fit the government elite agenda and they won't be passing it. Why?? Not because they're working for us. If they were working for us, they'd have passed it already.
Are you okay with the crisis at the border? The city of Yuma, AZ is on the brink of collapse because of illegal immigration. Did anyone ask us if we wanted open borders and 5.5 million illegal immigrants flooding into our country (since Biden took office)?
Did anyone ask us if we wanted the drug cartels to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing the avalanche of fentanyl and other drugs to come across the border? We don't seem to have any say about it.
Was there any debate about our disastrous exit from Afghanistan? Are Americans really OK with turning over the U.S. military's largest military base at Bagram to the Chinese or leaving $85 billion worth of military equipment to the Taliban?
Were we consulted when Big Pharma lobbied our Congressional representatives...who then used our tax dollars to buy billions of dollars of vaccines that unelected bureaucrats coerced us to take…and who then granted immunity to Big Pharma so WE can't sue them when WE are injured by the vaccines WE bought?
Were our Constitutional rights violated when unelected bureaucrats told us that we MUST take the vaccine or lose our jobs? Were we consulted when we were ordered to shut down our ENTIRE economy for months? Were we consulted when the mom-and-pop hardware store on the corner was forced to close, but Home Depot was allowed to stay open? When the corner market was shuttered, but Wal-Mart was "essential?"
Oh, and how about this--I don't believe we had any say about Biden signing the new "Declaration of North America." In case you haven't heard, it's a document that sows the seeds of a regional government between Canada, Mexico and the United States. The stated purpose of the agreement is to fortify our region’s security, prosperity, sustainability and inclusiveness through commitments across six pillars: 1) diversity, equity, and inclusion; 2) climate change and the environment; 3) competitiveness; 4) migration and development; 5) health; and 6) regional security. I strongly suggest you read through the article linked above to see exactly how Biden has essentially signed away our sovereignty. I didn't vote for this. Did you?
Did you vote to shut down all of our domestic energy production and exploration after we were totally energy independent? I didn't.
I didn't vote for CRT and gender studies to be taught in our schools. I didn't vote for a government that calls me a terrorist because I protest against pornography being taught to children. I didn't vote for biological men to play in women's sports.
I could go on and on. But I'm getting angrier by the minute, and I think you get the point.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the United States was founded as a democratic republic, which means that powers granted to our leaders derive from the people. That means we have a say. In fact, it means that the government needs to ask our permission through our elected representatives.
Which takes us back to our elections, and the fact that election integrity is INCREDIBLY important. Remember that voter ID issue again? I can tell you from first-hand experience that, here in FL where there are tight voter ID requirements, people may not be happy when their candidate doesn't win...but NO ONE questions whether the election results are valid.
If you live in a state where voter IDs are not required, stand up and use your voice to make sure your elected representatives get the message of what you, the people, want.
Reach out to your Congressional representatives. Get involved in your local schools and community and make your voice heard at the state and county levels.
Together, Patriots, we CAN reclaim our country. We CAN ensure that all those brave men and women who sacrificed all have, indeed, not died in vain; and that our "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.”
– Montesquieu, Spirit of the Laws, 1748
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