Freedom

Ronald Reagan is one of my favorite presidents. He speaks an excellent point on the topic of freedom:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

As does the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI:

"True freedom blossoms when we turn away from the burden of sin, which clouds our perceptions and weakens our resolve, and find the source of our ultimate happiness in him who is infinite love, infinite freedom, infinite life."

It seems that much of our nation has forgotten what it means to have what we call freedom. Freedom is more than the ability to "do whatever you want." It is the ability to exercise the capacity to freely choose good. The Holy Father could not have spoken truer words. Sin is binding. The devil uses sin to cloud our minds and negatively influence our decisions.

You are never truly free until you detach yourself from the burden of sin. Think about it. If you think you are free but are unable to say no, is that freedom? This extends far beyond just sin. Are we free in America? Will it soon be illegal to not have healthcare? Is it illegal to take out student loans with anyone but the government?

Our freedom in America is slowly dying. I plan to help stop that from continuing. I love my country and on the day of its birth, I pledge to do whatever I can to preserve what this country was built on. I pledge to bring back the constitution and the principles our founding fathers believed in.

AND

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And furthermore, I would like to share with you the end of the Declaration of Independence -- the document that was signed by 56 people 234 years ago:

"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

We should all take the time to read over the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States on this day of our country's birth. We need to be reminded of what the flag stands for, what so many people have fought to defend and for what so many lives have been lost.

On this day, I am happy to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I am PROUD to be an AMERICAN.

It's not over

After the initial shock of the passage of the healthcare bill, I tried to think logically and reasonably. Yes, I was still unbelievably upset and disappointed... however, what good does it do to merely be upset- that only makes it seem that nothing can be done.

Something CAN be done. Does anyone know what happens in November 2010? Yep, all the congressmen who voted in favor of this bill better be ready to face the consequences of their actions. The majority of the American people did NOT support this bill being passed. What is the job of our *REPRESENTATIVES* in Congress??? To *REPRESENT* the American majority. It seems to me, that is failing to happen.

Secondly, this bill is not set to go into effect until 2013. What does this mean? The next presidential election is also pivotal. The bill could likely be overturned if Republicans take back the House and a solid candidate is elected president. This could be a long shot... but, if the American people truly read up on what is actually in the bill- there could be more of a revolt than expected.

I would love the chance to understand what is going through the heads of political leaders. What happened to the America I know and love? What happened to a country built on freedoms of LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS?? There are a few things that I carry around with me on a daily basis- among those things is a pocket Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

I wrote something on this a while ago and it seems to definitely apply now:

Unalienable rights? What does this mean? This simply means that these rights cannot be given OR taken away. They are simply regarded as rights that any and every human being is endowed... not by man, no... but by their Creator. In many cases this means God. This is not necessarily to bring about a discussion of whether or not God exists - but to explain that every human being has these rights, whether or not they are stated by another. Now, to explain further, there is a difference between having these rights and having a "right to" these rights. A man who chooses to murder another, for example, has given up his rights to liberty. He chose to inflict on another person's right to life, therefore he shall be put in jail. Choices we make in life will certainly have an effect on what rights you will have a "right to have." As I have said in the past... not all freedoms are awarded to those who bear ignorance. If you do something stupid, there will be a consequence.

The referenced original post I previously wrote can be found here: http://lavidadesheri.blogspot.com/2009/06/epiphany.html ... or here: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=95966911244

I mention this because of the misguided reasoning of those endorsing nationalized healthcare. Will this help some people? Yes. Will it accomplish what it is SAID to accomplish? Most likely, NO. The government will be taking OUR tax dollars to pay for something that will minimally cover a great number of people and inflict on ALL of these aforementioned UNALIENABLE RIGHTS. This bill will also restrict care to those who are truly in need. All you need to do is reference countries who already have nationalized healthcare- are they better off? NO. Canada and England are two good examples. Life expectancy for people who have life-threatening disorders, diseases or conditions is DRAMATICALLY less than it has been in America. There are so many problems with this bill and I don't think I could even begin to describe them here... and I haven't even mentioned the problem that I fight for every day of my life- defending the life of the unborn. I am outraged and ready to take action. Whatever it takes, I will fight for the America that I know and love. I will fight for the right of every human being to have LIFE from conception to natural death, LIBERTY to live in a country of the free, and the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS- so long as it does not impede another's God-given right to the same. I stand for what this country was built on and will NOT back down.

I will leave you with the words of Ronald Reagan:

"There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right."

Epiphany

So, last night I prayed the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary. Immediately thereafter I fell asleep. I then had this crazy dream... I don't remember all of it - but the main thing I do remember is that I was being chased by wolves. This morning I was sitting down at breakfast sipping my coffee and this thought just popped into my head. I, of course, am no dream-interpreter... however, it is almost as if this dream was a sort of metaphor, if you will, for where I am currently at in my life. I am in Washington D.C.... not the "safest" place for most people... especially if you are pro-life and actively working for the movement. The imagery came across to me as "I am being fed to the wolves" or "I am fighting the wolves of abortion." It was an interesting thought... This is one of the greatest wars of our time. Yet, some don't even recognize it as a battle. I am here to stand, to fight and to show that many people DO care. I am here to demonstrate the ideals and moral values that I believe this country was built. Every human life deserves a chance to live. How is it possible that some people still do not understand that it is bluntly obvious when life begins? It begins at conception - the reason being, alongside many others, is that a new, growing, developing life starts at the moment of conception. A sperm cannot grow into a human being on its own. An egg cannot grow into a human being on its own. However, once the egg is fertilized by the sperm, it becomes a zygote and develops - oh so rapidly - into a living, breathing human being. I believe the debate circles around "when does life begin" way too much. Science can show when life begins. The real question should be - when does the life deserve to live?

If you look at our Declaration of Independence, it says a great deal:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Unalienable rights? What does this mean? This simply means that these rights cannot be given OR taken away. They are simply regarded as rights that any and every human being is endowed... not by man, no... but by their Creator. In many cases this means God. This is not necessarily to bring about a discussion of whether or not God exists - but to explain that every human being has these rights, whether or not they are stated by another. Now, to explain further, there is a difference between having these rights and having a "right to" these rights. A man who chooses to murder another, for example, has given up his rights to liberty. He chose to inflict on another person's right to life, therefore he shall be put in jail. Choices we make in life will certainly have an effect on what rights you will have a "right to have." As I have said in the past... not all freedoms are awarded to those who bear ignorance. If you do something stupid, there will be a consequence. I must credit a lot of this reflection to Doris Gordon, Founder of Libertarians for Life. I had a good conversation with her the other day about this... you should read some of her writings. Her website can be found here: www.L4L.org.