Independence Day: What Action Will You Take?

Today is Independence Day.

Independence Day just happens to fall on July 4, but it is not a celebration of some date on a calendar.  It is the day we commemorate the birth of a nation that would become the United States of America.

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.  That declaration was a letter to the king of England, and a public announcement to the world, that Congress had on July 2 declared 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.

By declaring themselves free, each one of the signers of the Declaration made themselves traitors to the crown and had, in essence, signed their own death warrant.  Each of the signers knew full well what wrath the Declaration would invoke.

To each other, they pledged complete devotion to the cause and stated so in the letter:

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.

On this Independence Day, we have the most government intrusion into our lives ever conceived.  The NSA tracks all of our communications.  The IRS attacks political opponents of the administration.  Tax money is used to indoctrinate the youth to “teach” their parents.

But that is only the tip of the iceberg into this out of control government.  The ATF has been running guns to organized drug gangs.  Congress and the President want to arm terrorists in the Middle East.  Americans are left to die in far away lands and the government covers up the reasons why they were there in the first place.

Our country today is not the land I grew up in.  It is certainly not what the founders envisioned.

But we only have ourselves to blame.

Every government program, every tax dollar, every politician – they are all accountable to us.  Yet, very few people vote.  Even fewer contact their representatives and express their concerns.  Much like a spoiled child who is not reprimanded, the government has grown out of control, and it is our own fault.

Sure, many of you vote.  But many more do not.  It shocks me how many gun owners do not vote.

There are a lot of gun owners who claim to be “three-pers” or who recite “from my cold, dead hands” in gun forums, but many of them won’t take the time to study the issues and get to the polls.

So, before anyone claims it is time to pick up arms, I ask what have you done to stop the government through peaceful means?  Have you called your congressman?  Do you even know who he or she is?

If the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honors and followed through with action, aren’t you willing to meet with your congressman?  Don’t talk to me of revolution if you can’t be bothered to take 30 minutes out of a single day this month and meet with one of your elected representatives.

Independence Day is not about hot dogs – it is about action!  What action will you take?