Want a Free House?

I am loathe to pass along most everything I see from an anonymous source on the Internet. However, this morning I make an exception to my longstanding rule. I know a good piece of writing when I see it, and this qualifies. See if you don't agree:

I was in my neighborhood restaurant this morning and was seated behind a group of jubilant individuals celebrating the coming implementation of the health care bill. I could not finish my breakfast. This is what ensued: They were a diverse group of several races and both sexes. I heard a young man exclaim, "Isn't Obama like Jesus Christ? I mean, after all, he is healing the sick."

A young woman enthusiastically proclaimed, "Yeah, and he does it for free. I cannot believe anyone would think that a free market wouldn't work for health care."

Another said, "The stupid Republicans want us all to starve to death so they can inherit all of the power. Obama should be made a Saint for what he did for those of us less fortunate."

At this, I had more than enough. I arose from my seat, mustering all the restraint I could find, and approached their table. "Please excuse me; may I impose upon you for one moment?"

They smiled and welcomed me to the conversation. I stood at the end of their table, smiled as best I could and began an experiment.

"I would like to give one of you my house. It will cost you no money and I will pay all of the expenses and taxes for as long as you live there. Anyone interested?"

They looked at each other in astonishment. "Why would you do something like that?" asked a young man, "There isn't anything for free in this world." They began to laugh at me, as they did not realize this man had just made my point.

"I am serious, I will give you my house for free, no money whatsoever. Anyone interested?"

In unison, a resounding "Yeah" fills the room.

"Since there are too many of you, I will have to make a choice as to who receives this money-free bargain."

I noticed an elderly couple was paying attention to the spectacle unfolding before their eyes, the old man shaking his head in apparent disgust.

"I tell you what; I will give it to the one of you most willing to obey my rules."

Again, they looked at one another, an expression of bewilderment on their faces.

The perky young woman asked, "What are the rules?"

I smiled and said, "I don't know. I have not yet defined them. However, it is a free home that I offer you."

They giggled among themselves, the youngest of  which said, "What an old coot. He must be crazy to give away his home. Go take your meds, old man."

I smiled and leaned into the table a bit further. "I am serious, this is a legitimate offer."

They gaped at me for a moment.

"I'll take it you old fool. Where are the keys?" boasted the youngest among them.

"Then I presume you accept ALL of my terms then?" I asked.

The elderly couple seemed amused and entertained as they watched from the privacy of their table. "Oh yeah! Where do I sign up?"

I took a napkin and wrote, "I give this man my home, without the burden of financial obligation, so long as he accepts and abides by the terms that I shall set forth upon consummation of this transaction."

I signed it and handed it to the young man who eagerly scratched out his signature.

"Where are the keys to my new house?" he asked in a mocking tone of voice.

All eyes were upon us as I stepped back from the table, pulling the keys from pocket and dangling them before the excited new homeowner.

"Now that we have entered into this binding contract, witnessed by all of your friends, I have decided upon the conditions you are obligated to adhere to from this point forward. You may only live in the house for one hour a day. You will not use anything inside the home. You will obey me without question or resistance. I expect complete loyalty and admiration for this gift I bestow upon you. You will accept my commands and wishes with enthusiasm, no matter the nature. Your morals and principles shall be as mine. You will vote as I do, think as I do and do it with blind faith. These are my terms. Here are your keys." I reached the keys forward and the young man looked at me dumbfounded.

"Are you out of your mind? Who would ever agree to those ridiculous terms?" the young man appeared irritated.

"You did when you signed this contract before reading it, understanding it and with the full knowledge that I would provide my conditions only after you committed to the agreement."

The elderly man chuckled as his wife tried to restrain him. I was looking at a now silenced and bewildered group of people.

"You can shove that stupid deal up your a** old man. I want no part of it!" exclaimed the now infuriated young man.

'You have committed to the contract, as witnessed by all of your friends. You cannot get out of the deal unless I agree to it. I do not intend to let you free now that I have you ensnared. I am the  power you agreed to. I am the one you blindly and without thought chose to enslave yourself to. In short, I am your Master."

At this, the table of celebrating individuals became a unified group against the unfairness of the deal.

After a few moments of unrepeatable comments and slurs, I revealed my true intent.

"What I did to you is what this administration and congress did to you with the health care legislation. I easily suckered you in and then revealed the real cost of the bargain. Your folly was in the belief that you can have something you did not earn, and you willingly allowed someone else to think for you. Your failure to research, study and inform yourself permitted reason to escape you. You have entered into a trap from which you cannot flee. Your only chance of freedom is if  your new Master gives it to you. A freedom that is given can also be taken away. Therefore, it is not freedom at all."

With that, I tore up the napkin and placed it before the astonished young man. "This is the nature of your new health care legislation."

I turned away to leave these few in thought and contemplation -- and was surprised by applause.

The elderly gentleman, who was clearly entertained, shook my hand enthusiastically and said, "Thank you, Sir. These kids don't understand Liberty ."

He refused to allow me to pay my bill as he said, "You earned this one. It is an honor to pick up the tab."

I shook his hand in thanks, leaving the restaurant somewhat humbled and sensing a glimmer of hope for my beloved country.

Remember... Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box,  and the cartridge box.

* * *

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the American Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford

Liberty and/or Tyranny

We all declare for liberty;
    but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing.
With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself,
    and the product of his labor;
    while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men,
    and the product of other men's labor.
Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things,
    called by the same name -- liberty.
And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties,
    called by two different and incompatible names -- liberty and tyranny.

-- Abraham Lincoln, 1864

Some 9/11 Lessons Ten Years Later

This morning I responded to a letter to the editor criticizing the caucus/nominating process here in Utah. Routinely, I read these types of letters complaining about how intimidating and unaccommodating the physical arrangements tend to be at the grassroots level in politics.

Ground Zero Memorial

I have been watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's tribute to the victims and first responders to the tragedy that befell us as a nation ten years ago today. They have been singing "Amazing Grace" in a moving reminder we are all stumbling and bumbling children of our Heavenly Father. We often don't get it right and need His help to sustain us. In the grace He offers us, we can give as good as we get.

The Jews in the time of Jesus were looking for a Messiah to deliver them from their afflictions. That's not what He did. The changes we all long for in external circumstances rarely happen. George Will observed our self-inflicted wounds are the most difficult to heal, despite all our memorials. Only we can look inside to cure what ails us now. We cannot heal every single shortcoming of America's political landscape.



Instead, Jesus Christ changes us from within when we accept His grace and hope for the future. He never changes. He is constant, ever present and all-knowing. In the immediacy of the moments of crisis in our lives, we sometimes want everything healed and made better in an instant. However, in the struggle in the quiet moments of our misery and greatest need, there is often growth in the grappling for answers. If all our complaints were immediately lifted from us with only the need for a quick whispered prayer, there would be no stretching, no magnification, no growth. When we finally give up asking the "Why?" questions, we are delivered.

Now as they conclude their program, the Choir is beginning to sing the stirring unofficial anthem of 9/11, Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." In his words we found comfort and a pledge for renewal and unity unlike anything I have witnessed in my lifetime. Two years ago I reflected on the meaning of 9/11 in a historical context linked with prophecy. On last year's anniversary the controversy was swirling over the building of the mosque at Ground Zero, and I wrote about the emerging hate speech atmosphere.

When Major League Baseball resumed its schedule following the events of 9/11, the seventh inning stretch was highlighted every game thereafter with inspiring versions of the song as flags are unfurled. It's a fragile feeling that dissipates all too easily if not consciously remembered.

Even when we don't deserve our blessings as a free nation under God and we are often ungrateful for what we have received in abundance, I hope we never fail to remember what makes America great. We have liberty to the degree it has never been realized in the world since its inception.

Unity at Ground Zero

It's one thing to criticize our country and its political processes. I do it routinely when I feel we are being led astray. I must remind myself the world is full of critics. Let's have a constructive conversation about how to improve the process of freedom and liberty. No matter how great we have been, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance," according to Thomas Jefferson. As Thomas Paine said, "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." I welcome your comments on this page.

And while I'm thinking about that, let me express my gratitude to all of you who take time to seek out this page. Last week we topped 100,000 visitors. Thanks for the love and support!

In the exercise of our freedom here in America, I believe the Utah caucus/nominating convention process is the best demonstration anywhere of representative government in this Republic of ours. If there are tactical inconveniences associated with gathering in freedom and being able to see the blessing of free speech on display, and if it's intimidating to some, then so be it.

Democracy was never intended to be convenient or easy. Often it's messy and uncomfortable. But if you shrink and stay away, fail to make your voice heard, and refuse to participate at the grassroots level, who knows what might have happened if you had been there?

If there is a profound and lasting lesson of 9/11 it is that we must never forget the priceless freedoms we enjoy in this land. Ten years later Osama bin Laden is dead. However, the ongoing victory must never be measured on the battlefield. Freedom is so transitory in its nature, we must be willing to do even the little bit we can, each of us, to sustain it. To fail to participate (and Utah has an abysmal record of participation in the electoral process) is to abdicate and surrender the privileges of citizenship in a land governed by the rule of law where the sovereign is the people themselves.

At Gettysburg, it was Abraham Lincoln who said: "It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." His words are still true today.

That's a blessing worth preserving for our children, even if it's messy and inconvenient.

Having it Both Ways in America

In case you hadn't noticed recently, we have a bi-polar political atmosphere in America. For far too long we have wanted to have it both ways -- entitlements and fiscal restraint. Whenever an impasse over those two polar extremes has presented itself, the two parties have compromised.

Now it seems we have compromised ourselves into a box canyon with nowhere to go. Here's the full S&P analysis for your reading pleasure. Having rejected the guidance of the rating agencies, S&P this week announced the jig is up. For the first time in the history of credit ratings, America has fallen from atop its perch as a AAA credit risk. What follows are the highlights from yesterday's S&P report on their decision to lower the long-term rating to AA+, while the short-term rating is even worse at A-1+:

Overview
· We have lowered our long-term sovereign credit rating on the United
States of America to 'AA+' from 'AAA' and affirmed the 'A-1+' short-term
rating.
· We have also removed both the short- and long-term ratings from
CreditWatch negative.
· The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan
that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of
what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's
medium-term debt dynamics.
· More broadly, the downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness,
stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political
institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic
challenges to a degree more than we envisioned when we assigned a
negative outlook to the rating on April 18, 2011.
· Since then, we have changed our view of the difficulties in bridging the
gulf between the political parties over fiscal policy, which makes us
pessimistic about the capacity of Congress and the Administration to be
able to leverage their agreement this week into a broader fiscal
consolidation plan that stabilizes the government's debt dynamics any
time soon.
· The outlook on the long-term rating is negative. We could lower the
long-term rating to 'AA' within the next two years if we see that less
reduction in spending than agreed to, higher interest rates, or new
fiscal pressures during the period result in a higher general government
debt trajectory than we currently assume in our base case. (Emphasis mine).

Last week, the American people rendered their own verdict in a recent NYT public opinion poll that overwhelmingly (82%) rejected Congress and its handling of the people's business over the debt crisis. That's a new high for disapproval ratings of a Congress. We seem to be breaking new ground in America every day now, and it's not exactly comforting familiar territory we are claiming.

In short, the two-party system in politics must be declared a failure.

There are those who maintain a split government is what the American people prefer, electing some Republicans here, some Democrats there, and putting an occupant of the White House in place to try to bring peace between the warring factions. As S&P notes in their report:

The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as
America's governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective,
and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt
ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in
the debate over fiscal policy. Despite this year's wide-ranging debate, in our
view, the differences between political parties have proven to be
extraordinarily difficult to bridge, and, as we see it, the resulting
agreement fell well short of the comprehensive fiscal consolidation program
that some proponents had envisaged until quite recently. Republicans and
Democrats have only been able to agree to relatively modest savings on
discretionary spending while delegating to the Select Committee decisions on
more comprehensive measures. It appears that for now, new revenues have
dropped down on the menu of policy options. In addition, the plan envisions
only minor policy changes on Medicare and little change in other entitlements,
the containment of which we and most other independent observers regard as key to long-term fiscal sustainability.
Our opinion is that elected officials remain wary of tackling the
structural issues required to effectively address the rising U.S. public debt
burden in a manner consistent with a 'AAA' rating and with 'AAA' rated
sovereign peers (see Sovereign Government Rating Methodology and Assumptions,"June 30, 2011, especially Paragraphs 36-41). In our view, the difficulty in framing a consensus on fiscal policy weakens the government's ability tomanage public finances and diverts attention from the debate over how to
achieve more balanced and dynamic economic growth in an era of fiscalstringency and private-sector deleveraging (ibid). A new political consensus might (or might not) emerge after the 2012 elections, but we believe that by then, the government debt burden will likely be higher, the needed medium-term fiscal adjustment potentially greater, and the inflection point on the U.S. population's demographics and other age-related spending drivers closer at hand (see "Global Aging 2011: In The U.S., Going Gray Will Likely Cost Even More Green, Now," June 21, 2011). (Emphasis mine).

Now, one may argue this report is from S&P, the same corrupt rating agency that gave us AAA on securitized sub-prime mortgage debt instruments that put us in this debacle in the first place. They would say S&P sold their credibility for a mess of pottage, and how dare they come forward now with this negative assessment of U.S. creditworthiness.

"The Enemy Is Us"

However, I would argue that any rational and open-minded individual with half a brain in his or her head, regardless of which party label you wear, would come to precisely the same conclusions stated above by S&P. As part of the retiring, graying, aging population known as the "baby boomers," but speaking strictly for myself alone, I echo the sentiments and embrace S&P's conclusions. "We have seen the enemy, and it is us."

At a time when the bubble in an aging population is expanding and pushing its way through the shrinking access to cradle-to-grave-government-welfare knothole, the number paying into our entitlement programs is decreasing, putting additional strains on the system. Add that demographic reality to a dysfunctional two-party political family and you have the perfect storm for destruction of the free market economy (if we ever truly had one).

Entitlement reform of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is relatively simple now, but as this last round of discussions between the bi-polar political class demonstrated, they seem to lack the political willpower to get the job done we elected them to do. Why? Because there is a persistent belief among politicians that to get re-elected they must continue to dole out the candy from the government in order to win favor among the electorate in order to get re-elected. If allowed to perpetuate, this is a formula for disaster.

Even in the wake of negative polling data and now a public reprimand for our "political brinksmanship," the professional politicos do not seem to be deterred in their entrenched positions. They stand in their respective ideological corners of the ring and shout at each other, then occasionally the sparring escalates to verbal abuse, but then they "make nice" for a season, crown their bickering with yet another "compromise" hailed in language like, "It isn't a perfect bill, but we've done the best we could under the circumstances."

Three Ideas to Save America

So what are the options going forward? I would suggest three things:

1. Elect people to represent us who are apolitical who refuse to pledge allegiance to a political party. In the short term, they may have to adopt a banner of one or the other party to get on the ticket (we've seen how impotent third-party candidates can be). However, it is my growing opinion the more they lean libertarian, the more acceptable they will be in the ensuing years ahead. Think how radical Ron Paul, for example, sounded in  the 2008 election cycle, and witness how prophetic his predictions have proven to be. Yes, we are a house divided, in truth we have been since our inception, but we must now reinvent ourselves to survive as a nation. I would define "reinvent" as "unite" under the banner of freedom and throw off the tyranny of a government that refuses to be responsive to the wishes of the governed.

2. Get involved in the political arena to the degree we are able, and don't shrink from participation or voicing your opinion to change things from the toxic status quo. Standing under an ideological banner represented by our two political parties in America and yelling from across the ring at each other is no longer productive or useful (if it ever was). This will require intelligence, self-directed philosophical anchoring, independence and a willingness to not count the costs personally. All that is required is to do what is right for America without regard to what may be politically expedient.

3. Re-enthrone God as the center of your universe if you haven't already. Governor Rick Perry (R-TX), raised eyebrows by announcing a day of fasting and prayer in Texas "for a nation in peril." And someone tell me why that would be thought to be a radical idea? We have paid allegiance to our elected representatives, the parties they have represented and the ideologies they purport for far too long. The net result has been near-catastrophic, but it is not too late. If there are any lessons we can learn from history, it is that when the people of this land have gotten themselves into a dicey place, they have always turned to God with their allegiance and they have been delivered when they have turned to Him.

So our future as America looms before us and the foreboding decisions are brooding over us, awaiting our collective decisions. We are still free to choose.

A New Path in 2012, or the Same ol', Same ol'?

Will we do something different as a nation in 2012, throw off the yoke of a stifling class of politicians who have done little more than try to perpetuate their electability, or will we embrace a new direction and vote for those who will administer the distasteful but healing tonic of truth and demand better of themselves and us as a nation?

We have miles to go as a nation before we sleep, and today we stand at a crossroads. These are only some of the questions begging for an answer:

• Will we continue to opt for divided government ensuring more gridlock, or will we give one party the reins to Congress and the White House? Who is trustworthy?
• Will we pick between needed fiscal restraint and more unsustainable debt, or continue to compromise on a path down the middle leading nowhere but into oblivion? 
• Will we continue to uphold a two-party system of government, or will a third party, CAN a third party emerge behind which all freedom-loving people can unite and throw off the false traditions of two-party rule that have gradually overtaken us as a stealthy thief in the night? 
• Can anyone truly believe we can continue to have it both ways with an expanding dose of progressive government designed to save everyone with a domestic social safety net (one in seven Americans is now on food stamps), and a commensurate offsetting dose of government devoted to expanding the military-industrial complex designed to spread democracy everywhere?
• While both parties have laudable goals, can we chart a new direction or have we lost our will to do do something different? 
• Will we ever be able to reclaim the American dream through easy credit at low rates and a stable, predictable store of value in home equity, or will we become a nation of renters? 
• How long will it take for us to put America back on a stable economic footing? (Most plans being put forward today are operating on a ten-year assumption for achieving a balanced federal budget.) 
• Where will we find people to represent us who can shun the party labels and ideologies to get the job done in framing our future?

This much is certain in my mind -- we stand on firm ground only when we worship the God of Israel. All other gods before us are impotent and cannot save us now.

Nothing to Fear

I raise my voice, in summary, to the youth of this country, to believing members of churches everywhere, and to my own children and grandchildren. There is nothing to fear. Live your lives, make your plans for the future in the constant hope of your deliverance. You do have a future. . . the path leads toward ZION, and the journey has just begun. Click the link and discover for yourselves where we are going.

With all the God-given promises and prophecies before you, do not let yourselves be stampeded by the fears and the panic of the crowds about you. Here's a small sample:

"And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion." (2 Nephi 27:3).

I sense fear and doubts sweeping over the hearts and entering into the minds of good people. Don't ever forget who propagates fear at its roots. They are the minions of Satan who would embroil us in wars and foreign intrigues, against which we have been warned by our founders. They are those who would tell you without government programs and stimulus and profligate deficits and debt, we cannot be safe and secure. They would tell you the government has to rescue everyone, even those who are deemed "too big to fail."

Well, poppycock.

We must be determined to throw off the wisdom of men in the days that lie ahead. We must not act as though subjugation by a foreign enemy is inevitable. Or that debt will swamp our ship of state. Those are false choices, and they are not inevitable. That day will come only if we reach a "fulness of iniquity." I still believe that finality is in the "if" column, not the "when" column. No matter how dark or dreary the path ahead may appear, America still has a future. Our future, however, is not threatened so much by foreign enemies as it seems to be with decay from within. Whether Communist-inspired or not, the effects seem to be more than coincidental.

We must not fail to take on the horrors of evil as they become manifested. It is faith and righteousness this nation now stands in need of, not more bristling armaments and unaffordable social entitlement programs to defend us and our allies abroad and "save" us here at home in supposed comfort and ease through government-mandated redistribution of our wealth with more entitlements. We have reached the tipping point on who we will become, but our fate and doom is NOT cast in stone just yet. We can take counsel from our past instead of our fears of the future.

Columbus and Settlement of America

A thousand years after the Nephites were destroyed, Columbus came. He was among the first to become aware of its existence. For a hundred years thereafter the Lamanites were thrashed by the invading Spanish conquistadors, and were stagnated in a state of wickedness from which they never emerged after they finally destroyed the Nephites. Truly, the scriptures were fulfilled -- they did "afflict the seed of Lehi." (2 Nephi 10:18). The visions and prophecies of Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob were all fulfilled.

Then in the seventeenth century, the English, the French and others began settling the sprawling uncharted land of America. The day of the Gentiles began. The sad history of our nation proved to be yet another era of fulfillment as the scattering of the Lamanites ensued. Those same ancient prophets saw and predicted it, a scattering which may not yet be fully finished as we witness undocumented immigrants spilling over our borders continuously today to occupy America. (1 Nephi 15:17).

The earliest Gentile settlers came to escape religious persecution. So why in America of all places would a Governor of Texas today be thought somehow strange for inviting (not commanding) his people to offer up their fasting and prayers? We forget so easily that to escape the persecutions of the Old World, our forefathers came here to the New World, and they were a hodge-podge of religious Christians.

Our records find the Puritans in New England, the Quakers in Pennsylvania, the Catholics in Maryland, the Huguenots in Virginia and the Carolinas, the Lutherans in Georgia and other Gentile colonies. They came because they believed they could prosper in this "chosen land of the Lord." For them the land was a "consecrated" land. They envisioned liberty, freedom and they forged the future together while retaining the uniqueness of their respective heritages, customs and cultures.

They prospered financially, they grew religiously, but they went farthest and fastest in the development of their political doctrines. Looking back, one sees the unseen power of God guiding them year by year, harvest by harvest, factory by factory, home by home. They planned, they worked tirelessly, and what was their goal? To make this country exactly what Jacob had said it was to be, "a land of liberty unto the Gentiles." (2 Nephi 10:11).

God Himself was moving the minds and souls of those whom Lehi said would be "led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord," (2 Nephi 1:6), moving them toward a future of unrestrained spiritual and material prosperity.

The Colonies

The stirrings within our forefathers in the original thirteen colonies should capture the imagination of every young person in America today. But I fear we have forsaken history and they may not be taught without intervention from those of us who are older. Our earliest inhabitants were caught up in the French and Indian wars. George Washington had his first lessons in commanding men in battle, and for the most part he was so miserable as a tactic commander he felt completely inadequate when asked to command the Continental Army later.

The purpose of those early skirmishes on this land of freedom were for motives our European mother countries espoused and had nothing to do with emerging American thinking. The wisdom of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would evolve based upon these formative experiences. They believed we had no business mixing in European affairs. If only we could believe it today, but the wickedness came to our doorstep in Pearl Harbor and New York, and since 9/11, I fear our national psyche has been altered forever.

Our forefathers were "brought out" by the hand of God to forge a better path, inherit a far brighter destiny. They were separated from the Old World to build a new and mighty nation together, to become united in a land of liberty. They truly did consecrate the land to this purpose.

President J. Reuben Clark

President J. Reuben Clark, long accused of being a pacifist in his teachings and writings, observed in 1940, "How vain for us to join with those against whom we are to be fortified, with those who shall perish if they fight against us." He warned against the foreign intrigues of World War II, until America's involvement became inevitable and unavoidable when Pearl Harbor was attacked. We have found ample justifications for war ever since, most recently in that war in Libya -- you know, the one in which we would only be involved for a matter of "days not weeks." We continue to fight three foreign wars against almost invisible enemies. We killed Osama bin Laden, but his expressed goal to destroy us lives on in the jihad.

The War of Independence

Our ancestors claimed this land by the shedding of their own blood. With the aid of France, they fought and won the War of Independence from Great Britain against all odds. When we consult the scriptural accounts, there is little doubt Nephi foretold what he saw in a futuristic vision. We were "delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations." (1 Nephi 13:19). Note that word "delivered." It repeats again and again in The Book of Mormon. This prophecy was to have a more complete fulfillment later, but God was moving us toward our ordained destiny as a nation, toward unnumbered blessings.

George Washington and King George

George Washington

Prophetic fulfillment continued at the end of the Revolutionary War. Once again, Jacob: "There shall be no kings upon this land." (2 Nephi 10:11). All Washington had to do was reach out and take it if he desired -- the grateful nation would have gladly crowned him King of America. In his wisdom, however, Washington's desire was to return to his beloved Mount Vernon, now wasted in disrepair and neglect because of his long and devoted service to his fellowmen. But he was denied his return to Mount Vernon, serving another eight years as the first and only president to be elected unanimously in the electoral college. Without knowing of Jacob's prophecy, however, he fulfilled it to the letter and established a precedent that there should be no kings here. He retired after two terms as president, not wanting to die in office, fearing that if he did succession to his office as president would be something other than intended by the founders.

God had seemingly pushed us forward one more vital step toward our our collective destiny. The blessing for which we seldom express adequate gratitude -- from that early formative time until now kings and emperors, potentates and dictators have never prospered on this land.

The Constitution

Recognizing the inadequacy to govern thirteen independent Colonies, the representatives of the people voluntarily came together "to form a more perfect union," as they put it.

We had won our freedom from Great Britain, but our ancestors were near losing it in the aftermath. Fragility was everywhere. The Constitutional Convention met and out of that collaboration, that glorious compromise,  came our God-inspired Constitution. Gladstone would later declare it to be "the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."

The Lord Himself bore witness of its origins: "I established the Constitution of this land by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose." Then He added meaningfully in reference to how it was obtained, "and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood." (D&C 101:80). Freedom is NEVER free.

The Lord declared the purpose of this Constitution when He said that it "should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh." (D&C 101:77). It thus became a document for a nation to be governed, and to provide a beacon of hope to all living flesh on earth.

What was accomplished in those early formative times was the setting up of a government under the guidance of God Himself, a government that made this land the kind of land Lehi and his son Jacob had foreseen and prophesied about. It was "a land of liberty."

Once again, the Lord had moved us forward towards our destiny. He had bestowed upon us another blessing. And once again our own actions have put that vision at risk and opened the doors to our self-inflicted peril if we fail now to remember our history.

What was this glorious plan of the Lord to look like in practice, this "glorious banner" established by the hands of wise men whom He had raised up for this very purpose? Consider with me what we received:

Three Branches of Government

It gave us, for perhaps the first time in all history, a republic with the three basic divisions of government, the legislative, executive, and judicial, mutually and completely independent the one from the other, under which it is not possible for any branch of government legally to set up a system by which that branch can first conceive what it wants to do, then make the law ordering its doing, and then itself, judge its own enforcement of its own law, a system that has always brought extortion, oppression, intimidation, tyranny, despotism, a system that every dictator has employed and must employ. May we never unravel those underpinnings.

Benjamin Franklin

And when it was done, a questioner asked Benjamin Franklin, the first American, “Well, Doctor, what have we got — a Republic or a Monarchy?” To which Franklin replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

In the sweltering heat of the negotiations recently concluded in Washington, Franklin's response still resonates. We know we can keep our Republic, the question looms. . . Will we?


No longer can we have it both ways.

What's Memorial Day?

This weekend we officially kick off the summer season with a three-day holiday we always look forward to in our family. Do you know the origins of the commemoration? Take a minute to watch the video, and remember and be grateful for the amazing sacrifices of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so we could enjoy the freedom and liberty of America.

May we never take for granted that which we have received through little or no effort on our part in comparison to those who laid the foundations upon which we have built our lives. Freedom is never free, and the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

Thanks to the History Channel for putting this together, lest we forget.

Thanks, Elder Holland

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

After President Monson's opening remarks at today's opening session of the 180th semi-annual General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland expressed his gratitude for all the members of the Church and their quiet and dedicated service to others.

His gentle spirit this morning prompted many feelings of gratitude within me.  We are coming into that season of the year set aside for remembering and for being thankful.  We may not be able to do all things, but we can all be grateful.  In this we are all equals.

My feelings of gratitude extended this morning to my family first.  When one becomes a grandfather many, many times (up to 35 and counting!), life becomes more filled with memories that push out expansive hopes or fears for the unknown future.  I have outlived all my fears now.  I don't get too worked up about what might happen now, because I have a lifetime of experience behind to whisper reminders that those things I feared most as a young man never happened.

The story of the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament is filled with the word "remember."  I was reminded frequently by Richard Holzapfel that perhaps it could be said "Thou shalt remember" might be considered the 11th commandment.

As Elder Holland reminded me this morning, remembering what others have done for me and counting my blessings is humbling.  I am more frequently aware than ever before how much I have to be thankful for and for God's goodness.  I find my prayers are more populated with gratitude than ever before.  Of course,  partaking of the sacrament is the essence and centerpiece of my gratitude, as we partake "in remembrance," so that we may "always remember" what Jesus has done for us (3 Nephi 18:11; Moroni 4, 5).

Sometimes, like the ungrateful and forgetful mortals we tend to be, we ask God if not always just rhetorically, "What have you done for me lately?" Alma reminded his people to ask themselves whether or not they had "sufficiently retained in remembrance" His deliverance and blessings (Alma 5:6-7). Later he reminds them at the judgment day we will all have "perfect remembrance" of all we have forgotten (Alma 5:18).

Best to remember here and now to be grateful. 

Elder Holland cited President James E. Faust's lifetime agony over his "sin of omission," when he neglected to show his gratitude for his grandmother by failing to carry in the tinder box filled with firewood she used to prepare all the family meals.  Then Elder Holland publicly thanked his aged mother for her sacrifice so he could serve his mission and for his parents' preservation of his savings so he'd have a financial cushion to begin his education after his return.  He lamented he would have to wait to tell his father, who died 34 yeras ago. 

The important theme of remembrance occurs routinely in the Old Testament -- over two hundred times.  It appears in The Book of Mormon dozens of times also.  Whenever the gospel has been upon the earth in every dispensation, the call to remembrance is part of it.

It seems if we fail to live in "thanksgiving daily" (Alma 34:38), God finds a way to help His forgetful and backsliding children frequently by "prompting" them to remember their gratitude.  "And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him" (Helaman 12:3).

"Because of the word" and our many blessings, we have testimonies and gratitude in varing stages of development (Alma 32:14).  Elder Neal A. Maxwell was fond of reminding us of our need for meekness in our discipleship.  Without it, our view in present deprivations or afflictions may prompt forgetfulness instead of gratitude.  Even Joseph Smith had to be reminded about how his suffering compared with Job's and the Savior's -- "Thou art not yet as Job" (D&C 121:10); "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" (D&C 122:8). 

I am routinely humbled when thoughts of "poor me" invade my remembrance of them and others like them.  Remembering our gratitude can bring the much-needed perspective.

Alma's suggests we must remember to "sing the song of redeeming love" about the days in which we now live, as well as the days gone by (Alma 5:26; 34:38).  Remembering what the Lord has done in preserving us in past days inspires courage in our present circumstances.

There is a wonderful treatise on "bread" in the gospel of John.  I love the symbolism in the sixth chapter.  Christ had just miraculously produced loaves and fishes for the hungry multitude of several thousand (see John 6:1-14).  We learn there was "enough and to spare," and they were "filled."  But like even the best and most expensive meals we consume today, the next morning some of those who had partaken and been eyewitnesses were hungry again.  The Savior reminded them, "Your fathers did eat [similarly miraculous] manna in the wilderness, and are dead."  He was telling them they would have remained forever dead, too, but for His offering the Atonement to them, an infinite and eternal blessing.  In the wilderness the children of Israel were impelled to gather the manna daily because of its perishable nature, but in Christ they would have the "true bread from heaven," filling them so that they would "never hunger" again (see John 6:31-58).

I must routinely pull myself back from excesses and hyperbole when I tend to get caught up in the heat of political rhetoric.  As you can no doubt discern from these pages, I am deeply concerned as a citizen of the United States of America that we are losing ground in preserving our precious constitutional liberties.  I see slippage everywhere, including the freedoms of religion, speech, and press.  Events in our country, and those around the world remind me of my need for thanksgiving for all the liberties we enjoy as Americans.  When I have rational thoughts, I remember that throughout recorded world history most mortals who have come to live on planet Earth have not had any such constitutionally protected liberties. 

Property rights here and now in America have always been vouched safe as a core element of the Constitution.  However, they are being trampled upon now and can be easily revoked, non-existent, or easily lost through the foreclosures we have witnessed in escalating numbers in recent months.  But wonderful as those property rights may seem now, they pale into insignificance when compared with even one of the least of the many mansions we may someday inherit from our Heavenly Father.  I have to remind myself to keep it all in perspective by remembering what I've been promised if faithful.

After the bread lesson, soon came the "light" lesson.  Fresh from the celebration of the great Feast of Tabernacles featuring illuminated candelabra in the courtyard of the temple at Jerusalem, the Savior taught His followers He was the Light of the world and they would never need to walk in darkness (see John 8:12).

Walking by the light of the Restoration can dispel all the darkness and clouds of political deception currently permeating our existence.  Even the minions of darkness cannot threaten its illuminating relevance in our lives.  I have been reminded this morning that overthrowing the divinely-given principles of the Constitution is not easily achieved.

Thanks, Elder Holland for reminding us to remember to be grateful for that assurance.

Analysis of Dodd-Frank Financial Overhaul Bill

This is a repost of an excellent analysis of Dodd-Frank from Liberty Central.  There was a sheepish admission that did not instill much confidence in me or anybody else, coming as it did from one of the principal architects at 5:00 a.m. after an all-night session to hammer out final details. "It's a great moment. I'm proud to have been here," said a teary-eyed Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee led the effort in the Senate. "No one will know until this is actually in place how it works."

I was stunned when I read those words.  No, I was shocked that this kind of stuff could actually be happening right under our noses.

This is an all-too-familiar pattern that has been repeated again and again over the course of the last year and a half.  There is only one way to characterize the work product of this Congress:  Middle-of-the-night-behind-closed-doors legislation passed by the Democrat majority with little or no collaboration solicited nor support garnered from any opposing voices while America sleeps. 

The question is often asked these days why the Constitution -- that dusty old piece of parchment -- should still be relevant in today's modern world.  Like Obamacare, this monstrosity of repressive tyrannical oversight (I do not overstate it) does nothing but put unrestrained powers into the hands of unelected bureaucrats through the creation of yet another federal agency governed by presidential appointees.  It's even hard to remember the criticisms of "King George" W. Bush for what were seen as outrageous presidential grabs for power.  There are few or none who seemed alarmed at what is going on in this administration, especially from the MSM.  Rarely do we hear a peep from them anymore.  We must increasingly turn to other sources for insight. 

I'm not certain anybody really cares about this over-reaching bank regulation, but I have to admit I am amazed at what I see happening in the sudden and swift erosion of our liberties and freedoms.  And the reaction of the bank lobbyists and investors when they saw this bill is that they were "relieved?"  I find no relief at all in what follows. 

I can't help wondering what Thomas Jefferson would say today, when this is what he said in 1791:  "I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty, than those attending too small a degree of it."  (Letter to Archibald Stuart, Philadelphia, 23 December 1791).

***

ASK QUESTIONS: Dodd-Frank Financial Overhaul Bill

By: Sarah Field, 1 Jul 2010

Yesterday, the House passed the 2315-page Dodd-Frank Financial Reform overhaul 237-192 with three Republicans voting for it: Cao (LA), Castle (DE) and Jones (N.C.). Fourteen Democrats voted against it: Boren (OK), Chandler (KY), Childers (MS), Critz (PA), Giffords (AZ), Hill (IN), Kaptur (OH), Kirkpatrick (AZ), Kratovil (MD), Minnick (ID), Mitchell (AZ), Nye (VA), Ross (AR), and Shuler (N.C.).

[Utahns in the 2nd Congressional District, please note that Jim Matheson voted FOR this bill, reason enough for you to reconsider your vote in November -- I support Morgan Philpot in this race, and encourage others to join me].

It will head to the Senate after the 4th of July recess and, even though Senators like Collins (ME), Snowe (ME), Nelson (NE), and Brown (MA) were worried about the $19B “bank tax,” there are many more, even costlier parts of this bill. In fact, on page 357 of the bill, there is an unlimited bank tax. This guide will give you the tools you need to call your Members of Congress or ask them tough questions during town hall meetings when they are home on July 4th recess.

The three most important things to know about this bill is that it (1) Creates a permanent bailout authority, ending TARP, but instead of using that savings for debt reduction as the law required, forces taxpayers to bear the costs of the new legislation, (2) Sets up the federal government to micromanage the markets and overload them with regulations, and (3) Continues to protect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This bill vests more power in administrative agencies and will raise the costs of living for every American with higher fees on our markets.

Liberty Central read the entire Dodd-Frank Overhaul bill and picked out key questions that delve into other major problems with the bill:

GROWTH OF POWER FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE

Did you know…?

…that the bill sets up the Financial Services Oversight Council, appointed by the President, to identify risks to financial stability and can vote on which companies fall under its jurisdiction? (TITLE I)

… that there is an elastic clause where the Council, Board of Governors, and Supervising Agencies can make whatever rules or issue whatever orders are necessary to carry out their duties? (Title VIII) That’s unelected bureaucrats interpreting the law how they see fit.

…that while taxpayer funds can be used to liquidate a company, no taxpayer funds can be used to stop liquidation of a company? (Title II, P. 380.)

…that the FDIC has permission to decide which creditors receive more money than their similarly situated creditors? (Title II)

…that, during the liquidation process, the FDIC can make additional payments to the individuals it chooses to minimize losses to the “orderly liquidation.” This also gives power to the FDIC to pay some creditors more than they deserve.

…that the Federal Reserve can still make emergency loans if they decide it is necessary for the stability of the economy? (TITLE XI)

…that Title III ‘plays mix and match with the letters of alphabet soup agencies’ by replacing one former bureaucratic regulatory agency (the Office of Thrift Supervision) with another, more powerful bureaucratic regulatory agency (the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) that is not even accountable to the Secretary of the Treasury?

… that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is not given a budget, but instead the bill gives the office the authority to raise its own funding from assessments, fees, and charges from any entity described in section 3(q)(1) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, Title III, Sub. A?

…that this bill contains a power-grabbing new Office for Federal Insurance at Treasury, regulating an area traditionally left to the States? (Title V)

… that the bill prohibits states from collecting a licensing fee (for surplus lines broker) unless the state is participating in a national database? (Title V)

… that this bill establishes what is, in effect, an Investor Czar by creating the office of the Investor Advocate? (Title IX)

…that there will be a government database kept of all persons with custody or use of securities or money? (Title IX, Sec. 1333)

…that the bill establishes another government bureaucracy in the Office of Municipal Securities? (Title XI)

…that the bill sets up a new bureaucracy in the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, which regulates the offering of consumer financial products as an executive agency, with its director appointed by the President? It does not have a specified size, but lists the need for branches in D.C. and elsewhere. (Title X, Sub. A)

…that the federal government now requires mortgage loan originators to register with the government, and grants regulatory authority to a bureaucracy? (TITLE XIV-Sub A.)

…that the Financial Services Oversight Council determines the definition of “financial activities”, is to establish “prudent standards” for banks and has taxing power and can limit the size of financial institutions? (TITLE I)

…that a government bureaucrat can exempt companies from regulations if they decide it’s in the “public interest”? (Title VI)

… that the government will now dictate the terms of credit ratings, and sets up a federal Office of Credit Ratings? (TITLE IX)

…that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is given sweeping regulatory powers and little accountability; the Secretary of the Treasury is barred from intervening in any matter before the Comptroller unless provided for specifically by law. (Title III Sub A Sec. 324 (b) (1))

…that funding for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is done by the Board, who is free to collect as much as it wants from any bank or non-bank financial institution with holdings over $50 billion? (Title III Sub A)

…that the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection has the authority to declare an act unfair, may collect information about business conduct and activities of covered persons and service providers, has investigators with subpoena power and make rules on abusive practices? (Title X, Sub. B, Sub. E)

… that the Secretary of Treasury or the Board of Governors can decide if a company needs to be liquidated or liquidate assets? (Title II, Title XI)

…that the bill has emergency authority to liquidate positions in security, and the decision to do so is arbitrary with little room for review? (TITLE VII)

… that the Board requires annual stress tests to determine if a company has adequate capital and can require reports on the financial condition of nonbank financial companies, and to give up any information requested “promptly”? (TITLE I, Sec. C)

…that a company with $50 billion in holdings cannot purchase shares of certain other companies without permission of the government? (TITLE I, Sec. C)

…that the bill allows the government to liquidate companies deemed “failing,” with creditors and shareholders taking the loss, including foreign banks? (Title II)

… that the government can discharge any contract that the company entered into if it considers it to be “burdensome?” (Title II, pg. 266)

…that the bill allows the Board of Governors to regulate what it decides are risky transactions, and who will supervise? (Title VII)

… that it is left up to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to define “commercial risk” and that the commission shall review every swap? (TITLE VII)

… that that FDIC would be able to reorganize any liquidated company as a “bridge financial institution” with a board of directors that is appointed by the FDIC? (Title II, p. 320 – 358)

… that this legislation would newly micromanage private fund advisors who are responsible for a relatively small amount of money? (Title IV)

…that every registered agent in swap markets is required to have a designated compliance officer, who is required to file an annual report with the government? Did you also know that the government now requires information about security based swaps be made available to the public, and that there is to be a depository of swap information, and that depository may share information with other Federal agencies and some foreign entities? (Title VII)

…that there is now a requirement that shareholder votes be held on executive compensation every 6 years, and that the government controls the makeup of the Board of Director Compensation Committees? (Title IX)

…that the federal government now requires written appraisals of all property, and requires that appraisers be registered and conform to regulations? (TITLE XIV, Sub. F)

…“Swap data repositories” are like stock exchanges for certain financial transactions that are not offered to the public for investment.

… that swap data repositories may be required to provide information — including transaction data identifying individual investors — to US regulators, the DOJ, and foreign financial supervisors, central banks, or ministries? (Title VII, p. 876)

…the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is authorized to develop new duties for swap data repositories based on “any evolving standard of the United States or the international community”? (Title VII, p. 881)

… that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission can set limits on how much any one person or group of related persons can invest in swaps or options? (Title VII, pp. 941-948)

… that publicly traded Boards of Trade will be required to have their board of directors and the other decision-making bodies reflect “a broad and culturally diverse pool of qualified candidates”? (Title VII, p. 940)

… that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission may forbid foreign boards of trade from taking orders from US persons unless they are registered with the Commission and comply with similar regulations as US boards of trade? (Title VII, pp. 951-957)

… that the financial reform bill tries to, in essence, rewrite certain provisions in private contracts? (Title VII, p. 960)

… that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission previously could not make its interpretations the exclusive way to comply with regulations, but now it can make these interpretations mandatory? (Title VII, p. 977)

… that the financial reform bill creates an interagency working group to study the oversight of carbon markets, including carbon spot markets and derivative markets? (Title VII, pp. 1012-1014)

… that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Securities Exchange Commission are required to consult and coordinate with foreign regulatory authorities on the establishment of consistent international standards regulating swaps, futures, and options? (Title VII, pp. 1016-1017)

… that, if the Commodity Futures Trading Commission accuses a person of providing false information or manipulating the price of any swap or commodity, the hearing to determine penalties take place in three days or less, and any penalized person has only 15 days to file an appeal? (Title VII, pp. 1019-1026)

PROMOTES SPECIAL INTERESTS

Did you know…?

…that this bill is full of over 16 studies, including whether to end the Conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, reverse mortgages, insurance premiums of banks, private education loans and credit scores?

…that the bureau of Consumer Financial Protection will also collect data about small business loans, including whether the loan is to a minority or woman owned business, and maintain a database which includes the revenue and racial, ethnic and gender characteristics of the business? (Title X, Sub. G)

…that the bill is full of measures that continue to divide Americans by race by creating specific programs for racial minorities and women, including an Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity (Title X, Sub. A), Office of Housing Counseling (TITLE XIV, Sub. D), the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (Title III, Sub. D), and requires recruitment at historically black colleges and other minority serving institutions (TITLE III, Sub. D)?

… that this national insurance office’s charge will be to help ensure that the under-served community, consumers and minorities have access to insurance and that this sounds much like the policies that set up the subprime loan distortions in the mortgage business under CRA? (Title V)

… that this bill imposes a debt limit on nonbank financial institutions, but excludes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and exempts Fannie and Freddie from securities laws, while proscribing new standards for loans (Title IX, TITLE I, Sec. C)

…that all of the government employees from the abolished Office of Thrift Supervision will simply be transferred to other departments? (Title III, Sub. B)

…that the TARP Program is still in place, and allowed to purchase troubled assets if there is deemed a threat to financial stability? (TITLE XIII)

…that the bill contains a pet project that seeks to make sure that materials coming from the Congo and other “conflict” areas are not being used? (TITLE XV)

…that the bill has greater regulation on extraction of oil, natural gas and minerals, and regulates the foreign trade of those materials? (TITLE XV)

…the Bill sets up a Financial Crisis Assessment and Fund, which applies to any company engaged in activities that are financial, or incidental to the financial sector. This fund will be paid for by companies, and will determine the impact on low income and minority communities if the company fails? (TITLE XVI)

SUMMARY

This bill is incompatible with the Founding Fathers’ vision of limited government, because it promotes the growth of government, expands the powers of the administrative bureaucracy, limits economic freedom, and promotes personal interests. Limited Government requires that the powers be shared among three, co-equal branches: the Executive, Legislative and Judicial. With the system of “checks and balances” combined with the vote of the people, there exists a system of oversight over the actions of the federal government. However, today’s federal government also involves administrative agencies, the so-called “fourth branch.” These parts of government are unelected and usually filled with career employees at all but the highest level, yet they have both lawmaking and enforcement powers. Unfortunately, this bill vests even more power in administrative agencies and will raise the costs of living for every American with higher fees on our markets.

The Crisis, by Thomas Paine

Oil painting by Auguste Millière (1880)

The more things change, it seems, the more they remain the same.  There is one man who was perhaps the most unsung hero of the Revolutionary War.  His name is Thomas "Tom" Paine (born January 29, 1737, other sources suggest different dates).  He was an author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Born in Thetford (just north of Cambridge), in the English county of Norfolk, Paine emigrated to the British American colonies in 1774 in time to participate in the American Revolution.

Two men are regarded as having contributed equally to the successful outcome of the American War of Independence. George Washington in directing the movement of the soldiers and another man, Thomas Paine, whose words in a time of crisis inspired those soldiers.

This man's first Crisis pamphlet, which Washington ordered to be read to the troops, begins with these words "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he who stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered." With Washington's troops near disintegration, Thomas Paine, a man about whom few people have heard or know what he did, published those words in mid-winter on December 23, 1776.

He was the first person to use the phrase "The United States of America", so let us honor briefly the life and work of a man dedicated to liberty and reason, and review his words to lift the fledgling band of American freedom fighters who threw off the yoke of England's oppression.

His principal contributions were the powerful, widely read pamphlet Common Sense (1776), advocating colonial America's independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain, and The American Crisis (1776–1783), a pro-revolutionary pamphlet series.

The historian Saul K. Padover in the biography Jefferson: A Great American's Life and Ideas, refers to Paine as "a corsetmaker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination."

Another author called him the Apostle of Freedom (Jack Fructmann, Jr.)

***

December 23, 1776

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

Whether the independence of the continent was declared too soon, or delayed too long, I will not now enter into as an argument; my own simple opinion is, that had it been eight months earlier, it would have been much better. We did not make a proper use of last winter, neither could we, while we were in a dependent state. However, the fault, if it were one, was all our own [Footnote 1:  The present winter is worth an age, if rightly employed; but, if lost or neglected, the whole continent will partake of the evil; and there is no punishment that man does not deserve, be he who, or what, or where he will, that may be the means of sacrificing a season so precious and useful.]; we have none to blame but ourselves. But no great deal is lost yet. All that Howe has been doing for this month past, is rather a ravage than a conquest, which the spirit of the Jerseys, a year ago, would have quickly repulsed, and which time and a little resolution will soon recover.

I have as little superstition in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the infidel in me, as to suppose that He has relinquished the government of the world, and given us up to the care of devils; and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the king of Britain can look up to heaven for help against us: a common murderer, a highwayman, or a house-breaker, has as good a pretence as he.

'Tis surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run through a country. All nations and ages have been subject to them. Britain has trembled like an ague at the report of a French fleet of flat-bottomed boats; and in the fourteenth [fifteenth] century the whole English army, after ravaging the kingdom of France, was driven back like men petrified with fear; and this brave exploit was performed by a few broken forces collected and headed by a woman, Joan of Arc. Would that heaven might inspire some Jersey maid to spirit up her countrymen, and save her fair fellow sufferers from ravage and ravishment! Yet panics, in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men to light, which might otherwise have lain forever undiscovered. In fact, they have the same effect on secret traitors, which an imaginary apparition would have upon a private murderer. They sift out the hidden thoughts of man, and hold them up in public to the world. Many a disguised Tory has lately shown his head, that shall penitentially solemnize with curses the day on which Howe arrived upon the Delaware.

As I was with the troops at Fort Lee, and marched with them to the edge of Pennsylvania, I am well acquainted with many circumstances, which those who live at a distance know but little or nothing of. Our situation there was exceedingly cramped, the place being a narrow neck of land between the North River and the Hackensack. Our force was inconsiderable, being not one-fourth so great as Howe could bring against us. We had no army at hand to have relieved the garrison, had we shut ourselves up and stood on our defence. Our ammunition, light artillery, and the best part of our stores, had been removed, on the apprehension that Howe would endeavor to penetrate the Jerseys, in which case Fort Lee could be of no use to us; for it must occur to every thinking man, whether in the army or not, that these kind of field forts are only for temporary purposes, and last in use no longer than the enemy directs his force against the particular object which such forts are raised to defend. Such was our situation and condition at Fort Lee on the morning of the 20th of November, when an officer arrived with information that the enemy with 200 boats had landed about seven miles above; Major General [Nathaniel] Green, who commanded the garrison, immediately ordered them under arms, and sent express to General Washington at the town of Hackensack, distant by the way of the ferry = six miles. Our first object was to secure the bridge over the Hackensack, which laid up the river between the enemy and us, about six miles from us, and three from them. General Washington arrived in about three-quarters of an hour, and marched at the head of the troops towards the bridge, which place I expected we should have a brush for; however, they did not choose to dispute it with us, and the greatest part of our troops went over the bridge, the rest over the ferry, except some which passed at a mill on a small creek, between the bridge and the ferry, and made their way through some marshy grounds up to the town of Hackensack, and there passed the river. We brought off as much baggage as the wagons could contain, the rest was lost. The simple object was to bring off the garrison, and march them on till they could be strengthened by the Jersey or Pennsylvania militia, so as to be enabled to make a stand. We staid four days at Newark, collected our out-posts with some of the Jersey militia, and marched out twice to meet the enemy, on being informed that they were advancing, though our numbers were greatly inferior to theirs. Howe, in my little opinion, committed a great error in generalship in not throwing a body of forces off from Staten Island through Amboy, by which means he might have seized all our stores at Brunswick, and intercepted our march into Pennsylvania; but if we believe the power of hell to be limited, we must likewise believe that their agents are under some providential control.

I shall not now attempt to give all the particulars of our retreat to the Delaware; suffice it for the present to say, that both officers and men, though greatly harassed and fatigued, frequently without rest, covering, or provision, the inevitable consequences of a long retreat, bore it with a manly and martial spirit. All their wishes centred in one, which was, that the country would turn out and help them to drive the enemy back. Voltaire has remarked that King William never appeared to full advantage but in difficulties and in action; the same remark may be made on General Washington, for the character fits him. There is a natural firmness in some minds which cannot be unlocked by trifles, but which, when unlocked, discovers a cabinet of fortitude; and I reckon it among those kind of public blessings, which we do not immediately see, that God hath blessed him with uninterrupted health, and given him a mind that can even flourish upon care.

I shall conclude this paper with some miscellaneous remarks on the state of our affairs; and shall begin with asking the following question, Why is it that the enemy have left the New England provinces, and made these middle ones the seat of war? The answer is easy: New England is not infested with Tories, and we are. I have been tender in raising the cry against these men, and used numberless arguments to show them their danger, but it will not do to sacrifice a world either to their folly or their baseness. The period is now arrived, in which either they or we must change our sentiments, or one or both must fall. And what is a Tory? Good God! What is he? I should not be afraid to go with a hundred Whigs against a thousand Tories, were they to attempt to get into arms. Every Tory is a coward; for servile, slavish, self-interested fear is the foundation of Toryism; and a man under such influence, though he may be cruel, never can be brave.

But, before the line of irrecoverable separation be drawn between us, let us reason the matter together: Your conduct is an invitation to the enemy, yet not one in a thousand of you has heart enough to join him. Howe is as much deceived by you as the American cause is injured by you. He expects you will all take up arms, and flock to his standard, with muskets on your shoulders. Your opinions are of no use to him, unless you support him personally, for 'tis soldiers, and not Tories, that he wants.

I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the Tories: a noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, "Well! give me peace in my day." Not a man lives on the continent but fully believes that a separation must some time or other finally take place, and a generous parent should have said, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;" and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty. Not a place upon earth might be so happy as America. Her situation is remote from all the wrangling world, and she has nothing to do but to trade with them. A man can distinguish himself between temper and principle, and I am as confident, as I am that God governs the world, that America will never be happy till she gets clear of foreign dominion. Wars, without ceasing, will break out till that period arrives, and the continent must in the end be conqueror; for though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.

America did not, nor does not want force; but she wanted a proper application of that force. Wisdom is not the purchase of a day, and it is no wonder that we should err at the first setting off. From an excess of tenderness, we were unwilling to raise an army, and trusted our cause to the temporary defence of a well-meaning militia. A summer's experience has now taught us better; yet with those troops, while they were collected, we were able to set bounds to the progress of the enemy, and, thank God! they are again assembling. I always considered militia as the best troops in the world for a sudden exertion, but they will not do for a long campaign. Howe, it is probable, will make an attempt on this city [Philadelphia]; should he fail on this side the Delaware, he is ruined. If he succeeds, our cause is not ruined. He stakes all on his side against a part on ours; admitting he succeeds, the consequence will be, that armies from both ends of the continent will march to assist their suffering friends in the middle states; for he cannot go everywhere, it is impossible. I consider Howe as the greatest enemy the Tories have; he is bringing a war into their country, which, had it not been for him and partly for themselves, they had been clear of. Should he now be expelled, I wish with all the devotion of a Christian, that the names of Whig and Tory may never more be mentioned; but should the Tories give him encouragement to come, or assistance if he come, I as sincerely wish that our next year's arms may expel them from the continent, and the Congress appropriate their possessions to the relief of those who have suffered in well-doing. A single successful battle next year will settle the whole. America could carry on a two years' war by the confiscation of the property of disaffected persons, and be made happy by their expulsion. Say not that this is revenge, call it rather the soft resentment of a suffering people, who, having no object in view but the good of all, have staked their own all upon a seemingly doubtful event. Yet it is folly to argue against determined hardness; eloquence may strike the ear, and the language of sorrow draw forth the tear of compassion, but nothing can reach the heart that is steeled with prejudice.

Quitting this class of men, I turn with the warm ardor of a friend to those who have nobly stood, and are yet determined to stand the matter out: I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake. Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it. Say not that thousands are gone, turn out your tens of thousands; throw not the burden of the day upon Providence, but "show your faith by your works," that God may bless you. It matters not where you live, or what rank of life you hold, the evil or the blessing will reach you all. The far and the near, the home counties and the back, the rich and the poor, will suffer or rejoice alike. The heart that feels not now is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. My own line of reasoning is to myself as straight and clear as a ray of light. Not all the treasures of the world, so far as I believe, could have induced me to support an offensive war, for I think it murder; but if a thief breaks into my house, burns and destroys my property, and kills or threatens to kill me, or those that are in it, and to "bind me in all cases whatsoever" to his absolute will, am I to suffer it? What signifies it to me, whether he who does it is a king or a common man; my countryman or not my countryman; whether it be done by an individual villain, or an army of them? If we reason to the root of things we shall find no difference; neither can any just cause be assigned why we should punish in the one case and pardon in the other. Let them call me rebel and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul by swearing allegiance to one whose character is that of a sottish, stupid, stubborn, worthless, brutish man. I conceive likewise a horrid idea in receiving mercy from a being, who at the last day shall be shrieking to the rocks and mountains to cover him, and fleeing with terror from the orphan, the widow, and the slain of America.

There are cases which cannot be overdone by language, and this is one. There are persons, too, who see not the full extent of the evil which threatens them; they solace themselves with hopes that the enemy, if he succeed, will be merciful. It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf, and we ought to guard equally against both. Howe's first object is, partly by threats and partly by promises, to terrify or seduce the people to deliver up their arms and receive mercy. The ministry recommended the same plan to Gage, and this is what the tories call making their peace, "a peace which passeth all understanding" indeed! A peace which would be the immediate forerunner of a worse ruin than any we have yet thought of. Ye men of Pennsylvania, do reason upon these things! Were the back counties to give up their arms, they would fall an easy prey to the Indians, who are all armed: this perhaps is what some Tories would not be sorry for. Were the home counties to deliver up their arms, they would be exposed to the resentment of the back counties who would then have it in their power to chastise their defection at pleasure. And were any one state to give up its arms, that state must be garrisoned by all Howe's army of Britons and Hessians to preserve it from the anger of the rest. Mutual fear is the principal link in the chain of mutual love, and woe be to that state that breaks the compact. Howe is mercifully inviting you to barbarous destruction, and men must be either rogues or fools that will not see it. I dwell not upon the vapors of imagination; I bring reason to your ears, and, in language as plain as A, B, C, hold up truth to your eyes.

I thank God, that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well, and can see the way out of it. While our army was collected, Howe dared not risk a battle; and it is no credit to him that he decamped from the White Plains, and waited a mean opportunity to ravage the defenceless Jerseys; but it is great credit to us, that, with a handful of men, we sustained an orderly retreat for near an hundred miles, brought off our ammunition, all our field pieces, the greatest part of our stores, and had four rivers to pass. None can say that our retreat was precipitate, for we were near three weeks in performing it, that the country might have time to come in. Twice we marched back to meet the enemy, and remained out till dark. The sign of fear was not seen in our camp, and had not some of the cowardly and disaffected inhabitants spread false alarms through the country, the Jerseys had never been ravaged. Once more we are again collected and collecting; our new army at both ends of the continent is recruiting fast, and we shall be able to open the next campaign with sixty thousand men, well armed and clothed. This is our situation, and who will may know it. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious issue; by cowardice and submission, the sad choice of a variety of evils — a ravaged country — a depopulated city — habitations without safety, and slavery without hope — our homes turned into barracks and bawdy-houses for Hessians, and a future race to provide for, whose fathers we shall doubt of. Look on this picture and weep over it! and if there yet remains one thoughtless wretch who believes it not, let him suffer it unlamented.

December 23, 1776

***

Those words could have been written today.  Substitute the references to England to our modern American government.  The tyranny this time is being marshalled by us, against us, and lies within our borders.  The enemy is among us.  There are no foreign troops like the dreaded Redcoats to engage in open fields, cloistered forests or raging waters.  They could well be Republicans or Democrats -- I intentionlly draw no distinctions.  They are the forces arrayed against us who are perpetuating an expanding and increasingly intrusive budget-busting government determined to control us.  It is the tyrannical rule of oppressors who are usurping powers not granted in the Constitution.  Because of the Constitution, America can renew herself every two years through her elected representatives.  Few mistakes in judgment by men are permanent.  Whoever it is we find advocating those political positions must be stopped at the ballot box this November.  It will be an orderly transition of power.  It will be a bloodless coup this time.  We must ourselves carefully discern who the patriots are to oppose those who knowingly suppress the freedoms of self-determination. 

"For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived -- verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day."  (D&C 45:57).