Tom McLaughlin: Declaration of Dependence
How many of us still hold these truths to be self-evident: all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights? Read More
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Wed, 06/27/2012 - 10:22am
Posted by tommclaughlin
How many of us still “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.”?
As July 4, 2012 approaches, it’s the essential question. After all, 53% of Americans voted for a president in 2008 who doesn’t seem to hold these truths. In several speeches after he was inaugurated, he left out the three essential words “by our Creator” when quoting from the Declaration of Independence. One was in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during which he paused and fluttered his eyelids, as if he were suffering an involuntary tick lasting a second or two - and then proceeded to leave out those critical three words. It didn’t seem like an accidental oversight to me. It seemed deliberate. Click the link here and watch for yourself. What percentage of Americans will vote for him again in four months? It’s the essential question of the age.
The words are revolutionary. All the signers at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence agreed with them and placed their lives and property in danger when they signed because if they lost the ensuing revolution, they would be hanged and their property confiscated. They knew that. They believed in a Creator with a capital C. They believed in liberty. They were willing to die for those beliefs. How many of us are willing to die for them now? My guess is not so many.