The American culture, pop culture in general in overall, American culture and the adventurism that goes with being an American is very attractive.
There is a massive influencing operation going on and it has to do with the world wide web. Where clearly there was Russian interference in our election, not necessarily pro one and against the other, but just undermining the trust of the American people in the functioning of our republic, and our democratic principles, how to run the republic. And that is much more dangerous than you know, the way it started. Because we are now, also through our own fault, more vulnerable to that kind of influencing. And the Chinese are doing the same thing.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.
At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it? — Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! — All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.
That our government should have been maintained in its original form from its establishment until now, is not much to be wondered at. It had many props to support it through that period, which now are decayed, and crumbled away. Through that period, it was felt by all, to be an undecided experiment; now, it is understood to be a successful one.
I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarreling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shown and extended for her defense, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds 'till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.
"The hard Left believes America is an awful, evil place, founded in racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia. All of our pretentious talk about all men being created equal with inalienable rights – all of that is just cover for the patriarchy, heteronormative, cisgender power structure that deprives outsiders of their due. That's the view of Howard Zinn, of Hollywood, and of Bernie Sanders. It’s why many on the Left kneel for the flag. The flag is the symbol of a uniquely bad nation with a uniquely bad idea," he continued.
"This is all absolutely wrong," Shapiro stressed. "America’s founding creed – the belief in God-given individual rights protected by a limited government and enshrined by a virtuous people – has achieved precisely the opposite of what Sanders says. No, America does not starve little children. America lifts little children from poverty. The power of the America-led free trade and free market economy has alleviated global poverty faster than any force in human history. We are the engine of the world’s prosperity – and that engine is going strong. According to the World Bank, over the last three decades, extreme global poverty has dropped by 74.1 percent. Literally hundreds of millions of people have been lifted from poverty by the power of the American economy and its involvement in the world economy."
And what of Sanders' claim that we "starve little children"? Shapiro dismantled that hyperbolic assertion as well, citing a report by Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield of the Heritage Foundation: "A poor child is more likely to have cable TV, a computer, a wide-screen plasma TV, an X-box, or a TiVo in the home than to be hungry.” According to Pew Research, “The US stands head and shoulders above the rest of the world” in terms of wealth: 56% of Americans were high income by global standards, and 32% were upper-middle income. Only 2% of Americans are poor by global standards.
Shapiro also debunked the idea that the "One Percenters" don't pay their "fair share," noting that the top 1 percent "pay 39 percent of federal income taxes. The top 10 percent pay 70.6 percent of federal income taxes. The bottom 50 percent of income earners pay less than 3 percent of our federal income taxes. America’s tax system is more progressive than any other developed country in the world, according to The Washington Post."
Shapiro then took Sanders' ugly "we go bomb houses and buses of children" smear to task. "Let’s just remind Senator Sanders that America defeated slavery and Nazism and communism – well, to be fair, he might still be a bit torn about that last one," he said. "America has spent more blood and treasure defending the freedom of others than any country in world history. The Union lost some 365,000 soldiers in the Civil War to free the slaves; 117,000 in World War I to keep Europe free of German imperialism; 405,000 Americans died in World War II to keep the world free of fascism; 37,000 died to keep the South Korean people free; 58,000 died in a vain attempt to keep the Vietnamese people free; more than 2,000 in a continuing attempt to free Afghanistan of its terror-masters; and yes, 4,500 in a continuing attempt to free Iraq."
"That doesn’t mean America hasn’t made mistakes," he continued. "But the American fighting men and women have been more humane in their pursuit of liberty for others than any other fighting force in human history, and the world has trended toward democracy and freedom because of it."
It is our firm conviction as a people that the stars and stripes will be waving triumphantly in the breeze, as a symbol of the greatness and stability of the United States of America, when the Lord comes. This nation was established to be the Lord’s base of operations in this final gospel dispensation. From it the gospel is to go to every other nation and people. The greater its influence among the nations of the world, the more rapidly the gospel spreads. But the Lord has told us that all nations, the United States included, shall cease to be when he comes.
As many of you testified today, the left-wing rioting and mayhem are the direct result of decades of left-wing indoctrination in our schools. It’s gone on far too long. Our children are instructed from propaganda tracts, like those of Howard Zinn, that try to make students ashamed of their own history.
The left has warped, distorted, and defiled the American story with deceptions, falsehoods, and lies. There is no better example than the New York Times’ totally discredited 1619 Project. This project rewrites American history to teach our children that we were founded on the principle of oppression, not freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth. America’s founding set in motion the unstoppable chain of events that abolished slavery, secured civil rights, defeated communism and fascism, and built the most fair, equal, and prosperous nation in human history.
A perfect example of critical race theory was recently published by the Smithsonian Institution. This document alleged that concepts such as hard work, rational thinking, the nuclear family, and belief in God were not values that unite all Americans, but were instead aspects of “whiteness.” This is offensive and outrageous to Americans of every ethnicity, and it is especially harmful to children of minority backgrounds who should be uplifted, not disparaged.
The Declaration of Independence was to set forth the moral justification of a rebellion against a long-recognized political tradition—the divine right of kings. At issue was the fundamental question of whether men’s rights were God-given or whether these rights were to be dispensed by governments to their subjects. This document proclaimed that all men have certain inalienable rights. In other words, these rights came from God. Therefore, the colonists were not rebels against political authority, but a free people only exercising their rights before an offending, usurping power. They were thus morally justified to do what they did.
Theirs was a philosophy that neither the world nor the government owes a man his bread. Man is commanded of God to live by the sweat of his brow, not someone else’s. In Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address, he counseled us toward a wise and frugal government, one which “shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it had earned.”
Those intrepid forebears knew that their righteousness was the indispensable ingredient to liberty, that this was the greatest legacy they could pass on to future generations. They would counsel us to preserve that liberty by alert righteousness. Righteousness is always measured by a nation or an individual keeping the commandments of God.
That picture has stayed in my memory ever since: America on her knees in recognition that all our blessings come from God! America on her knees out of a desire to serve the God of this land by keeping His commandments! America on her knees, not driven there in capitulation to some despotic government, but on her knees freely, willingly, gratefully! This is the sovereign remedy to all of our problems and the preservation of our liberties. Yes, those valiant patriots and pioneers left us a great heritage. Are we prepared to do what they did? Will we pledge our lives, our possessions, our sacred honor for future generations and the upbuilding of God’s kingdom on the earth?
We are fast approaching that moment prophesied by Joseph Smith when he said: 'Even this nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction'
The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time 'this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction' (Journal of Discourses, 7:15). It is my conviction that the Elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government.
Belief in God – fosters responsibility knowing we will one day be accountable for our actions and lays a tempering effect on the citizenry to behave. And without such, lesser beings vie to fill the role. ## Belief in God has dropped from 97% in 1965 to 80% in 2020. The downward trend is more pronounced among the young and the social science and philosophy professors who teach them.
Sovereign People – people sovereign over government rather than the reverse was truly revolutionary. A government “of the people, by the people, and for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln described it, is critical to our success. ## When occupants of the White House of either party wield pens to issue executive orders linked by thin threads to generalized legislation, one begins to wonder.
Written Constitution – as the first written constitution in the history of the world, it contains permanent principles to guide the nation. It was not merely inspired by God, but established by Him “for the rights and protection of all flesh” through the hands of wise men raised up to that very purpose in preparation for the Restoration. Find in any population of 3.5 million people today the talent equivalent of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton, et al. Random probability it was not. ## Satan’s minions heap scorn on it as an evil roadblock against progress. Thus arose the idea of a “living” Constitution whose underlying principles can and should be changed to accommodate the latest social engineering theories and schemes – a vehicle for change rather than a means of constraint.
Balance of Power – the power to govern must be controlled by separating power between branches of government, dividing power between the federal government and the states, and enumerating the powers specifically given to the federal government. In short, minimal centralization so problems are best solved at the level closest to them. ## What has happened instead is the Deep State – the power to legislate has come to rest among 2.1 million civilian federal employees who produce and enforce a Federal Registry of 70,000 pages of rules.
Bill of Rights – of the 20 or so freedoms identified in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, freedom of religion and freedom of speech are most critical to the survival and vibrancy of the nation. ## Religious freedom is under attack as some claim it’s a hide-behind for abusive patriarchy, racism and homophobic bigotry. It ties with freedom of speech as anti-religionists seek to banish from the public square opinions based on religious values. But instead of writing rules to force Catholic nuns to buy contraception coverage or bakers to decorate gay wedding cakes or to punish people who kneel during the national anthem, why not let the free market decide whether they should be rewarded, punished, or ignored? We note also the drive for more censorship of the Internet. Some have called for a reality agency to flag disinformation and root it out. Would such a Truth Czar be impervious to political pressures? Would freedom of speech survive? The right of free speech does not obligate others to listen, but don’t put it past certain types to try to mandate it.
Property Protection – the right to the fruits of one’s labor. Laws must be equally applied through due process regardless of one’s station in life. ## With hazy justification, civil-forfeiture laws, designed to deprive drug lords of their plunder, allow government to seize and keep property merely on the suspicion of wrongdoing without ever bringing charges, let alone proving them in a court of law.
Stable Currency – when government income and spending are balanced, people can rely on the dollar as a store of value as well as a medium of exchange. The free market functions best and citizens’ needs are met. ## Our national debt has now surpassed our total annual economic output. Our debt is approaching $30 trillion and that doesn’t count unfunded liabilities estimated to be nearly $100 trillion. The chances of ever paying off the debt are miniscule. The currently chic Modern Monetary Theory that tells us not to worry is devoid of understanding human behavior.
No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.
Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.
What excites me about America is its social mobility, people continually rising from the bottom to the top and altering the culture in the process. On another level, however, we remain a nation that lives in social ghettos....people like to associate with those of their kind. If we leave these narrow worlds, it is usually as an observer or tourist of another way of life.
Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the New Jerusalem...This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. We are living in a time of great crisis. The Country is torn with scandal and with criticism, with faultfinding and condemnation. There are those who have downgraded the image of this nation as probably never before in the history of the country. I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world...It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through. We must be on the optimistic side. This is a great nation; this is a great country; this is the most favored of all lands. While it is true that there are dangers and difficulties that lie ahead of us, we must not assume that we are going to stand by and watch the country go to ruin. We should not be heard to predict ills and calamities for the nation. On the contrary, we should be providing optimistic support for the nation. You must remember...that this church is one of the most powerful agencies for the progress of the world, and we should...all sound with one voice. We must tell the world how we feel about this land and this nation and should bear our testimonies about the great mission and destiny that it has. If we do this, we will help turn the tide of this great country and lessen the influence of the pessimists. We must be careful that we do not say or do anything that will further weaken the country. It is the negative, pessimistic comments about the nation that do as much harm as anything to the country today. We who carry these sacred responsibilities must preach the gospel of peace, and peace can only come by overcoming the things of the world. Now, we must be the dynamic force that will help turn the tide of fear and pessimism.
To those who are losing faith in America, to those who criticize her, we issue this challenge: Cast your eyes to the four corners of the earth. Can you see anything to compare with her? Where do you find greater evidence of freedom? In what land do the inhabitants have greater voice in governing themselves? Where do you see a way of life which has produced a greater abundance for its people? In which country do you find greater numbers of children receiving an excellence of education to surpass that which is to be found here? Where is there less want, less misery? Where in all the world do you find men who are given comparable rights to enjoy their freedom to worship as that freedom finds expression in the land of America? Can you really doubt that this land is in very deed a land of promise? Let all men of goodwill offer constructive criticism to assist this great land of freedom in the solving of her problems. There will be problems, to be sure, but let these problems be solved with mature deliberation. Let those who speak out, speak in fairest. Let these problems and their proposed solutions be discussed in honest debate. All too often those who debate her issues distort and magnify all out of proportion the subject of their concern. More than any other people, members of this Church, having the prophecies of God before them, ought to know that America is not going to fail, that the God of heaven will not permit it, if her people will but serve the God of this land (Ether 2:12). She has a great destiny yet to fulfill. Imperfect though she may be, she is, nevertheless, the hope of the world. Men of faint heart and blurred vision may from time to time lose sight of this fact. The fact itself, however, is immutable. America has thus far been preserved because she is built upon a sound foundation, which was ordained of God himself. She is the cradle of freedom prepared by him for the restoration of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let all who have permitted discouragement or despair to enter into their hearts take renewed hope and courage. Let all honest men everywhere rally and support the cause of freedom and justice under the law.
And we intend to build a still greater America where every man has a chance to work, a decent house to live in and decent schools for his children because we believe in a decent life for all our citizens - and because we who first lit man's hope for the good life are determined that freedom shall continue to show the way to progress.
For only an America which is applying its full resources of imagination and thought and strength to the resolution of the world's great problems - only such an America will be able to maintain its position as the champion of peace and the protector of freedom everywhere.
We are faced with an enemy which now commands a vast empire from the Formosa Straits to Berlin - an enemy whose agents of subversion are penetrating into Africa, into Asia, and now stand only ninety miles from our shores in Cuba - an enemy which is convinced of its ultimate victory - which believes, to quote Mr. Khrushchev, "that the old and the rotten will always fight with the newly emerged, but it is a law of history that the new will always win." But it is freedom that is new, and despotism and tyranny that is as old as civilization is - and it is freedom that will win - not because of any law of history - but because we will have the strength and the determination that will bring the victory.
I think the basic problem facing the United States is to maintain the peace, maintain our vital interest in our national security, serve as the leader of the cause of freedom around the globe, and attempt to develop in this country sufficient forward motion so that we catch again the imagination of the world as a power and a system of government that represents the kind of government which all people want to endorse, the kind of government under which all people want to live.
In other words, if we do well here, we enhance the prestige and power and influence of the cause of freedom around the world.
If we fail, the cause of freedom fails. If we succeed, the cause of freedom succeeds. Our responsibility is to throw light and luster around that great cause, around the globe.
I can assure you that every degree of mind and spirit that I possess will be devoted to the long-range interests of the United States and to the cause of freedom around the world.
We are a great and strong country — perhaps the greatest and strongest in the history of the world. But greatness and strength are not our natural right. They are not gifts which are automatically ours forever. It took toil and courage and determination to build this country — and it will take those same qualities if we are to maintain it.
For, although a country may stand still, history never stands still. Thus, if we do not soon begin to move forward again, we will inevitably be left behind. And I know that Americans today are tired of standing still — and that we do not intend to be left behind.
The report’s authors note that instead of teaching “students the foundations of law, liberty, and self-government,” colleges teach them “how to organize protests, occupy buildings, and stage demonstrations.”
(Words of James Burgess): In the month of May 1843, several miles east of Nauvoo, the Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review, at the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people and upon our future prospects, contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies; also upon the Constitution and government of the United States, stating that the time would come when the Constitution and government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands, but the righteous people will step forth and save it. I, James Burgess, was present and testify to the above,
Religion and science shouldn’t be in competition. The problem is with your (US) preachers – and your scientists. They’re stepping on each other’s toes. With big, heavy boots. They don’t understand that religion and science are there to serve different purposes. We need science to understand how everything on this planet and beyond works. . . .But we also need religion. Not for ridiculous counter-theories about things science can prove. We need it for something else, to fill a different kind of need. The need for meaning. It’s a basic need we have as humans. And it’s a need that’s beyond the realm of science. Your (US) scientists don’t understand that it’s a need they can’t fulfill no matter how man Hadron colliders and Hubble telescopes they build – and your (US) preachers don’t understand that their job is to help you discover a personal, inner sense of meaning and not behave like a bunch of zealots intent on converting the rest of the planet to their rigid, literalist view of how everyone should live their lives. In your (US) country and in the Muslim countries, religion has become a political movement, not a spiritual one. ~ Father Jerome
Religion in (the US) is so focused on fighting science and these compelling atheist voices that your preachers have lost track of what religion is really about. In . . . - the Eastern Church – and in Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, religion isn’t there to offer theories or explanation. We accept that the divine is unknowable. . . .for a lot of rational people . . ., it’s become a choice. Fact or faith. Science or religion. . . .You shouldn’t have to choose. ~ Father Jerome
Today, the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints is truly a world-wide church. Nevertheless, it is important for all of us to realize that the Church could never have become what it is today without the birth of a great nation, the United States of America. The Lord prepared a new land to attract the peoples of the world who sought liberty and religious freedoms. The new land was blessed with strong leaders who felt duty-bound to establish a government that allowed individuals to worship according to their own conscience. The Founding Fathers believed religious faith was fundamental to the establishment of strong government.
In 1978 and already foreseeing these times, Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “We are now entering a period of incredible ironies. Let us cite but one of these ironies which is yet in its subtle stages: we shall see in our time a maximum if indirect effort made to establish irreligion as the state religion. It is actually a new form of paganism that uses the carefully preserved and cultivated freedoms of Western civilization to shrink freedom even as it rejects the value essence of our rich Judeo-Christian heritage…
“Your discipleship may see the time come when religious convictions are heavily discounted…This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain of people’s opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will soon be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.
“In its mildest form, irreligion will merely be condescending toward those who hold to traditional Judeo-Christian values. In its more harsh forms, as is always the case with those whose dogmatism is blinding, the secular church will do what it can to reduce the influence of those who still worry over standards such as those in the Ten Commandments. It is always such an easy step from dogmatism to unfair play—especially so when the dogmatists believe themselves to be dealing with primitive people who do not know what is best for them. It is the secular bureaucrat’s burden, you see.
The Gadsden flag is one of at least three kinds of flags created by independence-minded colonists in the run-up to the Revolutionary War, according to the writer and historian Marc Leepson, the author of "Flag: An American Biography." Liberty flags featured that word on a variety of backdrops; the Pine Tree flag floated the slogan "An Appeal To Heaven" over a depiction of a pine tree. Neither endured like the design of Christopher Gadsden, a Charleston-born brigadier general in the Continental Army. His was by far the coolest, with its menacing rattler and provocative slogan. … Later, in what may be America’s first-ever political cartoon, [Benjamin] Franklin published the famous "Join or Die" image, which depicts the American colonies as segments of a snake. Among other borrowers, Paul Revere put the snake in a seventeen-seventies newspaper nameplate. Gadsden’s venomous remix, for a flag used by Continental sailors, depicted the reassembled rattler as a righteous threat to trampling imperialism. "The origins of 'Don’t Tread On Me,”’ Leepson summarizes, "were completely, one hundred percent anti-British, and pro-revolution." Indeed, that E.E.O.C. directive agrees, "It is clear that the Gadsden Flag originated in the Revolutionary War in a non-racial context.”
“Parents aren’t sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children,” he said. “Well-grounded patriotism is no longer in style” for those media figures who direct the course of popular culture.
“We’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important,” he urged parents and teachers. “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are. I’m warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit.”
“All great change in America begins at the dinner table,” he said in his farewell address. “So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven’t been teaching you what it means to be an American, let ’em know and nail ’em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.”
“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.”
Saying that America is exceptional is not, despite popular perceptions, the same as saying America is wholly superior and better than other countries. You could also say that America is unique from other countries, but saying it is exceptional means so much more. It’s a belief that this country’s laws and standards are different from other countries. America is exceptional because it is a singular standard of freedom and liberty in the world.
America was built on the eternal principle that all men are created equal and they have certain rights given to them by God. Because these rights are God-given, they cannot be taken away by man. This was a completely new concept in the world at that time. In every other society, the citizens’ rights came from men, such as a king or dictator.
America’s founding has always been about its ambitions. The founders did not claim the country would be perfect, only that through freedom it may encourage greatness among its citizens. Yes, ugly things took place in our history by flawed and dishonest men. But if one looks at history fairly we see that the great leaders of our founding succeeded in creating a nation in which individual freedom became the pathway for unparalleled levels of achievement by its citizens.
American exceptionalism does not mean that people here are better than in other countries. It means our Constitution is exceptional. It gives all who live here the opportunity to succeed or fail in what they choose to do in life. This enlightened document inspires, uplifts, and encourages American citizens, both native-born and immigrant, to live better lives, dream bigger dreams, and work hard for themselves, their families, and their fellow citizens.
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 that stands 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: Tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to set 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 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 the earth. Even the expression is impious, for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.
There is something in the cause and consequence of America that has drawn on her the attention of all mankind.
Lincoln aptly described the American government’s fundamental principles as “a standard maxim for free society,” which should be “familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated.” But the very attempt to attain them—every attempt to attain them—would, Lincoln continued, constantly spread and deepen the influence of these principles and augment “the happiness and value of life to all people of all colors everywhere.” The story of America is the story of this ennobling struggle.
The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission presents this first report with the intention of cultivating a better education among Americans in the principles and history of our nation and in the hope that a rediscovery of those principles and the forms of constitutional government will lead to a more perfect Union.
There was no United States of America before July 4th, 1776. There was not yet, formally speaking, an American people. There were, instead, living in the thirteen British colonies in North America some two and-a-half million subjects of a distant king. Those subjects became a people by declaring themselves such and then by winning the independence they had asserted as their right. They made that assertion on the basis of principle, not blood or kinship or what we today might call “ethnicity.”
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Natural equality requires not only the consent of the governed but also the recognition of fundamental human rights—including but not limited to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—as well as the fundamental duty or obligation of all to respect the rights of others. These rights are found in nature and are not created by man or government; rather, men create governments to secure natural rights. Indeed, the very purpose of government is to secure these rights, which exist independently of government, whether government recognizes them or not. A bad government may deny or ignore natural rights and even prevent their exercise in the real world. But it can never negate or eliminate them
Actually, if you could see close in my eyes, the American flag is waving in both of them and up my spine is growing this red, white and blue stripe.
“those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits, not wicked men. General Washington and all the men who labored for the purpose were inspired of the Lord.”
But what he said is plenty depressing. We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America Let me explain something the left wants to fundamentally transform the United States of America and Barack Obama was a leftist not just a liberal That's the given that's that's a code for being a leftist if you think America needs to be fundamentally transformed You can't have it both ways you can't say I love America and I want it fundamentally Transformed you don't want to fundamentally transform that which you love if any spouse ever said, you know, I Love my wife, but I would like to fundamentally transform her We would have a right to be skeptical if you really love her items, I'm sure a fundamental transformation is a good idea Likewise a wife about a husband hell I love him but I like him fundamentally transform It doesn't work. They don't know what they say because they say what feels right at any given moment
“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
The American culture, pop culture in general in overall, American culture and the adventurism that goes with being an American is very attractive.
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