The Cause of Liberty

“I did it again!” I muttered quietly to myself, frustrated as I realized I had slept through my alarm.

The clock read 6:10 a.m., a full forty minutes after the set alarm time. I play basketball three days a week at 6 a.m., and since the gym I play in is fifteen minutes from my home, I set my alarm for 5:30.

I lay for a few minutes, feeling the frustration. As a freelance writer, I spend the bulk of my time in front of a computer screen, so it’s imperative that I meet my exercise schedule if I don’t want my body to fall apart.

Then, in those quiet moments thinking to myself in the dark, it dawned on me what had occurred, and that it was a parallel to so many other things in life.

“My choice to sleep in this morning was made last night!” I realized. I had chosen to stay up until 11:00 the night before working on a project. Then, oddly enough, I was mad at my body for not waking up to my alarm. But by then it was too late; I was beyond the free realm of choice and had entered the inexorable realm of consequence.

How many choices do we make on a daily basis, for which we do not see the consequences until later in life? Then, when we experience the consequences, how often do we get angry and frustrated because we’re not getting what we want?

In a broader sense, this is what is happening to America at large. We’re frustrated with the size of our national deficit and the impending Social Security crisis, yet this was a choice we made over 70 years ago with the New Deal. New Deal for citizens in the 1930’s; very Bad Deal for us today.

We hold peace rallies after spending precious time from our lives watching movies saturated with violence. We spend millions on ads and programs to reduce teenage pregnancy after infiltrating the media and our homes with inappropriate movies, magazines, and other media that encourage such behavior (then, of course, we think the answer is abortion).

Every choice carries a consequence. When America accepts this, she will be resurrected from her current travails. And it starts with you and I, as individual citizens.

What will you choose today, and how will the consequences of that choice manifest later in your life?

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Written By Stephen Palmer. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

If you were left wondering whether you should laugh or cry after reading my last post, you got the point.

America really is at a crossroads, a momentous point in history infinitely more critical than anything Rome, Greece, or the ancient Israelites ever faced because of how much our decisions impact the rest of humanity.

However, I’m an optimist at heart and believe that Americans can and will conquer any challenge, no matter how difficult or even if it is self-imposed. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “It is a part of the American character to consider nothing as desperate, to surmount every difficulty by resolution and contrivance.”

With this in mind, I wish to transcend the gloomy picture painted in my last post and offer the ten most important things that average Americans can do to ensure that our current decline doesn’t engulf us and last interminably.

10. Read at least one classic a month.

According to George Wythe College, “Classics are original works of depth and substance–writing, painting, sculpture, philosophy, music, theory, law, etc.–that engage the student in the great questions of life. Works that have wide application and scope, they offer valuable ideas to a variety of cultures and times, and can be applied to nations as well as communities, families and individuals. These timeless works change us and ask the hard questions that cut to the core of human nature and human institutions.”

Study the nature and anatomy of freedom through classics. Learn what it takes to preserve and promote freedom for yourself and your posterity.

9. Discuss the classics you read with groups of your peers on a regular basis.

Similar groups were formed long before the American Revolution erupted, and they had an integral role in shaping the views and direction of the entire populace. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

8. Keep entertainment in proper perspective.

We’re flooded with an infinite variety of ways to divert us from our highest potential and purpose. When entertainment becomes excessive, it prevents us from living the ideals necessary to sustain freedom.

7. Raise a family worth emulating.

Love and serve your family. Be true to your spouse, be kind and inspiring to and patient with your children. Take responsibility for the education of your children. Build America from the inside out with the solid bricks of family values and relationships.

6. Forgive those who have wronged you.

World peace will never be achieved until individuals become conscious of their own contribution to or detraction from that goal.

5. Be a person of integrity.

Keep your word, no matter how difficult, no matter how tempting it may be to follow the crowd and become casual. Do what you say you will do. Live what you say you believe.

4. Be vigilant about how you spend your private time.

As I have written elsewhere, “The ultimate measure of a person’s integrity is how they act when they are absolutely alone, and what they do when no one else will ever know. It is the quiet moments spent in solitude that determine if you are true to what you say you believe in.”

3. Become a constitutional scholar.

Know the Constitution backward and forward. Study its foundations. Study the works that its creators read. Learn what habeas corpus, bills of attainder, and ex post facto laws are. Learn what the different branches of government are authorized to do, and prohibited from doing. Know the intended balance between the States and the Federal Government.

2. Live your mission.

Discover, develop, and utilize your natural gifts and abilities. Do what you were born to do, even if it takes quitting your current job. Live the spirit of providence in your life. In the words of Steve Farber, “Do what you love in the service of those who love what you do.”

And the number one way to lead an American Renaissance is… Continue reading »

I can’t believe all you homeschoolers out there who think you can just teach your children anything you want. And without official, state-sponsored credentials, as unbelievable as that sounds.

It’s time you all woke up and realized that you’re just a bunch of petty felons, selfish reprobates unwilling to sacrifice your lives and your children to the safekeeping of a benevolent and omniscient government.

Luckily, we have sensible and caring judges to put you in your place. On February 28th of this year, Justice H. Walter Croskey and two of his colleagues thankfully declared homeschooling to be a crime in California.

“Parents do not have a constitutional right to home school their children,” wrote Croskey in an opinion signed by two other members of the district court. “Parents who fail to [comply with school enrollment laws] may be subject to a criminal complaint against them, found guilty of an infraction, and subject to imposition of fines or an order to complete a parent education and counseling program.”

The decision quotes this statement from a California court case in 1961:

A primary purpose of the educational system is to train school children in good citizenship, patriotism and loyalty to the state and the nation as a means of protecting the public welfare.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sure heaving a sigh of relief now that that’s taken care of. Frankly, I don’t know how we’ve lasted so long with thousands of homeschoolers running rampant. Maybe that explains the drastic increases in teenage suicide, violence, and drug abuse.

And to think that all this time you thought you were homeschooling to benefit society. Silly homeschooling parents, education is for those with credentials (and lots of big guns).

Click here to read the full text of this astounding article.

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Written By Stephen Palmer. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

In the latest edition of Foreign Affairs is an excellent article by Stephen Flynn entitled “America the Resilient,” which gives his expert recommendations on how America should mitigate natural disasters and “defy terrorism.”

It’s a fascinating read from a well-known and respected expert on preparedness, and it should get every reader motivated to implement a sensible preparedness plan immediately.

The best way that I have ever seen to do this is through Joseph’s Storehouse, the “world’s first full-service preparedness and food storage company.”

I had a Joseph’s Storehouse rep come to my home to perform a free Emergency Preparedness Audit, a service to assess a family’s level of preparedness in home safety, emergency and disaster preparedness, and food storage. I was amazed at the level of depth and comprehensiveness of the audit, and it opened my eyes to how ill prepared my family is.

I’m not an alarmist, yet it only makes sense to be prepared for natural disasters, or other things spoken of by experts such as flu pandemics, terrorist attacks, and more.

Do your family a favor: Call Joseph’s Storehouse today at (435) 215-4838 and set up your free Emergency Preparedness Audit.

While you’re debating whether or not you’ll make the call, consider the… Continue reading »

Improve the World, One Small Act of Service At A Time

Public virtue, voluntarily sacrificing personal benefits and desires for the good of society, can be a tough concept to grasp and believe in.

This may be so because it can seem like a daunting task; we may feel like small and daily sacrifices just don’t cut it. We may read accounts of men like George Washington suffering through Valley Forge and think that comparatively our daily efforts are insignificant and meaningless.

I don’t think this is the case at all; in fact, I believe the best way for us to show public virtue is by making a small yet significant effort every day to make the world a better place. Without public virtue, our republic cannot last.

With this in mind, I have compiled a list of 101 ways that contemporary Americans can display public virtue in small, significant, practical, and consistent ways:

1. Vote
2. Pick up garbage in your neighborhood
3. Read to a child/teach a child how to read
4. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
5. Attend a city council meeting
6. Make a meal for a struggling family
7. Donate money to a non-profit organization
8. Get out and stay out of debt
9. Study the Constitution
10. Volunteer at your child’s school
Continue reading »

What stories will your great-grandchildren tell about you?

I once stood in the cemetery where several of my ancestors have been laid. In a deeply sentimental mood I thought to myself, “How many stories cry from the ground here? How many hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows do these cold headstones represent? Can we even begin to comprehend all that these people went through for us to enjoy our freedom today?”

I quietly listened to my father as he told fascinating stories of these mysterious people I had never met. I began to feel an intimate bond with these faceless Pioneers.

The realization sank deep into my soul that we stand on the shoulders of Those Who Have Gone Before. But have we become Those Who Have Forgotten? It is critical that we remember our heritage; the future of our nation depends on it.

Allow me to help us remember by…

Continue reading »

Are you taking an active part in creating that story, or is passivity leaving you subject to the winds of fortune?

Daniel Taylor wrote, “Freedom is useless if we don’t exercise it as characters making choices…We are free to change the stories by which we live. Because we are genuine characters, and not mere puppets, we can choose our defining stories. We can do so because we actively participate in the creation of our stories. We are co-authors as well as characters. Few things are so encouraging as the realization that things can be different and that we have a role in making them so.”

In the story of your life, be a creator and a writer, not a mere actor playing a scripted part.

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This attitude is a mockery of God and the gifts He has given us. In the Bible, in the book of Romans, chapter nine verse twenty, we read, “…O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why has thou made me thus?” In other words, Paul is telling us that we have no right or authority to question the wisdom of God, and our task, rather than questioning God, is to accept His will and to find the reasons why we have been blessed with our particular challenges.

For example, soon after Helen Keller was born, she lost her sight, hearing and speech. The victim way to view this is as an unfortunate tragedy; heroes look for the blessings inherent in such a challenge. By thinking and living as a heroine, Helen was able to bless the lives of millions through her amazing example. God was able to teach us the power of the human spirit through her.

What challenges are in your life? How are you facing them–as a victim or as a hero? What are you teaching others through your example?

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Without a revolution in the minds and hearts of individuals within a society, revolutions actually do more harm than good (i.e. the French Revolution). The real American Revolution happened long before the Revolutionary War; the war was an effect, not a cause.

As John Adams wrote, “What do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations…This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.”

America needs another revolution, not a bloody revolution of anger, hatred, and conflict, but a quiet, peaceful, and bloodless revolution enacted by honest individuals who turn inward and humbly revolutionize themselves. What are you willing to do to effect a revolution in your own life?

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Many people fear freedom because, deep down, they know that it entails heavy responsibilities. A perfect example of this is the ancient Israelites under the direction of Moses. The Israelites suffered under the tyranny of the Pharaohs in Egypt for generations, and longed to be free. But shortly after they were freed by Moses, they learned the harsh lesson that freedom comes with responsibility.

In Exodus chapter 16 verse three in the Bible we read, “And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

They preferred to be fed and enslaved over being hungry and free. The irony is that, had they persisted in freedom (combined with personal responsibility), they would have been able to create far more food and wealth than they ever could have found in Egypt.

Freedom isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

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