2009.07.03
Hunter: Thoughts for Independence Day
Thoughts for Independence Day
William Hunter
Hunter, of Roanoke, is an IT manager for Roanoke County and a retired Air Force master sergeant.
As we celebrate the Fourth of July, I wonder what our forefathers would think of our actions today. Fifty-six men had the audacity to dissolve their allegiance from the British throne, pledging their "lives, fortunes and their sacred honor" for what they believed in: that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed" and when government went astray that consent could be removed. This was not a letter to the editor but a treasonous declaration dissolving a colonial relationship that surely would bring military action from what was then a world superpower.
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they'd be insulted and embarrassed by the obama admin
Comment by pammala — July 3, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
I agree with what Mr Hunter is saying...but that is an odd end to his letter..are we missing something?
Comment by BUD — July 3, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
I'll take the challenge:
"On Independence Day, if you are a citizen ask yourself these questions: Am I proud of my government?" Yes, I am now.
"Am I doing my part as a citizen by expressing my feelings to those I have elected?" Yes, I am, and I always have.
"Do I feel like I am in real control of my own life?" More than ever!
"Do I still believe in freedom, the rule of law and my right to keep most of what I've earned?" I do, I do and like all of us, I do and I do.
"Do my elected officials believe that I have those rights?" Yes, they finally do.
I think that there is much in this country that would scare those 56 men into realizing that the innocuous, heartfelt, fair-minded, words they dedicated their lives too have become the mantra for hatred by some groups and the mantra for control by other groups yet they would also see that they remain the mantra for freedom and collective good for others. I further believe that they would be heartened to see that the freedoms they wanted to be guaranteed to all white men have been improved upon and expanded to all of our citizens. Heartened that the election process, while still flawed and fraught with enough error and shenanigans to keep all sides fighting, none the less manages to keep our government "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed".
Men as smart, patriotic and dedicated to what America could be would also be smart enough to know that while all "sides" have some good policy points, no "side" is perfect or complete because of the "special interests" that have been allowed to corrupt, control and co-govern. THAT, more than the car, the tank, the rocket, TV, the internet, or the microwave would have them shaking their finger and saying, do not use our name in your goal, for we will have none of it. From all appearances those 56 men were for AMERICA not for a political agenda. Not all politicians, pundits, talking heads and commentary writers can come close to proving the same. They risked their fortunes, their reputations, their very lives. Few today will even risk using their own name in making an attack. I envy them their certainty, even in their uncertain times, because I feel that today and I can imagine who would be the first they would throw overboard had they the chance.
Comment by Sandi Saunders — July 3, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
Will does that include ALL who voted for the war or just a few republicans, ...thought we already had overcrowded jails but what the hey, I dont mind, I'd like to send most of them away, far far away..in a land where they can actually believe all the fetid verbiage they spew.
Comment by pammala — July 3, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
Ok I read this and it was pretty weird seeing my name in the middle of the piece.
I have no doubt the founding fathers would have been stunned to see a black president, far less a campaign pitting a black man against a woman, since they didn't see fit to bestow the "blessings of liberty" on either group.
Comment by Kristen — July 4, 2009 @ 7:42 am
black? i thought he was bi-racial... does everyone say he is black?
Comment by pammala — July 4, 2009 @ 10:05 am