"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
~ Edmund Burke

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Taking Responsibility

"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories. And to render even them safe, their minds must be improved to a certain degree."

"Though [the people] may acquiesce, they cannot approve what they do not understand."

I wholeheartedly concur with Thomas Jefferson, who is credited for both of the above quotes. I believe it is our duty to educate and inform ourselves as to what happens in our government... and to study the principles of a free society so that we understand when it has overstepped its bounds. It is our duty to hold our leaders accountable.
Complacency will ultimately lead us to tyranny, and though I speak in bold terms, I think it is a fair statement to make. For how will we justifyably decry the loss of liberty when we have essentially been complicent in its decline? We have to do our part.
Americans in general, particularly our generation, take for granted all that was sacrificed for us to enjoy a free society. We think that it will always be free, because it is all we have ever known. In reality, freedom requires the vigilance of the people. Otherwise, as Jefferson pointed out, the government will degenerate.

The most recent election was disturbing to me. I felt like there was very little common sense to be found anywhere. I vowed to myself at that point that I would get involved - even if it was only in a small way - that I would do something... you know, besides complain. :)
That is one of the reasons why I started this blog. I have decided to educate myself more fully on the freedom that I love. I need a place to write what I learn - to process it all. I also want let people know when there are current issues that desperately require our attention. Though in most cases, all we can really do is contact our representatives (which seems so simple), it is a valid start - and so simple to do. I can stand idly by no more! So join me, my dear friends! It may seem a small start, but I know that tremendous results often come about through small, consistent effort.